Bacorium Legacy (17 page)

“Dori refused to give up on Ash, even though everyone was telling him to let him go and choose another pupil. Some students felt that they could have been better if Dori had trained them instead. But instead of hating Dori for this, they chose to hate Ash. After all, Dori is a war hero, the dragonrider, and the man who trained Lodin. Ash was just a lost cause who refused to go away.”

By the time Brand had finished, Luca's jaw was clenched, and his fists were tightly clenched.

“There was also an incident where another student died during a spar with Ash,” Brand said, his voice growing quiet and his eyes narrowing. “That didn't win him many fans.” For the briefest of moments, there was a flash of something in his eyes - perhaps regret, perhaps anger, or perhaps sorrow. Only Emila saw, and it was too brief to know what it meant.

“What happened?” she asked softly.

“I don't really know,” he said in a flat voice. “I wasn't there, and those kinds of incidents are usually kept quiet, as you can imagine after the Davik situation.”

Brand then noticed that Luca was angry. He sighed and placed his hand on Luca's.

“I don't agree with them,” Brand assured him. “I've done more than I was obligated to in trying to help your brother. I don't like him, but that's because of things he's said to me in the past, not because he isn't the clone of your father that everyone wanted him to be.”

Emila placed her hand on his shoulder. “Luca...”

He brushed her hand away, not angrily, but firmly. “I'm fine,” he insisted.

“I'm not trying to change your opinion of your brother, or manipulate you in any way,” Brand said. “I just wanted you to know these things before you meet him.”

Luca looked up at Brand. “And where can I meet him?”

“I'm sorry,” Brand said. “Nobody knows where he goes. He disappears whenever he wants to. The only person who knows where to find him is Dori.”

“Then where is Dori?”

Brand pointed off into the distance. “Dori's study is on the far western side of the temple. It's a stone temple built into the side of a hill. You can't miss it.”

Luca nodded, and started to rise from the bench.

“Luca,” Brand said to him. “Forgive me if I insulted you - now or any other time. I don't like having enemies, and I would hate to make one of someone I have so much respect for.”

Luca stopped, and turned back around to face him. “Ash isn't Lodin. And neither am I.”

“I never thought of either of you that way.”

He went over to Brand and offered him his hand. They shook.

“I respect you,” Luca told him.

“Aww,” Emila said. “You two are adorable.”

Luca started off again, this time a bit more briskly. “Are you coming or not?”

Emila practically hopped off the table and followed after him.

<> <> <>

After a few minutes of searching, they managed to find Dori's temple. As Brand had described, it was a small stone chamber, built into the side of a hill. Once they had known where and what to look for, it was actually very easy to find. Luca found it rather strange that they hadn't found it on their own.

They entered, to find a surprisingly spacious room inside. In addition to a bed, there was also a desk, a sink, a bookcase, a well-stocked wine shelf, and a stepping stool which could be used to reach various things. The room was larger than the modest entrance would suggest, indicating that it was indeed dug into the hill.

Dori himself was at the desk, still dressed in his filthy rags, peering over a massive, dusty tome. As they entered, he looked up at them over a pair of reading glasses.

“Ah, Luca,” he muttered. “I didn't see you this morning. I'd thought you came here because you wanted me to train you.”

“I came here to unravel a mystery, it would seem,” Luca replied. “And you said yourself that I don't need training.”

“Hmm - yes, I did say that.” He sat up, and removed the spectacles. “I see you brought your girlfriend.”

“I'm not his girlfriend,” Emila insisted.

“Yeah, whatever,” Dori muttered. He grabbed a half-empty bottle of wine from his desk and took a swig from it. “So you're unravelling a mystery, eh? That must mean you've come here for another clue. What clue is that?”

“The location of my brother.”

“Ah. I was wondering if someone would slip up and tell you. Oh, well. Who was it?”

“Davik.”

“Justia's student, eh? Never really liked that kid very much, to be honest. A real ass-kisser who never had the talent or resources to back up his promises. Still, he broke Allma's stupid rule, so I suppose I'll have to have him reported...”

“Reported...” Luca looked to Emila, then back at Dori. “Didn't Brand tell you?”

“Son, you're mistaking me for someone sociable. What happened with Davik and Brand?”

“Last night, we went into the woods to hunt a monster. Davik tried to kill us. I ended up killing him.”

Dori raised an eyebrow, and took another long drink from his bottle. Finally he asked, “Why would he do that?”

“Because of the - look, we can talk about this later. Right now, I'm more interested in finding my brother.”

Dori nodded. “Right. That's understandable. Unfortunately, I don't think I can tell you where he is.”

“W-what?!” Luca demanded. “You don't know, either?”

“I do know,” Dori said. “I know exactly where he is. I just can't tell you. He likes to hang out in this place that students aren't supposed to know about. Honestly, Ash isn't supposed to know about it, either. But he found out by accident one day, and nothing has stopped him from going there since.”

Luca pinched the ridge of his nose, and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Technically, I am allowed to tell whoever I want,” Dori continued. “Should there be a good reason for it, of course. I could tell you - but you need to give me something in return.”

“And what would that be...?” Luca muttered.

“Just tell me what happened last night.”

He sighed. “Brand gathered me, Emila, Rael, and Davik by the gate. He said we were going into the woods to hunt an ouroboros. We went, but we never found the ouroboros. Instead, Davik held a sword up to Emila's throat and threatened to kill all of us. Emila managed to get away, and I killed Davik for trying to hurt her.”

Dori raised an eyebrow. “You didn't think it would have been better to simply detain Davik and bring him back to the temple? Therefore, he could be punished properly.”

“No, I didn't think of it.”

“Just like your brother,” Dori said. “And just like your father, too. Once you give into your rage, you're blinded by it.”

“I wasn't blind,” Luca declared. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I was never going to let him live after that.”

“Why is that?”

“Because...” he couldn't help but glance at Emila briefly.

Dori scratched at his grey beard. “Because he hurt your girlfriend.”

“No!” he almost shouted. Emila looked away, her face red.

“No, that can't be it,” Dori said. “You wouldn't treat her the way you do if that was the case.”

Luca felt like hitting him at that moment.

“As for Davik,” Dori said. “He must have had a reason to do this, right?”

“He wanted to be chosen by the emissary from Sono,” Luca said, forcing himself to calm down. “He seemed convinced that Brand and I would be picked, even though I'm not a student.”

“I had a feeling something like this might happen soon,” Dori said. “Jealousy is a common source of violence among our students. I take it that Allma has been told about this?”

Luca nodded.

“Then there is nothing to worry about.”

“Do you know what it is the emissary will be picking students for?”

Dori shook his head. “I don't even think Allma knows.”

So there was no way of knowing until the emissary actually got there, Luca decided.

“Alright - you want to know where your brother goes when he wants to be alone,” Dori said. “What I'm going to tell you is top secret, understand? Few souls know this. You cannot tell anyone else.”

“Er - do you want me to step outside while you tell him...?” Emila asked hesitantly.

“I don't really care,” Dori muttered. “Now listen. There's a series of underground passages beneath the temple. Some are secret tunnels that lead out, in case the temple were ever to fall under siege. Others yet lead to places you won't want to go. Avoid those. What you're looking for is a big subterranean lake. Ash goes there and meditates. Sometimes he spends entire days and nights down there. That's where you'll find him.”

“An - underground cavern?” Luca found himself asking.

“That's what I said. A series of tunnels dug under the temple. That's where you'll find your brother. Well, unless he's gone somewhere else. He might be wandering around the grounds right now, or having a sparring match. But if I had to wager money on it, I'd say he's down at the lake.”

“I find this rather hard to believe. How could these tunnels exist without anyone finding out about them? The Earth-form magi training here would have felt it, at the very least.”

“There is old magick in these tunnels,” Dori said in a quiet voice. “This kind of magic likes to keep itself hidden.”

An ambiguous comment. Luca stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something else, but Dori simply stared deep into the auburn liquid in the bottle he held, his mind somewhere far away.

“Fine,” Luca said finally. “Can you at least tell me where I can enter the tunnels?”

Dori pointed over at a door in the back of the room, which had somehow avoided Luca's notice until now.

“What the...” Emila muttered. “I didn't even notice that door.”

“Old magick,” Dori repeated.

Luca thanked him, though he didn't really feel any gratitude. He started towards the door, and as he reached for the doorknob, he realised Emila was still on the other side of the room. She smiled to him.

“He is your brother, and this is your business. I will wait here for you.”

Of course. Naturally, he would just want this meeting to be just between the two of them. He had just grown so used to her always following him...

He replied with a nod, and stepped through the door.

Once Luca was gone, Dori took one last swig from his bottle, emptying it. Emila turned to the strange old man, regarding him with an odd look.

“That damn kid just made my life so much more difficult...”

Emila wondered, was he talking about Luca or Davik?

<> <> <>

Luca found himself in a place of cool air and luminescent rocks. Resonant sounds carried through the atmosphere. He used his magic to illuminate the cavern, just as he had when exploring the yeti den with his father. The sphere of light followed behind him like an obedient child, casting a sanctuary around him to keep away the obscuring darkness.

He made his way through the underground. He wasn't sure where to go, so he trusted in his instincts to get him to the lake that Dori had spoken of. His footsteps echoed loudly in the expansive cavern, announcing his presence to anyone who may be listening. As he walked, he noticed several paths that led to other parts of the underground. His gut told him that those led to those places he did not wish to be.

As he passed one, he felt something there. An intelligence - it did not know him, and so it watched him warily. He passed it by. Something was in there, and there was no need to find out what it was. He had not come here for that purpose. As he walked away, Luca heard the sounds of claws scratching against rock, echoing far behind.

And so, Luca continued on. The darkness grew more oppressive, and he felt himself moving away from Emila. The connection between their souls began to make itself known as he pushed its boundaries. He hoped that this lake was not too far from the temple, or he would have to go back and return with Emila.

Finally, quite deep in the cavern, he found his brother.

The lake glowed a deep blue. There was a faint light, coming down from a small hole in the ceiling. This light was reflected off of the subterranean lake, casting an impressive scene. Luca no longer needed his illuminating orb, so he dispelled it.

His brother sat in a meditative stance at the edge of the lake, on a small ledge. There was an approximately fifty metre drop from where he was, and the surface of the water. Ash's back was turned to Luca, yet his footsteps echoed so loudly in the cave that there was no way he could not hear him.

“Ash,” Luca said hesitantly. He did not respond.

He slowly approached him. As he drew closer, his vision grew stronger, and he could see his hair was the same shade of snowy white as his own, and as their father's.

Luca stopped when he was a few feet from Ash. A few seconds passed. Then, Ash slowly drew himself up and turned to face him. His hair was longer than Luca's, and pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were blue.

“Dori told you about me,” he said. It was not a question.

“I found out from someone else.”

He stared at him for a moment, then said, “I see.”

“I have questions.”

“Of course,” Ash said, turning away and looking at the lake. “Ask away.”

“Well - how did you come to be here?”

“I've been here for twelve years. Ever since Lodin left, taking you with him and leaving us behind.”

“Us?”

“Mother and I.”

With a start, Luca thought of his mother, the beautiful gold-haired woman who he had only the faintest of memories of. A few images and sounds were the strongest of them - a small home that they had all lived in for the first five years of Luca's life. His mother singing and humming as she cooked. Young Ash, so young he could barely walk, trying to keep up with his older brother's games. And Lodin, his face strained with a guilt and anxiety he could never escape, nonetheless smiling at the small, inevitably temporary happiness he had gained.

And then, nothing. Chaos and shouts. The four of them fleeing into the night.

All the memories Luca had after that were the many long days and nights, over hills and mountains, across swamps and the edge of the sea - the never ending adventure his father had taken him on - and the pursuit of the invisible enemy that Lodin could not escape.