The Quest for the Lost Shards of Power

by F M Andrews

  On another world, hidden deep within the shadows, Zail stood shuddering with delight.

  The raw energy from the hate, the fear and the anger was so rich he almost felt sated. This siege he had orchestrated had been a steady source of power for several moons but tonight he had decided to feast. All it had taken was a whisper in an ear or two, a small illusion and an opened gate. The invading army had swarmed in and done the rest. There was no escape for the townspeople, no one would survive, no quarter would be given, he had made sure of that.

  Death was all around. Screams filled the air and fear was as palatable on the tongue as the smell of burnt flesh. A woman clutching a young daughter staggered past him fearfully glancing over her shoulder. He could see the wildly dancing light of a lantern bouncing off the walls as her pursuers gained on her. She was injured, leaving a trail of blood behind her and it did not take long before she was completely overwhelmed.

  Standing in the darkened doorway, he had a ringside view. Her captors were in no hurry. Each of the men took their turn raping the young girl as the others held her mother, forcing her to watch. The girl was young, eight or nine turns old, so small that she did not last long enough to satisfy them all. The mother was next; however, by this time she had nothing left to live for and therefore was of no use to him at all. Time to move on. There would be many more delicious titbits like this to be had tonight.

  It never failed to amaze him how easy it was to set these conflicts in motion and, ironically, the best method was through kind words and deeds and, of course, the odd miracle or two. It was not even a challenge anymore; in fact, it was almost boring, but the rewards were too great to allow him give it up. All you had to do was to preach kindness and forgiveness in one kingdom. Produce a miracle to give you the messiah status and then give them a set of specific rules to live by. You simply repeated the whole process with a neighbouring kingdom except you would give yourself a different name and gave them a different set of rules to live by. Then all you had to do was wait.

  He had time, that was something he had plenty of. You could never tell when the conflict would begin. Sometimes it only took a matter of turns, sometimes longer, but it was inevitable and it was worth waiting for; religious wars, such as this one, were the richest feasts. So much anger, so much hate, so much passion and eventually so much death. He could feel his strength growing, his talent multiplying.

  He had thought that he was finished when that bitch had sent him crawling for sanctuary after their last epic battle. He had used the last remaining fragments of his power to escape to a godforsaken rock at the end of the universe. He was so defenceless, convinced that she would find him and he knew, with certainty, that he would not survive that encounter. The world he found himself trapped on was almost completely desert, revolving around an ancient, dying sun. There were few people and fewer resources. A nomadic tribe had taken him in and cared for him as was their custom. A foolish custom as it turned out because it only took him a few turns to utterly destroy them and gain enough power to be able to leave that world.

  He had slowly regained his power, devastating worlds as he went. At first he was circumspect, expecting “Her” to sense his presence, but as time went on and there was still no sign of the sorceress, he began to harbour a small hope that maybe she had also been injured or, better yet, killed.

  The more power he gained, unchallenged, the more confident he became that she was missing. He began to do totally outrageous things, even for him, as a test to see if she would show. So far there had been no sign of her. He should have been happy but a niggling little doubt worked away at the back of his mind, telling him that she might still be lurking, gaining strength, planning a surprise attack. The more he thought about it the more paranoid he became.

  He started searching worlds for her, targeting the peaceful, happy places that would support her and give her strength. There was not even a whisper that she had ever visited any of them. Eventually he had admitted to himself that he was running out of places she could hide. There was only one place left, and it was somewhere that he could not see into – Feld – but he was certain that even she would not be so desperate as to hide somewhere where she could not use her powers. All the same, Feld was an itch he could not scratch, and so he had devised a plan to gain entry and see just what was behind that impenetrable curtain. As with many of his plans he had set it in motion and then left it to mature in its own time.

  He shook himself. He would not let thoughts of that bitch sour this night. This night was to be enjoyed to the full.[CL19]

  Chapter Fifteen

  Turrin yawned.

  The tent was crowded and warm despite the cold night outside. A gentle wind was causing the canvas to ripple, providing a constant background noise. A small brazier with sweet-smelling woods was doing its best to overcome the aroma of wet wool and unwashed bodies but was failing miserably. The candle light cast a pleasant, flickering glow, and this, combined with the murmuring of voices and a full stomach, was almost enough to lull Turrin to sleep. He had to shake his head and sit up straighter in his seat to focus. This was important. The ride from Upper Hull had been fast but not reckless. Hexrick, Anssan and Fenrick had been preparing for the journey to the boundary even as Errin was training the seekers and the moment the urgent messenger had arrived from Dissan they were ready to ride.

  Errin had lamented that she did not think her charges were ready but when Fenrick quietly asked, “Do you really think that they will ever be ready?”

  She had looked up at him with sad eyes and replied, “Do you always have to be right?” and had gone to pack. Orassan had been a godsend as she had taken over administration of the farm and the healing centre in her usual no-fuss manner. Errin was more than happy to leave all in her capable hands and Orassan knew that Errin was the perfect person to take care of her precious charge. Now here they were, at the boundary, inside Dissan’s tent, discussing the next critical stage of the operation. It was still too much for Turrin to take in. So far it had been exciting but all of a sudden it was becoming downright scary as the reality of what they were proposing to do sunk in.

  Servants came and cleared the food and refilled the glasses before Dissan stood and everyone gave him their full attention. Turrin looked about the tent at the faces of the people he loved, people who in the next few days were going to risk their lives for Feld. His eyes misted and impatiently; he rubbed them clear. He needed to focus.

  Dissan was a born leader. There would be no imperialist speeches or proclamations; instead he was someone who included and valued his people, who walked alongside them to achieve their goals. He leaned forward resting his knuckles on the table and looked around, making eye contact with everyone, making them feel included.

  “For the first time since the boundary was created Feld is in grave danger and, like it or not, it has fallen on those in this tent tonight to try and save her. We have a plan, we have the tools and we have the right people but it will take a huge amount of courage and effort to pull this thing off. Each of you has a part to play and Errin and I have great faith that all of you will be able to do what is asked of you, when it is needed, and that we will succeed.”

  Dissan bowed to Errin and sat down. Errin stood. The mood in the tent was now one of quiet expectation. Turrin thought she looked so small standing there, wrapped in her brightly coloured shawl, small wisps of white hair that had escaped her bun catching the light, but when she shared her sad smile with all present her personality seemed to fill the room. “I can’t believe that the time has finally come, but it is clear that for this plan to succeed, we need to act now. Tomorrow we will ride out past the boundary. Nyssan will be our guardian, just be aware that his protective field is only four thrown lance lengths, so stay as close to him as you can. He will ride in the middle of our group.” She raised an inquiring eyebrow at Nyssan who nodded his head once in acknowledgement. “The knights will ride on the perimeter to protect us in case we encounter the trolls.

>   “After careful thought we have chosen the best place from which to send the seekers. It is within half a day's ride of the boundary, which means that those escorting the seekers can be home again before nightfall, but far enough away to prevent any boundary interference from Feld. It is also physically very defensible. I have a map here.” She signalled to Fenrick sitting next to her who stood holding up a map with light weights attached to the bottom. The map was of a small area of the boundary and the wild magic country beyond.

  “This is us.” Errin pointed to the red X marked on the map. “And this is where we will travel to on the morrow.” She moved her finger away from the boundary to a blue X marked on what looked like a small rise. “There was once a building on the top of this hill and some of the ruins still remain. We can use the walls to help us defend against the trolls if we need to. The most dangerous time will be when Nyssan has to withdraw to enable me to use my magic to send forth our seekers. At this time we will be completely defenceless against the wild magic.”

  Each person around the table digested this information in their own way.

  “Nyssan and his guards will keep a lookout close by and as soon as we send the signal that the seekers have been sent he will ride back to us and we will all return to the boundary. Are there any questions?”

  Expressive faces showed that each person was exploring every facet of the plan in their heads but in the end everyone seemed satisfied with the plan and understood their part of it. “Good.” Errin sighed. “Now if you'll excuse us, the seekers and I need a moment alone.”

  Chairs were pushed back and people stood, some stretching, some yawing, and murmuring to each other, they slowly they left the tent letting in cold, refreshing air as they went.

  Turrin was not sure if Erin had meant he was to go or not so he stayed, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. “Come close.” Errin motioned to the seekers who had been seated together at the far end of the table. “Yes, you can stay,” she quipped to Turrin with a small smile. “I think I can trust you.” All the seekers were bone weary, even the twins appeared to have run out energy. They all sat hunched in their cloaks and eyed Errin with trepidation. There was no escaping the fact that tomorrow they were all going to be part of something unimaginable. Errin was their only support in a sea of doubt. She alone could assure them that they would be able to do what was asked of them and survive. The time for joking, competition and arrogance was passed. Errin had sat down and was now leaning forward, elbows on the table, making it an intimate circle. “We have all talked about what you can expect when you travel to your destination and how you will be able to use your magic but we have not talked about how you will find your shard of power and its caretaker or how you will return home.”

  As one, they all leaned closer not wanting to miss a word.

  “Tomorrow I will give each of you a piece of parchment. It has twenty-two strokes on it and every day that passes on Feld, one of these strokes will disappear. I have made sure that no one but you will be able to see them. Time travels differently in different worlds, but be aware that I am using a spell that will retract back on itself, and the only way home, the only way I can retrieve you, is if you are in the exact same place as you arrived, at the exact same time as the last stroke on the parchment disappears. If you are not there when the spell retracts,” she paused for effect and held up a finger, “you will not be able to be returned. This will be the only chance you have to return.”

  Everyone shifted nervously in their seats.

  “Make sure you know exactly where you arrived and make sure you can get back there in time. As soon as you reach your assigned world you will feel my shard reaching out to you, magic calling magic. To find it you just have to follow the call. You will not be able to talk to its caretaker with words but if you touch them you will be able to talk, mind to mind.” She stopped and looked down for a moment as if thinking of how to phrase the next thought, then squaring her shoulders she continued. “Please be as gentle on these people as you can. They have no idea that they hold such a precious treasure in their hands and will certainly not be aware of other worlds and other needs. You will be asking them to give up everything they hold dear to come to an unknown land for a cause they have never even heard about before.”

  “Piece of cake, then,” quipped Ema, raising a few rueful smiles, including Errin’s.

  “As I have said before, each and every one of the caretakers or hosts will have been chosen because they are honourable people and I am sure that they will do the right thing when asked. Just be sensitive to their plight,” Errin reiterated, staring at the twins until they both looked down and nodded.

  Something was bothering Turrin. “What if Lutex cannot communicate in thought either?” he asked, shooting Lutex an apologetic smile but he noticed that the small boy was looking questioningly at Errin as if he would like to know the answer also.

  Errin reached out and took one of the Lutex’s hands in hers. “You do not need words in this world to touch hearts and I am sure you will be just as capable where you are going.”

  He sighed in relief as if it had been bothering him.

  “So let me get this straight,” Myssan asked, leaning back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “You are sending us to an unknown place to retrieve something linked to a stranger whom we have to persuade to give up everything to come back to Feld with us, without using words, and all this has to be achieved within twenty-two days! No wonder you waited until we could not escape before telling us all the facts.”

  Errin laughed. She had got to know Myssan well over the past few moons, and knew, by the twinkle in his eye, that he was just winding her up.

  “Yep, pretty much! You on?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Myssan replied smiling broadly.

  Hezrill stood, pushing herself up with both hands on the armrests of her chair. “Well, I for one am going to try and get some sleep. Looks as if we may not be getting much for some time to come.” Then hugging her cloak to her, she said, “Goodnight,” and left.

  The twins followed close behind, arm in arm, heads bent towards each other. Myssan also stood and motioned to Lutex. “Time we were going too, I think,” he murmured and, tossing a “Good night” over his shoulder he lifted the tent flap for Lutex, and they both disappeared into the night.

  The tent seemed suddenly very empty. Turrin turned from saying good bye to see Errin sitting with her head in her hands. He stood and came to snuggle next to her. “I have no right to ask this of them. They are all so young, so naive, untried, inexperienced. So trusting.” Turrin watched as a tear splashed onto the table, making a dark mark on the wood. “If I had any other options, any way out I would jump at it but he has backed me into a corner and that has left us now with only two choices. Give up and let him win and we all suffer, or send these brave souls out into the universe to find our only hope of defeating him.” Another tear joined the first. Turrin knew there was nothing he could say, so instead, he just stayed where he was and let her cry.

  #

  The icy cold of the night struck Hezrill as she left the stuffy confines of the tent. It jolted her from her anxieties about the day to come and made her huddle further into her cloak, using her breath to warm her freezing nose. The camp was still awake with fires and torches creating small, isolated worlds of colour in the darkness. She watched the twins walking arm in arm towards their tent and it made her stop in her tracks. She missed her sisters so much that it was like an icicle to the heart.

  “Evening, My Lady,” Myssan bowed his head as he passed, his arm protectively across Lutex’s shoulders. She nodded back smiling but a shuddering breath and a lump in her throat that threatened tears prevented her from replying. She had never felt so alone in her life. Everyone had someone to talk to, to depend on. Her family and her life now seemed so far away.

  Taking a deep breath she told herself to “Get over it! Feld depends on you and here you are a snivelling, homesick
mess.” It was time for bed. Gingerly she made her way across the treacherous, frozen mud towards her tent, eyes glued to the ground. As she got closer to her tent with its camp fire burning brightly, she noticed Anssan, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on a log before it, watching the flames. Once again she stopped and stared, this time feeling slightly guilty of voyeurism. She knew she was still hidden by the shadows and this gave her the rare opportunity to observe this interesting man without him being aware of her doing so.

  He always took the mission of protecting her to heart and even tonight, when he could have been with his men, he was waiting to make sure that she had arrived safely to her tent. She was so grateful that she had him to look after her; however, she was not so sure how he made her feel. He was handsome in an aquiline sort of way. There were no soft edges about this man. His chin was sharp even though he now sported a beard, and his nose was long and narrow. His eyes were hidden in the shadows, but she knew they were not soft either; in fact, they were very often piercingly bright. So what was it about him that made her want to protect him, hold him? He was a knight of renown, a leader of men, well loved and respected, he certainly did not need taking care of, but there was also something underneath this exterior of strength that cried out to her, asking for love and comfort. Somehow, she knew that he needed her and to her surprise she realised that this made her feel special, made her feel wanted. “Stupid girl!” she mumbled to herself as she stumbled forward to join him on his log.

  She sat down without saying a word, as they were so comfortable in each other's company now that they could share silences without it being awkward, and joined him staring into the fire. Eventually the cold crept into her bones and she shivered. Anssan opened his blanket and she crept inside, gratefully sharing his warmth. She relaxed, her head on his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart and his deep, even breathing. She was not alone anymore. She closed her eyes, breathing in his unique smell of leather, horse and thyme, she could never work out where the thyme came from but it was always there, and let go of all her thoughts and just gazed into the dancing flames.