She took his hand. “It’s not long enough. You’ve only just arrived.”
Jayden smiled. “I know. But we’ll have as much time as we want once this is over.”
“I’d like to travel,” she told him. “Just the three of us. I want to see as much of the world as I can.”
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We will. Though I think there will be four of us, if Mother has her way.”
“She will get better, won’t she?” she asked, eyes downcast. “I need to hear it.”
At that moment she appeared to him as the little girl he’d known before she left for Baltria. “Of course she will. I’ll find Father, and he’ll make her better.”
“Promise me you won’t get yourself killed. That you won’t do anything foolish.”
He gave her a roguish grin. “Me? Who’s more careful than I am?”
She did not return the smile. “I’m serious, Jayden. This isn’t a game. The gods want you dead. The gods!”
“There’s nothing I can do about that. Anyway, maybe you’re worrying too much. If it were within their power to just come down from heaven and kill me, I think they would have done it by now.”
He could see his words were not helping. “Listen to me, Maybell. I promise you I’ll be as careful as I can. I will find Father, and I will not get myself killed. If you’ve ever believed anything, believe that.”
This seemed to have an effect. Her lips formed a tiny smile. “I believe you. But you should be sure to say that to Penelope as well.”
Jayden raised an eyebrow. “I will if you want me to.”
He had not noticed Penelope behaving as if she were too worried. At least not as much as Maybell. Most of the time she’d appeared to be her usual pragmatic and somewhat distant self.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Maybell said, as if reading his thoughts. “She might act tough, but I know she’s about a hair’s breadth away from abandoning everything and going with you.”
Jayden looked over his shoulder to where his other sister was walking beside Linis and Sayia. In a strange way, knowing that she cared more than she let on made him feel good. Not that he doubted her love. It was just that she rarely expressed it openly.
“I’ll speak with her,” he promised.
The piercing cry of the seagulls was suddenly unwelcome. The excitement to begin his journey he’d felt only minutes before was now drained away. In the short time he’d spent with Maybell and Penelope, a realization had dawned. A piece of him had been missing. He now had a sense of belonging that he’d never felt in Sharpstone. He would keep his promise; he would survive. And together they would see the world, just like Maybell had said.
It was well past midday when the sound of the breakers at last reached the party. This visibly lifted their spirits as the danger of pursuit faded and the prospect of a hot meal grew.
Loroni Rock towered high above the dunes that concealed the shore. A swirling mixture of red and black granite, it stood more than a hundred feet tall, its winding form looking as if a great hand had reached down and twisted it up from the depths of the earth. It was believed to have been used in the distant past as a lighthouse for some ancient city, though any evidence of this had long since deteriorated. Other rumors suggested that it was the earthly home of Saraf. Many of his followers had indeed once come here to cast offerings into the sea in order to gain his favor, though this practice had been abandoned in recent years. Elves were known to wander the forests nearby, and most humans still felt uneasy in the wild when they were around. Worship these days was largely confined to within the temples.
A lone figure crested a dune ahead of them and raised a hand. Sayia returned the gesture.
She then turned to Jayden. “You and your sisters can have a few hours to say farewell. It will take time to transport everyone aboard.”
“What do you mean?” he demanded. “We’re all getting on your ship, aren’t we?”
“Maybell and Penelope will be. You and I will not.”
Jayden squared his shoulders. “When did you decide this?” He’d assumed they would be together on the ship, at least for a short time.
“Does it matter?” she asked.
“Yes, it matters a lot,” he snapped back. “You aren’t the leader here. You don’t get to make all the decisions.”
“I have no intention of doing so. In this case, however, if the Vrykol follows us, we will need it to believe that you are aboard the ship.”
Jayden sniffed. “Yes. Because only a fool wouldn’t be.”
Whenever he had raised his tone to the elf woman, she’d appeared utterly unmoved. Now, though, he thought he saw an ever so slight twitch mar her expression.
“Foolish or not, that is our course,” she replied. “And I suggest that in the future, you learn to listen to the council of those older and more experienced than yourself.”
“You’ll need a few more supplies for your journey,” Linis hastily interjected. “If your ship can spare them, I can give you a list of what you might need.”
Sayia nodded. “Thank you. You are most kind.”
She led Linis away, leaving Jayden still fuming.
“She doesn’t mean to be difficult,” said Maybell.
“I can’t believe I’m going to spend weeks traveling with that woman,” he responded. “How can you stand her? She’s infuriating.”
Maybell laughed. “She’s really a nice person, I promise. And she’s a fine teacher. I’m sure you’ll find a way to get along.”
He stared after Sayia as she and Linis spoke with a member of the ship’s crew. “It’s not just what she says, it’s the way she looks at me all the time. I know she’s hiding something.”
“If she is, then I’m sure there’s a good reason.” Maybell took his hand. “Come. We don’t have much time left.”
They found a spot between two dunes where they could sit and talk away from the others. People were already being loaded into the landing craft and transported across to the ship, which was anchored a few hundred yards away from the rock. Penelope joined them shortly afterwards holding a small tin flask. Within moments, the air filled with the aroma of plum brandy.
“Aren’t you a little young for that?” Jayden teased, snatching the flask away and taking a small sip.
“Mother says elf children mature faster,” she said, feigning offence. “She let me drink wine when I was only six.”
Maybell pushed her sister playfully. “Liar! Mother caught you stealing a drink from the bottle.”
Jayden laughed. “I remember that. She made you drink the whole cup at once.”
Penelope’s mouth twisted as if she had just tasted something foul. “I couldn’t bring myself to drink wine again until about a year ago. Even then I watered it down.”
“She knew just how to make us sorry for misbehaving,” said Maybell.
“What would you know about that?” Jayden asked. “I can’t recall you getting in trouble. Not even one time.”
“Little Miss Perfect was too scared to act up,” added Penelope.
“That’s not true!” Maybell objected. “I can’t help it if I was better at getting away with things than you two.”
They talked and laughed for more than two hours, reminiscing over the days back in Sharpstone – happy days before the world and its problems had intruded into their lives. Throughout, Jayden kept glancing over to the gathering of people preparing to board the ship, his heart aching each time the landing boat ferrying them reduced their number.
When he spotted Linis and Sayia approaching, Sayia with a pack across her back and Linis carrying another, he knew it was time.
Maybell burst into tears. “It’s too quick,” she sobbed. “We’re not ready yet.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s all right. We’ll see one another again soon, I promise.”
Penelope joined the embrace. “Of course we will,” she added.
It was heartbreaking for Jayden to release his sisters. He glance
d up at Sayia standing over them. Her expression was a stone mask.
As if in response to an unspoken command, the three of them rose to their feet as one. Jayden stepped back, allowing Penelope and Maybell to say their farewells to the elf woman. It was during this parting embrace that, for the very first time, he saw a hint of emotion on Sayia’s face. Not that he thought her devoid of feeling. But seeing even this small display made him feel a little more at ease about traveling with her. She was hiding something, of that he was sure. Thus far, trust in her had been a commodity that was difficult to find.
“I don’t want you to worry,” Linis told him. “I’ll take good care of your sisters – and your mother. You just concentrate on finding your father.”
Jayden held out his hand. “I will.”
With a laugh, Linis brushed his offered hand aside, electing instead to give him a firm hug. “You take care of yourself, Master Stedding. And find your way safely home.”
As he drew back, Jayden noticed him flash Sayia a peculiar look. It was gone in an instant.
Teary eyed and gripping each other’s hand, Penelope and Maybell hesitated for a painfully long moment before finally following Linis down to the waiting landing craft. Maybell looked back just once. After that she needed the support of her sister to continue the rest of the way.
“Come,” said Sayia. “We cannot delay. The Vrykol is still hunting us.
Jayden cocked his head. If they’d been followed, he would have bet anything on Linis being aware of it. “Are you sure about that?”
“He’s tracked us the entire way,” she replied. “Hopefully, he’ll think we have all boarded the ship and turn back. But if he finds us here, we’ll be forced to fight. And until you are trained, this creature is not an opponent you are ready to face – even with my help.”
“But won’t it just follow those on the ship?”
“Possibly. If we’re lucky.”
“And you sent them anyway?” His anger began to swell.
“The Vrykol is after you. Not your sisters. And even were that not the case, they are more than a match for it.” She tossed Jayden the pack that Linis had left on the ground nearby. “No time for questions. I need you to trust me.”
Such was his fury, Jayden barely heard her last few words. Tossing the pack back down, he ran as fast as he could toward the beach. It was pointless; the small boat was already well on its way to the ship. He spun around and returned to where Sayia was waiting. He longed to strike her, and was only just able to resist the urge.
“The Vrykol will be here soon,” she reminded him. “We need to be far enough away so that he cannot sense your presence.” Without waiting for a reply, she set off at a quick jog.
Jayden waited nearly a minute for his temper to cool before chasing after her. She was moving swiftly, and it took no small effort to catch up.
“Do not use the flow until I tell you that it’s safe,” she warned, once he was within earshot.
Use the flow? It wasn’t as if he was able to do so on command anyway. He wanted to say something back to her...something cutting. He shook away these thoughts. He mustn’t let his suspicion and dislike for the woman cloud his mind. If the Vrykol really were after them, then she was right to want to escape. He might be young and brash, but he sure as hell wasn’t stupid. If one as powerful as Sayia feared the creature, he should do so as well.
Quickening their pace, they plunged headlong into the forest. Sayia proved to be quite adept at winding between the trees and brush, though naturally, nowhere near as accomplished as Linis. Or himself, for that matter. Most of his childhood had been spent tramping around in the wild with either his parents or Linis. The seeker had often praised his ability to read the signs that would guide him to the best path. He even considered taking the lead, if for no other reason than to irritate Sayia. But as he had no idea where they were going, the notion was quickly dismissed.
After more than five miles, Sayia halted, her expression dark and her body tense. She closed her eyes for several seconds.
“Is it following us?” Jayden asked.
“Quiet,” she snapped.
All he could hear was the rustle of the wind through the high branches and the chirping of the birds. He sniffed the air. The salty aroma of the sea was now gone, replaced by the musky smell of pine and earth. A deer was grazing somewhere off to their right, and a family of gophers scurried about beneath a pile of leaves and twigs a few yards behind them.
“No one is here,” he stated, keeping his tone at a defiantly normal level.
“I said be quiet.”
“I’ve spend my entire life in the woods,” Jayden boasted, continuing to disregard her order. “There’s no one here but us.”
“You should listen to your elf guide, boy,” a voice called. “She is clearly wiser than you.”
Rapidly shedding his pack, Jayden reached for his blade. It sounded like the Vrykol he had fought with in the temple. He tried to determine the voice’s location, but it was as if it surrounded them.
“Show yourself,” he demanded.
Sayia had also let her pack drop, though her two long knifes remained in their sheaths. “Stay close to me,” she said.
“You didn’t think I would be fooled by that little trick, did you?” the voice continued.
This time Jayden thought it came from a particularly thick patch of the forest a few yards ahead. “What do you want?” he responded.
The Vrykol, clearly addressing Sayia, continued as if he had not spoken. “I have no interest in the females. Nor does my master. They are inconsequential. Give me the boy, and you can go your way in peace.”
Angry at being spoken about as if not there, a low growl slipped from Jayden’s mouth. “Come out and I’ll send you on your way,” he challenged.
A mocking chuckle sounded. “He is fierce, is he not? Surely you know that he cannot be allowed to live. You know what he will become.”
“Yes, I do,” replied Sayia. “But you obviously do not. If you did, you would leave here and return to the hell from which you were spawned.”
“Hell? Is that where you think I come from?”
Jayden caught a movement from the corner of his right eye. A figure clad in a light tunic and travel-worn trousers stepped out from behind a young birch tree. Far from having a demonic aspect, the Vrykol looked like a young human in his early thirties, with brown shoulder-length hair and dark eyes. Tall, though not quite as tall as Jayden, he was of slender to average build. To all appearances, he was nothing more striking than a typical villager. A blade hung at his side, along with a pair of throwing knives. Glancing only momentarily at Jayden, he smiled at Sayia,
“Do I look like I was spawned from hell? If indeed there is such a place.”
Jayden started to take a step forward, but Sayia caught his arm and positioned herself in front of him. “I will give you one chance to leave,” she stated.
The Vrykol laughed. “Or you will do what? Kill me? I am not one of the foul beasts you’ve heard tales of; the one you knew as the Reborn King is not my master. I was created by the god Saraf. You are no match for me, elf. As for the boy, he is completely untrained. I will have him. You can either give him to me willingly, or I will kill you and take him anyway. It seems a simple choice to me.”
“Yes, it does,” she agreed.
Jayden felt the flow entering her body. He tried urging it to enter his own as well, but for some reason it would not.
“You see?” said the Vrykol. “You’re alone in this fight, elf. The son of Darshan is no more help to you than any other human might be.”
“I think you underestimate the talents of humans,” Sayia retorted.
“Perhaps. But I do not think that is the case here.”
After a long pause, the Vrykol let out an exaggerated sigh. “Stubborn, I see. That, at least, you have in common with humans.”
So fast was it that Jayden did not even see the Vrykol’s arm move. The blade seemed to materialize in its ha
nd. In response, Sayia let loose a ball of fire, but by the time it arrived, the creature had already shifted several yards to one side. To his astonishment, the elf woman then turned and shoved him hard to the ground. His sword slipped from his grasp as he fell.
Scrambling to his feet, he saw that Sayia had now drawn her weapons and was slashing furiously at their foe. She was almost as fast as Linis, he thought. Even so, the Vrykol was faster, his parries effortless and his movements graceful.
The creature countered with a barrage of precise thrusts, two of which found flesh – one on Sayia’s left arm, the other higher up on the same shoulder. Though the wounds forced her to give ground, she was undeterred and quickly renewed her attack, all the time attempting to place herself between Jayden and her opponent. In attempt for outright victory, she delivered a sweeping strike aimed at taking its head. With time to spare, the beast ducked below this and then landed a fist to her jaw. Even before she fell, two more rapid thrusts opened wounds in her right forearm and left thigh.
The Vrykol loomed over her, a vicious grin stretched across his face.
Horrified, Jayden reached for his sword and charged, a feral scream rushing out as he advanced. But rage alone was never going to be enough to vanquish this foe. The Vrykol simply stepped over Sayia and slapped the flat of his blade hard across the side of Jayden’s head. Had it been the edge, it would have surely removed the top half of his skull. Even so, the impact was enough to severely daze him. He staggered forward and dropped to one knee.
The Vrykol returned his attention to Sayia, his sword raised for a killing stroke. Kicking desperately at the ground to move away, she sent a gust of wind to delay his approach. This was followed up by a ball of energy that caused the earth beneath her enemy’s feet to shake and heave.
Neither was sufficient to delay the creature for more than a moment. Moving smartly away from Sayia’s assault, he shifted into position to cut off her retreat. Watching this, Jayden felt a wave of desperation. There was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen.
Then, as if in response to his rising panic, a voice called out from deep within his mind.
The power of heaven is within you.
The Godling Chronicles Page 17