Heart of the Ocean (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 2)

by Jason A. Gilbert

  "Wait, Ayman," the older man said.

  The group approaching Connor all placed their hands on their weapons.

  The man the older man had addressed spoke as his sword began to slide out its sheath, but Connor could not understand what he said. The words rolled off the man's tongue and then would abruptly stop with a harsh, throaty sound. The older man responded in the same language this time, his hands raised still. Connor felt his anxiousness increase, unsure of what they were saying. He pressed the tip of the Sword against the man's neck, and the older man stopped.

  The leader of the group addressed Connor. "Let Tomo go," he said haltingly.

  "I need to help my friends," Connor said.

  Ayman looked at the man in front of Connor, unsure of what Connor had said. Tomo said something to him in their own language. Before Connor could stop him, Tomo stepped away from Connor, revealing the blue blade of the Sword. Connor reached for Tomo briefly, but then stepped back, readying himself against the larger group.

  To his surprise, the group did not attack him. They stared at the blue Sword, much as Tomo had, their own weapons lowering. Ayman said something to Tomo, and Tomo nodded. Ayman took a few steps forward, away from the group of men, and then bowed to Connor. The Sword wavered.

  "Warden," Ayman said, raising his head slightly.

  "You are the Warden, are you not, boy?" Tomo said, seeing Connor hesitate in front of Ayman's supplication.

  Connor nodded, unsure of what to say.

  "Then the Edonin are at your service...Warden," Tomo finished, bowing himself.

  The rest of the group behind Ayman followed suit and Connor found himself standing in a small circle of bowing men. They all held their bows, waiting for something. Unsure of what else to do, Connor returned their bow, grudgingly allowing the Sword to dissipate.

  Twenty-One

  The Elder

  Laila sat at the back of the small cave, her staff across her knees. The storm continued to rage outside, ceaselessly, continuously pounding at the earth and stone. Her mind drifted. A stab of pain in her stomach reminded her of her own physical discomfort, but it was a distant reminder; her mind was far removed from the demands of her body. She could see the rest of the survivors huddling together in the cave. Distantly she remembered that Connor had left the morning of the day before. The remainder of the food that the few survivors had scavenged from the sinking ship had run out that morning, and now they simply waited, whether for death or Connor, Laila did not know.

  Her mind continued to drift. Her hands gripped the staff in front of her, but she did not call on her power. She was afraid. Something had struck out at her from beneath the Straits, something had felt her manipulation of power and responded in kind. Something powerful. She feared what might happen if she called on her power again. This was the second time that using her power had resulted in devastating consequences. All that power. Maybe it was too much for her. Obviously it was too much for her. She had been the reason for the deaths of the crew. Not only had she brought them to the Straits, she had destroyed the ship in the process. Cadi and the others, they were gone now. All because she had not been up to the task before her. And now only a handful in the small cave survived. She was supposed to save the world, not destroy it.

  Absently she watched the rest of the survivors in the cave. Lunete huddled against one side of the small cave, wrapped up in herself. The bandage on her right hand was dirty and wet, clinging to her wound; the pieces of metal that had molded themselves to her hand were just visible through the fabric. Icarus had done what he could for the damage, but it was still unknown if Lunete would ever have full use of her hand again. Yet another result of Laila's actions. Icarus sat next to her mother; he seemed to be the least impacted by the hunger that wracked the rest of them. He stared at the ground silently. Ragged bandages were just visible from the arm of his robes, the result of his own attempt to fight Nuriel. So many people hurt.

  Wyndam sat across the cave from Icarus, placing himself at the farthest point he could from the Magus. He too seemed unaffected by the hunger, but he clasped his hands in front of himself tightly, his only sign of emotion.

  Her distant observation of the harm she had caused was disturbed by something changing in the cave. Her vision seemed to waver. A part of her told her that it was just the hunger getting to her, affecting her mind. But the wavering continued, as though she were looking at the cave through running water. She felt herself lean forward, reaching toward the strange glimmer. She was aware of Dio sitting next to her, she knew he spoke to her, but she could no longer hear him. The quiver in the air intensified, blurring Laila's vision. The cave and her friends became harder to see. She felt herself stand, the odd sensation coaxing her to her feet, calling her toward it. Again she knew Dio spoke, but she did not hear him. She reached her hand out, standing in the center of their small cave.

  Fire burst to life around her. The air itself burned. The blast knocked her to her knees and the flames seethed through the cave. Stones lit bright red, then turned white as the inferno began to slide down the walls of the cave, melting. Laila could not see her friends any longer. The fire burned at her eyes; she felt it coat her skin. Her robes burned off of her as the fire continued to rage. She felt the heat eat away at her and she screamed...

  "Laila?" Dio's voice cut through the pain of the heat. With a shuddering breath, Laila felt the stone floor beneath her scraping against her hands. She opened her eyes and felt the tears streaming down her face. Looking around desperately, she saw the rest of the survivors staring at her. She knelt in the center of the small cave on her hands and knees.

  "Laila? Are you all right? Please, talk to me..." Dio's voice again. She felt a hand touch her back gently as he knelt next to her.

  Taking her breath in gasps, Laila finally answered him, finally breaking her silence. "What…happened?"

  Dio smiled briefly at her, happy that she finally was responding to him. "You just stood up and started moving toward the entrance. Then you started screaming..."

  "I saw...fire. Fire everywhere, everything." She saw Icarus move toward her, hearing her speak with Dio.

  "What did you see, exactly?" Icarus said, his voice suddenly intense.

  "Fire. Like I said, everything was on fire, burning and melting. The whole world, it felt like."

  "Did you see anything else?" he pressed, their circumstance forgotten for the moment.

  "No...why?" Laila felt the emotions that had been coursing through her shift to anger. Was this going to be another moment when Icarus refused to tell her what was going on?

  Icarus took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Didn't Nuriel claim that he was going to cleanse the world the first time you encountered him?"

  Laila nodded.

  Icarus looked at the ground, deep in thought.

  Laila sat back on her thighs, watching the Magus intently. She could feel her anger continue to grow. Dio reached down and helped her stand. She wiped at the tears that had streaked her cheeks, watching Icarus the whole time.

  Finally he looked up. "There are ancient tales, even more ancient than the tales of the Collapse and the Moon Kingdom, stories that were passed down from the early days of humanity, when we struggled against the raging elementals. They are only fragments, mind you, but the Magi tried to keep some of them recorded. The Prime Aspects are not the only ones that have threatened the world. The elements themselves present their own danger. It is possible that Nuriel is capable of coating the world in fire. That would certainly achieve his goal of cleansing the world."

  "Coating the world in fire? What? How?" Laila asked.

  "I don't know," the Magus said.

  "That's exactly what he plans." Wyndam's willowy voice cut through the thick air of the cave. "He wants to wipe the planet free of humanity, and he's willing to destroy everything to achieve it. Everything." The Aurai placed emphasis on that last word. "Humanity, elementals. The entire world will burn if Nuriel succeeds."

 
“To be free…” Laila whispered to herself, her confrontation on the ship coming back to her.

  “What?” asked Icarus.

  “On the ship, when he attacked us. He…said things to me…none of it really made sense. But, he said he wanted ‘to be free of him.’ And that the only way was to cleanse the world.”

  “Who is he?” Icarus pressed.

  “I…I don’t know.” She turned toward Wyndam. “But you do.”

  “And why would I know that?” Wyndam said.

  Laila wanted to say more, but her mind was still hazy. Thankfully Icarus spoke up.

  “Enough, Aurai! We have accommodated your unwillingness long enough. Speak!”

  Laila nearly flinched at the command in Icarus’s voice.

  “You have been warned, from many sources, that there is something greater out there. Something that even the Aspect of Fire fears. Perhaps it is that power that attacked the Magusari in the Straits. I do not know whom Nuriel fears. I only know that you do not understand the scope of the game you are a part of.”

  “What is out there? What is Nuriel going to do?” Laila asked, finding her voice again.

  But the elemental fell silent, huddling into his small corner of the cave.

  In frustration, Laila spun and walked back to her original position at the back of the cave. Icarus did not follow her, instead turning and sitting near Lunete. Hunger, fear, and anger tore through Laila. She felt as though she was walking through the darkness, blind and deaf. Dio walked over to her, taking a seat next to her. Laila felt her emotions overcome her again, and tears began to run down her face.

  Laila felt Dio place his arm around her shoulders. Dio, the one who had followed her on this journey of his own choice. Everyone else had a reason to be here, but Dio had followed her because he’d wanted to. Now he was going to die of hunger, huddled desperately in this tiny cave at the edge of the world.

  "I'm sorry..." Laila whispered through the tears.

  She felt Dio's arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. The pain of hunger mixed with the emotions of her failure, and she molded herself into his embrace.

  "It's not your fault," he whispered back.

  "Yes, it is. Everything I've done to this point has put us in danger. And now we're either going to die of hunger here in this forsaken cave, or Nuriel's going to burn the world down around us..." Her voice trailed off.

  Dio tightened his grip on her, pulling her close to him. They sat there, leaning against each other, for an indeterminable amount of time. The dim light outside began to fade. Laila felt herself go in and out of consciousness, the excitement of her vision slipping away. She was not sleeping; it was simply darkness. Each time her eyes opened, the dark outside seemed a little deeper. The rain continued to pour down across the entrance to the cave. Laila stared out, feeling Dio's grip on her shoulders loosen. She turned her head to look at his face. His eyes were closed and his head fell back against the wall of the cave. His breathing was ragged.

  Another sound suddenly drew her attention. A scraping against the stone near the entrance to the cave. Laila saw a figure come into view. They wore a strange cloak that wrapped all the way around their shoulders. A blade hung at the figure's side. Stepping into the cave, Laila could see the man's face underneath the shadow of the leather hood.

  Turning back into the storm, the man shouted something that Laila did not understand. She felt Dio stir next to her. When he saw the man at the entrance, he pushed himself up, stepping in front of Laila protectively. The man stepped further into the small cave. Captain Drachus stepped in front of him, stopping his progress.

  "Who are you?" the captain said, his voice still strong despite the hunger.

  The man looked at the captain, his hand drifting toward the blade at his side. Icarus and Lunete stood slowly, stepping next to Dio and the captain, forming a wall of people in front of Laila. Why were they protecting her? She was the reason for their predicament. Their support stunned Laila, amazed her, and she felt her emotions rise up again.

  Another voice shouted from outside the cave in the same strange language. Three more figures appeared at the entrance. Two of them wore the same leather cloak that the first man wore.

  "Rais, ddigon!"

  The man facing the captain glanced back at the others behind him, his hand slowly moving away from his weapon. Laila pushed herself to her feet, leaning heavily on her staff. She walked toward the group and finally saw Connor step forward.

  "I found the Edonin," he said, a smile crossing his face. Laila smiled back, fighting desperately against the weakness in her legs.

  One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, gently guiding the man called Rais back. Pulling his cloak back, Laila's eyes met the deep blue of the man's own eyes. His face was covered in a heavy beard and rainwater dripped off the end.

  "The young Warden here has explained your predicament, Magusari." The man's voice had an odd cadence to it, not unlike Connor's. "I am Tomo, of the Edonin. We have come to help."

  The words took a moment to register. He had used their titles…they knew who she and Connor were.

  "Thank you..." Laila's voice was weak, and Connor's eyes widened, realizing that she was no longer catatonic.

  "You must be hungry," Tomo said.

  "Did you bring food?" the captain asked, his booming voice echoing through the cave.

  "Aye," said Tomo. He motioned back at one of the other men, who pulled a pack off his shoulders. The desperation of the cave was suddenly broken, and the remaining survivors surged forward as Tomo began passing out handfuls of dense bread. Connor walked toward Laila, a handful of the bread and a skin of water in either hand. As he approached, she felt Dio slide away from her, moving off toward Wyndam, who still sat huddled in a corner of the cave.

  "What happened?" Laila asked, ignoring Dio's odd behavior for the moment.

  "It might take a little time to explain..."

  The village of the Edonin sat huddled in the wood-covered foothills to the north of the Straits. Their small group of survivors trudged their way into the clearing the following morning. They had stayed in the cave for one more night, though with the Edonin's food and supplies, that night had been much easier. Having rested and recovered some of their strength, the group set off the next morning, making their way through the heavy rains of the storm, headed toward the Edonin village. Connor had explained the strange events of his capture and subsequent release as they walked.

  "How do they know about the Warden?" Laila had asked under her breath.

  Connor shrugged. "Not sure. My people knew about something related to the Collapse and the old days, but no one knew any details. It was just what we did. Until Icarus showed up. But the Edonin seem to have a better grasp on the old stories..."

  "Do you know what language they're speaking?" Laila asked.

  Connor shook his head.

  Laila had heard the three Edonin who’d accompanied Connor speak to each other during their journey back to the village. The words seemed to flow naturally, but were often punctuated by harsh consonant sounds. She had not heard anything like it before. The people of the Confederacy only spoke one language, as did most of the people on the continent that they lived on; other languages were things for stories and legends. Laila did wonder at the similarity in Tomo and Connor's speech however. Tomo was the only one of the Edonin who spoke the common language—at least, he was the only one that spoke it to their group, and he had the same cadence to his speech that Connor did, though it was more pronounced. Laila continued to wonder what implications that might have.

  A low wall encircled the small village, with gaps at each of the four directions. Their group entered the southern entrance, Tomo leading them toward the center of the village. As they walked, Laila saw the other Edonin stop their daily routines and turn to watch their ragged band of survivors. Children ran in and out of the legs of the group, laughing at the differences in the clothes they wore, taking particular interest in the Teru
ns, with their long robes covering their tunics. Laila could smell food cooking as they walked, and her stomach rumbled in response. The food the Edonin had brought with them had fulfilled their immediate hunger last night, but it had been nearly four days since Laila and the rest of her companions had eaten a decent meal.

  The adults corralled the children, speaking the strange language softly, calling them away from the survivors. Tomo, who Laila had begun to assume was some sort of leader in the village, made placating gestures and spoke to a couple of the villagers who approached him. Captain Drachus had said that the Edonin did not like outsiders, and Laila could see the fear in the faces of the villagers who approached Tomo, even if she did not understand the words that were being spoken.

  Approaching the center of the village, Laila felt a burst of heat blow against her face. She gripped her staff instinctively, still not drawing on her power, but moving the staff in front of her defensively. Connor and Dio glanced at her from either side, scanning to see what had inspired her tense reaction. Stepping into the circle at the center of the village, Laila let her guard down, berating herself for being so sensitive. A large bonfire burned in the center of the village, piled high with large pieces of wood gathered from the surrounding forest. Its heat filled the village center, and several villagers worked nearby.

  "Welcome to Anhre," Tomo said, turning to face the group as they all entered the village center. "Rest here. Food and water will be brought to you. I must speak to the elder." He turned directly to Laila and Connor. "And, if you are able, I would ask you two to join me..."