The Banished Lands- The Complete Series

by Benjamin Mester

  “What if he's going home?” Estrien thought aloud. “Once he crosses into the barbarian kingdom, he may turn south. It's a long way to Suriya, but what else could a long overdue visit mean?”

  That was the only thing that made any sense.

  The Flight

  Ariadra moved through Thay Iphilus Forest, sprinting from tree to tree. All her thoughts were on finding Baron and fleeing away from Ogrindal, perhaps forever. Her mind raced, still struggling to put the pieces together. What had Aerova said to Baron? And was he still in the forest? Aerova had come to their family home in tears only hours ago. What he must be feeling! She needed to get to him.

  But she needed to be smart. If Baron was still in the forest, she couldn't just run to him, for the Forest Guard would be watching him...shadowing him as long as he remained among the trees. They had found her already once before and would easily do so again if she let them. This time, however, she had surprise on her side and her sister as a decoy. If she got out of the forest before Baron did, she could meet him somewhere north on his way back to the alliance city.

  Her path was set. For the first hour of tense motion, fear of discovery kept her on edge. But after that, in the early morning, thirst and exhaustion came to call. The moon descended down over the distant west, bearing away what little light it had given and total darkness fell upon the forest. Ariadra couldn't see a thing as she walked, or rather stumbled forward, with her hands in front of her face, protecting herself as best she could from the sting of low-lying twigs.

  Baron would be making better time than she along the open pathway. If he got to the edge of the forest before she did, she could miss him as he turned north and rode home. The thought spurred her onward. She needed to get free from this forest before he. But if worse came to worst and she missed him, she'd meet him again in the alliance city. The thought brought her hope.

  Just then, her foot caught on a root and she fell forward into a downed tree. But it felt strangely soft as her hands and torso struck it, her ability manifesting to soften the wood and cushion her fall. Marveling for long moments, she remembered the same thing happening to Baron, as he fell from the ledge of the cliff on the Ruhkan Mountains. He should have been killed, but his ability wakened and came to his aid.

  She set off once more but the forest seemed to set its will against her. Growing denser with each passing hour, the underbrush menaced her face and arms, while the fallen deadwood tripped her feet. Every step she took broke twigs or smashed them, alerting any nearby to her presence. She paused for the moment, heaving deep breaths, and her eyes began to well up with tears. But she squeezed them shut and calmed her thoughts. She reached a hand out to a nearby tree for support, and was surprised to find that something in her mind could almost see the whole form of the tree as she touched it.

  Not only that, she could see the various bushes and undergrowth that groped about at the base of the tree. Though it didn't give her much, it was better than complete blindness and she set off. She found that if she took the time to pause, crouching down to place her palm against the trunks of fallen deadwood, she could almost get a picture of her surroundings.

  Ariadra took heart, trudging along with more success than before until the thick undergrowth eventually waned and gave way again to open forest. She sighed in great relief, picking up her pace until, after half an hour had gone by, she thought she heard something in one of the trees. She froze, reaching her hand out to the nearest trunk and letting her ability flow.

  More rustling. Her heart beat quickly, and with her fear, her ability was heightened. Someone was moving in the trees. It had to be the Forest Guard. Ariadra didn't move a muscle but knew the terrible truth. If she had heard them, they had undoubtedly already heard her. They wouldn't stop now that they were on her trail. They were patient and thorough, waiting for their opponents to make the first mistake. She let her ability flow into the trees, searching for her assailant with a sense only she commanded.

  The tree beside her was alive but hollow at the base, a blight having struck it many years ago, decaying part of its trunk. She placed her palms against its trunk and sunk her fingertips into it. Then she pulled it apart and stepped inside, pulling it shut around her. Then she stood there quietly listening.

  She was safe now for the time being. She waited. The tree wrapped around her felt like a warm blanket. She felt free, a child of the forest. They would never find her here. But the limbs above her trembled suddenly. Someone was afoot. Ariadra had half a mind to send a pulsing wave upward and snap the tree in half, but she thought better of it.

  She waited and listened. She thought she saw a form pass in front of the tree and almost gasped in fright. They were searching for her and perhaps had picked up her trail. Did they know yet that she had left Ogrindal? Had they already found Aerova, threatening her until she told them everything? Or was this just a random patrol?

  A hand suddenly pressed against the outside of the tree just in front of her face and she nearly screamed in fright. They must have followed her tracks until they ended here. The hand ran along the face of the tree, searching it for openings. Its owner knew something to be true that he couldn't believe, that someone was inside the tree. The tracks had stopped and no one had climbed the tree.

  Ariadra froze, scarcely breathing. After some moments, the man quietly ascended the tree, perching himself in its limbs, undoubtedly waiting to see if any would emerge. Ariadra felt angry tears in her eyes. Why wouldn't he just go away! Closing her eyes and concentrating. She could feel the grain of the wood that connected it to the main support. She began to soften it. She felt the whole tree buckle as she did it, the tree somehow pained by it.

  It filled her heart with pity. The tree was already struggling to survive against the blight, and losing a main limb might kill it completely. She felt connected to it and couldn't bring herself to cause it harm. So Ariadra chose to wait. She could see in her mind's eye, the form of a man crouched in a limb only ten feet above her. It would be dawn in a few hours. He would want to head back soon and be relieved of his nightly duty.

  But what about Baron? Was he trotting, even now, to the forest edge? Or had he stopped for the night, making camp along the pathway? Time stretched on and anxiety grew in her heart. But then, an idea came to mind. With her knuckles, she made a loud knock against the wall of the tree. She could sense the forest scout immediately stand to his feet.

  Knocking again, this time more forcefully, the scout slowly crept from his vantage point to investigate. Ariadra waited, her heart beating faster. The scout descended to the ground and came stealthily over to the base of the tree. Ariadra could sense a hand touching the outside of the tree.

  That was her moment. Softening the wood, she reached through the tree and pulled the scout's hand inside it, hardening the wood around him. The scout yelled out in fright and Ariadra emerged through the tree just beside him. The scout's eyes were wide in disbelief but he grabbed her with his free hand by the shoulder and Ariadra let out a yell. Struggling for a moment, she pulled free and set off at a run into the forest.

  She sprinted as fast as her feet would carry her until quickly growing tired. Then, coming to rest, she drank one of the water skins she'd brought from her family home and set off once more. They had found her trail but she could outrun them if she just kept calm. Making jagged maneuvers as she ran, knowing that those who came behind would have a harder time tracking her if she kept away from a straight path, she made for the forest edge.

  After an hour, her muscles began to burn, and her side cramped painfully. She pushed through the pain and continued at a swift pace. At times, she thought she heard rustling in the forest behind her but she never turned back to see. Another concern grew as she took a quick break and drank the second of her water skins. It was many days to the alliance city and natural springs were sparse. Though she hoped to meet Baron and ride with him, if she didn't find him, she'd be forced to walk the distance. The thought scared her. For something in her mi
nd, a growing fear, told her she wasn't going to find Baron. But she worked to calm her thoughts. They would see each other again soon and all would be well.

  The glow of morning grew overhead and she still hadn't reached the edge of the forest. But she couldn't travel any further. Songbirds sprang to life on a thousand limbs, and the mist gathered and grew thick about trees. She often loved the early morning hours, as the forest wakened to life but before sunlight fell below the treetops. But this morning, weariness, thirst and hunger kept her spirit from the joy of finer things.

  It couldn't be much farther to the forest edge. So searching until she found two large trees fallen diagonally over one another and gathering some pine boughs for bedding, she did her best to cover her tracks and then enclosed herself within, soon falling fast asleep.

  That same morning, Baron sat motionless atop his horse at the edge of Thay Iphilus Forest, watching the sunrise over the east. He'd traveled all night and now was exhausted, not to mention his horse. He didn't know what to do. His mind was a jumble, a seething mixture of self doubt and despair. The horse beneath him grunted in complaint.

  So with a smile, Baron dismounted, patting the horse on his side and made camp just inside the cover of trees, the horse trotting outward into the open plains and chomping the tall grasses. Baron made a fire but had no appetite and laid his head to rest, his mind filling with anxious thoughts. His mind was consumed with Ariadra and his last conversation with her in the forest. What could he have done differently? He replayed it again and again in his mind. He should have told her he'd wait for her, no matter what or how long it took.

  But the way she had acted...he'd never seen her like that before. She was so unsure of herself and full of grief. Baron had longed to comfort her, but instead of welcoming his embrace, she'd kept him at arm's distance. That's what had hurt the most. He felt so terribly for her that she'd lost her mother and that Ogrindal had been stricken by a ravaging plague. Why wouldn't she let him comfort her...stand with her in her pain and grief?

  But there was another thing about their conversation that made a deep impression. Ogrindal had been devastated after the war with Malfur. Things had taken a hard turn there and Ariadra's mother had died. What if the same thing happened in Suriya? There had been a battle there too, and winter was always hardest in Suriya.

  But Baron's mission pointed him to Eulsiphion and he'd already taken a three day detour to go and see Ariadra. Sheabor would be expecting him back before long. Suddenly, Baron found that he had no heart for searching the catacombs of Eulsiphion on a fool's errand looking for something that might not even be there. He'd only been so eager because of his need to see Ariadra.

  Baron would turn northward toward the alliance city. But how would he face Sheabor and the others? He didn't want them to see him like this. Not just that he would return without even setting foot in Eulsiphion, but having to explain that Ariadra wasn't coming back...

  An intense desire was building inside him just to go home. He hadn't seen his parents since setting out for Thob Forest many months ago. How worried they must have been when no one returned or sent word. But things had happened so quickly. Baron hadn't even thought about it. Now, it drew a deep guilt in him that he could be so reckless with others' feelings.

  Baron didn't know what to do. If he went home to Suriya, he'd be abandoning Sheabor and the others completely. Could he really do that? But did they even need him? Blair was a better Builder than Baron would ever be.

  Baron sat up and stared out over the open plains. His heart beat quickly not knowing which path to choose. Maybe it was best to sleep on it. He laid back down and chose not to make a decision until he awoke.

  Home

  Ariadra awoke to an intense thirst. She'd drained both water skins the night before and hadn't anything to replenished them with. Softening the shell of wood around her, she arose from her bedding of pine boughs, stiff and sore all over from over-exertion and sleep on an uneven surface. High above her shone the sun, somewhere near midday, which encouraged her. She hadn't overslept.

  So setting off quickly to make the most of the daylight hours, she veered northwest, hoping to come out of the forest far enough north that she wouldn't miss Baron before he passed that way. What a shock it would give him, finding her there on the open road. He always said he liked surprises. This would be one for the history books.

  After an hour of walking, Ariadra found a patch of snow in an open meadow and scooped it up in her hands, swallowing mouthfuls of icy water. But she couldn't fill her water skins with snow. The reddish glow of afternoon filled the sky and she still hadn't found the edge of the forest. By day, she knew for certain she was going the right direction. But what about the night before? She'd thought she'd have reached the open plains by now. What if she hadn't really been walking east the night before? What if she'd been making north, or worse yet, south instead?

  The thought made her heart beat quickly. For not only would it make her trek longer to the edge of the woods, it could mean she'd completely miss Baron. She made up her mind not to stop again until she was clear of Thay Iphilus Forest. The wind gusted cold beneath the trees and she cradled her arms. Blisters were already beginning to form on her feet, the result of stumbling over logs and roots in the darkness of the night before.

  Ariadra tried not to think about the shivering cold or the growing pain in her feet. She just wanted to be back in the alliance city with the man she loved, fighting for her friends and making a difference. Soon she would be and this whole ordeal a passing memory.

  But even as she encouraged herself, suddenly a break in the trees was seen ahead. Her heart leaped and she rushed forward, hoping it was really the end and not just an open glen within the forest. And as she left the trees behind, the swaying plains greeted her, caressing her skin with rough and spindly fingers. She'd made it at last and not a moment too soon. For sunset was upon her.

  Ariadra looked around her, searching for signs of tracks. Had Baron already come this way? Was she north of the pathway, or had she lost her bearings and left the forest to the south? Racing along the forest edge, she saw indistinct markings along the ground that looked as though they may have been hoof prints but nothing that looked in any way fresh. If these were indeed tracks, they were from long before, when her own caravan from the alliance city had made for Ogrindal weeks ago.

  But then she saw something that filled her with joy. In a low-lying spot, a set of deep indents from horse hooves had been made when the ground was muddy, and had hardened to dirt in the past weeks, firmly testifying that some had passed this way. The prints were facing to the south, telling her she'd come out from the forest right where she wanted to be.

  But what if Baron had already come and gone? Ariadra saw a drift of snow in the distance ahead, nestled in the hollow of a hillside, right along the edge of the forest and she made for it. Coming close, she looked at it carefully, seeing if any fresh tracks had been laid. It hadn't snowed the night before and if Baron had come this way, surely the horse would've left tracks. Overjoyed to find the snows unmarred, she stooped down and ate of it, as much as her chilled body would let her.

  When she'd had her fill, she gazed around, deciding that this was as good a spot as any to weather the night. The hillside offered reprieve from the wind and the snow on the ground provided water, however meager it was. Darkness was falling and she'd nothing to light a fire with. The thought of spending another night in the cold seemed unbearable, but she had little choice.

  Making use of what little light remained, she gathered a bedding of pine boughs into the hollow of the hill and blended a host of sticks and limbs into a solid canopy around her, which insulated her remarkably well from the cold. If Baron passed this way in the night, surely he would see it, though would he know it was her inside? With a smile, she took the pendant he'd made for her from round her neck, hanging it on the outside of her structure. Then she did her best to sleep.

  In the morning, she awoke to a pounding
headache and though she was still very cold, she left her makeshift canopy and thrust her hands into the chilling snow, bringing it to her lips and crunching it as her mouth melted small gulps, though hardly enough to satisfy. The sky was filled with thick clouds and she worried the light of the sun wouldn't come to warm her today.

  But soon, Baron would arrive. He'd light a fire for her and cook her a warm meal, and all her worries would drown away in the joy of his presence. The thought made her smile. The gusting breeze however, wouldn't let her stand idle, and though her feet screamed in protest, she made her way slowly north.

  As she did, anxious thoughts crept forward. What if Baron didn't come? What if she was forced to walk all the way back to the alliance city? She'd never make it. Midday came and went and still no sign of Baron. She took a rest by a large boulder and rubbed her feet, fighting back her anxious thoughts. Where could he be? Despite the fact that she'd often stopped to take handfuls of snow into her mouth for water, it didn't amount to the water she needed to replenish from such long hours of travel.

  Afternoon turned to evening and Ariadra's fears began to grip her. Baron wasn't coming. The thought brought tears of despair to her eyes. How could that be? Ariadra was gripped by a sudden panic. She'd never really gotten the full story from her sister or her father. She'd only pieced together what she could, thinking that Baron had come to the forest looking for her and somehow Aerova had tricked him into going away.

  But what if that was wrong? Worse yet, what if they'd found Aerova while Baron was still in the forest, and learned that Ariadra was fleeing as well? What if they'd given the order to kill Baron? Ariadra froze in her tracks, fighting back angry tears, half a mind to turn the other direction and take the pathway back to the city. For long moments she stood unmoving, breathing in deep and watching her hurried breaths turn into vapor.