Taming the Elements: Elwin Escari Chronicles: Volume 1 (24 page)

Bender said something into the dirt, but the cheers of their comrades muffled whatever he had said. Curses no doubt. Wilton got off the large man and offered him his hand.

Bender clasped Wilton’s hand and stood. “Not bad for such a scrawny feller.” His voice was deeper than any Wilton had heard.

Wilton laughed, “Good thing you’re large enough to mount like a horse.”

“I always knew you were too pretty to be a man, but you just forget any ideas of mounting me.”

Laughter filled the field.

“Alright men,” Zaak’s voice cut a hole in the soldiers’ circle, and he stepped through.

“Well done, Wilton. Everyone gets a furlough tonight. But be rested and ready tomorrow. Training in the trees.”

The soldiers cheered as one. “The Seeker fear the mighty White Hand. May the abyss rise to meet us, we will stay and fight. The Seeker fear the mighty White Hand …”

Wilton turned to follow, but Zaak grabbed his arm. “Not you soldier.”

“Sir?”

“You have exceeded your training and have become the first amongst your peers in just a few short months. The Lifebringer has a greater calling for you than a simple soldier. You have a quickness in your step that others do not have. You will be trained as a thief-catcher.”

“Thank you sir. But, permission to speak?”

“What’s on your mind, son?”

“How is my brother faring?”

Zaak smiled. “He’s like you, the first amongst his peers. He could be here beside you if not for his age. The king has instructed that all men under the age of sixteen years receive a full year’s training before seeing battle. To be honest, I wish that year had come. We will need more thief-catchers before this year ends.”

“What do thief-catchers have to do with war?” Wilton asked. Don’t they prowl the streets for criminals?”

“In times of peace, thief-catchers keep our streets clean. But, in times of war, they are the difference between victory and defeat.” Zaak clasped his shoulder. “You’ll be trained for reconnaissance with a handful of others. Do you see the man behind you?”

Wilton looked over his shoulder. The field beside the castle was empty, save for the soldiers retreating to their furlough. “There is no one there, sir.”

A vice took hold of Wilton’s hair and bared his neck with a sharp yank of his hair. Cold metal touched the edge of his throat.

“Meet Tharu, Wilton Madrowl.”

Wilton craned his head back, stretching his eyes as far as they could go without disturbing the blade. The grip released Wilton’s hair, and he turned around. Tharu wore nothing more than a loin cloth and shoes crafted from animal skins. His tanned body was not large, but it was chiseled and honed. The man carried two short blades that curved back toward his elbows.

Wilton rubbed his neck, sure he would find blood. When he saw there was none he said, “Pleased to meet you, sir.”

Tharu’s emerald eyes sparkled like that of a hunting beast. “The winds of our Lady Nature have carried you to me, Wilton Madrowl. The time has come for your training to begin.”

Wilton blinked. Training? What in the abyss did they call what he had been doing for the last few months?

Wilton suppressed a sigh. He knew the answer, but he had to ask. “I guess that means no furlough?”

Tharu showed Wilton his teeth in what might pass as the man’s smile. It looked more like a wolf baring his teeth to another wolf. Well … a wolf pup.

“Come,” Tharu said, then turned to walk west toward the forest by the river.

For a moment, Wilton watched him go. Not for the first time since being recruited, Wilton wished he had deserted. He couldn’t now. It was too late. They knew his name. Besides, he needed to keep his promise to his father. If he deserted, there would be no one to look after Feffer.

A year. The kid still had another year until he saw any real fighting. Pray the Lifebringer made it so. First among his peers?

Wilton almost laughed. First to get to mess, first to find trouble, and first to get himself killed acting the fool. Feffer probably still saw training as a game. The kid couldn’t see two steps in front of him, let alone what the training meant.

How could he keep his promise to his father with a brother like Feffer?

He would find a way. Being first amongst his peers felt like a good start. He ran to catch up to Tharu.

Chapter 11

Mind’s Eye

“Concentrate.”

Zarah’s voice shattered Elwin’s focus.

He opened his eyes. Zarah sat cross-legged next to the fountain. Water flowed from a top tier to four lower tiers before coming to a rest in a small pool at the base. It was the largest of many fountains in the castle garden. The wide clearing around the fountain made it an ideal place to train with swords and the Elements. So he had been told.

Thus far, he had trained with neither. Though he had played with wooden sticks and tried to move his essence aplenty.

“I was trying to,” he said through his teeth. “I can’t do it if you’re talking to me.”

Her look held no sympathy for him. “You cannot do it because you will not stop thinking about the Inquisition.”

“Of course I can’t,” Elwin said. “Did you see Biron’s family?”

“You cannot dwell on things outside of your control,” she said in a patronizing tone. “Right now, you need to train. ”

“You keep saying that,” Elwin wagged his finger in her face. She raised an eyebrow, but he ignored her disapproving stare. “But train for what? No one will tell me.”

“You know I cannot speak on the prophecies.”

“You can. You choose not to.”

“Because she is obedient,” Jasmine’s voice said from behind him.

She strode through the rows of redwood trees. Her white dress was much more ornate than those he had grown accustomed to her wearing, which meant this one could have sold for enough coin to buy three or four farms instead of just one. An amber pendant hung from the end of silver links woven through Jasmine’s hair and rested on her forehead. He forced his jaw to close before Jasmine reached the fountain.

Her gaze settled on Zarah. “How far has he gotten through the forms?”

“The third stanza.”

Elwin studied his feet to avoid Jasmine’s grimace.

She remained silent until he looked at her. He had expected her gaze to set him ablaze, so he flinched when his eyes met a look of compassion.

“You are important in a way you cannot imagine,” she said. “Come. Let us walk.”

Elwin bounced to his feet. “Important how?”

“First, let me explain why I hesitate to speak of the prophecies,” Jasmine said as she turned to walk toward the hedges.

“Mother,” Zarah said, “why are you wearing a Verande gown?”

Elwin felt an intense desire to push Zarah into the fountain. How long had he been waiting to hear about the prophecies? Three months since he had left home. Now that Jasmine was prepared to tell him the purpose for all of this, she asked about a
dress
? He had be debating on whether or not to act on his urges when Jasmine spoke.

“I had a meeting with an emissary from Alcoa,” Jasmine said as if discussing her favorite tea.

Zarah nudged Elwin roughly as she stepped between Jasmine and him. “An emissary! What did he want?”

“That is not your concern. When I want you to know, I will tell you.” Jasmine said. “Now, let us walk.”

Jasmine turned toward a northern path. Elwin had to take a couple of quick steps to catch her. He did not turn to see if Zarah followed.

“The prophecies were born during the Shadow Wars.” Jasmine paused. “You remember what the Shadow Wars were?”

“Yes,” Elwin said.

When she did not continue, he added quickly, “After Abaddon and the dragons disappeared, all of Arinth was left in turmoil. Death bound emerged and attempted to seize power in all nations and tried to turn souls to Abaddon. The wars that followed pushed the Death bound into hiding and were called the Shadow Wars because they were said to fight their battles from the shadows.”

She sighed. “Close enough for our purposes, but you will need to reread the ‘War of the Shadows’ by Niccol Machiavel and write a report due before next Lifeday. Also, you should cross reference his first book, ‘The Princeps.’ It discusses the city-states during and after the wars and gives philosophical accounts of rule. I will expect excerpts quoted.”

“I will,” he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “I promise.”

The path forked and Jasmine took the right side, continuing as if she had never detoured the discussion with a new assignment. “After the Great Slumber, people feared the return of the dragonkin, but fear of Abaddon, the Seeker of Souls, was even greater. People became wary of all who accepted his Dark Gift. In time, that fear began to include all Elemental power. As mistrust grew, farmers and merchants became assassins of their neighbors. People fled cities to hide with the dwarves in their caves or sought seclusion in the mountains.

“The Guardians of Life arose from this conflict and began to alleviate the fears of the ungifted by bringing order and law to elementalists. The priests of Life began to remind the people of their purpose. Once more, they had a symbol to trust. And probably most important of all, disobedience of the law incurred swift and precise penalties.”

Elwin felt a chill at the mention of the Guardians. To think, they had actually saved elementalists. He found it difficult to see them as anything other than the Inquisition. “But I know all of this,” he said. “What does this have to do with the prophecies?”

“Everything,” Jasmine said. “People feared the Elements, but without elementalists, we would be powerless against the dragonkin. The Shadow Wars killed many elementalists on both sides and ended many fears with the birth of the Guardians of Life. Becoming Death bound was outlawed, but the damage had been done. As you know, our power is passed through bloodlines, and over time, we began to grow weaker. We have seen fewer elementalists gifted in two Elements than in any other time. Taming three is as rare now as four was before the Shadow Wars.”

The trees and bushes opened to a stretch of sand that surrounded a pond. Jasmine stopped at the edge of the pond and turned toward Elwin. Beneath the clear water, Elwin could see countless fish of multiple colors swimming in schools.

“This is where you come in,” Jasmine said. She looked at him for several moments without speaking. Despite his best efforts to meet her gaze, he found himself fidgeting.

“You are he who is True.” Zarah’s voice beside him caused Elwin to jump. He had forgotten she was there until she spoke.

“What?” he said. “What does that even mean?”

“A true elementalist can tame all four Elements,” Jasmine said. “Even before the Shadow Wars, such gifts were rare, but none have existed since the time of Abaddon. Until now.”

Elwin tried to work moisture into his mouth, but swallowing didn’t help. When he spoke, his voice came out a croak. “What does it mean?”

“Few can agree on all the implications,” Jasmine said. “This is why I hesitate to tell you of the prophecies.”

Elwin threw his hands in the air. “Then why did you ever mention it at all?”

“Because,” Jasmine said in a serious tone. “There is one point upon which all scholars agree.” Jasmine licked her lips and took a deep breath. “Once a true elementalist comes again, it will mean the Awakening is upon us.”

Elwin stared at her for a moment. The Awakening? That was a children’s tale. If a child misbehaved, the dragons would take him in the night. The Awakening was no more real than wyvern or gnomes. What creature could sleep for three thousand years and survive?

“The Awakening is real,” Jasmine said as if reading his thoughts. “The dragonkin will rise. And you are at the crux of it all.”

“No,” Elwin said. “I don’t believe it. How can I be at the
crux
of anything? I’m a farmer.”

“You may have been raised a farmer, Elwin. But you are from an old and noble bloodline. Bain Solsec is your father. I have confirmed it with Thirod Alcoa, king of the nation of Alcoa. You are the Son of Bain.”

Elwin backed away from her, shaking his head. “No, I don’t believe it. How can you
confirm
it? He’s never met me.”

“It does not matter,” Jasmine said. “He is aware of you and has trusted you into my care. What matters is that you are a true elementalist. The dragonkin will come during your lifetime. And you need to be ready.”

“But what am I supposed to do? If the dragonkin are real, what does it have to do with me?”

“The prophecies are not clear. Most scholars believe that whether you act or not, the dragonkin will rise. If you Awaken them, then you will bring about a new order. If someone else Awakens them, then the world as we know it will end. And another will rise.”

“Someone else?” Elwin said. “Who? Bain?”

“I do not know. There will be at least one other true elementalist. Maybe more.”

“I don’t understand. If there will be more … more like me, how do you know I am the one that needs to wake them? It could be—”

“It is you,” Jasmine said in a firm voice.

“But how do you
know
?”

“Because I know.”

“How?” Elwin said, not attempting to hide his frustration. “How do you know?”

“Because I have faith in the Lifebringer.”

Elwin stared at her at a loss for words. The Lifebringer? What kind of answer was that? He had faith too, but he couldn’t see how faith made him the destroyer of all Arinth. He opened his mouth to say as much, but Jasmine spoke first.

“Because the alternative is not possible. I am not sure how many true elementalists there will be. Many assume there will be no more than two for the simple fact that even one seems improbable. The prophecy says there will be two, but it also says powers lost will become like new. Some believe this means there will be many like you. Perhaps we will rediscover the Words of Power. This is not known. However, it is widely believed that one such true elementalist
will
be bound to Death. If he Awakens them, we are lost. You are pure of heart, Elwin. I must believe that you are the one to bid them rise. You
must
be the one.”

He looked away from her. Why had he asked? He didn’t want to know about the prophecies anymore. Jasmine had to be wrong. This had nothing to do with Elwin.

“Who came up with these
prophecies
anyway?” Elwin asked.

“The prophecies were said to have come from the Librarian of Tanier. Legends say the Librarian could see all possible futures and wrote the prophecies to give Arinth hope for the future.”

“Hope?” Elwin asked. “How could dragons rising give anyone hope? Where is this Library?”

“Sometime before or during the Shadow Wars the great Library of Tanier vanished. There are many theories as to what happened to it. The most prominent being—”

“Never mind,” Elwin said. “I don’t care. I’m not going to wake any dragons. Ever. If they are even real.”

Her gaze hardened, and she crossed her arms beneath her bosom. “I understand that you are upset, but you will mind your tongue.”

“Upset?” Elwin said. “I was
upset
that I lost my new book. I was
upset
that you wouldn’t let me see Feffer after his injury. I’m
upset
that I’ve been training for two months, and I have still learned
nothing
. You just told me that I will bring about the
end
of the
world
. Upset? Upset?”

Elwin sat hard on the sand.

Zarah knelt beside him. “You have not been listening,” she said. “The Awakening is not the end. It is the beginning.”

“Enough,” Jasmine said. “You need to train. Whether you choose to believe in the prophecies or not, you have already begun to fulfill them. The Lifebringer save me, you will be ready.”

“Fulfill what?”

“Enough,” Jasmine said with such force Elwin flinched. “When I feel you are ready to hear more, I will tell you more. We need to open your mind’s eye further. You have made remarkable progress in these few tendays. Even when your thoughts are distracted you can make it to the third stanza. Though you have much work to do, I feel you have gained enough control over your essence that I am comfortable moving on to the next step.”

She turned to Zarah. “You will be included in this lesson as well. Sit next to Elwin.”

Zarah settled her skirts into the sand next to Elwin without so much as glancing at him. What had he done to upset her? Nothing. He hadn’t done anything. Elwin didn’t write any thumping prophecy. Some librarian did that. And apparently, he hadn’t done a very good job with it. After all, no one could agree on what the thumping thing said.

“Pay close attention,” Jasmine said.

Elwin felt the Air stir the moment Jasmine opened her essence. Wisps of white light gathered around her and disappeared as the power fused with her.

“It is necessary to continue the flow through your essence even as you use the power. You must remain mindful of your essence. Remember, your essence will become exhausted as you tame the Elements. If your essence becomes exhausted while you are in flight, there may be no pond to break your fall. Now watch me.”

As the breeze became stronger, more lights began to fuse with Jasmine’s essence and vanish. A moment later, Jasmine’s feet lifted a pace above the sand. The light began to leak from her eyes.