Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town (16 page)

            
Emil reached a decision. His father could do this thing too, this Shadow Walk or
at least something similar. Emil knew that, while his father would teach him this, there
would be limitations. Aldrick told him that he could only travel to planets that he knew
about, and here was a man who could move between at least sixteen of them, far more
than his dad ever mentioned. Emil wanted to be able to go to all sixteen and thus he
reached his decision. “Archmage Oldrich, perhaps this is a time for additional
revelations.”

            
She smiled, “Perhaps, Emil, it is so. Would you like to share with your team?”

            
“Yes. Gang, Renata and I are not what we seem to be, humans. Actually, well, ah,
we are really gold dragons, young ones, in our teens, just like some of you. We are here
to learn magic spells, as did our dad many years ago. He brought us here to learn from
his old teacher, Archmage Oldrich.”

            
“What? Dragons?” exclaimed Karel.

            
“Well, that explains a whole lot!” blurted out Bernard. “No wonder the horses
were so skiddy around you two!”

            
“Ah ha!” Jarka whispered rather loudly.

            
Zdenka merely said, “Oh my!” She was genuinely surprised.

            
“No wonder you had such hard times with all our customs and actions,” Zoran
replied. “Your secret is safe with me, you two. Thank you for telling us. So that’s why you
two were not injured by the arrows and swords. No wonder you could lift that tree.
Incredible. You two must be very strong indeed.”

            
“Say, can we see what you really look like sometime?” Jarka asked, dying to know
just what they did look like. “And what’s with all this sneaking around on Sundays?
Where have you two been going? I’ve looked around town, but I have never seen you
here in Brn.”

            
“Er, feeding,” Renata answered, slightly embarrassed.

            
“We get really hungry by then. Normally, we need to eat once a week. I’m afraid
that we would have to eat all of your food if we didn’t take off on Sundays to hunt and
feast,” Emil explained.

            
“What do you eat?” Jarka inquired, curious. She hoped it was not on people that
they dined.

            
“Hoofers,” Renata replied, “antelope.”

            
“Okay, we got lots of them around here, just glad you didn’t say people,” Jarka
teased them, but with a serious overtone. “So it was one of you that the hunter saw flying
in the mountains a while back?”

            
“Er, no, not us. We have been very careful. No one has seen us. It was dad; he
slipped up and allowed the hunter man to see him flying back with an antelope for
mom,” Emil explained, and then realized that he had said a bit too much. Oh well, they
might as well know the rest. He went on, “Mom and dad are here too, living in the
cavern where dad often stayed when he was here years ago studying magic.”

            
“You see, our planet Voss is, as dad puts it, over-populated by we dragons. We’ve
eaten all of the hoofers of any kind there. Before we came here this spring, we were
starving to death, really we were. The Council wouldn’t listen to dad who tried to warn
them about our over-population problem years ago. Now all dragons on Voss are slowly
starving to death. That’s why dad brought us all here. He can travel kind of like your
Shadow Walking, I think. Zoran, one day, I would give anything if you would help me
develop that skill. Dad is going to teach me what he knows about it, but you know far, far
more than dad does. Please, help me when the time is right, please.”

            
“Me too,” Renata added.

            
“I’ll see what I can do, when the time is right,” Zoran promised, though he did not
know whether this was a good call or not. Certainly the time would not be right in the
foreseeable future. “Anyway, team, let’s all swear to keep their secret safe with us. After
all, think of the problems that would arise if the whole town knew that we have four
dragons living among us.”

            
Jarka nodded, that was an understatement if she’d ever heard one. The five all
agreed. Renata then suggested, “Next Sunday if you want, you can come with us and
meet our parents, that is, if you don’t mind watching us eat. We do have to eat, you
know.” Everyone was only too pleased to be asked.

            
The Archmage allowed them to chat about these amazing revelations for a brief
time. Then, she resumed control of her meeting. “Okay. Now why have I decided all this
must become known just now? The answer lies in the Circle of Ascension that all of the
Ruling Houses of the Federation have. Without these Circles of Ascension, it is doubtful
if any of their special glands could be activated. They are the root of a baron’s powers.
Without a Circle of Ascension, a baron’s line would end, as none of his children could
have their special gland activated. There would be no more Duska children, no more
heirs, no more powerful leaders, no more Shadow Walking between planets. This is why
the barons so heavily guard and protect their Circles of Ascension, they are extremely
vital.”

            
“With this in mind, I now have someone from the Sholov Province that I want
you to meet.” She cast a brief spell and Marek opened the door, showing the guest into
the room. Dressed in brown monk’s robes, the hooded man entered and bowed to
Archmage Nadia Oldrich.

            
“Mages, I would like you to meet Brother Jiri Zar of Sholov Fortress.” He
removed his hood and bowed to the assembled Mages. His hair was cut very short, his
eyes, brown, probably in his mid-twenties, Zoran guessed. His robes hid his physique,
which was that of a fighting monk. His last name, Zar — it was familiar somehow —
something to do with history, as he tried to recalled.

            
The monk’s eyes met each of the Mages in turn as he bowed to them. When his
eyes reached Zoran’s, he reacted with surprise. “Zoran? Duke Zoran?”

            
“Yes, but I am keeping my identity around here a secret, known only to those here
in this room, please say nothing of this to others,” Zoran quickly replied.

            
“My lips are sealed. Archmage Oldrich, this is even better that I had expected, a
duke is with us; perhaps there is yet hope.” She smiled and bade him continue his tale
for the Mages.

            
He stood tall and began his well-rehearsed speech. “My name is indeed Brother
Jiri Zar, a holy monk of the Ascension. I am the great-great-great-grandson of Bandar
Zar, who built the very first Circle of Ascension on the forest planet of Gladno so long
ago. Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to build these Circles of Ascension was lost
when he died, though he built sixteen of them, one on each of the sixteen planets of the
Federation. Since that time, no more have ever been built; the knowledge was lost.”

            
“My wife, Priestess Anezka, has already performed one Ceremony of Ascension
and is skilled in their use to mature the young Duska. Three years ago, Priestess Anezka
and I were called in secret to this planet and to Warlord Mikolas at his mountain
fortress. His fortress is an ancient one, dating back to the founding of the barons and the
Circles of Ascension. While renovating the old fortress, buttressing it against this day
which has now come — that is, an all-out assault by the Baron’s army — Mikolas
uncovered a secret chamber beneath the fortress. There he found numerous ancient
scrolls and books covered in dust. The author of several of these was Bandar Zar.”

            
The monk paused allowing the importance of this to register with the Mages and
with Zoran in particular. “Realizing the potential importance and value of his find, he
sent for my wife and me. Yes, these are the long lost writings of Bandar Zar. More
importantly, in them, he describes how to build a Circle of Ascension!”

            
Zoran gasped. The sheer magnitude of this find was incredible! Brother Jiri
continued, “We three, my wife, Mikolas, and I, held long discussions and Mikolas first
suggested the idea. Why not build a new Circle of Ascension right there in his fortress,
creating a new power position and a new House of Duska, one to compete with Baron
Kazimir, one to finally rid Adapazan of this tyrant? Once the Circle of Ascension was
completed, the Council of Houses would have no choice but to recognize Mikolas and
Sholov Province as a new member of the Council, effectively stopping Baron Kazimir
from his planet-wide conquest of power.”

            
“To that end and as dictated in the writings of Bandar Zar, I began construction of
the first new Circle of Ascension in centuries. It is not yet done. Oh, had I been faster in
learning how to build it. Oh, if only it was in operation now, then Sholov might have
been saved, but such was not to be. The Baron’s army is on the doorstep of Mikolas as I
speak.”

            
“Mikolas, Priestess Anezka, and I all agree that under no circumstances
whatsoever should these priceless documents and the partially built Circle of Ascension
fall into the hands of Baron Kazimir! His only Mage was killed in the opening salvo. Now
we have no way to Teleport these things from his fortress. I was forced to make the
journey here overland, costing us precious time — time that we do not have. Priestess
Anezka communicates with me daily, and I am afraid that time has run out for us. As we
speak, the Baron’s army is besieging the fortress. We have at most hours, maybe only
minutes, to rescue these things.”

            
“Mikolas will dedicate his life to buying us time to safely remove these items from
the Baron’s grasp. He now realizes that he will not live to found the newest House, but is
donating his fortune to us to help build that new House elsewhere. I have come to ask
you to immediately come to the fortress of Mikolas and help us remove these things to
safety. Please will you help?”

            
“Absolutely. Let’s get going. I can Shadow Walk us all there, but maybe it would
be better if we Teleported, less chance of being followed,” Zoran replied.

            
Archmage Oldrich said softly, “Thank you. I have offered them all safe haven here
at my tower. Please bring them and their precious materials here, which is still beyond
the Baron’s long reach. After that, we can decide what to do with them. Quickly, get your
things together and yes, use Teleports. We do not want your Shadow Walk to be traced
back here.”

            
Three minutes later, the team raced back into the meeting room, armed to the
teeth, so to speak. Brother Jiri said, “The only problem now is just where to arrive.
Already parts of the castle are being overrun. We don’t want to materialize in that
portion now controlled by the Baron. Let me contact Anezka.” A minute later, he said, I
have the arrival location in my head. How am I to relate this to you so that you can know
your destination point?” he looked befuddled. Yet another obstacle barred his mission,
which had been fraught with barriers to overcome.

            
“Allow me,” Zoran replied. He focused his mind and touched that of Jiri. “Yes,
Jiri, hold that image in your mind. I’m going to put his image into your minds, gang. It
won’t hurt.” One by one, Zoran found the minds of his friends and tied them into the
image being held on to by Jiri, who focused all his attention onto keeping that image in
his mind. “Now, cast our Teleports. I will bring Jiri with me.” He cast his spell and
within seconds of each other, the eight vanished from Archmage Oldrich’s tower. They
did not see her praying and crossing her fingers.

            
They arrived in a stone room. Smoke and foul fumes drifted in through the open
windows. A distressed young woman stood beside a man wearing chain mail armor,
well-armed. Noise of battle echoed through the room. “Oh Jiri! It is almost too late!”
Anezka exclaimed, rushing to her husband’s side. She had shoulder length blonde hair
and pale blue eyes. She looked a priestess.

            
“Zoran? Zoran Vladislov?” Mikolas exclaimed, utterly shocked to see the duke.
“You’re not dead?”

            
“Very much alive. I’ve come to rescue the Zors and your precious find. I can take
you with us as well, if you like. These must not under any circumstances fall into my
father’s hands!” He knew that he had to rapidly convince Mikolas that he was not in his
father’s employ. “I’ve been with Archmage Oldrich. She is training me. We are all Mages
here. Let us lend you a hand.”