Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 164

       The party gathered all of their newly acquired treasure and left. They decided to spend the rest of the day around the dragon's lair. Despite the dragon's absence, the forest still retained its eerie feel.

       Zerai and Ella sparred. Eris inspected the stone, as well as the dagger they had found. Ara' Sei let magical light flow between her fingers. The rest of the day passed by peacefully.

       Cedric meditated atop the hill the dragon's lair lay within. Using magic, he climbed one of the trees and sat in the canopy. He overlooked the forests for miles around. To each horizon was forest dotted with deciduous trees.

       It would be strange travelling down South all the way to Point Sathus. Cedric had heard that Southern Sathun was cast in perpetual Spring and Summer. It seemed so strange, as he had always known the flowing and changing of the seasons.

       He thought about the strange writing on the tablet Ara' Sei had found.

       "Upon the sea to the South, you shall find the greatest key. Deep within death's mouth, you shall find the melody. If you will accept its call, then the truth is what you'll see. If you fully heed this message, you will be the lord of all." Cedric repeated to himself.

       It did seem rather odd, but strangely relevant considering they were going South. But, what was a tablet like that doing here? How had the dragon collected all of this treasure? Why had it become a problem only in the past couple years?

       Maybe there would be an expert on dragons in Point Sathus. Besides, would they even follow the instructions on the tablet? They had no idea where it had come from, what it was talking about, or whether it was even real? Going into "death's mouth" certainly didn't seem like a good idea.

       After an hour of trying, Cedric gave up. His mind was too preoccupied for him to focus on meditation at the moment. Instead, he went over to Eris.

       "Hey." He said.

       "Oh, hi Cedric." Eris replied. Cedric looked at the dagger.

       "Do you know what it is?" Eris asked. Cedric shook his head.

       "Well, I think you can use it just as well as any other dagger." Cedric said.

       "You're probably right." Eris replied.

       "So, you've gotten really good at magic." Cedric said. Eris' cheeks became darker.

       "Oh, yeah, uh, umm, I've practiced on my own a lot." Eris replied.

       "I can tell. I can create a stormcloud to call lightning down, but I don't think I can do anything like that." Cedric said.

       "Yeah, I can also do this." Eris said. They reached their hand outwards and muttered an arcane incantation. Their hand crackled with blue electricity and they smiled.

       "I haven't really found the opportunity to use it yet, but I can use it just in case I lose my daggers." Eris said.

       "I don't have anything like that. The only thing I can do with lightning is create that storm cloud." Cedric said.

       "Well, besides Ara' Sei, you're the most powerful mage I know. You teleport us all the way across the world instantly!" Eris replied.

       "Well, it takes a ton of practice. It took me over a decade of practice before I could even cast my first spell." Cedric said.

       "Trust me, it shows." Eris said, smiling.

       The sun set, and Cedric made magical berries and provided the group with water.

       "So, tomorrow I'll transport us to Cresselbrooke, right?" Cedric asked.

       "Yeah." Zerai confirmed.

       After having their meal, the group went to bed. The path ahead of them was now uncertain once again. Cedric had no loose ends to tie up, and Ara' Sei wasn't going to receive any more visions.

       So, after identifying their magical items, what were they going to do?