Okay guys... I have no words for how long I have let you wait. I'm very sorry, but here it is. Please enjoy.
In less than an hour, Conor was escorted past a dozen armed guards and through multiple sets of double doors to a high room with the curtains drawn.
'Was that all so much because of the war?' Conor asked.
Olvan nodded. 'That wasn't my real office, just for during the war.'
The Four looked around. 'Oh yeah. This isn't the same,' Abeke said.
Olvan nodded, though he suddenly frowned. 'Maybe I should post guards by the door again so there will be no more broken coffee mugs, slippery floors or torn tapestries.' He glared at Rollan, and Abeke a little too.
Abeke raised her hand in protest. 'The tapestry was an accident. We hadn't meant to do that.'
Olvan didn't seem convinced.
He found Olvan, Lenori, Tarik, Rollan ,and Meilin waiting, along with all of their spirit animals.
'No, some of our spirit animals had gone missing,' Rollan said sarcastically.
Tarik's otter darted around the room in bursts of motion, clambering across furniture and bookcases. Tarik's pairing with Lumeo seemed odd, since the tall Greencloak was so serious.
Lishay now couldn't hold her laughter anymore. Everyone turned to look at her. Tarik was already chucklign in understanding.
'Sorry,' Lishay choked out. 'This is exactly the same thing that I used to say about Tarik when we were younger.'
Meilin and Abeke both smirked but before they could ask anything Lishay said. 'I won't tell you anything.'
Meilin sighed. 'You're bores.'
Wisely, neither Lishay or Tarik reacted to that.
Olvan's moose stood near the fireplace, its massive form out of place indoors. The dignified room had a feel similar to the Earl of Trunswick's study, but it was even bigger.
Everyone noticed Olvan's smirk. Some people rolled their eyes.
Olvan stood up, rubbed his big hands together, and swept the room with his keen, knowing gaze. In spite of the white in his hair and beard,
'I am not white,' Olvan repeated, nearly glaring at Conor.
'I'm sorry,' the boy said.
Rollan rolled his eyes. 'You do know that since both Conor and I noticed it, you've got to be a little grey.'
'I am not,' Olvan stubbornly repeated.
'You're a little grey,' Lenori stated. Olvan's reaction was priceless. He whipped his head to her side, staring at her in disbelieve with his mouth half open.
A feint smile formed around Lenori's lips. 'It's not a bad thing.' Olvan still remained speechless.
'Shall I go on?' Abeke suggested. 'Yes,' Lenori nodded.
he had thick, powerful limbs and a broad chest. Age had not yet robbed him of strength or vigor.
'And I'm not old,' Olvan stated, as he seemed to have gotten his voice back.
Rollan groaned. 'Why are you constantly arguing about that?'
'Why are you constantly arguing about wether or not you like Meilin?' Olvan dryly stated.
That caused a bit of an uproar. Rollan blushed, Meilin blushed, everyone else couldn't help but laugh and Conor called out. 'Come on Rollan, if Olvan says so you must agree.'
Rollan grunted, cheeks still flushed red. He mumbled something unintelligible.
'And, if you're calling me old, you're also calling Lenori old. That's not very complimentary.'
Abeke chuckled. 'In all honesty, it's the outside appearance which does it all, and Lenori looks younger than you so...' She shrugged as she trailed off. 'I'll read again. Let's see if we can come further than ten words.'
Conor could easily imagine him astride his moose, leading an army into battle. The commander of the Greencloaks noisily cleared his throat. 'I know we have kept you in suspense regarding the roles we hope you will play. You can blame me for the delay - I prefer to know the whole story before I share it. Joining the Greencloaks is merely the first step toward the vital purpose we hope you'll serve. Given recent development' - he nodded toward Conor - 'the time to act is upon us.' Olvan strolled over to the mantel. When he turned to face the others, his expression was grave. 'Centuries and centuries ago, in the last worldwide war, the four nations of Erdas battled the Devourer and his army of Conquerors.
'I always wondered why it was the four nations,' Rollan whispered at Meilin. 'When they're obviously six at least.'
Meilin stared at him for a moment. 'I have no idea,' she truthfully told him.
Two Great Beasts aided the Devourer - Kovo the Ape and Gerathon the Serpent.
A slight shudder went through the room.
Four of the Great Beasts sided with us. Three of them are here today.' Olvan paused to let that sink in. Feeling unworthy, Conor considered Briggan. The wolf sat listening attentively.
'Dramatic silence,' Rollan whispered. Meilin punched his side gently. He scowled at her but she didn't even acknowledge him in the slightest, staring on straight ahead instead.
'Before the original Essix, Briggan, Jhi and Uraza joined the fight, we were losing the war. None of the continents went unscathed. Most of Nilo and Zhong had fallen. The Zhongese and Niloans who escaped fled to Eura and Amaya, onoy to find those nations besieged as well.
'They took the exact same route as centuries ago,' Meilin muttered angrily. Her face was set rather upset.
Rollan reached over to her, nudging her arm gently and saying. 'And they took the exact same route back in the end.' He winked at her, smiling easily.
Meilin let out a chuckle. 'Yeah. True Falconhead.'
Rollan scowled. 'Why Falconhead.'
'It's just a nickname,' Meilin said, smirking. 'Go on Abeke.'
Cities were razed. Food was in short supply. It was only a matter of time before the Devourer declared victory. The Greencloaks were a fledgling organization then, but when four of the Great Beasts showed their support, the Marked flocked to join us. The Greencloaks did what nobody else had done - they mounted a major offnesive, taking fight to the Devourer. The four Great Beasts gave their lives in the fight,
All four of the children reached out to touch their spirit animal for a moment, for reassurance. It was a sweet gesture with a bit of a bitter touch underneath it.
which is why they are known as the Four Fallen. But the Devourer fell as well, and Kovo and Gerathon were captured. The cost was great, but the four nations emerged victorious and began to rebuild.'
'I do think you impersonate Olvan's intonation pretty well 'Bek,' Rollan commented.
Almost everyone frowned at Rollan in confusion while Abeke got a bit of a murder look on her face. 'Don't call me 'Bek,' she half growled at him.
It didn't have the effect she wished, for Rollan simply smirked. 'Sure, but it's just nickname thing. And by the way, we can also say Leopard Girl if you want to.'
Kalani grinned at the memory, adding. 'Grandfather did actually call the orangutang Leopard so that does fit.'
Abeke sighed. 'How about no nicknames for me.'
'That doesn't work. We all do. And I think you need Leopard Girl,' Rollan decided. 'Fits with Conor's Sheepboy.'
Abeke rolled her eyes. 'I'm readin-'
'No, we're deciding on a nickname,' Rollan exclaimed.
'I am reading, I have the book so I get tot decide.'
'I'm reading next then,' Rollan said.
'Oh no,' Meilin muttered.
'What about the rest of the beasts?' Rollan asked. 'The other nine?' Olvan shrugged. 'Seeing the damage that two of their own had cause, a few of the Great Beasts offered their aid at the very end. Tellun the Elk, the most powerfull fo them all, imprisoned Kovo and Gerathon for their crimes, and Ninani the Swan gifted the Greencloaks with the secret to creating Nectar.
'It's still on my to-do list to figure out how,' Rollan muttered.
'You mean steal it?' Meilin asked.
'Just for a moment to figure out how it works. I'm curious!' Rollan exclaimed.
Olvan and Lenori glanced at each other and a silent agreement passed between them to keep it better hidden than usual. You never knew with Rollan after all.
The rest... well, the Great Beast are a strange group. They are seldom unanimous on any issue, and their purposes are almost inscrutable. They tend to remain aloof, only getting involved during times of the direst peril.' 'The Devourer didn't count as serious trouble?' Rollan scoffed.
'As sarcastic as ever,' Maya muttered. Meilin sent the gril a grim smile and an eye roll.
Olvan sighed. 'One can only speculate. Perhaps some of the Great Beasts felt it best to protect their own territory, or their talismans.' Conor looked at Lenori, a question in his eyes.
'That sounds a little over the top,' Rollan commented.
'Each of the Great Beasts protects a unique talisman,' Lenori inserted. 'A totem that houses great power.' 'Except for Kovo, Gerathon, and the Fallen Beasts,' Meilin said. 'Their talismans vanished after the war. Some suspect that tellun asked Halawir the Eagle to hide them.' 'Very good,' Olvan said.
'Little Miss Perfect,' Rollan muttered. Meilin sent him a sweet smile.
'You've studied your history. The events surrounding the Great Beasts are often dismissed as legend. I am glad that some in Zhong have considered these deeds worth remembering outside of children's tales.' Meilin reddened slightly. 'I heard about that from my nanny, not my instructors.'
'So even in Zhong they don't consider it deeds worth remembering outside of children's tales,' Rollan stated.
'Didn't,' Meilin corrected. 'They didn't consider it. I think after everything that has happened they do consider it now.'
Rollan rolled his eyes. 'Who cares?'
'Your tutors,' Meilin told him. Rollan had nothing to say back to that. 'One point for me,' Meilin told Conor.
Olvan frowned. 'The Great Beasts have been out of sight for a long time. We honour the Fallen on our flags, we paint pictures, we build statues, we tell stories, but for most people, the Great Beasts belong to a time long past. Some doubt wether they ever even existed.' 'I was one of those,' Rollan said.
'I bet you were. Your tutors didn't teach you anything about that then' Meilin said. Rollan only rolled his eyes.
'Until Essix came along.' Olvan nodded. 'You're not to be blamed. It's a prevalent opinion, shared in varying measures by the Prime Minister of Amaya, the Queen of Eura, the Emperor of Zhong, and the High Chieftain of Nilo.
'Yes but they're a bit of idiots anyway,' Rollan muttered.
And yet, during the most critical crossroads in history, the Great Beasts have always played a major role. We are now rushing toward a crisis where the Great Beasts may prove more important than ever.' 'You think the Devourer is back?' Meilin asked, her whole body quivering with agitation.
'A little less enthusiastic Meilin,' Kalani suggested dryly. Meilin put up an angelic expression.
'You think that is who attacked Zhong? Why weren't we warned?' 'We had only our suspicions,' Olvan said sadly. 'My voice has been raised in warning to the leaders of all the nations. But I cannot force them to heed me.'
'Never start a sentence with "but",' Rollan chastised.
Olvan raised his eyebrows in a mixture of surprise and a frown. 'How do you even know that?'
'Meilin was constantly correcting me if I did that,' Rollan replied. 'And after I while it stuck around.'
'A complete surprise that something stuck around in your head,' Meilin muttered.
'Shall I go on?' Abeke suggested, talking straight through Rollan's reply. 'Yes, do please,' Meilin tod her.
'And we still don't know the whole story,' Lenori explained. Olvan nodded. 'We get new information every day. Wether we're up against the same Devourer who leveled much of Erdas long ago,
'And secretly didn't die back then and was immortal,' Rollan commented. 'Which is very unlikely.'
or some inheritor of his legacy, we're still not sure. What is sure is this - the Devourer can raise vast, powerful armies in a short time. He can be patient and subtle, or ruthless and brash, depending on the need. He inspires manic devotion in his followers. And he would gladly destroy the civilized world to rule over its ashes.' 'What do we need to do?' Conor asked. Olvan glanced at Conor, Meilin, and Rollan in turn. 'Our spies have learned that the Devourer has once again made collecting the talismans a top priority. Each talisman has different powers that can be used by one of the Marked. Our enemy wishes to employ those powers against us. So we're going to recover the talismans before he can.'
'Completely calm,' Rollan commented again. 'Like, we're just going to fight castle-sized beasts but that's a day-to-day thing right?'
'It has become that,' Meilin stated. She met Rollan's eyes and he shrugged in response. "I suppose", it said.
'Wait,' Rollan said as the colour drained from his face. 'You want us to go after the talismans of the Great Beasts?' 'You won't go alone,' Olvan said. 'The Greencloaks have no finer warrior than Tarik. He will serve as your guide and protector. I lament that you're all so young, but your connections to the Fallen will be critical in finding and retrieving the talismans. These talismans could change the course of the war. All of Erdas needs you.'
'Just... no,' Xue proclaimed. 'Simply no. I made a huge mistake in not coming back earlier.'
As the full enormity of the task hit him, Conor felt light-headed. How was he supposed to go uo against a Great Beast?
'Well, I don't think you can alone, Conor,' Rollan said with a wink.
Conor sighed, rolling his eyes.
This was beyond dangerous. Olvan had basically handed them a death sentence.
'What drama,' Rollan muttered.
He reached out a hand to Briggan. The wolf nuzzled his palm. Without Briggan, they wouldn't know where to find Arax. Conor tried to steel himself. Olvan was right: If the Devourer wanted these talismans, the Greencloaks had to get to them first. Conor wasn't sure how they would, but they needed to try.
'Conor, you were a bit of a mess back then,' Rollan said.
Conor raised his hands in surrender. 'Do we want to know what went on in your head. "Meilin has a pretty voice that matches her appearance.",' he mimicked.
Rollan made a face towards Conor.
'We'll do our part,' Conor pledged, though his voice broke on the words.
'Aw,' Rollan awed.
'Speak for yourself,' Rollan said.
A burst of laughter at the way Abeke read the book in comparison to Rollan's reaction.
'I meant me and Briggan,' Conor explained, flushing.
'You used to blush so much,' Rollan commented. 'Oh, and it's Briggan and I not me and Briggan.'
'Let me guess. Meilin taught you,' Conor replied.
Rollan made another face at Conor in return.
'Oh right,' Rollan replied. He faced Olvan.
'Now we're going to get it,' Xue muttered. She was paying rapt attention, her expression changing rapidly.
'Well, I see why you need us. My question is what do we get out of it? Besides risking our lives to do something we're not ready for.'
'Fair point,' Xue murmured.
'As a Greencloaks, this is your duty,' Lenori said calmly. 'Your reward would be the same as ours - the satisfaction of defending what is right, defending Erdas.'
'This feels like a mother's sermon right now,' Rollan commented. 'Oh god.'
'I'm not a Greencloak,' Rolla said. 'I may never join.'
'Yes and I don't need another sermon on that,' Rollan exclaimed. Some others shared amused looks.
'We'll do it,' Meilin said, giving Rollan a disgusted glance.
Everyone laughed, at Meilin's appreciating look and Rollan's eye roll.
'Really nothing's changed I see,' Lishay commented.
'Jhi and I.
'See. Meilin does it correctly,' Rollan stated.
'Rollan. Can you stop with the grammar lesson for a while?' Tarik suggested.
Rollan stared at the older man in surpise for a moment then shrugged. 'Okay,' he timidly said.
This is what I hoped for - a chance to make a difference. I've seen what's coming. Zhong has the best armies in the world, and these new Conquerors are tearing us apart. We musn't let them get more power. They must be stopped. It would be my honour to join your ranks and defend Zhong as you describe.'
A few adults raised their eyebrows at Meilin's speech, wether in surprise or admiration was debatable.
Conor studied Meilin with admiration nd a little bit of fear.
Rollan couldn't help but release a bout of laughter at that.
He could scarcely imagine what hardships awaited, but at keast he and Briggan wouldnkt face them alone. Who did Rollan think he was?
'Hey!' Said boy exclaimed. Conor only shrugged in response.
What reward did he expect?
'A good one,' Rollan muttered. 'I came from the steets just saying.'
Rollan sighed. 'And if I don't want to become a Greencloak?' 'How selfish can you be?' Meilin seethed.
'Oh I wish I had seen this,' Lishay and Xue said said at the same time. Kalani nodded in agreement. Meilin looked a little insulted by it, making Lishay add. 'You are always going on and on about me and Tarik so let me say something about you for once.'
Meilin rolled her eyes. 'You and Tarik are meant to be. Rollan is my- and idiot.' Luckily for Meilin Lishay was too busy blushing at Meilin's first comment to answer her. Tarik's face was equally as red by the way. Kalani however wasn't brought speechless so she commented. 'Rollan is your idiot. So you agree he is yours in the way of...' She out up an angelic innocent expression.
Meilin opened her mouth to reply but no words really came out. She seethed, like in the story, but Abeke decided to cut the discussion short by starting to read again.
'Zhong is under attack. The rest of Erdas will be soon. What other big offers do you expect the world to give a coward during wartime?ยก
'Wow,' Kalani exclaimed. 'Harsh. But a bit true.'
Rollan glared at the older girl, obviously half true insulted, half faking it. Meilin just shrugged, but it was obvious she didn't truely think it anymore.
'I never had any offers until Essix showed up,' Rollan snapped. 'The Greencloaks only cared about me once I got my bird. There's a city full of orphans just like me who Olvan was all too happy to pass by until her found Essix. Maybe I wonder who put them in charge of the Great Beasts and the talismans. And maybe, unlike you, I don't love getting pushed into situations I don,t understand! I want to know exactly who I'm working for and why.'
The looks of regret, guilt, compassion and agreement ran through the room. Rollan's only reaction to them was a hand-raising shrug.
Olvan glanced at Tarik and Lenori. Slowly he stood and walked to where Rollan was seated, until he stood right before him, staring down. Conor wondered if he was trying to intimidate Rollan,
'Better not be it,' Xue muttered.
but when the large man spoke his voice was controlled. 'I can understand wanting to take your time with a decision this big. I believe that time soent among the Greencloaks will relieve your doubts as to our sicnerity. We don't believe we're in charge of the Great Beasts.
'No one cam be in charge of them in all honesty,' Rollan agreed.
We do our jobs because we know that, along with the Great Beast, we're the last line of defense.'
Xue expression was mostly agreeable.
'Do you really think everything went downhill to hopeless when you left?' Olvan proclaimed. 'We can do something.'
'Yes,' Xue agreed. 'I never said that. But there are just certain things that you're... lacking at.'
'What about the governments?' Rollan asked.
Multiple people snorted.
'The prime minister and all of them.' Olvan made a skeptical face.
The Four burst into laughter. 'Agreeable,' Abeke nodded.
'They do what they do. They administer. They make and enforce laws. They squabble about commerce and they occasionally fight with each other. It's just squabbling, human squabling.
'Making it see a little bit as if we're not human,' Meilin thought out loud.
'Maybe we aren't,' Rolla suggested. Meilin frowned deeply at that.
'I think we're pretty human,' Lishay said.
But we were to see something beyond the concerns of man. We were each gifted eith a spirit animal.
'We're so amazing,' Rollan half whispered half said. Abeke and Meilin rolled their eyes, Abeke while reading on.
And so we will protect Erdas - all of Erdas - with everything we have.' Rollan compressed his lips. 'I'm not crazy. I don't want Erdas to become a wasteland.' He considered. 'What - what if I'm not ready to join the Greencloaks, but I'm willing to help?' 'May I suggest another option for you?' Olvan said. 'We frequently work with Marked individuals who don't accept our vows. We don't normally give them access to our weighteist secrets, but these circumstances are extraordinary.' 'Let me sleep on it,' Rollan said. Conor turned away and closed his eyes. Regardless of who else came along, tomorrow he would venture into the wilderness to chase a legend.
'Dramatic dramas,' Rollan whispered
Leaning close to his wolf, he whispered. 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'
'Good question,' Rollan and Abeke said at the same time. They looked at each other then high-fived. 'Who's next to read?' Abeke asked.
'May I try?' Conor asked. Abeke nodded, handing over the book.
So what did you think of it? I hope you all liked it and I hope, for you and for myself, that I can get the next chapter up quicker. Hopefully...