by J Battle
'You cross the reservoir back a ways, and go through the mist. Then you'll come to Hesselton. Don't delay there, less you want to meet with Giants. You pass through the town and take the west road at the harbour. And it will lead you where you wish to be.'
'This human; BobbyJ. What manner of human is he, that can fool the Mage, and you, I suspect, and be off with this treasure?'
'Nothing special, Crawlord; nothing special at all. But, when you see him, can you tell him that it was I who sent you his way?'
Elstar laughed.
'There is something between you two, is there not? Some bitterness, I sense.'
'Mayhap you are right, but it means nothing now.'
'Now, Cavour, have you spoken truly to me? You have spoken of your distrust of me, but it also goes the other way, does it not? Can I trust you?'
'Crawlord, I am so filled with fear of you that I can barely speak to you; never mind lie to you.'
'Ah now, Cavour. That I do not believe. I see you are a tricky fellow, for a human, and I wonder if it is wise to let you on your way.'
'But you gave your word!'
'Ay, I can't deny that, and it will trouble me greatly to think that I am truly lacking in honesty…'
Cavour grabbed for the sword then; seeing that it was his only hope.
But the sword was no longer where it had been. It was in the hands of the Crawlord, and it was pointing at his chest.
'So slow, Cavour. How have you survived for so long when you are so slow?'
Cavour held both hands up, his eyes fixed on the unmoving point of the sword.
'My Lord…, ' he said, desperation clouding his mind.
'Yes human, are you about to offer something in return for your life? Is that it? Well, before you start, let me suggest that you be very persuasive, for I have not had a pleasant time so far in this valley, and the letting of blood may well make me feel a little better about my visit.'
'My Lord, I believe that I can offer some assistance in the locating of BobbyJ.'
'No, thank you all the same. I know where he'll be in three days, so you'll need more.'
'My Lord, I was less than true when I said he was nothing special. He will be a difficult person to capture, even for one such as you.'
Elstar lifted his head for a moment, as if he was considering Cavour's words.
'No; thank you again, but that won't do either. Care to try one last time? I'm eager to be off of course, but I will allow you one more attempt to persuade me, before I run you through with this sword.'
'I…' He stopped. Could he tell him? Could he not tell him?
'I have knowledge…If it happens that you do not capture the Wellstone from BobbyJ, then, perhaps, well, there are other Stones.'
Elstar lowered his sword.
'Other Stones? Now, that is interesting, but is it the truth? Or are you trying to fool this poor old crawlord?'
‘I would show you my notes, but BobbyJ stole them from my bag.’
‘So, he knows all about them, and you don’t? You are suddenly boring me, Cavour. Doesn’t do to bore a crawlord; not at all.’
‘I don’t need the notes; I know what I wrote. The information I have gathered is not definite proof of existence, but the evidence supports further investigation.’
‘So, you might know where more Wellstones might exist, if they exist at all?’
‘I would be a little more certain about their existence than that.’
‘So, little man, on the basis of this tentative information, you want me to spare your life?’
‘Go and follow BobbyJ, and if you are successful, then you may never need to think of my name again.’
‘And if he escapes me?’
‘Then, you know where I live. You can come back here to the valley and then, together, we can search for another Stone.’
‘Well, that sounds a fine plan. Let me see if I have it straight. I leave you here and rush off in the direction you have sent me, and if I don’t succeed, then I return here, and of course you will still be here because you are an honorable human, and then you’ll send me off looking for another Stone, wherever you think it might be worth your while to send me. Does that sound right? Have I missed anything?’
‘No, Crawlord; you have it clear, but your…viewpoint is less than accurate, if you will pardon my words.’
Elstar sighed, and put his sword back into its scabbard.
‘I don’t know, Cavour. I feel you may be playing me for a fool here. I should take you along with me, to be sure you speak the truth.’
‘With me slowing you down, you’ll never catch him.’
‘Ay, Cavour, that at least is true. But I can hardly leave you behind, because I don’t believe you will be here when I get back.’
‘If you kill me, you’ll never find the other Stone, if you fail on this one.’
‘Ay, again I hear the truth. It’s a problem, isn’t it? But don’t worry your little head over it. I have a solution.’
‘A solution?’
‘Yes, to be sure you don’t slow me down, and to be certain that you will still be here when I return, to accept my heartfelt thanks for your honesty, or my punishment for your lies.’
Cavour took half a step back, but, quick as his mind was, his body was far too slow.
With a quick jerk of his left leg, Elstar brought his full weight down on Cavour’s right leg. The snap was sickening.
As Cavour clawed at the ground in agony, Elstar bent over and prodded his leg with one long finger. Cavour screamed.
‘There. I don’t know how long it takes for a human bone to repair itself, but I expect you won't have gone far when I return with reports of my success, or otherwise. I’ll probably repair your leg with a gesture and the power of the Wellstone. Be careful now, and try not to expire before I return.’
Then he was gone, and Cavour was left in a pit of agony on the ground, oblivious to the cold wind from the north that had suddenly sprung up.
Chapter 56 Sam
‘Now, boys, the Stone is not a toy to be played with. It is a thing of great power and danger, and we must treat it with due respect.’
‘I thought Magic had drained from the Stone after all this time,’ said Gorge, his eyes on the bag beside the fire.
‘I do say that, don’t I? That both the Stone and I are worn away by the years, and we need to spend the time we have left quietly.’
‘I have heard you say something very much like that, if you don’t mind me saying so, Mr Evens.’
‘Well, it’s not entirely true, just as it is not entirely untrue.’
‘The truth then,’ said Tom, lightly, ‘will be somewhere in between.’
‘Ay, lad. You may have it. There may still be some fire left in this old Stone; who can say for sure? But I will not lay my hands on it again; not in this life, nor in the next, if I am scourged with another round of existence.’
‘But…the valley needs a Wellstone. The crops will die and the wind will come, and there’ll be sickness in the land.’ Gorge leaned forward with one hand on the arm of the old Mage’s chair.
‘Now, lad, don’t forget that most of the world gets by well enough without Magic, and so shall the valley. It won’t be easy; of course not, but it can be done.’
‘Don’t matter none about the rest of the world, Mr Evens, the way I see it. The valley without Magic ain’t the valley at all.’
‘It can’t be helped, Lad. Mage Anders’ Stone has gone, and this old Stone, and this old Mage, we’re not up to it anymore.’
‘What if…?’ Sam stopped then, as if suddenly realizing that he was speaking out loud.
‘Go on, Sam. Say what’s on your mind, lad. No-one here will shout at you for a fool.’
‘I ain’t a fool, Mr Evens. I don’t talk as quick as Tom, or think as quick as Gorge, but I get there in the end, in my own good time.’
'And that's as it should be lad. So, what were you about to say?'
'Well, it seems to me, Mr Evens, that if t
here be still life left in the Stone, and you've had your fill of touching it, and seeing as how the valley still needs Magic…'
'I think I'll take myself a nap, if you'll wake me up when Sam arrives somewhere near his point,' said Tom, as he feigned a yawn.
'Shush, Tom,' hissed Gorge.
'If that's the case, then, can't someone else touch it for you? Someone who's not afear…who don't mind touching the Stone. You can say the Magic words, and he can hold the Stone. If that be how it all works.'
'Sam's right Mr Evens,' said Gorge, as he stood up. 'I don't mind; I don't mind at all.'
'Now, lads, let's not be all hasty, like. This wants some thought, I should say. And more than a little.' Evens gave a worried look towards his bag.
'There's time for thinking, and time for action, Mr Evens, if you pardon me for disagreeing.' Gorge moved over to the bag beside the fire.
'Don't…'
He picked up the bag and was surprised at the weight.
'I'll bring it over to you, Mr Evens, and you've no need to worry.'
With the bag in his lap, Evens relaxed a little.
'Will you open the bag, there, Mr Evens, a little so's we can see? And if you say you don't mind, and you say it's allowed, then I'll lay my hands on it, and you can say the words, and we'll see if there is life left in the old thing.'
Evens looked up at the boy, then back down at his bag.
'It won't be easy, lad; you know that, don't you? You'll know pain as I don't think you've felt yet in your young life. And it may still not accept you. Not everyone can bond with it; it may reject you.'
'If it does, then that ain't no harm. At least we'll have tried. And I can take a little pain, if it works out fine.'
Evens sat for a long moment, with his hands resting on the bag.
Then he shuddered, and began to undo the laces fastening it closed.
Within a few seconds, the material fell back, exposing the dull brown rock; no larger than two fists together.
'It don't look much,' said Tom; almost in a whisper.
Gorge glanced from Tom to Sam, and then back to Evens. Then, with a grim expression on his face, he reached out to put his hands on the stone.
With his eyes closed, Evens mouthed ancient, eldritch words that he had not used since Anders came to his power.
The Wellstone was smooth, hard and cool against Gorge's hands as he touched it lightly.
There was no reaction, so he pressed his hands down a little harder.
'Hold it there, for a moment longer, Lad,' whispered Evens.
After a full five minutes, Gorge released the Stone and stepped back, his head down.
'No need to worry, Lad; it was brave to try.'
'But, I thought…'
'It's not for everyone, Lad.'
'I'll try,' said Tom, all of a sudden.
'But…' began Gorge.
'Mayhap it wants someone who's a bit quicker with his tongue and his wits.' Tom was standing before Evens, his hands deep in his pockets.
'Go on then, Lad,' said Evens.
'Before I do just that, let me ask you what your words mean; them words you kept whispering when Gorge here had the Stone.'
'Nothing much, Lad. Just words of power to bind the Stone to my will. It's what I always said.'
Tom nodded, as if the old Mage was merely confirming what he already knew.
'Can you change those words some? So's they bind the Stone to me? If my hands are on the Stone, mayhap it'll work better that way.'
'Now, Lad, you've got me stumped there. I don't know what the words mean; I just know what has to be said. So, I don't know what to change. Anders studied the words, and he was a bright and learned boy before he came to me. But me; I just remember the words.'
'Can you tell me the words?'
'They won't make any sense to you either, but, I think I can.'
He took a deep breath, and then he began.
'Ishulf ed Pluts nel parquin. Ishulf ed Pluts ard lell. Ishulf ed Pluts dor rellont.'
Tom nodded. 'Again, if you please, Mr Evens.'
Evens complied.
'I see the first three words are repeated; Ishulf ed Pluts. And, is it two or three different words afterwards? nel parquin, ard lell and dor rellont.'
Evens smiled. 'You surprise me, lad.'
Tom returned his smile. 'Ay, Mr Evens. You're not the first to be surprised, and you won't be the last, I expect.'
'Are you ready to try?'
'Now, give me a moment, to get myself ready. We're not all as eager as Gorge to feel the pain of the Stone.'
He held his hands above the Stone; taking deep breaths as he prepared himself.
'Ishulf ed Pluts nel parquin. Ishulf ed Pluts ard lell. Ishulf ed Pluts dor rellont,' he said, quickly.
Then, repeating the words again, he placed his hands on the Wellstone.
With the words coming in an unbroken stream from his mouth, he held his hands against the cool rock.
But he too was rejected by the Wellstone; it remained resolutely unresponsive.
He sighed as he withdrew his hands.
'There's no life left in it, Mr Evens,' he said, as he slumped back to his knees.
'Now there, Lad. No need for sadness. The Stone don't speak to you, and that's a shame, for I see you love to speak. But that don't mean the Stone is dead. I won't touch it again, but I can still feel it. It is merely dormant. It is awaiting someone to awaken it.'
'Well, Mr Evens, I don't know who that would be, as Gorge and me, we tried our best.'
Evens looked over at Sam, watching the proceedings from by the fire.
'Well, Lad, seeing as how we've all made the decision to do this, and, if it is to be done, it should be done well, and there is one other who has not yet made the attempt.'
Tom smiled.
'Ay, Sam there, all quiet all of a sudden. It was your idea in the first place, I think.'
'Now,' Sam shook his head. 'I don't know. I was just saying. I thought it'd be one of you two, but if it won't speak to you, I can't see it speaking to me.'
'You never know, Sam. Mayhap it don't want a sharp brain, or a quick tongue. Mayhap it wants the strength of a small Giant. What d'you say there, Gorge?'
Gorge nodded and took hold of Sam's arm. 'Come on Sam. If it don't work, then there's no harm. And if it does, you can be the new Mage.'
'I don't want to be no Mage. I'm just Sam, and I'm going to help you on your boat, when you get it made.'
'You can do that Sam, right enough, and it will be a fine sight indeed to see you in the back of my boat, driving it through the water with the power of the Wellstone in your hand.'
'I don't…I can't…'
'Go on there, Sam,' encouraged Tom. 'It's only a bit of fun. You can do it.'
Sam stood up and walked slowly to stand before Evens.
He stared at the Stone for a moment, and Evens drew in a sharp breath. Was the Wellstone less dull? Did it seem to shiver?
Sam put one hand on the stone, and spoke the words.
'Ishulf ed Pluts nel parquin. Ishulf ed Pluts ard lell. Ishulf ed Pluts dor rellont.'
Both Tom and Gorge looked at him in surprise.
The Wellstone leapt to a dull orange, and seemed to hum.
'Hold your hand there, Lad,' whispered Evens.
Sam didn't move.
'It feels…hot, but it ain't burning. It feels…I don't know what.'
'Can you use the Magic, Sam?' hissed Tom.
Sam glanced over at him, but his eyes seemed glazed over.
Then he smiled, and the Stone released him.
'That were fine enough,' he said, shrugging his shoulders. 'Didn't hurt none at all. I thought it would hurt.'
'The Stone is old, and it doesn't have the appetite it once had, but it still should have caused you pain,' said Evens, his eyes wide and a half smile on his face, as if he'd seen something he had not expected to.
'Do something Magic there, Sam, if you can,' Tom urged his old friend.
/> 'What…?' Sam nodded then, and gave a little tight smile.
'What!' Tom's hands went to his chin, and his fingers were lost in the thick black beard that had suddenly sprouted.
'It works!' gasped Gorge, as he reached over to give his friend's new beard a sharp tug. Then he turned to the old Mage.
'What does this mean, Mr Evens? Can we protect the valley now?'
'Nay, Lad. I don't rightly understand these things. It's surely all in the books, but I don't think that Stone has the vitality to do what you want. It may do something here and there, but it is not the solution to your problem; not by a summer's country mile.'
'What do the books say?' asked Gorge, trying to hide his disappointment.
'Now, Lad, that’s a good question, and you're right to ask it, and Anders now, he'd tell you the answer in a quick flash, I expect. But he ain't here, and I can't read the words, so we may be stuck on a pole here.'
'Let me have a look at the books, can you, Mr Evens?'
'Ay lad, you can look, for all the good it will do you. The books are written in the language of the spells, and it won't make no more sense to you than it does to me.'
A few moments later, his point was well proven.
Gorge sat by the light of the fire, and read again the first page in the largest of the leather-bound volumes.
'Ist lell mere Ludlum, nere hart move.'
The book was full of the indecipherable words, as were all the other volumes.
He glanced over at Sam, sitting across from him and studying the palms of his hands. Tom was over by the window, trying to see how good his bearded face looked in the murky glass, and Evens seemed to have nodded off in his chair.
When he was sure that no-one was paying him any attention, Gorge flipped again to the pages at the back of the largest volume.
The writing on these pages was in a different hand to the rest; a neat and tidy hand, that had covered the pages with words that were easy to read and understand.
On the last page of all, drawn in what seemed to be the same hand, was a map.
Chapter 57 BobbyJ
'I need to go now.'
'Ah now, Bobbyj, is that the case?'
'I have to be off to see my Father, and soon now.'