The other realmist in attendance was Arcon, his nephew existing as a symbol next to him. Bronwyn and Blayke both wondered who the other was. Arcon and Avruellen nodded simultaneously to their apprentices, who transferred themselves outside the perimeter of the circle, moving their awarenesses to monitor for signs of interference or eavesdropping. Bronwyn's curiosity over who the other symbol was, was just as piqued as Blayke's. The young woman noticed that Blayke’s symbol was similar to hers, the difference only a matter of two lines intersecting at a different place and one extra squiggle. Bronwyn had never seen two symbols so alike, although her experience in the Second Realm was very limited. She made a note to ask Avruellen about it later. While the youngsters skimmed the perimeter, Agmunsten commenced the meeting by jovially greeting the other realmists.
Bronwyn noticed a black shadow moving swiftly toward them. Or was it? It was still quite far away. Maybe the shadow was not really headed for them. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Nevertheless, her palms in the other realm were sweating. What if it were heading for them? There was no symbol attached to the shadow, so whatever or whoever it was, was strong in the art. Powerful realmists could render their symbol invisible in the Second Realm when they were there in spirit. The shadow grew larger and more ominous each second it rushed closer, and Bronwyn could feel its dominant strength. When the shadow was close, Bronwyn darted inside the circle. "Something approaches. A black shadow with no symbol!"
The realmists' images looked at each other. "What are we going to do?" Her symbol quivered, vibrating like the fletch of an arrow that has just embedded into its destination. Outside, Blayke had reacted by challenging the shadow. From inside the circle Agmunsten raised an eyebrow in Arcon's direction at the sound of Blayke's voice raised in challenge to the invading shape. Arcon shrugged and his cheeks reddened.
"Stop! Who goes there? Name yourself now or you shall regret it." Blayke's symbol pulsed in what he hoped was a threatening manner.
"Well, invisible youngster, of whose symbol I am familiar, I have not regretted anything in many years, except maybe that I did not eat enough humans. Prepare to be ingested." Zim materialised his dragon form and ate Blayke, symbol and all. Zim entered the circle and spat the symbol at Arcon's feet. "What have you been teaching this whelp? A sheep could best him out there." The realmists laughed and welcomed the last of the Five.
"Always late, my dragon friend. Do you disrespect us still?" There was mirth to Arcon's comment. Zim sat his large body down next to his fellows.
"No disrespect intended. I was loathe to face the subject we must address tonight. Sorry to interrupt." The meeting settled down and Agmunsten continued.
"Welcome, all. It is indeed heartening to meet with those who remain of The Circle and see two new recruits—though they have a way yet to go." All smiled at the comment. "Children, please continue with your task, however, do not challenge anyone out there. Come to us immediately if you notice anything unusual." Agmunsten turned back to the realmists whilst Blayke and Bronwyn did as they were told.
Once outside Bronwyn spoke. "Who are you?"
"I'm not sure I should tell you. Who are you?"
Bronwyn wondered whether she should answer. Once she did, he would know who her symbol belonged to. Maybe she should speak to her aunt first.
"Don't worry. I guess it's not important. Are you Arcon's student?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Bronwyn was unimpressed by his answer. "Well, I know you're capable of being eaten by a dragon so you’re obviously not fully trained. I suppose that will have to do for now." Blayke was embarrassed so ignored her taunt and resumed his travels around the circle. Sensing the conversation was over, Bronwyn did the same.
Inside the circle the meeting had progressed. Arcon was recounting his travels with Blayke. "We only made it as far as Klendar." Klendar, a city located in the northern land of Inkra, was inhabited by a dark-skinned, fair-haired race who practiced a strict religion and worshipped a god named Klar. Klar was a cruel god who encouraged the destruction of all other religions. "We were disguised appropriately of course. They tolerate traders from other countries, however some still go missing due to Klar's ongoing encouragement of human sacrifice." The other realmists nodded, and their faces told of their lack of tolerance for such barbaric practices.
Arcon continued. "Klar's current chosen one is a ruthless fellow by the name of Suklar. He has utmost authority and forbids his people to leave the country unless on a mission for Klar. The normal undercurrent of fear has increased recently, but we couldn't find out why. Incidents of human sacrifice appear to have escalated, but other than that things haven’t changed. Suklar has a tight reign on his people, and it's almost impossible to find anyone who’ll say anything about their leader for fear of reprisals, as Suklar has spies everywhere."
Zim interjected. "I may be able to shed a little light on the subject, for I made a nocturnal visit into the fringes of Klendar. The village I visited has weakened religious influences due to its nearness to the border and distance from the capital. In fact, many of the villagers fear they will soon be targeted as punishment for their lack of sufficient reverence to Suklar. They reluctantly mentioned that a darker spirit may have joined with Klar. At this stage not too much has been said, but the Dreamer within the village told me of a dream he had recently where a hooded Klar rode on the back of what he described as ‘a vision from far beyond the gates of hell. A winged creature with an aura of malevolence and hunger.’ Klar was riding this creature through the blackness of the space between the stars but it was unclear to the dreamer who was controlling whom. That, my friends, makes me rather uneasy, to say the least." The others sat in silence, none daring to say what they feared the dream symbolised.
Agmunsten spoke. "Dawn approaches and I must call this meeting to an end, however, I will advise you of your tasks. Due to the risks we now take, the less each of us knows about what the others must do, the better." He created a silencing bubble of energy around himself and Avruellen. Everyone outside could see, but not hear them. "The Gods have taken the unusual and worrying step of instructing me directly. You and Bronwyn must travel to Vellonia, and from there, the monastery at The Isle of the Dead Souls." He proceeded to explain what they had to do whilst they were there. When Avruellen emerged from the bubble her lips were pursed; the gods rarely interfered in human affairs. She said goodbye to her friends and left the circle.
One by one they met in Agmunsten's bubble, until only he and Elphus remained. "Well, old friend, the time is here. Do you think we're up to it?" Agmunsten had a hint of a smile.
Elphus shrugged his large shoulders. "Everything we've done over the years has been to reach this point. Now we're here, I wonder if it's all been for nothing." He yearned for his wife and considered what he had endured through the long decades without her. "To be blunt, if we had to face our foes today, I think we would lose. There should be seven of us and we’re only five. The strength of our enemy outweighs ours, and we know their allies are even stronger than they are. Klar's balls! How can we hope to defeat them when we don't know anything about who they are and what they're capable of?"
It was Agmunsten's turn to shrug. "Don't lose hope yet, old friend. Our resolve must remain steadfast if we’re to have any chance. Trust me when I say the gods are on our side and may have a chance to intervene. Can I trust you to do what is needed?"
Elphus sighed. "Of course. I haven't endured the torture of scores of lonely years for nothing. When it's all over I plan to join my beloved. I have a feeling she's waiting for me." With nothing left to say, Elphus departed. Agmunsten remained, having one more person to consult before he could leave.
5
Bronwyn's consciousness returned as dawn light yawned through the trees. She awoke in a body that was cold; the fire had died some time ago. Bronwyn was tired—her body may have rested but her mind and inner energies had been working all night. She sat up slowly and shook her numb hands to life. There was pain in her shoul
der where she had lain on a stone. Bronwyn looked around to see Flux patiently waiting for them to return. When Avruellen sat up, he padded over and rubbed against her. "You’re nice and warm, Flux. Did anything happen while we were gone?" Flux answered her, mind to mind. Avruellen nodded slowly but said nothing.
Bronwyn stood, stretched out the kinks in her body and went to collect firewood. She returned with a full armload so her aunt could start the fire, then left to gather more. Two armloads later they were warming themselves whilst enjoying some porridge. "What do we do now, Aunt?"
Avruellen blew at the porridge on her spoon. "Well, it will take us about a month to get where we have to go. We'll need more substantial clothes and maybe even horses, so our first stop will be Bayerlon." Bronwyn's eyes widened; she had heard of the largest city in Veresia but had never been there.
Her aunt had never taken her more than three days’ ride from their village. She was going to ride a horse! She had only ridden a handful of times. Sometimes at the village fair they would borrow some of the older horses from the Shire's coach business, for a fee of course, and the children would be led on a ride. Most people in the village didn't have the resources to keep a horse and few required their services. Two, three, or four families would join their resources and share a horse; as such they were rarely ridden for fun.
"When do we leave?" Bronwyn was suddenly eager to be on her way.
Avruellen smiled at her change of heart. "After breakfast." Avruellen anticipated the next question and answered before her niece had a chance to speak. "The walk to Bayerlon will take about nine or ten days." Bronwyn shut her half-open mouth, knowing better than to ask her aunt how she had known what she was going to ask.
They repacked their belongings and set out for what, to Bronwyn, was the unknown. Flux led them out of the forest the way they had come, skirting around the village. Bronwyn said a second silent goodbye to her previous life as they passed, however she didn’t feel as sad as the last time she had bidden her home farewell. At the outskirts of the village they continued on a southeasterly course, and by midday they had covered half the distance Avruellen wished them to travel that day. Bronwyn was happy when her aunt turned off the road, stopping under a small copse of trees, where they sat and ate lunch.
They were not travelling via the main road to Veresia's capital, but on a little-used smuggler’s track. It ran parallel to the main road, with the exception of intermittent meandering turnings to avoid a tree or small boulder, and was distant enough to mask their identity from any who glimpsed them from the main thoroughfare. Not many used the track, for it was rutted and unkempt, the occasional fallen tree crossing its path. Bronwyn had never seen the track before and was quite amazed at her ignorance of its existence. Using a smuggler’s route instead of the king's road made the whole journey even more exciting.
After lunch they continued into the clear and cooling day. Flux sometimes scouted ahead or ran to the side, out of sight, and sometimes trotted next to his mistress. Occasionally he would look up at Avruellen, and Bronwyn knew they were talking about something she couldn't hear. Realmists were granted a unique bond with their creatura. Bronwyn wondered if she would have one of her own one day. What animal would she choose? An animal that was strong, intelligent, and of course warm and cuddly. She knew, after growing up with Flux, that wherever you went, so did your creatura. If you had to spend so much time with them you would be silly to choose one that was unpleasant or smelly. She smiled to herself as she discounted one animal after another. Finally, she knew what she wanted and felt that somehow she had known all along.
Bronwyn spent the rest of the day imagining all the fun she was going to have with her creatura and was deep in daydreams when her aunt called a halt. The sun was low on the horizon, the air cooling rapidly. Avruellen steered Bronwyn to a suitably hidden patch of ground Flux had found.
They set up their small camp under the sky. Avruellen had not been able to acquire a tent in their village, as she didn't want to draw attention to the fact they were leaving. Her weather sense told her fine weather would prevail for a few more days. She hoped that would be enough to see them reach a town large enough where they could find the tent they would surely need in the coming weeks.
It had automatically fallen to Bronwyn to collect firewood; she felt this was only fair considering her aunt's age. They fell into a companionable routine. Her aunt would start the fire and cook dinner; it was a small reminder of home. They waited almost until total darkness before starting the fire, as Avruellen didn't want anyone seeing the telltale smoke. No one was looking for them yet, however there could be villainous characters travelling the roads, taking advantage of whomever they found.
After dinner they snuggled into their blankets next to the dwindling fire. "Aunt?"
"Yes?"
"Will I have my own creatura one day?"
Her aunt smiled but her voice was serious. "It’s possible. More likely than not, however, first you have to pass a test in the Second Realm."
"What? Why?"
Her aunt shook her head. "Well, you obviously aren't ready if you have to ask me that." Bronwyn scowled at her aunt’s chastisement.
Bronwyn mustered up as much hostility in her voice as she could. "Goodnight then." She lay down with her back to her aunt.
Avruellen shook her head again and smiled. "Goodnight, dear. If you plan on getting a good night's sleep, I suggest you stop grinding your teeth." Avruellen couldn't resist provoking her niece sometimes. The girl had to be tough if she wanted to withstand what was ahead. Avruellen knew Bronwyn's anger would keep her awake for ages. Avruellen, on the other hand, shut her eyes and was asleep within minutes.
Bronwyn still carried her scowl at lunch the next day. The energy needed to sustain the beast was making her tired, so she finally dropped it. In order to keep to Avruellen’s schedule, they ate whilst walking. "I'm sorry I got angry. I know it’s an important and sacred thing to have a creatura, and dangerous if someone has a weak character."
Avruellen had hoped a night of frustration might make her niece think about why The Circle required her, or anyone for that matter, to successfully complete a task before they could bond with the animal of their choice. "Well I'm glad you worked that out. I once had a friend at The Academy, Milly, who was quite jealous when I bonded with Flux." Bronwyn listened intently, for her aunt’s stories were infrequent and always interesting.
"She had only been studying the mysteries of the Second Realm for a year and was not nearly ready, and maybe never would have been. She lacked discipline you see." Avruellen raised her eyebrows at her niece. Bronwyn had relatively good discipline but was prone to daydreaming. "Anyway, she was jealous that I had Flux and kept bragging to everyone about how much greater her creatura would be.”
“She doesn’t sound very nice. So what happened?”
“I was getting to that. When our teacher at The Academy of the Second Realm found out what she intended, he embarrassed her by punishing her in front of everyone. Three quick cane cuts to the bottom were considered an appropriate punishment for pride and jealousy. To wield power fairly, one must learn humility. Her punishment made her want to punish everyone in turn, so, without permission, she completed the rites of bonding a creatura.”
Bronwyn was incredulous at how disobedient Milly had been. Bronwyn would never dream of disobeying her aunt in such a way.
Avruellen continued. “It was spring, and the bears were coming out of hibernation. There was a large, black, male bear who had wintered in a cave near the academy, his ferociousness known far and wide. Bears are not recognised for being co-operative and this one was even less co-operative than the average bear. He was also cranky at having been prematurely woken from his slumber by Milly, who bonded him before he could react. What she didn't realize is that the animal must agree to the bonding, as it must spend a lifetime of working hand in hand with a human, or hand in paw as the case may be. If they don't agree, it won't work properly. As I remember it, sh
e was in the cave ordering the bear to come and eat the Professor when the bear decided she was closer and would fill his belly just as well. By the time we arrived, the bear had already gone back to sleep. You know how tired you feel after a big meal—a nap is just the thing to help you digest." Bronwyn thought Avruellen's smile a bit mean, but if Milly was so arrogant and foolish hadn't she deserved it?
“I have a question. I thought if the animal was bonded to you it would suffer if you died? But the bear went straight back to sleep. How come?”
“Interesting question. The bonding had only just taken place, so the pain may not have been very great. There haven’t been any studies done on that, actually. Usually bondings last many, many years.”
Bronwyn decided to drop the topic for the time being, having no desire to make the same mistake Milly had. By late afternoon, her aunt had not slowed the pace and although she hated to admit it, she was exhausted. Bronwyn's legs were aching and she had developed a sore twinge in her left buttock. "Aunt, when are we going to stop? Aren't you tired?" She was surprised at the pace Avruellen had set and was even more surprised that her old aunt could outlast her.
"Soon dear. Just a short way to go." Avruellen answered with a self-satisfied smile, not slowing the pace one bit. Bronwyn pulled a face at her aunt's back but forced her legs to keep moving.
Finally, as it was becoming too dark to see properly, they moved off the track to another spot Flux had chosen. Even though Bronwyn was desperate to sit down, she decided to collect the firewood first. She feared that once she sat down, she may never get up again. Bronwyn dropped her pack and stepped toward the nearby trees. "Stay here, Bronny. I'll get the wood tonight. You sit and rest."
"It's OK, Aunt. I'll be back in a minute."
Shadows of the Realm (The Circle of Talia) Page 3
