Chapter IX

Chapter IX

The day seemed to be bringing with it new tribulations, new fears. Everyone woke almost simultaneously, meeting in the kitchen with grim looks on their faces, as if sleep had been painfully taken from them. “Good morning,” Esperanza said, entering the kitchen after everyone else. She felt their discomfort, remembering exactly how she had felt the day of her departure onto the path of destiny. The mages stood silently, nervously exchanging glances, or nothing at all. Eona was still troubled from the night before, wondering who, or what she had seen during her meditation. She knew that speaking to Esperanza about it would be the smartest idea, but she decided to keep it to herself, no matter how later consequences might affect her. She figured that it was important, and if so, it would display itself to her later in her journey. 

    Esperanza cooked the mages a quick breakfast of eggs and a strange liquid that she said would provide them with nutrients for magic amputation. They ate in silence until the old mage became so uncomfortable with it that she slammed her hand down on the table. Everyone jolted and look up at her, surprise that she even possessed such force. “Listen. I know how nervous you all are. But trust me when I tell you that silence amongst companions, silence amongst friends will tear you apart in the end. You have no need to be afraid of each other. You will be each other’s family for the next few months, and probably after the battle. You might as well start acting like it,” she closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. 

    The mages looked at each other and seemed to agree. How could they possible confront an enemy that needed all four of them if they didn’t acknowledge each other? They new that they should have faith in one another, but the weight of fright and worry was weighing down on each of them. “You’ll do fine, my young mages. I promise. No matter what happens, you’ll win,” the old mage looked up at them and smiled, noticing the shift in mood on their faces.

Moments later, the mages were carrying their luggage outside and loading saddlebags onto their horses. The beasts whinnied, excited to see their riders but also curious as to where they were going to be riding to. Each companion mounted their horses, except for Eona, who looked back at Esperanza longingly. The old mage smiled at her, and took her into her arms. It was the closest embrace that Eona had had to her mother’s in the last few days. She had missed this type of embrace for so long she almost wanted to cry. “You’ll be fine. Stay strong, Eona. Stay strong. Hold your friends together. As they say, water creates life. Do that for your companions,” Esperanza lifted Eona’s chin to get a better look at the young mage’s face. Eona nodded, then left the warm embrace to mount her own horse.

The mages took one last look at the old cottage. It had been their home for a grand total of two days, but a well heated home, full of knowledge, love, and strange objects. They had smiled, laughed, learned, and doubted in the house. Esperanza took one last look at them, confidence painted across her face. “Now, I have one final piece of information to give you. For each one of the four dragon gods, an artifact is spread about the continent. These artifacts are what you would call pearls, large pearls containing great power. Each has a place to be set, and each location changes when the cycle of mages renews. Once set, the pearls emit a beam of light that connects them together, which in turn will lead you to the location of the inevitable battle. You can only fight on that particular field. For reasons that are beyond my grasp, the gods made it incredible difficult to confront their adversary. But for whatever their reasons, I trust them, as I trust you. The only way to retrieve the pearls is for each one of you to consult with the god of your given element,” she noticed their faces turn pale. 

“How are we going to find these pearls? Or the gods for that matter?” Kaizair asked, a small laugh beneath his voice.

“Here’s a riddle for you: The gods mark their place, by what they symbolize within this world. There, thou shalt speak and learn, and the pearls they shall give. Hopefully, it’s simple enough. You’ll know what I mean when the times comes. Farewell, my mages. Good luck to you all,” Esperanza said. Exchanging glances with one another, the mages kicked their horses sides and followed each other one by one, descending a small hill into a large ravine at the bottom of it. 

Esperanza gazed off into the the direction of the rising sun for what seemed like hours. She hadn’t felt any doubts until now, when the mages had left her protection, her guidance. But she shook her head, throwing those thoughts away from her mind. Her familiar, the black cat walked through the front doorway and began to rub itself against her legs. A gentle wind blew Esperanza’s hair, bringing with it a small butterfly, gliding along the flowing air across the old mage‘s vision. “Yes. I agree. They will bring change. They will finally bring peace...”     

Author's Note

Please keep criticisms civil, thank you