by Susi Wright
Sumar whispered aside to Xandor. “Our dear brother, Melu, described this race. These are Cymbian mercenaries, my friend. They are like chameleons – but much more gifted – slippery adversaries indeed.”
Not quite so slippery now, neither of these individuals was able to resist Luminor's demand, spilling details in a rush, both babbling at once.
“There are a dozen more of us – ,” divulged the first thief.
“Hidden. . .up in those cliffs – ,” put in the accomplice.
“Our Master will not surrender easily!” The first grinned arrogantly.
“He is far more skilled than us!” stated his comrade.
“Master Shuul will not allow us to be taken!” That one raised his chin a notch in defiance.
Luminor smiled mirthlessly. “And there we have the reason why . . . you all will be!” He gestured for his men to escort the prisoners away. It was understood they were to be manacled, chained and kept under constant guard, where they would in fact remain, despite any ruse to appear invisible.
Other fliers were already patrolling the cliff-tops. Luminor was now familiar with the Cymbian presence and their particular tricks. Their magic was very simple. He also knew the fierce loyalty of a chief to his clan and recognised this one's cunning. The minute Shuul attempted a rescue of his tribesmen or any other action, camouflage or not, the intention would act as a beacon. And Luminor would have the entire band, one way or another!
*
“Putaa!” swore Shuul, using the most venomous expletive in his language. Incredulous at the discovery and capture of his men, which he had just witnessed from the cliff-top, he paced the cave like a caged wildcat. “How can they see us?” He was angry and frustrated. No-one, even the sentient Morvians, had ever been able to see a Cymbian! After decades of thievery into Morvia and many other lands, enabled by a perfect ability to blend into any environment, here was a second race of people in as many blue-moon cycles, who could apparently seek them out. It had not been such good fortune after all, crossing paths with these fair-haired warriors and their food supplies.
Shuul had not believed his cousin's claim, to have seen the individuals he earlier encountered take to the air. But not only could they fly, some of them, particularly the leader, must have very powerful magic, otherwise this entire army would have earlier been swallowed by the mountain. And, here they were, sleeping the night safely in this valley, far from the site of the disaster.
For the first time in his life, Shuul was not happy with the alignment of the Stars. Fortunately, he was a believer that it was not the Stars alone which decided one's fate, and his discontent only served to bolster a determination to re-align them.
Some time later, Luminor was not surprised when Xandor appeared at his side. “My Lord, the chief of the band is here to speak with you!” Xandor's expression told he did not believe the claim was simple.
A few paces behind him, Shuul came into view, flanked by two of his men. The three visitors were escorted by two Gaian fliers and a squad of Baramese soldiers who now held the three Cymbian sabres, two spears and numerous daggers. The newcomers had been disarmed but were not restrained in any way. True to Xandor's report, they were here by choice, but they had definitely been up to something.
Luminor quickly assessed Shuul's imposing character, at the fore of the group. A mercenary . . . through and through! Gesturing to his men to back off, Luminor acted with impeccable grace, catching Shuul off-guard; on a second count, he spoke in fluent Morvian.
“You have no idea who I am, but since you are here, and I certainly know who you are, I will inform you. My name is Luminor, Lord of the Gaian people and Governor of Baram. Welcome to our humble camp, Shuul. Would you care to partake of a warming draught of mead with me? My apologies – it has been watered. Rations are very low.” Seating himself casually on large rock in front of a blazing campfire, he smiled benignly, beckoning his three visitors to do likewise, as if they were on the best of terms.
Shuul expected to employ a great deal of fast-talking, since his men had been caught red-handed; he made no attempt to hide his surprise. Instead, he remained carefully silent, eyeing the green-eyed lord with unveiled suspicion. Four tin cups and a pitcher of steaming mead were set out on a boulder beside them, as if the visit and its reason had been entirely expected. His eyes slid to the fire. And, where did they find tinder for a campfire? The nearest arbours are in Morvia!
Shuul was on edge. He saw enormous power in the Gaian; it was too much to hold his gaze, so he avoided it. What kind of magic was this? No individual had ever cowed him, in any way. He was stymied. For once, his infamous cunning fell short, because he had a feeling that even his skilful lies would not work. He would have to be very careful, but it was imperative to make a deal here. Shuul somehow knew, behind Luminor's civil manner, this foreign lord could end him and his men in an instant. He cared not to consider how!
Polite in return, Shuul moved to accept the invitation; with a wary smile at his host, he gestured for his men to follow suit. At least they could converse in Morvian, but he would have to think fast. The original plan to steal food and run had backfired hours ago. Abandoning his men had never been in question. The idea to rescue them, using his own magic, had evaporated the moment Sumar had sensed the Cymbian at the edge of the camp through the usually infallible camouflage.
Consequently, he had embarked on this brazen visit to meet with the king or lord and to broker the release of his men. He guessed this army's purpose was to find and rescue Morvians. They were obvious allies.
At that point, he still intended trickery, thinking to offer his clan's tracking skills back to the border, or to lead them to the three refugees his clan had been following. Within a day or two, he and his men would find an opportunity to disappear.
As he studied the Gaian lord, he became less sure of that possibility, suspecting he had walked into a trap of his own making. These people were empaths, the leader could perhaps even read minds.
Entirely nomadic, Cymbian clansmen had always relied on being raiders, sell-swords or spies. Their talent for invisibility came in handy in every case. And it, more often than not, got them out of trouble. What now? His mind was churning. He glanced at Luminor. The next move was the Gaian's, but Shuul was not ready to give up just yet. He smiled politely, seating himself on a boulder. “Most kind of you, Lord Luminor, we are travel weary. It is a long time since we have imbibed anything more pleasant than muddy water!”
Luminor poured four drinks, handing each a full steaming cup, before taking a sip of his own. He leaned forward to speak, his steady gaze aimed at Shuul, the cordiality replaced by something sterner. His tone was cool, but bore no malice.
“Your other ten men have been found – they are at present keeping company with the first two. You could all be my prisoners right now!”
Shuul looked up sharply, this time he tried but failed to conceal his shock. He felt uncomfortably exposed. Another plan thwarted! Do all these foreigners have the sight?
“However, I expect you will be pleased to know,” said Luminor, “It is not my intention to do so. It is far too much nuisance to take prisoners with us, when we have an entire campaign ahead. Yet, you are too untrustworthy to release . . . if I leave you running around, doing as you please, it is probable you will prey on other innocents . . .” He frowned. “You know that without food and guidance, you will certainly perish in these mountains!”
Luminor put down his cup. He had the upper hand without a doubt. His speculative frown suggested he could be weighing options. Shuul's hopes rose that there yet might be a deal to be made.
Several long moments passed, before Luminor's inscrutable expression broke with a tight smile. “The simplest thing, of course,would be . . . to kill all of you!”
Chapter 19 : UP
“We can't stay here. We must make our way down to the clearing quickly!” Espira was on the move.
Aleana and the others knew this was something the siblings must do
on their own, as Ardientor raced out of the cave after Espira. The elders remained seated, prepared to continue a vigil of protection. In a short while, when they were no longer needed, they would return to the Capital, leaving the rest to the gifted two.
Once outside, Essie and Ardi air-cloaked swiftly down to a large clearing in the forest. Ardientor alighted first. Beaming with excitement, he turned to Espira. “Is this really happening? My belly is churning . . .” His face went a little pale. “Oh, Essie, I feel sick . . . are we actually summoning a dragon?” Then he gasped, as if in sudden pain. But Espira knew differently, watching her brother's eyes cast wildly around the clearing and back to hers, full of guilty realisation.
He winced with the pain of that, before calling out to the trees in a loud voice, “Timin – all of you – no need to mind the girl. You can come out now! You might as well meet my sister, Espira!”
Awareness of his co-conspirators' arrival had come at the last second. He was embarrassed that he had forgotten all about them until now; worse still, he had been caught by his sister involved in mischief. This was the exact time and place, he had told the gang to meet him. They were to continue plotting the rebellion, which Ardi hoped would include a demonstration of his ability to bring forth mystic creatures. But, he was sure Espira had already sensed human presence and their intention, even while his mind had been too full of dragons!
This much was clear in the scathing look Espira gave him as she grabbed his arm. Hurry! You have to get rid of your friends – they cannot be here!
It was exactly as if she had spoken out loud.
In the face of recent revelations, Espira's thoughts dug at Ardi's conscience; he felt small and stupid for his hand in inciting the boys to rebellion. He stared at forest, feeling sicker than before.
Timin was the first to emerge from the woods, the others close on his heels. Espira noted the undisguised admiration on every one of their faces, as they hurried towards Ardientor.
This was not the time for childish hero-worship! She flung her annoyance into her brother's mind, with an accusation. You have made them promises you cannot keep!
Ardientor hesitated, held back by indecision. Espira was right, but for the life of him, he couldn't think what to do. There was no time to get his friends far enough away, not to see what was about to happen. The very presence of humans in this place might ruin everything! Where were all the brilliant ideas now?
Espira watched him standing, rooted to the spot. Exasperated by his irresponsible, jumbled thoughts, she projected a threat to shock him to action. Ardi! Do something . . . or I will!
Ardientor was reluctantly grateful to Espira, for not saying all this so his friends could hear. He hated being at fault. Part of him – the arrogant part – wanted the boys to witness their idol, keeping his promise. Perhaps, I can let them see it, and then confuse them so they wander off into the forest. I can find them later.
Ardi! You are such a child sometimes! Espira instantly regretted leaving the decision to her brother, now surrounded by his doe-eyed followers; given more time, the wise thing would have been to let Ardientor fix his own mistakes. She glared at him.
A sudden wind came up and the air around them became charged with mystic energy which effectively robbed them both of the decision. Too late!
A dark shadow loomed overhead, and all eyes were drawn skyward, to encounter the huge form of the dragon, descending gracefully into the clearing in front of them. No sooner had the talons touched the ground, the angry red eyes zeroed in on the young human interlopers, open jaws breathing a fiery threat in their direction.
Mouths agape, in awe or fear, the boys were lost for words. All except for Timin who whooped loudly, startling everyone. “By the Stars! He bloody did it!”
Espira and Ardientor both cringed, This is very bad! as the creature advanced with another warning blast at Timin and the boys. All of them turned tail and ran as fast as they could, disappearing into the nearest trees; their headlong dash continued into the depths of the forest, amid the loud crackling and rustling of undergrowth.
Ra did not need to pursue them. They would not be stopping for quite a while!
Espira resolved to send Ardi to check they were safe later. At the moment, his friends all but forgotten again, he was grinning widely as he stared at the manifestation, his eyes sparking with excitement. Espira shook her head in mild disbelief. He was incorrigible! She questioned the wisdom of all the Wise Ones. Do we really need his help?
When the answer did not present itself right away, she returned full attention to the magnificent creature which was calmly preening its scales, right in front of them. At least, the fire-breathing was over.
Now certain that Ra had intended no injury, Espira let out a sigh of relief. She was acutely perceptive, but there was still much to learn about a dragon . . . even if he was meant to be hers.
Finally, you are here! You came, as we asked. I am sorry . . . this did not go quite as planned. Ardientor will take care of his responsibilities! She threw her brother a pointed look, which he answered with a chagrined nod, before quickly returning to his fixation with the dragon. Espira had to admit, the creature now before them in flesh-and-blood was beyond impressive, surpassing even their first encounter in the astral realm. Anyway, who am I to judge? Haven't I been obsessed with his image for as long as I can remember?
Ra sighed a puff of orange-tinged vapour and settled his belly to the ground in the centre of the clearing, folding his massive wings close to his body. He appeared to be waiting for something, his unwavering gaze on the siblings, speculative, expectant.
Espira understood. She rounded on her brother with an order. “Ardi, check on your friends! Make sure they are safe from the night beasts! Explain to them – or confuse them – I do not care which. Just go, and come back quickly. Alone!”
Ardientor's eyes lingered a second longer on Ra, before taking off on an updraught to seek out the fleeing boys.
Ardi found Timin first. This was a surprise, since Timin was the most afraid of the forest beasts; he had not run further than just inside the tree-line. His overwhelming curiosity tethered him where he still had sight of the miracle in the clearing. He welcomed Ardientor's company with more than a little awe, offering his arm for the customary grip of comrades. “Thank you, my friend, for keeping your promise! I always imagined myself in stories of revolution and such, but today, I feel part of legend itself! What could be better?” He clung to the arm-shake too long, as if he thought this all might be a dream, and his idol might disappear before his eyes.
Ardientor gently extracted his arm from Timin's grip. His young friend wore his loyalty and courage like a badge. To disappoint such a true heart would be like throwing water on essential fire. He didn't want to use guile on him. In truth, Ardientor was basking a little in the admiration. “You can trust me, Tim. Let's find the others. We must get them back to the cabin before they are eaten by zabuks! They aren't too far away, so you can fly with me if you like!” Ardientor grinned at him. “You may embrace me again – you don't seem to lack the ability to hold on tight!”
Without hesitation, an awestruck Timin accepted the offer of cloak-flight. He hadn't thought this adventure could get any better!
Ardientor made a bee-line for the others, with his passenger lapping up every second of the experience. It was always child's play to locate his followers.
They had lost their bearings in the thick forest during the run, a couple of them had fallen, exhausted, and the others were keeping watch for the predators which roamed in darkness, bows at the ready. Though obviously envious of Timin, they greeted their hero, Ardientor, with relief followed by a barrage of questions, which there was no time to answer.
Ardientor raised his voice above the babble. “Stop and listen to me!”
There was immediate silence. He liked the fact that these boys had listened to every one of his ideas, all through these past weeks. Up until recently, when he found these rebels without a cause, w
ho had so easily followed him, he had begun to think that no-one would ever take him seriously.
Today he had realised their plotting had been juvenile and pointless. Nevertheless, he could not betray their trust – he was his father's son after all – honourable. Now, his sister needed him and the Elders appreciated him too, and things were no longer a game!
After the sleeping ones were roused, the boys followed Ardientor's lead for a few minutes, before the cabin came into view through the trees. It was not long until dawn, but they would be safer here until full daylight.
“Keep safe . . . as you have all learned by now; just be more careful not to let the zabuks get too close! There is plenty of game to keep you fed. You already know to avoid the city. A life on the streets is even more dangerous than here, but if you must go there for any reason, make sure you seek out my grandmother, Lady Aleana, and mention my name!
“I must leave you, for a while. You must promise to hold your tongues and wait for me. I ask you to accept that I cannot take you on this quest with me, but on my return I will give you employ and training. And you will accompany me on many new adventures!”
Timin tried to object. “I am brave! I am ready now, to fight anyone – or anything, even night beasts!”
“I do not deny that! You are loyal and true men. If it were possible . . . I would take you all with me. But you have seen that the dragon will only allow Espira and me near it and we cannot delay. Many lives far away depend on it! You can show your devotion to me by being patient, satisfied in the fact that you are the only humans to have seen a full-grown dragon!” Ardientor's eyes hardened to convey a mild warning. “I could confuse you – make you all uncertain that what you saw today actually happened . . .” His smile was sincere. “However, you are my friends, so I will let you keep the knowledge intact, if you promise to keep this your secret for now. Better that, my dear friends, than have people think you are mad, wouldn't you agree? I don't want to return to find you all locked up as lunatics!”