Chalice thought this was a bit unwarranted. “Well, from growing up in Canton, I know that they don’t really need help. The Naeon are quite able to function on their own.”
“Yes, that is true, to a certain degree, but they are not flourishing the way they used to. What you have seen in Woodrock should be living proof of that.”
She nodded, remembering her experience in the village. She had to admit that he was right. She listened carefully as he continued.
“Before Dar’Maalda stole power, the young Terravail who came of age would enter training and there, they discovered their abilities. If their talents lay in a certain area, they could become Agavae, if they were male, or Sorosi, if they were female.”
Chalice recognized the words in Angaulic, suddenly realizing that they had the exact same meaning as the words she had learned in Chinukan.
“Caretakers?” she asked. “The Chinuka have something very similar in their language. I just learned it — Aukâwá and Státtèkráj. Jeremiah taught it to me.”
“That’s right,” Ben said. “We inherited the language of stewardship from them. In fact, I learned this from your parents, Jeremiah. It was the Chinuka who taught us about our duty as stewards during the First Time, when they showed us how to live on the land again. They taught us that all living things are interconnected and interdependent and that the land itself is also a living thing. The Naeon and the Terravail used to work together to maintain an equilibrium. If it was disrupted, say if too many trees were being cut down or if too many animals were hunted and killed, the caretakers would feel it and put an end to it in order to restore balance.”
“What exactly did these caretakers do for the Naeon?”
“When the Terravail had completed their training, those who chose to be Agavae and Sorosi went into the service of the King and traveled the Realm in pairs, one male, one female, tending to the needs of the Naeonic villagers. This was their calling. Some aided in childbirth and healed sickness, disease, and injuries while others were able to control the weather, say, for example, if crops needed to be watered and there was no rain or water source nearby. There were many necessary functions, or more appropriately, services that they provided them. The most important, I think, were the educators, or the Terravailian scholars that we call the Readers who visited Naeonic schools and colleges. I say they are the most important because they have special abilities in discovering hidden truths. In the same manner that we ‘read’ from books to learn, the Terravailian Readers ‘read’ from the avie to discover information about the world. Much of what we know today about our world and about the ancient world comes from the Towers of the Readers, which were scattered among the Terravailian universities. All education of the Realm was provided through these universities, many of which have been shut down, you remember, as we discussed earlier.”
Chalice frowned. “So these traveling stewards, they must have been able to tell if they were close to a lumberyard, a mine, or a forge, right?”
“Correct and this is why life as an Agavae or a Sorosi was not easy. It is also why they traveled and did not stay in the east permanently. They could feel the damage being done.”
“By feeling it through the land?”
“Yes, through their daieoden.”
“What if a Terravailian hasn’t found her stone yet, can she still feel it?”
“Yes, even if the stone is far away, the Terravailian still has her natural connection to the land. Why do you ask, Chalice?”
She was beginning to piece together all the events of the past few months and the way she felt since leaving Canton.
“It just makes sense, that’s all. Growing up, I would have never felt it since Canton is largely a trading village with no lumberyards, mines, or forges. Those are all located far away. After leaving Canton, I felt strange at times while traveling along the road. I thought it just had to do with what was happening at the time, that it was maybe homesickness or something. Now, I realize that it wasn’t because it went away when we ascended the mountain to the Chinukan camp. In the guest’s quarters of Bunejab’s village, I felt something that was quite the opposite. It didn’t make sense to me at the time.”
“Ah, yes. It is peaceful there.”
“This feeling, it came from being inside the mountain?”
“Yes, because the Chinuka have always lived in harmony with nature, not against it. It was this harmony that you felt.”
That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard! Chalice thought. Yet, somehow, she knew it to be true. It was difficult enough for her to believe in a living element that could listen to people’s thoughts, but the land itself communicating with them was beyond what she could have imagined. It would take some time for these concepts to sink in. She knew she would have to experience the Na’Veda before fully understanding it. She could hear the voice of her Shaunta in the back of her mind. You cannot make it happen, Chalice. It will come to you when you are ready. Now, she understood why he focused so much of this training on her and not her classmates. Because he knew. She had always thought he was such a strange old man. Now, she knew why.
Chalice glanced down at Jeremiah, who was writing furiously in his notebook. She had to smile. She knew he was recording the whole conversation. Then, she looked at Ben. She was still wondering about who he really was and how he knew so much about her family.
“Ben, I have another question.”
“Yes?”
“What is your real name? Is it Darren or Graeystone?”
“I thought you might ask that. My paternal surname is Darren. Graeystone is my adopted surname as you can see by the color of my stone.”
“And your paternal surname, Darren, does it have any relation to Sir Theodore Darren?”
He paused, with a sad look on his face, and then finally nodded.
“Yes, he was my son,” he said softly.
She suddenly remembered what he had said the night before about Sir Darren’s last battle: I am puzzled, and for many reasons saddened, at the outcome of the battle. So this was the reason, she thought. Sir Darren had been his son.
“And you have a wife, too?”
“Yes, Loreaine of the Ielierian. She was the sister of your grandfather, Kieyavin, who lived seven generations ago. She died trying to free your sisters.”
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands, thinking. It finally struck her how old he was and how he knew her family so well. She suddenly had a great deal of respect for him. This was a man who knew what it was to suffer the loss of loved ones. She lowered her head in shame for having asked.
“I’m so sorry you lost your family.” Then, she looked at him curiously. “And after all this, you are still loyal to my father?”
He smiled at her warmly and said: “Always.”
“I’m sorry, Ben. I had no idea,” Jeremiah said, looking at Ben as though he had just met him.
“Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago.” Ben smiled and looked down at Jeremiah’s notebook. “Did you get all the information you need? I noticed you had checklist there.”
“Well, most of it. I do have one question, though.”
“What’s that?”
“During dinner, Jor mentioned a missing Onyx. What is that?”
“That’s right. He did. The Onyx stone is a daietych that went missing from our possession around the same time that Duquaine disappeared. One of the Council members and his whole family disappeared as well. I had always felt that there was a connection between these events, so I went in search of the stone with the help of your parents. This was during the three years that you were in Canton with the Pandrettis, you see. We didn’t find the stone, only a string of betrayals that led all the way back to Dar’Maalda. I am still convinced, however, that the stone had something to do with the King’s disappearance.”
“Why? What does it do?”
Ben shook his head. “No one knows. It is a daietych that was created around the same time that the Delphaline was written, which w
as a long, long time ago. I’m sure its original maker knew its purpose, but he, or she, never recorded it in writing anywhere. It is believed this Terravailian was someone with one of the unique talents I mentioned. Throughout time, many of the Readers have studied the Onyx, trying to trace its power to learn what it does, but so far, none have succeeded.”
“You know, Ben, we may have it!” Chalice exclaimed and Ben stared at her in shock. “The Chinuka gave us a box with a stone and a dagger in it. I had no idea what it was, but I accepted it anyway. Queen Svati seemed eager for me to have it.”
“Where is it?”
“In my bags. Jeremiah, can you get it for him?”
“Sure,” he said as he set down his notebook and quill and moved to retrieve the box from her bag. Chalice continued explaining to Ben what had happened to them during their time in the Chinukan camp. He listened to her keenly as Jeremiah brought him the box and opened it.
Ben took the stone out and laid the box onto the bed. He studied it as they told their story.
“And you didn’t think to ask what it was for?”
“Well, no,” Chalice replied. “I just thought it was a gift or something. To be honest, I was more concerned about leaving without running into any more trouble.”
“The importance of it didn’t occur to us at the time,” Jeremiah added. “I asked Bunejab about it later on, but he said he didn’t know.”
Ben looked at the Chinuk, who shook his head. “Alright. I can tell just by looking at it that it is not the Onyx. The Onyx is a dark green stone made of various shades of velarium and emerald. This stone is made of something else. I will need to take it into the study to examine it. May I?”
“Of course!” Chalice said. “You don’t need to ask. Here, take the box with you.” She suddenly felt exhausted and lay back, settling her head on the pillows and releasing a deep breath.
Ben got up, taking the box and replacing the stone.
Sieren rose from her chair. “It is late and we should let Chalice get some rest,” she announced to everyone in the room. “I will show you all to your chambers for tonight.” At that, they all rose from their seats and said their goodnights.
“I’ll be along in a minute. I just need to finish this,” Jeremiah told Sieren, motioning to his notes. She nodded.
Chalice’s eyelids began to close and she was asleep before she could even tell them goodnight. After finishing his notes, Jeremiah sat there, watching her draw in the long, deep breath of sleep, wondering what dreams she was having, and wishing he could be there with her. He reached up and brushed a lock of golden hair from her cheek with his finger. How different they were from each other. How different her world was from his own. All this time, he had never known. Now, he knew the separation between them was irreconcilable, and yet, he didn’t care.
Why do I trust my foolish heart? Why do I listen to it? he asked himself. He knew the answer. It was because without her, he was lost. Without her, there was nothing. Finally, he grew weary, kissed her forehead silently, and retired to his chambers.
A Secret Passage
Chalice awoke to a flickering light. It was coming from the door crack of her bedchamber. She had been having a wonderful dream about a huge banquet in a grand hall with everyone she knew around her. She wished she were back in the dream. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she knew she needed to eat. Slowly, carefully, she got out of bed and groped for her lambskin. Sliding it on, she left the bedchamber to find the fire still burning in the next room. The room was huge and the fire provided the only light to guide her.
I have to find food, she thought as she let her nose guide her. She could still smell the remnants of dinner. A long hallway opened on the left side of the dining room and stretched into the darkness. It was dimly lit by the wall lamps that dotted the corridor along its length. She could detect the scent of a kitchen nearby and saw light from underneath a doorway ahead. She was still a little tired and weak, but strong enough to walk.
Arriving at the door, she could hear the clanking of pots and pans as they were being scrubbed and scoured by the kitchen maids. She raised her fist to knock, then stopped. Down the corridor, just a few a paces to the left, firelight glimmered out of an open door and she heard faint voices coming from the room. As she approached, the voices became louder. She recognized them.
She entered what appeared to be an enormous study, similar in design to that of Maehbecks’ house, but much longer and wider. A roaring fire blazed on the hearth at the end of the room and the clock on the wall above it read midnight. She could hear the clear voices of Ben, Jor, and Sieren issue from a closed door on the right. She thought she might ask Sieren if she could have a midnight snack, but hesitated before knocking as soon as she heard the topic of conversation.
“This is not a daietych,” she heard Ben say.
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know, but it has no velarium. It is pure obsidian.”
“What is obsidian?”
“It is a dark, crystalline material that the Chinuka shape into tools. It is very strong.”
“So, it’s just an obsidian stone?”
“No, it is not just that either. It contains some kind of power and a lot of it, a sort with which I am not familiar. This stone was not made to do what the daietycha do. It was made to hold something.”
“It’s a container?”
“It appears to be. When I trace it, it glows red hot from within its center, but I can’t read it. It is not a power I can control. It is of a different essence, I think. I will need to take it to the Readers. There may be one of them that studies the elements that will know what it is.”
“And the dagger?”
“It is made of the same material, but what its purpose is, I can’t say. I’m hoping they will know more when we get to Portalis. There may be something in the library there that can help us as well.”
“How are you planning to get there?”
“By boat … but there’s a complication.”
“What’s that?”
“I will have a whole village of people with me.”
“A whole village?!” Jor laughed. “Yes, that does complicate things, doesn’t it?”
“Ben, why are you going to have an entire village with you?” Sieren asked curiously and Ben started in about their plans to go to Chainbridge to free the prisoners. As he spoke, Chalice studied the room around her. At the other end, near the fire sat a beautiful darkly polished cedar desk and a raised relief globe on a tall stand to the right of it. The length of the room was almost completely given to bookshelves with sliding ladders. In between the bookshelves on the walls, polished wooden panels supported candelabras that were nailed into place.
A bit of light would be good, she thought. She decided that a candle would do and strode over to the wall.
“So, how are you going to do this Ben? Do you need help? If so, we can send our men. There’s no need for you to do this on your own.”
“Thank you, but no. That many people might attract unwanted attention and it won’t be necessary. I used to teach at Chainbridge. I know that place like the back of my hand. I know a secret entrance, too, and I know exactly where the prisoners will be. It’s the only place in the whole fortress that will hold them. It’s just a matter of going in at night, disabling the guards, if there are any, and freeing the villagers. We can lead them back out the passage. It should be easy.”
“If you say so. We trust you, Ben, but … once you are all out, how are you going to hide, much less guide a whole village of people to Portalis?”
“Hiding them is easy. It is a simple matter of bending light. Transporting them … well, that is another matter. There is no velarium in the ground anywhere nearby, so I can’t make a transport. This is another reason why I am here. I will need your help once again.”
“But how … oh, I see! You want to use our merchant ships at the dock in Auvergny.”
“If that is alright with you.”
“Of
course! You can have as many as you need.”
When Chalice had reached the candelabra, she reached up and tugged one of the candles. It wouldn’t budge. She pulled harder, to the left, up and then to the right and suddenly let go as the whole candelabra shifted on its own. She thought she had broken it until she heard a soft click and saw that a portion of the wooden wall panel to the left opened up. She pulled the panel back and peered down a winding staircase into darkness.
A secret passage! she thought. Sieren had told them about this. She glanced up and found another candelabra on the opposite wall. She rushed over and grabbed a candle from it, which slid out of its socket with ease. Making her way to the fire, she lit it and went back to the secret door.
Suddenly, she heard Sieren from the other room: “The papers you will need to procure the ships are in the study, Ben. Follow me. I’ll get them for you.”
Chalice heard their footsteps approaching the door. She realized then that there was no way she would be able to explain what she was doing. For them to find her there, sneaking around the castle with a lit candle in front of a secret passage would be an insult. So, she did the only thing she could do. She jumped into the doorway and slowly closed the wooden panel until she heard the soft click of the candelabra shifting back into place. Then, she turned to descend the staircase. She was too curious not to explore what lay beneath. She heard the others in the study and quietly stepped with care.
The stairs seemed to spiral forever which made it hard as her muscles were still shaky and weak. When she finally reached the bottom, the room below appeared to be a study similar to the one above. The light of her candle did not reach the other end, but she could see bookshelves, a small closet, and a long, polished wooden table that stretched down the length of the room. On the table lay scattered papers and what appeared to be a collection of maps.
The Raie'Chaelia (Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, Book One 1) Page 21