The Ninth Prophecy

As Faris finally had the Convergence well within his sight, he was pleased to see that there were no other men near it. He could see the post on Devil’s Tooth, overseeing the Convergence beneath. He calmed down. His plan regarding the post seemed to be working perfectly. He had beaten his brother to it. He tapped Sethon, who was riding next to him, pleased with how things were going. But his luck was of short breath. A man from Noxian patrol screamed Riders! Faris looked to the side. He could see two groups of riders racing towards Devil’s Tooth. He was confused at first. One group was coming from the east, from the direction of the Doomed Dome. The other one was coming from his right. He was sure it was his brother’s party. Then, it became clear to him: “Son of a bitch! He has allied with the Koprites! Quickly, rush to the Convergence! Rush to Devil’s Tooth!”

The frenetic race had started. The two armies were racing across the great plain to reach the post at Devil’s Tooth first. Both reached the Convergence at the base of the Tooth at about the same time. This is where Yon’s army merged with the Koprites. They were coming up from the east, as Faris and his men were climbing up from the west. They had to leave their horses at the base because of the rough terrain. However, argorites were tough enough to climb with their riders on their backs, but they were slower than on flat terrain. As he was climbing up, Faris tried to get a sense of where the enemy is.

They could hear each other climbing up the steep hill, just few tenths of lengths away from each other, but none were willing to engage the enemy before they reach the top. They both knew that the one who makes it to the top first has every chance of eliminating the other. Finally, Faris had reached the base of the wall. He was exhilarated. “Quick! Pass me the rope,” he said to one of the men. Several of them threw their hooks up and started climbing as fast as they could, knowing that their lives depended on it. Just as Faris was to grab the top of the wall with his hand, he felt something was dripping down on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the last thing he wanted to see - an argorite drooling down on him.

- “Dismount, dismount! Retreat!” he screamed, horrified by the realization that the Koprites had reached the top first. He just slid down the rope as argorites managed to rip apart several of the other climbers. Now, Faris was on the run, along with his men.

Koprites on argorites came after them, assuming the superior position. The Noxian army had tough time trying to fight them off, always being at least half a length beneath the enemy. The argorites were ruthless. Guts and blood of Noxian soldiers were spilled all over the hill. Faris tried to fall back, but an argorite threw him on the ground. The rider smiled knowing how precious his prey was. He pinched the argorite, giving the beast the order to strike. Faris was ready to accept his destiny. At first, he closed his eyes, but then he decided to look the beast in the eye as it was to rid him of his breath. He looked up as the beast lifted its head, ready to bite in. Faris suddenly saw a reddish-white flash above his head. He closed his eyes again. He was sure that it was the death angel sent by The One to take his soul. Then, he opened his eyes again, hearing a distinctive shriek. The argorite was there no more. Just as he pulled himself up in a sitting position, he saw the beast literally fall from the sky before his feet, all torn apart.

He looked up and saw something he at first thought was a dream. What he saw were animals which in every way resembled the notorious horions, only these were white. An even more improbable image shook him from his daydream. A familiar face appeared from behind the neck of the largest flying animal and it spoke: “Stand up boy and fight!”

As impossible as it may look, he was sure that it was none other than Axion the Chosen!

He had no time to think about what he saw. He decided that he should play along. He picked up his sword and ordered the remainder of his army to attack. The argorites were bewildered. In panic, they were trying to shake off their riders and run away, being picked off and torn apart one by one by a squadron of flying creatures they thought they had never seen before. The Noxians were more than prepared to slice the fallen Koprites while they were still too confused to realize what was going on. Noxians progressed up, pushing the enemy beyond and then under the walls on the east side. As they climbed into the post, they could only see the last of the surviving Koprites and Septors trying to climb over the wall on the other side and descend down the hill. They were all an easy prey for the creatures of the sky.

Covered in blood, Faris put his sword aside and looked up. He saw the creatures circling above them. They would occasionally come down to pick out the remaining few argorite riders who made it down to the plain, but not any further. By this time, Yon had reached the outer edge of the plain. Hiding in the woods, he watched in disbelief what was happening at Devil’s Tooth. At last, when the last of the Septors and Koprites were killed, the largest of the animals came down, landing in the middle of the improvised fortress on Devil’s Tooth. Faris and his men stood back, all still in disbelief. A man dismounted the creature. Now Faris was certain - it was Axion.

- “My boy, are you not going to at least shake my hand,” the man spoke to Faris.

Faris slowly approached: “Is that really you, Axion?!”

- “You can bet on it. It took me a while, but now I am back!”

Faris smiled with his eyes wide open as he rushed to hug the man. As he grabbed Axion, the beast next to him let out a shriek as a sign of warning to Faris. Axion tapped the animal to calm it: “They are quite edgy, as you can imagine. They are not used to seeing anyone touch me. I guess they should get used to it now,” Axion explained

Faris started to cry as he was now aware that it was not a dream: “But…how?! We mourned your death…What happened to you and to the vicious horions?”

- “Oh, they are still vicious, no doubt about that. I just had them treated more appropriately than before! Sit down, my boy. I will tell you all about it.”

The two men sat down. Faris was still far from cool. Axion had a lot of explaining to do.

- “I understand that you are confused, maybe even angry, my dear friend, but you must understand that it couldn’t have been done in any other way. You see, when you left me with the argorites, I didn’t drown them. You know…they don’t call me the Healer for no reason. When we came to the lake, I pressed my hand on the side of the cage. To my surprise, I sensed fear, anxiety, suffering…but not wrath. I lifted the cage gate slowly. Ratana was the only one awake. I named her, just to be clear on that. Ratana is the largest of the horions so the herbs with which they sedated her had a shorter-lasting effect on her. I approached her before she was completely aware of it. She wanted to bite me, but I evaded her bite and tapped her on the nose. Anyway, I don’t have to explain you the whole procedure - the point is that I gained her trust and she listened to me. The others just followed her, as she is their matriarch. You know, their black color is not permanent. Their color changes along with their mood, their inner state. They were black because they were raised in the darkness, by the darkest of creations who beat them, punished them even when they were not guilty, tortured them... So, the animals became like their masters - angry, bloodthirsty, cold-hearted… It took me a long time and I went through a lot of pain to change them, but I have succeeded. I took them to the Misty Mountains where we were safe from anyone finding out about the secret. I trained them there, and the mystical forests and meadows helped me in altering their state of mind. Now, they are white, although they turn a bit red when confronted with a Koprite. Only then they feel anger and crave for blood. It is because Koprites tortured the poor animals for so long. They want to have their revenge, now that they are freed from them.”

- “But, why didn’t you expose yourself to us?”

- “I couldn’t have done that. You see, I sensed both darkness and light mixed in your brother’s and in your heart. It was uncertain which would prevail. So, I observed…from a safe distance - safe enough for you not to sense my presence. After your brother killed Thyon, Valir and the Illuminators it was clear to me whose side I was to take. I just waited for the proper opportunity to reveal myself.”

- “I am glad you chose me.”

- “It has nothing to do with sympathy. I followed what you were doing and the signs were clear. You know, I trained Ratana to be your horion. I would bring a piece of your shirt up to her nose each morning, so she could get used to the scent. Of course, it is up to you to gain her full trust.”

- “You mean…you want me to ride the beast?!”

- “Don’t call her a beast. She doesn’t like being called that. From now on, she will be your closest friend, your companion in battle, your right hand. Only, we must keep it secret. It is to our advantage. Leave all your men here at the station. They are the only witnesses. You will return to Nox alone, but first we will take a small detour to the Misty Mountains. I will train you there in secrecy. Few days should be enough for you to get a sense of how it is to be done. We will be with you afterwards too, watching from nearby, don’t you worry. Just call Ratana’s name and she will answer. A lifetime of experience it will take for you two to become companions, maybe even family...You should approach her now. That will be the best test to see if I have succeeded in introducing you to her.”

- “And if you have failed?”

- “Well, chances are that Ratana will freeze you to death.”

Although Axion’s answer was far from reassuring, Faris slowly approached the big horion. He tapped Ratana on the back. She twitched and turned towards Faris, staring right at him. Faris froze even without Ratana breathing at him. He stood still, waiting to see what will happen. Both to Axion’s and his liking, the animal put its head on the ground before Faris’s feet. Faris kneeled down and petted the horion. It was more than a good sign. Then, the two men, joined by Sethon, spent the whole remainder of the night talking to each other, while Faris’s and Sethon’s men celebrated the victory.