by Sam Ferguson
“He has other skills as well,” Alferug commented.
“Do you have the scale?” Lady Dimwater asked.
Alferug reached under the back of his shirt and pulled out a gleaming, golden scale. “I have it,” he replied with a smile.
Lady Dimwater took it gently and looked into the reflection. “I thought it would have been larger.”
“It came from a young dragon.” He took the scale back and gently wiped the fingerprints off the surface. “Where is he?”
“He is inside the temple,” Marlin replied. Just then a group of four men in white robes emerged from the temple and went to Erik, picking him up gently and carrying him back inside. “Take him up and lay him next to Lepkin,” Marlin said.
“What will you need for the ceremony?” Lady Dimwater asked Alferug.
The dwarf shrugged and started in after the healers. “Actually I just need some water.”
“Water?” Dimwater echoed. “That’s all you need?”
Alferug nodded. “Essentially, yes. If someone brings me enough water to fill the inside of the scale that will be all I need.”
Dimwater looked to Marlin and scrunched her face into a frown. “Well then let’s begin.”
Jaleal waited until the others entered the temple and then he scurried in silently behind them. He took in the extravagant murals as he crossed through the first couple of chambers, but he made sure not to fall out of step with the group. Even when they ascended the seemingly endless stairs the gnome was able to keep up just a few paces behind the others. When they reached the room where Lepkin was, Marlin motioned for Dimwater and Jaleal to stay in the hall.
“Can’t I go in?” Lady Dimwater asked.
“I am sorry,” Marlin replied. “But I want to be as safe as possible.”
She sighed and fell back to sit on a bench in front of the door. Jaleal sat next to her, his feet dangling off the bench as he kicked them back and forth.
Marlin and Alferug walked into the room just as the other healers laid Erik down on a bed and slid it closer to Lepkin.
“Incredible,” Alferug said. He stepped forward and pulled a small, round end table between the two beds. He set the scale on the table and held his left hand out expectantly. One of the healers brought him a blue and white ceramic pitcher of water and the dwarf poured the liquid into the hollow of the concave scale. As the water trickled down into the scale it took on a golden hue and light bounced out in several different colors as if a rainbow was sprouting out from the scale.
Alferug placed a hand on either side of the scale and looked into the water. He spoke in an old, almost forgotten tongue, speaking to the water inside. The many colors streaming out from the scale merged into a single column of pure, white light that ascended up to the ceiling. Alferug knelt before the scale and uttered a prayer, then he rose and took the scale carefully in his hands and walked to Lepkin. With his left hand he opened Lepkin’s mouth and poured some of the liquid down into his throat. Then he turned and did the same to Erik.
The same white light shined forth from their mouths and Alferug stepped back, holding the scale up above his head between them. “As the darkness yields before the light, let the sacred scale correct that which is wrong, and restore it right.”
The light from their mouths bent, connecting their columns to the scale and the scale began to float up out of Alferug’s hands. The light flashed and changed hues from white to green, to red, and then to blue. The room itself vibrated, as if the ground beneath the temple shook, but only subtly. The scale spun slowly and the water remaining inside rose up in a column, joining with the light and creating a brilliant golden prism that bathed the entire room in its radiance.
Lepkin and Erik both convulsed then and a great, blinding orb came out from each to pass through the golden water and then into the other body. As the orbs disappeared, the light dimmed and the scale floated down to return to Alferug’s waiting hands.
Everyone was still, almost afraid to breath. Even Alferug stood motionless, staring at the bodies before him. All at once Erik’s body began to move and the boy sat upright and looked down at his hands. A large smile flashed across his face and he turned to face Marlin and Alferug.
“I am me again!” he shouted. He went to kick his legs over the side of the bed but stopped suddenly and cried out in pain. The healers rushed forward to catch him before he fell out of the bed.
“Be careful,” Marlin said. “Remember, your leg was broken during the battle with Erthor. We have done much to mend your body, but there is still some healing left to be done.”
“Can I walk?” Erik asked.
Marlin nodded. “Your bone is set, and the fracture has been set back together, but your bone will be tender for some time yet. Your deeper tissue will also be in pain, but we have done our best to speed the recovery.”
Erik nodded and leaned back on his elbows. Then he looked over to Lepkin. “Why doesn’t he wake?” he asked.
Marlin sighed. “I don’t know,” he replied. “We will continue to work with him, but for now at least we have set things back as they should be.”
Alferug stepped forward and stuck out a stout hand. “It is nice to finally meet the Champion of Truth,” he said with a smile.
Erik returned the gesture and shook his hand.
“Come, we will let them rest and then we can come back tomorrow,” Marlin said as he put a hand to Alferug’s shoulder.
“I don’t want to wait,” Erik said. “I want to resume my training.”
Alferug smirked. “I have something for you,” he said as he reached into his satchel and retrieved an old, leather bound book. The edges were well worn and it smelled of old paper and dust. “I believe Al had you read portions of this book. You should read the last chapter.”
“Do you think it wise for him to read that now?” Marlin asked. “He has not progressed that far in his training.”
Alferug winked to Erik and then turned to Marlin. “From what I have seen, the boy is ready.”
The two of them then walked out, leaving Erik to flip through the pages to the back of the book.
No sooner did Marlin close the door behind him than Lady Dimwater jumped up and grabbed his arm.
“Did it work?” she asked.
Marlin nodded. “It did,” he replied evenly.
“Is he awake, can I go to him?” she asked.
“He didn’t wake yet,” Marlin said. “Our healers will continue to work with him until he does.”
Lady Dimwater let her hands fall limply to her sides and her shoulders slumped over. Jaleal moved to her side and looked up to Alferug.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
“No,” Marlin answered for the dwarf. “We will handle it. It just takes time.”
“We don’t likely have much of that,” Alferug butted in. “Based on what happened at Lokton Manor I would say the enemy will be upon us very soon.”
The door opened and they all turned to see Erik, his weight shifted to his good leg and his hand on the door for additional support.
“You should be resting,” Marlin said.
Erik nodded and looked to Lady Dimwater. “I wanted to tell you something, and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.”
“What is it?” Lady Dimwater asked.
“Master Orres relinquished his claim to your hand,” Erik said with a half-smile.
Lady Dimwater arched a brow and looked at him curiously.
“Braun was there, he can vouch for it,” Erik put in quickly.
“I would rather hear it from Orres himself,” Lady Dimwater said.
Erik looked to the floor. “He didn’t make it,” he said quietly.
A long, uncomfortable silence ensued. Each of them looked away from each other, off in their own thoughts until at last Alferug broke the silence.
“The good news is that Senator Bracken is dead, along with the army he brought to sack Lokton Manor.”
Marlin let out a sigh of relief. “That
is good.”
The dwarf frowned. “The bad news is that we lost many good men in the battle.”
They all looked to Erik and the boy nodded, acknowledging that the duty fell to him to account for the slain. “Braun and my mother were able to escape,” he said. “They, and a few of House Lokton along with them. The rest of House Lokton perished in the battle, along with Master Peren, Master Wendal, Master Orres, and several others from the Academy.”
Lady Dimwater nodded slowly and walked away. Marlin stepped forward and put a hand on Erik’s shoulder.
“You should go back in and rest.”
“I will come for you in the morning,” Alferug promised.
Erik nodded and they all parted ways.
*****
“Marlin, your countenance is heavy,” the dragon said in his deep, throaty voice.
Marlin bowed reverently before the great, golden dragon. “Erik has returned.”
“I know,” the dragon said. “I could feel his presence when he arrived.” The dragon reared his head back slightly and blinked lazily as he stared down at Marlin. “That is why I summoned you.” Marlin nodded.
“I am at your service,” Marlin said. “What would you have me do?”
A deep, low rumbling sigh emitted from the beast along with a plume of smoke. “Your predecessor asked me that same question, when Erik first arrived,” he said. “I will tell you what I told him then.” The dragon pushed himself up on his forelegs, the horns on his head nearly scraping the highest reaches of the vaulted ceiling. “You must quicken his training, and have him take the test as soon as possible.”
Marlin looked up, with a frowning face. “You would have me force him to take the test?” The prelate thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I cannot do that, I promised him I would not.”
The dragon bent his neck low and brought his snout directly in front of Marlin. “I did not say that,” he corrected. “I said only to hasten it. Your predecessor was over zealous in his willingness to please me when I asked the same of him.” The dragon pulled back a few feet. “I am sure that you will find Erik more than willing to expedite the process as well.”
“That may be true, but he isn’t ready for the test yet. He hasn’t had nearly enough time to prepare.”
The dragon tapped his thick claw on the stone floor. “I think you will find he has made great leaps in his abilities, even without the proper tutelage.” The beast looked upward, as if he could see through the ceiling up to where Erik lay. “There is a change in his power, in his spirit. I can feel it. Surely you have noticed a shift in his aura as well?”
The prelate nodded reluctantly. “I saw it,” he said. “I will do what I can, but I will need some time to ensure he is ready for the test. You know as well as I that the test itself could rend him asunder if he isn’t properly prepared.”
The dragon bent back low and let his hot breath wash over the prelate. “If Erik is not ready within two weeks, it will no longer matter whether he is the boy of prophecy or not. The enemy grows strong, and is preparing to strike.”
The words shook Marlin to his very core. The hairs on his neck stood on end and shivers ran along his spine. “What aren’t you telling me?” Marlin asked nervously.
“There is one in the temple that seeks to undo all that Erik has accomplished.”
“Who?” Marlin asked. “I have the gift of sight, and I see no malice in the auras in the temple.”
The dragon shook his head. “Someone has deceived you,” he said. “I can feel their force in the temple.”
“Can’t you give me more than that?” Marlin pressed.
The dragon slowly laid back on the stone floor. “I grow weary,” he said. “You will have to find the deceiver on your own. Should I emerge to reveal myself now, all would be lost.”
“There was a gnome who came recently, with the dwarves,” Marlin said.
“Hmmmm.” The dragon drew in a deep, slow breath. “Gnomes have a reputation for being tricksters,” he said. “Or perhaps it is one of the dwarves,” he added. “Their folk have turned away from the ways of the Ancients.”
Marlin started away and then stopped suddenly. “If I cannot see the treachery in the deceiver’s aura, how do I know who it is?” he asked.
A long sigh was the only response he received. The dragon was back in its sleep.
Marlin left the chamber, less sure of himself now more than he had ever before been.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I see you are eating well,” Alferug said as he walked into the library. A plate sat before Erik with only a few egg shells and strawberry stems left of the food that had once been on it.
Erik looked up from the book. “Is this true?” he asked.
Alferug smiled warmly and sat in a chair opposite him. “It is,” he answered.
“You are telling me that this is how I was able to change into a dragon?” he asked.
“In a way, yes,” Alferug said. He reached across and turned the book around to face him. “You see here in this paragraph it talks about the sacred runes that enable the Champion of Truth to shift into his alternate form?”
“Yes,” Erik said.
“The runes it speaks of are the runes upon the sacred banner that I carried with me to battle. When you saw it, you recognized the symbols didn’t you?”
Erik sat back in his chair. “I felt they were familiar, but I wouldn’t say I recognized them.”
“Your spirit recognized them, and that enabled you to use them.”
“I thought I was accessing Lepkin’s power,” Erik said.
“You were,” Alferug said. The dwarf laughed to himself when Erik looked up quizzically. He patted the air with one of his hands. “Let me explain,” he said. “The Champion of Truth is imbued with the same power that the Keeper of Secrets has, but yours comes from birth.” Alferug picked up the book and closed it gently. “However, because the spell would tear your adolescent body apart, your gift is sealed until you reach maturity.”
“So, I was able to unlock Lepkin’s power because I was in an adult body?”
Alferug nodded. “Essentially,” he said. “You also needed a bit of help. The first time, from what Al told me, you were motivated by your desire to save your father and root out the corruption in the senate.” He paused. “That is why Al gave me the banner. He figured that seeing the symbols in a time of great need might help you shift again and tip the balance of the battle in our favor.”
Erik folded his arms and smiled for a moment as he thought of his friend. “He always has clever ideas,” Erik said.
“That he does,” Alferug agreed. “However, you should know that your power is growing. He told me that in the valley north of Buktah, near a brook, you were able to summon a great amount of power and use it to blind a Blacktongue.”
Erik recalled the moment Alferug was talking about. “She was about to kill me,” Erik said simply.
“No,” Alferug corrected. “There was more to it than that. The Champion of Truth is motivated by pure desires, and abhors chaos and debauchery. You saw something in that Blacktongue’s soul that angered you all the way down to your very core. True though it may be you were reacting at first to save your own life that was not what called forth the power. You reacted on a visceral level, determined to expel the evil you were confronted with.”
Erik looked at him with a knit brow. “Aren’t all Blacktongues evil?” Erik countered. “Why didn’t I react like that before?”
Alferug shook his head. “There are beings who allow themselves to give in to evil impulses, and then there are those who are driven by their evil desires. Think, how did you feel at that time?”
Erik thought again and remembered how he had felt. “I summoned my power, hoping I could use it somehow,” Erik said. “I looked into her eyes and I could feel her intentions. She had no compassion, no sympathy, nothing good. Her soul was as hollow and dead as her black eyes.” Erik closed his mouth and his chest began to burn again, as if sh
e were before him even now.
“Your anger then became a hot fire. It seemed to want to consume her cold, barren soul,” Alferug said.
“She pressed the dagger into my cheek and wanted me to tell her where the book was. When I said ‘no’ a great light erupted from my mouth, blinding the Blacktongue and throwing her to back as she covered her eyes.”
“And then that is the first time you were able to light Lepkin’s sword with white flames,” Alferug finished.
Erik sat and pondered for a moment and then he shook his head. “No, it isn’t,” he said.
Alferug looked at him with puzzled eyes. “It isn’t?” he repeated.
Erik shook his head again. “No, the first time the white flames came was when I battled with Erthor.”
“Al didn’t tell me about that,” he said.
“Al didn’t know,” Erik replied. “He was at my home resting from battle when I fought with Erthor.”
“Still,” a third voice said from the doorway. The two of them turned to see Marlin approaching. “The concept is the same. The first time you used the white flame was in response to the darkest evil.”
Erik nodded his head. “I knew that if I didn’t stop Erthor, then he would get the book, and everything I loved would be taken away.”
Alferug leaned forward. “The white flame is a sign of the Champion of Truth,” he said.
“Where is that written?” Marlin asked.
Alferug offered him his book. “It is in the final part of the last chapter.”
Marlin shook his head. “I can’t read that,” he said. “I can only read books inscribed with…”
The dwarf opened the book and Marlin fell silent. “This is the original manuscript, written personally by Al’s grandfather, and I believe you will find it has enough magic in its words that you can read it,” Alferug said confidently.
Marlin eagerly snatched the book and flipped to the last page. “The last time I read this book was many ages ago, before I lost my natural sight,” he said. “But I don’t recall this part being in the version I read.”
