The Twins

by Gary Alan Wassner

  They swerved and dipped above them, subtly changing course, heading all the time for the dark shoreline ahead. And Cairn cautiously steered the small raft, following closely behind. As the water grew shallow, he was once more able to touch the bottom with the flat sided pole he held. Sensing that their journey was drawing to an end, he thrust more vigorously into the black depths and the raft leapt forward.

  Cairn pushed the long pole into the soft mud as they approached the other shore, and he directed the raft to a clearing on the rocky beach that he would have been hard pressed to find on his own in this darkness. Their journey across was as eventless as Tomas had predicted and Cairn was grateful for that. By now, the Thorndars towered above them, their sheer slopes extending in places straight down into the depths of the water, making their approach to the beach a difficult one to navigate. Calyx stood up and sniffed the air apprehensively, searching for danger ahead.

  The great birds continued to circle the group, squawking and flapping their enormous wings until the wooden vehicle literally touched the shore, but leading them in all the while like a beacon of light. Then at once, as if their job was done and they were told they could leave, they circled the raft one final time, plunging so low that they nearly touched the tops of the travelers’ heads, and then flew to their protected eyries in the vertical rock face and disappeared.

  Cairn saw that Tomas seemed to salute them as they passed by, raising his palm upward to the night sky. In their wake, the Selgays created a veritable maelstrom, their wings beating so hard and fast that the water churned and frothed, and they had to hold onto the floating structure in order to avoid being blown overboard.

  Once ashore, Cairn jumped from the raft onto the tiny piece of soft, sandy ground, with Calyx at his heels. Tomas calmly surveyed the area around them and then he too stepped to the ground. Together, they pulled the raft onto the shore as far as they were able to, gathered their few belongings and started to walk toward the rocks ahead.

  “If I am correct,” Cairn began, “the opening to the pass should be directly in front of us. The sandy beachhead is a dead giveaway to the location, but in the past, the Selgays made the approach during the day almost impossible. Few ventured here except in the dark of night, and finding this one spot without light has never been easy. The full moon helped me greatly tonight, as did the bird’s ‘permission’ and more important, their guidance.”

  “I see the opening!” Tomas said animatedly, as he started to run to see if in fact he was correct.

  At times he was much like a boy of fourteen and at others he seemed ageless. When he reached what appeared to be the entrance to the pass, he turned and called back, “I found it! Here, come over here. It’s narrow, but we will have no trouble walking through.”

  The sun was just poking it’s head over the far horizon and casting an indirect light over everything. By the time Cairn reached the opening with Calyx close behind, Tomas had bounded between the high, rock walls, exhibiting a great deal more enthusiasm now for the final leg of the journey than he had previously.

  “Wait for us!” Cairn shouted ahead, having lost sight of the boy around the first bend in the rock.

  “Don’t worry. I am right in front of you. I won’t go far,” he replied, rushing along.

  The scholar and the Moulant rushed forward, attempting to reach Tomas before he turned another bend. Suddenly, Calyx growled and the hair on his back rose in response. Directly in front of them, to his utter dismay, Cairn saw Tomas on the ground, and there was a creature somewhat larger than a Dwarf but smaller than a grown human, with a short black beard dirtying its face above its leather jerkin, standing over him menacingly, pointing a sharpened stone dagger at his throat.

  “Don’t come any closer!” he said to Cairn, his green eyes darting back and forth between Tomas, Cairn and Calyx. “I do not want to hurt anyone. What are you doing here? No one ever comes here!” he exclaimed, staring at Calyx, his eyes wide with fear.

  “Just put the knife down. We mean you no harm. I am Cairn of Thermaye. This is my friend Calyx and the one you are holding captive is Tomas,” he said pointing first to the big cat and then to the lad lying uncomfortably on the earth, as he moved very slowly forward.

  Tomas seemed unafraid, but he remained still nonetheless.

  “We are on our way to Pardatha. This is the only route I know through these cliffs. Please, leave the boy alone. We only wish to pass peacefully,” Cairn continued, his voice calm and soothing.

  The creature seemed less nervous now that Cairn explained their presence, but he still held the blade much too close to Tomas’ throat for Cairn’s comfort.

  Calyx growled a throaty growl from behind and the creature jumped, giving Tomas just enough time to roll out from under him and stand up. Before anyone could even take a single breath more, Calyx was atop the aggressor, pinning him down with his big paws, the dagger lying harmlessly now beside him.

  To their great surprise, the little man began to cry uncontrollably saying, “Don’t hurt me please! I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you were here to bring me back. They have been searching for me for days now, and I didn’t know who you were. Your friend is short like they are and I thought he was one of them.”

  Cairn listened patiently to the frightened captive, when he realized that despite the beard, this was not a man but a young boy as well, and he was certainly a Dwarf, not a human or an Elf, which accounted for the beard at so young an age.

  “Why are you here, sneaking up on innocent travelers? You are only a boy yourself,” Cairn asked, admonishing him.

  “I’m Preston, and I’m a Dwarf, but my father does not think I’m short enough. No one thinks I’m short enough, and they tell me that I cannot be pure of blood. Everyone makes fun of me, so I ran away. I have been living here for three days now and you are the first people I have seen,” he said all in one breath.

  Cairn motioned Calyx to back off a bit and he bent and picked up the knife lying at his side.

  “How old are you, Preston?” Cairn asked.

  “I am sixteen,” he answered proudly. “And I know they must be out looking for me. My father will be very angry by now. But, I do not want to go back! I want to see the world and to be with people who don’t tease me because I am too tall,” he said defiantly.

  “Well, I cannot speak for your father, but if you were my son I would want you back home as soon as possible. I am sure that he is consumed with worry by now,” Cairn responded. “Where are you from, boy?” he asked.

  “My full name is Preston Daggerfall, and my father is Brimgar Daggerfall of the Thorndar Daggerfalls. My home lies only a few hours from here, in the caves on the north side of the Scion cliffs. We have been living there for a hundred tiels,” he said, puffing out his chest.

  “Well, Preston, I think you should go back home before you hurt someone, or someone hurts you. We have to be on our way and I am sorry, but we cannot spend any more time here talking,” Cairn replied. “I am afraid that I cannot give you your blade back just yet, but I promise you that I will leave it on the path ahead and you can pick it up after we are gone,” he said, as Tomas moved to his side.

  “Do you want to come with us?” Tomas asked out of the blue, not bothering to consult with Cairn first.

  The yellow-eyed scholar gazed at him stunned, not knowing what to say.

  Tomas peered into Cairn’s eyes with a look that said, Do not look so fearful, I know what I am doing, and Cairn kept a tight lip.

  “Would you let me?” the boy responded. “I won’t be any trouble, I promise,” he responded, eyes wide.

  “Yes, we will let you. Besides, I would like to have someone around my age to travel with,” Tomas said honestly. “You are only just a bit older than I am,” he remarked.

  Cairn looked at Preston and said, “Let me talk to my friend here, first, if you would,” and he put his arm around Tomas’ shoulder and turned him away from the young Dwarf, whispering in his ear. “This boy is a runaway. Tomas,
you should have conferred with me before you invited him to join us. His father will be searching high and low for him,” Cairn said somewhat annoyed. “We cannot afford to have our progress impeded by a distraught father searching for his missing son,” Cairn commented.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about those things. All I know is that he belongs with us. Some things are meant to be, and even though I should have talked to you first, I just felt that he should come with us to Pardatha. His father can just as easily find him there as here,” Tomas reasoned, perplexed by Cairn’s initial inability to understand this.

  “I imagine you are correct about that at least. Dwarves have always been welcome in Pardatha, but what makes you think he should go with us?” Cairn asked, still unsure.

  “I am sorry for being so unclear. I do not always understand myself why things feel right or wrong to me, but I just know that we should not leave him here alone. He reminds me of myself not very long ago and you helped me. I wanted to help him,” Tomas responded, once more exhibiting a maturity far beyond his years.

  “That was very kind of you,” Cairn replied, somewhat ashamed of himself for ever thinking of abandoning the young Dwarf. “I am prepared to have him travel with us to the city, but we must contact his family once we get there, and he needs to know that. We cannot betray him later. You must tell him now that those are the conditions and then let him choose if he still wishes to come with us,” Cairn said with finality.

  Tomas happily agreed with Cairn’s request.

  The young, green-eyed human walked over to the boy who sat waiting expectantly for a decision and said, “You are going to have to let your father know where you are once we arrive. Those are the conditions and if you agree to them, then you can join our party.”

  Tomas spoke like a true statesman. Preston thought for a brief moment, and then replied, “All right then. It’s a deal. I agree to send word to my father after we get to Pardatha. I’ve never been to Pardatha,” he said excitedly. “Let me get my things together. It will only take a minute,” Preston declared, and he rushed off ahead without waiting for another response.

  “I hope you know what you are doing, Tomas!” Cairn said fondly but quite sternly as the three of them started down the path. He had never truly doubted the boy’s intuition from the onset of this encounter.

  This is becoming an interesting group, Cairn chuckled to himself, thinking about how unusual this all was for him, the solitary philosopher. He could not wait to see Baladar’s reaction to his arrival now, accompanied as he was by his two new wards and Calyx. He is expecting a serious cleric, someone who would instruct the heir in the ways of contemplation and reason. I hope I do not disappoint him too greatly! Cairn laughed, comfortable with the choices he had made upon this journey, and more eager than ever to reach the city.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  The Tammell hills were stark and barren. After Filaree and Cameron dragged themselves out of the woods, they collapsed, exhausted upon the ground. Cameron quickly stood up, brushing himself off as if he was covered with insects, and he refused to sit again.

  “I would rather stand right now, my Lady, if you do not mind. The thought of getting that close to the soil does not appeal to me just at this moment,” he said without being questioned.

  “Do what you will, Cameron, but we are safe for now. I must say, we did come close to learning more about trees and foliage than I ever really cared to know,” she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

  “I am sorry that I cannot share your mirth my Lady, but I still feel as if I have things crawling all over me. I think that until I bathe in a proper bath, inside a proper home, I will feel the same. How could I ever have fallen asleep? What spell was cast upon me, do you know?” he asked hoping for some explanation.

  “Not exactly, but they surely were trying to claim you for their own. You still look a little green, to be perfectly honest,” she said with a chuckle, concealing her real concern that in fact his skin was still quite green as were what used to be the whites of his eyes.

  “I do not find your humor funny, Mistress D’Avalain,” he replied sheepishly, embarrassed by her levity. “Perhaps if it was you who woke to find yourself tangled in serpents made of grass and twigs you would not be joking so easily. Do I really look green still?” he asked, examining the back of his hand.

  “Yes, Cameron, just a bit. But I am sure that it will fade with time. Besides, it matches your eyes,” she remarked.

  “Very funny, my Lady. I probably will not sleep again in fear of waking up looking like a tree!”

  “Well, you can stand as long as you wish, but you are going to get tired. The trees are no longer our concern. We have left the forest, and the hills are all that remain between us and our destination. If we can cross them quickly without encountering anyone or thing to slow us down, we can be in Pardatha by tomorrow morning. I would not mind sleeping beyond the Tammells tonight. Just past the foothills lays a large lake, Everclear by name, the banks of which should provide us with a soft bed for our final evening on the road,” she commented.

  “I am ready to go whenever you are, mistress. Believe it or not, in a strange way my sleep in the Winding Woods refreshed me. I do not feel fatigued at all. The sun invigorates me,” he said in a strange tone of voice.

  Filaree looked carefully at her best friend and escort and she tried hard to ascertain if in fact he was all right. She could see nothing unusual in his appearance, except for the fact that he really was a bit pale and not his normal color. She assumed that it would pass as the day wore on.

  “Good, Cameron. Let us go then,” she said. “I can rest atop Nico. I would rather be mounted and on the move than reposing here anyway,” she commented, and then she leapt on Nico’s back.

  Cameron climbed on Trojan and they were off, with Filaree leading the way. She carefully maneuvered the mare around the uneven terrain, avoiding the scattered holes that could easily catch her horse’s ankle. The last thing either of them wanted now was a lame horse. Picking up speed, she cantered through the low brush, and then they ascended a steep hill that rose before them. They rode in relative peace for an hour or so, making good progress across the hills. Few words were exchanged, and both riders occupied their thoughts with the previous events of the day.

  Filaree’s only real concern was a potential encounter with the Wood Trolls that inhabited the hills. They were very reclusive creatures, preferring to be left alone to laze around and eat, rather than fight. But, if someone or something invaded their territory, they were capable of mustering their energy and going on the attack. They needed captives to help them gather their food as they despised having to work in the hot sun, and in addition their vision was not very good. Therefore, they enjoyed the rare wanderer who lost his way in the hills, trapping him and binding him with chains like an angry dog.

  It was a singular day when someone escaped the Wood Trolls once caught. They coveted their prisoners and jealously guarded them from each other. Yet they flaunted their ability to sit back and do nothing while their slaves searched the hills for food. It was not a pleasant prospect as far as Filaree was concerned. But she was not going to be fooled by their trickery and fall unsuspecting into one of their traps.

  She kept her eyes open and her wits about her as she rode. Water frightened them immensely, and they never ventured close to the shores of the lake. No Trolls could swim, least of all the Wood Trolls of the Tammell hills. They were too fat, and they avoided the water like they did encounters with the Dwarves whom they hated passionately.

  “Let’s pick up the pace while we can, Cameron. The ground here is free of brambles and we can make some good time here without much risk,” Filaree said as she coaxed Nico into a gallop.

  Cameron followed closely behind her, not wishing any more than she did to be left alone in these parts.

  After a few more hours of uneventful riding, they spotted a grove of Perridon trees in the distance, short and thick, and Filaree headed for
them hoping to rest the horses for a minute or two in the shade. Upon reaching them, she let Nico drop her head and graze and then she pulled out a flask of juice.

  Passing it to Cameron, she said, “We have only a short way left to go. I am anxious to see the shores of Lake Everclear before us.”

  Cameron took a long swig from the flask and passed it back to Filaree.

  “I wouldn’t mind resting a bit longer, my Lady. My head is feeling very heavy,” Cameron replied.

  His voice sounded a bit distant. Filaree looked closely at her companion and became immediately alarmed.

  “You look pale, Cameron. Our last experience must be taking its toll on you now,” she said as she reached over and placed her hand on his cheek. “You are burning up with fever!” she exclaimed, and she jumped off Nico immediately in order to go to his side. “Here, I will help you down,” she said, as she assisted Cameron to the ground.

  His legs were unsteady and they crumpled under him, bringing him to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Filaree knelt beside him that same instant and propped his head up, and she began to feed him a bit more of the nectar she still held in her hand. His eyes were glazed over and she began to question whether something more than simple fatigue was bothering him.

  “Do you feel anything other than tired, Cameron? You look pale and your eyes are glassy. Your head is burning,” she commented with concern.

  She did not bother to tell him again that his skin was even greener than before.

  “I am all right. Really, just let me rest a minute,” Cameron responded, but his voice was unsteady.

  In the meanwhile, Trojan and Nico were taking advantage of the sweet grasses that grew beneath the trees, and they contentedly wandered around in search of more.

  As Filaree bent to give Cameron another drink, a terrible odor reached her nostrils. She did not have to think for long in order to recognize the putrid smell of a filthy Wood Troll.

  “Don’t move,” she whispered to Cameron and then she stealthily removed her long blade from its sheath. She used her body to block the vision of the beast watching from behind her.