by Lexy Wolfe
Gently removing Marcus's hands from his arm, Nolyn stated, "We cannot run away from this, Marcus. If nothing else, we need to assess the situation before we invite others into the danger this place poses. We cannot prepare blindly. There are too many possibilities, and unknowns are a huge risk." After a few minutes, Marcus nodded and followed.
No trees occupied the area the barrier. The growth of those nearest the barrier stunted, half the size they should have been for their age. With the bridges charred from the fire, the pair was forced to keep to the ground, concerned they were too fragile to trust they would hold their weight. It was not long before the first trees of the city itself became visible to the eye once they were far enough inside.
"Master, I thought fire destroyed Andar. That it had consumed everything." Marcus ran his hands along a root wall twice his height, gazing up into the darkness of the leafy canopy above. "I can see and sense the scars that the fire had caused, but…" He looked at Nolyn in shock. "They are still alive! But no one is here to care for the trees. How—?" He fell silent at a gesture from the grim man.
Closing his eyes, Nolyn rested his hands on the tree, murmuring as he reached out with his magic. He looked up towards the distant treetop above in worry and amazement. "Someone or something still tends the trees of Andar," he whispered. "I cannot tell what, though. Possibly whatever has been shadowing us since we crossed the barrier."
Marcus swallowed hard in nervousness. "I thought… I hoped I was imagining being watched. This place is really creepy." He shuddered, fussing with his backpack. "I don't know enough magic to-to be useful to you, Master. Forgive me for not learning faster."
Nolyn shook his head. "You must learn to trust your instincts, Marcus. Ursin taught me there is actually very little that must be done with magic that we cannot achieve with observation and more mundane skills. You have to trust yourself, know yourself, and understand what is going on around you so you can act when necessary without hesitation." He smiled to himself. "One day, I will introduce you to the Desanti. They had no choice but to adapt to a world bereft of even the most basic magic skills in a land bereft of nearly all life." Nolyn scaled the root to stand on it and survey the area. "Thank goodness I thought to copy that map of Andar at the library." He shifted his gear to begin climbing the craggy surface. "Come. This was where the local rest used to be. Let's see if anything might have survived whatever happened here."
"Yes, Master." As they climbed, Marcus said, "I was able to attend one of the classes Githalin Swordanzen Skyfire gave before the Dusvet Guardian took everyone away. It was hard to picture what he talked about. I could never imagine a land that was only rock and sand."
"Imagine how hard it must be to live in something as harsh as he had described." He stepped onto the charred patio of the rest that once had been where residents and visitors to Andar would gather to share meals and company. The charred wood creaked ominously. He reached out to catch Marcus by the arm when the boy's foot went through one of the unsupported spots. He scraped his leg, but the minimal injury needed no attention. "Careful, the wood is very weak. Try to step only where the heavier supports are."
Reaching the entrance to the once cozy gathering place, they quickly got off the worrisome structure and went into the tree. Marcus concentrated on creating a ball of magelight, the sphere floating ahead of him. He startled so badly he fell back at what the light revealed in the darkness. "Oh, merciful goddess!" he cried, his sphere of magelight going out. He looked up at Nolyn kneeling by him, the older mage's grim gaze fixed on the charred, skeletal remains of a dead woman his own light sphere illuminated. He spoke and gestured to his own sphere of magelight. It split into several orbs that scattered through the darkened interior of the main room to reveal a large number of bodies.
Many of the blackened remains were not of fallen bodies. Frozen in living poses, they were gruesome statues transfixed in a pose reflecting terror at whatever attacker they had faced in life. Some were even caught attempting to flee. "There is something very wrong here," Nolyn muttered. "It has been more than twenty years, yet most appear as though it was only…" He reached out to touch the extended hand of a woman on her knees, her face turned away and other hand raised to cover it protectively. "Only yesterday." The tatters of her clothing indicated her affluent status, but the necklace around her neck was what drew his eyes. "Oh, goddess, she was an Avarian."
"Master, what happened here? I thought fire had killed everyone!" Marcus accepted Nolyn's help getting back to his feet. The older man kept his hand on his apprentice's elbow so his wobbly knees would not collapse on him. "It-it looks like they had died... before the fire."
"Something is very wrong here. I have to tell Ellis," Nolyn stated, more to himself than Marcus. He turned away, pulling out the rolled up parchment and holding it out to his apprentice. "Andar's Tree of Knowledge. We must find it. If this much survived, surely something blessed by the goddess Herself would have..." His voice drifted off as he turned back to the woman. Kneeling in front of her, he touched her burned cheek with trembling fingers. "No one to put your soul to rest for so long. I will try to help you," he whispered. "Somehow."
Grateful for the excuse to focus his attention on something other than the specter of death, Marcus took the map to the entrance to be as far from the bodies as he could manage. His hands shook as he tried to look at the map. "H-here, Master. I f-found the library." When Nolyn took one side of the map, Marcus touched a trembling finger to a spot on the map of Andar. "H-here is the... the Rest. Th-this is the library." He swallowed, glancing back over his shoulder. "It-it isn't far, even if we just stay to the trees and branches. If the heavy branches can hold us. N-not sure the bridges are any good."
"Good job, Marcus," Nolyn approved, his voice low. Squeezing the boy's shoulder, he said, "Come. The sooner we can figure out what's going on in this goddess forsaken city, the sooner we can get back home."
"What about... what about them, Master Nolyn?" He flicked a look back into the darkness, the ball of magelight moving to hover near the exit. The eerie, perpetual twilight seemed to darken, the small ball casting a soft circle of light. "Shouldn't we... do something a-about them?"
Pressing his lips together, Nolyn shook his head after some hesitation. "I desperately want to, as much to burn what I have seen from my mind as to pay respects to the dead. But there is something wrong about all of this. I do not want to do something I think is right and make whatever is wrong here worse. Besides, there is still something out there." He sighed, heading outside to begin making their way to the heart of Andar's city. "If there are... others like the people here... in the same state as they are... it would take us weeks to manage alone. And that would be while pushing ourselves to our limits and risking being killed by the chlayxin."
The apprentice winced. "Oh, yeah. They taught us about the magic backlash." Marcus sighed and nodded. "You are right, Master. It was foolish of me to—" He stopped when Nolyn grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
"Don't," Nolyn snapped, scowling. "Do not ever consider yourself foolish for wanting to respect the dead." Sighing, he released the boy, looking away. "I don't know if even the... either Illaini could manage them all without requiring rest. And we will need our strength to deal with whatever is lurking out there, I suspect."
"Yes, Master," Marcus said in a small voice. He followed Nolyn outside to climb over to a branch that got them nearer other great trees to traverse the distance between the rest and the library they sought. "Master, how did the Illaini Magus... survive? I mean, wasn't he just a child when this... happened?"
Nolyn pressed his lips together in a grim line, not responding right away. "No one ever spoke in detail of what happened here. I don't know if Ash even remembers any of this. I hope to gods not." He paused to stare into the darkness of the forest thick with draping vines and mosses that would have been kept thin by caretakers. "I wish I could forget it."
Marcus watched Nolyn for a time. "You and the Illaini Magus have been frie
nds for a long time."
Nolyn smiled sadly at Marcus. "We are brothers in all but blood. Perhaps closer. When we were boys... just students, not even officially apprenticed to Bennu Avarian... just wards of the Avarian family… we found an old book in the Avarian family library that told of a spell that could forge a spiritual tie and well..." Holding up his right hand, he displayed the star-shaped scar. "We did. The Desanti call the bond bayuli-volsha."
Looking up in wide-eyed wonder, Marcus whispered, "That must be a very old book! Desanti lost their magic during the Great War!"
Looking at his palm, Nolyn murmured, "Yes. Written by Avarian himself over two thousand years ago." The silence stretched out until the branches above them creaked, as if something of considerable weight moved across it. He held his hand up before Marcus could utter a sound, both staring into the shadows above. "Do you remember the way to the hole in the barrier we entered through?" Marcus nodded. "I want you to get out of here."
"You want me to abandon you?" Marcus asked in shock. "But I can't—"
"No buts. I won't see you die because I was foolish enough to bring you with me into this hellish place," Nolyn hissed. "The library is just ahead. If there is nothing left to find, and that thing stays in the shadows, I'll be right behind you."
Marcus grabbed Nolyn's arm, desperation in his hold. "Master, let's just both go. That-that thing hasn't attacked us yet. Maybe it is just an-an animal and it... it isn't hungry right now. We can both get out of here and—"
Understanding sympathy filled Nolyn's expression. He put a consoling hand on the boy's shoulder. "You and I both know it is no normal animal that dwells within Andar's barrier, Marcus. You remember the camouflage spell I taught you?" Marcus nodded, unable to meet Nolyn's eyes. "Good. I suspect that the creature has more interest in me than you. It should give you plenty of time to get out and away from here. It doesn't mean there are not predators on the road back to Quoesia. Keep to the branches."
"Yes, Master," Marcus said, his voice quavering with emotion. He looked up when Nolyn pulled out a sealed letter and handed it to him. He looked up, an unspoken question in his eyes.
"Keep yourself safe and go straight to Quoesia's library. Give this to the Keeper there. Master Bethal Lirai. He will take care of you." Pausing to squeeze Marcus' shoulder, Nolyn said gruffly, "Now get going. If that thing starts to follow you, I'll join you."
Marcus managed a weak smile, trying to be brave. "Is it bad I hope it does follow me, Master?"
Nolyn blinked, then shook his head with a fond smile. "No, Marcus. Not at all." He gently shoved his shoulder. "Go. Night will be falling soon." Taking a deep breath, Marcus turned and went back the way they had come.
As he expected, the presence the Edai Magus had sensed remained nearby and unmoving, a dark, looming feeling that grew more oppressive. Grimly, Nolyn turned away once Marcus had vanished from sight and continued towards the library. Above, a branch creaked, leaves rustled, as a dark, swift shape followed. Nolyn slowed when he approached the heart of Andar, briefly forgetting the danger he was in, the horrors he had witnessed since coming to Andar, and staring in awe.
Andar's Tree of Knowledge, home of the local library and temple to the Forentan goddess, soared high above; it was the tallest and oldest of the great trees. Its surface charred by fire and marred by soot. Elegant figures and shapes created by generations of mages in the living wood gave it a serene majesty that was at once comforting and humbling. Lowering his eyes, he touched the middle of his forehead with the first two fingers of his right hand in a gesture honoring the goddess. He looked up into the branches before moving towards the main doors.
Expecting the tree to have grown to press the double doors together, Nolyn blinked in amazement when they opened with a bare touch making only the softest of creaking sounds. He stepped into the pitch black of the entry hall and grunted as he was struck from behind and sent sprawling. He pushed himself up, trying to catch his breath and squinting up at the looming figure standing over him.
Who are you? A deep, male voice seethed in his mind, washing Nolyn with a flood of rage, of pain, and, to Nolyn's surprise, grief and despair. What do you want within my domain, mortal?
Nolyn kept his voice as level and neutral as possible. "I am Nolyn Lirai, Edai Magus of Verusia and first chair of the Edai Tredecima. I come seeking truth."
Dark, tattered wings flared outward, a loose feather falling away. Truth? Bah. No one wants truth. There is no truth! Only lies. The hunched figure turned away. Be gone from here if you value your soul, Edai Magus.
"I cannot go. Not until I understand what has happened here." Nolyn took a deep breath. "People had come here from Quoesia. Some have gone missing. Others suffer nightmares that rob them of rest and sanity both. Some have died." He flinched back when the figure snarled, lurching forward with an arm raised to strike when the mage attempted to get back on his feet. "I seek the solace of peace for their tortured minds."
No. Death frees those who would suffer. Those who suffer are weak. Weak of mind. Weak of spirit. Willing slaves to the darkness. Weakness is an abomination! A dishonor to the great mother! I will not permit such to tarnish Her grace.
Nolyn blinked. "You... serve the Great Mother?" A terrifying howl shredded the silence, exuding the same emotions Nolyn sensed from the creature's thoughts. Cringing away from being struck by its flaring wings, Nolyn raised his right hand, palm outward, shielding his face. The scar glowed hot in response to his fear. He cried out when a gnarled hand grabbed his right wrist, jerking him forward as bright, deep blue eyes narrowed.
What trickery is this?! The eyes moved to fix on Nolyn's, the monster's hot, fetid breath in the mage's face. You are not the child I protected, but this speaks his soul. Did you slay him for his power?!
Nolyn could not speak immediately, struggling to ignore the pain radiating from his captured wrist. "No! I swear, no. Ash lives. He-he is Illaini Magus and—" He cried out again when the creature jerked him so hard his shoulder dislocated. Nolyn froze when he felt an alien mind invade his, searching his thoughts and memories. But the brief mingling of minds was not one sided. In that moment, the Edai Magus realized a terrifying truth.
The creature's fury abated, wings half furling as he dropped to his knees, releasing Nolyn abruptly. You speak true. Asheren lives. He... thrives. Head bowing, he added in dull tones, I did not fail.
"Dear goddess... You... I know what you are..." Nolyn whispered, staring into the being's eyes in shock. "Trisari! You have been the one tending the trees." The monster turned away, his agony tangible. Nolyn slowly got to his feet, reaching out his uninjured hand. "What happened to you? Where have you… where have all of you been?"
He shoved Nolyn away, turning his back to the mage. Shoulders shaking, wings trembling, the creature's voice sounded as destroyed as his body appeared. "Banished. Broken forever." He looked at the elegant artwork depicting angelic creatures among the branches on the ceiling. Without warning, he surged to his feet, his tattered, feathered wings unfurling to full extension as he screamed to the heavens.
"Easy now. Let me help you, just—" Nolyn took an involuntary step back when the creature spun back on him, his features contorted. A red light glowed in the depths of his eyes as he snarled and lunged at the human. Nolyn struggled as he felt his life being drained through thing's touch. He glanced at a small shape standing in the entrance, futilely reaching out. "Marcus, no—!"
The creature flinched as a chunk of fallen branch landed squarely in the middle of his back between his wings. He spun around with a snarl. The shock of the abrupt break in the connection between the monster and human knocked Nolyn unconscious. It took a threatening step towards the boy, fingers more like gnarled claws.
Marcus did not run. Holding a stick that was hardly big enough to combat the fallen divine servant at the ready, the boy shouted, "You leave my master alone!" He raised his stick as the monstrosity lunged at him, not ducking in time to avoid the backhand that threw him against the tre
e wall. Dazed, Marcus reached out for his master when the thing turned back and threw Nolyn's body over his shoulder, then turned to come towards him. The last thing Marcus saw was the monster's hand reaching out for him, the last thing he heard was its tortured voice in his mind. Forgive me.
Chapter 28
"Master Bethal! Unsvet Valerian! Over here!" Ursin's rough voice bellowed.
Feet pounded the ground as several people burst into the shadowed area sheltered by the swell of a giant root where the two inert bodies of Nolyn and Marcus lay. Tobias stared in shock for a moment before his healer training took over. "Wait! Do not move them yet. Let me examine them to ensure we will not do more harm." Ignoring the crawling sensation across his back being in such close proximity to the Andarian barrier, he put his hands over their hearts, closing his eyes.
Tobias's expression waxed relieved as he waved Ursin towards Marcus. "Move him carefully. He has a concussion and horrific bruising, but nothing he will not survive."
"What of Nolyn?" Valerian asked in a low voice as he knelt close by, Bethal standing just behind him. The older brother could only stare at the broken body of his sibling in horror. Tobias ignored the question, kneeling as he put his hands over Nolyn's brow and heart, focusing his entire being into attempting to heal the man. However, there seemed to be no change to Nolyn's condition. Tobias scowled, focusing so intently on the task that the energy around his hands was a visible white glow.
"He is supposed to be a journeyman," Ursin growled. "He should at least be able to heal a simple bruise."
Valerian stood, turning to push Bethal and Ursin both back to give Tobias space. The Unsvet's eyes bored into the other men's, hard and uncompromising. "Do not question Tobias's strength or skill, either of you! These injuries are neither common nor simple."
The shouts and movement as someone moved him to place a rolled garment as pillow under his head roused Marcus back to consciousness. He stared owlishly at the unfamiliar men and women around him before he struggled to sit up in panic. "Master!" The sudden movement made his head swim and he sagged back.
