It was early afternoon on the second day after they left Deluge. Advancing north from Lake Neverth, they progressed through the sea of spruce trees that covered the wide area between the eastern banks of the Heimdell and the knees of the Crosscut Mountains to the west. The pyramid shaped tops of the trees waved majestically in the blue sky. The Forest floor beneath them was open and covered by a thin layer of tall grass.
“Don’t you think you’ve eaten enough?” Jerrid said kiddingly during a short stop. Feor munched away as the stone Shaper looked back to check upon the other riders.
“This place is so peaceful,” Audain said, “I guess I didn’t realize how nervous I’ve been. It looks like Feor has found time to relax too.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Rendel replied. “Each mile we cover makes me more anxious, knowing Rhindus grows closer. I’ve been thinking about what the Shrine showed me.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot too,” Jerrid added. “Especially after hearing how the Sortiri have plagued Deluge. It makes me sad to learn what they have suffered.”
“How were we to know?” Audain said defensively, turning her head away when Jerrid looked at her sternly.
“I think the Council in Garth knew,” he said. “Others suspected as well, even in your city, Audain. We all are guilty of turning a blind eye.”
Rendel shifted uneasily in his saddle.
“I’m sorry, Rendel. This must be especially difficult for you. I probably should keep my thoughts to myself. Audain is right, this is an exhilarating area, full of freshness. I should be concentrating on using its essence to build my spirits up instead of dwelling on hurts we cannot mend.”
“That’s okay,” Rendel replied. “I’m dwelling too, but doesn’t someone have to? How are we going to end this plague unless we recognize it?”
“You two dwell all you want!” Audain shouted out in exasperation. “I’m not blind to what we’ve learned but I need a break from it. Enjoy the last of the afternoon without me. I’m riding ahead to find a good place to make camp.”
She spurred Arum forward. In spite of the miles covered on the trail in recent days, the stallion seemed to welcome the chance to run. The two men watched as she disappeared around a bend in the trail. They looked at each other wondering if they had driven her away.
“She’ll be okay,” Jerrid said. “I’ve been using my enhancements to reach out. I don’t sense any threats. I don’t think she’ll go far.”
“Yeah, she’s probably right. We’re all getting to each other after being together so much. I think that I’m starting to remember a little though, by dwelling as Audain would say.”
“Things from the Shrine you mean?” Jerrid asked.
“Yes, from that night.”
Jerrid waited for him to elaborate. Eventually he realized that the silence did more to explain the turmoil going on in Rendel’s mind than any words would have.
They found Audain sitting on a large boulder near the edge of the trail. She was busy engaging her Emerald, using its power to relax and expand, something they all had been working on whenever time allowed. Though her eyes remained closed, they knew she was aware of their presence. They went about unsaddling the horses to make an early camp. Jerrid walked with Feor to a nearby area of thicker grass. He rubbed down the horse’s chest and haunches, and then left him to graze.
That night, following Audain’s example, the two men exercised their enhancements. Since his awakening upon the Summit, Rendel had become fully adept at calling up his Opal. Drawing from whatever breeze was blowing, he used its energy to heighten his senses, allowing his spirit to soar as if it were itself free to float with the wind. Tonight, in the light of a waxing moon just reaching its first quarter, he guided his senses to the west and allowed them to drift upward to the Crosscut. He knew that somewhere upon those slopes rested Rhindus, the city of wind. The thought of reaching that destination brought him a mixture of trepidation and excitement. Though his Opal felt strong, he held back, not daring to reach out to his former home.
Early the next morning, the trail intersected with another road. From his knowledge of maps and his time spent soaring with his Opal, Rendel knew that the western branch lead over the Heimdell and up into the mountains. Taking the lead, he guided them in that direction. Soon after fording the river, the valley floor began to slope upward. Ahead, the foothills of the mountains loomed, their sparse foliage accentuating the western border of the Forest, beyond which, trees were few and scattered.
Rendel still lead the way upon Tara. He advanced confidently as the road wound upward. The soil became gray and rocky. In some areas patches of short grass and sagebrush swayed in a gentle breeze that descended from above. By midafternoon, the presence of the Crosscut put them into a lingering shadow. After several hours of gloom, darkness finally fell with unexpected suddenness as they settled into an uncomfortable camp. Without discussion they refrained from lighting their usual fire, yielding to a compelling instinct to guard their presence upon the exposed knee of the mountains.
Jerrid found himself shivering with an inhospitable chill when he woke up the next morning. It was brought on more by a sense of foreboding than the nighttime cold. Audain surprised herself by how readily she agreed with his mutterings. She seemed to have forgotten her gay spirit from two days earlier. The road transitioned. It grew much steeper as it began a more earnest ascent of the mountains. Jerrid marveled at the stonework that went into its construction. Carved into the steep cliff face, it steadily climbed upwards, occasionally traversing through fields of broken rock. Along its southern edge was a sheer drop to the trees below. As the sun warmed the travelers, not only did their mood lighten, thermals of buoyant air arose along the bluff allowing raptors the chance to glide effortlessly above.
“What I’d give to be soaring like that,” Rendel laughed as he looked upward. “That’s the only way to travel in terrain like this.”
“It must have taken a small army of stone Shapers to build this,” Jerrid commented in response. “Their work seems to have held up well over the years. Without it, there would be no way to reach Rhindus, unless we were granted Rendel’s wish.”
Around mid-afternoon, the road turned a corner and abruptly ended. It seemed to have been swallowed up by a wide mist-filled chasm. About a hundred feet above, a small stream of sparkling water dropped from a plateau. As it descended, a heavy spray arose to obscure their sight. Far below, small droplets landed in a scattered field of white stone blocks, some broken, some retaining perfectly shaped edges. Channeled into small rivulets, the water re-gathered at a shallow pool before cascading further down the mountainside.
Rendel dropped to his knees and stared. A glassy look overtook his eyes and tears soon welled. Audain was the first to notice his distraught state.
“Rendel, what is it?” she asked trying to comfort him. He continued to look blankly into the mist.
Unaware for the moment of his friend’s distress, Jerrid carefully examined the stone where the road ended. “There once was a bridge here,” he said loudly over the noise of falling water. “Rendel, this must be the place you saw in your vision.” Only then did he look toward his companions and realize that he was being callous.
Rendel sat a while longer. “My memory, it has been coming back slowly, especially since we left Deluge. Each night I have ventured closer to this place with my Opal. Rhindus is just a short distance past this chasm. It was right here that we fought the Sortiri.” As he paused, Audain and Jerrid exchanged concerned glances.
“I was on the bridge when it collapsed,” Rendel resumed with difficulty. His voice was choked and halting. “I fell with them, landing in the pool below. Were it not for the Opal, I’d have been killed. With it, I controlled my fall and landed unharmed. There were other Shapers too, including my father, in the pool,” he stopped speaking again. The cascade of the water droned on, bringing him energy, causing his eyes to glow with the white of his people. He cleared his throat and stood.
“Unfortunately, I know that at least one creature survived the fall,” he continued. “I yelled to the other Shapers in the pool to watch out, to get away from it. They could not hear me because of the water. My father seemed to have been hurt. He tried to get up but couldn’t. The monster grabbed him, looked him in the eye and tossed him away. It then turned toward me.” Rendel paused again. With obvious effort he resumed. “I turned and jumped into the stream. The water swept me down, into darkness and cold, then… nothing, until I was in Gladeis.”
Audain walked closer and embraced him. Jerrid, feeling awkward and unsure, turned away. He looked down at the pool and studied the stones that once formed the arched bridge leading into the city, watching the stream course its way around them. In his mind, the resolve to avenge the harm brought by the Sortiri swelled.
“I’m sorry, Rendel,” Jerrid said a few minutes later. “What of your city? What have you seen with your Opal?”
“I’ve not dared to cross the chasm. We’ll have to find another way to get beyond it.”
Jerrid looked across with concern. “I think we could climb over with my Amber. You can help, but the force of that water will be a problem.”
“What about your Sapphire?” Audain asked Jerrid. “Is there a way to use it to stop the water or something?”
“I don’t think so,” he answered, pausing to think. “Rendel, what’s up there?” He pointed toward the top of the waterfall.
Rendel looked up and thought for a while. “That’s where we grew most of the food for the city. If we went up from here we could cross the stream and come down into the city from behind.”
They studied the slope. It was almost sheer for the first thirty feet, though above that there were a number of areas where the rock was cracked or jutted out, offering places to get hand and foot holds.
“I’ll go first,” Jerrid said confidently. “When I get to one of those landings, I can lower a rope. Rendel, if you use your Opal, I should be able to pull you up easily. Together, we can bring up Audain, and then move to the next section.”
Rendel nodded as Jerrid grabbed a coil from Feor’s saddle. Leaning against the cliff, he called up his Amber. The stone was warm, having been in the sun much of the day. With the chisel in his right hand, he began to climb. About ten minutes passed before he reached a secure location and lowered the rope to Rendel.
Audain was waiting with a small pack of food and a few other supplies strapped to her back when they finally were ready to pull her up the first stretch. It took them several more stages to get near the top. When they were poised for the final ascent, a less steep section that could be climbed individually, Jerrid and Audain decided to rest a moment. They watched as Rendel went on alone. When he reached the top ledge, he waved to them before moving from view.
“This is an important moment for him,” Jerrid said.
“Yes, another of many that is likely to occur as we explore. We better go. I don’t want to leave him alone for too long.”
They found their friend waiting on a small bridge that spanned the stream a few hundred feet above the waterfall. It had a flat deck, wide enough for a wagon to cross. Rendel sat on a side rail. He was looking at the wide expanse of farmland that stretched out on both sides of the stream. The land had become fallow, overrun by weeds and brush. The next rise in the mountains was about a half mile distant. Partway up those slopes, another area of rising thermals seemed to have formed. Hundreds of raptors gathered there, enjoying the afternoon as they looked for a meal in the fields below.
“It looks like it has been years since anything was planted here,” Rendel said softly as his friends arrived. “I remember working these fields as a young man.”
They sat with him a while, saying nothing, for what could be said to a man who was slowly learning that his past was not just forgotten, but erased. Audain wanted to give him hope, yet she dreaded as much as he what they seemed likely to find when they finally reached the city. It was Jerrid who first arose and walked to the western end of the bridge.
“I’m sorry, Rendel,” he began, hoping he’d find words of comfort. “We’ve come a long way. There’s no need for you to go further. I can go on alone, then return, decide what to do.”
Rendel looked up from the flowing water, his eyes moist, but clear and bright with Opal. “Thank you for trying to spare me. I must see this to the end, no matter what the cost.” He stood up and walked past. Audain followed, wiping away her tears.
____
Rhindus was bigger than Gladeis but smaller than Garth, Jerrid decided while walking amongst its strangely intact buildings. The gardens may have gone wild, but the fountains ran cold with water from the mountains.
“We should fill our bottles,” Jerrid said after taking a long drink. It had been a warm afternoon. “This is the freshest water I’ve tasted since we left Gladeis.”
“Never mind that,” Audain whispered. “Keep close to Rendel.”
Their Opal friend walked ahead. When he turned and entered another building, both Jerrid and Audain rushed to catch up.
“It’s just like the rest,” Rendel said a moment later as he walked back into the street. “Other than the dust and grime, it looks like some might have been living here just yesterday.”
“I’m sorry,” Audain replied. “It’s like everyone just up and left. That seems good, considering….”
“I guess so,” Rendel answered. “We may as well go. No one is here.” He turned and headed back the way they had come.
Twilight was settling in as they walked along the road that led up to the plateau. The abandoned fields there seemed to have already caught an evening chill. No one spoke about what might have happened to the city though different thoughts whirled through each of their minds. There was barely an hour of daylight remaining when they reached the bridge near the waterfall.
“You know that it will be almost dark when we get to the horses,” Audain said. “Rather than camping on the road, maybe we should stay here.”
“What do you think, Rendel?” Jerrid asked. “I can climb down and get some supplies.”
“Whether we’re up here or someplace else, I need to think about what we’ve learned today,” Rendel answered. “If you want to go back for some food and blankets, I’ll see if I can start a fire.”
They set up near the bridge. Though there were no trees close by, some grew further up in the valley where the stream originated. It did not take Rendel long to collect enough fuel to get a blaze burning. Everyone welcomed the warmth and cheer it brought.
“I’ve a blanket for each of us,” Audain said proudly when Jerrid returned. They each chose a place around the fire. “All we’ve got is dry food but at least we won’t go hungry.”
Rendel stared into the fire seeming to have not heard her. “It seems odd that everything looked so… normal,” he said absently.
“I think it’s encouraging,” Audain replied awkwardly. “If something awful had happened, there would be a look of chaos.”
“I agree,” Jerrid added. “There would be a different feeling as well. I called up every bit of power and made every connection I could. I felt emptiness, even sadness, but not sorrow or grief.”
“Thanks,” Rendel replied. “Maybe they were forced up into the mountains?”
“That sounds like a good possibility,” Jerrid answered. “Do you want to go look for them?”
“Somehow I feel I must. Even though I don’t know where to start or what I could do to help them.”
“So where do we go from here?” Audain asked feeling anxious. “I’m sorry, but we’ve been on the road for a long time now. I’d like to get back to Gladeis.”
“Yes, my heart is troubled here too,” Rendel admitted. “But until I know what has become of my people, I have to stay.”
“Of course,” Jerrid replied. “I left Garth because I needed answers too. My father’s obsession with protecting our city is doing nothing for the rest of the Foedan. Gladeis seems to be in denial th
at the Sortiri even exist. Deluge outright tries to hide their troubles, and now, Rhindus is deserted. It frustrates me that after all this time we still don’t really know what we’re up against. But no matter what, Rendel, I’m here to help you. It’s time that the Foedan started working together.”
“You’re right about Gladeis,” Audain answered. “It shames me to admit it.”
“So where does this leave us?” Rendel asked.
“I’m not sure,” Jerrid replied.
“There’s something I keep wondering about,” Audain offered a few minutes later. “I’ve been thinking about it more the last few days.”
“What’s that?” Rendel said.
She remained quiet a moment as if struggling on how to begin. “Rendel, you probably remember how worked up I was the last day of planting, just ten days or so ago?” she began.
“I’ve never seen you like you were that day,” he answered.
“Well, after the council dismissed me,” she resumed, “I went to South Point to calm my nerves.” She paused and stared into the fire. “There was a full moon that night. As I sat and looked over the valley, I watched as a pall of crimson, almost like a cloud, overtook the moon and gave it this unsettling red hue. The sight filled me with dread yet there was nothing I could do. I still can’t explain what happened next. Far to the south, rising from the Highlands, I noticed this white fog. It drifted up as if trying to feed the white back into the moon. Somehow, it made me feel better.”
“If that was the last full moon,” Jerrid said, “I remember I had trouble sleeping. Sometimes on nights like that I have this dream about my mother, the day the Sortiri took her.”
“I’m sorry,” Audain said. “I hate to bring it up, but after Deluge and now Rhindus, I’m wondering if the color of the moon that night suggests that the Sortiri were planning an attack on Gladeis. That might explain why I felt so alarmed. And it makes me wonder what happened. Do you think Gladeis was somehow saved by the Shrine?”
Jerrid was startled. “I’m not sure which scares me more,” he said. “To think the Sortiri were going to attack, or to think that the Shrine could have the power to stop them.”
“We are starting to see what the Sortiri can do,” Rendel replied. “But everything is still guessing. If the Shrine truly has risen to help, there must be a reason.”
“I’m going to search for more wood,” Jerrid said abruptly. “It looks like our supply will be gone before long.”
He got up, put the last small limbs Rendel collected earlier on the fire, and walked away. The night was clear and continued to be cool. While Jerrid looked for more branches, he noticed a gentle breeze picking up but paid little attention to it. A moment later, it died down.
When he returned to the fire a few minutes later, he noticed something strange. It looked to him as though someone was standing just outside the ring of light.
“Who’s there?” Jerrid said in a loud voice.
Audain and Rendel jumped to their feet. They walked cautiously forward. Rendel held his hunting knife in his hand. Audain already had an arrow fitted to her bowstring.
“We mean no harm,” Jerrid said looking closer. The person wore a long cloak which shadowed all its features. “We’ve just come to see why there has been no word from Rhindus in so many weeks.”
“Then you are very late,” the cracked voice of an old man answered. “The Foedan have forgotten Rhindus.” The man lifted a hand and pulled back his hood. When the dark material slipped away, the glow of Opal was clearly seen in his eyes.
“I’m sorry we have come so late,” Rendel said, lowering his knife before walking closer. “We are here for other reasons as well.”
“I know your reasons,” the old man answered. “They are the same as mine, the same as any good man. You come looking for answers.” He paused as if studying Rendel. “I may have a few to share. My name is Boreas. Many of our children were lost here.”
“You have the sympathy of Gladeis,” Audain said, “and when your heart will bear it, we ask for your forgiveness.”
“I see the Emerald in you,” Boreas answered as he gazed toward her. He then turned toward Jerrid. “In you, I see Amber, Emerald and perhaps more?” He paused again to consider what this meant and to study Rendel a second time. “Even more strangely I see Opal in you. You must be lost.”
“Please sit with us.” Rendel said, wondering if this man knew of his fall from the bridge and venture into darkness.
Everyone but Jerrid took a seat around the fire. Though it had burned low again, it still glowed with embers. Jerrid retrieved an armful of branches and placed a few of them on the fire. The light of the rising flames revealed that Boreas was a frail man, heavily wrinkled, his hair and stubby beard, both gray.
“Tell me, Son,” he said as he looked at Rendel, “what do you remember from the day you awoke from your darkness.”
Rendel remained quiet for several minutes, gazing into the flames as if the answer lay there. “I remember the gardens of Gladeis,” he began, “their fragrant bouquet, a sense of restfulness. I think that the Emerald revived me. My mind was still blank though. I only began to remember Rhindus after Jerrid and I climbed the Summit. It was those memories that brought me here.”
Boreas flinched slightly at the mention of the Summit. “I’m sorry, Son,” he replied. “Perhaps it is better that you don’t remember. Things are hard. Once you were a nephew to me, as are all those who bear the Opal. In time, I hope you will be again.”
“I’m sorry, Boreas, I mean, Uncle,” Rendel said choking. “Only today did I remember the fight against the Sortiri on the bridge. I failed. I left my people.”
“No, Son, you did not fail,” Boreas answered. He stood up and took Rendel’s hands into his own. “It was courage that saved us, yours, your father’s and that of a few others. You gave us time. When the monsters returned, we were prepared. We lost much that first night. It was the turning point. The balance was broken. Until it is restored, Rhindus can be no more.”
“What do you mean by balance?” Jerrid asked. “What has happened to Rhindus?”
“Our world is a balance of opposites,” Boreas replied. “Happy and sad, strong and weak, even good and evil must all exist together. Everything we do helps to maintain this balance. Somehow the balance within the Foedan has been lost,” he paused and looked up at the sky. Jerrid noticed the breeze beginning to rise.
“The Opal is subtle and illusive,” Boreas continued. He turned away from the fire and lifted his arms to capture the wind that suddenly rustled his cloak. “At times, it can become overpowering. Rhindus lives on though, at least for now. It is out of the reach of the Sortiri. Yet, we are powerless to restore the balance. Rendel, there is no place for you here. For you to heal, you must be amongst the living, feeling their sorrows, embracing their victories. You need them and they will need you. If time allows you to heal and you are ready to return, you will be welcomed.”
Boreas walked away from the fire and stood next to Jerrid. “You, my friend, must walk a careful line. The earth powers are strong. So too are our enemies, born of arrogance, jealousy, hate and greed. You have enhancements in the four cornerstones. Take my hand and I will show you a glimpse of the Opal. For you to succeed, you will need to call upon it.”
Jerrid grasped Boreas’ outstretched hand. He felt a rush of wind blast beneath him, lifting him and carrying him upward, its noise deafening. Within his mind, he heard Boreas describe the flow of the Opal, showing him its strengths, nuances, and limitations. Never before had a Master Shaper been so direct, revealing the tools of their study. As Jerrid relaxed and allowed his core to meld with the Opal, he saw opportunities for even his other enhancements to blossom.
The whirlwind Boreas thrust him into dissolved as rapidly as it rose. Jerrid, still in a blind daze, stumbled and almost fell. When he felt strong arms grab his shoulders, he reached out and steadied himself. He opened his eyes to see Audain and Rendel looking at him.
“What happened?” he asked. “Where is Boreas?”
“He took your hand for a minute or two,” Rendel answered. “Next thing, a gust of wind blew a load of sand and dust into our eyes. When we could finally see again, he was gone. You were staggering and about to fall into the fire.”
“Thanks for catching me,” Jerrid replied, his eyes glowing white. “I don’t think we’ll see him again.”
“So where do you want to go now, Jerrid?” Rendel asked. “There seems to be no reason to stay here.”
“I’d like to get back to Gladeis,” Jerrid answered. He paused, thinking again about Audain’s story of the last full moon. “First though, there is a place I must see. I understand if you both choose not to accompany me.”
“Where?” Audain asked cautiously.
“Aradith, or whatever is left of it.”
Chapter 13: The Roots of Aradith
The Shrine of Arthis Book One: The Power of Denial Page 12