A Traveler's Fate (The Journals of Krymzyn Book 3)

by BC Powell

  “You’re the bravest person I know,” I say to her.

  In another first—at least since I returned from being in the Barrens with Tela—Sash leans to me and kisses my lips. When it ends, I rest my forehead against hers.

  “Please be careful,” I say. “I don’t want that to be our last kiss.”

  “It won’t be,” she says. “Get back to the Delta. Don’t stop for anything and go your top speed the entire way. We’ve put Maya in enough risk.”

  “I love you,” I say.

  Sash smiles at me. “I love you, Chase.”

  Doing as Sash instructed, I load Maya on my back and blaze a trail straight to the Delta. Without ever slowing, I stick to the low ground and avoid going over hills. Maya falls asleep during the return journey and doesn’t wake up when I cross the bridge to the Delta. Apart from the Watchers on the wall, everyone else in the Delta seems to be inside their habitats since it’s so late.

  Outside the caverns of Home, I summon Marc to let him know that we’re back. When he meets me at the entrance to the caverns, I tell him that Maya located Tela. Although his face remains as serious as always, he sighs with relief. As I carry Maya to her bed, she wakes up and looks at Marc through half-open eyes. Marc whispers again and again how proud he is of her for sticking with the search and never complaining.

  Marc tells me that Aven is already asleep, but I go to her cavern anyway. While sitting on her bed, I gently caress her hair for a few minutes and listen to her steady breathing. I’d like to curl up beside her, but I know that between my anxiety about rescuing Tela and worrying about Sash’s safety that I’ll never fall asleep. After a few minutes with my daughter, I leave Home and return to the gate.

  Even though I know he’s sleeping, I summon Larn to tell him the news. He’s thrilled to learn that we discovered where Tela is, but I sense worry in his voice about Sash being alone in the Barrens. After our brief conversation ends, I step through the gate and walk to the middle of the bridge.

  Sitting on the steel surface at the center of the arch, I raise my knees and rest my arms on them. I stare at the Barrens to the northeast. I don’t know if I doze off for a few minutes or just drift away in thought, but I’m startled out of my trance by footsteps behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Larn walking up the bridge. He stops, sits down beside me, and speaks in a sympathetic tone.

  “Not being able to do anything but wait might be the most helpless feeling there is.”

  “It’s the worst,” I reply, still looking at the Barrens.

  “It’s the same way Sash felt when you were missing,” he tells me.

  I turn my face to him. “When I was out there with Tela, I had a lot of horrible thoughts. I thought Sash had betrayed me. I knew it was the wild sap, but I let it gnaw at me more and more until it was out of control. That’s why I behaved the way I did when I came back. I thought you and Sash were out to get me.”

  “It’s almost impossible for us to control it,” he says.

  I vehemently shake my head. “Not for me. All the things it makes a person feel are foreign to everyone born in the Delta. You don’t even have words for some of the emotions. But every one of those negative feelings exists in my world. We grow up trying to learn the difference between right and wrong, learning to thrive on good emotions and suppress the bad. I should have been stronger.” I pause for a moment. “If anything happens to Sash or Tela, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Larn lays his spear on the surface of the bridge between us and leans back on his hands. “I don’t know if all things happen for a reason,” he says. “I think some events in our lives are random and have no purpose behind them. They’re completely out of our control. But the one thing we can always control is how we react to them.

  “There might be a reason for what happened,” he continues, “or it might just be a series of events that unraveled for no reason at all. It’s up to you to decide if there’s something to learn. For now, have faith in Sash’s decision and believe in her.”

  “She’s doing all of this because she knows how important it is to me,” I reply.

  “She’s doing this because of her loyalty to everyone in the Delta. I believe she’ll return safely. She has you and Aven to think about.”

  I don’t know what to say in response to Larn’s unexpected insight into the emotional bond of a family unit that doesn’t exist in this world. He adheres to the customs of the Delta as much as anyone.

  “When this over,” Larn continues, “I’d like to stop by your habitat sometime. I’ve never taken you up on your invitation to visit Aven. I think I might find it meaningful.”

  Even with my concern for Sash, I smile at Larn’s change of heart about spending time with his granddaughter. “I think Aven will like that, too,” I say. “And Sash. Our door is always open to you.”

  As the Krymzyn night passes, Larn and I keep our eyes glued to the Barrens. When the Watchers change shifts on the wall behind us, we know that the Delta is waking up for the new morrow. I fold my arms over my raised knees and rest my forehead on them. Listening to the rush of the rapids below the bridge, I fall asleep.

  * * *

  “Chase,” Larn says, shaking me awake. “Look over there.”

  I pop my head up and focus my eyes on the Barrens to the northeast. A streak of light soars over a distant hill.

  I jump to my feet and run to the end of the bridge. After emerging from behind a hill, Sash glides to a jog. When she stops in front of me, I throw my arms around her.

  “You’re safe,” I whisper in her ear.

  “I promised you I would be,” she says.

  “Did you see Tela?”

  Sash ends our embrace and takes a step back from me. “I saw her and I have a plan. Let’s talk to Larn.”

  We hurriedly walk up the bridge to where Larn is waiting for us.

  “What did you find out?” he asks when we reach him.

  “Tela is in a camp of Murkovin,” Sash answers. “Will you please ask the other Travelers to meet us at Sanctuary? I’ll go over my plan with everybody at the same time.”

  “Right away.”

  Once the three of us are inside the gate to the Delta, Larn summons the Travelers and Sash contacts Eval. A few minutes later, we reach the meadow in front of the Tree of Vision. Eval and Tork are already waiting for us. After the other Travelers arrive, we gather in a circle.

  “Thanks to Maya,” Sash says to the group, “we located Tela. She’s with a group of about forty Murkovin north of the Desert.”

  “She’s their captive,” I add.

  “She’s not a captive,” Sash tells me. “She’s there because she wants to be.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “She came out of what appears to be her own cavern. At the beginning of the morrow, she was teaching Murkovin to travel with transports. She could have left if she wanted to.”

  “Why would she teach Murkovin to carry transports?” I ask.

  She shrugs her shoulders. “We’ll ask her that question if we get the chance. I think I know a way to bring her back.”

  “If she’s not a captive,” Eval says, “taking her will be against her will. I don’t know if we can sanction—”

  “She has no will,” I interrupt. “The wild sap takes control of it. She didn’t go out there by choice. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

  Standing directly across from me, Tork scowls in my direction. “Are you suggesting that we force her to return to the Delta?”

  I ignore Tork and speak directly to Eval. “In my world, people sometimes become what we call addicts. Their entire lives revolve around something like taking a certain substance or being in a cult . . . a messed up way of thinking that takes control of their minds. Some people suffer from mental problems that are impossible to deal with on their own. They can never think clearly. The only way to help them is by forcing them to accept help. They can’t do it themselves. That’s what the wild sap has done to Tela.”


  “I fully understand what’s happened to Tela,” Eval says to me and then looks at Sash. “What’s your opinion?”

  “I think we should bring her back,” Sash answers without hesitation. “I don’t know if we can reverse what’s happened to her, but we have to try.”

  “Do you have a plan for rescuing her?” Eval asks.

  Sash nods her head. “The Murkovin have a camp situated around several trees in a small area. It covers a couple of square miles. Most of the hills are small and have caverns in them. That’s where the Murkovin dwell.

  “Tela’s cavern is north of the area with the trees. There’s another cavern on the other side of the same hill. Two women and two children share that one, but other than that, only one other Murkovin’s cavern is nearby. He’s a very tall Murkovin who seems to be in charge of the camp. I saw him giving orders to the others.

  “Four Murkovin are always on watch on four different hills outside where the caverns are. The guard on the western side of the camp is about a half-mile from Tela’s cavern. The land around the camp is fairly open, but there are a few small hills and large rocks to use as cover. That’s how I got close to the camp. If we can distract the guards while the others are sleeping, get them to focus their attention on something else, we should be able to get to Tela’s cavern.”

  “What kind of distraction?” Eval asks.

  “Travelers,” Sash answers. “Travelers with wagon transports full of steel items.”

  “Why would Travelers be out there with transports?” I ask.

  “When items of steel are worn out or broken,” Sash explains, “Travelers take them to the Dunes. When steel is rubbed with the pulp of the cactus that grows there, the steel hardening process reverses. Everything is thrown into the Dunes. The sand gradually wears the steel down to dust particles. They become part of the Dunes.”

  “But we never go north of the Desert,” Larn says. “We travel through the middle of the Desert to the Stone Passage at the Dunes.”

  “I don’t think the Murkovin will think it through that carefully,” Sash tells him. “Especially if everything happens fast. But we need two separate distractions. We need one on the northeast of camp and one on the southwest. That will draw all four guards away and leave a gap to get to Tela’s cavern.”

  “We can’t require anyone to do this,” Eval says, “nor can we risk all the Travelers being in danger at once.”

  Roen, the second tallest of the Travelers, looks at each of us one by one. Built much like Larn, trim but muscular, he has medium-length, wavy hair that hangs just over his eyebrows. Each time his eyes stop on one of the Travelers, that person nods their head to him. When he returns his attention to Larn, he clenches his jaw.

  “We’re all going,” Roen says firmly. “Tela is one of us. We won’t leave her out there.”

  “That includes me,” the Apprentice Kale adds. “I want to help.”

  “We only need two Travelers,” Sash informs everyone, “and they won’t be in danger. They’ll stop in view of the Murkovin, get their attention, dump the wagons, and then come straight back to the Delta. The other Murkovin at the camp will be asleep. Chase, Larn, and I will go inside the camp to get Tela.”

  “I’m opposed to this,” Tork says. “We put the Delta at risk of losing Travelers.”

  “I agree with Tork,” Eval tells us. Her eyes slowly move to Larn. “But if this is what the tallest of the Travelers deems is the right thing to do, we won’t stand in his way.”

  Larn studies each of the Travelers, including me. No one speaks a word, but the determined looks on all of our faces leave no doubt as to how much we want to take part in the rescue.

  “Nuar, Velt, and Kale will stay here,” Larn says. “Jeni and Roen will take the transports.”

  “We should all go!” Nuar argues.

  “Our first duty is to Krymzyn,” Larn calmly replies. “I also think it will help Sash’s plan if there are fewer of us.”

  “How can that help?” Nuar asks.

  “If one Traveler loses control of a wagon and flees, the Murkovin are likely to go after the wagon’s contents without calling for help. If they see multiple Travelers, they might call others.”

  “I had that thought as well,” Sash says.

  Staring at Larn, Nuar thinks through the plan. “It does make sense,” she admits.

  When no one else says anything, Larn addresses Sash.

  “When do we leave?”

  “As soon as possible,” she answers. “We should be able to get there by the end of the morrow. Most of them will be asleep soon after. Everyone should change into long-sleeves so that we blend in with the terrain as much as possible. Chase and I will meet you at Market.”

  Chapter 35

  It would be impossible for Sash and me to leave the Delta without first saying goodbye to Aven. Given the perils that accompany life as a Traveler, I’ve accepted that whenever I say goodbye to my daughter, it might be for the last time. I know Sash feels the same way since Hunters face risks every time Darkness falls. I’ve learned not to dwell on it, but it’s still hard on me at times. Even on Earth, I guess anyone could die unexpectedly from a car wreck, a work-related accident, or a natural disaster. But the scale is different in Krymzyn.

  With only one hundred and twelve of us in the Delta and on the Mount, if even one person dies, it’s a significant percentage of the population. Travelers, Hunters, and Watchers have the greatest risk to life and limb, but everyone is vulnerable if a Murkovin enters the Delta. It’s occurred to me that the ever-present danger in this world may be the reason there is no immediate family structure, everyone living as one. In my short time here, I’ve seen several tragic deaths that could have resulted in a parentless child.

  While Larn and the rest of the Travelers go to Market to prepare the wagon transports, Sash and I speed to our habitat. We hastily change into long-sleeved shirts and then travel to Home. After pulling Aven out of the classroom, we take her to the cavern designated as hers. Sash and I sit on Aven’s bed with our daughter nestled between us and our arms draped around her shoulders.

  “We found Tela,” Sash says. “She was exactly where you pointed to on the map.”

  “Chees find Tela,” Aven replies.

  Sash squeezes Aven’s arm. “The trees did find her. Maya helped too, and so did you. We’re going to bring her back and this will all be over. We’ll spend every moment we can with you.”

  Aven leans her head against Sash’s shoulder. “Mommy . . . Daddy. Be safe.”

  “We will, baby girl,” I say. “We love you.”

  “Love you,” Aven whispers, her first time pronouncing the word “love” properly.

  After Sash and I give our daughter a long hug, we return her to the Keepers and head to Market. The others are already there when we arrive. Sash suggests that we bring a coil of rope with us in case we need to bind Tela to get her back. I can’t imagine that Tela wouldn’t want to return with us, but ultimately decide that Sash is right. My mental struggle to get back to the Delta after just a few morrows of living on wild sap was brutal. Tela has been in the Barrens for over six months.

  While Larn and the other Travelers finish filling two wagon transports with spears, canisters, flasks, and a few stools, Sash grabs a sheathed knife from one of the tables. She fastens it to the belt around her waist and tucks the tip of the sheath into the back of her pants so that it won’t flop against her when she runs. After realizing that I may need a knife to cut the rope, I grab one as well and place it on the back of my belt in the same way that Sash did. With the coil of rope looped over my shoulder, I follow the others to the gate.

  As soon as we reach the wall, a Watcher swings the gate open. With the sound of the turbulent river below, we cross over the bridge and stop at the edge of the Barrens. Jeni and Roen rest their transport handles on the ground and look at Sash for further instructions.

  “Follow me through the Barrens,” she says. “I’ll keep my speed down so everyone can stay close
together.”

  “And then what?” Jeni asks.

  “We’ll stop a few miles from the Murkovin camp. I’ll explain everything else once we get there. It will make a lot more sense when you can see the terrain.”

  With Sash leading our way and Larn bringing up the rear, we aim to the northeast. If Sash is taking us to the gully where we stopped with Maya, I estimate that it’s about sixty thousand miles away. Although Sash and I can cover that distance in less than two hours, it will take us closer to six hours at the other Travelers’ top speeds. Since we’re leaving in the middle of the morrow, we should still have a couple of hours when we get there to finalize the plan before the Murkovin are asleep.

  Sash and I have only had a few hours of rest over the past two morrows. I’m running on pure adrenaline and whatever sap I consume, and I know Sash is in the same depleted state that I am. But Sash correctly surmised that they could be on the move, so this may be our best and only chance to get Tela away from them.

  As the morrow wears on, thousands of miles fall behind us. We finally pass the hill where Maya sensed Tela for the first time. Our small caravan of Travelers follows Sash into the same gully that we stopped in with Maya.

  After Sash instructs Jeni and Roen to leave their transports in the gully, we all climb up the hill. One by one, each of us peeks over the rocks along the crest while Sash explains the layout of the Murkovin camp to us.

  When it’s my turn, I peer across a series of low hills covering the three miles between the Murkovin and us. Just past the low hills are two slightly taller ones, one on the northern side of the camp, and one on the western side closer to where we are. While squinting at the tops of the hills, I spot a Murkovin standing on each one.

  “The valley beside the western hill leads inside the camp,” Sash tells me in a hushed voice. “The valley leads to the small hill where Tela’s cavern is. If we can draw the guard on the west side of camp to the south and the one up north farther away from camp, we should be able to get in without being seen.”