There was silence in the room. Various council members looked at each other, some even nodded as if agreeing with Nostrous. The princess looked very uncomfortable and Lord Stein’s eyes had filled up with hate. The Magistrate might be old but he was wise beyond years. His speech was something you would have expected from a dragon, truly noble and powerful.
The now somber Lord Stein stood up. After hearing the impressive argument of Nostrous it was very unlikely he could sway any council members to his side and neither would he convince me. But he apparently had something to say, as he stood up slowly.
“Loyal subjects of the ruling family, as my contenders have pointed out; we stand at a key point in the history of all races across this world. But at this pivotal moment we stand at an impasse. The young daughter of my late brother the king and hero of the elven nation both seek to claim the crown with valid assertions but must I remind you my fellow elves, we have grown complacent in our era of peace. The Sentinels themselves have dropped in number almost as sharply as the Dragon Knights. We are not prepared for this new era. But fear not, for not all have grown dull with peace, some still watch over our nation, such as myself. There will come a time when difficult choices will have to be made, something our young princess has no experience in and that which our hero refuses to do. Magistrate Nostrous you raised an excellent point when you questioned why the mantle of the old and wise, fought so hard to obtain should be passed to either myself or the young princess. Well the answer is simple,” he said with a grin which sent a chill down my spine, “I am willing to hold on to the mantle through any means necessary, even if it means abandoning our long time northern friends or breaking a few taboos within our world. For I have the spine and strength to do what is best for our people regardless of the outcome.”
He then proceeded to sit down. Nostrous seemed like he wanted to say something but refrained from doing so with much effort. As I watched Nostrous stare into the wall behind me, a sudden presence filled the chamber. It was small at first but was rapidly growing. I looked at both Master and Zetzu who gave me a small nod and then at Tromuelan as he also nodded. So the presence was not my imagination. I wondered what to do, whatever it was the magic it emanated was becoming more powerful as the seconds passed. Was it a spell? It didn’t feel the same, it was too raw, something was simply emanating pure power. My chest started to hurt and my eyes were also hurting. The pain was increasing as the magic became more powerful. I clenched my fist and tightened my jaw as the pain became ever more intense.
“Alex?” I heard Master say. I couldn’t answer him without shouting in pain.
I lifted my head to look at him and from his reaction when he saw my face I knew something was terribly wrong. I could hear the elves talking amongst themselves and then I heard a different voice but this one was inside my head.
“Beautiful magic, so much beauty and power. Yes power, with this power I shall be free. It has no limits, it will never stop. I must consume this magic!”
The pain in my eyes became more pronounced and I had to blink long and hard but when I opened them again the pain was gone. Several of the elves present gasped and in the flash of a second Tromuelan had an iron hold on my neck and the Sentinel had a rather sharp sword pointed at me.
“Stop!” commanded Zetzu.
“Those eyes mean he is cursed Zetzu,” said Tromuelan tightening his grip around my neck, starting to restrict air flow.
“We know, but the curse is not complete. You cannot sense any of your magic leaving you.”
“You knew and still let him live? He could completely turn at any moment,” exclaimed the Sentinel, “His life should be ended right now.”
“You will not end his life if you wish to preserve yours and that of those in this room,” responded Master Shadow calmly.
“You have no authority here Varnian,” said Tromuelan.
“And inside such a small space do you think brute force or magic would win?” said Master putting his hand on the arm Tromuelan was using to squeeze my neck.
“No one will be ending anything before my eyes,” said Magistrate Nostrous pushing past the newly arrived row of guards, “If Lord Zetzu and Lord Shadow believe he is under control then I shall personally be held accountable for any damage he causes.”
There was silence, and for a very tense moment I thought Master Shadow would start attacking everyone in the room, but Tromuelan let go of my neck, for which I was very grateful as I coughed from my lungs suddenly regaining air, and the Sentinel lowered his blade and sheathed it rather reluctantly. The other elves were eyeing me suspiciously.
“I believe this meeting should be adjourned to allow all parties time for consideration of what has been said today. It is not the normal tradition but… I believe an exception is in order,” said Princess Keren coming from behind Magistrate Nostrous. The council members gave it no second thought they all agreed and left in a hurry. They were clearly afraid of me.
Nostrous
“I must say, in all my years of attending elven council meetings never has there been one filled with such… interesting events,” said the Magistrate as he led us to his home in the outer limits of the elven capital.
“Agreed, but you must tell us about how this has come to be. It is unheard of for a Devourer to be restrained by the bearer of the curse, Lord Shadow,” said Tromuelan. The hostility from before was all but gone, replaced by curiosity and a calm demeanor.
“I assure you all of your questions will be answered once we are safe from the ears of others,” replied Master, looking cautiously around the streets of the capital.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. I was told to keep my head down because while my life was spared by the Sentinel and Tromuelan and granted by the Magistrate, it was quite possible any other elf might try to kill me. I understood the threat I posed but I did not understand why most elves would try to kill me if they saw I had been cursed with the Eyes of Death. Master and Zetzu walked slowly behind me as if to dissuading any possible attacker from doing so.
It wasn’t long before we had left the inner parts of the capital and were now in an open field, which as far as I could tell stretched endlessly in every direction away from the city. The mountain on which Zulia had been built stood alone in the center of the open expanse.
When we came upon the home of Magistrate Nostrous I was surprised by how modest it was and also by how isolated and out of place it seemed. A normal door, with a front garden and a small fence in the exterior, it had four windows in the front and was white. However it was far from simple magically, as the fence held a very powerful barrier, guessing from the high intensity magic it was expelling, it could withstand even a dragon blast. The garden itself also held some form of magic but I couldn’t recognize it. The front door was protected with an identity spell which meant only the caster could open the door at will; anyone else would have to break down the barrier that protected the house.
Inside the house seemed just as ordinary but almost everything had been magic infused. The Magistrate noticed my eyes wondering from object to object based on the level of magic it was emanating from it. “You can sense magic very easily Alex. Most people can’t even detect the barrier outside much less the cooling spell I placed on all my spoons so my soup is never too hot,” he said picking up a spoon.
“Pretty useful spell,” I replied, smiling at the idea of never burning my tongue on soup. I frowned and looked at Master and Zetzu but they didn’t seem to find anything strange with our surroundings. It was curious. How could an elf, the species which is magically constricted, be able to pour out such a high level of magic and still maintain it? I could understand the simply spells like the cold spoons or the door identity, but the barrier would require periodic recharge of magic to be able to hold itself together and it was a barrier which could easily match dragon magic in terms of power.
“Master, if elves are crippled in magic how is it Magistrate Nostrous can maintain all these spells?” I blurted out, r
ealizing a little too late the question was out of line, for Nostrous had saved my life and if he was some sort of special elf or a dragon in disguise it was not my place to question it.
“He’s a rather sharp one, I will give you that much Shadow. You raise a valid question Alex. In this house, that which is impossible is happening. No elf alive could ever cast and fuel this many spells. It is simply impossible,” he paused and smiled again looking at all three dragons and the Sentinel, “There is however a way around the paralyzed magic center.”
“Magic center?” I asked confused.
“Ah yes, I forget you have yet to complete some aspects of Dragon Knight Studies. A magic center is the channel which allows you to use magic from the world itself. For humans it expands and grows as they become accustomed to using magic. Elves on the other hand cannot expand or grow it, however there is a way around this. But I fear it is not my place to speak of such things to you. However the one who can has requested that I get you to see him.”
“But shouldn’t I attend the meeting tomorrow?” I asked.
“I don’t believe that to be a sensible decision. You hold a great power in your eyes, one which is feared by almost all elves. You would just be a cause for concern and worry in the council chamber,” answered the Sentinel bluntly. I could tell he had seen war as well, he looked far younger then Nostrous but both Master and Zetzu’s human form looked younger than the Sentinel and he often stared into the distance, which was a common sign of a combat veteran. He had also failed to mention his name so I decided not to ask.
“He is correct, and since you must attend Nostrous, I will take him to the hermit,” said Tromuelan.
“And what of the meeting on our side? The Empire and Dragon Knights need representation,” I said.
“Which is why I shall be going to the meeting alone and Zetzu will be going with you to meet the hermit,” said Master, adding “It would do you some good to become familiar with Elution dragons such as Tromuelan.”
“Yes, if we are to win this war we will need the help of all who are willing, Elution dragons, as we have already told you Alex, are excellent fighters. Where magic fails they thrive. It is not to say they can’t use magic but I am fairly confident you could defeat the average Elution dragon in a contest of magical strength,” said Zetzu.
“I would, in your place, not allow that to get into my head as most of us rarely resort to magic in combat,” stated Tromuelan.
I wanted to protest about the meeting but it had not gone as planned because of the Reaper and a magical presence I was now certain had belonged to Nostrous. However I would be lying if I were to say I was not interested in meeting this hermit they were talking about.
“Well then you must all rest, for tomorrow shall be a very challenging day for all of us,” announced Nostrous before showing us each to our rooms. I thought it would take some time for me to fall asleep but before I knew it, I was looking at the same red sky from my first dream with the Reaper.
I lowered my gaze from the sky to see the Reaper standing in front of me. He looked different from our first encounter. The rags he had been wearing to cover his body were now gone and in their place a cloak which covered his entire body had replaced them. Not a single shred of his body was exposed and unlike last time I couldn’t even see a physical body, for all I knew he had become a cloak.
“You said I couldn’t speak to you while you were locked in my eyes,” I said to him.
The Reaper just stood there without moving or speaking.
“And what was up with the red eyes, I know it’s the symbol of the curse but why would they manifest like that?”
This time the Reaper turned its back to me. I was about to grab his shoulder but he started to speak. “I believed it would be impossible to communicate while you were conscience because of the magical requirements but that has changed,” he said turning back to face me. I suddenly felt a force grip me and lift me from the ocean floor where our conversations took place. “Never have I felt such a magical force in this world, not since my imprisonment. The red eyes are not a symbol, they were my doing, and through them I can absorb magic without the ill side effects it would cause you otherwise. I have found a magical source powerful enough to break free of these magical seals the Irkanians have placed on me and you will help me do so,” it said while tightening its grip on me.
And then as if by a miracle, the magic which was holding me in the air disappeared along with the red sky and the blue ocean. It was complete darkness and yet I could see the Reaper as easily as I could before. The Reaper took several steps back and this time I could see his eyes; they were glowing red like two rubies in the night. I tensed as a massive Vorm walked past me and approached the Reaper. It looked at me with one massive eye and winked. It must have been twice the size of Lord Vicis and I had no idea where it came from because I hadn’t thought I’d cast it. I couldn’t imagine I could cast spells in my own mind while I slept!
“You do not belong here creature,” hissed the Vorm.
“I was not aware there was another magical creature living inside this boy.”
“I am one with him. You have stirred me from my sleep for had I been awake I would have eradicated you the moment you appeared before him,” it replied.
“I have never heard of one such as you and the form you take resembles a dragon but you are not. You are something more.”
It was at that moment I noticed instead of two wings this Vorm had four. My confusion was starting to frustrate me; a Vorm is supposed to be a mental image of a dragon but I had never even thought a dragon with four wings was possible and I had not cast this one into existence yet here stood this thing. I didn’t understand any of it.
“That is of no concern to you, but know this Devourer, should you ever so much as consider any action which might cause any sort of damage to the boy, I will strip you of your form and power and for the rest of eternity you shall be nothing more than a tormented whisper in the wind,” threatened the creature.
“You have not the power to command me!” challenged the Reaper.
“You are mistaken,” it replied calmly.
The Vorm roared a roar infused with such raw magic that had I been awake I would have gone deaf permanently. And then as suddenly as the dream had started it ended and I woke up to a blue sky and a rising sun. I laid there for a few second until I realized something… Where was the roof?
“If you are wondering where the roof is you blew it away during the night. A most impressive display of magic might I add,” said the Magistrate, who stood in the door with his arms crossed, the same Sentinel from yesterday standing behind him.
I sat up and wondered how that was possible and then I remembered the quad winged Vorm forcing the Reaper away. Maybe it had used magic to force the Reaper to release me. But that was all in my head. How could there have been a physical repercussion? “I don’t remember using any magic last night.”
“Did you have any nightmares or dreams? In very exceptional cases when the mind believes it is threatened, magic might manifest itself in the real world even if you are asleep. However I have never heard of such a strong reaction.”
“The Reaper attacked me,” I said plainly, unsure if I should tell him about the weird Vorm.
“It attacked you… What was its goal? Was it trying to take control over your body?” he asked moving away from the door.
“It wanted to find the source of the magic I felt in the Council Chamber. It said that magic could free it,” I paused, recalling everything it had said, “It seemed more powerful, the red eyes are proof of it, those where his doing.”
“How did you manage to repel him inside your mind?” asked Master as he, a dragon I assumed was Tromuelan, and Zetzu pushed their heads through what used to be the roof.
“I didn’t, at least not that I tried anyway.”
“Then how did you manage to do what several dragons, Dragon Knights, and Sentinels failed to do together by yourself,” asked the Sentinel, �
��Even in your dreams it should still retain considerable strengths.”
“A quad wing Vorm did it for me,” I said.
There was silence as all five of them looked at each other. I wondered what they were thinking but I had gotten used to not knowing things and getting an explanation later. So I waited calmly.
Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2) Page 2
