Ivan paused, breathing in sharply and holding Anders’ gaze, “He was more than just a man; he was a good husband, father and leader.”
“But he wasn’t a king or ruler of one of the five nations,” Anders protested. “Is it possible that the prophecy isn’t accurate?”
“I can count on my hand the number of times a prophecy foretold by a sorcerer or sorceress of the North wasn’t accurate. In the entire history of the world, there have only been two prophecies that didn’t come to fruition and that could very well be because they haven’t happened yet. No, the prophecy isn’t wrong,” he said.
“Even if it were right that I was the son in the prophecy, it says a son and daughter. Who is the girl? Maija’s in training, but we’re going to face Merglan soon. Natalia was the last female rider and without her dragon, the prophecy can’t be true. Besides, they aren’t descendants of ancient lines either. So, when we ride out to defeat Merglan in battle, how can we do so with any hope of succeeding? If the prophecy is true, we can’t win,” Anders said folding his arms across his chest and sitting back in his chair.
“Not true,” Ivan said. “We can stop Merglan and take away his grip on the world and still have the prophecy be intact.”
“How’s that?” Maija piped in.
“The prophecy foretells of his fate being sealed, not about his downfall from ruling Kartania. In any case, we don’t have much choice. We’re the only people who have any hope of stopping him. If we don’t try, then we’ll be giving up on the world.”
Ivan rose quickly from his place at the table, the chair’s legs squeaking against the stone floor as he pushed it back. “Good night,” he growled, turning and marching the length of the hall.
Anders noticed that the dragons had already gone to bed. It was then that he realized Ivan had been reading from Merglan’s journal for hours.
“Sleep tight love birds,” Natalia said as she followed Ivan out of the long room.
After she’d left, Maija said to Anders, “Do you find anything familiar about the description of William from Merglan’s journal?”
Anders yawned, stretching his arms high above his head, “No, why?”
“What do you know about the prince?” she asked.
Anders shook his head and said, “Not much. Ivan told me once the prince went on the run to avoid the deadly clutches of Merglan and his dragon, but after that, nobody’s seen or heard of him since. I bet he died or changed his name and is now living in hiding somewhere far away. Maybe with the riders in the North?”
“Went into hiding,” she repeated, trailing off while pondering the words.
“What did you mean by his description sounding familiar?” he asked.
She ignored him, “I wish I could still hear like I used to.”
“Your hearing changed?” he asked.
“When we were in the fortress, Kirsten and I discovered I could hear things she and others couldn’t. It’s how we found out about Merglan’s plans and were able to sneak into his chambers undetected. But suddenly, it’s changed. As hard as I try, I can’t hear anything more than anyone else. I didn’t even know Nadir was coming until he entered the hall the other night.”
“Strange,” Anders said.
“Yeah,” Maija said staring past Anders. She rose from the table, extended her hand and smiled, “I’m off to bed, are you going to join me?”
“My muscles ache and I need rest,” he replied.
“I think I know a remedy for that,” she said moving behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders, rubbing them firmly.
For a moment he melted, her fingers working the tense muscles in his neck. Opening his eyes, he rose and said, “After you.”
Over the next month and a half, Ivan and Natalia worked hard training Anders and Zahara in the ways of swordsmanship, battle strategy and magic. Maija continued her tutelage under Natalia, and though she met with several dragons residing in the Everlight Kingdom, she did not form a reliable connection with any of them. Despite this, Maija worked hard to master the basics of becoming a rider. Often, she joined Anders and Zahara in the library during their studies and was tasked with developing her mental barriers and fighting skills.
Anders was surprised to learn that he had a knack for the training and picked up their lessons quickly. Yet another thing he shared with Merglan. Anders felt his muscles grow stronger. He could wield Lazuran faster and with more ease than ever. Learning to block mental attacks from Ivan was more challenging. Though Ivan’s powers weren’t as strong as they once were, Anders had to work hard and finally was able to stop him from entering his thoughts. He and Zahara read countless books on spells and how to channel their magical energy into uses for battle. Zahara had even managed to breathe thin wisps of fire, though most often she could only muster smoke. With the intense training, Anders no longer felt scared to death at the thought of facing Merglan, hopeful he’d at least be able to escape.
Reports of their enemy’s progress trickled into the Everlight Kingdom several times during their time at the training facilities. Merglan had been taking advantage of their absence from the battlefield and took control of most of Southland, converting humans to fight in his name. Placing himself in the capital as his headquarters, Merglan continued to refer to himself as Emperor. The elf scouts reported some groups of people resisting his grasp, but they were no match for Merglan and his dragon. The two of them often hid, only attacking small groups where they’d be able to escape quickly.
Nadir was spotlighted as a traitor and brought to trial as an informant. Ivan fought to try to prove Nadir’s innocence to the King and those on the High Council. Unable to find concrete evidence that would absolve the elf prince, Ivan had to witness Nadir’s arrest by the king’s guard. He was placed in a cell in the elven prison.
Ivan and Anders continued to reread Merglan’s journal every night, gaining more personal information and knowledge of his twisted mind than anything else. Anders hoped there would be some vital information about a weakness they could use to trick him when it came time to face him in battle, but to his disappointment, they’d not found anything. The closest thing Anders could find that could be seen as a weakness in his power was the last sentence of the prophecy, Beware the sapphire soul.
Anders didn’t have much time to devote to his and Maija’s relationship, but they made the most of the time they had alone together. She seemed almost more interested in magic and fighting than he was. She’d begun to join in on their sword fighting practices and was learning how to block her mind from a mental probe. Ivan mentioned how people who don’t possess magical abilities can still learn to seal off their minds, but this was thought to be much more difficult for them and they couldn’t hold anyone out for very long.
Before Nadir was arrested, he had confided in Anders about the political strength his people had once enjoyed as a free nation in Kartania. Nadir became distraught that his father and stepmother believed him to be the mole. In addition to the stress of the allegations, Nadir seemed genuinely saddened that their people’s strength was slipping away in the wake of his family’s scandal. The relationship with the dwarfs had gotten so bad that the dwarfs had halted all trade with the elves.
One day during their evening meal, Asmond came to the training facilities’ dining hall. Anders watched as he strolled into the expansive room with several of his guards, velvet and silk cloak billowing around him, his boots clacking against the stones as he strode across the hall. Anders thought he looked ill, pale in complexion and missing his usual, noble glow.
“The King requests your audience,” one of the guards said, planting himself squarely between the King and Ivan.
Pushing the guard aside, Asmond said, “Get out of my way, you idiot.”
Natalia, Maija, Anders and Ivan immediately stood and bowed, offering the King their respect. Ivan asked, “What can we do for you, Your Majesty?”
The Elf King moved his upper lip, so the tip of his nose angled sideways for a moment, then he said, “I have to ask you a favor.” His eyes wandered over to the dragons staring in his direction. Shifting his weight, he turned quickly to face Ivan, “The dwarfs have refused to trade with us. They say our lack of commitment to keeping the faith in our relationship is appalling and they will not conduct an ounce of trade between us anymore. My people need an ambassador to go to Mount Orena and convince them that we remain as faithful in our business dealings as ever. Given that our regular ambassador is incarcerated for heinous treason and the other members of our party are just as likely to commit treason, I need you and Anders to go in my stead. I would go myself, but I’m afraid if word got to Merglan that I had left the protection on the forest, he would hunt me down and kill me.”
Ivan nodded toward his companions standing at the dining table and said, “I’ll need to continue Anders and Zahara’s training while we travel.”
The King nodded.
“Natalia and Maija are to accompany us,” he said calmly.
