“He died,” Stancil insisted. “I failed him.”
High Priestess Jeehanathoraxen stepped next to Wizard Scout Terrie. “You did not fail, Healer Stancil. I monitored your flow of Power. My bondmate could have done no better. In actual combat, I am sure you would have saved the scout’s life.” She turned to Terrie. “He passed. Right?”
Terrie nodded and turned to the healer. “That’s right. You passed with flying colors, Stancil. You are now officially the first graduate of Silverton’s Advanced Healer Academy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver insignia composed of seven circles surrounding an image of the Tree of Light. The outermost circle was white while the other six were black. Terrie walked over to the still kneeling medic and handed him the badge. Smiling, he said, “Congratulations. You’re now a medic of the first circle. There’s nothing more I can teach you.”
Stancil took the medic’s badge and stared at it before looking back at the wizard scout. “I have so much to learn. I—”
“You’ll learn it,” said Terrie. “You just won’t learn it from me. Actual experience is the true teacher. I’ve got faith that in time, you’ll be a healer of the seventh circle. Until then, you’ll rejoin your unit. When you think you’re ready, you can come back and take your test for the second circle.”
Stancil didn’t think he’d ever be ready but nodded anyway. “I will do my best, Wizard Scout.” He looked at the high priestess. “Will the elf friend be returning to Silverton soon? He was the first person I ever saw heal an elf with magic. I would like him to know I passed the test.”
High Priestess Jeehanathoraxen laughed hard enough for her silver hair to cascade around her shoulders. “Have you forgotten your training so quickly, Healer Stancil. Elves cannot be healed by magic. Like my bondmate, you heal by using Power directly from your reserve.”
Stancil’s face turned a light pink. “Yes. I, uh…”
The high priestess laughed again. “You have done well. I will let the elf friend know you have passed your testing. He has spoken to me often about you.”
Embarrassed, Stancil looked down at the healer’s insignia in his hand. “I will wear this with honor.” He glanced at Terrie. “If that is all, I would like to tell the others in my scout team. They will be glad to hear the news. We have lost too many elven scouts over the years because we could not be healed magically.”
“Of course,” said Terrie with a knowing smile. “Tell them you are the first of many. Others will be tested in the coming weeks. Soon, every company-sized unit in the army will have a healer of their own.”
Stancil wasn’t sure if he was supposed to salute or not, but he saluted anyway. Then he rushed out to tell his friends.
I will never again stand by helpless and watch a friend die. By all that is holy, I swear it.
Chapter 5 – Clues
_______________________________________
Jeena watched the new elf healer leave the testing room, then breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. My bondmate’s plan to have Terrie train our elf healers is working. If the coming battle is as hard as we think it is going to be, our new healers will play an important role in the conflict. They may save the lives of thousands, if not tens of thousands of elves. What could give us more hope than that?
The red-gemmed ring on Jeena’s left ring finger tingled.
“Is that a rhetorical question, High Priestess?” said a voice in Jeena’s head.
“Actually, it was,” Jeena told the battle computer. “But since you are eavesdropping on my private thoughts, you may as well tell me what you have to say.”
“Humph,” said Danny. “I can tell when I’m not appreciated. Just for the record, I do not eavesdrop. As I have told you before, you are not a wizard scout. You did not go through the DNA baseline testing. Unlike wizard scouts, you do not have separate shared and private areas of your mind. The only reason you and I can communicate is because you have a part of Rick inside of you, and he has a part of you inside him.” He paused before adding, “I do try to avoid commenting on the personal stuff in your thoughts, but sometimes I have trouble telling which thoughts are and are not intended for me. I calculate that if you do not want me to share your thoughts, all you have to do is remove your ring.”
Jeena glanced down at her wedding ring. The gray, paper-thin metal and its red gem felt warm against her finger. The warmth wasn’t so much a temperature as it was the feeling of emotions coming from her bondmate. Normally, the ring strengthened the connection they shared with each other through their bond link. Separated by dimensions as they were, the ring’s gem was the stronger of the two connections when it came to sharing emotions.
“I will never take this ring off,” Jeena told her battle computer.
“Then I suppose I will just have to use more discretion when responding to your thoughts.”
“I suppose you will. Now, did you have something to say about my hope comment or not?”
“I did. Healing wounds is all great and everything, but it would be more logical not to get hurt in the first place.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Elves—”
“And humans,” said Danny.
“And humans, are going to get hurt in battle. When the demons start their invasion of the magic dimension, they will come through one of the two gates on Portalis. Our elven soldiers will be at the forefront of the defenses for the three galaxies. Many will die. Many more will be injured. I do not look forward to that time, but I know it is coming.”
“I calculate you are correct, but nevertheless, I would advise not getting hurt in the first place. Then you will not need to be healed.”
“I will be sure and take that under consideration.”
Jeena glanced to her right. Terrie, Angela, and Rembis were staring at her.
“Ah,” said Terrie. “Talking to Danny, are you? All this time I thought you were interested in everything I had to say.”
Jeena started to smile at the human’s joke until she noticed Angela’s glare. Is she jealous? she wondered. Why? I have no interest in her husband.
“I calculate that does not matter,” said Danny. “Based upon the increased pulse rate of human males when they are around you, they find you beautiful and desirable. Angela senses that. My databanks are full of instances where humans have become jealous for less reason.”
Having no desire to create an enemy, Jeena chose her words with care. “I am always interested in what your lovely wife and you have to say, Wizard Scout. I was just commenting to my battle computer how lucky we are to have the two of you training our new elf healers. The efforts of both of you may save thousands of lives in the coming days. Both of you have my eternal gratitude.”
Angela’s features softened somewhat. “That’s very kind of you, High Priestess. We have four more medics to test after lunch. You, uh, are more than welcome to eat with Terrie and I if you have the time. Of course, I know how busy you are. I’m sure my husband wouldn’t want to keep you from your duties.”
“Now, Angela,” said Terrie. “I’m sure Jeehana could—”
“Your wife is correct,” Jeena said. “Thank you both for your kind offer, but I am not hungry. I also promised Wizard Scout Telsa that I would meet her in the library this afternoon. Chief Librarian Elisinsar sent a message that they may have found some information about the Ecarian giants.”
“Really?” asked Angela, rising from her chair. “That’s good news, right?”
“I hope it is,” Jeena said. “If we can find more information about the Ecarians, perhaps we can locate another yellow gem. If we do, then we could permanently close the gate to the demonic plane that exists below the Tree of Light. If we can close it, then we’d only need to be concerned with the gate within New Drepdenor. From what I have been told, the gate in the dwarves’ old home is smaller than the one under our tree. It should be easier to defend.”
“We can only hope,” said Terrie. “In the meantime, Angela and I’ll be training as many elf he
alers as we can.”
Jeena smiled. “We must all do our part.” She nodded at Angela. “Now I must be off. I have a lot to do.”
After the redhead returned her nod, Jeena headed for the door. “I really do have a lot to do,” she told her battle computer. “Plus, despite what I told Angela, I am hungry. I have just enough time to go home and eat before I have to meet Telsa at the library.”
“I am beginning to think you are always hungry,” said Danny. “If I did not know better, I would say some of Rick’s habits are starting to rub off on you.”
Jeena felt the warmth of her ring and the dulled connection to her bondmate through their bond link. “I will take that as a compliment, Danny. As far as I’m concerned, there are a lot worse things in life than being a little like Rick.”
“Amen to that. I just hope you never have to find out the worse things.”
Jeena hoped she never would either.
* * *
Home was a small bungalow at the end of a white cobblestoned street. It had been in her family for tens of thousands of years. Upon entering, Jeena sensed the change. It was no longer the bright, comfortable refuge it had been for so many decades of her life. While it looked the same with stacks of books on every flat surface as well as on the floor in the corners of the rooms, it was different. Although Rick and she had only spent a short time together at their home, his obvious absence matched the empty space in her heart.
Some of Jeena’s sadness must’ve made its way down her bond link, because a feeling of concern from her bondmate came back to her. She sent an emotion she hoped he would take as “Everything is fine” back down the link. The feeling of concern diminished, but she could tell she’d upset him. Forcing her sadness to the side, she sent an emotion of love down their link as she headed for the kitchen.
I have things to do, and feeling sorry for myself is not one of them.
After making a light lunch of bread, cheese, and a sliced apple, Jeena washed it down with some spring-wine. Once her hunger was satisfied, she washed her wooden plate and cup in the sink and set them on a towel to dry. With the kitchen back in order, she walked out the front door and made her way down the streets of Silverton in the direction of the library.
On a whim, Jeena took the path that led through the park. Although midday, the white-stoned trails leading through the stands of silver elms were deserted. She stopped for a moment to let a beam of sun that was breaking through the branches of the silver elms rest on her face. A feeling of peace washed over her. She let the feeling flow down the link to Rick. An emotion of satisfaction came back.
He senses I am happy. I wish he were here to share this moment with me, but we each have our duty. When this war is over, I swear we will spend our days walking through the park and watching our children and grandchildren grow.
Whether her bondmate knew what she was thinking or not, Jeena didn’t know. However, a feeling of peace came back up their bond link as if to let her know that in some small way, he was sharing the moment with her.
A cloud blocked the beam of sunlight shining through the trees, taking away the feeling of peace as quickly as it had come.
With more than a little regret, Jeena continued down the path in the direction of the library. Soon the white-stoned trail came out on the clearing where the Tree of Light stood. No matter how many times she saw the massive tree, it still brought a feeling of awe and insignificance to her.
As Jeena looked at the majestic tree, an idea came to her. Instead of circumventing the clearing to take the path for the library as she’d originally intended, she made her way directly toward the trunk of the Tree of Light. She passed several foresters busy raking seeds underneath the tree’s branches. A bonding ceremony had taken place the night before, and the caretakers were busy gathering the nuts that had fallen during the tree’s seeding. At the sight of the baskets of nuts already gathered by the foresters, a surge of hope swept through Jeena.
With each seeding, we plant more silver elms, increasing the reach of the forests. As we do, the tree’s Power grows. That in itself gives me hope.
After greeting the foresters by name, Jeena made her way to the base of the tree’s house-sized trunk. With the Staff of the Lady of the Tree in her left hand, she placed her right palm on the tree trunk. The rough bark felt warm beneath her skin. She sensed Power flowing up to touch the tips of her fingers and what she took as recognition from the tree.
Speaking only in her mind, Jeena said, “Lady. We have great need. We must find another yellow gem. To do that, I believe we must discover the location of the Ecarian giants, if they still exist. Please help us. I beg you.”
“You do not need to beg, High Priestess Jeehanathoraxen,” said a soft, musical voice. “You have only to ask.”
Instead of the voice coming from inside Jeena’s mind as she’d expected, it seemed to come from her right. Opening her eyes, she saw a green-haired elf a head shorter than herself standing next to the tree’s trunk. The elf’s body and green tunic was semi-translucent, allowing the dim outlines of the buildings on the far side of the tree to show through her form.
Removing her hand from the trunk, Jeena faced the Lady of the Tree and bowed. Speaking out loud, she said, “Lady, I…I did not expect you to come. I thought only that you might—”
The green-haired elf smiled. “You thought I might respond with emotions or perhaps some cryptic thoughts in your mind. Ah, yes, and that is the only ways I have been able to respond to my high priests and priestesses during the last hundred thousand years. That changed when you bonded with our Rick. You have a part of him in you. The Tree of Light, along with my mate Carndador and I, also have a link with Rick. Hence, you and I can communicate in ways not possible with your predecessors. That is just as well, because I believe the time for cryptic messages is past. So, ask your questions, and I will answer if I am able.”
Jeena glanced around the clearing at the foresters picking up seeds. Several elf children were playing tag in the branches overhead. None seemed to notice the Lady of the Tree standing in their midst.
The green-haired elf smiled. “That is right. Only you can see and hear me today. If Rick was here, perhaps others could, but he is not, so this conversation is between you and me. So ask away.” Her smile grew larger as her eyes gave off twinkles of light green. “A word of advice. You may want to keep your words in your mind lest those around you think you are speaking to yourself. That probably would not go over well.”
Jeena nodded. She remembered her bonding ceremony when Rick had talked to the Lady before she became visible to others. Even she had thought her bondmate was crazy or, at the very least, addled. She resolved not to make the same mistake. Her next words were in her mind for the Lady alone to hear.
“Very well, Lady. Here are my questions. Do the Ecarians still survive on Portalis, and if so, where are they?”
The Lady of the Tree shook her head and said aloud, “No, that particular giant clan no longer exists on Portalis. Their home was located in the Thandarhar mountain range to the west of the Southern Desert. The Creator placed a yellow gem, a soul-gem, under their protection. The giants called it the Heart-stone. It was destroyed by a wizard scout fourteen thousand years ago. The home of the Ecarians was destroyed shortly thereafter. The loss of the yellow gem unleashed destructive forces all over the continent of Slyvrastra. Civilization nearly came to an end, and with it, the hope of saving the three galaxies.”
Jeena had heard the story of the yellow gem’s destruction from Telsa. The small wizard scout had been given the tale by the dragons Tharantos. The question of the wizard scout’s identity had haunted her ever since. In her heart, she knew it could not have been Rick, but she had to ask.
“The wizard scout, the one who destroyed the yellow gem. Was it—”
“Was it our Rick?” said the Lady. “I have no way of knowing for sure, but I do not believe the wizard scout was him. I have no doubt Rick has done things that others would consider bad during
his time-commando missions, but I do not think the destruction of the yellow gem and the deaths of the giants during the raid was one of them. Our Rick can be harsh, but he is not vicious. There have been many time-commandos over the years. They have been of different races as well as humans, so set your heart at ease. Rick is innocent of this crime.”
Relief flooded through Jeena. She’d known as much, but it was nice to hear that the Lady believed the same.
The image of the Lady of the Tree began to fade.
“Lady, wait,” Jeena said, sensing her time for questions was fast coming to an end. “We must find another yellow gem. If the Ecarian giants no longer exist, perhaps if we knew the specific location of their ancient home, we could go there and find a clue. We have searched the library from one end to the other and found that almost nothing exists about the Ecarian giants other than that Elf Friend Amirithoda lived and prevented the destruction of our lands. You existed then. Cannot you tell me the location of their home?”
The nearly invisible form of the Lady of the Tree shook her head. “Alas, I cannot. As Master Nick might say if he were here, to do so would endanger the algorithm. Enough clues have been left for Rick to find the Ecarians. When he finds them, he must do what needs to be done.”
Reaching out with her hand, Jeena grabbed at the shimmering air that was all that remained of the Lady. Her hand passed through with only a tingle of energy for her efforts. “Wait!” she shouted, forgetting to keep her words in her mind. “You said the Ecarians were no longer on Portalis. How can we find them?”
A tingle at the back of Jeena’s mind was accompanied by the words, “You cannot. It is not your task. Only our Rick can go. A clue has been left. I believe you will find it today. Then you must let Rick do what must be done. Go. You must go now.”
“Go where, Lady? Where must I go?”
“You must go to the place where you have been most comfortable all your life,” said the Lady. “You must go to the library. There you will discover the answers you seek. It is all there waiting for you to find.”
Wizard Gigantic (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 9) Page 5