“Are you sensing anything yet, Brin?” Delani asked. Her tones were hushed, as if she shared Borin’s feeling of being watched.
Brin shook his head. “Nothing unusual. Perhaps when we are deeper into the foothills.”
They continued walking through the forest, moving slowly and keeping a cautious eye out for any signs of danger or threats. No one spoke, but they all glanced at Brin occasionally, to see if he was sensing the ore. Each questioning look was met with a shake of his head, so they kept moving deeper into the forest.
The sun had climbed higher into the sky when a loud crack made them all jump a little. Borin looked down and then gave the others a sheepish look as he saw the small stick he had stepped on. Looking around, he saw numerous dead, dry branches scattered on the ground, getting thicker the further into the forest he looked.
One of the lead Warders turned to them. “My father studied everything he could about the Manarach, using both materials from Lore’s Haven, and any information he could gather in his travels,” the man said, keeping his voice low. “The creatures break branches off to form passages through the trees. This allows them to move quickly without coming down.” He indicated the deadwood littering the ground around them. “We are now almost certainly inside their territory.”
Together, they all looked at Brin. He shook his head again.
“I have not sensed anything beyond ordinary earth and rock,” he said. “We must keep going, for at least a little while longer. We cannot come this far only to return empty handed.”
Until this moment, Borin had entertained the hope that perhaps the texts were mistaken about the Manarachs’ territory. Now, with proof scattered all around them, the sensation of being watched came back stronger than before. I hope we find the ore soon. Now, not only would he need to watch the trees overhead, he also had to watch the ground to keep from tripping over the increasingly frequent fallen limbs.
They walked for a while longer, taking care to avoid the branches on the ground. Borin began seeing strands and shreds of trapsilk here and there, hanging from the trees. The slight breeze made them sway slowly, creating phantom movement at the corners of his vision. He could feel his pulse beginning to speed up again.
“Wait,” Brin said. They stopped and turned to him as his face took on a watchful expression, turning from side to side as if listening for a sound only he could hear. He held one hand out in front of him as he turned.
“Now I understand why the texts call it Invisible Stone,” he said, taking slow steps in one direction and then another. “It is as if there are voids in the earth. Blank areas where I do not sense anything.”
“You are certain they are not cavities within the ground?” Delani asked.
“No. Imagine you are holding a stone that you cannot see. You still know the stone is there, even though your hand appears to be empty. That is what this feels like.”
“So we can dig up what we need and be out of here,” Borin said. He never thought he would feel safer at the Scorched Plains, but his nerves were wound as tightly as a bow string.
His slim hope faded as Brin shook his head. “Not yet. The deposits here are too small and scattered.” He held his hand out toward the woods again. “But there is a very large deposit not far away. We are close.”
Thirty more paces and Brin signaled the group to stop. He turned in a slow circle, studying the ground, and then nodded.
“There is a large deposit just there,” he said, pointing to a spot a few paces away. “Move behind me and I will bring it up.” He waited for them to move out of the way, and then crimson dimsai enveloped his hands and disappeared into the earth as he sent his power down through the ground. They waited for a reaction, but nothing happened. Brin frowned and tried again, sending even more power into the earth, again with the same result.
He stopped and stared at the patch of ground. “It would appear that this may not be as easy as we first assumed. The ore resists my power.” His eyes narrowed. “Perhaps a different approach is needed.”
He stretched his hands out again. This time his power covered the surface of the ground. They watched as dirt and rocks began moving away, leaving a hole behind that got deeper as more soil flowed from the cavity. The excavated earth piled up beside the hole as he continued pushing his dimsai deeper into the ground. Then, the stream of dirt slowed. He intensified his power, and a few more rocks crawled out of the hole, but then, even with Brin’s increased effort, the flow halted completely.
“That is apparently as far as my power will take us,” Brin said. “We will have to dig the rest of the way. The ore is still the height of a man beneath the bottom of the hole.” He sent his power back down again, widening the hole and forming a ramp to get in and out.
The soldiers grabbed their spades and picks. Two of them dropped into the hole and began throwing dirt and rocks out. One of the remaining two began moving the piles of earth away from the edge of the hole, while the other stood watch, keeping an eye on the surrounding woods. Borin wished there was some way for them to muffle the pings and scrapes as they dug. He knew it was not as loud as his nervousness made it seem, but he still could not shake a vivid mental picture of hordes of Manarachs converging on the group, following the noise to find their prey. His nerves jangled with each blow of the pick, and every moment of digging felt like an eternity.
His neck was beginning to hurt from whipping his head back and forth at the slightest sound, whether real or imagined he was unsure, coming from the trees surrounding them.
“Loremaster Borin.”
“What??” He jumped as Delani’s touch interrupted his tormented thoughts of being captured by one of the gruesome creatures. He put a hand to his chest, feeling his heart obviously trying to beat its way out and escape on its own. “Forgive me,” he said to her, “did you say something?”
“I said they have reached the ore. We should be ready to leave shortly.”
“Oh, good,” he said, trying to disguise the fact that he had almost run screaming into the woods when she laid her hand on his arm. That would have been most embarrassing. From the look she was giving him, however, he appeared to have failed at hiding his anxiety.
“Be at ease, Borin. You have been thrust into a difficult situation in a most unexpected and unfortunate manner. Believe that you are equal to the task at hand, as we believe you are, and you will be well.” She gave him a slight smile and turned back to the excavation.
He stared at her back. “…as we believe you are…” He had not expected compassion from her. She was usually among the most unyielding members of the Circle, and she practically never smiled. Perhaps it is her own weaknesses she fights against, rather than that of others. The possibility that she was anything other than what she seemed had never occurred to him. But what weaknesses had she ever displayed? None came to mind, other than, possibly, an inability to control her temper from time to time. Nevertheless, he would have to remember to thank her for her words. That is, of course, if they survived long enough.
He looked to the hole, where the soldiers were handing up large chunks of reddish ore for the leather sacks they had brought with them. Soon all of the sacks were filled and the two men climbed out of the pit. They had more than enough ore, but he had insisted on having extra to allow for errors in smelting as he learned about the material.
“I believe we have what we came for,” Delani said. “Loremaster Brin, as you are the strongest among us, and the distance is so great, would you create a portal so that we may rejoin the Circle?”
Brin took a few steps away and raised his hand. A portal opened up, although it appeared to waver uncertainly. Borin felt a rush of relief as they saw the edge of the campsite at the Scorched Plains on the other side. As he, Delani, and the soldiers stepped forward, the portal collapsed in upon itself and vanished. Brin frowned, and then raised his hand to create another portal. The air shimmered and twisted briefly, but that was all.
“This is strange,” Brin said. “Dela
ni can you create a portal?”
Delani tried using her power with the same lack of results.
“What prevents us?” she asked.
Brin looked at the woods around them. “I see nothing amiss nearby. Perhaps if we go back to the edge of the forest and try again.”
“Wait,” Borin said. A suspicion was tickling his thoughts. “Loremaster Brin, take a few more steps away and try again.”
With a puzzled look, Brin moved a few paces ahead and called on his power. As before, a portal formed, although it looked as unstable as the first.
“Now you,” Borin said to one of the soldiers, “go stand beside Loremaster Brin.”
As the man moved toward Brin, the portal rippled and disappeared. Brin’s eyes widened. “The ore,” he said.
“The ore,” Borin agreed. “It is disrupting the portal before we can go through.”
“How are we to get it back to the camp?” the soldier beside Brin asked.
“Horses,” Brin said. “One of us will have to go back and bring horses and supplies for a journey overland.”
“Then, as you suggested,” Delani said, “we should go back to the edge of the woods so that the portal from the camp to here can be created safely.”
Everyone agreed and they began the trek out of the trees, again taking care not to step on any of the deadwood scattered across the ground. They had not walked far when the leading soldier stopped.
“What is it?” Brin asked.
“Loremaster, unless we have gone far out of our way, we may have been discovered.” He pointed.
Ahead of them, a barrier of trapsilk stretched across the trees for a hundred paces, curving around to encompass them on both sides.
Borin could not help himself. “Oh no.”
*****
Jason leaned against the outside of the shelter, feeling the late morning sun soak into tired muscles. Seryn had treated his back again, and the soreness was completely gone, but it was nice to have a bit of a break. The last couple of days had been a little rough. Physically, he was pretty sure he’d had the worst of it, but emotionally? That had to be Seryn. She had excused herself earlier, going inside to lie down for a while. Between losing Haras, Nyala showing her what she had, and Regor grabbing her, Jason couldn’t imagine how she could keep going. He’d always thought she seemed pretty strong, but that was a lot for one person.
He couldn’t help wondering and worrying about what Regor might be up to. No matter what Nyala thought, if he did go to Airam, and if she joined him, Jason and Nyala wouldn’t be enough to stand up to them. But what about Nivek? Did he know his mom was free? If so, where was he? Surely he’d help them if he knew what Nyala was doing. The obvious conclusion was that Nivek didn’t know yet. Maybe he should ask Nyala to try to contact him and let him know she was out.
He also wondered about Lenai. There hadn’t been any more attacks from Regor through the bond, but if he still had Lenai, that could make things tricky when they finally found him. What if it came down to a choice between saving Lenai and taking out Regor? What would he do? He knew Lenai would be willing to sacrifice herself to save him and the Circle, but he wasn’t so sure he would be willing to take that step.
And what about his father? What about the Circle? Were they all still okay? If so, what were they doing? He bounced his fist lightly against the side of the cottage. He needed to know what was going on, and the Circle needed to know what he and Nyala were doing. But how would either of them find out, if neither knew where the other was?
“Jason!”
A blur of yellow streaked across his vision as Crin’s joy at finding him permeated the bird’s greeting.
“Crin!” Jason couldn’t keep a grin off his face. At least he knew now that one of his missing friends was okay. He pushed away from the building and looked up, watching the fortunewing swerve and loop through the air, until Crin finally swooped down and landed on Jason’s shoulder.
“I finally found you. You are well?”
I’m good, he thought back to Crin. Did you find Reyga?
“Yes. He said the Circle is trying to rescue the Shanthi. She is being held in the Grithor caves. He also said your father is well. He is staying with others at a place called Gildenfell.”
Jason breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his dad was safe. What about the rest of the Loremasters? Is everyone okay?
“He did not say. But, Jason, there is something wrong with Loremaster Reyga.”
Wrong? What’s wrong with him?
“There is a darkness within him, like a shadow on his soul. I do not know what it was, but it felt wrong. He has left the others in the Circle. He is at his home now.”
We should go see him.
“No! He insisted that you stay away. He said it is not safe for you there.” Crin paused for a moment, and then added, “I will not let you go there. I promised the Loremaster.”
But if he’s in troub—
“No.”
But, Crin—
“No!”
Fine. Jason had learned over the last few weeks how stubborn his avian companion could be. Sometimes it was no use arguing with him. But we should at least go see the others. Maybe the High One can tell me about what’s going on with Reyga. And they need to know what we’re doing too.
“I would not object to that.”
Good. I just have to wait until Nyala gets back to let her know.
“Very well. I am going to get some rest. It was a long flight to find you.” Then, almost as a reproach, he added, “Do not leave me behind again.”
Then he launched into the air and soared upwards, coming to light on a branch almost at the top of a nearby tree. Jason watched as his friend preened for a few moments, ruffled his feathers and then tucked his beak down against his chest and closed his eyes.
Jason smiled and then poked his head inside to see if Seryn was awake. She was sitting on the side of her cot with her face buried in her hands.
“Seryn? Are you okay?”
“What?” She looked up at him. He was relieved to see her eyes were dry, so she hadn’t been crying. “Oh. Yes, I am well. It has just been very trying, this mission Nyala has us on.”
“Yeah,” he said, sitting on his own cot opposite her. “It’s been pretty rough. I just wanted to let you know Crin showed up. He told me the Circle was trying to rescue Lenai. I thought maybe when Nyala gets back we could go see how they’re doing, since we’re not doing anything else today.”
“Yes, I think that would be a good idea. They should also be told of what we have accomplished.”
“I just hope they were able to get Lenai back. I really don’t want to meet Regor in the bond again.” His brows drew down. “Crin also said Reyga wasn’t with the Circle anymore.”
“Loremaster Reyga has stepped down?”
“No, no!” He hadn’t meant to alarm her. “He’s still a Loremaster, but Crin said he’s at his home. Crin said there was some kind of darkness in him. He called it a shadow on Reyga’s soul. He said it felt wrong. I was going to go see him, but Crin said Reyga told him I needed to stay away. Reyga said it wasn’t safe for me there.”
“A shadow on his soul? What could that be?”
“I don’t know. But Crin wasn’t about to let me go find out.”
“I wonder if I should go see him.”
“Let’s go see the other Loremasters first. Maybe the High One can tell us what’s going on with Reyga.”
She nodded. “Yes. Surely Loremaster Reyga would have let the High One know the reason he was leaving.”
“Then as soon as Nyala gets back, we’ll go see what’s going on.”
*****
It took every ounce of willpower Borin possessed to keep from whimpering like a frightened child. When they had turned away from the trapsilk barrier, they found dozens of Manarachs arrayed behind them, with more dropping from the trees on their silken lines. None of them moved; none made a sound. The only sounds he did hear were the soldiers drawing their
swords. He, Brin, and Delani also had swords, but, as Loremasters, they tended to rely on their power more than weapons. Their swords remained sheathed. He watched as more and more of the creatures appeared. How can there be this many remaining after the battle? None of the creatures at the Scorched Plains had survived. They had assumed that Bodann had brought all of them. Obviously, they had been mistaken.
Then, the closest creatures parted, allowing another, larger, Manarach to approach. She was almost half again as large as most of the others. That must be the queen. The black orb eyes glittered, and he could see the fangs under the chin emerging and then retracting again and again as she drew closer. She stopped a little over half a dozen paces away, and regarded them silently. No one moved. Then she spoke.
“Zhe prey comez to uz. It zteals from uz. It zhinks it can get away, but cannot. Inztead, will feed uz.”
A line of silk shot out and dragged one of the bags the soldiers had dropped over to her. She opened it up and then began making a chittering, hissing sound. “Zhe prey comez for rockz?”
She held one of the chunks of ore up, and the others started making the same sounds. Borin guessed that was the Manarach version of laughter. She tossed the bag back at them, spilling pieces of ore across the ground.
“Why humanz want our rockz? Have none of your ownz?”
Brin stepped forward. He inclined his head and said, “The Manarach have special rocks that we need to fight a very powerful enemy. An enemy that threatens not only us, but all races of Teleria, even the Manarach.”
“We apologize for our intrusion,” Delani added. “We did not know the Manarach were still here. We thought you had moved on to other territories.”
“All plazez ourz,” the queen hissed at them. “We chooz live here. Maybe zoon, we chooz live your landz.”
“Of course,” Brin answered. “We meant no offense. Had we known you were here, we would have asked for the rock instead of taking it.”
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