Bladvaneer

  Clegg was about to protest, but Justyna cut him off.

  “I don’t want to get away with it. Clegg, Rand is right. We can never go back to the way things were. Not after what I did. But I’d like the chance to at least try and make things right. Let me stay with all of you. We can’t change the past, but let me be a part of your future.”

  Rand shook his head. “They’re never going to go for it.”

  “Convince them, Rand! They all respect you. You’re the one who kept us sane that whole time. If you can convince them she’s harmless, and wants to start over with us, they’ll listen,” Clegg practically begged.

  “I’m not convinced she is harmless,” Rand said under his breath. He looked into his friend Clegg’s eyes, and just couldn’t refuse to take the chance. He sighed and added, “This is against my better judgment …”

  “Thank you, Rand! Thank you!” Clegg practically cried, shaking the wizard’s hand. Without saying a word, Justyna hugged him.

  “And that’s it?” Maurya asked, amazed.

  “What do you mean?” Clegg asked.

  “She shrunk this entire town. Kept all of you prisoner in her wall. Killed who knows how many people. Would have killed us,” and she absentmindedly rubbed her midsection, still sore from where Justyna’s fingers had squeezed. “And who knows what else she did, or would have done. And you’re just going to take her back?”

  “Clegg, please wait for us outside,” Rand instructed.

  “But—“

  “And please take the rest of the townspeople with you. Wait outside, and shut the door.”

  Clegg looked from Rand to Maurya to Justyna, and then left. The other people reluctantly followed him out. It was clear they wanted to be witness to whatever happened next.

  “Clegg is in love with Justyna. Always has been. Always will. Even while we were her prisoners he was in love with her, although he wouldn’t have admitted it. So he tends to be blind about certain things,” Rand said. Then, facing Justyna, he continued. “I don’t believe for a second that you’re being sincere. I think for the first time in a long time you find yourself in a position where you’re weak and helpless, and don’t know what to do next.”

  “Then why are you going along with him?” Maurya asked.

  “As I said before, Justyna was the sweetest girl any of us knew. Now that she’s lost her powers, perhaps she can find that person again. I don’t know. If she can’t, then she’ll have to answer to the townspeople.

  “We’re not murderers. Despite everything she’s done, we’re not going to end her life if there’s a chance of us having the old Justyna back again. The rest of the town is furious but trust me, deep down they feel the same way.”

  “She made herself a god to you people. You really think she’s ever going to fit in as a mere mortal again?” Maurya demanded. Her face was turning red from the anger.

  “Either she’ll adjust, or she won’t. That part is completely up to her.”

  “But—“

  Rand held up a hand. “I’m not going to argue with you all day. I’ve made my decision. Whether it’s right or wrong remains to be seen. Now it’s up to the townspeople to decide whether or not they’ll accept her. You already know that I think they will.”

  Rand took Justyna by the hand. She looked at him, her mind still adjusting to the change in perspective. She couldn’t help but think that a few minutes ago he could have easily fit in that hand.

  “Come, Justyna. It’s time. Let me do the talking.”

  “I can’t go out there. Not yet. It’s all just too … overwhelming. Can’t you give me a few minutes to compose myself?”

  Rand smiled and released her hand. “Very well. Take your time, but just remember you’ll have to face them sooner or later. The rest of us will go and give you the time you need.”

  “We’re leaving? Is that safe?” Simko asked.

  “Of course. There’s really nowhere for her to go.”

  Rand led Klavin and Simko to the door. Maurya stood right in front of Justyna.

  “You had better pray to … yourself … that we never meet outside of this town. They might want to forgive you, but I’m not quite as merciful.”

  Klavin and Simko stared open-mouthed at Maurya. She turned, joined the others, and they left.

  Justyna slowly walked across the room and picked up the two pieces of the gem. She wondered if it was possible to somehow fuse it back together and, if it was, whether its power would be restored. If she could find a way, she’d make them all suffer for this defeat.

  The door flew open, and Rand entered. He walked in her direction, took the gem pieces from her hand, and pocketed them.

  “Ah yes, I almost forgot about this. I’ll just dispose of it so that you’re not constantly reminded of all this.”

  “I appreciate that,” she lied.

  “Good. Good. Now I’ll leave you for those few minutes you requested,” he said, and left.

  He caught up with Klavin outside, pulled him aside, and handed him one half of the gem.

  “Do me a favor and dispose of this. Somewhere. Anywhere. Bury it. Seal it up. Do whatever you have to. Just don’t tell me where it is. Don’t tell anyone, not even your friends. It’s best that no one ever be able to find it. I’ll do the same with the other half.”

  Klavin nodded. Simko headed in their direction.

  “Ah,” Rand said, noticing him. “Stop in my shop before you go. I have something that may help you on your journey.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ve lost a lot of time, and need a way to make some up. I believe I can help with that.”

  “What can you do?”

  “Just come to my shop. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

  “Okay.”

  “So where are you going now?”

  “Most likely Pleg,” Klavin answered.

  “’Most likely’? You’re not sure?”

  “Well, it’s a safe bet we’re going to Pleg.”

  “Then I’ll wish you a safe journey. Simko, won’t you come with me?”

  “For a surprise present? Of course I will!”

  Rand and Simko walked in the direction of the magic shop. Maurya joined Klavin.

  “How much trouble are we in?” she asked.

  “A lot. Rand is apparently giving Simko something that’ll help bridge the distance, but I think it’s still going to be tough catching up with them. We may have missed out on our last chance to stop them.”

  “Trust me, we’re not done yet,” Maurya tried to reassure him, not sure how much she believed it herself.

  25

  Grallen stared at Tarquin, the impatience evident on his face.

  “Aren’t you starting to wonder if this was a mistake?”

  Tarquin laughed. “I don’t make mistakes. They’ll be here. You know they have to pass this way.”

  “How do you know they won’t take another route?”

  “Very simple. They’re behind us, they know there’s only one Elemental Warrior left to free, and they need to catch up. This is the most direct route to Pleg. There’s almost no chance of them not coming here.”

  “Well, you do seem to know everything, don’t you? But where is all this help you promised?”

  “You’ve already seen some of it. As for the rest, I summoned them some time ago. Hopefully they’ll be here soon.”

  “How long does it take? What exactly did you do?”

  A roar is heard from somewhere deep in the trees. Grallen looked around nervously.

  “Please calm down. A simple summoning spell. I cast it right after we arrived. It will take some time for our guests to arrive.” Another roar is heard coming from another direction. “It would appear they’re getting close.”

  “Wonderful. And three of Krot’s Elite Guard suddenly aren’t enough to take down three children?”

  Tarquin smiled. “They haven’t been able to do it so far. Trust me on this, the plan will work. First we’ll separate that wou
ld-be hero from his sword. Then we’ll separate him from the rest of his group. Together they’ve become quite formidable, as much as I hate to admit it. Separated, it will be easy to pick them off.”

  A third roar was heard.

  “How many of these things did you summon?” Grallen asked.

  “Perhaps you should get on with your part of the plan. I can’t do this alone, you know,” Tarquin said, his face betraying the fact that he believed the opposite.

  “Fine,” Grallen said, and marched into the trees. Along the way he grabbed several guards and instructed them to follow.

  They reached an area a good distance from the path, but also away from where the roaring was coming from. Or, at least, so Grallen hoped. He separated the guards into two groups of two.

  “You two,” he said, pointing at one of the groups. “Beat each other within an inch of your life. And you two,” he pointed at the other group, “make sure they do it. If they don’t comply, kill them and then you’ll have to take their place.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t understand,” a guard in the first group said.

  “What’s not to understand? You attack him. He attacks you. Use weapons. Fists. Whatever you want. The only rule is that you can’t kill each other. Or at least, please try not to.”

  “But why?” the other guard in the first group asked.

  “That was a mistake. If I hear another question like that I’ll need to find four new guards to replace all of you, because none of you will be able to continue performing your duties. Now, I suggest you don’t make me repeat my instructions. I’m upset enough already as it is.”

  The four guards exchanged glances. The two that were apparently being spared for now drew their swords and pointed them in the others’ direction. Seeing no other options, one of the more unfortunate guards took a wild swing at the other and connected. The second guard retaliated. Grallen found a rock to sit from where he could watch the show.

  Tarquin’s familiar flew overhead. It headed down and landed on Tarquin’s shoulder. He smiled and raised his hand. His two warriors stepped out from the trees.

  “They’re coming. One of you, go alert Grallen. The other stay with me,” he said.

  Several minutes away, Klavin, Simko, Maurya, and Talb rode along the river on pitch black horses. Talb rode with Klavin.

  “This is incredible,” Klavin said, running his hand right through the horse beneath him. “They don’t seem to have any substance whatsoever, yet they’ve carried us all this distance.”

  “Rand did us a real favor by giving us that Phantom Steed spell. They don’t need to eat or sleep or do anything else for that matter. They can just carry us where we need to go, and then they’ll just disappear back into the shadows,” Simko commented.

  They rode on a bit further.

  “Once we get through this valley, we’ll just be a few minutes from town. Does anyone have any idea what we’re going to do, or are we just going to run in and hope we can figure out something on the fly? I shouldn’t need to remind you two that hasn’t worked out too well so far,” Maurya said.

  “Actually, I think I have a good idea where the fourth Elemental Warrior is hidden, and I might even know how we can get rid of him once and for all,” Klavin responded.

  “Well, don’t keep us in the dark,” Simko said.

  “What do you know about Pleg?”

  Simko considered this. “Nothing, actually,” he admitted.

  Maurya smiled. “I think I know what you’re thinking of.”

  “So tell me then,” Simko said.

  “Pleg was always known as a very dry land. Nothing would grow here. One day that changed. Seemingly overnight a wondrous garden grew,” Klavin explained.

  “The Magic Garden of Bokar,” Maurya said.

  “Right. Named for the person who discovered it that one fateful morning.”

  “No offense, but so what?” Simko asked. “Last I checked we weren’t looking for Krot’s Elite Gardener.”

  Klavin sighed. “Right in the middle of the garden is a pool, which also seemed to simply appear overnight.”

  “Ah. So you think the pool has something to do with the Warrior?”

  “Exactly. Jord was found in stone. Tul was found in air. And Fogos was found in fire. That pool seems to be our best lead.”

  “What can we do about it? Even though we’ve managed to find all of those other markers, it really didn’t help us in the end,” Simko said.

  “This one’s tricky. It’s not going to be as simple as just removing the water. Believe me, we’re not the first ones to figure out that it must have some special properties, although I suspect no one else ever knew its true nature. Others have tried to take water from the pool in the hope of setting up other gardens. But no matter what type of container was used, the water would simply pour back out or evaporate, somehow getting back to the pool. There are also rumors that the plants around it can become a bit … protective … whenever someone tries to get to the water,” Klavin explained.

  “So then what do we do? If we can’t take the water then we’re in the same situation we’ve always been in. Sooner or later Grallen is going to show up and reanimate the Warrior.”

  “I think we can take the water.”

  “But you said—“

  “You’ve shown us a freezing spell, haven’t you?”

  “Sure, but what good is that going to do us?”

  “I think if you used it on the water, it wouldn’t be able to just flow away or evaporate. I’m willing to bet we could break it up, put it in a bunch of containers, and keep it separated.”

  “But it’ll melt sooner or later.”

  “Not if we take it up north. Very, very up north. We’ll bury it in as many different places as we can. The weather should keep it frozen and while Grallen may be able to find the pieces eventually, he probably won’t be able to find them in time to raise Krot.”

  “And you’re sure that will work?” Simko asked, doubt evident in his voice.

  “Not at all,” Klavin admitted.

  They continued riding until the path opened up into a clearing. Movement was heard in the branches, and they dismounted.

  “I’ll go check it out,” Maurya said, drawing two knives.

  A blur flew from the trees and Klavin could sense Talb screaming in pain. He looked and saw that the Karthuma had fallen to the ground and had an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder. Klavin grabbed the shaft and prepared to pull it out.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Tarquin said, stepping out of the trees. An archer stood by his side. The wizard handed him a bag, and he hurried off.

  “Worth every penny. Now, as I was saying, remove the arrow and the little bear dies.”

  Klavin looked to Simko and Maurya. “Is that true?”

  They only shook their shoulders in response.

  “You’ve gone too far this time, Tarquin!” Klavin screamed.

  Tarquin laughed. “You think that was too far? You have no idea what you’ve walked into.”

  Grallen stepped out of the trees, the hooded man behind him. Jord, Tul, and Fogos joined them. Klavin looked around and saw guards appearing from behind the trees, surrounding them.

  “Time to go to work,” Klavin said to his friends.

  The ground started shaking. They watched as cracks formed and it split, separating the three of them. Klavin stared at Jord, who had a sickening look of satisfaction on his face.

  “We might be able to jump over,” Maurya said.

  As if to answer, flames burst forth from the fissures. This time it was Fogos’s turn to smirk.

  “Head back! We might be able to get back together somewhere back there!” Klavin commanded.

  “What about you?” Simko asked.

  “I can’t leave Talb like this.”

  Maurya ran off, Fogos and several guards deciding to follow her. Simko tried to do the same but found his feet lifted off the ground.

  “Not this agai
n!” he screamed.

  Tul walked in his direction and together they moved deeper into the trees. Klavin held Talb in his arms.

  “I know this is a lot to ask, but I really need you. I need you more than ever.”

  Talb nodded and began his transformation. Klavin immediately felt Talb’s screams in his head. They were punctuated by laughter from Tarquin.

  “Oh no, I don’t think we’ll be doing that today. That arrow was enchanted with Arkin’s Immutable Stagnation. Can you guess what it does? I’ll give you a hint: We won’t be seeing that sword of yours any time soon,” the wizard gloated.

  “Now I’ll tear them apart,” Jord said.

  “The boy is yours. I’ve got something special planned for that pathetic creature,” he said and held up a hand.

  There was more rustling in the trees behind them, and after a few moments three animals stepped out.

  “A lion? A tiger? And a bear?” Grallen asked

  One of his guards opened his mouth, but Tarquin just held up a hand.

  “Don’t even think it,” he warned.

  The guard wiped the thought from his head.

  Tarquin stared at Grallen. “Shouldn’t you be getting on with your part of the plan?”

  “Very well,” he said and headed back into the trees, the hooded man following behind.

  “You’re going to send the three of them against Talb in his state? You’re even more of a coward than I thought.”

  “Oh no, I’m all for fair play. I fully intend to even up the odds,” Tarquin answered and began casting.

  “Uh oh,” Klavin commented.

  An eerie glow surrounded the three animals. They walked toward each other and the light became unbearably bright. When it faded, where there had been three animals there only stood one. It had a lion’s head on a bear’s body, which was now orange with black stripes. The bear’s hind legs were replaced with the tiger’s, and a lion’s tail wagged behind.

  “I’m not letting that monstrosity get anywhere near Talb!” Klavin promised, moving in on Tarquin despite being unarmed.

  “I admire your bravery,” Tarquin said, the smirk still on his face. “Jord, please deal with this.”

  Jord grinned and drew his sword. The ground rose up beneath Klavin’s feet and threw him backwards.