At once, the fighting came to an abrupt end. All fighters dropped their weapons, taking the sensation into their being and looking at their foes anew. Even the feral creatures halted their strikes, hunkering down and blinking their eyes against the strangeness.
Dariak filled with overwhelming joy, feeling how each combatant changed, sensing their shift in thoughts, opening up to new possibilities. He smiled widely and the Red Jade reached outward to spread Dariak’s power across the entire land. He understood Kitalla’s certainty now. The jades honestly wanted to restore the balance that had been disturbed centuries ago.
But the mages surrounding the battlefield were still casting their barrier spell. Astrith had not anticipated the mind jade or the restoration of the balance of magic that would occur when the jades were united. Thus the spell was contained within the area, bouncing back and reverberating with the Red Jade itself. Dariak felt the twelve pieces inside the sphere tremble with the effort of reaching beyond the barrier, and he begged them to rest.
They did not understand, for it was his will to spread the peace across the entire land. It was his desire to rid the land of all turmoil, but now he beckoned for it to remain here alone. He felt the confusion of the mind jade as it attempted to reconcile the conflict. Dariak was exhausted, but he focused himself on calming the Red Jade, imploring it to ease back before the reflected energies built up too great a resonance, which would likely shatter the newly assembled sphere. He drew upon Randler’s knowledge and showed the magic that if it continued to exude its strength, then it would bring about its own undoing, and that in turn would destroy everything he and the jades had ever worked for.
The effort to contain the power of the Red Jade seared through Dariak’s mind and he screamed in agony, feeling his body burn as the extra energies coursed through him over and over until they wore out. The world darkened for the mage, the great son of Delminor, but unlike his father, he knew in his heart that he had succeeded in his quest.
He allowed himself to laugh mentally as the Red Jade absorbed the last of his essence, ending its outpouring of magic and thus keeping itself from breaking apart.
With the spell completed, the glowing red sphere plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground, unscathed. Beside it fell Dariak’s lifeless body, his face frozen with a grim smile.
Chapter 46
To Start Anew
The light of the Red Jade diminished, its task complete, but the effects remained. Everyone upon the battlefield stared abashed at the damage they had caused, wondering what they could ever do to repair it.
All save one.
King Kallion hopped off his horse, screaming at his troops and demanding they lift up their swords and end the fight. His gem-studded armor had indeed been strong enough to deflect the power of even the Red Jade, and only his bloodlust and rage remained. He grabbed a sword and smacked it against random fighters, trying to incite them to defend themselves. Though they did not accept the hits full-on, they did not retaliate against them either.
Furious, Kallion shoved his way through the daft men and women, making his way toward the site of the fallen artifact. He reached it, first bending over and spitting on Dariak’s corpse. “And so you fell,” he mocked. He reached down and took the Red Jade in his hands. It was as wide across as his chest and it hummed with veritable energy, as the shards inside the sphere were endlessly spinning. He grinned to himself, for the Red Jade would be more than a delectable war trophy; it would give him the power he would need to take Hathreneir too.
He felt the Red Jade tremble in response to his malicious thoughts and he laughed at the impotent reaction. “You will serve me well,” he decided.
“You are wrong,” said a voice, and Kallion turned around to see the companions gathered around. Gabrion had a sword at the ready. “Hand it over.”
Kallion rubbed the surface of the sphere, wondering how to channel the magnificent power he felt inside. He knew a little magic but not enough to spontaneously read the orb. “This is mine.”
Gabrion shook his head. “No, it belongs to the land, not any person. Hand it over or I will take it from you.”
Kallion laughed and he turned to run, but Gabrion charged too. He leaped through the air and tackled the man to the ground, the gemstones cutting him. Kallion thrashed about, but his grip on the massive Red Jade faltered and it slipped from his grasp. He turned over and bashed Gabrion in the face. The warrior took the beating and then wrestled the man to stillness.
“Well go on,” the king taunted. “Finish me!”
“No more killing today,” Gabrion decreed.
“You have to kill me or else your little game ends here and now.”
Verna stepped forward with a snicker. “I don’t think so.” She gestured to the hundreds of Kallisorian fighters who stood nearby. “Your allies are not quite on your side anymore.”
“What would you do with me?” Kallion wondered.
Ruhk staggered over. “You are no longer a king,” he announced.
Kallion adopted an expression of horror, then acceptance. “It seems I have no choice. You clearly have won this war.”
Gabrion released the man and they rose to their feet as Illuria fetched the Red Jade. As they glanced at her, Kallion grabbed Gabrion’s sword and slashed Ruhk with it, then turned it around and stabbed Gabrion.
“No!” Randler shouted as the warriors fell to their knees. Illuria dropped the Red Jade and immediately joined Lica in sending healing energies to the wounded men.
Ervinor and Janning stepped in next and clobbered the king, using the flat of a blade and an outstretched foot. Kallion lay on the ground, hands outstretched toward the Red Jade. Ervinor and Janning then proceeded to remove the antimagic armor from the man so the mages could work to restrain him better.
“What should we do with him?” Lica asked.
“Leave him alive,” Gabrion answered. “We have all made our mistakes and we all have much to atone for. Maybe some time in his own dungeon will clear his mind until he is ready to join the new way of things.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Sharice offered, summoning Janning and Illuria with her gaze. “You have other things to attend to now.”
The next few hours were spent clearing the battlefield and mourning their losses. The Marritosh mages lowered the magical barrier and the remaining triggans reverted to their human forms. Kallisorians and Hathrens joined together to bury the dead and to bandage their wounds.
Kitalla and Dariak were lifted by their friends and encased in specially designed coffins that the earth and nature mages crafted with their skills. Kitalla’s gutted stomach was covered over and her body was dressed in a clean set of riding leathers. Dariak’s cloak was repaired and arranged officially around his body. Sealed from air, their bodies were preserved in order to survive the trek to their final resting places. A third box was constructed to hold the Red Jade.
“If it is all the same to you, I would bring them to Marritosh,” Ervinor said.
“But it’s burned,” Gabrion pointed out.
“Not all of it, and not for long.” Ervinor then explained his plans for reconstructing the town and the work they had already accomplished, with Lica’s help. “It will be the new center of the land, with a palace and everything, and we can even host the Red Jade there, now that it exists.”
“What about the mages of the tower?” Verna asked.
“Rothra is in charge of them now,” Lica explained. “And he will ensure the Red Jade remains protected.”
Ervinor turned to the bard. “What do you think, Randler?”
“I…” he shook his head, his face puffy and strewn with tears. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Randler…”
“Take them,” he answered quickly. “He would want that.”
“And you, Gabrion?”
“Keep Kitalla with him,” the warrior said. His face was a mask of pain and he needed to grieve, but he had lost himself enough times in grief upon
the journey, and so he held together for now, keeping the agony alive but subdued. When time permitted, he would weep for Kitalla, and he knew it would be worse than his grief over Mira. He clamped his jaw tightly and he set the thoughts aside.
“What will everyone do now?” Urrith asked timidly, glancing at the others.
Ruhk cleared his throat. “I must return to my family, but then I will return to Castle Hathreneir to keep order there.”
Verna blew out a sigh. “I intend to search for my father. He is either out there along the border in a battalion or he has perished, but I will find him and bring him home to Marritosh.”
Ervinor clasped her shoulder, “A home will be waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, “though I don’t know how much use it will get for a while.”
“Why is that?”
“We’re the only ones who know this fight is truly over,” she explained. “We need to spread the word out there. It isn’t going to be easy and it’s going to take a lot of effort to convince people. I won’t be able to rest until the sacrifice of our friends is known and understood by all.”
“You’re right,” Randler said. “We need to tell our tale.”
“What of you, then?” Ervinor wondered.
“I’m coming with you to entomb Dariak and Kitalla of course.” He paused and swallowed hard. “But then I will resume my role as bard and travel the land, spreading the tale—and now the resolution—of the Forgotten Tribe.”
“C—Can I come with you?” Urrith asked.
Randler considered for a moment, not quite ready to accept a traveling companion, but the hopeful look in the youth’s eyes was irresistible. “I will need a protector.”
“Speaking of which,” Verna started, turning to Gabrion. “What of you?”
“I will visit the Undying Stone to ensure Perrios is safe and well-protected. Then I need to distance myself from all of this for a while.”
“Where will you go?” Ruhk wondered.
“I may venture to the south.”
This shocked the group, for the south was known to be a vast and dangerous place with massive creatures and violent storms. “You would abandon this land you’ve fought so hard for?” Ervinor gasped.
“No,” he answered honestly. “Our lands are heading for a time of peace and prosperity. I don’t want the south to interfere with that. Just for a while, I may explore a bit.”
Lica frowned. “I don’t like it, Gabrion, but do what you have to do. Just be safe.” She glanced around and then leaned in conspiratorially. “What do you think Sharice and the others are going to do?”
Randler wiped his eyes and considered his mother. “She will bring the Mage Underground to the surface. Kallisor will no longer shun magic, if I know her. After all the spells she cast in this battle, she won’t go back into hiding easily at all.”
“Times are really going to change, then,” Urrith stated.
“Some people won’t change easily,” Verna pointed out, gesturing over her shoulder to where Kallion was being sequestered by the others. “But if we hold true to our ideals, then others will follow.”
“That’s why Kallion needs to live,” Gabrion explained. “He will be the most resistant of anyone alive. Yet if one day even he can see the benefits of focusing on life instead of war, then we really will be heading into a brighter future.”
The field slowly cleared of people until the companions were all that remained. Randler brought out his lute and he strummed for a while, trying to steady his voice so he could sing properly. Despite his attempts, he wavered but no one cared, for they all experienced heartfelt emotions that night.
Days long ago, when this tale unfolds, we see the pain of the lost.
They were friends, companions to the end.
Their destinies intertwined.
Raising their hands to the woes of the world, they reached out to shine.
Dagger held high, it is where she showed her strength.
Spells to bind, with his passion at his side.
Joined in kind, they rose up at any length.
Then they died, for they simply would not hide.
She was a woman with strength in her heart, and with that she always fought.
Turmoil existed throughout her life,
Yet she ever rose up to stand.
An unborn child of noble heritage, she kept the secret inside.
Dagger held high, she always could defend.
Spells to bind, with the dance skill so unique.
Joined in kind, she made us all her friends.
Then she died, giving us strength at her peak.
He was a man whose quest was long, for he followed his father’s shadow.
He journeyed on from land to land,
Seeking power no one could fathom.
Then he gathered friends and jades alike, bringing them together in the end.
Head held high, even facing his own demise.
Jades to bind, even though they all were drained.
Joined in kind, we followed his wizened eyes.
Then he died, and so just the Red Jade remained.
Epilogue
The Path Revealed
Meriad closed the giant tome and stared at her grandson as he wept heartily in his bed. His little body shook as the events of the story unfolded and she wondered if it had all been too much for him.
She looked around the room, and it felt oddly different now that the boy knew the truth of things. This was where Gabrion had taken him as an infant, leaving him in Brallok’s care after Earl Thedris’ failed abduction. Brallok had raised the boy as his own, permitting Meriad’s visits as per Gabrion’s instructions. And though Brallok was open-minded and welcoming of the peace between the lands, some of the people who met with Perrios tried reminding him of the old days, planting seeds for when he learned of the death of his father at Kallisorian hands.
She had struggled to keep him free from prejudice, and it had been a hard penance for her betrayals in her life. Each time he had spoken of Kallisor with some scorn, but in her recent visits, his anger had subsided, as she had hoped it would.
Perrios wiped his eyes and stared at his grandmother. “You did some pretty awful things, Gran-mama.”
“I did.”
“But I still love you.”
She smiled kindly.
“I used to think everything was so easy,” he lamented. “When you told me that Gabrion killed mama, I thought I would hate him forever. But now, I don’t know. I’m not even sure what I think of her, not that I ever knew her.”
Meriad’s face curled into a frown. “Don’t speak ill of your mother, child, for it wasn’t entirely her fault that she did what she did.”
“I know,” he said. “You put her up to it.” He could see the pain on her face and he felt bad for it. “I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to make sense of.”
“I understand, Perrios.”
“So this story… it’s all true?”
Meriad nodded. “Yes, Randler spent the five years after the Red Jade was assembled getting it all written down. It’s also carved throughout the halls of Marritosh Palace. He created this copy for me so that I could impart it to you.”
“Marritosh Palace,” he echoed in awe. “I hope to see it someday.”
“You will,” she assured him. “For it is your birthright to govern from there.”
“What?”
“Yes,” she said nervously, wondering if this was the time to tell him, but realizing that there was no point in delaying. “You are the last descendent of royalty, Perrios. The companions agreed that you had the right to rise up and lead the people.”
His jaw dropped. “Me?”
“Yes,” she smiled.
“But… I don’t understand.”
She placed a placating hand on his knee. “The simplest way I can explain it is this: Gabrion realized that I had changed. He also witnessed your father’s acceptance of the concepts of peace. So, they decided that you had
it in you to be a fair and open ruler. But you needed to understand the unbiased history of the land before you could ever know of your destiny. You need to be able to recognize that people are people and you must treat them as such, without prejudice.”
“Oh,” he breathed. “They really believe that much in me?”
“So do I, little one.”
“I—I’ll do my best, Gran-mama, but I don’t even know the first thing about what to do.”
She laughed gently. “You won’t be alone. Ervinor has been acting as Regent in your absence and he will serve as your advisor when you’re ready.”
His eyes went wide. “I get to actually meet him?”
“Indeed. You may even see Randler, too; he’s still traveling around singing the tales.”
“What about Gabrion?”
Meriad shrugged. “I don’t know. When everything ended ten years ago, he came here with instructions for your care and then he went off on his own. No one has heard from him since.”
“Maybe he had some troubles in the south?” Perrios guessed.
“Maybe one day we will learn.”
“Gran-mama, there’s something about the Red Jade I don’t understand.”
“I’ll try my best to answer.”
“Well, when Delminor united it during the War of the Colossus, everyone called it the Red Jade even though it was incomplete. It only had eleven jades because the twelfth one hadn’t been made yet.”
“Go on.”
“But after Kitalla… died… and there was the extra jade, and they were united, it was still red. Wouldn’t it have been a different color or something?”
Meriad’s smile grew wide. “You’re a wise young man, my Perrios, and you think clearly and well. But remember, that twelfth jade was the mind jade. When Delminor united the shards, they were combined with the essence from his mind, so it was still that blood-red color, but they hadn’t joined into that perfect sphere because his mind was not really a part of them.”
“I see. So, does that mean that mages can use mind magic now?”
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