Champions of Serenity: Destiny Fulfilled

Chapter 15

“Where did this wall come from?” Fini demanded angrily. “Kreben only had one protective wall and that was made of wood. It’s been that way for at least the last fifty years. Are you sure this is right?”

Korol yawned and took a sip of the hot spiced wine Tris had handed him when he entered the cave a few minutes earlier. His pale eyes were smudged with sleeplessness and his reactions were a little slow. “Of course I’m sure. I missed the perfect opportunity to give five men heart attacks to get this information.”

“Do you think they built this in expectation of our coming?” Tyra asked, looking at the new fortifications around the village.

“This shouldn’t be here!” Airidon said, slamming his fist on the table. “The dwarves told them decades ago that the base rock wouldn’t support such fortifications, that’s why Kreben has never grown larger than a village. What are they trying to do, destroy the very land around them? The damage this one wall could do would devastate the whole region.”

“So figure out a way to bring the wall down without destroying the surrounding area, Airidon. Don’t just rant about it, fix it.” Jehro said, putting his hand on Airidon’s shoulder. When the second in command turned on the Chameling, Jehro just grinned, kissed him on the nose, and handed him some spiced wine. Airidon rolled his eyes, took the wine and went back to looking at the drawings Korol had brought with him.

“Why don’t you go and get some sleep, Korolwyn. You have done a very good job. We will tell you what we have come up with tonight.” Tris said, helping the tired Shadow walk back to the quiet of his sleeping room and the comfort of his bedding.

“Thanks, Leader Tris, for letting me play spy. This is more fun than anything in the Shadow-dreams.” Korol said as he drifted off to sleep. Tris smiled down at him and then went back to the group.

Airidon had a blank piece of parchment and was drawing on it. “If we weaken the support in these five areas under that new wall, it will fall without causing damage to the village. In the confusion, we can kill those we need to and get out before anyone is the wiser; unless Handsome has a magical defense about the village.”

The Circle turned to Tris as she returned in silent question. “I can’t use my magic outside of this forest without Handsome knowing I’m doing it. That’s why Korolwyn’s the spy and not me. But he doesn’t know about Finbrahner’s way of doing magic….”

“What about my eye?” Shrina asked and closed her front eyes to activate her third eye. Tris put her hand on Shrina’s arm and shook her to get her attention. Shaking her head, she stopped Shrina from opening her third eye.

“Handsome knows you are a Siblen, Shrelannasha, he will have warded against your eye. But only the Druids and Dryads know about Druid magic and I doubt any Druid would tell Handsome about their talents. Don’t worry; I have something important for you to do later.” Tris said and winked at Shrina so she wouldn’t feel left out. Shrina nodded and shrugged, allowing Fini to take center stage this time.

“Uh, Tris, before Fini looks for you, I have something I need to tell you.” Tyra said, biting her lower lip nervously. “You said yesterday, that I needed to find another way of doing magic, beside incantations. Well, as you know half wizards only have one way of doing magic and so I thought I was stuck. But Fini reminded me of a couple of things I had done without thinking about it and found a second way in which I can harness my magic. So I guess that makes me a full wizard.”

“What is your second way, Tyrandeannah?” Tris asked, with a smile, not showing any surprise. When Tyra looked a question at her, Tris chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised, Lady White, I’ve known you were full of surprises and I intend to use them, just as I intend to use my own strengths and weaknesses in this battle. I will use anything I have to; to make sure we don’t lose.”

Tyra nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ve been fighting my whole life, Tris, I’m not afraid of a blade. But I am afraid of this new way of doing magic.”

“What’s to be afraid of, Tyra? I think it would be cool to be able to do magic, I mean, more than just use a third eye to see things.” Shrina said, sitting next to her friend and patting her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, things will be okay. Tris is here and with her, nothing can go wrong.”

Tyra smiled at Shrina and the faith she showed in Tris. Tris just scowled. “I’m not infallible, Shrelannasha.” Tris muttered.

“I want to know what Tyra’s second way is.” Jehro said, trying to hush up Shrina.

“I can channel my power though my hands. Not like waving them around and such, but by touch. If I want to change shape, I simply put the image in my mind of what I want to be, touch myself and I’m that shape.”

Tris sat back and shared a long look with Tyra. Slowly, Tris nodded and gave her friend a smile. “You have a very powerful gift there, Tyrandeannah and a big responsibility as well. You must learn to harness this power and quickly, before it controls you. But you know this; I will help as I can.”

Fini set a bucket of water down between his legs and looked up at Tris. She nodded and made sure everyone was silent as Fini worked his magic. The Druid stilled his heart and controlled his breath, moving into a trance state. He leaned over the water and gently blew on it, concentrating on what he wanted to see. It clouded over and then cleared. Fini watched it a moment and then jerked back when a black cloud settled over everything. Sweat poured down his face as he looked up at Tris, his whole demeanor troubled.

“I must tell you what I saw alone, Tris. I don’t think the others should know just yet, what it was I saw.” Fini said, kicking the bucket over so that the black tainted water soaked into the dirt around the fire.

Tris nodded and stood, offering her hand to the giant man. “Airidon, you work on the plans for taking Kreben. Finbrahner and I will be speaking with Drianne. We will be back as soon as we can.” Wrapping her magic around them, she took Fini and herself to Drianne’s glade.

Airidon nodded and took over the planning stages, working on the assumption that there wasn’t a magical barrier protecting their target. Everyone gathered around the table and added their thoughts to the ideas. They still had no idea who would be going and who would be staying.

In Drianne’s glade, Tris and Fini stepped from a fold in space and startled the Dryad. “Heavens above and below, Tris, if you don’t stop using your fancy tricks and giving me heart attacks, I’m going to tell this Druid here everything you ever did in your entire life, from eating your first worm to…”

“I’m sorry I startled you, Drianne, but this is important.” Tris interrupted. Drianne nodded and waved a branch for the two of them to make themselves comfortable while she finished her current project.

Fini and Tris watched as Drianne sang to a tiny vine at the base of a dead cedar. As they watched, it grew under the Dryad’s encouragement and became a climbing golden rose vine. It covered the base of the tree and wound its way up the few shoots trying to stay alive off of the dead trunk. When the first blossoms sprang open and joined their perfume to that of the cedar, Drianne stopped her singing and looked at her work.

“Much better than last year, don’t you think, Peacock? The pink just doesn’t seem to fit this year’s mood and last year we were all into the softer colors. Now, what is so important you couldn’t just walk over here?”

Fini cleared his throat and began to tell Tris and Drianne what he had seen in his mirror. “You know how the “seeing” works, right, Drianne? Well, I used it on Kreben and found the well Handsome is using for his power base or catalyst as his followers know it. He has set a spell on it, so that anyone with magic in his veins that uses this well will have some of his power taken from him. And once that power is taken, Handsome can use its taste to track the original user and use him against his own will if necessary to Handsome’s own end.”

Tris felt Drianne gathering herself to rage. “Now, Drianne, we knew this was happening, that’s what I looked for yesterday. The question is, what is the best way to drain these catalysts without doing harm to Sandeenai.”

Chaos sat up at this information. So this was how Dreybrenic was gaining so much so quickly. It made sense but it also angered Chaos. There were limits on what he was willing to put up with and Dreybrenic was walking that very fine line that was quickly vanishing.

It was time to put a little more chaos into Dreybrenic’s plans and once again teach the servant a lesson. Chaos sat back and contemplated just what form this chaos and lessoning would take.