Door in the Stone: part one

I watched as my brother lifted the bow and took aim. He released the arrow and it flew through the air, embedding itself into the center ring on the practice target next to the other arrows he had shot.

"Congratulations Ahriman, you are still the the best archer in tribe." Faraz said with a friendly slap to my brother's back. Ahriman just shook his head, then went to retrieve his arrows. Faraz shrugged and walked over to where I was sitting on a boulder. Like the other hunters in our tribe, his dark auburn hair was neatly braided.

"Here to see your brother?" He asked, looking at me with his pale blue eyes. Two years older then me, Faraz was my brother's new hunting partner.

"Yes, I was just waiting for him to finish training." I said as I stood. With Faraz matching my stride, I walked over to my brother.

Ahriman mostly took after our father in looks: long legs, a muscular torso and dark burgundy eyes framed by ash blond hair.

"Nadira, what are you doing here?" My brother asked in his normal soft tone. At times I was surprised by how skilled a warrior my brother was. He preferred to avoid battle, but would do whatever was necessary to protect our tribe. It was yet another way that he took after our father.

"I was sent. Father wanted to see you." I answered. Ahriman bowed his head.

"Very well."

After they had gathered their weapons, we began walking back to the tribe. Faraz whistled a tune while he walked beside me.

"How is your training going?" My brother asked. I ducked my head.

"Ladarius wants to initiate me as an Oathkeeper at the next full moon."

"That's wonderful. Normally apprentices aren't initiated until they're sixteen." My brother replied warmly.

I smiled. Ladarius was the tribe's shaman. As a master of the old magic he could bind a person to their word, capture memories, and many other things that I was still learning about. Ladarius had been my teacher since the moment I traced a shadow rune in the air.

The shadow runes are one technique used to direct the old magic that was called Newiderr. Unlike the more common single talent; which is a certain ability that anyone can be born with and have an instinctive knowledge in its most basic use, the old magic is only accessible to those few who have the aptitude for it.

Faraz stopped whistling and looked at me. "That's in three days. You'll have to leave soon to reach the cavern."

I nodded and looked down the path, imagining what the Cavern of Oaths would be like. Only Oathkeepers and chieftains were allowed to enter the cavern, but the tribes had a few ideas as to what it was like. The only known fact was that there were crystals that would contain the Oath of Keeper; a binding ceremony that each Oathkeeper was required to take. Each Oathkeeper carried a piece of their crystal, which glowed to signify that they were truly an Oathkeeper.

After five minutes of traveling through the woods we reached the outskirts of our village. Faraz lifted a hand in farewell as he broke away from us and began walking toward the eastern warrior lodge. All the unmarried warriors lives in one of the four lodges on the outskirts of the village. This allowed them to quickly come to battle against any raiders that may attempt an attack.

We walked through the village, heading toward the chief's cabin. Located in the center of the village, the chief's cabin was one of the larger buildings: doubling as the tribe meeting house, it was quite busy during the day.

When we neared the cabin, I glanced at my brother. At eighteen, my brother did not live in one of the hunter lodges. As the next chief of our tribe, he continued to live in the chief's cabin. My brother tried his best to make up for this alteration of warrior life by working harder then any other warrior his age. Another strain of tradition was the fact that my brother would marry whoever my father chose for him. This woman would likely be the daughter of another tribe's chief.

Entering the cabin, I saw Ladarius and my father deep in conversation. Heads together, they did not notice our entrance. We waited at a respectful distance until they finished speaking.

In appearances, my father and brother were nearly identical. The differences were very minor: while my father had a large, flat nose, my brother had our mother's slender button nose. The angles on my brother's face were also slightly softer then our father's.

Ladarius looked toward us, and father gave us a nod to approach. My teacher was old. A wisp of gray hair lingered on the top of his head, while light crimson eyes peeked out from his wrinkled face. His slight frame had an appearance of frailty that led one to question how he could continue to travel around the village without a cane.

Ahriman removed his hunting knife from his belt and offered it to father hilt first. This was the traditional greeting of a warrior to his chief. Father took the blade, examining it.

"Continue to care for the tribe as you do this blade." He said, returning the knife.

"What do you need of me, chieftain?" Ahriman asked as he sheathed the blade.

"The Oathkeeper will be taking his apprentice to the cavern. They will require an escort."

Ladarius looked at my brother. "Chief Xerxes has chosen that I introduce you to the cavern during this journey in preparation for the day you become chief."

My brother bowed his head. "I am honored."

"As I would expect. You may go prepare." Father replied. With a dip of his head, my brother left the main room.

Now the attention turned to me.

"Nadira Shiningfeather, your progress with Newiderr has impressed me. If you continue to study and experiment, I believe that you will accomplish many things." Ladarius said, offering me a rare smile. I laced my fingers and bowed my head.

"Your praise is valued, as I have valued your teaching."

"The old magic is a strange beast. It has been forgotten by those outside of the remaining tribes. This magic has run through the veins of our world for far longer then the singular talent." Father began, meeting my gaze with his burgundy eyes. I recognized his words as the beginning of one of the tribe's legends. "For generations, the Oathkeepers have used their knowledge of this magic to benefit our people. It has kept many of the tribes at peace with one another, along with binding together individuals. Tomorrow you will leave for the cavern, wherein you will join the ancient order that has served alongside chieftains." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You have made me proud."

I smiled, looking up at my father. As the chief, my father was quite busy. He rarely had time to spend alone with my brother or I, and normally treated us as any other tribe member. So to hear that he was proud of me sent warmth coursing through me.

"Thank you, father." I said softly.

He smiled. "Now go prepare for your journey."