Exiled (20 page)

“And how do you know this?” Ogilvy asked.

“When the trail of evidence ended I returned to London and continued my studies. Always in the back of my mind was the desire to uncover the truth about what happened to Alexander Vinokourov. When Alvaro, who was a peer of mine at the council training program— and, I must say, who was rather less gifted than I in the powers of magic yet rather more gifted in the powers of persuasion—when he finally came into power, I knew what he wished for our kind and for those who did not believe. He spoke of it often as a student. It was then that I decided to keep watch over Alvaro. If I were to dissuade others from falling for his persuasive rhetoric, I needed to know what he was up to.”

“During one of my reconnaissance missions I discovered the place where you had been held prisoner. Alvaro calls it Cetus. I am quite certain he is not responsible for its original construction. It is here where he conducts business that is beyond the scope of legality. Unlike his predecessors, who were bent on uncovering dark powers that would enable them to forcefully and violently overthrow their opposition, Alvaro solely focused on mind altering. He believes that if he can alter the minds of his opposition he can control their will and have ultimate power. Winning the minds of those who oppose you is much more powerful a feat than forcefully overthrowing them.”

“When I had made my way into Cetus, it quickly became apparent that Vinokourov was working to help Alvaro finally discover the power of permanent mind alteration.”

“After years of trial and error through which scores of men died or went insane during their experimentations, he had discovered what he believed was the answer. I had to see with my own eyes if the rumors were true. Getting into Cetus uninvited had become much more difficult, but as you have witnessed, I was able to gain access.”

“Luck, it appeared, was on my side, for I inadvertently stumbled into the room in which you were staying. After questioning you at length, I realized the effects of this power were not permanent. I found myself disappointed in the simplicity of the resolution, and yet I had to be sure I was correct.

Ogilvy gave a halfhearted smile across the table.

“Then, it was simply a matter of waiting until you were alone which, unfortunately, took quite some time. When the opportunity finally presented itself, I tested my hypothesis. The result sits across from me at this very moment.”

The image dimmed and the orb contracted. It was a moment before anyone in the room spoke.

“Akil convinced me . . . I decided to return to Alvaro,” Ogilvy said and grimaced, as if he’d swallowed a mouthful of sour milk. “I cannot recall much of what happened over the past eleven years. It’s all blurry, vague. When I returned to Alvero, Akil made it so I would not remember anything about our escape.”

“So you became a spy for Akil?” Margaret said, fascinated.

“In a manner of speaking,” a new voice said from across the hall.

The group turned, startled. Akil stood beside the door, having made his way inside without a sound. He wore a stern expression on his face.

“I had no other choice but to return David to Alvaro,” said Akil moving toward the others. “Had Alvaro caught wind of his escape or the knowledge that his mind-altering incantation was reversible, everything that David sacrificed would have been for nothing. He and his family would be hunted down like dogs.”

Tears began to roll down Tabitha’s cheeks as Akil reached a hand to her shoulder.

“Why are you here now?” Margaret asked, looking at Ogilvy.

“My incantation failed,” said Akil. “David saw Margaret and James at council headquarters and had a memory recall, which broke my incantation and thrust him back into his previous mind.

“So he just left Alvaro?” asked James.

“I . . . I needed to know my family was all right,” Ogilvy said, looking at his wife who refused to make eye contact.

“I intercepted David before Alvaro was able to contain him. Had he been able to track you here, he would have led Alvaro to this place as well.”

“What happens now?” asked James.

“Now, I’m afraid, there is no hiding the fact that Alvaro’s mind-altering incantation is not permanent. He will surely set Vinokourov upon the task of continuing his work. As for David, his mind contains information Alvaro will be desperate to hide at any cost. The choice of what he wants to do with that information, I leave to him. As for you both,” Akil said looking at James and Margaret, “you must distance yourself from David and his family immediately. Anyone in close contact with David will find themselves in grave danger.”

“I could not recall anything that happened immediately after our escape from Cetus,” Ogilvy said, looking at Akil. “Not one thing until I saw James and Margaret walking toward council headquarters. Then, like a flash, my past life came back to me. And now, as I stand here, something else has come back, and it frightens me more than anything I could have imagined.”

James, Kilani, Luno, William, and Roger sailed to the Severed Heart without incident. They anchored in the northern cove, which faced the same direction as North Harbor and was similar geographically, with beach on the southern portion and cliffs to the west. A thin row of trees ran along the narrow strip of land separating the northern and southern beaches. The row to shore was fast and effortless with James’s newfound skills. Not having to worry about finding a water source, (again thanks to James’s newfound abilities) they made camp on the beach.

When they made landfall, Luno immediately began putting his crew to work. After camp was set up to his specifications, which included moving the shelter three times, he decided to break the group into search parties. This time, he kept a man behind to look over camp and the
Queen Mary
.

Kilani and Roger would follow the northern coast while James and Luno would follow the southern. When they reached the western shore, they would turn and head back toward camp, following the same line only slightly to the north or south depending upon their respective groups. Kilani and Roger were off at a maddening pace long before Luno had finished relaying instructions to William on what he should do in the event something were to happen while they were away.

“If you are attacked, be it man or beast or other force we’ve yet to encounter,” Luno said, turning William’s calm expression fearful, “you should first attempt to defend the camp. Always leave an escape route. If your defense fails, retreat to the boat. Do not under any circumstances raise anchor, do you understand?”

“Oui, Capitan,” said William looking not in the least bit pleased.

“Very well,” he said cheerfully, “we’re off.”

James leaned forward in preparation to take off at a run, but Luno simply sauntered down the beach.

“Let us, as an old and extremely wise wizard once said, pursue that flighty temptress adventure,” Luno said, picking up a piece of driftwood and inspecting it closely for a moment. He began practicing using it as a walking stick.

“We’re not running?” James asked.

“We have much to discuss, my boy, and I find it most difficult to talk while I’m trying to dodge trees and rocks that are rushing at me. Not to mention, it feels good just to walk along and take in our surroundings rather than pass through them so fast we cannot enjoy their beauty. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Aye,” James said, looking at him suspiciously.

“First things first, my boy. Teach me that primer incantation.”

James smiled. “Tertiri zé Manukto. To perform an incantation in this place, you must first ask permission to do so. Even if you know the incantation, it will be of little use without first asking permission.”

So they continued along at a snail’s pace compared to Kilani and Roger, who’d reached the northern tip of the cove before James and Luno had even reached the stream that ran from the higher elevation down into the cove. James spent most of the beginning part of their walk explaining useful incantations to Luno. They also discussed the language itself, which was completely different than anything either of them had encountered. As James had discovered during his experience with the stone spire, each native word had one and only one meaning and no single word shared the root of another. Both Luno and James agreed this system was highly complicated and extremely difficult to learn.

When they finally did reach the stream, both of them looked at it with surprise. James scooped up the water with his hands and said a word in the native tongue.

“It’s drinkable,” he said, looking up at Luno.

“Perhaps that incantation isn’t necessary after all,” Luno chortled. “We should relocate camp up here.”

He bent and drank from the stream. James could see the tracks Kilani and Roger had left in the soil along the edge. His thoughts strayed to her. What if she were injured? He didn’t like being separated from her in an unfamiliar place. He tried to reassure himself. As he’d learned many times over, Kilani was more than capable of taking care of herself. He cared for her. The more time he spent with her, the stronger that feeling became. Despite her relationship with Luno, he believed she was starting to feel the same.

Luno had dunked entire head into the stream and James couldn’t help but smile as his hair danced on the surface like clouds in a breeze. He finally resurfaced, flipping his hair back and rubbing his bearded face with his now clean hands.

“You should try it,” he said. “The most goddamn refreshing thing I’ve ever felt.”

James did try and indeed it was.

“I think,” said Luno, “we should follow the stream.”

Without waiting for an answer, he began to walk along the bank as it twisted deeper into the jungle. James followed. He felt comfortable for the first time since their voyage began as they strolled along the path, which had been worn by all the creatures that came to drink.

The banks became steeper as they pressed on. The vegetation lining the stream also became more dense, making it nearly impossible to follow while keeping the water in sight. In the end, both Luno and James decided the best course of action would be to wade in the stream rather than travel along its banks. The bottom was rocky and very slick, making travel slow. Luno didn’t appear to mind as he continued to question James about the language of The Never.

“What I find quite intriguing is the lack of a word for death,” said Luno. “There’s ‘life,’
ojala
, ‘pain,’
lieska
, and even ‘loss,’
törmãlã
, but not death. Fascinating.”

“Perhaps it exists but was intentionally omitted,” James pondered.

“Interesting theory, fascinating in and of itself, actually. I imagine with that word would come an incredible and terrible power, so yes, perhaps you are correct. This place doesn’t want anyone to have that power.”

“Except her, who apparently has no problem wielding it,” said James, referring to the island.

“Again, you are correct. Your powers of perception have indeed sharpened with time in this place. Or perhaps they simply come with age,” Luno said. “How old are you, boy?”

“Nearly seventeen,” James replied.

“My god,” said Luno, “I never realized you were quite so young. This place does things to a man.”

They reached the base of a nearly vertical section of the stream. The water spilled from pool to pool each nested among large boulders. The men climbed to the first pool where they stopped and gazed into the water. The pool was deep, much deeper than the size of the boulders in which it was wreathed. An emerald glow sparkled from beneath the surface. The sun overhead cast rays of light that danced in the moving water.

Luno quickly cast aside the gear he was carrying and held out his hands.

“Tertiri zé Manukto vinka,” he said. Nothing happened.

He repeated this several times, each time James made corrections in his pronunciation. Finally, he had enough and asked James to send a light orb into the pool. As it descended, the walls edging the pool were lighted then faded back to shadow. When it reached perhaps twenty feet, the light from the orb spread and sparkled.

“I believe it opens into a larger area down there. During my travels back in our world, I once visited a place where Mayans lived, before they were decimated by the bloody Spanish. The natives spoke of underground rivers that stretched for miles beneath their jungles. They said men would go exploring in them never to return.”

“Then might I suggest we move on?” James said.

Luno had already removed his shirt and stowed his short sword in his belt.

“If your powers of perception have indeed sharpened, James, then you’ll know I cannot leave anything unexplored. It’s against my very nature. Now, I want you to stay here. I shall return in two minutes.”

Luno slid into the pool, took a deep breath, and submerged. As he descended, James sent three additional light orbs into the water. Each went sequentially deeper, lighting the way for Luno. When Luno reached where the walls appeared to end, he turned, looking around. After a brief pause, he swam out of sight. James looked nervously into the water as the seconds turned into minutes.

“You really shouldn’t dwell on the past,” a voice said.

James turned toward the sound. Above him in the higher grouping of boulders stood Luno with the grin of a much younger man on his face.

“The pools connect. All four of them join. There is a large cave where the pools converge. Fascinating,” he said, not for the first time this day. “At the far end of this cave is another tunnel where I dare not dwell as the current is strong there, and I fear I’ll not return. Now bring my gear and let us continue, we’ve much to discuss, much to explore and little light in which to accomplish either.

The pair continued their journey along the stream. When they reached the top pool, both were relieved to see the elevation flatten and the vegetation thin enough to walk astride the stream rather than through it. Having been submerged up to their knees for so long, their feet were becoming waterlogged.

“
Tertiri zé Manukto poikelo
,” said James. A warm breeze swirled around the men drying their clothes and hair.

“I wonder how the others are fairing,” said Luno. “Did you notice there wasn’t one sign of life in the water?” Luno asked, rapidly changing topics.

Used to Luno’s ever-shifting attention, James, whose every thought was on how the others were fairing, replied, “I did notice. Rather strange.”

“Indeed. Neither plant nor animal dwell in such a rich source of fresh water. Well, this land continually perplexes and vexes, that’s for sure. Lets keep moving then, shall we?”

“Tell me,” James said, trying his luck. “Do you know what it is that drives Kilani to seek this transporting powder with such fervor?”

Luno stopped and turned to face James. His face had changed from that of an excited child to an old man, weary and concerned.

“Her desire to leave this place is strong. Stronger perhaps than any other’s. Even your own.”

“She’s made that clear on numerous occasions. My question is what drives her to return? What compels her to this pursuit with such obsession?”

“Each of us comes from a life much different than the one we live here. For some of us, this place, despite all the hardships that come with living here, is a chance to start over, a new beginning. For others it is a prison in which they do not belong. For those wrongfully exiled, they were torn from all they had known and loved and banished to a place from which there is but a fleeting hope of escape. And for those who truly deserve banishment because they’ve committed the most terrible crimes, this land finds quite terrible ends for them. Kilani left much behind. All of it dear to her.”

“What did she leave behind?” James asked.

Luno’s expression turned even more weary as he thought about James’s question.

“I was hoping you had the answer to that,” he said, dismally.

James was shocked. He’d thought for sure she would confide in Luno. He looked at Luno and saw a beaten man for the first time since they’d met on the Harbor Town pier so long ago.

“It is clear by your expression that she did not,” Luno said. “Much remains a mystery with that one. She keeps her own council. We are close, she and I, but ‘close’ is relative with her. I don’t know if she’ll ever let anyone get truly close. And I fear one day, her obsession will be her undoing.”

James couldn’t help but think of the black castle as Luno finished his sentence. He pushed it out of his mind as they continued upstream. The sun reached its apex and began its slow descent to the horizon. Luno was unusually silent for the next several hours. The stream meandered uphill through the jungle then out into a grassy field where it narrowed to a creek not much wider than James’s foot. The field stretched across a large plateau that then rolled back downhill to the jungle below. On the northern side of the field several miles from where they stood, a steep hill rose off the plateau. The grass on the hill tapered to rock toward the top. A small, sickly-looking tree adorned the otherwise barren peak.

“I believe there lies the highest point of the island,” said Luno, pointing to the hill. The gully in which the stream traveled wound its way through the grassy field toward the hill where Luno suspected its source would be found.

“To the peak,” Luno shouted, taking off at a run. James, relieved that Luno’s mood had improved, happily followed. The field stretched farther than it appeared, taking the pair the better part of an hour at full speed to reach the base of the hill. The stream trickled from another pool at the base of the hill. Above it the water spilled down the steep stone face into the pool. Luno paused only for a moment before skirting the base and ascending the eastern and more easily traveled side.

When they reached the top, it wasn’t the view that captured their attention but the small tree. It did indeed stand only a hair shorter than James, and its leaves were small and rather malnourished in appearance. The root system was what drew the gazes of the men. From below, the tree looked as if it sat on top of the rocky peak. From their vantage point, James and Luno could see that the roots created an arced canopy as they stretched across a crater that descended well below the base of the hill. Hundreds of birds (the first creatures they’d seen on the Severed Heart) flew between the roots where their nests were tucked away. James and Luno had spoken extensively about the lack of both birds and insects on the main island, but here it was apparently not the case.