by Jordan Baker
"As do I," the elven woman said.
"Well I do not," Ariana said.
"It is a ritual," Keira said. "I think it would be best if we went along with it."
"Damn their rituals," Ariana muttered. "We do not have time for this."
It was obvious that Dala could hear them from where she stood and she met Ariana's smoldering look with her own implacable gaze, then she turned to Keira.
"Do you seek truth?" Dala asked again.
"I seek truth," Keira replied.
Dala looked toward Ariana again.
"Do you seek truth?"
"Yes, I seek truth," Ariana said, her anger rising fast. "But I have had enough of your lies. Now release us."
She reached inside herself, calling the heat of the fire that burned deep within her, and she felt the core of her body become hot and heat began to waver from her skin. It was difficult to draw power with the stones stealing it away so quickly but the fire was stronger, faster, greater than the magic of the stones that had kept her weak. Ariana channeled the frustration and the anger of being held a prisoner, using it to fuel the fire, and the air burst alight with flames that swirled around her, twisting around her fingertips and burning in her eyes that glared threateningly at the strange woman and her people.
A few of them shifted nervously on their feet, but Dala did not move. She simply stared at Ariana, with her sharp, penetrating yet indifferent eyes, as though she was looking right through her.
"Truth," she said. "Do you know the truth of fire?"
Ariana held her hand up to her cheek.
"I know enough," Ariana told her. "Do you?"
The flames around her grew hotter still as she drew from the power that had been given to her by the old king of Kandara, the man who had been a dragon. Dala drew her dagger, then she all but disappeared, moving so quickly from where she stood that it seemed as though she disappeared. Ariana was ready and she used her power to speed her own movements, snatching the jeweled dagger from the ground and ducking as Dala swung at her with her blade. Ariana spun and brought her dagger up to block the dagger as Dala slashed at her. The clash of the metal blades was unexpectedly loud, the sound as though the world itself might shatter, and sparks scattered around them as the two women fought. Ariana tried to focus the fire, the only power she could seem to grasp, trying to channel it into force and speed, but Dala moved too quickly, darting past her guard and attacking with such blindingly quick movements that Ariana could barely defend herself. She felt the woman's fingers grip her wrist, her hands icy cold against the heat of her flames and the jeweled dagger fell from her hands, landing upon the stone.
Almost in a single move, Dala touched her dagger against her throat, the same way she had done the last time that Ariana had defied her, and she felt her power drain from her once again. Ariana fought against it, drawing more energy from the flames that burned deep within her, but it was no use. The flames around her faded and she felt her arms and legs fall slack as her vision began to darken. Dala withdrew the blade and Ariana felt her consciousness returning but the strength she had was now gone and the fire within her guttered little more than glowing coals. She dropped to her knees, feeling the stone of the ground hard upon her bare skin as she landed and fell forward onto her hands.
"This one seeks fire," Dala said, looking down at Ariana with her hard, unyielding eyes, then she glanced at Keira and Margo, then turned back to her people. "The trials begin. One has failed."
"Ariana, are you all right?" Keira asked.
"I am fine," Ariana said through gritted teeth as the flames burst forth from her hands once more and she pushed herself up from the ground.
Flames grew around her, so much so that Keira and Margo had to step back and the pile of Ariana's clothing and her elven mask began to smolder from the heat. Dala took a step back, her expression showing a slight hint of surprise, then she moved forward again, disappearing from sight. Ariana called forth a ball of fire, a swirling inferno hovering between her hands and she looked for the woman, ready to attack her, but just as before, but Dala reappeared for barely the blink of an eye then she disappeared again.
Cold and sharp, like ice, yet somehow warm and smooth, the dagger slid into Ariana's chest, just below the point where her ribs came together. Her eyes widened and the fire around her disappeared as she clutched at Dala's hands and began to choke, unable to breathe. Keira and Margo dashed toward her, but several of the people at the front of the crowd disappeared then reappeared, moving as quickly as Dala and they held the two women back.
"What have you done?" Margo yelled.
"The truth," Dala said and she yanked the dagger free.
Ariana fell hard this time, landing on her shoulder, clutching her bleeding chest as her head smashed against the stone. She felt her vision begin to blur, and all she could do was gasp for air and fight the deep, stabbing pain that shot through her.
"You have killed her," Keira said.
"She will live, for now," Dala said, shaking her head. "A fate will be decided."
*****
Ariana gasped as she awoke and sat up, clutching at her chest. Keira and Margo sat on either side of her, illuminated by the dim firelight in the stone chamber and the faint glow of the gemstones adorning their bodies. Keira reached out a hand and laid it on Ariana's arm and she frowned when the princess flinched at her touch.
"What happened?" Ariana glanced around, looking around at the dark shadows in the corners of the room.
"You do not remember?" Keira asked.
"I remember that foul woman stabbing me," Ariana said, looking down at the center of her chest and pressing her fingers to the place where she had been wounded. There was a small scar where the blade had penetrated her, and even though she felt no pain, the feeling of the dagger inside her was so fresh in her memory that her heart pounded with both panic and anger. The stones covering her had become clear and lifeless when the knife had been removed but her anger brought the fire inside her back to life and the stones began to glow faintly once more.
"I thought you were killed," Margo said. "You bled but you did not die, and then you were healed."
"How? What happened?" Ariana asked.
"It was the woman, Dala," Keira told her. "She used some kind of magic to burn your wound away and heal you. I have never seen such a thing, and it makes no sense that she would use such a power to heal a wound. It was a killing blow, but she stopped you from dying."
"We must leave this place," Ariana said.
"We cannot," Keira said. "You saw how easily Dala was able to take your magic from you. All it takes is one touch of her dagger, and we are left helpless, and these stones continue to rob us of our strength."
"I must go," Ariana said and she felt tears begin to gather in the corners of her eyes. "There is so little time."
"I know you search for the Kandaran prince, but it has take us this long to get this far, surely our journey can wait a little while longer," Keira said. "If we are patient, a chance will arise that we can free ourselves."
"No," Ariana cried, her thoughts overwhelmed with anger, frustration and sorrow. "I must go now."
"I don't see how, princess," Margo said. "We are completely at the mercy of these people."
"You have betrayed me," Ariana said, suddenly snapping out of her tears and leveling a furious look at the two women. "I heard you both, accepting what that woman said, agreeing with her."
"We did not agree with her, Ariana," Keira said. "She asked a question and we answered it. It is a question that is asked only of the initiated. It was a question we both recognized. That was what we were trying to tell you, to go along with the questions. There seems to be some sense to all of this."
"Explain," Ariana said, her eyes drying as the fire within her began to burn once more along with a rage that she could barely control.
"We think they are Rangers, princess," Margo said.
"Rangers? Are they not sworn to protect? Why do they cause so much trou
ble?"
"You misunderstand," Keira said. "Rangers are sworn to do many things, but our three tenets are to seek, to watch and to defend."
"Yes, exactly," Ariana said. "You watch and defend me. How is that any different?"
"We watch and defend you out of our duty to you, Ariana, but it is not our oath," Keira told her. "Our task as Rangers is to guard against the coming of the flames and the return of the shadows. The question that Dala asked is the first of many questions that those of our order ask of one another, questions that only those initiated into the ranks of the Rangers would know to answer correctly."
"Are you sure of this?" Ariana asked, fighting for control over her emotions.
"No," Margo said. "We are not sure, but there are other signs. The markings on their bodies, the shapes and symbols, many of them are familiar to us."
"They are symbols of our order," Keira said. "The most common is the symbol of the leaf. It is the symbols that many who know of the Rangers or have been selected as prospective members but are not yet initiated would recognize. There are other symbols, questions that most people don't know."
Ariana remembered when Aaron had been made a captain and Nathas had asked if he could also give Aaron a ring, identifying him as a Ranger. At the time, she had thought it had something to do with his skill in the woods, for there were others who were called such, but she did not know much about this order of Rangers. Still, both Margo and Keira were members of the order, and Nathas must be one also, and Aaron as well.
"If they are Rangers, then why do they treat us so? Ariana asked.
"That is mystery," Keira said. "These people are strange in their practices. They walk naked in the blinding cold, they deny themselves power by using these stones, and yet they somehow move with power, and though they appear to hold to the old traditions of the order, they are different, as though their understanding of things has changed over time. It is possible that these people have lived here for generations, and so their understanding of such things and ours might be different. That is why I think we should wait and see, that we might learn a little more about them before we decide what to do."
"It would not hurt for us to regain our strength as well," Margo said. "I can feel my body slowly returning to the way it was, but I am still very weak. I could not fight even a child like this, and Dala is not the only warrior among these people who can move like the wind. When you fell and we tried to reach you, several of the others demonstrated that they too had that ability."
"It is very strange that they seem to dislike magic yet they use it so effortlessly," Keira said and then she looked at Ariana. "I am curious, Ariana, how is it you are able to command your fire magic even with the stones?"
"I do not know," Ariana said. "I think it might be the gift from King Eric."
"The gift?"
"The king gave me a gift of fire, just before the battle," Ariana said. "I think it is the reason I could talk to Borrican and why I know where he is."
"Eric was a dragon," Keira said. "There is an ancient wisdom among our people, that it is foolish to accept anything from a dragon, gift or no."
"What was I to do?" Ariana said. "He was the King of Kandara, Borrican's father. You saw how he fought for his people. "
"Eric was a good king," Margo said. "He was both generous and fair, and his passion for his people was second only to his passion for his wife. I believe it was her death that led to the touch of madness that plagued him near the end, but his fire burned strong for Kandara even so."
"Ariana, is it this fire that allows you to resist the power of these stones?" Keira asked, wondering about what she had just learned.
"I think so," Ariana said.
"What of your other power, your own magic, the gifts of your elven heritage?"
Ariana shook her head.
"I can barely feel that power," she said. "I know it is there, but it is as though it is far away."
"It is the same for me," Keira said. "It seems this gift from the dragon is as powerful as these stones."
"I can feel the fire, and it is growing stronger," Ariana told her, and Keira thought she saw a flicker of flames in her eyes.
"The truth of fire," Keira said, pondering. "Dala asked whether we seek the truth."
"Yes, what of it?" Ariana asked, her eyes narrowing again in suspicious curiosity. "You and Margo knew what she meant, didn't you?"
"It is an old story," Keira said. "It is a story that no one truly knows, for even the most ancient of histories only mention it in reference to other things. It is a story of light and darkness, of flame and shadow, of a war that raged across the world and nearly destroyed existence itself. It is called the truth of fire."
"If no one truly knows the story, how can it be a story?" Ariana asked.
"It may just be a story," Margo said. "I believe it is true, for it is the founding story of the Rangers. It is part of the oath we take once we are accepted and initiated into the order."
"A story about a war that nearly destroyed the world?" Ariana was skeptical. "One would think that such a tale would be in all the histories."
"It is far older than any histories, and it is a story that is always mentioned with a warning that it should not be told to those without wisdom," Keira said. "In truth, we should not even be speaking of it with you, for you have not been initiated into our order."
"I am the rightful Queen of Maramyr and a Princess of the House of Solari," Ariana said, irritated that Keira seemed to have a problem trusting her. "Should I not know of this? It is my right to know of threats to my lands and people."
"Please, Ariana, do not take offense," Margo said. "It is a matter that our members have debated many times over the generations. Some rulers can be trusted, and some cannot, for the knowledge of the old stories could lead to even greater troubles. You would not want such information to be shared with the likes of your uncle, Cerric, would you?"
"Certainly not," Ariana said, frowning. "But how would knowing such a story create greater troubles?"
"They are stories of power, fearsome power and destruction," Keira told her. "Some rulers would understand the reason these stories are not told while others might instead lust after that power, failing to heed the warning. Determining between which rulers to trust and with which to remain guarded must be carefully done."
"I see," Ariana said. "And you will not tell me more."
"We have already told you more than we should," Margo replied. "The decision to admit someone into our circle is not something for Keira or I to make of our own accord. You have not even been admitted as a prospective member yet."
"A prospective member?"
"If someone is of interest to the Rangers, who might be trustworthy, then they are given a ring and invited to become members in name," Margo said. "However, they are not truly members. They are merely prospects, and we observe them more closely over time to determine if they are worthy of becoming initiates to our way, and even then becoming an initiate is merely the first step to becoming a true member. There are many steps that must be learned."
"And both of you are true members?" Ariana asked.
Keira and Margo looked at each other.
"We have exchanged words that signify some level of knowledge," Keira said. "I do not know what level Margo has attained but she knows enough to be of a high level."
"As with Keira," Margo said. "She has spoken the words to demonstrate a level of knowledge. Beyond that, what level she holds in our order is of little import, for we do not work in terms of rank and order, but knowledge, truth and trust."
"And what does this have to do with Dala and these people who hold us captive?" Ariana asked, though she suspected she already knew the answer.
"They appear to be Rangers," Keira said.
"So you would trust them more than me?" Ariana asked, her temper flaring again.
"No, squirrel," Keira said. "We do not know much about these people, except that they have knowledge that might mean that they are
allies. But if we fight them now, while we are weak and they remain suspicious of us, then we may not live to discover the truth. It is as simple as that. It is better that we go along with what they want, for now, until we can learn more about them, and until we are strong enough to escape. There is little else we can do."
"There is little time," Ariana countered. "We must leave this place and search for Borrican."
"You keep saying that," Margo replied. "I do not question your urgency, and I would like to find the Prince of Kandara as much as you, but it seems like something is driving you forward, so much so that you are willing to put yourself in danger."
"I can feel him," Ariana said. "I can feel his pain and hear the echoes of his thoughts. Borrican is in grave danger and I must go to him. I do not know how I know these things, but it may be part of the gift his father bestowed upon me before he died."
"A gift from a dragon is fraught with peril," Keira said, as though intoning an old expression of some sort, or a line from a poem.
"You say that as though it is somehow true," Ariana replied, irritated at what the elven woman had said. "Have you ever met a dragon or are you simply repeating things you have heard?"
"They are old sayings, words of wisdom, handed down among my people," Keira told her.
"Then you do not know if they are true."
"No," Keira admitted. "I do not know."
"Then they might not be true."
"Perhaps."
"Think on that," Ariana said. "If you seek truth, as a member of this order of Rangers, then you might think about the difference between what you know and what you think you know."
"There is wisdom in that," Keira said with a nod. "I would say the same to you, Ariana. You may feel you know the truth of this dragon prince, but there is magic at work here and it is affecting you. If you are to be your own person, a trustworthy queen of your lands and to sit upon one of the elven thrones, then you must know your own mind and your thoughts must be your own. This gift of the dragon does affect you, whether you are willing to admit it or not."
"I am willing to admit it," Ariana said, and she took a deep breath and felt herself trembling as she let out a sigh, suddenly feeling weary, all the way down to her bones, and she was also very afraid. "I have been terrible. I know it is true. I have been angry and difficult and have put you both in terrible danger. I have not been myself. I know this, and yet I also know what I must do, and I do it willingly. I would try to help Borrican either way.
