Master's Mind (The Dagger of Dragon Rose Book 1)
Companions

Some roads cross in very strange places. - Cartographers Creed

The first of the double moons waxed full in the night sky. The second was not visible. The sounds of the nocturnal animals echoed through the forest louder than Narissa liked. She was used to the silence of the Hallway, the grove of trees where she lived with her master. She never really liked it when she was sent out on missions, but she was loyal. Dareth had raised her since she was a small cub. He was the closest thing to a father figure that she had ever known.

She had been hunting her quarry for three days now. It had been just this morning that she had found his trail. It was not long after that she had lost his trail again. It was as if he had simply disappeared. There was another scent that had passed the same way, it was more feminine, and was a bit older, but it was moving in roughly the same direction as her prey, so she decided to follow it.

As she ran images started to appear in her mind. She was five years old, standing in front of a burning cottage with a tall Elven woman and a stocky boy. A tall dark haired man... Blackness from the collar around her neck passed through her head wiping the images away as quickly as they had started. She stumbled and fell as the force of the blackness entered her mind.

She didn’t know exactly how long she had been unconscious, but the trail that she had been following was definitely colder. It was still easy to follow, and it was the only lead that she had so she moved on.

It wasn’t long before a gentle breeze carried the scent of the one that she was hunting to her. He was close. She altered her course slightly, angling her direction towards the direction that the breeze was blowing from.

Several minutes later she was looking out into a clearing where a young elf was sitting on a stump talking to a glowing sword. She thought it was strange, but she didn’t dwell on it. Crouching down she stepped from the trees, accidentally stepping on a dry twig. The sound of the twig breaking echoed through the clearing, causing her prey to turn and face her.

Taren was unable to move as the largest animal he had ever seen stalked towards him. The white tiger must have stood at least four feet tall at the shoulder.

His body would not respond to his silent please to flee, to open his wings and fly away. He felt Cyan trying to get out if his hand. He was surprised when he opened his hand and the sword flew into the trees.

“Where are you going?” Taren demanded.

“I will have no part of this. You will need to figure it out on your own.” Cyan answered.

Taren didn’t understand what the sword had meant, he just knew that his one form of defense had just abandoned him. He hadn’t thought to grab his weapons belt, he had just grabbed the crystal cylinder out of his pouch and come to sit on this stump. He looked around to try and replace the small object that he had dropped in the grass.

The tiger began to growl. The sound snapped Taren’s attention back to the situation at hand. Hatred burned in the pink eyes almost disguising the underlying intelligence that was there. The sight was unnerving.

He held out his hand in a placating gesture, and began to move around the stump. “N... Nice kitty.” He said

The tiger’s growling suddenly became more fierce as it lunged at Taren.

He spread his wings and tried to fly out of the tiger’s reach, but he was not fast enough. The tiger jumped up on the stump, then launched itself into the air. He screamed in pain as the tiger dug its claws into his wings, causing him to plummet back to the ground. He could feel the blood dripping from his feathers as he tried to fold his wings so they could protect his back.

The tiger roared loudly, and its weight left Taren’s back. He looked up and could barely make out Parel standing there holding a long blue sword through the tears. Adrenaline pulsed through him and he climbed to his feet. Both of his wings were drooping at odd angles, pulling him off balance, but he was able stand.

A soft purple glow from the base of the tree sump caught his eye. He quickly snatched the source of the glow from the ground. The crystal cylinder that he had been inspecting earlier flared with light as his hand came in contact with it.

Not noticing the strange flare up, Taren closed his hand around the object. The cylinder was a solid object that would brace his hand as he struck, much like the bars that the guild torturer had used to increase the damage of his thrusts. As his hand closed, he was very surprised as purple fire burst out of both ends, wrapping around his hand, and elongating into a sword.

Suddenly replaceing himself armed, he wasted no time in rushing to help Parel. He didn’t move as quickly as he would have liked with his wings dragging on the ground, but he covered the distance relatively quickly anyway.

The glowing purple sword caught the tiger’s attention so it turned to see what new threat had appeared behind it. It growled fiercely when it saw Taren standing there holding the sword.

Taren only had a moment as the beast tried to determine what the best course of action was. It didn’t take very long to decide before it lunged. He side stepped the beast, swinging the sword in a wide overhand arc, connecting with the tiger’s back. He had expected the sword to cut the attacker, but that is not what happened.

The purple fire spread over the tiger’s lithe body, moving quickly towards the black collar that was fastened around it’s neck. A blackness was emanating from the collar in response to the fire, and when the two forces met, Taren’s sword began to shake violently. He had trouble maintaining his grip on the smooth crystal, but he had the feeling that he needed to hold on.

He was transfixed by the site of the two forces battling each other. It seemed as if each had an intelligence of their own. The purple light attacked with finesse and skill. while the blackness looked like it was relying purely on brute force. It didn’t take long for the blackness to begin to be driven back. As the two forces approached the collar that was the source of the blackness, the light grew in intensity and power. When the light finally reached its destination, the entire tiger was bathed in the brilliant purple light.

Taren had to shield his eyes against the brightness of the light as it did whatever it was doing. When the light finally subsided, a small naked woman stood where the large tiger had once been. She couldn’t have stood more than three and a half feet tall. She had long flowing white hair that brushed her heals. Her skin was even paler than Taren’s was, there seemed to be no color in it at all. Her wide feline eyes were pink.

“What have you done to me?” She asked, just before fainting. As she lay on the ground, unconscious, a small four pointed star with crystal blades extending from each point came to rest in her hand.

Shaunna watched from her hiding place as the young elf spread his wings and tried to escape from the tiger. It wasn’t possible. He was supposed to be dead, and yet here he was. Suddenly a world of opportunities presented itself to her. Here was her way out of the life that she hated so much, but only if he would recognize the oath that his father had made.

She was so wrapped up in her own musings, that she nearly cried out in surprise when the purple fire erupted from his hands, forming the sword. She had to cover her mouth to muffle the noise. Here was another impossibility, he could wield the Sword of Star Fire. No mortal being was supposed to be able to do that without it destroying them. Here he was wielding the powerful weapon, apparently unharmed.

“I have to get closer to him. I need to make sure that he is who I think he is.” She said to herself. “I need to replace out more.”

Narissa was falling through the darkness. She didn’t usually mind the darkness, but this was different than any darkness that she had experienced before. It was thick and almost alive. The sensation of falling through it was not a pleasant one.

As despair was about to overwhelm her, a flickering light ignited in the distance. It came from a burning cottage. Narissa recognized the building as she approached it. It had been the little house where she had lived as a child. As she got closer, the four people standing outside the building came into focus. There was a tall, elegant woman surrounded by two very small children and a tall dark man.

“What do you want from us?” The woman asked of the man. “Why are you doing this? We have done nothing to you.”

“You may have not done anything, but your husband has been defying us for centuries.” The man said. “You will pay for his insolence.” He waived his hand, and she flew against a nearby tree. “I am going to enjoy watching you suffer.”

“MOM!” The small boy screamed. He lunged at the dark man, quickly changing form into a large white tiger.

The dark man was to agile for the lithe feline. He drove a dagger through the cat’s eye, killing it instantly.

“Mommy? Calen?” The little girl asked.

The dark man smiled down at her. “You will make a fine pet, my kitten.” Another wave of his hand and she had transformed into a tiger as well. A black collar affixed itself around her neck.

“Leave her alone. She has done nothing to you.” The woman groaned as blood flowed from her mouth and nose. “Please don’t take Narissa.”

Dareth just laughed as he walked away, leaving the woman to die in the light of the burning building.

Taren removed his cloak and covered the small woman with it. Adrenaline coursed through him, causing him to shake uncontrollably. He forced his hand open, causing the smooth crystal cylinder to fall to the grass at his feet. As the object left his hand, the purple fire disappeared.

“Taren, what is going on?” Parel asked.

Parel knew something was wrong as soon as Taren turned around. His eyes were glassy, his face was ashen, and he wobbled dangerously. Blood was freely flowing from his wings, staining the ground where they dragged.

“Taren, are you okay?” She asked.

He didn’t answer. He just stood there staring blankly at her. The pupils of his eyes were overly large. His face was much paler than it usually was.

“Taren?” Parel asked, the panic very apparent in her voice.

As he tried to take a step towards her, his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell.

“TAREN!” She screamed.

Before she could move, however, a figure materialized next to him. An instant later both Taren and the figure disappeared.

Parel covered her mouth in horror. Taren was gone. She was now alone with the unconscious girl that had just tried to kill him.

“All is not as bad as it seems.” Oran told her. “The figure that just spirited the king away is another wielder. She has taken him to one that can help him.”

“What about her?” Parel asked, gesturing to the small woman.

“She is also a wielder. She has been used by the dark lords. Her family was murdered by Dareth himself. She was kidnapped as child.” Oran explained. “She requires special consideration. The blade that she wields is a very unique blade.”

“What’s so special about it” Parel asked.

It took Oran a couple of moments to answer. Parel could tell that he was considering how to phrase his response.

“Amber is the one Crystal Blade, that we know of, that was not forged by Paron and Derek. She was not forged at all. She was born.” Oran explained.

“She was what? How?” Parel was flabbergasted.

“That is a long story.” Oran said. “I have just heard back from Eric. Taren should be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” She asked.

Oran’s reply was short. “Relax.”

Shaunna watched in horror as Taren fainted from pain and blood loss. She recognized the signs of shock as soon as she saw them, being fresh out of the clinic herself. Without thinking about it she grabbed the crystal that hung around her neck and took a step forward. She prayed that Cera would get her to the correct place as she vanished, reappearing next to the fallen Elf.

“One more time, Cera.” She said quietly, as she dropped and grabbed Taren. “Please don’t fail me now.

The woodland clearing dissolved around her. When she looked up, she was glad to see that she was indeed where she had intended to appear. She had hoped to not see this place again. The memory of the previous six months rushed back to her, causing her to feel suddenly claustrophobic.

“HOPE!” She yelled. “I NEED YOU!”

Ularen Hope stepped out of his clinic, a curious look on his face. He had not expected to hear that voice again.

“Are you hurt agai...” He stopped mid-sentence as he saw the boy laying on the ground, blood coming from his wings. “Is that? It can’t be. He’s dead.”

“I thought he was too, but do you know of anyone else in all of history that has wings?” Shaunna shot back. “Don’t just stand there staring, or he really will be dead.”

The words shocked Hope into action. “Help me carry him inside.”

Shaunna helped him carry Taren into the clinic. After placing him face down on a table, Hope hurriedly locked the door. He just shook his head at Shaunna’s questioning glance. After gathering the necessary supplies, he returned to the table. He started to dab at the wounds with a sterile cloth.

“Glass embedded in the flesh. Severe lacerations, looks like claw marks.” He looked at Shaunna. “What happened?”

She smiled a tight smile. “I think we found Seth’s missing daughter. She was under an enchantment that forced her to attack him. He was able to break the spell, but not before she had severely damaged his... wings.” She paused a moment on the last word.

“This is not working.” Hope said. “Cleaning the wounds is just causing them to reopen. This is going to kill him.”

“Is there no chance?” Shaunna asked.

“There is one chance. I didn’t want to do this, but I do not have a choice.” Hope answered gravely.

His hands shook as he placed them on the damaged wings. Closing his eyes, he willed the mystical healing light to flow from him into his patient. He had rarely used this ability since his mother had disappeared twelve years ago. He preferred the more traditional healing methods that he had been taught. The last time he had resorted to using the light was when Shaunna had showed up on his door step, gravely wounded.

As soon as the soothing light touched the wounds, it turned an ugly shade of crimson. Shaunna watched in awe as the muscles and tendons began to stitch themselves back together. As the wounds healed the light faded from crimson, to purple, to dark blue, to light blue. The sound of glass shards hitting the floor echoed around the silent room.

“I am finished.” Hope announce weakly.

Shaunna grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. “Are you all right?” She asked as she directed him to a nearby chair. She was surprised when the only answer she received was a soft snore.

“He will be well.” The words caused Shaunna to look around. She was mildly surprised when the biggest sword she had ever seen came floating out of the adjoining room.

“Hello Maxx.” She greeted the sword. “It is so nice to finally meet you.”

“I have had Eric send word that the king will be back tomorrow after noon. Hope will still be recovering from the exertions of his ministrations. It is imperative that you convince him to accompany you when you leave tomorrow.” Max explained.

“He has been hiding here for twelve years, how am I supposed to convince him to come with me?” She asked.

“You are a resourceful woman, I am sure you will figure something out.”

Shaunna watched as Maxx floated back into Hope’s living quarters. She wandered around the clinic’s main room trying to replace a place where she could rest comfortably. She did not want to sleep in one of the beds, the memory of being confined to one of these very beds was too fresh in her mind. As she wandered she let the irony of the situation wash over her. Half of the old gang was here. She knew that Hope remembered the times that they had spent at the castle, he was even older than she was. She was also sure that Taren would not remember, he had only been one when the castle had been attacked. The only ones missing were the three princesses. They had been thought dead. There was a valid question against that now, if he was alive, perhaps they were too. None of their bodies had been found.

The thought caused her to smile. It was the first real smile she had worn in twelve years. This meant that her life may finally change for the better. That is if he decided to keep the oath that their parents had made. She didn’t know what kind of man he had become. She only knew that he was powerful. Only a very powerful being could have even touched that sword, much less been able to wield it.

A deep yawn cut her thought short. She had been going constantly all day and she needed rest. She sat down in the chair next to Taren. She watch him sleep for a few moments before drifting off herself.

The sun was just cresting the horizon when Narissa awoke. She felt almost alien in her two legged form. It had been twenty years since she had last felt this. Her long white hair fell in her face as she threw her arms around her knees, drawing them up to her chest. Tears fell on her knees, tickling as they ran down her legs to fall on the ground beneath her. She felt incredibly small in the broad clearing. The dense ring of trees seemed to form a barrier meant to keep her from fleeing. Her toes absently played with the lush green grass.

She didn’t want to believe the visions that she had had, but she knew that they were true. Dareth had not been the kind master that she had always respected. He had killed her family and kidnapped her.

An object glinting in the early morning light brought her attention to the ground next to her. A gold four pointed star lay in the grass next to her. Transparent blade extended from each point of the star. Each blade glowed with a different color. Gemstones of the matching color were inlaid up each arm of the star: blue sapphires, red rubies, Diamonds, and a yellow gem that she recognized as citrine from the treasures that Dareth had amassed.

She picked up the star to examine it closer. “What do we have here.” Her soft voice sounded strange to her.

“I am Amber.” The answer startled Narissa so much that she trust the star away from her, and was even more surprised when it did not fall. “Please do not be afraid. I mean you no harm.” The little star’s blades pulsed with each word.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Narissa shrieked. She curled into a ball ball and sobbed.

“What is going on out here?” asked a different voice from the tents.

Parel stepped out of the tent. Taking stock of the situation, she was able to piece together what must have happened. She had been quite surprised when Oran had revealed himself to her. The fact that the small woman was curled up in a protective position must mean that she had taken it much less graciously than Parel had. It was no wonder, she had been a tiger until her fight with Taren last night. She must be experiencing sensory overload.

“Are you all right?” Parel asked as she stooped low to touch the tiny woman on the shoulder.

The warm touch caused Narissa to jump, slightly. She turned over and saw the friendly face of Parel.

“Who are you?” Narissa asked.

“I am Parel.” She answered. “Who are you?

“My name is Narissa.” The small woman answered timidly.

“I am not going to hurt you, Narissa.” Parel said.

The sincerity in Parel’s voice caused Narissa to relax. She loosened the grip on her knees, moving herself into a sitting position.

“What about that?” Narissa asked pointing towards the little star that was still hovering in the same spot.

“Did it speak to you?” Parel asked.

Narissa nodded.

“That means that it has chosen you as it’s wielder.” She pulled Oran out of her pocket. “Look, I have one too. They will not harm you.”

Narissa looked at the small knife with curiosity. “It speaks to you?”

Parel nodded. “Yes he does.”

Narissa held her hand out towards the star, with the palm up. The little star moved forward and came to rest in Narissa’s hand.

“I am sorry, Amber. I have been away for a long time. I have much to learn.” Narissa explained.

“I did not mean to startle you. I am still young and have much to learn myself.” Amber said. “We can learn together.”

Narissa closed her hand around the arms star, squeezing it slightly. She didn’t know why, but the presence of the star seemed familiar, like she had known Amber for a long time.

Parel pulled a skirt and blouse out of her pouch. “I am usually pretty good at sizing people up, so I took it upon myself to modify some of my clothes so they will fit you, I hope you don’t mind.”

She handed the clothes to Narissa. Narissa eyed the clothes warily. She had been locked as a tiger for twenty years. Clothes were a completely foreign concept for her now.

Seeing Narissa’s trepidation, Parel helped her dress. The clothes were simple, a brown skirt and a green blouse, but they changed her look completely. The simple colors accentuated her colorless skin. Her pink eyes looked down at herself in wonder. Her long white hair brushed her heels.

“Come here.” Parel gestured towards Narissa as she pulled a comb out of her pouch. “Let’s see what can be done with that hair.”

She sat Narissa on the ground in front of her and commenced meticulously brushing and braiding her hair.

Taren was confused when he woke up. He did not know where he was, or how he got there. The pain that he had been expecting from his wounds was mysteriously absent. His wings were spread out as he lay on the table. He climbed to his feet, stretching his wings to there fullest. Relishing in the feeling that he had feared he would never feel again. Folding his wings against his back, he took stock of his situation.

The room that he was in was obviously a medical clinic of some sort. There were rows of beds made with clean, white, sterile sheets. Various instruments that he recognized from years of watching his mother perform her trade. In chairs not far from where he had been sleeping there were a couple of Elves sleeping. One was male, his skin was as pale as Taren’s, but his hair was as black as midnight. The other was female, her hair was as white as snow, but her skin was deeply tanned. As Elves, they would be outcasts almost as much as he, with his wings, would be.

“You need to be careful where you stretch those things.” The female elf said gesturing behind him.

“I figured that you had already seen the wings, and I wasn’t dead, so you must not be out to judge me.” Taren explained.

“I am Shaunna Nightshade, and this is Ularen Hope.” Shaunna said. “Our parents were friends. We used to come to the castle when we were young. I used to play with your sisters.”

“If you knew me as a child, how come you didn’t try to replace me?” Taren asked.

“Everyone though that you were dead. I had no idea that you were alive until I came across your battle last night. You were severely injured, but you were able to free your combatant from the enchantment that caused her to attack you. She will be waiting for you when you get back.” Shaunna explained.

Ularen Hope stood slowly and stretched. “I haven’t used that ability in a very long time. I had forgotten how much it takes out of me.”

His pale skin was almost translucent. He had deep, dark, purple circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept in weeks.

“I am glad to see that you are well, your majesty.” He said.

Taren started when Ularen called him by the formal title. He was not used to the prospect yet. “Please, call me Taren. I am not the king yet.” He said.

“You may call me Hope.” Ularen said. “It is what I ask all of my friends to call me. I do not care for the name that I was given.”

Taren nodded. “We need to get back to Parel. I am not comfortable leaving her alone with that strange woman.” He said. “Can you point me back that direction.”

“It will take you several hours to get there flying, and even longer on foot. I have a quicker way to get there, but we need Ularen and his sword to accompany us.”

It was Hope’s turn to be shocked. “What makes you think I want to accompany you?”

“This is what being a wielder means, Hope.” Taren looked around to replace the source of the voice that answered. He stared as the large sword floated out of the adjacent room. It wasn’t the largest sword he had ever seen, his dad had been a blacksmith after all, but is was still impressive.

Taren was confused. “I thought Crystal Blades could only communicate with their wielders. How can I hear you?”

“Communication is my special talent. I can speak to whomever I wish, over very long distances if I choose.” The sword answered. “I am Maxximillian Crystal Blade.”

“You are the Father blade?” Taren asked, amazed.

“In more ways than you realize.” The Maxx answered. There was a hint of humor in his voice. “To answer your question, I was the first forged. I am the one that they call the Father Blade.”

“If I had known the troubles that you would cause me, I would have never picked you up in that cave.” Hope grumbled.

“You did pick me up, Hope, and I chose you as my wielder. The time has come for the next generation of guardians to take up the mantle. Three of you are here. Two more are waiting in the clearing where the king was attacked.”

“Maxx is right, Hope. You are a healer, are you not? The world is in need of healing. This is your chance to do some real good.” Shaunna chimed in.

Hope opened his mouth to argue, but he just closed it again. He sat back in the chair that he had been sleeping in. He looked worn as he sat there, resting his head in his hands.

Taren put his hand on Hopes shoulder. “I would appreciate it if you came. We can use all the help that we can get on this quest.”

Hope did not raise his head. “What is the quest, exactly?” He asked,

“I have to replace the Sun Fire Orb, and destroy it.” Taren answered.

Hope raised his head to look at Taren. “That is impossible, the orb can not be destroyed. On the other hand, the Orb has not been seen in over three hundred years. Where would we even begin to look for it.”

Shaunna’s voice was small as she said, “I think I can help with that. We need to go to the castle ruins first.” She looked Taren straight in the eye, not trying to hide the fear in her countenance. “We need to return to where it all began, for you.”

“Why?” Taren asked.

“You will see when we get there.” She turned to Hope. “Can we count on you?”

“Yes, give me a little while to pack some essentials. We can leave in thirty minutes.” He begrudgingly answered. “Are you sure that we will be able to get back to the others?” He asked Shaunna.

“She has been improving, and she does need the practice.” Shaunna answered.

Hope shook his head as he disappeared into his living quarters.

Thirty minutes later, all three of them were standing in front Hope’s clinic. The door was locked, and there was a sign explaining that they would be so for an indeterminate amount of time. Hope had a travelers’ pack slung across his shoulders, Maxx strapped across his back, and a normal size sword attached to his belt. He was dressed in loose fitting clothing, brown pants and a white shirt. Taren could just make out the slight clink of chain mail from under Hope’s clothing.

“Armor, why didn’t I think of that?” Taren asked

Hope and Shaunna looked at him incredulously.

“Oh... Right... Wings...” Taren said. “That would give my secret away.

Shaunna shook her head as she grabbed the crystal that hung around her neck. “Cera, I need you to transport us back to the location that we were last night.”

Taren turned to Shaunna “Who...” His words were cut short as the clinic and trees around him faded into nothingness.