Victor Deus (Heritage of the Blood Book 1) (22 page)

Dunnagan smiled. “We clerics receive our powers from the god we serve. Each god has different types of clerics. Clerics of Ragnos are more battle hardened, and tend to focus on things that will help in battles. Clerics of Ol' Thom, or one of the evil gods tend to have more necromantic powers, and they twist the healing spells to do harm instead.”

“What about Cypheria, I've heard the name invoked, but I never truly understood why?”

“Ah, lad. Cypheria is the goddess of all protectors, be they protecting companions, laws, or knowledge. Cypheria believes that if something is worth protecting than it is worth protecting with your life. So we clerics follow the same philosophy. Sometimes to protect a friend all you may have to do is heal them, but sometimes to protect a friend you may have to fight off a horde of baddies. Whatever must be done to protect that which is entrusted to us, we will do, as long as it doesn't break our moral code. This is the same moral code as most goodly races. Never kill women or children. Never kill an unarmed or helpless person. Help out when you can and where you can. Never violate or take advantage of anyone. Things like that.” Dunnagan looked at Shawnrik.

“Cypheria sounds like my kind of goddess. Can you teach me how to be a cleric?” Shawnrik saw new possibilities unfolding in front of him, and felt renewed hope for the future.

“Of course I can show you the way, but most of it has to come from within yerself. Ye already sound like one of Cypheria's clerics, now ye just need to believe'n it with your entire being. You must devote your life into her service and into the protection of what is dear to you and to her. Even if you've already devoted yer life to this Victor lad, Cypheria will still be able to overwhelm that. Just remember, if you are in the service of Cypheria, you are in the business of protectin', and if you're in the business of protectin' then you can protect those entrusted to ye that much better. I myself have been a cleric for quite a long time, but I think the world could use someone with the skills of a thief, a fighter, and a cleric. If ye continue on the path that you follow now, ye may never be the greatest fighter, or the most powerful cleric, but ye'll have a versatility that few could match. Ye should learn all ye can from Ashur about fightin' and being sneaky. “I'll be there to teach ye about the mystical parts, and a little bit of the Dwarven style of fightin'. It's always been my belief to learn all ye can, because knowledge is power, and I've found that the more I know about what's going on, the better I can protect those in my trust. Don't be worried if you don't feel anything at first, some don't feel any different until they have been in her service fer many years, and some never truly understand that Cypheria is always with us.”

Shawnrik nodded his head to everything that Dunnagan had just said. Victor had told him many of the same things about learning once, and he planned on continuing to follow that advice now. Shawnrik found a peace within himself at that point, and completely gave himself over to being a protector. “I want to be in the service of Cypheria. From this day forth I will use all of my skills to protect those people around me.” He said these words with a fierce determination, and Dunnagan recognized the tone of pure truth.

Shawnrik thought that he might have been imagining things, but he felt a great burden lift from his shoulders, and then a different burden that was much heavier, but seemed much easier to carry had settled back onto him. He then felt a soft but strong hand settle itself onto his shoulder. It reminded him of a father giving reassurance to his son that he was going to be there, by his side, in the battle to come. However he knew that the protection granted was much stronger than any father could give, and a tear ran down his cheek.

Dunnagan watched the transformation of the boy right in front of him with a certain awe. He seemed to sit straighter now, and his whole manner said that he had a purpose. Then Shawnrik looked at his shoulder like something was on it, and Dunnagan knew what had happened. “Ye feel it don't ye, the hand of Cypheria. It's always there to assure us that we are doing right. Not many can feel it, and most never do. I think that 'tis Cypheria's way of reassurin' us that our goals follow her path. She must have some use for you and Victor. Yer goal of protecting the boy seems to be Cypheria's goal also.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes, until Ashur could be seen riding back down the road. Shawnrik wiped his face with the rag he had for keeping dust out of his mouth when the roads weren't so muddy. Ashur turned his horse around and waited for the two to catch up before reining in beside Shawnrik and matching their pace. Ashur looked at Shawnrik with a puzzled expression, and then he looked at Dunnagan who was smiling proudly.

“What happened to you boy, you look different, and what are you grinnin' at over there?!” Ashur had a bewildered expression on his face.

“Shawnrik here has decided to follow my path and become a cleric of Cypheria.” Dunnagan stated proudly.

“Damn it all to hell, I can't leave you alone with anyone for five minutes! I suppose you're going to be converting heathens as we go too.” Ashur was looking at the two in utter disbelief. “I was only gone a few minutes!” He shook his head.

“Don't worry Ashur, I'm still going to learn all I can from you, but I'm also going to learn all I can from Dunnagan too.” Shawnrik said with a new sense of purpose.

Ashur looked at them both, and finally said, “Oh, well all that means is you'll have to work twice as hard.” He shook his head again, and then nodded. “Well, I guess you could do worse than becoming a cleric. At least you will still be able to put most of the stuff I'm going to teach you to use, and it's always good to have another person around who can heal me if I get into the grinder.” They all chuckled wryly at that.

“Cypheria knows you need enough healin'!” Dunnagan said, which inspired a new round of laughter.

After a few hours of riding Ashur rode back and told them that they needed to find a place to camp for the night, and that he had spotted a likely spot just up the road on his latest reconnoitre. The three rode in silence until they arrived and set up camp.

*****

Victor hadn't seen Nim since earlier in the morning when they were all on the roof. After declaring that he and Victor were going to have a change of scenery he had run off stating that he would be back later. Victor had been left sitting on the roof with a list of most of the well-to-do merchant's and their families, and had nothing else to do but read it. It was nearing dusk when Nim finally appeared. He found Victor where he had left him, except that he was now asleep halfway through the list he was reading. Nim kicked Victor's chair twice, and woke him up.

“What is it?” Victor asked groggily.

“You could have at least finished the list before you fell asleep.” Nim said wryly.

“This is my third time going through it!” Victor said defensively, and Nim was taken aback. It had taken him a few years to compile names and descriptions of most of Safeharbor's nobles from kingdoms that were allied with Safeharbor, and the main body of the Merchant class. The list was comprised of well over a thousand people, and Victor had read it two times just today.

“Well no wonder you fell asleep!” Nim said lifting Victor out of his chair and setting him on his feet. “I fell asleep many times while I was making the list, there's no reason you shouldn't fall asleep reading it. Now up boy, it's time to go out scouting.”

“Scouting?” Victor asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“Yes, get your good clothes there's a party tonight.”

*****

“Dreams of conquest have led many to their demise. Dreams of power have doomed many more. Dreams of wealth are perhaps the most dangerous of the three.” The old mage lectured his student as he had so many times over the years. “On the other side of the token though, there are just as many fools. Dreams of a peaceful society of coexistence have led many to their demise. Dreams of Valor have doomed many more. Dreams of obtaining the love and trust of everyone is the most dangerous of this trio.” He looked at his student who was watching him with only half interest. He knew that half of her interest was good enough, but he knew where her other thoughts were, and he couldn't allow her to dwell on those thoughts for too long.

THWACK.

His staff hit the table directly in front of her, which was completely successful in bringing about her full attention. “So what can we learn from this lecture?” He asked.

“Don't dream.” She answered with spite seething through her tone.

The old mage stared at his protégé, and resisted the impulse to hit her on the head with his staff. “On the contrary.” He said adopting a civil tone. “All of these men and women had the right idea, but they lacked the balance that would allow them to see their dreams come into fruition. Those that seek conquest must assure those that follow them do so in the hopes of a peaceful existence in the future, or there will be dissension amongst his followers and there will be many that wish to have the power all to themselves. Of course, that does not mean that this concept is completely flawless. There are always those that will be jealous of the power that those in charge wield. Many cannot stand to see anyone else succeed where they have failed, but if the person in question is followed by those that truly love and respect him, he will be unstoppable. Fear and strength are only good for establishing an unstable respect that can easily disappear at the first sign of weakness. Whereas the person who is followed by friends that know his weaknesses can be compensated and even empowered by their skills is nearly unstoppable.”

“I know all of this, you've told me it all before, more than once.”

“Yes, but there is nothing wrong with repeating a lesson to be sure that your student has learned it, and since you think you know the rest of the lesson so well, I would like you to continue it.” The old mage took a seat at the table in the center of the room that his pupil was sitting at. He sat down with a groan silently cursing time for taking it's toll on him, it was not something that he was used to.

With a sigh his pupil continued the lesson. “Those that seek wealth or power without taking into account the fact that wealth brings power, and power usually results in wealth, and that to have one you must keep the other. If you acquire great wealth it will bring you power. If you do not take advantage of that wealth, and use it wisely to bring you more power your fortune will either sit there useless, or decline into nothing, and whether it be wealth or power, there will always be someone to try to take it from you. That is what makes wealth and power a double edged sword. The same can be said about valor, and the quest for righteousness. No matter how hard you try, there will always be those that do evil deeds, and you can never gain the love, respect, and admiration of everyone. It is useless to try, and quite often ends poorly, however; If you truly strive to gain the love and respect of those around you, you will often gain the respect of others you may never meet. In other words, you can never hope to achieve the admiration of all, but if you strive to better those around you and care for their needs, you will gain the respect of many who hear of your deeds.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction. “And so, how can one survive in a world in which there are so many variables to these goals that many strive for?”

His student smiled, took a quick breath, and answered the question she knew had been coming. “The only thing that you can do is try to maintain a balance. Do not actively seek out these goals, but know that each of these goals can aid each other. If you can conquer those that oppose you, you will gain power over those who have heard of your deeds. If you do so in an honorable manner, or in a manner in which the greater good is benefited, many will see the valor of your deed, and come to respect, and even love, you for your power. Also, being able to obtain the love and respect of the people will lower the number of those willing to oppose you. Eventually, when you are around, places will be exceedingly peaceful, and if your enemies do decide to attack you, they will be seen as the aggressors, and many will not blame your presence for bringing the attack. On the contrary, since you were there, you were able to stop the enemy in time. There will always be those that doubt your motives, or even doubt you, but you must remember the mob rule. The mob is the rule. If the majority is with you, the rest will follow. You must strike hard when needed, and be fair when needed. Hoard your money to increase your standing, but distribute that which you don't need, to those that truly need it. In other words, always remember to strive for greatness, but never forget that those around and below you, are truly the ones that make achieving that goal possible.”

He had tested her on all of this before, but the fact that she remembered all of which he had taught her after so many years made him all the more proud of his pupil. “Very good, not quite as long of a speech as I would have gave, but you summed everything up rather nicely.”

“Do you think that he will remember the lessons that I taught him?” She asked that distant look once again dominating her features.

“Tyrdralyn, listen to me.” Seeing her eyebrow quirk at him he corrected himself. “Forgive me, old names die hard for me, would you prefer Tyrdra, or your newest name Shaylyn?”

“As far as the world is concerned Tyrdra has finally died. Shaylyn is the name I use now, and will use until the day I die.” At the end of this comment both of them visibly cringed, for when they were dragons, death was a far off concept, unless you died from violence, or now, the Dracairian tainted blood. Unfortunately the humanoid races had become increasingly hostile, and they had to change to be able to insure the survival of their blood, and that of the world.

“Shaylyn, you were given the most important time in the boy's life to insure that he would turn out as well as can be expected. From all that you have told me, Victor is an exceptional boy, and though he may forget the specifics of his childhood lessons, his identity as a person will be developed around those very lessons. I am led to believe that it is quite likely that he will have a trying time ahead of him, and we can only hope that the lessons he has learned from you will shine through in the end. It does no good to fret about it though. We are not allowed to influence events over the next dozen years if we wish to catch them off their guard. The best we can do is prepare for the time to come, and hope that he is there in the end to fight with us. Already there are new players that were not foreseen by the ancients, and there is no telling how they will affect the outcome. It is all terribly frustrating, and yet it is also quite interesting to watch how the boy influences those around him.” The old man looked at his apprentice and smiled tiredly. “I would not have believed how much he could influence people, had I not seen his effect on you.”