Chartile: Prophecy (23 page)

“
My apologies,” said Valar
as Piper joined him at the door.

“
We are looking for Leo,
Jack and Jayson. They were not in the rooms, and we thought they
may be here,” said a familiar voice beneath a black
hood.

“
Kylani?” asked Leo. He
hurried to the door and peered over Piper’s shoulder at the figures
in the doorway.

“
Good day to you, Valar.
We will speak soon.” Piper said and ushered Valar into the hall.
Valar eyed the new visitors over his shoulder as he hurried on.
Piper held the door open for her visitors, then quickly latched the
door behind her. The strangers lowered their hoods, and Leo saw
Brande and Isla were with Kylani.

“
What are you doing here?”
Leo asked. He reached out his hand to the brothers as Isla
bowed.

“
Leo, we have something to
ask of you,” said Isla. Piper emerged from her room with throw
pillows from her bed. The boys took these and sat on the floor,
giving their seats to Brande, Kylani and Isla.

“
What’s up?” asked Jayson.
He plopped down on his pillow a little harder than he intended and
promptly rubbed his tailbone.

“
Sorry?” asked Isla. She
looked from Jayson to the ceiling several times, her brow
furrowed.

“
What can we do for you?”
Jack asked.

Brande, Kylani and Isla settled into their
chairs and looked to one another before speaking.

“
As you are aware, the
camaraderie between our two peoples has been tense to say the
least.” Isla said. She released the clasp on her cloak and it fell
across the back of the chair behind her. “It has been difficult
attempting to find common ground amongst them, and one leader they
all can look to.”

“
Well that definitely
isn’t us,” said Leo. “You saw what happened in the armory. Neither
side has exactly given us a warm welcome since then.”

“
Outwardly, yes,” said
Brande. “But in secret, there are more people than you would know
that look to you for leadership.”

“
Really?” Jayson shook his
head disgustedly. “They sure have a funny way of showing
it.”

“
Remember, Jayson, they
must tread carefully.” Kylani smiled and closed his eyes for a
moment. “We have all lived in fear of each other for so long that
it has become our Heart instructs us to keep our true feelings to
ourselves.”

Queen Isla stood. “We need someone to lead
the charge against our enemy in the battle. I know you have not
been permitted to attend the strategy meetings since the incident
in the armory, but that can easily be swayed.”

“
You want us to command
units in the army?” asked Leo, and his mouth fell open. “Are you
kidding? We don’t know the first thing about commanding
armies.”

Isla turned to face Leo. “Not command, Leo.
Lead. We need someone to rally morale and unite our peoples under
one banner. No more segregation. No more pointed fingers. We need
to be as one.”

“
Then you need to stop
calling yourselves The Black Diamonds,” said Dimitri. He looked
hard at Brande, Isla and Kylani, though his tone was understanding.
“If you want to be as one, you need to act as one.”

Brande moved to stand but held his place.
“That would mean giving up what we have been fighting for.”

“
No it doesn’t,” said
Jack. “Look, I’ve been talking to Gemari. She’s on your
side.”

Isla nodded. “She has come to me in
confidence to learn more of how we wish to see our society
grow.”

“
She’s a good ally,” Jack
continued. “Why don’t you ask her to go to the Council on your
behalf and make The Black Diamonds a temporary Quarter? That’s
really what you want in the end anyway, isn’t it?”

“
You believe Princess
Gemari would do this?” Brande asked, his eyebrow raised.

“
If Jack asks her to she
will,” said Dimitri with a coy smile.

“
I’ll talk to her,” Jack
agreed.

“
Thank you, Jack,” said
Isla. “Now, are you still willing to lead the charge at the battle?
I do believe it will still help with morale.”

“
We can’t,” Leo said,
breaking the silence that had followed Isla’s question.

“
Leo, no!” said
Piper.

“
I trust them.” Leo nodded
at Kylani and Brande. “If you trust me, then trust them.” Piper
clenched her jaw and Dimitri rubbed her back as Leo continued. “We
won’t be at the battle.”

“
What? Why?” Brande, Isla
and Kylani asked at once.

“
We — we have a secret
mission.” Jayson said and shrugged.

“
There’s a good chance
Taraniz won’t be at the battle,” Jack added.

“
We — we are going to the
Elven palace to capture her,” Piper replied. She closed her eyes as
the words fell from her lips and sighed.

Brande, Kylani and Isla only nodded.

“
Fear not,” said Isla, and
she nodded reassuringly. “If we could keep the secret of The Black
Diamonds for all this time, rest assured your secret is safe with
us.”

“
If anyone asks after you,
we will take care of it,” said Kylani.

“
Thank you,” Leo breathed
relieved.

The sky outside had turned completely black
as another early autumn storm rolled in over the mountainside.

“
We should go,” said Isla.
“I should not be caught outside my curfew.”

“
You have a curfew? For
real?” Jayson nearly laughed.

“
As part of my probation,”
she explained. “I am to have an escort at all times, and I am not
to be found out past the ninth hour.”

“
Where’s your guard now?”
asked Piper concerned.

“
I slipped him the tiniest
bit of dreamshade in his tea. He is currently napping in my common
room. He will wake soon, so I must return.” She stood and bowed to
them, then secured her cloak and pulled the hood over her head and
face once more.

Piper checked the hall before seeing them
out, then again, bolted it behind her. She flopped back into her
chair in a rather Jayson-like fashion and sighed loudly.

“
What a strange day,” she
muttered, and they all nodded in agreement.

Chapter Fifteen

A Spy Among
Enemies

Leo opened his eyes to darkness, though he
knew it must be morning. Every muscle in his right arm and shoulder
ached. He wiggled the fingers of his right hand which lay
sandwiched between his two large feather pillows. He winced as pain
shot through his wrist. He groaned and rolled to face the gem
covered ceiling above him. Jack had landed a solid shot to his
shoulder during practice the day before, and he wasn’t about to
move sooner than he had to. He didn’t even bother with his morning
meditations. Though he and his friends seemed to have certain
memories and instincts for fighting, it did not take away from the
lack of muscle tone, regardless of muscle memory.

Leo suspected he hurt more than his friends
after their fighting practice, but he never voiced such. Every
night they went to bed sore and achy, and awoke just as stiff and
painful. Piper had ordered they drink a strange, lemony tea to ease
the pain, and it did help. But this morning, the storm that had
plagued them all day yesterday had left an odd pressure in the air,
and made the pain almost unbearable.

Dimitri had insisted they practice in the
pouring rain. They were not permitted a break from the deluge until
Jack left to meet with Gemari for lunch to fulfill his promise to
Brande, Kylani and Isla. Leo didn’t understand Jack’s fascination
with her. He still found her slightly annoying. Jayson had
mentioned her nice ta-ta’s, but when Jack had pulled a dagger,
completely serious about dueling his friend, it was never discussed
again.

Leo heard movement and voices out in the
common area. He knew their breakfast had been delivered, and sure
enough, within minutes, the aroma of those delicious honey-glazed
biscuits reached him even through the pillows. His stomach gurgled
at the first inhale, and he gave in to his hunger.

“
Look who finally decided
to grace us with his presence,” Jack teased when Leo stepped out of
his room, squinting and rubbing his shoulder.

“
Shut up, man. You hit me
major hard yesterday,” said Leo. He grabbed the remaining cup from
the tray on the table and drank the lemony tea.

“
Here,” said Dimitri
rising from his chair. He and Piper had already joined the boys and
seemed eager to begin their lessons for the day. Dimitri rose and
laid his hands on Leo’s shoulder. A cool, tingling energy moved
down his arm. Leo felt the muscles relax as the magic wound its way
through the fibers and into the pain.

“
Thanks,” said Leo. He
stretched his shoulder, and nearly upset his tea cup.

“
Seriously, when are we
gunna do magic?” Jayson whined through a mouthful of
biscuit.

“
Today,” said Piper with a
demure smile.

Jayson, Jack and Leo sat a bit straighter.
They looked at Piper and Dimitri with wide eyes and slack jaws.

A piece of biscuit fell from Jayson’s mouth
before he asked, “Really?”

Piper giggled. “Yes, Jayson. Really.”

“
We believe you are
ready,” said Dimitri.

“
Can you teach us how to
do what you just did?” Leo asked flexing his shoulder
again.

“
The healing arts take an
understanding of anatomy,” Dimitri said and leaned back on the
sofa, his arm around Piper. “This takes many years. I only know
what I do, and that is very little in itself, as Nefiri had fallen
ill several years ago. I was her caretaker and learned from our
healers. Not magic, but about medicine and anatomy.”

“
So, what are we going to
learn, then?” Leo asked.

“
Elemental magic is the
easiest,” said Piper. “From there, moving objects will be
next.”

“
Like telekinesis?” Jayson
was nearly bouncing on the edge of his seat in anticipation. “Oh,
that is so cool!”

“
One step at a time, my
friend,” chuckled Dimitri. He tossed a piece of biscuit in the air,
ready to catch it in his mouth. Piper snatched it mid arch and
popped it in her own mouth with a devious grin. Dimitri tackled her
to the floor, and Piper laughed gleefully as he tickled her. They
did not stop until she nearly kicked over the cabinet with the
forgotten pearl wine.

As they walked to the Black Diamond’s mines,
they remained more observant to the dwarves they passed as they
went. Though most skirted around them close to the walls, they
caught subtle hints of what Isla had been talking about. A small
smile, a slight incline of the head, lingering eyes or a look over
the shoulder. Jayson, Jack and Leo had decided to make an attempt
to show the dwarves they were trustworthy. They smiled, bowed, and
greeted as many people as they could along their trek in the proper
Dwarvik way. Even Piper began to accept her role as the future
Elven Queen, and followed suit in respect and greeting. Though
outwardly, no one seemed to take heed, they were sure their actions
were not going unnoticed. At least, they hoped.

The air was still damp and muggy, but the
boys enjoyed their time outdoors. They had spent so much time
enclosed in the mountain, the open air and skies were a welcome
sight. They walked down the steep path to the forest’s edge, and to
the little clearing that had become their regular practice
space.

The boys lined up facing Piper and Dimitri.
Their excitement almost tangible as they fought to keep from
bouncing on the balls of their feet or wringing their hands in
anticipation.

“
Elemental magic is most
often associated with weather magic,” Dimitri began. “Certainly the
ability to cause a sudden rain or thick fog has its advantages
against an unsuspecting enemy camp. But these are actions one would
use from a distance while safely hidden under cover.”

“
In situations where you
are in hand to hand engagement, however, something far less subtle,
such as fire, wind or forcing a stream of water at your opponent is
more practical.” Piper flinched when she spoke the word fire. The
boys nodded their understanding. They were determined to show Piper
they were taking their magic lesson very seriously.

“
However, both tactics
require the manipulation of the energy in the environment around
you. Please, sit,” said Dimitri. Jack, Leo and Jayson did as they
were bid, but couldn’t help but wonder how this would help them
throw a fire ball at their enemy.

“
If you have been
practicing your meditations as instructed, you should be familiar
with your own energies now. I want you to sense those energies now.
Allow the sensation of your own energies to completely surround
you.”

They closed their eyes. Immediately they
found the calm familiarity of their meditations with little effort.
“Now, extend your senses outward. I want you to feel the energy
pattern of the person sitting beside you.”

They sat for quite some time, concentrating,
trying to figure out what Dimitri had instructed. It was not easy.
Eventually, they felt a different kind of energy mixing with their
own.

“
Whoa. Cool,” whispered
Jayson and a smile pulled at his lips.

“
Excellent,” said Dimitri.
“Now, cast your senses outward even farther. Try to sense the water
droplets in the clouds. They will not be the size of the rain you
recognize, but they will be there. Raise your hand when you have
identified them, but do not break your concentration.”