What will be.”
—Circle of Fate Inscription
The sun had nearly set by the time Shaman Saphir Fatewever lifted his staff and commanded us to gather nearer to the center. My body was operating on fumes, but being so close to the culmination of what I had come all this way for stirred those fumes into a frenzy, giving me a second wind.
This was the moment everything hinged on.
The shaman stood before an enormous copper cauldron that was positioned atop a fire, which I had somehow missed until that moment.
Kailin was wrong about there being no magic on top of this mountain. That cauldron and the fire pit hadn't been there a moment ago, and I hadn't seen anyone setting it up.
Steam rose from its contents in fragrant spirals, and Moki, who was still perched on Saphir's shoulder, waved his skinny arms over the pot to bring more steam toward his nose in a suspiciously human motion.
"Welcome, pilgrims," Saphir's voice carried easily across the gathering despite his gentle, warm tone. "You have endured much to reach this place. You have been tested, you have been tried, and you have all been found magnificent, but the hardest test still lies ahead."
I glanced at Codric beside me, wondering if he was as nervous as I was. My cousin looked exhausted, but his eyes were bright with anticipation. He, at least, had nothing to hide.
"Many of you come seeking a dragon bond," the shaman continued. "I admit that there is nothing quite like soaring through the sky with your best friend, but every other position in the Elucian Forces is also vital, and I hope those of you who don't get your wish tonight will internalize this truth. Elucia needs every one of you, and each one of you has something special to contribute."
Moki chittered something, and Saphir absently reached up to scratch behind the creature's ear. "Being gifted isn't simply about genetic heritage or even the ability to bond with dragons. The gift, as we call it, is about balance, and all of you are gifted in one way or another. Each of you has the right combination of qualities needed for your perfect position within the Elucian Forces."
The auroras above seemed to pulse brighter as he spoke, though that was likely just another trick of my oxygen-starved brain.
"The secret to Elucia's success against larger forces isn't just our dragons or our technology. It's the perfect alignment between individual gifts and assigned positions. When each person serves where they are best suited, not only does our force become stronger—each of you finds purpose and satisfaction in fulfilling your assigned tasks."
As a spiritual leader speaking in the name of Elu, the Two-Faced God who valued truth above all and abhorred falsehoods in any shape or form, the shaman had to speak the truth or at least the truth as he believed it. To me, though, it sounded like a pep talk, preparing the majority of pilgrims for their inevitable disappointment of not becoming dragon riders.
"Each of you will now face your deepest fears in what some call a mystical ritual." Saphir's eyes seemed to meet mine for a moment, and I fought the urge to look away. "But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that you will face your inner selves."
Moki chattered again, more insistently this time. The shaman nodded as if the creature had made a valid point. "Ah, yes. Moki tells me that I tend to give long-winded speeches, and that I should keep this one short because you're all tired and hungry. So, let's get down to it. Please form a line. When you approach this enormous pot, you will receive a cup of the sacred tea from one of your group leaders and a blessing from me. Please refrain from talking during the ceremony so it can proceed in a timely manner."
My heart began to race as people started forming a line. Somehow, I ended up near the front, with Codric right behind me and Kailin several spaces back. The procession began tomove forward slowly, with each pilgrim taking their turn at the cauldron, where a group leader stood ready to serve the tea.
The steam seemed to form patterns in the night's cold air—faces, figures, scenes that disappeared as soon as I tried to focus on them, but even though those were just more hallucinations, I had a feeling that I could find meaning in them if I could only focus long enough to grasp it.
The line moved forward steadily, and I watched as pilgrims stepped up, received their cup of tea from one of the group leaders, and then faced the shaman for a blessing before moving on. Saphir must have whispered to them because I could see his lips moving, but I couldn't hear anything.
Some stumbled away when they were done, either from exhaustion, the tea's effects, or perhaps the weight of the shaman's blessing.
When my turn arrived, the group leader, whom I didn't recognize, handed me a simple clay cup filled with a dark liquid. The tea's aroma was complex, herbal, with notes I couldn't identify, but it wasn't unpleasant. I lifted it to my mouth, and as I drank it, I found the liquid both bitter and sweet, with a strange aftertaste. Heat bloomed in my chest as I swallowed, spreading outward until my entire body felt like it was humming and vibrating.
I returned the cup and moved forward to face the shaman.
I bowed, and everything started swimming before my eyes. "Alar Tekum," I managed to introduce myself using my modified, semi-fake name.
"Ah." Saphir leaned closer to me until his nose was nearly touching mine, his face looking distorted. "An Elurian." I could hear Moki's aggravated chitter, which sounded meaningless and distant, as if he was talking from a few dozen feet away and not right in my face. "Prince Alar," Saphir said inside a strangevoid that contained just the two of us, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Welcome to the Circle of Fate, young man."
The word 'prince' hit me like a physical blow. How could he know? We'd been so careful. No one other than Codric knew, and he would never betray me.
Moki burst into more angry chattering, waving his bony arm at me, but he still sounded far away, as if the shaman was keeping his bothersome pet outside the bubble containing just me and him.
Saphir smiled and made a gentle shushing motion toward his companion. "Now, now, Moki. There is no reason to make a scene." He leaned slightly away, and the strange void from before suddenly vanished. "I bless you, Alar of Tekum. May your ambitions come to fruition for the benefit of both our peoples. Your fate will soon be revealed." He gestured for me to continue.
I wanted to speak, to defend myself, to explain that my intentions were good, and to beg him not to expose me, but I couldn't say anything, even if I tried. The consequences of discovery crashed through my mind, a major diplomatic incident, everything I'd worked for destroyed...
I forced myself to walk forward as my mind raced with questions and fears.
The shaman had communicated with me inside that strange void that had held just the two of us, so no one else heard him calling me a prince, and my identity was still a secret, but for how long?
