“Dimitri,” said the Kelsii soldier who had first confronted Brande and Kylani. “You keep those unnatural little brats away from us, you understand? By Rashiri I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” said Jayson. The adrenaline still rushing in this veins had him ready for another fight. “You’ll all kill each other? Because you know that’s what would have happened. Then who’s gunna be around to save you from Taraniz?”
Leo put his hand on Jayson’s arm. “Jack needs us right now,” he said. Jayson glared at the man then turned and followed Leo.
Dimitri headed into a room across from the armory. It was small, and full of bows, arrows and knives. He laid Jack gently on the floor, and removed the boy’s shirt to cool him more quickly.
“What happened, Dimitri?” Leo asked. There was an edge of anger in his voice.
“He must have used his magic somehow,” said Dimitri. He wadded up Jack’s t-shirt and placing it under his head.
“As what happened to me,” said Piper. “His magic began pulling from his life energy.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Jayson asked. He knelt beside Piper and looked franticly between her and Dimitri.
“Of course,” said Dimitri. “But Tagrin is right. There are too many who both love you and hate you. You are not from Chartile, and yet you are the returned souls of our ancient leaders. That is a threat to everyone.”
“We didn’t do this on purpose, Dimitri,” Leo snapped.
“I know,” said Dimitri. He nodded, and a sympathetic smile tugged at his lips. “Still you are the unknown in all of this. It was you who united the dwarves. You who are the reincarnated kings of old. You are both courteous of our ways and unpredictable when you do not understand them. You are extremely dangerous to any race here in Chartile because you have no race to call your own. You have been blessed with the magic of our ancestors, and yet you are only children. This makes you both vulnerable and perilous.”
“What are you saying, Dimitri?” asked Piper. “You would not have them —”
“No! You are my friends. But I say this as your friend, so long as you remain in Chartile, you will never be safe. You will be welcomed and hunted wherever you go. Order and chaos will both follow you, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”
“Dude, you’re over reacting a bit, aren’t you?” asked Jayson, “Look at all the good we’ve done so far!”
“Look at the fear you have caused in our soldiers because of this one act of uncontrollable magic!” snapped Dimitri, indicating Jack who still lay unconscious between them all.
“You said we would learn this fast. You said our magic wouldn’t be a big deal.” Leo stood.
“It’s not,” said Piper, attempting to ease the tension that still lingered from the fight. “I think I understand what you are saying, Dimitri. We need to train in private. We are not dwarves. Even though I am of Chartile, I have not yet proven myself as a ruler to the elves. And I am certainly no dwarf. We are all outsiders here.”
“But you still work for Nefiri,” said Jayson. “I know she’s kind of mad at us, but she’ll come around in time. Won’t she? Have you tried talking to her?”
There was a strained silence broken only by Jack’s deep breathing.
“I no longer serve my Empress,” said Dimitri, staring at the stone floor beneath him. “There were… discussions. I had to choose: Nefiri or Piper. Here I am.”
“I thought you were our liaison,” said Piper, her voice strained with confusion.
“I told Nefiri I would still do this for her, but I have been officially dismissed from her service.” Dimitri hung his head. “I…I do this because she is my mother, but…”
Jack took a ragged breath and opened his eyes. His head had stopped spinning, but he felt exhausted. There was only a small bit of light filtering into the room from the crack in the door. He saw several figures surrounding him, but his eyes wouldn’t focus. He tried to sit up, and felt multiple hands push him back down.
“Wh-where, am I?” he asked.
“Sit up slowly, Jack,” said Dimitri, and Jack obeyed. Piper, Jayson and Leo also sat on either side of him, concern written on their faces.
“Hey, let’s go get some lunch,” Leo suggested as the tension in the room heightened again.
“Food would be great,” said Jack softly. “But what happened?”
“Well, uh… you used magic!” said Jayson. His smile faded when he saw Jack glare at him. “Okay, so you used more magic than your body could handle. You pulled a Piper, okay?”
“What is that to mean? Is that an official diagnosis now?” Piper grinned as she spoke, and they all laughed.
“We’ll work on your magic a bit more tomorrow,” said Dimitri.
“You rest today, Jack,” Piper insisted, and she tussled his wavy hair.
“Well, we can’t practice in the armory anymore,” said Jayson. He rolled his blue grey eyes and crossed his arms. “So bogus. Where are we supposed to go now?”
“I think I know a place,” said Leo.
The air waned from a warm summer to a cool autumn. The leaves in the surrounding Belirian Forest had begun to change to shades of gold and ruby red. The ripe scent of a strange autumn fruit from the trees filled the air, especially at dusk, as it was now. Five laughing figures entered the Black Diamond’s central market square from a small door leading to the outside. Some of the residents who had remained in the mine glared behind their hoods, and moved their children away. Others saw an exploitable opportunity to sell their goods and waved as the troupe passed their carts and stands. Jack took little heed of the merchants today. He had bought a new leather grip for his bow staff earlier that day, and was currently deep in conversation with Jayson.
“I nearly had you that time, admit it,” said Jayson as he playfully punched Jack in the arm. His thick red hair was windblown and stuck up at the back.
“As if! My staff was at your throat, dude! There’s no way you could have gotten that knife out in time!”
It had been three days since the ordeal in the armory. Word had spread fast. The boys were unwelcome in nearly all circles but those with select Black Diamond members whom they rarely saw except those strangers in the market place. Leo had shown them the way to the old mines and the secret door outside to the East side of the mountain. The steep cliff down to the forest was easily passable via a small path that Leo had not noticed before. Brande had showed them a small clearing a short distance into the forest when they had inquired about a place to practice.
Jack, Leo and Jayson had abandoned their magical studies for the time being, save for their meditations, and had focused on refining their combat skills. They had even begun practicing hand to hand combat with Brande and Kylani’s help. Dimitri had been against the entire idea of using the Diamond’s ‘lair’ as he called it from the very beginning. He soon found the Black Diamond’s still held true to most of the traditions of his people, and his hatred toward them began to subside.
The light of another day faded into a starry speckled sky. Jayson, Jack, Leo, Piper and Dimitri, exhausted from the day’s exercises, barely noticed the small knot of people traipsing towards them up the corridor. Jack flattened himself against the wall when he finally saw Gemari among them. Her eyes landed on Jack, and she nearly stopped in her tracks herself. For her sake, it appeared as little more than a small skip in her step due to her training. She pulled her shoulders back and bowed low when she approached the group.
“Greetings,” she said softly. Her voice had lost its squeaky quality since the banquet, and there was a constant forlorn undertone to her once bubbly personality. She paused, taking a moment to look at each of the five in turn. “Jack, may I talk with you a moment?”
“S-sure,” Jack stammered. Gemari turned to her guards, and nodded. Reluctantly, they retreated several paces back, each placing a hand on his sword hilt. Jack looked at his friends, and gulped. They only smirked and joined the guards down the hall.
“Gemari, look, I’m sorry.” Jack began, but the Princess lifted her hand to silence him.
“It’s alright, Jack,” she said smiling. “I wanted to tell you I was sorry. Am sorry, for the way I have been.”
“What are you talking about?” Jack asked. He leaned his staff against the wall and furrowing his brow at her.
“I have been involved with many council meetings ere of late,” she replied, looking at the floor, “and, there are things that have been discussed.”
“About us?” Jack asked, and he nodded toward his friends behind him. Gemari looked into Jack’s eyes for several long moments. “Gemari, don’t try to be all formal, and stuff. It’s me. Just spit it out!”
She took a deep breath, then replied very quickly, “Nefiri has dismissed Dimitri from her service because of his involvement with you, and your connection to the Black Diamonds. I do not agree with this, and I am finding myself siding more often with the Diamonds. Jack, this goes against everything I have been brought up to believe, and I do not know what to do!” She blinked the tears from her eyes before they rolled down her cheeks. Jack reached toward her. He wanted to brush the invisible tears from her cheek. He wasn’t sure if he liked the new or old Gemari better, but he couldn’t deny he had feelings for her. Instead, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked back into his face.
“Talk to Isla,” Jack said, “If she gets banished after this is all over, the dwarves will need a strong leader. You can do it, Gemari.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “I have. She and Princess Faeridae have both been ever so kind and patient with me. I suppose I was still just so confused. I do not understand why, but… you seem to make everything much clearer for me. Thank you, Jack.”
Jack reached for Gemari’s hand, and bent to kiss it. She stared at him with wide eyes, and he heard her breath catch in her throat as he released her hand. They locked eyes again, then Gemari bowed to him and continued down the corridor. Jack watched her go, a strange smile on his face as he did so. He didn’t notice his friends join him until Jayson slapped him on the back.
“Twitterpated, my friend. This, right here, is called twitterpated.” Jayson grinned.
“I see,” said Dimitri with a chuckle.
The sound of Dimitri’s voice brought Jack to again. “What did you say?” he asked. His friends laughed and they continued toward the Emerald Quarter.
The halls were surprisingly empty as they trudged back to Piper, and now Dimitri’s, rooms. They each took turns at the wash basin, scrubbing away the sweat and grime of the day, before tearing into the left over fruit from their lunch earlier that day.
“When’s Valar getting here, anyway?” Jayson asked through a mouthful of food.
“He should arrive any moment,” said Piper. Though she had appreciated all of his assistance, Valar had been a bit overbearing at times. She had enjoyed his absence these past few days. Rather begrudgingly, Valar had rescheduled their meeting from earlier in the week to today. A messenger had sent word for him to return to his son’s estate, and he had left immediately.
“Any idea what this is about?” Leo asked. He wiped fruit juice from his chin then dove in for me.
“I do not know,” said Piper.
They sat in silence for nearly ten minutes, chewing their food and relaxing. Dimitri used magic to play with the flames in the hollowed out stone pillar beneath the wash basin, much to everyone’s amusement.
There was a sharp knock on the door that sent the fruit juice from Jayson’s bite shoot across the room and land on Jack’s shirt. Piper rose from her chair and opened the door to a smiling and rosy faced Valar.
“Hello, my Queen,” he said, and bowed to her in the proper elven fashion with one hand behind his back and the other across his waist. Piper’s shoulders dropped. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Hello, Valar,” she said in a warning tone. The man entered the room, taking no notice. He bowed to each of the boys before taking a seat in Piper’s chair.
“We need to teach him what a hand shake is,” Jayson whispered to Leo.
Piper closed the door and latched the extra chain. Dimitri uncrossed his legs as she rejoined them, and she sat on his lap, leaning against the corner of the fainting sofa. Valar blinked at them and stammered for a moment before continuing.
“Well, I…So, uh…I have asked you here today to discuss, um, I have information regarding the upcoming battle that may be to our advantage.”
“Do you have any news of Gran, first?” Piper interrupted.
“I am sorry, my lady, no,” said Valar shaking his head. “But I am sure she is perfectly safe. Your grandmother had many friends in the palace. Even if she is a prisoner, I am sure she is being well cared for.”
“As well cared for as prisoners are,” Dimitri murmured.
“Yes, well, if we are successful, that will be of little consequence. We can free Kaytah and all will be well again!” Valar rubbed his hands together and beamed with forced confidence. “Now, onto the matter at hand! It has come to my attention that there is a great probability Taraniz will not be at the battle on the Plains.”
“Coward,” said Jayson. “She’s totally afraid, isn’t she?”
“Over confident and self-preserving, in my opinion,” replied Valar. “I believe we can use this to our advantage.” He paused for dramatics, and his eyes darted from one face to the next. “If Taraniz remains at the palace, she will not be heavily guarded, if at all as I hear of late. We can gain access to the palace with little to no resistance in order to kill her.”
“Or capture her,” Leo added.
“Yes, or capture her.” Valar corrected himself with a strained smile. “However, if Taraniz is at the battle of the Plains, we will still be able to infiltrate the palace and find the royal orenite circlet which we can use against her at a later time.”
“You mean, the one they used on Duke Noraedin?” Leo asked. “Why hasn’t anyone tried to use it on her before?”
“It is hidden away, or so my sources tell me. If the circlet is truly still in possession of the royal family, it would be within the royal treasury. And since most of her army will be at the Plains, it should be unguarded.”
“So, you want us to kill Taraniz with a piece of jewelry instead of a sword because that’s so much better.” said Jack. “I thought we agreed we would try to help her first. What difference does it make how she’s killed? It’s still murdering someone.”
“Jack, you don’t understand what she has done,” said Piper.
“Piper, we know she’s done some pretty uncool stuff,” said Jayson. “But, we said we didn’t want to… murder someone if it could be avoided.”
“The circlet was used many centuries ago to destroy the magic of the royals at their coronation. Yes, at times it did mean their death, but often it simply dispelled their magical abilities and they were unharmed otherwise. If Taraniz agrees to surrender, we can use the circlet on her to ensure she can never use magic again. A willing advocate has a far greater chance of surviving the magic of the circlet than one who has it forced upon them,” said Valar.
Silence hung in the air between them. Jayson, Jack and Leo all felt very uneasy. Their stomachs twisted in knots. Leo’s palms were sweaty, and Jack cracked his knuckles anxiously. Piper feared she had little choice but to face the fact that she would very soon be sitting on the Elven throne. The thought made her own stomach drop, and she squeezed Dimitri’s hand unconsciously.
“How is your magic training coming along?” Valar asked to break the quiet.
“Uh, slow but, uh, steady,” said Jayson with a shrug.
“Excellent. I’m sure you will need some degree of magic against Taraniz. If she is the reincarnated soul of Duke Noraedin, you are dealing with very powerful magic indeed.”
“It is not wise to grind stone against the same stone,” said Dimitri flatly. “If we put Piper on the throne by using magic, she will have a difficult time winning over her people.”
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��We are not using magic to put her on the throne, Dimitri,” Valar said, his voice curt and he glared harshly at the young man.
“No, but the dwarves haven’t exactly welcomed our magic with open arms, either. And if the elves hate magic as much as you’ve said, they’ll like it even less,” said Leo. “We need to be careful, is all.”
“Indeed,” said Valar nodding. “I, unfortunately, have no other news. Will you agree with my plan, then?”
They looked at each other in turn, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, and less like they had a choice.
“Yes,” said Piper quietly.
“Yeah, sure.” Jayson shrugged.
“I guess so,” said Leo. Dimitri and Jack nodded.
“Good. I have made arrangements for you to meet my son, Valin, in the town of Cannondole. You will leave with the Dwarvik troops so as not to rouse suspicion, and get away under cover of night once camp has been set. We can discuss this in more detail when the time draws nearer. I suppose I shall take my leave of you now.” He rose stiffly from the chair, and the others got to their feet as well. “Thank you. Truly, I do sincerely thank you. We will celebrate our victories very soon. I guarantee it.” He bowed to them and headed for the door.
Three figures stood in the hallway just beyond, one poised ready to ring the little bell, and Valar nearly walked into them.
“My apologies,” said Valar as Piper joined him at the door.
“We are looking for Leo, Jack and Jayson. They were not in the rooms, and we thought they may be here,” said a familiar voice beneath a black hood.
“Kylani?” asked Leo. He hurried to the door and peered over Piper’s shoulder at the figures in the doorway.
“Good day to you, Valar. We will speak soon.” Piper said and ushered Valar into the hall. Valar eyed the new visitors over his shoulder as he hurried on. Piper held the door open for her visitors, then quickly latched the door behind her. The strangers lowered their hoods, and Leo saw Brande and Isla were with Kylani.
“What are you doing here?” Leo asked. He reached out his hand to the brothers as Isla bowed.
Chartile: Prophecy Page 16
