Aster Wood and the Wizard King (Book 5)

by J B Cantwell

  “Why didn’t you jump then?” I asked. “You have links.”

  He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

  “I thought about it,” he said. “It would be possible for us to escape in small groups using the links. But then, where would we go? Stonemore has been overcome by the enemy, and the fields beyond exist now to sustain their army. Where would we hide? There are over a hundred of us left.” He shook his head, a look of defeat on his face. “I have pondered it for weeks, and I know a decision must be made soon. We have barely survived this long. And that’s without the threat of impostors. It’s only with my feeble magic that I’ve been able to coax any food at all from this stone.” He stamped the rock face with his boot. “Others have helped, I’ll admit.” His eyes flashed toward me, then away, almost guiltily. “But we are all hungry.”

  “There is food not far from here,” Father said. He strode over to where our packs lay, rummaged through them, and produced a fistful of papples. When he returned and held them out, Kiron seemed perplexed.

  “Where did you get these?” he asked.

  “On the other side of the storm,” I said. “There are fields and fields of them for a hundred miles.”

  “And you’ve eaten them? They’re not poison?”

  Poison?

  I shook my head.

  “We’ve been eating them for days,” I said.

  “We didn’t see them,” Kiron said. He held the papple up to his nose and sniffed deeply, then smacked his lips, clearly trying to avoid devouring the fruit.

  “Go ahead,” I said.

  “No,” he said. “Not yet. There are others who need this more than I do. We couldn’t see anything beyond the storm, and the damage we took on trying to get through the wind—well, we haven’t made much effort to escape it after what happened to Finian.”

  “Tell me” I said. “What happened to him? Is he alright?”

  “Come with me,” he said, pushing off the wall, staring up into the fading light. “We’re not far.”

  We gathered our things and began to follow. Kiron led us through slim crevices in the rock, a labyrinth of paths that snaked through the mountains. We traveled in silence for half an hour, and while we did, night fell upon us in earnest. I held the staff, a bright light surging from the wood to lead the way. Far above, the twinkling lights of the cosmos shone down through the thin crack in the mountain. I tried to take comfort from the stars. They were the same as they had ever been. But the feeling of foreboding I felt did not diminish as we walked. This was not the reunion with Kiron I had expected.

  Finally, my eye caught the flicker of a campfire in the distance. I felt cold to my bones, and I longed to warm myself by the flames. Kiron stopped and turned to us.

  “There’s something I should tell you before we see the others,” he said.

  Behind him the hunched shape of a woman approached, just recognizable in the moonlight.

  “Lissa!” Cait yelped.

  She sprang away from us, bounding through the dim light towards the old woman.

  I suddenly felt fearful. As cautious as Kiron had been in trusting us, my emotions now mirrored his. I wanted Cait close until we knew for sure that we were safe.

  “Cait!” I called.

  I brushed past Kiron and started after her. I tripped in the darkness, hitting my knees on the stone. Ignoring the sting, I jumped up again and leapt after her. By the time I reached her, she had jumped up into Larissa’s arms, hugging her around the neck in a vice grip.

  “Larissa,” I panted. “It is you.”

  Her arms wrapped around Cait, hugging her close as if she were her own child. Her eyes flashed to Kiron, then back to me.

  “Is this him, then?” she asked, staring at me appraisingly.

  “Far as I can tell,” Kiron said, walking up to us from behind.

  “Well, it took you long enough,” she said with a grimace.

  I ignored this and watched as Cait pulled away and gazed into Larissa’s face, holding her cheeks in her hands. This seemed to melt Larissa’s ire, and she smiled.

  “You have a lot to tell me, I would imagine,” she said to Cait. “Did you enjoy your time on Earth?”

  Cait’s expression changed, and she looked almost puzzled by the question.

  “Sometimes,” she finally answered.

  She nestled her head into Larissa’s chest, breathing in the woman she had bonded with so quickly, so completely.

  Larissa looked at Kiron.

  “Did you tell the boy?” she asked.

  Kiron looked guilty.

  “Not yet,” he said.

  “Tell me what?” I asked.

  It was only then that my eyes fell back on the group of people huddled around the fire, and I realized that one of them was twice as large as any other.

  Erod stood, and I saw with a gasp that he was glowing. There was no fire at all; it was his glow I had seen. From head to foot, the giant man who had once saved me from a watery death was as bright as a beacon in the black night.

  “Erod?” I asked as he drew near. “Is that really you?”

  His face cracked into a wide smile.

  “You’re here,” he said. “My running-mate.”

  I laughed and nodded.

  “But how did you—” I began. A stirring behind him distracted me, and my gaze fell to the figure beyond.

  Erod reached back with one long arm, and slowly drew out the person who had followed him into the clearing. He turned his head toward her, a look of concern on his face.

  “It’s alright,” he said gently, and I saw now that the girl, though clinging to his side, was hiding from us. Erod’s hand, enormous and bright, covered her entire head like the paw of a giant bear. She shook her head vigorously, but he persisted.

  “Come around where they can see you,” he said.

  Kiron then spoke behind me.

  “Come on, girl,” he said. “You can’t hide forever.”

  Something about Kiron’s tone made my stomach twist. My brain fought to figure out who he was talking to, what girl stood now behind Erod.

  Finally, reluctantly, she stepped out from behind him.

  And my blood turned to ice.

  A mop of chopped, white-blond hair stuck out from her head at odd angles. Her robes hung around her, tattered and dirty, but the green I remembered still shone in her eyes, clear and bright through the grime of her travel.

  Erod’s hand brushed against her head tenderly, lovingly, and swept the pieces of hair away from her forehead.

  And there she was, staring back at me after all this time, frightened, timid. Those green eyes that had belonged to my friend, and later my enemy, barely dared to meet my own.

  Jade.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I stared. My mouth opened in protest, but no sound came out.

  And then I was slammed to the ground so fast I couldn’t imagine where the attack had come from. My head spun from the blow it had taken against the rock.

  In a flash, hands were around his wrists, wrenching him away from me. Just as his own hands were reaching for my throat, I caught the glint of blue in his eyes.

  Dad.

  Erod gripped him in his enormous fists and thrust him away from me. He hit the stone face beside us so hard I thought he might crumple from the force of it. Instead, he righted himself and came after me again.

  He was no match for Erod’s strength. He struggled beneath his grip, but could not escape.

  I got back to my feet, still spinning slightly.

  What happened to him?

  For days I had felt as if I were waiting for him to crack, for Father to once again become the monster I had seen in the gold mine back on Earth, the dad who was hungry for my blood. But he hadn’t done so much as lay a finger on me since then, not since his eyes had clouded over with the blackness of possession.

  Two wizards emerged from the darkness and gripped Dad by his arms, dragging him away from us. For a moment I thought there was no chance they would be able t
o hold him back, but I underestimated their strength.

  “Calm yourself, man,” one of them said, his tone almost soothing.

  Then, when they were ten paces from us, Dad suddenly stopped fighting them. The anger seemed to drain from his face, and I could just see in the last of the light that his eyes were black again.

  “What the hell was that?” Kiron spat.

  I was just beginning to catch my breath. I rubbed the back of my head, which was already starting to swell.

  “He’s possessed,” I said. “You saw it before. But sometimes, when the possession falters…”

  “That’s when the bad man comes,” Cait said. She had released Larissa and was scowling now.

  Both Kiron and Erod looked confused.

  “It’s the opposite for him,” I said, trying to explain. “When he’s not possessed, he comes for me. When he is, he’s calm. We don’t know why, but the possession calms him.”

  I glanced at Jade, and fear washed over me, this time for a different reason.

  Erod looked between the two of us.

  “It’s alright, Aster,” he said.

  He approached me, holding out one of his enormous hands and clapping me on the shoulder.

  I should have been happy to see him. I should have been relieved that he was still alive, that he had escaped the wrath of his village after protecting me. I should have been grateful.

  Instead, white hot anger filled me as I peered around him to stare at the girl who had tried to kill me the last time we had met.

  “What is she doing here?” I asked. I wanted my voice to be strong, to show that I had no fear. Instead, my words came out barely louder than a whisper.

  Jade’s eyes were downcast, ashamed.

  I cleared my throat.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, louder this time.

  She glanced up, and I could tell she was on the verge of crying.

  I turned to Kiron.

  “Do you not remember that she tried to kill me?” I asked, accusing. “All this talk of impostors, and this is who you have waiting for me?”

  “You’re walking around with a man who just tried to kill you, and you’re worried about her?” he countered.

  I gripped the staff in my hands. It was noticeably sticky in my grasp, a sign that if I chose to use it, it would not wield power in the way that I wanted it to. I thrust the tip of it hard into the rock at my feet. As the granite cracked beneath me, sending jagged chunks spraying away from where I stood, prickly heat spread across my skin. They stepped back. Every one of them. Even Father.

  But not Cait.

  She walked up to stand beside me, then reached up, trying to pry my fingers from the wood, tugging at my shirt. Without thinking, I relented, releasing the staff and letting my hand drop into hers.

  I would not do this. I would not stay here. The little girl standing beside me was mine to protect.

  “We’re leaving,” I said.

  I wanted to turn to go, but hesitated as I realized I would be turning my back towards a known enemy. Instead, I reached for the link around my neck.

  “No!” Cait yelped.

  Only then did I look down. She stood, strong as ever, imploring me to listen.

  “We need to go,” I said, unfeeling. “These people are dangerous.”

  Even more dangerous than the man I had willingly brought here with me.

  Cait glanced toward Jade, and her face was unsure. She seemed to be deciding something.

  “They might be,” she conceded, her eyes searching Jade’s face for something I could only guess at.

  Jade stared at her, her mouth slightly open, whatever words she had desired to say dying on her lips.

  “They are,” I said.

  “Just listen first.” It was Kiron. He stepped around to face me. “She’s been through a lot.”

  “Yeah, well, we’ve all been through a lot, haven’t we,” I spat.

  He stood firm, the old familiar superiority crossing his features for the first time since our reunion.

  I faltered.

  “Tell me then,” I said. “Tell me why she’s here.”

  “She came to us first,” Kiron said. “Before any of the impostors. The giant found her and brought her to us. She wants to help.”

  “I broke her away from him,” Erod said. “The dark one. As long as I’m alight, she stays with us. He has no hold on her when I stand beside her.”

  I shifted my weight, trying not to look away from his face, trying to stay strong. But I was curious despite my anger.

  Jade peeked at me from her hiding place behind Erod, her features lit by his glow. Her white-blond hair looked recently shorn, and by someone clearly unfamiliar with basic haircutting principles. Her hair that was so like my own. It was a trait we shared, passed down through our family tree over the centuries. Quickly, her eyes darted away.

  “I’m sorry for what I did,” she said. “It wasn’t me. Not really.”

  “How did you find her?” I asked Erod. He had his arm around her now, comforting her.

  Comforting her.

  “She was in the castle,” he said. “She was trapped there. Well, I guess you know that already. The giants, the ones from my village, were all under his thumb, all working as slaves to the Corentin. Even Druce, our leader, was taken.”

  His voice shook at the mention of Druce. As much as Erod had disagreed with Druce’s rule over the village, he had still been the one Erod had known as their leader for most of his life. It must have been unnerving for him to see Druce overpowered.

  “I stayed among them, though I, myself, was not possessed,” he continued. “There were so many of us, he seemed not to notice my presence among the others. One day we brought a shipment of stones to the castle, and after, everyone left her there. She was all alone in that room, and the sounds that came from within were terrifying. I felt sure that she would not survive whatever was transpiring beyond.”

  He tightened his grip on her, drawing her closer to him in a giant’s hug.

  “I couldn’t leave her there,” he continued. “I waited for the quiet, hid among the vast castle rooms. And when silence finally came, I went for her. It was an accident in many ways. I was on guard, ready to defend myself against whatever it was that was making that noise, so I was aglow when I crossed the threshold. But my power had an unexpected effect. It brought her back to herself. I didn’t know it at the time, but she had been a prisoner in her own mind, possessed and controlled by the Corentin.”

  He looked down at Jade and, placing one finger beneath her chin, raised her face upwards.

  “I thought it had been at her will the entire time. I thought she had been the one commanding my people. But it wasn’t her at all.”

  He paused, breaking his gaze with her.

  “We saved each other, in a way,” he said, a smile in his eyes. “I had spent so long, what felt like years, watching my people enslaved and lost to me. I had tried so many times to free them from the prisons within their own minds. But they were deaf to my pleas, and even my power. I am lucky that I didn’t give myself away to the Corentin, lucky that they were so deep within themselves, so blind, that their minds didn’t even register my presence beside them.”

  He bent low, taking Jade’s face in both of his massive hands, making her cheeks bright from his glow.

  “So, you see,” he said, more to her than to any of us, “you saved me, too. From the despair of my own disuse.”

  Tears glistened in Jade’s eyes, sparkling from the undulating light of his skin. She looked at him with such relief, such hope.

  It made me jealous.

  “I still don’t understand why she was allowed to stay here,” I said. “Why was she not put out like any other impostor?”

  Kiron brushed past me, planting his feet firmly between Jade and Erod and myself as if he planned to defend them to the death if necessary. He glared at me.

  “You still don’t see, boy,” he said through his scowl.

&
nbsp; He reached out one hand to his side, leaving his palm open, waiting. Erod produced a small package wrapped in cloth from within his coat and placed it into Kiron’s outstretched hand. His arm sagged as though Erod had placed a boulder there.

  But it wasn’t a boulder. Kiron approached me, holding the small parcel out to me.

  “You’re gonna need to learn a little forgiveness if you want this to work,” he said, his voice a threat. It was the voice I remembered, the leader I had left behind.

  His old, knobby fingers undid the knot at the top of the parcel and the muslin fell away.

  I gasped, stepping back for a moment.

  In Kiron’s hand sat, impossibly, a chunk of gold bigger than his fist.

  “How did you—where did you—?” I spluttered.

  “She brought it,” he said, inclining his head toward Jade.

  He flipped the stone over and placed it into my palm. My arm struggled with the weight of it. It had to be twenty pounds. I stared at it, dumbstruck. Cait stood on her tiptoes to get a clear look at it, her eyes wide.

  “That’s almost as much as we have,” she said.

  She turned back to look at Jade, who dropped her eyes quickly. Cait released me and danced the ten feet between us and where Jade stood, waiting. Without warning, without a word, she extended a hand to Jade.

  She looked surprised. And then she smiled a shy, grateful smile down at the little girl, and took her hand.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The group gradually dispersed, and soon I found myself standing alone. Father had been released by the two old men, but they ushered him away from me, standing between us and unwilling to let him approach. That was fine with me. I was still shaken by the reemergence of the man I knew wanted to hurt me. Father sat, docile and still, not arguing. I thought about talking to him, but as my head gave a throb I decided I had had enough of him for one night.

  Kiron was the only one who remained beside me as I watched those who had survived Stonemore’s onslaught begin to settle in. Part of me felt relieved that I had found them again, that they were still alive at all. I had spent the past days so terrified that I had somehow misstepped along the trail to my old friends that looking upon them now, a weight I had been carrying gradually began to lift.