The citizens of the capital city of Noia had become indifferent to the sight of the white robed giants that walked with their staffs of power in their midst. But even the sophisticated citizenry of Noia turned to gape at the sight of a white robed wizard and a half-breed followed by a rare winged serpent of the heights.
Having never been in a true town before much less a city of this size, Nafon had refused to wear the robes of a wizard to impress mere people. Instead, he stood tall and golden with a small tas, or hunting skirt, of hide wrapped around his middle, tall hunting boots that reached his knees that he had fashioned himself from yort skin and naught else save for a long hunting knife that he carried on the belt at his waist. With his dark skin and long, white hair he was a barbaric figure: tall, muscular with the handsome features of the wizard clan. With cool, crystal eyes he watched the changing crowd with much the same interest that he would have used to observe a new animal that he was tracking. He went weary but unafraid in the pools of so much humanity.
Nafon alone would have caused a sensation, but when he walked side by side with a wizard and an Arian winged serpent, the citizens of the capital city had to have wondered if the circus had come to town. They would have caused much more of a stir if the city at that moment weren't filled with strange beings from all parts of the world.
Tiny Tekan people with their golden wings rubbed shoulders with the huge, furry, bad tempered Teliats. Tall Wizards walked beside the short, stout warriors of the people. The catlike Gunts with their trading packs on their backs and their barking language laughed and joked with the dark miners of Segat, although Nafon noticed that there were very few of the miners present. All kinds of different species and races were represented in Noia on the day that Ott and Nafon arrived with Desiage in the capital city.
Desiage sent an urgent distress signal to Nafon. There were too many people here. The place stank to the fine senses of the winged snake. His forked tongue darted in and out with distaste. Nafon soothed him by running his hand absently over the snake's head scales.
"You should have left him behind. Your pet would have been perfectly happy tied to the city's gate posts like a runner." Ott nagged under his breath. He couldn't decide who was the dumber, the child or the snake. A scaled section of body accidentally rolled over his foot with deceptive weight. Ott howled and jumped up and down on his good foot, giving several nearby residents of the capitol a good laugh.
"That dumb snake has broken my foot!" Ott yelled at Nafon. The boy looked at him with eyes that seemed a million years old. He just looked. Ott felt his blood pressure soar.
"You stupid half-breed!" he growled between clenched teeth. Nafon shrugged and turned away so that the old wise one wouldn't see the smile that he couldn't keep off his face.
Desiage bumped against the old man and nearly knocked the tall, frail form down. As Ott grabbed at Nafon's strong arm for support, he could have sworn the creature actually winked. Ott shook his head. Next he'd begin to believe the ridiculous things that Nafon said that he saw in the crystal head of the power staff.
They moved with the general direction of the crowd. Gradually, it brought them to the center of town. The flame-shaped crystal broke into the colorful sunset sky like an explosion of blue flame. At the bottom of the mighty crystal were archways of entrance. Flocks of white robed figures passed in and out of these portals from the younger wizards with beards to their waists to the elders with their beards that dragged upon the ground. Nafon knew that Ott tied his up double to keep it clean.
"You stay here, boy, with that ugly pet of yours," Ott ordered, every inch of him bristling with authority and dignity. Desiage sent Nafon a mental picture of the old man in his bath tub at the same instance and it was all Nafon could do not to laugh.
"Yes, Sir." he said meekly. Ott puffed himself up. This was more like it! The boy should have more respect for his elders. He turned and walked gracefully to the wizard's palace. Only wizards could enter here and he wasn't sure if Nafon could enter or not. He thought it best not to test the crystal on their first day in the city.
He entered one of the closest portals. The pain of the entrance took his breath. The crystal tested its guardians in its own way. He was proud that he had never cried out at the pain even when he was a young man. He moved through the lower courts without stopping. He had vital news for Wasos, and he didn't need to delay with underlings. He reached the high court and was surprised to see a large crowd of white robes already gathered there. Wasos sat upon his high seat of office and listened to Rubit, one of the oldest wizards in the land, and one of his former teachers.
"...have to act. It grows in the north. We are long overdue to hear from Segat's wizard, Aanor. We must move swiftly. There is deadly peril." Ott was outraged that this old fool had beaten him to reporting. This should have been his hour, he should have been standing before Wasos. When this was all over, it could have been his ticket out of Zia.
"What's going on?" Nafon whispered in his ear.
"That old fool...What are you doing up here?" he hissed at his charge. The boy was standing beside him as calm and collected as if he'd witnessed a gathering of wizards every day of his life.
"I decided to see this for myself." Nafon said with a soft smile. "Is there something wrong?"
"Didn't the crystal burn into you as you entered?" the old man whispered suspiciously.
"Burn? No, as a matter of fact, I felt a warmth like a welcoming hug. It was like coming home." the boy answered.
"A hug?" Ott yelled at the top of his voice. "You felt a hug? It should have burnt you alive you ungrateful, little worm!" The entire room fell silent and hundreds of white robed heads turned to look at them. Wasos glared at them in a way that would have sent lesser mortals screaming in fear. The head wizard had eyes, it was rumored, that could kill.
Ott cringed in embarrassment. What had this stupid child done?
"Hi!" Nafon called cheerfully as he entered the room. Ott tried to grab him but years in the wild had taught him to move like an animal and he avoided his old guardian easily. He couldn't understand all the fuss. Something terrible was coming in from the north and they must move immediately if they were going to stop it. All these meetings were a time-consuming waste to Nafon.
"You may approach the Seat." Wasos granted him with deep dignity. Nafon moved up toward the old man. He could feel the fear in the room. This was some test then. He walked on with confidence. He might fail, that much was true, but he would not run away because there was a challenge.
Suddenly there was a snake at his feet. The white robes moved back away from him until he and the snake were alone in the clearing. The snake rocked and hissed. It was a type that was extremely poisonous. Nafon watched it as much as he would have watched any other creature that he came upon. He was not afraid.
A small bunny hopped between Nafon's foot and the snake. The snake, confident of it's kill, attacked. The Bunny opened a sweet mouth to reveal the teeth of a saber-toothed tiger. It killed the snake in one swift move. Then both creatures dissolved into mist.
"Unfair! Unfair!" Wasos screamed jumping up from his chair. "Your rabbit can't kill my snake. You cheated!"
"Your snake would have died anyway. They cannot survive outside of their swaps at Coeli. Air would have killed it," Nafon said easily. The old wizard turned ancient eyes of dead gray upon the young hunter. Nafon looked back easily with eyes that were even older. Bright crystal met cold gray. Nafon stood easily but the old wizard began to sweat. Then he started to pant. Nafon looked at him curiously. It was obvious that the old one was extending great power, sparks from it were flying off the crystal walls.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to combat a mutual enemy?" Nafon said quietly. The head wizard's face became red with anger and effort.
"Fight, you coward!" he whispered. Nafon cocked his head to one side.
"Why?" he asked quietly. The wizard jumped up and down he was so angry.
"Coward!" he screamed. He pointed his power staff at Nafon and the boy was engulfed in blue lightening. The crowd of wizards gasped. Nafon moved forward fascinated.
"Do you see the army in the glass?" he asked Wasos. "An army of all kinds of creatures. They move together toward a mountain." he watched fascinated at the vision in the wizard's staff, impervious to the blue sparks that surrounded him.
"What mountain?" Wasos said distracted. The blue lightening vanished. He sat down on the step and looked into the glass ball at the end of his staff.
"I am not sure. It seems to be hollow." a murmur of alarm ran through the room. Nafon looked up puzzled.
"You know of it?" he asked Wasos.
"Legend. Only legend." the old man said vaguely.
"There's a tree." Nafon said surprised. This caused a burst of alarm from the wizards. Wasos looked at him sharply.
"Tell me about the army." he ordered.
"All people from every corner of the world. Ziats, Deliacs, Tekians, Teliats, Gunts, everyone. All under one flag. They ride against the mountains."
"And the flag?" the wizard demanded.
"A star with six points." Nafon said puzzled.
"The star of Khorra!" Wasos exclaimed. The wizards in the room broke into a loud roar.
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