Escana

by J. R. Karlsson

  'I am called Ella, m'lady. As you have previously divined, I am new to the city and much appreciate that you would wish to speak with me.'

  So the girl was clever with her tongue too. Good.

  'Do you know why it is I wish to speak to you?'

  Ella shook her head. 'I must confess, I know not the reason you invited me here. Have we met before?'

  'No dear, we have not had the pleasure which is indeed one of the reasons I requested your presence here.'

  She passed the small bowl over to her. 'Candy pear?'

  This Ella girl seemed to consider it for a moment, weighing up the potential repercussions of the action. It seemed she had a sound analytical mind too, perhaps the choice had been correct in spite of her misgivings. It was still far too early to tell.

  'Don't worry, this is no test. You can refuse you know, I will not think any less of you for doing so.'

  She finally decided not to take one of the sweets, Alissandra put the bowl back in a nonchalant fashion after taking one for herself.

  'The reason I brought you here may have become apparent to you already. As unbecoming as it would be for a host to do so, I'm wondering if you can determine why without my telling you.'

  Now she really looked into the girl's mind, it was fractured and full of sharp edges that she danced around with great care. There was much pain here and many trials of life left to scar the insides, this was good, she needed her to be learned yet experienced. There were far too many academics that had previously come before her and yielded no results. To be tempered in the fires of a life suffered was a necessity that she herself had long ago been put through.

  'You are the first woman I have seen in Upper Levanin, perhaps there is some kind of gender solidarity at play.'

  The word confirmed Alissandra's initial speculations on the matter, her vocabulary was markedly different than her peers. 'You are correct in that assumption my dear, few women earn a position here in Levanin as the talent seems to manifest in predominantly male minds.'

  'The talent?'

  Ah, so El-Vador had not explained everything then, a perfect opportunity to aid this poor confused girl. 'The talent is the innate mental power of a select group of individuals that are birthed largely in Levanin alone. It manifests at a variety of ages, some come to it very early and others only realise late in their lives. The abilities it confers are seen by the church as a divine blessing, I believe there is a much more practical explanation for it and have spent my years trying to determine the cause.'

  She could see the girl was eagerly soaking up this knowledge with a thirst that mirrored her own. Good, that made it easier to convince her to do her bidding.

  'The Emperor is aware of the special requirements for girls born with the talent, he has placed me in charge of their development as opposed to the academy. I find it most curious that El-Vador did not bring you to me sooner.'

  She watched her ponder over this information, she was clearly questioning why her darling El-Vador had not confided this in her. 'So you believe that I am talented then?'

  She let out another laugh, somewhat more genuine this time. 'My dear, you are undoubtedly talented, I can see it simply by looking at you. El-Vador would not have brought you to the capital otherwise.'

  The revelation on the girl's face never came, it was in that moment that Alissandra realised that El-Vador had told her.

  'Your race confers unique abilities, no doubt you have seen a smattering of those enacted by the man himself. If you wish to learn such power then you must do so by coming to me.'

  Now the shock came to her face. 'How do you know that I am Elven?'

  'My dear, I know many things. The important thing to take from this conversation is that it is I who must educate you. To leave you in the hands of El-Vador or even the academy would be disastrous.'

  'What would be so wrong with El-Vador teaching me? Is he not of my race?'

  'Yes dear but he is not of your sex. He cannot understand how a talent effects a young lady in the flush of youth, nor will he be prepared for the consequences. You must trust me on this matter.'

  She willed the final sentence forth and winced as she hit the wall, the mental barrier that she had so often experienced when trying to pierce the veil of El-Vador's thoughts. Was this set in place by El-Vador to prevent such machinations from coming to place? She couldn't say and ultimately it didn't matter, the barrier was too weak to hold her influence back.

  'I shall trust you on this matter,' Ella said in delightful monotone.

  'Yes dear, you will.' Alissandra smiled.

  107

  Jakob

  Jakob vaguely recalled the muffled voice as he was pulled into an upright position.

  'I see you're coming to your senses once again, welcome back the land of the living.'

  The boat sailed smoothly across the massive stone bridge, Gooseman stared down at him with a knowing smile. He must have made the journey from the warp gate during Jakob's moment of unconsciousness and seemed to be looking no worse for having done so. The darkening sky proved that he hadn't been out too long, though he didn't trust his senses much after having suffered such a side effect from entering the gate.

  'I've seen the look in your eyes, you know.'

  He looked up at Gooseman groggily, wondering what the man was talking about.

  'No, not that one. I'll let you come to your senses first before explaining any further. For by now you are most certainly overdue an explanation about a great number of things.'

  It was if something had birthed inside his head, an almost overpowering urge rose in him to grab this man by his shirt and hurl him off the edge of this giant bridge so that his body may be broken on whatever lay below.

  'Yes, that's the look,' Gooseman said, seemingly unconcerned by the murderous gaze. 'That look is the reason we're here in this craft, suspended high above the land and travelling on thought alone.'

  Confusion momentarily dulled his more primal instincts.

  'That's right, if you kill me now you'll be stranded out here with no way to control the aqueduct and miles away from any of your targets.'

  Targets? How much did this man know of the task he had been set?

  'You are after what you know as The Six. A mysterious group of individuals with the power to destroy the world, are you not?'

  Jakob nodded, to deny such a precise claim would be an utterly transparent lie.

  'What you weren't told was that when I was a youth, I was visited by a stranger and told that I must destroy The Six of my time too.'

  What? The claim hit Jakob like a body blow, the idea that he was chosen for this particular task was embedded within him, it resonated with an almost blinding truth. Now here was a man that claimed his quest was not unique.

  'There have been many before and there will be many after you. The Six are not a mysterious group of individuals, they're The Six most influential people in the world today. They hold no special powers or skills that need curtailed, it is you that is destructive to the Empire, not they.'

  He tried to take it all in but for some reason he couldn't concentrate enough to respond.

  'The Academy in Levanin will take you in and do their utmost to treat your malady, I'm lucky to have caught you when I did. Most cases like this are undetected until the person in question is killed in an attempt on their target's life.'

  Was it that simple? Did Jakob have a diseased mind? The idea that he was the chosen one to set forth and do battle against some hidden foes seemed ludicrous now that it was put under scrutiny.

  'I was not so lucky, I succeeded in killing my target. A feeble old man who held great sway over the courts of Levanin at the time.'

  Jakob saw the regret and pain in the man's eyes, yet what he said clashed so horribly with the certainty he had felt. Why would he have been given these feelings and be told to act upon them if he were not chosen?

  Unless he was mad.

  It was a sobering thought, that his own perceptions
and the very workings of his mind may be directing him into doing something catastrophic. He had been through so much, had survived so many perilous events in this traversing of the land. Was it all by chance that he had lived long enough to discover there was nothing special about his life at all?

  'Our destination is Levanin, I can only hope that research has yielded something to aid you since my time spent there.'

  The implication of what Jakob felt finally hit him. 'What is it you do that makes me regard you as one of The Six most important men in the Empire?'

  Gooseman laughed. 'That's easily explained, the first target of the afflicted is always a more local presence. As the owner of the largest inn and a well-regarded member of the community I was an obvious choice. As the afflicted does away with his targets, they become increasingly important on a grander scale. We've had a number of men attempt to murder the Emperor. The Emperor is always the sixth target.'

  Jakob silently wondered what had happened to Gooseman's next targets, how far had the man got before he was stopped?

  'You are what those in Levanin refer to as a rogue talent. Ordinarily those gifted with powers come from the capital alone, with the few isolated cases such as yourself being brought into the fold for their own protection.'

  So he was to be locked away in some large building to keep him from harming any others by this balding innkeeper.

  'How was it that a simple innkeeper tracked me down to Sah'kel? Why take me from that place and not your son?'

  Gooseman looked at him appraisingly. 'I suppose it is apparent that I am much more than an innkeeper. The powers in Levanin have ways of detecting the utilisation of power outside of their jurisdiction, it's how we locate the rogue talents. They then make contact with someone that knows the talent personally and send them through a warp gate. Given the relationship you have with your father they decided to choose me to escort you.'

  It sounded plausible, Jakob wasn't entirely convinced though. Why would they send the very man Jakob had been targeting? Why would they leave him in such isolation? It seemed odd that they'd know of his talent but somehow were unable to predict who he would attack with it.

  He steadied himself on the edge of the boat, watching Gooseman sit with an expression of concentration on his face as it picked up speed. Jakob tried his utmost to fight down the murderous feelings, now that he had an explanation for them they somehow seemed easier to manage than before. The conflict he had felt and the voices he had heard seemed manifestations of the illness, amplified by his talent. He wasn't entirely convinced with the explanation and he knew that Gooseman was leaving out a lot but he had yet to think of a better reason.

  'How long will the journey to Levanin take?'

  The innkeeper opened his eyes and the boat slowed slightly. 'A night and a day, should I concentrate hard as you sleep. The sooner you rest the faster the journey will be.'

  A great weariness stole over him then, his questions could wait for tomorrow. The wooden deck of the boat now felt very comfortable, inviting him to sink into it and embrace sleep.

  108

  Hern

  He awoke to a narrow strip of sky piercing two huge walls of rock, apparently Re'tak had managed to carry him to the canyons in time to save him from the devastating heat.

  He looked around but there was no sign of the lizard, he sincerely doubted that he had been abandoned here and sent a thought questing out into the dunes.

  Re'tak, I am conscious. Where are you?

  It was strange, the feeling of exhaustion that he usually associated with communicating to his friend didn't hit him, he flexed his hand experimentally and found no pain in his joints either. Slowly he tested each extremity before sitting up, again no pain greeted him. What had happened in his unconsciousness?

  I will be with you soon my friend. Came the delayed response. I am hunting prey.

  Knowing better than to interrupt such an important task, Hern went back to testing his limitations. He experimentally set weight upon his leg, then another. There was no buckling or discomfort, no weakness or fatigue or even the slightest hint that anything had happened to him. It would appear that all his faculties had returned, he reminded himself to query Re'tak upon the lizard's return.

  Even in the shade of the canyon the heat was almost unbearable, though not life-threatening like the open desert. Hern could deal with the discomfort if he had to choose between that or losing his life.

  It wasn't long before the lizard did make his return, Hern made a mental note to stop calling him that. The dehumanisation of the creature may be accurate but he should accord Re'tak respect solely because of his sentience. Besides, if Re'tak really could hear his every thought then it was sure to grow tiresome being considered 'the lizard' and he had no desire for his friend to take offence.

  He entered the canyon at great speed and slowed as he finally approached Hern, he had something indistinct in his jaws. Hern was just happy that he hadn't been as rough when he had been a passenger in there.

  I have brought us some fresh kill, you best not turn your nose up at it.

  Hern smiled and pointed at him in a gesture of perfect innocence. Who, me?

  Re'tak snorted in disgust, he knew it was good-humoured though.

  Compared to the foul meat we were fed in captivity together, fresh kill sounds ideal, thank you.

  He felt Re'tak's mental shrug, it wasn't a big deal to him. Hern also found that with his increased vitality it was easier to separate his own thoughts from his friend. He could even dampen down the stream of consciousness to a degree that was comparable to before, a pleasing development.

  It gave a good chase, I can tell you don't want to know what it was, sufficed to say it is edible.

  He decided that now was the time to ask. What did you do to me that I'm in such good health?

  Silence. It lingered for a time as Re'tak focused on stripping away the hide of the indistinct creature.

  We do not talk about that, please do not pry any further.

  It was the first time he had heard such a request. Hern found that knowing each other's thoughts allowed for a degree of acceptance unprecedented in ordinary social contact, should there be a disagreement or clash of opinion it could be smoothed out quickly by a comparison of reasoning rather than words to indicate it.

  One thing he wasn't prepared for was just how many shared values he had with Re'tak, initially he had expected their upbringings and species to be the rift between them. His people had a societal structure and a set of laws and rules that were both sensible and just given the circumstances. The quibbles they had faced in their time together had been ironed out to the enlightenment of both parties.

  Now his friend wanted privacy, as tempted as Hern was to delve into Re'tak's head his respect for all that he had done for him gave him pause. What was to stop the exact same thing happening with regards to his darkest secrets or most important information if he were to plunder that entangled mind now?

  Instead he decided he was going to stretch the understanding they had already developed with his next thought. He chose to project it rather than have Re'tak read it in his thoughts.

  We have to go back.

  Again there was silence, as tempted as Hern was to listen in on Re'tak's thoughts he allowed them to flow unimpeded by his perceptions, they needed to have consensus without their strange joining of thought.

  Why do you wish to go back to that?

  It was a good question, why did he want to go back? Was he playing the hero to justify to himself that he wasn't a terrible person? Did he plan to right all the wrongs of this world one by one until they took his life in the attempt? No, neither of those things rang true as he thought them. He wondered if Re'tak had offered him the same courtesy in not reading his thoughts.

  He wanted to make a statement, one that would be discovered by the masters in Je'dara. A statement that would say to them exactly what he thought about their unjust punishment and what he had planned for them upon his return. He
couldn't have them think that he had escaped barely with his life and the aid of others, they needed to fear him.

  Why is it that you wish to go back then?

  The question confirmed his suspicions about Re'tak, he was honourable and respectful of Hern's thoughts, he had not pried and attempted to divine the reasoning. Instead, he had waited for Hern to deliver it in his own fashion and trust to that should it be an adequate explanation.

  He wondered to himself how much of what he had just thought was gleaned from Re'tak's own processes subconsciously.

  It is both a matter of pride and honour. I need to send a message to those that betrayed me and sent me there. It needs to be a message written in blood.

  Then let us feast for now, friend Hern. Re'tak replied. For come the evening sun we shall traverse the desert once more for vengeance.

  After their feasting the evening sun greeted them and the shadows lengthened as they set out across the sands. This time Hern rode Re'tak as if he were a mount, they had discussed this in detail and he found it more a matter of practicality than shame. Apparently having to smell Hern in his mouth for an entire journey wasn't the most pleasant of experiences.

  It was with a growing sense of comfort that they spoke with each other over the course of their travels. Neither one seemed to be having problems keeping the conversation going, their minds had adjusted to the burden of transmitting and receiving thought on a near-continuous level. In other moments they would journey quietly and gain a quiet reassurance from the streams of thought that flowed between them, dipping in and out of listening to them at will.

  Hern had to admit, aside from the obvious uniqueness of their joining, he had never had anything quite like what Re'tak offered on a social level. The masters had always forbidden extraneous socialisation, any previous ties were to be cut on pain of death and a focus entirely upon self-improvement was mandatory. What little he knew of speaking to others was conveyed through lessons rather than gained in an environment.

  Now he had a friend and a companionship of the sort that the masters could not interfere with. A great distance stood between Je'dara and the desert near Greyhawk, they could not have scouts this far out into the dunes. The development of said friendship with Re'tak could continue unhindered by their machinations.