Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

Reforging the Bond

Patrik watched the wizard for a long moment. Then he turned abruptly to a thoughtful Shawn and Dezi, a thoughtful expression of his own on his face.

"Now that we've got a moment to ourselves, my brother, I've something else I need to reveal." A shift of Wielder magic and a massive book was cradled in his hand.

"I've made a bit of a discovery."

"Where did you get that?" Shawn asked, frowning as he tried to make out the symbols on the book's cover.

"From a reexamination of one of my earlier visions about the Earth Sword's history," Patrik replied, handing the book to his older brother, who immediately used a sa'anish rune to deactivate the latch before flipping it open to scan over a few of the pale, thin velum pages. As he did so, Dezi stepped close to read around his arm.

"Frost me icy!" Shawn quickly exclaimed, eyes flying wide as he realized what he was reading. "If my understanding of ancient elven is anywhere close to being good, this speaks of the elves before the arrival of the Sa'an on Ramnor!"

"And much more, I'd wager," Patrik said with a nod, folding his arms across his chest. "It's called the Kata Na'Sylvinor and it supposedly contains all the lost lore of the elves."

"Kata Na'Sylvinor?" Shawn repeated the unfamiliar name with a frown. "All my reading in the libraries of Aerlorn didn't make mention of such a volume."

"Nor do any of my people's teachings mention it," Dezi added, her beautiful face confused as she too looked up from the book to look first at Shawn, then over at Patrik. "But I'll also be the first to admit the dark elves have arrived relatively late to Ramnor. If such a volume once existed, and predated our creation, then logically we'd know nothing of it."

"Indeed," Shawn conceded. "But it doesn't explain why the elves, who should know something about a volume of such importance, have no record of it."

"Perhaps they themselves no longer remember," Patrik offered. "When I showed it to Ciradaan, Fenoran, and Najthin before our show and tell at the forge, only Fenoran recognized the name and not much beyond that. The oppression of the Crimson Empire went deep enough to erase the Kata from most of their memories. And with it, the strength they once had to face Kaal Eran in one on one combat."

"Frost me, even we have difficulty with that," Shawn admitted with a frown.

"Not for long," Patrik retorted. "Soon we'll be more than powerful enough to face not just one, but many demons in battle."

Shawn slowly nodded as he considered Patrik's words. It was true; with each passing day spent in the Star's company, he grew more comfortable with the bond between the ancient weapon and himself. And with that comfort came increasing capability in wielding her power and magic.

Setting that aside for a moment to consider how better off they'd be with elves re-empowered with their strength of old was enough to put a smile on his face.

"Nicely done, little brother," he quietly said, his smile broadening as he looked over at Patrik, who quickly returned the smile with a grin of his own. "I think your discovery may give us the edge we need to not only hold the Dagger out of Tjor'riin hands but fend off any demonic attempts at landing in southern Reutha as well. Nicely done, indeed!"

"Thank you," Patrik said modestly. "It felt like the right avenue to pursue so I did."

"Instinct trumps reason," Shawn quipped, his tone self-effacing. "I don't think I would've even thought of that, even though I made a trip into the past myself. Mind you, that was to speak to the Star's first wielder, not watch ancient elves in battle."