Compis: Five Tribes (25 page)

Putting her finger above the book, she followed the ball along, tracing out the pattern, following it over and over, across, down, up, right, left, around and through. Suddenly, as though it were a heap of loose string, the spell fell apart, as though it had never existed. The book lay in front of her, begging to be touched.

Nikka opened the book, wondering if Jilli would have given her anything of value, on the off chance she would have broken the spell. She paged through it, but it was just a simple book of children's tales. Thinking through her problems as she mindlessly turned the pages, she stopped, attention caught by the page in front of her.

It was a simple story, from an old book, judging from its appearance. The story was about a rock that decided to break the tide. The rock had no hope of breaking those waves, considering the tide washed it back over the other rocks like the pebble it was.

Then the rock convinced another rock to join its fight. The rock was so passionate in its position that the other rock did join it—then another and another. It took a long time, and there were many setbacks, but the rocks formed a wall and kept back the tide.

It was a silly little story, trite and moral in all the wrong places. She cringed, reading it now, as she would have delighted over it as a child. Yet, the guiding principle was sound. Nikka had hesitated to save Agga, because she knew that she couldn't save all of the Roaneu. Agga was worth saving on her own. Having befriended her, learned from her, listened to her, been served by her, Nikka owed it to Agga to help her however she could.

Maybe there was a chance that by helping Agga, it would be a first step towards helping the others. Of course, maybe it would be the key to her own undoing. Jilli was going to know something was different when she entered her workshop and there would be consequences.

The only question in her mind right now was what those consequences would be.

“Why, why, why do I have to go today?”

Luka had been in the middle of writing one last pleading letter to May, asking her to meet him at their “spot” in the woods behind the inn, when Joah had shown up. The Initiates had to attend a special meeting. Setting his letter aside, he got up to join his friend, and together they walked out to the large meadow near their preferred bath house.

Sunlight filtered through the constant clouds, but there was no rain today. Luka wondered if the Terris had arranged it somehow. The grass was damp, though, and clung to his pant legs.

The meadow was filled with Initiates, who trampled the tall grasses underfoot as they milled about, talking and playing around. Joah walked over to where Grem and Brelle stood. Head nods ensued, as they greeted one another in that universal boy way.

“What are you doing here, Luka?” asked Grem. “You don't even have a Lumenta yet.”

“Shut up, Grem,” said Joah, jumping to Luka's defense.

“Why? He's right. I don't,” said Luka. “I shouldn't be here.”

“Come on, Luka. You're still a part of the tribe, and one of us,” said Brelle, brushing back his hair.

Duor Hama clapped his hands together, calling for the Initiate's attention.

“I'm sure you are wondering why we called you here today. This is something of a ritual for us. On the last week before the first session in the Citadel, we bring all the Initiates here to go through this ceremony.

“We're going to have you all gather together and one at a time, channel your Lumenta. The Duor will assist you in how to do it. Deep in the soul of each member in the Terris tribe, is a connection to your Lumenta. It takes a long time to become good at it, which is why it takes a whole year just to begin. Today will be your first step.”

The Initiates buzzed with conversation and excitement, in anticipation of what was going to come next. Even as his heart sank at Duor Hama's words, Luka himself was interested in what was about to take place. He held his tongue while the others chattered, and waited for Duor Hama to continue.

“As I said before, we will go one at a time. Several Duor will be moving through the crowd and they will come to you, one by one. Then, with their help, you will call to your Lumenta, and hopefully it will come to visit you today!”

There was an exclamation from several Initiates at this revelation. For a moment, Luka envied them, then he remembered that he had no interest in staying with the Terris. He was only biding his time until he could convince May to run away with him and become tribeless.

The Initiates milled around, waiting for their turn. Luka deliberately left the others and went to the other side of the field to sit on a large rock and watch the proceedings. He found his attention captured by Duor Ethos, maybe it was because she was so much taller than some of the others, with her gentle horns seeming to sway as she moved through the crowd. As she spoke with her first Initiate, a girl that Luka was having trouble remembering the name of, the girl looked confused and then she closed her eyes.

When she opened her mouth, a charming bird call came out of her mouth and Luka watched in astonishment as a sparrow fluttered in from a nearby tree and landed in her hands. All the students around her clapped and cried out in astonishment, which startled the bird, who flew off again.

“Did the bird say anything?” one of the girls asked her.

“It said, 'Good morning.'” said the Initiate, still stunned that she could call a bird to her.

Luka watched the next girl have her turn, and wait for an animal to show up, but nothing came.

“It's no matter,” said Duor Ethos. “Many times, if an animal is coming from a great distance, it takes awhile for them to answer the call. Good job, my dear.”

It was hours later, and close to sunset when the last of the Initiates took their turns. Many of the others had already ambled away from the field after the first few hours. After each had their turn to try calling their Lumenta, the Duor gave them leave to stay or go. There were only five other Initiates left, and half of the Duor had left as well. Luka hadn't moved. He had watched each Initiate with interest, then with increasing boredom, but since he hadn't had his
turn
, he couldn't leave.

Duor Ethos left her last Initiate, stopped to speak to Duor Hama, then looked at Luka, perched on his rock. She walked over and stood before him.

“Luka, haven't you had your turn yet?” she asked, holding out a hand for him to help her up onto the rock next to him. He had no idea how she accomplished it with her sharp hooves.

She arranged her skirts as she sat down, and laid a hand on his shoulder. He felt tears prick his eyes at her kindness, but shook his head.

“What's the point?” he asked, voice gruff with pent up emotions.

“Luka, you have a Lumenta, even if we haven't discovered what it is yet. I think you deserve a turn as much as the other Initiates do.”

He thought about that for a moment, and admitted to himself that despite his feelings for May, he wanted to fit in here. More than anything, he wanted to not be different any more—he wanted to belong. It was horrible, feeling like an outcast most of the time.

“What do I do?” he asked, turning to her.

“Nothing much, dear boy. Just close your eyes and concentrate until you feel the spark of who you are deep in your being. When you do, open your mouth and whatever you are will make itself known. I will be very interested to see what answers your call,” she said, looking at him.

“Okay,” he said and closed his eyes as she had instructed.

It was hard to block out the noise in his own mind—conflict, loss, confusion, anguish, longing, and need covered him, keeping him from being able to find his center. After a few minutes, he seemed to plunge past them until he felt it, the itch that had begun when he'd had his dream. He focused on it, not knowing precisely what it was or how to use it, but he knew there was power to be found on that path. With moments of intense concentration, he felt it build inside of him, until suddenly there was no holding back the cry that escaped him.

He felt Ethos jump at its release and couldn't blame her, it was a savage cry, angry, piercing and achingly beautiful. It sounded almost like the shriek of a hawk or the call of an eagle, but there was a power behind it that made him question what the sound's origins were.

“Well, well, Luka,” said Duor Hama, clapping as he approached. “It seems that you have a Lumenta after all.”

She ran all the way back to Jilli's house, heart pounding. The High Council meetings were supposed to continue until tomorrow evening, so everything was clear for her to break into Jilli's workshop and take back the fur for Agga.

If I can manage to break the spell
, she thought.

“Agga!” she called, racing through the door and into the kitchen. “I can do it, I know how!”

Agga stood, holding a towel, staring at her.

“I can break the binding spell, Agga. I can set you free,” she said.

The little creature's hands trembled and she set down the towel.

“Are you sure, pup?” her voice was cautious, but her eyes were full of hope and fear.

“I'm almost certain. Before she left, Jilli gave me a puzzle, of sorts, to solve. It was a binding spell she placed on a book. She told me it was a special spell that most people couldn't break. I think it's what she used on your pelt.

“I'll need your help to get into her workshop, though. Is it locked?”

“Herself always locks it, but she's foolish enough to use common magic for that. It should pose no problems for one such as you, pup.”

Nikka walked over to her friend, clasped her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.

“I will do this for you before I leave. I can't save all of the Roaneu, but I can at least try to help you escape her, Agga,” said Nikka, then she turned and walked down the hall to where the door of the workshop was.

Agga was right, the lock was simple to disable. Stepping through the door, she realized that breaking the spell would be the easiest part of her task. She still had to find the pelt in all this mess.

The workshop looked much the way it had in her dream. The cupboards hung open, the drawers were filled with a disorganized mess of objects, and the room's main table was filled with a plethora of items that seemed to have no order or reason.

“How does she get any work done in here?” Nikka wondered to herself as she started to look through the things.

She was careful to use her other sight, so she could spot any traps or snares that Jilli had left out for someone to fall into. Starting at one end of the room, she worked her way through the shelves and drawers and endless cupboards. She came up empty every time, and after several hours realized she wasn't finding what she was looking for.

Nikka decided to take a different tack. She looked and felt for the most powerful Aquis spells she could sense in the room and that was what led her to the floorboard near the end of the table. There was another common magic lock on it, but once Nikka released it, she was able to lift the board and feel the button beneath it. She pushed it and looked up, startled, as a doorway opened in the wall.

The doorway led to a set of stairs, which Nikka followed, with the help of a light she made herself. At the foot of the stairs was a room almost too small for a person, but it gleamed with spells. The strongest of the spells came from two places, the first was a chest next to a small table and chair. There was a pen and paper on the table, and it seemed to be a place where Jilli wrote.

She sat in the chair and lifted the chest onto her lap, where it fit snugly. The spell was over the lock, but this was the same type of spell as the one Jilli had shown her before. With a bit of effort, she was able to find the glowing ball and follow it with her finger to break the spell. When she opened the box she saw many files in it, each labeled: Sanguis, Aquis, Aeris, Terris, Ignis. Exclaiming over the last, she slid it out of the box and scanned the contents.

It was a shocking bit of writing, and she felt shaken to the core when she read it. She knew that she was holding a piece of information that Zyander and his tribe should read at once, but she wasn't sure what to do with it. She thought about it a moment more, then closing her eyes, she felt for him. It took seconds this time, so familiar was his presence to her mind and there he was, his small glowing palm and the other dimmer light that seemed to follow him. She sent the folder to him, hoping he would know what to do with it. Then she closed the box without reading any of the other files. It was too dangerous to stay down here. Jilli would might kill anyone who had access to the information in the box.

Nikka concentrated, remembering the spell, and placed a new binding spell on the lock. It didn't include the alert for Jilli in case of someone tampering with it, but Nikka hoped she wouldn't notice, because of the distraction of losing the pelt.

The other strong spell in the room was in a small wall closet, doors hanging slightly open. Using both hands, she pulled them apart, gasping when she saw what hung on the hook inside.

The pelt was there, as she had suspected, but she was a fool for thinking it would be easy to break. This spell was nothing like the one on the box, it was clear that Jilli valued this pelt above anything else, so complicated were its twists and turns.

It took her an hour before she spotted the glowing ball and she made herself watch it to catch its rhythm before she attempted to work on the spell. She finally did, and lifted her finger to follow it, dancing in and out of the lighted lines in front of her. After a long time, it was done, the spell once again collapsed.

Nikka took the pelt in her hands and shuddered at the raw power she felt against her skin. She realized at that moment, that she had been wrong all along. This pelt was the reason that Jilli wanted it—Agga had nothing to do with it. The pelt had enough power to be tempting to the most innocent of tribe members, much less in the hands of a woman like Jilli.

Nikka shook as she realized how little her life would be worth once she gave the pelt back to its rightful owner, but the deed was done and there was no turning back. The fur was Agga's and it would be hers to wear again.