The Circle of Duty

by Owen Elgie

  “Let Thunder be the first to answer your call.”

  There was another dramatic pause as everyone else in the room digested what had been said. Looking around as quickly as I could, I could see that there were a few others looking on to see what was actually going to take place with the same kind of interest I had, born out of not wanting to admit to not knowing already.

  I’d met these two at my own Awakening and had seen them during the following ceremonies in Argentina but this was the first time I’d seen them in action so to speak.

  Thunder lifted his massive right arm, and offered his open hand towards the wobbly shape before him. The shape reacted immediately to the gesture by lurching at him and wrapping itself around his hand, making him look very much like he was wearing a luminous bandage. Thunder grimaced slightly as the shape covering his hand contorted and shifted, moving as a living being.

  Everyone else in the room stood and looked on with curiosity all over their faces. Those people who had no ideas about what was going to happen (like me) were taking in all of the detail as it unfolded and no doubt wondering if it hurt. All those who had some prior knowledge of the event would have read about the details but seeing them in reality would be a very different proposition. Even The Elder was in a state of shock as what took place unfolded.

  With a small grunt, Thunder was freed from the glowing binding and it returned to its previous point in the centre of the room, this time glowing slightly more brightly. Thunder returned to his throne and sat back, cradling his arm in his lap. The next Dragon, this time identifying themselves as Lightening, raised their hand and the process was repeated.

  As Lightning sat back down, the rest of the Guardians all stood up and we all proffered our arms to the magical construct. I did so begrudgingly. I may have been released to be able to take my part in this ceremony but it was far too clear that if I so much as grimaced in the wrong direction that I was surrounded by more than one creature who was able to make me take part by force. The longer I was free from any form of magical binding meant that I was still able to stop this before we all killed one of our number.

  One by one, it attached itself to each of us, fed and then disengaged. It reached me after six others had taken their turn.

  As it engulfed my hand with quite astonishing speed, I was struck by the all-encompassing strength of the grip which went from simply being tight to being a smothering pain, like my hand was rapidly being taken to vast depths underwater and the pressure threatened to crush all of the life from my appendage.

  It continued to build and moved relentlessly past very uncomfortable to agony. I kept quiet, not wanting to show weakness in front of the others but I was sure that this must have been easier for all of them. How much longer would this go on for? It must have been happening for almost an hour by now.

  Then, before the pain became too much to handle, the sensation was released and the magical shape had floated away in preparation of crushing the next willing victim.

  Looking my hand over for the inevitable damage, I was relieved to find everything intact but the pain was still very real. I did as all the other donors had done and settled myself back in my throne to await the completion of the process. Looking at my little team of personal soldiers, I was greeted by expressions of both concern and confusion. Mark asked the question they all had in mind.

  “Are you alright? What was that?”

  It made me feel better that he’d asked after my health first but you could see that he was desperate for the information on the magic of it all. It was all too familiar to me in a strange way.

  “Not a clue but it would appear that there will be a great deal of power required to achieve it. It would definitely suggest something big.”

  They all looked at me as they mulled over what I’d told them.

  “You don’t know either then.” Mike had never been fooled.

  I shrugged down at them and gave them the only reassurance I could.

  “We’ll just have to see what happens when that thing has had a nibble from all of us. Just stay switched on, all of you.”

  The gathered group all nodded and turned back to watch as the process was continued. I just settled back and hoped that nothing bad was coming.

  The remainder of The Circle were dealt with in the same way I was and we all waited on the next step.

  The magical triangle was still floating in the centre of the space of the cavern but it had changed from the barely tangible, drunken looking shape it had been to be something of striking edges and with brightly glowing power coursing through it. The expectation in the room was almost palpable.

  Throughout the entire procedure, The Mage had maintained his stance at the edge of the dais, watching on as each of the Guardians before him had taken their turn to give a little of themselves to the goal of whatever it may be. There was a whisper at the edge of my mind of the reliance the group had on the constituent parts. The Awakening, the Bridging. The strength of the group was dependent on the strength of the group. Any single weakness could damage the whole.

  Eventually satisfied that everything was in order, he again raised both his arms towards the construct he had sent out and it flashed back to him. Stopping at his fingertips, the shape began to shrink down from the huge glowing mass it had been to something only two feet in height. As it did, the light being emitted from it seemed to double and double and double again, indicating that the power was being contained in the much smaller shape, so was becoming much more densely packed.

  There was a palpable intake of breath from everyone in the cavern, all watching with awe and fear fighting for the right to be the dominant emotion, as The Mage simply thrust his arm into the centre of the shape and leaned forward to sink up to his shoulder in the magic.

  “Now we see what happens” muttered Mike as much under his breath as could be managed and still let me hear what was said.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off the activity before us but I agreed with him with a covert grunt.

  Ahead of us all, the centre of attention to all who were in the cavern, The Mage looked less like he was manipulating ancient powers of magic and more like he was reaching into a very deep and over stocked cupboard. I swear I could see him grimace as he reached for something which was proving to be unnaturally elusive. Whatever he was after, it looked like it didn’t want to be taken from wherever it was.

  The seconds ticked by.

  The Mage continued to reach through the construct before him and everyone else watching on waited. The sniveling shape of Maria remained huddled on the ground where she had been left and the giant form of her replacement looked on in raptures, no doubt keen to receive the energies which had been earmarked for him.

  The minutes ticked by.

  The Mage continued to reach but now the expression of serene calm which had been his mask since this whole ceremony commenced, had slipped and he was now wearing a much more furrowed brow atop the look of worried surprise.

  Something was wrong and by a quick glance around the room, I could see that I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Andrea and The Elder, as well as Eugene and Wagdi, also had concerned expressions on their faces but they seemed to be coming at the issue from different angles.

  Andrea was as mystified as I was but she was far more scared by the events unfolding before her eyes than I was. Whatever was happening, it would appear that it was a great deal more concerning than I was aware. The Elder on the other hand was staring directly at me with a portion of worry but that was blended heavily with at least ten parts anger. It was easy to see that The Elder, somehow, thought that whatever was taking place was actually my fault.

  Great.

  Trying to ignore the disapproving glare of the black form of The Elder, I turned my eyes back on The Mage as he slowly removed his arm from the construct and he theatrically shook his sleeve back down to his wrist. It was clear that he was concerned by whatever had just happened by the creases in his forehead.

  Ther
e was silence as everyone waited on him. Some of the gathered Guardians were blissfully unaware of what was happening and waited happily, seeing nothing more than what was expected while others knew what the next step should have been and were waiting for The Mage to deliver the required line.

  The Mage raised his arms and spoke.

  “Guardians. We are broken.”

  Everyone else started to catch on to the problem.

  “I have discovered a great loss in The Circle and there will be no Bridging. Ever.”

  If I’d thought the roars from the gathered crowds had been deafening before, this took things on to a far distant dimension. The Elder was on her feet and was across the open space of the centre of the cavern to stand before my throne, jabbing out an arm with murderous intention.

  “You took it. Give it back now and only have your own life ended, or is it your aim to have your entire estate sacrificed at your side?”

  Her actions made me jerk back into the throne and all I could do was simply stare at her with my mouth slightly open. I’d been able to keep up with everything that had been taking place up to this point but The Elder had completely lost me now.

  What did they all think I’d done now?

  19

  “GATHERED MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE, GIVE THY SILENCE NOW.”

  The Messengers words detonated into the soup of sound and everyone snapped to her voice. The Elder didn’t move and I could see that she was broiling over with fury.

  Silence drifted down over the assembled group like a gossamer thin sheet thrown over raging fire but somehow, the silence won out.

  The Messenger continued.

  “ELDER, PLEASE TAKE THINE SEAT AS THE MAGE ADDRESSES US ALL.”

  The words rebounded through the heavy atmosphere of fear, battering at the lack of understanding which was trying to overwhelm the whole group. The Elder nodded ever so slightly and stalked backwards towards her own throne but she never removed her gaze from me, her intention painfully clear for all to see.

  The Mage looked out over the throng of worried expressions which beamed back at him. Maria and her replacement remained in their positions, each dealing with their own pressures as the regimented process around them seemed to be falling apart.

  The heavy silence of expectation was held further by The Mage until he finally uttered the words we were all waiting on.

  “Guardians. Our power has been stolen. The Drake Stone has been taken from us and with it has been taken the power we have had to be able to control our destinies.”

  There was a collective intake of breath and growls coming from all corners of the group, even those I knew had no idea what they were being shocked about.

  The Mage continued to explain but as he did there was a wave a nausea which crashed over my mind and images began to float before my eyes.

  “There are a great many sources of power we have in our possession around the world and beyond, which have allowed us to control our own lives and maintain the dominance over the enemy and The Drake Stone is one of them.” Disembodied calls of battle filled my head with the description and pictures of flame, ice, wind and earth filled my head, images of a thousand battles fought over several thousand years.

  “It is that which holds the massive energies of each and every Dragon in our order in check, allowing them to be harnessed and given to the next Guardian. It is that stone which gathers the power from a fallen Guardian and keeps it safe before it can be transferred to the next in the line.” All of the sounds of warfare from across the ages remained but now the only image which remained was a hazy, almost ethereal painting of a mighty jewel. It was smooth but so deep that it felt as if it was looking back at you as you stared. It was utterly compelling in its simple beauty that I could feel myself being drawn towards it, looking beyond the mere physical boundaries it was contained within to see the ocean of swirling power which was held at its core.

  “Without it, we are now in a position where we are without the power to complete the Bridging which has been called for.” The stone suddenly vanished and I could feel more than see the hole that it had created in who we all were. Despite all of the mistrust I had for the road we were now travelling down, deep within something which was far greater than just my own consciousness, I could feel that this was something I just must have back.

  “We must reclaim this mighty source of power or we will be forced to put this child through the Awakening and let her take her family place as a Guardian of The Circle. This will create a grave weakness in who we are.”

  I couldn’t think anymore. All I could do was feel. The Mages voice was still drifting across all of our awareness as the shared images he was pushing forward dissipated, leaving behind only a hollow emptiness which made me feel a loss down at the root of who I was.

  This information wasn’t greeted by a tidal wave of emotional outburst from the gathered masses as would have been expected having seen how they had reacted to previous events. This time, with potentially the most damaging detail for The Circle as a whole laid before the Guardians, no one uttered a sound.

  All of the histrionics had been replaced with a terrified uncertainty. None of the gathered Guardians had any idea how they should react to the information that one of the most powerful of artifacts they as a group were in possession of had been stolen. Everyone was now feeling the same sense of loss that I was following the mental images cast by The Mage. Everyone knew that The Drake Stone was of a vital importance beyond that of anything they may have seen before.

  That and it would appear that the majority of the gathered group didn’t know of the Drake Stone in the first place.

  The Mage continued to speak into the group, sensing quite rightly that this sudden revelation had the potential to cause a panic. This group had been built on the knowledge that they were practically omnipotent so news of The Circle not knowing something, and indeed, something so vitally important, could be incredibly dangerous.

  “Gathered members of The Circle.” The Mage maintained that same even tone to his voice as he spoke and reached his arms forwards in a placating and calming gesture.

  “We have seen a great deal of warfare over the thousands of years we have stood as the guards of the world, this is something which has been seen in the past and is something we as an order have the power to rectify. Do not fear that the resolution of this issue is beyond us.”

  Just that small trinket of information was all the salve that the guardians needed and there was a palpable release of the tension which was knotting into the Dragons surrounding me. Everyone around us had just been told that they were actually facing a very mundane problem which had been solved in the past and would be solved again. Everyone was quickly reassured that they were still a part of the powerful group they had originally thought and that they shouldn’t worry.

  They had all believed every word they had just been told.

  The only problem that I could see was, I didn’t believe The Mage.

  “Guardians. We have a situation which has presented itself which requires our best efforts to resolve as quickly as we can. We have had The Drake Stone stolen from its holding and we have to complete The Circle with a new guardian for the estate and prison charge in Argentina. We must understand how our enemies were able to remove the Drake Stone and what it is they intend to do with such an artifact.”

  The Elder was quick to inject her opinion into the dialogue.

  “It is painfully clear to see that the Drake Stone has been taken by the forces working in league with the Welsh Guardian. As I have declared prior to this, he is responsible for the weakness we have seen in every part of who we are during the consistent incursions in Argentina. Our first order must be to remove him from the position of gravest responsibility he holds so we can repair all of the damage he has done. Without him to putrefy the heart of what we are I will be able to track and retrieve the Drake Stone before it can be used for anything other than the most sacred of callings.”

  “Sacred
callings?” I just couldn’t help myself. There were still so many of the gathered Dragons who hadn’t even offered a comment on what was going on around them, including the apparent death of a child which seemed to be still on the table. I was getting far too comfortable with the feeling of being in the firing line but at least I was able to defend myself. I couldn’t see beyond the pain that Maria was going through and I just wouldn’t let her be written off as merely an acceptable loss.

  I remained in my throne as I spoke.

  “I have been accused of some awful things here today and it would appear that wanting to protect the life of a little girl is amongst them. Killing her,” I jabbed out a taloned finger towards Maria by way of emphasis, “is not a sacred calling of any kind. Does anyone else think that just blaming the nearest person isn’t the best way to go about conducting an investigation?”

  Silence was again cast over the room and there was an all too familiar feeling of being the odd one out as the Dragons considered my position and seemed to be falling on the side of The Elder.

  “I believe that we need to see the truth of everything we have presented to us.”

  The Elder and I were still staring intently at each other as those words were added to the argument. We both held our positions, waiting for the other to blink and turn to see who had dared to come down on the side of the accused man.

  After a heartbeat, The Elder broke our gaze and turned to face Andrea but it was Leatherpants who spoke.

  “You would side with someone who has been accused of the most heinous of crimes against the Circle?” His words carried with them the frozen cold venom of a calculating mind, wrapped effortlessly in the cloak of deferent servitude. There was no fire in his voice as he answered from his seat, instead he met the Ice Dragon with the most subtle ice of his own.

  “I would side with the truth of any situation Mighty Elder.” Andrea spoke to The Elder despite Leatherpants asking the question. “I can fully understand the position of seeing our Guardian from Wales as being the cause of our weakness but all of the evidence you have presented to us has been circumstantial at best. Wouldn’t you rather have the real culprit accused rather than just the most convenient?”