by Tom Rogal
Ulcinar had already manifested in the fire pit when Kile entered the shrine. Kile stopped before him.
“You have summoned me, Master Ulcinar?”
“Yes. I sense he is moving north. You will leave immediately.”
Kile lifted his head. “They must be going to Porsita. If he still has the girl with him, it would be the most logical place.”
“In fact, does have another person with him. Take as many men as you need, or use the ones already garrisoned there.”
Kile bowed and stood up. “He will not best me this time.”
***
In the capital, Ulcinar sat silently in his throne. He wasn’t sure of the reason, but he could vaguely track this boy. Ulcinar telekinetically hovered a peculiar looking torch base that never touched the ground and with a lively fire to his side. If the weapon the local carried was made of his metal like Kile said, then in time, as its holder became more reliant on its power, so would he gain in his ability to track it and control its bearer. Right now, it was too weak for him to be able to pinpoint exactly where it was. He just had to be patient. Time was always on his side.
He also felt the other person traveling with the boy, one he recognized all too well as he had past visits with her. Not physically, of course. When she slept, her mind was very vulnerable to him, as most were while they rested. He hated to do it to the girl, as he only could do this skill so many times, but it was necessary to set the wheels in motion when his original plan fell apart. Aborting his mission with Ardeeza seemed a good idea at the time, but he didn’t realize that would be the last chance he would have at the mage leadership and family until now, all these years later.
He couldn’t recall the girl’s name, but he knew how difficult it was to use his abilities on her in the beginning. After Ardeeza’s failure, he wanted to coax Neeza to come to Dyyros sooner by invading his daughter’s dreams, knowing the mage leader was not in the right frame of mind. He always suspected Neeza’s wife to be behind the evasion of his powers. Since her death, Ulcinar had free rein of the girl’s mind, convincing himself that Neeza was not her protector. Somehow, that woman knew and protected her daughter to her dying breath. His plan hit another bump when he discovered that Neeza cared more about saving his dead wife than being with his daughter. Thankfully, the events at Mount Hrithgorn, although a failure, resulted in his coming here at last.
With this boy, it could be different . . . very different. Ulcinar’s laughter echoed throughout the entire tower and into the hearts of all who heard it.
***
Divi and Levus walked side by side on the moist ground. The sounds of the many insects and birds filled the forest surroundings. The wind blew lightly, which allowed the sun to peek through the branches from time to time.
This was their third day of traveling, and it had mainly passed in silence. The first night was spent at a seasonal trader’s post that was thankfully still open. Very little was said, as both were exhausted from the adventure earlier that day. The second day was mostly hunting for food than it was conversing. As night neared, he made a camp toward the edge of the forest. Porsita was only a day’s journey away, but it would be rough, especially if his companion refused to speak back to him.
Levus could understand her hesitance. Perhaps she didn’t trust him yet, although he’d saved her life from Kile. He was still a stranger to her, after all. Also, something could have also happened in Porsita, where she wanted to go. He would find out eventually. Whether from Divi herself or the rumors floating around villages, he would get answers. Rumors in this day and age were just as good as truth.
Levus grabbed his canteen and drank. It was starting to get very humid in the woods. Levus suddenly felt a tug on his side. He looked at Divi and followed her sad eyes to his canteen. Levus reluctantly handed it to her. She ripped open the top and drank in big gulps. Water dripped from the side of her mouth. Levus was a little upset that she was drinking most of it. They were going to need as much water as possible, especially if the clouds completely cleared up. The late summer evenings on Dyyros could get scorching hot this time of year, which was the main reason why Levus did his hunting in the morning. He didn’t say anything, though, as he didn’t want to be rude to his new companion. Divi let the canteen escape the suction of her lips and wiped the excess water from them.
As Levus grabbed it, she said, “Thank you.”
Levus put the canteen by his side and returned her smile.
“Well, I take it you’re not from Dyyros.”
Divi nodded. “That’s right.”
Levus continued, “Then, where you from? I know I never seen you in Porsita or in Tartus before.”
She appeared confused, but said, “I don’t know of these places you speak of. I come from Myyril.”
He flashed a surprised look at Divi. “Wait a minute! Myyril? Isn’t that where all the mages and magic users come from?”
Divi seemed hesitant to answer, but she nodded nonetheless. A big smile grew on Levus’ face. Not only was this girl extremely beautiful, but she was a magic user as well. Wow! Could a guy get any luckier? Although feared by the matured adults, the kids were always fascinated by mages. His mom even hated mages, and she had never met one. Levus didn’t believe any of the tales, thinking them far-fetched. How could all those horrid stories be true? He couldn’t wait to see actual magic!
“So that means you can----”
Divi interrupted, “No, not me. I chose not to learn. You see, in Myyril there’s a tradition, which is the same as law. When you complete your general magic training, you are forced to serve in the military, which can last normally fifty to seventy-five years. Small in the lifetime of a mage, but it takes away a major portion of your childhood. It’s a very difficult life of isolation and mental stress. The Kittara say it is for the benefit of the mage race against the deceitful humans. Every mage is supposed to do it, but I remember being terrified when my mother told me her experiences . . . and regrets. She encouraged my choice to not follow that same path. She always told me that I was greater than them and if I was to learn, it would be by my choice and not because I was told to . . . and be done on my terms.”
Levus was slightly disappointed, but could understand her reasoning for not wanting to learn. The military requirement probably wouldn’t have mattered to him if he was a mage, as his schedule already resembled a soldier’s with his hunting routine. Then again, fifty years was a long time. A mage’s term was longer than most humans lived.
“How about your father? Couldn’t he have said anything to keep you out?” Levus asked. “My dad kept me from serving as a Junior Guard when I was a kid because he wanted me to enjoy my childhood.”
Divi put her head down low. “If I offended you, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. My father was one of those higher officials. He was the leader of Myyril.”
Levus was thunderstruck not only that her father was the leader of the magic users, but more so that he would try and force his own daughter to join the military against her own will. Levus could not imagine living by those standards.
Divi continued, “We never saw eye to eye since my mother died. He was always busy with his political missions and meetings. There was never time for me. I suffered alone because the other children and adults alike would taunt me for being the only person in the village to not know magic. I know I brought this on myself, but I never expected it to be so extreme.”
She began to sob. Levus felt her pain. He could imagine all the child prodigies much younger than her mocking her for not choosing to learn her abilities. He put his arm around her and patted her shoulder.
Divi continued, “Even when my father was there and the kids were mocking me, he did nothing! Just stood there! I knew he was trying to incite the other kids to laugh at me so I would finally decide to learn, but it made my decision much stronger. That’s why he took me with him on his trips, I think. Hoping personal reflection would change my mind.”
<
br /> Levus decided that he had better try and change the subject. It was still a long walk to Porsita and it was one that Levus did not want to walk being socially uncomfortable. “That’s why you’re on Dyyros then?” asked Levus.
“I don’t know why we came here. My father said it was a secret mission and that he couldn’t tell me anything about where we were going or what we were going to do once we got there.”
“Finally, a dirt road!”
Levus was happy to get out of the mud and onto the sandy trails. There were only three routes in the forest heading north: one that led to Porsita, one to Tartus, and the other leading to the capital city. These roads were the most convenient ways to travel on foot, especially from Arnis. He had traveled them many times as a kid when his parents took him to the markets in Porsita.
“Sounds like you’ve led a tough life,” he said. “I think our situation is much worse here, though. No offense taken, I hope.”
“No offense, just curiosity. How can this place be worse?”
“Well, I say that mostly because of our leader, Ulcinar.”
“Ulcinar? The name that officer called before you slew him?”
“Yeah. That guy who was chasing you, I couldn’t remember the name, but it came to me. That guy was Kile, Ulcinar’s right-hand man. I’m afraid we made some powerful enemies a couple days ago. The two combined forces to topple the government my father worked under,” Levus explained.
“Your father was a ruler, too?” asked Divi.
He bent over, picked a small stone, and threw it, watching it bounce five times before it fell off the road, engulfed by the mud.
“Not exactly. He was the highest-ranked knight in what used to be the Aranian kingdom. Once Ulcinar came along, he retired from his post. I was very young at the time, so I don’t remember all the details. He ended up giving me this breastplate I’m wearing, and I just found out about this sword.”
“While on the subject of the sword, can I ask how you did that spell with it? That was very neat.”
Divi, who walked a couple steps more before noticing he was not following, stopped and turned around. He just stood there with his eyes to the ground. She was confused by Levus’ actions.
Divi asked, “Are you okay?”
Levus said nothing. Finally, he lifted his gaze to his left, where the sword was sheathed. For some strange reason, he could have sworn he heard a voice . . .Yet, since he had used that strange ability, he felt different. Not bad, just . . . different.
Divi asked again, only louder this time, “Levus! Are you okay?”
Levus returned his focus up to her and responded, “I don’t remember what was going on while I was doing it. Just a pit of rage in me and everything just blacked out. Other than a little vibration in my arms and chest, I just remember waking up far from where I was before and very exhausted.”
The whole conversation was spooking her. Levus put his hand over his forehead and closed his eyes. She walked over to him, put her arm around his shoulder, and led him once again down their path toward Porsita. He finally opened his eyes and brought his hands down. She removed her arm, but did so very reluctantly.
Divi said, “Look. We can talk about that later. It’s not important now.”
Levus just nodded. He had no clue what had happened back there or how he did it and was a little frightened by it. There was nothing, though, he could do about it now. Besides, they had to hurry on to Porsita. The sun had already begun to set. Levus knew once darkness fell, the Dyyros Woods were unsafe, even for the most lethal predators. And they were far from any known shelters.
Divi, eager to keep the conversation going, continued it by asking, “How was your father, from what you know of him? Was he anything like mine?”
Levus replied, “I really wouldn’t know. He disappeared a couple years after he resigned his post. I’ll never forget that day, even though I was young. He came to me and my mom, hugged us for minutes, and left. He didn’t say a word, though I remember the sad look on his face as he left our home for the last time. No one had seen him since.”
“He couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air. There are a couple invisibility spells mages can do, but they can be dangerous if used too long. I’m sure he is somewhere safe, waiting for that day to see you again,” Divi reassured him.
He said, “Well, you’re one of the few who actually believe that. Everybody tries to tell me that he was probably killed by Ulcinar’s men. I know he wasn’t, though. I’ve heard stories, rumors that he went to try and find a secret obsession of his: The Isle of Time.”
Divi looked at Levus and asked, “Isle of Time? I never heard of it.”
“I don’t know much about it other than what I found in some of my father’s notes. It’s supposed to be northwest of this continent. An impenetrable island.”
Just as Levus finished his sentence, his arm hit his coin purse hard and knocked it loose from his belt. The pouch bounced off the sandy trial edge and into the thick foliage. Great. It had to fall in the thorny Firelicca Bush. This wild plant got its name because scratches from its plentiful thorns caused rashes and an intense burn that wasn’t life-threatening, but left you miserable for weeks. He would know. He found out the hard way.
Levus yelled, “Damn! That’s all the money I had! It’ll take hours to retrieve it in that brush.”
Divi immediately said, “I’ll get it.”
He stopped his advance off the trail and turned around to see what Divi was doing. She had her eyes closed and her hand extended forward. Her breathing was very calm. Suddenly, coins clattered in the bushes. Levus’ mouth dropped wide when his coin pouch rose and hovered to his open palm, landing softly. Divi dropped her hand and slowly opened her eyes. Smirking, she walked on.
“Whoa! Is that what I think it was?”
Divi seemed to be avoiding his gaze.
Levus continued, “But I thought you said you couldn’t cast magic?”
“Exactly,” Divi replied. “I can’t perform magic. Telekinesis is a natural gift of any resident of Myyril. Anyway, you were talking about the Isle of Time?”
“Oh, that’s right! It’s supposed to be a gateway to the past, present, and future. Due to the extremely heavy fog, rough waters, and steep mountains, no one has been there. My dad found some riddle that accompanies the legend and put it in his journal, though: Only those who hoist the elements may prove themselves worthy of entering the Gates of Time.”
Divi saw it as sort of funny how in all the years she lived in Myyril, no one had ever mentioned of such a place. Divi knew that they had been working on a spell that could alter certain events in the past, but every attempt had been negated. Neeza shut down funding to the Divinity Ministry in charge of the project after years of failed experimentations and a few accidental deaths. Her train of thought was disturbed by Levus’ voice.
“Well, Porsita shouldn’t be too much further. We should arrive just before twilight.”
They walked a little further before Divi broke the silence.
“Hey! Thanks for hearing me out.”
“No problem.”
CHAPTER 3
Who We Are
As the sun set, Levus realized they weren’t going to make it. Not before night fell, anyway. For some reason, he’d thought they were much closer. At times, since he performed that . . . special move, his mind felt hazy. He hoped it was temporary. A hunter who spaced out in the middle of a hunt was not going to be useful to anyone.
Divi asked, “How far are we?”
Levus looked around. “Not close enough. Come on. We need to find some shelter. I think there is a tiny village nearby.”
He certainly hoped they were where he thought they were. There was a small settlement just northeast of Porsita. Small enough that it didn’t even appear on any map he knew of. Most only stumbled upon it on accident, thinking they would find nothing but a coastline.
With every mile they traveled, the sun sank lower. Levus had never been this far from w
alls, whether at an inn or the one at Arnis in the Woods. He knew what was out there. They had been lucky to not run into those foul creatures so far. Levus knew the more times you played with chance, the more likely you were to be burned by it.
Divi was about to say something when she saw Levus stop. She heard the noise too. No, not a noise . . . a scream. Levus unsheathed his weapon as they ran closer toward it. Although Divi didn’t know everything about her new companion, she liked how he was willing to sacrifice himself to help others. It was a quality that back at home wasn’t always appreciated. Mages typically tried their best to stay out of harm’s way, so the whole idea of stopping what they were doing just to be helpful was foreign.
They came upon a cart lit by torches. Two of the wheels were busted and arrows protruded from the side. It couldn’t have been a merchant cart. Every one of them knew to stop at the many small inns if it got too late. If they didn’t, they had tricks to avoid getting caught by thieves. This could only be a residential cart, a thought that made Levus angry. The jewel in his sword flickered.
The screams of two women and a young man re-focused their attention forward. The women were shoved harshly to their knees by their captors. A woman and a girl, truly; the elder one looked to be in her thirties while the child seemed to be only ten. With the owners of the cart subdued, one of the assailants moved into the light.
“What are they?”
Levus was looking at the man’s exposed arm. Most of them used a permanent ink to display their affiliation. This one’s travelled from his shoulder to his wrist. It showed a tigriton, one of the feared hunting cats that lives in the northern mountains. Levus had seen that marking before.
He finally answered, “Thieves. These come from the Tigerion Clan. Bad people. They attacked my village a long time ago. We repelled them, but not before . . . too much . . .”