by E J Gilmour
‘At the time a decision was made by the Fiorians to leave Kaznor alone. Perhaps this was the greatest mistake the Fiorians have ever made. As time progressed news was reaching us that this new Master was training armies of Skatheans. Twenty one years ago we finally decided to act. We sent thirty of our greatest knights into Kaznor to investigate and deal with the Master once and for all. Unfortunately we didn’t know who we were dealing with. Our brigade of knights attacked the Fortress of Zarkanor. They walked into a trap. Hundreds of Skatheans surrounded them. The Master sat back on the Throne of Zarkanor and watched as our knights were slaughtered. Only two escaped to tell us what had occurred. We still knew nothing about the true nature of the Master.’
‘Six months later our home in the Great Mountains, the Tower of Emeril, was attacked by an army of Skatheans. Kaloren, our former Gatekeeper, managed to overcome the attack. The remnants of the Skathean army fled back to Kaznor. Many of our remaining knights were slain in the assault, and the Fiorian Order was reduced to less than forty knights. Shortly after the assault on Emeril the Sorcerers Baramak and Azagord sailed south with their armies. It didn’t take us long to discover that their task was to capture the Sword of Light for the Master.’
‘What most people didn’t know was that the Fiorian Order actually possessed the Sword of Light.’ There was a gasp among the council. Acartor paused for a few moments. ‘Kaloren, Gatekeeper of Emeril, and our leader, was the bearer of the Sword of Light.’
‘Why wasn’t the Sword of Light used against Azagord and Baramak?’ asked Sir Aksel of Scaldonia.
‘I can assure you that the Sword of Light did play a part in our victory against the evil sorcerer Azagord. You all know that Azagord was imprisoned in the Dungeons of Zyran, and until recently he remained so. Baramak, on the other hand, remains a threat even to this day. After Azagord had been imprisoned an urgent task came to our attention. One of our important allies was captured by Baramak and the Skatheans. They imprisoned our ally in the Dungeons of Zarkanor.’
‘Who was this ally?’ asked Prince Fergal of Dravania.
‘Some of you know him. He was the hero known as Elons,’ replied Acartor.
‘Yes, I know of him. He was a great warrior in the battles we fought against Baramak,’ said Prince Fergal.
‘Indeed he was. Kaloren devised a plan to free Elons from the Dungeons of Zarkanor. The Sword of Midlight had always belonged to Elons, and after his capture the sword was returned to Kaloren. Kaloren formed a small group of our best knights. With the Sword of Midlight she infiltrated Kaznor and attacked the Fortress of Zarkanor. No one ever returned from the mission to tell us anything. We assumed she had failed and that the Sword of Midlight had fallen into the hands of the Master.’
Acartor paused for a few moments as the council took in what he had already told them.
‘Time wore on with no news, and for almost a decade we knew nothing of what the Master was planning. We were completely blind to everything north of the Endora Mountains. The Master sent no one south again, and the Skatheans retreated back into the Northern Lands. For a time we thought that the Master had mellowed and grown tired of war, but we were tragically wrong.’
‘During this time he was preparing to conquer Veredor. Because we knew nothing of his larger schemes we devised a plan to attempt to recapture the Sword of Midlight. Ten years ago I led the assault on Zarkanor, and at first I thought we would be victorious. I entered the fortress with four other Fiorians fighting by my side. The battle was fierce. We fought all the way to the Throne of Zarkanor. We found the Master waiting for us.’
‘We had no idea who we were dealing with. It is still difficult for me to talk about what we encountered on that dreadful night. We were utterly defeated. The Master held the Sword of Darkness and took pleasure in seeing us desperately fail in our attempts to match him. He only let me live for one purpose: to extract the secrets of the Fiorian Order from me. I was imprisoned in the Dungeons of Zarkanor and tortured relentlessly. Thankfully my training held true; I gave him nothing. Often he would question me in person, and I listened to him carefully, deciphering his true nature. In those years I learned his true nature. He is the Astarian known as the Prince of Shadows. He has returned from the darkness to claim Veredor as his own. We are gathered here today to devise a plan to stop him.’
A deathly silence fell over the council; no one said a word. Finally King Edric broke the silence. ‘You said that the Fiorian Knights possess the Sword of Light. Surely it can be used against the Prince of Shadows. It was used to defeat him in the Forgotten Age by the Astarian Fiora; perhaps the sword can be used again.’
Acartor nodded soberly. ‘Yes, the Sword of Light is a powerful weapon, but it has been lost since our leader Kaloren was lost. We know that she didn’t take the Sword of Light with her when she attacked Zarkanor; however, we have no knowledge of what became of the Sword of Light. We believe that Carlin, one of our knights, knew where the Sword of Light was hidden. Unfortunately Carlin died years ago. The Sword of Light remains lost.’
‘Then surely we must find it,’ said Sir Cian of the Tabarian Knights.
‘Yes, I’m sure finding the Sword of Light will be one of the tasks we set at this council,’ said Acartor. ‘But, to my surprise, I learned one other important piece of knowledge when I was imprisoned in the Dungeons of Zarkanor. The Prince of Shadows is not afraid of the Sword of Light, otherwise he would have continued to come south looking for it over the last two decades. No, the Sword of Light doesn’t concern him as much as we had thought.’
‘But you said he sent Azagord and Baramak south to capture the Sword of Light,’ said Prince Armida.
‘That was what we thought at the time. The truth was more complex. The Prince of Shadows is not afraid of the Sword of Light itself; he is afraid of the one man who could wield it against him.’
‘Who is that man?’ asked King Edric.
‘That man was the hero Elons. The Prince of Shadows sent Azagord and Baramak south to capture the sword, but the greater part of their task was to capture or kill Elons.’
‘Why was Elons so important to the Prince of Shadows?’ asked Meara. She glanced at Eben for a moment, knowing full well they were discussing his father. Acartor looked across at Chiara; he then retook his seat. Chiara stood up.
She looked around at the group and took a deep breath. ‘What I am about to tell you may shock some of you deeply. All of you have a good knowledge of history, and therefore you all know of the Ecorian Emperors. After the fall of the Ecorian Empire it was widely thought that Aluin Ecorian, the last Ecorian Emperor, died without an heir and that the line of Ecorians had ended. This was not true. Aluin Ecorian married and had a son in secret. His full reason for doing this was never explained.’
‘The Fiorian Order became aware that the Ecorian line still existed about fifty years after the death of Aluin Ecorian. The Ecorian Arbiters had formed their kingdoms thinking that the Ecorians line had ended; no one knew that the Ecorians still lived in Veredor. For thousands of years the Fiorian Gatekeepers have alone kept a watch over the Ecorians. They have played a secret part in much of our history. Until recently we thought Elons was the last of that line. After Elons was captured by the Prince of Shadows we assumed the Ecorians were lost forever. We now believe we were wrong.’
Eben felt deeply shocked; his heart beat so heavily he thought it would stop. He looked across at Meara who was staring directly at him; she was also wide eyed and profoundly surprised. Eben turned to face Red, and Red looked at him with an expression of awe.
‘The Ecorians live!’ cried King Edric.
‘One Ecorian lives,’ announced Chiara.
Acartor stood up to continue speaking with Chiara. ‘There is more that you all must know. Before I escaped the Dungeons of Zarkanor I was questioned and tortured about the possibility of one last Ecorian. Three years ago the Prince of Shadows captured the Scaldonian Oracle. He discovered from the Scaldonian Oracle that Elons had a son who had been
hidden. The Ecorians are not men, and they are not mer. They are a people unto themselves, a race beyond men and mer, with the gifts and blessings of both races. That is why the Prince of Shadows is afraid of them, and that’s why he has renewed his attack on our kingdoms. He is afraid of the last Ecorian. He is coming south with an army of forty thousand muckrons. He desires to find and kill the Ecorian before the Ecorian can be prepared to fight him.’
‘Then surely we must find this last Ecorian before our enemy does,’ declared King Edric resolutely.
Meara was staring directly at Eben. Eben knew he had to say something. Meara smiled and nodded, understanding what he was thinking.
‘Perhaps he has already found you,’ said Meara softly. The group fell completely silent; they all looked across at her. She looked back at Eben. ‘Eben, are you the last Ecorian?’ she asked gently. All the eyes quickly shifted across to Eben. Eben slowly stood up. He took the Sword of Light from his belt and placed it on the table so everyone could see.
‘This is the Sword of Light. My mother is the Fiorian Kaloren, and my father is Elons, the Ecorian. I am the last Ecorian,’ he said, surprised by his own confidence
A stunned silence pervaded the group. They all stared in awe at Eben. The silence lasted a full minute and would have lasted much longer if Red hadn’t spoken.
‘Let me understand this,’ said Red. ‘Are you saying my best friend isn’t really a man?’
‘Apparently not,’ replied Eben.
‘You are of men and mer, completely a man and completely mer’ said Meara.
For a few moments no one spoke a word. The emotional tension in the air was palpable.
‘Lady Chiara, you said that the Ecorians deliberately gave up their position as emperors,’ said King Lenard of Everdon in a scathing voice. ‘If they willingly gave up the Ecorian Empire they can’t expect to come back now and rebuild it. I will never bow to any man, and I will oppose any attempt to reform the Ecorian Empire.’
There were some grumbling murmurs from across the table. Sir Tierran of the Tabarian Knights stood up. The rugged warrior fiercely stared at King Lenard.
‘The Tabarian Knights are allies of the Ecorians from ancient times. We are sworn to protect the Ecorians,’ he said firmly. ‘If Eben Ecorian requires our assistance to retake the Sapphire Throne we will give it!’
King Lenard leapt up. ‘You speak of war!’ he shouted angrily.
‘If the Emperor wishes!’ bellowed Sir Tierran in response.
‘There is no Emperor! I will not bow to this boy!’ shouted King Lenard with a sneer.
‘I agree with King Lenard,’ said Prince Armida of Ateria. ‘If it is true the Ecorians willingly stepped down then Eben Ecorian can’t expect to return now after thousands of years.’
‘I disagree,’ shouted Prince Fergal of Dravania. ‘The ancient charter of the Ecorian Arbiters states that should Aluin Ecorian prove to have an heir we would all work together to reinstate the Ecorian Empire. If Eben Ecorian wishes to take the Sapphire Throne it is our duty to help him to do so.’
The hall erupted in heated argument. Eben sat down and tried to ignore the fury he had unleashed simply by being who he was. His mind was swirling with all he had learned. The arguing continued until King Edric cried out.
‘Please, be silent, all of you! Sit down and be silent!’ he commanded. ‘Let me ask Eben Ecorian what he intends to do.’ All their eyes returned to Eben. He glanced around at their tense faces.
‘I only intend to help save Veredor from the Prince of Shadows,’ said Eben.
‘What about the Sapphire Throne? Do you intend to make a claim to power?’ asked Prince Armida.
‘I don’t want power. I only want peace and justice,’ replied Eben. ‘I will have nothing to do with anything that causes division among men.’ His answer reduced the tension in the room considerably.
‘Thank you, Eben,’ said Meara. ‘You can now see that you have nothing to fear. Eben has not come to conquer you; he has come to help save you from being conquered.’
King Lenard huffed and turned away. Chiara stood up and looked toward Eben. ‘You are much like your father; I should have realised you were the son of Elons when you were introduced. It is a blessing that you are here. We believe that the Prince of Shadows intends to land his army on the shores of Everdon within weeks. He is coming south to find you before we do. His impatience has proved to be his weakness. If we unite we can destroy the army of muckrons and defeat the Prince of Shadows once and for all.’
‘How do you know the Prince of Shadows is actually coming himself?’ asked Sir Artur of the Takalian Knights.
‘Both Mostyn and Baftel are seers. Baftel first saw that a great fleet is sailing from Kaznor to Everdon, and Mostyn has seen that an Astarian sails with that fleet,’ replied Chiara.
‘It is true what Mostyn has seen,’ said Acartor. ‘Before I escaped Zarkanor, the Prince of Shadows came to me and told me that he planned to go south to find and kill the last Ecorian. He never expected me to escape and carry this information ahead of him. The Prince of Shadows is overconfident. He doesn’t consider anyone but the Ecorian to be a threat. He looks at us as we would look at vermin, something he must exterminate, but not a real threat to his survival. The Ecorian, on the other hand, frightens him. He believes that the Ecorian has the power to defeat him. I believe if Eben has this power we should all assist him to complete this task. When the Prince of Shadows falls his evil empire will also fall, and all our lands will be free from oppression. When he is gone his army will collapse on itself. His armies of muckrons, wyverns, and Skatheans will surely fight each other without a powerful leader controlling them.’
Eben glanced toward Princess Apherah and found she was looking at him. She smiled warmly. Her exquisite beauty distracted him and interrupted the torrent of thoughts swirling in his head.
‘For several weeks I have been gathering an army in the south of Irvaria,’ said King Edric. ‘I have twenty thousand men ready to march now; another ten thousand will be ready in a few days. King Lenard has twenty thousand in Everdon. We will have at least fifty thousand men against the forty thousand muckrons of the Prince of Shadows. I also have an army of four thousand men near Darancra that I sent to deal with the Skatheans in Vastoria. They will join us if they complete their task in time. If we strike the Prince of Shadows decisively we may end all our troubles. We can lead Eben Ecorian directly to the Prince of Shadows and give him the opportunity to finish him once and for all.’
It was agreed by all the envoys of the council that this plan was the best way forward.
‘Let us now end this council and prepare for the battle ahead. Much has been revealed. I believe we all have a lot to think about,’ said King Edric.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Eben returned to his chambers directly after the council. Red and Stella joined him. They sat around the table. Eben’s mind raced as he digested the massive amount of information he had been given at the council. The revelations had deeply rattled and overwhelmed him.
The door opened and Meara entered and was followed closely by Cassiel. She walked over to the table and looked directly at Eben. ‘This indeed is an unexpected turn of events,’ she said. Eben glanced up at her; his eyes were deeply strained.
‘What shall I do, Meara?’ he asked. She pondered the question in silence.
‘You are the Ecorian. I should be asking you what I should do.’
Eben glanced away and stared out the window. He felt a deep sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders. ‘I don’t know if I can be the Ecorian.’
‘You’re wrong about that, Eben. You have already done amazing things. You helped to free King Ignis from the Dungeons of Zyran; you led the battle against the muckron horde in Scaldonia, and without you Ortaria would never have been liberated. You are the Ecorian, the only descendent of the Ecorian Emperors; this is your birth right. Acartor believes you are the only one who the Prince of Shadows is afraid of. Without you Veredor will become
a world of monsters. You must believe in yourself. You must take up this mantle and walk this path that has been handed to you; because if you do not every person living in Veredor will either become a slave or die. Your friends and the people of Veredor need you. You must find the courage and be who you truly are.’
Eben felt his heart lift at hearing Meara speak these words. He looked up at Meara with renewed confidence. ‘I will fight for you. I will fight for Baftel, Red, Stella, and Cassiel. I will fight for all the people of Veredor.’
Meara smiled warmly. ‘There is hope in your heart; may it never fade.’
**
Eben awoke early the following morning. His head was still spinning. He sat up in his bed and looked out the window as the sun rose and sent beams of golden light across the morning sky. He put on some clothes and picked up the Sword of Light, attaching the scabbard to his belt. Eben gently unlocked his door and stepped out. He walked quietly down the corridor, not wanting to wake anyone else so early in the morning.
Before long he found a spiral stairwell that led downward to the levels below. He took the stairs and continued for almost ten minutes until he reached the ground floor and entered the lower hall. Several palace guardsmen were on duty, but few of them took much notice of him as he crossed the marble floor toward the gate. He felt he needed some time to think about everything that had been revealed at the council. The thought that his parents had been captured by the Prince of Shadows was foremost in his mind, and the revelation that he was also not just a man, but rather a combination of two races.
The palace gate was guarded by several armoured guards in red capes. They looked at him as he passed by.
‘Are you off for an early walk through the town?’ asked a tall and gaunt looking guardsman with a large red moustache.
‘Yes, I shouldn’t be too long,’ replied Eben. ‘I just wanted to get some fresh air.’
‘Leave your name here with us if you don’t mind.’