by C. Gold
Amira caught Radcliff when he collapsed. For a moment all he could do was stare up into her eyes. His mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts not really his own, screaming at him to say something vitally important. Finally, he got his mouth to work and the words to come out. “Run!”
The earth trembled as things began shifting around them. “Run!” he cried out, louder this time. Amira seemed to hear him because she began yelling at Maleko, then she tugged on his arm.
“Get up!” she ordered.
Radcliff’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and once again his mouth began changing ancient words. He struggled to regain control of his body.
Relax, a voice whispered in his head.
Who are you?
I’m you.
Well that was reassuring. Not! Neither was the vision that appeared in his mind of animated bodies surfacing from the vile blackness. His eyes snapped open in panic, but Radcliff saw no bodies, just the group still standing there still arguing. He wanted to scream at them to move, but he dared not stop chanting even though he wasn’t sure what he was doing.
Hiding us.
Radcliff lacked the energy to worry anymore about the voice in his head. Even now he could feel his life draining away like a stream of water pouring into the vast desert sand. He gritted his teeth, ignored the spearing pain, and kept funneling magic into the spell.
“Help me carry him out of here,” Amira called out.
“He’s causing this,” Maleko accused.
A spear tip halted just inches from Radcliff’s eye—blocked at the last second by Amira’s staff.
“He’s shielding us from those things.” She shoved the spear away and jumped up, poised for another attack. “We don’t have time for this! We need to escape while we still can.”
Fuming, but reluctantly agreeing, Maleko pointed to four warriors and stalked off. The designated carriers picked Radcliff up and followed their leader.
“Stay close together,” Amira warned. “I don’t know how far the effect extends.”
Radcliff wasn’t sure either. As his body bounced up and down from the running motion of his bearers, he got a close up view of movement right beside him. Limbs thrust out of the tar-like goop and began twitching. They might have belonged to animals once, but the deformities made it hard to tell. Some were twisted and fused together. All had pustules that undulated like they were ready to pop. When the distorted bodies emerged, they had only crossed half the distance.
Seeing the danger of being surrounded, the warriors formed a tight wedge formation and forged a path to freedom. A few of the larger abominations sensed the group’s passing and lunged, only to be repelled by an invisible force surrounding the party. Radcliff would have grinned in satisfaction if a spike wasn’t being rammed into his brain.
“I’ll stay behind and hide our trail,” Makani whispered.
Radcliff’s eyes opened and he was confused for a second when he saw the partly dead section of the forest. He must have passed out. Fortunately, the group appeared safe for the moment. One of the men, the surviving brother, was arguing with Maleko and pointing back the way they came. He probably still wanted to recover the body. No such luck now.
Kaholo looked worried when told his father was still in danger hiding their trail.
Amira looked at Radcliff with that same expression. He tried to tell her he was ok, but his mouth refused to move, his head blazed, and his body felt like an empty water bag. He managed to blink, but she was growing blurry and dark. So very dark.
CHAPTER 13
Unexpected Choice
Amira struggled to keep up as the unflagging warriors ran light-footed through the forest. Even the four bearing Radcliff covered the ground like loping wild cats. Behind them, eerie cries and shrieks of the mutated dead encouraged everyone to run faster. Hopefully they were chasing Makani as he led them away from the group and the village. With Radcliff unconscious, he was their only hope of avoiding a fatal confrontation.
Kaholo kept casting worried glances over his shoulder. During one of their rare, brief stops to quench their thirst, she stumbled over to him. He was staring at their back trail, white faced, as the cries grew excited, like a pack of hounds scenting prey. “He’ll be fine,” she wheezed between breaths in an attempt to reassure him. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled before giving her a brief nod.
Then they were back to running. Amira’s concentration narrowed down to two things—breathing and not falling behind. When she stumbled, it wasn’t the fear of being left behind or getting turned into one of those things that kept her going. No, it was the need to remain by Radcliff’s side no matter what. Just duty, she reminded herself even as her heart ached seeing him as limp as an empty sack. She had to squash the overwhelming urge to touch him, to make sure he was still alive. He’s tough, he’ll make it. She refused to lose him now. For once, her heart and mind were in agreement. Ignoring the gnawing uncertainty, the searing pain in her side, the burning in her legs, and the numbness in her arms from carrying the staff which now weighed more than a gigantic boulder, Amira gritted her teeth and ran on.
It was dark when they finally stumbled through the village gate. It had been fully repaired in their absence and made a reassuring snick when it latched closed behind Amira who had finally caught up to the rest. If she wasn’t in such agony, she’d grin at seeing the warriors walking so slowly. It appeared that even with their magically enhanced endurance, they too felt the effects of running for so long.
Kaholo collapsed in a boneless heap against the gate. “I’m waiting here,” he panted. Amira knew he wouldn’t budge until his father returned safely. She patted his shoulder in quiet sympathy and leaned heavily on her staff as she shuffled to catch up with the others.
Ekewaka met the party just outside his home and directed the wizard bearers inside. Maleko glared at Radcliff’s unconscious body before nodding at the four warriors who stood there silently seeking his permission to proceed. Then he set off in a hurried clip that had Amira’s senses tingling in warning. When the warriors carried the wizard inside, Amira shrugged off the feeling and followed. Once they gently laid him out on the bed and left, she was alone with the elder.
“Can you help him?” she asked, quietly. Her heart twisted with anxiety.
“I’ll do what I can,” he replied.
Amira clenched and unclenched her hands on the staff repeatedly as Ekewaka knelt beside Radcliff to examine him. She hated this feeling of helplessness. If anything happens to him... She began to grow ill. No, he has to be fine.
Ekewaka placed his hands on either side of Radcliff’s head and closed his eyes. He began muttering under his breath and a soft light glowed around his hands before silently winking out. Amira hid her gasp of surprise at the elder’s evident use of magic. She didn’t think any of the Shae people had any magical abilities beyond improving their innate skills. Amira thought of asking about it but she was too afraid to interrupt the elder’s concentration.
Radcliff stirred, shaking his head from side to side and began to moan. Ekewaka’s hands lit up again, and the wizard seemed to settle. His breathing grew steady and his face became less pinched. The elder kept repeating his magical treatment until Amira grew bored with watching and took a look around.
The elder’s room was vibrant with colored hangings on the walls depicting life in the village and forest. One shelf held rock sculptures carved in the shapes of animals. Each one was painstakingly painted down to the tiniest feather, claw, or talon. Another shelf held books which surprised her. The people of the forest didn’t read and rejected most of what the empire had to offer. Scanning the titles she raised a brow. They were books of folk tales from across the empire. There were even some stories from the scattered free peoples.
Movement in the corner of her eye snagged Amira’s attention and she turned back in time to watch Ekewaka slowly stand up. Her heart gave an unsteady jolt at the grim look on his face. When he remained silent she prodded, “Well?”
Great. That meant it was serious. Numb, Amira followed and leaned her staff against the wall before sitting down in one of the wicker seats. She watched in pensive silence as Ekewaka lifted the pot of water from the hearth and poured the heated water into two cups.
Ekewaka sat a cup on the table in front of her before asking, “What happened before he collapsed?”
Amira took a sip to steady her nerves. The drink was something grass-based with a minty flavor and a virtually immediate, soothing effect. The choice of drink was further proof that Radcliff was in trouble. She cleared her throat and described the tentacle attack, how he used an unknown language to make the sphere thing vanish, and described the strange shield he used to protect the party while they escaped.
Ekewaka patiently sipped at his drink until she was finished. He sighed. “I was afraid something like this was happening.” He put the cup down and leaned forward. “I examined him when we first met and felt the turmoil in his mind. At first I shrugged it off.” His eyes became unfocused as if replaying something. Then he zeroed back in on her. The sorrow in his gaze had Amira bracing herself for the worst.
“Tonight, that turmoil is more like a full scale battle. Based on your observations, I’d say he’s fighting the spell blocking his memory and part of that escaped and cast those spells.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” she asked, hopeful. If he freed himself, she could avoid the coming confrontation with Radcliff’s biggest enemies.
Ekewaka shook his head, cutting her hope off at the knees. “No,” he said. “It’s burning him up from the inside. He’ll go mad or die before he breaks free of it.”
Her lip quivered, she couldn’t help it. Blinking back tears, she waited until her voice was steady before asking what she had to know but dreaded the answer to. “How much time does he have?”
Ekewaka shrugged. “Perhaps a few days, maybe a week. If he doesn’t have another episode, maybe even a month.”
Amira looked away, struggling to think. They needed to reach the capital soon if he was to have any chance. But she lost the horses and Radcliff was still unconscious. Wallowing in self-pity and grief she didn’t hear what Ekewaka was saying. His mouth was moving but all she heard was ‘a few days’ repeating over and over in her mind.
“You care for him don’t you?”
Ekewaka’s question finally penetrated. “What? No, of course not. I’m responsible for keeping him safe, nothing more.”
“You forget, I can detect lies.”
Her face grew warm, and she looked away. Amira didn’t know what to say. She shouldn’t like him, had tried very hard not to like him, and utterly failed. A knock at the door saved her from answering the wily elder.
“Excuse me,” Ekewaka said before rising to answer the door. Whoever it was didn’t enter and the message was brief. The elder turned to Amira, a frown on his face. “I’m sorry, this can’t wait. You’d better come with me.” He held the door open and waited as Amira exited the building. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on but one look at his dark scowl killed the urge. It had to be something big to stir up the normally mild mannered elder.
They made their way to the center of the village where the great meeting hall was located. It was clearly the first building ever constructed because the stalks were immense and so tightly woven they looked melted into one another. The building itself was at least ten times the size of a single dwelling. Inside, the room was packed with people Amira had seen in her explorations but hadn’t met yet. The cacophony of voices speaking the sing song Shae language made a soothing background noise, except for one irritating voice which she latched onto like a bird of prey.
“Why is he here?” she blurted out loud.
Ekewaka’s anger was palpable when he spotted Maleko across the room. “Makani isn’t back yet, so he’s here to report on the scouting trip. It appears he started before all the elders were present.”
“Ah,” Amira muttered, unsurprised. The man seemed to excel at causing trouble.
Following the elder as he made his way through the crowd, Amira wished, not for the first time, that she spoke the Shae language. Whatever was being said, she could tell Maleko wasn’t just giving an unbiased accounting of their journey. He was spitting as he thrust his finger in one man’s face.
Ekewaka raised his voice to be heard over the argument. “Now that I’m here, we can officially begin this meeting. I’ve brought Amira to help recount the incident, so please use Common so she can understand.”
That shut everyone up but not without a few grumbles, the loudest of course from Maleko. Sitting pillows located at the edges of the room were passed around until everyone was seated. Ekewaka stepped up onto a raised platform and took the central cushion in between the other leaders. Amira paused, unsure of where to sit, until he indicated a spot right in front. She sat down but could feel the disapproving stares of others on her back.
Ekewaka waited until the room was settled before he spoke. “We will begin with Maleko’s report.”
Maleko jumped up and stood right next to Amira, towering over her. “As I already said before you were here,” he smirked, “Makani tracked the cat’s trail east. As we got farther away from the village, the forest showed signs of illness. The grasses turned sickly in color and there were no insects, birds, or other animals nearby. Then the grasses turned black and began dying until at the end there was nothing left but a rotting crater of death.” He shot a glance at Amira before continuing. “At this point we were betrayed. When we got to the strange disturbance, the wizard began acting strange and caused a tentacle to attack.”
“That’s not true!” Amira blurted.
“You’ll have time to tell your side,” Ekewaka reprimanded.
She stewed. That lying pile of feces.
Maleko shot her a smug look before continuing. “The wizard knew how to make the disturbance go away. He’s clearly the one who put it there in the first place. He got one of my men killed in an attempt to deter our investigation. But my men are strong willed, we continued. Then he tried to kill us by animating the dead things after the tentacle failed to do the job for him. I demand a trial by combat to settle the matter.” Maleko nodded politely to the elders and sat down.
Ekewaka looked out over the assembly before addressing them. “Everything Maleko says, he believes to be truth.”
Amira’s jaw dropped. How could he possibly think that’s the truth?
“Now we will hear from Amira who was also there and has more knowledge of the magic used by wizards.”
Amira stood and butterflies began doing a swoopy dance in her stomach. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and blanched when she realized she’d have to talk about what happened in the tunnel. “I know for a fact Radcliff didn’t summon the sphere thing,” she began quietly. The knuckles of her clenched fists turned white. “I’ve seen it before. Back in the cave where Nalani was held prisoner.” Her heart raced, and she had trouble breathing. “It tried to take me back then too, but I escaped. Barely.”
She sucked in a few deep breaths to calm herself now that the hard part was over. “When I came upon Radcliff, he was barely conscious.” She didn’t want to reveal any more of the wizard’s weaknesses, but she needed to sway their opinion. “He was clinging to a single memory well past the time of its reset. Despite the pain, he held on long enough to make me swear an oath to rescue the girl, Nalani.”
Then she turned and stared directly at Maleko. “Radcliff is the only reason your daughter was rescued. I wouldn’t have looked for her if not for him.” It shamed her to say that ugly truth, but it was satisfying to see Maleko wince and look away. Not so smug now, was he?
The normally placid nomads began whispering in hushed tones. Ekewaka had to clear his throat a few times to get them to settle. When the room fell silent, he asked, “What about the magic he used?”
“I don’t know what languages he spoke
,” she replied honestly. “But he stopped the tentacle from reaching me, banished the sphere, and then kept a shield around the party until we got out of the infected area.” Then she threw out her final challenge. “None of us would be standing here if it weren’t for his actions. He saved us all.” Imitating Maleko, she gave the elders a polite nod and sat down. Let them chew on that.
She couldn’t help but glance at the troublemaker and if looks could kill, she’d be a burnt cinder.
Ekewaka said, “Everything Amira has told us, she considers truth. Furthermore, I have examined Radcliff, and it is my belief that part of his memory surfaced and performed the spells. His actions put him in mortal danger and we owe it to him to help.”
Maleko yelled out something in Shae that sounded suspiciously like a curse.
Ekewaka didn’t bother commenting, he just stared at Maleko with a sad, ‘I’m disappointed in you’ expression. The bellicose man shut up. Then the elders stood and huddled, consulting with one another in barely a whisper. Whatever the debate, it didn’t last long before they were once again seated. When Ekewaka turned his gaze back to Maleko, the man bristled, likely knowing he wouldn’t like what was about to be said. “Your challenge is denied.” Ekewaka’s tone was firm and final.
Maleko leapt up, pointed a finger at Ekewaka and began yelling. Red faced, he kept at it until a group of his own warriors had to escort him outside.
Ekewaka seemed disappointed but resigned. He was about to say something else when there was another disruption, this time at the entrance. Gasps echoed in the room as Makani limped in, supported by his son. He had blood dripping down his forehead and his clothes were shredded. As he limped to stand before the elders, the room grew deathly silent, every eye on him. There was no request for him to speak in Common so Amira had no clue what was said, but she could feel the fear in the air and see it on peoples’ faces as he made his report. The vision came without warning.