by Ritu Ghosh
"We can always send a messenger!" Belster interrupted and made his ‘I know it all’ face.
"No it’s not safe Belster, this news should not travelled beyond us. This is something that we have to keep a secret. Nobody else should know about this. The Lurgs have not shown themselves to common people yet, if this news spreads, a great panic will strike across and we will not be able to control the people." Alfadon said and straightened his back. He held his staff closer and with its help he stood up from his bed.
Chapter 16
A Serious Discussion
“We will be going to the Kingdom of Light very soon. The preparation of our journey has already begun as we are going for the final training of the young Defenders. But now, we bear such news of the enemy that we better hurry and reach there before the training begins" Alfadon added.
A faint blue fire emitted from his staff as he spoke. His voice was deep and determined. All the Defenders stood up and gathered around him. They nodded in agreement.
"We were supposed to start after three days but now we will start the day after tomorrow. You all had a long journey, you shall take rest for today and tomorrow. Then we will start for the Kingdom of Light" said Alfadon.
Dan, Belster, Ony and Billy took leave. Jane remained by Alfadon’s side and so did Bo. Flynn was confused as to go out or not. he looked at Aaron.
Aaron hadn't moved from his place, he waited for some time and then sat on Alfadon’s bed. Alfadon sat back too.
“Thanks for teaching Brandon magic" said Aaron in a soft voice.
"Oh! Don’t thank me, that boy is very talented. Magic is like his second nature" said Alfadon.
“But you made him much better" said Aaron.
“hmm you can say that. But magic and courage both comes from the heart, Aaron."
"There is so much we have to tell you!” Jane said enthusiastically cutting him in between.
"I know dear, you had quite an adventure. Dan had told me some of it, but let’s not discuss it now. You should all go and get some sleep. You did not have a good night sleep for days and I could see it in your eyes" said Alfadon looking at Jane.
She looked tired indeed, the dark circles around her eyes showed how much she needed rest.
“But grandpa..." it almost slipped out of her mouth and Flynn stared at her.
"Dear, we will have enough time to chat tomorrow. Now you should go and sleep" there was a little warning in Alfadon’s voice
Jane got up abruptly and stumped her feet before leaving.
"Just the little girl I remember" said Alfadon smiling.
Then he turned to Aaron and Flynn "I know you have a lot of things to tell me too. We will speak tomorrow, we have the whole day. Now march to your rooms" he said smiling.
Aaron got up and hugged Alfadon.
"We missed you!" he whispered in his ears
Aaron and Flynn left Alfadon’s room and walked back to their own rooms. Flynn was happy to be back to the luxuries of the palace, he trotted forward happily. He seemed to have forgotten all about the training and was lost in the glam of the palace. He eagerly looked at the beautiful maid at the kitchen door who also smiled at him as he walked by. That put a smile on Aaron’s face.
Aaron was relieved for now that he don't have to answer anymore of Flynn’s questions about the training. He didn’t want to be anxious about it himself. He needed to keep his head straight and do many things. The training was last of his worries. He still had to find the three more things to make the mighty weapon against Zorath.
If more Lurgs come to Kron they were sure to capture him and kill him just like they tried to do earlier. He was being hunted and Flynn had no idea about what kind of danger he was in. But for tonight he decided to keep his worries aside, he wanted to sleep peacefully. The sleep that he longed for ever since they left the Blue Mountains.
Flynn went to his room and Aaron turned left after leaving Flynn in front of his door. They didn't speak much except saying good night to each other, the heavy meal and lack of sleep had made Flynn very sleepy.
Finally Aaron came back to the room where he had spent close to three months. The memories of luxury and abundance rushed to him. The room was refilled with new clothes, fruits and warm sheets and soft pillows. He even got a new set of books to read. He found his old book on the shelves just the way he left it. The book of God that Matthew gave him.
Here he had spent many nights, thanking God for many things. Things like the luxuries of a palace, his brother’s safe return from the clutches of the Mountain Trolls, for having Flynn with him in his tough times and for Jane who was very much a part of his life now.
But, he also missed home and was terribly angry about what happened to his uncle. He knew he was among true friends now and it was the biggest gift God had bestowed upon him.
The vastness of the room made him feel a little lonely, he closed the windows and pulled the curtains. He finally wore the soft night clothes and lay on the bed. The cozy bed was very welcoming especially after three nights of sleeping in the forest on the ground.
He felt so warm inside like he was back home. He wondered what Jane was doing, was she already asleep? Did she tie her golden locks or left it open. Sleep overcame him sooner than he thought and he was soon in dreamland.
The next morning Aaron got up late. His room was still dark as he closed the windows last night. Through the window a small amount of light was coming in. He opened his eyes slowly and tried to remember where he was, it took him about a good five minutes to realize that he was back in Arktor and was sleeping on a comfortable bed again. He looked around and smiled to himself.
He pulled himself to his feet and left the bed. His hair was all messy and his back was aching from the long journey. He stretched for a while and then opened the window. As he pulled the curtain open, the room flooded with sunlight. He pushed open the windows and fresh cool air rushed in. The day was warm but grey. The sun was hidden under the clouds but once in a while it came out and shone.
Aaron could see the beautiful view of the backyard garden like always, he could almost touch the red flowers that grew tall behind his window. The pleasant sound of the fountains filled his ears and it reminded him of the fresh streams that he drank from during the journey.
He knew it was late but laziness had come over him, he didn't feel like getting dressed and rushing for breakfast. He took his own sweet time enjoying the cool day and slowly put on a fine shirt and pants from the royal wardrobe given to him. He found a new belt with a shiny buckle on it, he wore it and fit his sword on it. Finally he put on his leather vest and came out of his room. He still wanted to speak to Alfadon about the training that he was supposed to pass. He knew a very little about what he had to prepare for.
He walked past Flynn’s room but Flynn’s room was locked from outside. He went to Jane’s room but even she wasn't there. Aaron wanted to see Arkion and Brandon, but he thought it would be better to have breakfast first.
Though he was not very hungry he walked towards the dining hall hoping the breakfast would still be laid on the tables. He walked slow admiring the beauty of the grand palace and the intricate carvings on the wall and on the furniture.
Outside the royal garden he saw something moving like a giant bird, he stopped to look at it. From the huge corridor window he peered out, it was a big bird indeed with a multi colored body and very elegant features. As soon as the bird noticed Aaron looking it at it, it hid behind one of the bushes and never came out.
Aaron again resumed his walk toward the dining hall. To his good luck there was still some food left when he reached. He ate a small portion of sweet bread, milk and apple. There were gooseberries, truffles and cherry pies, but he didn't touch them today.
He already knew that the others would be with Alfadon; he walked to Alfadon’s room. He wished that the final training could wait a few more days and had not come immediately after his return from the Blue Mountains.
Alfadon’s room’s door was open
but it was empty. Aaron entered the room to look for somebody; he looked around wondering where could all of them go. Then he heard some voices coming from the garden attached to Alfadon’s room.
Aaron walked to the back of the room. Alfadon was sitting with Arkion on his lap. He was gently stroking its ears. Flynn and Jane were seated next to him on the stone seating. There was a fake creek built next them but it almost looked real.
Jane was not looking very delighted, her head was down and she was lost in thoughts. Flynn was not saying much either, it seemed to Aaron that they were discussing about how Flynn got hurt and how Arkion helped him recover.
When Aaron joined them Alfadon gave him a warm welcome. Arkion stood up in Alfadon’s lap and flew to Aaron. Aaron was quite taken aback when he caught the little dragon with both of his hands, Arkion licked his nose.
Flynn looked kind of relieved that Aaron had showed up.
“He can fly now!" said Flynn moving to the next seat and making space for Aaron to sit near Alfadon.
"When did this happen? And where is Brandon?" asked Aaron sitting down.
"Just today morning and your brother is right there.' Alfadon said pointing towards the palace gardens where Brandon was playing with the puppy and some maidens; he was wearing a bright red velvet vest.
"You are lucky to have found a healing dragon Aaron?" said Alfadon and then looked up at the skies. "they are extremely rare, this one is a --. They are close relatives to the white dragon which are now extinct"
Aaron looked puzzled for a moment "But you can change your form into a white Dragon." he said.
"Yes I can, that’s because I have learnt the magic of Dragons. But I was not born a dragon, the real white dragons went extinct when the war between the good and the evil ended. And to end this war the white dragons made a big sacrifice. They ended their own lives in order to cease the whole dragon race. I will tell you the tale sometime else." said Alfadon sounding rather sad.
“But how come these dragon eggs are still alive then” asked Aaron.
'As the white dragons saw that they were causing more damage to the world than the war itself. They did sacrifice themselves, but they could not kill their eggs. They were unborn babies, so they left them they way they were. For a long time the Fairies and I have collected these eggs and kept them safe, they also kept the eggs from hatching but once this secret was known to the Evil Force, it took all the eggs by force, to raise their army again' Alfadon’s voice grew serious. “How did this one hatched on his own I do not know, but it was not a mere coincidence Aaron. He might be a great part of your destiny you never know”
Arkion was playing with Aaron, he would fly a little distance and then come back again. Flynn and Jane watched him in amusement. The fur on his body was completely gone and now he had a purplish blue color all over him.
“As the days pass, he will have more colors on him, he is an Orchix kind and they tend to have all kinds of colors on them. It is said that there is not a single tone or shade of a hue they do not have on them. They look very elegant once fully grown. But they are very rare and often associate with good luck” said Alfadon.
Jane seemed to come back to a good mood again. She was smiling at Aaron as Alfadon explained about Arkion. Aaron did need luck, actually a lot of luck to find what he was looking for and to escape the hands of death. He was happy to have found Arkion and knowing how special he was.
“So how do we stop the Lurgs from coming to Kingdom of light? And who is this king Gordon?" asked Aaron abruptly.
Alfadon stiffened. He was not prepared for this question. He sat comfortably on his chair and spoke looking towards the vast royal gardens.
"King Gordon is the first king who joined hands with Zorath. He wanted to be immortal and rule the Northern Kingdoms. He was a very dedicated servant of Zorath and Zorath gave him some extraordinary powers. Nobody really knows what his powers are but he is the one responsible for turning the north east kingdoms into Zorath's Dark Kingdom. Many strong men have fallen under his rule. The northern kingdoms Fingaurd and Ridlock are already overtaken by him. If he is coming to conquer the Kingdom of Light, it is not going to be easy to stop him. All these days none of Zorath’s kings have attacked Kron, but now they want Zorath to come to his previous form again. They can make Kron fall if we do not do anything” said Alfadon and took a deep breath "We can only be ready to fight them Aaron, there is nothing much we can do. We have to stop him with whatever skills we have."
"But they cannot do much if they can’t find the Cup of Life. What if we hide it, then nobody could bring Zorath come back to life" said Flynn impatiently.
Aaron stared at him; this is something he had never thought of.
"Yes!” he said “that is an excellent solution, why didn't I think about it" said Aaron and slapped Flynn’s back.
Jane was staring blankly at Alfadon and waiting him to answer.
Jane handed Alfadon his staff and Alfadon got up and leaned on it. He paced around the little garden for some time. Then he sat back on his chair.
"That might be possible but if Gordon comes for the cup and if he couldn't find it, he won't leave without a fight" he said stroking his beard.
"We will be there to take care of it!" said Aaron standing up and holding onto his sword.
"Yes, hopefully our training will be compete by then and we will be ready for the perils that King Gorgon Brings" Jane joined in.
Flynn remained seated, for some reason he didn't feel so brave after hearing about the immortal king and his Lurg warriors. He gulped and slowly looked up at Alfadon.
“I think you are right, we will do whatever is necessary to safeguard the Light King and the Cup of Life" said Alfadon.
Chapter 17
Flynn’s Dilemma
Aaron was very happy to have a clear plan to execute now. There was a big chance that King Gordon would never find what he was coming for and Zorath could never return to his human form to cause any damage to Kron.
When everybody settled back into their chairs, Flynn was not sure about to talk about, he slowly asked "What it this Cup of Life? And how can they bring anyone back to life with it? I thought the Sicil of Merthyl was the one that is supposed to do that" he said and looked at Alfadon.
"You are right Flynn, the Sicil stone made by Merthyl has enormous powers. It can bring the dead back to life but there is something that I had entirely forgotten. The elixir that the Sicil stone contains can bring them back who have a physical body, but Zorath's physical body had perished centuries ago. So the Sicil alone will not be able to bring him back to this world. To live in this world he will need something that can give life to the formless and can bring them back to this world. When the elixir from the Sicil stone is poured into the Cup of Life and consumed by the Evil Force, the Evil Force will be able to get its physical body back.
But he still will not be immortal, to be immortal he have to kill the five kings whom he has given the gifts of immortality" said Alfadon and pointed towards Aarons sword.
"The last time this blade of heavens made by the gods themselves have killed him, but this time he will be much more powerful. Any man who had consumed the elixir of life could not be killed by any blade" he said and sighed.
"That’s why the riddle of Orim talks about the one object that could kill Zorath forever. It all made sense now, the prophecy is true then" Aaron said to himself silently.
"We cannot let this happen" said Jane. She looked determined under the grey sky; she was holding her sword wand and was stern.
The sky was darkening rapidly, the clouds were gathering and the morning looked almost like evening.
"No Jane, we will not let it happen. We will not let King Gordon succeed in whatever that he wants. Zorath will never return to create havoc that he caused before. The defenders will never let that happen" said Alfadon but then he looked at Aaron and said "At any cost he should not return, it will be impossible to stop him is that ever happens"
There was a hint in Alf
adon’s voice like Aaron was supposed to stop this from happening or he will be the one to suffer. Aaron was taken aback for a second but he remained expressionless. Did Alfadon know that the Lurgs were chasing him because he was the boy in the prophecy? Aaron had asked Alfadon about the prophecy before but Alfadon said he didn't believe it, then why was Alfadon talking to him like that now.
"It’s going to rain in a few minutes, I think it will be better it we went in" said Alfadon and got up.
They all followed him inside the palace, after leaving him in his room the three of them came out and walked near the courtyard, Aaron carried Arkion with him.
"I don't like what going on!" said Jane in a worried tone. "All this while, we dealt with this Evil force. We did our best, but now it seemed to be getting out of hands"