The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (13 page)

Tempo finished translating what Gyan had said
and there was much soft and some low growly noises as the skunks
conferred. Finally Tempo looked up at Gyan and did some low noises
in his throat.

Erin spoke. “We understand and will strive to
start a new life where you have indicated. We know it isn’t without
risk but you are offering us an opportunity to reestablish our
population. Thank you for that. Many times people will fear things
that are different from them. Fear is not terribly useful in those
situations. You respect our difference and the fact that the
ancients saw our value. We will strive to fulfill our role and be
beneficial to the realm. We wild ones wish you well in stabilizing
our world.” Then the thirty-one skunks nodded their heads toward
the Great One. Bran and Olm’s eyes were very round as they
listened.

Gyan returned the deep nod. “Eat well tonight
and return before dawn to get into your wagons. I will see some of
you later as we swing through the prairies. Goodbye my friends.”
There was a rippling of black and white as the skunks turned and
disappeared into the night.

Gyan slapped his knees and got up. “It is
times like these that I am again reminded how important we all are.
Well, let’s at least find a bucket of water and wash up for
dinner.” While they had been talking to the party of skunks the
camp had been busy. Tents had been erected. Most of the ten
security men and Kennet and Drune had been down to the river and
bathed. Several buckets had been brought back to camp for the
others. The security chef had a savory stew cooking and some
roasted tubers. The four that had been part of the conference
quickly cleaned up enough to eat. Their more thorough absolutions
would take place after dinner.

When they were finished eating and Luna was
well up in the sky, the group broke up. Some would stand guard in
shifts. Others were going to check over their equipment or bed down
right away. Erin got a change of clothes and some soap and went to
the sandy spot beside the river to bathe. Drune sat against a tree
and stroked Tempo, who had come to join him while Erin bathed
behind them. When they returned to camp, Cear was coming up in the
sky. Gyan saw them walking by and motioned them into his tent. He
gestured for them to sit.

“You two are my council on this trip. You are
also my two youngest sages. We sages have a mixed set of skills.
Drune, you are a telekinetic, able to move objects with your mind.
You are the only one alive who has that skill. You can also get
information by touch. That combination is just what the ancients
ordered for this task. I know that you are uneasy about the
responsibility. You are also an empath, like Erin, and have a good
sense of intuition. Erin, you have some clairvoyance skills or you
would not have been able to see Bure being transported to Obsidian.
You also are a telepath, particularly with animals and have some
emerging intuition skills. What I want to do with both of you is to
strengthen those skills. Tonight I need to contact three mayors.
While I am in contact with them I want you here with me and trying
to sense things. Drune you can use your psychometric skill and
touch my knee lightly. All I ask is that neither of you distract me
as these contacts over distance can be tiring. Get comfortable. Are
you ready?” They both nodded silently.

Gyan sat back, closed his eyes, took a deep
breath and let it out. ‘Harra, are you able to talk right now?’

‘Gyan good to hear from you. Have you found
any answers? I have to tell you, things are rather difficult here.
The rabble that Bure talked to are doing their best to convert
others, sometimes by force or intimidation. I would like some good
news.’ ‘Harra, we have found some solutions. They won’t happen
overnight. I’ll talk more to you about this personally. We will be
in your province tomorrow. We will be talking to your people as we
travel to you and when we get there.’

‘Gyan, take care. I will be looking forward
in seeing you. I will do whatever you want me to do.’

Gyan opened his eyes. He happened to look at
Erin first and was surprised to see she was pale and the hair was
standing up on her arms. “Talk to me Erin.”

“He is more frightened than he is letting on.
I think someone close to him has been threatened but it hasn’t
brought him ‘in line’. He was sitting in a room that looked like a
study. He was not letting on he was conversing with you but someone
else was there in the room, someone he didn’t trust.” Gyan’s eyes
were getting wider the longer she talked.

“Erin were you touching me or Drune?” “No. I
got goose bumps as soon as you connected. I have been doing that
for quite awhile. It would bug me when Alliz and Lor would converse
mentally in front of me. It seemed rude. But when you were talking
I could see some of it and hear pieces of it.” Gyan blinked and
shook his head but he didn’t elaborate.

“Drune, what did you get?”

“He is holding his province together but he
is fearful that the mobs are increasing. People he knows have been
threatened and he hasn’t found the right method on how to stop the
movement.”

“Okay you two, that conversation was the most
critical as to how deeply Bure’s infection has reached. This next
time, Erin, I want you to touch Drune’s arm during my conversation.
Concentrate also on what he is getting. Understand?”

“I think so.”

He closed his eyes and took another deep
breath and let it out. ‘Cesler, do you have a moment?’

‘Gyan, do you have news?’

‘We have found some information left by the
ancients and are working on a solution. Tomorrow we will be
entering Sawblen. We will go to Duluse next and as we travel we are
going to be talking to the people. There are a couple of reasons
for that and I will go into them when I see you. Right now I need
to tell you that I have a partial solution for your vermin
problem.’

‘How are you going to fix that?’

‘Bure and his kin also killed a lot of
skunks. It upset the balance because skunks help keep the vermin
population in check. There are virtually no skunks in your province
or in Pastarham. Starting tomorrow we have found fifteen skunks
that are willing to reestablish their kind in your province. They
are to be respected and left alone. The skunks won’t stop the
problem but they will slow it down. I will be in touch as we get
closer to entering your province.’

‘Alright, thanks for the partial help. It’s a
start.’

Gyan opened his eyes and looked at his
protégés. Erin spoke first. “I got a clearer reading. It was like I
was able to amplify the energy through Drune. He is clearly beset
by the problems. As times get rougher some people are losing faith
in our time honored respect of the ancients and are looking for
other solutions. I do not sense he has mobs but there is unrest. He
was outside of the city when you contacted him. I think he was in
the city henge.”

Drune was nodding as Erin spoke. “I got a
stronger signal also. I couldn’t see him. That is not one of my
skills, but I concur with the emotions that Erin picked up. He is
worried.”

“Alright, there is one more. This time Erin I
want you to sit here between Drune and me. Put your hands on our
knees. Ready?” Erin and shifted her seat on the ground. For anyone
looking in, the tableau would seem like friends casually sharing a
moment of quiet at the end of the day. ‘Peyr, I have some news. Are
you busy.’

‘Gyan, you have solutions, right? This is not
the time to tell me that things are getting worse!’

‘Peyr, we have found some information that
the ancients left us and have already set some things in motion.
Tomorrow we are going into Sawblen but we will be in your province
soon. We need to talk to the people as well as install some items.
As for your pestilence problem...’

‘How did you know about that? And don’t give
me the All-Knowing-Great-One line!’

Gyan smiled. Talking to this particular mayor
was always like a splash of water in the face. ‘Cesler has the same
problem. Part of it is because of the weather being perfect for
bringing out the vermin, but the other cause is because Bure and
his kin went out of their way to kill any and all skunks. They are
your natural pest control animal. There aren’t any left in Duluse
and Pastarham. I have a wagon that will be in your province in a
few days carrying skunks that will reestablish their population in
your province.’

‘Skunks! You are bringing me skunks! Come on,
man! We need more than that.’ ‘Peyr, you will get more than that.
The ancients, in their wisdom, provided us with tools to keep our
world in balance. Skunks are part of that. We also have some
devices and such to install when we get there. Hang in there, man.
We are doing what we can as fast as we can. Sawblen has mobs
brewing. I need to go there first but I have sent the skunks ahead
so they can get busy eating. I will keep you informed.’

‘Alright, Gyan. I will talk to the people.
Believe me they will be waiting for you when you arrive.’ Gyan
smiled in satisfaction. ‘I look forward to that.’

Gyan opened his eyes. “Erin, you are a
natural magnifier. I am less tired because I could get to him
easier. Did it drain you?”

“I’m okay. I have been working strengthening
my mental shields so I don’t get as exhausted as I used to. Mayor
Peyr is close to being overwhelmed. The negatives are adding up and
his peaceful province has a lot of underlying disquiet. His
testiness is a friendly reflection of an unfriendly rumbling. He
also was outside. I think he was with Lazin.”

Drune added. “I again agree with Erin. The
connection you suggested increased the information I got through
touch. He is close to tearing his hair out in frustration. You can
count on the fact that he will tell the people that you are
coming.”

Gyan gave that same satisfied, if humorless
smile. “I am counting on it. As I speak to people, you two will be
in the crowds. I need your empathic skills finding the
troublemakers and I also need you locating the latents. We will be
stopping at every hamlet and town. It may slow us getting to the
cities but it is necessary to try to quell the witch hunt. You two
better get some sleep. Tomorrow we will be in Sawblen. We have our
world, the weather and the people to deal with at the same time.
Shouldn’t be dull.”

Dawn was breaking when expedition broke camp.
The thirty passengers were on their way on the northbound road. Now
the party was reduced to ten in the security detail, three sages
and Kennet driving the supply wagon. Tempo was riding in the supply
wagon while they were in the outer part of the province. They
didn’t know if the fear of skunks was part of the Bure propaganda
and wanted to be cautious.

It didn’t take long and they were over the
large bridge and into Sawblen Province. Moving swiftly they arrived
at the small hamlet of Cana, home to glass blowers and fisherman.
When fourteen people, their horses and a wagon pull into a small
place of fifteen buildings everyone notices. The company dismounted
as the curious gathered. Erin and Drune melted back toward the main
mercantile. Someone asked Erin what this was about. She answered in
an ever so slightly louder than normal voice, “The Great One is
traveling about the realm.” The words “Great One” rippled out
through the crowd like a pebble dropped into a still pool. The
ripples of those words brought more people until everyone in the
area was gathered around the Great One.

Gyan climbed up on a stack of nearby boxes
and the crowd got quiet. Someone from the back of the crowd yelled
out, “What are you here for, Great One?”

He put up his hands for silence. “That is a
good question. Our realm is having a rough autumn with all of the
bad weather and quakes. I’m sure you have noticed” and he smiled.
His comment elicited chuckles. Then he got very serious. “I have
heard that some people think they can fix the problem by killing
people. That is very disturbing and wrong-headed. The ancients made
murder a very serious crime for a reason. It doesn’t solve anything
and it upsets a very delicate balance they established. Bure is
forever banished to Obsidian because he deliberately killed. He and
his kin murdered eight people we know about. That is against every
law and belief we live by. It has solved nothing.”

Erin and Drune were drifting though the crowd
with their mental ‘doors’ open trying to sense the crowd’s mood.
One man half way back spoke loudly. “Bure said there was witches
and they brought the bad weather. He said if we loved our families
we needed to clean them witches out of the realm.”

Gyan looked at the man. “Bure was wrong. The
bad weather and quakes didn’t even start until mid-September. Bure
and his kin started killing in early August. It became a sickness
to him. In his mind he justified his murdering binge by calling the
good people he killed, witches. There are no such things as
witches. They only exist in children’s stories.”