Fifthwind (45 page)

"Anyone
else would have been completely oblivious to my presence while I was
Drifting. It was because of your heightened acuity that you were even
aware of me. I knew right away that you held the promise of Fahd
skills, so I kept a close eye on you from that point forward."

Ben
grinned. "I know. You were watching me again several weeks later
while I practiced my new skills on the southern road with Kyla. You
frightened both of us."

Cobalius
said, "You should have been frightened, because I didn't just pop
in for a quaint visit. I moved in close to you and Kyla to
investigate a presence which disturbed me. You were being watched
from nearby. Someone else was showing interest in your developing
talents. Someone with Fahd skills."

The
two men had reached the road as they talked and continued on their
journey toward Kishell Springs, leaving their boot prints in the
snow. Though winter had fully gripped the valley and the cold was
nothing to laugh about, the day was bright and clear and the walk was
pleasant. To Ben, it felt like he was going home.

Ben
ran back in his mind everything he had learned and had experienced
and was troubled by Cobalius' last comment. "I thought you said
that The Core could not use the skills specific to the Fahd... so how
could someone watching me and Kyla on the southern road have used
Fahd skills?"

"No
one, regardless of their mastery of sorcery, can wander the
Witherscape, that is a domain accessible only to the Fahd. Many of
great power have tried, and none have ever succeeded. Our
relationship with the Witherscape is unique and cannot be duplicated.
So, there are only two possibilities of the identity of who was
watching you on that day. Either there is another like yourself who
has developed the skills but has not yet drawn the attention of the
Fahd... or it was one of us."

"But
you were concerned enough to investigate. Why do I get the feeling
that there's a third possibility?"

The
streets of Kishell Springs were empty. Even the freshly fallen snow
showed no prints on most of the roads and alleys until they
approached the Masked Pig. Then, the snow was almost completely
stomped into slush from the abundance of recent activity. Still, no
one was outside to guard against intrusion or to greet the two
travelers. This seemed very strange to Ben, since he knew that Mason
would never leave the front entrance unguarded even during daylight
hours. He marched up onto The Step and checked the door only to find
it securely bolted.

"State
your business here," came a voice from above.

Ben
glanced up into the line of sight of a crossbow pointed at him from a
window directly overhead. The mid-afternoon sun made him squint his
eyes and even then he could not make out the face of the guard.

"Sir,
is that you?" the man asked with a wavering voice.

"Tell
Mason to get this door open. What does a stranger have to do to get
some food around here?"

The
bowman nearly dropped his weapon as he scrambled inside. There was a
moment of silence, then a great deal of commotion as the bolt of the
door was pulled hurriedly back. The door swung open and standing
before him was a young woman. Kyla stood trembling with emotions
welling up in her eyes, and then as the tears flowed, she jumped into
his arms.

"I
knew you'd come back to us!"

Ben
held her tight, her soft cheek against his cold neck. It had been
several weeks, but it felt like they had been separated for a
lifetime. He did not want to let her go and he could not imagine that
his feelings for her would ever change, but he also understood that
the path of the Fahd would not allow him that luxury.

Both
Fahd Karthos and Fahd Cobalius had made it clear that it would mean
his death to ignore his calling to the ranks of the Fahd. He felt in
his heart that they were bluffing, but he also knew in his heart that
his destiny was unavoidable. He concluded that the death he would
experience if he shunned the Fahd was a symbolic metaphor and nothing
more. He hoped.

With
no immediate solution offering itself to the dilemma, he pushed the
thoughts from his mind and held Kyla closer. There was much to be
said about living in the moment, and right now he couldn't think of
anywhere he would rather be. Of course, it was not long before his
moment of pleasure was robbed from him.

"We
were afraid you'd been killed," Mason said, coming to the door.
"The night after you left, the Man in Gray returned with his mob of
Murg. You were no where to be found... and well, some of us thought
the worst."

Ben
released Kyla and looked upon his old friend. "It'd take more than
a few Murg and a man in a gray cloak to keep me away. It's good to
see you, Mason."

They
moved inside to a table, and the rest of the Masked Pig came to life
with excitement. James called out to his girls to bring drinks, and a
dozen or so of the townsfolk stood up and took notice of Ben's
return. He was pleased to see that all the faces he remembered
leaving behind were still alive and well, though not all of them
looked happy to see him.

Vincent
met Ben's eyes with a simple grin and a nod, and William Babbitt was
overtaken with a smile so broad it must have hurt his face. Everyone
appeared to be in good health, though it was also clear that they had
gone through a difficult time. Gordo, in particular, did not seem
impressed with Ben's return and had been eying him suspiciously ever
since he had arrived. The veteran soldier finally spoke up.

"Who's
your friend?"

Ben
glanced back over his shoulder to the man patiently standing behind
him. He scrambled out of his chair, feeling terrible for the lack of
introduction. "I'm sorry. This is—"

Ben
paused, not sure how he should present his companion. They had not
discussed whether or not to reveal his identity. Ben glanced at
Vincent who would likely be the one most interested in the new
arrival. Everyone in the room was silent as they awaited Ben to
complete the introduction. Cobalius nodded with an approving smile,
and Ben continued. "This is Fahd Cobalius. He has come to help."

Vincent
slowly stood from his chair with his mouth agape and searching for
words.

But
it was Gordo who spoke first, "How can one man help us any more
than the twenty who have deserted us since you left?"

Vincent
hushed Gordo with a calming hand, "Oh, he can help us all right. It
is a pleasure to meet you, Fahd."

Ben
was surprised by Gordo's tale of desertion, and turned to Mason.
"Sergeant, what's happened while I've been away and what's the
status of our defenses?"

Mason
cleared his throat, but hesitated. He looked around the room at the
faces of the townsfolk huddled at other tables and then again at Ben.
"Here, Sir? In front of the civilians?"

Ben
crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "There's no point in
keeping secrets from them. Not anymore."

Mason
wrung his hands and nervously continued. "Gordo is right that we
lost at least half our men to desertion when you left. The very first
night after you were gone, the Gray Goat was overtaken and all of
those inside were killed. With our numbers dwindling night after
night, we eventually moved everyone out of Harry's and brought them
here."

"How
many are left, Sergeant?" Ben asked.

Mason
lowered his voice, "I've got fifteen men, plus the civilians you
see in here."

Kyla
gripped Ben's hand, "There's almost none of us left, Ben. We've
been holding out well enough, but the Man in Gray is determined to
remove us one at a time. He doesn't stop. The Murg just keep coming."

William
Babbitt inched closer to the table. "We're not going to make it,
are we?"

Cobalius
pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke with clenched eyes. "It
doesn't make any sense. They could easily storm this inn and kill
everyone in a single massive surge. Yet, they hold back and pick off
stragglers and the weak. The Magus Core has never been discriminant
in its killings."

Vincent
quickly answered. "So it's true then. The Core is behind all this?"

"But,
how can we know that for certain?" William interrupted. "There's
no clear evidence that they're involved. We can't even know for sure
that they're still around after all these years. All we have to go on
is a few dusty old books and what little history tells us."

Cobalius
waved off his doubt. "There will be time for history lessons later.
First, we need to change the way we do things around here. The 'sit
and wait' method you have employed will only send you all to your
graves. We have to flush out the enemy and take the fight to them."

Gordo
pushed back hard from the table and toppled his chair as he made a
move for the door. "So, I guess you're in charge now? First day in
town, and already an expert on how we should conduct our operations?
I'll take my chances out on the southern road."

The
room erupted into a chorus of objections and arguments. Several of
the townsfolk started to gather their things and move for the door
with Gordo. Even a few of Mason's men exchanged doubtful glances. It
was clear that these people were at hope's end and not ready to throw
in support for Cobalius' plan. With only a handful of skilled men
left and numbers falling fast, there was little hope of making it to
spring alive, especially if they actively engaged their foe.

Ben
held up his hands and waited for the room to quiet. He took a long
moment to look every individual in the eye before he spoke. "Any
who would like to leave should do so."

Kyla
stiffened, "Ben, they'll die out on that road, no one can make it
safely south!"

"Their
chances here aren't much better," Ben said, "they should have the
right to choose."

"But
we've tried so hard, we've come so far, we can't just give up now."
Kyla's words quivered from uncertain lips.

"We
made a mistake," Ben said. "We took the stance of protecting the
town when we should have taken steps to end this. The fate of Kishell
Springs and its people was questionable from the beginning, but we
cannot allow the plague of this enemy to spread over the land. What's
at stake here is bigger than all of us. Those who don't have the
stomach to face this, should leave."

Kyla
bowed her head and nodded a reluctant agreement. "But make them
wait until morning. If they leave early and move quickly throughout
the day, then maybe we can buy them some time."

"Agreed,"
Ben said, "at first light, but no sooner. Spread the word, and make
sure everyone understands. There will be no hard feelings toward
anyone who wants to risk a break to the south. Those who stay, do so
by their own choosing. We'll not waste another day or another life
playing guardians. The Core is out there somewhere. As of tomorrow,
we move this fight from our doorstep to theirs."

Cobalius
picked up where Ben left off, "Ben and I will find out who is
behind this, and once we do, we'll take the fight to them." He
looked coldly out across the faces in the room. "If one amongst you
is our enemy, then be warned, you will be found and you will be
removed. The Core and its pathetic ambitions is not enough to
frighten us. The Fahd have arrived."

Mason
said, "I'm tired of playing the defensive role anyway. Let's go
find those bastards and send them a message they won't soon forget.
You can count on me and your men!"

"I
know I can," said Ben.

"And
if I didn't say so earlier, I never doubted for a minute that you
would come back to us." Mason then lowered his voice to almost a
whisper and said, "I've missed you, Ben."

Ben
laughed, "I've missed you too, Mason. But, didn't you just say a
moment ago that you thought I was dead? You should know better than
that; I never got permission from my Sergeant to exit this world."

Ben
extended his hand to his friend for the first time since his return,
and was pulled into a giant hug by a man who laughed and ruffled his
hair like he was a child. It was good to be back among friends, even
if under difficult circumstances.

Gordo
grumbled something under his breath, moved to the corner and sat
heavily in a chair. The others who had gathered their things to
leave, followed suit and settled back into their places. There were
still whispers of leaving, and by morning, many might well take that
chance, but for now, they would spend the night together.

Kyla
looked again at the helpless and worried faces. "Even if they
decide to try, I don't think I can just sit by and watch them leave."

Ben
lowered his voice and looked her in the eye, "There's only a
handful of us left. Let them go, Kyla. You said it yourself, they
might actually make it if we buy them some time. Fahd Cobalius knows
what he is doing and I trust him. You have to understand that this is
not about them anymore. It's no longer about saving the lives of
these people, it's about the survival of all of us, not just us here
in Kishell Springs, but the people of all lands. It's about the
preservation of our kind."

"Is
it really that serious?" Vincent asked. "Has The Core really
gained that much strength?"

Cobalius
nodded, "The fall of Kishell Springs will only be the beginning.
The Core will not stop until they have killed or enslaved every man,
woman and child of every land. I'm afraid Ben is right, we cannot
worry ourselves any longer about playing protector to these people.
Like he said, this is no longer about them."

Kyla
pulled a little away from Ben. "You've changed. I'll trust you and
stand by your side until whatever fate is delivered to us, but you're
scaring me Ben. You speak as if all hope is lost."

He
gripped her hand and offered her a reassuring wink. "Not if the
Fahd have anything to say about it."