[Firenze]: 56.Sharman - The New Beginning: Chapter11

CHAPTER ELEVEN – THE DARKNESS IN LIGHT

The Dagda leaders surrounded Kerrin as she awoke in a daze. Before she could fully recover they bounded her arms and legs with magic and smiled, “She should recover fully soon” one of the closest Dagda said to his companion.
“Father? Where am I?” Kerrin said drowsily.
“No dear child, your father is not here” The Dagda sharman said with a laugh as he waved his hand over her face making her become fully conscious.
“Dagda!” She screamed as she tried to run but fell as her bonds were tight, “Let me go, you have no right to take me, I am Kerrin, Family of Perdhro, daughter of the High Sharman, return me to the guild now!” she shouted.
“We know who you are, we are more concerned with the spirit you have and your mothers’ oath” a female Dagda said as she emerged from the shadows.
“Bah! She can learn about that later, right now we should be initiating her! Before Morea gets here!” another Dagda growled.
“That Icuban is too late for I am here” Morea said as he came out behind him, “Now release my daughter before I make you release her” he said sternly as he came into the light digging his dagger into Icuban’s back.
“So you want her back, why is she so important to you? She is Dagda” Wimnar said as she stepped forward.
“She is also Sharman, Wimnar, Grand Sharman of The Dagda” Morea said turning to her and smiling.
“Yes but her mothers oath means she is Dagda and will train as Dagda when she completes her sharman training” Wimnar said smiling just as happily.
“But that oath is broken if the child’s father is sharman and might I add you are even more beautiful everytime I see you” Morea said as he walked up to her.
“Flattery will get you nowhere Morea but you are correct when it comes to a normal Dagda oath, the oath of the leaders state that any child born in a female Dagda is Dagda” she said smiling gleefully at the idea of having Morea’s daughter as a Dagda and fighting against him.
“Yes but you forget that, that oath can be retracted in a statement by The Dagda leader if written in blood and I have that statement and cannot be destroyed for it is protected by their soul” Morea said as he pulled out the book and held open the last entry of Jenna’s journal.
“That traitor!” Wimnar said cursing Jenna, “But your daughter has a dark soul as a guardian which means she is ours” she said in hope of still claiming Kerrin.
“So? The spirit is of our family, the family of Perdhro who happens to be your little groups founder” Morea said sarcastically.
“You mean her guardian is Arramay!” Wimnar said almost fainting.
“Yes my guardian is Arramay and is very kind hearted to me, and reassures me that I will remain safe” she said calmly, “He also commands you to release me into my fathers custody before he rains all of hell upon you Wimnar” Kerrin’s eyes became dark and her hair as dark as night.
“Release her now before Arramay summons through her a demon which you will not be able to fight, please release her unless you want your souls ripped out and eaten” Morea said turning to Wimnar.
“Ashtra neram tonay ackana” Wimnar said casting a spell that made a mark upon Kerrin’s back, “She will be safe from all Sharman in the world” she said releasing Kerrin and everything began to calm again, “That mark will allow her to summon The Dagda magick if she ever needs it, it is our gift to her” she said, “But her light is weak and Arramay is the cause of this Morea, you will have to purify her very soon or your family curse will arise in her but then again maybe that will be a good thing” she said as she and the other Dagda vanished into the night leaving Kerrin and Morea in the mountains.
“Father, I don’t feel myself” Kerrin said as she came around to her normal self.
“That is because Arramay was summoning our family demon in you, seems that you are very powerful in darkness my dear daughter and we will have to change that” he said picking her up and holding her tight in his arms as he launched himself into the air and flew back to the safety of guild.
Back at the guild Kenaz was pacing his study awaiting the return of Morea and most importantly Kerrin, it was his duty as a guardian to take care of her but it was the duty of her father to provide everything and protect her from the evils of the world they lived in. Although in his mind he had failed Kerrin both as her guardian and as her Uncle, both duties were as high as one another. He grew tired of waiting for their return as the hour grew late in the day, he had postponed the student after-hour activities that he ran just so he could wait for them. But hour upon hour they did not return and Kenaz began to worry until a knock came upon his door. He walked graciously to the door and opened it. There stood Domitri with a grin upon his face, “Hello, you must be Sharman Kenaz” he said.

“Yes, I am Sharman Kenaz and who might you be?” Kenaz asked.
“I am Dagda Domitri, I have been sent by my leader with some books for your niece Kerrin to read, a great destiny lies ahead of her if she accepts it, she will unite Dagda and Sharman once again when she is High Sharman, it is good having two Dagda in the family” he said still smiling as he handed over the books to Kenaz.
“What do you mean it is good having two Dagda in the family?” Kenaz asked with a questionable look upon his face.
“Oh, do not tell me you do not know? Your sister was a Dagda leader, your niece is half Dagda, I am Dagda and your niece is related to me thanks to my twin Morea, I too am Kerrin’s Uncle” he said bowing.
“By Thurisaz can my day get any better? I will give the books to her but please come and speak with me it is a rarity that a Dagda Sharman comes to the Guild, please, I have a few questions, shouldn’t take much of your time, on my families honour I swear” Kenaz said practically begging, in truth he wanted to know if Kerrin was safe and unharmed since she had not returned to the Guild yet.
“I should return to the mountains but I need to learn about my family so I will take this time to do so” Domitri said smiling, “Besides I will be appearing more regularly if approved by my brother, I am to pose as a student here in the Guild a late bloomer so to say” he said jokingly as Kenaz showed him into his apartment, “A fine apartment, I was raised in the High Sharman quarters along with Morea, both the same apt level in abilities yet Morea always had something I did not, Father saw it but I could not, Father said that Morea was destined to be the father of great power, something that could unite the Sharman of the world” he looked down with a loving smile, “I miss being here sometimes, it is a hard life in the mountains especially when you are meant to be a leader but treated like a messenger boy all the time” Domitri looked to Kenaz, then to the window and his smile grew as he saw Morea and Kerrin land on the lawn.

Slowly Kerrin stood and stretched her arms and legs. It was her first time flying, Morea was going to teach her how to fly on the way back but in the end decided Kenaz would be worried enough about Kerrin to be pulling his hair out. Morea chuckled at Kerrin as she walked around like a bear that had just come out of hibernation. After a short while Kerrin took Morea’s arm, nestling her head gently upon his arm before they made their way into the Sharman apartments. As soon as Morea stepped into the apartments his head shot a look to the stairs, he sensed something or someone was there that shouldn’t be, cautiously he walked up the stairs trying to not let Kerrin know he was worried of what was ahead. They reached Kenaz’s apartment, Morea knocked upon the door lightly. Kenaz willed the door open for them when he heard the knock, “Come in” he said joyfully. Kerrin entered first, as soon as she and saw Domitri she turned around and said under her breath ‘Dagda’. Morea prepared himself for a fight not knowing who it would be that was in there, a ball of air appeared in his hand as he walked in. Domitri smiled as he saw Morea enter, “Always so predictable Morea, put the ball down, I mean no harm to you or your daughter” he looked to the door, “Kerrin! Please come in, I swear on my honour as a Dagda, I will not harm you or take you anywhere” Domitri said shaking his head.

“What are you doing here Domitri? I thought you would not return here after the confrontation?” Morea said slyly still ready to attack if needs be.
“Wimnar sent me, I did not wish to come but she said I had to come, have to offer some terms, Wimnar says I am to come back to the guild whilst Kerrin is in education here, I am to become a novice once again but also train Kerrin in Dagda ways as well, she is to learn both ways if she is to fulfil her full potential, to unite all Sharman as prophesised” Domitri said standing and looked towards Kerrin, “Morea will you accept me as a novice under the watch of a guardian, I will make sure they do not notice, I am of the winter, high sharman quality, I am strong in all elements now through training with Dagda, I can easily hide the ‘habits’ that we both have and soon Kerrin” he said smiling, looking at Kerrin and Morea darkly.
“So The Dagda want her to train in both ways an interesting proposal but you will not be stalking my novices whilst they sleep to perform the Tel’nariod on them, it will not be happening it is bad enough that I have to kept the sickness at bay but soon the sickness will spread to Kerrin as does it our entire family, you will have to leave the Guild grounds with me of an evening and Kerrin will too best she learn early” Morea said.
“Tel’nariod? What is this Tel’nariod? As Kerrin’s guardian and uncle I have a right to know what this is! What sickness pray tell are you talking about? Can’t the healers get rid of it?” Kenaz said ecstatic.
Morea turned to Kenaz with a look to match Domitri’s, the look of a desperate hungry man, prepared to kill at the slightest touch, “Sharman Kenaz at this moment in time what we talk of is family business, Perdhro family business not Elarador business and you will learn when I wish you to learn” Morea snapped.
“Papa, please I do not understand, what is happening? What sickness? Am I going to die? What is Tel’nariod? Papa, please?” Kerrin bantered on after he had finished. Morea turned to her his face changed again to the loving gazed she knew all to well. He walked over to her and hugged her, “I think a change of first guardian is in order” he whispered in her ear before turning to Kenaz, “Sharman Kenaz, I will be Kerrin’s first guardian from here on, you her second” he said sternly, Kenaz just nodded in agreement, he was in no place to argue with the High Sharman of the Guild of Nied. Once Morea was satisfied he turned to Domitri, “Domitri you will not be a novice here in the Guild, I need a new head of Tutors since Sharman Eriad has passed away, Thurisaz bless his soul, the man was a good friend of mine, helped me out a lot when you disappeared without a trace, Father never got it out of me why I was upset, I begged him to let me find you but he said, he could not have another son vanish on him, who would look after the guild after he died” he sighed lightly, “You will share the novice masters quarters, he knows of the sickness and is well versed in Tel’nariod” he said looking to Domitri, “But tonight you will sleep in my apartments and fresh robes brought to you” he wrapped his arms around Kerrin, “Come my blessed daughter, let us return home and discuss some family issues” with that he walked out the door, closed it behind Kerrin and himself before walking her briskly out of the Sharman’s Apartments and down to his house. Kerrin’s new home.

Domitri looked to Kenaz, “I see my brother still has his temper, just like Father in everyway, I just hope he isn’t as harsh on Kerrin as Father was on us as children learning to control our powers and spirits” he said as he turned to look to the ceiling, “But it is good Arramay is her spirit guardian, it is always good when family guard each other, a stronger bond, you might say” he said chuckling to himself, “So, great I am in charge of a whole bunch of Sharman, wait until the council hear of this” he said still laughing.
“I am one of those Sharman you laugh about, you are my superior it now seems” Kenaz shook his head, “Will you tell me what the High Sharman is on about? This…this….this sickness? And what is this Tel’nariod he spoke of?” Kenaz said.
“Well to be honest, I should not speak of it, I can speak of the illness but not Tel’nariod, Tel’nariod is not something you talk about light heartedly, it is something the person feels when it is performed on them, I cannot tell you anymore about Tel’nariod, it is best you not ask about it anymore, just pray it is never performed upon you, it can… Drive people… mad” he said with a sigh, “As for the sickness well it is because of a family demon that lies within the family of Perdhro, it lives in us and we have to feed its appetite through the Tel’nariod, it almost came out today… through Kerrin, I thought myself and Morea appeased it for this month but now that Kerrin has accepted her true name it demands more and now Kerrin must perform Tel’nariod” he shook his head, “I do not think she will enjoy the thought of what she has to do and will come to you first, I will have to ask Morea to teach you Tel’nariod as he is the eldest of the Perdhro family, only he has the right to say whether another may learn” Domitri looked to the window but turned to walk to the door, “I had best leave, I will have to be there when Kerrin learns, to be there for her, it will be hard for her, thank you for your hospitality, it has been most gracious beyond what I deserve, thank you again” he said bowing to Kenaz.
“It was an honour to have you in my home, go forth and may Thurisaz protect you always” Kenaz said returning the bow. Domitri smiled then vanished on the spot, reappearing in his old bedroom. He was home at last.