by Kurtis Smith
Davin realized this didn’t make anything clearer. “Humans like me. You mean Descendants of the Ancients.”
“Yes, I am one of the Lords of Trial. We were commissioned long ago by the Ancients themselves to test the new learners. Now I have come to do the same to you.”
“This still makes no sense,” Davin said, more to himself than to the figure. “It can’t be real. You can’t be real. You even told me you live in dreams.”
“This is not a dream. The pain will be real and you will suffer the consequences if you fail this test.”
“What is this test you speak of?” Davin asked. Being tested of his skills by a being that wasn’t even human was a little frightening.
“I will put your body, mind, and heart under scrutiny before we are done. Let us begin,” he finished. A sword formed out of the mist in the shadow’s hand.
Davin shook his head. This was impossible. There was no other explanation except that he was asleep.
Dreams feel real enough when you are in them.
Davin gestured to the other two men sleeping by the fire. “Won’t they hear us?”
“Our sounds will be silenced to their ears. They will not know this is happening.”
Davin pulled forth his sword and stood ready and confident. Though he had no idea the kind of strength this Lord of Trials would have.
The shadow swung at Davin and their battle began. He came at Davin with a surprising fury. It didn’t take long for Davin to realize he was out matched. This was way beyond even Egan’s skill. The shadow was much stronger than Davin and much faster. Every direction Davin swung, the other’s sword had already arrived to block. And he was improvising the best he could. It didn’t help that the mist and blackness swirled around the shadow, traveling in and out of their fight in an artistic fashion. Davin’s body took a beating, and he shouted in pain every time he was struck, but he wasn’t bleeding as much as one should have.
This must be part of the its magic.
Every now and then, it commented “good”. On one occasion, Davin used the momentum of a forward slash to spin himself around the back of it and stab at the backside. He received a grunt of approval.
Davin’s muscles ached and burned, yet he did not stop for fear of what the shadow would do to him. He also noticed that when he connected with a hit on the shadow, the mist would dissipate at the part of the body where he swung through. There would be nothing but air left during those few seconds.
“Halt,” the Lord of Trial commanded some unknown time later. Davin stopped, grateful that the embarrassment was over. “Good, that is acceptable.”
Davin cringed as he examined his hundreds of bruises he had just acquired. “There is no way I could have beat you with the way you move.”
“The goal is not for you to beat me. That would be impossible. I only want to see how you fight. You have learned well. I will not test you again on your sword play. Now you will be judged on your skills with Driocht. Begin.”
Davin reluctantly pulled out the orb he carried with him, not looking forward to whatever torture awaited him this time. He lit up two of his fingers with fire and produced a fireball the size of a marble with his other hand. Feeling that the shadow would tell him when to stop, he continued to hold the fire lit in both hands.
The shadow said nothing, but Davin did notice streams of black mist coming towards him. He held his concentration, feeling that he was being distracted on purpose. The tendrils of mist kept coming nearer, aiming for his head.
When they reached him his head began to feel like it was on fire. He lost concentration for a moment. Pushing hard against the force in this head, he regained it quickly. The flames in his hands reignited.
It now felt as if his thoughts were being stretched and pulled like wet glue. The shadow was working hard to have him lose focus. Davin wasn’t going to give in. His neck ached with tension and his head felt so heavy he could barely hold it up, but he didn’t lose ground. Sweat had begun to pour down his face. Still the force in his head persisted. He wanted to destroy the being that was causing this torture. But fearing what might happen if he failed, he didn’t attempt to do anything but keep his magic going.
Davin began to sway under the pressure of this mental attack. He wasn’t sure how much more of it he could handle. Another minute and he felt he would pass out.
The Lord of Trial finally stopped. Davin took a few deep breaths and let the magic go, collapsing to the ground at the same time. He let out a wail of pain, trying hard to keep conscious. Every single part of his body burned and ached, especially his head. His brain felt as if it was being hammered on by a hard metal tool.
When he tried to stand up the movement made him sick, so he sat back down. Looking up at his examiner, Davin waited for a response. “Good. You have passed two of your tests, now for the final one.”
Davin swallowed to keep his sickness back. “I can’t take anymore. I have reached my limit.”
The shadow stood silently as if examining his Davin’s words, and then it spoke. “Do not worry. This test will not push your physical or mental boundaries. You may stay seated.”
Davin’s body relaxed. In moments he started for feel more like himself again. Getting comfortable, he waited for the shadow to speak again.
“Why are you on this quest?” the Lord of Trial asked him. Davin scrunched his face in confusion.
Why does that matter to him?
“To find the pieces of the Driocht scroll, to find out the King’s true plans,” Davin answered dumbly, but still humoring the shadow’s question.
“No, not your party’s agenda, I am referring to your own.”
Davin was taken aback. “My own is to rescue my friend, if he is still living. And kill the man that punished him this way…if it is possible.”
“Why do you not seek a greater path?” the shadow continued.
“Why does this-“Davin started.
“Answer the question.” The shadow’s voice was firm. It probably wasn’t wise to question further. Davin was silent for a few moments to gather his thoughts, and then did as he was told.
“I don’t want get involved in any worldly matters. Most that play hero end up not being much help anyway. And what they do accomplish they usually turn up giving their life for it. That doesn’t sound very appealing to me.”
Davin knew he had admitted quite a bit. It made him feel surprisingly lighter.
“Do you not feel like you can do much to help?”
Davin thought about his answer. “Maybe I can, maybe I can’t, but I’d rather not have to find out the hard way.”
“You have an incredible power given by your ancestors. Why do you not accept that by birth right you are meant to do more?”
“I shouldn’t be required to.” Davin tried not to raise his voice. It was hard. This subject certainly got his blood boiling. “My life is not planned for me. I will do what I wish. I will make the choice.”
“What makes you think that you have not?”
“If I must be an example to people simply because of who I am, that is not choosing. I might as well be fated to a destiny I don’t want.”
There was silence for a long minute. Davin shifted uncomfortably as he waited, unsure if this was the moment of judgment or not.
Then one word was uttered out of the Lord of Trial’s mouth. “Fail.”
And then the shadow disappeared without a trace. Davin’s mouth dropped open. It was gone. Davin had just begun to wonder why he failed when it felt as if he was pushed hard from behind. The scene in front of his eyes changed and he was once again staring up at the stars.
Egan and Teague were right where he left them. He looked down at his body. The bruises were gone and nothing ached that he could tell. His head felt perfectly fine except for an immense exhaustion. Had it all been a dream? He couldn’t tell. But it was definitely the strangest experience he’d ever had. And what did his failure mean? The fact the shadow didn’t tell him only made him more nervous.
Chapter 15 Intertwined Paths
“It will be back, Davin,” Egan told his fellow Descendent after Davin had finished relaying his encounter of the previous night. “You did not pass all of your tests.”
Davin frowned, glancing ahead as their pookas continued to carry them across the plains. “Here I was hoping that you would tell me it was all a dream.”
“Unfortunately, that is not the case, but the hardest part is over it seems,” Egan tried to consol him. Davin tried to put on a smile but it came out as a weak imitation of one.
“It seems that my heart is not right,” Davin grumbled, exaggeratedly mocking the voice of the Trial Lord.
“Congratulations, Davin you are officially human, I was worried,” he said sarcastically.
“What, I don’t-,” Davin replied, confused for a second. And then, revelation dawning, “Shut up.” And he smiled awkwardly.
Egan ignored him. “We should make note of this moment. Incredible I was here to witness it. I was beginning to believe that you were incapable of humor.” Egan slapped the pooka’s mane gleefully and looked around in earnest. “Where is a scribe when you need one?”
“You act like we’ve never joked around before.”
Egan gave a straight smile, unconvinced of Davin’s statement. “Not really sure that we have. You’re kind of a grumpy sort.”
Davin tried to not laugh. But the combination of Egan’s comment and his humorously desperate expression did it. Davin didn’t notice before how amusing Egan’s chuckle was in of itself. Davin broke into a snicker of his own. Within seconds they both were laughing. Davin saw momentarily the handsome features and warmness that were clearly the Egan from long ago.
From behind, Teague eyed them both warily. He had missed the conversation that was so funny.
“Are you two alright?” he asked.
“Yes, Teague, not to worry,” Egan replied as their laughter began to die out. “Davin has finally gained a sense of humor, that’s all.”
The levity made Davin feel a hundred times better than he had a minute ago. His spirits had been raised even more than they had been the other day. The nagging irritability that was always in the back of his mind, the part of him that he wasn’t proud of, lessened slightly. He felt lighter-hearted than he had in a long time.
When they had come back down from their high, Egan spoke. “It is not that your heart isn’t right Davin. I know you are a good person, if too stubborn sometimes. There must be something that you are to learn for yourself before you can pass.”
Davin tried to think about what it might be. Nothing came to mind. “Do you have any idea?” he asked, hoping Egan could inform him, but figuring that he wouldn’t.
Egan shrugged. “I cannot tell. And even if I did know, I could not tell you. You have to discover the answer for yourself.”
That was what he was afraid of. Davin pondered it the next two days as they rode. At night fall they set up camp near a collection of boulders of all sizes that ran for leagues in every direction. Everyone in the kingdom knew how this place was formed, even Davin. Over hundreds of years, the mountain rock slides had found their way into the Golden Plains and accumulated in the landscape. Swift River ran through the region, snaking between the boulders and collecting enough of them that crossing here was not a difficult feat. The Pebble Vale was its name.
Davin practiced his Driocht as he did every night. The marble of fire he created had become bigger and he could now extend the flames on his fingers outward a few feet. Egan told him that this was the beginning of being able to cast Driocht away from his body completely. It was an essential skill needed to fight and create projectiles with.
Feeling pleased with himself, he slept well that night, the stars as his blanket.
Egan told them the next day that there was a small town in the direction they were heading. It would be where they were going to change direction and head due north into the Greenlands.
Eventless as the day was, Davin felt that it was dragging on. They passed the time by creating images out of the giant boulders they came across, but Davin felt impatient for a good meal. It took them the rest of that day, but by nightfall of the fourth day since Davin’s trials they had passed out of the Pebble Vale and could see the town on the horizon.
Egan wasn’t kidding. It looked very small to Davin’s eyes. There looked to be one short stretch of buildings on either side of a dirt road, and a few outlying houses. One of the buildings on the street looked rather large, larger than any place in Lemirre. For a town like this, it certainly stood out and felt out of place.
“This town is known as Cruud. It is commonly used as sort of a resting point between the foothills, Slainte, and the Greenlands for folk traveling this way. There really isn’t much here except one of the most famous pubs in the whole kingdom.”
Davin nodded, figuring it was Cruud based on the descriptions he’d heard of it.
As they came closer they saw that the large building was also teeming with life. Each of the building’s three stories seemed to have some sort of activity going on. The rest of the town felted deserted compared to the commotion going on inside and around it.
Egan, Davin, and Teague met up with the road that connected this little town to others to the north and south. It carried them toward the outskirts and they quickly fell into the crowds of nightlife. Folks paid them no mind except a passing glance. Many were plainly travelers themselves, appearing worn out and dirty from a day’s ride.
The town had no town gate and City Guards were nowhere to be seen. This made the three of them feel better. In a short manner, they passed the homes on the outskirts and came onto the main street with buildings on both sides.
What they saw alarmed them. Several of the buildings had been burned badly. They were boarded up and were currently unused. The others looked as if they had been built recently, replacing several that had been condemned.
“Some of the town was damaged with fire it seems,” Egan whispered just loud of enough for Davin and Teague to hear.
“Who would do such a thing?” Davin asked.
“Deverell and his men I would assume,” Teague replied from behind the other men. Egan gave him an incredulous look.
“That’s not possible. He wouldn’t dare go this far. He wouldn’t risk the people turning their backs completely the king. They need to think that O’Hara still has their best interest at heart.”
Teague cleared his throat, as if he had a lot more to say. “When Deverell was promoted out of the army, I took well note of the fact that he always did things his own way, even in the early time of his promotion. He always seemed to be able to sway my father to his side without much effort.”
Egan gave both of them a skeptical look. “If that is the case, it was a foolish idea to act this drastically. Maybe he should show more restraint in the future,” he growled.
“Do you think he had a purpose for burning this town, or has he just lost his mind?” Davin queried, asking more out of confirmation of his fears.
“I’m sure he didn’t tell the people his true reason, but I have no doubt it has to do with us,” Egan said.
Davin scowled. “I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like this for an even lesser reason.”
As they walked Davin noticed that they were only receiving odd gazes from the locals, which was fortunately less than majority. It was as if they were unsure about the three men that had entered their town. It made Davin nervous and he pointed it out to the others.
Egan suggested, “Probably better to not keep eye contact with anyone for too long.”
Egan guided them to a garment maker across from the big lively building, suggesting now would be as good a time as any to pick up some fresh clothing.
Egan addressed the shopkeeper while they perused his racks. “Strange times we live in, eh?”
The shopkeeper looked up from the parchment he was reading with a surprised look. “Yes, yes, indeed.” He bent back over his material, cle
arly not in the mood for conversation.
Egan pressed him, “Seems you have had your share of trouble here. What happened, if I may be so bold as to ask?”
This time the shopkeeper bore his gaze into Egan. Egan turned away smoothly as if examining some other clothes. Davin made ready to leave before the owner got too suspicious. Luckily, the man relented and his expression softened.
“That’s the army’s doing, that is. They came here looking for fugitives with special abilities. No one had any idea what they was talking about. Before we knew they was burning things, as if they thought we was lying.”
Egan thanked him for the information. They bought their necessities and left without incident. Although, the man at the counter continued to give them uneasy glares all the way out the door.
“Our guess is confirmed,” Teague said softly as they weaved in and out of the people in front of the large building.
Egan shook his head in disgust a few times. “It is sad that it has come to this. But maybe if Deverell continues his rogue brigade, it will be exactly what the people of this kingdom need to wake up to the truths around them.”
“It’s bad enough that my father is not in his right mind,” said Teague. “But Deverell appears to be just as bad.
They headed up the wide steps to the building. There was a large sign to the left of the doorway. In gold lettering it read “The Golden Outpost, Pub and Inn, Home of the Best Brew and Rest for You”.
Clever, Davin thought as they entered. The pub was massive. It took up the entire ground floor of the building. The place was a buzz with conversation. People sat and drank while they played various types of games, most of which lead to more drinking. There were some games that were played on a board with pieces that Davin had never seen before. And there was even a small stage at one end of the building, providing the pub’s hired thespians a place to perform at various times.
All manner of folk seemed to come to this place. There were men and woman of wealth and then just the opposite one table over. The drunkards sat around the bar and scantily clad woman walked around serving everyone. Harmless flirtations by the serving girls kept many of the men entertained. The pubs in Lemirre were nothing like this and Davin stood flabbergasted, taking it all in.
