Gorinthians (8 page)

"Sure we know about our
history,” Lendel replied impatiently. "We have whole classes that
teach us about finding this valley and building a city where no one
else dared."

Thistledown waved his hand
dismissively. "I mean before that; back when there was still a
civilization. Before the great war that ended
civilization."

"What are we, barbarians?”
Li asked dryly.

Thistledown looked at her
for a moment before answering. "I think I will let Terrance give
you your history lesson. I seem to have a gift for offending
people.”

Lendel frowned. "Terrance?
That was the name of the man who founded this city."

"Yes and now that things
have returned to the state that I predicted, he has come back to
use the Chasel.” Thistledown rubbed his chin musingly. "I must say,
I had my doubts about setting a whole city up to guard it, but he
obviously knew what he was doing."

"Are you saying the same man
who founded this city is here today?” Celdic exclaimed, his eyes
widening.

"I thought I just said
that.” Thistledown shook his head resignedly. "I see that we have a
long way to go with you."

They were just leaving the
edge of the forest and starting down to the city gates. Something
made Celdic stop and look closer at the gates. The normal city
watch was there but there were also two guardians at the gate, each
on one knee with their left fist placed on the ground with their
heads bowed. A man appeared, walking out of the city and between
the two guardians. As he passed them, he made a curious salute with
his fist to his chest and both guardians arose. He started to climb
up toward the four students, but did not look up to where Celdic
and his companions were winding down the trail.

"Is that an outsider?” Li
asked in wonder. "Do you think that it is the person that breached
the barrier?"

Celdic had started to think
that Thistledown might have been the stranger that came through the
barrier, but after seeing the stranger below, he knew it was not
Thistledown. He had seen this man before.

"That is the man I told you
about;” Celdic whispered quietly to Lendel, "the one that I saw in
the washbasin reflection."

"Are you sure?” Lendel asked
with a troubled frown.

"I think so. I will know for
sure when I see his eyes. They were like twin suns radiating
power.” Celdic broke off when he saw Thistledown looking at him
appraisingly from Cha'le's shoulder.

"Twin suns radiating power?”
Lendel chuckled. "How poetic."

Celdic was not really paying
attention. He was too busy watching the man that was quickly
shortening the distance between them. Celdic could now make out
what the stranger was wearing. He wore garb similar to what the
guardians wore, in that it would fade into trees and rock easily.
It was more finely made, however. He wore black boots that rose to
his knees with the hilt of a dagger at the top of each one. He also
wore a sword on his hip and had another dagger sheathed at his
right hip. He had steel cuffs around his wrists and an odd knife
strapped to each elbow. These would point outward when he bent his
elbows, baring two inches of blade each. Celdic looked up at his
face. He had a strong jaw with well-defined cheekbones. His hair
was cropped close and his face was unlined. His eyes radiated power
as Celdic remembered from his vision. He could not have said how
old he was. He walked like a hunting lion, with a grace that not
even the guardians could match. The only person he had seen come
close to matching it was Tarya Selindria.

Celdic stopped and waited,
feeling his muscles tense like they did before combat. He breathed
deeply to try to relax. He noticed that the others seemed somewhat
tense as well. The way the stranger moved made one think of
impending violence.

The stranger stopped about
ten paces from them, as if he were aware of the effect he had on
others. Celdic stood looking at him with a look of recognition.
There was no doubt this was the man he had seen. When the man saw
the way that Celdic looked at him, he blinked and then surveyed the
others. As his gaze swept over the others, there was an invisible
ripple like wind disturbing the leaves of a tree. Finally, his gaze
settled on Cha' le. Cha'le stepped back a pace as he scowled down
at her, then stiffened her back and held her ground.

"Why did you bring all of
these others with you?” he barked suddenly, still glowering down at
Cha'le. She looked around at the others in puzzlement.

"Have we met?” Cha'le asked
in bewilderment. "What others are you talking about?"

"I am still waiting for an
answer, Thistledown,” he said, annoyance clear in his
voice.

All eyes turned to Cha'le's
pack where Thistledown reluctantly poked his head out of the
top.

"Terrance!” he exclaimed
jovially. "Good to see you! You've been well, I trust?"

"I have been well, yes,” he
replied ominously. "I will wait to ask how you have been after you
answer my first question."

Thistledown winced slightly.
"Well, I thought that if he had a couple of friends with him on the
journey, he might be more willing to go."

"And did it occur to you to
talk this over with me first, or are you running things
independently now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was going to mention it,
but you seemed to have a lot on your mind, so I thought that I
would just--” Thistledown cut off as another person entered the
clearing from behind them.

Celdic let out a small
groan. It was Tarya Selindria. She looked like she was going to
give them all the lesson of their life, probably one that would
leave them all limping for the rest of the day. She stopped several
paces from Terrance, studying him with her intense gaze that missed
nothing. She was in her usual tight black trousers and blouse, with
her dark black hair spilling down to her waist. Celdic had faced
her many times on the combat field, so he recognized the pending
danger as she leaned her weight back slightly so that one of her
legs was slightly in front of the other. Tarya Selindria had shown
him what it was like to fight someone that fought with their
yar
. Using their
yar
gave them the ability
to feel every movement their opponent made as they made it. It also
allowed them to control their own body with the power of
their
yar
as they
felt every particle around them as if it were a part of them. When
she had used him as an example to the other students-he was the
best among them-she had pinned him to the ground in painful
contortions before he had even finished making his first jab at her
throat. After a dozen humiliating defeats that lasted no more than
a second as she sped through the air at lightning speeds, she added
ten more of the best students to the fight. She offered her
blue-bladed sword to the first person to strike her. None of the
students had come close to making contact with her as she spun
through the air like a deadly whirlwind, leaving groaning bodies in
her wake.

Celdic watched
apprehensively as Terrance and Tarya Selindria eyed each other
intently, hoping that his teacher did not kill the stranger before
Celdic had a chance to learn who he was and why he had appeared in
a vision to Celdic.

"Who are you?” Tarya
Selindria demanded curtly, her attention never flickering from his
razor gaze.

Terrance looked at her for a
moment, as if deciding what to tell her. Finally, he nodded
slightly and said, "I am called Terrance."

"Why are you here?” Tarya
Selindria pried in the same curt tone, bordering on
rudeness.

"For a number of reasons,”
he replied evenly, gazing at her with an expression that Celdic did
not recognize. Then he began to speak to her in a language that he
did not understand. It was a very musical language, almost hypnotic
in its rhythmic cadences.

Celdic could see from the
expression on Selindria’s face that she could understand him, but
she just shook her head and announced, “I can't understand you.
Speak normal."

"Forgive me. I mistook you
for a Zeran,” he returned, his gaze searching her face. "I was
wondering how a Zeran had become a part of Chasel Ri’
Aven."

"Apology accepted. You still
haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"

A crease appeared in the
corner of Terrance's eyes and Celdic realized that they were laugh
lines from a person that spent a lot of time laughing. "I have come
to gather up Celdic for a journey he will be making. I am afraid I
cannot tell you very much more than that. It would put us both in
more danger than we are already in."

Chapter 6

Everyone stared at Celdic
and Terrance with expressions of astonishment. No one ever left the
Mountain. Tarya Selindria looked at Terrance with narrowed
eyes.

"What makes you think we are
going to allow you to take Celdic with you?” Tarya Selindria asked
finally. "For that matter, what makes you think you will be allowed
to leave this mountain yourself?"

Terrance glanced wryly at
Thistledown before he answered. "I have already talked to the
Elders and explained the situation to them. They have given the
word to all of the Watch and the Guardians as well, so if you doubt
my word, we can stop by the gate."

"Why would they have allowed
an outsider to come and take one of our children?” she demanded
suspiciously.

"Children?” Celdic protested
in annoyance, but before he could say another word, Tarya Selindria
silenced him with a glance.

"The arrangement that I made
with the Elders is between them and myself,” Terrance stated
firmly. "If they choose to tell you, that is their right, but I
will not betray their faith."

"Then you had better plan on
having an extra companion, because I will not allow you to take him
away from everyone that he knows with no more explanation than
that,” Tarya Selindria announced resolutely. "For all I know, you
plan to use him in some twisted ritual that will end with him worse
than dead. I sense there is much that you are hiding. I don't trust
you and I will not leave him alone with you."

At this, Thistledown began
laughing uproariously, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Finally, someone to tell it to you the way it is!” he gasped,
shaking with mirth.

Tarya Selindria looked at
Thistledown with a look of disdain. "Is this your pet or just a
pack rat that you keep for sick amusement?"

Thistledown's laughter cut
off sharply and he grimaced at her so fiercely that Celdic thought
that he was on the verge of attacking her. It was Terrance's turn
to chuckle. "He usually says whatever he wants no matter how
embarrassing. You get used to it."

"I have news for you if you
think that you are taking Celdic and leaving me behind," Li
declared, before either of them could continue their
conversation.

"Or me,” Cha'le and Lendel
said together.

Tarya Selindria whirled
around to pierce them with her catlike stare. "It is bad enough
that they are taking Celdic. I will not allow you three to go as
well.” Her gaze softened slightly. "Now go along to school before
you're later than you already are."

Li and Cha'le looked on the
verge of protest but the look on Selindria's face convinced them to
keep their objections to themselves. Glowering among themselves,
the three of them moved off toward the Tar Ri’ San.

"You should have let them
come with us," Terrance said conversationally, "They are going to
follow us when we leave anyway."

Tarya Selindria glared at
him. "They will do as they are told. They know better than to
disobey a direct order.” She tossed her head impatiently and
gestured in front of them. "Well, are we going or not?"

Terrance gave her a small
bow and proceeded in front of her toward the gates. "We will need
to pick up the packs and add a few supplies before we
leave."

Tarya Selindria just nodded
and followed behind him, with Celdic bringing up the rear. Celdic's
thoughts were roiling inside his mind, never pausing long enough
for him to examine. In one afternoon, everything he knew was
changing. Not only had he grown up at the Mountain from the time he
was born, all of his ancestors on record had been born and raised
there as well. None of them had seen outsiders either and, in a few
days, he would become an outsider. The thought of leaving Li behind
made him feel like he had swallowed a rock that sunk to the bottom
of his stomach.

As Celdic walked slowly
behind Tarya Selindria and Terrance, Thistledown jumped down from
Terrance's pack and waited for Celdic to catch up.

"Do you mind?” Thistledown
entreated, looking up at Celdic.

"Sure,” Celdic replied
dully, bending down to one knee for Thistledown to scamper up to
his back and perch behind his head.

"Why so glum?” Thistledown
pried curiously. "You have an adventure ahead of you; people and
places very few of you have had the chance to experience. Not to
mention the most gifted guide in the known world at your
service."