by M J Webb
“Yes, Verastus. Quite. You know, you are beginning to sound a lot like me,” stated Tien, in a purposeful voice. “Knowledge, as I have already pointed out at every given opportunity, is the one thing we should seek above all. It is the key to our success and the gateway to freedom. And it is the only thing we have in our armoury at present which completely terrifies our enemy. If we gain more of it, if we learn more from the spirits, more about the Keeper’s powers, and more about the stones and what they can do, we may just force him into making a mistake on which we can capitalise. So, let us think. A feeling you say? A sense that something is not as it should be? We must listen to what you are being told. Maybe I can use my powers to try to see into the future? I might be able to seek out the spirits and ask them for guidance? Yes, I have to try, I know that now. I have received no visits from them and seen no visions, not for a long time, not in that way. The events which are to come have not been revealed to me, though I do not know why and I must admit it has concerned me. They must want it that way? Whatever their reasons, I have to try now to attempt to shed a little light upon our path, for I fear above all else walking blindly into the darkness. It is no way to proceed if you want to be successful, and in these times of uncertainty, it will be our undoing.”
“Yeah! Great idea son, do it!” snapped Ben, enthusiastically. “Well? What you waitin’ for?” he asked, when the wizard did not immediately reply.
“Yes, Tien. Why do you hesitate? You have to find them, contact them somehow. Why do you delay?” added Verastus.
The old man acknowledged the question with a gentle nod of his head and turned to Jake. “I will need total peace and quiet if I am to be successful, Keeper. Concentration on this scale is very hard to achieve and there must be no distractions, no interruptions of any kind,” he said firmly, flicking his eyes towards Ben so that only Jake could see.
“Oh. Yes, I see what you mean,” answered Jake. “Hmmn... Why don’t you go up to the room? We didn’t lock it and they probably won’t have been in there yet. Not likely to either, given how busy they are, so you shouldn’t be disturbed. I can stand guard in the hallway if you’d like, make sure that you’re not?”
“No, Jake. I shall watch over him for you,” stated Verastus. “Come Tien, let us go and you can see what lies in store for us all. None shall pass whilst I stand in their way.”
The giant Falorian took the wizard upstairs, leaving Ben and Jake alone at the table with their milk. Ben took another sip and began to relax a little, looking around the busy room with interest and staring at the faces of the many travellers and locals who were going about their daily business, enjoying each other’s company.
“You know mate,” he began, once he’d finished surveying the scene and had satisfied his curiosity, “this ain’t all that different from back home really. I almost feel like walking up to the counter and ordering a Big Mac or summin’.”
Jake nearly spat his milk out in surprise at the ridiculous statement coming from his friend, he laughed a little before managing a reply. “Ha ha... Brooksy, coming from anyone else but you, given where we are and what we’ve been through to get here, I would never have believed such a comment was possible. But then, I suppose you were never going to be thinkin’ about anything else but food, were ya?”
Ben smiled at his best friend and determined to make the most of what little time they had to relax together. “Yeah well, some people are born to fight, and some of us were born to eat.”
***
Tien closed the door of the room behind him and cleared away a space in the middle of the floor. He sat down upon it with his legs crossed and rested his hands on his knees, before closing his eyes, gently rocking to and fro and beginning to chant.
“Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum,
Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum,
Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum.”
To Tien’s intense disappointment, nothing happened. He opened his eyes. His face was full of genuine concern and confusion. He just could not understand why it had not worked and he shook his head furiously to clear his mind, his pulse rate raising sharply as he contemplated failure, and all that it might mean.
He tried again, this time slowing his speech right down and using every single ounce of his powers to magnify his thoughts, trying desperately to reach the Heynai.
“Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum,
Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum,
Miethe lonnenn iass veltrell hallux seeoll euthh beyuum.”
Suddenly, a strong, deep voice sounded within his head, resounding loudly within the confines of his mind. It was a voice he did not recognise at first and it was not talking in the ancient tongue of the Heynai.
“What is it you wish to know, wizard?”
Tien took a second or two to realise who it was. Then the realisation dawned on him and he struggled to keep his eyes closed as he responded with his thoughts.
‘Knesh Corian! It is you, is it not? How is this possible? You are dead now, have the spirits...? What has happened...?’
“Yes, Tien. I no longer belong to the world that you protect, I serve them now, and I have but a brief moment with you, to warn you, to guide you. Ask what you will, but make each question count for explanations must wait.”
Tien thought carefully about it for a brief moment. He wanted desperately to understand why the spirits had not appeared before him, why he had seen no visions of the future, why Knesh was doing their bidding, and why they had not come to him now in person. But, he knew that time was short and far more important answers needed to be gained.
‘So be it, Knesh. The Keeper needs guidance. He is convinced that something is amiss, and that we should not go for the next stone? Is he right?’
“Yes. His instincts are strong, already they serve him well. He would be well advised to listen to them. A great battle is coming. It will be fought at the city of Dassilliak, and upon its outcome lies the future of this entire world! The Heynai have showed me now that in time, a defeat in this battle could spell the end for countless other worlds too, including Jake and Ben’s. Worlds that I never even knew existed.”
‘What...? Then, what should we do? How can we stop it, stop them?’ begged the wizard.
“You must do what your heart tells you to do. You must join the fight! Princess Zephany now shoulders the weight of expectation for an entire continent. They are all looking to her to save them. She is holding on and she has proven stronger than any of us could ever have imagined, but she is alone amongst strangers, she has nowhere to turn for support, and she needs you all. There are forces beyond those walls the likes of which have never been seen or heard of before, warriors who were slain but somehow live again, creatures who were exterminated many years ago because of the death and chaos they reeked wherever they went, and...”
‘We will go to her now! We will give whatever help we can, but what of the fourth stone?’
“It will have to wait. To seek it now would be to invite such a delay in reaching the battle that the city would surely fall. This battle will be so evenly contested, even if you do all survive and arrive there safely, that we cannot predict the outcome. You may get the chance to seize the fifth stone if all goes well, the one King Vantrax wears around his neck, but as I have said, nothing is for certain now, the evil one’s powers cloud everything.”
‘Yaarrggh! What can you tell me, Knesh? I am tired of talking in riddles, I want facts!’ rasped Tien. The wizard was angry and, unusually for him, lost his temper as the gravity of the situation became clear, and he began to feel helpless.
“Raar! I can tell you that it is a good thing for you that I no longer live and am unable to wield a sword!” replied the Ruddite Gerada, terrifyingly.
A second or two of silence followed, indicating that he was being told off or admonished in some way. It was as if he was being tutored or guided, as thoug
h he was under instruction and learning his new role.
“Yaar... I am sorry. Listen to me, King Artrex is gravely wounded, he needs your help, your medicine. Dassilliak will be attacked this very night by a contingent of Thargws under the command of Sawdon himself. I shall visit the Princess and its defences will hold. Vantrax’ army is preparing for a full scale assault using every warrior they have. They are building the equipment they need in great numbers and you have two days at most! But, you have other concerns also, and they must be addressed.”
‘What? What concerns? What are you talking about? Please, explain yourself so that I may guide the Keeper.’
“All you can know is that you must go to Dassilliak, wizard. You have to ensure that King Artrex survives, he has a part to play yet and we will need him to play it. But, two other problems must be attended to.”
‘What problems?’
“The warriors that Vantrax has risen from the soil, they cannot be killed by mortal weapons, not unless they are struck in the wound which killed them. These wounds are easily concealed and most are covered with dirt and dried blood so that they are impossible to spot, many are covered over and an attacking soldier would not know where to strike.”
‘Oh my...! Frah! How are we supposed to win against such things, tell me? Zephany, and the others, how can they defend the city against these creatures?’ asked Tien, looking for any information which may prove useful.
“They do not fight against those from the grave as yet. They meet only the living Thargws and their leader. The one saving grace is that Sawdon has not realised the advantage he has over us. Even King Vantrax does not know, he has never used this spell before as he was never strong enough. This new stone of his has opened up new horizons for him. Thankfully, he has the invincible warriors felling trees in nearby forests.”
‘But, once they realise, once they know, they will unleash them all on the city and we will be doomed! We cannot win against such magic, there is no hope against...’
“Raarrtt!!! There is always hope!!! Never forget that! I bring it to you now. The spirits tell me of two ways in which they can be killed. The Keeper and his sphere are the first, it is powerful enough to defeat the spell and it will work, though he has the only one in existence and he cannot kill them all. The second way is to... The only chance you have is to find the flower of the herethdar.”
‘The flower of the what? I have never heard of it!’ replied Tien, shocked and amazed by the mention of something so powerful and important that he had no knowledge of.
“Frah! Despite your considerable age, wizard, there are things you do not know. You cannot hope to know everything,” snapped Knesh. “You have not fought against creatures like these before, no Estian poison will work against them, they will not suffice. The herethdar is a plant so rare that it grows in only one place, so ancient that knowledge of it and its properties have been lost in time, and so deadly that one drop will kill anything that moves. Boil the flowers down to a liquid. You may dilute it with ten times as much water without risking the loss of its potency. Coat your swords, spears, arrowheads, projectiles, anything that will come into contact with your enemy, and it will kill them. There is no known antidote and its poison works immediately, resulting in death within a few seconds. But, it is only found on the highest of the Mountains of P’sad, deep within the borders of Siatol. It is a long journey to make and one which must be undertaken immediately if he is to return to Dassilliak in time to save the city. You will be there to meet him and you will have the fires and pots he needs ready.”
‘He? You said he must go? You mean it has to be Jake?’ asked Tien.
“Yes. He must go and he must be alone. Only the Keeper has the power to climb so high. The air is incredibly thin and the ascent is treacherous, it will test him to the limit. And, there are creatures up there which... Shall we say, they will not appreciate the intrusion?”
‘Srr... What does that mean?’ asked the wizard.
“I have said all that I can, more in fact. My time is coming to an end,” answered Knesh.
‘T-Two problems? Two you said, what is the other?’
“Kah, yes. Brraall and his people, they are walking straight into a trap. They have reached the swamps of Tiagol, but word has spread quickly of their march and probable destination. Their movements are being shadowed and they are heading towards a much stronger force which is being amassed as we speak. It lies in wait for them, near the plains of Etriol. They have every available warrior from the fortresses of Neekard, Sessniol and Regalle and they plan to ambush his people before they reach the battlefield at Dassilliak. Unless he is warned, he will be caught totally unawares and his people will be massacred. So, you see? You must all go your separate ways. Only Ben has a choice to make now, only he can decide which way he wants to go, and who with, though he cannot go with Jake as I suspect he would like.”
‘Yes, thank you, Knesh,’ replied Tien quietly, as he reflected upon what he had been told. ‘We shall not forget your kindness.’
“It is nothing. I will continue to do all I can to save my King and his bloodline. I served him faithfully in life and I serve him still. That will never change, regardless of the price I have to pay. I must go now, the spirits call me. I have already stayed too long. Know that they have not forsaken you, wizard. A vision of the future would not serve you well at this point in time. It would not be to your advantage to see it, for in truth it would look pretty bleak. There are incredibly powerful forces at work here, mystical powers that even the Heynai do not understand and cannot control, they are...”
He stopped in mid sentence, as if being scolded once again for speaking when he shouldn’t. Then, he continued talking, only this time in a much more direct manner.
“Go now. Relay this information to Jake and the others, you all have to move quickly and you have no time to waste. Fare thee well, wizard. Go and save my King, take good care of him, and look after our daughter.”
Tien noticed the mistake in Knesh’ words, but he understood why it had happened and he let it go. ‘I shall do what I can for them both,’ he answered, ‘let us hope that King Vantrax does not find out about those warriors in the meantime. If he or Sawdon catch on, if they realise that they command an entire army of invincible Thargws, the city will lie in ruins before we even get there, and all of its inhabitants will be dead.’
Chapter 27
Early Evening – 25th August – Rethick City – Perosya
Tien’s account of his conversation with the spirit of Gerada Knesh Corian took a lot longer than expected. He was interrupted time and again by questions from the two young boys, both of whom were anxious to learn as much as they could about the meeting. Ben still harboured hopes of seeing his friend Knesh again, given this development, and was excited by the prospect. He had no real father figure to speak of in his life, the man who laid claim to the title had all but abandoned his son many years ago in favour of his new best friends, Jack Daniels and any of his liquor based cousins he could get his hands on. The responsibility of caring for his only son had been too much for the ex soldier given his own mental health problems and diagnosed issues with post traumatic distress order. He had removed himself from Ben’s life almost completely. It was a situation that had grown steadily worse over time but Ben had accepted it; he had known little else. He had often longed for the kind of relationship he knew Jake enjoyed with his father, and the closest he had ever come to realising it, was the brief encounter he had with the Ruddite warrior before the battle which had seen the mighty Sawdon take his life.
“You saw Knesh? You really did? And he’s joined with the Heynai?”
“Yes, Ben! As I have stated several times now he is helping them, helping us. It is completely unheard of. Such a thing has never happened before and quite honestly, I do not know what to make of it. The spirits are usually lonesome creatures, happy only in their own company and reluctant to let anyone get close to them. They shun attention and even I am only allowed fle
eting glimpses of their world, contacted only when they need me to help them in some way. It is most peculiar, completely out of character, they must...”
“Yeah well, perhaps they needed a go between, someone to talk to us on their behalf? Perhaps they couldn’t stay very long and they wanted someone who could? And who better than Knesh, eh?” ventured Jake, who was listening to the conversation with intense curiosity.
“Yeah! Look, to be honest with ya, I don’t care what their reason is. I just hope I get to see him again. Can you call him, Tien? Can ya?” asked Ben, enthusiastically.
“No, I am afraid it does not work like that,” answered the wizard. “He will appear and go just as the spirits do, at a time and place of his choosing.”
“Yes, usually when we least expect it and always from behind, so that they scare us half to death!” added Verastus.
They all laughed a little as they nodded in agreement. There was a brief pause before Jake spoke in a much firmer tone of voice. “Listen, whatever the reasons behind it, he’s come to us from beyond the grave and that just can’t be ignored. He’s warned us of what must be done and we have to make it happen. I have to travel immediately to the Mountains of P’sad in Siatol and deal with whatever awaits me there. Tien must go to Dassilliak to try and help King Artrex and Princess Zephany, and Verastus has to go and find Brraall and his people, before they are ambushed and killed. We all need to leave right now and travel as fast as we can, we will meet up again at the city as soon as we are able, assuming we are successful and it is still in the hands of the Alliance. Hopefully, we will be in time to save the people there and join in the battle.
So, that just leaves you, me ol’ mucka,” he said, looking straight into Ben’s eyes and smiling warmly. “I’d like to take you with me but I’m not allowed to on this occasion, you know that. That means you have a decision to make. Are you going with Tien, or Verastus? They both have dangerous journeys to make and the prospect of a hard fight at the end of them, but you can’t stay here on your own, can ya? You’d be found eventually, if you didn’t starve to death and I couldn’t guarantee being able to come back and search for you. What’ll it be?”
