by Sigrid Kraft
Suddenly Master Agland remembered the real topic of his lesson.
“But the background to the Great War is not our concern at present. Don’t worry, you will no doubt hear about it in all its details in the years of your studies. The history of the past should always be a lesson to us for the future. In those days, so much was destroyed by the foolish pride and hunger for power of a few beings, which should always serve as a warning to us to keep peace and banish evil and bad thoughts from our hearts.”
The children had listened mesmerized, and even Eryn was captivated. He had grown up at the border to the Nimrod and knew well that misty gray wall that extended for miles and miles. It looked a bit like thick fog and you couldn’t see through it. If touched, the Nimrod yielded a little, but the more you pushed it, the stronger was the resistance. It was possible to push the length of an arm inside, but no one could walk through it, and as soon as you withdrew from the wall, it snapped back to its original form again.
The old people said that the Nimrod had now existed for over fifty years. But that the miraculous wall should be the work of a dragon was quite new to Eryn.
Narna told us that the Gods were enraged because of the relentless fighting between the mages and the dragons. To punish the sinners and end the war, they created the Nimrod over the land of the dragons. Henceforth, mages and dragons were to be parted and peace was restored.
Master Talasin sensed at once the radiating presence of Master Elderon when the first mage returned to Aleroth. He put his work aside and went to see his Master.
Master Elderon’s appearance matched exactly the image everyone had of a mage: Ancient, with snow-white hair and a big bushy beard. He was not especially tall but his aura filled the whole room and made him seem taller than he was. The first mage untied his cloak and laid it over the arm of a chair as he now addressed the other mage: “Greetings, Master Talasin. I have just this minute arrived home.”
Master Talasin bowed slightly: “Venerable Master, welcome back.”
In fact Talasin had come to talk about Eryn, but before he had a chance to begin, Master Elderon had already spoken: “Now tell me about the boy. How is he doing? I am eager to meet him personally.”
“Well, I don’t want to sugarcoat circumstances. He isn’t very cooperative and rebels against everything. He demands his freedom and babbles about his free will, although he should be pleased that we saved him from certain death. Stupid and stubborn as a donkey. A second Nurin, I fear.”
Nurin was an insulting nickname for a doltish and dumb mage. The story went that many years ago Nurin had really lived. He was gifted beyond belief concerning his powers, possessing all twelve circles in an incredible strength. Sadly, he was also a complete simpleton, which led to him causing all sorts of damage with his doltishness. There were endless tales about Nurin’s foolishness and the name ‘Nurin’ became synonymous with a ‘magical fool’.
Master Elderon smiled benevolently: “A damning verdict. We should give him some time and everything will turn out for the best.”
Master Talasin raised an eyebrow, as he wasn’t so sure of that: “He will need a lot of time anyway, for he knows absolutely nothing. And don’t you think it’s dangerous to give him knowledge? He could learn to use his powers and then turn against us.”
That possibility cannot be dismissed. “I’ll go and see for myself, Talasin. Send him to me later on. Where was it again that Xeres discovered him?”
“On the fringes of the mountains of Ardeen. A stubborn subject of the Lord of Naganor. Perhaps the Black Prince should see to his education. After all, the Lord of the Black Tower has first-hand knowledge of rebelliousness.”
Between Talasin and Raiden, there had always been friction and so the mage couldn’t resist making that little dig, a reference to Prince Raiden’s own past.
The Black Prince, too, had opposed Master Elderon at the beginning, and it all ended in a deeply tragic conflict in which Master Elderon’s only son, Balan, accidentally lost his life. Master Elderon had then done something unbelievable. He had woven the soulban upon Prince Raiden. That special spell, designed to bind dragons to men, now connected Raiden to Master Elderon.
The result was to break completely Raiden’s insurgency and resistance. The aftermath of the ban almost drove Raiden insane. The soulban had never before been woven on another human being and the effects were terrible, as the connection was far stronger than it normally was with a dragon.
Master Elderon gave a thin-lipped smile. “Just send him to me, Master Talasin.”
“Venerable Master.” Talasin bowed and left.
Shortly afterwards, someone entered the room and Master Elderon looked up. He saw a young man dressed in a linen tunic and plain breeches. The simple clothing revealed a well trained body. A few days of stubble on his cheeks made him seem older than he probably was. His eyes glared with mistrust and animosity, but also a certain life experience shone through.
Master Elderon dissolved Talasin’s spell.
The young man needs to have his confidence restored.
“So you are Eryn.” The first mage opened the conversation innocuously while he scanned Eryn’s skills.
It is really true - twelve circles and a formidable source. The faint veil above Eryn’s circles, which the lesser gifted mage Xeres had first had to overcome, was so overpowered by Master Elderon’s own magic that he didn’t recognize it at all.
“Seems my name precedes me,” Eryn replied derisively. “Yes, I am Eryn Bloodhand. Bloodhand is my warrior’s name.”
“So, so, you are a warrior.” Talasin wasn’t mistaken. The boy is defiant and difficult. “How old are you?” While Master Elderon asked such harmless things, he read Eryn’s thoughts, which revealed more about the young man than his words.
No shields. He doesn’t even notice that I am scanning him. How is that possible? A man with such strong abilities hasn’t develop the faintest feeling for magic at all? Strange, indeed.
“Isn’t it discourteous that I don’t know your name yet?” remarked the lad, ignoring the mage’s question.
Master Elderon put on his benevolent smile: “Of course, you can’t know my name. I am Master Elderon. But let’s speak about you. Tell me about your life.”
Anger flashed across Eryn’s face: “Why should I do so? Or is this a prisoner’s interrogation?”
The first mage took a seat and sighed: “Forgive an old man, but I have to sit down. Now I begin to realize that you don’t understand what is obvious to all of us. You are here because your magical talent is extraordinary. You belong here – among your own kind. Other mages can assist you in finding your way. I understand that our world is still strange to you, but when you start to open yourself... you will experience wonders you can’t even dream of yet.”
The young man pressed his lips tightly together and maintained a sullen silence. His thoughts were full of harsh words but he kept his temper and was polite enough not to insult the old mage.
Really pigheaded, that one. In his thoughts, there is not the slightest doubt about his behavior. And what an odd view of the world – a strong belief in the might of the Gods and the shabbiness of magic. Who teaches such erroneous beliefs?
Master Elderon started again: “We saved you from death. Doesn’t your code of honor command you to be grateful? And is it really such a reprehensible thing that we want of you? Just think about the possibility we are granting you. Great wisdom and a new home.”
“Your offer is truly generous but I belong to a completely different world. I spent years fighting for freedom – for my country and for myself. I alone will decide how my life will continue and for this reason, I do not see the same future for myself as you do. For saving me, I really thank you and I will be even more thankful if you allow me to leave Aleroth as a free man.” No one else decides about my life but me, a thought that did not go unnoticed by Master Elderon, who admitted to himself:
Only the young believe in freedom. You truly still have a lot t
o learn, boy. Then he spoke aloud:
“What is freedom anyway? Everybody has to submit to the bondage of society and of life. A father has to take care of his family. Is he free to do whatever he wants? No. The greater the number of people living together, the more rules there are, and the more the freedom of the individual has to be subordinated to the good of the community. Even the powerful and mighty are not completely free. Upon their shoulders often rests great responsibility. Why don’t you simply give our way a chance? Stay and learn for a while. Try to understand and then make your final decision whether to stay or to leave.”
All the while Master Elderon was addressing Eryn, he was also reading the young man’s thoughts.
He can’t manipulate me, however flattering the words are he speaks. Aloud Eryn replied:
“I’ve made my final decision. The doctrines of my people are holy to me. For them, I will live or die – if it has to be so.”
“You can change your mind at any time. Patience is second nature to a mage.” There was nothing left to say for either of them, so Master Elderon cast a spell and sent Eryn away. Exhausted, the first mage sank down into his chair.
Indeed no easy task. For so many years now we have waited for such a talent and that stubborn fool refuses to cooperate. Sometimes things turn out to be nothing more than ridicule and mockery. But the situation is becoming critical now that the Unhaer is expanding. It is true that there have always been regions of Unhaer but these haven’t enlarged so rapidly. Now it seems as if the Nimrod spell is changing the land. The process has even accelerated slightly in recent years.
These circumstances were also the reason for Master Elderon’s latest absence. Once again, he had traveled to Draegnok, the Blue Tower to visit Master Savyen. The water mage was another of the old mages who still knew the time before the Great War. There were only four high mages who had outlived the Great War: Master Tellenor from Gahaeris, the Green Tower, Master Savyen, Master Oderon from Averis, the Orange Tower, and the first mage, Master Elderon. The great losses of the war had left several Towers empty. Three of them were still vacant to the present day.
We have no mages with really extraordinary abilities among the younger generation. We had no choice but to appoint mages of the middle ranks, the sixth or seventh grade, to become Towerlords. If we hadn’t done so, we would have had three more empty Towers, making altogether six towers without a Towerlord. Far too many abandoned places to ensure security. After the war, the power of the Brotherhood was already severely diluted and therefore at that time, the decision was right... the lesser evil. For years now, we have searched everywhere for magical talents but the seekers discover fewer every year. And now this unbelievable stroke of luck. An enormous talent – and with the circle of Gold, too. There hasn’t been a single golden vein since the creation of the Nimrod.
The unbelievable spell of the dragon had destroyed all golden veins of all mages alive at that time. Master Elderon’s circle had also disappeared, leaving him only eleven circles. Officially, he kept that a secret. But gold was the key to traveling without gates and to enchanting artifacts, as well as generally being a helpful element in many other spells.
I am convinced that a connection exists between the Circle of Gold and the Nimrod. Presumably, the Nimrod spell can only be destroyed with the help of the golden essence. And the destruction of the Nimrod is our first priority – or one day it’ll destroy us.
That was the task Master Elderon had made his life’s work.
There were many events from his past which still troubled the first mage, incidents at the time of the Great War and afterwards. There was the story about Prince Raiden, who had been a baby at the end of the war and was fortunately saved from the effects of the Nimrod spell by a powerful artifact - the crib he had been lying in. All other mages lost their vein of gold that miserable day, but Raiden kept his thin golden vein beside his other eleven circles.
He was probably the only mage in the whole world at that time who had that luck. But with Raiden, things did not turn out as they should. As Prince of Ardeen he was – no, he still is – conceited and haughty. And the considerable knowledge he possessed even in his younger years only encouraged him in his arrogance.
Master Elderon remembered how hotheaded and stubborn Raiden had been – not to mention completely unreasonable. Exactly like that young man now. The conflict grew worse as the years passed, until it culminated in my binding him to me with the soulban. How fiercely Raiden struggled against the spell. He almost managed to withstand me. But the instant he noticed that he had lost the fight and the completion of the spell couldn’t be averted, he committed a final treacherous act of resistance. He destroyed his own golden vein because he knew its importance to me. In his perverse wickedness, Raiden maimed himself. Perhaps I should have given him more time. A few years and the Black Prince might have recognized the necessity himself. But things transpired differently, and time can’t be turned back.
Those thoughts of the past and the lost opportunities were bitter. But now there arose a new chance with Eryn.
Unhappily, he is as ignorant in matters of magic as Talasin has already indicated. He is not a Nurin but completely untaught, and it will take years before he is a help of any kind. As for letting him go, well, that is definitely not an option.
Master Elderon pictured to himself his valuable talent with the twelve circles losing his life in a meaningless fight. Or learning the art wildly and thereby causing a lot of trouble.
No, that cannot be allowed to happen. It is far too dangerous and besides, I see no other chance to destroy the Nimrod, as I believe we need the vein of gold to achieve that goal. Indeed, I am certain of it. And only the boy owns this treasure, though he has no idea what to do with it. A small chance even if takes years to grow. But how can we reach Eryn? With kindness and patience, or shall we try a harder method of persuasion?
Talasin may not be so mistaken when he says that Raiden might be the best person to understand the young man. But Raiden is not a man of mercy. He is hardhearted and sometimes even cruel...
“I’ll shelve that decision for the moment and give the lad some more time. Wait and see what happens,” whispered Elderon into his beard.
Next time I call the mages together for a council, we’ll deliberate on the latest discoveries concerning the Nimrod. And then we could also reach a decision in Eryn’s case. In the meantime, I hope the young man comes to his senses. It would really save us a lot of problems.
Once or twice a year, Master Elderon invited the other Towerlords to Aleroth to discuss important matters of the Brotherhood. And today, the day of the great council had come. They all met in a hall on a higher level of the White Tower. There was not much furniture but at the center, stood a mighty, round table with twelve seats around it. Artfully engraved into the table top were the twelve circles of magic. Originally, these meetings had taken place in the Golden Tower of Elverin. But Elverin was the only tower that had been located in the Midland and had now disappeared beneath the fog of the Nimrod spell. Nobody knew for sure what had happened to Elverin. One of the last messages coming out of Midland reported that, shortly before the spell was cast, the Golden Tower had been destroyed down to its foundations. But it was no longer possible to verify that message, now that the gray curtain had fallen over the land.
The assembly hall in Aleroth was based on the original room in Elverin, but apart from the mighty table, was decidedly lacking in the former splendor of that tower.
Master Elderon looked around. Almost all invited mages sat in attendance.
To one side, Master Savyen stood together with Master Tellenor, deep in conversation. To the left, was another group with Master Oderon, the healer, Master Deron from Ragnitor and Master Celor, the Towerlord of Gabrit. The younger Masters Beovis and Ewet had just arrived and began to greet the others, but one was still missing – which did not really come as a surprise to anyone.
Master Raiden, our Lord of Naganor, keeps us waiting as alw
ays. Mostly he comes late and then makes a real performance of his arrival. Mercifully, the other mages take it calmly.
In Master Elderon’s presence especially, Raiden acted aggressively and affronted the colleagues regularly with words and deeds. After all those years, the Black Prince had not yet overcome the curse of the soulban. And because he couldn’t harm Master Elderon in any way, he vented his frustration on the other mages. This didn’t make him particularly popular, a circumstance that didn’t bother Raiden in the slightest.
At that moment, the door burst open and Master Raiden stalked in. In contrast to all other mages, he did not wear a robe but the clothing of a cavalier: high boots, breeches and gloves of gleaming black leather. The jacket was decorated with red and yellow stripes and had a double row of golden buttons emblazoned across the front. From his belt, hung a short sword that made a rattling metallic noise at every step. Merely bringing a weapon to the meeting was an insult. Master Savyen and Master Tellenor consciously ignored the newcomer and kept on talking. The rest of the mages, however, turned their attention to Master Raiden. His boots pounded on the marble floor as he strode directly up to Master Elderon. Upon everyone else, he didn’t bestow as much as a glance. Before the first mage, he bowed his head slightly: “Venerable Master.”