by Darrin Long
“Neilan killed two of Caudee’s soldiers and set a Tunai prisoner free yesterday,” Iri said.
“Is that so?” Kaylu said looking at Neilan.
“Ya,” Neilan said.
“Are you out of your mind?” Kaylu said, “did you even stop to consider what would happen if you were to get yourself captured or killed?”
“I tried to talk him into fighting with us,” Neilan said, setting down his sword. “But they won’t fight with us.”
“Neilan, you cannot take chances like that” Kaylu said. “All of our lives depend on it.”
“I’m sorry,” Neilan said.
“Kaylu… they blame you for the betrayal of their people and the death of King Lomar” Iri said.
“I see… I was afraid of that” Kaylu said. “When I was arguing with your father the battle had already started. By the time I had returned to the battle the Tunai had already won and were retreating to their tunnels, but Lomar was already dead.”
“I tried to explain to him that it was King Lamu that betrayed them, but he wouldn’t believe me,” Neilan said. “He remembered one of the great battles where ye used some great magic on them and it convinced them that ye had betrayed them.”
“Yes, the ancient magic” Kaylu said taking a deep breath. “Well, that will have to wait until later. Now, we need to get back to your training. But you must promise me to never take a chance like that again.”
“Ok, I promise. Where did ye go anyway?” Neilan asked.
“I had to pick up something” he replied, “have you eaten?”
“No, we just woke up,” Iri said.
“Good, put this in some food and give it to Neilan,” he said.
Iri looked at the powder. “Dumhlachd?” she asked.
“Not quite,” kaylu said, “It is the residue that is left over when the Dumhlachd powder is made.”
Iri gave Kaylu a questioning look.
“Let’s just say that it is a watered-down version,” Kaylu said with a smile. “Someone taught me yesterday that magic is not set in stone and minor variations of spells can change outcomes.”
Iri smiled because she knew that he was talking about her.
“Well, make some food” Kaylu said and Iri grabbed a pot and started putting ingredients together.
“Neilan, let’s go outside for a minute while Iri is preparing the food,” kaylu said.
The sun was casting a yellow glow over the Glen as Kaylu walked over and leaned on the tree. Neilan stood looking out over the Glen thinking about everything that happened the day before.
“Neilan, there is something that you need to know about your father,” Kaylu said.
“My da; what about him?” Neilan asked.
He could see that Kaylu was looking for just the right words to say and he wondered Why he was being so careful.
Kaylu turned and smiled.
“Your father was, like you, different,” he said.
“How do ye mean?” Neilan asked.
“Well… I guess the best way is to just tell you” Kaylu said, “Your father was half Tunai.”
Neilan’s mouth dropped open.
“What?” he said “half Tunai?”
“Yes,” Kaylu said.
Neilan couldn’t believe his ears. No wonder his forehead was larger than the other kids, he’s lucky it wasn’t slanted too. He reached up and rubbed his forehead.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell you, but then you told me about the Tunai you met” kaylu said. “Maybe you can convince them. You are not Man, Dragoine or Tunai; you are really all three.”
Iri opened the door, “food is ready” she said.
Kaylu placed his hand on Neilan’s shoulder.
“We will all have to make decisions that affect other’s lives,” he said “your life is tailor-made. All we can hope for in life Neilan is that we choose wisely.”
“What was that all about?” Iri asked Kaylu, but he motioned that he would tell her later.
They went into the cave and sat down by the fire to eat. Iri handed them each a bowl of soup and Neilan smiled when he saw it.
“It’s not Daguee,” Iri said when she saw his smile.
“Oh,” Neilan said with a sad look “does it taste as good?”
“Not really, but it will sustain you all day,” Iri said.
“Oh, ok,” Neilan said as he tasted a spoon full of the soup.
“It isn’t bad or anything, it just isn’t as good as the Daguee” Neilan said.
Neilan ate the soup looking at his bowl the whole time and Iri noticed that something was wrong.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I had a little talk with Neilan about his ancestral line,” kaylu said motioning to his forehead.
Neilan must have seen Kaylu’s motions out of the corner of his eye because he looked up.
“He means I’m a quarter Tunai,” Neilan said looking at Iri. “Wait, ye don’t even look surprised.”
“Well, I was curious, with your large forehead,” Iri said. “No man that I have ever seen had a forehead that large.”
Neilan frowned and reached up to touch his forehead.
“No, it’s a nice forehead,” she said, “don’t think for a moment that it makes you less attractive, you are a very handsome Man, Dragoine, Tunai.”
Neilan looked confused and Iri smiled at him then, she leaned over and kissed his forehead.
“Very handsome,” she said.
They finished the soup and Kaylu stood up to stretch.
“I do like to eat, but afterwards it just doesn’t feel right,” he said rubbing his stomach.
“Well, maybe if you would only eat one bowl instead of three” Iri scolded.
Kaylu laughed and motioned to the door. “Are you ready Neilan?” He asked.
“Ya, sure,” Neilan said getting up and following Kaylu to the door.
Once outside, Kaylu pulled out a blindfold and handed it to Neilan.
“What’s this?” Neilan said.
“I thought we’d try something different since the water was a bit out of your element,” he said.
“Where are we going?” Iri asked, as she closed the door and latched it.
“I have a cave in the mountains we can use,” Kaylu said.
“Ya, I couldn’t find that cave when it went back there,” Neilan said.
“Well, that’s because I keep it with me most of the time” Kaylu replied tapping his pocket.
“Ya, he only uses it when he wants to give someone a gift,” Neilan said.
Kaylu had a smirk on his face as he stepped between Neilan and Iri, then placing his hand on each of their shoulders they disappeared. A few seconds later, the three of them appeared on the mountain where Neilan had found Kaylu the first time.
“Ok, let’s get that blindfold on you,” Kaylu said helping Neilan put the blindfold on.
Then Kaylu led Neilan to the opening of the cave. Neilan stood a bit shaky at the cave entrance and Kaylu grabbed his arm.
“Whoa,” Neilan said, “I feel weird.”
“That is the Dumhlachd residue, give it a minute to take effect,” Kaylu said.
Neilan stood leaning on the stone wall until he could feel his strength returning to him.
“Ok, are you ready?” Kaylu said, “watch the vines.”
They entered the opening and Kaylu led him to the centre of the cave and stopped. Iri stood back out of the way.
“Now, Neilan, do not just trust what you hear,” Kaylu said, “magic has a smell that your heightened senses should now pick up.”
Suddenly, Kaylu created a mountain wolf’s growl and Neilan flinched. Every muscle in his body seemed to instinctively tighten.
“Neilan, notice the smell,” Kaylu said.
Iri could see that Neilan was trying to concentrate and ignore the growls, but the expression on his face told her that he wasn’t doing very well at it.
“I don’t smell anything,” Neilan said, “what does it smell like?”
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“Like magic of course,” Kaylu said with a laugh. “Ok, Neilan, I’ll try something with a lot of magic so that the smell will be greater.”
Kaylu chanted some ancient words and suddenly Iri could feel the hot, smelly breath of something very large.
“Ignore the smell of his breath, Neilan and notice the smell of his breathing” Kaylu said. “Concentrate on the smell of his movements.”
Neilan took a deep breath and let it out, allowing himself to be completely absorbed in the experience. Suddenly he tilted his head to the side and then back. He breathed in slowly through his nose allowing the smell to permeate his senses and fill him with a sense of understanding.
“It’s like vanilla mixed with a mountain breeze,” he said.
“Well, that’s the first time anyone has ever attempted to say what magic smells like,” Kaylu said smiling at Iri. “Maybe you’re right. Hold out your hand.”
Neilan held out his hand and Kaylu placing a sword in it.
“What is this for?” he asked.
“To defend yourself with,” Kaylu said stepping back.
Neilan started to remove the blindfold, but Kaylu stopped him.
“You must not use your eyes,” he said “only your ears and your nose.”
Neilan held the sword out in front of himself and waited. Suddenly there was another sound like the sound of a snake slithering along the sandy ground. Neilan breathed in through his nose and smiled.
“It’s not real,” Neilan said.
Then the sound disappeared and Iri heard the flapping of bats wings very close overhead. At first, Neilan flinched, but then he sniffed the air again.
“Not real,” Neilan said.
Neilan seemed to be getting more confident every moment. Well, at least until Kaylu conjured up the Mountain Wolf. The growls echoed in the cave as the Mountain Wolf inched closer to Neilan; close enough that he should have felt its breath on him. He seemed to be struggling as he was obviously trying to concentrate, but Iri could see that he was not going to be successful. These wolves were the things of nightmares, standing as taller than her and several times as wide. She watched as it opened its mouth revealing a mouth full of huge teeth then, suddenly the wolf stopped in its tracks and Kaylu walked over and stood beside the wolf.
“Go ahead, remove your blindfold,” Kaylu said.
Neilan pulled the blindfold off and almost screamed when he realized that the wolf was real and was frozen only inches from him.
“You are dead,” Kaylu said.
He ran his fingers through the wolf’s hair and admired it.
“You may only have a split second Neilan,” Kaylu said. “Anything beyond that could be your undoing.”
Neilan looked down; disappointed with himself.
“I can do better,” he said.
“Ok, let’s try it again,” Kaylu said stepping back.
Kaylu tested Neilan many times throughout the day and Neilan did very well, but Kaylu did not use a wolf again.
When they had finished, Neilan asked, “Kaylu why did ye not use the wolf again?”
Kaylu waved his hand, “You will have to wait” he said, “This is something that I cannot teach to you, though I know who can.”
The sun was just going down in the Glen as they came out of the cave. Kaylu was going to take them all back to the Glen, but Neilan wanted to keep practising. So, he and Iri walked back to the cave and Kaylu was going to meet them there; he wasn’t much for walking anyways. Neilan kept the blindfold on and along the way Iri conjured up sounds and Neilan would decide if they were real or magic. Some of the sounds were tricky because the mountain breezes seemed to move the smells around, but he successfully guessed every one. Then they walked into a section of the forest and Kaylu was standing there with his finger to his mouth. Iri waited quietly as Kaylu transformed the forest before her then, she turned to Neilan again.
“Very good, Neilan,” Iri said pulling the blindfold off Neilan’s face.
“Oh, we are home already,” Neilan said noticing the cave door and Kaylu sitting on the bench.
“Are you?” kaylu asked.
Neilan hesitated for a moment.
“The walk did seem to be very short,” he said as he slowly took air in through his nose and smiled.
“The smell of vanilla and mountain breeze,” he said, “It’s not real.”
“Very good” Kaylu said. The door and the bench disappeared and the only thing left was Kaylu sitting on a stump in the forest. “Now, you must resist any more testing for today,” Kaylu said. “It is easy to overload the senses and confuse the mind.”
Kaylu placed his hand on their shoulders and a second later they were outside the cave. Neilan was about to smell the air, but Kaylu stopped him.
“I said resist,” he said, “this is real.”
“I feel a bit light headed anyway,” Neilan said with a nod.
Kaylu placed his hand on Neilan’s arm.
“You did well today, but do not confuse your success today with readiness to face Caudee,” He said. “You will need much more training and you will need training that I cannot give you.”
Neilan frowned “Where will I get this training?” he asked.
“Well, I do not know right now, but I will figure out something,” Kaylu said.
Neilan gave Iri a troubled look and Kaylu smiled.
“Don’t worry my boy, you will be ready when you need to be,” he said. “May the two of you have a pleasant evening.”
Kaylu bowed to Iri and disappeared.
“Are you hungry?” Iri asked him.
“I’m starving” he replied, “Were we really gone that long?”
“Yes, we were,” she said “the sun will be completely down soon. Come on, I’ll get you something to eat.”
They went into the cave and sat together beside the fire. Iri started to prepare some food, but by the time the cooking smells had filled the cave Neilan was already lying on the ground sound asleep. Iri stroked his hair and watched him sleep for a moment then, she sat by the fire and ate her meal alone.
“A lot has happened and a lot is changing so fast,” she thought “am I ready to face it?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block out all the thoughts and feelings that were flooding her mind and heart, threatening to explode within her. She didn’t realize just how tired she was until that moment. Not just from that day, but from the whole year. She knew that things would never be the same again and it made her sad and excited all at the same time.
“So much is at stake,” she thought as she looked at Neilan again “and there is so much to lose.”
She put her plate up, then curling up on the ground in front of Neilan, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. That night Iri dreamed once more about the city of Draioch. The King, the soldiers, she and Neilan, it all played out just like it did the first time, but this time Iri was determined to change the outcome. There was a soldier on each side of her holding her arms as she listened to the King.
“It will not be” he yelled, “I will not allow it”.
Iri was determined to not cry this time, nor feel powerless; for she was not powerless. She closed her eyes and said three words.
“Uine, gluasad, astar,” she said, concentrating on where Neilan stood.
Then, when she opened her eyes, she could see the two soldiers standing across from her looking at each other in surprise and she was standing with Neilan, hand in hand.
“I did it,” she thought “I really did it. I changed the dream.”
The room was filled with gasps, then it grew silent and the King looked as if, for the first time in his life, he did not know what to say. Iri knew that this was her chance, so she lifted her chin into the air.
“I will decide my life from now on,” she said.
She glared at the King waiting for him to speak, but he never did. The dream faded away before anything else could happen and she was ok with that. She had stood up for herself for the first
time in her life and it felt good; even if it was only in a dream.
“I can’t believe that I actually did it,” she thought “If Kaylu knew that I had copied that spell from his book, he would be very angry.”
She knew that this would not be the last time she would use the spell. She liked how it felt to feel the magic flow through her body; as if it was supposed to be that way. It was like someone had stolen it from her and she wanted it back. No, she wanted even more, and she made a decision that night lying on the ground in that cave.
“I will become what the magic allows me to become and no one will stand in my way,” she said. “It is my right as a Dragoine and I am claiming it.”
The rest of the night was filled with dreams, but not bad ones. She dreamed about Neilan, the cave and the Glen. She dreamed about her people and the blooming heather and the mountain breezes. But then she dreamed about something that was yet to come. Whether it was real or not she did not know, but it felt real to her. She was standing in the doorway of the cave looking out towards the bench. There sitting on the bench was Neilan and a small Dragoine who was transformed. Then the little Dragoine transformed back into a small child.
“How did I do Daddy?” the child asked Neilan.
Neilan put his hand on the child’s head and leaned over. “That was wonderful,” he said with a smile.
Then he looked up at Iri standing in the doorway and winked. As that dream faded, Iri struggled within herself; never had a dream felt the way that dream did and it filled her with excitement and hope. The next morning when she awoke, she found herself lying on the blanket, not on the ground and Neilan was not in the cave. Her heart sank in her chest as she jumped up and ran to the door. Swinging it open she ran outside in search of Neilan.
“What’s wrong?” Neilan asked.
She spun around and saw him sitting on the bench where he was sitting in her dream. She was overcome by emotion and as Neilan stood up she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.
“Whoa,” he said, “hey, what’s wrong?”
After a moment, she was able to look up into his face and muster a small smile.
“Sorry,” she said, “just silly I guess.”
Neilan looked confused.
“Sit down,” he said to her motioning to the bench.
They sat down and he held her in his arms.
