CHAPTER THREE-THE RAVEN

"This is a bastard sword. It's long enough to keep your enemy at distance and short enough to be worked with ease in battle. This blade is to be your shadow now. It is part of you like your arm or your leg."

Presenting the newly forged steel to Daniel, Agamori unsheathed the sword and showed him the spell inscribed on the broad side. "This is elven steel. There is no better metal for a sword, I assure you. It is blessed with the spell of glory and through this enchantment, you will conquer all that stand against you. Father does not give a gift like this haphazardly, Daniel, this is a rare gift and I hope that you appreciate what that means."

Daniel nodded his head to the elder warlock. Nicholas had taken Daniel under his wing over the last few weeks and treated him as one of his own. For the first time in his life, Daniel felt like he was part of something special and that he was loved.

As he wrapped his fingers around the hilt, a surge rushed through his veins and Daniel shuddered as his hand found a new purpose.

He'd never used a sword before, but the weapon felt right in his hand as he swung it around in a figure eight motion in front of him then around his head. As he balanced it in the palm of his hand, Daniel nodded while he looked over the only gift he'd ever received from anyone. "I like the way it feels."

The ancient Agamori smiled at Daniel, impressed with the way he already handled his blade. Daniel didn't yet know much about sword fighting, but he was about to get a crash course in sparring from the battle seasoned warlock.

As they circled each other in the clearing in the woods outside the city, Agamori grinned his tight-lipped arrogant smile before lunging forward with an overhand strike. Daniel instinctively blocked and spun away with the grace of a world-class ballet dancer.

Agamori pushed out his lips and nodded as he prepared for the next blow. "Well done. That's a good start. Let's find out what else you have in you." Stepping backwards, Agamori spun around and lunged his sword towards Daniel's chest.

Daniel deflected the blade with the new extension of his arm as the sword tangled with Agamori's and they stood face to face. A devious grin curled up on Daniel's lips as he quickly landed a sidekick to the ancient wizards gut.

As Agamori stumbled backwards and tried to regain his footing, he wagged his finger at the young man. "You tricky, tricky witch. If that's how you want to play, I won't take it easy on you anymore."

Moving and spinning and striking their way across the meadow surrounded by the grass and trees of the world beyond the safety of the gates, Daniel and Agamori sparred under the warm Autumn sun . As the fading light flashed against their blades, beams of blinding colors pinged across land around them.

When they finally had their fill of the thrill of fighting, the men slumped down breathless by the creek side and recovered. Daniel licked his lips and glanced to Agamori as he started to whittle a piece of wood with his knife. "The woman from my vision. Who is she?"

Agamori smiled to himself, he didn't figure it would be long before Daniel asked again. "She's my sister. The youngest of all Father's children."

Daniel wiped his mouth with his hand. From the way everyone avoided answering questions about her all this time, Daniel feared he'd already missed his chance to help her. "What's her name?"

Putting his wood down and facing Daniel, Agamori sighed and looked over his face. She may be a grown woman now with her own ideas about life, but she was still his little sister, and he didn't like a man asking him questions about her. "Rosemary. Lady Rosemary to you."

Daniel bit his lip and looked down at the ground before him and whispered, "Rosemary." Finally being able to breathe her name across his lips eased the ache in his chest. "Where is she?"

As the weight left his shoulders at the mention of her name, Agamori could sense the icy shell that surrounded Daniel beginning to melt, and he smirked a sympathetic grin. "She's studying healing on Earth. Time moves different there, but she's been gone about a year now in our time. Too long for my liking."

Breathing deeply for the first time since he saw her sweet face, a shiver traveled down his nerves that made him rub his hands up and down his arms. "What's she like?"

Sighing while he tried to compress someone as wonderful as Rosemary into a few words, Agamori looked away and shrugged his shoulders. "She's just beautiful in every way. She's got the most lovely way about her, and she's always kind. Always smiling. Just...the purest kind of soul."

Daniel looked off in the distance and nodded at Agamori's words. "I knew she would be." He put his hand on his chest and felt his heart race. "I feel her here. She saved me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Rosemary."

Huffing out through his nose at Daniel's admission, Agamori poked at the dirt with his knife as Daniel looked at him. "When I was ready to die, when I gave up and was ready to let my master take me, she came to me. She asked me to save her. That's why I stepped into that portal and came here."

"Did you tell father?" asked Agamori as he glanced over to Daniel. It was easy to see the concern on his face.

Trying to stay focused on why he was there, Daniel did his best to not question an elder like Nicholas or the plans the Fates had for him. But the nagging feeling that she was in trouble ate at him. She was constantly on his mind. "Yes, but he didn't seem concerned. I mean, he can look into the future right? He would know if she was in danger."

Nodding slowly, Agamori raised his brow. "Just because he can see the future doesn't mean that he can change it or that he's even supposed to. The Fates allow him to see things, so he can be aware of the disturbances in our world, good or bad. They don't want their choices to be altered. The balance of power must be maintained. If he were to go running to his children every time he felt a disturbance, I'm sure he'd be exhausted in no time and it would change nothing. Some things are out of our hands, and we have to trust that they are for the best."

A sinking feeling started in Daniel's chest as his fears about Rosemary began to take him over again. "So he won't do anything, he'll just let whatever is about to happen to her happen?"

Clicking his tongue at the implication that his father didn't care about his children's welfare, Agamori rolled his eyes away. "And do you know when and where said event will occur, or even what the danger is?"

Nicholas had been kinder to Daniel than anyone, and he owed him his allegiance. Daniel shook his head and sighed out in frustration. "No. Of course not. I don't mean to come off as ungrateful, I just feel like I was meant to help her and I don't want to fail."

Pushing himself up from the ground, Agamori held out his hand to Daniel and helped him stand. "Rosemary is on her own path. It could be tomorrow or a hundred years from now, but we can't change what's going to happen or not happen for her. All we can do is be here for her when it does."

Daniel shook his head and crossed his arms. "No. I don't accept that."

Smiling at Daniel's arrogance, Agamori put his hand on his shoulder. "Oh, I like you. I'm glad you found us, brother."

Clicking his tongue, Agamori summoned the horses. When his brown stallion came to his side, Daniel grabbed the saddle horn and kicked his leg over the horse like a gymnast. The more time he spent training the young warrior, Agamori came to realize that Daniel was truly something special and that Fate had something great in store for him.

At the evening meal gathering, Daniel sat with Nicholas and his new brothers as he usually did now. When dinner was finished, everyone remained and drank the night away but Daniel only had Rosemary on his mind and it kept him sober no matter how much he drank.

As the caw of the Raven sent by the gentle king of the South lands came through the dining hall, a sick burn came over Daniel, and he knew that the message was about Rosemary.

The Raven came to Nicholas and sat on his shoulder then placed the scroll in his hand. While Nicholas read the message, Daniel watched his face as his heart pounded and his hands shook on his lap.

Closing his eyes and wiping the tears from his cheeks, Nicholas sighed out a long breath before looking to his sons. "Boys, get some sleep. We ride for the kingdom of Eliphas at first light."