The Record of the Saints Caliber (30 page)

“One is.” said Egret. “Saint Isley. I took him for my own personal lieutenant.”

Balin cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Very interesting. May this Council inquire as to why you chose to take one Saint for your own?”

“I believe Saint Isley shares a common belief with me.” said Egret.

“Oh? And what belief might that be?” asked Balin.

“That the sleeping Goddess must be woken.” said Egret.

“Isn’t that what all Saints believe?” asked Balin. “Isn’t that why Celacia is here?”

“I believe that Celacia has returned to awaken her master, and not the sleeping Goddess.” said Egret.

“Interesting,” said Balin. “We presumed all the Saints who swore allegiance to Celacia did so because they believed she was here to awaken Aeoria.”

“Perhaps,” said Egret.

“You doubt their sincerity?” asked Balin.

“Isley aside, I doubt their allegiance to the Goddess,” said Egret. “I believe they are here for power. I don’t believe they think Celacia will awaken the Goddess, or care one way or the other if she does.”

“Well,” said Balin with a little clap. “It would seem King Garidrir and this Council share that sentiment. I think the Council would like to meet this Saint Isley today.” said Balin. The other Councilmen all nodded. “Where are the others?”

“They are at the Stellarium.” said Egret. “Lord Tarquin has accepted the position of Captain of the Saints Alliance and they are under his command now.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t given the title,” said Balin, shaking his head. “We on the Council asked King Garidrir to appoint you.”

“With all due respect,” said Egret. “I would have turned it down.”

Balin raised an eyebrow. “Very interesting. Do tell us why?”

“To be honest,” said Egret. “I want nothing to do with Celacia, the skull or the Saints. The Knights of the Dark Stars are more powerful than the Saints. Duroton does not need any of it.”

“It is true that Duroton has long claimed that the Dark Star Knights are more powerful than Saints,” said Aldur Ilmarinen. “But is it not true that the Saints are faster than you? Is it not true that Saints can have Caliber powers that exceed your own? And, I guess most importantly, without weapons and armor made of star-metal, aren’t you at a great disadvantage to them?”

Egret rolled his right shoulder in a casual shrug. “I suppose what you say is true. Their weapons and armor make them nearly invincible. No matter how powerful we are, our steel cannot penetrate Star-Armor and their star-metal weapons easily cut through our armor. Still, their necks are flesh and come off just as easily as any mortal’s.”

“With the skull you’ll be able to have Star-Armor and weapons as well,” said Balin. “The Jinn believe that if they can melt star-metal and reforge it, the Knights of the Dark Stars will be able to wear it.”

“I suppose.” said Egret.

“And it won’t just be for the Knights of the Dark Stars,” said Hymnar. “The Jinn believe that with time and skill, they can use the skull to forge star-metal armor light enough for all men to wear and use.”

“The Jinn have said that they could do amazing things with star-metal.” added Baldir Bjort. “The skull will give them the means to melt and shape it.”

“Hear, hear!” cried Jord. “Imagine bolt-throwers that can shoot star-metal spikes. Imagine the Knights of the Dark Stars in star-metal infused armor. None of the kingdoms will be a match for us. Not even Sanctuary and their Saints will stand before us.”

“Indeed,” said Balin. “It is as the Jinn have said. The fading of the stars heralds the end of the age of Saints. The Saints have failed to awaken the sleeping Goddess.”

“It is said that if the Goddess is not awakened before the last star fades from the sky, the new age shall be that of war and ruin.” reminded Egret.

“Yes,” said Balin. He looked at Egret with a coy smile. “War and ruin are not necessarily a bad thing. From destruction comes construction, and Duroton shall be the one to lay the new foundations of the world. The Jinn have said that we are entering the Age of the Dark Stars now. The Jinn have foreseen Duroton coming to flames under Brandrir’s rule, but not so with Dagrir. It is King Garidrir’s and this Council’s wish to see Duroton shape the coming new age under Dagrir’s rule.”

“Hear, hear!” cheered the other Councilmen.

“You see, Egret,” continued Balin. “If war and ruin shall come to the world, let it be because Duroton heralds it. Duroton shall no longer be confined to the north. The rule of Duroton shall stretch from here to the very Woes and the Saints shall be our servants.”

“Already a constellation of six serve us.” said Gefjon. “The Saints Alliance shall take the place of Sanctuary in the new age.”

“And the Dark Star Knights shall rule even them.” said Jord. “Each of the Dark Star Knights shall command their own constellation of Saints.”

“That is why I am surprised you declined to Captain the Saints Alliance,” said Balin. “Do you not realize that the position will be nearly as powerful as the King and Council? You would command the entirety of the world’s forces.”

“I do not believe the Lands shall allow what you say to come to pass.” said Egret.

Balin cocked his head. “No?”

“I yet believe Aeoria will be awakened.” said Egret. “The Gods gave birth to this world and it shall see its mother returned. In the stead of the Goddess’s rule the Lands of Duroton are her steward. And I think that is what this Council fails to remember, that we are but the Goddess’s steward. Your will would only bring Apollyon’s corruption to us, just as it came to Sanctuary and the rest of the kingdoms. This Council has become blinded by the power promised by Celacia.”

Balin looked at the Councilmen. “Oh ho! We’re blinded by power! Corrupted to the core!” he blustered, getting a little laugh out of the others. He turned back to Egret. “You don’t trust Celacia, I presume?”

“With all due respect to this Council, you should all be well versed in history,” said Egret. “The Jinn have told us much of what they know about the first age. We of Duroton should know the legends of the Dragon Kings and of their Avatars, Celacia not the least amongst them.”

“We know the legends,” croaked Parvailes. “We’ve all heard the stories of the Dragon Kings and their Avatars.”

“Then you know the tale of Darkendrog,” said Egret. “You know the legend of how the great black serpent tricked the other Dragon Kings into a trap to be slaughtered by Apollyon and fed to the beast, Kaldenthrax. You also know then the legends of Celacia, who as Darkendrog’s Avatar, was instrumental in the plan and that she herself killed all the other Avatars.”

“Ah,” said Balin wagging a finger. “But until she showed up at the Stellarium they were just that: legends and myths. Not even Celacia remembers everything. Who can know what is true? The legends said that Celacia was destroyed, yet she shows up at the Stellarium. The legends said that Felvurn was killed by the Kaldenthrax, yet Celacia finds his skull in the belly of Mount Rendral. Might I suggest that our legends might not be entirely accurate?”

“Again, with all due respect,” said Egret. “The legends said that Celacia was buried deep beneath the earth by Darkendrog in a place where she would never awaken. King Gatima’s men in Jerusa unearthed her in the bowels of the Womb of the World as they mined it for gems. The Dragon King Felvurn was said to be killed by the Kaldenthrax, but it was never said where. I have known Celacia for many months now. The Stellarium has become something of a home for her, and I have gotten to know her better than any. I am seeing more truth than lies in the legends the more I speak with her.”

Balin smiled coyly. “You sound chafed by her. Do I sense a lover’s quarrel?” The Council all laughed but Egret was not amused in the least.

“I was there the day she showed up on our doorstep,” said Egret. “She seemed confused that the Stellarium was not the home to Aeoria and Angels. She said she had come north looking for somebody and demanded to be let through. We thought she was a Saint. We attacked her and lost many men. The great iron doors of the fortress are still red with rust from her.

“It was the Jinn who recognized her at once. They ordered us to stand down and invited her inside. Much was discussed. She was very confused by the world and the starless skies, unsure of even the day and year. For more than a thousand years Celacia had been missing and the world was unrecognizable to her. For the first few days she wept very often, crying out to Darkendrog.”

“She sounds a far cry from the monster she is made out to be in the legends,” said Gefjon. “She could have crumbled the very foundations of Mount Cloudborn had she wanted to. Swept death across every one of you.”

Egret’s face hardened. “She spent much time in the Stellarium with the Jinn, gazing at the skies of old. Eventually the Jinn became bold enough to begin questioning her. She did not remember much. She said she had come to the Stellarium because of a memory she had of someone she had lost in the North. Eventually the Jinn showed her the stained glass murals in the Stellarium. At first they had kept them covered and secret from her but now hoped they might stir a memory. I saw her when her eyes first fell upon those murals,” said Egret. “It was not the angel that provoked her, but the sight of the Dragon Kings.”

“Darkendrog, I presume.” said Balin.

“No,” said Egret. “Of the great white one, Rallenar, and of the Avatar known as Calavar. At the very sight of them she began to weep and she seemed flooded by a rush of memories.”

“Of her ill deeds in the past?” asked Jord. “Of her betrayal to Aeoria, and how she slew the Avatars while her master, Darkendrog, took the lives of the other Dragon Kings?”

“Perhaps,” said Egret. “She would not speak of anything. She left for many days after that. When she returned, her demeanor was much darker.”

“Where did she go?” asked Gefjon.

“We suspect she went to Sanctuary,” said Egret. “We don’t know anything for sure, and she would not tell us. The Jinn believe she may have tried to contact Darkendrog or Admael. She may also have met with some Saints in secret, but none know for sure. Whatever she did, it was upon her return that she began asking about the Kald and the Kaldenthrax and about the Mard Grander.

“At first we thought she wanted to see the Mard Grander because it would remind her further of the past. It is, after all, forged of the armors worn by the Avatars that she killed. But we soon learned that was not the case. Her powers are useless against the Kald. Her aura of death does not affect them. Apparently, the Kald are soulless beings and have no life force. Thus, her powers cannot affect them.”

“Yes, but the Mard Grander can.” said Balin.

Egret nodded. “Celacia says she wants the Mard Grander so she can kill the Kald and the creature of the Abyss known as the Kaldenthrax. She says she has unfinished business with them; that they once betrayed her master. She also says the hammer can be used to awaken the sleeping Goddess and that after the Kald are destroyed, she shall use it to bring the Goddess back. But I do not believe that is entirely true. She said she first came north because she was looking for somebody she remembered. I think that somebody is the Black Dragon—her master—Darkendrog. I believe that Celacia needs the Mard Grander to bring back her master. If it is true that Holy Father Admael killed Darkendrog, then perhaps the Dragon King’s soul can be found in the Abyss. If she can kill the Kaldenthrax and enter the Abyss, then maybe she can bring back her master. I do not believe she intends to awaken the Goddess at all.”

Balin looked upon the Council with a raised eyebrow and they all nodded, as if sharing some unspoken secret with him. Balin tapped his fingers on the table and looked back at Egret. “You make some interesting observations, Lord Egret.” said Balin. “Did you come to that conclusion on your own, or with the help of the Jinn?”

“What I have said are my own personal beliefs based on my observations of Celacia.” said Egret. “I would not trust her with the Mard Grander. One need only recall the ancient legends to know that. They make it very clear that she is an enemy of our world.” Even as he said those words, Egret recounted the tales in his own mind. He had often pondered them after Celacia had shown up and had even begun re-reading the old lore books at the Stellarium. Celacia was old. As old as time itself, it would seem, and her legends were entangled with the demonic Kald, the ancient scourge of the North.

The legends began when the Old Gods—the Great Mother and Father—created the universe and it was young and primordial and empty of all but darkness. The Great Mother and Great Father gave birth to the seven Dragon Kings of Creation and charged them with building a beautiful world. There was Terragon, the King Under the Mountain, who ruled the lands; Marakan the Traveler, the Dragon of Lightning and Thunder; Felvurn of the Flames whose very breath could burn hotter than the sun; Sirusk of the Four Winds whose wings could stir forth tornadoes and hurricanes; Formos of the Seas whose domain was the very abyss of the endless oceans; and finally, chief amongst them were the Dragon Kings Darkendrog and Rallenar. Darkendrog the Black was King of Death and Destruction and his rule was also the secret and hidden places of the earth. Rallenar the White was King of Life and Creation and his rule was everything that light shined upon. The Dragon Kings ruled the earth and shaped it and placed upon it all the beasts and plants, and the Old Gods were happy.

In time the Great Father and Mother bore a son and a daughter. The child-gods were Apollyon and Aeoria. It was their births that heralded the dawn of mankind upon the earth, for the Great Mother and Father were so overjoyed by their children that they wanted the Dragon Kings to feel the same happiness that they felt. And so it was that the Old Gods placed man upon the earth, and the Dragon Kings came to be the embodiments of nature and were worshiped by men as gods both terrible and great.