Warden's Path

by Heath Pfaff

  “Key? I thought we weren’t using the doors.” I was momentarily confused.

  “Kea.” He repeated again, this time emphasizing the soft “a” at the end of the word. “You’ve never seen one. We don’t let them into the city. There aren’t that many of them left that can be tamed, and the ones that can we tend to keep to ourselves. They’re happier outside cities and towns anyway. If the beasts can ever be said to be happy.”

  I gave him an uncertain frown. “That doesn’t sound all that encouraging.”

  His response was a hearty laugh.

  We stopped long enough for me to grab the pack I’d left in my room, and then we were off. We reached the outer wall after a few hours of walking. It loomed overhead far taller than I’d imagined it from afar, the yellow-gray stone massive and strangely smooth on its outside. I wondered how it had been so well finished in such large slabs. The individual pieces were stacked tightly together, not even a finger’s width between them. The builders responsible must have been of some incredible talent. I couldn’t even imagine where they’d gotten the stone to begin with, or how they’d moved it all into place. How did one hoist a stone larger than a tradesman’s wagon so high into the air and place it just so? The seams were almost nonexistent.

  For his part Arthos seemed unimpressed by this marvel of architecture. I tried not to stare too much as we reached a set of large double doors, cast iron banding wrapping the heavy metal structure. The doors opened in the middle, but there was a solid looking portcullis that could be dropped directly in front of them that would reinforce their structure if necessary.

  As we approached, the men working the gate hastened to clear our way before we arrived. The doors swung open smoothly and quietly. There was not so much as a single squeak of metal grinding against metal as the thick slabs of finished steel moved out of the way. We passed beneath another portcullis on the opposite side of the double doors, again arranged so that it would drop into place directly behind the doors that were at least two feet thick on their own. The doors were about twelve feet high here, smaller than the main gates from what I’d heard, but still impressively engineered. They opened into a deep tunnel that ran through the walls. We walked for a few moments time in deep dark, the path lit only by a single set of torches between the first gates and what I saw were another set of heavy doors just like the first. The men at this gate again opened the doors for us, and we passed beyond them and into another short passage that ended in what I soon learned was the final set of gates.

  I doubted an intruder could get past one set of those doors, let alone three. They were spaced such that getting a battering ram up to speed between them would be difficult if not impossible, and battering down even one seemed like an impossible task. I knew nothing was impossible really, but I didn't want to contemplate what it would take, especially with the way the tunnel narrowed down it’s course.

  As the final gates opened up before us, we emerged into a world that seemed far too bright after the dimly lit tunnels beneath the wall.

  Before us stretched a vast countryside that went on as far as the eye could see. The ground sloped down and away and I realized we were at the top of a hill. Beneath us the countryside seemed to disappear into forever. I’d never seen so far without the interruption of something man made blocking my view before. It was staggering. My entire life had been surrounded by barriers until that point. I felt as though I could see further than the stretch of the entire city I’d spent all of my life inside and I was struck by the sheer size of it all. Logically I knew how large the continent was, but seeing part of it stretched out endlessly before me helped me to truly appreciate that size.

  Arthos laughed. “I love bringing new recruits out here. They always get that look the first time. The world is big, Lillin. Very big. We’ll explore a great deal of the content we live on, but beyond that is an ocean that is even bigger than the continent, and beyond that other lands whose shores are impossible to sail to for they are so vastly far apart. Of course the doors give us access to very far away places, but it’s different when you’re seeing it for yourself. Sometimes we get too focused on the small aspects of our lives, but look at all of this! The world is vast.”

  I was a bit embarrassed by how obviously impressed I was with what I was seeing. I tried to get my expression back in check. I thought of Zarkov for a moment and my heart ached. I wondered what he would have thought of all of this. I could guess he would have swore colorfully at the sight and probably said something embarrassing and foolish. It would have probably made me smile. I’d never know.

  These thoughts were sobering. They refocused my mind, which was good because my guide was moving again. He turned us down a small road that led towards a building lying against the city’s outer wall. It had the look of a stable about it, but there were Fel Clerics tending it. I recognized their garb as they came into view, and as we approached one of them came out to greet us. He looked up at us. “You’re the first of the new batch. We’ve prepared two mounts for you. They are in the bonding yard.” He gestured off to the far side of the building. “Be careful. They are trained, but they haven’t been bound and rode for an extended time yet. They’re young.”

  Arthos groaned. “The young ones can be so temperamental. I suppose this is the reward we get for being first out of the gate.” He sighed and looked over at me. “Keep your hands away from their mouths until we have them cinched shut, and then after we free them and get them bound, give it a few hours before you get too close to their head again. Once bound they won’t kill you intentionally, but they might give you a nasty bite.”

  My expression must have made it clear that I was less than pleased by this warning, because Arthos laughed again as he headed in the direction that had been indicated. “Don’t worry. It’s mostly fun.” I wasn’t certain Arthos and I had the same idea of “fun” at all.

  I didn’t know what to expect from the Kea, but it wasn’t anything like what I saw when we reached them. My mind had forged an image of some kind of horse-like creature with teeth and fiery eyes, but there was nothing horse-like about the beast unless one was to count the fact that they had four legs, a head and a tail.

  As soon as we stepped into the bonding yard and closed the gate behind us, the two creatures swung their massive heads in our direction. Their eyes were wide and circular like an owl’s, each a hand’s span wide, and the irises spun into focus as they locked on us. One had green eyes, the other blue, though the colors were so vivid that they were unlike anything I’d seen before. They seemed to be made up of millions of tiny, shiny bits of color all arranged in such a way that no two shards of the same tone made contact, but the total effect was the impression of the general color of the creature’s eyes. They were beautiful and also entrancing in a way.

  I had to force my attention away to look at the rest of what we were getting ourselves into The kea were mostly covered in fur the length of a short-haired cat, and both of them were tones of brown, green and yellow. They looked like they’d crawled from some mossy, damp part of the woods, a living piece of the undergrowth. Their fur was a bit longer and shaggy along the tops of their legs, and their powerful shoulders. Beneath their large, forward-facing eyes was a long, canine-like jaw that I could see was full of teeth as their lips pulled back and they snarled at us. The teeth were long and hook shaped, made for gripping and rending meat.

  They made a strange sound, a churring, rumble that was at once fierce and calming. Of course the slight calming effect was completely dissipated by the waves of hostility pouring from the two beasts. As we stepped forward one of them snapped its teeth at us and surged in our direction, though it was was bound by two heavy ropes looped to metal hooks secured to the ground.

  Their legs were cat-like, short and powerful looking, and they hunched on them, low to the ground, looking like they could pounce at any moment, though it was clear they really couldn’t move much as they were now. They both had a tail that was long and whip-like, the kind you
might see on a rat, and they were equally hairless, though the color was dark brown, matching the rest of them.

  The green eyed creature had a slash of white fur over its eyes, and for some reason I found myself drawn towards that one. It looked almost like a mask, or a tattoo, like my own tattoo. I took a step in its direction and Arthos grabbed my arm.

  “Careful, Lillin. Watch me first.” He said, and he started to ease his way towards the blue eyed one. He began to speak again, softly this time, his eyes never leaving the Kea. “The first thing you need to do is secure the muzzle cup.” He pointed at a metal and leather cup hanging from the creature’s bridle.

  “Shouldn't the caretakers have done that?” I asked, thinking it was quite careless for them to leave that off so the creatures might bite us.

  “No, the kea hate the muzzle more than anything else we do to them. They will kill themselves if left alone with it on, and we won’t keep it in place for long . . . “ His entire body coiled as he sprang into action. He grabbed the muzzle while he surged forward and locked his arm around the creature's jaws before it could get them fully open, and then he was forcing the muzzle into place. There was a clip on the far side that the cup locked into, and I heard the metallic click as it snapped securely into place. The creature roared through it’s closed mouth and threw itself against its bindings. The other Kea had shrunk itself down and was shooting an angry glare at Arthos, lips peeled back from its teeth in rage.

  Arthos had a firm hold on his creature’s bridle, and though it seemed intent on pulling away from him, it couldn't go far with the bindings in place, and something inside the muzzle seemed to cause it pain and keep it from drawing back too quickly while Arthos held the handle on its side. My Warden guide reached out with one hand and placed his palm on something that seemed embedded in the creatures forehead, a small square chip I hadn’t noticed before, between its two massive eyes, and then I felt a powerful surge of Will and suddenly the creature stopped. It blinked slowly a couple of times, and then it settled into a crouch, looking up at Arthos. He nodded, and then unfastened the muzzle, petting the side of the creature’s neck, but keeping away from its mouth. It gave a soft churring sound but didn’t react with any hostility.

  “That’s how it’s done.” Arthos said, looking back at me. “The grip around the jaws is important. They have an immense amount of downward force, but once your arm is locked around them they can’t open them well. Push the muzzle into place and secure the lock pin. It goes in easy and quick. Grab the handle on the side with your off hand, and after that you touch the shard imbedded between their eyes and slam it with your Will. Hit it hard. This forces the bond into place, and the bond won’t break until you either sever it, die, or someone stronger pushes it out of place. Well, time will let it fade as well, but it takes a few months.

  The green eyed creature had settled some as it’s companion had stopped fighting, but it still seemed tense and watchful.

  “So she’ll be mine then?” I said, looking at the green eyed kea again.

  Artho gave a small laugh. “As much as a kea can ever belong to someone, which isn’t all that much really.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded, keeping my eyes focused on what needed to be done. I had to do this.

  “Remember to move quickly like you would on an attack. If it lunges for you, give it space, and then charge in. It can’t move much bound as it is now.” He told me. “It probably won’t bite to kill if it does strike. They usually just chomp down to warn you off. It bleeds a lot and leaves a nasty scar, but most survive.”

  “Good to know.” I said dryly, edging closer to the beast that I was to bind. I felt almost guilty as its massive green eyes watched me approach and it tensed up. It was afraid, angry, but I sensed it also knew what was coming, and it wasn’t happy about that. The tile shard between its eyes was white, and hidden in the fur mask it wore. “This won’t be so bad.” I told it, whispering softly. “I’ll treat you well. We can be friends.”

  It bared its teeth at me, clearly not understanding that last bit. I took one last deep breath and then dove forward, and the kea did the same. Razor sharp teeth snapped closed within an inch of my arm, almost grabbing my sleeve as I twisted away and then locked my arms around its jaws. I grabbed for the muzzle. My future mount thrashed, trying to shake me free, but I somehow got the muzzle and locked it into place with a satisfying click. The beast seemed to go insane the minute the muzzle locked closed. It tensed hard and then thrust with all of its significant strength, lifting me from the ground easily even though I had the handle on the side of the muzzle firmly in my grip. I swung around on its neck, looping my legs around it from below as I fought for purchase and then I slammed my palm into the chip. I hit it with every bit of Will I could bring to muster and there seemed to be a concussive slam in the air around us.

  The kea’s eyes went blank, pupils opening so wide that its entire eyes were black, and for a moment it just stared off into nothingness. I let go of it’s neck and fell to the ground as its legs faltered and it collapsed just in front of me. I gave a panicked look over at Arthos, but he just shrugged and kept watching. I unfastened the creature’s muzzle and reached out to rub the side of its neck as Arthos had. It didn’t seem to notice at all.

  “You must have hit it with a staggering amount Will. I’ve never seen one that dazed.” Arthos said, still watching. “Give it a moment.”

  I was almost positive I’d killed the poor thing, or at least destroyed it’s mind. It seemed alive, just completely lost, and then it blinked, one giant, slow blink, and it’s eyes focused on me. It cocked its massive head to one side, then pushed it forward and leaned it against my arm. A dull, deep rumble sounded from it. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I’d been told to avoid its head.

  The other Warden laughed loudly. “Good work, Lillin. I’ve definitely never seen a kea do that. Usually when it’s face is that close to you there is a bite coming soon after. I think you may have broken it entirely.”

  I reached out and stroked its neck as I stood, and then as it pushed its massive head against me again, I stroked there as well, guilt settling into my stomach. I hadn’t meant to hurt it, but here we were. It seemed happy now, but what had that cost the poor creature? I leaned down and leaned my head into hers. “I’ll take good care of you, and when we’re done, I’ll make sure you go some place nice and safe.” I promised her. “I’m sorry I hurt you, but we’ll be friends now.”

  “Unfasten her locks now, Lillin. It’s time we went out and met the world” Arthos said, mounting his own creature which he’d been unfastening while I worked on mine.

  I began to do the same, my eyes scanning far out onto the horizon. “Time to go exploring, Zara.” I told the beast. The name came to me naturally. It was the female version of Zark’s name. In that way, he’d get to travel beyond the wall with me. I could at least imagine he was seeing some of the wonders I would encounter.

  Chapter 9

  The Sleeping Village

  It was quickly apparent that the world beyond the walls of the city wasn’t as peaceful and serene as it first appeared. There was something dark and sinister lurking just beneath the surface of what should have been a beautiful setting. Arthos called them “tranquil pools” and he didn’t seem particularly upset by what he saw. They struck a chord with me however. I’d seen their like before.

  “It becomes less frequent the further you get from the city.” He explained as we passed a pool of liquid that was black and still. It looked thick, not quite so thick as the oil used to grease a wagon’s wheel, but far thicker than water. It was tempting to touch it, but the pool we were passing this time had the skeleton of a small animal hanging out of one side. The creature’s back half was in the pool, the front half laying across the shore, no visible reason for why it wouldn’t have crawled out anywhere to be seen. There were no tufts of torn up ground near it’s feat, no signs of struggle or distress anywhere.

  “They’re dangerous.” I said, but
Arthos seemed to take this as a question.

  “Not really. They’re soothing in a way. That’s why you see dead animals around them. They go in there and then they don’t feel like leaving. We generally avoid them since you can sort of feel that lethargy when you get close enough, but touching them doesn’t actually harm you.” He explained. “Sometimes you’ll have strange dreams if you’re near one when you fall asleep, but that’s probably a side effect of their tranquilizing ability. A few Wardens have theorized that they’re alive in some way and this is how they hunt.”

  This material looked strikingly similar to the black liquid down in the bowels of the school, the place that Ghoul had taken me to show me . . . well, I preferred not to linger heavily upon that. I preferred not to remember any of it, but here I was faced with a small fragment of that moment. It wasn’t as active as the stuff down there had been, but it gave me the same feeling when I looked at it, that otherworldly disquiet that sent fear crawling through my like tendrils of ice.

  “And it’s not dangerous?” This time it was a question, aimed to see if he really believed that. This seemed like a threat, and it was conspicuous that it surrounded the city.

  Arthos shrugged. “We have seen more of them over the years, these little pools, but they only tend to pose a threat for animals. We don’t know what causes them, and it’s far too much effort to get rid of them out here, so I would say that even if they are dangerous, they’re not dangerous to us.”