by Sam Ferguson
“That makes little difference now,” Lady Lokton said. “As I said, there is nothing you or I can do to salvage anything. My husband will hang for crimes he didn’t commit, all because your son murdered the magistrate!”
Lady Cedreau bristled and turned her upper lip into a snarl. “Eldrik did no such thing! If anyone is to blame, it would be Mr. Stilwell, who came and murdered my youngest son, who had nothing to do with any of this madness!”
“Right,” Lady Lokton started. “I forgot that Lord Cedreau was completely innocent.”
“My husband was betrayed and murdered while in parlay with yours!” Lady Cedreau countered. Her rage welled up in her bosom, lighting a fire in her that had not existed since the time she lived with Hairen and the other witches.
“My husband was not to blame for your husband’s death. Trenton is a man of honor, he would never order such an underhanded attack.” The two women glared at each other for a moment before Lady Lokton waved her hand to the left. “My home has been under attack several times by liars, thieves, and assassins,” she said. “Did you know that Blacktongues came here to kill my little boy?” she asked.
Lady Cedreau shook her head.
“Many of my friends were injured that night, and some were killed. Then, your husband starts a war with our house and brings death to many, many more. Now you come here and beg for peace.” Lady Lokton’s face grew red and the tears in her eyes were visible. “You don’t want peace for the sake of peace, you are asking for mercy now that you realize you have lost. I cannot stomach to look upon you.”
Lady Cedreau fought the urge to lash out with her magic. She could cut down Lady Lokton with a blast of fire, or smother her in an earthen grave with a simple incantation. Only the promise she made upon Eldrik’s birth pulled her back to her senses. She focused her energy on her son. He was the only thing that mattered now. She could withstand the insults, if it meant that Eldrik could be saved.
“I have come to warn you that I fear Eldrik has taken it upon himself to avenge his father and brother,” Lady Cedreau said coolly. “I wished to tell you that his rage has blinded him, and that I have already sent my scouts out to find him. I thought you may wish to inform your guards, and also send out patrols of your own. However, I ask that if you find him, please return him to me unharmed.”
Lady Lokton narrowed her eyes on her. “And I am to trust that you will talk sense into him?” Lady Lokton sighed. “I thank you for your concern, but House Lokton will see to itself. If I were you, I would pray that he returns home soon.”
“You would order your men to kill a boy?” Lady Cedreau asked.
Lady Lokton froze in place. “No, I would not have them kill a boy, but I would have him hog-tied and delivered to the senate for trial.” She then turned her back and walked away. “Good day, Lady Cedreau, may your return home be swift and peaceful.”
Lady Cedreau stood there, staring at Lady Lokton’s back. Should she confess the truth? Should she tell Lady Lokton that Tukai’s prophecy was about Eldrik? Perhaps it would buy some forbearance and mercy from her if they did find Eldrik on Lokton lands. Then again, would Lady Lokton believe her? Lady Cedreau sighed. She barely believed the witches herself, and she had lived with the coven enough to understand what they were capable of. How, then, could she expect Lady Lokton to believe her. Even if by some miracle the woman would believe her, would her reaction be favorable, or was she still too distraught to have the presence of mind needed in the face of such news?
Lady Cedreau opened her mouth to speak, but only then did she realize that Lady Lokton had disappeared inside her house and the two guards had returned to the front entrance. They were staring at her coldly. She frowned and returned to her carriage, sitting down across from an obviously upset Derg.
“I told you this was a waste of time,” he said.
“I had to try,” Lady Cedreau said. “Too much blood is on my hands already.” Derg looked at her curiously, but she offered no further explanation. “Let’s return home,” she said. “We need to find Eldrik.”
“I would wager ten gold that Eldrik is making his way to Drakai Glazei,” Derg announced. “We won’t find him coming here.”
“Why do you say that?” Lady Cedreau asked. “He could just as easily come here for revenge.”
“If my family were killed, I would go to the murderer’s trial to ensure justice was served.”
“The senate will decide his fate,” Lady Cedreau countered.
Derg shrugged. “Still, I would go to make sure that his fate was decided appropriately.”
She sighed and a worry formed a gnawing hole in the pit of her stomach. She hated to admit it, but Derg was right, and Eldrik had enough of a head start that none of her scouts would catch him in time. She knew there was no chance of foiling Tukai’s prophecy.
*****
“No absinthe today?” Marlin chided when he walked in the door.
Dimwater looked up from the dusty tome she was examining and glanced to her mug half full of what was now lukewarm peppermint tea. “Not today,” she replied flatly. “Have you had any luck?”
Marlin shook his head. “I have been going through many of the books of prophecy, but I haven’t found any additional clues. I am not sure what this false champion prophecy is about.”
“I haven’t made any great discoveries either,” Dimwater admitted with a sigh.
“I brought some flat bread and yogurt.” Marlin set the bronze plate of bread down between two matching bowls of pink yogurt peppered with spearmint leaves. “I like to dip the bread into the yogurt.”
Dimwater shook her head. “I am not really hungry.” She pushed the book away and rubbed her weary eyes. “I wish Al were here, he might be able to point us in the right direction.”
Marlin nodded. “For records kept among men and dwarves that may be true, but I doubt any of them would have any references to what we seek.”
Dimwater pulled the paper closer to her where she had scrawled some of her notes. “On the wings of death the champion will ride, laying waste to the seats of white. His anger ushers in the dark tide, and washes the world in the color of night,” she read the words aloud.
Marlin sat across from her and tore a piece of flatbread. “Believe not your eyes, for a champion in false skin shall rise,” he added as he dipped the bread in yogurt. He placed the bite in his mouth and leaned back.
Dimwater watched Marlin carefully, trying to assess his thoughts before she continued reading. “One touched of the dragon’s might, but not born of it, shall save the world from darkest night, and rule from the Stone Pulpit.” She shook her head. “Everything I have ever read would point to Drakai Glazei being the Stone Pulpit mentioned by the prophecy. But, I am not sure what to make of the rest of it.”
Marlin swallowed and sighed heavily. “As I said before, I believe the first is a warning that there is a false champion, the second warns what the false champion will do, and the third tells us who can stop the false champion.”
“Do you really think that Lepkin will have to fight Erik?” Dimwater whispered. “If that was the case, then why would he be so sure that he chose the right apprentice?”
“I don’t know,” Marlin said with a shrug. “The Keeper of Secrets has many gifts, but he has not the gift of True Sight. As far as I know, he can’t even sense or discern auras.”
“But you can, did you detect anything inside Erik that would show him as a false champion?”
Marlin shook his head and took another bite of the flatbread. “No, I never sensed any such thing. He has only ever proven to be of incredibly high character.”
Dimwater nodded. “That is all I have seen as well, and surely Al would agree if he were here. Erik, despite his stubbornness, is ultimately a selfless person. I can’t believe that he would turn the other way.”
“The prophecies do not lie,” Marlin countered.
“Perhaps we put too much trust in prophecies, and too little in ourselves,” Dimwater said.
/> Marlin frowned and dipped another morsel of bread into his yogurt bowl.
“None of the other books I have come across mention this event. There are others that deal with the Stone Pulpit, and I would agree that they all speak of Drakai Glazei.”
A knock came at the door. Marlin stopped and waited for the door to open. A young healer entered. “We have switched shifts with Master Lepkin. We have seen some marginal improvement in his aura, but nothing significant as of yet.”
“Thank you,” Marlin responded. The young priest nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door.
Dimwater slammed her palm down on the table. “Of course!” she exclaimed. Marlin regarded her curiously. She shook her head and pointed to a bookshelf nearby. A small brown book flew from the shelf and landed in front of her. “Look here,” she said. “It was so simple, it was right there in front of me the whole time!”
“What is it?” Marlin asked.
“The seats of white,” she repeated. “They aren’t actually white seats. What color are the senators’ robes?”
“They are white,” Marlin said.
“Exactly,” Dimwater replied. “So not white seats, but seats of white, as mentioned in this history book about the formation of the senate. Listen to this.” She pointed down to a paragraph and read aloud from the excerpt. “From that moment on, the power was entrusted to thirty-six families to ensure that only the best men occupied the seats of white…” she pushed the book away and looked up to Marlin. “The prophecy foretells that the senate is going to be destroyed.”
Marlin slowly leaned forward and pushed his bowl of yogurt away. “On the wings of death the champion will ride, laying waste to the seats of white.” Marlin tapped the table with his knuckles. “Of course,” he said after a moment. “What is the one thing Erik has always tried to protect?”
“His family,” Dimwater answered. “And who is on trial before the senate?”
Marlin nodded grimly. “His father.”
“What do we do?” Dimwater asked. “Lepkin isn’t awake, so he can’t stop this from happening. Shall I teleport there and confront him?”
“No,” Marlin said firmly. “To confront him would be to expose him, and it would damage Lepkin’s reputation and credibility.”
“As it would if Erik, in Lepkin’s body, destroys the senate,” Dimwater countered.
Marlin stopped tapping his knuckles. “What if the prophecy is not a warning?”
Dimwater folded her arms. “What else could it be?”
Marlin patted the air with a hand and cleared his throat. “You just made me think of something. Erik is inside Lepkin’s body, so he is by all physical accounts a false Lepkin. Maybe the prophecies were there to help us understand that this was the way the events were meant to unfold.”
“You mean Erik was supposed to be inside Lepkin’s body while Lepkin lies unconscious inside Erik’s body? What purpose would that serve?”
“I’m not sure,” Marlin said. “But it makes sense that it could be a possibility. Believe not your eyes for a champion in false skin shall rise.” Marlin nodded. “It doesn’t actually say false champion will rise. It says a champion in false skin.
Dimwater took a drink of her lukewarm peppermint tea and quickly set the cup back down, turning her nose up. She choked the liquid down. “Peppermint tea turns quite bitter after it has cooled,” she said. She shook her head as if it would throw the taste from her mouth and then looked up to Marlin. “Sorry,” she offered. “Do you think the prophecies could be that simple?”
Marlin shrugged. “That has to be it. That is the only thing that makes sense. We both have discussed Erik’s integrity at length. This is the only logical explanation.”
“What of the other part, about the champion riding on the wings of death and destroying the senate, how could that be part of the right plan?” Dimwater asked.
“On the wings of death,” Marlin repeated with quickened breath. His eyes went wide suddenly. “Oh my,” he said. “I think I know what it all means. Come with me, there is something I must show you!” He jumped up from the table, tipping his chair up onto its back legs so that it almost fell over behind him as he turned quickly for the door. “Come quickly!” he urged.
Lady Dimwater rose and clambered around the table in an effort to keep up. She followed him, sprinting through the hallways until the pair stopped in front of an iron crossed door at the end of the hall. Marlin produced a long, slender claw from his pocket and slid it into the opening under the knob. Golden beams of light slithered out from the brass key plate, reaching and stretching across the iron bands over the door. The metal glowed and vibrated against the wood. Marlin turned the knob and the door gently fell open.
He removed the claw, stepped through the doorway and beckoned for Dimwater to follow him. She pushed the door closed behind them. Dimwater put her right hand out on the wall to keep her balance as she descended the tightly winding steps. She marveled at the gold inlay between the bricks as it shimmered under the light from the sconces on the wall.
At the bottom of the stairs the brick opened up into a green marble tunnel. Torches hung silently halfway down the smooth, hard walls. As they passed through the tunnel a golden glow appeared at the end growing brighter and brighter. Marlin paused, turning and pushing her back against the green marble wall.
“What is this?” she asked.
“You must stay here, and swear that you will never repeat what I am about to tell you,” Marlin said.
Dimwater drew her brow together and nodded slowly. “You can trust me,” she said. Marlin studied her for a few moments. She knew he was carefully studying her aura, looking for any sign that might tell him not to trust her. Understanding the gravity of the situation, she remained still and let him search for his own verification.
After several minutes he nodded and pointed to his left. “At the end of this hall is a secret, sacred chamber. It is the heart of our temple, and the only real purpose for our existence. It is only shown to people who are about to take the Test of Arophim.”
“I’m not taking the test,” Dimwater said.
Marlin held up a hand to silence her and shook his head. “Of course not,” he said. “I have brought you here to show you something so you can help me understand the prophecies.” He paused for a moment. “I could have told you upstairs, but I want to make sure you believe me, and I didn’t want to risk being overheard by any of the newer priests who don’t already know.”
“What is it?” Dimwater said. Her heart started to beat harder and faster. She looked to her right. Torches brilliantly illuminated a large antechamber made entirely of gold with glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling. Her mouth dropped open when she noticed the figurine at the end of the golden room.
A small golden dragon head protruded from the left wall with eyes of jade.
“Not all of the dragons left after the great war,” Marlin said. “One was instructed to remain behind, inside a special sanctuary that the other dragons built for his protection. Inside the chamber he slumbers and conserves his strength so the power of Nagar’ Blight cannot overpower him until the Champion is found and given the ability to destroy the dark magic so the dragons may return.”
“For what purpose?” Dimwater asked.
“To give the Test of Arophim,” Marlin replied. “That is why the test is so dangerous, and also why it holds such great rewards for those found worthy. The gift of True Sight has always been granted to humans from dragons. We say that we can pass it along to new members, but the truth is that no human can pass it to another. The gift is only given from dragon to man.”
“He stayed behind to find the Champion of Truth,” Dimwater gasped.
“Exactly,” Marlin said.
“But why would you tell me?”
“Because of the last part of the prophecies we found.” Marlin smiled. “One touched of the dragon’s might, but not born of it, shall save the world from darkest night, and rule from the Stone Pulpit
.”
“All of the prophecies are about Erik,” she said breathlessly.
Marlin nodded. “If he is the real champion, then once he passes the Exalted Test of Arophim, he will also be known as touched of the dragon because he will receive a dragon’s sight, a gift directly from the dragon.”
Dimwater shook her head. “By that logic, the prophecy could also be describing Lepkin, as he has an ability given to him from dragons.”
Marlin nodded. “I thought of that as well, but what is Lepkin called?”
“Dragonborn,” Dimwater replied.
“So he is born of the dragon,” Marlin surmised.
Dimwater folded her arms and looked back to the golden dragon’s head at the end of the hall. “That seems a bit too easy,” she said. “I want to believe Erik is good as much, if not more than anyone else. But I can’t see him ruling the kingdom. Besides, there is still the matter of the senate. I can’t see how laying waste to the ruling structure would benefit our cause. With the kingdom as weak as it is, it would fall into chaos if the senate were destroyed. Nobles would go to war, fighting for control of Drakai Glazei.”
Marlin nodded. “Perhaps I have been too hasty, but I feel like this is right. My soul is screaming to me that Erik is the one we have been waiting for.”
“Well, couldn’t you just go in there and ask?” Dimwater inquired.
Marlin raised his eyebrows and leaned back. He started to stammer a bit, fumbling for an answer before finally admitting the truth. “I already asked him about Erik.”
Dimwater smiled and nodded. “What did he say?”
“Well, he told me to trust my instincts and that ultimately the Exalted Test of Arophim would decide whether Erik was the Champion of Truth.”
“So what do we do?” Dimwater asked. “Do I go north and try to see what happens with the senate?”
“If Erik destroys the senate, then we can deal with it afterward,” Marlin said. “I still believe in him, and I believe it best not to expose that he is not really Lepkin.”
