Mavra frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The three wizards, the ones that gave the responsibility for saving the innocents over into our hands. They have spoken to me.”
“I don't understand. How could they do that?”
“We don't know,” answered Venla, “but all of a sudden Handel came over all strange, and then collapsed to the ground. After a second he was back up, but smiling as if he had just been touched by a divinity.”
Mavra looked hard at Handel, who just looked back under the intense scrutiny. “Are you sure it was them?”
Handel nodded eagerly. “I am, Mistress. They were there, right beside me on the grass. I could see them all.”
“And did they say anything?”
Handel looked distant as he remembered the words spoken to him. “They asked about former companions of yours, and told us all to be strong. They said that eventually, wizards like themselves might join us to try and spare the villagers from a fate such as they had witnessed before, but not yet.”
“They asked about former companions?”
“Yes. They wanted to know about those that had left you in the past. I told them all that I knew of your past. That others had left you a long while back, and that you had lost and then rescued others. I feel that it was those that had left you first that they wanted to know about.”
“It's a shame that you did not know more, or that they could not ask somebody who knew them.”
“They did say that the situation might change, but for now they could only contact those that they knew well.”
Mavra accepted this at face value, for no member of the tribe would lie for any reason. She was not as sure about the wizards, but then as of this moment they were only mysterious figures that had been described to her in tales. She would need something more of them before she would talk about members of her caravan, present or former. “Well it is good to know that we aren't alone,” she said wistfully, never feeling more alone than she did at this moment.
* * *
“Are you sure that he understood?”
Belyn looked up at Raoul, who stood over him in an almost vulture like pose. “My brother, we have known few of the tribesmen longer or better than Handel. Trust in the fact that he understood our intentions. He knows that we would be there if we could. He also knows that help will be on its way eventually. To be perfectly honest, the young lady that is leading them all around the countryside is moulding them into a much better force than any of us could have done.”
The word 'force' brought a slight frown to Raoul's face, his eyes darkening. “They are not an army.”
“Not in every sense of the word, no they are not an army. They are spying on the movements of the mercenaries, and they are forming a more than adequate defence. Should they be attacked, they will have a pretty fair chance of surviving. Should the mercenaries find them and then be as bold as to attack, they are going to draw them into the middle of the two villages between which they are hiding. From there they are going to surround them and slaughter them.”
“That is horrible!” Raoul shouted. “We do not condone slaughter!”
Belyn raised his hands patiently in order to make a point. “We do not condone people seeking out and attacking the innocent. The Old Law forbids such. However, it does condone the defence, and force as a representative of such.”
Raoul stared at his friend, knowing that in every sense he was right. It was a rare defeat in an argument over the Law, in which he was amongst the foremost dedicates. He stood down, and showed that he did have humility. He slumped to the deck, not taking his eyes off of Belyn. “Are you sure that there is no other way?”
“There is not. If those mercenaries attack, then their lives will be forfeit.”
“That is barbaric.”
“My friend, they have undertaken the most barbaric plan in over two decades. How can you compare the lives of murderers against those of innocents impaled in their own homes?”
“I can't. All life should be sacrosanct, regardless of the nature of the individual. Life is a precious thing, and the Old Law reflects that.”
“It is more pragmatic than you make it out to be. Whomever created the Old Law at least accepted that there might be cause to defend one's self should the need arise.”
Raoul toyed with the end of a coil of rope, flicking it from side to side. “Perhaps, but I will never be content with needless killing.”
“I doubt the mercenaries would disagree with you, should they come to know of what lies ahead. Were they to learn of the precise location of the camp, they would be merciless. They do not care for life, but for getting paid. Money is their Law.”
“Any joy?” called Keldron as he hurried over to them. He had been discussing ways of using focussing to aid the ship with the captain.
The two other wizards waited until he had joined them before Belyn replied for the both of them. “We have had some interesting developments.” As Keldron's eyebrows rose in interest, he continued. “It seems that the Merdonese are readying themselves for battle, under the leadership of the travellers, of all people.”
Keldron's face fell. “That is not right. How can they do such a thing?” The fact that Keldron to some degree echoed exactly what Raoul had said was not lost on either of his friends.
“They do it in order to defend two villages against servants of the enemy, whoever that may be. They do it because they are honourable and understand that people who could be speared through the guts do not have much of a future, and that their future should be fought for. Mostly, they do it because we have asked for them to do it, because they believe in what we are doing.” Belyn looked around at the various tribesmen, mingling with the sailors like they were born to be part of the Grotesque's crew. They were climbing the rigging, scrubbing the decks, generally being treated just like anybody else on the ship. Even Joleen and Yerdu could occasionally be seen aloft, though Malcolm kept himself busy in the cook's pantry. He was one man that could not wait to see dry land again.
“You are right,” Keldron admitted, “we did get them all into this mess with us. Now we can only do for them the best that we can, and try to find a way of keeping them all alive. Did you learn anything else?”
“Not a great deal. I learned that they once had companions that would be considered unusual, one of whom had prescience as a gift. The tribe did not know much more, for they have not had reason to ask. Something has got me intrigued about this person, but they had left a long time before all of this really started. So unless we speak to the travellers, I don't think that there is any more we can learn. I asked them to be careful, and promised them that soon we would find a way to get somebody there to help them.”
“You think that Obrett will find a solution?”
Belyn bit his bottom lip, nodding slightly as he considered his answer. “I think that he will find something, but I hope that we find it sooner. This whole 'being behind the scenes' worries me. It seems like an easy answer to learning, almost cheating in a way. If we are just supplied with the answers to all of our problems, then it is like an empty promise, it has a hollow ring to it.”
“But what if in learning the answers, we can save lives as a result?” Keldron countered.
“That is why I feel so bad about knowing more so quickly,” Belyn visibly slumped. “We have spent our lives searching for the knowledge of focussing, and now it is all open to us. It is as though there has been a book written about it for decades, and now all we are doing is reading the first chapter after struggling along for donkeys years.”
“But that's exactly what had happened when you discovered that text on focussing in the guild library.” Raoul challenged Belyn's morose mood with his argument. “How does that differ to this? In this case we will be able to aid more people, from any point in the Duchies. It is the biggest discovery in the existence of the Order! How can you refuse to take answers when given, especially by our teacher?”
“You are right Raoul, but it
still does not feel right. I had hoped that I might be the one to discover the answers. I am so close to it all, I can feel it in the air.”
Surprisingly, Raoul burst out laughing. “The reason you are being so sheepish is because you wanted to be the one to find all of the answers?”
“In part.” Belyn admitted as he played with the stone that had aided them in the village. “I just have a feeling that I should be disagreeing with the whole process of quick answers. It seems to me that we have to focus for a reason. Can you even begin to comprehend the troubles that could face us should others discover what our master has? Can you imagine what would happen to all of us if that creature got into that realm? Or the Witch Finder? We would be wiped out in a heartbeat!”
“Belyn, my brother, I think we have been over this before, but you should look at it this way.” Keldron perched on the pile of rope by the railing. “Our master is fine, and in a place that is much safer than our current position. He has access to magic that will aid us almost infinitely in our pursuit of the troubles behind all that we have witnessed. We might even find the Tome of Law, and discover why those poor people were butchered as a result. I think that it was fate that has had a hand in our fortune so far.”
Belyn opened his mouth to argue his case further, but his voice was drowned out by two simultaneous shouts.
“Land ho!” Yelled a voice high up in the rigging.
“Monsters!” Screamed Joleen from further down the side of the ship.
The three wizards did not know where to look first. The captain solved their problem. “Where away?” He bellowed.
“Two points to starboard!” The sailor yelled back. They could see a smile of satisfaction on the captain's face, as if that was exactly where he had expected it to be. Ignoring the land now that they knew it was there, they ran along the wooden walkway to find Joleen pale faced and frozen to the railing, staring in terror out at the sea.
“What is it?” Keldron asked, not seeing the source of her scare anywhere in front of them.
“Watch,” she said in a timid voice, looking out at a point not a hundred paces from the side of the ship.
They watched in silence, looking into the dark blue of the ocean for the nightmarish creatures that had so scared Joleen. Soon enough bubbles rose to the surface, and a wondrous sight rose to behold them. Several sleek dark shapes cut the surface, blowing air from holes toward the front of their immense heads. The mass that cut the surface was easily several paces across, and the shapes continued to move with a grace that belied their bulk. Arching slowly, the bodies passed by until the part above the surface diminished, becoming much narrower. At the last, when the creatures had appeared to diminish to almost nothing, great tail fins emerged, black edged at the back end with rippled white. The fins hung in the air for a moment, and then slapped the water hard enough to cause water to splash as far as the ship.
The three wizards whooped in amazement, enthralled by something that appeared truly magical. Joleen however, ignored their joy and gripped the railings as if her life depended on it.
“That shows that we miss too much by being stuck in a city.” Belyn laughed as he watched the creatures alongside the ship. What in the world are they?”
“The Leviathain,” called Benson from a few paces away as he looked on with immense respect. “They are creatures that breathe air but live in the deep, true children of Panishwa.” Benson inclined his head as he mentioned the name of the God of water. “It is good luck to behold them. They are definitely not monsters.”
Joleen did not look convinced, but watched in stark terror as the creatures slowly swam off towards the open ocean to the West. To their right, a faint smudge on the horizon represented land. She noticed this gradually, and her face brightened. Clearly Joleen had not been at ease on the ship, but she had hidden it well from the rest of them. “How long until we reach the end of the journey?” She eagerly asked the first mate, still warm towards the man despite his obvious inattention. Keldron did not mind. He had spoken with Jared on many occasions during the night watches, and had established the beginnings of a warm friendship. The first mate was married, his young wife living in relative opulence back in Leallyra. He doted on her to the point that he ignored most other women. If truth were told, the man was too humble to accept any advances due his station on the ship, but his knowledge of the seas and his forthright authority coupled with the agile skills of a swordsman meant that he was an ideal choice for the position of first mate. It was Benson as much as Flynn that ran this ship, and none of the sailors would have it any other way. He looked out at the horizon, seemingly judging distances. “Anything between ten days and a full cycle of the moon, depending on prevailing winds and the tides around the isle.” As he watched her face drop, he continued. “The city of Rhothamy lies in an inlet to the North-West of the island. We are just seeing its southern tip. We will be seeing land for quite some time before we can stop.” This did not seem to do the trick, and Benson well knew it. It was all that he could offer though, and he bowed curtly to the group of them and moved off to resume his duties. The Leviathain were a distant feature now, their location only given away by the flocks of seagulls that encircled them wherever they swam. Keldron put his arm around Joleen; It had been far too long since they had really had a private moment as there was just about nowhere on the ship that they could be alone. She pulled his arm tight, as if seeking all the comfort that he could give. It was enough to have a private moment together in public.
It did not last very long. “Back to work, you loafers! What do you think this is? A pleasure cruise?” Captain Flynn yelled in a pleasant enough voice. The cat-faced captain had come to like his guests well enough for their unusual skills and willingness to do even the most degrading chores, but he was never one to allow people to hang around in his field of vision. He received a chorus of smiles for his yelling, and watched with satisfaction as the several robed figures hurried off to their tasks. “Ah what it would be like to have a wizard on every ship.” He sighed out loud and looked at his helmsman, who was manning the massive oak wheel. He had arms that looked as if they were made out of the same stuff as the wheel, so knotted with muscle were they.
“Would they truly be of any use?” The massive man said, possibly not sharing his captain's view.
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” he replied. “They certainly make it a more interesting journey, with their stones and their mysticism. They are also the best damned sailors I have ever had outside of the crew.”
“You might want to think about how it is not wizards that do that, but men instead. They are secular, and do not get this chance often.”
“What do you know about wizards?” Flynn asked his enigmatic helmsman.
A shrug was all that his helmsman initially gave him. The man looked out at the land on the distant horizon, recalling a distant memory. “I was going to be one.” He said, lamenting for his past.
Flynn looked on in disbelief. His helmsman a wizard? He shook his head and looked out to the sea, forever his companion, and nearly always the one person that could confound him. Nearly.
Chapter Sixteen
Seclusion was such a damnable thing. Unfortunately it also seemed to be a crucial part of Zya's training. Meditation and contemplation were two words that were almost constantly on the lips of her teacher. If ever there was a new focus that she attempted to perfect, she was ordered to think it through for hours. Even if she had a question, she was first asked to contemplate all possible outcomes before her tutor would reply. It was an abstract difference from the way things had been before, but if nothing else it fortified her perception of what patience actually was. These people took nothing to chance. Zya leaned back on the chair in her study, flipping the focus stone up in the air and catching it as it fell. The top of the stone stayed intact. This was the cause of her latest question: Why did the stone not come apart unless she really needed it to? The answer seemed simple: concentration and the power of the mind. However, her t
utor would not take that as a simple answer and commended her to a day of meditation on the subject. Zya found that her 'meditation' often took her to unusual situations. She concentrated as she focussed on an area of land across the street. It was a rare area of park in amongst the buildings of the guild district. Zya returned to a previous study she had been given, the contemplation of life at a level of existence far beneath her own. She pushed her mind out to try and capture some sense of the life that lay below the surface of the soil. At first it had been difficult, but she had learned to sense the tiny sparks of life that existed within that small plot of land. Mostly insects, they struggled for an existence that did not even take into account wizards and Gods and stones that could be harnessed for power. Worms struggled through the soil, swallowing and depositing, as was their wont. Bugs crawled through the grass above and up in the trees. Zya let herself go once she found the tiny life forms, her very essence following them as they scurried about their busy but altogether too brief lives. It was a lesson that taught students of the Earth to put things into perspective. They were not the centre of all things; in fact their lives as individuals were not important. What they served was what mattered, and that was the very stuff from which their buildings were made and their tools were shaped. It all came from the Earth. Zya was sure that all the lessons she had been taught were interconnected, and it was this comprehension that caused her to jump up from her concentration. She put her hands on the window ledge, leaning out to breathe in air that suddenly smelled fresher, cleaner with the realisation of what she had discovered. That she had come so far so quickly had been noted with great interest by just about everybody, except for Zya herself. She took it all in her stride, her gut instincts guiding her every step of the way. Never once did she pause to consider that nobody else had ever been like this. To her it was always about learning the next focus, reading the next tome.
The Path of Dreams (The Tome of Law Book 2) Page 49