Storm Holt (The Prophecies of Zanufey Book 3) (32 page)

When they’d finished filling their bellies and packed everything away, Issa began questioning Coronos about the meeting. Everything from how the transportation worked and how it felt, to the contents of the meeting and who everyone was. Asaph could see the weariness in Coronos’ face, and he would have suggested they talk about things tomorrow had he not been so fascinated about it himself. Besides, Coronos seemed like he wanted to talk despite being tired.

‘Only high wizards and master wizards can call a full Circle and transport people to it. The orbs make it easier too for they were keyed to the Circle back in the time of the Ancients. I could, if I wanted, use the orb to return me to the Wizard’s Circle alone and at any time. But it is very taxing for me, especially now I’m old.’

‘So, only wizards who have passed the Wizards’ Reckoning sit upon the Circle?’ Issa asked.

‘Yes,’ Coronos said.
 

Asaph could see the cogs working in Issa’s mind, could sense that she was seeing an obstacle to overcome. Before she could ask any more questions, or start thinking ridiculous thoughts, he voiced his own thought.

‘Where is this place?’

‘It’s east of Maphrax, a long way east, and in warm oceans. That’s as good as I know. We know that the island was chosen by the Ancients as a safe protected area where meetings, magic and artefacts could be discussed and kept safely hidden. It’s veiled from view, much like the elven Land of Mists. Anyone passing would see only ocean and move right through it.
 

‘I have not seen those men for over twenty-five years,’ Coronos said wistfully, stuffing his pipe with lintel weed. He sighed. ‘Master Wizard Grenahyme was a great wizard and a good friend. Still, he was old when I knew him. Luren, Grenahyme’s apprentice, is young and nervous, but I’ll bet his tutor taught him well, he’ll make a powerful wizard.’

‘How was Freydel?’ Issa perked up. She’d been quiet, probably musing over Coronos’ words. Asaph had not met the Master Wizard that she spoke of so frequently. He was keen to meet him.

Coronos looked at her with a held breath that he let go slowly. ‘He’s drained, but thankfully he’s all right - and my what a story he has to tell. He is already at Castle Carvon, so he can tell you all about it. Let’s just say he’s lucky to be with us. He had a sick child with him. Arla I believe her name was.’

‘Arla? Sick?’ Issa said.

‘Yes, maybe with a fever, Freydel isn’t sure. He’s taken her to Carvon, to King Navarr’s healers.’

‘I can’t wait to see them,’ Issa said. ‘I’ve been worried sick about Freydel, and all I’ve heard from Arla was that strange note she left me. But what happened to Freydel? I just couldn’t reach him through scrying.’

‘He tried to call the Wizard’s Circle when the orb showed him Maphraxie ships close to Celene,’ Coronos said. He put a small stick in the fire, set light to it, then brought the flame up and sucked it into his pipe. ‘It was after he’d initiated translocation to the Circle that things went wrong. Baelthrom happened to have his attention fixated on the Flow and Celene, that is how he sensed Freydel’s passing in the astral planes. It was close, too close for an Orb Keeper, but he got away. If it weren’t for Arla, I don’t think Freydel would have made it back easily, if at all.’ He took a deep pull on his pipe and Asaph watched the smoke rise up into the night sky.

They talked about the members of the Wizard’s Circle and where they came from until Coronos’ pipe was empty and cold and the fire just a small patch of embers. Asaph considered all this talk of magic. He had magical abilities, amazing abilities, but only in his dragon form. Using magic came second nature to a dragon, so he understood all that Coronos spoke of. He could feel magic in his human form, but only weakly.

‘There’s one thing I should mention for you to think upon,’ Coronos looked at Issa, she raised her eyebrows. Asaph watched her face, hoping she wouldn’t get any more ideas. ‘You mentioned you would like to meet the wizards. Well, it seems that they would like to meet you too. Anyone powerful enough to defeat an ancient beast like Keteth surely deserves the Circle’s attention.’ Coronos smiled.
 

Asaph frowned, though no one was looking at him. He didn’t like the thought of wizards giving her attention, or any magic wielders for that matter - especially not male ones. She’d been through enough already and this just sounded like trouble.

Issa stared at the ground. ‘It was the Raven Queen and the dark moon, I couldn’t do it now.’

‘They do wonder if you really did overcome Keteth,’ Coronos said. ‘So you’d better tell them about it yourself. They are also all far better versed in the prophecies than I am. Perhaps they can help you understand this Raven Queen better.’

Issa darted a look at him. ‘I would like that. Sometimes I feel a mystery to myself,’ she said. Asaph felt she was a mystery to him too, an intriguing mystery he longed to learn more about.

‘Well, that brings me to another thing. It has not been decided yet, and it will probably end up in a vote, but it looks like they may invite you to undertake the Wizard’s Reckoning and enter the Storm Holt.’

‘Enter the Storm Holt?’ Issa almost jumped up.

‘Enter the Storm Holt?’ Asaph scowled. ‘You nearly died in there.’ He felt his face flush with anger. There was no way he could agree to this, and to his chagrin Issa was already excited by the prospect. Why did she always find danger? It was like she deliberately put herself in harm’s way. Did she care so little for herself, or how others felt if she got hurt?
 

‘She has no need to do anything of the sort just to prove her worth to a bunch of old men,’ he blurted. He couldn’t bear the thought of Issa going into the demon worlds, especially not without him.

‘Asaph,’ Coronos said reproachfully.
 

Asaph looked away embarrassed. Coronos went on. ‘It’s not up to you or me, but up to the Circle, and in the end the choice always remains with the invitee. Issa doesn’t
have
to do anything.’

Asaph caught Issa’s eye. ‘Don’t do this. It’s not worth it. We have other things to do. Coronos told me some of his experience in there, but it was so bad that he never told me the whole lot.’

‘Asaph, don’t worry so soon about me, touching though it is. I have to think about it at least,’ Issa soothed.

‘I knew you’d say that. You don’t need to think about it. Just say “no”,’ he advised, ‘I’m going for a piss.’ He stalked off, but he didn’t go so far as to not be able to hear their conversation.

‘He cares about you, that’s all. The decision is up to you, if they invite you of course, and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly,’ he heard Coronos say. ‘But what it has given us, everyone who has survived the Reckoning, is a greater understanding of ourselves, both the good and the bad. Thus you would be less of a “mystery to yourself,” as you put it. Some return with greater magical abilities, others come back with new gifts, such as the Daluni talent or the Sight. Others, such as Domenon, claim they live longer. Nevertheless, what didn’t kill us made us stronger. We have all come back stronger.’

Asaph shook his head as he listened. It was all so unnecessary. Why did she even think she needed to agree to other people’s tests? He just knew she would accept the invite if they asked her. First Keteth and now the Storm Holt. He didn’t understand. It seemed that she liked a challenge, no matter how dangerous it was. Sometimes it seemed like she wanted to die. He sighed. He could feel the anger in her, and the need for revenge, he had those feelings too. But he wondered if it made her do these crazy things, if somehow the need for revenge was taking over her reason.

He buttoned up his trousers and began to make his way back when movement caught his eye, something bright disappearing through the trees. He followed where it had gone for a few paces and then peered around the trunk of a large tree. He gasped.
 

Partially hidden in the trees not twenty yards ahead, was a woman of such beauty it took his breath away. She seemed made of white and silver light glimmering in the darkness as she half hid behind a tree. Her long platinum hair flowed over her shoulder, naked breast and down to her slender waist. He couldn’t stop his eyes travelling over the perfect curve of her hip and her long legs, graceful as a deer’s.
 

He felt his cheeks reddening, realising she was naked. His eyes travelled back to her angelic face, red lips and cool blue eyes. She seemed frail and vulnerable shying behind the trees. She smiled fearfully back at him. He went towards her, dazed by her innocence and beauty, and wanting to touch her to see if she was real. As he neared she became scared and disappeared behind the tree.

‘Don’t go,’ he called out, and ran towards her. When he got there she was gone. He whirled around looking for where she might have trodden, but there was no sign of her passing, not even with his experience in tracking. He blinked, feeling his captivated daze wearing off. She was so beautiful and pure, how could he not be dazed? Was she a fairy or woodsprite? Maybe she was his imagination
.
He sighed and turned back, feeling a headache coming on.

‘Did you see something?’ Issa said, and added when he frowned, ‘We thought you said something.’

Asaph shook his head. ‘No, it was just an owl, I think. Nothing to worry about. I’ve got a headache for some reason though. I think I’ll get some sleep.’

‘We should all sleep,’ Coronos yawned. ‘If we’re up early we might be able to reach Carvon tomorrow night.’

By the time Asaph lay down his head was positively pounding. He drifted into a lucid disturbed sleep filled with dreams of a beautiful pale woman driving his lust for her, and a white owl fleeing through the trees.

They were up early and left their small encampment as the first hint of light touched the skies. They’d all slept well and his headache had almost gone, though he still felt a bit dazed, as if his dreams hadn’t fully left his waking life.
 

They covered a lot of ground that day. It was easy to travel along the well-worn Old North Road as it led across gently undulating countryside filled with deciduous forests and a few farmers’ fields scattered here and there. He didn’t feel like talking much, content enough just to enjoy the ride. Coronos and Issa, however, chatted for hours about the wizards again and the Storm Holt.
 

Asaph only half listened, finding himself drifting inwards and focusing on his own thoughts. Thoughts that often turned towards a beautiful woman with platinum hair. He felt excited every time he thought of her, which was embarrassing. It worried him also - Issa was the only one he’d had eyes for. He tried his hardest to push thoughts of the woman to back of his mind. She probably wasn’t even real, she could have been a ghost. It was towards sunset that Asaph glimpsed the beautiful city of Carvon.

‘Is that it?’ he asked, marvelling at the majestic twin peaks of Castle Carvon as it stood upon the most elevated part of the city.
 

The city was on a high hill, and part of the hill had sunk a long time ago so that a long white cliff formed beneath the city. Subsequently the land they currently travelled upon was a few hundred feet lower than the land atop the cliff where the city was. A huge gushing waterfall tumbled over the cliff, along with many other smaller ones. It seemed strange to see a cliff here in the middle of the land where they had mostly seen rolling hills and forests.

Issa stared in awe. ‘It’s huge, and look at the size of that waterfall!’

‘Yes,’ Coronos said with a smile. ‘It is called the City of Rivers, for the number of rivers that flow through it - though there is really only one river, the Arin Flow, split into many rivulets. The castle itself is divided by the river and split into two parts, as you will soon see for yourself. It’s my favourite place after Draxa. Mind you we’ll not get to see much of it today, for though it looks near the distance is deceptive. We’ll be lucky to make it to the Lantern Road before full dark.’

Coronos was right, it seemed to take an age to close the distance between them and the city, and it was almost full dark by the time they reached the “Lantern Road” as Coronos called it. Indeed it was a lantern road. They rounded a copse of trees along with other late travellers barely lighting the way with their torches, only to see a double line of bright lanterns leading up the hill through the trees. Asaph blinked, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.

‘It’s rather pretty,’ Issa said, and gave an approving nod.

‘They lead for a mile, all the way to the city gates,’ Coronos said.

‘They light all these lanterns for travellers?’ Asaph said. He’d not seen anything like it.

‘Yes,’ Coronos said. ‘They begin lighting them every evening at sundown. Carvon is a large city, the largest in the Known World actually, and trade is big business with people coming and going though the night. This is a city that never shuts its doors, and whose gates are guarded all through the night. They also call this road the “Mile of Light,” for it is a welcome sight to weary night travellers such as us.

Asaph nodded. ‘Will there be food? I’m starving.’ His belly had been rumbling for a good hour. To keep a good pace they’d not stopped and eaten nothing but dried fruit for dinner.