The man gazed at Tren for a moment. “There’s a café in the center of town. A man named Lifston and his daughter run it. You might give their tea a try,” he added with a meaningful wink.
Tren bowed his head and thanked the man again. Then he and Jurf returned to their tent.
Once they were settled inside, Jurf said, “What’s so important about a café?”
Tren had been considering this himself. “I don’t know, but I definitely intend to find out.”
Chapter 47
As the sun started its slow descent to the horizon, the rock began to rise sharply on Eros’s left, indicating the base of the mountains. The marked ones had been gradually climbing all day, but Eros suspected the path would become more strenuous as they continued. The old men would soon leave them. Eros had absorbed much from Aston and the others during the day, as had Kenrya, and they were well prepared for the journey facing them. While they might not avoid all the dangers, the ones they had already faced had sharpened their senses and given them a better chance of surviving. The path rounded a sharp turn and Aston halted the wagon, calling for those ahead and behind the group to gather.
“This is where we part company, my friends,” Aston said. “The men and I will travel away from the path in the direction of this field,” he pointed to the right of the path in the direction the sun now set. “Chimsey added a few items to your packs that you may find useful.” Chimsey nodded in agreement, as Aston continued, “I don’t have to tell you to be careful. As you’ve learned, many things are not what they appear. Your bags carry sufficient linoya root and food supplies to reach your destination. Trust your instincts.” Aston looked directly at Eros. “I believe they will guide you well.”
The marked ones gathered their packs. Prizene turned to Henry, the old Human who had jumped among the rizon to save the marked ones. His wounds were healing, but he was still weak from the savage attack. “Thank you for everything.”
His eyes twinkled. “It was a great adventure, my dear. I won’t see many more in my day and relish the ones I have.”
She returned his smile, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and climbed down gently from the wagon. She loaded her pack on her back and tested the strength of her legs, which had returned.
“You won’t have to travel far tonight,” Aston said after checking Prizene’s injuries. “The sun will soon slip beyond the horizon. Tomorrow you’ll be stronger.” Aston turned to face the group of marked ones. “Travel a bit farther along the path until you find an opening in the rock face to your left. This opening leads to the deeper, darker parts of the forest. You’re still two days from the destination you seek. Follow the darkness, as only once you reach the darkest part of the forest will you find the entrance.”
“How will we recognize it?” Eros asked.
“Listen to your heart.” Aston placed a firm hand on Eros’s chest. “That is your best guide now.”
“Will you be safe?”
Aston tilted his head to the side. “Oh, don’t worry about us.” In a quieter voice that only Eros could hear, he added, “We’ll spend the night in the field, then head back across the wetlands to await more of the marked.” He winked.
Eros smiled and clasped Aston’s hand.
They nodded farewell to the old men, thanking them again for their assistance, then proceeded along the path, looking for the opening. The old men watched them for a few moments, then prodded the Eaoz to pull the wagon in the direction of the field.
Chapter 48
The path the marked ones followed grew increasingly steep, requiring effort, especially considering the weight of their packs. Tip enjoyed the hike, leading the others with a lively spring in his step, to which Azetan muttered frequent curses. Prizene struggled with her pack and the steep incline; not long after departing the old men’s company, Tip took her pack with a smile, weathering Azetan’s glare, and now carried it along with his own.
After traveling for a while, the rock face to their left grew ever steeper and more daunting. The sun reflected off the rock, making navigation of the path more difficult. As they rounded the next turn, Tip stopped and said quietly, “This might be the opening.”
The others drew close to him and peered into the fissure in the rock face. The opening wasn’t wide enough for one of them to enter while carrying a pack.
Kenrya ran her hand along the rock. “Nothing seems unusual.”
Tip shed his and Prizene’s packs, as did the others, and prepared to carry them through to the other side. Tip led the group slowly, carrying his own pack in one hand in front of him and Prizene’s in the other behind him. After a few minutes, he lost his grip on Prizene’s pack, which Azetan caught.
“I’ll take Prizene’s pack,” Azetan offered. “Since you’re leading the way, you need to keep your eyes on the path.”
Tip nodded. While his endurance could withstand a twenty-mile run, the strength in his arms was not sufficient to carry two heavy loads in such cramped quarters. As he worked his way through the narrow opening, he reflected once again how lucky he was Prizene had found him and he had joined this group. Like most Liputs, his fighting abilities were limited and his experiences outside Kentish were few, but he hoped the others recognized his willingness to help in whatever way he could. He really belonged here and wanted desperately to continue contributing to their journey. Granted, Kenrya scared him a little, but on the whole, he found the others to be quite pleasant. He worried about his parents, though, his mother in particular. Would the old men send word to their families that they were safe? He shifted small rocks out of the path with his foot. He hoped he would soon hear news about his brother, Sri. Had he managed to survive and join the warriors? Tip dared not ask the old men, after the disapproval he received with his first eager questions. His only hope of news now rested with the training camp.
The opening became harder to navigate as the sun sank lower in the sky. Much of the light was blocked, yet just enough filtered down that the marked ones were able to make it through to the other side of the rock. Once that was accomplished, the others debated the next course of action.
“We should continue until the light grows faint,” Kenrya suggested. “The Graeliths will have crossed the wetlands by now. We can’t waste any daylight we have left.”
Prizene agreed, but added, “I’m finding it very difficult to see. I’m not used to walking in the dim light.”
“Eros, what do you think?” Azetan asked.
“I’ve spent many a night walking in the forest of Kullac, and I suspect that as a child of Banston and one of Kentish, you’re also accustomed to darkness. I agree with Kenrya, we must keep moving until the darkness is absolute.” He turned to Prizene. “Stay close to us and we’ll help you.”
Prizene looked hesitant, but Azetan offered his arm as they continued. Their progress slowed in the diminishing light. After their eyes adjusted, Tip was able to keep them moving at a reasonable pace and even Prizene seemed to find it easier to avoid the gnarled roots and rocks that littered the ground. They walked for several more hours before they realized they were traveling by moonlight and the sun had long ago set.
“We should find somewhere to rest for the night,” Azetan suggested. “We can travel faster in the morning.”
Tip agreed, as did the others. He spied a small cave about ten feet off the ground. After pulling an electric torch from his bag and tucking it in the back of his pants, he climbed a large tree just to the right of the cave. Tip passed the electric torch over the mouth of the cave, noting a flat, clean surface inside, large enough to accommodate the group. He signaled the others and they climbed the tree, using a wide branch to step into the cave. Once settled inside, they unloaded their packs for the night. Tip built a small fire toward the back of the cave and prepared food. Being the youngest of three brothers, he was often conscripted to help his mother in the kitchen and, much to the delight of the others, proved to be an adequate cook.
While Tip prepared the meal, Azetan
kept watch at the mouth of the cave and the others unloaded the packs to assess the contents added by the old men. Kenrya took a full inventory of their supplies while Eros and Prizene watched. She found sufficient food for the rest of the journey, including linoya for Spike, as well as a reasonable quantity of water. They still had almost the full length of rope, thanks to Tip, and several electric torches, blankets, hunting knives, and a few cooking implements provided by the undergrounders. She separated the medical supplies, noting they carried both oil and bandages from the Bruner medic who had treated Tip, as well as several rarer ointments provided by the old men for treating various infections and skin conditions. Kenrya still carried her pulsar, Tip maintained close guard on his laser gun, and Eros had his trusty set of bolas. She counted five swords between them (Azetan carried two), and two long daggers in one of the bags — presumably for Tip once he learned to use them. She dug a pack of klen scales out of Tip’s bag, which made Prizene squeal in delight. Tip quickly squelched her enthusiasm by refusing her any of them. Finally, Kenrya found a flute, a mystical pendant, a spade, and a horn.
The spade was for digging linoya, she supposed. Presumably the flute was to control creatures like the quasm, though certainly one of them would need to practice. Then they turned to the pendant and the horn.
Prizene picked up the pendant and traced her finger across both sides of it. “I’ve not seen such a beautiful pendant before. The detail is stunning. This side shows a picture of a winged creature that looks a bit like the mark, and the other side shows a little troll-like creature. I wonder why they gave us this?”
When Kenrya held out her hand, Prizene passed the pendant to her. Kenrya studied it as well. “This is unlike the pendants in the grand market … much heavier with an elaborate design. I agree the winged creature resembles the mark.” Holding it near the fire, she added, “I think it even has a reddish hue. Eros, you mentioned spending a lot of time in the marketplace. What do you think?”
She passed the pendant to Eros. As his fingers brushed the edge of the pendant, a light flashed and the pendant fell to the floor of the cave.
“Did you see that?” Prizene asked excitedly.
“It was a light,” Kenrya replied cautiously. She picked up the pendant, which remained dull and dark. Why would it react to Eros’s touch like that? She raised her eyes to Eros with a searching look.
Eros shrugged. He held out his hand, palm up this time, for Kenrya to pass the pendant to him more carefully. She leaned toward him and placed the pendant flat in his palm. At first, nothing happened. Then the pendant started glowing dimly, as though heated from the inside out. Gradually the light amplified, until the pendant glowed brightly in Eros’s palm. Kenrya watched in fascination as the designs on the pendant actually appeared to be moving. Eros’s breathing quickened as he continued to stare at the glowing trinket. Kenrya was about to take it from him, but he tightened his hand around it and closed his eyes. Confusion and concern danced across his face. He opened his hand and dropped the pendant onto the floor, his breathing erratic, his brow covered in sweat.
They stared at the pendant for a few moments as its light dimmed.
“What happened?” Prizene asked.
Eros wiped his brow, “I don’t know. I could feel ... something. Like … a raging battle between hope and despair. I could almost see something, but not clearly.” He rubbed his hands across his face and through his hair.
He seemed to be holding something back. Kenrya reached out and picked up the pendant, holding it flat in her palm. Nothing happened. She looked at Eros, who only shrugged. Kenrya said, “I’ll wear this for now, until we understand what it is.” She was concerned about allowing Eros to carry it, given its uncanny effect on him. She attached a thin rope to the pendant and tied it around her neck.
Then she picked up the horn. It was about twelve inches long, less than an inch in diameter at one end and about three inches in diameter at the other. It was made of a natural substance, perhaps the bone of an animal, and was off-white in color. There was a slight curve from one end to the other. Like the pendant, the horn displayed an elaborate design. She analyzed the details by the firelight.
“What is it?” Prizene looked over her shoulder.
“I’m not certain. The landscape is barren, except for these massive mountains here. Look, there are dwellings of some sort in the mountains.” She turned it over. “This is interesting, too. It looks like a shrine or holy place. That’s some sort of altar, I think.”
“Interesting. I wonder why the old men gave it to us.”
“They must have thought it will be useful. I doubt they would have parted with it otherwise.” She found a cloth and wrapped the horn to protect it.
The bags were repacked to ensure they were ready for the next day. Most of the items were divided evenly among the packs, with some exceptions: Prizene carried the linoya and the spade; Tip the daggers, klen scales, and the flute, since he claimed to have some musical talent and had studied Chimsey’s playing during the quasm attack on Prizene earlier that day; Kenrya the medical supplies and the pendant; Azetan the horn; and Eros the rope.
Prizene pulled Spike from her pocket and fed him a piece of linoya root. Kenrya examined his back leg, pleased to find the wound had almost healed. By the next day, she declared, Spike should have full use of his leg. He stretched gingerly and curled up in Prizene’s lap.
After their meal, the others settled in for the night. Eros walked to the mouth of the cave and rested on the ledge with his back to the rock wall. Dark images plagued his thoughts. What was it about that pendant? He feared sleep would not be easy. The Graeliths felt close, closer than they had hoped. Maybe he should have shared that with the others, but he didn’t understand the pendant or the feelings it created.
After a while, Kenrya joined him. She sat next to him and rested her back against the rock. “You held something back, something about the pendant.”
Eros stared into the darkness, then glanced at Kenrya. He took a deep breath. “They’re coming for us. I felt them.”
“We both know this, Eros. We have from the start.”
“No, this was different.” He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. “I could feel their hatred, their anger. They blame us.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. I just felt it.”
“Why do you suppose the pendant reacted to you and not the rest of us?”
Eros shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the Thelios.”
“The Thelios?”
“There was a Thelios man named Jbetl that frequented our village. My mother was always pleased to see him and he spent many hours training me, teaching me, telling me stories. I never knew my father and Jbetl was as close as I came to having one. From what Arith told me, Theliosse have unusual abilities. My mother never told me this, nor did Jbetl, which is strange. They both taught me to notice little things about species, their habits, their abilities. They explained these things to me and helped me understand why each species was unique, their strengths, their weaknesses.”
“I heard you tell some of this to Arith, but not the part about the Thelios. They were training you for this future.”
“Yes.” Eros nodded. “My grandfather was a fierce warrior, well respected. My mother believed I would be marked. They ensured I was ready.”
Kenrya watched Eros closely for a moment, then asked the question he had dared not answered. “So, you believe this Thelios was your father?”
Eros laid his head back against the rock and closed his eyes. “If he was my father, why keep it a secret from me? Why would he live elsewhere?”
“Eros, many fear the Theliosse. If he was your father, perhaps they thought it wise not to have others link him to you. I never knew any Theliosse and most have disappeared, but I understand they were quite kind-hearted. Unfortunately, they were frequently ridiculed by other species for their less-than-desirable appearance. You do
n’t resemble a Thelios at all, though.”
“Arith seemed to know about genetics. He said Thelios genes were recessive to most species. I might not look like Jbetl even if he were my father.”
“Interesting,” Kenrya replied. “Arith studied genetics with a well-educated mentor. I guess he would know.”
“Did he ever have an opinion on your strong medical skills?” At Kenrya’s confused reaction, Eros explained, “You have a real talent for healing others. A strong skill in certain species, though I don’t believe it’s a trait common among the Arlians.”
“Well,” she said with some hesitation, “I don’t believe it’s genetic, Eros. I saw a Gaela persecuted one time, and afterwards, I volunteered to assist any medic treating an undergrounder or anyone else we helped. If I had known what to do, I might have saved the Gaela’s life. I don’t want to feel that helplessness again.”
There was something new in Kenrya’s voice, a compassion he dared not acknowledge, given her prior reaction to any recognition of her emotions. Instead, he merely stared into the darkness and let the silence linger between them.
Then he asked, “When you helped me in the alleyway, you used a weapon that made a zapping sound. What was that?”
“The long metal wand among my belongings? It’s my pulsar. It emits an electric shock. If applied to limbs, it numbs them. If applied to a creature’s spine, it renders them temporarily paralyzed. It was particularly useful in the city when I could jump out of the shadows and surprise someone — not so useful in hand-to-hand battles.”
“I’ve never seen one before, though I had heard of them. Where did you find it?”
She shrugged. “I really don’t remember, Eros.”
Again, the silence stretched between them. Kenrya continued, “What do you think our chances are of reaching the training camp?”
The Journey of the Marked (The Miyran Heir Book 1) Page 20