The Banished Lands- The Complete Series

by Benjamin Mester

  Durian undressed and climbed into the warm water. It was almost too warm, burning his skin. But he soon adapted and his tired muscles relaxed all the more for the added heat. Durian quickly began to doze. But the voice of the old woman startled him awake.

  “Here's your new clothes,” she said. “Let's have you off to bed.”

  The woman held up a white tunic with her head turned round behind her. Durian emerged from the wooden tub and took it from her and threw it on. Then she shoved a pair of woolen undergarments into his face and at last a pair of leather pants. Then she disappeared. Durian hurriedly dressed himself.

  “Wait,” he called out.

  She turned and gave him a hard stare.

  “Um, I, uh. Where do I sleep?”

  “Wherever you'd like, my dear. We're all equals here.”

  Then the woman disappeared inside the tent. Durian smirked and shook his head. He chose the nearest tent beside this one and came up next to it.

  “Um, hello,” he said, leaning in for a reply.

  Hearing nothing, he entered cautiously. The tent had yet to house an occupant. There was only empty ground, a woolen blanket and a pillow. This seemed as good as any. Whether or not an angry tenant would arrive in the middle of the night to expel him was another matter. For now, Durian didn't care. He was so tired that sleep came to find him immediately.

  When he awoke, the sun had already begun to rise. Durian threw off his blanket and departed from his tent. The small tent village was already bustling. He must have slept for a very long time. Coming toward the center of town where the large fire had burned, he saw Bretton, who came over to meet him.

  “At last, there you are,” he said. “It's time to train.”

  “Where's Pallin?”

  “With Thorne,” he replied. “You are with me.”

  Bretton extended his hand to his left. Durian chuckled but at last acquiesced. They set off and soon arrived at the same riverbank, of smooth river rock. Very few followed them this time. The novelty of watching a beginner swordsman fall into the river had passed. But Jafra was there. Bretton squared off with Durian to begin their training.

  “Why isn't Jafra with Thorne and Pallin?” Durian questioned. “He has more at stake in this than most.”

  “He will do his part when the time is right. As will you. Now concentrate.”

  Bretton swung powerfully at Durian's torso. Durian blocked and took a step backward.

  “Do not retreat,” said Bretton and swung down powerfully upon Durian's head.

  Durian blocked the blow with a sidestep, letting Bretton's blade slide down his and past Durian's body. Durian glanced over to Jafra, who smirked and then rose to his feet and departed. Durian trained with Bretton for the remainder of the day. His skill grew considerably in that time, more than he had expected. Bretton taught him only defensive maneuvers and footwork. He taught him nothing in the way of counter strikes and offense. Durian's goal was simply to survive.

  The day ended as it had the day before. Durian was tempted to go and find Pallin again, but he was weary of asking questions to which no relevant information was given. He elected to wash up and go to sleep. When he awoke, he emerged from his tent and was surprised to find Pallin standing there, waiting for him.

  “Ah, there you are,” Pallin said. “It's time we be on our way.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Back to Stillguard,” Pallin replied. “We've lingered here long enough.”

  And with that, Pallin set off. He moved swiftly through the forest until they reached the open plains. It took the better part of an hour. Durian was very eager to question Pallin about what in the world was happening, but Pallin seemed heavily concentrated on where they were headed. It was clear that Pallin was given a set of instructions on how to reach the forest edge, and was doing his best to follow them.

  But soon they emerged into the warming sunlight and the swaying grasses of the broad valley. Pallin stood there for a moment, basking in the warmth of the sun's rays and smiling, but then headed off again toward town.

  “Pallin, what were you and Thorne doing that whole time?”

  “Planning,” Pallin replied.

  “For what?”

  “From what I've learned from Thorne, there is much discontent in the town of Stillguard. Captain Cross and his garrison have impoverished the town, and threatened many of the noble families. Thorne and his companions plan to sneak into Stillguard during the tournament. They'll overwhelm the guards and retake the town. Captain Cross himself will be competing in the arena. With the weapon of King Euthor as the prize, the greatest warriors will all be fully occupied with the hope of victory. It should be little trouble for Thorne and the others to sneak in and take the town.”

  “I don't understand,” Durian said. “Why am I even competing then?”

  “Thorne has assured me that if we help him retake Stillguard and put an end to the tyranny of Captain Cross, he'll give us back the weapon of King Euthor and allow us to go on our way. Thorne insists that you compete in the tournament in order to avoid suspicion, but you should leave the arena immediately when the fighting begins. There's no sense in putting yourself in harm's way.”

  “Won't that raise more suspicion?” Durian questioned. “If we stay and enlist in the tournament just to immediately forfeit?”

  “Hopefully by then it will be too late,” Pallin said. “By the time the arena battle begins, Thorne and his men should be in position to strike. Do not do anything to put your life in jeopardy.”

  “What are we supposed to be doing now?” Durian questioned.

  “You're supposed to be resting. I'll be gathering information.”

  The two soon reached the bounds of Stillguard. The gates of the town were open but there were guards posted outside and guards patrolling on the walls. The narrow river flowed into a wooden mill that turned slowly and then disappeared behind the town's walls.

  “If you are questioned by any of the soldiers, say nothing of where you have been,” Pallin said with a hushed voice.

  The two walked past the guards and entered the city. It seemed as though their plan might work. But just as they had come a handful of paces, they heard a loud voice call out from behind them.

  “You two! Stand fast!”

  The Flight

  The ground beneath them was shaking violently, the whole mountain face threatening to crush them. For the moment, it had caught and wedged in a lower part of the mountain, but the violence of the earthquake would soon break it free.

  “Run!” Estrien called out and shoved Baron forward.

  The three stumbled through the desolate city, buildings now buckling and falling to the ground, strewing rubble and dust across their path. A large building next to them suddenly broke in half, the larger chunk falling toward them. Estrien grabbed the twins and pushed them forward to safety, then dove herself. Then, a wall from the opposite side of the street began to fall toward them, right where Estrien was lying.

  She didn't have time to escape it, but instinctively shielded her face with her hands. Blair jumped forward and struck the falling wall with his palms, cracking the wall clean in half and sending each half narrowly past Estrien. Blair hunched down with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. But Estrien quickly arose and hooked him round the shoulder, pulling him along.

  A deep rumble and the sound of stone sheering against stone came from the mountain. The large chunk broke free once more, this time for good.

  “Come on!” she yelled.

  The group was flung forward into the air by the force of the mountain chunk making contact with the rear of the city, a huge eruption of dirt and rubble filling the rest of the city. Scrambling forward, they knew they'd never make it in time. But Blair spotted a large pile of rubble that had fallen in such a way to form a small crevice the three could hide under. The tip of the mountain chunk was now swinging toward them.

  “Follow me!” Blair yelled and slid under the pile of stone, quick
ly going to work to knit the stones together above him.

  Baron and Estrien joined him, watching with wide eyes. Within moments, Blair had made a solid ceiling and plunged his hands within it. The mountain chunk was moments from crashing. Blair closed his eyes with a yell. Baron and Estrien covered their faces with their hands.

  Then an eruption of stones and dirt and darkness. Air mingled with dirt became suffocating in their tiny safe haven. But they had survived!

  “Blair!” Baron yelled amid coughs.

  But Blair didn't respond. Baron went to work trying to sift through the rubble, using his Builder ability to tunnel upward through the massive stone now lying atop them. The mountain chunk had fractured into a million pieces and though Blair had somehow saved them, they were buried. The stifling air made it almost impossible to work but Baron pushed his way upward, desperately reaching for the light.

  After pushing and climbing nearly twenty feet, his hand finally broke free into open air. Baron pulled himself upward and took a deep breath of clean air, coughing the rest of the dirt from his lungs.

  “Estrien, I made it,” Baron called down. “Is Blair okay?”

  “He's unconscious,” she said. “I need your help to get him up.”

  Baron thought quickly. Instead of pulling Blair along with them, what if he used leverage. Finding a large rock precariously sitting on its side, about to fall, he found pieces of fabric from the destroyed buildings all around. Creating a makeshift rope, he lowered it down to Estrien.

  “Tie it around you and Blair!” he called down.

  Then, going to the large rock, he used his Builder ability to sink the fabric inside the stone. Then he weakened the base it lay against on the other side and the stone began to roll. It came to rest again after a few feet and Baron once more set it in motion by liquefying the base from underneath it.

  But it came to rest for good only a few feet beyond that, and he ran over to the hole, pulling and helping Estrien the rest of the way. At length, the three sat breathless atop the pile of rubble where once the Illian city sat for twelve hundred years. It was completely destroyed. Blair finally roused awake, rubbing his temples.

  “Do you have anything to eat?” he asked.

  “Only a little,” Estrien said. “Once we get free of this valley, I'll hunt us a fowl or some game.”

  Estrien led them to the nearby creek of flowing water, which issued from a spring in the base of the mountain range. They bent down and brought cupped handfuls of fresh and cool water to their faces. Drinking it brought a new vitality to their overexerted bodies.

  “We shouldn't stay here,” Estrien said.

  Though Blair was still exhausted, he nodded and Estrien led the way.

  “Are we going back to Ogrindal?” Baron asked.

  “Yes,” Estrien said. “We'll meet with Sheabor and the others and then make for the site of the new alliance city.”

  “So it worked,” Baron said. “Aravas was right. The Illian city gave us what we needed.”

  “From what Blair said, it sounds like we have King Euthor and Sheyla to thank more than the Illian city.”

  Baron nodded slowly, glancing to Blair. It was difficult to believe. But the conversation Baron had had with Estrien before entering the Illian city echoed the same thought. Somehow, the long dead king still carried an influence in their current struggle.

  “Which way?” Baron asked.

  “We'll follow this stream as far as we can. It will lead us through the narrow passageways of the mountain. But we may have to climb again.”

  They set off, leaving the buried city behind forever. It was unclear as to whether anything had survived, but something told them that the destruction here was total. It gave them a measure of peace. The Illian city had finally come to rest, just like the Night Wanderers.

  The stream flowed lazily through the mountain valley and disappeared around a bend. As they followed it, their course became increasingly more narrow. The mountain walls began to crowd in round them. And it grew very cold. But the walking, for the present, was easy. They walked for most of that morning, taking frequent breaks. But Blair had difficulty recovering his strength.

  By noon, they came to the end of the road. The stream disappeared beneath a sheer rock wall that rose up hundreds of feet overhead. Estrien placed her hands against the smooth stone surface, searching for something. Speaking melodically in her language, after several moments, nothing happened.

  “I think there's a doorway here. But it's frozen, just like the entrance was on the other side.”

  Blair came over and placed his hand on the stone, closing his eyes. He could feel the stone all around him, and perceived the boundaries of a hidden doorway. It was indeed sealed with stone of the old world. But Blair exerted his ability through the rock wall and broke the invisible seal.

  “Try again,” he said.

  Estrien spoke the same words and after a moment, a deep rumble erupted from before them, dust shaking down as the whole wall slid slowly to one side, revealing a tunnel through the Ruhkan Mountain range. The tunnel was surprisingly short, running less than a hundred feet. They set off, the door to the tunnel sliding closed behind them.

  When they emerged on the other side, they were still well within the mountain range but it was much more spacious. Boulders sat roundabout and the forest could be seen far in the distance. As they stood there, Baron was about to make a comical remark, but something in Estrien's countenance troubled him. She was tense and her eyes darting about. When they had walked ten paces to the middle of the small arena, Estrien suddenly held up her hand.

  “Drune, Illiock, awaken!” she yelled, and spoke hurried words in her own language.

  What was happening? Estrien snatched an arrow from her quiver and stood at the ready, bow drawn. She was pointing to the other end of the small area, where the pathway out disappeared behind a bend. And then they saw it. A warrior appeared, clad head to toe in black armor. Estrien let loose an arrow, which struck the warrior in the chest.

  The arrow flew with tremendous force from her bow and knocked the warrior back into the nearby wall, stunning him. But the arrow itself bounced clear of his breastplate. The three gazed with wide eyes. More warriors emerged. Estrien pulled another arrow from her quiver. But before she loosed it, Blair bent down and grabbed a rock, liquefying it in his hands. Then he coated the tip of Estrien's readied arrow with a thin layer of stone.

  Estrien let the arrow fly. This time, the warrior attempted to dodge the arrow but it made contact with his shoulder plate of armor. The stone coating the arrow seemed to shatter like glass upon impact. But the arrow didn't bounce from the armor this time. It sank in and pierced it. The warrior flew back and struck the wall, landing hard upon the earth, unconscious or dead. The warriors in black roared and drew their swords.

  The lead warrior rushed forward to engage them. Blair bent down in front of Estrien and placed both palms on the ground in front of her. The warrior raised his sword and swung powerfully down. Estrien blocked his blow but the warrior pressed down against her to overpower her.

  But then, suddenly, the ground beneath the warrior's feet gave way and he fell up to his waist. Blair had liquefied it and subsequently hardened it around the warrior's waist. The twins and Estrien backed away from him. The warrior struggled and fought, but he was completely trapped.

  “Get back to the tunnel!” shouted Estrien and shoved them.

  But the tunnel had already sealed itself, and waiting for it to reopen could take too long. Estrien stood her ground against the oncoming warriors. Two of them rushed at her and two ran for Baron and Blair. Blair grabbed Baron and retreated toward the nearest stone wall. Estrien stood poised for battle. The lead came at her, sword raised. But just before he made a strike, Estrien threw her throwing dagger, Drune. Sailing forward, it caught him under the arm, where his armor was weakest and he fell to the ground.

  Estrien blocked a blow from the other warrior and spun to her left out of the way. She exte
nded her hand and called back Drune to her hand. It flew through the air and returned to her. Two more darkly clad warriors appeared on the scene. Baron and Blair's eyes were wide with horror. Estrien would never defeat them all.

  Hooking Baron through the arm, Blair pulled to the stone wall of the mountain, two warriors almost upon them. Blair closed his eyes and sunk his hands deep into the wall of the rock face beside him. Then, with a yell, he pulled with all his might, a thin section of the wall wrapping round them like a curtain. Baron couldn't believe his eyes. Blair sealed them up in stone all around, until everything went pitch black.

  They could hear the muffled sounds of battle just beyond and within moments, the clang of metal came from just outside their stony curtain. Then suddenly, an explosion of light and bits of stone. They were breaking through. Blair clenched his jaw and drew his arms back. Then, slamming his palms into the face of the stone, the stone exploded in front of him, knocking one of the warriors many feet back and dropping him on his back with a loud thump.

  A sword struck through the newly formed opening, which Blair narrowly dodged. He pulled the stone down around the sword and closed the small gap once more, trapping the warrior's sword. More sounds of metal clanging on the stone of their shell. All was pitch black again.

  “Baron, help me harden it!”

  “What about Estrien?”

  “It's us they're after. We can't fight them hand to hand. The best we can do is keep them occupied like this and hope she can defeat the rest.”

  “There's too many of them.”

  Blair's hands were against the stone, his power flowing into it, hardening the stone. As he did, the blows of the swords on the other side seemed to grow dull. Baron did his best to help, blending his own ability with Blair's, nearly overwhelmed at the power he felt coming from Blair.

  “Let's tunnel through the other side and help Estrien,” Blair said.

  Placing his hands on the rear of their small enclosure, he was breathing heavily. Baron blended his ability with Blair's, softening the stone. But as he did, he felt Blair's power begin to wane, slowly at first and then disappear completely.