“Now to open the cabinet and box, you say, ‘In the name of Brother Jiri Zar, Open,’ and ‘In the name of Priestess Anezka Zar, Open’ to have them open up. Once you close their lids, they automatically reseal. Pretty cool bit of magic that we’ve whipped up, don’t you think?” Zdenka asked, proud of their work. The other Archmages had quietly come up behind them to see Zoran’s reactions.
“Incredible! Fantastic! Terrific job! All of you,” he turned to face his friends. “This is perfect and a really good hiding place for these valuable things! Thanks to all of you!” Everyone was pleased; their faces showed it.
Jarka added, “When you step out and close the door, the whole room vanishes, leaving no trace at all that it is here. Pretty neat, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely neat, Jarka,” Zoran replied, testing it out and watching the room simply vanish after he shut the door. “Oh, Aldrick is looking for you, something about the dragons.”
The group headed up the steps and out the main doors. Here, Janos and Aldrick were conferring. “Ah, there you are, Zoran. I’d like you to meet the rest of your dragons,” Aldrick explained. “They are waiting for you in the Security barracks next door.”
“Thanks, let’s go meet them,” Zoran replied, eager to see more golden dragons. In many ways, he was depending upon them for their ultimate security from overland assaults. Janos and Aldrick led him into the converted home next door to the tower. Sitting around a table were six adults and three young teens. Their skin tones matched that of Aldrick, he noted.
Aldrick introduced him, “This is the new Baron and Archmage Zoran Vladislov. Archmage, this is the Osterhagen family: Roth and Jutte, and their daughter, Raffaela. This is the Weiss family: Nagel and Madde, and their daughter, Ursel. This is the Muller family: Kuefer and Sascha, and their son, Lang.” Zoran shook hands with each, very pleased to see them all. Now he would have thirteen dragons around the province. Enemy barons would think twice about bringing an army to take Brn by force.
Zoran then explained in detail what he was doing and what their tasks would be, though Aldrick had already told them nearly all of it. “We would like a few of you to spend the night in a room next to our Circle room, in case of any nocturnal invasions. You can rotate who is sleeping there every night, if you like. I can’t imagine that you would prefer to sleep in human form all that much. Now, I suppose we ought to discuss your payment?”
Roth cleared his throat. “Well, yes, Aldrick said that you would pay us in gems, which is precisely what we desire. However, we understand that you are just getting established here and probably are low on funds. We would like to suggest an alternative to a lot of gems. Our son and daughters are going to be the right age for learning magical spells. Aldrick has explained that you have six Archmages here at this tower. If you would consider training our three youngsters when they are old enough, we would lower our gemstone requirements significantly, to say five hundred per month per dragon.”
“Now that would suit us ideally! You have yourselves a deal. How soon will they be ready to learn magical spells?” Zoran replied, unable to conceal his elation over the vastly lower expense of having the dragons in his employ.
“Not for another year or two,” Roth answered. “Another detail, we need a large cavern, of course. Three of them. We’ve been scouting the mountains north of your tower, and there are a number of promising locations where we could make our real homes. Is this acceptable?”
“Of course. And you can have the mining rights to any gems that you may find there. Those peaks are nearly inaccessible to humans, so I think that makes it a perfect location for you.”
Roth seemed very pleased. Raffaella asked curiously, “Are Emil and Renata really Archmages too?”
Zoran smiled, “You bet they are. We seven studied really hard, six long days a week, and they made it. Each knows some of the topmost power spells. While I cannot guarantee you that your three will be able to learn such spells, we all will do our very best to help them make their attempts. All I ask is that you don’t eat all of the antelope in one location; rather spread your hunting around the whole area, please. We like to dine on them as well, though not nearly as much as you folks do.”
“Really, this is hoofer heaven,” Lang pointed out. Zoran grinned.
One by one, Zoran shook their hands, sealing their bargain. He and Janos returned to the tower, while the dragons left the house to go exploring the mountains and begin excavations of their new caverns. “I’ve got the sixty men ready for your review, Zoran. Honestly, fifty gold a month is quite a lot for their services.”
“I know, but I want them well paid, Janos. I’ll give them more when I can afford it.” Janos shook his head. This young duke was paying these men at least five times what they could get as fighters elsewhere.
“You will certainly have their loyalty, Duke Zoran,” Janos chuckled. The two men reviewed the well-armed men who stood in several ranks for inspection. All wore chain mail armor and carried a variety of weapons. After reviewing them, Zoran gave them a few words of appreciation. Then he was needed inside for the mayor had arrived.
When Zoran entered the room, Archmage Nadia was sitting in the dining room with her son, Mayor Bogdan Oldrich. Bogdan was in his late forties, well-dressed and well-mannered, as befitting the town’s leader. As Zoran entered, he rose and shook his hand, “Congratulations on becoming an Archmage, Zoran. I understand that this is a terribly difficult thing that you have accomplished. Me, I never did like magic, much to mother’s eternal dismay,” he said jovially.
“Thanks mayor. I’m afraid that I am about to shake things up around here, for the better I hope.”
“Yes, mom said that it was urgent that we meet. What’s up?”
“First, I should tell you my sir name and then go from there. I am Duke Zoran Vladislov.”
“What? The Baron’s son?” exclaimed Bogdan very much taken by surprise and startled.
“Yes, his youngest. Please, I am not the Baron Kazimir. I hate his guts as much or more than everyone else does. An assassin tried three times to kill me back in Dorum, so I ran away from home and came here to study magic from your mother. You’ve heard how Sholov Province fell?” He nodded and Zoran continued. “It seems that warlord Mikolas came upon a monumental find when he was renovating his fortress there. He discovered the long lost writings of the man who created the Circles of Ascension, from which the Duskas gain their power. There has not been a new House in centuries. Mikolas was attempting to build a new Circle and House at his fortress when the Baron invaded.”
“Thanks to your mother’s timely intervention, we arrived there just in time to rescue the partially built Circle and the priceless documents. Mikolas was trying to build a new House to combat Baron Kazimir and put an end to the Baron’s conquest of the Wild Lands. He gave his life that we could have the chance. I promised Mikolas that I would carry on his work. It’s done; in the basement of your mother’s tower is the first new Circle in hundreds of years. Tomorrow morning we plan to activate it and bring a new House and baron into the Federation. I’ve volunteered to be the baron, and I am dedicated to bringing down Baron Kazimir’s iron fisted domination of Adapazan.”
“But all of the Circles lie deep within heavily fortified castles, if I understand this,” Mayor Bogdan interrupted. “We’ve not even a fortification anywhere in the Brn Province, mere stone walls around Brn. Will not the Barron just come and take over your new Circle and bring doom down upon us?”
“No he won’t dare. You’ve heard the rumors circulating about town that there is a dragon around here somewhere?”
“Well, yes, but those are just rumors, you know,” Bogdan replied. “There are no dragons.”
“Unfortunately, dragons are very real indeed. For the last year or so, there have been four gold dragons in Brn Province. Your mother has trained two who are now Archmages themselves. Those two were the dragons that attacked the Baron’s army in Sholov Province. I’ve hired more to help protect Brn Provi
nce. Thirteen in all, Mayor. I’d like to see any army try to advance upon our province now! The twins knocked off over a thousand of the Baron’s troops in just a half hour. Think how much damage six times that number could do! I am doing my very best, Mayor, to ensure that Brn Province remains a free land.”
“Oh my! Thirteen dragons in our town? Oh my! Will they harm us by accident?” Bogdan looked worried.
“No, they do not eat humans; we taste really bad, so they say. Their preferred food is an antelope a week, and there are plenty of those in our forests. I will have some walking among us, staying at your mother’s tower, in case someone tries to take over the tower by force. Mayor Bogdan, you now have an ultimate defense force protecting our province.”
“Now this is good news. Say, how much will they cost us? Their services must not come cheap.”
“Right now, I am covering it from the gems that warlord Mikolas gave us to help get the Circle setup. They only want gems; nothing else interests them, excepting magic of course.”
“Gems?”
“Yes, they value gems highly. The twins only use a bit of gold because that’s what the merchants around Brn expect in trade for clothes and inns. Now the main reason I needed to see you today is that tomorrow morning around ten, we are going to try to activate the Circle. If we are successful, many barons will make a trip here to see what is going on. I will have the thirteen dragons flying in circles around your mother’s tower. I don’t want them to scare the devil out of our townsfolk.”
“Right! Oh my yes, it would scare the devil out of everyone. I must prepare the entire town at once!”
“Let them know the truth; it’s time to stop hiding. Brn is about to become the center of the free peoples of Adapazan. I hate to bring this up now, but down the line a bit, I wonder if they would be willing to increase their yearly taxes a little to help me offset the cost of the dragons and the security men that I’ve hired to help protect Brn Province?” Zoran finally got to ask the burning question. Could he expect more funds from the locals or would he have to find alternate means of financing this whole adventure?
“Ah, it comes down to money. Well, let’s give them time to digest all this. Allow them to get familiar with dragons overhead and walking the streets. If you can indeed guarantee our safety, I believe that most would offer up a bit more each year, just as long as there is no extravagant spending. Mom has always been quite frugal which helps a lot.”
“We will follow in her footsteps. I will do my best to get funding elsewhere for the long term. I am just going to need some financial help in the short term, just the next couple of years.”
“Ah, that is even better. Say, can I meet one of these dragons?” Mayor Bogdan asked, becoming curious at last. His fears had subsided.
“Sure, come with me; their leader, Aldrick Vogler, is nearby arranging things for their group.” Zoran nodded to Archmage Nadia and led Mayor Bogdan outside and introduced him to Aldrick. The two took a fancy to each other, primarily because Bogdan wore a large green emerald pendent on his suit coat, his emblem of office. The two men began chatting, and Zoran was called away to attend to another situation.
Not long after this, town criers began relaying the mayor’s message. “Hear yea! Hear yea! Archmage Oldrich has brought a Duska and gold dragons to Brn to protect us from the evil Baron Kazimir Vladislov! Tomorrow around ten, look to the sky and see our golden protectors circling her tower!” Up and down the many streets of the city the dozen criers went, yelling out the information. Zoran knew that the pubs would be filled with wild gossip and speculations this evening.
Chapter 16 Activation
“What are we supposed to wear?” Zdenka asked Zoran, early the next morning. Lines of worry marked her complexion.
“Yes, what are we to wear?” added Jarka. “This is an important first meeting, and we do not have a clue about dress protocols, manners, court etiquette, none of that. You ought to have given us some clues, you know.” She chided him.
“I know, I know, Jarka, but I really don’t know about women’s dresses and things like that. Honestly, wear something comfortable and be prepared for possible attacks or assassins and the like. I’m wearing my leathers in case I need to fight. Time enough later for the court protocols. We have to get this working first,” Zoran replied, slightly nervously.
The gaily embroidered, billowing, white, ceremonial dress of the High Priestess swished into the room. Priestess Anezka Zar, holding on to the arm of her husband, Brother Jiri, who wore his suit with twin tails, entered the room. She said, “We are ready to begin, Zoran.”
Zoran let out a sigh and replied, “Okay. Then this is it. Down to the Circle, everyone.”
In the basement room, General Janos Lavos positioned six guards around the outer perimeter. Others were in the next room. The Archmages and Mages filed in, taking up positions between the guards, spells at the ready. Anezka already had the incense burners going, giving the whole room an unusual smell. Brother Jiri offered the arm of his wife to Zoran, “Good luck, Duke Zoran.”
“What do I do?” he whispered to Anezka. Zoran realized that he had not the slightest idea what was needed from him.
“The Ceremony links you to this Circle of Ascension. Just focus on the color of your ribbon on the floor, the sky blue line. I will do the chanting. As it activates, according to the documents of Bandar Zar, this new Circle of Ascension ought to bind itself to you. We are not exactly sure what that really means, however. There hasn’t been a new Circle in centuries, so no one really knows anymore just what goes on with the binding process. Ready?”
“I guess so. Let’s do it,” he whispered. Inwardly, Zoran said a prayer; everything depended upon this Circle coming into being. So much was riding upon it activating. He gently held onto her arm, allowing her to lead him.
Priestess Anezka began chanting in a plainsong sort of way that he had never heard before. He couldn’t quite follow her words, however, as she walked very slowly around and around the circles of seventeen colored tiled ribbons on the floor. The intertwining threads formed a circle some twenty feet across. On their third pass, Zoran began feeling a bit nauseous, as he had when he came of age and had his special gland activated. The room seemed to grow darker and darker; the intertwining threads seemed to begin to radiate their own light, captivating his complete attention as the two continued to walk over them.
Alive, somehow these threads seemed to be alive, he thought. That cannot be, his mind struggled with that notion. The seventeen threads began to swirl of their own accord; the treads were moving around the circle, each at a slightly different speed, which only added to the disorientation of Zoran. Dimly he heard the distant voice of Anezka calling to him, “Focus on your sky blue thread. Focus!”
With effort, Zoran attempted to concentrate on following the single sky blue thread as it interwove with the sixteen others. Dizzy. He felt like falling down, only he couldn’t say which way was actually down. Other colors fought for his attention, but he concentrated on his sky blue color. Swirling colors intertwined within him, locking onto his sky blue. Now his color dove into the earth, directly below his feet, wherever they seemed to be. Zoran was not quite sure that his feet were even on solid ground; he seemed to be stepping into space within the earth. Now the sky blue color and the earth seemed to fuse into one and into his own body. Just when he thought that he was going to pass out, faint, or vomit, this location, this Circle of Ascension latched on to his body solidly and the swirling ceased. He felt as if he were somehow anchored here, anchored firmly to his very own Circle of Ascension. He was now a part of this location; this spot here on Adapazan was now a part of him, though he did not realize this yet.
The swirling ceased; the room came back into focus. He was still holding the arm of Priestess Anezka; she was still chanting; they were still walking. Zoran looked down at the Circle. The seventeen colored threads were now glowing and undulating; slowly the intertwined threads moved around the circle of their own accord. Anezk
a finally stopped her song.
“There, it is done. I give you the new Circle of Ascension. Zoran, you must now speak the name by which this Circle and House shall be known.” She nudged him slightly, bringing him to his senses.
“This shall be known as the House of the Free People of Brn and Adapazan,” Zoran spoke proudly and clearly, giving all the distinction to those who lived here and those who fought for freedom.
Priestess Anezka announced formally, “I give you Baron Archmage Zoran Vladislov of the House of the Free People of Brn and Adapazan!” Everyone began clapping, acknowledging this incredible event that they had just witnessed. Jarka realized that they were fantastically lucky; they had just witnessed something no one had seen for hundreds of years, the creation of a new Circle of Ascension and power. Zoran walked over to Zdenka and took her hand.
“Zoran! Your eyes!” she exclaimed, very startled. Zoran blushed, suddenly all eyes in the room stared at his.
“What’s the matter with them?” he asked growing very embarrassed with this surprise attention.
“They’ve turned sky blue! They match your thread’s color!” she exclaimed.
Zoran gave a joking giggle, “Glad I didn’t choose purple!” Everyone roared with laughter.
“Zoran, someone’s coming through!” the steely voice of Janos called out. Instantly, everyone focused their undivided attention on the center of the Circle, whose threads were now glowing brighter than before, a sure indication that someone was using it to come to this location.
A moment later and four forms took shape. As they fully materialized, the Circle resumed its dull glow. Zoran recognized them at once. His uncle, aunt, cousin, and sister Lida arrived. Zoran spoke ceremoniously, “I give you my uncle, Baron Milan Matous of Gladno, Baroness Marjeta, Duke Leo, and my sister Lida Vladislov. Welcome to the House of the Free People of Brn and Adapazan.”
Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town Page 20
