First Comes The One Who Wanders

by Lynette S. Jones

  “What do they want with this girl?”

  “You ask too many questions, crafter. Have you seen her?” Leilas heard feet shuffling and the sound of someone being dragged to their feet. Setting the pail and water skins down, she slipped her hand to her axe.

  “Since she sounds like a Land crafter,” said Joshuas, in a slightly strangled voice. “I’d be more than happy to tell you, if I’d seen her. But unfortunately, I haven’t.” Leilas had to wonder why he was even trying to reason with these men. She was ready to jump out and attack. “After all,” added Joshuas, “I’d be foolish to think I could take on so many of you.”

  The voice grunted and Leilas heard Joshuas fall to the ground. “There’ll be others coming through. If you do see her you’d be wise to tell them.”

  “We’ll keep a sharp lookout,” replied Joshuas. His words were followed by a loud crashing as the group moved out of the forest and back onto the road. Leilas waited until she couldn’t hear them anymore then stepped into the clearing. Erion and Joshuas were nowhere to be seen. Leilas probed gently with her thoughts and found them trailing the group back to the road. She could also see what they were after. One of the soldiers had helped himself to one of the packs. Joshuas’ pack and it seemed there was something quite valuable in it that he wanted back badly enough he was willing to face this group of brigands.

  “Stay where you are,” he spoke into her mind. “It’s too dangerous for you here.” Leilas was tempted to ignore him and join in the fight that was bound to take place. She’d actually moved to the edge of the clearing before she stopped. Joshuas and Erion had been taking care of each other for a very long time and it would only complicate matters by making them worry about her. Swinging her axe in the air in frustration, she replaced it in her belt and went back to retrieve the water. This time it was her turn to do nothing but worry.

  An hour went by, then two. She had the horses saddled, her pack in her hand ready to go find her friends when the third hour was gone. Making sure the fire was cold she climbed on her horse, gathered the reins of the others and headed for the road.

  Tracing the road back the way they came, Leilas caught up with the band of unruly soldiers at the entrance to the forest road. Tying the horses to a tree, Leilas crept through the forest until she was even with the group. There was no sign of Erion and Joshuas or his pack, only thirty soldiers whose loyalty lay with the Dark Lord.

  Leilas had been sure she would find her companions here as prisoners of these men. Now that she hadn’t, she began to fear the worst. She began to worry that they were laying by the side of the road somewhere, dead. Leilas cast her thoughts out to Joshuas but felt no answer in response. She called to Erion only silence answered her. Going back to the horses, she hurriedly retraced her steps, checking the roadside all along the way. When she reached the spot where they had left the road, she checked the campsite.

  “Where are you, Joshuas Greyanson?” she called aloud in frustration, but there was no answer. Regretting that she’d let him talk her into staying behind, she sank down to the ground and waited in the cold.

  Morning broke gray and dismal. There was still no sign of Joshuas and Erion. Leilas wasn’t sure what she should do. Gathering some wood, she started a small fire and cooked breakfast. She was still alone by the time she’d cleaned her utensils and repacked. Did she wait or did she go on?

  She didn’t want to leave if there was a chance her friends would return. Maybe last night she’d followed the wrong group on the road. Maybe there had been another. She knew as soon as she had the thought, it wasn’t true. There’d been virtually no one on this road. The odds that there would be two large groups of soldiers were slim. Where could Joshuas and Erion have gone and why? Why didn’t he try to communicate before he left?

  Leilas sat and searched for answers to these questions until the bleak sun shone weakly through the clouds straight above her head. The weather was turning quickly and every day she delayed made the trip harder. Eating a cold meal of bread and cheese, Leilas decided to give them until the morning. That decision made, she made a small fire and settled down to wait.

  ~~~

  “They have the book of prophecy,” said Joshuas to Erion, seeing his pack on the back of one of the men disappearing into the woods. “It’s in my pack.” He charged after the man without even stopping to consider. That book had been given into his hands to keep safe. He couldn’t let it fall into the hands of the Dredracians now, just when the masters were going to have need of it. Sprinting through the wood, he caught up with the group when they reached the road. Trailing them through the trees, he felt Erion following him. Leilas was about to come after them too, he could feel it. Sending his thoughts out to her, he told her to stay where she was. He and Erion would handle this and be back in just a little while. As he moved through the trees, he kept an eye out for the man with the pack. Moving from the back of the group to the front, he couldn’t find the man. Stopping, he let the group move past him, checking each man as he passed.

  He let his head fall back in frustration as the last man passed. Whoever took the book was no longer with this group of soldiers. Erion stepped up behind him and placed his hand on Joshuas’ shoulder. “I thought I saw a path break off from the road a little way back. Perhaps he went that way.” Joshuas nodded and started back the way he came. Finding the trail that Erion had spotted, he began trailing the mysterious stranger through the woods.

  It didn’t take long to realize that their thief was heading southeast toward the Drakmoth Mountains. If he reached the foothills before they caught up with him, it would be almost impossible to catch him. Joshuas broke into a trot. Morning broke overhead, but he ignored it and kept on running, stopping only long enough to drink. The man ahead of them was moving quickly, faster than a human could move. Joshuas was beginning to suspect their prey was a dark elf. He just didn’t know why they would send someone to steal the light crafters’ copy of a book they already had. Unless he stole it to keep the masters from studying it, or to draw him away from the Chidra.

  Joshuas came to a sudden halt. What a fool he was. Of course it was to get the Chidra alone. She was the key to all of this. He’d let his obsession with Greyan’s prophecies cloud his judgment.

  “We have to go back,” he panted to Erion. “We left Leilas unprotected.”

  “Which is what they wanted us to do,” finished Erion, groaning.

  They turned to go back to the campsite, when they found themselves in the midst of a group of dark elves, bows notched and aimed.

  This isn’t good,” said Joshuas, not moving. One misinterpreted move and a dozen arrows would pierce his heart. One of the elves spoke to him in a dialect he didn’t understand. Erion laid his weapons down and told Joshuas to do the same. The elf spoke again and laid the pack down on top of the weapons.

  “He said they’ve done what they were told to do. They won’t kill an elf and a crafter with no just cause, mortal enemy or not,” said Erion smiling grimly. “They’re going to leave us tied up when they leave.”

  “I would too, if I were them,” said Joshuas. “I can’t get in touch with Leilas. For once, she did what I told her to do and stayed behind.”

  “Obviously, this was a ploy to separate us,” said Erion, as they tied his hands and feet.

  “It worked, too,” replied Joshuas, as an elf tied him to a tree. “But what are they planning to do with Leilas?”

  The leader of the dark elf troop called out terse orders to his people. They worked in silence. Joshuas tried to probe their thoughts, even though he knew that his crafter magic was practically useless against elves. He ground his teeth in frustration when his attempt was unsuccessful. Once they were tied, the elves sat down and waited.

  When the sun was setting, the elves gathered their packs and weapons. Leaving the stolen pack and the weapons they’d taken from Erion and Joshuas where they’d dropped them, the elves disappeared into the woods. As soon as they disappeared, Joshuas spoke a spell of unbindi
ng and his ropes fell off. Moving over to Erion, he untied his ropes then picked up his pack and made sure his book was there. Finding it right where he had placed it, he tucked it inside his tunic. He would be cautious now that it was too late.

  As soon as Erion had retrieved his weapons, they set out at a run for their camp, hoping they weren’t too late. Joshuas ran until he could run no farther, them slumped against a tree to rest. “Just a few minutes, Erion. I’m not as young as I used to be.” Erion took a drink and waited patiently for his friend to recover. They ate a quick meal out of the pack and then continued. They had reached the entrance to the forest road as the sun was beginning to rise. Once more Joshuas tried to reach Leilas with his thoughts. But it seemed as if he was sending them into a void. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he continued on to where they’d last seen the Chosen One.

  They walked into the forest and spent several minutes looking before Joshuas stopped and glanced around in confusion. He would have sworn this was where the campsite was supposed to be, but all he could see were trees. There was no clearing, no ponies, no fire. When he looked at Erion, he seemed just as confused.

  “I was sure this was where we set up camp,” began Joshuas.

  “As was I,” agreed Erion. “But you can see as clearly as I, there is no camp here.”

  Joshuas backtracked to the road, Erion following. Then he headed for the clearing again. They ended up where they were before, in among the trees. There was no clearing, no horses, no Leilas. Sitting down, Joshuas tried to calm himself and think. He felt like he was in a dream. Everything seemed to not quite make sense.

  “There is a powerful dark magic here,” said Erion finally. “Strong enough it’s even affecting me.” He sank down next to Joshuas.

  “We must try to counteract it,” replied Joshuas, trying to think. “We need to find Leilas.” Closing his eyes, Joshuas cleared his mind and then began to chant. Now he could feel the magic, the strength behind the magic. Slowly, he probed the spell for Leilas, moving his mind around the edges of the spell.

  When he quit chanting, he shook his head. “I’ve never encountered such strong magic before,” he admitted.

  “Nor have I,” said Erion. “Who could have cast such a spell? Not those dark elves.”

  Joshuas shook his head and then looked at Erion comprehension dawning in his eyes. “Rengailai.”

  Erion thought for a moment then agreed. “But why separate us? I thought Leilas said he didn’t think she was worthy of notice.”

  “That’s what he told her,” said Joshuas. “That doesn’t mean he was telling her the truth.”

  Erion sat and rummaged through the pack for some food. “So, what do we do now?” he asked, taking a bite of hard tack.

  Joshuas accepted the wafer made from flour, water and salt from Erion. “Try to go around this spell and catch up with Leilas between here and Montshade.”

  “Do you think she has seen through this spell and will wait for us?”

  “She might for a day or two. But she knows time is against us. I believe she’ll choose to go on alone.”

  “There we’re back to it being hers to choose.” Erion finished off his piece of hard tack. “Why is it no one ever explored that part of the prophecy before?”

  “I suppose because it’s a given for crafters,” said Joshuas. “We say it, but we don’t expect a light crafter to choose the dark any more than we expect a dark crafter to choose the light.”

  “But it does happen, as in the case of Gidron Frey.”

  “Yes, it does happen. More often when one feels abandoned and alone.”

  “Then around it is and hope we find her,” concluded Erion.

  “Again,” sighed Joshuas. “Ever since I met this woman, all I seem to do is lose her, when all I want to do is keep her.”

  “I hope one day that will be possible, my friend. I’ll take the first watch. You need some rest and a few hours won’t make any difference at this point.”

  Joshuas grunted his agreement, wrapped his cloak around his body tightly and dropped into a restless sleep, feeling the darkness around him trying to take hold.

  ~~~

  The horses stamped impatiently. Having been saddled and packed, they were ready to be on their way. Leilas folded the map and tucked it in her tunic. Mounting her horse, she debated with herself one more time then headed for the road. She’d felt the veil of magic the last time she’d called out to Joshuas. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to separate them and she hadn’t found a way to break the spell. It was old magic, strong from the age alone. She would have suspected Rengailai if she didn’t know he’d dismissed her as insignificant. Hoping that Joshuas and Erion would find some way around the spell, she continued on the path they’d chosen.

  There was a town about twenty miles away. That would be a good day’s journey. Perhaps she’d be able to sleep in a warm bed at the end of the day and find a place to stable the extra horses. Joshuas and Erion could claim them when they reached the town. The day was cold and gray, the sun not even trying to break through the clouds. There were a few travelers on the road, heading for Reyoro Dell. They left the strange looking crafter, wrapped in a cloak, leading three horses, alone. Leilas preferred it that way. The less contact she had with others, the less chance she’d be recognized as the girl with a bounty from Darryl of Draggor on her head. She’d be taking a chance staying at an inn. But she had to find a place for the horses.

  She spent the day mulling over the prophecies she’d learned, trying to make sense of them, as well as her dreams and visions. Then she thought of the people she knew, wondering which person could possibly be the champion she was supposed to call. Would she know him when she saw him? Would the Book of Sylph tell her who to choose? She sighed impatiently, would she ever have answers to her questions?

  The day was darkening into dusk as she turned toward the grove of oak trees in which the town of Oak Branch was nestled. This grove wasn’t original to Solea, but had been planted by the first king after his coronation as a gesture of good will to the people of this region. The people who lived here were a mixture of people who’d left the north for warmer climes and of people leaving the south in search of better farm land. In the end, the town turned out to be a stopping place for people moving from one populated region to another. It had never become a large, thriving populous of its own. The people had their own unique look and accent that was a blend of the north and south. Anyone was allowed to enter the town. It had always been that way. But the people who called this place home treated all outsiders with suspicion.

  Her first order of business was to find the stables. She wound through the streets, ignoring the interested stares that her presence was attracting. Why wouldn’t a cloaked rider leading three horses attract attention? There was nothing she could do about her entrance into the town. But with luck, her leaving would attract far less attention. She found the livery near the edge of the town and climbed wearily from her mount. It had been a long day’s ride from the forest clearing.

  The hand working with the horses was surprised to see a stranger with four horses. He eyed her suspiciously, but kept his questions to himself as he accepted her money for the horses keep. She’d given him a generous amount of silver for his lack of curiosity and his compliance to her request.

  “Is there an inn nearby?” asked Leilas, after putting her coin purse away. The boy pointed in the direction of the middle of town. Leilas stretched her stiff muscles, turned and walked in the direction the stable hand had indicated. With her cloak wrapped around her and her hood covering her hair, she could pass as a young man, with her height. If people made the assumption she was, she wouldn’t go out of her way to correct the impression.

  The warmth of the inn was a welcome relief from the cold of the day. Making her way to a table in a dark corner, she looked around at the people there. A few older men were sitting at a table, drinking and playing a game of dice. She decided they must be residents of the town. She hadn�
�t passed any travelers on the road all day. The large group of soldiers must have picked up any lone travelers as they passed. They were probably the last of the travelers moving North until the spring.

  “How may I be of service?” The owner of the inn stepped up to her table, his shirt and breeches covered with a leather apron. He was a strong man, who stood six feet or more. Dark-haired with a close-trimmed beard, he looked menacing. But Leilas detected a gentle spirit in him.

  “Dinner, ale, and a room,” replied Leilas in a deep, husky voice. The innkeeper took a second look at the sound of her voice and she wondered if she’d already been discovered.

  “Room will cost you ten coppers. Dinner costs two, in advance.”

  Leilas reached in her pocket and pulled out the money. Laying it on the table, she covered it with her cold-reddened hand. “You can have it when I see the food.” The innkeeper laughed and hurried off to find her dinner. With the money she’d paid for the horses keep and the high prices the innkeeper was charging her for dinner and a bed, her purse was quite a bit lighter than it had been just the day before. She would have to make up for the expenditure by spending most of the trip camping.

  When the innkeeper, whose name seemed to be Percy, returned with her food, she took her hand off the money. Percy laughed again and slid it off the table into his extremely large and beefy hand. Depositing it in the big front pocket of his apron, he wiped his hands on a cloth tucked in his belt.

  “It’s a cold day out there,” he began amiably. “Don’t blame you for stopping the night here. Are you headed to join the armies?”

  Leilas took a bite of the savory stew before she answered. “I have business to complete for my guild before I’m free to join the fight.”

  “What guild would that be? I can’t quite make out the insignia. It’s not one I’ve seen before.”

  “The Sky guild,” replied Leilas, praying he didn’t question her too much further.

  “Unusual symbol for the Sky guild,” replied Percy. “We don’t see many light crafters on this road, these days.”