A DRAGON'S JEWEL: the Ancient Mage and the dark arts

Chapter 21: Inquiring about the Dark Arts

She was a very small old lady. Her appearance was quite strange. From behind one might even mistake her for a child but as soon as you saw her face and the wisdom that shone in her eyes you would instantly know that she had already walked the road of life for many a years. It was rather odd, you see, it was as if the lady was both old and young at the same time.

"Come in children, aren't you cold?" the lady beckoned them as she led the way up to her cottage.

Surprisingly the cottage was at the very place they had just moments before decided to set up camp. Yet before the lady appeared none of them were able to see the cottage so they had not even known that it was there.

After everyone entered and the door was shut, the sound of a kettle echoed throughout the house.

The kids sat down on some pillows positioned around the table as the lady came out with a tray of seven cups and a teapot. After pouring and handing everyone a cup she sat down in between them.

Karlyle however took Alythia's cup and tasted it before allowing her to drink from it.

The lady noticed and gave a soft chuckle "I won't poison you my dear, you need not worry. Ah but you are a Dragon so I guess it can't be helped. The loyal types are quite overbearing by nature I suppose"

"Come again?" Karlyle asked dubiously, unsure if she had meant to offend him or not.

The lady gazed at him and her expression grew tender. "What I mean child is that every Familiar primarily exhibits a part of the Ancient's own nature. But of course they can only display him in part – no one would ever be able to display him fully"

"Wait, so you know of the Ancient? Then do you know Izana as well?" Alythia interrupted.

"Of course I do child" the lady answered with the wave of her hand "but it does not matter much that I know him – what matters more is that he knows me. Since we are all made for him and made to be like him"

She turned her gaze to Blake "For example, the Basilisk over there - king of the serpents - represents the Ancient's sense of justice; the Dragon - much like his own son - represents his loyalty and faithfulness; a Cerberus - the guard dog of death - represents his power & wrath, and Sphinxes - the soldiers of the earth - represents his absolute unyielding & unchanging pursuit of his treasures"

Then she turned her eyes to Damien "and Unicorns are a symbol of his healing and sacrificial love"

"However" the old lady continued, turning her gaze back to Alythia "it's not like those are his only qualities, oh heavens no. As it is impossible to exhaust eternity so it is impossible to exhaust him. Warriors are also symbols of him – but more so of how he connects to those different from him as Warriors connects to Familiars who differ from them"

"But" Ray interrupted "I thought Izana's form was only that of a Dragon"

The lady stared at her before lightly shaking her head in response "No child, Izana has many forms. If he has chosen to appear to you as such it is because you needed him to. Izana connects to us better in his Dragon form because that is the form we know him to be".