Fifthwind (18 page)

"Not
really, or at least not in any normal way. I really shouldn't use the
word
see
when describing any of this. It's definitely more of
a feeling." Ben held out his arms and spun slowly with them
outstretched. "It's very unusual."

Ben
brought his focus back onto Kyla and he marveled at the shifting
silhouette of dancing light around her. There were no colors, only
varying degrees of light and shadow, but the image was crystal clear.
There was no mistaking her form and even her hair seemed to glow in
the light of his mind. He did not understand the loss of color
vision, but even draped in the gray veil of his Mindsight, she was
stunning. "You're even more beautiful this way."

"How
many fingers am I showing?" Kyla said.

Ben
concentrated on Kyla and turned his attention to her hands. After a
moment he laughed. "Not fair, you've got your hands behind your
back!" He strained his thoughts, "Hold on, I think I can still do
this. I'll try..."

Ben
relaxed his mind, focusing only on the young woman framed in light
before him. He let his mind follow the contours of her arms down to
her narrow wrists. The slight curve of her waist momentarily
distracted him and he moved back up to behold her soft hair moving
slowly in the breeze.

"If
I didn't know better, I'd think you were taking advantage of the
situation," Kyla said nervously. "Concentrate on my hands."

A
glimpse of movement behind Kyla distracted him and he turned his
attention toward it. There stood the three trees he expected to find
and a vague figure standing between them that he did not. The shape
stood eerily still like a lifeless brush stroke on a colorless
canvas.

Ben's
pulse quickened. He stood and cautiously moved toward the mysterious
shape, concentrating until the details grew clearer. "Kyla, move
toward me," he almost whispered.

"What
was that?" Kyla asked.

"We
have a visitor." Ben pointed toward the figure next to the tree
which slowly began to move away.

"Ben,
there's no one there."

Ben
again pointed to the figure. "Next to the tree—"

The
shadowy figure lifted itself off the ground and began to fade until
it was nothing more than a vague shimmering disturbance in the air; a
churning mass of dark, smoky shadows that Ben instantly recognized.
The figure that he had encountered on his first day in Kishell
Springs had returned.

Ben
struggled with great difficulty to maintain focus on the shape. He
urgently reached up and tore the blindfold from his eyes and the
piecing bright light nearly blinded him. He staggered in the snow,
and pointed to the empty space between the trees. "Someone was
there," he said.

Kyla
looked again to the tree and pointed. "There!"

In
the same spot Ben had indicated, the air shimmered briefly and then a
figure came into perfect view as if stepping through a veiled
doorway. A tall man wearing a black cloak stood silently before them,
his drooping hood concealing his face except for his mouth and
bearded chin.

Ben
reached for his sword, but was met with a disapproving finger from
the stranger. There was no sign of aggression, and Ben was sure he
glimpsed a smile in the shadowy recess beneath the visitor's hood.
Kyla dared not move from where she stood speechless several steps to
Ben's right.

The
three remained in mutual stillness for several moments, until the
figure turned to Kyla. Placing a gloved hand over his chest, the
stranger offered a slight bow from the waist, and then turned back to
Ben. The stranger waited for another few seconds before giving Ben a
casual nod. Without a word, the stranger then took a single step
backward and faded into the same nothingness from which he had
appeared.

Ben
ran up the embankment on the roadside and scrambled up to the trees.
He looked through the snow and found no signs of anything ever having
been there. He turned and looked into Kyla's frightened eyes, "Please
tell me that you saw that!"

Kyla
opened her mouth to answer, but only managed to nod her head.

Ben
moved back down to the road. "That makes twice now. Three times, if
I count the other one I saw the night Tad died."

Kyla
found her voice and stammered, "Are you saying that this has
happened before?"

"Yes,"
Ben said with certainty. He thought for a moment and knew there was a
distinct difference between what he had just seen and the figure he
had encountered the night of Tad's death. The gray-clad figure he had
seen with the Murg had clearly meant to do him harm, while this
stranger seemed more curious than threatening.

Kyla
raised a hand to her mouth and her eyes grew wide as if sudden
understanding had reached her. "Father mentioned that it was only a
matter of time before your talents would draw some attention."

"From
who?"

"I
don't know. I just thought he meant you would get your due
recognition for helping us... but now I think he might have meant
more by it."

Ben
grabbed Kyla by the arm and started walking westward, back toward
town. He periodically glanced back and kept his pace brisk. The
watcher in the woods had returned, and there was at least one man in
Kishell Springs that might to know why. "Your father has got some
explaining to do!"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Where's
Vincent!" Ben said, as he pushed through the door of the Masked
Pig. His boots fell heavily on the wooden floor planks while Kyla
scampered to keep up. The tavern appeared empty except for a table
near the front where four men looked up, startled at the sudden
intrusion on their quiet conversation.

With
Kyla still on his heels, Ben made his way directly through the common
room and straight out the back door. The stockyard was bare; the last
of the wagons had left and no new visitors had arrived yet for the
day. Snow was beginning to fall again, and the sky was turning from a
powder white to a deeper gray. If it continued to get colder, Kishell
Springs might see its first significant snowfall of the year by
morning.

He
turned and made his way back into the rear door of the tavern the
same way he had left only a moment before. "Vincent!"

"I'm
here, Ben." Vincent said calmly from a small table nestled in the
corner beside the stairs. He was sitting with James Holton and
William Babbitt. "I tried to stop you a minute ago, but you blew
through here too fast." He pushed out a chair with his foot. "I
take it you've heard."

Ben
moved to the chair, spun it around backwards and straddled it with
his arms crossed atop the back. He briefly acknowledged Jimmy who
returned with a simple nod. Greggor and Trent came in through the
rear door and quietly took chairs at an adjacent table, but did not
interrupt the conversation already in progress. Babbitt stood and
offered his chair to Kyla. Ben leveled his gaze at Vincent.

"Heard
what?"

Vincent
sighed, "There's been another killing." He motioned to Babbitt
that their conversation was over, and the chubby holy man turned to
leave.

Ben
stopped him. "Another killing? Who? Where?"

William
Babbitt was pale as if he had just gone through the worst day of his
life. He moved toward the door slowly and almost mumbled his
response, "It was children. In the early morning hours on the south
edge of town."

"In
town? In daylight?" Ben exclaimed.

"No,
not now!" Kyla's heart sank, "We're not ready."

Vincent
said, "Plus, there were witnesses. No longer is there any doubt
among the people of Kishell Springs that we're under assault by
unnatural things. It's my fault. I shouldn't have worried myself with
the consequences of panic. I should have found a way to convince
them."

"You
tried, and they repaid you with ridicule," Kyla said. "Maybe it's
better that everyone knows. Now we can stand together and face this
threat."

Vincent
managed a slight smile for his daughter's benefit and made a sweeping
gesture with his hand. "These inns will be our new homes. We've
already sent word to everyone to gather their most needed belongings
and come to the center of town. Holton House can accommodate about a
third of them."

Ben
stood and turned to face Jimmy. "How many people are still in
Kishell Springs? I know most of them leave during the winter months
anyway, and that a lot more have left because of the rumors of
thieves and... monsters." He paused. It bothered him that it was
getting easier to say.

Jimmy
said, "I don't know for sure, but I'd have to guess that there are
fewer than two-hundred still here, most of them too old or stubborn
to leave. Holton House and the two inns directly across from us are
plenty big enough to hold everyone. There'll be no problem housing
and feeding them, but protection is another problem altogether. We
don't have the usual amount of soldiers this time of year."

Ben
asked, "How many can we count on?"

Jimmy
squinted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "The Horne
Trading Company just pulled in this morning from D'Gorn. They're one
of the larger groups that come through Kishell Springs regularly and
they've settled in over at Harry's Hideout, that big place just
across from us. By the looks of their team, I'd say they had twenty
armed men. Combine that with the smaller companies and the
stragglers, I'd say we could count on about fifty or so."

Ben
knew it would never be enough. Even if the enemy lacked numbers, snow
would soon close the valley. The Murg would have the entire winter to
pick the town clean. If there were even a remote chance that they
made it through the next few months, they would be in desperate need
of reinforcements by then. Ben found himself making the decision that
he most wanted to avoid: The involvement of the Kingdom.

"We
send a runner to the garrison at Bannor. It'll take a capable man to
make it through the pass now that the snows are coming.
Alternatively, he could try the route through the South Torn, but
that'll take longer and will pose equal dangers I'm sure. Either way,
we get word to the Kingdom and have reinforcements here by spring."

Jimmy
sighed, "What good will that do us?"

"None,
I'm afraid," Ben admitted. "If we manage to survive the next few
months, we'll be glad to see those blue uniforms coming over the
western ridge. If we've fallen, then they'll continue the fight and
make our last stand count for something."

Kyla
shivered at the thought of Ben's words. "You make it all sound so
final."

"They've
moved against us in our own homes and in daylight. This is just the
beginning, and it is about to get worse."

He
saw Babbitt heading for the door and called out to him, "You
should stay here with the others. It'll be the safest place for you."

The
holy man turned and pulled his hood over his head and threw his scarf
around his neck. "I'll be fine. My temple has many places for me to
hide in the event of intruders. Don't worry for me." At that, he
passed through the door and was gone.

Jimmy
stood. "We've still got several hours until sunset and there
doesn't seem to be much we can do at the moment except prepare for
our guests. I'll tell my cooks to fire up for a full house." He
headed off toward the kitchen with the intense stride of a man thirty
years his junior.

Jimmy
was right, there was nothing more to do than sit and wait. The inns
were solid, easily defensible structures. With regular patrols
outside, there was no reason to think they would not be safe, except
for the fact that the enemy's numbers were unknown.

Ben
shook his head in frustration. "Where's Mason!"

Vincent
scooted his chair up to the table again and quickly changed the
subject. "When you came in here, you were all wound up about
something. If it wasn't this morning's tragedy that brought you in
here all excited, then what?"

Ben
made an effort to release the tension steadily building behind his
eyes. He took a deep breath and put his thoughts together.

Kyla
touched her father's hand and said, "I'll see what I can do to help
Jimmy." She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and then
turned to Ben, pressing her check against his and wrapping her arm
around his neck. In that brief hug, she whispered into his ear,
"We're all glad that you're here, so be nice." She left for the
kitchen with only a short glance and a smile toward Ben. He returned
the smile, and then turned his attention back to Vincent who seemed
curious about the brief show of affection. Ben had other, more
pressing matters on his mind.

"Can
you think of anyone who would have cause to be watching me? To be
interested in the skills I've developed?"

"You've
seen something," Vincent said, "Haven't you?"

"Yes,"
Ben admitted. "I mentioned the man in gray that I encountered the
night Tad died, but now, there has also been another. Who would be
watching me?"

A
worried look came over Vincent's face. "I think it's possible that
you've seen one of those who are controlling the Murg. I've been
thinking about it since you mentioned the Murg's use of weapons and
armor. It's possible that they are here and the Murg are not acting
alone."

"Who
are they?"

Vincent
began to bite his fingernail. "The old texts refer to them as The
Magus Core. They're an ancient group that was right here in Kishell
Springs long ago during the Breaking of the Soul. They had learned to
manipulate the Fifthwind to a great degree and had become powerful
sorcerers who sought to destroy the rest of us, the ones they deemed
inferior."

Ben
interrupted, "Sorcerers?"

"The
Fifthwind is a source of immense power to those who understand how to
use it. I don't know much about The Core other than what a few books
have to say, but if they are here, they are certainly in league with
the Murg."