Laughter bubbled from her lips. “Very good, lad,” she said. “I don’t know how you figured it out, but, aye, ‘tis me.” Her gaze flicked to Lenai. “Forgive me if I seem forward, but aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
Lenai raised her chin, fury blazing from her eyes. “Jason was able to save me. Your attempt to kill me failed.”
“Well, he’s a fine lad now, isn’t he? Always so helpful. So, you’re here, and so am I.” She turned back to the Loremasters with a wide smile. “The question is, what are you planning to do about it?”
Seryn laid a hand on Brin’s arm. “Stay your power. If we attack, we risk harming Delani. Even if we are able to defeat him, it will be Delani that pays the price.”
“What would you have us do?” he asked. “We cannot merely stand here and let Bodann destroy us, no matter who his vessel may be.”
“Give me your power,” Seryn said. “We must hope our combined strength is enough to protect ourselves.”
“A splendid idea!” Delani heard herself say. “You get ready, and let’s see just how strong you really are.”
A wall of force sprang up in front of the Loremasters, who were now standing to either side of Seryn, their hands on the shoulder of the one to the inside.
“All right, then,” Delani said. “Here we go.” A blast of amethyst power exploded against the shield. Then, a few moments later, another one, stronger than the first. The sound of the explosions echoed off the walls. Delani felt a moment of relief as she saw that their shield was holding. It won’t hold for long though. She renewed her efforts to probe Bodann’s thoughts and memories, trying to shut out the sound of the explosions as he continued his assault against the Circle’s defense. The images and sensations she saw and felt as she explored his mind were a jumble. Before she could fully focus on one, another had taken its place. As she struggled to comprehend what she was seeing, she noticed a few faces were showing up repeatedly, more than the others.
She concentrated on trying to hold onto the recurring images. There were places associated with the people she saw. Is this where he and Jason came from? Are these faces Bodann’s family and friends from before? She drove her senses deeper, trying to find out who these people were. She almost had it. Almost had the names to go with the faces. Then she heard Seryn cry out and turned her attention outward.
The Loremasters’ shield was still holding, but they were being driving backward. Another blast knocked them back further until they were standing next to the wall. One final attack, and the shield fell, leaving Seryn and the others defenseless.
“You guys run,” Jason said. “I’ll try to keep him busy.”
“Oh, lad,” she said. “I’ve got special plans for you. But first…” She turned back to the Loremasters. Delani could sense that his next attack would kill one of them. T’Kel. His focus was on the F’aar. She had to act now. As he drew back his arm to send the fatal blast of dimsai, Delani poured all of her power into pulling up one image from his past.
“Bothan? Bothan, love, why’d ye leave us?” Bodann lowered her hand. Delani could sense his confusion. Where T’Kel had stood a moment before, Bodann was now seeing his wife, Morna, gazing at him in sorrow. “I loved ye, Bothan. Why’d ye leave?”
“What is this?” she heard her voice ask. “You canna be here! How are you here?”
“I followed you,” the image of Morna told him. “I’ve been looking for so long. And noo I’ve found ye. Why do ye wantae harm me?”
“This canna be!” He turned her eyes to Brin, but saw instead his son, Fergus.
“Faither? Come hame, faither. You wis gonny take me huntin’. Why’d ye go away?”
“Why’d ye leave your family?” Morna asked. “We thought ye loved us. I thought ye loved me. And noo ye want to hurt me? Why?”
“What is this?” he shouted through her lips. Then she felt his attention turn inward. “Witch!” he said. Then he was gone. She was free!
She staggered as she regained control of her muscles, and then threw her head back as a corona of amethyst power erupted around her, and a scream of outrage tore from her throat. As the echoes of her scream died away, she saw the other Loremasters watching her warily. She realized how she must appear to them so she quenched her power and tried to bring her anger under control.
“I am free,” she told them. “Bodann has released me.”
“How can we be certain of this?” Seryn asked. “Why would he suddenly release you for no reason?”
“Because she’s a witch!” Bodann’s voice answered. She turned to see he had appeared in the room. “Aye, that was a fine trick, lass,” he told her. “Sure an’ I’ll be remembering that when the right time comes.” He looked at the rest of them, and then scanned the room. “This won’t do at all.” Without transition, they were in the main courtyard of the keep. He nodded as he looked around. “That’s better.”
“How did you do this?” Seryn gasped.
“Oh, you’ll find this is just the beginning of what I can do,” he answered with a grin. “But I’m thinking we need a few more folks to hear what I’ve got to say.” He gave them a wink. “I’ve always enjoyed being the center of attention.” Then his face took on a faraway expression. For a moment, he looked like he was lost in thought, and then a large crowd of people appeared. The men and women looked around in shock, and some of them acted like they were about to run, when Bodann’s voice, louder than any voice should be, rose above the sounds of confusion. “STOP! The first one who leaves this place will die. Stay where you are!” Then, in a more normal tone of voice, “You’ll want to hear what I’m about to say.”
Once the crowd was silent, he spread his arms wide. “For any who do not know, I am Bodann. And I am the new ruler of Teleria. You may bow down to me now.”
The people looked at the Loremasters, clearly hoping the Circle could protect them.
“I SAID BOW!” A thunderous explosion split the air as Bodann roared at the crowd. Almost as one, the men and women dropped to their knees. Bodann lowered his arms and slowly turned in a circle. “Much better,” he said with a smile.
As he turned, Delani saw one figure stand up behind him. No! Before she could say anything, the man threw a long dagger at Bodann’s exposed back. As it spun toward him, Bodann lifted one finger. The dagger stopped mid-flight, hanging motionless in the air. He turned to see his attacker.
“Tor!” Seryn cried. “What have you done?”
“Tor, is it?” Bodann said. “Not very sporting, trying to stab a man in the back. Let’s have a look at you.” He gestured, and Tor flew forward, landing roughly on the ground in front of the crowd. The dagger still hung in the air several paces ahead of him, between him and Bodann. Bodann tilted his head to the side. “Now, perhaps you could tell me why you thought that was a good idea.”
“You killed my betrothed!” Tor shouted at him as he climbed to his feet. “What you did to Lenai led to Elira’s death, and I have sworn to avenge her or die trying.”
Bodann stared at him for a long moment, and then said, “Ah, lad. I know what it feels like to lose someone dear to you. Truly, I do. But what if I were to tell you that you dinna have to live without her? That you could be with your love again?”
“You…you can bring Elira back?”
“Well, not quite.” The dagger spun in the air, the point now facing Tor. Then, instead of one dagger, there was a dozen. Before anyone could react, the daggers shot forward and buried themselves in Tor’s flesh. The young man looked down at the handles, and then back at Bodann, his face a mixture of shock and confusion as he slowly sank to the ground.
“No!” Seryn’s distraught cry seemed to help Tor focus for a brief moment. His gaze went to her.
“At least I will be with Elira,” he whispered. Then his eyes closed.
It was all Delani could do to hold the rage she felt in check. She knew the other Loremasters felt it as well. She knew equally well that to attack Bodann now would be futile. So, she forced her anger down
and waited to hear what he would say next.
“Well!” Bodann said to them. “It’s good to see a man who fulfills his vows, aye?”
“You are a beast,” Seryn breathed. Her grief and rage gave her voice a raspy edge.
“Aye, you may be right,” he answered. “But if I am, ‘tis because the Circle made me one.” He looked at Jason. “Now, lad. Let’s you and I have a talk while these fine people adjust to their new way o’ life.”
Then Bodann and Jason disappeared.
Along Came a Spider
Lenai closed her eyes, trying to focus all of her senses on what she was feeling from Jason. She was in the healing area, along with Seryn, Meryl, and Reyga. It had been the better part of the night since Bodann had taken Jason, and there had been no sign of either of them since. The remainder of the Circle was elsewhere in the keep, making preparations for the approaching Manarach army. They had worked throughout the night, and the sky was just showing the first signs of the approaching day.
“What are you feeling?” Reyga asked again. “Is Jason well? Can you tell what Bodann is doing?”
For one of the few times since she had met Reyga, she found the sound of his voice irritating. Humans seemed to have a more difficult time remaining silent than Shanthi did. She tried to push her annoyance aside; she knew he was just as worried about Jason as she was. The loss of a night’s sleep did not help either of them.
“His feelings are jumbled,” she said. “I sense anger, frustration, worry, confusion, always changing.” She did not mention the occasional bursts of fear she also felt from Jason. They were brief, and quickly replaced by anger and resolve. Fear in and of itself was not a weakness, so long as one did not let it control them. Jason was facing his fear courageously. The others did not need to know about it.
“What is Bodann doing to him? Is he in pain? Is Bodann hurting him?”
“Loremaster Reyga!” She forced her irritation back down, and went on in a more subdued tone of voice. “You know, as well as any, that the Bond does not tell us anything except feelings and emotions. Physical sensations are not revealed. I do not know what Bodann is doing, but if Jason’s emotions are any indication, I would say that Bodann is most likely attacking or torturing him. He is resisting, however.” As she mentioned the torture, she had to push her own fear away, allowing it to also be replaced by anger and resolve.
“Of course. Forgive me, Lenai,” he said. “I am just worried about Jason.”
“As are we all,” Seryn said. “Lenai, I know you feel the bond between you and Jason to be a potential threat to him, but at times like these, it is difficult to overstate its value. By your connection to him, we at least know he is still alive. And as long as there is life, there is hope.”
Lenai nodded as she recognized the wisdom in Seryn’s words. “You are right,” she said. “It is just frustration at our inability to act that has me on edge. Loremaster Reyga, I apologize for my outburst. It was unnecessary.”
“As were my persistent questions,” he said. “But both are past. We will speak of neither anymore.”
“Can you tell us anything further?” Seryn asked.
Lenai focused on Jason again. “His confusion is growing, and now…“ She stopped talking as her connection to Jason seemed to end. She concentrated on what she could feel, and then relaxed as a glimmer of emotion came through. “I believe he is unconscious. Bodann may have—”
“Bodann has taught the whelp a lesson,” Bodann’s voice interrupted. They spun around to see Bodann in the room, with Jason, his eyes closed, floating in the air beside him. Without warning, Jason’s body dropped to the ground. Bodann looked at Seryn. “Fix him up. I’ll be back for him later. He still has many lessons left to learn.”
They rushed to Jason, and lifted him onto one of the tables. Once he was settled, Lenai turned to Bodann. “Ishtana kel rishna!”
“Well,” Bodann said, “I’m not sure what that means, but I’m certain it’s not a ‘how do you do.’”
Lenai glared at him without answering. She wanted nothing more than to bury her blade in his heart, but she knew, with his power, she would never get close before he killed her. And if that happened, Jason might have to go through what she had endured when he died. Perhaps it was not as traumatic for humans, but she was not willing to take that risk. Now was not the time for foolish actions. She would wait. If the opportunity presented itself, she would take it. Until then, all any of them could do was wait. She stared at Bodann until he turned back to Seryn.
“And you, Seryn,” he said. “How are you settling in to your new position? Is there anythin’ I can do to help?”
“You have ‘helped’ enough, I think. I can only assume the sandbarb was your doing?”
“Oh, aye, that was me. But if it’s any consolation, the beastie wasn’t meant for Tal. It was intended for his son. It was Tal’s own sense of nobility that got him killed.”
“But why?” Reyga asked.
“I lost three sons when I came here, and you all acted like that’s just the way things go. I thought it only fitting that Tal, given his place as the High One, should lose at least one. Not quite even, but then he’d know how it felt.”
“But you knew your sons still lived,” Seryn said. “You intended Tal’s to die. How was that fitting?”
“They may as well have been dead!” Bodann shouted. “I was never going to see them again, and you Loremasters acted like I should be just fine with that.”
“No one took your loss lightly,” Reyga said. “But there was nothing we could do.”
“You’ll forgive me if I question how hard you tried,” Bodann said. “After all, they weren’t your sons, now were they?” He waved his hand as they started to speak. “Enough. I’m tired of talking. Fix the lad up, at least as best you can. I’ll be back for him in a while.” He started to turn away, and then stopped himself. “And dinna think you can hide him from me. There’s no place in Teleria I canna find him.” Then he was gone.
They all looked around the room, making sure he was really gone. Then they turned to Jason. Seryn called up her power and began examining him while the others watched.
“His injuries are severe, but treatable,” she told them. She looked at Meryl. “Prepare one of the beds while I tend to Jason.” Before Meryl could move, a Warder entered the room.
“High One, the Manarachs are approaching.”
*****
Gatlor stood on the battlement, staring down at the approaching Manarach army. They were not approaching the front of Lore’s Haven, which, due to how the keep was situated on the plateau, would be the most logical and easiest approach. Instead, the creatures were coming from the side, which would require them to climb up a slope covered with loose rock and scree. Three Manarach, considerably larger than the rest, waited just outside the forest. Those must be the queens. Although most of the creatures were still hidden in the forest below, Amethyst scouts, looking through the eyes of their hawks, estimated the size of the enemy to be just less than half that of the force on the Scorched Plains. The ones he could see were milling about at the base of the slope, just outside the tree line.
“A daunting sight, to be sure,” Calador said, standing beside him.
Even though the warrior was not completely recovered, he had insisted on joining Gatlor on the battlement. The healers had reluctantly allowed him to leave the healing area. After all, who is going to argue with a Dokal? Gatlor glanced at him, noting the new scars marking his arms. “Aye, they are formidable creatures,” he said.
“Approaching from this side gives them an advantage,” Calador continued. “They can navigate this terrain, where others cannot.”
“True,” Gatlor said. “It would be a good tactic in an ordinary battle. Fortunately for us, they have no dimsai abilities. Between our saiken and archers, this should be over quickly, with minimal casualties to our forces. None need risk themselves on that slope.”
“Fortunate indeed,” Seerka added from his other sid
e, “since we did not have time to assemble additional forces of our own.”
Gatlor had to agree. Although the enemy below numbered less than half of what they had faced on the Scorched Plains, the fact that they were all Manarachs made this army far more lethal. Without dimsai, the outlook would be grim. His warriors, even as well-trained as they were, would stand little chance in a face to face confrontation with an army of such creatures. With dimsai, the scales tipped heavily in the favor of Lore’s Haven. His presence here, while required, was mainly a precaution in case anything went awry.
“However, even with their ability to use this route, I do not understand their objective,” Seerka said. “The walls of the keep are too smooth to give them purchase. How do they hope to gain entrance?”
“I doubt they get close enough for us to find out,” Gatlor replied.
It was just as well that this did not look to be a difficult encounter, as even his highly trained warrior’s mind was having difficulty coming to terms with the loss of the High One. Watching Loremaster Seryn allow Tal Vardyn to die still grated on his nerves. With the Altered threatening, and now with Bodann back, the loss of the High One’s wisdom and leadership was a crushing blow, not only to their prospects of survival, but also to the general morale of the Haven forces. While none could deny Loremaster Seryn’s accomplishments as a healer, a healer was not what they needed to lead them against the current threats.
His feelings about the High One’s death went beyond their current situation as well. Although his predecessor, Captain Bartyn, had made the recommendation for Gatlor to succeed him, it had been the High One who had given final approval, making Gatlor the youngest Captain to ever lead the Lore’s Haven forces. And it had been Tal Vardyn who had stepped aside and allowed Gatlor’s older brother, Toren, to bestow the Captain’s Sword on him, a duty traditionally reserved for the High One. Tal had always allowed, even encouraged, Gatlor to speak his mind, and always came to him for counsel in anything that might involve battle. He had respected Gatlor in every way, and had earned Gatlor’s respect in return. His loss, especially while under Gatlor’s protection, haunted his every waking moment. If Seryn had saved him, if she had done her duty, it might have absolved Gatlor, in some small way, of his own failure to protect the High One. But she had allowed him to die instead. And now she was the new High One. It would take all of his self-discipline to accept orders from a person who had failed to fulfill the duties of their office.
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