Whispers of Dragons

Chapter 4

Conor led me around the palace and I followed mindlessly, thoughts about this unknown mage plaguing my mind. I wondered if he was an imposter. And if he was, what was he trying to accomplish by pretending he had the gift? I knew the council didn't like me, but my fear was that they would use this man to take my place on the council, leaving the mages a spokesperson whose intent was unclear.

Although, if I was being honest with myself, I would have to admit I was even more scared of what it would mean if the mage actually did share the gift. It had never happened in the history of the gift so why now? What changed to where the magic that governed the gift decided that one person wasn't enough? I felt sick thinking about the implication.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize we had stopped until I almost ran into Conor's back. I caught myself just in time to avoid falling and Conor smirked at me, enjoying the effect his announcement had on me.

"This is his room. He should be expecting you. I hope you guys have a nice... conversation." Conor grinned over his shoulder as he walked away, leaving me standing alone outside of the door. I stood outside of the door, contemplating what to do. I took off my jacket and tied it around my waist to hide the knife I always kept on my belt. I also pulled my wavy, light brown hair into a ponytail; I wanted to be prepared in case I had to fight. That done, I stood up straight, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

I walked into what seemed to be a study. There was a black desk, with a black chair behind it, and black couch in front of them. Painting decorated the room and many bookshelves were placed against the walls. Sitting in the chair, hunched over and scribbling furiously on a paper, was a boy who looked to be about my age. He had short, light brown hair, almost the same color as mine. He was muscular, as if he had been in many fights. I stood in the doorway for a couple of awkward seconds before the boy finally put down his pen and looked up at me.

I gasped as I stared into a pair of silver eyes that matched my own. At that moment, I knew his claim was accurate. Out of all the people in Seleman, only the council members had gray eyes, and until now, only I had silver eyes. Although I never knew the official reason behind my eye color, I had always speculated that it was the result of having the gift. Now I guess I could confirm that my guess was accurate. Although, my eyes only changed at the end of the acceptance ceremony to become a council member. The pieces clicked in my head.

"You're an official council member now, aren't you." I stated more than asked. He shook his head yes.

"Will Griffnof, 7th council member at your service." he declared. I breathed in a sigh of relief that I wasn't going to be replaced as a council member but at the same time, I was concerned at why this was happening. Why now, when it hasn't happened for centuries? I stared at Will as if I could find the answers in his face. As if he could read my mind he started explaining.

"I don't know why I have the gift. I know you have it and I know that only one mage is supposed to have it at a time but I honestly have no clue why it happened to me too." He stated earnestly. I stared at him but he never broke eye contact with me. It was a little unsettling to see my eyes in his face but from his expression, I could tell that he was telling the truth. Which, if I'm being honest with myself, unsettled me even more.

"I believe you." I told him. "I don't know why, but I do. What I'm worried about is why you gave yourself up in the first place, and what your plan is moving forward." I questioned.

"For the record, I didn't give myself up. I was given up by my family." He said sadly. I looked at him confused until he started to explain. "I was hunting with my father and we came across a dragon. I had my sword above it's heart and was about to kill it when I heard it pleading with me to save it's life." Will looked disturbed. "I hesitated and listened to it tell it's story but I had forgotten about my father. While I was listening, my father came up behind me and ran his sword through the dragon's heart. As soon as the dragon was dead, he stared at me in horror and started telling me how I disgraced the family and how he never wanted to see me again." Will's eyes glazed over as he got lost in the memory.

"But if your family was a mage family, wouldn't they have been grateful for your gift?" I asked, confused.

"If they were a mage family they would have been, but unfortunately, my family was a non-mage one and were very strong supporters of 'death to mages'." Will laughed humorlessly. "The sad part is, I'm not even a mage. I have never even felt the presence of magic so why me?" He looked at me desperately now. "Why was my life ruined if I'm not even a mage?" He looked pained. I thought over his story.

"So how did your family give you up then? You didn't think to run?" I asked curiously.

"Oh I was going to. After calling me a disgrace, my father ran away from me. I had stayed by the dragon for a bit, trying to come to terms with the gift and trying to realize what it could mean. By that point, I had decided to run away so I went back home to pack some supplies but when I got there, I found my mother, father, and younger brother waiting for me with the guards. They took me away with my family looking on in disgust. I've been here ever since." Will stated simply. I was sad for him. I had come of my own free will and my mage family had been encouraging of my sacrifice but him, it was forced upon him. He was helpless against what was happening but I still had to be careful. He was dangerous, even if he didn't mean to be. I was startled from my thoughts when I heard Will speak.

"So, what happens now?" he asked me.

"Good question."