The Panids' Children_The Panids of Koa

by Lee M Eason

  “Five things,” he said spreading his fingers for emphasis. “One, the surviving Children are now more than we created them to be.”

  Meg rolled her eyes. “We figured that one out for ourselves.”

  “Now, now old girl. Let a man finish.”

  Meg pursed her lips, trying to keep a straight face and sat back with a gracious gesture for him to continue.

  “Two. Over the last century they’ve seen their kind hunted as monsters or simply die from old age.” He deliberately didn’t look at Meg. “Three, they cannot reproduce or create more of themselves. Four, they developed emotions and feelings like our own and five, they’ve began to ask the question, is this all that we are? They’ve asked that question far and wide for many years. They’re scared of dying. Plain and simple.”

  “And someone has answered,” Kellim surmised, the thought now seeming obvious.

  “You better believe it. Those not in Lont with Maga got an answer from someone, genuine or not but definitely a nod, a quiet whisper in their ear,” Ollce added.

  Kellim suddenly straightened. “Say that again.”

  “What? All of it?”

  “Never mind. You said a whisper.”

  “Well, it’s an old saying. You know like a vague promi…”

  “No, no you misunderstand.”

  Ollce sat back. “Enlighten me.”

  “Whisper,” Kellim spoke the word like a revelation. “I think that’s the link. The word has cropped up, time and time again and I’ve let it sit there. Too busy to see it for what it was.”

  “Talk some more,” Meg said thinking back to the incident in the woods with Jenna.

  “Bits of this and that,” Kellim thought as he spoke. “Fragments from many conversations that on their own meant nothing. At Aurt I sensed two strange things that puzzled me. One of which I can now begin to explain. Something was focused around Naicarn, looking back now a whispering would adequately describe it. Maga talked of being blocked, of another mind at work - she spoke of a whisper. Jenna spoke of the same thing too. All three have a greater connection to the field and all three spoke of a whispering.”

  “That’s it!” Meg shouted slapping her hand on the table. “The field or rather The Field’s Cap is speaking to them. It’s the link between them all. Promising The Children a way forward through Jenna, speaking to Naicarn and sending him off to locate The Field’s Complex. It can’t know that for itself. It’s speaking to all of them and Jenna hears it too!”

  “What?” Ollce rumbled. “Your mind drifting again old girl? How did The Field’s Cap get into this?”

  “In the woods today she was distracted,” Meg recalled, giving Ollce a sour look. “I explained it away until I could figure out what I’d picked upon. It was familiar and now I know why. It was the field, the very essence of the field. When Larreck and I were together he let slip some things about what they were doing at Russon. It’s only now they make sense in the context of everything we’ve been talking about. She could hear it. It’s trying to talk to her. The Field’s Cap is self-aware. Larreck said it wasn’t just a device. That it was more than that and often talked as if it were alive. When I pulled him up on that he laughed it off and I didn’t think to question any further. That’s what the whispers were. It’s used you all in order to help The Children and their search for longevity.” She still didn’t seem happy. “That doesn’t sit right. I can’t help thinking we’re missing something bigger.” She shook her head irritably. “They should’ve told us more about The Field’s Cap.”

  Ollce folded his arms. “That was never going to happen. We became too outspoken about the continued creation of The Children. By the end of the war we were a constant pain in their back-ends. That’s why they kept us busy and we weren’t allowed to take part in any of the work to create The Field’s Complex and its contents. To think they duped us into the role of watchers. Guide the future Talents,” he quoted, his deep voice heavy with sarcasm.

  “The others agreed to whatever was done.” Kellim recalled the events. “You’re right of course, your and latterly my own out spoken hostility to the continued creation of The Children precluded us from this. Halleck’s unique abilities meant that he was included in some aspects of The Field’s Complex completion. They couldn’t have done it without him. We can assume at some point he opposed their plans and…”

  “…paid the price.” Meg finished the idea. “Forced to complete the work and then his memories, everything wiped. Left to wander, not knowing who he was.

  Ollce rested his forehead on his hands deep in thought. Meg’s words had caused a spark in his thoughts. He began piecing together his own memory of events from nearly a hundred years ago, the creation of The Children, the escalation of the war, his subsequent refusal to cooperate and finally censorship by The Panids. Halleck’s sudden departure and finally the varying limits The Field’s Cap imposed on all Talents after the war. A variation that allowed Kellim, Meg and himself greater access to the energy so they could guide and maintain order after the others were gone. Someone or something would have to be aware of their existence to allow them greater access to the field and alter the limits placed on them as opposed to anyone else. Their opposition to the creation and treatment of The Children made them the instant choice to remain and guide the new Talents, steering them away from the creation of such things, in order to prevent another Great War. He lifted his head, nodding to himself, Halleck’s unique abilities, that was it! That was the link.

  He sat back. “Now I could be wrong about this,” he warned shaking a finger at them. The other two said nothing. “Ok then, as you said The Field’s Cap is self-aware.”

  Meg nodded her head slowly. Kellim sat motionless his fingers steepled, their tips resting on his chin, something clearly bothering him.

  “Damn fools must have taken what they learnt from the creation of the fields they engineered for the Elementals: The Meta, The Gales, The Havoc, The Blaze and finally The Fury and The Guardians. They took their ability to directly link with and channel the ambient field energy and coupled it with The Guardians’ ability to nullify it. Then they added in Maga’s ability to link with every mind on the continent and created an Elemental like no other, a self-aware mega field. It would be a kindred spirit and possibly feel some loyalty to the remaining Panid’s Children or even have asked the same question of itself. Is this all that I am? With its link to every Talent and Child it may have had an answer, an answer that involves Naicarn and Jenna.

  “If that’s the case,” Kellim lowered his hands. “It’s deliberately blocked Maga’s sight and may have engineered events to bring Jenna closer to The Complex. I thought I was bringing her to safety but I may have brought her to a point where she is close enough to be manipulated by it.” Kellim leapt to his feet and was gone.

  “Jenna’s room,” Meg said and the two rushed to follow him.

  The noise they made as they threw themselves up the stairs woke the house and alarmed faces appeared at doors.

  “What’s wrong?” Bryn shouted, sword in hand as they pounded past.

  “Jenna!” Meg shouted back. She threw the door open to the girl’s room to find it empty. The bed had been slept in but was now cold and Meg could sense that Kellim had been there seconds earlier. Bryn and Jac appeared at the door Aaron pushing his way through.

  “Where is she?” he demanded.

  ***

  Carrick stood atop the immense walls of the Empress’s Hand. Stark stone dazzled the eye in the intense light. The sheer scale of the five fortresses and their cliff-like walls defied description. The blocks used to construct them dwarfed the individuals now making final checks. The walls were built like a dam, wide at the bottom and steadily curving to the top, stretching unbroken to block the only way into Amaria.

  The walls divided two contrasting views. To the west The Ugarmas Pass an empty featureless expanse shimmering in the haze, silent except for the feet of lizards, to the east stretched the Amarian military machine. S
hips moved across the sky, docking and unloading cargo at a hastily erected port tower. If not as impressive as the city ones it still gave cause to marvel at the speed of its construction. The extent of the industry and activity matched the enormity of the walls that towered over it.

  Tension pervaded the air. Everyone felt it. Stories of the weapons Segat had used to finally take Cian were rife and added a keen edge to the anticipation and uncertainty. The lookouts, the battlement guards and the Talents’ senses focused on the pass and what they could only imagine was heading their way. Soldiers were not allowed time to think but it was up to the Adepts and Talents to control their imaginations. A hundred years of peace had not prepared them for war and so they found their way day by day. Inevitably arguments had broken out as nerves were stretched and the Adepts had been forced to restore calm in their own Order.

  Gwen stepped up onto the top of the battlements. The air was dry and dusty, clinging to lips and exposed skin. Above her the Amarian flag snapped in the brisk hot wind. She combed hair out of her eyes and shaded them as she looked along its length. The great curve and its forts faded into the haze. She had been up since dawn transporting the largest of the wooden beams used in the construction of the trebuchet and was exhausted. As she approached her brother turned to look. She could still see the traces of his ordeal and was aware of his struggle to manage a greater link to the field. She had worked with him to re-discipline his mind but the pressure of maintaining order amongst the Talents and their own workload had been a strain.

  “Has Halleck changed his mind?” Carrick asked impatiently as she approached.

  “He needs time. He won’t use his skills unless he’s sure he can control what he creates,” Gwen caught the irritation in his voice and attempted to explain. “His disjointed memory means The Great War is still a recent event. He has no real concept of the time that’s passed since then.”

  “Time is one thing we don’t have. Can’t he see how much we need his help?”

  “I’m sure he’s only too aware of that,” Gwen replied impatiently.

  “Then I don’t see what the problem is. We’ve all got things to deal with. It’s about time he stopped wallowing in his…”

  “That’s hardly fair,” Kara snapped. They both turned sharply to find her, hands on hips and jaw set.

  “I do wish you wouldn’t do that sneaking up thing,” Gwen complained. “We’re all on edge as it is.”

  “Maybe you should check who’s about before you start a conversation,” Kara said sharply before turning to Carrick. “Have you any idea what the war did to The Panids and what VaCalt and her cronies put him through? What they did to get the information out of him? There probably isn’t an inch of him that’s not been cut burnt or sliced. His mind’s been peeled and tortured in ways that make me sick to my stomach. They took what little he had of himself and squeezed it until they got what they wanted and then threw away what was left,” she took a breath to calm her anger. I’m stressed she thought dryly. She turned to look out across the pass, not wanting to look at Carrick and feeling self-conscious about her outburst. “Your new found ability doesn’t seem to have made you any more sensitive to those around you,” she added much calmer.

  Carrick was taken aback by Kara’s sudden outburst and was embarrassed by his own insensitivity, especially when he saw Halleck was now standing at the top of the steps. “You heard all of that?”

  “Near enough,” Halleck replied flatly.

  “Oh bollocks,” Kara rolled her eyes, wishing she could slide right into the wall and stay there, before turning to face The Panid.

  “Maybe,” Gwen gave her a gentle nudge, “you should check who’s about before you start a conversation.”

  “Just push me over the edge,” Kara groaned. Gwen laughed despite herself.

  Halleck walked over and hoisted himself up onto the wall, sitting in between two of the crenellations. “You’re all right,” he said finally, after the silence had just started to become uncomfortable. “Though I’d rather you hadn’t announced it to the world in general.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much,” Carrick gestured around them. “News has got around about my experiment and they generally give me a wide birth. They think I’m unhinged.”

  “And I’ve had to snap so many Talents back into line,” Gwen admitted. “They flinch each time I open my mouth. So you can see it’s pretty empty where we are. No one wants to be near us.”

  “Would an apology be a wise move right now?” Kara asked.

  “Who from?” Halleck asked. “You, me, Carrick? I’m not sure what good it would do. When you’re right you’re right,” he shrugged. “Did you notice that wide berth just got wider? They all think I’m an Ildran spy. Their eyes narrow if I move my hand too fast to scratch my nose. Then there’s you skulking around…” Kara gave him an outraged look, pointing at herself and mouthing me? Halleck continued. “The people here are more comfortable with The Children than any of us. You’d think they’d been here for decades. No one bats an eye lid when a seven-foot giant walks by or a bald man with funny eyes appears out of nowhere but one of us turns a corner and they fall over themselves to get away.”

  “My advice would be, we all need a holiday,” Gwen said wryly. “But that isn’t going to happen any time soon, so I suppose we’d best get over it.”

  “Easy,” Carrick said with an incline of his head.

  “Yes,” Halleck sighed. “Easy as falling off a cliff,” he indicated the drop behind “That aside, there’s a reason why I came up here. I want one of you to take me a way off from here so I can try and sort out my talent.” Carrick was about to speak but Halleck held up his hand. “You were right. I need to get this sorted and the longer I leave it the harder it’s going to be. I think I’m scared that I might not be able to do anything. That it’s gone.”

  “Do you want one of us to stay with you?” Gwen offered.

  “No, you’re needed here and if I get this wrong… It’s best I’m on my own.”

  “When do you want to go?” Carrick asked.

  “Now, before I lose my nerve. I’m packed,” he turned so they could see the bag on his back and then added. “The sooner the better really.”

  ***

  Kellim returned after searching through the night for Jenna. He was now convinced she was headed for The Field’s Complex, compelled by the presence in her head. They had all gathered in Meg’s kitchen. Chill morning light crept in through the windows and food sat untouched on the table.

  “We could do with Maga right now,” Jac noted.

  “I’ve tried reaching her but to no avail,” Kellim said wearily pushing his cup aside. “I’ll pack and then I must go.”

  “Then we’ll come with you,” Bryn said.

  “I’m coming as well,” Lewen said firmly.

  “As much as I appreciate that,” Kellim said. “You’ll only slow me down. I can cover far more distance on my own and stand a better chance of getting to her before she reaches Manifland. She’ll have to find a way of crossing the White Sea and that’ll slow her down.”

  Lewen couldn’t hide his frustration and anxiety. He left the room making some excuse of unfinished work from the previous day.

  “So that’s where the complex is?” Aaron said phrasing the sentence a little too carefully, he didn’t see Jac’s suspicious look. “North of here.”

  “Yes,” Kellim replied vaguely and got up from his chair. “They built it on the island’s southern coast. It became known as Russon the village of the dead - the name helped to keep people away.”

  Meg came out of the larder. “Right there’s enough in there to last you a week. Make sure you eat,” she warned handing him the pack. “And for all our sakes be careful,” she hugged him tightly.

  Kellim said hurried good byes, not wanting to linger or think about the probabilities of his return. The uncertainty and abruptness of the night’s events added an intensity to his departure that left them all subdued and quiet. It was some time
before they stirred and occupied their hands and their minds with work on the farm. It wasn’t until lunchtime that Jac’s vague suspicions were confirmed when they realised that Aaron and Lewen were also gone.

  “They’ve taken supplies and a map from my study.” Meg said upon her return to the kitchen. “I’ve searched the surrounding forest and they’re nowhere near.”

  “They’ve also been through Kellim’s old pack” Jac added. “I don’t know what they found there or even if they’ve taken anything. But they were looking.”

  “Damn,” Bryn said angrily. “Do they have any idea of how dangerous it will be up there?”

  “There’s no way either of you can get us further north?” Jac asked Meg and Ollce.

  “I can help you with a thousand and one things but that isn’t one of them,” Meg replied.

  “You’ll just have to wait here with the rest of us,” Ollce folded his arms. “We’ll find ways to keep ourselves occupied. A week will pass soon enough,” he said with a worried glance at Meg.

  Chapter 20

  Naicarn stepped further up the black beach towards the remains of the settlement. He had used copies of Kellim’s copper spheres to arrive ahead of time, concerned that The Beholder would be able to guess at his progress. The icy sea rolled and crashed behind him as he climbed steps to an old harbour wall. He walked along its now pitted and uneven surface towards what was left of the village constructed to house the men and women who’d built The Field’s Complex.

  The grey stone matched the low sky. Everything appeared drained of colour, bleak and desolate. The village had been built on the site of a much older settlement whose remains were still very much in evidence. He stopped briefly to look at the ancient paved platform and the strange stone spheres arranged on its surface. The largest was easily taller than him and all were incised deeply with swirls and circles. Beyond them the rest of the settlement was now only shells, the roofs and other wooden structures had rotted or been blown away by the frequent storms that buffeted the island. The main path up through the village was cobbled and it was along this he now walked, headed for the brooding hills. The ruins thinned as he reached the top of the rise. Here in the half-light he paused, looking back over the village and out to sea as if expecting to see some sign of life. The presence in his head had withdrawn since his arrival and the compulsion had eased, never the less he turned to continue.