She looked at me, disgust flowing through her at my thoughts. This is no child. Let appearance not fool you. Would a child have been able to nearly outrun me? It was a dark spy. They think to hide themselves by appearing as children, but they cannot manage to scrub the stink of themselves away. I do not think it could have sent a message in the time it took me to bring it down, but we cannot be sure of this.
I looked down at the body of a child and tried to convince myself of the truth of Markai’s words. It was not that I did not believe her, but it required an effort of will to disbelieve my own eyes.
We will have to be more careful now and make haste. I will again speak with Beratus tonight. Perhaps we should cross over sooner. She was speaking more to herself than to me. She turned and started back to the group.
“Should we not bury the body? We do not want them to find it.”
She kept walking away as she spoke. They are treacherous creatures. Even in death. That body will not remain for long. It will be part of the earth once more before nightfall.
I followed her back and gave a quick explanation to the group. Seran had his whip out in his hand, and Roscien, Xain, Malion and Tas each had a sword in theirs. We rode on in silence; everyone was looking around warily. The path stretched ahead as far as the eye could see, it brought my thoughts back to wondering how far we had left to go.
Two days after that, we had found two more spies and dealt with them before they could get away. I worried though, at whether there were some we failed to detect. I was torn between relief and trepidation when Markai told me the next night that we had arrived at the point where we needed to cross.
While we were eating supper, I called for silence. “On the morrow we will be one step closer to Magtisanya. Markai has told me that it is not, as we assumed, on this plane.”
“You mean to tell us that we need to travel to a different plane to get there? How are we meant to do that?” Malion sounded close to exasperation at the thought.
A murmur ran through the group as they speculated.
I held my hand up until I had their attention again. “I told you that I had once opened a bridge to the other side. I will have to do it again.”
“It sounded very dangerous when you did it. I remember you saying that you could have died trying. Is there not another way?” Fear filled Trissa’s voice, making it sound squeaky.
“I have done it once, so I will do it again. It will be easier this time, because I know what to do.” I believed no such thing, but if I did not have confidence in myself, I knew they would not either. They looked bolstered at least, or so I hoped.
There was an uneasy tang to the air that night. Conversation and even laughter resumed after my announcement, but it was all a bit strained. Seran was regaling Roscien and Xain with stories from the battles he had fought and I sat down with them to listen. Burbles of laughter came up between his words. “He was coming right at me. In my infinite wisdom I thought it best to run at him as well, I thought I could maybe throw him a bit off balance. Instead,” he started laughing and took a few moments to compose himself before he could continue his story, “I tripped on my untied shoe laces and it was pure luck that he did not take my head off. Moral of the story, either leave your boots off or tie your laces!” Seran laughed the most at his story, slapping his thighs with glee. I did not find it particularly funny, but then I had missed the beginning.
I tried my best to keep up with the conversation, but after realising for the third time that my thoughts had drifted, I quietly got up and walked to my bedroll. I rummaged through my bag until I found what I was looking for. I pulled the heavy Book onto my lap and shuffled back closer to the fire. I paged through it, skipping any pages on creatures that we had already encountered. For the past few nights, I had been trying to find time alone to do this. I still felt unprepared for what was to come. I looked at my companions. How were we meant to stand against the horde of creatures at Magtisanya? How many of my friends would die before we were done? I knew that most of them were better prepared for what was coming than I. They had been trained their whole lives for this, but I was still the one leading them in. It was a heavy burden of responsibility.
Markai having felt my mood came to sit by me. No matter how much you study them; there will be a lot you do not know. I frowned at her. Not very comforting words. You, however, were chosen by destiny for this. No one but you can do it. You can do it no matter what the odds may seem like now. I nodded grimly.
I slept uneasily that night. I kept waking from nightmares about things going wrong. My mind seemed to find new and interesting ways that we could all be killed each time I fell asleep. The recurring theme seemed to be me making a mistake while we were crossing over the bridge and we either ended up sliced to pieces, or in a another plane altogether where we subsequently get sliced to pieces by the locals. The last had me wake up drenched in sweat as though I had truly been running for my life.
It was a relief when daybreak came, until I realised that it meant actually doing it and therefore the very real danger that I might kill us all. Alathaya walked over to me, her face scrunched up with concern. “You look terrible, Kade. Have you not slept at all?”
I grimaced. “I am starting to think that maybe I should not have tried.” She patted my shoulder sympathetically.
Everyone gradually rose and started getting ready for the day. There was a feeling of expectation in the air. Looking around the group I would have said moods ranged from positively excited, on the Roscien, Xain, and Malion end of the spectrum to the nervous to–the-point-of-crying mood of Trissa. I had seen her snap at Dhillion that morning for treading on the very tip of her bedroll. As I looked around it dawned on me. The pit in my stomach was not entirely due to what I would have to do soon, but also because of Brant’s continued absence. I had been sure that he would catch up with us. Once we crossed that bridge though, that would be impossible. We were leaving him behind.
We had a breakfast of nuts, wild berries that Alathaya had gathered earlier, and some flat bread. Malion turned to me; his eyes alight with excitement. “When are we leaving?”
Instantly, all conversation ground to a halt and a hush fell over the group. All eyes were on me. I ignored the knot of tension in my stomach and with a casual shrug answered, “Just as soon as I get the gate open.”
He started to say something else, but Alathaya broke in. “I am sure that Kadin would like to enjoy his breakfast before we start peppering him with questions.” Surprisingly that made him hold his tongue.
I finished my breakfast and repacked my bags. Everyone was doing much the same and by the end of it, I had no excuses left. I had thought about sneaking away and trying to do it on my own first, but then if I did manage to open the bridge, nobody would have been ready to go through. We all mounted our horses and they sat looking at me. I turned Balder so that I could not see any of them, but I could still feel their eyes on my back. Markai walked up to me and sat down next to Balder.
I focused Navitas. I breathed deeply and first concentrated on simply letting my body relax. I imagined tension floating out and away from me. As I had before, I reached out to the bond between Markai and me. I probed her thoughts about where we were about to go. I looked at her memories and even her connection to Beratus. I felt Beratus’s attention snap to us as soon as I did that. I reached and probed until I had a clear image in my head of the area where we would be arriving. When I was sure I had the connection right, I opened my eyes to find… no bridge. I was so surprised that my concentration broke completely and Navitas fled. I heard a few whispers rise behind me, but could not distinguish what they were saying. I tried to block them out; I did not need their doubt to fuel mine.
I sat thinking for a while. “Markai, I need you to go where we need to be. I will find you there.” Without a reply and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. I started over. I reached to Markai and as I had the night of the attack at Alathaya’s house, I tried to reach so far into her being as t
o be able to see with her eyes. I looked around and could see much the same terrain as on our plane, yet everything was subtly different. I could not quite put my finger on exactly how. I concentrated on using all of my senses, all of her senses. She sniffed the air and I smelled the forest around me, the small creatures scurrying around unseen; I could smell what her senses told me were other Qupari; I tried to make that plane more real to me than this one. I reached to be with Markai. It felt as though my very soul was stretching.
I smiled before opening my eyes, because I knew what I would see this time. The glorious heavy wooden bridge stretched out in front of me, away into nothingness. I heard the others gasp behind me. Without looking back at them, I heeled Balder and started across.
CHAPTER 16 – Arriving
As we made our way across, the horses’ hooves made loud clopping noises, which strangely seemed to resonate as though we were riding in a cave. This time I knew what to expect and was not surprised to find the unseen obstacle half way across. This was where I believed it became dangerous the last time. I probed it with Navitas and again it had that distinct organic feel to it. “Come in as close as you can. When I say ‘now’, take as deep a breath as you can and hold it. This is the difficult part.” I spoke over my shoulder without looking at them.
Pushing at this barrier physically only rebounded your efforts. To this day, I am not even sure exactly what I did, except that at the time it felt right. Using Navitas, I made myself aware of every person and horse in the group; I could feel their distinct energies like pulsating suns behind me. Then I turned to this organic wall in front of me. Instead of pushing at it physically, I pulled at it with Navitas, trying to draw its energy to me and over my companions. It resisted for the first moment and then it came like a wave.
“Now!”
I heard the collective sucking in of breath from behind before what felt like a wave of thick air swallowed me. It crashed into me, nearly knocking the breath from me and making Balder rear. I heeled her forward and she lurched on.
I could feel she was on unsteady legs and just as I felt I could not hold my breath any longer, the pressure went and I all but tumbled from my seat. Anxiously, I looked around and saw the others struggling against the unseen threat. My stomach knotted when I saw Alathaya’s bulging eyes. One by one, they broke free from its grasp and took deep, desperate gulps of air. I looked on helplessly until Malion, making up the rear came sputtering through. I released a breath I had not realised I was holding.
I remounted and continued along the bridge. Mist still shrouded the end of it, but I could faintly make out the outlines of some trees. I sighed with relief when Balder’s hooves met solid ground.
We emerged into what looked like a forest bathed in early morning sunshine. I waited close to the foot of the bridge for the rest to follow. Malion made up the rear and as soon as his horse's last hoof left the bridge, it vanished. I gasped. The bridge had hidden the army from my view. The Qupari had sent what looked like thousands of soldiers. They were moving around through the forest, paying us no mind at all. Dispersed between them were others. They appeared human at first glance, but the way they moved made that seem as laughable an idea as calling a Qupari an animal. They flowed with such grace that it seemed they floated above the ground. I was dimly aware of the rest of the group also standing around gaping. I felt Markai's presence before I saw her come towards us. She was excited and pleased to have surprised me so.
"You did not think that the Fae would simply sit back and rely on you to do it all, did you?" She grinned, baring razor sharp teeth. The others’ breath caught and for a moment, frustration boiled up in me. I was about to tell them she was not snarling at them but smiling, when I realised that she had spoken aloud for everyone to hear.
I looked back at her in wide-eyed consternation. Without having to ask, she explained. "On this plane, things work a little differently. My inability to speak to everyone was only due to your plane's limitations."
Malion laughed. "That is amazing. I have of course learnt of the bond between a Charmer and the bond partner, but this... I never thought I would be able to communicate with one." He shook his head in disbelief.
"Markai, you have held out on us. How did I not see or smell all this going on when I was creating the bridge?" The others stared at me in puzzlement. They of course, did not realise how I had reached to Markai in order to open the bridge.
She knew what I meant though. "I wanted this to be a surprise, so I showed you a selective view. As for the smell, that was a simple matter of standing with my nose up wind from them. You must be hungry, come, we have food ready." Just at that moment, my stomach gave a grumble and elicited a laugh from Trissa.
I followed Markai through the camp. The numbers were overwhelming, it lifted all our spirits; we were not facing this alone after all. The Jerieghen, the other group of Fae present, we were told, had prepared the food. It was all unfamiliar. The food was served in small clay bowls. One dish looked like a common pea to me, but it had a strong nutty flavour as well as being crunchy. Others did not look like any food I had ever seen, but it smelled and tasted heavenly. Considering that this was the type of food they served in an army camp, I would have been very interested in tasting what they served at home. Some of the Jerieghen came and sat at the makeshift dining table with us. Up close, I was able to see a few more differences in appearance. Their skin had a strange colour, nearly transparent, appearing as though you should be able to see the structures underneath, but revealing nothing. They all had black hair with a hint of blue running through it, but even their hair seemed strange. All, whom I had seen, wore their straight hair loose to just below shoulder length. The breeze that blew through the trees did not so much as stir one stray strand, making it look very heavy. My attempts at talking to them fell flat. I had asked them how long they had been gathered here and their only answer was a polite smile. Thinking he had not heard me, I repeated the question, but this time I only got a flat stare.
A few minutes later, I asked if they had seen anything; he frowned at me and moved further away with his food. From his safe distance he shook his head at me before continuing eating. Roscien and Xain laughed at my perplexed frown. “You reckon he speaks our tongue do you?” Roscien only barely made it through the words before bursting out laughing. Xain clapped me on the back as he stood up and walked away chortling.
Alathaya took his place next to me, her face was pensive. “I do not think it is a language barrier.” I looked a question at her. “I think it is cultural. He did not look as though he had not understood you, but rather that you had offended him. I think to him, it is perhaps rude to speak during a meal.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Can I go back to thinking he had not understood me? I have not been here all of an hour and I have already offended someone.”
She looked at me with a poorly suppressed grin. I smiled at her to let her know I was not truly upset, and her grin turned into a chuckle.
Markai came over to us and I gestured at my food. “This food is amazing.” I whispered to her, not wanting to give the Jerieghen another reason to be smug.
She dipped her head as if accepting a personal compliment. “When you are done, gather all your people, we must discuss what we know and what we must do next.” I nodded. “Alathaya was right, by the way. In Jeriegh culture, the meal is taken in solitude. Usually, they would each walk to a secluded area to have their meal in quiet contemplation. It is only in these most unusual circumstances that they have been forced to eat in close quarters with others. Do not concern yourself, I am sure they realise you were simply ignorant of the custom,” Markai said, in what I was sure was meant to be a reassuring manner.
I bit back a retort at being called ignorant, and limited myself to a tight nod. Of course, she would be aware of my roiling temper and I sensed amusement from her as she strolled away.
Once we were all done eating, we gathered a small way away and Markai as well as some of the Jerieghen
joined us. Markai introduced everyone. The two Jerieghen were Laskia and Wulik. They each gripped their own right shoulder with their left hand while clenching their right hand into a tight fist and raising it into the air. Not knowing what else to do, I bowed to them in turn.
We sat down on the ground in a rough circle with Markai at the head. “We are three days’ travel here from Magtisanya. Beratus is monitoring events there and he reports to me daily. They have gathered a sizable force. Many times the force we have here. It seems that Rakadamon fears no attack, for he has set himself up in a castle. It makes him an easy target, because the main concern was how to know him when we see him. Why he should risk himself is the question. Arrogance? It could not be ignorance; we cannot underestimate him in such a way. Whatever the reason though, we will still need to approach with great caution. Kadin, what do you think is the next step for you?”
“I must see this place in order to form my plan. I must go there myself.” I was not sure how I expected her to react, but not with complete support.
She nodded her huge head. “We can leave today. Time is key, we must move swiftly. Who is coming with you?”
I looked around at my companions. We have come so far together. “We all go.”
That brought a few determined smiles. If they felt like me, they wanted this done with now.
“Go prepare then. We leave when the sun reaches its apex,” Markai said before she turned and left, followed by the ever silent Laskia and Wulik. They may not have said a word, but I had the feeling that they had listened very carefully and scrutinised every word from me.
We did not in truth have much to prepare, as we had just arrived. I mostly made certain that everyone was indeed happy with what we were doing. Apart from Trissa, who as always, was in a state of near panic, they all agreed we were doing what was necessary. I was eager to set off and kept tracking the sun’s slow movement across the clear blue sky.
Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One Page 33
