She cleared her throat, shot a glance at Razar, and read the following out to us: "Loradus the lion was exactly twelve moons from the age of becoming. He had been waiting impatiently for his first Chi for as long as he could remember, because then he would make the wolves pay. When Loradus was a cub, his father* had gotten trampled by a rampaging pack of wolves on the night of the hundred year moon. Though he had lived, he was mocked and shunned by the rest of his tribe for being careless enough to go out on such a night. A common joke was that on the night of the purple moon, he sat down in the middle of a road, and when the wolves came charging along, he hadn't felt like moving. Loradus was mocked and shunned as well, simply for being his father's son. His father accepted that this was how things were, but Loradus burned with shame. He vowed that once he reached the age of becoming, he would humiliate the wolves, force them to apologize--or else force them into exile in the outlands. In fact, Loradus wanted to get back at the wolves so badly that he decided to take action before he even came of age. He would steal the Chi from the wolves." Eris paused. The temporary silence pressed in around my face. Razar no longer looked as if he desired to rejoin the other ravens. Eris continued reading: "Loradus started sneaking out every night to scout the wolves' camp. He had to go about it very carefully, as a good many wolves stay active at night. I n time, he found where the wolves kept their Chi, and in nights after, he brought a small sack to smuggle Chi back to his room. One evening, before he slipped away to steal Chi, Loradus asked his father, 'Dad, what happens to Chi that isn't used?' The father laughed sadly. 'No one knows,' he replied. 'All the Chi Emerot ever provided has been used.'"
Eris went on reading, "Loradus soon realized that his plans concerning his coming of age were unrealistic, for Chi alone would not allow him to banish the wolves. Nor would it give him the right to punish them. His best chance for revenge, Loradus decided, was to keep on taking the wolves' Chi. He was running out of hiding places for it in his room, but there was always the jungle. Just when he was about to start hiding it there, a thought came upon him: why not just steal all the wolves' Chi at once? Then they would have to go without it until tournament day at the lion temple. The idea pleased Loradus, and he began to make plans for the following night. The day passed very slowly, and Loradus attempted to occupy his time by shutting himself in his room, looking at the Chi he had stolen, and going over his plans repeatedly. His father couldn't bear to see him like this, and tried to figure out what was wrong. But whenever he started asking his son questions, Loradus would only reply, 'I'm fine, dad. In fact, I'm very happy.' Loradus knew his father wasn't entirely convinced, but he had to focus on the plans, because the night was going to come, no matter how far away it seemed. And when it did, he would be ready.
"Loradus looked up from his papers to find it was dark out. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that time had slipped him by. Time. Standing up, he grabbed a large bag and crept out the door of his room, then tiptoed outside. When he reached the wolf camp, Loradus made straight for the cave in which the Chi was kept. There were only about fifteen orbs left, so filling up the bag was not a problem. He took the final Chi orb from the ground, placed it carefully in the bag, and stealthily walked from the cave, keeping to the shadows. Soon he had left the camp far behind, and he ran regardless of noise back to the lion temple. He paused in front of the temple to dig a shallow pit, bury the bag of Chi, and then ran back to his room to sleep."
"Whoa, whoa, stop," said Laval, raising his paws. "What does this have anything to do with my dad?" Eris looked up. "I'm actually not sure," she said quietly. I turned and stared at Laval coldly, stopping any further out bursts. "How much is there left to read?" I asked, reverting to my former position. Eris flipped through several pages. "A lot." "Still," said I, "I should like to hear the rest of it." I looked around at Ewar and Razar, who both nodded their approval. "Alright, keep reading," said Laval impatiently. "OK," said Eris. "Morning light shafted through Loradus's window, waking him. He blinked blearily, then stumbled out of bed. He was about to leave his room to break his fast when he heard voices coming from outside. He walked up to the window and looked out to see a wolf talking with one of the lion guards to the temple. '...All our Chi gone in one night!' said the wolf. 'Obviously stolen...There were footprints leading away...Lost track of them...Looked like they belonged to a wolf!' Loradus sighed with relief. They wouldn't suspect him. He leaned forward to listen again. 'Probably one of your pups playing a prank,' said the lion. 'Still, it's meddling with unknown powers...best to find whoever did it...we'll send search parties everywhere...look for caches of Chi.' The wolf looked toward the window, so Loradus sidestepped and pressed his back against the wall, breathing heavily now. He had no idea what to do. If someone decided to search his room, it would be the end for him. He might be imprisoned, and he definitely wouldn't receive his first Chi then. At that moment the realization of what he had done fell upon him. Loradus now knew that stealing the Chi had been wrong, no matter what the intention. There was one thing left for him to do: get rid of the evidence."
"Quietly and quickly Loradus gathered up the Chi orbs, placed them inside various bags, and edged out of his room. Creeping along the less-used passageways of the temple, he made for the Chi chamber. Upon reaching an entranceway to it, he looked back and forth, scanning for lion guards. Thankfully, there were none at the moment. He crept up to the pool of Chi and gazed at it. All of it would be denied him if he was caught. Loradus shivered nervously, then removed a Chi orb from one of the bags. He held it at an arm's-length over the Chi pool--and dropped it in. The orb landed with a splash, but did not sink. Instead it floated and started to glow pink. He shielded his eyes as the orb grew brighter and brighter, finally rising off the surface of the Chi water. Then, in a blinding pink flash, the orb shot into the air, bounced off the ceiling, and landed on the floor next to him. However, what Loradus picked up off the floor was no longer a Chi orb. It was a teardrop-shaped orange object about the size of his paw, and it appeared to be a seed. If this was what happened to all Chi that was returned to the pool, perhaps it wasn't a good idea. Thinking for a moment, he decided the best course of action was to dig up the bag of Chi outside, then load all of it onto his speedor and ride it out to the bottomless canyon. Hopefully, there Loradus would be able to rid himself of the Chi. A yell broke through his thoughts. 'Over here! This is where I saw the light come from!' It sounded like several lion guards were coming. Holding the seed tightly in his paw, Loradus ran out the way he had come, heading for the speedor cave. If he had stayed a little longer, however, he might have noticed a beam of Chi carving a message onto a wall. It was three words: 'Emerot awaits you'."
"Loradus looked through rows and rows of speedorz until he found his trusty Defendor XII. He grabbed all the bags and loaded them on (with little room to spare), then pulled the starting cord and blazed toward the waterfall exit. He closed his eyes momentarily when passing through the wall of water. Was revenge against the wolves really worth so much? Now that he thought about it, no. All the actions he had taken against them seemed ridiculous and foolish now. Loradus tightened his paws on the handlebars and set his jaw. He would set things right. He stopped the Defendor to dig up the Chi he had buried the previous day, but though he was certain this was the right spot, the Chi was nowhere to be found. Worriedly, hesitantly, he backed away from his digging and stepped onto his speedor. As he started it up and rode off toward the bottomless canyon, Loradus wondered what had happened to the Chi. He would soon find out. As he came within sight of the canyon, he knew something was wrong. The ground was shuddering slightly, as if an earthquake was about to begin, but there had been no earthquakes in Chima since the mighty Emerot tore itself from the ground. Loradus got off the Defendor anxiously, looking around before quickly dragging each bag of Chi to the edge of the canyon. He picked up the first bag his paws found, then tossed it into the canyon, peering over the edge as it fell. The next bag followed, then the next, until all but one had been thrown away. Glancing at the orange seed in one of his pockets, Loradus kicked the last bag over the edge."
"Loradus sighed with relief. Finally, it was over! He walked to his speedor, started it up, and rode back toward the lion temple. "As the speedor blazed through the jungle, he mopped his forehead. The temperature seemed to be rising quickly, and the ground rumbled ominously. As the conditions grew worse, Loradus started to hope that it was all a dream. But no matter how much he pinched himself, he wouldn't wake up. "By the time he arrived at the temple, the sky was black, even though it was morning. He got off the Defendor as quickly as he could, then ran for the temple entrance. However, just when he was about to walk inside, two lion guards stepped out of the shadows and crossed their spears in front of him. 'Where do you come from?' asked one of the guards. "Loradus looked at him desperately as the first flashes of lightning appeared in the sky. "The guards didn't move. "Loradus squeezed his eyes shut. By throwing the Chi out without using it, he must have upset the balance of nature. And the Chi/seed.... He would figure that out later, if there was a later. "'I asked you a question!' the guard said. 'I expect an answer!' "Loradus stood silently, wrestling with himself. Then, bursting into tears, he shoved the guards aside and screamed, 'Leave me alone! I didn't want this to happen!' The lion guards, shocked by his strong reaction, were tossed against the wall of the passageway. "When Loradus reached his room, a deafening clap of thunder shook the temple; all the while, the ground shuddered with increasing violence. Rain poured down, then a strong wind blew it into his room, drenching everything. Eventually the ground quaked so violently that Loradus's legs slipped out from beneath him and he crashed to the floor. Then something grabbed his shoulder. He felt a mouth near his ear. "'Son!'"
"Tears flowed freely down Loradus's cheeks. His father had come to protect him. The father he had been ashamed of, the father he had stolen Chi for, was shielding him from the storm he had caused. "'We'll be OK," said his father, projecting his voice into Loradus's ear. 'The rain's not hurting anything.' "Barely visible through the window was a flood of orange in the distance: lava. Loradus looked away, not wanting to watch any more destruction. "'Don't worry,' his father repeated. 'That lava's too far away to harm any of the tribes.' "'I hope that's true,' Loradus murmured, but his father couldn't hear over the crashing thunder and howling winds. "'We'll all be fine,' the father repeated again. "Loradus placed his mouth near the father's ear and shouted (so as to be heard), 'No, I won't! Because...' he took a deep breath, 'Because this is all my fault!' "Then the continuous quaking of the ground and the shriek of the wind became too much, and Loradus passed out." Rawzom walked up to us with the rest of the ravens. "Ah, no luck," said he, placing his claws on Razar's shoulder. Everyone at the table, Razar included, turned and glared at him. "What did I do?" asked Rawzom, flicking his beady eyes about nervously. In reply, I nodded to Eris, who turned a page. Rawzom backed away slowly. "Oh, I see. I'll just, uh..." He slipped out of sight behind a bookshelf, the other ravens following his example. Razar turned back and pointed to the book. "Keep reading." Eris complied, "When he woke up, he was in the Chi chamber surrounded by lions, none of whom he knew. Looking around, he spotted his father sitting off to the side. "'Loradus,' one of the lions began. 'I am Laarg. Perhaps you are not aware, but you have upset the balance of nature. Your father--' Laarg nodded at the father, who looked furious with himself '--Tells me that you were somehow the cause of the two-day storm we had.'"
"'Dad!' Loradus looked over at him. 'Why did you tell them?' "His father stared at the Chi pool and said nothing. Laarg growled. "'Alright,' Loradus sighed miserably. 'I...' He decided then not to mention stealing from the wolves. He was in enough trouble already. 'I took some Chi from the pool and... got rid of it.' He fingered the seed in his pocket, glad that he hadn't mentioned it either. "'Exactly how did you get rid of it?' Laarg asked. 'Surely you didn't use it?' "Loradus gulped and shook his head. "'Well, if you didn't use it, then you're meddling with unknown powers,' Laarg continued. 'Chi comes from nature--and, in a way, it is nature. Trying to return it to nature will most likely fail. Though none have tried... until you.' "Loradus looked at the floor, not wanting to face Laarg's piercing gaze. 'I'm sorry,' Loradus said. "'Hah!' Laarg said. 'You think that makes up for this?' He walked toward a passageway leading off. 'Come with me.' "Loradus followed numbly. "The passageway ended at a balcony overlooking what had once been a jungle. Loradus stepped to the edge of the balcony, taking in the terrible sight. All the trees had been uprooted and were lying all over the ground; several looked as if they had been burned. The destruction of the jungle stretched as far as the eye could see. A single tear fell from Loradus's eye onto the back of his paw. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't take his eyes away from the sight. "'You did all this,' Laarg said calmly. "Finally, Loradus turned around. It was all too much for him. He felt sick. 'But--why is the temple still standing?' he managed. "Laarg nodded at the passageway. 'Let's go back, shall we?' "Once they stepped back into the Chi chamber, Laarg said, 'Now, in answer to your question, the temple has much stronger roots than those trees.' He smiled, but not out of happiness. 'I'll now tell you about your punishment.'"
"Loradus stared into Laarg's eyes, pushing the images of the destroyed world of Chima to the back of his mind. "As if seeing into Loradus's thoughts, Laarg said, 'Our world will take time to recover. But in the meantime, we have lost all of our natural resources. To my knowledge, all the tribes survived the storm, but now there is no food to eat.' "Loradus opened his mouth to ask what this had to do with his punishment, but Laarg held up a paw, his smile fading. "'I have done research on the matter,' he continued. 'I have discovered that to restore Chima without waiting hundreds of star cycles, someone must be sacrificed to Emerot.' "Loradus's eyes widened, and he began to slowly shake his head. "Laarg held up a paw again. 'I do not fully understand what it means, but from what I've read, it doesn't sound like certain death.' "'What would I have to do?' Loradus growled, struggling to hold in his emotions. "'Supposedly,' said Laarg, 'At the next full moon, you would enter the Chi chamber, alone and unarmed, and swim to the center of the Chi pool. Emerot will do the rest, or so I've been told. Now, since the next full moon is in about three days, and your father has requested that you stay with him for a little longer, you will be allowed freedom for the next few days. Then...' Laarg pointed to the Chi pool. 'Then Chima will be restored.' He nodded to Loradus. 'You may now leave.' "Loradus ran over to his father, who began to walk away. 'Dad!' Loradus said, his voice breaking. 'Why, dad?' "The father at last turned to face him. 'I don't know what made me do it,' he said. 'But--I'm very, very sorry.' He bowed his head, looking defeated. "Loradus wanted to forgive him, yet found that he couldn't. 'Then,' Loradus said after a long pause, 'I hope you understand that I have to do this.' Holding back more tears, Loradus turned and ran, despite his father's cries of 'stop! Please!' and headed for the temple's exit.
"As soon as he reached the bottom of the steps leading away from the lion temple, Loradus ran to a nearby bush. Pulling several branches aside, he crawled into a space he had made when he was younger, a hideout in the bush. "He sat up and took a deep breath. Taking the orange seed from his pocket, he decided where he would go: to the crocodiles. He had a seer friend there who could help him with his problems. And explain what this is... He looked at the seed carefully before pocketing it. Then he crawled out of the bush, ducked out of sight behind the tree line (or what was left of it), and started off for the croc lodge. "Every time Loradus saw an animal walking along, he found a place to hide and waited until the animal passed him by. Traveling this way was very slow, but Loradus went about it patiently, not wanting the lions to find him. He bit his tongue and shivered whenever he thought about what he had left behind. His poor father would probably be hated ever more by the tribe now, because his son had destroyed the land.... He almost cried out at that thought. Drawing himself upright, Loradus forced himself not to think about such things. "Finally, he arrived at the crocodiles' home lodging. He walked through the entranceway formed in the likeness of a croc's mouth, and headed straight for the seer's corner. It was a small alcove in the stone wall, and inside a crocodile sat on a faded carpet. Loradus remembered asking the seer many times if the carpet could fly (the answer had always been no). "'Well, hello,' the seer said. "Loradus winced. He had always been unsettled by the way crocs' mouths moved. "'This was unexpected,' the seer went on. 'Come, pull up a mat, sit down. Now'--he leaned in closer--'Why did you come to me?'"
"So Loradus explained to the seer what had happened in the past few days: how he had stolen the wolves' Chi (and why), how he had destroyed the land, how he had run away, and, most importantly, what the lions had planned for him. The seer listened patiently, and when Loradus finished talking, he said, 'I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do to help. The best thing to do would be to obey the lions. I think I know something about the'-- "'Wait,' Loradus said. 'I forgot to tell you about this.' He took the seed out of his pocket and held it up. "The seer inhaled sharply. "'What is it?' Loradus said. He allowed the other to take it. "'This,' the seer said, 'Is Anti-Chi. If you plant it, it will bloom into a flower within a day. Also, the scent of the flower can be...how do I put it...very persuasive.' "'Tell me how it works!' Loradus said, holding out his hand to take the seed back. "The seer shook his head. 'I can tell you how it works.... But I can't give it to you for two reasons: one, you must be a sorcerer to fully understands its effects and use it effectively; and two, Anti-Chi can be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. I wouldn't trust myself with its power; and I know little about sorcery.' "Loradus bowed his head. He needed that power, to change the lions' minds about sacrificing him. 'The way it works,' the seer continued. 'The holder of the flower's thoughts are put into the head of whoever smells it, completely overriding all other thoughts. Now, I really should tell you what I know about the 'sacrifice'.' "Loradus groaned. Obviously the seer was trying to change the subject. "'From what I've heard,' the crocodile said, 'It sounds like imprisonment. Maybe not something you want, but certainly better than death.' "'I don't know if what you're saying is true,' Loradus said, 'But I'm not taking any chances.' He stared into the seer's eyes. 'Will you teach me sorcery?'"
"The seer sighed. 'I'm afraid not.' "'Please,' Loradus said. 'I need to learn sorcery. I'm certain it'll help me, even if you don't give the seed back.' "'It would take too long to teach you,' the seer replied. 'Besides, if I taught you, you would only use your powers to put off the inevitable. If sacrificing yourself will save Chima, then you must do it.' "Loradus felt anger well up inside him. 'So you want me to die,' he said. "The seer smiled sadly and shook his head. 'I told you, it's not death, it'-- "'You don't understand!' Loradus stood up and started pacing. 'Try to put yourself in my place!' "'Maybe I'd be afraid,' the seer said. 'However'-- "'Hmmm,' Loradus interrupted again. 'Where did you learn what you know about sorcery?' "'Oh--' the seer quickly looked down, then up, then back down, as if suddenly remembering that he was meditating. "But Loradus wasn't fooled. He looked at where the seer had glanced briefly, and saw a lump underneath the carpet. Loradus quickly looked up again. "After a very long pause, the seer brought his head up from meditating and stared at Loradus. 'I must ask you to leave now,' the seer said, a hint of fear creeping into his normally calm voice. "Loradus stared back. 'And I'll have to refuse,' he said. He needed whatever was under the carpet. And the seed. "The seer bowed his head--that was a mistake. Instantly Loradus sprang forward and grabbed him by the throat. 'Sorry,' Loradus said, snatching the seed and the object under the carpet, which turned out to be a book. He pushed the seer against the wall roughly, let him go, then said, 'Don't follow me.' Clenching his teeth, Loradus ran from the crocodile lodge to the first patch of good soil he could find. He looked quickly at the stolen book's title (The Art of Magicks), then bent down and planted the seed."
"After watching a small stem slowly sprout from the ground, Loradus decided to take a rest. He leaned against a fallen tree and closed his eyes.... "Then opened them to see a fully-bloomed pink flower in front of him. He blinked and stood; he must have slept for almost a day, but it was hard to tell. Now all he had to do was pick the flower and get the other lions to smell it. He sighed, thinking about returning to his father. He already knew what he would say: 'Dad, I'm'-- "'You're the one!' A wolf stepped out of nowhere to walk up to Loradus. 'The lions said they'd give a reward,' the wolf continued, 'To whoever found the young red-maned lion named Loradus.' "Loradus plucked the flower off its stem. 'What was the reward?' he asked, not even trying to hide the anger in his voice. "The wolf moved closer. 'Oh, I don't know...how about undoing all the damage you've done!' With that, the wolf started sobbing. "Loradus's mouth dropped open in horror. So the lions had told everyone what he had done. Wasn't it bad enough that he had destroyed their world? Why did they have to shame him? Loradus narrowed his eyes and curled his paws into fists, almost crushing the flower in the process. He grabbed the sobbing wolf's shoulder. 'I'll come with you,' he said. Then he smiled. 'I'll let you have your world back.' "The wolf nodded, then (still sobbing into his paws) walked off in the direction of the lion temple. "Loradus checked to make sure he still had The Art of Magicks, held the pink flower tightly, and followed the wolf. By the time they reached the temple, the sun was beginning to sink down in the sky. The wolf left Loradus with the two guards at the front of the temple, who then brought him to Laarg in the Chi chamber. "'Good,' Laarg said when the guards had left. 'You're back in time for the sacrifice--tonight.'"
"Tonight? Loradus thought. Did I really sleep that long? He shook his head, then lifted the flower in front of Laarg's face and said, 'What sacrifice?' "Laarg blinked several times, his eyes glowing slightly. 'I'm not sure,' he said. 'Did I say sacrifice?' "Loradus smiled. This was going very well. He left Laarg standing dazedly and walked the passage that led to the balcony. The sun had gone down to his left; and the full moon was beginning to rise on his right. As he walked back to the Chi Chamber, a thought struck Loradus. What if he ordered Laarg to sacrifice himself? Then Chima would be restored and everything would go back to normal. Problem solved. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right thing to do. By the time he returned to Laarg, he had fully convinced himself. 'Hey, Laarg,' Loradus said. 'How about you swim to the center of the Chi pool tonight? Take my place, eh?' He waved the flower at Laarg. "Just then, Loradus's father ran into the chamber. 'Son!' he said. 'You've come back!' He embraced Loradus. 'Don't worry, I'll be with you when the time comes...which is...' He stepped back. 'The moon should be up by now, so whenever you feel ready...' "Loradus grinned as a wicked thought entered his mind, and he held the flower out to Laarg, who began to walk forward. 'There's been a change of plans,' Laarg said, taking the father's arm. 'Now you are to be sacrificed...' "'Loradus!' his father said. 'What did you do to Laarg?!' "Loradus sighed. 'I can be persuasive even without words.' 'No! You've done something to him, I know. I'm sorry son...I love you.' And with that, the father shook off Laarg's grasp, picked up his son, and threw him into the pool of Chi. Nothing happened at first; then, in a blinding flash of light, Loradus disappeared.
He awoke in a cave lit by a strange blue glow that came from nowhere. Looking around, he would have guessed he was--Inside Mount Cavora! That seer was right! And he still had his flower and his book. Yes."
Eris closed the book, sending up a plume of dust. "What?!" said Laval, clearly frustrated. "That's it? The whole thing?!" "Yes," said Eris. "I know, it's kind of abrupt"-- "It is most certainly of relevance," I cut in. "That is what matters." No one disagreed. "Now," said Eris, "We can work on how this fits in with what happened at the lion temple." Laval stared at the book. "Hey, I just remembered. Rizzo (or whatever his name is) said something to me about rearranging passageways at the temple." He turned to me. "Can you tell us about that?" And so I informed everyone at the table about how I had gotten lost in dark temple passageways, how I had found a field full of flowers (quite possibly the Anti-Chi of which the story spoke), and of my dream about the flower field. "I think," said Eris, after I had finished, "It's safe to assume that Loradus learned sorcery." "Wait," said Ewar, speaking up for the first time. "I thought this was only a legend. And even if it was true, Loradus wouldn't still be alive now. The ending should have cleared that up, but it came too soon." "Alright." Eris sighed. "Has anyone considered what the ending meant?" I looked to the ceiling, giving it thought whilst the others shook their heads and grumbled for her to get on with it. Eris complied, placing the little green book down on the table. "It seemed to me that Loradus was taken inside Mount Cavora, imprisoned, alone for the rest of his life." "But," said I as it dawned on me, "He taught himself sorcery and somehow managed to escape." "Still doesn't explain how he could live for so long," said Ewar. "Keep talking," Razar said, rooting around in a pouch hanging from Ewar's belt. Eris frowned. "Let's just say he's been living all this time. It's the only logical answer to what's happened. Anyone have another explanation for what the flower is?" Laval massaged his forehead. "Well, it does kinda fit...."
