by Tora Moon
The route took them higher into the mountains, skirting cliffs and ravines. They came upon a river cutting through a canyon. A thundering waterfall dropped a hundred feed into the churning river below.
“Wow,” Jaehaas breathed, awe filling his voice. “I’ve never seen anything like this!”
“This is nothing. Above the Sanctuary is the Seven Falls. It starts a thousand feet up and drops down seven times. The roar is so loud you can’t hear yourself think and the spray soaks you to the skin.”
“I would like to see that!”
“I’ll make sure you do, my friend.”
“I’ve only seen the Storengher River, which be wide and placid, nothing like this wild thing.”
Blazel laughed. “This is the Storengher River. It begins in the far north, deep in the mountains. The Phengriffs say it has its roots in the ice that holds the world in place.”
“Really?” Jaehaas shook his head and looked at the river again. “I knew the river flowed from the White Mountains to cut across the land until it disappeared where the Barrens begin, but not that it started so much farther north.”
“It goes underground and reemerges past the Barrens.” Blazel urged Lighzel to start walking. They still had a long way to travel before reaching the cave he wanted to stay the night in. Jaehaas reluctantly followed, his attention constantly pulled back to the river and the waterfall.
“When it comes back up, it forms the great swamp,” Blazel continued. “It covers the entire southern peninsula. Once upon a time, there was dry land; I saw the ruins of a black fortress there.”
“Did you explore it?”
“No.” Blazel shuddered at the memory. “Beasts I’ve never seen before guarded it, and I didn’t want to fight them. The fortress was a place of evil. It still is.”
The path they were following opened up into a wide meadow. Blazel kicked his horse into a gallop and they raced across it, Jaehaas hot on his heels. Then they were past the meadow and back into the trees. Anytime they came upon a meadow or a break in the dense trees, Blazel pushed them to make up for the time lost navigating through the dense woods.
The purple shadows of twilight filled the forest when Blazel led them to the cave. While Jaehaas made camp, Blazel gathered firewood and refilled their water skins. He glanced at the darkening sky and saw thick gray clouds boiling over the peaks.
“It’s going to storm tonight,” he said, nodding to the sky. “If we’re lucky it won’t snow. Either way, the cave will keep us warm and dry.”
“You’ve stayed here before?”
“Many times. Histrun brought me here to learn how to be a Posair man. I first shifted into my warrior form here.” He sat quietly remembering, then shook his head. “Rabbit or some type of bird would be good for dinner. I think I’ll go hunt.”
“Is that wise?” Jaehaas pointed to Blazel’s arm. “The last time you shifted you became ill.”
Blazel shrugged. “I need to try.” He turned his back to Jaehaas and pulled the magic to him. It pulsed and he pushed it out to his limbs, a breath later he was a wolf. He gathered the magic again. The tingling told him he was back to his man form.
“Good.” Jaehaas let out a strong gust of breath. “I be worried for you.”
“I’ll be back soon.” Blazel shifted into his wolf form and loped out of the cave.
It didn’t take him long to find a plump rabbit. On his way back to the cave, he ran across a pigeon and quickly killed it too. He shifted back to human and carried the dead bird in one hand and the rabbit in the other.
“Nice,” Jaehaas commented when Blazel stepped into the cave entrance. “We be having a good feast tonight. I’ll skin the rabbit.”
“Great,” Blazel said with a sardonic grin, “give me the bird to pluck.”
He tossed the rabbit to Jaehaas, who followed him outside. While Jaehaas efficiently skinned and dressed the rabbit, Blazel methodically plucked the feathers from the bird. When he was done, Jaehaas threaded it along with the rabbit on spits, sprinkled herbs on them, and placed them over the fire. Soon the smell of roasting meat and the sizzle of fat dripping into the fire filled the cave.
While the food cooked, they practiced archery. Blazel hit the target more times than not, and managed to hit the center four times.
After eating, Blazel set a small pot of water on the fire to heat. He pulled out his helstrablade and carefully shaved off the rest of his beard. He looked critically at a matted, twisted lock, but decided to leave his hair as it was. He’d become used to the weight and movement of his dreadlocks. His mother would scold him for the long hair. He smiled at the thought.
“Now, I’m ready to go home,” he said, patting his smooth face.
* * *
Blazel set a pot of water on the fire for taevo. Outside, it was still dark. He pulled his cloak tighter around him to ward off the predawn chill. Across the fire, Jaehaas stirred on his pallet.
“You be up early,” Jaehaas grumbled as he threw off his blanket and surged to his feet. He hugged his jacket tight against his chest.
“If we leave now, we can reach the Sanctuary before midday.”
Jaehaas tromped outside. When he came back in, Blazel handed him a ceramic travel mug filled with hot taevo. Jaehaas took it and sipped. After a few sips, he shook from head to toe. “I needed that. Now I be awake.”
“Here, hold this,” Jaehaas said. He went to his pallet, rolled it up, and threw it and his pack over his shoulder. “What about breakfast?”
“We can eat on the way.” Blazel handed the cup back to Jaehaas, along with a package wrapped in a cloth. He had a similar one—toasted pan bread filled with leftover meat.
They left the cave as the light began to brighten. Blazel pushed them as fast as possible through the thick forest. After two octars of travel, the sound of rushing water greeted them as they rounded a bend.
“It’s not much farther,” Blazel said, pointing to the spire rising above the trees.
They topped a rise, and down below them lay a broad valley, the river forming its eastern boundary. Tall, white sheadash walls enclosed a large keep situated in the valley’s center. Fields, now dormant, spread out from it, unusual in the absence of stone fences. Sheep, multas, and horses grazed lazily on the bright green spring grass. A huge temple sat to one side of the keep, its crystal dome sparkling in the sunlight. Behind it, another, smaller wall enclosed gardens and a number of long houses—the cloister where only the Goddess’s Priestesses could enter. Except for one small boy.
Blazel searched along the outer wall until he found the small cottage off on its own. Memories assailed him and a lump formed in his throat. Does my mother live alone there still, or did she move back into a cloister-house?
Swallowing the lump, he turned his attention to the massive building vying for attention with the temple. Built from granite and sheadash stone, it should have been imposing, but instead, the columns and arches turned it into an elegant and airy structure. Its soaring towers narrowed into spires. The central spire was the one they had seen from the trees.
“The Sanctuary,” Blazel said, waving his arm to indicate the valley.
“It be much larger than I expected.”
“See the building next to the temple?” Blazel pointed to it. “That’s the library. It has thousands of books. Mostly histories and tomes on magic. I spent many long, happy hours in there.”
“The library in Haasneh Keep only has a few hundred books. I couldn’t image thousands of them.”
“I promise you’ll get to see it. We need to do some research in there while we’re here. The compound over there is the guest quarters, where we’ll stay.” Blazel pointed to a large area on the opposite wall from the cloister.
It too was walled in and only had a few access doors to the public sections of the keep. Inside were three large pack-houses, a few cottages, an indoor and outdoor arena, a practice area, and a garden next to a wooded area.
“The arenas are for the alpha competitions,”
Blazel explained. “Have you seen one?”
“No, just the ones we have in the keep. I’ve never been to the Sanctuary before. What be those large buildings beyond the wood?”
Blazel shrugged. “I don’t know. I snuck into one when I was little. The doors were huge, made for beings much larger than humans, and so were the rooms. Everything was empty and the fountains didn’t work. It wasn’t very interesting for a boy of six.”
Blazel urged his horse into a trot, and they rode across the fields to clatter back on the road leading to the Sanctuary gates. Two large men stopped them before they could enter.
“What is your business?” the younger man asked.
Blazel ignored him, instead looking at the older man. “Celedon? Is that you?”
The older man stared at him with a quizzical expression and then said, “Blazel? Welcome home lad.”
“What are you doing here, again? I thought you were done causing trouble.”
“So did I.” Celedon rubbed his beard. “We got a new alpha, a young one, not ready for the position. I guess I said it aloud too often and found myself back here.”
“The Supreme can’t be happy about it.” Blazel sat back in the saddle and grinned.
“No. No she isn’t. She said if I come back again, she’ll mind-wipe me.” Celedon shivered.
Although the Supreme used the threat of mind-wiping troublemakers to keep them in line, as far as Blazel knew, she had never done it.
“Well, with what’s happening, I doubt you’ll have time to get in trouble.”
“It have something to do with the Red who came in yesterday?”
“Rizelya?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. She was in pretty bad shape, really sick.”
“It might. Can we go in?”
“Of course, of course.” Celedon saluted them and let them pass through the gate.
The horses’ hooves clattered on the cobblestones of the empty courtyard. A woman with light brown hair hurried from the stables to meet them.
“Blazel?” she asked.
He smiled and slid off his horse. “Shaela, good to see you! You still here?”
“Of course, where else would I go? This is my home.” She reached out to touch his hair. “I didn’t recognize you at first with this. Chariel told us to expect you today.”
Blazel laughed. He heard the cloisters’ door open and he looked up, hoping to see Chariel. Instead, out strode Wisah and a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair swinging in a braid against her back. Her almond-shaped eyes reminded him of Histrun. Their eyes met, and Blazel felt a shock go through him. She’s here!
He waved at Wisah as he felt his horse move. The two women stopped and gaped. He twisted around to see that Jaehaas was now in their view. He smiled at them. When Blazel turned back, they had disappeared through one of the courtyard’s many doors.
“You just caught sight of our new celebrity.” Shaela smiled and tapped him on the arm. “I hear she has an appointment with the Supreme.”
“Who be the White with her?” Jaehaas asked in a dreamy voice.
“Wisah,” Blazel said, then looked at him askance. “Why? You can’t have sex.”
“But I still be a man.” Jaehaas glared at Blazel. “I can fall in love.”
“She’s also Rizelya’s niece,” Shaela added, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth.
Blazel’s mouth dropped open. “What! How?” He knew Wisah only as Chariel’s friend. She’d only been nine or ten when he’d left the Sanctuary. He’d met her a few times since when he returned for visits, but didn’t know her well. That was going to change; she could tell him more about the fascinating Rizelya.
“Wisah is Naila’s daughter, who is also Rizelya’s half-sister. That’s usually the way these things happen,” Shaela said.
“We’ll be here a few days, Shaela,” Blazel said. “Is there a room that will accommodate Jaehaas?”
“Of course there is. He’s not the first centaur to visit here. A room’s being prepared for you too. You can’t stay in the cloister any longer.”
“I know. Will you let my mother and grandmother know I’m here?”
“Sure.” Shaela looked over his shoulder. “Ah, I see it’s ready.”
Blazel turned and saw a young girl standing in the open door leading to the guest area. He pulled his packs from Lighzel, petted her nose, and whispered to her, “I’ll be around to see you.” He handed the reins to Shaela. “This is my friend, Lighzel. You’ll take good care of her for me, won’t you?”
Shaela rubbed Lighzel’s neck. “Of course, it’s what I do. Come on, my beauty, we have some other guests so you won’t be alone.”
At the mention of guests, Blazel stopped walking. How would they treat him and Jaehaas? Then he realized these guests must have traveled with Rizelya. His eyes lit up and a new bounce entered his step.
“Come on, Jaehaas, let’s go meet the other guests.” He walked to the open door and gestured for the young girl to lead the way.
* * *
The young girl, unused to males, walked far ahead of them. The last time he had been here, Blazel had stayed in a cottage reserved for the Sanctuary workers—no longer a small boy, he wasn’t allowed in the cloister where he’d grown up—which was in another section of the grounds. He’d only been allowed into the guest area during the biennial Alpha Competitions. Then it teamed with people. Now it was deserted.
They walked along a cobblestone road lined with trees in bloom. The early harbingers of spring poked their heads from the ground in bright yellows, reds, and purples. The grass was just starting to green.
The girl stopped in front of the first pack-house in the row. The wide porch had several tables and chairs strewn about for guests to gather outside. The door was wide enough for Jaehaas to easily walk through.
The girl led them down the right-hand hallway and opened the door to a room. A window on the opposite wall provided light. On the window’s left side was a wide bed similar to Jaehaas’s in Haasneh. The other bed was normal height and size.
Blazel thanked the girl, went into the room, and sat on the bed. It was springy and the mattress was stuffed firm. A clothes chest and desk lined the wall at the end of the bed. A similar setup was on the other side for Jaehaas, only his desk was taller and didn’t have a chair.
“This looks nice,” Blazel said.
“It does,” Jaehaas agreed. “Shaela was right, they do know how to accommodate the special needs of a centaur.” He moved to the clothes chest and began unpacking his bag, shaking out the wrinkles, then folding the clothes again. Dirty clothes were dropped into an empty basket sitting next to the chest.
Blazel followed Jaehaas’s example, then they found the necessary room located just across the hall. It had a bathing setup specific to a centaur’s needs. After a soak and change of clothes, the men were ready to meet the other guests.
They made their way back to the entrance foyer and followed the hall toward the other side of the house. They could hear soft voices coming from behind a partially closed door. The talking stopped when Jaehaas stepped off the rug and his hooves hit the wood floor.
The door popped open and a man almost as tall as Blazel looked out. His long red-gold hair with gold streaks fell past his shoulders, and his eyes were gold. He wore a turquoise tunic with rose embroidery over brown woven pants. His eyes widened when he saw who was in the hallway. Instead of stepping back as Blazel expected, he held out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Aistrun. Welcome, welcome to our humble abode while in the Sanctuary.”
Blazel gripped Aistrun’s wrist. “I’m Blazel, and this is my friend Jaehaas.”
“Blazel! I’ve heard all about you from Histrun. Glad to finally meet you.” Aistrun stepped around Blazel and held out his hand to Jaehaas. “Welcome, Jaehaas.”
Jaehaas looked perplexed as he gripped Aistrun’s wrist. Blazel thought back to the journey and realized most people, men in particular, generally didn’t approach Jaehaas with su
ch outward friendliness and welcome. Blazel stepped into the room far enough to let the others in.
The room was large, with a fireplace along one wall and a bank of windows on another. Shelves filled with books, games, and other entertainment were on another wall. Comfortable sofas and chairs were gathered in front of the fireplace, with small tables to set drinks on nearby. Tables and chairs for eating or playing games were scattered around. Individual chairs were placed near the bookshelf so people could sit and enjoy a book.
Another man was sitting on a winged chair by the fire. When he saw them he quickly stood up. The man was big—muscular with broad shoulders and just shy of six feet. His hair was pale blond and he had golden-brown eyes.
“Eidstrun, you can’t believe who showed up!” Aistrun said, striding into the room and heading to the fireplace. “Rizelya is going to be mad I met Blazel before she did.” Aistrun plopped down onto a small couch and picked up a mug of taevo. He glanced back at the door where Blazel and Jaehaas still stood. “Hey, come on over here. We don’t bite. There’s a fresh pot of taevo we’d be happy to share with you.”
Blazel looked over at Jaehaas, who lifted an eyebrow. Aistrun was like a friendly puppy.
Cups were filled, and Blazel settled into a big overstuffed chair. A puzzled look crossed Aistrun’s face when Jaehaas stood balancing his cup in his hands. Aistrun popped off his chair, crossed the room, and came back with a tall table just the right height for Jaehaas.
“Now we can all be comfortable,” Aistrun said. “This is Eidstrun, one of my squad-pack. We’re expecting Leistral and possibly Rizelya soon. We’re here so Rizelya can talk to the Supreme about her strange dreams. Have you seen the new control janacks? Nasty monster, those. So why are you here?”
“Do I have to have a reason?” Blazel said, narrowing his eyes. “This is my home.”
“Hey, don’t get in a huff,” Aistrun said, holding up his hands. “I just wanted to know if there was a special reason you’re here now. There’s all sorts of strange things happening right now.”
Before Blazel could answer, there was a commotion in the front hall. All the men turned to see what was up. As Chariel bustled through the door, Blazel was struck again by her unusual charcoal-gray hair and eyes. A pretty woman with copper-red hair and dark green eyes strode in right behind Chariel.