“Dwarrolings,” said Justin. “Ten I think.”
Lucy looked at Ora for confirmation. Ora nodded. Lucy and Taran joined Gavin outside the tent. Lucy peered through the blue tinted, misty darkness. She couldn’t see anything. Obviously, her eyes were not going to help her in this situation.
“Good thing we did some blindfolded training,” joked Gavin.
Lucy smiled in spite of the situation and bounced on the balls of her feet, ready for action. Her eyes might not do her any good, but her ears should. She listened. There was nothing. The mist muffled any noise the Dwarrolings might be making. They waited. Lucy began to wonder if there really was a threat out there. Then, she sensed, rather than heard, something to her left. She turned that direction and brought up her staff. Again, they waited, tense in the cold, misty darkness. Lucy could feel Gavin’s impatience. He might not specifically look for fights, but if one was coming he was definitely raring to go.
Lucy was about to check on the Dwarroling’s location when they attacked. It was a good thing Gavin had them train blindfolded. She couldn’t see anything. She could smell them though: a mix of sweat, mud, and moss. That helped. At least she knew she wasn’t fighting a friend accidentally in the dark. She trusted her instincts and magical senses to help her wield her staff, hopefully without getting killed.
Unfortunately, it seemed like the Dwarrolings could either see in the dark or had some other enhanced sense, because they fought with uncanny accuracy given the conditions. Lucy grunted in pain as a club got by her defenses and made contact with her shoulder. Another swing connected with her knee. She cried out as she fell to the ground. Lucy felt someone else moving over her before her attacker crashed to the ground either dead or unconscious, beside her.
Lucy rolled away from the body and tried to stand up. She immediately collapsed. She couldn’t put any weight on her leg. She tried to sense which direction the tent was and crawled towards it. She wanted to get out of the way and hoped the tent would offer some meager amount of safety until Gavin finished off the Dwarrolings and Justin could heal her. Once inside the tent, she found Ora, and huddled down next to her. She put up stronger shields that should stop a club from hitting them. She reminded herself she needed to start using a variety of shields all the time. A basic shield that would stop an arrow does not last through a vicious attack. Obviously, stronger shields held at all times were becoming as necessary as boots.
“Don’t worry,” whispered Ora. “It will be okay. I think there is only one left.”
“Thanks,” said Lucy with relief.
They heard what sounded like another body falling and the guys talking outside. Shortly, Justin poked his head in the tent.
“Ora? Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “Lucy is here too and she is hurt.”
Justin entered the tent. A moment later, the area was lit up as Justin pulled a moonstone from his pocket and asked it to give them light.
“Where do you hurt?” asked Justin.
“I think my shoulder is okay but badly bruised; you might want to look at it. My knee took a hit and I can’t put any weight on it. There aren’t any sharp pains, but it is throbbing badly,” Lucy said in-between wincing at the pulsing pain.
Justin brought the moonstone down to her knee. He pushed her leggings up over her knee and studied it. Even Lucy could see that it was swollen to twice its normal size. He looked at it from all angles before he began to work. Lucy watched as the swelling went down and the pain slowly faded away. When he finished, he asked her to bend and flex it. She did, without pain, so he focused on her shoulder. The shoulder wound healed much quicker. He held out a hand to help her up.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Good as new,” Lucy said with a smile. “Thank you,” she added with a kiss on the cheek.
“If Lucy is fine, can you spare some healing for me?” asked Gavin, entering the tent. “One of their clubs had a massive spike on it,” he explained.
Justin carried the moonstone over to him and examined Gavin’s arm. While rushing to get armed and dressed, Gavin hadn’t put on much. A gash ran from his shoulder to his elbow. Lucy wasn’t sure if she could see bone or not so she looked away rather than find out.
“Is this your only injury?” asked Justin, eyeing the blood on most of Gavin’s body.
“Ax work is messy,” explained Gavin with a shrug.
Lucy mentally winced and turned towards Ora as Justin worked on Gavin’s arm.
“Are they all gone?” she whispered.
Ora nodded.
“Are more coming?”
“Not today,” Ora’s lips barely moved as she answered.
Lucy nodded. She went outside to see if Taran needed any help. He had stoked their fire from dinner and had a merry blaze going. He was looking around with his back to the fire.
“There shouldn’t be any more,” Lucy told him
“Ora?” asked Taran. Lucy wasn’t sure if Justin had told him her suspicions or if he had some of his own. Lucy was glad that he seemed to trust Ora, too.
“Yes, and I scanned the area. I can’t sense anything near us.”
The darkness began to lift a little. Lucy began to make out bodies around them.
“I’ll make porridge for breakfast while you take care of the bodies,” announced Taran.
Lucy nodded and went to work. She put two of her fingers on the Dwarroling nearest the fire and pushed him into the ground as he dissolved. She moved on to the next Dwarroling. As she finished dissolving him, Gavin exited the tent and worked on cleaning off his weapons. He was wearing different clothes. Lucy wondered if his other ones were able to be cleaned or if he was simply going to burn them. Lucy started on another Dwarroling. Gavin was right, ax work was messy. She kept her eyes closed as she worked. It helped her concentrate. Also, there were some images that she did not need burned into her memory.
Lucy and Taran finished about the same time. Gavin was sitting next to the fire looking healed and happy as he scarfed down porridge. Ora ate in small dainty bites. Justin grabbed bites in between taking down and packing up their tent. Lucy accepted a bowl of porridge from Taran and savored its warmth and flavor. Taran had sprinkled cinnamon on top to add sweetness. Those little touches made Taran an excellent cook. Lucy wasn’t sure if Gavin even noticed as he sped through the meal, but Ora appreciated it and told Taran so.
Despite their sudden and violent awakening, Lucy traveled in higher spirits that day. She didn’t know what Ora was, but she seemed to be helping them. At times, she was protecting them. Lucy felt better having her along. Perhaps they really would get through this okay. She hoped they found something to report back. Even if they didn’t find anything, they were doing something proactive. She felt positive. Lucy was sure that today, something was going to happen.
The day continued much like those before. They constantly felt damp and cold. Justin stopped them periodically for various predators. They snuck through the mists without incident. They stopped for supper, and Taran started a comforting fire. The evening fires helped tremendously. They warmed the body and spirit, driving away the lingering sadness of the mists. The succulent smells of stew filled the air. Lucy began to doubt her feelings that something was going to happen. Then, Ora nudged her arm, and pointed. A sphere of glowing light was barely visible through the mists and approaching them.
“Is it safe?” Lucy whispered to Ora.
Ora nodded seriously. “It is also necessary.”
“Thank you,” said Lucy sincerely.
The glowing light grew closer. Justin noticed it and pointed it out to the others. Gavin reached for his sword and stood.
“It’s safe,” said Lucy.
“Ora?” asked Justin in her mind. Lucy nodded in response.
Gavin shrugged and remained standing. He may trust her, but he saw no harm in making sure. Taran continued to stir his stew. Justin also stood. The light grew closer. Lucy wondered what it was. It was moving slowly
. Then, the sphere reached the edge of their visibility and coalesced into a glowing man. Lucy couldn’t tell if the man himself was glowing or if mist around him was. He was only about five feet tall, but his presence made him seem larger. He had long, dark hair, tied back. His overly large, green eyes naturally opened so wide it gave him a surprised look. He appeared to be another race altogether. He was clothed in a linen shirt, leather pants and tunic, and a gray, wool cloak. His weapons, if he had any, were hidden. Gavin relaxed.
“Greetings,” the man said cheerfully.
“Good evening, Krythonian” replied Justin politely.
“Hello, Chester,” said Ora.
“Oracle,” Chester nodded in greeting.
Oracle? Wondered Lucy. Now things suddenly made more sense. She looked over at Ora with an eyebrow raised. Ora shrugged and smiled. Lucy noticed Taran nod as well.
Justin introduced himself and the rest of the group. Then he invited Chester to join them for stew. Chester gratefully agreed and sat down close to the fire, warming his hands. He sniffed appreciatively at the bowl Taran offered him. A warm meal was always welcome and Taran was an excellent cook. After he had eaten one bowlful and started on his second, Justin decided it was time to ask some questions.
“What is a Krythonian doing in the mists?”
“Bringing balance,” replied Chester as though that explained everything. To him, it did.
“It’s dangerous here,” said Taran.
“That does not mean it does not need balance,” replied Chester with a kind, patient smile. “It can be dangerous anywhere. If we did not leave the safety of our homes, or traveled only where it is safe, many places that badly need balance would never get it.”
“How do you bring balance to a place? What kinds of places need balance?” asked Lucy curiously.
“Everyplace and everyone needs balance of some kind. All of our people have different talents. Some stay in Krythona, but many of us take turns traveling around doing what we can. I will try to explain. There are magnetic lines that run through the land. I work with moving and straightening them as they need to be moved and straightened.” Chester paused seeing the confused looks on their faces. “That idea is somewhat esoteric. Perhaps this part of my job will be easier for you to understand. I also go to places of deep unbalance, battle fields for instance, and try to heal them. The land feels. The land remembers. If its last memory is pain, death, screams, and blood, the land will feel hurt and unhappy. People can feel that sadness, but they don’t understand it. The area will feel spooky or eerie to them. Elves feel it more deeply and understand enough to help a little. They do what they can when they come across a place that needs healing. We Krythonians are the only ones who search out those places.”
“I understand places that need healing, but what do you do to heal them?” wondered Lucy. “How can you undo the effects of thousands of deaths?”
“You would be surprised how small a good act needs to be to offset a bad one,” responded Chester with a smile. “I go to a place with painful memories and I meditate, dance, sing, and talk to it. I say things about how lovely the grass is. I talk about the delicate smell of a small violet. Perhaps I do not offset thousands of deaths, but I do my best to give the land happy memories. Even the land laughs at frolicking squirrels. Obviously, the more people involved, the stronger the effect. I love to throw bonfire dances or picnics when I can talk the locals into going to those places.”
“It sounds complicated,” said Gavin.
“Some people might think so. For those of us who do it, it is as simple as bringing light to a dark place. Darkness cannot survive in the face of light. It flees from it. Fear cannot survive laughter and joy. In some languages, our name, Krythonian, translates as light bearer. Wherever we go, we bring our light with us and darkness dissipates.”
“You said everyplace and everyone needs balance. Does that mean you balance people, too?” noted Lucy.
“Yes, people can be both easier and harder to balance. People have choices and a stronger consciousness than land does. I can balance the land. Something else must happen to unbalance it. I can help balance a person, but they must choose to stay balanced. Some people can self-balance and some people can waver a little. Others, need to be balanced to survive. Sometimes, they can become too out of balance to be able to set themselves straight.”
“Like me?” asked Lucy.
“Like you,” agreed Chester.
“Can you help me?”
“I can,” nodded Chester. “Think of it as balancing on a log across a chasm. I can hold out a hand to steady you while you catch your balance. I can walk with you a ways to show you how to balance, but then, I must let go. You must maintain the balance. You must choose to right yourself when you stumble.”
Lucy held out her hand to Chester. He smiled at her, took her hand, and closed his eyes. Lucy closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how long they stood like that. It might have been a moment, it might have been many. She started to wonder if he was doing anything. Then, she felt and saw a flash of blue light inside of herself. At the same time she heard a bell ring a single, pure, reverberating note. As the blue light and the pure tone merged together in harmony, Lucy felt everything in her body instantly merge into harmony as well. She felt absolute peace and happiness. There was no fear, doubt, anger, regret, or internal fighting with who she was versus what she could do. Her body felt gooey inside, yet she knew she was standing taller and straighter than she had in a long time. ‘So this is balance,’ mused Lucy, ‘It’s lovely.’ She smiled and opened her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, sincerely.
“You are welcome. You are the one who has to choose to stay this way. You must learn to find your way back here when you become unbalanced. It can take work and determination. If you succeed, your life, and everyone around you, will benefit.”
“What about the rest of us?” asked Gavin.
“The rest of you are balanced enough for what you do. Lucy is the only one who causes a risk to others and herself if she is not balanced. You can always choose to become more balanced. You can choose to bring light and peace wherever you go. Always remember, life is about choices. Your choices determine who you are, what you are, and how you affect others.”
“I don’t mean to sound rude, but that sounds a little silly,” said Gavin.
“It can be. Who says silly can’t make a positive difference?” Chester asked with a smile.
“Is everyone around here cryptic?” complained Gavin.
Everyone laughed. Chester shrugged. Even Ora grinned. Lucy yawned. Apparently, balance was also tiring. Chester smiled.
“Sleep, all of you,” said Chester.
They did. Lucy slept better than she ever had. It was a deep, refreshing, dreamless sleep. When they woke up, Chester was gone, but the peace from his presence lingered. They happily ate breakfast in the aura he left behind. They started out later than usual because none of them wanted to leave what little remained of Chester’s light. Gavin might think some of what Chester said was silly, and Lucy did not claim to understand all of it, but it seemed like a healthy, satisfying way to live. Hold a light and shine it on others to help them see in the darkness. Maybe when Lucy didn’t have other, more pressing matters, she would try to do something like that.
Chapter 12
Lucy continued to put one foot in front of the other as they journeyed north. Again, she wondered what would happen if they didn’t find anything. What would they do next? She didn’t think Justin would be able to leave. He seemed determined to find some answers. She was willing to help him as much as she could and would follow him almost anywhere. At the same time, she didn’t want to go farther in, especially after Corealanna’s warning. The mists were a dangerous place.
“Ora?” Lucy asked her wide-eyed traveling companion, “What did Chester mean when he addressed you as Oracle?”
“That’s what I am,” Ora replied.
“I gathered that,” Lucy smiled.
“What does that mean? What are you? What can you do?”
“I’m a sprite. Every thirty years, a sprite is born that is also an Oracle. It has nothing to do with heredity. It is a random and very specific gift. The knowledge of everything that was, is, and will be sort of floats around in the ethos. I am able to access that. No one knows how we do it. It is a hard gift to work with.”
“It sounds like information overload,” said Lucy.
“It can be. I had to learn how to tune it in and out. Some Oracles access it all the time and are paid to do so. I can’t imagine the strain seeing all the time puts on their bodies. Their employer then has access to everything they see. The employers use the information as they wish, for good or evil, independent of the wishes of the Oracle. Powerful people with access to almost unlimited knowledge tend to covet it and want more. The Oracle becomes a prisoner in a gilded cage. I did not want that kind of life. I tend to hide here; it’s safer.”
“Wow, to think the mists are someone’s safety zone,” muttered Gavin.
“Better than having my powers misused,” said Ora with a sad smile. “There are plenty of people hiding in the mists. Some are refugees, some are hermits, and some are adventurers. It’s a good place to hide as long as you can avoid everything carnivorous.”
Everyone smiled.
“So, what can you do, exactly?” asked Lucy. “If you don’t mind telling us, that is. How did you know that the Dwarrolings were going to attack, and why didn’t you know earlier?”
“What I do is very simple and yet variable. Possibilities change based on choices. I knew the Dwarrolings would find us and attack us last night if they went hunting north. Had they chosen west, they would not have found us. I had to look for their specific choice. I knew that if the Lorelei sang, Gavin would be drawn to it. I did not know if it would choose to sing that day,” explained Ora.
“Do you get warnings when something bad is going to happen?” asked Taran.
“No, the ethos does not judge intent. It simply is. It has the possibility to be. I can look for the answers to specific questions. I can tell you the path we are taking is safe today. Tomorrow, there will be a mudslide. Weather events are more predictable because they are independent of human choice,” replied Ora.
Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Page 8
