Water Keep

by J. Scott Savage

  But Master Therapass was shaking his head before she even finished. “If the Dark Circle has created a drift, they did it by force. Before you could get halfway through, you’d be as foul as they are.”

  Kyja slumped back onto her root, dejected.

  “I don’t imagine there’s a way we could build a drift of our own, is there?” Marcus asked.

  Beside him, Olden cackled even louder than before. “By all means, children. Build a drift. You should get started right a-a-a-way.” Her last word disappeared into a gale of rough laughter.

  Kyja turned to Master Therapass, who was looking down in apparent disgust. “What’s that crazy tree talking about?” she asked, shooting Olden a dirty look. Master Therapass turned to Kyja. “It’s impossible to create a drift without using dark magic.”

  “Impossible?” Marcus asked. “But Olden . . .”

  “Ignore her,” Master Therapass said. “Trees have an odd sense of humor. I think the sap goes to their heads sometimes. The only way to create a drift without using dark magic would be if the four elements voluntarily worked in unison.”

  “What are elements?” Marcus asked.

  Master Therapass knelt down and used Marcus’s twig to draw four squares in the dirt. In each he drew a symbol. All of the symbols had a loop at one end, but the other ends were all different. The first looked a little like a crab claw, the second like a snapping whip, the third like the curl of a pig’s tail, and the last like a small square within the larger square.

  “The symbols of magic,” Kyja said.

  “Correct,” he answered, examining his work. “Fire, Water, Air, and Land. The basis for all magic and—some say—all life. The four elements make up nearly everything around us. According to some of the most ancient and sacred writings, each of the elements is controlled by its own group of beings known as elementals.”

  “Just like the song,” Kyja said. Clapping her hands, she repeated the words she’d learned as a child.

  See the Lords of Water—

  Beyond the waves they leap

  See the Lords of Land—

  Beneath the ground they sleep

  See the Lords of Air—

  Above the clouds they creep

  See the Lords of Fire—

  Around the flames they reap

  Water. Land. Air. Fire.

  Together, the balance of Farworld they keep.

  “Where did you learn that?” Marcus asked.

  Kyja grinned. “Lady Mangum taught it to all the children in magic school.” But then her smile faded. “Before they told me I had to leave.” She turned to Master Therapass. “But I thought elementals were make-believe creatures.”

  Master Therapass shrugged. “Some say yes. Some say no. Personally, I believe they exist.”

  “These elementals,” Marcus said. “Are they living beings?”

  “No one knows for sure what they are,” Master Therapass said. “People claim to have seen them on rare occasion, but no human has ever spoken to one.”

  “And the elementals could open a drift?” Kyja asked, warming to the subject.

  “Could and would are two very different things.” The wizard clapped his hands together, making a small, blue bowl of water and a flickering candle appear in the air before him. “The same writings that speak of elementals claim that by cooperating with one another they could indeed open a drift between worlds.”

  Kyja opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, the wizard nudged the bowl with his left hand. It approached the flame, then pulled suddenly back as though on a string. When the wizard pushed the candle toward the water, the same thing happened. “Combining elements in a spell is hard enough. But according to the scrolls, the elementals that control the elements are a thousand times more difficult. They are complete opposites of one another. You could no more ask a fire elemental to work with a water elemental than you could ask a fish to live on dry land.”

  “But don’t they stand to lose as much as everyone else if the Dark Circle wins?” Marcus asked.

  “No one knows how the elementals think.” Master Therapass scratched out his pictures and laid the twig aside. “The elements don’t talk to each other, and they absolutely don’t talk to humans.”

  “When was the last time anyone tried?” Kyja asked, and the wizard gave her a strange look. “Doesn’t it make sense that the elements would be against anyone who uses dark magic? Anyone who forces the elements to obey their will? The Dark Circle is corrupt. You said so yourself.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Master Therapass asked.

  “Why don’t we at least try talking to them and see if they’ll listen? The Weather Guardians didn’t want to help us at first, did they?”

  For once Olden didn’t laugh at one of Kyja’s suggestions.

  “It would be extremely difficult to locate them,” Master Therapass said. “Everything I’ve read claims the elementals are impossible to find unless you know exactly where to look. I wouldn’t have the faintest idea where to begin.” But he seemed intrigued anyway.

  “I do,” Olden said, and this time she didn’t sound like she was joking. “At least the water elementals. They live in a place called Water Keep. And I might even be willing to tell its location . . . for a price.”

  Chapter 33

  Galespinner

  It was early morning, and the damp, gray mist that hung in the cold air like wet cotton balls made Marcus feel as if he were standing in a cloudbank. Behind him, the movement of the trees’ branches broke up the fog and sent its moisture skyward. But here at the edge of the forest, he could barely see more than ten feet ahead, and tiny drops of water clung to his face and arms.

  Master Therapass had provided him with a traveling cloak—cut down so it wouldn’t drag too badly when he was on his hands and knees—and a pair of pants with magical properties to keep out the moisture and cold. He had also replaced Marcus’s worn gloves with a magic pair specially fitted to his hands. But somehow the water had made it inside his clothing anyway.

  “I feel like someone dunked me in the river,” he said, his teeth chattering.

  “At least you can’t blame it on me this time,” Kyja said, wrapping her cloak more tightly around her.

  Riph Raph, still crabby over being separated from the rest of the group by the Weather Guardians, cocked his head and said, “A little water couldn’t hurt either of you. You were both starting to smell rather ripe, if you want my opinion.”

  “We don’t,” Kyja and Marcus said in unison.

  “Humph,” he snorted, flapping his wings. But Marcus noted the skyte didn’t blow out a ball of blue flame as he normally did when he was upset. The Weather Guardians had been very clear about what they did to anyone who brought an open flame within a hundred feet of the trees, and it wasn’t pretty.

  Chance looked up from munching stalks of grass a few feet away and turned to Marcus. “Knock, knock.”

  “Who’s there?” Marcus answered.

  “Don’t get him started,” Kyja said with a shake of her head, that pulled her long ponytail free from the hood of her cloak.

  “Dishes,” Chance said, ignoring her.

  “Dishes who?” Marcus asked. He’d missed the big horse and his silly jokes.

  “Dishes the coldest it’s been in weeks.”

  Marcus couldn’t help laughing as the stallion whinnied at his own joke. Even Riph Raph seemed slightly amused. But Kyja only rolled her eyes in disgust as she tucked her hair back into her cloak.

  “Where is Master Therapass?” she grumped. “He said he wanted to go first thing in the morning. I don’t like the looks of this weather, and I’m tired of standing around listening to dumb jokes. ”

  Marcus shrugged. He knew that Kyja was really upset about the wizard’s plan to leave the safety of the Westland Woods. But he, for one, was happy to be getting out of the forest. Having lived his whole life under wide-open skies with plenty of space around, the huge trees made him feel a little claustrophobic.
He’d worry about the Dark Circle if and when he had to.

  “You don’t remember what it was like being chased by the Thrathkin S’Bae and those horrible dogs of theirs,” Kyja said. “If you did, you wouldn’t be so anxious to leave.”

  Marcus started. He knew Kyja couldn’t actually listen in on his thoughts—at least he was pretty sure she couldn’t. But it was still strange to be around someone who could read him so well. “Wasn’t it your idea to go looking for the four elementals in the first place?” he said, rubbing his arms to try to get warm.

  “Not if I’d known how long it would take. Water Keep is at least three weeks of travel away—if we can trust that nasty old tree. Personally, I think demanding Master Therapass’s promise of protection for a stupid map is completely unacceptable. But even if she is telling the truth, you said yourself you can’t last here that long. And that’s just to reach the first of the elementals. What is Master Therapass thinking?”

  Marcus cast his gaze on the thick fog, remembering that part of him was trapped in a place which looked very similar. Did that part of him know it was trapped? Could it feel cold or loneliness? The thought made him shudder. He fingered the leather bag Master Therapass had given him. Along with the colored stones, he’d also tucked his picture of Elder Ephraim and the thirteen dollars he’d taken from his suitcase into the bag.

  “Elder Ephraim used to say the first step of any journey takes place in the mind. You wouldn’t have suggested the trip if you didn’t think we could find a way to accomplish it.”

  Before Kyja could respond, Master Therapass walked out of the mist, shaking the dew from his cloak. He wrung his beard, and a stream of water dripped from the tip. “You are ready then. Very good.” He turned to Marcus. “How are you feeling?”

  “Cold,” Marcus said, rubbing his hands together.

  “A little cold weather won’t kill you,” the wizard said. He removed a leather parchment from inside his robes and unrolled it for Marcus and Kyja to see. It was the map Olden had given them the night before.

  Marcus pointed to a drawing of a city on the far right side of the map. It was located on the south edge of a huge lake. “Is that Water Keep?”

  “If Olden’s information is correct—and I have no reason to think it isn’t—we should be able to reach Lake Aeternus before the snow starts to fall.” The wizard traced his finger along a route that took them north out of the Westland Woods, up past the northernmost ridges of the Windlash Mountains, and then east, across the Plains of Theyer.

  “Why not just go straight across the Windlash Mountains?” Marcus asked. It looked like it would cut the trip almost in half.

  “No,” Master Therapass said. “The Windlash Mountains are no place for children. Besides, the passes are closed by now. It would be impossible to get through.”

  “Are you sure we should go at all?” Kyja asked before he could say another word. “What if more of those Thrathkin S’Bae are out there?”

  “The Dark Circle is, undoubtedly, waiting for us to leave the forest,” Master Therapass said.

  “Then why leave? Let’s just stay until we come up with another plan,” Kyja pleaded, edging closer into the trees.

  Master Therapass slid his wand between his fingers. “If the Dark Circle wanted to flush us out, they could have burned the forest to the ground. They have waited not because they are unable to enter the forest, but because it is the perfect trap. They are hoping that as long as you feel secure, you won’t leave. That suits them perfectly, while their focus is on other fronts.”

  “What other fronts?” Marcus asked.

  The wizard’s eyes narrowed. “Brute force is not the Dark Circle’s only tool. Even as they search for you, they seek other means to insert their influence into the highest seats of power.”

  Kyja jumped as if someone had just pinched her. “The man I saw with the High Lord back in Terra ne Staric. Is he part of the Dark Circle? Is that one of the reasons you went back?”

  Instantly Master Therapass placed a finger to her lips. “Some things are better not spoken of.”

  “Now then,” he said straightening, “I think it’s time for us to make our departure. The Fallen Ones can appear at any time, but early morning is when they are the least active. I’ve scouted far to the north, and for the moment, it’s clear. I suspect they have placed most of their forces to the south, expecting us to return to Terra ne Staric. We should be able to gain a good head start. They may not even discover we’ve left.”

  “As for you.” The wizard held out his arm to Riph Raph, and the skyte flew up onto the sleeve of his robe. “I want you to fly ahead of us. If you see anything out of place, return at once and report to me.”

  For once Riph Raph didn’t have a snide comment. He flapped his ears and launched himself into the fog-shrouded sky.

  “But what about Marcus?” Kyja asked. “You said yourself he can’t stay in this world. He’ll never make it on a trip this long.”

  The wizard nodded thoughtfully. “Yes. The Weather Guardians’ sap will help him for a few days, but we’ll need to find a way to return him to Earth before long. Perhaps the Dark Circle’s guard will be down when they discover we’ve left the woods.”

  Still Kyja didn’t seem convinced. “What if they find us?”

  Master Therapass turned to stare out into the foggy morning. “They will find us eventually. The Dark Circle has too many spies to believe otherwise. We will deal with that eventuality when it comes.”

  “Will you stay with us this time?” Marcus asked.

  A shadow crossed the wizard’s face. “Yes. I believe my usefulness in the tower may be at an end. If we’re going to have any hope, though, you’ll need a faster mount.”

  “We’re not taking Chance?” Marcus limped over to where the stallion was grazing. Chance raised his head, and Marcus petted the horse’s nose.

  “He brought you this far, but he’ll be safer back in Terra ne Staric.” He walked over and patted Chance’s mane. “The Dark Circle shouldn’t bother him on his own. Do you think you can find your way home, boy?”

  Chance pawed the ground with his hoof and started into the woods. Just before he disappeared from sight, he stopped and turned back. “Knock, knock.”

  Master Therapass smiled. “Who’s there?”

  “Lass.”

  “Lass who?”

  “Lass one home’s a rotten egg.”

  Kyja snorted. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

  Marcus smirked. “I taught it to him.”

  With Chance gone, Marcus glanced around. “What are we supposed to ride now?”

  Master Therapass put his fingers to his lips and gave two piercing whistles. Marcus turned to Kyja, but she only shrugged her shoulders, looking around curiously.

  A moment later, Marcus caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned in time to see something appear silently out of the fog. Although it stood on four legs, it wasn’t any kind of horse he had ever seen. At least a foot taller than Chance and nearly twice as broad through the chest, its body was an almost blinding white.

  But it was the head he couldn’t take his eyes from. It was narrow and like a bird’s, but covered with pale golden scales. And inside its beak-like mouth were sharp, white teeth. Growing from the top of its head and down the back of its neck was a mane of gauzy, golden tendrils that looked like fairy wings.

  As he watched, the creature glared down at him with blazing, orange eyes, reared up on its hind legs, and snorted. Plumes of white steam shot from the creature’s nostrils. Marcus backed away from it, scared to death. He was not going to get on the back of that.

  But Kyja stepped slowly toward it, a look of awe on her face. She turned to Master Therapass. “A mist steed?”

  The wizard nodded. “Her name’s Galespinner. There’s no need to be afraid, Marcus. She won’t hurt you.”

  Marcus stared up at the huge beast. He couldn’t even imagine riding her. “How would I ever get on?” he asked.

/>   As if she had heard his question, the mist steed stepped toward him and lowered her head.

  “Go on,” said Master Therapass. “Take hold of her mane.”

  Positive he was about to be eaten, Marcus walked toward the creature and closed his fingers around the nearly invisible hairs. They looked insubstantial, but felt much stronger than they appeared—like holding onto a silken net. As soon as Marcus and Kyja had a firm grip on her mane, Galespinner raised her head and set them on her back in one swift motion.

  It happened so quickly, Marcus didn’t have time to be scared. And once he was on the mist steed’s back, he found she fit his legs so perfectly there was no need for a saddle. “Is she magic?” he whispered to Kyja.

  “Yes,” she whispered back. “I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never actually seen one before. They’re supposed to be as fast as the wind.”

  Master Therapass rubbed the mist steed’s nose. “As a creature of pure white magic, she is immune to any harm the Dark Circle might try to cause her.”

  Marcus ran his hand along the animal’s back. He could feel the strong muscles, but her skin was soft as silk. “I guess she doesn’t tell jokes,” he whispered.

  Galespinner shook back her mane and snorted. Kyja shot him a dirty look. “Of course not.”

  Marcus turned to Master Therapass, who had been watching the two of them with an amused look on his face. “If we ride, how will you be able to keep up?”

  Without a word, the wizard tucked his hands into his robes. In a blur of movement, he transformed into the great, gray wolf that had attacked the mimicker. Throwing back his head, the wolf gave a deafening howl that made Marcus jump. The wolf’s pink tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Marcus thought he might be grinning.

  “Don’t worry,” the wolf said in the wizard’s voice. “I’ll manage.”