The Harrowing Path

by Cleave Bourbon

  “What news of Vesperin?”

  “It isn’t good news. He is hurt pretty badly. The clerics are working with him. I wanted to stay with him, but a guard said I was to come here,” Rennon answered. “What’s going on here?” Rennon glared at Gondrial.

  “I am not sure yet,” Devyn said.

  “I think our first task should be to get another wagon of ale and dry goods to Brookhaven,” Lady Shey began. “Brookhaven is being watched. The peddler, Fadral, was killed and replaced with a spy. We need the wagons to return to let whoever may be watching know that Devyn and his friends are safe.”

  “Naneden has never used spies before,” Enowene said. “What kind of spy?”

  “Fadral was replaced with a Drasmyd Duil,” Lady Shey answered. “A good one. He not only took on the illusion of Fadral but also his mannerisms, and he did not have the pungent odor of the Drasmyd Duil of the past. Sylvalora and I was suspicious of him but couldn’t tell what he was until it was too late. I believe the Dramyds that attacked us between Cedar Falls and Soldier’s Bluff were there waiting for their Drasmyd Duil commander to return, but Sanmir made sure that would never happen.”

  “I agree that the wagons should return, but it is wise to send the boys back as well,” Gondrial began. “If we send the wagons, I am sure Trendan, Kelle, and a few guards can get them there safely.”

  “Excuse me,” Rennon spoke up. “We will all be going with the wagons.”

  Gondrial looked Rennon in the eye and shook his head. “It is best for you to stay silent.”

  Rennon was inclined to protest but decided it would be better to sit back down on the divan next to Devyn instead.

  “What news do you have from Scarovia?” Lady Shey asked Seancey.

  “Naneden of Scarovia and Drakkius of Abaddonia have been amassing a huge army near the Snake River just on the other side of the Jagged Mountains,” Seancey began. “My guess is that they plan to come through the Southern Pass to attack Symboria first, and that’s where most of the Western army is currently assembling. The Northern Pass is also being fortified near the village of Arborton. A smaller army is amassing on the Abaddonian side of the Jaggeds near the Great Road, and there is talk of closing off the Northern Pass completely. Most disturbing of all is the laws against wielders are to remain in effect. The priests of Scarovia will cast unopposed at the Western armies.”

  “The fools,” Gondrial spat. “Those damn Enforcers have agents in all of the courts from here to the ruined pillars of Lux Amarou. They have the kings and commoners alike convinced their laws are still keeping order.”

  “Now, Gondrial, curtail your tongue. Your passions are well-founded, but they don’t help our situation,” Enowene reminded him.

  “You’re right of course, my lady,” he said. “Forgive my outburst.”

  “We need to take the tome to Morgoran and consult the prophecies. I remember reading something about the Western armies when I was a little girl,” Lady Shey suggested. “Is he currently in one of his coherent phases?”

  “Unfortunately, not at present. He has been spouting off gibberish, ranting and raving about the emperor of Ishrak and his Knights of the Orchid or some nonsense. Ishrak hasn’t had an emperor since long before the War of the Oracle forged The Blight,” Seancey said. “He will not be of much use to us.”

  “How do you know it is gibberish? Perhaps he sees into the future as the scribes say he does,” Enowene said.

  “Nothing the scribes have written of his ramblings has ever come to pass,” Seancey said skeptically.

  “A few things have,” Lady Shey said blushing.

  Enowene cocked a curious eyebrow. “Oh, and what might that be?”

  Lady Shey stiffened. “Never mind that. It is a personal matter, and I will not discuss it here.”

  “All right, dear,” Enowene said. “Suit yourself. Perhaps you shouldn’t have mentioned it if it was such a private matter.”

  Lady Shey nodded sheepishly.

  Devyn’s eyelids were heavy. The lack of sleep the night before had begun to catch up with him, but he fought off sleep to listen.

  “This talk is getting us nowhere. I say we take the book to Morgoran. His eyes may be blinded, but he may yet give us insight,” Gondrial said. “Or better yet, we can wait and take it to Ianthill.”

  “It’s a good idea to take the tome to Ianthill,” Enowene said, “but he’s hundreds of leagues away, and we’re already faced with too many decisions and too little time to decide them. I’m willing to take my chances with Morgoran.”

  “It is agreed then, right Gondrial? We will consult with Morgoran,” Lady Shey said.

  Gondrial shrugged. “All right, Morgoran it is then.”

  Devyn bobbed his head, almost dozing off. He glanced at Rennon, who had already gone to sleep.

  “Devyn dear, why don’t you go ahead and get some sleep,” Lady Shey said. “You can barely keep your eyes open. We have finished our talk for now.” She helped him up and pointed to the now unoccupied divan. “Here, why don’t you lie down on this divan until we find suitable quarters.” Devyn saw Seancey and Gondrial leave the room still talking. Sylvalora and Enowene were waiting at the doorway for Lady Shey. Devyn decided sleep would be fine.

  “Maybe for a little while,” he said, and then he fell fast asleep.

  Nightmares made Devyn’s sleep fitful. He kept seeing the flying creatures, Dramyds, attacking him and his friends. Then his dreams went to the elf maiden he had seen so many other times in his dreams. The trees and vines near the wooden platforms where she walked reached out for her, caressing her and protecting her. She wore green leaves in her shimmering brown hair and her large welcoming eyes smiled at him. Unlike some of the other dreams he had of her, this one calmed and soothed him into a more restful sleep. He felt connected to her and the connection was comforting.

  Chapter 9: Prophecy

  Devyn awoke to Rennon’s snoring. The chamber was empty, except for the two of them, and it was darker. Heavy drapes covered the large windows of the tower chamber. After a few moments, Rennon also woke up.

  “What happened?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

  “You fell asleep.”

  Rennon looked at Devyn with a smirk on his face. “I am aware of that. Why did I fall asleep? I was under a spell, wasn’t I?”

  Devyn stood and clasped his hands behind his back as he walked around the room. “Don’t be ridiculous. We both fell asleep, but then again we both had a rough night, and it’s not unreasonable for us to nod off.” Devyn looked at his friend who was rubbing his hand over his mouth. “You are fine, Rennon. Even if it was a spell, which it wasn’t, it was harmless.”

  “Harmless? Unnatural, you mean. I didn’t fall asleep on my own.”

  “Oh, come off it, Rennon. I saw you last night. You did some...” Devyn realized what he was saying and turned toward a draped window and pulled it open, revealing it was still daylight.

  “What? Go ahead and say it, Devyn. You saw me what?”

  “I don’t think we should talk about it here.”

  Rennon stood up, paced across the room, and peered out the window Devyn had opened.

  “How long have you known?” Devyn asked reluctantly.

  “Since I was apprenticed to Sanmir, he helped me to suppress it with an herb mixture he had imported from Darovan. Sanmir didn’t want the Enforcers to send me away, or worse yet, kill me.”

  “So that was what the bag of bittering tea was that Sanmir gave you before we left Brookhaven. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have understood.”

  “The wild magic breeds insanity, Devyn. You would have found out soon enough.”

  “I never saw you brew the potion. Are you suppressing it now?”

  Rennon sighed. “Sometimes I mix it in with my food when no one is watching. I don’t always have the time or the privacy to brew it into a potion.”

  “That works? When you eat it in your food, I mean.”

  “It takes longer to work, and it usually
adds a bitter flavor that I don’t always savor, but it gets the job done.”

  The door opened, and Vesperin walked in with Sylvalora close behind.

  “Vesperin!” Devyn and Rennon said at once, running to him.

  Vesperin’s arm was wrapped in bandages, but he did not appear to be in much pain. Devyn did notice his sandy blond hair had become golden blonde, and his eyes were bluer than he remembered them. He also looked exhausted.

  “How do you feel?” Rennon asked. “You look terrible. Should you be out of bed?”

  “I have felt better, but I am okay,” Vesperin replied.

  “Come and sit down,” Devyn said, bringing Vesperin to the divan. “And tell us what happened.”

  Vesperin sat down on the divan. “I can’t say exactly what happened. I can say that Loracia’s spirit was with me. Brother Kerad said it was the spirit of Loracia that saved me. He could do no more for me.”

  “What does that mean?” Rennon asked suspiciously.

  Sylvalora sat down next to Vesperin on the divan. “It means Brother Kerad believes he actually saw the spirit of Loracia heal Vesperin.”

  “A miracle?” Devyn asked apprehensively.

  “It has happened before,” Sylvalora began. “Sometimes it is necessary for a god or goddess to directly intervene.”

  “According to the priests of Loracia in Brookhaven, the gods are not allowed to directly intervene. Fawlsbane Vex forbade it.” Devyn said.

  “Ah, but Loracia is the goddess mother and wife to Fawlsbane. If any god could defy his decree, it would be her.”

  “I will not debate you in theology. I am just glad we have Vesperin back in one piece.”

  Sylvalora smiled. “Oh, and Kelle is on her way here as well; I must take my leave of you to speak with Enowene and Lady Shey.” Sylvalora rose from the divan, smiled at Vesperin, and walked to the thick wooden door. After she had disappeared from sight, Devyn sat next to Vesperin. “Do you feel different now?”

  “No, I don’t feel different, but I know that I’m different. Loracia has charged me with a task, and I must not fail.”

  “What kind of task?” Rennon asked.

  Vesperin looked at Rennon. “Ask me tomorrow. Loracia will come to me tonight in my sleep.”

  Rennon rolled his eyes. “Convenient.”

  Kelle entered the room. She gave Devyn a hug and kissed him. Devyn’s mouth fell open as she pulled her lips from his.

  “Isn’t it wonderful? Vesperin is healed, and we are witnesses to a miracle.” Kelle said.

  Devyn shook his head. “It is a miracle Vesperin is healed, but something doesn’t feel right to me about all of this.”

  “I agree,” Rennon spoke up. “I think we are being tricked or put under spells.”

  “Rennon, will you never change,” Kelle said. “Just because someone is not from Brookhaven doesn’t mean they are up to something...nefarious.”

  “No,” Rennon said defensively. “I just believe we may be in over our heads this time, and the sooner we get home, the better.”

  “I am afraid we are in over our heads,” Vesperin said quietly.

  “See, even Vesperin thinks so,” Rennon pointed out.

  Vesperin shook his head. “Not in the way you think, my friend.”

  Rennon gave Vesperin a puzzled stare but said nothing.

  “We are to report to the dining room for a meal,” Kelle stated. “Lady Enowene showed me to the washrooms, and I am to lead you there. Afterward, we are going to meet Morgoran. Isn’t it exciting? We are going to meet the Morgoran!”

  Rennon frowned at Kelle dubiously. “I don’t want to meet the Morgoran.”

  Kelle gave Rennon a hard look as if he had just slapped her in the face.

  Vesperin feigned a weak smile. “Rennon, my friend, will you do it for me?”

  Rennon softened a little. “All right, for you, Ves, but let it be known that I didn’t want to meet this Morgoran fellow.”

  “Thank you, Rennon.” Vesperin’s weak smile became stronger.

  “Where has Trendan gotten off to, Kelle?” Devyn asked.

  “He is with Seancey preparing to leave for Brookhaven. He is carrying a message for our parents to let them know what happened to us. I should think he’d want to speak with you before he leaves in the morning.”

  “Isn’t he coming to the meal?” Rennon asked.

  “No, he had his meal earlier to make time for Seancey and Gondrial to instruct him on the safest route back to Brookhaven.”

  “We had better go and wash up then,” Devyn stated. “I will need to talk to Trendan as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait until morning.” He did not want to alarm his friends, but Devyn had the sinking feeling that something was wrong. If they were sending Trendan ahead, they did not plan for the rest of them to return right away after all. What happened to the new ale wagon idea Lady Shey had suggested? Devyn thought. He also wondered why Rennon hadn’t caught on and questioned the change. Maybe he had caught on and was just waiting for Devyn to say something.

  The washrooms were located to the left of the dining hall. Huge wash pots and towels lined the room, and each person had to use each pot in turn to clean their hands. The room itself was a barren, mud-walled room with brilliant murals of what Devyn thought must have been depictions of the War of the Oracle. Robed wielders were casting spells over darker robed ones. The murals made Rennon visibly uncomfortable.

  After washing, they were seated in a specific, carefully chosen place setting. Devyn’s seat was between Gondrial and Lady Shey. Rennon was seated between Enowene and Seancey. Vesperin was seated next to Enowene and Sylvalora. At the head of the table, Devyn guessed, was the cleric, Kerad, by the look and make of his robes and his manner of dress. At the foot of the table was seated a man also dressed as a cleric, but his style of dress did not match that of the clerics of Loracia. He wore deep green robes with yellow cuffs and a red sash. Devyn assumed him a high cleric of one of the two other temples in the Vale. At introduction, the man at the foot of the table was identified as Trebin, Lord Monk of Fawlsbane Vex, the father of the gods.

  Once formally introduced, Devyn discovered the man at the head of the table dressed in the white and yellow robes of clerics of Loracia was indeed Kerad. The dinner bell sounded after the formal introductions. The first serving was a hearty soup served in a hardened bread bowl, followed by heavily spiced roast beef and potatoes served on one half of flatbread used as a plate. Devyn found that the light, slightly fruity wine was a treat. Kelle, he noticed, had three glasses. The clerics of Loracia frowned upon speech at the table and preferred more formal dining, so no one spoke during the meal. Desert consisted of a somewhat tart, spiced drink called javaro and rum cake.

  After the meal, they were required to rewash their hands, and then they were all led to a large chamber with more battle murals. Each time Devyn tried to speak, a sharp look from Kerad immediately curtailed his urge. Rennon visibly fidgeted as the party was led from the chamber into a hallway and into Morgoran’s antechamber. Two wooden doors with carved, eerie faces with forest scenes of sprites and dryads stood ominously before them. Seancey dismissed the guards at Morgoran’s chamber and opened the elaborately carved doors. They climbed a short stairway into a massive round room that Devyn was sure was the top of the great tower, but he did not feel as though he had climbed high into a tower. The stairway seemed much shorter than he would have imagined. Blue tapestries hung in circular patterns on the rounded walls, and the floor had a thick carpet centered in the room. A bookcase and desk were placed on one side of the room, and two divans and a throne-like chair sat opposite them. On one of the divans sat a man dressed in flowing blue robes with light blue trim. His white beard reached easily to his chest, and his hair was long but well-maintained. His facial features were sharp but gentle, and his skin appeared soft and wrinkled. His eyes were completely clear, so much so that you could see right through them and into his eye sockets. He stared out into space with a look of total detachment.
Occasionally he would flinch and twitch as if he were seeing disturbing images. Four men in blue robes sat around Morgoran at small tables with quill pen in hand.

  As soon as they entered, Morgoran abruptly stood and cried out, “Gondrial, watch out, the dragon is circling!”

  The four scribes sitting at the small tables surrounding Morgoran began writing feverishly.

  Gondrial stood back and cocked an eyebrow. “What dragon, Morgoran?”

  “What, Gondrial, you are not in the keep with Ianthill?”

  “No, Morgoran, I am here with you in the Vale.”

  Morgoran looked confused for a moment, and then he looked off into empty space once more. “Devyn, only Seandara and Bren can go safely with you to Scarovia.” His face twisted. “Jindara killed the beast but more will come. I tell you more will come.”

  Gondrial motioned for the rest of the company to sit on the divans. He leaned in as they sat and whispered, “He is speaking of the future. His eyes only see ahead in time. The Silver Drake, for interfering with it as it destroyed Toborne, cursed him. His interference was noble, so the Silver Drake spared his life but would not let him live it. Only a small fraction of his visions have ever actually come to pass. Don’t dwell too much on what he says.”

  “Morgoran, my master,” Lady Shey said, bowing and taking his hand in hers.

  “Shey.” His expression changed to fondness, and his face softened into a smile. “My lovely apprentice, time and time again you seek out Gondrial, yet all he does is hurt you.”

  Lady Shey’s face burned bright red. She cleared her throat. “Master, Gondrial is here and—”

  Without warning, Morgoran stood from the divan, slinging Lady Shey’s arm down. He moved at lightning speed and clasped his hands in a solid grip around Rennon’s face. Morgoran’s clenched teeth flashed, and he spoke in a low menacing tone. “You control your power. It does not control you. The magic you possess is not wild, it is forgotten, and you must remember it. remember it! You can fix it! You can heal them all!”