The Guardian Chronicles: The Shadow Alliance

Okkan and Gatu Woods

Okkan

    Celidan woke up in a dark room. He lifted his head and found that he was lying on his back. He groaned, every bone in his body ached. He slowly sat up and sighed, this had been a very rough week. He looked around and tried to figure out where he was. The room was devoid of windows or any light. His eyes began to adjust and he could see through the darkness.

    He saw that there had been windows on the back wall but they were all boarded up with what looked like tables that had had there legs broken off. He suddenly knew where he was…this had been a classroom, his classroom. He slowly stood and he felt several sharp objects stabbing him, he looked down and saw that he had twelve tiny shards if his focusing stone stuck in his cloak.

    He smiled and his eyes went wide, he carefully pulled each one out and held it in his hand. He was not helpless any longer, but he had no way to use them without a staff…unless…no it was too risky. There was a way for a Wizard to use his focusing stone without a staff but it was very dangerous and none had attempted it since Tsavin’s day. Celidan sighed and closed his eyes…he was not ready to try it yet. He shut his hand and put the shards into a secret pocket in his cloak.

    He leaned up against the wall behind him and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes again and tried to contact Garigh with his mind. He bumped up against a nearly impregnable wall of will. He recognized it as Acolyptic in nature; he had never felt a power like that before. He clenched his teeth and knew he was cut off and alone from any help.

    He wondered what they had done to Telyn; it had been such a beautiful city. It had been full of young Wizards being prepared to aid the world…but then Falkerr had come and changed all that. He had destroyed their good name by shutting the doors of Telyn in the face of every ally and needy person who came along.

    Celidan remembered that several hundred Wizards had left Telyn when Falkerr took over from the ailing Yath. Falkerr had labeled them all Outlaws. They had all been right to leave. Celidan smiled, he had thought he could change Telyn back from the inside. He had been wrong. He wondered where all the Outlaw Wizards were. He closed his eyes and he suddenly heard tapping on the wall that faced another classroom.

    He ran over to the wall and heard a voice, “Hello? Hello?” the voice was muffled, but he recognized it.

    “Okkan? Is that you?” Celidan asked in disbelief.

    Okkan was another member of the Silver Order, though he was not on the Council. He was short and had a pot belly. He was always dressed in green robes with red trim. His staff was made of white wood and it had a bright red focusing stone. He was bald on the top of his head, but he had long wispy white hair around the edges. He had kind brown eyes and a smile was always on his face.

    “Celidan! Don’t tell me they got you too? Oh dear, dear!” Okkan said.

    “Tell me…what is going on here? Why are the Acolypses here?” Celidan asked speaking into the wall.

    Okkan sighed, “They came the same day you left…you remember? You and Falkerr had an argument and many of the Silver Order agreed with you. After you left, Falkerr swore he would get us for that. He stormed off and the next time we saw him, he had Matroclos with him.” Okkan sighed again, “It didn’t take long for him to defeat us all. Against Falkerr and Matroclos, what could we do?”

    Celidan shook his head, “I should not have left…I should have stayed and fought with you.”

    “No! That would have been a mistake! They needed you out there!” Okkan coughed, “Tell me, what happened when you left? There have been strange murmurings in the air…”