Journey of Wisdom

by Shawna Thomas

  Ilythra let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “I’d guessed at that, but I wasn’t sure.”

  “You felt a kinship with Bredych?” Ewen tilted his head.

  “Of a kind. Yes. He told me he would show me power. That together we could conquer and nothing could stop us.”

  “He was right. You turned him down.”

  “Yes. But I was tempted.”

  “As anyone would be. Your actions are commendable, but that is not what disturbs you.”

  “I told you he drugged me. He used a scent to muddle my thoughts.”

  “Yes. Malchor...Bredych was an alchemist by trade when he became the keeper of the stone.”

  “He tried the scent on a young man first. That man killed himself by Bredych’s command long after Bredych left him.”

  Ewen leaned back. “And you are afraid you might do the same?”

  Ilythra stared into the fire. She didn’t fear death, but if she hurt someone else... How did she explain that she felt as if she carried a shadow of him with her?

  “There is little possibility of that. You are a stone keeper. You are immune to Bredych’s manipulations in that way. He could still use his intellect and cunning against you, but he could not use Crioch to persuade you to do something against your nature.”

  The fear eased but didn’t lift from her shoulders.

  “But be warned. Bredych is craftier than any human I’ve ever met, and he has lived a long time to practice his arts.”

  “What happened, Ewen? How did the stones become separated?”

  Ewen stared into his tea. “Are you sure you want that story? You are tired. I’ve kept you too long.”

  “I have waited a long time to hear it.”

  Ewen refilled Ilythra’s cup. The scent of citrus perfumed the air again. “The Siobani haven’t spoken of these things for years, but you have a right to hear them. As I counseled you, I will start at the beginning.

  “As you know, the stones of power were created long ago, in a time that’s shrouded from the memory of even the eldest of our kind. The three stones were created and given to the Siobani.”

  “Who created them?”

  “Legend tells of wise men in the dawn of time, but the truth is, we don’t know. The stones have played a part in all of our known history. It is a constant source of sorrow that we now possess only one. In the right hands, they can do much good. Crioch and Ilydearta created this mountain fortress and others. With them, we cleared the land of trees so we could grow our crops. Ealois gave us the ability to see beyond ourselves and work for the good of all. Crioch has power even over distance and allowed us to travel freely wherever we needed to go.” Ewen paused for a few moments as if lost in memory. “Several hundred years ago, my father, Kaelin, held the stone of wisdom, Ealois. Jere held Crioch and Gibor the stone you now possess.”

  Ilythra brushed off a strange jealousy. Ilydearta was hers.

  “There was peace. Nomadic tribes of humans dwelled in the land, but more were coming over the mountains in the east every day.

  “A dispute arose among Dawn Children regarding these men. Some believed we should leave them alone, let them develop according to their own time, in their own way. Others believed we should help them, take them under our wing, guide them.” He sighed. “The humans were not children and did not deserve our condescension, but neither should they have been left alone. They needed us and we needed them. There were extreme views on both sides of the issue. Discussions soon turned to arguments, and even families quarreled. War followed. Kaelin and Gibor shared our belief, or so we thought, but even they split from us. My father, Kaelin, believed we should treat humans as neighbors. Gibor thought they were little more than animals and needed our guidance. Jere desired to see them gone. He considered them unnatural creatures.” Ewen’s brow creased. “We call the war that followed the War of Many Tears, for nothing was gained and much lost.”

  “I’m sorry, Ewen.” Ilythra nodded. “It seems Siobani and humans are not so different as they’d appear.”

  “It is a poor thing to have in common.” Sorrow lined Ewen’s face. “The last battle took place south of the mountains, in a desert.”

  Ilythra fought to remember something Tobar had told her. “You are the wise ones.”

  It was Ewen’s turn to look confused.

  “In the south, there are a people called the Heleini. They tell a story of the wise ones who did battle in their lands. Tobar, their leader, told it to me. The legend says they hid in the foothills while rocks thrust up from the depths of the earth, the land shook and the sun hid its face.”

  Ewen nodded. “It would have appeared that way. When one battles with the stones...” He let the thought trail off. “War such as that can never happen again. We would destroy Anatar. This is one of the reasons we have not moved heaven and earth to retrieve the stones. It would mean war.”

  “Do you mean retrieve Crioch?” She lifted Ilydearta’s chain. The possessiveness was back. “Ilydearta was not held by an enemy.”

  “We could not find Ilydearta. It was as though one day its music stopped. We mourned. We had lost hope until several years ago when I once again heard its song. We have been searching for you since then.”

  “But you haven’t left these lands?”

  Ewen shook his head. “I have searched for you along the winds of Teann. And I found you.”

  “But I didn’t recognize you,” Ilythra finished for him. She took a deep breath. She had been foolish in many ways to chase after Crioch, after Bredych, instead of continuing her search for the Siobani, but it did no good to chastise herself for it again and again. “There is a red flower that grows on the sands of the Faisach. The legends say it is to remind the Heleini that even the wise can act without wisdom and that there is always hope in a new day.”

  A small smile turned the corners of Ewen’s mouth. “Thank you for that. In this, your Heleini are quite right.”

  “I’m sorry. Please, tell me the rest of the story.”

  “After many lost their lives, in an act of treachery, Gibor led his men into an ambush. They were slaughtered. He’d secretly joined Jere. The Dawn Children felt betrayed, even those fighting on the side of Gibor and Jere, and joined forces against them. But before they could be held accountable for their crimes, they disappeared. Jere used Crioch to flee, taking Gibor and Ilydearta with him.”

  “How?”

  “Ilydearta is a Waymaker, but Crioch holds Dominion, even over distance. When one is skilled, a keeper can fold the space between two places and step from one place to the next.”

  Ilythra rubbed her forehead. “That explains how Bredych was in the Faisach and returned to Greton so quickly. It took me two years.”

  Ewen nodded. “Ilydearta can also aid Crioch in finding the best possible way to do such a thing. Without Ilydearta it would have been more difficult, but possible.”

  “So Bredych could move vast armies from one place to another if he needed to?” Horror bloomed in Ilythra’s breast.

  “He has. It takes quite a bit of power, but yes, it is possible.”

  Ilythra stared into the flickering flames, absently noting how they shifted colors from blue to red again. “What happened to the two stones?”

  “They did not reappear. It was as though their songs were cut off. The strongest of us searched along Teann for them, only to find silence. To lose two stones at one blow was a devastating shock to the Dawn Children. The war forgotten, they convened a great council. The elders agreed to let every family decide for themselves how to treat men. We mourned the loss of our heritage. For a time it appeared we would be at peace with one another and the humans.

  “My family lived along the western coast, thickly peopled by humans. Friendships between our two cultures were common in those days, though some felt uneas
y at the rate at which men increased across the land.

  “Many years later, Gibor appeared at our Great Council, with him a strange man. Gibor asked pardon for his crimes. It seemed Jere and Gibor fled to a land across the ocean. The man he brought with him had taken him in, cared for him, treated him like a brother. Jere, wounded in battle, eventually died in that foreign land. The stones are usually passed along family lines, but Jere had no one from his family to pass Crioch to, so he gave it to the human who had shown him such kindness.”

  She wrinkled her brow. The story sounded familiar. “I saw that!” Realization dawned and with it awe at how everything was linked together. “When I was in Greton, I rode the winds of Teann and I saw the moment Jere and Gibor met Bredych.”

  Ewen raised an eyebrow. “I have never seen it.” He nodded, thoughtful.

  “I’m sorry. Continue, please.”

  “The human convinced Gibor to journey back to Anatar and beg for restitution. Gibor listened to his entreaty and agreed, with one condition—that this man would come too. Gibor’s intention was honorable. He didn’t want to see Crioch lost to the Dawn Children forever. The man agreed to accompany him. As you know, his name was Malchor.” Ewen paused for a moment, his eyes distant.

  “But, Bred—Malchor didn’t return Crioch to you, did he?”

  “Oh, yes he did. Malchor studied with the Dawn Children for many years. He was hungry for knowledge. It soon became apparent he wouldn’t age as other humans. We thought at the time the One’s favor was upon him. Now I believe the stones interfere with human aging. Human bearers become like the Elder Born. After he learned all he wanted from us, he left the Dawn Children to travel among men. Men admired him.

  “Soon after this, we heard rumors of men rising against Dawn Children. You must understand, though we didn’t always comprehend men, nor they us, they always treated us with respect, referring to us as Father or Mother. During this time, we perceived a departure from that attitude. Distrust replaced confidence. One-time friends started to look warily at one another.

  “Then the rituals started.” Ewen’s fair skin became even more so. “When we first heard of it, some of us refused to believe it was possible.”

  Ewen remained silent for so long, Ilythra wondered if he would continue. “Rituals?”

  “As I said, the Dawn Children aren’t immortal. We die. However, it must appear like immortality to humans, whose life is like a flickering flame, burning hot then soon extinguished. Humans began to believe if they drank our blood, warm from a living Elder Born, immortality would pass to them.” A shadow of horror passed over his face. “The Children of the Dawn are a solitary people, but we banded together. My father forbade any to travel alone. Humans continued to spread over the land like weeds, and then they started to hunt us.”

  Ilythra shook her head, unable to speak.

  “It became known that Malchor was behind this new belief. The humans thought of him as a god. The Dawn Children, once again, readied for war. Battles were terrible...but finally Malchor fled to an isolated valley. We surrounded him.

  “Malchor sent word he would surrender. He pleaded for his old friend Gibor to be one of the emissaries for the Giving-Over-of-the-Sword. He knew our laws well. We couldn’t deny such a request. If we’d only known the depth of his deceit then, many sorrows would’ve been avoided.

  “Gibor went with the party. He was the only council member in attendance. It was a trap. Malchor took the diplomatic party hostage.” Ewen grimaced, his countenance pained. “Gibor acted with honor. Malchor informed Gibor if he would surrender Ilydearta to one of his followers, he’d return to his land across the ocean and the Siobani could once again have peace. Gibor refused.

  “I was there, representing the House of the White Feather. I was only a young man then. My thoughts were full of heat and anger, or maybe I could have stopped the tragedy. One by one, Malchor brought hostages before Gibor, killing them when Gibor wouldn’t hand over the stone. Finally, Malchor brought Gibor’s daughter into the room.” Ewen shook his head, his eyes full. “How he had her, we don’t know. An Elder Born will not watch his child murdered. Gibor agreed to give the stone to Malchor’s follower. He took advantage of Malchor’s greed. All eyes were on Gibor. Right before giving it to the follower, Gibor yelled for his daughter to run. With his own hands, he broke the follower’s neck and disappeared with his daughter. He never returned. No Siobani has seen the stone since then.” Ewen’s green gaze rested upon Ilythra. “Until now.”

  “They used Ilydearta to disappear?”

  “I told you Ilydearta had a power similar to Crioch. Crioch folds distances, allowing its wearer to step through into another place. Ilydearta can find a way through lands. But it takes much effort. So much so, we think that wherever Gibor went with his daughter, he died soon after.”

  Ilythra sat silent, digesting the information. Had she known how to use Ilydearta, she could have bypassed the mountains. But no. She’d learned of the people of Anatar everywhere she’d been. She wouldn’t take it back. It would have been nice to know that trick when she’d needed to get from Elston to the Siobani lands, though.

  “What happened to Malchor? You said he was imprisoned.”

  “Yes. We kept him prisoner for many years. The council chose three of our warriors, those who showed the greatest strength against Malchor’s influence, to guard him.”

  “You couldn’t take the stone?”

  “No. He is the keeper until he dies, gives it away or it is won in fair combat. We captured him. That is different.”

  “Why didn’t someone challenge him for the stone?”

  Ewen’s smile was bitter. “We did. He was too clever for that. He simply refused to fight.”

  “But he did escape?” Ilythra asked when the Riege had been silent for a while.

  “Yes, he escaped. He seduced one of his guards. Her name was Javiel. I don’t know the details. Those are known only to Javiel and Malchor. She made mistakes but paid for them later. We found her body, or what was left of it.” Ewen broke off, sorrow etched deeply into his face.

  Ilythra remembered feeling Bredych in her head, the overwhelming pull. She shuddered to think of what withstanding that pressure for years would have been like. She closed her eyes. That could have been her fate. Acid churned in her stomach and fear left an acrid taste on her tongue. She’d been more foolish than even she knew, chasing after Bredych.

  “We searched for him...to no avail. Perhaps his followers hid him.” Ewen waved his arm. He suddenly appeared older, lines deepening around his eyes, his shoulders heavy. “That was many years ago.”

  “If Malchor went into hiding, why did you retreat into these mountains?”

  “Many reasons. His followers still existed. We didn’t know whom to trust. Humans are changeable like the wind. The Children of the Dawn are not. After many years, Malchor’s followers didn’t stop their evil practice. They became merciless. My father died. I inherited the stone. I didn’t want my people in danger. We fled.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ilythra said, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Ewen nodded. “It was a terrible thing. Laments are sung of the Dawn Children’s great sorrow.”

  “How is it that no one remembers you? I have searched for you many years now and only a few healers even admit you exist. To most you are a made-up story.”

  Ewen smiled. “It is a bargain we made with the Airydh, the hidden people. You would call it magic. They took the memories of us from the humans. They sang a new song, and humans forgot. A few, like the Benai or healers, were not as susceptible to the weaving of the music. They retained some memories and passed them down.”

  Ilythra closed her mouth. “You mean Airydh exist too?”

  Ewen’s laughter warmed the room. “You doubt it? Perhaps one day we can go to their city. They still live hidden in human lands. There
are very few here in the north. They don’t care for the cold.” He placed both hands on his knees. “Now, it’s late. We must speak again. Perhaps next time we shall choose a...more pleasant subject.”

  Ilythra stood with Ewen. As though summoned, Aimena appeared at the door.

  “Thank you for joining me, Ilythra.”

  Ilythra bowed to Ewen and returned Aimena’s smile. Ilythra glanced over her shoulder as she left the library. Flickering flames outlined Ewen’s profile, his eyes liquid pools of sorrow. The Riege had relieved many of her fears, but now that she knew more about Bredych, she couldn’t shake the idea that with every thought of him, she somehow brought him closer. That she’d never really escape him.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Dark clouds piled on the horizon, threatening the still-blue sky and mirroring her thoughts. Ilythra stood on the balcony, wind whipping at her hair, pulling it from her long braid.

  She gazed south toward Greton. What now? She’d found the stones, but no sense of accomplishment followed. Were Ilydearta and Ealois even united, or was simply being in the same location enough? She had a feeling that reunited meant much more. Retrieving Crioch seemed a harder task than ever before—and Bredych a more challenging opponent. Even if he would accept her challenge, she wondered if she could beat him in combat. Would he war against the Siobani? Could they prevail now, when they had failed for longer than she could imagine? And if she used Ilydearta, found a way to bring all the stones into Siobani lands, what then? Would it really make things better for the humans of Anatar? Glancing down at the innocent blue stone, she wondered if she would accomplish what she set out to do.

  She’d met with Ewen the day after their meeting. He’d promised to teach her how to use Ilydearta, and to his credit, he had done so immediately.

  No fortress can withstand you, no dwelling, no place you couldn’t enter. Where you desire a way, if at all possible, a way will be made. But hadn’t she always known that on an instinctive level? She just hadn’t known how to use it. Ewen was teaching her how to send her will with balance, in accordance with Teann, into the stone. Even the small exercises she had done with the stone amazed her. That morning, Ewen had taken her to a maze, blindfolded her and left her in the center. She’d exited with ease. No wonder Bredych wanted the stone. He could defeat any army with the joint talents of Crioch and Ilydearta.