by Dave Skinner
“I have some rabbit stew,” Ran told him when he finished the water. “Supplies are scare, but I managed a few edible sprouts and buds. It is not much, but it will fill your stomach.”
Ran dished a portion into a bark bowl and delivered it with a utensil he had carved over the long winter months. The boy turned on his side and sampled the stew. It must have been acceptable for he continued to eat until the bowl was empty.
“There is a little bit left if you are still hungry?”
“What about you? Are you going to eat?”
“I ate earlier. You can finish it off if you want.”
“I could eat more, thank you.”
Ran emptied the rest of the stew into the bowl and passed it over. As the boy ate Ran rinsed out his cooking bowl—also constructed of bark—filled it with water and set it to heat. By the time the boy had finished his food, Ran had a spring tea ready. He poured tea into gourds he had found and utilized in his first few weeks of cave living, passed one to the boy, and settled his body close to the fire. The boy had been looking around.
“Is this your home?”
“Yes, it has been for the last few moon cycles. I was travelling north when the snow caught me, so I held up here. Where are you from?”
“We live in a high valley below the peak called Rider’s Perch. Are you a Traveller?”
“Yes, my name is T’Ran. You may call me Ran.”
“Hello Ran. My name is Tamican, and thank you for bringing me to your shelter. My memory is dark after the teratorn brushed me off.”
“So you were on its back. I thought I saw something. How did you get into a situation like that? I have never known a teratorn to attack a person before.”
“They are aggressive when they are being forced to yield.”
“I fail to understand the meaning of ‘forced to yield’.”
“Before a bird can be used it must yield to being controlled by a rider.”
“A rider! You were trying to ride that bird?” Ran could not keep the amazement out of his voice.
“Yes, we—my people—ride teratorns. Our birds are tended by us, and when a person reaches my age, if they have been chosen as a rider, they are matched with a hatchling.”
Tamican lowered his head and stopped talking. Ran waited and then prompted him to continue.
“So that is what you were doing, trying to train your teratorn?”
“Not exactly.” Tamican covered his mouth as he yawned. “I am feeling tired. I would like to sleep now.”
Ran found Tamican’s yawn to be infectious. “I can sleep,” he admitted after his own yawn. “Move over to one side. We have to share the bearskin.”
Ran banked the fire and settled in beside the boy. His sleep was filled with dreams of flying. In one he stood with his arm around Manda on the bridge of the Red Witch. The Witch was tearing across the water, fairly springing from the tops of the waves they crossed until the ship took to the air and sailed up into the sky.
Chapter 19
Micka’s heart almost broke when Andoo entered the room. At the sight of her uncle’s withered body she jumped up. In a moment she was under his arm, supporting him. Andoo pushed her away.
“I am not an invalid, Micka, I can walk without support,” he stated.
She thought otherwise, but she let him step away. “What happened to you, Andoo? Have you been ill? You look terrible.”
“Grab us some wine, and I will share all with you. I am glad you have returned from school. I have need of you.” He lowered himself into an overstuffed leather chair. “Get the wine, girl. We have much to do. The end of the world is coming.”
Micka moved quickly to the ever-present wine bottle. A Nadian Blush vintage, she noticed. Happily she poured two glasses, delivered his, and settled down to listen. Andoo gulped a mouthful of wine. She could almost see the flush of the alcohol as it entered his body. She sipped hers. It was a wonderful wine, tasty enough to override the distaste of dealing with Nadians.
“I just finished my final spell in a series meant to divert the destruction of our world. I failed. Our end is coming unless the council can divert it. I am being allotted a podium at the council meeting at Delta.” He stopped to sip his wine. Micka did the same. “We meet with Travellers tomorrow, before we sail. They need to locate one of their own. Bray, the boy who led the defense of Woods Gate—the one who killed Yucan Vee. He is a Nadian prince, and we will need his help to get Nadia to stand with us. It represents the forces of the entire North Lake. What is coming could destroy us all. We must unite. North, south, all cities, the Travellers, even the primitive tribes.”
“Andoo, your story is jumping all over. Please calm down and tell me what is happening. If you want me involved in whatever this is. I need to understand it.”
Andoo placed his wine on a table, and took a moment to rub his temples with both hands.
“Where to start?”
He lowered his hands from his temples. “Do you remember the boys who led the defence of Waysley?”
“Of course I remember them. They are the heroes of my generation. What does this have to do with them?”
“Before the battle at Waysley, Bray, Ran and Mearisdeana came to me for help to —”
“Wait! Who is Mearisdeana? I never read that name in the scroll you published. You spent more ink on the magic used than on the people involved.”
“Mearisdeana... you know... the cloaked figure.”
“The Dragon Woman!” She jumped to her feet. “You know the Dragon People? You know Nailmoe? You know Nailmoe and you —” She stopped and sunk back into her chair.
Nailmoe. A flush came over her. Memoirs of the Bathing Guide, was the steamiest publication she had ever read, not that she read a lot of... that stuff, but she had dreams about that one. The kind of dream she would like to have regularly.
She realized that her uncle was watching her with raised eyebrows. She flushed.
“You were saying something about before the battle.”
“Bray, Ran and Mearisdeana visited me before the battle. They asked me to find a way to send Mearisdeana back to her dimension and to break the link between Bray and her. I was able to break the link, but sending her back needed more research. While I was checking my crystal concerning the attack by pirates they warned about, I felt a disturbance in the linked destiny of Ran and Bray. After the battle I researched it further.” Andoo shivered before he continued. “I found the end of the world, Micka, destruction so hideous and terrifying that I was left without an option. I had to try to influence their destiny. That is what I have been doing for the past year.”
“Two years, Andoo. The battle was two, almost three years ago.”
“I must have lost track of time.”
“You look as if you lost track of everything. You are so emaciated you can hardly walk. I do not see how you can make the trip to Delta in your condition.”
“I must, no, we must. Your destiny is intertwined with this also.” Andoo finished his wine. He looked longingly at the empty glass before replacing it on the table. “I must rest. Tomorrow comes too soon. Jerger has laid out provisions for our trip. Please look them over and add whatever you feel is required, but nothing too heavy. As you say I am not at my best. We leave tomorrow. Your room is ready. I will see you in the morning.”
***
The Traveller’s wagon sat at the edge of Waysley’s central market with its tailgate down. These Travellers were tinkers, menders and makers of metal jewelry and household utensils. They were doing a brisk business as Andoo and Micka approached. An older man was seated to the side of the wagon on a stool. A leather apron was tied around his waist, covering his legs and protecting him from the slab of wood that was his work table. Around his stool were stacked pots and kettles waiting for repair. A young man tended a fire close by. The man inspected the repair he had completed before he acknowledged Andoo standing in front of him.
“Andoo Toran, well met.”
“Hello, Tinker. Busin
ess looks brisk.”
“The first few days are always heavy. Have you been ill, Wizard? You look to be less than I remember.”
“Can we talk privately?”
“I suppose so,” he replied, glancing around at the work left to do. “Come with me.” He placed his table on the ground, stood, stretched and led them to the front of the wagon.
“We are leaving for Delta shortly, so I will get right to the point.”
“Delta? You attend a meeting of the Council of Wizards then? I would not wish to cause you a delay. Please speak on.”
“I need to talk with the Traveller, Bray. Can you get a message to him?”
“I can send the word out. How quickly it will reach him I cannot say. What should be said?”
“Tell him we must talk. He can reach me in Marshtown at the Marshmellow Inn. Tell him it is very important, and I cannot stress that enough. The Destroyer is coming, Tinker.” Andoo leaned in closer and continued in a low whisper, “Share this with the Tawshe council, they must be informed also. I expect the Council of Wizards will spread the news to all the lakes cities and territories.”
The tinker’s forehead furrowed as Andoo spoke. His eyes lost their hint of humour. “The Destroyer, you say. The Tawshe council will want to know more. Is there anything else you can add?”
“I have said all I can at this time, my friend. Now we must run to catch our ship.”
Andoo turned aside and led Micka away. He heard the tinker call his young assistant to him. After a moment, the young man raced by them as they left the market area.
“Do you think he will deliver your message,” Micka asked, “and what is the Tawshe council? I thought the Tawshe were primitive barbarians.”
“My apprentice, you have so much to learn. Look behind us. What do you see?”
“The Traveller is closing up his wagon.”
“Are the others helping him?”
“No. He works by himself. The young man ran past us already. I cannot see the girl who was on the tailgate... oh wait... there she is. Is she following us?”
“Probably,” Andoo said. “Did you get a good look at the young man? Would you recognize him again?”
“I believe so. He looks... healthy, and I love their ponytails and dark complexions.”
“Well, keep your eyes open while we walk. I believe we may see him again.”
They made their way through the city towards the Water Gate. This was a rougher part of town, closer to the docks, populated by inns that catered to sailors and dock workers.
“There he is, on the porch of that inn talking to another Traveller. Oh, she is pretty. I bet she is his sister or his girlfriend, and he ran to tell her they were packing up.”
“Keep watching.”
“She is looking at us. I think he pointed us out to her. Now she has disappeared into the inn.”
They walked on. Andoo noted the number of guards at the Water Gate. It was good to see that a great number of them had come back from their duty at the mines. There were more men standing guard at the gates now than had defended it during the battle with Yucan Vee’s pirates. Not that it would help when his vision of the future came to pass.
They exited the city and followed the road across the bow-shot distance to the warehouses and businesses of the docks. Past the buildings, a wharf extended into the harbour. Two ships were being waiting. Andoo located the Black Bell easily. A heavy set, darkly tanned, older, woman met them at the top of the gangplank. Despite her years, she was still a handsome woman. The cut of her tunic and the amount of cleavage it displayed suggested she liked to show her attributes.
“You be the Torans, I hope.”
“Yes, Andoo and my niece, Micka.”
“Good. Now we can get underway. I am Barb, captain of the Black Bell. I will have a lad show you to your cabin as soon as we settle the fee. Five silver if you work. Seven silver for a soft trip.”
Andoo reached into his pouch and pulled a number of coins. He counted out one gold coin and four silver coins before handing them to Barb. She secured them in her own pouch before motioning to a boy who was mending a rope a ways up the deck. The boy jumped up and ran over to stand before her.
“Sammy, take these passengers to their—”
“Hail the Black Bell,” someone called from the wharf. “Do you have room for a passenger?”
Andoo could not see who called from the wharf, but he had a suspicion.
“Come aboard,” Barb called back. Andoo thought the person had decided against the passage because the gangplank showed no evidence of use. It had bounced vigorously as he and Micka walked up it, so he was surprised when a young woman in a green cloak came into view climbing towards the ship. He heard Micka’s intake of breath at the same time he recognized the Traveller woman from the porch of the inn.
Barb took care of business and then Sammy took them to their cabins. He and Micka remained to settle in. The Traveller dropped her pack before Sammy led her away to aid in getting the ship underway.
Chapter 20
Mearisdeana, princess of KaAn, stood on a balcony looking out over the road beyond the city walls. It was crowded with refugees, the end still not in sight. The city was close to busting its seams, many of the wide thoroughfares reduced to little more than pathways through the pitched tents and piles of meager belongings people had carried in their carts or on their backs. The crying of hungry children was almost constant now, and still the refugees arrived. The feeling of guilt never left her for long these days.
She knew it was unfounded, but that did not make the feeling go away. Adamtay had told her many times that being pulled through the rift by the wizard was not her fault, but he would not have searched for a means of bringing her back and obtained the Crystals of Blood and Light if she had not been taken, and the demon would not now be trying to retrieve them. Retrieve them, if only it was that simple, they would gladly return the crystals if he would leave KaAn, but the creature wanted more than the crystals. He wanted to destroy everyone and everything. There was no bargaining with it.
Neventay, the royal wizard, had tried to negotiate with the demon using a magical communication device. The demon reached through to him and almost destroyed him despite all the protective measures he had established. Neventay barely survived the encounter. He was unconscious for two weeks and had yet to fully recover. The only positive to come from the encounter was the knowledge that there was no negotiating with the demon. It wanted them all destroyed. And so the battles for KaAn had commenced.
Far out on the roadway a flash of colour caught her attention. It was too far to see accurately, but she had witnessed it too many times over the last year and a half to not know what it was, the banners of the Prince’s Lancers protecting the rear of the refugee’s train—Adamtay’s Lancers, always first into the fray and last to return.
Mearisdeana turned from the window and went in search of Queen Saratay. Her mother-in-law appreciated knowing when her son was returning. She found her in the edible supplies room taking inventory. She looked tired and drawn.
“I have seen the Lancer’s banners, Your Highness,” Mearisdeana informed her.
“Thank you, my dear,” the queen responded with a weak smile. “Is it so late in the day?”
“Yes, another hour and the lamplighters will be about, or would be about if any fuel remained.”
“Then we should add our hands to the distribution of the evening soup. I only wish we had more to share. I hear the children crying even in my sleep.” Then abruptly Queen Saratay straightened. “We do what we can with what we have, and perhaps there is something else. Neventay wishes to meet with the family tonight. He has an idea to share. Now, we should away to the kitchens.”
***
Dinner was a somber affair. Adamtay had reported earlier on the latest fighting. Another battle won, but the war was still being lost foot by foot as the enemy continued to advance. Eventually they would be outside the city gates. It weighed heavily on all at the t
able. No one spoke until the soup was finished.
“I remember when that was the first course of dinner instead of the only course,” King Terrintay commented. The family responded with weak smiles. “Neventay, you said you had an idea you wanted to suggest. I hope it is a good one, brother.”
“It may be our only hope. We have been winning every battle, but the enemy appears to have a never-ending supply of soldiers, and we continue to lose ground. Adamtay estimates we have six months at the most before the enemy is outside our gates, therefore I believe it is time to abandon KaAn.”
His statement was met with stunned silence until King Terrintay spoke. “Explain yourself, brother.”
“We have talked often about the state of our world. For millennium, KaAn’s weather has become harsher. Our people and many animals have evolved dayskin, and we have modified our food production to compensate. Our population is smaller with each new generation. We are surviving, but only just. Even without this demon war we would be in trouble. Ever since Mearisdeana and Adamtay returned through the rift and told their stories, I have been wondering about the world that they visited. I believe we can open a portal to that world and take our people there.”
“How could you be sure the portal will open on that world?” Queen Saratay asked. “You needed Mearisdeana’s necklace to locate her when Adamtay went through to bring her back, would not you need—“
“She left the necklace with a friend there,” Neventay said.
“Is the spell still active?” the Queen asked.
“It is. I was able to detect it yesterday.”
Adamtay felt Mearisdeana’s hand tighten on his. It was her signal that he was to support her on whatever she was about to say. He responded with a flex of his own.
“I think your idea is brilliant, Neventay, but there is a problem that you would not recognize,” she began thoughtfully. “Manda, the woman who has the necklace, is the captain of a ship. She spends much of her time sailing from place to place. Do you remember what happened to Adamtay when you sent him through the first time? He landed in the water and almost drowned.”