by David Ekrut
Air filled Elwin’s lungs, and he felt strength return to his limbs. His pain even lessened, and some of the feeling returned to his shoulder.
“Elwin,” Feffer said walking toward him. “You … You glowed for a minute.”
“These trees. I told you. They feel …,” Elwin searched for the word. “Alive.”
Feffer stared at the trees for a moment. “They look planted. Look. They are all in perfect rows. And they go on for miles.”
Elwin looked down a row. Each tree was spaced only a few paces apart and stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction.
“The Chai Tu Naruo,” Elwin said. “This must be their grove. Maybe they can help us.”
Elwin began walking into the grove.
“Wait, “Feffer said, “I need to get Haven.”
Haven was only a half a dozen paces behind them, gnawing on the tall grass. Feffer took her bridle and led her to Elwin.
“Here, let me help you into the saddle.”
“That’s just it,” Elwin said. “I feel fine. I might even be able to fly.”
“No!” Feffer said quickly. “Don’t push yourself. These trees are spaced enough for riding. You should get into the saddle. I just got you back.” He cupped his hands for Elwin to step into. The look in his eyes held such concern, Elwin couldn’t refuse him.
Once in the saddle, he tested his essence. He willed it through the stanzas of Air form without difficulty. He was certain he could fly.
“These trees,” Elwin said. “I’m telling you. They must be from the Children of Nature. There is an energy. It is helping me some how.”
Feffer frowned up at him. “I’ve seen Tharu, but I don’t know much about them. Gurndol, my squad leader, said they are savages.”
“Not at all,” Elwin said. “Jasmine said the Chai Tu Naruo people have hidden cities in this forest. They believe their purpose in this life is to protect the balance of nature. If we can find them, they will help us. Death bound are an abomination to their ways.”
“Pray we find them, then. But if not, we will be alright.” His voice had a hopeful tone.
“We will,” Elwin agreed. “Thanks to you.”
“Naturally,” Feffer said. “How many times will I have to pull your chestnuts off the fire? You really need to learn to take care of yourself.”
“Nah,” Elwin smiled. “I’ll just keep you around. And what you can’t handle, I have Harkin.”
“Harkin?”
“I told you about my manservant.”
“What?” Feffer’s back became rigid. “You … If you weren’t crippled …”
Elwin laughed.
“You know I’m going to make you pay for that, right?
“Pay for what? Oh,” Elwin said in a tone of feigned ignorance, “you mean a prank. I thought you had changed?”
“I did too,” Feffer said. “But, there’s something about blowing up a cage of bones and running for your life from a dark savant that makes you want to live a little. Gives you perspective. You know?”
“Black savant.”
“Hmm?”
“They call themselves black savants.”
“Dark, black … whatever. Dragons take them all before I do.”
Elwin flinched at the mention of dragons. Jasmine believed he would wake them. If she was right, what did that make him?
“Don’t look upset, Elwin. I was just messing around. I didn’t mean to curse. Gurndol’s bad habits are rubbing off on me. That’s all.”
“No. It’s not you. So much has happened this last year, and I want to do the right thing.”
Feffer paused and looked at Elwin over his shoulder. “You always do, Elwin. I’ve been trying to make you do the wrong thing all your life. And you’ve never been good at it.”
“I’m on trial, Feffer. For killing Biron.”
“What? What do you mean, trial? The Inquisition? After a year?”
Hmm. Jasmine had been right. Feffer didn’t remember.
“Yes,” Elwin said. “A man named Jorus Teblin is the High Inquisitor. Last year, he placed me in the care of Jasmine. By now, the trial has already taken place. If they found me guilty, then they are going to seek me out for execution.”
“Guilty of what? Murder? Everyone saw it was an accident.”
“Guilty of being Death bound or of intentionally killing. Yes.”
“That’s absolutely ridiculous. I’ll just have to set this Jorus straight.”
Elwin smiled, despite himself. “You already did. Last year.”
Feffer stopped walking. “What? I’ve never … wait.” He put a hand to his mouth and winced as if struck. “No. Don’t tell me … I? I didn’t?”
“You had a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around your head. Even in a state of delirium, you stood up for me.”
“For the love of Life. And a right-fine job I did of it too, I’m sure. How come no one told me? Oh my … that healer with the bosom. No wonder she stared daggers into me. How bad was it?”
“You accused the High Inquisitor of being Death bound.”
Feffer covered his face with his free hand and groaned. “I can’t believe it?! Tell me your joking. I would forgive you. I swear by my life.”
“I’m afraid it’s true.”
“No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Who?”
“Oh, Elwin. You should see her. She had the most tender touch you could imagine and the bosom of Aridiati of legends. She nursed me back to health after I got my skull cracked open. I tried to go back to apologize for any of my ill-spoken words, but she wouldn’t even see me after they released me. The Seeker take me for a fool. Now I know why. Curse it all!”
“I’m sorry, Feffer. I would have told you sooner, but I didn’t see you for a year.”
He waved a hand behind his head as if dismissing the notion. “I know. It would have been nice if someone would have told me, before I went back to … I wrote her a letter, Elwin.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. And unlike you, I’m not one with words. But, I said nice things, and she still refused me.”
“Unlike me?” Elwin laughed. “I don’t know what to say to women. Half the time I can’t tell if Zarah hates me or just tolerates me. She loves me like a growth on her arm she can’t get rid of.”
Feffer laughed, but it sounded bitter. “At least you get to be on her arm.”
“Well, until the inquisitor beheads me.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Feffer touched his sword hilt. “I’ve gotten pretty good with this thing. Anyone wants to get to you, they come through me first.”
“Thanks Feffer.”
“You and Wilton are all I’ve got.”
Wilton. How had he forgotten? He opened his mouth to tell Feffer the truth, but once again, he couldn’t make the words come out. The silence stretched on as Feffer led Haven between the rows of trees. An hour passed, then another. None of the words he chose sounded right.
It wasn’t as if he could come out and say, “Hey Feffer, your brother brought Zeth and the Lifebringer knows how many other black savants to our home. He’s the reason your father is dead, and mine is something worse. You really only have just me now, because when I see Wilton, I might just kill him myself.”
By the time the light beneath the trees turned pink, Elwin still hadn’t thought of the words to tell Feffer about Wilton’s betrayal.
Feffer reigned Haven to a stop and said, “Alright. I need to stop. These trees seem to go on forever. Here, take my hand.”
Once his feet hit the ground, Elwin sat with his back to a tree, and a warm feeling washed over him. Feffer tethered Haven to a low hanging branch and joined him. Opening his pack, he pulled nuts and berries from a pouch and handed some to Elwin along with the wineskin.
; “This is the last of our food and water. These worthless trees don’t seem to produce anything edible, so pray we make it out of this forest soon.”
“I’m still praying the Chai Tu Naruo find us.”
Feffer nodded and began to munch on his meal.
The berries tasted tart, but they were wet. And the nut tasted bitter, but it was dry. Elwin ate them both together, which made it easier to swallow.
“Tell me more about these Children of Nature,” Feffer said. “Do they all carry two swords?”
“I don’t know,” Elwin said. “Tharu is the only one I know of in Justice, and he’s on the White Council. I’ve never spoken to him, so I only know the little Jasmine told me. He doesn’t share much about his heritage. Apparently, they are secretive about most of their customs. He’s served Zaak for more years than we’ve been alive. Something about his honor quest. Jasmine had a different word for it, but I don’t remember it.”
“They are a strange people,” Feffer said. “But I’ll take whatever help we can get. I haven’t seen signs that anyone has followed us, but I have a feeling they are out there. Too many game trails for there not to be. If we find a village of people who can use swords like Tharu, we’d be fools to not ask for help.”
Elwin nodded.
“Get some rest,” Feffer said. “I’ll take first watch.”
Elwin opened his mouth to protest, but a yawn emerged instead. Elwin closed his eyes and laid back. “Wake me when you need to rest. Alright?”
If Feffer replied before sleep took him, Elwin hadn’t heard.
Elwin opened his eyes and had to squint. Petals of light fell from the trees all around him. He knew he was in the shadow realm, because he could see his sleeping body. But, something was different.
He looked over to where Feffer sat and froze.
An image floated above his friend. It was a figure of pale green with features identical to Feffer. The eyes of the figure were closed as if sleeping. As Feffer moved, the image followed above like Elwin’s essence followed him.
This didn’t make any sense. Feffer had an essence? Did this mean he could tame the Elements? He tried to think back to Jasmine’s lessons. He could almost hear her voice speak the words.
“Everyone has an essence, but only elementalists can sense it. Think of the essence as the mind’s consciousness. The mind’s eye of the gifted is awake. Those without the ability to tame cannot see through their mind’s eye. It is as if their consciousness is sleeping.”
Was that what he was seeing? Why was Feffer’s green instead of white? And why had he never seen it before? He wanted to find Jasmine. She would know what it all meant. But she wasn’t here.
Maybe there was a way to open his mind’s eye.
Elwin went over and touched the arm of the sleeping image, and the real Feffer shivered. Elwin jerked his hand away. Then he sat and watched his friend. Had the eyes of the image fluttered open, or had that been Elwin’s imagination?
Chapter 22
The Enemy
Bain walked down the dirt road toward the cobblestone square. He stopped in the middle of the square and looked at the inn.
The front of the building had been removed. Support beams of redwood held the front of the inn from collapsing. The reputation of the redwoods of Justice were not exaggerated, or so it would seem.
Still, Zeth’s fireball had been foolhardy. Most other structures of the inn’s size hit with a fireball would have been destroyed, along with the inhabitants. As it happened, his son had been in the inn when it was set aflame. Zeth would need to be reprimanded. The man had recovered his son, so the reprimand would be light.
Bain turned in a circle, glaring at the small village. If it could be called that. A dozen buildings or so had been erected on either side of the road. No training yards were there to maximize a child’s potential. There were no mountains to teach him survival skills.
“This is where you left him,” Bain said. “You left him with a stranger to keep him from me. You left him in a peasant’s life to keep him from his destiny.”
He could feel his heartbeat rise more than a thousand leagues away. Before the gift of the Father, he had not been able to travel more than a league from his body. He was beyond that now.
“Elwin would be beyond it as well,” Bain said, “if you had not taken him from me.”
Bain closed his eyes and forced his heartbeat to slow. He had tasks to accomplish. Allowing himself to anger would not be conducive to his goals.
“My liege,” a female voice said.
Bain opened his eyes to see Lana standing in the middle of the square. Often her soul wore the attire she had adorned during the day. Her black dress had red trim and was crafted from hard cloth. Like all of her dresses, it was touched with the Elements. Her dress would protect her from extreme climates and deflect a sword thrust better than the heaviest armor.
She glided to him without moving her legs, “It is done.”
“What did the inquisitors decide?”
“They have found Elwin not guilty, your grace,” she answered. “However, they want to put him to the question for what Zeth did to this town.”
“Being put to the question is no different than a death sentence,” he said through his teeth. “They would kill my son, when he is innocent. They only condemn themselves further.”
“It is as you say, my king.”
“Have you spoken with your informant in the castle?” he asked.
“Aye, your grace,” she said. “A woman named Linadria is the only elementalist remaining in the city. The main force of Justice’s army is still garrisoned within the walls, but the Life witch and her daughter will be leaving on the morrow for Goldspire.”
“Very good,” Bain said. “I have a contingent of skeletal warriors and a lesser savant prepared to receive the cohort outside of Justice that is bound for Goldspire. Any survivors will not be enough to contend with Zeth, Fasuri, and the lessers that I have waiting for them.”
“My liege,” she said, “I must warn you. A few amongst their ranks have touched weapons and are trained to battle the Elements. Their commander, Zaak Lifesong, and two of his men, a dwarf and a Chai Tu Naruo are seasoned. They have battled with our number for Alcoa at the start of the war. They only returned to their home to prepare their own lands to receive us.”
“I am aware of Zaak Lifesong,” Bain assured her. “Fasuri met Lifesong in the battle for Brentwood and lost. He has been eager to regain his honor. Surprise is ours.”
“What do you command of me?”
“You will return to my castle,” he told her. “Elwin’s retraining will require your tender hand.”
“Your grace,” she said, “will I not be better use in taking the castle?”
“There is a single elementalist,” he said. “Mordeci and Emmantis have the soulless one and a score of skeletal warriors, as well as two dozen Lessers. Your skills will be better served at home.”
“May I at least aid in Goldspire?” she said.
“That would be most unwise,” Bain said. “Elwin might see you as his captor. I would have him see you as his ally. You have turned the ear of this other lord. Paradine? There is nothing more for you here. You will gather the Escari woman and sail on the morrow.”
“Yes, my liege,” she bowed, “I will do as you say.”
After she was gone, Bain visited the farm where Elwin had been raised. He materialized in the fields.
It would seem the soulless one had been successful as a farmer. The evidence of the man’s success would soon be no more. The livestock had been scattered and grazed freely. Soon, wolves would descend upon them or they would be recaptured by other farmers. Rows of tall stalks were flourishing, but it wouldn’t be long before weeds and insects overtook them.
He looked upon the small farmhouse. The entirety of the wooden building could si
t in a corner of his bed chamber. There was an iron tub to the right of the building.
His son had bathed outdoors like a savage beast.
He glided to the porch past the bench swing and through the door to the common room of the hovel. Small cushioned benches surrounded the heart where a fire blazed.
On the couch was Melra Escari with her stomach flat to the couch and her hands bound to her ankles. A leather strap connected the rope around her legs to a noose around her neck. If she squirmed an inch, she would choke herself. If she dozed off or slept, the weight of her legs would cut off her breath.
Emmantis stood next to a small table. He had been one of the first children taken all those years ago from Kalicodon. His soul was a reflection of his physical body, hard and practical. It was said the Kalicodians shared a common ancestry with the Chai Tu Naruo. Like the Chai Tu Naruo, his people wore loin cloths, but he adorned himself in trousers and a sleeveless tunic. He had the shape of a warrior with long corded arms and the darkened skin of his Kalicodon nation. But he had the courage and pragmatic thoughts of a leader.
Emmantis knelt as he said, “My liege.”
“I see you are giving the lady Escari all of the courtesies befitting a traitor. Very good. But make sure she still breaths when she reaches me.”
“Yes, my liege.”
“Are there any survivors in Benedict?”
“An old man and woman,” he said, “and a dozen children. I spared them.”
“The small ones don’t make efficient skeletal warriors, and if they are ungifted, they have no worth to me. You did well to spare them.”
“His grace is kind.”
“On the morrow, command one of the lessers gifted with Air to carry the captive to Eastport. Lana will retrieve her within the tenday.”
“Yes, my liege.”
“Rise,” Bain said. Emmantis obeyed.
“Where is Mordeci?” Bain asked.
“He is training the soulless one, my liege.”