Chapter Sixty-three

Advice and Answers

We were invited to dine with them that evening and stay the night in camp, which we gratefully accepted. Later in the evening, a wood elf that carried no weapon came off duty. Her leather armor was all shorter, which would give her freedom of movement, probably a spellcaster. Her armor also was decorated with lots of Draconic iconography.

It took a second, but I realized that she had the same type of scales on her arms as Melima, but bronze. That was why it took me a moment to notice, they blended in much more than Melima's.

I was glad to see Melima go talk to her. I knew some of the troubles she had because of her Draconic bloodline, and having someone to talk to who could relate I was sure would be a comfort.

It was interesting to me that a Draconic sorcerer could be on the White Guard, but not in line for the throne, though it could have been a difference between the wood elves and high elves, or the source of the bloodline. While both would have lighting abilities, Melima's blue dragon bloodline had a chromatic, evil origin.

Late in the evening, I sat by myself at a table near the fire, whittling a piece of wood into a spinning top. I'd talked to so many people that day and just needed some time to think and gather my thoughts. I also was trying to figure out how to approach Vax, the rogue who was still sitting by the fire, having only moved a few times to get some food or talk to someone. Most of what I'd seen him do all day was spin his daggers on his hand, or sharpen them.

A high elf left his tent and headed towards the Tree. His arms and hands were wrapped in cloth. At first, I thought he was injured, but seeing the rest of his outfit I realized he was a monk. Another high elf came to the camp a few minutes later and sat down. He cast some type of spell, which made his eyes flicker with an arcane glow for just a moment.

He slowly looked around the camp, locking his gaze onto each one of us. He looked at Sephra last, then walked over and whispered something into her ear. It was dark, and the fire cast just enough of a shadow that I couldn't make out what was said.

The elf, a wizard by my estimation, stopped to talk to Vax, whom I could barely make out his silhouette in the dark. He patted him on the shoulder, then went into one of the tents.

I noticed that Vax kept his face towards the table that Sephra, Ari'yasa, and Naidaroe were sitting at together. They started talking together a little more excitedly, though I still couldn't make out what they were saying.

A few moments later, a flash of light came from beneath the door of the wizard's tent. Melima and Jörgen walked up to the tent, standing at the door for a moment. Sephra joined them as well. Jörgen peered in the tent, then walked in. Melima followed.

Vax left the fire almost faster than I could keep track of him. He went right behind Sephra at the door of the tent. There were subdued voices, and another flash of light.

They stood there for several minutes. Occasionally I could make out something said, usually something like "please put my book back."

Vax finally took his place back by the fire, doing something that made it a bit brighter. My friends left too, and I got the feeling there had been a bit of an argument, though voices were never raised and everything seemed fine.

Sometimes it seemed that being the leader of our group was a bit of a headache. I didn't know what had happened, but I had a feeling Jörgen didn't help matters. Somehow, Vax was able to keep the other guards in line just by snapping his fingers. How did he do it?

I waited a couple of minutes to make sure everything was okay, then took a seat next to Vax at the fire. "How do you keep them in line?"

He didn't look at me, but kept staring at the fire. "It's not about what you say, it's how you say it. If you are timid and unsure in your voice then they will sense it. Even if you don't know what you are doing, having confidence in your voice will change the way they react to you.

"You are one of the youngest, and yet they seem to follow you. You have their trust, now show them you can lead. Your father certainly did." I was surprised at how much he had noticed in the short time we had been there. How had he heard who my father was? I knew there was a lot of talk going on around camp, but most people didn't talk to him.

He picked up a stick and poked at the fire a bit, never looking in my direction. In the firelight, I saw a single tear roll down his cheek and fall into his lap. I realized my father meant more to him than E'ran thought. "Thank you for training with him. If you hadn't, I might not be alive today."

I paused a moment. "He'd probably be in big trouble if he ever came back, wouldn't he?"

He continued to stare at the fire, saying nothing. After a few moments, he held up the dagger he'd been spinning in his hand. "He gave me this."

He stuck the tip of the blade into the fire, then pulled it back out. He spun it around to show me the end of the hilt. The gem that was set in the pommel, which I thought had been a black onyx stone, was now softly glowing green. "He had two of these made. When he gave one of them to me, he said that if I stuck the tip in a fire, that the stone would change color to show that he was still alive."

I took in a deep breath. My father was still alive. I figured he would be, especially now that I realized how skilled he really was, but it was good to know for sure.

"In return for this beautiful dagger, he asked me to keep his love affair secret."

That surprised me. "You knew before he left then?"

"Though he was good at disappearing into the forest, I could track him. I followed him one night after our shift was over. He walked for nearly four hours through the forest to a glade where I saw her emerge, the daughter of one of the Lussanens.

"They just sat and talked. I finally left and headed back to camp. When he returned I was waiting in his tent." He paused and chuckled to himself. "He was so distracted by her that he nearly sat on me. I talked with him nearly all night.

"I could see that he wanted to be with her, but he knew it would mean treason as a White Guard, and for the mixture of high elf and wood elf. He promised me that it would never go too far, and it would never interfere with his duty. And he was as good as gold. No one ever suspected anything."

"Until he disappeared. Do you know if his dagger works the same way? He never told me anything about the White Guard, but when he disguised himself to train me, he used the name Shadow." I wondered if my father could do the same thing and know that Vax was still alive. Obviously, they meant a lot to each other.

He glanced at me for a moment. "I only saw the other dagger once, and I don't know how it works, just that every night since he left I have stuck this dagger in the fire and seen the same green glow." He paused again. "I'm sure that he wanted to keep as low a profile as he could after he left."

"He did keep a pretty low profile. We were never wealthy, but we were never wanting, either."

"He gave me the dagger about a day before he disappeared, and about a year after the night I followed him."

I was speechless. "You've done that every night, for almost a century? How long did you work together?"

He glanced over again. "Yes, every night. He was part of the White Guard for nearly two-hundred and fifty years. After about ten years we became friends, and I began to teach him the ways of the rogue. He has been a close friend ever since."

He'd been on the White Guard for that long? And then suddenly left, leaving most of his friends in the dark? "I hope that someday you can see each other again. I had no idea what my father gave up. Thank you for talking to me, I can only guess how painful it is for you."

"I'm glad to know he got what he wanted. He always talked about eventually having a family and teaching them his skills." He stood up. "Good to talk with you. However, it's about time for my shift to start. 'Night."

He walked over to his tent, then came out a few minutes later, heading towards the Tree. I caught his attention again as he passed by the fire. "One last question, did you teach my father how to disguise himself, including his race? I was taught the ways of a ranger by a human, but I just found out that it was actually him."

He stopped, not looking at me, then nodded before continuing to the Tree. Though he came off as brooding, he cared a lot more than he let on.

Somehow, my parents had managed to keep everything about the White Guard secret from me. That, and my mother's heritage. Was it just to protect me? What harm would it have done for me to know? Or was it to protect them, and I was now putting them in danger?

But Father had told me to talk to E'ran, and obviously trusted Vax. What else were they keeping from me? I was grateful I could meet my father's friends, even though it was shocking to them. I wished there had been some way that they could have still been together without causing so much chaos. Did they have any idea what had happened since?

My parents' history wasn't the only thing bothering me. It seemed no coincidence that I came across another cleric of the Platinum Dragon right after I became one. I found E'ran as he was mending a pauldron. "Do you mind if I talk to you? I have some things that have been on my mind that you might be able to help with."

He asked me what was troubling me. "How did you decide to become a cleric for the Platinum Dragon?"

"I guess I have always wanted to serve. My family has followed the Platinum Dragon for generations. And when I found that my loyalty was rewarded with the gift of magic, I dedicated myself to his service. The rest is history."

"Wow, it was not nearly as easy for me. As I said earlier, I have a history with dragons, having nearly been killed by one. It took me a while to really come to understand they did not all have ill intent. Actually, it might seem incredible, but it was just last night that he granted me his boon, that my fear had subsided enough for him to do that. Other than trying to save the Tree, I don't know what is expected of me. Do you have any advice?"

His eyes went wide in surprise. "You have actually seen him? That is something I have only ever dreamed of. In meditation I have heard his voice— You are truly one of his champions if he has personally appeared to you."

"Yeah, a few times actually, though it was different each time. Do you hear his voice in meditation often? I've only started meditating again this morning, but each time he appears to me I feel like I have more questions than answers."

"Not every time, but when I do hear his voice I hear single words of encouragement and ancient Draconic phrases that help me with my divine magic."

I nodded. "As one of his clerics, did it ever bother you that my father wanted to hunt dragons? Like I said, I've been a lot the same way."

"Your father wanted to hunt dragons and learn about them. He knew that there were dragons who are malevolent and evil in nature that needed to be destroyed, but he always wanted to meet the metallic dragons who watch over the world."

"That makes me feel better. I think I've finally come to that viewpoint as well. It's been a process…" I couldn't yet say that I wanted to meet metallic dragons, but I had, and only good had seemed to come from it.

There was a pause in the conversation as he hammered out a stubborn dent. I decided I'd ask about an idea I'd had. "This might seem a little crazy, but has anyone tried using healing spells on the Tree? I don't think it would solve the problem, but maybe it could buy us some time?"

He nodded sadly. "Many have tried to heal the Tree, even using some of the very best magics that are available, and still nothing seems to keep it from increasing its reach on the Tree. The only really powerful magic user that I know of who hasn't tried to do anything is Caylus Moonfeather, the king. He came out to look at it about two weeks ago, but he did not do anything at that time."

"I figured it had been tried, I just figured I'd ask. I'm glad to know that the king has been here recently. We may be visiting with him soon. Is there anyone else you know of that might have special knowledge about the Tree?"

"I would definitely say that you should talk to the king. He may know others who might have more information."

"Thank you for all your help. I've never been religious, so this is all very new to me. I'd been content to just be a simple ranger, helping people as I could. I thought maybe one day I'd do something big, but never at this scale."

"Sometimes fate has a different path for us, and it is our job to find that path and follow what the gods would have us do. Then the rewards will be greatly given."

"If I can help save the Tree, and bring unity to our peoples, I think that may be reward enough for me. I'm so glad to see high elves and wood elves working so well together here. It gives me hope."

I paused and looked at the ground in front of me. "There would probably be some severe consequences if my father were ever to come around here again, wouldn't there?"

E'ran took a deep breath. "To be honest, it has never happened before. Once someone is on the guard, they stay. And then through request and time, they are then released to do as they please, within reason. I'm not sure what will happen."

"Well, hopefully we can get everything with the Tree made right, and I can clear his name. I don't know all the reasons why my parents went to Lystran, but they may want to come back, seeing what they've left here. Thank you E'ran."

"You are welcome. I hope when we meet again it will be in celebration. So good to meet and talk with you."