Ecstasy swept throughout his rigid body like a peaceful wave, unwinding every new knot and dissolving every worry. Within moments Rylek was lost within dreams of unspeakable serenity, having succumbed to the power of his own beloved vocamancer.
The Return
Chapter Sixteen:
The Children of Calm
The sound of a door softly closing woke Rylek. In the disorientation that usually occurs after a deep sleep, it took him a moment to realize where he was: back in Altan’s cottage on his sleeping mat. Selenor was still asleep beside him.
Did I dream it? he wondered.
Silently he sat up and examined the room in the gray-washed predawn. Lana and Tresten were also asleep on their mats, while Altan was nowhere to be seen. Not knowing what else to do, he lay back down, hoping to get a little more sleep before it was time to leave.
However, in what seemed to be the space of merely a few moments, the door swung open and Altan’s voice came piercing into his dreamless sleep: “Awaken! We must depart from this place at once!”
Rylek sat up and saw that some time must have passed since he had previously woken. It was considerably lighter in the room, though from a quick glance out the window he could see there was no sun shining. Dark thick clouds had moved in overnight, riding the wings of a strong wind.
The others were also sitting up. “What’s going on?” Tresten asked in the middle of a yawn.
Altan was busy putting the cottage in order. “I received a vision - we must fly now,” he said hurriedly. “Rylek and Tresten shall go with me, but Lana and Selenor will stay here where they are safe. I have arranged for there to be plenty of food to keep you girls satisfied until we return, and the cottage itself will provide any protection you need. I pray we are able to return shortly.”
Rylek took a quick glance at the others. “Where are we going?” he asked.
“To your home,” Altan said breathlessly. “Now up with you both and prepare your packs. We have no time for words.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Lana said, standing up with the boys as they obeyed. “Why do we have to stay here? I don’t want to be left behind.”
Selenor caught Rylek’s eye. “Did something happen?” she asked, with a slight tremble in her voice.
“I am not certain if it has already happened or if it will happen shortly, which is why we must leave now,” Altan answered. “Every moment we waste talking could be the difference between salvation and disaster.”
Outside a loud peal of thunder shattered the air. Rylek and Tresten were ready.
Lana looked incredulously at everyone. “There is no way Selenor and I are going to sit here waiting around for you guys to get back. If our home is in danger, we’re going with you.” She nodded towards Selenor. “Right?”
Selenor’s eyes were large as she slowly nodded.
Altan shook his head as he opened the door. “This is pure nonsense!” he said. “You will do as you are told.”
“We’ll just follow you, regardless,” Lana said boldly.
Rylek looked anxiously back and forth between Altan and his sister. Altan’s face was rife with tension and pain, while Lana’s was firm with determination.
“What reckless obstinance and insolence!” Altan exclaimed. Then he slowly exhaled and closed his eyes. “So be it,” he said softly. “But we will not wait for you to catch up with us. Come, Rylek and Tresten; we have tarried too long as it is.”
As they stepped outside, they were met with the strong chilly wind that smelled heavily of forthcoming rain. Another roll of thunder rumbled off in the distance.
“Fine day for a pleasant garden stroll,” Tresten said.
“Let us be off!” Altan said, and he ran towards the area where the horned mare had been.
“The man does not mess around, does he?” Tresten asked.
“I don’t think he knows how to,” Rylek said. He looked inside and saw the girls were almost ready. “Be quick and catch up,” he said to them. “Apparently we’re running the whole way.”
“Don’t worry about us!” Lana said. “We’re right behind you!”
Tresten looked at Rylek. “Well?” he asked.
“After you,” Rylek replied.
At that their bodies were tickled with the first drops of cold rain. With a sigh, they followed after Altan.
***
There was no real path upon which Altan led them. Ever weaving mostly uphill between trees, splashing through tiny cold streams, dodging branches, there was neither time nor breath for conversation. After nearly an hour of the exhausting pace, Rylek realized the girls would never ask for a break, knowing it would just confirm to Altan how right he had been. But they were lagging behind, and he knew they needed to rest. So he asked if they could stop for a short while.
“As long as the emphasis is on short,” Altan said.
He waited all of two minutes and then drove them on again.
A throbbing pain was growing inside of Rylek’s chest as the morning went on, and he was unsure how much of it was due to the run and how much was from the anxiety and fear of what was waiting for them in Calm.
What could possibly have happened, or is about to happen, that has him in such a tizzy? he wondered. Even with everything he was told on that life-changing New Year’s night, he could not think of any possible scenario that could warrant this strong a reaction from Altan. Besides, if it was truly that bad, what could just the five of us do?
Dark thoughts such as these circled around in his head for the first couple of hours, until sheer exhaustion drove them all away. The day continued on in a seemingly endless cycle: run for an hour, rest for two to three minutes, run another hour, rest again. No one said anything during the stops; everyone was too busy grabbing quick swallows of water, short bites of food, and generally saving as much energy as they could.
Sometime in the early afternoon they finally broke out of the forest, and were greeted with the full onslaught of a torrential downpour. The hours crept by as the rain slowly numbed Rylek’s skin and despair numbed his brain. He no longer looked at his surroundings. All thought, all hope had been strangled from him. His muscles were on fire, his skin was freezing, his lungs were ready to burst, and his limbs were going to fall off at any given moment.
Run. Run. Run.
He no longer remembered the breaks.
With a shock he realized he was lying on the ground next to a warm crackling fire inside a dark cave. The other three were there with him, sleeping peacefully, and Altan stood at some distance from them by the mouth of the cave, pacing anxiously. It was completely pitch dark outside, the rain still coming down in heavy droves.
“What?! How?!” he called out as confusion, fatigue, and exposure had taken over.
Altan quickly walked over to him, stooped down, and placed one hand on his head, the other on his shoulder. “Sleep, my young friend,” he said. “Rest in the peace of The One.”
Weariness regained its place of supremacy in Rylek as he lay back down, instantly forgetting everything but quiet and tranquility.
***
“I am sorry, my young warriors, but we must be off again,” came Altan’s voice.
Rylek opened his eyes and instantly obeyed, standing up and putting his pack back on. It was still pitch black outside, though it sounded like the rain had stopped.
“I’ve allowed you to sleep for an hour and a half. We cannot afford any longer,” Altan said. “I pray I was successful in helping to multiply that time in your bodies, and thence heal your physical traumas.”
With a start Rylek realized how refreshed he felt, as though he had slept through an entire night.
“An hour and a half?” Tresten said in an awed voice. “How in all of Mira were you able to…?”
“There is no time for that,” Altan quickly replied. “We must be going. We can be in Calm before nightfall.”
***
It was not long after they had left the warmth of the cave and been shrouded in damp c
old air when the starless sky began to grow a little grey in the east. Rylek never saw the sun rise, due to the clouds completely blanketing the sky. However, soon there was enough light for him to perceive their surroundings a little easier. What he saw did little to cheer him: a seemingly boggy wasteland was spread as far as his eyes could see, with an occasional leafless tree dotting the horizon. The needle-grassed terrain rolled up and down in frozen waves, with a vague brooding darkness somewhere ahead of them.
The day continued on as the previous had gone. Though he had felt rested earlier, it was not long before the all-too-familiar fatigue slowly crept back into his body. His lungs were stinging from the bite of the bitter northwesterly wind. He found it easier to stop looking around and instead focus on Altan’s perpetually moving feet.
By noon, all conscious thought and self-driven will were gone. His mind had blocked out all the pain and exhaustion messages it was receiving, opting instead to run on minimum requirements. That was why his senses were thrown for a jolt when he suddenly heard Altan’s voice.
“It is as I feared,” he said. “We are too late.”
At the sound of his voice, Rylek collapsed. Nausea swept over him as he struggled to take in oxygen. His sides were pierced with cramps, and a cold sweat coated his body. As if from a previous life he suddenly remembered the bathhouse in Perdeisolen, and wondered if he would ever be able to bathe again.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, and recognized the forms of the other three as they also fell to the ground. He would have thought their breathing was quite loud if the sound of his own was not drowning out theirs. Slowly he lifted his eyes to where Altan had been standing and saw he was now walking away from them.
“You must stay here until I return,” he said to the four. “I am sorry I must leave you in this state, but it is imperative that I discreetly discover what exactly has happened. I swear I will not be gone long.”
Rylek summoned enough strength to lift his head and look around. He was surprised when an air of recognition came to him - he knew this place. At that same moment he took another breath and was suddenly aware of the acrid smell of smoke. In front of him, some distance off, large pillars of ascending billowy black were coiling in the air. Instinct took over as he slowly forced himself to crawl forward, little by little, muscles screaming back to him in agony. After several moments he found himself on the edge of a high cliff overlooking a small lake on his right and the remains of a village on his left.
His hand rested by a small outcropping of the rock where two names had been carved five years earlier. Slowly and pathetically his finger tried to trace along the thin etched lines.
But then his mind refused to accept what his eyes were telling him and promptly shut down.
***
In the pit of blackened unconsciousness Rylek began to be aware of an odd sensation in his stomach. He could neither see nor hear anything. All he was aware of was this peculiar feeling of his midsection being stretched, distorted, bent, and plucked. Then quite suddenly it was as though his entire body was flung - into or through what, he could not tell. Something inside his mind told him he was moving, although his senses could gather no information.
Then, little by little, he grew aware of thoughts and images that were not his own but were somehow being pressed into his subconscious. They flitted in and out of each other, bleeding into one another, jumbled into a chaotic mess until confusion began to give rise to fear. Jagged mountains, desolate beaches, dark forests, bejeweled caves, sprawling metropolises, ancient coliseums, bloodied battlefields, pastures, swamps, fog, throngs of people, massive towers, and countless more scenes poured in and out of his mind. He could not see them, but was somehow aware of them. Simultaneously he was also conscious of thousands upon thousands of other consciousnesses bleeding into his. Phrases such as in the name of, with great fear and loathing, watch him die as a coward, and where there is one there is sure to be another swam through the images. All manner of passing time was lost on him. All the while he soared through an infinite pit of black.
Gradually the images and thoughts began to lessen, as though he were moving further away from them, and the black that blanketed him began to grow light. His stomach returned to normal, and he was suddenly aware of his feet being planted on something solid. Light was all around him, but he could not see anything. He felt warm but naked, content but fearful, and knew he was not alone.
So it did not come as a surprise to him when a voice formed in his head. It was rich and deep, regal and lordly. The words it fashioned were spoken slowly, as though it had all the time in the world to get its message across:
Rylek Monae, dear child of Mira,
It is not for you to despair of signs and times.
That Which Has Been, Is, And Ever Shall Be has called you:
Your path is laid before you, lined with thorns and sorrows.
But I am your strength and courage;
Therefore you shall be mighty in all eyes.
I delight in you, and you shall delight in me.
Now, breathe in, and receive of me.
In the middle of the infinite space of light a small bright object appeared, shaped like a teardrop and fluid in nature. It radiated myriads of tints of red, orange, yellow, and brightest white as it grew larger to Rylek. Then quite suddenly it disappeared, and he felt great heat within him.
The voice continued:
A poisonous seed has taken root within you.
My servant, the Auk’kyura, will soon tear it out;
Then you shall be free from its stranglehold.
Go in peace and walk with boldness the way that is prepared for you.
I am with you always, even through death itself.
Then with a sudden fierceness, the odd sensation returned to his stomach, and he felt flung again. The light began to fade away as the cascade of images and thoughts began to bombard his consciousness once more. At the same time he actually began to hear something with his own ears – a whooshing, swirling sound grew louder and higher until it drowned out the noises inside. He was also suddenly aware of being cold. With a start he opened his eyes and saw his name carved next to Tresten’s in the rock outcropping on The Balcony. Smoke filled his lungs. Below him lay the smoldering ruins of Calm.
***
Summoning all the strength he could muster, Rylek shakily brought himself to his feet. An instant wave of nausea hit him again, and this time he vomited on the ground. His knees buckled and he had nearly collapsed once more when something from deep within steeled his resolution, overpowering the exhaustion and shock. Slowly he rose until he stood erect and confident in his balance.
Quickly he looked behind and saw the other three lying on their stomachs unconscious. Then he turned his eyes back to his home, and a fiery fury rose within his chest. Faldrahil pierced the air as he drew it from its scabbard, and he resolved to meet whatever fate was awaiting him down in Calm.
Not questioning where the sudden energy was coming from, he raced down the path from The Balcony. His footing was sure – he was all too familiar with the path. There was no plan in his mind other than to exact justice on whomever was responsible for the atrocity.
As the path leveled out, a figure emerged far ahead from among the outskirts of the village. Rylek now ran to meet it, Faldrahil making small slicing motions through the air. The figure called out to him, “Rylek!” Instantly Rylek stopped, and he recognized Altan’s form rapidly approaching him.
“Rylek, I told you to remain at the top of the cliff!” Altan said. “You should not have abandoned the others!”
Rylek suddenly realized his lungs were on fire as he struggled to breathe. His knees grew weak again. “I…” he said softly. “I didn’t…”
“It matters not,” Altan said, putting his arm around Rylek to support him. “We must go back and see about the others. There is nothing more to do for the present moment.”
Altan led him back up to The Balcony, where the other three w
ere still unconscious. He kept his back on the others and his gaze on the remains of his beloved home while Altan went to each one and gently touched their heads. Slowly all three awoke and sat up in the grass.
“My head is killing me,” Tresten said roughly. “What happened?”
“Where are we?” Lana asked. “Is it much farther to Calm?”
Altan looked to Rylek to see if he would say anything, but he stood still and silent like a statue.
“Rylek, what’s wrong?” Lana asked.
“Oh, we’re back!” Tresten suddenly exclaimed. “See, we’re on The Balcony. What are we waiting for?” He started to stand but a light touch on his shoulder from Altan brought him back down. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
“My dear children, my dear, dear friends,” Altan said as he looked again towards Rylek who was still unresponsive. “First of all you must know things are not as dire and desperate as they may appear.”
“Smoke!” Selenor called out. “There’s so much smoke!”
Instinctively the three started to rise.
“SIT!” Altan said using his commanding voice. Immediately they obeyed, though Rylek remained on his feet. Altan took a deep breath. “Your home has been burned to the ground…”
“WHAT?!” the three said in unison as they once again attempted to stand. This time Altan said nothing but it seemed to them as though their pants were stuck to the ground. They could not move.
“What in all of Mira is going on?” Lana cried out in a fit of tears.
“Everyone appears to have been evacuated,” Altan said. “I found no remains of anyone, save one person.”
There was silence for awhile as each of the three inwardly debated whether they would be the one to ask the question now made obvious.
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