by Chris Africa
William nodded. "In keeping with our usual arrangement, it seems we all again have secrets. I think we may need to do something about that if we are to work together as a team."
No merchant. It was Vari's voice, muffled from the pack. He's no merchant. Chassy looked around, but no one else had heard it. He wondered if it would be too strange of him to hang back and talk to his stones. What did they know, and how did they know it? What was he if not a merchant? His clothes pegged him as a noble. Was he the son of some lord? And if so, why would he feel the need to hide such a thing?
He tuned out William's inane chatter as they crossed the city. Cherise and William compared spring in the cities where they had traveled. Nita and Chassy shared memories of the amazing foods Jam had fed them over the winter. The halfling had seemed to delight in finding ever more exotic ways to prepare the same foods.
By the time they reached the outer edges of Death's End, Chassy's pack tugged at his shoulders, recalling for him the early days of their trip the previous summer. He knew it would take a few days to get used to bearing weight on his back again, and walking with the heavy load would make him both stronger and thinner. Around his neck, he wore the necklace Dulisa had given him last summer. The small pouch of miniature magical items hung from his belt. Chassy had tucked the glasses from Xander into their protective felted case though he wished he could pull them out to examine William without drawing attention to himself.
The path leading into the South Woods was narrow but friendly enough. This walking path was far too small for even a single wagon to navigate and there were none of the telltale ruts that would be present in a normal wagon trail. Bird sounds filled the air, and a rabbit raced across their path.
It was a nice wood, but nothing like the Waet groves, where trees grew broad and sturdy with giant silver leaves. Chassy missed the thumping of the Waet bolls although he had grown accustomed to sleeping without it.
"So why are you wearing a hood?" William asked as soon as they were out of earshot from any other people.
Nita lowered her hood, and William's eyebrows went up. He raised his face to the sky and laughed, then gave a triumphant jump into the air. "The Silver Sorceress is real, and I am her friend!"
'Friend' was a stretch, Chassy thought, but he held his words.
William finally seemed to notice Nita's face was like a thundercloud and stopped shouting. "You don't have to tell the whole forest and beyond." Nita pulled her hood back up.
"But why cover your face? You are a hero. People would welcome you far and wide as a champion to the resistance. Imagine free meals, free lodging, wherever you go. People around you who love you and worship you."
"Imagine having people stare at you like you are a freak, or shy away from you because you have a deformity. Imagine they think you can heal them or bring the dead back to life."
"Imagine having a recognizable face that would lead an angry wizard and his lackeys right to you," Chassy added.
William's face dropped. "I'm sorry. But the stories they're telling of how you defeated the Northmen—"
"What stories?" Nita demanded.
"In one, you brought your silver fist down on the camp of the Northmen and smashed it to smithereens. In another, you threw their leader all the way back to where he'd come from. And I've heard you can move from one place to another magically."
Chassy's mouth dropped open, and he looked to Nita. This was her story to tell, not his. It sounded like there was a little truth in all of it, and yet none of it was accurate.
"Well, those stories are ridiculous. None of it is true. The elf we were looking for last summer turned out to be a captive in the same Dalatois camp as me, and we escaped together. That's everything."
Nita was leaving out a lot of pieces Chassy thought she should tell. They would help William understand the source of the rumors he had heard. "Don't forget—you also freed a clan of enchanted Dalatois from the clutches of an evil Nydwon. Then you followed the elf, Lyear, through a magical portal back to Xander's house, where we finally captured him and retrieved the Amulet of Hope."
"Chassy. Don't make such a big fuss of everything." Nita sounded frustrated.
"It's true. You shouldn't be so modest."
"Wow, the Amulet of Hope?" William's face wore a shocked look, and then it turned hopeful. Too late, Chassy remembered they had never shared their mission with him last summer. All this talk of elves and amulets was new information.
"Do you have it now?"
The follow-up question made Chassy uncomfortable, especially given the look on William's face—anticipatory, like he was forming a plan. "No, we left it with Xander. Such an important magical item, we thought it was best not to take it out on the road with us."
Nita shot Chassy a questioning look, but William accepted the lie and nodded. "Well, I must visit your friend, Xander, after we finish in Lyesfare. I'm interested to see this Amulet of Hope."
"Why? What's so special about it?"
Chassy jumped at Cherise's question, which was also his question.
"It's one of three pieces of the Aegis of the Gods. In fact, I don't mind telling you now last summer when we met, I was looking for a second piece, a cloak of invisibility. Unfortunately, my only clue to finding it and my entire crew have fallen into the hands of the Wizards of the True Faith. I fear for their safety. Gnarkvetch is executing anyone he suspects of owning magical items or using magic. Rumor has it, he isn't giving them any sort of trial."
"What?" Outrage choked Nita's voice. "That's—that's terrible! We need to move faster."
Chassy linked his arm in Nita's, sharing her frustration but feeling helpless to do anything. "What's the Aegis of the Gods?"
William hesitated and then nodded as though he had decided.
"During my travels, I came across an old scroll titled 'The Legend of the Aegis.' According to this legend, when the gods imprisoned Erise in the Underworld for his crimes against humanity, a few of them doubted he would remain there. Erise is a crafty fellow, and they assumed he would escape and cause havoc. With the gods removed from the earth, humans would need a hero capable of rallying and saving them. So they came up with a plan. They would construct an Aegis to make the bearer indestructible.
"The scroll described how Besche tore from her own heart a quantity of never-ending joy and celebration, and she wrapped it in an unbreakable gem. A human could activate this amulet to bring hope, comfort, and strength to friends and allies. With her own hands, Dulisa wove a cloak of the finest Waet silk, and she bent the magic to provide perfect invisibility and protection from all harm. Rehn had already created the third part of the Aegis as a gift for Erise—boots to run faster and jump higher than anything alive. But they did not permit him to take these with him to the Underworld, and Rehn could not bear to look at them. Falise magically bound these three items and then scattered them to the ends of Ayzwind. The bearer of any individual item would hold an incredibly powerful artifact; the wearer of all three would be an unbreakable shield to stand between Erise and humankind."
Chassy was silent for a moment, trying to decide which question to ask first. When described this way, the Aegis sounded… underwhelming. One super-fast, invisible person spreading hope could save all of humankind? There must be more to know about these artifacts.
"But it's just one person." Nita's words echoed his thoughts. "How can one human person defeat a god by being indestructible?"
"It's a good question, Nita, and not one I can answer," William said. "But the scroll also contains clues to the locations of the cloak and the boots. I intend to find them."
"Why are you looking for these?" Chassy asked. "It must be a dangerous occupation. And what will you do when you find them?"
"Somehow, I will defeat Gnarkvetch and his army." William's eyes went unfocused, his thoughts far away. "I will become the hero the world needs to eliminate this villain."
Chassy shuddered at the tone of his voice.
14: Nita
A week into the woods, Chassy still looked at William like he was some kind of poisonous snake. He defended Nita when she didn't need defending and puffed out his chest like a bird in mating season. Thinking about that set her giggling, and she was glad she could hide inside her cloak.
By the time they stopped to eat on the seventh day, the sun was low, and shadows crept around everything. A prior traveler had left a usable fire ring with stones and bug-infested logs rolled up on each side. Nita plopped in a patch of dirt in front of the fire pit and watched William kindle a flame the first try.
Chassy grabbed Nita's hand. "Don't turn your head, but did you notice anything to our left?"
"Nothing," Nita kept her voice soft and scanned the area. "It might have been one of those dryads like last summer protecting us."
"Or maybe it's nothing," Chassy sighed. "I still remember too well our days traveling through the Blackwood and fighting bandits. Every sound and movement still puts me on edge."
"Being cautious has saved me more than once," Cherise said.
"Well, I'm famished. Time to eat dinner." Nita unpacked the food she'd brought and passed it around.
Chassy ripped off a piece of Jam's smoked pork with his teeth and chewed the tough meat.
"I feel like I'm being watched by someone who is ravenous," he said.
Nita laughed. "What does that mean? You're imagining things."
Chassy squinted into the trees and leaped out of his seat, juggling his meat.
"What's wrong?"
"A huge cat is hiding in the trees," he said. "Can't you hear the growling sounds?"
Nita and Cherise moved to either side of him, staring into the woods where Chassy was looking.
"I still see nothing," Nita said.
Cherise and William agreed.
Chassy looked shaken and baffled. "I don't understand. It's right there, and it's enormous." He pointed into the dark underbrush with his finger.
"I can only see shadows. Your eyes are playing tricks on you." Nita patted his shoulder and went back to her cheese.
"Gods! It's coming for our food!" Chassy yelled.
William took his arm. "What's wrong with you? You're scaring everyone."
The shape of a large cat detached itself from the shadows and ambled toward them. Cherise gave a shout and shinned up a tree in an instant. But the creature who emerged looked harmless. It walked with a limp and looked so thin its skin sagged in places.
"She's hungry," Chassy said.
"Hungry enough to eat one of us if we aren't careful," Cherise called from the tree.
"Poor thing! Look how skinny she is." Nita felt tears sting her eyes.
"She is injured and can't hunt." Chassy pulled one of the larger pieces of meat from his pack. He took aim and threw it in the cat's direction. Without hesitation, she limped over to where it landed, scooped it up in her jaw, and swallowed it in one large bite. She lay in the grass and stared at them.
"That was a foolish thing to do. Now you won't be rid of the thing, and it will eat all of our provisions," William said.
Chassy didn't look concerned at all. "She doesn't mean us any harm. She injured her leg, and she hasn't been able to hunt for a while. She can't say how long, because cougars don't track time the same way we do. Without our help, she'll starve to death."
William laughed. "Chassy, are you saying you can hear what this animal is thinking?" He sounded curious, not doubtful.
Chassy nodded. "Sort of. It comes more in pictures, like something she remembers. And feelings, only I can tell they aren't my own feelings. Her name is Shyrea, and she asked me to fix her wounded leg."
Cherise stayed put at the top of the tree. "I'm not going near a wild animal because you think you can read its mind. Has this ever happened before?"
"No, this is the first time. I admit it's unnerving."
It must be something like listening to stones in a garden talk for the first time, Nita thought, but she held her tongue. If Chassy heard a wild animal's thoughts, she could understand why he looked a little shaky. She took his hand and squeezed it.
"How can we know you aren't going insane?" Cherise demanded.
Chassy frowned up at her and shrugged. "Fine. I'll do it myself. William, be ready with your sword. Nita, be ready with your… silver… hand."
Nita sighed and nodded. William unsheathed his sword and stood ready.
Chassy released Nita's hand and edged up to the cougar. As he got closer, she rolled to her side, exposing her belly and her injured leg. She laid her head on the ground and watched him with one eye.
This was silly, Nita realized. Why wouldn't she trust her best friend? Besides, she could always hold the cat. She hadn't tried it on animals before but had no reason to believe it wouldn't work. She inched forward, following Chassy's lead as he knelt beside Shyrea. Climbing down from her perch, Cherise approached on the other, and William circled warily.
"It looks like she broke her leg," Cherise said. "Will she let us set it? It may hurt, but if it doesn't heal straight, she will never hunt again."
Chassy looked at Shyrea for a moment. "Yes, she might growl, but she will try her best not to bite your throat or rip your arm off."
"Wow. That's not comforting."
"Maybe I can help her stay still with my magic?" Nita suggested. "I won't hurt her. I'll just prevent her from scratching or biting us."
Chassy exchanged another glance with the cat and nodded. "Shyrea approves. William, you don't have to keep pointing the sword at her. It makes her nervous, and she's already in a lot of pain."
William lowered his weapon but did not put it away.
"Nita, are you ready?" Chassy asked.
Nita sent the smallest trickle of energy from her hand to hold Shyrea's head and uninjured paws in place. As Chassy straightened the leg, lining up the bones, the blood seemed to drain out of his face and sweat rolled off him. Cherise was there with a straight stick and a strip of cloth torn from William's ruffles to set the leg. Chassy covered their work with one of his own Waet silk stockings. Then he put all the dried meat from his own pack in front of her, and they eased away.
"I've released my hold on her, so she can move now," Nita said.
"Thank you," Chassy said. "She says thank you."
"It is growing dark," William observed. "We had better make camp. But remain wary. No matter how we helped her, the cat will always be a wild animal."
15: Andrev
Quon stayed for two days, as if she was convinced Andrev would change his mind and accept an apprenticeship. On the third day, Andrev sequestered himself in the library surrounded by his favorite books. By the fourth day, when he emerged to check whether Granny had delivered a message for him, Quon had left.
"You missed a great opportunity," Xander said. "Maybe you should have gone with her. I have no love for Quon, but the Wizards of Xillith can teach you magic better than anyone."
"I don't care," Andrev said. Part of him wondered if he should ask Xander for help to find Granny, but it seemed unlikely the cleric would know how to find her. "Did you study at Xillith?"
"No," Xander admitted. "I'm self-taught and not so powerful as one such as Quon."
"I can teach myself, as you did." Andrev motioned toward the book in his hands. "You can learn anything from books."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Almost anything," he corrected. "You might do it on your own. But I was born into a family of magic users, so I had a natural advantage. Most people born without innate abilities spend years with an expert tutor to learn techniques you won't find in books. Often the difference between even a small success and utter failure is the angle of a gesture or the precise tone and pace of a voice."
Andrev scowled at the reminder he was not of Waet blood and had inherited none of the magical capabilities of Nita's parents. His mind harkened back to the Nydwon's words: He is not of your people. If you save him, your parents shall die.
Well, that hadn't happened yet.
"If I may ask, are you pla
nning to while away the whole summer in my library? A boy your age should learn a trade," Xander said. "You've rejected Quon, so what is your new plan?"
"I have plans." Andrev's insistence sounded lame even to his own ears. "Don't worry, I won't be here long."
Xander nodded. "You are welcome as long as you wish. But without the wealth from Chassy's pouch to help pay for your expenses, you must earn your keep doing chores and running errands for me."
"Chores?"
"Yes, chores. The kitchen needs spring cleaning right now, so you can start there. Jam will tell you how to help."
Cleaning the kitchen? Andrev groaned as Xander turned and walked away. He had never cleaned the kitchen of the Two Pumpkin Inn. His parents paid servants—and he supposed sometimes Nita might have helped. If he didn't hear from Granny, he would spend his summer working as Xander's servant in Death's End. It was too late even to choose Quon and Xillith.
Andrev stalked to the kitchen where Jam was standing on a table to dust the ceiling—the ceiling—with a feather duster. She was so short she had flipped over a large pot on top of the table, and she still had to stretch on her toes to reach the dust.
"Why are we dusting the ceiling? We don't eat up there."
Jam thrust the feather duster toward him, and he saw great globs of greasy dust clumped in it. "Would you prefer this filthy stuff falling into your food as I am cooking?"
Andrev jerked back and shuddered. "I suppose not."
"Good. My arm is getting tired. This should be easy for someone as tall as you. Move the table around wherever you need it to be. Be sure to get the entire ceiling." Andrev grimaced as Jam handed him the nasty-looking feather duster. He shuddered at the chunks of the stuff in her hair. "Over there, quite safe under the pan, you will find meat and cheese whenever you get hungry. And muffins, of course."
He should have expected there would be meat and muffins. Regardless of the activity, Jam always supplied both nearby. Andrev didn't care much about food in the first place, and the idea of combining cleaning with eating turned his stomach. He climbed onto the table and reached the ceiling with ease. Based on the thick layer of dust remaining, it appeared she had only begun her work. Andrev sighed. This would take the entire day. Seeing it up close, he judged the feather duster as insufficient for this job.