Broken World Book Two - StarSword (30 page)

Sheera glanced
up as Talsy stood, and she smiled down at the old lady. "I have to
find a tree."

Sheera nodded,
turning back to tend the pot that bubbled on the flames. Talsy
shrugged off the blanket and walked into the woods. Soon the trees
swallowed the fires' glow, but the wildness soaked into her,
buoying her spirits. Starlight silvered the crisp new snow that
squeaked beneath her boots as she wandered, breathing deeply of the
cold clean air. The forest no longer frightened her, for the Mujar
mark kept her safe from all but Lowmen.

Talsy's steps
carried her to a rocky hilltop, where the trees gave way to a white
sweep of sloping snow overlooking a wide, forested valley. Here she
paused to rest, drinking in the wild magic. The cold nipped her
skin, and she reached into her bodice and drew out the nut that was
the Staff of Life. It warmed her hands, but she needed more than
that to truly appreciate this magical experience. She needed the
boundless strength and energy of a Mujar. Her legs ached from the
day's travel, and fatigue dulled her senses.

Remembering the
words that Chanter had used to banish the staff, she cupped it in
her hands and whispered, "Come forth."

The nut
remained unaffected, and she pondered the problem. Was it that she
did not have the power to call forth the staff, or were the words
wrong? Could only a Mujar invoke it? Unwilling to believe that, she
tried again.

"Come out."

After another
short interval, and she thought about it some more. Chanter had
told it to 'go back', so it stood to reason that the words to
invoke it were the opposite of that.

"Come to me,"
she whispered.

The nut glowed
with a soft green light. Talsy gasped in wonder as it brightened
and stretched into a glimmering staff some two paces long. Smiling,
she caressed its silken length, marvelling at the translucent
beauty of the million rainbow hues trapped within it. Its vitality
flowed into her, banished her fatigue and aches and filled her with
boundless energy and joy. Jumping up, she tucked it back into her
bodice, where it lay against her skin and imparted its glorious
warmth. The ends protruded from the top and bottom of her tunic,
and she had to angle it so it did not hamper her.

Quitting the
rocky knoll, she bounded down the slope, slipping and sliding in
the fresh powder snow. Ice crystals glittered under the moon and
stars like jewels, cascading around her as she floundered,
laughing, in the soft mantle. The staff banished the chill and the
snow melted at her touch, but soon dried on her warm skin. At the
bottom of the slope, she ran into the forest's dimness, with its
shadow-striped snow webbed with darkness by the branches overhead.
She frolicked from drift to drift, danced on firmer ground and
hugged mighty, ancient trees.

The approach of
a dire bear made her pause as the vast animal shambled through the
snow, digging for frozen roots and nuts. It glanced at her, its
brown eyes glittering in its shaggy grey face, then sniffed the
wind and wandered away. Talsy walked on, secure in the knowledge
that the Mujar mark kept her safe from all the woodland beasts. The
sweet, wild air tasted better than wine, and the moonlight made the
snow shimmer like a bed of diamonds. The staff glowed warmly at her
breast, and everything seemed right in the world, as perfect as it
ever could be.

An owl hooted
and floated overhead on silent, predatory wings, vanishing amongst
the snow-laden branches. The wolf pack sang a drifting, wailing
melody, and she sensed the hunger in their wild cry. It was a
hunting song, to give courage to the pack and fill their hearts
with eagerness for the taste of warm red flesh. If the pack hunted,
Chanter would not stay with them much longer, and she hastened
towards the sound. She ran up a stony slope, delighted by the
spring in her step and the unflagging vitality that coursed through
her. Although she panted clouds of steam, tiredness did not slow
her.

Topping a
ridge, she started down into a valley wooded with pines and dotted
with rocks. A seething mass of darkness approached her, and she
stopped to watch the wolf pack run lithely over the snow. They
veered towards her, eyes glowing in the moonlight, and she held her
breath as they approached. The leaders stopped, and the pack fanned
out around them. The lead wolf, a huge grey male with a silver ruff
and amber eyes, walked nearer. He gazed up at her without
hostility, and she let out her breath in a sigh. Chanter had
already left them. Her disappointment was tinged with excitement at
the fresh challenge of finding him now that he ran alone.

The big wolf
cocked his head to one side as he considered her, and several of
his pack whined. He backed away a few steps, turned in a circle and
faced her again. His antics perplexed her, and the wolf came closer
still, then sat. Many of the pack followed his example, while
others milled and whined. The leader lifted his muzzle gave a long,
deep-throated howl. The lone note broke the stillness and trailed
off into silence. The leader waited, his ears swivelling, until an
answering howl came faintly on the wind. Apparently satisfied, the
wolf rose and trotted past her, so close that she could have
touched him, heading towards the ridge she had just crossed. The
pack followed, parting to flow around her like a river around a
rock.

Talsy gazed
after them, wishing that she could become a wolf and join them.
Their paws were silent in the deep snow as they ran shoulder to
shoulder with steaming breaths and waving tails. As they vanished
over the ridge, she turned at a whisper of sound. A white owl
glided down to land before her. With a rush of Ashmar, the bird
vanished and Chanter stood there. His gaze raked her, coming to
rest on the staff, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"What are you
doing here?"

"I didn't want
to stay in that stuffy shelter with all those smelly Lowmen. I
wanted to be with you."

He shook his
head. "So now you have found me, thanks to the wolves."

"They told
you?"

"The leader
did. You really shouldn't be here, but I see you've mastered the
staff."

She glanced
down at the glowing rod. "It was easy."

"Of course,
it's meant to be."

"So anyone can
use it?"

"Anyone who
knows what it is." He hesitated. "But it has little use, other than
imparting warmth and strength to its bearer and governing the ways
of Life."

Talsy
approached him. "Don't take me back, not yet. Let me stay awhile. I
want to be wild with you."

Chanter smiled
and glanced around. "You must rest, or you'll be too tired to walk
tomorrow."

"I'll be fine
if you let me keep the staff."

"I can't do
that. If the others see it, there will be too many questions." His
gaze became intent. "Don't set yourself apart from your people.
Although you have become like a Mujar in some ways, you're not one,
so don't try to be."

"But you won't
take me back, not yet?"

Chanter shook
his head and reached out to brush a lock of hair from her cheek.
"You can stay a while, but not too long."

Talsy grinned
and slipped her hand into his, and he led the way through the
frozen forest. He guided her to a herd of sleeping deer whose
guards huffed in alarm before they realised that it was a Mujar who
approached. She stroked the gangly fawns that nestled at their
mothers' feet and patted the magnificent stags who gazed at her
with liquid eyes. Chanter showed her a family of foxes in a den
hidden by fronds of bracken beside a frozen waterfall, and the cubs
came out to play while their mother watched with loving eyes. When
the father returned with a rabbit, they left them to eat and walked
on. The Mujar reached into a tree hole and drew out a sleepy
squirrel that sighed and curled up in his warm palm. In his
company, the world became a magical place where she was neither
feared by, nor fearful of the wild beasts.

Talsy did not
notice that Chanter headed back towards the shelter, and, when the
gleam of firelight came into view ahead, she turned to him. "Not
yet, Chanter, please."

"It's late,
little clan." He plucked the staff from her bodice and tossed it
into the air before she could protest. "Go back."

Talsy bent to
retrieve the warm brown nut that dropped into the snow, tiredness
falling on her like a leaden cloak. Chanter put an arm around her
and urged her into the circle of firelight, where Kieran sat.

The Prince rose
and glared at the Mujar.

"Where did you
take her?" he demanded.

Chanter shook
his head. "She wanted to run free under the stars. I only found her
and brought her back."

Talsy brushed
past the Prince and sank down on an empty blanket beside Sheera's
sleeping form, removing her shoes.

Kieran turned
back to the Mujar. "It's because of you that she's like this."

Chanter
shrugged. "It's the mark, but since I put it there, yes, it's
because of me."

"What do you
mean, the mark?"

The Mujar
glanced past him at the girl, who had lain down and pulled the
blanket over herself. "It's opening her mind like a blossoming
flower, and she's starting to see the reality of this world, not
what she was brought up to see."

Kieran frowned.
"Is that good? It sounds like she's turning into a Mujar."

"Would that be
bad?" Chanter smiled at the Prince's discomfiture. "Fear not, she
won't turn into a Mujar, Prince Kieran. But she will come to
appreciate this world the way we do, and cherish it as we do. Which
you'll all have to do, or perish."

"I already
appreciate this world, I was taught by a Mujar. But wandering
around in the middle of the night, freezing cold..."

"She wasn't
cold." Chanter stared into the darkness beyond the circle of
firelight. "She has overcome the fears that have so long shackled
her to the vile and corrupt world of Lowmen. She's becoming free,
and you should too."

The Mujar spun
on his heel and vanished into the darkness before Kieran could
reply, and he stared after him. His anger at Talsy's disappearance
and frantic worry for her safety had forced the angry words to boil
off his tongue, but now he wished them unsaid. Fortunately, it took
more than a few misguided words to anger a Mujar, he thought
ruefully, glancing at Talsy curled up asleep in the blankets. With
a sigh, he sat down to resume his watch.

Tyrander stared
out of the window of his room at the first pale streaks of dawn
that washed away the night. Stars faded and winked out as the sun's
light chased them from the sky. He would never see the stars again.
This was the dawn of the final day of his life. His sober mind
perceived the beauty of it and the emptiness of the oasis and
castle, of his life. His hand caressed the warm hilt of the
Starsword with faint regret. Just when he had acquired something
worthwhile, it was to be given back to his worthless brother.

Turning to face
the mirror, he straightened his tunic, brushing back the silver
lock that flopped over his forehead. It was the legacy of a
particularly spirited horse he had once owned, which, when treated
too harshly, had retaliated with a kick that could have killed him.
He smiled at the memory. The stallion had paid for his temerity
with his life, yet Tyrander had missed him afterwards. Shaking
himself from his past, he swung from the mirror.

"Staff, how
long before the Black Riders get here?"

The words of
golden fire formed, "By midday, they will come."

Tyrander nodded
without fear. "Then I'll walk in the grounds and enjoy the last
day."

Talsy panted
beside Chanter, leaning on his arm as he led the chosen up a steep
slope. Leafy trees had given way to hardy pines that struggled to
grow in the rocky terrain, twisted by the wind. The Mujar paused to
let the people rest, and Talsy sank down on a convenient rock. The
day had become warm, and the snow melted, forming little streams
under a hard crust. This had made the footing treacherous as people
broke through the crust and slipped in the mud beneath. Kieran
helped Sheera, who clung to his arm as she trudged, grey-faced,
after the Mujar. Talsy longed to use the Staff of Life, but there
were others, like Sheera, in a worse state than she.

She studied the
Mujar who squatted on the ground beside her. "Why are we moving so
fast? Some of the older people are struggling."

"I know. But we
have much ground to make up. The delay while you were trapped and
since has allowed the Hashon Jahar to gain. If we're to reach more
towns before them, we must hurry."

Talsy shivered
at the dreaded name. "Do you know where they are?"

He nodded.
"Some have overtaken and travel to the west, others are a day
behind."

"But surely we
have no hope of staying ahead of them? I've seen how fast they
move, those horses gallop endlessly."

"No, we can't
stay ahead of them, but we can reach at least one more town before
they do, only a few hours further on."

"What happens
when they catch up?"

He shrugged.
"I'll protect the chosen."

"But when all
the others have been wiped out, won't we be their only target?"

"By then we'll
be at the gathering."

Talsy sighed
when he stood up, preparing to move on. The chosen muttered and
groaned as they rose to their feet. Forcing her aching legs to
obey, she followed him down the slope on the far side of the hill
they had just climbed. A glance at the sun told her that it was
almost midday, and soon they would stop for lunch. Strengthened by
the thought of rest and food, she stumbled after the Mujar, using
the twisted trees to slow her down on the steep slope. Once they
had reached this final town, she hoped that the pace would slow and
the journey would become less arduous.