A Dragon Born (8 page)

"And which lady would that be?" Lanos asked.

"You can ask her yourself," Sten said, then he hollered to a few of his crew to extend the gangplank, then he turned to Ehlena. "Are you sure about this? They're pirates, these people of Meer Island, and they've been our enemies for many years."

"I will be fine, Sten," she said. "The Lady is with me."

Sten took a deep breath shrugged, for even though his thoughts told him that it was pure folly for the young girl to walk down the plank into the crowd of pirates, for some reason he knew she would not be harmed. Still, there was some wisdom in having some protection.

"Let me come with you," he said. "Take an escort, just in case."

"What would you do, Sten? What would an escort do, except cause more problems. If you were to fight these pirates, they would win for they outnumber us by many. No, I will greet them alone. Do not fear. Nothing will happen to me."

"Well, we've come all this way on your say so," Sten said as he scratched his head.

"Thank you, Sten," Ehlena said and smiled at him then walked over to the heavy wooden plank that had been extended over to the raised dock.

Ehlena took a deep breath and stepped out onto the notched wood of the gangplank and walked toward the motley group of pirates assembled on the other side, their swords gleaming sharp and the points of their daggers at the ready.

"Maybe Sten is right," Ehlena said in her mind. "Look at those pirates."

"I am with you," the Lady replied. "They will know this, as do the crew who have faithfully brought you to this place."

"If you're sure. But they look very dangerous."

"I am sure. I am a goddess, after all, as are you."

The pirates stepped back as the wind stilled and the cloudy skies above parted and Ehlena walked toward them, a vision of light, almost glowing in the blinding light that shone from above. Ehlena felt the power of the goddess fill her to the brim, as though her radiant light might overflow and spill out of her. It was a strange and overwhelming feeling but not in a terrible way. She could not help but smile at them, for she felt free like the wind in the sky, the kind of strong and goodly wind that would fill the sails of ships and make for perfect seas. The pirates felt it too and they knew that the young woman who walked toward them was more than just a girl. They put away their swords and daggers and parted way for her, all except their leader, Lanos, who struggled to stand his ground, even though something deep within him responded to the young woman the same way as the men and women he commanded.

"You are Lanos-Meer," Ehlena said, her voice like a warm breeze, powerful yet playful.

"Aye," Lanos replied.

"I ask that you and your people afford safe harbor to the crew of the Al-Andor for they have come at my request and hold no ill will toward you."

"Aye, milady," Lanos found himself saying, though he knew not why he did so. The young woman who stood before him was barely a slip of a girl, yet she had the presence of a woman, the likes of which he had never before encountered. Something about her made him feel as though he could fly, or sail the world with perfect winds forever. He tried to shake off the feeling but found himself enthralled by the girl.

"Thank you, Lanos-Meer," Ehlena said. "There is a storm coming. In the times ahead, if the seas turn against you, call upon me and I will do what I can to gentle them."

"Thank you, milady," he said and then he stepped aside as she walked past him and made her way down from the platform and up into the streets of the town.

The sky returned to grey but the winds stayed gentle in the island port as the crew of the Al-Andor worked with the pirates at the docks to secure the ship safely to its moorings. Sten walked over the gangplank to greet the man named Lanos, who he understood from the second part of his name to mean that he was the leader of pirate island.

"She's quite the lass," he said.

Lanos shook his head and blinked his eyes as though waking from a dream.

"It's been a strange time here," he said then he looked at the first mate of the Aghlar ship, his gaze regaining its former skepticism. "I can't say I'm pleased about it, but you've got safe harbor."

"And we're grateful," Sten said. "It was a raging storm we passed through a few days past, with fearsome tides, though the winds were fair to us, despite the rolling seas. We've the luck of the Lady with us, to be sure."

"Some kind of magic," Lanos muttered. "I've had my fill of it of late. I'll be glad when all these mages and wizard women are gone. Nothing good can come of all of it."

"You still do not know," Sten observed. "'Twere a blessing you just received, from the Lady herself."

"The Lady?" Lanos scoffed. "I don't keep hold to old legends. That girl worked some magic upon me, and used her tricks to make me grant you safe harbor. I know when I've been magicked, but there's naught I can do about it since I've already granted my word and all my people heard me say it."

"So you'll honor it?" Sten asked.

"Aye," Lanos told him. "You've safe harbor, but once you break port your ship will be fair spoils, so you'd better hope she's got fast sails."

"Oh, the Al-Andor is fast enough, and faster with that girl aboard. With her blessings, there's no ship that could catch us."

"I think you'll find the pirates of Meer Island have plenty a fast ship," Lanos told him then began walking away. He glanced over his shoulder at Sten. "Keep the peace in the town and you'll have no trouble, at least none while you're at port."

Fire. White, hot fire, blazed, setting the world alight and spreading flames of red, blue, orange and yellow, like the sun, burning everything. Fear. The dark eyes, hateful and angry, silver and black, reflecting in the cold, sharp steel, afraid as the flicker of doubt was burned to flame. Water. Cool hands pushing back the heat, the night air soothing as the screams faded into the distance.

Aaron saw faces in the darkness, silhouetted in the orange glow of the flames. A child cried out as a woman screamed and men shouted. He did not know where he was, but the man with the dark eyes was gone and he was no longer afraid, and yet the heat of the flames licked around him, hurting him. Loud noises came from somewhere close, pounding then a crack, followed by another. More shouting.

A face he recognized. Tarnath. He reached out to him and saw his beard begin to smoke. Another face. No, it was the same. Tarnath smiled at him. Aaron heard other voices, ones he knew, but they were fading as the light of the fire died away.

The night was cool and the stars bright overhead. The peaceful rhythm of a horse, riding over cobbles then pounding softly upon earth. The breeze carried the scent of evergreens, the hint of salt from the sea, the smell of black earth, the fresh droplets of rain. All was quiet.

He was in the cottage. It was summer and the night was warm. Fireflies danced among the trees and a grey owl stared back at him with golden eyes then disappeared silently into the night. He heard a voice he knew. It was his uncle, Tarnath, talking to himself. Aaron tried to rise but he could not and he found himself outside, in the darkness, staring up at the stars and unable to move. A shadow drew near and a flash of cold steel moved in the darkness. Eyes, dark and piercing drew closer. He was afraid.

A shout. Warm light and woman's face, one he knew but did not know why. The dark eyes turned and the woman screamed and ran toward the steel. She reached out and bled from her hands as it cut her. Another face he knew but did not know appeared. A man with a sword, stepping from the light into the darkness. The dark eyes turned and stared. The steel was raised high and the woman screamed.

Fire.

"How is he?" Zachary asked. Stavros looked up from the book on his lap, an old tome he had been studying that spoke of an ancient time and pathways to magical realm. Carly, who was sound asleep on the floor nearby did not stir.

"The same," Stavros told him.

"I have tried everything, but he is in a dream that will not end. It only repeats itself."

"At least we know his mind is still there," Zachary said, trying to sound hopeful. "If we can get him to wake, then hopefully he will be all right."

"If we can get him to wake, then we will discover if he is truly sound."

"I'm sure he will be fine. You and I, both, we have been through some trials ourselves. One time I was asleep for nearly a month after a blast of magic knocked me half way across the land."

"Yes, but that was by choice, and you blasted yourself with magic, which was somewhat foolish. I believe I told you that at the time," Stavros reminded him.

"Yes, you did," Zachary replied. "It matters not. I slept until I had recovered. He will sleep until he recovers. There is nothing wrong with him."

"That is something we will discover if he wakes."

Zachary frowned. Over the past few days, he had spent most of his time either in the room or down at the tavern. His own room had barely been used since he could not sleep at all. It was useless for him to hover around constantly so he had tried to relax by drinking more of the pirates' sweetwater, the strong drink favored by the people of the sea, but whatever weak effects it previously had on his mage's constitution were now barely noticeable as his tense energy burned it away faster than he could consume it.

The girl, Carly, had taken to sleeping in the room as well and lay asleep on a bedroll on the floor. Apparently she had history of some kind with the pirates of Meer Island and they were at odds over something, The last time she had ventured down to the tavern for any length of time, a fight had broken out between her and some of the pirates who were part of Lanos-Meer's contingent and Zachary had been forced to intervene. While they had previously ignored him, now that they knew of his power, the pirates gave him a wide berth, not wanting to test him.

Since they had ample time to talk, and once their tempers had cooled, Stavros had filled Zachary in on the story of how Aaron ended up living in hiding with his brother, Tarnath. As angry as Zachary was about having missed out on the childhood of his son, he understood the reason Stavros had done what he had, and he grudgingly admitted that the grey-cloaked mage had, in fact, attempted to speak with him, at real risk to his own life. Zachary had not been a reasonable man to deal with after the death of the woman he loved and, in his grief, did some terrible things before he finally retreated from the world, disappearing almost entirely.

Only for the past few years had he started to visit places where people lived and, even then, he kept to out of the way places like Meer Island, populated by thieves and brigands, the sort of folks whose accidental incineration by an angry mage might be considered by some an improvement to the world. Not that Zachary had killed anyone, but he had come close a few times, when crossed by those who saw his unkempt, greasy appearance and smelling of sweetwater and mistakenly thought him to be little more than a common drunk and tried to take advantage, although, the mage now realized that it was exactly what he had become.

After Stavros had completed removing the ward from Aaron's power, Zachary had cleaned himself up, bathed, trimmed his facial hair back to its former shape and even cropped his long hair back up above his shoulders. He had even bought new clothes, trading the stained and threadbare tunic and tan leather pants he had worn for a fine outfit of black and gold, put together by a talented clothier in town, who, despite having a flair for the dramatic, had done a decent job. At the very least, Zachary wanted to look somewhat respectable when his son awoke, even if he himself might not deserve much respect, though he remained nonetheless, hopeful.

Carly stirred from her bedroll, opening her eyes and rubbing the sleep from them. Stavros was where he had been when she had fallen asleep, still sitting in the chair next to Aaron's bed. She looked up and saw Zachary leaning against the wall, dressed in his new clothes and she quickly straightened herself and brushed the tangle of hair out of her face as she stood. She was about to comment on the mage's much improved appearance when she felt a strange and familiar sensation.

"Someone is here," Carly said, although she did not know why or how she knew such a thing.

Zachary and Stavros both gave her questioning looks then a moment later the air in the room crackled with power as they gathered their magic, ready for whatever approached, for they now felt the presence of something or someone powerful.

There was a light knock at the door to the room.

Zachary stepped over to it, lifted the iron latch that held it and slowly pushed it open. A moment later, he stepped aside as a young woman entered. She smiled warmly at him as she walked into the room, and she smiled at Stavros as well but she stopped for a moment when she saw Carly. There was a flicker of recognition in her eyes, and she tilted her head for a moment then she smiled at her before moving on. Next, she turned her attention to the bed where Aaron lay, unconscious and she frowned.

"I see he has not yet awakened," she said, in a voice that sounded both soft and gentle like a summer breeze, yet powerful and unrelenting as gale.

"Who are you?" Carly asked.

"My name is Ehlena," she told them, in a voice that was much smaller than it had been a moment ago. "I am the daughter of King Toren Al-Aran of Aghlar and Lady Elara of the House of Valamyr and I am a friend."

"Why are you here?"

"Aaron saved my life. He helped me once, when I was in need, and I would like to help him now."

"Curious," Zachary said. "I find myself believing everything you say, yet I trust no one. What are you?"

"She speaks the truth, but not all of it," Stavros said, his eyes shimmering black with power, but with a warm smile on his face. The grey-robed mage knelt on one knee. "She is the Lady."

"Rise, Stavros," Ehlena said, her voice registering with power once more. "I do not require obeisance from those who serve me."

"Nonsense." Zachary was skeptical. "You are but a girl, yet you have great power about you. How is this possible?"

Stavros rose to his feet. "I do not know how, only that it is true."

"You follow your own path, Zachary," Ehlena said, her voice powerful again. "This has always been your way, but you are not alone, for I have seen your joys and your pains and would give you solace if you so desired it, even though I know you will never accept the gifts that I offer. Stavros has paid respect to me, and for that we are grateful and give him protection as we are able. Know this, Zachary, there is one who seeks your undoing and many who follow him seek this as well. Now that I have returned to this realm, I might safeguard those who honor me, but those who stand alone must also face the shadows alone. I do not know your fate, but I can tell you this; the one who seeks you is driven by fear, for he knows you are a threat to his design."

"You speak of this one god that the priesthood follows," Zachary said.

"I do."

"Let him try," Zachary said.

"That is why he fears you," Ehlena told him, with a smile on her lips. "You are powerful, mage, and you have within you great potential, but you must guard against the shadows, for they may consume you."

"I will try to remember that," Zachary said. "Now how can you help my son?"

"He is lost within himself. I will call to him. I do not know if he will hear me, for there are those who choose to remain lost," Ehlena said then she paused and stared directly at Carly for a moment before continuing. "Nonetheless, I will try."

"What do you mean by choosing to remain lost?" Carly asked. Something about the girl's words bothered her, but she could not figure out why.

"I meant exactly what I said," Ehlena told her. "Some choose to lose themselves. The mage, Zachary, tried to accomplish such a thing, but it is not in his nature to remain silent. Aaron has been hidden from himself for so long that he does not know himself and there are things he must face that will be painful for him. His challenge is very difficult. As for you, Carly, you too are lost. It is a choice you made, but I think you do not remember it. Perhaps, in time, you will, but it is good to see you here, helping this young man."

"How do you know my name?" Carly asked. "How do you know all of our names?"

"I now know many things," Ehlena said. "It is a gift, the power of the Lady, or perhaps you would know me by a different name, for I am also called Ayra."

Carly took a step back from Ehlena and stared back at her with a hint of sadness in her eyes. At the mention of the name she had spoken, something awoke deep within Carly's thoughts and she found that she was suddenly very uncomfortable around the girl.

"I am hungry," Carly said abruptly. "You do whatever you think you can do and I'll be down in the tavern finding something to eat."

"As you wish," Ehlena told her. Stavros and Zachary traded a look as Carly left the room.

"I will leave you to this task, Lady Ayra," Stavros said.

"See to her," Ehlena told him. "There is much trouble with her. I am named Ehlena. My other names are true, but they are not who I am now."

"Ehlena it is, then," Stavros agreed and bowed his head before turning and following after Carly.

"I'll stay if you don't mind," Zachary said.

"Of course." Ehlena smiled at the mage then she sat down on the bed next to Aaron and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Can you help him?" Ehlena asked.

"You can help him."

"How can I help him?"

"You are me, and I am you."

"Okay," Ehlena said. "I don't understand everything you just told those people, but it's true, isn't it? Everything you just said?"

"Yes, but I did not tell them. You did. You are me, and I am you."

"I'm confused. You keep saying that, but I know I am me. You're the Lady, which means you're you. If that weren't true, then we could not talk like this."

"We are the same. You need only decide it and it will be so. I have given myself to you."

"But what if you do things and I can't be me anymore?"

"I would not do such a thing. You already know that."

"I know. I just don't understand."

"You will."

"All right. What do we...I mean, what do I do?"

"Call to him. And listen to him."

"That's all?"

"There is more, but first you must call to him. Use my voice that is within you, for it is now your voice. Talk to him, the way you talk to me, the way you talk to yourself, within your thoughts."

Ehlena was not sure she understood what the Lady was trying to say, but she felt like it made sense. The times when the goddess had spoken, she had felt an overwhelming sense of purpose flow through her and the knowledge of many things flooded her mind, but it was something that just happened, rather than something she intended. She breathed in deeply and thought about Aaron and she thought about the power that flooded through her when the Lady did things and within moments the power was hers and she could feel Aaron next to her, his body flowing with energy, quiet on the surface, but beneath a raging torrent. His energy was different from hers, it felt hot like fire, but also warm like the sun. She tried to call to him.