The Children of the Light: Book 1: Spirit Summoner

by Matt Campbell

  When they reached the top of the slope, the Elf took them to the east through a narrow fissure in the Barricades wide enough to squeeze a body through. Conra looked back and beckoned them to follow before disappearing into the little fissure. Darr and his siblings stepped into the dim light of the narrow opening. A sliver of light shone from its opposite end.

  Once they cleared the fissure, a land of stone ravines and valleys, cliffs and overhangs sprawled before them. Little foliage could be seen, and the only water Darr saw tumbled from on high and disappeared into the dark gorges below. The Barricade Mountains were a world composed of rock, with no rhyme or reason to their workings. Cliff ledges led upwards and spiraled onto distant peaks, others led down into its depthless valleys. Darr never would’ve been able to navigate his way through the mountains alone. The looks of confusion on his siblings’ faces confirmed his realization.

  Conra looked back and smiled, a reassuring presense. “Now, let’s see if we can get out of this mess.” The Elf scanned their surroundings for a few moments before leading them out along one of the rocky ledges.

  Hardly any words passed between the three siblings for fear of interfering with Conra’s observations. The landscape of the mountains provided little scenery, and their journey quickly turned into a tiresome march.

  When they stopped for the night, Conra built a fire, from the wood that Erec had been collecting throughout the day, beneath a rock overhang.

  “So, what do you think, Darr,” Conra called out, meeting Darr’s gaze. He finished throwing together a modest soup using a few roots and herbs he’d packed and settled back against the rock wall in the falling darkness to let it simmer. “You still think you could’ve gotten through here by yourself?”

  Darr shook his hair away from his face. He poked at the fire with a stick, glad that they had enough wood to cook a hot meal and to ward off the evening cold “I would’ve gotten lost before we passed through that fissure. Thanks again, Conra. It means everything to us that you’re here.”

  The Elf produced his pipe and lit it, sending a huge blue cloud of smoke into the air in the process. “I love these mountains. I love the challenge they present. Not many men can get themselves through here. I almost didn’t on my first time around.”

  Jinn hunched forward, her green eyes shining. “You got lost here?”

  “Well of course, Miss Reintol,” Conra said followed by a laugh. “Everybody has to if they’re ever going to learn how to get through. I got badly lost and almost starved to death right before I moved over here. I’d heard about the Barricades, and as a headstrong youth, I decided I’d be able to get past them. I was wrong, but fortunately, I had some help and a brilliant bit of luck. A trapper happened through and saw me wandering around half-crazed with starvation. He nursed me back to health and took me through.”

  “How come you never talk about your past, Conra?” Erec asked, his brown eyes intense as he sat back from the fire. “Father said you never told him what brought you here, only that you came from the Elven territories.”

  A long stream of smoke rose out of the old Elf’s mouth. He looked at Erec as if in challenge for daring to ask. “I believe a man should be allowed to live with his past. Like young Darr over there, we all have secrets that bind us to our past and make us who we are. If we go around spouting off to everyone who asks what we keep from them, we lose who we are and what makes us special.”

  Erec stared in silence, oblivious. Conra sighed and said, “Like the three of you, I saw things in my youth that changed the way I saw the world. I didn’t see something as evil as that creature you ran across in Stern, but I saw the Sephirs have power we can’t comprehend and the Divine can’t control.” Conra swallowed hard and shook his head. “We’re supposed to live in a world where we’re safe without magic, but perhaps it’s the other way around. Without magic, we’re defenseless.”

  “Magic should be controlled,” Erec said, his tone set the words in stone. “The Divine and the Kings of Ictar keep careful watch over the Sephirs to prevent their magic from ever being abused again. If magic is being used, it’s because of lunatics like Nidic Waq who have no respect for the rules.”

  Heat rose into Darr’s face at his brother’s words. “Nidic Waq is a Summoner, Erec. I have the ability to harness the magic of the Sephirs like he does. Does that mean I have no respect for the rules because I’m a Summoner?”

  Conra looked stunned by Darr’s words, but he remained silent.

  “You already know how I feel about your use of magic,” Erec said, his eyes fierce. “If the Spirit Summoners start using magic, the Aeon Wars are going to happen all over again. The Divine should’ve foreseen this happening and enforced their rules by any means...”

  Erec cut himself off, but Darr stared in open shock. Jinn refused to remain silent. “So what’re you saying?” she asked in a dangerous tone. “Should the Divine lock up all the Summoners to prevent them from using magic? Should they kill them off so they won’t be a threat? You’re talking about your own brother!”

  “I know. I don’t know what I was saying, but I think the Summoners should be watched. What if the wrong person gets hold of the magic and we end up back where we were with the Aeon Wars? What if it ends up worse, and we end up getting thrown back into chaos? Did you ever stop to think where these Soul Seekers came from--where did they learn how to summon the Ovids? I don’t think any of this would be happening if Spirit Summoners weren’t allowed to...”

  “Don’t finish what you’re about to say, Erec,” Conra interrupted. Solemn and dark, the Elf’s features looked wise beyond even his years. “The trouble with youth is you never think things through before you speak. And when you think to take them back, it’s too late. I know you love your brother, and I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but I know you wouldn’t wish Darr any harm.” Conra looked back at Darr. “As for magic, it’s an inescapable part of this land. The kings and the Divine think they can contain it by keeping a close eye on the Sephirs, but magic isn’t like that. It’s a part of Ictar, and I don’t think anybody will ever change that.”

  “Somebody has to,” Erec retorted. “Otherwise, we’re all going to end up dead or worse.”

  “That’s just the way life works sometimes, Boy,” Conra replied. “If a river runs south, there’s not much you can do to change its course. You can block it off, build a dam, but if it wants to, that river will break free.”

  “Well, I’m not accepting that,” his brother said and jumped to his feet. In the glow of the fire, Erec stormed off into the darkness of the surrounding cliffs.

  Conra raised his hand as Darr and Jinn both started to rise. “Let him go,” he said. “Erec needs to figure things out on his own. He’ll be all right. He’s conflicted between what he sees with his eyes and what he thinks he knows to be true.”

  Conra checked on their soup, then poured steaming cups full of the concoction for his charges and himself. As the tension eased, the conversation turned back to the mountains again. Conra’s words became a buzzing in Darr’s ears as his thoughts wandered back to his confrontation with Erec. Darr understood his brother’s reasoning, but enslaving the Spirit Summoners suggested Erec’s beliefs were more rigid than Darr could ever imagine.

  Darr sighed and stared off into the darkness after Erec. What could he do that would tell him he understood his doubts no matter how different their beliefs might be? He reclined against the wall of the cliff overhang while Conra and Jinn talked, concentrating on the night sounds around him and took deep breaths. Darr closed his eyes for only a moment...

  ...when he opened them, he’d slipped into the Currents.

  Darr’s deep state of relaxation had allowed him access. He used similar techniques to consciously listen to the spirits. Perhaps he was getting more accustomed to the Currents, and in turn, passage between his world and theirs became like breathing air in and out of his lungs.

  The spirits danced around the white aura of his Light, their whispers audible
and encouraging him to make peace with his brother. Jinn and Conra still sat before him. Their Lights strong and shining, huddled before the swelling red aura of their campfire. He found Erec’s Light standing some distance off. The Summoner flew to him, closing the gap between them in something short of an eye blink.

  Now that he was there, Darr didn’t know what to do. Erec wouldn’t be able to hear him if he said something. What if he let himself feel what Erec did? Darr hesitated at first, contemplating the repercussions of invading Erec’s privacy. In the end, his curiousity broke his wall of resolve. He let down his defenses, and Erec’s emotions washed over him.

  Feelings of self-loathing and remorse overcame Darr. Doubt and utter sadness were accompanied by flashes of his brother’s memories. After a few moments, his brother’s perceptions became indistinguishable from his own. Resistant, Darr rebuilt his defenses. He felt sick inside. He’d overstepped his bounds by searching Erec’s Light, and yet, the spirits urged him to right Erec’s perceived wrongs.

  Nidic Waq and Racall both had been able to generate emotions within other people. Racall told him they weren’t emotions pulled out of thin air, but emotions buried deep within a person, then pulled to the surface and made stronger.

  He lowered his defenses once more, letting his Light open up to his brother. Erec’s emotions and memories came rushing forward again, a torrent of regret and anger. The Summoner held his ground against his brother’s feelings, resisting the force of the Currents to merge with Erec’s Light. Darr filtered through the emotions, looking at the memories and the feelings they invoked in Erec, tapestries hung on his conflicted mind. Hidden amid the tumbled mass lurked a memory of himself and Erec not more than a few years ago.

  They were swimming in a lake near Tyfor, but Darr went too far out in the waters and began to drown. Erec leapt in after him and swam to his aid, pulling him to the shore with no thought to his own safety. The entire time, Erec’s only fear was that he’d lose his brother. No matter what their beliefs, the brothers shared a bond that inspired Erec to do anything for Darr.

  Focused, the Summoner reached into Erec’s Light and pulled the memory to the surface, an impossible sensation, like holding onto the wind.

  Within the fraction of time allowed in the Currents, Erec’s emotions began to change. His anger and self-loathing eased. Darr had brought some peace to his brother, that alone was progress. He relaxed his thoughts and retreated back to the dark night of the Barricade Mountains...

  When he opened his eyes, Conra and Jinn still huddled before the fire, warming themselves against the chill. Darr said nothing about his encounter in the Currents. Jinn might understand, but , his summoning abilities were too new and untested with her. Several minutes later, Erec reappeared from out of the darkness. He sat down before the dying fire and stared at its red embers.

  Only Conra spoke, “We have a long ways to go tomorrow, everyone needs to get some sleep.”

  It would be hard to do. Even after Darr closed his eyes, he still saw Erec’s sad face.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Caeranol watched the last of his people disappear from the world that had once been their home. Then he entered the Currents and took the full strength of the Light into himself. His body was absorbed into the land, but because the Light came freely from the spirits, Caeranol’s humanity remained. Tasked with protecting the land from the Devoid, Caeranol went to work using his power as an Archon. He hid the lesser races from the Devoid, and he protected the remaining relics left behind by the Ancients. Then he confronted the Devoid one final time.”

  ~From A Current History of Ictar, as told by Nidic Waq

  They followed Conra along the mazelike cliffs and valleys of the Barricade Mountains. Despite his experience as a guide, Conra made a few wrong turns, forcing them to retrace their steps and start over. Darr spent most of the journey with Jinn. Conra was too focused on navigating to say much of anything, and Erec had slipped into a reclusive mood, trailing far behind his siblings. Jinn and Darr left him alone, talking amongst themselves about things other than Summoners and magic.

  It wasn’t until they came down out of the Barricades three days later that Erec came around again. The Karahesian Wasteland’s blasted landscape sprawled out before them, and its bleak atmosphere would’ve shaken anyone.

  “Ictar really is in a state of imbalance between the Elements,” Darr announced.

  Conra shook his head and grumbled, “What you see has nothing to do with imbalance.” He didn’t elaborate.

  They settled themselves for the night on a cliff at the base of the Barricades. From there, the dry, barren earth of the wasteland stretched out to the sea. Long, winding cracks riddled the landscape from the scorching heat, like a large clay plate left in the kiln for too long. Darr couldn’t see anything living.

  Sitting before their fire they ate supper, while Conra was content to watch the landscape and smoke.

  “Long ago, this region was filled with life,” the Elf said in a hushed voice. “During the Aeon Wars, the races took to fighting using elementals created from the Sephirs. The forces of magic unleashed during the fighting left the Karahesian razed and empty of life.”

  “That’s horrible,” Jinn whispered, her shock apparent on her face. “How could the races have survived if they were doing such terrible things?”

  The Elf looked over at her with sadness in his eyes. “They were negligent, Jinn. But they were also afraid of the power they used. If the Sephirs fell out of balance, chaos would return, so they took small pieces of magic to try to conquer their enemies. Hmph. Even with their small magic, they sure did make a mess of the world.”

  Darr and Erec listened from opposite sides of the campfire, eased back on their elbows while their sister and Conra talked.

  “How do you know so much about the Aeon Wars?” Jinn asked, edging closer to the heat of the fire.

  “I made it my business to know,” Conra said. “The wars might be done and over with, but they’ve shaped this land, turned it into what it is today. I don’t think we should forget the impact they’ve had on Ictar.”

  All three siblings nodded in agreement. Erec had mellowed since their argument in the Barricades. Maybe Erec had thought things over and come to different conclusions. Or perhaps, Darr’s excursion into the Currents had done something after all.

  The four slept soundly that night and woke early to the unnatural heat of the Karahesian. Even during the fall months, the wastelands were hot. Rain only fell late in the winter, and even that didn’t change the barren land much. The Elf led them south out of the foothills, leading them in a direct line with the mountains both for navigation and to keep then shaded during the hottest hours of the afternoon.

  By the time they stopped at nightfall, the temperature had dropped to near freezing. They had no wood for a fire, so they ate a cold meal and wrapped themselves in blankets and tried to sleep. The second day went along in much the same manner, but now the terrain began to descend. Darr scanned the horizon. Nothing but the Karahesian stretched in every direction except where the Barricades rose up to block his vision. It didn’t look like they would be nearing the end of the wasteland any time soon.

  When they stopped again that night, Darr’s thoughts lingered on his father. He sat alone in the darkness of their camp, wrapped in his forest cloak and blanket to fight off the cold. Conra and Erec slept, but Jinn stirred where she lay on the ground beside him. She turned her head towards him, her face outlined in the white light of the stars. She sat up and shifted her body over to his.

  “What’s the matter?” Jinn whispered.

  Darr shook his head. “I was thinking about Father. I wish I could do something to check on him.”

  “Can’t you go to the Currents?”

  “I’ve tried, but it’s hard.”

  Jinn’s gaze dropped. “I’ve been thinking about him too, but we all made a choice in coming here. I’m sure he’s fine, probably just a little worried.”

  The
Summoner reached out and hugged his sister. “Thanks, Jinn,” he whispered back. “I guess I’m feeling like I should try to check on him.”

  She pulled away and looked him in the eye. “Darr, you don’t have to do anything more than what’s expected of you. You’re still learning. Besides, didn’t Nidic Waq and Racall warn you about spending too much time in the Currents? Maybe you should try to let things come to you rather than trying to go to them.”

  Jinn was right, of course. She was most of the time. Maybe he should relax and let things take their natural course.

  “I’ll watch myself. You’re right. I’ve been trying too hard.”

  Jinn smiled. “Erec and I, even Conra, we’re all here to support you. You aren’t alone in this. We may not have magic, but we have other qualities that will aid you.”

  Jinn turned and rolled herself into her blankets. Darr lay back, the hard earth beneath him. Thoughts of his father continued to force their way into his mind. Maybe Jinn was wrong. He needed to practice summoning in order to improve. Yes, Nidic Waq had warned him to use the Currents only as needed, but how could he help his friends and family if he didn’t know how? He had the means, but he didn’t have the experience.

  The Summoner made up his mind. He wouldn’t put his family in danger again. He would master the spirit realm until no doubt remained on its workings.

  He slipped into the Currents in search of his father.

  * * * *

  Darr soared through the wisteria light, flitting between the Lights of people connected to the physical world while he listened to the spirits. Nothing new revealed itself. Every time he reached out to find his father, he was met with resistance.

  --The Currents are not easily navigated--

  --Shadows deceive us all--