First Comes The One Who Wanders (80 page)

Her abdomen began to feel as though it were on fire. She did her best to ignore the pain and continue to send her thoughts out. There was no doubt in her mind this was the end. Still, she kept sending the messages.

As quickly as the cloud had appeared, it dissipated. Leilas collapsed to the ground and began clawing at her stomach. Within a few seconds she had the pieces of the staff away from her skin and on the ground. They were still giving off an unearthly glow and were too hot to touch. Leilas examined her stomach and gasped at the burns she’d received. The outline of each piece was seared into her flesh.

Erion was the first to reach her side. She slumped to the ground and found herself unable to move. "My lady," whispered Erion softly, his eyes taking in her burned flesh. "It'll be all right, Leilas. Just stay with us." He picked her up and they began to run toward some old ruins that had appeared when they crested the last hill. They weren’t much protection, but they were better than the scrub grass and rocks.

"We'll need some salve made from willowwick root," Erion said to Kai. She nodded, her face grim, and went to search for the rare plant. Garabaldi busied himself making a fire and purifying more water. There was little else he could do for a light crafter who'd been injured by crafter magic.

"It’s still burning," whispered Leilas, as Erion set her down near a crumbling wall.

"Hurry with that water, gnome," snarled Erion, his concern making his voice rough.

"Working as fast as I can," replied Garabaldi, having to start the incantation again because of the interruption.

Erion took what water was left in his water skin and poured it into a bowl. Then taking one of the strips of cloth from around the faint glowing staff pieces, he soaked it in the water and began bathing Leilas’ burns. Clenching her fists, Leilas tried not to squirm in pain while Erion worked. She wasn’t the naive crafter she was when she’d received her bites from the dark crafters. She knew these burns could take a long time to heal, if they ever did.

She had to marvel at what happened just a few minutes before. Unbidden, at least not consciously bidden, the power she’d been unable to access from the pieces of the staff burst forth to stop the dark crafter who'd been controlling those doomed souls. Had something she’d done triggered the staff, even though it wasn’t complete? Or had something or someone else been controlling its power? Did the fact that the staff reacted mean that the last piece was nearby?

Closing her eyes, she tried not to pass out from the pain. Erion continued to bathe her wounds and Garabaldi continued to purify the water. As hard as she tried to stay awake, Leilas still slipped into semi-consciousness. She was faintly aware of Kai’s return and Erion smearing something on her stomach. It was dark when she woke again. Her clothes were drenched in sweat and she desperately needed a drink. Struggling to a sitting position, she gritted her teeth against the pain as she reached for her water skin. Garabaldi was sleeping nearby. Erion and Kai didn’t appear to be around. The night was quiet. The stars were twinkling in the sky. Even though everything seemed peaceful, Leilas knew that this wasn't the case. She could feel the turmoil in the air. Somewhere, there was a great conflict. Barat came unbidden to her mind. Smoke hung heavily in the city. The valley surrounding the walls was swarming with dark creatures. Strangely, the forest seemed to be alight, yet not. Leilas said a prayer for those brave people who were holding the last fortress of light in Solea, wishing she could be there to help. As much as she longed to be at Joshuas’ side and to help Brenth as he crept though the forest to attack from the rear, she knew her place was here on this forsaken island.

Draining her water skin, she lay down and went back to sleep. She had no idea how long she’d been drifting in and out of consciousness. When her fever finally broke, she woke to find Kai sitting near her, her bow lying across her knees. She was looking out across the flat land that surrounded the ruins.

"Where are we?" croaked Leilas, her throat dry and scratchy. She reached for her water skin, only to find it empty. Kai stood and filled a cup from the pot near the fire and brought it to her.

"It's a place called Leonis," said Kai, as she handed her the cup. "The last refuge of kings, according to the legend."

"Which kings?" asked Leilas.

"Narrod, the king of the sea elves of Minodan and his sons. They were kinsmen once, but they chose to break away from Nereid. They left and drifted south. For many years they occupied these islands. Then they were gone. No one knows where they went or why they left."

"That must have been sad for your people," said Leilas, gently.

"They were lost to us long before they disappeared," said Kai, sadly. "King Narrod chose to follow the dark magic."

"Light and dark. It is the way of Preterlandis."

"Still, it's hard to lose those who've been with you from the beginning," said Kai. "To lose those who played in the foam and rode the dolphin by your side."

"Perhaps they'll return one day," said Leilas.

"It wouldn’t matter if they did," replied Kai. "They're lost to us. These ruins are all that is left of their city," said Kai. "I'm one of the few of my people who have been here and seen the loss."

"You bear many burdens on your shoulders Kai, daughter of Kalin. More than you should've had to bear. I'm sorry for that, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to travel with you and learn to know you."

"It's been my honor, as well as my duty, Chidra. I'll have to admit, it was a burden in the beginning. But I'm glad to have been of service to you and to Sylph."

Leilas smiled then lay back against her pack. "How long have we been here?" The last she remembered was her visions of Barat. The feeling of unrest had faded. She had to wonder how Barat faired in the battle that had taken place.

"A few days. It's been quiet, no more swirling clouds or water ghouls. If I hadn’t seen those things for myself, I could almost believe they were just imagination."

"How far are we from the cove?"

"A day’s journey. Erion's gone to scout ahead. He's hoping to avoid any more unpleasantness."

"Where is Garabaldi?" Leilas began to look around for the dark crafter. Then she began to search for the pieces of the crafter’s staff. She found the pieces wrapped in the strips of cloth, tucked inside her cape.

"He's getting more water. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have any water. There is no fresh water anywhere close."

Leilas nodded, feeling ashamed of her momentary doubt about the dark crafter. Then she closed her eyes. She was beginning to tire and could use some food and rest. As if reading her mind, Kai rose, ladled something out of a pot over the fire into a bowl and brought it to Leilas. "Erion said you'd need food when you woke, so I made some rabbit stew."

"It smells wonderful," said Leilas, taking the bowl and shoveling it into her mouth ravenously. Halfway through the second bowl, she slowed down. She could already feel her strength returning. Garabaldi returned with a large bucket of water as Leilas finished her meal.

"I see our patient has finally come back to life," said the gnome, setting the water by the fire.

"Not too much the worse for wear," said Leilas. She pulled up her tunic and looked at her stomach. Three angry red sores were still imprinted on her pale flesh.

"I'm afraid you'll always carry the scars from those," said Garabaldi, "since they were inflicted by crafters."

"What exactly happened when that cloud came over us?" asked Leilas.

"I’m not really sure," replied Garabaldi. "Obviously, the staff reacted to the situation. I'd always believed that all four pieces were needed before the power in the staff could be used."

"I thought perhaps we were close enough to the fourth piece," suggested Leilas.

"I believed the staff needed to be joined."

"So did I," admitted Leilas. "The pieces have never shown any sign of power before this."

"It's an interesting puzzle," said Garabaldi. "One I haven’t quite solved."

"Nor have I," said Leilas. "I should be well enough to travel in the morning, if Erion has returned." Leilas turned to speak to Kai.

"He should be back before morning," said Kai, taking Leilas’ bowl, as Leilas closed her eyes.

"Good. We need to finish this journey," she said, and then was asleep.

She saw fleeting pictures of the battle at Barat in her sleep. But she couldn’t see enough of the picture to be able to guess the outcome. Awaking with a sense of frustration, she looked around for Erion. He was sitting near the fire, looking tired. Leilas couldn’t remember seeing him show signs of weariness or fatigue before, except when they were fighting the dark magic in the forest of Crogmanland. Pushing back the guilt she felt at leading him out here into the middle of nowhere, she went to sit next to him.

"It's good to see you up and about again, my lady," he said, as she reached for the pot of the tea.

"It's good to see you again, my friend. I worried about what you might find out there alone."

"There seems to be less danger when you aren’t around," replied Erion, with a smile. "I've no doubt we can follow the exact same route I checked out yesterday and you'll find all sorts of traps and danger, while I found none."

Leilas had to admit he was probably right. He wasn’t the Chosen One. He wasn’t the one the dark masters were watching. "Did you see the temple?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," replied Erion, "though I didn’t attempt to go inside. "It seems quite simple from the outside."

"That seems to be Sylph’s style. Although I imagine I'll find yet another task once I get inside."

"I think this is where we'll find the last piece," said Garabaldi, joining them.

"No more clues to follow?" asked Leilas. "No more ghouls to fight?" Leilas laughed. "I may hold you to that prediction, gnome."

Garabaldi sniffed in indignation. "I didn’t say you wouldn’t have trouble, just that this was the location."

Growing serious, Leilas took a sip of her tea. "I sense there are still hurdles to cross, as well. But let’s eat Kai’s wonderful food and worry about the trouble if and when it arrives."

The temple was on the shore of the cove where Kreel was lolling. It was a simpler version of the temple at Jovan’s End. Leaving Erion and Kai on the beach to keep watch, Garabaldi and Leilas approached the door. All the other temples had warned everyone away who weren't the Chosen One. She wasn’t sure how Garabaldi fit into this last step, or if he even did have a role to play. He was convinced he did. It wasn’t her place to tell him otherwise.

Placing her hand lightly on her axe, Leilas pushed open the wooden door cautiously. The interior of the temple was lit by tall windows set at equal distances in each wall. The diffuse light told Leilas and Garabaldi that the temple was empty of intruders intent on stopping them.

It also showed Leilas that there was no platform or seer stone, at least not in this room. There was a door in the north wall and Leilas strode through the room and stopped outside the door. She was anxious to find the last piece of the staff and find the way to join the pieces together. If her experience with the swirling cloud was any indication, the staff would be a powerful tool in their fight against Rengailai and Dredrac. With it, she knew she could face Gidron Frey on equal footing.

Garabaldi hadn’t followed her to the door. He’d stopped in the middle of the room. "Are you coming?" Leilas asked him, waiting at the door.

"No," replied Garabaldi. "You must do this part alone. I'll be here when you return."

Leilas knew that was true, without knowing how she knew. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she pushed open the door. Or, at least, she tried to push it open. It resisted her attempts to gain entry into the chamber. Leilas ground her teeth in frustration then took a step back to analyze the situation. "Any suggestions?" she asked the dark crafter, still standing in the middle of the room.

"Ask to be let in the room? Use an opening spell. You are a crafter after all."

"It just seems that every time I use my magic, something bad happens."

"But one of the reasons you are the Chosen One is because you are a crafter. If you're unwilling to embrace that part of who you are, then perhaps you won't succeed."

Leilas frowned at Garabaldi’s rather harsh words. It seemed he was always pushing her to use her magic. Was that because he knew that there were those looking for her particular magic so they could track her? Or was it because he knew she was reluctant to use her talent?

Turning back to the door, Leilas raised her hands and spoke the word of opening she’d used in Rengailai’s dungeon. The door to the inner chamber opened silently as the magic reverberated through the room. Not waiting to see what consequences would come from using her magic, she stepped into the inner room. In the center of this dark room stood a platform made of green crystal. On the platform was a seer’s stone made of the same stone. Climbing the stairs, Leilas stood in front of the east face and touched the rune carved there. Once again, she heard the ominous warning. Again, she stood her ground. A green mist emanated from the stone and began to swirl around her. She'd only been in the mists once before with Gidron Frey in the School of Sky. As the mists swirled, she wondered what Sylph would show her. Anhj had showed her all the wrongs she’d committed in her life. Crog had shown her all the things that caused her regret in her life. Solein had made her relive her disappointments. Pictures began to fill her head as the mist engulfed her. The first picture was of her sisters and her brothers leaving their home one by one. Then, this picture was replaced by her mother, Brenth and Joshuas leaving her in the forest. Next, she was reliving the moment Erion and Joshuas lost her on the way to the Southern Plains.