Heart of the Ocean

by Jason A. Gilbert

  Connor moved toward the door and applied his own waning strength to it. When it refused to move, he stepped back. With a grunt of effort he kicked out, knocking the door in and free of the earth. Icarus stumbled backwards from the small opening. A dim light could be seen in the doorway. Earthlight. Laila could see the stones spread out across the floor.

  "Laila!" She heard her mother's voice echo from the doorway. Lunete pushed herself past Icarus and scrambled out of the small opening, followed closely by Dio.

  In a rush, Laila was engulfed in mother's strong arms. Dio did not approach as readily, but relief was plain on his face. She slumped against her mother for a moment, thankful to have someone else support her tired body. Slowly she pushed away from her.

  "What happened?" she asked.

  Their faces were gaunt. Dark circles covered the lower part of the eyes and their cheeks were drawn in. Two days they had been in there.

  "By the Aspects, I'm just glad you're safe," Lunete began. Then her hand reached out and moved toward the burns along Laila's chin and neck. "What...?"

  Laila brushed her hand away. "Not now. Tell me what happened."

  Icarus pulled himself through the opening, followed shortly by Wyndam and Captain Drachus. The Aurai was the only one that looked no worse for wear. He stood proudly once he was in the sunlight, watching.

  "We were hoping you might be able to tell us... If we ever got out," Icarus said, his usual self-assuredness absent.

  "I... It's a long story. And there's still too much going on. They're still Ed—"

  She cut herself off as she watched Nina and two other Edonin extricate themselves from the house.

  "You're alive!" Connor said.

  "Aye," Nina said softly.

  Sounds of weapons clanking finally reached them from the village center.

  "There's still a fight going on. Some of the Edonin," Laila began, glancing at Nina, "are still...human, I guess. They're fighting the elementals."

  "My people..." Nina said.

  Laila's eyes widened. She had not known that the Edonin heir spoke the language of the Confederacy.

  "Your people?" Laila asked.

  "She's from Tregaron, a city north of here," Connor began to explain. "She must mean the Edonin living in Tregaron."

  He glanced at Nina for confirmation. She nodded her head slowly. "You found no others? No others but those fighting?"

  "No," Connor answered.

  A dark look crossed the young woman's face.

  The sounds of fighting drew closer. Laila gripped her staff; the time for questions had passed. A growling sound echoed around the edge of the mound that still covered the house. The group turned as one to see Manders clambering over and around the mound that covered the house. Black spines were raised on their backs, heat burned from their ember eyes. Laila felt her exhaustion even more now, the relief at finding her mother and the others fading into fear as the creatures approached. Blue light appeared at her side. Connor. The others gathered close together, watching the Manders scorching footsteps as they closed the distance between them.

  Laila closed her eyes. Her power still sustained her, but for how much longer she couldn’t know. Pain rippled across her body. Her limbs felt heavy. She took a shaking breath, trying to prepare herself. She had made her way back from the Waters and found her friends, only to be faced by this. How was she going to save them now?

  Nuriel seemed to know what she was going to do before she did it. Using her as a weapon against Pontus, attacking the Edonin. It was too much. The pain of her burned face and side throbbed through her, reminding her of her earlier failure. She felt a stirring in her, beneath the exhaustion, a feeling she had not felt for a long time. Anger. Icarus had once told her that her anger and passion were the keys to her power before finding the staff. Her failure to defend herself from Nuriel, in the ocean and then at the Waters, had driven the anger from her. But now she stood in the midst of her friends, waiting for her enemies to draw down on them.

  "No," Laila whispered to herself. The stirring took shape. With her power still coursing through her, she could now feel the Manders approaching, even with her eyes closed. Their burning magic danced across her mind, reflecting her own anger. Somewhere in her mind, a dark voice laughed.

  You will learn.

  "No!"

  She felt the Manders’ magic and she reached out with her mind, grasping it with her power. Opening her eyes, she could feel the heat emanating from her staff. The Manders had frozen in their approach. Their glowing eyes glared at her as their claws scored the ground with flame.

  "Enough. Your master has caused enough harm!" Her voice echoed through the houses, rolling off the stones. "I am coming for him. Go! Return to him now." She reached into the Manders’ strange magic, forcing her own will on them, commanding the very essence of their being. "Tell him this. Tell him that I will stop him. No matter what happens, his mad scheme will not come to pass. Go! Harm these people no longer!"

  She could feel the warring wills within the Manders. She could see the force of her commands and the conflicting will of their master battling within the creatures. There were snaps of jaws and snarls, but the Manders remained where they were as the battle within them raged. Laila gritted her teeth, forcing her will onto the creatures. She could feel heat coursing from her body now as well; her burns ached, but she pushed harder. The Manders shook their long heads, clawed at the ground, and roared into the sky. Then they stopped. Like a bursting bubble, the Manders’ struggles ceased, and they stared at Laila. She held their gaze, still feeling their magic within her. Then they turned. She could see that her own will had won out.

  The Manders moved past them slowly, moving in the direction of the edge of the village. They snapped at the group menacingly, but did not attack. Finally they moved out of the group's sight. Once they were gone, Laila felt all strength drain from her. She dropped to her knees, staff falling from her hands. She felt other hands reach out to her, grasp her arms gently, supporting her.

  Voices echoed around her. New voices mixed with her friends’. There was a flurry of movement around her, but her body could do no more.

  Her power drained from her along with her consciousness, and finally, there was rest.

  Thirty-One

  The Warden

  Connor followed the group of Edonin, Nina by his side, as they carried Laila through Anrhe's center. The ruins of the fire still smoked, casting its black pillar into the sky. The center itself was littered with scorch marks and puddles of the dense ichor that flowed within the Ondine. Remnants of the battle between the elementals. Lunete and Dio followed closely behind Connor, with Icarus slightly further back, bringing the Aurai with him. The Edonin warriors had appeared as the Manders had fled, following the power of Laila's command. Now they carried the Magusari to the Elder's house in the village center.

  "Is it safe?" Connor asked Nina.

  "They said that the creatures have begun to retreat. Both the fire wolves and the water creatures. He says something seemed to draw them away, and they abandoned their battle," Nina answered in her thick accent, pointing to the Edonin soldier who led the other warriors.

  Connor nodded. His own exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. He grasped at his stomach as it spasmed in hunger. How long had it been since he had eaten? He could not remember.

  They approached a group of warriors who guarded what had been the Elder's house. There was a quick exchange between the Edonin carrying Laila and this new group, and then they motioned to enter the Elder's house. The warriors brought Laila in and quickly laid her on the pallet that Verica had been on when their group had first arrived in Anrhe.

  They had left Captain Drachus to watch over Laila's staff with the remainder of his crew and a small group of Edonin, as no one could lift it to bring it with Laila.

  Once Laila had been laid comfortably on the small pallet, most of the warriors moved outside to stand guard. Icarus moved to kneel by Laila's side. He listened to her brea
thing for a moment before turning to Connor and Lunete.

  "She is exhausted. She needs rest. Are we safe?" He glanced at Nina and the leader of the Edonin warriors.

  "She will be safe here," Nina said. "The creatures have retreated. Whatever she did," she glanced at Laila's still form, "seems to have achieved its purpose."

  Icarus nodded and looked back at Laila. His eyes had a haunted look about them, as though he had been witness to something that had defied his view of the world. "It certainly did..."

  Connor slumped down against the wall of the house, his own exhaustion finally catching up with him as well. He felt his eyes close for what only felt like a moment.

  Images of elementals, fire and water, danced across his closed lids in violence.

  His head jerked up, and his eyes snapped open. His body was still exhausted, and now his stomach growled loudly at its lack of sustenance. He looked toward Laila, expecting to see Icarus still by her side. He was no longer there. But he had just been sitting there. Connor's head tilted questioningly. He looked at the small windows near him and noticed that the shadows had grown much longer. He must have fallen asleep.

  Angry with himself, he shook his head, trying to clear it as much as possible. The grogginess of sleep still clung to him, but something else drifted across his senses. Food. The aromatic smell of cooked meat hit him like a hammer. In the fading light of the late winter day, a scuffed bowl sat on the floor near the door of the house, stacked with meat and hard bread. Seeing that Laila was still asleep, Connor made his way to the bowl, his hunger palpable before him.

  Picking up the meat in large chunks, Connor tore it off with his teeth, stuffing in large bites of bread behind it. Two full water skins lay on the floor near the bowl. Connor lifted one and took a long swallow, washing down the meat and bread before returning for a second round. After a few more bites and most of the first water skin, Connor sat back contentedly.

  As he let the food settle, he glanced at Laila. Her breathing was steady, and someone had draped a heavy blanket over her. Connor did not understand what had happened with the Manders, but he had felt it. During his time with Laila, he had seen her accomplish incredible things. The more time he spent around her, the more sensitive to her magic he became. Her confrontation with the Manders, he had felt it on a visceral level. It had burned at him, not unlike what he had felt when Nuriel had attacked the Via. Laila had embodied fire. And she had used that power to command the Manders, creatures of fire. Could she do that to any elementals? Was the Magusari that powerful? And if she were, how could the elementals have defied the last Magusari, as they had learned?

  As always, one step closer to their goal and a thousand more questions. Connor saw Laila stir slightly, shifting beneath the blanket. She rolled onto one side and slowly opened her eyes.

  "Is that food?" she asked, her voice rough with fatigue.

  Connor smiled. "Aye."

  He lifted the bowl and the second water skin and walked toward her.

  She pushed herself into a half-sitting position as he sat on the floor next to her and handed her the meal. She dug into the bowl with almost as much ferocity as Connor had.

  "How long have I been asleep?" she asked between mouthfuls of food and water.

  Connor shrugged. "I'm not sure. I fell asleep too. They must have left us here to rest." He motioned toward the window and the long shadows. "At least a few hours. I'm not sure where anyone else is."

  Laila nodded.

  Connor considered asking Laila the questions he had been pondering, but then he thought better of it. They were both beaten and battered. There would be time for questions later. Hopefully. For the moment, he let her eat in peace.

  The door swung open quickly, and the two of them turned as one to see who it was. Icarus stood in the doorway.

  "Good. You're both awake. I'm afraid the time for resting is done, for now. Come. You are needed." His words appeared to be directed at both of them.

  Without waiting for a response, he spun and walked back out into the village center. Connor turned and met Laila's eyes. He thought he saw the beginnings of tears at the corners of her eyes, and he felt a welling of anger inside.

  Why can't the Magus give Laila a chance to rest? This has been neverending, and he has no idea what she's been through.

  Connor's eyes were drawn to the burned skin along Laila's neck and chin. He winced, thinking of the pain she must be in. The skin had begun to tighten and harden. His anger turned to sympathy, trying to understand the burden she must bear. His eyes drifted up to hers. He tried desperately to impart what little strength he still had to her, willing her to understand that he would do whatever it took to protect her. But her eyes were still on the door.

  They lingered there for a moment longer and then turned to meet his.

  "The Magus calls," she said, an awkward smile crossing her face with no humor.

  Connor took a deep breath, trying to dispel his growing emotions. "Aye."

  The sun was near setting as Laila and Connor walked out into the remains of Anrhe's village center. Scorch marks and small pools could still be seen, but there were far more people filling the center now. Nina stood near the remnants of the bonfire in a circle of Edonin warriors. There appeared to be some sort of argument going on. Some of the Edonin faced others, their voices raised at one another. Nina tried to interject, but she was mostly ignored.

  Wyndam and Dio stood a few steps from the circle, Dio's eyebrows raised in confusion and Wyndam's face as passive as always. Laila saw her mother near them, watching the argument with the same lack of understanding that was on Dio's face. Lunete turned as she saw Laila and Connor approach. A broad smile crossed her face, and she rushed toward Laila, wrapping her in a warm hug again. Laila fell into her mother's arms with only a hint of hesitation. Her body was still battered and sore, the burns on her side just now starting to calm, but the strength of her mother buffered her against the pain. A sigh escaped as she gently hugged her mother back. At least she had been able to save her companions.

  The shouting increased in volume, and Laila gently pushed away from her mother as they both turned to face the Edonin. Icarus and Connor moved to either side of them.

  "What's going on?" Laila asked, turning toward Icarus.

  "I believe they are arguing over what to do now," he answered.

  "What to do now? What do you mean?"

  The Magus turned his stony eyes toward Laila. "The return of the Ondine has devastated their numbers. From what I've gathered through Nina, most of Anrhe’s people are gone. The warriors there are from Tregaron. They are a part of what was left after the 'Awakening,' as they have started to call it. Fearing for Nina's safety, they came south, here."

  "How many are left?" Connor asked. "Tomo told me that there were five thousand Edonin. How many were Ondine?"

  Icarus shrugged. "They don't know for certain yet. These men here have not learned what has happened at the other villages. Anrhe seemed to be hit the hardest, but I would venture to guess that nearly half of the Edonin have...returned to the west."

  Half? Laila was stunned. That would be devastating. Half of their people gone in an instant. And her actions had caused them to change.

  "Why?" Laila said softly to herself.

  "Why? Who knows why? Perhaps the last Magusari could explain the reasoning," Icarus said. "We know the Ondine fought against her before the Collapse. Perhaps it was a punishment of sorts. To be contained within a solid form. To be constantly surrounded by those who you fought against. To be stripped of your memories. The time prior to the Collapse was chaotic, as would be expected—they fought against Chaos personified. But the ‘why’ is no longer pertinent. Now we must figure out where to go from here."

  Laila could hear the restrained emotion in Icarus's words.

  The arguing increased.

  "Connor," Icarus said, motioning for the young Warden to come nearer.

  Connor stepped over to the Magus. Icarus placed a hand on his shou
lder and looked him squarely in the eyes. "The time has come. The Edonin are Splintered. They need a leader." Connor's eyes widened. "The Clans were once the Warden's to command. They may not exist as they once did, but even the remnants are a start."

  Connor continued to stare at Icarus. "What...what do you mean?"

  Icarus straightened, his voice taking on an edge of command. "I mean that it is time for the Warden to start fulfilling his purpose. Your duty as Warden is not just to protect the Magusari. It is to lead your people against the forces arrayed against her. We've seen what is coming." A sideways glance at Wyndam brought the memories rushing back to Laila. "And Terus cannot stand against those forces alone."

  Connor's breathing had become short. His eyes darted between Icarus and Laila. "What...? I..." His voice trailed off as he turned to watch the developing argument between the Edonin. Nina was trying to face down one of the large warriors. Their voices were loud, and Nina's face was twisted in anger and frustration.

  "She is the key, Connor. She is how you can unite the Edonin." Icarus's voice was low now, and only Laila, Connor, and Lunete could hear him. "She may be the only member of the Elders left."

  "How…?"

  "You are the Warden. Show them!" Icarus gave Connor a gentle push toward the group.

  Laila watched Connor hesitate. She could see the pain register in his movement. They had both been through so much, so quickly. How could Icarus ask this of him now?

  She knew the answer. She knew that this was the only time that this could happen. Icarus was right. Terus could not stand against the Aurai alone. But were the Aurai the real threat? Nuriel still waited for Laila in the north. In the Dragonlands. And he had struck out at her at every opportunity, even using her to attack the Ondine. Nuriel and the Aurai, supposed enemies, both opposed to Laila. But if Connor could defend Terus, perhaps that would allow her...

  Her thoughts trailed off as she watched Connor step tentatively toward the group. As he reached the edge, Nina noticed him. She turned toward him, stopping her argument for a moment. Laila saw the hint of something in her eyes, but she could not place what it might be.