by M. L. Forman
“What are Orion stones? Why do they concern you so much?”
“Orion stones are ancient weapons used by magical people. They were created and used by evil people and their servants.”
“What do they do?”
Whalen rubbed his forehead. “Let me see . . . how best to explain. Do you remember what I told you about magic—how it can be thought of as a bowl collecting raindrops?”
“And every time I use magic, it’s like pouring some of the gathered water out of the bowl,” Alex said.
“Yes, exactly,” Whalen said, nodding. “Well, Orion stones are like magical sponges, or perhaps leeches would be a better way to describe them. When you use magic against someone who is carrying one of the stones, the stone absorbs your magic until your bowl is left dry.”
“But that’s not possible,” Alex said, shaken by the idea.
“Oh, it is,” Whalen said. “What’s more, after your magic is gone and you are dead, the holder of the stone can break it and steal your power for himself.”
“What if your magic is gone, but you aren’t dead?” Alex asked, thinking over Whalen’s words.
“Then, if you can break the stone, I believe the magic would return to the rightful owner.”
“I don’t know. I might believe the stones could drain someone’s power, but I don’t think you could really give that power to someone else. I don’t think it would work.”
“I hope you are right. Personally, I think it probably refreshes the stone holder’s own power. Refills their magical bowl, as it were.”
“Yes, I think that is more likely,”
“Well, let’s make sure we don’t find out what will happen if the stones are used against us. Whether they will or will not steal a person’s magic, I don’t think either of us wants to find out firsthand how they work.”
“At least we know Jabez has these stones.”
“Yes, and if we get the chance, we should take them away from him.”
“You mean if I get the chance. So after I sneak into the castle and find the Axe of Sundering, then I should also steal these stones?” Alex said, half smiling.
“Well, if the opportunity comes up,” Whalen said, returning the smile. “And if you do get the chance to take them, you should keep one for yourself. It would only be fitting if Jabez’s own weapon was used against him.”
“What if Jabez is carrying the stones when we turn up?” Alex asked.
“If that happens,” Whalen said, “then I think the both of us will be in a great deal of trouble.”
“Well, as long as we know,” Alex said.
Now that Alex and Whalen knew Jabez was starting his war, the caravan seemed to move at a snail’s pace. It was as if extra hours had been added to the daytime, and the nights were filled with waiting and restless sleep. It felt to Alex like the caravan hardly moved at all, even though he knew that the wagons were moving at the same speed they always had.
Everything seemed dull and gray. Alex knew that a great many things were in motion, and that the fate of Jarro hung in the balance. None of that had any effect on the caravan. The days went on, the routines remained the same, the towns and cities they visited looked like towns and cities they had already seen.
Two weeks after Alex’s visit to the cave of dreams, something changed, though Alex was slow to notice it. The caravan was settling in for the night, circling the wagons, lighting watch fires, and preparing the evening meal. Alex felt tired after a long day of travel, and then a shiver of fear ran down his back.
Sitting up straight, Alex looked around slowly. He looked at the caravan that he knew so well, and then at the green valley where they were spending the night. Nothing looked out of place. Nothing looked threatening or dangerous in any way. He tried to focus his mind on what might have caused him to shiver on this warm evening. He could find nothing, no cause, and for some reason, that scared him more than the strange moment of fear had.
For a minute, Alex wasn’t sure what to do. Something was wrong, he was sure of it, but he had no idea what it was. He considered using his magic for the first time in a long time. Just a little magic to search the land around the caravan for danger; just a little magic that no one would ever notice. He was about to turn his magic loose, when Whalen suddenly appeared. The look on the old wizard’s face was enough to stop Alex cold.
“Do nothing,” Whalen said quietly as he walked up to Alex. “Whatever you’re thinking, no matter how right it might seem, do nothing.”
“You felt it as well, then,” Alex said, matching Whalen’s quiet tone.
“Oh, yes, I felt it,” Whalen said. “I’ve been around long enough to know it for what it is as well. We’ll talk about this after the evening meal.”
Whalen walked away, leaving Alex with more questions than he’d had before. He watched his friend go, wanting more than anything to find out what Whalen knew. But instead, he slowly turned and walked to the center of the caravan where the evening meal would be served.
Alex forced himself to eat, though food was the last thing on his mind. He talked with his friends, laughed at their jokes, and acted as he was expected to act. It was all for show, and all Alex was really thinking about was what had happened, and what might be about to happen. He was sure something important was looming, and Whalen knew or at least guessed what it was.
Again the thought of using his magic came to him. Just a little magic to find out what was happening. Just a little magic that nobody would notice. It might be important. The lives of his friends in the caravan might depend on his knowing what was going on. People could die if he wasn’t ready to act.
“Do nothing,” Alex’s O’Gash repeated. “Listen to Whalen and do nothing.”
Alex forced down the desire to use his magic. He tried to focus on his food, on the people around him, anything but the strange sense of fear he’d felt. Whalen said that he knew what it was. If anything dangerous was going to happen, Whalen would be ready to deal with it.
Except Whalen has been distracted , Alex thought. Could this be some new attempt by Jabez to find Whalen? Some magical attack on Whalen’s mind so Jabez can find out where he is?
Looking down the long table at Whalen, Alex couldn’t see any sign of worry or fear. In fact, he couldn’t see any sign of anything on Whalen’s face. He didn’t look distracted. He didn’t look as worn or tired as he had before. Somehow, Whalen looked at peace—rested, relaxed, without a care in the world, and certainly no sign that danger was close.
A new thought came to Alex’s mind, one that he tried to push away but could not. What if Jabez had broken through Whalen’s defenses? What if Jabez had been able to overcome Whalen? What if Jabez was somehow controlling Whalen?
“No,” Alex’s O’Gash said firmly. “Whalen is not so easily defeated, and you would know if Jabez was in control. You would know if Whalen had lost this battle.”
“Yes,” Alex whispered to the plate in front of him. “Yes, I would know.”
It seemed to Alex that the meal lasted for hours. Even after everyone had eaten all they could, nobody wanted to leave the tables. Eventually people began moving away, gathering around the large campfires in groups, unwilling to leave the light and their companions for their beds. Alex stayed near the campfires for a short time as well, but soon slipped away, hoping to find Whalen and answers to his questions.
It took Alex some time to find Whalen. At first he wandered aimlessly around the camp, not really looking. When he realized what he was doing, Alex shook himself. Fear touched him again, but this time he ignored it. He focused on finding Whalen and moved off into the darkness. Strangely the night seemed darker than it should have been. The moon had not come up yet, and though it had been a clear day, no stars could be seen.
Alex paused for a moment, looking up at the night sky. He turned and looked back toward the campfires, noticing how distant they seemed to be. It felt like he was looking down a long tunnel, and the campfire at the end of it was so very small.
&
nbsp; “That’s not right,” Alex said softly, rubbing his eyes.
“No, it is not right,” Whalen answered, stepping out of the shadows. “It’s not right at all, and I’m afraid there is nothing we can do about it.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked. “You said you knew what this was, and now you say we can’t do anything about it. Whalen, what’s going on?”
“A test,” Whalen answered with a sigh. “An evil test that we must not fail, no matter the consequences.”
“I don’t understand. Explain what is happening,” Alex demanded.
“This is the work of evil men,” Whalen said. “Of warlocks. Clearly they are working for Jabez and for the Brotherhood that he serves. They have filled this valley with their spells, with fear and doubt. Their magic is at work all around us. You see how the members of the caravan huddle together near the fires, afraid to leave one another, afraid to go alone into the night.”
“Yes, but—” Alex started.
“No,” Whalen cut him off. “You are thinking we can break the spells of fear, that we can drive off any warlocks that might be near or destroy them. Normally I would agree with you, Alex. Normally I would say yes, but tonight we must not. Tonight we must let things be, and hope for the best.”
“What?” Alex asked. “Why? Why should we let evil reign tonight? Why shouldn’t we break this magic with our own?” Alex paused, then shook his head in understanding. “Oh.”
“Yes,” Whalen said, nodding his head slowly. “You see the answer even as you speak. This evil is trying to draw us out, to find us. They want us to break their spells with our magic. They want us to protect those we travel with. But if we do, we will be revealed to them, and we cannot let that happen.”
“What do you think will happen?” Alex asked, knowing that Whalen was right and they must do nothing.
“I don’t know,” Whalen answered. “Perhaps nothing except for a fearful night with little or no sleep for our friends. If we are lucky, that’s the only price we’ll pay.”
“But you don’t believe that,” Alex said.
“No, I don’t. I think we have more to fear than simple spells and darkness,” said Whalen. “These warlocks will have something more than just this planned. Something they think will draw me out, force me to show my magic.” Whalen’s voice had grown soft and distant, as if he were studying something in the distance, and not really thinking about what he was saying.
“Whalen?”
“Promise me, Alex,” Whalen said urgently. “Promise me that you will only use magic to save yourself. No other reason. Only to save yourself, if you must.”
“Whalen, I don’t think—”
“Promise!”
“I promise. Only to save myself, if I must. No other reason,” Alex said reluctantly.
Whalen relaxed visibly. “You must think all of this is only the foolishness of a worried old man.”
“I don’t think you are foolish,” Alex said, trying to sound reassuring.
“Well, we’ll soon find out,” Whalen said, his eyes searching the darkness around the camp. “As I said, maybe nothing will happen. Maybe it will just be a hard night for the caravan, and tomorrow we can move away from this evil place.”
After watching the darkness with Whalen for a time, Alex walked back to the campfire. Most of the members of the caravan had gone to bed, but a few remained, sitting up late with the assigned watchers. He could see that they were troubled, but they did not know why.
As the moon finally began to rise, Alex left the fire and went to find his bed. Something was coming, something was going to happen, he was sure of that, but sitting by the fire and waiting for it was difficult. Looking into the worried faces of his friends tore at him, and knowing that he had promised not to use his magic to help made him angry.
Alex had fallen into a half sleep when the attack finally came. He could hear sudden shouts that were full of fear, but his body was slow to move. His mind was in some other place, but he didn’t know where, and he didn’t remember what he had been thinking.
With great effort, Alex got to his feet. He shook his head to clear the darkness that had filled his mind. He looked around the camp, but what he saw only confused him. The watch fires that were kept burning all night had gone out. The only light came from the moon, and even that light seemed reluctant to fall on the camp.
Alex could hear people running, shouting for fire and light, screaming in fear. He started forward, going in the direction where most of the yelling was coming from. He bumped into several people as he went, unable to see them in the darkness. It sounded like the entire camp was running around in the dark, afraid of something they could not see.
“Get the fires going again!” Alex heard Lycan yell. “Whatever you need to do, do it. We need light.”
“Attackers on the north side!” an unknown voice called.
“Bows are useless in this darkness.”
“We have wounded men on the north!”
“Can anyone get some light?”
Confusion was all around him. Shouting voices, screams of rage, cries for help. Alex spun around and around, unable to tell which direction was north, unable to help those who needed him. For an instant he considered letting loose his magic, relighting the fires, and breaking the magic that was being used against the caravan. Then the instant passed and he did nothing. His promise to Whalen held him, bound him to do nothing.
“It’s what the enemy wants, you know,” Alex’s O’Gash whispered. “They want you to use your magic to show your power, and then they will have you.”
“Magic is not my only weapon,” Alex answered.
He turned slowly, listening to every sound, and then moved in the direction where he thought he heard fighting. He may not be able to use his magic, but he still had a sword, and he was more than willing to use that.
The darkness seemed to lift as he moved, or at least Alex could see more than he had before. He dodged running men and women, scanned the camp for trouble, and finally found what he was looking for. The attackers were in front of him, only a few dozen yards away, but Alex froze in his tracks when he saw them.
They were as tall as a man, but their bodies were covered in long dark hair. They had sharp, bloody claws instead of hands, and their eyes glowed red in wolflike heads. Alex had never seen creatures like this before.
One of the foul creatures had knocked someone to his knees and was lifting its clawed hand to finish him off. Through the darkness, Alex could see the man on his knees was Lupo. Blood flowed from a deep cut on his cheek.
Alex ran. Forgetting to draw the sword at his side, he slammed into the creature at full speed.
It felt to Alex as if he’d hit a tree. He tumbled through the dirt for several yards, scrambled to his knees, and looked up into the face of the wolf creature he’d hit. The creature was faster than Alex. It was still on its feet—Alex didn’t know if he’d knocked it down or not. A low growl came from the creature, and the back of its hand slammed into Alex’s jaw. Alex felt himself lift off the ground, spin head over heels in the air, and slam back into the dirt.
For a moment Alex was dizzy. He was afraid he might pass out, which would be the worst thing that could happen. He had to save his friend. He tried to get up, but his mind wasn’t sure which direction was up. He tried to see where his enemy was, but everything was blurred. He knew he was in trouble. The creature was too fast and too strong. He’d been a fool to run at it the way he had, and now he was helpless. His foolishness might have just cost him his life—and Lupo’s.
“No!” a harsh and powerful voice echoed in Alex’s mind.
Suddenly Alex found himself standing upright, facing the wolf creature in front of him. His skin seemed to ripple under his clothes, hardening into armor. The darkness around him melted away, and he could see as clearly as if it were midday. He looked down at his hands, but they were not hands, now they were the miniature claws of a dragon.
Alex looked back to the enemy in front
of him, prepared for battle.
The wolf creature was frozen, its nose lifted as if sniffing the air. Suddenly it let out a whine of both fear and pain, its eyes dimmed and grew wide, its muscles went stiff.
Alex set his feet, expecting an attack.
Then the creature dropped to all fours and ran away.
Surprised, Alex looked around for more of the creatures, but they were all running away now. Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard a low whistle, but he couldn’t be sure. He watched as the last of the creatures disappeared into the night, and then he looked back to the claws that were where his hands should be. Slowly the claws turned back into hands as he watched. He felt his skin soften, and though he didn’t know what had happened to him, he knew that he was his human self again.
He looked at Lupo, who was still kneeling on the ground. His eyes were glazed over and he looked confused.
“Alex?” Lupo asked. “Where did you come from?”
“I came to help you,” Alex said, hoping Lupo had not seen his strange transformation. “I’m glad you’re safe. Here, let’s get you back to your wagon.”
Alex slipped his arm around Lupo’s shoulders and helped him stand up. As they turned toward the caravan wagons, firelight suddenly broke the darkness as dozens of torches spread out around the camp.
Alex looked up at the sky. The moon and stars shone brightly now, and he could tell it was only a few hours before dawn. He let his gaze fall to the ground, and his heart went cold inside of him. There were bloody, wounded people all around. Not just men who had been trying to defend the caravan, but women and even a few children were lying on the ground.
Alex did what he could to help Lupo and the others without using his magic or giving himself away. Fortunately, the caravan had several healers and vendors of herbs and potions traveling with them. It was long after sunrise before all the wounded were taken care of, but Alex was sure they were all in good hands. What troubled him most was the fact that seven people were missing. There was no sign of them anywhere in the camp. Remembering how quickly the wolflike creatures had attacked, Alex was sure the people had not simply vanished.