“What’s the point of saving each other if you’re only going to kill one another afterwards?” asked their trainer, coming over to break the two of them up.
When Bloom heard of what had happened he nearly fainted. “You did what?” he cried, putting his arms around Amelliea so tightly she could not escape. “Never-never-ever scare me like that again!” he said.
Amelliea pried herself from his arms. “You worry needlessly father,” she said. “I handled them just fine.”
“I cannot tell if you are very brave or very foolish,” said Bloom with a sigh.
“It only took them twenty minutes to raid the entire village,” said Amelliea. “They must be stopped, or they will be back.”
Bloom understood that she was right, and he nodded somberly.
“There’s one more thing,” said Amelliea.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I want to learn to fight like a Gator,” said the girl.
Chapter 21
An Unknown Threat
Though Bloom had found nothing dangerous in the Citrulene Region the night he had saved Amelliea as a baby, and the rumors of the unknown threat had long since died down, he knew that evil did not vanish on its own, but had to be forcefully vanquished. He understood that the day would come when he would again hear of that distant place, and he was right.
It happened a week after the Gator raid. Bloom was still helping the villagers rebuild their shops. The people who had already been struggling before the raid had to come together and share food from each of their personal reserves to make it through this time of hardship as a community. Bloom helped repair the damage done by the Gators while Amelliea and other women from the village made large amounts of porridge for the hungry people.
“At least it wasn’t werewolves,” said the welder, as Amelliea poured a ladle of porridge into his bowl. “The Gator’s don’t usually kill anyone, they are just thieves. I’ll take Gator Riders over werewolves any day.”
“What do you mean?” asked Bloom, deciding it was a good time to take a break from his work. He got in the food line with the other villagers.
“They have it worse in the Citrulene region,” said the man.
“Say more,” encouraged Bloom, giving him his full attention and nodding a thank you to Amelliea who poured a ladle into his bowl. He took a spoon and came to sit beside the welder.
“There was an outbreak of werewolves in the Citrulene City. No one knows where they came from, but there is an entire mob of them! It is said that ordinary people transformed and turned upon their own families! Many are dead, and the wounded are infected with the transforming virus.”
Bloom ate in silence.
“That’s not all!” said a woman who was listening in. “There are mass crop failures in the south, due to an infestation of bizarre new insects, and the Colesmith region has been overrun by wild beasts! Half a dozen villages have been decimated already. Corruption has festered in that Kingdom for a long time, I wonder what treachery lies dormant in that region!” ”
“Well I heard last week that in the Hexitore region, giant serpents were stealing livestock and wrecking havoc,” joined in a freckled youth, wolfing down his food.
Bloom sighed heavily and headed over to the wash station. He scrubbed his bowl as the conversation of the villagers changed to a different subject. Bloom went back to work sanding down the edges of a new cabinet for the cobbler. A lot had happened in the last sixteen years. He knew it was time to take care of the trouble piling up in the seven regions. He would have to leave on a long trip. Bloom glanced up at Amelliea. She caught his eye and held his gaze. Bloom knew that she understood what had to happen. Amelliea handed her job off to someone else and took off her apron. Bloom noticed with irritation that several boys from her fencing group could hardly keep their eyes off of her. Amelliea came over to help her father. She picked up a sander.
“Take me with you,” she said, guessing what he was thinking with striking accuracy.
Bloom was silent for a moment, he thought of the time Ausra had made this same request. “Alright,” he answered.
“Really?” asked Amelia in surprise. “That was easy,” she said. “I was ready to argue.”
“I will need your help,” said Bloom, “besides, I cannot leave you without knowing when I will return.”
“When do we leave?” she asked.
“Immediately,” answered Bloom.
Chapter 22
Across the Desert
Bloom and Amelliea left the very next morning, after informing Carolyn that they must urgently visit a distant relative who was in declining health. Fairly certain that both Bloom and Amelliea were both orphans, Carolyn politely pretended to believe them, and delicately indicated that she would happily tout this innocent little fib across the village on their behalf.
Bloom shouldered his pack and looked back at the cottage one last time. He mentally double checked that the home was fully prepared for what was likely to be a long vacancy. Amelliea strode ahead, a rucksack of her own resting comfortably across one shoulder. Her sword was sheathed at her side, and her shield fastened to the back of her pack. She wore a silver cap over her missing arm that could be used to mount several convenient attachments.
Before leaving the village, the two travelers stopped at the cemetery and stood for a long while before a grave covered with blooming white flowers.
“Ausra is at peace,” said Amelliea, placing her arm around her father upon seeing his saddened posture and damp eyes.
“They say time heals all wounds, yet it has been over 200 years and I only miss her more each day,” said Bloom.
“I wish I could have met her,” said Amelliea.
“I believe she is here in spirit,” replied Bloom, looking up at the sky.
Deciding to dedicate a song in Ausra’s memory, Amelliea hummed sweetly for a few moments and then began to sing.
“In sorrow sweet as love’s first kiss,
My true love’s eyes my heart doth miss.
My true love’s lips, my true love’s hands,
No heart like hers in all the lands.
One day she fell into my arms,
But death had come to steal her charms.
I close my eyes, and see her face,
Her flawless posture full of grace.
And I am with my love once more,
Outside of time, beyond death’s door.”
Bloom smiled at his daughter, grateful for the song that honored his beloved. Though he tried to stay strong, two tears snuck from his eyes against his will and made their way down his rough cheeks. He wiped the tears away but they were instantly replaced by a second set. “I’ve always cried easily,” joked Bloom, not wanting to sink too deeply into his feelings of loss.
“It is because you have had a difficult life, and you are a person who feels things intensely to begin with,” explained Amelliea.
“I like your reasoning more than my own,” smiled Bloom.
“There is enough callousness in the world,” said Amelliea. “It is hard work to keep one’s heart warm and soft, but it should be the goal of every moral person.”
The air still smelled like morning when they set off across the desert, heading north toward the Coalsmith region. Behind them, the Sapphire Kingdom glistened under its sparkling dome. Amelliea asked Bloom to tell her about it even though she already knew the story well, and Bloom once again related in depth the events that led to the formation of the dome.
“You were innocent,” she said, when he had finished the tail.
“No,” answered Bloom.
“But you were,” she insisted. “It was the neglect of your master, and the hateful words of the Prince that pushed you to those actions.”
“Be that as it may, it was my hand that placed the red sapphire onto the pillar.”
“You live now, forever known as the evil wizard while they lived out their lives revered as heroes, even though their actions played a major hand in the
determination of the red era!” reasoned Amelliea.
“I am grateful the fault fell on my shoulders alone,” responded Bloom, “for I would not wish it upon another.”
“You could have shared the burden.”
“You know I am a glutton for punishment,” replied Bloom with a smile as he stepped down from a large rock and the crolackrolite stones crackled inside his many pockets.
The Monsonett Mountains grew larger on the horizon, and in anticipation of the mountainous terrain to come, Bloom began searching for a sturdy walking stick. After several hours of looking around and testing out various sticks he finally found a long branch with a fantastic knot at one end. Bloom liked the branch right away upon spotting it and felt he was somehow meant to find it. It reminded him sharply of the staff Master Dellwen had walked with, and Bloom found the familiar look of the sun-bleached wood both pleasing and auspicious. On the short breaks that Bloom and Amelliea took to eat some food and rest their legs, Bloom carved and sanded the walking stick to strike his fancy and suit his needs.
That night the travelers broke camp at the base of the Monsonett Mountains. Bloom cooked their dinner and conversed quietly with his daughter who, having a strong fondness for slumber, had already made herself comfortable in her sleeping bag.
“Is it difficult for you to be here once more?” she asked.
“You mean because of what took place here in my youth?” asked Bloom.
Amelliea nodded.
“No, it is not difficult,” answered Bloom. “I have long since forgiven the Prince and Master Loriander. At times I only wish I could converse with them, but they are both long gone.”
“They did not forgive you while they still lived,” said Amelliea, upset by this injustice.
“They lived but the short lives of mortal men. It can take longer than that to truly forgive the transgressions of others.”
Bloom handed Amelliea a bowl of steaming food, and she received it gratefully, holding it close to her body and enjoying the warmth of the wooden vessel. “Besides,” continued the wizard, “I did not seek their forgiveness, for I understood their reasons for contempt better than they would have guessed.”
“And Aleafia?” asked Amelliea hesitantly. “Have you forgiven her?”
Bloom smiled, understanding that his daughter was growing curious about love.
“There was nothing to forgive, love is always innocent.”
“But she broke your heart!” cried Amelliea.
“She did not mean to,” replied Bloom.
“Do you still believe in love at first sight?” Amelliea asked.
“Yes,” answered Bloom.
“How can you believe in so silly a thing?”
“Because it happened to me twice.”
“Tell me about it?” she asked.
“I don’t think I can explain.”
“Won’t you please try?” pleaded Amelliea.
“It’s something you will have to experience for yourself,” smiled Bloom.
Chapter 23
The Gemstone
In the morning, Bloom and Amelliea hiked high into the mountains. They worked their way up the steep, barren slopes cutting a path where there was none. At one point, they passed the crumbling statues of several army men. Bloom explained to Amelliea that these were the fighters that had ambushed him and the Prince on their way to the Pillar of Dominance and that to stop the fighting, Master Loriander had turned the rebels to stone.
“At the time, these mountains were covered by lush forests,” remembered Bloom. “The ground had crunched with pine needles, and the air had smelled of sap and the fresh sent of rich, dark soil.
“It’s hard to imagine,” whispered Amelliea, for nothing had survived the transformation of the era except for the ancient stones below her feet that were wrinkly with wisdom.
In time they reached the small clearing that Bloom had described so many times to Amelliea. He had been there only once before, a long time ago when he was but a young man. “Beneath that pile of stones, is the cave entrance that once led to the Pillar of Dominance,” said Bloom, walking over to the pile of boulders and placing a hand on one of the rough stones. “And here is where Master Loriander had stood when he cast the protection spell over the Sapphire Kingdom.” Bloom came to stand in the exact spot his master had been all that time ago. Bloom looked out at the valley below. He could see the Sapphire Kingdom still glistening beneath its dome, and he wondered how it’s citizens faired. After all this time, no dust had settled on the sparkling half-circle arching over the city in a transparent shield. Bloom swallowed hard and looked down at his feet unable to withstand the sight of the dome for very long. Suddenly, something in the dirt caught his eye. Bloom shifted his foot in the dust, and there, embedded in the sand, was a piece of what looked to be a purple gem glowing brightly even in the light of day. Bloom glanced at his daughter to find her also staring at the stone with curiosity. The two of them got on their knees and began to dig. The soil was loose and easy to remove. Amelliea used a flat stone to help dig out the purple gem. More and more of the gemstone was revealed until it came out of the ground altogether in a chunk the size of a small bread loaf. The violet stone was semi-translucent and glowed a ceaseless florescent color from inside. The gem was comprised of a cluster of magnificent angular crystals that came to several rough peaks at the top.
“Wondrous warlocks! What in Windiffera is that?” asked Amelliea.
“It appears to be some kind of residue created by the casting of a powerful spell.”
“Are you saying your Master made this thing when he cast the spell for the dome?” asked Amelliea.
“Not right away,” answered Bloom, “but after he conjured an enormous charge of magic and it grounded into the earth upon which he stood, over time it must have crystalized into this rare formation.” He looked at the gemstone in wonder. “I’ve read about this type of phenomenon in a few of the older books in our library.”
“It is magnificent!” exclaimed Amelliea, taking the heavy gem in her hand. “It will be perfect for your new staff!”
“The staff?” asked Bloom, surprised he had not thought of it himself. Bloom sat down on a large boulder and began to figure out how the gem would fit atop the staff. Amelliea spared some water from her canteen to wash the gemstone clean, and after wiping it dry with a cloth, she handed it to her father. Now that it had been washed, the gemstone shone even brighter, reflecting the sky on its glossy, angular planes. After Bloom had made a few thoughtful cuts in the wood of the staff, he fixed the glowing crystal into the hollow center of the knot at the top. He was pleased to find that the crystal sat securely in place and remained mostly visible.
“Do you reckon it still has magical properties?” asked Amelliea.
“There can be no doubt that it does,” replied Bloom, his face lit by the purple glow of the stone.
Chapter 24
Monstrous Lies
Two days later Bloom and Amelliea entered Charcoal City, the capital of the Coalsmith region. It was early afternoon when the travelers found themselves surrounded by towering stone buildings and the dark-haired people of that region. The men had full beards and the women wore their long hair braided in many different ways. Amelliea had never before seen such impressive architecture, and she marveled at her surroundings.
In need of rest, Bloom and Amelliea checked into an inn near the city center. The innkeeper was a nosy man who kept asking what business had brought them to Charcoal City, and was clearly unsatisfied by Bloom’s indeterminate answers. Bloom thanked him and forced a generous tip upon the man, trying desperately to rid himself of the clingy innkeeper.
“We must keep a low profile,” Bloom warned Amelliea when at last the door was closed and they were alone.
“We stand out because we look different,” replied Amelliea.
“All we can do is work quickly and make our stay as brief as possible.”
“What do I answer if they ask me questions?” she asked.<
br />
“Give them such an ear-full of boredom, that they will remember nothing of what you said,” instructed Bloom.
Amelliea nodded, and went to the window. The view of the city was foreign to her. People hurried about their business, speaking loudly and addressing each other in unfamiliar ways.
After they had rested for several hours, Bloom and Amelliea readied themselves for an evening of investigation. Amelliea put on a black silk dress, that was simple, but masterfully sewn, and Bloom dawned a leather vest over a white cotton shirt. The shirt had full sleeves and leather cuffs that fit over his wrists. For the time being, he placed all of his crolackrolite stones into his waste pouch. Bloom and Amelliea headed down to a nearby tavern that Bloom had heard was a good place to fill up on gossip and sat down at one of the wooden tables. A singer from a different region sang in a foreign language on a small stage in one corner of the tavern. The woman wore a shimmering dress and her face was painted gold. For a while, Bloom and Amelliea sat alone, listening to the music and conversing quietly over a pot of warm berry juice and teacakes. The baked desserts were crumbly and sweet, and Amelliea waved the waiter over to order a second helping of the treats, when a tall man walked through the door and pulled out a chair at their table. “Mind if I sit?” he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.
“Make yourself comfortable,” answered Bloom. The tavern was getting quite full and empty seats were becoming difficult to find.
“That’s my lady,” said the man, jabbing his thumb at the singer.
“She is very talented,” responded Bloom. “My daughter is a singer as well.”
“She should perform!” said the stranger, gesturing to the stage. “Those who can, simply must,” he stressed. “For there is nothing more precious than music!”
“We are new to the city,” began Bloom. “We heard some terrible rumors of man-eating monsters and are uncertain we should stay.”
The Curse (The Windore Series Book 2) Page 11