Earth Magic

by Kenneth Price

  "I don't see how you could know him," Colin stated.

  "I don't either. But still, I feel I should know him. And I am sure he remembers me. I think he is hoping I won't remember."

  The powerful black stallion swayed slowly under Elwin. Sah-Ib was also feeling the effects of unrelenting summer heat. It was said that if one was not careful, the sun in the Great Plains could burn the skin off a man in the day. Elwin did not think it would take that long. For a full month, he had been crossing the grasslands, and he was just beginning to adjust to the heat. His skin had lost all its whiteness, becoming a golden brown color. With his dark skin and wearing a keffiyeh over his head, he almost looked like an Aleach. Almost. However, his long wavy brown hair gave him away as an outsider. And according to Aleach customs, outsiders were not allowed this far into the Great Plains. A fact Faraj never let him forget. The cold Aleach leader would protect and guide Elwin across the plains because Zafra Pasha had ordered him to do so, but he did not have to like it or even to pretend to. For Elwin, that was good enough. As long as Faraj got him to the Woods of the Mist, the Aleach man could hate him all he wanted to.

  Trying not to look at Kayno, Elwin forced himself staring out over the now all too familiar horizon. Never had he seen a land so big and flat. From one horizon to the other there seemed to be nothing. Out here one could see forever. It was like being on a sea of grass. Even the Caliph's men who followed several miles behind could easily be seen. The tall waving grasses of the High Plans seemed to be the only thing that could live out here. Only at watering holes had there been any trees, and then only a few at that that. It had now been over a week since they had seen their last watering hole. Twice since leaving Caiplich, they had seen herds of wild horses. The Grasslands of Aleach were famous for their wild horses, but like the watering holes they had not seen a wild horse in a long time. This was the deepest part of the plains and even the wild horses never came so far into this hostile, unforgiving land. Overhead vultures could be seen circling, looking for unfortunate animals that had wandered too far out into the plains. Elwin refused to admit it, but Lord Rodan had been right; alone, he would have been lost out here and dead within a few days. There was nothing but the sun and the stars to keep one from going in circles, and to be lost out here was to die.

  Seating high in the pale blue sky, the fearfully hot yellow sun burned on. It was nearly noon, the hottest part of the day.

  "Soon we will have to stop and wait out the noonday heat," noted Elwin. Colin nodded. They would move on again when the deadly noonday sun began to progress towards the afternoon, and the horses were given their needed rest. Up ahead, Faraj reigned in his gray horse and waited for Elwin to catch up. Faraj pulled his horse in next to Elwin, matching Elwin's pace.

  "Are we stopping?" asked Elwin.

  Faraj pointed to the east where a dark form appeared on the flat horizon. "Do you see that?"

  A black cloud, thought Elwin, perhaps it would rain tonight. It was a welcome thought. "Will it rain?" said Elwin in the Kambryan language. He knew the Aleach language, but he found it easier to speak Kambryan. Besides, Faraj resented his use of his language as if it were just one more reason to dislike him.

  Faraj shook his head. Then in broken Kambryan speech, he murmured, "It is Karr al-Isma."

  Elwin thought he heard a trace of fear in Faraj's voice, or perhaps it was awe. Standing up in his stirrups to get a better view, Elwin shaded his eyes. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stared out across the plains. It still looked like clouds to him; small clouds at that. It was nothing more than a black bulge against the ever flat horizon. It would still take days to reach the sacred woods. Yet he was seeing the Woods of the Mist at last; the home of the Guardians of Light, and where Elwin hoped to find Leina. She had to be there. What Elwin had mistaken as storm clouds were actually the dark green spruce and pine trees that covered surrounding hills and mountain of the Karr al-Isma. As the days passed, the hills grew taller and clearer. Rising above the tree-lined hills of the Karr al-Isma was a towering mountain; a mountain with a single snowcapped peak, which was flattened off as if someone had cut off the top right off of the mountain. Elwin imagined that the top was a small plateau, and he wondered what the view must be from there, gazing out over the endless planes. Thunder Mountain, Elwin almost said it out loud. The mountain was named after the mythical Thunder Bird that the mountain’s silhouette tended to suggest. According to the Aleach, the mountain was in the shape of the bird with its head tucked down between its wings. The mythical winged beast of the mountain was said to draw storms to the Karr al-Isma, but today the sky over the mountain was as clear as it was over the rest of the plains. The Karr al-Isma and the Great Mountain reached upwards towards the blue sky. Like an island in a calm sea, the mountain and surrounding hills dominated the landscape. Elwin could see why the Aleach stayed clear of it. The people of this land lived out their lives in the flatness of the Great Plains. In all of the Aleach, only the Karr al-Isma broke out above the horizon. After months of the never changing landscape, the Karr al-Isma looked dark, menacing, and uncomfortably out of place in the plains. The Karr al-Isma did not belong to this land. It was as if some dead and forgotten god had put it there by accident.

  "We will camp here," stated Faraj. His tone was cold, hard, and as unmoving as the mountain.

  "Why now?" asked Elwin.

  "The Karr al-Isma will not vanish over the night."

  Elwin tried to stay calm. However, he was finding it difficult. "We could be there in two hours," he examined. "Two hours! What difference can that make?"

  "Much!" snapped Faraj. "It will be dark soon. We camp here. And that is how it shall be. I command here not the prince of soft minded outsiders. And I say we will not camp any closer than this. If you wish to go, then go, but we stay." With an arrogant smugness, Faraj turned, and before Elwin could protest further, walked away.

  In moments, the camp started to be set; Fires were started, the evening meal was being to be prepared, and tents began to rise. The Aleach were going nowhere this night. Large white tents went up as grunting Plainsmen pulled on ropes attached to long brightly painted poles. The Aleach were amazingly fast. In a few short moments, they had turned a small area of the plains into a well-organized, and defensible camp. The intense smell of smoke and roasting meat filled the air.

  Elwin turned his back on the camp. Frustrated and angry, he walked a short way from camp. Reflecting in the red glow of the evening sun, a small pool of water stood at Elwin's feet. This close to the Karr al-Isma water was plentiful, and pools of water dotted the lush green landscape. It was a massive transformation in only a few short miles. Somehow the Woods of the Mist seemed to draw storms to itself. Ironically here in the very center of the Great Plains and surrounded by the dry Deep Plains, rain was plentiful. In all of the High Plains, the few miles around the woods and mountain were the wettest of all. The grasses were now a dark green and lush in water rich soil. It would have made a good place for a settlement, plenty of water and fertile soil, but this land was not claimed by any of the clans, and no Aleach dared stay more than a few weeks. The Aleach came here for two reasons. They came in years of drought to keep their horses alive, and they came to pray to their gods that made their homes in the sacred hills. Elwin found the Aleach attitude towards the Karr al-Isma confusing. They considered this land to be holy and the most sacred of places. At some point in an Aleach life, every individual made a pilgrimage here. Yet they also feared the Karr al-Isma, shunning it as a dark and evil place.

  Another night. Elwin reached down and picked up a stone. It was a flat oval shaped rock that had been polished clean by years of being exposed to the wind and rain. Fool! Another night. What can it hurt? With a splash, Elwin threw the stone into the pool's still water, it skipped twice before sinking below the surface. Quietly, he watched the ripples circling outwards. Two set of ripples met and joined together before they eventually vanished living the pool's surface calmed once more. It is not like
the Guardians of Light will be waiting for me at the edge of the woods. Actually, he had no idea what to expect or even how he was going to find the Guardians of Light or Leina. The Karr al-Isma was a huge area to cover. It could take weeks, maybe months to find them, but somehow, he would find them; he had to. Faynn could offer very little advice on how one would find the Guardians, only that they are said to live within the hills. As if trying to convince himself of something that he did not honestly believe, he said out loud, "I want to be rid of this sword." The words somehow felt hollow. Angrily, he slapped the blade that hung at his side in its leathery sheath. The sword felt heavy, too heavy for Elwin to carry any longer. He did not want the sword and yet at the same time he did. "Let the Guardians have it. That has to be why they wanted me to come here, so the sword will be safe. I do not have the strength for it. What good has it done me anyway? The sword draws Red Monks like bees to honey. I have had enough of running and hiding. Let the Guardians have it."

  Elwin placed a hand on the blades leather hilt, then just as quickly he snatched it away. He never touched it anymore or tried not to. The sword scared him. Somehow, the sword was changing him. Every night he called upon the power of the Earth Song to protect his dreams, the sword had made that possible. The sword had and was still changing him, and Elwin could call on the song at will now. Every night, under Faynn’s watching eyes, Elwin practiced, wrapping the song around him to protect his dreams. Despite his fears, Elwin knew he would keep calling on the magic to protect his dreams. Even with the growing familiarity of the magic, the power frightened him. The sword gave Elwin a power he had always been taught was evil. Elwin tried not to touch it, yet, at the same time, he wanted it close. For a few days, he had tried not wearing the sword. Two weeks ago Elwin had packed the sword away, but the prince had hardly taken it off before he found himself strapping the hilt back on again. That was what was truly frightening; he wanted the power, Elwin wanted to immerse and lose himself in the song. There was also another growing fear. Once he no longer had the sword, would he still be able to access the Earth Song? The thought of losing the now familiar song of power and mystery frightened him as well. Would Torcull again torment his dreams? Elwin also saw in himself a growing desire to embrace the magic, and was becoming more reluctant to give it up. Perhaps that scared him the most. Was he or the magic in control?

  "It has to be the sword. Did it do this to you, too, Father? Did you hate it and love it? Did it sicken and enthrall you? I need to be rid of it. I want to be rid of it. I want to be free of its evil seductive power!" And what of Faynn? He is always watching me. Does he know? He might be able to help. The druid understands Earth Magic better than I, but would he allow me to hand the sword over to the Guardians of Light? No, Elwin did not think he would. Faynn had not hidden the fact that he did not trust the Guardians of Light. However, Faynn, too was hiding things. For whatever reason, Faynn wanted Elwin to keep the sword, and yet he also was willing to help Elwin reach the Guardians. Why? What was it that the druid wanted? Elwin looked into the still reflective waters of the pool. The calm, reflective surface seemed to mock him. "I have to be rid of it before I am lost, I have to!"

  "Rid of what?"

  Elwin's head snapped up. Faynn! How long have you been there? Always watching me. What do you want from me?

  Avoiding the muddy spots, Faynn walked around the bank of the small pool. The druid's silver and black hair shimmered in the fading light. In his hand, he held his long crooked staff.

  Is Rodan right? Are you not to be trusted? Did you know the sword would do this to me? Force me to touch Earth Magic. Did you? Why did father not tell me?

  "What is it you wish to be rid of?" Faynn repeated himself. Stopping a few feet in front of Elwin, the druid leaned heavily upon his staff. He stared down at the young prince. His gray eyes searching Elwin's face.

  "Stop that!"

  "Stop what?"

  "Staring at me! You are always watching me."

  The druid raised an eyebrow. "Starring? Am I? I hadn't noticed. But you still have not answered my question. What do you want to be rid of? Maybe I can help."

  Elwin raped his dark green cloak tightly about himself. There was a chill in the air. Soon another cold night would spread across the plains. As hot as the days were, the nights were just as cold or colder. "It was nothing," Elwin answered curtly. "I . . . was just talking to myself." Curse you, Faynn. What do you know? "I want to be rid of these plains and find my sister. That's all."

  Faynn nodded, but he did not seem convinced. Trying not to meet Faynn's eyes Elwin gazed off to the east. The sun touched the rim of the flat horizon. Standing out against the sun Elwin could make out the silhouettes of tents. The tents were those of the clan's men of the Caliph. They were never too far off. Elwin had been right, the Abu Ishaq had followed them across the plains. Twice now the Caliph's clan had stopped other clans from interfering with them. The Abu Ishaq were no friends, yet they would keep protecting Elwin and the others until the Abu Ishaq could discover what these outsiders were doing out here in the very shadow of their sacred mountain.

  Elwin turned back to the west. Protruding high above the tree line of the Karr al-Isma, Thunder Mountain dominated the landscape. Covered in snow, the flat summit of Thunder Mountain was still bathed in sunlight. Even in the hot summer months, snow covered the towering summit of the mountain. It was strange to think of snow in this hot, dry land. Everything about Karr al-Isma seemed out of place. It just did not belong in Aleach. While the mountain peak still danced in the light of an Aleach summer day, the plains below were growing darker. Watching the shadows of the night gradually slide up the steep slope of the mountain, Elwin, out of the corner of his eye, watched Faynn. "I just need some space and time to think," the prince said. "I need some privacy. I just want to be alone for a while."

  Not taking the hint, Faynn pulled out his short-stemmed pipe and began to stuff it with a dark colored tobacco. All the while he was studying Elwin. Placing his thumb and forefinger together, a flame suddenly leaped out of his closed hand. Elwin shivered. Earth Magic. He could almost hear the sweet song of the power. Faynn held the small flame to his face and drew the magical flame into the bowl of his pipe. With deep breaths, the druid sucked the flame into the bowl until the tobacco glowed, giving off a thick smoky aroma.

  “We have things to talk about before tomorrow. They cannot wait.” Taking another deep breath, Faynn took the pipe from his mouth, "Tell me, Prince Elwin," he said, pausing as he blew smoke into the air, "if you had the opportunity to give the sword away, would you?"

  Elwin nearly choked, "I . . . I have not thought of it. Who would want it anyway? It is a cursed thing. Why . . . Why do you ask?"

  Slowly, Faynn exhaled again. A twisting cloud of smoke rose above his head. It was nearly dark now, stars were beginning to pop out. The stars appeared so much brighter in the open spaces of the plains. Several weeks ago, Elwin told Pallas that he thought the stars were brighter than back west. Pallas only laughed and said, "How can stars be brighter in one spot than another?" Elwin still thought they were brighter.

  "The sword is a burden is it not?" asked Faynn. "It would only be natural if you wanted another to carry it for a while."

  Hesitating, Faynn took another long drag from his pipe and weighted for Elwin.

  "Are you offering to take it?"

  "Me? Heavens no!" exclaimed Faynn. "I think that would be a grave mistake; a very grave mistake indeed."

  "Then what are you trying to say?"

  "Tomorrow you will enter the domain of the Guardians of Light. It would be best to know where you stand before you meet them. If not . . ." he shrugged, "well, they have ways of getting one to see things their way."

  Elwin looked up at the druid. "By force?" He could not believe the woman, Sileas, whom he had seen in the World of Dreams could be cruel. She was just the opposite. What was the druid up to? I do not trust you, Faynn. "Are you trying to say they would steal my sword?" Just the thought made his
heart beat faster as he resisted the sudden urge to touch the blade at his side.

  "No, the Guardians of Light abhor all types of violence. It is at least one thing that can be admired about the Guardians. They would never force you to give the sword to them. But they have other ways to get what they want. After all, you are here, aren't you? That is one thing they wanted.”

  "No one made me come."

  Faynn shrugged. "Yet you are here."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Nothing. But remember, the Guardians of Light always do what they believe is right, yet that does not make them right. Being wrong is a human flaw and one the Guardians are not immune to."

  "And you?" asked Elwin. "Are you not human? Are you not able to make mistakes? Are you so perfect and above the rest of us?"

  Faynn softly chuckled, “I have heard it said by some that I am not human. However, you are correct. I, too, can be wrong and often am. Yet there are differences, Elwin. The blind man who thinks he can see is in far more danger than the blind man who knows he cannot. I do not doubt the Guardians mean good, but I do not believe they can recognize their own limitations."

  "Is there really that great of a difference between you. You both use Earth Magic." Elwin said 'Earth Magic' as if it were some type of foul disease. "And you both are interested in the sword. Certainly, they can protect it better than I. Isn't that what is really important?"