Essence of Chaos

by Marie Andreas

  30

  Crell commanded Jenna to rest before she attempted to contact Ghortin. Jenna agreed, but had only meant to rest her eyes. Therefore, she was more than a little surprised when she finally stirred at the muted sounds of the first watch changing over to the second.

  “Goodness, child, I thought you were going to sleep for days.” Ghortin’s mind voice was so quick to acknowledge her that she had a feeling he had more to do with her awakening than the guards outside.

  “Well, I’m sorry,” she snapped back. “It may happen to you on a regular basis, but that’s the first time I’ve had to pull down an entire mountainside.” She grimly refused to think about what she’d pulled the mountain down over.

  “Yes, yes. I searched your memories while you were asleep. I must say, you are quite a bit of a powerhouse. It wasn’t exactly the way I would have done it, mind you, but quite effective nonetheless.” He paused. “If you’re ready?”

  Jenna mentally pulled back. How could he possibly be ready for the transfer so soon? Shouldn’t there be preparation of some sort? Ghortin snorted with laughter when she asked him. What, he inquired cheerfully, did she think he’d been doing since they heard of the location of his body? No, he was quite ready, she had regained her strength, and it was best if they did this before anyone knew she was awake.

  At Ghortin’s insistent urging, Jenna left her cot and stepped over to the cot that Ghortin’s body was in. Ghortin’s body took over most of the small cot, so she slumped down on the ground next to it.

  “Now reach out with your magic. Just enough to activate the spells of warding I’ve laid.”

  Jenna did, and met again with the brightly woven strands of Ghortin’s protective spell. “Now what?” She fought to keep the tension out of her mental voice. Ghortin might be confident that this would go off without a hitch; she, however, was not.

  “Now you sit back and feed me Power. Actually, it would help if you concentrated on me being back in my body.” He came back with a word of caution. “But don’t think of any spells. Even if you think you know what to do, or if that other presence shows up. This is going to be tricky enough without worrying about overlapping spells.”

  “I don’t have any problem with that; but I can’t speak for the echo. If it shows up, I’ll try to make it understand.” She paused as movement from outside the tent flap caught her eye. “Are you sure we shouldn’t at least call in someone?”

  “I’m sure. Nothing against any of them, but they’d be a hindrance. I’m starting the spell, so relax and pull in Power.”

  She threw herself into pulling the chaotic energy into her body, amazed at how quickly Ghortin was using it. She couldn’t see the entire spell, even though it was going on inside her head. The making was intricate; it felt to her like thousands of lace circles merging.

  She kept drawing Power, careful not to go wandering into the chaotic realm, but she found that she did need to go a little past its fringes. The bright colors and strange shapes amazed her anew and she almost forgot what they were doing. Until she heard Ghortin’s voice. Out loud and no longer part of her mind.

  Her eyes flew open. “Ghortin? Are you in there?” She hardly believed it, but she didn’t feel him in her head anymore.

  “Y-yes,” he said weakly as he forced a smile up at her. “We did it, lass. Now, you can go call the others.”

  Storm, Crell, Edgar and Captain Kern all managed to get into the tent once Jenna notified a guard to find them. Frankon hovered right outside, as usual. Ghortin was still weak, but he managed to sit up with assistance.

  “I can’t tell you how good it feels to be seeing you with my own eyes.” He let his eyes linger on each of them, with the longest pause on Jenna. Then he nodded to Crell.

  “I’m afraid this took a larger drain out of me than I would have thought. I won’t be ready for travel for at least a day or two. I’m glad to say that I don’t know how Jenna feels, but I’d guess she’s in the same state.”

  Jenna smiled. It was odd not having his presence inside her brain. But what with the echo, and the outside spell-using entity, she decided she wouldn’t be lonely. “Good guess, oh, wise teacher.”

  Crell looked from one to the other. “Done and granted, we will rest for a few days. First watch thinks our shadow is back.” She shrugged, sending a ripple down her mane of red hair. “I guess whoever it is isn’t fond of the Scareani; for which I can’t say I blame him.” She started to help Jenna back to the other cot, then stopped. “Storm, could I prevail upon you? We need to get Jenna back into her tent and your stuff over here.”

  Storm moved toward Jenna, then Crell’s words sunk in. “My stuff? Where am I going?”

  “We’re short a tent.” Crell waggled a small finger at him. “You don’t think I’m going to spend the night with this cantankerous old sod, do you? That’s what you young ‘uns are for. Now scoot.”

  Storm rolled his eyes, but picked up Jenna and did what he was told. “And people say I’m stubborn.”

  Jenna was almost asleep again by the time he got her set up in her tent. The way he was being overly gentle with her, he probably thought she was asleep already.

  “Thank you,” she managed to mumble.

  Storm smiled. “I was going to tell you to get some sleep, but somehow I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” He pulled a blanket up around her. “I’ll see you when you get up.”

  Jenna tried to raise herself to respond, but couldn’t do more than nod before she completely fell into a dark, dreamless slumber.

  “You know, for an all-powerful mage, you certainly can’t control your snores. I’ll wager all of Lithunane can hear you,” Storm growled at the loudly sleeping Ghortin as he roused himself for the last watch. For the past two weeks, he and the mage had been forced to continue their shared living arrangements since there weren’t enough tents. While he didn’t think it was as bad for him as it must have been for Jenna while Ghortin had been in her head, he also knew she didn’t have to listen to his snoring. It was all he could do to refrain from throwing something large and potentially dangerous at Ghortin’s head. Storm held himself in check; they were a few hours out of Lithunane’s main gates. He’d be free of his unwanted roommate then.

  “Good evening, Prince Corin. Rather, good morning. I think I’ll catch a nap before true morning.” The guard he was relieving looked like he had been ready to take that nap a while ago. Storm wished him pleasant dreams and took his post.

  The early morning was quiet, not that he’d expected it to be any different. Their mysterious follower had left them two days ago. Crell theorized that it was obvious at that point where the group was heading, and whoever it was had no wish to go into the city themselves.

  That brought up a sore point in Storm’s mind. He and Crell had an ongoing argument about what they were to do now that they were within Lithunane’s reach. Storm wanted to rush in, get Ghortin’s mysterious book, gather a good-sized fighting force from within the city, and flee before Resstlin could gather himself enough to react. Ghortin had declared that he felt a strong unease in the Markare and in the Anterian Plains that lay between Traanafaeren and the Markare. Ghortin wouldn’t bet on it since he hated to wager, but he believed that the King was with that force. Storm’s plan was to rescue his father first, and find out what their mysterious enemy was up to later.

  Crell agreed that it appeared they would have to go out to the desert, but she disagreed on their tactics. She had tried to convince Storm that stealth would be better than force. Resstlin was sure to have heard about their unauthorized jaunt by now.

  Storm knew his oldest brother didn’t think much of him. Resstlin grudgingly admitted that Storm was one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom, but Storm’s habit of leaving whenever he could, and his blatant dislike of court life, left little love between them. This latest escapade, coupled with the lack of family around to act as intermediaries, might be very bad for Storm. If Resstlin caught him, he most likely would lock him in his
chambers for a very long time. So, even though he could see Crell’s point, he refused to sneak into his own home. He still believed that he could get in, get the book, gather some fighters, and get out without Resstlin catching him.

  Finally, in the early morning darkness, Storm admitted to himself that Crell might have the right idea. Resstlin did have a black temper, and there was a chance that he would be caught.

  Storm kicked a rock into the forest as he made up his mind. As much as it galled him, stealth would be better for all concerned.

  “Did that particular rock offend you, or were you thinking of someone else?” a low voice said softly behind him.

  Although he hadn’t heard Crell until she spoke, Storm gave no indication of surprise. He slowly turned and favored her with a grin.

  “Just myself. I’ve decided you’re right about sneaking into Lithunane.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair. “I hate being sneaky.”

  Crell chuckled at his look. “Good thing we’ve got Edgar with us, then. I’d bet he could sneak in and out of the realm of death without being noticed.”

  “Actually, I think I have upon occasion,” Edgar’s voice came out of the darkness behind them. “Or at least it seemed like it at the time.”

  Crell gave his entirely black outfit and alert face an appraising glance. “Now, I know I didn’t put you on watch tonight.”

  “I was doing a little freelance work. Thought I’d see what I could about the city.”

  Storm raised a brow at that. Lithunane was still a few hours away. Edgar must have taken off as soon as they set camp.

  “And?” Crell prodded.

  “And it’s been a long trip. Mind if I sit?” The lean spymaster folded gracefully to the ground. Crell glared, then followed suit. Storm stayed standing, his eyes on the dim woods around them. He could listen to Edgar’s report without compromising his watch duties.

  “Ah, better.” Edgar stretched out his legs, studiously ignoring Crell’s evil glare. Finally, he acknowledged it.

  “Lithunane is under guard. Much heavier than I’ve ever seen it. But it’s still open.” He snorted in disgust. “Resstlin has no concept of adequate protection. An apprentice assassin with the Mark on her face could get in past those guards. We should have no trouble tomorrow.” He nodded toward Storm. “You’ve straightened things out with His Highness, I presume?”

  “If you mean, has she beaten some sense into me about our sneaking in, yes,” Storm answered.

  “Our sneaking in?” Edgar said.

  “I hadn’t brought up that part yet, thank you.” Crell spoke with such tension that Storm turned back toward her.

  “What part? What are you two talking about?” Storm turned back to the woods, but his attention was on Crell.

  Crell’s voice dropped. “We thought that since most of us won’t be going in, it would be good if someone of importance stayed here. Someone who, by his own admission, doesn’t like sneaking around.”

  “What?” Storm turned and glared down at her. “You want me to stay here? While you and the others prepare for our battle?”

  Edgar held up a placating hand. “Easy, big fella. We’re not preparing for any battle yet. Slip in, get Ghortin’s ratty old tome, and slip back out. Nothing more.”

  “But there will be a battle. You know what we’ve got to do once we get that book. Something’s happening in the Markare, and we have to stop it.” Storm crossed his arms and frowned at the two of them. “Or were you planning on leaving me out of that also?” The last people he’d thought would try to keep him out of the loop were Edgar and Crell.

  “I swear, sometimes your head is nothing more than rock encased by long hair and a handsome face.” Crell stood up and fixed him with one of her better glares. “No, we were not going to leave you out on that one. Aside from your possibly getting killed, there isn’t a good enough reason to exclude you from whatever we have to do in the Markare. Unlike the trip to the castle, where there is a good reason not to have you there. And not a single reason for you to be there. We can’t risk Prince Resstlin seeing you and shutting us down.” She poked at his ribs with her tiny fingers. “Besides I need someone to go with Jenna to the town outskirts. She said something about Tor Ranshal telling her to find that hearth witch, Rachael. I thought you could do that.”

  Edgar raised a brow at that, but said nothing.

  Storm agreed with Edgar’s unspoken words, this was most likely a placating gesture thought up at the last moment by Crell. But at least he would be doing something.

  He sighed, giving a great show of giving in. “All right. You win again. I’ll track down Rachael with Jenna. Does she know why we’re supposed to find her?”

  “No, I’m afraid our good seneschal was his usual obtuse self. Whatever the reason, you and Jenna could leave at first light. We’ll be leaving a little later, but you two won’t need nightfall to go into the outskirts. But take care. It won’t do to have some farmer say he spotted the missing prince in the poor part of town. Now off with you, I’ll finish your watch.”

  31

  Storm and Jenna were trying to leave at first light. However, Ghortin clucked over his apprentice like a mother hen until she was ready to travel on an empty stomach just to get away from him.

  “I’ll be fine,” Jenna growled for the umpteenth time as she wolfed down her rations.

  “Well, in case you run into anyone who—”

  She cut her mentor off with an icy glare. “We aren’t going to run into anyone who will do anything. We’re going to the far side of town, having a talk with Rachael, and then leaving.”

  “It may take a while. Rachael sometimes goes wandering.” Storm came out of his shared tent.

  Crell waved them off. “Take your time; we’ve no idea whether Ghortin’s going to remember where he put the book, let alone what spells he put on it. We’ll be trying to hide and let him sort it out at the same time. Good thing it’s a big castle.”

  Ghortin nudged Crell with a booted toe. “Be still, woman. At least I think I recall the blasted thing now. Have a bit of faith.” He turned back toward Jenna with a frown.

  Jenna knew he was going to return to his earlier tirade, so she moved rapidly to follow Storm as he practically ran out of the encampment.

  Ten minutes later Storm continued to stride like the bats of hell were behind him.

  “Would you slow down? Wearing me out isn’t going to get us there any faster you know.” When Storm still showed no sign of slowing down, Jenna stopped in her tracks. “If I collapse, you’re going to look pretty stupid carrying me all the way to Lithunane.”

  Finally he stopped and turned. “All right, I’m waiting.” When Jenna simply folded her arms but didn’t move, Storm held out his hands in supplication. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be taking it out on you. I promise to show the utmost kindness and consideration to you from now on.” He tilted his head. “Well?”

  She started walking again. “I suppose that’ll do.” Jenna’s mind wandered as she looked at the patchy woods around them. The trees here were healthy enough, but there were large areas that they simply refused to grow in. She thought of faery circles and almost started to laugh. She sobered up when she thought of her own situation and realized that little folk with wings were probably more likely than her present life. It was hard to believe that it had only been eight months since she’d been dragged into this world.

  She was still pondering that when Storm brought her up short. She didn’t notice he’d stopped until his outstretched hand hit her arm. “What in the—”

  Storm shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet. He was straining to hear something behind them.

  He finally motioned for them to continue walking. After a few moments, Jenna ventured a whisper. “What were we listening for?” She briefly thought of her fanciful thoughts of faeries, but Storm’s face was serious.

  He kept his voice low and kept moving as if he’d heard nothing, “I think we’re being followed. Whoever it
is, they’re good. I don’t think I can catch them before we reach Lithunane.”

  Jenna let her eyes roam through the woods. That she didn’t see anything didn’t surprise her. The entire time they had been followed by the mysterious tagalong up north, she hadn’t heard or seen a thing.

  “Could it be the same person who was following us after the visit to Irissanta’s temple?” She kept her voice low.

  “Possible. Although we thought they had disappeared a few days ago. If it is, then at least we’ve narrowed down who it is they are tracking.” He grimly looked down at her.

  “Me?” It came out little more than a squeak. “Why not you? You are a prince and all.”

  He shook his head. “A relatively unimportant prince. You, however, have had some unhealthy interest shown in you before.”

  Jenna started to shake him off, until she remembered that afternoon she’d cornered Ghortin in his lab. He’d told her that someone, or something, had been hunting women who matched her description. Either she looked like the one they were after, or, more likely, she was the one they were after and the other unfortunate women looked like her. She hadn’t thought about it when they were being followed before. “But why?”

  Storm was silent for so long Jenna wasn’t sure if he was thinking about it or didn’t want to tell her. “I’m honestly not certain.”

  Jenna mentally asked the echo if it knew about this. If it did, it wasn’t saying. Or she had imagined the whole other being concept and was losing her mind even as they spoke. Unbidden, another answer came to her. “The mindslave.”

  Storm looked up sharply at Jenna’s tone. “What? Here?”

  “Not here. I just made a connection. They are after the former mindslave that this body used to belong to.” It wasn’t the cheeriest of answers, but it was the most plausible.

  “That could be.” He automatically reached for his sword even though it wasn’t there. That had been another fight, this time between he and Edgar; Storm wanted to bring his sword. “But unlikely. Besides, why go through all this to kill her? Unless…” He broke off and looked down at Jenna. “You’ve never gotten any solid information from the echo, have you?”