Mastering the Elements: Elwin Escari Chronicles: Volume 2

by David Ekrut

  Why on Arinth do you need to do this? You already have the dragons. Even they fear your incantations. Do you not see you have won? You can restore peace.

  “And I will. Do you not see? This is how it begins.”

  Abaddon spurred the dragon to land atop a mountain ridge, overlooking a Norsceltic city across the river. Wooden homes were built along high cliffs, rising in tiers up one side of the mountain and down the other. The riverside homes were larger than those nestled in the valley, but none so large as the castles along the pinnacle, where the Council of Matriarchs lived. Tendrils of smoke rose from every chimney, merging with the fog that clung to the rocky terrain.

  Despite the light snow in the air, people pushed sleighs through the streets. Though he could not hear them at this distance, several criers, bundled in heavy cloaks, announced wares to those passing by. After a few seconds, a young boy pointed.

  As if one mind controlled them, all heads swiveled to the south, where Abaddon had landed. For several seconds no one moved. They stared as if mesmerized by the fantastical creature. Then several more dragons with magi riders landed on lower perches, all looking to Abaddon to lead them.

  The people of Karsdale ran.

  ~

  Elwin stepped to the edge of the Stones of Seeking, looking to the rising sun. Pink, purple, and red streaked through the clouds, a deep contrast to the white peaks on the horizon. Far below, he could see the river he’d first seen nearly a month before. He’d looked down at it, unsure of how he could possibly do this. Now, he could jaunt down to the ground almost as easily as he could jump.

  He lifted a foot.

  “Wait,” Daki said.

  He turned to regard his friend. Unspent tears filled Daki’s eyes. They’d been through so much together. How long had it been since they’d first met at the Stones of Seeking in the Carotid Forest? It felt like years.

  “We’ve said our goodbyes,” he said, voice numb. “This is where our paths diverge.”

  “As it must,” Daki agreed, stepping forward. He unfastened his belt, handing his weapons over to Elwin. “I want you to take these.”

  Elwin almost stepped back but stopped himself from falling from the edge of the platform. After regaining his balance, he said, “I could not possibly.”

  “They are blessed by the Lady Nature. If I cannot be her voice in your life, she will guide you now.” He pushed the weapons at him. “Please, I beg you.”

  Elwin unfastened his own belt. “Only if you take mine. I will not leave you without a means to protect yourself.”

  He took the longsword, nodding to himself. “This is right.”

  Elwin fastened the weapons around his waist. The raqii dath settled awkwardly at his hips. “I don’t know how to use them.”

  “Allow her to guide you. Knowledge will come.”

  “I will,” Elwin promised.

  “Before you go, let me pass her blessing to you.”

  “Of course.”

  Bringing his hands together, Daki closed his eyes. Green energies passed between his palms and coalesced into one finger. He brought the tip to Elwin’s forehead. Elwin felt a burst of warmth spread through him, followed by a wave of dizziness.

  “What was that?”

  “Knowledge. You are of my people now.”

  Elwin pulled Daki into an embrace. “I will miss you.”

  “And I you.”

  Behind him, Taego complained with a groan.

  “I’ll even miss you,” he called to the bear.

  Taego snorted.

  Elwin held his arms wide and leapt backward.

  “Be safe,” he yelled over the rushing winds.

  “Until we will meet again,” Daki’s voice echoed above.

  Elwin turned into the fall, enjoying the thrill of it. He considered taming Air to land. He knew how to fight the dragons now, but there was no reason to risk it. He incanted himself to the ground, by the river.

  Above him, the Stones of Seeking were alight. The colossal stones spun. There was a flash. Then it was still once more. Even though it was too far to see, he knew Daki was gone. The loss felt more acute. He was alone now.

  He put one step in front of the other, following the river to the west. It would take him to Wiltshire, where he would begin training with the Order of the Sun and Stars. He could incant himself there faster, but he decided to walk.

  At midday, he stopped, sitting on a flat stone by the water’s edge. He opened his pack. The orb clanked against the crystalline object he’d found in the baker’s library.

  He pulled them both out.

  At the touch of the orb, he felt his power stir. With this, did he even need to train with the magi? He’d seen Bain face down several dragons while incanting. This could be a great weapon against them. What did the order even want with it?

  He set it back into his pack and examined the crystal again. He and Jax had found this in the bakery beside the Farseer’s compound. It was a shard, he realized. Another shard just like it could fit into the side of it. Maybe it was part of a puzzle box of a sort.

  He recognized a symbol. It was a magi symbol, not an eloiglyph.

  “That which came before,” Elwin translated. “Or maybe first.”

  It was a puzzle box. This was the first piece.

  He touched the symbol. Nothing happened.

  Elwin spoke the word as he touched the glyph, pushing in a bit of will. It warmed in his hand, becoming too hot to hold. He dropped it to the grass.

  Lights shot from the surface. After a moment, they formed an image of a thin man with a sharp nose. He wore an odd scarf, tied with a neat knot and tucked into his strange doublet. His eyes were purple.

  “What in the abyss?”

  “Hello, magus,” the man said. “My name is Nimbar Warwick.”

  “I am Elwin. Who are you?”

  The man regarded him. “That is a long story. In short, I am a prisoner. I was locked away by my own order. You hold a part of my cage. I have been listening to your struggles and your triumphs. I believe we can help each other. Are you willing to hear me out?”

  Elwin looked at the shard and the projection of the man. Despite his calm mannerisms, his voice was tinged with desperation.

  “How have you been listening to me?”

  “This shard works like a window into my prison. It has been closed, but I can still hear those speaking on the other side. You have opened it, so I can sense more than I could, but I cannot step back into the physical realm until all of the shards are rejoined. Can you help?”

  “You still have not told me who you are,” Elwin said.

  “That is fair.” Nimbar took a slow breath and let it out before continuing. “I am the founder of the Order of the Sun and Stars. As part of our agreement with the Farseers, I entered a temporal plane to allow others to pass three thousand years into the future. Alongside a few others, I left those I love behind to preserve the order I founded. As the millennia passed, those I held within the temporal plane felt only a few days go by. We stepped into a new world with new nations.

  “With my task complete, I returned to my order. Some welcomed me as a hero, but others had their own ambitions for the order. When I slept, they imprisoned me here. These traitors worked with the Keepers to bring about the Awakening. Now that Abaddon has returned, I fear the Order of the Sun and Stars will be destroyed from within. Unless we stop them. Will you help me?”

  Abaddon had returned with a horde of dragons at his command. Alcoa was plagued by the Guardians of Life. His own country could be no more, and somehow, he’d tethered himself to an order at civil war. He had less than a day before his month was up. Then, they would come for him.

  What other choice did he have?

  “I will let you think on it,” Nimbar said. “You know how to call me back.”

  With tha
t, the image of the man vanished. The crystal grew quiet. Elwin picked up the shard and stared at it for several minutes, trying to sort through his options. At last, he returned the artifact to his pack and resumed his journey.

  For better or worse, the magi would be waiting for him.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dr. David Ekrut was raised in a small community in Arkansas, where the abundance of nature fostered his imagination. Whether lost in a book, table-top gaming, or roaming the countryside from coast to coast, expanding his mind inevitably led him to the craft of writing. Only in the infinite workspace of heartfelt creativity has he ever felt any sense of freedom. Ekrut holds degrees in Liberal Arts-Theatre from Arkansas State University, both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Applied Mathematics from the University of Central Arkansas, as well as a Master’s and Ph.D. in Biomedical Mathematics from Florida State University. His scientific expertise aided in creating physically believable fiction with rules and structure to bring his universe to life.

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