by Aaron Thomas
“Of course, I’ll do my best. I would take it slow Kilen, and listen to the others. Only our wits and your body can help you here,” Max said.
Soon the pain lessened enough that Kilen was able to make his way to his knees. He found himself in an open grassy field, one side bordered by a wall of fog and a gray rock wall on the other slightly curved . Trees stretching out of the fog gave shade from the sun and didn't look like they were burning from this side. He wondered if there would be an unburnt forest on the other side if he tried to walk through. His skin warned him not to try.
Kilen looked down at his hands blistered from the heat and cut from the shards of ice and vines. His body was so badly torn that the cool breeze blowing through the field caused him pain. He had no one to heal him or renew his strength. He did his best to stand while saying, “I have no choice but to continue.” Max must have redoubled his efforts as the pain subsided. Kilen knew that Max was fighting an unseen battle inside the recesses of his mind. He made a choice not to put himself in any undue pain to keep Max from being overwhelmed. He was, at least, able to move with Max’s help.
Kilen slowly staggered in the open field somewhere between the rock wall and the forest. The wall was curved so that if he walked along its edge he would be able to round it in less than an hour. Now that he was away from the fog he could see that it too was curved bordering the other side of the field. Kilen began traveling in the same direction for three hours without finding the other side of the rock wall. There were no seams, no cracks, and no entrances to the wall. He also didn't find the path he should have been leaving in the knee high grass. He knew he should have passed it long ago. Turning to face the wall of stone he knew that eventually he would have to climb it.
“What do you think Jace, up the wall or keep walking?” Kilen had purposely kept equal distance from the wall and the fog. He was doing his best to be ready for anything, not to mention that he was scared of what would happen if he got close.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice, up the wall and over or back into fog,” Jace’s voice was calm and determined. Max agree’d.
Kilen squatted in the grass and took a water skin from his leather satchel. The water skin was hot so he laid it on the grass to cool. In the bottom of the bag was his last piece of dried Kapal seasoned meat. The spice was hot, but he had grown accustomed to eating it. The strange mix of spices made for a potent energy boost, and he would need it for whatever came next. Eating the dried piece of meat as fast as he could, he uncorked the water skin and poured the heated water into his mouth spilling some on his chin. The heat from the water sent new spikes of pain down his face and neck. He took the pain and waited for his energy to be renewed by his imbuements and his Kapal-seasoned meat.
He watched the top of the rock wall as he contemplated his path to climb. The wall was about one hundred meters tall. High enough that he couldn’t jump to the top. Short enough that he might be able to climb if he was at his best. He knew strength wouldn’t be the problem, wind would be. It was the only element he hadn’t combated up to this point, and wind was what he feared the most. Alexander had taught him that it was far from the weakest of the elements and possibly the most powerful.
He decided to leap as far up the wall as he could and have the best hold on the rock. The jump would cause him pain, but it would make the journey to the top the fastest. He wondered what type of test was at the top. He again reflected on his training with Gortus, first learn to walk before you learn to fight. He had to get to the top before he could worry about what was there.
Kilen finished off his meat and water, careful not to spill any more on his face. He painfully stood and made his way to the bottom of the rock wall. The surface was free of dirt, dust, and vegetation. It was not perfect, but the further he looked up the wall, the smoother the surface got. Kilen felt the surface of the stone. It was cool to the touch so he place his red blistered cheek on the rock and felt some small relief. There seemed to be no effect with him touching the rock so he stayed and took small pleasure at the rocks cool temperature. He gave the Elder Wizards no warning with his next move.
Kilen squatted low and pushed off the ground as hard as he could, reaching for a hand hold at his highest point. He missed and started to fall, but was able to grab a small ledge big enough for one hand. Hurriedly he found small areas to gain some grasp with his feet. He looked down and saw that he had made it more than half way up the cliff’s side, but was unable to push off again without leaping backwards. He was looking up and down the cliff when he noticed the tall grass down below start to rustle in the the breeze. He knew the wind was coming. The grass to his right was still until the breeze moved across it. To his left, the grass was already wiping in the wind as if in a summer storm. Without another thought of pain he looked up and moved as fast as he could, reaching for handhold and foothold, one after the other.
The wind finally reached Kilen, and it didn’t come on gently. The pain that the breeze inflicted on his skin steadily increased until Kilen was clutching the surface of the rock pressing his body as close to the surface as he could. He moved one hand above his head and along the surface of the rock to find a grip. The wind was now at a torrent, stronger than he had ever felt before.
Kilen made his mistake when he moved a foot off the only hold it had to reach for another. The wind seemed to latch onto his leg and push it away from the rock’s surface. Kilen was carried out into the wind away from the rock as it turned him in every direction but the way he wanted. He hit the ground feet first in a crumple. Despite Max’s best effort, the pain overcame Kilens senses and he once again lost consciousness.
He woke to silence, which was surprising. Kilen laid on his stomach, the smell of fresh grass in his nose. The wind was calm again. He picked himself up and noticed the sun was just rising over the trees. He had been there all night with his face in the dirt. Because of his magic imbuements the burns on his skin had lessened, but his legs and joints were all sore from the trials of the day before. Without taking any time to revise his plan he closed the distance to the wall and started climbing.
It didn’t take long for his second attempt to be thwarted. This time he was removed from the wall before he was halfway up. When he hit the ground, he picked himself up and dusted off, ignoring the pain. Again he jumped as hard as he could, but this time the wind was ready and caught him mid flight, throwing him nearly all the way to the fog wall. Kilen stood again and watched as the fog parted into a narrow path.
On the other side of the fog was Kilen’s camp. The camp was only feet away; his food and horse were within reach. The Elder Wizards were tempting him. He rebuked the temptation and ran at full speed towards the rock.
He jumped at half the distance but was thrown directly to the ground just after his feet left it. He pushed up from the ground just to be lifted and thrown back, again towards the fog. He lay there being caressed by the breeze, facing an open path to his camp. He wondered if this was the test, or if getting to the top of the cliff was the test. Kilen remained on his stomach and crawled slowly to the rock’s surface just as Gortus had him train on his first day. The wind could gain no hold on him so close to the ground. He grabbed a handhold on the rock wall with one hand and pulled himself up the rock’s surface.
He had an idea to change this game to his advantage. Kilen reached back and slammed a fist into the stone. Rock broke away and his skin began to bleed, but he had made his own hand hold. He pulled himself up and reached back to slam another fist into the rock, only this time his arm went shoulder deep into a liquid stone which hardened around his arm instantly. He tried to pull his arm free but it was stuck inside the stone. He waited for any change in the stone to happen but nothing did. The wind seemed to have stilled.
Letting go of his hold, he tried to swing again at the surface with his other arm and was met again with liquid rock. Now, with both arms stuck in the side of the rock wall, he moved his feet as close to his arms as possible. Kilen pushed his
feet against the wall as hard as he could. The stone started to crack between his two arms, and with a burst of flying stone he was thrown back, again to the wall of fog. The hole in the rock melted closed, as smooth as it had been before.
Kilen came to the realization that they would not let him succeed in this task. He was sure the Elder Wizards were trying to tell him to go home, but he knew he couldn’t. The Wizards had to have been watching him, so instead of trying to come to them, he decided to do what he had come there to do.
“I know you can hear me,” He said, nearly out of breath. “I can’t go home, I cannot leave without delivering my message. King Atmos has sent me here on what he sees as an impossible mission. He has sent me here to my death. If I am do die, then I will die doing what I said I would do.
“There is a war starting at the border of the Earth and Fire Realms. King Atmos marches there now to fight an army brought by the Fire Realm. He requests your assistance in this battle. If you deny his request and do not march to war then it is me that goes into the traitors bowls. If I leave here without pleading his request, it is me that goes into the traitors bowls. If I do not return to him, it is my sister that goes into the traitors bowls. I beg of you, please don’t make me continue this test. Please let me plead the case of my king. Please reveal yourself to me.”
No voice returned to answer his pleading. Kilen waited in silence until he had caught his breath from being thrown around from the wind. When no answer came he hung his head low and began to walk toward the rock wall again. He immediately was lifted and slammed back to the ground by a gust of wind. This time he landed flat on his back and watched the fog come from all sides of his vision. Kilen sat up and watched figures approach in the fog from every direction.
A voice broke through the fog like a wise grandfather, “There, was that so hard? All you had to do was ask.”
Kilen finally understood Alexander’s hint. He should have just been polite all along.
Chapter 5 - Businessman's Blight
The ferry proved to be a frustrating experience as it took so long to get everything loaded and unloaded for each trip across the river. Bowie’s men had made great time getting to the river, but lost their lead while waiting for the ferry. They were so fast that Bowie had arrived there only a few hours after the sun had set. The ferrymen were already done for the day, so his troop had to wait till morning. Unfortunately that meant his men hadn’t been able to set up a permanent camp. They were, at least, able to bed down for the night and get a good night's sleep after pushing so hard.
Finally having crossed the river, Bowie had found a campsite outside the town walls and near the trees. He ordered Tyler to the task of getting the permanent site set up for a week’s stay in the area. He hoped to get into town soon and acquire enough supplies to get the men started on outfitting the army with bows and arrows.
Bowie watched as yet another completed trip pulled into the dock,the burly ferrymen pulling their way along the ropes. Being the businessman he was, Bowie knew they could have charged more. Auburn and some of her fletchers had come across in the second trip, and now Ria with the rest of the fletchers. One more trip and Bowie’s small advance party would be across. Bowie went ahead and paid the ferryman for the rest of his men for when Curtain and the rest caught up. With the ferrying costs taken care of,he would be able to spend freely to get the most supplies possible.
Ria’s wagon pulled off the docks and up the bank. Bowie held up a hand to the driver to stop. He paused to take a deep breath then gently knocked on the back door of the wagon. A muffled,”Who is it,” came from the inside in Ria’s voice.
“Bowie, m’lady,” he carefully answered back.
The door to the wagon slowly came open to show Wizard Ria, again in a plain brown dress with dirt covered fingers. Bowie pulled the hat from his head and bowed deeply as if bowing to a queen.
“Trying to court me, are you archer? I stopped being a lady a long time ago, I am a ma’am now. Stand up, you look ridiculous.”
Bowie stiffened at the thought of him courting her, and she looked him over for a moment with his hat in his hand. His jaw stiffened at the wizard now trying to rile him up.
“Well, at least you're trying to remember your manners. When this is over I'll have to have a chat with your mother about that.”
Bowie, still holding his hat said, “My mother is past, she died from a fever when I was three. It is just me and my dad now. He runs the butcher shop and wasn’t much for teaching me manners.”
The wizard’s eyes narrowed. “Still, one of the town ladies ought to have taught you something. Very well, what is it you need, Master Crescent?” She said, the last part with a particular disgust on her tongue.
Bowie wondered what it would take to make this woman happy, or at least tolerant of his behavior.
“I was just going see how you were doing from the ride, and see if there was anything you might need. I am about to go into the town for supplies.”
Ria backed away from the door, leaving it open, and yelled out from inside, “Tell the driver to move to the camp and you come inside. I want to talk to you, Master Crescent.”
Bowie did as he was told and closed the door behind him. Ria stood in the back of the cart using a water can to water various plants in her cart. He hadn’t noticed the windows covering in sporadic locations in the roof. The windows provided enough light to see and to grow plants inside the wooden box of a wagon.
“Sit, please,” She said without any of the earlier distaste on her lips.
He sat immediately, partly to get off his feet and partly because he didn't want to irritate her anymore.
“I was wondering if you have a plan for getting enough arrows together for the king, or if we are running away from the army so you don’t have to face him. It does seem a tall order and most youngsters such as yourself seem to run off at a whim, thinking only as far as their arm can reach. They seldom look ahead to their destination.”
“Well Ma’am, I was hoping to gather some supplies for the men in this town before the king’s army arrives and swallows the supplies for their use. I thought that as long as we can keep a distance between us and the army, the better chance we would be able to find supplies.” He took a swallow as soon as Ria placed a cup of water in front of him. He wondered why he was so nervous.
“I see. That might be a good idea, but how do you plan on paying for everything if we are so far ahead that you're not being given money for supplies?” She said as she sat down to eat a fresh plate of berries. Bowie wondered where she found them so fresh along a river that the townspeople didn't pick them every day. She must have seen him looking at the berries because she held the plate up to him. “I’m sorry, I thought you had eaten. Would you care for some?” She waved her hand near a plant on the wall and the flowers seemed to pop fresh berries out in an instant. He should have known, she grew them.
“Thanks, but no. I’ve already eaten my portion, but if you have extra I’ll pass them on to the men. About the money problem, I have a few ideas on how to make some money. Of course it will only work if everyone does their part,” Bowie tried to sounds as confident as he could.
“Very well. I shall start making some arrow shafts for your fletchers as soon as we get to camp. I am very eager to be outside. Though this carriage is accommodating, I do like being in full view of the sky.” She took a long drink from a teacup she had sitting on a shelf along the wall.
“My many thanks for any hard work you will be doing. I’ll do my best to see that you will be accommodated in whatever way I can.” Conveniently, the cart came to a stop throwing Bowie off balance. He took his opportunity and stood bent over in the low ceilinged cart, bowed a short bow and exited the carriage. “Good day, madam.”
He put his hat back on his head as he shut the door behind him. The Black Hat in the driver’s seat immediately began pulling Ria’s cart out into the sunshine near the edge of the trees. as it pulled away, Bowie saw Auburn already stomping toward
s him. He had hated the quick trip, unable to stop to rest or sooth saddle sores, but he would do it every day if it meant not having to deal with these two women all the time.
“It’s about time you got back, I have a bunch of men sitting around doing nothing.” She started ranting before she was even twenty feet away. “I need things for these men to do or they will get ideas in their head and lose focus. Where are the supplies you said I would get?” She stood tapping her slippered foot, waiting for an answer.
“I have Wizard Ria about to start growing your arrow shafts, Auburn. I will be heading into town to collect some tar and string for the feathers that my men will be gathering for you. Start your men by preparing those arrow shafts to take a knock. I’ll get some materials for the heads and glue to attach the feathers. ”
“About time. I’ll get them gathered and ready for Wizard Ria. I can’t wait to get started so we can get out on our way to filling the king's order and get back home,” She practically spat at the mention of the king.
“Auburn, I am sorry to say that even if we fill all the quivers in the king’s army, you and your men will be going to battle with us in case we need more. I do appreciate your eagerness to get started. Now, if you don’t need anything else, I’ll be on my way.”
“SOAP!” She shouted. “They need lots of soap. Every one of them smells as if they have rolled in manure. Get some soap!” She commanded as she turned and stalked away.
Bowie disregarded the request for soap. He was sure they had some, there just hadn’t been a chance to use it on the road. He walked through the camp noting that most of the men looked rested and ready for another day’s journey. He did see a couple of feet sticking out from underneath tents, they must have been on watch during the night.
Bowie found Tyler overseeing construction of a tent near the center of the camp. The tent was larger than the rest and on one of the peaks was a green feather with two gold stripes. As he approached Tyler turned in his direction, “Your tent is almost up, Master Crescent.”