Blood of the Earth

by David A. Wells

  The beast broke through the thick underbrush into the shade of the cliff and stopped to roar at them. It was terrifying and awesome all at once. Alexander saw in a glance that it was a creature of magic and darkness rather than a natural-born species. At least there was probably only one.

  “I’ve found a cave, My Love,” Chloe said in his mind. “Come quickly.”

  The beast charged. Alexander drew Mindbender and called forth the illusion of a dragon, rearing back, wings spread wide as though preparing to strike.

  The beast’s charge faltered and it roared in challenge but held its ground against the illusion.

  “Run along the cliff,” Alexander said. “Chloe’s found a cave.”

  They raced along the base of the cliff through the ferns that covered the forest floor. Alexander split his focus between running for his life, maintaining the illusion of the dragon, and watching the creature with his all around sight. It was a delicate balancing act. When the beast attacked the dragon and found nothing but empty air, it roared in rage and frustration before turning its attention on Alexander and his fleeing friends.

  They reached a narrow crack in the cliff face and filed in one by one. Alexander was the last to enter and squeezed into the safety of the fissure just as the beast reached him, snarling and snapping. Alexander was just out of reach but still close enough to smell the beast’s fetid breath as it roared in frustrated rage at his narrow escape.

  The fissure ran for twenty feet into the cliff before opening up into a cave. Alexander was so focused on the beast that he had paid no heed to the cave. When he stepped into the large semi-round cavern, he realized that he and his friends were surrounded by more than thirty men armed with stone-tipped spears. From the looks of the cave, the primitives took refuge there regularly.

  Hector and Horace stood in front of Isabel with swords drawn. Jack was nowhere to be seen. Isabel’s colors flared with power as she cast her shield spell. The colors of the men surrounding them showed mostly fear and apprehension, but no malice.

  “Hold,” Alexander said as he deliberately sheathed Mindbender and stepped forward with his hands held palms up.

  “We don’t want to fight you,” he said.

  The man leading the group of primitives stepped forward and appraised Alexander for a moment before he gestured for him to follow. He turned on his heel and headed through the gloom to a passage leading out of the cave on the far side. The primitives encircled them, motioning for them to follow their leader.

  “I guess they’ve invited us in,” Alexander said. “Remain vigilant,” he added for Jack’s benefit. As long as the bard was unseen, they had an advantage. Chloe also remained invisible, and Isabel kept Slyder in the trees outside the fissure in the cliff.

  The primitives led them through a series of natural passages cut through the stone by water and time. Yellow lichen grew on the walls, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the cave system. Alexander considered using his night-wisp dust but decided against it. These people might not react well to such magic.

  The passages led steadily up as they wound through the gut rock of the cliff. Occasionally, they came to stairs cut into the stone that eased their passage up particularly steep sections of cave.

  The primitives spoke guardedly amongst themselves in a language that was totally foreign and unintelligible to Alexander. He wondered if Jack could understand anything they were saying but didn’t want to risk exposing the bard to find out.

  After half an hour they emerged onto a natural shelf on the side of the cliff face. It was nearly two hundred feet wide from the back wall that rose several hundred feet above them to the edge of the cliff that fell nearly five hundred feet to the forest floor. The shelf ran a mile or more along the face of the cliff, forming a naturally safe place for their village. Spread out among the sparse trees were huts made of wood and grass.

  More primitives began to approach as the hunting party brought Alexander and his friends into the village. Soon they were surrounded by hundreds of people who had stopped the mundane chores of their day to come see the newcomers.

  They seemed both curious and afraid. Alexander imagined that these people didn’t often have guests and he wasn’t sure how they might decide to react, but he was hopeful that they would be peaceful and maybe even helpful. Their colors revealed a simple people without malice or guile.

  They were dressed in skins or furs, wore leather sandals, and used stone or bone tools and weapons. In spite of their lack of advancement and the absence of metals, woven cloth, and agriculture, they seemed well fed and even happy with their isolated lives.

  Alexander wondered how long they must have lived like this. It was entirely possible, even probable, that these people were the descendants of those who had survived on the Reishi Isle after the war ended and the rest of the island went wild. He wondered if this was the only village on the island or if there were other isolated enclaves of human habitation that had survived the millennia.

  An older man approached with six others trailing behind him. He was dressed similarly to the rest of the people but wore a necklace adorned with the teeth of several predatory creatures. He carried a staff that was capped with a human skull, bleached white and carved with scores of intricate symbols.

  When Alexander saw the faint colors of magic emanating from the staff, he sent his all around sight closer and examined the details of the skull as the elder approached. Many of the symbols were unknown to him but he did see each of the seven symbols of power used to draw a circle of protection—the very same symbols forged into Mindbender’s blade.

  The leader of the hunting party bowed his head deferentially to the elder as he approached. They spoke for a moment before the elder stepped up to Alexander. The crowd fell silent as the elder gazed intently into his golden eyes. After several moments, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding to himself before turning to the six men behind him and speaking briefly.

  The six bowed respectfully and turned as one, heading for a large hut in the center of the village. The village elder bowed formally to Alexander, then motioned to his heart with one hand and Alexander’s heart with the other before clasping his hands together firmly.

  Alexander saw a mixture of hope, expectation, and fear in his colors. He had no idea what to make of it but at least he didn’t see hostility or guile.

  “Little One, do you have any idea what he’s saying?” Alexander asked Chloe in his mind.

  “No, My Love, but I advise caution. Primitives often make very significant agreements with strangers. He could be welcoming you to stay the night or he could be offering you his daughter in marriage.”

  “Let’s hope it’s just a place to stay for the night,” Alexander replied silently. “I’d rather not go back down there with that thing roaming around.”

  “You sure you know what you’re doing?” Isabel whispered.

  “I hope so,” Alexander said.

  He nodded to the elder and repeated the series of gestures back to him.

  The crowd seemed to relax and started talking again as if something had been decided.

  The elder escorted Alexander and his friends to a large wooden hut in the center of the village.

  Alexander took in the interior of the structure with his all around sight. Each long wall was lined with rows of rough-cut wooden benches worn smooth from use. A well-crafted, stone fire pit filled the center of the room with the embers of a fire still glowing softly. The floor was covered with woven-grass mats and there were seven low chairs surrounding the pit—little more than timber rounds topped with cushions made of woven grass and filled with wool or feathers.

  Six other elders were already seated around the burned-out fire. The chief elder motioned for Alexander and his friends to sit on the nearest bench as he took his seat around the fire and the room filled up with members of the village.

  Alexander picked out Jack from his colors and gave him a nod.

  What followed was a lively debat
e between the elders with occasional input from several villagers, including a very old woman and the leader of the hunting party. The chief elder said nothing but listened intently.

  Alexander watched with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. All he really wanted from these people was a safe place to stay for the night in the hopes that the beast in the forest would lose interest and move on to other prey. From the tone and emotion of the discussion, it was apparent that these people had other ideas.

  “What do you think they’re talking about?” Isabel asked.

  “Us,” Alexander said with a sidelong grin.

  She poked him in the ribs.

  The debate lasted for the better part of an hour before the chief elder stood and the room fell silent. He spoke briefly in a manner that suggested he was proposing a course of action. Once he finished speaking, he looked to each of the other six elders for their consent. Each nodded in turn.

  “Looks like they’ve made a decision,” Alexander said quietly.

  The chief elder pointed at Alexander with his staff and motioned for him to follow. Alexander and his friends followed the elder to a smaller hut off to the side of the village and closer to the cliff. It was a tiny structure, barely big enough for two people. The elder held the leather flap aside and motioned for Alexander to enter.

  When Isabel tried to follow after him, the elder barred her path with his staff and shook his head gravely.

  “I’ll be all right,” Alexander said.

  “I don’t like this,” Isabel said.

  “It can’t be much worse than that beast down below,” Alexander said. “Stay sharp.”

  The elder followed him inside and allowed the tent flap to fall closed, plunging the tiny room into darkness. In the center of the room was a small table with a shallow stone bowl resting on it. Woven-grass mats covered the dirt floor on opposite sides of the table. The elder motioned to one as he lowered himself onto the other.

  As Alexander sat down, the elder withdrew a small wooden box from under the table and gingerly selected three dried flower buds one by one which he placed within the shallow stone bowl. He took a hot coal from a small stone pot and placed it into the bowl. Within seconds the flowers started to smoke, quickly filling the small hut with a sweet, pungent aroma. The elder breathed the smoke-laden air deeply and encouraged Alexander to do the same. He was a bit unsure about it but as he breathed, he began to feel more relaxed and present in the moment.

  A few minutes later the old woman who had spoken at the gathering of elders entered, carefully carrying a bowl half filled with a dark liquid. Without a word, she handed it to the elder and then left.

  The elder took the bowl, spoke a few words over it and drank deeply. Then he handed it to Alexander, who was becoming more dubious about the whole thing but he reasoned that the contents were probably safe, so he took a drink of the sweet liquid and handed it back to the elder. The elder nodded approvingly, set the bowl aside and closed his eyes.

  Within a few moments Alexander felt a deep calm settle over him. His eyes closed involuntarily and quite suddenly he found himself standing in a forest with the elder.

  He looked around for any sign of a threat but all he saw were ancient trees and the undergrowth of a wild and healthy forest.

  “My name is Rentu,” the elder said.

  “I’m Alexander. Where are we and how are we speaking the same language?”

  “We are dreaming together,” Rentu said.

  “Why are we here?”

  “I’ve brought you here to determine if you are a threat to my people,” Rentu said. “We have dreamed many prophecies that speak of a time when outsiders will bring war and destruction to our home. We are here to see if you are the outsiders our dreams have warned us about.”

  “I don’t understand,” Alexander said. “How can you see into the future?” Even as he asked the question, a thrill ran up his spine because he had experienced future sight himself. The implications of being able to see even farther into the future were staggering.

  “In the dream, time does not matter,” Rentu said. “We cannot know with certainty what will happen, but we can see some of your possible futures. Ultimately, free will and chance will determine how your life unfolds, but this place allows us to follow some of the more likely paths that you might travel.”

  As dubious and wary as Alexander was about the claims Rentu was making, he couldn’t help being curious. He’d witnessed magic do impossible things, used his own magic to see a few crucial moments into the future when it mattered most. If Rentu could help him see some of the challenges he might face in the coming months or years, he would be better prepared to meet them.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Alexander said.

  “I will guide you,” Rentu said. “All that is required is your consent.”

  Alexander nodded. “I consent.”

  “We will travel through time to many possible futures,” Rentu said. “We can only observe. Those living in the futures we will visit will not see us or know of our existence. I must warn you, Alexander, dreaming the future is sometimes traumatic and difficult, often showing us frightening possibilities. Accept what you see with the understanding that it is only one possible future.”

  “I’m ready,” Alexander said.

  Rentu nodded, and the forest abruptly vanished and just as quickly they were standing on a rocky outcropping overlooking a beach on the northern coast of the Reishi Isle. Alexander wasn’t sure how he knew their location, just that he was certain of it.

  A great armada of enormous ships was anchored offshore and the ocean was filled with longboats ferrying troops onshore. A great battle was being fought between Alexander’s forces and the army of Zuhl.

  Alexander scanned the battle and found his future self fighting toward a raised platform erected on the beach where several wizards were casting terrible black magic into his forces. Jataan was fighting at his side, but Anatoly, Abigail, and Isabel were nowhere to be seen.

  When he looked at his own colors, he saw resignation and loss. Zuhl was winning.

  “Perhaps these are the outsiders we have seen in our dreams,” Rentu said.

  “This is Zuhl’s army,” Alexander said. “He’s trying to conquer the world. If he succeeds, everyone everywhere will suffer for it. He’s one of my enemies.”

  “It appears that your forces are vastly outnumbered and yet you fight,” Rentu said.

  “If we’re fighting on this beach, it probably means he’s already taken all of the other islands,” Alexander said. “This looks like my last stand and it doesn’t look good. Can you show me the events that led up to this time and place?”

  “The dream doesn’t work like that,” Rentu said. “It only reveals turning points and significant events that change the outcome of the dreamer’s life.”

  “Does this answer your question? Are these the outsiders you saw in your dream?” Alexander asked.

  “In some of the futures we dreamed that men such as these were the destroyers,” Rentu said, “but not all. There are still many other possibilities to explore.”

  The beach faded away and they were standing in a stone room. Phane was there with Isabel at his side. Her colors were the dark and muddy colors of evil. She had been turned. Alexander felt a sickness well up within him, but he schooled his emotions and reminded himself that this was only one possible future.

  He scanned the room and found his future self kneeling in shackles.

  “You have carried the day, My Lord,” Isabel said to Phane. “The pretender is at your mercy and only Zuhl remains between you and your rightful place as Sovereign. May I kill him quickly, as you promised?”

  “No,” Phane said. “It displeases me that you still have feelings for this upstart. He has caused me no end of trouble and I believe I would like to see him suffer before he dies.”

  “My Lord, please don’t be angry,” Isabel said. “My loyalty to you is absolute and unshakable, but you gave me your word that he wou
ld die quickly and without suffering if I brought him before you.”

  “Did I?” Phane said. “I don’t recall ever saying that. No, he will suffer before I send his soul into the netherworld where he will suffer even more.”

  “Don’t do this, Isabel,” Alexander’s future self said. “I know you still have goodness in you. You have to fight this.”

  Isabel looked at him quizzically and frowned. “But I don’t want to,” she said.

  Phane made a dismissive gesture and two big guards roughly dragged Alexander off to the torture chambers.

  Alexander swallowed hard and fought to still the trembling in his stomach. That he had lost to Phane was bad enough, but that Isabel had delivered him into his enemy’s grasp was intolerable. He looked at Rentu beseechingly.

  The elder nodded and the world changed again. This time they were standing in a cave. Alexander recognized the place. He had seen it with his clairvoyance. It was the cavern where the Nether Gate was hidden.

  A battle was taking place. He and Isabel were fighting against several Reishi Army Regency soldiers led by a wizard and a wraithkin. Jack was there, as were Hector and Horace. Rexius Truss, possessed by Jinzeri, was standing behind the Nether Gate watching the battle unfold.

  The Regency soldiers fell easily to Mindbender and Isabel’s magic. Hector and Horace fought well, without flash or wasted movement but deadly quick and accurate with their short swords. As Alexander and his friends fought the soldiers, the wraithkin stole the keystone from Jinzeri and fled the cavern with the shade in pursuit.

  Alexander and his friends were victorious against the remaining soldiers and the wizard, but they lost the wraithkin and the keystone in the bargain.

  “We have not seen this place before,” Rentu said, “but I recognize those soldiers as the other group of outsiders that we have seen in our dreams.”

  “Those are Phane’s soldiers. They’re here to get the keystone to the Nether Gate,” Alexander said, pointing.

  “This Nether Gate looks to be a most dangerous device,” Rentu said with a frown. “We have not seen it in our dreams.”