by Bill Albert
She was surprised to find sweat on her brow and she quickly wiped it away with her palm. She briefly debated where she should start in turning the keys. She knew she couldn’t turn all six at the same time and considered trying two at a time. She soon discarded that idea based on the singular theme of the design.
She chose the panel on the right facing the closet and, her hands shaking only slightly, she turned the key. With a whisper it disappeared. She went to the next panel on the right and turned they key. Like the first there was a brief whisper and it disappeared.
She continued the process until she was at the last key on the panel facing the closet. She touched the key, closed her eyes, and then twisted. Keeping her eyes closed she turned completely around so the console was behind her and opened her eyes.
For a brief moment she studied the new lights and shadows before her. She thought at first she had succeeded and that the glass key was being released from the light and mist and turned to claim her prize. Her face froze when she realized she had failed. The shadow had been her own and the light came from the door that she had entered the room through. It was now open and Rayjen stood just outside.
He held a hand open to her and nodded for her to come out. As she passed him, she gave him the brass ring and he returned it and the keys to the hook. They stepped outside and the door closed by its own accord.
“Has anyone ever gotten it right?” Gallif asked.
“Yes,” he took her hand and they walked back to the main room. “A few have figured it out.”
“What’s in the closet?”
“I don’t know.”
She returned to her soup and bread and finished the meal in a few gulps.
They spent nearly an hour just talking after that. They both knew that this could be the last moments they spent together. She finally asked him a question she had had on her mind for more than two years.
“That night in the ally, when you stopped me from…,” she stuttered briefly then started over. “Why did you invite me to the school? Why did you pick me to save?”
“You know the way you have developed a connection with the forest? The way you read nature and detect what is happening? The things few people can see?” She nodded and he continued. “That is the way I was with you. I could see things hidden that no one else could have seen. There is something very important in you.”
“But so much of my past is very normal. I knew my family, where and when I was born, working in the southern farmland,” she said. “Until the drought and the fire my life was very normal.”
“You are missing my meaning,” he said.
“Then it was just myself and my brother. Then it was just me and after that I was nothing,” she continued. “A street urchin trying to survive,” she said. “There was nothing important in my past.”
“Perhaps,” he said.
She was so caught off guard by his answer she took several breaths to come to terms with what he’d said.
“What do you mean?”
“The past has many secrets, Gallif. Starpoint Mountain, the Giant Lords, you and myself all have secrets in our past,” he looked her directly in the eyes as he spoke. “Whether we know it or not. As for the future you can look into the forest and tell which way the animals will run,” he said finally. “I can look into your eyes and see the direction you will take. I also know it is time for you to move.”
After several moments of silence, he stood and walked to one of the cupboards and a hinge squeaked as he opened the door. From inside he pulled out a backpack and brought it to Gallif.
“For your graduation,” he winked at her. “Something to help you out when things get tough.”
“I will miss you,” she said with watery eyes. She stood and wrapped her arms around the backpack. She cursed herself for the thoughts that came to her. Backpacks were cheap and easy to get, she thought, but she saw by the look in his eyes how important it was to him to give her this one.
“Now, you should be getting back to school,” he would not make eye contact with her and ushered her through the door into the cabin’s main entrance. “You can say goodbye to whoever you want and leave whenever you want.”
“I’ll most likely be on my way before dawn,” she admitted.
He smiled and lovingly took her hand and held it to his heart. She smiled and gently kissed him on the cheek before she left the cabin.
NINE:
HONOR CODE
As she left the cabin Gallif stopped to scan the area. She had been inside for several hours, but she could swear that everything was exactly as it had been before she entered. She looked at the shadows she had used for markers and they had not moved. Neither had the clouds in the sky or the animals that had been loitering nearby. Despite this there was no threat here and everything appeared safe. She listened to the natural sounds of the forest at night and was relieved that they were normal. She took a slow, deep breath of the cool fresh air as she watched the forest.
She looked at the backpack and again cursed herself for her thoughts. It had obviously meant something to her friend and teacher to give it to her and she felt disgraceful for demeaning the value. She slung the backpack over her shoulders and wore it with pride.
At a quick, steady pace, she set off back the school.
She reached the nearby river. She walked a few steps in both directions and saw that the river’s width was unchanged, so she waded through the dark water as quickly as possible. Once on the other side she caught sight of the bear tracks. She had assumed all the things she encountered were cast but was quickly realized that some were real.
She followed the route backwards and was quickly at the intersection of the three paths. Instead of white ash and apples trees all three trees were now natural evergreens.
She decided not to go through the area where she had fought the aquilus. She knew the whole area must have been cleaned, like the apple tree, when the casting was exhausted, but the bad memories and emotions disturbed her thoughts again.
She felt better when that section of the forest was behind her.
She came to a field that was sparse with trees and bushes and paused for a moment to try and recall it. There were flat, six-inch-high stones set at even spaces across the field and she realized she had used them to cross the swampy area. She wondered if the water had been there at all or just an illusion used to challenge her, so she knelt and laid her hand flat on the ground. It was wet from the natural dew of night, but not muddy as if it had been under lots of water.
She slowly worked her way across the field and paused as she came near a small tree. There was enough light to see that there was something small moving along on the ground. Her curiosity got the best of her and she took a few steps toward the source.
With a burst of sound and fury an owl descended from the tree and landed in the path in front of her. She froze and the owl screeched at her, standing high on its legs and spreading its wings a full six feet. It flapped its wings warning her to stay back.
Gallif left her weapon in its sheath and slowly spread out her arms to show she was no threat. The owl clicked its beak menacingly and warned her off. She bent slightly to one side and saw what had attracted her attention. It was a baby owl, barely as big as her hand that was thrashing about in the grass. She looked up and saw the nest lodged in the tree directly above it.
Gallif very carefully moved her hand to her face and licked her index finger. Moving slowly so she wouldn’t frighten the mother, she crouched and offered her hand to the animal.
The owl clicked her beak again but took a step forward.
Gallif put her hand out as far as it would go and rested her other hand on the ground. She looked the owl straight into the eyes and didn’t blink.
The owl took a step toward Gallif and craned its head forward until it was up to her hand. It sniffed her offered finger a few times and then leaned back. After a several warning clicks from its beak the owl took a few steps to one side.
Gal
lif stayed crouched and slowly crawled forward. After each step closer to the stranded baby owl she looked at the mother. Each time the mother clicked its beak and stepped further away.
Finally, Gallif cupped the baby owl in her hands. Ever so slowly she stood and after a few careful and gentle movements returned the baby to its nest. She brought her hands down and stepped away from the tree without taking her eyes away from the mother.
The mother loudly flapped her wings and Gallif took a few more steps away. After a long look at her the owl flew back into the nest and settled in to keep watch.
Gallif quietly turned away and continued on her path.
As she traveled through the forest for the next hour she stopped only briefly at the point where she had encountered the orc and its goblin servants. All signs of the combat were gone.
She went very gingerly through the small clearing where she had been trapped under ground and avoided the pit area to be safe. She was surprised that this obstacle was an actual place and not an illusion.
She came to the large clumps of bushes that she had crawled through before. She decided it was too dark to go under them again and circled around them instead.
She came to the creek and stopped to make sure the mud wasn’t too deep before she stepped into it. As she checked it for firmness she noticed that the deer footprints that had been a clue for her were now gone. She inspected it further and saw that hers were still there along with the larger footprints of a man.
She listened and watched the forest for several minutes. Sensing nothing unusual she started to follow the tracks along the stream. She kept her eyes and ears open and moved in absolute silence. She considered the possibility that it may have just been a hunter in search of prey. Many of the locals came here to hunt rabbit or other animals and certainly there were advantages to night hunting. She dismissed that possibility very quickly when she arrived at the point where she had left the stream to crawl under the dark bushes and saw that the footprints of the male stopped there as well. There were a few partial prints where the man had walked in the direction of the tunnel and then stopped completely when he had been forced to crawl on the hard-dry ground. Someone was tracking her.
She brushed back her red hair and debated whether she should start crawling or not. She had no fear that if she encountered the tracker and engaged him in combat, she was confident she would win. She felt her own abilities would make it easy to find him. There was also an advantage to just watching and waiting here unobserved. Before she could hide there was a rustle of leaves and branches from the path. She could hear her stalker returning and was several hundred feet away. She looked around for a safe spot and decided to climb into the crook of an oak tree only a few yards up stream.
She got comfortable and thought of pulling her short sword but decided to wait. As she sat, she briefly considered who could be coming up the path. The tracks were too large to belong to Luvin. Perhaps the man who had followed them in Atrexia had taken further interest.
When the man came up the path she was at a loss for explanations. Pate stood and brushed some of the dirt off his fake armor. She frantically searched for a reason why he would follow her.
Pate opened a wineskin and downed the cold water inside. He went to the creek and kneeled over to refill it as Gallif prepared for a confrontation. If he looked at the ground he would see her tracks and would know he was being watched. Pate stood and recapped his wineskin. He looked around and was trying to decide if he should take another route or just head back to school when she decided to act.
She jumped from the tree and landed with her feet flat on the ground only a few steps from Pate. He spun and started to draw his long sword, but she had surprise on her side and pressed the tip of her own blade against his shoulder and he froze in place.
“Even with that armor a strike this close would do serious damage,” she said. She decided to keep her knowledge of the true nature of the armor a secret as long as necessary. “It might repair itself, but you won’t heal as fast.”
“True,” he said as he relaxed his arm, “So you had better make your first strike very effective,” he said.
She was surprised by his response but did not let him see it. “Why are you following me?”
“In the wilderness we all need some experience,” he said.
“That didn’t answer my question,” she told him. The tip of the short sword had not moved at all from his shoulder. “Scouting the forest and tracking me are two different things.”
“I was trying to hone my tracking,” he said. “Finding your tracks was a bonus. What were you doing out this late?”
“My last meeting with Rayjen,” she told him watching his reaction to her words. “I am finished at the school and will be leaving today.”
Pate showed no sign of any kind in response. “Two years here and you are done. That is very impressive.”
“What about you? You have been here longer than any of us.”
“Yes, but I plan on going further in life and need more detailed education.”
It sounded weak and she knew he was hiding something. It was well known in the school that his talents were only marginal. Perhaps his ego refused to allow for his own failures.
“Of course,” she nodded as she let her sword drop but she did not return it to the sheath. “Also, a great deal of hands-on experience.”
“Yes,” he nodded as his anger rose. “Particularly in combat.”
She took a few steps back and held her short sword across her chest. Pate pulled his long sword from his sheath and took the same stance.
Without a great deal of strength, he swung at her. She easily parried it back to him. She pushed back and with light force cut down at him. He also parried her attack away and took a step back.
“Will you be gone by sunrise?”
“No,” she said. “But very soon after.”
They parried each other’s light attacks for several minutes. She was surprised at just how much of a challenge he would have been in combat and believed that the feeling was mutual. He had a longer weapon and greater range on his side, but she had maneuverability on hers. He could give more powerful blows than she could, but she had better target accuracy to back her up.
“What about your friend?” Pate asked. Even in the star light she could see there was a deep distrust in his eyes. “Whose shadow will the coward hide under now?”
She stopped her defensive movements and looked at him hard. “He’s protected,” she said solidly. “Whether I am here or not he’s protected.” With that she sheathed her sword and let her hands drop to her side. “Release any hostility you have towards him.”
Pate looked at her without moving for a long time and took a deep breath. He sheathed his sword and stepped close to her.
“On your honor,” she demanded.
“On my honor,” he said. With a flash of movement, he punched her hard across the jaw with a mighty blow. She staggered and fell to the ground. She crawled to the creek, dipped her hand in the water, and then pressed it against her face.
Pate said looked down at her then turned and walked down stream to head back to the school without saying a word.
Gallif waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps, sat up and moved until her back was against the tree she had hidden in. She cupped her face with both hands and closed her eyes. She remembered the encounter with the owl and how gentle the young fowl was in her hands. The feathers were soft and gentle and the fur on its belly was like silk. She had felt its helpless fear but also the incredible calm it had when returned to its home.
Gallif opened her eyes and gingerly touched her face. It was sore and bruised, but the sharp pains and swelling were gone. She returned to the creek and washed her face clean before standing and heading back to the school.
TEN:
THE FIRST GOODBYE
Gallif reached the school just as the earliest rays of light were coming over the horizon. She knew that dawn was an hour away and
wanted to get out before the students and teachers started to wake up.
She stopped at the barn and was not surprised to find Snow waiting for her. The horse was standing by the gate and snorted as Gallif approached. Gallif gave her a long slow pat on her face and then lightly scratched her companion behind the ears.
“Are you ready?” Gallif asked as she fed the horse a handful of fresh grass.
Snow munched loudly, nodded, and then snorted again.
Gallif patted her and went to the dorm. She had just reached the door and was about to open it when it was pushed open from the inside. Alek was on his way out for his morning prayers and was apparently not surprised to meet her.
“Good morning,” Alek said. “I hope your god is with you today.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I hope your god is with you, too.”
“He is,” Alek said. “He spoke to me about you tonight.”
There was such honesty about the way he said it that Gallif stopped in her tracks and looked hard at him. “Your god spoke of me?”
“Yes,” Alek said. “He said several things. “He said you needed to find your guiding light to be safe.”
“Find my light?”
“Yes,” Alek nodded. “As with many of us who are close to our gods, we must find a guiding light to follow. You, like us, will have yours.”
“What else did he say?” she asked more than a little disturbed.
“He said I should study you and learn from you.”
“I think that’s a compliment,” she said warily, and Alek confirmed to her that it was with a nod. “Unfortunately, I will be leaving soon. In fact, I will be gone in the next hour,” she said slowly. She did not want to sound rude or eager to leave but she did want to avoid other encounters.