Sam looked from Emerius to Inoria. “Is it bad?” he asked them.
“Take a look,” Emerius answered. “See for yourself.”
Sam took a breath and threaded his way through the trees. As he did so, he stepped on something. It didn’t feel like the forest floor, the spongy, loamy layer made from decaying plant matter and rich soil. It was firmer, but not like wood or a rock. He lifted his foot and looked at it. It was a human hand, separated at the wrist. The jagged edge made it look like it had been torn from the arm, not cut off. He looked back to the others, trying to keep his face from showing that he wanted to be sick.
He stepped around the hand and into a partial clearing. The trees were thinner here and on the far side was a large rock face. Through the slanting beams of sunlight filtering in from above, Sam saw what looked like a battleground. There was blood—more brown than red now because it was hours old—splashed about. There were the bodies of at least ten people, maybe a few more, some whole but most not. The snow had stopped sometime during the night, so the bloody slush and corpses were easily seen. It looked like something had torn them apart.
That something was still there, lying in the blood of its enemies in front of the rock. It was man-shaped, made entirely of red sandstone, the same as the rock formations around them. It was bigger than a man, too. And it had no head. That puzzled Sam for a moment, until he saw red gravel scattered near the body of the thing.
Sam thought maybe he was in shock and that’s why he was concentrating on the details of the scene rather than the fact that several people lay dead before him. If that was the case, then he would take advantage of it and try to think logically while he still could. Once his emotions at seeing all that death kicked in, he wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to think.
Emerius had come up behind him. “A helluva thing, huh?” the big man said to him.
“Yeah,” Sam was able to say. “This creature must have attacked them. I don’t see Rasaad, so she’s probably the one who blew its head apart.”
Emerius nodded.
“So where is she?” Sam asked. “And where is the bell?”
Emerius stood silent, watching him. He was evaluating Sam.
Sam looked to the rock face. There was a hole in it approximately the same size as a doorway in a house. He picked his way toward it, being careful not to step on bodies, or parts of them. When he got there, he looked in, but couldn’t see how far into the rock the hole went. He concentrated for a moment and caused light to flare up on the end of Ahimiro again. He poked it into the hole.
The cavity went back no more than twenty feet. It was some kind of hollow that had been bored into the rock. The cuts were smooth. They hadn’t been done with chisels and picks. It must have been done with some kind of power or tool that Sam was unfamiliar with.
Holding Ahimiro up ahead of him, he walked into the chamber carved in the rock. Near the back wall, there was a simple pedestal that appeared to be actually formed from the stone floor, as if the chamber was carved around it and it was left intact. On top of it was a perfect depression in the shape of a bell.
“She got it,” Sam sighed.
“Yes,” Rindu said from right next to Sam.
Sam jumped in surprise. He hadn’t known that Rindu was there.
“Then where did she go?” Nalia said from the other side of Sam, causing him to start again.
“I didn’t see any tracks leading away,” Emerius said from just behind Sam.
“Maybe she just disappeared by magic,” Inoria said. She was standing next to Emerius.
“You know,” Sam said, “I wish you four would make more noise. You startle the wits out of me sneaking around like that!”
The question they brought up was valid, though. Where did Rasaad, Tingai, and their forces gone? “Ahh,” he said, smacking his forehead with his palm. “Duh. Azgo, the bell, and its power to teleport. Rasaad must have used it to teleport them all somewhere else.”
“Oh, no,” Inoria said. “Does that mean they teleported directly to where the second artifact is? We’ll never catch them if they did.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Sam said. “I’m betting that Azgo has the same limitations as my teleportation. In order to travel somewhere, the user has to know the destination. If Rasaad hasn’t been there before, she’ll have to travel there the old-fashioned way, on foot or mount.”
“That’s good, at least,” Inoria said.
“So then,” Emerius said. “What do we do now? I’m still more concerned about my brother than about some stupid artifacts. Are you going to help us save the captives or are you going to go haring off to be some kind of hero and try to save the world?”
“We still have the same goal, Emerius Dinn,” Nalia said. “Baron Tingai and Ayim Rasaad are together, so preventing them from getting the next artifact and saving the captives are the same thing. We can continue to work together.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Emerius grumbled.
“Okay,” Sam said. “I think we should go back to Whitehall and regroup. Maybe Dr. Walt has come up with more information for us to help us decide where we need to go next.”
He turned to Emerius and Inoria. “Will you come with us? Staying here and trying to find them on foot is not really an option. They teleported away. We have to do the same to catch them. What do you say?”
Inoria stepped forward. “I think we should go with them, Em. It’s the only way we’ll ever find Ancha. Besides, we’ve been through a lot with these folks. They’re our friends now.”
“We don’t need any more friends,” Emerius said. “But we’ll go with them. They seem to be our only hope in rescuing Ancha and the rest of the villagers.”
“Good,” Sam said. “It’s settled then. Give me a few minutes to memorize this location, just in case we need to come back here later, and then we’ll go.”
Within a few minutes, Sam was ready to leave. The whole party gathered around him and he teleported them all to the area in front of the stables at Whitehall.
Sam had one of the servants set up rooms for the twins. Oro was allowed to go find a corner of his own in one of the parks, after Inoria assured Sam that he would not kill everything in sight. Skitter sent something to Sam about checking on “the babies”—the kittens, Sam knew—and left them. The rest ate a quick breakfast and slept until the afternoon, tired from hunting Rasaad through the night.
When they gathered for an early dinner, Dr. Walt, Danaba Kemp, and the two Zouyim were there also. Emerius rolled his eyes at the thought of more Zouyim, but Inoria seemed to hit it off right away with Palusa Filk.
“I’m afraid I haven’t come across any more information that will be helpful to you, Sam,” Dr. Walt said. “It is indeed a dilemma, with Rasaad now able to teleport. Maybe Lahim Chode will know something about where you should go. He sent me a message earlier today asking me to visit him this evening. I don’t think it’s urgent, but if you would like to go with me, you can ask him what you will.”
“Yes,” Sam said, “I think I’ll do that. Any information right now would be helpful.”
“Who is this Lahim Chode?” Emerius asked.
“He’s a seer,” Dr. Walt answered. “He has tipped us off with good information before.”
“You people and your magic,” he spat. “Give me a hunter’s instincts and a good bow any day.”
“Em!” Inoria said. “Be polite. We’re guests here.”
“I’m going to see Oro,” Emerius said. “You know how nervous he gets when he’s in new surroundings.” He got up and left the dining hall.
“I’m sorry for my brother,” Inoria said. “He’s tied up in knots about our younger brother. Please forgive him.”
Dr. Walt smiled at Inoria. “Of course, my dear, of course. We quite understand. No offense taken.”
After dinner, Sam accompanied Dr. Walt to Lahim Chode’s chambers. Rindu, Nalia, Inoria, and Danaba Kemp came as well.
“I wonder if Lahim will be able to tell us where to
go next,” Sam said, hoping someone would give him some hope.
The silence that was his answer was both ominous and depressing.
Chapter 37
“Come in,” Lahim Chode said in answer to the knock at his door.
Chode watched as Dr. Walt, Sam, Nalia, Rindu, Danaba Kemp, and some woman he had never seen before—she was dressed like some kind of hunter—filed into his chamber. He was glad to see that Sam and the others had returned safely from another day of trying to catch up to Rasaad. The teleportation thing was useful, he had to admit. Travel all day, come back home at night in the blink of the eye so that they didn’t have to carry food or tents. It was remarkable.
Sam smiled at Chode. “Lahim, you are looking even better than last time I saw you. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling well, Sam,” Chode answered, “thank you. I think I will be able to move around soon. It has been too long since I’ve been able to walk on my own. I’m looking forward to it.”
“That’s great,” Sam said. The skepticism Sam had shown previously seemed to have disappeared with their last conversation. That was good. Besides the fact that Sam was the “Hero of Gythe,” Lahim genuinely liked him.
“How is the search for Rasaad and Tingai going,” Lahim asked Sam. “Have you almost caught up to her?”
Sam’s head dropped and he sighed. “No. She got to the first artifact ahead of us. She used it to teleport away. We’re at a loss about what to do.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have a viewing of that. I have seen some things that I think are important, though. I have seen that an army is being built, soldiers being gathered. It has one purpose: to attack Whitehall and destroy every last vestige of the new government.”
“What?” Dr. Walt exclaimed. “Why would anyone do that? I don’t understand. Who is building this army?”
“I’m not sure,” Lahim said, “but who could it be but Ayim Rasaad? She has sent an assassin to kill you, Dr. Walt, trying to stall out the formation of the new government that way. Even if she does get all three artifacts, she still has to deal with a coalition of local governors. For that, she’ll need an army. Yes, I’m sure it’s her, though I didn’t see her specifically. I did, however, see her speaking to that assassin—she called him Vahi. She seemed to be giving him a special mission, but I could not hear it clearly. We must be wary of him as well.”
“Hold on there, mister,” Danaba Kemp said. “I need some details. What kind of army are you talking about? How many soldiers, and what kind? Infantry, mounted, pikes, archers, crossbows, what?”
“I only saw flashes of the army itself, Danaba. It looks to be thousands strong, maybe five thousand. Much of it is made up of mutated creatures, monsters of different shapes and sizes. All I know is that it will be marching here.”
“Five thousand?” Danaba Kemp said. “And made up of mutated creatures? There’s no way we can match those numbers.”
“Now, now, Danaba,” Dr. Walt said. “We don’t have to match their numbers. We have walls and cliffs, after all.”
“Yes,” Sam said, “but if Rasaad gets all three artifacts, she may be able to tear our walls down. We may have to fight.”
“I better get to work,” Danaba said. “I have to increase our numbers as soon as possible. There is recruitment, training, provisioning, and we’ll need weapons. Excuse me, but I need to go meet with my captains. I need to get started right away.” He left the room in a hurry.
“I’m sorry to give you such bad news,” Lahim said. “I thought it best to tell you as soon as possible.”
The seer looked at the grim faces around him. He had become used to that during his life, people being sad around him. It was an art, telling others about tragedies that would occur without having them blame him.
“There is one other thing,” he said. “I believe it could be helpful.”
“What is it?” Dr Walt asked.
“I believe I know where Ayim Rasaad’s home is, where she may have gone after she got the first artifact.”
“Really?” Sam said. “That’s great. We can go there and stop the army from being built, and prevent her from going to get the next artifact.”
It was Lahim’s turn to wear a sad face. “I’m afraid not, Sam. While it is true you might be able to find Rasaad there, her fortress is not the place I saw the army being built. That is being done somewhere far north of her home. I haven’t been able to pinpoint the location of the army, but I can tell you where Gutu, Ayim Rasaad’s home base, is. I’ll keep trying to find out where the army is headquartered.”
Sam looked as if his hopes had been crushed again. “Oh. Well, if you can give us the location of Gutu, that will be a start anyway. I’m sure that’s where Rasaad, Tingai, and all the captives teleported.”
“I’ll try my hardest to get the other information to you before you’ve reached Gutu,” Lahim said.
He leaned toward his nightstand and picked up a crude map he had drawn. “Here is where Gutu is. It’s more than five hundred miles from the destroyed hapaki community, to the south. I think that’s the closest place you can teleport to. Or, at least, it’s the shortest route that doesn’t involve going through many more mountain ranges than necessary.”
“That’s a long way,” Sam said.
“That’s where Rasaad is,” Lahim answered. “I’m sorry, Sam. I just view things. I don’t make them happen.”
“It’s okay,” he responded, forcing a smile. “There’s nothing that can be done about it. We should probably get started as soon as possible.” Sam looked to his friends, each one nodding or saying verbally the he or she would go. “That is, unless you have found the location of the other artifacts, Dr. Walt.”
“I am afraid not, Sam,” Dr. Walt said sadly. “I read the entire book from where we got the location of the Azgo and though there is information on the powers of the other two artifacts and some of the history of them, there is not a clue as to where they are hidden. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll go, too,” Inoria said. “Emerius will grumble about it, but it’s the only way to get to where Ancha is. I’ll go talk to him.”
“It looks like we’re going to be traveling again,” Sam said. “I’ll meet everyone in the morning, at the same location where we have been teleporting to and from. I have something I need to do tonight. Nalia, Rindu, can you help me?”
“Of course,” Rindu said.
Nalia nodded.
“I’ll come and talk to you later, Dr. Walt,” Sam said as he turned toward the door. “Lahim, thank you for your help. Please let us know if you find any other information.” He left with the others.
Dr. Walt remained for a moment. “Lahim,” he said, “how are you doing?”
“I’m doing much better,” he answered. “I feel stronger every day.”
“Okay,” Dr. Walt said. “Just don’t push too hard in trying to get more information. Your body is not healed completely yet. Don’t have a relapse. Do what you can, but don’t work so hard that you weaken yourself.”
“I won’t,” Lahim lied. “I want to get more information than I have, but I’ll be careful. Don’t worry about me.” He smiled a small smile and Dr. Walt seemed to believe it sincere.
“Very good,” the old scholar said. “Well, then, have a good night. I will talk with you soon.”
“Goodnight, Dr. Walt. Thank you again for nursing me back to health and all else you have done for me. I really do appreciate it.”
Dr. Walt waved as he left the room. Lahim Chode looked around his small chamber and sighed. He would have to double his efforts to find more helpful information. It was possible that he could be the difference between success and failure. People underestimated the value of knowledge, but not him. He knew its power as he knew that he was the only one who could get what they needed. He had better get to work. There was not a moment to waste.
Rindu and Nalia sat in Sam’s room as he tried to explain what he was going to do.
Rindu eyed him critically. �
�I am not sure what you are proposing is honorable.”
“Master Rindu,” Sam said, “they’re going to attack us with thousands of soldiers. We don’t even have an army. What I’m talking about doing will just even the odds a bit, no more.”
“It is taking unfair advantage of your unique situation, the powers you possess,” Rindu countered.
“It seems to me,” Sam said, “that it’s just using what power I possess. Is it unfair for one of the Zouyim to enter combat with a normal soldier, someone who doesn’t have the benefit of using the rohw, or of having trained his whole life to fight?”
“That is different,” Rindu said. “The power the Zouyim have over the rohw is within them. You are talking about using your power to obtain external things that can be used to unfairly turn the advantage to us. That is not honorable.”
“But it’s not honorable to send assassins or to gather an army to attack a lesser force. They’re not being honorable.”
“I know it is difficult,” Rindu said, “but such is the burden for one who must walk the true path, the wireh, the path of honor.”
Sam felt his mouth form a frown. “I have to do something.” His eyes dropped. Then, as a thought occurred to him, he raised his eyes and snapped his fingers. “I have it. How about I just get things that will protect us. Not offensive weapons, but defensive items. Would that be honorable?”
“It is unseemly to split hairs in such a way, Sam,” Rindu said, “but it would not be strictly dishonorable to obtain items that are meant for defense.”
“Yes.” Sam pumped his fist in the air, but, noticing Rindu’s expression, stopped. “I could get some body armor, riot shields, other things that are strictly defensive. That could help us. I know it could.”
Sam looked to Nalia. “Will you help me? Will you aid me in traveling back to Telani to gather some gear and then come right back here?”
Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set Page 80