Fifthwind (34 page)

Ben
did as he was instructed and watched the color of the world melt
away. His ability to use Mindsight and see the Witherscape had become
virtually automatic. The valley looked no different, except dimmer
and more foreboding. The tree Cobalius had indicated stood quietly
watchful over the two men.

"Now
Drift. I want you to leave your body and go over to that tree."
Cobalius' voice was a cold echo in the vastness of the Witherscape.
The request was easy enough to follow, and Ben complied. Just as each
time before, he felt a slight tugging sensation as he moved farther
away from his body, a connection of sorts that would pull him back if
he broke concentration. Once he reached the tree, he turned and
looked back to see himself and Cobalius sitting together atop a large
rock.

"How
real does that tree feel to you?" Cobalius said, staring directly
at Ben despite the fact that he now stood in a state of Drift several
paces from his body.

Ben
turned and reached out to the tree, but his hand passed through it
without resistance. "I can't touch it."

"It's
difficult, but concentrate. Move your hand toward it and expect to
meet substance. Deny the possibility of not feeling it. Accept
nothing less."

Ben
looked again at the tree. It looked real enough. In fact, he knew
that the tree was real; he was the one that lacked substance, not it.
He tried again, and this time his hand met with the rough craggy bark
he only half expected to feel. It did not seem possible or natural
that he should be able to feel the tree when his body was still
sitting a dozen yards away. Though the tree was undeniably real, he
was nothing more than a thought within his own mind. A dream.

Cobalius
said, "Now grab that tree with both hands. Feel it, believe in its
presence and do not let go no matter how difficult it may seem. I
want you to focus on the feel of that tree to your hands, and I want
you to stare at it with as much concentration as you can muster. Let
the image burn into your mind."

Ben
did as he was told. "Now what?"

"Now,
open your eyes."

The
color of the world returned and Ben stared unblinking at the tree
before him. His hands still wrapped around the rough bark, and other
than the return of color to fill the tree with rich browns and mossy
green, there had been no break in his vision. He turned to Cobalius
who was now sitting alone on the distant rock.

"Congratulations,"
Cobalius applauded. "You succeeded on your first try. Maybe there's
hope for you after all."

Ben
was speechless, he alternated staring in disbelief at Cobalius and
then at the tree. He had felt only a small disorientation at the
exact moment he had opened his eyes. He had traveled at least 15
paces instantly with only a thought spent in energy. "That was
amazing!"

"As
you improve your concentration, you can increase the distance you
will be able to Shift. It is much harder the farther you go, but be
warned, if you try a distance too great for your ability, you may be
lost in the Witherscape forever, unable to go foreword or back."
Cobalius stood and tapped his chest. "This body would become an
empty shell if I were to overextend my reach."

"That
sounds terrible."

"Literally
a fate worse than death. Once severed, there is no returning, and the
hollow remains of my body would die within days."

Ben
wasted no time asking what he had been wondering since their
conversation started. "What are the last two skills?"

Cobalius
grinned. "There's a lot of wood down there still needing to be
split. Let's get back to work."

Over
the next five days, Ben and Cobalius finished everything they had set
out to do and more. As expected, the first snow came and blanketed
the small valley in a knee-deep cold, powder. Merrick and his wife
would have no problems riding out the cold months, even if completely
snowed under during the harshest storms. Ben felt satisfied with the
work he had done. Cobalius was right, it was a good feeling to help
others.

Merrick
had tried his best to keep up pace and pull his own weight. It was a
matter of pride for the old man to continue to meet his
responsibilities to his wife. In the end, he had reluctantly given
way to exhaustion and echoed Vionna's desire to move closer to
Eskerwold in the spring. Merrick never showed it, but the loss of his
sons to war pained him much, and his two living sons served only as a
reminder to that emptiness he felt inside. Vionna understood why he
had always been reluctant to go live with his surviving sons, but the
time had come. There was just no way the aging man could continue on
his own any longer.

On
the final day, after a full week's work, Cobalius finally accepted an
invitation to join the couple inside for a meal. The table was set
with a veritable feast in honor of the two guests. Vionna toiled all
day in preparation for the meal, and the offerings were both abundant
and expertly cooked. The old couple made clear their appreciation for
the week of labor the strangers had performed.

Merrick
raised his glass in salute, "May the Fahd continue their good work
across the lands and bring lasting peace to all people."

Cobalius
bowed respectfully, "It is our calling. My novitiate and I will try
our best to achieve your hopes and expectations. Soon his training
will be complete, and Fahd Morbis will join me and the others in our
cause."

Fahd
Morbis...

Ben
let the conversation move on without responding to the obvious show
of confidence in his worth. He had never thought to question where
the Fahd acquire their names, and it was now apparent that the title
and name was something that was given.

The
meal and merriment continued for hours. Food, drink and festivity was
bountiful in the small home in the wilderness. Vionna had been quick
to entertain with song and dance and Merrick proved to be quite
talented with a flute. The aged couple were still happily in love
after a lifetime together and Merrick seemed to shed years as he
gazed upon his bride and saw her through timeless eyes. Ben found
himself comfortably enjoying the hospitality of Merrick and his wife.
It would be easy to forget that he was in a Tanian household.

They
all shared stories and Ben was surprised to find that even in Tania,
the exploits of Captain Haddaway in Kruegan's Throat was well known
and even somewhat respected. Merrick told the tale of a small band of
Kreggorian soldiers who had pressed though the rocky pass. They were
small in number, lost, and unable to return the way they had come.
Yet, they were able to successfully raid two outposts and find their
way back home by marching over the Stonespine. Merrick told the tale
with no resentment, and with sincere amazement at the accomplishment
of those men.

Unfortunately,
Merrick then related a story in stark contrast of another band of
enemy soldiers who had pushed thought the region thirty years earlier
and had burned down his home, killed his animals, and taken Vionna
away for three days. He did not go into the horrible details of what
she had been subjected to, but the anger and hatred in his eyes was
enough to make it clear.

Cobalius
broke the awkward silence that followed, "I can see why you will
always hate those from the Southern Kingdom."

Merrick
answered with a surprising response, "War is a terrible thing, and
I'm sure a lot of Kragg families have suffered as much."

Ben
felt awkward hearing such a tale, and realized that Merrick's use of
the term 'Kragg' was not an insult; it was all he knew and he had
said it innocently. Thinking back on it, Vionna had also used the
term in a casual, non-aggressive way. Renegade bands of militant
thugs would always be a fact of war, but it did not sit easy in the
stomach of Ben who was an officer of Kreggoria. Even during the
horrors of war, there was still a thing called honor. These people
were non-combatants and should never have been brutalized in such a
way.

Later
that evening, the topics turned to more cheerful thoughts, and Ben
sat quietly in one corner enjoying a cup of warm, spiced cider. He
looked over his cup at Cobalius who was laughing with Merrick. After
a week of hard work, he realized that his purpose for being brought
here had little to do with helping these people, and everything to do
with learning to see without bias. Merrick and his wife were good,
honest and decent regardless of which side of the mountain they made
their home. Cobalius' words echoed again in his mind: The
Fahd offer
no allegiance to King or country.

It
was beginning to come to a truth for Ben, that his destiny spanned
borders. What Fahd Cobalius had called, 'The whims of ambitious men',
had hurt good people on both sides. He had seen this before as the
cause of the hardships of his own people, but now knew that it
applied to all peoples of all lands.

As
he sat quietly and considered all that he had learned, he kept
hearing the name
Fahd Morbis
over and over in his head. The
title had not yet been officially given, and he knew that he would
have to let go of his feelings for Mason and Kyla in order to take
that step. For the moment, however, he was not prepared to do that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Two
days later, Ben crested the last rolling knoll of the treeless
uplands leading into Eskerwold. Rugged peaks loomed above the
glacier-carved basin, a smooth rocky expanse of pulverized boulders
where an ancient sheet of ice had left its mark. The glacier itself
was long missing from the landscape, but in its place sprawled a
sizable township. Eskerwold was a welcome sight to Ben's sore feet
and chilled bones.

High
on the mountain slopes, the city was out of reach of any regular
trade routes. Mining and soldiering had built and maintained a need
for this town; there was nothing else that it required or offered. No
roads found their way along these ridges except for deep-rutted work
paths that led to the mines and patrol trails that were little more
than beaten tracks that ran for miles in either direction along the
craggy mountainside. There would be full garrisons, at the mouths of
each mountain pass along the border, occupied by a contingent of
trained soldiers ready to invade or defend upon command.

The
city was a peppering of dark buildings on the white slopes. Each
structure belched a dark plume of smoke into the sky and the acrid
stench of burning charcoal and blackrock permeated the dry mountain
air. The distinctive smell of burnt iron and molten bronze wafted
over the low hills from the many working forges of the busy armorers
and weapons smiths. Even from a distance, the sound of hammer on
anvil carried across the high vale. If Ben didn't know better, he'd
swear the town was preparing for a massive assault against the
Kingdom. That was exactly the problem... Ben didn't know better.

Since
the end of the war, there had been minor engagements in the border
region of The Whip, but meaningful intelligence reports indicated
that the Tanians had no desire or operational capability to continue
the long conflict. Now that Ben knew of the Emperor's death, the
activity in Eskerwold was surely only a remnant of old habits and
undying suspicions. Border garrisons on the Kingdom side of the
Kreggorian range were also kept at an equal level of readiness and
this was unlikely to change for as long as Ben lived.

He
knew that he was walking into a den of the enemy. Here, he would find
hardened Tanian soldiers, not friendly country folk. If he were
discovered to be a Kreggorian officer, he would be killed on sight.

As
if reading Ben's mind, Cobalius stopped and unwrapped a large blanket
he had been carrying on his back. "I think it's time you had these
back."

Ben
was shocked to see Cobalius reveal his sword and gloves, both bearing
the insignia of the Royal Kreggorian Guard. He also produced a faded
cloak that still showed a hint of blue and dirty gold trim. He had
not seen the items since he had relinquished them to Kyla weeks
before. Though these were cherished items that represented his proud
history in the King's service, this was not the place he would want
to be seen with them.

His
voice quavered, "I can't enter Eskerwold carrying these things."

"Why
not?" Cobalius asked innocently.

"They'll
kill me in minutes and you know it!"

Cobalius
did not seem to understand Ben's apprehension. "It's just a cloak,
a pair of gloves and sword, everyone we meet will be similarly
equipped."

"Not
bearing the mark of Kreggoria."

Cobalius
shrugged and tossed the cloak to Ben and then held out the sword,
pommel first, "Let's see if anyone notices."

"You're
insane."

"You
can begin your next lesson, or I can leave you here to fend for
yourself. The choice is yours, Fahd Morbis."

Cobalius
waited patiently until Ben reached out and took possession of the
blade. Then he said, "That title will be yours in twelve days time,
if you can prove your worth and pass my tests."

"And
what if I choose to decline? What if I wish to walk away from your
offer?"

Cobalius
said, "I offer nothing. You will either find the undeniable truth
that you are one of us, or you will fail. Either way, you will return
to Kishell Springs to face the evil there."

Ben
almost did not catch the underlying meaning of Cobalius' message and
stuttered with an excited response. "We're going back? You'll help
me fight for my friends?"

Cobalius
shook his head, "No. Though the Fahd will defend the Keep of
Stonewall once more, and the people there, including your friends,
may well benefit from that effort, but they are not the basis for
that action. The people who have remained in Kishell Springs may find
themselves in great peril, but that is not and
cannot
be my
concern. There is more at stake here than your friends, Ben Karr. You
will have to divide yourself from your loyalties before all is done."