by David Ekrut
“Remember,” he said, “your body does much of the work. I simply guide it to do so faster. Rest would improve the rate.” He gave a pointed look at Jax.
“Don’t blame me,” Jax said, pulling his sword from the ground. “I didn’t ask the guardians to hunt us.”
Ignoring him, Daki went to Taego.
Daren offered Elwin his hand. “I can carry you.”
Elwin let the man help him stand, but his legs would not support him. Daren pulled him onto his back, holding his arms beneath his chin as one might a child.
“What a mess,” Jax said, surveying the carnage.
“Aye,” Daren agreed. “Did you get what you needed from the hamlet?”
“No,” Elwin answered for Jax. “We got nothing. Our one horse is dead.”
“Not nothing,” Daki said, joining them. “We have wounded now.”
“And,” Jax added, “we know the bounty hunters are after Elwin. Worth a quarter of a million, dead or alive.”
“That much?” Daren asked. “You’re not thinking—”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jax said, kneeling over the body of a bounty hunter. He grabbed the man’s purse, frowning at the contents. He grabbed several small daggers and dirks. “I wouldn’t turn him in. I couldn’t if I wanted to. There are bounties on us too, remember.”
“Jax helped me after I was shot,” Elwin said. “If not for him, I would have bled out.”
“If not for him,” Daki said, “you would have never been shot.”
“Not true,” Elwin said. “Those bounty hunters knew we were coming. They recognized us the moment we walked in.”
“Tessaryn Carpeci sent them,” Jax added, picking up a fallen man’s blade.
“How did she know you would be there?” Daren asked.
“No idea.” He offered a second blade to Daki. “Hold this.”
“She must be a clairvoyant or have access to one,” Daki said, taking the extra weapon. “Is this person a magus?”
“I highly doubt she is a magus,” Jax said, “ but they have plenty of funds. But so what? Are you telling me the magi can see into the future?”
“They can glimpse the threads of time moving from any given point. A skilled clairvoyant can determine the most probable future from this information.”
Jax looked at Elwin. “Can you do that?”
“No,” Elwin said. “At least, not yet. What are you doing?”
“They can’t use this and we can,” Jax said as he emptied the last purse into his own. “You should focus on learning to see the future. If it’s still up and running, there’s this horse track in Alcoa that I would love to—”
A horn sounded in the distance. The series of deep blasts echoed in a clear pattern, paused and sounded again.
“We need to move,” Elwin said, trying to nudge Daren forward. “The guardians are here.”
“I am not a horse,” Daren complained.
“Sorry. But that horn is not more than five or six miles away. They are probably at the hamlet.”
“I’m not so sure,” Jax said, “There’s no way the villagers have made it back yet. Also, why in the abyss would they sound a horn? To let us know exactly where they are? Seems foolish. Maybe it is something else that has nothing to do with us.”
“No,” Daren said, moving north. “It is to rally hunters to their location. We do this in the deserts when on raids to manage our large numbers. That pattern is sending a specific message”
The horn sounded again.
“Then it is the guardians,” Jax surmised. “And they have hounds, remember?”
Elwin clung to Daren with his good arm as the man trudged through the trees. He used his legs to hold himself upright as much as possible, which helped immensely with the pain. Still, he ached everywhere. His stomach was ill.
He startled awake. It was dark. He had not gone into the shadow realm. That had only happened a few times before, when being rendered unconscious or burning through all his essence. He’d done neither, but he had been aching and exhausted.
Jax carried an ever-torch, lighting the way ahead. There were fewer trees to shield them from the fall’s chill air.
Jax stepped into a small clearing and stopped. “We need to rest for a few hours.”
“We are going to need food,” Daki said, “I will hunt.”
Daren eased Elwin next a tree. “I will join you.”
Within seconds, both disappeared into the forest. Jax sat next to him and propped the ever-torch between them.
“Aren’t you afraid someone will see the light?” Elwin asked.
“Nope. If the guardians are close enough to see us, we are quite thumped. I’d rather Daren and the Chai find their way back to us, and I’m too exhausted to start a fire.” Jax leaned his head against the tree and closed his eyes.
“Can you actually sleep like that?”
Jax opened an eye. “I can if people aren’t talking to me.”
“Point taken,” Elwin said.
After a few minutes, Jax’s breathing became slow and steady. Seconds later, his mouth drooped open. Elwin leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Now that he was trying to, he couldn’t thumping sleep.
Images of the two men he’d killed appeared in his thoughts. He hadn’t wanted them to die. He just wanted them gone. What went wrong? Thinking about it, he knew the answer. Wishing Well had been beyond his range for the incantation, and when he’d realized they would not make it, he tried to reverse their direction, to bring them back. That’s when it had happened.
He shouldn’t feel guilty for their deaths. They were going to take his head to the guardians, but they thought him a criminal. They were doing their jobs. Should that matter? Maybe not, but once more his ignorance had killed people. Not again.
He pulled the tome from his pack, determined to learn more incantations.
Chapter 42
a Thread in the Tapestry
To the Huntress,
I have written this as a contingency in the event of my death. When you find this missive on my body, know that you have chosen the wrong path. I hope you can stop this without my aid. You fight for your own cause, but the time will soon come that you must choose. Continue as you have, and you are doomed as are the little ones who waddle in your wake.
There is a way to avoid this great cataclysm of our time. If I still breathe, I will show you the way. If you have killed me, then it is up to you.
It is said, ‘If one yields to the other’s call, all mankind shall fall.’ The fall is a catastrophe beyond understanding. You have the power to change the fate of Arinth. Please, take this book to the Son of Bain. These incantations will aid in the survival of all.
~Ricaria Beratum, 2999 A.S.
~
Ricaria looked both directions in the empty street, before entering the warehouse. She lit the ever-torch in the sconce, then closed and barred the door behind her. Legs shaking, she leaned against the wall.
She took several breaths.
This would be the place where her fate would be decided. She had seen the scene so many times. Now she was here. There were too many divergences to determine exactly what would come after this. She did not have a Farseer’s talent with divining probable paths, but she knew enough to understand there were two most likely outcomes here.
Either she would die, or she would plant a seed for a future ally. She had considered running to avoid this fate, but she could go no further on her own. She needed allies.
Besides, she had followed those threads to their natural conclusions. None were palatable. She would only live for a time, while all of Arinth suffered because of her actions.
Oh Life, she should have never left the Circle of Makers.
But it was far too late for that. Time only moved in one direction. Maybe the jaunters knew a way to
subvert it for a time, but none could wade backward through that river. Even if she could, would she?
The wagons would come soon, drawing the attention of her assassin or potential friend. Much work needed to be done still to prepare. She strode to the back wall and held her torch above the crates. Small rocks filled them. This would be her stage. Her great show would take place for an audience of one.
Ricaria tasted the acid with enough time to run to the barrel in the corner. She vomited and coughed. When her stomach was empty, she slid to the ground.
She pulled her knees to her chest and wept. When her tears dried, she forced her way to her feet and walked into the small study on the other side of a stack of crates.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled a blank sheet of vellum from her satchel and placed it on the wooden desk. She opened her pen case and set the quill to the left of the blank page.
She sat and wrote what might be her last wishes.
Chapter 43
A Scoundrel’s Welcome
Anetia,
This news is most distressful. If the Makers exhume my remains as you say, they must know it is a simulacrum. Even if they do not, once they see that the corpse has not seen any decay in all this time, they will know of my deception upon exhumation.
It is certainly possible Abaddon betrayed me. I continue to rebuff all of Abaddon’s requests for an audience and have destroyed the artifact that can take me to his realm. I fear he will send his followers to assassinate me. If the Severance (see attached log notes) is successful, I will inform my benefactors of my transgressions and ask for a bodyguard.
Once the Makers learn of my actions, please tell my family of my efforts to save them from the elementalists. They remain in my heart always. Please inform me of any further developments into the Makers pursuit of my whereabouts.
~R., 2996 A.S.
~
Elwin shuddered against the chill breeze. Daki had healed many of his pains over the last few days, but the cold still made him ache. With his essence, he could feel the fire heating the air twenty or so paces behind him. He would return to the comfort of their camp soon. He needed to practice.
Holding the stone on his palm, he focused on his intent and incanted the telekinetic force. The stone leapt forward at a blinding speed. Bark flew away from a tree, three over from his intended target.
“Better,” he said, not feeling much satisfaction from the accomplishment.
Three days ago had been the first success with this incantation. He’d been excited to see the rock fly, but the tiny projectile would do little to a person, let-alone a thumping dragon. The incantia said an incanter should be able to move boulders as easily as rocks, but that had not been Elwin’s experience. Besides trees, they hadn’t seen much in the forest larger than a pebble. Even the smallest sapling refused to budge to his incanting. Until he mastered this incantation, living entities could refuse his will more easily. So, he practiced.
He pulled another stone from his pocket and let it fly, then another. All missed the intended target, but they were closer each time.
A dull ache in his head reminded him that he needed to take a break. Incanting did not fatigue him in the same way taming did, but it was not without its costs. The more he incanted without rest, he found his reflexes slowed and his thoughts grew sluggish. If he pushed beyond the mental fog, the headaches and nosebleeds would come.
He walked back toward the heat of their camp. The fire was barely more than embers. He pushed some kindling into the glow. The flame would not catch without a little help.
Elwin took several deep breaths to gather his will. He felt the pain build along with the energy. This incantation would come at a cost, but he ignored the ache and spoke the words. His vision blurred as the sticks burst into flames. He sat on his heels for several seconds. As the dizziness passed, he added wood to the fire.
Gathering his thick, woolen cloak tightly about him, he settled down by his pack. The others would be back soon and appreciate his efforts to keep the flames going. Spending a bit of will was not as difficult as using flint and steel. The fire burst incantation had come easily. The book claimed otherwise. Elementism was supposed to be a difficult school, but perhaps his gifts as an elementalist would make these incantations easier for him.
He pulled the incantia from his pack and flipped through the pages. Some had taken very little time to learn. Though it did not use Elemental energies, levitating an object was simple and required focus similar to flying with Air. Moving in this manner was far slower than with taming. It might be useful to get atop a building but not to escape enemies with arrows, and it would not work as a weapon. Lifting a person with levitation required an opposition of wills. The mind carried a natural defense against such attacks.
The incantations of healing were intricate and complicated. He needed far more practice before attempting those on someone he cared about. He flipped through, looking for an incantation that would allow him to fight back. With many selves, he could make false duplicates of himself. He could also turn invisible and mask all sound around him with vanish. There were incantations to make him grow or shrink, become stronger or make opponents weaker.
He turned to the section on temporal manipulation and selected one, but after several failed attempts to memorize the words of the baleful folding, he placed the book aside. This was a side effect of spending too much will. He could not focus.
Sighing, he rose and grabbed one of the extra swords Jax had taken off the bounty hunter. He moved to a clearing and held the blade in front of him. As he went through the Air katas Master Breaklin had taught him, he felt clarity return to his thoughts. He could almost hear the surly trainer chastising him for not having a low enough stance. Forcing his stance lower, he continued through the form. By the time he finished, he was breathing hard with sweat wetting his brow.
Lifting the sword, he readied to repeat the kata but stopped when he heard boot steps.
“Don’t let me stop you” Jax said, walking into the camp. He dropped an armful of wood on the pile. “In fact, I could use some practice.”
Elwin lowered his blade. “You can use this space. I’m finishing up now.”
“Have you learned Kalicodian styles? I find that I prefer them.”
Elwin shrugged. “Didn’t even know they existed.”
“Right. Well, we will start with what you know.” He moved clear of the fire and held up a stick of his own. “Attack.”
“What? No. I just wanted to go through my form a few times. I don’t want—”
“Come on, kid. I need to see how you move with that thing when someone is swinging back at you. Just show me what you’ve got.”
“Fine,” he said, knowing this would not end well.
Moving into Air stance, Elwin lunged. Jax swatted it aside with a frown. “You’ve never actually been in a real sword fight have you?”
He’d fought black savants with the Elements, but he’d only picked up a sword when Zaak had forced him to practice.
“Not many,” Elwin admitted.
“Where to start.” Jax wiped a hand across his face. “You project with your eyes and body what you are going to do. You need to learn to strike without looking. Move with your enemy. Have you played castles?”
“Yes. With my mother.”
“Excellent. A sword match is much like this. A good match between warriors is fought with the mind, but you must let your body move instinctually. Understand?”
“Isn’t instinct something that happens without thought?”
“It is. But that is only part of a fight. You should always anticipate your opponent’s moves, but you must trust your body to react to what he actually does. Most importantly, always be striking. Like this. Attack me again. Same lunge.”
Elwin thrust his sword at Jax, who moved his saber too swiftly for Elwin to track. His own weapon fell
from his grasp. The tip of Jax’s blade pointed at his heart.
“How did you do that?”
“Pick up your sword. I’ll do it slowly this time. Hold your weapon out as if you’d just lunged. Good. Look. You see here. I’ve made my body narrow, so that it only takes a few inches to deflect your weapon. That little bit of movement is all it takes. You are small like me, so you won’t want to match strength for strength with anyone. Nudge strikes away from your body then reposte in one fluid motion.”
“But how did you make me drop my sword?”
“I tapped this soft spot in the back of your hand with my parry. It’s a cheap trick. Many pommels have guards to protect the hands. Right. I’m going to lunge at you now.”
Jax moved slowly. Elwin parried and countered.
“Good. Now let’s do this a hundred more times.”
They practiced the same maneuver for at least an hour, then Jax showed him a few more techniques. Zaak Lifesong and Breaklin were both masters, but their instructions had not seemed as practical as this. Elwin recognized parts of the moves as a variation of the forms he’d been taught.
By the time Daren and Daki strolled into the camp, Elwin’s body was shaky. To his surprise, they didn’t carry any game. His stomach grumbled.
“No luck with the hunt?” Jax asked.
“We are closer to Iremine than you thought,” Daren said. “It is not more than a mile that way.”
“It is?” Jax asked.
“Aye,” Daki confirmed.
“Do you know if it is controlled by Alcoan soldiers or the guardians?”
“I saw the Alcoan crest on the soldiers out front,” Daren replied.
“Good. We’ll find some protection from the guardians behind the walls. Let’s strike camp and move on.”
“It’s been over two day since we heard the hounds,” Elwin said. “We should probably wait until morning. They won’t catch us tonight, and skulking about at night looks suspicious.”
“No,” Jax argued. “Night will hide our faces better than fake beards. We all still have bounties on us.”
