The Pilgrim Stone

by J D Bowens

  "I stand corrected," Kyran replied. "If we can get out of this cave, I will never again mock you for being so foolishly well-prepared."

  Ewan tied one end of the rope to the iron hook and unrolled a majority of the coil. He held the hook in one hand and the remaining coil in the other. He stepped into the edge of the cave entrance, the precipice of the wall. He looked up at the tree hanging over the ledge directly across from him. He casually swung the hook to and fro on a length of rope.

  Just get on with it.

  In a quick, powerful motion, Ewan launched the hook forward several yards. It clanged against the ledge just below the tree. There was a collective sigh from everyone in the cave as Ewan rolled the rope back up.

  "This is going to take forever," Milo said.

  "Bah," Ewan said. "Hard enough to aim with this wind. I don’t need any from you." After several more attempts, Ewan was able to loop the rope around one of the stronger branches of the tree.

  "I've got it now," Ewan said. "But I don't think it will hold all of us at once. Who’s going first?"

  “Oh me!” Milo said.

  “No,” Kyran said. “You can’t even tie a proper knot. Last time we left you in charge of that we lost the damned horses.”

  “Er-it might not be a bad idea,” Ewan interjected. “Someone small should crawl up first and secure the rope. It mayn’t be able to hold much weight now.”

  "Alright, Milo," Kyran said, "You climb across first. Once you get to the tree, retie the rope around the trunk. Can you manage that?"

  "Yes," Milo brimmed confidence. "Climbing is easy." The halfling secured his pack to his person. Kyran and Ewan held the rope as Milo climbed. His tiny hands and legs clung to the rope as he swayed in the breeze. "This is so nice. The sea looks magnificent from here."

  "Just hurry across," Kyran barked. Once Milo made it up and across, he unhooked the rope and fastened it to the trunk of the tree. Ewan tied the remainder of the rope to a freestanding boulder in the cave.

  "Who is next?" called the halfling.

  Karinne climbed across from the cave to the tree above with great ease. Kyran felt himself become sick as he watched her climb up to the tree.

  "Alright brother, your turn," Ewan said.

  "Nonsense, you're next across," Kyran said. "I'm the oldest; I should be the last one to cross."

  "Aye but age before beauty," Ewan smirked. "Besides, someone needs to make sure the line stays secure. An old man such as yourself would never be able to handle such a task."

  "Don’t be a fool," Kyran laughed at his brother’s prodding. He looked at the small but high expanse.

  "The distance is not so far," Ewan said. "You’ve nothing to fear. Remember how we crossed that rickety bridge in Canderra? This is much easier. Remember what I said?”

  “‘Don’t look down and you won’t go down,’” Kyran repeated. “But this is a rope not a bridge...And that bridge collapsed.”

  “Yes, but the rope’s strong, the tree’s strong, and I’m strong,” Ewan said. “You’ll be fine as long as you do not look down. Come on now; don't let Milo show you up."

  I have fought men, brögs, and even dark magic. I can fight a blazing cliff. Just think of Alyss, beautiful Alyss, yelling at you to hurry up and get across.

  He secured his pack and his swords to his person and began the climb across. He held the rope tight in his sweaty hands and in the crook of his knees. He closed his eyes as he climbed across, fearing that he might look down by mistake.

  By all the gods, false and true, I will serve you if you carry me across this accursed rope.

  The wind picked up, and Kyran could feel himself swaying on the rope. He maintained his secure grip and continued moving, daring not to stop in the middle of the climb. How had Milo made it look so easy? I must be nearly there now. He opened one eye to see that he was only a couple yards away.

  "You had better hurry," Karinne said down to him. "Two riders approach."

  "What do they look like?" Kyran asked as he continued to climb.

  "Dark armor and no symbols,” she said. “They wreak of Nemoth’s stench. They look like those we fought last night."

  "Boiling blood," he cursed. This day had hardly started, and it was already getting worse. He scrambled across the rope and pulled himself up using a low hanging branch on the tree. He felt the halfling's tiny hand helping to pull him up the ledge. He breathed a sigh of relief once both of his feet were on the ground. Karinne was crouched beside the tree though it provided a little cover for them. "Where are they?" Kyran asked.

  She pointed in the distance to two men adorned in black armor riding side by side. Kyran cursed. He had no bow and Ewan would not be able to climb up before they were upon them. "I can barely hear them speaking," she said.

  "What are they saying?" Kyran asked.

  “Hush," she said. "They’re talking about a tree in the forest." Her eyes widened, and her face became pale. "They’ve found Leiwyn and Consus. Now they are looking for us."

  Kyran let out a sigh of relief. Consus and Leiwyn must be nearby. "They’ve not spotted us yet.”

  "No,” Karinne growled, “but we will need to engage them. I have questions for them."

  “So do I,” Kyran said. They would need to strike them from a distance. They could not risk one of the men escaping to warn the others. Ewan was still climbing up from the cave, his bow and quiver tied to his side. Kyran took hold of the rope and signaled Karinne to help him. “Hold on, Ewan.” He tugged the rope with Karinne and lifted Ewan up onto the ledge.

  Ewan pulled his quiver and bow as he stepped up from the cliff. He notched an arrow on the bow and aimed at the soldiers riding towards them.

  “Aim for the horses,” Kyran said. “Not the men.”

  Ewan fired an arrow and then another. The first landed in one horse’s flank. It neighed and reared up in fright. The rider fell from his saddle, his foot still caught in the stirrup. His steed ran across the field towards the forest. The soldier screamed for his horse to stop as his body was dragged across several jagged stones. He fell silent before the horse reached the trees.

  The second arrow buried itself in the other horse’s heart. The beast crashed into the ground with a pitiful whine, and its rider soared from his saddle and into the ground. The rider lay there motionless.

  "Good shot," Kyran said. He and Karinne raced to the soldier who now sat up and drew his sword. But Kyran was too quick and kicked the man in the chest before he could manage a swing.

  Karinne drew her own blade and pointed at the soldier's throat. Her sword scratched his skin, and a thin trail of blood trickled down his neck.

  "You fool," the soldier said without moving. "You don’t even know who you offend. The Father of Blood and Shadows will come for you."

  "Yes, so I have been told," Kyran said. He pressed his boot into the soldier's chest. The man began to wheeze and cough. "But before he catches me, you will be dead. The question I have is how would you prefer to die?” The soldier gulped and squirmed under Kyran’s boot. “If you tell me what I need to know, your death will be swift. If not, I will let the elf scrape your skin from your bones. And I will hang you alive over the edge of the cliff for the gulls to peck away at what remains of you as you scream into the sea."

  *****

  Kyran wiped the blood from his blades as he walked back to the ledge. Ewan now stood by the tree, shoving the coil of rope into the bag Milo held open for him.

  "What have you to say?" Ewan asked. "Did he tell you anything?"

  "Aye, he did. But we must hurry," Kyran said. "They’ve cornered them both near a tree in the forest. They have orders to kill Leiwyn and to take Consus as a prisoner."

  "Blast," Ewan said. “These damned Children of Nemoth need a blazing spanking.”

  “Not just Children of Nemoth,” Kyran replied. “They are also sworn to the House of Grimhold.”

  “Bah, this could not be worse. Why is House Grimhold with this lot?” Ewan asked.

  “Who
is Grimhold?” Karinne asked.

  “Grimhold is one of the most powerful and wealthiest houses in the Northern Kingdom,” Kyran said. “We are in for a fight. We haven’t much time. Hurry, we need to find this tree. Can you track where these men came from, Ewan?"

  "Of course, I can," he replied. Kyran followed Ewan as he loped towards the tree line, in the direction the two soldiers had appeared from.

  Chapter 35

  Thunk Thunk

  Leiwyn heard the soldiers chop away at the tree. The moss inside the tree glowed, but it still remained dark. The chopping had become louder, and their voices sounded nearer. They would be through the tree soon.

  Arden, protect Consus. She had been in the tree for a few hours now. She had considered running down the tunnel and hiding. But where is there to go? If she ran to the temple, she would only be attacked by the gryphons. There was no place for her to hide in the tunnel that led there either.

  She was lost, Consus had been taken, and she had no idea where Karinne was. She had felt alone many times since she had left home, but this was far worse. This was her deepest fear: not fear of death but fear of failure.

  There is yet some hope. She had just enough energy to cast one last spell. She could startle the men with a light spell and maybe escape. She concentrated and channeled divina magic. The persistent knocking grated on her and her fear boiled into a rage.

  I must be calm to cast this spell. She inhaled and exhaled slow, measured breaths. Her heartbeat slowed, and everything around her became still. She filled herself with a light that emanated from her being and lit the room.

  Thunk Thunk

  The wood splintered and cracked. The sunlight peeked through the holes left by the axes. Leiwyn sneered as the bark barrier was chipped away.

  “Do they think me so weak?” she asked herself. Anger polluted her meditation and seeped into her magic. “I am no damsel in distress, and I am not so easily taken.”

  Chunks of wood splintered and fell to the floor. The great hole in the tree gave way a ray of sunlight and the soldiers outside cheered at their progress. They kicked at the remaining portions to create a bigger entrance.

  Leiwyn rose from the floor and glared at them. She could feel the magic burn in her being as light glowed like a beacon from her. The soldiers froze when they saw her. She did not notice the terrified looks on their faces. “I have given my life to this cause,” she said to them. “I will take yours to protect it.”

  The sense of danger provoked adrenaline in her. She sensed it pump through her veins and mingle with the magic and the rage. Spellcasting in anger was dangerous. But so are so many things, she said. Failing Arden and Consus are a much greater danger now. She stretched her arms out to either side, opened her hands. She gave herself to the divina magic. “Arden, I am your instrument.”

  A massive bolt of light shot forth from her being. It tore through the tree and created a hole several times larger than the entrance the soldiers created. Numerous men were consumed by the light; their bodies dissipated into nothing.

  A few were quick enough to leap out of its path, but others were not. They lost their limbs, arms, and legs, and writhed in pain on the ground. Survivors ran for their lives in all directions. The column of light cut through the forest before it crashed into a distant hill. The light vanished and in its place arose a terrific fire that devoured nearby trees.

  Leiwyn pointed her hand at the retreating soldiers. Lighting leapt from her fingertips and struck them in the back. One by one, they dropped to the ground like large ragdolls. She smiled at their helpless, fragile bodies. It seemed not long ago she too was as fragile as they. Was that today or a century ago? she wondered.

  Somewhere deep in her subconscious, she worried about the distorted sense of time. But more pressing was the absent knowledge of who she was. What had been her name? She struggled to remember as she searched her foggy detached memories.

  Consus. It was the only name she knew, but it was not hers. I must find Consus.

  She walked over to a soldier who lay on the ground, not yet dead. He clutched at the stub that had once been his right arm. The end of it had been cauterized from the light bolt. She placed her boot heel on his wounded stub and pressed. The soldier screamed and wept. He placed his hand on her boot as if to remove it. Leiyllwn pointed a glowing hand at his face, and he stopped.

  “Consus,” she demanded. He remained silent. She leaned forward and pressed down on his stub. “Where did they take Consus?”

  “Please, let me go,” he pleaded. Several yards away a man missing his leg struggled to rise. Leiwyn loosed a bolt of lightning from her fingers. The soldier under her foot cried as he watched his comrade fall.

  “If you do not tell me where they took him,” she said, “you will die a eunuch.”

  “To - to the Maerstone Keep,” the soldier sputtered. “He went to the Maerstone Keep, Lord Grimhold’s castle.”

  “Where is that?” she barked.

  “East and south, by the Tigraine River,” he said. “I can show you the way if you spare me.”

  She pointed her finger at his chest. “I can manage on my own.” The lightning burned a fist sized hole in his chest.

  Consus. She stepped over the corpses. The Maerstone Keep. South and east. She became aware of a familiar presence — a friend from another life.

  “Leiwyn,” it called.

  The voice was faint, muffled by her own thoughts. She struggled to recall the memory of this person. Leiwyn, she wondered. Is that my name?

  “Leiwyn!”

  The voice sounded stronger and clearer this time. It was the voice of another woman. She turned to see her friend behind her. Reality and time crashed into her mind as Leiwyn remembered who she was and why she was here. She gasped, and the anger vanished. The lightning in her hands disappeared.

  “Karinne,” Leiwyn said. “I had forgotten you.” She knelt on the ground and coughed on the smoke from the burning trees. She realized how very tired she was. She noticed Kyran, Ewan, and Milo at Karinne’s side. Karinne dropped down and helped Leiwyn to stand.

  “My friend,” Karinne began, “did you do all of this?” Leiwyn gave a weak nod.

  “Consus, where is he?” Kyran asked her.

  “I am sorry,” Leiwyn said. “I was not able to stop them. They have taken him to the Maerstone Keep.”

  Chapter 36

  The rushing wind filled Synara’s ears. A thunder of hooves pounded against the road. The Maerstone Keep and the black wall surrounding it stood out on the horizon. The awesome towers that sprang from each corner of the Keep bore banners that waved in the breeze. Dromedus raced beside her, the boy they captured tied to his horse. Of the soldiers they had left Maerstone with, only a remnant now returned with them.

  She allowed herself a sigh of relief. I have nearly finished my task. I will not fail my mistress. She’ll be so proud of me. The prospect of Zamari’s gratitude and the reward of a warm bath made her smile even as dirt flew up into her face.

  Malin was not himself and had remained quiet the entire ride home. The typical smug sneer was replaced with a tense grimace of fear, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

  Synara felt no pity for him. He should be afraid. His failure and interference with their mission had almost cost them years of hard work and patience. No one had ever upset Zamari as much as he had and lived to talk about it.

  “Could we perhaps ride just a little slower?” Malin asked. “My backside hurts, and we’re nearly at the gates anyway.”

  “I would not further upset Zamari or our Father of Shadows,” Synara said.

  The men along the outer walls raised the iron portcullis. Synara slowed her horse to a trot as she passed under it and into the court. Zamari was waiting for them, her eyes bright and a slight smile gracing her lips. Her long blonde hair was fashioned in a neat bun, and her posture was like that of a goddess.

  “How are you my, child?” Zamari asked. “You’ve brought the Pilgrim Stone with you
?”

  Synara dismounted and handed the reins of her horse to a stable boy. Reaching into her pack, she retrieved the Pilgrim Stone and presented it to her mistress.

  Zamari snatched it from her with both hands as if fearful it would vanish into thin air. She marveled at the dragons swirling inside, chasing the gryphons through the clouds around the golden sun.

  “It is just as I remember,” Zamari whispered. “What of the elf and the others?”

  “Dromedus left men behind to kill them,” Synara said, “but we brought the boy as you wished.” She pointed to Consus tied to the horse. Two soldiers pulled him from the horse and carried him off. “He is stronger than I thought. He defended the elf woman with Arden’s magic.” She hoped she had accomplished everything Zamari requested of her.

  Zamari patted her on the shoulder. “You have done well. I expect that the men left behind will be enough to handle the boy’s friends. Where is Malin?”

  Synara looked behind her to see him dismount from his horse. Malin pretended not to notice Zamari’s glare boring into the back of his head. He whined to a stable boy about his uncomfortable saddle, kicked him, and then disappeared into the Keep.

  The ice faded from Zamari’s eyes as she turned her attention back to her. Synara was afraid to ask what would happen to Malin. It’ll probably be as severe as Cassian’s fate.

  “I am impressed with your accomplishment, Synara,” she said. “You have a glorious future ahead of you.”

  All fear and sense of failure fell from Synara’s shoulders like autumn leaves on a tree. She beamed and dared to grin in her mistress’s presence. Zamari never said anything so gracious. “Thank you, mistress!”

  “Walk with me, Synara,” she said. They walked towards the temple through the long corridor toward Synara’s quarters. “Tell me of this boy that you brought back. What of his power and maturity? Has he been a servant of Arden long?”

  “It’s hard to tell, mistress,” Synara frowned. “I can’t sense how long he’s been a Child of Arden, but he seems no older than me. Yet the way he cast a spell on the tree, it seemed like he’d done it before.”