by R D Wolfe
Chapter 12: The Family
Darien walked out of the forest, seeing many of the marauders had awoken and were moving about, seemingly headed in the direction of the wagon. He worked his way past the small clusters of people, pushing through the shifting crowd that was gathering.
As he made his way, even more people were making their way over to see what the commotion was about. The closer he got to the wagon, the harder it was to navigate, through the crowd. Evatra spotted him, still clutching Atreya in her arms. The small figure held tight, burying her tiny face into Evatra’s shoulder. She motioned for him to come closer and people finally parted for Darien to pass.
“Darien!” she called out to him. “I was so worried, I didn’t see you come back. Is it…?” Her eyes searched his face for evidence of the wraith within him.
“Gone.”
Evatra’s face was still wet from her tears. She smiled at him.
“What is going on here?” boomed Totra-Dal, pushing through the crowd to get to the wagon.
“Move aside, move aside,” Kort’s voice spurred the marauders to comply.
“What in the blazes?” Totra-Dal stepped into the light of the torches which many of the marauders held, giving him full view of the child, now safely in Evatra’s arms, Kort standing just behind. “How?”
For the first time since Darien had met him, Totra-Dal seemed to be speechless. Moving forward, the large troll stared at Evatra, a soft and tender look in his eyes.
“Is she…?” Totra-Dal asked, hesitantly.
“She’s fine,” Evatra whispered. “But she’s exhausted. I need to get her somewhere quiet.”
“But… how?” Totra-Dal’s tone matched Evatra’s.
“Later,” Evatra hissed.
Totra-Dal nodded and directed her back in the direction he had come from. He looked after her for a second, and then down at Darien.
“You? What are you doing here?” Totra-Dal sounded surprised to see him within the circle more than anything else.
“Oh, Evatra asked me to meet her here,” Darien said quickly, unsure of how much he should give away.
Totra-Dal looked Darien up and down.
“Any time something significant happens, I find you nearby. Come along then, I have a feeling you’re involved again, somehow.”
Totra-Dal stepped forward, Darien following close behind. Kort fell into step behind him, which made Darien feel uneasy. He didn’t like knowing that the one member of the camp who wanted him dead, and for no particular reason, was now beyond his vision. As they walked through the group encircling the wagons, Darien saw the Scillans. The one who Darien had talked to looked at him with a piercing intensity. Darien turned his face to the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone he saw around him.
Finally, they reached Totra-Dal’s campsite, which was lined with cloth walls separating the interior of the site from the outside world when they stepped into the center. A fire crackled, spilling warmth to fill the space around them, warding off the cool air of the night.
The group, consisting of Totra-Dal, Evatra, Atreya, Kort, and Darien, stood around the fire in a semi-circle, all focusing their attention on Atreya.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Totra-Dal said, still in disbelief. “When you asked if you could visit the child, I thought nothing of it. I never imagined…” Totra-Dal trailed off.
“She was never supposed to recover,” Kort picked up the line of thought. “There was a wraith within her. Those demons never leave willingly. What dark tricks did you use?”
The tension within the encampment grew palpable as the two glared at each other in silence.
“I didn’t do anything,” Evatra finally responded in a stinging tone. “It was Darien.”
Everyone turned to look at Darien, standing somewhat isolated from the others, . He crossed his arms, the chill of the night competing with the warmth of the flames.
“Darien?” Totra-Dal demanded another answer.
This was it, the point of no return. Saving Atreya had forced him into a corner.
“I’m one of the Four.”
The reaction around the crackling fire was silence.
“You?” Kort laughed mockingly. “You’re nothing but a kid who knows some tricks with a sword!”
“It’s true!” cried Evatra. “It has to be true! He saved Atreya, and the wraith went into him, but he’s not possessed. Look at him! There’s no other explanation.”
Totra-Dal considered Darien carefully before turning to Kort. “Go and retrieve the Scillans. I believe we’ll have need of them before the night is done.”
“But I—” Kort protested.
“Go Kort,” Totra-Dal didn’t let him finish. “We will wait on the rest of this story until you return.”
Kort snarled, turning away without a word. Totra-Dal, Darien, and Evatra, still holding Atreya in her arms, sat in silence for several minutes while they waited. At one-point, Totra-Dal stood and walked over to a chest, retrieving a bottle from it. Darien could hear the clink of glasses before the large man paused, seemingly thinking better of himself as he returned whatever drink he had been considering back into the chest, glassware chiming as it clinked into itself.
Kort finally returned, but with only one of the Scillans.
“Where are the rest of them?” Totra-Dal barked.
“Still with the body of that thing. They said only this one had to come,” he pointed to the Scillan. “The stench of that corpse is beginning to become unbearable, by the way. We should leave it behind for the beasts of the forest….”
“How may I be of service?” the Scillan bowed, glancing quickly at Darien. It was the same Scillan from before.
“Your counsel may be of some use to us. The child has been freed from the wraith, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now. Evatra has said that Darien is the reason why she was rescued, and now Darien claims to be one of the Four. I thought you might be able to add additional insight to whatever else might come next.”
Nodding, the Scillan made their way to one of the chests around the perimeter of the fire, sitting with attention turned toward Totra-Dal.
“Now, Darien,” the bearded face turned to him. “You make quite the claim. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“That’s kind of hard to explain,” sighed Darien. “It’ll probably be better if I just start from the beginning, but it could take a little while.”
Totra-Dal motioned for him to continue. Finally, relieved of his half-truths, Darien spoke. He explained what The Academy was, how he transitioned to Olympus, the journey he was making to Farkland Reach, and then his capture.
Darien spoke deliberately but was careful to leave out the fact that he had been unaware of the Cycle before coming to Olympus, and that Evatra had suspected him of being one of the Four. He didn’t want to get her in trouble. Besides, Chorrun had warned him against revealing his complete ignorance, even among those more friendly than the marauders.
For several seconds after he stopped talking, the group simply stared at him. Darien sat in uncomfortable silence as his story was absorbed by his audience.
“It seems,” Totra-Dal began through a small chuckle, “that we have become embroiled in one of the stories of old.”
“You don’t believe any of what he’s saying do you?” Kort harrumphed.
“I have no reason to doubt him,” Totra-Dal spat. “It explains who he is, and what he’s doing here. And how else would you explain Atreya’s freedom? Would you have us believe that the wraith simply decided to leave after so much time with her as its prisoner?”
“You’re a fool!” Kort was on the verge of screaming, a dangerous note entered his voice. “All he’s done from the moment I captured him is lie! Why should we suddenly trust this pale-skinned child?!”
Silence fell over the group. Totra-Dal rose from his chair, towering over them.
“You go too far,” he spoke in a quiet, frightening tone.
Kort stood standing across f
rom Totra-Dal, breathing heavily. He looked at Darien, then to Atreya, his hand twitching at his sword hilt. Darien’s body tensed, his own hand moving unconsciously to the belt strapped at his own waist. Kort hadn’t seem to notice.
Totra-Dal let out a low growl. The air was tense, and Darien feared that any action could set off either Kort or Totra-Dal.
Finally, after his breathing calmed, Kort spat onto the ground, and turned to walk out of the campsite. Darien looked at Totra-Dal, still staring after Kort.
“What happens now?” Darien asked, not sure what any of it meant.
“Nothing, as far as Kort is concerned,” Totra-Dal answered. “He’s not the fastest thinker, but once he has time to consider everything, he’ll come around.” Totra-Dal turned his attention towards the Scillan, “Now, I’ve asked you here to see if you have any additional insight on this story. Do you believe what Darien has said is true?”
The pale face looked between Darien and Totra-Dal for a few seconds before standing and walking closer into the dancing light of the flames.
“He and I have spoken on two occasions. Both times, I suspected he was more than he appeared to be. In fact, it was our second conversation that has led myself and my fellow Scillans to come to some conclusion about what it was that attacked Evatra and her party. I had intended to come and speak with you tonight. Though I suggest we conclude the matter of Darien before I reveal any of that information.” The Scillan paused, clearing their throat before beginning again.
“That being said, from everything that we know of the Four and the Cycle, the timeline is correct, and Darien meets all of the requirements. Chief among which, he was able to barter with a wraith, which has never been done by any in Olympus.”
As the professorial speech ended, Totra-Nodded and turned to face Darien. “Darien, thank you for finally being honest with me. I wish you had been honest from the start; it would have prevented a lot of trouble. But maybe it will work out for the best given—” Totra-Dal’s voice broke as he looked at Evatra, who held Atreya tightly. The girl was asleep and breathing in soft, regular beats. Totra-Dal composed himself and continued.
“Evatra, did your sister ever tell you who Atreya’s father was?” he asked. “Did she ever mention anything about him?”
“I…” Evatra hesitated. “Well, no. I asked her several times years ago, but she refused to say anything about him.”
“I suspected as much,” Totra-Dal nodded. “Evedra was a very private person. She was able to hide that information from everyone but myself. You see, nine years ago, she and I were… involved. Atreya is the product of that relationship. She is my daughter.”
Evatra stared, a mix of shock and horror washing over her face at the same time.
“She didn’t want anyone to find out. She didn’t want to be seen as the mistress to the leader of the camp, and so she hid it from everyone, including you. I’m not even sure if Atreya knows, herself.”
Atreya slept soundly in her aunt’s arms, Evatra having refused to lay her down, insisting on clinging tightly to the child.
“You and I will have long conversations, I’m sure, about what to do next on Atreya’s behalf, now that Evedra is no longer with us. But I wanted you to know, and I wanted you, Darien, to know as well,” Totra-Dal said softly.
The red beard turned back in Darien’s direction. “I want you to know the importance of what you’ve done. I wasn’t able to show it, but I loved Evedra dearly. When the wraith took her, and then there seemed to be no hope of saving Atreya, I feared that I went mad for a time. I even wanted to let Kort kill the child and free the wraith, so that I could face it for what it had done.” Totra-Dal’s voice broke once more as he looked down at his hands, and then at Evatra before composing himself to continue.
“And then you, Evatra, convinced me to hold out hope, and thank the seas and skies you did because otherwise—”
The four of them sat in silence for several minutes as Totra-Dal, the mountain of a man, attempted to collect himself as he shook through the bursts of emotion. He looked up, composing himself, despite the redness of his eyes which held back the tears he refused to let free.
“Now, Scillan, you stated that you had news for us to consider?” Totra-Dal asked, returning to his normal tone.
“It concerns the beast that Evatra and Darien brought back after their raid.” The Scillan rose once again and approached the center of the semi-circle. “We pooled our collective knowledge of the races, consulted the books of history we brought with us, but we were left with more questions.” The Scillan paced in front of them.
“Then I had my conversation with you, Darien, and I began to suspect who and what you were, and that stirred within me an idea. I re-read books that I have not opened in decades, looking for answers, and I came to an irrefutable conclusion—this creature is not a creature of our time, but out of the past. We believe that this thing, is a soldier of Cyprin’s dark army, sent down from the mountain, far to the north. He was likely scouting the area when he came across the caravan, which he and the others destroyed to hide their existence. They probably realized your raiding party was coming, Evatra, and so waited to ambush you.”
“Cyprin has soldiers?” Evatra asked, true fear coming into her voice for the first time. “From everything I knew, they never left the mountain.”
“This is true,” the Scillan nodded. “They’ve never come down from the mountain in any of the Cycles before now, at least, not so far as we can find in our histories.”
Silence fell over them for several minutes before Totra-Dal stood and looked at each of them in turn, finishing with his gaze falling onto Darien.
“Well then, my young friend, it seems we need to ensure that you make it to Farkland Reach. That’s where the next part of your journey lies. I would be surprised if the others of the Four aren’t there already.”
Darien’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that he would be seeing Kara, Philip, and even the surly Trey again so soon. He felt guilty; he hadn’t thought about them in several days.
I hope their trip through this world is a little less insane.
“The question is, how can we get you there? Diverting the entirety of our group could take weeks. You may have noticed we aren’t the quickest bunch when we move together. No, what you need is something smaller. More than yourself, but smaller than a raiding party…” Totra-Dal trailed off, a hush falling over the group as they collectively tried to decide the best course of action.
“I’ll take him,” Evatra’s voice cut through the silence.
“You?” Darien and Totra-Dal said in surprised unison.
“But what about Atreya?” Totra-Dal asked. “She’s going to need you to be here.”
Evatra was easily his first choice out of anyone to accompany him through the unknowns of Olympus, but he had written off that possibility with Atreya in the picture now.
“She has family here,” she turned her gaze to Totra-Dal. “Evedra already decided who she should be with.”
Totra-Dal smiled appreciatively.
“But you have to give up the drinks,” Evatra asserted. “I can’t have you drinking your fill of freolia, or whatever concoction you find favorable next, instead of attending to her.” Evatra stared at Totra-Dal, her eyes unwavering in their intensity.
“I’ll…” Totra-Dal grimaced, but eventually nodded. “I’ll pass it out to the others tomorrow.”
“No. I want it poured out.”
Totra-Dal looked like he might protest. Then his eyes flicked to the small, tender frame still held in Evatra’s arms, and he nodded, slumping his shoulders.
“Alright, then. When do we leave?” Evatra asked, looking at Darien, who in turn, looked at Totra-Dal.
“As soon as possible,” Totra-Dal said, still sulking at the thought of losing his prized collection of spirits. “I think you should take the Scillan with you, as well, the knowledge they possess will be invaluable to Aghemnon.”
“Who?” Darien asked.
<
br /> “Aghemnon is the king of the trolls. It’s him you’ll meet when you make it to Farkland Reach,” Totra-Dal explained.
It was decided that Kort would not be told of the plan, so Darien and Evatra could be far away by the time the goblin realized that Darien was out of his reach. In the meantime, Totra-Dal would implant the rumor that Evatra and Atreya were riding in the wagon together while the girl recovered. She would be tended to by the remaining Scillans.
Totra-Dal insisted that Darien stay within the confines of his personal campsite. The danger of Kort was still present, after all. Finally feeling that he was heading in the right direction, Darien lay down, seeing both moons overhead for the first time. The larger of the two outpaced its brother as it traversed the inky blackness and sparkle of starlight overhead. In just three days, maybe less, he would be at Farkland Reach. He would finally be back with his friends again.
Chapter 13: The Arrival
Early the next morning, Darien was shaken awake by the Scillan.
“Come, it’s time for us to leave.”
Rising, Darien stretched his tight muscles and prepared what little belongings he had for the journey.
The sun wasn’t up yet, but the sky was a deep red, giving them just enough light to move around comfortably. The three of them, Darien, Evatra, and the Scillan, began their trek out of the marauders’ camp on foot, following a line of trees until they went out of sight. Once they could no longer see or hear any sign of the group, they mounted their horses and began the ride west, through the hills they had ridden by in the days before.
The scenery was becoming bland, losing what beauty it once had to the monotony of the ride. The only points worth paying attention to, were the rocks that jutted out at odd angles, accenting the gold of the grasses with grey. Darien idly fingered his sword as they rode. Totra-Dal had made sure to return it and his armor just before he had left the campsite.
“You’ve more than earned this back by now, Darien,” the troll had said. “By the seas and skies, I never thought I’d meet a member of the Four, let alone capture one. You take care of yourself, you hear me? And if you ever need anything, you find me. I’ll gladly fight alongside you any day.”