Questing Sucks (Book 1) (31 page)

“C-Cah’lia,” he whispered.

She rolled back around, facing him. “Hmm?”

“Do…do you think they died in pain? Do you think that they called for us, or to the Gods, or to anyone, begging for their lives?”

She sat up, and a serious look crossed her face. “Shake that thought from your mind,” she said. “And never let it return. What happened to our friends was for the sake of the world. Sehn, look at me. I said look at me! Promise me you’ll never think that way again.”

Sehn promised, and it was the first lie he’d ever told someone that he felt guilty about. He could no more control his thoughts than anyone else could. Thoughts came to you, you didn’t go to them, and they never asked for your permission to appear.

Sehn rolled on his back and closed his eyes, wondering how he, the Great Sehn, had allowed himself to flee from danger while his disciples were dealt death.

Chapter 32: Not this time

 

Shina woke with a start, bolting up on her sleeping pallet. She’d felt an arm on her. It was a soothing, caring arm.

Am I dreaming?
Shina wondered.

Opening her eyes, she looked up into the handsome face of Kellar, leaning over her. She was lucky to still be half asleep, or she’d send out such a fierce bolt of electricity that not even she would survive. “Good morning, Shina. The sun’s just about to rise, and I thought we could watch it together.”

Shina bit her tongue, hard, forcing every last bit of control she had over her flowing magic. She felt herself blush, and worried that there’d be no blood left in her body at the rate it was charging into her face.

“S-s-sure,” she croaked, rolling up her sleeping pallet and placing it in the bag on Pancake’s back. He was still sound asleep, the big cutie. She kissed his nose and he purred, licking his lips with his hand-sized tongue. She loved her Gryphon.

They never flew at night. It was too dark to see the ground from their normal altitude, and too risky to fly low enough to make out the terrain. More than just a few riders had died attempting night travel.

One of Shina’s favorite things about traveling by Gryphon was the ability to sleep in places no other people could. This morning, they were camped on a relatively small ledge of an impossible to climb mountain. Shina wondered if she’d been the first Elf to ever sleep on it, likewise Kellar and Mistress Orellia the first humans. It was almost tall enough to reach the clouds. It gave Shina a feeling of empowerment to be in such inaccessible places.

In just two days, they’d crossed a distance that would take months by normal means of travel. In another day they’d be in Sehn’s general area, and from there Shina would be able to pinpoint his precise location.

Kellar prepared her a small breakfast of dried fruit and nuts, sitting next to her with their feet hanging off of the ledge. Shina wiggles her toes, looking below her and feeling a pinch in her stomach. If she leaned forward, she’d fall thousands of feet to her death.

The sunrise was beautiful, made more so by the fact that she was viewing it with Kellar. One day she’d get the courage to tell him how she felt, but that day wouldn’t be today. No, right now she had to stay focused on capturing her idiot brother.

Mistress Orellia woke with a yawn, rubbing her face and spitting. “Yuck,
Oona
,” she said. The Gryphon had walked over to her, slurping at her in its version of kisses. “Someone has bad breath,” she muttered.

She sat up, and wiped her face off with the soft tip of her sleeping pallet. Before she put it down, the giant animal licked at her yet again. “Oh, come on,” Orellia complained. “I get it, I get it. You love me. Kiss someone else, what’s wrong with Pancake?”

Gryphons were smart, and the animal had no problem understanding her words. The Gryphon stood straighter, made a “
hmph
” sound, and faced away. Pancake, awaking only moments earlier, lowered his head in shame, and Kellar laughed at the exchange. The two Gryphons were in the midst of a lover’s quarrel, and Shina pitied her poor Gryphon.

“It’s alright,” Shina said. “Whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

Pancake moaned, clearly not trusting her assurances. Shina gave him another kiss on the nose, and packed up the rest of her belongings from the makeshift camp. She stretched, yawning, and placed the riding harnesses on Pancake’s back.

I still can’t believe I’m riding with Kellar,
Shina thought.
All the girls are going to be so jealous when we get back to Magia!

They mounted a few moments later. “On three,” Orellia said. “One—two—three.”

Normally a rider would follow on three by giving their Gryphons the command to fly. Shina didn’t need to. Pancake was so used to flying in formation with Mistress Orellia and
Oona
that the moment the two took off Pancake followed on his own. Shina glanced over her shoulder, seeing the mountain grow smaller in size and gain distance behind her. She loved the sights just after a takeoff, that very first burst of air that brought the feelings of adventure.

They flew through the clouds, and over the forests and lakes that passed below them. Even after two days of flying, Shina was still unable to get used to Kellar’s hands around her waist. He was oblivious to her feelings, of that she was certain. Kellar was naive in many ways. He was kind, caring, bold, and adventurous, but he didn’t seem to pick up on other people’s feelings. Shina had wanted for so long to tell him the way she felt, the unbearable crush she’d carried since they first met. Yet, she couldn’t. Even the possibility of rejection was enough to almost overpower her rubber gloves, and send electricity coursing through her Gryphon.

The scenery changed after they flew above several more forests. Orellia lowered their altitude at Shina’s request. Now Shina could make out small villages every few miles, people shuffling around with water jugs and planting crops. Many looked up at them in wonder. Parents held up their young as they passed, the little ones waving at the people in the sky. Most knew of Magia, the order of magic, and the extravagant way they traveled. Many were never able to see it for themselves, however, and the thought of the little human children bragging to their friends someday about what they’d seen made her laugh.

“Mistress Orellia.”

“Yes, Shina?”

“Do you think that someday we could visit one of these places? Imagine how happy they’d be to see us land in one of their villages for a bite to eat. It would be the most excitement they’d get for years.”

Mistress Orellia laughed. “I guess I could take you some day. Who knows, your story might spread among the children.”

“Yeah,” Kellar said adding to the laughter. “They’d all go to neighboring villages and brag about the beautiful Elven girl that came from the sky.”

Shina blushed furiously.
He called me beautiful!

“Well,” she said. “It would make a pretty exciting tale for the villagers. I think they’d be more interested in spreading the story of Kellar, though, the boy who—”

Shina trembled, her hands shaking, dropping the reins. She moaned, then tilted her head back and shrieked. Images flashed before her eyes, appearing and disappearing so fast she couldn’t discern them.

“What’s wrong!” Kellar shouted. “Mistress Orellia! Something’s wrong with Shina!”

The landscape changed, twisting, and fire and screams filled her mind. She joined, adding her own screams. Her head exploded in pain, and she shrieked even louder. What were these images? What was she seeing? She grabbed the sides of her head and howled in agony, twisting on her saddle. She twisted again, and began to fall. Pancake squawked in fear, seeing his beloved rider only moments from plunging off his back to her death.

Shina didn’t care, she was only distantly aware of her own impending death. More images exploded in her mind, and her screams increased in intensity. She felt Kellar’s powerful young arm around her, grabbing her for dear life, while in the corner of her eye she saw him assert control of the gryphon. All this, she noticed in a distant part of her. The real part, the one at the foremost place in her mind, was trapped in the hellish reality taking place behind her eyes. There was a village, not unlike the ones they’d been passing.

The children were screaming, dying, and begging for someone, anyone, to save them. Their parents cried in misery, forced to watch the slaughter of their young. There were men, maybe sixty or so of them, pinning down the women and committing unspeakable acts. They burned it to the ground—Shina could smell the disgusting reek of smoke and decay. Yet, there was another realization.

“
TEN MINUTES!”
she shrieked. She fought, feeling held down by something.

She shook her head, returning to reality. They were no longer flying. Kellar and Mistress Orellia held her down, telling her everything was okay. The two Gryphons watched, looking at each other and squawking in worry. She was lying in tall, soft grass. Deer and other animals ran at the sound of her frantic voice.

“I’m alright now! Let me go!”

“Easy now,” Orellia said. “What just happened to you?”

Shina sat up, the memory of her terrible vision etched in her mind. “I saw something.” Tears fell from her eyes. “Oh, Gods, but I saw something.”

Kellar grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. She was too shaken up to feel excited over the gesture. She only felt glad to have the boy in her life. She hugged him back. “Tell us,” he whispered.

Shina told them what she’d seen, trying her best to recount every grisly detail. “How can that be possible?” Orellia said. “You’re a sensor, not one gifted with the sight. Shina, are you certain this was not some dream?”

“Yes! It’s going to happen, and soon. There are these men, in black armor. I felt them, they’re emotions, I mean. They lust, they crave, they’re like animals, but only malicious. They’re something called a scouting party, and they’ve come to attack lightly defended villages. I don’t know how I know this, but, oh Gods, I swear to you it’s the truth. They’re going to kill the entire village, even the children.”

“No they’re not,” Kellar said. He let go of Shina, and stood to his feet. “I believe you, Shina.”

Orellia left her side as well, and dashed after Kellar, grabbing his arm. “Kellar, you must stop this instant! All alliances are forfeit for those in the Order. We do not get involved in wars, or battles. Quit thinking like a human, and more like a mage.”

“Mistress, with all due respect,” Kellar said. “Were they Elves, or Dwarves, it wouldn’t make a difference. Did you not hear what Shina said? In a few moments, innocent lives are going to be destroyed. You’re just gonna have us fly right by it?”

Orellia looked disturbed, she held out a warning finger, but there was no confidence behind the gesture.  “You’re talking about using our Magic to…that’s for last resorts. We need to speak with the Order—we can’t just use Magic to…”

To kill,
Shina thought. She knew her Mistress wouldn’t be able to bring herself to form the words. Nothing among Mages was taken as serious as the notion of killing using one’s Magic. Allowed only in the most extreme and pertinent situations.

Shina was back on her feet. “Mistress, there’s no time!” she shouted. “We’ve got maybe seconds to spare, or their deaths will be on us.”

Orellia trembled. “Are you certain of what you saw? Perhaps they simply loot and burn the village? It’s standard practice among bandits. They’ll send the villagers packing, and…”

“No,” Shina said. “These are no bandits. They’ll kill every last one of them. Mistress, please.”

“Damn, this is too sudden. We need to think, we need to plan! Five minutes ago we were flying through the sky without a care, and now you tell me this? What do you do?” she whispered. “What do you do, when there’s no good choice to be made?”

Kellar walked over to her. His boyish face had yet to fully develop into the one he’d wear later in life, yet right now he seemed older than them all. He took her hand, and held it to his heart. “You do what you feel in here.”