Outcasts of Velrune

by Isaac Crowe

  “I could see the fear and worry in Peter’s face. Though the decision tore at me, in the end I could not let my safety add to his troubles. We left two days later.”

  A look of joy filled Mr. Penna’s face. “I have long held that the Creators left this world centuries ago; yet I cannot believe that mere coincidence brought us to the same village where the couple had taken the little lacarnian girl.”

  Mr. Penna starred directly into Eve’s eyes. “That, my little lacarnian, is why I have your pape-”

  Eve launched herself at Mr. Penna, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you!”

  Mr. Penna returned Eve’s hug. “You do not need to thank me, but you are welcome, nonetheless.”

  Eve sat back down. “Did your friends come? Did they take anyone else from the auctions?”

  Mr. Penna nodded. “Yes, and I believe it is time to track them down. The Protectors have put their plans into motion. I only hope that I have not waited too long.”

  Neysa wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “I am not certain of anything, but more and more pieces seem to be coming together; Peter leaving suddenly eleven years ago, the bandit attacks, Tyco’s arrival at the village, his sudden desire to bring Maxwell here and the disappearance of the diggers when Tyco realized they had found out about Maxwell. I think all these things are somehow related to those lacarnians brought to the city years ago.”

  “So what’s the plan, Chiros?”

  “Tomorrow, I will take Maxwell around the city as promised, ending at Melody’s church. I will return here tomorrow night to prepare. Neysa, I want us to leave the following morning.”

  Eve crossed her arms. “Max and I can’t come?”

  Mr. Penna shook his head. “The Protectors have their own plans for Maxwell. I assume you will be going with him.”

  “If they let me. Tyco wasn’t thrilled I came this far.”

  “I am sure they will not be happy with your presence; I am sure that means you will only be that much more determined to go.”

  Eve tucked her head down sheepishly. “Maybe.”

  Mr. Penna chuckled. “I thought as much. That is why I want Neysa to take you shopping tomorrow. You will need to be prepared for whatever lies ahead.”

  Mr. Penna stood. “When you two have finished shopping, head over to the church. I have a feeling Melody will have more information for us. For now, go get some rest.”

  “Yes, Chiros.” Neysa got to her feet. “Come along, Eve.”

  Eve jumped to her feet, giving Mr. Penna another hug before following Neysa. “Right behind you.”

  Early the next morning, Eve and Neysa left for the market. “Now, Eve, be sure to stay next to me. They know to leave me well alone, but an unfamiliar face would be fair game.”

  “Who are ‘They’?”

  “Protectors, their cronies and general slime. On the south side of the city you’ll be fine. Until then, stay close.”

  The two made their way south out of the gate, the guards eyeing them suspiciously as they did so. They received the same stares by many other humans along their route to the center of Moenia. As the streets grew more and more crowded, Neysa stuck out her hand.

  “Take hold, I don’t want to lose you.”

  Eve crossed her arms, pouting. “I’m not a child, I won’t get lost.”

  Neysa smiled. “I have no doubt of your abilities to take care of yourself outside of these walls, but the city is far different than your little village. Now, take my hand before someone grabs you.”

  Eve took note of all of the humans around them, one even bumping her as he passed. I guess it wouldn’t hurt, just in case. She took Neysa’s hand without any further resistance.

  The market offered a wholly new experience for Eve, one she was quickly ready to be done with. The streets were so crowed they had to push people out of the way to get anywhere. Every now and again she saw a human harassing some of the younger lacarnians. Eve gripped Neysa’s hand tighter.

  The booths Eve first saw had lacarnians working at them, but they were carefully watched by humans who sat in the back, eying all the customers. Few lacarna stopped at these booths, instead heading for the booths on the south side of the market. Here, either the humans worked with the lacarna or lacarnians ran the booths entirely. Neysa had them stop at several of these booths, insisting Eve needed clothing more appropriate for traveling. A final, small booth on the very outskirts of the market, finally provided a few things that both Neysa and she agreed on. None too soon for Eve, they left the market, walking farther south.

  “So what did you think of the market, Eve?”

  “Awful. I hated the crowd, the noise and the smell.”

  Neysa laughed. “That pretty much sums things up. Now you know how lucky you had it growing up in a small village. Don’t worry, you’ll like the next place a lot better.”

  “Oh? Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to the Church of the Immortals where we’ll meet up with Melody and, later, Mr. Penna and Max.”

  “The Church of the Immortals? What’s it like?”

  Neysa thought for a moment then shook her head. “I can’t really explain it. You will just have to wait.” Then Neysa giggled. “Oh, and you can let go of my hand now if you want.”

  Eve blushed, letting go. Oops, I forgot I’m not with mother. I’m not used to so many humans. I hope Neysa is right about the next place. I can’t let Max see me like this.

  Farther south, the two stepped through an ancient archway separating the city from a beautiful garden. Several humans, dressed like Melody, along with lacarnians, tended a wide variety of plants and flowers. An overwhelming feeling of peace washed over Eve.

  What is this place?

  Smiling, Eve turned to Neysa. “Can I?”

  Neysa laughed, “We have a little time. Go on little one.”

  Eve ran down one of the garden’s paths to explore the plants, passing an elderly lady headed towards Neysa along the way.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Max slowly awakened from a deep sleep, unsure of his surroundings. He sat up and let the room come into focus.

  Oh yeah, we stayed with the Children of the Immortals. Max yawned. Boy, Eve’s story lasted a long time, but wow. No wonder Mr. Penna always treated her so nice.

  Max turned to wake Eve, but she was gone and her bed made. Where did she go? Why is it so light in here? Uh oh.

  Max swung his feet over the edge of his bed and then into his boots. Well, at least I stayed dressed.

  Max hopped off the bed, grabbed his things and ran for the door. At the entryway, he nearly collided with Melody.

  “It’s about time, Max. We’re running late.”

  “I know, I know. I’m ready though.” Max lifted his arms and spun around. “See, already dressed.”

  Melody scoffed. “More like you never changed in the first place. You look like you were wadded up and thrown in a corner. Oh well, no time now.”

  Melody grabbed Max by the arm, pulling him through the meeting hall and out into the garden. “Eve, I’ve got him.”

  “Okay!”

  Max heard Eve’s reply, but did not see her until a second later when she popped out of a big patch of purple flowers by the far wall. Spotting Max and Melody, she bounded over to them with a big grin on her face.

  “I like this place.”

  Melody brushed a few flower petals off Eve’s head. “It likes you too, more than most lacarnians.”

  Max’s eyebrows arched. “What do you mean by that?”

  “It has to do with what I told you back in the cave.”

  “The cave?”

  Melody sighed. “I’ll explain again later. For now, we need to hurry to the west gate.”

  “We? I think Eve and I can find it ourselves. You don’t need to go along.”

  Melody simply winked as she led them to the archway that marked the boundary of the garden. A pair of backpacks and a small waist pack leaned against
the wall next to the arch. Eve grabbed the waist pack and pointed at one of the backpacks.

  “That one’s yours Max. I figured you would sleep in, so I packed it for you.”

  Max lifted the backpack, finding it heavier than he expected. “What all did you put in here?”

  “Only the things you might need…” She trailed off waiting until Max slipped on the pack. “…and some of my stuff as well, since I only have the waist pack.” She smiled devilishly. “Maybe that’ll help you learn to get out of bed on time.”

  Melody interrupted Max before he had a chance to argue. “Come on you two, we’re late.”

  Max didn’t move, noticing Melody put on the other backpack. “Where are you going, Melody?”

  “With you, of course.”

  “With us? Why?”

  “Lady Metis has a message for an artifact collector in Calix. Since you two are going that way, she instructed me to join you. Safety in numbers, after all.”

  Max’s shoulders sagged. “Once again, I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

  “Afraid not, Max.”

  Max sighed, resigned to his fate. “Fine.”

  Together they headed for Moenia’s west gate. Unlike the east gate, at least a dozen Protectors stood guard around it. Between the open gate doors paced the largest man Max had ever seen. He stood over six feet tall and his bulky frame easily supported the heavy plate armor he wore. The man spotted their approach, stopping to glare at them.

  “A mangy cat, an acolyte and a kid. You three must be the ones Lord Avram sent me to babysit.”

  Max bristled. “Eve is not a mangy cat.”

  “All lacarnians are kid. You’ll learn.”

  “She’s been my closest friend since childhood, that isn’t going to change.”

  Eve leaned against Max. “It’s okay, Maxy. Muscles here has his own opinion.” She smiled sweetly at the large man. “You know how little I care about those.”

  The man turned to Melody. “What’s your story? It’s already bad enough having the fur ball along, now I have to deal with one of the Children as well.”

  Melody crossed her arms, but smiled similarly to Eve. “The name’s Melody. Max here helped me out of a bind a few days back. I have business in Calix, so I thought I would go along and return the favor.”

  The man shook his head. “I don’t know why I agreed to this. You guys didn’t even get here on time. Now we’ll have to move faster today to make up for it.”

  Max offered a handshake. “Maxwell Laskaris. I can assure you we’ll be able to keep up.”

  The man glanced down at Max’s hand then back at Max. “Lysander Harris. Now move out.”

  Lysander turned and started down the road that would lead them to Calix. The others followed after him.

  Melody let out a sigh. “Well, this going be fun.”

  Over the next couple of days they followed the road through the plains and villages. Max and Eve entertained Melody with stories of their adventures in Swiftwater as kids. She, in turn, told them more about the Children of the Immortals. Lysander separated himself from them, but always remained within close hearing distance. On the third night, while sitting around a small campfire, Melody talked about the garden in front of the church. Max thought back to the morning they had left.

  “Hey, Melody, what did you mean when you said ‘the garden liked Eve’?”

  “To explain that, Max, I need to explain about our power. Every living thing is made of a spirit energy that you can’t see: the trees, the flowers and even the tiniest of things that float in the air. It is the control of these spirits that gives the Children of Immortals their power. A power the Immortals themselves taught us. Hence, our order’s name.”

  Max thought hard. “So, that barrier back in the cave, you formed that by controlling the spirits in the stuff that floats in the air?”

  Melody nodded. “That’s right. Different people have an affinity towards different living things. I work with the tiny insects and plant life found in the air. Others can control larger plants of different varieties.”

  “What can they do?”

  “Some can strengthen the healing abilities found in plants used for salves. Others can increase a plant’s growth rate, making it possible to harvest fruit and nuts sooner.”

  Max stared in amazement. “I’ve never even heard of this before. Mr. Penna never mentioned it, or the healer in our village.”

  Eve shook her head, just as fascinated as Max. “This is new to me too.”

  “It may be new to you, but as a lacarnian, you have the natural ability to control all plant life. That is why the flowers grew around you the way they did back in the garden. We’ve heard of a few Children of the Immortals having such ability, but not for ages.”

  Max studied his sheathed sword. “Can the spirits be used in a harmful way? I mean, I’ve trained to defend myself against people, not plants.”

  Melody nodded. “Yes they can, like anything else. For example, Eve wears the worst application of the spirits.”

  Both Max and Eve sat confused. “Huh?”

  Lysander grunted from his seat several feet away. “The collars are only harmful for those that are in disobedience of the law.”

  A fire sparked in Melody’s eyes. “What about the humans that use them to abuse the lacarna. You don’t call that harmful?”

  “Those that misuse the collars are dealt with appropriately.”

  Max looked back and forth between the two. “What are you talking about?”

  Melody huffed. “The Controller Stones in the collars.”

  “Stones? I thought the spirits only inhabited living things.”

  “The stones aren’t alive, Max, but something inside them is. Haven’t you ever wondered how they shocked the wearer? Or did you even care?”

  Max’s brow furrowed. “Shock? What shock?”

  Melody got to her feet, turning away from Max. “Here I thought when you rushed in to help me that you were different, Maxwell.”

  Eve jumped up. “Melody, he doesn’t know about the collars!”

  Melody faced Eve. “How could he not…”

  “Because I’m the only lacarnian Max has ever known since he was little, and I’ve never worn my collar while at Swiftwater. The day we left was the first time Max even knew I had it.” Eve shuffled her feet. “I told him it was the fashion in Moenia.”

  Melody eyes widened. “How could you go all those years without wearing your collar? Why didn’t you tell Max the truth?”

  Eve grabbed her tail. “I didn’t know how to explain things to Max. Until Tyco arrived two years ago, the only Protector to ever bother to come to Swiftwater was Max’s father.” Eve shrugged her shoulders. “Nobody cares about the rules out there, especially my parents.”

  The flame died out in Melody. “Then, who has your Controller Stone?”

  “Mr. Penna had it for the trip over.” Eve smiled. “Then, last night when he hugged Max, he slipped it into Max’s pants pocket.”

  Max felt around in his pockets until his hand came across a small, smooth object. He pulled it out. The half-stone matched the color of the one in Eve’s collar.

  “What does it do?”

  Lysander spoke again. “Assurance. It keeps a human alive in case the lacarnian he has taken in turns wild.”

  Melody stepped past Eve, taking the stone from Max’s hand. “Half of the stone goes into the collar, the other half is held by the lacarnian’s master. At the time of ownership, the lacarnian’s master is taught to use the spirits in the stone to send a shock to the other half. The collar itself is designed to focus the shock into the neck of the lacarnian and prevent them from sending a shock back to their owner.” Melody slammed the stone back into Max’s hand. “I wish I knew who first showed the Protectors how to use the stone that way. I have a few choice words to give them.”

  Max blinked in disbelief. “Why would anyone want to shock someone?”

  Lysander remained nonchalant. “Like I said, to
keep the lacarna from turning on us humans.”

  Max stared at the stone. “I’d never want to do that to Eve.” He held his hand out to Eve. “Why don’t you carry it?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. When both halves of the stone are held by the same person, the halves emit the shock and won’t stop until they’re separated again. Please keep it, Max. You and Mr. Penna are the only two besides mother that I trust to carry it.”

  Max studied Eve for a moment before closing his fingers around the stone. “Okay, but the next time you pounce on me, I’m using it.”

  Eve burst out laughing. “Deal.”

  Now Melody acted sheepish. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Max. I had no idea you’d never heard any of this before.”

  Max stuck the stone back into his pocket. “That’s okay, I understand why you got so upset.”

  Lysander shook his head in disgust. “Kid, you have a lot to learn. This junk isn’t going to fly inside the Protectors. What village did you grow up in again?”

  “Swiftwater, on the other side of the dead lands.”

  Lysander snickered. “That explains it. You’ve been too sheltered to know what the lacarna are capable of.”

  Melody’s eyes bore into Lysander. “Do you even know yourself, or do you only know the lies Lord Avram spreads among the Protectors?”

  Lysander narrowed his eyes, but didn’t respond.

  “Why did you even accept this mission?”

  “I needed a distraction.” Lysander stood and began walking way.

  Melody started to follow. “From what, torturing the lacarna in the city?”

  “I believe in the law, to seeing the guilty punished, not torturing the innocent. Even if they are beasts.

  “Then what?”

  “If it will keep you quiet, I lost my daughter not long ago.”

  Melody stopped in tracks. “Oh.”

  Eve bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

  Lysander paused and turned to take in Eve for the first time. “I don’t need sympathy from a fur ball. Get to sleep, all of you.”

  They watched as he walked out of the light of their campfire.

  The next morning, Lysander kept even more distance between them, only allowing them to draw near when they reached Calix. Standing outside of the entrance, they pushed their previous disagreements aside to ready themselves. This is where the mission really began.