Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town (30 page)

            
“Well, that was a good idea at least. Oh well, I guess we have little choice but to
step into the big unknown,” Zoran concluded. “We’ll just have to solve each problem as
it comes up. How long will the ceremony take to get our Circle activated?”

            
“I’ve never done the Activation Ceremony, Zoran. No one has, not for centuries.
Maybe an hour? I don’t know,” she replied, a little nervous about attempting a ceremony
about which she had only read but never actually done.

            
“Okay, tomorrow at ten o’clock in the morning, we activate the Circle of Brn,”
Zoran said decisively. “Prepare the city for what’s coming; have the gold dragons circling
the tower at ten; have all sixty guards on duty. We’re going to give the Sixteen Houses of
the Federation of Planets a Yuletide present that they will never forget! I’ll make some
arrangements with my Uncles; I believe that they will lend us some support immediately
upon activation. Mages, we will need to formally welcome those that will be coming to
investigate, as well as protect our new allies and ourselves from assassins and treachery
that may come with some of those that come to investigate the activation.”

            
“But none of us have a clue about how a court should welcome such visitors,
Zoran,” Zdenka stated the obvious, rather nervously. “We need to give them a good
impression of us, don’t we? I mean, many will be Duskas deserving of high honors —
well, some do anyway.”

            
“Ours will be a different court, dear. No rituals slavishly followed, not for us. We
will just all be ourselves. If they don’t like it, that’s their problem. Besides, the
magnitude of what is happening will totally overpower any and all rituals and traditions.
Those will be the last things about which these barons will be thinking — I assure you of
that!”

            
“I shall see that the dining room is prepared so that you may offer some guests
food and drink,” Archmage Nadia said softly, backing him up. “Admittedly, it is going to
be a far cry from the type of dining these barons are used to enjoying.” She chuckled to
herself. Her facilities were totally functional and inexpensive, no frills. After all, the
money for her support came from these hard working men and women here in Brn,
whom she had protected all these years. She refused to spend their money frivolously.

            
She continued, “If I may make a suggestion, Archmage Zoran, why don’t you let
us all lend you a hand? Once the Circle is activated, every one of us here has a stake in it,
for good or ill. I think that I speak for us all, we want to help shoulder some of this
burden of yours.”

            
“She’s right, you know, Duke Zoran,” Janos added. “Making use of us all would be
wise. There are far too many details for one man to handle in so short a time.”

            
Zoran sighed. “Yes, I know, it’s overwhelming, but my worst fear is the danger
that I am putting you into the moment the Circle is activated. Okay, friends, division of
labors it shall be. Who wants to do what?”

            
Archmage Nadia spoke first, “My son, Mayor Bogdan Oldrich, should be
contacted immediately and fully informed about what we are doing. To avoid panic,
someone must address the citizens of Brn, informing them of this Circle, the political
ramifications, the dragons, and what this will mean to them and their families. I will
arrange this meeting at once. As I said before, I will see to the food and dining
arrangements for tomorrow.”

            
“I’ll see to the physical security aspects,” Janos volunteered.

            
Aldrick added, “I will make the arrangements with the dragons. Payments and
living arrangements must be worked out and I will deal with those.”

            
“We Archmages and mages will set about security arrangements and magical
protections for this Circle and tower,” Zdenka volunteered.

            
“Thanks, everyone. I’ll see to the political ramifications of a new House appearing
and see what allies I can obtain,” Zoran concluded.

            
“Now you are talking!” Jarka said coyly. “Let’s get this show on the road.” The
group divided up and began working on specific details.

            
Zoran sat down in a quiet corner and began making mental contacts. Not
everyone was available for a conference this instant, but he finally got all four of them all
joined up a half hour later. Uncle Milan, that is Baron Milan Matous, Uncle Baron
Viktor Pavel, Lida, and Rayna.

            
Thank you all for allowing me to join us together for this conference. I assure
you this is of monumental importance. First, I am an official Archmage. Archmage
Nadia Oldrich has sent in the official documents of registry for us five who have
achieved this status. It is now official. I guess that I am the first Duska to become an
Archmage.

            
Uncle Milan congratulated him,
Incredible! That’s fantastic news indeed,
Archmage Zoran.

            
Very impressive indeed, son, especially since you are on our side and not your
father’s,
Uncle Baron Viktor said what he felt.

            
So it was you that canceled all of the magical effects at the Ceremony?
Uncle
Milan asked.

            
Yes, that is one of my top power spells. I also cast Darkness to give you cover to
escape. I did promise you a diversion,
Zoran chuckled.

            
Amazing, simply amazing indeed. Well done, nephew.

            
Thanks, but that is only the tiniest thing that I wanted to tell you all. Brace
yourselves, I have perhaps the most startling news ever.

            
Okay, we are all ears,
Baron Viktor replied, eager to hear the real reason for this
unusual conference.

            
I want you all to be watching your Circle of Ascension tomorrow morning
around ten in the morning. We are performing a ceremony at that time, though my
priestess is not sure just how long it will take.

            
Son, you are not planning to harm our Circles are you?
Uncle Milan exclaimed
angrily, worried that Zoran was up to some mischief.

            
Not in the slightest, Uncle. If all goes well, you should see the appearance of the
seventeenth House, a sky blue circle. If so, please come to us at once. I will be desperate
for your aid and advice! Plus, you will see a sight never before seen within the
Federation of Planets.

            
What!
Exclaimed Baron Viktor.

            
What? This is not possible! A new Circle of Ascension? How? How Zoran?
Uncle
Milan nearly screamed mentally back to Zoran.

            
Oh my god!
Lida excalaimed.

            
Zoran! Fabulous!
put in Rayna

            
I am in possession of the actual documents of Bandar Zar, which tell how he
built the sixteen Circles of Ascension and how to actually construct them. All I dare say
at this time is that a friend of mine has built one and a priestess friend will be
performing the first Ceremony of Activation in centuries tomorrow around ten in the
morning. If it actually works, I want you four at least to know of it the very instant
that it becomes operational and to please come to me at once. Obviously, in short
order, all of the other barons will know about this historic event. Honestly, Uncles,
Baron Viktor, Baron Milan, I need your help and advice, if it actually works.

            
Oh my god! Zoran! I’m speechless! This
—
this is of monumental proportions!
Uncle Milan replied, totally aghast.

            
Holy gods, Zoran! Do you know what you are doing? This will shake up the
entire Federation of Planets! You can count on me being there with you the instant
your Circle is operational! What forces should I bring with me?
asked Baron Viktor,
sizing up the situation rapidly.

            
Yes, what do you need? We’ll be there the instant it is operational. Do you want
us to come to wherever your Circle is at ahead of time?
Uncle Milan asked the obvious,
wondering how Zoran could possibly protect such a find and a new Circle of Ascension.

            
No need to come ahead of time. If the Ceremony does not work, if there is
something amiss in its construction, we will need time to remedy it. I believe that I
have enough to protect it for a short while, but after it is going, well, come and see and
I will be grateful for any and all advice that you can possibly give me. I am a bit
overwhelmed with the responsibility that is landing in my lap. I’m not sure what all
must be done, let alone the political ramifications of a new House suddenly appearing
without warning. I suppose that all of the barons will attempt to come and see for
themselves where this new Circle is located.

            
Yes, that cannot be helped. Just make sure that you have enough protections in
place, enough security men present so that none will be tempted to execute a coup on
you,
Baron Viktor advised.

            
Do be careful, little brother,
Rayna added.

            
We’ll see you tomorrow,
Lida sent.

            
Okay, I hope this will do much to get the Baron’s assassins off of you two and
your fiancés. See you tomorrow, if all goes well.
He broke the connection. Zoran
smiled; he knew that those two barons would be conversing like never before between
themselves! He’d certainly shaken them up!

            
“Zoran, we need you a minute,” Zdenka nudged him out of his thoughts. He
looked up at her, smiled, and rose, realizing the stone floor was awfully hard and cold.
He rubbed the circulation back into his rear, while following her into the Circle of
Ascension room.

            
“Okay, we’ve constructed a really safe and secure location in which to store
Bandar Zar’s documents and journals. You stand here, before your Circle, and say ‘In the
name of Bandar Zar, appear.’ Go ahead, try it, Zoran,” Zdenka insisted, her alto voice full
of excitement.

            
“In the name of Bandar Zar, appear,” Zoran spoke. To his amazement, an extra-dimensional room appeared right in the center of the dormant Circle! They stepped
through the shimmering door into the twenty-foot square room. The walls were white;
twenty globes of light provided excellent illumination. One wall contained a locked scroll
cabinet and a locked box contained the journals. A third ornate box held the ceremonial
books that the High Priestess needed. A mahogany desk and chair sat in the middle of
the room.

            
“Now to open the cabinet and box, you say, ‘In the name of Brother Jiri Zar,
Open,’ and ‘In the name of Priestess Anezka Zar, Open’ to have them open up. Once you
close their lids, they automatically reseal. Pretty cool bit of magic that we’ve whipped up,
don’t you think?” Zdenka asked, proud of their work. The other Archmages had quietly
come up behind them to see Zoran’s reactions.

            
“Incredible! Fantastic! Terrific job! All of you,” he turned to face his friends. “This
is perfect and a really good hiding place for these valuable things! Thanks to all of you!”
Everyone was pleased; their faces showed it.

            
Jarka added, “When you step out and close the door, the whole room vanishes,
leaving no trace at all that it is here. Pretty neat, don’t you think?”

            
“Absolutely neat, Jarka,” Zoran replied, testing it out and watching the room
simply vanish after he shut the door. “Oh, Aldrick is looking for you, something about
the dragons.”

            
The group headed up the steps and out the main doors. Here, Janos and Aldrick
were conferring. “Ah, there you are, Zoran. I’d like you to meet the rest of your dragons,”
Aldrick explained. “They are waiting for you in the Security barracks next door.”

            
“Thanks, let’s go meet them,” Zoran replied, eager to see more golden dragons. In
many ways, he was depending upon them for their ultimate security from overland
assaults. Janos and Aldrick led him into the converted home next door to the tower.
Sitting around a table were six adults and three young teens. Their skin tones matched
that of Aldrick, he noted.