Twelve
Across the Outlands, Lord Kalinth was wailing in his tower. He had felt the moment that Taanyth, the Father Dragon, had passed from the world of the living and he was angry – and afraid. It was so hard for him to tell one emotion from another these days. After the wizard had left him broken on the floor of HIS tower, he had crawled into his bed and stayed there until he healed. He had not spoken to Salynth, who had kept her distance up on her floor of the tower to sulk. “SALYNTH!” he bellowed. She did not answer. He sought her out through the bond and after a few failed attempts, he could feel her presence – and it was definitely angry. No confusion there whatsoever.
What do you want, Kalinth?
Taanyth is dead!
Good.
Salynth, please, that leaves me alone. I am the last dragon. The Guardian has taken my father away and I AM ALONE.
You’ll forgive me if I have trouble summoning up pity for you, Kalinth. My pet is gone, and I can no longer find him in the bond. Also, you are not the last dragon, there are others in the Temple. I am the last of my kind, save the scores of your ghostly creations that haunt these halls.
You will call me Lord Kalinth. He could feel her laughing, not along with him but at him. You should take care around me, Salynth.
Why? Is THAT the most important thing to you - how I refer to you? Face it, Kalinth, you are no more at liberty to hurt me than I am to escape this prison of existence.
Prison? Salynth, I have given you everything in my power to give you, and yet…
And yet it is so far from enough. Leave me be, Kalinth, and do not try the bond with me again. When I wish to speak to you I will do so.
Wait. You say that you cannot escape from here on your own, yes?
Yes. Only moments ago. I am overjoyed that you were paying attention.
Kalinth tried to suppress his anger at her sarcasm, but did not manage to before she felt it in the bond and began laughing again.
What if we work together, Salynth? Could we escape this place together, and then fly to the dark side of the world where Mother is? Where Omerith and his family are?
There was a long pause, and had Kalinth not been able to feel that Salynth was still there, he would have thought that their bond had been severed.
Tell me more.
Well, I don’t have a plan yet, but…
As I thought. Goodbye, Kalinth.
WAIT.
At his tone, he felt her withdraw a bit but not break the bond.
I do not wish to frighten you, Salynth. There was a time that I loved you, do you not remember?
Of course I do. You made my early days of punishment from Ikara bearable. More than bearable.
Kalinth smiled as he felt warmth and contentedness from her, regardless of how fleeting.
If we work together, we can find a way out of here, I just know it. Will you work with me? Can we find the friendship we had before?
Perhaps. But we will have to communicate in the bond. I cannot come to where you are. I am not certain that I can bear to look at you for it reminds me of my pet.
Kalinth smiled.
Find me in the bond when you are ready, Salynth. I will be waiting.
I am ready now. Tell me more about your ideas for escape, Lord Kalinth.
You brought the wizard here through the bond and I’m assuming that my father helped him escape through the bond, did he not?
There was a pause before Salynth answered.
Yes on both accounts, but I do not know how much Taanyth was able to help my pet leave. I think it was the strength of that wood elf he loves so much. She is a Guardian, Kalinth. She is the Nature Walker. Did you know?
No. But your pet is of no use to us now. We must try to contact my brother, Omerith, in the bond and see if we can…
That’s your plan?
Yes, that is all I have.
How about YOU find ME in the bond when YOU have something better.
Kalinth felt the bond shatter as clearly as if she had slammed a door in his face. “Omerith,” he muttered. “You will help me. I will find you.” He looked up at the ceiling as his preternatural hearing picked up the sound of Salynth tearing about her living quarters. “And we will find her pet for her, so that they can die together.”
Thirteen
Teeand and Tairn, under cover of her invisibility spell, sped across the Outlands toward Bellesea Keep on magical horses that she conjured for them. They had not spoken a word to each other for the whole of the journey from the great hall when they left Sath behind; their only communication was Teeand looking back toward her now and then when she lagged behind him. Once she would catch up to his horse, he would look away and resume what seemed like a fevered pitch toward the Keep. Being magical creatures, the horses were not only fast, but they did not have to eat or rest, so they made it across the breadth of the Great Forest in record time.
They paused in the last bit of cover on the edge of the barren land that surrounded the Keep to dismiss the horses to the four winds, and Tairn noticed a group of wyverns all running from the Keep. They seemed panicked and a bit erratic - even for them - in their path and running speed. “I wonder what’s got them spooked?” she mumbled as she pointed at the last few disappearing from view.
“No idea,” Teeand whispered, “but it can’t be anything good. My bet is on the wizard.” He balled up his fists and glared toward the entrance. “Oh, I am going to enjoy this, my girl. I am really going to enjoy this.” He took off running with Tairn struggling to keep up, even though her legs were twice as long as his.
Inside the Keep’s arena, Taeben blinked, assessing damage and trying to remember what had happened. He was lying face down on a stone floor, but where? Ah – Bellesea Keep. His body felt sore, but not as sore as he was sure it should have been. The last thing he remembered was feeling the death touch magic searing through his body, like a white hot hand closing around his heart and squeezing it until it burst. He remembered a sense of peace…a feeling that he didn’t have to keep trudging through disappointment anymore, that he could rest, away from the pain. So how was he still here now? He pushed up on his arms to see the hooves of a black horse inches from his face.
“Thank you, Mother,” Gin said quietly. She made a clicking sound and the horse backed up a few steps. “Can you stand, Taeben?”
“Ginny…What are you still doing here?” Taeben said, stunned. He managed to push himself up until he was sitting on his knees, but was still wobbly.
“Can you stand?” she repeated, her voice quiet.
Taeben got to his feet slowly and Beau took another few steps back with an indignant snort. “Smart horse,” he said, smiling. He glanced around, gaping for a moment at the dead dragon on one side of the arena, and then recovered his composure. “Did you…? I mean, on your own…? Impressive.” He looked at his arms and hands, and then grinned up at her. “I seem to be more or less the worse for wear, alive even, thanks to you I suppose. Now answer my question, what are you still doing here?”
“As justifiable as it might have been, I couldn’t leave you to die, now, could I?” Gin answered tersely. “Have you enough strength to be able to transport yourself out of here? I’d not suggest walking.” She looked over her shoulder. “The wyverns ran when their master Taanyth fell, but I dare say they will be back.”
“Ginny, come down off the horse and talk to me,” Taeben said, looking up at her. His silvery eyes twinkled, and for a moment she saw something different within their depths. She pulled Beau up closer to him and almost slid out of her saddle, unable to tear her gaze away from his warm one, but then noticed his hand, almost concealed by his sleeve. His fingers were moving, and when she looked closer, she recognized the pattern of movement that accompanied spell work that soothed an enemy. She glanced back at his face and his lips were moving almost imperceptibly. Dismissing Beau in an icy cloud, she stood a few feet from him, her eyes narrowed.
“Ben. Really? You’re casting a harmony spell on me? You’re
wasting your energy that you will need to get out of here, by the way, in order to convince me to…to do what, Ben?” She shook her head. “I should have left you to die.”
Taeben took a step closer. “But you didn’t, did you?” He beamed a smile at her. “Why was that, my love?” One step closer and he would smell sunflowers, but there might as well be an icy ocean between them. Her clear disappointment in him was almost palatable.
“Because…it is not in my nature, I suppose.” Gin studied the floor. “Once, when I was young, I was not able to save a wolf from death; it was doing nothing more than what was in its nature, so perhaps now I have made up for that mistake by not leaving you to die. You were simply being true to your nature, just like that wolf. Do you have the energy to transport yourself out?” she asked again, scanning her memory for a spell she’d recently learned that allowed her to transport someone else without taking herself along. She was pleased to find no trace of Taeben in her mind at all.
“Not yet,” Taeben said. “There is still much for us to discuss, Ginny. I am glad to see that you came to your senses and decided to stay with me. Just think what we can do, now that you are the Nature Walker! We can rule…” Looking up at Gin, he noticed that she was moving her mouth. “What are you saying?” he said, a bit of anxiety creeping into his normally steely voice. “Your harmony magic doesn’t work on me, remember, and thanks to you, I’m completely healed now. Ginny? ANSWER ME. What are you doing?”
“Outlands,” she said aloud, and Taeben felt the familiar circle of fire forming around him.
“No!” he shouted as he felt himself fading away. “No! Go with me! Please Ginny…” Gin fell to her knees, exhausted, as he completely faded from view. She looked around and found herself alone in the arena. A mere few feet away lay the broken corpse of Lord Taanyth, the Father Dragon. The air in the room was thick with the stench of blood, gore, and a tangy electric odor that was often present following the use of offensive and damaging spells. She felt the strength and support of the Guardians recede, and she found that she was sad to be alone again. Very sad. Too sad, in fact. She sank to her knees, searching her mind for their presence but there was only silence.
Please don’t leave me yet! I can’t do this without you! I don’t even know what to do...please, please come back…
Gin felt a choking sob rising in her throat and for once, she didn’t try to push it back down inside her chest. She let it come, and another, and another followed it, until she was lying on the ground, holding her sides with one arm and covering her face with the other, sobbing as though her heart was breaking. Perhaps it was breaking again; perhaps it had finally been broken too many times and there was nothing left of it. Pain shot through her chest and midsection from the force of the sobs, and her eyes and nose burned. She inhaled sharply and her lungs screamed in wrenching response. And yet, the sobs kept coming, threatening to overwhelm her completely.
How long had it been since she let herself go, let herself truly feel anything? Another round of sobs rose up and she actually screamed as they fought their way out. Faces of those she had lost danced before her tightly closed eyes. The voices of her parents, her sister Lairky, and others of her kin rang in her ears. Cursik’s rumbling laugh paired with his handsome smile. Sath and Kazhmere’s purring tones joined the cacophony and threatened to drive her mad. Others she did not recognize peered down at her – an ancient and wrinkled male druid, a female dark elf, and others joined the wall of concerned faces.
“Leave me alone!” she shrieked. “I can’t help you, I couldn’t help you!” She tore at her hair, beat her tiny fists into the dirt, and heard her own screams bounce off the incredibly high ceiling in the arena. “I wasn’t ever good enough, was I? I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Dorlagar’s face swam before hers, his expression switching back and forth from the caring one she’d known when she was younger to the pained look he wore just before he died. “I had to, Dor, I had to…”
Teeand and Tairn crept over the drawbridge and into the inner sanctum of the Keep. It truly seemed that the entire place was empty. They had waited outside, under cover, watching what seemed to be all the living inhabitants of the Keep stream by in a steady yet frantic tide of wyverns. Teeand led the way, having grabbed a torch from one of the wall sconces, and he stayed low and against the walls. Tairn stayed as close to him as she could, periodically looking behind her when she thought she heard something. There was always nothing there, but still she remained vigilant.
“Tee,” she whispered, “there is no one here. Do you think that maybe we’re too late?” As if on cue, a keening female voice cut through the silence.
“No.” Teeand said, standing up straight. He knew that voice all too well.
“Well, clearly, someone is…”
“NO!” Teeand took off running, on a course for the arena. “Gin! We’re coming! Hang on!” The screaming continued as Teeand grabbed Tairn by the hand and pulled her along, urging her to move faster. When they reached the Arena, they saw Gin still on the floor, tears coursing down her face but no energy left for sobbing.
“Gin! Flower! We’ve got you, pet, hang in there!” Teeand called out. Gin sat up, her head spinning from the effort.
“No, Tee, not you as well…no…” Her ears pricked to the sound of footsteps coming swiftly toward the arena. More than one set, it sounded like, bearing down on her. She shook off the voices of the dead and scrambled about to find her staff. If the wyverns had come back as she’d warned Taeben they would, they were not going to take her down without a fight. She had no reason to run anymore, and was going to fight until her last breath.
As suddenly as the adrenaline surge had brought her to a fighting stance, she felt it drain away, leaving only nausea in its wake. Gin stared in the direction of the voices and felt again the foreign strength that had buoyed her during the final fight with Lord Taanyth. There was a murmur in her ear, and she could almost feel that she was surrounded – with love and strength and, most surprisingly, confidence. She looked wildly about, seeing nothing but sensing they were there. “You are a Guardian, my child,” a voice whispered in her ear, “you must act like one.” Gin’s mouth formed a perfect o as she felt the warmth pour over her, warmth that contained memories of her parents, of her mentors, of all of those that she loved. “We are here to help you, my daughter. Be the Nature Walker.”
As Teeand and Tairn made their way down the ramps into the arena, they skidded to a stop, almost coming to rest on top of each other. “Itar of the Mountain be praised,” Teeand said, dropping to his knees in shock as he invoked the name of the long forgotten god of the dwarves. Gin stood still, her staff raised in one hand as the other hand rested on her hip. Had the dwarf not known better, he would have sworn there was a light shining around her and through her. She looked like a goddess standing there, and he found that he could not look away.
“Is that…oh, Gin, Gin…” Tairn whispered. Gin kept her staff raised. “It’s me, Tairn, Gin. Are you hurt?”
“Step away from Teeand,” Gin said. Tairn fell to her knees in front of Gin, her hands out to her sides to show that she was unarmed. Just like Teeand, she saw Gin in the guise of the All-Mother, Sephine, strength and power radiating out from her. She was every inch the Nature Walker, appearing out of the legends told to Tairn as a child. “Your Lord Taeben told me that you’d know what to do if I tried to cross him. Did you charm the dwarf?” Teeand hopped to his feet to protest, but Tairn, remaining in a kneeling position, held up a hand to stop him. “Have you harmed him?”
“Gin, my teacher, my mentor, my friend… I swear to you, I mean you no harm,” Tairn said. “I swear on the life of my sister - your friend Nelenie - that I have not and will not hurt you, nor Tee, nor anyone. Not anymore.” Gin advanced on Tairn, who again thrust her hands out where Gin could see them. “I will give up my own life to the wizard before I will let him use me as a weapon again. I am unarmed and I will not use any of my magic against you. We are here to help.”
&nb
sp; “She’s telling the truth, Gin!” Teeand shouted from behind her. “Where is the wizard?”
Gin walked up to Tairn and took one of her hands. “Stand up, Tairn,” she said, helping the high elf to her feet. Gin turned Tairn’s hand over so that she could get a grip on Tairn’s forearm and turned her attention to Teeand. “You swear to me that you are here of your own will?” Tairn shuddered at the vibration of power that she felt through the contact with Gin.
“On the lives of my wife and children,” he responded solemnly.
“Fair enough. Taeben is gone. I sent him out into the desert of the Outlands,” she said.
“You let him get away? Why, Gin?” Tairn shouted, then immediately shut her mouth as Gin glared up at her; the elder elf’s gaze burned with such ferocity that Tairn lost her capacity for speech. She pulled her arm from Gin’s grip and rubbed the bruised spots on her alabaster skin left by Gin’s fingers.
Guardian_Rise of the Nature Walker Page 10