“How far can this thread reach?” Pendr asked. “After all, there were soldiers, friends of mine, who died when we were attacked. Why didn’t Eladrel heal them so they could make it to safety?”
Eladrel spoke next. “It doesn’t work that way, I fear. I must be touching the other person for the thread to appear. It also takes a lot of concentration, and I am still learning. That’s why I didn’t heal Rilam until I had time to clear my head.”
“More practiced healers, those who can access and use the green myelur, can use their gift in the heat of battle,” Halima said. “It takes time to develop the skill, sometimes many winters, depending on the person.”
Pendr looked at the young women of the camp. Each of them wore a green embroidered stripe around the arms of their robes.
“And these with you here,” Pendr said, motioning to the females, “they possess the gift to wield the green myelur?”
Halima smiled. “Very astute of you. Yes, these young ladies are all healers in training, known as initiates. For some unknown reason, the ability to use the green myelur is more common in women, though there are men, like Eladrel, who can also wield it.”
How long had Danla known? Why would she keep it a secret? As if reading his mind, Danla said, “Pendr, I had no idea I could do this. After we had arrived at camp, we were tested. I can’t explain how—but I was told I have the gift. I’ve been learning how to use it from Mistress Halima. We all have.” Danla motioned to the other young women.
“But we’re at war!” Rilam said. “If all of you are healers, where are those who are protecting you?”
“We’re quite safe, I assure you,” Halima said.
After what Pendr experienced, he could not suppress this doubt. “I mean no disrespect, Mistress Halima, but there are those in the forest who would not hesitate to kill you … or capture you.” He didn’t want to think what could happen if these women were prisoners. Men did unspeakable things during war.
“That’s where the blue myelur is of the most use,” Halima said. “It is a protecting power—a shield of sorts.”
“What can it do?” Eladrel asked. Perhaps he had learned only of the green myelur, the power he could use.
Halima squared her shoulders. “At its most basic, it can protect the person who can draw upon it.”
“Could it stop arrows from piercing your body?” Rilam asked.
“It can, yes. Though that usually takes practice.”
Rilam reached over and smacked Pendr on the arm. “I knew it! Ayab told me what you did, and how he saw the arrows bounce off you. You can use the blue myelur!”
Chapter 21
The arrowhead in Wyjec’s hand, the one which had recently been in his side, was barbed. It was no wonder he could not pull it out—it was designed to prevent such an action. Once it is in, it is meant to stay in. That thought was not unlike what else he had been contemplating. He still controlled the large wolf which lay at his feet, but only by exerting his will. In time, Wyjec would need to sleep, or even use the red myelur on something else. If he released his hold on the wolf, it would certainly attack him.
If only there was a way to get the wolf to remain loyal without my direct influence. But how to get the amber glow to stick to the wolf’s heart? It was something Wyjec had puzzled over while the sun climbed higher into the sky.
Taking a moment to think of something else, Wyjec fingered the hole in the side of his leather tunic where the arrow had entered. It wasn’t a large rip, but one none-the-less. It would need sewing, but he lacked needle and thread.
Sewing! It was a skill the masters had taught the chardi, mainly in order to fix their own clothes. It was a way of binding two fabrics together. Perhaps there was a way to do that with the heart of the wolf and the amber glow.
Staring at the wolf, Wyjec probed deeper, trying to isolate the aura which indicated intention. It was there, surrounding the beating heart of the beast, right where he placed it. Wyjec had never before truly examined the amber glow closely. In doing so, he noticed something remarkable. The red myelur, the power he perceived as flowing through living beings, consisted of tiny threads, like the yellow thread he had noticed before, only the red was much more abundant. The amber glow, then, was a fabric of sorts, made up from yellow and red threads woven together.
It made an odd sort of sense to Wyjec. The red threads were willpower—life flowing, like blood, constantly moving in an attempt to keep the being alive. The yellow, as Wyjec had discovered, was something similar, a life force, the essence of what separates the living from the dead. When combined, willpower and life force, it created action or at least intended action.
But why would the amber glow around the heart create loyalty? Maybe loyalty was the wrong word. Perhaps self-preservation was more appropriate. Yes. That’s it. Captain Avadi was not loyal, not truly—instead, he was looking out for his own well-being.
If the wolf at his feet only focused on preserving its life, why had it not run away? For that matter, why had Avadi also not fled? There was a missing piece; something Wyjec did not understand. At least not yet. Understanding how something fully works and using it are two different things. Wyjec could not explain why water fell from the sky in the form of rain, though he did know uses for the water. The same concept applied.
Looking once again at the amber glow around the wolf’s heart, Wyjec probed with his mind until he found the edge of the fabric. There! The fringes of the glow were not smooth—tendrils of the red and yellow myelur snaked out, almost fluttering after a fashion. Again, exerting his will, Wyjec seized these tendrils and began to tie them to the red myelur which flowed around the wolf’s heart. The task took effort, and Wyjec double checked all the tendrils were secured before he dared to try the next phase of his plan.
Though the yellow myelur from the now dead wolf had helped Wyjec’s energy, he was still drained from losing blood, as well as drawing on so much of the blue myelur to protect him in the tower before he had been shoved off. But I have to try.
Wyjec took a deep breath and then pulled the blue myelur around him, protecting him from head to toe. The effort nearly made him lose his grip on controlling the wolf. That was the end goal, but not until Wyjec felt ready.
Several heartbeats later, Wyjec knew he had to try now before he lost consciousness. Staring directly into the wolf’s golden eyes, Wyjec released his hold on the amber glow.
The wolf twitched, then twitched again. It jumped to its feet. For a moment, Wyjec thought the beast would attack him, or bolt. Instead, the wolf did something he did not expect. The wolf walked next to Wyjec, turned around and laid next to him, though it still did not touch him.
Fascinated, Wyjec watched the wolf, making sure he was not exerting any part of the red myelur on the animal. It worked!
Whether it was the comfort of understanding what he had done, or his body had given all it could at the time, Wyjec fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 22
Me? Able to use the blue myelur? Pendr thought it was possible, though he did not want to believe it to be true.
Danla stared at Pendr, her blue eyes wide. “Is it true, Pendr?”
Oddly, Mistress Halima did not appear surprised. He noticed the older woman watching him carefully when he responded.
“I can’t say if it’s true or not,” Pender said. “As I said in my account of what happened, I ran back into the open field to rescue Rilam. Ayab claims, or claimed I guess…” A moment of grief pierced him. Logically, he knew Ayab was dead, along with the others: Lunz, Tikan, Wescro, as well as soldiers he had met recently. Emotionally, the realization of their loss came in spurts, and when it hit, it took a moment for Pendr to compose himself.
“It’s okay, Pendr,” Halima said. “Take your time.”
From his peripheral vision, he could see Rilam’s head turned away from the group, with his hand wiping away tears. I’m not the only one who feels their loss.
After taking a few deep breaths, Pendr continued, “Ay
ab claimed to have seen arrows hit me and then bounce away. I didn’t feel them, nor did they leave a mark.”
“And did you feel anything before and after?” Halima asked.
Pendr considered the question before answering. What happens to me if I’m found to possess this power? Though it had only been less than a season, he missed the days of working side-by-side with his father at the forge. A blacksmith. That is what Pendr was meant to be. Not a soldier, and certainly not someone who can wield the blue myelur. Still, if Danla could accept her ability …
“Before heading out to the field to get Rilam, I felt a cool sensation in my mind,” Pendr said. “I’m not sure how else to describe it. It was refreshing, yet tiring at the same moment. Strange, odd, but not unpleasant.”
Halima nodded. “And after you returned with the other young man?”
“I was tired, yet in a different way than caused by running. The weariness was … deeper. I suppose that is as good of a word as any. However, what I know of the myelur, which is precious little, is that it is passed down from parent to child. Neither of my parents could use it, and to my knowledge, the same was true with Danla’s parents. I can’t believe my parents would lie to me.”
“I asked the same question,” Danla said.
“Yes, she did,” her teacher confirmed. “It’s possible for someone to have the gift and not know it. Until a few days ago, neither you nor Danla knew of your abilities. There are accounts of individuals not discovering they could use the myelur until much later in life. Often, it is a traumatic event which can trigger it.”
“Perhaps what I felt during battle and the arrows missing me are a coincidence,” Pendr said. “That is more likely.”
“Possibly, but answer me this,” Halima said, leaning forward noticeably. “What did you feel when you entered my tent upon first arriving at camp? Be honest.”
Pendr thought back to that time. “It was similar to the cool sensation I felt before,” Pendr answered. “But I can’t say why. I didn’t feel the same fear as before. I mean, I didn’t feel like I needed protection.”
“No, but I did,” Halima said.
Eladrel spoke up. “From us?” He sounded startled.
The elderly lady’s gaze moved from Pendr to Eladrel. “That’s correct. The blue myelur can do more than protect a single person—though it’s at its strongest when focused on the person who can wield it. It can also be used to create wards.”
“Wards?” Rilam asked. “I don’t know that word.”
“It’s like a shield, of sorts,” Eladrel said.
Halima smiled. “That’s correct. These wards vary in strength. Some of the simpler ones can tell the creator of the ward when someone actively uses the myelur, any of the types, within a certain area. One similar to that, somewhat harder to cast, can detect if someone who can use the myelur, any of the types, passes through it. The last of these passive wards—”
“Passive?” Pendr interrupted this time. Up until this point, he had been following along, but now Halima was using words with which he was not familiar.
“Passive is the opposite of active,” Halima said. “Let me give you an example. When cooking a stew, you have to combine all the elements into a pot, create a fire, and then set up the pot so it will heat up the contents. Those are all active actions. However, the stew is still cooking if you let it be. This is what passive means, in a sense. After the wards are set up, they remain in place, doing their jobs, until you intervene.”
The explanation helped, though the overall concepts were still foreign. Maybe this is what she meant when she said the myelur was simple, yet complex. Pendr tried to stay focused on the basics. The process of learning something new was an experience he faced many times when working at the forge. Pendr’s father, Osbrik, drove home the truth of learning the fundamentals before moving on to the complex. Each of the basic metalworking skills built on each other, and when used together effectively, amazing items could be created.
“That explanation helps,” Pendr said. “Thank you. As you have said, there are these … wards … which can be set up to alert the wielder of the myelur being used or even if a person has the ability. Correct?”
“That’s right,” Halima said. “Those of my order have been experimenting with imbuing this power, at least to some degree, to objects—like the one Danla wore when she went to find you. Three other initiates were given similar pendants, yet Danla was the first to return. She was able to sense you, and find you.”
“That’s a pretty big coincidence that it was Danla, someone from our hometown, had found us, isn’t it?” Rilam said.
Halima’s eyebrows raised. “Is it? Or is it possible that because of your common background and association that the pendant pointed her in your direction—especially since Pendr can wield the blue myelur? There are elements we do not know about yet with the imbuing power. I am anxious to tell my order what we have discovered.”
“But being warned about danger isn’t the same as protection,” Rilam said.
If Halima was becoming frustrated with Rilam’s brusque questions, she did not let it show. “There is one other passive form of the blue myelur—the most challenging to learn, and also the most powerful. It can sense if a person, or animal for that matter, intends harm—whether they can wield the myelur or not. It prevents the malevolent being from even passing through the ward.”
“And that is the type of ward you placed around your tent?” Eladrel asked.
Once again, Halima appeared pleased when one of the young men pieced together what she was trying to teach with the realities of what they were experiencing.
Pendr snapped his fingers. “And that’s why you don’t have soldiers here in the camp. You, Mistress Halima, are protecting them.”
“Correct, once again.”
“But … aren’t you tasked with teaching these young women to be healers?” Eladrel asked. “Does that mean you can wield the blue and the green myelur?”
The excitement in Danla’s voice was unmistakable when she said, “Oh, it’s more than that. Though she cannot wield it, Mistress Halima knows much about the third aspect: the red myelur!”
Pendr stared into the fire pit as he thought. The green myelur had healing powers—something which Eladrel, the soldier from Brentwood, could use. The blue aspect of the myelur could create protective wards, as well as a shielding to those people. No. Not those people. I’m one of them.
But what of the red? What could it do? Despite being taught as a youth that the myelur was something of which not to speak, Pendr found a certain anxiousness at wanting to learn more. If Mistress Halima knew of all three, as Danla had stated, then the elderly woman would be the one to ask.
“Is that true, Mistress?” Eladrel asked. “Do you know of all three?”
“After a fashion,” she said. “Using the myelur is not an all or nothing talent, no more than if a person can lift a rock from the ground, they can lift rocks of any size. My gift is strongest with the blue, though I’ve worked hard to increase my skill with the green. I know of the red but cannot wield it myself. What I can explain—”
Mistress Halima didn’t finish her sentence. Her head jerked quickly toward the east. “They’re coming,” she said, just above a whisper.
Chapter 23
The sound of tearing flesh woke Wyjec. In those moments of first regaining consciousness, he feared the flesh might be his own. Maybe my hold on the wolf failed. There was no pain, though the blue myelur still covered him which would prevent any feeling. But how could the wolf get to my flesh if I’m protected? A cry of agony assaulted his ears—a sound which did not come from Wyjec’s throat.
After snapping his eyes open, Wyjec tried to understand what he saw. The noon-day sun shone down on a man, dressed in leather armor who lay on his back among the trees. The wolf, the one Wyjec had tied the amber glow around its heart, had its jaws clamped around the soldier’s left leg.
Instead of the soldier’s armor displaying a crescent
moon, as Wyjec expected, green with silver trim distinguished the protective clothing. It was the same type of uniform worn by the enemy soldier who had come to the gates of Iredell.
The enemy had found Wyjec in the trees—at least one of his enemies.
“Kill it!” the soldier cried out.
It was then Wyjec spotted the other man—also dressed in well-worn leather armor. He held a long sword in one hand, and a shield decorated with the symbol of a leaf-adorned tree in the other. A quick inspection of the other man’s red myelur and amber glow surprised Wyjec. The soldier’s intention was neither on the wolf nor his wounded companion—it was directed away, to the north. He’s afraid. He wants to flee. A small nudge from Wyjec’s mind triggered the man to act on that intention.
“Osolde! Wait!” The wounded man called but to no avail.
Wyjec was tempted to let the wolf kill the man, but he thought back to when the Masters died. The mistake Wyjec made then was not to have witnesses to spread the word of his power. Yes, the other soldier, Osolde apparently his name, saw the wolf attack, but he did not know it was Wyjec who controlled the wolf.
By this time, the wolf had nearly removed the man’s leg below the knee. He would not survive much longer unless Wyjec intervened. Careful as not to undo the weave on the amber glow around the wolf’s heart, he nudged the focus away from the man. It worked as the wolf stopped his attack. It backed off, blood dripping from its jowls.
Wyjec knew that if the soldier kept losing blood, he would die. Thinking over his abilities with the blue, red, and yellow myelur, he had no idea how he could use them to help. A more conventional solution was needed.
The soldier’s sword and shield lay on the ground, out of reach, dropped when the wolf attacked. Part of the wounded man’s uniform was a sturdy, leather belt. Wyjec stood, and watched his foe carefully. The man did not move. Wyjec could see he was still breathing, though his eyes were closed. Perhaps he passed out from the loss of blood.
Darker the Shadow (The Howler King Trilogy Book 1) Page 9
