Chapter 25 Alar
ALAR
"A wise man may play the fool, but the fool cannot feign wisdom."
—Elurian Proverb
My first impression of Saphir Fatewever wasn't what I'd expected.
Instead of a solemn spiritual leader, the legendary shaman looked like a good-natured fellow.
His white hair and beard were neatly trimmed rather than flowing wildly as depicted in the artwork I'd seen, and his eyes were sharp and full of warmth.
Most surprising, though, was the creature perched on his shoulder.
It was about the size of a house cat but with longer limbs and a prehensile tail that wrapped casually around the shaman's neck.
Its fur was varying shades of silver and white.
Its face was oddly expressive, more monkey than cat, with large human-looking eyes with elongated black pupils and golden irises.
His ears were small and pointy, more like a cat's than a monkey's.
I had never seen anything like it in all my studies of Aurorysian fauna.
"What is that?" I whispered to Kailin.
"Moki," she whispered back. "Saphir's pet. No one knows exactly what he is or where the shaman found him. Some say he came from across the Addolian Ocean."
Right. And how had the little thing crossed the ocean? Had he swum it?
The cat-monkey chattered animatedly into Saphir's ear, one tiny hand gesturing expressively in a very human-like manner.
The shaman nodded solemnly, as if they were having a serious conversation.
"Not now, Moki," Saphir admonished. "We have serious business to take care of first." He patted the creature's head.
The shaman's expression turned grave. "Yesterday, our enemies sought to destroy not just our people but hope itself.
They failed." His voice carried easily across the gathering without seeming to rise.
"Seven of our brothers and sisters have begun their journey to Dolis, leaving behind grieving parents and siblings and entire communities.
But we will not let their sacrifice be in vain.
We continue our traditions, our ceremonies, our way of life, and we do that with joy and love to spite those who deal only in misery and death. "
Moki's tail tightened around the shaman's neck, and the creature's expressive face seemed to mirror Saphir's solemnity. Even the great blue dragonia behind them lowered her head in what appeared to be a gesture of respect for the dead.
"Pilgrims," his voice carried clearly across the gathering without need for amplification.
"We stand here in defiance of those who would destroy our way of life.
Yesterday, they sought to prevent this ceremony through violence and terror.
Today, we show them that the spirit of Elucia cannot be broken. "
As a cheer went up from the crowd, I tightened my hand over Kailin's, offering her as much support as I could while surrounded by over a thousand fellow pilgrims.
Saphir raised a hand for silence. "The trek will test your bodies, minds, and spirits. A few of you carry the dragon gift in your blood; most of you do not, but you will serve Elucia in equally vital ways. She needs each one of you to honor her with your courage and dedication."
The dragonia lowered her massive head, bringing it level with Saphir's neck, where the little creature was perched, and nudged it with her snout. When Moki responded by patting her enormous head, I nearly choked on my own saliva.
Perhaps my idea of bringing Chicha along wasn't as ludicrous as Kailin thought. If the shaman's dragon could be friends with the cat-monkey, then why not a dog?
Above us, the other dragons watched with their predatory eyes that seemed to see straight through to our souls, and I returned their gaze in a show of confidence that was only skin deep.
They were terrifying creatures, and I was very glad that they were on our side.
Saphir turned to his dragonia, and after a moment of silent communication, she took a step back. Moki disappeared behind Saphir's back, but since I didn't see him on the ground, I assumed the shaman had a hiding place for the creature somewhere on the back of his robe.
The shaman lifted his arms. "Pilgrims of Elucia and honored guests," his voice carried across the gathering. "Stand and raise your faces to the eternal lights above."
The crowd did as commanded, faces tilting toward the shimmering auroras.
"The path before you is both physical and spiritual. The mountain's challenges will test your bodies and your minds by the thinning air and your souls by the truths you discover about yourselves and your fellow pilgrims."
His dragonia spread her magnificent wings, creating a canopy of shimmering blue scales above him.
"May Elu guide your steps on treacherous paths.
May your hearts stay strong when your bodies weaken.
May your minds open up when the thin air brings visions and accept that not everything is as it seems. Purified, you will be ready for the truth that awaits you at the end of your journey.
Go forth now, children of the mountains.
Whether you are gifted or not, you are all part of Elu's grand design. The summit awaits."
Moki suddenly reappeared on his shoulder and chittered something in his ear.
Smiling, Saphir nodded. "Moki wishes to remind you to check your bootlaces twice, because nothing ruins a sacred journey quite like tripping over your own feet."
As the tension broke with scattered laughter, I leaned toward Kailin. "Is he always like this?"
She nodded. "According to my brother, yes. Dylon says the shaman's sense of humor takes some getting used to, but there's always wisdom hidden in his jokes."
I studied Saphir more carefully. Was this apparent whimsy a carefully constructed facade to put the pilgrims at ease?
Or was he truly as eccentric as he appeared?
Neither option quite fit with the stories I'd heard of his fierce defense of dragonkind and Elucians, and his iron will in facing down the Shedun's attempts to destroy both the dragons and his people.
Moki chittered something else in the shaman's ear, his tail unwinding briefly to point at different sections of the crowd.
"Oh my," Saphir said, affecting shock. "Moki tells me we have some Elurians among us this year." His eyes seemed to find me unerringly in the crowd. "He says you are the two tall ones with manicured fingernails."
A chill ran through me.
Had we been discovered?
Only the men of the Elurian nobility had their nails done, and it was one of the first things Codric and I got rid of.
I forced a smile and lifted my hands to show my ruined fingernails. "Not these Elurians."
"You have my thanks for the valuable aid you provided after the explosions."
I dipped my head to the shaman, and as he dipped his back, there was no malice or suspicion in his eyes.
"Now then," the shaman clapped his hands together, "Moki has kindly agreed to help Commander Theron divide you into your climbing groups. Though he warns that anyone who complains about their assignment will have their ears pulled, and he's not joking."
Moki nodded sagely, his golden eyes scanning the crowd as if memorizing faces.
The commander I'd met at the lodge stepped forward, and I felt a jolt of recognition.
Of course, he would be here—he'd been evaluating us that night, probably reporting back to Saphir himself.
Someone of his level wasn't needed for the simple task of assigning groups, so the only reason he was here was to get a first impression of this pilgrimage's crop.
"He can't really do that," Kailin whispered, though she sounded uncertain. "The ear pulling. Can he?"
The dragonia behind him made a sound that might have been a laugh, a deep rumbling that vibrated in my chest. The light reflected off her scales in dazzling patterns, creating a dramatic backdrop for Saphir's performance.
And it was a performance, I realized. Every joke, every seemingly random comment, was carefully calculated to ease the tension and help us move past yesterday's horror without forgetting it entirely.
As Commander Theron assigned groups, I found my attention divided between studying the dragonia and trying to understand the strange creature on the shaman's shoulder.
Moki moved with a liquid grace, his tail constantly in motion as he whispered to Saphir or gestured at the crowd.
His fur seemed to shift colors depending on how the light hit it, creating an effect similar to the dragonia's scales.
"The shaman must be at least a thousand years old," I murmured to Kailin, "but he acts like a youth."
"Appearances are misleading," she whispered back. "Everyone expects grave wisdom from Saphir, so they're caught off guard by his humor. I certainly was. But watch those eyes. I don't think they miss anything."
She was right. Behind the twinkling humor and seemingly random lame jokes, Saphir's eyes were sharp and alert, taking in every detail of the gathering. Even Moki, for all his theatrical gesturing and chattering, seemed to be observing us all carefully.
"My dear pilgrims," Saphir said, "it is time for you to begin your climb, and for me to return to my bed and take a long nap. I know, it's not fair, but that's life." He mounted the dragonia with a swift motion that belied his years, and people scattered to clear a path for her to take off.
I had come expecting a stern religious leader, someone who would solemnly pronounce our fates like the oracles of old. Instead, I found myself facing a man who could switch from grief to humor in the space of a breath, and who commanded both dragons and laughter with equal ease.
The question was: which was the true face of Saphir Fatewever?
The spiritual leader who had guided his people through countless attacks? The mischievous elder who joked about his pet pulling people's ears? Or was the truth somewhere in between?
As if sensing my thoughts, Moki turned those golden eyes directly on me. For a moment, they seemed to hold the same ancient wisdom I had seen in the dragonia's gaze. Then he stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes, causing several nearby pilgrims to laugh.
I shook my head, smiling despite myself. If this was madness, it was a very calculated sort. After all, humor might be the largest loophole in the Elucians' strict adherence to the Precepts of Truth.