“You left your room?” Brasco asked incredulously.
“You don’t know me very well yet,” he replied. “Of course I left my room. I went out the window and was exploring the city before the old man and mighty warrior even left the building.”
“Did you learn anything useful?” Michael asked.
“I learned they don’t do a very good job of protecting themselves from thieves,” he said with a grin. “I didn’t take anything, but I did explore several buildings that had open windows. Even the shops are wide open. You could just take anything you want and leave without paying.”
“That is because we are a community built on trust and honesty my young friend,” Jeremiah said suddenly appearing from nowhere.
“How do you do that?” Mat asked with annoyance. “The same thing happened when you took us captive. One second we were alone, and the next second we were surrounded.”
“That is one of the many things we will share with you,” Jeremiah told him. “Now, let’s discuss some of the things you are impatient to know.”
“Where is the rest of the Armor of God?” Mat asked insistently.
“It’s in a safe location, and it will be yours when the time is right,” Jeremiah assured him. “However, there are some important things you need to learn first.”
Be patient, Persephonie whispered mentally.
Jeremiah glanced at Persephonie briefly before continuing. “Let me start by telling you more about our purpose here in El Fiducia,” he said. “Much like your order, Michael, we have dedicated the last 300 years to preparing for this day. In addition to protecting pieces of the Armor of God, we have gathered knowledge and cultivated skills that will be needed in the coming war.”
Jeremiah went on to tell them more about the Druid Academy which trained almost a hundred men and women who possessed various levels of training and skill. He also told them about the martial skills academy that worked closely with the Druid Academy. They had developed very effective tactics that utilized both Druids and warriors side by side. Some, like Jeremiah’s son Uriah, trained in both Druid and martial skills. Uriah was the leader of a small, elite force of men and women trained in each.
El Fiducia was also home to highly skilled blacksmiths and armorers. Over the centuries they had built enough weapons and armor to fully outfit almost 10,000 soldiers. They occasionally had opportunities to trade weapons for goods not normally available to them and knew that what was created in El Fiducia was superior to weapons and armor made elsewhere.
Michael interrupted Jeremiah to ask a question that had been on everyone’s mind. “How is it that you have kept your existence secret all these years?” he asked. “You obviously have some contact with the outside world, yet the outside world seems to have no knowledge of your existence.”
“That is one of the skills we have developed and teach at the Druid Academy,” he said. “We have the ability to make a person forget an event almost entirely. For example, after we agree to a trade for weapons or other goods, we can make it so the person has no memory of from whom the goods were obtained.”
“I did something similar when I obtained the Bracers of Righteous Might,” Persephonie said with a glance at Michael, “but it sounds like you have taken this skill to much higher level than I thought was possible.”
“I think you will find that we teach many things that you never thought possible or even considered,” Jeremiah replied.
“So what happens when someone accidentally finds your settlement?” Arajin asked. “Certainly traders and merchants have stumbled across your valley from time to time.”
“You are correct,” Jeremiah answered. “As you can see, this valley is nothing short of paradise. Most who stumble across El Fiducia willingly decide to stay.”
“What about those who don’t willingly stay?” Brasco asked suspiciously.
“I won’t lie to you, some have been kept here against their will,” Jeremiah said solemnly. “Our mission is too important to compromise. We cannot let someone who knows about us casually leave and tell the world. Simply making them forget about us isn’t very effective, because it leaves them wondering what they forgot and they try to find us again. They have a good life here, but are not allowed to leave, even on simple trading missions.”
“A nice prison is still a prison,” Mat pointed out.
“Our purpose is to save all mankind,” Uriah said, appearing from nowhere. “Certainly you can understand that. After all, apparently everything we have been doing has been for you.”
“I will never place my life above another’s,” Mat stated flatly. “And stop appearing out of thin air.”
“Is that another one of the skills you teach at the Druid Academy?” Persephonie asked hopefully, trying to change the topic of conversation.
“It’s a skill that very few master,” Jeremiah replied, “but, yes, it is a skill we teach.”
“Can you tell us about the exotic people we saw earlier?” Banji asked. “I have never seen people like many of them.”
“There are many different races of people who live in faraway lands,” Jeremiah told them. “Sometimes, they just show up here saying they felt guided to us. We assume it is God’s will, so we welcome them and they become part of our community. In the past, we have also traveled the world looking for others who would voluntarily join our community. We haven’t done this in several generations, but that is how we came to have people like the Gigas here.”
“What’s a Giga?” Banji asked.
“It’s Gigas,” Uriah said as if correcting a child. “They are a race of people that normally grow to be taller than 7 feet and as wide as two normal men. They are a gentle people but loyal and fierce fighters when they or their friends are threatened. They were originally brought here centuries ago to create super warriors, but they are too peaceful and don’t take well to that training.”
They continued to talk all afternoon. In addition to discussing El Fiducia, they also discussed the quest in further detail. The only topic that wasn’t covered was Michael’s intelligence network. For the time being, that remained a secret that only Mat and Persphonie shared. By the time dinner was delivered, a sense of camaraderie was starting to develop. Even Mat and Uriah were beginning to let their guard down and talk more like friends and less like adversaries.
After their meal was delivered, Jeremiah and Uriah left the group to enjoy dinner and relax for the evening. They promised to return in the morning and show them around the city. Jeremiah also agreed to show Mat the pieces of armor that they guarded, but warned that there was much he needed to learn before he could use the full power of the Armor of God.
- - - - - - - - - -
It was hours after dinner before Mat returned to his room. After Jeremiah and Uriah left, the group discussed all they had heard and whether their plans had changed any. While it appeared that there was much that could be learned in El Fiducia, there was a pressing need to complete their mission and return to Solandeus to oppose Anton. There was also a general feeling that they had not been told everything yet.
Mat lay in his bed contemplating everything he had learned, still uncertain of what tomorrow would hold. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he was startled awake by an urgent mental plea.
Mat, there’s someone in my room, he sensed Persephonie say then go abruptly silent.
In an instant, Mat had the Sword of Spirit in hand and was racing out of his room. When he reached Persephonie’s door, he didn’t hesitate but kicked the door open. As he barged into the room taking in the scene before him, he wasn’t surprised to find Jeremiah and Uriah in the room. Persephonie was sitting on her bed, unharmed but obviously startled herself.
“What are you doing here?” Mat demanded of Jeremiah and Uriah.
“There’s nothing wrong,” Persephonie told him, “I was just startled, that’s all.”
“I’m not going to ask you again,” Mat said to Jeremiah and Uriah, “why are you in her room?”
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br /> “We have much to discuss with the two of you,” Jeremiah said calmly, “but we needed to be certain about a few things first. Please, put your sword down and listen to what we have to say.”
Mat lowered his sword, but positioned himself somewhat in front of Persephonie. “We’re listening,” he said simply.
“I have suspected from the beginning that there is a bond between the two of you, and it appears that it’s a very strong bond,” Jeremiah said. “I have also suspected that Persephonie possesses very strong Druid abilities as do you. Your skills are not as refined, and may never be, but you possess them nonetheless.”
“I can hear her talk to me mentally as if she was speaking out loud,” Mat admitted, “but I can only communicate general feelings.”
Persephonie nodded her agreement then added, “I am also able to communicate general thoughts to Banji. I could probably do that with the others as well, but so far only Banji, Mat, and I have worked together with my Druid abilities.”
“Have you learned or used other skills?” Jeremiah asked.
“I have some basic healing skills,” Persephonie told him, “and Mat has learned some as well. As I mentioned earlier, I have some skill in altering people’s feelings. I can enflame certain emotions in others as well as encourage them to forget things, but I don’t think my skill approaches what you discussed earlier.”
“I think there is much both of you could learn here,” Jeremiah told them. “I know you are in a hurry to return to Solandeus and drive out Anton, but time here would benefit you greatly.”
“Our friends and families suffer already,” Mat told him. “We have to return to help them as soon as possible.”
“Please don’t make a decision yet,” Jeremiah said. “Let us show you the Academy and what we can teach you. Let us show you everything we have done to prepare for you. After that, you can decide what is best. All I ask is that you consider everything we are going to show you before making your decision.”
Mat looked at Persephonie who nodded slightly before answering. “We will consider everything you show us before making a decision,” he said.
“Thank you,” Jeremiah replied. “We will let you rest now, but we will return in the morning as promised earlier.”
Jeremiah and Uriah left Mat and Persephonie alone to think about their promise of knowledge and, ultimately, power. They knew it wasn’t going to be an easy decision to make. After making sure Persephonie was truly unharmed, Mat returned to his room and a restless night. His dreams were plagued by battles and destruction that left him tired and weary in the morning. The only thing that helped him was the knowledge that his friends, Persephonie in particular, would be with him as he decided what he needed to do.
Chapter 16
Mat wasn’t the only one who didn’t get much sleep that night. Both Banji and Brasco spent the entire night exploring El Fiducia and arrived for breakfast through the front door. They were starting to form a good friendship that had the potential to get them both in trouble as their night-long escapade showed.
“Wow, what a city,” Banji exclaimed as he and Brasco came through the front door.
“I haven’t had this much fun since we fled Sorgen,” Brasco agreed.
“Where have you two been?” Mat asked irritably.
“We went everywhere,” Banji exclaimed. “We explored the whole valley. There is a whole segment of the city that sleeps during the day and lives their waking life at night. They showed us the nightlife of El Feducia, and let me tell you that not everyone is as stuffy as Jeremiah and Uriah.”
“And we met some Gigas,” Brasco added excitedly. “I felt like a little child standing next to them. They are so mellow and soft spoken, but they have this drink made from honey and that had my head spinning.”
“I couldn’t see straight for an hour,” Banji chimed in. “Maybe that’s why they’re so mellow. Ohhh, it was so much fun!”
“Yes, I heard about your fun,” Jeremiah said from the door. “You two are the talk of the town.”
Banji and Brasco looked at their feet, attempting to be remorseful. They couldn’t keep their pensive pose for long, though, and were soon laughing hysterically.
“Why don’t you two get a few hours of sleep,” Michael instructed as he pushed them towards the stairs. “And don’t leave this building until somebody comes to get you.”
“They didn’t do any harm,” Jeremiah said with a sigh, “it’s just that we have so much that needs to be done, we can’t afford to waste the time we do have partying all night long.”
“I will keep better track of them,” Michael assured him. “That will be their last night partying as long as I am around.”
“Thank you,” Jeremiah said. “Now, let me show you around the city.”
Jeremiah led them away from the Academy and took them along a circular route through the city. They spent the whole morning exploring the different districts. He showed them the stables where the warhorses were kept, their cache of weapons and armor, the general martial training grounds, and the mines with their treasures of natural resources. They arrived back at the building where they were staying in time to eat a light lunch and escape the hottest part of the day.
Banji and Brasco joined the group after lunch when they went back out into the city. Jeremiah led them to the Academy where several other people waited to meet them. The first person they met was the weapons master, a man named Solomon. He was accompanied by a pair of Druid sisters.
Michael, Arajin, Banji, and Brasco went with Solomon and the Druids to visit the martial training center. Uriah had joined his father, and they led Mat and Persephonie to the Druid Academy.
“Your friends will find the martial training center fascinating,” Jeremiah told them as they walked. “They will see some of the benefits of working together with a trained Druid to form a coterie. The level of coordination that can be achieved by training in a group that includes a Druid can be enough to turn a battle. A well-trained coterie of ten can turn back a force ten times that size. “
“A force of a thousand will be virtually unstoppable,” Uriah added, “and that is what we have been training for.”
“My son is a little overzealous,” Jeremiah warned. “We are years, perhaps decades, from having a thousand men and women trained to fight alongside Druids, and we are even further away from having enough highly skilled Druids.”
“But we do have enough trained and ready to help soon,” Uriah insisted.
“Yes, yes we do,” Jeremiah agreed, “but the reason we brought you here was to discuss the talents you two possess. The training your friends are learning about relies on the Druid to provide direction and coordination for the group. It’s mostly one-way. The skills you two possess and the bond you have already started to develop are more complimentary. If you are properly trained, you will be able to act as one.”
“Mat,” Uriah said, “I can teach you Druid powers focused on combat. You can learn how to draw strength and knowledge from Persephonie and give the same back to her. Imagine being able to see in every direction and know what is happening behind you and sensing what is going to happen a split second before it does. It’s almost like being able to see into the future.”
“Persephonie,” Jeremiah said, “I can teach you Druid powers you haven’t even imagined. You have already learned one of the more difficult skills of mental speech, but with practice you will also learn how to listen to Mat’s thoughts. You can also learn how to detect when other Druids are using mental speech and learn how to prevent it, if you are strong enough, and I think you are.”
“We can also teach you the secrets of stealth,” Uriah added. “You will learn how to direct other people’s attention away from you. This essentially makes you invisible to a person because their focus is directed away from you even if you are standing right in front of them. This is how we were able to walk right up to you in the desert, and you never saw us until we had our swords at your throat.”
Jeremiah
spent all afternoon telling them about Druid skills they had never heard of and several that seemed to be impossible. Uriah added ways that the skills could be used in battle. They were so busy learning about Druid skills that, for the afternoon at least, Mat and Persephonie forgot about Anton and the chaos that waited for them. Mat even forgot about the Armor of God for a few hours.
When Mat and Persephonie returned for dinner, they found the common room full of food, people, and friendly banter. In addition to their friends, there were almost a dozen others. Many of them were men and women they had met at the martial training academy that afternoon. As is often the case with soldiers, they formed an immediate bond and were joyfully sharing stories.
There were also two young ladies that had the full attention of Banji and Brasco. They wore full-length white robes with intricate symbols stitched in gold and carried staffs with large blue gemstones on the end. They were also from the martial training academy, but they were Druids who trained with soldiers to form coteries.
Mat and Persephonie were happy to see their friends in a festive mood, but they were also disappointed that they couldn’t talk to them immediately about everything they learned that afternoon. While they waited for their chance to talk more privately, they served themselves dinner and conversed quietly at a table in the far corner of the room.
“What do you think about everything we learned today?” Mat asked Persephonie.
“We could spend years mastering everything they have to teach,” she answered.
“But we don’t have years,” Mat said. “The people of Solandeus are suffering and dying right now.”
“I know,” she replied sadly, “but we need help to end that. The secrets they can teach us could make the difference.”
“I agree,” Mat said, “but if we spend too much time here, there may not be a Solandeus left to save. I also think there is something they haven’t told us yet.”
“I sense that too,” Persephonie agreed. “I don’t think they are lying to us, but they may be deliberately not telling us something.”
Armor of God (Salvation of Solandeus Book 2) Page 11