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Vastati fatum (Ravaged by fate).	By : Solaris & Manta Category: +M through R > Mighty Ducks Cartoon Views: 1533 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter as I had some issues with getting it all done. Enjoy.
Nazan sat down at his desk, Rowain seemed to have finished up the paperwork, though he was sure Cleo had something to do with that.

Cleo came in a half hour later hauling Nosedive and Tensu with her. "Good just the drake I was hoping to see. I've been catching these two sneaking out of class for the past few days."

Nazan pointed to the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down, boys.” Nosedive and Tensu quickly sat down in the chairs as Cleo hovered behind them. “So where you were two heading off to?”

"We were trying to go to the port market, sir." Tensu said quietly.

"You know Tensu that sneaking out of Raven’s Court is dangerous for you and Nosedive you shouldn't encourage it."

"But Nazan it's not fair that he's trapped here, there is more to see then just the school."

"Yes but being a Saurian, he also runs the risk of getting captured by the Puckworld military and used for science experiments." Nazan eyed them both before speaking again. “Besides, most of Puckworld thinks Saurians are only a myth.”

Tensu looked down at his hands as he whispered. “I hate being Saurian,”

Nazan looked at Tensu. “The punishment for both of you trying to leave school grounds is two weeks detention starting now, of writing I will not endanger my friend by leaving school grounds, three hundred times in Suscan script . . . in formal Suscan script. Cleo will take you to one of the empty class rooms and she’ll be watching you till it is time for Nosedive to head for home and time for you to retire to your quarters.”

Nosedive looked shocked at Nazan. “But I don’t know Suscan formal!”

Nazan looked at him with a smile. “Now you will or would you rather be hung up by your wrists on a pole out back, Nosedive, with no food and no water?”

"I'll help him learn headmaster, your mercy and tolerance have always been appreciated, I apologize for abusing it and getting my own friend in trouble." Tensu said using the formal tones of the Dove language. Dive had never heard him speak that way before but this time must be different from other times they had gotten in trouble. He would have to ask later.

Nazan looked up to Cleo. "Is it true Tensu has been instigating these little rebellions?"

Cleo nodded. "Though Nosedive has not done anything to stop him, then again Nosedive has nothing obligating him to either something Tensu had made use of."

Tensu stiffened, he could hear the acid in Cleo’s voice.

Nazan looked at them both, Cleo had a point, Tensu hated the rules and Nosedive had no reason to follow them, he was not Dove. He looked into Tensu’s pleading eyes, he was willing to take the detention if to avoid what Cleo was suggesting without saying it. "Thinking about it, detention will not get the real point across, as much as I dislike the traditional punishments it may be more appropriate." Dive gulped he really did not want to be bound to a pole without food or water. "Tensu you will be bound by the hands to the pole out back, disarmed and no food or water for three days. Your punishment . . . Nosedive is to be his warden."

Tensu shuddered, Cleo had gotten her way.

Dive looked up at Nazan. "Being a warden does not sound like a punishment."

"It is because you can not leave his side, when tied to the pole and disarmed he is a target for anyone of the same rank as him, Tensu is council rank, breaking the rules is not something they are allowed to do so they will try to kill him during those three days. The only thing that is there to protect him is his warden, but by defending him you also put your own life at risk."

Dive gulped. Formal Suscan actually sounded pleasant. "But what about detention?"

"This is a much better lesson then detention, the dangers of letting your friends put their lives at risk."

Dive lowered his head. “I accept the punishment as well.”

Nazan dismissed them to start their punishment, as Cleo lead them to the back where the pole was. She held her hand out as Tensu removed his weapons from his person and looked at the windows knowing that the others were most likely watching what was happening to him and Dive.

Cleo once sure he was fully disarmed bound his hands behind him and tied him to the pole. Tensu shivered as he felt the cold mental of the pole on his back, he had never been this vulnerable in his life and all Dive had to protect him was a set of daggers from the practice room.

"You may use any of Tensu's weapons." Cleo said firmly to Dive.

Dive nodded as he looked at Tensu’s weapons that were placed by his feet. He looked around for a place to sit but there was not much of a way of seating close to the hanged Dove. He looked at Tensu. “I’m sorry I got you into this,”

Tensu shook his head. “It was my fault, really, Dive.”

Cleo left them to themselves, they had some time to mentally prepare before classes let out, but Dive would not be able to go home for a few days, she'd have to inform Tarisn. She headed to the medical bay where Tarisn was at as she was filing papers away. “Tarisn, your youngest will not be coming home tonight for the next three days.”

Tarisn turned as she stopped filing papers. “Oh, what did he do? Throw a water balloon at one of the teachers?”

“No, something that could have endangered the life of one of the Saurian students here,” Cleo replied.

Tarisn turned to look at her. "Sometimes detention is too light of a punishment for? I remember the punishments we got back in the Healers’ guild for breaking rules and endangering others. You never did it twice."

"They won’t kill him but I can not guarantee Tensu’s life. That will depend on Nosedive. He let and encouraged Tensu to break the rules, so the punishment fits."

"Dove discipline, not something I'm fond of."

Cleo shrugged. "There are a couple arm blankets and a couple packs of rations in my office if you want to bring them to the two, your youngest could use the rations and it gets cold at night."

Tarisn smiled. "You are not as heartless as one would think."

"I'd rather they both lived and learned their lesson, but don't tell them who they are from."

“I won’t let them know,” Tarisn replied, as she finished putting the papers away and headed for Cleo’s office to get the rations and the arm blankets for her youngest. She stopped at the door watching Dive talk with Tensu and shook her head as she emerged from the door. “So how long have you two been trying to get out and endanger yourselves?”

“MOM!” Dive cried out in shock as he didn’t think that his mom would be here.

"Well young drake, do you have any idea what regular Puckworldians would do to your friend or what Suscans would do to you Nosedive? Ducks would cut Tensu up into pieces to study him and Dive you could have ended up captured and sold as a slave to someone in who knows where system where your life would be expendable."

Dive lowered his head as he didn’t understand the risks that he and Tensu did each time they slipped out. “But why were we not punished when we went to the Ancients’ temple?”

Tarisn looked at them both. “Pardon me, but what did you say?”

“We slipped out and went to the Ancients’ temple when everyone heard the screams coming from there,” Dive stated.

"What did you do there when you got there?"

Dive hesitated a moment. "We finished off any Ancients that had survived so that they did not have to suffer the pain any more. We also found the girl named Summer."

"Actually, Dive, you started finishing them off when Nazan and Rowain found us, Nazan decided to let you continue and told me to help, that is when we found Summer." Tensu corrected. "We were not punished because Nazan used the incident as a test of resolve and after see what sort of mindset it had given you."

Dive looked at Tensu surprised. "But he should have punished you if he is being this harsh now."

"He did." Tensu paused. "I was told that if you ever took taking a life as nothing more then a game, thinking of people as objects I was to kill you. You’re my friend, I don't want to have to do that."

Dive looked at Tensu horrified as Tarisn let their words sink in. She had learned from Collin that all Dove children of a certain rank had undergone an experience of taking a life but she had never thought her own son would have done something like that. Her blood ran cold at the thought of Nosedive in a regular school which incidents like that, they would have locked him up as insane. The Doves took such things as normal and had ways of dealing with it. It was sometimes cruel but even she could understand why. She looked at Tensu. "If you live though this I'm holding you to that."

"MOM! You'd let him kill me?"

"Once you take a life Nosedive you're no longer innocent, killing people is not something you do for fun and even I would never allow you to do that."

"I know mom, out of mercy or to protect and never without a good reason."

"There is no good reason to take a life Nosedive, but sometimes there is no other answer."

Nosedive stood there looking at his mom when the door creaked open and couple students from the top ranks came out. Dive grabbed his daggers and took a pose in front of Tensu, and growled a warning for them to back out of the court yard and not come back.

“Nosedive, Tensu, what have you two done this time that warrants this punishment?” asked Lola, as she came closer with Rowain by her side.

Dive refused to stand fully upright as he watched them both approach them. “Got caught,”

"Then best of luck, Tensu had made more enemies then friends here." Rowain said with a smile. "You know you can walk way right now and no one will think less of you, Nosedive."

"Tensu is my friend, I'm here until it's over."

Lola chuckled. "I told you Rowain he wouldn't walk away. There is no one worse then those who abandon their friends." Lola tossed a communicator at Dive’s feet. "The same goes for me, if it gets too much for you to handle call me and I'll have your back."

Dive placed his dagger in his mouth as he grabbed the communicator before putting it into his pocket and grabbing his dagger from his mouth. “Thanks,” he eyed Rowain. “You want a piece of him or are you going to back off?”

"As much of a brat Tensu is I have more important things to worry about. If I wanted to kill him I would have already."

Dive growled as his dagger hand came up and was preparing to throw it when Lola stepped in the path. He placed his dagger up and started to pace.

"Rowain, please don’t taunt, this is tough enough as it is." Lola said leading Rowain away from Dive.

“So, he will have to handle the taunts as well,” Rowain replied.

"I know that but I don’t want you two fighting."

Rowain smirked as he stepped back. “Dive, if you need me, radio me as well, Lola’s communicator will also contact me as well, if you need the backup,”

Dive made a sharp nod of his head before he backed closer to Tensu. Tarisn looked at her son and then to Lola and Rowain. “They have three days like this. We better go and let them both contend with their punishment.”

They headed back into Raven’s Court to observe the pair over the surveillance cameras. Tarisn turned to look at them both. “If Dive defeats those who comes after Tensu and him, then what?”

"Then they are free to resume their classes. How this plays out will either tighten or ruin their friendship, but also the amount of respect they get from their peers. The good thing is they will never put each other in that situation again."

“And if they don’t?” Tarisn asked.

"Worst case there will be two funerals." Rowain said without batting an eye. “Then, again unless Dive does his best to kill those that come after him and Tensu, there will still be funerals."

“I hope he seriously injures them to where they survive but will have respect for them,” Tarisn replied.

"I don't think he has the skill yet to know when to pull back, but those who attack understand that they may loose their lives. Nazan does not normally dish out punishments like this, but sometimes it needs to be done."

“Indeed and it will teach him a lesson as well,” Tarisn stated.

"Brings back memories," Lord Collin said from the doorway. "Nazan never really learned his lesson though."

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Lola asked, a bit taken back by the sudden appearance of her dad there.

"I am here on routine checks, and to see what my Crimson Dove was up to. Though I do hope to find some time to visit your mother,"

Lola shot him a nasty glare. "No personal agendas?"

"Lolita, you think so little of me, you could at least try and live in both worlds."

"I am my mother’s child, and my name is Lola, not Lolita."

“For now, my child, for now,” Lord Collin said with a smile, before he turned to look at Tarisn. “Tarisn, how nice to see you again, how is your family? Any more offsprings then the two that I know of,”

Tarisn gave him a smile. “Not since my last miscarriage, it would have been a daughter, but she was technically a stillborn, but the doctor here made the error of twisting her neck at the wrong time and snapped her neck killing her. I should have kicked him out when I smelled liquor on his breath when he came to my side and birthed her myself. Staran and I have tried for more but I do not have any more valid eggs to give me more children with,”

"You trusted a pathetic Puckworld doctor with the birth of your children?!" Lord Collin said in shock and horror. "Tarisn, you should have had one of our doctors tend to you or had a fellow healer from the guild tend to it. You know Catherine and I would do what we could to help."

“There was no time as we were at a party with some friends who we met here on Puckworld and they had already voiced their displeasure with the Doves and for me to call you or Catherine to come to their home to attend to my daughter’s birth, would just cause more trouble,” Tarisn replied.

“But why didn’t you just leave when you felt the birth coming?” Lord Collin asked.

“We tried to leave but they just kept pulling us away from the door till I told her that we need to leave as I’m about to drop my duckling right now. Our hostess hauled us to the bedroom and brought a doctor from the party into the room and she was already showing and the contractions were already too strong to stop,” Tarisn replied. “By the time, my mind cleared, my daughter was dead and the doctor was flat on his back with a growing bruise on his left eye from where Staran had punched him. We sued him for everything he had and then some. He’s now working at two clinics to get his wealth back but it did nothing to bring back my daughter Janice Blackblade, the head of my family’s house in space,”

"Tarisn, I want that drake’s name and I will be handing it over to Catherine along with what he did. Catherine has been hoping for a long time for you to have a daughter, you know even in your guild a blunder like that would forbid them from ever working again and depending on the house they've slighted executed." Collin said, he was holding back his own anger. Tarisn had done the operation that had saved Kelsa's life, it was not fair for her to be robbed of a future for her house in space.

Tarisn thought about it and knew he had been the one to put down the dowry on her marriage to Staran and he had done so much for her family, she gave him the name of the doctor, to which he jotted it down on a piece of paper. “When he learned what he did, he was very sorry for what he did.”

"Makes no difference, your brother is the only other person who carries your name and his children won’t carry it on."

Lola listened, she had had no idea that Nosedive’s mother had known her father to the point where he would care about her, even though she was non Dove. She glanced at the people in the room, there was no one from the inner council there and no outer council members among them. Until now she had never been near her father without at least one of them around. She smiled, he was speaking as himself not as the Black Dove. "Father what about what you and mom used for my birth? I know its Dove technology but you could make the exception."

Collin looked at her and then to Tarisn. “It would mean the House of Blackblade will live on, but that is your decision, Tarisn.”

Tarisn smiled as she kissed Collin’s cheek. “Thank you, Collin, I will talk it over with Staran and see what his thoughts are about me getting the daughter that I lost,”

"I'll warn you, it took me and Catherine years to get Lola that way, but we managed."

“I will let you know what Staran says about it, Collin,” Tarisn replied. For the first time since the death of her daughter, she had hope for her house in space.

Collin smiled at her. “You should go and talk with him about it. The sooner the better, as I will be leaving here in the morning,”

Tarisn nodded and hurried out of the room, she had never expected to be given that sort of offer from Collin. Lola looked to her father after Tarisn left. "If I asked would you answer?"

Collin smiled bitterly. "If you could stay the drake your mother fell in love with maybe, but as it stands I will take those answers with me to the grave and oblivion."

"Go see mother before any of the council figure out where you are."

"I'll see you later, make sure the Flashblade boy survives." he said as he left without another word.

Lola turned to the video and saw Dive had dealt to three older ranked males. “Looks like Dive is making an example of the higher ranks,”

Rowain nodded. “By dawn, he’ll be exhausted,”

"He won’t stop; he will hold his ground as long as he can breathe."

“Or till he runs out of energy, those punches he gave tired him out,” Rowain whispered. “But he’s doing well, regardless.”

Lola nodded. "Do you think Nazan was too harsh?"

Rowain shook his head. “It's as much as a punishment as a test. If they survive this they will have each others backs for the rest of their lives. Most in Nosedive’s position would have walked allowing the one who was hung to get killed. Friends who will shoulder part of the responsibility and stay with you even at the risk of their own lives are not the ones you want to loose."

Lola smiled and nodded. "You mean like back when you turned on your father?"

"I'm still grateful for that, but I still wonder if I won’t loose it again."

"You won’t, back then you needed a reason to live; I only gave you the first of many."

Rowain smiled. "Too true,"

~~~~~~~~

Nosedive took what few moments he could to catch his breath, Wing had joked about having a 6th sense but right now it was probably one of the few advantages he had. He had expected adults but it was just other students coming after them. "Hey Tensu, when should I expect to have to deal with adults?"

"The adults don't participate when its students, they prefer to watch us fight for our lives."

Nosedive rolled his eyes. “Great, just great. But I can see where it would be better to have the students come after us, the adults would have us both dead within seconds without me even trying to protect you,”

Tensu nodded. “They are probably laughing at us or critiquing your punches,”

"Killing our attackers would be easier, but I'm trying not to, they haven't done anything wrong."

"I know, but they are coming at us with the intent to kill, remember that."

“I will,” Dive replied. “I may have to do that to the next ones.”

Tensu did his best to nod. "Rowain wasn't kidding when he said you could walk away and no one would think less of you. There would only be one casualty that way."

"Don't even think about it, we are coming out of this together or not at all.”

Tensu tried to keep a smile up but he knew three days would truly test Dive’s endurance and his stamina. All he could do was hope that Dive kept enough strength in him to keep them both alive and he’ll do whatever possible to help Dive protect him.

Tensu concentrated on Dive and let the web of fate unfold before his eyes, it was a talent he would never dream of letting any one else know about, it did not work on other Doves, they were like him fateless, but Nosedive still had one which meant he could see where anything was coming from. "Nosedive, when I say go, count to ten, duck and rotate ten degrees and strike up with your dagger. Trust me."

Dive gave him an odd look, “Ok thought not sure what you are thinking . . .”

“Go."

Dive counted to ten and ducked as a dagger flew past his head and rotated the ten degrees and struck up with his dagger to feel it penetrating flesh. Another Dove student who was older them him had a look of shock on his face as Dive pulled the dagger out of his chest as the Dove slumped down before him. Dive was partly covered in his blood. "That was creepy Tensu, is he going to be ok?"

"Probably not, but it was either that or your head separated from your body. I figured living was more important."

"I didn't want to have to kill anyone if I could avoid it."

"There are some things you can not avoid, right now killing is one of them. Any student that comes after us has the intent to kill us both."

"There is no reason to kill anyone." Dive protested.

"There never is, this is part of the ways of the Doves, if you think there must be a penance then it is to live your life to the fullest as if it were your last. Doves have no fate no destiny, our only certainty is we will die, how and when is even unknown so we must life as if it were our last."

Dive nodded as Tensu told him of another attack, which were now getting more and more frequent now that night had fallen. It was midnight when Dive wobbled on his feet, his strength was starting to give out on him. He had nibbled on the rations and put most of it away for later.

Tensu noticed the glazed look in Dive’s eyes as he was starting to feel the call for sleep. Tensu kept him occupied with reciting the day’s lessons hoping to keep Dive awake and alert, but even he could tell that Dive’s speech was slurred and that he was delayed responding. He used his tail and grabbed the communicator, he knew Dive needed back up now or he would be dead. He could only hope and pray that Lola and Rowain would come to his call.

The communicator got knocked from his tail as Dive fell unconscious, two older students stood over him. "We should toy with the warden before the main prize."

Tensu struggled against his binds. "Get away from him!"

"You’re in no position to demand anything Tensu, serves you right for constantly breaking the rules." said one as he lightly ran his dagger across Dive’s throat so only to break a thin layer of flesh.

Tensu struggled as he wanted nothing more than to attack the other two to get them away from Dive.

"Nosedive, wake the frell up!!!! Or your a dead drake!!!!" Tensu screamed hoping Dive would regain some consciousness.

There was nothing as the two who had them laughed. Then he felt it, it was enough to make any Doves’ blood run cold. Dive’s eyes opened but they had a crimson glow. Tensu smiled inwardly as the two who had threatened Dive were pushed away by the force of the power and brought down to their knees though if he were not bound he'd be on his knees as well. It was the wild magic of Sunset Valley, Asp’s will as many had called it - the unyielding power of a founding bloodline. No Dove could go near him in this state unless it was one of the other founding bloodlines. Nosedive knelt over the Dove he had stabbed with a fatal wound and held his hand over him, the crimson glow around his hand turned green and let the power flow into the Dove healing the wounds and stabilized the shallow breathing so that his state was no longer critical. It was something that had been rumored but Tensu had not expected. Flashblades were also channels for the tree of life, the wild magic of the plains. Magic normally had no affect on Doves but Dive was from a founding bloodline, his powers would not work on only two other blood lines, McDove and MacDove.

The other students who had been waiting for a shot were appearing but not attacking, right now Dive was something to see and something you were lucky to ever see in a lifetime or more.

It was only moments later did Nazan, Rowain and Lola appeared in the court yard. Nazan ordered the boys to grab the down Dove and leave the court yard as he looked at Nosedive standing there with his crimson eyes looking towards them. Nazan glanced over to Lola to see her approaching Dive. “Lola, be careful, he’s possessed,”

Lola turned to Nazan. “He won’t hurt me, I am a McDove after all.” She turned to look at Dive. “Nosedive of the Dove Flashblades, it has been a long time since we have had you within our ranks.”

“How long have I slept for?” Nosedive asked, his voice was of formal Dove language.

Rowain whispered in Suscan. “He shouldn’t know the formal Dove at all, unless Dive learned it within the past three hours from Tensu.”

Tensu heard the voice and he knew Dive couldn’t have learned the formal Dove that fast as Tensu barely touched on it. He turned to Rowain and spoke in Suscan. “I barely touched on it with Dive, Rowain. This is something else.”

Lola started to speak when another voice was heard, as she turned to see Collin standing there. Collin had locked eyes on Nosedive. “You have slept for a very long time, but your time of possessing this young drake is over. His life is saved, due to your arrival. Please return to Sunset Valley where you belong, spirit of the Dove Flashblades.”

Dive looked at Collin red eyes still glowing. "I remain till the end, he is mine, for the tree of life had given its consent so no other may have this vassal."

"I gave my word that I would not force him to accept you."

"The contract was made the moment he needed my help, he is mine and not one else’s."

"Then your mark, he wear bear on his back, but please let his mind go."

"You will not try to force me away?"

"No, it has been too long since you have been among us, our people need you but I can not allow your full return unless your vassal chooses as well with his own free will."

"You are the Black Dove, your will overrides any others."

"No, my will and my duty are very different. To be Black Dove is to loose your free will and adhere to the duty of protection that of others. It is a McDove’s duty to make sure others have a choice, not always the ones they would like but a choice none the less. Holding possession over your vassal means you do not allow him his own free will, did you not also take part in the pact."

"No god shall guide us no magics control us, we live our lives as if the last for only death shall take us. McDove shall be the shield to protect, Flashblade the sword to slay our enemies, MacDove to record the ages. In the end by sword, shield or scroll shall we one day even teach death to die." Nosedive said as if reciting a school lesson.

"You are the will of the Flashblades who have gone before, if you honor that pact then let his mind go."

"Very well but he will bear our mark on his back so no other will have him."

"You have my word."

The possessed Nosedive smiled before the glow went away and Nosedive fell unconscious once again. Collin let out a sigh of relief.

“Dad, how did you do that?” asked Lola.

"I bargained, if I chased it away then it would only come back and maybe as an enemy."

“So you bargained with the spirit that you will let him come to us?”

Collin nodded. “If I chased it away, he might have been harmed as well, mentally, I protected him by bargaining with the spirit, daughter,”

“So how long did you know that there was Flashblades here in Keltor, dad?” Lola asked.

"Since Tarisn started dating Nosedive’s father, they have been under our radar for a very long time." Collin sighed, "Tarisn is going to hate me for this but Lola, please bring Nosedive to the medical bay. The Dove Flashblade crest is to be tattooed across his back. That is the condition I agreed to for him to be released."

Lola looked at her dad. “Dad, he shouldn’t be tattooed. He will come to us when he comes willing to us,”

“I’m sorry, but a bargain is a bargain. He can hate me for it; I will not mind his or his mother’s anger.” Collin stated.

"So will you force him to live under Dove law?"

"No, I will not have him bound to the Doves, he is free to live as he pleases, it will be his decision whether he lives as one of us or not."

"Will you tell his mother about this?"

"I have no choice but to, I would not intentionally do something of ill will towards her. Tarisn means a lot to me and your mother, and I trust Odella to watch Tarisn’s back."

Lola nodded, it was one of the few times her father had spoken to her, but what warmed her heart was that the last statement he had said in Suscan, he really meant it. She went to Nosedive and hoisted him up and looked at Tensu and then over to Rowain. “Rowain, could you watch Tensu while his warden is being tended to?”

Rowain nodded. “I’ll be his temporary warden till Nosedive is up and about.”

Lola smiled, as she carried Nosedive to the medical bay with Collin and Nazan by her side.

The other students took one look at Rowain and backed off, it had been one thing when Nosedive was warden, it was another with Rowain, and most knew just how bloody he could be. Tensu looked at Rowain. "This might be partly my fault."

"How? You are rather well tied up at the moment."

"I have my eyes and I have my voice. You know why Nazan has never punished me like this before. Why do you think now of all times?"

Rowain sighed. "I know, are you saying Nazan was hoping for something like this?"

"Hoped for, no. He expected it. As Doves we may be immune to guardians and outside interference, Nazan is neither guardian nor outsider, I still have no idea why the Doves let a fate weaver live among them. I thought it was my imagination at first but the more I have been around those he has taken an interest in the more I see threads of fate woven around Doves who are to be fateless, you included."

Rowain gave Tensu a worried look, "We have no fate, fate has no power over us."

"Fate does not but Nazan does, he said it right in front of you when I first came here. He does not need my eyes to see the path the Dove is walking along, he needs my eyes to know if he is changing that path to a different one."

"Is he succeeding?"

"He has left that final turning point in your hands, but on a whole the answer is yes."

Rowain took out his dagger and cut Tensu's hands loose. "We should keep an eye on the kid, Nazan got what he wanted so your punishment should be over."

Tensu rubbed his wrists and tried to walk when he went to his knees. “I guess I need a bit of help walking for a bit.”

Rowain nodded, as he placed his arm around Tensu and helped him to the medical bay. “Next time, Tensu, I may not cut your bonds but cut you enough to let the poison that I have in my other daggers go into you,”

"Trust me I’ve learned my lesson, until now I've never had someone I could really call a friend."

"I know what you mean, it never mattered before because the only life at risk was just your own, you expected him to walk didn't you?"

Tensu nodded solemnly. "Horrible, am I not?"

"No worse then I was, just never forget that he values your life as much as his own and that it works both ways."

“I won’t forget that he values my life as much as he valued his own,” Tensu replied, as they headed towards the medical bay.

~~~~~~~

Dive was lying flat on his belly as the tattoo artist of the artist guild was there as he sketched the Dove Flashblade on a piece of paper before sketching it on Dive’s shoulder. He looked at Collin and held the paper up. “Is this correct for his tattoo on his shoulder?”

"It’s to be across his back, under the conditions it is too small, I do not want him to get possessed again."

The tattoo artist looked shocked. “Across his back?” he looked at his paper. “This will take me some time to draw and then to sketch onto his back and ink it.”

"I know, but that was the condition. Do your best."

The tattoo artist shrugged and went back to the table and started to sketch Dive’s back on the paper before he started to sketch the tattoo on a larger scale than most of the other Doves that he did before on other Doves. An hour later, the sketch was done and awaited approval from Lord Collin.

Collin looked at the tattoo and the size was proper for what he had told the spirit. “You may put it on his back now,”

The tattoo artist drew the tattoo onto Dive’s back and then started the eight hour long process of inking the tattoo onto his back. The tattoo artist noticed that Dive being as young as he was, was not crying out in pain or flinching. He kept going till the inking was all done. The artist washed the back with warm water before placing some salve onto the tattoo itself and wrapped it up. “The tattoo will hurt him for the next three days, there will be some leakage of the ink but if there is too much ink coming out, it would be that his body refusing to let it remain. If that happens, I may have to brand it into his feathers and skin, that would be the last resort if the ink doesn’t stay within.”

"We will let you know if there are any complications. For now he needs rest. Thank you for doing this on such short notice."

“Well, thank the stars I was visiting the station when I got the call from Cleo stating that there was a new Dove who needed his family name tattooed onto his body, you would be waiting for about three weeks before I got here,” the tattoo artist replied, as he packed up his gear.

Collin smiled. “Cleo always has our backs when it comes to this sort of thing.”

“She’s a treasure to this school, everyone I have encountered who had came from this school gives her high marks, even if she is a hard nosed hen,” he replied.

Collin smiled. “Thank you, she’ll see you out.”

Cleo smiled at him as she led the tattoo artist out of Raven’s Court. The artist did stop and asked her for a date, but Cleo gave him a smile and turned him down as she closed the door behind him and turned around to return to her post.

Nazan stood there. “You should have taken him up on that offer, Cleo. I hate seeing you so alone,”

“I have no need for a male, Nazan,” Cleo retorted, as she walked away from him.

Collin looked to Nazan. "What are you scheming?" he asked as Rowain passed by him helping Tensu to the medical bay.

"Doing what you can not, as your Crimson, I will do what I think is right regardless of your opinion. It's what you entrusted me to do within your first few days of being the Black."

Collin sighed. "Will you destroy us or ensure a future? My father’s greatest mistake was having you become a Dove; he let Rokfeathers’ have control over Doves, though I see it also as a blessing. Rokfeather was never meant to be Dove since you are a line of fate weavers."

"You married Catherine, the Seabird is also a line of fate weavers, Lola is too concerned about weaving a fate she wants to understand that it does not work that way. I have left the future of the Doves in Rowain’s hands, he is smarter then he lets on. His choices will set the future path when we are both gone."

Collin watched as Rowain and Tensu vanished into the medical bay. “Hopefully, we will be there to see it and if not, may his choices bring the Doves good fortune.”

"I won’t live to see it, promise me you will not force my children to walk the path of the Dove."

"You have my word, though if they come of their own free will, I will not repeat past mistakes."

Nazan smiled. “I had hoped that I would find all of the missing Dove lines before I go, we are only missing one line from the original Doves, the Stormdoves. That line is as dead as my heart feels right now.”

Collin looked at him. “What about Summer? You love you do you not?”

"I love her as much as a drake like I can, it is comforting that when she passes I will not be far behind. Two decades Collin, even the Drak can read that on me."

“Think the bitch will hear about your new marriage and try something?”

“Maybe,” Nazan replied.

“Think she will send someone to kill Summer?” Collin asked.

“If she does that, she’s as good as dead,” Nazan growled. “And I’ll be the last person she will see,”

Collin looked at him. “So when will she be aged to an adult?”

"In another day, I'm not even allowed to kiss her till Tarisn gives the ok."

“She has good reason considering your first wife, anything could happen and their hands would be tied. Summer could end up dying if that happened,”

“I know, she and I both want to start our family the minute she’s in her full adult body, but we have to wait till Tarisn says it is okay for us to be together.” Nazan replied.

“So how long has it really been since you had a female underneath you and you buried deep within her warmth?”

Nazan chuckled. “Over sixty years, Collin. Sixty long years, since I allowed myself to insert him into the warm, moist tunnel of a hen, Suscan or Saurian,”

“Is Summer worth the wait and effort?” Collin asked.

“Was Catherine?” Nazan replied.

“Yes, Catherine was worth the wait and effort, I love her and I know when she passes away, a huge chunk of my heart will go with her,” Collin replied.

"That I know, I still love your father’s expression when he found out Catherine was pregnant with your child and it was a girl. Her mother demanding the match or she'll cut off all commerce with the Doves."

“And if he had refused the match, I would have left the Doves forever, to live in space with my mate and my child. She means the world to me and yes, even though we now live in separate houses, I still love her and the two children she gave to me,” Collin replied. “Not even Lola and Kelsa know that I had threatened to leave the Doves, if he had refused our match and they will never know.”

"At least not until the end, you know Lola has your mother’s smarts but she definitely takes a lot after you."

Collin looked at him as he spoke, “Lola would have loved my mom as she would her, wish she lived long enough to see her born.”

"True, pity she had passed on just before old Duncan gave in and allowed you to marry Catherine. There is still not cure in sight for the plague is there?"

"Not yet, I'm hoping soon, at least we've been able to slow it down."

“Why don’t you go lie down with your mate before she goes in for her aging?” Collin said.

Nazan shook his head. “I’d be tempted to have sex with her and its not a good idea with it happening in the morning at 10am. I’m going to go sleep on the couch in the office tonight.”

Collin smiled. “You could on top of the covers and have her stay under the covers, that way, you can sleep with her without having sex with her.”

Nazan shook his head. "Tarisn was very strict about it. It is probably best to keep ourselves separate, like you said I don't want any complications."

“Very well,” Collin replied. “Are you going to check on her before you head off to bed on the couch?”

"Of course, and make sure she had eaten well."

“A devoted mate to be,” Collin smiled, as he walked back into the medical bay to see Tensu sitting next to Dive as the young drake slept. “How is he, Tensu?”

"He’ll be fine from what I can see, I hope he is not upset when he wakes."

"It should be alright Tensu, but do not leave his side. You only ever get friends like this once in a lifetime. Cherish him even if it is but a short while in the time you will live."

Tensu nodded. "May I have permission to tell him the full truth?"

"You need not ask, I’d be disappointed if you did not."

Tensu smiled. "Thank you my lord."

Collin smiled, as he ran his hand over Tensu’s hair. “Be good to him. Now, I have to face the music of his mother,” and Collin walked out of the room leaving Tensu alone with Nosedive.

“Good luck with that, my lord, you are going to be needing that,” Tensu whispered.

Collin smiled, as he walked towards the offices of the doctors of Raven’s Court. He knocked and entered to see Tarisn and their doctor looking over some reports of some of the injured students that Dive had caused. “Tarisn, may I have a word with you? I did something that you may not like.”

Tarisn looked over to see Collin standing there. “What did you do now, Collin?” as she walked over to him and led him to one of the private consultation rooms and closed the door behind her after Collin walked in.

Collin turned on the video screen in the room and played the security footage of what had happened with Dive including the possession. "He has been marked as the heir to Sunset Valley. It was either that, Tarisn or have him possessed by two wild magics."

“By two wild magics?” Tarisn asked.

"Flashblade is a natural line of channels, there are two wild magics they can call upon, one exists in the flash plains which Keltor was built upon, though it was once worshiped as the tree of life, it is a sentient magic that has the power to heal. The second resides in Sunset Valley, it is known to us Doves as the Flashblade’s will. Unlike the first it has a much stronger mind and is picky about who it allows to wield it. During that incident, Nosedive was possessed by both. The Flashblade’s will, Tarisn, would not let him go unless certain terms were met. The terms were to be marked as its own - a Dove Flashblade."

Tarisn looked at him calmly and then the calm look on her face vanished. “You allowed him to be marked? Couldn’t you have told them both that his mother would not permit him to be marked unless it was of my son’s own desire to become a Dove, Collin?”

Collin being the big bad Black Dove cringed under the berate coming from Tarisn and he knew he deserved it. “I tried to reason with them but they demanded him to be marked, so I followed their demand or leave him possessed by them both,”

"So does that mean you are going to take him away from me too!?"

Collin shook his head. "He may be marked but he does not live under my people laws unless that is his choice, and Nosedive already told me no before this incident, in front of the council as well. I'm not that cruel, Tarisn."

“He told you no and in front of the council too?” Tarisn’s anger was starting to fade.

“Yes, he said that he would not be Dove right to my face when I denied Lola’s request for living weapons to go after the White Guards of the Ancients,” Collin replied. “He stood right up to me and I felt the power of Sunset Valley emit from him when he stood up to me and refused my offer to become a Dove and stay there and have anything he so desires.”

"So the mark was just to appease that wild magic?"

"That is all it was for, as you can see most Doves’ can not get near him, when he uses it only Flashblade, MacDove and McDove can approach him from the Dove lines . . . all other Doves are forced to their knees in submission."

"That sounds pretty dangerous for you to leave him unchained does it not? Anyone could use him against you."

"I'm not worried, after all I let Nazan run loose."

“Are you letting him teach my son or are you letting another train him beyond the lessons he learns here in this school?” Tarisn asked.

"I'm leaving him in Nazan’s training."

“And when he goes on his vacation with his mate when she’s done being aged, then who will train him,”

“When they are not busy with their classes, Rowain and Lola will help train him,” Collin replied.

Tarisn smiled. "Rowain is Nazan’s main pupil and Lola is a Seabird to the core, you really are trying not to indoctrinate him are you?"

"The Doves will die out if we can not change, they need leaders who can look at the world differently, just because it is tradition does not mean it is always right. If you tell Lola I said that I will deny every word."

“Tell her what? That you are not wanting to bring Dive into the ranks of the Doves till he comes to you willingly,” Tarisn replied.

Collin smiled. “Dive will come to the Doves but it will be long after I’m dead and buried,”

"You seem certain, when nothing for you is set."

"You know very well Catherine and Nazan are fate weavers, so is Lola. She inherited that talent from her mother. Nazan and Lola are of Dove blood so Doves have no immunity to them. The future is much less uncertain then it once was."

"So is your future out on Lola’s shoulders?"

Collin shook his head. "It is on Rowain’s, from what I understand, Nazan does not go into details."

“So you are putting it on Rowain’s and not Lola’s?”

“Yes, he’s the one that will most likely succeed me,” Collin replied.

“Are you sure he will be the one?” Tarisn asked.

“Yes, though I am training Lolita but I know she will most likely find a Suscan male and go live in space, leaving Rowain as my heir,” Collin said. “I’m putting my hopes on Rowain.”

Tarisn nodded. "I'll let what you've done to Nosedive slide, just make sure you don't do anything else to him."

Collin smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else to him. From this point on, everything that he does next is done on his own.”

Tarisn nodded as they walked out of the room, she headed for her son to see Tensu sitting next to him. He had actually got up and went into a fighting stance to protect Dive. “Stand down, Tensu, I will not harm my own son.”

Tensu looked to Collin just to be sure, and Collin gave him a reassuring nod. "Sorry Mrs. Flashblade, I’m still a bit on edge."

Tarisn nodded as she approached her son and Tensu. She checked the tattoo to see if it was leaking or any sign of infection appearing. When she was satisfied that everything was okay, she turned to look at Tensu. “Show me your arms, Tensu?”

Tensu obeyed not wanting to cause any more trouble. His wrists were red and some of his scales had chuffed off.

Tarisn went to the medical cabinet and pulled out a small jar of salve and handed it to him. “Be sure to apply that before you leave and when you go off to bed tonight and at any time you wake during the night, reapply it.”

Tensu nodded. "Thank you, though I’ll be here till he wakes or longer."

“Knowing my son, he’ll be awake soon,” Tarisn replied.

Tensu looked at her. “If it is okay with you, could Lord Collin sit with Nosedive while I talk with you privately?”

"It should be fine, right Tarisn?"

"Alright, thought let’s try not to take too long."

Tarisn led her into another room where they talked for ten minutes before they returned to Nosedive’s side.

Collin was smiling at them as they approached. “Nosedive is waking.”

Tensu rushed to Nosedive’s side wanting to be there for when he wakes. Tarisn smiled, she neither had nor realized what Tensu was until he has asked those questions, it was a shame they were not a viable match.

Collin looked at Tarisn and spoke in Suscan, “Tensu likes your son a lot,”

“Yes, he’ll be a good friend to my son and they’ll both have each other’s backs for as long as Dive and Tensu lives,” Tarisn replied.

Nosedive shifted on the bed. “Ow, why does my back hurt?”

"Because you have a really big tattoo on it at this point," Tensu said as if he were joking.

"You’re pulling my feathers right?"

"No, there really is a big tattoo on your back."

“Can I see my back?” Dive asked.

Tensu turned to look at Collin and Tarisn, to see Collin going off to get a mirror. “Lord Collin will get a mirror for you to look at your back, Dive,”

"Alright, I may as well see what I have to live with for the rest of my life."

It was not too long before Collin returned with a big mirror in his hands. “Here this should show you what is on your back, Nosedive,”

Dive sat up and looked into a smaller mirror to see his back’s reflection in the bigger mirror. "That really is a big tattoo, I'd ask why it is there but I think I know the answer."

Tensu nodded. “You were a sight to behold, Dive. I’ll tell you more once we get you into my dorm room. I have a bunk bed so you can have the lower bunk to sleep,”

"You don't mind mom?"

"I don't mind, right now I have idea how to explain it to your father or older brother."

“A field trip to a different part of the planet?” Nosedive chirped.

"For now that should work, you’re going to have to think of what to tell Wing though."

“He’ll believe the field trip story, momma,” Dive replied. “And I always wear a robe going to and from the bathroom, he won’t see the tattoo.”

"Good, just make sure you are even more careful, no one outside this school should ever get a glimpse of it."

“Yes, momma.”

Tensu took hold of his hand. “We better get you to my room so you can check out everything. I do happen to have a private bathroom of my own which is normal for all dorm rooms.”

They headed off after Dive got off the bed. Tarisn turned to look at Collin. “Might want to suggest to Rowain or to Nazan that a week long field trip to a distant part of the planet or to a space station for Dive’s and Tensu’s class to make this story work,”

“I’ll suggest it to Rowain since Nazan will be busy with Summer on their honeymoon after you give the green light to their sexual relationship,” Collin replied.

"Where will it be to?"

"Sunset Valley, he'll have to do a history report on it."

“That does sound like a good thing for him and Tensu to do together.” Tarisn said. “It would take them a while to fly there or if it is going to be a real challenge skate there and then hike the rest of the way and only when they’re done with their history report, they’ll get a plane ticket back here.”

"You can't skate in Sunset Valley, Tarisn. It's a tropical island within Dove territory. It's has been countless thousands of years since a Flashblade has set foot on it. Just being there will be a lesson for him."

“Well, they’ll have to skate to the edge of Dove lands before they have to hike the rest of the way,” Tarisn replied.

Collin looked at her. “I’ll be sending Rowain with them and they will not be hiking or skating since its mostly water there, Tarisn.”

"So they will be going by boat?”

Collin nodded. "Takes a while but is very educational."

“So how long will it take from start to finish?”

“About two weeks, by then, the tattoo should be fully healed and he’ll be able to handle tight hugs from others,” Collin replied.

Tarisn raised a brow. "Two weeks? Never mind I think I know why so fast."

Collin smiled as he headed towards the headmaster’s office to see Rowain sitting there doing reports. “Rowain, you and Tensu should get ready to go to Sunset Valley for the next two weeks,”

“And why do I need to go to Sunset Valley with two students?” asked Rowain.

"To keep them out of the way and to supervise their lesson,"

“What is their lesson?”

"The history of Sunset Valley, something constructive and educational."

“Are you sure, it is wise to send Dive there? After what Dive had brought forth?” Rowain asked. “You would be sending the boy to the one place where he would most likely declare his status as Lord Flashblade, Lord of Sunset Valley,”

“I know that, Rowain, that is why I am having you go with them,” Collin stated.

Rowain shook his head. “Very well, I’ll get both of them prepared to leave within fifteen minutes,”

"Good, make sure Nosedive gets a chance to see both the estate and the town on the island."

“Alright,” Rowain replied, as he headed out of the office towards the medical bay and stopped in mid-step. “Lord Collin, where would they both be at this point of time?”

“Try Tensu’s room and you might want to knock first though,” Collin said, as he watched as Rowain rushed down the corridor. “Dive will be getting an eye full that’s for sure,” he started to walk down the other way.

~~~~~~

Tensu placed Dive on the lower bunk before taking a seat in front of him. “Dive, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

"What do you mean? If it's about us getting punished or what I did during it don't worry about it. We both made it out alive so we shouldn’t worry about it."

"It's not that, it's more so that there are no surprises when we get older. I'm both male and female; I haven't decided yet which side to show more. Male seems to be the safest for now."

Dive looked at him shocked. “You are both . . . male and female?”

Tensu nodded. “I have both equipments though my male side is more visible right now, unless I cut out my male equipment, I will look female. Look for yourself, Dive.” As he dropped his pants and his underwear, he pulled his penis and sacks aside to reveal the folds of a female to him.

Dive stared for a few moments then looked back up to Tensu. "Which do you want to be?"

Tensu puts his underwear and pants back on. "I don't know... my actual race is Drak, my adopted mother is Saurian so people think I’m Saurian and it is easy to go along with. Problem is my life span is like 1200 years."

“So that means when I’m gone, you’ll still be alive?” Dive asked.

“Yes, sadly or someone kills me before then,” Tensu replied.

“Why show me this?” Dive asked.

“You risked your life for me, when you could have bailed. You risked everything for me. I could do no less in showing you what I really am and I trust you completely,” Tensu replied, as he leaned in close to Dive’s bill and was about to kiss him when the door chime rang off. Tensu straightened up and walked towards the door to unlock it. The door slid open to reveal Rowain standing there. “Yes, headmaster Rowain?”

"Looks like you two already have been given a hands on history assignment, you have fifteen minutes to get some stuff together . . . you two are heading to Sunset Valley to do a history assignment on it."

Tensu nodded as he turned to look at Dive. “He’s about my size, I’ll loan him some of my clothes,”

"That works, might blend in better that way."

Tensu nodded as he turned to his closet and brought out his backpack. “Uh, Rowain, I have only one pack.”

“I figured as much, here use this,” Rowain threw him another backpack and walked out of the room. “Remember fifteen minutes, the courtyard out back.”

Tensu looked at Dive. “I guess I better show you some of my clothes and see which ones fit you the best since we don’t have time to get to your home and get any from your closet.”

Dive nodded as he went to Tensu’s closet and started to put a shirt on which fit him nicely and a pair of pants that matched the shirt. He pulled them off and folded them as he placed them within the pack before trying on another pair. It took them about five minutes total to get everything packed and Dive wearing one of Tensu’s clothes which hung loose around his back as they headed for the back courtyard where Rowain was waiting for them both with his own pack by his leg.

“Right on time, boys.” Rowain smiled. “Come on, the plane is waiting for us to go to Sunset Valley.”

Tensu and Dive headed up to the helicopter and took their seats as Rowain climbed into the front seat and gave the nod to the pilot and told him that they are all on board and to head for Sunset Valley as Nosedive and Tensu watched as Raven’s Court started to become smaller as they went into the sky towards the north.

"So what is Sunset Valley like?" Dive asked.

Rowain smiled. "It's one of the nicer places for the Dove territories. There is the Flashblade estate of course and then there is the town, well more of a city these days of Kashuka. Kashuka is the medical technology hub for the Doves."

“Medical technology hub? You mean a school for the doctors for the Doves?” asked Dive, after several minutes of silence.

"That is into researching curing sickness and injuries, that is also an aspect of it. There is also research and development on low environmental impact technologies for renewable resources and to keep pollution and other harmful things to a minimum. Kashuka is considered the ideal place for that since it’s one of the few places where there is a temple to the tree of life. While its magic does not affect Doves except through a Flashblade, it is used as a symbol of what they are trying to achieve through their research."

“It’s what you did to the kid you seriously injured though you did wound him fatally, you ended up bringing him back from the brink of death to life.” Tensu replied. He wasn’t sure if Dive remembered what he did while possessed.

“I did?” Dive asked, as he looked at Tensu and then to Rowain.

“You did, Dive,” Rowain replied. “It was really shocking for me since I never expected it to happen.”

"Don’t know if I can do it again, all that happened in the heat of the moment."

“You might be able to do that when you are willing to become a host to the powers of the tree again,” Rowain stated. “But enough talking, both of you will need your rest as the next two weeks will be filled with lessons and other stuff.”

Dive and Tensu both nodded and closed their eyes to the sleep that was threatening them both. Rowain watched as their chests went from deep breaths to very shallow ones. He looked at the pilot and nodded as the speed picked up as the helicopter sped towards Sunset Valley.

“Should we inform the caretakers of Sunset Valley’s estate that the Lord is coming?” the pilot asked.

"Probably, even though he has yet to fully become a Dove, Sunset Valley is his."

“What if he does not wish to leave when he learns that this is his land?”

“Then, we will have to contend with it as it comes, but I doubt he’ll become Dove before he’s ready to become it,” Rowain stated.

"But you know the people there will expect him to manage the lands again, not to mention the moral boost to the people who live there."

“I’m now wondering if I should even have him state his last name when he meets people there,”

“Everyone can tell he’s a Flashblade, without saying anything. I could tell he was a Flashblade without hearing his last name at all. It is the way he walks is the tell-tale sign of a Flashblade,”

“How do you know how a Flashblade walks, you never saw one before today?”

“I was in the military here in Keltor and there is an officer there with the last name of Flashblade there and I watched him for several days and that kid back there has that same walk,”

"Anything else that gives him away?"

"Beyond the regular feelings one gets around the founding bloodlines? Not really. Though you would never feel that since you have that kind of blood in you,"

“I’m just a Ringdove, not even of the founding bloodlines.” Rowain stated.

“If you look at your mother’s last name, you are of the founding bloodlines, Rowain.” The pilot replied.

"So there really is no way to hid it is there? I thought people reacted to the name."

The pilot chuckled. "No, it's something we physically feel."

"So what does the kid feel like then?"

"In simple burns like fire, intensity changing with mood."

"And what about myself?"

"Cold and dark like a void."

Rowain raised a brow, "What of Lolita then, does she feel the same?"

"She scares the hell out of me on that one, sometimes it's the cold dark void feeling but then in an instant it's like the feeling of drowning under a wave and her eyes that seem to look at you and see right through you. The scariest thing is that sinking understanding that she can take away your free will without a word."

“That she can do,” Rowain replied.

"Has she ever done it to you?"

"Once, though it was for my own good. Does Nazan give you the same feeling?"

"Yes, he seems nice but never look at him in the eyes because then you know he can also take your free will away. It's not quite like Lolita but it's just as scary. Their both fate weavers, once a person has a fate then there is no free will."

The pilot went silent as they flew towards Sunset Valley, just about an hour before sunset, they approached the land. The pilot spoke, “Better wake them, we’re almost there.”

"Yeah, though a word of advice, none are so caged then those who falsely believe they are free, we are Doves even with a fate we can still choose to defy it." Rowain said letting the words hang as he went to wake Tensu and Nosedive.

Nosedive woke fast at the touch with his dagger in hand ready to kill, till he noticed it was Rowain. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be, I forgot that you had your dagger with you and that you would pull it,” Rowain whispered. “Wake Tensu as we’re almost at Sunset Valley.”

Dive nodded as he turned to Tensu. “Wake up sleepy head; we’re almost to Sunset Valley.”

Tensu stirred as he leaned his head on Dive’s shoulder and mumbled. “Five more minutes, dad.”

"Tensu its Dive, wake up or Rowain will throw you out of the helicopter."

“Tensu, wake up or I will be throwing you out,” Rowain replied, taking the suggestion that Dive had said as an added threat.

Tensu opened his eyes and yawned. “I was having a good dream,”

Rowain smirked, “You can sleep tonight, I want you to observe what you see as we approach Sunset Valley as you both should have your notebooks out and preparing to write what you see before we land.”

Tensu and Dive grabbed their school bags and pulled out their notebooks and their pens as they gazed out the windows.

Dive recognized the large valley surrounded by mountains that went into the sea. He hadn't paid much attention last time but he took a closer look at the water it was odd seeing it like that, since he had always seen pictures of their world covered in ice. The colors of the sunset began to make the water look red and the peeks of the mountains like they were on fire, it would seem uninviting from a view from the water but up here you could see the lush green of trees and now that he was paying full attention of the city lights inside the valley.

"In blood and fire life finds its strength. Stone walls and a sea of tears separate the keeper of the balance. In the emerald valley where the sun sets lays the throne of the harvester. Life can only be balanced by death, and death is balanced by life. Do not think the harvester is without a heart for his black wings embrace the Doves and those who stand above take responsibility never letting their numbers get to great so that life can flourish. The harvester stands by the by the shield as the sword to defend what is important to it." Tensu said from memory while looking at Sunset Valley. "Seeing it like this I can see where that verse came from, though I don't understand it all some is starting to make sense."

"What is it called?"

"Xelano's Tears."

"Who's Xelano?"

"The Flashblade who helped found the Doves."

“Will we see a picture of him?” asked Dive, as he jotted it down on his notebook.

"Probably, though it may be in the temple or the Flashblade estate and I have no idea where we would start to look."

“We may find it in a museum in the city if they have one,” Dive replied.

Tensu nodded. “It would be neat.”

Dive leaned towards Rowain. “Hey Ro, is there a museum in Sunset Valley?”

"There are a couple in Kashuka, and the Flashblade estate is one at the moment.”

Dive smirked. “Not for long,”

Rowain had to turn to look at Dive carefully to see in his young eyes the look of a Lord. He swore internally, as he thought to himself, that the spirits of the tree of life and that of the Dove Flashblade were not really gone or maybe they would leave him once he touches his family land.

"Actually it's kind of cool, how many people can say their family home is a museum?"

Tensu smiled. “The people of Keltor will think it is strange, but then again, there is the museum of the butcher from what they state was his home,”

"Was it his home?"

Tensu shook his head, “That residence is long gone now."

“Good,” Dive replied. “The Surfers probably destroyed it after he died or his kids did,”

"Surfers and we, Doves helped a bit, I mean he was out to kill all Saurians, it means we were also targets. It's just that the Doves managed to hold their ground."

“And survived his children’s battle after he died and what everyone thought was peace which was brokered by Lady DuCaine.”

“What happened to cause it to go awry?” asked Dive.

“She either died or left the planet as she was seen at his home but then the next morning, she was gone. They went after each other to get control of their father’s troops and they basically destroyed their family home and themselves. All five children but for one girl who left the region after her dad died, she returned and took control of her father’s army, made them into the DuCaine Metro military that is around today. Any DuCaine blood children came from her uncle as she found out later, that she was barren.” Rowain said, as he looked at them both.

"Aren’t DuCaine metro and Keltor the two biggest metropolises on the planet?" Tensu asked

"Yeah Keltor is a strange place, a port city that has been there a very long time almost as long as the Dove has existed. Have you ever wondered why Raven’s Court is called Raven’s Court?" Rowain asked, with a smile. Nosedive and Tensu both shook their heads. "Raven’s Court is named after Lady Raven Ringdove who held Keltor’s borders against the DuCaine invasion, what is now a school was once her central court as the Crimson Dove. Keltor to this day remains a city state unto it's self."

“Isn’t Lady Raven Ringdove, your ancestor, Rowain?” asked Tensu.

Rowain nodded. "That was a very long time ago, it's been over 20 generations since madness has become part of the Ringdove line, my cousin Angel and I are all that is left since the purge. If it was not for Lola I may have died then as well."

Dive looked to Rowain then Tensu. "The purge?, what was that?"

"The extermination of the Ringdove family, the madness had made them monsters with no regard for authority or others just their own selfish and fiendish desires."

"But...."

"Don't worry about it, Nosedive, my families’ mistake was marrying someone of DuCaine blood for madness flows strongest in them."

“Is it possible for a Dove to see DuCaine blood?” Dive asked.

“It is possible but those Doves have never ventured from Dublin Prime,” Rowain replied. He didn’t want to state that it was the Dove Flashblade who could see the blood of a DuCaine.

“I think Odella mated with a DuCaine,” Dive stated.

Rowain looked at Dive. “Are you sure she mated with a DuCaine, Nosedive?”

"No, I don't feel it in his twin. But I feel the taint of madness in him."

Rowain sat back silent as this was something that he had seen in Canard as well. “What do you see in his twin?”

"Right now, its just uncertainty and magic, nothing really specific,"

“If you concentrate on her, you can feel something else something dangerous if it is unleashed,” Rowain stated.

“Like what, Rowain?” asked Dive. “Like her being the Pillar that the two magic users were speaking about,”

"She's different from when she was taken away, but she's not quite a pillar yet, not if she can not wake up."

“Think she will not awaken anytime soon?”

“I hope she awakens soon, Lola’s mother is hoping she’ll be your brother’s mate,”

“Wing likes her and if our mom agrees as well as Odella, I think it should be a good match,” Dive replied. He closed his eyes for a few minutes when he opened them, he locked eyes with Rowain. “She will awaken before the year is over.”

“That’s good to know considering that this is the start of the last month of the year.” Rowain said.

"Yeah, guess we should sit so the pilot can land."

Everyone sat back down in their seats as the pilot headed for the landing strip and hovered over the landing box before setting the helicopter down and turning off the engines so by the time he turned to give them the okay to disembark, the blades would have stopped moving.

Five minutes later, the pilot turned to Rowain. “The blades have stilled and you may now disembark,”

"Thanks." he said as he unbuckled as did the other two. "I look forward to the trip back in two weeks."

“Give me a ring when you want to return, I’ll be no more than five hours away,” The pilot stated, as Dive and Tensu followed by Rowain left the helicopter.

Once they were in the safe zone, the pilot started the helicopter up and lifted off flying towards Dublin Prime. Rowain turned to the two boys and motioned them to follow him as they headed towards the port and then to find the hotel bus to take them to the hotel that they were going to stay in.

Nosedive marveled at the buildings around him there were more modern then the new buildings in Keltor, though what really surprised him was the weather. It felt so very warm. He turned to Rowain and asked. “Headmaster . . .,”

Rowain turned to Nosedive. “Please, I’m not headmaster yet, just Rowain will do,”

“Rowain, how is it to be so warm here?” asked Dive.

Tensu chuckled not because the question was silly but because Dive was really uninformed about the northern section of his home world.

“Tensu, since you are chuckling at the expense of your friend, you tell him why it is so warm here?” Rowain replied, locking eyes on Tensu.

"Well most places need geo thermal barriers Sunset Valley has natural magma flows underground. This place is tropical which means warm and humid.”

“So that’s why it is so green and lush?”

Tensu nodded. “Yes,”

"If the rest of the planet was like this there wouldn’t be so much worry about food."

"The planet was like this a long time ago, the way it is now was to stop the fighting. The need to survive is what finally forged peace."

“The entire planet was like this before the planet changed to what it is in Keltor and the other parts of the planet?”

“Yes,”

“Who caused it to happen and who created the peace?” Dive asked. “If you two know who did those things?”

"L’Orange, Nova, Flashblade, Seabird, and McDove, the leaders of five of the six nations signed an accord that would make this world into a frozen hell until there would be peace. The planet is mostly frozen due to a geothermal bomb that was set off to freeze the planers core. McDove had placed provisions to sustain the warm climate of the Dove territory. The mountain kingdom has the same magma flows that this place does. The sky cities have never relied on the resources on the ground and Suscans can survive almost anywhere. So the flash plains and the Blader territories became the frozen hells."

“The flash plains are my family’s lands . . . aren’t they?” Dive asked.

"At this point, they are your father’s but they will be your older brother’s, Sunset Valley claimed you so you can not have the plains."

“It will not be my brother’s, it will be his great grandson’s lands.” Dive said, in a tone of certainty.

“Are you sure the Flash plains will be your brother’s great grandson?” Rowain asked.

“Yes,” Dive replied, before he started to walk away from the spot they had stopped at to continue looking at the buildings.

Tensu looked to Rowain half worried. "He sees without eyes but is not a weaver, it's a bit frightening."

"It's alright Tensu, the tree of life connects everyone. His talent is like yours but not refined the same way."

“He needs training on it to strengthen it or it will grow weak,” Tensu replied.

"If that is the case, you’re the only one qualified to teach, since you are by nature someone who can read a fate and change it."

“Very well, if the tree of life will permit me to do so, I will teach him how to hone it to where he can see anything coming his way and be able to deal with it,” Tensu replied. “Though it will make him extremely lethal as an assassin,”

“I know,” Rowain said.

"Let’s get going, we'll deal with it after we get back to Raven’s Court."

“Very well,” Rowain led them towards the hotel about five blocks later.

Nosedive kept looking around as they walked; the buildings were different then in Keltor. In Keltor almost all the buildings were stone or metal with some glass, here the newer looking buildings seemed to be made mostly of glass. He stopped at one and was about to touch the glass, when Rowain yanked his hand away. “Why did you stop me from touching the glass?”

Rowain pointed to a sign below the glass he was about to touch. “It’s electrified, in other words, it would have given you a heart attack or worse killed you, Dive.”

Dive read the sign and nodded. "Thanks, it's just they look so cool compared to back at Keltor . . . why is the glass electrified?"

"It's a research and development center, it's standard procedure so that nothing dangerous gets out and anyone try to get in is kept out."

Dive nodded, as they continued to walk to the hotel.
The next chapter is coming.
- 11
- 12
- 13
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Vastati fatum (Ravaged by fate).