The Eighth Born: Book 1 of the Pankaran Chronicles

by C. Night

  “I’m sorry,” said Cazing softly. “Did this happen recently?”

  Rhyen shot Cazing an accusing glare. He felt this was a very insensitive question. But Caliena answered quickly, her voice breaking.

  “Yes.” A tear splashed down her face. “They were killed!”

  “Tell me,” wheedled Cazing, like a snake charmer over a viper. Caliena’s gaze became fixed on the old sorcerer’s, and she started speaking as though compelled to do so.

  “A little more than half a month ago, soldiers came to our farm and tried to buy the land from my parents. Even if they had wanted to sell, the price the soldiers gave was much too low, not even enough for one acre, and we have five.” Her words tumbled out, as though she had dammed them up in her mind and the dam suddenly burst. “My parents said no, but the soldiers wouldn’t leave. They… they…” Caliena paused and covered her face with her hands. But she was unable to break eye contact with the old sorcerer, and the little slits in her fingers revealed violet blue as she continued to stare at him.

  Cazing let her sit for a moment before asking, “These were soldiers of Conden?”

  Caliena shook her head. “No. They were from somewhere else.”

  “How do you know?” asked Rhyen.

  “They were wearing black and red, and their banners were different.”

  Cazing and Rhyen exchanged a puzzled look. “What was on their banner?” Cazing asked her, although he and Rhyen already knew.

  “A red crown on a black banner. I was there when they talked to my parents, and I saw it. ”

  “Zirites,” Rhyen muttered to his master. It was no wonder Caliena did not recognize their banner as there was no Zirith garrison in the Low Country. So what were they doing here?

  Cazing nodded unhappily. “How many were there?”

  Caliena shook her head frantically. “I don’t know. I don’t know! A dozen? Maybe a few more… I didn’t think to count!”

  “Why did they want to buy the land?”

  Caliena shrugged wildly. “I don’t know. It had been in the family for generations, but it was never the most profitable farm in the area… They said it was valuable.”

  Cazing leaned forward. Rhyen realized that he too had leaned forward, unconsciously. “What happened when your parents said they wouldn’t sell?” Cazing asked.

  “Did they force the sale?” Rhyen added, remembering the Goldenmere mine in Wyda—Rode hadn’t wanted to sell, but the Zirites somehow got control of the legal rights and forced the sale.

  Tears rolled down Caliena’s face. She took a deep, shuddering breath. “They burned it. They burned it down.”

  Rhyen gasped. “And your parents?”

  Caliena said nothing, and her silence said everything.

  A very long, uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Cazing leaned back against the boulder, and it was as though he snapped his magic off. Caliena shuddered and blinked and found she was able to avert her gaze to the fire. She frowned miserably, and Rhyen watched as her jaw clenched. He thought she looked as though she was angry with herself, as if she thought she had shared too much. Caliena cowered below Rhyen’s coat, hiding her face away. Rhyen didn’t know what to say. Cazing was looking seriously between the stone and Caliena, comprehension dawning on his face. What he knew or guessed, Rhyen didn’t know, but refrained from asking in front of the girl.

  “How did you escape?” Cazing asked Caliena, eyes narrowed in thought.

  She looked like she might not answer, but once again it was as though Cazing was a snake charmer: As soon as he caught her eyes, her words tumbled out as though compelled. “I didn’t escape,” she said wretchedly. Caliena guiltily clasped her hands. “I wasn’t in the house when it happened. I should have been, but I wanted to see the soldiers. So I snuck out. And then,” she continued in a hushed voice, her face now blank as she was caught up in her memory, “I saw a fire, so I ran back to the house, and I saw the soldiers with torches, and they threw them in the house and barn, and my parents were inside, and the animals…”

  Rhyen felt sick. He could see in his mind’s eye Caliena watching her family and home burn, the sounds of screaming, the smell of the fire and burning flesh. He felt such a surge of sympathy that he got up, strode around the fire, and sat next to Caliena, putting an arm over her shoulders. She ducked away from him, still afraid, but as her tears came more readily, she forgot her fright and leaned into him and sobbed, her shoulders shaking under his arm.

  Rhyen exchanged a horrified look with Cazing. How could this have happened in Conden, and so close to Corna? Did this mean the war had started? Cazing understood Rhyen’s unasked question and shook his head. The war had not yet begun; Zirith was still setting up their board, readying their pieces. But why a small farm in the Low Country? What could that possibly offer the Zirites? Cazing’s lips were a thin line as he furrowed his brows in thought. Rhyen could see that they thinking along the same lines. But neither of them spoke, giving Caliena time to cope with her grief.

  After some time, Caliena’s sobs died away. She spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “I did nothing. I just hid behind a tree, like a coward.” She scrunched up her face and moaned. “I could have done something—I should have done something!”

  “You couldn’t have done anything,” said Rhyen, looking at Cazing for help. He had, he realized, very little experience with comforting people, especially sobbing women.

  “I had my knife with me!” she wailed.

  “Caliena, my dear, one small girl with a knife would have made no difference against a dozen trained soldiers,” said Cazing gently. “Hiding was the right thing to do.”

  “But I didn’t help them, and I could have…”

  “No,” Cazing was quiet but firm. “You couldn’t have.”

  Another long silence filled the night. Eventually Caliena pushed herself upright and away from Rhyen, then sniffed, wiping her eyes with her dirty hands.

  “But how did you come across this?” Cazing asked, holding up the stone. She looked at it but didn’t answer. Immediately Cazing wielded against her, and she shuddered again as her eyes locked onto his.

  She began to speak instantly. “I was going to try to kill those soldiers,” she said, anger creeping into her voice, “But I didn’t know how—they were so many—and so that morning I watched them, waiting for an opening. They came right up, only as far from me as you are now.” Her eyes were steely as she replayed her memory. “And one, the leader, the one who had spoken to my father, he said ‘It has to be here, look!’ and he held up another stone, one that looks just like this one,” she pointed to the purple triangular shard in Cazing’s hands. “Only a different shape. And it was glowing. That stone was in some sort of clear bag connected to a chain, and he was holding the chain. And the other soldier said ‘yes, it does, because it only glows when another piece is close.’”

  She wore a fierce expression, and her hands were balled into fists. Cazing, however, closed his eyes in understanding, and to Rhyen’s intense surprise, he looked pleased, like he had just solved a puzzle he had been working on for years. He remembered himself and composed his face. Rhyen threw him a questioning expression, and the old sorcerer shook his head slightly, giving Rhyen a knowing look that meant he would explain later. Cazing looked at Caliena as she plowed on, lost in her memory as though the soldiers were still before her.

  “And so I figured that they thought another stone must be on our property. And it must be valuable, because why else would they have come?” Caliena laughed hollowly. “I could tell they knew nothing about farming, because they were digging in our fallow fields. I guess they thought that since nothing was planted, we hadn’t dug there before. But we have, of course, we had cabbages in those fields last year, but were letting them lie this season.”

  Cazing nodded. “So you already knew that the stone couldn’t be in those fallow fields, or in
the ones you are using this year, because you’ve plowed them before and never found a stone like this.”

  “Yes. The stupid idiots.” Caliena snorted derisively. “I knew that the only place we’ve never dug is at the very edge of our property, near the trees. The soil isn’t as fine there. So that is where I started. And tonight, I found this.” She gestured to the stone.

  Rhyen remembered running across the small clearing when Caliena had unearthed the stone. The ground, he recalled, had been loose and uneven, and he had thought even then that it had been recently excavated. She must have been digging for days at least, maybe more. Rhyen looked closely at her. He noticed that she was very thin, the kind of unhealthy skinny that suggested rapid weight loss. He also observed her hands. Her fingertips were not only dirty, but bloody and torn. He remembered that she had been digging with her hands and her small knife. Rhyen realized that she had nothing—everything had been burned to the ground. All she owned was what she was wearing when she had left the house the night the soldiers showed up.

  “How long have you been digging?” he asked, concerned.

  Caliena grimaced, and Cazing narrowed his eyes. Reluctantly, she answered. “Since that morning when I heard them talking about the stone. About a week.”

  Cazing leaned forward. “Did you not go to a neighbor? Someone who could help you?”

  Caliena laughed. “What neighbors?” she snapped. “None are left.”

  Rhyen frowned. “Then why not make for Maypole? It was only five miles from your farm.”

  Caliena swallowed hard, her jaw locked. “They’ll find me there,” she whispered. Her shoulders stiffened and she turned suddenly, looking wildly behind her, as though afraid the Zirites would melt out from the trees and grab her then and there.

  “Why would they be looking for you?” Rhyen asked in a gentle voice, trying to abate her fears.

  Caliena shook her head, eyes still wide and scared. Cazing narrowed his eyes as he wielded against her, and with yet another shudder, she was compelled to answer “I—I… I killed one of them.” Her voice was terrified, yet unrepentant. “Four days ago. Two days after they burned my parents.”

  “What happened?” Rhyen asked. He could see in her eyes that she was not lying—she had killed a Zirite soldier. But looking at her frail, petite figure, he could hardly believe that she could have done so.

  “Answer him,” Cazing said when Caliena made no move to explain. He was still spelling her, and she gritted her teeth, but had no choice but to obey.

  “I was in the forest, trying to get some food. I was at the base of a big tree, carving some mushrooms from the bark. And I didn’t even see them coming, or hear them.” She clucked angrily. “I should have, but I was hungry and wasn’t paying attention. They came up behind me, two of them, and I didn’t even notice until one had grabbed me and turned me around.”

  She hesitated, but under Cazing’s wielding, she was forced to speak on. “He was really strong,” she said in a dead voice, “My back was pressed against the tree, and I couldn’t get away. But I had my knife in my hand… he was holding my right wrist really tightly and pushing my left shoulder into the tree.” She lifted her chin and a grim smile formed on her lips. “But I’m left handed—my strong hand was free. And so I… I swung my hand up, and I jammed my knife into his… into his throat.” Her smile disappeared, and her face turned green at the memory. She shook her head in disgust. “I killed him. But he didn’t die right away. He was gurgling, trying to yell, and there was blood, blood everywhere…”

  Rhyen thought she was going to be sick. As it was, she clutched his cloak tighter about her shoulders, and swayed a little. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice almost pleading. “I wanted to kill those soldiers for what they did to my family. But that—what I did, it was self-defense. I had to. If I didn’t, he would have…” her words died away in her throat.

  “We know,” Rhyen said sadly. And he did know. Balance was everything. For all the good in the world, there were equal measures of evil.

  “What did the second soldier do?” Cazing asked quietly.

  “He yelled,” Caliena replied. “Came after me. But as soon as the soldier holding me let go, grabbing at his throat, I ran. And I didn’t look back. They were both wearing armor, and so the other soldier was too heavy and slow to keep up with me. I ran as fast as I could, and I’ve always been fast.” Her shoulders sagged. “Soon I couldn’t hear him anymore. But he knows what I look like. He’ll have told his friends. I won’t let them touch me. I can’t go where they’ll find me. I’m not going to die by their hands, like that.” She finished defiantly, her voice bold. She lifted her chin again with every pretense of bravery. Only her shaking shoulders and hands betrayed her fear.

  Cazing shot Rhyen a look. They held each other’s gaze for some time, communicating silently. “What was your plan?” Cazing finally asked her. “What were you planning to do with the stone?”

  Caliena snapped her head up at Cazing, her eyes flashing. “‘Were planning?’ Oh, no, I am still planning to sell it. I need the money, and it must be very valuable.” She tossed her head angrily. “Plus, if I sell it to someone far away, the soldiers might never find it!”

  Cazing raised his eyebrows incredulously. “But Caliena, you cannot sell this. It is not yours, and it is very dangerous. Look—you can’t even touch it!” He pointed to the shiny new skin on her palm.

  She jumped to her feet, Rhyen’s cloak sliding off her shoulders. “What do you mean it isn’t mine? It was on my land! My family died for this! Of course its mine!” She rounded on Rhyen. “I found it, tell him!”

  Rhyen was torn. Clearly, this was a dangerous and important magical artifact. And the fact that the Zirite soldiers were willing to kill for it meant that the situation was much bigger than just one woman. He remembered the cold, hard fact that Cazing had pounded into him: As a wielder, he had a responsibility to use his talent to help the world, knowing when to interfere and when to not. This was certainly a time to interfere, and as much as Rhyen wanted to help Caliena, he knew that he could not back her on this.

  He swallowed hard, and met Caliena’s eye. “Cazing’s right, Caliena. It’s not yours. I cannot let you take it.”

  For a moment, it seemed like Caliena would argue. Her eyes darted between the stone and the two men. Rhyen could see that she was considering taking the stone and making a run for it. He recalled that she had said, quite matter-of-factly, that she was fast. But then she glanced down at her hand, and seemed to remember that she was dealing with two sorcerers, and the fight went out of her. What could she do against such strong wielders?

  Deflated, she sunk down to the ground, almost whispering, “But it was on my land… it’s all I have.” When Rhyen said nothing, she hung her head, cupping her hands together as though in prayer. Very quietly, she asked, “What else am I supposed to do?”

  Cazing shook his head slightly at Rhyen, warning him to keep quiet. After some time, Cazing leaned forward around the fire and stroked Caliena’s cheek with his hand. “Are you hungry, my dear?” he asked kindly.

  She shook her head dully, head still bowed, but glanced sideways at him. Cazing smiled encouragingly at her and pulled a water skin from his bag. He handed it to her, along with some of the delicious maple cakes so prevalent in the Low Country. The corner of Caliena’s mouth turned up slightly in a sad smile. “My mom used to make these,” she said miserably as she took the water and cakes from him. At first she picked at them, but quickly gave way to a ravenous appetite. Rhyen realized that it had probably been a week since she’d had a proper meal.

  Cazing speared some leftover chicken and propped it over the fire, warming it. When Caliena had finished the cakes he passed her the stick, and she pulled the chicken from it, tearing at it hungrily. Cazing passed her more food until she was full. She ate a surprising amount for such a small woman. No one spoke.

  Whe
n she finished eating, she looked at Cazing. Weariness was apparent on her smudged face. “Thank you,” she said, very quietly. She made to stand, but Cazing stopped her, his hand on her shoulder.

  “Why don’t you sleep here? Share the fire, you know.” He said, not really asking but rather firmly telling her so.

  Caliena hesitated, but then gratefully lay down. She pulled Rhyen’s cloak from the ground and dragged it up over her as she lay on her side, facing the fire. He handed her his pillow, and, after a second’s hesitation, she gingerly took it. Silence fell between them again. Her tired eyes watched the flame flicker in the darkness. Rhyen watched her, compassion filling his heart. In the firelight he saw that her face was shiny where her tears had tracked over her smudged cheeks. Cazing pulled at his pipe, staring into the flames, his brow furrowed and his hand resting lightly on the stone. Caliena’s eyes gradually closed, and it wasn’t long afterwards that the deep, heavy breathing let the two men know that their unexpected guest was quite asleep.

  She was curled under his cloak, but the tips of her fingers and toes were exposed to the chilly night air. Rhyen stood up and covered her sleeping form with a few of his blankets. “What do you reckon?” he asked Cazing.

  His master shrugged. “It’s worse than I feared. I knew that the Zirith garrisons in Conden were getting restless, but I never imagined that it was so far out of control. The war is even closer than I had thought. We need to make Corna, and fast.”

  “What are we doing in Corna?” Rhyen finally asked. He had obeyed his master without question thus far, but now with the imminent war looming frighteningly close over him, Rhyen suddenly wanted to know the plan.

  “We’ll see my friend Thom.” Cazing looked at him from under his brows. “He’s a gnomish engineer—the very best, actually—and an advisor to the king.” He frowned again.

  Rhyen frowned too. “What is it?”

  “I don’t understand how the Condenish intelligence hasn’t picked up the rebellious Zirite movement. Something isn’t right. I knew the late king well, and I met Terre as a boy. He seemed bright and reasonably wise. I don’t understand why he isn’t doing more to prepare for war.”