He smiled weakly. “With your help, I am sure we’ll have victory. You are not like them. The soul of the world is within you, as it is with my people. Even your machines use its essence for strength. I am sure it was the Mother who sent me to you. I had wondered why…but looking at you, I think I understand.”
“The mother?” asked Drake.
“The creator and keeper of all things. She was here in the beginning. She molded my people from the earth and breathed into us the spirit of life. I do not think your people hold such beliefs.”
Drake nodded. It was said that the people of Vale had once worshipped a creator. But that was long ago. “And the Bomar?” he asked. “What do they believe in?”
“Who knows? What god could create such people and deserve worship?”
“So you don’t think your Mother made them?”
“I have asked myself that many times,” he admitted, “and have yet to come to an answer. Some of us think they must be descendants of the Amarizians, those who came before.”
Drake gave him a lopsided frown. “Before what? Creation?”
“Of this world, yes. We believe the world has been destroyed and created many times. There is proof of this in the mountains, and in the icy lands beyond. I have seen with my own eyes the remains of the old world.”
The ancients, thought Drake. Maybe the stories were true after all, or at least some of them.
On arriving at the barrier, he could see that Lenora was genuinely frightened, though she was doing her best to hide it. They had packed only a few days’ worth of food and water, but Maliel assured them they would not be needing more.
The man who had driven them to this point called Drake to the back of the van and handed him a long item wrapped in a cloth. Inside was his sword.
“Zara said to make sure you had this,” he told him. “She said you might need it.”
The other two were busy slinging their packs as Drake drew it from its sheath. Maliel immediately took notice.
“A fine weapon,” he remarked. “It is much like what many of the Bomar carry, though I can sense the power of the Mother within its steel. Are you skilled with it?”
Drake gave a casual shrug. “I’m not bad.”
His natural caution was making him reluctant to say too much about his own abilities. He wondered what the Nelwyn thought of the vex crystal implanted in his chest. Thus far Maliel hadn’t mentioned it at all, though the occasional look from him suggested he knew full well that it was there.
The sun was not quite fully beyond the horizon as they approached the fifty-foot-high tower directly ahead. Humming and sizzling with mana, it was sending a wall of translucent green light shooting off in both directions, spanning gaps of more than twenty miles to where similar towers were doing the same. Maliel looked up at it with genuine wonder.
“Had we this,” he remarked, “the Bomar would never have been able to trouble us.”
“It shuts the world out,” said Lenora. “But if the world beyond is as you have described, it has also become our prison.”
Maliel smiled. “Come. You will see. Our land is a wondrous place. The spirit of the Mother is everywhere. It fills you with a warmth the like of which you have never known.”
Lenora smiled then took Drake’s hand.
“Are you sure you can do this?” he asked.
“I’m sure.”
Their driver led the way to the base of the tower. Here, a three-foot-in-diameter portal was set at just above knee level. He pulled hard several times on a handle before it came loose.
“You’ll need to kick out the other side,” he told them. “Just be sure to put it back after you’re all through. Maintenance from Troi checks these from time to time.”
Drake grinned and drew his P37. He had modified to it his specifications just before they had departed using the parts still in Cal’s trunk. “I think I’ll do it the easy way.”
The man caught his arm. “No magic this close to the barrier.”
With a sigh, he holstered his weapon. “If you say so.”
Lowering himself, he crawled inside. Above he could feel the heat of the mana being generated. The tower he’d passed through as a recruit had been different; that one had allowed passage through to the other side via a simple narrow corridor sealed by a steel door. He had known these much smaller portals existed, from his time hunting for where the hellspawn were entering, but they were deemed too small for the creatures to have used, and none had even been found tampered with.
Upon reaching the far side of the tunnel, he twisted his body around to deliver several firm kicks. As the portal fell away, the smell of ash instantly invaded his nostrils, and a hot wind blasted him in the face. He exited the tower and waited until the others were all through before replacing the covering. He could see that the man on the other side had already done this and was making his way back to the van with urgent strides.
Lenora was trembling, and after only a few steps began clutching at Drake’s arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Do not worry,” said Maliel. “Zara experienced the same thing. It will pass.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Just give me a moment.”
She stopped and knelt, taking deep panicky breaths. Drake held her shoulders, helpless to do anything other than watch. After a few minutes, she seemed to regain her composure.
“That was a very strange feeling,” she said with an embarrassed smile.
Drake gently helped her to her feet and, taking her hand, continued on. Mile after mile they walked, and still Drake could see no evidence of life, only more of the dead black earth stretching out endlessly.
Maliel seemed not to notice. In fact, a smile was slowly building on his lips. His strides were becoming longer and more sure, as if leaving Vale behind was in some way giving him renewed vigor.
“The air feels better, yes?” he remarked.
“It feels hot and dry to me,” replied Drake sourly.
Maliel laughed. “Hot and dry, yes. But cleaner. Filled with the Mother’s bounty.” He reached out to Lenora. “Take my hand and I will show you.”
She hesitated. “What will happen?”
“Nothing painful or foul, I promise.”
After a brief hesitation, she did as the Nelwyn asked, though retaining a firm hold on Drake’s as well.
The crystal in his chest instantly begin to pulse and fill with mana. Lenora’s eyes grew wide and a soft gasp escaped her lips.
“This is incredible,” she said, in a half whisper.
Drake could feel the power flowing into him through her touch. All the same, it felt no different to the mana he channeled when in Vale. After a few seconds, Maliel released her.
“This is good,” he said. “The other mage could not see as you do. You are indeed strong with the Mother.”
She looked to Drake. “Did you feel it too?”
He shrugged. “I felt…something. But I couldn’t say what it was.”
Maliel sighed. “The thing inside your chest blocks you from truly seeing, I’m afraid. Forgive my rudeness, but why you would do such a thing to yourself?”
“Let’s just say that it has its advantages.”
Maliel nodded, though did not press the matter further.
“Is that how you see your world all the time?” asked Lenora.
Maliel laughed. “No. Were I to stay that close to the Mother for too long, I would become lost within my own spirit. Though I have at times thought that might not be such a terrible fate.”
“What did you see?” Drake asked Lenora.
She smiled, her eyes distant. “It was as if all the colors of the world were dancing around me, filling my eyes with brilliance and magic. It was almost like I had become a mana stream myself.”
“Are you sure it’s not dangerous?” he asked Maliel.
“Only if she were to remain so connected for days at a time. We use this magic to grow our crops and
heal our sick. But perhaps caution would be best until you know more of our ways.”
“I agree,” he said.
It was late into the afternoon before Drake eventually called for a halt. They hadn’t eaten, and his legs were aching quite badly. He was sure Lenora was faring little better.
“We should go on,” Maliel insisted. “We’re not far now.”
Drake’s irritation was growing. His hand shot out to point at the horizon. “Look! There’s nothing there. We’ve been walking all day, and there’s still not a single tree in sight.”
“Please, trust me. I would not lead you astray.” Maliel moved ahead, waving for them to follow. “There’s a cool stream and soft grass close by. We can rest there.”
Drake heaved a sigh. “Fine. But we are stopping soon, stream or no stream.”
“Yes. Very soon.”
In spite of this assurance, after another two miles, everything still looked the same. By now, Drake’s frustration was reaching the breaking point. Her head bent and eyes downcast, Lenora had stumbled twice and was holding onto his arm for support. He offered to carry her pack, but she refused outright.
“I imagine this is but the beginning of our trek,” she said. “I need to grow accustomed to the travel. I can’t have you bearing my burden all the time.”
Maliel was several yards ahead. “Wise words,” he called over his shoulder. “Yes. Our journey is long. But your body will get stronger. I will show you how.”
“Is it me, or does he make less sense with each word?” Drake remarked quietly.
“At least he speaks our language,” Lenora whispered back.
Whispered or not, Maliel heard their exchange. “Yes. I speak human. The Bomar…they talk like you. Many of us have learned.”
“I suppose those ears aren’t just for show,” Drake said, smirking.
This comment drew a laugh from the Nelwyn. “My people have keen hearing, yes. Much better than yours. It helps us when we hunt.”
Drake was on the point of asking what it was they hunted when he felt a cool breeze wash over him. Lenora tilted back her head and let out a long sigh of relief. A moment later, Drake caught the scent of pine on the air. But how was that possible? He could see nothing other than the same wasteland stretching off into the distance.
Maliel glanced over his shoulder, grinning impishly. “I told you so.”
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the Nelwyn completely vanished from sight. Both Drake and Lenora stopped short, looking at each other in utter confusion and astonishment.
“What the hell?” growled Drake. “Maliel!”
“I am still here,” came the reply. “Come see.”
He hesitated. “What is this? A cloak of some kind?”
Lenora shrugged. “At this point, if it takes me away from this place, I really don’t care what it is.”
With no choice other than to move on or return the barrier, they continued forward, albeit with wary steps. When they reached the point at which Maliel had disappeared, they found the light around them suddenly beginning to ripple like the disturbed surface of a pond. After another pace forward, these ripples transformed into great waves of spectacular colors that wrapped and swirled in a frantic tempest. Drake pulled Lenora close, but as quickly as they had appeared, the colors vanished.
It took a moment for them to get their bearings. But once they did, Lenora let out a loud gasp. “It’s true.”
Drake could not believe what he was seeing. They were standing on the edge of a dense forest, the canopy of which was hundreds of feet high. Flower-laden vines snaked their way up the massive tree trunks, each one reaching across to others nearby to create an unimaginably intricate web of life and color. Birds, the likes of which he had never seen, flitted playfully from branch to branch. The air was cool and refreshing, though far from cold. And where before he had smelled pine, this was now replaced with aromas so sweet and pungent that it made him dizzy.
“How could this be real?” he said, tears forming in his eyes. His legs felt weak and he stumbled back. This time it was Lenora who was there to lend her strength as she wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him as he settled to one knee.
How could a place like this exist? Drake continued to ask himself. How? All the lies he had believed his entire life came crashing in on him. The innumerable deaths he had been responsible for while serving in the royal guard and chasing runners; it had all been for nothing. His entire life was nothing more than a clever deception.
So transfixed and awed by the sight, he hadn’t even been aware that he was openly weeping, until he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Maliel standing over him, a kindly expression on his face.
“Zara reacted in much the same way as you,” he said. “Aside from her, you are the only humans of your world to see this. I am sorry if it causes you pain.”
He could see that Lenora was weeping as well, though still holding her composure.
“I’m sorry, Maliel,” Drake said. He was hardly able to phrase the words. “I know you told me…but I never dreamed…”
“It is not all like this,” he said. “There are cruel lands of bitter cold and high mountains where great storms rage eternal. And deserts very much like the one we crossed.”
Drake was recalling more of what Maliel had described: wide-open plains dotted with lakes that glistened in the sunlight; vast orchards providing bountiful crops of every type of fruit imaginable; rich green fields dissected by a web of tiny brooks of crystal clear water, every one of them pure enough to drink from. They must all be real too. He took several deep breaths before struggling to his feet.
Lenora held his hand firmly, the look of wonderment showing through her still weeping eyes. “It makes the gardens of Troi look common and drab,” she said. “And you say the Bomar are destroying it?”
Maliel nodded. “They care nothing for beauty and life.” He shook his head as if to banish them from his mind. “But there is time for that talk later. I promised rest and comfort. I hunger too, and my feet are blistered from the scorched land.”
On approaching the edge of the tree line, the sheer scope of the forest became into focus. Its thick canopy nearly blocked out the sun completely, and the vines barred their way at every turn. But even in this dim light, the colors were still breathtaking, their hues subtle and blended as if a celestial hand had run its finger over a canvas of life.
Drake allowed Maliel to continue leading. To his amazement, the Nelwyn easily found gaps in the vines and brush they could pass through when none at first appeared to be there. Some gaps even seemed to open up for him as he approached, though Drake thought this was likely a mere trick of the light.
Even with this expert guidance, Drake and Lenora still found themselves constantly tripping on hidden roots and snagging their clothes on protruding limbs and vines.
“You will learn the forest in time,” Maliel assured them.
Drake could swear that the man was now several inches taller than when they had left. The tone of his skin was deeper too, radiating an aura that was only just perceptible.
After only half an hour, the foliage started to thin, and Drake could hear the rushing of water over rocks. Not having eaten since the morning, his stomach growled.
They emerged by the bank of a narrow stream no more than a few yards across. The clear water flowed swiftly over a bed of small pebbles, making it look as if it were no more than an inch or two deep. But when Drake knelt beside it, he could see that it was much deeper – at least a couple of feet.
The ground alongside was covered in a thick grass that simply begged to be laid upon. Lenora was the first to do so. Spreading her arms and legs wide, she closed her eyes.
“Take your ease,” Maliel said to Drake. “I will find us some proper food.”
Before he could respond, the Nelwyn vanished into the forest.
“Have you ever dreamed of such a thing?” mused Lenora.
Drake stretched out beside h
er, the grass as comfortable as any bed he had ever slept upon and made even more pleasing by its wholesome scent. Within seconds, he could feel the fatigue being lifted from his body as if syphoned away by the purity of the earth.
“If the people of Vale only knew about this,” he said.
Lenora threw an arm over his chest. “I do not think they would believe it. I’m here, and I’m not sure that I do.”
“Well, if this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.”
They lay there in amiable silence until Maliel returned carrying an armful of fruit and berries, none of which were familiar. “Not enough time for hunting,” he said. “But this should satisfy our hunger.”
Drake forced himself up and accepted an offering of three pieces of bright yellow, fist-sized fruit and a handful of red berries, each one the size as the tip of his finger. He waited until Maliel had bitten into one of the fruits before doing the same.
A gush of sour juice poured over his tongue, causing him initially to wince, but quickly the taste sweetened as his teeth sank in deeper. The pulp was much like that of an apple, and he soon found himself delighting in each bite. The berries, however, were unusually tart throughout. Drake decided that he preferred the yellow fruit.
“What are these?” asked Lenora, doing her best to contain the juice flowing from her lips.
“Varpa fruit and chen berries,” replied Maliel. “Not my favorites, but they were all that was available nearby.”
“It’s delicious,” said Lenora.
Drake mumbled his agreement through another mouthful of varpa fruit.
Soon the sun was low, prompting them to unpack their blankets. The chirping and squeaking of insects surrounded them, and Drake caught the shadow of several small creatures scurrying through the underbrush.
Maliel assured them that nothing would trouble them in the night. At this point, Drake was inclined to trust him.
“It will be at least a week before we reach my people,” he told them, after stretching out on his blanket. “And we will almost certainly see the Bomar along the way.”
Drake simply nodded and pulled Lenora close. He’d had so many questions when they started out, but at this moment none of them seemed important. Right now, he was experiencing something he had never felt in his entire life: a sense of complete safety and peace. Even if it was just an illusion, he would enjoy it while it lasted. The troubles of Vale felt so very distant. And from the way Lenora was cradled to his chest, her breathing slow and even, she had managed to leave them far behind as well. If only he could freeze this moment in time, he thought. He could happily live there forever.
The Vale: Behind The Vale Page 28
