The Dark Path (21 page)

"You will all pick up camp and leave within the hour. If any of you remain after that time, I will show no mercy." He then turned and looked at Thomas. His eyes went from the burning hatred to a sorrow deeper than any Thomas had ever seen. "Let us go."

No one else tried to stop them and when they reached the gates, they opened enough to let them in. They entered and the gate slammed shut with a resounding boom of finality.

XXI

Confessions

Inside the walls, the whole school was quiet. It looked exactly as Gen had remembered it. Gen helped Thomas walk toward the healer's building. Thomas looked very pale. The wounds on his chest had reopened and were seeping blood into the front of his robes. Thomas suddenly broke out in a fit of violent coughing. He covered his mouth with his hand, and when he pulled his hand away, it had blood dripping from it. Gen said nothing. Just picked Thomas back up and carried him like he had before. Thomas started to complain then relaxed into Gen's arms.

Gen walked up to the door of the healer's building and spoke a word of magic. The door opened at his command and he carried Thomas through the opening. Inside, the room was almost empty. An elderly woman, wearing deep blue robes with white trim, was standing at the other end beside the only bed in the room that held a patient. She looked up when Gen walked in. When she saw who he held, she rushed over to them.

"Put him here," she ordered pointing to the bed nearest the door on the left. Gen placed Thomas gently upon the bed then walked over to shut the door. The elderly healer took a very sharp knife and cut open the front of Thomas' robes. She gently peeled them back from his chest. Gen walked back over to see his friend's chest covered in about six deep stab wounds. The wounds had reopened and were seeping. The skin around each one was red and looked badly infected.

"How can I help?" Gen asked the healer.

"Do you know any healing spells?" she asked, not looking up from her examination of Thomas' chest.

"Some," Gen stated directly.

The healer looked him over for a moment, taking in his gaunt features and solid black robes. Then she returned her focus to Thomas.

“I will start. Help where you can. I don't have time to find out what you know.” She started chanting and Gen mentally shifted his vision to the weave of magic. Thomas' weave was torn here and there but was less damaged than he had expected. He saw the healer's weave of a spell to stop the bleeding and regrow the skin at the wounds. He studied it and did some quick comparisons to other spells of it's nature he knew. The healer was reaching the end of her spell when Gen spoke arcane words of his own. The weave twisted just a bit here and there.

The healer finished her spell and braced herself for the draining effect such a work had on her. When it didn't come, she glanced over and saw the black clad man was chanting under his breath. Putting her confusions aside, she started casting spells to cause her patient's organs to regenerate. She increased her pace again when she noticed the fatigue from the second spell didn't hit her either. A few more spells to put Thomas into a healing sleep and to examine for other trauma she may have missed and she stopped her work.

Thomas looked a lot better. His wounds had closed and his breathing was deep and regular. The healer looked back up at the man in the black robes. She motioned for him to follow her and walked to the office she had in the back. There were ten beds in the long building but only two of them were occupied. Thomas' by the door and one at the other end beside the office door. On the other bed lay a small figure with its head under the blankets. Gen took care to shut the door as quietly as he could. When Gen had closed the door behind him, she spoke.

“What did you do?”

“To Thomas? I found him like that. He said that Eremian soldiers had attacked him and some students. Did the other students return?”

“Yes the other students returned, mostly unharmed.”

“That's good to hear.”

“Now, tell me. What did you do to my spells?”

“What do you mean? You told me to help where I could, so I did.”

“You know that healing spells take lots of energy. Usually I feel rather drained after such an undertaking. I do not feel drained. So again, what did you do to my spells?”

“I merely changed the source of the energy for them.”

“As I was casting them?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” The healer grew quiet and studied the man across from her, closely. His eyes told her nothing but that he was tired. “What source did you redirect me to draw from then?”

“One of these.” Gen raised his right hand and pointed to a plain ring upon his smallest finger. It appeared to have once been silver but was now tarnished a deep black. He slid it off and set it upon the desk. “I'm afraid you've drained it almost completely though.”

“What business do you have here at the Schola?”

“My business here is my own.” Gen idly spun the blackened ring upon the desk.

“It has been a very long time since anyone wearing robes like those has been at this Schola. If you are here to do damage to anyone here, I will hear of it.” The healer stood and drew a small wooden rod from the sleeve of her robe.

Gen studied the weave of the rod. It contained only a few charges of what looked to be a sleep spell.

“I have business with the Headmaster. I do not plan to hurt him or anyone else here unless they attempt to do me harm.” Gen continued to play with the ring upon the aged wood of the desk.

"Well in that case, go talk to my other patient and let me do my work." She dismissed him with an absent wave of her hand. He exited as quietly as he could and returned to Thomas' bedside. Gen looked down at Thomas to see that his friend had fallen unconscious. It was amazing he had made it this far. He turned from his friend's bedside and walked back down the room to see the other patient. It was a young girl of about fifteen years of age. She had bandages covering her arms and chest. A blanket was pulled up to her waist so Gen couldn't tell if she had any other wounds. Her face held several bruises. If she hadn't been so broken and swollen she would have been pretty to look upon. She had long raven colored hair and he saw that she had at least one blue eye. The other one was swollen shut. Gen sat down in the chair beside her bed and smiled down at her. She looked back at him and shuddered a bit.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"I've been better," the girl responded with a grimace as she had tried to shrug.

"My name is Gen Hothman. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Beth Donaldson. I would shake your hand but as you see, I can't move it much," she said with a smirk.

"What happened to you?" Gen asked gently, a smile on his face.

"Eremians caught me." Her face grew dark. "They beat me, stabbed me, whipped me, and worse." She grew silent and looked away from Gen. "At least I'm still alive," she said with an edge of sarcasm and a smirk. She looked back at Gen. "What happened to you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Gen asked taken aback. Did he look like he was in that bad a shape?

"You smile at me but your eyes are empty. You look like you weigh less than my eight year old brother, and your face carries a few scars that I can see with only one eye." Her one blue eye gave Gen a piercing look. Gen felt as though she was trying to attack his mind and read his thoughts with that look. It was almost as if she was looking through him.

"I've seen a lot of death, too much death. More than anyone should ever have to see." He looked down as he said these words, but his mind was full of questions. Why did he say that? This girl needed cheering up not to be told his troubles. He didn't show anyone his feelings anymore. What was wrong with him? He heard a rustling sound and saw her heavily bandaged hand move over to lay on his own. He looked back up to meet that piercing blue eye. Her expression had changed. Her look was soft and caring and it looked as though tears were about to flow out of her eye.

"You're home now, Gen, you can relax. You don't need to fight anymore. It's okay," she said to him gently, her voice shaking slightly.

"How do you know I'm home? You can't know what all I've been through!" Gen exclaimed a little loudly, but he felt his eyes grow moist and suddenly he began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body was wracked with deep sobs. Sadness that he had held deep within for years was trying to get out. Beth held onto his skeletal hand with her bandaged one as he cried. After a while, his sobs grew less and he dried his eyes on the sleeve of his robe. He looked down at the young girl.

"How did you do that? What are you doing to me?" Gen asked, suddenly angry that this child had somehow made him release some of the pain that was his alone to carry.

She smiled up at him with tears still in her eyes. "It's a talent of mine, pretty useless most of the time. Though in your case, it may actually be helpful for once. Now I think you should check on your friend. He's awake again." With that said, she moved her hand back to her side and closed her eye. Gen shook his head and stood up. He walked quickly back to Thomas' bedside and sat in the chair there. When he sat, Thomas opened his eyes. The wounds on his chest had closed and some of the redness was gone. He was breathing more easily.

"Did you enjoy your talk with Beth?" Thomas asked Gen with a weak smile upon his lips.

"What is that child?" Gen asked. Beth's power over him had really shaken him. He had thought that he was beyond manipulation by now. He had practiced so long in being cold and shut off to everyone. He shook his head.

"We aren't sure really. Her mother brought her here to us four years ago. She said that the girl's father had left shortly after she was conceived and that her daughter had shown odd abilities at an early age. We agreed to take care of her and her mother left. As far as I know, she has never came back to visit nor has she written. Beth is a very talented young girl. I hate to see her in here. What happened to her?" Thomas said all this very slowly. He took several deep breaths in between statements. Gen listened patiently and didn't try and rush his friend.

"Eremian soldiers tried to kill her and I believe they raped her as well. She seems like a rather strong girl. She'll make it through."

"Filthy pigs!" Thomas exclaimed and broke into a fit of coughing that brought the healer back to the bedside. She scowled at Gen and gave Thomas a sip of tea once his coughing had ended. Then she returned to tend to Beth.

"Tell me about these odd abilities she has," Gen asked interested.

"Well she is very empathic. We found that out early on. Sometimes she can affect people's emotions. For example, if someone is angry she can calm them down or make them lose their temper. So far she has been very successful in divination classes and her grades are rather well in most of her other classes, though she is failing mine. She seems to hate plants or rather they hate her. Though why this is so, I have no idea."

"She mentioned a little brother. Is he here too?"

"Her brother? Oh! She must have meant John. John just recently came here and was having trouble making friends with anyone. She took him under her wing so to speak. I had wished that she would be happy here but the other students stay away from her. I think she uses her abilities to keep others distant, or they are just jealous or scared of her. I'm sorry, my friend, but I think I need to sleep now. Go tell the Headmaster you are here. I'm sure he will be glad to see you again." Thomas smiled and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost instantly.

Gen stood up and walked out of the building. He shut the door as quietly as he could. He stood outside the door for a while and just looked around. Then he walked slowly around the Schola grounds. He wasn't sure he wanted to see the Headmaster quite yet. He was walking, lost in his thoughts, and when he finally looked around again, he was standing at the edge of the archery range. Class was in session and there were about ten young children practicing with short bows at targets. He looked around and spotted Master Ambern. He walked towards his former master of archery. When he had reached the master's side, Master Ambern spoke.

"Can I help you, Sir?" he asked politely. He held no look of recognition in his eyes. Gen smiled to himself and decided to play with his old master a bit.

"I was wondering if perhaps you had some long bows for sale."

"I have a few inside. Come with me." He told the students to continue with their practice, and turned to walk inside his shop. Gen followed behind him. The master's shop had changed very little since he had been there last. The only thing new was a large rack of bows on the back wall. He waved at the bows then stood in the center of the room. Gen walked over and examined the weapons. They were all fine bows and Gen could tell that the master had made them all by hand. Some were beautiful, almost works of art. There were all kinds of bows.

Gen examined them all until he came to a long bow that was very plain. It was made of a fine wood and was stained a deep red color. Gen picked it up off the rack and carried it back to the master.

"How much for this one?" he asked.

"Ten thousand gold pieces," the Master replied calmly, a condescending look in his eyes.