The Land: Catacombs (Chaos Seeds Book 4) (7 page)

“Well, my lord.  Now that you mention it…”  She kept talking and he got a new quest. 

You have been offered a Quest:
If It Grows From The Ground, It’s Probably Okay I
.  Your herb gatherers are working hard to supply the needs of your burgeoning village.  They need a structure to dry and treat the plants that they harvest, however.  Isabella requests that you build an Herb House.  Bonus will be provided if you select a location suitable for both light-needing and dark-needing plants.  Yes or No?  Reward: Increased potency of herbs.  Yes or No?

Richter accepted the quest.  “I’ll talk to Roswan about it, but you may need to wait a bit.  There are a lot of other things we need to build first.”  She assured him there wasn’t a major rush.  The first batch of herbs would not finish growing for a while and those could be hung up in the longhouses.  Richter nodded and then started walking towards the Quickening with Sion in tow.  Alma had gotten enough of a rest apparently and flew off towards the village below.  Futen floated behind them silently. 

Before Richter had taken more than a few steps, he heard chanting.  Isabella was looking at the tilled herb field and had both hands extended out. She spoke in a smooth measured voice, and gold light suffused her arms.  As Richter watched, she moved them sinuously.  Her movements matched the cadence of her voice perfectly.  Apparently her spell had a relatively long cast time, but for a potential doubling in herb yield and potency, Richter knew it was worth the effort.  He turned away again and left Isabella to explore her new Power.

A short walk later, the two friends were standing under the canopy of the Quickening.  The two sprite guards had greeted them before fading back into concealment.  The thick white leaves shifted above them, causing a faint rustling as they rubbed together.  The silver bark shone slightly in the scant light that filtered through the foliage.  Richter and Sion kept walking until they were directly in front of the trunk.  It almost looked like eight different trees that had been woven into a complex helical shape. 

Richter ran his hand over the smooth wood.  The surface of the Quickening was not wrinkled like an oak tree.  Instead, it was covered in smooth whirls that were artistic in appearance.  Richter closed his eyes and stood there for a full five minutes.  Every breath in filled his mind and soul with contentment.  Every breath out exhaled a small amount of tension.  Richter kept one hand on the tree in a simple communion.  Sion shared this sacred space with his friend.  The wood sprite, like all of his people, had an almost religious reverence for nature.  Being able to see and stand beneath a
heavenly
tree was a dream made reality for his Companion. 

Richter opened his eyes.  The residual stress of the past week was still there, but it felt distant now.  Sion looked at him and smiled.  The sprite also felt the same oneness of spirit.  Richter peeked through the gaps in the trunk and looked at the cocoon within.  Elora’s chrysalis was spun of silver thread that matched the trunk.  He silently wished her well.  He took a step back and exhaled in contentment.  Sion turned to leave, but stopped when Richter touched his arm.  The sprite looked back with a questioning expression. 

“I know this is a somewhat sensitive topic, but you are my best friend.  The list of my enemies is only growing longer and more distinguished.  I want to give you every weapon and advantage that I can.  With that in mind, I would like to try and awaken Life magic in you.”

Sion shook his head and his face adopted a slightly pained expression. “My mother has tried, Richter.  Sumiko has tried.  Other Life masters have tried.  It has never worked.”  Though Sion tried to stay even keeled while he spoke, the volume of his voice rose ever so slightly by the end.  Richter didn’t interrupt.  He knew what a sensitive subject this was for his friend.  Being the son of the Hearth Mother and yet living most of his life thinking he was magically barren had taken a serious toll on Sion.  The sprite had been able to shed most of that emotional weight once he had learned Air magic, but no one could easily forget decades of shame, even if it was about something beyond your control. 

“I know, Sion, and I don’t bring this up lightly.  You were present at the birth of the Quickening, though.  Your mother said that the amount of new Air disciples I was able to make was unheard of.  She said it was because they were exposed to the magic released when the tree was birthed.  It increased the affinities of the villagers and let me awaken their Power.  Now I don’t know if this will work, but I would like to try.”

Sion took a deep breath and then stepped close. “Okay,” he said heavily, “let’s try.”                   

Richter placed his left hand on his friend’s head and the right on Sion’s chest.  Warmth blossomed inside of his chest and the sensation flowed down both arms.  The energy flowed into Sion, searching for a resonance.  The two men locked eyes and waited, but nothing happened.  The energy dissipated like smoke in the wind.  Richter’s face crumpled somewhat in sympathy.  What he had said was true.  He did want Sion to be as prepared as possible for the inevitable fights to come, but he had had another, deeper motivation.  Richter had wanted to give his friend a gift.  Not just the gift of magic, but also the gift of freedom from any lingering doubts as to his own self-worth.

Sion didn’t let him dwell.  With a bit of forced joviality in his voice, the sprite said, “Maybe you should get a woman.  This is an absolutely pathetic attempt to get a little affection.”  He stepped away, breaking the contact between them.  The sprite started walking away. 

Richter fell in step behind him.  In an effort to help Sion move past the disappointment, he said, “Well you can’t blame a guy for trying.  At least I got you alone first.”  Sion gave a halfhearted laugh. 

The two men walked out from under the comforting embrace of the Quickening.  Despite Richter’s failed attempt to awaken Sion’s Life magic, their time with the celestial tree was not wasted.  For both of them, the world seemed a bit brighter and the future a bit more hopeful.  Once the sun was shining directly on their faces again, Sion seemed back to himself.  He smiled brightly, just enjoying being alive.  Richter smiled back, happy that the awkward moment had passed.  

He started walking south, intending to go back down the hill to the village, but Sion stopped him. 

“What’s up?” he asked the sprite.

“There is something that I want to show you.  It’s on the far end of the meadow.”

Richter nodded, but looked up at where Futen floated above his head. “How much time has passed since I finished speaking to Terrod?”

“One hour and twenty-two minutes,” came the monotone reply. 

“Okay.  We should have enough time, but let’s run.”  Richter spoke a word of power.  One hand moved in a particular gesture as he cast
Haste I
.  Suddenly the world seemed to move somewhat slower, and he, conversely, could move that much faster.  Sion did the same, and the two men took off at a run.  The sprite led the way, and they quickly moved to the west. 

Richter thought they might have been running to the lake, but Sion started veering north towards the cliff face.  They ran for another minute or two and then stopped before a waterfall.  The water fell from the cliffs high above and filled the lake that dominated the western aspect of the meadow.  A second waterfall fell from the south side of the lake down to the level of the village. 

Richter realized that he had never actually come all the way to the western end of the meadow before.  He looked up at the river feeding the lake and wondered if the torrent of water came from a stream or river that wended its way through mountains to the north.  The spray falling over the two Companions was certainly icy cold.

“So this is what you wanted to show me?” Richter shouted.  This close to the site of impact, the waterfall was quite loud. 

“No, gyoti!” Sion shouted back.  “I have been searching around the village and the surrounding area.  That includes this meadow.  I was searching for a particular herb, White Rine Tendril, that is known to grow on rocks near running water.  I was scaling the rocks near the waterfall, doing my best not to fall.  That was not easy, by the way!  The water covers the rocks completely where I was searching, and it made enough froth that I couldn’t see my hands when they were in the flow.”

Richter rolled his eyes a bit over this slightly long and boring story.  Sion glared at him, but continued, “As I was
saying
, I was making my way across a series of rocks hidden by the water.  Things were going fine, but then I put my hand down through the water again, but I couldn’t find a handhold.  There wasn’t anything there!  I peeked my head through and found the cave.  Now come on!”

Sion smiled wildly and then started walking on the rocks that crossed in front of the falls.  Richter followed him until they had gone about twenty feet.  They were both drenched by the spray before they had even made it half that distance.  The large rocks at the bottom of the falls were slippery, but both men had more than enough Agility to navigate the path.  Sion got right up to the wall of water and motioned for Richter to follow him. “This way!”

The sprite stepped through the torrent and disappeared.  Shaking his head at how intensely cold the water was likely to be, Richter stepped through as well.  He had thought he was wet before, but the deluge falling on him made him feel like he was diving into the ocean… near Antarctica.  The force of the water threatened to push him off balance, but again, he was able to keep his feet.  He was effectively blinded by the sheer volume of the water falling on him, but he kept pushing forward.  For a second, Richter started wondering if this was all an elaborate trick by his Companion, but then a small, strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the rock face behind the falls.

Richter stumbled through the water, and his foot found a slick gravel floor.  The volume of water blocked almost all of the afternoon light, but Futen floated in and illuminated the space.  The entrance to the cave was only three feet across and ten feet high.  Compared to the forty-foot width of the falls, the entrance was quite small. 

Richter looked around.  The cave opened up widely after the narrow opening.  Moss-covered rocks lay near the entrance, and large stalactites hung from the ceiling.  He hadn’t known what to expect, but what he saw was more than a simple cave.  The moisture from the falls apparently made the perfect environment for fungus.  In Futen’s light, Richter could see lichen of varying shades and textures hugging most available surfaces.  Sion was already running around like a kid in a candy store, examining them and exclaiming over the properties each could convey. 

“You were here before, weren’t you?” Richter asked, amused by his friend’s “oohs” and “aahs.”

“Yes, but I just discovered it a day ago!  I also could barely see.  Only a small amount of light filters through the water of the falls.”

Richter nodded and kept looking around.  The ceiling rose to fifteen feet above his head and the cave he was standing in extended back another hundred feet.  A small break in the ceiling allowed a cascade of water to fall through.  Richter couldn’t see any sky through the fissure in the ceiling, but he felt it was safe to assume that the water came from the waterfall running above their heads.  It fell into a small wading pool that in turn made a small rivulet that ran down the center of the cave until it flowed out towards the entrance.  Futen’s light reflected weakly off of the white marbled quartz.  The scene was one of untouched beauty.

He realized that this might indeed be an ideal place to plant his garden.  It was well hidden, which could come in handy.  The villagers would most likely know of course—something like a crystal garden couldn’t be kept secret in a village like this.  Once one villager found out, gossip would ensure the rest would know soon after.  It would keep the garden secret from invaders, however, and that might be invaluable.  If they were raided again, it was unlikely any enemies would make it to the meadow and then have the foresight to explore the waterfall.

He did not forget that his quest had specified that darkness was preferred when he planted the Focus Crystal, though.  The light entering the cave was weak, but he wondered if he might find a place of complete darkness further in.  He left Sion to keep examining the cave’s flora and walked to the back of the cave.  Richter hoped to find the most shadowed corner, but to his delight, he found much more.  A shadowy recess that he had taken to just be a fold in the cave wall actually turned out to be the start of a small tunnel.  He ordered Futen to dim his light and stay with Sion, then he cast
Darkvision I. 
Futen’s dim light and the small amount of sun that filtered through the water was somewhat painful, but as the remnant floated away, it became manageable. 

Richter walked through the tunnel, which quickly narrowed in both width and height.  In six steps, Richter was hunched over.  Four more and he was in a three-point stance as he edged forward.  The slope of the floor also increased to a forty-five-degree angle.  Five more steps and a turn of the tunnel later, a bare wall confronted Richter.  The path didn’t end, though.  Directly above him was a hole with irregular edges.  Just by standing in the shortened tunnel he was able to get his head and shoulders above the edges of the hole.  Richter looked out at a large cavern that was in complete darkness.  It extended past the twenty-five-yard range that his
Darkvision I
spell allowed.  He didn’t see any other light, though.  This might be just what he was looking for!  Richter gave a small internal cheer at having found the perfect space to grow his crystal garden.