Halfstone: A Tale of the Narathlands (10 page)

Glancing across to the far side of the tarn, Aldrick’s eyes fell
upon a small area where an assortment of flowering plants grew. Nestled within
them was some kind of small stone statue. He made his way around to it. It
appeared to be the headstone of a grave. He squinted down at small letters
etched into the stone. His heart stopped. It read ‘Isobel Clarice Aedimon’.
This was where Jon had buried his mother.

7

ALLIES

Aldrick stood before his mother’s grave. The initial shock of
reading her name upon the headstone had subsided, giving way to an unexpected
sense of clarity. He didn’t feel sadness or anger, not resentment for past
events nor bitterness to bear with him in future ones. He was grounded. Here
his mother lay, at his feet, forging a vivid connection between him and the
fantasy world which had been unveiled around him. He found himself. He knew who
he was.

The flowers adorning the grave were in full bloom even though
their season had come and gone many months ago. It was a sign that Isobel was
here with him, that Gilthred was too. They had never intended to leave him in
this world alone. They hadn’t; their storm was invested in him. It was his to
wield now.

He stooped, plucked a single blue orchid and rested it on top of
the headstone. His hand lingered there for a moment then he turned and retraced
the path back into the forest. When he re-entered the glade he strode
purposefully toward the boulders but stopped before reaching them. He
outstretched his arm, directed his palm toward the surface of one and closed
his eyes. Slowly, he began to raise his hand. He felt the gravity holding the
boulder to the ground wane as he willed it upward using his own gravitational
push. He could feel the boulder, like it was trying to resist, but he would not
let it. He opened his eyes. There it was, levitating in front of him. His focus
faltered and it began to fall, though at an unnaturally slow speed, back to the
ground.

“No!” He would not let his achievement be so brief. Again he
raised his hand. The boulder rose in turn. He cast it sideways and it hurtled
into the trunk of one of the dead trees. There was a mighty smash as solid
stone met feeble wood and the tree collapsed. The boulder met ground a short
way beyond it and rolled to a halt at the base of another tree. Aldrick
remained standing, arm outstretched, ogling at what he had done. He took a
series of long, deep breaths. He could do it! He could wield! He had power. It
felt good.

There were hurried footsteps behind him. Jon burst into the glade
with his staff clenched in his hand. “Aldrick! Aldrick, wha…” His attention
fell upon the felled tree and the absence of the boulder. He relaxed. “Ah, I
had feared the worst, but it appears that clamour was of your making.”

“Jon, I did it!” Aldrick exclaimed. “I threw the boulder into the
tree!”

“So I see.” Jon came to his side. “Truly incredible. I am most
impressed, my boy.”

Télia appeared. She wore an expression more of excitement than
concern. “I felt your storm surge, Aldrick. Have you done it? Have you wielded
your storm?”

“Yes,” he said, now trying to sound as casual as possible.

The wide smile he adored so much lit Télia’s face. “That’s
brilliant news. Well done!” She turned and looked at Jon incredulously. “So
much for no wielder being able to achieve such a thing on their first day of
training.”

“Well I…” Jon began, searching for words. “It’s unheard of, until
today. Young Aldrick here will become a wielder of the highest calibre, to be
sure.”

Excitement welled inside Aldrick. He could truly wield! He had
found his storm. He yearned to do more. “Are there further abilities you can
teach me, Jon?”

“Indeed. There is much more I can show you.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Jon chuckled. “I remember being in your shoes, Aldrick. The first
time I successfully wielded, all I wanted to do was to do it more. It is a marvellous
thing, having such power.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” said Télia.

Though she spoke light-heartedly, Aldrick could tell her advice
was sincere. He imagined she had experienced the arrogance of wielders. Jon
appeared to be level headed, though. He was glad of that.

“Télia’s words are wisdom,” said Jon. “It is rare to find a modest
wielder. It is a consequence of the core principle of wielding being the focus
on one’s self. It is bad for anyone to do that too often.”

“Were my parents arrogant wielders?” Aldrick asked, considering
how little he knew about them.

“Your father, a little,” Jon said contemplatively. “Your mother
was quite the selfless one, though.”

“As you are, Jon,” said Télia warmly.

Jon almost looked embarrassed. “Yes, well, in my life I have found
my concerns turned outward, toward other people.”

“That is an admirable thing, just so long as you are first at ease
with yourself.”

“Yes,” Aldrick agreed, endeavouring for Télia’s favour.

Jon left them and walked to the edge of the glade, where he paused
in front of a low-hanging branch.

“Aldrick, come,” he beckoned. “You wished to learn more, did you
not? Well, I will show you something quite constructive us wielders can do… if
done under the right circumstances, of course.” He held up a part of the branch
that appeared to have been snapped recently. The leaves still had hints of
green.

Aldrick peered at it. “What are you going to do?”

Jon didn’t answer. He raised his free hand and held it over the
branch. For a moment nothing happened then, slowly, the leaves turned greener,
blending back in with the rest of the tree.

Aldrick was astounded. “You’re… you’re healing it.”

“Yes—a little miracle we can perform,” said Jon, admiring his
handiwork. “It is an ability often overshadowed by the more grandiose ones we
are known to perform. It can also be used to heal injuries, of sorts.”

“How do I wield it?”

“By focusing on your will to do good, Aldrick. It is the true test
of a wielder’s heart. Someone like Malath would struggle with such an ability
even if they cared greatly for what it was they wanted to heal, simply because
they do not bear a nurturing heart. But you, my boy, I am certain you have more
than just your mother’s eyes.”

Aldrick searched for another dying branch to practise on but
couldn’t find one. The rest of the tree was healthy.

“Aldrick, I have a bruise on my knee from the brawl at the inn,”
said Télia, coming to him. “Perhaps you could heal that for me.”

As much as he liked the idea, he was hesitant. “Might it be unsafe
for me to focus my storm upon someone just yet?”

Jon shrugged. “If Télia wishes it then I hold no concern. You have
already shown unprecedented ability. I trust you will do her no harm.”

“So, will you?” Télia challenged.

“Very well, I will.”

She sat on the ground, lay her crossbow beside her, then rolled up
her earth-brown trousers to just above her knee. On her knee was a dull purple
and yellow bruise where it had struck the inn floor. Aldrick knelt by her and
placed his palm over the bruise. He wanted to be sure he focused on the injured
area alone.

“Are you ready?” he asked nervously.

Télia stared straight into him. “Are you?”

Her intimate presence was fogging his mind and reddening his cheeks,
but he tried his best to keep his focus. He shut his eyes and let his mind rest
on his desire to make her knee well again. For a time it seemed as though he
was achieving nothing, but then he felt an increase in warmth beneath his hand.
Télia’s
leg flinched. Aldrick pulled his hand away fearing he had hurt her, but found
that the bruise had all but disappeared. The area was now as impeccably smooth
and toned as the rest of her skin.

“Thank you,” she said, rolling her trouser leg back down.

“What did it feel like?” he asked.

“A little ticklish. I have never had a wielder as a healer
before.”

“I have never had an aera as a patient.”

“How did it go?” called out Jon. He had left to inspect the
toppled tree.

“Well,” said Télia brightly. “I think Aldrick is ready to practise
more trying incantations, Jon.”

“That may well be so, but I wager he is in need of another break
first. Wielding quickly exhausts a novice’s energy.”

Aldrick did feel the need to rest again. He was tired and hungry,
as if he had been exercising both his mind and body for hours.

The three of them made their way back to the house. De’ama greeted
Télia with a soft neigh at the entrance to the forest, where she had been
patiently awaiting her return. It was now mid-afternoon and there was little
that begged attention indoors. Jon charmed Télia into the kitchen to teach her
how to make his self-proclaimed ‘finest bread in the Narathlands’. Aldrick sat
in his own company on the doorstep with a mug of milk. Around him, the green
and gold landscape bathed in sunlight. The sky was a calm ocean of blue. There
was so much beauty to behold in the world, he thought. It saddened him that his
parents weren’t here to enjoy it. Their lives had been cut short in the pursuit
of justice. The time to pursue vengeance was drawing ever closer. He waited
until Jon and Télia had left their bread dough to rise, then rekindled the
conversation which had been pending since last night.

“Since last night my mind has remained clear to me,” he began.
“I’m going to go after Malath Jayther. He has done wrongs that I cannot ignore.
It’s clear that he wants me dead too. That means I threaten him. I was born
with an advantage and there are means by which it can be used to be rid of him.
I need the stone my parents found—the Halfstone. If it is truly vital in
assuring his defeat then I’m going to find it. What I wonder, though, is if I
will have some company on this venture?”

He looked at them both. Jon was seated with his arms crossed, deep
in thought. Télia leant against the wall, watching him closely.

“I will be at your side, Aldrick,” she said. “Not only because I
have been entrusted with doing so, but because I believe in you. It is a path
you are meant to take.”

He smiled at her.

“Of course I will aid you too, my boy,” said Jon, standing. He
came and rested his hands on Aldrick’s shoulders. “We share motive.”

Then it was settled. They were taking matters into their own
hands. They were going to take on Malath.

“I appreciate having you both at my side,” Aldrick said with
gratification. “You have already helped me a lot and knowing you’ll remain
close…” Emotion washed through him. It was a huge undertaking he had proposed
and he found great comfort in their willingness to take it with him.

He gathered himself. “Where do we go from here? Where is the
Halfstone now?”

“In Fort Blackbed, I presume,” said Jon. “We must visit that dark
place. There is a fine chance that is also where we will encounter Malath and
Selayna.”

“Now if only we had the Synod’s support for this venture,” Télia
huffed. “The reinforcements they said they were sending to protect Aldrick
never arrived.”

“Reinforcements?” questioned Jon.

“Yes. They were supposed to be sending more aeras.”

“And you have had no further word on this?”

“No…”

Jon began to pace.

“Worrying, to say the least,” he muttered. “We must hope there is
a simple explanation for their absence.”

“You don’t think Malath has something to do with it, do you?”
Télia asked nervously.

Jon scratched his cheek. “I cannot say, but assumedly the Synod
knew of Malath’s return to power when they repurposed you to be Aldrick’s aera.
It is not impossible that there has since been a confrontation with him.”

“By confrontation you mean battle?”

“I suppose so, yes.” Jon frowned. “I had not expected Malath to be
quite so bold.”

Télia turned away in distress.

“Then we must act now!” she cried. “If Malath has already invaded
Galdrem who knows how close he may be to accessing the Shard of Heart’s Storm.
We may already be too late!”

“Yes, we should leave soon. Finding the Halfstone could take more
time than we have,” said Aldrick, sharing Télia’s concern.

Jon nodded. “Indeed. We will make way at the break of dawn
tomorrow and hope that time is our ally. Even if Malath is in Galdrem, I am
willing to wager that the Halfstone remains in Blackbed, in safe keeping. He
would not carry such a haunting trinket on him. We have dwindling time to ready
ourselves for this journey. You must practise your mother’s ability with me
shortly, Aldrick. It is most important.”

“I’ll meet you outside?”

“Yes, but eat first and rest a little while longer. I imagine you
are still weakened from your previous practise. I will see to some travel
necessities in the meantime.” Jon left for his study.

Aldrick went to the kitchen to find food. Télia followed him.

“I am wary of all this, Aldrick,” she said, standing by him. “What
if we are too late?  What if our efforts prove hopeless? We are but three souls
against unfathomably wicked ones.”

Aldrick bit his lip. “We may be too late, but however late we are,
I will see Malath to his grave.”