First Comes The One Who Wanders (15 page)

But the physical dangers weren't the worst torment this place offered. Meeting the souls who'd lost their minds in this forsaken place was the worst. They looked through you as if you didn’t exist. For them, there was only the darkness. For some, it had driven them to become as evil as the poison that had brought them here. It was hard to remember that all the people who were trapped in this place had been Light crafters. There were others here, who like her were still lucid and able to make their lives here, though unlike her, once they arrived, they never left, not unless someone outside of Neothera healed them. They were doomed to this existence until they died.

She wondered if all the people trapped here were beyond hope. If the people spent their lives going from one disaster to another, never finding the answer, perhaps not knowing there was an answer, never finding their way home. So, finding themselves with no other alternative, they simply moved from one moment to the next in despair.

Hope. Leilas latched onto the word. She must remember not to give up hope. She didn’t want to end up being one of the wandering souls forever locked in this prison. She knew she would continue to be drawn back to this world, despite being wrenched back into Preterlandis on occasion, until she found what it was she was drawn here to find. The drug opened the door to this world, but it wasn't what held people captive here.

"Not a prison," said the man who mysteriously appeared by her side. "More like a puzzle to be solved. It could be interesting to someone with the right attitude."

Leilas stared at the man in amazement. He was an older man, lines beginning to show around his blue eyes. His blonde hair hung to his shoulders and touched his blue robe, the robe of a Sky scholar. But Leilas knew she'd never met this man before.

"I'm not used to anyone here using their powers to read minds. Nor am I used to anyone here seeing this place as anything but a torment."

"For most of the people here it is nothing but torment. But it's not the same for you. You aren't lost, simply on a journey. A journey you've survived before. You'll survive this time. Remember that when you feel as though you want to give up."

Leilas felt him push a feeling of comfort toward her and gladly let it encompass her. "You'll be here to remind me. That will make it easier."

The man shrugged and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "I'm here now. I can't stay with you always."

Leilas felt some of her hope ebb. "Why? If you're lost here as well, why can't we work together?"

"I can’t stay because I'm not lost here. I'm only here to help you."

"Then how did you get here?"

"I came through the portal, the same as you."

"You were poisoned with dark crafter's poison?"

"There are other ways to get here besides using the dark crafter's drug. I used one of them. Eventually, I'm sure you'll discover other means to return here."

"Why would I want to return here? I want nothing more than to leave."

"And I have every confidence you will. You’ve made it out before, although you remember very little of it."

"You know about the Echoes? How can you know about that?"

"There are those of us who're very interested in what happens to the Chidra, who've taken on the responsibility of training you."

"So, you're here to teach me."

"I would have said, lead you to greater knowledge. We must each find our own way." Leilas smiled at the familiar phrase.

"There's a reason for everything that happens to us. There's a reason you're here and that you've been here before. Master Frey had the right idea in trying to open your mind to new ideas and concepts, but you were too young. He was lucky you were so strong, or you wouldn't be here today. You'd be stuck in the Echoes with all the other poor souls who weren't strong enough to get out."

"You know Master Frey and you know me, but I've never met you before, have I?"

"You have, Chidra, but you probably don't remember. Forgive my oversight in not reintroducing myself. I am Solein, Master of the Sky Power." He bowed slightly with the introduction.

"Princess Leilas of Dirth. I was hoping to have the distinction of Master of the Sky Guild, but it seems it wasn't my destiny." Leilas returned the courtesy, bowing slightly in return.

"You belong to something far greater than a guild. You weren't destined for the mediocrity of the life of an indentured servant."

Leilas had heard something like that before. Where had she heard it? She tried to remember but it was too elusive, something about having the power–. "To what do I belong? And what is my destiny?" asked Leilas. "Everyone says I'm the Chidra, but what does that mean? What makes people think I'm this person? I don't feel like the Chidra. Now there's little chance that I can become the Chidra. The Chidra is a master crafter, but I have no future as a master in the Sky Guild, the school has been destroyed."

"You don’t need the school to become a master, my child. You've learned all you need to know here, if you would but remember. As far as being the Chidra, it's always been your destiny." He tilted his head as if listening before continuing. "There's another who is trying to find you. He's crafty and thinks only of himself. That's why I came to find you, to warn you to take care in your dealings with him."

"You aren't leaving?" asked Leilas, grabbing his arm.

"I'm not leaving," replied Solein gently. "You are. You must to keep your friends safe until they reach Menas. Then you've promised to go to the dark master. He'll do his best to keep you out of this place. He doesn’t wish you to continue this journey and learn the final lessons you need to learn. But I'll be here waiting in case he doesn't succeed."

"What happens if he does?"

"I'm not a prophet, Chidra. The Dark Lord will do his best to convince you to join his side in this battle."

"What battle?" Leilas was doing her best to try and follow the conversation, but the only part she'd understood was the part about being pulled back to protect Brenth and her mother. "The battle between the School of Sky and the School of Land that Jayram began yesterday?"

"No," Solein frowned at the barren landscape. "This battle began long ago. Jayram is but a minor player, though he has visions of greatness. There's not time to tell you, and I'm not certain what I should explain and what you must learn on your own. Rengailai may tell you of it, but beware his explanation."

"I'll try to remember your admonitions, but I fear that once I'm pulled back into reality I won't." Leilas could feel the pull of Preterlandis stronger now, a pull that could only happen because her mother and brother had warded her against the evil so well. Her companions did need her, although she wasn't sure what she could do to help them that Joshuas couldn't do better.

"You must try to remember. Perhaps I can help in that regard." Solein took a band of three twisted strands of silver and placed it on her finger. Then he touched her head and murmured a spell of power. "When you touch this, it will help you remember me."

~~~

Leilas woke in Joshuas' arms to find their small party surrounded by a dozen dark soldiers, seated around a small campfire. It was raining just enough to make it miserable. Runnels were being etched in the dirt making their way to where they were sitting and creating a mud puddle of their camp. Brenth and her mother were huddled deep within their cloaks. The dark soldiers were chittering around the fire. The sound of their voices bounced eerily off the trees of the forest, giving the forbidding presence of the dark forest a more sinister cast.

"Where are we?" She spoke quietly to Joshuas.

He turned tired, worried eyes toward her. "It's good to have you back again." He wrapped her cloak around her as well as he could with hands bound by tight ropes. I was beginning to think we were going to ride all the way to Menas without the benefit of your company."

"I'll try to stay with you for the rest of the journey, although I haven't finished my quest."

"You haven't even started it yet. We're still half a day's journey from Menas. Then you've foolishly promised these heathens you'd willingly go with them."

"And has our dark master kept his word?"

"I suppose he has in his fashion," replied Joshuas, in a voice filled with repressed anger. "He's let his men harass your mother and brother the entire afternoon. They've endured whips to keep them going faster, spear prods and taunts to keep them in line, even though they haven’t said or done anything to deserve the censure. If you hadn't given your word, I wouldn't have let them continue without a fight."

"And have you escaped unscathed?" Joshuas didn't answer her question, but Leilas knew he'd endured the same torments. "You think I was wrong to buy your lives with my word?" she asked, her voice heavy.

"You bought our lives, but not our safe passage. It might have been kinder for your mother and brother to let them fight to the death instead of making them endure this treatment." Joshuas could not keep the righteous anger from his voice. "I don't think you know what dark crafters are capable of doing or allowing. If you did, you wouldn't have willingly submitted your mother and brother to their oversight during this journey, especially since you're not able to protect them."

"I'd hoped you could protect them."

"I'm a warrior. If you wanted me to protect them, you should've let me fight, not tied me as tightly as I am bound now by giving them your word we'd go willingly."

"Their wounds can be healed. But as far as I know, healers can't bring back the dead."

"Some wounds inflicted by such as these don't heal."

"Mother and Brenth haven't been subjected to such wounds," said Leilas. She was sure she'd know if her mother and brother had been injured beyond repair.

"But you may well be when you're alone with them."

"I know what I've promised and I do know what evil deeds such as these are capable of committing. You forget who my father was and that I have his blood in my veins as well as that of my mother. There was a time when my mother was afraid I'd choose to follow in my father's footsteps."

"Your father was human. He didn't have the time to perfect the practice of evil. Crafters, good or evil, have many lifetimes to perfect their craft. If that is all the evil you've seen, you haven't seen evil and the dark master will destroy you."

"I've seen more evil than my father's." Leilas didn't bother to explain. She wasn't sure Joshuas would understand where she'd gained her understanding of the nature of evil. Involuntarily, she touched the ring on her finger and memories of Master Solein floated through her memory, as well as memories of the strange land where she'd been sojourning. It seemed she'd been in that land forever, that she'd grown old there. But according to Joshuas, she'd been unconscious for barely a day.

"How bad are my family’s injuries?" asked Leilas, remembering Solein's statement that her companions needed her.

"Brenth bore the worst of the abuse. I haven't been permitted to assess his condition," replied Joshuas bitterly. "Not that I'd be much help. I'm not a healer."

"Was Mother permitted to tend to him?"

"No magic was allowed."

"Then I should go attend him."

"You're no healer," Joshuas reminded her. "You told me that yesterday. And in case you haven't noticed, you're bound, just in case you might have such an idea."

Leilas looked at the ropes on her hands and feet, then closed her eyes and breathed a small spell of unbinding. The ropes fell to the ground and she rose shakily to her feet. "I hadn't noticed."

She was halfway to where Brenth and her mother were sitting when the guard noticed she was loose and moving. He rose swiftly, lowering his pike threateningly. Leilas stopped, studied the pike and then the guard. By the time her eyes reached his face, the tip of his weapon had dipped to the ground and she continued on to her brother.

Lifting his chin with her hand gently, Leilas could see the pain in his pinched features and feel him shaking through her touch. "You'll feel better soon," she said, giving him a brief smile.

"This isn't a good idea," began Brenth in a tight whisper. "The dark master won't like it and he'll set the guards on all of us. We're in no condition to help you.

"Why don’t you let me worry about that?" asked Leilas, placing his face between her hands. Brenth shrugged and fell silent. "It'll be all right," Leilas assured him. Then bowing her head and closing her eyes, she began to hum. The chittering around them rose to screeching as the sound of Leilas' song reached the ears of their captors.

The dark master cursed, and strode to where Leilas was kneeling next to Brenth. He raised his metal-toed boot to kick at her then folded over as if in pain. Leilas continued to hum, until she saw the pain ease on Brenth's face and knew in her heart that he was well.

Lifting her eyes to the dark master, who'd regained his composure, she moved to her mother. "You'll allow me to heal my companions. No matter how much the magic may hurt you and your soldiers. It wouldn't have been necessary had you kept your word."

"My men are anxious to please and sometimes hard to keep under control," he hissed. "Your companions are still alive. That's all I promised."

"Perhaps your master chose the wrong servant to carry out his wishes, then, if you can't even keep this motley bunch of rogues under control."