but it didn’t make sense what he could puzzle out.
“As you desire father; however, Cero is not present at this time.” Urake wasn’t sure if Cero’s eyes were glowing or if it was the reflection from the candle.
“Who are you, if not Cero?”
“If you must label me, then call me Skeln.” The eyes flickered that eerie blue even as the face tensed as if with strain.
“Cero and Skeln are the same person. Cero was Skeln before he changed his name.”
“Yarin. Truth. We are the same and I was first.”
“Why did you tell Cero to be still and calm if you are the same person?” Urake furrowed his brow as the ancient word’s meaning became apparent on forming the sentence.
“Cero does not understand what we are. He is weak and afraid of what we can do.”
“What are you and how long have you been a part of Cero?” Urake inquired with his arms crossed as the others on the room listened in amazement.
“I have been watching and protecting him since you found us in the forest. Unlike you, we were created from three life forms. Human, dragon and Dragon Lord. The blood of dragons and humans make up our physical form, but the elemental essence of the Dragon Lords gives us our power. Unlike Inadar, we have another part. The shard of truth has been forged into our blood.”
“What do you mean? Is there another person inside me as well?” Inadar came forward in confusion.
“Sarina slumbers much like Eld’or lurks beneath the surface. Awaiting the time when we are needed.”
“Eld’or? Sarina? What are you talking about?”
“Uraken son of Ermor, Eld’or the Night Soul has chosen you as his vessel.”
“Cero! You aren’t making any sense.” Urake seized Cero’s shoulders and shook them. Grabbing Ice Heart, he tore it from Cero’s hands. As the glow was fading from his eyes, he spoke one more time.
“It is time father. Awaken.” An instant later Urake found himself standing in the woods with Ice Heart in hand. At his feet lay the dead dark elf that he had taken the sword from. Memory stirred and he glanced over his shoulder. A dozen black robed men were running towards him with murder in their eyes. Sprinting forward, he ran for the trees at the other side of the clearing. Brest was waiting for him there. Reaching the forest line, he dived behind a tree trunk just as a torrent of flames erupted from one of the black robed cultists.
“Wake up!” Brest stepped out from behind a tree a few feet away.
“What? You look different. Younger.”
“It’s me, Emeck! Wake up!”
“I'm wide awake Brest! We need to get out of here before those cultists catch up.” Brest stepped out from behind the tree’s cover and was immediately engulfed in flames.
“Wake up!” A moment later Brest had been reduced to ashes. Urake was shocked, but not to the point that he couldn’t react. Taking his bow, he notched an arrow and stepped out from behind the tree long enough to loose the shaft into the pyromancer’s heart.
“This isn’t right. Brest can’t die here.” Urake mumbled to himself as he smothered the flames that had caught at the edge of his cloak and notched another arrow. The remaining cultists were advancing slower now that their pyromancer was dead. He felt the tingling sensation that heralded a telepath’s attack. Bracing his defenses and biting his tongue, he waited until he felt the telepath’s shock at the pain. Seeing one of the cultists stumble he loosed the arrow. The psionic attack ended immediately. Taking advantage of the remaining five cultist’s confusion, he broke and ran.
Suddenly a wolf burst through a wall of brush and lunged for Urake’s throat. Launching off a gnarled root, he met the wolf in midair and brought Ice Heart down with all his might. The wolf didn’t stand a chance of surviving the blow. With the wolf mortally injured and one of the cultists screaming in agony, Urake ran on. Diving over a creek bank he paused to catch his breath sheltered from sight by the overhanging root masses along the banks.
“It isn’t real.” Brest appeared out of a swirl of fire next to Urake.
“Brest, you died! I saw you die.”
“I am not Brest.” Urake flinched as his friend started speaking incoherently. A wet thump drew his attention to the arrow shaft protruding from Brest’s chest. Brest stared down at it in surprise. “I don’t believe it… This isn’t real…”
“No, no, no, you can’t die now.” Urake watched as