by C. Gold
Radcliff kept a firm grip on his elbow.
A group of warriors ran up to Ekewaka. One shot a rather menacing look at Radcliff before pushing him aside.
Radcliff was surprised at the rudeness but he moved away willingly. That sense of malice was intensifying, and he found it hard to concentrate.
“He doesn’t like you,” Nalani said.
“What?” Radcliff asked, still distracted.
“My papa. He doesn’t like you.”
“We need to run now,” Ekewaka cut in. He still looked weak but had a grim, determined look on his face. The rude warrior stood next to him and barked out something that had people shoving their half-eaten meals back into bundles. Within seconds they were heading out.
Radcliff’s head began throbbing. He ignored it and knelt so Nalani could get back on her perch. Then he began running with the rest. Somehow his senses expanded until he could see and feel the life around him. At first he stumbled when his vision became overlaid with glowing green and white swirls around plants and a kaleidoscope of multiple colors around each person. The ground was nearly solid red with heat signatures of insects and tiny animals, many holed up in underground warrens. It was confusing but also wonderful. Gradually he acclimated to the new view and was able to expand it outward. Deciding to see what was chasing them, he aimed it behind and almost threw up when he slammed into the blackness of a void. It eagerly sucked at his energy so he pulled back.
The gnawing malice churning at the edges of his mind turned gleeful, like a predator picking up the scent of its prey. That was when Radcliff realized the thing in his mind was also what was chasing them. It was growing stronger in both places despite their increased speed.
You need to shield them.
“What?” Radcliff asked.
“Huh?” Nalani replied.
“Did you say something?” Radcliff asked, confused.
“No.” Nalani sounded small and scared. Radcliff wished he could reassure her, but he refused to lie and say everything would be ok. Everyone around him had a wild eyed look and ran in sloppy lopes. They know we have no hope.
You need to shield them right now.
Before Radcliff could ask who was speaking, an image of energy woven into intricate patterns slammed into his mind. In a blink it was gone but left behind a perfect, crystalized imprint of what to do. “Beautiful,” he whispered. Without even thinking, he cast the spell. The net spread out and encompassed most of the group. A few were too far away.
“Nalani, tell everyone to group up tighter.”
“Are you doing a spell?” She perked up and Radcliff could hear the tentative hope in her voice.
“I already have. I can hide everyone, I just need them clumped together.”
Nalani whooped with excitement and did as he asked. Radcliff’s ears were sorry but the sudden spring in everyone’s step was worth it.
“What? No, Radcliff you mustn’t.” Ekewaka called out. He cut through the warriors still at his side and approached.
“Why not?” The malignant thing at the edge of his mind was confused and losing ground as soon as everyone got under the shield. It was working.
“You are going to burn yourself out. You might die.”
“If they catch us, I’ll die anyway. At least this way some people live.” He shrugged and bit back a curse from the pain stabbing his temples.
“You don’t understand—”
“No. You’re right, I don’t understand.” Anger spewed up like a geyser. “Nobody tells me anything. Yet you know I don’t remember.” Then he narrowed his eyes as it struck him. “You’re deliberately keeping things from me. But why?”
“You must understand. It is for your own good.”
“If it involves my fate, I should make that choice. Not you.”
“No.” It was Ekewaka’s turn to be angry. “Amira told us you were the one to save everyone. You are the key. You must live.” Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Yet here you work magic anyway without reading your journal. How is that even possible? You’d be more tempted to use it if you knew what you could do.”
“Journal?”
“Shh. We are the only ones to share that secret.” His eyes included Nalani. “Best keep it that way.”
Radcliff stewed in silence. Such arrogance, assuming what was best for him. Just because he lacked memory didn’t mean he deserved to be treated like a child. So, he had a magical gift of some type. That would explain his extra senses, but not everything. “What about the headache?”
Ekewaka’s eyes turned sad. “That is your memory fighting to be freed from the spell binding it. It is burning you up inside.”
Radcliff’s anger died out. It was clear the elder meant well. “What is this spell? And how long do I have?”
“The spell makes you forget each sunrise. You won’t have much longer if you insist on using magic. I bet your head is hurting even now.”
Radcliff’s silence was answer enough. He wasn’t ready to admit anything. Forgetting everything each morning was worse than just thinking he’d hit his head. “How long have I been this way?” he asked, even as he dreaded the answer.
“Highly magical people live very long lives.”
That didn’t bode well. Already Radcliff could feel his stomach ball up into knots. “How long?” he demanded.
“A thousand years,” Ekewaka whispered.
A bolt of lightning would hurt less. The presence in the back of his mind turned attentive again and Radcliff hastily strengthened the shield he’d let slip in his shock. Nalani rubbed his head as if she could tell he was in distress.
You should drop the shield and let them die. What have they done for you?
Huh? This voice sounded different from the one that gave him the shield spell. A burst of sadness washed over him, encouraging him to stop trying.
Go ahead and lay down. You’ve suffered enough.
Who are you? Radcliff growled at the unknown voice. He fought to keep a tight grip on the shield while ignoring the overwhelming desire to give up.
Die. Die. Die. The presence grew angry at his resistance and pushed harder.
“Nalani, sing for me please.” Radcliff latched onto her sweet voice and used it to drown out the thing speaking in his head. “Strange,” he thought, “it didn’t seem like it was from whatever was following us.”
After a few minutes it was gone as abruptly as it came, leaving Radcliff puzzled. He dared not ask about it though since Ekewaka would use it as one more reason he should stop. Unfortunately, based on what he was sensing, the shield was slowing whatever was following but it was still coming. Stopping wasn’t an option even if the pounding in his head was growing unbearable.
The rolling hills became steeper and tall rock formations began sprouting up. The striped pinks and yellows added a cheerfulness to the otherwise desolate rocky landscape. Radcliff barely noticed. The throbbing in his temple turned into a spear jabbing his eyes and they began watering. Still, he said nothing and nobody noticed until he nearly blacked out.
“You need to stop now,” Ekewaka warned, holding him steady in an ironic role reversal. The elder still looked like he could use a week of sleep. Radcliff guessed he probably wasn’t much better off now.
He tried explaining between gasps for breath. “I can feel them. Back there. Following.”
Three warriors stopped to see what the holdup was, including Nalani’s father who gave Radcliff another death glare. One day perhaps he’d ask why the man hated him so much, but right now he didn’t have the energy to care. While Ekewaka chatted with Nalani’s father, Radcliff watched the rest of the people cross a rise and vanish. They were out of his shield now, yet the thing behind hadn’t sped up. Perhaps there was hope of keeping their exact location hidden in this terrain without needing his magic.
The warriors took off and Ekewaka asked, “Ready to run?”
Radcliff smiled weakly. “The day I can’t run is the day I die.” It seemed fitting to use Ekewaka’s st
atement of defiance, especially since he would indeed die if he couldn’t.
Ekewaka clapped him on the arm. “It’s not much farther to the canyon, then you can rest.”
Spurred on by that good news, Radcliff jogged alongside. He could make it. They would make it.
CHAPTER 17
Unlikely Escape
Amira wiped the sweat from her eyes and studied her handiwork. Well, it’d have to do since the villagers would be arriving soon. She’d only had a day to implement the idea that came to her after stewing about her vision four nights back. When her inspiration had finally struck, she hadn’t bothered waiting for sunrise. Instead, she’d awakened a very irate Maleko and explained what she needed. While skeptical, he helped her gather the extra spear tips and ropes. Fortunately, she was familiar with this area from previous journeys and knew how to reach the Yellow Canyon. With Kaholo helping to carry some of the supplies, and only sleeping as long as they had to, they were able to arrive a whole day in advance of the villagers.
She regretted not having real climbing gear as soon as she went to wedge the spear turned climbing pin into the rock face. Fortunately, the tips weren’t barbed or bladed so once she did find a large enough crevice, they hammered in just fine. Magically reinforced for strength and having a long tang, the spears actually made great hand holds. Good thing since they lacked a ring where she’d normally attach a rope. That was taken care of by the sloppy bit of rope strung between outcroppings of rock that covered most, but not all, of the zig zag path made by the spears. Her father would die of embarrassment, but it was pretty exceptional work given the lack of proper equipment. It should work as long as people connected with their own rope and ascended one at a time.
It was time to put the bottom half to the test. “Climb!” she called down to Kaholo who was still at the canyon bottom. Although he had handed her spear points when closer to the ground, he’d balked at climbing higher. Amira wanted to kick herself for that kink in her plan. She supposed it made sense that people who lived on the ground in a thick forest all of their lives would probably have trouble with heights.
She smiled when Kaholo finally began climbing. Like a super slow moving rock lizard he hugged the wall and inched up it. Amira could just picture his white knuckled death grip. Her smile faded as worry churned her gut. This is taking too long.
Amira bounded over the cliff’s edge and scrambled down the rods, her lifelong experience in climbing craggy peaks made this simple structure a breeze. She landed on a rocky ledge that jutted out at roughly the halfway point. Nearly horizontal, the shelf was wide enough for four people to stand on comfortably. It made a perfect resting spot and was one of the reasons she chose this spot to build her makeshift ladder. After checking on Kaholo’s progress, Amira turned north and visualized the other reason this spot was perfect.
Running roughly north to southeast, the Yellow Canyon was mostly straight except for the section she studied. There, the canyon hooked sharply east then west, and the walls narrowed until the river running through it turned to rapids. It was fortunate the water level was low enough to provide a narrow walkway. Three people standing abreast could easily stop an army—a fact she was counting on, assuming the villagers made it past the choke point.
And Radcliff. She hoped he was ok. Even though Ekewaka said he’d look after the wizard, she felt uneasy at the separation. She also found herself missing his sharp wit, general optimism, and enthusiasm for life. If anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself for leaving him. What choice did I have? We’ll all die if this plan fails. No, she couldn’t afford to dwell on that.
A motion off to the side thankfully distracted Amira from her worries. One light brown hand stretched upward and grabbed the rod just above the ledge. Sure enough, the knuckles turned white, making Amira grin. She waited for him to climb onto the ledge, but the hand didn’t move for so long she was contemplating forced assistance. Finally, he shifted up a rung and his head popped up above the ledge. The poor youth was white faced and shaky.
“Good job.” Amira smiled, hoping a bit of praise and good cheer would help build confidence.
It took Kaholo several minutes to inch his way high enough to step onto the ledge. Even then, he maintained a death grip on the rods for the longest time before working up the courage to let go. Once on the shelf, he scuttled away from the edge and pushed up against the wall. His eyes had a wild look to them as they darted across the ledge, snapped away from the downward view, and then looked up. That was when he sank to the ground, put his head in his hands and moaned.
Amira walked over and rubbed soothing circles over his back. “It’ll be ok.”
“Ugh, I feel like a timid pocca.”
Amira smiled at the reference to a small rodent. They were cute balls of fur but afraid of absolutely everything, even their own shadow.
“How am I going to climb the rest?”
“Hey.” She nudged him. “You got this far. The next part is just the same.” Actually, it was a longer climb, but he didn’t need to hear that. While she had hoped to utilize him as an assistant, Amira changed her mind. The sooner he was safely up top, the less she’d have to worry. Unwrapping the short length of rope around her waist she said, “Look, I’m going to tie you so you’ll be totally safe and we’ll climb to the top now. I can find someone else to help.”
“No, it’s ok. You taught me the knots already. May as well stay and be useful.”
“Are you sure?”
Kaholo nodded. “I want to help.”
She was going to say more but right then, several dusty, weary villagers rounded the corner. “I’ll go greet them. You good to stay up here?”
“Yep, I’ll be fine. Better to stay here and save the trouble of climbing that again.” Kaholo gave her a weak smile.
She ruffled his hair playfully. “Ok, I’ll send the first people up soon.”
By the time she reached ground level, Ekewaka was heading to meet her followed by Radcliff. “Radcliff!” Amira shouted, a mixture of joy and relief at seeing him. Her smile died at his confused lack of recognition. She snapped at Ekewaka. “You didn’t make him read it?”
“There was no privacy.”
The elder’s eyes pleaded for understanding but Amira wasn’t having any of that. “You could have found some. You promised!”
Ekewaka sighed. “We were already running before sunrise. You know he has to sleep past then. Besides, I didn’t want him knowing about his magic. He’s getting worse.”
“He is right here,” Radcliff cut in. With his hands on his waist and a frown, it was obvious he was tired of being talked about as if he wasn’t present. He cocked his head to the side. “What is getting worse?”
Ekewaka and Amira exchanged glances. He nodded in deference to her. Great, now she got to explain. It would probably go better if she introduced herself, seeing as how he never got a chance to read his journal. Plastering an ‘I’m annoyed but smiling anyway’ smile on her face, she held out her hand and said, “Hi, I’m Amira, we travel together.”
Reluctantly Radcliff held out his hand for the shake. “What is getting worse?” he asked again.
“You are under a spell that causes your memory loss every sunrise. Ekewaka says you’ve been fighting the binding, and it’s burning you up. Casting spells makes it worse.”
“He already told me about how it’s burning me up, but what was I supposed to do? It was either cast or let whatever is chasing us catch up.”
“Misshapen reanimated corpses of animals,” Amira clarified. She was going to say more but the sound of pounding feet distracted her. Looking over she saw a large group of warriors hoisting their spears and heading north.
Makani peeled off from the group and headed her way with a grim look on his face. He slid to a halt and his words came out rushed. “The enemy have sped up and are headed for the canyon entrance. If you plan on doing something, now’s the time.”
“We are climbing out of the canyon.”
&nb
sp; Makani’s eyes widened. When he looked up the cliff face and saw the rigging, he got very still. Amira figured that look of panic would soon be widespread. As people entered this section of the canyon, they grouped up with friends and family and rested. Not a single person ever looked up. It probably never crossed their minds.
“Ok.” He drew the word out.
At least he wasn’t outright balking. Yet. Deciding that distraction was the best approach to keep him and everyone else from over-thinking her plan, Amira began barking out orders. “Get everyone organized. Adults with smaller children go first. Form a line. Go!”
Makani looked relieved to have something to do besides contemplate the climb and took off running from group to group. In no time, a ragged line formed.
Satisfied with his progress, Amira turned to Ekewaka and Radcliff. “You should get in line too.” She would definitely feel much better when Radcliff was safely up top.
“Get Radcliff out of here, I’m staying,” Ekewaka protested.
“You are going with him,” Maleko said as he stepped up next to Radcliff. “Hello little one,” he addressed a sleepy looking Nalani.
Amira stared at Maleko like he grew another head. Speaking Common when he didn’t absolutely have to?
“Papa!” Nalani reached out her arms and Maleko took her off Radcliff’s shoulders and swung her around before putting her down. “Have you been good?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”
Maleko knelt in front of her. “I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
He undid the leather belt at his waist and showed her the two rectangular boxes. “These are our spirit trees. I’m giving them to you for safekeeping.” The belt had to be looped around her waist a few times before it was securely fastened.
Nalani’s lip quivered. “You’re coming back aren’t you?”
Maleko pulled his daughter into a hug. “Oh Nalani. I love you.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll try.” He held her at arm’s length. “But know this. I’ll always be here.” He placed his palm over her heart. “And if something happens, I’ll be there.” He touched the box with his spirit tree nestled inside.
