The Shards (4 page)

Chapter Four

It was hard to tell for certain just how much time had passed since they carried Tomas into the shelter of the cave. For at least six days, he neither spoke nor even acknowledged the presence of the others. Preston sat diligently by his side all the while, convinced that Tomas knew that he was there. He insisted that he was going to be next to him when his friend needed him the most, and that meant whenever he was ready to speak. So, Preston planted himself and refused to move.

After another few days went by and the boy exhibited no signs that he was imminently regaining his cognizance, Prince Elion and Queen Esta helped Preston carry Tomas deeper into the cave and away from whatever it was that caused the boy to withdraw so fully into himself to begin with. Stephanie, Tomas’ childhood friend, saw to his hygiene and made certain that he was comfortable and kept warm. She sat herself down beside Preston, and together they stood vigil over their troubled friend. There they remained until it was no longer prudent to do so.

Elion ventured back toward their point of entrance, but as he neared it, the stench of death assaulted his nostrils and the air grew putrid and acidic. It was difficult for him to breathe, and he had no choice but to retreat once again. Before he would turn his back on what appeared to be their only means of escape, he fought the terrible burning whenever he took a breath and the stinging and tearing of his eyes, and he inched his way forward. As he neared the opening, he heard loud crashes of thunder, and he saw that the rain was pelting the ground with a violence that shocked him. Lightning illuminated the small doorway in a macabre way, casting streaks of blue and yellow light across the smooth, stone floor. But in the end, it was the odor that ultimately caused him to turn back. Never before had he smelled anything so bad. Even the dying gasps of the Valkor that blanketed the air at the battle of Pardatha were easier to stomach. Elion retched uncontrollably at this onslaught upon his senses, and he turned from the entrance is disgust.

When he returned to his friends, he reluctantly informed them of the situation on the surface. They had all believed that they would shortly be able to depart for Avalain once the immediate threat had passed. The disappointment when Elion told them that their escape route was no longer viable, hung in the air as if it was a tangible thing. Queen Esta was particularly saddened by the news initially, though she withstood it in her normally stoic manner and was, as usual, an example for the others. She merely dropped her regal head for a moment, and then moved on emotionally, accepting the situation without another hint of regret. Stephanie sighed deeply and then burst into tears, whereupon Preston leapt to her side to comfort her. He had been so anxious to travel to the legendary city of Avalain himself that it was arduous for him to ignore his own emotions, yet he did so quite valiantly nevertheless.

They were all fortunate that the young dwarf was so keenly aware of what type of rock and stone would provide them with a safe haven and of what type might present a danger to them all. He navigated the curves and bends of the tunnels that emanated from the small cave they first encountered when they entered as if he had been there before. He listened to the rock, smelled it, touched it and literally tasted it before he was willing to lead them deeper inside. In the presence of need, he shortly forgot that they were trapped here now, and he embraced the role that had inadvertently been foisted upon him.

Once they all realized that they could not return the same way that they entered, Preston took charge with a newly found maturity that lifted his esteem in all of their eyes. The frightened, run-away youth of only months ago had grown up in a very short time, and the others acknowledged this change by following him further into the cave with confidence, and without questioning his decisions either openly or within the privacy of their own thoughts.

As it turned out, the tiny opening that Preston espied on the fateful day of their departure from the woods of Pardeau, led to a massive labyrinth of passageways and chambers that twisted and aimed endlessly it seemed into the depths of the earth. Fortunately for them all, there was an ample supply of fresh water that trickled and dripped constantly from the cold rock surfaces, and created a perpetual and soothing cacophony of sound. In addition to the all-important water, various types of mushrooms grew everywhere in abundance, and Preston knew exactly which ones they could eat and which ones would get them sick. The very large, woody tasting ones that grew out of the crevices of the walls were the best, particularly when they roasted them until they were tender, while the small, button shaped fungi were to be avoided at all costs. Preston assured the others that a tiny taste of those would cause a violent reaction within minutes of their consumption.

The group took turns carrying Tomas as they ventured further and further into the cave. The air was fresh and abundant regardless of how deep they descended, and they could even feel the wind in places as if the cavern itself was exposed to the surface breezes. Long and narrow shafts rose from the ceilings out of which these zephyrs blew, though none was wider than a few inches, and it was impossible to enter any of them in order to escape to the surface.

In most areas, a fine powder of phosphorescent particles coated the surface upon which they walked, and this illuminated their way. The walls were also coated with the same material, and fortunately it was rarely difficult for them to see. Though the light was far from bright, the glow was warm and comforting, and certainly more than adequate. Elion smiled when he first noticed the material. He opened a small pouch that was tied to his belt and showed the others a similar stash of matter that the elves of Lormarion used to light the ground within the depths of the forest beneath Seramour. He showed the others how to sift through the dirt upon the floor in order to isolate these bright particles, and they all soon had their own supply tucked safely into their garments in the event that the tunnels eventually grew dark.

Though he confided in the group, Elion was reluctant to share with the others the last words Tomas uttered when he found him despondent and depressed outside the entrance to this haven some three weeks ago. The idea that the boy’s own Lalas could have betrayed him to Caeltin D’Are Agenathea, the Lord of Darkness, terrified him so that for the sake of his friends, he kept the news to himself. He would tell them all when the time was right, but it would be pointless for them to suffer needlessly now when the circumstances were so uncertain already. He had yet to reconcile the Lalas’ actions himself, and unfortunately he had no opportunity to discuss the situation with Tomas before he collapsed.

“I wonder what they are thinking in Avalain,” Queen Esta said.

“Is there anyone there who knew where you were going when you first left?” Stephanie asked from across the broad chamber, as she pressed a cool, damp cloth on Tomas’ forehead. She looked at his beautiful face, marred by worry and concern even in his inchoate state. Affectionately, she adjusted the blanket that lay atop his unmoving body, and then she walked across the cavern toward the others assembled by the small fire Elion was nursing.

“The Captain of the guard, Lord Markel, will figure out something to tell the people until he knows for certain what is going on, though I did not take him into my confidence. I regret my lack of foresight. It was unlike me to not anticipate that something might go wrong with my plan. Marne and I thought we would be back in only a few days. We were simply going to gather some information on my daughter, Filaree,” she recalled with a frown.

“How could you have suspected? Had you even a hint that you were walking into a trap, you never would have gone in the first place,” Preston said, as he shredded some of the mushrooms with his pocketknife.

“And Marne would still be alive,” Esta sighed.

“It is small consolation to think that we might never have all met if you had not ventured into the woods that day,” Elion said, as he stole one of the slices from the dwarf and popped it into his mouth.

“The fabric weaves of its own will, Elion. Marne would yet be with us, but you Stephanie would still be subject to the dictates of Margot and her crusaders. Who knows what that might have led to? It is not for us to question fate, though its heart can seem so cruel at times,” the Queen replied.

“I am so grateful to you all, you cannot imagine!” Stephanie said. “I think that I would have died myself if I remained there much longer. I could not just go along with what they required any more. It was getting harder and harder to avoid doing the things they asked of me, and I would never have been able to support them and their abominable ideas. My days were numbered,” she remembered.

The young girl shuddered noticeably and her hand shook as she lifted it from the boy’s brow. Tears flowed down her rosy cheeks.

“You are safe now, Steph. Although it might seem that we have led you into more trouble, I know it will all work out. You do not have to be afraid,” Preston said tenderly.

He put aside what he was doing and moved so that he was sitting beside her. The girl sobbed quietly into her hand, and Esta moved to comfort her as well.

“Hush now dear,” she soothed her. “It certainly appears as if we have leapt from the frying pan into the fire, but we will see this clearly to the end soon. It will all begin to make sense in time.”

Stephanie dried her eyes with the back of her hand, and then she sat up straight. Elion too joined the others, as the three of them formed a tight circle around the maiden.

“I am not crying for myself. I could not be so ungrateful. You are all so wonderful to me,” she said. “ Nothing could have been worse than what I left behind. I just feel so awful about everything! I do not feel worthy of your attention. Marne is gone and I am here in her stead. She was so strong and so noble. I look at myself and I feel that all of you would have been better off if I had perished rather than she.”

“Such foolish words!” Esta rebuked her. “Why make such comparisons. Each one of us has a role to play, and you will discover yours in time. Besides, you had nothing to do with her death whatsoever! Marne died in service to me! If anyone should feel guilty here, it is I. And believe me, my dear, I do! Had it not been for all of you, I would have perished as well. Now stop your fussing, and let us all be thankful that we have found one another.”

Esta took the girl’s hand and squeezed it firmly but affectionately, whereupon Stephanie sucked in her breath and dried her swollen eyes with her sleeve. The Queen put her arm around the girl’s shoulder and hugged her to her side. Stephanie had not felt a motherly touch in a long while and she warmed to it immediately. She had almost forgotten just how much her circumstances had changed in only a matter of less than one year. Though it hurt her to recall the days when her father was alive and her mother was healthy, and Pardeau was a place where strangers were welcome and the citizens felt safe and secure, it also reminded her vividly of how fortunate she was to have discovered her old friend and his new companions. Stephanie smiled warmly at the Queen, and she returned the squeeze with a meaningful one of her own.

“When you ride the crest of the wave, the height can be exhilarating and the speed with which you travel can take your breath away. But beware when the wave breaks. And break it must, at some point. Marne knew the risks that she took, and she embraced them with the fervor of a true heroine,” Esta said. “We shall grieve for her certainly, but we cannot change what has already occurred. It is fruitless to pine over it. We have so much else to do.”

Esta and Preston hovered over the girl while Elion stood closely by, and each member of the group was moved by her emotions. They all harbored doubts and concerns deep within themselves, and her honesty and openness brought them to the surface. While comforting her, they assuaged their own feelings as well, and the bond between them grew firmer and more secure. All four of the companions felt it as if it was almost a physical thing.

“Lives are built upon moments like these,” Esta intoned. “Whether our paths diverge in the days to come or whether we are all still together, I will not soon forget any of you.”

It was bright where they had gathered and they therefore had no difficulty observing how emotional this moment was for each person present. Their facial expressions gave them away. The remainder of the chamber had grown dark, though no one noticed the change during this encounter. Elion was the first to realize that the area where Tomas lay was no longer visible.

“I had better attend to the boy,” he said, a bit startled by the depth of the darkness.

The others all rose hastily and walked behind him across the floor. The light had gone totally out in the recesses of the chamber, and Elion disappeared into the obscurity before they could even catch up with him.

“Does anyone have any of the powder on them?” Preston asked.

“I do,” Stephanie replied, and she reached into the pouch that hung from her belt.

As soon as she opened the string tying the top, her hand stood out in the darkness as if there was no body attached to it. Quickly, she retrieved a small pinch of the phosphorescent material and flung it in the blackness around them. As it made contact with the air the substance was activated, and the entire immediate area was swathed in a yellowish glow.

In the pale light, they could distinctly see Elion kneeling in front of them, beside the blanket that covered the boy. Elion turned to face the others with a grim expression etched upon his elfin features, and he rose slowly with the blanket in his hands. Something was terribly wrong.

“He’s gone!” Stephanie exclaimed, dumbfounded.

Chapter Five

Concentrate!” she admonished her friend. “Find what is common to it all. It is there, Angeline. You only need to sift through the particles in order to isolate it.”

Tamara sat beside the slim and muscular woman and guided her as she attempted to start the evening fire. What had seemed miraculous to her only five or so weeks before was now routine, and the stout sister was a good instructor. Angeline stretched her long index finger, swirled it slightly, and the pile of dry twigs and leaves began to smolder.

“You’ve go it!” Tamara exclaimed, as happy with the other woman’s accomplishment as if it had been her own success. “Now, just let it spread all by itself. You must learn not only how to begin the process, but when to back away as well. If you exert too much of an influence, the result may be far more extensive than you might wish. It is much harder to contain the energy once you have unleashed it. As it outstretches, it assumes a life of its own. You may not be able to control it so easily.”

Tamara furrowed her brow, and with her right hand she directed a short wall of debris to form around the burgeoning fire. The material she used was just as flammable at the onset as what burned within the circle, but Angeline watched closely as it seemed to change in consistency with Tamara’s urging. What had seconds before been dry leaves, dust and twigs was being altered at its core. The essential elements were being divided and diffused by the more experienced sister, and a new material composed of the same elements as that which existed before but now in a different configuration took shape before their eyes.

“How did you know what to change and what to leave as it was?” Angeline asked.

“I cannot answer that,” Tamara replied. “I sense the essence of what I am manipulating somehow, and I think about the qualities that I need in order to accomplish the task that I have in mind. A lot of what I do is not directed by my will as you might think. Although I am conscious all the while, it is my spirit that guides the material to an extent. I have learned to feel with my senses much as I have done my whole life with my limbs.”

“I think I understand,” Angeline said. “When the fire just began to ignite, it seemed as if the pieces had just fallen together. It felt right somehow.”

“That is how I would have explained it too,” Tamara replied and bobbed her chin up and down. “It just begins to feel right. I believe that there is a symmetry to life and to each object that we see in nature. If we rearrange the elements and achieve that symmetry again, it seems correct.”

“Have you ever found that what you created was wrong?” Angeline questioned. “Has there been a time when what you did turned out different than you wished?”

“Not in the end. Not yet, at least. There have been times during the process when I have been unsure of what the outcome was going to be. But there always seems to be something deeper, something other than my will and desire that guides me, and I have not yet been plagued by doubt about the outcome of what I have tried to accomplish. Remember though, sister that this is all quite new to me as well.”

“What I cannot get used to is that it just seems so natural. Now that I look at things the way you have instructed me, I cannot imagine seeing them any differently. I spent my entire life unaware that my relationship with the world around me was so much more intertwined than I ever conceived. It seems as if a door in my spirit has opened,” Angeline commented. “My eyes gaze upon the exact same elements as they did before, but they no longer look the same.”

By this time, the small fire was burning brightly and it illuminated their faces, as well as the surrounding desolate landscape that seemed to stretch in all directions. Though it was still daylight, the hills cast a grayish pallor upon everything, obscuring the remaining sunlight, and many areas were concealed by almost complete darkness and shadows.

The two sisters had been traveling for about three weeks. When they first left the Tower of Parth, they were more than just a slight bit unsure of themselves. Although Tamara had only recently gone on a journey of her own before they had set out on this one and she returned unscathed despite some difficult circumstances, Angeline had not been away for many years. She was competent certainly, but in many respects she was quite sheltered, and her strength had never been challenged. The two women had always respected one another, though no one would have called them friends. Now, after only a few short weeks, the bonds between them had grown strong, soldered together by the importance of their mission as well as by the discovery that they had so much in common after all. They became true companions in a rather short while, due in no small part to the fact that both of them had such giving hearts.

The first week on the trail, their path had been clear and well defined. The roads that led away from Parth one would never have called well-traveled, but they were distinct and easy to follow. The terrain was flat and wooded, but it was not difficult to traverse. Parth was constructed upon the intersection of the roots of many of the great Lalas, and the soil above it and around it was fertile and teeming with life. But, as they drew further and further away, the environment changed dramatically.

The few humans that they encountered during their first days on the road were respectful, though nervous when they saw the two sisters approach. They hesitated to talk to the women, and despite Tamara’s ebullient personality, they were uncomfortable around them and seemed to desire nothing more than to be anywhere but in their presence. The sisters honored and respected these concerns and did not insist upon engaging them in conversation, although it did cause them to question this unusual behavior. The Sisters of Parth were never shunned before for any reason, and people everywhere usually felt safe in their presence. Things had surely changed in only a short while, Angeline and Tamara agreed. When evil stretches its dirty hands across the land, very little remains unsullied and unspoiled.

By the beginning of the third week, they had not seen anyone for days. Traveling became more difficult as they entered the hills. Shelter was harder and harder to come by, and the territory they covered was less forgiving. By the end of the third week, the hills gave way to rocky, dry mountains that were irregularly shaped and rose incredibly high into the cloudless blue skies. Though they were red in color, they were not made of clay but rather of layers of rock that seemed to have been placed one atop another like a stack of griddle cakes. These stacks dotted the sky in all directions and they had to maneuver their way around and between them in order to continue on. In some cases, they needed to climb these slippery sided peaks for it was impossible to find a pass, and the climbing was onerous and painstaking upon both the horses and the women.

Tamara nurtured the fire that Angeline had just started, and gazed upward at the top of one of the larger of the pinnacles that towered overhead. The afternoon sun was partially hidden behind it, and the shadow that the peak cast stretched nearly across the plateau upon which they sat. The sisters allowed their ponies to graze freely, knowing that they would find whatever they could to munch upon and never wander off too far, while they planned their course for the days ahead.

“If we continue on this way, it will take us much longer than we expected to reach the swamps,” Tamara said.

“At least it is dry here,” Angeline said, shuddering at the thought of what lay ahead. “Is there no other route we can take but through those wretched bogs?” she asked.

“You don’t know that they are so awful, sister. More often than not, the tales that grow around places such as these are exaggerated and do not resemble the truth of the matter in the slightest,” Tamara responded, seeking to soothe her companion’s concerns, though her own were no less troublesome. “First though, we must pass through the Valley of Desolation. Right at this moment, that thought concerns me more than the bogs,” she said. “Why must people name these places so? Are they not bad enough in and of themselves? If it were called the Valley of the Sun or the Valley of Heroes or some such more positive name I really think I could bear the idea of it better.”

“It is just a name sister,” Angeline reminded her, though she too found the title disconcerting. “As long as we have enough water and supplies, the idea of crossing through a barren valley no matter what it is called is much more appealing to me than wading through the swamps beyond it. I would rather be able to see what my feet encounter than have to imagine what it is that is brushing against my legs!” Angeline replied, and chilled at the thought.

They sat upon a precipice overlooking what appeared to be a chasm perhaps one hundred feet in depth at the least. Tamara dangled her feet over the edge, while Angeline remained safely back a few paces from the precipitous rim. She found it very uncomfortable to gaze over the brink and it even caused her to cringe at Tamara’s boldness and lack of fear.

The hole in the ground before them was somewhat regular in shape and about fifty feet in diameter. The massive rocks that lined it were broken in geometrical patterns, and it was obvious that the edges were continuing to break away and fall into the depths as the years passed. Much like the surface of an egg that is cracked inward in one spot and still stuck fast to the rest of the shell, the huge slabs of red rock hung suspended from the edge in straight edged blocks, while still others had detached themselves from the surface and had fallen down, forming gargantuan piles of stacked rocks upon the floor of the hole. Some of the boulders lining the rim had substantial cracks in them too, and it was almost possible to imagine which one would be the next to break off and careen into the pit. Over time, trees and shrubbery had sprouted in the morass below, and at least two of these unusual, scraggly ones had reached high enough to break the surface with their topmost branches and leaves, twisting and bending maze-like as they headed for the top.

“What could have caused this area to cave in so?” Tamara asked, leaning over the edge precariously, casually unbothered by the sheer drop.

“I certainly do not know, and if I were you I would not venture so close. You may slip and then where would our quest be?” she asked nervously. Angeline was unsure of whether it bothered her more for Tamara to be leaning into the chasm than if she were doing it herself. “Please, sister, back away a bit if only to ease my mind.”

“Does it disturb you that much?” she replied.

“Yes, you cannot imagine. For those who have no fear of heights, it is impossible for them to understand the feelings that one who does experiences. I practically swoon when you do that.”

Tamara put her hands beside her and began to push herself backward, at least enough to relieve the tension in her friend’s expression. As she did so, she looked behind her to make sure that she was not going to slide her ample bottom onto anything sharp, and she noticed what looked to be a swarm of insects heading in their direction from the east. There was a dark cloud, irregular in shape, that was moving steadily toward them as she watched.

“Sister? Do you see what is approaching?” she asked Angeline calmly.

Angeline straightened her back and looked in the direction that Tamara indicated with her outstretched hand.

“I do, sister. It is too dark to be a storm could. It is pitch as night!” she observed, scrutinizing it as closely as she could.

“And it changes shape as it moves,” Tamara commented, watching it closely herself. “Only a moment ago it was much more elongated. Now, it seems to be fattening up a bit.”

“It is most certainly alive, sister! Or at least it is composed of things that are alive. No wind is causing it to assemble so,” she replied, touching her index finger to her tongue to moisten it and then holding it up to the air.

“Yes, Angeline, I agree. And we appear to be directly in its path,” Tamara replied as she looked around her for some shelter. “There does not seem to be anywhere we can go to conceal ourselves.”

“We don’t know that it is dangerous in any way. Maybe it will dissipate and not come this way at all,” Angeline replied optimistically.

“Wishful thinking, my friend. I fear that we may be its sole purpose for being here to begin with,” Tamara rejoined ominously.

“Why? Do you believe it to be more intelligent than the sum of its parts? It looks to be a swarm of bees or flies or the like.”

“Here? An innocent swarm of flies so thick that we can see it from this distance? I think we had best assume otherwise, sister. What we carry with us will surely be desirous to others as well. We cannot sit here and wait to find out!” Tamara said, and she rose from her sitting position as if she was a lightweight young maiden.

Angeline did not need another warning to follow. She too stood up on her long, muscular legs, shouldered her bow and arrows and began to scan the horizon for an alternative to where they now stood unprotected. But alas, her sharp eyes could spot nothing either that would afford them a means of protection.

“We appear to have wandered to a place that is the least conducive to hiding, sister,” she said calmly, although her body was poised for action.

“Yes, sister. It seems that we have indeed,” Tamara replied calmly, though her insides were churning.

They both watched with growing interest as the cloud approached them, hoping upon hope that it would pass them by, and quite unsure as to how to defend themselves against it if they should actually be its target.

“We can conceal ourselves by stirring up the dirt and debris around us,” Tamara said. “But the ground is so barren and rocky, I am afraid that there is not enough of anything loose upon it to hide even one of us successfully,” she observed with a slightly more desperate tone in her voice.

Angeline had moved even further away from the edge of the pit that bothered her so, while Tamara had done just the opposite. She realized that the hole in the earth was perhaps the only place they could hide, and she was walking slowly toward it to see if there was even one edge that they could step down over without careening into the chasm.