Spear of Destiny by James Baldwin (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📕

“How did you know to find us?” I asked, settling into a relaxed kneel. “We hadn’t even-”

“I know everything that takes place on this island, Paragon.” The Avatar whisked the spices into a dish of thick milk, turning it an attractive shade of yellow. “The Ancestors who protect our domain are an unseen army of eyes and ears. Every ship who passes through the dome that shields this island is seen and known by them. Any person can be found. Any weapon—such as the legendary Spear of Nine Spheres—can be identified.”

“How?” Suri asked. “With... all respect, I mean. The Priest-Queen didn’t really tell us anything about you. Who you are, what you do. Nothing.”

“Mmm.” The Avatar stirred the milk until it was frothy, then divided the liquid between seven small stone cups. When he was done, he lined the cups up in a row in front of us. Then he reached up to remove his concealing headdress. “It is customary for all dignitaries of our people to use their names with their guests, no matter their position in colony. You may call me Sanayam.”

Sanayam resembled a Sphynx cat: he was heavily wrinkled, his muzzle drawn with deep lines and folds of dark gray skin. He had no whiskers, and huge green eyes that glowed in the semi-darkness of the room. Every inch of his skin was inked: rows and rows and rows of tiny, precisely scribed sigils that crawled with tiny flickers of light and color.

“I am the keeper of the lore and history of my people,” he said heavily, the tip of his naked tail twitching back and forth over his lap. “And I am also the conduit between the living and the dead. Our ancestors imbue the Lesser Shield which guards this island, and which has protected it from invaders for three millennia.”

“The Lesser Shield? You based it on the Caul of Souls?” I asked. “That’s what it is, right? Like a mini-Caul.”

“No. The Lesser Shield was created first,” the Avatar said. “A prototype, which gave us the time we needed to build weapons capable of destroying the Deceivers. We are the oldest race on Archemi, and our cities sprawled through the forests and jungles of the world. Our civilization was mighty when the Aesari were still living in caves, dwelling in primitive obscurity for millennia. We were here when the Solonkratsu descended from Erruku, bringing with them the tulaq and the first humans. And we were here when the Drachan came... and defeated us.”

“Dragons came from Erruku?” Karalti blinked several times, her untouched cup of milk cupped in her hands.

“Yes. Once, long ago. It was the world of the Solonkratsu.” Sanayam bowed his head. “Your people arrived here some ten thousand years ago… a time when Erruku was green and blue, not dry and yellow with dust. Our most ancient records speak of the dragons as a technologically advanced society, artificers of great machines that let them accomplish wonders we cannot yet dream of. Some great calamity transpired there, many millennia ago, and the dragons came here with their servants.”

“Wow.” Karalti looked down at the table. “I wonder what happened? And how they did it?”

“That, unfortunately, is a mystery lost to the storms of time.” Sanayam paused to take a silent sip of his drink. “You came here to discuss a more recent calamity: the Great Calamity of our planet. The arrival of the Drachan.”

“Yes. And more importantly, how they were defeated.” I leaned in. “We’ve found two Warsingers, and we know where to find the others. There was a map, in the Rose Vault of Withering Rose.”

“A fortunate find. That it worked is a testament to the brilliance of the ancestors. The terminal, the portals, the Warsingers… they are incredibly old.” The Avatar cupped his hands in his lap, regarding each of us in turn. “I should like each member of the Triad to ask the most important question they feel they need answered.”

“Triad?” Gar said. “What’s that?”

“The six in three: six Starborn who bear the responsibility of sustaining the Caul of Souls, which we call the Greater Shield of Ancestors in this land,” Sanayam replied calmly. “The first corner of the Triad is the Paragon, a pair comprised of a Solonkratsu, who acts as a conduit of power, and a hero who bears the master key to all the Dragon Gates, the Spear of Nine Spheres. At its full power, the Spear is a devastating burden, one which requires the strength of two linked minds to endure. Such a bond is only possible between a dragon and her rider.”

Karalti reached for my hand. I squeezed it gently.

“The Artisan is the second cornerstone: a pair of artificers of remarkable skill, united by a passion for creation,” Sanayam continued. “Within the Dragon Gates, there are traps and machina that only they can possibly repair, construct, or control. That includes the Warsingers—but also the ancient devices which funnel the souls of the gods and maintain the Greater Shield. All created things, whether they be worlds or machines, are subject to entropy. Time erodes metal and man alike. The Artisans are able to turn back the clock, keeping the Warsingers and other weapons ready to defend us if the need should arise. The map you found is the product of their efforts, as are all other functional artifacts related to the Caul.”

Rin and Gar looked at each other.

“I’m just tagging along, actually,” Gar said. “Barely know these guys at all.”

“Yeah, he is. And I’m really not able to cope with something this big.” Rin nodded. “I-I mean, I want to help, but…”

“It is not for me to say.” Sanayam turned his luminous eyes to Suri. “The last member of the Triad is the Warsinger: the unity of flesh and metal, mind and machine. The Warsingers were