“The Deadlands are just past those hills,” Hayao said, nodding his head toward the direction they were traveling. “As the elders of my village told you, we send a few children, usually before their tenth birthday to the lost city every few years. What he didn’t tell you was that those chosen are from low families or ones that are not…looked well upon. As children, we are told stories of the Deadlands and the horrors that live within. Honestly, it is not a place I wish to go nor a place we should go.”
“Whether we should go or not is not a question,” Bren replied with a deep sigh. “We have to go…. Or at least I do. If you do not wish to go, then you may turn back at any time. This is my quest, and no one else should have to carry a burden they do not wish to carry.”
Hayao shook his head. “Where you go, I go,” he said adamantly. “I have sworn to follow you and your family until my line dies out and returns to the ether. If I go back on that oath, I might as well end my life and line here; otherwise, my family shall be forever cursed.”
“I will freely release you from your oath,” Bren began to offer, but the look on Hayao’s face made him quickly reconsider.
“An oath cannot be released nor taken back; otherwise, it would have no real meaning,” Hayao said darkly as he looked to the massive storm clouds that spread out across the horizon. “I have found you an interesting and honorable man. I have always been taught that for those who walk a path, there is always a reason for that path, and I would like to know the reason and outcome of yours.”
“I have told everyone that I am just looking for a way to return my father to me and my family,” Bren said as his eyes wandered to the dark overcast sky.
“Yes, you have said that, but that is not what I meant,” Hayao said with a short huff that was as close to a laugh that the man came to. “I want to know the reason the world has put you on this path. All things are from the ether, and to the ether all things return. In our lives the world sets the paths in front of us, and we chose which to take, but each one has a meaning—one that most of us never see for what it truly is.”
“I don’t think I can believe that,” Bren said, shaking his head. “If that was true, wouldn’t that mean that there was no such thing as free will and personal choices? That would mean that nothing I did was of my own accord. I think life would lose a little luster if that was the case.”
“You only hear half of what you listen to my friend,” Hayao said with a shaded smirk. “There are many paths, and we chose the ones we wish to take, but that does not mean that the world does not have its own reason for putting those choices in your life to begin with.”
“I don’t think I completely understand what you mean, but I will leave you to your own beliefs,” Bren replied, hoping to end the discussion. The thought of there being a power outside of his knowledge and understanding that placed things in his path just to make him chose a direction in his life didn’t sit well with him.
Do you really think that there is nothing larger than yourself out there in the world? You should know better; you feel its pull every time you use magic. I am surprised that a savage would understand the truth about the ether, and he has it pretty close as far as he was describing it. You should learn more about the ether, it is what makes all things and controls the destruction and creation of worlds.
“I thought the ether was just where you went when you died,” Bren replied, slightly shocked that Thuraman sounded so upset about his lack of knowledge.
Yes, it is where you will go, and everyone else goes as well, once you die. The energy of all living beings rejoins the ether upon their death, and when the world itself dies, it rejoins the ether as well. When things are created or born, they borrow a small amount of energy from the ether and repay that favor many times over upon their death. Mages even more so. Because they use magical energy, their ethereal energy is even stronger than that of other beings.
“How do you know so much about it?” Bren asked the staff.
I have little to do other than watch you blunder around, so I listen, and I have been listening for years—not just to what you say but to the small whispers of the magic. Over the years, I have put those small whispers into words, then sentences, and through that, I have grown to understand much more about the world than you can possibly imagine.
“Maybe I should simply listen to the words of the magic,” Bren offered.
If you did that, then you would let yourself be carried away. As I told you, everything feels its pull, but because you use such strong magical energies, it is more like a yell than a whisper. Listen too long, and you will hear nothing because that is what you will become.
“Is that so,” Bren replied sarcastically. It had not been the first time Thuraman had warned him about the call of the magic, and he was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. If nothing else, the staff loved to bring up the same thing over and over, much the same way his mother tended to do when he was a child.
When a large bolt of lightning struck the ground close to where Bren rode, his horse jumped nearly throwing him to the ground. “Whoa boy,” Bren hollered as he tried to reign the creature under control. Once he had the beast settled down, Bren looked around to make sure everyone else was okay and noticed that Avalanche was not her usually energetic self.
“Avalanche,” Bren called but she simply gave him a short look then turned her attention back to the large clouds that were sending out dark purple sparks overhead as she lightly whimpered. The storm itself didn’t bother him, but Avalanche’s reaction did. Lately, she had not come near him and refused to touch his silver skin directly. He didn’t know why, but he was sure that the storm wasn’t natural.
Bren reached out his senses and quickly found himself overwhelmed. It wasn’t just the clouds that were being affected by magical energy, it was everything around them. Even the grass, which had grown up to reach past the horses flanks was saturated with magical energy. As they reached the top of the final hill, what stretched before them was both awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time.
Looming before him, stood trees that looked more like mountains and a large grass plain that looked like a small forest. “What in the nine hells?” Brenda said her voice clearly showing her disbelief in what she was seeing with her own eyes.
“Everyone, keep your eyes open,” Cass said as he nudged his mare forward. “We have no idea what is waiting in that grass jungle.”
“Trees big enough to carve a castle out of and that is all he has to say,” Bren heard Brenda say snidely before she spurred her horse to follow.
Bren concentrated on his surroundings as they descended the large hill and entered the valley below. Even though it was still hours before noon, the sky was dark and covered with large, ominous clouds making it hard to see more than a few hundred yards in any direction, as the only real light came from the large, arcing energy that flashed through the clouds. Bren tried to expand his vision with magic, but as soon as he tried to pull some in, it was as if his whole body was filled with an abundance of magic. It was far more than he had ever felt before and vastly more than he could control. Not only was his vision extraordinarily heightened, allowing him to see every strand of filament on each blade of grass, but his hearing was exceptionally acute as well, making it possible for him to hear the worms moving beneath his feet. Within seconds, his head began to spin, and it felt as if someone was trying to rip apart his skull.
Bren tried to release the pent of energy, but there was just too much. Before he knew it, he was slumped over the back of his horse as it raced to join the others while he let out billowing screams of pain. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but the next thing he noticed was Cass holding the reins to his horse, trying to talk to him, but his words were lost in the other sounds that echoed in his ears. Bren tried to tell his friend what had happened, but he couldn’t get his brain to form the words nor his mouth to say them. All he could do was grunt and scream.
Bren had expected to lose control and faint, bu
t he was not so lucky, as the pain didn’t give him that pleasure. He was vaguely aware as he was lowered from his horse and laid on top of his bedroll. He could feel Faye’s hand holding his. He could feel her heartbeat and hear every single breath she took. It was like drums pounding in his ear and winds bellowing through the mountains.
Fool, close off your mind to the magic.
“I’m trying,” Bren gasped out loud as he tried to force the magic away, but it was like a flood, and his dam had been broken.
Suddenly, the pain started to subside, and Bren was able to force the door closed that he had opened to let the magical energy enter his body. As his senses cleared, Bren looked over to the ground and found that the diamond on Thuraman’s top shone so brightly it lit up the surrounding area like a miniature sun. It was so bright that he couldn’t even tell that the other gems along the staff’s entire body had started to glow as well.
“Thuraman,” Bren said to the staff but received no response. “Thuraman!” Bren said again, this time a little more franticly.
After a few moments, the diamond died down to a warm glow, allowing Bren and the others to see the myriad of smaller gems shining with a new light. That wasn’t the only change to the staff either. The wood had changed from a marble like surface to something that felt akin to glass to Bren’s touch. And most astounding, the top of the staff that had once been a simple piece of carved wood now looked eerily like a clawed hand clasping the large diamond that sat on its top.
“Thuraman what happened? Are you alright?” Bren asked once the glow in the diamond had faded so that it only lit up a small area around the staff.
I tried to drain the magical energy from you. It looks like it worked. There was so much… I thought that I would break apart. Do us both a favor and don’t do that again.
“I think I can agree with you on that,” Bren said with a short laugh getting a few odd looks from his friends. Faye was trying to say something to him, but he pushed her voice aside and continued to focus on Thuraman. The staff had never been the most friendly thing in the world, but he had been around since he had been born and had always talked to him when he felt lonely, and Bren wasn’t sure, but he thought it was possible that it had just saved his sanity if not his life. “You seem different than you did before.”
I feel different as well. The magical energy is still flowing through me and not just into my gems. I can feel it everywhere around me.
“Couldn’t you always access the magical energy?” Bren asked slightly confused.
I could sense it through my gems the same way you see though your eyes, but that was it. Unlike a mage, I could not pull it in at will. My gems store magical energy, and I can access that if I need to, but for the most part, the magic I used was supplied by you or your father.
“Then you can cast magic on your own now?”
No. I still can only use spells that have been inscribed into me, but I have access to a far greater source of magic than my own stores. If you need me, then you no longer need to feed me your magical energy; I can use my own.
It felt as though Thuraman was happy with what had occurred, but Bren was unsure. It was always hard to read the staff. A lot of times Bren thought the staff was almost human, but it never looked at people with the same heart a human had. The staff seldom showed any real emotion, though now it seemed to be brimming with an almost childlike happiness, which brought a smile to Bren’s face. “Maybe my failure has done more good than you think,” Bren whispered to himself.
“Bren,” a voice yelled as Bren was brought back to the surface of his mind—his body being was shaken hard.
As Bren opened his eyes, he saw Cass looking at him with a worried expression on his face. “Cass,” Bren said, his voice coming out weak and strained.
“What happened?” Cass asked his eyes still wide with a hint of fear.
“I tried to use magic to check the area,” Bren replied weakly. “This whole area is covered in a thick blanket of magic—far more than anywhere I have ever been before. It was too much… I thought I was dying. Thuraman…my staff saved me.”
“I see,” Cass said, looking from Bren to the staff that still sat on the ground next to him, glowing slightly. “Can you ride?”
Bren tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t heed his call. He still felt as weak as a newborn foal. “I don’t think so…”
Cass cursed under his breath, though Bren couldn’t hear his words, he knew what the man was thinking. The Brotherhood was close behind them and any delay could be deadly, but the man would not risk his patron’s life to save his own or anyone else’s for that matter. “Looks like we will be camping here then.
As soon as Cass walked away to let the others know of the change in plans, Faye, who had sat quietly rocking back and forth on her heels jumped toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and weeping silently. “Everything is fine,” Bren said in a reassuring voice though his voice still sounded strained.
“I thought you were dying,” Faye said as she held him tighter.
Bren looked around and noticed that everyone was watching them. As soon as they noticed him looking their way, they all turned and went back to unpacking their gear. Bren wanted to laugh but he was simply too tired to put in the effort, so instead, he silently rubbed Faye’s back. “I promise; I’m fine. I just need to rest for a little bit,” Bren said when it seemed that Faye had calmed down some.
“I’ll unload your horse; you rest,” Faye said after a few moments.
“No need, I already got the others seeing to his gear,” Cass said coming up from behind them. “Bren, you get some sleep, and let us know the second you can push forward. Faye, watch him, and make sure that he doesn’t pull another fool stunt like this again. I wish Lillian had some of that foul brew of hers. I would make you drink it as punishment whether it would help you or not,” Cass added as he threw Faye her bedroll. “We’ll take care of your horse, and you take care of the fool…. Seems like a fair trade to me.”
Bren held back a smile, knowing that while his friend seemed to be making light of the situation, Cass was anything but amused. The warrior was just that, a warrior, and right now, Bren’s forced stop had put them in a bad spot. They couldn’t move forward, and with the Brotherhood behind them by no more than a day or two, every moment counted.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the Brotherhood at the moment. Just like you, their mage will be useless once they reach the Deadlands they will have to catch up with you the old fashioned way. Though if they do catch up, then you will have to use your sword and me instead of your own powers unless you enjoy pain. You can worry about that later; right now just enjoy a good rest.
Bren was still surprised at the feeling of worry coming from the staff but tried to put it aside. He was tried, and his body felt strained, so he took everyone’s advice and lay down on the ground, and within moments, he was sleeping soundly.
Chapter 15
As Bren slept, he found himself walking along a long winding road. Stopping, Bren looked around trying to see where he was. There was no grass, no trees, nothing but the road. Feeling more than a little uneasy, Bren turned around, planning to head back to where he had been but found that the ground dropped off behind him into a large expanse of nothing.
Without any options, Bren turned back and resumed walking down the long lonely road. With no sun or ground, Bren found it hard to discern the passage of time while he walked, but soon he came to a crossroad. There were only two directions he could take, and they both looked the same. Giving it little thought, Bren turned to the left and continued walking.
It wasn’t long before the road he walked began to climb uphill. By the time he reached the top, the bottom of his legs and feet were beginning to hurt. Looking down, Bren noticed that he had no boots or clothes at all. As soon as he noticed this, an old man appeared, standing on the edge of the path.
“Do you know where you’re going son?” The old man asked with a wheezy and frail sounding voice.
“To the end of the road,” Bren answered. The words came out of his mouth before he even thought to answer the old man. “Do you know where I am headed?”
“No,” the old man replied. “But I will give you a bit of my wisdom that I have garnered over my long life. Don’t always follow the paths that are laid out for you. You should try to make your own when you find yourself on one that does not suit you.”
“That is easy to say,” Bren said, looking at the emptiness that seemed to stretch for eternity. “There is no place to walk beside the path that I am on.”
“If you truly believe that, then you are lost my young friend. Not all paths are laid out in stone and dirt. There are always hidden paths, and where none exist you can always make your own. Every road was once nothing until someone decided to walk it.”
Bren tried to think of a retort, but when he blinked, the old man was gone. Scratching his head and fearing he had lost his mind, Bren turned back to the road to find that it had disappeared as well, and he was now standing in a large meadow that stretched as far as he could see.
“Where do I go now?” Bren asked the air as he turned in a complete circle to find nothing but grass and wind in every direction.
“That is for you to decide,” a soft voice whispered in his ear. Turning around, Bren could not find the owner of the voice, and once again he began to doubt his state of mind.
“Who are you?” Bren yelled at the top of his lungs, but he received no reply. A cold shiver ran down his back as he collapsed to his knees. “I don’t know which way to go,” Bren said in a pleading voice.
Bren shot up from his bed, his eyes wide, and his body still shaking slightly. He looked around and found himself once again among his friends. Faye wiped the sleep from her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile. “Up already?” she said groggily.
“Was I not out long?” Bren asked, looking toward the sky to find that the sky was still covered in the ominous black clouds.
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