“Exactly, you were not adequately prepared. You have very little training and next to no proficiency in the words of power.”
I remained silent, looking at the older image of me, realizing for the first time that this was the true battle. Maelstrom’s purpose was aligned to whoever wielded it. It was neither good nor evil; it was a weapon completely in the control of the person it was bonded to. This was why it was on this campaign to get me killed. It wasn’t that I wasn’t ready or couldn’t control it —even though on many levels this was true, the real reason was that it chafed at being subjected to another will other than its own.
“When was the last time you were bonded to a vessel, that you deemed worthy?”
He glared at me for a moment then turned away and looked off into the distance.
“How long?” I asked again softly, knowing the answer.
He turned to face me again. I stood there feeling a soft breeze blow against us. The grass waved to and fro and I had to remind myself that this was a dream.
I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked to my right to see Owl standing there.
The shock must have registered on my face and Owl smiled. He was dressed in white robes with gold trim. He turned to face a snarling Maelstrom.
“You have no call to be here. This is between the vessel and I,” said Maelstrom.
“I am as much a part of him as are you.”
“You are not the weapon and have no right to be heard.”
“I have every right to be here. Why don’t you answer his question?”
“Because it is of no consequence!” spat out Maelstrom.
Owl clasped his hands before him and looked to the sky. “I disagree. That question above all others is the most relevant. Normally you are quick to action and here you hesitate. Shall I answer the boy?”
“You pretend to know me? I who have existed for millennia? Who saw the birth and death of countless stars? Who has seen the rise and fall of man as I have?”
“All that means is that you are old —very very old. Wisdom is not a condition of age, nor is age a prerequisite of wisdom,” said Owl. Maelstrom crossed his arms and glared. I had gotten over my shock at seeing Owl here. Somehow it wasn’t so surprising and made sense in a strange way.
“I will tell you the answer he cannot, because he knows it will be his undoing.” Owl looked at Maelstrom with something like pity in his eyes. “Every vessel this weapon has possessed has died an untimely death shortly after bonding with it. Just as you would have had you attacked the Rah Ven, causing your death and the death of your comrades.” Even in a dream I felt my throat close and my mouth go dry. I had been so close to total destruction.
“Why?” was all I could manage.
“This existence is a punishment for the being that he once was. He who controlled multitudes must now surrender to control. Throughout all this time that one trait was allowed to persist. And so although he may no longer have any recollection of what it was to be as he was, he still remembers what it is to be free. Being bonded robs him of that and so he plots and schemes his vessels death to be free once again.”
“It’s not so simple but I don’t expect you to understand, vessel. Suffice it to say that your death eases this curse I call being. So what say you now Dante? Now that you know the answer to your question, what is your reply?”
Owl looked at me. The wind was blowing stronger now and clouds had gathered on the horizon. Somehow I knew this meant the dream was coming to an end.
“Maelstrom, I know you can’t be free without my death and I have grown fond of living as of late. I can assure you that if there is a way to attain your freedom and my life, then I will find it. Until then, can we establish a truce?” I extended my hand towards him. “Will you really do this, do I have your word as bond?” he asked.
“If I do not honor my word, may my life be forfeit.” Maelstrom smiled a smile that turned my stomach. “This is agreeable.” he said above the ever-increasing wind. “A truce for now and let us see where this takes us, vessel.” He clasped my hand and I awoke. From the light streaming in, I could tell it was morning. I felt refreshed but I attributed that to the manar, not my dream. I made my way to the common area. It must have been very early since the area was deserted. The others were probably sleeping still. As I sat down to think about the dream and what it meant, the old man appeared next to me. As much as I have seen and experienced, that still startled me and I jumped, my heart beating rapidly. I think he did it on purpose because he was chuckling at my reaction , at least I thought it was chuckling since it sounded like rubbing two stones together.
“My apologies. I did not mean to startle you.” Yeah right. I could see the mischief in his eyes.
“It’s fine, still getting used to everything.”
“Sometimes our dreams can be quite unsettling, no?”
”How did you? – no, never mind.” He waved his hand as if dismissing my words, then moved closer. “When Rin approaches you today,” he angled his head and looked up, “and that should be shortly, tell him you need Samir to teach you.”
“Who is Samir?”
“He is the worst syllabist we have in the Watch. Or so everyone thinks. He has talents that are not easily seen.”
“How do I know Rin will honor my request?”
“At first, he will not and will try to push you off to accept one of the other syllabists. Do not let him dissuade you. Insist for Samir and you will attain what you need. Accept another and you will receive what you want.”
“Do I tell him you told me to ask for Samir?”
“There will be no need if you remain firm. He will honor the request. If you refrain from mentioning my name, then he too can learn from the moment. That, I leave to you. The path you are upon will be altered if Samir is not your syllabist.”
I let the words sit with me as I absorbed them. As I turned to ask the old man another question, I realized I was alone in the room. As I sat wondering how he disappeared so effortlessly, Mara came rushing in, her face flushed with excitement.
“He’s back! He just surfaced!” she gasped, out of breath.
“What? Where?” I asked.
“The lake, he’s there and he’s been changed somehow. I don’t know, something’s not the same.”
“Let’s go.” And we ran off to the lake, Mara and I, without alerting any of the others. As we approached the lake I saw a figure near one of the benches. It seemed to shimmer like heat in a desert. After a moment, it seemed to coalesce.
“Karashihan, is that you?” Mara asked.
It looked like Sylk, except now his hair was silver; his face looked the same, maybe a few more lines, as if he had aged. His right pectoral was covered in silver lines forming ornate symbols. The most surprising change was his missing arm. It wasn’t missing any longer.
SYLLABIST
“YES MARA, IT’S me.” She looked dubiously at him for a moment then bowed at his feet.
“Karashihan for a moment I wasn’t sure, forgive my doubt.”
“No forgiveness is required. I myself had a few moments to be concerned, but as you see, I have returned. Please stand.”
“It would seem that you have.”
I turned, startled, to see the old man leaning on his staff. He smiled at my expression and I swore he got some hidden enjoyment from making me jump.
“Well met, old one.” Sylk bowed.
“Well met indeed. I see the medallion has accepted your pledge. What are the terms?”
“I will be granted leave until such a time as the warrior no longer requires my presence.”
The keeper nodded as if considering the terms.
“Gifts bestowed?” The keeper drew close to Sylk and narrowed his eyes.
“Life, restoration of what was lost and wisdom.”
“Very good,” said the keeper. Mara and I stood to one side as this exchange took place. We were both unprepared for the keeper’s next move. Standing three feet from Sylk, the keeper began
to walk away leaning heavily on his staff. If I had blinked I would have missed the motion. Even as I saw it, I couldn’t believe anyone could move that fast. As he took a step away from Sylk, he thrust the staff behind him. The weapon was a blur. Sylk must have sensed something or been on his guard because he stepped to the side in a fraction of a second, the staff missing him by a hairsbreadth. The keeper, who looked about a hundred years old seconds earlier suddenly began moving like a young man in his prime. He swung the staff around in a descending arc; Sylk leapt back at the last possible moment avoiding having his knee shattered. The keeper now facing Sylk began to close the distance, walking slowly. I looked around. No one was close. The lake was quiet, resembling glass. Around us everything was still, even the birds that were singing earlier had gone silent, as if watching in anticipation of the outcome. The sky was a clear blue with the sun rising on the far side of the lake. The setting could not have been more serene, except for the keeper intent on striking Sylk. It was almost perfect. Sylk who emerged topless from the lake, stood still as the keeper approached. The symbols on his body began to shift and run, like liquid mercury. They began to travel down his right arm, encasing his entire right side from the waist up in what looked like silver skin. The keeper drew close and thrust. Sylk parried with his right arm. I half expected to hear a metallic clang, but it was as if sound had been muffled. The keeper ducked and swept his right foot across to catch Sylk unaware. Sylk did a hop step, avoiding the sweep, ducking in time to miss the staff from crashing into his temple. The keeper leapt, much higher than I thought possible. Staff in both hands, held overhead, he reached at least twenty feet. As he came down, I saw that the staff was radiating a dull blue green. I began to back up, pulling Mara with me. She looked askance and I pulled her faster. Something told me we didn’t want to be close when that staff connected with Sylk’s enhanced arm. Maelstrom reflexively reacted to my heightened level of anxiety and appeared in my hand.
“I see the Karashihan has returned with the medallion of sacrifice in place.” It was always disconcerting to hear my voice being used by Maelstrom.
“You are still too close. In fact even if you left the Watch you would be too close. Place me in the ground quickly.” I did as he said “Now focus on a sphere, an entire sphere surrounding you. Make it wide enough to encompass both of you, unless you no longer wish to see her among the living.” I could almost see his smile. “Vessel, I would do this quickly, or you will no longer be a vessel.” I focused on a sphere surrounding us. In my mind’s eye, I placed Mara and me inside a large ball. “That should do, now hold that image, do not let it waver.” I took the suggestion seriously and found myself encased in a shimmering sphere of violet energy. “Maintain your focus, it should be any moment now.” I felt the impact as I saw the keeper bring the staff crashing down into Sylk’s arm. It felt like getting kicked in the stomach, hard. I almost lost the sphere but regained focus right away. The light was blinding. I heard the staff splinter and felt the ground shake. When I opened my eyes, it looked as if we had been transported to ground zero of an immense explosion. We were in an impact crater. The ground sloped up away from us at least four feet. I looked and saw Sylk and the keeper facing each other, smoke wafting from their bodies. It seemed like they were speaking, but my ears felt like they were full of cotton. Maelstrom was gone but Mara and I were intact and that’s what mattered. We started to walk back cautiously and as we drew closer, the landscape behind us began to shift and alter, returning to a pristine state. By the time we were close enough to hear Sylk and the Keeper speaking, it was as if nothing had occurred.
“What just happened?” I asked.
“The Watch is self-regulating. Any damage done to it is immediately repaired,” said the Keeper.
“Not that,” – even though it was interesting to note that the Watch could do that. “I mean between you two.”
“Oh that,” the Keeper said dismissively. “A small test to measure the commitment of the pledge made. Had it been found wanting, the Karashihan would not be here to partake in this conversation on such a pleasant day.”
Sylk bowed. The Keeper looked at me and chuckled.
“It’s good to see you were aware enough to protect yourself. It would have been a shame to lose you.”
I was speechless. I looked to Sylk but I couldn’t read his face. Before I could say another word, the Keeper moved his hands and a new staff formed in them. “I believe you have more pressing matters to attend to, like procuring a syllabist? Ah, here comes Rin now, perfect.”
I turned to see Rin walking to us. He bowed, and the Keeper returned the bow.
“Is everything well? We heard an awful sound,” said Rin.
“Everything is as it should be,” said the Keeper. Rin bowed in response. The Keeper looked at me pointedly, with a smile on his lips, as if waiting to see how it would all play out. I got the underlying feeling we were all just pieces on an immense chess board. I cleared my throat. “Good morning, Rin,” I said and bowed. He bowed in return. “We need a syllabist.”
“Ah! I have just the one! His name is Eric and he is our top syllabist. You will not—”
“How about Samir?”
I could swear the Keeper was enjoying this entirely too much. Rin, who had stopped mid-sentence while extolling the virtues of Eric, looked as if he had bitten into a lemon.
“Samir—” He drew out the name as if I had been mistaken. “How do you—”
“It’s the syllabist I want,” I said as I cut him off.
“Surely you realize this is no light task. The training of a warrior of your caliber requires, no, demands the very best. Are you certain you want him?”
The last word was uttered with such disdain that I almost reconsidered. I took a deep breath and exhaled, hoping I didn’t regret listening to the Keeper.
“Yes, I am certain. Please have him meet us in the common room.” Rin hesitated a while longer.
“Rin, you did say he is a syllabist, yes?”
“Well, yes, technically.”
“Well, does he hold the title or not?”
Rin, defeated, sighed. “I suppose he does,” he said dejectedly.
“Excellent. Please give him the news and have him meet us in the common area.”
Rin headed off to get Samir. Mara looked at me with a question on her face. A question I didn’t have the answer to. I looked at the Keeper, who I could say with near certainty was suppressing laughter. “I hope you’re right about this.”
Finally he let out the laughter, full of mirth. It was a pleasant sound, and even Sylk smiled, caught by its contagious nature.
“Me too!” he replied. Shocked, I looked at him.
“But this was your idea! You told me to pick Samir—”
The Keeper held up his hand. “I know my words, warrior and stand by them. Come let us see to your syllabist.” He headed off in the direction of the rooms.
I looked at Sylk who shrugged and followed the Keeper, trailed by Mara.
“I can’t believe this,” I muttered to myself. And I followed them.
BOOK AND COVER
WE ARRIVED AT the common area as everyone was stirring. There was food arranged on one of the tables, plenty of everything, except meat, much to Zen’s dismay.
“Really? Would a little meat kill them? I mean, come on.”
“No, it wouldn’t kill them but it would violate their way of life,” said Kal quietly. Everyone turned in our direction as they heard us approach, most looked shocked to see Sylk again and whole. Only Meja remained reserved. She looked him over as if assessing the changes and then nodded, returning to her breakfast. Everyone began to fill their plates with breads and cheeses and other assorted cereals and fruits, of which there was an abundance.
“Good morning,” I said as I sat next to Meja. She clearly didn’t want to speak but I trudged on anyway.
“Morning,” she said. An arctic winter was probably warmer than she was at this moment. Undaunted, I forged ahead.
“What do you want?” she asked tersely.
“I just wanted to know if you’re doing better, than yesterday that is.” I stood to walk away realizing that I was daring, but not insane. As I stood, she looked at me with a look I had never seen from her. Something close to concern crossed her face. “Dante?” I turned to look at her. Once again as it always did, her beauty threatened to make me say something I would definitely regret.
“Yes?” I said, hoping for a slight thaw in her reaction. I was disappointed.
“You need to stop worrying about me, about any of us, and focus on what you need to get done. It’s the only way we have a chance of coming out of this alive.”
If she had put up walls the night before, they were now surrounded by an electrified fence, patrolled by guard dogs and covered in concertina wire.
“I got it, thanks.” I turned to walk away to minimize the chance of frostbite from being in proximity to her.
“And Dante?” I turned again bracing myself for some other comment laced in pain and designed to embarrass me.
“Thanks for asking.” She smiled, a real smile that reached her eyes. In that moment I knew without a doubt that I had given her my heart. My brain however didn’t get that memo. As I was about to speak, Rin entered the area with a frail looking tan man in tow.
“Good morning.” He bowed in our general direction. “I trust you all rested?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Before your journey to the Akashic Records, which are traversed through this Watch, I have been informed you required a syllabist. It was the warrior’s request that this be your syllabist.” He stepped aside and we were able to see the small man more clearly. He had jet black hair and looked fairly young. Even though I learned long ago not to judge books by their covers, he was rail thin with a muscular body. He seemed to be able to handle himself.
Warriors of the Way-Pentalogy Page 20
