First Comes The One Who Wanders (16 page)

The catman growled in his throat and his paw-like hands clinched and unclenched, the talons on the ends of his fingers shining blackly in the firelight. He stepped toward Leilas and once again doubled over in pain. "Who protects you?" he gasped, backing away from her.

Leilas shrugged her shoulders. "All gifts come from the Creator. So if I'm protected, I suppose he's the one protecting me."

The magik growled again and backed away another step. "You may heal your puny friends. I'll have my revenge later, at my master's side."

"Let's hope that isn't true," murmured Leilas, turning to her mother.

"I'm well enough child, you don't need to bother with me. See to Joshuas."

"I'll get to him, but I'll heal you first." Her mother didn't question her ability to heal. Somehow, her mother always seemed to know what she was capable of doing, sometimes even before she knew. Putting her hands on either side of her mother's face, Leilas once again began to hum. She could feel the power draining out of her as the screeching began again. Brenth and her mother had been grievously hurt. The whips had cut deeply, and the wounds had already begun to fester from the filth that covered the thongs of the whip. If she hadn't intervened, Leilas wasn't convinced they would have lived once they arrived in Menas. But then, the dark crafter hadn't promised that they would live, only that they would arrive. She felt her mother slump forward and dropped her hands in time to catch her. With a thought, she unbound Brenth and he moved forward to take care of his mother.

"She'll be fine," Leilas assured him. "It's just harder as you get older." Brenth nodded, and shot a quick look at their captors before he sat down next to his mother and wrapped her in her cloak and let her lean against him.

Leilas glanced at the dark soldiers before heading back to Joshuas. It wasn't difficult to understand that they were gauging her power and energy, waiting for an opportunity. They enjoyed inflicting pain and fear. They hated her for her ability to undo what they'd done. Humbling her and seeing her suffer would bring them double pleasure. The pleasure they derived from pain and the pleasure of breaking one who'd conquered them.

But she'd fight them to the death, and they'd lose in the end. She was sure furry face's master didn't want her dead and they'd pay with their pain and their lives for their disobedience.

"You next," she said as she knelt in front of Joshuas. She placed her hands on either side of his head, but before she could begin, he grabbed her hands.

"How can you do this? You told me you hadn't learned healing from Master Frey. Is this a gift from the Creator?"

"All gifts are from the Creator, but I learned healing from Trion. He's a very old healer I met recently."

"You met him quite recently?"

Leilas touched the ring on her finger. "It's difficult to explain and now is not the time to try."

Joshuas wanted to argue, she could see it in his eyes, but he dropped his hands and she began to hum.

Joshua’s injuries were different. Inflicted by a crafter, they were wrapped in dark magik to bind them, to keep them from healing. Calling on all she'd learned from Trion, she shifted the song she was humming. This melody was more complex and the pitch was deeper and richer. The dark soldiers began to howl louder and the dark crafter began to growl, his shape shifting to the animal in him. Leilas could only hope that whatever had protected her thus far would continue to protect her until she could turn her attention fully on this evil creature. But even then, she wouldn’t be able to banish him to whatever lay beyond this world for creatures like him. She'd given him her word.

Probing cautiously, she followed the path of magic that bound each wound to its root. Some of them had already reached out for the life energy that flowed through Joshuas' veins. Leilas was amazed at the strength of the energy and the purity. If she'd ever doubted this man, she could doubt him no longer. He was truly a champion of light.

When the last traces of evil were gone, Leilas sagged to the ground. "Protect me. If they will attack, it will be now."

Joshuas stepped in front of her, his hand on his sword and silently challenged the soldiers in front of him. It was twelve to one, but he'd take half of them with him before he went down. Brenth, seeing Joshuas take his stand, stood in front of his mother, his hand also ready at his sword.

"I won't give you the satisfaction, crafter," hissed the dark magik. "She's promised to come with me. I'll have my revenge at my master's pleasure."

"Perhaps your master has underestimated her," taunted Joshuas quietly.

"Then I'll have my revenge when the opportunity arises. I'm patient, but my memory is long. You should rest now. We leave as soon as the sun rises."

Joshuas waited until he'd turned his back on the prisoners and ordered his minions away before he turned back to Leilas. "Are you all right?" He gathered her up off the ground and settled her against the rock he'd been using as a rest.

"I'm just tired and thirsty. Is there any water?"

"Some. They wouldn't let us fill our skins at any of the streams we passed." He handed her a water skin that was less than half full. She'd have liked to drain it, the vestiges of the desert she'd left behind still in her mind. But she knew this was all the water they'd be allowed until they reached Menas. Taking two mouthfuls, she reluctantly handed the water skin back to Joshuas.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you from this. It's my fault you're in this danger. You should've left me in the cave."

"Would you have left me?"

Leilas closed her eyes and shook her head. "I wouldn't have been able to leave you."

"The same power that compels you, guides me as well. I've chosen to follow that path my whole life, which has stretched across six hundred years, no matter if I suffer indignities along the way from such as these."

"I hope I can be as faithful to the light as you have been."

"It's for every person to choose."

"Even if the mists and the portents and prophecies suggest that it should be otherwise." Leilas smiled briefly. How many times had she had this same conversation with Solein? Someone wanted her to learn this lesson well. Her smile faded when she thought about the dark master she was getting ready to face. Yesterday, she'd never heard of the Chidra or Rengailai. Today, she was going to face him, knowing she wasn’t ready. Had it really only been a day? In her mind, many years had passed, years of wandering, years of learning, years of enduring evil and fighting hopelessness. As she struggled against her fatigue, she gave a short prayer of thanks for Solein's gift of the ring, which finally gave her the ability to remember what she'd learned in Neothera, the land of endless wandering.

"Since they are giving us the opportunity, I think we should move closer to Brenth and Daina," said Joshuas. If the need arises, four in a square are better than two back to back."

Leilas nodded and climbed to her feet. They encountered no resistance to their move and Leilas sank down next to her mother.

"I'll take the first watch," said Joshuas, settling in next to her, his eyes on the dark soldiers. "I don't think we should trust this truce. Just so you know, I will fight the next time they decide they want to chastise me for being too slow."

"Me as well," said Brenth. He turned to Leilas. "You may have given your word for our sakes. But I didn't give my word and I won't let them treat mother that way again. I shouldn't have let them this time."

"Sometimes it takes more courage to endure than to fight," said Joshuas gently.

"So it does," agreed Leilas with a fatality that was new to her. Touching the ring on her finger, she remembered all that she'd endured, rather than fought. There was much that was evil in Neothera, but she'd never forgotten that all those who were there were crafters of Light magic.

"You did well," Joshuas continued. "Don't discount your actions too quickly."

Morning came much too early. Leilas opened her eyes to the light filtering through the leaves of the trees, the sound of birds singing to the light, and dew covering everything. It was such a stark contrast to the years of desert sand, orange skies and desolate rock that tears sprang to her eyes at the beauty. Sitting up, she found her mother on watch. Brenth and Joshuas were still sleeping. The dark soldiers were littered around the fire, lying wherever they could find a warm spot. The sun had not quite risen, but she knew as soon as it had, the soldiers would be up harrying them to be on their way.

"You should have let me take my turn at watch."

"You're ill," her mother replied. "You needed a good rest. We'll be in Menas by mid-day and I'll be able to rest there. You won't have that opportunity."

"It'll be better that I leave you in Menas."

"I know. But that doesn't make me like it any better." Her mother smiled wryly. "You're my youngest daughter. I'd like to keep you near me, but I've always known that you must leave."

"Is that why you were always trying to push me away?"

"It's hard to have the gift of sight. Sometimes what you see, keeps you from giving of yourself too freely, because you know there will be a cost in the future."

Leilas wondered if that were true of all Menas or just her mother. As a crafter, she'd have to face the loss of loved ones over generations. Crafters had faced that reality since the inception. Were all of them just as aloof, just as reluctant to form attachments that would end? Leilas glanced over at Joshuas. It wasn't a question that one tended to ask the masters, perhaps for fear of the answer.

"There's some jerky left in my pack. We were offered no dinner. I doubt they offer us breakfast."

"Then you should eat. I can do without."

"You've been ill."

"So have you," Leilas broke off her argument. "You go prepare to leave. I'll keep watch for now." Leilas settled herself near a tree and watched both the dark warriors and her companions as they went about their morning rituals. There were a few of the dark magiks who chittered something about teaching her a lesson when they ventured near her as they prepared to leave. But none were willing to risk the wrath of their master. It was clear they'd been threatened with some vile punishment if they hurt her. The others were fair game, but furry face was not willing to bring her to his master less than whole.

It wasn't long until a group of eight surrounded them and herded them to their mounts, urging them along with the points of their pikes. "Touch me with that again and I will kill you," growled Joshuas, when one poked him less than gently.

The guard chittered something unintelligible, but moved back. Joshuas mounted his horse and lined up behind Daina, who was behind Brenth. Leilas mounted her horse, grabbing its mane for reins and brought up the rear. The pull of Neothera had grown stronger in the night and was beckoning her now, but she knew she had to resist it until they reached Menas.

The guards lined up on either side of them and they began to move slowly toward Menas. As her mother had predicted, they'd been offered no breakfast and no water. She'd seen Brenth munching a small piece of jerky. She hadn't seen Joshuas eat anything. But the Creator willing, they'd be in Menas within a few hours and this ordeal would be over, for them.

The guards kept up a steady noise of chittering. After the sun had traveled two slivers, Leilas thought she'd go crazy if they didn't stop. But they didn't stop. Instead, they began to poke at their captives with their sticks. The first time one of the pikes touched one of her companions, Leilas broke the pike. The goblin who'd wielded it jumped at her. Three words later, he lay dead. If Leilas had thought the chittering was unbearable before, now it was deafening. Leilas and her companions found themselves in the middle of a fight for their lives.

They were quickly pulled from their mounts and found themselves surrounded by dark creatures ranging in size from goblins, to two orcs who proved to be an intimidating presence. Grabbing the pike from the fallen soldier, Leilas lunged for the nearest orc. Joshuas followed, drawing his weapon they'd so kindly left him, and slashed at the orc in front of him. Brenth and Daina concentrated on the goblins.

After running the pike through her opponent, Leilas looked for the dark master. She could feel him calling on the dark powers and knew if she didn't stop him, they'd soon be facing more than a dozen soldiers. Hacking a pathway for herself, she moved through the knot of warriors and stepped in front of the cat man, who was busy drawing symbols in the ground and chanting. Leilas laid the tip of her pike on his throat, and pushed just enough to catch his attention.

"You gave your word," he chittered at her.

"That's why you're still alive. But I didn't sanction torture all the way to Menas for my companions. Your soldiers will receive justice."

"And this one will receive vengeance," said a strange voice in her head. And with that warning, the cat man shrieked and fell dead, blood trickling from his mouth.

Leilas raised her pike and twirled, looking for the new enemy. She saw that her companions had conquered the rest of the enemy and were looking for her.

"They can no longer see you. They'll hunt until they despair and then they'll continue to Menas, as you wished. But I've grown tired of waiting for you and have come for you myself."