THE CHRONICLES OF AVAIREAN

Infused Magic

"If our nature is decided by color and innate skill, then why give us free will?"

Part II: Draiken

l—Year 9669—l

Chapter 22: Mysteries and Promises

“And so the Seeker was lost…Shain Briad was a noble leader of the Humans, but he did not do as requested. His children did not take the Seeker after him. Such is why the Dragonblade remains hidden; without the Seeker to search it out, Nakoriash will forever be imprisoned. If one can find the Seeker, one can find the Dragonblade, and one can release the great White Dragon God once again. If Nakoriash were to be freed from his prison, the Rangers would regain their power and all that they have lost because a Guardian was not there to watch over them.”

Cest Elsang sighed as he finished the last section of the book he had been reading. A book on legends. A book with a bit of bias, but that was to be expected. He enjoyed reading over this particular part of history. The Dragon Duel…the creation of the prisons and the Seeker.

The Seeker: a medallion that held the very power of Almighty Avairean. To own it would be…

“Elsang?” He sighed at the voice of Zeith Uppercut. He had not been able to have some true peace since Ta’re was executed…and Princess Esra claimed her love of the Catrek boy.

“Sir?” Rising from his chair, he saluted as Asara’s beloved entered the room.

Zeith Uppercut nodded back, small lips dipped in a frown, smooth cheeks creased at the movement. Straight eyebrows lowered, and Cest Elsang knew something had happened. “We have a problem.”

Instantly straightening, body ready to rush to the weapon cabinet at a moment’s notice, Elsang became all business. “What, may I ask, is the problem?”

Blue eyes regarded blue and Elsang felt a shiver run up his spine. “A new magical force has entered the vicinity. Whatever it is, it’s making Esra cry.”

That was all he needed. Bowing to excuse his action-without-permission, Cest Elsang turned his feet and nearly sprinted to the weapons he had stored in a corner. Esra usually didn’t complain about a trespassing presence in the area. She was the strong one; she withstood Ta’re’s corrupted Essence. To have her crying…

--

“What did you do that for?” I shouted the moment I saw the unconscious stranger, so named Amandil, sprawled all over my bed.

Xa’du shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. He fell.” At the raised eyebrow, the creamy gray ears flicked forward and showed how serious he was trying to be. “No, I mean it; he really did just…fall…”

Sighing, I let myself fall back against my chair; reaching out, I picked up the sword, interested in the weapon more than the bubbles of magic surrounding the air. The stranger’s weapon was worth more of my attention than the actual stranger, or the fact that Amandil had teleported into the Ranger’s white city.

It was curved like a katin, but much longer. Lightweight, it could probably work well in just one hand…if trained that way. “I wonder where he came from.”

“I wonder what they’re going to do with him.”

Xa’du’s muttering snapped me back into reality. I blinked. “What? Who?”

Smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand, the gray Catrek groaned. “You’re hopeless sometimes. I don’t really think you’d actually make that good of a DarkMage.” At a glare, Xa’du went on. “He claims to be a Draiken. Even if he shows no actual signs—beyond odd magic and the Elven looks—the Rangers will certainly notice something odd in this room. We can’t hide him…He…”

A knock on the door brought us both to a short attention. “Catrek! What are you doing in there? Why is the door locked?”

Immediately, I stood up, scratching the back of my head as I opened the door to meet Zeith Uppercut and Cest Elsang. “Setsuri…” I whispered, trailing back into Catrii without really meaning to. This served to earn me two raised eyebrows. Stumbling over my words, I explained as the two entered into the room, “My apologizes. We were…”

Before I could continue, Cest Elsang raised a naked weapon to my throat, the dagger edge dangerously close. I could feel the tense vibes in the air mingling with the strange magic residue. “What. Have. You. Been. Doing?”

I gulped, glancing out of the corner of my eye to see that Xa’du had his hands on his head, ears flat and twitching beneath his fingers. “Talking?”

The answer did not seem to satisfy neither the Ranger General nor Zeith Uppercut. I could feel my restless tail twitching fast behind me. While Xa’du’s robes rustled at every movement, my leather felt tight against my skin, sweaty at the folds.

“Who is he? Where did he come from?”

Again, before I could reply, an interruption waltzed right into the fray. Now, Aldein, the Elf, was a part of the new discovery, and speaking in broken Rarilin mixed with Elven. I couldn’t even begin to understand it.

As the Rangers and Elf spoke between themselves, I turned to Xa’du and shrugged. This is getting confusingly interesting.

And, of course to top it all, the stranger was starting to wake, making moans as he did so. “I must’ve really teleported across the world…took so much of me energy…err…hello…”

The moment the stranger began moving, Elsang whipped out another dagger and pointed it at the newcomer, threatening. Zeith had already collected the strange short sword. “Aldein says you are not an Elf, though you look like one. Who are you, what are you, and where do you come from?”

“And why are you here?”

I felt the red and black eyes look in my direction, confusion playing on the long smooth face. “Eh, I am called Amandil.”

Aldein murmured something. Elsang nodded, “Close to Elven yet not quite. Go on.”

“I am a Draiken living on one of the Elven Isles…”

Immediately after this information, the Elf sprang forward, falling at the stranger’s feet and speaking so fast he would be hard to understand even with knowing the language. Elsang turned back to look at me, so I shrugged and let my eyes speak. Thankfully, Cest Elsang understood and removed his dagger from its threatening position on me, which allowed him to move closer to the stranger.

“Catrek, to the corner.” The command came from Zeith, who was attempting to get closer to the action and failing because of the crowded room.

Nodding my head, I obeyed, shooting a glare toward Xa’du to make sure he did the same. When the two of us were situated and out of the way, I watched the scene unfold.

Amandil had his hands on his head, rubbing his temples as if he had a horrid headache. “It is very difficult to keep up wit’ so many languages, and I do not know Elven well enough to follow what you say.”

Aldein hung his head. Elsang translated. “He…He’s asking about your mother?”

Immediately, the stranger’s head shot up. His eyes narrowed and his mouth became set in a thin line, devoid of all emotion. “My mot’er. She started looking for me three days ago. I was attempting to teleport back home, but…” He held his hands out and looked around the room. “I miscalculated and came here instead. Not that I’m disappointed. I always wanted to visit the Diaholt.”

As soon as the last word left Amandil’s mouth, Elsang shot forward. I almost couldn’t follow the movements. It seemed like it happened in the space of two blinks. One moment, Elsang was charging the stranger, dagger thrust forward, ready to attack. The next moment and Elsang was on the ground, Amandil standing over him, both of Elsang’s daggers in his hands, pricking the Ranger General’s back.

Before anyone could comment, Xa’du laughed. “Now that’s the kind of person who would make a great samurai.”

Amandil turned to face the Catrek, his firm gaze strangely on me instead of my rude friend. I felt like I was being judged, as if he was searching me for a sign. Suddenly, his face broke into a wide grin and he started laughing, putting a hand behind his head as he stood up and threw Elsang’s weapons to the floor. “You think so? I wouldn’t mind being a samurai, but I couldn’t stand to bond myself to anyone.”

I shrugged, trying to ignore the look Elsang was giving me. “I don’t understand why everyone finds it strange to bond a cat. We just-”

“No, no, not a cat. It’s the mages I’d be worried about.”

“Mages?” I whispered, my gaze glaring towards my friend, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at me.

What have I not been told? What are you hiding from me? And why?

Amandil laughed. “I certainly stumbled into somethin’ interesting. I may not regret this after all.”

“Hands up, Draiken.”

The voice and command startled both me, as well as the Elf-like stranger. A look toward the door explained it all. Zeith stood with his arms crossed, a small contingent of archers behind him, all with their arrows pointed toward Amandil. As soon as the Draiken saw this, he did as he was ordered, raising his arms in the air, wincing even as he did so.

“…though this begs to change my mind,” he muttered.

Immediately, Aldein began shouting, standing between Amandil and the archers. Elsang was on his feet, cleaning his blades from dust before sheathing them. He, apparently, felt that things were under control. Cest Elsang tried to pull Aldein away, only to be shoved backwards into my bed, surprised as much as the rest of the room.

“I…am so…confused,” Xa’du muttered in my ear.

I simply nodded, never letting my eyes leave Amandil, who was staring at the Elf ranting before him. Before anymore could be said, Amandil spoke to the Elf, in very slow Elven. When Aldein turned to stare at him and began speaking back, I knew the Draiken was having a hard time simply by noticing the wilting ears.

“I-I really have a hard time understanding you, my Prince. I’m not as well versed in Elven as I should be.”

My Prince? Who is he? What’s a Draiken? Why don’t I understand anything?

Shaking his head, Elsang stepped forth, seeming to be more useful as a translator than as the general he was meant to be. “He seems to hold some disillusion that you can rescue his sister.”

Amandil turned to the Ranger General, still with his hands up. “No disillusion. That’s what I offered to him. That’s…” he drifted off, lowering his eyes, glancing around at the room, before landing on me. “That’s why I left home early.”

Why does he keep looking at me? What does he want me to do? I’m powerless here!

Xa’du’s whispered reminder made my twitching tail freeze midair. “Actually, you’re a Catrek mage without a block, and you know something about weapon-fighting. Not to mention you’re in enemy territory being treated like one of their own.”

Aldein muttered something, and I turned my attention back to the center to see everyone staring at me. Everyone.

I gulped. What did I miss?

Again, Xa’du’s whispers kept me informed. “The Draiken just said he could rescue Adriana…with your help.”

“Me?” I shouted, taking a step forward, clenching my right fist by my side. “What am I supposed to do? How? How?”

“That’s exactly what I want to know,” Zeith said with a scowl, transferring his glare to the trespasser.

Amandil shrugged, as best as he could manage with his hands above his head. “It seems to me, a Catrek mage trusted by the Dia…err…Rangers,” he corrected with a light grin, “would be the best hope of rescuing someone from the depths of the Catrek Palace.”

Xa’du laughed, “The best hope, maybe, if he were willing to step into that life and learn the ‘dark arts’.”

I turned a glare towards my friend. “Why not you-?”

“Hey, me? I hate being here, and I’ve had a permanent block put around my Essence, remember? There isn’t much I can do.”

“Except offer petty commentary,” Elsang added, earning an understanding nod from Xa’du. My friend wouldn’t be saying much else. “Why don’t we discuss this in more…stately compartments?”

After a moment, Zeith conceded the point. “Yes, but I want a collar around him,” he growled, pointing towards me, earning a flinch. “And something to calm the aura around the Draiken.”

This comment proceeded to earn a small chuckle from Amandil. “Sorry, mate. I must admit, I have a lot to learn about control.”

Sighing, I hung my head, feeling my striped ears flopping against my hair. This certainly has been an interesting day.

“More than you know,” Xa’du whispered behind me.

I spun around, only to meet a fang flashing grin. Turning back and seeing Elsang carrying a mage-collar…I understood why.

Sometimes, friend, I really do hate you.

--

Author Notes: I moved them to the bottom! Har! Now I can comment about what I’ve written! Haha! Erm, yes, well, I’m sure this is all confusing. I’ve got to learn to slow down a bit. Don’t worry. I’ll fix it next chapter. Things will be explained…slowly. Heh.