The Children of Calm

by Smith, J Michael

  There were no breaks in the hallway - no doors, no windows, and no branching paths. Eventually it curved off to the right, where he heard the sound of rushing water. “Is there anybody there? I need help!” But there was still no answer.

  As he came around another corner, his breath was taken away as he found himself in a tall cavernous room, lit by dozens of hanging lanterns. Several railed balconies jutted out from the walls that rose to a dizzying height. A great waterfall roared on his right and poured into a burbling river directly in front of him as it passed to his left. On either side of the falls were two enormous winged figures carved into the rock: one male and one female facing each other at an angle, hand in hand, arms encircling the falls, feet submerged in the water. Their faces were raised towards the ceiling. The rock walls glittered like stars on a summer night as the light from the torches reflected off the falls and the river, throwing thousands of small dancing figures around the room. It was beautiful, and Rylek stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Then he remembered why he was there, and saw the path continued on his left, following the riverside, where it bent around to the left and was hidden by the wall.

  “Hello? Please help!” he called out again as he walked along.

  Suddenly he heard something that sounded like a great crash on the path in front of him, and then footsteps were hurrying to meet him. A wild sense of unexplainable panic and fear erupted in Rylek, and he turned to run away. But just as he had turned around, he heard a deep booming voice call to him from behind:

  “Halt!”

  The lightheadedness struck him again, and he started to swoon. But right before he hit the ground, he felt arms around him, and the last thing he saw before he fainted were two pale men of great stature and strength. But he thought he might have been hallucinating, because he swore they had wings.

  ***

  A strong, sharp odor brought him suddenly back to consciousness. He was lying on his back again, this time in the hallway where he had previously been. One of the pale men was sitting next to him.

  “How do you feel?” the man asked him.

  Rylek looked at him and was left speechless. His hair was so light blond that it was practically white. He wore a clean white tunic that kept his pale peachy arms and legs bare, and wore a golden belt around his waist. His features were very angular and defined, seemingly chiseled into him. Though his size was intimidating, Rylek discerned only curiosity and compassion in his deep violet eyes. In his hand he was holding a peculiar flower from which the strong scent was coming. Then a sudden movement behind the man caught Rylek’s attention, and he was shocked to see he had not hallucinated: the man did indeed have wings. They were massive and covered in a soft white down.

  “Who are you?” Rylek asked.

  The man smiled. “Generally, it is not the person who trespasses who is permitted to ask that of the one whose land is being trespassed. But to show I mean no ill will towards you, you shall know my name: Ryaskoreid. Now will you tell me how you are feeling?”

  “I’m fine. Please come with me! My sister and friends desperately need help. We got trapped in a cave…”

  “Do you mean there are others with you? But how did you enter our home?”

  “I’m not really sure. And even what I do know is a long story, and there is no time for it now. Please, can you help us? My friend has been very badly hurt…” Panic was creeping into Rylek’s voice.

  “Slow down, little Aenosh,” Ryaskoreid said. “Take me to where your friends are.”

  He helped Rylek up and supported him as they walked together. Soon they came upon Rylek’s shoe.

  “They’re here,” Rylek said.

  “What, inside the shoe?” Ryaskoreid asked. “But I see no deception in your face. What exactly are you saying, little one?”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Rylek pleaded. “There’s a hidden entrance here. I marked it with my shoe.” He picked up his shoe and put it back on his foot. “You can walk through the wall.”

  He heard Ryaskoreid’s sharp intake of breath as he passed his arm through the wall. “What sorcery is this? I have heard tales of such things, but have never dreamt of them in the waking world.”

  “Why are you asking me? You said this is your home. Follow me, please, and hurry!” he called to him. “It’s a dark cave, but you can just see the light where my friends are.”

  Ryaskoreid stepped into the hidden cave with a lantern in his hand. “I believe this will be handy. I’ll place it here by the entrance so we will remember where it is. Yes, I see the light in that direction. You are blessed with an honest face, little Aenosh. Otherwise know that I am usually not so gullible to be led thus by a stranger. Let us go.”

  Suddenly, Rylek found he had been picked up, and realized they must have been flying since he felt the air rush in his face and heard wings flapping. “Lana, I’m coming!” he shouted out. The light from the starpod torch grew larger and closer, and after only a few seconds they were standing in front of Lana, Selenor, and Tresten.

  Selenor shrunk back from the imposing figure of Ryaskoreid, which easily dwarfed Rylek, while Lana stood up and took a step back. “Who, what…?” she said.

  “I think it’s okay,” Rylek said. “His name is Ryaskoreid, and he’s going to help us.”

  Irritation and fear crept onto Lana’s face. “I saw the light appear far off in the direction you went and wondered what was going on, since I had been calling for you and you never responded. What happened?” she asked. “I was scared I had lost you again.”

  Ryaskoreid had meanwhile stooped down to examine Tresten. Selenor watched him, unsure of whether he meant good or ill. “There is no time for talk,” he suddenly said. “We must hurry your friend to my people, for they will be able to care for him. Take what you must. What you leave behind we will return for at a later time.” He scooped Tresten’s limp body up in his arms and started walking away.

  “Rylek!” Lana said. “What is going on?”

  “Come on, do as he says. I’ll carry the swords and whatever you and Selenor can’t. Trust me, everything’s okay. Hurry! Ryaskoreid seems worried about Tresten.”

  Without a word, Selenor had picked up her pack and was already following after Ryaskoreid. Lana picked up both Tresten’s and her packs, while Rylek slung Faldrahil and Silran around his shoulders and carried his own pack.

  “Did he bless you in the name of The One?” Lana suddenly asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Rylek responded.

  “Remember what Elder Caenar said when he told us he wanted us to go on this accursed trip: Trust no one; but unlooked for help may be found if someone blesses you in the name of The One. So did he bless you?”

  “Well, no, but there wasn’t exactly time for formalities, Lana. He came to my rescue immediately.”

  They continued on in silence behind Ryaskoreid, but he knew she was suspicious of this winged creature. Deep down Rylek also felt uneasy.

  But what other choice do we have? he thought to himself.

  The silence between them provided his answer.

  Chapter Nine:

  Perdeisolen

  The journey through that part of the cave seemed to take an eternity to Rylek, although they hurried along as best they could. It was a challenge to keep pace with Ryaskoreid and not allow him to walk out of range of the light from the starpod torch Lana carried in her hand. She kept her silence, not taking her eyes off Ryaskoreid’s back. Selenor also followed without making a sound. Rylek did what he could to keep his mind distracted from worrying about their situation, so he observed the walls as they walked. However, he saw nothing of great interest like there had been in the cave he had fallen into – here the walls were merely rock.

  They finally reached the place where Ryaskoreid had placed the lantern. “Prepare yourself for a shock,” Rylek told Lana. “I promise it’s okay.”

  Lana gasped as she watched Ryaskoreid disappear into the wall. Selenor stopped and whimpered pathetically. Ryl
ek stepped in front of them.

  “Come on and follow me,” he said. “You’ll see – it’s a secret door.” Then he stepped through the wall and into the corridor. He could see Ryaskoreid walking back along the corridor’s left branch. Quickly he poked his head back through the hidden door, partly as a joke since he realized it must have been unsettling for the girls to see his head sticking out of the wall.

  “It doesn’t hurt. You don’t feel anything at all,” he said. “There’s a hallway over here, with lanterns and everything. Trust me.”

  He stepped back into the hallway and watched Selenor and then Lana come through, both looking around in wonder with squinting eyes. “This way,” he said, going in the direction of Ryaskoreid, who had stopped to face the others.

  “Please, little friends, we must hurry,” he said to them. “Your friend is in grave danger.” He turned his back to them and continued walking.

  “What happened to your bandage?” Lana asked Rylek. “That’s not the same one Selenor put on your head. It’s not nearly as blood-soaked.”

  Rylek shrugged. “I have no idea,” he said. “Maybe Ryaskoreid changed it while I was unconscious.”

  “You blacked out again?”

  “I think so, but I’m okay now. I’m not sure what exactly he did to me, but it seems to be doing the trick. I almost feel normal.”

  “That could explain why you were gone for so long, though it probably wasn’t as long as it felt. And I still don’t trust him,” she said in a low voice as they began to walk.

  Rylek turned his attention to Selenor and studied her face out of the corner of his eye. She looked as though she had lost all hope as she stumbled along in an impenetrable fog of confusion and fear. Unable to stop himself, he took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up into his eyes and pierced his soul.

  “Why did we have to come here, Rylek?” she asked. “Why was Elder Caenar so insistent we come here?”

  The incessant buzz started again in his mind, and the image of her in the Oathbinder flashed before his eyes. “I promise you we’re going to be fine,” he said to her gently, even though his heart was pounding. “I only met Ryaskoreid a little while ago, but he has a way of…I don’t know…a way of letting you know he’s trustworthy. There’s something very noble about him.”

  Selenor did not let go of his hand, but rather held on to it tightly. “But what if Tresten is…well, or doesn’t…”

  He stopped and turned her towards him, locking eyes with her. Those starry eyes, he thought to himself. Lana kept walking.

  “Selenor, I promise you that I will always do what I can to protect us all,” he said. “You told me not long ago I was your hero. I confess I don’t know what that means, not really. But if you feel that way about me, then it’s naturally my honor to serve you in every way possible. So please trust me when I tell you Ryaskoreid and his people – whoever they may be – will do all they can to help Tresten.” He looked away for a second and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his nerves. “I believe that this is not how things will end for the four of us. There’s something greater for us than to be lost down…here.” The buzz grew louder in his mind, and the image of the Oathbinder kept flashing. “I don’t know how to make you understand properly, but please know this: we’re destined for each other, in whatever way everything plays out.”

  He watched as something seemed to unlock in her eyes, and a sudden flash of peace and familiarity came across her face. She squeezed both his hands, then embraced him while tears fell from her eyes.

  “You are my hero, Rylek,” she whispered. “I trust you completely.”

  “Come on, you’re falling too far behind!” Lana called to them from down the hallway. “Let’s go!”

  They turned to catch up with the others, hurrying along still hand in hand.

  ***

  They caught up with her in the waterfall room. Selenor stopped and looked around in awe. Rylek gently tugged on her. “Come on, we’ll come back and see this properly later,” he said.

  As they rounded the corner to the left, the path became a bridge over the river, and on the other side of the bridge was a great archway built into the wall. They crossed the bridge and passed under the arch, and Rylek noted the intricate designs carved into them.

  Ryaskoreid was standing under the arch waiting for them. “We are nearly there, my little friends,” he said. “Welcome to my home: Perdeisolen.”

  As Rylek stepped inside, his breath was taken away. The new room they had entered was massive, with great rectangular pillars supporting the weight of the ceiling far above their heads. On each side of every pillar was a lantern post, bathing the place with warm soft light. He was not sure why, or even how, but he swore there was a hint of crisp moonlight and starlight coming from somewhere to counterbalance the homely welcome of the torches. Deep green ferns hung above each lantern post, carefully pruned to keep from burning. Half the floor was smooth and polished, looking almost like marble, while the other half was grassy, and many gardens had been planted in them. There grew orchards and flowers, vines and bushes, all manicured perfectly. The river flowed on his left side down the middle of the floor, disappearing past his line of vision. A couple of raised walkways crossed it at various points.

  Ryaskoreid had continued on, but turned around when he noticed the others had stopped following him. He smiled, obviously pleased with their reaction. “While my pride is touched by how you have responded to seeing the Great Room of my homeland, you must please hurry with me,” he said. “Soon I shall show you around and take you wherever you wish to go. However, time is pressing and we must see to your friend.”

  “Did he just call this a room?” Lana asked quietly.

  Rylek nodded. “I believe that is what the man said.” He found he was reluctant to go so soon, but led Lana and Selenor as he followed Ryaskoreid.

  They walked past a few more of his race – two women and three men – along their way, and they in turn stopped what they had been doing to watch the children in silence. None of them said a word to Ryaskoreid. Rylek thought he detected a note of sorrow and possibly fear in their faces, but was still amazed with how strikingly beautiful, and coldly noble, they were. They were all tall like Ryaskoreid, and had the same creamy-peach skin. Their attire was of similar clean white tunics wrapped with golden belts, and the only hair to be seen on their bodies was the light blond hair on the top of their heads. The men’s was cut very short, while the women’s flowed long and straight. None of the men had facial hair. The two women wore thin golden circlets upon their heads. All had wings.

  “Why have we never heard of your people before?” Lana asked. “I would think we could all benefit by living together, or at least by having friendly relations.”

  Ryaskoreid’s face grew grim. “Ours is not to mingle, as you might say. We are a doomed race, fated to hide and rid the world of our shame.”

  The others exchanged wordless glances of confusion.

  “Why are there so many walkways?” Lana wondered aloud. “I would think if I had wings I would fly everywhere.”

  “Our wings are loathsome to us,” Ryaskoreid said. “We only use them in times of great need. But now is not the time to discuss our customs and ways. We near our destination.”

  Around the perimeter of the Great Room were many small buildings carved into the rock. Their doorways and windows were covered only with curtains made from thickly woven cloth. He led them through one of these curtains into a small habitation. A long window that looked out into the Great Room was shaded with the same woven material as the doorway. The living space itself was furnished simply: there was a small wooden table with a couple of chairs and a burning lamp by the window; a rug sat snugly beneath the table; a few shelves were lined with various articles; and in the back of the room were large sleeping mats laid out on the floor and a small stand with another burning lamp.

  A female was standing by the table when they entered. She watched them silently as they followed R
yaskoreid to the back, where he laid Tresten down upon one of the sleeping mats. Not long afterwards she sat down beside Tresten with a tray full of various small unlabeled bottles.

  “This is my lifemate, Kelsereid,” he said. “She is very knowledgeable in herbs and medicines. She will do all she can to help your friend.”

  Rylek and the others watched in silence as Kelsereid examined Tresten’s hands and eyes. She felt along the base of his skull and seemed to be surprised about something she found there.

  “Tell me what happened,” she said. Her voice was calm, low, and evenly paced.

  Rylek told her of his falling into the cave, and of the others joining and becoming trapped, and how Tresten had picked up the orb, freeing them but harming him.

  Ryaskoreid and Kelsereid exchanged glances.

  “Do you know anything about this orb?” Rylek asked.

  Ryaskoreid shook his head. “I confess I know nothing of it,” he said. “As I told you before, I did not even know of the hidden cave from which you came.”

  “If what you say is true, I see no reason to fear,” Kelsereid said. “His body is in shock as it appears that strong electrical current has passed through it. More than anything your friend needs rest and quiet to promote healing. I shall tend to him if you would like to rest yourselves. It is quite late.”

  “I would like to stay with him,” Selenor said. She was still holding Rylek’s hand; he was most certainly not about to initiate letting it go. “I’m his sister.”

  “Very well,” Kelsereid said. “There is room enough here for you.” She turned to Rylek and Lana. “But I must ask the two of you to follow Ryaskoreid as he will take you to the place where you must stay. Do not worry; it is not far,” she added, with a look that helped Rylek to relax.