by Matthew Ward
They approached an overhang, and Maedc broke away from the group to look out at this foreign world. His chest constricted from the beauty of the view. There were many mountains, all much closer than he realized. From this height, he felt level with their tops. They had seemed to tower over him on the journey out of Talamir.
He could see clouds, but they were all below him. Maedc’s legs almost gave out with a sudden weakness from the height. The white foam obscured the bottom of the other mountains. He needed to remember to ask them if the other mountains had people in them when he could communicate better.
He returned to the group, and they moved together once more. All of a sudden, all three stopped in unison. Maedc knew better than to move or speak. He strained to see or hear anything different about this place. He watched in the same general direction as the men. Maedc noticed a slight movement in the distant trees. Then it emerged. The animal they had seen so many weeks before with its horned head and graceful movement.
Ktkl moved his hands out in front of him toward the animal. He pulsed his arms forward and back, forward and back. The animal let out a howl, and Ktkl screamed back. The other men raised their arms and also began the pulsing motion toward the animal.
In mere seconds, it collapsed. The three men cheered and ran over to the dead animal. Maedc couldn’t move out of fright. Had Ktkl, a seemingly ordinary person, just pulled all the spior out of the animal so that it died? How could ordinary people have such power? Maedc had barely wrapped his mind around Tkz being able to do this to a human, but at least he was consoled by the idea that Tkz got to his Ruler position with this power. If all people of the First Age had this amount of control over spior, they would be able to live forever.
Ktkl called to Maedc, and he finally broke free of the fear. He needed to examine the animal, but by the time Maedc made it over to the men, they had already begun to use their tools to cut the dead body into pieces. Maedc watched the blood flow from the animal and felt like throwing up. It was amazing they had developed such a tolerance for the sight and smell that they could work and chat as if nothing strange was going on.
The ground turned a deep crimson and covered the men’s clothing. Maedc stayed far enough away to avoid the splashes of blood. He had only brought one extra robe with him and didn’t want this one ruined. The sounds were perhaps the worst aspect. The chopping made a disgusting slurp through the flesh and crack through the bone. He turned away and walked through the woods to forget about it.
After a time, Ktkl yelled and Maedc realized he needed to return. Once they had divided the beast up into manageable chunks, they put the pieces into bags with straps. Each slung a bag over their back, and Ktkl handed one to Maedc. Maedc tried not to think about what was in the bag, but he could feel the warmth and mush slide along his body as he shifted his weight to take each step.
The journey back to the mountain entrance took far too long. When they reached it, they brought the meat to one of the eating tiers, where they dropped it off at a fire pit for a cook to prepare the food. Maedc freed himself from the group, and went to tell Tumr his latest findings. One mystery solved: he knew where the food came from. Several new mysteries opened: could everyone in the First Age break all the laws of spior?
XVII
For all the frustration that Eidr experienced in coming to see spior, his skills at moving it progressed rapidly. He spent a lot of time alone over those weeks, and he liked to travel back to the town center to try infusing herbs in people’s gardens with grass spior.
Eidr came up with a full training regimen, and it was hard at first. But as the weeks went by, moving spior became second nature. He had no idea what it was like to go train at the school with people who had the Talent, but he imagined it was this easy for them as well. At the slightest effort, he saw and moved spior. He often walked around being able to see it, because he always had the proper frame of mind.
One day, Eidr sat alone in the church and decided to try the unthinkable. It started more as a game or a challenge to himself. He had become bored with moving spior from focal point to focal point. He decided he would try to move spior through a non-focal point and move it like with unlike.
The game seemed almost comical at first. He pulled some spior from the dirt floor of the church and tried to move it into the mianl to brighten the lights slightly. Eidr barely noticed how he had to cup his mind around the spior to keep it together. He was able to pull from all across the floor at once, and push it en masse at the mianl lighting fixtures. It bounced away just as he knew it would, and he let it return to the soil.
He tried to be more focused this time. The game turned from silliness to determination. He felt something burn deep inside him. He could do this. He had overcome so many things that people told him he couldn’t do.
He pulled a small, focused ball this time and pushed toward the closest light. As the ball was about to hit the light, Eidr focused on molding the spior to feel more like the spior that came from the mianl. The ball merged into the mianl, and the light brightened. Eidr gasped—he had broken the most fundamental law of spior.
He shook in terror for a moment. Maybe he hallucinated the whole thing. He needed to try again to make sure. He pulled the excess spior from the light and sent it toward the soil. Before it got there, he molded it back into the feel of soil. The spior went into the dirt as if he had merely moved it there from another patch of soil. This couldn’t be happening. What else was possible?
Eidr walked to clear his head. He moved to a large grass field outside the Third Ring. He wanted to try something even more daring this time. Spior could be moved from focal point to focal point regardless of likeness. This much was certain. Eidr hadn’t ever tried to pull spior out of his body, but he felt it in there, a moving life force. He understood the subtleties that made it unique to his body.
Eidr pulled spior from the grass. He let it hover in front of his body then cupped his mind around it to mold it into the type of spior that existed inside of him. He let the spior drift toward his body, worried what this experiment might mean if it worked. As it got near him, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.
The spior sank into him like a drop of water into the river. A hot flash rushed through Eidr’s body as it took on this extra life force. His skin hummed with a deep, loving sensation. Eidr wanted to sing and dance at the overwhelming joy coursing through his body. Then it died down, and he had to figure out what this all meant.
He had possibly extended his own life by several years. He had no context for this sort of thing. The only reason society worked the way it did was because no one had the power to do this. They’d be able to live forever. They could possibly kill people by stealing their spior. Eidr dropped to the ground and rolled to his back to watch the sky. He wanted to be upset, but the joyous sensation given by the extra spior lingered.
He walked home. Eidr needed to tell someone. He knew he could trust Conl with his life, but this was something different. He didn’t think someone in Conl’s position would be able to handle, or even believe, this news.
His parents were the only ones who came to mind. He needed to ask Conl for a break to go visit them and see what they thought about it. The people in that village were outside the system, so it was a safer place to disclose the information.
When he entered the dwelling, Conl was giving private council to a community member. Eidr waited outside until the meeting ended. His mind had numbed. He still couldn’t shake the idea that something terrible beyond his comprehension had caused all of this. It all started with the man in the black robe.
Conl peeked out.
He asked, “Did you want to talk?”
“Yes. I’ll be brief. I know I’ve only been here a few months, but I need to take a leave to go see my parents.”
“May I ask why?”
“I just need to. Please don’t make this hard. I’ve been doing well—completing my studies. I just want to see them and find out if they’re okay with this thing the
y’re doing.”
Conl dropped his head in thought. He said, “Fine. You’re ahead of schedule, so I guess it won’t hurt anything.”
“You said you knew where they were. Can you help me get to them?”
“It’s a long journey for someone your age to make alone.”
“I can handle it.”
“Follow the river out to the Ninth Ring. The first village on the river is Talamir sanctioned. The next one out in the direction of sunset is where they will be.”
“Thank you.”
Conl squatted down and hugged Eidr. “Just remember, I went through this as well. It will get easier. I promise. You just have to promise me you’ll return. You’re going to make a great Aithr.”
“I promise to return.”
But Eidr didn’t feel sincere. He had no idea how this ability would affect his life. With that, he went into his room and packed for the journey. He returned with his sack. Conl gave him some food to pack, which would last the trip, and he waved goodbye.
~
The journey was as Conl said. He had no need to worry about food or water, having packed it and travelling along the river. Eidr got strange stares as he passed through each Ring. In the Sixth Ring, a woman approached him with a concerned look on her face. She asked, “Are you lost honey? I can help you find your mother.”
Eidr didn’t feel his age. He had seen too many things and learned of the horrors of the world. He often forgot he still looked his age, a mere child. He managed to get to the Ninth Ring and moved around the sparse buildings. He found it hard to believe people called this a village. He eventually arrived at the next village, which looked much more populated.
His heart beat faster as he neared. He wondered if his mother was pregnant, and if so, how far along she was. Maybe he could arrange to stay long enough to meet the child. He had spent his whole life knowing he would be an only child. It only now occurred to him that he would be blessed with a type of family member that almost no one this generation got to experience: a sibling.
Eidr picked up the pace and entered the village. Almost immediately, an older woman rushed up to him. She seemed less concerned that he was a lost child and more concerned with the fact that some outsider had wandered into what ought to have been secured premises. Eidr explained who he was, and the woman relaxed. She walked him to the dwelling that his parents lived in.
He took in the sight for a few moments. They had never been rich, but this dwelling horrified him. It looked hobbled together out of mud and could only possibly have one room in it. Eidr stood in awe of his parents’ bravery to come live like this to fulfill their dream.
He knocked on the door, wondering how this surprise visit would strike them. Eidr’s father came to the door and gasped in surprise. The initial look of panic turned to joy in a matter of heartbeats.
“Eidr, what are you doing here?”
“I needed to get away for a bit. It’s okay. I’m going back. Conl approved it.”
“Come in. Please, let’s get you some food.”
Eidr entered. The interior was drab but not as scary as the exterior. It felt small and cozy and homely. There were almost no possessions except for a small table and the cooking pit. They really did give up a lot to be able to do this. A strange young man came out of a back room. He wore a green robe. An herbalist was living with them?
Naethr said, “Eidr, this is Drystn. He’s been living with us.”
Eidr said, “Nice to meet you. Are you a real herbalist?”
Drystn replied, “Yes. I am the herbalist for the village.” His face softened. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Eidr didn’t know what to make of this. He considered this might be an opportunity to show someone what he could do. He would know a lot more about the theory behind everything and might be able to explain it. Maybe they had learned about this in secret at the school.
Eidr said, “No offense, but why are you here? You could go anywhere.”
Naethr said, “Hey. That’s rude. Apologize immediately.”
Eidr cowered. “Sorry. You’re right. People have their reasons.”
Naethr continued, “Plus he has quite the story to tell. We’ll get to that later. Why don’t we go find your mother? She’ll be so happy you’re here.”
They wandered the village until they found Ahl speaking to another pregnant woman out in her garden. Ahl heard the people approach and turned. Eidr almost burst into tears at the sight of pure joy on his mother’s face. She ran over to him and hugged him.
She said, “What on Talamir are you doing here? Please don’t tell me you made the journey on your own.”
Eidr said, “That’s a long story. All that matters right now is that I had to come.”
“What? Is everything okay? Did something happen to Conl?”
“No. It’s nothing like that. Don’t worry about it right now.”
They all returned to the house and started to make preparations for where Eidr would sleep. Ahl took charge. She had a glow that commanded attention from the rest of the family. She bustled from one end of the dwelling to the other, grabbing various foodstuffs and piling them on the table. Pangs of nostalgia ran through Eidr as he recalled their family cooking back in the Third Ring.
Ahl said, “Eidr, why don’t you start peeling these roots. Drystn, you can get the water going. Naethr, honey, you can chop these vegetables. I’ll get the herbs and stock ready for the stew.”
The workers set off on their tasks. They came together as one unit and felt a closeness without the need for words. Once the initial preparations died down and the stew was going full force, Drystn retold his story for Eidr to hear. As he listened, he knew that he had to tell Drystn of his powers, but he wasn’t sure he could trust him yet.
Drystn also had the power to observe spior, so he could prove to Drystn that he wasn’t lying. His parents might not even believe him without someone to confirm it. The stew finished and everyone ate vigorously. Eidr didn’t realize how wonderful cooked food would taste after a mere two days without it.
Everyone lazed about after finishing the meal, content and happy to be in each other’s company. They spoke idly about Eidr’s studies, and periodically, Drystn would interject with some of his own training. Naethr and Ahl looked pleased that the two got along so well. They retired to bed early.
A rumble jerked Eidr awake. The quake felt strong, but he didn’t fear it initially. Then it got worse.
Ahl yelled, “Everybody out. It’s a big one.”
Their small group clambered along the shaking ground to the safer exterior. The ground shoved Eidr over, and he lay helplessly on his back as the next dwelling caved in.
Naethr yelled, “We have to help. They’re probably still in there.”
Eidr tried to turn to get up, but when he put his hand back, the ground was no longer there. He fell back and heard a loud pop. Only then did a searing pain jolt through his shoulder. Drystn worked his way over, managing to stay on his feet.
“You’ve dislocated it. I’ll help as soon as this stops.”
Eidr cried out in pain. Drystn plopped down and held Eidr’s shoulder to keep it from moving in the shake.
Eidr turned in time to see his dad disappear into the rubble.
Ahl yelled, “Naethr. Wait until it’s over. It’s too dangerous.”
Eidr couldn’t believe this was happening. He had just reunited with his family. Now he couldn’t help but feel he had caused the world to collapse around him by violating the laws of spior.
The shaking ended, and Drystn didn’t wait for Eidr’s approval. Another sharp pain and crack came from his shoulder. The village had turned to carnage in so little time. Eidr saw smoke, and realized a dwelling in the distance had caught on fire. The moon was out, but the darkness made it hard to assess the damage.
Drystn said, “I need your help. I’m the herbalist here. People are going to come to me, but I can’t help everyone at once. I need you to do tria
ge. Do you know what that is?”
“No.”
“As people come, you need to ask questions to find out how badly they need help. Assign them to a group. Group one means they will die without immediate help. Those come into the house as soon as they get here. Group two means they need help, but it can wait. Those come in once all of group one has been helped. Group three means I can help them, but they don’t really need it. Your shoulder hurts, so I can help with painkilling tea, but you’ll be fine without it. You’re group three. Get it?”
Eidr couldn’t speak. How could Drystn remain so calm in this moment? This was too much responsibility. Moans came from the distance. He also heard crying.
Drystn said, “Hey. Answer. We have to do this. I’ll have your parents help you as soon as they can. But they’re helping in other ways right now.”
Eidr shook himself. “I can do it.”
“Good. I’m going to go start some teas I know we’ll need.”
Already, Eidr saw a few people moving toward their dwelling. It would be a long night. Eidr shuddered again. What if he made the wrong decision and someone died because of him? He didn’t want the responsibility of deciding who got help.
Drystn disappeared into the dwelling, and Eidr followed him in. He realized now was the time to tell him about what he could do. He might be able to help people with it. Drystn already had several teas brewing, and he crouched over one more.
Eidr gently touched Drystn’s shoulder and whispered, “Drystn.”
Drystn grumbled something, lost in concentration.
Eidr continued, “This is serious. I need to show you something.”
He said, “Can’t it wait? You have to be at the door when people arrive.”
“No. Trust me. You’ll want to see this.”
Drystn looked annoyed, but Eidr didn’t care. They crossed the rooms to get outside. Once they were outside, Drystn spoke with more force.
He asked, “What is it?”
Eidr said, “I have the Talent. I can move spior—”