The Protector of Esparia (The Annals of Esparia Book 1) (25 page)

They said nothing more, but he continued riding beside the buggy.  The silence felt comfortable and Jessica was pleased to have him by her for the remainder of the day’s journey.  More than a few times she stole a look at him.  With classically handsome features and thick, dark, curly hair he cut a striking figure.  Though not much taller than herself, his muscular physique more than compensated for the lack of stature.  She found his boyish shyness quite charming; it reminded her of another young man, worlds away.

Toward the eventide, the walled fortress of Koradine appeared in the distance.  The capitol of Florio rose like a spired coronet atop the rich, flat fields surrounding it. 

“You’re looking at one of the oldest settlements in Esparia,” Reese explained.  “It’s called Koradine, or City of Plenty, and is tens of thousands of years old.  It’s been built in three distinct sections or layers.  There’s an ancient Inner Dine preserved as a museum, it’s the original city.  Then the Middle Dine was built about twenty thousand years ago and the Outer Dine is only three thousand years old.  Most of the government buildings are located in the Middle Dine, so I think that’s where we’re going.  It’s really fantastic, to see how the people have kept the buildings in such good repair for so many years.  They’re very proud of their history and have gone to enormous lengths to keep everything from decay.”

Traveling through the Outer Dine toward the Middle Dine, the buildings resembled more and more those at Ramadine.  The outer buildings were built of colored brick, some red, some green, others blue, yellow, peach and violet.  All were accented along blue Palium roofs and down each exterior corner by white stones.  Each building was smoothed to a glassy finish.  The structures of the Middle Dine were more ornate and of pastel hues, but shined to the same high gloss.  Here the roofs were of copper and pastel tiles of all colors. 

They stopped before a large building, heavily ornate with grand arches and sculpted flower garlands.  Jessica was enthralled by the intricate detail of the edifice.  When she exited her buggy, she did not notice her foot had become entwined in the reins of her carriage and she fell, head first, onto a smooth stone sidewalk.  A weak, brief screech of surprise escaped her lips as she thrust her hands outward to break her fall.

Anton and Reese, as well as three passers-by ran to her aid.  Reese unraveled her foot from the leather lines while Anton swept her into his arms.  Filled with embarrassment, she tried to wiggle down, but Anton held her firm, his face wrinkled in concern.

“Uncle Anton, I’m all right,” she tried to assure him.  “I don’t feel any pain.”

“That’s ‘cause yer takin’ Larone’s painkiller.”

As he carried her into the elegant building Jessica looked at her hands.  To her dismay they were scraped, her right much worse than her left.  She squeezed them tightly to try and slow the bleeding.  “That pain killer really does work well”, she mused.  “I don’t feel a thing.”  With Reese and Varnack close behind, Anton marched up to the first person he saw and demanded, “Where’s the High Older’s office?”  Luckily for the individual, he knew just where to send the large, worried man and his delegation. 

“We need a healer,” Anton announced when he burst into the High Older’s office.  “Jessi here had an accident and I want her attended to right now.”

Realizing that she may really need some medical attention, Jessica resigned herself to Anton’s fatherly attentions

The High Older, a portly gentleman with short, gray hair stared in stunned silence at the intruders.   He quickly recovered his composure.  “We have one of the finest healers in the country here, Orin,” he boasted.  “I’ll send for him immediately.”  He waddled out of the office, leaving the four alone.

“Orin, huh?  I’ve heard of him,” Anton commented.  “I would say only Larone is better known.”

Having been deposited in a comfortable, overstuffed chair, Jessica waited with her friends for the High Older’s return.  There was little to do and she felt extremely foolish.  “I’m sorry for upsetting the schedule,” she apologized.  “I was too engrossed in the beauty of the buildings instead of being careful.”

“It’s all right, Jessi,” her Uncle comforted.  “We’re ahead of time, so this shouldn’t set us back any.”

Varnack licked her hand.  “Worried.”

“Really, I’m okay.”

Reese stood at a small window, gazing down at the street.  “There’s a crowd gathering in front of the building.  Our presence here is known.” 

Anton joined him.  “Yeah, well I guess we could get started.  As soon as the High Older returns, I’ll tell him to show you to…”  Before he could finish the sentence, the door to the plush office opened and the Older stood there, his faced flushed.

“You are very fortunate!” he exclaimed with such excitement Jessica worried his eyes would pop right out of his head.  “Healer Orin seldom comes to the dine, but today he was here and I found him walking down the street over there.”  The Older flicked his hand to indicate the general direction he was referring to.  Standing in the doorway, the large man blocked any view of this famous healer.  When he finally moved aside, allowing Orin to enter the room, Anton and Reese gasped in unison while Varnack jumped to his feet, wagging his tail in obvious delight.  Jessica blinked in astonishment.

She shot a questioning glance at her two companions positioned by the window.  Reese’s mouth lay open in shock and the color had completely drained from Anton’s face.  She looked from the two, to the healer, and back again.  This tall, slender man held an uncanny resemblance to Haesom, her murdered uncle.  He was older, and his hair was auburn, not blazing red, but from his sapphire blue eyes and to the dimple in his chin, he was an older version of the dead Protector.

If he noticed any of their reactions, he did not show it, but focused his full attention on Jessica.  “I heard you took quite a tumble.”

Jessica swallowed hard and pulled herself together. 

Orin knelt down and took her hands in his, examining the scrapes.  Varnack nosed the man on his cheek and Orin chuckled quietly.  “You have a very friendly Trigal Hound there.” 

Jessica stared at the man kneeling in front of her.  He was definitely older than Haesom, in fact, she had the distinct impression he was older than her grandmother, but by how much was uncertain.  His light, auburn-brown hair had just begun to gray and there were lines around his eyes and mouth.  When he took her hand she felt great kindness emanate from him.

“My niece has some broken ribs,” Anton boomed, his brusque voice sounding with a calm that belied his still stunned expression. 

“Then I will need some privacy,” Orin advised, and the others quickly filed out of the office.

“So you were in the tiern for a visit?” Jessica ventured.

“Yes, I was not going to come to the middle dine today, but I felt prompted to.  I came in about an hour ago to visit a friend.  I had just left his home when the High Older found me.”

“Lucky for me you were around.  I thought poor Uncle Anton was going to have a heart attack right on the spot where I fell.”

“It is a privilege to meet you, Lady Jessica.  I understand you have come from a great distance, both you and your father, to aid my people.”

“Yes, it was a long trip.”  She felt comfortable around this kind stranger.  “Now we’re traveling throughout the entire country, well, almost the entire country.  It’s beautiful here, very diverse.”

“Beautiful…yes, I agree, but do not let the beauty of the land lull you into thinking there are no dangers.”

Jessica was surprised.  “Daenon can reach this far into the country?”

“No,” he shook his head.  “Not Daenon.  It is difficult to put my suspicions into words.  Have you heard of the Winds of Malana?”

“No.”  Her interest was piqued.

“Malana and Bree were sisters,” Orin began.  He poured a yellow liquid from a small vial onto her palms and wiped them.  “Their story is as old as Koradine itself, for it was their father, Korad, who founded Koradine and brought all of the nomadic tribes of Esparia to peace.  He became the first Protector.  Bree was the younger of the two sisters and she loved the land and all that was part of it.  Our first records of white persite come from her writings.”  Orin pulled a fine needle from his bag and threaded it.  “She learned to harness the power of persite and used it to bless all living things.  She traveled this entire planet, crossing the oceans and visiting the isles of the sea.  Everywhere she went plant life thrived.  She lived to an ancient age.  The persite extended her lifespan to many times that of normal people.  Malana was the oldest child in the family.”  He stitched the shredded flesh of her right palm as he spoke.  “She wanted to rule and was furious when her father chose one of her younger brothers to succeed him.  Knowing that persite held great power, she went searching for a crystal of her own.  With it she hoped to force a coup and reign in her brother’s place.  She found what she was looking for, but was unable to unlock its power.  When Bree refused to help her, Malana fled to the western jungle.  At that time Demar was not a desert, but a lush, tropical garden covering a third of our country.  Malana spent many years trying to control the persite’s power.  Eventually, she succeeded; however before she could attack her brother, Bree intervened.  The sisters battled day and night for weeks.  In a desperate effort to increase her power, Malana pulled the life forces from the jungle plants surrounding her, turning her white persite to green.  Bree was able to tap into the strength of Edia, anchoring herself to the planet.  In that final, terrible battle, Malana consumed the Demarian gardens, rendering the land barren and desolate of all life for millennia.  The effort of battle, using the persite as weapons, threatened the existence of both women.  Malana absorbed so much of the green persite’s energy that her body could not contain it.  Her flesh transformed into the green crystal and exploded into thousands of pieces.  A tremendous, violent wind was generated by the blast and the crystals were carried to all parts of this land.  In the process, much of the country was devastated.” 

Orin secured the last bandage on Jessica’s palms and turned his attention to her ribs.  “It is said that Malana did not die in the blast, but became the wind and vented her fury.  Even now, when a destructive wind manifests on land or sea, you can hear Malana’s evil laugh.  Hence, the Winds of Malana…destructive, dangerous, evil.  Bree, encircled within the safety of Edia, survived.  The last we know of her is that she left to go visit the Colossus Mountains, and never returned.  Those who were closest to her say that she merged with our planet.  Her connection with Edia and the power of persite preserved her spiritual essence and she became guardian to all living things.” 

Orin finished re-wrapping the bandages around Jessica’s middle.  “Malana, the Winds of Malana, have always been associated with green persite, and green persite is associated with evil.  As I said, I have suspicions.  I have felt something quite evil, I cannot explain it, but believe me,” he looked earnestly into Jessica’s eyes, “green persite is real, and someone has unlocked a piece of it.  I understand you’re traveling the country.  I don’t believe this to be a coincidence.”

Jessica remembered the green rock she had seen on the night she came to Esparia.  She nodded.  “I do believe you, Orin.”  She wondered if Daenon had finally succeeded in tapping the crystal’s power.   “I think I should say something to Uncle Anton.”

Orin nodded in agreement. “Well, as near as I can judge, you are a very lucky girl.  The fall did not do greater damage to your ribcage and your scrapes will heal in a couple of days.”

“Thanks.  Have you ever been to Ramadine?” she asked.

“No, I have not.  I was born here in Florio and educated at our local ramastar.  I prefer staying close to home, but I would like to go there someday.  I am no longer a young man, but I am not too old either,” his eyes twinkled, “so perhaps after the war I will travel a bit.  Right now, the ramastar has placed me in charge of training other healers to aid in the coming battles.  I have three hundred students.”

Jessica stood up and offered her hand to the man, then remembered the bandages.  Orin gently took her hand between both of his.  “I hope to meet you again,” she thanked him, “and I’ll tell Uncle Anton of what you’ve felt.  We’ll be on our guard for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Until next time.”  He smiled and bowed slightly.  “Now I must be going.”  He opened the office door, but paused and looked back at her.  “It has been strange meeting you, Lady Jessica, as if I already know you.”  He shrugged his shoulders and left.

Jessica felt the same about him.  Not only did he look remarkably like Haesom, but his speech patterns completely mimicked Larone’s.  Jessica burned with questions for Reese, Anton and Varnack.  Never before had she seen Varnack react to a perfect stranger with such affection.  He still had not totally warmed up to her father.  Never far from her, he trotted back into the makeshift examination room. 

“Varnack, you liked Healer Orin a great deal, didn’t you?”

“Yes”

“That surprised me.  I’ve never seen you be that friendly before at just the first meeting.”

“Yes, you have.”

“I have?  When?”

“The night I first met you.”

She gently stroked his back.  “You’re my best friend, Varnack,” she whispered. 

On the road the following morning Jessica called out to Reese.  “All right, I can’t stand it!  Who is this Orin guy?  Why did he look so much like my Uncle Haesom?”