The Focus Stone (The Tome of Law Book 1)

by Matthew W. Harrill

  At some point, several of the warriors who had accompanied them appeared from nowhere in particular, and greeted Joleen warmly, clearly relieved to see that she was safe. An extra greeting was saved for Malcolm, who had slept late. The huge man entered the common room to a near cheer from the warriors, who remembered him from the merchants' village, and was quietly introduced to Belyn, who was nearly as big as the man himself.

  Using money Belyn produced as if from nowhere, they bought the extra horses needed for the group. All told, there were fifteen of them, a sizeable party. They rode out into the bitter wind of the pass, waiting for a few moments while Raoul caught up.

  “What was that about, my Lord?” said Keldron half-mockingly.

  Raoul's eyes flashed, but he regained his composure, determined not to let the jibes of his old friend get to him. “Just a little goodbye; a promise to one day pass by and receive more of the ultimate hangover cure.”

  Keldron looked around. It was already winter here, and the snow on the surrounding peaks had begun to build on the lower slopes. It was a clear day though, one of those bright days in winter when the sky seemed as clear as water and the world just seemed to reach up and touch it. The sun was fiery and alive, though little of its heat was able to actually affect them in this environment. The glare from the surrounding snow was near blinding, but when they looked ahead and down the trail that led out of the pass, shadows lengthened where the sun had not yet touched them. The merest hint of a cloud showed its presence to the extreme west of them, although it may have just been the darkness of the sky. The city that filled the pass with its one huge roof was a mere shadow in the glare of sunlight as they looked back to the east. Raoul did not see the maid watching him until he passed out of eye's view. The air was cold, but it smelled of the freshness only found in alpine air.

  Keldron breathed in deeply, enjoying the aroma. “Ahhh, this is the best cure for Brandy I have found,” he said grandly. “Never has there been such a sight to behold.”

  Raoul looked on. It was true; they had rarely seen a sight such as this. As the sun rose behind them, it flooded the countryside ahead. The long shadows of the mountains moved gracefully back at them as if to find a final refuge amongst the enormous peaks for the remainder of the day. It was as if the lowland's life was springing up in an instant. Every so often, various members of their group would just stop to watch. These were mostly the tribesmen, though the wizards also found it impressive.

  “Never have I seen so much land,” one of the warriors in front was heard to murmur. “It goes on forever.”

  Raoul remembered that none of them had seen sights such as this. Though their own forest was beautiful, and the very soul of tranquillity, it had only so many scenes of beauty. There was still a whole world for these people to discover. Raoul wondered how many of the others stopped and marvelled at nature's beauty as they passed this way, and then said a silent prayer to Jettiba hoping they were safe from harm in the lowlands.

  Belyn, evidently, had had enough of waiting. He had stopped ahead, and was waiting for them to catch up with him. “Okay, stranger,” the big man said to Keldron. “Now, do you want to tell us what happened, and why you have been keeping silent about everything?”

  Keldron looked back up the pass. The rocks were grey and barren, and there was nothing on the road except for themselves. It was late enough in the season as it was, and most people had warned them they might get caught in an early winter blizzard. Keldron looked back at his friends. “Joleen and myself decided long before we reached the pass that we would wait with caution, for we knew not how the situation would be. There are many strange goings on in the world, and many ears listening where you would not expect. It seems safe enough now though,” he said, and then proceeded to tell, with occasional help from Joleen, the story of their escape from the forest.

  Much pondering was given to the identity of creature, which had caused such them so much fear. It was acknowledged by every tribesman and woman there that the focus that sustained the heart of the forest had been profoundly affected by whatever force had exploded over the valley. Listening intently, they barely noticed when they rode out of the chilly pass and onto the plains of Eastern Ardicum, so rapt were they all.

  As they rode out onto the grassland with the coldness of the mountainous winter receding to the East, Joleen told of how they had escaped the army. Much laughter resulted from the exaggerated tales of Keldron's injury, though everyone was glad that he was safe. The warriors all listened closely and spoke with reverence when they heard of how the forest had protected them from the army passing by. It was clear that the forest heart still exuded considerable influence over the entire region, though it was widely debated how long that would last.

  Raoul listened, debated, and mainly rubbed his hands. Astride the dopey brown horse he had been given, there was not much that he could do about the numbness in his feet, but he could certainly try to rub the circulation back into his hands.

  They rode late into the evening, and now, sitting around a camp-fire with plenty of food cooked by Malcolm, and just a shot of brandy, Keldron continued. The wall he had erected caused much debate between the three wizards, with Belyn steadfastly refusing to believe that anybody could expend so much energy and concentration for so long.

  They slept under the shadow of the great mountain chain with just the stars and the noises of various night creatures for company. The following morning, Keldron and Belyn decided to conduct an experiment along the road. There was nobody for as far as the eye could see, and so Keldron brought forth the very same stone that he had used to form the wall so long ago in the forest. As he closed his eyes and concentrated on the focus, Raoul also felt the tingling feeling.

  Belyn was concentrating almost as much as Keldron, and was busy scribbling in the small notebook he always carried with him.

  “Done,” said Keldron, looking around urgently. Fortunately everybody was together on one side.

  “And you think this wall of yours will last as far as the eye can see?” Belyn asked with a great deal of scepticism.

  “I do. Now follow it until you can get around the end and prove whether I am right or wrong.”

  Belyn grinned. “This will not take long, brother mine,” he said, climbing onto his horse, riding over until it looked like he was leaning against an invisible barrier. “I will be back soon, friends, I promise you.” He took off towards the East, with his hand placed lightly against nothing that could be seen.

  Yerdu looked after him, and then walked over to where he had moved the horses. She put her hand out, and it knocked against what looked to be thin air. As she moved her hands along the invisible wall, the russet form of Belyn disappeared into the distance. “It is real. I can feel it, and I can push against it, but I cannot move it.”

  Drawn by Yerdu's curiosity, some of the others joined her, nudging their horses up against the invisible barrier, and poking weapons at it. Raoul peered into the distance, trying to see some sign of Belyn, but saw only the dust kicked up by his horse. “I'm amazed that you managed this, Kel. Where did you find the focus?” Keldron drew forth the rock he had used and handed it to his friend. It was grey, and had no particular special features. Raoul peered closely. “Mudstone?”

  Keldron nodded. “It was part of the cliff. When I fell I ended up quite a ways down, yet the rock was the same all of the way. I gathered a few pieces up but they were mostly lost and I just have this one now.”

  “So do you know how high it goes?”

  Keldron peered up into the clear sky. There was no shimmering of any type, nothing to give away the fact that there was an impenetrable barrier formed right alongside them. “No, I have no idea actually,” Keldron admitted. “As before, I just concentrated on length. If it turns out anything like I hope it does, Belyn should have found the end by now.”

  Malcolm, so quiet for most of the day, suddenly pointed to the sky. “Look, up there.”

  They followed his gaze, and the d
irection he was pointing, perhaps a hundred or so yards off. There, sat as if perched on a branch about thirty feet up in the air, was a small bird, chattering away. Raoul chuckled.

  “What's so funny?” Keldron asked.

  “I'm glad it isn't the nest-building season. That bird would have a bit of a problem when its nest drops out from under it otherwise. Still, at least we know how high the barrier is now.”

  Keldron looked thoughtfully in the direction of the invisible barrier. “I am sure it didn't reach that height before. The trees were steeply sloping, but I am sure that the barrier cut through none of them.”

  Raoul stiffened, and looked up. “It could do such a thing? If it were used in a particular way, it would stand against everything we follow. It would shatter the old law to pieces if our own magic was used for such destructive purposes.”

  “There is a difference between intent and deed, though old friend,” Keldron countered. They had been having this argument for years. “What if the barrier I created back in the forest chopped a branch off of a tree but saved our lives? The intent is pure, though the deed was not, but not by design.”

  “But the branch of a tree is no less precious in the scheme of things than you or I,” Raoul argued.

  There was the sound of a horse coming from a distance down the road. They turned to look. Belyn could be seen in the distance, on the other side of the barrier, bent over his horse as it galloped at a dead run towards them. A mere moment behind, several more horses with riders came into view. As the party of people looked on, Belyn started yelling things at them from a distance, waving his arms like a madman. It took a moment to register what was happening, but as soon as they saw one of the men brandishing a sword, they feared the worst.

  “Quick, we have to find the end of this barrier,” said Keldron, and as one they turned their horses and galloped in the same direction as Belyn and his pursuers. As fast as they were riding though, they did not account for the sheer speed of those on the other side of the barrier. Belyn soon passed them, urging them on with a huge sweep of his arm. He was followed closely by the gang of armed men, who, all big and burly, glared at the group trying to keep pace with them. One man sneered at them, a great ugly brute of a fellow with a scar running from his right eye socket to his chin. He reached out with a great scimitar, and tried to hack at Raoul, who visibly flinched, even though the sword had no effect as it bounced harmlessly off of the barrier. The man sneered again, pointing at Raoul, and then rode on.

  They tried their best to keep up, but the men on the other side had larger, stronger horses and soon outdistanced them. In the middle of the mad rush to aid Belyn, Keldron too was outdistancing them, though he had the same breed of horse as they did. The tribesmen ranged out in front at various distances, and as the gallop continued, Raoul tried to yell something to him.

  “What?” Keldron yelled back.

  Raoul moved his horse closer to Keldron's and yelled again. “Get your hands on a stone. Whatever you have. When we clear the barrier focus, cast whatever you can at that bunch of ruffians.”

  Keldron nodded silently, and reached inside his robes. He had a couple of stones somewhere, but the only one that came to hand was the rock he had used to create the barrier.

  They tried desperately to keep pace with the mob chasing Belyn, but still they drew further ahead and it was obvious to Belyn that their horses were not going to be able to carry on at this pace for much longer. They had ridden for perhaps a mile when Keldron felt something different about his surroundings. Reaching out, he tried to feel the solid barrier, but all he could touch was air streaming in between his fingers. Raoul looked over, and his reactions mirrored Keldron's.

  “Now!” They both shouted towards the racing warriors in front. Several of the warriors unhitched bows from their shoulders and notched arrows. None of the mob in front even looked around. They were still pursuing Belyn with a dogged tenacity that was to be their undoing; they were yet to notice that the barrier was no longer there.

  Raoul rose, albeit very nervously, in his saddle, holding out a cube of stone in front of him whilst trying to concentrate. Keldron felt the slightest whisper of Raoul's concentration as he tried his crazy stunt. Quite suddenly, one of the horses a ways ahead stumbled, and the rider was thrown literally sideways out of the saddle. At the same time, the tribesmen loosed a flight of arrows, each one taking one of the mob in the back, square between the shoulder blades. This caught the attention of the rest of them, who slowed and turned. Seeing the advance behind, they left Belyn fleeing and charged back towards them, yelling something incomprehensible as they did so.

  Keldron decided to see if he could duplicate Raoul's efforts. Holding the mudstone in front of him, he imagined the ground to be the same level as the heads of the charging horsemen, and then imagined another barrier, about twenty yards in front of them. Not a large barrier, but just enough to block the road. He concentrated, using the stone's properties to magnify his will. He had never done anything so hard before in his life. Normally, focussing was second nature to him as he had been doing it for years. But now there were a million distractions: the laboured breathing of his horse, the rush of the autumn wind, the constant motion. All conspired to make him constantly readjust his focus.

  When he eventually released it, he slumped over in his saddle, exhausted. His horse trailed off from the rest as it sensed that he was no longer guiding it. Joleen pulled her horse back to be with him despite the fact that Yerdu charged on. There was no immediate effect as a result of Keldron's focus. The assailants charged towards them yelling mindlessly, and the tribesmen charged back, loosing arrows. But without warning, the men, who had fanned out and were charging abreast, suddenly flew backwards as they were knocked senseless by the invisible wall that Keldron had placed in front of them.

  The horses charged on for a second, the fact that their riders were no longer on them had not registered. Gradually they began to comprehend this fact though, and milled around, some nibbling at the turf beneath them. The sudden lack of opponents left the group feeling somewhat cheated. The tribesmen were versed in the properties of their companions well enough to accept this fact with grace. Joleen dismounted, and walked across to the inanimate forms of their would-be attackers. The large men had been knocked completely senseless by the invisible barrier. They lay sprawled in heaps, many with their eyes rolled up into the backs of their heads. One of them had landed badly and broken his neck. His eyes were open and he lay there staring at the sky. Joleen closed his eyes with a look of compassion on her face. She picked up the sword he had been carrying, and hefted it a couple of times. “What does this mean?” she asked of everybody within earshot.

  Keldron walked over and looked at the sword she still had a hold of. It was plain and unadorned with anything save a leather grip. “A standard broadsword. The type that many in the city wear. Those who have these can seldom afford much more than this. It is commonly used by mercenaries.”

  “What are those?” Joleen enquired of him. He forgot that although he knew her very well, there was still so much that she did not know about the world at large. “Mercenaries are the type of people who sell their swords to the highest bidder.” Joleen looked confused. “They are for hire. People pay money for these people to do their bidding. If someone pays them enough, they will kill you just because that someone has asked them to.”

  As Joleen began to comprehend what Keldron was talking about, a look of horror came over her face. “Surely people could not do such a thing. It is against everything we have ever been taught.”

  Keldron thought back to their flight through the forest. “The people who chased us through the forest those months back were probably the same All those who you dealt with in the village on the cliff were probably the same. You see, there are those who believe the Old Law is corrupt, and outdated. They seek to make their own law, a law based around money. This you would never have heard of because of your isolation in the forest. Those who you traded wi
th would have gone to great lengths to conceal anything other than sincerity from you. You would never have known that they were mostly bought and paid-for types.”

  The enormity of all of this was settling over Joleens shoulders like a shroud. “But who would pay for such people? And why would anybody want to attack us?

  “Merchants probably, and those who associate with them. Now don't get me wrong dear, there may have been a fair number of the people who traded with you who were right and honest. We know however that there were also those who were not, and we have ample evidence of that. We know that there were rumours in Eskenberg of merchants showing an unhealthy interest in soldiers for hire around the time we had to leave. There is also the impaling on your people; and why would anybody want to do that, or for what possible reason a merchant would have for spreading such rumours?”

  “So, how do we find this out?” Joleen asked, her face intent.

  “We go to a city and search for the source of the rumours,” answered Raoul. “What if there are none? What if the rumours are from your own city?”

  Raoul chuckled. “Despite it's size, Eskenberg is a city of only minor importance in the workings of the world. It is true that it is at the joining point of two great rivers, and the only city on Lake Eskebeth, but the real power is held in the coastal cities, especially the three on the Western Peninsulas. If any rumour of that size has reached Eskenberg, it is sure to have passed through one of the major three first. If any of this has anything to do with merchants, our best bet is to look in one of those three cities. It is there that they have the most power, and they can spread their 'what-ifs' as far as their money will take them, which is very far indeed.”

  They heard a horse approach, and looked up to see Belyn returning on a beast that was not the one he left with. It was one of the bigger horses that the mercenaries had been using. He reined in, and then almost jumped from the saddle with a whoop of delight. “What a ride that was!”