by Kyle West
We passed under the shade of the wooden gatehouse and took stock of our surroundings. The town seemed to be laid out in a circular fashion, with an outside perimeter road which ran along the wall, while having its interior roads arranged in a grid. Ahead, beyond the few people who were out and about, the road ended at the height of the hill, on which stood a tall stand of Silverwoods, the only sign of nature within the walls.
We just stood there for a long moment. Now that we were here, after all this time, I had no idea what we were supposed to do next. It was still early enough in the day that we couldn’t justify stopping.
“We should try to find a place to resupply,” Isaru said.
“With what money?”
Isaru grunted. “Yeah, good point.”
I had never actually had any Elekai money in my hands before, which was a strange thought. At the Sanctum, everything was provided, and the Sanctum was the only Elekai place in which I had spent any amount of time, so I hadn’t thought about money often. Elekai money was composed of ichor beads. There was just one kind, and they could vary in size, as there was no central mint setting standards. It was a bit primitive, compared to Colonia, but if it worked, then it worked.
“We could just, you know…steal,” I said.
We hadn’t had to do that in a while, mostly because in the Exiled Lands, there hadn’t been many people to steal from.
“Not here” Isaru said.” We still have the food from Auberin, and the venison. If we get lucky, then that should be enough to…”
“Shanti?”
It was a voice I hadn’t expected to hear. Not in a thousand years. Not in this place, not at this time. And yet, I did hear it.
I turned around to see Isa staring at me with wide-eyed shock.
* * *
Such was my shock that I was at a loss for words. She looked the same as she always had, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, though her plain cotton shirt and brown pants made her look different from her usual Sanctum robe. She held a basket filled with vegetables, which she promptly dropped as she ran up to me and nearly choked me with a tight hug.
I just stood there, completely frozen and unbelieving, and looking at Isaru, he was similarly flabbergasted and at a loss.
“I thought you were dead, with how you never came back and…” Isa stepped back and looked at me, and seemed to notice Isaru was there, too. Her cheeks reddened, before she nearly stammered, “Prince Isaru, forgive me, I didn’t even recognize you. You seem…please forgive me.”
She gave an awkward bow. Apparently that crush still hadn’t gone away.
“Seem what?”
She looked at us both; now it just wasn’t surprise, but sadness in her eyes. “You are both so…thin. Thin, and haggard. Gods, where have you been? What are you doing here? Everyone thinks you’re dead, or imprisoned, or worse. Elder Isandru went off to Colonia to find you both, and the Elders asked me so many questions and I was forced to tell them where you had gone, and…”
“Slow down,” I said. “We’ll tell you everything, but maybe somewhere else?”
“Half the Wild is looking for you! Maybe even more. There might even be war with the Covenant if Prince Isaru isn’t found.”
“War?” I asked. “Why would there be war, what are you talking about?”
“You really don’t know anything. Where have you two been? King Taris believes the Covenant is holding Isaru hostage, based on what I told the Elders. And until now, I believed it, too.”
Something in Isa’s voice told me to give her a reason not to tell people we were both here, given the circumstances.
“Let’s get somewhere safe where we can talk,” Isaru said. “Clearly, we have a lot of catching up to do. I will tell you, there is a good reason for all of this.”
Her face suddenly firmed. “It better be a good reason, because I’ve been worried sick about you both, and so has everyone else. When I left the Sanctum, some people were placing bets on whether you guys were dead.”
Of course, I was wondering what Isa was doing here herself. She had told me, in one of my first nights at the Sanctum, that she was from a place called Coyal, a village not too far from here, unless I was misremembering.
“You left the Sanctum?” I asked.
She sighed. “That’s a long story. But the short answer is, they sent me home.”
“Sent you home? Why?”
Isaru stepped forward to pick up all the vegetables and fruit she had dropped, which all of us had forgotten about. Something of a crowd had gathered to watch, and just having their eyes on us made me worry someone might recognize Isaru and ruin our chances of getting to Hyperborea.
Isa, flustered, moved to help Isaru, only her hands were so shaky that she could hardly use them.
Isaru finally finished the majority of the work, and Isa stood, looking again at me.
“You said you’d come back to the Sanctum,” she said, quietly. She had probably meant not to sound accusing, but she still did. She was close to tears, too, which made it worse.
“And I’m sorry for that. Things…got out of hand. Like Isaru said…I promise there is an explanation, and if you give us some time…”
“Of course,” Isa said. “As far as why I’m here…I received a letter at the Sanctum. My village was abandoned and now my mother and I live here at my father’s house. He’s…not too happy about that.”
I wanted to ask why, but wasn’t sure if I should. Thankfully, Isa elaborated.
“The short answer is, he and my mother are…separated. It’s been that way for a while, but his house was the only place we had left. At least until we find a new arrangement. I’m part of the problem, actually, because I might not be returning to the Sanctum.”
“What?” I asked.
“We can continue this discussion somewhere else,” Isaru said, lowering his face. “I can’t reveal myself, and so much depends on me not being found.” He looked up at Isa. “You have to trust me on this, and after I explain, you can make your own judgment.”
Despite Isa’s state, she instantly nodded. “Of course. The grove would probably be best. There are enough trees that we should be hidden. And it might avoid some of the drama at my house. I know for a fact if my mother saw you, half the town would know within the hour. Maybe even more than half.”
So, we followed Isa down the street. As we walked, she continued to speak. “I don’t know how you came to be here, but it’s so good to see you both.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” I said. It seemed beyond all possibility or reason, but if Isa had been sent home and everything she said had happened, it did make sense. “You said Elder Isandru went after us?”
Isa nodded. “He even took full responsibility for the…theft.” She gave a sideways glance toward my blade. “No one really understood that, and Elder Haris is calling for him to be stripped of his mantle.”
“Wait,” Isaru said. “Elder Haris?”
“So much has changed that I’m worried there won’t be time to tell you everything. Both Eldress Karu and Elder Aurelius resigned their posts, not too long ago. No one outside the Elders knows why. Karu went to Sylva, while Aurelius came here, of all places, to study with the Watchers of the North.”
“We were just there,” I said. “But we didn’t see him.”
“He must have not arrived, yet,” Isa said. “Either that, or he’s doing something else he didn’t tell the Sanctum at large.”
“Who is the new Elder Sage, then?” Isaru asked.
“Alan is. While he’s fine, Haris has definitely let the power go to his head. Why they chose him over Marlene, I will never guess.”
Marlene was strict in her own way, but Haris was something else entirely.
By this point, we had arrived in the grove. We sat in the shade of a stand of Silverwoods, where we were reasonably hidden from outside view.
“They let me come back because of family issues,” Isa said. “But unspoken, I think there was another reason.”
&nb
sp; “What’s that?” I asked.
“Over the six months I’ve been in the Sanctum, I have learned much…but still, I haven’t manifested. I have absolutely no connection to the Xenofold, and whatever connection I do have is small…too small to be of any use to the Seekers. I think that’s the main reason they sent me back.”
“It takes longer for some than others,” Isaru said. “If they didn’t want you to come back, they would have been clearer about it.”
Isa sighed. “Maybe. It was just in the Elders’ wording. They went as far as to say that perhaps I could take what I had learned back home.”
“Well, that’s hardly them telling you not to come back,” I said. “I think they just sensed that you needed time. Not just to help your family, but to also focus on yourself for a bit.”
“I don’t know,” Isa said. “The thing is…I’m not sure I want to go back. When you left, it was just…different. I don’t know how I survived that place without you. Others quit, too. Nabea, of all people, although I don’t think he planned to become a Seeker anyway, since he is Prince of Atlantea and his duties are there.”
“Anyone else?” Isaru asked.
“Ret and Samal are still there. They are Apprentices now, in fact. Both to the Champions.”
“What?” I asked. It was hard to imagine either of them as apprentices.
“They are different, now. More serious. I think the attack changed a lot of people. There isn’t much room for humor when the atmosphere has become less about learning and more about warfare. They are raising lots of initiates to apprenticeship.”
“Warfare?” Isaru asked. “Do they see the Mindless as such a threat?”
“There’s that, and the fact that the Covenant has been encroaching on the Wild recently. There will be war with them before there is war with the Mindless. Down in Sylva, there’ve already been skirmishes between the Makai and the Novans.”
“That’s terrible news,” I said. “Just what we need, a war to weaken us before the Mindless decide to come in force.”
“Most don’t believe the Mindless are a true threat.” Isa sighed. “As I mentioned, King Taris accuses the Covenant of holding you hostage, Isaru, and most agree with him…based solely on what I told the Elders about where you were going. A lot of people are saying the Covenant is weak from their last war and that now is the perfect time to strike.”
I could see that clearly, now. And for someone as hotheaded as King Taris, it might become a reality.
“It’s all the more reason for us to finish our mission quickly,” Isaru said. “But I can’t go back. Not yet.”
“What about Deanna and Aela? And Fiona?” I asked.
“Deanna will begin her ascension, soon, and Aela isn’t far behind. As far as Fiona, she’s in Sylva, though I had wondered before whether she was with you, considering everything you told me about the reversion and…your identity. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and it’s been driving me crazy because I can’t make any sense of it.”
“That’s two of us,” I said. “I’ve learned a little more since then, and hopefully there’s time to tell it all.”
Even if the news Isa gave was dire, it was still good to learn about the outside world. Isolated as Northold was, it was still connected to the rest of the Red Wild. Up here, it might take weeks for news to spread, but there were at least things to learn. It came as a shock that everything seemed to be getting worse. I had been worried about Mindless invasions, and instead, a lot of the Elekai were hoping for an invasion of the Covenant.
I still had so many questions, but it was time for Isaru and me to do our own explaining.
“We can answer any questions you have,” I said. “We were…rushed, when we were leaving the Sanctum. And what we had to do was necessary, even if it’s led us here, of all places. You deserve to know everything.”
“It looks like you’ve both been through a lot. Still…I need to know.”
There was a long silence. It was as if Isaru and I didn’t know where to start. But at last, Isaru started talking, beginning from where we left Isa behind, just over two weeks ago. We told her everything, from my meeting with my parents, how my former best friend, Shara, had become a Hunter, and how we were forced to go to Hyperborea to find the Prophecy of Annara in exchange for their lives. I briefly touched on Jorla’s death, because I didn’t want to upset Isaru. He became quiet after that, so I had to do most of the explaining. I mentioned all the things we’d encountered on the way, from the fight with Mithras at the Sphere, to crossing the desert, until we reached the events of the last few days, which included the Forest of Mazes and the Watchers at Auberin. We even mentioned the bear, even if it wasn’t that important. And hastily, I added in my dreams at the end. Even if I was explaining as fast as I could talk, it took hours.
She listened quietly for the most part, only interrupting to offer Isaru sympathy for Jorla’s death and to ask a few clarifying questions. She wanted to know why I hadn’t revealed my identity to the priests in the Sphere, and I told her that it was because I didn’t feel like the timing was right.
By the time all was said, all that we could think of, anyway, the sun had lowered halfway in the sky. Isaru and I sat quietly, waiting for Isa to take it all in.
And then, I remembered I’d left out the dreams I’d had about Mia. So I told her about those, too.
“I’ve heard stories of that Forest of Mazes,” she said. “You would have been better off trying to sneak through Haven, like you were talking about…even if that stranger was blocking the way. Hasar, you said his name was? It’s lucky that he saved you. I just wonder who he is.”
“We don’t know,” Isaru said. “He hasn’t told us, and he always appears just in the nick of time, right before we get ourselves killed. It’s happened twice so far and we’re no closer to knowing who he is or what his motives are.”
“So he’s always watching,” Isa said. “Even now.”
I hadn’t wanted Isa to worry about that, but then again, it was probably true.
“And what the dragons told you worries me as well,” Isa said, picking at some pink grass growing out of the xen. “Only a blind person couldn’t see that things are changing, especially here in the north. No one lives north of here anymore, save the Watchers. You might not have even noticed, but even Northold is far emptier than it is, usually. Many are fleeing south, and many of the northern farms lie fallow. Life has always been hard up here, but it’s only going to get harder. Add to that all the blighted crops and Mindless attacks, it’s strange that anyone decides to stay here.”
“What about Northold?” I asked. “Is it safe?”
“We have the wall, so there’s that. However, there are always things even a wall can’t defend. That said, every man is required to enroll in the militia. It’s always been that way. They drill five times a week now instead of just once, but thankfully, they haven’t had to put their training to use yet.”
“There is definitely something dark in the north,” Isaru said. “We can only hope that it stays there for now.”
I was reminded of the swarm of dragons flying south, toward what I thought was Colonia. That had been over a week ago, and I had completely failed to mention it to Isa.
“Have you heard about anything bad happening to Colonia? We saw a dragon swarm, flying south, while on the Colorado.”
“Besides rumors of a single dragon, nothing,” Isa said. “I know that had to be Jorla. Those dragons must have been Generationals. It’s becoming a common sight. Every few months, a few more will fly over Northold. They are abandoning the land, leaving it for the Mindless. Dragons are the gardeners of the Wild. Without them, the reversions spread even faster. If they’ve given up hope, what does that mean for us?”
It was a good point, and it certainly did feel that things would get worse before they got better.
“What you told me about my father…troubles me greatly. He doesn’t think rationally about a lot of things,” Isaru said, after a moment
. “Perhaps even most things. He hates the Covenant and just wants to use me as a pretext to move against them. They are weak right now. Their war with the Covenant was long, and there are very few who can take up their swords. They were only spared because of the rebellion in Nova, which forced their legions to turn back.”
I hadn’t heard of that, though it made sense that the Covenant would have wanted its people to think the Novans had given up because of the Colonians’ valor. And news of the outside world had been the last thing on my mind while I was studying in the Sanctum, though it made sense that Isaru would be more interested in keeping up to date.
“He wouldn’t really start anything, would he?” Isa asked.
“As I said, he hates the Covenant,” Isaru said. “And many Elekai still see Colonia as our birthright. After all, it was we who founded the city. Most have learned to let it go, but there will always be those who beat the war drums. The Makai might also help, but they have always been warlike. Even the Novans leave them alone for the most part, and that will be especially true given Nova’s internal struggles. The point is…sometimes there’s a perfect political storm that allows for something unimaginable as war to happen.”
All this because I was just trying to save my parents. It was so hard to believe, and yet everything Isa had explained made sense, along with Isaru’s analysis.
“I don’t understand,” Isa said. “You mentioned that you weren’t using dragons, but you never explained fully why.”
“With Jorla…gone…” Isaru gathered himself to continue. “The only option would be a tamed Askaleen. Something I simply couldn’t get. There is Cloud, but he’s still at the Sanctum, the last I knew. Furthermore, we were prohibited from flying by Valance and Shara. We asked how they would know if we did use a dragon, and they said they just would, which I still don’t understand. For that matter, we weren’t supposed to tell anyone what we were doing, and we only broke that rule just now, with you.”
