by Lloyd Baron
“How do you do it? Can you control it?”
Tarfleam narrows his eyes and barks a bitter laugh. “I can control when I use it but not when it stops. You are safe from me. You won’t dry up and melt.” At that he spurns his horse into a gallop and races ahead of the party.
Darwin’t can still see the flower growing before his eyes and then dying just as fast. If that power was used against a person what kind of damage could it do? He swallows his fear and tries to catch up with Tarfleam. He will have to stay his friend now. That, or risk becoming dust.
Ber woods stands dark and gloomy for as far as Darwin’t can see to the north and south. They had reached the woods at midday and begun to ride along the fringe to find a place where they could enter with the horses. Thick brambles and vines cover the ground and make it impossible to enter in most places, where there are no cutting thorns there are deep ditches.
Darwin’t stares deep into the woods and feels lost within them. The trees are twisted and many of them are rotten and cracked. The ones with leaves are thick and impenetrable to the sunlight, but thankfully only half of the trees have retained their leaves. The trunks are wide and almost black—they remind him of coal. As he rides past one he reaches out and brushes a hand across the rough bark. To his surprise it leaves a layer of black soot across his fingers.
“They get set on fire,” Fia calls from the head of the party. “But magic stops them from being burned away. It is that magic which twists them so.”
Canace rides past Darwin’t. She stops beside Fia and asks why they get burned.
“People fear the Dark Clan. Many come here to burn the woods down so that they lose their home. The Queen has been trying to put a stop to it. She has even sent a... Ah, here it is!”
He stops abruptly and calls for the others to line up behind him. Two great trees bend away from a small dirt track leading into the woods. The light fails to penetrate the ashen canopy and the view into the woods is lost merely yards in. Darwin’t swallows his fear and nudges his horse a step closer to the opening to get a better look.
“Stay back,” Fia barks, and Darwin’t almost tumbles from his saddle in shock at the outburst. “The woods are not ready for us yet! I do not expect you to understand but these woods do not like people walking into them.”
Riochald pushes past Fia. Her chestnut Shalmist mount flicks its head and whimpers, but she does not allow it to stop. The mountain man watches her with a frown, yet he does not try to stop her.
Riochald enters the woods. Everyone gasps as she fades into the shadows and then vanishes completely from sight. Fia spurns his dun-colored stallion forwards while thrusting a hand into the air to signal the others to stay. Only a few paces into the woods… and he too is gone. Only the deep dark and the soft sound of the breeze in the leaves remain.
“Where did they go?” Canace screams at Chaz, but the mountain woman looks just as frightened of the woods as the rest of them. She shakes her head once. For the first time she looks like the girl she is, and not the warrior she has been raised as.
Derry’n drops from his saddle and walks to the edge of the tree line. He drops to his haunches and sniffs the air. The pink feather in his hat sways in the wind and is the only thing moving on the man. His face remains a stony puzzle. Suddenly he stands and reaches a hand out into the trees.
At first Darwin’t does not know what has happened. Derry’n charges forwards into the woods, letting out a cry as he sinks away into nothing. The name of his cat floats out of the woods and is gone with all other sounds.
“Sod this,” Tarfleam says under his breath. He reaches down and grabs the reins of Derry’n’s abandoned horse before kicking his into a gallop. Darwin’t is so amazed by what Tarfleam has just done that he does not realize that Danlynn and Canace are both readying themselves to follow. He turns to give the order to proceed with caution as both horses whisk past his face, followed by Chaz on her black mare, the white smudge on its snout streaking across his vision.
“Wait!” he shouts, but his voice does not break through the dark wall ahead. He takes a deep breath and kicks the horse’s flanks.
Darkness swallows him completely. He feels as if he is riding in nothing, on nothing. The horse fades with every step it takes until he floats in the air, falling fast through the sickening black. He screams but no sound comes from his mouth. Hands reach out to him, clawing at his flesh, pulling his hair and snatching at his limbs. He kicks out but his feet do not connect with anything.
The darkness stretches on and on all around him. He panics, fear compelling him to escape from the things wanting to kill him in the nothingness.
He bursts from the dark with such force that he slips to the side of his horse and has to cling on with all his strength. The horse bolts into a gallop. The animal frenzied by its fear of the woods. Darwin’t manages to right himself enough to pull the reins hard and slow the beast.
From ahead he can hear Canace screaming a tirade of abuse. He almost laughs through his own fear at her colorful use of words. He wonders who it is she speaks to as he coaxes his horse to move forwards again.
Rounding a large tree, he sees the rest of his party just ahead in a small glade. They have dismounted and stand within the protective shield of their animals. Canace stands close to Riochald, her face flushed and angry.
She is shouting at Riochald! The stout woman has her arms folded and looks to be on the verge of losing her temper. She steps closer to her friend and opens her mouth, but is stopped by Danlynn who points in his direction.
Everyone looks up but their eyes do not rest on him. He spins in the saddle and is confronted by a dark figure riding a night-black horse. An old face stares out from within the hood of his cloak. Milky white eyes stare at them.
The touch of death settles across his shoulders. He turns away and kicks his horse onwards. Screams escape him as he rides past the others and into the trees. Branches snag his clothes and whip across his face but he does not care. The Dark Wizard has found them.
He can hear the cries and shouts of the others as they remount and follow close behind. The trees seem to stretch away in all directions even though they must still only be at the edge of the woods. He slows and glances around but cannot see a way out. Terror replaces his rational mind and he begins to shake all over. He is suddenly aware of horses moving towards him at high speed, the sound of hooves striking the soft earth.
“He’s coming!” he whispers as he kicks his feet hard into the horse. The animal feels its rider’s panic and doubles its speed through the trees. Ahead he sees an opening of the trees and relief floods through him. He rushes headlong into the clearing. The ground drops away into a deep gully. Rocks jut from the dirt at its base. He pulls hard on the reins and swings from the saddle. His feet hang over the drop but the horse pulls back from the edge and he lands safely on the ground.
His mind clears somewhat and he realizes that the others are following him to this place. He rushes into the trees to give them a warning. He pushes through a bramble into the path of Dew Drop. Canace screams and pulls hard to turn the beast. It stumbles and trips into the dirt. Canace flips from the saddle. Her piecing scream fills the air as she vanishes over the edge of the gorge, stopping with a dull thud.
“Canace!” Darwin’t screams as he runs to the edge and looks down. Her crumpled body sits broken between two large rocks. She moves a leg. “Canace,” he cries again and he can hear the despair in his voice. He looks hastily for an easy way down but sees none and so rushes towards a large boulder to climb down. He is aware of others moving with him but pays no attention. All of his thoughts are on Canace, the woman he loves. Fia leaps over his head and lands with a thud beside the fragile girl. He bends down and touches her brow.
Canace’s eyes flick open but they are unfocused and confused. She stares in his direction yet is not seeing. Darwin’t grabs at her hand and holds it to his mouth.
“Please, please stay with me. Don’t leave me Canace. I love you!” He can hear the pa
in in his voice and his heart breaks all the more. His eyes move around her form and a sick feeling floods his senses.
Her left leg is bent the wrong way and white bone juts from her thigh. The side of her face is covered in blood, gluing her beautiful blond hair to her cheeks. The rock behind her head glistens red with so much of her life blood. A trickle of blood slips from the corner of her lips. When she opens her mouth to speak he is horrified to see her teeth are red with blood also.
“I love you too,” she whispers as her life slips away from her.
“No,” he screams and grabs at her. Lifting her into his arms and cradling her lifeless body, he rocks back and forth. “No, Canace I won’t let you be dead. Please, please don’t leave me. Please!” He looks up into the shocked faces of his friends.
Danlynn sobs openly, letting his grief escape him. Derry’n rushes to Canace’s side and drops to his knees. Tears fall from his eyes and he lets out an anguished cry. The cat leaps onto her chest and it also seems to be screaming. Tarfleam shakes his head and sinks to the dirt. No tears fall but his eyes mist over and he holds himself for comfort.
Fia stands and moves away. Letting them grieve for their lost friend. His eyes slip across those of Chaz and she sniffs back her own emotions.
“Move aside,” Riochald shrieks as she finally reaches the floor. Her green gown snags on a rock and she tumbles to the ground. Her head hits a rock but she pushes herself up and with blood pouring down her face moves towards her friends.
“Riochald,” Darwin’t says dully. He had forgotten about her in his panic. “Heal her! Don’t let her die!”
Riochald pushes Derry’n aside and swats the cat from Canace’s body. Her own tears are close but she holds them back. Suns of practice at hiding her emotions are finally coming to use. She stares into Darwin’t’s eyes and thinks better of telling him to move also. She reaches out and touches her friend. Shock masks her face and she falls backwards. She shakes her head slowly and then she loses her control and breaks down.
“She is already gone,” she mutters before her breath escapes her and she crumples at her dead friend’s side. Fia is there in a second, hefting Riochald into his strong arms and holding her face to his chest. She allows herself to be moved away from the corpse and buries her face into the warrior’s body.
Darwin’t feels as if the world is about to end. Only this morning he had decided that they should go to the shrine on the way north and be bonded. He had realized that he loves her and that is all that matters. All his fears of having a dull life in the hills had left him and he had been happy in the knowledge that once all of this was over he and Canace would return home and start their family.
He stares into her dead eyes and his tears seem to dry up inside him. Hate bubbles through him and he turns his face towards Riochald.
“This is your fault!” he screams. Spittle flies into the air. “If you had waited for Fia to give the order then we would not have rushed in here and become separated!”
“Let’s not blame others now,” a kind voice says from above them.
Everyone looks up at the dark figure. The old man lowers his hood to reveal himself as the healer from the prison cells. He glances at the body of Canace and sighs. “Can someone help me down, please?” He asks trying to find his footing at the edge of the gorge.
Derry’n bounds over to him and reaches out his large arms. “Jump and I will catch you.”
The old man looks down at Canace again and shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t drop me, boy!” he says as he leaps over the edge. Derry’n catches him easily and lowers him to the ground. “Thank you, young man.”
He strolls over to Darwin’t and bends down to look into his red eyes. “You have to trust me,” he says slowly with a nod. “Let her go and step back. All of you move away.” Darwin’t lowers Canace to the ground and steps back. He shudders at the sight of her poor smashed frame. The old man scans the party, his eyes fix on Tarfleam’s. “Not you, son, I will be in need of your power here.”
Darwin’t surges forwards, putting himself between the two men. “No!” he screams. “He is not touching her with his hands! He will dry her up! He’ll turn her to dust!”
Tarfleam stops and lowers his head. He mutters something but Darwin’t does not hear what. Before he can say anything Danlynn charges at him and knocks him to the dirt, holding him down. “Get off me.”
“I’m doing this to help,” his friend cries back. “Let the man try.”
Tarfleam moves forwards and crouches by Canace’s side. He stares at the mess her body is in and gags on sick. He forces it down and tries to concentrate on what he is being told.
“I feel great power in your heart. It is an odd power, but I think you hold the key to life there.” He reaches out and pokes a finger into Tarfleam’s chest. “I can see a seed. Like a plant. It is in your heart. Dormant but waiting for something to make it grow.”
“What is it?” Tarfleam asks in a shaky voice.
“I do not know. And this is not the time to discuss it. She is not yet dead, but it will only be a matter of moments.” The old man moves to Canace’s head and cradles it in the palms of his bony hands. “Can you open up your power?”
Tarfleam nods. “But it goes wrong. Things die and turn to dust.”
“It sounds like you feed too much life into them. They age too quickly and their life cycle expires. Open it up but do not feed any power into it. Just let it sit there in your hands. I will do the rest.”
Tarfleam frowns but does as he is told. A faint muddy green glow moves along the surface of his skin. Small vines of power lace across Canace’s body and she shudders. The grass under Tarfleam begins to grow, winding around his boots, working its way up his legs.
The old man smiles at what he sees. He closes his eyes and concentrates his own energy. White light flashes throughout the woods and blinds everyone within the gully. When the light clears after a few seconds everyone is surrounded by tall grass. Darwin’t gets to his feet and pushes through the grass towards where he knows Canace is.
“Canace!” he screams but no reply comes. “Canace!”
The old man stands on shaky legs and nods his head at Darwin’t. “She sleeps now.” He wobbles and then falls to the ground. Everyone is there in a moment. Canace looks whole again. Her leg is straight and body solid. Blood still covers her but no longer pumps freely from the wounds.
“When will she wake?” Danlynn asks in a rush.
The old man pants with the exertion of his healing and shakes his head. “I do not know. It depends on how strong she is.”
Darwin’t drops beside her and cries over her sleeping form. “Thank you,” he whimpers. He looks up at Tarfleam and sees the dirty green power slick across his eyes. “Thank you, Tarfleam.”
The man stands and steps away without a word.
“You down there!” A booming voice yells, echoing from the gorge walls.
Everyone looks up at the same time. Fia draws his sword and steps in front of Riochald. Danlynn grabs for his bow and Derry’n, his twin axes. When he stands there is no longer a man standing on the rocks. “Where did he go?”
“I am right here,” the emotionless voice says from behind him.
Derry’n spins with his axe raised but does not strike. He bears his teeth and snarls like an animal.
“You must be the Beast Master? Do not fear me. You have journeyed here to find me, have you not?” He turns and strides over to Canace and Darwin’t, the folds of his black cloak hiding everything but his mouth. “You. I have seen you in my dreams at night. You are the ones.”
“Ones for what?” Darwin’t asks in a shaky voice.
“The ones who will destroy the world.”
29
TAK’ARSHI
The cloaked man strides purposefully ahead of them and does not speak. His earlier words still echo inside of Darwin’t’s skull. “The ones who will destroy the world.” What was meant by that?
All of them had leapt over each oth
er to ask him questions but he simply cocked his head to the side and with a blank expression indicated for them to follow. He had walked from the clearing before any of them had started to follow; all still shocked by what had just happened to Canace.
Darwin’t stares back at the pale form of the girl he loves, cradled in the arms of Derry’n. He had wanted to be the one to carry her. It should have fallen to him, yet Fia just shook his head and patted his shoulder before giving the order for the big man to collect her. Darwin’t had acted like a spoilt child then, but an icy stare from Riochald quickly brought him back to his senses.
There are no signs that she was even in an accident. Fia had poured water from his supplies across her face and had scrubbed the blood away, leaving only a trace in her hair, which is now tied back with a piece of cloth. The healing magic has left her weak and sleeping, but she stirs now and then, mumbling words in her incoherent state.
He turns his eyes to the front and they settle on the dull face of the robed man. He stares back at them calmly and waits for all members of the party to reach him before speaking.
“We will be entering the halls of the Dark Clan soon,” he says in his bland tone. “You will need to stay silent. Keep the names you have chosen and do not mention the Prophecy. You are not safe here.” At that he turns and strides towards a clearing in the trees.
“Wait,” Chaz calls and bounds after him. They exchange a few words; Chaz becoming heated while the cloaked man just stares at her and responds with a single word after each question. Finally she throws up her arms and strides angrily back towards them. “He keeps saying the same thing. Just stick to the story and we will be fine.”
“Do you trust him?” Danlynn asks uncertainly. “Is he one of them? One of the evil Dark Clan?”
Chaz stares at him with a disgusted snarl twitching at her lips. She steps up and even though she is shorter than the farmer her presence is much greater. Danlynn takes a step back which Chaz fills.