Kasey flew to the ground looking for Tyree, not imagining that he could have survived that blast. The beach and the ocean were both red with blood. She was not known for getting queasy but the sight of the mess and the thought of it made her want to empty her stomach. Then as she looked out from the beach she saw Tyree walking in from the water, but he was dry. How could he be dry? she wondered.
Kasey was thrilled to see him alive and ran over and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s for saving me!” she said with a smile. But then she whacked him hard on the side of his head.
“And what was that for?” he demanded.
Kasey glared at him, “That’s for letting me think you were going to die! What in the world was that anyway? What did you do?”
“It’s a lot of weird science, Kasey. Let’s just say I used a weapon that tears things to pieces.” He looked around and added, “I think it worked pretty well.”
Kasey calmed herself a bit and replied, “Thanks again for saving me.
You were an answer to prayer.” Then she noticed the Kuon and asked, “What are these dog-bird-thingies?”
“They’re the Kuon. These are a special breed of Magi dogs. They’re intelligent, and thanks to Omar, one of them is yours.”
She smiled at that news and replied, “I’ll take the one that chose me by getting me out of the ocean.” It was already sitting beside her so she pet him on his head.
Tyree laughed, “That’s a good choice.”
Kasey glanced up and down the beach and raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
Kasey shook her head to say that wasn’t an acceptable answer and asked again, “No, really…what are you doing here? I mean, I appreciate your saving me. I really do. But I’m not the usual ditsy damsel in distress, and I’m a long way from the tower.” A sudden sober look came over her, and she poked at Tyree’s chest as she demanded, “Did Myles send you?”
Tyree laughed loudly and asked, “Why would Myles send me? I don’t even know Myles, and I’ve barely spoken to him or anyone else since I arrived. Kasey, I’m headed to Suchikos.”
“Bless you,” she jokingly said.
Tyree shook his head but smiled at her quip as he responded, “No, it’s a kingdom in Soterion where the humans reside. You know, the Adam from Earth. I’m searching for a way back into Musterion, and I have a strong belief that they have a portal there.”
“And you just happened to stumble on me as you were walking along?”
“Yes, but it’s quite fortunate though. I need to tell you a few things.” She pointed a finger at him. “So you were following me!”
“No,” he assured her. “This is the fastest way to Suchikos.”
“Oh, okay. So what did you need to tell me?”
“First of all, I know about the special weapon you have.”
Kasey almost stepped back when she heard that. “Did Ischus tell you?” “Once again, I don’t know him,” Tyree answered.
“So explain it then,” Kasey demanded, almost sounding angry.
“When I came into Musterion, I landed in the Great Red Dragon’s domain. You and the sword were a regular topic there. The guards talked about you all the time. There’s a prophecy from ages past that a Miyka that’s not a Miyka would someday bring a weapon of salvation to Soterion.”
Kasey was confused. But she was also curious, so she pressed for more, “Who was it that was talking about me in the Dragon’s Domain?”
“Oh, let’s see, the Great Red Dragon, Thanatos, and several Drakoni Overlords to name a few.”
Kasey laughed when she heard that. “Wow! I’m famous!”
Tyree shook his head and with a serious look replied, “More like infamous. From the looks of it with Auqua Drakoni attacking you, the Great Red Dragon already knows you made it here. So you’re in danger.”
“Let’s change that subject for now. Would you like to travel with me to Suchikos?”
He nodded as he began to grin. “Of course. Maybe I can protect you on the way there too.”
Kasey laughed it off, waving her hand in the air. “I had that octodragon right where I wanted him.”
Tyree shook his head, “Suuuure you did.”
“Okay, we’ll see who protects who,” Kasey challenged him. Tyree laughed and answered her, “Yes. We’ll see.”
~*~
Myles led Ischus and Ariana into the conference room as they waited for Erestar. He knew about the relationship between Omar and Tyree, so he was sure it would be a while before Omar would join them. Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long for Erestar. They could see him arrive out of their third story window.
The Council decided they had to meet outside because of Erestar Lurin’s size. This was the first Raphad that Myles had ever seen, and now he understood why the Musterlings were surprised that Omar and Myles could take down a Kalat. Reuben had told them that a Kalat had been known to take down three Raphad. Erestar was twenty-five feet tall and Myles barely came up to his kneecap even though he was six feet tall. The thought of three Raphad being overwhelmed by a Kalat gave Myles a fresh fear of them.
Erestar was wearing a long grey robe and had fair skin and blue eyes with flecks of silver in them. He was muscular in build and had shoulder length hair except for one braid that reached his waist. He had a special presence about him though. He was a gentle giant, but you could tell from the way he spoke with a distant look in his eyes that he had the experience of a battle-hardened soldier.
The entire Magi Council had been called and each member showed up one by one. Both Erestar and Queen Ariana watched as they walked out of the tower single file. At first they appreciated the orderly and disciplined way that they conducted themselves. But when Neafer left the tower and was approaching them, Queen Ariana jumped to her feet as she mouthed the words “Haspen.” Myles and Sebastian quickly moved between the two of them as Sebastian slowly approached Queen Ariana.
Ariana glared in rage as she firmly stated, “I wasn’t aware that the Magi allowed such trash to be amongst them. All agreements are off. If you keep company with Haspen, you’ll not keep company with Nepsah. I’ll give you one month to move your people off my land before I bring my army to clear this entire island.”
Then Seux appeared as if out of nowhere. He seemed calm and sane now. This was a drastic change from the last time the Magi had seen him. How can these Nepsah get past the ’Am Mayim undetected? Myles asked himself as he watched quietly. Seux went right to his sister and said, “I was once as she is. Do you remember? Yet I had my chance for redemption. Please, calm yourself, and we’ll find the meaning of this.”
Ariana relaxed and sat down again. Seux looked to the Magi around him and said, “You’ll have to excuse my sister. The Haspen have wreaked much havoc in Caelsis, and it bothers her that you’d keep company with a race that has such wicked tendencies.”
Seux showed no sign of recognizing any of them and took a seat. Erestar beckoned Neafer to sit with him so she climbed up Erestar’s robe all the way to his shoulder. Erestar turned his head to her and gently spoke, “Little one. Tell me, do you seek redemption from the wicked deeds that brought you to lose your wings?”
Neafer looked up and put her finger to her chin as if she was thinking. She then smiled and said, “Yeah! Yeah! That sounds great. How do I do that?”
Erestar shrugged and said, “Only you can know that.”
Queen Ariana shook her head. “I have records on every Nepsah to be stripped of its wings. I will search them to see if you’re in them. If not, then the odds are you were born a Haspen and indeed Erestar is correct, only you know.”
Neafer shook her head. “No I wasn’t born this way. I admit it. I got them taken off me for being naughty.”
Queen Ariana glared at her, and it was obvious this wasn’t a good answer. Myles sighed as he considered how to bring this diverse group together into order. He was starting to wish that Omar had come.
Neafer nodded to Queen Ariana, allowing her to speak first. Queen Ariana rose to speak but was still upset at the presence of Neafer. With an obvious disgust she explained, “A Haspen is defined by its lack of wings. There is only one who’s ever sought the path of redemption and when he reached it, his wings grew back. If a Haspen has no wings, that Haspen has not sought redemption wholeheartedly. I require that Neafer leave Caelsis in search of redemption for her crimes. She may return when she has real wings and not before. Furthermore, no Haspen will ever join the Magi before their wings have grown back.” She glared at Myles and said, “You’re a stranger in these lands, and you don’t know what disgusting and vile things the Haspen are capable of doing. You don’t realize how dangerous it is that she’s even here.”
Myles understood from hard experience that in conflicts like these, the first one to speak would lose. So he was silent and waited for either Ariana or Neafer to speak.
Then it happened. Neafer spoke next but not in her giggly silly voice, not in the voice that she always spoke normally. This time she spoke in all seriousness with a mature tone acknowledging, “My Queen, I do know how horrible my race is. Please understand that my participation in the order is my effort to live a different life than before. I can agree to the conditions you’ve laid out for me, and I can also take comfort in not seeing a Haspen ever again.” She then bowed her head to Queen Ariana in respect.
Is this a con? thought Myles. If so, she’s really good.
But it seemed to work because Queen Ariana nodded her acceptance.
Then Myles cleared his throat, recognizing they had an agreement and it was time to move on. “Now, let’s get on to the agreement we all came here to establish. We offer to you and your kingdoms that in return for the secret knowledge that you hold of Soterion, the Magi will share with you all the secret knowledge that it holds. Is that acceptable to you?”
Erestar nodded in agreement. “We will participate in your alliance.”
Then Ariana nodded also but added a requirement stating, “Because you reside within my kingdom it will be required that all Magi become residents of Caelsis and only Caelsis.”
Erestar reacted badly to that and raised an objection saying, “Am I to leave my people to join the Magi or do you expect Nepsah and Raphad to co-exist?”
Ariana giggled at the thought of that and admitted, “Now that would make for quite a mess. You might sit down one day and destroy a Nepsah. No, I propose that monarchs and leaders of races should be excluded from the sole citizenship requirement.”
Myles shook his head and interjected another issue. “Magi ambassadors should also be excluded. We plan to send out a small group of Magi to every city as ambassadors and also to study the races and regions. They’ll need to have dual citizenship.”
Ariana shrugged with a smile, “Okay, that’s fine. Now, I have another thing. I’ll exchange the resources of the throne for the protection of my kingdom.”
Myles touched the rim of his hat as he probed her suggestion. “What do you mean by that, Your Majesty? Do you want us to be your army or police?”
Ariana giggled, flew up, and patted his shoulder. “Of course I want both.”
Myles felt that this was presumptuous and shook his head vigorously declaring, “No! The Order of the Magi was formed to acquire knowledge. You’re asking that we abandon that quest.”
The queen shrugged in frustration and pronounced, “Then you may not buy supplies in all of Caelsis. You’ll get no food, no supplies, or anything. You may exist here, but you’ll be cut off from any resources.”
Myles balked at that and asked, “You’re going to cut off any trade? Why would you shoot yourself in the foot like that? This would also destroy the usefulness of residing in your kingdom. No…I call your bluff. We’ll leave the island and find another place to build the order.”
Queen Ariana turned red with anger and shot back, “That’s assuming I let you leave without a proper execution for trespassing onto my lands. Or perhaps I could make you servants in the castle.”
Her arrogance was irritating Myles, and his anger was growing by the second. Feeling that he’d had it with her, he gave Ariana a wicked smile and declared, “Very well then, if it’s war you want, it’s war that you’ll get.” Then, in a cloud of smoke, Myles suddenly disappeared.
Queen Ariana was enraged at his action, and her face turned a crimson red. She darted up to Erestar and whispered fervently with him for some time. It appeared to the other Magi in the room that Erestar was trying to calm the queen down. As the two of them talked, she grew less agitated and finally when she was sufficiently calmed, there was another puff of smoke and Myles stepped out from it.
But before Myles could say or do anything, Erestar grabbed Myles and lifted him up. It was a gentle but firm grab and Erestar’s entire hand fit around Myles’ body, not allowing him the freedom to move or even pull off one of his tricks. Erestar remained calm, but Myles felt panic throughout his entire body. When the other Magi saw that he couldn’t move or squirm out of Erestar’s hold, they took up defensive stances. Myles decided to avoid a deadly conflict since he was the most vulnerable at that moment, so he yelled, “Get back! He doesn’t intend to hurt me. Back away unless you want war with an army of Raphad too!”
Erestar stood towering over the entire group and pulled Myles up to his face where they could speak eye to eye. “I don’t like or condone violence. But I need to speak to you without you rudely leaving in the middle of our negotiation. Queen Ariana has good reason for desiring an army of Magi. She’s seen you training your Alexandros, your warrior group. So don’t feed me a lie that you’re all about acquiring knowledge.
“She’s been watching you for many months without your knowledge, and you’re training an army on her lands. If you wish to continue doing so you need to provide that army’s service and allegiance to the queen, or she can only conclude that you pose a threat. Now if you don’t agree to this with her, we won’t harm you. But we will have to cut you off to protect ourselves. I’m allied with all of the kingdoms of Soterion and I’ll make sure that your order never sets foot in those kingdoms either. Do you really want to live the rest of your life on this island with no resources and no more knowledge to gain?”
Erestar had spoken calmly and he didn’t lose his temper. Myles was impressed by his demeanor. His expectation was that normally big guys lose their tempers, but this one was different. Understanding more clearly what their concerns were and the limits they could put on the future of the Magi, Myles decided they should accept their terms. He looked down at the Council, and every member was nodding their head enthusiastically, telling him that he had their backing in the decision. So he turned back to Erestar and announced, “You’ve made your position clear, and we’ll agree to do what you’ve asked.”
Erestar smiled at Myles’ pronouncement. “I’m glad that we could see eye to eye,” he said as he bent over and put him back down.
Myles brushed himself off as he regained his composure. Then he pointed a finger up at Erestar and jokingly said, “And don’t you forget it!”
Everyone laughed loudly and the tension disappeared. Myles proved again to be the consummate entertainer. He knew how to work an audience, and this was one of his best performances.
The mood became lighter and things went better. Omar joined the proceedings shortly afterwards and at first he balked at the agreement. But when Myles explained the concerns of Queen Ariana and Erestar’s strong support of her, it was clear that this was the best outcome for the Magi and he agreed. There were other minor issue
s to resolve and they continued into the evening with their discussions. As night fell, Erestar and Seux marveled at the glow from around the tower and wanted all the more to join the Order of the Magi. After the negotiations were completed, everyone was invited to stay and share a large feast. They laughed as they sat telling stories from each other’s realms.
No one could have known that there was death waiting in the jungle.
24
Caelsis
The Magi journeyed to Caelsis for the official meeting with Queen Ariana to finalize their citizenship in her kingdom. She would then announce their presence to the rest of Caelsis. Omar had decided they would travel by Kuon. He knew they would get the Magi to Caelsis with only a day’s travel. The Kuon were becoming a valuable asset to the Magi, but Myles thought they were just a lot of fun. It reminded him of his days at the circus when he’d ridden the various animals. He was looking forward to the trip.
Myles had his bags packed and the Kuon he had bonded with was saddled and ready. The bond didn't give him anything like telepathy, but Myles felt he understood the meaning behind things the Kuon did, like the looks that it gave him. He patted the creature on the back of its neck, and it turned and gave him a “Can we leave yet?” look.
“Wait, I have to name you first. I think Ganan is a good name. Come on, Ganan, let’s take off.” Ganan didn’t really understand the words, but he understood the meaning behind them, so when Myles gave the go-ahead Ganan rocketed into the air. Startled at first, after a minute or so Myles was urging Ganan to fly faster. Omar and Sebastian were also attending this gala as dignitaries. Kleis and Ischus would follow them, but they’d be using invisibility devices because Queen Ariana had agreed to let the Magi run their own security. Darius, Peel-off, and Leon would also attend as security, but they would blend into the crowd. They left Roca in charge of the Magi on the island until they returned.
Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi Page 24
