by Jack Knight
“You need to be more aggressive,” Xara told Xion. “In a real fight, you need to take them out as soon as possible. The longer you fight, the more tired you’ll get and the worse off you’ll be.”
Xion was already panting, he had removed his shirt when it had become drenched in sweat, and the sword was starting to feel heavy in his hand. Xara had barely broken a sweat and was not breathing heavily at all.
“How do you do this?” Xion asked, panting and letting the tip of his sword drag on the ground. “You were locked in a room, and I’ve been fighting my way across Ustama.”
“I’m older than you,” Xara laughed. “Using magic changes your body to bring out your bloodline.”
Xion nodded. “I knew that,” he told her.
Ava and Sapphire had explained that to him months ago. That explained his, Ava’s and Xara’s scales. It also explained why Xara’s were less noticeable, they must have faded into her more as she aged. Xion wanted to ask what else about his body was going to change, but any time he tried to ask about his bloodline, Ava would interrupt.
Xion envied Sapphire. Her bloodline was fey. All elves showed fey characteristics, which meant that the only change Sapphire was going to go through was that she would become “more beautiful” which Xion had never understood. He had not asked about it, because he could not imagine what Sapphire could possibly look like if she changed.
“What does that have to do with you not getting tired, though?” Xion asked.
Xara laughed. “D… I mean, we,” she glanced at Ava, “don’t get tired very easily. It’s necessary for them for when they travel.”
“Travel?” Xion asked.
“Nevermind,” Xara said dismissively. “Just strike.”
Xion breathed in deeply and lunged forward. Xara knocked his blade aside and struck out at him. Xion felt his fire surge in him, without thinking, he flicked his wrist and Xara’s sword was launched from her hand. Xion brought his sword around, intending to stop just before he hit her neck, but he never got the chance.
Xara threw her arm up and blocked Xion’s sword with her forearm. The sword slammed into her scales. It cut her arm a little, but not enough to worry her. Then, she reached out her other arm, which burst into flame for a fraction of a second. When the flame disappeared, her arm looked completely different. She had black scales covering her arm, down to her fingertips. Her fingernails had become sharp, curved claws.
Xion was so surprised he forgot to defend himself. Her arm transforming was strange, but that was not what bothered him. He was so surprised, because the same thing had happened to his arms when he was fighting with Draxis several months before. Only, the scales on his arm had been checkered black and gold.
In his brief moment of distraction, Xara grabbed Xion’s sword and ripped it from his hand. In a second, the blade was at his throat.
“Dead,” Xara grinned. The scales on her arm retracted into her skin and her claws shrank back down to fingernails. Xion felt a shiver run down his spine watching the change.
Xara handed him back his sword, and he was just about to ask her how she had done that, when a loud cry broke the silence in the little clearing.
Xion looked up toward the source of the sound and saw that a raven was flying down from the trees. The raven swooped down and landed at Xion’s feet. It let out another “CAW,” and flew away again. Xion watched as it swiftly disappeared between the trees.
“What?” Xion asked. He looked around at the others to see if they understood what had happened, but they all looked just as surprised as he did.
“Oh!” Sapphire gasped. “Xion, look at the ground.”
Xion looked down to see, right where the raven had landed, was a perfectly white scroll. It was rolled up and bound with a thin leather cord.
He picked it up off the ground, removed the cord, and unfurled it to see the page had only a few lines written on it. The script was so elegant and twisted that the shapes did not even look like letters, and Xion quickly gave up trying to decipher it.
“Can you read that?” Xion asked, holding the letter out to Xara.
Xara took it, her eyes quickly darted back and forth across the page for only a few seconds, and then she shouted, “Wow! This is so exciting!” and she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.
“Care to share with the rest of us?” Ava asked icily.
“Oh, right,” Xara laughed. She stopped bouncing and said, “The kings of Evergreen have invited ‘the chosen one and his companions’ to meet with them. There’s a lot of fancy words and stuff, but that’s the gist of it.”
“No thanks,” Ava said as she readjusted herself against Tenebris’ side.
“You don’t want to meet the kings?” Sapphire asked in surprise.
“Nope,” Ava answered simply.
“You guys are missing the most important part!” Warren announced, a gleam in his eyes.
“What’s that?” Laira asked, looking at him confused.
“We finally have the perfect name! The Chosen Companions!” Warren cheered.
Ava groaned at the same time as Sapphire laughed.
“I thought we were finally done with that,” Ava growled.
“We are now! That’s perfect!” Warren jumped to his feet. “I have to go, now. I have to thank them. This is so amazing.”
“But, why do they want to talk to us?” Xion wondered aloud.
“Whatever it is, it’s political,” Ava answered.
Sapphire stood and walked over to Xara to return Dirk, and then said, “We have to go. Refusing an invitation from the kings would be rude. Offending them when we’re staying in their city isn’t a good idea.”
Xion sighed. “Okay,” he looked to Ava. “You sure you won’t come?”
“I’d rather lick Vairiel’s wounds clean,” she returned.
Xara laughed. “Gross.”
“Okay,” Xion was not sure whether to laugh or remark on how disturbing the thought of that was. “Everyone else?”
“I’m staying,” Laira announced. “I don’t think I’d like being in the palace of leaves, anyway.”
“I’ll go with you, Xion,” Sapphire said happily, smiling brightly at him. Xion could not help but smile back. Somehow, Sapphire coming with him made the thought of talking to the kings seem less intimidating.
“I think I’d better stay, too,” Xara told him.
“Why?” Xion asked. He did not particularly want Xara to come with him, but there was no reason that she should feel like she could not go.
“I don’t really want to bring any attention to the fact that I exist, you know?” Xara explained.
“Then, the three of us can thank the kings for the name,” Warren said happily. “Come on, let’s go!”
Xion did not even get a chance to respond before Warren started off at a jog toward the city. Sapphire and Xion followed after him at a much slower pace. Xion could not imagine why the kings would want to see him, but he worried that Ava was right.
He was not really interested in politics. He did not want to stand behind one king or another, and he had no real interest in who ruled Qua’ke, as long as it was not Vairiel. He would prefer it if the kings wanted to support the humans, or at least try to stop Draxis, but he did not want to do anything about it. He was more than happy to oppose Draxis with only his friends by his side.
Xion had to agree that Sapphire had a point, though, they could not ignore the kings. So, Xion, Sapphire, and Warren made it back to the city’s clearing, and the three of them, with Aurum and Ferion leading the way, climbed a tree to enter the city.
While shops, homes, and bridges dotted the entire city, the palace was impossible to miss. From the ground, it looked no different than any other of the leaf clad structure, but in the trees, the palace was unmistakable.
The leaves that made up the building fluttered softly in the light, ever present wind, but not one detached itself from the rest. They laced together to form walls ten feet high. Then, a second floor to
wered over the first, smaller in size, but just as tall. Finally, a small column rose above the second floor, and pierced through the ceiling of leaves above them. Xion had seen a multitiered cake in Fairen one time, and that was all he could think of as they approached the palace. Xion did his best not to laugh at how similar the two looked.
“I bet they’re glad there isn’t much wind in the city,” Warren joked as they crossed the last bridge to the palace.
Sapphire smiled, but said, “There is only ever as much wind as the kings want. They block all outside weather, that’s why it hasn’t rained the entire time we’ve been here.”
“It’s been raining?” Xion asked. He looked upward, but could only see the faint sunlight that made its way passed the leaves above.
“It’s almost the middle of spring,” Sapphire answered. “It’s been raining for weeks.”
“Man, I love this place. Can we just forget about Draxis and live here?” Warren asked. Xion was not entirely certain that he was joking.
“I doubt they’d be so happy to let us stay if we said we weren’t fighting Draxis anymore,” Xion answered.
Warren nodded seriously. “You’re right. You guys go do the fighting, and I’ll stay here and see about getting us our own tree.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Sapphire said sadly. “We need you with us.”
“Yeah, who’s Ava going to take out all her anger on if you leave?” Xion asked, grinning at Warren.
“Then, it’s settled, I stay here,” Warren confirmed.
“Stop it you two,” Sapphire said as they reached the palace doors.
Xion stared at the wall of leaves for a few seconds, not knowing what he was supposed to do next. “Do we knock?” he asked uncertainly.
The doors opened before Xion got an answer. The double doors split apart and opened inward, making no sound at all. Xion wondered if you could attach hinges to leaves, and then realized it was probably magic that kept every part of the building together.
When the doors fully opened, there were two men standing only inches away from the path the doors had traveled. Both of them were tall for elves, an inch or two taller than Xion. They both wore light green dresses, decorated with jewels of every color from the neckline all the way down to the hem. When the first man stepped forward, Xion could hear the gems dragging against the bark floor of the palace.
“Welcome, my honored guests,” the man greeted, spreading his arms out like he expected a hug. “I am Torlon, king of Evergreen, so nice to meet you, at last.”
Torlon had long blonde hair that fell almost to the middle of his chest, and light green eyes that matched his dress perfectly. He smiled so brightly that Xion almost felt like he was actually happy to see them. Until it occurred to him that they had been in Evergreen for weeks, and they had only just been invited.
“This is my husband, Avorin,” Torlon gestured toward the other man.
Avorin did not seem to want to pretend to be nice, like Torlon was doing. He had a bored expression on his face, and was staring over Xion’s head, instead of into his eyes. His sandy brown hair was cut shorter than any elf he had ever seen, just barely covering the tips of his ears. His eyes were a dark, mystifying purple.
Torlon stepped aside so that they could enter. “Please, do come in,” he invited.
“Will do,” Warren said happily as he marched into the palace. He animatedly saluted Avorin as he passed, but Avorin gave no indication that he even noticed.
Xion was not sure what he expected inside a palace, but he was very surprised when he followed after Warren. Sapphire gasped and turned in circles on the spot, taking in everything in the room. As the door shut behind them, Xion wondered what was the point of having all of these things.
The walls were made of tree bark, just like every other building in Evergreen, so he did not understand what the leaves covering the outside were for. The room, easily much bigger than even the tavern in Celemor, was filled with art. Paintings lined the wall, there were pedestals set up around the room with wavy vases made of gold, gold and silver jewelry with gems much too large to ever be worn were sitting encased in glass. There were weapons made of gold hanging all around the room, sometimes off the walls, sometimes in display cases, and there was one sword that was merely leaning against a chair in the corner.
There were chairs and couches, most of them in odd shapes and sizes, placed haphazardly around the room, all facing different directions. Xion could not imagine anyone ever wanting to sit in one of them, they looked extremely uncomfortable. And, on the side of the room opposite the front doors, there were two large golden chairs with small cushions on the seat. Behind them, Xion could see a door that he assumed must lead to the second floor, but he doubted he would ever find out.
Torlon and Avorin gracefully walked around Xion and the others and majestically sat down on the golden chairs. Xion realized those must be the thrones. He also wondered if putting so much effort into walking tired them out more quickly than if they had just walked normally.
“It’s an honor to meet you both, Your Highnesses,” Sapphire greeted, bowing her head.
“Uh, yeah, hi,” Xion said awkwardly before quickly dipping his head a few inches and then standing up straight again.
“Who are you?” Warren’s voice came out very excited.
From around one of the uncomfortable looking couches, a woman was walking toward them. She was only as tall as Sapphire, and almost as beautiful. She wore only a simple white dress with thin straps over her shoulders. Her ears were even longer than other elves, and she had silver, spiraling tattoos on her face, arms, and what Xion could see of her legs. Her eyes were a stormy grey, and her smile was kind.
She looked only at Warren when she spoke. “I’m Illaria, but you may call me Ari.”
“You’re the Myst!” Sapphire said in awe. “I never thought I would get a chance to meet you!”
Torlon cleared his throat. He still had a smile on his face, but he obviously did not like people paying attention to anyone besides himself.
“My apologies, cousin,” Ari said to him. She turned to the others and said, “After you have finished speaking to the kings, may I request a meeting of my own?”
“That will not be necessary,” Torlon said kindly. Xion got the feeling it was supposed to be an order.
Warren did not seem to feel that the king had any say in the matter. “Not necessary, but it would be our pleasure,” he said brightly.
Ari laughed softly. “Then I will gladly wait until you are finished.”
She glided over to another strangely shaped chair and sat down slowly, as if gravity did not affect her correctly. Xion had no idea why they all thought they needed to walk like that, it seemed like a lot of unnecessary effort, and Xion thought it just looked strange.
“Very well,” Torlon said, Xion could hear a twinge of annoyance in his voice, “but first, I have an offer for you, Chosen One.”
Xion waited for the king to say more, but he paused, like he was waiting for a response. After several seconds, Xion asked, “Okay, what’s the offer?”
Ari smiled and hid her mouth behind her hand as Torlon continued. “We would like for you to become a knight of Evergreen, a champion for the elves and fey of Qua’ke.”
Xion looked at Sapphire and Warren. Warren’s eyes had gone so wide it actually looked like they had gotten bigger, but Sapphire had a serious frown on her face. He knew that, just like him, Sapphire was thinking that the offer had to be more complicated than it sounded.
“Why,” Xion asked, “would you want to make me a knight?”
“It would inspire the people of Qua’ke to know that the chosen ones stands on our side,” Torlon answered brightly.
Beside him, Avorin rolled his eyes. “Because, if you pledge yourself to the current crown, the people of Qua’ke would support us over the heir to the throne and the Myst,” he corrected.
“A secondary benefit, to be sure,” Torlon chuckled.
“O
h, come off it,” Avorin scowled. “Look, halfborn, the people of Qua’ke know the prophecy will come to pass soon, we want to maintain our position. If you pledge yourself to us, we keep our position. In exchange, we will put the full support of Qua’ke behind you in the fight against Draxis.”
Xion felt a twinge of anger at the word “halfborn”. Xion knew that it was being used as a slur. He did not mind when certain people said it, when they used it as a simple identifier. Others, like Avorin, said it like a dirty word. A disparaging word meant to make people with mixed lineages sound like lower lifeforms.
“Does he remind you of anyone?” Warren wondered aloud.
Xion tried to hide a smile. Avorin seemed so much like Ava it was a little unnerving. He wondered if they were related.
“What do you want to do?” Sapphire whispered to Xion, her face calm and unreadable.
“What if I refuse?” Xion asked cautiously.
“Well, that bit is unpleasant,” Torlon admitted, his tone apologetic. “But, if you refuse to support the well being of the people of Qua’ke, we must assume the worst of the prophecy, and act accordingly.”
Xion threw his hands up in frustration. “Everyone keeps talking about the prophecy, but nobody will tell me what it says!” Xion did his best to keep his voice from a shout, but it still came out louder than he had meant it to.
“I would be happy to tell you,” Ari interjected with a smile.
Xion’s heart skipped a beat. “Wait, really?” he asked. He was so surprised that his anger and frustration disappeared instantly.
“Now is not really the time for that,” Torlon argued.
“Just tell him,” Avorin said dismissively. “I’m already bored of this.”
Ari smiled again and looked at Xion. “Are you sure you want to know?” she asked. “It has implications that you may not want to hear.”
Xion nodded confidently. “I have to know,” he insisted.
Ari nodded, and then spoke, as if she were singing a haunting melody. “A halfborn three times will come of age, when dragon’s fire and wars rage, the hero’s choice must then be made, and sacrifice must then be paid, the dark ones call and lost ones cry, the world’s hope will that day die, if Darkness is not that day faced, Darkness can never be replaced.”
