Gorinthians

by Justin Mitchell

  “What kind of a place did Terrance set up here?” the old man asked no one in particular. “A circus? All that boasting about this warrior civilization. Humph! You don’t even know what you will be fighting!”

  Captain Jorbran frowned when he heard the old man mention Terrance. Could he be a friend of Terrance’s? Why had Terrance not informed them of his coming? Captain Jorbran had a hard time seeing this fellow as an acquaintance of Terrance’s.

  “You know Terrance?” Dedran demanded, stepping toward the old man. He looked ready to grab the old man by the front of his robes and shake some answers out him.

  “Of course I know Terrance,” the old man said disdainfully, “who doesn’t know Terrance?” He shook his head in disgust. “It’s obvious that his earth-shaking reputation has far out-spun the true bungler that he is. Come. We need to get to the city.”

  Captain Jorbran refrained from telling him that he was the one who had stopped. The old man looked at the mireman for a moment longer before turning on his heel and moving toward the edge of the garden once more. The mireman was still in the air as if it were striking. Captain Jorbran wondered if he was just going to leave it there forever.

  They continued on to the edge of the Rajan Garden without further incident. The old man continued leading the way, as if he knew exactly where he was going. The sun was just setting when they reached a small knot of Guardians that were waiting for them. Leo sighed in relief when she saw the four of them emerge. Most of the Guardians were fingering their weapons as they watched the old man leading the way toward the small group. Had he been anything but an old man, Captain Jorbran was certain the Guardians would have unsheathed their weapons by now.

  Elder Torrence had joined the group of Guardians. He was on the Guardian Council and had a tongue like a file and a temper to match. He was old when Captain Jorbran left the Tar Ri’ San; he was ancient now. When he saw the old man leading them out from the Gardens, his lips puckered up as if he had bitten a lemon. Age had stooped his once-broad shoulders, but he straightened noticeably as he moved toward them.

  “I see that we are doing guided tours for the rest of the world now,” he commented sardonically in his raspy voice. “Who is the spare, Captain Jorbran?”

  “I don’t know sir,” Captain Jorbran replied, conscious of the other guardians watching them. “He refused to tell us his name.”

  “When I was a guardian, we had ways to make people speak,” Elder Torrence said baldly, “but I suppose your generation has been getting softer. Perhaps some time as one of my aides will teach you the techniques of getting answers out of people, voluntary or not.”

  Captain Jorbran could not think of a worse punishment than being one of Elder Torrence’s aids. The old Guardian found new ways to define the word cantankerous. Wishing a different council-member had come out to investigate, Captain Jorbran stifled a sigh before responding. “When we found him, there was a—”

  “Is that you, Torrence?” their unwelcome guest interrupted incredulously. “My goodness, I thought that the years had been bad to me. You look absolutely ancient!”

  Captain Jorbran turned to stare at Elder Torrence in astonishment. How in the two moons could this portly, old man know Elder Torrence? For his part, Elder Torrence just stared at the newcomer as if he did not believe his eyes. Captain Jorbran had never seen Elder Torrence out of countenance before. Until now, Captain Jorbran thought Elder Torrence only had one expression: a perpetual scowl. The scowl was completely gone from his face now, replacing his forehead with deep wrinkles as his eyebrows tried to climb up to his grey hairline. He stood goggling at the new arrival, unable to articulate anything recognizable.

  “I see that you still have that stuttering problem when you get excited,” the old man observed clinically. “Why don’t you close your mouth, before a bird drops something in it?”

  “Radroc!” Elder Torrence gasped at last. “Impossible! I saw you die!”

  The old man that Elder Torrence had named as Radroc chuckled, his rotund belly shaking. “Just an old trick I like to use to disappear without someone snooping after me.”

  Elder Torrence took a deep breath, recovering his equilibrium. Looking around at the other Guardians who were watching the exchange with interest, he gestured sharply. “You can all leave now.”

  Captain Jorbran was more than happy to leave Elder Torrence with this Radroc fellow, though the other Guardians seemed inclined to stay and see what happened next. However, when Captain Jorbran turned to leave, Radroc called out to him, “You three should stay.”

  Captain Jorbran shared a look with Dedran and Ornico. Ornico looked surprised. Dedran still wore the same scowl he had worn on his face since they met Radroc. Leo was the last of the other Guardians to leave. She gave him a pointed look, making it obvious she expected him to share the details of the meeting later. Her gold-flecked eyes caught the light of the setting sun for a moment before she turned and followed the other Guardians back to the city.

  With a sigh, Captain Jorbran turned back to face Elder Torrence and Radroc. Elder Torrence was studying Radroc closely. The portly man seemed oblivious to the other man’s scrutiny as he watched the Guardians leave. He had a calculating look on his face as he watched Leo fade into the distance. “Is Selindria still here?”

  Captain Jorbran’s eyebrows rose at the informal address. He had never heard anyone refer to Tarya Selindria by her name alone. The familiarity with which Radroc said her name made him wonder just how long she had lived before coming to Chasel Ri’ Aven.

  “No,” Elder Torrence replied with a frown. “Terrance was here about a week ago and left with one of the students. Tarya Selindria insisted on accompanying them. She did not trust him.”

  Captain Jorbran remembered the encounter well. He had been the one that Selindria had questioned regarding Terrance before they left. When he had confirmed the existence of the bond that Terrance had told her about, she had seemed upset. It had taken several hours before Captain Jorbran realized that she must not have felt the bond the rest of them felt.

  “Good,” Radroc said approvingly. “She was feeling a little homicidal the last time we met. I was not looking forward to meeting her here. How far are the Elementals from the city?”

  “Less than twenty hours,” Elder Torrence replied sourly. “They are devastating the forests.” He seemed almost diffident as he addressed Radroc.

  “That’s not much time,” Radroc muttered, half to himself. “What kind of defense were you planning to use against them?”

  “We are trying the spirit-snare that you discovered last time you were here,” Elder Torrence answered slowly. “If that doesn’t have an effect, we were going to try soul-thorn.”

  “Those will only work on the water and earth elementals,” Radroc commented. “The fire and wind elementals are unaffected by it because of the effect fire has on yar. There is a way to destroy the fire and wind elementals, but it takes a lot of people for each one. I will need a few dozen Guardians for about an hour.”

  Elder Torrence nodded in acquiescence. “That would not have been a pleasant surprise to learn in the field.”

  Radroc began moving toward the city, talking as he walked. “We will need to prepare some surprises for Jerard as well. He will probably be somewhere nearby when the Elementals arrive. If he is with the Elementals, he will be able to undo anything that we can do to stop the Elementals.”

  Ornico seemed to be having difficulty following most of the conversation. He had not yet heard of the Elementals, and Captain Jorbran had never heard of Jerard. “Who is Jerard?” Ornico asked curiously. He stood a good head shorter than any of the others in the small group. Ornico had excelled in all of his yar training classes. He had learned to use the well-honed skills of his yar to balance what he lacked in stature. He was more adept at using his yar than many of the Elders.

  “Jerard is the leader of the Elemental army that is descending on your city,” Radroc answered, glancing back at him. “He is a very mi
sguided person with an overdeveloped opinion of his own supremacy in relation to everyone else. He was also Terrance’s research partner before they came to this world.”

  “Where did they come from?” Ornico asked in fascination. “Another planet?”

  “You might call it another planet,” Radroc replied dryly. “It’s occupying the same space that we are in right now, though. Terrance doesn’t know that, though. He thinks he came through what he calls a wormhole.”

  “What is a wormhole?” Ornico asked. Captain Jorbran smiled to himself. Ornico’s intensive study as a student had left him with a constant hunger for knowledge of any kind.

  Radroc smiled slightly, “You remind me of my last student, Ferrich. Each time that I answered a question, he came up with ten more,” Radroc said wistfully. “To answer your question, Terrance believed the universe could be folded, like a piece of cloth. When the folded ends met, you could theoretically bore a hole through the fabric and connect the two worlds together.”

  “And you say Terrance was wrong in believing he arrived on this planet through a wormhole?” Dedran asked doubtfully.

  Radroc glanced at Dedran, a small smile playing over his round features. “Indeed, I do say he was wrong.”

  Captain Jorbran was slightly unnerved by the way Radroc seemed to direct his comments and expressions at each of them as if he knew what they were thinking. Could the old man read minds?

  “How did they arrive here?” Ornico asked with a perplexed look. “You said earlier that his planet was occupying the same space as ours. I thought that was impossible.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say they occupy the same space on the atomic level,” Radroc explained. “Take, for instance, your ability to sense light waves. Where Terrance comes from, people cannot use their yar to feel anything around them. The five senses they were born with are all they have. When they see light, they only see a small part of the light spectrum. When you see light, you can sense the way it moves in waves. You can also sense the longer wavelengths your eyes cannot see. The same thing happens with sound. You can sense the waves emanating from objects when they move as they create sound waves. Frequencies make up everything that exists. Frequency is just another word for a wave. Did you know that your brain operates on a frequency that is in harmony with the planet that you live on?”

  Ornico shook his head, waiting for Radroc to continue.

  “Your entire existence is defined by a certain wave-length. You will notice that a larger wavelength can exist in the same space as a smaller wavelength without ever touching each other. Because of this effect, you can hear more than one tone at the same time, creating harmony. There are as many other realities right here where we stand as there are sounds in the sound-wave spectrum. Probably more.”

  Captain Jorbran was fascinated in spite of himself. “How can you move between these wave-lengths?”

  Radroc shook his head slightly. “People were not meant to move back and forth between these frequencies. It creates dissonance in the grand symphony of creation. By taking certain plants and distilling the alkaloids out of them, you can consume them. For a short time, your own frequency will change. Usually it will only change enough to send you through two different realities before pulling you back. It is very similar to throwing a rock into the air. It launches upwards for several seconds, and then it falls back to the ground from whence it came. Terrance did not use a stimulant to travel to another reality. He accidentally created a device that could open up a wide range of wavelengths. He did not just travel to a reality that was a wavelength above or below his own. He jumped through thousands of wavelengths to end up on a reality that he was never meant to visit.” Radroc grinned humorously. “It is almost ironic how like a wormhole their little invention was, though. What they did was similar to chopping the tail off a worm. As it squirms around flailing about, it randomly cycles through other realities pulling unwitting victims into this world, as well as other worlds.”

  “Have you told Terrance about this theory of yours?” Dedran asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Terrance and I do not talk to each other,” Radroc replied, his tone as sharp as a knife. “Terrance is almost as bad as Jerard in my opinion. He did not learn from his first lesson. He continues inventing new devices without studying what they will do first. He is not just endangering this world, but the entire fabric of existence. I have been hoping he and Jerard would have a duel where both of them end up destroyed.”

  “Why are you here?” Dedran asked bluntly. “Why are you trying to help us if you disagree with Terrance so much?”

  “Because you Avenry are the last hope of rehabilitating this planet after what Terrance has done to it,” Radroc answered softly. “If you die, then this planet dies with you.”

  Chapter 29

  Morindessa studied the walled city of Shalilayo from the farmer’s market that surrounded the Southern section of the wall. Ferrich sat in his saddle next to her, nervously running his hands through his thick, golden hair. He wore nondescript grey trousers with an unadorned white shirt. His sturdy black travel boots almost reached his knees. His unease had grown the closer they came to Shalilayo. He had grown more confident as his ability to use his yar had increased on the return journey to Shalilayo. He learned much more quickly than Morindessa had so long ago. Thistledown and Riah had both spent time teaching him some of the more complex techniques Li was unfamiliar with. He had drained Li of every ounce of knowledge that she possessed, only needing to see her perform a feat once before he was able to do it himself. Lori had been much slower in learning. Where Ferrich had already learned the theory behind most of the techniques he learned, Lori was unfamiliar with the entire concept. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely, though. She kept referring to what they did as something called magic.

  Jesha sat in the saddle in front of Morindessa. She had also joined Lori and Ferrich in the lessons that Li was giving. Most of the members of their growing party thought of Jesha as an adult now, overlooking the child-like appearance that her physical size suggested. Her mind was extremely quick, and her own knowledge of the Spiritual Realm was not insignificant. She had grown less shy around the others as well throughout the journey.

  “So are we just going to stroll up to the palace and ask for Captain Kerns?” Celdic asked Thistledown doubtfully. Celdic was still very conscious of his new clothes, absently fingering the slots in the clothing that hid his throwing stars. Morindessa and Riah had spent some time showing him how to use the throwing stars with a fair amount of accuracy. The eyes and the neck were the primary target with a throwing star; they would not penetrate armor.

  “More or less,” Thistledown replied calmly. “We will probably leave Ferrich at an inn until I clear things up with Captain Kerns.”

  Thistledown moved his horse to the lead and began moving toward the outer city wall. There was a sense of expectation about Thistledown. He had been extremely jumpy for the past couple of days, as Jerard remained absent. Thistledown had been sure Jerard would strike at them while they were traveling toward Shalilayo. The entire return journey had been uneventful. The oddly assorted group had kept mostly to themselves, much to the disappointment of the youths from Chasel Ri’ Aven. They seemed fascinated by the people outside of their mountain home. Cha’le seemed to have overcome her dislike of Lori, after Lendel had taken her outside of camp and spoke with her for over an hour one evening. When they returned, Cha’le had apologized to Lori for the way that she had treated her. The whole affair still made Morindessa’s hackles rise. Women, as she knew them, were not forgiving or forgetting like that. Perhaps it was something they learned in Chasel Ri’ Aven.

  As they wove their way through the meandering streets of the farmer’s market, Morindessa tried to pinpoint where Lochnar was. He had spent most of his time scouting ahead of them, looking for signs of Jerard. Every once in a while, she would feel the flash of his resonance as he passed by close to her. It had been hours since she had last felt his resonance
.

  As they neared the gate, Morindessa caught Ferrich’s eye and nodded. A moment later, she pushed out with her yar, forming a barrier around her that caused the light to bend and go around her. She felt Ferrich’s yar reach out to cloak him as well, and a moment later, she was unable to see him with her eyes. She could still feel the familiar presence of his resonance. Riah and Celdic nudged their horses into a trot until they rode on either side of the invisible pair. They did not want anyone to bump into them accidentally.

  Riah wore a large cloak with the hood pulled forward, but even so, she drew many glances. Her golden hair seemed to glow beneath her hood, and an inner light suffused her features and gave her face an unnatural radiance. Morindessa had noticed the change shortly after Lochnar had healed her. He must have done more than heal her, whether he intended to or not. With her riding next to Morindessa and Ferrich, no one would notice the gap between her's and Celdic’s horses. They were too busy trying to peer beneath her hood to notice anything else.

  Seranova, Lendel, Li and Jalorm brought up the rear. Jalorm had made his interest in Seranova plain to her, but she affected not to notice. Seranova seemed to lose interest in anything outside of her inventions. She had a permanently distracted look on her face, as if she were lost in thought. Cha’le had suggested to her that she became lost in thought so easily because it was unfamiliar territory. Surprisingly, Seranova had laughed harder than Thistledown. She seemed to have a higher opinion of women than she did of men. Remembering the provincial port of Laketown where she and Ferrich had found her, Morindessa could understand her aversion to men.

  The guards at the wide gates that surrounded Shalilayo inspected everyone who entered the giant city much more closely than they usually did. They were obviously expecting Ferrich to return. They had heard rumors in the last village that there had been quite a blood bath in the royal family after the king died. None of the villagers seemed to know who had survived, though. Morindessa was certain the remaining heir would want to make sure Ferrich joined the list of the deceased. She was going to be very firm with anyone trying to harm Ferrich, though.