The Quest for the Lost Shards of Power

by F M Andrews

  Smoke could be seen rising lazily in the still air just beyond the low hill in front of them, indicating that they were getting close to their destination. They had made good time and with relief they strode forwards, the setting sun at their back, their elongated shadows dancing before them. The slope was slight, not even causing them to puff and in no time they were standing on the top surveying the sprawling camp below.

  It was like nothing Lutex had ever seen or, indeed, imagined before. The name ‘camp’ was a complete misnomer. This was a permanent base, a town of sorts. There were clearly two parts to it: on one side there were long, barrack-like buildings interspersed with makeshift dwellings and haphazard lanes and on the other side there were neat, grid-like streets with spacious houses nestled within gardens and trees, surrounded by a high stone wall, with only one way in or out.

  Lifen saw Lutex’s confused expression and offered an explanation. “The Telft, our warrior race, are different from us. They are violent and of low intelligence although they have immense strength. They just appeared about a hundred turns ago and since then they would come across our borders to rape, kill and destroy until eventually we would send our troops and dispatch them. We would always suffer great losses and the only reason we were able to beat them at all was because they never fought as an army. They always fought as individuals. Cooperation and sharing are not even words in their vocabulary.” She paused to gather her thoughts and then continued. “It was a very destructive period and it wasn’t until my grandfather’s time that a solution was found. We came to an agreement with the Telft. They agreed to fight for us, against our enemies and in return, we would house and feed them. This arrangement has worked well for many years now, as long as the Telft keep to their side of the camp.” She pointed to the disorganised jumble of huts. “And don’t cross the line to our side.” Here she indicated the tidy, walled town.

  “But aren't the Telft tempted to just take what they can from your people or rebel against your officers?” Lutex asked, unable to believe that this simple arrangement would work. After all he had met some Telft and knew just how unpredictable and ferrule they could be.

  “No, not really. They aren’t very smart, but even they figured out that free food and lodging is too good a deal to give up. It only took one or two uprisings before they realised that it was not a good idea to bite the hand that feeds them. They are free to live how they want and our only request is that they fight for us when we ask and, fortunately, fighting is something they really love to do.”

  Lutex shuddered, remembering his first-hand experience of combat with those monsters. Tubble sat, scratched his chin with his back leg and yawned.

  “See that building near the centre of the camp,” Lifen said, pointing to the organised side. “That is where the commanding officer is and that is my destination,” she announced, hitching her backpack up further onto her shoulder and preparing to go. It had already been decided that it would be best all round if she went alone; after all, a killer of babies would be hard to explain and it would be a good idea for Brack stay with Lutex, to protect him, but now that the crunch had come, it was strangely difficult for them all to part.

  Brack took a step towards her, his arm outreached as if to waylay her and she waited, not quite sure if he was going to say anything or not. “I just wanted to wish you luck. I am sure you will have no problems but make sure you are as quick as you can be. It would be good if we could make a start for the mountains at first light tomorrow.”

  His voice carried a hint of command and Lutex suddenly realised that in the short time he had known him, Brack had gained significant maturity. ‘Well, I suppose being terrified on a regular basis would do that to a person,’ he thought ruefully to himself.

  The princess looked from one face to the other as if memorizing them. “Okay. I will try,” she replied, waved and turned. A few paces on she stopped as if something had just occurred to her. “If I have not returned by then, I will be having problems escaping again. The commander might want to keep me safe!” she said scathingly. “Could Tubble come and get me if that happens?” she pleaded. Both Brack and Lutex looked down at their friend sitting prettily beside them.

  “Tubble help princess. Tubble like her. She smells nice,” the cat thought into Lutex’s mind. He relayed the cat’s answer to Brack who snorted before informing Lifen of Tubble’s decision, minus the last sentence.

  “Great! Well, wish me luck!” she called, before striding purposefully down the hill on her lonely trek towards the camp.

  #

  It was strange to be on her own again. Normally she couldn’t wait to get away and be by herself but now she felt empty, vulnerable …. Lonely? It was a novel thing for her to be treated as an equal, to be part of a team, a team that had been through a lot together and still had a lot to achieve. When Lutex had first shown her the world as it really was she had felt disorientated. Her very existence was in question. Nothing was at it seemed. It had been terrifying and exciting all at once. At last she was needed and important but with the sudden responsibility came the unexpected crushing self-doubt, something she had not anticipated or even thought about before and it had taken her a while to overcome it. She cringed now thinking of how self-absorbed she had been in comparison to the patient, trustworthy and understanding Jeveran.

  A stab of pain lanced her heart at the thought of Jeveran’s death. A death clouded with her own guilt. Not only had she treated that innocent, well-meaning man with contempt and derision, something he had not deserved, she may also have been the reason he was dead. If he hadn’t tried to defend her, he might still be alive. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the suffocating remorse that was threatening to consume her. She had a mission to complete and she had to concentrate on that. She would deal with her feelings later when she had the luxury of time.

  It was important to get her message through. She knew that Brack had disapproved of her selfishly coming here first and his approval was now important to her. Cautiously she examined this thought. Why would a lowly woodcutter’s opinion matter to her? Maybe it was because he was handsome, strong and honourable or if she was really honest with herself, maybe it was because, for once in her life, she had met someone who saw her as a person, a person with all her faults and weaknesses and for once she had to work hard to gain his respect, something she seemed to be failing to do at the moment.

  She had never been attracted to any man before, and the strange fluttering she felt in her heart when he looked at her was a completely new experience. He made her heart quicken and her palms sweat. She could not control these reactions and she was not sure she liked it. “Stupid girl! Get your head together. This is no time to be love sick, you have a job to do,” she berated herself before lifting her head high, squaring her shoulders and focusing instead on the gates now looming near.

  The two guards had been curiously watching her approach but neither of them had shown any sign of stopping her. She smiled up at them as she passed and both nodded back. ‘Time to play the princess card,’ she thought. “Would one of you please escort me to your commanding officer? I am Princess Lifen from Haktara and I have some urgent information that could mean life or death for the citizens of my city,” she stated using her best court voice.

  “A princess, is it? Unfortunately Captain Rax doesn’t have time to talk to every princess who comes to the gate.” The guard smirked, sharing a conspiratorial glance with his companion. He was obviously enjoying his own wit and giving her a mocking bow, added. “Your Royal Highness, it is with regret that I must inform you to go and get stuffed,” he said in an outrageously pompous voice before exploding into laughter. With a huff, Lifen studiously ignored them as they continued to egg each other on with stupid one-liners and strode through the gates and on towards her destination, a tall building peeping through the trees ahead.

  Although the guards had been idiots, their disbelief did cause her a little concern. What if no one believed her? How could she prove w
ho she was? The letter had been destroyed and she had no form of identification on her at all. Still, she thought, I will cross that bridge when I come to it and as it turned out she needn't have worried.

  “Lifen! As I live and breathe, is that you, girl?” The bellow proceeded a large officer waddling down the road towards her, his arms wide and a surprised grin on his round, sweaty face. It was her uncle Serax, her mother’s baby brother. “It is you!” he gasped, embracing her in a smothering bear hug that took her breath away. Then holding her at arm's length and examining her more closely, a look of concern came into his eyes. “What has happened to you, child?” The genuine note of caring in his voice caused the unthinkable to happen. The flood gates opened and Lifen was swamped with unbidden tears. She had been so strong and endured so much, yet this small act of compassion had undone her totally.

  “Come, come, child. We will get you inside. You must be starving, eh?” he soothed, placing a protective arm around her shoulders and guiding her down the road towards his house. “Junea will be thrilled to see you,” he prattled on. “We were meaning to come and visit you last spring, but what with one thing and another we never made it.” He was her favourite uncle and he had always had a soft spot for her.

  She allowed herself to be guided up the steps and through a set of ornate doors into a spacious living room filled with comfortable furniture bedecked with vases full of flowers. Aunty Junea, who was sitting reading in an oversized arm chair by the fire, jumped up with a most unladylike squeak and raced across the room as soon as she saw who her husband had brought home.

  “Lifen, my dear, dear girl. You look more and more like your mother every day,” she murmured into Lifen’s hair as she engulfed her in a hug almost as smothering as her husband’s. “It is so good to see you. We had no idea you were coming. Come sit and I will call for some food. You look like you are starving. What would you like my dear?”

  Lifen blinked under this bombardment, not sure which question to answer first. “Umm,” she answered eloquently.

  Junea laughed. “Oh you poor dear. Come and sit,” she said, seating herself on the couch and patting the space next to her. She rang a tiny bell and ordered some food and drink from the servant who answered the summons. “Now, start at the beginning and let's find out if we can do something to take those tears away, hmm?” Lifen always remembered her aunt as a kind lady, even if a bit condescending, but at this moment she was a safe, comforting harbour in the maelstrom that her life had been tossing in.

  “Please, you have to help,” Lifen began desperately looking from her aunt to her uncle and back again. “The Krax have invaded and are besieging Haktara. Jeveran and I escaped using the old tunnel but we ran into scouts and …” she stopped, looked down at her hands and swallowed. “And … Jeveran was killed.” She finished quietly into the shocked silence. “He died saving me.” She sat back and stared up at the ceiling, letting the tears flow. “So that I could get the help.” Lowering her gaze, she speared her uncle with it. “Please, don’t let his death be all for nothing.”

  Junea instinctively reached out to grasp her husband's hand, a comforting touch, and with a single nod her uncle conveyed all the reassurance they needed. He would take care of everything now. Lifen had done all she could for Haktara. Touchingly, he kissed his wife’s hand and bowed to Lifen, stating that it would be best if she stayed here until Haktara was safe once more, before striding for the door. When the food arrived, Lifen discovered that she was ravenous and in no time only a few crumbs remained. Aunty Junea had been gently offering her condolences as she ate and now she suggested a bath and some rest and some clean clothes. Lifen could not refuse. She told herself that it was okay to take this time, that Lutex and Brack needed rest also if they were to be ready to make the long trek into the mountains tomorrow. She felt a bit guilty that she was going to have to sneak out of her uncle's place before first light, although she was just too tired to deal with that now and before she knew it she was bathed and climbing into a wonderfully soft bed. She was asleep before her aunt softly closed the bedroom door.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Lutex and Brack had watched Lifen enter the camp and had retraced their steps to make camp within the forest’s welcoming embrace. Lighting a small fire in a hollow, they cooked some soup and ate the last of their stale bread, both hoping that Lifen would remember to bring some more supplies with her. Once their meal was done, they rolled themselves in their blankets and they too fell into an exhausted sleep.

  Lutex was not sure what woke him although a quick glance at the stars showed him that sunrise was still a few hours away. He tried to get back to sleep, but he was restless and thoughts kept racing each other through his mind and, for some reason, he kept wanting to check Errin’s parchment again. Something was not right. Ever since he discovered that there was no relationship between Feld days and days here, he had a nasty, niggling feeling that would not go away. In the end it was useless, the only way he was going to get back to sleep was to check the parchment.

  As quietly as he could, he removed it from his pack and crouched down by the fire's embers to read it. He knew that if there were any less than three days left they were in trouble. With shaking hands he unfolded the sheet. At first, he thought he had it back to front and he turned it over only to find this side blank as well. He stopped breathing. Squinting and holding the paper closer to his eyes he finally spotted a faint stroke at the bottom. One day left! How could that be? How had five days disappeared in a single night?

  It was so unfair. They had overcome so many obstacles placed in their way, but at this last hurdle the bar had been raised to an impossible height and all possibility of success had been snatched from his grasp in a cruel and unimagined way. How could time between the two worlds be so inconsistent, so erratic? There was no logic to it. He sighed and tried to refocus. What had happened could not be undone, he was just going to have to deal with his new reality, his new life in which his failure would be a constant companion.

  They had gambled and lost. He felt numb. Zail had won. He had always been one step ahead of them. How could they hope to win against someone who had so many pieces on the board to play with, to reposition in order to cover every eventuality? This was it then! Lutex would have to live forever in a world that hated and feared him, despising himself for letting Errin and the universe down. He let the parchment fall to the ground and hung his head in defeat. There were no tears just a vast emptiness, the total absence of hope.

  Brack stirred and murmured in his sleep. Lutex watched him.. He was not going to take this news well. The young troll had found purpose on this adventure, a reason to keep fighting. How would he cope without that? Brack woke and reaching lazily for Lutex’s hand, asked.

  “What is the matter? You look like death warmed up.”

  “We have run out of time,” Lutex said, gesturing to the fallen parchment. He did not have enough energy to sugar coat the news. “We failed.” The voice in his mind lacked any depth or emotion.

  Brack did not answer instead, he stared up at the stars clenching and unclenching his fist.

  “So what now?” he asked so quietly that Lutex almost missed his thoughts. “I suppose it will be just business as usual, eh?” He sounded bitter, his communication growing louder and stronger with his anger. “We will just keep sending our fighters to be slaughtered on your world and the Krax will continue to slaughter us on our world. All to appease the twisted appetite of one evil man.” He was almost shouting now. Impatiently he sat up and buried his face in his hands. To his credit he did not blame Lifen. Something Brack had said was tickling Lutex’s brain but he could not seem to pin it down. What had he said? He had talked about sending their fighters to Feld. The cogs turned and the pegs fell into place with a resounding click. That was it! Of course! The portal! They could use the portal to return to Feld! Lutex jumped to his feet laughing. Wouldn’t that be rich, using Zail’s own device against him. Lutex had no idea how to use it or exactly whe
re it was, yet now they had a goal to work towards. A possibility of a possibility.

  Brack stared at the sandy haired boy as if he had suddenly gone insane; however, when Lutex explained his idea to him the grins on their faces became equally wide. “How are we going to do this?” Lutex asked more to himself than to Brack. “I suppose that we should wait for Lifen to return and see if she knows where the portal is or maybe,” he pondered.

  “Maybe we should go and find her.” Brack thought that waiting would do his head in, and liked the idea of action so they quickly packed and made their way towards the camp.

  The scene that greeted them bore little resemblance to the one the night before. Both sides of the camp were alight with moving torches, commanding voices could be heard issuing orders and the sound of wagon wheels groaning under heavy loads mixed with the bellowing of the oxen pulling them. There was a stream of light heading down the road, leading away from the camp, which was intermittently blocked by the hundreds of dark, marching bodies. The army was on the move. Lifen must have delivered her message and Lutex felt relief that at least some good would come of this night.

  Out of nowhere, Tubble materialized beside them. “Many men making lots of noise. No good for hunting,” he grumbled.

  Lutex absently scratched the cat behind his ear as he concentrated on the shard’s pull. Thankfully the princess was still in the camp, although things were moving fast and Lutex knew that they could not guarantee she would be there for long. Anything was possible. The most logical way for them all to enter the town would be for Tubble and Lutex to be invisible and walk in beside Brack. Tubble was happy to oblige, saying, “Fun to fool stupid ones.”