Beyond the Sapphire Gate: Epic Fantasy-Some Magic Should Remain Untouched (The Flow of Power Book 1) (16 page)

“Terra, huh…what?”

“
Terra’ a morn
is from the old tongue. Roughly translated it means,
Replenish the life bosom
.”

“I don’t understand. What’s it got to do with Atoi?”

The Lore Mother stepped upon a large boulder, jumping to the dirt below it with barely a pause. Crystalyn went around. They circled two minor rock beds before the Lore Mother slowed, continuing where she’d left off. “Some of my race has conjectured Atoi is the Lost One. I reserve judgment; I will decide judgment after sound observation only. Particularly now that she seems to have attached herself to you, but that is enough talk for now. Behold, Glacier Ladders.” Raising a weathered arm, she pointed to some rock ledges on the side of the mountain. Steps of flat stone, gigantic and squared, fell gently for thousands of feet before a final long fall of hundreds into the raging Glacier River. Awed by the sheer beauty of the natural phenomenon, Crystalyn gawked, her questions forgotten.

They stood in silence, the view bringing wonder to her heart. Why didn’t her world have such spectacular beauty? Finally, the Lore Mother stirred. “Come, let us continue our journey, we have not ventured far this day.” The Lore Mother strode away, slogging through mud that sloped too close to the cliff side for Crystalyn’s liking. The old woman didn’t seem to care that her bare feet had blackened beyond her calves.

Crystalyn lingered for a last look at the magnificent falls and the town where she’d first arrived. Given the opportunity, she would’ve liked to spend time exploring the town, discovering its culture, making new friends. Perhaps they would have, had Jade landed in the same place. She sighed. It was time for her to get the party moving, though she had to wonder what the Lore Mother meant about Jade being a “new factor.” Why wasn’t she herself a new factor? There were too many questions, not enough time.

Locating Jade was her only concern, yet thoughts of Atoi crept inside her mind. Atoi was host to a Dark Child that she knew nothing about; though it didn’t really matter. The little girl still needed watching over.

Hugging the hillside, she hiked back to the trail, making a promise to herself to wheedle additional information from everyone. Everything about this new world added a new question to the countless others clogging her mind. Would she ever sort it out?

TAKE IT BACK

The palomino’s saddle was vacant when Crystalyn arrived back at the semi-dry wagon trail. Hastel’s blue eye twinkled, though his wounded face remained neutral. “Want to take a break from the bone jarring axles of a wagon for the rear mashing hoofs of Ferral?”

Ferral’s huge, almond eyes fixed on her from where he stood behind Hastel. Crystalyn could almost swear the horse’s lips twitched, matching the glint in his eyes. She decided the golden-skinned horse and her were going to become friends. “I’ve not ridden a horse since I was younger than Atoi, but I’ll give it a try.”

Hastel’s bushy brown eyebrows rose. “How do you know you were younger? Never mind. Do you want me to help you mount?”

Crystalyn climbed into the wagon’s front seat. “No. For now, bring him closer. Eventually I’ll learn to use the…stirrups?”

“Yes, that’s what they’re called, and you’re right, you’re going to have to learn to mount, before we reach Surbo. Once we’re there, we won’t be able to ride, so I wouldn’t be able to train you.” He led the horse to the front. Ferral snorted, leaning his broad back close to the wagon.

Swinging a leg over the horse’s back, Crystalyn eased into the saddle. “How many days travel to Surbo?”

Hastel passed the reins up to her. “Ten to twelve if no problems arise. Something always happens though. I call it the law of chaos. Use firm knee pressure and the reins to guide him. He will ‘listen’ for your signals; he is quite intelligent. Why don’t you wander up the road for a bit? He needs to become used to you. It may take a while, since I’m the only one he’s let sit on his back for many seasons.”

“What? Now you tell me!”

Chuckling, Hastel patted Ferral on the rump as if the horse had made a joke.

Clucking softly, Crystalyn convinced the palomino to step away from the wagon. Acknowledging Drumn by tossing his white mane high, Ferral cantered past. Crystalyn smiled despite the sensation of feeling like a mouse allowed riding privileges on a wolfhound; it was good to ride. Ferral seemed to sense her lack of expertise and slowed to a walk moving up the gentle incline the road followed.

The early afternoon sun warmed her face and baked the mud to dirt in splotchy patches. Ferral clopped through it all, dry or soggy, keeping his head pointed slightly to the ground in search of horse delicacies, preferably something green, with grass like qualities. The strong scent of alfalfa and the distinct smell of horseflesh and manure filled her nostrils, bringing back memories of dad and mom at the Farm. The other adults stationed there, security personnel like her parents, animal and flora caretakers, and the haughty, lab-coated scientists, all called it the Farm without fail. She’d spent two summers there with her family. While the adults worked, the young ones had the run of the place. So many exhilarating horse rides with Jade rushed into memory. The tingle of excitement she’d experienced right before sneaking away with Jade to explore acres of rolling fields on foot, or wandering through the single forest from horseback below the ever-growing mountainside, resurfaced. It was a strong memory. Crystalyn found herself blinking the mists of nostalgia from her eyes.

Atoi’s casual question jarred her. “How far are you planning on leaving them behind?” Wiping at her eyes, Crystalyn was surprised to find Atoi maintaining Ferral’s pace with ease, as she loped beside the trail.

She shouldn’t have been, not after the first day beyond four bridges. Atoi had surprised her then, running up Glacier Mountain trail beside the wagon for hours at a time, only stopping when the wagon did. The little girl never appeared the slightest bit winded. “I don’t see any reason to head back quite yet. It feels good to get away from the wagon. How anyone can last for hours riding in a wagon is beyond me. By the way, should the opportunity arise, I want you to find out what’s so important about that crate we’ve lugged all the way up here.”

“To do that, I’ll have to get a look inside.”

“Yes. Don’t get caught either. Abort if there’s the slightest possibility of being seen.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

They rode and ran on in silence for a while, the ambient air cool and clear. The trail straightened out, heading for a small meadow, a good indication they must be nearing the pass for the great Glacier Mountain. Wildflowers bloomed in clusters, sprinkling the bright green landscape with varying shades of blues, whites, reds, and yellows shaped like little bells, or delicate daisies. Crystalyn felt a rush of elation. The area was so beautiful there was no way she could pass without stopping. Besides, they had some time while they waited for the infernally slow wagon.

Reining in at a small copse of aspen trees next to the trail, she slipped her leg over Ferral’s golden back and dropped to the ground while holding onto the saddle pommel for support. Overall, she was happy with her dismount. Ferral gazed in approval, standing placid afterward.

Tying the reins on a wrist-sized branch, Crystalyn went to where Atoi had stopped near some brush. The little girl kicked at an anthill with the toe of her boot. “You do know they’re going to relay what you’re doing to every ant generation that ever lived, don’t you? They will all attack you on sight from now on.”

Atoi looked startled. “They will?”

Crystalyn laughed. “Just kidding, but it does make them angry to have their home destroyed.” Leaving her to the anthill, Crystalyn strode to a nearby cluster of flowers resembling wild bluebells she’d found growing fitfully in Mid Realm once. Stooping, she plucked a small bouquet, holding the beautiful flowers to her nose, inhaling deeply. As she thought, the lilac-like fragrance was faint.

Wondering if her companion would like a smell, Crystalyn glanced at Atoi. The lithe, young girl stood immobile, staring at the anthill, her lips thin and her green eyes round. ‘”Don’t hold back just because they intend to ambush you later,” Crystalyn said with a giggle, unable to stop herself.

A rough masculine voice spoke from behind Crystalyn. “Ambush is right.”

Crystalyn spun toward the voice.

A  man, medium-sized, stood in the road not far from her, clad in a patched vest over a dirty, gray tunic, along with ragged pants a size or two short. Greasy, shoulder-length black hair framed a narrow face sporting a scraggly beard. The man’s mirthless, dark eyes appraised her like she was one of the Farm’s cows shivering before the Slaughter Master. Contrary to the scientists’ beliefs there, the cows weren’t stupid; they knew what was about to happen.

The man’s dull gray eyes glinted. “Though I don’t know how you knew. He told us you’d be surprised. Don’t bother to answer, it was rhetorical anyway.” His hand gripped the handle of an ugly looking whip coiled at his hip. “Now! Take care to pin the tall one’s arms!”

Grabbed roughly from behind, Crystalyn struggled to move as two smelly arms encircled her chest, pinning her arms to the side. A third hand, tasting foul, pressed against her mouth squelching the scream forming on her lips, clamping her in place.

Scowling, the man in front of her bellowed, “Look out, you stupid skreevils! She’s got a knife!” The man’s whip snapped out, a blur of motion.

“Blast you!” Atoi yelled. From the edge of her vision, Crystalyn caught a flash of her tan dress disappearing into the scrub brush.

The face of the man with the ugly whip reddened. “Don’t just stand there, you brainless Rull! Go after her!” He strode toward Crystalyn. Stopping a hand’s width away, he glared, eye-to-eye. “My man will find her soon enough. He’s the best tracker I’ve had. We’ve been watching you, pretty one. I still don’t know if our benefactor knows what he’s talking about; we haven’t seen you Use once. But it doesn’t matter much now, does it my beauty? You’re helpless once those delicate hands of yours are bound, you can’t access the Flow. You can’t even screech for help, can you? You’re as helpless as a babe. I can do whatever I like to you.” His eyes took on a leering cast. “Do you want to know what I like?”

She shook her head; the hand at her mouth moved with her.
They’ve done this before,
she thought, revulsion rising in her stomach.

“No? Too bad, I’m going to show you anyway. And I’ll make it last a long, long, time. After that, my boys will show you too.”

Several deep voices chuckled.

Crystalyn cringed.

Spotting her reaction, the leering man smiled. “Go ahead and fight, it’ll make it all the sweeter.”

Crystalyn was frightened, but her anger grew beside the fear. What was he suggesting? That she not struggle? Blast that. She wasn’t going for the victim scenario again, especially not with men like him.

Grinning with excitement, the grungy man reached for her, tearing at her hoody.

Many of the symbols she’d read in the
Tiered Tome of Symbols
scrolled through her thoughts, she selected a splintery feeling one out of the “Multi-Aggression” chapter. Next, she chose an airy one from the “Push Backs” chapter. Her third and final selection was a lovely white snowflake one from “Decent Defenses.” Unraveling all three in her mind, she combined them, creating a compact one, black on one side, white on the other. Octagonal in shape, the pattern inside, drawn with thin, stick-like lines formed a myriad of pinwheels tipped with round spikes at the points.

Keeping the white side pointed toward her as she brought it out, she released the symbol, only to wish she could take it back.

Black icicles-like spikes shot from the symbol, exploding outward in multi-directions, with one quick, deadly burst.

The leering grin dissolved, along with the face behind it.

A mushy red gel sank to the ground with an ugly sloshing sound where the man had once been.

Crystalyn’s stomach heaved.

The hands holding her disengaged. Crystalyn turned around, her symbol revolving with her. Two men stood close by, eyes shiny with terror.

“What kind of User
are
you?” a bald, brute of a man whispered. “I had you locked down.”

“He
said you couldn’t…hurt…us,” his companion said. He was smaller, but not by much, with his dull brown hair that stood on end.

“What do you mean?
Who
said?”

The bald brute began backing away, his gaze fixed on her symbol. “You’re going to have to figure out how to kill her if you answer that, Skarn. I want nothing to do with this now.”

His eyes flitting from her face to her symbol and back again, Skarn scuttled backward in line with his companion. “Look lady, we just want to leave.”

Crystalyn’s ire rose, she
would
have answers. “Not until you tell me who
he
is. Why did
he
send you to attack me?”

“He promised you’d be helpless with your arms pinned; you weren’t supposed to be able to reach your blasted User magic,” Skarn whined. His tone grated on her ears. Her ire grew, but she kept focused. Slipping his hand behind his back, the skinny, bedraggled man touched something there. Relief flitted across his grizzled features. Emboldened, his nasal tone dripped with added confidence. “That’s all you’re going to get out of me. We’re leaving now.” Ignoring the symbol, he looked pointedly at her, his face hardening as his hands shifted to his hips. He backed toward the trees.

“Thom’s the one that set us waylaying you, miss. You’ve kilt him, so we’ll be on our way. We don’t want any trouble,” the bald man said. Moving backward beside his companion, he slid his right hand under the opposite sleeve of his tunic.

“Who hired this Thom of yours?”

Jumping backward, Skarn reached over his shoulder. Something metallic flashed at the bald man’s sleeve.

Crystalyn activated the symbol. Rotating as fast as a hover turbine, it shot forth a multitude of dark splinters, shredding tree branches and humans alike. The two men dropped into piles without a single scream. A pitted throwing knife and broken crossbow lay on the ground beside them.

Crystalyn dissolved the symbol.

Stumbling through wagon wheel ruts, she ran to Ferral, bile rising in her throat, her eyes stinging. A bent aspen sapling took shape near the horse. She fell across it, retching in earnest, until there was nothing left.

After a while, she sat with her back to a tree, wiping at her mouth. Weak, she glanced at Ferral, wondering if her legs would hold her long enough to go to him. Tossing his head up and down, the palomino stepped back and forth in agitation. She couldn’t blame him. With everything that had just happened, she’d be nervous about her too.

Forcing her legs under her, Crystalyn went to him. Stroking his white mane, she spoke softly in a soothing tone without words. Finally, he stood still, quivering occasionally. It would have to be good enough. She wanted so much to leave this horrid place of death.

Glancing at the scrub oak, her heart sank. There was no getting away just yet. Atoi was still missing. The girl’s gleaming dagger lay on the anthill as a stark reminder.