Balestone

by Toby Neighbors

  Chapter 10

  Olyva

  She would have preferred to walk, but she would have struggled to keep up with the horses. Tiberius, Rafe, and Lexi all enjoyed riding, but Olyva felt uneasy and vulnerable. She was strongest when she had both feet planted firmly on the ground, where she could let her toes burrow into the soft turf and where she could feel the signals the earth sent to her. Still, she had to admit that crossing the great expansive plains was liberating in a way. She had enjoyed their time with the Hoskali and, had they decided to live out the rest of their lives among the nomadic tribes, she would have been content, but riding across the prairie with the sun shining down on them was refreshing.

  When they’d first left Avondale, Olyva had been terrified, and if Rafe and Tiberius weren’t terrified, then they were close to it. They knew nothing of the blighted lands in those first few days and had very nearly died on more than one occasion, but they had risen to the challenge and were well equipped for the journey now.

  Olyva could feel the air pressure changing and she guessed that it would rain on them sometime that night. Olyva didn’t mind the rain, but she didn’t want their supplies getting wet.

  “Rain is coming,” she told Rafe. “We should find shelter before dark.”

  “How can you tell it’s going to rain?” Tiberius asked.

  “I can sense the change in air pressure.”

  “Air pressure?” he asked.

  “Yes, the air feels different. It feels heavier.”

  “I can’t feel anything,” Lexi said.

  “If she says it’s going to rain…” Rafe said, trying not to let the exasperation he felt show up in his voice but failing.

  “I’m sorry if it bothers you that I can tell when it’s going to rain, but I can. I think it is a gift, not a curse,” Olyva said with just a touch of her old haughtiness.

  “I agree,” said Tiberius, and Lexi nodded.

  “I didn’t say it was a curse. It’s just different, that’s all,” Rafe argued.

  “And what if she hadn’t warned us about the Draccon?” Lexi said. “I think her new skills are invaluable.”

  Olyva smiled at Lexi, who returned the gesture. Tiberius looked at Rafe with a mischievous grin, which caused the young warrior to grunt.

  “Well, I don’t know where we’ll find any kind of shelter out here. This place is as barren as an old woman.”

  “Rafe!” Olyva said.

  “I think that may be offensive,” Tiberius said.

  “It is offensive,” Olyva said irritably. “Just because there are no hills or trees, you think there is nothing here, but the plains are teeming with life. You just have to slow down and see it.”

  “Do you have any ideas?” Tiberius asked Olyva.

  “We have the supplies that the Hoskali gave us,” she replied.

  “But they didn’t give us a tent,” Lexi said.

  “No, but some of the skins would keep our food and other supplies dry,” Olyva explained. “We just need to make sure we stop in time to see to everything before it gets dark.”

  They rode all afternoon, and when they finally stopped, Olyva was sore. Her back ached, and her backside felt bruised. They took Olyva’s advice and covered everything that needed to stay dry. A quick search provided them with enough tamaka dung to kindle a small fire, which Tiberius started with a few words. They lounged once the sun set, and everyone seemed happy.

  Olyva kept her distance from the fire, but she nibbled on some of the bread and dried fruit that the Hoskali had provisioned them with. It made Rafe happy to see her eating, but Olyva was tired and quickly fell asleep. The rain came around midnight and fell in cold, fat drops. Olyva woke up long enough to check on the others. They were huddled together under a large tamaka hide, but Olyva let the rain soak her. She lay on the wet grass and slept blissfully, despite the wet conditions.

  The next morning the amber mists high above seemed dim. Olyva didn’t mind her wet clothes or the cooler temperatures, but she missed the sun terribly. There was still enough light to energize her, but she missed the way the light made every inch of her body sing with ecstasy.

  “I guess we should keep moving,” Rafe said.

  “How far do you think Hamill Keep is?” Lexi asked.

  “It’s impossible to tell,” Tiberius said. “I was thinking about the maps of the nine cities. The spaces between the cities were blank.”

  “Isn’t Wangoria and Sparlan Citadel to the northwest of Avondale?” Rafe asked.

  “Yes,” Tiberius replied.

  “So we should start moving northwest,” Rafe said. “Eventually we’re bound to find something that will give a clue as to where we are.”

  “Alright,” Tiberius said. “Repperi Arctoa.”

  Olyva watched Tiberius closely. She couldn’t feel the magic he controlled, but there was something familiar about his actions. It was almost as if she’d seen a wizard controlling magic before, but she knew she hadn’t. She had never even heard anyone talk of magic until she met Tiberius. In Hamill Keep, magic was seen as a curse, and it was certainly not a subject a young lady discussed.

  “North is that way,” Tiberius pointed. “So northwest would be there.”

  They set off again, this time walking their horses and stretching their sore backsides. Rafe was the only person who seemed unaffected by long hours in the saddle. It took them two more days before they saw anything other than vast empty plains. They were riding again when Lexi’s pet began to chatter excitedly.

  “Okay, okay, calm down,” Lexi said to the little animal.

  “What’s she see?” Tiberius asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lexi said.

  She tossed the animal into the air, and it took flight. They all watched the little animal as it spread its legs and stretched the skin between its limbs to catch the air currents. It rose higher and higher, like one of the large airships that traversed the blighted lands high above the mists. After a few moments, Lexi conveyed what the little animal was seeing.

  “Mountains,” Lexi said. “That way.”

  She pointed west, but Olyva couldn’t see anything but empty prairie.

  “Is it Avondale?” Tiberius said worriedly. “Have we gone in a circle?”

  “No,” Lexi said. “The mountains look different.”

  “Different how?” Rafe asked.

  “They’re more rugged,” Lexi explained. “Rocky and bare.”

  “We must be getting close to Hamill Keep,” Olyva said. She tried to keep the excitement at bay but found she couldn’t. “It’s rugged and bare, not like Avondale.”

  “I guess that’s good news,” Tiberius said.

  “How will we even know where the cities are?” Rafe asked. “Won’t they be above the mists?”

  “We’ll have to try and climb anything that rises above the mists,” Tiberius said. “I’ve been in the airship with my father and I don’t remember ever seeing anything that rises above the mists other than the nine cities.”

  “So we’ll just be guessing?” Rafe said. “I don’t look forward to climbing mountains only to discover we’re in the wrong place.”

  “If you have a better idea…” Tiberius said.

  “Maybe Dancer can fly up and see,” Lexi said as the little animal landed softly on her shoulder.

  The day grew darker as they moved closer to the mountains. Soon they could see the foothills, which were huge hills after so much time traveling across the prairie. The air became foul, and Olyva felt weak. She could tell the air was tainted. It was more than just a bad smell; there was actually something in the air, something unnatural. The grass died away, first turning brown, then disappearing all together. A fine dust was kicked up under the hooves of their horses.

  “This is what Hamill Keep is like?” Rafe asked.

  “No,” Olyva said. “It is a hard place. The mountain is craggy and sparse, but it isn’t tainted. There is something wrong with this place.”

  “It smells bad, for one thing,”
Rafe said.

  “It’s more than that,” Tiberius said. “I can feel a coldness here that is unnatural.”

  “Maybe we should ride around it,” Lexi suggested. “Dancer seems afraid.”

  The little animal was quivering on Lexi’s shoulder. Olyva was afraid, too, but she didn’t reveal her fear to the others. She felt sick to her stomach, and the gray light seemed to push down on her, making her bow in the saddle.

  “That could take us days out of our way,” Tiberius said.

  Rafe glanced at Olyva, and a look of worry crossed his face.

  “I don’t think we should do anything to extend our trip,” he said. “Let’s just get there as fast as we can.”

  They rode on, and the amber-colored sky turned gray, eventually growing dark as the mists looked more and more like thunderclouds than the bright fog that covered the plains. Olyva could tell that most of the natural wildlife she had seen and heard on the prairie were nowhere near the dark place. It was as if the entire area was lifeless.

  “What is that?” Lexi asked, pointing ahead. “It looks like buildings.”

  “It could be a village,” Tiberius said.

  “Out here?” Rafe asked.

  “Why not?” Tiberius said. “If it is, maybe we can trade for fresh supplies.”

  “I’m not sure I want anything from this place,” Lexi said.

  “Come on, I’m sure it’s fine.”

  Another hour passed, and they began to make out details of the city — or what used to be a city. There were buildings, although they were mostly rubble now. Still, some of the buildings were tall and had very precise angles.

  “Look at that,” Tiberius said in awe.

  “It must be from before the cataclysm,” Rafe said.

  “It’s unbelievable,” Tiberius added.

  “It looks deserted,” Lexi said. “We should avoid it.”

  “Why?” Tiberius said. “If it’s deserted, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  “Our goal is to get to Hamill Keep,” Rafe said. “There’s no reason to stop if we don’t have to.”

  “We have to take shelter for the night somewhere,” Tiberius said. “It’ll be dark soon. Let’s just look and see if there is something we can use to build a fire.”

  They rode into the deserted city. The ground was hard under the layer of fine dirt. The city spread out between the roots of two huge hills, and there were ruins that climbed either side of the massive valley. Some of the buildings were still very tall, although there didn’t seem to be any structure in the ruined city that wasn’t damaged.

  “I’ll bet a battle ruined this place,” Tiberius said.

  “What do you mean?” Rafe asked. “Siege engines?”

  “Magic,” Tiberius said. “I can’t think of anything else that could cause so much damage.”

  “Is it really a good idea to be staying the night in a place like this?” Lexi asked.

  “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t,” Tiberius said.

  “Maybe because the cataclysm drove people onto the highest mountains,” Lexi argued. “There must have been a reason why they would just abandon their cities.”

  “She’s right,” Rafe said. “If some foul magic was used here, it could affect us all.”

  “Come on,” Tiberius said, “let’s be reasonable. It’s been over a century since the cataclysm. Anything done then would have passed long before now. Besides, I can sense magic, and there is nothing here out of the ordinary.”

  “Except a giant city that was completely abandoned,” Rafe said.

  “We don’t have to go far,” Tiberius said. “Look, there is a building that is mostly intact.”

  He pointed to a smaller structure. The building could have been a home, Olyva guessed, although it was very different from anything she was used to. The structure was square, almost like a child’s block, but one corner was demolished. There were tall openings all around the bottom side of the building, but the roof seemed intact. It wasn’t made from stones or timber but appeared to be one single block, almost as if it were carved from a huge boulder, but there were no chisel marks.

  “Fine,” Rafe said. “We could all use a break, but we leave at first light.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Lexi said.

  Olyva didn’t like it either, but the oppressive feeling she was struggling with was growing worse, and she didn’t speak.

  Tiberius slipped from his saddle with a look of excitement on his face.

  “I’ll go in search of firewood,” he said.

  “It’s better if you don’t go alone,” Rafe said. “I’ll take Olyva and the horses. We’ll get settled. Don’t stay gone long.”

  “We won’t,” Tiberius said.

  Olyva thought Lexi looked frightened, but she didn’t complain. She dismounted and handed her reins to Rafe. Then she checked the dagger that was tucked into her belt. Olyva saw Rafe nod as if he approved of her precautions. Then he led the horses forward. Olyva’s mount followed without any instruction from her. She was little more than a passenger, no different than a flea on the back of a dog.

  Rafe dismounted when they approached the strange building. He tied the horses to a post that protruded from the strange structure. Olyva slid off her horse and looked at the building. She ran a hand over the smooth surface. It was hard and cold, like stone, but it was different. It had an almost molded look to it, the way pottery sometimes did before it was fired and glazed.

  Rafe looked through the large openings. There were shards of glass still in the frames, and Olyva realized the openings had been windows. There was no door, just a gaping hole like a missing tooth. The floor of the building was covered in dirt, just like everything else, but there were furnishings still inside. Most were broken down, either by wear or age. The floor was blackened under the hole in the corner of the roof, and Olyva guessed that others had sheltered in the strange structure.

  “This is strange,” Rafe said. “I should check the interior. You stay here with the horses.”

  Olyva nodded. She didn’t want to go inside the building, although she didn’t know if it was because the structure was so strange or because she wanted to be outside. The thought of being cooped up, even in the grandeur of an earl’s palace, seemed stifling to her now. She wanted to feel the air moving on her skin. She wanted to soak in the sunlight and feel the earth beneath her feet. She couldn’t do that indoors, and she had no desire to hide herself away from the elements.

  “It’s empty,” Rafe said, coming back into the front room. “Lots of sleeping chambers and such. It must have been a lord’s home.”

  Olyva nodded but didn’t speak. She had a feeling of foreboding that was quickly sliding towards terror, but she couldn’t explain it. Instead she helped Rafe unsaddle the horses. They brushed each of the animals down and poured each a little water from their dwindling supplies.

  “We’ll need to find fresh water tomorrow,” Rafe said. “These horses are suffering, and we’ll be out of water soon, too.”

  “I wish we could find water now,” Olyva said in a soft voice.

  “I wouldn’t want to drink anything from this place,” Rafe said.

  “There is nothing good here,” Olyva agreed. “We should move on.”

  “We will, but Ti’s right — it’ll be dark soon. At least here we’ve got a little shelter for the night.”

  Olyva wanted to argue, but she didn’t. She just followed Rafe into the gloom of the building and did her best to pretend she wasn’t afraid they wouldn’t make it through the night.

  Chapter 11

  Tiberius

  Tiberius hadn’t thought about the fact that he might learn more about magic among the abandoned cities of the blighted lands, but he couldn’t deny that since he’d first spotted the ruins of the vast city at the foot of the mountains, his hopes were elevated. The blighted lands were supposed to be a nightmarish place where no man could survive. It was true that there were large creatures and dangers that Tiberius
had never imagined, but the blighted lands were not the hellish wastes he’d always supposed they were.

  Now, as he walked through the streets of what had once been a very significant city, he couldn’t help but wonder if there were hidden treasures just waiting to be revealed. For all Tiberius knew, he was the first wizard to walk through those dirt-covered streets since the cataclysm. He reminded himself that the Hoskali had wizards — they called them kujas — but Tiberius still felt a thrill.

  “Tiberius, slow down,” Lexi said. “You need to be more careful.”

  “Careful of what?” Tiberius asked.

  “You don’t know what could be lurking in these ruins,” Lexi said. “Let’s just find some wood and go back.”

  “Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” he asked. “Think of what life was like here before the cataclysm. There must have been tens of thousands of people living here.”

  “And they probably all died here, too,” Lexi said. “Ten thousand ghosts just waiting to exact revenge.”

  “You don’t really believe that.”

  “No, but any kind of creature could be hiding here,” she warned him.

  The sky was growing darker by the minute, and as much as he hated to admit it, Tiberius knew that Lexi was right. The alleys between the tall buildings were full of shadows and rubble. He spotted the remains of a wooden fence, the boards having long ago been knocked out of alignment.

  “There,” Tiberius said, pointing to the fence. “We can get some wood and go back.”

  “Okay,” Lexi said, the relief evident in her voice.

  Tiberius led the way to the fence. The boards were thin and leaning precariously. One touch and it was obvious the boards were completely rotten. Tiberius pulled on the fence, and it came apart easily.

  “This will work,” he said.

  “It won’t burn long,” Lexi said. “Not like the tamaka dung.”