by Bob Blink
Jeen made a Bypass back to the Outpost from inside the large tent. She was considering all that needed to be done as she stepped into the arch. She would tell Daim, and also try and locate Nycoh. She wanted a chance to talk privately with Nycoh anyway. She could sense the stress the younger wizard was feeling during the meeting the other day. She was too young for all the responsibility she had assumed of late. Nycoh had been actively involved in the wizard community since she was eight years old. She was their most powerful mage, and she truly was a mage, a master of both types of magic. Jeen had detected hints regarding Nycoh’s problems with Lyes, and was aware that her friend wasn’t happy with where that situation had ended up. And now this surprising development which had Nycoh starting to show physical characteristics much like the Brryn. It was a lot for even one as strong as Nycoh to handle. Jeen made a promise to herself to be there for her, but even as she did so, she knew she also wanted to tap some of Nycoh’s vast knowledge and ask her about the staff that had been found.
Chapter 56
It had taken a surprisingly long time for S’erom to communicate his story to Nycoh. The multiple visits to the small hidden valley with the captured crystals that he suspected was the location of the Brryn, or the Controller, as he referred to the entity behind what drove the Baldari, had taken him to a place he had visited by chance many years before. While she could “hear” much better than “speak”, she was still new to this means of communication. In addition to the many unknown words that came through as a series of near growls, her mind tired and as the day wore on she found herself requiring an increasing number of repeated attempts before she grasped some of the information.
After leaving S’erom at the oasis with his family, Nycoh had immediately sought out Daim upon her return to the Outpost. When she found him, both Rigo and Mitty were with him as they considered strategy against the future attacks they all expected. She had carefully explained what had taken place from the moment she had taken S’erom from the cell earlier in the day, to his revelations about the small hidden valley.
“Can he be trusted?” Daim asked pointedly. “You said earlier that you could sense his anger through the link you had with him. This might be his way of attempting some kind of revenge.”
“I’ve considered that,” Nycoh explained. “The sense of anger is gone. He might be able to mask that, but you weren’t there when he discovered his family was alive. You weren’t there for the meal I shared with them. I don’t believe that could be faked. Clearly his consort was being open. His anger was based in the sense of loss he had felt earlier. Besides, the Baldari have been observed by numerous of our people. They are completely different when removed from the control of the Brryn. As a people, they are harsh, and live a harsh existence, but they really never had a reason to come after us. There was no purpose. They have no interest in our lands, or anything we control. I am certain they have been pawns of the Brryn all along.”
“We have been responsible for the killing of many of his people,” Rigo added. “You really believe however that happened, he is going to simply put that aside?”
“They have killed as many of our people, yet knowing how it came about, wouldn’t we be willing to put the blame where it belonged? I can sense he has wondered for a long time why his people were being driven to engage us, and that they were being sacrificed meaninglessly in many cases. The Baldari have many reasons to hate, but I can see it directed where it belongs.”
“There are a great many citizens of the Three Kingdoms who would not be comfortable with any kind of alliance with the Baldari. Too many have suffered greatly under their attacks.” Daim stood and paced as he spoke.
“They wouldn’t need to know. Not yet. We could check this out and verify if what we are being told is actually accurate before we need to inform the populace. If it turns out the Baldari help us find and eliminate the Brryn, then their part could be revealed. They are victims as well. We cannot forget that.”
Rigo smiled. He hadn’t seen Nycoh so forceful in some time. The uncertainty she had shown just a day or so before when her own secrets were revealed was no longer present. She believed what she was saying, and somehow the Baldari had won her over. Perhaps being able to share one’s thoughts made for more trust. He thought she was right. The Baldari had been used and abused. Whether this S’erom was acting in response to that abuse, or whether he had his own agenda, Rigo couldn’t tell as yet. It was too bad the Reading didn’t work properly on the Baldari. That might have settled the matter. He grimaced as he realized once again he was advocating use of the technique he had once despised.
“He claims he would know the mountain when he saw it again, and that would provide him the clues to finding where the valley had to be located,” Rigo said. “Can he provide us enough information that we can pursue the search on our own?”
“We’ve all seen Jeen’s map,” Nycoh said. “There is a lot of jungle out there, with any number of mountain ranges. S’erom says it took him and his father more than a year to travel from the village to the vicinity of the mountain and return. Perhaps he can give us directions, but there is the very real possibility he might need to come along.”
“How could we do that?” Rigo asked. “For one thing, he must remain inside a protective barrier otherwise he will likely be detected, and commanded to die. That would cost us the only Baldari we know of that might lead us to the Brryn. It might also reveal we have learned how to communicate with them. Who knows what that would mean? At the very least, the Brryn would realize we had somehow masked his capture. That would start her wondering about the others.”
Nycoh nodded. “I don’t know about keeping him shielded. That certainly will be awkward, at least the way we now do it. Ash’urn was telling me the other day that the Guild may have discovered a means to shield Casters, something that they have been actively seeking. Perhaps they have something that would help. Also, I believe I could now communicate with other Baldari. They would have to be willing, and most still don’t trust us, but there are a few who might agree to try.”
“They don’t appreciate what we have done for them?” Daim asked. “They could all be dead.”
“They wish to go home. The oasis is not what they are used to, and is very confining. They want to go back to their homes and the fields. As inhospitable as we see the jungle, to them it is home.”
“You realize what would happen?” Rigo asked.
Nycoh nodded. “S’erom does as well. He is much smarter than you might think. He is trying to make this known to those at the oasis and build support for working with us. Hopefully he will have some influence over their thinking.”
The small group could think of many pitfalls of such a venture, not the least of which was the difficulty of traveling so far. The Baldari mind wouldn’t provide images that could be used to make a Bypass, and simplify the search. They would have to return to the slow method of working through the jungle as they had before. It would be a repeat of the effort Burke and Debi had endured, with uncertainty on how long it might take. They couldn’t even be sure they had the time to approach such a journey. With the personal shields wizards now carried it would be safer, and if Casters were developing something similar, then they too might be more protected. Everyone wanted a simpler, and quicker way.
“It’s going to happen,” Mitty said softly. She had listened quietly to the discussion since it had begun, several times closing her eyes as if looking at something only she could see. “Argue the details, but accept the reality of it and figure the best and safest way to proceed.”
Mitty’s declaration had settled the matter. Daim had sent a messenger to the Guild in Sedfair, and Rigo and Mitty had gone in search of the others from their inner circle. That had brought them back together the next morning. Once again they were gathered in Daim’s large office, but this time Sedfair was represented by both Lyes and Ardra. Ash’urn, Daria, and Kaler were there as well. Any journey into the wilds Rigo now insisted on having their input. Mitty had already
objected to his going, and Rigo wasn’t certain it would be necessary, but just in case, he wanted the right minds considering every angle. Jeen was present, back from Roin, and she had things to tell them, but that would have to wait.
Nycoh told her story once again, this time in a somewhat compressed and organized manner. Those who had heard it the night before, were thinking how to proceed as she explained. The others were surprised by what she had learned in so short a time.
“You can communicate with a Baldari?” Ardra asked completely surprised.
Nycoh nodded. “It is an odd way of interacting, but it becomes easier with practice.”
“I don’t see how you can consider trusting them,” Ardra objected. She had fought the Baldari warriors for many years, and had lost many companions to the fierce fighters.
“The mental link reveals a great deal about the individual,” Nycoh said. “I can sense the anger and where it is directed, as well as the sincerity S’erom feels.”
“He’s tricking you somehow,” Ardra insisted.
“I suppose it is possible,” Nycoh admitted. “This is all very new to me, and perhaps there is a way to send false emotions. That is something we will all have to judge. Our proposal is for me to bring S’erom here in a little while, hear him out, and then decided how to proceed. If there is a chance he can lead us to the Brryn, we might have to gamble. Mitty has already indicated the expedition will be approved. I want Jeen to go and talk to Queen Mos’pera after this is over, and see if she also has any visions that might help us decide.”
Ardra looked sharply at Mitty, who nodded.
“Can any others create this mental link with the Baldari?” Lyes asked. “How is it that you suddenly have discovered this ability?”
“No one else seems to be able to do so,” Nycoh admitted. “I have tried to make the mental connection with everyone in this room, and one or two others who I thought might have a chance. It hasn’t worked. Of course, it might be because my own abilities are so minimal. Perhaps S’erom or one of the Baldari might have more success. It took S’erom’s dedicated effort to make the first contact with me. I would like to try with you, and when we bring S’erom in later, perhaps we can have him try with you as well.”
Ardra seemed very uncomfortable with the idea. She had spent years fighting the Baldari, and to have one crawling around inside her head didn’t sit well. Lyes looked mostly curious.
“Is there any reason that you can suggest why you have this ability and no one else?” he asked finally. Nycoh could tell he had hesitated to ask, whereas some months ago he would have pushed for an answer, and would have been annoyed that once again she could do what he couldn’t.
Daim tried to deflect the question, but Nycoh had decided to face this head on. Too much was at stake to have the issue discovered later and for Lyes and Ardra to learn she had concealed something. She felt confident once again. They could react however they wanted.
“You have been part of the discussion with Koess when he revealed what he knows of ancient history from his time in the Void. All wizards, and perhaps Casters as well, have some amount of Brryn blood in them. That was what gave rise to the free wizards. I apparently have a much greater percentage of Brryn blood than anyone else we know of. That is most likely why I can perform some of the magic that others cannot.”
Nycoh looked straight at Lyes as she said this.
“How would you know this?” Ardra asked.
Nycoh reached into her robes and withdrew the small container she had kept secret so long. She opened it and handed it to Ardra, who looked at the light purple hairs inside.
“What is this?” she asked.
“My hair,” Nycoh replied.
“Your hair is black,” Ardra countered. “This is lavender.”
“Not all of my hair is black. More and more I find the lavender hairs appearing.”
She didn’t have to make the connection for them. For many weeks discussions of the lavender haired Brryn that Mitty observed had focused on the strange color. Nycoh looked at Lyes as he took the small container from Ardra. She expected to see a look of disgust or doubt, but what she saw was more like curiosity.
“You think this is why you are so powerful?” he asked. “I have tried to compete with innate ability I simply don’t share.”
“Possibly,” Nycoh agreed. “We don’t really know what determines one’s strengths. Clearly, something in our blood, but also our understanding of both inherent and symbolic magic. There may be another ingredient that allows advancement to another level. I appeared to have been blessed, or cursed, depending how you think about it, with more of one ingredient.”
“There is a chance you can match this Brryn?” Lyes asked hopefully.
Nycoh was surprised at how he was taking this.
“I doubt it at the moment, but perhaps, like the mental link, my abilities are growing. Maybe I will develop to the point there is that possibility. We don’t know if the time remains, however.”
Lyes was now curious how this would all develop. “When can we see how you interact with this Baldari. You said his name was S’erom?”
S’erom was no more familiar with the idea of maps than any other Baldari. He was also clearly uncomfortable with the number of people in the room. Nycoh had gone to fetch him, and had warned him of the number who would be interested in hearing his story. She would have to translate for him, and warned him it would be slow going. S’erom had examined each of those in the room with him. The woman with the red hair looked vaguely familiar, and S’erom wondered if he had encountered her in combat in the past. She looked fierce, and clearly not as comfortable talking with him instead of fighting. She carried one of the tall staffs with the special crystals, and Nycoh had explained she was from the land to the east.
Magic had been used to create a large version of the map Jeen had found, and now an entire table was covered with the portion that showed the southern jungles, starting at the tall mountains that separated Sedfair and the Three Kingdoms from the lands occupied by the Baldari.
“This is where your village is located,” Nycoh communicated to S’erom across the link. She had almost said where it was located. S’erom didn’t know that the village had been all but destroyed. At least not yet. That was something they would need to reveal to him at some point.
S’erom looked where her finger was pointed. The spot looked no different than most of the colored markings on the large drawing before him. He shook his head. This wasn’t useful.
Nycoh pointed to another spot. “This is the location of the red topped mountain that is visible from your village.”
S’erom grinned. They could start there.
“Face the red mountain from my village,” he relayed to her. “The direction one must go is where your right arm would point.” He simulated what he meant by extending his arm out from his body and pointed with his finger.
Nycoh relayed the information, and Kaler drew a line that was perpendicular to the line he had made from the village to the red-topped mountain.
“He wants us to go to the southwest,” he said. “That is unfortunate. The land extends for an incredible distance in that direction. Almost any other way would have been much more limited.”
“Ask him how far,” Daim ordered.
S’erom shrugged when Nycoh related the question. He looked at the map and shook his head. Finally he said, “You must cross two large ranges of mountains. The place we seek is in the second range.”
Everyone turned back to the map and looked along the line that Kaler had drawn on the map. It was a long way through the jungle before the first major range was encountered. From the appearance of the map, the mountains were major ones. On the far side was another expanse of jungle, and then at the far end was a second range. That range of mountains was far larger, and extended unbroken until the map showed ocean a considerable distance farther on.
“It could take forever to search a place like that,” cursed Ardra. “There is mor
e land encompassed by that range than all of your Kellmore.”
Nycoh wasn’t about to be detoured.
“How far into the second range is this valley?” she asked.
“It was many years ago,” S’erom replied. “My father and I weren’t attempting to travel swiftly or in a single direction. I would guess the mountain I described is a week’s travel from the jungle. Perhaps a bit more.”
“So, not very far into the range,” Kaler said.
“How does he expect to locate a single mountain in a range so extensive?” Lyes asked. “He admits it has been many years since he was there.”
Nycoh repeated the description she had painstakingly extracted from S’erom the night before.
“The mountains are supposedly very tall and sharply peaked. The steep sides result in frequent landslides, making travel treacherous.”
“Wonderful,” Ardra interjected, interrupting Nycoh’s explanation.
Nycoh shot her a glance. She had liked Ardra, but it was clear she was allowing her dislike of the Baldari based on years of hating them to affect her judgement today.
“The mountain that S’erom recognized is oddly flattened, as if the peak somehow crumbled away. In addition, the one face is completely flat, as half of the mountain broke free and fell to the valley far below sometime long ago. The flat face is marked with a broad dark discolored region running vertically up the face. That is the mountain he saw when he was in the valley where he believes the Brryn may be found.”
“Even if we find the mountain, there will be a lot of area to search to find this valley,” Ash’urn suggested. “Did he have any more information?”
“When he was in the valley, he was almost face on to the flat face,” Nycoh explained. “That will greatly narrow the direction. He couldn’t tell how far, but it was reasonably close based on the size of the special mountain. The valley was also unusual by the fact it was completely enclosed, and the surrounding mountains had such steep sides. His belief is that magic was being used to keep falling rock from pummeling the structures along the floor.”