Altered Intentions

by G David Walker

  “You’re right,” she said. “I haven’t been acting like myself. I’ve been an Altered for so long, that I almost forgot we were all friends once. I just saw them as Altered too. As threats. Threats to Teleria, I mean.”

  Jason nodded slowly, wincing as the slight movement sent a flare of pain burning across his shoulders. Another strange answer. All she’d talked about before was how they all used to be friends before the war. It was a little hard to believe that she could forget that in such a short time. She’d always been concerned about what they might do to Teleria, but right now, the Teleria part almost seemed like an afterthought. Something definitely wasn’t right. He just wished he knew what that something was.

  Another wave of dizziness washed over him. His back now felt like it was on fire, and his shirt clung to him with a familiar, sticky wetness that ran down to the back of his trousers. This isn’t good. He tried to shake the faintness from his head as he struggled to focus on Nyala.

  “So we’ll let Seryn rest? Start again tomorrow?” he asked. The world was losing its focus.

  Although she seemed impatient, she nodded. “Tomorrow. I only hope the others don’t find out about Haras and Ekim before then.”

  His head was swimming. “I, uh, I might need a little help too,” he managed.

  A sudden surge of fear forced all thoughts of Seryn and his own injuries from his mind. Pain forgotten, he spun around, staring into the distance. Lenai!

  “Jason…” Her voice whispered inside his head. “Forgive me…”

  Then everything went black.

  *****

  Borin tried to hide his nervousness as the High One pored over the papers Reyga had retrieved. After Reyga returned, Gatlor had several of his men set up tents for the Loremasters. The High One had retired to one of the tents to study the papers, leaving them with instructions to rest. He told them he would send for them later to discuss the information on the parchments. Although he had gone to the tent set up for him, Borin found that rest had been an impossible goal.

  As Loremaster Chon’s apprentice, he had known that he would be Obsidian Loremaster one day, but he had been fairly certain that day would not come for many years. To have it thrust upon him so unexpectedly, especially due to the murder of his predecessor, was something for which he was not prepared. I do not know if I can do this. The thought echoed over and over in his mind.

  He had spent his entire life questioning his capabilities, always sure that the other students in his Order were understanding better and progressing faster than himself. When Chon named him as apprentice, it seemed to finally validate his own abilities. His focus had changed from questioning himself, to redoubling his efforts to justify the gruff Loremaster’s faith in him. When Chon was killed and the Circle declared him Obsidian Loremaster, his self-doubt returned even stronger than before.

  “It would appear we have a dilemma.” The High One’s voice jolted Borin out of his internal struggle. “If Regor’s intent is to use Lenai against Jason, her rescue is of paramount importance. On the other hand, if what I read in these papers is accurate, then we have another priority that may be equally important.” His gaze swept across Borin and Loremaster Brin. “Loremaster Brin, Loremaster Borin, are either of you familiar with a metal called Blood Iron?”

  Borin searched his memories for anything he might have learned about Blood Iron. He could not recall having heard of it before, but he was hesitant about admitting his ignorance.

  Brin spoke up. “The Ruby Order has come across references to the material, High One, although other than references, little is known about it. We have never, to my knowledge, had a sample of it in our possession. May I ask what your interest is?”

  The High One handed the papers to Brin, who examined them for a few moments before handing them back.

  “Is it your intent to create this device?” he asked.

  “I believe, considering recent events, we must use anything and everything that may be able to give us an advantage,” the High One said.

  Brin nodded. “Then I must tell you, although the Ruby Order’s materials say little about Blood Iron, they do tell us where it may be found. According to our information, the Cauldron Mountains southwest of Barrenrock are believed to have deposits of the ore.”

  “The Cauldron Mountains? But that is Manarach territory!” Borin blurted out. He had made it a point in his studies to be aware of every race that was hostile to either the Circle, or humans in general. The Manarach were one of the most dangerous of them all, and one whose land he had no desire to visit.

  “Indeed,” the High One said, “but if this device does what these notes say, we cannot afford to ignore its potential use.” He handed the sheets to Borin. “Could you create this?”

  Borin studied the sketches. The staff itself was not complex. It would pose no problems to create. But the Manarachs… “The staff should be a relatively simple task,” he swallowed heavily, “if we can get the ore.” He handed the sheets back. “But what of this red diamond?”

  “According to these papers, there is only one known to exist. If it is still there, they say it is in a place called Ishadon, which apparently lies on the other side of the Riftlands.”

  “So, in order to combat the Altered,” Jarril said, “we must rescue Lenai, travel into Manarach territory, and cross the Riftlands. And here I thought this would be difficult.” He looked startled as they all stared at him. “Forgive me, High One,” he said. “It is in the Ferrin nature to resort to jest when faced with a serious situation. I apologize. As I considered such a challenging list of tasks, I spoke out of instinct.”

  “I understand, Loremaster Jarril. The list is certainly daunting. We must simply take one thing at a time. We have much to do, but we are not at our full strength. I cannot use my power, and Loremaster Seryn is missing. For now, I believe Lenai’s retrieval must be our priority. If Regor does plan to use Lenai against Jason, we need to take that weapon away from him. I do not believe we will be able to accomplish this if we divide our forces.”

  “Do you have a plan?” Jarril asked.

  “I have been giving it some thought. I do not believe a direct attack would achieve our goals. Not only could such a tactic alert the Shadow Lord, but we would also almost certainly end up fighting within the Grithor warrens, where we would be at a distinct disadvantage. On the other hand, I am also not convinced that a small group could successfully infiltrate the caverns, find and free Lenai, and return without being detected.”

  “It is unlikely Regor will simply return her,” Brin said. “So what do you propose?”

  “I believe our best chance of recovering Lenai requires a combination of the two options. Even with careful planning, and precise execution, it will still be hazardous, and I do not believe we will be able to succeed without some other assistance.”

  “High One,” another voice broke in. “We have brought her as you requested.”

  Borin turned just as the two soldiers escorting Vashni bowed and left.

  “Vashni,” the High One said, “are you well enough to travel?”

  Fire and Ice

  Jason drifted in a sea of blackness. The emptiness surrounding him, unbroken by the faintest hint of light, reminded him of his arrival in Teleria. But unlike the first time, when there had been no sensations, this time the darkness felt cold, like a numbing, oppressive bitterness trying to force its way into his innermost mind and spirit. He didn’t feel anything physical; he couldn’t feel his body at all in fact, just an abstract sensation of pressure. He probed with his senses for any change, any place the darkness was less forbidding. No matter where he looked, the void waited for him. It was pervasive, touching every part of his being. He felt a malevolence in the darkness, along with a faint aura of desperation weaving its way through the background.

  “Hello?” He didn’t know if he said that with his lips or with his mind.

  “Jason…” A whisper of wind calling his name.

  “Lenai?” He was su
re the tenuous voice was hers. “Lenai, where are you?”

  No answer. He strained to see any glimpse of light. The darkness pressed in on him from all sides. He wasn’t alone here, wherever “here” was, of that he was sure.

  “Hey!” He listened intently for the slightest sound. “Where is this? Who are you? What do you want?”

  “We are dimsai.” A different voice, not Lenai’s. A voice from a half-forgotten dream.

  “What? What do you mean? Who are you?”

  “We are dimsai. You are dimsai. You are not dimsai. We do not understand.”

  The voice faded away as a glimmer of light appeared, blossoming into a piercing yellow flame. Then a second flame appeared beside it. They looked like…

  “Hello, Jason.” A new voice. A familiar voice. A voice he would never forget.

  “Regor.” Jason’s anxiety level ratcheted up a few notches. “What do you want?”

  “Oh, Jason, don’t be dense. You know exactly what I want.”

  Jason had a pretty good idea, considering their last meeting. He started to call up his power.

  “Ah, ah. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  “Yeah? Well, one, you aren’t me. Two, I’m not going down without a fight.” He decided on the bold approach. “I think I can take you this time.” His dimsai flared to life, only to be met by a tortured scream in the distance.

  “Well, do what you must, but only if you’re finished with the Shanthi girl.”

  Lenai? His power vanished. “What have you done to her? If you’ve hurt her, I promise I’ll make you pay for it!”

  “That scream wasn’t me hurting her, boy!” Regor’s shout echoed around him. “That was your doing.” His voice became silky. “After all, I did warn you against using your power.”

  Jason tried to push down his anger and fear before saying anything that might jeopardize Lenai. “Let her go. I’m the one you want.”

  “True enough. And perhaps when I’m done with you, I’ll consider letting her go. Or at least, letting what’s left of her go.”

  “But you’ve got me now. You don’t need her anymore.”

  “Ah, if only that were true,” Regor said. “But, although I will find you eventually, I don’t have you just yet.”

  “I don’t understand. If you don’t have me, where are we?”

  “Where do you think we are?”

  “If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.”

  Laughter assaulted Jason from all directions. “Oh, the depth of your ignorance is truly amazing. I would let you remain oblivious if the truth wouldn’t make your helplessness that much sweeter.” His voice dropped so that Jason got the impression that he was whispering in his ear. “You see, my insolent young friend, that is why I must keep your Shanthi, at least for now.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “I am not surprised. Let me give you a little hint: Where you are, I must be there as well.”

  Understanding dawned in Jason’s mind and brought with it a sick realization of what Regor was doing. “The bond…”

  “The bond.” Regor’s voice dripped with self-satisfaction.

  “But how?”

  “You know, I’m not really sure of that myself. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know if it would work at all. Then I thought, why not try? The worst thing that could happen would be the death of the Shanthi, but that’s just a minor detail.”

  Jason’s thoughts were racing. As long as the bond holds, he’ll be able to get at me. The obvious answer was to find some way to break the bond. But Lenai had told him that most of the time when a bond was broken, usually by death, the survivor didn’t live long either, sometimes even taking their own life. Even if I knew how, I couldn’t break the bond. Lenai might not survive. No matter which way he looked at it, he didn’t see a way out. Regor’s voice broke into his thoughts again.

  “Do you know what the best thing is about this, Jason?”

  “No. What?”

  “It’s that she means nothing to me. Which means I can do this!” A burning flare of dimsai brought with it waves of pain. “And this!” Another burst of power. Jason was vaguely aware of Lenai screaming in the background. He could not, would not, use his power to fight back or protect himself. Not if it risked Lenai.

  “Stop!”

  “Oh my,” Regor chuckled, “I didn’t realize how much fun this would be!” Again Regor’s dimsai attacked Jason. With every assault, Jason could hear Lenai’s answering cry of pain.

  “Stop! Stop!”

  “Oh, just one more. I’d hate for you to forget me.” Another searing blast of power made him cry out, his shout echoed by Lenai’s. Behind it all was the sound of Regor laughing. Somehow, he would get even with Regor for this.

  “I have other things to attend to for now, so I’ll let our little chat sink in. Don’t worry, I’ll be back again. And again. And again. This might even be worth letting you live a little while longer.” Regor’s laughter faded as he withdrew, and then Jason was alone in the blackness.

  “Jason! Jason, what is wrong?”

  Crin.

  Crin! Have you found Reyga yet?

  “No. What is happening to you? I felt an echo of your pain but you would not answer. I am coming to you.”

  No! You have to find Reyga. Tell him Regor has Lenai. They have to get her back.

  “Jason, you are more important to me than the Shanthi girl.”

  Crin, please! Regor is using the bond between me and Lenai to attack me, and I don’t know if she’ll survive.

  “Then break the bond.”

  I don’t know how, and even if I did, that might be as bad as what Regor is doing to her, so that’s not an option.

  A long silence, and then, “Are you certain you are well now?”

  As certain as I ever am of anything around here. I’m okay for now. I’m with Nyala and Seryn. Now find Reyga. You have to tell him about Lenai. And make sure my dad is okay.

  “You are with the sparkling one? Why do I not feel her?”

  Jason couldn’t answer that, but for right now it was beside the point. I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter right now. Find Reyga. Please!

  “Very well.” It was clear that Crin didn’t like it, but at least he was going.

  Jason’s eyes flew open. He was face-down on a cot. He tried to raise his head, groaning as the effort sent a wave of pain through his skull and an answering streak of fire across his back. Nyala and Seryn appeared almost immediately.

  “Jason! Are you well?” Seryn asked. “I tried to heal your wounds while you slept, but something prevented me. I could not even use my power to assess your injuries. Almost as if you were rejecting my aid.” Power flared around her hands. “I will try again now that you are awake.”

  He looked at them bleakly. “We have a problem.”

  *****

  Tal scanned their surroundings. To anyone who had not visited before, where he, Reyga, and Vashni now stood looked like nothing more than a clearing in the woods. Since Reyga had described the setting to him, he knew better. The Shanthi fashioned their villages, or teloshta, in such a way that they blended in with the surroundings. Not invisible, but crafted to be nearly so. He was also acutely aware that they were, in all likelihood, surrounded by at least a score of unseen Shanthi if not more.

  He had not expected to be back in the Shanthi village this soon, or ever in fact, if he really thought about it. After lengthy discussions, the others had agreed with him that they needed Shanthi assistance to get Lenai out. They had waited until the next day in order to give Vashni a little more time to recover from her injuries.

  The delay had also given them more time to refine their plan. The Circle, along with a few other saiken, would provide a distraction at the edge of the chasm hoping to draw the Grithor out, believing they were under attack. This risked Regor getting involved, but hopefully the Haven saiken could escape through portals before the Shadow Lord took action. While the Grithor were occupied, the Shanthi would go in and retrieve
Lenai. Along with Vashni, they had traveled to meet with Baruun again, to ask for yet more aid.

  “High One, Loremaster Reyga, welcome!” Baruun appeared, walking toward them. “I had hoped to see you again, but did not expect it quite this soon. It is good to see you. Vashni, welcome home.” She gave him the traditional bow as he greeted her, then his face took on a puzzled expression as he scanned the area behind them. “Where are the others? Are they coming?”

  “I am afraid we come bearing troubling news,” Tal said. He glanced at the other Shanthi who had appeared standing nearby. “Is there some place we can speak privately?”

  “Is this about Kelsu?”

  “He is part of it, yes,” Tal answered.

  “Then his parents should be a part of this as well.”

  “Baruun,” Reyga said, “perhaps you should hear what we have to say first.”

  “Loremaster Reyga,” Baruun said, “I do not know how such things are done in human society, but for the Shanthi, family is of the utmost importance. If you wish to speak of Kelsu, his parents will hear your words.”

  Reyga inclined his head. “Of course. I meant no offence.”

  “And none was taken. Now, please follow me.”

  He guided them through the woods surrounding the clearing until he stopped in front a wide tree, the canopy of its branches stopping just a hand’s width from the ground.

  “Tarn!” he called. “Will you receive visitors?”

  “Baruun?” a man’s voice answered. “You honor us. Please come inside and be welcome.”

  Baruun pulled some of the branches to the side and motioned for them to follow as he walked through the opening.

  Inside, the arc of branches and leaves formed a large room. An opening in the back looked like it led to another chamber, and a series of small branches spiraling around the trunk served as a stairway leading through another opening above them. Standing in the center of the room was a man Tal assumed was Tarn, Kelsu’s and Lenai’s father.

  “Baruun, be welcome in my home.” He gave Baruun the ritual bow, cast a wary eye at Tal and Reyga, and moved on to Vashni. “Vashni! You have returned! Where are Lenai and Kelsu? Are they coming?” He looked past her as if expecting his son and daughter to enter the room at any moment.