The Ranger (Book 1) (32 page)

Silva rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the same tattoo that burned in both of Vincent’s arms.

“You are now ready,” Silva said, offering Vincent a hand.

“Ready for what?” Vincent asked as he hesitantly took the offered hand, shaking it.

“Ready to awaken as a Pallàdrim.” The words caught Vincent off guard.

“No,” Vincent said disbelievingly, “I’m nowhere near the level of control that you and Master Auna have.”

“You think so?” Silva sounded amused. “Look at your arms, those marks are a symbol of your level of control over your token. Normally a Pallàdrim is gifted only one,” he indicated his own arm. “I have never before seen a Pallàdrim with two; not even Nick, your father, who was the most powerful Pallàdrim I ever met. I didn’t believe it was possible. Yet here you are: the Chosen of Sandora, and now you bear the marks to prove it. Add that to your newly acquired eye colour and I would say you will be the strongest Pallàdrim ever.”

“Eye color?” Vincent muttered in confusion as he grabbed the pitcher of water off of the table to look at his reflection. Sure enough, his eyes now had a vivid red colour. “So,” Vincent asked quietly, “am I a Pallàdrim then?”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Silva said, erupting into laughter. “I said you were ready to awaken. You still need to prove yourself to the Goddess.”

“What do I need to do to prove myself?”

“That, I cannot say,” Silva said, becoming serious again. “It is different for every Pallàdrim, but when it happens you will know. The Goddess will give you the last two signs, the sword and the eye.” Silva opened his hand, revealing the mark of the eye on his hand. “They come together.”

“So, what do I do until then?”

“You wait,” Silva answered, “patiently. However, until the Goddess grants you the final signs you must be very careful to ensure that no one sees your arms. From now on you will wear a long sleeved tunic, like mine. I don’t want to see you with your arms uncovered, ever; not even around the encampment.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good,” Silva finished. “Now I will need you to come with me. We have a visitor that I would like you to see. He should be regaining consciousness soon. He was very injured when we found him in the woods.”

“Who is it?” Vincent asked, intrigued.

“An old friend.”

Silva would say nothing more as he led Vincent through the encampment to the sanctuary. He opened the door and Vincent entered. Trent and Lauren were already there, sitting next to a small bed where a large motionless form lay. Vincent approached, unsure of what he would find. To his surprise, a very familiar face greeted him.

“Kai,” Vincent said, astonished. His old companion from the academy looked pale and tired. His red hair, which had always been pristinely kept, now hung matted around his shoulders, and his beard had grown long and tangled. Kai looked as though he had aged a decade since they had last met. His eyes fluttered open at the sound of Vincent’s voice.

“Vincent,” Kai sounded equally surprised, “I thought you were dead, or am I still dreaming?”

“Most people think I’m dead,” Vincent said, brushing off the comment. “Why are you here?”

“My people are in danger,” Kai replied, an urgent tone to his voice.

“Your people?” Vincent didn’t understand what he meant.

“The Draylor,” Kai stated. “They’re being held captive.”

“How is this possible?” Silva asked.

“We were betrayed,” Kai whispered, his breathing was ragged and he could barely manage to talk. “There was one dissatisfied with the rule of the Elder. He gave the Magi access to our city. They took the Elder. In exchange for his safety, we were forced to wear a peculiar bracelet. I don’t know how they did it, but with these bracelets, they were able to control us. Any attempt to remove them caused us tremendous pain.”

“Then how did you escape?” Trent inquired.

“Sometimes, for the cause of freedom, sacrifices are necessary,” Kai said, holding up the bloody stump of his left hand. The priests had stopped the bleeding, but the dried blood was testament to how bad it had been.

“Do you know what the Magi are planning?” Silva asked, his voice was becoming agitated.

“I do,” Kai replied, “but I fear that it may be too late.”

“I will be the judge of that,” Silva said firmly. “Tell us what you know.”

“The Magi plan to use the Draylor to start a war with the Order,” Kai started hesitantly. “They started last night. They sent my people out to attack cities, starting with Spacco. Everyone knows the Draylor are servants of Sandora. The Emperor has already sent his army to eradicate my people. Once they finish there, I do not doubt that they will turn their focus on the Order.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Vincent asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know,” Kai answered mournfully. “There is a way to remove the bracelets, but it takes time, and the traitor would never allow it.”

“What if the traitor were distracted?” Lauren asked.

“If he were distracted then I may be able to save a few,” Kai reasoned, “but what kind of distraction did you have in mind?”

“What if he was challenged in battle,” Lauren continued, “would he accept?”

“There is no doubt about it,” Kai replied, “but who would fight him? Even if I were uninjured, I could not stand against him.”

“Vincent could do it,” Silva said suddenly.

“Sir, I don’t think -” Vincent began, but he was cut off.

“The only thing you need to worry about when fighting a Draylor is its fire breath. You have the level of control now to be able to deal with that. For you, it would be the same as fighting a normal fight.”

“But surely you would be more suited for this task, Master Silva,” Vincent stammered.

“No,” Silva replied calmly, “I don’t have nearly enough control over my token to be able to fight a Draylor at close proximity and win. You are our only hope.”

“But there is still the problem that the Eresians have already started marching. It takes nearly a week to get there,” Vincent protested.

“It takes only a matter of hours by air,” Kai said, standing up. “If it even has a chance of saving my people, then I will see it done.”

“Then it is decided,” Silva said firmly. “How many people can you carry on your back?”

“Two at the most.”

“Then it shall be Vincent and Trent that accompany you,” Silva said.

“But shouldn’t I be going with him?” Lauren protested. “He is my partner after all, we are a team.”

“Trent will accompany him,” Silva repeated. “This is far too dangerous for me to send you.”

Lauren glared at Silva for a moment before storming from the sanctuary.

“You shall leave at first light,” Silva continued. “Vincent needs to rest. It will be a very difficult day for him tomorrow.”

Lauren didn’t say a word to Vincent as he returned to their cabin. She just glared sullenly at him as he walked into his room and closed the door.

Morning came far too quickly.

Lauren was still sitting at the table when he woke. She looked as though she hadn’t slept. Vincent waved as he headed out the door.

“I didn’t thank you,” Lauren said, drawing Vincent back into the cabin, “for saving me. You saved me from Frost and you saved me again from Mayberry.”

“I don’t think Mayberry would have actually hurt you, and besides, you were only threatened to provoke me,” Vincent replied awkwardly.

“It means more to me that I mattered enough to you that you would be provoked by me being threatened,” Lauren continued. She stared intently at Vincent. There was a strange glow in her eyes. Could it be affection? No, surely he was imagining it, maybe even wishing.

“I’m sure you would have done the same for me,” Vincent commented.

“You better come back,” Lauren snapped suddenly. “I’ve already lost one partner; I don’t want to lose another.” She seemed to be quivering as she spoke.

Vincent started to reply, wanting to reassure her that everything would be fine, but as soon as she finished speaking she got up and ran into her room, slamming the door.

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon as Vincent walked through the lines of cabins to the sanctuary where Kai was staying. There wasn’t another person anywhere in sight.

“Vincent,” Trent said putting a hand on Vincent’s shoulder from behind. Vincent nearly cried out in shock. “Do you really think you’re ready for this?”

“I don’t know,” Vincent replied quietly. “This is beyond anything I’ve ever done. If Silva can’t do it, then how can I even consider it?”

“I think you’ll be surprised,” Trent said as they walked. “I think you are much more powerful than you give yourself credit for.”

Vincent didn’t reply. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Silva was waiting for them outside of the sanctuary with Kai. Kai still looked pale, but he seemed in much better spirits than he had the day before.

“Good, you’re both here,” Silva called as they approached. “This mission will be incredibly dangerous and delicate. I’d say were dealing with a red class mission; but I’ll let Kai explain the details.”

“We need to be careful,” Kai said, his voice was still weak, but he had a much more positive countenance about him. “The traitor must be distracted while I free the others, and that will take time. Also, the Eresian Army must be kept from attacking at all costs while I am freeing them.”

“And I suppose you have a plan for that,” Vincent said hopefully.

“I do,” Kai replied, “but it’s very dangerous, and it might not work.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Trent said impatiently.

“Vincent will have to approach the gates of the cavern and challenge the traitor,” Kai said slowly. “He will then come out to do battle. That is his responsibility, having claimed the rights of Elder.”

“But how do we know he will respect the traditions of your people,” Vincent protested, “after all, he has betrayed them once before.”

“Do not misunderstand me, Vincent,” Kai said, sounding slightly offended, “While his treachery runs deep, he betrayed us to gain power. He still cares for the people and will not allow their total destruction. I doubt that even he anticipated the Magi using our people to start a war.”

“Then why not ask him to free the people? He must know what the Eresians are planning,” Vincent continued. “If he truly wanted to protect his people, he would free them from the slavery he has placed them in.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” Kai sighed in frustration. “The traitor is both prideful and arrogant. He will not admit that he made a mistake, even if it cost him his life. He will personally fight any who come to hurt his people, even the Eresian Army, because he believes that he can win.”

“Vincent,” Silva cut in, “the only tactic that has ever been known to be successful in doing battle against Draylor has been long range, heavy artillery. In the canyon leading to the caverns, there is no room for that. Your battle must be fought at close range, but remember, the Eresians must not know you wield the Fire Token. Use any measure necessary to protect that secret.”

“Yes sir,” Vincent nodded.

“We need to go, every moment we wait here the Eresians are moving closer to the caverns,” Trent said, putting a hand on Silva’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back.”

“Very well,” Silva agreed, “you must be off without delay; but there is one more thing.” Silva seemed almost anxious as he spoke. “The scales of the Draylor are almost invincible and there are very few holes in their armour; you will need a special weapon to pierce them, so take this,” Silva said, drawing his sword. “The sword of a Pallàdrim is one of the few things that can pierce a Draylor’s hide. As long as I am alive, that blade is unbreakable.” 

As Silva spoke Kai started to glow bright white as he transformed into a monstrous dragon. His scales were a deep black with a fiery red patch running down his back from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, and they shone brightly in the early morning sun.

“Climb on,” Kai growled, his voice even deeper than normal, “and hold on tight.”

“One more thing,” Silva said as he handed Vincent his sword, “Draylor are incredible creatures, they learn fast and are full of surprises. Not even I know the full extent of their abilities.”

Vincent nodded as he took Silva’s blade. It was perfectly smooth and felt warm in his hands. An elegant golden pattern wove its way up the sides of the blade, forming the image of rolling flames. He gazed at it with a sense of wonder before climbing onto Kai’s back with Trent, holding tight to the spines that ran down his back between his wings. Kai reared onto his hind legs, preparing to take off.

“Remember,” Silva called as Kai kicked off from the ground, “the fate of the Order is in your hands.”

The wind whistled past Vincent’s ears as the soared through the sky. It was exciting, yet terrifying. Peeking over Kai’s shoulder, he could see the earth far below. The distant mountains were approaching fast. A journey that had taken days by foot was now accomplished in less than an hour.

Each beat of Kai’s great wings carried them higher and higher into the sky. Vincent could feel the muscles in Kai’s back working to keep them in the air. The longer they flew, the deeper Kai’s breaths became.

It took nearly six hours for them to reach the canyon path leading to the caverns. Kai descended carefully so as not to be seen. He could barely stand as he touched down. His huge form trembled at every breath.

“Are you alright?” Vincent asked, sliding from his back.

“I will be shortly,” Kai said, gasping for air. As Trent dismounted Kai flashed and was human again. He dropped to his knees, panting.

“I think we beat the Eresians,” Trent said, taking in his surroundings. “I can hear their marching drums though, so they shouldn’t be long.”

“Then I need to hurry,” Kai said, stumbling as he tried to stand. “I must not be seen by the Eresians, they know what I am.”

“But you can hardly stand,” Vincent said, helping his old companion to his feet.

“Don’t worry about me,” Kai said, brushing off Vincent’s hand. “I’ll be fine in a moment. Besides, there’s a secret entrance to the caverns just around that ridge, so I should be able to sneak in undetected.”