“When will you know if you are successful?”
I…I do not know.
Crin was silent for a moment and then, “Are you well, Loremaster Reyga?”
Why do you ask?
“There is something different about you. As if a shadow hangs over your thoughts.”
A shadow. An apt assessment. Reyga sank back down into his chair. He knew he should tell Crin about Regor’s influence, but for some reason could not bring himself to say it.
I have experienced some difficulties, he thought to the bird. I am not with the Circle at the moment. I am at my home.
“I will tell Jason. He will wish to speak to you.”
No! Jason must not come here!
“Why?”
It…it is not safe here. He could be in danger.
“I do not understand. If it is not safe there for Jason, how is it safe there for you?”
Reyga rubbed his eyes, trying to decide how much to tell Crin. For a bird, he was surprisingly perceptive.
It is an unusual situation.
“Does it involve the darkness I sense?”
With a heavy sigh, Reyga sent, Yes.
“Perhaps Jason can help. He is very strong and he is getting stronger.”
Please, Crin, if you care at all about Jason, he must not come here under any circumstances.
“I do care about Jason. I will see that he does not come to you.”
Thank you.
“He also wants to know about his father.”
Bruce is well. He is with friends in Gildenfell.
“That is good. Jason has been very worried. I must return now. Is there anything you wish me to tell Jason?”
Just tell him to be careful. What are he and the others doing?
“He did not say.”
Very well. Thank you, Crin.
“Take care, Loremaster Reyga. I hope you feel better soon.” And then Crin’s presence in his mind was gone.
So Jason was with Nyala and Seryn. Had he been injured? Was that why Nyala took Seryn? But if that had been the reason, and Jason was well now, why had Nyala not returned Seryn? There must be something else that required Seryn’s skills. What that was, he could not begin to guess. At least Jason was with Nyala. Although he doubted she could stand against all of the Altered, she could protect him better than the Circle could.
His thoughts returned to his quarters in Lore’s Haven. He had put the papers inside his robes. He turned away from the table, and then… What? That Regor had been there was now obvious, but what had happened? The Shadow Lord had done something to him, but what? Was it a trap as had been placed in Lenai? If so, the most likely target would be Jason. He had been with the Circle for the better part of the day after returning from Lore’s Haven. Nothing had happened to any of them.
He needed Seryn, or another saiken of the Diamond Order to examine him. But then again, the trap placed in Lenai had been triggered by such an examination, so perhaps that was not the answer. On the other hand, Lenai had been unconscious, remaining so even after her injuries had been healed. He was not. Did that mean Regor had done something different to him than had been done to Lenai? Without knowing, it was too risky to allow Seryn or anyone else to examine him. Bodann’s trap, using borrowed power from Regor, had killed Seryn’s apprentice, Elira. He could only imagine what such a trap set by Regor himself, with his full power at his disposal, could do.
He stood and began pacing the room, tapping his leg with a scroll from the table. Question after question rolled through his mind with no answers in sight. Without examination, there was no way to determine what had been done, but until they had determined what had been done, an examination could be dangerous, even fatal. Perhaps Seryn or another could use the power of the Diamond Order to help him remember his time in his quarters. But then again, what if that was what triggered the trap? He tossed the scroll aside in frustration and dropped into his chair again.
The only thing of which he was certain was that he must stay away from Jason. Other than that, unless his memories came back, there was no way to safely know what had been done. There was no one—
Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and saw that the contact portal hanging on the far wall had come to life. Verdant green sparks of dimsai began dancing across his fingertips as he slowly stood up. The only places his contact portal was connected to were a few similar portals in Lore’s Haven, and there was no one there at the moment that he was interested in speaking to. Keeping a careful eye on the portal, he moved to stand across the room in front of it.
“Who is there?” he called.
“Loremaster Reyga,” a soft female voice answered, “I have been watching you.”
“Watching me? How? Why? Who are you and what do you want with me?” Although the voice seemed to tug at a distant memory, all he could see in the portal was a shadowy, wavering outline, as if the portal was not quite connected to the recipient on the other end.
“You have a problem, Loremaster Reyga. A problem the depths of which you do not yet fathom.”
“You know what has been done to me? How do you know such a thing? Are you one of the Altered?”
Quiet laughter surrounded him. “I am hardly an Altered, but I am also far from saiken. I am somewhere in between.”
“Who are you?”
“You are wasting precious time, Loremaster. Do you wish to know what Regor has done or do you not?”
“Yes! Yes I do.”
“Step closer to the portal and I will show you.” A voice in the back of his mind told him to stay where he was, but he had to know what Regor had done to him. He stepped forward, stopping one pace from the wall.
“This may feel odd, Loremaster, but I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me.” Before he could ask what she meant, the frame of the portal glowed briefly and then he felt a strange tingling pressure in his chest. As quickly as it had come, the sensation faded. He looked up at the portal and then stepped back in alarm. The surface of the portal was now a mirror and in it he saw himself. His eyes were completely black. As he raised a trembling hand to his face, the darkness faded until only his own wide eyes stared back at him. Then the reflection faded as well until the indistinct figure faced him once more.
“You were right to distance yourself from Jason Bennett, Loremaster Reyga. As you surmised, a font of power has been placed within you that will be triggered by the young man’s presence. But that is not the whole of what has been done.”
“What? What else?”
“The power is not dormant, awaiting a trigger; it is active, and it is growing. It seeks to control you. And unless something is done to discharge it, it will succeed.”
“What are you saying?”
“Before two sixdays have passed, the power will consume you. You will become a servant of the Shadow Lord. At that time, you will seek out Jason Bennett and fulfill Regor’s plan.”
Visiting Old Friends
Gatlor opened his eyes just as the first faint rays of sunlight crossed the sky. He could hear other soldiers stirring, some of which would be relieving the men and women who had stood guard overnight. As the sun had not yet risen, the air was cool and dry. It was a pleasant change from the daytime, when, even in the shade of the woods, the nearby Scorched Plains made it feel like a furnace. It would not be long before the heat began to rise.
He stretched and pulled on his boots, then went through his regular inventory, making sure all of his blades were accounted for and where they were supposed to be. Four short daggers in his bandolier, another dagger in its boot sheathe, long dagger on his right hip, short sword on his left, all in place. He unsheathed his longsword lying on the ground beside his bedroll, and, after expertly inspecting the blade, slid it back into the sheathe and strapped it across his back. Some considered carrying so many blades to be excessive. He simply thought it prudent. No one had yet proven otherwise to his satisfaction. His bow and quiver he left by his bedroll as he went to find so
me food for Firstmeal.
Before he made a dozen paces, shouting from the other side of the camp jerked his attention away from the emptiness in his stomach. He broke into a run, jumping over soldiers still in their bedrolls as the shouts grew more urgent.
“Captain! Captain Gatlor!” A young Warder ran up to him.
“What is it? What has happened?”
“Captain, five soldiers were murdered last night in their sleep!”
“Awaken everyone! Now! And see to the Circle!”
“Aye, Captain!” The man saluted and ran off. Within seconds, Gatlor heard the clanging of the alarm bell. Men and women around the camp began jumping to their feet, many drawing their swords as they looked around for the threat.
“Stand down, but stand ready!” he shouted. He walked over to where a group of soldiers stood looking at a silent form still in its bedroll. He knelt for a closer look. Tergan, a young recruit barely old enough to grow a beard, lay unmoving underneath his hand. A crooked gash in the boy’s neck grinned up at Gatlor as if taunting him. All around him, he could hear soldiers murmuring and asking questions of each other as the news spread through the camp.
He cursed under his breath and stood. “What of the others?” he snapped at the nearest soldier.
“Sir,” Commander Garyn walked up as the soldiers looked at each other in confusion, “the others are the same as Tergan. Their necks were slashed as they slept.”
Gatlor looked back down at the body. “I know this blade.” He grabbed one of the men. “Find Lenai and bring her here. Now!”
He began pacing as he considered his discovery and how to react to it. An assassin would almost certainly not stay nearby after such an attack for risk of being captured. He knelt down and examined the wound again. Except for one particular type of assassin.
“Captain Gatlor!” The High One’s voice broke through the confusion. “What has happened?”
“High One,” Gatlor said as he stood, “it would appear we have an assassin in our midst. Five of our men were slain last night as they slept.”
“An assassin? How?”
“Captain Gatlor! Here is Lenai, as you ordered.” He turned to see the soldier he had dispatched escorting Lenai. He dismissed the man with a nod, and turned to her.
“Have a look at the wound in this man’s neck,” he said. “Can you tell what kind of blade would make such a wound?”
She frowned and knelt beside the body. “I am unsure,” she said after a short examination.
“I am not,” Gatlor answered. “Look again. That wound came from a Shanthi blade, did it not?”
She looked startled, and then turned to the body again. After several more moments of examination, she stood. “I see what you are saying. This could have been done by a Shanthi dagger.”
“I did not say it could, I said it did come from a Shanthi blade.”
She looked at him without speaking.
“Do you sense any other Shanthi nearby?” he asked her.
A look of understanding crossed her face, and she tilted her head back while her eyes took on an unfocused glaze. After a moment her eyes cleared and she shook her head. “No. I do not sense any Shanthi nearby. But my range can sometimes be limited.”
Gatlor turned to the High One. “It would appear that our assassin has already fled. Nevertheless, I will have our watch tripled. With their powers of concealment, even a single Shanthi assassin could wreak havoc on our numbers if left unchecked.” He looked at Lenai. “I would like you to continue scanning for other Shanthi from time to time. Let me know if you sense any, even if they are not within the camp.”
“Of course, Captain Gatlor,” she said. “You will be the first to know.”
*****
Jason awoke the next day feeling sore, just as Seryn had promised, but it was better than the streaks of fire ripping across his back the way it had been before. He struggled to a sitting position and saw the empty cot where Seryn had slept. He could hear her moving around outside, humming a little to herself. The tune sounded like something someone would sing to a child to help them sleep or when they were frightened. He stretched as much as his back would allow and then pulled his shoes on and went outside.
“Morning,” he mumbled as he stepped through the door.
“Ah, good morning, Jason,” Seryn answered. “How is your back?”
“Sore, just like you said.”
“Hold still a moment.” She walked over to him and he could feel her power moving across his back. Wherever it went, the soreness eased considerably, although it didn’t completely go away.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks. Where’s Nyala? Is she here yet?”
“No, not yet,” she moved to stand in front of him. “Jason, I am not sure we should confront Nyala with what I told you. I do not wish to place my family in danger.”
“I know, and I understand. But what if Nyala is doing this just so she can take over? Do we really want to help her? I mean, these people, even though they’re not the nicest people now, they were her friends once. If she’s willing to do this to people she called friends, what do you think she’d do to the rest of us?”
“I know, but—”
“Seryn, listen. We’ve already taken care of three Altered. We really have to deal with Regor, because we know what he’s like. I don’t know about Airam, but we do have at least one other Altered on our side.”
“Who?”
“Nivek. He w—”
“What about Nivek?”
They turned to see Nyala’s sparkling form.
“Oh, I was just telling Seryn about Nivek helping me escape from the nasaiken.” He glanced at her and saw her puzzled frown when he mentioned his captors. She composed herself quickly and nodded in agreement. “And I was telling her how Nivek wanted me to help you escape. Sounds like he really cares about you.”
Nyala tilted her head to the side. “Nivek helped you and asked you to free me? How nice. Yes, he’s always been a good son. I’ve always been proud of him.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Well, in any case, I am already free, so that is one less worry for you. A bigger worry lies ahead. Are you ready to face Regor?”
“Well, not really.” He saw Seryn’s worried expression and tried to give her a reassuring look. “We need to talk first.”
“We don’t have a lot of time, Jason. There is no telling what Regor may be doing even as we speak.”
“I know, but this is important.”
“Fine. But make it quick. What do you need to talk about?”
“Alright.” He took a deep breath. “Why did you threaten Seryn’s mother and sister after we went to Haras?”
Nyala didn’t answer at first. Then she said, “What exactly did she tell you?”
Seryn raised her chin as she gave Nyala an icy stare. “I told him about the horrible things you showed me in my mind. I told him how you threatened to torture and kill my family if I did not continue.” She took a shaky breath and looked away. “I told him everything,” she finished.
“I see.” She took a slow step away and then turned to face them. “You must understand that what we are doing is vitally important to the safety of Teleria. As long as the Altered are in charge, Teleria’s future holds nothing but misery and despair.” She turned to Seryn. “Please believe me when I tell you I would never do anything like what I showed you. But I had to keep you with us. Jason would not continue without you, so I did whatever I had to in order to get you to try again. Loremaster Seryn, you are a very skilled healer, and I knew, from what I saw with Haras, that you would be able to do this if you would just try one more time. I am truly sorry for upsetting you, but I felt it was the only way to get you to continue. The Altered must be eliminated. I did what I had to for the sake of Teleria. Please believe me.”
“So you wouldn’t actually do anything like that to Seryn’s family?”
“No, of course not!”
No one spoke for a few moment
s. Then Seryn said, “Very well. Although I disagree strongly with what you did, I understand that you felt it was the only way. Had our roles been reversed, I can only hope that I would have chosen a different method of persuasion, but I cannot be certain of that. We all do what we must in time of need.”
“So you are willing to continue?”
“Yes, I am ready.”
“Jason?”
Jason didn’t think he would have accepted Nyala’s explanation quite so easily, but that was Seryn’s call, not his. What bothered him the most was that she had used that tactic at all. She still seemed different from the first few weeks they had been together, when he was fighting against Bothan. But, even if they didn’t do any more after this, Regor definitely had to be dealt with. Nivek seemed okay, and he didn’t know about Airam, but Regor had to go. He nodded.
“All right. Let’s do this.”
*****
Something wasn’t right. Regor sent his senses exploring across Teleria. Although the Altered spent little time together, he could usually sense when the others were using their power, at least he could if he tried. Depending on which direction the tingle was coming from, sometimes he could even guess who it was. Ever since their return, every time he attuned his senses, Teleria had been abuzz with power. At times it almost made his skin tingle. Now, things seemed much quieter, and that bothered him.
Oh, it didn’t bother him that they were strangely quiet. He wouldn’t mind at all if the rest of them simply vanished and left Teleria all to him. No, what bothered him was the why of their silence. And was that why something that could affect him? He’d only had a few days of running his little corner of the world, and he wasn’t ready to give it up just yet. He decided to pay a visit to some of the others, just to see what was going on.
A moment later, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the wreckage of Haras’ audience hall. What happened here? Shards of glass covered the floor, apparently all that remained of the dozens of mirrors that had surrounded the hall. Cracks ran through the walls, and the top of the large throne at the end of the hall was shattered. He frowned as he looked at a small pile of dust at the base of the steps in front of the throne. It seemed oddly out of place in the chaotic destruction surrounding it. He looked around but saw no sign of Haras herself.
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