Whispers of Time

by Gwendolyn Ilimaris

  Riverwood took her hand but laughed out loud when she said her status. She raised an eyebrow as disapproval flashed across her face. Jake grimaced at his father’s reaction.

  “Oh, you can’t be serious, little girl,” he scoffed. “Though, it was a nice trick getting into my office unseen.”

  Rin narrowed her eyes before she closed them. She still had a firm grip on the general’s hand, “Ēlipor ntāera.” The second the words were out of her mouth they disappeared and reappeared at the cabin. The general gasped in shock when he recognized their location, but before he could react, she brought them back to the office. Riverwood took a staggered step backwards and yanked his hand out of hers.

  “Shall we begin again?” She asked, her voice serious. “I am Rilaeya Rilavaenu, commander of the elven armies, and general of the riders. I am here to offer my assistance with the creatures that have begun appearing.” She paused as her expression hardened. “Your weapons are useless, correct?”

  Riverwood stared at her for a few moments before he cleared his throat and stood up fully. “Where are you getting your information?” He snapped as he regained his equilibrium. His gaze flew to Jake with a disapproving look. Jake opened his mouth to protest but Rin raised her hand and he snapped it closed.

  “I have witnessed your son fight one of these creatures,” she said. “His weapon was useless for anything other than slowing it down.”

  “You’ve fought one?” Riverwood asked as he looked back at Jake. He appeared to be concerned but Jake only nodded in response. “Where are they coming from?”

  Rin moved over to a small table and laid out a map. She pointed to one spot on it.

  “There is a cave here. That is the point in your world where they are coming through. This point is apparently the connection between your world, Asaetara, and the demon realm. These creatures you are experiencing are demons.”

  The general gave her an incredulous look before he glanced away from her and tried to gather his scattered thoughts. A few moments passed before realization crossed his face and his gaze flew back to her.

  “You are the Jane Doe,” he said.

  Rin raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Jake.

  “It’s what they call someone when they don’t know their identity,” Jake answered her unspoken question. “He knows you were here.”

  “I see,” Rin said looking back at the general. “I was apparently here for about twenty years, however, that is not the topic at hand.”

  “How did you escape?” Riverwood asked, his voice becoming sharp and his eyes narrowed when he looked at Jake. Rin noticed, and she shook her head.

  “Again, that is not the topic at hand,” she said. “All you need to know is that my bonded came for me and I shall be returning home. There is nothing that you can do to keep me here.”

  Riverwood stared at her and appeared as if he was contemplating whether what she said was true. Jake shifted and held his breath. It could get ugly very fast if his father tried to force Rin to remain because she was not human.

  “How does this help me at all?” The general snapped after a few moments. He could sense that the little girl in front of him radiated a certain amount of danger. “I need to know how to kill them.”

  “I shall come to that,” Rin said as her eyebrow rose again. She found this man to be nothing like his children and his arrogance annoying. “However, I would like to make my request of you before I tell you how to make your weapons effective.”

  “What could you possibly want from me?” He asked, his voice wary.

  “I would like for your son to accompany me,” she said. “He has proven himself to be trustworthy and capable. I believe that he shall make a fine ambassador for your people.”

  The general was stunned before he looked over at Jake, “Well, captain, what do you wish to do?”

  “I request to accompany her,” Jake replied.

  A quick look of pride flashed across the general’s face. It was gone so fast that Jake thought he must have imagined it.

  “You have what you requested and my son will act as our ambassador, now how do we kill these things?”

  Rin took out a small silver dagger and laid it on the table. “You need to infuse your projectiles with silver. This dagger is silver from Asaetara and needs to be used sparingly. The silver here is not the exact same chemical compound so it will be far less effective. I shall bring more of our silver when I return. I would recommend making daggers and swords with the silver, but I do not believe your men are accustom to such weapons.”

  The general picked up the dagger and turned it over in his fingers. The carvings on it were beautiful and intricate.

  “This looks valuable,” he said, suspicion slipped into his voice.

  “I do not appreciate what you are insinuating, general. That dagger is mine, it was a gift from someone very important to me.” Her voice hardened.

  “No offense,” Riverwood snapped with a dirty look. Rin only frowned before she walked back to stand beside Jake.

  “It is time for us to leave,” she said. “Allow us two days to prepare for our journey before you move into the area I indicated on your map.”

  “Two days,” the general agreed. “And the captain is assigned to you until you have no further use of him.”

  Rin nodded in agreement and put her hand on Jake’s shoulder, “Ēlipor ntāera.” The two of them disappeared from the office and reappeared back in Rin and Kaedin’s room. Jake put his hand on his stomach and sat down in the nearest chair. He felt just as sick as the first time he ported.

  “I hate porting,” he muttered under his breath. He glanced up with a dirty look when he heard Rin chuckle.

  “It does get easier,” she said as she turned to face the door. A second later Kaedin and Jaeha both appeared in the room.

  “Where did you go?” Jaeha asked as soon as he saw her. “You know that you cannot disappear like that without an escort, my lady.”

  Rin sighed, “I needed to speak with his father. I could not do this effectively if you were all around. He would have felt threatened and I would not have been able to accomplish my goal.” She glanced at Kaedin when he started pacing while he listened.

  “What goal was that?”

  “I requested that Jacob be the ambassador for this world and his father agreed. I also gave them at least a fighting chance to protect themselves until we can return with assistance.”

  “Are you certain that was wise, my lady?” Jaeha asked with a frown. “An ambassador should be one with more life experience, should they not?”

  Rin’s eyes narrowed, and Jake shifted in the chair. He was unhappy being a source of conflict and it irritated him that they did not believe he could do the job. His shoulder dropped with a sigh, he was not sure he could do the job, but he would give it his best effort.

  “Jacob has proven himself to be quite capable with experiences far beyond his control,” Rin said, her voice unpleased. “He handled them in a calm and collected manner. I believe he shall do a good job, and that should be enough for you. Or must I remind you who I am?”

  Jaeha bowed his head, “I meant no disrespect, my lady.”

  “I consider this matter closed. Tomorrow we must work on some training for Jacob. He must learn to use an effective weapon for our world.” She paused and looked over at him. “I plan to create a weapon designed for him.” She paused again and took a deep breath. “We leave for home in two days.”

  Early the next morning Rin already had Jake outside behind the cabin. He shivered in the cold.

  “Have you ever used a weapon that is not a…,” she trailed off with a frown.

  “A firearm,” Jake finished for her.

  “Yes, that is the word. Have you ever used a weapon that is not a firearm?”

  “I’ve trained a little with a staff but that’s it.”

  Rin appeared to be deep in thought for a moment before she looked back up at him,” I think that could work. I will add a blade to it and som
e other features. Do you have a staff? It would be easier for me to modify one rather than create it.”

  “I have a wooden one,” he said with a frown. He could not imagine how a wooden staff was going to help him fight anything.

  “Good,” Rin replied. “Please, go and fetch it.”

  Jake shrugged and disappeared back into the cabin for a few minutes. When he reappeared, he had a wooden staff in his hand. He handed it to Rin. She took it from him and balanced it out in front of her with one hand. Then she spun it and performed a series of simple attacks.

  “This should do nicely,” she said. “It is sturdy and well crafted. It shall make an excellent base.” She handed it back to Jake. “Hold it out in front of you. I shall now begin to manipulate it.” She paused. “You must not let go of it. It is being created specifically for you, so you must stay in contact with it or it will not be a perfect match.” She waited for Jake to nod in understanding. Once he did, she closed her eyes in concentration and held her hands over the staff.

  “Lāekikaravi,” she said as she pushed magic into the staff. Her hands started to glow with a red color, and Jake fought his instincts to move. It was unnerving being so close to so much power. He could feel it coming off her in waves.

  Her hands were now glowing a bright red as she increased the magic and the staff started to change. It lengthened, became black metal, and on the top, a massive silver blade appeared. As Rin continued, a thin band of silver slowly wrapped its way around the staff from top to bottom, and in the center, a tiny rendering of a dragon appeared.

  Rin breathed a long, slow breath and stopped the flow of magic. She opened her eyes and looked up at Jake.

  “See how it feels,” she said. “It should be completely in balance.”

  Jake stared at the staff as he moved away from her. Once he was far enough away he would not hit her, he moved through a basic staff form. He was amazed at how balanced the staff was even with the massive blade on the end.

  “It feels great,” he said with a smile.

  “Very good,” she said. “However, before you can begin to train there is a feature that I must test. It is imperative that it works.” She walked several feet away from him. “Hold it out in front of yourself with both hands. Plant your feet and whatever happens, do not move.” She waited on him to nod and once he was in a stable stance, she raised her hand. “Vēijal.”

  A bolt of lightning flew from her hand in his direction. Before he even had a second to react the bolt slammed into his staff. He was surprised by the force of the blow. It slid him back a couple feet, but he was able to maintain his stance. The silver band and dragon on the staff were both glowing as the electricity arched along the blade.

  “Excellent,” Rin said with satisfaction. “That worked just as it was meant to.”

  “What was that?” Jake asked. His eyes still glued to the staff in his hands. Rin tilted her head with an amused smile.

  “You do not understand what happened?” When Jake did not respond she continued, “The staff is capable of absorbing magic. You shall need that in order to survive in my world since you lack the ability to use magic.”

  Jake looked away from the staff and it took him a moment to process what she just said. When he did, he mumbled, “Thank you.”

  “You are most welcome,” she replied with another smile. “I hope this weapon shall serve you well, but now it is time to train with it.”

  With a sigh, Jake tried to prepare to spar with Jaeha and Kaedin. He almost shivered when he thought about having to fight with Kaedin. He knew Kaedin was not fond of him.

  “Come at me.” Jake’s head snapped up when Rin spoke again. His brows furrowed when she had no weapon that he could see. Rin raised an eyebrow when she noticed his hesitation, “Even if I appear unarmed, it does not mean that I am.” A dagger appeared in her hand and then disappeared again. “But I have no need of weapons to train you.”

  He frowned and still hesitated, “What if I hurt you?”

  “If you harm me then it is my own fault,” she said, her voice amused. She paused and tilted her head, her face becoming serious. “Wounds are a part of training, Jacob. We heal them, of course, but it teaches you how to handle the pain and keep fighting. The ability to fight through a wound could be the deciding factor between life and death.”

  Jake took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the staff before he fell into a ready stance. As usual, Rin just stood there with her hands down, waiting for him to make the first move.

  “Wait!” Kaedin said. He hurried up to Rin with a small bundle in his hands. When he handed it to her, her eyes opened wide and a large smile spread across her face.

  “You have my gear,” she said as she looked up at him.

  “Of course,” he replied with a small half smile. “I have kept them with me. I knew when I found you that you would need it.”

  “Thank you,” she said before she turned toward the cabin. “I shall return in a moment, Jacob, and we will continue.” She disappeared into the cabin and a few minutes later reemerged. Jake watched her approach and was surprised by her change in appearance. She used leather strips and the cargo pants were now laced tight to her legs. A well-worn pair of dark brown riding boots came up to her knees over the pants. She still wore the simple black tank top but now had black, worn leather bracers on her arms up to her elbows. They had straps that hooked on the middle two fingers and thumb to help secure the piece that rested on the back of her hand. There was also a strap that crossed her palm. They fit her like a glove. The last thing she added looked to Jake like a tactical vest. It was a dark brown leather vest that was pulled tight with laces in the front. There were pockets on the front and sides.

  As she walked over to where Jake stood, she was twirling two daggers in her hands. They had ornate black hilts and silver blades that were as long as her forearms. She flipped one and it rested against her arm before they disappeared. Jake wondered where she hid them.

  “Are you prepared?” She asked when she stopped next to him.

  He nodded and again fell into a ready stance. He knew she was waiting on him, so he leapt forward and brought the staff straight down. She brought up both hands in a v-block and with a quick twist of her wrists, she pulled the staff right out of his hands. She spun and had the blade against his throat in a second. He took a sharp breath and stepped back.

  “Never attack straight down unless it is a killing blow,” she said, handing the staff back. “Anyone with any experience shall be able to block that. Use side attacks to keep an opponent off balance. Try again.”

  He tried again and brought the blade up from the right side. She frowned and leapt backwards to get out of the way.

  “Blunt side of the blade for training,” she chided. “We can heal most wounds but not if you cut me in half.”

  Jake sighed in frustration and tried again. His movements were slow as he struggled to try and keep her instructions in mind. She caught the staff again and pushed him back. After a couple more times, Jake finally started to fall back on his martial arts training. He quit thinking so much and just reacted. Rin noticed the change immediately. His movements became less hesitant and quicker.

  “Good,” she said as she dodged a blow. “Stay grounded, in control, calm.” She gradually sped up her movements pushing him to keep up. They continued until Jake was breathing heavy. Rin jumped back to signal she was finished.

  “Take a short breather then continue with Raven.”

  Raven gave Jake an enthusiastic smile as he stood up from where he, Paige, and Sara were watching. Jake frowned when he realized he had not noticed them. He always knew who was around.

  “How long have you been here?” He asked as he sat down next to Sara.

  “Not long,” she said with a shy smile. “You were doing good.” She flushed and looked down after she gave him the compliment. He smiled.

  “Thank you,” he said as he leaned over so she had to look at him. She turned a darker shade of red but cou
ld not keep from giggling at his expression.

  “Come on,” Raven called. “You may spend time with your match later. It is time to train.” Jake sighed and walked over to Raven. “Let us go. I believe after I am finished with you, Kaedin gets the next round.”

  “Great,” Jake replied, his voice sarcastic before he fell into a ready stance and waited.

  Over the next two days, Rin had Jake training every spare moment he had. By the morning they were ready to leave for Asaetara he was so sore he almost could not move. He ran his hand over his stomach. The training with Kaedin and Jaeha was the worst and he had to be healed several times with them. With a frown, he shook his head. He did realize that Kaedin and Jaeha were teaching him how to deal with brute strength, while Rin and Raven were all about speed, but it still did not make the wounds any less painful, and he got the distinct impression that Kaedin was not sympathetic about the ones he inflicted.

  He sighed with a wince when he picked up the bag he was taking with him and his staff. The blade was now covered with a leather wrap. He headed outside and found everyone already present. His eyebrows rose when he noticed the overall change in their appearance. They were no longer dressed in the casual clothing of his world. Jaeha, Kaedin, and Hikaru were wearing various forms of leather armor, black pants, boots, and their katanas were hanging from their waists. Rin was dressed the same as the previous days, except today she even had visible weapons strapped to her back. Raven was dressed the same as Rin. The only real difference was his clothes were black and his katana was strapped to his back.

  Jake tilted his head and wondered what the difference in attire meant. There had to be something to the way they were dressed. He shook his head the longer he observed them. These clothes suited them, and he realized now how awkward they appeared in the clothes from his world. After a couple more minutes, he pushed these thoughts out of his mind and walked over to stand with Paige and Sara. When he got close, he could hear Rin talking to Jaeha.

  “We shall not port when we arrive,” she said. “I wish to get a feel for what may have changed since I have been home.”