Valley of the Ancients: Book Three of the Restoration Series by Christopher Williams Page B
Authors: Christopher Williams
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She made a motioning gesture towards them, "Come on!".
Atock stepped through the door into the small room. It was way too small for the number of people who were assembled here. Six people were gathered into the too small room, the only person missing was Enton. He barely had a moment to absorb that fact before Mikela hugged him hard and Aaron began wringing his hand. Their greetings were short lived though.
"Where's Ento0">n?" Dagan asked, giving voice to the thought that was running through Atock's head. He looked slightly apprehensive.
"Relax," Heather answered, moving over to the bed and sitting down.
She looked rather tired, like the stress of being in charge was getting to her. It wasn't easy being in charge. Still though, he would have thought that the week of rest at this inn would have been good for her.
"I want to know what happened." Heather said, her eyes trying to bore the information out of Atock. "Everything."
Before he began, Atock glanced at Dagan. The old man nodded, "I've warded the room. No one will hear what's said here."
Cassandra and Mikela moved quickly over to sit next to Heather on the edge of the bed. Dagan took the rickety looking chair and a somewhat grumpy looking Aaron sat on the floor with his back against the wall.
Then Atock began telling the story. He leaned against the wall just to the right of the door as he relayed everything that had happened to them. Everything from having to leave Helum early, to their wanderings in the catacombs, to Philip's death. Both Mikela and Heather looked a little misty eyed at the news and Aaron just looked grim. Philip may not have been their best friend, but he had been a comrade.
"Exactly how did he die?" Aaron pressed, interrupting Atock's story. "Who killed him?"
Atock shook his head, "Not exactly sure. I was unconscious at the time, but Flare told me that Philip was killed by the arrival of Zalustus and his followers."
"But how did you get back to Telur so quickly?" Heather asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
Atock shuddered at the very thought of their flight with the dragon. "When we passed through the valley of Ail-Dasharra, there was a dragon imprisoned there. Flare gave it a temporary release from its prison, if it would fly us to Telur."
"How did he do that?" Mikela asked, looking horrified. "I mean, wouldn't that require a member of the Dragon Order to release the dragon?"
Atock cocked his head to the right, "I thought Flare was able to do it because he's a descendant of King Osturlius."
Dagan shook his head and leaned forward in his chair. "No. The dragon was imprisoned in that valley long before Osturlius. The only way that Flare could have released him was if the dragon recognized his authority as a member of the Dragon Order." It was the first thing he had said since Atock began telling his tale.
"What about that?" Aaron asked from his place on the floor. "Has he really claimed the sword? Is the Order re-established?"
"He has claimed the sword," Dagan answered quietly, "but the Order has not been established yet."
"But he's trying?" Mikela asked. She spoke so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear.
Dagan sighed, "And we get to it at last. Yes, he is trying to restore the Dragon Order, but I for one do not think that's a bad thing."
"How can you say that?" Heather exclaimed, "Haven't you read Kelcer?"
&height="0" width="48">"I read Kelcer before you were ever born, so watch your tongue." Dagan's tone had gone rather sharp. "We are stuck with a rather poor translation of Kelcer and not everyone who reads it believes that the restoration of the Dragon Order is our doom." The common tongue had been around for millennia, but it hadn't always been the exclusive language. Once, different kingdoms had spoken their own language in addition to common. The Kelcer prophecy had been written in one such language and then translated into common.
"Poor translation!" Heather shouted, popping to her feet. "How can you say
Atock stepped through the door into the small room. It was way too small for the number of people who were assembled here. Six people were gathered into the too small room, the only person missing was Enton. He barely had a moment to absorb that fact before Mikela hugged him hard and Aaron began wringing his hand. Their greetings were short lived though.
"Where's Ento0">n?" Dagan asked, giving voice to the thought that was running through Atock's head. He looked slightly apprehensive.
"Relax," Heather answered, moving over to the bed and sitting down.
She looked rather tired, like the stress of being in charge was getting to her. It wasn't easy being in charge. Still though, he would have thought that the week of rest at this inn would have been good for her.
"I want to know what happened." Heather said, her eyes trying to bore the information out of Atock. "Everything."
Before he began, Atock glanced at Dagan. The old man nodded, "I've warded the room. No one will hear what's said here."
Cassandra and Mikela moved quickly over to sit next to Heather on the edge of the bed. Dagan took the rickety looking chair and a somewhat grumpy looking Aaron sat on the floor with his back against the wall.
Then Atock began telling the story. He leaned against the wall just to the right of the door as he relayed everything that had happened to them. Everything from having to leave Helum early, to their wanderings in the catacombs, to Philip's death. Both Mikela and Heather looked a little misty eyed at the news and Aaron just looked grim. Philip may not have been their best friend, but he had been a comrade.
"Exactly how did he die?" Aaron pressed, interrupting Atock's story. "Who killed him?"
Atock shook his head, "Not exactly sure. I was unconscious at the time, but Flare told me that Philip was killed by the arrival of Zalustus and his followers."
"But how did you get back to Telur so quickly?" Heather asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
Atock shuddered at the very thought of their flight with the dragon. "When we passed through the valley of Ail-Dasharra, there was a dragon imprisoned there. Flare gave it a temporary release from its prison, if it would fly us to Telur."
"How did he do that?" Mikela asked, looking horrified. "I mean, wouldn't that require a member of the Dragon Order to release the dragon?"
Atock cocked his head to the right, "I thought Flare was able to do it because he's a descendant of King Osturlius."
Dagan shook his head and leaned forward in his chair. "No. The dragon was imprisoned in that valley long before Osturlius. The only way that Flare could have released him was if the dragon recognized his authority as a member of the Dragon Order." It was the first thing he had said since Atock began telling his tale.
"What about that?" Aaron asked from his place on the floor. "Has he really claimed the sword? Is the Order re-established?"
"He has claimed the sword," Dagan answered quietly, "but the Order has not been established yet."
"But he's trying?" Mikela asked. She spoke so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear.
Dagan sighed, "And we get to it at last. Yes, he is trying to restore the Dragon Order, but I for one do not think that's a bad thing."
"How can you say that?" Heather exclaimed, "Haven't you read Kelcer?"
&height="0" width="48">"I read Kelcer before you were ever born, so watch your tongue." Dagan's tone had gone rather sharp. "We are stuck with a rather poor translation of Kelcer and not everyone who reads it believes that the restoration of the Dragon Order is our doom." The common tongue had been around for millennia, but it hadn't always been the exclusive language. Once, different kingdoms had spoken their own language in addition to common. The Kelcer prophecy had been written in one such language and then translated into common.
"Poor translation!" Heather shouted, popping to her feet. "How can you say
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