Ebnik pushed the door open and stepped out into the clearing, holding the door open for the others. Everyone filed out of the Portal Keep, leading their horses. Ebnik's horse followed the others out of the tower on its own. After everyone was out, Ebnik released the door and pushed it closed. He appeared to be pushing in pantomime, except for the gap around the door opening that rapidly disappeared. Once closed, there was no evidence that the door had ever been there.
Everyone looked around, trying to get their bearings. "Where are we now?" asked Daven.
"A short ride west of Northshore," Ebnik answered.
"Excellent!" Sulana enthused. "That saved us about a day's travel time. Let's get going," she said, pulling herself up into her saddle.
"Off to Buckwoods?" asked Talon, moving his horse to take the lead.
"No, let's stop by Northshore first, since it's on the way. I'd like to speak to Jaylan," she replied.
"What do we need him for?" Daven asked.
"Well, he was very helpful last time. As you yourself pointed out before, his knowledge of the area could be useful," she said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Daven looked like he might object further, but stopped himself and shrugged. "You're the leader."
Ebnik looked at Sulana with concern. "Is it wise to involve someone who has no allegiance to the Archives?" he asked.
"He's worked with us before and proved to be reliable. As it turns out, he's also a sorcerer, although he won't admit it to himself. I'm hoping that he will know something about Buckwoods that would help us prepare for what might be going on there."
Ebnik nodded his acceptance, and the group rode off the hillside toward Northshore.
Chapter 20
I watched the fishermen push off from the dock. The clunk ing and splashing of oars faded as they floated off in search of the day's catch. The sun had risen above the trees, burning off the morning clouds and brightly warming the village. The surrounding forest was a contrasting wall of bright greens and deep shadows that hosted a hidden avian orchestra of tweets, chirps, and song.
It was altogether too lovely and cheerful a day for my dark state of mind.
I patrolled the forest edge listlessly and stopped by the corral to rub Patches' nose. After our capture the day before, the two Raven Company men accompanied Meldon and me while we retrieved our horses. Patches wagged his head up and down and snorted as I walked away, probably wondering why we weren't heading home. I shared his impatience.
Peltor hung around the ice house, glaring at anyone who came too close and threatened to disturb Lord Thoron's peace. The Lord himself was busily making another amulet. The process seemed to take a lot of time, concentration, and a tremendous quantity of vaetra, so he could create at most one amulet per day. For me, it was a noisy process as well, but no one else seemed to notice the manifestation sounds that occasionally emanated from the workshop.
Kefer and Meldon helped out around the village wherever they could. Kefer tended the smoke house and Meldon helped in the garden. Jake, the wagon driver who Kefer and Peltor were supposed to be escorting, had left with the fishermen to help out on the boats.
As I patrolled, I tried to think of a way out of my predicament. My concentration was frequently interrupted by the influence of the amulet's Protector spell, which made finding a solution more elusive. The Protector enchantment stubbornly resisted any thoughts of escape or conspiracy against Lord Thoron. I was reasonably certain that I could disable the amulet and leave at any time, but I wouldn't get far on foot. I needed Patches to escape, but trying to saddle him up in full view of the village would raise questions I couldn't answer.
Besides, Meldon was stuck here too. I couldn't just leave him behind. And what about the villagers? They weren't technically my responsibility, but my conscience wouldn't let me leave them at the mercy of Lord Thoron and his insidious amulets. Lord Thoron wasn't hurting anyone physically, but his amulets mentally enslaved the villagers, and the rest of us, to do his bidding as surely as if we were shackled.
A small part of me still didn't want to escape. I was reluctant to scurry back to Borlan after failing in my task so miserably, or to face Dela after promising to be back last night. She would be worried out of her mind after Meldon's comments about magic. That anxiety would then turn to wrath after I returned home safely. Those concerns were minor in view of my current predicament, but the Protector enchantment reinforced them.
At the very least, I needed to free Meldon from Lord Thoron's grasp. Perhaps between the two of us, we could free the other two Raven Company men. The four of us together might be able to overwhelm Lord Thoron and put a stop to whatever plans he had.
If we could at least recover the delivery wagon and the driver, we could complete our mission. I hated the idea of leaving the people of Buckwoods at the mercy of a dangerous sorcerer, but if we left with the wagon, Lord Thoron might feel exposed and leave. I'd figure out a way to get word to Sulana somehow, and as Dela had said, let the magicians take care of themselves.
The first step was to figure out a way to free Meldon without alerting the others. Most of the morning went by while I considered and discarded alternatives.
Inspiration struck just before midday. I was grumbling to myself about having fish yet again for lunch, when a set of antlers above the doorway to one of the huts caught my eye. I thought of a duty that fit with my role as a Guardian of the Lake, so the Protector enchantment didn't interfere until I started thinking about how I would take advantage of the situation. But that was okay. The main thing was getting out of the village. The rest would have to be improvised anyway.
I walked over to Kefer, who was repairing the door of the smoke house. "Hey, how would you like to eat something other than fish?" I asked him.
He stopped working and looked at me with interest. "What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking about running a patrol out onto the forest trail and looping back on the road. I might run across a deer along the way."
Kefer smiled as he considered my idea, and then he licked his lips and nodded. "I could go with you. You'll need two people to bring back anything you take down."
"I was thinking about taking Meldon along. He's a fair shot with a bow, and I'd feel better with a more experienced fighter keeping an eye on the village while we're patrolling."
Kefer frowned, but we both knew he wasn't much of a bowman. He finally nodded again. "Sounds reasonable. I'm almost done here anyway. I can keep an eye on things while you're gone."
I started to turn away, but Kefer grabbed my arm. "Be careful out there. Once you're away from the village, we won't be able to...sense you anymore, so we won't know if you run into trouble. Stay alert."
He didn't seem to suspect that I was actually counting on disappearing from his senses. I needed to get Meldon out of range before I could do anything to free him, otherwise everyone would know the instant I removed his amulet.
I patted Kefer's hand in reassurance. "Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to pass it on to Meldon as well." He nodded and went back to work.
I walked over to Meldon and told him my idea. He was enthusiastic, as were the two women who worked the garden with him. They encouraged him to set aside his efforts at extending the garden beds and go with me. It seemed everyone was ready for a change of pace food-wise.
Meldon retrieved his bow and we headed toward the trail from which I'd had my first view of Buckwoods three days before.
Peltor saw where we were headed and jogged over to block our way. "Where do you think you're going?" he challenged.
"I thought everyone would like to eat something other than fish for a change, so Meldon and I are going to patrol the forest and hopefully bring back a deer."
He narrowed his eyes. "Does Kefer know about this plan of yours?"
Well, not exactly, I thought to myself. "Yes, he seemed rather enthusiastic about the idea. He's taking over my watch here while we're gone."
Peltor seemed satisfied with my answer, bu
t still uncertain. "Maybe we should ask Lord Thoron first."
I doubted Lord Thoron would have any objections to the hunt. Having been here a while, I was sure he would be even more sick of fish than we were. However, he might not like the idea of his newest recruits leaving the village together. "Okay, we can ask him if you want. Are you sure he won't mind being disturbed?"
Peltor looked back over his shoulder at the ice house and grimaced. "Never mind. I don't want to get the Lord's hopes up in case you fail to bring something back. Good luck," he said sarcastically and walked back to his seat outside the ice house.
Meldon watched Peltor's receding back and then glanced over at me. "Peltor really doesn't like you, does he?"
I started walking toward the trail head. "No, he never has. And the feeling's mutual. Let's go find some venison."
Chapter 21
Sulana's team traveled east from the portal along an overgrown trail that dropped down to join the main road from Dunver to Northshore. It was mid-morning when they dismounted in front of the Snow Creek Inn and tied their horses to the railing. Sulana, Daven, and Ebnik entered the inn together while Talon and Barek remained with the horses.
The serving room was empty of customers. Dela was busily cleaning up, taking advantage of the lull between the breakfast and lunch crowds. As the trio entered, Dela squinted against the glare of the light coming in through the doorway to see who it was.
As soon as she spotted Sulana, she straightened from her task of wiping a table and threw the cloth she was using to the tabletop with a wet thud. She walked swiftly over to Sulana and stood in front of her with a tight face and folded arms.
"I should have known you had something to do with this," she said.
Sulana was taken aback by Dela's aggression and held up her hands. "Hold on. It's Dela, right? What are you talking about? I've been out of the area for the past couple of days."
Dela took in Ebnik's appearance with a frown. "You're a magician, aren't you?"
Ebnik winced and gave her a slight bow. "The preferred term is 'sorcerer' my dear, but yes, you are essentially correct."
Dela turned her glare back to Sulana. "What have you done with Jaylan?" she demanded.
"Jaylan isn't here?" Sulana asked. "I was hoping to get his help with another mission."
Dela stared at Sulana closely for a moment. She started to say something a couple of times but changed her mind. She finally asked, "You really don't know where he is?"
"No. Like I said, we just got back into town."
Dela rubbed her forehead and sat down on a nearby chair. "He promised he'd be back yesterday evening."
Sulana shook her head. "Dela, where did Jaylan go? And why did you think I was involved?"
Dela looked up at Sulana. "Jaylan said something about magic, and when you walked in the door with this...this...sorcerer, I thought it all started to fit. But if he's not with you, he must still be at Buckwoods."
Sulana's face went white. She leaned down and grabbed Dela's forearm, looking into her eyes intently. "Did you just say Buckwoods? Is that where Jaylan went?" Ebnik and Daven exchanged a quick glance.
Dela yanked her arm out of Sulana's grip and rubbed it. Her tone became sullen. "Yes. He and Meldon went out to Buckwoods to find out what was holding up a shipment from Delta. They were supposed to talk to the Raven Company men who were escorting the shipment and get them moving again."
Ebnik spoke up. "These men weren't expected to stop in Buckwoods?" Dela narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, and then finally shook her head. "Do you happen to know what was in this shipment?" he pressed.
Dela threw up her hands and stood. "How would I know? If you want to know about the shipment, go ask Borlan over at Raven Company. And while you're at it, tell him to find out what happened to Jaylan and Meldon. I don't have time for this." Dela walked back to pick up her cloth. She continued to wipe the table with her back to the three visitors.
Sulana turned back to Ebnik and Daven with a vacant expression. Ebnik glanced at Dela and tilted his head toward the door. Once outside, Ebnik placed a hand on Sulana's shoulder. "Could Jaylan be behind the trouble in Buckwoods? You said that he can channel."
Sulana looked up at Ebnik with raised eyebrows and snorted at the same time Daven shook his head and chuckled. "No. Jaylan knows next to nothing about sorcery, and he rejects what he does know," she answered.
"That's good." Ebnik said, releasing her shoulder. "I can see you care for him."
Sulana blinked. "What? Care for him? I...respect him. But it's nothing more than that."
Ebnik raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Daven grimaced and looked at the ground.
Sulana looked back and forth between them. "Really? Why would you think that? I hardly know him!"
"Exactly," Daven said under his breath.
Ebnik nodded with a knowing smirk. "As you say."
Sulana rolled her eyes. "Regardless of any 'feelings' I may have for Jaylan, he and this Meldon person could be in serious danger. If they failed to return, it's possible they are being held against their will...or worse," she finished with a frown.
Ebnik shook his head at her. "Don't borrow trouble you don't have. Let's just get down to Buckwoods and find out what's happening there before we worry about what might be."
Chapter 22
Meldon and I walked down the forest path into the shadows of the trees. A rabbit bounded off the trail with a flash of white feet and disappeared far too quickly for Meldon to react. Small birds sang and flitted from branch to branch in the forest canopy above us. Sunlight penetrated the branches here and there, dappling the trail with spots of warm sun. We walked through alternating pockets of cool and warm air as we progressed down the trail.
I paid close attention to my awareness of the other Guardians of the Lake, an awareness inked into my mind by the amulet's Member enchantment. As we left the village, their impressions started to fade quickly. My breathing increased and the shadows of the forest became more sinister the farther we went from the others. I strained to listen around the crunch of our footsteps for any sound of something stalking us. I could see Meldon was having the same reaction. His knuckles were white against the grip on his bow and he had nocked an arrow, but he left the string tension slack.
The moment my awareness of the others faded completely, we both came to a halt. A squirrel chattered and Meldon dropped into a crouch. It was like being in a strange room full of obstacles when the lamp goes out; your heart jumps into your throat and you can't force yourself to take another step. I had to resist a strong pang of isolation that urged me to grab Meldon's arm and turn us back toward the village.
"I think we should go back," Meldon said, echoing the very thought I was trying to resist. The aim of his bow followed his eyes as he scrutinized the length of trail in front of us.
I overcame the amulet's influence enough to think of a reason to keep going. "And let Peltor laugh at us for being too afraid to leave the village? I don't think so."
Meldon looked at me, his eyes wide. "I don't care what Peltor thinks. This is dangerous!"
"There's no one out here but us and hopefully a few deer. We're both armed and ready. We're the most dangerous things in these woods."
Meldon swallowed hard and straightened from his crouch. He looked around us again. "But don't you feel it? Being away from the other Guardians is just...wrong."
"Sure I feel it. But remember why we're here. We're going to return to the village with something that will make everyone happy, including Lord Thoron."
Meldon continued to scan the forest, but he had dropped his bow from the ready position and held it at his side. "Yeah, assuming we find anything."
I decided to try leveraging my higher rank at Raven Company and put a stern tone into my voice. "Well, I don't think it's asking too much for us to experience a little discomfort in order to help the village. Besides, we really should make sure nothing is going on out here that might threaten our fellow Guardians."
&
nbsp; Meldon stared at me for a moment and blinked a couple of times, surprised by my reprimand. My appeal to his sense of responsibility, layered with a small amount of guilt, seemed to get through to him.
He took a deep breath and looked around again, but more casually this time. "Okay, you're right. I'll do my part."
I nearly sighed in relief when he continued warily down the trail.
Now I had to figure out how I would get his amulet off of him. The longer I wore my amulet, the more I was able to ignore its influence and gain mastery over my own actions, but I knew that I could not yet overcome the Protector enchantment and simply yank Meldon's amulet from his neck. On top of that, the neck chains were actually fairly strong, and I was sure it would take a pretty good tug to break the chain or the eyelet where it connected to the amulet.
I had to give Lord Thoron credit; the amulets were annoyingly well made.
We advanced down the trail, alert for game. I stayed behind Meldon so he would have a clear shot at anything we found, but I directed our progress away from the village. We took the right fork where the village trail met the trail back to the road, thus retracing the path I had taken the day I found Tam.
"You seem to know these trails pretty well," he commented at one point.
"I've been here before," I responded shortly.
He glanced curiously over his shoulder at the irritation in my voice, but didn't pursue the matter, for which I was grateful.
We reached the overlook where I had seen Tam for the first time. The location triggered a memory of Tam looking up from inspecting his foot, part man and part beast, but alive. An ache of guilt and shame overwhelmed me. My strong desire to leave the viewpoint had nothing to do with the amulet's influence. I gave Meldon a moment to appreciate the view, and then we turned around and headed back down the trail toward the road.
The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled Page 18