While Dariak and Kitalla continued their work, Randler and Gabrion settled themselves back at the camp, watering the horses and stashing their belongings. The young warrior examined the bard carefully. They had been companions for a short time and the minstrel had been useful to the group, especially in terms of helping to heal Kitalla, but Gabrion felt he knew little of the man.
“Randler,” he said slowly. “Do you really think hiding the jades away will work?”
The bard considered for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know, but most towns seem to get along fine with proper governance and no mystical forces. And if you take that tower into consideration, it’s pretty easy to see that magic is just too erratic and destructive.”
After a pause, Gabrion said, “I’m sorry.”
It was an odd reaction and Randler screwed up his face in confusion.
“You and Dariak,” Gabrion explained. “You seemed so happy at first, but now there’s this rift between you.”
“Ah, yes. I guess we don’t see eye to eye on this.”
“Do you think it’s more than your relationship can handle?”
“I—I don’t know,” Randler answered. “I hope not, but it’s difficult. I have seen how bad magic can be. Haven’t we all? And though I want to believe that he is different, once someone has power, you never know. I don’t want him to be tempted by it and then lose himself in it. I wish he could find another way to achieve his goal.”
“Hmm,” Gabrion hummed. “The people love you. Everyone seems to know of you all over. You did great work in Pindington with your songs, easing their pain.”
“Yes?” the bard said hesitantly, confused again.
“I know I’m not making much sense. My thoughts are all scattered, so bear with me.” He bit his lip. “Dariak told me about that song you sang right after you two met. About the Forgotten Tribe.”
“Ah yes, a good tale I’ve told in many ways over the years.”
“You’re not the only one to mention it. The elder of Gerrish said something of it to me, too. What’s happening now feels like the things that happened then. You had Lady Hathreneir who was a mage and King Kallisor who was a warrior. They loved each other, but they let their differences interfere with their relationship and it tore them apart. That rift started the wars we still have today.”
Randler nodded slowly. “Dariak told you well. Yes, that was basically what happened.”
“So here we are again,” Gabrion continued. “Dariak is the mage who wants to use magic to unite the people, but you want the world to be without it. You two clearly have a deeper connection, though you really haven’t had much time to explore it—”
“That’s true,” the minstrel said, interrupting Gabrion. “I recognized him as a jade bearer because mine was pulsating, but I didn’t realize that when we first met in the bakery. He just caught me, I guess. I wanted to push everything aside and get to know him.”
Gabrion nodded. “He and I weren’t friends when you two met. I was still bound to turn him in to the king for attacking my village. But when I think back, he definitely had a bit more bounce in his step after meeting you. You two have this special something. So how can it all be happening again? How can the debate of magic or no magic be at the center where it could tear you both apart?”
The bard blinked several times. “I hadn’t looked at it that way.”
“More than that, though,” Gabrion plowed on, “these jade pieces are coming together on their own. I believe that now, especially with how you and Dariak went in to the tower and he claimed the lightning jade, literally dying in order to take it, and then it brought him back. We’re working together right now and the jades have been protecting us all along, like guardians. My jade hid itself from the guards and then helped me to break out of prison with Dariak in tow, and then it saved me again when that furnace exploded. Kitalla has had similar protection, as have you. I can’t deny that they’re helping us as much as we’re helping them.”
The minstrel released a deep sigh. “Then you’ve decided that you’re siding with Dariak in assembling the jades so he can wipe out the armies and ‘bring peace.’”
“I think the jades have to come together anyway. We might as well have a hand in how they are used. It isn’t as if you don’t make use of the shadow jade, right?”
The bard pursed his lips. “True.”
“But, Randler, those mages in Pindington were also right about something else. A good speaker can affect people more than brief shows of power, no matter how strong. They can influence the heart and mind and bring people to do things they might not have done before, and not because they’re afraid of retaliation, but because they believe. Even just walking through in Pindington with your lute, you helped many people in ways sheer force could not.”
Randler waited while Gabrion searched for his next words.
“So you see? What if Dariak gains the ability to summon the colossus, but he doesn’t actually use it? What if, then, you step in and reach the people the way you were born to do, and help them realize that all this warring is for nothing? It’s just killing us all off, keeping our lives a constant mess.”
“Save the world with a song?” Randler scoffed, but though he tried, he couldn’t discard the thought.
“The connection you and Dariak share is new to me.”
“What of Mira?”
He squirmed awkwardly. “Between two men, that is. But I see how you two are with each other and I see that it’s real. Neither one of you can let this disagreement come between you. Not for yourselves and not if we’re going to put an end to the fighting.”
“Funny thing for a warrior to say.”
“I know,” he admitted. “I’ve always been better lifting things than anything else and I would have been a farmer like my father if it hadn’t been for the skirmish years ago.”
Randler raised a brow. “What happened?”
“A few of the older boys in the village, Mira’s brother included, went off to explore parts of Hathreneir. They crossed the border illegally and went into the desert, just looking, really, but hoping to find some kind of treasure to take back as a memento. They were seen by local guards.” Gabrion’s voice turned solemn. “The fight didn’t last long, and only one of the boys was left alive, so he might return to the village to warn the rest not to invade their lands again.”
“Mira’s brother?” Randler ventured.
“No, Kyrell didn’t return. Most of the villagers were horrified, both that the boys had gone and more so that they had all been killed, save one messenger. Hosreth couldn’t accept his fate, that he was allowed to live while the others died, so he… rectified that shortly after returning to Savvron.”
“I’m sorry.”
Gabrion cleared his throat and pushed onward. “For the most part, everyone accepted the warning and from then on we were all bound to keep far from the border. Except for Mira’s parents. They went and petitioned the Hathren king to take back the bodies of the slain so they could be put to rest with their families. He wouldn’t allow it, but he instead gave them a writ of passage that permitted them to visit their son’s grave once a season. Mira stayed with us at first; she and I were already very close, even then. Then she started traveling with them sometimes to see her brother’s grave. It’s been, I guess, about seven or eight years now.
“That’s where Mira’s folks were when the Hathrens attacked that day,” he said quietly. “Mira had chosen to remain behind and she would have been alone in her house if we hadn’t been on our way to the meadow. She was taken away that morning, but I wonder if she would have been safer if I hadn’t pulled her from her home. Or maybe she would have died instead.”
“You can’t wonder such things.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “It’s been so long since then, Randler. She’s a village peasant. Her family isn’t renowned for anything. There is no reason to ransom her off. I can’t imagine she still really lives after all this time.”
Da
riak stepped in from the forest, Kitalla close behind. “You can’t give up hope, Gabrion.”
The warrior jumped. “How long have you been listening?”
“I heard most of it,” he said, with a glance toward Randler. “But really, you need to keep your hope alive.”
Kitalla smacked her hands together. “Yep, I promised I’d help you save her, didn’t I? I can’t do that if you give up on her.”
Gabrion dropped his head into his hands. “It’s hard to be hopeful. My brain says one thing, but my heart can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without her. I know you mock me for saying things like that, but it’s true.”
Dariak glanced again at the bard and clapped Gabrion on the shoulder, “No, I think part of me understands what you’re saying.”
Randler looked up at the mage and smiled softly.
Kitalla rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m going to go vomit off in the woods while you all get mushy.”
“Don’t you go anywhere, Kitalla,” Dariak chuckled. “You’re part of this love-fest too.”
“Not happening!” she said, raising her fists.
Gabrion couldn’t help but laugh. He stood up and looked at his companions. “Strange how things can change so quickly sometimes. If Kyrell and the others hadn’t gone off and died, our village wouldn’t have felt as deep a need for protection from the Hathrens. We already had some men who were trained to protect us, and a few of the older children who followed their fathers. But that tragedy prompted the king to eventually send soldiers to organize the fighters in the towns and after a while they started seeking volunteers among the rest of us to train as warriors. At least, that was how Andron said it went.
“So I wonder sometimes: If Mira’s brother hadn’t died, would I even be here on this quest? Would I have trained to fight at all? If not, would I have been among the casualties when Savvron was attacked?” He shuddered. “I know it doesn’t help to wonder such things, but sometimes I have to. Am I just a victim of circumstance or do I have a choice in my destiny?”
“Gabrion—” Dariak started, but the warrior cut him off.
“No, I’m not really asking. I have to remember why I’m here. I could have died so many times along the way, but I didn’t. I fight for Mira. Her safety is my goal and, you’re right, I have to keep her alive in my heart until I learn otherwise. I have to be strong and push ahead to the next step along the way. If I stop now, I’ll never know if I could have saved her. I would regret it forever. I won’t be another Hosreth, ending things because I cannot face them. Because I regret what I did, or didn’t do.”
He coughed and then breathed deeply. “Sorry. After everything we went through in Pindington, I’m tired, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, don’t we?”
Randler nodded. “A hard ride tomorrow will bring us within reach of Vestular by nightfall.” Without another word, Gabrion turned toward the woods, settling himself down out of earshot. He lay on the ground with his back to a tree, gazing out across the river until he fell asleep.
Once Kitalla realized she wasn’t going be the victim of any random hugging, she tossed back her hair and stretched. “You two go chat a bit. I’ll take the next watch when you’re done. Just promise you’ll keep an eye out once in a while for monsters.”
“Other than you?” Dariak teased.
She responded by spinning and bringing her arms up her body slowly, fountaining them out over her head and sliding them down low again. Caught off guard, Dariak and Randler both succumbed to a chilling sensation that ran down their spines, like being tossed into a cold waterfall. Kitalla then stalked off, laughing, on her way to grab some sleep.
Left alone by the fire, Randler and Dariak stared at each other for a long time. Neither one wanted to break the silence that was both comfortable and awkward all at once.
At last, Dariak had to ask, “Do you think we stand a chance, Randler?”
He knew the mage wasn’t referring to the upcoming battle against the bard’s mother, or the larger goal of ending the war. “I think your warrior friend is right. We have to find a way to work through this.”
Dariak lowered his eyes for a moment. “I would like to.”
They reached out and linked hands for a time, watching each other in the waning firelight. “Back in the tower, Dariak, I was tested like never before. We weren’t going to make it. I was purely terrified, but you held it together. It was remarkable.”
“I couldn’t let you die up there.”
“Nor I, you. Truly, I’ve wanted to gather the jades so I could hide them away and stop other mages from unlocking any of their secrets. Yet when the test came, I thrust the shadow jade into your hand because you were stronger than I was. I couldn’t do it. All I wanted was to scream and to die with you, together, because I didn’t see a way out. Then that lightning struck you and you fell…” His voice choked.
“I wasn’t sure what I was doing,” Dariak said.
“You knew enough to trick the lightning to come right to you, keeping the rest of us safe. After you fell, I didn’t know what to do or how to react. I thought the lightning jade owed you. It had to bring you back. That’s the only reason I brought it over to you.”
He smiled. “It was lucky you did.”
Randler squeezed Dariak’s hand. “The warrior’s right, I think. We need to find a way to be together and not let our differences interfere.”
“That’s easy,” Dariak said. “Just agree with me about everything.”
It took Randler a moment to realize the mage was joking. “I would like for us to be able to give this a real try.”
“So would I.”
There were a few moments of silence while the two gazed at each other. When it seemed like neither was going to move again, Kitalla called to them from the trees, “Kiss him already, you idiot!”
“I wonder which of us she’s talking to,” Dariak said, grinning ear to ear.
“Let’s not find out,” Randler whispered, leaning in and kissing him deeply.
Chapter 2
Vestular
Travel was difficult the following day, as rain clouds rolled in and turned the landscape into a muddy field. The horses trudged along the best they could, but the team made slower progress than they would have liked. Because of the darker sky and the wet weather, creatures behaved differently than normal. Where some nestled in their dry lairs, others went on the prowl.
Not long after their departure, a vicious pack of lupinoes charged at the group from the cover of trees. Dariak drew upon the water jade and pulled on the rain, creating a protective curtain around the group, which effectively blocked the assault. Because the rain continued, he was able to constantly refresh the water shield until the beasts turned away.
However, the same tactic did not work against the massive ursalor that pounded from its cave and raced across the muddy landscape toward them. The bearlike monster was too strong for the water shield and its huge claws raked right through and scored a gash in Dariak’s horse. The terrified equine threw the mage to the ground and ran off. Dariak wasted no time in casting his next spell. He pulled the rain toward the ursalor into chunks of ice, cutting into its thick hide, but the spell only enraged the beast.
Randler rode his horse off a ways and turned about, pulling out his bow and lobbing arrows through the air, careful not to hit his companions. He compensated well for the rain and a few of his arrows struck home, but still the ursalor did not seem affected.
Kitalla sprinted off after Dariak’s horse as Gabrion turned and drew his sword. He raced beyond the creature and struck its spine with a mighty thrust. The ursalor roared angrily and swiped out at Gabrion’s horse, finding it gone before it could land a hit. Dariak weighed down the beast with the Shield of Delminor but was surprised when it had little effect. He wondered if it was a complication of the rain, but then the ursalor stood upright on its hind legs, reaching a towering fifteen feet into the air, and he realized that
the added mass from the spell simply hadn’t mattered.
Gabrion couldn’t fight well enough from horseback, so he jumped off and ran toward the bowed legs, slashing at them powerfully, hoping the ursalor would fall over. His sword bit deeply, but the beast merely swatted at him like a gnat and roared again into the sky, then turned back to the mage.
Dariak was sore from his fall and the mud made him sluggish, but he kept his hands and arms swirling about, first adding personal protection spells in case the ursalor came too close. He then drew the rainwater together into pools around the monster and urged them to freeze, creating treacherous patches of ice upon which the creature slipped and crashed to the ground. Gabrion pounced immediately, driving his sword into the creature’s side, loosing a gush of blood that splattered him with its warmth. Unfortunately, the attack now marked him as the more dangerous target, and the ursalor turned its huge body over, swinging all four of its powerful claws and spraying mud everywhere. Gabrion jumped away, brandishing his sword and trying to damage the meaty paws that could cleanly sever his head if they connected.
Kitalla had returned and she handed off the horses to Randler, whose arrows were essentially ineffective anyway. She hit the ground, striking a powerful stance, and began a new routine. She stepped forward once, then back, after which she switched legs for another step forward and back. Her arms reached in directions opposite to her feet, and all the while she kept her head and torso perfectly erect. It was difficult doing the steps with the mud clutching at her boots and interfering with her rhythm. Dariak pulled the water away from the area, drying the land temporarily until the rain soaked it again. Still, it allowed Kitalla to complete her preparations and draw the energies about her.
Gabrion wasn’t sure what she and Dariak were doing, but he knew that his sword wouldn’t be enough to subdue this monster. He hoped his companions had a plan, so he parried attacks and nipped at the creature’s legs when he could, keeping its focus on him at all times. Then all at once, Kitalla screamed and raced across the distance separating them, yelling for Gabrion to flee. He did so, turning only when he heard the ursalor shriek in pain.
The Shattered Shards Page 2