Shattered Destiny (15 page)

And those who had not fled had been killed.

The group moved as quietly as they could, but, unfortunately, the noise of their passing still sounded like an army moving through the area. It didn't help matters that everyone kept telling each other to be quiet. The Guardians were certain they would never make it anywhere close to the city with the racket they were making.

“Can we not somehow use magic to try to silence our movements? If it can render this many people invisible, then certainly it can be used to muffle the sound of our passing,” Gerok said, exasperated beyond his limits with all of the whispering and shouting and clinking and clopping and snorting.

“I guess we could try,” Jon said.

Feeror found it strange to hear their voices coming from thin air. He, too, was tired of the noise. As a warrior, he knew the importance of stealth on a mission such as this. And with the racket this large group was making, it did not seem possible to complete their task. He was of a mind to take only his fellow Chosen and rescue Master Brok themselves. The others were not fighters, save perhaps for the Chosen from Earth, and even so he doubted their abilities were comparable to his own.

“Why can we not try my plan of taking only the Volgon Chosen
for the rescue? We will not be recognized, and we can go to the city fully visible. All of this - ” Feeror gestured to include the invisible group “- will not be necessary. You can all wait back with the others until we return.”

“We have already gone over this. You do not know this world and do not realize what you are up against. Have you forgotten Gwen's demonstration? Fa’ Vel is more powerful than she is and will most likely have others with him that can perform dark magic as well. Without the Astrans to fight, you will probably be killed. Besides, we do not know how many people we are dealing with. The more of us there are, the better the chance of success,” Gerok said, in his best Premier tone of voice.

Feeror clenched his jaw. He would not argue with his Guardian in front of these others. It was his duty to obey his Premier, even if he didn't like the orders.

“I agree that we need to find a way to make our journey a little less noisy,” Robert said. As one of only four that were visible, he too was nervous about all of the racket.

“We will do what we can,” Jon said.

For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the Astran Chosen speaking in whispers that soon turned into a heated argument about whether or not to allow Jon to use his dark power to assist.

“Haven't we gone over this enough times already? My power has helped us more than once. Our lives are at stake, as is Master Brok's. If we don't succeed in our plan, we may all be lost. I have the ability to do things that none of you can do. I say we use that ability,” Jon said.

“You know that if Master Brok was here, he wouldn't let you use it unless there was no other way. You want to use the forbidden magic before you even try to silence the group with your own power,” Kaelin snapped.

“Master Brok isn't here, and I can do this faster if I can use the dark magic. I am stronger when I use it.”

“You'll end up like Fa’ Vel. Doesn't that bother you?” Kaelin said. “Maybe you want to become like him.”

Gwen tried to intervene. “Kaelin, that's not fair—”

“Why do you keep standing up for him? He's going to end up crazy like Fa’ Vel and probably kill someone with that blasted power of his.”

“Fine. I'll use my own power. But if we can't make everyone's movements quieter, I
will
use the other magic,” Jon said.

Gwen wondered if this was because he was Chosen.
Maybe he can use the dark power all he wants and he will be fine.

Or maybe he just hasn't used it enough.

Gwen tried to ignore that second voice, terrified that it was right.

The glade where they stopped was silent save for the movements of the horses. None of the others wanted to speak, unwilling to break the concentration of those using magic to silence their movements. They were afraid of the consequences of magic gone awry. They did not want to be invisible forever or perhaps end up changed into some other weird form. The Earth and Volgon Chosen had never come into contact with anything remotely like this, and they were terrified of what this unseen power could do.

After what seemed an eternity, Saemus spoke. “Some of you move around a bit.”

The movement that would have resulted in a cacophony of noise was now muffled. The noise of the four that were visible covered most of the noise from those that were invisible.

“Can we do better?” Feeror asked.

“That is the best we can do. It is much harder to hide sound than it is to hide light. Unfortunately, the eyes are easier to fool than the ears, I am afraid,” Gwen said apologetically.

“You have done well. It will be enough,” Gerok said.

“I can try with the other magic,” Jon offered.

“Gerok said it was enough,” Kaelin said.

Jon gave in to the rage building in his body, drawing on the power he felt from the living things around him, be it a blade of grass, towering cottonwood, or even those in the group. The magic filled his veins with icy fire, swelling like a crescendo in his brain. He directed the power outward to mask the sounds coming from the group.

“What do you think you're doing?” Saemus asked.

“What the rest of you couldn't,” Jon said lazily.

“Stop it this instant! You're not supposed to use the dark magic,” Kaelin said.

“I can still hear all of the racket so apparently his power isn't working,” Robert said.

Jon ignored the Earth Chosen, lips drawn downward as he concentrated on the task at hand. His horse side-stepped, breaking his concentration. The dark magic drained from his body in a rush, leaving him feeling hollow.

“See? The evil power didn't help a blasted thing,” Kaelin said.

“We wouldn't have known that if I hadn't tried.”

“Leave the dark magic alone,” Kaelin said as she moved away.

Gerok got the group underway once more. Although there was a bit more noise than four people would make, he hoped that it would not raise the eyebrows of anyone they might happen to meet.

After several hours, Gerok wondered if perhaps they might reach Faerow without seeing a single soul after all. Every farmhouse they passed was deserted. It was eerie to see so many fields overgrown. For every one that was being plowed for harvest, there were two that stood fully grown, the seed being eaten by birds. Gwen sent up a prayer to the good spirits to watch over the families; she hoped that they had made it to safety and not ended up dead like so many others they had seen along the way. Each time they rounded a bend in the road, Gwen fought the urge to shut her eyes tight. She did not want to see bodies hanging from the trees. She would sigh in relief when the tree branches appeared, bare and leafless and body-less.

It was so strange to be able to see the countryside and yet not be able to see anyone around her. It made her feel small and alone.
You can hear Keera right next to you. You are not alone.
She wanted to be tough and strong like the Volgons, afraid of nothing.
I will
not
show weakness! I will not!
Gwen said this litany to herself and found that her galloping heart slowed a little, and she was able to concentrate on watching and listening, ready to alert the others if she saw or heard anything out of the ordinary.
I don't know why I bother. The Kromins will know long before I do if there is anyone close.

Gerok called a halt before they reached the town of Ashford. The Kromins had picked up the trace of people near the town. They
moved well off the road and found a place to camp near a small stream. Kaelin quietly asked if they could remove the invisibility cloak just for the night.

“It is too dangerous. We might be spotted, and then all will be lost for Brok,” Gerok said.

Kaelin felt like such a child for even voicing her wants out loud, but she couldn't help it. Traveling this way was disconcerting and made her feel as though everyone had abandoned her. She could hear their voices, but it wasn't the same.

She unpacked her things by feel, again wishing that she could see the damn horse and all of the bundles.
This would be so much easier if I could see, blast it!
She sighed loudly.

“Feeling a little moody Kae?”

Kaelin jumped at the voice that appeared out of nowhere. She felt bad for making so much noise that her brother had been able to come to her. If he could hear her, then so could anyone nearby.

“I can't wait until we get this damn destiny bit over with so life can get back to normal,” she whispered harshly as she tossed her invisible belongings to the ground. Kaelin gritted her teeth and bit off a curse when she realized that she should not have thrown her things around. She fell to her knees, grumbling under her breath as she felt around for her bedroll.

“I wonder if things will ever be normal again,” Saemus said wistfully.

“I don't see that they can.” Gwen's voice appeared on Kaelin's right. She could barely make out the sound of Gwen's movements.

“Well I'm going to do my best to get the life I want. The life I had planned before all of
this.
” That last came out as a snarl. She couldn't help it.

“Nothing ever works out like we plan. All we can do is live life with the hand we are dealt.”

Kaelin blushed when she heard Brad Phillips’ voice coming from behind her. Even though she couldn't see him, she swore she could feel the heat from his body. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the strings on her bedroll.
Dear spirits, girl! You act like this is the first time a boy has been anywhere near you.

“Be that as it may, I still plan on getting back to the life I want
when we're done.” She tried to force the shakiness from her voice.

Gerok's fierce whisper to keep silent ended the conversation. The four that were visible built a larger fire than four people would typically need. Those that were invisible gathered around it, taking some comfort from the flames.

*   *   *

Gerok had them up before sun-up, wanting to reach Faerow just past dawn. He was on edge. His mount could sense it – the animal tossed its head and pawed the ground, as anxious to be off as its rider.

“You know your duty, and you know your positions. When Jon manages to free Master Brok, you must be ready. We can't risk speaking this close to the city so everyone needs to remain silent until the invisibility shield is dropped.” Gerok took a deep steadying breath. “Luck be with you.”

The Chosen and their Guardians made their way toward Faerow. The light from the twin moons of Astra illuminated the main road. Gerok let them travel by this route, hoping that there would be no one about at this early hour. The need for speed outweighed the need for secrecy.

Feeror, Kyron, Robert, and Number 4 were in the lead. When they spotted the walls surrounding the city, they signaled to the group to stop. The gates had yet to be unlocked, and throngs of people waited anxiously for them to open for the day. Robert held his breath until he was quite certain that no one had heard the noise of those rendered invisible. He glanced to the Volgon warriors and the silent Kromin telepath. Neither gave any outward sign that they were concerned about the sounds coming from well behind the four. If any of the townsfolk nearby had been paying attention, they would have noticed the faint sound of hoof and boot after the visible four had come to a halt.

He need not have worried. The buzz and hum of many different conversations and the noise of the livestock was more than enough
to cover any the invisible Chosen and their Guardians made.

Robert felt as though he were a piece of twine strung much too tight. He feared it would not take much for him to snap. His lips quirked as he pictured the General gritting his teeth in frustration. It was no secret that he hated waiting of any kind. Robert's smile faded.
He is Guardian Forka.
He did not think he would ever be able to think of the man as anything other than General Ted Smith.

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, the huge wooden gates opened ponderously. Their creaking and groaning echoed across the landscape. Robert waited until most of the people were well ahead before giving the signal to move forward. He tried to control his fast breathing and slow his heart rate. He gave a small snort at seeing Kyron and Feeror grin at each other in barely-veiled anticipation.

“Something the matter, Earthman?” Feeror asked, smirking a little.

“Just on edge,” he whispered.

“It has been too long since we have heard the song of battle ringing in our ears, pounding in our chests, rushing through our veins. Our bodies long for a fight,” Kyron said. His hard angled face broke out into a huge grin, and his eyes held a glint of malicious glee.

They grew silent as they rode among the masses milling about just inside the gates of Faerow. Robert frowned. Despite all of the people about, things were quiet and subdued. He forced himself to take a good, hard look at his surroundings. Vendors hawked their wares, though it appeared there were few who could afford to purchase anything. There was a great deal of haggling going on, with most of the buyers leaving empty-handed.

Robert was surprised to see that there were so many bedraggled people. They huddled in small groups, watching the food vendors with greedy eyes. When their children cried out or fussed, their mothers shushed them, looking fearfully about as if they were afraid of calling attention to themselves.

They look as though they are starving.
Robert did not understand how so many people could be hungry when the city was surrounded by so much fertile land.

Look closely.
The voice in his head sounded an awful lot like the General's. He squinted and shaded his eyes with one hand as he gazed at the food vendors. Now that he was paying more attention, the vendors were not so much haggling as setting a price that the customers were obviously unable to pay. All of the vendors also had a large black circle of fabric sewn onto the front of their shirts.

“We're beginning to attract attention,” Feeror growled.