The Banished Lands- The Complete Series

by Benjamin Mester

  After dinner, they moved from the table over to the warm fireplace, continuing their conversation. After an hour, Ariadra finally retired for good. But she barely slept. Right when she laid her head to the pillow, anxiety swept back into her heart. The thought of waking up late kept her tossing and turning in bed. She had to get back before anyone had a chance to find the coats she was working on for her and Dahlgrin.

  At first light, she arose and quietly placed a log on the still glowing embers. Then she departed from her home, possibly never to return. She hurried down the road toward the healer's building, and was relieved to find it unoccupied. Entering, she found it more a mess than she had left it. The blanket covering Dahlgrin's coat was there, but it looked unnaturally flat. She pulled the blanket back and found only emptiness beneath.

  Ariadra's heart beat wildly. Dahlgrin must have moved it. She began searching under the nearby beds, rifling through the supplies, but coming up short. Not only that, but when she got to the bed which housed her own coat, she found it too was missing. Why would Dahlgrin move the other coat? Ariadra just wanted to hide. She needed to find Dahlgrin.

  Ordinarily, he arrived at her home an hour after first light, waiting to escort her for the day. But Ariadra had left before that. She didn't know where in town he dwelt. So she left the building and headed back toward home, where she could wait for him. It was only about a half hour from sunrise when she arrived back home. Dahlgrin wasn't there, and she crept quietly back to the door, listening for movement from within. It didn't seem like anyone was yet stirring.

  Minutes passed and Ariadra grew cold. She huddled her arms as the breeze danced through her hair and across her body. She should go back inside. It wouldn't look suspicious. But she didn't want to see her father or sister again. She didn't think she could face them. Now that she was really leaving, it felt like she was betraying them.

  But Ariadra wasn't faring well in the cold. For the first time, she felt genuinely afraid of what it would be like on the mountain. How could Dahlgrin be so willing to risk his life like this? How could she ask him to do something so foolish? Ariadra didn't know what to do. For the first time in her life, she felt true despair. She didn't want to go through with her plan but knew she couldn't just sit idly by doing nothing. It seemed that whatever she chose, she was putting someone she cared about at risk. Even if she and Dahlgrin made it over the mountain, what would Whinden do to her father and sister? Ariadra felt tears forming in her eyes. She wiped them away with her sleeve and tried not to think about it. All she knew for certain was that if Baron came looking for her, he'd be killed and that thought spurred her onward.

  Dahlgrin appeared on the road a ways out. When he saw her standing there, he hastened his approach, seeing that she was chilled to the bone. He motioned without speaking for them to head toward the mountain, and the two set off, leaving her family home behind forever. When they were on their way, Dahlgrin spoke.

  “I found the coats you made for us.”

  Relief flowed into Ariadra's heart.

  “Where did you take them?” she asked.

  “Onto the mountain. I took them last night, with food and supplies. We should get moving before they realize we're gone. Are you ready?”

  Ariadra opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. Dahlgrin saw her indecision and a look of concern appeared on his face.

  “It's nothing,” she said. “Let's go.”

  And with that, the two sped to the western edge of town, where the sheer face of the Ruhkan Mountains stretched into the heavens. Dahlgrin found the spot where the wall was shallowest, and took two sets of gloves from his pockets, handing one to Ariadra who began her ascent.

  “It gets easier,” Dahlgrin said, helping her.

  Ariadra focused her thoughts. The wind was surprisingly calm here against the unyielding mountain and she almost grew warm from exertion. After forty or fifty paces, the mountain leveled and a narrow pathway appeared, down which they could comfortably walk for awhile. Ariadra and Dahlgrin wanted to be well away from Ogrindal before anyone went looking for them. The wind picked up in gusts and Ariadra clenched her arms as she walked. The snow was piled thick and trudging through it was exhausting.

  “It's not far to the coats and supplies,” Dahlgrin encouraged.

  Ariadra looked up to the snowy peaks of the mountain, which were covered in white for half the year. After a time, the path gave way to a narrow cleft that overlooked the forest and Ogrindal below. Dahlgrin stooped down over a pile of rocks and began pulling them off one by one, revealing hidden supplies and coats beneath. Ariadra walked toward the edge of the cleft to take in the breathtaking view. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could see all the way to the forest edge.

  They were already a few hundred paces above the forest floor. It surprised her how far they had come. The wind was gusting and she cradled her arms against it.

  “I brought the two Suriyans up here once, you know,” Dahlgrin said. “They didn't fare well in the heights. Baron actually...”

  Dahlgrin turned to Ariadra who seemed to be paying little attention to his words. Something in the forest had captivated her gaze. Dahlgrin stood to his feet and took a step toward her. Ariadra saw a flash of light somewhere in the trees below. Then she felt a wave of dizziness. Her knees buckled and sounds grew dull. In another moment she was falling...

  Schemes

  Baron worked diligently during the days, immersing himself in work to keep his restless thoughts at bay. The architect was very particular, ever keeping Baron on his toes, a fact for which, under the circumstances, Baron was grateful. But at night the creeping anxieties came. What if something happened to her? What if she needed him? Why hadn't she sent word? The thoughts kept him awake, springing him from his tent to gaze at the same sky full of stars that perhaps Ariadra also watched, thinking of him. Though Baron had never before had occasion to search the heavens, he found himself analyzing the phases and motions of the moon, intrigued by something he'd never really considered before.

  It was fascinating how the moon ever changed its position and phase in the night sky. Baron found himself enamored, and was again glad for a distraction from his anxious thoughts. But one night, he heard a tent flap just beside him fly open as he sat in the cool night air, his twin brother, Blair, coming to sit beside him.

  Baron glanced to him and smiled, but neither said a word. Blair gazed about his surroundings and sighed a peaceful sigh as though struck by the stillness and beauty of the night. How did he do that, Baron wondered? How had he become so content and carefree, when everyday they prepared for war? It was a marvel to Baron how much his brother had changed in recent months. Baron opened his mouth to question him, but Blair broke the silence first.

  “You're worried for Ariadra.”

  Baron nodded.

  “Why haven't you gone to her?” Blair asked.

  Baron was taken aback at the question.

  “I have responsibilities. So do you.”

  “That's never stopped you before.”

  “That was the old Baron.”

  Blair took a deep breath and exhaled into the cool night air, his breath turning to vapor.

  “If there's one thing I've learned since all this began, it's that things aren't exactly what they seem. If your heart is telling you something, you should follow it. Like how I found the island. This war isn't going to be won by everyone dutifully following orders. It's going to be won by following our hearts. King Euthor has seen to that. Somehow he's planned everything and we're not going to figure it out unless we trust ourselves.”

  Baron marveled at the words from his brother's lips, still clueless as to how Blair seemed so connected with the long dead king. But Durian had shared some of that same connection, which led them to discovering the tomb of Sheyla, and treasures buried twelve centuries waiting for them to find. Maybe Blair was right. Maybe the old Baron was just who they really needed. The idea of running off and surprising Ariadra was the first exciting
thought Baron had had in weeks.

  “When did I become the responsible one and you the dreamer?” Baron wondered aloud.

  Blair chuckled and placed his hand on Baron's shoulder.

  “Go to bed, Baron.”

  Blair lingered another moment and then disappeared back into his tent, leaving Baron still smiling to himself and shaking his head. But he felt a strange peace come over him, replacing the helplessness he'd felt only minutes before. Now he remembered the truth: he was the only one in control of his destiny. No one else determined it.

  And as he sat there, things grew finally clear in his mind. He didn't know why, but he knew that Ariadra wasn't going to arrive with the next caravan. Something had happened, and though he didn't know what, he was going to find out. Earlier that day, the thought would have terrified him. But now, he made a decision. If she didn't come with the next caravan, then he would leave his responsibilities and go and find her. The thought almost exhilarated him. He took another deep breath in the peaceful air and returned to his tent where sleep soon came to find him.

  The day of the caravan came and to Baron's despair, but not necessarily surprise, Ariadra wasn't among them. Baron resolved that before sunset, he'd tell Sheabor of his plans to leave the alliance city.

  That same day, Estrien and Aravas went to visit Sheabor. They'd not seen him in days and couldn't even be sure he'd eaten or slept. He seemed consumed, a new vigor taking hold of him, desperately searching for a way to draw Kester and the giants into a fragile alliance. The fortress K'venneh was now of prime importance. It had taken both Bowen and the sands captive. How was he going to make an impression?

  Estrien, in concern for Sheabor, had stopped to get a bowl of stew for him, carrying the steaming liquid into the council tent. Aravas opened the flap with a smile in her direction and the two entered, finding Sheabor lost in thought as he gazed at the large map spread out on the table before him.

  “When was the last time you had a warm meal?” she demanded.

  Sheabor ignored the question and Estrien clenched her jaw. She already loathed the idea of playing housewife, and to do so without even acknowledgment was more than she was presently willing to bear. So she set the bowl of food down hard, right on the spot of the map he was intently staring at, some of the stew sloshing over the edge and onto the map.

  “Hey!” he complained, quickly wiping the drippings with his fingers and putting them into his mouth.

  “If that's what it takes to get you to eat,” she replied.

  Sheabor broke into laughter, glancing to Aravas who only beamed with entertainment.

  “Point taken,” Sheabor replied and scooped the bowl up eagerly.

  But as he did, he turned his eyes back to the map, to the lands of the north, Aeleos, the home of the giants. It was an obscure, featureless region on the map, the only detailed portion, the long thin border of mountains and walls that sealed the giants in from the rest of the world.

  “I've been considering your advice,” Sheabor began. “And I keep coming back to the same conclusion. Tell me about this wall that runs the length of the giants' kingdom.”

  “The region is mostly mountainous,” Aravas replied. “And where the mountains give way to the plains and plateaus, the giants have piled in the gaps with demolished rock. It's at least twenty feet high at any point with large straps of metal that cage the rock in place.”

  “How fortified is it?”

  “It is quite sound, I assure you. I would turn my attentions elsewhere.”

  “How do they get in and out?”

  Aravas glanced to Estrien in a bit of dismay at Sheabor's continued line of questioning.

  “There are three main gates into their kingdom, all sealed from the inside and quite fortified,” Aravas continued, pointing to three separate locations. “And they also travel the long way round by boat when occasion calls for it. Are you thinking of trying to enter their homelands?”

  “Just exploring our options. Surely their lands aren't impenetrable?”

  “Many have tried through the years to get a glimpse into the lands of Aeleos. Those who did were never heard from again.”

  “But they granted you access,” Sheabor said with a glance up to Aravas.

  “For a time and that time has passed.”

  “The giants are hoping they can repel Corcoran.” Sheabor continued. “They think they can keep him from establishing a presence on this continent. But they don't know him like I do. Even if he doesn't find a way now, he'll lie in wait until he does. He'll wait for a whole generation to die off and then try again. We've never had a better chance at defeating him, if we just stand together.”

  Aravas sighed, knowing the truth of Sheabor's claim. Corcoran had waited twelve centuries for the chance to again make war on the free peoples of the world. The giants couldn't really hope to patrol the whole coastline for all the years to come. Kester would never allow such an intrusion.

  “To unite this continent, we'll need an actual confrontation between the forces of Kester and the Bearoc. Neither wants to go to war, but neither wants to join our cause. If we make them choose between the two...give them no other option...they will see the light.”

  Sheabor was unjustifiably excited at the prospect of a military encounter between the giants and the people of Kester. It could be a bloodbath.

  “What we need is to threaten the giants, but not directly,” Sheabor continued. “They believe themselves perfectly safe behind their high walls. We will show them they are wrong.”

  “And just how might we do that?”

  “I have an idea.”

  Sheabor was smiling, which made Estrien nervous.

  “I imagine this idea involves a pair of Builders?” Aravas questioned.

  “It does.”

  “Clever.”

  Aravas smiled and glanced to Estrien, and the two departed, leaving Sheabor alone, in whose mind a complex and dangerous plan was forming, one which could lead to open war. But it was the only thing he could think of to draw the kind of spark they needed to light a fire under this continent. He couldn't count on King Froamb's generosity forever. He had his own kingdom to rebuild and it was high time that the rest of the continent started pulling their own weight.

  Sheabor was excited about the prospect of making himself a nuisance to the kingdom of Kester and the giants. He had done the same to Corcoran and Malfur, although in this case, he wouldn't shed blood. This was more complicated, but all the more exciting. His plan was almost set. He'd only one thing left to do – confer with Baron and Blair.

  Blair was continuing the outer wall and Baron was finishing up the grand and decorated meeting hall for all the peoples of the continent. Even from a distance, the structure was amazing in its detail and finery. Sheabor thought first to approach Baron, but didn't want him to get the notion that the building of the alliance city had become a secondary matter.

  So he went to Blair first. Blair's powers exceeded Baron's, and Sheabor needed a few answers on what exactly was possible with this new Builder ability the twins possessed. So he sped toward the outer wall, which was being constructed at a slower pace the higher Blair built it, since new material had to be lifted on pulleys up to the working area.

  When Sheabor arrived, he watched Blair work for many moments from the ground as he liquefied the stone beneath his fingertips. It was nearly unbelievable to watch the gifts of the First Age in action so many years later. It gave Sheabor hope. But Blair noticed him standing there and came down on one of the pulleys to greet him.

  “Every time I see it, I still can't believe what you and Baron can do.”

  Blair smiled.

  “And what can I do for you?”

  “Things have changed for us, as I'm sure you've heard.”

  Blair nodded.

  “The first time I watched you use your Builder ability, I saw you send a fracture clean through a mountain and break off a chunk of it. How does that work?”

  “Actually, it's very simi
lar to blacksmithing. Just as blacksmiths can both melt metal and hammer it, I can use my Builder ability to both liquefy stone or send destructive waves of force through it, though the latter is quite tiring.”

  “How destructive?”

  “Depends on the strength of the stone, really. If I tried such a feat on your hammer, for instance, I'd fail to even leave a scratch. But most normal stone I can crack clean through or turn to powder.”

  Sheabor smiled.

  “What would it take for you and your brother to do that to a mountain?”

  Blair looked at him curiously, not fully understanding the question.

  “What would it take to level a mountain; make it as though it never existed?” Sheabor continued.

  Blair was intrigued at the question. He honestly wasn't sure. Sheabor could see it in his countenance.

  “Are we talking months, weeks, days, or hours?” Sheabor questioned.

  “I imagine weeks, if I had enough help. Possibly less. Smashing something is easy. Hauling away the chunks is the difficult part. But if I have somewhere convenient to put the material...a mountain is quite a lot of substance. So depending on the size of this mountain and the terrain surrounding it...”

  “Thank you,” Sheabor said and turned to depart.

  Blair was left at a loss which made him smile, for he was used to being the cryptic one. But Sheabor was off before he could inquire, having one more person to find, and an idea where to look. He set off for the stables at a brisk pace.

  Upon arrival, he saw Sorren, the son of Jaithur standing outside. Sorren cracked a smile at Sheabor's approach.

  “My father has what you might call an unhealthy attachment to your horse.”

  “He's a fine animal,” Sheabor replied. “Will he mind if I disturb them?”

  Sorren extended his hand inside and followed after Sheabor. As they approached, they could hear a man talking affectionately around the corner. Sheabor chuckled a bit. When they came around the bend, Jaithur turned, betraying a look of annoyance at being interrupted.