At his side, Darr whispered to Erec, “I’ve only met Conra twice before, but he’s so much stronger than I remember. He’s a…”
“He’s a survivor,” Erec said with a nod, a smirk swelling on the side of his mouth. “To us, he was always just a friend of Father’s, someone to share his history. But Conra’s tougher than most anyone you’ll ever meet.”
When Conra reappeared from the darkness of the kitchen, he carried a tray filled with bread and cheese. They accepted their evening meal gratefully, grasping at handfuls of food as Conra set the tray down. The Elf collapsed into a wooden rocker beside the hearth and watched them eat. No one had said anything about what brought them. The journey through the lowlands had been too exhausting, and the hike across the plains too dark. Conra appeared pleased simply to have their company.
Conra rocked back and forth in his chair, causing an irritating creaking sound. Darr looked up, and found the old Elf smiling, a cat who’d cornered its prey.
“It gets pretty lonely out here in the winter time. It’s good to get some company,” the Elf said. “I’m glad your father sent you three down here for a visit.”
Darr shifted uncomfortably and cast a furtive glance at Jinn, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Darr cleared his throat. “Well, that’s the thing, Conra. Father didn’t send us. We came on our own.”
The Elf crouched forward in his rocker, his face beaming. “Ha! I knew old Hydle wouldn’t be foolish enough to send all three of you down here. Do you know what kind of trouble you could’ve gotten into? Don’t you know what that crawler would’ve done to you, if I hadn’t been around? You’d be at the bottom of those swamps, that’s what.”
Darr nodded his head in unison with his siblings under Conra’s disapproving stare. They were all complacent in the scolding, even Erec, who normally wouldn’t stand for being treated like a child. The Elf studied them for a moment longer, letting the intensity in his eyes speak for him. He relaxed and settled back into his rocker.
“Sorry I had to do that, young ones,” Conra said, his tone soft now. “I can’t have you all risking life and limb just to see me. You survived, and you learned, that’s what’s important. So how’s Hydle doing anyway?”
Again, Darr found no words. He searched both Erec’s and Jinn’s faces for answers, but neither would provide what he searched for. How could he tell Conra what happened? Would the Elf believe him, and would it be wise to tell him everything? The Summoner stared up at Conra, searching for the words that wouldn’t come.
“What’s the matter with you three?” the Elf exclaimed, his face bereft of all amusement. “You all look as if you’re at a funeral.”
“A lot has happened,” Erec whispered. “More than I believe.”
Conra leaned forward in his rocker again, intrigue lining his sharp features. Regardless of the consequences, Darr took a steadying breath and told Conra the events that had brought them to him. The Summoner kept certain aspects of his story vague, especially where summoning and the Currents were concerned. For now, Conra should know the big details--the Sephir of Water had been rescued from an Ovid, accomplished because of an Archon sent by Nidic Waq.
“We’re on our way to the city of Arcnor where the Earth Sephir is kept,” Darr said. “We were hoping you could tell us how to get through the Barricade Mountains to save us some time.”
Conra gazed into the air in front of him as he rocked back and forth. “That’s quite a fascinating story,” he said. “I’m not sure how much of it I’m supposed to believe.”
“You can believe want you want, Conra,” Erec said, his eyes burning with defiance. ”I wasn’t sure how much I was supposed to believe, and I’m still not sure. I know what I saw down in those caverns beneath Stern. It was horrible.”
The old Elf nodded grimly and stood up. He walked stiff-legged to a nearby window and peered out into the night. “It’d be easy to write you all off as mad, but I’ve heard a lot of things about these Soul Seekers. Quite a few hunters pass through here, headstrong fellows who think they can navigate the Barricades. I give them what help I can and send them on their way, but I’ve heard things from them. The Seekers are black things that rip you to shreds and steal the life right out of you. I’ve seen things too. Outside on the really dark nights, it gets still sometimes, so still I can hear my own heart beat...”
When Conra paused, an unusual sense of dread settled over the room. I’m sensing his emotions in the Currents, Darr realized.
The Elf turned away from the window and sat back down. “As for the Barricade Mountains, you don’t stand a chance of getting through them yourself. You’d be much better off going around. Take the pass at the Ruk Mountains west and go south through the plains of Kurflin. It’s a much safer route.”
Darr shook his head. “It’d take us almost two weeks to make the journey. We need to get to the Dwarf Borderlands quickly, and going through the Barricades is the only way we’re going to do that.”
“No, you’re not.” The Elf laughed. “The three of you are completely inexperienced. You’d be lost within your first couple hours. The snow doesn’t come for another few weeks, but it’s still pretty cold up there. You’d freeze before you’d ever find your way out again. I’m telling you, go west. Take the safe route.”
“He’s not going to help us, Darr,” Erec stated, his face blank.
The Summoner wasn’t willing to back down. “Conra, please. Just give us something to work with. Please give us some kind of help.”
“What about your spirit friend, the Archon? Can’t he help you? Or what about the prophet? Did he just expect you to find your own way?” The Elf stared at the three, his solid face revealing the fire creeping up within. “You three can’t really be considering this?”
Darr kept his gaze fixed on the Elf’s, his own fire rising up in defense. Something within the Summoner shifted, strengthening his emotions. It appeared Conra saw the shift as well.
A smile wormed its way across the corners of the Elf’s lined face, devilish in the dim light. “Here’s some good advice, young Darr. Get some sleep, so you’re well rested for your journey west...across the plains.”
Conra lifted himself out of his rocker without another word and plopped down amid the covers of his bed. Darr stared after him in astonishment.
* * * *
Midnight had passed when Darr woke himself up from a dreamless sleep, throwing his blankets off and sitting upright. His drowsiness was a fog inhibiting his senses, and he took a moment to let it fade. His siblings were sprawled out across the floor beside him, bundled in blankets and sleeping soundly. How he could endure this journey without them was beyond his comprehension. They were the links that tied him to home, to reality.
Conra’s bed sat empty. The pungent aroma of tobacco smoke came from outside. His father smoked sometimes. The memory created a pang of longing so powerful his throat constricted and his eyes watered. Darr sighed, shaking away the nostalgia, and lifted himself off the floor, making his way over the sleeping forms around him. He wasn’t sure why, but the urge to talk to Conra one more time couldn’t be ignored. When he reached the front door, he pulled back the latch, opened the door, and slipped out into the night.
On the porch, he found Conra in a wide swinging chair, his gray head directed out onto the black wash of the plains beyond. The Elf held a pipe in his mouth, its bowl gleaming red in the darkness, but when Darr appeared, Conra removed it.
“You should be asleep, Boy,” the Elf croaked.
Darr sat down in the chair alongside the Elf. Conra’s gaze was on him, but Darr did nothing except look out at the night. Though he played at being aloof, he somehow aided both himself and Conra. His certainty was overwhelming. The Elf watched him for a moment longer before returning his pipe to his mouth, and together, they sat in silence for several minutes.
A question came to Darr, a faint whispering that directed which tone and intensity he should use. “What’s the real reason you won’t take us through the Barrica
des?”
For a long time Conra continued to stare out at the plains, his pipe still in his mouth more as an accessory rather than a tool. When at last Conra looked over at him, a wave of fear washed over Darr, its source unknown, but it vanished moments later, snuffed out in the night.
“Over the years, I’ve explored the Cortazian territories as no other has,” the Elf began, his voice low. “I know every nook and cranny of the Barricades, and I know how far along the plains I’ve traveled by the layout of hills and trees. The Barricades are my last source of adventure, and they’re starting to bore me.”
Conra took a steadying breath. “Death has come for me, Darr, and it passed me by. It made me think about a lot of things.”
The voice in the back of Darr’s head warned him to remain silent even though the Elf’s words startled him. He waited. After a few moments, Conra continued.
“Several weeks ago, I sat out here and watched the night. When I finally decided to go back to bed, that’s when I saw the shadows. At first, I believed what I saw was nothing more than the swaying of the trees far off in the distance. I was wrong. There weren’t any trees in that direction. Maybe it was a caravan of some sort, but it moved too easily to be wagons. I realized the shadows were much closer than I had estimated.”
A breeze picked up a scattering of embers from Conra’s pipe, but he ignored them. “My first impulse was to step back inside the house and forget what I saw, but I couldn’t. I’d heard of the Soul Seekers, but I didn’t believe the rumors to be true. This is my land, and I know it better than any. If something threatened, I needed to know what it was.”
Conra bit at his lower lip before going on. “I slipped off the porch and crept into the tall grass, my Elven senses, and my huntsman skills, aiding me. I couldn’t see the passing shadows anymore, but I sensed something close, and I ducked down into the grass and peered into the night.”
A wave of fear washed through Darr, and this time, it wasn’t easily dispelled. The fear wasn’t coming from him, but rather, it came from Conra. Projected through the Currents, Conra’s fear came unbidden and easily read.
“Stars lit the landscape,” the Elf said. “I waited, but nothing presented itself, but my instincts were crying out to me there was something terribly wrong. And suddenly, the shadows I’d been stalking appeared less than a hundred feet in front of me. They moved like their bodies were carried on the wind. They were tall, at least seven feet in height, their bodies wrapped in tattered robes and cowls. Nothing of their features were visible. Their bodies were born of the darkness itself.”
The bowl of Conra’s pipe glowed red, and he breathed the smoke in deep before exhaling. “My whole body went cold. I looked up at the things. They didn’t appear to be searching, but I knew better. They sensed me, and they were waiting for me to reveal myself. So I closed my eyes and shut out the image of them. I slowed my breathing to almost nothing and let my heartbeat adjust until it beat only as a muffled thump. I didn’t let my eyes open. I knew if I did, my fear would give me away.”
Conra took another steadying breath. “And then I was alone. The change came quick, like a clamp had been released from my throat. I opened my eyes and saw nothing. The shadows had disappeared, gone back to wherever they came from.”
The old Elf exhaled in a soundless rush. Conra’s face became more at ease, his muscles relaxed, his teeth unclenched. When he looked over at Darr at last, his eyes glistened in the faint starlight.
“That’s why I didn’t want to take you through the mountains,” Conra whispered. “When those things came for me, I saw how dangerous this world has become. I’d never want to put you kids in front of that kind of danger.”
Darr shook his head. “Conra, those black things are the same ones we’re trying to put an end to. And sooner or later, we’ll have to face them, but our chances of doing so are greater the longer we’re out in the open. If we go through the Barricades, it’ll shave nearly two weeks off our travel time. If we go along the plains, we’ll be exposed to the Soul Seekers for that much longer.”
Conra laughed, slow but sharp in the silence of the night. The Elf tapped out the bowl of his pipe, and rose to his feet, leaving Darr staring up at him. “That’s probably why I’ll take you through the mountains, Boy,” he said, followed by a sharp cackle. “I don’t know how you did it, but somehow, you made me face my fear. You held it up to the light, and I saw it for what it was.”
Conra reached out and clapped Darr hard on the shoulder. “Now, go get some sleep. You’ll need the rest for tomorrow.” He turned and leaned against a porch post, ignoring Darr while he looked back out to the plains.
Darr watched him, wondering what in the world he’d done and how, but the voice in his mind had gone silent.
Chapter Eighteen
“The spirits of the Currents found something in Caeranol that no other living being possessed. He alone could walk in both worlds, not as a mere traveler, but as someone who could transcend his physical form and become a spirit creature. Unlike the Archons of the Sephirs, he would become an Archon of the Light, a champion to uphold the balance of life in a world succumbing to death.”
~From A Current History of Ictar, as told by Nidic Waq
Warm daylight and the pleasant smells of fresh bread filled the cabin. Darr opened his eyes, refreshed and feeling better about himself for the first time in weeks despite Conra’s haunting story the night before. He stood up from the floor and stretched. He walked stiff-legged to the table where Erec and Jinn sat before a breakfast of hot tea, fresh bread and fruit.
“I thought you were going to sleep the morning away,” Erec said, a smirk turning his mouth on edge.
Darr brushed the hair from his eyes and shrugged, taking a seat alongside Jinn. Conra appeared a moment later, bringing in a blast of cool air from outside when he stepped through the front door.
“Lots to do today,” the Elf said. “You better eat before we get started. Go on. Eat up.”
Darr feigned ignorance and remained silent. Jinn shook her head. “Before we get started doing what, Conra?”
The old Elf snagged an apple from the table and took a bite. He chewed and swallowed before answering. “We have a lot of supplies to gather if we’re going through the Barricades, so c’mon, let’s get moving.”
Erec slumped back in his chair. “I thought you weren’t taking us,” he said.
Conra set the apple down on the table and stared. “A man can change his mind, can’t he? Now let’s get a move on, Erec, before I change my mind.”
Jinn and Erec appeared pleased with the Elf’s announcement despite his forceful response. The decision meant they wouldn’t have to fumble their way through the Barricades or risk being caught out on the open plains. With Conra’s help, they would reach their destination faster than they could have hoped.
After breakfast, Conra put the three siblings to work. Supplies needed to be gathered--ropes and picks for climbing, and warmer clothing for the higher elevations. Spare water skins would have to be brought, not only for the higher elevations, but also for their trek through the Karahesian Wastelands. Darr and his siblings rebuilt their packs while Conra gathered dried foods, of which he had plenty since he rarely traveled anymore.
Midmorning waned into afternoon, but Conra, a meticulous survivalist, refused to leave anything to chance. He made sure to outfit himself and each of them with the necessary provisions that would keep them alive through the cold of the mountains and desolate wastelands beyond. Water skins were filled, extra foodstuffs were carefully stored, and warm blankets were fastened on top of each of their packs. Darr couldn’t help but feel safer in Conra’s presence with all the preparations he was making on their behalf.
They sat on the front porch before leaving, eating a quick lunch.“I wasn’t much older than Erec is when I met your father,” Conra said, followed by a soft laugh. “Your father was in Mertz on a supply errand and I wandered into the city looking for someone to help me haul building supplies so
uth to build my cabin. Hydle was the first and last person I asked.”
Darr swallowed a bite of apple and asked, “You worked together for a couple months, didn’t you?”
Conra nodded. “Hauling all those supplies took almost a month, and Hydle stayed another month and helped me build. Yes, we had a lot of fun working together.”
At hearing that, Darr no longer felt so bad about leaving home in exchange for the journey he’d always wanted. His father had done the same thing. When he looked back at Conra, the Elf had a distant look on his face.
“I haven’t seen your father in over five years,” Conra said with a sigh. “You never can get the past back.”
The Elf dismissed himself and cleaned up their lunch. A wave of unexplained frustration washed through Darr when Conra left. Was he the source of the feeling? If so, why would he feel such a thing simply by remembering his past?
After securing his home, Conra announced it was time to go. He led them in a southerly direction towards the looming wall of the Barricade Mountains. Darr lost himself looking up at the gargantuan peaks. The foothills rose sharply, turning into sheer cliffs stretching hundreds of feet into the air to their jagged heights. The Barricades had less the look of mountains than the appearance of some monstrous wall created by the Elements.
No trail marked the way forward as they started up into the foothills. A slight parting in the trees led to the dark wall of rock ahead. It didn’t appear there was any opening into the mountains. Darr mentioned his doubts to Erec and Jinn, but neither appeared bothered. Like him, they could only rely on Conra’s navigational expertise. The slope grew steep and the climb became more treacherous as they had to grasp at roots and tree limbs to pull themselves further along. Still, the wall of the mountain appeared solid. Maybe Conra really didn’t know his way.
The Children of the Light: Book 1: Spirit Summoner Page 15
