Chapter 15
A/N: hey y'all! Welcome back! Hope everyone's doing ok with the virus going around in stuff. Just remember, wash your hands, stay in quarantine; you should be fine...hopefully.
Ok, PSA out of the way, remember, I'm just the writer. Trezac's owned by Gabeherndon308.
Trezac sat mediating by a small pool, keeping a ear out as the kids played nearby. He could hear Ezran and Ellis giggling as Azymondias chased after…something. Reaching out through the force, he sensed the small, familiar pulse of one of the moon moths that flew around the area.
Another, powerful presence brushed against his own, and Trezac opened an eye, seeing Zym curiously looking at him. He felt the corner of his mouth tilt up, and he sent another gentle push causing the small dragon to jump in surprise, sending his mixed emotions of fear and excitement out clearly. That caused the padawan to chuckle, he remembered being like that. Control came with time, and time was currently something their newest comrade did not experience much of yet.
Zym did not appear to appreciate the amusement, and plopped beside him, closing his eyes as he tried to imitate the teen.
Trezac raised a brow. He gave Zym a minute of focus, tops.
"Come and get it everyone!" Lujanne called and Zym immediately took off.
Trezac gave a knowing sigh as he got up. Zym didn't even make it ten seconds; which wasn't surprising since he was a newborn, he was far too young to be learning how to control his connection to the force just yet.
Walking to the table, the padawan's brows rose as he saw a feast sitting on a table. It looked similar to the ones he used to attend with the Jedi—when they weren't out on assignments—though he didn't recognize some of the food.
"Elves and humans over here," Lujanna continued motioning to the table. "And those with three or more legs can sit over there," she pointed to several bowls on the ground, "with Phoe-Phoe."
Taking his seat, Trezac reached out to grab a piece of food only to frown as he sensed something coming from it. It…it almost felt like what he sensed when they were coming up the mountain.
"You have the best food here," Ezran moaned taking another bite, "what's your secret?"
"Well, my secret is…it's all fake," she smiled.
Callum stopped eating, sharing a look with the others, "What do you mean?"
"You know, fake," she repeated. "They're delicious illusions. You're actually eating grubs."
Trezac grimaced, pushing his plate away. Suddenly he didn't feel so hungry anymore.
Ezran, however, did not pick up on the actual implications of the Moon Mage's answer. "Oh, you must mean grub. As in, wow this is some good grub!"
"No…" Lujanne answered. "Do you see what Phoe-Phoe's eating?"
All heads turned to the bird. "That bowl of worms?"
"Yes! Those are grubs!"
"I don't care," Ellis remarked taking another mouthful as the two princes looked sick. "This illusion pie is the best I've ever had."
The brothers immediately started retching as Trezac scooched his chair away from the puking princes.
"Hey everybody," Rayla greeted waltzing over.
"Well you're in a good mood!" Ellis smiled.
"I am! It does fell good to have two working hands again—uh, no offense Ava."
Trezac frowned, "I understand the concept of not wanting to lose a limb, but can't you just replace it with a prosthetic? That's what Master Skywalker had to do when his hand got cut off."
They all looked at him owlishly. "Uh…what's a prosthetic?"
"A replacement limb."
"Like a peg-leg?" Ellis offered.
Trezac facepalmed. "No, it works just the same as any other limb, even a hand," he wiggled his fingers.
"Trezac, where the heck are you from? Cause even in Xadia we don't have that," Rayla replied putting her hands on her hips before glancing at the Moon Mage, "Do we?"
"Not that I'm aware."
"I already told you, I'm not from Xadia," he deadpanned. "I'm from another world."
"Yeah right?" Rayla scoffed as Lujanne appeared interested.
"A Star-Walker? Incredible, I've only ever heard legends."
"You seriously believe him?" Rayla muttered.
Lujanne shrugged, "There is far more to the universe we live in than we can ever hope to understand. And, since I've spent so long here, I've had a lot of time to read the ancient texts. They often spoke of Star-Walkers, beings who came from beyond Xadia, wielding blades of light. Rumor has it, they were the first magic users of Xadia."
"Wow, that's actually pretty cool," Callum said.
"That still doesn't explain how he can replace a hand?"
"I can't! You need a medical bay and a doctor for that!"
Rayla scowled, her brow twitching before she looked to everyone else. "And how are all of you feeling?"
"Good!"
"Amazing!"
"Awesome, cause it's time to go," Rayla stated crossing her arms.
"Nooo!"
"What?"
"We can't!"
"Rayla, we've only been here two days," Callum protested,
"Danger's coming for us, I know it," Rayla growled.
Trezac frowned thinking back to the sense of dread he'd been experiencing since Zym hatched. "Rayla's right. Something's coming for us, something dangerous. The longer we stay, the greater the chance it has to find us."
"They're right," Lujanne spoke up. "The night the Dragon Prince was born, I sensed something amiss. Those strange purple whisps…"
"Yeah, those things felt wrong to me too," Trezac nodded.
"Dark forces are pursuing you."
"They have to be, that same night I had a vision, and my people typically don't experience that unless something really, really bad is about to happen," Trezac confessed.
"A vision?" Rayla frowned. "Of what?"
"I didn't get much, just a warning: they're coming," he repeated, repressing a shiver that travelled down his spine.
"Who's coming?" Ezran inquired.
"No one wanting to be our friends that's for sure," Rayla answered. "Which is why we need to leave. Besides, we have precious cargo to deliver," she motioned to Zym, "War's coming the the world's never seen, unless we get the wee dragon home to his mum."
"But Zym's so little. He still needs to learn how to fly," Ezran protested.
"Master Skywalker always believed in learning on the job," Trezac repeated rolling his eyes. Wonder who he learned that from?
Lujanne chuckled, looking towards Ezran, "You seem to have a special connection to the dragonling; perhaps you could teach him?"
"Me?" Ezran blinked. "I could try."
"And I was hoping to learn about moon magic while we're here," Callum spoke up. "Trezac, you wanna come?"
The padawan blinked, setting his ration bar down. "I suppose there'd be no harm."
Lujanne hummed to herself, "I could teach you some things."
"Hey! I thought you two were on my side!" Rayla protested.
"A few more days Rayla, that's all we're asking," Callum pressed.
Rayla groaned, "Ugh, fine! One more day! One! But I'm serious about the danger. I'll keep patrolling, everyone else, stay on your toes."
"I'll give you a break in a little bit," Trezac nodded.
"It's fine, you can join me when you're done learning about magic, better to have two sets of eyes rather than one."
-.-
"I can't believe I'm gonna learn magic from a real mage!" Callum exclaimed. "No offense Trezac!"
"I'm still not a mage."
Lujanne chuckled, leading the way, "How do you know I'm real?"
"Uhh…"
"Your emotions are real enough," Trezac answered. "And you don't feel like the beasts in the forest. Those just had pressing feelings of what they wanted the observer to feel."
Lujanne blinked at the padawan. "I…I suppose that's one way of putting it." Striding forwards, she lead the way up some steps, "This is the Moonhenge. Thousands of years ago, when Xadia was one land, the ancient ancestors of Moonshadow Elves performed fantastic rituals here." She lifted her arm, drawing a rune in the air, "Historia viventem."
Trezac felt the air around them change. Almost like a cool breeze had come through. Before his eyes he saw starry figures walking by into the henge.
"The legends say they could use the power of the Nexus to open a portal to another plane. A shimmering world beyond life and death," Lujanne continued as they walked through the mirage.
"But it's ruins now. What happened?" Callum inquired.
"The Moon Druids destroyed it themselves when Xadia was divided in two. They decided it was safer to disable this magical place."
"That's so sad," Callum looked down.
"Ever since then there's always been a guardian of the Nexus. A mage, like myself, whose duty is to prevent humans from discovering it."
"What happens when humans do discover it? Do you like…" Callum trailed off moving his finger across his neck in a slicing motion.
Lujanne merely laughed, "Nah, why kill them when you can break their brains with insane illusions? I've got some real mind melters. They would completely freak your bean."
"Considering the things I've seen, I doubt it," Trezac muttered.
"Interested are we?"
"Ever seen a Rathtar?" he replied.
"What's a…rathtar?"
"Sarlaac?"
"A what?"
"Vorkskr?"
"Huh?"
"Diagona?"
"Now you're making things up."
"Nope it's real," Trezac deadpanned. "Ever hear of an Acklay or a Nexu?"
"No?"
"Be glad, fought both in a gladiatorial arena on Genonosis, not fun," he grimaced. "Ok, finial round, Geonosian brain worms!"
"I don't even want to know what those are," Callum gagged.
"I do!" Lujanne smiled.
"Alright," he shrugged, "they're tiny wprms that hatch from an egg, forcing themselves into your brain through your nose, and take over your mind so you basically become a living zombie and each time they attack you get to see the worm shooting out of their mouth like a freaky tongue."
"You're joking…right?" Callum laughed nervously.
"Nope, fought some, wasn't fun," he shivered at the memory.
Lujanne shrugged, before turning and continuing up the path. "Though Primal Energy is everywhere, it may be weaker or stronger at different times and places. The ocean is strongest at high tide, sky is strongest in a storm, and the moon is strongest—"
"When it's full!" Callum blurted.
"Please don't interrupt, but yes," she replied. "There are six special places where the magic of Primal Energies are most pure and powerful in this world. Such a place is called a Nexus." She lead them up onto a balcony, overlooking a large lake sitting in the caldera, "This is the Moon Nexus. It reflects the moon perfectly. When the moon is full, its light completely fills the lake."
"Wow."
"I love this! I love learning about magic!" Callum admired. "But…I want you to teach me how to do Moon Magic. Maybe some hand's on learning? Get in there, show me how to do a moonbeam, a moon ray, a moon…shine?"
"Human's can't do magic."
"Sure they can! I did magic!"
"Right," Lujanne rolled her eyes, "with a Primal Stone. But then, you smashed it, so now you're just a standard human again."
"But I know other humans who can do magic!" Callum protested.
Lujanne scowled, "We do not call that practice magic. It's an abomination, an atrocity."
"Trezac can do magic! Show her!"
Trezac opened his mouth to protest but looking at Lujanne he stopped himself. He knew that look, it was one some of the other Masters would give their soldiers and even padawans like him; contempt.
She didn't believe that humans could do the things her kind could, and if they could, they were doing something that was beneath her. And here she was going on about how fun it was to break people's minds.
Looking around, Trezac's gaze landed on several boulders around them. He stretched out his arms, lifting them up and raising the stones into the air, allowing them to spin around in a circle before he set them back down on the ground. Turning back to Lujanne, he repressed a smirk as he caught her shocked expression.
"I'm going on patrol," he stated coldly, "come find me when you're going to take this seriously."
