Glaide stumbled over a stone, but rose again nimbly. He didn’t let his agitation show. “Continue, please.”
“Yes, the Destroyer. The one who killed Baras. But we, the gypsies, were some of the only humans who understood that Aras had intervened, had permitted that being to be born, and had led him to victory. That is why we believe in that god, as do the elves, dwarves, and some of the barbarians. Though actually, those other three do not have exactly the same reasons as we do. They were also disappointed to not see their god help them, but they continued to worship him, as they have long memories, and they remembered all that he had done for them long before.”
“Hmm... And do you know, then, why those people have withdrawn from the world?”
“Because after the victory, it became evident that humanity had proven its strength. After all, it had been a protector, a magg, and a warrior who had brought them their newfound happiness and security. Though, while the elves and dwarves heard in that their own death knell, the barbarians became a divided people.”
“Yes, and I know what came after that.”
“And it is for that reason that Gardock, the king of the dwarves, lives entombed in his mountains,” thought Glaide. “Five hundred years ago, all of these peoples believed themselves to be living their final hours, and because humans were the ones who saved them, they saw that as a sign, and withdrew from the world. It’s ridiculous.”
The two continued to talk about other things, and then finally, a scout returned excitedly; their destination was just ahead! They reached it a few minutes later. From their position, on a small hill, they had an incomparable view of their surroundings, entirely inundated with sunlight. In the distance, a massive, solitary rock rose up into the sky. The verdant plains were dotted here and there with woods. The boy tried to make out a house, but he could see nothing from that distance. No road or path travelled across the vast green expanse, though Glaide could just make out a route in the distance. The gypsies would have to construct their own roads if they wanted to travel about the place. However, there was plenty of space, and the village would be able to expand in all directions, without obstruction.
They began to travel down the hill by a narrow, steep path along the left side, that would allow them to just reach the level of the plain, several yards below, before it came to an end. Glaide followed the movement, ready to lend a hand to slow a wagon that rolled too fast, or to force frightened horses or cattle to advance. With many cries and a great deal of sweat, the group eventually reached their goal, then made their way towards the center of the plain as the sun began to set.
A great commotion rose up then; some felt that they should immediately send emissaries to tell the other groups, who still wandered about the Known Lands, that they had found land, while others felt they should rest in their wagons for the evening, then make preparations the next day. The latter opinion eventually won out, but while his chance companions bickered back and forth, Glaide took the time to try to locate the hermit’s home. However, there were trees all around, and some of the patches of forest were quite far away. Finally, he gave up hope of spotting anything himself, and instead decided to wait until someone offered to accompany him.
In the end, it was the two children, Halfrida and her friend, who finally came to speak to him. After getting permission from their mother to lead the young man to the stranger’s home, the children took off at a run, heading east. Glaide was just about to launch himself in pursuit of them, when he spotted Gelden, who was watching the men fuss about. Out of the corner of his eye, the adolescent saw that his two guides had stopped a few yards away. He decided that they would have to wait for a moment, and he approached the old man.
He greeted him, then said, “I just wanted to thank you before I go. You and all of those who’ve accompanied me.”
The old man turned to look him in the eye, but said nothing.
“I don’t know what I am going to find, but if this hermit is the person I’ve been looking for, I will likely stay there for a time. Perhaps we’ll leave for somewhere, and perhaps not. I don’t know if our paths will cross again. If, on the other hand, the man who lives in that home is not the person I’m hoping to find, then I’ll continue my search, and I don’t know if our paths will ever cross again. I just wanted to say goodbye, and good luck.”
“Good luck to you as well, my young friend. Your eyes tell me that you have already lived through much, despite your young age. If that man is the one you are seeking, then your solitary wandering will have come to an end. Within a few months – five or six at the most – we will have built our village. Return then to see me. Who knows what will happen between now and then? And if you follow that stranger, and he decides to remain here, then don’t hesitate to visit us often. We met this man that you are seeking out once before. He was strange, but amiable. It would not displease me to spend time with him.”
“I understand. In any case, I sincerely hope we will meet again.”
The older man nodded, then his face split into a smile, and Glaide turned away with a wave. The two children were chasing each other about when Glaide reached them. They quickly stopped their game and began to walk, still heading east. The small group passed several individual trees and rocky outcrops, and then, finally, Glaide could make out a forest before him, covering the top of a hill. The hill was not tall, but it was quite large. It looked as though it might be a plateau of some sort. Part of the building Gelden had mentioned was hidden under the thick covering of the trees.
The adolescent began to accelerate his steps, so much so, that his young companions now had trouble keeping up with him. As he approached, he realized that the building was made up of two floors, each featuring the traditional eaves of a Japanese pagoda, jutting out beyond the structure itself. On the second floor, the balcony featured no railing, so a person could literally walk onto the eaves of the first floor. A small ladder led up from the eaves of the first floor to the roof of the second floor on the outside of the building, and an opening in the main roof was also visible, that likely led to an interior staircase.
The size of the building was quite respectable. It formed a rectangle, with the facade being at least sixty or seventy feet wide. He couldn’t determine how far back the building went, though, as it disappeared into the trees. At the highest point, the building seemed to extend to a height of around thirty feet.
The trio soon reached the foot of the hill. A small path slowly ascended the hill, zig-zagging back and forth, before finally reaching the door of the building. The young man stopped for a moment to gaze at the facade, which gleamed as the light of the setting sun played across its surface, before he suddenly remembered the children accompanying him. He thanked them, then dismissed them, telling them that he could continue on his own. They waved to him, then took off at a run, laughing and smiling as they went.
Glaide gazed after them until he could no longer hear their voices in the distance, then he turned to again looked at the dwelling in front of him. His heart beat quickly, his thoughts seemed jumbled up in his mind, and he could feel his arms trembling. So many things depended on the minutes that were to follow this moment.
He began to climb the path. He kept his gaze fixed on his destination, never slowing his advance. His legs seemed weak, and trembled, barely holding him up. Gradually, step by step, he reached his goal, too soon for his taste. Before him stood a door of solid wood, with barely visible clues betraying the great age of the wood. To the right, a part of the wall itself acted as a sliding door as well, though at this late hour, it was closed. So then, two different points of access to the home existed.
The young man turned to look at the sun behind him for a moment. He gradually felt himself calming down. Within a few seconds, his mind cleared, and he felt able to think logically again. “I’m here on Galadria,” he thought to himself. “No matter what happens next, I’ve experienced things that no one else has. I’ve already had an incredible journey, and no matter who this ma
n is, that will remain true.”
Glaide turned back to the building, and without further thought – since he knew otherwise, he’d end up hesitating for yet another long while – he knocked on the hard wood of the door. A few seconds passed – though they felt like an eternity. He held his arms stiffly at his sides. He stood perfectly still, but he felt like his heart might shatter as it beat ferociously inside his chest.
Slowly, the door opened, and a man appeared in the opening. He matched the description of the gypsies perfectly: his hair was black and long. Today, he wore leather pants and a cloth vest. His dark eyes were like a bottomless abyss, and seemed to hold many stories. Glaide could see the same wisdom in those depths that he had perceived in the gaze of Uziere, and for a moment, he felt hypnotized, just as he had when he had first met the gaze of Ayrokkan. The face of the stranger was very angular, and the beginning of a beard was visible on his chin. His eyebrows were contracted in a frown that gave his face a certain hardness that softened when he suddenly smiled. With a calm, reassuring voice, he spoke.
“Good evening, Glaide. I’ve been waiting for you.”
The young man caught his breath sharply.
Before him, the stranger took a moment to gaze about at their surroundings, seemingly taking joy in the gentle breeze that lightly caressed his face. Then, he turned his gaze back on his visitor. “Come in, I beg of you. I believe that we have a great deal to discuss with one another.”
The young man quickly released the breath that he had been holding in, then gulped in another deep breath of the night air. It had been a long time since he had last felt so at peace, and it was with a calmly beating heart that he passed the threshold, just as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Chapter 15
THE entryway he found himself in was not particularly spacious. Glaide had barely set foot in the house, and he was already crowded in by the stairs to his left and a wall to his right. There couldn’t be more than three feet between the two obstacles. The adolescent followed the man as he wondered to himself if the entire place would be so cramped, but he soon found himself reassured: a few steps farther, the stairs to the left were replaced by an open kitchen space, and the wall to the right by more sliding panels, that were set back a little farther, so that the hallway widened into something more than a mere corridor. A table and four chairs were situated in a corner to the left, and before him, another movable wall was open a bit, giving him a glimpse of a garden. The space formed a perfectly adequate room. The stranger went to look for some candles in a drawer, then placed them on the table. Glaide didn’t move, instead taking a moment to look around him, wondering what the panels to his right might be concealing. Finally, the man addressed him again.
“You must be starving. What would you say to having a bite to eat while we talk?”
“That would be excellent,” agreed the young man, feeling a bit intimidated. He took a seat, undid his cape, laying it over the seatback behind him, and placed his sack against one of the legs of the chair. The man settled in across from him, after placing a buffet of restorative food before them: some cheese, fruit, cold cuts, and a number of other things that made the young man salivate. The stranger had also placed a pitcher of clear, fresh water on the table and Glaide didn’t hesitate to pour himself a glass and take a great swallow of it. Then, more slowly, he dug into the food before him, as he waited for his benefactor to begin.
The man looked at him for a moment, slowly broke into a smile, and then spoke. “It’s about time that I introduce myself. My name is Kezthrem. I am, at this time, the last living master who gives instruction in the school of Iretane.”
At his words, Glaide felt his last doubts disappear. He let his joy freely course through his veins as he swallowed the food that had been offered to him; his fingers trembled, and he felt his heart in his throat. He knew it would take several minutes to calm himself down, and to let what was happening sink in.
“This is my home,” continued Kezthrem. “This house has been in my family for years. Those of us who have undertaken to become warriors, and especially those who have chosen to take on disciples, have used it as a place of training, though none of that particularly matters right now. I know that you have many questions, and I will begin at the beginning; first, I’m sure you want to know how I knew who you were, and how I was able to recognize you.”
The young man fixed his gaze on the speaker, nodding in agreement.
“You see, as soon as you and your friends arrived in Rackk, two months ago, Uziere sent word to me. At the time, I was away, and when I finally discovered the message, it was too late, and Rackk no longer existed.” The man paused for a moment, an indecipherable expression on his face. It was obvious that his ties to the destroyed city had been strong. “Could Uziere himself have been this man’s master?” Glaide asked himself. He promised himself that he would try to find out about that, as soon as an occasion presented itself.
“Whatever the case,” continued Kezthrem, “I immediately set out to find you. As you will discover in the weeks to come, I have many things to teach you, which are not limited to how to wield a sword; all of those things that Uziere would have shared with you if he had had the time, and that made it imperative that we encounter each other. Unfortunately, I had no idea of where you had decided to go, so I decided to take advantage of those practitioners of Iretane that wander the Known Lands to find you. Uziere had described your group in great detail, carefully recounting the role that you were to take on, and I gave this information to all those that I was able to find, as I also told them of the fate of Rackk. I hoped that they would be able to shed light on your objectives, so that I could better decide whether I should wait for you to come to me here, or whether I should travel to encounter you.”
Glaide wanted to speak, but his mouth was full. It took him a minute or two before he was able to respond. “I encountered a protector who used Iretane when I left Morthiaz and headed for Yzur. He was named Tyv, and his magg was named Paeh, but they told me they didn’t know where to find the master of Iretane...”
“Those names mean nothing to me, so I suppose they must have been students of Uziere. But, as I said, I was only able to share my message with a few people, though that number will certainly increase, as those who practice Iretane will spread the news each time they encounter others who practice Iretane. It is likely that Tyv simply had not yet caught wind of my appeal.”
They young man reflected on that for a moment, then said, “Even if Tyv and Paeh weren’t in the know, and couldn’t recognize me, certainly at least one disciple of Iretane who knew that you were seeking me would have been in Shinozuka, wouldn’t they? It is, after all, the capital, and it seems perfectly logical for at least one person to have gone there to look for me. I was there for weeks, though, and no one encountered us or mentioned your name!”
“What you say is true and reasonable, and, too, the king and his most trusted advisors knew of your unique origin, which Uziere told me, making that destination a perfectly logical one for you. And there is in fact a disciple of Iretane in Shinozuka. However, my message must have reached him too late, or it took him too long to find you, because I received a message from him a few days ago saying that you had left the village. He had contacted your friends in the hopes of learning more about your plans, but they were unable to help him.”
“So all that time, while I was feeling so alone, there were actually many people looking for me!” Glaide exclaimed.
“There were. The main problem, though, was that you had left your friends. I had expected to find the group of you quite easily, probably in Shinozuka. I had never imagined, though, that you would leave on your own. So then, it is very lucky that we finally came to meet.”
The young man nodded slowly, realizing that if he had just waited a little longer in Shinozuka, he could have saved himself some grief, and several weeks of wandering in error. “But then,” he thought to himself, “I probably wouldn’t have
encountered the dwarves, or Tyv and Paeh, or even Ayrokkan.”
“I already have an idea of why you left,” Kezthrem ventured, “but I would like to see if it is correct or not.”
Glaide swallowed again, his gaze fixed on the table. Then he spoke, his voice strong and self-assured, which surprised him. “I made that decision while I was living in Shinozuka. I think there were many reasons, some more noble than others, to explain my actions. The main reason, though, and the one that ultimately gave me the idea of leaving, was that I was not capable of fighting well.” The young man continued to stare at the table. He breathed in deeply, then continued.
“The fact that Rackk was destroyed was my fault: Baras was searching for me; he wanted to kill me. It was for that reason alone that he sent an army against the village. And we fled. One night, he spoke to us directly, and sent a group of black orks against us. They tried to kill us, but we escaped. Then, once we reached Shinozuka, the king admitted that, a few weeks after we arrived, the capital became subjected to more and more frequent attacks. And so, I left my friends...” He paused for a moment, and in the silence, they could hear birds singing outside. Finally, Kezthrem spoke.
“And so, then, that is why you are alone. Your reasons are more or less those that I had expected. So then, you went in search of me, hoping to continue your studies, and to acquire the strength that you lacked.”
Glaide nodded.
“Hmm... Was it folly or courage that made you set out on an adventure of that sort? I really cannot say. Whatever the case, your journey is now at an end. Now that we have been brought together, your training can begin anew. I would have liked to have met all four of you, but it matters little. However, tell me: how did the group of you actually come to be here?”
“We would love to know the answer to that question,” exclaimed the young man. “The guardian who brought us to Galadria was killed just after we arrived. He had all of the answers, of that I’m certain. All that we know, is that Emily and Gwenn were somehow marked in the ‘Book of Eternal Twilight’ as white magicians. The guardian was intrigued by the fact that they didn’t live on Galadria, so he did some research and learned more. Jeremy and I are their protectors.” Glaide hesitated for a moment, trying to decide what he should say, then added, “At any rate, before dying, the guardian told us very little. The king’s aid confided in us that the guardian had declared he was leaving to find the Destroyer. It seems that he meant me.”
Chronicles of Galadria II - Encounters Page 11
