“It would have been in vain,” Zelin’s face showed wrinkles of empathy. “For there are none now alive who can heal what was done to her. Her mind—one of the three critical components that makes one a sentient being, was destroyed. I know of no way to bring it back.”
“She is not all gone,” Dalin countered. “I saw a splinter of hope the first time I saw her. Afterwards, I began to doubt if I had but imagined it—but I know it is there for I saw it again today!”
“This talk of long lost love is all very touching,” Yvonne said, looking not one bit moved. “But none of it explains why she would attack Alahim.”
“She certainly would have done no such thing while she was herself,” Dalin said, ignoring Yvonne’s rebuke. “What I saw tonight was only a small part of her mind. I saw also a cold, calculating malice there. It is not unlike looking into the eyes of…”
“A skull knight,” Fientien finished. “But she was not one. She does not have the look of one. Perhaps she is the one controlling them? That would explain why she rode with them on the Plain of Higeria”
“Her mind is not her own,” Zelin gently reminded. “And she did not have the air of a sorceress. I would have sensed it when we were so close. No, she is no less a pawn than the skull knights. Someone is manipulating her mind.”
Tarthur and Derlin traded a glance.
“But he was defeated,” Tarthur insisted.
Everyone looked at him sharply.
“No, not Darhyn,” he began to elaborate.
“It was a wizard who could control people’s minds,” Derlin finished. “He lived in the village of Freeton, and forced the citizens to appear to go about their daily lives. In the night, he stole their life. I don’t really know what he did to them. None would ever speak of it again.”
“We would have passed on by,” Tarthur continued, “but as we were leaving the Rune Sword flared up and burned away the deception…the Rune Sword!” he cried, grabbing the ancient weapon from the wagon. He drew the blade with a scraping against the scabbard and held it up to the firelight. It reflected the flames back, but held no glow of its own. “I felt nothing from it when she was here.”
“He must be dead,” Derlin concluded. “Or, at least he is not the one controlling her. Maybe she is acting on her own. She couldn’t get into the Vale before so now she wants to use Alahim to get there.”
“No,” Dalin argued. “This is not the girl I knew.”
“It has been a long time,” Valena put in. “People change.”
“The Rune Sword burns brightly only when someone has told a lie against their true self,” Zelin said slowly. “With her mind gone, I do not know what her true self may be.”
They continued their uneasy conversation until the fire had fallen to ashes and the first streaks of dawn had begun to brighten the sky, and not even the weary children slept.
***********************
Kitrina stumbled on through the night, fighting within herself to look backwards. She couldn’t understand what she had just seen. It was Him. She knew it was, and at the same time she had no idea who he was. He looked so familiar, his eyes so piercing, his face so surprised—hopeful and disappointed at the same time. In that instant she somehow knew that his emotions mirrored her own. Her emotions were foreign to her. Had he forced his feelings into her head? She had not felt this…happiness…was that the word? This feeling of loss…of what might have been…sadness? It had been so long since she had felt emotions. They felt foreign, not her own.
These thoughts flared up from the small part of her mind, the part that she had long thought banished to nothingness. Yet, as the feelings now came to her, for some reason she did not try to suppress them. She felt guilty for not doing so, as if she were betraying the other him, the man in the black robes who had given her everything. He had saved her from madness—before that, she did not remember or even care to remember. She could feel his presence—their presence—probing her mind and wondering at these new memories that came surging to the forefront.
As long as the thoughts were only images, or shadows of images, she was safe. Only once her thoughts became concrete words could they be shared with her master, even when he was so far away. She had to placate him, had to force her thoughts into words.
“The plan was flawed... how could I shoot the dart into him without the others knowing? You could have pricked him while he slept…or attacked all of them so they would not have suspected anything. Yet you did not fail completely…I feel it. I did not…I shot him on the side of the neck. I had to attack and pretend to slip so that I could recover the dart and replace it with a harmless one. Perhaps we may recover something from this then. But the connection is too weak for me to stay here. I must see to this matter personally. Our army is nearing completion, and the skull knights can now add to their own number. What must I do? Return to me. Meet me at the east fork of the Aspenflow River at midnight in three days’ time. It will be done.”
She broke off the connection, panting in the cool night air. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and she had to catch hold of a nearby branch to steady herself. Her eye caught sight of a puddle of reflected moonlight. She went over to it, afraid at first, as if some faint memory recalled another time with a burning reflection. Slowly, she knelt in the mud and brought her face over the glowing water.
She had seen her reflection many times before, but it never meant anything special to her. She regarded her own face with the same detached apathy that she afforded any other face. But now, staring down, she began to wonder if there was something special about her face that separated it from the mass of other faces. Who was she? Where had she come from?
She searched the entirety of her consciousness, curiously seeking an answer. Her search was not frantic or hurried, but rather methodical and gently probing. She did not know what was wrong, only that the person she had seen knew the answer—or, at least, he knew the question.
A part of her wanted to run to the other one, the one who had kept her safe and protected all these years. At the same time, she knew that she couldn’t, without knowing how she knew that. Somehow, she sensed that this new figure would not approve. Yet, she owed her loyalty to the one who had rescued her. Not alerting him immediately was a betrayal of the one man who had helped her.
But had he really…helped her? What if he had stolen her away? What if he had enslaved her? If only she could remember what had happened before! Her mind was a blank haze before she had been rescued.
She tried to push the new stranger from her mind. If she met her protector, she would risk showing him the secrets of the new stranger, for when he touched her, as he was certain to do, no thought was safe. Instead, she could betray him, returning south and trying to find something, anything, that the new man could tell her. Could he tell her what the strange scars on her forearm meant? Why she had them and others didn’t? Either way, someone might be trying to kill her, but that did not factor into her decision.
She sat unmoving until the forest creatures took her for a curiously shaped rock and resumed their daily business. Her confused thoughts balanced each other out perfectly, leaving her feeling indecisive for the first time that she could remember. Before the full moon had burnt itself out and given up dominance of the sky to the sun, she splashed away her reflection in the puddle, rose to her feet, and set off to the north.
***********************
On the 12th day since setting out from Deguz, they finally arrived at Walis. The white towers of the city were resplendent in the morning sunrise. The magnificent turrets thrust skyward, rotating as if they were giant screws holding the city fast to the earth. The red and gold banners of the duke of Walis and his manticore symbol hung limply from their sandalwood posts.
The city defenses had never been breached, although the keep was barely five hundred years old.
The view was stunning but lost on the majority of the party, as all but Garseon and Derlin were hidden in the wagons. They were the two least conspicu
ous figures, and Zelin had decided to move into Walis with all possible stealth. They knew that they were being followed and watched, but he hoped to lose their pursuers in the vastness of the city.
They passed the outer walls with ease in the flood of peacetime traffic. The guards did not question them, so Derlin’s alibi went unused. Derlin scanned the scene, looking for an inn to settle into as their base of operations. The crowd had already started on the business of the day, selling breads, smoked meats, weapons, and a hundred other things. Several well-kept inns immediately caught his eye, but he was not interested in anything along the main thoroughfare. He led the team down several side streets before he stopped in a decent-looking establishment. It looked as if the proprietor took pride in his business, but had the ill fortune of operating in a location that did not receive much traffic.
Derlin dismounted and Garseon took up the reins to his team. The painted sign hanging perpendicular to the wall identified the location as The Falling Leaf Tavern. Derlin walked up to the door and grasping his fingers around the iron handle, pulled it open.
A cool earthy smell emanated from the interior. The drapes were flung open and sunlight spilled into the room from several glass windows. Although it was only midday, a few travelers were sipping ale at the bar. The barkeeper looked up as he entered.
Derlin cleared his throat and began. “Have you rooms for the night? My extended family and I are traveling through to our farm in Shef, we must return before—”
The barkeeper cut him off. “There’s two things I offer all my guests. A comfortable room for the night and a lack of probing questions. You’re free to share your business with anyone you choose, but that’s up to you. I like to keep things quiet around here—goes better for everyone.”
Derlin was sure that he had found the right place. “Thank you for your hospitality. We will require two rooms and will be staying for two weeks.”
The innkeeper seemed pleased. “Very good, sir. Will you require meals as well?”
Derlin decided it was better to lie about their number. “Yes, for eight people. My father is old and does not sleep well, so please place the meals outside of the room and we will see to them.”
The innkeeper looked up towards his eyebrows to help with the mental calculations. “That will be three gold pieces.”
Derlin reached into his pocket hesitantly, trying to act as if this were a large sum of money for him. He fished out two gold pieces and ten silver ones, and then handed them to the innkeeper. “Name’s Leobard,” Derlin said, extending his hand. “Who should I call for if I have any problems?”
“Rowen,” the innkeeper answered, clasping Derlin’s hand and shaking it firmly. “Welcome to my inn. I’ll show you to your room, and after you’re settled, why don’t you come down to the bar and have a taste of my special house brew?”
Chapter 9: Cloudwalker
After the fifth day, even Alahim was feeling cooped up. He and Lily had been told in no uncertain terms to stay inside their room until the adults had found the Shade of Tivu and spoken with him. About the only time they saw the outside world was when they received food three times a day. They were to count until one hundred after they heard the innkeeper place the tray outside their room. Only then could they retrieve their meal.
“This is getting ridiculous!” Lily protested for what seemed like the one thousandth time. “We should be out there with them.”
They usually had two or three adults to guard them at all times, although now Valena and Yvonne were in the other room. Fientien, who was guarding their room, was passed out sick on the bed. He had tried something at the bar the night before that had certainly not agreed with his stomach.
“We should be happy,” Alahim countered. “Our fathers spent time in Queen Marhyn’s prison.”
“Imprisoned by the Queen of Darkness or imprisoned by your parents, what’s the difference?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.
“Food’s better, at least.” He finished off a drumstick and tossed the bone in the trash. They had just picked up lunch, so that meant they now had a monotonous afternoon to look forward to. Zelin had strictly forbidden them from practicing any magic, or they might have at least learned something during their confinement.
“We should just get out and take a little look around,” she coaxed. “We can be back well before our parents get here.”
“What if there is someone out there looking for us?” Even as he asked his question, he knew she could never understand, and he didn’t blame her. Three months ago, he wouldn’t have been able to understand either. She had lived a sheltered life, and she didn’t know the feeling of being hunted. She didn’t know the desperate fear of knowing someone was out there, spending every waking moment to find you. Cold sweat running down your forehead, phantom wraiths in the night behind every tree, the sting of a needle as it tore through your flesh, the certainty that your mother would die unless you saved her immediately—all these feelings were foreign to her.
“We’ll be careful. Just look around a little bit and be back in a few minutes.” She seemed determined, and suddenly, he felt a pull to be outside as well. He couldn’t explain where it came from, but he knew he had to go out, soon. It was almost the same way that he had known to stand up in the council meeting and volunteer to brave the Wall of Glass.
“Let’s go,” he said simply.
“And it’s really their fault for keeping us here in the first place, because—” she rambled on, then cut herself short. “What did you say?”
“I said let’s go. I don’t know why but we should go outside now.”
She didn’t argue with him and hurriedly slipped on her cloak. She handed him his and moved swiftly to the door before he could change his mind.
They stepped out into the light and blinked as their pupils adjusted. Their concealment had included keeping the stiff, heavy linen drapes drawn, and they had not seen light this bright in days. After a few painful minutes, their eyes were adjusted and they were ready to go.
They stayed near the edge of the buildings, Alahim leading the way. They walked through a few blocks. There were some people out and about, although they were not in the busy section of the city. Alahim took Lily’s hand, and stepped around the corner of a building.
He ran right into someone and he and Lily were both knocked backwards by the sharp impact. He stood up and brushed himself off, expecting to find a rather obese man. Instead, a boy who was smaller than Alahim but about the same age sat facing him in the street. The boy got up and started apologizing profusely.
“Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” Alahim asked a little too brusquely.
“I’m sorry,” the freckled kid said as he walked past them. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Alahim turned to help Lily up but she was already on her feet. They ignored the kid and kept walking down the street. A river ran through the city, spanned by a high arching bridge. They could get a good view of the city from up on the bridge, and since they had no other plans, Alahim chose it as their destination.
They hadn’t gone two blocks when the freckled kid stepped out in front of them. “I’m really sorry,” he said again.
Alahim was beginning to get annoyed. “I said it’s okay. Just watch where you’re going.”
“What?” he said, confused. “No, not about that—about your money.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew Alahim and Lily’s moneybags and threw them over. Both were stunned. They hadn’t even noticed them missing.
“You see,” he started to give his explanation before either could think to demand it, “I’m from the town of Ruf, and my mom sent me here to start earning some money, but I’m just no good at anything. We’re pretty poor, so I decided to take up stealing, but I’m not any good at it. Well, I’m good at getting the things stolen, but then for some reason I feel guilty. I think about how disappointed my mom would be in me. Then, I think about such a beautiful girl crying because she lost the money that she really
needs.” At this, Lily blushed slightly but the boy kept talking, only pausing periodically to brush his long mud-colored hair from his eyes. “Then, I imagine someone stealing money from me, or my mom, and I start to feel really bad, but I can’t altogether say that I don’t deserve it, if I’ve stolen from other people. So you see…”
Alahim silenced his tirade of run-on sentences with his hand. “Well, we thank you for returning our money. We won’t tell anyone if you promise not to do it again.”
“Thank you,” he said. “You’re the nicest person I’ve met today.”
Alahim wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not, but collected Lily and turned to walk away. For some reason, he just couldn’t shake the boy. He was obviously lonely, and it was Lily who called out to him. Alahim was rankled at the change of plans, but why else had he gone out into the city if not to see things and meet people?
Why indeed…?
“So, my name is Lily and this is my friend Alahim.” He flashed her a look that said they should have made up fake names, but he could tell the thought never crossed her mind. Alahim scowled. She was too trusting.
“My name is Uvit,” the boy was saying, “which is not half as beautiful as Lily.” Suddenly, they were interrupted as a man burst from the door of a nearby building and headed straight for Alahim. Alahim gasped in fear as he shrunk back, narrowly avoiding the man’s hairy arms as he reached out to grab hold of his tunic.
“Run!” Alahim cried, as he headed away from the man. Uvit gave the man a kick to the shins and took off after Alahim and Lily.
Up and down the narrow streets they raced, barely managing to outdistance the long-legged man. The stranger was so close, Alahim could clearly see his features. He had large knit brows, close-cut black hair and wore a look of blank fury on his face. This man would not be open to negotiation. If he caught them, they were dead. Alahim cursed himself for his stupidity. Why hadn’t he stayed inside like his father ordered?
Lands of Daranor: Book 02 - ProphecyQuest Page 15