J?kob awoke early, as he always did since arriving at the Sanctum of the Magi. He was feeling refreshed after his slumber and not as weary as he was before he had slept. He quietly went to the basin and washed the sleep from his eyes and then dressed himself for the day. He picked an apple from the table of food in their room and began to eat it as he left the room, allowing everyone else to continue sleeping. Since his first day at the sanctum, the table has always had fresh food on it, no matter what room they where in. The table in their current room wasn’t over flowing with food as was the one from their first day, but it still had an assortment of fruits, nuts, bread and cheeses.
J?kob walked quickly this morning because he wanted to see Wi?dwyr?. He had missed his nightly visit with him the night before and was anxious to see him. He exited the corridor in which his room was in and entered the main hall. From there, he walked to the far end of the hall, past the training arena, past the dining hall, and past the council chambers and then he came to a halt. Seated on a bench at the end of the Hall of Dragons was Chloé. She had an old parchment in her hand and was reading it.
“Good morning Chloé,” said J?kob. “What are you doing out here this early?” he asked. “I couldn’t sleep” she said sounding tired. “Jeremiah was exhausted from training with your brother and Petra yesterday and shortly after we left the dining hall, he began to snore, very loudly. He has never done that before,” she replied with a little laugh, and then asked him, “What about you?” “Matáo snores too, after his training, but I’m used to it,” he replied laughing with her, and then he said, “I’m going to see Wi?dwyr?.”
“Wi?dwyr??” she asked. J?kob explained to her a little about the bond that he shared with the young dragon and some of what it meant to be one of The Bonded. Chloé became increasingly more interested as he told her, and then she said, “The scroll that I was just reading was about The Bonded Ones. Is it true that you can draw magic from your dragon and use it for yourself?” “I don’t know,” he said shyly. “I am really new to this, and haven’t learned very much. The elders are to being training me more with it once I can master the basics of the ancient language. Wilhelm said that it should be around three more weeks before I can start training with them.”
Chloé began asking him question after question about the bond. J?kob answered what he could and when he didn’t know the answer, he would shy away from it. When Chloé would asked him a question about what was in the scroll, she would point to a part in the scroll and show it to him. J?kob looked at the scroll, but it was written in the ancient language and J?kob could read very little of it. He could make out a few words here and there, but the majority of it meant nothing to him yet.
“How can you read this already?” asked J?kob. “You just started learning it a few days ago and you can read more of it than me and I have been studying it for almost three weeks now and only know a little,” he said with a little irritation and jealousy. “I don’t really know,” she said. “When I was very little, and before I could read, I used to speak this language some with my mother before she got sick and left.” “I can still remember some of it, and learning it from Mrs. Clary and Wilhelm has helped me to remember some of what she had taught me,” she said reminiscently and then she continued, “Once I learned the symbols for the sounds, it was easy for me to begin reading it.”
“Oh,” replied J?kob sheepishly and feeling bad about how he had treated her, he asked her, “Since you have all these questions about dragons and The Bonded Ones, would you like to meet him?” She replied excitedly with a, “Yes!” and then he said, “Let me ask him before we go.” He reached into his mind and tried to sense Wi?dwyr?. He felt his presence and asked him if it would be alright for him to bring a friend who really wanted to meet him. Still groggy from his sleep, he agreed, and J?kob could sense his hunger through the bond.
J?kob turned to Chloé and said, “Follow me and be quite.” He turned and headed back the way he had come and entered the dining hall. There was no food on the tables since it was so early. He snuck through the doors into the kitchens that were behind the dining hall, with Chloe behind him. They crept quietly as they navigated the would be maze that was the kitchens. He saw, hanging on the wall in the back, a line of plucked geese. They quickly made their way over to them being careful not to be seen by the kitchen workers. They each grabbed one of the geese and ran for the doors. They didn’t stop running until they had made it back to the main hallway where they stopped for a laugh and to catch their breath. Then he said, “That was fun.”
After a few moments, the two of them started back towards the Hall of Dragons. They entered the stable like room that Wi?dwyr? had been calling home since his arrival and J?kob presented to him the two geese that they had stolen from the kitchens with a big smile on his face. Wi?dwyr? thanked him and he began to eat them. He was a young dragon, thirteen years old and still bigger than three horses standing lengthwise and taller than two stacked on one another.
J?kob walked up beside him and began patting his neck and then tried scratching him behind one of his ears. “That feels very good J?kob but a little demeaning. I feel like a dog when you do that,” said Wi?dwyr?. “Would you like for me to stop?” asked J?kob. “No,” was his reply, and they both shared a laughed. J?kob climbed on to his back and reached out his hand motioning for Chloé to join him. She took his hand and climbed up with him. She had ridden on the back of a horse, but she had never seen a dragon before. It was an odd feeling to feel such a large being breathing and chomping away on his breakfast of geese.
When J?kob had first seen Wi?dwyr?, he had thought that his scales were blacker than night, but the first time that he had sat upon his back he had noticed that they were more blue than black and had a dark purple hue in them as well. He had several short spines on his neck that were great for J?kob place his hands to keep his balance and behind where J?kob liked to sit were two longer spines that he could rest his back on when he tired of sitting up straight. They also kept Wi?dwyr?’s wings from hitting J?kob when he stretched them.
Wi?dwyr? began walking around his room letting J?kob and Chloé feel his movements beneath them. Through their bond, J?kob could sense where and what he was going to do and could adjust, but Chloé couldn’t sense anything and bounced around giggling to herself. “Can he breath fire?” she asked J?kob curiously. “Ask him yourself,” replied J?kob. She patted Wi?dwyr? on his side and said loudly, trying to talk over his footsteps, “Can you breath fire?” He replied to her saying, “Yes, but not fully.” My fire lung hasn’t fully developed and my fire can only last a few seconds at a time.” “My father’s fire breath can last nearly ten minutes before he has to stop.”
Chloé was in awe of the whole experience, and was eager to learn as much as she could. She asked the two of them if it would be alright for her to come and visit with Wi?dwyr? from time to time. Neither of them objected and they were both surprised sense no one else had thought to ask that after they had met him. They all seemed a little frightened by him and had not asked to join J?kob anymore after their first encounters.
The three of them all sat there and talked with each other for so long that they had lost track of time. Wilhelm came to tell them that the dining hall was about to be emptied and that if they hurried they could get something to eat quickly before they were to begin their lessons. J?kob and Chloé said their farewells to Wi?dwyr? and hurried to the dining hall. They each grabbed a hand full of food and began eating it on their way to Wilhelm’s chambers.
*****
Matáo and Jeremiah, along with Jonah and Joel had made their way to the training arena after breakfast and were surprised to see that there were four instructors there this morning. Matáo had expected to see Rayne today, but she had not come alone. Standing beside her were Petra and Jameson. There was also another elf there that they had not met before. Her name was Kara. She had strawberry hair and was tall, slender and appeared to be much younger than Rayne. Like the other elves, she was quite fair and Matáo couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
Rayne began to explain that they were going to be tested on their abilities today and that their further training sessions would be based upon the results. Jeremiah, Matáo, and Jonah all passed the archery in both speed and accuracy. Joel had passed the accuracy portion but was too slow, so it was decided that he would continue to train with Rayne for a while longer and the other three had completed their training in archery.
The next test of their skills was with swordplay. Jameson and the others were to judge them as they paired off and sparred with each other. Since Joel was smaller than the other boys there, Kara offered to be his partner. They each used the short swords that he was used to using. Joel was very quick on his feet and very agile. Their match was a fury of swings, slashes and jabs. Though his size was small, his techniques were good and he held his own against an elf who was obviously taking it easy on him, but he passed with everyone’s approval. He would start training with her to improve his techniques and he would also start to used a longer sword. They chose for him, due to his size, a rapier sword that was light enough for him to wield and long enough that he could strike against other swords.
Matáo, Jonah and Jeremiah all used a long sword. Matáo had always sparred with Jonah, but today he was matched against Jeremiah. Jeremiah and he went to the center of the arena and touched swords. They began their match by walking in circles and watching each other. Matáo struck first, He lunged at Jeremiah with a downward slash of his left hand. Jeremiah batted it away and stepped into him grabbing hold of his sword hand. Matáo punched him in the back and spun away regaining his arm before Jeremiah could disarm him. They swung their swords and the blades met betwixt the two, sending sparks flashing. The two of them matched each others blows, one after the other. First high, then low, sparks flew as the blades met.
Jeremiah slowly began to speed up his attacks, trying to gauge his opponent. Matáo matched him strike for strike also increasing his speed. Before the match was called by the judges, their blades had become a blur of movements, as the two combatants moved around each other, dancing the dance of battle, barely being seen by the observers. They both stepped away panting and smiling. Matáo said, “You have got to teach me that grab, I thought I was done for before we even got started.” Jeremiah smiled and said, “Only if you show me how you escaped from it.” They walked out of the arena laughing and talking amongst themselves.
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The judges convened for a short while and decided the two would move on to advanced combat training with Kara. Jonah was paired with Kara to test his skills. He was not as fast as Matáo and Jeremiah, but he too was sent to the advanced training class with the other two. The group broke for lunch and when they returned, it was time for their final test.
The final challenge for them was with Petra. The object of the test was to last five minutes without being struck or to land at least one blow against Petra. Joel volunteered to go first. Joel held a small ax in is hand and met Petra in the center of the ring. They nodded to one another and began. The dwarf began circling Joel. Joel used his speed to begin to run around the little man. Petra stuck his ax out to trip Joel, but he jumped over the dwarf’s ax and rolled to the floor. He spun around, still on the floor, and ducked between the legs of Petra and brought the handle of his ax up, hitting Petra in the chin. The match was called by the judges and Joel passed his round.
The other three fared similarly by passing their rounds. They, unlike Joel, weren’t able to strike Petra, but they did manage to evade him long enough to not be struck by him either. The four of them were pleased to learn that the purpose of training with Petra was to learn evasion in battle. Their lessons had transferred to their swordplay well and it allowed them to pass both. There was not to be and advanced class with Petra, but he would stay at the sanctum to help them better themselves if they wished to learn more.
They left the arena feeling good about their tests. They began talking about their thoughts on what was to come. The lessons for the day were over and they had some free time before dinner and none of them had to go and see the healers, so they went back to their rooms to relax for a change of pace. Jeremiah followed the other boys to their room as to finish the conversation that they were all having.
*****
Everyone had met in the dinning hall for their evening meals. The boys all ate their fill and more. Their training sessions had been taking a lot out of them and they needed to recharge themselves. The conversations going on around the tables varied, but the majority of the time was spent with the boys discussing their up coming advanced training and what they thought they would be learning. They were talking very loud about it and it was hard of others to talk about anything else.
Chloé and J?kob managed to start a discussion about her beginning to help him to learn the ancient language. Chloé had promised J?kob that she would help him to learn the ancient language. They would practice every evening after dinner and when they would meet with Wi?dwyr? they would try to only speak the ancient language around each other. They would work together as often as they could. Chloé had explained to J?kob what had happened to her city and other things that had been happening all around the realm. She knew and felt that it was important for him to learn as fast as he could.
When everyone had finished eating and before they had all left the dinning hall, Wilhelm made an announcement, “The Council has called a special meeting of the Watchers that is to take place in three days time. You young ones have seen first hand of what the enemy is doing in our lands and have been summoned to the meeting so that you may learn more about what is transpiring across Tenroha.” He continued to tell them that the training sessions were postponed until after the meeting and that everyone should take the time to rest up, but they were permitted to practice on their own if they wished.
With the excitement of the day, Jeremiah had drank too much wine and retired to his room, leaving Chloé behind in the dining hall. She had brought with her some parchments to help J?kob with his studies. They left the hall together and went to the room of Wi?dwyr? and began their studies by his side as they talked with him.
Jessie and Joel headed to the training arena and began practicing with some wooden practice swords. Jessie was eager to learn everything her brother had learned and this was usually the only time of day they could practice together. Being the same size, they were equally matched. It was much easier for Joel to spar with Jessie than it was for him to spar with Jonah who was five years his senior and towered over him. Jessie learned quickly and only after a few sparring matches, she was beginning to be as good as her brother.
Matáo and Jonah had also drank a little too much wine with dinner and Nìa helped them to their room across from hers. She left them to manage on their own after that. She went to her room and laid on her bed. She began to look at the charm her brother had made for her. She wasn’t tired enough to sleep, so she decided to go and talk with Wilhelm. She had some questions about her brother that she thought he could answer.
She left her room and went to see him. She found him in the halls near his chambers and asked him if he had time for a few questions. He nodded and led her to his study. There she asked him many questions about J?kob's mother and about his birth. Wilhelm answered every question that she asked. It was starting get late and Wilhelm cut her off during her last question and said, “There is something that you need to know. I haven’t even told this to J?kob yet. I was waiting until I had learned more of what it might mean.” “What is it?” she asked. He went to his desk and riffled though the papers and drawers searching for something. When he found it, he said, “Here it is,” and handed it to her. It was a piece of paper with words written in blood.
It was written in the ancient language and she couldn’t read it. “What is this?” she asked. “Elaina, my daughter, was holding this in her hand when I found her dead inside her room. It appeared that she had written it with her own blood and it is unfinished. She must have passed before she could finish writing it down,” he replied. “What does it say?” asked Nìa. “It is an ancient prophecy that dates back to the time before the mountains. Back when the Attikì Mountains were still ordinary mountains like the Crescent Mountains,” he explained. He began to read it aloud to her.
“Mountains rise, evil slows.
The man from Time, power grows.
Ages pass, a child is born.
freedom alas, from evil’s scorn.
Friends of foe, heed the call.
Nine young souls arrange the fall.
Time grows short. Unite the lost.
Without support, he’ll pay the cost.”
He recited the unfinished portion from memory. “What does it mean?” she asked. Wilhelm took a deep breath and thought a moment before he said, “Scholars of my order have been pondering that question for over a thousand years. The only things that we know for sure are the first two lines.” “Well, what do they mean?” she asked impatiently. “The evil it speaks of is a wizard named Jemot who was forsaken by our order and banished from our lands. He was banished to the Isle of Time where his grew stronger and he returned many years later to try to concur all of Tenroha. A group of magi, led by my ancestor Arryn, gathered the magical beings of the realm and began events that caused the mountains to rise to what you know them as today. With the mountains raised, he was unable to complete his conquest.”
Wilhelm went on to tell her that in all the times from the recorded histories, there has never been a time when a prophecy uttered by one was ever uttered by another and that since he wasn’t in he room when it happened, he couldn’t be sure if she prophesied it or was just repeating it. Nìa stared at the piece of paper and then at Wilhelm, and then said, you should talk to Chloé about this. I have a feeling that she can help. Something inside me is telling me that she can give you the answers to the questions that you seek.
She went on to explain that every since she had arrived at the sanctum, she had been getting urges and feeling that were never wrong. Her impulses had been guiding her since she was young, and since she had arrived, they felt stronger than ever. Wilhelm confessed to her, “After your parents passed away, I placed a ward of protection on you my child. It was for the sake of J?kob. I gave to you a mother’s love and guidance to keep him from harm.”
He went on to explain to her that being in the sanctum, a great source of magical power in and of itself, may be causing the effects of the ward to be stronger by being around such a large concentration of magic. He offered to remove the wards if she wished. Nìa was shocked at what she had heard and began to feel used by the old man, but after she thought about it, she thanked him for what she now considered to be a gift. She had overheard Chloé and J?kob's plans for the evening and went to find her.
She returned a short while later after she had found Chloé, who was on her way to her room after her lessons with J?kob. She began to explain some of what she and Wilhelm had talked about on their way back to Wilhelm’s chambers. When they arrived, she was still uncertain of why Nìa thought she could help. They entered the room and she saw Wilhelm seated at a table, staring at the parchment.
Chloé sat down beside him and he told her the full story and then handed her the parchment. Chloé took the paper and began to stare at it, reading it. She began to feel dizzy and started to sway back and forth. Her eyes rolled back, and Wilhelm, recognizing what was happening, had Nìa help him carry Chloé to his bed and laid her down.
Chloé was in a room that she didn’t recognize. She was laying in a bed that was not her own. She was in a lot of pain. She looked up and saw Wilhelm, but he had less gray hair. He was saying something that she couldn’t understand for the pain. She began to push hard from below. She was sweating and the pain was getting worse. She appeared to be in labor. She closed her eyes and saw many images flashing of a man she had never seen before. He was attacking and killing people from everywhere. The image changed and she watched as an entire mountain range began rise higher than she had ever seen. The image changed again and she saw a woman wearing a dark hood, that reminded her of her mother. She appeared to be great with child. The image changed again and she saw the mountains begin to fall and the man from before began his attacks again.
The scene changed again and she saw a young man sitting on the back of a dragon. She couldn’t see his face. The scene began to pan out and she saw three more dragons with two riders each and two more riding on horseback. She saw the four dragons and their riders take flight and she could see standing across the field of battle was the man she had seen before. He was dressed in crimson armor and had a massive army behind him. She opened her eyes and she saw Wilhelm standing at her feet holding a baby covered in goo. It was crying loudly and he took the child and left the room. She grabbed a parchment and began writing on it with her finger.
Chloé sat up and gasped when she came back to herself and began breathing hard. She was sweating, and for reasons unknown to the others, she began weeping. After she had recovered from the effects of the vision, she began to explain what she had seen to the other two. The three of them sat in silence staring at one another and pondering what it could mean. There were several questions swimming through their heads. “Who was this woman?” “Who was this man?” “Was this J?kob’s birth, or someone else?” But the biggest question on everyone’s mind was, “Is J?kob was the child mentioned in the millennia old prophecy, and if so, who were the others with him?”
