First Comes The One Who Wanders (39 page)

"So you have," said Adrian, his chin tilted in defiance. "And as I told you before, you worry about the crafters. I’ll worry about the men."

"We do look after our crafters and teach them to hope. We don’t lose hope because the odds have turned against us."

Leilas listened to the exchange with interest. There was far more going on here than was apparent at first blush. If she’d been having second thoughts about Adrian being the Chodra, the last few minutes had expelled them. He wasn’t the man to mold the army into the force that could defeat the Dredracians of Land and Fire. He was too easily led astray by the need to be accepted.

The other guests sensing the tension in the room rose to leave, as well, until only Adrian and Leilas remained.

"That didn’t go exactly the way I planned," admitted Adrian, pouring himself a glass of wine. "I was hoping to impress you with how much we've accomplished in such a short time.

"I am impressed with how much you've done. I know that you have a great deal of work ahead of you to mold these people into a cohesive group, and a short amount of time. I have faith that you'll have a fine army by the time spring comes."

Adrian drained his glass and turned to face her. "Clearly, I'm not the man to accomplish that task," replied Adrian, "though I'm doing my best to do what I've been charged to do. If I were, you would have said something to me before now. It seems you'll have to look elsewhere for that man."

A faint smile flashed across Leilas’ lips at the familiar words. "You are the man to put this army together, now. But no, you aren't the one I'm seeking. I need to keep looking for him."

"I'd try to be your Champion, should you ask it of me Leilas. I'd try to be whatever you wanted me to be."

Leilas was surprised by the passion in his voice. She wasn’t sure that she was comfortable being the person who inspired such loyalty and trust. "Then what I would want you to be is true to yourself. I'll ask no more of you."

Adrian poured another drink and downed it. Leilas knew he'd been hoping for more from her. She had nothing to offer him. "You do look beautiful tonight." He shook his head as if clearing away unwanted thoughts and turned to go. "I pray your journey is successful. We're outnumbered and factious. We gather in desperation to fight, not hope. Our scouts come back every day with news of thousands rising against us."

Leilas could see the damage Captain Ferras had done. He’d spread his doubt and fear and infected those who needed hope the most. She knew now why he disliked her. She brought hope with her. "Where good men are gathered there is always hope, Adrian." She touched his shoulder lightly. "Light magic is purer than dark. I'll find what I'm looking for and send you a champion to lead you."

"But will you be in time?" asked Adrian dispiritedly.

"It will be at the proper time," said Leilas, not exactly sure how she knew.

"I pray you are correct." Adrian bent over and kissed her cheek. "Goodbye, Chidra. Take care on your journey."

"And you on yours," she paused, then continued. "Ferras is a good man, but perhaps not the one to be your strength."

"You'll add your voice to those who question my judgment?"

"I don't question you or your judgment, Adrian. I'm sure Captain Ferras is a good captain and commands respect from the men. But you need to find your strength, not rely on his."

"I'll let you be my strength, Leilas. I haven't felt as much hope in months as I feel now that I've met you."

"Perhaps you should look within yourself, rather than looking to others," replied Leilas.

"If you won't be my talisman, will you at least offer me your kiss for luck?"

He didn’t wait for her to answer. Lifting her chin, he kissed her lips. Leilas closed her eyes and let herself be kissed for the first time in her life, then gently pulled away.

"I feel great strength within you, Adrian," she whispered. "I know that you'll find it, too."

Smiling wryly, he let his hands drop to his side. "Good night, Princess Leilas."

"Goodbye, Duke Cheran." He walked from the room, not looking back. Once he was gone, Leilas touched her hands to her lips. Adrian Cheran was a handsome man and she was not immune to his charms. Nor was she a child, she was a woman and she had the same needs as any woman. Part of her had longed to let herself go and find the comfort Adrian had been offering her. But she knew she would have regretted it. Adrian wasn’t the man her heart desired and he wasn’t the man she wanted to share that discovery with for the first time. Though she had to admit to herself, the man she desired didn’t seem to share the same feelings for her that she had for him. One day, she might have to decide that another man could take his place. Sighing at where her thoughts were headed, she turned and followed the Duke out of the room. Making her way up the stairs to her new accommodations, she took off the dress that Elga had prepared for her and placed it carefully in the chair, so that it didn’t get wrinkled or damaged. Then she dressed in her freshly laundered tunic and breeches. Once she'd donned her mail and her weapons, she slipped from her room and headed for the stables. She had a long trip ahead and had no reason to stay in Kyris any longer.

She'd been on the road east for hours before the sun crested the mountains. She would have liked to stay and prepare for the war and fight by the Duke’s side. Instead, here she was, on the road alone, headed for the Glen of Destruction, where only the foolhardy dared to go. She replaced the last half of what the crafters told her with her own version.

The morning passed as slowly as had the last few days without Cephom’s constant chatter. At least the weather was warm here in the plains. Tall grass lined the road and had turned to yellows and browns with the season. The grass was all she could see in three directions. The Drakmoth Mountains loomed on the left side of the road, rising up out of the field of gold.

She didn’t meet anyone on the road all morning. In fact, the path she was following was overgrown with disuse. Captain Ferras had been correct in his assessment that there wasn’t anything beyond Kyris. Few made the trip around the mountain from Kyris to Montshade.

As she rode, her thoughts wandered to Joshuas. She’d lost touch with him after she'd reached Barroon. The distance was too great for her thoughts to travel, or perhaps he was blocking her thoughts. It was probably for the best. The feelings she had for him were a distraction and she needed to focus on her goal. She purposely didn’t think about what she'd find when she reached her destination.

Evening eventually came and she found a spot to camp. She made her camp along the road in a small ravine that the road had been following. It was the only sheltered area for miles. Her bed of dry grass was a far cry from the feather bed she’d rested on the day before, but it was more familiar. She made a small fire and ate some of the jerked venison Adrian had supplied her. Then checking on the animals, she wrapped herself in her blanket and tried to sleep.

The snapping of a twig brought her out of a restless slumber. Her hand dropped to her axe and she freed it from her belt. She’d seen no one on the road. If this wasn’t an animal, then whoever it was had come specifically for her. Slipping over to the side of the ravine, she waited to see if she would hear the noise again. She’d almost decided she was hearing things when she heard a rustling to her right. The horses nickered nervously and pounded the ground with their hooves.

A Land crafter slipped off the road and into the ravine. Staying near the edge, his dark cloak and green breeches blended in with the background and made his progress hard to track. Leilas could feel the power in him now, as he must be able to feel her. It was difficult to hide from one of your own kind when they were so close and unprotected. Axe in hand, she stepped into the moonlight. The dark crafter stepped out as well, sword in hand. Whoever he was and why he was following her weren’t answers she was going to receive from him. He began to speak a spell as he charged her with his sword. Leilas spoke a counter-spell and deflected his sword with her axe. Twirling around to face each other again, the crafter began a spell of unbinding. Leilas threw up a wall of protection then began speaking a spell of confusion. The magik quickly changed his chant to a spell of clarity then began to conjure a fireball. Leilas waited until he threw it in her direction then concentrated her will on turning the burning orb on him. Power against power, Leilas struggled to maintain control as did the dark crafter. Inch by inch, the fireball began to move toward the dark crafter.

When he realized he was losing the struggle, the Land crafter caused the fireball to disappear and attacked her with his sword. He caught Leilas in the fleshy part of her arm. Swinging her axe in an arc as he pulled back for another thrust, Leilas brought it down on his collarbone. The bone shattered and the axe came to rest six inches below the bone. Falling to his knees, the crafter began a spell to conjure help. Leilas took her long knife and pierced his throat. The crafter’s breath gurgled in his throat and blood foamed from his mouth as he slumped motionless to the ground.

Leilas looked around for others. Seeing that the crafter was alone, she dropped to her knees, trying to catch her breath and push away the darkness that swirled around the edges of her consciousness. When she’d recovered, she pushed herself to her feet, holding her hand to the wound on her arm. It needed attending and soon. As she went to find her bag of healing herbs, she thought about what had just happened. Someone had sent this crafter after her, but who? It didn’t take much thought for her to think of Rengailai. Who else among the Dredracians even knew who she was, much less cared?

For someone who'd said she wasn’t even worth his notice, she thought, putting her axe away, he certainly was keeping a close eye on her. He could have killed her with a wave of his hand. Why let her go and then send his servants to deal with her? What was he really doing?

She checked to make sure her horses were still in camp and unharmed. Assuring herself the animals were fine, she found her bag of healing herbs and bound her arm. The body of the crafter was still in the ravine. Preparing a pyre, she moved the body and taking a burning branch from the fire, she set the pyre on fire. Despite the fact that he was a dark crafter, she sank to her knees and sang the song of the dead for him. Garabaldi’s lesson had taken hold. Every person, dark or light, was a part of Jovan’s creation.

The sun was rising as Leilas rose wearily to her feet. Covering the remains of the fires, she packed the horses and started on her way. If Rengailai was intent on sending his servants to harass her or kill her, the sooner she reached the caves and found the book, the better. She still wasn’t sure how she was going to keep what she learned from Rengailai. She was no match for his power.

An eagle, circling overhead caught her attention and she watched it as she rode. By noon, she realized it was following her along the road. The eagle could rip her skin to shreds in seconds if she wasn’t prepared. But why would Rengailai heal her from crafter’s poison just to subject her to it again? She rode in the company of the eagle all day then stopped to rest for the night. This evening, she took the precaution of setting up a protection spell around her camp. It would keep all but the most determined out. Settling into her blanket when she was done protecting the camp, she fell into an exhausted sleep.

The small footprints around her ring of protection bore evidence to the fact that she'd indeed had visitors in the night, no one powerful enough to break the spell. It had been goblins in all likelihood. They would have caused just enough trouble to keep her from resting. Luckily, it hadn’t worked. She felt better this morning, stronger due to her rest. She would need her strength today if her calculations were right. Today, she would find the glen she was seeking. Although she kept a watchful eye out for her eagle spy, she didn’t spot the feathered crafter as she rode. She had no doubt he'd traveled through the night to inform his master of her location and destination.

The grass of the plains had given way to trees and then to forests as she rode around the foot of the mountain. She'd begun to travel in a northerly direction by midday.

The glen wasn’t hard to identify when she stumbled across it. Tree trunks, stripped of leaves and branches, stood like stakes planted in the ground, ground that was devoid of any vegetation. Only fine ash provided a covering. The foot of the mountain was visible through the forest graveyard. She traveled back to where the forest was still alive and began to move toward the foot of the mountain, circumventing the glen, but each time she appeared to be nearing the mountain, she found herself facing the dead trees again. She'd known it wouldn’t be as easy to get to the base of the mountain as it had appeared.

Leilas could feel the magic emanating from the grove. Unlike the magic she’d felt when she’d been separated from Erion and Joshuas, this magic felt pure, a strange dichotomy from the appearance of the glen. Loosing her axe, Leilas urged her mount into the dead forest. The horse took a half dozen steps into the trees and refused to go any further. When taking his rein and trying to lead him proved as unsuccessful as riding, she hobbled the horses in a clearing across the road with lots of grass for them to eat. Slinging her pack over her shoulders and axe in hand, she started for the foot of the mountain. There was no air in the grove and she’d only gone about a quarter of a mile before she was panting and covered in sweat. The only living things seemed to be the insects, which attacked her mercilessly. It hadn’t seemed far to the foot of the mountain when she’d started. She’d been less than a mile away from it the whole journey from Kyris. But no matter how far she walked, the mountain never got any closer.