The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel
Page 17
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Tannis walked the land alone, holding the reins of his horse as it trailed behind him. It was dusk and the sky was full of dark, billowy clouds. He knew it was about to rain; he could taste the humidity in the air. He had been searching for weeks, alone, and didn’t want to go back to the Guardians empty handed. He was determined to search until he found the crystal but he was drained.
He looked for an area to stop for the night, somewhere that would provide protection from the approaching storm. He found a tree, with a large canopy, and tethered his horse where it could nibble on grass.
It was difficult for him to relax. For several days he’d had the sense that he was being followed but never saw anyone. He had even backtracked a couple of times, looking for tracks or other signs of a human presence but found nothing.
He sat on the ground and leaned against the tree, wrapping his blanket tightly around himself. He looked at his bag on the ground, tempted to eat some of the remaining jerky but decided against it. He was almost out of food and needed to ration it more carefully. The light was fading quickly, except for the occasional streak of lightening that lit the sky above the mountain.
Suddenly, in a bolt of light, he was aware of someone standing nearby. It was hard to see the face underneath the hooded cloak.
“Who’s there?” he demanded.
“It’s me, Tannis. Elwyn.”
“Go home, Elwyn. You don’t belong here.” He was suddenly overcome with a lifetime of irritation at how his sister had always followed him around. She spied on him and, if he was up to something their father would not approve of, she made sure that Tannis received the blame. But, in times when he did something that interested her, she cunningly lured just enough information out of him to figure out where he was headed. Then she would pretend to lose interest but, in reality, stayed one step ahead of him and beat him to his goal. It drove him crazy!
Elwyn didn’t budge. “You’re getting close Tannis...very close.”
His guard dropped and he suddenly felt hope in her words. “How do you know that?”
“You know you are. You’re just missing one small detail.”
He despised how she played on his emotions – so manipulative. She always knew what he wanted most and dangled it in front of him, letting him smell the possibility of whatever it was, until she coaxed enough information out of him. Then, before he could stop himself, she had what she needed to get what he was after before he could.
He didn’t want to believe that it was happening again. Not this time. He convinced himself that she was right. He felt like he was on the verge of figuring it out and believed it had to be something obvious but the thought, the clue that he was missing, hadn’t surfaced yet from the far recesses of his brain.
Elwyn began reciting something and her hands moved through the air. Tannis felt a stirring in his head and knew it couldn’t be good. He began his own chant, calling upon the light to protect him.
A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him and he had an incredible urge to lie down and sleep. He needed to stop her and willed himself to snap out of it! A tinge of power coursed through him as the light began to energize him and the Empress of Light appeared. He repeated his chant and saw white light swirl around her, creating a barrier of protection.
Elwyn continued with her spell. It sounded like a different language and her voice made hissing sounds. Tannis watched as a dark mist formed in front of the Empress and quickly took the form of a black panther. Its eyes flashed dark amber and it hissed at the light, revealing long sharp fangs.
It startled Tannis and he repeated his chant more fervently but the wild cat was almost in his face. It lashed out at the light and he watched as the white barrier and the Empress dissipated, bit by bit. With each hiss, his body grew heavy as if paralysis were setting in, while his head felt as if something were inside, probing around. He knew he was too late. Elwyn was far enough into her spell that all Tannis could do was to sit there and powerlessly watch his sister draw out the very thought, like a splinter from his brain, and drop it into a vial.
When Tannis woke the next morning, under the tree, he remembered the visit from Elwyn. He abruptly sat up and looked around. She was gone and he had the feeling that she stole something from him. His horse grazed nearby and his bag was on the ground. He felt inside and the last scraps of food were still there. So what had she taken? His head was foggy and he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what had happened but he knew she took something. That old familiar feeling of frustration, accompanied by the usual knot in the gut, confirmed for him that she had taken advantage of him once again.
FOURTEEN
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