Shaper of Stone (The Shapers Book 1) (15 page)

The way he said that did little to
restore my confidence.

We remained quiet while I finished
getting dressed. The nerafpan stars that I dropped in the warehouse
were at the bottom of the pack. The blood had been wiped from them.
With hardly a thought I molded them back into the bracelets on my
arms.

By the time I was done the dizziness
had faded. I was feeling more like my old self, only hungrier. Still,
there were some things I wanted to know before I headed out to face
the others.

"Why is Abella here?”

"She and her friends arrived at
the mine shortly after you saved my life. They have been with us ever
since. Tavi was planted in the caravan to get a peek inside the mine.
Hahns opened the gate as they were preparing to rescue him.”

Garit paused, then suddenly asked,
“Hey! Did you know that Tavi was Shira’s son?”

"I never suspected it,” I
confessed. “Shira told me that Vatrale took her son and
husband, and I knew Tavi’s father was a student who went
missing years ago. I never put the two together. Seeing Duncan and
Tavi together you can’t miss how much they look alike.”

"Duncan has been recovering
quickly. He has been up and about since yesterday. They are probably
gathered around the fire. If you give me a hand getting down from
here we can head over to the see them.”

Garit leaned on my shoulder while he
slid off of the end of the wagon and balanced on his good leg. Left
within easy reach was a branch cut into a crutch. Garit grabbed it
and steadied himself. Together we walked toward the others. Neither
one of us was too steady on our feet.

The crowd around the fire was much
smaller than I expected. Hahns and Talia were tending it. Shira,
Duncan and Tavi sat on some logs talking to Abella and an old man I
didn’t recognize. Off to one side were three of the people
freed from the pit. They were sitting with two of the camp guards. I
scanned the rest of the camp looking for the others, but I don’t
see anyone else. This wasn’t even half of the people from the
mine.

As if he read my thoughts, Garit said,
"Not everyone came with us. Most of them figured Vatrale would
come after you and ignore them, so they went off on their own.”

I nodded my head in complete agreement,
"I can’t say I blame them. Who is the old guy?”

"His name is Talamas. He and his
guard were with Abella when she came to the camp. The guard’s
name is Tibron. I don’t see him around which probably means he
is walking a parameter.”

Garit pointed to a guard by the fire.
"When Tibron comes back, he’ll send Jake out. The two of
them have split the watch between themselves with a little help from
the others.”

Abella smiled and patted a spot on the
log next to her as we drew near. Everyone else grew quiet as they
turned to stare at us.

Garit cleared his throat. "They’ve
been waiting for you.” He clapped me on the shoulder and
stepped to the side leaving me to go forward alone.

I stopped a few paces before the
assembled group. I felt like I should say something to everyone, but
I didn’t know what. Instead I just smiled and nodded my head in
greetings to them.

It was Talamas who spoke first, "Devin
Symms, please join us. I’m sure you are hungry from your ordeal
and we have much to discuss.” He paused with a quick glance at
Abella. "And we seemed to have saved you a place of honor.”

"I’m starving,” I
responded to the laughter of my friends who all seemed to relax. I
moved around the edge of the logs to take the seat next to Abella. No
sooner did I sit down than she took my hand in hers. Talia appeared
magically at my side with a bowl of stew and a mug of water. She
placed them on the ground before me since I didn’t seem to have
enough free hands at the moment.

I wanted to talk to Abella, but right
now didn’t seem to be the best time. There were too many people
around, and they were all looking at me. Instead, I took comfort in
her presence at my side and turned to the man who invited me to sit.

"Talamas isn’t it?” I
asked the old man. "Garit tells me that you were traveling with
Tavi and Abella.”

Talamas bowed his head slightly. "Your
friend speaks the truth. I have traveled with the Lady Abella while
she searched for you.”

Abella gently squeezed my hand and
began to speak. "Talamas is too modest. Without his guidance
Tavi and I would not have found you. Talamas and his companion,
Tibron, had been watching my uncle and were nearby when the carriage
was assaulted. During the attack Tavi and I were separated from the
guards. We were cornered in an alley and most likely would have been
taken prisoner or worse had Tibron not rushed to our aid. He got us
to safety, but no one knew what happened to you.”

At that point Talamas spoke up. "The
attackers were slavers. Vatrale had cheated them and they foolishly
thought they could threaten him. I saw him leech onto you and drive
the attackers back. He healed his guard and together they carried you
out of the city. I followed them for a short distance but could not
keep up. Once I knew I had lost them, I returned to find Tibron.”

Abella filled in the rest of the
details and ended with, "That is when Tavi joined the wagon team
to see if he could spot you in the mine. We needed to be sure you
were there before we tried anything. It turns out you didn’t
need our help. Your escape was complete by the time we arrived.”

-o-

We spent another hour or so catching
up. It felt good to just sit there and listen to the others talk. For
the first time in weeks I wasn’t the main focus of attention.
It gave me a chance to relax and think. By the time Tibron returned,
I knew what needed to be done next.

I was glad Abella told me a little
about Tibron before he strolled into camp. He was the only lizard man
that I’ve seen who didn’t answer to Vatrale. Even knowing
he was an ally I couldn’t help but stare. First his skin was
red, not a firehouse red, but more of a burnt brick. It was a stark
difference from the shades of green that I noticed among Carvis and
his men. His hood was pulled back revealing a single ridge across the
center of his skull.

There were also his eyes. They looked
normal. Well, they looked normal for a human. The other lizard men
all had eyes that reminded me of a cat’s with a slit instead of
a pupil, and they were yellow or red but not Tibron’s. His eyes
were light blue with round pupils. I think you could say crystal
blue, but I’m a guy and once you moved away from the primary
colors I was probably not the greatest authority.

Tibron nodded in my direction, but
otherwise ignored my stare. Instead he turned to Talamas. "He is
awake. Excellent! Then our time of waiting has ended.”

Talamas might have answered, but I
jumped in first. "Waiting for what?”

"For you. For the chance to
finally avenge my people. For too long I have waited, but you are now
here to tip the balance in our favor. It is time to strike.”

"The boy is hardly ready Tibron,”
said the old man. "He may have broken free of Vatrale, but his
power is raw, untrained. He is a sword wielded by a blind man, a
danger to all around him, not just his enemies. We must wait.”

I was a blind sword? Great! It was nice
to know Talamas thought so highly of me.

"Wait! You must be joking? How
long must we wait? What sign do you hope to see? Why did we bother
with the boy if it changes nothing?”

"Hey!” I interrupted. "The
boy is right here and my name is Devin. You two can keep arguing. I
don’t really care, but in the morning I’m going after
Vatrale.”

The red lizard man practically leaped
into the air at my declaration. "Ha! At last someone willing to
take the fight to the enemy.”

Tibron stepped forward and knelt before
me so that we were eye to eye, then just slightly, he lowered his
head. "I apologize if I have offended you with my comments. I
spoke hastily and in frustration. If you will allow me, I will travel
with you. Your enemy is mine, and I will not rest until he is
defeated.”

Talamas threw his arms up in
frustration, "You are both fools. You are no match for Vatrale
and his minions. He is amassing powers you are not prepared to face.”

I got to my feet, and offered my hand
to Tibron as he stood beside me, "I think the amassing part is
done. He left with a wagon full of nerafpan spheres and if he doesn’t
have the power, he is very close. If we don’t stop him now, we
might not get a second chance.”

Talamas shook his heads, "Fine.
Run off on your quest. Do you even know where you will begin your
search?”

I hated admitting it, but the old guy
had a point. I didn’t know where to find Vatrale. With the
bracelet shielded I couldn’t even sense what direction to look.
It was one thing to want to track him down, but I didn’t have a
clue as to where to start. Then again, I wasn’t the only one
who wanted him stopped.

Tibron spoke up, "We should go to
the ruins. Wagons have been carrying supplies from Kelit to a
construction site near the ruins of an old tower. I spoke to one of
the wagoners and the site is guarded by dracomen. The only ones
remaining in this region serve Carvis.”

"Dracomen?” I asked. "Who
are they?”

"They are my people. How do you
not know this?”

"I’m not from here. I was
taken by Vatrale. At first I couldn’t even speak the language.
Abella and Tavi helped me find my way during those first few days.
Without them I would have been lost. Even with their help, I don’t
know a lot. It scares me to think of the things I don’t know.”

"As it should,” said
Talamas. "Vatrale has been at this a long time, and what you
don’t know about him will lead you to failure.”

"Then help us, Talamas. You know
more about Vatrale than anyone.”

"Help you? Of course I’m
going to help you! Yes, I think you are fools for rushing after him.
I know Tibron’s mind on this matter and I sense that you share
a similar passion. I wish that you would reconsider, but I will not
send you off alone. I will go with you. Even a slim hope is better
than no hope at all. You are right about one thing. Vatrale must be
stopped before he goes too far.”

Abella and Garit said at almost the
same time, "I’m going too.”

Duncan looked over at Shira who nodded
her head before raising his own voice, "I’m with you.
Vatrale almost destroyed my family. It’s time he paid for his
crimes.”

Shira added, "We are with you.
Devin.”

"Wait,” I said. "Everyone
can’t go. If we fail, we need to warn others about Vatrale.
Hahns, I want you to get the others to safety. Warn who you can about
Vatrale. Duncan, your family has already gone through too much. You
are going with him.”

Duncan started to protest but I cut him
off, "No buts. We don’t know what Vatrale is going to try,
but with the power he has gathered it is going to be big. We need to
do all we can to stop him. We are among the last who can channel the
power to shape. If we don’t make it, you’ll be needed by
whoever stands against him.”

Abella chimed in, "Devin is right.
You need to get your family to Ironholt where they’ll be safe.
From there you can get word to the court in Whitebarrow.”

"I’m glad you agree with me,
Abella. I want you and Garit...”

I never got a chance to finish my
sentence before Abella interrupted. "Don’t even say it.
I’m going, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

I couldn’t help but smile. For a
moment, I understood how Talamas felt when I told him I was going
with or without him. "Alright, it’s the five of us then.
We’ll head out in the morning, and when we are done we’ll
join up with the others in Ironholt.”

The crackle of the fire was the only
sound as we all sat quietly exchanging looks. It was Garit who broke
the silence.

“How far away are these ruins?”
he asked.

Tibron replied, "Two days with
fair weather”

Garit nodded, “I’ll
organize the supplies so that we can begin our journey as soon as
there is light.”

Tibron looked at the crutch Garit was
leaning on before saying, “If you will permit it, I would like
to help.”

I agreed. "Makes sense. Garit and
Tibron do what you can tonight. The rest of us will do the same.”

There was no argument as we climbed to
our feet. Each of the others went to make their preparations for the
following day. Within a few minutes, I found myself alone with
Abella.

She quickly gave me a kiss on the
cheek.

Before I could do anything but stand
there with my mouth open, she smiled and ran off toward the camp. I
assumed to make her own arrangements for the morning.

I realized that I didn’t have
anything to do. I didn’t know where anything was or even what
we might need for the journey. I could have just stood around all
night, or I could have followed Abella and see if she needed a hand.

I hesitated for only a second before I
ran toward the wagon she disappeared behind.

-o-

It didn’t take long to sort out
the supplies. We were going to take one wagon and the remaining
wagons were going with the others. Garit’s leg was going to be
a problem, but Duncan offered to work with him through the night to
try to speed the healing. I might have more power than Duncan, but
his control was much more refined.

The night was cool, but not too cold.
At least we couldn’t see our breath yet. Cladius, the hunter
moon, shone brightly in the sky, although it did more to deepen the
shadows beneath the trees than to light the camp.

Abella and I found a spot just outside
of the camp where we could sit alone with our backs against a huge
tree. For such a long time she thought Vatrale was her only family.
Now she didn’t even know if they were truly related or if she
was just someone he took in, like Tavi. She didn’t remember her
parents. Could they have suffered like Duncan and Shira?