All training abruptly ceased.
Rialt watched silently as she made quick tracks to them. Ella had no changed much since he had last laid eyes on her. Still with that fuzzy black hair that no braid could tame, with a man’s leathers on and a rough-hewn shirt stretched tight over a muscled torso that any man would envy. He and she had been playmates as children, and looking back on it, it was a miracle he had survived his childhood with her as a friend.
He could see the surprise in Ella’s dark eyes as she took in the dainty woman standing in front of her. No doubt she had heard some version or another of their arrival, but whatever she had heard, it had no been much on details. Afore she could begin spluttering, Rialt decided he had best do the introductions. “Ella, be you known to Jewel Jomadd, Guardian of the Barrier and High Priestess of Thornock. Jewel, this be Ella Crossbear, Priestess of Elahandra and the mistress of this temple.”
Jewel gave that blinding smile of hers and stuck out a hand in greeting. “I’m glad to meet you, sister.”
“Eh, likewise,” Ella managed while gently grasping that small hand. Her eyes darted to Rialt, as if she half-thought he was putting her on, but then she really looked at Jewel and a genuine smile stole over her face. “It glad we be that you came to see us,” she continued more naturally and at her general ear-splitting volume. “Oi, you lot! Come meet her!”
Obviously curious, the rest of them all put down their weapons and came forward, crowding around to shake hands and introduce themselves. Rialt put a supportive hand behind Jewel’s back (as she looked a bit overwhelmed) and silently stared down the more enthusiastic of them.
When they had more or less subsided, Ella shooed them away and came around to grasp Jewel’s hand. “Let us head inside, eh? We can have a chat inside over a hot cup.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Jewel admitted. “There’re a few things I need to talk to you about, aside from just the formal visit.”
“Eh, to be expected,” Ella agreed amiably as she towed Jewel along behind her across the yard. “I have a few things to ask you as well.”
Rialt trailed along with Sarvell in the women’s wake, taking things in casually as he moved. Someone had re-varnished the wooden floors since he had left (they had direly needed it) but aside from that, the interior had no undergone any major changes. The place still had that semi-cluttered look to it that any house with children does. Rialt had half a notion to tell Ella to mind Jewel’s feet, but with the way she casually kicked toys aside, it was no necessary.
Fortunately, they did no move far inside, but to a kitchen area with a long table. Jewel sat at the head, where Ella directed her, and stayed still while the other woman put a kettle of water on to boil with the easy familiarity of long practice. Rialt and Sarvell took chairs along one side. Rialt cast a sidelong glance at the other man as they settled themselves. Sarvell had his ears open and his mouth firmly shut, which was a wise thing to do in the presence of two women that had business to discuss.
They did no say a word to each other until Ella came back to the table and swung herself into a chair. “Well, Guardian of the Barrier,” she started with a no-nonsense tone. “What about Ramath?”
As cryptic as the question stood, Jewel apparently understood it, as she ratted out a reply. “I’m here to put all of the crystals back in their proper places,” she answered steadily. “The crystal in Thornock cannot keep going as it has.”
Ella’s eyes swept closed in a gesture of utmost relief. “Praise the goddess. I did no see how we could survive another winter like this last. What can we do to help?”
Jewel turned slightly in her seat and pointed a finger due northeast. “I can feel the crystal lying in that direction. It’s not far, or at least, I don’t think it is. Rialt tells me that there is only forest in that direction.”
“Eh,” Ella agreed with a troubled frown. “For miles and miles.”
“Then it’s likely covered in plants,” Jewel sighed. “Plants are very attracted to the clean energy that the crystal emits. At the very least, I think it will take a lot of chopping to clear a path through the trees. What I need, what you need, is several dozen volunteers to clear a path so we can drag that crystal back up here to Denzbane.”
The Ramath had never been afraid of work. Ella smiled at the challenge and clapped a hand against Jewel’s shoulder, nearly knocking her over. “I will organize them myself!” she declared. “What else?”
“Let’s tackle one problem at a time,” Jewel cautioned, wincing a little through her smile. “I want to take a trip down the hill today to find the crystal. We can plan from there.”
“Well enough. I will put the word out while you’re doing so.” The tea kettle started whistling. As Ella rose to go fetch it, she continued, “But afore you go, we will have a cup. And you can tell me the whole story of how you came to be rescued by a hairy Ramathan and a smooth-talking Brynian.”
~*~*~*~
Jewel breathed a sigh of relief when they passed through the last city gate. After finishing their discussion with Ella, the three of them had headed down the hill to hunt for the crystal. But everyone nearby had come over to greet them, ask about their plans, offer them breakfast, etc. When they’d crossed the bridge to the next section of the town, people that hadn’t met her the night before had taken advantage of her proximity. It had taken Rialt’s bluntness to carve a path through the curious crowd.
The sun blazed directly overhead. Jewel lifted her face to it, brow furrowed in dismay. Had it really taken three hours to just get out of the city?
Corbeird, the god of misfortune, must be smiling at them.
“Rialt,” she pleaded, rubbing at her temples with two fingers, “please tell me it won’t be like that every day?”
“Belike they be satisfied now, as they have met you.” This would have been vastly reassuring if he didn’t add darkly, “If need be, I will bring a cudgel tomorrow.”
Lovely. Her arm through Sarvell’s for guidance, they continued down the hill.
The stone path under her feet could not be described as uniform. Parts of it were completely smooth but occasional steps were added in for the steeper parts. Sometimes there were several steps in a row, sometimes only a single step and a long platform, all of it completely unpredictable. If not for Sarvell’s calm instructions and steadying hand, she would have surely tripped over an unexpected step and tumbled down the hill twenty feet from the gate.
Now their worry of the night before made more sense. If she had wandered out past the yard, would she have encountered such nonsensical stairs such as these? What dangers had they seen that she had yet to encounter?
On the straight parts, she absorbed as much information as her senses could tell her. They must be passing some of the incline farms that Rialt had described—the smell of rich soil and a variety of plants warmed by the sun drifted to her nostrils. With it came the sounds of shovels or hoes striking the dirt in a rhythmic crunch. Surely it might be a bit early to do planting? She didn’t know much about gardening, but this early in the year, weren’t they worried still about pre-spring frosts?
Judging from the sounds and smells, perhaps not. Or perhaps these plants were the early crops that could handle frosts and cold.
“The bottom,” Sarvell announced in satisfaction. “Rest easy, Jewel. The rest of the path is a bit winding, but smooth.”
“Gods be thanked,” she muttered with a huff of relief. “Alright, we need to go that way.” She pointed ahead and slightly to the left of where they stood.
“Straight into yon woods,” Rialt groaned. “Oh, I do no be looking forward to this.”
“It will be fine,” she assured him. Her words didn’t have much of an impact, as she had told both men what Elahandra said over breakfast. Not getting a response, she shrugged and started walking in the right direction.
With every step, the crystal became more distinct to her senses. The children had asked her to describe it to them last night, and she had struggled to explain it. To her it felt li
ke a lodestone that sat there, waiting. The weight of it was massive, the potential to harness spiritual energy incredible, and the feel of it as solid as a mountain. This one had no power left to it, just the residual memory that it had once held a tremendous amount of energy within its core. With its drained state, Jewel marveled that she could feel it at all from the distance she had. But the depleted feel of the crystal worried her. History said that the crystals had all been removed at more or less the same time. If this one held such little power, the others surely fared no better.
Before, each crystal had its own high priestess. When it came time to recharge the crystals, the priestesses would link with each other across great distances to do so. But now Jewel was alone. Could she charge and control all five crystals by herself? It seemed an impossible task.
“Jewel, wait.” Sarvell halted in mid-step, pulling her to a stop as well. “That’s a very thick, primeval forest. The undergrowth in there is not a laughing matter. Even with me guiding you, I think you’ll be constantly tripping. Why don’t you ride on my back instead?”
Well, that did seem the more sensible approach, judging from his description. “Alright.” She felt his arm slide against her fingers as he squatted down. By feel, she found his shoulders and put her arms loosely around his neck. His arms in turn wrapped around and under her legs. With a slight heave to settle her properly around his waist, he stood again.
“Still straight ahead?”
“A bit to the left,” she corrected.
“You two look a mite familiar,” Rialt observed. His voice had a lilt of curiosity to it.
“Well, how do you think he got me down that cliff face at Belthain?” Jewel asked him in amusement.
“Cherchez’s beard, man!” Rialt spluttered in amazement. “I know she be a wee slip of a thing, but to climb that with a squirming load on your back?”
“I didn’t squirm!”
“Elahandra gave me a blessing of strength that night,” Sarvell answered, ignoring her protest. “Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have made it. You’ve climbed a few cliffs in your time?”
“A boy gets into scrapes, does he no?” Rialt returned in a tone rich with amusement.
Sarvell laughed outright. Jewel listened to this give and take with some bemusement. They acted as if this were some ongoing joke. What had she missed?
“Careful, now,” Rialt cautioned. “In here, tree roots do no stay properly in the ground as they should, but peek out now and again.”
“Oh, this is going to be real fun to haul a crystal through. Rialt, for the love of the gods, why would your clan shove the thing this far into the forest?”
“Mind, that belike was no their intent. Like as no, they simply shoved it down the hill and it came tumbling down, gaining speed as it did.”
And no doubt carving quite the path through the forest as it went. Of course, after two hundred plus years, the path had long since grown over. Jewel extended a hand outward. “More that way.”
“We’re going to need every axe Ella can lay hands on,” Sarvell noted to them. “We’ll need to clear the path again before we even think of hauling it out of here.”
Rialt gave a grunt of agreement.
For a time they walked in silence. The sound of foliage slapping against the men’s legs was counterpoint to the rustling of the tree leaves, the sounds of insects buzzing about, and the soft trills of birdsong. Here, deep within the covering of the trees, no sunlight warmed the air and it became very cool and damp. Jewel found herself pressing closer against Sarvell’s warm back, regretting not wearing a thick coat under her cloak.
Without the feel of the sun she had no way of marking time. She only knew that they approached the crystal with every step until the feel of it became so clear that she felt like she could reach out a hand and touch it. “Do you see anything? I feel like the crystal should be right in front of us.”
“No crystal,” Rialt answered on a sigh. “Belike it be a bit ahead still.”
Jewel’s mouth tugged downwards. No, that shouldn’t be. It should be right there. “Rialt, describe to me what you see.”
“Too many trees for a man’s peace of mind.”
If he’d been close enough, she would have thumped him for that response. “Let’s try this again…Sarvell, what do you see?”
“A lot of trees,” he answered dutifully, “thick underbrush, with some sort of vines forming a small rise ahead. No crystal, though.”
A small rise covered by vines? “Take me to the vines.”
Jewel could feel Rialt’s eyes and Sarvell’s keen attention on her. “You think it be covered by the vines?”
“Like I said back at Ella’s, the crystal emits clean, holy energy. Or it did when it first crashed here, anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if it attracts plants.”
“Good point.” Rialt’s heavy footsteps became more marked, as if he had sped up his pace.
She listened intently as he went ahead. A thick, chopping sound filled the air, followed by a high ringing as metal struck unyielding stone. “Well, now. Jewel, your crystal be certainly here.”
A bright smile lightened her face. “Good! How covered is it?”
“Completely,” Rialt confirmed for her darkly. “It will be the work of a full day to dig it free.”
“Well, now that we’ve found it, we can go back to get help.” Sarvell stopped in his tracks. “I’m just glad we didn’t have to walk into the very heart of this forest to find it.”
“Eh, that be one blessing.” Rialt’s tone clearly said, And we need all of the blessings we can get.
“Well. Let’s go back up and see how much help Ella was able to recruit, shall we?” Although she hadn’t the vaguest idea of how to go about finding more volunteers if they needed them. “Rialt, do you know of who else we can ask to lend us a hand?”
“Oh, I think that will be the easiest part,” Rialt answered dryly. “They be so twisted about your little finger, droves will come when you ask.”
Considering the mammoth job ahead of them, she hoped he was right.
~*~*~*~
It turned out to be exactly that simple. They ascended the hill again to the city where Jewel told the inhabitants that the crystal had been found. She let Rialt explain what the situation was, as she couldn’t accurately describe it, and then she asked for any help that people would be willing to give. Under Ella’s practiced leadership, a practical army assembled, armed with axes and shears, vowing to help the next day.
So the next morning, Jewel and her army of volunteers marched back down the hillside and into the forest. They set willingly to work hacking at the vines, all the time marveling at how large the crystal was, and wondering aloud how they’d get it back up to the crystal shrine.
As they worked, Jewel pondered the situation. Elahandra had not given her any hints about how the crystal could be moved. Her memory hadn’t brought up any helpful facts about the first priestess who’d moved a crystal either. The Thornock crystal had been easy to manipulate, but she had never tried to move it. Actually, moving it had never occurred to her.
With so many people, it took only half the day to get the crystal free. Sarvell carried her to the crystal, as the ground was so buried in bits of vine that she couldn’t hope to navigate it. Still resting in his arms, she reached out a hand and placed her palm flat against the cool, hard surface. It felt perfectly smooth against her skin, with no pits or scratches. Considering how many axes had been hammering against it that by itself was impressive.
With a surface this slick, hauling it out with a harness would be nearly impossible. She needed it to move, but how… Jewel froze when she heard the shifting of leaves and debris against the ground. Had the crystal just shifted? Sliding her hand down the surface as far as she could reach, she pressed her palm more firmly against the surface and moved her arm forward.
The debris rustled as it shifted forcefully aside. Some people yelped in surprise. This time, she felt the crystal move a good two feet forward.
“Jewel,” Sarvell’s voice shook slightly, “how are you doing that?”
“I—” she had to swallow, twice, before she could continue “—I told the crystal I needed it to move, so it…moved.”
From the long second of silence, Sarvell needed a moment for his mind to process this. Even then, when he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse with incredulity. “Are you telling me that it will move to your will?”
She nodded dumbly, amazed. “It seems that way.”
Rialt had to have been standing close enough to overhear the conversation as he bellowed, “Jewel can move the crystal on her own! I need men to clear a path! Fast and snell, now, do no carve a winding path!”
A heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder. “Well, lass, now I understand why Elahandra said no to worry.” Rialt let out a joyful laugh that rumbled deep from his chest. “Phew, it eases a man’s mind, it does. It might take the rest of the day to clear some trees, but it will no be half the work I dreaded.”
“Or near the fashrie,” she added with a smile.
He chuckled at her use of the word. “Or that, eh, or that.”
“Do you think we can have it in place by tonight?” she inquired hopefully.
“Eh, as to that, maybe yes and maybe no. There be some mighty thick trees to fell first. Still and all, we should have it in place again afore tomorrow night, leastways.”
That would still be a solid week ahead of the dreaded schedule they’d worked out yesterday. Good enough. She gave the crystal a happy pat, feeling like a heavy weight had suddenly dropped from her shoulders. Judging from this situation, the task of finding the crystals wouldn’t be nearly as difficult as she feared!
Chapter Eight
He saw it, but he couldn’t quite believe it.
Sarvell matched his stride to Jewel’s pace, one of her arms linked through his for guidance and balance, with a gigantic crystal trailing happily along on her other side. It towered above both of their heads even while laying on its side, casting a shadow over them. The Thornock crystal had a red tint to it, but this one had the clear opacity that most crystals would. Jewel assured them that it would change back to red when powered. Sarvell just blessed the heavens that this crystal didn’t have an odd shape to it but was instead a single column with a slightly pointed top and a curved edge to the base. Anything wider than this would be a nightmare to maneuver through city streets. The fact that this woman-child could haul what a hundred strong men would be hard-pressed to budge set his head to spinning. The fact that she did it without strain threatened to push his incredulity past the limit.
Midnight Quest Page 9
