by C. K. Rieke
Gar stood next to Zaan; he was more collected now. “Way to go. Zelestiana is going to love that.” Gar hit Zaan in the arm, almost knocking him over.
***
Two hours later Astor came to find Zaan. He told him that he had been summoned by Palanzal. Zaan was nervous, as he knew he would undoubtedly be in trouble for his actions earlier.
“Did they ask to see Gar too, or is it just me?” Zaan asked Astor, who stood expressionless. Astor simply motioned with a slow movement of his head, implying for Zaan to follow him. They both walked toward the tower in Barrier Cliff that held the chambers and office of Palanzal. Zaan’s stomach turned as they approached the tower. It shot straight up toward the sky. The reflection of the sun on its mirrored black stone made it appear striped, like a zebra’s hide. As he looked up at the tall tower, heavy snowflakes began to fall all around him, and a cold breeze blew in from the north.
They approached the closed iron doors at the entrance, and Astor knocked once and heard it echo throughout interior of the tower. It made the tower sound completely hollow. The doors opened slowly inward. A pair of soldiers bowed their heads to Astor, and they did not look at Zaan. Zaan and Astor strolled into the main hall, took a circular stair up to the right, climbed to almost the very top of the tower, and approached Palanzal’s study, where he was waiting. The entrance was a wooden door that held an elliptical piece of colorful stained glass. They both stood there momentarily, and Astor made no motion to knock.
“Come in,” came an elderly voice from the inside of the room.
Astor looked down at Zaan and said. “Don’t speak unless asked to.” He then turned the knob with his hand and motioned for Zaan to enter first.
Inside the chamber sat Palanzal at the center of the room, behind his intricately carved light wooden desk. At his side stood Zelestiana, who towered over the old man. He did not stand but made a motion with his hand for Zaan to sit at the chair in front of the desk, and he walked quickly over to the chair, and took a seat with his head hanging low.
“Do you know why you are here, Zaan Talabard?” Palanzal spoke clearly and eloquently.
“I believe so, sir,” he said, and looked up at Palanzal.
“What do you believe, then?” Palanzal asked with a wave of his open palm.
“I . . . I broke that awning.” Zaan looked up at Zelestiana, who was looking out the window to her left.
“You are here for two reasons. First of all, yes it was the destruction of the property at Harry Kimble’s home and store, and the reckless use of your Azulūz. Secondly, you are here for an evaluation. The two do seem to come at an appropriate time, because they are closely related.” He squinted as he looked deeply at Zaan. “Zelestiana and I have every good intention to teach you to use your abilities, but do not think for a moment we will not cast you out if you prove to be unteachable, or a danger to others.” Palanzal’s tone took a stern turn. “If you had hurt anyone—or worse, killed someone with your stupidity—there would be very harsh consequences for you. You were fortunate nothing serious happened.” Palanzal stood up and walked over to the window. “The penalty for killing another beholder of the Azulūz, even accidentally, can be death,” he said. “Do you understand what I said?” He looked over at Zaan.
Zaan bowed his head, acknowledging he did.
“Well, I hope you do. Zelestiana or Astor, do you have anything to add to emphasize this point and the fault of his actions? Zelestiana?” Palanzal went back over and sat in his large-backed mahogany chair.
She looked at Zaan with obvious disappointment. “You do something foolish like that again, and not only can you expect to be kicked out of Barrier Cliff, but don’t be surprised if I throw you over the cliff into the sea.” Astor looked surprised by this statement, Zaan noticed.
“Zelestiana does not take disappointment lightly, Zaan,” Palanzal added. “You are fortunate to have her as a guide. But . . .” He looked up at her. “She does have . . . methods of training young people, which . . . could be best described as”—he scratched the side of his head—“effective.”
Astor then said, “Don’t let us down, Zaan. These are important lessons to learn. You need to be more responsible, or you are going to get kicked out.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t do anything like that again, I promise,” Zaan said as he looked up at Zelestiana, trying to apologize with his solemn gaze.
“Okay,” Palanzal said. His posture now perked up, and he rolled up his sleeves and rubbed his hands together. “Now, for your evaluation. You have had multiple lessons and excursions with Zelestiana. “How do you feel you are doing?” Palanzal leaned forward to hear Zaan’s response.
“Until now, pretty good I guess,” Zaan said, still feeling small in the room.
“What do you know about your Azulūz?” Palanzal asked.
“I know I can move things, though only small things at the moment now. But I think I could potentially move something much larger. I did somehow lift myself into the air back in the Black Cave.”
“One of the reasons we were so disappointed to hear of what you did to Harry’s is that your power is very rare, and has great destructive potential,” Palanzal said. “You will find that the limits to your Azulūz are only what you can conjure and attempt to achieve. Have you noticed anything that amplifies your powers, or affects them?”
“No, not really,” Zaan said, but then touched his chin and thought. “Maybe. I never really thought about it.”
“Think. Has anything almost overwhelmed or soothed you when you used the Azulūz inside you?” Palanzal asked.
Zaan heard the word “soothed” and said, “Smoke.”
“Oh, that is something indeed.” Palanzal looked at Astor, then Zelestiana. “Smoke. What does it do to you?”
“I remember when I was in the mines, and I used my Azulūz for the first time, there was the faint smell of smoke from the torches that calmed me and smelled good. I felt as though I could breathe it freely, and be fine,” Zaan said, trying to remember the Black Cave that he’d tried to forget.
“You see, Zaan, all of our powers are affected by a certain couple of elements that occur naturally. One supportive; one disruptive. Do you know of anything that has affected you negatively?” Palanzal asked.
“Hmm.” Zaan lowered his head and rubbed his chin. “Not really.”
“Well, you will want to find it, so that you can sense it, and see it coming,” Palanzal said. An uneasy calm hung in the air.
Astor broke the silence. “Show Palanzal the stone.”
“Oh, yes, I was waiting for the right time to ask you about this, Headmaster.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved the small red stone and held it out on his palm for the three of them to see. “I’ve shown it to Astor and Gogenanth. It’s what I found in the cave. I think it’s what they had everyone mining for all of that time. I had it in my hand when I used my power for the first time. I don’t know if it did anything or not, though.” Palanzal and Zelestiana leaned forward to look at it.
Palanzal reached over, took it from Zaan’s extended hand, and laid it onto a piece of white parchment on the desk. “Interesting.” Zelestiana peered over Palanzal’s shoulder at the small red smooth stone. “Do you recognize it, Zelestiana?” She shook her head no. “Hmm, curious. I will have to research this. Why would so much effort be put into such a seemingly insignificant stone?”
“Why didn’t you show this to me earlier?” Zelestiana asked.
“I didn’t really think about it while we were training. I apologize.”
She went back to her normal stance. “Zaan, there are things you will be able to do with your Azulūz down the line that will appear godlike to certain people, and you will create fear and hope in many. This is a great responsibility you will carry. You must take it more seriously.”
“I will.”
“Okay, then. Zaan, you are excused,” Palanzal said, handing the stone back to him. “Hold on to that stone. I
’m curious about its value.” And Zaan took the pumpkin-seed-sized red stone and put it back into his pocket.
“You will have to find your own way out. Astor is going to remain here,” Palanzal said to Zaan. No one made a gesture, so Zaan slowly stood up and began walking toward the door to leave. “Enter,” Palanzal called, confusing Zaan. The door opened, and a familiar face appeared in front of him, bringing a large smile to his face.
“Gildur!” Zaan yelled out in excitement. Gildur’s only response was that of a half-smile and a nod. Zaan then noticed that behind him were Tilda, Gogenanth, Elindrill, and a handful of others whom he didn’t recognize. They all walked straight past Zaan, except Gogenanth.
“We will talk later, Zaan. We have urgent matters to discuss here,” Gogenanth said.
“Can I stay? I might be able to help,” Zaan asked.
“No. Sorry. We will talk later,” Gogenanth replied as he turned to walk toward the group huddled around Palanzal’s desk.
Zaan walked out of the room and watched as the group disappeared behind the closing door. The last image Zaan caught was that of Gildur on a knee before Palanzal.
PART V
Winter and
Revenge
CHAPTER FIFTY
SNOWFLAKES resembling tiny spiderwebs drifted down from the heavens onto Zaan’s head as he left the tower. It was now officially winter, and there was soon a foot of fresh snow covering Barrier Cliff. It made the castle feel much softer and welcoming, the bright white offsetting the sullen blacks of the stone walls. The blue flames scattered around the city made it quite a beautiful place.
As he walked, he thought more about the meeting he’d just attended: about the capabilities of his powers, of smoke and how it affected him, and of what it had felt like to hover above the ground. He was still embarrassed about the roof he’d destroyed, yet he felt lucky no one had been hurt. He decided to head off to find Gar, and have someone to talk to.
One thing that bothered him still was the entrance of Gildur, and the feeling in the room once the group walked into Palanzal’s study. Gildur had not been very communicative to Zaan in the past, but he’d hardly acknowledged Zaan’s presence in Palanzal’s room. He could have at least looked happy to see me alive. Also, there was Tilda . . . and seeing her again only made it harder to think of her. As difficult as it was to try to forget her, seeing her only made him feel worse. He didn’t know if he was in love with her or if he was just in lust, or if it was him confusing their friendship with something more. It hurt his head to dwell on it, but it was just as painful to try to ignore it. He knew they would have to confront it sometime soon, or it might drive him mad.
As he approached Folk’s Inn, Gar’s favorite midday stop, he looked back up at the headmaster’s tower and wondered what they were talking about at that moment. He assumed they weren’t talking about him, but it wasn’t totally out of the question. He tried to remember the faces of the people he hadn’t known who had entered with his friends. Somehow a couple of their faces seemed familiar, but he assumed he didn’t know them, and dismissed the notion.
He opened the door, and the warm and intoxicating scent of freshly brewed coffee filled his nostrils. Gar sat at a table, and he was reading a large book. He sat the book down in front of him, laying a feather on the page before he closed it.
“Hey, Zaan, everything okay? You look sort of pale,” Gar said. He took a careful sip of the hot coffee. “Would you like some?”
“Oh yeah, that smells amazing.” Gar reached behind him and motioned to the bartender, who brought over another mug and poured it for Zaan, who blew onto the top of the dark roast before he took a delicate sip.
“Ah, that’s good. What are you reading?” Zaan asked, and took a deeper sip.
“It’s a history of this place, of Barrier Cliff. Did you know this place used to be home to a dragon master?” Gar asked energetically.
“I remember hearing about something like that back in school. I didn’t know they were talking about this place. And . . . what’s a dragon master?”
“Well, this place was originally built as a stronghold for people crossing all the way across the vast Elden Sea and up into the Rion. This used to be one of the six Old Kingdoms of Essill, before Celendrial Castle was destroyed and this fortress was abandoned.”
“Leaving us with the Four Kingdoms of Essill now,” Zaan added. “What would make people risk their lives to cross the dangers of the Elden Sea? Everyone knows the chances of making it across without the Aterax tearing a boat apart are slim to none.”
“To escape the desert on the other side, in the Arr.” Zaan leaned in to hear more. “It was not only a dangerous sea to cross, but the indigenous people here didn’t like them, and would try to kill them or enslave them. So they built this place to protect the immigrants.” Gar’s eyes grew wild. “But then a dragon master came with his dragons and forced everyone out of the city! He took the place over, and he was the only one who lived here. Riverend was his name. Riverend the Dragon Master.”
“Riverend the Dragon Master, eh?” Zaan said.
“Yeah. He lived here for fifty years with fifty dragons. Could you imagine that? Dragons flying all over this place?” Gar asked with excitement.
“Kinda, yeah. I could see dragons with all of this black stone here.”
“Do you think dragons really ever existed?” Gar leaned back into his seat.
“I don’t know. Probably not. That was a long time ago—thousands of years ago. Stories were much more elaborate back then,” Zaan said. “But I bet they were something if they did exist. Flying, breathing fire, but you never know. I’ve been told there are monsters on the other side of the Great Sea, at the End of the World. I bet if they exist, they are over there.”
Gar took the last sip of coffee in his glass. “So, you got plans today? We could get some drinks.”
“No, I don’t think so. Gogenanth was going to talk to me, or us, about something important sounding, but I’m not going to see Zelestiana or anything,” Zaan said. “Coffee is good for now.”
“Suit yourself. Barkeep, an ale please,” Gar said as he pushed his empty cup of coffee toward Zaan. “What was your meeting with Palanzal like?”
A smirk came to Zaan’s face.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
THE warm sunlight illuminated the waxy pages of the text. Zaan was at his desk in his room, reading the book that Gar let him borrow earlier: The History of Barrier Cliff and Its Surrounding Landscape, Volume I. Zaan had just gotten to the part about Riverend the Dragon Master taking Barrier Cliff with his fifty dragons when a knock came on the door.
He answered it to find a young girl he didn’t recognize, who told him that Palanzal had requested his presence in his chambers again. Zaan was quickly out the door and up the winding staircase, and he soon arrived at the headmaster’s office door. After a few knocks, he heard Palanzal’s voice welcoming him to open the door.
Trying to hide his disappointment of not finding Gildur in the chambers, he faked a smile and walked up to Palanzal, who sat behind his desk. Elindrill sat in a chair to the side of where Zaan had sat earlier.
“How do you do, Zaan?” Palanzal asked.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“I believe you are slightly let down that Gildur is not here,” he said, “but he is working on something very important at the moment. There may be time to reminisce with him soon.”
“We did not invite you up here to talk about those things, however,” Elindrill said. “There are a few things we need to discuss, and now seems to be the time the stars have aligned for you.”
“The Azulūz is a mysterious thing,” Palanzal said. “It is quite marvelous, and while it seems to make some powerful, it can also be regarded as, well . . .”
“A curse,” Elindrill said.
“A curse? What do you mean? Because we are hunted?” Zaan asked.
“Yes. I know that Zelestiana told you that there are
few of us remaining. We do not know exactly how many there are, though, because we assume there are still some unknown to us, who may not even know they are bearers themselves,” Elindrill said.
“Armoz the Devil King is cunning, Zaan. He not only hunts after us to crush the powers we wield, but if he succeeds then the great gods will be gone forever, with no hope to bring them back to protect us. Although he has hidden in the shadows for generations, we believe that if all of us are gone he will then be free to wreak whatever havoc on this world he wills,” Palanzal said.
“We cannot let that happen,” Elindrill added.
“How is it that he can keep it from going to another person, like how I inherited mine on the road?”
“When he has the person with the Azulūz in his realm, he tortures and kills them there. The Azulūz cannot escape his lands, and we assume just . . . dissolves,” Palanzal said.
“What’s more is that he has the ability to give powers of his own to individuals. Powers similar to the ones that we possess,” Elindrill said. “This all becomes more difficult because he can occasionally turn one of our own on us.”
“What? How?” Zaan asked.
“There was one he captured years ago, before we took up refuge here in Barrier Cliff. She was a great warrior for Ojiin, but we guess that he tortured her and turned her to one of his hunters. She was one of the best of us. You see, Armoz is a master of deception and betrayal,” Elindrill said.
“Can he be beaten?” Zaan asked.
Palanzal and Elindrill gave each other concerned faces. “Probably not by us,” Elindrill said. “Our best indication is that only gods can kill other gods, so our goal is for Ojiin and the Forgotten Gods to return.”
