“I never want to do anything like that again.”
“It had to be done,” Lina said.
Jez looked up and managed a weak smile. “I never realized how empty those words sounded.”
“What do we do now?” Osmund asked.
“I’m going to rest tomorrow. The day after that, we’ll go to Horgar’s valley.”
“Have you thought of how we’re going to get there?”
“That won’t really be a problem,” Jez said. “We just have to get to the Kuna.”
“The Kuna that is impassable?”
Osmund jumped as his own soup began to swirl. It spun faster and faster, but not a drop spilled over the side of the bowl. Manipulating it was more difficult than if it had been the pure element, but aqua magic had always been one of Jez’s strongest areas, and making the soup stir itself didn’t require that much power. He grinned.
“The Kuna that is made of water.”
Osmund grinned and rose to slap his friend on the back before finishing his meal. They didn’t stay late because Jez was feeling utterly drained. He returned to his room in a half daze. The sun had just started to set when he fell asleep.
CHAPTER 15
Exhausted from his days of binding powers, Jez hardly got out of bed the next day and left his companions to do most of the preparations. Osmund gathered supplies and Lina spent the day pouring through maps with Master Horgar to get a better idea of where exactly the valley was. Apparently, it was rather difficult as Horgar only knew the route from the air, but eventually, they got a good idea of its location.
The next day, Jez still wasn’t feeling completely recovered, but he felt well enough to travel and they bought mules in Tarcai. The stableman was hesitant to sell to children, but he eventually gave in. There were many nobles at the Academy, and while most liked horses, strange purchases weren’t really that unusual. The Kelag Mountains couldn’t easily be travelled through, so they descended to the city of Hiranta and departed from there, walking through the foothills on the edge of the Korandish Plains.
After three days, Lina recognized a mountain with twin peaks that Horgar had mentioned. They took another day in reaching the landmark before turning and heading into the mountains. Though Jez had spent most of the previous year at the Academy, he hadn’t really gone into the mountains aside from Mount Carcer itself, and he had very little idea of what traveling through them entailed. This area was mapped in only the loosest sense. They knew which mountains were where but had very little idea of where they could find passes. Jez tried to sense the way through with terra magic, but the mountains were just too big, and his mind couldn’t encompass them. Their sheer vastness overwhelmed him, and he’d fallen to the ground before he let go of his power. Osmund rushed to his side, but Jez waved him off.
“I’m okay, but I won’t be trying that again.”
Osmund looked up and took a deep breath. “I’ll go up. Maybe I can see a way through.”
“You’re nervous,” Jez said. “What’s going on?”
Osmund looked away. “It’s probably just my imagination. The past couple of weeks, I’ve felt Ziary stirring. Ever since Barash...” Osmund shivered, and his voice became soft. “I think he might be waking up.”
Lina took a step back, and her fingers went to the scar on her cheek. Before he could control Ziary, Osmund had nearly killed her. When Marrowit had put Ziary to sleep, Osmund had gained the ability to control him, but if Ziary was waking up, transforming could be extremely dangerous. The scion would seek to destroy anything it perceived as evil, and even the slightest transgression could earn his wrath. Lina, realizing what she was doing, brought her hand down and forced herself to step closer to Osmund. Osmund nodded at her, but didn’t say anything. He sighed.
“Well, it’s not like we weren’t planning on taking risks. The two of you should hide, just in case.”
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Lina said.
“Do you really want to take the risk?” Osmund asked.
Again, Lina touched her scar. She nodded, and she and Jez hid behind a nearby bush. Osmund closed his eyes, and wings of pure light emerged from his back. He grew a foot taller, and his red robes seemed to shimmer. Though Jez couldn’t see his face, he knew the scion’s face was pale, and his eyes had changed into twin points of flame. Ziary launched himself into the air and quickly vanished into the sky.
“Do you think this will work?” Lina’s voice was barely above a whisper, as if afraid Ziary would hear her and come looking.
“Yes,” Jez said.
“You sound so certain.”
“I’m not completely sure, but I don’t think Ziary has access to Osmund’s memories. If he remembered to take off, it means Osmund is still in control.”
Lina let out a breath, and Jez could practically see the tension flow out of her. Absently, she brushed at a twig that had gotten tangled in her hair.
“Was it really that bad?”
For a second, he thought she wouldn’t answer, but then she nodded. A tear ran down her cheek.
“It wasn’t just the wound. It wasn’t even mostly the wound. When he cut me...” She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Her lower lip quivered as she spoke. “I saw myself. I was petty and cruel and not deserving of mercy. I didn’t deserve to live.”
“Don’t think that way,” Jez said. “Ziary comes from a group of beings whose expressed purpose is to destroy evil. He can only see the bad.”
She nodded. “I know that. It’s just that sometimes, I don’t believe it. I really was petty and cruel, and I was so vain. Sometimes, I wonder if I still am.”
Jez shook his head. “You’re not. You haven’t been for a long time.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re here, aren’t you? No one forced you to come. You knew it would be dangerous, but you came anyway.”
“That’s different. If we can’t find Aniel, it could be bad for the whole world. It doesn’t take a good person to want to do everything she can to help with that.”
“When was the last time you used an illusion to cover your scar? You don’t even try to hide it with the powders I’ve seen other girls use.”
“What would be the point? I would still have it. There’s not really a reason to hide it.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. That’s not something a vain person would say.” He smiled. “You know, after we first met, Besis told me you were a spoiled little girl.”
Her face went red. “He said that? He’s a master. He’s not supposed to say things like that about students.”
Jez laughed. “Well, you were at the time. You’ve changed a lot in the past year.”
She grinned at him and seemed to calm down a little. “You haven’t. You’re still an uncivilized peasant boy in over his head.”
Jez laughed even harder. “I don’t think that will ever change.”
A shadow passed over them, and Lina paled. She looked up just as Ziary flew over them. He came down a few feet away from them, and Jez realized Lina had gotten behind him. Ziary’s flaming eyes focused on Lina before moving to Jez. The form of the scion melted away leaving Osmund in his place. He pointed south.
“Maybe ten miles in that direction, there’s a pass that goes deeper into the mountains. It winds a little, but it eventually hits the river.”
“Were you able to control him?”
Osmund’s eyes flashed to Lina before nodding. “It’s harder than it has been, but I could manage it. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep it up, though. I shouldn’t do that again unless I really have to.”
Lina stepped in front of Jez. She was shaking, but it was only a little. Osmund either didn’t notice or pretended not to.
“I’m glad,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to keep him under control. I’ve studied a little mind magic. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Osmund inclined his head, and Jez could tell the words meant a lot to him. The a
ctions Ziary had taken weighed heavily on his conscious. There was nothing Lina could do for him that one of the masters hadn’t already tried, but she had practically told him she forgave him. The two of them clasped hands and they headed south toward the pass that would lead them to the river and the valley beyond.
CHAPTER 16
It was another two days of hard travel to get to the river. By the end of it, every muscle Jez had ached. Even riding the mules hadn’t provided much help. The animals had become more and more unruly as the days went on. There was plenty of shrubbery for them to feed on, so in the end, Jez let them go to fend for themselves.
The Kuna itself was wide at this point in the mountains. It flowed quickly downhill, its waters churned by the rocks until they were white. The river was fed by dozens of small lakes as well as runoff from the snowcapped peaks. The pass Osmund led them through had wound further south, and according to the map, they were now twenty miles from their destination.
“Well?” Osmund asked.
Jez knelt by the river and dipped his fingers in. The cold water was a shock, but it wore off after a second. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to feel something in the water. He jerked his hand back when a turtle, no bigger than his palm, snapped onto his finger. He cried out and shook his hand. The turtle stayed latched on for several seconds before being flung back into the water. He turned and glared at Osmund and Lina who hadn’t been able to stay standing because they’d been laughing so hard.
“It’s not funny,” he said.
“Yes it is,” Osmund said between chuckles.
Lina finished her laughter first and wiped at her eyes as she got to her feet. “Are those normally like that or do you think it’s because of Aniel?”
Jez shrugged and looked at Osmund, and the larger boy rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. The fish in the Kelag Mountains were never a subject I studied. It could just be how they are.”
“Turtles aren’t fish,” Jez said.
Osmund shrugged. “Like I said. I never studied them.”
“I think there’s something upriver.”
“You think?”
Jez narrowed his eyes. “Have you ever tried to detect a disruption in beast magic miles away through a river?”
Osmund smirked. “No, is it hard?”
A spray of water shot out of the river, arcing over Jez and hitting Osmund right in the face. He sputtered and glared at Jez, but Jez only grinned.
“Maybe it was a fish. Come on. Let’s go.”
Osmund frowned and wiped his face on his shirt. Then, they set off again. Jez had expected travelling along the shore would be easier, but that idea was quickly dispelled. The area around the river was often rough, and more than once, they had to go around large formations of rock. A couple of times, they had to wade into the river itself in order to avoid impassable terrain. The current was so strong Jez was forced to direct the river around them, but moving that much water took a great deal of effort, and he couldn’t maintain it for long. Once, when they were traversing a stretch of river fifty yards long, he lost his grip on the water, and the current slammed into them, driving them back a hundred feet before they could get to shore. They took half a day to rest after that so Jez could recover his strength. In the end, they were able to make it, though only barely. They considered pressing on after that to make the most out of the daylight, but in the end, they decided to make camp and face the next leg of their trip after a full night’s sleep.
Jez’s dreams were filled with images of birds in flight and wolves running through the woods. He saw the fish in the sea and the worms burrowing beneath the earth. More than anything else, his mind was filled with images of the hunt, the thrill of catching a scent, of running across the ground or tearing through the air, or rushing through the sea, but there was the other side too. Something was after him. Panther or wolf, he didn’t know. It didn’t matter. He ran. His heart was racing. It wouldn’t be enough.
The wolf leapt onto the stag, its teeth closing around the throat. The falcon dove and caught the sparrow from the midst of the flock. The pike surged forward, snapping up the smaller fish. He felt himself dying. He felt himself killing. Fear and exhilaration twined within him, the combined feelings of predator and prey. For the first time, he felt like he knew what it was to be alive.
Jez woke up screaming, not sure if he was excited or terrified. Osmund cried out and jumped back, and Jez realized the larger boy had been shaking him. Lina stared at him with wide eyes, obviously terrified. Jez blinked in the brightness of the sun and realized it was already nearing noon.
“What happened?”
“You started screaming just before dawn,” Osmund said. “At least part of it was screams. Other times, you sounded more like an animal.”
Jez nodded, and looked to the north. Something within him stirred. It was like he had caught the scent of prey.
“Aniel is nearby,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
Jez’s mind flashed back to the wolf and the stag, and he shook his head to clear his mind of the image. He pointed deeper into the mountains. “It’s only about a mile in that direction. We should be coming upon a tributary soon.”
Osmund frowned. “Jez, you can’t know that, not unless the barrier Sariel put on your mind—”
Jez shook his head. “My memories are still locked away. This is something else.”
“What?”
“I have no idea. Come on. It’s this way.”
They packed up their camp quietly and continued on. Though Jez had gotten more sleep than either of his companions, his arms felt heavy, and he kept stumbling over his own feet. After half a mile, they came to a small river five feet wide that was feeding the Kuna. Jez pointed to it, and they followed it until they reached a waterfall that fell into a pool. The rock face was practically sheer, and thick vegetation hung over the edge.
“It’s up there.”
Osmund and Lina looked up. Osmund let out a low whistle, and Lina stared at Jez for a second.
“How are we supposed to get up there?” she asked.
Jez stared at the waterfall for a second before letting out a breath and shaking his head. “I thought I’d be able to do this, but there’s just no way.” He looked at Osmund. “Can Ziary carry us up there?”
“No, there’s too big of a chance I would lose control.”
Jez frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of. I’ll need a contingent.”
Lina paled and her jaw dropped. She took a step back from him. “Jez, I’ve been trying to forget the chopping block for six months.”
Jez shook his head. He’d had nightmares about that too. In a battle with a human form demon named Sharim, they’d had the image of their heads on chopping block burned into their minds as a way to inflict terror on them. In the end, Jez had realized that the image embedded in their thoughts had been exactly the same, and forming the same image in your mind was the first step in forming a contingent to combine your power. The more complex the image the more completely the powers are joined, and that image had been so detailed he’d felt the wood of the chopping block as his head had been held down. He and Lina had been able to use that image to form a contingent and defeat a demon general.
“I don’t think illusion or mental magic will be much help.” Jez glanced at Osmund. “Wind might though.”
Osmund nodded. “Lina, can you do what Sharim did to us and give us an image?”
“Not the exact same one. Your minds would interpret whatever I did differently. I don’t know how Sharim was able to do it.”
“I don’t need something complex,” Jez said. “How about a circle on a grid pattern?”
She nodded. “That might work. The simpler the image the less your mind will interpret it. Close your eyes.”
Jez did and the image appeared before him. He focused on it. He could feel Osmund drawing on his power, and Jez moved his own magic until it entwined with his friend’s.
“Step into the river,”
he said without opening his eyes. He held out his hand. “One of you, please guide me. We need to be as close to the waterfall as possible, and I don’t want to lose my concentration. Stay together. I don’t think I’ll be able to do this more than once.”
A smaller hand than his closed around his wrist, and he followed Lina to the lake. It was cold, but he ignored it as he sank his power into the water. He could feel the waterfall churning it, and he sent his awareness into the falling water. Much smaller than the entire river, it was easy for him to grip it and redirect its flow.
The water was falling with tremendous energy, and as it reached the surface of the pool, he turned it, directing it upward. Someone gasped, though Jez couldn’t tell if it was Osmund or Lina. The water only went half the distance up the cliff before coming under gravity’s sway again and splashing back down. Using his power to perceive where they were going, Jez led Lina toward the inverted fall. She resisted for a second before following, and he could sense Osmund a few feet behind. The water was to his chest when she tugged. They were still about ten feet away from the falls.
“Jez, I’m about to go under.”
“All right. Hold on.”
He twisted the water, and the inverted waterfall twisted like a snake and came up directly under them. Instantly, they were soaked. The water came up so strong that it was painful, and Osmund cried out as the jet of water carried them up. Jez drew on Osmund’s power. Wind buffeted them and kept them from falling. Jez forced more of his own power into the water. The jet became stronger and lifted them higher.
“Jez!” Osmund’s voice bellowed over the sound of the water. “We’re over the waterfall!”
Jez nodded, though he doubted they could see him through the spray. He bent the water, and they shot forward. This time, both of his companions screamed. Jez called the wind, and they slowed, but not by much. Suddenly the power surged and snapped away from him. He opened his eyes just as he crashed into the muddy ground. He tumbled several feet before coming to a stop. He rolled onto his back and groaned. His bones screamed as he forced himself into a sitting position.
Beastwalker (Pharim War Book 3) Page 5
