Cerah looked at Parnasus but said nothing. It was true that she had matured immensely since coming to Melsa. With each day that passed, she felt more and more certain that she was in fact the one spoken of in the prophecy. The evidence was undeniable. Her powers in the craft were formidable, and she had grown mentally and physically as well. But it was still difficult to come to terms with the fact that the fate of others...indeed, countless others, was in her hands.
Still, she thought, the prophecy does not say I will follow Parnasus into battle against Surok. It says the armies of Quadar will follow me.
“Very well, Elder. Let’s muster the young wizards who have not already gone off to help raise the army. I will select fifty from among them.”
Parnasus projected a message of gathering to the villages across the island, instructing all the wizards over the age of sixteen but younger than thirty to assemble on the dragon field that Slurr and Beru had created. Within an hour, a group of about seventy had gathered.
“So few remain?” Cerah asked as they walked to Dragon’s Walk.
“Most have already been sent off. Raising an army is no small endeavor,” Parnasus said.
When they stepped through the wooden gate into the field, the chatter among the wizards stopped at once. Cerah expected them to be surprised when she stepped forward to address them, but they were not. Instead, they gave their full attention to the Chosen One, as though she had already been leading them for years.
“Brothers and sisters,” she began. “As you know, Tressida and I have been working with the riderless dragons for several weeks now. I need not tell you, who have been matched with your dragons for far longer than I have been with Tress, that every dragon is different and is devoted to his wizard. But as we began to fly with the animals who have lost their match-mates, we began to notice that the different colored scales on the dragons seemed to correspond to different strengths. Again, this is not necessarily news to you. Those of you who fly with red dragons know that they tend to be more aggressive. If you’re matched with a green dragon you know they will defend others faithfully. And black dragons seem to be good at helping to guide the others in fulfilling their tasks. Blue dragons possess the sheer love of flight and will patrol for days without tiring.
“To this end, Tress and I have trained and assembled what we are calling patrol parties. They consist of four blue dragons, along with a red to challenge anything the blues may spot, and a black to lead the party. There are fifty of these groups, intended to cover the ten continents. Five parties will be assigned to each landmass. In many cases there are already dragons flying over these lands, left behind by the wizards who first contacted the humans to tell them of the coming evil.
“I am going to select fifty from among you to escort the patrol parties and show them the area over which they will fly. Once they are in place, you will return, bringing back any dragons who were left behind before.
“This is, for all intents and purposes, the second phase of our fight against Surok. Even as we speak, your brethren are engaged in the first. They are among the humans, working to turn them from creatures softened by a long peace into warriors, ready to face the darkest hour Quadar has ever known. The flights over the coastlines and cities of the ten continents will keep us from being caught unaware should Surok move against us.
“Your task is a crucial one, and I have the utmost confidence that you will complete it quickly and efficiently.”
With that, she began to walk among the wizards. On some, she placed a hand upon their shoulders and said, “I am sending you.” To others, she said, “I need you to remain.” After about fifteen minutes, she had selected fifty riders.
“Those of you I’ve asked to stay may return to your villages. You will be needed for other tasks, and we’ll be speaking again soon. Those of you who I selected, please gather your match-mates and meet me back here in an hour. Thank you. You’re dismissed.”
To her surprise, rather than just walking off, the young wizards first let out a spontaneous salute, calling, “Hail, the Chosen One!” and raising a fist in her honor. It was the first time such a gesture had been shown.
Cerah turned to Parnasus, clearly taken aback by the demonstration of respect.
“You see?” the First-Elder said. “They are ready to follow you, and you are more ready to lead with each passing day. You simply need to continue to believe in yourself as much as they believe in you, and you will be just fine.”
Slurr walked to his wife and put his arm around her waist. “You’re pretty bossy,” he said, bumping against her playfully.
“Don’t you forget it, Lug!” she said, pushing him back.
Cerah spent the hour before the departure of the patrol parties speaking with the group of the twenty or so wizards who were among those she had selected to remain on Melsa. They were curious as to what their role would be in the days to come and had tarried after Cerah had released them to return to their homes. Parnasus had told the elders to prepare themselves but had not clearly explained to the younger mages what would be expected of them. Cerah now realized this was because he had been leaving it to her to help clarify for them. It was another way in which he was grooming her for the coming days.
“Some of you will be called into battle on foreign fields. Others will remain to defend Melsa. The secrets of the order are here, and we cannot leave the island with no one here to protect them,” she said. “Not all of the elders will be leaving either, although Parnasus has called them to prepare. You need to ready yourselves as well. Even if you are not assigned to the front lines, you may be called upon to fight.”
A slender lad of no more than eighteen asked, “Do you think Surok will attack Melsa?”
“I do not know where he will focus his attention,” Cerah answered. “But he certainly has no love for the wizards. After all, it was the great Opatta who bound him for the past nine centuries, and it was Parnasus who stood by his side when he did. And when Kern finished off the wounded Silestra during the Stygian war, with its dying breath it told him that Surok knew of him and was planning a particularly horrible death for him. And of course, I may have turned his eyes to Melsa when I used the Sarquahn to invade his ice cave. So, I would say it would be very prudent to be prepared to defend our home from his forces.”
Cerah could see indications of fear in the eyes of more than one of the youthful wizards. “I realize that all of this may seem imposing to say the least. Although I only recently joined your society, I understand that your generation should not have to be concerned with such momentous things. You should be concentrating on learning your craft. You should be pushing fluff balls, not preparing for war. But even a young wizard is a formidable foe to the minions of evil. I would sooner have one of you by my side than ten peace-drunk humans!”
She told them to seek the elders’ instruction on drilling with their match-mates. “Do not prepare as if the coming storm is far off. I would have you be ready in a month, rather than a year.” With that admonishment she sent them off and turned to Slurr.
“This still seems odd to me,” she said.
“What seems odd?”
“Telling people what to do!”
“But you are so good at it!” her husband replied, laughing. “Why, for years it was ‘Slurr, hurry with those milk cans!’ ‘Fetch me that bucket, Lug!’ ‘Chase down that calf, then hurry down the mountain!’”
“Alright, alright. I get your point. But this is different. There is a lot more at stake here than an un-fetched bucket or a wayward agorrah calf.”
“There is. But you are no longer a simple agorrah herder. You need to stop doubting yourself, Cerah. This thing is happening, with you at its forefront.”
She looked at him with adoration. She considered his muscular physique, his sparkling blue eyes...and of course his ridiculous tuft of blonde hair, today once again beneath his green floppy hat. And the dagger strapped to his waist. She took it all in. “I have said this before, Slurr, but I have to
tell you again. I could not face this responsibility without you. You are my constant.”
“And I have just as often told you: I am honored to walk beside you. Imagine, a milk-hauler! Wed to the very savior of Quadar! I completely accept your place at the head of all that is good in this most nefarious age. But to me, much more importantly, you are my precious Cerah. It was your mother who first showed me love, but it was you who taught me what love was.”
Cerah wrapped her arms tightly around him. She held him so close that she could feel his heart beat. It is a strong heart, she thought. And the purest one I know. “You will have to forgive me,” she laughed. “I still sometimes am taken by surprise when you use such big words! You are amazing!”
“And you have fifty wizards waiting at Dragon’s Walk for you,” Slurr said.
“Is it time already? I must go get Tressida. I want her with me when I send them off. Will you head to the Walk and wait for me there?”
“Of course. Do not take long. You know I don’t like to leave you alone.”
“I won’t be alone, silly. I will be in the company of a giant, golden, fire-breathing dragon.”
“That is good, but please hurry anyway.”
She left him and walked to the place at the edge of the village where Tressida liked to rest. The golden beast was curled up on the ground, basking in the mid-day sun.
“Get up, you lazy creature!” Cerah said into the queen’s mind.
“But it is so warm here! Just another five minutes.”
“We have to see the patrol parties off now, and the riderless as well as the escorts will want their queen there when they leave. Come on.”
“Very well. I would not want to send them off without a chance to bless them.”
They walked side by side to the dragons’ field, where they found the large assembly waiting for them. Slurr stood by the gate as Cerah passed through and Tressida hopped over the fence. The group was quite impressive: three hundred and fifty dragons and fifty wizards stood in ordered units, all fixed at attention, waiting for Cerah’s parting words. There was not a sound to be heard as she stepped forward to face them.
“I want first to thank you all, riders and riderless alike, for undertaking this task. As I have said, we do not know from whence the evil will come, we only know that it will come. You who will be escorting the patrol parties and bringing back the other dragons must be diligent as well. There is no guarantee that it will not be one of you who spots the first movement of Surok. And to the escorts and riderless alike...Queen Tressida wishes to bless your flight.”
The golden dragon raised her proud head and looked out at all the riderless creatures. Cerah could feel the emotion swell within Tressida’s heart as she gazed upon them, knowing how each one still missed their long dead match-mates. She sensed a series of images and sounds that she could not understand, as Tressida communicated her blessing into the dragons’ minds. Although Tress had explained the nature of her interchange with other dragons, it was not something she completely understood, and she realized that the bond between queen and subject was outside of her relationship with the golden wonder. Tressida concluded with a booming trumpet, which was answered by all of those gathered.
“Go now, and may the spark of Ma’uzzi go with you,” Cerah said.
Again, the wizards raised their hands to salute her and gave the call, “Hail the Chosen One!” This time, Cerah returned the salute. Then they mounted their beasts and, with a great rush of wind, took to the air.
Cerah, Slurr, and Tressida stood in the field for several minutes, watching them go.
“It’s really happening, isn’t it?” Cerah said.
“I told you it was,” said Slurr. “I am not wise enough to say whether what you did that night in Onesperus was right or wrong, but I do know that it set things in motion. We are no longer sitting idly while Surok plans the destruction of Quadar.”
“No, we certainly are not. I hope when the escorts return they bring news of the progress that is being made in raising the army.”
“I’m sure they will have much to tell us,” Slurr said.
Just then they heard Beru’s voice calling to them from the edge of the Elders’ Village. “Cerah! Slurr! Come quickly, Parnasus wants to talk to you.”
Cerah gave Tressida a quick pat on the side, then ran with her husband to Parnasus’s cottage.
The First-Elder stood waiting with another aged wizard. It was Kelsum, who Cerah had gotten to know quite well, as he had helped with the care of the riderless dragons. He had also taken to patrolling the shoreline when not otherwise engaged. His red match-mate, Pronus, was fearless. Neither he nor Parnasus looked very happy.
“Cerah, Kelsum has just returned from one of his policing flights. He has…seen something,” he said ominously.
“What was it?” she asked.
“I was not sure at first, but I did not think it anything good. Pronus and I were flying along the eastern shore when I spotted a group of four dark forms moving rapidly under the water, near the surface. There were not fish...too big. But they were not large enough to be even baby thorrians. They moved as a coordinated unit, but when we flew down to the surface they vanished, obviously diving deeper so that we could no longer see them. Pronus was very frustrated, as he was hoping to attack them.”
Cerah turned to Parnasus. “Elder, what do you think it is?”
“I believe our fears have been realized. I sense they are Silestra,” he said. “I did not know how they could travel beneath the waves, but then there is much about that foul race that remains undiscovered. Yet I have been near them before and have felt their black presence. To my spirit, this coming has the same evil odor.”
Kelsum nodded. “I am in unhappy agreement with the First-Elder. I too have seen a Silestran in the Ochoka Desert during the Stygian War. Their dark nature is unmistakable. It casts a wide pall.”
Slurr pulled Kuldeen from its sheath. It was silent, but he was still very upset at the things the wizards were saying. “We must protect Cerah. What do you propose, Parnasus?”
“I think she should be taken into the deepest part of the Western Forest and hidden there until we eliminate this threat. There is a small dwelling in the very center of the wood. It is Opatta’s Retreat, named for my mentor, who conjured it for himself. He went there often to be alone with his thoughts. I too have used it when I felt the need to be alone. Very few know its location. It is remote and well hidden among the trees. I will need to lead you there. You’ll never find it on your own.”
“We should go at once,” Slurr said.
“Wait!” Cerah shouted. “If I am the Chosen One, should I be running and hiding at the first sight of the enemy?”
“YES!” said Slurr and Parnasus in unison.
“This is not yet the time for you to prove your bravery,” the First-Elder said. “We can hunt these creatures down, but I do not want you anywhere near them. A Silestran is not like a huntsman from the hills.”
“It was nine huntsmen from the hills,” Cerah protested, but Parnasus was having none of it.
“You are the Chosen One, and I am ultimately under your leadership. But I cannot concede to your will in this matter, Cerah. You and Slurr are going to Opatta’s Retreat. Kelsum, go and ask that provisions be made ready for the Chosen One and her husband to take with them. Do not mention their destination. The fewer who know that the better.” The rugged wizard left.
Slurr took both of his wife’s arms in his hands. “Cerah, this is the best course of action. Going away does not mean that you are cowardly. It means that you are wise. The number of the wizards on Melsa is greatly reduced, but they should be able to deal with this threat. It will be far easier for them if they don’t have to worry about your safety while they hunt.”
Cerah sighed in resignation. She knew that everything her husband and her teacher said was valid and prudent. As loath as she was to hide, it was the best plan.
Parnasus turned again to Cerah. “You will not
be able to take Tressida with you unless she phases down. The forest is far too dense for her to land anywhere near the Retreat, or even to walk easily through the trees. We must go on foot. It will take us until well into the night to reach it. We’ll leave as soon as your travel sacks are filled.”
“Of course, I’ll phase,” Tressida said in answer before Cerah could even inquire. She had been using her connection with Cerah to listen to the First-Elder’s dire words as she remained in Dragon’s Walk. “I will not be apart from you if danger has come,” she said.
They went to their cottage where Cerah retrieved her podstaff, and Slurr grabbed his club. Although he had Kuldeen, carrying his old weapon made him feel even more prepared for anything they might encounter, if indeed he could prepare sufficiently at all to face these fearsome beings. Though he realized that he couldn’t kill a Silestran with the club, he knew that they had knees, which would break if struck with sufficient force. Tressida waited outside, already reduced to her wingless hatchling size.
Parnasus went to check on their provisions, instructing the wizards who were scrambling to assemble packs for the travelers to stock them well, as he did not know for how long they would be gone.
Unfortunately, in his preoccupation with Kelsum’s news and Cerah’s brief display of stubbornness, Parnasus had failed to notice Zenk hiding nearby. Had he known that the wizard had overhead everything they had said, he would have had to take action, such was his distrust of the lean mage.
As he crept off after they dispersed, Zenk wrung his hands with cruel delight and thought to himself, Silestra! Let it be so! I welcome the foul beasts if they are here to remove this petulant girl-child from our midst. She is no more the Chosen One than I am! The First-Elder thinks he can hide her, does he? Well, I too know the location of Opatta’s Retreat. Perhaps the answer to my concerns has landed squarely in my lap! We will have to see how all of this plays out. Indeed, we will have to see! He hurried out of the Elders’ Village.
Many Hidden Rooms (Cerah of Quadar Book 2) Page 5