Fifthwind (30 page)

Cobalius
casually shifted his position and looked up at the cloudy sky, "But
just like today, Cyril noticed shadows rolling over the ground. There
wasn't much time."

The
rain is coming

"The
corn was too big for him to carry all by himself. He would need help.
So, he rushed back to the nest empty handed and called for others to
come and help him. There was a general consensus of disappointment
that Cyril had been gone all day and had come back with nothing.
There was food to be found nearby and never any need to have gone so
far. Cyril insisted that it would be well worth the effort and that
there was no time to argue."

The
clouds are coming. It will rain and the corn will be washed away

"Dozens
of workers joined Cyril, and they rushed to the location of the
promised feast. Once they arrived, Cyril instructed them to work
together so that they might make it back before sunset. He again
noticed the shadows passing over and called for them to hurry."

The
clouds are thick, the rain will be terrible and the water will run
swift

Ben
had no idea where the story was leading, and worse yet, he was sure
that it had nothing to do with the situation at hand. But, Cobalius
was intent on telling the tale and Ben was in no mood to object and
receive another admonition.

Cobalius
continued, "Cyril pushed his team hard and allowed no breaks.
Everyone was growing tired, but he assured them that it would all be
worth it in the end. If he could only get the corn back to the nest,
then all the extra effort would be forgiven. Meanwhile, back at the
nest, the families of the workers anxiously awaited their return.
More shadows gathered overhead and Cyril could feel the weight of
them on his shoulders."

The
clouds are black, the water will be deep and uncrossable and the corn
will be lost

Cobalius
paused and glanced at Ben, "But they never made it home and were
never heard from again."

"What
happened?" Ben asked, knowing that he was being baited. Still, if
this story had any point at all he might as well hear what it was.

"Cyril's
cloud was never really there at all. While he fretted about taking
care of his family and friends at all costs, he failed to understand
the true nature of the threat. Blinded by his compulsion, he never
bothered to take the time to step back and look. If he had, he would
have noticed there were no clouds in the sky.

"Then
why did he fail?"

Cobalius
tossed a twig into the fire and looked up at Ben to emphasize his
point. "The shadows were cast by a flock of gathering birds who
were also out looking for a meal."

Cobalius
stood and smiled, "Not only did Cyril's lack of vision cost him his
own life, but also the lives of his friends. In the end, the nest
went without food and suffered even more."

"Never
lose sight of the larger issue," Ben said, relaxing his grip on his
sword and letting the weapon slide back into its sheath. "You could
have made that point without the ridiculous story."

Cobalius
shrugged, "I suppose so, but I needed to slow things down. You were
poised to either question me to death or start a fight. Long stories
tend to have a calming effect. It got your hand off that sword of
yours didn't it?"

Ben
couldn't help but roll his eyes like a disrespectful child, "You
made that whole story up just now, didn't you?"

Cobalius
only smiled and went back to his work tending the roasting meat and
stirring the pot of stewing vegetables. He looked like an overdressed
aristocrat pretending to rough-it on picnic day. The simple meal,
though cooked on a hilltop over a small wood fire, was probably the
best prepared food Ben had tasted since the palace in Arden City.

Cobalius
added as an afterthought, "Whether you will accept it or not, that
story carries some timely advice."

Ben
had to admit that the story did carry an important message. Even
Vincent had revealed that the problem with the Murg was much more
than it seemed. Cobalius had correctly pointed out that there was
much more at stake than the survival of those in Kishell Springs. Tad
had known this when he wrote a call for aid to the King, and Ben had
known it when he concluded Tad's intention and sent out that very
same message. As an officer of the Kingdom, he well understood the
balance of war. Battles would be lost, and Kishell Springs may well
be the first, but the war must be won at all costs.

Ben
caught himself in mid-thought and rebutted, "Never at the cost of
Kyla, Mason and the others. I am obligated to protect them."

"Friendship
and good intentions only serve to cloud one's judgment. You might
help those you love, but at what cost? Will you sacrifice the lives
of thousands in order to save a single friend? What good is their
safety today if they will only suffer more tomorrow?"

Ben
said, "A threat must be faced and destroyed as it presents itself.
Worrying over what might come next is a fool's game!"

"I
once knew a man who felt the same way," Cobalius said.

"Another
story?" Ben retorted. "Another tale to justify your decision to
avoid involvement?"

Cobalius
spoke with a cold unemotional tone, "A man who had the
responsibility to protect a young woman. She trusted him without any
hesitation or reservations and placed her life willingly in his
hands. But, he was so focused on the threat he could see, that the
threat he overlooked ended up costing the girl her life."

Something
inside Ben snapped and anger welled up inside. Anecdotes for the sake
of argument was one thing, but there was no cause to open old wounds
to make a simple point. The burden he carried over the death of the
Lady Elaine was a personal grief that he held close and guarded deep
inside his own heart. Ben lashed out at Cobalius, "How dare you
judge me!"

"This
isn't about you."

Ben's
face was growing red with tension. "You just made it about me!"

Cobalius
turned his back and stood silently for what seemed like an eternity.
He then turned and spoke softly, "That story was about my daughter,
and I am the man who failed her. Just as Cyril lost sight of what was
important, so did I fail those dear to me. I will never let it happen
again."

Ben
started to spit back a rebuttal when the words sank in. Cobalius had
shared his own burden and his own grief. The parallels between
himself and this man were uncanny. He stopped himself and met the
stranger's eyes. In that far away stare, Ben saw compassion and
concern and a wisdom wrought from pain.

Cobalius
continued, "You can't help Kyla and Mason if you are dead any more
than I can help you if I am dead. Neither of us can help anyone if we
let ourselves be fooled into believing that the Murg are the problem.
I know you've accepted that, otherwise you would never have left your
friends to die in order to go after the Man in Gray."

Ben
stepped back knowing the logic had beaten him. Fahd Cobalius was
right again, there was only one course of action that made any sense.
He would need to find and destroy the source of the threat; he would
need to locate again and confront The Man in Gray. The Magus Core was
the heart that needed to be slain and in order to do that, he would
need to be prepared. He would need to master the skills hidden deep
within him. Vincent had believed from the beginning that he held the
elusive powers of the Fahd and he knew now that it was time he took
that step.

Ben
sighed, "Teach me."

Cobalius
approached Ben and grinned, "I wish it were that easy. The skills
of the Fahd cannot be taught. The Fahd are not selected...they are
located. Only you can know if that fate is yours."

"How
will I know."

Cobalius
gripped Ben by the shoulder and offered him a reassuring smile. "I
can help you find out."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ben
tossed another log into the small, corner hearth and was thankful to
have slept indoors for the first time in three days. The one-room,
stone dwelling was modest and scarcely large enough for two, but it
was better than sleeping outside in the cold. After the second night
on the hilltop, Cobalius had taken Ben a short distance to the
abandoned safehold. It had taken less than an hour's walk to arrive,
and Ben was resentful for not having been brought there sooner.

The
structure was old and hidden well within a thickly wooded grove. It
was one of possibly many guard posts going back to the days of
Stonewall. A mound of earth half-buried the backside, and the outer
walls were covered with a carpet of green moss. The roof had been
recently replaced but would leak if rain were to come. Fortunately,
any possible precipitation would be in the form of snow for the next
several months.

So
far, Ben's relationship with Fahd Cobalius had left him frustrated
and confused. What he had ardently hoped would be a concentrated
training effort had turned out to be little more than lessons in
philosophy and ethics, as if Cobalius were testing the merit of Ben's
character before deciding whether or not to train him. He had been
asked a myriad of unusual and personal questions ranging from his
opinion on the virtues of marriage, to whether or not he preferred
royal service over private employment. He was even asked if seafaring
made him sick. It was all very perplexing.

Ben
moved to the door and shook off a momentary chill as he stepped
outside. Morning was breaking, and the day promised to be bright and
clear. There was no wind, but it was cold. He pulled his cloak
tighter about him and moved to the edge of the cottage. From that
vantage point, he could see beyond the woods and into the valley to
the south. The sky was cloudless and blue and would likely remain so
for several days. His thoughts wandered back to Mason and Kyla and he
wondered if they were also thankful for the break in the weather.

It
was too easy to let his thoughts drift back to his friends. Now, far
removed from the immediate threats in Kishell Springs, Ben could not
help but feel he was somehow letting them down when they needed him
most. The dangers there were growing, and even though Mason and the
others were more than capable of handling things on their own, Ben
felt a personal responsibility for their safety. He felt guilty for
not being there with them.

Kyla
was foremost in his thoughts. His worry for her was perhaps unfounded
as she had proven to be a force greater than expected. She did not
need his protection but that did not change his need to provide it.
It was in his nature to protect those he cared for and loved. He had
not intended to fall for her, in fact, he had not thought it
possible. His heart was still scarred from the loss of another, and
the thought of falling in love again, while unavoidable, was still
troublesome. He knew all too well how these feelings could easily
skew his judgment and compromise his decisions, and he had never
needed Cobalius to explain that.

Responsibility
was not something that Ben took lightly. His time in the Royal
Kreggorian Guard had taught him valuable lessons in honor and
integrity. He would not leave his friends to face alone the dangers
ahead. It was fate that had brought him to Kishell Springs, where his
talents had been awakened from within, and fate that he had come to
meet Cobalius at this pivotal moment. He did not believe for a moment
that he was destined to be anything more than just a simple and
honorable man, but if nothing more he would be at least that.

Whether
Cobalius intended to or not, Ben would return to defend Kishell
Springs and those he cared about in whatever way he was able. He
wondered what was in store for him under the tutelage of Cobalius or
if teaching was even part of the man's plan. Everyday spent waiting
was another day that his companions were in danger without his help.
Fahd Cobalius may have had other ideas, but Ben was determined to
ensure that those plans included helping his friends.

Ben
rubbed his cold hands together and lifted up on his toes looking
south into the valley. "Where is he anyway?" Ben asked himself
out loud. "He's crazy if he expects me to stay here forever—"

"The
cold reminds me of home."

Ben
almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of Cobalius' voice. He
half turned, half reeled to the side to see the man standing calmly
behind him. "Stop doing that!"

Cobalius
laughed. It was a genuine, carefree laugh that gave the stoic man a
human quality that Ben had not witnessed before. "Not since I was a
child on the slopes of Crepithia have I felt air this crisp. It's
very refreshing."

"Crepithia?"

"My
home," Cobalius explained. "The mountains on the western shores
of Tania."

At
the mention of the Empire, Ben deftly drew his sword in a singularly
skilled motion. The war was over, but the mere utterance of Tania
still carried much weight. He had lost too many good friends to the
swords of the Tanians, and he was prepared to pay back that debt to
any who crossed his path.

"Now
it's my turn," Cobalius grinned. "Stop doing that!"

Ben
hesitated, but did not lower his weapon. He knew he had no quarrel
with Cobalius, but an enemy of the kingdom stood before him. He was
duty bound.

Cobalius
nearly laughed at Ben's display, "I can see that Vincent didn't
mention to you anything about the Covenant of the Fahd. If he had,
you wouldn't be pointing that thing at me."

Ben
held his stance. "Go on..."

"There
are six laws that bind us. The first of which would seem to apply to
our current situation. Do you know what this first edict states?"

"Enlighten
me." Ben's voice was cold and distrusting.

"The
Fahd offer allegiance to no King or country."