No True Way (21 page)

“This don't involve you, beggar girl. Walk on, or you're next.”

Sera's anger raged inside of her, and she clenched her fists at her side hard enough to cut into her palms. She took a step toward the bandits, and then another. She didn't know what she was doing. Conscious thought had left her actions. She only thought of the hurt these men caused. The suffering. The horrible events that they brought to pass and the amount of pain that covered their hands. Tears filled the corners of her eyes. A strange heat filled every inch of her body, and her head felt as though it would split under the pressure. The emotion could not be contained.

She crossed inside the circle made by the bandits' horses and stood next to the huddled family. When she spoke, each word was filled with suppressed fury, and accentuated with another step. “You will not hurt anyone any more.”

They all stared at her in silence. The bandit leader shifted his feet and took a half step backward. He laughed, but it sounded as forced as Triel's earlier attempt at bravery.

“Who's gonna stop us? You?”

“You aren't even human,” she replied. “You can't be. You're just beasts—mindless animals. All you do is prey on those weaker than you, because you're afraid. You're afraid that someone stronger than you is going to take everything away, because that's the only thing you understand.”

Eyes wide, the bandit leader took a step away and glanced over his shoulders. His hand started to shake, and he fumbled his sword back into its scabbard. She
heard one of the men behind her whimper. The third bandit jerked on his reins, trying to turn around and get away. His horse whinnied in protest at the harsh treatment. Even the bandit leader's horse was cowed, dropping its head and digging furrows in the dirt as it backed away.

“All you know is pain,” she continued. “That's all you can give. And when you're gone, everyone else will be better off. You are
nothing
.”

Sera collapsed to her knees with the effort of the speech, slumping forward and catching herself with her hands. The bandit leader turned and ran, not even bothering to mount his horse. The other two bandits took off as well, the sound of their retreat fading into the distance.

Sera was still slouched, staring at her knees, when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Triel's eyes—one of which was swollen shut. But the smile on his face carried a warmth she hadn't felt in years.

“Thank you. I can't say it enough. Thank you.”

Sera took his hand and let him help her to a standing position.

“Please, come to our home and share our dinner. It's the least we can do.”

Sera nodded, incapable of doing anything more. Her feet dragged through the dirt as she followed the family in her own daze, trying to understand what had happened. It felt as though she had used her Gift, but so much more. She'd never been able to make others feel something they hadn't already felt before. What did this mean? She longed to figure it out, but the effort of remaining upright took all of her mental abilities. Her mind felt burned out.

The young girl came back and grabbed Sera's hand as they walked. “Are you a Herald?”

*   *   *

After the meal with Triel and his family, Sera refused their offer of a bed for the night and continued her journey. Only this time, she traveled west, returning the way she had come. Along the way she changed clothes, discarding her beggar's rags and wearing comfortable travel clothes. Now that she stood at the edge of Wineboro, she had a momentary pause. She took a deep breath and shifted her sack on her shoulder. There was no point in delay. She knew what she had to do.

As she walked up to the inn, she was surprised to see the Herald standing outside of it, leaning against the wall where Sera had been just two mornings ago. Her Companion stood next to her, watching her approach with those deep blue eyes. Sera stopped when she was a few feet away and offered a slight curtsy as way of greeting.

“Herald, there's something I need to talk to you about, if you have a moment.”

The Herald grinned. “My name's Helene, and Myron said you'd be coming back.”

When Sera raised an eyebrow, Helene gestured toward her Companion.

“Ah, yes.” Sera dropped her gaze to stare at her feet, shuffling them back and forth as she tried to get the words out. “I wish to turn myself in. I'm a criminal.”

“Oh? And what crimes have you committed?”

Sera couldn't be sure, but it almost sounded as if Helene was mocking her. She flushed and was glad it was dark. “I'm a thief.”

She held out the sack containing all of the goods and
coin that she had left. It was all money she had persuaded others to give her.

“Didn't they give that to you? You didn't steal it from them. They reached into their pockets and handed it to you of their own free will, right?”

Sera looked up and her mouth hung open as she searched for words.

:Helene, stop playing with the girl and making this more difficult than it needs to be. You can see how uncomfortable you're making her.:

Helene sighed, and the mischievous grin left her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sera found her voice and cut her off.

“He can talk?” Her eyes widened, and she stepped forward until her face was only inches from Myron.

She heard a warm chuckle in her mind.
:Of course I can speak, child. How else would I have told Helene to wait here for your return?:

“But . . . how did you know?”

:You have a good, if injured, heart. I saw it when we met. I knew you'd return. If not today, then tomorrow, or the next day.:

Sera's shoulder slumped, and she looked at the sack. “What I did was wrong. I don't even know how to go about fixing it.”

“You could always donate the money to Haven. We would see that it is put to good use,” Helene said.

Sera held out the sack, trying to be rid of it as if it were a bag of venomous snakes. Helene took it, and the grin appeared on her face again.

“Besides, you can use it as payment to enroll in the Collegium.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they
did, Sera glanced back and forth between the Herald and her Companion.

“You mean . . .” She couldn't finish the sentence. It felt as if giving the fragile hope any real form would cause it to shatter.

:You have Gifts, child, and with the proper teaching, you could bring much good to the world.:

“We leave first thing in the morning,” Helene said with a wink.

Cedric Johnson

Spring had come early to Rethwellan. The last traces of winter had vanished in a fortnight, and in another fortnight all the land seemed to be in full bloom. The streets of Petras were filled with the fragrances from every flower, bush, and tree in the city, as well as a cacophony of birdsong from the returning migrant flocks.

Few were immune to the distractions of this glorious season, least of all the young. Students had it doubly hard, being trapped indoors with the temptations of the season just out of reach. Each class could not end soon enough.

Karinda wasn't the only Bardic Trainee yearning for freedom that afternoon. Every one of her peers halfheartedly paid attention while their Master droned on about proper care of stringed instruments. Karinda had her belongings neatly piled up at her feet like many others, ready to pick up everything and be out the door the moment the Master Bard dismissed them. She plucked at each string of her lyre, not giving a tinker's damn what each note sounded like.

Finally the elder signaled that the lesson was over. Karinda grabbed her things quickly and made for the
door, eager as the rest to enjoy a few minutes of freedom outside before the next class.

“Karinda!”

She winced at hearing her name, but stopped in her tracks.
Of all the days to get called on
, she thought,
it had to be the one when I didn't want to be
. Karinda waited until the last of the Trainees were well out of the room before approaching the teacher. “Yes, Master?” she asked cautiously.

It took another minute for the old man to respond. Karinda tried not to fidget as the Master put away his instrument and collecting the parchments next to him. Finally, the Bard looked up and started to call her name again, but stopped when he caught Karinda's gaze.

“Well, I see you've finally decided to grace my classroom with your presence,” he said briskly.

Karinda clenched her jaw. “I've not missed a day, Master.”

The Bard scowled, but rather than call her out on this, he continued in a brisk tone. “Quite frankly, young lady, I don't know why you bother at all.” Karinda scowled in return but held her tongue. “Your work is mediocre at best. Despite a year of training, your skill with the lyre would lead anyone to think you'd picked up the instrument for the first time yesterday. And your compositions are uninspired at best. Care to revise your statement about not having missed a day?”

Karinda turned bright red. Not from embarrassment but from anger. Not all of it was directed at the elder Bard, though. His words were true, even if the reasons for them weren't. Karinda hadn't lied. She really hadn't missed a single class. But she couldn't put it all on her negligent trainer, either. No matter how hard she studied
and practiced, the true skills of a Bard eluded her. Her playing never got better, all but the simplest of songs slipped from memory, and the less said about her own songwriting attempts, the better.

The redness passed from Karinda's face, but the anger remained. “What would you have me do, Master?” she asked quietly.

The Master Bard sighed and looked at her with genuine sympathy. “Honestly, child, I would strongly urge you to consider if the path of the Bard is truly yours to follow. Despite your family's rather—generous donation to the Bards, your heart really isn't in it. Your lack of retention and attendance make that abundantly clear.”

A bit of anger crept into Karinda's voice. “But I said—”

The Master help up his hand. “There's no point in denying it. The other Masters—the ones that can remember you, anyway—feel the same way. I'm not telling you to leave our school, Karinda . . .”

No, of course not
, she thought bitterly.
You still want my father's coin
.

“. . . but I do think it's in everyone's best interest for you to think long and hard on whether being a Bard
is
in your interest.”

Karinda nodded silently. There was no point in arguing with the Master. It was equally clear that he'd already made up his mind on what her answer should be. She left the room just as quietly, since the Master Bard had already gone back to his work as if she'd already gone. She walked down the corridor and into the courtyard, passing small gatherings of students chatting merrily and enjoying both the weather and the company.

Karinda found an unoccupied stone bench under a
tree not too far from a half-dozen students, so as not to appear to be withdrawing from the rest, but not eager to be included.
Not that it matters
, she thought, glancing at a nearby group of girls her age with no small envy.
No one had ever invited me to join them
. It had been like this from the moment she donned the Trainee robes; teachers and fellow students alike acted like she was never there.

The Master Bard's words echoed in her thoughts. The longer Karinda thought about them, the more she agreed. She had no real drive to become a Bard, other than not disappointing her parents, who had given the Bards a considerable “gift” in return for accepting her. Even if she had the drive, it wouldn't change the fact that she felt just plain unwelcome as a student—and when she got right down to it, as a person.

No, not unwelcome. That implies people know you exist and don't want you around. No one here seems to know I'm around . . .

As if to emphasize the point, the summoning bell rang for the next classes. The two dozen students in the courtyard called out to each other to hurry up and not be late, but none of them called out to Karinda, even though she sat unmoving. In a few minutes, the courtyard was empty except for her, and for the first time she would be late for a class.

Karinda got to her feet and sighed. But after only a few steps, she stopped. She looked back over her shoulder toward the archway that led out to the streets of Petras and the world beyond. As she did, a wild thought entered her head.

No one here would notice me if I stayed, so nobody would notice if I left. I can walk right out of this city, and
the forest beyond, and it would be as though I were never here . . .

She was now facing the archway, tightly clutching the neck of her lyre in a way that would have made the Strings Master livid.

I wasn't meant to be a Bard,
she thought with conviction
. Somewhere out there is something I'm good at, something that will make people notice me. There has to be. But I'm not going to find it in here.

Karinda's feet were taking her through the archway before she had finished the thought. “Forgive me, Papa, Mama,” she said to the walls of the school. “This might not be right for you, but it's right for me.”

The single call of a songbird was her only answer. It was all she needed.

*   *   *

As thankful as she was for the passing trade cart a few hours into her journey, Karinda was just as thankful to get off of it. After two days of what had to be the bumpiest road in all of Velgarth, without any breaks to speak of, every muscle ached. Still, her drivers were gracious enough to leave her alone, not asking questions or for compensation, so she had little reason to complain. Right now all Karinda cared about was the inn in front of her and the hope of a soft bed.

Quite a few people found themselves at this inn tonight, but it wasn't busy. Regardless, Karinda stood at the bar with growing impatience at the housemaster as he went about his business with everyone but her. It wasn't until she clumsily cleared her throat that the man finally turned his attention her way.

“Ah. Welcome, young miss. Didn't see you standing
there. Night approaches, and if you seek a place to lay your burdens, you're in luck. I've one bed left.”

Karinda let out as quiet a sigh as she could manage. Even this one lucky break was enough to lift her spirits.

“I'll certainly take it, sir,” she said, careful not to sound too grateful. “And a bit of whatever is in the kitchen, as well.”

The housemaster nodded and barked an order for food and drink to the nearest servant boy. “Not that it's any of my concern,” he said, returning to his work, “but where would a young woman such as yourself be headed to alone? Somewhere here in Vitimish, or points beyond?”

Karina froze for a moment.
Be confident
, she thought.
Don't show them any weakness, and don't agree to anything that costs you more money. That's what Papa always said
.

“I'll find out when I get there,” she said with a shrug. “All I want to do is get far away from here and start anew.”

“You'll want north for sure, then,” the housemaster replied. “North lies Valdemar, and if you want new, that's the place for it. You would be like so many others, making the life they want how they want.”

The housemaster paused to let the servant boy place a tray of stew, bread, and cheese in front of Karinda. Before she could get started on her meal, the housemaster leaned in to talk in a lower voice.

“But you don't want to be like all the others, I can tell. You want some adventure, yes? Something to be remembered by.”

Karinda furrowed her brow. “And what if I do?” she asked.

The housemaster grinned. “Then I know of something that could give you all of that and more. It's only a rumor, but I've heard it enough from the right kind of people.” He pointed over Karinda's shoulder. “The road north will get you to Valdemar, but if you turn west as the road turns to the east, deep into the Pelagiris Forest you'll find a forgotten ruin, and there you'll find an Adept Mage guarding a living node.”

Karinda didn't know much about magic, having seen very little in her childhood and none at all in the last few years, but she knew enough to know why she hadn't seen any—and that this man was lying.

“That's impossible,” she said. “Even if a node had survived the Storms, with all that energy it would have been found right away, and many would have braved the deep woods for that grand a treasure. Excuse me sir, my stew is getting cold.”

The housemaster didn't act offended by the brush-off. “I did say it was only a rumor. But imagine if it were true? That ‘treasure' could grant you any life you desire. Just something to think about.”

And she did think about it; all through her meal, during her idle strumming by the hearth, and as she lay in bed, Karinda pondered
what if . . . what if . . . ?

The next morning, the sun had barely peeked above the horizon when Karinda set off for the Pelagiris Forest. It was the only thing she could do to stop thinking about it.

*   *   *

The fifth morning in the forest, Karinda was regretting everything, starting with her last day of school. To her credit, she hadn't just dashed off like a crazy person. She had bartered and bought suitable clothes and supplies
for the hike from other early-rising traders, but even so, Karinda was at her limit. Four nights with no fire, sleeping in trees and not stopping during the day was more than enough. Not to mention that she had no idea where she was going.

Her caution had paid off, at least. Other than distant sounds of movement, there had been no signs of the horrors that were said to dwell in the Pelagiris Forest. Karinda decided that earned her some rest. Still mindful of her surroundings, she leaned against a tree and took the weight off of her feet in turn.

In the relative silence, Karinda picked up the faint sound of running water in the direction she'd been heading. The fresh water was much needed and gave her something to move toward. When her feet had quieted to a dull grumble, Karinda stretched and started toward the water.

Not more than a dozen steps later, Karinda stopped to look at an unusual rock that caught her eye. It was tall, skinny, and looked to be placed in the ground rather than exposed by weather. It would have been no more than a curiosity if there hadn't been another one of similar shape a few meters ahead. Stepping up to that one revealed several more farther down by a trail hugging a small river.

Karinda forgot the stones and the ancient path long enough to drink her fill, replenish her waterskins, and wash off the worst of the grime. A full clean could wait until she knew the area. Refreshed, Karinda resumed following the path of stones.

Five minutes along the river, the path turned from dirt into paving stones, wide enough for a single oxcart. The trees were particularly thick along this part, giving the ancient path a closed-off feeling save for the sky.

The path opened up as abruptly as it had appeared. Instead of disappearing back into dirt, the paving stones expanded out into what looked like the remains of a small village. There were four piles of stones still more or less in the shape of dwellings and at least two more that weren't even that. A large circular platform stood where the river became a lake. Whatever had once been held up by the seven stone pillars around the platform was long gone as well.

On top of the decay of time, most of the stone was covered in moss and vines. Karinda paused to take it all in. This, she accepted silently, was probably all she would ever find in the Pelagiris Forest—including a way out.
Better enjoy it for what it's worth
, she thought.

It didn't last long. Despite the primordial beauty of this place, Karinda quickly realized that something had disturbed it. There were trails through the pavement's moss that didn't meander like an animal would. They went from structure to structure, with purpose. Someone—or some
thing
—was living here.

She got her answer almost right away. Two structures over from the platform, a robed figure stumbled out of a doorway, holding a large staff in front of him like a torch. Karinda took a deep breath and hid behind the nearest pillar, willing herself to be smaller.

“I know you're out there!” the man shouted. “I can see the ripples of your passing! You cannot hide from magic!”