"Master, I need to talk to you," Camiel said, once they had descended the stairs.
Hyon had put a small kettle on the fire and was watching it smoke.
"Tea?" he asked without turning around. "Amanastrian selection."
"Thank you," replied the man. He took a seat and placed his sword on the wooden table. "Do you remember..." he touched the hilt, the contact with that familiar surface gave him a sense of security, "...do you remember when you told me that there is always an explanation behind what seems impossible?"
"Well, yes...you were still young and insecure."
"I don't think you said that lightly at the time."
Hyon turned around and went to the cupboard to retrieve a jar filled with biscuits. "Camiel, I never speak lightly, you should know that," he replied. "What do you want to tell me?" He narrowed his eyes and looked at him intently.
"A short while ago, I sensed a large amount of Seorite in the province of Lud, the same one that the Kharzanians are looking for," Camiel said.
Hyon sat down and his eyebrows furrowed into a thick brush.
Camiel lowered his voice and said, "It was such a significant amount that it woke me up during the night. Let me be clear, I wasn't meditating, nor was I using the Voice of the Soul." He crossed his arms. "And the day after, I immediately began to investigate..."
Hyon glanced briefly at the kettle. "What did you find?"
"At first, nothing. But during the attack on Lud, I witnessed something strange." He brought a hand up to stroke his chin. "I encountered a being that had little to do with a human, a being capable of bringing Edel's soldier to its knees with a single gesture." Camiel frowned, the events of the orphanage still fresh in his mind.
Hyon brought his hands together. "It must have been a skilled user of the stones."
"No, master. I had never witnessed anything like it. It was made of smoke and shrouded in darkness, its eyes were white flickering flames." He paused to search the master's expression for confirmation that he wasn't crazy. "I know it may sound insane, I understand that. But before disappearing, it spoke of the Sun and the Stars. And it pointed me in the exact direction to find the boys," he continued. "It's Cora that the Kharzanians are looking for...I'm sure of it. I believe that he's behind all that Seorite."
Hyon narrowed his expression in the darkness of the room.
The lid of the kettle bounced up and down, and wisps of steam twisted in the air. "The tea..." said Camiel.
The master nodded and went to get it. He filled two thick-bottomed glasses and threw in a handful of chopped leaves.
Camiel took a sip and turned back to the old man. "It seems that, by pure chance, that boy has acquired the ability to regenerate Seorite stones."
"Wha-" The master contorted himself into a funny posture, swallowed the hot drink, coughed slightly, and leaned in. Camiel watched him stoically. "I repeat. Cora is capable of regenerating Seorite..."
Hyon regained his composure and took a deep breath. "If I didn't know you, I'd say that's a big lie."
"I would never dare to lie to you... I can prove it."
The master held back a chuckle. "Are you saying he can emulate the Pact Rite?"
"I'm almost certain of it." Camiel remained still under the scrutiny of the man he respected as a father. He knew the old man was waiting for proof that it was just a strange joke.
The master brought his hand to his chin and gazed up at the ceiling. "Are you aware that for me and my people, this statement is heresy?"
Camiel nodded.
Hyon muttered something to himself and remained impassive. He looked at him, this time with a furrowed brow.
"He has the Aletar Sun on his back," the Hozman said. "The emblem is adorned with phrases written in the Lost Language."
Hyon didn't respond but rubbed his fingertips together. He covered his forehead with the palm of his hand, squinted his eyes, and sighed. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, as sure as I've ever been," Camiel replied. "Do you understand now why it was necessary for me to bring them to you?"
"This is madness! I'm a very open-minded person, but this is truly madness!" he exclaimed.
Camiel clenched his jaw. "I just told you I can prove it." He pulled out a pair of small stones and some porous, faded crystals from his pockets and arranged them on the table.
"What do you want to do?" Hyon asked.
Camiel stood with his arms crossed. "It's been a busy day for him, and if my hypotheses are correct, we'll witness a unique event of its kind. Now, we just have to wait."
"Just wait?"
"I think so."
"Do you believe it?" Hyon asked. "The Edel men have been searching for you for days, a city has been destroyed, and instead of telling me what's going on, you talk to me about a being of smoke, a boy with the Sun of Aletar on his back who can regenerate stones, and now you expect me to wait?"
"Yes," said the Hozman. "I can swear to it if you, so you can believe my word." He laid his hand on the Seorite of his sword.
Hyon shook his head. "No, no. Forget your spells." He stood up and took a yellowed volume from the small bookcase in the corner. "I don't think I'll sleep anyway after everything you've told me," he grumbled.
They stayed awake all night, and boredom crept into their eyes. Until they sensed something. A movement, the Seorite began to vibrate.
"There it is..." Camiel murmured. He gripped the table with both hands and stared at the opaque stones.
As in the forest, the mighty flow of invisible energy blocked both of them, making even the simplest of movements impossible. The blue stone of the staff filled up. The Seorite on Camiel's sword seemed ready to explode, and the cord that prevented Amanastre from using it disintegrated without making a sound.
The room was illuminated in a rainbow of colors.
"Master," Camiel said once free, "it's becoming more and more powerful!"
Hyon jumped to his feet. His face was sweaty, and he looked worried; he grabbed the staff and tapped the stone. He stared at it with wide eyes. He turned abruptly and whispered, "Before I speak, I'd like to study him." His voice was trembling. Camiel furrowed his brow. "I think the situation is more serious than it was at the beginning of our conversation."
"Master, what does it mean?"
"I can't give you a definite answer..." he murmured, "but the boy must go to Dremis. I must show him to the High Fosifo."
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Camiel asked. "It's not the Dogmas of Dormin or the Star of Laeth on his back, but the Sun of Aletar!"
"You saw it too, there are no words to describe it. We are facing something amazing! That boy could unite the peoples and lead the nations towards peace." Hyon had teary eyes and couldn't stay still. "An immense power that can upset the balances of the continent." He picked up a stone from the table and turned it over in his hand. "This year, there will also be the Rite of the Pact, and I have never liked coincidences!"
"And what about the Kharzanians?" the warrior asked anxiously.
"I don't care, Camiel! I have traveled the world precisely to avoid the rigidity of Dormin's laws, and this boy is living proof of it. How was it possible? It's unthinkable!"
"The tree of Lud, I suppose," added Camiel, "the same one that sucked Cora into its roots. A power similar to the sacred tree of Laeth, but this one was not comparable in size."
Hyon snorted. "And since when is size an indicator of a marvel?" He grabbed half of the stones, wrapped them up, and put them in a drawer. He looked back at Camiel and pointed at him. "You, on the other hand... oh... tomorrow you will go to the Duke. You will ask for a ship, and we will organize a trip to the Dremis. You will have to find a way to convince him: whether it's truth or lies doesn't matter." He rubbed his chin. "We'll make sure to leave in secret before the Kharzanians can get their dirty hands on us."
Camiel scratched his regrowing beard. "I'll try. But I'm not sure I can convince the Duke."
"You MUST!" Hyon yelled. "Grab every little chance!"
Camiel bowed his head. "They'll send me back to Hozma."
"Well, I'm sorry, my boy. You can crawl back to Farendal if that's the price," barked the master. "Your problems aren't worth a grain of all this matter."
The Hozman nodded and picked up the charged crystals from the table. He waved goodbye and went up the stairs to rest. He glanced at the room of the young companions. Cora was sleeping. He wasn't still for a moment and was holding Fez's neck as he squirmed.
The crux of events was in front of him, and he was dreaming like any other boy. Camiel wanted to know what was going through his mind. It was at that moment that he understood the importance of his efforts in bringing them to safety. Instinct, once again, had done its duty.