The mage had Malithorn's full attention. He gestured for the interrogator to stop.
'Riqumorgia did not use talent, lord, and he continues to keep a low profile, but I have managed to track him. He is heading south. So did the mage we suspect of being the Saviour. I believe Riqumorgia's daughter is accompanying the Saviour and that Riqumorgia is planning to meet up with her. If we use talent to speed the horses, your soldiers could catch up to Riqumorgia.'
Malithorn frowned. 'I do not see how catching Riqumorgia will give me the Saviour. Not that I object to catching the meddlesome rebel, but if you think handing me Riqumorgia will make up for your lapse, you are wrong.'
'If you will grant me your patience but a few moments longer, lord.'
Malithorn huffed, but gestured for the mage to continue.
'We do not want to actually catch Riqumorgia, we just want his daughter to think we are about to. She will, of course, rush to his aid and she will bring the Saviour with her.'
Malithorn considered the mage's plan for several moments before asking, 'The paths favour this plan?'
'They do, lord.'
'What makes you think the Saviour will accompany the rebel leader's daughter?'
'Riqumorgia extracted several elvan children. I believe if the Saviour thought those children might come to harm, he would step in to help them.'
The Great Lord grabbed the prisoner by the scruff and thrust him to the ground. 'If you can crawl back to your cell, you will live,' he said, gesturing to one of the guards to follow the prisoner.
The prisoner gathered himself up and started to crawl. 'Thank you,' he said as he moved past Colnba, making the mage scowl. The prisoner did not see it, he was marshalling his strength to make it down the long hall, and then the stairs, and the hall beneath.
Malithorn grinned. 'See how grateful he is, Colnba, even despite the pain you caused him.'
'You are wise, Lord Abbarane, in educating me in the wrongs I have committed. I shall endeavour to remember the lesson well.'
'See that you do,' Malithorn retorted sharply. Stalking to the stairway, he paused. 'I will have the soldiers leave immediately. Assign as many mages as it takes to make their horses fast enough to catch Riqumorgia.' The Great Lord started up the stairs and then stopped and turned. 'Also prepare to move back to Sal-Cirus. I want to be there as soon as possible, so make sure we have sufficient mages to enhance our own horses.' Malithorn paused and then added, 'And Colnba…'
'Yes, lord.'
'Remember what you face if you fail.'
Colnba watched Malithorn depart. On this occasion he was fortunate, Liacoren and her assistant followed Malithorn, allowing Colnba to stay behind. Stealthily, he accessed an upper plane and used it to sooth the pain of the prisoner, still crawling down the hall. He then supplemented his energy to ensure the prisoner did not fall but was able to reach his cell because the soldier following him would not hesitate to take the prisoner's life if he faltered.
Colnba huffed as he left the room. Today was a long way from the time before mage watched mage. It was a long way from many things, but the thing it was furthest away from was a time when he had slept through an entire night and when his dreams were not burdened by the cruelty of Abbarane.
Day 16 – Evening
North Kenar Woods
Brynn rose and approached the small fire where most of the group were gathered. He needed more rest, but Riqu had just sent an update. Brynn noted that Sariah sat further away on the higher end of the grassy slope where they were camped. The woods, here, were more open, but still provided good cover. Kaydyr had chosen a perch high in a tree, giving him a view of the camp and surrounding area. Sentary and Akileena were having an involved discussion about talent, but the mage stopped mid-sentence to greet Brynn anxiously.
Brynn smiled sympathetically. 'She is safe,' he reported. 'The Abbarane mages have directed searchers to follow the false trail. By the time they retrace their steps, she will be well out of reach. As for Andarin, the Venshui authorities do not even realise he is gone, yet. The healer Riqu sent with the extraction team has revived him, but Riqu has restricted all communication. Andarin has allowed Riqu to 'bury' his spirit, so-to-speak, to safeguard your daughter, but be assured, he is conscious. I will not obscure my responsibility for his injury in this good news, though. He still needs time to fully recover, but I will follow through to ensure he is not permanently affected by my actions.'
Akileena broke into a brilliant smile. 'Thank you! From the depths of my soul, thank you! I never thought my life would hold such joy again. No other gift could mean this much,' the mage proclaimed humbly.
'It is fine, Akileena,' Brynn assured him. 'And I am sure reuniting with your daughter will bring new heights of joy. Riqu travels towards Caradon. He expects to meet up with the Venshui team tomorrow morn. With Fate's blessing, we will meet them two days after that. We will start towards Caradon tomorrow, but at a much slower pace. It will mean Riqu's group will be able to catch up. Until then, Riqu asks that you do not get in contact as a precaution against Abbarane mages.'
'I will heed his request, worry not,' Akileena assured him. 'There is nothing I consider more seriously than my daughter's safety and nothing I will not do to keep her free. I beg your patience as I give thanks, again, for this precious, precious gift.'
'It is a priceless blessing,' Hagen rumbled emotionally, thinking of his own lost daughter.
Brynn turned towards Sariah. She rested her arms on raised knees, but still held one of the water skins.
As Brynn knelt next to her, she offered him the water, but Brynn shook his head. 'It is time,' he said quietly.
Sariah grunted and raised her head to the tree where Kaydyr kept watch. The hawk immediately returned to her and when Brynn put his arm out, Kaydyr hopped onto it. A long period of silence followed, both elvan and the hawk had their eyes closed as if all three were sleeping.
Sariah was startled as Kaydyr unexpectedly spread his wings and thrust himself into the air. At the same moment the hawk left Brynn's arm, Sariah found herself without his sight. It was not like the other times when Kaydyr was asleep and she was awake. She felt sort of... senseless.
'It is all right,' Brynn told her. 'Everything is as it is supposed to be. You will not be able to move for a while, so be sure you are comfortable.'
Sariah lay back on the grass and then felt Brynn place a gentle hand over her eyes. She knew from her experience with Riqu that Brynn did not need his hand there to heal, but it would help her keep her eyes closed and concentrate on any instructions he gave her.
Nothing happened for what felt like some time, just a soft humming noise in her ears and an overall sense of blankness. She tried to smell or feel something. Tentatively, at first, and then with more determination when she found she could not even taste her own mouth, as strange as the thought seemed. Fear crept into her; an unfamiliar and unsettling feeling. A calmness washed over her, yet she knew it was not her own. She struggled against it.
'Sariah, you need to stop resisting,' Brynn murmured curtly. Then, in a softer tone, he said, 'Try to relax, please.'
To put her mind at ease, Sariah imagined she was flying with Kaydyr, feeling the air current beneath his wings, enjoying the freedom of the endless sky. The humming increased, and she was soon lost in the sound. There was no way to tell how much time passed between when the humming receded and her senses returned. She felt dehydrated and a little nauseous.
'You can open your eyes,' Brynn's voice drifted through to her.
Had she fallen asleep? Sariah wondered.
'I will leave my hand here while your eyes adjust to the light. Even though it is night, it will seem bright. Take your time,' Brynn instructed gently. 'It will take several days for your vision to become completely clear. Neural pathways and muscle movements will need to be re-learned. As they grow stronger, your sight will improve.'
Slowly, Sariah opened her eyes, just a crack, before she slipped a hand under Brynn's to rub away the gum
my substance that filmed her lashes. She blinked several times. He was right, even with his hand there, the light hurt, and a headache started to form. Brynn increased the pressure of the side of his hand against her forehead. It was soft and cool. The ache receded. Not much had changed, there was still a blur of lights, but they did seem… clearer, she thought, but she was not really sure.
'I'm going to take my hand away. Are you ready?'
'Yes.' Sariah squinted in an attempt to block out the light, before shading her eyes with her hand. After several more minutes, the light became bearable. It was different from before, she could distinguish shapes now whereas before it was just a mash of lights. Kaydyr returned, landing on her shoulder.
'Now, is a good time to deal with that binding,' Brynn advised her.
'I thought you had already done that,' she said confused.
'I separated the binding Riqu put on you both. Kaydyr can communicate with whomever he wishes and he can see on his own. His spirit is his own, as is yours. You can still see through his eyes, meld with his spirit, just as you did before, only now, it is through mutual agreement. This will be the first time you can converse free of the bond imposed upon you, as friends. Kaydyr will likely want to go for a while, to reacquaint himself with his world. Give him his freedom, Sariah. He needs your blessing to go.'
With that, Brynn returned to the campfire, giving hawk and warrior their privacy.
Day 17 – Morning
Caradon
Keysjhon woke as Belon hurried into the room to kneel on the bed and shake him. Her obvious excitement was incongruous with the faint song of birds and the sunlight streaming in through the slanted windows mounted into the ceiling. It seemed to Keysjhon that it was far too early for such energetic activity despite the brightness of the day and he waved his rahn away.
'For the first time in moons, I have no students to teach, my Belon, can I not sleep a little longer?' he asked rolling away from her.
'But then you will not hear my news.'
Keysjhon rolled back over and stretched. 'What news is that, my dawning light?' Despite stifling a yawn the blade-master was now intrigued.
'He is coming, my spirit,' she announced cheerfully. 'Brynn is returning to Caradon.'
Keysjhon welcomed the news with a broad smile.
'I need you to go hunting,' she added as she rose from the bed and started towards the door.
Keysjhon straightened and raised his hand to his forehead in a curt salute. 'Yes, Mistress! Permission to get dressed first,' he asked in the clipped tone of an obedient soldier before relaxing his posture and lounging back on the bed. 'Or do you think it might be more effective if I hunt as I am?' he queried with a roguish grin.
Belon glared at him sternly, then, noticing his nakedness, broke into a smile. 'Possibly not,' she agreed with a look of apology. 'Still, we do need more supplies,' she persisted. 'Our stocks of fruits and vegetables look like they will last a while longer, but, we have a lot of humans among us now, and they need meat, like the may-en-ghi do. We have almost no fowl left and no fresh fish. I do not think it would hurt our stores if we could add some deer or boar.'
Keysjhon rose and kissed her on the forehead. 'I will see what I can bring in. Kassan may consent to join me.'
'Wonderful!' she cried gleefully. 'With Kassan going, you will have no difficulty getting deer.'
This time Keysjhon glared at her, although there was a good-humoured twinkle in his eyes.
'Please,' Belon added sheepishly.
Day 17 – Morning
Serenvale Plains
Sariah pulled Treya to a halt. The rest of the small group moved cautiously onwards. They were crossing a field during the day and were wary of being caught in the open. The may-en-ghi were almost crawling along on their bellies, using every hair and scale of their camouflage.
Brynn paused by Sariah's side. 'What is it?'
'I heard something. Not a natural something.'
Brynn did not betray a thought or movement, yet Sariah knew he was sending to the may-en-ghi. Sure enough, she saw two large, blurry shapes break off from the group.
Brynn waved Sentary onwards with the group. 'Let us fall back until the may-en-ghi report.'
They rode on for several minutes before Brynn placed a hand on Sariah's arm to get her attention. 'Continue on. I am going to join our may-en-ghi scouts. Worry not, nothing is amiss.'
Yulan crumpled, no longer able to lift the buckets of dirt any longer. His mind was too numb from the pain to feel it. A piercing crack stung in his ears. The slave master liked to crack the whip first to build up their fear before striking them. A moment later the lash of the whip cut into his back. Yulan reconsidered just how numb he thought he was, the pain was sharp and searing. It was his limbs, he decided, they were too numb to bear his weight anymore, but if he did not, the master would keep whipping him. So, as he lay there in the dirt, his arms pulled in underneath, he vaguely tried to push himself up, but he could not find the strength. He could feel his ribs sticking into his arms, but despite his lack of weight, his body felt too heavy to lift.
The crack sounded again, and he squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the next strike...
Nothing happened.
Yulan paused, opening his eyes partly, trying to work out why the punishment had not continued. Why was no harsh voice ordering him back to his feet?
He turned, daring to look up. The slave master stood rigid, his gaze locked with that of an elvan. His whip slipped from his hand, dropping to the ground. The breeze shifted the ebony and silver hair from the elvan's face revealing piercing, deep-blue eyes. Yulan's gaze dropped to a massive gold-hilted sword, its amber jewel glittering in the afternoon sunlight. By all the realms, it was the prophecised one!
'I asked you to stop,' the Saviour murmured, pulling his blade free. 'You should heed a polite request when it is made.'
Yulan realised he must have been so distracted by pain that he had not heard the elvan arrive or make his request. Never-the-less, he was grateful for the intervention. Just then a massive dragon-like cat appeared out of the very air itself. Yulan froze as the great animal moved silently to the Saviour's side. The Saviour looked at Yulan and smiled. As he did, a feeling of calm settled over Yulan and he knew he would not be harmed. He was safe now.
Denica joined Brynn as he considered the group of slaves. Not surprisingly, they were all frozen in place, staring at him and the may-en-ghi by his side. Brynn gave the fallen one a friendly smile and bent, holding out a hand to help him up. The grey eyes were flecked with lilac, much like his hair, a unique combination of silvers and dark greys that would have made him the object of many an admiring eye, had he not been so starved and mistreated. The eyes still held fear and uncertainty, so Brynn used his empath talent to quell the negative emotions.
They were digging a well from the look of it, which meant they intended to set up a community out here. It was a concern considering how close this location was to Caradon.
'Akileena, I have found six more slaves. Please send three horses,' Brynn sent. 'Denica and I will see to what care they need and catch up soon.'
Day 17 – Morning
Caradon
Keysjhon walked down the gentle slope towards the forge, retracted hunting bow in one hand and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. He flicked back his braid of silver-white hair and as it flashed in the sun it took on a pearlescent quality. Unlike most elvan, who were slender in build, Keysjhon had the bulkier form of one used to working in a forge, yet this did not detract from his graceful, light-footed gait. His green and black clothing provided good camouflage for hunting and the bandanna in his pocket would cover his hair.
Most of Caradon's housing was underground and could be accessed through the tunnels that connected them. A dwarven would have been impressed by the size and quality of the halls and rooms that riddled the earth. Caradon could house around five thousand, although, currently, less than a thousand resided here.
Their home was o
ne of a few that had windows. Granted they were all installed in the ceiling and could be concealed, but in general, aside from a few structures like the forge, the community was constructed out of sight. There were also extensive orchards and gardens planted to provide a sustainable source of food. The extra hands that had arrived so recently made maintaining it much easier. As the forge came in sight, he could see two figures; Daniel and Jador.
Daniel was much improved since his arrival. Both he and his uncle exercised each morning, and they often did this by the forge as that was where Keysjhon and Kassan spent a lot of time. They were working to rebuild their muscles, Jador aiming for fitness and Daniel for strength.
Jador claimed to feel more energetic since Brynn had healed him. Belon suspected that Brynn had seen to more than Jador's injuries. To her credit, she said nothing, which was a dramatic change from her usual ranting when someone breached the principles passed from generation to generation of healers. She missed him. A shame she was likely to show it by lecturing Brynn until the child's brain went numb, but that was what frightened mothers did. Frightened fathers, too, sometimes. Before Brynn, indeed, in any situation not involving Brynn, Belon was quite different. Her apprentices learned through application, she rarely lost her calm, and all matters were solvable. She had the serene countenance thought typical of healers. With Brynn she became anxious and stern. He was their only child, and he had been born with silver and ebony hair, his eyes so dark a blue, Keysjhon had thought of sapphires. Being the centre of a prophecy would make him a target and Keysjhon could understand his rahn's fears. Thankfully, this feast would give them a chance to forget their qualms for a time and celebrate their son's achievements.
Kassan was teaching Daniel and Jador how to use a staff and she practiced with them most mornings. That was where Keysjhon figured he would find her. Kassan was staying in their quarters and often left early to practice, work in the forge, or just walk before she tutored her current students. Her practice and training area was the only one above ground, having been built in a natural clearing in the woods edging the meadows. The sword-master had never had a liking for indoors. Her rahn, Sarre, was the same, although for different reasons. He had allowed himself to be imprisoned for the rebels and, thus, loathed enclosed places. The information he retrieved from such expeditions saved hundreds of lives many times over.
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