Chartile: Prophecy (21 page)

Piper stopped walking. She put an arm out to
stop Jayson. Dimitri, Leo and Jack stopped as well, but Piper urged
them on with a wave of her hand. Dimitri nodded, and continued on
with Leo and Jack.

“
Jayson, I do not know
where I should begin. I suppose with apologies, but it seems
trivial to say. I have been putting so much pressure on you as our
returned kings. I often forget you are younger than I am, and I am
so very confused and frightened. You must understand, you cannot be
the person that others want you to be. You must be yourself, and
only that. Any changes you wish to make, for good or ill, need to
be made for you and no one else. You should not feel obligated to
be involved in this in any way. This is not your world, and no one
can fault you for staying out of matters if that is your desire. I
have nothing but the highest respect for you all in everything you
have experienced and the way you have handled yourselves. You have
developed a grace far beyond your years. You should not continue to
press yourselves to grow up too quickly. If you ever need to talk,
well, I am not Leo or Jack, or even Dimitri, but,” she stared at
the floor and sighed. “I know what it’s like to have blood on your
hands. I will help you in any way that I can.”

Jayson laid a hand on her shoulder. She
looked into his eyes and saw his fear and turned to compassion. She
held her arms open and embraced Jayson as a sister. He did not
recoil or attempt to pull away. He leaned his head against her
shoulder, and welcomed the genuine comfort and compassion. He
hadn’t realized he missed it from his old life. His parents may
have been busy with Jessica, but they still loved for him. No
matter how old he was, how old he tried to pretend be, Jayson knew
empathy and camaraderie were what made them all the same.

Chapter Fourteen

Secrets

Jayson followed Piper along the stone
corridor, a weight lifted from his shoulders. The armory was not
far from the Southern entrance where they had first arrived at
Mount Kelsii, but it was still a trek from the Hall of Rashiri.
When Jayson and Piper entered the armory, Jack, Leo and Dimitri had
only just arrived.

“
Leo, my boy!” a voice
called from across the room. They looked up to see Kylani wave to
them from amongst a cluster of men. They donned both Kelsii soldier
and Black Diamond armor. Leo beamed at the man. He hurried past the
other soldiers. They glared at the group, and tried to seem
intimidating as they practiced with their swords, throwing knives
and arrows.

“
How are ya?” Leo asked,
holding out his hand for Kylani. The man took Leo’s outstretched
arm and squeezed it tightly at the elbow before gesturing back to
the center of the ring the onlookers had made.

“
Fantastic, dear boy,
fantastic! Brande is giving a lesson in hand to hand combat. Care
to join us?”

Street fighting wasn’t exactly something Leo
had considered as a useful combatant skill. It didn’t seem quite as
dignified somehow. He watched Brande flatten a Kelsii soldier to
his back with a carefully placed foot and shoulder. Leo had to
admit this rather roguish technique might indeed come in handy. The
ring of bystanders clapped as Brande helped the solider to his
feet. The soldier shook his head and rejoined his fellows, who
slapped him hard on the back.

“
Leo!” Brande called when
he noticed the boy beside his brother. “Care to help me with my
next demonstration?”

“
Uh, I think I’ll pass,”
said Leo. The crowd laughed, and Leo felt several hands pat his
back in agreement with his decision.

“
A wise decision, my young
friend,” said one of the Black Diamonds beside him. “Brande is one
of our best fighters. His skills have helped us out of a number of
scrapes for certain.”

“
Incidents that would have
never occurred if you had not decided to break the law and kill our
families,” said a cold voice behind the crowd. They turned to see a
man who had stepped away from the nearby archery ring. He still
held his bow and arrow at the ready, pointed at the
floor.

Kylani’s fists clenched, and his already
dark skin grew flush with a sudden wave of anger. Brande moved
quickly to stand beside his brother, and strategically placed his
right foot between his brother’s feet, ready to hold him back if
necessary.

“
We have all made mistakes
we regret,” said Brande. “Wiser words have never been spoken from
the lips of one so young.” He nodded toward Jack who blushed and
looked at the floor. “Let us move forward civilly and help each
other to defeat our common enemy. We can work out our differences
another time.”

“
An enemy you were working
with until it no longer suited your needs.” The man spat on the
floor. “For some vagabond traitor illegally cavorting with the
Queen, you throw your words out rather nicely. Or did she teach you
those pretty phrases as she screamed your name in the filthy mines
you call home?”

There was less than a second of calm before
chaos erupted in the room. Most of the soldiers had completely
abandoned their weapons, coincidentally resorting to their fists
instead. Dimitri pushed the boys back against the wall, and
attempted to pull one of the soldiers off a Black Diamond who had
been pinned to the floor. Even Piper looked lost in the sudden
pandemonium. She watched as Dimitri received a nasty gash to his
forehead. She wanted to run to him. She wanted to protect Jack, Leo
and Jayson. She wanted to pull the soldiers apart and stop the
madness.

Brande was caught in a two on one fight, his
assailants inching him back against the wall. He swung, and caught
the first man on the wrist as he blocked the attack. The second
Kelsii soldier took advantage of Brande’s distraction. He pulled a
knife, and Leo’s heart hit his stomach. The boy felt a surge of
energy rise within him. A sword that lay abandoned amongst the
fallen soldiers leapt out of its scabbard and into his hand.

“
Brande!” Leo shouted and
jumped forward into the fray. He knocked the knife from the man
attacking Brande and stepped between them.

“
Leo!” Piper screamed, and
bolted into the fight. A Black Diamond stumbled back to keep
himself balanced in his fight. Piper was knocked to the floor,
disappearing amongst the boots and armor of the
soldiers.

“
Piper!” Jayson shouted.
He lunged forward, but Jack held him back. “Dimitri!” he called,
hoping the broad young man could push his way through in time to
save Piper. Dimitri, however, was preoccupied. He fought a Black
Diamond warrior with a two handed great sword. Jayson pushed past
Jack and jumped into the mess of bodies in the last place he had
seen Piper fall. He saw her, trying to stand. She pushed and kicked
at the legs of those around her, Black Diamond and Kelsii soldier
alike. Jayson grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her
feet.

“
Let go of me!” she cried,
not realizing who had come to her aid.

“
It’s me!” said Jayson,
and he pushed her toward Jack before being enveloped by the crowd.
Jack reached for Piper, and pulled her behind him. More and more of
the fighters were finding weapons from their fallen comrades or
along the walls in the weapons racks.

“
We have to stop this,”
said Piper with a panicked whisper.

Jack felt his stomach drop. He watched as
Leo and Brande, were pushed back to back. They were completely
surrounded, and a fallen Kylani lay unconscious at their feet. The
visions of Jack’s father during his meditation rushed into focus in
his mind. For the first time, the fear and anger he had bottled
inside him collided with his new found strength.

“
STOP!” Jack screamed. His
voice echoed off the stone walls and seemed somehow magnified. The
entire room dropped their weapons, some falling to their knees,
their hands clenched their over ears as the boy continued to
scream. The air around Jack warped and moved, rippling like heat on
stone. His friends looked on in fear, and Piper wondered if Duke
Noraedin was not in Taraniz after all.

Jack’s knees hit the hard stone floor, and
he held his head in his hands. “Stop fighting!” The scream that had
continued to reverberate throughout the room slowly faded. Jack
fell forward onto his hands. He was out of breath, and his head
spinning. Piper rushed to him, catching him just before he hit the
floor unconscious.

“
He’s burning up,” she
whispered as Dimitri, Leo and Jayson pushed their way through the
crowd. Dimitri lifted Jack across his shoulder and headed for the
door.

“
Dimitri,” said the Kelsii
soldier who had first confronted Brande and Kylani. “You keep those
unnatural little brats away from us, you understand? By Rashiri
I’ll-”

“
You’ll what?” said
Jayson. The adrenaline still rushing in this veins had him ready
for another fight. “You’ll all kill each other? Because you know
that’s what would have happened. Then who’s gunna be around to save
you from Taraniz?”

Leo put his hand on Jayson’s arm. “Jack
needs us right now,” he said. Jayson glared at the man then turned
and followed Leo.

Dimitri headed into a room across from the
armory. It was small, and full of bows, arrows and knives. He laid
Jack gently on the floor, and removed the boy’s shirt to cool him
more quickly.

“
What happened, Dimitri?”
Leo asked. There was an edge of anger in his voice.

“
He must have used his
magic somehow,” said Dimitri. He wadded up Jack’s t-shirt and
placing it under his head.

“
As what happened to me,”
said Piper. “His magic began pulling from his life
energy.”

“
Is he going to be okay?”
Jayson asked. He knelt beside Piper and looked franticly between
her and Dimitri.

“
Of course,” said Dimitri.
“But Tagrin is right. There are too many who both love you and hate
you. You are not from Chartile, and yet you are the returned souls
of our ancient leaders. That is a threat to everyone.”

“
We didn’t do this on
purpose, Dimitri,” Leo snapped.

“
I know,” said Dimitri. He
nodded, and a sympathetic smile tugged at his lips. “Still you are
the unknown in all of this. It was you who united the dwarves. You
who are the reincarnated kings of old. You are both courteous of
our ways and unpredictable when you do not understand them. You are
extremely dangerous to any race here in Chartile because you have
no race to call your own. You have been blessed with the magic of
our ancestors, and yet you are only children. This makes you both
vulnerable and perilous.”

“
What are you saying,
Dimitri?” asked Piper. “You would not have them —”

“
No! You are my friends.
But I say this as your friend, so long as you remain in Chartile,
you will never be safe. You will be welcomed and hunted wherever
you go. Order and chaos will both follow you, and there is nothing
you can do to stop it.”

“
Dude, you’re over
reacting a bit, aren’t you?” asked Jayson, “Look at all the good
we’ve done so far!”

“
Look at the fear you have
caused in our soldiers because of this one act of uncontrollable
magic!” snapped Dimitri, indicating Jack who still lay unconscious
between them all.

“
You said we would learn
this fast. You said our magic wouldn’t be a big deal.” Leo
stood.

“
It’s not,” said Piper,
attempting to ease the tension that still lingered from the fight.
“I think I understand what you are saying, Dimitri. We need to
train in private. We are not dwarves. Even though I am of Chartile,
I have not yet proven myself as a ruler to the elves. And I am
certainly no dwarf. We are all outsiders here.”

“
But you still work for
Nefiri,” said Jayson. “I know she’s kind of mad at us, but she’ll
come around in time. Won’t she? Have you tried talking to
her?”

There was a strained silence broken only by
Jack’s deep breathing.

“
I no longer serve my
Empress,” said Dimitri, staring at the stone floor beneath him.
“There were… discussions. I had to choose: Nefiri or Piper. Here I
am.”

“
I thought you were our
liaison,” said Piper, her voice strained with confusion.

“
I told Nefiri I would
still do this for her, but I have been officially dismissed from
her service.” Dimitri hung his head. “I…I do this because she is my
mother, but…”

Jack took a ragged breath and opened his
eyes. His head had stopped spinning, but he felt exhausted. There
was only a small bit of light filtering into the room from the
crack in the door. He saw several figures surrounding him, but his
eyes wouldn’t focus. He tried to sit up, and felt multiple hands
push him back down.

“
Wh-where, am I?” he
asked.

“
Sit up slowly, Jack,”
said Dimitri, and Jack obeyed. Piper, Jayson and Leo also sat on
either side of him, concern written on their faces.

“
Hey, let’s go get some
lunch,” Leo suggested as the tension in the room heightened
again.

“
Food would be great,”
said Jack softly. “But what happened?”

“
Well, uh… you used
magic!” said Jayson. His smile faded when he saw Jack glare at him.
“Okay, so you used more magic than your body could handle. You
pulled a Piper, okay?”

“
What is that to mean? Is
that an official diagnosis now?” Piper grinned as she spoke, and
they all laughed.