by MJ Schutte
‘Well, enjoy playing with them alone in this room,’ she replied and walked out.
‘Wait!’ Al’taish called after her.
‘Yes?’ she purred as she stuck her head back in the door.
‘Please may I go outside?’ he pleaded.
Robyn did not answer, but looked at him like a mother would look at a nagging child.
Al’taish stared back at her defiantly, but the old woman did not budge.
‘Fine, I will leave the weapons!’ Al’taish finally exclaimed, throwing the leather sheath on the bed.
‘Good. Come, the food is already packed,’ Robyn smiled.
‘You tricked me! We were going to go outside for breakfast anyway!’ Al’taish gasped.
‘That is true,’ Robyn giggled.
Seeing such an old woman giggling like a teenaged girl about her own cleverness brought a roar of laughter from Al’taish, although he immediately doubled over in pain holding his ribcage.
‘Don’t make me laugh,’ he groaned.
‘Yes, perhaps that is not the best thing for you. Now come, I’m hungry,’ Robyn smiled.
Al’taish reached for his blade on the bed but Robyn stepped forward, took him by the hand and said, ‘You have already agreed to leave that. A gentleman never goes back on his agreements.’
She led Al’taish out of the room and, on her way past the kitchen table, picked up a knapsack and slung it over her shoulder.
‘I can carry that,’ Al’taish offered, holding out his right hand.
‘So can I,’ Robyn smiled at him.
The pair left the house and set course at an easy pace for a small hill not far away. Al’taish looked around as they walked. Robyn’s house was on the northern edge of Zedonia. There did not seem to be anyone around, but Al’taish still felt uncomfortable about not being armed.
‘Are you sure it will be safe here? What if those men who chased me decide to come back?’ he asked.
‘Then I will ask them to leave us alone,’ Robyn replied cheerfully.
‘No offense to you, but you’re an old woman and I’m injured. What are we going to do against ten men?’ Al’taish frowned.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Robyn replied as she held her hand out.
A small ball of pure black energy jumped from her palm and hung in mid air.
Al’taish’s eyes went wide.
‘I forgot about your magic,’ he gasped.
Robyn just smiled as she closed her hand around the energy ball making it disappear.
They walked in silence for a while until Al’taish said, ‘Robyn, I though the gift you inherited from your parents was simply to take energy from other people. How come you can create energy balls and erect barriers?’
‘Just like anything else, magic evolves. At first, our family’s gift was simply to take energy but over the years it evolved into something much more. My siblings were comfortable with their little empire so they never used their magic for anything other than staying alive for three thousand years. Lilian was the first in our family to fully accept her magic and realize that it had evolved into something much more powerful. I heard what she had done and started practicing. It was many years before I was able to also use my talent to its full extent Even so, I am not nearly as powerful as Lilian,’ Robyn answered.
‘Why? Your gifts are the same since you come from the same family,’ Al’taish frowned.
‘Not entirely true. After Zaco and Conis was destroyed, the spirits tried a number of things to remove magic from the world, but they were never successful. One of the things they did was to plant a thought in people’s minds that with every passing generation, the magic would become weaker. This worked, for the most part, and everyone who had the gift believed that their magic was weaker than that of their ancestors. Because the people believed this without question, the magic became weaker as the years passed, until Lilian was born. She received the gift from Seth, who had lived for three thousand years and, although he never knew it, the magic evolved in him over that time. Because of Lilian’s love for Brighton, and a burning need to save him when he was trapped in the elf forest, she fully accepted her magic and tapped into three thousand years worth of evolution. I, on the other hand, only started believing that my magic can grow after I was sent back from the spirit world, roughly two hundred years back. So, although I am far older that Lilian, my magic is very young compared to hers,’ Robyn answered.
‘You’re Seth’s sister. Why did your magic only start evolving recently but his evolved throughout his entire lifetime?’ Al’taish frowned.
‘I never wanted this magic, but he did. He used his every day whereas I only used mine when it was necessary,’ Robyn explained.
Slowly Al’taish nodded, a pensive look on his face.
‘Father Zaconis is Iml…Brighton’s father. I wonder whose magic is the strongest between the two of them,’ he said mostly to himself.
‘Like I said last night, the spirits believe that Brighton is the most powerful human that ever lived. I have no doubt his magic is stronger than that of his father,’ Robyn replied.
‘Do you think he can defeat Father Zaconis and the daraghna?’ Al’taish asked.
‘I honestly don’t know,’ Robyn sighed.
They walked in silence until they reached the top of the hill.
‘What a beautiful sight!’ Al’taish exclaimed as he turned around and looked out over the countryside.
‘Yes, it is. I often come here to think. Although I have not spoken to the spirits in two hundred years, this place makes me feel close to them. Sometime when I’m here, I feel like the spirits talk to me, guide me and give me peace,’ Robyn smiled.
Al’taish sat down as Robyn unpacked their breakfast. For a while they ate in silence, simply enjoying the peace and tranquility.
Eventually Al’taish spoke.
‘Robyn, I am still not certain that I should take the bracelet to Father Zaconis. What good can it do?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know, but I do believe it is the right thing to do,’ Robyn answered.
Al’taish shook his head.
‘We have to find a way of helping Brighton and Lilian,’ he said.
‘Young man, when you were first sent to this land, you had a specific mission. Did you complete that mission or has your thinking changed?’ Robyn asked.
‘Well, I no longer wish to serve Father Zaconis, so I have to say that my thinking has changed,’ Al’taish admitted.
‘And why is that? Did something happen to change your mind? Remember that the smallest of events can have a significant effect in the long run,’ Robyn pressed.
Al’taish shook his head but stopped. He remembered his feelings when he first saw Angelina at the Justice Hall. He also remembered that his quest to find the wizard and gain Father’s favor had suddenly become unimportant to him. Slowly he nodded.
‘Yes, I think something might have happened that changed my course in life,’ he admitted.
‘You don’t have to tell me what it was,’ Robyn said quickly.
Ignoring Robyn’s words, Al’taish slowly said, ‘I think I fell in love with someone.’
Robyn smiled as she said, ‘Perhaps all of this has nothing to do with Brighton. It is possible that taking the bracelet to Zaconis is simply a way of getting you close to this woman?’
‘No, that makes no sense. The woman I’m referring to is Angelina from the Justice Hall,’ Al’taish said despondently.
‘Ah, the lovely Angelina. I saw her a few years ago when the king visited the history archives. She was an exceptionally beautiful young woman then, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old at the time,’ Robyn smiled.
‘When I think of her, my mind does not want to work properly. I held her once…’ Al'taish trailed off, a longing expression in his eyes.
‘Really? Well, that’s a good start. When was this?’ Robyn said with a sly grin.
‘It’s a long story. She broke my nose that day,’ Al’taish said embarrassedly.
‘How…how…did that happen?’ she eventually managed.
‘I helped her avoid the soldiers when….’ Al’taish trailed off.
‘Like I said, it’s a long story,’ he sighed, his smile vanishing instantly.
‘Why so grim?’ Robyn frowned, confused by Al’taish’s sudden mood shift.
The young man did not answer immediately. He sat picking tiny stalks of grass, crushing them between his fingers before tossing the pulp away.
Finally he said, ‘She is here, in Mendin while Father Zaconis is on his way to Ethona. If I go with the daraghna to Ethona, I will never see her again.’
‘Don’t be so sure. I happen to know that a few years ago King Borac gave orders for a ship to be built. Knowing Lilian, she will stop at nothing to get her husband back. She will most likely commandeer this ship and follow Zaconis. I also know that Angelina believes she owes her life to Brighton, so I am certain that she will accompany Lilian,’ Robyn argued.
‘They are following Father Zaconis to Ethona?’ Al’taish gasped.
‘I don’t know this for a fact. All I’m telling you is that they have the means to do so,’ Robyn corrected.
‘Then I have to go! Father Zaconis will destroy Angelina’s mind they way he does with all the new recruits. If she does not want to join his army, she will be in grave danger!’ Al’taish shouted as he jumped up.
‘Why?’ Robyn frowned.
‘He travels distant lands in search of magically talented people. He destroys their memories and makes them join his army. If they resist, he calls them children of the darkness and…’ Al’taish could not say it, but Robyn knew what he meant.
‘Why does Zaconis need an army of magically talented people?’ Robyn frowned.
‘I don’t know, but I can’t discuss that now. I have to go!’ Al’taish shouted again.
‘Go where, young man? You said that the journey by sea takes forty days and the daraghna will take another three to get back here. Whether you like it or not, you will have to wait,’ Robyn argued.
For a moment Al’taish stared at Robyn with anger in his eyes, then slapped his right hand hard against his leg. What Robyn was saying was true, he was not going anywhere soon. Slowly he sat down, despondency washing over him.
‘Relax, Al’taish. Remember that Angelina is most likely with Lilian. If Zaconis could have killed Lilian, he would have done so already. Angelina will be safe for the time being,’ Robyn tried to encourage the young man.
‘Yes, I suppose that’s true,’ Al’taish mumbled.
Robyn ate some more but Al’taish had lost his appetite so he just stared out over the city.
He was so lost in though that he almost did not hear the twigs breaking behind them. Casually he looked around and then went as stiff as a board.
‘Robyn, sit very still,’ he whispered as he snapped his right wrist back. When nothing happened, he remembered that his weapons were back at Robyn’s house.
‘What’s wrong?’ Robyn asked as she looked around.
Two wolves had been quietly creeping up behind them and were desperately close.
Robyn jumped up and raised her hand, but her foot slipped on the damp grass and she lost her balance. Al’taish quickly ascertained the situation. Robyn lay unconscious on the ground and it looked as though the wolves might charge at any moment. He cursed under his breath at Robyn for making him leave his weapons behind.
Seeing nothing else in the immediate vicinity that could be used as a weapon, he put himself between Robyn and the wolves, went down into a crouching position and waited for the predators to make a move.
The bigger of the two wolves slowly crept forward while the other one stayed a few paces behind. The big one barred his fangs, a low growl coming from his throat. Muscles tensed as he got ready to attack.
Al’taish waited, his muscles tense. The only plan he could think of was to grab the wolf by the throat as it attacked and then hope he could choke it or break its neck.
For a few more moments Al’taish and the wolf stared at each other and then suddenly the wolf jumped forward. Al’taish waited until the last moment before he brought his right hand up. He avoided the sharp fangs and tried to grab his attacker by the throat. The wolf, being used to attacking in this way, kept his head low to protect his throat and Al’taish only managed to grab a hand full of fur on the side of his neck.
Al’taish immediately knew he was in trouble, but then a massive shock wave went through his body and the wolf instantly turned to dust. For a brief moment Al’taish wondered what had happened but then the other wolf attacked. It raced forward with incredible speed, but before it had covered half the distance to its prey, another shockwave went through Al’taish as a small energy bolt jumped from his hand towards the wolf. The energy ball hit the wolf square in the face and before the animal could even utter a sound, it too was reduced to ashes.
Al’taish stood wide eyed, watching the ashes float away in the breeze. He had no idea what had happened.
‘Well, finally you started using your magic properly,’ Robyn said from behind.
Al’taish spun around.
‘Robyn! I…I thought you were…’ he stuttered, but stopped and looked down at his hand. Tiny sparks were running up and down between his fingers.
‘What is happening?” he stammered.
‘You have magic,’ Robyn smiled at him.
‘I have always been able to influence people’s thoughts, but that is all,’ he whispered.
‘No, that is not all. The thought manipulation you can do is only a tiny piece of your real talent. If I’m correct, you are related to Brighton,’ Robyn corrected.
‘How do you know?’ Al’taish asked softly.
‘When we first met you tried to use your talent on me. I’ve also felt Brighton’s talent and it is similar to yours,’ Robyn explained.
‘So I can do everything he can?’ Al’taish gasped.
‘No. Remember that he has had many years to practice his magic and yours have only fully awakened now. You will need to hone your magic first before you can start using it. Start by feeling the energy around you,’ Robyn said.
Al’taish looked at her, the doubt in his eyes clearly evident.
‘Go on, try it,’ Robyn encouraged him.
When he could not think of any argument against trying, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. He became aware of Robyn’s energy in front of him, the grass beneath his feet and a few trees close by.
‘I can feel you and the plants,’ he whispered without opening his eyes.
‘Good! Now, take energy from your surroundings. Use it to heal your injuries,’ Robyn guided him.
Al’taish focused on a small tree a few paces away, holding out his palm towards it. He imagined drawing power from it. Suddenly a small lightning bolt jumped from the ground into his hand. He let out a yelp and jumped away from the tree.
‘It hurts!’ he complained as he shook his hand.
‘You have to learn to control the inflow of energy into your body,’ Robyn laughed.
‘It’s not funny,’ Al’taish complained, but the corners of his mouth crept up just a fraction.
He sat down again, his mind spinning with this new discovery. Suddenly another thought entered into his mind.
‘You were not really unconscious, were you?’ he said to Robyn.
She did not answer but the guilty look on her face confirmed his suspicion.
‘Why did you make me fight the wolves alone?’ he frowned.
‘To help your talent wake up,’ Robyn replied.
‘It’s a bit extreme. You could have just told me!’ he retorted, but already knew that he would never have believed Robyn if she had tried telling him about his magic. He understood why Robyn made him leave his weapons at her house. Although he had never harmed anyone with his blades, the simple fact that they were there, always
ready, gave him comfort. He had never needed anything except his blades and his ability to influence people’s minds. When the wolves attacked, he had neither of these to defend himself with and that’s why his magic came to the fore.
Robyn waited patiently for Al’taish’s mind to process the discovery. It was a long time before he spoke again.
‘You’re quite a crafty woman,’ he smiled.
‘You don’t live for three thousand years without learning a thing or two,’ Robyn smiled back.
Al’taish went silent again, submerged in his own thoughts. Absentmindedly he stroked the grass.
Robyn watched with a smile as tiny lightning bolts ran up his fingers.
Chapter 14
Lilian stood at the front of the ship, her arms spread wide. A black energy cloud surrounded the entire ship.
‘Lilian, I can’t see where to go!’ Jonathan shouted from the helm.
‘Stay the course! I will make sure we get through these rocks!’ she shouted back.
Earlier, when she destroyed the retaining wall they sailed out to the ocean without difficulty but what none of them knew was that there was a shallow reef not far from the shore. Goralt had spotted the reef just in time and made Lilian aware of the danger. She immediately placed an energy barrier around the ship to protect it.
‘Almost through! Just keep going straight!’ Lilian shouted at Jonathan.
Everybody saw the black cloud around the ship, knowing that she was protecting them, but nobody knew that Lilian was also carving a path through the rocks with her magic.
She dropped her arms and the black cloud disappeared. Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it meant they were clear of the danger.
‘Thank you!’ he shouted at Lilian. She looked around, gave him a quick wave and then looked out across the ocean again, scanning the gentle waves for more danger.
Jonathan called Goralt closer.
‘We will take turns at the helm. The other elves will rotate on lookout duty. There must be two lookouts at all time,’ he instructed the elf.
Goralt gave Jonathan a quick bow of the head, then turned and relayed the instruction to the other elves.