The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 02 - The Gathering (4 page)

Glancing
behind him at the now distant Azertorn, he guessed the reason. “Easy boy,” he soothed
and rubbed his horse’s neck. “I wish we could go back too.”

This journey
was going to be long and difficult, and it seemed he wasn’t the only one
reluctant to face what was ahead. He patted his horse and looked back once
more. From the north, the elven capitol sat at the fork of a large river, and
even in the pre-dawn glow looked magnificent. Soft light from magical torches
glittered on the tall battlements rising out of the river, and treetops could
be seen growing from behind its walls.

He sighed and
turned away, wondering if he would ever see it again. A few minutes later they
slipped into the shadowed forest and the city disappeared from view. Silence
wrapped around him as he followed Siarra’s black mare, plodding ahead. Trailing
behind him, the rest of their small party fell into line. Liri rode right
behind him, with Maemi, an exceptionally short elf, beside her. He was glad Mae
had decided to come with them. Her unparalleled speed with a short sword would
be invaluable against the fiends. He'd known Mae since early training, her quiet
reserve breaking now and again for insightful observations he had come to trust.

Trin rode
behind her. Tall and broad shouldered, he rode the large roan with ease, his
longsword strapped to his back. Witty with a sharp sense of humor, he seemed
subdued and somber today. Perhaps it was the memory of his home in the eastern
kingdom that held his tongue. Terros, and most of the kingdom of Griffin, had
already been destroyed when the fiends had invaded—a sight that Trin had
witnessed personally.

Jack Myst
brought up the rear. He’d mysteriously volunteered for their mission, and
because he’d killed Draeken’s assassin, had been allowed to join their group.
An exceptional thief, Taryn could think of no reason why he would choose to
come on such a dangerous journey. His sarcastic attitude irritated most of
those around him, but he'd saved Siarra’s life as well as Taryn’s. Even to
himself though, Taryn would admit that they knew little about Jack, or his intentions.

As they worked
their way along the trail to the northeast, the sounds of the forest rising
with the dawn drifted towards them. The view lightened as the sun continued to
rise, brightening the poplar and aspen trees. Beams of gold cascaded through
the canopy, glittering with warmth.

For most of
the morning silence stretched between them with each wrapped in their own thoughts.
Taryn found himself dwelling on what they had to accomplish. Siarra had said
they had just over six weeks before Draeken’s army would arrive at Azertorn.
During that time, they would travel north through the dwarven mountain range
before turning east. From there, they would journey around the Blue Lake and
attempt to find—and then defeat—Draeken. Along their way they would also warn
the northern races of the impending war and try to convince them to gather with
the elves.

Their first
stop would be the druid village. Humans with animal magic had been gathering at
the settlement for centuries. Nestled in the forest, it sat close to the Blue
Lake a couple days ride from Azertorn. It would be their first attempt to
convince someone to join the elves.

They took a
short break for lunch before pressing onward. In mid afternoon they reached the
Lake Road and turned north. With the forest to their left, and the cliff
dropping to the lake on their right, the Lake Road was the only large highway
that connected the elven kingdom to the dwarves. Wide and hard packed, it
provided enough room for wagons to pass with ease.

Spreading out
as they turned onto the highway, Taryn nudged his horse to catch up to Siarra.

“Do you mind
if I ask a few more things about my mother?” he asked, taking advantage of the
opportunity to continue their conversation from the previous evening.

She sighed at
whatever she had been thinking and flashed him a small smile. “You mean
our
mother?”

He winced at
the oversight and nodded. Mentally chastising himself for the lapse he hoped
she didn't feel offended. She had known about him for longer than he had known
about her.

“What would
you like to know?” she asked.

 “Why did they
take me to Sri Rosen?”

Siarra pursed
her lips before responding. “Before Ianna got pregnant with you, she foresaw a
future which I did not understand until we learned of Draeken. The last time I
saw her, she told me she had seen a shadow being cast on the world of Lumineia,
a shadow that could only be destroyed by the ‘races united.’ She then said that
this unity would come from the west.

Siarra sighed,
her tone sorrowful. “I thought she was talking about a coming battle, but I
have come to believe in recent weeks that she meant you.”

She glanced at
Taryn’s puzzled expression and her features softened. “I think she knew that
you were going to be someone special, and because she would lose her magic by
having you, you were going to have to be trained by someone else. I believe she
thought that Sri Rosen would be a place of freedom for you to be raised.”

Taryn nodded
and chewed on the new insight into his mother. It was hard to imagine her giving
up so much power to have him, but it did explain why she'd wanted him to be
trained. “What about Draeken?" he asked. "How exactly are we, or am I,
supposed to defeat him?”

Siarra smiled
knowingly at him. “I have an idea about that. Remember Sirfalas, the chief
historian for the elves?”

 “The elf that
knew about Draeken during the elven high council.”

“Yes. When I
spoke with him, he mentioned something very interesting. He said that when
Lakonus went to kill Draeken 10,000 years ago, he had several allies. One of
which was a young white dragon.”

“An ice
dragon?” Taryn asked in surprise.

She nodded,
her eyes sparkling. “This dragon’s name was Israke, and he apparently fought a
couple of red dragons that had joined Draeken. While Lakonus entered the
fortress of Xshaltheria, Israke succeeded in killing both the reds.”

“Why should we
be concerned with a dead dragon?” Taryn asked.

“Because he is
still alive.”

“How is that
possible?” Taryn asked, his eyes widening.

“Dragon’s tend
to have a long life-span, and ice dragons live even longer due to their colder
environment. It slows down their growth. As you know, dragons never stop
growing, and they die when they become so large they can’t find enough food.”

Taryn heard an
odd tone from his sisters' words and asked, “Where is this dragon?”

“In the
northern mountain range above the desert.”

Taryn sank
into his saddle and pondered the new information. There was so little known
about the battle between Lakonus and Draeken. A first-hand account would be priceless,
and might mean the difference between success and failure.

“Do you think
we have time to find him?” Taryn asked.

“I . . . think
so,” she said. “I
believe
he lives in the high mountains to the north of
the eastern kingdom. Since we are going to pass there anyway . . .”

“We find out
where Israke is and stop if possible.”

“Exactly,” she
said with a smile.

Liri spoke up
behind them. “Won’t a dragon just eat us?”

 “I am not
sure,” Siarra said, glancing back. “But he did help Lakonus, so whatever
motivation he had, he didn't ally with Draeken."

Liri appeared dubious.
“I don’t know, gambling our mission on a dragon that thousands of years ago
might have had a conscience? Seems a little risky.”

 “But if he
can tell us how to defeat Draeken . . .” Taryn said.

She shrugged, unconvinced.
“I guess we'll find out.”

The rest of
the group rode up to join them and the conversation shifted to other topics,
but Taryn continued to mull over the revelations about Israke. If they could
find him, he wondered what he could tell them. The extra details might just
give them an edge that they desperately needed.

Trin’s next
question broke into his thoughts.

"Would
the druids know how to talk to a dragon?"

Siarra's lips
twitched but she answered doubtfully, "A dragon isn't the type of creature
that the druid's bond with."

Her tone made
Taryn think she'd sidestepped the question, leading him to wonder what she had
left unsaid. Recalling the tenor of earlier conversations, he frowned at the
idea that Siarra held back more than she revealed.

"What do
you mean
bond
?" Trin asked.

Siarra shifted
in her saddle to answer, “Long ago humans that saw energy in animals were just
good farmers. At some point someone thought to try to manipulate that energy
and the first joining occurred.”

“What’s a
joining?” Taryn asked.

“When a human
demonstrates the ability to see animal magic, they are traditionally sent to
live with the druids. Within the druid settlement of Keilera, they are taught
everything there is to know about animals. During their instruction there is a
point when they are sent into the forest by themselves. The youth will then
journey alone and make a solitary camp. From this camp they perform what is
called the summoning, where they mentally invite an animal to
join
with them.
Usually within a couple of days an animal appears and the two link their minds,
permanently. The new druid can sense that animal’s thoughts and has the ability
to communicate with them. Their joined one, or Joré, meaning ‘to be one,’ then
stays with them for the rest of their lives.”

Taryn shook
his head. “Wait, which animal appears?”

“Whichever
best matches their personality,” Siarra responded. “Many of the women end up
bonded with passive animals, such as deer. Men ordinarily join with animals such
as wolves or bears, or other predators.”

Liri smiled
and joined in the conversation. “It’s amazing how alike the Joré are to their
human companions. Many times the druids will take on physical characteristics
of their joined one, such as strength, speed, or agility.”

From behind
them Jack asked, “Does a joined one ever kill another Joré?” His tone caused
Taryn to look back at him, but the thief's expression was inscrutable.

Siarra threw a
sharp look at him. “It is expressly forbidden, and once a joining has occurred,
the animal can sense other Joré.”

Trin leaned
forward. “What about stories of druids turning into animals?”

“The tales are
half true," Siarra said. "There are cases where a joined pair will
become a Joreia, meaning ‘truly one.’ Usually later in life, a joined pair can
literally become of one mind. This means that the animal gives up its form and
joins the mind and body of their companion. It is considered the highest form
of devotion between man and beast.”

“What happens
to them after they become a Joreia?” Trin asked.

Siarra
answered with a smile, “If they do become a joreia, then they can shape-shift
into the animal form, but their mind is permanently linked to the mind of the
animal. It means they will lose some of themselves while gaining attributes of
the animal.”

“Why would
anyone do that?” Trin asked.

Jack Myst
replied before Siarra could, his tone bitter, “Because they love their Joré
more than anything else.”

Taryn wasn’t the
only one staring at Jack, and for several long moments they rode in silence. In
the entire time that Taryn had known the thief, he had never revealed much
about himself. Abruptly he seemed to be aware of their attention and sniffed, “That's
what I hear anyway.”

Taryn snorted
and listened to the talk turn to lighter topics, but his mind lingered on Jack.
The way he’d spoken had been too personal. Had a family member or friend been a
druid? What had happened to them? It would be a question to ask the druids if
he got the chance.

They continued
north until darkness began to fall and they stopped for the night. Lighting a
fire, they enjoyed a dinner of roast quail that Liri had brought down when their
passage had startled the birds into flight. As conversation began to lull,
Taryn slipped away and crossed the road. Settling into a comfortable seat at
the edge of the cliff, he let his feet dangle and looked downward.

Several
hundred feet below he could see the water brushing up against the rock and he
couldn’t resist dropping a stone. It took longer than he expected for it to
disappear into the waves. He chuckled to himself, recalling the effort required
to climb the cliff next to Azertorn.

A soft
footfall brushed behind him and he turned to see Liri approaching.

“Mind if I
join you?” she asked, and he nodded with a welcoming smile. Sitting, she leaned
back and said, "It's a nice view, don't you think?"

Bright silvery
light from the rising moon blanketed the lake and the plateau, and in the
distance an island rose out of the water near the horizon. Above them the stars
glittered in the inky night, twinkling around the few clouds floating past.

 “What’s on
your mind Liri?” Taryn asked, feeling a rush of warmth at the proximity to her.

“What makes
you think there is something on my mind?” He heard a smile in her voice, but he
couldn’t see her mouth.

“You are
quiet, and that only happens when you have something on your mind,” he replied
with a grin, grateful that his inability to understand social nuances did not
always extend to her.

She flashed a
smile at him before returning her gaze outward. After a moment she asked, “Why
do you think Jack responded that way?”

He shrugged. “I
am not sure. Perhaps he had someone close to him that was a druid, someone that
may have abandoned him when he was young.”

 “It was odd.
I have never seen Jack so unsettled. He always seems either bored or
mischievous, but never upset.”