The UnFolding Collection Two

by S. K. Randolph

  Davin plodded along beside Velar, his excitement at the prospect of studying DiMensionery tempered by a nagging desire to continue his pursuit of revenge. Setting it aside left him feeling empty, estranged from himself. Revenge had fed him, been his constant companion for more than half his life. It remained alive and hungry. A new thought made him smile. Dimensionery equals power. Power equates with success. Aware that his companion could read his mind, he fought to bury his unruly thoughts beneath his curiosity about Wolloh, the Order of Esprow, and what the training he hoped to undergo entailed.

  “Who is Wolloh and where is he?”

  Velar turned narrowed eyes his direction, gave a vague shake of his head, and answered. “He is here in DerTah. Via a roundabout route, we are headed toward his home. As to who he is…I believe he is the best person to explain himself. Suffice it to say, he was and remains one of the most talented students I have ever mentored. When you meet him, do not let his appearance fool you. Beneath it all, he is brilliant.”

  The cold of middle-night made Davin wrap his kcalo tighter. He glanced up at the tall man striding beside him. Power radiated from him like warmth from the sun. “Is Wolloh as powerful as you?”

  “He is a High DiMensioner. The Order of Esprow has three levels: DiMensioner, High DiMensioner, and VarTerel. He had the potential to attain the third level. A poor choice stole it from him. Remember that, Davin Farlow. Choices make the man, or in this case the VarTerel.” His head snapped around. Flashing eyes gazed into his. “We have been discovered. Hold onto me. No matter what transpires, do not let go.”

  Almost before Davin could grip his arm, the landscaped blurred. His fingers clamped around kcalo-covered muscle as the world spun out of control. Intense vertigo squeezed his eyes shut. His ears buzzed. His knees grew weak. Bile rose from the pit of his belly, scorching his throat. As suddenly as the spinning had begun, it ceased. His stomach settled. He opened his eyes. Everything refocused. A spasm of panic shot through him. In his hand was Velar’s staff. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.

  He looked up, down, and made a slow turn. A star-speckled vastness stretched in all directions. Nothing else met his startled gaze—just night sky and gleaming pin pricks of white light. Fear surged through him. He clung to Velar’s staff with trembling hands. “No Matter what transpires, don’t let go.” The words echoed in memory over and over again.

  A quartz crystal incased within rowan twigs and leaves at the top of the staff began to glow. Heat flowed down the knobby wood and pooled in his hands, scalding the palms, burning the flesh from his fingers, one finger at a time. Pain tore his mind into fragments. Terror overwhelmed him. Still he clung to the staff. A scream of agony burst from his fire-filled throat and tore across the expansive panorama like a tsunami rushing to land. Bone held tight to flaming wood. His knees gave way. He crumpled, the staff pressed to his heart. Fire infused him, devoured him, burned until only embers covered rowan wood and went black.

  Darkness melted from black to gray to white, then took the shape of a nightmarish face that made him squeeze his eyes shut in shock.

  “Davin, open your eyes.” The voice was deep and alive.

  Through thin slits, Davin gazed at a face divided. Smooth, unblemished, and handsome on one side juxtaposed a mass of scars, an opaque eye, and withered mouth on the other.

  The face hovered closer. “I am Wolloh. You are safe.” It moved back.

  Davin licked his lips.

  The head turned showing only the uninjured side. “TheLise, bring water please.”

  A young woman arrived beside them. Short, dark hair capped a well-shaped head and framed a face of exquisite beauty. Luminous pewter gray eyes flecked with gold gazed at Davin with undisguised curiosity. She handed Wolloh a glass, shifted the pillows beneath Davin’s head, and stepped back. Cool glass touched his lips. He took a sip of water, swallowed, and took another.

  Wolloh placed the glass on the table. “Little by little, Davin. Now you must rest. TheLise or I will be close if you need anything.”

  The lights dimmed. Davin slipped into a dreamless sleep. When he awoke again, he was alone. A single oil lamp lit the small, windowless room. Where am I? What happened to Velar? How did I get to this room? How long have I been here?

  The door opened to admit a tall man several sun cycles his senior. He crossed to the bed and peered down at him. “You’re awake. Are you hungry?”

  Davin started to shake his head, then stopped when a wave of ravenous hunger overtook him. “I’m starving.”

  The man smiled. “I’m Stebben. I’ll see what I can find. Master Wolloh’s sleeping, but asked to be called when you woke up. The personal needs space is through there.” He pointed to a door on the opposite wall of the room. “I’ll be back.”

  For a short time Davin lay still, staring at his hands—the unburned palms, the fingers covered with muscle and sinew. He pushed the covers aside and slowly leveraged himself to sitting. Sliding his pajama-clad legs over the edge of the bed, he stared at the unfamiliar sleepwear. A matching robe lay at the foot of the bed, and slippers sat on the floor. He stood. The room remained still, his legs steady. He gave a sigh of relief and shuffled to the PN. While inside, he heard the outer door open, the exchange of quiet words, and the door shutting. He peeked into the room.

  Wolloh sat at a small table on which food had been arranged in a tempting display. “Well, my young friend, you are looking better.” He indicated a chair opposite him. “Please join me. You must be starving.”

  Davin slid onto his seat. “I am hungry.” He eyed the food and looked back at Wolloh.

  “Please, eat. When you’ve finished, I’m sure you have questions. I’ll do my best to answer them.”

  His host remained quiet while he filled his growling emptiness with fruit, biscuits and jelly, warm, sweet mush. He couldn’t remember when a meal had tasted so good. Finally, he sat back, cradling a cup of tea in his hands, and regarded the man across from him. “The last thing I remember—clinging to Velar’s staff and bursting into flames.”

  Wolloh’s unusual face expressed thoughtful interest. The feather-like brow over his opaque eye met his normal brow above an aristocratic nose and then relaxed. “You have been where few men go. Not even I have traveled through Mittkeer, the place of time and no time. Relevart told me it was the only way. The MasTer of the Mocendi dispatched a Mocendi DiMensioner to find you. I shudder to think what would have happened had the VarTerel not been with you.”

  “Relevart? He told me his name was Velar.”

  “He is a man of many names and many faces.”

  Davin took a sip from his cup. Peering over the rim, he said, “He’s not dead, is he?”

  Wolloh shook his head. “He is very much alive and distracting The MasTer’s attention away from you and Shu Chenaro. It is vital that my home remain a mystery, or you and I and all I have worked for will be at risk. Now…questions?”

  Another warm sip of tea slid down his throat as Davin contemplated the most important question to ask first. He signed and set his cup on the table. “I have so many that they all muddle together, so I’ll just start. How is a VarTerel different from a DiMensioner?”

  “A DiMensioner can jump from dimension to dimension. A VarTerel can not only jump dimensions, but he or she can travel through time. At this point Relevart is the only VarTerel in the Inner Universe. The Mocendi League has managed to destroy the others.”

  “What is Mittkeer?”

  Wolloh pursed his odd mouth. “Mittkeer is that place from which all time travel occurs. Had the danger not been grave, Relevart would never have taken a non-initiate there. You are important Davin Farlow. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Davin squirmed in his chair. Important, that’s a first. He glanced up to find Wolloh watching him. Forcing himself to collect his thoughts, he formulated his next question. “What happened to me there? How did I get here?”

  “You were engulfed in a cleansing fire. Had you let go of the staff, you would have
burned to death, turned to ashes, and been blown away on the winds of time. Since you had the fortitude to cling to the staff, you survived. Relevart teleported you through time and dimension and delivered you to me for training if you are still interested in becoming an initiate.”

  “I am very interested. Velar—I mean Relevart told me you would be my mentor.”

  “I am happy to take you on as my apprentice, Davin, but only if you can promise to make the study of DiMensionery your priority. But that is for a later date. It is time for you to rest.”

  As though on cue, the door opened and Stebben entered. Wolloh eased to standing using an ironwood cane. “I’ll see you this evening.” He glanced around the room. “Once I receive word from Relevart that all is well, we will move you to another room. Until then, you must remain here.” He limped to the door. “Rest well.”

  Stebben cleared the table and prepared to follow. “After your nap, TheLise would like to visit if you are agreeable.”

  Davin smiled. “I’d like that.”

  The door closed, and the room was quiet. Fatigue nudged Davin back into bed, where he lay for a short time staring at the ceiling. Still a wanted man in Idronatti. Still wanted by the Mocendi League. Wanted as an apprentice. Perhaps even wanted as a friend. He yawned and rolled on his side. Sleep came quickly.

  When he awoke, he recalled no dreams. Across the room, TheLise sat, reading by the light of the small oil lamp. He watched her through half closed lids. Her olive skin glowed; her thick dark hair gleamed like ebony.

  She marked her place and set the book on the table. “I know you’re awake, so stop pretending.” A teasing smile flashed his direction. Beautiful gray eyes searched his face. She pulled her chair closer. “Tell me about Mittkeer.”

  Davin plumped his pillows and leaned back. “It was sky and stars as far as I could see in every direction. Are you training to be a DiMensioner?”

  “I am. How did you meet Relevart? I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

  “He was waiting for me.” He told her the story, leaving out the parts he wasn’t too proud of. “How did Wolloh wreck his face?”

  A soft knock and the door admitted the subject of his query. He limped across the room and looked down at Davin. “Time to be up and about. Stebben put clothes in the PN. When you are ready, he will show the way to my sitting room.”

  Davin sat up straighter. “Does that mean things are under control?”

  Wolloh’s good eye glowed olive green in the light. “For the moment.” Smooth cheek to TheLise, he offered his arm. “Come, my dear, we have things to discuss.”

  She wrapped her arm around his, batted her eye lashes, and said in a voice filled with bantered teasing, “I love discussions with you, Wolloh.”

  He laughed and ushered her from the room.

  Davin took his time in the PN. He couldn’t remember when he’d last cleaned up. The stubble on his chin suggested it had been awhile. It felt good to shower and shave on his own…no PPP guard for the first time in too many moon cycles. The clothes Stebben had left for him were much nicer than anything he had ever owned. He savored the feel of dark green silk against his clean back and shoulders. He buttoned the front and fastened the onyx buttons at the wrists. Black pants fit as though they had been tailored for him. Black socks and polished black, ankle high boots completed his ensemble. Hazel eyes gleamed back at him in the mirror. The shirt was the perfect color. He checked his profile. I look good. The only thing missing is my hair. I can’t wait for it to grow!

  Stebben appeared as he returned to the outer room and led him down a dim passage. I wonder if he read my mind. Davin negated the thought with a laugh. The man’s a servant, after all.

  When the passage ended, Stebben pressed his thumb into an indent hidden in stone. The wall slid aside. He stepped back to allow Davin entry into what he assumed was Wolloh’s sitting room.

  Stebben crossed to a door on the far side. “Wolloh will join you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable.”

  Before he could reply, the servant was gone. Davin studied the room. Artwork adorned the creamy adobe walls. To the right a collection of masks decorated the wall. Opposite where he stood, hung a landscape depicting a tumultuous sea. Over a large stone fireplace the carved visage of an old man stared down at him. Shelves filled with books and comfortable looking leather furniture gave the room a sense of livability. It was a place to relax, to unwind from the mundane endeavors of the turning.

  Feminine laughter ushered Wolloh into the room. TheLise danced ahead of him, her face glowing with delight. “Oh, good, you’re here.” She perched on the edge of the couch. “We are to be trained together! Aren’t you excited?”

  The High DiMensioner lowered himself onto a leather chair and sighed. “You are impetuous, my dear TheLise. Next time, please allow me the pleasure of sharing the news.” He turned to Davin. “What do you say, boy? Would you like to join TheLise in her studies?”

  Davin noted the tolerant expression on his face and smiled. “I would love to. But, sir, I haven’t even finished school. I ran away from Idronatti before my thirteenth sun cycle.”

  Wolloh eased back in his chair. “Wasn’t there an older woman in the Central Mountains who took you under her wing?”

  “How did you—never mind. Yes. She taught me more than I would have learned in the city.”

  Wolloh nodded his agreement. “We will fill in the blanks as we go. Tomorrow you will begin your training and your educational studies. Today, TheLise will give you a tour of the ranch house. Please do not go outside until we are sure the Mocendi have passed us by.” He stood up and leaned on his cane. “Meet me tomorrow in the conference chamber after morning repast. Stebben will serve your evening meal in here. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”

  TheLise jumped to her feet and opened the door. “I’ll take good care of him, Wolloh.”

  He laughed and limped into the hall. His good eye found hers. “See that you do.”

  She closed the door, turned, and leaned against it. “So…I bet you have all kinds of questions.”

  Davin felt odd—almost happy—a rare emotion for him. Rather than examine it too closely, he shoved the feeling into the background and studied the girl across from him. “Tell me about you.”

  TheLise proved to be a lively companion: intelligent, intriguing, and very sexy. Davin grinned. He lay on his bed fully dressed with hands behind his head staring at the ceiling. Stebben had shown him the way back to the hidden room. In a couple of sun turnings, when Wolloh was sure it was safe, he would be moved into the main part of house. For now, he’d sleep here.

  He reviewed his conversation with TheLise. Her father, the Dreela Reckirty, was the leader of the Province of Trinuge. At an early age, he had discovered her talent for DiMensionery and had immediately sent her to be tested by Wolloh, DerTah’s own High DiMensioner. The sun cycle she turned fifteen, the future Dreelas began her training and had spent the past eight summers at Shu Chenaro.

  Davin felt a stab of jealousy. She is well ahead of me. His need to be the best at everything made him suddenly uneasy about studying with her. He raised an eyebrow and announced to the four walls, “I’ll show Wolloh and TheLise how quick I am. That I am the best.” The brow dropped. He rubbed his scar and frowned. What if—? The idea that he might not be as talented as Wolloh thought tied his stomach in knots.

  “Davin, beware.” The telepathic message brought him to standing in one silent movement. Wolloh flashed into view. “Not a word or a thought.” He held out his good hand.

  Davin took it. The room disappeared. A rough-hewn space with a dirt floor came into focus. Garden equipment lined the walls. Stebben and TheLise waited in the shadows.

  Wolloh drew them into a tight circle. “Relevart sent a message. The Mocendi have put a price on Davin’s head. They have also discovered your potential, TheLise.” He and Stebben exchanged glances. “Two DerTahan tribes have joined the hunt—the Sebborr, a tribe of desert wanderers, and the Spanilmen
from the Plains of DoOlb. They will lead the League right to our door. I don’t want that any more than I want either of you to fall into their hands. Our plan, therefore, is two-fold. Number one: they must be led away from Shu Chenaro. Number two: you must be hidden out of sight and out of mind.”

  Davin studied the rippled scarring on the High DiMensioner’s cheek while his survivor’s mind clicked into gear. “We will need a place to hide where the tribes you mentioned won’t think to look. Is there somewhere on DerTah? If the PPP weren’t searching for me, I could take TheLise back to Thera.”

  Wolloh’s mouth twisted into a smile of approval. “Your life has taught you to think on your feet, Davin.” He looked at TheLise. “What will make it almost impossible to find you?”

  She kept her gaze fastened on his face. “A place where the natural energies will obscure ours.” Her eyes widened. “I know just the place—the Isle of Temecrya.” A shudder shook her shoulders. “Do we have to go there? ”

  “I’m afraid so, my dear. Stebben and I will take you and then return to lead our enemies away from the ranch.” He limped to his man servant’s side and spoke in a quiet undertone.

  TheLise’s subdued silence made Davin uneasy. “Tell me about the Isle of Temecrya.”

  She slipped her hand into his. “It is the isle of the dead. It is divided into two sections. Trinugian soldiers who have fought bravely and died in battle are buried on one side of the island.” She seemed to flounder, unable to continue.

  Davin eased her around to face him. “And?”

  “The other side is where the criminally insane are entombed. It is said to be haunted. Visitors have been murdered there. The only living Human on the island is the caretaker.”

  “You’re afraid.”

  “I prefer to be surrounded by life, not death.” She looked away.

  “I’ll take care of you.” Bravado filled the words.

  She shot him an unfathomable look and shook her head.

  Wolloh joined them. “Stebben has gone to saddle the horses. We’ll avoid DoOlb and ride to the border of Trinuge.”