First Comes The One Who Wanders (33 page)

"I believe that is what this puzzle means," agreed Ren. "Either the Chidra is to recover the book, or it's to be the champion she chooses, but not just anyone."

"If my lady goes to Anhjou, I'll be with her," said Erion. "I've sworn to my King that I'd watch over her."

"Yes, we have knowledge of what your King has asked of you," interjected Cedric. He turned to Joshuas. "I assume you'll accompany her as well?"

"She is under my protection," said Joshuas. "As much as I'm able to protect her," he added.

Leilas had to wonder if the last was his concession that he wasn’t in control of this quest, nor was she, but powers beyond them all.

"Then it's agreed," concluded Cedric. "You'll go to Anhjou and look for the Book of Sylph. If you find it and are able, you'll bring it back here."

"I have a duty to perform before we go," Leilas reminded him. "I have to honor Master Styphan by returning his sword and crest to his family."

"In this case, my lady, I'll take that duty for you," said Ren. "Barrat was a close friend when I was serving in the Sea guild. It would be my honor to perform these last rites for him."

"I thank you Master Narwhal," replied Leilas. "The honor is mine to turn this task over to one as worthy as you."

"Now," said Cedric. "There are preparations to make. But first, Leilas would you please come forward." Leilas look at Joshuas questioningly. He shook his head as if he didn’t know what was happening. Leilas rose from her chair, and approached Cedric. When she stood in front of him, he stood as well.

"We had to work all night," he began. "Still, we did manage." He smiled fondly at the young girl standing in front of him. "It was decided a very long time ago that the Chidra should not be bound to any guild or school. Yet, we do understand," he continued, despite the defiant tilt of Leilas’ chin. "That there should be some recognition of such a great master." Leilas blinked her eyes rapidly a few times as Cedric’s words registered. "At first, we were simply going to recognize you as a wanderer. But Joshuas convinced us this was perhaps an injustice." Wondering where this was going, Leilas remained silent. "We decided, therefore," he continued, "that we would make a special crest, one that reflects your special calling." He reached into his tunic and pulled out a crafted piece of metal. While he did, Ren brought out a cloak of all colored threads mixed together. Placing the cloak on her shoulders, Cedric fastened it with a silver and gold insignia. Rather than showing an affiliation to any one school, there were runes emblazoned on the crest. "One for each of the four crafters who were with the Creator," said Cedric.

Overwhelmed, Leilas didn’t know what to say. She had come to terms with never being recognized as a master. But this, not only a master, but honored by the masters.

"Also, we know you gave up the weapons you had acquired when you found they belonged to Master Styphan. We would be honored if you would accept this battleaxe. It belonged to Thrummond the Great, the Dwarf King who died defending the crafters in the Crafter Wars."

Leilas accepted the axe then bending on one knee, she offered it back to Master Manchu. "I thank you, my child," said Cedric, not taking the weapon, but lifting Leilas to her feet. "But you are Jovan’s servant. I can't ask you to be mine as well." He kissed her cheek then smiled at her gently. "Go with the Creator and may you be safe. If all goes well, we'll hope to see you in the spring. I don’t believe the Dredracians will move until then. We have a little time."

"I pray I can live up to your expectations," whispered Leilas, buckling the axe around her waist.

"We have every faith in you, Chidra," replied Cedric. "There will be horses and provisions ready in the morning. I suggest you try to get some sleep. Joshuas, Erion," he turned to her companions. "Go with the Creator, and take care of our Chosen One." Joshuas and Erion bowed and then, together, the three companions left the ruined council chamber of the School of Sky.

"Are you about ready?" Joshuas knocked on her door as she was finishing her braid. The masters had been good enough to provide her with a blue and white tunic, black breeches and dwarven chain mail to replace the chain mail she'd found in Rengailai’s dungeon. She kept the black boots Rengailai had provided, since they were made of the finest leather found in Solea. Folding up the green tunic and breeches, she stuffed them in her pack along with her bag of herbs for healing, her blanket and her spell book. Pulling her cloak over her shoulders, she clasped it closed with her insignia. Then she buckled her axe around her slim waist adding the short sword she'd found in the armory to replace the one she'd found in the ogre's den.

"I’m ready," said Leilas, pulling her pack onto her shoulders and opening the door. Breakfast had been a hurried affair. Joshuas wanted to get an early start. They were only a month away the coldest part of the year. The farther south they could get before the snowfall, the better. The province of Anhjou was three weeks away by horse, if one went over the mountains and not through it as Leilas had. The masters had provided them with food and money for the trip. Success or failure, they left up to them.

After a brief word with the scouts who patrolled near the School of Land on what they’d seen recently, the three said their goodbyes and walked back up to the tunnel opening. Three mounts, plus a pack horse stomped impatiently in the brisk morning air, ready to be on their way.

They would retrace their steps back to the place where Gidron Frey had destroyed the library. Then over the Drakmoth Mountains and down to Montshade, where it was rumored they could find the Crystal Caves. Although some dark creatures like Garabaldi had claimed to have seen the caves, no one had reported finding them and returned since before the Crafter Wars. The old maps had been studied dutifully, but they all knew they were on a treasure hunt, following half-forgotten tales and rumors. Leilas wished her book had been more forthcoming on how to find the caves. But if Jovan wanted her to find the Book of Sylph, she knew she would. Letting that worry slip away, she placed her foot in the stirrup and settled in for a long day’s ride.

They rode in silence through the streets of Dirth, Erion leading the pack horse by the rein. Again, the guard at the gate wasn’t too interested in taking on two crafters and an elf and let them pass onto the road with barely a glance. Leilas looked back on the town where she'd been born and raised wondering where she would call home when her journey was complete.

Joshuas and Leilas rode in front two abreast and Erion brought up the rear with the pack horse. Leilas didn’t have to wonder long if this entire trip would be made in silence, as well. When they were out of sight of Dirth, Joshuas moved his mount closer to hers so he could talk to her without yelling.

"There are some questions I had that didn’t get answered in the council meeting," he said, conversationally.

"There were many things not discussed in the meeting," agreed Leilas. Erion moved closer so he could hear the conversation. "I'll answer what I can."

Joshuas rode for several minutes in silence. Leilas didn’t press him to continue. "You've changed," he began finally.

"I hope you think for the better," replied Leilas.

"That isn't the question. How did you change so completely in such a short time?"

"I'll try to explain it to you Joshuas. But I’m not sure you'll accept my explanation." Leilas gave him a probing stare. He'd raised his chin defiantly at her doubt.

"I've heard many strange tales in my life, child," he retorted.

"The poison that dark crafters inject into you when they bite you as an animal," began Leilas.

"Can have three effects, I know," interrupted Joshuas. "It can kill you, cause you to go mad, or cloud your thoughts."

"Is a gateway into another world." Leilas ignored him and continued. "While you're in this other world, it appears you're mad or that your thoughts are clouded. If you can’t find your way out of that world and no one is there in this world to care for you while you are searching for the gateway out, you'll die never having escaped that world."

"Go on, I’m listening."

"This other world is called Neothera. It seems time isn't the same there as it is here. Neither is death." Leilas furrowed her brow as she tried to explain this to Joshuas. "I've lived hundreds of years in Neothera. I've had many adventures, many lives, died many deaths. There were many crafters there who taught me magic, healing, fighting. They sang old songs from centuries past, taught me words from eons ago. But they were lost in Neothera. They couldn’t find their way out. Some of the crafters there had let the poison take over their mind and they'd turned evil. As I drifted in and out of consciousness with you on the trail to Menas, I would go back and start over, not remembering I'd been there before, until I met this crafter named Solein."

"As in the one who was with the Creator?" asked Joshuas doubtfully.

"I don’t know if he's the same Solein, he said he was. I don’t even know if he or Neothera were real," she replied, ignoring his obvious disbelief. "But once I met him, I began to remember what I'd learned and started to remember him and the place." She looked down at her hand where the braided, silver ring encircled her finger. "He gave me this ring to help me remember. If he isn’t real, I don’t know how I came to have this." She fingered the ring thoughtfully. "And if they're not real, I have no explanation for knowing what I know."

"And how did you manage to leave Neothera, if no one else was able to leave?"

"Rengailai healed me of the poison and pulled me back to this world."

"Rengailai?" Joshuas raised his eyebrows at the name.

"I don’t know why I'm even bothering to tell you this," sighed Leilas. "I knew you wouldn’t believe me."

"Why would Rengailai do that?" asked Joshuas.

"I don’t know. I think it had something to do with my choosing to follow him and Dredrac. It seems to be important."

"The Dark Lord?" asked Erion.

"Yes."

"If Rengailai had you, why did he let you go?" questioned Joshuas.

"He didn’t let me go. He locked me in his prison after the Dark Lord kept him from killing me. Then he left the castle where he took me. I escaped from the prison."

"The Dark Lord kept him from killing the Chosen One, the one who is supposed to be Jovan’s servant in the battle to defeat him. Why would he do that?"

"He said he'd given that pleasure to someone else," replied Leilas. "That's why Rengailai left. He had no interest in me if he couldn’t kill me."

"That must have been a blow to a princess’ vanity," said Joshuas with a laugh.

"I did manage to survive the insult," replied Leilas. "He's a very powerful magik. If the Dark Lord hadn’t stayed his hand, I'd have had no chance in a fight against him." Joshuas frowned at her words, but said nothing.

"It's interesting, don’t you think, my friend," Erion interrupted them. "That the prophecy says no one will know the way they will choose and Dredrac the Dark Lord finds it important to convince the Chidra to serve him?"

"What do you mean," responded Joshuas, "interesting?"

"We've always assumed this was prophesied and predestined to be. That Greyan’s warning stating that no one knows how they will choose was just a crafter saying. But what if this is all about choosing? That the Chidra and the Chodra have to make the proper choices or Preterlandis won’t be made whole, the balance won’t be restored." Erion fell silent at the thought, as did Joshuas. The elf’s insight gave Leilas something to think about as she rode. It would explain the visions at the Chasm of Ceryk. Dredrac was tempting her with power if she would choose him, power, and all her deepest dreams of helping the people of her land. He did have the power to give them to her. But what would actually happen if she accepted his offer? Things weren't always what they appeared to be at first.

She shook her head to clear it of the thought. How could she even think about such things? She was Jovan’s chosen and she would name his champion. Together they would fight against the dark evil spread by Dredrac.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Dredrac’s voice said in her ear and then laughed. Leilas put her hands up to her ears to block out the sound. "Perhaps Rengailai was right and Jovan did choose the wrong crafter." Dredrac laughed again and was gone as suddenly as he’d appeared in her head. Leilas looked up to find Joshuas and Erion staring at her intently and dropped her hands back to the reins.

"Where are we?" she asked to turn attention away from her strange actions.

"Almost to Reyoro Dell," replied Joshuas. "But we decided to skirt the city in case they're still looking for you. We discovered that Darryl of Draggor has put a bounty on your head, as well as your mother and brother. There are posters that show your image. That's how the woman at the inn recognized you. We don’t know how many towns received the flyers, but we'll have to be careful of anyone we encounter. There is a forest road we can use. It's less used, but cuts off a few days of the journey."

"Any time we can save will be to our benefit," added Erion. "I don’t think the weather is going to hold out too many more days." As Erion spoke, as if summoned by his words, a cold breeze began to blow. Leilas pulled her hood over her head and wrapped her cloak around her. The sky was gray and low. Most people were preparing for a few months indoors. They weren’t starting out on a journey whose end wasn’t known.