First Comes The One Who Wanders (29 page)

Leilas wanted to argue with him, to tell Joshuas he was wrong about her former teacher, but she couldn’t, because deep down she felt the same way.

"He isn’t strong enough to control the power in that book. It will corrupt him in the same way it has corrupted all those who have tried to use it," said Joshuas.

"What if someone were strong enough to control it?"

"They'd still be a dark practitioner. It's dark magic," replied Erion.

"I believe it would still corrupt them, agreed Joshuas. It would lead them into believing they could control Preterlandis. When they tried to conquer all the kingdoms, they would in reality be destroying the balance and destroying Preterlandis."

"There are some people with power out there who are working to see that happen," said Erion.

"Yes there are," agreed Leilas, under her breath.

"If it is the Book of Rengailai that Frey has taken, all the more reason we shouldn’t delay our return to Dirth any longer," said Erion.

Throwing his empty bark plate into the forest, Joshuas donned his pack and slung the water skin over his shoulder. Erion followed his example. Leilas had only her weapons and water skin to don and then they headed quickly and quietly for the road.

The cloud that had been concealing the sky had moved on toward Magnus Crog. Leilas watched with worry, knowing her task was to reach the school. She couldn’t save Preterlandis alone. Still, her sister was in Magnus Crog.

"You did much to quell their impact, Chidra," said Erion, seeing her concern. "Perhaps they won't do as much damage in Magnus Crog."

"One can always hope," replied Leilas.

"And hope is what makes us what we are," Erion finished the line of the benediction.

Turning away from the impending storm, the three trod on toward Dirth. Leilas could see the marks of war left by Jayram as they followed his path to the city. Sending her thoughts out carefully, Leilas felt for the presence of Jayram. Wherever he was, he'd abandoned the School of Sky. Leilas could feel the presence of many light crafters there. The light calmed her spirit as it always did.

"I wonder if Darryl still wishes to see my family dead?" mused Leilas as they walked.

"A bit late to be thinking about that now isn’t it, Princess?" replied Joshuas.

Leilas squirmed at the tone. Why did he always have to sound so condemning? "Better late than not at all," she replied back to him. "You didn’t answer the question. Is he still looking for me?"

"He has more important matters on his mind. But if you go into Dirth and announce your presence there, I’m sure he’ll accommodate you by arresting, torturing and killing you."

"You're somewhat difficult to recognize in your present attire," added Erion, giving Joshuas a puzzled look. "We should be all right if you don’t draw too much attention to yourself." Leilas threw the hood of her cloak over her head. "That should be sufficient," Erion agreed, "unless they look too closely. If they do, then we'll have to come up with a different plan."

They traveled the main road to Dirth for most of the night. On several occasions, they passed guards patrolling. But the guards were content to let the crafters through with little challenge. Most of the soldiers weren’t willing to pit their skill against a crafter.

Stopping just after dawn, they found an inn at the edge of town in Reyoro Dell. It was a small village, created around the inn and the stables that refreshed the horses of the messengers coming from Dirth. The large eating hall was hot compared to the brisk, morning air. A fire was crackling in the fire pit and the smell of pork, eggs and bread filled the air. Leilas licked her lips in anticipation. Erion led her to a small table in a dark corner, while Joshuas took care of ordering the food. Leilas would have liked to throw back her hood, but she didn’t dare to take the chance.

The servant girl wasn’t far behind Joshuas as he found his way to the table. She bore three mugs of steaming beer, and three heaping plates of eggs, bacon and potatoes. There was little talking as the three forked the savory food into their mouths as quickly as they could. The girl returned with a platter heaping with hot biscuits and a tub of butter.

Leilas leaned back and finished off her meal with the hot drink. It helped combat the fatigue of the night’s journey. The servant girl looked her way several times then turned to talk to the owner of the establishment. Her heart beating faster in anticipation of trouble, Leilas kicked Joshuas under the table and swung her eyes to the girl when she had his attention. The owner and the dark-haired girl were deep in discussion, throwing looks in their direction every few minutes.

"Time to go, I think," said Joshuas, reaching for his pack.

"But I’m not quite finished," complained Erion, enjoying the table that had been set before them.

Joshuas turned his chin slightly in the direction of the counter and Erion let his attention be drawn that way slowly. After a brief look at what Joshuas had indicated, Erion stood and grabbed his gear. Leilas wasn't far behind.

"Yes," said Leilas, in a low, husky voice. "We have a lot to do today. No sense in putting it off any longer or we’ll have that farmer unwilling to pay us. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to another meal from this wonderful establishment." The girl and the owner bent closer together and whispered hurriedly at Leilas’ declaration. Joshuas flashed a grim smile and then headed for the door.

"Hopefully, that will give us a bit of a head start. I’m afraid she recognized me from somewhere," said Leilas.

"You've never stayed at this inn?" asked Joshuas, quickly leading them to the road out of town.

"We almost never stayed at inns. If we traveled, we stayed at the local ruler’s home."

"Perhaps she was a servant at one of the houses you visited," suggested Erion.

"That makes sense. I’m sure the Earl would want a few extra servants to be on hand for company," said Leilas.

"For whatever reason, we have to assume she did recognize you and that the word will go out tonight. That gives us today to make some good time before we have to start traveling cautiously," said Joshuas.

"That would put us in reach of the outer entrance of the Echoes, approximately," offered Leilas.

"We don’t know the condition of Dirth or the school. The Echoes might be too unstable. We’ll go through the forest and then take our chances on the road into town. Erion and I have a few tricks up our sleeves for sneaking into towns unnoticed."

Leilas wondered if Joshuas was still thinking about what her mother said about the Echoes. But it didn’t really matter. If he wanted to go through the front gate, then she was game. If they had to fight, she was ready to fight. This day was a good day to die fighting the darkness.

Erion took the lead and set a good pace. Leilas followed Erion with Joshuas bring up the rear. The day’s travel went uneventfully. No one seemed to be following them from Reyoro Dell. It was well past sundown when Erion turned off the road and headed into the forest. He left no sign of his passing. Leilas did her best to leave no sign for anyone to follow, although she knew any scout worthy of his keep would be able to read the signs she'd left behind.

Their progress slowed as they made their way through the underbrush, not following any designated trail. Leilas had no doubt they would end up at Dirth and in less time than it took most people to get there. As they hiked through the wood, she let her attention wander to the meeting with the masters of Sky. In a different world, she would be a newly appointed master crafter and on her way to her first assignment or post, depending on which path she'd chosen. In a different world, she might be marrying someone for love and making plans for the future. But not in this world, she reminded herself. In this world, she was the Chidra. She had no home, no guild and no one to love. What would the master’s response be to the news about Master Frey and the army moving toward Andresia? Would they believe her? Or would she have to prove herself to them as she’d had to convince Erion? For all their belief in the Chidra, did they have faith when it came down to action? It seemed the elves were eager to believe she would turn to the darkness. Were the masters eager to discredit her as well? What did the prophecies say that led them to believe she would become evil? Despite her resolve to ignore the prophecies and live her life without future knowledge, Leilas was curious what the prophecies had to say about her.

Crossing a small stream, they stopped to drink and fill their water skins. Leilas recognized where they were. She'd come here often as a child to play. There were about three hours away from Dirth. Erion climbed the stream bank and continued in the direction of the school. He tended to travel in silence, as did Joshuas. Leilas would have preferred some companionable banter, but plodded on in silence as well. Erion stopped at the edge of the forest, to assess the situation around Dirth. It looked as Leilas remembered it, with the exception that the eastern turret of Dirthstone Manor, the wing that housed the school, was in ruins.

"Are you sure the masters are still there?" asked Erion, gazing at the ruins with dismay.

"They are," replied Joshuas. "Although they've had to make a few changes since Darryl assumed control of Dirth. They no longer occupy the east wing of Dirthstone Manor. They've gone back to the original location of the school."

"The chambers below ground?" asked Leilas. "Those have been closed for hundreds of years."

"Yes. The masters of Sky didn’t think it appropriate to be underground. But the chambers have always been the stronghold. Greyan designed it that way, in case something should happen, which it did."

"It’s a shame," said Leilas with tears in her eyes. "That tower was my home for many years. I never felt safer than when I was there."

Joshuas reached his arm around Leilas’ shoulders and pulled her close to him. Leilas accepted the silent comfort gratefully, wishing she could stay there forever. But that wasn’t to be. Erion pulled his hood up over his head and started for the road. Leilas followed his actions, hiding her auburn hair within the folds of the hood. Once on the road, Joshuas stayed close to her side. While she appreciated his closeness, she felt his concern. Getting through Dirth to the School of Sky wasn’t going to be easy.

"What business?" asked the burly guard at the gate. Leilas kept her eyes on the ground and hoped she was inconspicuous.

"We are passing through," replied Joshuas, "on the way to the Northern Province. We need provisions and perhaps some ale."

The guard cast a bored eye over them and then shrugged. "The tavern is at the opposite end of town." He stepped aside and let them through. His eye caught Erion’s bow as they passed. "That’s a mighty fine bow you got there, mister," he said grabbing his arm. "Elvish from the look of it."

"So it is," replied Erion, his musical voice giving his origin away. "Is there a problem with me carrying it?"

Leilas’ hand strayed to her short sword. She saw Joshuas’ hand move toward his knife. The guard noticed the hostile gestures as well. He took a moment to assess the odds then shrugged again. "I was just admiring the craftsmanship. Enjoy your drink."

"Thank you," replied Erion in his slightly arrogant tone. Joshuas let his hand fall back to his side. Leilas left her hand on her weapon until they were well past the guard. Stopping behind a building, Erion unstrung his bow and hid it beneath his cloak. "We don’t need this attracting any more attention."

"It does appear Dirth is not quite as neutral as it once was," replied Joshuas. "If we’re lucky we’ll make it through town without incident."

"I wish you hadn’t said that," said Leilas. "Luck doesn’t seem to follow me like it does you."

"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best," said Erion. "That’s always been my motto."

"Since when?" snorted Joshuas.

"Since now, I think," said Erion, smiling. "Besides, you're worrying about nothing. Now that we're in the city, no one will bother us."

They stepped out onto a quiet street and walked swiftly toward the tavern. Leilas hoped that Joshuas knew the way into the caverns, because she wasn’t sure she could find them. She'd never been to them, although Master Frey had given her general directions.

As they began to skirt the tavern and head for the ruined tower, a dozen soldiers stepped into their path blocking the way. "Did you miss the tavern?" said the biggest of the burly men. "There isn’t anything of interest down this way." He crossed his massive arms across his chest.

"No, we've just visited your fine drinking establishment," replied Joshuas, placing an amiable expression on his face. "We're staying with friends, they live down this road."

The soldier gave a signal to his men and they spread out. Leilas’ hand went to the head of her battleaxe. A grim smile flickered across her face. The soldier noticed and hesitated for a moment. He’d seen that look before. "Men, get this girl. It's Leyhan’s daughter. She's worth a pretty penny to us."

Leilas’ axe was in her hand and she charged into the fray before they reached her. She didn’t know if Joshuas and Erion followed her or not. She was busy defending herself. Humans were bigger and stronger than those she’d been fighting lately, but they were also slower. She'd taken down two, before she had a minute to look around. Joshuas was doing his best to reach her side. Erion had pulled his sword and it flashed blue as it hit metal against metal. He appeared to be enjoying the encounter more than she. Even with all of Ariel and Solein’s training, she still didn’t enjoy fighting, though she was much more proficient now. She still had to fight the darkness that began to swirl around her as she fought.