Valley of the Ancients: Book Three of the Restoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  Flare slowly began walking between the statues. He held Ossendar ready and kept glancing back over his shoulders. Unlike the statues from the valley entrance, these statues did not turn their heads to follow his progress.

  As he neared the far end of the room, he could see that there weren't any more arches or doorways, this room was a dead-end. A lone statue stood at the end of the room, overlooking a pool of water. The pool of water was actually a circular basin and it was deep enough for a man to dive in.

  He was still studying the pool, when a voice spoke.

  "It has been a long time. We have been waiting for you."

  Chapter 16

  Flare stumbled backwards away from the pool and the direction of the voice. He jerked Ossendar upwards and looked for the speaker. It was an older man who stood in front of the lone statue, just on the other side of the pool of water. Or at least where the last statue had stood. It was gone now, the only part that remained was the stand that the statue had stood on.

  "Who are you?" Flare demanded, irritated that his voice cracked and hating that it showed his fear and surprise. "What are you doing here?"

  The man was older, his full head of hair was graying and he was thin. He wore a long tunic of a fashion that Flare had never seen before. He wore a patient smile. "My name is Pellum and I am the greeter."

  Sensing that Pellum was not dangerous, Flare slowly lowered Ossendar. "I do not understand. The greeter? What does that mean?"

  Pellum had studied Flare the whole time, his smile never wavering. He did not answer the question though, instead he asked some of his own. "Why are you here?"

  For a moment, Flare considered not answering. He had asked his questions first but had not received any answers so why should he answer Pellum's questions? After a moment he decided that was childish. "My name is Flaranthlas Eldanari and I carry Ossendar. According to Kelcer I am to restore the Dragon Order. I learned of this place and its supposed connection to the Order. I came here to see if there was any truth to the story." It was true enough although Flare left out that he had not been intending to come here when he fled Telur.

  "I can assure you that the stories are quite true. This place is unique and is only for those who would join the Dragon Order."

  Flare waited for a more detailed explanation but none seemed forthcoming. "Please explain that to me."

  Pellum's smile widened. "Of course. Have you ever thought it strange that elves and humans could even be in the Order? I mean how could a human, with such a short life span, learn the different arts required of the Order?"

  Flare's brow creased in confusion. The thought had occurred to him but he had dismissed it as only the brightest students could join. Even so, how could a human learn all the skills necessary? "How?" he asked simply.

  Pellum spread his hands motioning around him. "That is the purpose of this place."

  "I do not understand."

  "Millennia ago, at the very founding of the Dragon Order, great men and elves came together to form the Order. Only those that could master multiple arts were allowed to join, but there was still the problem of how to train such people. But those men and elves were quite gifted and they created this hall. Then they did something quite extraordinary. They summoned the spirits of the greatest at their craft and asked for their help."

  "How do you summon the dead?" Flare asked, interrupting in his amazement.

  "Through wizardry, of course," Pellum answered. He did not seem bothered by the interruption.

  "But I thought that was only farrouotor summoning demons."

  "Demons are summoned through fire. Spirits through water." Pellum answered in a calm and patient tone.

  That was the first that Flare had ever heard of summoning anything other than a demon and the thought of summoning spirits was a little unnerving. "My apologies but you said the dead were asked for their help."

  "Yes. The greatest at their crafts were asked to assist in the training of the members of the Order."

  "How? Exactly," Flare asked.

  "When a person dies, there are multiple places that their spirit can go. One of those places is called Sha'al. Sha'al is not a spirit's final destination, instead it is a temporary location. Some spirits have difficulty in accepting their death and they go to Sha'al until they come to a peaceful acceptance. Others can not bear to leave a loved one and so they wait for them in Sha'al. Regardless, it is in Sha'al where one is instructed by the spirits in the arts necessary to be a member of the Order."

  It took a moment for Flare to put the meanings together. "What? You expect me to go to the realm of the dead?"

  "It's not as bad as it sounds. For generations, this is the way it has been done. If you would restore the Order then you must go as well."

  A thought occurred to Flare, perhaps he would just not go. Then he wouldn't have to worry about Kelcer any more. Somehow he felt it wouldn't be that easy. And most certainly the Church would not forget about him.

  Flare was having trouble comprehending what Pellum was saying, probably due to his surprise. He considered his options for several moments and then he looked back up at Pellum. "For a moment let's assume that I am willing to go along with this. What happens then? Do I travel to this Sha'al and spend centuries learning from spirits?"

  "Not exactly. Those who created this place anticipated the various problems with this method of instruction. First, a student travels to Sha'al and learns from one Master at a time. At the end of the instruction the student returns to this world until they have recovered and are ready for the next Master to train them."

  "Excuse me," Flare said interrupting Pellum. "What do you mean by 'until they have recovered'? Is this method of training dangerous?"

  Pellum smiled. "No. It's not dangerous with certain precautions. You see, time does not pass the same in Sha'al as it does here. A student travels to Sha'al, is trained, and then returns to this world and only a few heartbeats will have passed in this world but centuries may have passed to the student's perception. This difference in time is," he paused as if searching for the right word, "tricky. The problem is that when you return here, your body is only a moment older but you have years of memories. This causes a disorientation that takes time to pass. There must be a period of time between each visit to Sha'al so that your body may heal."

  "How long a period of time?" Flare asked, after a moment of silence. He asked the question because he didn't know what else to say and he wanted to get Pellum talking again. Travelling to this Sha'al sounded like the last thing he wanted to do.

  "It depends on the person. For some the amount of time never varies, while others find that it grows less trom interruptihe more times they go to Sha'al, and a few have waiting periods that show no visible pattern."

  Flare's brow wrinkled in confusion. "If there's no pattern, then how will someone know when they should return to Sha'al." Another question occurred to him and he spoke it quickly. "And how does one get there anyway?"

  "The two questions are linked actually." Pellum motioned towards the pool of water. "Water is how a person travels to Sha'al and after you have begun this training, you will know when the time is right to return. All that is required is to completely submerge yourself into water. Any water will do."

  Confused and flooded with information, Flare's mind struggled to make sense of it all. "I thought you said that spirits were summoned through water. So why is water used to transport a living person to Sha'al?"

  For the first time Pellum looked a little strained. "Well, it's complicated. Actually your body stays here in this world and only your spirit travels to the other realm."

  Flare's eyes widened at this news. "Are you telling me that my spirit goes there but my body remains here?"

  "Yes."

  So completely unexpected was Pellum's abrupt reply that Flare was speechless. He stood there, with his mouth slightly ajar and staring at Pellum.

  "It's not as bad as it sounds." Pellum finally said after a moment or two of awkward sil
ence. "This method has been used for millennia and it is safe. In fact, your forebear King Osturlius once stood here before me, just as you are now. Although I must admit that he seemed a little more courageous than you."

  Whatever the point of Pellum's words, they certainly managed to get Flare's back up. "Now wait a moment," he exclaimed hotly, "I don't know who you are or what place this is, and you expect me to blindly accept your story and travel to the realm of the dead to be trained by spirits. Only a fool would accept that without question. It is not cowardice that makes me question you but caution." Flare pointed Ossendar at Pellum. "I do not appreciate your insults."

  Pellum's smile returned and he started slowly walking around the pool towards Flare. "Finally you show some fire. I was beginning to worry that you would not be worthy of the Osturlius name."

  Flare took a step backwards. He wasn't afraid of this Pellum but he also did not want to have kill him either.

  "Flaranthlas Eldanari. You must choose. Will you accept this training and restore the Dragon Order?" Pellum continued to slowly walk towards Flare. The sword pointing at him did not slow him a bit.

  "How can I do that?" Flare demanded. His anger returned and he stopped backing away. "How can I restore that Order knowing all the evil things that I am supposed to do?"

  Pellum stopped just short of the sword tip. "What evil things are you talking about?" He still smiled, but the smile was a patronizing one.

  "All those atrocities that Kelcer spoke of. I will not be the killer of the innocent. I will not be a murderer."

  "Are you blessed with divine insight into prophecy now?" Pellum demanded in a firm tone. The smile slipped from his fad thght="0">

  "I, uh," Flare stumbled over the words. Pellum's questions caught him off guard. "Some of the things he said were pretty plain and easy to understand."

  Pellum grunted. "Plain and easy to understand." He repeated. "An ancient prophecy written by a mad man and you think it's plain and easy to understand."

  Apparently this man had a knack for irritating Flare. Once again, Flare's anger surged. "Yes, it's easy to understand. The prophecy was about the restoration of the Dragon Order. In the prophecy he says that the one who restores the Order will kill the babes of the land and murder the old and sick. He said my name would be a curse for all time! How could I miss-understand that?" Flare was practically shouting at the end and he pressed the point of Ossendar against Pellum's chest.

  "You misunderstand the very point of the prophecy and that is why you misunderstand everything that it says." Pellum kept his arms by his side and stared unblinkingly at Flare. The affect was rather unnerving. "You think that you are the only one mentioned in that prophecy, when in fact, the prophecy is about two men."

  Chapter 17

  Flare stared at Pellum, without blinking for several moments, and then he shook his head. "What?" he finally managed to ask. "What two men?"

  "The Kelcer prophecy is not about the man that will restore the Dragon Order. It is about the two men that will both try and restore the Order. Only one will succeed and the Order will be remade in that man's image. You represent the hope of men and elves. Whereas your rival, well, let's just say that if he is victorious then the world is in for dark times."

  "Victorious?" Flare repeated. "You make it sound like this is a competition."

  "Oh it is," Pellum said, and then he said no more. He watched Flare as if he was expecting something.

  Flare was struggling to understand what Pellum had said. It went against everything he had ever been taught. The Kelcer prophecy had always been about the destroyer, the man that would restore the Order and then commit atrocities. Never had there been the first whisper that maybe the subject of the Kelcer prophecy wasn't evil. But then another thought occurred to him. The prophecy seemed to contradict itself throughout. First, the man that Kelcer saw was the hope of the innocent, then he was the destroyer of babes. It had always been confusing and contradictory. Pellum snorted and Flare raised his eyes from the floor to the man's face. "What?"

  "There's a question that you haven't yet asked."

  Flare's forehead wrinkled in confusion. What question did Pellum mean? He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't know what you're referring to."

  Pellum looked disappointed. "I thought it would be the first question you asked. I was sure that you would immediately ask who the other man is."

  p heie thWith a jolt Flare realized that Pellum was right. It made sense, but there was one problem. Pellum had assumed that Flare would believe his story immediately and then ask the other man's identity. In truth, he still wasn't sure he believed Pellum's alternate interpretation of Kelcer. He was still wrestling with the idea that everything he had ever believed was wrong. It would certainly answer a lot of questions that Flare had always had about Kelcer. As these thoughts fought for his attention, another thought burst through and he spoke without even thinking, "Zalustus." He raised his head and studied Pellum. "It has to be Prince Zalustus.

  Pellum looked slightly surprised but he bowed his head. "You are correct."

  "So if he restores the Order then the world is doomed for all time?" Flare asked.

  Pellum shook his head, "For an age only. The old age is passing away and the world is entering something new. This is a battle for the coming age. If you fail then the world will suffer horrors for a millennia or two, but at some point in the future there will be another trial such as this."

  It was hard to accept this different understanding of the Kelcer prophecy. If Pellum was right then he had spent his whole life believing a lie. As a child, stories of the destroyer had been used to scare him, and now he was letting those beliefs go. Flare sighed deeply. He had not heard of Kelcer until he came to Telur, but he had heard of the prophesied destroyer; he was called by many different names. He felt a rightness to Pellum's words. A rightness and also a relief. He had been afraid for some time now that he would turn into whatever had driven Kelcer insane. There was a sense of peace to know that whether he succeeded or not, he was not an evil person. The worry, doubt, and anxiety that had been weighing on him for so long began to fall away. It was truly a wonderful feeling. He looked up at Pellum, a smile cracking his face. "So what do I need to do?"

  Pellum smiled back. "It is not difficult. You simply need to accept this charge and then step into the pool. Completely submerge yourself in the water." As he spoke, he idly waved his hand behind him towards the motionless well of water.

  The smile slid from Flare's face as he studied the water. There was a momentous feeling associated with this decision. He could feel the importance of this moment. His life was at a crossroads. There were two paths laid out in front of him and he had to pick which path he was to walk. Once the decision was made, there would be no changing his mind.

  He sighed. This was foolishness. There wasn't a decision to make. Knowing what he now believed to be true, how could he choose to not go forward? That, in affect, would be letting Zalustus win. Besides, he had actually made the decision a long time ago, he just hadn't understood what he had done. He raised his eyes from the water and met Pellum's gaze. "I accept."

  Pellum took a deep breath and nodded, smiling. "I knew you would. You had to."

  Flare motioned to the water. "Do I take my clothes and weapons with me?"

  "It doesn't matter," Pellum answered. "Regardless of what you enter with, you will arrive in Sha'al with everything that you require."

  Nodding, Flare took a deep breath and started forward.

  The water was cold as it closed over roa neFlare's head, but he held his nose and closed his eyes, settling down to the bottom of the pool. Pellum had said to submerge himself but he hadn't mentioned for how long. It probably didn't matter, if there had been an amount of time required for him to remain below water, then the old man would have mentioned it.

  Flare hesitated, resting on the bottom of the pool. He was confident that he had been in the water long enough, but still he remained on
the bottom. A part of him feared what he would find in Sha'al.

  His hesitation lasted only a moment. Actually, it was probably rather childish of him to begin with. He couldn't remain at the bottom of that pool for very long. Either he came up or he ran out of air and started sucking in water. He waited one more heartbeat and then gently pushed off against the bottom of the pool.

  Flare's head popped through into the air and he opened his eyes. A wave of water smacked him in the face and he shut his eyes again coughing. The water continued to lap against him and after a moment he opened his eyes, being careful to hold his head far enough above the surface of the water. His mouth dropped open as he beheld the scene that awaited him. The long room with the statues was gone. Pellum was gone. He was treading water in what appeared to be a lake or perhaps an offshoot of some river. Roughly twenty yards from him, the ground sloped steeply upwards from the water. All around the water steep hills rose up high in the air. He got the feeling that if a person slipped while standing on one of those slopes, then there was little enough to stop them from falling all the way to the water. The sky looked overcast, with dark blue and grey clouds. If he was any judge, then it would be pouring rain very soon.

  On the top of the nearest hill sat an ancient keep. It was made of grey stones and the wooden roof looked like it had seen better days. While the keep would have been large for a single family, it most certainly was not a castle. It was not spread out, but instead rose high in the air. An old stone tower that reached far into the heavens.

  Flare took a deep breath, being careful not to fill his lungs with water. He looked around one more time and then began swimming towards the nearest beach, which just happened to be at the base of the hill that the keep sat upon.