Healer (22 page)

There came a slight
shiver, followed by a groan. It was usually all the Black Wing could muster under
the spell’s influence, though how powerful it was Abraham could not be sure
until he tried.

Don’t hold your
breath on this,
he thought with vexed
concentration and extended a hand over the upper body.
I’m still learning
how to conjure magic, and it may be that I can’t wake him at all.

Putting aside all
other thoughts, Abraham fixed his attention on the harpy and brought the Living
Sleep spell to mind. All that was needed was the removal of a single syllable
in order to change its property from sleep to wake.

“Kar’soom
de Lsahr’ken!”
Abraham
pronounced clearly, rolling the r’s as his father had taught him. From these
intense trainings also came the words of creatures put into the language of
magic. Never would he have assumed the word for Black Wing contained a silent
‘s’, and was careful to leave it out until the spell’s echo faded around the
tower room.

He waited, daring to
hope his version of the spell was powerful enough to pull the harpy from
unending sleep.

“Corrigan?” When no
movement came, he began to worry.
If this had been Nathaniel, he’d be awake
by now. So what’s different?
Gingerly, he touched the wing.
 

There came a sudden
growl.

“Don’t!” Corrigan
coughed and strained to disconnect his body from bed, to no avail. He sucked in
several breaths before attempting to speak, a dry monotone that reflected his
lack of energy.
“Always...pulling...the wings!”

“Sorry ‘bout that,”
Abraham said. With a sigh, he watched those amber eyes pry themselves open and
dart around the room before briefly closing, only to repeat. “Can you not get
up?”

He stood back to give
the harpy’s wings more room.
They could just as easily take my head off!
Yet, from the way they drooped after several attempts, he doubted caution was
needed.

“Obviously,” was the
dry
comment.

Abraham cursed under
his breath. “He’s still too strong.”

“Can’t be all that
powerful when you’ve nearly surpassed him,” Corrigan said.
 
“Weren’t you just an illusionist when you
came?”

Abraham thought back
to his first few weeks in Sapphire. Never did he imagine he would acquire what
his father could not.

“It’s not the magic,”
he whispered harshly. “It’s the horn’s controlling nature. Maybe if I persist
with the past, my father’s thoughts might wander enough to let the spell lapse
even more.”

“That
all?”
Corrigan rolled his eyes.

“And until then,
you’ll have to feign a nice, peaceful slumber.” Abraham tried to sound
cheerful, but those prying amber orbs locked onto him like a hawk ready for the
strike.

“Pray I’m not hungry
when this is over...
mage.”

*****

Jenario leaned against
his balcony wall, head slightly bowed. With eyes closed, he allowed the
thoughts of the horn to mull over events for him, as he himself was too weary
to bother. Nathaniel was gone, a relief to both horn and mage. Not only did it cut
back on the horn’s ongoing claims of uselessness, but focused on the positive
approach of Abraham’s training.

A shift in thought
signaled the horn’s eagerness to speak.
When at last Jenario
raised his head, eyes opened to a flushed crimson burning around the irises.

Someone was coming.

The horn controlled
the mage like a marionette, pulling his mental strings to lift an arm at the
faintest movement within the darkness. Whether day or night, it was all the
same. A constant surge of lightning lit up the surrounding forest and outlined
the form of an approaching raven.

It alighted upon the
mage’s outstretched arm with a loud caw,
then
brushed
its beak affectionately over the soft fabric. The mage smiled and ran a finger
down the soft tuft of feathering over the breast.

“You’ve done well,”
the horn spoke softly.
“Now that I know our Healer
friend is bound to his clan, he will surely remain until that time in which I
see fit to collect him.”

Jenario lifted his arm
higher, and the raven took to the sky.

“
Return to your
kind! Tell them their heir has failed!”

The raven’s wild
cackles eventually drowned within the clap of thunder. Its dark form easily
matched that of its surroundings, and was swallowed without a trace into the
forest.

“Their lust for
vengeance against humans will only feed my storm. With the human population
extinguished, there will be nothing to hinder my plans.”
He cast his eyes up, toward the tower room where he
knew the Black Wing was still within his control. There came a chuckle.
“Ah,
the rarity of ripening fruit in a barren wasteland – the time of harvest grows
nearer.”

CHAPTER
8

The room was steaming
with mixed emotions. Fear and anger filled Alexander’s Planning Room with venting
bodies, so much that they had to keep the doors open to let air flow through.
Not only were the three clan leaders present, but a good majority of their clan
members. From Harbor’s Point, Mr. Phine had pulled a few other ship builders
and fishermen. From town, Lorens and his boys attended, along with a few
shopkeepers and carpenters. All had their skills and ideas to put forth in
discussion, but none had a clear solution. Panic edged its way into concerned
voices.

“But why?” was the
question that hit Wisdom many times, in which no clear answer could be given.
The guilt that he should have known sooner burned at his core, especially
knowing how strong his kind could be. Already, the day was waning. If they did
not come up with a plan soon, Wisdom feared the worst should his kind catch
them off
guard.

“What of Lexington?”
Nemmerel said amidst a slew of other questioning clan members. “If your
kind are
coming from Crystal Valley, Lexington stands
directly in their path!”

“I’ve already sent
messengers their way.” Wisdom’s voice carried over the group, enough to
redirect the conversation. When asked who the messengers were, he answered, “I
sent Chanté with a few of his kind to start spreading the word. They’ll be
faster than any ship or by foot. I also sent Blackavar back with his merchants.
They would have left already to start pulling people out of Lexington.”

Here, he paused, his
thoughts briefly reflecting his days at the guild. Silently, he prayed their
vessel made it to Lexington’s port on time.
It’ll take them at least two
days! And I’ve no idea when or even if Chronicles has started his war.

“How long do you think
we have?” Lorens forced Wisdom to refocus. A few servants busied themselves
delivering drinks to their guests, which were accepted in hushed thanks. “How
long before they reach here?”

“I wish I had a
definite answer. It could be tomorrow. It could be days even. But one thing’s
for certain, we need a course of action now! Alex,” he pointed to a map
sprawled overtop the room’s central table, “how many men can you spare?”

“We can
all
fight,” the Western Prince said in a stern tone. He nodded toward the
Schevolskys. “And they can attest to it.”

“We have equipment,”
one of the Schevolsky boys added. “We have armor and weapons. Bit old, but it’s
still good.”

Nickademis cleared his
throat. “Armor won’t be much against a shape-shifting magic-user. No offense,
Master. But you know a human is no match against even
one
of your kind.”

“I, at least, hope to
detain my father long enough before he sends in the rest,” Wisdom said. “If I
challenge him one-on-one, perhaps that’ll be enough time.”

“Until?”
Nickademis raised an eyebrow. “
You
expecting
someone else to show?”

Murmurs started up around
the room. Even Mididus, with his connections in thought to the Simpletons, grew
sensitive to the question. Yet Wisdom knew better than to blurt out that a dark
unicorn would approach during confrontation. Instead, he shot the doctor a
quick look.

“I
did
send a
message to one other for help. My grandfather lives with a number of outcast
Healers. No promises, but assistance would be greatly appreciated. For the time
being, we’ll need to gather the women and children, and those who can’t fight,
inside the clan, or at least far enough from where we hold our ground, which
should be here.” His index finger brushed along a vacant field just north of
the farmlands. “It’s just outside the borders of Trully. It’ll be the first
place they come to.”

Mr. Phine grunted.
“What makes you so sure they won’t travel a different way?” The old shipbuilder
studied the map a moment more. “They could just as easily follow the shoreline
around the storm. The way you put it, sounds like they’ll be coming from the
storm itself.”

Wisdom cast his gaze
down to the dark liquid rolling inside his mug after taking it from one of the
servant trays. Within, he could just make out his reflection, not the clearest,
but one that offered a wink at the suggestion.

The horn’s power
will feed off their hate,
came the
thought.
They’ll be drawn without question, and with little choice.

“Trust me,” Wisdom
finished and sipped at his drink. “We’ll meet them as they come out.”

“And if this doesn’t
work?” Nickademis said. “What then? There must be something we can use to keep
them from going around us and finding those who are helpless.”

“You can use fire,”
the voice of Shy cut through the group before his brother could answer. Heads
turned toward the albino Healer with Katherine by his side.

Wisdom let out a soft
growl. “You’ve some nerve to show yourself. If I’d known—”

“Vistom,
please!”
Katherine pleaded. “Just hear him out.”

With a long sigh, the
prince nodded.
“Fine.”
Ignoring the questioning stares
from others, he gestured for his brother to continue.

“Simply challenging
Chronicles isn’t going to work,” Shy said. “You know how he operates. He’ll
have destroyed half the clan by then. What you need to do is cut off all
connections with Nature!” The group let him through as he walked up to the
table and pointed to the spot where they planned to meet. “If you burn the
fields, we’ll be forced to fight using just the energy we have, and not
Nature’s.”

“Burn the fields,”
Wisdom repeated softly. He glanced down at the piece of cloth wrapped around
his wrist, keeping his scar hidden. The scar itself had been created with fire,
which
Osha
now used to show phases of the moon. It
would never heal, as fire was not a part of their element, and therefor had no
control over it. “It would definitely slow them down.”

Mididus stepped
forward. With his words slowed in concentration, he said, “May I suggest my
clan cover what vegetation does not get touched, as we do with our homes. It
will seem as though the whole land has been scorched, and they will not know
the difference.”

“You’ve seen how
strong Simpletons are,” Shy said. “They can project what they want us to see.
Even
we
will have no clue where ash starts and grass begins!”

“Then let’s get
started!” Wisdom said. “The longer we delay, the less time we have to prepare.”
To the Schevolsky’s, “Get all the armor you have! Alex, I know you have weapons
and things here as well. Bring torches and build pits to heat your weapons. I
want those fields smoldering by the day’s end!”

As the group began to
disperse, Wisdom cast his eyes over to this brother. A nod of thanks was all
that was needed, which Shy accepted with a grin.

We’re going to make
it,
came the thought.

While members filed
outside, a commotion drew attention to the doorway. High-pitched chatter
immediately marked the voice of Josephine, who pushed through the crowd to
enter.

“Josephine! I thought
I told you to watch the shop!” His grandfather shuffled over to him. “What’s
the matter with you? You got cloth ears?”

“Sorry, yes! I mean
no!” Josephine placed a hand over his chest as he tried to catch his breath.
“It’s just,” a cough, “I ran all the way...looks like someone saw....your lady
board one of the ships earlier.”

“What?” Wisdom’s gaze
shifted to his brother, then back to the young man. “Are you sure? Who saw
her?”

“Where would she go in
a time like this?” Mr. Phine grumbled. “Not to Lexington, I hope.”

“How long ago was
this?!” A pressure of worry built in the prince’s chest.
How could she think
of running at a time like this?
He tried to think back to the last time he
saw her, but everything was a blur.

“Um, well...”
Josephine scrunched up his nose in thought.
“Not sure,
exactly.”

“Well, go get her!”
Wisdom threatened, but the young man cringed and took a step back.

“But the ship...left
already. No telling how long ago.”

“You
oaf!”
A slap from his grandfather
sent the young man skittering back outside. “Get your facts straight next
time!”

Wisdom could feel his
temper rising at the thought of something happening to her. “We don’t have time
for this! Chronicles could attack at any moment, and she’d be the first one in
his sight!”

“I’ll get her,” Shy
suggested, with Katherine nodding in agreement.

“I’ll go with you.
We’ll bring her back safe.”

“See that you do! And
if she gives you any trouble...” The prince removed the sapphire necklace from
around his neck. After pulling both his sword and staff from within to have by
his side, he tossed the jewelry to his brother. “Use this to keep her safe, and
don’t
come back without her!”

*****

Did I make a
mistake?
Glory stared out over the
water near the ship’s stern, watching the water’s surface churn with foaming
whitecaps. She had never felt so homesick, and it was not for where she was
headed. It was what she had left behind.
Does he even care to look for me?

She could tell by the
way the sky darkened that they had entered the coastal waters belonging to the
Realm of Sapphire. All crew cast a nervous gaze to the flexing black clouds
trailing just over the seaside cliffs. It was not the most welcoming sight,
especially with the strong wind that came from it. It tore into the sails
several times, swiftly drawing the men into a frenzy of working to ensure the
vessel stayed on course.

A shiver drew her arms
into a fold, having wished she had brought a traveling cloak.
Smart thinking
on my part!
The men aboard ship had welcomed her along after hearing her
request to visit her family in Lexington. Glad they did not stare, like many
others, their duties toward the vessel’s departure kept them busy.

And yet, Glory spent
the majority of her time facing the rear, not forward. That longing ache in her
heart only worsened with the storm’s announcing thunder. Now, she wished Wisdom
by her side and wondered why she bothered to leave in the first place.

All over something
I probably misinterpreted.
A sigh while glancing over at the storm clouds.
Wisdom
was right; I can see it growing!

And where do you
think you’re going?

Glory turned swiftly
at the familiar voice in her mind. When she did not see anyone, her gaze
flicked toward the sky until two birds gliding alongside the ship drew her
attention. Not the standard seagulls seen diving down for minnows, these birds
begged a different reasoning to be seen. Even the ship’s captain took notice,
and with a hand signal, the sails went slack for the birds to land safely.

The greenish glow of
shifting soon took over, expanding upward into their human forms. Having been
acquainted with the prince’s transformations, the sailers only saluted the two
Healers as they stepped from fading feathers to face the lone woman at the back
of the ship.

“Really?”
Glory rolled her eyes. “So he sends you instead?”

The strawberry-haired
female next to Shy leaned closer to whisper. “So this is your brother’s
chosen?”

“Unfortunately,”
came
a response.
“Quite the runner, this
one.”

“She’s gorgeous!”

“Thank you,” Glory
said without much emotion. “And you would be?”

“With
me, of course!”
Shy snapped as the
two approached.

“With...you?
As in...betrothed
?” At a
nod, Glory laughed. “Well, I’d watch this one, if I were you. He has a habit of
leaving girls stranded in desolate locations.”

“Not this again!” Shy
folded his arms in a huff. “Will you leave that
be
?
This isn’t about us anyway. It’s about you!”

The younger female
placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Let me try.”

Her long hair swept
over a shoulder in the passing breeze. Overhead, the flap of sails tugging on
their rigging soon quieted when the vessel began moving again.

“It’s a pleasure to
meet you; I’m Katherine. Your Wisdom and I were friends growing up. He sent us
to bring you back because it’s not safe anymore for you to travel alone.”

“Then he
knew
I
left!”

“Not until someone
else saw you leaving the port,” Shy said. “I swear, Glory! You left Lexington because
you wanted to be with him, and now you want to go back? I don’t get it.What is
it you’re running from this time?”

“He...” Tears
threatened to spring into her eyes. “He said he didn’t love me anymore.”