A Dragon Born (17 page)

"Is there ever a time when you are not drinking, mage?" she asked as she reached over the bar, grabbed a cup and slid the bottle in front of her. She poured herself a large cupful of the drink then raised it to the mage. Zachary raised his cup to her as well.

"I have always been a thirsty sort," he said. "And this establishment serves a fair batch of sweetwater. I wonder who makes it. I would buy a crate."

"It's a secret pirate recipe," Carly told him with a grin. "You'd have to become a pirate to learn such mysteries."

"Ah, ancient pirate lore," Zachary said. "If you shared such secrets, everyone would become a pirate."

"It is an adventuresome life."

"Thieving on the open sea?"

"The sea is a thief."

"How so?"

"She is the deep waters and she takes what she wants, when she wants it."

"But the water cannot save herself from the heat of the sun."

"Then she merely becomes a cloud and then rain and then the sea once again."

"You know many things for a pirate," Zachary said.

"I know too many things for a pirate, though it is a life I have come to enjoy."

"I take it you have remembered some things?"

"Yes, I have," Carly told him.

They sat in pensive silence for a few moments. Carly was not entirely happy about having been reminded of who she really was, but she had decided that such knowledge changed very little for her.

"Thank you for your help with Aaron," Zachary told her.

"Thank the Lady, Ehlena," Carly said. "It was all her doing, but I'm glad I was a help. You should speak to him. I have not spent much time with Aaron, and I know little of his history, but I know his heart and it is a true one."

"That is why I will wait, until he is ready," Zachary said. "I learned long ago not to force things, and I often fail to remember that lesson, but I would rather not make that mistake."

"The world offers many lessons to us all," Carly mused. "What is a mistake but another opportunity to learn another lesson."

"Yes, and sometimes we have to learn them more than once, before we finally begin to understand."

"You are wise for your years."

"To one such as you, I may be young, but I have packed a great deal of living into my life, perhaps too much," Zachary said.

"Why not stay by the sea, Zachary? Apart from the storms, which are Ehlena's fault, the waters are most often peaceful."

"It is tempting," Zachary said, "and I may consider such an offer, but you know as well as I do that there are things that must be done to halt the power of this king who has become a god. If he is not stopped, once he has conquered the land, no doubt he will turn to the sea."

"Only a fool would think to control the sea," Carly said, then she laughed as she took a sip from her cup, "although, if memory serves, you did something like that a few days past."

"Well, I have always been something of a fool," Zachary said.

*****

Upstairs at the inn, Aaron sat on the edge of the bed opposite Stavros, who sat in the chair. Ehlena reclined against the pillows and listened as the mage explained the basic workings of magic. She found it helpful since, even though she had the Lady's power and knowledge, calling upon either of them felt like she had to give up herself in a way and let the essence of the Lady take over, because she had known so little of magic before, and Stavros' explanations were as interesting and thoughtful as they were instructive.

"I learned some of this from Ariana," Aaron told the mage. "She began teaching me the things she learned from Calthas."

"Calthas," Stavros said with a smile. "He is a rather clever fellow. It was fortunate that you met with him, for I might not have found you otherwise."

"You would have found him, Stavros," Ehlena said.

"Yes, with enough help," Stavros said with a chuckle. "There is that."

"Please, continue," she said.

"We know you have the power of fire," Stavros said. "You inherited that from Zachary, but my brother told me of some things that suggest to me you may also have other magics as well. It is almost certain that you have earth magic in addition to fire. These are considered pure elemental powers. Most mages are able to use most elements to some degree or another, but very few can command it in its pure form and even fewer still can use more than one in such a way."

"Why do you think I might be able to use earth magic?" Aaron asked. "Everything has been fire. Always fire."

"Not always," Stavros said. "Tell me, Aaron, do you ever remember a tree blossoming in the middle of winter or grass growing where there was none before?"

Aaron thought about it and he did remember something like that happening once.

"Tarnath would leave messages for me at the town of Ashford to let me know how you were doing. They were written in a cipher only we understood, based on a game we played when we were boys. In them he mentioned such things."

"Did he also mention the terrible headaches I was having?" Aaron asked.

"He did," Stavros said, "but only in his last letters. With the priesthood searching for mages so relentlessly, it had been quite some time since I was able to visit. I am sorry, Aaron."

"I know," Aaron said. "It was just difficult sometimes because it was always there."

"It was your power, Aaron, which is always there. The difference is, now it cannot hurt you."

"But it can hurt others. I saw what Zachary did."

"I would imagine that your affinity for earth magic might make you feel even more outrage over such an act, but I can assure you, your father regrets what he did, to this day."

"Please do not call him that," Aaron said. " Zachary might be the reason I was born, but he is not my father. My whole life I believed that my parents died and that Tarnath was really my uncle. Now I know it was all a lie."

"Yes, it was a lie, Aaron, but it was told to protect you," Stavros said.

"I know, but it doesn't change things. It doesn't change that I was the one who set the fire. It was my power that killed them, Stavros, power I inherited from Zachary, and even though he is supposed to be this great mage, I have seen what can happen when his power is let loose. I never want to let that happen. I don't ever want to use that power."

"You cannot avoid it, Aaron," Stavros insisted. "It is not something you can control. Pure elemental power such as you possess is like rainwater filling a cistern. If it is not used, it will eventually overflow, and that is why you must learn to work with your power. Having power is one thing, but being skilled in its use and knowing how to direct it and bend it to your purpose is quite another."

Aaron was still not sure what to think of what he had learned and it was difficult not to believe Stavros, because talking to him was almost like talking to Tarnath. They had the same face, the same voice, even some of the same expressions, but they were also different and it was those differences that made Aaron suspicious. He was also frustrated because as much as he had wanted to know his parents, he was angry at Zachary because of the memory of what he saw. He was also horrified that he had done the same thing, making a fire that had killed the people who cared about him. That was something Aaron wished was not real but deep down he knew it was true. He knew the truth of it as well as he could feel Ehlena sitting on the bed an arm's length away from him, or Carly and Zachary down at the tavern of the inn, or the dark power that lurked far to the north and so much else about the world that he could now feel. It was overwhelming, this knowledge, this power, and he almost wished he could go back to just having headaches, as painful as they were.

"What if I don't want it?" Aaron asked. "Can't I get rid of it?"

"You cannot be other than who you are, Aaron," Ehlena said.

"What about Carly?" Aaron asked. "She isn't who she is."

"And yet, her power endures," Stavros said. "She can deny her identity, but she is still who she is."

"But she is a goddess," Aaron said. "I am just me. Aaron."

"Yes, you are you," Ehlena told him. "Always remember that, Aaron."

"I wish I could forget." Aaron frowned. "I need to think about all of this and I am tired of staring the walls of this room. Am I allowed to go outside?"

"Yes, of course," Stavros told him. "Can you see the marks I have put on the walls of this room?"

"Yes." Aaron could see the white lines of power that glowed faintly around them.

"If you can draw such lines, then the mages of the priesthood will not be able to sense your magic. It is important that you remain hidden from them, for they would love nothing more than to take control of your power."

"Everyone wants power," Aaron said, his voice sullen. "What is the point of it?"

"Many lust after power for its own sake," Stavros said. "I have often wondered why, myself, but whether it makes any sense, it is simply a truth of the world."

"Fine," Aaron said. "Show me how to make the marks."

"It is very simple. The easiest way is to use something to focus your power. Since you only need a small amount, your finger will do."

Aaron pointed his finger.

"All you need to do is release the smallest amount of power from the tip of your finger, but not fire, just energy."

Aaron remembered the few things Ariana had showed him, how he once used too much power and nearly burned her arm. He was nervous that he might use too much energy again, but he was determined to try. He felt the power within him like a river with so many currents, running in different directions and he pulled the smallest amount he could and let it flow into his finger.

"That's good, Aaron," Stavros said. "Now release it into the air and draw a line."

Aaron did and he saw a white line of energy hover in the air. He stopped and pulled his finger away and the line dissipated.

"It disappeared."

"I needs an anchor point," Stavros explained. "Look past the markings in the room. Can you see other lines of power, ones that are part of this place, part of the wood of the walls or the air in the room, even the sound of the people?"

Aaron looked more carefully and he could see a myriad of lines of energy interconnecting everything like an intricate living web that was forever moving and changing.

"I think so," Aaron told him.

"Do you see any that look as though they are unlikely to change, that might be permanent?"

"Yes," Aaron said, "but they are in the ground underneath the inn and the current that moves past the harbor is less constant than the rock but it seems stronger and more sure even though it moves."

"Interesting," Stavros said. He was surprised that Aaron could sense the currents in the water. "Large lines like those in the stone or the currents in the sea are only necessary for much larger and more permanent spells. What about the lines in your shirt?"

"My shirt?" Aaron looked down at his clothes and he saw the various patterns in the threads from which it was made, some stronger than others, which gave it structure, heavier stitches where pieces of cloth were joined together. "I see some lines, but they move as well."

"But your shirt isn't going to disappear in the next few moments," Stavros said.

"It's an old shirt, but it might last a while longer."

"Good, then draw another line and connect it to somewhere on your shirt or your boot."

Aaron touched his finger to the cuff of his sleeve and drew a line.

"Now touch that line and tell it to disperse." Stavros watched as Aaron dispelled the line. "Now draw a few more lines in circles around you, anchoring them to your feet or your belt, and try to space them evenly and see what happens. Once a line is anchored, you can connect others to it or use it as an anchor point, though it will not be as strong."

Aaron did as Stavros instructed until he was surrounded by at nearly half a dozen circles.

"Excellent," Stavros said. "With practice, you will be able to create such lines with little more than a thought. Using your finger or an object is usually for learning or for focusing large amounts of energy. With your thoughts, you can create much finer patterns and you can do it as quickly as your mind is able to determine what they should be. Now, the final step is to take a small amount of your power and let it flow in all directions and telling the lines you have drawn to catch it and hold it, without drawing it in. You want to create a sphere and have it expand out until the lines become its support and structure. Use your power to create a surface that will fit inside the lines of power."

"A sphere." Aaron thought about it for a moment. "Like a soap bubble?"

"Yes," Stavros said, chuckling at the idea. "That would be a fair description of it, except it is made of energy instead of soap."

Aaron let go of a small amount of power and he felt it flow into the air around him. He could feel his connection to the lines he had drawn and he could sense his released power grow near to them. He thought of the soap bubbles from all the times Tarnath made him do the washing, and he remembered the old man making him a beard out of soap suds one time when he was just a boy. He remembered the soap bubbles gathered around Ehlena in the bath at the inn where they had stayed when they first met, and he remembered the soft curves of her naked body floating languidly in the water. Aaron also remembered when her godfather was killed and when Tarnath had died and he felt the heat of anger rise in him. His head began to whirl with all the conflicting thoughts and emotions of everything that had happened to him, and all the things he had discovered.