SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (21 page)

Chris kept
his voice calm and low as he spoke, “I was wondering about the box and the
magic you did over it.”

“You could
call it a drying kiln, although that would be an inaccurate description. The
herbs inside were dried without losing the potency that they normally would
after drying so quickly. But, I do not have the time to lay them out on the
rack.”

Chris
nodded. “So, what does this potion your making do?”

Dominic
snorted. “The tern is concocting. This potion will clarify you nightmares.”

Chris
frowned. “Can’t you just get rid of them?”

“Certainly,”
Dominic replied. “But, Loren believes, and I concur, that these nightmares
could be magical warnings. If so, we do not want to mute them. We want to
clarify them so that the message can come through.”

“Who’d be
sending me magical messages?”

“I have no
idea. An even bigger question would be why the person sending you the message
would choose you to receive it. Either Kelly or myself would be more logical
choices.”

“Maybe
Kelly’s lack of a soul prevents her from receiving the message and you’re too
protected.”

Dominic took
a moment to think it over. “You may have a point about Kelly but you are wrong
about me. When you have some training in magic, you learn to leave an opening
for messages, it is not a difficult thing.”

“And that
leaves me to receive the messages,” Chris grumbled.

Dominic
looked up, a slight smile on his lips. “Precisely.” He returned to his herbs.
“Now, I am grinding the herbs together with the pestle. You will notice that
both implements are made entirely of stone. Stone is the best material for mixing
magical items; it is the most attuned to the earth and the least contaminated
by man.”

“Wouldn’t
wood fall into that same category?”

“Wood had
its uses, some of which are magical. But not in this case. Wood comes from a
living thing. As such, it puts its own flavor onto everything it touches.”

Chris shook
his head; magic was such a complicated business.

Dominic
worked for some time in silence, continuing to grind the herbs in the stone
bowl. He finally rose and walked back to the backpack, retrieving a large vial
with a cork stopper,  working the cork out as he returned to the stone
bowl.

After
pouring a small amount of the liquid inside the vial into the bowl, he pulled
his black wand with the silver tip out from under his cape. He stirred the
mixture for a moment before handing the bowl and its contents to Chris. “Drink
this.”

Chris
wrinkled his nose as he peered into the bowl. The contents didn’t look very
appetizing, oily looking water with small pieces of herbs floating in it. As he
lifted it to his lips, the odor caused him to jerk his head backwards. “How do
I know that you’re not trying to poison me with this?”

Dominic
shook his head. “Trust me. If I was inclined to kill you, I would have done so
a long time ago. The potion will not be pleasant but it must be swallowed.”

Chris
wrinkled his nose again as he looked down. After taking a deep breath, he
raised the bowl to his lips and took a sip. He grimaced as he lowered the bowl.

“I would
suggest that you drink it quickly,” Dominic offered. “It will not improve the
taste but to drag the process out as you are doing will be pure torture.”

Chris
conceded that the apprentice had a point. He lifted the bowl to his lips again
and quickly swallowed the contents. He coughed and gagged but managed to keep
the potion down, despite what his stomach wanted to do. He wiped his lips with
the back of his hand as he handed the bowl back to Dominic.

“I would
have thought that you wanted to see me tortured.”

Dominic’s
head rose jerkily. “Why would I want that?”

Chris shifted
his eyes to Kelly, surprised to see her sitting on top of her blankets calmly
watching them. “For what I did to her.”

Dominic
shook his head. “What occurred in Gregory’s prison was not your fault. You were
under the influence of a spell. I do not see how you can possibly believe that
you were the cause of Kelly’s current problem.”

“I was the
one who had sex with her.”

“True,”
Dominic nodded. “But, you were  merely the tool he used. Since that time,
you have conducted yourself in the most gentlemanly of manners. I find no fault
with you.”

“I thought
you didn’t like me.”

Dominic eyed
him for a moment. “I do not know whatever gave you that impression. I have no
strong feelings about you one way or the other.”

“That’s
weird. I got the definite impression that you didn’t like me.”

Dominic eyed
him for a moment before returning his attention to the bowl in his hands. “I
regret that. I have some difficulty in relating to people.”

“So I’ve
noticed,” Chris grumbled.

Dominic
nodded and turned away from him, heading towards the stream they had spotted
the night before. Chris watched him go, shaking his head. When the apprentice
disappeared from sight, he turned and walked to where Kelly was sitting.

“You could
help him,” she commented as he lowered himself to sit next to her on her
blankets.

“I’m not
very good at helping people,” Chris mumbled as he reached for a piece of the
hare.

“You don’t
seem to have a problem trying to help me,” Kelly pressed.

Chris cast
her a sidewise glance. “You’re a different case.”

“Why? Because
I’m a girl?”

Chris said
nothing; there was no way he was going to tell her that he was in love with
her. It was enough that she didn’t hate him for what he’d done to her.

After
several minutes, Kelly sighed. She laid her hand on his knee. “Will you do me a
favor?”

Chris
sighed, wondering what she had in mind. “If I can.”

“Thanks. I
want you to try to help Dominic interact better with people.”

Chris
lowered the piece of meat he was eating and looked at her. “And, how would you
suggest that I do that?”

Kelly
shrugged. “You were always popular back in school. Why don’t you teach him to
act like someone you would call a friend.”

Chris took
another bite of the hare. “I wouldn’t know how to begin doing that.”

Kelly patted
his knee. “I know you can do it.”

Chris sighed
but said nothing further; how did he always manage to get himself into these
ridiculous situations?

Dominic
returned a few minutes later, quickly shoving the items he’d washed into his
backpack. He grabbed several pieces of meat and turned to face the two of them.
“Finish your meal quickly. We need to get moving.”

“Don’t you
want to rest?” Chris asked, wondering why the apprentice always spoke to them
so abrasively. That would be the first thing he’d suggest that Dominic change.
As he rolled up Kelly’s blankets and tied them to the bottom of his backpack,
he wondered what would be the best way to approach Dominic; he was certain that
the apprentice wouldn’t readily accept his help. He sighed; this was going to
require some thought.

Dominic
didn’t look up. “There is not time. While I was speaking to Loren, I was told
that Kelly’s body is weakening. The need to return her soul is becoming
imperative.”

Chris looked
at Kelly, who was eating her meat with her head down, ignoring the two of them.
Chris eyed her for several minutes before returning his gaze to Dominic. “She
doesn’t look any different.”

Dominic
sighed in exasperation. “Of course not. Physically she has not changed. But,
the area where her soul once resided is a void that is trying to fill itself.
Since no soul can enter except her own, Kelly is, in essence, falling into that
void.”

Chris
frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course
not. You do not have the knowledge required. Let me put it this way; have you
not noticed that Kelly is different than she once was?”

Chris
returned his attention to Kelly. “Yes. She seems like she not interested in
anything. I just assumed it was because of the spellbook.”

Dominic
shook his head. “No. She would be distracted but not disinterested. Suffice it
to say that if we do not return her soul soon, she will cease to be.”

Dominic
gaped at him. “You mean she’ll disappear!”

“Of course
not. Physically, she will look the same. But there will be nothing inside.”

Chris
glanced at Kelly for a moment before shoving the remainder of the meat into his
mouth. He jumped to his feet, pulling Kelly with him. “Stand there, “ he
ordered as he bent down to roll up the blankets they’d been sitting on.

He rolled
the blankets quickly, not caring that the resulting tube wasn’t as neat as
usual. He tied it to the bottom of his backpack, making certain that it was
secure before swinging the backpack onto his shoulder. “Let’s get going.”

Dominic
watched him, an amused expression on his face. “I see that you are now anxious
to enter the mountains.”

Chris
refused to look at him. “It’s necessary to get her soul back. I don’t care what
dangers we have to face but we must find her soul.”

Dominic
laughed. “I agree.”

Five days
later, Dominic informed Chris that it was time for them to begin gathering
stones. Chris frowned as the apprentice reached into his backpack, pulling out
several leather bags, pulling out several leather bags. he tossed four to
Chris, keeping four for himself.

“Tie the bag
around your waist in a place where you can access it easily. it’s not so
important as you fill it, but, when the stoners attack, you want to be certain
that you can get to your stash quickly.”

Chris fought
the urge to laugh as he followed the directions; was the man making a pun with
his words or did he not realize that he was using the jargon of the drug
culture. he eyed the apprentice for a moment before shaking his head; it was
unlikely that the apprentice would make a joke.

once they
resumed their trek, Chris kept his eyes downcast as he searched for stones,
thinking back over the last several days. They had seen no sign of civilization
but he hadn’t considered that they had entered the territory of the stoners. he
supposed it made sense that there was no one around; although people inhabited
ever available area of the Earth, from the harshest deserts to the most frigid
climates, it would be difficult  to expand into an area where everyone who
entered was killed.

Chris
wondered what size rock would be most effective. the story Dominic had related
made no mention of size; would a larger rock be more effective than a smaller
one? if he had a sack full of small rocks, there would be more to throw at the
enemy, but, larger ones would have more velocity. Several minutes passed before
 he spied one he wanted to include. He reached down and picked it up,
preparing to drop it into one of the bags.

“That rock
is too large,” Dominic spoke from behind him. “The rocks should be no larger
than fist-sized.”

Chris sighed
as he dropped the rock, deciding to question the apprentice “Wouldn’t a larger
rock be more effective. I mean, doesn’t it make sense that the more weight in
the rock, the more force there’d be behind the throw.”

“Perhaps,”
Dominic conceded. “But, there are three things wrong with your statement. The
first is that it  appears that it is the rock itself that the stoner
reacts to, not the force. Second, any rock larger than fist-sized will be more
difficult to throw. And, lastly, we want to make the efficient use of the
weight we will be carrying. smaller rocks translate into more missiles.”

Chris
sighed, the apprentice was thinking along the same line he had been. He took a
moment to glance at Kelly; he was growing more worried about her. She appeared
to be growing more listless every day, walking with her head down and speaking
to no one, rarely answering when spoken to. He had no trouble understanding why
Dominic hadn’t given her a bag.

He doubted
that she was watching where she was placing her feet, she stumbled too often
for that. He glanced at Dominic, would the apprentice know what was happening
with her? he sighed, he would ask at the first opportunity.

Chris began
to feel nervous as the sun descended into the western sky. Watching the shadows
lengthen, he began to see shapes moving, but when he focused his attention on
the shape, he saw nothing. He finally informed Dominic.

Dominic
paused and looked around. After a moment, he closed his eyes,
  turning in a slow circle. When he  completed this act, he
opened his eyes and shook his head. “I can sense no living thing in close
proximity.”

Chris
frowned. “Would you be able to sense the stoners if they were close?”

The
apprentice shrugged. “I do  not know. I am not as skilled at sensing as
others are. Nor do I know if the stoners would fall  into the range of
things that I am capable of sensing.”

Chris
swallowed hard. “Would Loren be able to sense them?”

“Possibly.
But I could not say for certain.”

“So, the
stoners could come up on us and slaughter us as we sleep.”

Dominic
nodded. “I do not intend to allow that.”

“I should
hope not. But, what do you plan to do about it?”

‘To start
with, one us will remain awake at all times. You will be taking more of the
nighttime guard duties as I will be expending more energy and thus need to get
enough sleep to replenish my reserves.”

Chris sighed
but didn’t argue; he could see the sense in that. “Ok, but how will I know if
the stoners are coming when there won’t be a moon tonight?”

“Your eyes
would be useless even if the moon was full and shone over us the entire night.
The stoners can hide among the boulders that surround us; when they cease
moving, they appear to be as any other rock. No, you need to use your ears;
they are your best sensation for detecting the stoners.”

Chris
frowned. “What will I be listening for?”

“Any sound
of movement.”

Chris
snorted. “And, how will I know that they aren’t the normal animal sounds?”

Dominic cast
him a sidewise glance. “Have you not noticed that we have seen  no animals
for days?”

Chris
started to retort then stopped himself and listened. A shiver  raced down
his spine when he realized that Dominic spoke the truth; there were no birds in
the air, no sounds of insects and, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen
an animal since they actively began climbing the mountain. He looked at the
apprentice. “Why?” was all he could get out of his tight throat.

Dominic
shrugged. “I can only speculate that the stoners are the cause.”

Chris
swallowed with difficulty. He looked around nervously, realizing that the
stoners could be watching them at this very minute. “Do the stoners attack
during the daylight hours?”

“We do not
know. There have not been enough attacks from which there were survivors who
could be questioned.”

“Great,”
Chris muttered as he reached down for another rock. He tossed it into the air
to test the weight before dropping it into one of the bags. He wondered if
there was more than one pack of stoners roaming through these mountains but
decided not to ask; even if Dominic knew the answer, he didn’t think he wanted
to know the answer.

They made
camp just as the sun was disappearing from the sky, each of them sitting on
their blankets as they ate yet another cold meal. Dominic spoke up just as Chris
was finishing. “I am feeling tired so you will take the first watch. Wake me at
three.”

Chris
scowled at him but said nothing; what difference did it make if he took the
first watch or the second. He watched silently as Dominic and Kelly crawled
into their blankets. Once they were settled, he sat cross-legged on his own
blankets, closing his eyes so he could focus on his hearing.

After only a
moment he snapped his eyes open; if they were closed, it would be too easy for
him to fall asleep. Both Dominic and Kelly were counting on him to provide
protection while they slept and he wasn’t about to let Kelly down; he could
deal with the apprentice’s disappointment but he didn’t think he could live
with himself if he allowed anything else to happen to Kelly.

Chris didn’t
wake Dominic until after four; giving the apprentice an extra hour of sleep. He
had considered letting him sleep the entire night but decided against it; not
only would Dominic be angry, but he didn’t want to face a day of traveling
without sleep.

Dominic said
nothing as Chris crawled into his blankets, even though Chris was certain the
apprentice knew what he’d done. He rolled over and prepared himself for sleep
but rolled back after only a minute. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Certainly.”

“well, I was
thinking. You said that there were servants or something at this monastery
where Kelly’s soul is being held?”

“Not
servants. I believe that I called them disciples. But, that is not accurate.
They are zealots, fanatics. They are among the most dangerous people you will
ever encounter.”

“Why?”

Dominic
sighed loudly. “Questions! It’s always questions with you.” He was silent for a
moment before answering Chris’ question. “Zealot is an old word, originally
applied to military like bands in Judea in the first century AD who were
opposing the Romans occupation of Palestine. In modern usage, the term is
applied to people who think they are right and everyone else is unimportant.
These people are typically willing to die for what they believe in, and they do
not care how many others they take with them.”

Chris
shuddered. “How many of these zealots are inside this monastery?”

“We do not
know for certain. Their buildings are carved into the mountain and protected
against intrusive magic. Even the combined powers of Loren, Michael and Joshua
could not penetrate their defenses. This suggests that there is powerful magic
inside. Whether that is a person or an object remains to be seen, now, go to
sleep. You will be useless if you are too exhausted to travel or fight.”

Chris
obediently turned over and closed his eyes; he distinctly remembered Dominic’s
comment that he would be left behind if he proved to be a liability to the
quest.

Chris woke
to the smell of meat cooking. He rolled out of his blankets, rubbing his eyes
as he looked at Dominic, hunched over the small fire. “Where’d you get the
firewood?”

Dominic
didn’t look up. “I conjured it here, along with the three hares.”

Chris
frowned, thinking of the cold meat they had eaten since entering the mountains.
“Why didn’t you do that before?”

“I will not
waste my energy in such activity except when we need it. I realized that we had
only another day’s worth of meat remaining, so the need became great enough for
the expenditure.”

Chris rolled
his blankets into a tube and laid it aside before joining Kelly on her
blankets. She didn’t look up as he lowered himself into a sitting position.
“Shouldn’t you have waited until we were completely out of food?”

Dominic
sighed. “By nightfall, we will be in the midst of a storm that might continue
for several days. I, for one, have no desire to go hungry.”

Chris looked
up but saw no sign of a storm. He shook his head, deciding not to question
Dominic; he didn’t have enough knowledge to debate the apprentice.

The truth of
Dominic’s prediction became evident within hours of the resumption of their
journey, thick, black clouds appearing rapidly from the west. Chris frowned as
he watched the clouds, thinking that they seemed to be closer to the ground
than normal. He considered saying something to Dominic but restrained himself;
maybe it was their altitude that was causing this illusion.

They ate
lunch without stopping. Chris realized the benefit of this when it began to
drizzle shortly after stowing the uneaten meat into Chris’ backpack. Even
though their progress was slowed, Dominic kept them moving, stopping only when
he discovered a large cave where they could find shelter.

for two
days, they remained inside the cave as the wind howled, driving rain against
the side of the mountain with such ferocity that the noise kept them awake.
They retreated several hundred yards into the cavern system without relief.
Chris suggested they move further inside, which Dominic vetoes; they had no
idea what might live inside.

Dominic
retreated into his books, which he removed from his backpack, reading with the
aid of candles. Chris tried, unsuccessfully, to engage Kelly in conversation
before accepting the small magic book from the apprentice. When Chris laid the
book aside, Dominic looked up, the question written on his face.

“I can’t
follow this without a dictionary,” Chris was angry that he’s been forced to
explain himself to the apprentice.

Dominic
shrugged and withdrew a small volume from his backpack, tossing it to Chris.

Chris stared
at the book for a moment before opening it. To his surprise, it was a
dictionary more complete than the three he had used in Loren’s castle. He
looked up at Dominic, tempted to ask him what else he was carrying inside that
backpack. But, the apprentice had already returned to his studies.

When they
finally resumed their journey the going was slow. the rain had not only created
a thick layer of mud for them to wade through but had loosened boulders that
came loose at the most inopportune moments, forcing them to keep their eyes
peeled and trek around boulders that blocked their path.

Dominic
shrugged when Chris grumbled. “That is not our biggest problem.”

“Oh.”

Dominic
raised an eyebrow at his tone. “No. Our biggest problem is that if the stoners
come upon us, we will not be able to hear them.”

Chris
frowned. “Why not?”

Dominic
sighed. “The only warning we are likely to have is the sound of rock scraping
against rock. With everything so wet, that sound will be muted.”

“Great,”
Chris muttered. “Like we didn’t have enough problems.”

Dominic
stopped them early, explaining that he had found a good place for them to spend
the night.