Sands of Time - 4. Chapter 4

Lew sat around the campfire for what must have been hours after he learned that this group was from the far distant past. He still had a very difficult time believing it, but the evidence was all around him. From the way they spoke, to their equipment, to how they held themselves. All of it screamed royalty from somewhere far distant.

That was another aspect of this he was having difficulty with, they were all royalty of some type or another. While he had not touched their rings, he heard what happened when the caravan master had. With that in mind, he didn't feel the need to test it himself.

He was glad that they left him to his thoughts, but also allowed him to watch as everything went on around the camp as they went about their business. Several times he watched as one of them would come in, speak to one of the others, then leave. Whatever magical item they had that allowed him to understand them wasn't active, so he didn't know what they were talking about, but judging from the tone, it was nothing bad. At one point he saw a young man with a couple of slaves come in and talk to the Drow, then seemed to turn the slaves over to him. The slaves were really interesting. He had heard of Rhinolings before but had never seen one. These two were young from what he knew. He watched as they spoke to the Drow for a few moments, and then the oldest of the two clopped off towards where the dragon’s carcass lay.

One of the things that really caught his attention was the way they set up their camp. He could tell by the placement of the tents that they were used to setting up as a war camp. While he had never been in a war camp, he had read about war camps for some of the great wars. There may not have been many tents here like the great war camps he read about, but the placement of the tents, where the openings were, how they were oriented, down to even how much space was between them spoke to great care being taken to provide as much protection to the central tent as possible.

He watched as the human boy went around and placed random items around the camp. At first, Lew wasn't sure what he was doing, until he realized that he was putting things that would be easily stepped on and make noise. He was sure other protective measures were being used, but he could not figure them out. Either way though, he knew these kids knew what they were doing and knew how to make war in a way that this world had not seen in thousands of years. He wasn't sure if he should be impressed or terrified. He settled for both.

His attention was drawn to the dwarf when he came over and sat down nearby, though kept his eyes focused elsewhere. Lew was about to move away, thinking the boy just needed to sit for a bit when he saw him reach up, and touch one of the many gems on his extraordinarily crafted armor.

"Is it true?" The Dwarf asked. When nothing else was said, Lew was about to ask what he meant when the dwarf spoke again with a halting voice. "Was it true what you said about the Iron Fortress?"

Lew blinked. This was not what he was expecting, but answered. "As far as the history I have been taught, yes it is," Lew spoke slowly, trying to remember how he was taught to speak when speaking to his clan elders. Not something he did often, or at all since he left there.

Lew waited for something more to be said, but all he saw was the boy staring off into the trees. Then when the boy blinked, he saw tears. He wanted to ask but did not think it was his place. "I grew up there." The boy said, and Lew couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"The Iron Fortress?" Lew asked, needing clarification, just to be sure.

"Yes." The boy stood and moved to stand before Lew. Lew quickly jumped to his feet, not really sure what was about to happen. "I realized that we have not yet introduced ourselves, and you have been respectful enough not to ask." The sudden change in topic left Lew at a complete loss. The boy stuck out his hand, "I am Count Malachi Battleforge. My Father, Duke Korbek Battleforge founded and built the Iron Fortress." Lew's knees went weak, but he was able to grasp the boy's forearm in a proper handshake.

"I… I am sorry to hear about…" Lew started, only to be cut off by a wave from Malachi.

"Do not… please," Malachi said softly. "You had nothing to do with it. Also, if what you say is true, all of that happened thousands of years after we were sent here, so, no one I knew would have still been alive." Malachi gestured for Lew to sit, then sat back down himself. "I know you have learned a lot in the last few hours, but is there anything I may answer for you?"

Again Lew was stunned. Here these kids were finding out that they were sent eleven thousand years into the future, and now he is asking if Lew had any questions about them! "Well, there is a lot I am sure," Lew answered with a chuckle, then continued. "But there is one thing that is pressing in my mind. I see you all wearing signets, but I do not recognize any of them. I was wondering if you would be willing to let me know who all of you are?"

"Of course!" Malachi said, trying to bring back his normal jovial self. Succeeding somewhat. He looked around and pointed to the first one he saw. Lew wasn't great at telling how old Illors were, but she looked young. "That is Olpha Shardholder, she is the Marchioness of Sandstorm. Her father was the High Mage of Seandra." Those names brought a distant memory from childhood, but Lew decided to hold his questions until later. "She has a bit of a temper, and even though she is the Mage of our group when in battle, she often gets upset with anyone that reaches the enemy before she does." Malachi chuckled a bit at that then grinned.

"Over there is her boyfriend," Malachi said with a giggle, pointing to a human close to the age of ascension, and reminding Lew that Malachi was only an equivalent twelve-year-old. "He is the Count of Sandgarden, Lucas Oldsurn." Malachi giggled again, but lowered his voice and conspiratorially said, "Yes they are together… no, you do not want details."

"Ahhhh yes…" Malachi said as he pointed to the young teen elf. "That is Thane Wellaras, Prince of Gryphon Spire." Again Malachi leaned in close. "He was 'banished' from the Alphar lands because he wasn't 'courtly' enough. However, what the Alphar considers to be not courtly enough, is more than most anyone else can handle. He is trying to come down to the mortal plane with the rest of us, but does let his Alphar nature shine through at times." Malachi’s giggle broke out into raucous belly laughter, so infectious Lew even joined in. However, his brain was starting to hurt.

"The Drow over there…" Malachi said, pointing to Syth who looked to have barely hit his teen years. "Is Sythranel Shunral, Earl of Caraid. He likes people to call him Syth, and I would if I were you. He used to be Xavier's whipping boy, but after he stopped an assassin's arrow... with his own chest, and survived… The King elevated his family and gave them Caraid as their own."

"Speaking of Xavier," Malachi said as Lew saw the Half-Elf named Xavier and the strange-colored Dragonling. He had no idea how old a Dragonling was, but the half-elf was easier. He could tell that Xavier was young, again barely reaching his teen years. "That is Psyen-Raysyn’Xavier, though he is just called Xavier outside of Court. He is the Crown Prince of the Seandrean Kingdom.” Remembering the events of yesterday, Malachi’s smile faded, “Well I guess I should say was…'' Malachi fell silent for a moment before he forced himself to smile again. "Out of all of us…" Malachi began again, leaning close and speaking softly. "He is the most naive, and easy to play practical jokes on. However, while he has a great sense of humor, it's not wise to push him since he can get angry. Not Olpha angry, but close."

"Speaking of senses of humor, the Dragonling is Garnet. Earl of Jade Bluffs, and he does not have one." Malachi chuckled and dropped his voice again like he had for the others. "Personally, I think he wasn't assigned one when he hatched, but that's just me."

"But…" Lew interrupted. "He wears a pendant honoring Rovnar, I would assume he is a priest of the God of Trickery… how can he not have a sense of humor?"

"THAT is a story you will have to ask him. All I can say is, he did not have much choice in the matter." Malachi replied with a booming laugh, and then he sat back and continued his narrative. "He is blood-bonded to Xavier and is his sworn protector. From the time he could wield a blade, he was trained to be Xavier's bodyguard, and captain of his personal guard. If by some chance you are with us and we have to fight someone, I would strongly suggest following any order he gives, because I will guarantee you, the rest of us will. And well… if we survive, you might well become his after-battle snack, for not following his orders." Lew's eyes bulged, and his small muzzle fell wide open. All of this caused Malachi to laugh so hard that he fell off the log he was sitting on and made sure everyone was looking at the two of them.

Lew hoped the young dwarf was joking, but as he looked at the weird-colored dragonling he wasn't sure. The arrival of the Rhinoling caught his attention for only a moment, then he looked back at Malachi who finally righted himself. "Uhhh… I do not know of a proper way to ask this, but."

"Just ask it. You will find that we don't stand on formality much when it is just us." Lew's eyes went wide as he found that statement to be impossible.

However, he did ask his question. "If Prince Xavier is indeed a Prince, and I am not doubting it… but… how would a mutt-born dragonling achieve…"

"A Mutt?" Malachi asked in a low hiss, then looked quickly to Garnet to make sure he had not heard what Lew had said. "My good Pantherling, nothing would be more insulting to Garnet than to call him a mutt. He is a high royal-born Sand Dragon!" It was only the fact that Lew had exceptional hearing that allowed him to hear what Malachi said, so soft and serious was his voice.

"I… I am sorry. Please forgive me, but I have never seen a dragonling of that color, and I have never heard of a Sand Dragon." Lew stammered and was trying to think of something else to say. He was saved when he heard Xavier's voice call his name.

"Lew?" Lew stood quickly and started to drop to his knees when Xavier stopped him with a shake of his head. "Please. If you do that every time I come around, you will end up needing a healthman to treat your knees. We have a bit of a rule amongst us. We only act courtly, when we are in court. Life would be way too difficult if we did not have that rule. I hope that you will become one of our group."

"Me?" Lew asked in complete shock. "But, well I am only a low-born Pantherling. My parents were poor farmers."

"Your lineage does not determine who you are," Syth said with finality. "Your actions do."

"But, well I have done nothing to earn this honor," Lew argued back.

"While that may be true in your eyes, please think of this from our position,'' Xavier said as he sat and motioned for him to sit too. Lew did as everyone else, except for the Rhinoling slave boy who stood behind Syth, his arms loaded down with some type of gear.

"We are in a strange land, in a strange time, and we know little to nothing about this area. We know not what to do, who to speak to, who to befriend, and who to stay away from. We could easily allow someone who has nefarious ways, to take advantage of us. We do not feel you will do this." He paused to take a breath, then continued.

"Yes, we are relying heavily on what our knowledge of your race is, as well as what Pantherlings that we have known and greatly respected were like. However, in the very short time you have been with us, we know we must take a chance and rely on your honor and truthfulness. We truly do not have any other options." Xavier neglected to mention that he had been scanning the Pantherling with his mind-master abilities. It was not perfect, since he could not dig without Lew knowing. On the other hand, he was not overstating the fact that they really did not have many other choices.

Lew looked at the ground in front of him for several seconds while he digested Xavier's words. Finally, he looked up and, fighting the instincts that told him not to, he met Xavier's eyes, anyway. "You honor me greatly with your trust. I can do no less, my Prince. With all that I am, with all that I do, I swear death before any such dishonor." Lew knelt before Xavier, took his ring hand, and kissed it. He then prostrated himself to Xavier while still at the kneel. With a singular hand motion, Xavier bid him to rise. When he sat back down he saw that Xavier was smiling.

"Thank you. Syth." Xavier sat with a motion to Syth.

Syth nodded, then motioned to the Rhinoling. "Sigvat, if you would." The Rhinoling bowed his head, then started towards Lew with the bundle of gear in his arms. "This is the equipment worn by the Dragon before he shifted. It will do us no good, but perhaps you can make use of it."

Lew took the offered bundle with a distracted nod of thanks. "Worn by the dragon? Before he shifted? I do not understand. How does a dragon use equipment like this?"

"He was in his Lizardman skin," Syth explained. "Before he shifted back to his true form, he ordered Sigvat to hide his gear so he could get it back after he dealt with us. Well, he obviously doesn't need it anymore, so maybe you can use it."

"I still do not understand. Are you saying the dragon shapeshifted?" Lew asked, completely perplexed.

"Yes," Xavier said simply, then added. "I thought you would know this since your race is so closely tied to the Silvers. In our day, the Silvers would send their young royals to the Pantherlings to learn how to act, when they were in their other skin."

"No… No, I did not know that." Lew said. His mind was very close to being overloaded by the enormity of everything he had learned. He simply sat down and started to slowly look at the equipment.

“I still do not understand it though,” Olpha spoke up, knowing Lew needed a few to process what he had been told. “A True Dragon, even a Green, playing a mere bandit?

“That is troubling,” Xavier spoke, his eyes turned up to the sky above as he let his thoughts have audible form. “I can almost buy that a True as young as it, would have done something so monumental that the Royal Green Line would find impressed enough to gift him the knowledge of shifting. But to go from that to common banditry, THAT I can not fathom.”

Lew looked up from the gear he was inspecting, “Are you saying that all Dragons can shapeshift?”

“Yes,” Garnet replied. “All Dragons have that ability but it is locked within. It is how to shift that is the gift. A gift that is taught. Generally, only royals are taught how to shift but Dragons that display certain merit are also gifted with that teaching.

“Nothing like this has ever been spoken of, to my knowledge,” Lew remarked as he went back to looking over the bundle.

“Not even the Browns would lower themselves to becoming nothing more than a cutthroat,” Garnet replied with a snort.

“There must be more going on than we…” Xavier started but then was interrupted.

"Wait," Lew said as he held up a long dagger. "This is magical. Maybe one of you should…"

Malachi cut him off. "Oh by the gods… it's Gem Magic." Malachi was leaning close looking at the dagger Lew was holding up. "And not very good craftsmanship at that."

"Very few make metal items that you feel are good craftsmanship," Xavier said with a grin.

"Well, that's true." Malachi retorted with a grin as he sat back.

Lew put the dagger down and then uncovered a stack of spell pages. His eyes went wide as he looked at them. "We saw your book pouch, and thought that, even though you do not have an animal, you are a Druid, so hopefully the Dragon's pages will be of use," Syth explained.

He was overwhelmed. They were just giving him more pages than he currently had in his book. "I…. Ummm…. Thank you." Lew said as he started to go through the pages.

"IT IS TIME FOR DINNER!" Lew heard a voice boisterously announce. As much as he did not want to stop looking at his new pages, he couldn't help but raise his eyes to see who had spoken. His jaw again fell open.

"Of all the warts on Frexla's ass Thane, did you have to?" Syth groaned as he dropped his head in his hands, while everyone else, except Lew, started to snicker.

"What?" Thane asked, completely perplexed by his friend's comment, and the other snickering. "Is this not good enough for a formal dinner? I had thought that I should bring some better clothing, but there wasn’t time, and I was limited on space, so I simply bought my dress armor. Should I try and find something more formal?"

"The fact that you are being completely serious in asking that question is almost as absurd as the dress you are wearing to this 'formal dinner'," Garnet said with a shake of his head.

"Well, it will be nice to eat dinner without having to be dressed up," Thane said, again with complete sincerity. Lew didn't know what to think. It was obvious that Thane was indeed overdressed. Lew had personally never seen someone wearing so much wealth.

The base of the leather banded mail armor was a glossy stygian black that seemed to suck the light into it. The only way Lew knew there were seams was the deep red trim. The bands across the chest had red trim as well, but the bands themselves had scenes of griffins battling fantastical creatures embossed on them. Lew was worried that if he looked too closely he would discover that the depictions really were made with crushed gemstones.

When the Alphar boy spun in place, his full cloak bellowed out behind him. It was black, but not the glossy black of his armor. This black sucked the light in from around it. If Lew believed what his eyes told him, the cloak itself resembled a star field with crushed diamonds sparkling brightly in the blackness.

The stars seemed to revolve around one thing, a huge royal crest. Lew was not sure what the crest was. He had never seen it before, but the craftsmanship that went into just the crest itself took Lew's breath away. It was of a gold-trimmed kite shield with a pair of golden arrows crossed over a black anvil with a red fire behind it. So exquisite was the craftsmanship, that it actually looked like the flames flickered with each movement of the cloak.

Lew gaped at him. After a moment he asked, "This is NOT dressed up?" Lew shook his head. "Prince Thane, I have never, in all my travels, ever heard of, let alone ever seen such a display of ostentatious wealth gathered on one person... I am almost speechless!"

“Speechless? If that is speechless for you… You will fit right in!” giggled Lucas.

“Hush, you know he’s right.” laughed Olpha while playfully swatting at him.

“The only way Thane could tone down his posh, would be to go naked.” deadpanned Xavier, before he too started laughing.

By then Thane had started to smile too, “Well… I could always...”

PLEASE!" Malachi cried out. "Do not get him started! Lew… he really is NOT all that dressed up compared to what we have seen in the past!"

"See!" Thane said as he turned on his heel. "I still have to get my sword!"

The boy acted as if he were wearing nothing more than a dress uniform of a lowly guard. His facial and body manner clearly said he was being honest. That right there was enough to convince Lew that everything was as the kids said. Lew began to put a few things together that the kids had no clue about. Things that will make their lives even more difficult. His too.

➿➿➿➿➿

"Nothing is ever easy," Mablin muttered as he walked back from the dragon and towards his own tents, and a waiting Gradon. His glance towards the strangers' tents confirmed what Mablin had been told. They were made of a leather he was not familiar with, and they screamed wealth, just by their construction. He knew a few people who just exuded that much wealth in every small detail of their lives. The one-armed Merchant was one. These children were either a close match or perhaps, as unbelievable as it was, were worse. But that was not the thing about them that lay on his mind the hardest.

"They really do not seem all that interested in the dead dragon…" Gradon said as Mablin got close.

"No… no they don't." He replied as he wiped his face. It was cold, but being that close to a dragon, even one that was being skinned, was enough to make him break out in a sweat.

"It took me sending Aegir with his mother to keep him away from the thing," Gradon said with a shake of his head.

"Okay, I am going to ask a question I really do not want to hear an answer to, for I fear I already know it. How dangerous are these kids?"

Gradon sighed deeply, stood up straight, and looked his long-time boss, and even longer friend dead in the eyes. "Let this be the best advice I can give to you. Do what it takes to make them friends. We do not know their full story, but unless they are the children of the Demon Lords, I say we do what we need to, to be friends."

➿➿➿➿➿

Thane stopped his Skimmer outside the largest tent in the camp but was perplexed. He looked around expecting someone to come to him, but no one did. He looked back at Syth and Lucas, who were both woefully underdressed, with complete confusion. He was about to say something when Syth shook his head and dismounted.

Thane was shocked. How could Syth just casually dismount? There were protocols to be observed. Lucas dismounted, and Thane looked around again, praying to see someone, anyone, would just be running behind, and not in their proper position to greet him. "If you think I will hold your reins while you dismount, you will be waiting a long time," Syth said smugly, as he took off his sword belt, and tied it to the saddle horn on his Skimmer.

"This is not the way to make a good first impression," Thane replied irritably as he slid down off the Skimmer. Syth and Lucas had already placed their sword belts on their Skimmer, but that was just too much for him. Thankfully before he could say anything, someone came out of the tent.

The youngish guard exited the tent and stopped staring as Thane moved up to him. "Well, it is better than nothing I suppose." He said as he took off his sword belt, and with a flourish shoved it into the young man's hands, then brushed past him and entered the tent. Thane did not hear Lucas apologize to the young man, nor did he see Lucas slide the kid a coin.

➿➿➿➿➿

Mablin jumped to his feet as the tent flap was thrown open. Even with all his training and experience, he could not help the slack jaw that came when he saw the boy enter his tent. The alabaster hair, held down by a white silver circlet, covered a lightly tanned face with long pointed ears. This all contrasted shockingly with the dark red and black of the armor he was wearing.

He watched the boy look around for a few moments, a few moments that Mablin needed to get himself under control. He then watched as the boy took off a cloak that was probably worth more than everything in this tent. The boy frowned for a moment, looked around then sighed. He took a step towards the side table and casually tossed his cloak onto it. Finally, he turned and Mablin found himself gazing directly into the sky-blue eyes of an Alphar Prince.

➿➿➿➿➿

Thane put on his diplomatic smile and entered the tent. The first thing he noticed was the lack of tapestry or proper art. Surely since this was not a war camp, there would be some art. Truthfully every war camp he'd ever been in had more art than this.

He then noticed that the lamps were oil lamps, not magic like he would have expected. Perhaps this moderate caravan was poorer than he imagined. "Thank you for coming!" Thane heard, as his attention turned to the caravan master standing in front of a long table. It truly was all he could do to keep the practiced diplomatic smile on his face as he looked at the people in the room. He did not see any slaves, and the other five, three adults and three boys, who were standing there wore clothes that were just one step up from peasant garb.

Syth pushed past Thane with a grin on his face. He usually wouldn't have noticed the momentary flicker in Mablin's eyes, but he was much more attuned after hearing the tale of what the Drow had done. That was not him though. "Thank you for inviting us," Syth said with a smile. "It is an honor to dine with you this evening."

"The honor is ours," Mablin said with a grin. "I am Mablin, Expert Echelon Mage, and Caravan Master. Now, please, let me introduce you to those with me." By now Lucas was standing on the other side of Thane. "Standing next to me is my guard commander Warrior Adept Teacher Gradon. Next to him is his wife, Animal Adept Teacher Madelyn. Finally, their son Aegir, my eldest son Frederic, and of course you are already acquainted with my ward, Sorcerer Killian." He purposefully did not mention Killian's Echelon, since that was still somewhat in question.

All three young royals nodded in respect, to each one as they were introduced, then Syth stepped forward and spoke for his group. "Thank you Sir Mablin for having us here this evening. I am pleased to see that you appear to have fully recovered from the unfortunate incident earlier today. Since then I have learned that many of you may not recognize our signets, so if it pleases you, I will introduce us formally."

"Thank you very much," Mablin said with a bow of his own. "That would be of great help to us all so we do not give any unintended insult."

"As I said before, I am Sythranel Shunral, but please just call me Syth. I am the Earl of Caraid. I am a Skilled Step 2 Enchanted Archer." Syth hesitated as it looked like all three adults were about to speak, but none did, so he continued.

"Next is my good friend Lucas Oldsurn, Count of Sandgarden and a Skilled step 1 Sorcerer." Lucas bowed with a gentle smile on his face.

"Finally we have Thane Wellaras, Prince of Gryphon Spire. He is a Skilled step 4 Animal Adept." Thane dropped down into a perfect Alphar royal bow. His right leg was stretched out behind him while his torso was bent forward so far his head almost touched the ground. His right arm was tucked to his stomach while his left was raised high behind him.

Mablin was not sure what to do as Thane held the exquisite bow. Finally, after almost a full minute Syth quietly motioned to Mablin who nodded and took a deep breath. "Thank you very much for the introductions. Please let us sit and enjoy a meal together."

Thane rose from the bow with a slightly bemused look on his face. As he moved to the table he commented about only having to hold the bow for a minute. "Prince Thane. It would be our honor if you would sit at the head of the table." Mablin said as he motioned to the seat of honor.

"Why thank you," Thane said with a flourish and moved to the chair.

When they sat, it was Mablin at the foot with Fredric on his right, and Gradon on his left. Next to Fredric was Killian, Madelyn was next to Gradon, and finally their son Aegir. Next to the ten-year-old Aegir was Syth, Thane who sat at the head of the table, and Lucas next to him

As soon as they sat, a slave boy and a middle-aged human woman came in and poured drinks around. She then stopped next to Mablin and spoke softly to him before scurrying off.

Mablin lifted his mug into the air, "May this be the start of a profitable friendship." He saluted the table with his mug, then took a sip, as did everyone else.

"Wow," Lucas said with a grin. "This is really good."

"I agree," Fredric said as he took another sip and then spoke again. "It is brewed in a small village just inside the foothills of the Silver Spine Mountains. Few know the secret of how it is made, but Father always keeps a couple of casks on hand for important events."

Before any other comments could be made, Syth held up his hand and waited for Mablin's permission before he spoke. "Thank you again, but I do have a request. We have learned from the Pantherling that we rescued before we ran across your caravan that many people will be… put off… by our titles. We prefer to err on the side of caution. I understand that, but I ask that at least during this dinner we dispense with courtly protocol.'' He said that while pointedly looking at Thane. "Please speak to us as you would to any normal young people our age."

Mablin nodded as Syth sat back indicating he was done with what he wanted to say. "The problem is that you are not normal children… Well, not normal as we understand normal.'' Mablin said softly. "However, I do believe we understand what it is you are asking, so we will dispense with protocols as best we can."

Before more could be said, the first course was brought in and set out in front of everyone. Everyone waited till Mablin took his first spoonful of the soup, then they started. "Gradon," Mablin said after a few moments. "It is obvious that these lads are not from this area. Would you be kind enough to explain our guild ranking?"

"Of course," Gradon said while sitting up a bit straighter. He pointed to his guild pin that was currently being used to hold his cape in place. “First, you will notice that the central insignia is made of Electrum. That shows I have reached the Teaching Echelon. Since the insignia is of a sword and shield, it shows I am a Warrior Adept. The single chevon shows I am Step 1. The symbol behind it shows I am a Healthman.”

Syth smiled and nodded. "I see." He then pointed to his guild plate which was on his bracer. "The Silver indicates that I am Skilled, with the two rays from the center showing my step. The insignia is arrows in front of a starburst which shows I am an Enchanted Archer. Next, you see the symbols that proclaim me a Lockmaster and Wolverine Sect Warrior."

"May I ask a question?" Lucas inquired as soon as Syth finished. Mablin and Gradon were both ready to ask their own questions but paused, and Mablin nodded for Lucas to continue. He looked across the table directly at the boy sitting next to Syth. "Aegir?" He asked, making sure he remembered the name correctly. The boy nodded, suddenly a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention.

"I mean absolutely no disrespect when I ask this, but I noticed that Sir Mablin did not introduce you with your field. Is this because you are still in Preparation, or whatever you call the introductory level here?"

"No," Aegir said with his eyes downcast. "I… no be trainable."

"We have had Aegir tested, and even though he comes from two teachers, he is mundane," Gradon said with a frown. It has always been hard for Aegir to accept that he wasn't trainable, and Gradon didn't really want it to be the focus of conversation.

"Not trainable?" Lucas asked, completely surprised. "I am sorry, but I think you are mistaken." He turned and looked at Killian who sat next to him. "I know you are still reeling from the shock of the Dragon Gifting, but would you assist me?"

"Uhhh… I guess. What are we gonna do?" Killian's speech dropped as he was suddenly very unsure about what to expect.

"We are going to validate what I am seeing, and test young Aegir."

"TEST?!" Gradon spoke a bit too loud, causing Lucas to sit back.

"Only with your permission sir," Lucas said softly.

"We have had him tested," Gradon said firmly.

"Father, please," Aegir asked with a hopeful plea on his face. Gradon looked to his wife who nodded her ascent but only after locking eyes with Lucas.

Gradon let his breath escape in a great wave as he sat back. "Please do as you wish, as long as no harm will come to my boy."

Lucas smiled as he leaned forward. "I promise you, no harm will come to Aegir." He then looked at a rather pensive Killian. "May I assume that no one taught you how to test someone?"

"No...I thought only teachers could do that." Killian replied slowly.

"Well I can see you are actually more powerful than I am, so I believe you must be a Teacher now," Lucas said, which caused Killian's eyes to go wide in surprise that he knew. At the end of the table, Madelyn and Gradon both gasped. However, Mablin did not show any expression. He already knew that Killian had progressed greatly, but had not put a name to it yet.

"You know how to look and see the flows of magic in the air, right?" Killian simply nodded to Lucas's question. "Good, now concentrate on Aegir, and look at the way the magic flows in and out of him, look at the colors, and then taste it."

"Taste?" Killian asked while focused on Aegir.

"Yes, take just a small part of the magic that is coming out of him, a very very small part. Now bring it to you, and taste it."

Everyone was quiet as they had their eyes focused on Killian who seemed to be straining. Finally, though he relaxed and smiled. "It… well I cannot explain what it tasted like, but… I have never felt anything like that."

Lucas grinned. "It takes a long time to understand the taste. Honestly, I am still learning, and I just recently learned how to taste magic to know what kind it is. But for now, I want you to focus on the magic that is flowing into young Aegir. Can you do that?"

Killian concentrated again and after a few moments, nodded his head. "Great, now can you tell that there is less magic flowing out of him, than is flowing in?"

After a few moments, Killian hesitantly nodded. "Yes, I… I think so."

"Very good, now. Please focus on his mother or father, and look for the same thing."

This time Killian nodded much quicker. "Yes, it is much clearer on Teacher Madelyn. I mean it kinda looks like Aegir has more going in, but it's not sharp or… well... I'm not sure."

"The sharpness is because she is trained, she knows how to focus the energy coming in and does it without even thinking about it, while Aegir is wild since he has not learned to control it, but as you said, there is more going into Aegir than there is going into his mother. As for his field, well since you have not tasted any of the other fields, you would not know, but young Aegir here is a Spirit Warrior. At least he will be once he begins his training."

Both Madelyn and Gradon started to speak, but Mablin held up his hand asking them to stop, then he spoke. "You have just made a young boy's dreams come true, once he fully understands what has just happened. However, this raises a question that I must ask now, and hopefully, it will help to explain a few things." He paused to get their reaction. Thane simply nodded for him to continue, so he asked the most pressing question he had. "Where are all of you from?"

The three boys looked back and forth between themselves for a moment before Thane held up his hand. "Please understand that we do not wish to be rude, but we need to speak in private for a moment." They all reached up and turned off their translation crystals. Thane was thankful that they did not use much force or else they might run out by turning them on and off.

They spoke amongst themselves for a few moments using the Sand Dragon dialect of the Dragon tongue. Once they were in agreement, they all reactivated their stones. Syth smiled wryly. "I was elected spokesman, mainly because Thane excels at places like the Alphar High Court or even the Royal Dragon Court, he does not do so well in more… relaxed company." Syth laughed nervously before he took a deep breath. "Sir Mablin, I believe we have come to learn the proper question is not where we are from. It’s more a matter of when."

Silence reigned for almost a minute straight before Mablin let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and then spoke. "So... when is it that you believe you come from?"

Syth sighed again as he looked at his companions before turning back and facing Mablin. "As far as we can determine, after speaking to both Killian and Lew, is that we come from a time approximately 10 to 11 thousand years ago."

"That… That is not possible!" Madelyn said softly to herself in absolute shock. However, both Mablin and Gradon held their comments and were simply watching the three boys. Their minds were in turmoil, but at least the men were calm on the outside.

"I think it may be best to take some time to digest what has already been said," Mablin commented after a few moments of silence. As if she had been waiting for some type of signal, suddenly the cook and her slave appeared and began passing out food to everyone.

➿➿➿➿➿

Aegir was nearly overwhelmed by what had just happened. His parents had told him he had to come to this dinner and be on his best behavior, which wasn't hard. He rarely acted out, since he knew his parents would tan his hide if they thought it needed.

He was scared, terrified actually. His parents didn't know it, but he had seen the dragon, and the fight with it from where he was hidden. He saw what these kids did. He wanted to be like them. Sort of.

While his parents tried not to show it, he knew they were disappointed when he had been tested. He had heard them talk about it when they thought he was asleep. How they so wanted Aegir to be trainable, and to be able to teach him. More than anything he wanted to be able to be trained and be like his parents. Now these strange kids were telling him he could be... But what the heck is a Spirit Warrior?

He couldn't help but sneak glances at the boy next to him. He'd heard all the stories about the Drow and what they did to kids, but Syth seemed nice. That was strange. He was dressed weirdly... But then again all three of the royal boys dressed weirdly, especially the elf. But Syth himself, that fascinated him. He had these huge tattoos all over the areas of his skin that Aegir could see.

While he ate, he listened to everyone else as they chatted. His mother was talking to the elf about his animals, the big things he called Bear Scorpions. His father and Mablin were talking with the Drow, Syth, about wagons and stuff. But between glances at Syth and his tattoos, Aegir was focused on this meat. He had never even seen a dragon before, and now he was eating one. He had never tasted anything so good. He heard everyone compliment Mablin on how good the steaks were, and especially Livena when she came in. He couldn’t help himself and once again glanced at the Drow.

"So, what is it that you find so interesting?" Syth asked pleasantly. Aegir lost hold of his fork, letting it clatter to the plate below. He froze and went a bit pale. Syth's voice had been soft, so as not to draw attention, but now all eyes were on the two. "It is okay Aegir," Syth said with a gentle chuckle. "I am not going to hurt you, I was just curious as to why you kept glancing my way."

"Ahhhh.. Well…" Aegir stammered as his eyes darted around the room. His father's face was stern like it always was, but when he met the man's eyes, Gradon nodded slightly. "Well… I was just kinda lookin' at ya tattoos."

Syth's eyes went wide, for a moment, as he glanced down at his arm and shoulder. "Why thank you. They are well done are they not."

"Oh yes. They’s the best tattoos I’s ever seen!" Aegir said with his head bobbing up and down.

"The lady that did them was very good. I am sure she would be overjoyed to know you thought her work was well done." Syth said with a beaming smile.

"Well…" Mablin said with a booming voice. "... Now that dinner is over, perhaps we can get Livena to fill our mugs again, and then would you mind if we asked some questions?"

Thane grinned as he sat forward a bit. "Not at all my good merchant. I would hope that you would also entertain some questions that we have."

"Why of course." Mablin grinned in response.

"Excellent! What might your first question be?" Thane asked while sitting back in his seat and sipping his drink appreciatively.

"You have mentioned two fields that I have never heard of." Mablin began, which caused all three boys to sit up in shock. "You said that Aegir is a Spirit Warrior, and you Syth, you said you are an Enchanted Archer. What are these fields?"

"If I may, allow me to ask a question first then," Syth said softly. "How many fields are there?"

Mablin, Gradon, Madelyn, Killian, and even Fredric answered in unison. "Eight."

"Eight?" Syth gasped while Lucas cursed under his breath, and Thane stayed surprisingly silent. "No, there are twelve. Animal Adept, Druid, Enchanted Archer, Legionnaire, Mage, Mystic, Shaman, Sorcerer, Spirit Warrior, Swordsman, Warrior Adept, and finally the Wild Cat."

Mablin exchanged glances with Gradon and Madelyn before focusing back on Syth. “Of those you mentioned, we are not aware of the Enchanted Archer, Spirit Warrior, Legionnaire, and the Wild Cat. Could you explain them to us?"

"Well, the Legionnaire is a master of martial weapons, much like a Swordsman, however, they are easily the toughest of the fields, and the higher their Echelon, the tougher they are. They can also turn their weapon choice magical for short periods of time." Syth began.

"Wild Cats are rare, and sometimes mistaken for Lycanthropes. They start with a single Patron Animal which they are able to take on the aspects of. The Patron Animal is a spirit that helps to guide the Wild Cat. As they grow more powerful, they gain not only more access to their patron’s abilities but also other Patrons. I have only ever seen one that made it to Supreme Echelon. She was a truly scary being that could become any one of her Patron Animals."

He nodded at the wide eyes and then continued. "I know you will have more questions on the Spirit Warrior since that is what young Aegir is, so I will explain my field, the Enchanted Archer next. We are able to cast spells, like our chosen magic field, although we cast our spells onto our projectiles, in my case, arrows. We also are masters of our weapons, constantly striving to get better."

Syth could see there were questions, but since no one spoke up, he continued. "Finally we have the Spirit Warrior. They are able to slide in and out of the Spirit Realm, fighting in both at the same time. They are the primary warriors against things like Spirits and the undead."

"Wow…" Aegir said in awe, which made Syth smile while he nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Spirit Warriors often team up with Shamans, and the combination can be terrifying for the undead. Garnet, our Sand Dragonling friend, is a Spirit Warrior who just entered the Skilled Echelon. With your permission, and that of your parents, he may be able to start you on your way."

"We will discuss it," Gradon said quickly when Aegir spun in his chair to look at his father with pleading eyes. Gradon then looked back to Syth. "You have mentioned the Skilled Echelon before, and said that you are Proficient. What are your guild ranks?" Gradon started to gently pack a pipe he pulled from his pouch.

Syth pointed back to his guild plate. "Our introductory Echelon is Preparation, with Tin for the center. Then we have Training, Bronze; Proficient, Copper; Skilled, Silver; Instruction, Electrum; Accomplished, Gold; Renowned, Platinum; and finally Supreme with a Fire Opal for the middle. With ten steps between each Echelon.

"Oh," Gradon said with a shake of his head. "You have one extra Echelon it sounds like. We do not use a tin middle, so our first rank is actually your second. Interesting." He leaned back in his seat and quickly lit his pipe before he continued. "Our first rank is Training, then Primary, Secondary, Teaching, Expert, Master and finally Legendary. I am sure you caught it, but Mablin is called Sir because he has attained the Expert Echelon, whereas Madelyn and myself are called Teacher since we are both in the Teaching Echelon."

"If I may ask… I believe his name is Garnet, the Skilled Echelon Spirit Warrior?" All three boys nodded that he got the name and field right. "If he were to take young Aegir under his wing, so to say, what would the training look like?"

Syth barked a laugh while the other two grinned and snickered. "Sorry," Syth said quickly while still smirking. "Our laughter is not directed at you Aegir, nor you Sir Mablin. Our laughter is the thought of Garnet mentoring someone." He turned in his seat so he was looking directly at Aegir since Syth thought this was more for him than anyone else.

"Do not get me wrong, if I had a child that was a Spirit Warrior I would be honored to have Garnet Stormrider mentor and guide them. I know Garnet would do his utmost to make sure they were trained properly. However Garnet is exacting in his expectations. He is unwavering in his sense of duty, honor, and right and wrong. If he were to mentor you, he would not just educate you about being a Spirit Warrior. He would do everything he could think of in order to prepare you." He paused to make sure Aegir was listening and understanding. When the boy nodded, he continued.

"Preparation is just that, preparing you to learn about your field. You will learn the basics of many different weapons, you will learn history, how to read and write, languages, mathematics, and all the things that you need, to set the foundation for what you will become. You will be exposed to several different subfields so you can pick the ones that you like, and then learn more about them. But, you will always know the basics of many different subfields.

For me, the Preparation time was both the most fun and the most exhausting time of my training. With Garnet as your Mentor, I will guarantee that you will most likely experience the same."

"If I may…" Madelyn spoke up for the first time in this conversation. When Syth nodded, she put her arm around Aegir while asking her question. "I noticed you never used the term Teacher, Instructor, or anything other than Mentor. I feel that was done very much on purpose…" Syth nodded that it was. "Why is that?"

"Because that is what he would be, a Mentor. An Instructor is someone who has reached the Instruction Echelon and is paid by the crown to teach groups. I think we went through what a Teacher means to us, so a Mentor is what he would be. A Mentor is someone who guides the studies of a student, especially if they travel. Most often a Mentor is not paid, because they do it to pass on what they know, since that is the best payment someone can get. Those who are paid are usually only paid enough to cover any expenses they may incur. And finally, a Mentor usually only has one youngling at a time, that way they can focus all their attention on the one under tutelage. However, I have seen mentors that do more than one, but that is not the norm."

"Thank you." She said in a thoughtful tone. "You have made many points that I believe my husband and I need to discuss, as well as giving us a glimpse into who you and your friends are. Thank you again."

"You are most welcome," Syth said with a deep nod of his head.

"Of course, one of the questions that would need to be answered is how long will we be together," Mablin stated. "I figure it will take another few days to cut down the dragon. The best place to take it would be Silverton which is about five days to the north of us. However, my caravan is carrying supplies for many of the towns between here and Welleger. I had the thought of combining the wagons as much as possible, and sending Fredric to continue the run, while I take the dragon parts to Silverton to sell."

Mablin sighed deeply as he took in the looks on the three youths' faces. He sighed again as he made his decision. "The problem with that idea is that we lost too many guards to split the caravan up. However, if you were to agree to travel to Silverton with us, I could send the rest of the guards with my son, while those of us here, except Fredric of course, would go to Silverton. With you and your group with us, I feel we would have more than enough protection from anything that may wish to steal what we have."

"A most intriguing proposal," Thane said with his diplomatic smile once again fully in place. "One that we must consider amongst ourselves privately. I should rather imagine that our entire company would enjoy further discussions on these matters, with all of you. Perhaps over dinner with us tomorrow evening? This would allow all of us to meditate on what has been learned thus far, and then share the outcome of our deliberations, in a companionable environment."

Mablin stood, which brought everyone else to their feet. "That would be grand I am sure. I really look forward to meeting the rest of your group." Thane moved around the table with Lucas and Syth following. He shook hands with everyone, saying a brief word to each before moving on.

When Syth reached Mablin they shook hands with a smile, but then Syth's smile faded and he spoke softly. "Sir Mablin. I have come to learn the reason behind the dislike of my race. However, I refuse to be blamed for something that is ancient history. I would ask that you make sure the rest of your people understand I will not tolerate being treated poorly for something I had nothing to do with."

Mablin hardened himself but then nodded. "I will make sure my people understand your position."

"Thank you," Syth said with a deep bow of his head before he followed his companions out of the tent.

➿➿➿➿➿

The six that remained stood quietly, staring at the empty entrance to the tent, each momentarily lost in their unasked questions.

Frederick; ‘My own caravan?’

Aegir; ‘Duz Spirit Warriors gets tattoos?’

Gradon; ‘My son needs training!’

Killian; ‘Just how far have I advanced?’

Madelyn’s thoughts quietly escaped her lips, “Can they really be children?”

Mablin’s own musings were interrupted by her question. Something clicked, and suddenly he had a thought with which he spoke, breaking the silence around him. “Behold the effect the Dragon Wars had on childhood!”