Unquiet Slumber (12 page)

Zarin said, “He’s tried everything but even dying his hair won’t work. He just wakes up in the morning with it white again.” Zarin shook his own white mane and continued, “Besides, I think it evens the romantic playing field within Trille. Don’t you think?”

Everyone laughed, but Tianna was mortified and turned bright red. To hide her embarrassment, she headed to the other side of the room to clean-up the pots and pans they had used.

It was a beautiful night so Tianna’s father suggested that they go back to his home and use his equipment to view the stars. Seth jumped at the chance, and Zarin suggested that both Tianna and Seth go. Marcus and Gabriel would stay with him and reminisce about past adventures they’ve had together. Tianna agreed and she headed out the door with her fellow star-gazers.

Once the sound of footsteps faded, Marcus, Gabriel, and Zarin all started talking at once. Laughing, Marcus said, “So, old friend, what’s on your mind?”

Zarin chuckled and replied, “I wish you’d stop calling me old. After all, Gabriel’s as old as my great-great-grandfather.”

Gabriel responded with a grin, “Ahhh. So very true.”

Zarin’s kind eyes focused sharply on the two Draak. “So, why are four well-armed Draak roaming the countryside instead of guarding Haven? And, why do your numbers include two of their most respected?”

Marcus’ authoritative voice, always soft, was suddenly filled with intensity. “The Seer sent us to find the warrior of the ancient prophecy. It’s started, Zarin. It’s time and we were charged with finding him, but we’re failing.”

Gabriel patted his friend on his shoulder, feeling his frustration.

Zarin sat up and asked intently, “Which prophecy?”

Marcus immediately recited the ancient words.

Through death’s dawn will come the sun,

Unite the flames to burn as one.

From unquiet slumber the sleeper wakes,

A twisted path the hunter takes.

The night embraced births the key,

In strength and power the fire burns free.

Marcus said to Zarin, “Perhaps you can help us?”

Zarin sat contemplating the words and thinking out loud. “So, the Seer thinks that its time. Why now? That prophecy is so old that no one even knows its origin.” Frowning in concentration, he mumbled, “Unquiet slumber, yes… but what’s the key? Why fire?”

Gabriel spoke up, saying, “The young Draak with us, Seth, spotted a massive starfall during a sunrise nearly a year ago. No-one else was awake, but his strong eyes are always staring up at the sky. Given the magnitude, it made the morning sky appear to rain fire. He knew this was significant and went immediately to his Draaken who, in turn, went to the Seer. She declared that ‘death’s dawn’ was upon us. It’s one reason he’s part of our quest.”

Zarin nodded to himself. “I see, yes, that does fit. A quest, you say? What are you charged to look for?”

Marcus took up the tale. “The Seer sanctioned several groups to fulfill what she said was ‘the most important quest of our age.’ She believes that the prophecy tells of a warrior and that a peaceful future depends on finding this person. Until now, we have found no signs of him. We’ve hunted within every Draak stronghold, as well as both human and magical villages, but we have found no sleeper, no hunter, no fire. It’s as if he doesn’t exist. We did manage to find ever increasing evidence of evil’s destruction.”

Zarin nodded and when he spoke, he sounded tired. “For weeks I’ve been traveling to neighboring human villages. They’ve all been attacked by what has been described as Drenn warriors. One village was nearly destroyed and most of the villagers were dragged away. They didn’t even know what, or who, the Drenn were.” He glared at his visitors. “The entire land needs your help, my friends. The evil is getting desperate and has started to hunt in the human world for that which it hasn’t been able to find in the magical world. Your quest isn’t just to save the Draak, but to save all of us. The Seer knows this. Marcus, you’re a scholar. You know that prophecies have many meanings and interpretations. The trick is finding the solution before the prophesized evil strikes. Did you think that your ‘twisted path’ would be easy?”

Marcus looked abashed, and Gabriel replied somberly, “We’ve also seen Drenn attacks during our travels. Their attacks seem more frequent and more severe as we travel south. There’s a sense that something terrible is coming, and it will be here soon.”

Marcus agreed. “Evil is growing, but we have no idea what form it will take. That’s why it’s so important for us to find our warrior. If the prophecy is true, he may be our only hope to stop what’s coming. Can you guide us? Our path has been long and, until recently, there has been no light at the end of it.”

Zarin shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t found anyone fitting your description. I can only say that you should broaden your minds and your search. When you don’t know the question, it can be hard to see the answer.”

Gabriel smiled saying, “The only positive thing we’ve found in our travels is Tianna. She’s like a breath of fresh air.”

Zarin looked at Gabriel. “Tianna is indeed something special. She’s an entire tempest of ‘fresh air’, as you put it.”

The conversation shifted quickly over to the topic of Tianna. Marcus leaned toward Zarin and said, “Tianna is actually what we wanted to speak to you about. Since meeting her, I’ve felt that there’s much more to her story. Now that I’ve seen her family, that feeling is even stronger. She’s nothing like her parents or anyone else in this village. She’s lived under your roof for years. What hasn’t she told us?”

Zarin sat back in his chair. “I’ve known Tianna her entire life. As a matter of fact, I delivered her right here in this room. There are things that Tianna is unaware of, and until the right time comes, they must continue to remain secret to her. The people you met tonight raised her as their own since the day she was born, but they didn’t conceive her.”

Gabriel and Marcus leaned forward in their chairs, eager to hear the story that was coming.

“The local butcher in the village had taken a young wife. I think she was only sixteen when they came to my home ready to deliver their first child. It was a difficult delivery and the baby was stillborn. The young couple was devastated, so I left them to grieve privately. When I walked into the room we are now in, I found a woman heavy with child. She was like something you would see in a dream, with long silver hair that hung down to her ankles and the bluest eyes that I could imagine. She was obviously about to deliver, so I quickly laid out some blankets right next to where she stood and helped her lay down. The baby was coming quickly and she grabbed my hand, forcing me to listen to her first.

She said, ‘I can’t hold this human form for much longer. Once the child within me is born, I’ll be no more. You, dear wizard, must take this child. Protect and shelter her until the time is right.’

‘What are you?’ I asked her. She let out a scream of pain as another contraction hit but she still continued to speak to me with a death grip on my wrist. She said, ‘You know what I am. I’m of the Faye. My name is Arielle and I was given the task of conceiving a very special child. She’s more than what I am as she was conceived with the gifts of several races.’

Her breathing became very erratic and she cried out in pain. She pulled me close to her face and stared into me with those blue eyes saying, ‘You’ve been chosen. Promise me you’ll teach her and protect her with your life.’

I was hypnotized by her gaze, but I spoke the words she needed to hear. ‘Yes, I’ll protect her with my life and will help teach her all she needs to know,’ and I meant it with all of my heart.

She then released my wrist, allowing me to help deliver her child. A few minutes later the baby was born and Arielle started to glow, shimmered, and disappeared. I gazed at the child now in my arms as she let out a cry. I wasn’t prepared to care for such a young infant. She needed a mother to nurse and care for her. So, I carried her into the other room where the grieving couple was holding each other with tears on their faces. They both stared at me as they saw me move toward them with a crying baby in my arms. Their presence here at my home and the loss of their child was a sign. I walked over to the young mother and handed her the baby.

I told them that the mother of this child had just died during childbirth. ‘You’ve lost your child. Please take this girl and raise her as your own. She’s a unique child that will possess special skills, and she’ll require all your patience, love, and understanding. To all of the village, she’ll be the daughter you delivered. No one must know the truth.’ The young couple peered down at the baby with instant affection, and they told me that they would care for her as their own. They named her Tianna and, at that moment, she became their daughter.”

Zarin stopped talking and sat silently.

Gabriel spoke words that were both a question and a statement of fact. “Tianna isn’t human.”

Zarin shook his head, “No, she isn’t. In her heart, she questions what she is. She knows she’s different.”

Marcus cleared his throat. “So what exactly is she?”

“Her mother was Faye. Have you seen the mark on Tianna’s back?”

Marcus nodded. “Yes, she showed it to us this morning. What does it and the symbols mean?”

“I’ve been trying for years to decipher the symbols with little success,” Zarin responded with a sound of frustration. “I know these symbols are very important, and they are one of the reasons she must remain hidden from the evil we face.”

Marcus and Gabriel stared at each other intently.

Zarin continued. “Her mother Arielle disappeared before she was able to tell me what other natures are in her. Over the years I’ve identified some of the races I think are in her. She’s one of the most gifted wizard apprentices I’ve ever met. Some of that comes from the Faye but some from something I have yet to identify. Her connection to nature makes me believe she’s part Inari. It’s a given she has Draak in her as well.”

Marcus nodded to himself. “When we’re near her, her scent makes us think of home. That’s a trait usually reserved for females within our Draak Setts. She seems to have the strongest connection to both Nathaniel’s Healer Sett and Gabriel’s Warrior Sett.”

Gabriel added, “She seems to have tracking abilities like our Tracker Sett too.”

Marcus sat back in his chair. “Today, I saw her calm the blacksmith’s reaction to Gabriel. That could be a trait from my Sett.”

Zarin said to Marcus, “You Draak Architects are known for leadership and negotiation skills, which require self-confidence. Those traits may yet wake in her but, being raised in a village where all fear her, she’s filled with self-doubt. Even with her human family, she has never had a true sense of home. In her heart, she knows that she doesn’t belong here.”

Gabriel smiled in amazement. “If she does have multiple Setts within her, she would be truly unique. No Sett has ever mixed with another. The combination would give her the potential to be very powerful.”

Zarin nodded, but when he spoke, his voice changed to one of concern. “I’ve taught her all I know. During our training, I’ve been trying to test the extent of her powers without her realizing exactly what I’m doing. I have led her to believe that she’s a normal wizard for her age. In reality, her current and potential power is unmatched in any wizard I’ve ever encountered. I think that if she embraces what’s hidden within her, she’ll be the greatest talent in all of Lagrangia.”

Zarin put his hand on Marcus’ arm. “I’ve done all that I can. Now it’s your turn. You’ll have to teach her who she is and bring out her talents.”

Gabriel stared at Zarin with a puzzled look and asked, “What are you saying? You want us to take her with us?”

Zarin nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. She was brought to this world to fulfill a destiny. You met her in the woods not by accident. It was fate guiding events. I‘ve taken her this far, but you and your Draak brothers must take up her training from here.”

Seeing their uncertainty, Zarin continued. “Evil has been growing stronger every day. We must act or all will be lost. I’m not sure exactly how but I know Tianna is a key player in all of our futures.”

With genuine interest, Marcus asked Zarin, “What exactly do you want us to do?”