The Cypher Wheel (8 page)

Faedra closed her eyes and concentrated on the two
women who stood before them. First, she could feel the slight
unrest in the horses. Wow, she could sense animals, too? Their
sensation was different to that of humans. They did not like being
in the forest but they were loyal to their riders and would go
where their riders needed them to go. She pushed her senses higher
until she reached the woman she recognized from the treasure hunt.
Anxiety mixed with fear, which was probably caused by their
surroundings. Also, there was excitement and hope. A strange
combination. Faedra felt her senses probe deeper and wondered if
the woman could feel her poking around in her emotional energy.
After a few more moments Faedra was satisfied. She could find no
trace of malice or evil intent towards her or her friends. Just an
overwhelming feeling of hope.

She opened her eyes again.

“Did you sense anything?” Faen asked.

“Yes, I did. I don't think they mean us any harm. I
think they are being honest when they say they only want to get us
to safety. I guess it would be a good idea to follow them after
all.”

The cloaked woman from Falconchase gave Faedra a warm
smile. “Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Carina and
this is my sister Anwynn. If you would care to follow us, we will
get you to safety and explain everything.”

Carina pulled on the reins to turn her horse, and
Anwynn followed suit. Faen took hold of Faedra's hand and the four
friends followed on behind the white horses.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“What do you think they want from us?” Faedra
whispered to Faen as they followed the two white horses down a
narrow path in the woods.

“Well, they do not seem to wish us harm, so I would
say they need our help,” Faen replied.

Faedra took in a deep contemplative breath. “Help
with what, I wonder?”

“We will find out soon enough, of that I am
sure.”

Faedra looked behind her at Etyran and Jocelyn. “How
are you feeling, Jocelyn?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“That cut on your face has nearly healed up. Crikey,
you heal quickly.”

Jocelyn gave Faedra a warm smile.

“Thankfully.” Etyran quipped.

Jocelyn turned to look at him and gave him the same
warm smile. Etyran's cheeks filled with color. He looked away
quickly, only to be confronted with Faedra's knowing grin before
she turned her face forward to see where she was going. She may be
the most powerful person in all of the seven realms, but she'd like
to hazard a guess that she was also the clumsiest. Tripping over a
tree root and falling flat on her face was not on her ‘to do’ list
at this point in time.

After they'd been walking for a while, it suddenly
dawned on Faedra how quiet the forest was. Too quiet for a place
that should hold an abundance of life from the smallest tree frog
to the largest owl. But there was no noise except for the crunching
of leaves under their feet. This started to ring alarm bells in
Faedra's internal warning system.

“Faen, have you noticed how quiet it is in here?” she
whispered, and then started to look above her and to either side.
“I don't like this, it's not...right.”

“You are very observant, Custodian,” the woman
introduced as Anwynn responded.

Wow, she must have good hearing.
Faedra
thought.

“Not much lives in this part of the forest. Arawn saw
to that.”

Faedra could sense the disgust in the woman's voice.
“One day we hope to return this forest back to the bustling place
it used to be. Full of wildlife. But, for now, even the animals are
too scared to live here.”

“So why are we walking through here if it's such a
dangerous place to be?” Faedra asked.

“Because it is the least likely place Arawn will look
for us. He is too arrogant to think that we would be hiding right
under his spies' noses.”

Faedra gave Faen a look of uncertainty. Just exactly
where were they being taken, and what kind of dangers lived in this
forest? She was hoping they wouldn't find out any time soon.

At that moment, they heard another noise coming from
up ahead. A long sorrowful howl echoed through the trees. The four
friends stopped dead and looked all around them. Faen and Jocelyn
instinctively drew their swords. The light was dimming now, due
mainly to them being brought deeper into the forest. Faedra only
hoped they didn't have much further to go. The dark still unsettled
her, as much as she hated to admit that fact.

The women on horseback did not seem fazed by the
sorrowful howl that echoed again through the forest. The horses
kept walking without breaking stride. Faedra creased her brow.
Something was not quite right, and this time it wasn't the fact
that the forest was eerily quiet, except for the odd howl up
ahead.

Carina looked back when she noticed their guests had
stopped following them.

“It is alright. Those are our calls. Our people are
just signaling that we are coming back. We have guards keeping
watch over this area to warn us if spies are coming. We do not have
much further now.”

Faedra was relieved. The longer she was out in the
forest, the more she had a sense of foreboding. There was a strange
kind of energy here but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It
was like when you knew you didn't feel completely well but didn't
know quite what was making you feel under the weather. You just
knew you didn't feel right.

Faen and Jocelyn sheathed they swords and the four
friends proceeded forward again. The howls were getting more
frequent the deeper they went. It seemed that they were being sent
like a relay further into the forest.

Faedra saw Carina and Anwynn give a barely
discernible nod to either side of the path they were traveling. She
realized they were acknowledging someone and let her gaze roam to
the side of the road. She strained to see in the dim light and
couldn't make out anything but brush and undergrowth to either side
of them, until one of those bushes blinked and moved back behind a
tree. Faedra's heart leapt to her throat at the surprise movement.
The bush put a camouflaged finger up to a dirtied face and pressed
it against brown lips. She kept her eye on the 'bush' as she moved
forward. Just how many people were out here?

They walked for a few more yards until the path
opened up and they were standing on the edge of a leaf covered,
bowl shaped dip in the ground. The area was surrounded by boulders,
and a sheer rock face rose up in front of them.

Faedra looked above her and could see the odd head
peeking out above some of the boulders along the ridge ahead of
them. The energy in this area was palpable. There must be quite a
few people out here for her to sense it so strongly. Again, she
could sense anxiety, but the more she tuned into it the more she
could feel it shifting to hope. Hope that was aimed at her.

They followed the two riders down the slope until
they came to the wall of rock. Carina dismounted her horse and
walked up to the rock face. She mumbled a few words and waved her
arm across the rock. It shimmered and then disappeared right in
front of Faedra's eyes, leaving a large gaping hole in the side of
the hill. Faedra realized, at that moment, this did not surprise
her. She thought it a little sad that she was now so embroiled in
other worlds, she didn't think anything would ever surprise her
again.

Carina led her horse into the opening she had just
created, and Anwynn followed. She looked back at the four.

Faedra looked at Faen. “I guess that's our cue to
follow.”

Faen gave her hand a squeeze and stepped forward to
follow the two women through the opening. Faedra took a deep
steadying breath and fell in beside her Guardian.

The Custodian looked up at the ridge above them as
she stepped towards the opening. More curious faces peeked out over
the edge; she took another step and froze on the spot, sucking in a
sharp breath. She stood in the opening looking like someone had
just poured a bucket of icy water over her head. Faen's face filled
with concern.

“What is it, Faedra? Are you alright?”

Faedra looked around her, then closed her eyes and
did an internal examination.

Steadying her breath, she opened her eyes again. “I'm
okay...I think. Wow, there's some pretty hefty magic in here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I've walked through wards before, but usually
I'd just feel a tingle. This doorway felt like I was walking
through a freezing cold waterfall. Didn't you feel anything?”

Faen shook his head.

She turned her question to Etyran and Jocelyn as they
stepped through the opening beside her. “What about you two?
Anything?”

“Nope. Not a sausage,” Etyran answered.

“Jocelyn?”

“I am afraid I did not feel anything either,
Faedra.”

“It is because you have Savu's power,” Carina
interrupted. “It is mostly evil power, and we had to do some strong
recalibration of the wards for them to allow you entry.”

Faedra did not like that statement one little bit.
She straightened her shoulders and puffed out her chest. “I am NOT
evil!” she exclaimed, trying more to convince herself of that fact
than the woman in front of her. It was something that had been
nagging at the back of her mind for six months now. What if
consuming Savu's power would turn her evil? She lost her temper
very quickly since absorbing it. Things that never used to bother
her before, would push her into a bad mood in seconds now.

Her three friends took a step back. Just like
flicking a switch, the heat poured off her in waves.

“I never said
you
were evil,” Carina said.
“But the fact remains that the power you absorbed is. There is no
way of knowing how long the fundamental purity of your soul can
fight against something that powerful. We will probably be able to
help you, but we need your help first.” She gestured with her arm
for her new guests to follow her. “Please, we have much to do.” She
turned to continue walking. Her horse gave Faedra a wary look and
let out an anxious whinny. Carina ran a hand down its nose and
coaxed him forward.

They were now standing in a tunnel; easily the height
of two people and wide enough that four could walk comfortably side
by side.

“Faen, I can't hold it,” Faedra said, her voice
cracking with emotion.

Faen turned his attention from Carina to his charge.
She was panicked, that much was obvious. The temperature in the
tunnel rose sharply and sweat beaded on everyone's foreheads. The
horses started to shuffle anxiously next to their handlers.

“What is happening?” Carina asked, concern creeping
across her now flushed face.

“Well, if you had done just a little more research
before you dragged us here,” Faen said in a reprimanding tone, “you
would know that Faedra's power is linked very closely to her
emotions. You just touched on a very sensitive subject and now she
is having trouble keeping said power under control. I suggest if
you do not want for us all to be baked alive, you tell me where the
nearest water source is.”

Carina's eyes widened. “It's just through there at
the end of the tunnel. There is the reservoir that feeds our cave.”
She pointed down the tunnel.

Faedra took off at a sprint in the direction Carina
had pointed. The two women pulled their horses back against the
tunnel walls as Faedra shot past them. The heat radiating off her
now was almost enough to scold.

Faedra ran. She ran faster than she'd ever run in her
life. She didn't notice the fact that the tunnel was sloping
downwards; too busy thinking about what would happen if her power
overtook her in there. She would kill every living thing in it,
that was for sure, and what a horrible death that would be. She
shuddered and picked up the pace even faster. She wasn't evil, she
wasn't. Her dad was right; she couldn't hurt anything on purpose.
Carina was wrong. She had to be. All Faedra could hope was that she
made it to the water in time.

At last, she burst through the end of the tunnel and
saw the reservoir that Carina mentioned straight ahead. As she got
closer to it, she slowed and came to a stop by the water’s
edge.

She stared into the mirror-like surface and her
reflection stared right back at her. Worry, fear, and helplessness
were all etched on her face. She slammed her energy into the water,
and within seconds her reflection distorted as bubbles started to
surface. A few moments later she could see steam rising from the
reservoir just around the time her energy started to ebb. When she
was at a point where she could rein it in, she pulled back from the
water and the ripples dissipated to leave a mirror-like pond once
again.

She was shocked to see that this time hers was not
the only reflection that greeted her. Several feet away on either
side of her were reflections of women and children staring at her.
Startled, she looked up. She thought she'd been alone. Faedra
didn't realize an audience had watched her lose control. Faedra
turned her head hesitantly to one side. The women and children
sucked in a breath and stepped back. Mother's had protective arms
around their children. Fear was in everyone's eyes, and the energy
in the cavern screamed it.

Faedra swallowed hard and slowly turned her head to
the other side. The same thing happened. Dozens of frightened women
and children backed away from her. Faedra was mortified. She'd
terrified all these people. She wasn't a bad person; she didn't
want to hurt anyone. She choked back a sob and slumped to the floor
feeling defeated. Sitting crossed legged in front of the pool of
water, she buried her face in her hands.

CHAPTER NINE

“Faedra!” A voice she recognized echoed across the
room as Faen exited the tunnel. She heard his footsteps pound
towards her before the soothing calmness of her Guardian's palms
rested on her shoulders.