Prince Ryan had joined Nìa and the others when they returned to the Sanctum. He was granted permission from the council to peruse the libraries of the Order; in order to find anything new, to himself, or anything that may have been lost in time about the relics of his family crest. He had been there nearly a fortnight and hadn't found anything substantial. He spent long hours at a time searching for anything he could on the subject. When he found anything at all, he would write it down in a leather bound book that he kept all of his personal notes about the relics.
When he wasn't studying, he was being entertained by Nìa. She gave him a tour of the Sanctum, though she wasn't aware of all its secrets, and had only entered a select few of the rooms. She was by no means an expert on the Sanctum, but enjoyed the time he spent with her while she tried her best to show him around. She was always a little nervous around him and flirted with him often, and Ryan seemed to feel a little happier each time she was around.
He had went to meet Wi?dwyr? on his second day there and had returned a few times since. He, like J?kob and Chloé, was fascinated by the creatures and he wanted to learn all that he could in his short visit to the Sanctum. The second time had gone to see him, Ryan brought some parchment and a charcoal stick so he could attempt to make a drawing of him. Wi?dwyr? and J?kob had offered to let him fly with them, but Ryan refused for the time being, but he did want to take them up on their offer before he left.
When Ryan had first arrived at the Sanctum, his father had given him instructions to find out all he could about the enemy that had been terrorizing the northern parts kingdom. Little was known about him and there had been no people that had been left behind to report anything about him. The elders were being very closed lips on the subject and he wasn't finding anything in his research either. It was beginning to infuriate him that the Order was being so secretive about this enemy.
Every time he found any references that may contain information about the unknown enemy, the pages in the book, or sections of scrolls or parchments were missing. He began to wonder what, about this enemy, could have the council so frightened that they have erased the traces of his existence.
He only had a few more days at the Sanctum, and today he didn't feel much like reading. He had spent most of his time, while at the Sanctum, away from his new friends and he felt like he should spend at least one day with them. Jeremiah had just returned with Master U'lias and Protector Thomas Bridgewater, from the palace.
He went to greet them, and afterwards, he was briefed on what was transpiring at the palace, along with all of the reinforcements that had been done. The two of them were only there for a short time, but they wanted to fill the prince in on what was happening. He learned that the palace had been fortified again and was prepared for an attack. He learned that scouts had been sent out to report the enemy movements. The reports showed that the enemy was rebuilding the city of Oaken Meadow, and there were no signs of them advancing any further.
Other reports stated that there were twelve different legions of soldiers that had made attacks on the same night. The cities in the northern territories had been sacked and all of the people had vanished. The cities were all left burning and abandoned. Some of the newest reports claimed that all of the legions had made their way to Oaken Meadow and were currently stationed there, assisting with the rebuilding efforts. Ryan was disheartened by the news, but his mood was lightened when he heard that the king was planning an attack at Oaken Meadow, and that Thomas and Jeremiah were to lead the charge.
*****
The wind raced through J?kob's hair as Wi?dwyr? dove down through the clouds. He was tethered to the saddle by a leather strap attached to his waist. They were going so fast that his legs began to slip from the stirrups and his backside had lifted off the saddle. The first time that it happened, J?kob began to panic, but Wi?dwyr? calmed him down and for the first few flights together, he tried not to fly so fast.
J?kob was becoming fearless as they flew together now. He had lost count on the number of times they'd ventured out into the world since everyone had returned from the palace. The council had granted him permission to begin his flight training once Wilhelm had informed them of his progress on the ancient language. Now every morning he would get some food from the dining hall and take it with him when he would go to see Wi?dwyr?, and they would fly together if the weather permitted.
It always took them much longer for them to return from their adventures than it did to begin them. The air was too thin at the top of the Attikì Mountains and too cold for J?kob, so the two of them would fly down to the base of the mountains and sore much closer to the ground. For the first few flights Wi?dwyr? would wait for J?kob at the base while Wilhelm led him through a secret passage, known only to the Watchers, that led to the dwarven village at the base of the mountains.
There was a dense forest at the base of the mountains that stretched for leagues on either side of the road that led from the lands of men, and ended at the dwarven settlement in the mountains. They flew low to the ground, weaving in and around the trees, up and over them, through the branches and often through holes in giant rock formations. J?kob hadn't been brave enough yet to begin practicing shooting a bow from Wi?dwyr?'s saddle. He was still getting used to riding, and couldn't yet let go of the spines that he used to hold on to.
He trusted Wi?dwyr? with all he had, he just didn't want to try anything that might test the strength of his harness or Wi?dwyr?'s ability to catch him if he fell off. Today they had been flying since the sun rose over the forest at daybreak and had stopped in a clearing so J?kob could wait while Wi?dwyr? went to hunt. J?kob could tell that he liked the food that was brought to him everyday at the Sanctum, but he really missed the hunt.
J?kob was sitting on a rock and reading a scroll that Wilhelm had given him about how the Sentinel Trees came to be. As he read, he learned that long ago, before there was a king that ruled the land, there were squabbles and wars fought to rule certain areas of the land. Lives were constantly being lost in the pursuit of power. A group of magical beings made up of wizards, elves, dragons, and such formed the earliest known magical order.
He also learned that, knowing that there were pockets of magic spread throughout the land, the order of magical beings gathered forty-two seeds from forty-two different types trees. They began planting them at the intersections of these magical pockets, where the concentration of magical properties were at their strongest. The trees began to grow to an enormous size. Many of which grew to ten times their normal size. The order, known then as the Tribune, then placed runes on each of the trees to mark them as a place of power. They used a different rune for each tree.
It was later discovered that these runes could awaken these sources of magic in other trees to create a portal which allowed for travel to and from each tree without using one's own magic. J?kob could sense that Wi?dwyr? had found his prey. He could feel him begin to grow anxious with the anticipation of a fresh meal. He felt the freedom that Wi?dwyr? felt as he dove in for his kill and the elation he felt when he succeeded. J?kob started to feel hungry too, even though he had already eaten.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
While Wi?dwyr? tore into the deer he had just captured, J?kob's mouth began to water as his hunger grew. J?kob began to push back his mental bond with Wi?dwyr? as the elders had shown him. His ravenous hunger began to subside and he continued to read. "It was at that time that the Tribune discovered the epicenter of a magical well located high, on a plateau; in the Attikì Mountains near the center of the range."
"They made for themselves a sanctuary there. It was, to them, a most sacred place. All magic in the land seemed to radiate outwards from this source. They were able to draw from the well to perform complex and cumbersome magic," he read in the scroll. He also learned that for centuries, the Sanctum had become a place of learning for humans and others with magical abilities. It was to be a place for them to share their knowledges.
The scroll went on to tell more about how the Sanctum was formed and for what purposes the order used it. Nearing the end of the scroll, was a list of the Sentinel Tree locations and the runes that were enshrined to each of them. J?kob began to hear the advice that Wilhelm had given him when he handed him the scroll repeating in his mind. "This is one of the oldest items I have in my possession. Most of what is written down is just the ramblings of an old scribe before he died. Take heed, and memorize the things listed here. You never know when you will have need of them."
J?kob had brought a blank parchment and a quill with him. He began practicing to draw each of the runes from the scroll and to which tree they belonged. He began to wish that he had a map of Tenroha so that he could see where each of the trees were located. He made himself a note to try and find one after his next lesson with the elders. The morning was getting late and he needed to go back to the Sanctum. He called for Wi?dwyr? in his mind.
Wi?dwyr? had finished eating what he could and was about to fly the remaining parts up into a tree, and save the rest for later, when J?kob called to him. J?kob convinced him to leave it on the ground for the scavengers to have a fresh meal as well. J?kob loaded everything that he had brought with him into the bags that were attached to the saddle and the two of them began the long flight back up the top of the mountains.
When they arrived at the giant dragon door that was outside of the Sanctum, J?kob peered through one of the windows and located the lever to open the door. He hadn't yet mastered using magic on unseen items, so for now, he had to be able to see it. He drew from his well of magic and as he focused on the lever, he said, "Skyfa." The lever moved down and the gears and cogs of the mechanical devices began to turn, and the doors began to open.
Once the doors were wide enough, the two of them flew through the opening and they landed by the lever that closed the door. Wi?dwyr? walked towards the lever and J?kob said, "Hand-draga," pulling the lever back to its original position, and the doors began to close behind them. They walked into Wi?dwyr?'s room and J?kob began to unload the saddle. The saddle itself was too heavy for J?kob to lift by himself, so once he finished unstrapping it from Wi?dwyr?, he said, "Hefja," to lift it off his back and then "Niera," to place it on the floor.
J?kob left Wi?dwyr? in his room to digest his meal. He still had some time before his lessons with Grand Master Da'vid and Grand Master Tyrenus, so he went to talk with his grandfather. He and Mrs. Clary were in the chamber that belonged to Wilhelm. They were discussing Chloé's progress with her magical training. "She is so much like Elaina," said Wilhelm," as J?kob entered the room.
"Who is?" asked J?kob curiously after hearing his mother's name. "Chloé," began Wilhelm, "I've told you before that she reminds me of her." Wilhelm went on to compare the various traits that they have in common. "She is brilliant, but like Elaina, she has a hard time accessing her well of magic. She can do minor spells that require very little magic, but she cannot seem to summon enough of it to do anything even slightly more difficult," he said, a little disappointed.
"I'm not certain that I can teach her anymore. The commonalities are beginning to get to me," he began to say, then he finished by saying, "We need to find someone else to train her." J?kob began thinking to himself, "I wonder if I could help. She helped me to learn the ancient language. I wonder if I could help her to better find and connect to her inner magic."
The conversation in the room began to change as Wilhelm and Mrs. Clary began discussing the importance of Chloé learning to use her magic. J?kob sat and listened to the two of them talking and occasionally would say something or ask a question to remind them that he was still in the room. They began talking about someone named Jemot and J?kob began to lose interest. He stood up to leave the room because it was nearing the time for his lesson with the elders.
Before he left the room he asked, "Who is Jemot? The man that you are talking about?" Wilhelm and Mrs. Clary looked at each other and then to J?kob. Their eyes widened as if some unknown secret had escaped them. They had forgotten to tell everyone what, or who, they were up against. Wilhelm took a slow breath and said, "It's time for us to give all of you young ones a history lesson that has started to impact our present. Gather everyone this evening after dinner and we will tell you everything that is going on."
*****
That evening, at dinner, everyone had gathered and were waiting for Wilhelm to arrive. Thomas and Jeremiah were explaining to Chloé the preparations that were going on with the King's troops before they were to begin the long march to Oaken Meadow. Chloé wasn't happy about it. Jeremiah had just returned to her after several weeks and he was to leave very soon.
Jonah, who usually sat next to Nìa, was sitting at the far end of the table staring at her as she talked with Prince Ryan. Matáo and he had been sparring before dinner and he had a small cut on his brow from where Matáo had accidentally hit him with the handle of his sword while trying to block a swing from Matáo's sword. Matáo was trying to talk with him, but Jonah was only paying attention to Ryan and Nìa.
J?kob was too tired from his lesson with the elders to pay much attention to what was being said around him. He had hoped that the elders would be teaching him powerful magic, but his lessons mostly entailed boring history lessons with a few practical magic lessons. His abilities were improving, but he couldn't tell any differences in himself. He let out a yawn when Joel asked him about his lesson.
The twins were always asking him about his lessons and were often a bit jealous. Jessie and Joel both wanted to learn to use magic, but it just wasn't in them. Any time that J?kob and Chloé would talk about it, they would listen very intently, hoping that when they turned thirteen that they would be able to use it too. They even took it upon themselves to start learning the language of magic. They learned what they could by listening to J?kob and Chloé when they spoke it, and asked a lot of questions about it.
The group had waited until long after everyone else had left the dining hall. Wilhelm and Mrs. Clary had not arrived. The kitchen staff, who J?kob and the others had found out were made up of young magic users who were training at the Sanctum, began trying to finish cleaning up and asked them to leave. The group made their way into the halls of the Sanctum that led to every room. They had no idea where to go, so they decided to go to Wilhelm's chambers.
They were met in the halls by Mrs. Clary who silently gestured for them to follow her. She led them down several different passageways, up and down several staircases and finally into a long tunnel. The ten of them followed her to a doorway at the end of the tunnel. Wilhelm, along with Petra, Rayne, Kara, and Jameson Truwood were waiting for them.
The door looked ancient and it appeared older than the sanctum itself. It was made of the same stone as the walls around it and there was an inscription written in the ancient language. J?kob read it aloud, "For-boea fr?ei-b?kr," then remembering who all was with him, he repeated it in the common tongue, "Forbidden Books of Knowledge."
