Trials (28 page)

The guards at the dock looked at the officer, bewildered.

“We’re going to carry water from the lake to the barn. We’ve got to stop the fire,” explained the officer.

The human chain formed at once, and the pails of water began to make their way from the lake. The soldiers worked without stopping, with all their attention concentrated on the fire.

“Now’s the time!” said Sonea.

The priest nodded and smiled nervously.

“I hope we make it,” he implored the heavens. “Help these your children, oh all-powerful Light!”

Sonea and Lindaro came out from behind the shed, crouching in the shadows. They reached the barges at the dock without being seen, then went to the farthest one of all.

“We’re almost there,” Sonea whispered to Lindaro, and the man of faith smiled. His eyes were filled with excitement at all the action and danger.

Sonea jumped into the barge, and Lindaro loosened the rope ready to make their escape.

A whispering voice at his ear stopped him in his tracks.

“Stealing the barge?”

Lindaro made to turn, but felt the brush of cold sharp steel on his neck.

“Don’t kill me, please! I’m just a man of faith,” said Lindaro. He was absolutely terrified.

“A man of faith who burns a fort and steals a Zangrian war barge…”

“Please… let me… let me explain, I beg you.”

“Who’s the girl in the barge?”

“The girl? She’s a librarian from Erenal.”

“A priest and a librarian? Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Lindaro felt the pressure of the steel increase on his neck. He began to shake.

“By the all-illuminating Light, my word as a priest of the Temple of Light, I swear.”

“Don’t kill him,” said another voice, a woman’s, and Lindaro felt some hope.

“To the barge, quick!” said the man. Not feeling the steel on his neck any more the priest turned. The surprise nearly made him lose his balance, and he almost fell into the river.

It was not a Zangrian soldier! It was a man with slanting eyes dressed in dark clothes! And with him was a red-skinned Masig woman.

Lindaro stood agape.

“To the barge, quickly!” the man repeated, Lindaro reacted.

The three of them climbed aboard. Sonea’s surprise and fear showed on her face.

“Who… are they? What’s going on?”

“To the oars, quick. We have to get away immediately or the guards will discover us. You two in front and us behind,” ordered Yakumo.

Sonea and Lindaro obeyed without a word.

The barge began to move on the quiet lake. They all rowed in silence away from the dock. In the distance, the roaring fire illuminated the night. The barn and the stables were ablaze with great flames. They could hear the echo of the soldiers’ voices above the lake. They would have to work all night to put out a fire like that.

They rowed and rowed without speaking, keeping up the rhythm, looking for safety in the immensity of the lake around them. Dawn came, and a warm sun fell on their tired bodies. The fort disappeared in the distance, and soon they found themselves surrounded by water in every direction.

“I’m done…” said Sonea, as she let go of the oar, her face pale from the effort.

“Me too,” said Lindaro. He was looking warily at their captors.

Yakumo and Iruki stopped rowing.

They all remained silent while they got their breath back, except for the Assassin who was looking out to the horizon. He turned, saw the two barrels of supplies at the stern and opened them. One contained water, the other salted fish and meat.

“Time to get our strength back,” he announced. “Drink as much as you can and eat, we still have a long way to row.”

When he saw the fear in the two prisoners’ eyes Yakumo looked at Iruki. She smiled at him.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” said the Masig with a smile. “We needed to escape too, and just like you we decided to go for the boat farthest from the guards. What I would never have imagined was that you two would be capable of creating such a chaos in the fort. You nearly burnt us alive. We were hiding in the stable that caught fire from the barn.”

Sonea stared at the Masig in disbelief.

“I’m very sorry. We didn’t think there would be anybody there at night…”

“That’s what Yakumo thought when we hid there,” said Iruki. She nodded towards the Assassin, who was checking the supplies.

“I’m Iruki Wind of the Steppes, of the Blue Clouds, of the Masig people,” she said. “This is Yakumo, my man.” Yakumo looked at her uncertainly.

“I’m Lindaro, Priest of the Temple of Light.”

“And I’m Sonea, librarian of the Order of Knowledge of Erenal.”

“Good. Now that our names are known by the spirit of the wind, you needn’t be afraid. We’re not going to hurt you.”

Sonea nodded toward the weapons which both Iruki and Yakumo were carrying.

“Don’t be afraid, they’re to defend ourselves from enemies.”

“And now where to, Yakumo?” said Iruki looking at her lover against the immense blue surface surrounding them on all sides.

Before he could answer, a flash burst from the Ilenian medallion under her short leather tunic.

“There it goes again,” said Iruki, while Sonea and Lindaro rose to their feet, greatly interested.

Iruki took out her medallion and to Sonea and Lindaro’s astonishment the jewel shone again, sending a flash of blue light to the northeast.

“I think the medallion wants us to go in that direction,” said Iruki with a smile.

“That thing has a great power, and a very ancient one. I can feel it,” said Yakumo worried. “It’s the same power we fought in the caves under the Fountain of Life.”

“I got it in the Temple of Water, from the sarcophagus of the dead King, the same as the bewitched sword.”

Yakumo nodded, then said.

“Its power is very impressive. We must be careful when we use it or it could cost us our lives.”

Sonea and Lindaro, listening to every detail, were fascinated.

A new flash, followed by another beam of blue light, left the medallion.

“It’s insisting, as if a spirit were showing us the way. What I don’t know is whether the spirit is a good or bad one.”

“And you don’t know why it wants us to go in that direction either,” said Yakumo.

“We could find out…” said Sonea innocently. “We’re out of danger, surrounded by peace and quiet. We have nothing to lose if we find out where it leads us…”

Lindaro looked at her, and his mouth stretched in an uncertain smile.

“I think the same. We’ve already escaped. We’re safe, let’s find out what this is about.”

Yakumo looked at them, intrigued. For a couple of peaceful scholars, these two seemed to have a tendency to leap headlong into trouble.

“I’m not at all sure. That magic… is very dangerous,” said Yakumo.

At that moment a dark spot appeared on the horizon to the south.

Yakumo went to the stern and activated his gift of Sight to increase his vision. A red flash enveloped him.

“Take the oars! Quickly!” he cried.

They all hurried to their positions.

“At my signal! Row!”

The oars swung together.

“Now we have no option, we’ll go in the direction the medallion showed.”

“What is it, my love? What did you see?”

“A light vessel, to the south. It’s chasing us.”

“Zangrian soldiers?” Her face showed her fear.

“No, Iruki, much worse…” They were all hanging agog on Yakumo’s words. “It’s Lasgol, the Norghanian Tracker. He’s coming for me.”

A stinging pain in her side woke Aliana. She opened her eyes with difficulty —her eyelids were as heavy as slabs and the light of the sun hurt her eyes. She was lying on the sand, and her body hurt terribly. She did not know what was happening but the pain was killing her. Was she being tortured? Or had she been tortured and was now suffering the consequences? She tried to remember what had been happening but the terrible pain in her chest returned with a vengeance. What’s wrong with me? What’s this burning? What does it mean? She put her hand on the sand and leaned on it to raise herself to her feet.

The sand did not burn.

That puzzled her.

She put her hand to her chest, and to her surprise found the medallion hanging from her neck right against the spot that hurt. Could the medallion be causing the pain? She tried opening her eyes again and was blinded by the flashing of the Ilenian jewel. The pain intensified until it was unbearable and she was wide awake at last. She pressed the medallion against her in an attempt to stop the agony. In that same moment Ilenian symbols filled her mind, and the next thing she saw was an image, as clear as if her eyes had been wide open: a crystalline waterfall.

She nodded instinctively understanding the message, the reason for the pain: water. The medallion had awakened her with a purpose: to drink so as not to perish. And the moment she understood, the pain disappeared.

Aliana opened her eyes again and saw something that stunned her more than anything she could have imagined. Before her there spread a beautiful oasis at the foot of a formidable wall of rock, she could only stare at it in bewilderment. There was a lake, with water as blue as the sky on a summer afternoon, surrounded by luxuriant palm trees. At the edge was more vegetation, and beyond the palm trees everything was sand and dunes stretching as far as a high wall of reddish rock. It was so beautiful that Aliana could not even respond at first, until the pain struck again. She looked around and realized that she was under the shade of two great palm trees which protected her from the scorching sun. On the other side of the lake the camels were drinking peacefully, unaware of anything else. It seemed a dream.

Komir was lying among the vegetation to her right, his head leaning on the roots of another palm tree. At the sight of the Norriel warrior her heart skipped a beat and then went into a gallop. It was not the first time this had happened. During the last few weeks of their journey, every time she had been alone with him, or their gazes had met, she had felt so stirred that her heart beat like a war-drum. When he spoke to her she felt butterflies in her stomach, which was a pleasant feeling but also a little upsetting. She knew what it meant, for she had experienced it before with Gerart, and it worried her.

“I have to help him,” she said aloud, as if doing so would reassure her that she was not dreaming.

Beyond Komir were the bodies of her other companions, also lying in the shade of the trees. They were all unconscious. She tried to stand, but was unable to as she had no strength and the pain was killing her. I’m too weak to help anybody. If I don’t drink water right now I’m going to die. That’s what the medallion is trying to tell me, that I have no time.

She rolled onto her stomach and dragged herself painfully to the water. Luckily the lake was only a few paces away. When she reached the water she drank like an animal, aware that her life depended on it. Once she had drunk her fill she put her head in the lake, and the feeling was glorious. She turned over onto her back and stayed there, with her head and shoulders half in the water. She gazed at the sky, as blue and beautiful as the lake that had saved her life. She thought she would always remember the glory of that moment.

As soon as her system had absorbed the water, Aliana used her Gift to heal the damage that the terrible journey had inflicted upon her body: blisters, burns, ulcers, exhaustion and especially the brutal dehydration which had almost caused her death. In so doing she realized that a moment longer would have meant just that. I’m alive by a miracle. My time was almost up. That fact made her suddenly aware that her companions could die at any moment. Suddenly panicking, although she could still not stand, she crawled over to Komir. His Medallion of Ether was shining brightly, and the young man’s face was twisted with pain.

“Komir, wake up! Komir!”

“My chest… pain…”

“Yes Komir, it’s the medallion, it wants you to wake up,”

“I… can’t…”

“Wake up, or you’ll die!” she cried, shaking the Norriel’s shoulders as hard as she could.

Komir managed to open his eyes and wake up. Aliana hugged him and kissed his cheeks in a burst of joy.

“You’re alive! You’re going to live!”

Komir looked around, baffled and still half-blinded.

“What… happened? Are we dead?”

“We’re in an oasis, there’s water. We’re going to survive!”

Komir looked at the rest of their companions.

“We have to help them,” he said. He tried to stand up but could not manage it.

“Your body needs healing, it’s taken too much punishment. You won’t be able to stand. Let me help you, and you’ll feel better in no time.”

Komir’s eyes met hers and Aliana felt that her soul would burst into song.

“No, not me,” he said urgently. “You have to help Asti. She’s the one who needs it most.”

“But…”

“Don’t argue, please do as I say. Help Asti. I’ll drag myself to the water. Hurry up or she’ll die. I have a bad feeling.”

Aliana looked at the young Usik and saw that she was barely breathing. She crawled to her and put her hands over the girl’s heart and forehead: her pale green skin was of a sickly, ghostly white. She began the healing. The frail girl was reduced to skin and bones. Her state was almost terminal and irreversible, and Aliana was afraid she would lose her. She breathed in deeply and braced herself for the struggle.

“I’m here, Asti, my friend. Don’t be afraid, I won’t let the crows of night take you away from us. You’ll live! Even if I die myself!”

Nighttime fell peacefully over the oasis, bringing with it quiet and a pleasant coolness filled with the scent of sweet dry grass. The enchantment of the music of the stars found Aliana lying under a palm tree, spent but happy. Komir covered her with a blanket.

“How… are the others?” she asked with a voice so weak it was barely audible.

“Rest, Aliana. You have to rest and get your energy back. You’ve worked a real miracle. They’re all fine.”

“Asti?” she said with a pang of fear.

Komir nodded to his right.

“She’s sleeping like a baby. Her breathing is stable and a little stronger. Kendas says she’ll pull through. I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve snatched her back from death.”

Aliana smiled happily.

“And the others?”

“They’re all fine. You take too many risks. You shouldn’t.”

“I had to help… it’s my duty…”

“If you die then you can’t do your duty. You mustn’t risk yourself so much, otherwise you’ll die. And I… I… wouldn’t forgive myself.”

Aliana looked into his eyes and smiled. She tried to tell him she appreciated his concern, but exhaustion took over and she fell into a sleep so deep she could no longer struggle against it.

Three weeks went by before they all recovered their health. Aliana would remember it afterwards as a time of bliss. Their surroundings were so beautiful, unreal and magical that they all felt wrapped in a cloak of wellbeing and happiness. In that heavenly oasis they were alone, surrounded by the most terrible of deserts which isolated them from the world, blessed in that unrivalled landscape in which all the dangers of the universe vanished as if by magic, swept away by a breath of warm wind. Their journey had been so infernal that all this beauty, peace and harmony was like a balm for their souls and bodies. They felt as if they had arrived at the paradise of an absent god.

Hartz and Kayti were enjoying themselves like children, swimming and playing in the lake during the day. At night they disappeared in the shadows, away from the camp fire, not to be seen till dawn. At times the warm breeze brought back the echoes of their passion, and Aliana felt herself blushing with envy and yearning as she thought of the caresses the lovers would be exchanging. She would then turn over not to hear the wind’s whispering.

Asti rested most of the day as her body gradually recovered the vitality she had lost. Kendas showered her with attention, making sure she rested enough and got her energy back. It was a miracle that the green girl was alive. While the Usik slept the Lancer explored every inch of the oasis, every shadow, ever alert. But in that haven of absolute peace nothing bad could disturb them.

And in the midst of that paradise Aliana was filled with happiness, not only because of the beauty of the place and the safety it provided, but because she was sharing it with the enigmatic green-eyed warrior. Komir never left her side and she was surprised to find him watching her with a secret smile, honest and at the same time unfathomable. Aliana tried to keep her feelings in check, but she was finding it impossible.

“How about a swim?” Komir had asked her one evening. She had tried to refuse, make him see it was not a good idea as her heart was already struggling, trying to decide between Gerart and her duty towards the Order of Tirsar.

“It’s just a swim,” he had said. He had taken her hand and led her to the water, looking into her eyes all the time with his mysterious, green gaze.

She had felt intensely nervous while Komir took off his tunic, revealing a nimble, firm, muscular body: the handsome body of a well-trained warrior, she could not breathe until Komir jumped in the water.

“It’s just a swim,” she had admitted to herself, unable to resist the strong feelings the young man awoke in her.

And she swam with him.

That evening and all the evenings after.

They enjoyed the water, each other’s company and the silent complicity of their glances. Aliana felt her defenses crumbling as, first by chance and then intentionally, their skin brushed in the water and her desire grew to fill her completely. But she felt it was wrong, that this was a forbidden desire and one that would create an impossible triangle. She knew what was happening, and she also knew that it would eventually divide her heart and cause her to suffer bitterly.

Yet she could not resist the young Norriel’s magnetism.

One nightfall Komir had come to her.

“Shall we take a walk?”

Aliana looked into his eyes. It had been just an honest question, without any malice or concealed meaning. But Aliana knew that if she accepted, it might mean a journey for her heart which allowed no possibility of return.

“Thank you, it will do me good,” she had said, against her better judgment.

Every evening they walked along the lake’s edge, deep either in conversation or a shared silence. Those night-walks under the winking starlight, with the breeze from the desert ruffling her hair and Komir at her side, were creating indelible memories in Aliana, who wished those days would never end.

But Nirvana came to an end at last…

That morning Aliana was chatting with Asti, by now totally recovered, when her medallion began to pulse with brown flashes. She immediately glanced aside at Komir, who was sharpening his weapons with a whetstone under a palm tree. The Norriel’s medallion began to pulse with similar crystalline flashes.

“Oh, no…” said Komir, looking down at his chest.

Aliana felt a growing concern: the medallions were acting of their own accord, and that was something that greatly worried the Healer. They could not control the medallions, but the opposite could happen. A chill ran down her spine the moment the two beams flashed out of the medallions, then met and melted into each other over the lake. She watched with fascination as the beams, now united and golden, focused on a spot on the rocky wall at the back of the oasis.

Kendas, who was tending the camels in the shade of the wall and checking that their dwindling supplies were not rotting in the saddlebags, cried in alarm as the golden beam went by his head.

“By the wild horses of Linder!”

A terrible noise filled the oasis. It came from where Kendas was standing, like a powerful blast of thunder. A great tremor shook the ground violently, causing them all to lose their balance and fall. There came a second tremor, and the noise became deafening. After a third wave it stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Komir got to his feet and ran to help Kendas. Hartz and Kayti followed him. Aliana grabbed her short Nocean bow and followed, with Asti behind her. When they reached the wall they found something astonishing. The high surface of reddish rock seemed to have divided in two, and now there was a deep gorge cutting into the mountain.

“I’ll be damned!” said Hartz.

“It’s as if the mountain had divided in two and moved five paces to one side…” said Kendas.

“How could this happen?” said Kayti as she looked into the great canyon which now opened before them.