Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) (23 page)

“Wardens are the only people who have the authority to cross the Border.  That was written in the creed of the Great Severance.  We are protectors of both Realms, although most don’t realize it.”

Zora yawned again, and her headache was beginning to worsen.  There were so many unanswered questions, so much history to catch up on, and so many phenomena that still needed explaining.

“You were in Samaria for a long time,” she said.  “More than three years.  Is that normal?” 

“It hasn’t really been that long, Zora, at least not for me.  Time passes a lot slower in Cerendova than in the Commoner Realm, about a third slower actually.  Although no one really knows why.”

“Really?” Zora asked out of surprise.  “So how old does that make you, in Commoner years.”  Liam thought for a moment, doing the math in his head.

“About sixty-two,” he replied.  Zora’s eyebrows shot up.

“The old man illusion was probably more fitting for you then,” she laughed.  Liam just gave her a sour look.

“I created the illusion to get close to you.  Did you think Queen Evangeline would believe I was a well educated scholar looking like this?”  He pointed to his younger face.  “She’d think I was up to no good.”  Liam ran his fingers through his thick, messy hair and glanced at her. 

“I wasn’t completely misleading, though.  Wardens are extremely well educated because we have to be.  My Brothers and I travel all over both Realms.  We have to know what we are doing, because one slip up will get us burned alive at the stake when someone uncovers we’re
Slythos
.”

“You fooled me,” Zora admitted shyly.  “But only a little bit.  I saw you outside Madame Fae’s cottage that afternoon, sneaking around.  Remember?  I thought I was deranged for sure!  So did Arianna.”  This time Liam laughed.

“I thought you saw me!  I could feel your eyes boring through my Vim like a bolt of lightening slicing through a cloud.”  He smiled warmly at her.  Zora squirmed underneath his tender gaze and repositioned herself so she was more comfortable.

“There is so much I still don’t understand,” Zora continued.  “What could you possibly have to protect your country from that would have you travel to the northern end of the Realm?  I just don’t know your purpose in all of this.”

Liam suddenly became serious. “There is a lot of history you’ll have to learn.  It’s a shame that I’m not able to teach it to you all in one night, but in time you’ll understand it.  Then you’ll realize why we do what we do.  There is evil constantly permeating this world, and its effects will impact everyone if fully unleashed, not just Cerendova.  It’s my job to ensure our world is protected.”

Zora was overtaken by another yawn, this time more intense.  Her eyes were beginning to flutter open and closed as her exhaustion began to kick in.

“Will you train me then?” she asked.  “Will you show me how to use my gift so I don’t die a slow and terrible death?” 

Liam waited to respond, knowing that in a couple of moments Zora would be fast asleep.  Sure enough, she curled into a ball finally giving into her lassitude.

“Yes,” Liam heard himself say quietly to her, although he knew that doing so would be the riskiest thing he ever did, even if he was an Imperial Warden.  The man put his hands underneath his head and stared up at the seams of the tent for the remainder of the night while Zora slept peacefully beside him.

Chapter 14

             
Zora awoke the next morning to the soothing sound of rain pelting the roof of her tent and the rhythmic breathing of Liam lying close next to her.  For a couple of moments, she watched his chest rise and fall and found herself bothered by the remaining mud smeared all over his skin from the night before, as if he was too beautiful to be soiled. 

She was suddenly aware of how ragged she probably looked and quickly sat up and went to look for something to clean her face and hair with.  It was early morning, although Zora wasn’t exactly sure what time.  If Dakota was awake and the caravan was packing up to move, he would’ve already woken her.  As she combed the knots out of her hair, Zora thought she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and voices over the sounds of the falling rain outside the tent.

              “Are you sure that’s what you saw, sergeant?”  The voice belonged to Spencer.  “That they were Commoner?  There shouldn’t be any persons traveling through these lands without authorized documentation from King Andre.  And from my understanding, he’s forbidden anyone from venturing so far south.  If there is, then we need to address it as soon as possible.” 

              “I’m positive that’s what I saw,” a man replied whom Zora assumed was another soldier.  “It was two armed men clothed in reptile skin.  We approached them peacefully, but they became defensive when we made inquiries as to who they were.  When we began to pull our weapons on them, they fled into the surrounding brush.  We know these lands better than anyone…but…well…we seemed to have lost them.  George and Philip are still out there trying to track them.  How do you want us to proceed when we get them into custody?” 

              “Well that depends, now doesn’t it?”  Spencer sounded annoyed.  “Use the Dust, then bring them to me for questioning, regardless.  Wake Dakota and take him with you.  I don’t want this group causing us any problems.”

              “Aye, My Prince.  What about Lady Winnser?  Who should I send as Dakota’s replacement to watch over her, especially since there are strangers roaming about.”

              “I’m not worried about Zora’s protection right now.  Just find out who these people are and bring them to me when they are secured.” 

Zora listened as one set of footprints faded away, feeling slightly insulted by Spencer’s lack of concern for her safety.  The groan of Dakota awakening from his deep sleep filtered through the tent’s flaps, and a murmured conversation between two soldiers followed as Dakota arose to do his Master’s bidding.

              “Lady Winnser?” his deep voice broke through the tent.  Zora peeked her head out, careful to keep the flap from opening too far to reveal Liam asleep inside.  She cringed when she saw the Misou mercenary.  He looked dazed and confused; side effects of the tea she’d made him.

              “I’ve been called away by Prince DeVore,” he slurred as he rubbed his bloodshot eyes.  “Try and stay close to camp this time.  There have been strange folk sighted.  Do you still have the dirk I gave you?”  Zora nodded that she did.

              “Good,” he replied.  “Keep it handy.”  Zora nodded again thinking Dakota would probably have been proud of her for slashing Liam if she’d told him about it. 

“Be careful,” Zora instructed with a grim smile.

“Always am,” Dakota replied.  After she watched him walk away, the woman withdrew into her tent and continued wiping the mud off of her skin and combing the debris out of her hair.

              “Good morning,” a sleepy voice greeted from behind her.  She turned and met those blue-green eyes framed by dark lashes and all the unhappiness surrounding Spencer disappeared.

              “Good morning,” Zora replied.

              “Are you ok?” he inquired.  “I overheard your betrothed’s comment outside…”  His voice trailed off when her face went stone-like.  That always happened when Zora didn’t want to talk about something. 

              “Never mind,” he said quickly, deciding it wasn’t his place to enlighten Zora of Spencer’s ugly treatment towards her.  He propped himself up on one side with his elbow.  “I was thinking that we could start your training today, just like you wanted.  What do you think?” 

              “I thought I dreamed asking you that,” Zora chuckled then blushed.  “I didn’t mention anything else too revealing, hopefully.”  Liam raised a playful eyebrow and grinned. 

              “No.  Nothing.  Can’t say I wasn’t hoping for a little peak into the lock box you call your heart, though.  But that’s a conversation for another day.  As for training, yes or no?”

              Zora looked skeptical as a low roll of thunder rumbled in the distance.  “It’s raining and stormy outside.  Wouldn’t you prefer more hospitable conditions for you to impress me with your skills?” 

              “Actually, that makes it even better,” he said.  “More sources to draw Ithillium from.”  He winked at her then quickly got up and began putting on all of the gear he shed the night before. 

              “How about you meet me over by the lake in an hour?  We shouldn’t be disturbed there.” 

Zora just looked at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.  All she could feel was her heart skipping a beat with the thought of having a secret rendezvous with him.  Liam gave her a half smile then exited the tent leaving her nervous about what was to come.

***

              Zora barely had enough time for one of the slave girls to draw a bath for her so she could finally clean up.  When she questioned the girl about Spencer’s whereabouts, the slave admitted he’d gone off with some of the Misou mercenaries earlier in the morning.  Zora didn’t know what would cause Spencer to abandon his camp with an entourage of lethal mercenaries, but at this moment she didn’t care.  With him gone, she was free to do as she pleased, and right now that meant training with Liam.             

              Soon Zora was trudging through the sodden wetlands trying to retrace her trail from the night before.  Light rain was dripping through the upper canopy of the forest causing a delicate pitter-patter rhythm to accompany her as she walked.  She didn’t have to go far and soon spotted Liam standing in the distance, cleaned up and without armor except for his leather belt with attached scimitar.  The rain had already soaked through his shirt and his hair lay matted against his forehead.

              “Are you sure this is a wise idea?” Zora asked when she reached him, peering uncertainly through the trees at the moving storm clouds above.  She couldn’t help but feel excited to learn how to control what it was that made her so different, but at the same time she was terrified of having such a powerful force at her disposal.

              “As certain as I can be,” he replied, clapping his hands together.  “So… I’ve never really had to train anyone on how to recognize Ithillium before.  Where I come from, this is common practice.  But I guess we can start with the basics and go from there.”

              “Wait, let me get this straight,” Zora interrupted.  “You’ve been my teacher for three years and the one subject that’s most important, yet also the most dangerous for me to learn, you’ve never taught before?”  Liam considered this for a moment.

              “I guess,” he said cautiously, clearly not understanding Zora’s apprehension.  “You’re just going to have to trust me.  Can you do that?”  All Zora could do was nod. She had no other choice at the moment.

“Ok then, “ he continued.  “Can you tell me about the couple of times you’ve really used Ithillium.  What was happening in your life that prompted you to do so?  How did you control the mangrove tree?”

Zora bit her lip as she thought back to the recent events that could only be explained by her newfound gift.

“Well, I consider myself an amateur botanist, right?  All plants are alive, just like us.  They breathe air, metabolize food, drink water, and produce offspring.  I just knew to feel for the life of the tree, the energy from the sun that flows through its veins, sustaining its existence.  And when I searched for it, I found it.  I could feel the tree feeding off of the same life source that I was.  I was able to connect to it somehow, then use it to do what I wanted.” 

Zora hoped she didn’t sound like a raving lunatic in front of Liam, but he stood still, genuinely listening to her, with surprise written all over his face.

              “The energy you felt in the tree was Ithillium, Zora.  The Bond between all of us is deeply intense, and the link you made with your surroundings was strong.  What you taught yourself already is incredibly rare.  Children in Cerendova go to school from a very young age to learn how to do what you did on your own.” 

He took a step closer to her and looked into her eyes, clearly wanting her to understand how important his next statement was. 

“As a sorcerer, learning to recognize Ithillium is the first step.  One has to know how to hear it, see it, smell it, and taste it, amongst all the other distracting stimuli that surround us.  Once one knows what to search for, a sorcerer can always sense the power of Ithillium.”

“After that comes the Bond.  Bonding involves making your own core of living energy, your Vim, into one with Ithillium until till you can’t differentiate where one flow of energy has begun and the other ended.  Once the Bond is complete, a sorcerer can maneuver and control Ithillium as they wish, along with other living beings such as plants, fire, and animals. Ithillium can also be used to control inanimate objects because everything on the face of the earth is affected by its energy.  But that takes some time to learn.  Let me just demonstrate some of the basics.”  He took a couple of steps back.

              “Watch,” he commanded.  Keeping his gaze locked with hers, Liam lifted his hands, palm up, right at his waistline.  Nothing happened for a few moments except for the movement of wind and rain through the trees.  Then suddenly, a figment of light began to materialize between Liam’s outstretched palms.  It hovered in midair, bobbing like an apple in water.  Its state was unstable, and flashes of brightness flared within the illusion’s core.  Liam rotated his palms over the erratic light source, and Zora watched as the nucleus of power began to take the form of an orb.  It looked like a white dwarf star had been plucked from the night sky and placed in Liam’s possession.

              “What is that?” Zora asked.  She could feel the energy radiating from the orb.

              “This is Ithillium,” Liam explained.  “In its truest and purest form.”

              “Does it always take the form of a sphere?”  Liam nodded.  He expanded his hands over the ball and the sphere grew larger between them.  When he moved his hands back in closer, the ball of Ithillium contracted accordingly.

              “Why do you think that is?”  Zora asked, completely mesmerized.  She couldn’t stop staring at the luminescing light.

              “It’s obvious.  Isn’t it?”  Liam smiled at her, displaying the prominent dimples in his cheeks.  “A sphere encloses the most surface area relative to its length.  Therefore, it’s the most energy efficient shape found in nature.” 

Zora felt her pulse quicken at Liam’s simple explanation.  Madame Fae had said those same words to her about the hourglass pendant she’d created from her strange brew.  But that didn’t make any sense.  Zora played with her gifted necklace, recalling Madame Fae’s words with loads of confusion. 

“It fashioned itself into an hourglass because that is the most energy efficient shape for you.”

“Liam, does Ithillium form itself differently for people when they use it?”  Zora was itching with curiosity now.

“Not that I know of.  You can temporarily alter Ithillium’s naked form, but in the end, it will always resort back to an orb.”

Zora felt her hopes sink a little bit.  Liam’s explanation didn’t shed any light on how Madame Fae had made Zora’s pendant, why she said what she said, or why it took an hourglass shape.  With more important things on her mind, Zora decided to tuck that small puzzle in the back of her brain for analysis at a later time.

She watched as Liam flowed Ithillium, desiring to reach out her hand and touch the ancient energy that moved between his hands.  It was powerful, Zora could tell, yet dangerous at the same time.  But for some reason the young woman felt drawn to it.  She wanted to absorb the heat into her skin, flow the life through her veins, and become one with Ithillium.  Zora licked her lips.  A nervous excitement had overtaken her at the mere thought of it.

“Do you wanna see something neat?” Liam asked.  He had already started moving his hands around the floating sphere.  Zaps of energy nipped at his fingertips, lingering on his skin then recoiling back to the light.  Zora watched as the blazing hot orb suspended in front of him began to shift its shape.  He was molding it, changing its appearance, yet the color remained pale like a twinkling star.

Only a few moments passed before a single rose hung in front of Zora, fashioned out of Ithillium.  Zora laughed happily to herself, enchanted by the beauty that could be derived from such a power.  How or why any person would want to use Ithillium for evil, Zora couldn’t fathom.  She reached out her finger to touch the flower.  She loved things that grew out of the earth, and the petals felt soft and delicate underneath her skin. 

The rose was changing forms again.  The light dissipated then converged on Zora’s hand, circling around her finger like a ring with a small rose bud where the stone would be.  Then all of it disappeared.  Liam was studying her again, and she felt the weight of his eyes on her.