The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One' (29 page)

‘I can see you
have been used my friend,’ he said gently, staring at Rhoàld,
Rhoàld stared back, there was something about the depth of
Thaddrick’s eyes, he felt once more calmed and reassured. ‘By the
Journey’ you will not be used here.’ Thaddrick crossed his right
arm over his chest and bowed from the waist completing the solemn
vow. Standing tall once more, he looked around at the assembled
group. ‘There
is
magic in the air, in the soil and all
around us here, after you have eaten I will explain it all,’ he
added as Rhoàld smiled regretfully at the old man.

‘My apologies
for any offense I have given,’ he said, clearly relieved.

“Ere we go
again with the ‘I’ll explain later’ speech,’ young Jed whispered to
Gideon referring to the way he believed Varan had treated him
during their escape from Devilly. Gideon grinned at his friend who
was obviously feeling as frustrated as he was himself.

The company
moved forward once more across the grass, through the trees and
toward the white brick buildings in the centre of the vast
fledgling forest.

‘Come, come and
be welcome…’ called Thaddrick as he made toward the largest of the
white buildings, young Jed looked around him at the small clean
houses, most with one story, a few slightly larger. Everywhere
colourful flowers grew in abundance and birds sang gaily, the very
air seemed different, cleaner and full of life, in the distance Jed
could see the silver flashes of fish as they jumped out of the
river to catch flies and fell back into the water with a
splash.

As they walked
on through the cluster of houses, they passed a group of youngsters
playing in the dust, their blond heads grouped together as they
threw small stones up into the air and attempted to catch them on
the back of their hands, with each success they would throw again
and pick up another stone from the ground.

‘I know that
game,’ young Jed whispered to Lemba as they passed.

‘Hello
Thaddrick, wanna play?’ A young boy asked rushing to the old man’s
side and pulling at his robe.

‘Thank you for
the offer Jonus,’ Thaddrick replied adding, ‘and it is
want
to
play, not wanna.’ Gideon smiled as Thaddrick ruffled the
boys’ hair.
So it’s not only me ’e corrects then,
he
thought. Leaving the boys playing, the group soon reached the
largest of the white buildings, this one in the centre of the
village. Its tall walls and large windows marking it as the main
building, one by one they entered through the stone archway
denoting the front door. Lemba last in the line followed the others
inside; fervently wishing her mouth would stop itching. A stray
thought crossed her mind as she probed her mouth with her stub but
she dismissed it straight away as absurd, there was no way Jed
would have given her an infection from that wonderful kiss.

Thaddrick
showed them into a large hall in the centre of which was a long
table laid out with plates and glasses, large mirrors distributed
around the room reflected the light from the windows giving the
room a bright and airy feel despite the intense and heavy wall art.
A large fireplace situated at one side of the room was already set
with logs ready to burn and numerous comfortable chairs and smaller
tables were set around the fireplace, giving the room the
appearance of a meeting place, or a hall for social events.

‘After you have
eaten the council will welcome you but until then enjoy…’ Thaddrick
said throwing his arms wide with obvious pride. Lemba walked around
the room looking at the walls covered in tapestries and hangings
each depicting various colourful scenes from rolling hills covered
in sunflowers to magnificent castles and icy cold mountains, the
stitching was so delicate she imagined she only had to make a small
step and she would be there, standing amongst the flowers and
grasses.

‘This shows our
home, a world called Arotia,’ Thaddrick had moved to stand beside
her, he smiled offering her his hand and gently led her to the
table now covered in food, wine and beer. ‘Please eat,’ he said and
smiled as he continued, ‘after we are rested we will talk and
explanations will be given. For now though please avail yourself of
anything you require.’ He smiled once more and left them alone
walking slowly out of the room and young Jed looking at the food
before him, grinned.

‘Well, I’m
hungry,’ he said and sat down closely followed by the others. Soon
they were all eating and drinking, questions and explanations
pushed aside for a time. Lemba took a leg of chicken from a large
plate and bit into it hard, rarely had she enjoyed such flavours.
She could taste garlic and sage, a creamy buttery taste and
something else, she could not quite recognise the taste and bit
into the chicken again, as a sudden excruciating pain exploded in
her mouth and she swallowed hard choking on the large lump of
chicken.

‘Lem, you all
right?’ Jed asked, concerned as Lemba coughed, she shook her head
and reached for a glass of water from the table. ‘Lemba, yer
bleeding!’ Jed said as he watched a trickle of dark red blood
slowly run from the side of her mouth. Lemba’s face turned white
with shock, slowly she lifted her fingers to her mouth and with
tears trembling on her lashes she pushed the chair back from the
table and ran to the nearest mirror.

‘Lem...,’
called Jed as he too pushed his chair away, it crashed to the floor
as Jed rushed across the room to follow her, worry obvious on his
face. The other members of the party became silent and still with
suspicion apparent on their faces as they watched.

‘What is it,
what’s wrong?’ Called Jed as he neared the silver-headed girl now
kneeling on the floor her hands covering her face, he knelt beside
her and lifted up her chin before taking her hands from her face.
Tension filled the room as the company looked toward the couple on
the floor, toward Lemba, who now had tears coursing down her cheeks
as looked up at Jed.

‘I…, I bit my
tongue,’ she said, smiling through her tears, her voice cracking
slightly, ‘Jed, I bit my tongue…’ she collapsed against him
laughing gaily, her tears now shown as tears of joy. Bemused, Jed
held her there tightly and smiled.

‘There!’ said
Rhoàld grinning madly and breaking through the stunned silence from
the rest of the group, ‘what did I say, there is magic in the air,’
and taking a large piece of chicken himself, he too bit into it.
‘Aahh, Rosemary, my favourite herb,’ he said and smiled as he
chewed, sighing as fat dribbled down his chin. The others laughed,
slowly at first then loudly and gaily as the tension of the last
few months began to melt away.

After the meal,
Thaddrick returned with eleven men and women who solemnly stood
before the now sated guests.

‘Welcome
Gideon, welcome friends, we are the valley council and with
Thaddrick as our lead we welcome you, be pleased to stay for as
long as you require,’ an elderly man said as Thaddrick smiled and
winked at Lemba.

‘I do not know
how, but my tongue seems to have re-grown, I… I thank you
Thaddrick.’ Lemba said as she returned Thaddrick’s smile and
laughed as he held his hands over hers to steady her fingers as
they flashed, faster than the words would come.

‘My thanks to
you also,’ Jed added, standing beside his fiancée and offering his
hand, Thaddrick extended his own and clasped forearms with the
happy young man. Finally, he turned back to the Lemba who had
returned to the mirror and was poking out her tongue, studying
it.

‘Lemba,’ he
said a serious look upon his face. ‘Whilst you are here the magic
will allow your tongue to be whole, to be as you were, whole and
perfect but once you leave I believe it will be as it was before.’
Jed took Lemba’s hands in his as she spoke again, as always;
accepting whatever the journey threw at her.

‘Then I must
talk enough now Thaddrick, for my voice to be remembered.’ She
smiled sadly back at him and returned her gaze to Jed. ‘Jed,’ she
said quietly, ‘if I can never say it again I would say it now, I
love you,’ Jed took the small girl in his arms and with tears
threatening to fall and a lump in his throat he kissed her
cheek.

‘I would know
it, iffen yer never ever said it,’ he replied as Thaddrick moved
away, quietly making his way across the room and sitting down at
the head of the table, boys and girls all dressed similarly to the
adults, with long flowing robes or togas were busily clearing the
table.

‘Hello, my name
is Roidan,’ began a small woman smiling as she approached them. ‘I
am first woman of the council, this room is our meeting hall and
our communal room so don’t be surprised if you see people come and
go all the time. Our council is informal for the most part but as
one we welcome you,’ she said as she moved to stand quietly behind
Thaddrick, her hands on his shoulders. Thaddrick reached up and
patted her hand gently. ‘When the time comes if you need any one of
us to go with you we will and gladly,’ she added, smiling at
Gideon. Gideon felt like a fish in a bowl, it seemed all eyes were
constantly moving toward him and he was pleased when the council
moved away to sit in unallocated chairs about the large room.
Roidan alone stayed beside Thaddrick, she looked at him lovingly,
before letting her hands slip to the chair back.

‘Please,’
Rhoàld said offering his chair to the standing woman, she shook her
head and smiled her thanks, whilst Mayan raised her eyebrows at
Gideon.

‘My friends,’
Thaddrick called to gain the attention of the travellers, he looked
at Gideon’s father, ‘I know how much you love stories Jed and you
too Gideon, I have a story to tell you, to tell you all,’ he
added.

‘Blue, err
Thaddrick, I just wanna know who, what, I am.’ Gideon stated matter
of factly, ignoring as best he could the many pairs of eyes that
still seemed to bore into his soul, for once the old man did not
correct his speech as he replied and suddenly looked grave.

‘Soon Gideon
you will know everything and wish you did not.’ Gideon shivered at
his tone and remained silent as the other members of the party sat
quietly around the long table and waited for Thaddrick to
speak.

‘My story
begins a long way from here, in another time and on another world.
A once beautiful world called Arotia. I was born on that world, as
were most of the people here. Thaddrick looked around at his
listeners and tried to study their incredulous faces.
Only Sonal
and Varan do not seem surprised
, he thought, but what I know of
Sonal must also be true of Varan and they both know of the Bleak.
Trying not to let his thoughts run away with him, he began his
story once more.

‘There was a
long and terrible war, our world was dying…,’ he stopped again,
once more trying to gauge the feelings of his audience.

‘How does this
tell me who I am, Thaddrick?’ Gideon asked, impatient now that the
moment for truth was here.

‘Lad, let the
man speak,’ his father said from across the table. Mayan put her
hand onto Gideon’s as it rested on the hard wooden table. Gideon
looked down at the small pink hand, felt the soft gentle touch as
it held his rough and callused skin and the tension flowed out of
him.

‘It’s all right
May, I be fine,’ he said looking at Thaddrick once more, Thaddrick
rolled his eyes heavenward.

‘I
am
fine,’ he repeated after Gideon, smiling. Gideon grinned suddenly,
he did not know why Thaddrick seemed to take such delight in
correcting his speech but it amused him to tease Thaddrick, though
he was finding it hard to think that the wolf he loved was really a
man.

‘How did yer
become a wolf Thaddrick?’ He asked, ‘an’ ‘ow come yer belong ter
us?’ He added.

‘Gid, I think
yer’ll find that Blue belongs ter no one, ‘Jed said in reply to his
son’s question.

‘Well then, I
mean, ‘ow come yer was a wolf an’ stayed with us?’ Thaddrick
laughed loudly.

‘
How.
You,
and
Were
Gideon, but please, only one story at a
time,’ he replied, “By the Journey’ you have questions enough to
try the patience of the Gods,’ he laughed again as both Sonal and
Gideon’s father nodded their heads in agreement. ‘Now,’ he said
‘let me continue, just where was I?’

‘There was a
war and the planet Aro… sommat was dyin’…’ called Mayan quickly as
all eyes turned to her. ‘What?’ She said, as she looked at her
companions, adding, ‘I like stories…’ the group laughed softly and
settled down again to listen to Thaddrick’s tale.

‘Arotia, not
unlike this valley is a magical place and everyone was born into
magic. Those strong in magic became mages, dedicating themselves
and their abilities to ensuring the health and happiness of the
people. A long time ago one of these mages became corrupted by the
power at his command, he was known as the Gatherer because of his
habit of gathering followers of weak minded and greedy fools and
he, along with his followers were the ones destroying our home,
albeit unintentionally, but destroying it all the same. He became
all-powerful using an outlawed form of magic that allowed him to
herd his unwitting followers like sheep, these followers became
known as Gathersmen. The Gatherer himself began using them and
their own inherent magic for his own gain using false promises of
wealth and position and they gave their blood willingly to advance
the Gatherer’s game, becoming dependent upon him for
everything.’

Rhoàld stood,
breathing hard, his hand reaching for his neck and the scar Gath
had left him with as a reminder that he belonged to the king.

‘Please
Rhoàld,’ said Thaddrick, ‘this will be hard for you to listen to
but my vow stands, you will not be used, we would not use you any
more than we would use Gideon.’ Rhoàld slowly sat once more though
he seemed tightly wound up, like a coiled spring waiting for
release.