Aster Wood series Box Set

by J B Cantwell

  The day was long. If I had to guess, I would say that the sun was up for at least sixteen hours. But I knew my estimate of time wouldn’t be accurate. As fear and doubt fought for position inside my stomach, I became keenly aware of every step I took, every minute that was passing, until the day began to stretch out like an eternity in front of me.

  And every day that followed felt longer and longer. We made good progress, or at least it seemed we were getting somewhere. As the days passed I tried to allow myself more hope, to remind myself that the journey would take time. Larissa was right, though. At each stop we made, I removed my boots to find angry red blisters rising beneath my toes. I massaged them as I looked around at our group.

  The men were, for the most part, still in decent shape. Only Donnally’s wide eyes would constantly scan the skies now, reacting nervously to every buzzing sound the bees made overhead. I had all but tuned out our enormous flying neighbors now; the buzzing of their wings had become little more than background noise to me. But Donnally seemed unable to do the same; he clearly felt in constant danger.

  Cait and Larissa, at every opportunity, nestled with each other during our rest stops. While it was true that Cait still couldn’t speak, she never complained in any outward way. Larissa doted on her, smoothing and braiding her hair into elaborate swirls across her head, making sure she had plenty to eat and drink, and, when she seemed tired, lifting her up and slowly floating along ahead of the rest of the group. I liked watching the air beneath Larissa’s feet as she did this; it swirled and twisted, distorting the grassy landscape beneath them as if I were seeing it through boiling water.

  We were saving most of our rations for the possibly less hospitable lands to come, and so we were subsisting on the honey nectar that was easily found in the forest we walked through. It wasn’t a bad diet, in many ways. The nectar seemed to be more than just simple sugar; it filled us up as a meal would, not unlike Kiron’s “tea” back in the Hidden Mountains. Still, I was beginning to miss the sensation of chewing my food, and I looked forward to a day where I would once again be able to stuff a hunk of bread into my mouth.

  I couldn’t deny that I was growing tired. We had been walking for nine days now, and the days were all so much the same that it was starting to feel like we weren’t really getting anywhere.

  One afternoon as everyone lazed in the grass with their honey nectar cups, I found Cait and plopped down next to her. She was greedily licking the nectar from one of the petals of her flower.

  “How far do you think we’ve come?” I asked.

  She looked up at me blankly, nectar dribbling down her chin, her enthusiasm for her meal forgotten.

  “How much longer do you think it will be until we arrive?” I continued. “You can still see the path clearly, right?”

  She nodded. Then, she set down her petal and held out her hands to indicate the distance remaining. The space between her palms didn’t seem much shorter than the last time she had described our travel in this way.

  “It seems like this is going to take a long time,” I said, sighing.

  She raised her eyebrows slightly, and nodded.

  “How long do you think? How many more days?”

  However many more it would be was more fingers than she could use to tell me. She picked up a stick from the ground and scratched into the dirt surrounding a nearby tree.

  120

  “A hundred and twenty?” I asked, alarmed. “Days?”

  She shrugged, picking up her petal again and taking a lick.

  It shouldn’t have seemed like such a long time. What was four months on such an epic adventure as this? Still, I huffed as I shredded the grass near my feet with my fingers, trying to think of a way around it. I could run, but the only way that would help was if Cait and I were the only ones who needed to travel. We could use one of Kiron’s links, but I cringed as I imagined the group of us stumbling across the landscape like that. It would take thousands of jumps for us to make it to the pedestal. In the end, it might be less energy to walk. Cait’s hand brushed my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  She caught my eye, smiling, and pointed up.

  It only took a moment for me to realize what she was saying, and in fact I had given it a fair amount of thought, myself, over the past few days. There was another way we might travel. If, and that was a big if, we felt we could trust our flying companions.

  The bees.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  She nodded enthusiastically, gesturing something with her hands that I couldn’t understand.

  “I took her to fly with them,” Larissa said.

  She had been watching our exchange, though I had barely noticed her presence at all.

  “But how do you know?” I asked. “How can you be sure?”

  Larissa shrugged.

  “I have a way, you know,” she said. “Always have had. I can sort of … read them. It doesn’t go so far as talking, but there is a sort of conversation going on.”

  “And you can tell, somehow, that they’re friendly?” I asked.

  She snorted.

  “Well, anyone with a decent set of eyes could tell that they’re friendly,” she said. “But what I know is that they could be downright helpful to us if we would allow it. They know the place where we’re going. They seem to be able to see where Cait is taking us.”

  “How?” I asked. “Are they reading her mind?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think so, exactly. Or at least it’s not as precise as that. Just like our language between each other. They don’t speak and neither do I, and yet we understand one another quite well. In the same way, they understand the route Cait has for us in her mind. And they understand that the rest of these children,” she raised her voice, emphasizing the word, “are afraid of them. That’s why they stay so far up above. They don’t want to frighten the men.”

  “So how do you think they can help us?” I asked. Would we really have to fly on the backs of nightmares in order to make it to the next pedestal?

  “They’re strong,” she said. “They can fly great distances, and they have offered to take us to the pedestal. It’s as simple as that.”

  “And they don’t want anything in return?” Like a fat, juicy human for a meal as payment?

  “It’s not in their nature to want,” she said. “It’s hard to explain. They have all they need here.” She gestured at the trees around us. “There is more than enough for them. What could they possibly want? They don’t need food or shelter. Power? I don’t see how that would benefit the bees. There is no predator here to threaten them, and power would do scarcely more than occasionally entertain them. No. They simply offered to help. They saw in me, a fellow sailer, that there was a need.”

  I sat staring at the grass for a long time, weighing my options. We could continue on foot. I was willing to bet that most of the wizards would prefer it that way. But while we were away there was no way to tell what was happening back on Aeso. It seemed foolish to waste time when there was another option available to us. I shuddered as I imagined the giant insects skimming the tops of the trees. Suddenly now, with thoughts of them racing through my head, it seemed that their buzzing was louder than ever.

  Finally, I stood up and walked to where the men sat, finishing their meals.

  “I think we should take the bees,” I said, bracing myself.

  A little yip of joy came from Larissa’s direction, and I steeled myself to continue.

  “Cait says it will be three more months of travel on foot until we get to the next pedestal,” I went on. “I think that’s a waste of time. Larissa says the bees are friendly and willing to take us.”

  The men grumbled before me. Only Kiron and Finian kept quiet.

  “Those things will eat us!” Donnally squeaked.

  “They won’t eat you, fool,” Larissa said. She had come to stand beside me. “If they were hungry for human flesh, we would have all been devoured days ago.”

&nb
sp; She had a point.

  “But how do you know for sure?” Tristan asked. “Is it worth the risk?”

  “I think it’s worth the risk to save three months of travel, yes,” I said.

  “You really think it’s worth risking all of our lives and the ability of the group to move forward on the quest just to save a little time?” Elidor asked. “Might we find another way?”

  Grumbling broke out among the men, and Kiron stood to address them.

  “Aster is right,” he said. “I’ve been thinking it over, too, and we can’t continue on like this. It could be that every planet from here on out will take months of travel to reach the pedestals. Who knows? We should take the opportunity here to save some time.”

  “No, sir,” Donnally said. “I will not be joining you in the clutches of those beasts.” His eyes were wide with terror.

  “You must,” Kiron said, straightening. “You chose to accompany us on this path. You knew the dangers that might await us as we face the beast that has ruined everything he touches. Well, now this is the choice we must make, to trudge along on our journey, or to take flight.”

  Donnally dropped his gaze, with defeat or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.

  “We shall vote, then,” Elidor said, standing.

  “There should be no vote,” Kiron growled. “What will you do if you are defeated? Will you join us then in our flight?”

  This time Elidor’s eyes dropped.

  “No,” Kiron said. “Perhaps you imagine a different outcome. One where you might take the chaser all the way back home. Back to the starvation that awaits you in the Hidden Mountains.”

  “There is more that we could do for you that doesn’t risk so much,” Elidor said.

  I knew that Elidor was an accomplished wizard. Perhaps even more talented than Kiron in his own way. But now, faced with actual danger, his nerves were showing through.

  Finian stepped forward.

  “We should vote,” he said. Kiron gaped at him. “No, let the cowards have their vote. And if they lose, and still refuse to fly, let us leave them here to make their lives as best they can.”

  “But you wouldn’t leave us here!” Donnally said.

  “We would, indeed,” Finian said. “We are here to fight the biggest battle the Fold has ever known, and yet there are only nine of us against that monster and all his armies. Would we leave you behind? Yes, we would. Would we return to rescue you, to take you on with us, to hold your hands as we do all the work? No, we would not.”

  Silence fell around the circle. Finian’s words were harsh, but they were true. If Larissa was right, and there really was no danger in traveling with the bees, then we would have no choice but to move on to the next planet after we balanced Grallero. It could take us days, or even weeks to be able to find those left behind again. And every moment that passed us by meant more destruction, more pain at the hands of the Corentin.

  “We vote,” Finian said. “Those in favor of staying behind.”

  Donnally and Elidor’s hands both raised. And another. Tristan’s. I noted that they made up the part of the group that had been culled from Stonemore, save Finian. These three men were all but strangers to me.

  “Those in favor of flight,” Finian said.

  Every other hand rose, even Father’s.

  So that was it. Six to three.

  Kiron glanced towards Larissa, and she left the clearing, floating into the air above to call the bees.

  Chapter 13

  She brought nine back with her. They landed like some demented flock of helicopters, their wings blowing the thick blades of grass flat as they dropped toward the ground.

  My heart thudded in my chest, and I had to fight back the urge to run. These weren’t just large bees. These were huge. These were monsters.

  They pranced around, occasionally one or another buzzing its wings. I couldn’t tell if it was from impatience or if they were just natural bee behaviors.

  Larissa landed lightly next to our terrifying new guests, gently patting one on the foreleg as she walked to stand in the center of them.

  All of us hung back. Donnally fully hid himself behind the nearest tree, his gasps of fright quite audible even over the buzzing of wings. Even Cait, the bravest of our party, waited in the wings until Larissa let us know it was safe to approach.

  Finally, Larissa turned to address us.

  “They know where the pedestal is,” she said, “and they’ve agreed to take us to the edges of the valley in which it lies. Once we reach the outskirts, they will not be able to continue further. We will have to walk the rest of the way ourselves.”

  Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Finally, Kiron seemed to force himself to stand up taller, and he spoke.

  “Please—” His voice cut off, raspy from fear, I guessed. He cleared his throat loudly and began again. “Please tell them we extend our thanks. And please ask them if there is anything we can do for them in return for this service.”

  Larissa didn’t bother translating his questioned, and instead answered them herself.

  “There is nothing they require as payment for the journey,” she said. “They want the same outcome that we all desire. In recent years, their homeland has been slowly decimated by the work of the Corentin. Yes, the forest around us is green and vibrant, but all of Grallero is not this way. There have been shortages. Wars. This is why they cannot accompany us all the way to the pedestal. There is a hive not far from the cavern mouth that is unfriendly, even to them, their brethren.”

  I sucked in my breath, imagining the days to come. First, we would be forced to accept the help of these giant, terrifying beasts. And then what? Who would we have to fight to gain access to the pedestal? My skin crawled as my mind filled in the blanks with the scariest of options. Bug eyes the size of horses. Stingers the size of dogs.

  “How long will the journey take?” I asked, also needing to clear my throat from the fear that seemed to have glued it shut.

  Larissa turned and looked at one of the bees, the largest in the group. As she did this, she stroked one of its legs, almost lovingly.

  “Two days,” she answered, turning back to face me. “We will have to rest for a few hours here and there, but these beauties can fly for long distances without breaking.”

  “And how will we … communicate with them?” Kiron asked. “Is it only through you that we can get answers to questions that arise?”

  “I suppose you’ll have to rely on me, yes,” she said. “But I will be flying alongside you all.” She turned and held out one hand to Cait. “You come first, dear.”

  I nearly protested. These things were large enough to eat someone Cait’s size in one bite. But I had seen Larissa’s way with animals, and I had to forcibly remind myself that she had always come through for us. She had ridden Pahana, himself, during the last battle of Stonemore. That giant panther would not come to the aid of just anyone. And despite Kiron’s rumblings about the untrustworthiness of his sister, whatever had once passed between them seemed to be long lost history now.

  I stepped forward behind Cait, not to prevent her from nearing the beasts, but to join her.

  If she was going to be brave about this, then so should I.

  Larissa stepped up beside two of the largest bees. She whispered something, always stroking the thick, black hairs that stood out from its many legs. Then, she led Cait to its side, helped her navigate her way through the legs and to the underside of its abdomen. My breath caught in my chest as I saw the bee’s stinger hovering just a few feet from Cait’s head. Then, the animal closed his legs around Cait’s tiny body, enveloping her into a lattice of limbs. It was like watching someone enter into a jail cell. The bee lifted off the ground, hovering just a few feet up, and waited for its mates to do the same.

  Larissa led me to the next bee, the largest. She gave the request, and soon I found myself being swallowed up by the horror, myself. Nightmarish, shining legs enclosed me on every side. I felt irrationally sure that the limbs mu
st be coated in some kind of poison, but I held on anyways. The bee took off abruptly, and I gripped onto its front legs for support, the beating of its wings loud and baritone in my ears.

  One by one, the wizards each entered the space beneath their bee’s abdomen, allowing themselves to be secured and lifted from the grass. Even Donnally, the most fearful of our group and under threat of abandonment, seemed appeased by Larissa’s encouragement. I wondered if she had some sort of power over all animals, human and otherwise, to bend them to her will.

  Then, all at once, the entire party was airborne. The bees waited for no instruction, no direction. We rose high above the tree tops so fast it was dizzying. Then, when the whole group was assembled, the bees took off at breakneck pace. My whole body tensed as I gripped onto my bee’s legs, praying that the feeling of being caged by a terrifying animal would not be the last thing I felt before death.

  Gradually, as the first and longest of the minutes passed, I began to relax. There was no need for me to grip so tightly anymore. With all six of the bee’s legs folded across one another, it seemed I was quite safe to simply sit and watch the strange world of Grallero float by beneath us. Thankfully, the noise of all those wings was less as we moved through the sky, and the unexpected quiet relaxed me somewhat.

  Now that we were so high up, I could see the damage that the bees had spoken of. About ten minutes into the journey, the forest where we had been walking these past days ended abruptly, and I saw that it would have only been a day or so longer before we would have come to the end of the vibrant land that had sustained us since our arrival on Grallero. Now, far below, the world became a wasteland of desert. Occasionally, large plumes of dust rose from the ground, creating huge cylindrical storms of dirt that rose nearly as high up as we were.

  The planet seemed vast, but maybe it was just the lack of vegetation that made the expanse below seem so big and unending. The ground we flew past, not unlike that on Yunta, reminded me also of the deserts of Earth. The destruction at the hands of the Corentin had shriveled every sign of life in all three places. His will seeped like acid into the beautiful places in the universe, turning them dry and barren.