Yarneraj frowned. "I don't know," he replied, sounding aggravated. He stared at the short staff sitting on the table before them for a moment, before adding, "It must be fairly important if the Good Mages went to all that trouble trying to prevent us from having it."
"Well, that logic's only slightly flawed," someone muttered from just behind the pair.
Yarneraj turned around to find a handsome young wizard in the doorway of the council chamber. He had straight dark hair that fell to his shoulders and large violet eyes. Yarneraj recognized him as the apprentice of one of the other wizards on the Council, but couldn't recall his name. "Did you want something?" he growled. "Or have you come to taunt your superiors?"
The wizard paled slightly. "Pardon me, my lord," he said softly. "I - I heard you'd returned and thought you should know that Master Shadow had managed to escape from the forest."
Xeneel sighed. Somehow the spellcaster always seemed to find a way to escape from them. "Who was watching him?" the magician asked.
"Master Jeffries," replied the young wizard.
"I'll settle it with him then," Xeneel stated, headed out the door. The young wizard turned to follow, but Yarneraj called him back.
"Yes, sir?" the wizard asked, stepping closer to his leader.
"What's your name?" Yarneraj asked, scowling darkly.
"K-Keenan Meadows."
Yarneraj nodded. He didn't recognize the name, which meant this wizard hadn't been wont to cause trouble in the past. "You said our logic was flawed?" he prompted.
The wizard looked down at his feet. "I - I�" he started. Sighing, Meadows said, "Just because the good mages tried to keep you from getting it, doesn't mean it does anything at all. They often place great importance on objects that have a lot of magical history."
"Magical history?"
Keenan nodded. "That looks to be a staff that belonged to the clan-leader of some ancient wizard clan," he explained. "They'd do anything to keep this out of your hands, simply because it belongs either in a museum or with the clan of its origin."
"I see," Yarneraj mused. He looked more closely at the staff and noticed that there was writing carved into it. "Can you read this?" he asked.
Keenan stepped over cautiously and examined the writing. "It's Cygman," he declared. "Behold the Great - or Powerful - Staff of the Rodenmarla Clan. With it, we may rule the fields of valor."
He wondered briefly how the younger man knew Cygman since mages from that land were not usually evil, but he was more interested in the power the staff might have. "What's that mean?" Yarneraj asked. Ruling the fields of valor sounded like an intriguing thought. Maybe the staff was powerful after all.
Meadows shrugged. "It's just the standard formula to imbue the staff with magic energy so that it can't be broken when used in a fight," he explained.
Yarneraj sighed and nodded. "Anything else that you can see?"
Keenan squinted and said, "Yeah... there's more writing near the center." The young wizard lifted the staff off the table and gasped when it began to emit a soft red light. The faded writing he'd noticed became bright red, as though from an inner fire, and could more easily be read.
"This staff will answer only the call of its true wielder. For all time the Rodenmarla Clan shall stand beside the Mirallee Clan. They shall be as one clan!" Keenan read softly.
Both wizards gasped in surprise when the staff trembled in Keenan's hands. Unexpectedly, the top of the staff blurred and seemed to change. A moment later, the staff had extended slightly and branched at the top. The glowing light gathered itself at the top, between the branches and then coalesced into a swirling ball of energy. When the light finally died, the staff was topped with a large crimson sphere.
"What the devil was that?" Yarneraj breathed.
Keenan blinked and shook his head. "I don't know, sir," he whispered. "Could I - could I have your permission to keep this staff and study it further?"
The older wizard nodded. "Of course, Keenan," he said softly. "Inform me of anything you learn."
"I shall," Keenan replied. Bowing slightly, the young wizard quickly fled the room, bringing the strange staff with him. "What was that about?" he hissed when he'd made it out of the Great Hall.
"You know who the Rodenmarla and Mirallee clans are, don't you?" a voice replied.
Keenan turned to glare at a small brown rabbit. "Of course I do!" he hissed. "Rodenmarla is a Cygman clan. The name means "field bush". They were powerful contact wizards. The Mirallee clan came from Loyalia, where their name meant "flowering field". Being descended for both clans, I know all the family lore," he snapped. Pausing and trying to calm down somewhat, Keenan looked at the staff in his hands. "That doesn't explain what just happened in there," he added warily.
The orb on the end of the staff glowed. "True wielder of the Rodenmarla Staff," a voice said. "Know your heritage." Keenan gasped as he realized that the staff had spoken to him. "Just as I served all Rodenmarlas in the past, I serve you now. You shall rule the field of valor as a warrior for right!"
"The Rodenmarla clan and the Mirallee clans merge over two hundred years ago, Keene," Bartholomew started. "Forming the -"
"Meadows clan. I know," Keenan breathed. Sudden realization dawned and he murmured, "It's my family's staff!"
"That's right," Bartholomew answered happily.
Keenan shook his head. "If Yarneraj finds out about my being of Cygman heritage, he'll kill me!" he moaned. "There are no evil Cygman mages and he knows that!"
"Then you'll just have to keep the reason why this occurred a secret," Bartholomew stated softly.
Meadows shook his head. "I can't," he argued. "I told him I'd tell him what I learned!"
Bartholomew sighed. Keenan's Loyalian heritage made it impossible for him to deceive anyone he felt loyalty towards. "Do you honestly feel you owe him loyalty knowing that if he learns the truth, he'll kill you?" the rabbit reasoned.
Keenan paused for a moment. "No," he said, setting the tip of the staff against the flagstone floor. "No, I don't." Turning to his familiar, Keenan said, "I'll keep the truth about the staff a secret."
Bartholomew nodded. "You'll have to learn to control it," he whispered.
Keenan glanced at the brightly glowing orb and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Otherwise I won't be able to control the spells I send through it." Starting for his suite, Keenan said, "It'll take time and research, but I'll master this staff the same way I did my magic."
As he watched the young wizard hurry up the steps, Bartholomew sighed. "I'll always be here for you, Keen. Remember that," he whispered softly; then he vanished from sight.
End...
