Yspaddaden - Chapter 12

 Tabari, College.

"Yosh. Cara. Cherise. Thank you for coming. I know this was short notice, but it couldn't be avoided. The staff here have a request we'd like to ask of you. Please take it seriously, think about it. It is purely a volunteer mission, but I strongly suggest you consider going. A lot depends on the success of this journey."

Cara and Cherise looked at each other, then at Yosh. They were all three very curious. Cara turned back to the professor and looked him in the eyes.

"What is the mission?"

Professor Manikold stood up from his desk and walked around it, striding toward the large glass window that had been cut out of the far wall. The sunlight, reflecting off the bright snow, shone through the window and lit up the room. From where the girls sat and the Dragon crouched, the professor seemed to almost glow with the light. He was a tiny man, standing not even five feet high, and his stature was the brunt of many a kindhearted joke among the students at the Library. Despite his hight though, most people had to admit, the man was quite imposing. One did not reach his station by merely living and working. It took a certain kind of person to become a teacher at the infamous and secret College.

He turned around and faced the trio. Now the sunlight was at his back and his face obscured by it, but it gave him a strange, ethereal look.

"Have you ever heard of the Aszkastone? The Star of Aszka?"

Yosh and Cara both nodded their heads, but Cherise simply began reciting.

"'Not much is known about the famed Prize of DeMarka. Or, as it is known in Libni, the Minotaur language, Prrisxa Ke DeMarka. Thought by some to be forged by the god of the Idris, Uth, and then stolen by the Minotaurs in the WedgeWar, it is always rumoured to have many magical powers, but, as little to nothing is actually known about it, the rumours are strictly that. The most common belief is that it holds healing powers and that one can be cured of their disease if they pray to the gods and bleed on the stone. It is not even known where the relic is. Some say the Minotaurs have hidden it. Some say they never even knew of its existence and it was taken there by another. Still others insist that it is hidden in another part of the world, or that it doesn't exist at all. Other than that, nothing is known for sure about The Prize." She finished reciting the passage and sat back in her chair, waiting for the professor to respond.

He looked at her, then smiled.

"Ah Cherise. Ever the scholar. You could make a fine contribution to the faculty here. Have you ever considered staying on after graduation and studying to be a teacher?"

Cheri smiled sheepishly and shook her head.

"My place is with my sister, and I trust she would become insane if she had to stay here longer than was necessary."

Cara looked at her sister with pride. Yosh simply grunted in pleasure.

"Such dedication to your family. Admirable. But this is not the time to speak of careers. The Ambassador of the Kind in Ynwfn has heard of a man who is on a personal quest to travel to Finngal and retrieve the Aszkastone from the Minotaurs. We do not know why he is doing so, but we believe this quest of his to be quite important. We wish to offer to you three the opportunity to fly to Ynwfn and assist him in taking back the Stone. Of course the decision is yours."

The three companions all glanced at each other, speaking together in their minds.

"What do you think?" asked Yosh.

Cara frowned. "It's an intriguing thought. An item of that magnitude would be most interesting to study. There is little to be known about it, but if some of the rumours be true, it would be a most powerful thing to have."

Cherise nodded. "There is that, yes. But you also have to think about the fact that the teachers here have basically offered to send us on a mission that would take us halfway around the world, in the middle of the school year!"

"And your point is?"

Cherise smiled. Yosh laughed inside his head.

"You would jump at any chance to be free of this place wouldn't you?"

"Understand me, I love being a Rider. The training here is fun and I enjoy living with you two. But you are right, a chance to be free of this place, at least for a while? Surely you cannot tell me it is not appealing? And we would return soon."

Cara broke her mind away from the conversation, then looked at Professor Manikold.

"We have classes, studies, obligations."

"You would be exempt from all classes while you are on this journey."

Cherise piped up.

"Why us? What makes us so important that you would send us on such an important mission? Surely there must be other, more mature Pairs who are more suited to this kind of thing. What of Tesilar and Mylah? Cradawg and Fenice? Even the Golden Pair? Surely these are better choices."

The Professor smiled kindly and pulled out his chair at his desk. He spun it around and sat, grabbing a handful of papers that were lying there.

"I must admit, there was a list of other Pairs that we considered before choosing you three. Tesilar and Mylah are very skilled, their ingenuity and creativity would be very helpful to the mission. Cradawg and Fenice, though powerful indeed, are otherwise occupied. But ultimately, it was you that the Order agreed on. They believe that your unique combination would be best suited to help this young man and his companion. Cara, you are extremely analytical. Because this Stone is hidden, your calculating mind might be invaluable to finding out where the Minotaurs have hidden it. Cherise, you balance out your sister by being very impulsive. Some believe too much so. But that quality also allows you to think of possibilities that no one else may. To be unconventional. And while you two compliment each other almost perfectly, there is one final element that holds you together. Yosh, you seem to be the only creature who can handle these two and their differences. While they balance each other in thought, you are the one that holds them in check. You are the one who knows them well enough to settle disagreements easily, and decide on a course of action that would best benefit all. It is for these reasons that we have chosen the three of you. You all offer the best combination to help this man and bring back the Stone quickly and safely. Any questions?"

Yosh, Cara and Cherise all looked at each other, and then agreed in their minds. Yosh turned to the Professor and spoke.

"Your praises are welcomed Sir. It usually takes an outsider to truly see the best qualities in a person, without tainting them with pride or selfishness. We thank you for your words. I believe I speak for both of my Riders when I say that we are very intrigued to go on this journey. But I have one last question for you. Why is this Stone so important? What does it matter to the Kind and the Order that you would dare send us? Why not simply let this man go on his own and retrieve the Stone? Surely he is capable. Why needs him our assistance?"

The Professor sat back in his chair and looked at the trio. He seemed to be regarding them quite closely, as if perhaps he should not divulge his next bit of knowledge. Then he made his decision and sighed before speaking.

"There was a text, a piece of parchment that had been housed in the Uisnech Museum for the past hundred years. On this parchment were three things. A name, written in the human language, Popor. A word, written in the elvish text, Rokiotg."

"Prize", Cara translated.

Manikold nodded and Yosh spoke.

"You said three things?"

"Yes. The third was a word in the Minotaur tongue, in their letters. We were unable to translate it."

"Why not?" asked Cherise. "Surely there are people here in the Library who could translate such a word? I know a bit of Libni myself."

"We cannot know the word, because the parchment was stolen. Two months ago, after the parchment was seen by one of our own students and a possible connection made to the Aszkastone, we arranged for it to be brought here. But, as it was being transported, masked men raided the campsite of our couriers and stole the parchment. We do not know who they were or how they knew of the parchment. But the implications are severe. You three know of the Desolation of Juke?"

It was Yosh that provided the story this time.

"Juke was the first rogue Dragon. It is said that he rose one morning, cursed with a madness, which caused him to murder his Rider, an act that was unprecedented and unheard of. So the Kind banished him from the community of Dragons. He became the father of the Rogues. To this day, no one knows why he acted out against his closest friend and companion. Popor, the female human. Dead by the claws of a Dragon." He paused, and a single tear ran down his scaly face. Each of the girls laid a hand on his shoulders. "I could never imagine harming either one of my Riders. It was a sin for which there is no appropriate punishment."

Manikold nodded his head gravely.

"Indeed. So you can understand our curiosity when we discovered her name on a piece of parchment that also showed Minotaur letters and the name of the Aszkastone. It is an interesting connection that cannot go unsolved. We believe that if we had the Stone, here in the Library, that we can learn its secrets by studying it. There is much that is still unknown about it."

"But surely the Stone still belongs to the Dwarves? It was they that the Minotaurs stole it from in the first place."

Professor Manikold shook his head at Cherise.

"And where did they take the Stone from? No one knows its true origin. Do you believe their story that it was forged in the desert by their god Uth? More likely a prize taken from an unwitting traveler bartering for water." The girls could almost see his distaste for Dwarves and the desert. His eyes narrowed slightly. "No, the Stone belongs to no one. It should be brought here, to the Order. For study."

Cara and Cherise began conversing again by mindspeech. Yosh simply listened in to their silent conversation, not interrupting.

"What do you think sister? Do you believe his story?"

"I think he believes it. No one truly knows where the Stone came from originally, but Cara, that doesn't mean that the Order can simply take it as their own. If this man means to steal it from the Minotaurs, how does that make us different from them stealing it from the Dwarves, or the Dwarves from someone else? I agree that the Stone is important to the Kind, the possible connection to Popor is intriguing. But how are we to know if even that is true?"

"Are you suggesting that a professor of the Library would lie to us?"

Cherise glanced at the professor, who sat there, patiently waiting for them to finish talking. It was considered extremely rude for one to interrupt the conversations of Dragon and Rider under mindspeech.

"I don't know. It is possible that he may be expounding on the truth, so that we might feel more compelled to go on this trip."

"But he's a professor!"

"Cara, you're always too trusting! Trust your gut once in a while! This sounds interesting, but suspicious."

"Then what would you have us do?" The Dragon finally cut in.

Cherise looked at Yosh.

"I would have us go back to our rooms, rest, eat, and talk about this, just the three of us. Then we can decide whether or not to do this."

Cara looked uneasy. Cherise, ignoring the professor, laid a hand on her sisters leg.

"We do not have to decide at this moment. You're always telling me to consider all the angles. We should do that. Go to our rooms, or somewhere private, and talk about this. We can better choose a course of action that way."

Cara finally nodded and grasped her sisters hand. She then turned back to the professor.

"Professor Manikold. We wish to retire for the moment. This opportunity is too great for us to decide at this time whether to go or to stay. We wish to consult among the three of us in private."

The professor hesitated, staring at the purple Dragon and the two strange females that stood there before him. He finally nodded.

"Go then. Consider. Return here before nightfall. If you choose to, you must leave early next morning. I hope you choose wisely."

Cara nodded and bowed slightly and made to leave the room. Cherise followed her, but Yosh turned his neck and glanced back at the professor.

"Whatever our decision, human, you will abide by it."

Then he spun his head and stomped out into the hallway. The door banged shut, obscuring the indignant face of the Professor Manikold.

Once back in their rooms, Cara and Cherise sat on their beds. Yosh squeezed in through the large door and curled up on the carpeted floor, head rested on his tail. He closed his eyes, but was as invested in the conversation as the two girls were. Cara and Cherise looked at each other for a few minutes, each not knowing where to start. Cara folded her hands in her lap and Cherise played at the fringes on her blanket. Yosh simply sat there, content with not starting a conversation at all. His eyes closed, he appeared asleep, but they knew he was wide awake, thinking about the possible journey that lay before them. Several awkward minutes passed before Cherise finally spoke.

"So, what do we think? Are we going to go or not?"

Cara looked up at her sister.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right to me, stealing stolen property. And then bringing it back here, for the Order to study it? I might feel better if our goal was to return it to the dwarves, but that was not the missive. I'm not sure what our actions should be."

"But you have to admit, the connections to the Kind are incredible! If only half of the rumours about the Stone were true, it is a powerful artifact indeed! And to have it here, in the Library. That would really be something."

"Yes, but is it ours to have? Whatever we do or do not know about the Stone, the one thing that is certain is that it came from the dwarves. No one knows its true origins. They could have stolen it from someone else, or found it in their desert. How do we justify stealing it ourselves unless we intend to return it to its rightful owners?"

Cherise pointed at her sister emphatically.

"But you as much just admitted yourself! The true owners of the Stone are unknown! Whose to say it didn't originate with Popor and Juke? That it belongs here, with the Dragons and Riders."

Cara again looked down at her hands. She sighed and started to speak, but had no words to contribute. Cherise glanced out the window. The snow was still falling, though not as hard as it was this morning. She could make out the specks of a Pair, circling through the air. No doubt practicing some new aerial. They all three remained silent until Yosh opened his eyes and spoke.

"I believe we must go." The two girls looked at him, waiting for an explanation. He did not disappoint. "This relic, the Aszkastone, it seems much mystery and prestige surrounds it. I for one share the professors curiosity in knowing all I can about it. If this object has anything to do with the Traitor Juke and his dead Rider, if there is anything about this Stone that can reveal some unknown secret as to why he killed his closest friend and companion, then I would like to know what it is, and, I guess, so would many of the Kind, for we Dragons are a curious race. I do not care who or what possessed the Stone so many hundreds of years ago. Whoever knows of its origins must surely be long dead by now. Cherise is right, the possible powers of this thing are too great to ignore. And the Minotaur race are too unpredictable to possess something that is so unknown to us. Cara is also right though. Stealing stolen goods does not sit well with me. But we have to consider this. If we go to Ynwfn, and thus to Finngal, and help this man retrieve the Stone, it is to him that it must go, ultimately. He is the one who began this quest, it is us who would help him. Perhaps he has some other knowledge of the Stone that we do not, some different type of motivation. So I propose this. We journey off in the morning. Say goodbye to our friends here. And steel ourselves to a journey that will be written down in the history books and placed in the very Library we call home. We travel to Ynwfn. Inquire about his motivations and desires in this. And help him if we so choose to do at that point. I cannot let an opportunity of this magnitude pass me by. We are the Triple Pair! Yosh, Cara, Cherise, the perfect balance of Dragon and Riders. We will do this, and they will talk about our names for centuries, they will tell our tales to their children, they will be in awe of us and our great journey to help the humans bring back the most famed relic known to Aropod, the unknown Aszkastone. What say you?"

Cara looked at her sister, and Cherise could do nothing but smile back at her. Cherise leapt up and walked toward her friend, who had risen his head in a regal pose as he spoke. She reached up and grabbed his face, kissing the rough scales on his large cheek.

"How can we say no to a speech like that? I'm in."

Cara, smiling also, rose and kissed his other cheek.

"I'm by your side. Both of you. Always."

Yosh then smiled himself and nodded.

"So be it. Pack with haste. We fly out at first light."