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Story: Phaidon's Book
Chapter: Two/??
Disclaimer: I own Morgan, Aleks, Calum, Matthew, Nikos, Gawain, the priest and
Byrna. Everyone/thing else is TP!
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They arrived at nightfall in a small village called Wathelyne.
"We'll stay here," growled Gawain. He drew his horse up outside a small inn. Morgan nodded and sleepily followed her friends to the stables. After bidding goodnight to Winter, she trudged up into the inn where a chubby innkeeper was talking.
"You'll need to get your own water. There's a well out there." He said, pointing a fat finger over his shoulder. "You want food, you pay extra. You want drinks, you pay extra." He looked disapprovingly at their bedrolls. "You want more blankets, you pay extra."
Gawain looked set to argue, but the rest of the group walked up the stairs to
their rooms without complaint.
"I'll meet you out here in a few minutes for supper," Matthew told Morgan before
disappearing into his room. Calum looked down at his dusty clothes and skin and grimaced.
"I'll go fetch water for washing," he said. Morgan nodded and and walked into her room, too tired to notice the grime and smell the room played host to. Spreading out her bedroll, she rubbed her eyes. The ride had taken a lot out of her, and she hadn't slept well the night before due to excitement. The trip so far had little effect on the squires and knights, having endured much more in their training. Aleks was as tired as she was - Morgan could have sworn she saw her friend doze off more than once on his horse's back. As for Nikos - try as she might, Morgan couldn't see his face to tell if he was tired. However when he spoke his voice held no trace of the strain it had when she first heard it.
Morgans stomach grumbled. Giving the bed a longing look, she left the room
and met Matthew in the hall.
The squire had opened his mouth to speak when the pair heard a cough from the room Gawain had been given. Grinning wickedly at Morgan, Matthew held a finger to his lips
and crept towards the closed door.
"It's going well." They heard Gawain speak. "They suspect nothing, I'm sure. The priests did a good job of making sure that girl does not know the full extent of Phaidon's words." There was a muffled reply and Morgan rubbed her nose, frowning.
They heard the creak of a chair and a sigh from within the room. "It will be over very soon. The girl will find it, give it to us, and we'll hold all of the world by the throat." They heard footsteps coming towards the door and the pair retreated quickly down the stairs.
They didn't speak until they were outside in the inns tiny backyard.
"What was that about?" Morgan asked Matthew, her eyes wide.
Matthew shook his head, frowning. "In one of the meetings you weren't at, King Jonathan asked the priests to tell us what Phaidon's book can do. The priest said that when the words are spoken, a doorway to nothingness appears."
Morgan nodded. This she already knew.
Matthew continued. "The priest also said that depending on the will of the person saying the words, the doorway can range in size and strength. At its weakest, the doorway can be only a tiny pinprick in size, taking only what is forced through. At its strongest the doorway can fit the world, and it's so strong it sucks it through, turning the world into nothing."
Morgan was silent as what she had learnt sunk in. She looked up at Matthew, alarm covering her face. "Gawain is going to use the book as a bargaining tool!" She guessed. "All he has to do is threaten to read the words and he has jewels falling at his feet."
Matthew nodded grimly. "It seems like it."
Suddenly the inn door burst open, causing the pair to jump. Morgan calmed down when she saw Calum peering into the night.
"Ah. There you are." He said, grinning. "I'll been looking for you - suppers ready." Morgan and Matthew exchanged looks. Reaching a silent agreement, the pair beckoned Calum towards them.
"Shut the door," hissed Morgan. Raising an eyebrow, Calum obeyed and joined them. Keeping her voice to a whisper, Morgan told Calum what they had overheard. When she had finished, Calum stepped back with a look of utter shock on his face. With a pang of guilt Morgan remembered that Gawain was his knight master.
"Are...are you sure?" Calum whispered hoarsely. He lent against a dirty wall, his dusty tunic gathering even more filth. Morgan nodded miserably. "What are you going to do?"
Morgan looked up, determined. "There's only one thing we can do. We have to leave tonight and find the map before he does. We have to destroy it."
Matthew nodded in agreement, but Calum was still pale. Beads of sweat had formed
on his brow, threatening to gather and drip.
"We?" He whispered. "Gawain is my knightmaster, I have to obey and follow him."
"Fine then." Morgan snapped. "Go help him destroy the world. We'll leave without you."
Calum looked alarmed. "all right, I'll come!"
+++
That night at supper, Morgan and Matthew exchanged nervous looks, while Calum kept
Gawain's wineglass topped up. The squire had insisted that the best way of leaving was that night with the knight drunk and sleeping in his room.
Aleks sat opposite Morgan, picking at his food. He glanced up and met Morgans eyes. The girl felt a flash of pity when she realized that her friend was terrified. She had caught Aleks before he had reached the inns common room and had told him the plan. At first, the commoner had refused emphatically to participate. Morgan had to threaten him with horrible stories of what Gawain would do to him once they left. She hated forcing her friend, but she hated the idea of leaving him alone even more. Morgan smiled reassuringly at Aleks, but instead of smiling back he just stared glumly down at his plate.
Morgan was glad when supper was over. She escaped to her room and began packing.
Struggling to close straps of her pack, a huge wave of sleepiness hit her. She bit her lip, forcing the tiredness back. You must NOT go to sleep! she ordered herself. Giving herself several hard pinches, she sat on a hard stool - the only chair in the room - and began waiting. After several minutes, her head lolled forward and her hands, which had been balled into tight fists, relaxed.
She was standing alone in an empty desert. Sand stretched for miles around her. The sun glared down at her from the sky, but she did not feel the heat. She remembered the story her mother had told her; She and Jonathan had rode through the desert to the Black City when she had been just a page. Together, they had defeated the Ysandir.
She could picture her mother perfectly: a stocky figure with beautiful red hair. Her face set in fierce determination as she swung her sword in perfect motions.
"Mother?" She whispered.
The wind blew sand over her feet.
She felt pressure on her back, forcing her to her knees. The sky darkened. Frantically, she searched for the daggers her father had taught her to wear and use. She was unarmed.
Slowly, the golden sand turned a dull black. The sun had disappeared. The wind stopped. She was surrounded by darkness.
Peering through the gloom, she saw a stone archway in the distance. She began walking towards it. It seemed to rush forward to meet her. Stopping several meters away from it, she saw the Dark God standing in front of the stone structure. He inclined his head forward as she hesitantly took a step closer.
"Morgan!" The scream ripped through the air. Morgan felt her heart clench. That was not the cry of a warrior, it was the cry of a mother for her child. She spun. Running towards her was a red haired woman dressed in breeches and holding a shimmering sword. Tears were streaming down her face.
"No!" The woman yelled, stumbling to a stop next to her daughter. "You can't have her!"
"Mother?" Morgan whispered. The woman reached out a hand for her. Before she could grasp it, Morgan felt the pressure on her back again. It was forcing her towards the black cloaked god.
"I told you already! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" The woman screamed, running towards the Dark God with her sword held in front of her. There was a flash of light. A second woman appeared. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her for long.
"Alanna." The Goddess said calmly. Alanna stopped her sword an inch from the Dark God's neck. Seeing the Goddess, Alanna dropped her weapon and fell to her knees.
"Take me instead," she said clearly.
The Goddess shook her head and turned to the Dark God. "Brother, you want neither." She said. The Dark God nodded and both disappeared. Blinking, Morgan found herself back in the sunlit desert. Her mother was standing by her side. Alanna turned to look into her daughters eyes.
"Be on your guard, Morgan. Someone tried to kill you." The woman said. Morgan reached up to hug her mother. "Things aren't as they seem," Alanna whispered in her ear.
"Morgan...hey...Morgan," an urgent whisper dragged Morgan from her sleep.
"Is she alive?" She heard Calum ask.
"Of course she's alive, why wouldn't she be?" she heard Aleks retort.
"Ungh?" She groaned, rubbing her neck. Why had she decided to sleep sitting up? Something jabbed her hard in the ribs. Morgan yelped, stumbling from her stool.
"See? She was sleeping."
"Shhh!" Matthew hissed. Morgan shook her head to clear her sleep-fogged vision. She realized that Calum, Matthew and Aleks were standing around her, saddle bags at their side. With a rush, the nights events came back to her and she grimaced.
"I thought we were supposed to meet in the hall." Aleks muttered.
Morgan didn't reply. Instead she grabbed her bags and walked out the door. The three boys followed her out.
In the stables Winter snorted her protest at a nighttime ride. "I'm sorry girl," Morgan whispered. She fastened her bags and turned to face the other three. Matthew stared back with a look as determined as hers. Calum was pale, but he held his head high. Aleks gave her a worried look.
"Are you feeling okay?" Her friend whispered while the other two were busy with their horses. "You don't look too good" Morgan shook her head.
"I'll tell you later." She whispered back.
+++
The four led their horses quietly out of the village. Once out of sight of the inn, they mounted silently and urged their horses into a gallop. They had no plan as of yet; the only thing they had decided upon was to put as much distance between them and Gawain as possible.
The sky was slowly loosing its inky darkness when they saw a rider ahead on the road. Matthew brought up his mount, and the rest followed suit. The quartet stared. The rider sat on his black horse, both still in the middle of the road. There was a gust of wind, and his black cloak billowed softly around him. "Nikos," Matthew breathed. Morgan winced. With his black cloak, Nikos reminded her of the Dark God.
+++
Nikos led them to a small clearing off the side of the road. The youths trudged behind him, leading their horses. Morgan brought up the rear, her shoulders sagging. She was much too tired put up a fight, even though a part of her mind urged her to do something. Bitterly she kicked at a stone, clutching at Winter when she stumbled off balance. Am I really this tired? She thought.
She left Winter with the other horses and sat next to Calum on the ground. The four looked resignedly at Nikos, who was standing over them.
"I knew you were all up to something." When Nikos spoke, it was not with the harsh tones Morgan expected. "The way you were acting at supper...The goddess told us you would catch on quickly." Morgan blinked at the mention of the Goddess.
"What?" Her voice sounded dull.
"My purpose on this journey is to help *you* get the book, Morgan."
Morgans head snapped up. "You knew!" She accused. A surge of anger came over her. Forgetting her fatigue, she jumped to her feet. "You knew what Gawain was planning, and you didn't say a word - not one word - about it to the King. How could you?" The tiny girl was so angry she didn't notice her hand had moved to grip her sword hilt. "You could have saved everyone a lot of trouble, and if Gawain gets the map, it'll be your fault!" Nikos stood there silently and Morgan felt her anger building. "People will die! Do you not care? – And that stupid way you cover your face, are you really that vain?" Morgan broke off, breathing heavily.
Calum, Aleks and Matthew remained on the ground, staring shocked at the Diyari Warrior. None of them seemed to be able to speak.
Nikos sighed. He remembered ruefully that the goddess had warned him the girl would be difficult.
"Yes, I did know." He admitted. "As to not saying a word, I was working under the goddess' instructions. What good would it have done? Gawain would have been captured but the journey to get the book would have been canceled. Eventually, word that the Book actually exists would have leaked out and another person would have taken it. I was to stay with you, Morgan. The priests weren't lying about the part where they said you would be the one find it. When you did, I was to take it and destroy it." He paused, watching the girl in front of him battle to stay quiet to hear his story. "I do care that people will die if the book is read - that's why I follow the Goddess' orders." Nikos paused again, this time he appeared to be battling with himself. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "As to my face, Morgan, I have already told you the reasons for it being covered. I am not vain." With a sweeping movement, he removed the cloak from his face.
Morgan gasped, and similar sounds from the ground showed her friends shared her reaction. The man in front of her had dark brown hair with a few strands lightened as the result of staying in the sun for too long. His blue-black eyes held a curious slant that Morgan couldn't place, and his face had been kept free from beard or mustache. What had made the quartet gasp, however, was the blue-coloured scar that traced its way down in a curious pattern from his left cheek down to his neck.
"It is a technique that we had developed. We use needles to force ink below our skin to form permanent markings," Nikos explained. He stared at them calmly. "All Diyari have it done when they join us. Not all have it done on their face."
"Why did you choose your face?" Matthew asked timidly. He stood up to join Morgan, staring at Nikos with an expression mixed with shock, disgust, and awe.
"I did not choose." Nikos said curtly. Mistaking their looks, he said, "I do not regret it, either. To have this mark done is the pride of all Diyari." The sun had risen by now, and Nikos began walking towards his pack. "We'll sleep here" He called over his shoulder. Calum and Aleks stood at the mention of sleep and grabbed their bedrolls from their horses. Morgan and Matthew followed. While the four set up their mats, Nikos walked around their hasty camp in a circle, drawing something Morgan knew to be a protective circle. Nikos sensed her gaze and turned. "When the knight awakens, he'll ride out immediately to look for you." He explained. "This will hold him off and hide us from him while we sleep."
Morgan lay down in her bedroll, relief hitting her as her head finally touched the pillow. She was glad Nikos was with them. With that hood off his face, he was a much less imposing figure, and Morgan felt trust and friendship in him. Not to mention that without him we'll probably be back with Gawain by now, she thought dryly as she drifted off to sleep.
+++
Morgan awoke late afternoon feeling fresh. Twisting slightly in her bedroll, she saw Matthew crouching over a wisp of smoke. Her friend glared as the smoke faltered and disappeared. Morgan was considering going to help when Nikos walked into her view. The man was wearing black breeches and a gray shirt, with no cloak to hide his Diyari mark. Morgan shuddered inwardly at the sight. The blue scar twisted its way around his face and neck in elegant swirls. At some points, the swirls were broken by primitive looking symbols. They reminded Morgan of the ancient runes her grandfather sometimes frowned over.
Nikos held a canteen in his right hand. Taking a drink, he nodded slightly at Matthew's attempt to light the fire. Morgan giggled as the squire leapt back, astonishment crowding his face as the pile of sticks in front of him burst into flames. "You ought to warn me." Morgan heard Matthew protest as he dusted himself off. Nikos didn't reply, instead turning to look at Morgan.
"Afternoon." He greeted her. "Are you rested?" Morgan smiled and hopped out of her bedroll.
"Very. And I'm famished, too." She informed him.
"I'm cooking," Matthew announced from the fire. He glanced at Morgan and gave her a small grin. "You had better get changed." Morgan looked over herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn when she had left the palace: simple breeches and shirt - only they had been clean and fresh when she first put them on. Now they were crumpled and dirtstained, and her breeches had somewhere along the way acquired a small tear. Thinking of something, Morgan lifted a hand to her hair. Her face fell into a faint
grimace when she found it to be tangled with twigs and leaves.
"Is there a place where I can get cleaned around here?" She asked Nikos. The
man looked amused at her question.
"Dirty already, Lady Morgan?" He asked her, his eyes twinkling. "You've been on the road for barely over a day. I'll say we'll be on it for many, many more - how will you cope?" Matthew chuckled from his post at the fire.
"A simple no would have been enough." Morgan muttered. She grabbed a new set
of clothes from one of her saddlebags and disappeared under her bedroll to
change. Matthew and Nikos politely became absorbed in their tasks. When she
had reappeared, she took her first good look at her surroundings.
Nikos had led them a fair way from the road that morning, for which Morgan was grateful. The ground was flat in these areas, and the thick trees formed a wall between them and the road. Someone - Morgan suspected Nikos - had retied the horses in a more comfortable position in the clearing, which the sun had reached enough to grow a small patch of grass. Squinting at the horses, Morgan realized they had been freshly groomed.
"Where's Aleks and Calum?" Morgan asked Matthew. She wondered over to the
fire and squatted next to him.
"Hunting." Matthew replied. Morgan suddenly looked alarmed. She had realized that in their haste to get away the night before, they had forgotten to pack food! Matthew rightly guessed her thoughts and grinned. "Nikos knew we would probably forget, so he bought enough food for us - but it won't last, so the other two went out to get more for later."
"I could only get porridge." Nikos apologized as he joined them at the fire.
"Right now I'm too hungry to care what I eat." Morgan admitted. The trio sat in silence for a minute, looking at the slowly cooking porridge in the pot. "Nikos?" Morgan asked.
"Yes?" The Diyari warrior looked up. Morgan kept her face smooth.
"What are we going to do?"
Nikos stared into the flames, his face unreadable. "We're going to keep moving. As soon as the boys come back, we'll move on towards the island. Gawain won't follow us, I don't think. I made sure a maid heard me mention heading back to the castle, so Gawain will probably think we've gone back to warn King Jonathan."
"Shouldn't we?" Morgan asked.
"Perhaps one of us should..." Matthew said while stirring the porridge. "But I won't."
"Why not?" Morgan was curious at Matthew's determination. The squire shook his hair from his face and met Morgans eyes.
"I'm going to get that map and burn it." Matthew said quietly. Morgan looked away, uncomfortable at the intensity and fierce determination that shone in her friends eyes.
"Calum won't want to run into Gawain, and Aleks will refuse to travel alone. It has to be me." Morgan spoke practically. Nikos laughed.
"You forget that I am gifted." Nikos rebuffed them. "I have already warned Jonathan. He has the Kings Own riding out to meet Gawain." He turned to Morgan. "It couldn't have been you, anyway. The goddess says it must be you who gets the book."
"Why must it be me?" Morgan was ashamed to hear that she spoke with a whining note to her voice. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, staring at her hands.
Nikos waved away her apology. "I'm not sure exactly, but the goddess said you had something no one else did." There was a snort behind them and Morgan whirled around to see Calum and Aleks emerging from the trees.
"Do you usually have long conversations with the gods?" Calum asked with a hint of sarcasm. He looked annoyed, and Morgan could see the cause in Aleks' hand: all they had managed to catch was a single rabbit.
"No." Nikos spoke coldly. "The gods appear in the dreams of several warriors. When they are pieced together, they form our orders. You would to better if you would not question the Goddess." His eyes met Calums and the younger male dropped his gaze.
"You're right...I'm sorry." He apologized.
"Not to me," Nikos growled. Calum raised his eyes to the sky.
"I'm sorry." He said, meekly. Morgan stifled a giggle and accepted the bowl Matthew handed her.
When they had finished eating, Nikos ordered them to pack up and ready the horses.
"We'll keep traveling," He told them. "The quicker we get to that book, the better."
+++
Morgan rode alongside Nikos when they reached the road. A few things he had told
them had been nagging her.
"Nikos..."
"Lady Morgan?"
Morgan frowned. "Stop that." She ordered.
"Stop what?" Nikos looked at her, confused.
"Stop calling me a Lady."
"But you are one, are you not?"
"Yes, but..." Morgan shifted in her saddle uncomfortably. "I'd rather you didn't call me 'Lady Morgan' At least during this trip."
Nikos shrugged. "If you say so." He said, amused "What was it you wanted to ask me, Morgan?"
"You do know we're looking for a bit of map, right?" She asked bluntly.
"There is no map." The warrior spoke quietly. Morgan blinked.
"Yes there is." She insisted. "That's what we're looking for. I'm getting one piece and my parents are getting the other, then we'll bring them both back and Jonathan will put them together and get the book and then destroy it."
Nikos shook his head. "There is no map." He repeated.
"You're just confused." Morgan said stubbornly. "That's why you keep saying I'm getting the book. You're confused."
Nikos shifted in his saddle to face her. "Do you really believe that?" He asked. Morgan thought hard, then found herself shaking her head.
"No, I don't" She admitted. "It's because of that priest...I don't trust that priest, or anything he says." She held her breath, watching to see how Nikos would react. To her surprise, he nodded thoughtfully.
"Funny you should pick up on that," He murmured almost to himself. "She didn't say..."
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Why do you rely so much on her?" She said. "My mother used to say they only guide you, not direct you down a certain path!"
Nikos glared at the small, defiant girl. Sighing, he forced himself to relax. "There isn't any record of the gods being so involved," He admitted. "Personally, I think they feel guilty because it was one of their own who caused this."
Morgan felt anger towards the gods growing inside her. "One would think they would be more careful," She snapped. "That stupid, little....goddess person -"
"Morganna" Nikos interrupted, calmly.
"What?" Morgan frowned up at him.
"That 'stupid, little goddess person' was called Morganna."
Morgan looked at the warrior with wide eyes. "Was?" She asked. "Gods are immortal."
Nikos shrugged. "She was sent to Uusoae. That's the closest to death a god can get."
Morgan shook her head. "That's beside the point,"she said. "I'm not sharing a name with her!" Seeing Nikos raise an eyebrow, she sat up straighter in her saddle. "I refuse to share a name with her!"
"You can change yours if you like, but it'll be fair confusing" Nikos said, dryly.
Morgan growled. "I don't like any of this." She announced.
"Who does?" Nikos replied. "Just make sure you tell me if anything...odd, happens."
"Odd? As in dreams?"
Nikos looked up. "Dreams?" He asked sharply.
"I had a dream before we left last night..." Morgan told him what had happened. The warrior kept his face unresponsive throughout the tale. He frowned only when she mentioned the force pushing her towards the archway.
When she had finished, Nikos began muttering to himself. Morgan strained to hear what he said.
"...Someone close...Sent her...how on earth...Alanna..."
Before Morgan could ask Nikos what he was talking about, Calum drew his horse up. The other three members of their party had been riding ahead. Morgan and Nikos rode to join them.
"Break time," Calum said apologetically as he slid from his saddle. Reaching into his saddlebag, Calum drew out a paper packet. "I have biscuits," He announced.
Morgan, Aleks and Matthew got off their horses, eyeing the packet hungrily. Before Calum could open it, dark green magic laced around it. Yelping, Calum dropped the packet and glared at Nikos.
"What did you do that for?" The squire asked angrily.
"It's poisoned!" Nikos yelled, his face twisted with anger. Leaping from his horse, he grabbed Calum. "Where did you get this?" The warrior shook the boy in his grip.
"I didn't...I stole it from Gawains supplies!" Calum gasped.
"Stop!" begged Morgan. Nikos sighed and released the squire.
"Poison?" Aleks looked fearfully at the packet. "Gawain wanted to kill us?"
Nikos shook his head. "It's siromath poison: the oil taken from the very rare siromath flower. It opens peoples minds to suggestions."
"Suggestions?" echoed Aleks.
Matthew was pale as he whispered, "Gawain wanted to control us."
