The Shrine of Arthis Book One: The Power of Denial

by David A. Gustafson

Bathed by the sunlight of early morning, Audain looked upward toward the sandstone cliffs which made up the foundation upon which Gladeis rested. She raised a hand to block the glare and trained her eyes upon the road that lead downward from the city. The knowledge that anyone traveling that route would soon pass nearby, brought her comfort.

  She sat atop one of the many boulders that lined the steep route descending to the river. Waiting uneasily, she enjoyed the warmth of the sun’s rays while taking in the prominent view of the Neverth Valley to her south. Like always, the water’s surface glittering at the valley’s base several hundred feet below lifted her spirit. Along the closest riverbank the rich brown color of freshly tilled fields contrasted with the slightly reddish hue of the surrounding rocky slopes.

  “Last day, Rendel,” Audain called out to a small man of about forty who trudged past a few minutes later. She knew he was in for long hours of planting. “Tomorrow you can sleep as long as you like,” she added, trying to sound cheerful.

  “It’s not a lack of sleep that frets me,” Rendel replied with an uncharacteristic frown. “It’s the lack of time in the Forest. I don’t know why you’re so happy. I saw your father talking to the guard back at the gate. He can’t be far behind. We’ll all have to go straight to work when he arrives.”

  Audain feigned a laugh and Rendel continued walking toward the fields. “I know this is still a little new to you,” she added, “but you’ve adapted well and are doing a great job. Planting season ends today. Tomorrow we all get to relax. Things will get back to normal then, I promise, at least until the harvest.”

  “It’s not all that new to me,” he called back. “This is already my third season. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your Council taking me in. And I especially appreciate all the help everyone has been. I love my new community. But until I understand how I got here and where I came from, I don’t think I’ll ever be at ease as a field worker. I like to be on the move. The hunting and scouting details in the Forest expose me to something new every day. Maybe I’ll eventually stumble upon a key that brings back my memory.”

  “I understand, or at least I try to,” she answered. The reminder of Rendel arriving at Gladeis, lost and confused, brought back her feelings of anxiety. “I’ll see you down below.”

  A few minutes later, her father came into view. Alone, he turned the corner at the eastern bend in the trail and walked toward her. Audain jumped from her perch. She noticed that Kenyon seemed to be in deep thought. She knew that as Captain of the Guard, he always had some problem to deal with. She was glad to see his face brighten when he saw her there.

  “Hello, Darling,” he said and slowed his pace slightly as she joined him. “As hard as you’ve worked these last two weeks, I am surprised to see you here. I was even more surprised when I checked your room and found you had already left.”

  “Someone needs to make sure you don’t overwork everyone,” she said jokingly. “But that’s not the reason why I left my room so early. I awakened before dawn with memories of shadow troubling my mood. I tried to shake them but could not get back to sleep.”

  “I see,” he answered, a twinge of concern in his voice. “The brightness of the day must have chased them from you by now?”

  Audain whispered in reply. “As the day grows, so too does my worry. I don’t know why, Father. I remember little from my dreams, only a feeling of being watched. I fear I will be of little value in the fields today.”

  “Well, you should take the day off, then. You have already done more than your share of the work. No one will begrudge you that. A few of the slackers may moan a little when they realize that they may have to work a little longer to finish without you. None of our guards relish being used to help farming, even if it’s only for a couple of weeks a year.”

  “I don’t know. Some people have already passed while I sat waiting for you. They all look so tired. Poor Rendel seemed as though he was going to collapse and roll down the trail.”

  “Rendel is one of the strongest workers we have. He’s just putting on a show. He’s anxious to get back on scouting duty. He’s good in the Forest, especially for someone without Emerald. Unfortunately, he knows it. Everyone eats the food we grow, Audain. Even the Guard must do its share to help.”

  They walked on in silence for a few minutes. Audain thought about her father’s offer. As both a woman and his eldest child, she worked hard to overcome the stereotypes some people placed on her. At twenty years of age, Foedan women like her were usually married and raising children. She was not ready for that sort of commitment. Instead, she focused on learning more about her Emerald earth power. That she excelled in it made her somewhat unapproachable. Though she did not admit it to anyone, it also left her very lonely.

  “Now don’t argue with me,” Kenyon said. They were near the bottom of the trail. “A day off to walk through the Forest will relieve your misgivings. At the least, it will bolster your Emerald.”

  “I could use some time alone,” she stammered, torn between her feelings of guilt and her excitement at spending unexpected time in the Forest. “I should go back to my room first, to get my bow. Its power will help me focus better.”

  “By all means!” he replied. “We all know how attached you are to that bow, how much a part of you it is. You can wander up the valley and see how the fields we planted last week are doing. From there, you can climb the south escarpment, and maybe even continue on to High Falls.”

  “Yes, that place always invigorates me. I haven’t been there in a while.” She stopped, turned and looked up the trail they’d been following. “So, I guess I’ll see you tonight at dinner,” she added, before heading back.

  When Audain returned carrying her bow a few minutes later, most of workers were already dispersed throughout the fields. She waved at the few who noticed her as she passed. One was Rendel.

  “I heard you were given the day off,” he called. He seemed to be eyeing the quiver of arrows and the bow she carried on her back. “Are you going to bring back some dinner? I’d offer to help with the hunting but I could never draw that bow of yours. Still, I’d be glad to come along and carry back whatever game you shoot.”

  “I won’t be shooting anything today, Rendel. This is just for practice.” She reached up and tapped the bow with her right hand and smiled. Its unusually heavy girth seemed far too staunch for anyone to draw, especially a frail looking young woman. “We can hunt together another day.”

  The path she followed wound its way through the maze of cultivated fields that lay along the floor of the valley. As she walked eastward, she noted the condition of the seedlings. These areas had been planted earlier in the season. Augmented by the power of Emerald, the young plants were growing well but would soon require some weeding.

  Audain traveled about a mile before the trail crossed over a small wooden bridge leading to the opposite side of the river. Her route then began to ascend the southern slope of the Neverth Valley, passing through areas devoted to pasture for the city’s livestock. She climbed quickly, following a trail that wound through the rocky soil. Eventually the path reached the base of the sandstone escarpment that formed a sheer brow near the top of the valley.

  She stopped to rest and looked back the way she had come. The figures of the workers in the fields below appeared surprisingly small, she thought. Yet her gaze was drawn above them, across the valley to Gladeis itself. She relaxed slightly when she spotted South Point. Located at the southern tip of the city, South Point was the best place in Gladeis to view the surrounding valley.

  In the morning sunlight, the white sandstone of the city stood out. Its stark appearance contrasted with the large grove of pine trees that grew farther up the valley’s slope. From this vantage Audain always drew a new respect for the power of the Neverth River. It was the only force strong enough to divide the Forest. The course it took essentially cut the great woodland in two.

  With a deep breath she turned away from the view and continued. The trail ent
ered a narrow cleft eroded into the face of the escarpment by a small stream. Though less than a dozen feet wide, this tiny canyon was the only way to climb out of the valley. The passage had many steps carved into the stone. As Audain ascended, the sound of cascading water helped put her at ease.

  She emerged from the cleft drenched with sweat, but continued to follow the stream upward. As the valley’s slopes subsided, larger trees became more abundant. The glow of Emerald arose in Audain’s eyes. When she shifted the bow from its position on her back, the wood tingled in her grasp. With a clear mind and heightened senses, she smiled. She loved the Forest and the confidence she felt there.

  It was late morning when she noticed an area ahead where the trees seemed to thin. Peering closely through a gap within the foliage, she caught a glimpse of the white spray of a waterfall. She hastened forward and stopped when she reached the pool at the base of High Falls. The name was given not because the water fell a great distance, but because the falls were located at such a high elevation within the valley.

  Audain looked upon the water as it cascaded down a stone incline from a rock ledge about thirty feet above the pool. Though hot from her climb, she studied the surroundings cautiously, then removed her clothing and waded into the water. Its chill caused her skin to tighten as she swam. Reaching the opposite bank, she scrambled onto some rocks near the base of the falls and sat there enjoying the sensation of the spray massaging her shoulders. A few minutes later, she scrambled up a trail that led to a precipice above the water fall.

  “This may be my favorite place in the whole valley,” she said softly and sat down upon a small boulder. “I wish I knew why I was so uptight earlier. What a change. Now, I feel that all I need is a little push and I could soar from here all the way back to Gladeis.”

  Before long she descended to the pool, redressed and began the trip back. Her eyes burned fiercely with Emerald. Walking beneath the trees, she embraced the beauty of their canopy, especially the sunlight filtering through to dance in the leaves above with varied shades of green and yellow. She altered her path slightly from the morning’s climb and passed through a grove of oak trees whose massive trunks attested to their long years of life upon the upper edge of the valley. Their branches created a cathedral-like area. Audain stopped beneath it. Unexpectedly, she felt a new sense of unease welling into her Emerald.

  Confused, she concentrated a moment and then realized that the source of her apprehension was the trees themselves. She walked over and placed her hands upon the trunk of the largest she saw. Slowly she relaxed, allowing her Emerald to intertwine with its earth force, melding with it as only a Shaper from Gladeis could do. Through the connection, she moved her mind amid the tender leaves, the swaying branches and the heavy trunk. Lastly, she probed into the roots themselves. It was here that she finally touched what haunted her. A sense of loathing ripped at her core, a feeling so strong that she wanted to return to High Falls. Instead, she released her connection and hastened toward Gladeis.

  The afternoon light was nearly gone when Audain finally reached the boulder where her day began. Pausing there to collect her thoughts, she absently glanced back to the other side of the valley and the slopes she had just descended. Her gaze traveled up, beyond the area were the city’s livestock roamed. She was just about to turn away when a flash of white caught her eye.

  “Must be a stray lamb,” she thought, unconvinced. “Usually, they don’t climb so high. I’ll go up there tomorrow, bring it back down.”

  ----

  “I can see by the brightness in your eyes that you had an invigorating day,” Rendel called out from his seat. “Come join our table. Your father is humoring me. He’s even feigning to listen to my summary of how the planting went today. Oh, were you able to bring down a deer for us? A little fresh meat would go well with tonight’s dinner selection.”

  “I need to talk to you, Father,” Audain replied ignoring Rendel’s comments and the frown that suddenly appeared on his face.

  Kenyon realized that Rendel had misread her mood. She was not exhilarated, but alarmed. “Get something to eat, Audain, and join us,” he said calmly. “I just filled this pitcher from the spring. I’ll pour you a cup. It will be nice and cold.”

  “That can wait.” She paused to take a deep breath, hoping it would help her unwind. “I can do that after we talk.”

  “Come now, Audain,” the Captain stated firmly. “You spent all day trying to relax so your Foedan powers could help you understand your troubled heart. If you won’t listen to it, at least listen to me. Take the time to put your needs ahead of your worries. If you do that, your problems will not change, but you won’t make them worse by letting them overrun you.”

  Audain scoffed. Her father could be stubborn. Biting her lip, she turned away and crossed the room, returning a few minutes later with a full plate.

  “Thank you,” Kenyon said as she took a seat across from him. Rendel smiled but said nothing. “If you are planning to warn me again about the shadow you felt this morning, rest assured. I have felt it all day.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, a bit too loudly.

  “Please, don’t alarm anyone. Some of them are already worried. Rendel, keep all of this to yourself. I wasn’t positive this morning, Audain, but many of the Shapers I’ve talked to today just haven’t been themselves. Combining that, your dreams, and, of course, the stress I saw in your face when you came in the room just now, provides most of the confirmation I need. As if all those things were not enough, there will be a full moon tonight.”

  “I guess I didn’t realize that,” she answered. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

  “I’m not sure what it means. However, I feel that I must call a meeting of the Council. We’ll get together in about an hour. Please prepare yourself to talk to them. They will be interested to know what you felt today when you visited High Falls. A recent report from there, especially from a Shaper with your abilities, will be of value.”

  Audain looked at her father almost as if in shock. “So you woke up this morning feeling as I did, and then sent me off so you could get a report?”

  “Yes.” His answer was direct, though a gentle smile broke his face.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, not at all amused.

  “Because I need a good report, Audain. That is what the Council will expect to get from you in an hour.”

  “And if you had warned me, you could not have trusted me to give you such a report?” she asked again, no less agitated.

  “I could have trusted you to give me the best report you could. But we need the best report possible. A report that is innocent and unbiased will be more useful to assess our danger. If I would have agreed with you outright, reinforced your fears with my own, you would have been so blinded and intent on finding answers that you would not have learned anything we don’t already know.”

  “What makes you think I learned something?” she asked smugly.

  “Because you are my daughter. You belong to the Forest, perhaps like no other. Now eat your dinner, calm your mind and forget your fears. I have to call the Council together.”

  As he rose to leave, he looked again at Rendel. “Remember what we were talking about when Audain arrived. I’ve heard of your skills in the Forest. Believe me, I want people to do things that they are good at, but planting is something everyone must help with. Don’t fret. It’s over for now so you will be able to get back to other assignments. And remember, what Audain and I just discussed, must be kept quiet.”

  Kenyon walked from the room. Audain ate quickly, hoping to finish her meal before anyone else came and sat down with her. Rendel was finished with his food but remained. A foolish smirk covered his face as he watched.

  “There’s no reason to rush. You could make yourself sick,” he said playfully. “It will be at least an hour before your father gets everyone to the chambers.”

  “Thanks for the advice. I’ve got a lot on
my mind. I’d like a little time alone.”

  “Are you asking me to leave?” he replied.

  “No, stay as long as you like. I’m finished. Sorry I can’t stay with you just now. I really need some time to think.”

  ----

  Shortly after dark, Audain left her room and headed to the building where the Council held their meetings. Her stomach was still in knots. Remembering what her father said about staying calm, she carried her bow in her left hand. It would help her focus. As she walked, she noticed that a full moon was rising. Its face was visible just above the horizon. She went up the short flight of steps that led to the Council Hall’s entrance but paused before entering. Her attention returned once again to the moon. Its face possessed an unusual reddish tint. She shuddered and then walked into the lighted doorway.

  The chamber room was already occupied. The men and women who made up the Council sat at a large rectangular table. They talked quietly amongst themselves. Kenyon, as Captain of the Guard, was alone at one end of the table. A small gray haired woman occupied the other. The remaining members, six in total, filled the other two sides. Audain grabbed one of the spare chairs that rested against the far wall. She pulled it closer and sat down.

  “Thank you for coming, dear,” the gray haired woman began. Her name was Rhecca. She was the oldest inhabitant of Gladeis though few would guess it from her crisp mind. She had held the position of Council President for so long that most people in the city remembered no other. “Can I offer you a bit of coffee or perhaps a glass of wine?”

  “No, thank you,” Audain replied, trying to smile but feeling uneasy. “If I need something, I will help myself.”

  “Then we may as well get to business. I was a bit surprised when our Captain approached, asking for this emergency meeting.” The old woman paused a moment to gauge the disposition of those around the table. “Being of the Emerald, I certainly feel the apprehension of an approaching full moon. I know what can happen on such nights. However, this moon does not seem greatly out of place. A Council meeting called at the last minute like this can upset the people. It is our job to make everyone feel safe, avoid unnecessary panic. However, when Kenyon was so insistent, I agreed.”

  “I certainly understand the need to keep our people at ease,” Kenyon replied. “As Captain, my responsibilities go further. I must also keep them safe.

  “I woke up this morning feeling restless,” he continued. “When I met Audain on the road below South Point, she told me about the shadow growing in her heart. I became more concerned and sent her out to do some scouting. Throughout the day my worries have grown. I do not wish to alarm needlessly, but my duty is to be vigilant. Though the Sortiri have never attacked us, we must not feel that we are immune to such danger.”

  At the mention of the Sortiri, everyone around the table looked toward Rhecca. She saw the concern in their eyes. “Please, Kenyon! There is no reason to think those creatures will ever fall upon Gladeis. Even if there are rumors of the other Foedan cities being menaced by the monsters, we all know that the Emerald is the strongest earth power. We may not be immune, but we have the Forest to protect us. It will never let us down.”

  “We cannot be blind, Rhecca,” he answered. “These things you call rumors, others call fact. I would like to hear how the rest of the Council feels. Will some of you describe to us what your senses are telling you?”

  A large man named William looked nervously toward Rhecca. He had thin white hair that contrasted with his unwrinkled face. “I feel a trembling within my Emerald. It does not surprise me that others might too. I don’t mind getting together. I understand, Kenyon, that as Captain, you must be cautious. However, my senses tell me that if the Sortiri are active tonight, it is not Gladeis that must worry.”

  “You see,” Rhecca said with conviction. “All this worry is for nothing.”

  “South of the Neverth, the Forest is more in tune with the Emerald,” Kenyon replied. “Audain was there today. Before you jump to a conclusion, I think that her report needs to be heard.”

  “Very well,” Rhecca answered, seeming impatient. “Audain, please describe what you felt today, not every detail, just your main observations.”

  The young woman looked around uneasily. “I awakened this morning with this uncomfortable feeling in my core. Father suggested I spend the day resting. He reminded me that High Falls always brings me close to my Emerald. He was right. While I was there, my worries subsided. When I started back, I finally felt at ease. Something strange happened though. I passed through an area of very old oak trees. Suddenly, a great weight of foreboding fell over me. I decided to interlock directly with one of the trees. Usually with a large oak, the link makes me feel small and insignificant, giving me a sense of peace. Today was different. There was no peace in that tree, only a tremendous state of warning. Even now my worries grow though I can’t explain why.”

  Rhecca looked around uncomfortably. She knew Audain had an unmatched connection with the Emerald. “What of the rest of you? Do you feel we are in danger? Should we warn the people and make preparations for a Sortiri attack?”

  One by one, the other members of the Council spoke. Each mentioned feelings much like those that William had described earlier. A few said that they sometimes felt uneasy when a full moon drew near. Everyone avoided looking directly at Audain, realizing how upset their observations were making her.

  Kenyon was the last to speak. “I know my daughter better than anyone. If she feels an alarm, it makes me afraid. I think we should fortify the gate. Put every Shaper there that we can. If the gate fails us, there will not be enough time to react. We will need to send everyone else to the Hold.”

  “That is ridiculous!” Rhecca replied, more harshly than was appropriate under the circumstances. “There is no evidence that we are in immediate danger. I am not going to stand for an unnecessary panic. Forcing everyone into the Hold just because one girl is frightened is preposterous. I’m sorry, Kenyon. I know the Hold was built as a place to protect our people from danger, but hiding underground, surrounded by stone, that’s something the Amber would do. The Emerald is stronger than that.”

  “We are not talking about the impressions of one girl,” Kenyon replied defensively. “My daughter is the most powerful Shaper we have. Is there anyone else here that can command a piece of wood the way she can? We all know that no other Shaper has the power even to draw the bow she carries.”

  “A trick with a bow is not enough to make her our guardian,” Rhecca said, obviously ready for the meeting to end. “The Council has spoken. Thank you again, Audain, for your report and you, Kenyon, for calling this meeting. I believe we have completed our business for tonight.”

  “That’s it?” Audain said in dismay, rising to her feet. “I know what I felt today. Deep in its roots, that oak tree was screaming out to us. The other trees were too. To dismiss this and do nothing is putting us in great danger.”

  “We all have a role to play in the safety of our city,” Rhecca responded. She smiled and rose from her seat. “You have fulfilled yours by bringing this to us. I’m afraid we just don’t agree with the urgency you feel.”

  Most of the other Council members joined Rhecca and started toward the door. Kenyon remained seated. Audain stared at them with a look of shock on her face. She was about to protest when her father stood up.

  “Thank you all for coming. If things change, I will take the actions expected of me as our Captain.”

  In a few minutes, Audain and her father were alone. They extinguished the oil lamps that lit the room and headed toward Audain’s small apartment.

  “I’m sorry,” Kenyon said as they crossed a grass covered courtyard near the center of the city. “If the Council does not feel the alarm, perhaps the city is not in danger. They are all skilled Shapers though somewhat stubborn and maybe a little shortsighted. If Gladeis were going to fall today, I think they would feel the threat and would have stood up to Rhecca.”

  �
�No one stands up to Rhecca!” Audain answered. Her voice was filled with bitterness. “Why did you have me speak to them? Was there a reason you wanted to make me look like a fool?”

  Kenyon was startled. It was very unlike his daughter to act this way. “I was not trying to make you look foolish. I trust in your powers. I always will.”

  “That’s because I’m your daughter,” she said, still feeling hurt.

  “I think you misread things.”

  “It’s you who misread things, Father. You made me look like an Apprentice, not the Shaper I am.” Her manner seemed to grow more agitated with each response.

  “Please, Audain. Calm down and give me a chance.”

  “You had your chance at the meeting. I’d just as soon be alone now.”

  Kenyon realized that his daughter was not going to let him explain. The Council respected Audain’s Emerald abilities immensely, yet that did not mean they understood why she sensed dangers that none of them felt. It also did not mean that the dangers she sensed were not real. Whatever was to happen the rest of that night, had his daughter not spoken to the Council and tried to impress them with her warning, he would not have been able to live with himself should the worst occur and the Sortiri arrive.

  “Very well,” Kenyon said when they reached her room. “We will talk more tomorrow.”

  Alone again but unable to relax, Audain waited until her father had gone before leaving her room and walking to South Point. She leaned against the parapet that guarded the drop to the rocks below and gazed aimlessly across the valley. The light of the full moon outlined the river and the contour of the fields. As she suppressed the frustration that still boiled within her mind, she failed to notice a pair of yellow eyes staring upward. From the shadow of the very boulder where she waited for her father that morning, something watched.

  She remained at South Point and thought deeply about all that had happened that day. It was getting late when she sensed a change. She looked upward. Nearly straight overhead the full moon was cast in a deep ball of crimson. As if reacting to this hidden threat, a line of ghostly fog arose from a distant peak in the Forest. It formed into tendrils of white that sprawled across the sky toward the moon’s red glow. Somehow Audain knew that their mission was to expel the unwelcomed color from the moon’s face. She watched in fascination as the fog slowly encircled and then thickened around the moon. When a sense of relief that she did not understand suddenly enveloped her, she walked back to her room and slept.

  Chapter 3: New Hope