Nathan reached out and ran his hand over the chair. It felt carved from a single piece of strange dark wood with edges cool to the touch. Somehow, it gave the impression of nobility, honorable and yet foreboding. Agabus motioned for the young Seer to join him back in the common room with the others.
“So, what do you think?” Nathan asked the eldar with expectation.
“I believe something very ancient is at work and we may need all the help we can get to survive it. This cloth tells more than meets the eye. Look again and tell me what you see,” asked Agabus.
Nathan took the cloth, held it up and gazed at it intently.
“I see three of the six points on the star shining brighter than the others,” replied Nathan.
“Do they point in the same direction?” asked Agabus.
“Look for yourself,” demanded Nathan as he pushed the cloth in front of the eldar.
Agabus simply looked keenly at the cloth, then smiled as he pushed it back toward Nathan.
“Young man, this cloth doesn’t speak to me. I’m very skilled at what I know, and I know this,” said the eldar. “I’m not a Seer, you are. How many directions does it point?”
“There are three of the six that point in different directions,” said Nathan.
“When you move the cloth does their direction stay constant no matter how you turn it?” asked Agabus.
“Yes.”
“Where there is direction, there is a path,” said Agabus. “What will you do?”
“Stop pressing me,” demanded Nathan.
“Do you know how many years Mano has been regent?” asked the eldar.
“No,” Nathan stated.
“Four-hundred and fifty-seven,” said Agabus. “Since before my father’s-father’s-father.”
“Nonsense, no one lasts that long - ever,” Nathan insisted.
“Are you willing to stake your life on it? There is an early decree that the throne will never go empty. Since only a Seer can find or anoint a new regent, Mano murdered them all when he took the throne for himself,” said Agabus. “You are a seer. The second one since he took the throne and you could be the one to finally end his reign of terror. You could bring his treasonous horror to an end.”
“I don’t care about kings, or kingdoms,” spat Nathan. “I just want my book back.”
“Everyone serves someone, whether they know it or not,” said Agabus.
“What do you mean?” asked Nathan.
“You are no longer in your world now, but Elyon is the God of all worlds. There is corruption in the universe that exists because our choices allow it,” said Agabus.
“Then if God is so powerful, why doesn’t he crush it?” snapped Nathan.
“If he did, he would kill us all in the process, or at the very least rob us of our humanity, and we would cease to be who we are. That wouldn’t be the act of a caring being now would it? Instead, he looks to us to wield his power and works alongside of us to insure things happen. Councilwoman Sered is making moves to report the events today to Mano as we speak,” said Agabus. “So you have a choice to make. Stay, and I will try to hide you as long as possible, but if Mano’s men find you – it’s over. Run, and you may yet buy yourself some time.”
Nathan looked at the cloth once more. Each of the three highlighted points of the hexagram glowed with a different level of intensity.
“There is a record in my land of a star that glowed more than all the other stars and announced the King’s birthplace,” said Nathan. “I’ll follow the point that shines the brightest.”
“Eldar, is it possible it points to a replacement for Mano?” asked Dodie.
“I don’t think it’s that simple,” said Agabus. “Elyon provides what you need. But what you need, and what you want, are not always the same thing at the same time.”
“If there is even a possibility of finding a replacement for Mano, I’m with you,” Elhan said.
“You are crazy and unpredictable, but I have a feeling you will need my skill before your journey is done,” Dodie stated.
“I must go to Pelan and meet with the High Council to determine how we proceed in light of the happenings of late, but I will render what help I may until I must leave,” said Agabus.
“Eldar, with all due respect, to make a hazardous trip at your age and health is utter folly,” said Dodie.
“Your concern is noted but I have my reasons for going,” said Agabus. “Would you prefer I didn’t travel with the group?”
“Nonsense,” said Dodie.
“It is decided then,” Agabus said. “We go in the morning.”
Agabus exited giving Elhan a stern look as he left the council chamber. Dodie marched over to Nathan, putting a firm hand on the young man’s shoulder as he looked intently into his eyes.
“I certainly hope that gift you have is authentic, because if it’s not, you’re putting everyone in danger for nothing,” said Dodie. “Tell me, is it genuine?”
“How should I know?” said Nathan hesitantly as Dodie stared intently into his eyes. They stood there for a moment until finally the tomewright relaxed and smiled.
“You really don’t know do you?” he said and patted Nathan on the head as the young man shrugged and returned the smile.
“God only knows,” said Nathan.
“Indeed,” answered Dodie as he strolled away. Nathan started towards his room when movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Quickly turning his head, he glimpsed Atimos retreating down the hallway, but he felt so exhausted he thought nothing of it and quietly retreated to his room for the night.
Twelve
“Fraying out the cords…”
Just after midnight, the calm was shattered by the sound of shouting. Isha burst into the hallway, wrapping herself in a blanket and dashed down the hall toward the commotion coming from Nathan’s room. When she arrived, the door was locked. Isha beat on the door calling to him over the sound of his yelling but there was no response. The massive oak door that guarded his chamber dwarfed her by comparison. Nevertheless, she dug her nails into the harden wood and heaved with an eruption of fury that tore the door from its hinges, splintering the frame as she tossed it aside. Nathan sat upright in his bed, caught in a waking nightmare. His hands gripped at the air, struggling with some invisible attacker with sweat running down his face. Steady as death, the black shadow advanced from the foot of his bed. Elhan dashed through the door followed by Dodie and Agabus and lunged toward Nathan, but was instantly halted by a yell.
“Don’t touch him,” shouted Agabus. “He’s held in a nightmare. If you wake him it may kill him.”
“He is in pain,” exclaimed Isha.
“We cannot interfere,” insisted Agabus.
They watched helplessly as a dark silhouette slowly advanced up the bed. It covered Nathan an inch at a time making a horrible hissing noise as it crept up his skin, causing him to shudder with pain with each advance. As it came, it produced swollen red streaks on his skin as it passed toward his head. Isha knew this was different from the darkness of the Avone Forest. This blackness was not insects but a malicious, malevolent incarnation of hate.
“Blast it then,” she was furious now, her temples pounded thickly and her throat tightened.
She quickly snatched a torch from the hallway and waved it at the progressing shade. For an instant, it appeared as though the blackness paused to take account of her, only to continue as before.
“I told you there is nothing we can do. This blackness comes from within him so it must be put down by him as well,” said Agabus.
Why was this happening to him? Was this the result of yesterday’s resurrection? From her past experience with Nathan, she suspected that Atimos had less to do with the raising of Jehu than the young man. Jehu began to move almost immediately after Nathan touched him. Atimos was an incompetent fool and the lowest of the mancer ranks, but had enough experience with sorcery to see that he had no idea what he was doing. However, at the time, it benefit
ed more to watch than to expose his weakness.
As the blackness advanced, Nathan became more still and his breathing slowed.
“It’s killing him,” cried Isha.
“Possibly,” said Agabus as he whispered an order to an attending servant. Soon the servant returned with a large book. “This is a Luminary written in the old language. Perhaps it may help.”
Covering his head with his hood, Agabus placed both hands on the cover, closed his eyes and began praying with an intensity that made sweat bead on his forehead. Slowly a golden glow gathered on the surface of the book and began to grow along with a low humming. Darkness in the room faded as the intensity of the glow turned to dazzling brilliance, filling every corner of the room with a high pitched humming that grew to a shrill. Isha was barely able to see as she turned her eyes from the blinding light and shielded her ears from the deafening sound. It only took a moment for her to understand that the shrill came from the shadow itself. The darkness that attacked Nathan had halted its advance, and began quivering like the surface of a pond when disturbed by falling debris.
“It’s working,” shouted Elhan, but it was evident that Agabus was weakening. The weaker he became the more the shadow advanced.
Dodie put his hands on the old man’s shoulders giving the eldar an added strength but it still did not appear to be enough. The shadow shuddered on the verge of breaking; the high-pitched whine grew louder until it abruptly stopped. Suddenly, it lifted above Nathan and hovered for an instant. Isha took advantage of the moment by grasping the edge and peeling it away from him like a heavy blanket of mire. It burned to the touch but exploded into vapor as it left his body, vanishing in the brilliance of the radiance. She fell to the floor holding her scorched fingers in front of her, grimacing with pain. But thankfully, he fell into a peaceful sleep unaware of his brush with tragedy.
“He should be fine for the rest of the night,” said Agabus in a weak drained tone.
“I’ll stay with him,” said Isha as Dodie helped her off the floor.
“Give me your hands child,” said Agabus as he examined her scorched fingers that were already taking an angry red hue. Holding her hands in his, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and muttered a prayer under his breath. Immediately, her hands were well and strong as before with only small white marks to record the sacrifice she made. “There is a small amount of scarring but that is due to you, not me.”
“I’m no stranger to scars,” she insisted.
“Does he know how you feel?” Agabus asked.
“Thank you for healing me,” she said in a halted tone. “But you’re imagining things. You are still paying me to watch him. Right?”
“Of course,” said the eldar with a yawn. “Just remember that there are other things that leave marks of their passing. All this night’s excitement is too much for an old man, I’ll see you all in the morning.”
They all went back to their rooms leaving Isha alone in a corner chair to watch Nathan. His sleep for the rest of the night was calm.
In the early dawn as the sun peered over the distance horizon, Nathan awoke to the sight of Isha curled in her blanket, asleep in the corner chair. He wondered what had brought her to his room and noticed his door lay in the hallway in pieces. He quietly walked to her and thought to wake her, but something stopped him. Her long scarlet tresses waved and swirled about her face, gracing the corners of her features and urging him to touch them as she slept. His heart ached as he watched the rise and fall of her gentle breathing under the blanket. His eyes drank in every fierce detail of her stunning savage features. A sudden turning of her hand caused the blanket to fall away from her shoulders, revealing brutal whip scars from her past. He could only guess what she’d been through. He reached out a hand and gently ran a finger along the scar marks but his touch caused her to turn in her sleep, so he quickly took it back. What desperate evil could prompt such cruelty?
Anger and sadness welled up inside him causing him to grind his teeth. He wondered for a moment why he was thinking this way. After all, he lived in a monastery and these feelings were absolutely forbidden. Yet, he never took any vows although he always planned too when allowed. Gently taking the edge of the blanket, he pulled it over her exposed shoulders. What did he have to offer? Nothing, he thought. He had no possessions, no title or land – only what he had on his back and the revenge of his mission. He stole a quick look at her over his shoulder as he walked out of the room to go downstairs. The light of the dawning sun glinted through her hair and for a moment, it took his breath away. Inside, he swallowed hard and continued down the stairs. He found Dodie having a breakfast of fruits and cheeses followed by large amounts of milk.
“Good to see you up and roaring, my boy. You gave us a start last night but don’t seem the worse for wear,” laughed Dodie.
“What happened? Did something attack us?” said Nathan.
“Not us, boy – you,” quipped Dodie. “A Shade tried to kill you in your sleep but we managed to break its hold. You must be blessed or something.”
“Shade?”
“Yes. A shadow demon, for pity sake boy don’t you know anything at all,” asked Dodie. “Are there no demons where you’re from?”
“Well…yes. I believe so. But they are not as aggressive,” answered Nathan.
Dodie’s eyebrows knitted for a moment before he spoke.
“It’s the ones you don’t see that are the deadliest. But The Eternal protects us,” said Dodie.
Elhan appeared with his pack and weapons in tow.
“You fit to travel?” said Elhan as he turned to Nathan.
“I feel fine. I don’t remember anything,” said the young Seer.
“We do, and it was not pleasant. You are a target now, so the more you move, the harder you’ll be to get. So, what is our direction?” Elhan asked.
Nathan took the star-cloth from his shirt, stretching it flat on the table in the morning sunlight. At first, the star appeared to him like any other hexagram, but the longer he gazed the more three particular points of the star stood out from the others. The brightest of the three pointed due West of their location.
“That way,” Nathan pointed.
“West. That way leads over the Arnon unless we make for Landdown Pass,” said Elhan. “If we go that close to Pelan we may as well hand Nathan over to Mano wrapped as a gift.”
Suddenly, Isha appeared at the head of the stairs, armed and ready for travel.
“We could use Jeru Bridge,” she said.
“Crossing the chasm at the Great Jeru Bridge is touchy at best. That bridge hasn’t been used since the old trading routes to Jotbatha since before the Giant Wars,” said Elhan.
“It is the most direct route and would keep us far to the north of Pelan,” said Dodie.
Elhan rubbed his bearded chin in thought. There were other dangers to consider and trouble followed Nathan like bees to flowers.
“I’ve traveled that bridge on many assignments and never had a problem,” said Isha.
Elhan shot her a cold stare.
“You mean your demon-driven murdering tasks? You were under the control of an ageless creature that probably watched that bridge being built, and took joyful glee in watching the countless people die erecting it. You do remember how the giants built it don’t you?” Elhan barked.
“She didn’t mean…” Nathan offered.
“I know what she meant,” Elhan interrupted. “That bridge exposes us for a short time to prying eyes, but Master Dodie is right. It is the most direct route if we must go west.”
Isha wrapped herself in her cloak and grew silent. She made the mistake of forgetting for the moment about her past. Perhaps the refuge made that possible, or perhaps something else. Nathan moved to her side to comfort her but she quickly retreated outside.
“I’ll see to the horses,” she said.
They gathered in the adjoining stable to hide their exit till the last moment. Shortly, Agabus joined them quickly followed by several
armed men in studded leather riding tall thick muscled mounts. The eldar rode his usual gray mule while Isha sat a spirited brown mare. Nathan and Elhan sat tall strong stallions as Master Dodie took up the rear in the wagon of supplies. It was mid-day when the group turned their mounts to the West. They rode the rest of the day and most of another, stopping only briefly to give the horses a rest. At sunset on the second day, they found the edge of an old section of woods that quickly dropped to the edge of the plateau. It was apparent by the numerous stumps in the area that long ago the Avone connected to this forest outcropping, but was separated from the main forest due to harvesting. The ground appeared uncommonly wet for that area and this fact didn’t escape Elhan’s notice.
“What is this place?” Nathan asked.
“This is the northern edge of the district but I’ve never seen the ground this wet before,” Elhan said. The ground under the trees lay bare except for a brownish-green moss that greedily sucked at the feet of the horse as they approached.
“Keep the horses away from the trees,” Elhan said. “Something is wrong with the forest floor.”
“This reminds me of the Avone,” said Dodie.
“I was in this area a month ago and it didn’t look anything like this,” Elhan said.
They rode well away from the edge of the woods and on occasions Nathan thought he saw movement within it. The trees were covered with rotting vines of all shapes and sizes. The smell of moss and putrid vegetation filled the air with every change of the wind. They carefully picked a way through the mire, following the path as best they could but at times it was hard to recognize. The shafts of light stabbed the bracken sump causing plumes of steam that twisted in the air like coiling vipers. The humidity pulled at their strength slowing their progress and as the daylight above began to fade. Agabus reached into his saddlebag and produced a small book, holding it in his hand for a moment till it flared into a white light. Although it was bright, it couldn’t completely pierce the darkness in the forest more than a stone’s throw in all directions. No one was compelled to speak and it was evident the horses were becoming increasingly restless.
The Last Refuge Page 12
