The Year of the Lumin (8 page)

Despite Noir's will, he climbed from his startled horse and saw his right arm move toward the sword sheathed in his belt.  He tried to tense the muscles required for arm movement, but they did not respond.  His hand grabbed the hilt and drew out the shining blade.  Despite his efforts, Noir held it in front of him as his body turned toward Ratt.  Ratt’s face was masked with confusion.  “Your friends
will
die because you came here.”  A mental scream was all that Noir could do as the blade thrust toward Ratt’s chest.

Chapter 11

Fafnir

Ratt looked at Noir with confusion.  His attention had been drawn from the battle ahead when he saw Noir’s body twitch violently for a moment.  Now, his friend was slowly drawing his short sword and turning toward him.

“What is he doing?” Ratt asked himself.  Ratt saw Noir's face and it was plain and emotionless.  “Has he gone mad?”  Noir raised his blade toward Ratt.  Ratt looked in his friend’s eyes and saw something unexpected.  There was panic in them like he was fighting an unseen horrifying battle.  Ratt then realized something truly frightening.  “That Syeter must be controlling him!”

The blade fell and Ratt scrambled to get the dagger in his hand up in time.  His dagger rose up, but Noir's sword was coming faster.  He was not going to block it in time.

As Noir’s blade was to make contact with Ratt’s chest, a much swifter, larger blade broke the blow.  The sword’s length ran up to the hilt of Noir’s blade and twisted skillfully.  Noir’s grip on the blade was broken and it fell to the dirt with a clang.

Elrid had clamored up from where he had fallen and was standing over Ratt, sword and shield in his hands.  He was covered in dirt and had dark brownish blood on him in several places.  Elrid was breathing with a wheezing noise, but somehow he still seemed powerful.

Elrid quickly sheathed his blade and walked forward toward the disarmed Noir.  He said amongst coughs, “Fight it, boy!  A Syeter’s power can sometimes be,” he coughed loudly.  When he spoke again, his voice was weaker.  “Can be overthrown with willpower.”

Noir took a step back and shook his head.  Then he stood up straight and said in a cool tone, “Thank you.  I am fine now.”

“Good.  I’m glad.”  Elrid took a step closer to Noir, then took his shield and bashed the side of Noir’s head with it.  Ratt could tell Elrid had not given the blow his full power, but the boy fell sideways to the ground nonetheless.

After staring at the limp body for a moment, Ratt exclaimed, “What is going on!?”

Elrid wheezed, “Noir was gone.”  Elrid crouched down onto one knee and propped himself up on his shield.   “The Syeter had complete control at that point.”

Ratt watched as Elrid let out a spasm of coughs and then collapsed to the ground next to Noir’s limp body.  Ratt crawled forward and shook both of his companions, but neither stirred.

Ratt looked back toward the other straghs.  Adeel and Ryojek seemed to have been surrounded by the straghs and could no longer be seen.  Ratt suddenly felt very alone and exposed.  His companions were either unconscious or gone, the horses had now all fled, and the remaining straghs had turned to him and were approaching.  Pale, featureless faces bounded silently toward him.  It would only be a few moments before they were upon him and the two limp bodies.

Then a noise came that seemed to shake the very foundation of the mountain.  The rocks and grass trembled from the sound and Ratt had to cover his ears with his hands.  He dropped the dagger.  The blade vibrated up and down on the dirt path from the deafening sound.

When the noise stopped, the straghs had stopped as well.  Their heads flailed around wildly trying to find the source of the sound.  Ratt looked up in terror as well.

Falling from the heavens was a massive white and gold lizard whose head was forward and all of its limbs were drawn in close to its body.  The creature was headed directly toward the mob of straghs.

A few seconds before impact, the dragon suddenly twisted its body so that its arms and legs were toward the ground.  Huge sharp claws pointed downwards at the straghs.  Just before it made contact, immense wings spread and made one huge flap to cushion its landing.  The blast of wind knocked Ratt to the ground.

Then the creature landed in the middle of the stragh group.  The ground shook with the force of the huge creature.  Dirt and stragh bodies flew away from where the dragon landed.  Pale bodies landed limply on the path, or tumbled down the mountain side.

A cloud of dust was rising over the scene.  Straghs could be seen emerging from the dust fleeing in random directions.  They no longer paid any mind to the three who had been their targets until moments earlier.  After a series of thuds and loud growls, the scene started to quiet down.

Ratt sat in disbelief and absolute awe at what he had just seen.  He had heard stories and seen a couple pictures of dragons before, but nothing had prepared him for an in-person encounter.

Ratt felt his head get oddly heavy, and then a black ring threatened to encase his vision.  He vaguely comprehended that the large, pearl-white dragon had emerged from the cloud of dust and was now approaching him.  The behemoth opened its mouth slightly and a voice emerged from deep within its throat.  It was a booming , powerful voice, but it somehow had a hint of femininity in it.  “Boy.  Are you hurt?”

The circles closed in on his vision entirely.  He had the slight sense that he was falling before his mind shut off.

~~~

Noir regained consciousness and noticed that his neck and limbs felt as though they had not moved in some time.  He opened his eyes and blinked for a moment trying to make sense of what was around him.  The ceiling above him was very high and made of polished rock.  The rock looked natural like the ceiling of a large cavern.  He looked around at the rest of the room and the walls had tall pillars of carved rock.  He seemed to be off to the side of a large room.  This part had two simple beds and a wooden table with two chairs.

              The chamber was lit by four large glow spheres set high up on the walls.  Noir saw Adeel sitting on the cave floor with legs crossed near the center of the large room.  Her armor was off which was something Noir rarely saw.  She was talking to a tall, slender woman wearing a long white flowing gown with yellow accents along the trim.  The woman looked young and beautiful while somehow at the same time old and wise.  She stood over Adeel as if she were the teacher and Adeel the student.  She turned and looked at Noir with a smile.

              Adeel noticed the woman’s look and looked over at Noir.  Then she stood up from where she was sitting.  When Noir tried to sit up, he felt a twitch of pain run through the left side of his head.  It was not major, but it had a presence as he sat up.

              Adeel spoke in a calm tone, “Good morning Noir.  How is that head of yours.  I heard you took quite the wallop.”

              “What happened at the mountain pass?  Where are the others?”

              “Ratt and Elrid are out gathering berries and hunting small game.  You need to eat to regain your strength.”

              “What about Ryojek?”

              Adeel’s eyes fell to the cave floor.  “He did not make it.  Blinded by rage, the fool charged in.  He was in too much for me to handle.”  She motioned toward the other woman in the room.  “Fafnir arrived in time to heal all of our wounds except Ryojek’s.  She can do much, but she cannot revive the dead.  We buried him beneath a set of stones near where he fell.”

              Noir did not know what to say.  He had never had someone he knew pass away before.  He also felt a feeling of guilt since Ryojek died defending him.  Noir remembered the scarred man’s words.  “Your friends and everyone will die because you came to this world.”  It suddenly felt hauntingly believable.  Noir didn’t want to face that realization, so he looked at the other woman again.  “Are you Fafnir?  I saw a picture in
The Three Vigors
….”  He trailed off.

              Then the woman spoke.  Her voice was deep and breathy, with a smooth lilting tone.  “Yes, Noir.  I am Fafnir.  I am in this form as to not alarm you when you woke up.  I did not want you to further damage yourself from being startled.  This form is a trick that I can do by manipulating light.”  Fafnir strode over to where Noir was sitting so smoothly that it was as if she was hovering in her dress, not walking.  “I can tell that your wounds have healed quickly in the last day.  If time allows, it is always better to allow the body to heal itself rather than force it to heal with lux.”

              Noir put a hand to the side of his head.  “How long have I been out?  The last thing I remember is...” he paused and looked up, “losing control of myself.”

Adeel answered, “You’ve been unconscious for nearly an entire day.  And about what happened yesterday….”

              Fafnir interrupted Adeel with a gentle hand placed on her arm.  “You were under the control of a powerful Syeter.  I have sensed his presence often recently.  I do not know why the Syeter chose to control you and not one of your companions.  Perhaps they wanted to specifically read
your
mind.”

“Nonetheless,” Adeel started, “we made it here to our destination.  Though we were lucky that Fafnir arrived when she did.”

“Luck, child?”  Fafnir spoke calmly but firmly to Adeel, again reminding Noir of a teacher.  “There is no luck.  The winds of life brought me there at that moment.”

Adeel bowed her head and started to say something, but she stopped when she heard a raucous noise coming from another part of the cavern.  It was someone talking and laughing loudly.

They all turned toward the noise to see Ratt and Elrid entering the large chamber.  Ratt very proudly carried a dead rabbit by the ears.  Fafnir walked away from Noir and Adeel to another side of the large room.  Elrid unceremoniously set down the six that he had caught in the corner.  When Ratt saw Noir awake, he exclaimed, “Hey!  Good to see you awake again!”  He placed the rabbit on the table and jogged over to Noir.  “I’m surprised you ever woke up with the bash that Elrid gave you.”

Noir looked at Elrid.  No signs of his wounds could be seen.  He held four corners of a cloth that showed outlines of small berries inside pulling it down heavily.  “Glad to see you are alright, Noir.”

Noir smiled at him and said, “What's that about you giving me this headache?”  He pointed at his head.

Elrid placed the cloth full of berries on the crudely carved wooden table.  A few rolled onto the wooden surface, but he paid them no mind.  “I did not enjoy injuring you, but when one is dominated by a Syeter, there is little else that can be done.”

The group all fell silent.  Fafnir stood across the large room by a huge, oddly-shaped table.  Noir looked at the three others and said, “So, what's the plan now?”

Adeel spoke.  “Well, tomorrow morning, the three of us are going back to Talik.”

Ratt took a step forward.  “Three of us?  Why do I have to go back?”

Elrid took a seat at the table, “Because you pledged your services to Captain Grandel, remember?”

“Well yeah, but....”  He couldn't argue with that.  He turned to Noir for help but Noir had nothing to say either.  Of course Noir would have loved to have the companionship, but he was so new to this world, he wasn't about to argue with someone like Elrid.

Surprisingly, Fafnir spoke up from behind Ratt, Elrid, and Adeel.  “Actually, Noir could use a sparring partner for his training.”

Adeel added, “This is true.  It is beneficial to have another human present while learning how to use lux.”

Everyone was looking at Elrid for approval.  He sighed and said, “If Captain Grandel asks, you all twisted my arm over this.”

Chapter 12

Goodbyes

At the request of Fafnir, everyone except herself and Noir went outside to cook the rabbits.  They were alone in the large chamber.  Needless to say, Noir felt a little nervous being in the presence of someone whom he knew to be a powerful ancient dragon.  Even though Fafnir looked like a human at that moment, her power, wisdom, and age could be felt filling the room.  She had Noir sit on his knees and legs with his feet tucked under him.  His hands were on his knees and he sat up straight as instructed.  His damaged leg hurt under his weight, but he did not want to show the pain.

“Noir.  My power is limited when I am keeping this form.”  The woman gracefully strode over to the large object in the room which resembled a huge curved table.  The corners bent up toward the ceiling creating a rectangular bowl.  The legs were extremely thick and reinforced.  “In order to train you correctly, I must change.  Do not be alarmed.”

She put a hand on the huge table and turned to face Noir.  A light filled the room from Fafnir's direction.  Noir had to avert his eyes until the light faded.  When he looked back, an enormous white dragon was resting on the large table.  He realized it was not a table, but a resting stool for her.  It supported her abdomen and allowed for her feet to rest effortlessly on the ground.  Fafnir's wings were drawn in and rested on her back.  Her massive limbs and body were covered with thick white scales.  Each scale was flecked with yellow at the very tip.  Her tail was lying on the ground behind her in a long crescent shape.  Her thick neck rose upwards and turned toward Noir.  Her massive head had two yellow horns curving backwards.  Her jaw had smaller horns pointing down.  Noir estimated that if he stood next to her, his head would reach up to one of her massive knees.

The creature was an amazing sight.  Noir was not at all prepared for the magnificence of what he was seeing, though he did not lose his poise.

Fafnir opened her great mouth and spoke.  It sounded similar to the voice that had come from her human form, but it was deeper and gravely.  “Now, you must tell me before we start, have you ever used lux untrained before?”

Noir thought, though it was hard to concentrate with such a magnificent sight before him.  “No, I do not think so.”

“It would have felt like a throb of power inside you.  Think, child.”

Noir thought back throughout his life.  Even though he had only been in this new world for a little over a week, with all that had happened, the time before felt distant and unreal.  His thoughts about the change from his home to there made him think of the cave on Medicine Mountain.  He had felt the throb of power there.  He had grasped it and forced it into that sphere.

Fafnir noticed the change of expression on his face.  “So you
have
grasped lux before.  Tell me what happened.  What were you doing at the time?  What did you do with it?”

Noir was taken aback.  He had not told anyone about the cave and his home.  He had no idea how Fafnir would interpret his story.  He wasn’t even sure that she would believe him.  He had a feeling that he shouldn't lie to her, though.  So he said, “I'm not sure what to say.  I don't understand it and I'm not even sure if I believe it or not.”

“Then tell me all that you know to be true and I will interpret it for myself.”

Noir sighed and started from the beginning when he saw the cave.  He went through each detail of what had happened since he had come to this world.  She kept asking about Noir's “home” world, as she called it.  She was very intrigued about electronics, asking over and over how they worked and what powered them.

When Noir finished the story up until the point where he arrived in the cave, she said, “Your home world uses these ‘electronics’ to make up for its lack of chakra.  Instead of enchanting objects to perform tasks through chakra, you have these battery devices.  Instead of Luxins, you have doctors.  While we have Din Mages to throw fire, you have chemical substances to create fire.”  She grumbled and shifted her weight on the large stool.  “Obviously, we see lightening in the sky, but never have we thought to harness it like your world has.  Marvelous!”  Then her expression changed and she growled deep and low, “Though I feel this knowledge could be disastrous if obtained by wrong group.”

For the first time since Noir had seen her in her true form, Fafnir stood up and stretched her limbs and wings.  The wings were so massive that she could not stretch their full width out in the huge chamber.  She took the few steps it required to get next to Noir. The massive appendages moved up and down next to Noir and he was surprised to see they moved silently and with great hidden agility.  She stopped and swung her head toward Noir.  “I believe you, boy.  No one could concoct a story that bizarre.  We will stop your training until the morning, though today was mostly just story telling.  Come, the smell of cooking rabbit has whetted my appetite.”

Fafnir continued forward through a chamber.  Noir had not expected the lack of response that she gave him after he was finished with his story.  The growl of his stomach convinced him to put the question off for another time.

Noir limped behind the massive creature, still marveling at her size and beauty.  The hall led around a curve and to the outside air.  He could now smell rabbits cooking as well.  Though Noir would have preferred fast food from back home, his hunger made him less picky.

Noir walked out into the evening air to find Adeel, Ratt, and Elrid sitting around a small fire.  Three of the rabbits were on sticks over the flames.

They greeted Noir as he exited.  Fafnir said to the group, “The smell of your food has made me hungry.  I am going to hunt.  I should not be long.”  She walked a few large steps away from the group and spread her massive wings to their full, immense span.  Then, with a gust of air, she flapped the mighty wings and leaped at the same time.  As she shot upwards, her wings blossomed out with the air filling them.  She flapped a few more times to gain height before she was lost from view, hidden by the trees.

“I'd hate to see what she hunts,” joked Noir.  The other three were looking at him oddly.  They must not have gotten the joke.  “I mean, I hope it’s not people or anything.”

“Don't be foolish,” snapped Adeel with surprisingly harsh words.

Elrid said, “Fafnir is an elder dragon and deserves more respect than that, Noir.  She has lived thousands of years.”  He flipped the rabbits over for the other sides to cook, then continued.   “Anyway, she is probably going to hunt goat.  There are many in these mountains.”

“I'm sorry, I did not mean....” Noir trailed off.

“Forget about it,” replied Elrid plainly.  “Come and sit.  I think they are just about ready.”

The four ate the berries and rabbits and talked together peacefully.  There was a sense of security knowing that Fafnir was nearby to protect them.  Noir was grateful that Adeel and Elrid seemed let Noir’s foolish joke go.

Noir asked Adeel about Fafnir's training.  She said that all he had to do was follow her instructions exactly and try hard and he would be fine.  She said it had taken her only a couple months before she was using lux effectively.  Noir's heart sank when he heard that.  He could not wait that long to go find his family.  If that was to be the case, he would have to leave before he finished his training.

Ratt told Noir about how he had killed a rabbit with a rock and sling with Elrid's guidance.  They traded other stories as they ate.  Elrid was in the middle of telling a story about catching a Chiron scouting party near Talik when Fafnir returned.  Dust blew in their eyes and the cook-fire nearly blew out as she gracefully landed.

“I surveyed the path out of my territory,” Fafnir said as she pulled in her wings and walked toward the group.  “I saw no signs of any more straghs, so you should have safe passage tomorrow.”  Noir looked at the dragon's head as it hovered above him.  For the first time since he could remember, Noir noticed the night sky.  The sky was clearer than he had ever seen.  Stars filled the night sky with unimaginable numbers.  It seemed to Noir that he could choose two stars close to one another, then look closer and count a hundred more between them.

Fafnir noticed Noir's gaze toward the sky and looked up herself.  “It is a clear night.  Your friend should have an easy passage to the afterlife, if he did not already depart yesterday.”  Noir looked around at the group.  They all fell silent in remembrance of their fallen companion.  The fire crackled peacefully.

Fafnir finally broke the silence.  “Noir, say farewell to Adeel and Elrid and then rest well.  Your training will start in earnest tomorrow.”  Then she disappeared into the cavern opening.

Once Fafnir had gone, Adeel said, “Noir.  Your training is a once in a lifetime experience.  Fafnir brought the power of lux to the world, and she is gifted with teaching it.  Remember what she tells you and do what she says without hesitation.”  She looked to Ratt and said, “And the same goes for you.  Being the sparring partner for a new Luxin’s training is an honorable thing.”

Ratt stood up and bowed.  This was something Noir had never seen him do before.  It came across a little awkwardly, but he did it confidently.  “Yes, Luxin Adeel.  I will do my best.”

Adeel smiled.  “Good.”  She stood up.  “Then I am off to rest for the night.  Ladies in the cave, boys outside.”  She smiled impishly and walked toward the cavern mouth.  The three looked at each other.

Elrid gave Noir the quick lesson that he had given Ratt the night before about building a solid personal tent from items found in the wilderness.  They each constructed their own.  When they were done, Noir felt proud of both Ratt’s and his own.  However, Elrid’s tent looked much larger, more apt at keeping out water, and more sturdy.  Noir wasn’t sure how he had built so fast and seemingly effortlessly.

Ratt was already snoring by the time Noir laid down in the simple tent.  Noir watched Elrid as he took off the pieces of his armor and placed them inside his small shelter.  When he got to the chest plate, he lifted it up and looked closely at deep claw marks on the side of a leather piece.  Then he put a hand to his chest where the claws had pierced his flesh and held it there.  He took a large breath and released it, then put the last piece down with the rest.

Noir laid his head down and looked at the ceiling of his crude tent.  In case it rained during the night, he would stay fairly dry.  His head still hurt from his injury, but placing it on his balled-up shirt helped.  He thought about all that had happened recently.  He thought about his uncle and cousin and wondered how they were faring in this strange world.  He missed his parents and the simple life he had before all of this happened.  As he thought, he drifted off to sleep.

~~~

              Aimee grasped the chakra inside her and thrust it out her hand and into heat energy.  The red glow spread through her arm and then a ball of fire appeared in her hand.  Due to what her teacher had showed her, its heat did not scorch her hand.  Using din, she then flung it at the pile of hay on the other side of the dungeon.  With a blooming billow, it burst into flames.  She then raised her other hand and charged the air with cold, freezing the water in the air into long spikes of ice.  She manipulated the din and flung them at a straw practice dummy.  The dummy was pierced multiple times with the projectile icicles.  Some missed and shattered against the rock wall behind the dummy.

              Aimee’s teacher walked forward and clapped.  “Well done, young Din Mage.  Well done.  Your training for today is complete.”

              Aimee spun toward the man and shouted, “No!  Don’t stop me!  There is still more to learn and do.  Teach me!”

              “Well, then!”  The man flipped the black cloak aside, making the red circle design dance.  “More you shall have then.  Again!” he commanded.

              Aimee turned her attention toward another straw pile.  She thought to herself, “I will find my way out of this world if I have to
blast
my way out of it.”  She formed another ball of fire in her hand, larger than the last.  It filled the room with an orange, dancing glow.  “Forget Dad and Noir.  They were the ones who were interested in the cave.  I didn't want to have anything to do with it!”

The cloaked man smiled.  He was witnessing the ascent of another strong Din Mage to serve Tier.  It would not be long before he would have to affix her with the Din Slave collar in order to keep her under control.

He watched as the girl threw a fireball larger than most average Din Mages could throw after months of training.  Though he watched and scrutinized all of the short-haired girl's movement and actions, he did not notice the tears running down her face.