by K. Dzr
* * * * *
Tahir hunched over a desk, studying a map of the route to the Holy Land. He traced the Nile and approximated where Elysi and his village were located. According to this map, the Crusaders must have veered far off course to attack his village. Why? What would have driven them that far south? Even on horseback it would have taken weeks, maybe months, to travel such distance in the desert sun. Crossing the Sahara was difficult for horses and humans alike; without camels, without knowledge of how to find water, it would be nearly impossible. It didn’t make sense. He rubbed his chin as he pondered this new information. He needed answers.
He left the study with the map in hand. Ignoring the usual glares from the guards, and avoiding anyone who may give him a hard time, he searched for Alexander. He found him lying on the floor gnawing a bone. The wolf made no sign that he noticed Tahir approach.
“I’ve been studying a map,” he spoke over the sounds of the bone cracking. “The Templars would have had to travel many days away from the Holy Land to attack my village.”
“Indeed.”
“Why would they go to such lengths?”
“They wouldn’t.”
Alexander was obviously more interested in his bone than in having a conversation with him. Or, perhaps, there was something Alexander was intentionally withholding. He was getting a little tired of these wizards and their plotting. He grimaced at the sound of Alexander’s teeth grinding against the bone.
“Sir Tahir,” Demetrius patted him on the back as he entered the room. “I have heard that you have been spending a lot of time looking behind you. Makes it difficult to move forward if your eyes remain to your rear.”
Demetrius sat on the bench near Alexander, bent down and scratched the wolf’s ears.
“What’s bothering you, Tahir?”
“I want to know who destroyed my village, and why. I want to know why I was spared; why, if you could save me, you couldn’t save my mother.”
“Yes, yes.” Demetrius folded his arms across his chest, leaned back against the wall and stretched out his crossed ankles. He looked up as though the answer might be written on the ceiling.
“You think I had something to do with that massacre, don’t you?”
“Did you?”
“My only part in that day was sending Alexander to rescue you.”
“Why? Why was it so important to rescue me; to lead me to Elysi? Why was I, a child among a village of hundreds, worth rescuing while the others were not? Why were you watching me? And why couldn’t you save everyone? Surely you knew we were about to be attacked and by whom.”
Alexander laughed. “Do not be so arrogant; there are many under my careful eye: Oraden, Destiny, Kraven and many others you have not yet come to know. Demetrius and I are constantly on the move—teaching, searching, watching and battling. I was far from your village, but I came as soon as I heard of your situation.”
“Tahir,” Demetrius explained, “when we say we are watching, that does not necessarily mean we are always nearby, constantly on the lookout for this person. When you walked in the desert alone, Alexander never left your side because he knew you were sad and afraid. We weren’t sure who attacked, or if you were even the target and would possibly be attacked again. We needed to insure that you would get somewhere safe. Yes, you were still a child; you still needed someone to care for you and guide you. Before that, you had your mother and the elders of your village. You were relatively safe. You didn’t need our constant watch. We weren’t positive yet who you were, but we suspected something special. At that point, we merely checked in on you from time to time to see how you were developing and determine if you were worthy of our interest.
“Lady Destiny, too. She lived in a castle sheltered by her father and protected by guards. There was no need to stand by every hour of every day to guarantee her safety. Now, as such a powerful wizard, we had to make sure she wasn’t dabbling unintentionally in dark magic, or having problems controlling her power. A periodic visit, or glance with tunnel vision, was all that was required there. We knew there would come a time when we would have to take her from Robert and teach her, but we wanted her to have a normal life and as much time with her father as possible.”
“Oraden, on the other hand, was a completely different situation,” Alexander explained. “We knew exactly what a black unicorn was. Knew he needed to be protected at all costs. His adventure-seeking ways made that particularly difficult; for years, most of my time was spent keeping him far from those who would do him harm. By now you must understand how big of a target he is and why he needed so much of my attention.”
“You see,” Demetrius continued, “before your village was attacked, we had no reason to watch you so closely. Afterwards, things changed and we were much more cautious.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” Tahir shook his head. “But I thought you could see the future? I just don’t understand why you couldn’t prevent it.”
“That is a complex gift I have, Tahir.” Demetrius rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of how to explain. “Nowadays it requires nearly all of my concentration just to see where I’m walking. Aside from that, I only see what I am shown. Now, if I know to look for something, perhaps I will find it. Regrettably, I did not look for your future. Nothing was shown to me. I had no reason to be suspicious. You see, at that time, all I saw was a boy who showed signs of magic in his blood, therefore, some promise. There are thousands of people who show the same signs; we don’t watch them all. But I liked your character, your determination, and your dreams of becoming a knight. Those characteristics, combined with magic, typically make good wizards. I wanted to make sure you stayed on track, so I asked Alexander to keep an eye on you and see how you’d turn out. Being in such close proximity to Oraden, it wouldn’t be too difficult to stop in from time to time. Now, as for who is responsible for the attack, I have my theories, but I will not accuse anyone until I know for certain.”
“It is suspicious that I, alone was spared. I can’t help but think it was the work of magic.”
“You were wearing a talisman,” Alexander reminded him. “It may very well have been the only thing that kept you alive. By the time I got to you, all I could do was pray to the fairies that I’d find survivors.”
“Oraden is a very unique creature, with a unique magic, would you not agree?” Demetrius interrupted.
Tahir agreed, not really understanding what Oraden had to do with anything.
“It is not just his magic, and the fact that he is the rare black unicorn, that makes him unique. His curiosity, intellect, courage and thrill-seeking nature is absolutely unheard of in unicorns. Even in humans such characteristics are uncommon, and those who possess them are typically exalted as heroes. His personality, his magic and abilities; he was created for one purpose. Everything about him, and all of his experiences, are meant to prepare him to reach that goal, even if he doesn’t know what that goal is.” He paused for a moment, seemingly listening to something, but Tahir heard nothing. He returned his attention to Tahir.
“You are not unlike Oraden. You were spared because you have a special purpose. In time you will understand, this I assure you. When I heard of your village’s destruction I was deeply saddened. I too, have felt the pain of losing my village. I have heard my neighbors’ screams and smelled their burning flesh. For hundreds of years I have tried to push the memories from my mind, but it’s always there. Like you, I am a player in a larger game. As is Alexander.”
Alexander finally abandoned his bone and assumed human form. Demetrius handed him the extra cloak he carried for his shape-shifting companion.
“I was not yet old enough when I was taken from my mother to live with the Dracara,” he explained, as he covered himself and then sat on the bench. “I survived their ways and a harsh upbringing; it forged me into who I am today. I may have lost a life of hunting with a pack, running through forests relatively carefree, but there is much that I have gained. We do not choose our destiny, Ta
hir. Perhaps some may have that luxury, but not us.”
“We have all been pulled from our homes or lost our families at a young age; forced to carry larger burdens than most before we should have,” Demetrius sighed before continuing. “Though these experiences are difficult, painful, challenging at best, they are the elements that form us into what we are to become. The question you should ask is whether your path is already laid, or do you carve it with every step you take? Some things will be, regardless of what we do, because they are out of our control. Perhaps they are predestined, or perhaps merely coincidence. It is the way we respond that defines who we are.
“There is still a bigger fight before us, Tahir. Artemisios was just the beginning. The time to prove ourselves has yet to come. It won’t be long now before the fate of many is in your hands; hundreds of thousands will come to depend on you. I need to know that you are ready and that you trust us.”
During the silence, Tahir realized that with their combined powers, Alexander and Demetrius didn’t need to lie. If they say they aren’t to blame, he would believe them. If it wasn’t them, and it wasn’t the crusaders, then he wasn’t a traitor. But…“I have one more question,” He looked at them both. “If you had known, would you have saved my village and my mother?”
“I promise you this, Tahir: had I known, we would have stepped in to protect your village,” Demetrius said. “It was not destroyed by an army or natural disaster, but by the work of dark magic. And the wizards responsible for that will one day be tried and punished for their actions. It was not necessary for your mother to die, not for our plans.
“You were on the path of adventure, and would have made your way to Elysi and England without this tragedy to motivate you. We knew where you were headed; it was all you spoke of. When you were ready, we would have approached, probably in disguise, and led you away. Your village would be intact and your mother alive to welcome you home one day.”
Alexander nodded his agreement.
“I trust you. You can count on me,” Tahir spoke slowly, carefully, letting the words sink in. “I will do whatever is needed.”
“Good,” Demetrius smiled and rested his hand on Tahir’s shoulder. “The time has come.”
As if on cue, armored guards barreled down the stairway and burst into the room with weapons drawn.
“King Francis will see you now.”
Tahir looked at Demetrius and Alexander for understanding. The guards grabbed them and forced them through the castle to Francis’ office. Despite offering no resistance, the guards kept weapons trained on them the entire way. Throughout the castle, similar messages were delivered to Destiny and Kraven.
Francis sat at his desk; he did not look up as they entered.
“Francis!” Destiny demanded “What is this all about? Why are you sending guards for us?”
Demetrius and Alexander exchanged glances but remained silent, waiting for Francis’ response. The newly-crowned King didn’t raise his head. Tahir shifted uneasily, he’d been in this room before. Francis finished his writing with a flourish and held up the document.
“I wanted you to be the first to hear my new law. The first of many to come.” Francis stood and walked toward his sister as he spoke.
“What kind of law?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“Well, you see, after our peaceful country was nearly destroyed by demonic monsters, I did some research. I have discovered that you “magics” are nothing more than…evil beings, drawing power from Satan himself. You are a threat to my kingdom, Christianity and the human race.”
Destiny protested, but Francis silenced her as he handed the new law to a guard.
“From this day forth, magic is banned. You and your…repulsive guests are no longer welcome in this kingdom. Out of respect to my father and his perverse love for you, you have until sundown tomorrow to gather your things and leave peacefully. After that, you and every demon in this country will be hunted down and destroyed.”
“You would ban your own sister?” Tahir asked. “How—
“She is not my sister. And as for you…How dare you even speak to me. Spies are not welcome in my kingdom either. You should consider yourself fortunate I am granting you the same kindness as these beasts. She brings spies and demons into my kingdom and you dare question me? Were it not for my father, I would have you all hanged!”
“You think your little soldiers with swords are any threat to us?” Kraven was outraged.
“Quiet Kraven,” Demetrius snapped, putting his hand up between Francis and his pupil. “This is Francis’ kingdom, now. We will respect his wishes.”
Kraven stared at Demetrius in shock. Were they really going to let powerless humans bully them out of the place they risked their lives protecting?
Destiny too, shared his shock. She expected this from Francis, but Demetrius allowing such behavior? The anger swelled inside her. With a mere thought she could strike him dead. But it was important that she control her temper; she tried to calm herself. Instead of listening to Demetrius and Francis talk back and forth, she focused on Tahir’s voice in her head as he convinced her to trust Demetrius’ judgment. Although he hadn’t forgiven Francis, he had to accept that there were things he did not understand, and remember that Demetrius always had a plan. Destiny trusted her husband; she could feel the anger leaving her and she began to relax–if only a little. On the other hand, Kraven’s rage grew with each passing word.
“Come,” Demetrius said, commanding their attention. “We will take our leave of this place at once.” He turned and left the room.
Tahir took Destiny’s hand as they followed. Kraven, not so satisfied with the way the situation was handled, got one cold look from Alexander that made him spin on his heels and storm out. Alexander transformed back into wolf. He trotted from the room and ran to catch up with Demetrius, leaving his cloak behind.
“I know, my friend,” Demetrius said, without even looking down at him.
They had little to pack, Tahir and Destiny made the treehouse their home. Alexander and Demetrius preferred the woods to the castle as well. Kraven was the only one who seemed to enjoy the luxuries of royal life, but he simply used his magic to gather his belongings and was ready within minutes. They were greeted by Meelix, Ellic and Oraden outside of the castle. Gavin saw them all leaving and ran to catch up.
“Hold!” he called out. “What adventure now? And you plan on leaving me behind again?”
“No adventure this time, Gavin,” Tahir explained. He relayed Francis’ decree to the others as he readied Windsong for Destiny. Gavin, Oraden, Meelix and Ellic shared varying degrees of shock, anger and repulsion.
“I don’t understand. How can he tell us where we can and cannot go?” Ellic asked.
“He is the King,” Gavin explained. “If someone sees you, they have the authority to kill you. In fact, people will be looking to kill you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t really know, Ellic.”
“Because Francis is a jealous, hateful coward,” Destiny answered in a shaky voice. “He has always been a bully. He has always hated magic. And he loves making other people miserable.”
“This is not the place to discuss it,” Demetrius interrupted. “We will retreat into the safety of the forest for now.”
“Demetrius,” Gavin walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know where my place is as your journey continues, but it is not here. My King and long time friend has passed, his daughter has been abolished, and his son has turned against us. My only friends now are standing here with me. Please, give me five minutes to gather my things and ready Bounty. If you don’t mind, I’m coming with you.”