The Three Swords (The Ways of Mages)

by Catherine Beery

  “Have you solved your puzzle box yet?”Terana asked the dark hair woman.

  Jay Dee shook her head.“Nope. Not yet, not entirely. One gets a lot for five gold. It is very intricate. I haven’t found the main treasure yet, though I hear it when I shake the box.”

  “You sure that isn’t the box?”Jewel asked.

  “I’m sure. It’s metallic sounding.”Jay Dee smiled.“It’s a wonderful puzzle.”Jay Dee tilted her head curiously,“Terana, what are you holding?”

  “Huh?”Terana blinked for a moment before realizing that she was clutching the ring Dawnielo had given her as a thank you.“Oh! Jewel, I meant to ask you about this earlier.”She said pulling the chain over her head. The green in the black ring glimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. Jewel frowned and held the ring so she could study it.

  Jay Dee leaned forward to get a good look at it.“Where did you get it?”She asked.

  “It was a 'thank you' gift from the old man I told you about last night.”Terana shook her head.“I just don’t know how I forgot to ask about it.”

  Jay Dee grinned.“It might have been because you were puzzling over Veil.”

  Terana reddened.“He did come out of nowhere.”Terana protested. Jay Dee’s phrasing reminded her of what Aritéhad said about Kaishan…Shaking her head Terana then pointed out“then Milisda came in and told us that we would be sailing out at dawn and the sailor boys got all excited.”

  “And before that, Jingles and Zeeve were trying to win back their money from Kadrean.”Jewel muttered absently.“Not that that worked out well for them…”Jay Dee sniggered.

  “Can you read it?”Terana asked Jewel hopefully.

  Jewel nodded.“It’s in Old Arathin. In today’s tongue its says‘My God, grant me your peace and courage to protect the innocent and the weak.’”Something within Terana relaxed. She had been pretty sure that it hadn’t been anything bad, but now all doubt was erased. Jewel handed Terana back the ring.“Did Dawnielo tell you where he got the ring?”

  Terana shook her head as she tucked the ring back into her shirt.“No, all he said was that he had a feeling that he would need it with him yesterday.”

  Milisda came then after speaking with the captain. She inclined her head toward Terana, the gold streaks in her black hair glimmered in the light.“Your Highness, ladies, we will be docking soon.”Terana turned to look toward the dark smudge on the horizon had become an island not that far away. She swallowed, she still wasn’t sure what to expect. Her hand rose again to the ring, seeking comfort.

  The ship docked in a hidden harbor tucked away from the mainland. Terana and the other passengers stood in awe as the sailors went about the complex procedure of docking the ship in a smooth manner. Meanwhile the passengers did what they could to avoid being in the way. When everything was settled, the gang plank lowered, Terana and the others stepped down onto wondrous solid ground. Terana was severely tempted to fall to her knees and kiss the earth. But she controlled the impulse for two reasons. The first was that she had a feeling that it might have been rude to the sailors who had seen her safely across the Strait of Mardo. The second was that kissing the earth would be greatly embarrassing. Especially if she did so in front of the group gathered to welcome them.

  There were many there, all with silver-blue eyes. But there were three who stood closest. One was a large man who rivaled Thomas in size, both in height and breadth. His hair was steel gray and was woven into a braid that trailed down his back. The color of his hair matched the shade of his robes. Star blue trimmed the cuffs and neckline. Beside him and a step behind was a much smaller woman. She had brown hair and a kind face. Next to them was a much more familiar face. Tsoya grinned at her and Terana found herself relaxing.

  Even more welcomed was the excited yip that preceded a very happy wolf. Russy sprinted toward her, his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth as he race toward her. Terana just managed to brace herself when Russy stood on his rear legs and licked her face.“You’re here! You’re here! About time, pack sister!”The wolf said before deigning to go back to all fours. Sam-the-Unwise was glowering at the wolf from Jewel’s hood. The wolf ignored the fluffy toy in favor of greeting his pack sister.

  Terana crouched down and hugged him.“I missed you too. But did you have to lick my face?”

  “Yes, it needed washing.”the wolf said unrepentantly, "Don't you like having a clean face?"

  “Was it really that dirty?”She asked somewhat embarrassed.

  Russy sat in front of her and said seriously“It didn’t have any wolf slobber on it. It needed some.” The woman who stood near the big man laughed at what the wolf said. Terana stood up quickly, having been reminded that she and Russy had an audience.

  “Your Highness, allow me to introduce you to the caretakers of your people.”Milisda said. She gestured to the man and said“Lord Illion, the Dragon Steward.”Steel haired Illion inclined his head and smiled in welcome. The smile made the man less intimidating. Milisda then gestured to the woman.“His wife, the Lady Lori.”

  Lori didn’t bow. Instead she came right up to Terana and hugged her.“It is good to see you safely home, child.” The woman said. Terana hugged her back. There was something inherently welcoming and motherly about the Lady.

  When Lori stepped back, Milisda continued by introducing the companions to the Dragon Steward and his wife. It was very clear to everyone there that Razyan was beyond ecstatic at being there, meeting dragons. Kadrean was also pleased to see something that very few humans had ever seen in half a millennia. Jay Dee and GrimHolden were openly curious about the mystical shapeshifters that they had heard much about. The two sailors waved from the ship. It was obvious that the two were not inclined to leave the gently bobbing decks anytime soon. Zeeve was too busy greeting his favorite rival, Russy. It was Jewel who seemed completely unfazed by the dragons. It was they who were intrigued to meet her.Terana could hear them whisper the woman’s many names; Carchanéziel and Chana to name just two.

  Once the introductions were concluded, Illion turned to Terana,“My Lady, I know you have had a long trip, but there is much we must teach you and very little time before the Enemy makes their move.”Terana nodded in understanding, but paused when she saw that the rest of her companions were being led in a different direction.“They deserve to know too.”She said. Illion glanced back at them before meeting his wife’s eye.

  Lori smiled and Illion rolled his eyes before waving to the others.“Come, you might as well. That way the story only has to be told once.”

  Illion and Lori led the group through the island’s forest along a dirt path that eventually led into the entrance of a cave. Lori grinned at Terana,“Welcome, my Lady and guests, to Dragon’s Claw Citadel.”she said waving her hand in a grand gesture. Terana and her companions stared in wonder at the sight before them. Even Razyan went quiet.

  Carved into the heart of the mountain was a tiered city that blazed with glowing Mage lights housed in crystals. The building had been constructed in such a way as to blend harmoniously with the living rock of the mountain. It was beautiful and reminded Terana of Razyan’s Keep.

  Illion and Lori led the group through the citadel and all the people waiting to see the Heir. Terana had never felt so self-conscious before. Russy leaned against her leg in a show of support. Terana touched his head in silent thanks. Eventually the mini parade made it through the streets. Illion led them into a simplistic, yet elegant structure. Tall stain glass windows with glowing silver veins cast prisms of light throughout the hall. "This is where we govern Mardo." He explained to Terana. He leaned closer to whisper in Terana's ear, "My lovely wife made the prism windows." Terana turned awed eyes to Lori, who blushed.

  They came to a room that was circular in construction. A large round table occupied the room. Across from the door was a large dark blue flag. A silver sword and a silver scroll formed a 'V' in the middle of the blue field. A blue-white star hovered between them. Each corner had its own silver dragon in flight. Both Ra
zyan and Jewel recognized it immediately as the Dragon Kingdom's flag... something that had not flown for roughly five hundred years.

  "Please sit," Lori invited the companions.

  "So you have been here all this time." Razyan began looking about him. He met Illion's eyes. "What have you been up too, if I may be so bold?"

  "I'll answer your question, Wizard." Illion answered. "The answer is best heard as part of our story, though." Razyan nodded. Illion gazed about his guests and long awaited princess. All of them gave him their attention. Even the cat and wolf were quiet and attentive; Sam curled on Jewel's lap, Russy sitting beside Terana with his ears pricked. Illion glanced at his wife who smiled and touched his hand. Taking a breath, Illion began "As a few of you know, about five hundred years ago Marlhema had been our kingdom. It was not, perhaps perfect, but it was thriving. We were a nation of learning. Our economy was flourishing. We were strong and we knew it. Verail, Kessal, and all the island kingdoms to the south and west knew it as well. They often came to us to solve disputes without bloodshed. I will admit that there was plenty of pride in our kingdom." He said inclining his head to Grim and Jay Dee who had raised their eyebrows as Illion had described the past. "We also had strong friends; the Levessa and the fiery Ucora were our allies since the beginning. Even the Molecies were our friends." he said inclining his head to Zeeve, who happened to be the current king of the Moleci kingdom. Zeeve inclined his head in acknowledgment. "We were a Nation of Kings." Illion announced.

  "We were proud." He admitted. "We didn't think that anything could best us. Why would we?" He asked in a sad tone. "We had powerful magic, wealth, and a strong military in case there was a need for one. That military was not used unless all other roads had been tried.” Illion was quick to explain. Grim could understand why he said that. From all he had heard from Jewel, and now from Illion, the Marlhemans were not conquerors. They were realists, though. They knew they needed some kind of defense, thus the military. Grim was a monastic knight. He preferred to find the peaceful solutions, but sometimes such a solution was not possible. Illion sighed as he continued. “We were so sure that nothing could topple us."

  "Something did, though." Jay Dee could not help but point out.

  Illion nodded gravely. "Yes. The Sheyestivans." He hissed the name like a curse. Terana's eyes widened. "They came as potential friends." Illion continued. "We hadn't suspected that they were only interested in conquering us. The idea never crossed our minds, but that was their intent. They only came to scope out the land before they began their attack.

  "Six months later we found ourselves at the end of the line."

  "How?" Thomas asked puzzled. "If you had strong magic and military? What happened?" On the journey between the Lake of Ghosts and the transport symbol that had taken Jay Dee, the sailors, Jewel and himself, his niece had told him much about the magic the Marlhemans had. By the sounds of it, it wasn’t weak. All the Marlheman dragons could change shape, they could heal, they could also control the elements to some degree. That was just the magic. How had they lost so much ground in so short a time?

  “Sadly it is very simple, GrimHolden.” Illion said. "The enemy had infiltrated our lands and had us under siege both at Emeran and the Palace."

  "But how could it have happened so quickly?" Razyan pressed. This had always been something that had puzzled him in the scattered remains of Shadow War documents. None of them clarified how it had been possible for the enemy to strike so hard that the Dragons had been on their knees. All they did say was that it had happened and the writers’ terror had been so strong that it was palpable thing in their writing.

  "They attacked like bandits along our northern border. We honestly didn't know that we were in the fight for our lives until the near end.”Illion explained. “Merchants were the ones who found towns and cities that were completely empty. It was always obvious that there had been bloodshed, but no bodies. Nothing. Sending troops to protect our people didn't work either because they would never be heard from or seen again.” Jay Dee frowned and met Grim’s eye. There was something chilling about this. It made her uneasy. She could tell that it made Thomas equally unsettled. War was never fun, but there were ways to brace for the worse. But to have no way to prepare, no knowledge that what one was dealing with was worse than random brigand attacks… There was something terrifying about that. And then to lose one’s military...

  Illion could see the thoughts racing through Jay Dee’s mind. He nodded “It gets worse.”

  “How so?”

  Lori spoke up somberly “A curse wrapped in a blessing.”

  Illion took up the story again. “Rumors spread through the countryside of Searean Bre, or shadow birds; creatures that would attack out of nowhere, kill and ravage, then disappear. At first, there were no survivors. Just all those empty habitations that I told you about. Near the end, though, more people survived. They were wounded, but they made it back. They would tell what happened. As my wife said, that was the blessing. The curse was that those people who survived were tainted.”

  “What do you mean?” Thomas asked thinking about the dark sons.

  “A terrible trend made itself apparent. The survivors were able to heal quickly from wounds that should have killed them and at sundown they became the very creatures that attacked them.”

  “They were changed? Did they ever change back?”

  Illion shook his head. “No. Well, only if they were dead. I’ve never heard of one that was alive becoming human again. Understand my friend, when the sun went down, it set on their humanity. They became mindless, blood thirsty monsters. We called them the Cursed.”

  “What do they look like?” Jay Dee asked curious.

  Terana looked down at the table. She had seen a Cursed already. “A black eagle the size of a draft horse with red eyes.” She answered with a shiver. Jewel, Grim, and Jay Dee stared at her wondering when she could have possibly met such a thing. Razyan touched her shoulder in a move to comfort. He had been there. He had seen it in that courtyard. The Cursed had done everything it could to get to her, to kill her. Done everything including slamming itself to death on a shield Razyan had put around it to keep everyone safe. “They don’t like dragons, do they?” Terana asked.

  Illion met her gaze. “Milisda told me that you had met one, my Lady. You are correct. The Cursed hate dragons. Don’t get me wrong, they will kill anything that moves simply because it lives. But if it senses a dragon it will do everything and anything to tear the dragon apart.”

  “So all those troops and towns that you mentioned earlier, they became these Cursed?” Thomas asked.

  “That is how it got worse.” Illion said nodding. “Our own people were becoming part of the force trying to wipe us off the map. They were the first real enemy that we knew we had. It wasn’t until the last days that we realized that the Cursed were mere puppets. The puppet masters were the Sheyestivans. That we learned when the Sheyestivan emperor came to claim his victory by entering our palace.”

  “But the Sheyestivans are not in power now.” Jay Dee observed. “And for whatever the reason, you are not in power either.”

  “We are not because the majority of our people fled that night. You see, there was a plan put in place. A prophecy that Tarol Lorjan had given us a hope. Prince Sieth’s wife was pregnant with the one who had the ability to end the war, but that child would not be born in time to save us then. That child would be born in our future, in a small town in the heart of our kingdom. We would know it by the appearance of a nurture shield.”

  “Why was I born five hundred years later?” Terana asked with a frown.

  “We know only that somehow, the prince opened a portal not just in space, but also in time.” Milisda answered.

  “Because it had been known that you would not be born until much later, and even if you hadn’t been you would have been too young to stop the war then,” Illion continued, “it had been decided that the king and his advisors would cast a spell to pause the war.” G
rim and Jay Dee sat up straighter. Illion looked at Jewel, whose eyes had darkened with the memory. “I think that you know more about what happened that night then we do, Chana.”

  “Perhaps. I just know that I provided the anchor for the spell.” Jewel looked at her uncle. “The spell required the king, his advisors, and the Enaza Terelle. It took everything they had, including their lives. The sword amplified the spell till it reached every corner of the country.” Jewel looked down at her hands. “I was the only one strong enough to be able to anchor the spell in place until the time had come. It sent the Sheyestivans back to their home past the Nirami’s Grave. It also killed the hordes of Cursed.”

  “We did not know when the child would be born. We only knew that we were not prepared for the Sheyestivan’s attack.” Illion explained. “We needed to nullify the greatest weapon they had against us; our own. We learned that the Curse was what happened when a Sheyestivan , in the eagle form, clawed the victim. We had managed to kill some of the birds. Studying the claws revealed a kind of poison. It would heal the wound, then the first sunset after the attack, the Cursed would be born.”

  “So you have spent the last five hundred years coming up with an antidote.” Kadrean surmised.

  Illion nodded. “We didn’t know which formula would work, as there were no more living Cursed and the poison we had had gone to making the various antidotes.”

  “We know at least one works.” Milisda said. “There was a woman at Razyan’s Keep who had been attacked, but did not change. Her brother did though.”

  “Breeya?” Kadrean asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And Anaelle went with her to try to reverse the Curse on Breeya’s brother?” Illion asked. Milisda nodded.

  “Well I’m glad that one of them worked.” Illion said with obvious relief. Now they just had to make sure the rest of the country received the vaccine.

  “But why did your retreat to the island? Why did you not go back to the main land and rule as you had been?” Jay Dee asked brow furrowed.