The Phoenix Ring(22)

"He said you would recognize this." Aidan said, raising his left hand.

The moment Borin saw the Phoenix Ring, his eyes widened in shock. He  reached out with both hands and grasped Aidan's, gazing intently at the  Soulrock. Then, to the mages complete surprise, a single tear slid down  his cheek, landing on his desk.

"You wear Marcus's ring … " he said.

"Master?" Aaliyah asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Borin shook his head and sat back in his chair, leaving the shocked Aidan standing.

"What does Bartemus want from me?" the old amogh asked, his voice shaking.

"Um … " Aidan said, confused.

Timothy finally regained control of his voice. "He actually wanted to  talk to you, the means of which are in our packs, along with a gift for  you. If you could have those returned to us, along with our staffs, then  we would be quite grateful."

Borin nodded towards Aaliyah, who rushed out of the room and was back in a few seconds, bearing both of the packs and staffs.

The amogh's eyes narrowed as he saw Aidan's black staff, but he said nothing as the mages took their scepters.

Aidan opened his pack's magic compartment, letting dragon scales and  spines spill over the desk, and heard a sharp intake of breath from the  girl behind him.

Borin smiled. "What happened to Edwin?" he asked.

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "He's …  no longer at the Fort. How did you know?"

"That warlock would never let this many scales into our hands, with them alone we could make a hundred swords of Rakka steel."

Aidan remembered that Rakka steel was iron mixed with dragon scales, and  had the same anti-magical properties as dragon scales themselves.

"These spines are stronger than any type of metal. We will use them to  make weapons as well. Thank you, Dragonslayer. This is a great gift.  Tell me, how does Bartemus intend to talk to me?"

Aidan pulled the crystal out of his pack, where it had become buried under the scales.

He put it on the table before the amogh and pushed a little magic into  it, since there was so little in the room and it had been sitting under a  pile of dragon scales for the past week.

As soon as it had power it lit up, and Bartemus's voice rang out as clear as if he stood among them.

"Aidan? Are you already at Camp Ward?"

"Aye, the lad's here, old friend," Borin said, a smile breaking his  face. "What do you need? It must have been urgent to send such young  boys."

There was silence from the stone for a few moments.

"Borin, we're going to need an army. The allies of Malcommer have come back to power in the Nefarious Lands."





11





A shocked quiet feeling filled the room.

"You didn't tell us about that part." Timothy said, accusingly.

"I had far less evidence then. Borin, perhaps it would be better if the young apprentices left while we discuss this."

Aidan felt anger blossom in his chest.

We managed to hike all the way here over a week through the woods, only to be thrown out as little children.

Nonetheless, he said nothing as the amogh girl stepped aside to let him and Timothy leave.

"You too, Aaliyah," Borin said, "It will only take a few moments."

Aaliyah opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by a stern look  from her master. She bowed her head and grudgingly followed the mages,  shutting the door behind her.

Aidan sat down against the wall, and was surprised to hear a squelch.

He looked down and saw mud.

No floor? Even the orphanage had planks of wood on the ground …

"What's wrong, magic boy? Never seen a dirt floor?" The girl said with contempt.                       
       
           



       

Aidan glanced at Timothy, who just shrugged.

There were a few uncomfortable moments in the hall, while Aaliyah smoldered and Aidan and Timothy tried to look comfortable.

After what seemed like an eternity, Borin opened the door.

"Aaliyah, it seems as if these two will be staying here tonight. If you  could find some lodgings for them, I have some important news for you.  Boys, I need to talk to you. Come inside"

The girl looked like she was ready to explode, but she bowed again and left, shutting the door a little harder than necessary.

Borin frowned and shook his head.

"That one's spirited, but she's the best fighter we have." He said.  "Your master had to leave unexpectedly, but he was able give me some  important information before he left. Tell me, what do you know about  the Phoenix Isle?"

"I know that Marcus Thunderheart died there." Aidan said, feeling  stupid. He knew that Timothy could probably recite the history book to  him.

"Yes," Borin said, closing his eyes. "That was the worst day of my life.  But it wasn't just his resting place. It was his final stronghold, and  humanity's last hope."

He pulled out a map and set it on the desk before the boys. "This is the  center continent of Sortiledge. And this," he said, pointing to a small  green dot on the waters a few miles out in the water, "is the Phoenix  Isle. Naturally, every creature coming from the Nefarious Lands, which  are to the north, would have to pass over or around it. It was the best  place to make a last stand, and it was also the sight of Malcommer's  first defeat. Have you ever seen a painting of him?"

Aidan shook his head while Timothy nodded.

"The first thing you'll notice is that he's missing an eye. It was on the Phoenix Isle that I gave him that wound."

Timothy raised an eyebrow, skeptical, but Aidan felt he was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," the younger boy said, "but that was sixty years ago. You look fairly young, sir."

The amogh laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Tell me, did Edwin ever complete his aging experiments?"

"Yes, actually," Aidan said, "how did you know?"

"Some of his tests involved amoghs. We age slower than most people."

For a moment Aidan saw pain flash through Borin's eyes.

"He used you for that, didn't he?" the mage asked.

Borin smiled sadly. "Yes, he did. Marcus was the one who freed me from  him. That was the beginning of the rift that formed between them, and  eventually led to Edwin's downfall."

Timothy cleared his throat. "What exactly does the Phoenix Isle have to  do with Master Bartemus? That place was destroyed when Thunderheart and  his phoenix created the Dragonback Range."

"Yes it was, and Bartemus wasn't able to get to that part. What I do  know is that he's planning on you being there within three weeks, with  one of my amoghs."

"What?" Aidan asked, starting to get a little frustrated. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Don't worry, it'll be easy compared to the hike to here. All you have  to do is walk fifty miles south, to the city of Argentah. I will provide  you with enough money to buy a griffin large enough for you all and  your master to ride, which you will then fly to the Phoenix Isle."

Aidan sat back in his chair, his head spinning. He had learned from a  boy whose father had been a thief before an untimely death that Argentah  was a city of merchants and smugglers, located directly in the middle  of Gurvinite. Anytime the dwarves wanted to trade with the elves, or  vice versa, they could either sail around Gurvinite, or they could  travel through it. Most merchants opted for the latter, as the  Dragonback Range made sailing north difficult, and the southern waters  were full of sea serpents, a kraken, and other dangers.

Argentah had developed right in the center of a highway that stretched  coast to coast. It had, as a result, became home to dwarves, elves, and  humans alike.

As Argentah became bigger, and its streets more narrow, smuggling and  illegal trading started to destroy the city from the inside out.  Eventually, instead of being a place where traders would stop to sell  goods, it became a place that they avoided to protect their wares.

Aside from the dangers of the city itself, riding a griffin was also  risky. The creatures tended to have the personalities of cats, and  wouldn't obey unless they were going to get a reward. They were also  fiercely territorial, and often got into fights with each other and  their feral cousins. A trained griffin handler could deal with a flock  of three, but someone who had no experience could never hope to fly one.

Borin saw Aidan's doubting face and chuckled. "Don't worry, the amogh  that goes with you will know how to navigate the city, and I think  you'll find that griffins like sorcerers more than you would think."                       
       
           



       

Aidan wasn't sure, but Timothy seemed to be satisfied.

"Which amogh is going with us?" He asked.

"I don't know yet. I'm going to discuss it with some of the elders  tonight. In the morning we should have made our decision. You should go  rest while you can. Your master will contact you tonight and tell you as  much as he can."