A Dragon Born

by Jordan Baker

  "Fine," Aaron said. "Show me how to make the marks."

  "It is very simple. The easiest way is to use something to focus your power. Since you only need a small amount, your finger will do."

  Aaron pointed his finger.

  "All you need to do is release the smallest amount of power from the tip of your finger, but not fire, just energy."

  Aaron remembered the few things Ariana had showed him, how he once used too much power and nearly burned her arm. He was nervous that he might use too much energy again, but he was determined to try. He felt the power within him like a river with so many currents, running in different directions and he pulled the smallest amount he could and let it flow into his finger.

  "That's good, Aaron," Stavros said. "Now release it into the air and draw a line."

  Aaron did and he saw a white line of energy hover in the air. He stopped and pulled his finger away and the line dissipated.

  "It disappeared."

  "I needs an anchor point," Stavros explained. "Look past the markings in the room. Can you see other lines of power, ones that are part of this place, part of the wood of the walls or the air in the room, even the sound of the people?"

  Aaron looked more carefully and he could see a myriad of lines of energy interconnecting everything like an intricate living web that was forever moving and changing.

  "I think so," Aaron told him.

  "Do you see any that look as though they are unlikely to change, that might be permanent?"

  "Yes," Aaron said, "but they are in the ground underneath the inn and the current that moves past the harbor is less constant than the rock but it seems stronger and more sure even though it moves."

  "Interesting," Stavros said. He was surprised that Aaron could sense the currents in the water. "Large lines like those in the stone or the currents in the sea are only necessary for much larger and more permanent spells. What about the lines in your shirt?"

  "My shirt?" Aaron looked down at his clothes and he saw the various patterns in the threads from which it was made, some stronger than others, which gave it structure, heavier stitches where pieces of cloth were joined together. "I see some lines, but they move as well."

  "But your shirt isn't going to disappear in the next few moments," Stavros said.

  "It's an old shirt, but it might last a while longer."

  "Good, then draw another line and connect it to somewhere on your shirt or your boot."

  Aaron touched his finger to the cuff of his sleeve and drew a line.

  "Now touch that line and tell it to disperse." Stavros watched as Aaron dispelled the line. "Now draw a few more lines in circles around you, anchoring them to your feet or your belt, and try to space them evenly and see what happens. Once a line is anchored, you can connect others to it or use it as an anchor point, though it will not be as strong."

  Aaron did as Stavros instructed until he was surrounded by at nearly half a dozen circles.

  "Excellent," Stavros said. "With practice, you will be able to create such lines with little more than a thought. Using your finger or an object is usually for learning or for focusing large amounts of energy. With your thoughts, you can create much finer patterns and you can do it as quickly as your mind is able to determine what they should be. Now, the final step is to take a small amount of your power and let it flow in all directions and telling the lines you have drawn to catch it and hold it, without drawing it in. You want to create a sphere and have it expand out until the lines become its support and structure. Use your power to create a surface that will fit inside the lines of power."

  "A sphere." Aaron thought about it for a moment. "Like a soap bubble?"

  "Yes," Stavros said, chuckling at the idea. "That would be a fair description of it, except it is made of energy instead of soap."

  Aaron let go of a small amount of power and he felt it flow into the air around him. He could feel his connection to the lines he had drawn and he could sense his released power grow near to them. He thought of the soap bubbles from all the times Tarnath made him do the washing, and he remembered the old man making him a beard out of soap suds one time when he was just a boy. He remembered the soap bubbles gathered around Ehlena in the bath at the inn where they had stayed when they first met, and he remembered the soft curves of her naked body floating languidly in the water. Aaron also remembered when her godfather was killed and when Tarnath had died and he felt the heat of anger rise in him. His head began to whirl with all the conflicting thoughts and emotions of everything that had happened to him, and all the things he had discovered.

  "Careful, lad," Stavros said, and the way he spoke reminded Aaron so very much of Tarnath.

  Aaron let go of all the thoughts that were cluttering up his mind and he focused on the circular lines he had drawn and the energy that floated in the air. He imagined a giant soap bubble, shiny with myriad colors and the energy flowed outward to the lines and finally took shape, settling into place.

  "Is that it?" Aaron asked.

  Stavros glanced at Ehlena and she nodded.

  "Well done, my boy," he said with a laugh. "You've not only hidden your power, but you've also turned yourself invisible."

  "Invisible?" Aaron was surprised. "But I can see myself." He held up his hand and realized it had become translucent. "I can sort of see myself," he corrected himself.

  "Aaron," Stavros said. "Try thinking about being visible."

  Aaron shrugged and imagined himself becoming visible and he saw his hand become more solid looking.

  "That's better," Stavros said. Ehlena leaned forward on the bed.

  "Aaron, when you made the barrier around yourself, did you see any colors?"

  "Yes, they were part of the soap bubble," he told her.

  Ehlena smiled, giggling a little, and she reminded him of how she was when they traveled together to Maramyr. His thoughts quickly went to the memory of her in the bath and when they went swimming together, and Aaron felt his cheeks grow warm and something stirred deep inside him. He pushed those thoughts away, remembering that she was now a goddess and it was probably not polite to think about her in such a way.

  "What colors did you see?" Ehlena asked. Aaron shrugged.

  "All of them, I think," he told her.

  Ehlena glanced at Stavros, then looked back at Aaron. It was unexpected, but not surprising that he should have such range to his power. With the knowledge of the Lady, Ehlena understood so much more about the world, but Aaron's power was fascinating.

  "Well done, Aaron," she said, letting the matter drop. "It's important that the priesthood can't find you and it's even more important that Cerric, this god-king, can't find you either, for he will covet your power as he covets all those in the world who have power."

  Aaron frowned. He did not want to be hunted by mage priests and their one god. He did not want to have anything to do with Cerric, even though the thought of what he had done to Ariana angered him. Still, these were matters of mages and kings, gods who walked the land, and all Aaron really wanted was to live in the cottage near Ashford and laugh with his uncle. He knew none of that was possible now, but the last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone with his power, and now that he was coming to understand it, he was afraid of it. It was overwhelming to be a mage and he did not know how Stavros and Zachary could stand it.

  "Thank you for showing me how to hide from the priesthood, Stavros," Aaron said. "And thank you for helping me understand, Ehlena. All of this is very confusing and I have a lot to think about. I need some time to think. I would like to walk around the island and sort out my thoughts." Aaron picked up his sword belt and slung it around his waist.

  "Of course," Stavros said. "You've been cooped up in this room for days. It's about time you got some fresh air. Then we have a lot of work to do, Aaron. There is much I can teach you and much you need to learn."

  "Thank you, Stavros," Aaron said.

  "Would you like me to come with you?" Ehlena asked. Aaron looked at her for a long
moment.

  "I would," he told her, "but I need some time alone, to think."

  "As you wish," Ehlena said.

  Aaron smiled at them both and walked out of the room. Stavros turned to Ehlena.

  "He is uncomfortable with his power," he said. "I cannot think of any mage who would willingly even consider giving up such a gift."

  "Aaron is different than most," Ehlena agreed. "The fact that he does not desire power for its own sake makes him worthy of being entrusted with it."

  "I have always believed that we quest to learn to become greater, more knowledgeable, more powerful," Stavros said. "Though he learns quickly and comes to it naturally, I am concerned that he is unwilling to accept his responsibility to embrace that power and pursue the knowledge of who he is."

  "Knowledge itself is a most often a noble pursuit, but that is seldom true of the pursuit of power itself," Ehlena said. "We must be patient with him. Aaron has great gifts but he has suffered much and his trust has been shaken. We must do what we can to allay his fears, for we will need his help in the coming days."

  Ehlena sighed, then she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Stavros held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

  "Thank you, Stavros. You always have been a perfect gentleman."

  "It is my honor, Lady...Ehlena," Stavros found it irreverently mundane to call the goddess by name and he also found it a little disconcerting that she knew so much about him even though they had only just met. He had a long list of questions he hoped to ask her and, since they had some time, he thought a little more irreverence might not hurt. "Have you ever tried pirate sweetwater?"

  "No," she replied.

  "If Carly and Zachary haven't drank it all, perhaps we could enjoy a cup."

  *****

  As he made his way down the stairs from the rooms of the inn to the tavern on the main floor, Aaron thought about being invisible again and he held up his hand for a moment to make sure it was translucent. Satisfied that no one could see him, he descended the stairs into the busy tavern. Across the room, he spotted Carly and Zachary, sitting at the bar, chatting animatedly and laughing about something. He was not sure how to feel about Zachary, and he wanted to ask him so many things, but he was angry about the fact that his father had not been in his life, and that the mage could sit there with a smile on his face when he had done the horrible things Aaron had witnessed. He looked at Carly for a moment, and wanted to thank her for helping him, for bringing him with her to Meer Island and for quenching the fire that had nearly overpowered him, diminishing its fury with her own deep power, and for being a friend. She was the only one who did not seem to want anything from him. Aaron decided he did not want to get into a conversation with Zachary, so he continued toward the doorway of the tavern and walked out of the inn.

  It was late in the day and the streets were busy with people making their way to their homes or the various taverns and other establishments that lined the main street of the town that overlooked the pirate harbor. The sky above was already turning from blue to brilliant red and orange, and it seemed almost strange to Aaron to be outside the inn. He could feel the cool mist of the ocean air on his skin, with its gritty saltiness carried by a steady breeze. Still invisible, Aaron navigated his way down the street and toward the harbor where a number of large ships and smaller boats were moored, though not a large number given Meer Island's reputation as the home of the pirates. Aaron imagined they must have more ships somewhere and he thought about using his power to see if there were more ships somewhere else at the island, but he decided against it. Other than making sure the priesthood or Cerric could not find him, he wanted nothing to do with his powers, so the less he used them, the better.

  Aaron made his way down to the docks and saw Malek talking with a group of pirates. Their conversation appeared to be about something important, for all the people at the docks were gathering around to hear what was being said.

  "You'd be willing to swear to that?" asked a large, dark-haired man with a stiff black beard, who appeared to be the leader of the group.

  "Aye," Malek said. "It's the truth of it. I barely had enough to pay for the cost of all those trips I made. Look at my ship. Don't you think I'd have a bigger one if my share of the gold amounted to anything?"

  "True," said the other man, and the other pirates nodded in agreement. "I wondered what nonsense she was talking when she said she was clear of her debt."

  "Carly gets strange notions in her head," Malek said. "You ever notice how she changes the way she talks and acts. It's like she's pretending to be someone she isn't. I don't know what game she's playing at but I don't trust her."

  "Well, she's cosied up to those mages so there's not much we can do, but by rights, she shouldn't be here at Meer." The other man glanced at the men standing around him. "We've got a right to demand she leave the island. Maybe the mages will leave as well. I say we march right up there and deal with it right now. I, for one, am done walking on eggshells around these mages and this is pirate business! We've a right to enforce the code on our island."

  Aaron stepped out of the way as the group of pirates, who had been riled up by their leader, began marching up the road toward the town. He thought about warning Carly that trouble was on the way, but he noticed that almost all of the pirates had left the harbor. There was only one large ship that still had crew aboard, and they did not seem particularly interested in whatever the group of pirates were doing so Aaron hoped they would ignore him as well.

  He walked onto Malek's ship and checked the stores to make sure there was water and food aboard. It appeared that Malek was only part of the way through restocking the supplies but Aaron figured there would be enough to last a while for one person. He checked the wind and, though it was not ideal, he figured it was enough for him to sail the small ship out of the harbor. Quickly, he drew a series of lines, sending the power outward from his fingertip in large arcs big enough to encircle the ship, then he untied the heavy lines of rope from the moorings and gathered some of his power into his body then pushed the side of the ship away from the dock, keeping his hand on the ship's rail and jumping onto the deck as the ship rocked in the water and floated out into the harbor.

  Aaron unfurled the shortsail at the front of Malek's small ship and used it to catch the wind, adjusting the angle so the nose of the ship came about and began to move toward the mouth of the harbor. Aaron was glad he had paid attention to the things Malek had taught him when they had sailed down the river and across the sea, and even though he felt a moment of guilt about taking the ship, he knew from the things he had seen in Carly's mind when he and the pirate girl who was not just a pirate girl had touched, that the pirate should have more than enough gold to buy himself a new ship. Aaron thought it would be amusing to see how he would explain that, after swearing publicly before the other pirates that he did not.

  As Aaron began to sail the small ship toward the mouth of the harbor, he heard yelling from the crew that had remained aboard the one ship. He saw them standing at the rail and pointing at him and he realized that it must look a little strange to see a ship unfurling its own sails and piloting itself across the water. He picked up one of the oars from its resting spot along inside of the rail and waved it at them, smiling even though he knew they could only see the part of the oar that was outside the sphere that kept him invisible. Aaron did not like the fact that he was sneaking away, but at least he could say goodbye in some way.

  Aboard the Al-Andor, Sten watched with several of the crew as the small ship made its way to the mouth of the harbor and began to ride the larger waves of the open sea. The large sail unfurled and caught the wind at a rough angle, billowing and pulling the ship on an angle toward the sea break and Sten worried that the ship might run aground but it corrected itself and continued back on course. A few moments later, the ship disappeared, and all that was left was a dip in the water where its hull had been.

  "Strange things abound on this isle," Sten said alo
ud.

  "Aye," Rika replied. "I expect we'll see a lot more in the coming days."

  "I don't doubt that," Sten agreed.

  "Should we send a message to the Lady, Ehlena to let her know about this?"

  "I do not doubt she already knows," Sten said. "It's her wind in those sails."

  *****

  "Is everything all right?" Stavros asked, noticing that Ehlena seemed to be distracted.

  "No," she said. "Aaron has left the island."

  "What's this?" Zachary asked, having heard her.

  "He travels toward the mainland," Carly said.

  "We must try to stop him," Stavros said. "There is no telling what kind of trouble he might get himself into."

  Ehlena looked at Stavros, then at Zachary.

  "No," she said. "Let him go. We have helped him, and for now, that is all we can do. You, yourself said power cannot be controlled, only guided."

  "Should we not continue to guide him?" Stavros asked. " Aaron has so much to learn."

  "And when does that guidance become control?" Ehlena asked, considering the turn of events. "Now that his will is his own and he is free from the magics of others, Aaron must find his own path. Besides, it appears we have other problems."

  Ehlena turned toward the door to the inn and a moment later it burst open as a large group of pirates, led by Lanos-Meer and Malek entered the tavern.

  "Here comes trouble," Carly said.

  "Will you need our assistance, Carly?" Stavros asked.

  "No, I can deal with this lot," Carly said and she stood from her seat as Lanos walked up to her and thrust a finger in her face.

  "It is time for a talk, Carly," he said.

  "Talk then," she replied. "But get your finger out of my face before I cut it off."

  "You would threaten me? I am Lanos-Meer the king of Meer Island and you have already shown yourself to be nothing but a common cur, with no honor and no code."

  "Please continue, Lanos," Carly said. "Recite the code for me. Tell everyone here the pirate code. I am sure they would all like to know."