Will (Book 2)

by S. F. Burgess

  And how, exactly, do we tell him that? Will wondered.

  Conlan was aware that the connection was not working as well as Gregor’s book had led them to believe it should, but he seemed to be under the impression that it would improve with practice. Yet while it was true that his control of their energies was making impressive leaps forward with constant practice, here, too, progress was hampered by their inability to guide him directly. Not being able to share their thoughts with him, to talk in his head and he in theirs, made everything very difficult, and Will was beginning to think this communication problem was not going to improve with practice.

  On his right, Freddie reached a hand out for his, and on his left Amelia did the same. Will took them both and held his breath as he was swept into the initial chaos of the connection. Recently they had been putting a lot of effort into taking the impact out of the last of the winter storms that were tearing through the north of Mydren. The bulk of the responsibility for this fell to Amelia, who once again demonstrated her amazing ability to control her element. Following her lead, they spent several hours funnelling the destructive power of a fast-building storm system back out into the sea, where the ensuing tempests could do no damage. Freddie stood as direct backup, working hard to make sure that the lightning created did not stray towards the ground. Will felt Amelia’s need—not articulated, just there in his head; he had to make sure that the storm swell did not reach the harbours along the coast. Pushing down into the ocean’s depths, straining against the uncomfortable crush of his element, he searched for the rush of water that told him there was a trench in the ocean’s floor. Yet before he even fully understood what he needed, Eleanor’s presence was there, pushing the earth apart a small amount, opening up the trench, as Will directed the extra water towards it, stopping the wave that was heading towards land. Looking out across Mydren, like a general surveying a map on a campaign table, Will watched the overlying pattern shimmer, parts of it dissolving and realigning as it moved back into balance.

  For the four Avatars, there was a moment of shared satisfaction, a sense of a job well done.

  Why can’t I see what they’re doing?

  Conlan’s loud, hard, jarring thought spiked through their minds. Will winced, his energy flaring at the unexpected pain. He yanked his hands free, breaking the connection, dumping them all out in a rush. Fighting the disorientation, he opened his eyes to find Eleanor staring at him with her head tipped to one side. He ignored her questioning look.

  “Oww…” Amelia hissed, pushing the palm of her hand to her head.

  Conlan looked at the discomfort in their faces and sighed. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

  “Yes,” Freddie said, massaging his temple. “But it’s okay; we’d finished what we were doing.”

  “Right… so can I practice with your energy now? Or do you need some time?” Conlan asked.

  He really doesn’t understand how much this hurts! Will thought as he concentrated on rebuilding his shattered control, trying to even out his pulsing energy.

  Freddie gave Conlan a grin. “Let’s try your shield-building again.”

  Building a shield with Amelia’s energy was a skill Conlan was finding extremely hard to master, and of all the things he could do with their energy, the one least likely to cause them pain if it went wrong.

  It was over an hour later when Amelia handed Will a water pouch. He took slow, steady sips, not trusting his stomach with anything bigger. Overusing his energy always left him exhausted and nauseated. He watched Conlan and Eleanor as they walked off, away from the camp, deep in conversation about the progress Conlan was making.

  “Guess that’ll be two less for lunch,” Amelia said, following Will’s gaze. Will nodded, and immediately regretted the movement as a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes joined the dull throb of his headache.

  “Why is this so difficult? What are we missing?” Freddie asked, purposely not watching Conlan’s and Eleanor’s retreating figures.

  “I have no idea. But if we don’t figure it out soon, we’re going to have to tell him it’s affecting our ability to balance the elements—and it could start costing lives if he continues to join us,” Will said.

  “You’d hurt him like that?” Amelia asked, shocked.

  “It’s not exactly pain-free for us,” Will muttered.

  “It doesn’t hurt that much. Maybe you feel it more because you’re so old,” Freddie said with a wicked grin. Will took the opportunity Freddie’s facetious comment provided to glare at him, ignoring the concerned frown on Amelia’s face.

  Pulling himself to his feet, he brushed the dirt off his trousers. “Well, this old man would like some chance of lunch, and it’s getting late. You coming?” he said, walking back towards camp.

  As they climbed the far side of the dip, they stumbled across Arran, who sat with his back to them, in quiet meditation. Freddie’s energy barrelled into Will with such force that he almost staggered.

  What’s he doing here? Freddie demanded.

  “Hello Arran, is there something we can help you with?” Will asked.

  Arran opened his eyes and pulled himself to his feet, which was not the easiest task in the robes he was wearing—they were not designed for forest living. He smiled at them until he saw the menacing look Freddie was giving him. Then his smile fell, and an emotionless expression took its place.

  “I was just making sure that nobody disturbed your work,” he said, dropping his eyes to the floor. “I meant no harm.” Will gave Freddie a translation.

  This is an Enforcer, Freddie said. He might look like a neglected child, but he’s as powerful as we are and knows how to incapacitate us. Why am I the only one who sees the threat here? Freddie’s body was tense, his eyes flashing.

  He’s not as powerful as we are and he pledged his service to Conlan, just as the Protectors did. We have no reason to doubt him, Will replied, running feelings of calm through his mind, hoping some of it would rub off on Freddie.

  We had no reason to doubt Merl either, and look how that worked out! Freddie snapped.

  “The Avatar of Fire is angry with me. Please tell him I am sorry for breaking his ribs,” Arran said into the extended, distinctly uncomfortable silence.

  Freddie, he just apologised for hurting you back in Katadep. In Mydren, a pledge of service is a serious thing, an old thing. Not something they would undertake lightly.

  “Please tell the Enforcer I’m fine, no thanks to him. Avatars heal quickly,” Freddie said, in a cold, hard tone, still glowering at Arran as he continued his angry yelling in Will’s head. I assume they pledged their service to the Lords of Mydren too, and it didn’t take much for them to break that. Anyone who can change loyalties that quickly is not to be trusted!

  Will could feel Freddie’s energy level rising and recognised the danger, but Freddie seemed oblivious. The pounding at Will’s temples cranked up another level and he closed his eyes for a moment, reaching for calm before he addressed Arran.

  “The Avatar of Fire is as volatile as his element, and while he is quick to anger, he is also quick to forgive and forget. There will be opportunity for this, Arran, but right now is not that time. I would suggest leaving immediately,” Will said, lacing the Dwarfish with regret.

  “I understand,” Arran said. Eyes still downcast, he took a couple of steps backwards, turned and headed back to the camp. Will took another steadying deep breath as Freddie’s furious face filled his vision.

  “Did you just apologise to him, for my behaviour?” Freddie yelled, with an accompanying angry roar that tore through Will’s brain.

  “Freddie,” Will forced out between gritted teeth. “Please remove your energy string from my head before I remove it for you. You need to calm down.”

  Freddie took a step back, yanking his energy free, taking deep breaths, his head bowed. Marshalling what remained of his focus, Will took advantage of the silence to explain.

  “Protectors do not take oaths of service to the Lords of Myd
ren. Like I said, it’s an old practice, from the time of kings. It has survived because a variation of it is used in their marriage ceremonies, when the groom swears an oath of service to the father and family of his new wife. I’m sorry, Freddie, I should have taken the time to explain this to you. There’s not much in the way of ‘law’ in Mydren—certainly not for the majority of the poor. Their word is often all they have. It means far more here than it ever did where we came from.”

  Freddie lifted his head, anger still clear in his eyes, but under careful control. “And who did Merl swear his oath of service to?”

  “I understand, Freddie,” Will said, his calm coming back slowly as the pain in his head receded. “I’m not sure I trust these Protectors any more than you do, and I’m not saying that people here don’t lie and cheat, but the oath they have taken is serious—so serious that Conlan tried to stop them. On that basis, I’m willing to give them a little room and take some time to get to know them.”

  “The concept of honourable Protectors just doesn’t sit right with me,” Freddie insisted.

  “I thought you liked Kip?”

  “Yes, Will, I like Kip. The man isn’t smart enough, mean enough, or devious enough to be considered a real Protector. But Davlin… all that still, dark silence… he gives me the creeps.”

  Davlin… That was the name of the Protector who seemed to have put himself in charge of their camp security. The tall, dark-haired man spoke very little, but his black eyes had the world under constant surveillance.

  Will shrugged. “I think our experiences have coloured our view, but I have to hope that many of the Protectors and Enforcers are honourable people.”

  “Why?” Amelia asked.

  Will had almost forgotten she was there. He wrapped an arm round her shoulder and was troubled to find her shaking. He hugged her to him as he answered her question.

  “Honourable Protectors and Enforcers might well be more willing to step away from the Lords and join us if they thought we presented a better option. Nothing would please Conlan more than being able to win this, to take power, without having to fight a single battle or spill a single drop of blood.”

  “I guess getting to know them wouldn’t be the end of the world,” Freddie mused. “My grandfather always said, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…’”

  Not quite what I meant, Will thought, but Freddie showing a little less hostility to their new allies, for whatever reason, was a good start. “You just need to get to know them a bit, Freddie.”

  “That’s easy for you,” Freddie muttered. “You know what they’re saying.”

  “There’s nothing to stop you from learning too,” Will said mildly, heartened by the thoughtful look that crossed Freddie’s face as he nodded slowly.

  Will was ravenously hungry by the time they got into camp. The others had eaten already, but Kip had waited for them, saving them some food. The stew of ‘indeterminate meat’ that Kip had created was actually passable, if Will did not think about it too much, but even with Conlan and Eleanor not being present, there was not enough left for a second helping. Kip must have noticed his unsatisfied expression because when he came to sit next to Will, to eat his own meagre portion, he handed over his lump of bread, insisting that Will eat it. Feeling small and mean, but too hungry to put up much resistance, Will thanked the man and ate the bread as slowly as he could.

  Food supplies need to be thought about now we’re a bigger group. I must remember to mention this to Conlan.

  “Will? Are you okay?” Amelia asked, watching him eat.

  Will swallowed the last of his bread and nodded. “Just hungry.”

  “You could have had mine if you’d asked.”

  “No, Amelia, you need your food. The bread Kip gave me will do fine.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  Will smiled, nodding, ignoring his griping head.

  “Will… I want to learn to speak Dwarfish too. With Freddie, I mean…” Amelia said as she held his gaze with uncertain eyes. She paused at the look on his face, and then huffed, “Oh, don’t look so shocked. I’m not stupid, I knew I was going to have to learn sooner or later, I just decided to wait until later!”

  Oh Amelia! That’s just brilliant! I’ve wanted you to make this decision for so long. You’ll feel so much better when you can make yourself understood.

  “I think that’s great,” he said softly, kissing her forehead.

  “Does my sister require something?” Kip asked.

  Will was just about to shake his head when an idea occurred to him. “Actually Kip, yes. Amelia and Freddie would like to learn to speak Dwarfish. Would you be willing to teach them?”

  Kip’s eyes widened. “Me? But I do not know how to teach.”

  “You speak Dwarfish, yes?” Will asked, and Kip nodded his agreement. “You know the words for things.”

  Kip nodded again, a little less certain. “I do not know every word.”

  Will smiled. “Perhaps not, but you know far more than they do. If you knew every word, it might be too much for them anyway. Teach them the words you know, Kip. Can you do that?”

  A stunned smile spread across the man’s face. “Yes, I can teach them the words I know.”

  “Excellent! Maybe they could help you do the washing up. Let me tell Amelia and Freddie that you are going to help them,” Will said, feeling rather impressed with his little plan. Freddie and Amelia would learn some Dwarfish and get to know a Protector at the same time.

  After the initial introductions, Will sat back, allowing Kip to take the lead. Will watched as the young man picked up various utensils, cutlery and crockery, giving Amelia and Freddie the word for each item, then waiting until they repeated it accurately. As Will had suspected, Kip had unending patience with his two students, far more than Will knew he would have had. In fact, they were so engrossed in what they were doing that they failed to notice when Will quietly slipped away, heading for Mickle’s workshop.

  “Avatar of Water!”

  Will had made it halfway across the camp, could see the bows leaning against Mickle’s hastily constructed workbench. Sighing, he turned. One of the Protectors— one whose name he still could not remember—was striding towards him, his face full of concern.

  What now?

  “Davlin sent me. He asked me to fetch Conlan, but I cannot locate him.”

  And you won’t if he doesn’t want to be found.

  “What is the problem—can I help?” Will asked. The Protector look unsure, then seemed to consider that coming back with the wrong person might be better than coming back with nobody and nodded.

  “There is activity Davlin would have you see.”

  Crap!

  “Okay, take me to Davlin,” Will said. The man gave an indecisive look, and Will snapped, “Now!”

  By the time they reached Davlin, Will was amused by the Protector’s winded gasping. The man had pushed himself to get back as quickly as possible and was now totally incapable of explaining why he had come back with the wrong person.

  “Where is Conlan?” Davlin asked, looking behind Will’s shoulder.

  “He is busy, I am here. Where is the problem?” Will asked.

  Davlin focused dark, hooded eyes on him. His intelligent gaze looked him up and down, his hard expression giving nothing away.

  “Teris, stay here. Follow me, Avatar of Water.”

  Teris, that’s his name. And the other one’s called Elroy. Elroy should have stuck in his mind, as he was the young, serious, quiet Protector that Eleanor had stopped Conlan from killing when she had first arrived in Mydren. His soft-spoken manner had not made much of an impact on Will, but as Elroy had convinced both Davlin and Mickle to join Conlan’s cause, Will made a mental note to make more of an effort to get to know the young man.

  Davlin jumped, catching the lower branch of the tree they stood beneath, and hauled himself up. Will followed. Davlin climbed higher, moving with the grace and balance of a cat up the wide trunk of the huge
tree. Concentrating on not looking down, Will followed him at a slightly slower, more careful pace. Eventually they broke through the foliage near the top, and the vista opened up before them. Will stopped as vertigo gripped him; they had to be seventy feet off the ground. This high up, the tree branches were smaller, easier to break, and the whole thing swayed with the movement and weight of two men and a light breeze.

  “Over there,” Davlin pointed. “To the northeast. The town of Prenderick.”

  Will nodded. He could see the grey walls of the fortress town.

  “If you follow the main track from the town and take it west, you will eventually reach the West Tower, with many towns and stops along the way,” Davlin continued. “If you follow the track to the east, you will find nothing after Prenderick until you reach Drent. If they were heading to the South Tower, they would already have branched off this road.”

  Will nodded, but Davlin said nothing more. Apparently he was giving Will time to reach his own conclusions. His heart pounding in his chest, getting as firm a grip on the delicate branches as possible, Will pushed himself up a little further to get a better view.

  Prenderick seemed a quiet, small town, one that was of so little importance that they did not even bother keeping the gate in a good state of repair—nothing out of the ordinary there. Swinging his eyes further to the right, Will looked down the track toward Drent. From this high up he could see a great distance along the track, could even see the tiny figures of a trading convoy shambling along, and again nothing seemed out of place. Shuffling in his precarious position slightly, Will turned to the left and followed the track back towards the West Tower. Miles away, on the horizon, he could see black specks—and more telling, a thick dust cloud rising up behind them.