Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire

by Spencer Johnson

  “Well now that you mention it…” Cero focused on a piece of rock on the cave wall behind Urake.

  “You obviously have something to say that I won’t like so why don’t you just come out and tell me.” Urake spied Ice Heart lying beside his bed roll. Picking it up he felt a slight tingle in his palm, but the headache vanished. He silently berated himself and Eld’or when he couldn’t bring himself to lay it back down.

  “Torroth is taking Anissa somewhere safe. He can’t resist those purple eyes. Men are stupid when they fall in love.” Inadar frowned mightily at her admission.

  “Niman and Arken took off two nights ago.” Cero further expounded. Urake looked at them both for a moment before laughing.

  “I hadn’t expected Arken to take off. Especially with Niman. I thought the two were on the verge of hating each other. On the other hand, I expected Torroth and Inadar to be the first ones to make a break for it and never expected you to stay with us and Torroth to be the one leaving.”

  “We had a difference of opinions.” Inadar looked away, gladly taking advantage of Emeck’s appearance.

  “Oh thank heavens. You’re awake. I wasn’t sure I could go through that again.” Emeck sagged against the cave wall in relief.

  Chapter Twelve: Preparation

  Balinor swirled the water in the cup and eyed the sediment that was collecting in the middle at the bottom of the mug. There was a pebble of respectable size in addition to the usual gritty sand. A small mound of silt had begun collecting now that the water was swirling slower. Held to the light, one could see the brown tint to the water against the bright tin of the mug. It brought back memories of campaigns fought during the Clan Wars. Sipping the water cautiously, he grimaced. It tasted of dead vegetation that had soaked in the water for too long. A sort of pungent tea like aftertaste that destroyed one’s desire for another sip.

  Balinor had left Keom under Em’risi and Redzyn’s command before moved up north to have a more personal hand in commanding the troops holding back Reigns’ advance. There was little doubt of who was in command and who deferred. Redzyn had been the choice because he deferred without struggling futilely against Em’risi. There was also the fact that he deferred after asking his questions. A balanced between the arrogance that he found in his reflection every time he thought of Em’risi’s arched eye brow and the subservience of a weaker willed man. He granted the Princess her authority, not that he had a choice, but he didn’t want her to retain it effortlessly. It was peculiar having an argument with her. Half the time, he would remind himself that she was in the right and the other half of the time, he wished she had said he was wrong without that infuriating eyebrow while she waited for him to get to the inevitable conclusion. Redzyn managed to avoid the majority of those situations by simply holding his tongue.

  Balinor had spent many an hour thinking about the advice that Urake had given concerning the defense of the north. His experience had nearly entirely been on the flat plains of the midlands with the empire’s might at his back. This warfare in the dense forests of the Outlands was something that he had little experience with. It had taken a fair amount of studying the maps and discussing tactics with the majors before they had developed a unified front capable of withstanding the sheer might that Reigns was bringing down on them.

  The intelligence that he had received, after Lortin’s attack on the blockade, had not been very encouraging. The noble houses had been slowly gathering troops, but they had remained stationary at the mouth of the Outlands. There had been no sign of the expected advance. Another report stated that they had set up their tents and flags and showed no intention of moving. This was perplexing to Balinor until a few days later. He had received another report following close on the heels of one that described the northern port consumed by a massive conflagration. The next report had detailed a large mass of infantry being marched overland from the port to join the noble houses camped at the mouth of the Outlands.

  Balinor knew few of the details, although he could surmise some of what happened. Cold shivers traveled his spine every time he thought about it. It didn’t seem possible that one man, even with the help of the men that Urake had taken with him, could have been responsible for destroying the entire harbor full of ships. The fact that there had been such a large quantity of infantry stationed at the port combined with the fact that they were being moved only after the ships were destroyed could only have meant one thing. That sent a new set of shivers down his spine. How close they had come to being flanked and overrun was anyone’s guess.

  The noble houses had begun moving as soon as the reinforcements arrived. House Inarack had originally been the house at the front leading to the fact that progress had been slow once Balinor’s men had met them at the tree line. There had been no casualties as the Inarack troops had been hasty to retreat at any sign of trouble. There had subsequently been a shift among the soldiers at the front to a house loyal to Reigns. Either Uskyn or Loneka, he wasn’t entirely sure. Balinor had been forced to retreat in the face of these more enthusiastic soldiers. Again, progress had slowed as there was not a usable foot trail when they retreated. The roads were torn up, trees were fallen, and traps were set. The wild game was driven south ahead of the retreat and Tusul’s miraculous potion was applied to every watering hole they could find.

  Word was that dysentery was rife among the camps. Some days, there was so much sickness that there was no advancement. Unfortunately, this boon lasted only as long as it took them to discover that the water carried the illness. For a time, they knew not what to do about the plague. Unfortunately, they discovered that the effect was limited, or not present at all, if only water from fresh flowing streams was consumed. Balinor then set to stopping up every source of fresh water that could be found. The advance had slowed to a crawl as they had been forced to scrounge for these caches of liquid gold. The latest word was that they were having to transport their entire water supply from known safe sources. The advance had picked up again until one brave volunteer, from among Balinor’s ranks, had infiltrated through the lines and had been dosing the storage barrels of water.

  ***

  Em’risi paced back and forth while intently watching the patterns of colors that emanated from each of the men arranged before her. Nervousness was the predominant emotion with subtle hues associated with fear. These men were all Gifted. Many of them probably didn’t yet know this fact. She guessed that the ones with the greatest shades of fear probably knew and were afraid that they had been singled out. They had been singled out for being Gifted, but not for the reasons that they feared. However, there was one that didn’t seem afraid. His hawkish black eyes were criticizing her as much as she was examining the rest of them. When she stopped in front of him, he suddenly looked confused and dropped his eyes. She smiled as his agitated lights retracted around him, shying away from touching any of the other’s colors, a telepath. Emeck had explained enough that she had been able to sense the probe and had not even had to work at blocking it. As brief as it was, she had no doubt as to the probe’s existence or origin.

  Em’risi glanced at her bodyguard and at the surly Redzyn. She had discussed what she knew of Alvin’s abilities and after some experimentation, he had been able to expand his abilities from simply correcting the path of his arrows or throwing blades, to being able to move small objects. He had even shown some skill in unlocking some simple locks.

  “Men, you probably are wondering why you are here.” Em’risi paused as she watched nervousness, apprehension, and worry flare. “Each of you is Gifted.” A hand cautiously was held up by one of the braver men as apprehension flared stronger in half the group, equal parts of the ones that she figured knew and the ones that didn’t know.

  “With all respect, I don’t know what rumors you heard, but you can’t know the truth of them. There are just rumors about humans having Gifts. We aren’t elves or anything.” The skittish looking young man who had raised his hand inquired hesitantly when Em’risi directed
her gaze towards him. In response, she nodded towards Alvin who flung a small rock at the man’s chest. She watched without blinking as he caught the rock before spinning in a blur and hurling it back at Alvin. She glanced over to see the rock hovering a few inches away from his face before it dropped to the ground.

  “Ask this one.” Em’risi stopped and gave the black eyed telepath a pointed look.

  “I don’t understand…” Em’risi almost looked disappointed as he shrank back.

  “All right… I will explain it for you. I am Gifted.” Em’risi was disappointed when all the men in the line flinched and involuntarily stepped back. Even the ones she suspected knew of their Gifts. She also saw Redzyn’s expression darken. It had been a point of contention between them. He felt that she should keep that fact secret, as if it was something to be ashamed of. He feared that the men would abandon her if they knew what she was. She contended that her men couldn’t trust her if she kept it secret from the very men she proposed to train in the use of their Gifts.

  “I still don’t understand. What do you intend on doing with us?” The original questioner spoke again. By the colors in his aura, his knees should have been knocking and his voice resemble that of someone being led to his execution.

  “An excellent question. I’m sure that you have heard the rumors about the army that is advancing on us. I have also overheard rumors detailing how outnumbered we are. As Gifted, you are worth a dozen men if you are trained with your abilities. We need every advantage that we can get.”

  “So… you are going to train us?” The inquisitive soldier bore an incredulous expression. The news that they were intended to face hostile armies instead of an executioner’s axe seemed to have calmed his frayed nerves to a surprising extent.

  “Yes, Alvin will train you in combat techniques and I will train you with your Gifts.” Em’risi saw a sudden, although not unexpected flair of surprise mixed with a little distain. The men glanced between themselves and back to her. She knew that they were asking themselves what a young woman thought she could train them in the use of their Gifts. Best not let them linger on that thought before genuine doubt set roots. “Shall we begin?”

  “We aren’t going to do it, you know, here in Keom are we?” The hawk eyed one inquired nervously. “People might see us.”

  “True. I thought that we might require some privacy so we will be doing our training in the Sea Fort.” Em’risi ignored the mumbling and turned on her heel with Alvin right behind. The men took the implied order and fell into line with Redzyn taking up the last place. It was not unusual for Em’risi to be seen in the city so there was nothing more than the curious glance cast in her direction as she led the procession through the streets. It wasn’t long before they passed through the ancient gate that presided over the entrance to the Sea Fort. Inside was a large courtyard with only a couple workers busy repairing the wall. The stairs along the inside to the top had been especially eroded by the elements and where base material permitted, had to be chiseled out. Other places were being built back up enough to match the rest of the stair. A few ancient sections of the cobble stone had come up and were still being re-laid, but the majority of the work had been completed. There was only the last couple workmen present.

  “What are we supposed to do now? Most of us don’t even know what our powers are.” A new voice, belonging to a scruffy young soldier near the front, inquired restlessly.

  “Alvin will begin testing you to find what weapon and fighting style will suit you best while I begin examinations to determine what your Gifts are. I will start with you. The erin valker.” Em’risi motioned the inordinately nervous man who had been asking the first questions to a bench while she took a seat on the opposite side.

  “What is an erin valker? What does that mean?”

  “Erin valker is a term from the ancient tongue that basically means fast mover. You seem to already have a basic understanding of what your Gift is so why don’t you tell me what you know about it. Your name would also be nice.”

  “I’m Arkis. If I’m not mistaken, then you are Em’risi. What exactly is your Gift, if I’m not being rude by asking?”

  “Not necessarily rude. Perhaps a little impertinent, but a legitimate question nonetheless. I am rarely mistaken for being other than Princess Em’risi, but it would save time if you simply call me Em’risi. Also, don’t think that I have forgotten that you haven’t answered my question; however, I will answer your question if you will answer mine. I can see people’s energy. For those that aren’t Gifted, I can see their emotions as colors. For people that are Gifted, I can see more, like how you use your energy with your Gifts. Now it is your turn.” Em’risi leaned back as Arkis flushed and seemed to force the words out like a confession.

  “I wish my Gift was something so easy to hide. If I lose concentration, then I move too fast, like when your bodyguard threw that rock at me. It started when I was young. I was always fast. I never lost any foot races, but then I just kept getting faster until I could outrun a horse. It was then that I knew that there was something wrong. It has been getting worse ever since.” Arkis hung his head with the tips of his ears matching the red on his cheeks and neck.

  “It is nothing to be ashamed of. What you have is a gift.”

  “It was all right for you, but I would have been killed if anyone had found out.”

  “I kept it secret until just recently. Only one other person knew. When we depose Reigns, I will change the laws. That is what we are fighting for.”

  “You want to get rid of Reigns so we can walk around without hiding?” Arkis brightened at the thought.

  “To end tyranny and, by extension, we would gain that privilege. Thank you, Arkis, for telling me. I think Alvin wants to speak with you now.” After Arkis had vacated his seat, the hawk eyed young man took his place.

  “I want to know how you did what you did.” Em’risi didn’t respond right away as she watched his energy dance around him. She smiled as he tried reading her again with the same result.

  “Please, explain what you mean Varis.” He may not have succeeded in his probe, but he had left something behind. A name and a couple scraps of emotion. Most were describable in terms of relief or excitement.

  “Every time I try to find out what you are thinking, I see a flash and feel like I got punched in the nose. I have never met someone that could do that.”

  “I didn’t know that I had any effect on you. All I saw was your energy extending towards me, then falling back.”

  “Can I try again? I mean, if it is all right with you Princess.”

  “Sure. After all, it is your nose.” Varis looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned on his face. This time, Em’risi saw his energy draw together forming a tight spiral of pale light that grew towards her head. He looked like he was concentrating intensely until Em’risi reached out and tried to touch his energy with her hand. It looked like a spark passed between her finger and the arm of light, rippling into Varis’ body and apparently throwing him backwards off the bench.

  “Damn it! By the deep, that hurt!” Varis held his head and staggered to his feet while squinting at Em’risi.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Em’risi apologized before noticing that all the men were staring at the two of them with their mouths open.

  “It feels like the time I got kicked in the head by that damn mule. Sorry for my language. I grew up on the streets before being drafted into the army.” Varis shook his head and blinked a couple times before going to the water trough and dunking his head beneath the water a few seconds. Em’risi turned her gaze to a middling height man that was fingering a wooden quarterstaff and who suddenly looked fearful.

  “What is your name? There isn’t anything to be afraid of. I don’t bite. Normally.” Em’risi laughed softly as the young man looked over his shoulder at where Varis was sitting with his dripping head in his hands.

  “Carlisle. My name is Carlisle. With all due respect, I thin
k you made a mistake. I don’t have any Gifts.”

  “Carlisle, I am forced to disagree with you. Your Gift is unlike any that I have seen. I can see that you have energy, but I can’t tell what your colors are. Alvin did some experimentation and found that his abilities don’t work in your vicinity.” Em’risi gave Alvin a nod and he came over after giving instructions to the men he was working with. A small rock lifted off the ground and began moving towards a nervous Carlisle. Em’risi could see the gray energy wrapped around the rock until it entered the colorless distortions that rippled around Carlisle. At that point, the gray energy simply melted and the rock fell to the ground as Carlisle licked his lips nervously.

  “I don’t understand. What is that supposed to prove?” Carlisle inquired as Alvin returned to overseeing a couple of the other sparing men.

  “Your ability seems to be that of nullifying other people’s Gifts. It will take some time to understand it fully, but I can assure you that your ability can be quite beneficial if you learn to control it.” Em’risi thought back to the time the assassins had surrounded them and the pyromancer had been preparing to hurl a fireball at her head. It would have rendered the entire band relatively harmless if their powers had been disabled. At least as harmless as a band of armed men could be.

  “I still think there is a mistake.” Carlisle said without much conviction as he got to his feet and returned to his staff once Em’risi dismissed him. She then summoned her next subject with a glance.

  “So what am I?” A brawny man with a scruffy beard took the seat opposite of Em’risi with a smirk. She took a moment to observe the twisting colors that surrounded him before responding. There was gray with blue and white hues that seemed to clash in an endless arcing mass of color.