Year 3043 AGD

Month: Preparation

Evening of the Third day

Continent of Terroval

North of Safeharbor

“Where are we going?” Shawnrik asked after both men had been quiet for a while.

“North,” Ashur said abruptly.

“Well, I can tell that much just from the direction we’re heading,” Shawnrik replied, immediately regretting the comment as Ashur shot him a glare.

Dunnagan laughed, “Why’d you ask, then?”

Shawnrik sighed.

They had left Safeharbor a few hours ago, traveling on the road out of the north gate. Dunnagan and Ashur had been talking up until a few minutes ago, catching up on the time that they were apart. It appeared from their conversation that neither of them had done anything eventful since they were last together, but Shawnrik thought that both of them were playing down their experiences. Ashur talked about cleaning out sewer rats, and Dunnagan talked about squashing some lizards. Shawnrik knew what kind of sewer rats Ashur had been hunting, so he could guess that the lizards probably walked on two legs and carried weapons, at the very least. Of course, both of the men seemed to know what the other was talking about, but Shawnrik had to decipher a lot of the conversation.

Dunnagan pulled back on the reins of Thunder and came alongside Shawnrik.

“You look like you’re thinkin’ again. I always like to find a nice rock to sit on when I’m thinking.” Dunnagan laughed. “So, how did you and Ashur meet, and what were ya doin’ before he met ya?”

“He was a thief!” Ashur called back from the lead position. “He was on watch for Victor and I snuck up on him.”

Shawnrik’s face went red at the truth of the statement.

“I’m askin’ the boy, why don’t you run on ahead and see if anyone is waitin’ to ambush us.” Dunnagan said dismissing Ashur.

Ashur looked back at him and then a crooked grin spread on his face. “I might just do that. I’ll try to save you some fun if there is anyone.” With that, he put his horse into a gallop and went ahead up the road.

Dunnagan looked at Shawnrik. “Is that true, boy?”

Shawnrik nodded.

“Who’s Victor?”

“He’s the one that Nim is training right now.” Shawnrik replied quickly.

“Is he the same age as you, or older?”

Shawnrik looked away from Dunnagan and chuckled.

“What’s so funny, lad?” Dunnagan asked, affronted by the chuckle.

“Victor is getting close to eight and a half.” Shawnrik looked back at Dunnagan to show that he was quite serious.

“Eight and a half?!” Dunnagan spurted in disbelief. “Most lads can’t even piss straight at eight and a half.”

“Well, Victor is a Shaper, and a thief. Probably anything else he wants to be, he’ll be that too. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and one of the most thoughtful, too.” Shawnrik looked away to the distant horizon as he spoke.

“You sound like you have a lot of respect for the boy.” Dunnagan was looking at Shawnrik in a new light now.

“I think I would die for him,” Shawnrik said honestly.

Dunnagan looked at Shawnrik with newfound respect in his eyes. “Ya remind me of Ashur more and more every time I talk to ya, but have ya ever considered serving as a cleric? If you really wanna keep your friends alive, being a cleric is one of the best ways to do it.”

Shawnrik looked at Dunnagan thoughtfully. “I never considered that,” he said honestly. “What does a person have to do to become a cleric?”

Dunnagan smiled. “We clerics receive our powers from the god we serve. Each god has different types of clerics. Clerics of Ragnós are more battle hardened and tend to focus on things that will help in battles. Clerics of Ol’ Thom or one of the evil gods tend to have more necromantic powers, and they twist the healing spells to do harm instead.”

“What about Cypheria? I’ve heard the name invoked, but I never truly understood why.”

“Ah, lad. Cypheria is the goddess of all protectors, be they protectin’ companions, laws, or knowledge. Cypheria believes that if somethin’ is worth protecting, then it is worth protectin’ with your life. So we clerics follow the same philosophy. Sometimes, to protect a friend all you may have to do is heal them, but sometimes to protect a friend you may have to fight off a horde of baddies. Whatever must be done to protect that which is entrusted to us, we will do, as long as it doesn’t break our moral code. This is the same moral code as most goodly races: Never kill women or children, never kill an unarmed or helpless person, help out when you can an’ where you can, never violate or take advantage of anyone. Things like that.” Dunnagan looked at Shawnrik.

“Cypheria sounds like my kind of goddess. Can you teach me how to be a cleric?” Shawnrik saw new possibilities unfolding in front of him and felt renewed hope for the future.

“Of course I can show you the way, but most of it has to come from within yerself. Ya already sound like one of Cypheria’s clerics, now ya just need to believe’n it with yer entire being. You must devote your life into her service and into the protection of what is dear to you and to her. Even if you’ve already devoted yer life to this Victor lad, Cypheria will still be able to overwhelm that. Just remember, if you are in the service of Cypheria, you are in the business of protectin’, and if you’re in the business of protectin’, then you can protect those entrusted to ye that much better.

“I myself have been a cleric for quite a long time, but I think the world could use someone with the skills of a thief, a fighter, and a cleric. If ya continue on the path that you follow now, ya may never be the greatest fighter, or the most powerful cleric, but ye’ll have a versatility that few could match. Ya should learn all ye can from Ashur about fightin’ and being sneaky. “I’ll be there to teach ya about the mystical parts, and a little bit of the dwarven style of fightin’. It’s always been my belief to learn all ya can, because knowledge is power, and I’ve found that the more I know ‘bout what’s going on, the better I can protect those in my trust. Don’t be worried if you don’t feel anythin’ at first, some don’t feel any different ‘til they have been in her service fer many years, and some never truly understand that Cypheria is always with us.”

Shawnrik nodded his head to everything that Dunnagan had just said. Victor had told him many of the same things about learning once, and he planned on continuing to follow that advice now. Shawnrik managed to attain an inner peace that had eluded him before this point and completely gave himself over to the role of protector. “I want to be in the service of Cypheria. From this day forth I will use all of my skills to defend those around me.” He said these words with a fierce determination, and Dunnagan recognized the tone of pure truth.

Shawnrik thought that he might have been imagining things as he felt a great burden lift from his shoulders. A heartbeat later, he felt a new burden settle in its place that seemed much more onerous, but with this new task he felt a soft but reassuring hand settle onto his shoulder providing him the strength to carry the load. It reminded him of a father giving reassurance to his son that he was going to be there by his side in the battle to come. However, he knew that the protection granted was much stronger than any father could give, and a tear ran down his cheek.

Dunnagan watched the transformation of the boy right in front of him with awe. Shawnrik seemed to sit straighter now, and his whole manner said that he had a purpose. Then Shawnrik looked at his shoulder like something was on it, and Dunnagan knew what had happened. “Ya feel it, don’t ya? The hand of Cypheria. It’s always there to assure us that we are doing right. Not many can feel it, and most never do. I think that’s Cypheria’s way of reassurin’ us that our goals follow her path. She must have some use for you and Victor. Yer goal of protecting the boy seems to be Cypheria’s goal also.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes, until Ashur could be seen riding back down the road. Shawnrik wiped his face with the rag he had for keeping dust out of his mouth when the roads weren’t so muddy. Ashur turned his horse around and waited for the two to catch up before reining in beside Shawnrik and matching their pace. Ashur looked at Shawnrik with a puzzled expression, and then he looked at Dunnagan who was smiling proudly.

“What happened to you, boy? You look different, and what are you grinnin’ at over there, Dunnagan?!” Ashur had a bewildered expression on his face.

“Shawnrik here has decided to follow my path and become a cleric of Cypheria,” Dunnagan stated proudly.

“Damn it all to hell, I can’t leave you alone with anyone for five minutes! I suppose you’re going to be converting heathens as we go, too.” Ashur was looking at the two in utter disbelief. “I was only gone a few minutes!” he repeated, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, Ashur, I’m still going to learn all I can from you, but I’m also going to learn all I can from Dunnagan, too.” Shawnrik said with a new sense of purpose.

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Ashur looked at them both and finally said, “Oh, well, all that means is you’ll have to work twice as hard.” He shook his head again, and then nodded. “Well, I guess you could do worse than becoming a cleric. At least you will still be able to put most of the stuff I’m going to teach you to use, and it’s always good to have another person around who can heal me if I get into the grinder.” They all chuckled wryly at that.

“Cypheria knows you need enough healin’!” Dunnagan said, inspiring a new round of laughter.

After a few hours of riding, Ashur rode back and told them that they needed to find a place to camp for the night, and that he had spotted a likely spot just up the road on his latest reconnoiter. The three rode in silence until they arrived and set up camp.

Victor hadn’t seen Nim since earlier in the morning when everyone had been gathered on the roof. After declaring that he and Victor were going to have a change of scenery, Nim had run off, stating that he would be back later. Victor had been left sitting on the roof with a list of most of the well-to-do merchants and their families with nothing better to do but read it. It was nearing dusk when Nim finally appeared. He found Victor where he had left him, except that he was now asleep halfway through the list he was reading. Nim kicked Victor’s chair twice and woke him up.

“What is it?” Victor asked groggily.

“You could have at least finished the list before you fell asleep,” Nim said wryly.

“This is my third time going through it!” Victor said defensively, and Nim was taken aback. It had taken him several years to compile names and descriptions of Safeharbor’s nobles and merchant class, as well as those members of the ruling class from kingdoms that were allied with Safeharbor. The list was comprised of well over a thousand people, and Victor had needed all of his willpower to force himself through the second reading of it. That willpower had obviously been insufficient for the third round.

“Well, no wonder you fell asleep!” Nim said, lifting Victor out of his chair and setting him on his feet. “I fell asleep many times while I was making the list; there’s no reason you shouldn’t fall asleep reading it. Now, up boy, it’s time to go out scouting.”

“Scouting?” Victor asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“Yes, get your good clothes; there’s a party tonight.”

“Dreams of conquest have led many to their demise. Dreams of power have doomed many more. Dreams of wealth are perhaps the most dangerous of the three.” The old mage lectured his student as he had so many times over the years. “On the other side of the token, though, there are just as many fools. Dreams of a peaceful society, of coexistence, have led many to their demise. Dreams of valor have doomed many more. Dreams of obtaining the love and trust of everyone is the most dangerous of this trio.” He looked at his student, who was watching him with only half interest. He knew that half of her interest was good enough, but he knew where her other thoughts were, and he couldn’t allow her to dwell on those thoughts for too long.

THWACK.

His staff hit the table directly in front of her, which was completely successful in bringing about her full attention. “So, what can we learn from this lecture?” he asked.

“Don’t dream,” she answered with spite seething through her tone.

The old mage stared at his protégé and resisted the impulse to hit her on the head with his staff. “On the contrary,” he said, adopting a civil tone. “All of these men and women had the right idea, but they lacked the balance that would allow them to see their dreams come to fruition. Those that seek conquest must assure those that follow them do so in the hopes of a peaceful existence in the future, or there will be dissension amongst their followers and there will be many that wish to have the power all to themselves. Of course, that does not mean that this concept is completely flawless. There are always those that will be jealous of the power that those in charge wield. Fear and strength are only good for establishing an unstable respect that can easily disappear at the first sign of weakness, whereas the person who is followed by friends can be compensated and even empowered by their skills. If a person is followed by those that truly love and respect him, he will be nearly unstoppable.”

“I know all of this—you’ve told me it all before. More than once.”

“Yes, but there is nothing wrong with repeating a lesson to be sure that your student has learned it, and since you think you know the rest of the lesson so well, I would like you to continue it.” The old mage took a seat at the table in the center of the room that his pupil was sitting at. He sat down with a groan, silently cursing time for taking its toll on him; it was not something that he was used to.

With a sigh, his pupil continued the lesson. “Those that seek wealth or power often do not take into account the fact that wealth brings power and power usually results in wealth, and that to have one you must keep the other. If you acquire great wealth, it will bring you power. If you do not take advantage of that wealth and use it wisely to bring you more power, your fortune will either sit there useless or decline into nothing; whether it be wealth or power, there will always be someone to try to take it from you. That is what makes wealth and power a double-edged sword. The same can be said about valor, and the quest for righteousness. No matter how hard you try, there will always be those that do evil deeds, and you can never gain the love, respect, and admiration of everyone. It is useless to try, and quite often ends poorly. However, if you truly strive to gain the love and respect of those around you, you will often gain the respect of others you may never meet. In other words, you can never hope to achieve the admiration of all, but if you strive to better those around you and care for their needs, you will gain the respect of many who hear of your deeds.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction. “And so, how can one survive in a world in which there are so many variables to these goals?”

His student smiled, took a quick breath, and answered the question she knew had been coming. “The only thing that you can do is try to maintain a balance. Do not actively seek out these goals but know that each of these goals can aid each other. If you can conquer those that oppose you, you will gain power over those who have heard of your deeds. If you do so in an honorable manner, or in a manner in which the greater good is benefited, many will see the valor of your deed and come to respect and even love you for your power. Also, being able to obtain the love and respect of the people will lower the number of those willing to oppose you. Eventually, places you are in will be exceedingly peaceful, and if your enemies do decide to attack you, they will be seen as the aggressors, and many will not blame your presence for bringing the attack.

“On the contrary, since you were there, you were able to stop the enemy in time. There will always be those that doubt your motives, or even doubt you, but you must remember the mob rule. The mob is the rule. If the majority is with you, the rest will follow. You must strike hard when needed and be fair when needed. Hoard your money to increase your standing, but distribute that which you don’t need to those that truly need it. In other words, always remember to strive for greatness, but never forget that those around and below you are truly the ones that make achieving that goal possible.”

He had tested her on all of this before, but the fact that she remembered all that he had taught her after so many years made the pride that he felt towards his pupil swell. “Very good. Not quite as long of a speech as I would have given, but you summed everything up rather nicely.”

“Do you think that he will remember the lessons that I taught him?” she asked, that distant look once again dominating her features.

“Tyrdralyn, listen to me.” Seeing her eyebrow quirk at him, he corrected himself. “Forgive me, old names die hard. Would you prefer Tyrdra, or your newest name, Shaylyn?”

“As far as the world is concerned, Tyrdra has finally died. Shaylyn is the name I use now and will continue to use until the day I die.” At the end of this comment, both of them visibly cringed. When they were dragons, death was a far-off concept unless you died from violence, or now, the dracairian tainted blood. Unfortunately, the humanoid races had become increasingly hostile, and they had to change to be able to insure the survival of their blood, and that of the world.

“Shaylyn, you were given the most important time in the boy’s life to ensure that he would turn out as well as can be expected. From all that you have told me, Victor is an exceptional boy, and though he may forget the specifics of his childhood lessons, his identity as a person will be developed around those very memories. I am led to believe that it is quite likely that he will have a trying time ahead of him, and we can only hope that the lessons he has learned from you will shine through in the end. It does no good to fret about it, though. We are not allowed to influence events over the next dozen years if we wish to catch them off their guard.

“The best we can do is be prepared for the time to come and hope that Victor is there in the end to fight with us. Already, there are new players who were not foreseen by the ancients, and there is no telling how they will affect the outcome. It is all terribly frustrating, and yet it is also quite interesting to watch how the boy influences those around him.” The old man looked at his apprentice and smiled tiredly. “I would not have believed how much he could influence people, had I not seen his effect on you.”

Shaylyn looked at her long-time friend and teacher. “What do you mean?”

“Before you left those of us that remained thirty years ago, you were all business. You had everything planned out and organized exactly—there wasn’t anything that could get between you and our goals. Then, you raise Victor, and now you can think of nothing else other than to be by his side. I would think that it could possibly just be a maternal urge to protect the boy, but I believe it is something else.” He watched her stiffen at this comment, and he knew that he had hit a nerve, so he continued on. “I think that you don’t feel the need to protect him. I think that you want to fight beside him, so that he can protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

“From everything. From nothing. The boy brings out the inner fire that is inside those around him and intensifies it to his purpose. He has recognized your strength and the benefit of your presence, but he has also recognized something that many others would miss. Even though you are a powerful mystic—and there are many who quake at your mere presence—you are still just a woman now, as I am now just a man. No matter how strong anyone becomes, or how powerful the forces at their command, it all comes down to the fact that we are mere mortals now. No matter what, we will never be able to do anything to change that fact. We have chosen our path. Everything lives, and everything dies. He has willed you to need to be with him, and your mind has no objections. You feel safer around him even though his life is rife with danger. He has turned your basic need to survive and your morals into a driving force for his goals.”

“Randoleon,” she intoned quietly, using the name Elyas had taken on when he had assumed his new form. He had waited until every other dragon that was going to undergo the change had done so, or died trying, before he made the change himself, as was his right. Her tone steadily grew in volume as she continued. “You cannot truly believe that! Victor would never twist someone’s will!” Shaylyn was near to a rage; were it anyone besides the man in front of her, they would have been on their feet and back as far as the room allowed, if they had any sense.

So pervasive was the aura of power radiating off of the half-elven woman sitting at the table that even Randoleon had to hold himself in his chair to contain his own broiling power that reflexively raised up in his defense. A few moments passed before he raised his hands in a calming gesture. “My dear, I never meant to suggest that the boy was conscious of his effect on people. Nonetheless, from what I have seen, it is what he does. This may be the true power that the ancients saw in this boy’s life, but we may never know for sure. The text is hard to translate, and even we, the oldest race currently surviving on the planet, cannot translate the language that the texts are written in with any true accuracy.

“We may be completely wrong in our translations. I believe that we have translated enough correctly to achieve a limited understanding of what is to happen, but we can never be completely sure if we are correct.” He pointed to the tome that was lying open on the table. “See here, from the way this translates, it says, His power will be an influence on the lives of many. Are we to take that to mean that his deeds and special abilities are going to influence the lives of many, or that he actually has a power to influence the events and actions in the lives of many?”

Visibly calming, Shaylyn became even more thoughtful. “There are so many statements in here that could be taken many ways, though. I had never truly considered the meaning of that sentence, but I had thought of many others. Now that you point that one out, however, it brings a few more phrases to mind that would be changed by the meaning of this one sentence.” She began flipping pages and became thoroughly engrossed in the tome. Randoleon smiled to himself.

That’s the mind I know and have grown to respect. I only wish that this new line of thought could keep you distracted long enough for this ordeal to be over. Maybe you will find something in there that the few of us who have made those tomes our lives’ work couldn’t. Randoleon moved away from the table and went to go observe the events that were transpiring elsewhere. He hated being so far removed from the world, but he knew it was best for now. At least, he hoped it was best for now.