Quest Of The Dragon Tamer (Book 1) (16 page)

Grauss plopped down on the ledge and looked at Ren with a huge grin, happy for a listener and ecstatic the listener was the synergy.

“Everyone is born with a fate. However, choice and chance come into play. Choice provides different paths you can take, chance is the choices others make. Others choices are your chance and these chances influence your choices, which can eventually alter your fate. In your case, three others also heavily influence the fate you’ve been born with. If the others choose a wrong path, you may also, and then the world is lost, hence the union, my prince. You’re all somehow connected, though you don’t know it. You’ll find each other when the time is right. If,” Grauss said, holding up a finger, “you all choose the correct path.”

“That’s a lot of uncertainty, Grauss. My fate is affected by three other people?”

Grauss nodded. “Just like you have all six elements, the others will as well, all in varying degrees. Although all will have the three internal elements, I predict that each will have a unique way they were born or have come to be. Each one should have his or her own dominant external element of choice, chance, or fate and their own dominant internal element of love, pain, or hate.”

“So how do you know about the thorn, or what the prophets have called the darkness?”

Grauss pulled Ren to the ledge. “Must get off and come with me to the next window.”

Ren was careful to test the wooden ledge before he stepped out of the chair. His footing felt stable and he relaxed as he followed Grauss. The wooden ledge widened at the next window, allowing Ren ample kneeling room to peer into the night sky.

Grauss hunkered over, heels dangling dangerously off the ledge, and pointed. “There, do you see the dark spot in the sky, the spot with no stars?”

Ren nodded. He had seen the dark patch since birth. “It’s called the…” Ren hesitated, thinking about what he was about to say. It couldn’t be.

“The Raven, the darkness, devouring all the stars around it,” Grauss whispered with something between awe and intrigue. “Do you know when it appeared?’

“The Wizard War.”

“Good! And there’s a star, a red one, precariously close to the darkness, so close in fact it looks like it’s the very thing leaking the darkness into the sky, pricking it, if you will. It’s called ‘The Thorn.’ The Maker designed the stars to mirror the world, my prince, to warn us. Stars, like prophecy, tell a story. I’ve been studying the sky all my life. The Maker is telling us the thorn will bring the darkness and only the Maker’s gift of the synergy can stop it.”

Grauss lowered his voice, brows furrowing in concentration. “The star wasn’t red yesterday. Whatever she’s planning she’s begun to put into motion.”

Something tickled Ren’s mind. When he glanced at the star his breath caught. Ren stood and lost his balance. Grauss was suddenly beside him, pushing him toward the mountain’s face. Ren managed to breathe his thanks even though he had broken into a cold sweat.

“Grauss, do you know anything about a red crystal or what it could be used for?”

Grauss’ eyes opened wide. “A red crystal?”

Ren nodded, not liking the sound of Grauss’ voice.

“Oh dear. Does the thorn have it?”

Ren glanced out the window. “Yes.”

Grauss paled. “All crystals are blue or white if they’re the crystals wizards used for communication. The only other crystal was the Silver Eye. The Silver Eye was passed down to each Calvet, the wizard director of the Alcazar. The Silver Eye held the love of the Quy, magic’s soul so to speak, and was believed to hold power over life itself. For a crystal to exist it must have a twin. Twin crystals are opposite phenomena. One crystal can call to its twin, but no other. They are two in one – a balance –but also an opposing force. The Silver Eye can be no exception. Its twin is the Red Eye, and if the Silver Eye is the Quy’s love and holds power over life, the Red Eye is they Quy’s hate and holds power over death.”

Ren took a step back, desperate to escape Grauss’ revelation.

“People use the Quy for good as well as evil, for love as well as hate. If the Eyes are controlled the world is controlled, and the fate of the Lands is in the hands of the one who wields them. If you’ve found a red crystal it must be the twin to the Silver Eye, and it will be the balance of love. It will be hate.”

“What could she use it for?”

Grauss drifted closer. “The Silver Eye can be used to call to good spirits, speak with them, but this power is forbidden by the Maker and should never be used. It also holds the secret to life, meaning whoever controls the Eye can create life. But the Silver Eye doesn’t have to create life that’s good. Although the Eye itself is the Quy’s love, it’s unconditional, ubiquitous. It’s like a mother loving her murderous son. There’s no hate, and the one who controls the Eye controls the aftermath.”

Grauss gripped Ren’s arm with such force Ren’s hand went numb. “My prince, the Silver Eye can bring death in the form of life.” He paused to let the words sink in. Ren remained frozen. “The Red Eye would be the opposite extreme. It can be used to speak to evil spirits, and it can be used to bring life in the form of death.”

Ren was suddenly in dire need of a glass of water. His mouth felt like the desert at high sun. “What do you mean?”

Grauss glanced at the red star and the darkness before turning back to Ren. “The Maker has forbidden us to call to any spirit, good or bad. The realm of the dead is forbidden to us. To bring a good spirit into the Eye would mean to bring them pain, something the Maker clearly forbids. However, calling to evil spirits brings them relief.”

Ren took another step back. Grauss followed, oblivious to Ren’s sudden need to escape any knowledge of the Eyes.

“When you call evil spirits to the Red Eye,” Grauss continued, “they become stronger. It’s then possible for these spirits to pass through to the world of the living. They’ll be able to live again.”

“How could she bring a spirit through?”

“A vessel. The spirit would enter another’s body and take control.”

“Like a merging,” Ren said, thinking of Aidan.

“No, not like a merging,” Grauss said, eyes never leaving Ren’s face. “In a merging a spirit of a living being is torn from its body and transferred directly to another live body. The spirit and the body’s spirit battle for control and merge to create someone who’s different from both. Hence the spirit hasn’t passed through death. When a spirit that’s been dead enters a live soul that spirit will consume the soul, eat it alive, leaving nothing of the former occupant.”

Ren drew a deep breath. If Grauss was right any wizard who went to the lower Plains could rise again and fulfill Ista’s commands. She already had vessels awaiting them, vessels under her control. If she used the Red Eye she could have an army at her command almost immediately.

“Holy Maker,” Ren whispered, turning to start the descent to the floor. He had to return to Zier and find the crystal.

Grauss put a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t go back for it, my prince. It’s far too dangerous. She’s already bonded the Eye. Sorceresses can do such – bond things to them in a way that will cause your death if you physically touch it. And if you kill her before the bond has been broken … the Eye will be locked open or locked closed for eternity.”

“But don’t we want it locked closed?”

Grauss shook his head, white hair flying in every direction. “No, never do such. To lock something closed would be disastrous. I told you, the Silver Eye is the Quy’s love, so the Red Eye is the Quy’s hate. Both can be used for good and evil. We don’t know why the Eyes were created, but without hate magic would be binary, not trilateral. I don’t know the repercussions of such, but they can’t be good. If you closed one Eye what would happen to its twin? Just as a human twin can’t live without the other twin, could an Eye live without the other Eye?”

“But the Silver Eye can be used for ill as well. Why not destroy them both?”

Grauss leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “You’d want to risk closing not only hate but love? What if closing the Eyes takes love and hate from the world, leaving only pain?”

Ren’s hackles stood on end. Grauss was right. He didn’t know enough about the Eyes to destroy them. The silver dragon was the same notion. Just because a prophecy said to destroy the silver form didn’t justify destroying the dragon without reason.

Grauss wet his fingers and smoothed back his hair. “There’s only one way to stifle the threat of the Red Eye and that’s to neutralize what Ista’s begun. The only way you can neutralize the Red Eye is with the Silver Eye.”

The prophecy echoed in his mind:
And if the Dragon Tamer will not search to find the One, the world will drown in blood
.

Ren’s heartbeat quickened as he realized the importance of the quest before him. The darkness was bringing death to life. The darkness was bringing the wizards of old back from the dead and merging them with vessels. He had to find the One, for the One would have the Silver Eye, and the Silver Eye was their only hope.

“Grauss, there’s someone I’m supposed to look for. Do you know where I could find him? Have you read anything in the stars?”

Grauss’ brow crinkled in thought. The sage mumbled something under his breath and ran back to the other window.

Grauss looked over at him, blue eyes reflecting profound intelligence and depth. Ren had a feeling Grauss knew far more than what he revealed. Ren was about to voice his concern when Grauss pointed to the sky. “Look there, beside the synergy.”

Ren peered into the dark expanse of sky, trying to discern what Grauss wanted him to see. Just when he was about to give up he saw it. A hazy white light, almost invisible to the naked eye, twinkled on and off as it moved slowly and steadily toward the triangular constellation.

“Do you have a current plan?” Grauss asked, still staring out the window.

“Yes, though I don’t know – ”

Grauss held up a hand for silence. “Follow it. That light means one of two things: either you’re moving in the right direction or the One you seek will find you no matter where you go.”

They were silent for a time as both of them watched the misty light. Ren could scarcely believe his life was in the stars for all to see. He wondered if Ista knew about the constellation or what it meant.

“Grauss, thank you, and rest assured I’ll tell no one of your home. Your grandson meant no disrespect.”

Grauss eyes softened with regret. “I know. He’s special. I’ve always known that.”

“He has the Quy, Grauss,” Ren said, watching he old man’s reaction. At first Ren’s comment didn’t seem to register, but then Grauss’ face lit with fatherly pride.

Grauss spun, Ren forgotten, and ran down the path. Ren watched him go, and after deciding the path was better than the hanging chair, followed at a much slower pace.

“Neki! Neki!” Grauss shouted, waving his arms in the air.

Neki ambled over from where he had been talking to Galvin, brows furrowing in confusion. Ren reached the ground just as Grauss flung his arms around his grandson.

Grauss stepped back and put his finger in the air, indicating for Neki to wait, and scurried to a trunk at the far side of the cavern. Heartbeats later Grauss came back holding a long, sheathed saber. He handed his grandson the blade. Neki’s eyes widened as he unsheathed it.

It was the finest blade Ren had ever seen. The thick, silver arc was decorated with ancient runes. Embedded on the hilt and surrounded by golden braiding were three large stones: a ruby, an emerald, and a sardonyx. The stones winked in the firelight, as if awakening from a deep sleep. Ren wondered if they truly had.

“This sword was used in the Dark Ages by your ancestor, Taurus,” Grauss said, “one of the greatest wizards of his time. Taurus enchanted each stone to protect the one who wielded the weapon. The ruby is for luck in battle, the emerald wards off evil doings, and the sardonyx wards off things not of this world.” Ren thought about the spirits Ista could bring through the Red Eye. The sardonyx may come in more helpful than any of them knew. Dark as midnight, brilliant red striations cut the stone. Ren could feel its power emanating within.

“Grandfather,” Neki said, “Ren should have it.”

Before Ren could object, Grauss held up his hand. “No, only an descendant of Taurus can wield it. Its power would be useless to your prince, but you can guard him well with it. The stones will glow when they’re working and will be able to warn you if trouble is near.

“And remember,” Grauss said, turning fierce blue eyes to Ren. “Watch the stars. They can help guide you and they can warn you of danger. Watch the Raven. Its darkness will grow larger, and it will begin devouring everything around it. You need to crush it before it hides the synergy from the sky. Once it hides your star from view, you’ll have no guidance, no power, and no hope.”

Chapter 9

Once word of Ren’s escape had reached Fraul’s ears he purchased a fast mare and left without so much as packing his things. He wanted out of Zier, and he wanted out yesterday.

He couldn’t look at Ista without a thousand prickles of warning rippling across his skin, but it appeared as if everyone else was welcoming her with open arms. At least everyone except the Zier people. The Zier citizens he had passed on the road to Port Les were a little less than enthusiastic. Many were in tears. Fraul’s lips twisted into a pensive smile. The Zier people still believed in Ren, but what they could do about the charges against him was a different matter altogether. Ista had magic, and magic was something no one understood.

Fraul squinted into the morning’s light, hoping Ramie had made it to the docks with all his pieces. Surely Ista couldn’t hinder the king of Oldan from leaving Zier, or so he hoped. How much power could she force inside the mind of another? Fraul shivered at the thought of the needles. He had told Lazo of their discovery and urged the triplets to leave, but Lazo had refused, insisting Ista would follow. Fraul discerned the truth in Lazo’s terrified gaze. The triplets had lived in luxury their entire lives. Fleeing into the wilderness would be worse than death. Still, Fraul worried about his new friends.