by David Ekrut
Narma Shoemaker sat at the next table with her three children. Her arm stretched out as if to protect them from a wild dog. Tramn the horse rancher, Bryne the carpenter, everyone avoided direct eye contact. Even Danna. He wondered if she would still invite him to smell her freshly made candles next time he walked past her shop. Elwin looked around for any friendly face. Momme was the only person in the room looking at him. Her smile was warm and inviting.
Jasmine leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Go to the bar and get something to eat. Everything will be fine. I promise. Go on. I will not be far.”
He didn’t look at Jasmine. He didn’t look at anyone. Elwin just watched each step to make sure he didn’t trip as he made his way to an empty barstool between Barth Gadseden, the thatcher, and another empty stool. Without a word, Barth stood with his head down and left the inn.
Elwin put his hands on the bar and stared forward. Momme placed a mug that smelled like apple cider in front of him.
“It will all be okay, Elwin,” her voice a whisper. Though her eyes filled with tears, she still smiled at him. He looked down at his hands, avoiding her gaze.
“I will be right back with some lunch.”
After several moments, he heard murmured whispers behind him, but he couldn’t make out any words. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what they were saying.
The inn door crashed open.
“Elwin!” Feffer’s voice broke the silence like a shattered window.
Elwin could hear several chairs sliding on the wooden floor behind him as people quickly stood to the ready.
“Feffer H. Madrowl,” Elwin heard Willem say. At the same time, he heard many others curse beneath their breath.
Feffer jumped onto to stool next to Elwin, “I was chosen to go to the capital for training. I will be going with you to Justice.”
“Everyone over fourteen namedays was chosen,” Elwin said.
“Yeah. But,” Feffer said, “didn’t you hear me? We get to stay together. We can watch out for each other.”
“Greeeaaat,” Elwin exhaled. “Best Summer Solstice ever. ”
“I know,” Feffer said. “I was thinking the same thing. Except for the guy who died.”
Elwin put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. When would this nightmare be over?
Chapter 5
A New Path
Being alone in the large room felt strange. There were only four such rooms of this size in the whole inn, all located on the top floor. Growing up, Elwin had never been allowed in here, even though the rooms had rarely been used. He supposed the reason had something to do with the extra decorations. The room had a similar feel to Poppe’s study. The ornate tapestry might as well have an inscription saying, Off Limits.
He could see the failing light fighting its way through the opaque curtains. He sat on a simple chair in the corner by a window on the outer wall. Even with its red-gold cushion and lacquered finish, it seemed the least expensive place to rest his bum. Built from the redwoods, the rest of the furniture had been cushioned by silk pillows.
Next to him, the cold fireplace nestled between the two windows. A short hallway beside him led to two servant’s rooms, and the door opposite opened to the master room. Altogether the suite could have passed for a small farmhouse. It seemed too much by far for a single traveler.
The door opened from the outer hallway, pulling him from his thoughts.
Jasmine entered with the girl from the square. She was even more beautiful up close. The white dress formed around the curves of her body, and long curls the color of honey framed her perfect face.
She carried a silver candelabra, housing a single candle. The light danced off her golden eyes. Like pools of dark liquid, a man could drown in their depths. He couldn’t imagine a more beauti—
“Elwin,” Jasmine said, cutting off his thoughts. “This is my daughter, Zarah.”
Elwin jumped off the chair to greet them.
“Hi,” his voice cracked. His cheeks burned as he cleared his throat. “Ahem. Hi.”
Her smile was genuine and inviting, but her voice was formal. “Hello, Elwin.”
“Zarah is going to join us for your lesson,” Jasmine said, “if that is alright.”
Elwin did not want to risk his voice cracking again, so he nodded his agreement, hoping he did not look as eager as he felt.
“Good. Let us sit by the fireplace.”
Jasmine sat in the single chair, leaving the lover’s sofa for Zarah and him. Zarah placed the candelabra on the round, lacquered table in front of the sofa, then sat.
He sat next to her, staring straight ahead. He could still see her from the corner of his eye, and the scent of her filled him. She smelled of flowers and fruit with a touch of salt from the sweat of a day’s ride.
“First,” Jasmine said, “you must relax.”
Elwin exhaled and leaned his back against the cushion. He tried to appear relaxed, but found it difficult to do so with his heart pounded. He had to force himself to breath in and out. Every part of him wanted to turn and gape at Zarah, but he forced his eyes to watch Jasmine.
“Until we return to the castle, I will not know all of your gifts, but I do know that you are blessed with at least Air. Judging by the power that I sensed from you earlier, I would imagine that you have more ability than that, or will with time. I have the Elements of Air and Water, as does my daughter. And we are both Life bound, so we have the power of Life, through Spirit, as well.”
Elwin took the opportunity to look at Zarah again. The light still danced around her dark eyes. She caught Elwin’s gaze and gave him another smile. Elwin’s heart melted, and his skin crawled away. He looked back to Jasmine, trying to keep his breathing calm.
“Your gifts do not always manifest at the same time. Usually, if you are to have more than one, the strongest will be the first one to show. And that will be the one we will focus on for now.
“Your essence is like a cup waiting to be filled with power, but as you drink from the cup, it gets smaller. As you exercise your powers, the size of your essence will grow. Like all people, your soul—or essence—resides in the shadow realm, which travels with you, parallel to the physical realm.”
She smiled. “I see you have a question.”
“I do,” Elwin said. “What is the shadow realm?”
“The shadow realm, sometimes called the realm of Spirits, parallels this realm,” she gestured to the room, “the physical realm, our world, all of Arinth. The dream you had last night was not a dream. When your physical body slept, your soul awakened in the shadow realm. All souls reside there, but only elementalists whose souls are awakened are aware of it.
“This is where you replenish your power. When you entered it last night, you gained the first of your Elemental power. When you call upon the Elements, they come from your essence in the shadow realm and are channeled through your body in the physical realm. We call this process taming the Elements. This is how you were able to do what you did today.”
“I still don’t understand. I will have to go to the shadow realm again? And how did I tame anything?”
She nodded. “You will enter the shadow realm each night when you sleep. You must be careful not to let your mind wander in the shadow realm. This is of the utmost importance. You must learn to master your thoughts. There is a danger in the shadow realm. Abaddon, the Seeker of Souls, has dominion there.”
Elwin flinched at the name but remained silent. If Jasmine noticed, she did not let it show. She continued unabated.
“It is in the shadow realm that an elementalist can surrender his soul to the Seeker for the Element of Death. While in the shadow realm, your body is your sanctuary. As long as you remain near your sanctuary, Abaddon has no power over you. Those who surrender to him are the Death bound. If you wander too far, you give the Seeker the opportunity to tempt you w
ith his Dark Gifts. Until you know what signs to look for and how to escape him, you should just watch over your sleeping body.”
The gift. Life preserve him! That had been the Seeker in truth and not just a dream!
“In return for one’s soul, Abaddon gives the Death bound a unique power. Great is the temptation to accept his gifts, but there is no greater price than one’s soul. The Lifebringer imparts his followers with the gifts of Life, as well.”
“I have Visions,” Zarah interjected with a smugness in her voice. “It is my gift.”
“What does that mean?” Elwin asked, trying to keep the trembling from his voice.
“It means Zarah needs to keep quiet and let me teach you,” Jasmine said.
Zarah’s cheeks reddened. “Sorry, Mother.” Her voice sounded more petulant than chastised.
“Unlike most of us,” Jasmine said, “Zarah has no control over her gift. But, in moments of need, the Lifebringer will allow her a glimpse of the future. I see you have a question. Ask it.”
Elwin did have a question, but he didn’t want to think about Abaddon. Or the gift he had spoken of.
“How do I become Life bound?” Elwin asked instead. “Will that keep the Seeker from finding me?”
“If you are bound to Life, he will have no power over your soul,” Jasmine said. “But even so, he is still dangerous to all. And, I am afraid it is not possible until you can sense the power of Spirit. This happens at different times for every elementalist. I know some whom have not sensed Spirit until very late in life. I know others, like Zarah, who sensed Spirit before even coming to her other powers. When it happens, there will be no mistaking it.”
Elwin didn’t like her answer. If he couldn’t be Life bound, how could he stay safe?
“I have read about the four Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water,” Elwin said. “But the books don’t talk much about Spirit other than to say it has been split into Life and Death. How can I find it?”
“If I knew a way to guide you to sense Spirit,” Jasmine said in a patient voice, “it would be the first lesson we would have. It is there for all. Even now, I can sense the tether from your Spirit to your body. It has always baffled me that it is so difficult to find, since together these are the sum of your existence. Our true forms are our essence, and this body is an anchor to the physical realm. The tether is somewhere in between and is difficult to see. One day, you will become aware of it, and that awareness will never leave you. When that day comes, you can be bound.”
“Maybe that’s why my books never speak of it,” Elwin said, feeling annoyed and not bothering to hide it. “It doesn’t seem to do anything beyond confuse people.”
Jasmine gave a smile so brief, Elwin second guessed whether or not it had been there. When Jasmine spoke, her voice held no amusement.
“Even without becoming bound, Spirit has more use than you can know. Spirit allows the Elements to be tethered or attached to objects. The process of tethering is an advanced practice. I have been training Zarah for almost six years, and only now am I teaching her to tether.”
“So,” Elwin said, “our Spirits have tethers and the Elements have tethers?”
“No,” Jasmine said in a patient voice. “We can use Spirit to transfer a piece of our tether to connect the Elements to an object or person,” Jasmine said. “For example, the ever-torches lining the streets or ever-candles in nobles’ homes are such. These are made with Fire and Spirit. Spirit is used to tether Fire to the candle or torch.”
“Wait,” Elwin said. “You said the tether is what keeps our souls attached to our bodies. If we take some of it and tie it something else, won’t that hurt?”
She nodded as if in a gesture of approval. “Yes and no. If performed properly, though taxing, it does not cause pain. A tether regenerates upon sleeping as does our used essence. However, if over-extended, even the most skilled in Spirit can sever the tethering between his essence in the shadow realm and his body. If this happens, the body dies.”
Her grim face made him shudder. Every part of being an elementalist seemed dangerous. Why had he ever wanted to become one?
“Maybe it is good that I can’t even sense it,” he said.
“Other than not being able to become Life bound,” she said, “I agree. Much would become simpler if you were bound, but I would prefer no novice sense her own tether.” Her eyes did not look at Zarah, but Zarah’s eyes narrowed as if she had.
“So,” Elwin said as the question formed in his mind, “is there a difference between taming Spirit and tethering?”
Jasmine smiled. “Questions are good. It means you are eager to learn, but you need to learn how to tame Air and release before any of this knowledge will be of use to you.”
Elwin flushed. He had asked a lot of questions, but he had wanted to become an elementalist since he had first read of them. Now that he had one in front of him, he found every answer brought about a new question.
“But to answer your question,” Jasmine continued, “tethering any Element is permanent, while taming Spirit is not. The talents vary depending upon whether or not you are bound. According to the Edicts of Fariomarus the Life binder, binding one’s soul to Life or Death tethers you to good or evil, the Lifebringer or Abaddon. Choosing to bind to either does limit your capabilities in a way, by narrowing one’s focus. This is why many elementalists remain neutral. Spirit alone can be used to alter the mood of a person. We will get to all of this in time.”
Elwin opened his mouth to ask another question, then closed it. She had said no more questions. But, he wanted to understand his dream. Or whatever it was. If it meant being safer from the Seeker, he wanted to be Life bound as soon as possible. But if he couldn’t be bound to Life, didn’t that mean he couldn’t be bound to Death?
“Alright,” Jasmine said. “You look ready to burst. One more question before your lesson.”
Elwin blurted his question out. “If I can’t be bound, what does the Seeker want with me?”
“Ah,” Jasmine said, “that is a very good question. There are many theories as to the why of it. Most are of a consensus that his seeking souls has something to do with the Awakening. No one really knows. However, one thing is certain. To be bound to Death, all one need do is seek out Abaddon in the shadow realm. Perhaps he has the power to show one his tether. We cannot be sure. But there is a very important lesson in this.” Jasmine gave him a serious look. “It is easier to cause Death than to create Life.”
Elwin shuddered. To think, he had already seen the Seeker. What if he had taken the gift? He would have been Death bound before even knowing he was an elementalist.
“You seem upset,” Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“I think I saw him,” Elwin admitted. “He had shadows for eyes. He said things that don’t make sense. I thought it was just a dream.”
Jasmine blinked. “You actually saw him on your first visit to the shadow realm? What did he say?”
“He spoke like he knew me,” Elwin said. “Solsec. He had called me Elwin of Solsec.”
Then, Elwin remembered where he had heard the name. Bain of Solsec had been the tyrant the man had spoken of earlier. He felt sick. He swallowed an acid taste and forced the rest out.
“He called me Son of Bain and said I was of his bloodline. He wanted me to take his gift and give him my soul. He touched me. It was cold. I can’t believe it wasn’t a dream. He said he had been waiting for me for a long time, and that I would Awaken them.”
“Mother,” Zarah said, “does that mean he—”
“It means nothing,” Jasmine said. “Abaddon is the father of all falsehoods. Elwin, have you spoken of this dream and what Abaddon said to you? Your parents? Feffer? Anyone?” The intensity in her voice scared him.
Elwin shook his head. “I didn’t even know it was more than a dream until now. I didn’t say anything to anyone. I pr
obably would have talked to Feffer about it, but I didn’t get a chance.”
Jasmine took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Do not tell him or anyone else, and in the meantime, do not leave sight of your body while in the shadow realm.”
“What do you mean?” Elwin said, “I don’t even know how I dreamed myself into the shadow realm to begin with. How do I stay close to my body? What does all of this mean? Why did he call me son of Bain?”
“Calm down,” she said in a firm voice. “It will be alright, Elwin. Praise the Lifebringer that I found you the day your powers manifested. He works in mysterious ways. I will show you what you need to know when we sleep. The Seeker would deceive you in any way he thought would gain your soul. Push it from your mind.
“But now, I must begin your first lesson. I must show you how to fill your essence with power and hold it. Once you can do this, you will not be a harm to those around you. Your essence cannot yet hold much safely. With time and training, your power will grow, but for now you must only pull in a small amount. Now, tell me what happened today in the square. Start from the beginning.”
The sudden change of topics left him with mixed feelings. He didn’t want to think about any part of what had happened, but he wanted to understand. He took a deep breath and tried to remember.
“Well,” Elwin said slowly to gather his thoughts. “I was on top of the Madrowl’s shop. It is the building across the street overlooking the square. The man started talking about war, then he said Wilton’s name. That’s when Feffer ran off. I followed him to the ladder, but it was so high up, I got dizzy. That is when I felt a breeze. But I didn’t feel it with my body. I felt it with my mind. Before I realized it, the wind had filled me. I know it sounds like madness to say aloud, but that is what happened. When I pushed against it, I fell upward. I held it in again, and began to fall toward the ground.”
Elwin felt a chill go up his spine. “I thought I was going to die.”
“You flew,” Zarah said. “Your first time and you flew.” He couldn’t tell if her voice sounded full of awe or jealously. He turned to see her looking at him. When he met her eyes, his heart began beating faster.