“You really are beautiful, you know,” he said, struck with the sudden realization.
Nia looked back over her shoulder, confused at the sudden statement, before breaking out into a grin of her own and giggling. Randall’s heart skipped a beat as the smile lit up her features. He didn’t understand how he could have ever seen her as a child. She was obviously a beautiful young woman, close to his own age. He found himself wondering if she had a boyfriend.
“I guess you can be glamoured after all,” she said with another giggle. “Come on, we’re almost out of town.”
Randall barely noticed the passage out of town. All he could think about was the girl in front of him. He was content to watch her walk as she led him down one street after another. Before he realized it, he found himself alone with Nia, deep in the forest.
“We can’t stop here,” she warned, tension straining her voice. “They’ll send hunters after us, for sure.”
“Sure, whatever you say,” Randall replied wistfully. “I never noticed those freckles on your nose before.”
“You need to snap out of it,” Nia barked as her right hand lashed out, rocking Randall’s head sideways.
Randall looked at Nia in shock as a slow anger lit a fire in his belly. As his rage grew, a growl escaped his lips and he reached for the ever-present connection to Llandra in his mind.
How dare she, he thought as he drew upon that connection to fill himself with magic. Doesn’t she know what I am? I am a Mage! I can call lightning from the sky and fire from my fingertips. I am the one who destroyed Aiden and broke the reign of terror that the Rooks held over all Tallia. I have changed the face of the world. And what is she? She is nothing! She’s just an insignificant little...
“You’re just a little girl,” Randall whispered hoarsely as the realization struck him. He clamped down on his connection with Llandra, and let the magic ebb. As always, he was filled with a deep melancholy as the power drained away, unused. The power euphoria had never taken him so strongly before, and his hand was shaking as he rubbed the side of his cheek where her blow had landed.
“I’m sorry about that,” Nia said, her voice cracking. “I wasn’t even sure it would work.”
“It’s all right,” Randall replied, his voice equally shaky. “It was...necessary.”
“We have to keep moving,” she pleaded. “I have no idea how long your shield held. They could be right behind us.”
“Right,” Randall said, checking himself over. He still had his elven dagger at his hip, and was comforted to feel the familiar weight of the healing talisman under his tunic. “You know this forest better than I do. Lead the way.”
Nia nodded and set off through a thick tangle of underbrush. It wasn’t the route that Randall would have chosen, as there was no path to follow at all, and the forest was so thick with vegetation that at times their movement was slowed to a crawl. But Randall had to trust that the elf girl knew what she was doing. She had lived in this forest all her life, and he was virtually a stranger to these woods.
After several hours of travel, Randall and Nia pushed into a small clearing. A small lean-to shelter was propped up near one edge, in front of the remains of a campfire that had clearly been cold for a very long time.
“This is my secret place,” Nia explained. “Nobody knows about it. I used to come here as a little girl when I wanted to get away and listen to the forest. We can take a bit of a rest and figure out what we’re going to do next. We’ll probably be safe here for a little while.”
Randall nodded and stepped over to the lean-to, resting on the patch of bare earth beneath the tiny shelter. His mind was racing; things had happened so fast, and he hadn’t had time to try to figure things out.
“Why are you helping me, anyway?” he asked, looking up at the young elf girl.
“Chief Rhys tied my fate to yours,” she said, as if that explained the matter. Seeing Randall’s look of confusion, she continued. “We elves have many customs, and many traditions. I broke one of them when I brought you to his house, not knowing you were a Mage. Rhys invoked an old law that was once used to join tribes together in alliance. Our fates our joined: were you to die, then I would have been duty bound to follow you in death. It is an old law, but it was his right as chief to invoke it. But I’m not ready to die just yet, and as long as you live, so shall I.”
“But what if I had killed Berry...uh, Mamaeth?” Randall asked.
“Then the chief’s life would be mine to take or spare, as I chose,” she explained in a matter-of-fact tone. “Even were I to spare him, he would lose his position of leadership, and I would take his place. If I were a more worthy opponent, it would have been a dangerous gamble on his part. But Rhys is a powerful Mage in his own right, and I am just a hunter. But you, you surprised us all.”
“You mean you’re not a Mage?” Randall asked incredulously. “I thought all elves could work magic.”
Nia tossed her head back and laughed, and Randall found himself grinning with her. “Of course not, silly boy,” she said. “Sure, our kind has the glamour, and we can influence the minds of those around us if we concentrate hard enough. But true magic, that is as rare for my kind as it is for yours.”
“Maybe he’ll just let us go,” Randall said, hopefully. “We’re out of Dyffryn now, and on the run. Surely he won’t waste a lot of time looking for us.”
“Were you not listening?” Nia asked in frustration. “As long as we live, I am a threat to Rhys, and his rule. And your escape threatens to expose their plans to your own kind. It would be foolish of him to let us leave the forest alive, lest we return with allies at our back. He will not sleep easy until he knows that we are dead. With the Old One at his side, I fear that he may yet succeed.”
“The Old One,” Randall repeated, shaking his head sadly. “Why would Berry attack me like that anyway? I thought we were friends.”
“Why do you keep calling it Berry?” Nia asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I am not familiar with that name from any human lore that I have ever studied.”
“Well, that’s his name,” Randall said. “At least, that’s the name I gave him when we met. He didn’t seem to have any objections.”
“When you met?” Nia asked, her eyes growing wide.
“Well, yeah,” Randall replied. “We traveled together for a long time. I thought he was my friend. But he wasn’t acting like himself back at the chief’s house. It just wasn’t like him at all. Wait! That’s it! Maybe the donnan at your chief’s house wasn’t Berry!”
Nia shook her head. “There is only one Old One. It was the first to cross over when the barrier was weak, and through its efforts, the rest of the fae followed. The elves, the dwarves, dragons, and all manner of our kind crossed over until your people learned to touch Llandra and wield magic to close the veil.”
“But then why would he attack me like that?” Randall asked, frustration causing his voice to rise. He sounded just like a whining child, but he didn’t care. Berry was his friend. Or so he had thought, anyway.
“Perhaps he was only using you,” Nia answered gravely. “While we were in the shield, Mamaeth explained that a human Mage had created an artifact called the Passage Device. Such a device, properly charged, weakens the veil and allows our kind to pass over at will.”
Randall had heard the same information in the chief’s house, but he wasn’t quite ready to let her know of his new-found ability. Maybe someday he would, when he understood it more fully himself, and after she had proved herself to be a friend. But until then, it was best to keep his secret to himself.
“Why is that such a big deal, anyway,” Randall asked. “Don’t Summoners call forth the fae all the time?”
Nia made a face of disgust. “Yes, but that kind of magic is limited. A summoning can only last for a short time, and the fae must abide by the Mage’s wishes. With the Passage Device, our kind can slip the veil freely, and stay indefinitely. Mamaeth plans to find the device and use it to open the barrier. It
will be war with your kind.”
“You think you’d be happy about it. You don’t sound exactly thrilled,” Randall observed.
“It’s true, I have no great love of your kind,” Nia explained in a serious tone. “But I have no hatred toward you either. I was not born yet when the first Great Crossing happened, but our legends do not describe it as a time of war. If such a thing were to happen today, I fear it would mean the extermination of your kind. That Rhys would even consider it shames me, and brings discredit to our entire people. I am certain that many of my people would feel the same, though as long as Rhys is in power, they are duty bound to follow his command.”
“Then we agree,” Randall said grimly. “We have to stop Rhys and Berry. If we somehow manage to escape the forest, we’ll go to Ninove. That was Aiden’s seat of power. He has got to be the Mage that Berry mentioned, and the device is almost certain to be there. And in Ninove, there are many Mages that will help us.”
Nia looked frightened. “I grew up in these forests, and have spent many years learning their secrets, but I have never been beyond their borders. Will it be safe? I do not think our kind has ever stepped foot in one of your cities in all our recorded history.”
“I’ll keep you safe, Nia,” Randall promised. “I’m sure they’ll listen to me. I have a reputation among my people. You see, I’m the one who killed Aiden.”
Nia gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “Surely you’re joking. Even we had heard of that powerful Summoner in Dyffryn. And you’re just a...”
“Yeah, just a boy,” Randall snorted. “That’s the same mistake Aiden made,” he said, with false bravado. With all that he had accomplished, he was tired of still being underestimated.
“And you fought him by yourself,” Nia asked, breathlessly. “That seems very brave.”
“Well, I had help,” Randall had to admit. “Berry was with me. But Aiden wasn’t alone either. He had a few Mages with him, and he summoned these huge dog-looking things with porcupine quills for fur.” Randall shuddered at the memory.
“Aether-sniffers,” Nia breathed, and she shuddered herself. She had used the elvish word for the animals, but the meaning was clear in his mind. “They are very dangerous animals,” she said, putting her hand on Randall’s arm. “I am glad you lived.”
“I’m glad too,” Randall replied distractedly. An idea was bubbling its way to the surface of his mind, and suddenly, it burst with the gleam of clarity. “It makes sense! If Berry was after the Passage Device, then he was just using me to kill Aiden so he could get to it.” It hurt to realize that everything his mother had said about the donnan was true, after all.
“But then why didn’t it kill you and seek the device once the Summoner was out of the way?” Nia asked, confused.
“We were both hurt pretty bad after the fight,” Randall answered, thinking quickly. “Though I was hurt more than he was, and had lost my ability to summon magic. Maybe he needed me to help him search the city, or maybe he needed time to heal himself. I just don’t know, and it’s not like I can ask him.”
“Perhaps you will get your chance, after all,” Nia whispered hoarsely, her back stiffening as she looked at something off to Randall’s left behind the shelter.
Whirling in place, Randall scanned the forest to find what she meant. “Berry!” he swore, before he could stop himself. The donnan was at the edge of the clearing, rapidly skittering toward them.
At Randall’s exclamation, the donnan looked up at the pair of fugitives sitting in the shelter, and raised his arm to point toward them, and Randall felt a pulse of power from Llandra as the donnan drew in magic faster than he could react.
“Vinn!”
Chapter 7
Randall flinched back instinctively from the spell. It was a useless reaction, he knew. If he had been the target, he would have already been ripped asunder in a spray of guts and gore. Instead, blood and bits of flesh rained down upon him from somewhere above them.
He spun around and looked up just as a heavy weight slammed into his chest. He only saw a fleeting glimpse of teeth and black fur before he was rolling in the grass, fighting for his life. Sharp talons ripped along the length of his thigh, and a scream tore itself from his throat. Dimly, he was aware of the sounds of fighting throughout the rest of the clearing.
Desperately, Randall reached out to touch Llandra, filling himself with power. “Arkala” he screamed, weaving the magic into the spell that would call forth the flames. A jet of fire exploded from his hands, hurling the creature away from him where it landed in a heap of burning flesh.
Looking around wildly, he spotted Nia facing off against another of the beasts, sword in hand. It was an enormous black panther, every bit as large as a hunting dog, with fangs stretching down unnaturally past the jaw line. Berry faced off against another of the big cats, and a third was crouched in the grass, ready to pounce on Nia from behind.
“Vinn,” Randall shouted, pointing at the stalking beast, causing it to burst inside out just as Nia’s sword plunged deeply into the heart of the animal before her. Looking for the animal that Berry had been facing, Randall only saw a smear of blood and entrails on the ground. Randall clutched his thigh, moaning in agony as he sank back to the ground.
“Rhys has released the cats,” Nia cried breathlessly as she raced back to where Randall lay. “The hunters can’t be far behind. We have to move quickly before...” She trailed off as she saw Randall’s ruined leg.
Spinning around to face the imp, she assumed a fighting posture. “You, stay back! I don’t know if you are friend or foe, but keep your distance!”
“Friend,” Berry chittered, but nonetheless remained where he stood.
Nia knelt beside Randall, keeping a wary eye on the donnan. “Oh, Randall,” she said sadly. “We have no hope of escape with your leg in this state. But come what may, I will fight at your side until the end. On this you have my word.”
“You would stay and die at my side?” Randall asked, teeth clenched in pain.
“I have given my vow,” she replied. “I will stand by you until the end.”
“Then I have to trust you with a secret,” Randall gasped as a fresh wave of agony coursed up his thigh.
Gathering up the remains of his power, Randall pushed it down into the healing talisman under his tunic. He felt the familiar cold driving away his pain as the energy charged the runes engraved on the artifact. Nia’s eyes widened as the bleeding slowed, and Randall’s muscles began to knit themselves back together.
“Healing magic,” she cried. “I did not know that your kind had such gifts.”
“We don’t. I’m the only one,” Randall explained as the soothing magic repaired his ruined flesh.
Suddenly, Randall felt a sharp popping sound from the talisman, and he instinctively let go of the magic he had been forcing into the device. Fishing the artifact out from under his tunic, he looked at it with a critical eye. A large crack had formed along its length, and it looked as if it could fall apart at a moment’s notice.
“But probably for not much longer,” he observed ruefully. “I...inherited it from my master. I’ve had to use it more times than I’d like, I’m afraid. I don’t risk charging it more, but I think I can travel.”
Sitting up, he looked over at where Berry still stood. “Are you here to help us, or trap us?”
“Berry is Randall’s friend,” the imp chittered. “He has always been Randall’s friend.” He showed no sign of the arrogant demeanor that Randall had seen in Rhys’ quarters.
“Then you can explain yourself on the way,” Randall said sharply. “If Nia says the hunters are coming, then we have to go.”
Nia helped Randall to his feet. Though he had a slight limp, he was able to walk. The healing talisman would eventually heal him completely, even without being charged, but it would take some time. Until then, he would just have to manage as best as he could.
“We’ll head north,” Nia explained as they made their way through the fores
t. “There’s a human fortification along the coast. We should be safe there, if we can make it. Rhys will likely believe that I would prefer to hide in the forest, rather than willingly go to a human settlement.”
Randall nodded. From what little he had seen of Dyffryn, the elven population was small. Even a town the size of Geldorn would provide a measure of good defense by sheer weight of numbers.
“I want to know why you attacked me,” Randall asked, scowling at Berry where he scampered along the ground. Randall had kept his distance from the donnan, and not allowed the imp to take its customary place on his shoulder.
“I attacked you not,” Berry chittered. “It was another.”
“He says it wasn’t him,” Randall relayed to Nia. He had to admit that even Berry’s use of language was different than the donnan he had encountered in Dyffryn.
“That’s not possible,” Nia stated flatly. “There has only ever been one. Don’t you think we’d know if there was another?”
“Once was one, now is two,” Berry interjected. “Veil is thin so I go through.”
“He says that now that the barrier between our world and Llandra is weakened, he was able to slip through,” Randall explained. “Can that be possible?”
Nia shrugged. “I suppose it may be. It is how Mamaeth is said to have first entered your world. But, how is it that you can understand him?” Nia asked. “Even Rhys and our other elders can only understand a little of the ancient tongue.”
“I don’t know,” Randall shrugged. “After I broke through the aether-blindness back in Dyffryn, I could understand what everyone was saying—you, Rhys, Mamaeth. Everyone. I don’t know how it works.”
“My gift,” Berry chittered gleefully. “When you were small, I creep into your home. Dark, all was quiet. Touch your mother’s belly, leave you a gift.” He clapped his hands and jumped up in down excitedly.
Randall stopped in his tracks, his mouth agape. “Wait a minute. You came to my house before I was even born?” he asked in disbelief. “How long have you been here?”
Magic Astray (The Llandra Saga) Page 6
