The Children of Calm (33 page)

“I thought you would have recognized my voice,” she said disappointingly.

“Look, it’s not…” he started but found he had no words to say. Instead he slumped to the ground. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I am so on-edge.”

She knelt beside him and examined his face while he avoided eye contact. “I woke up and saw you were gone, so I decided to look for you. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” he lied. He hated lying to her. “Just needed some fresh air.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, and Rylek wondered if she believed him.

“It’s been quite the eventful day, hasn’t it?” she finally asked. Her voice sounded distant.

He simply nodded.

She reached out with her hand and lightly rested her fingertips on his arm. “Well, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted after we got back from that…wretched place. I don’t know what got into me. No, I do know: it was jealousy, just as Altan said. But Lana helped talk me through it.”

He shrugged. “The Empress is clearly very powerful. We were all seduced by her in our own ways.”

They fell into an awkward silence. Rylek felt tormented by her presence, and surprised himself by wishing she would leave him alone. However, she made no move to return to the cottage.

“You know, you never took me back to that giant waterfall in Perdeisolen,” she said softly. “Remember how you had said we’d go back and see it together?”

“I remember,” he said slowly, the torture growing. “I guess nothing this week has really gone the way we thought it would, has it?”

She kept silent.

Not daring a direct look at her, he observed from the corner of his eye how perfect her posture was as she sat on the grass. He could sense a nervous energy coming from her, and he wondered if she was debating whether to say something or not.

“Rylek, what’s happened to you?” she finally asked, her voice uneven. “Ever since our birthday, there’s been something different. You seem so serious all of the time.” She paused. “I mean, you didn’t even seem all that happy when Altan saved me from…” Her words drifted off and she fell silent again for a few seconds when Rylek did not reply. “I just miss you,” she whispered at last.

Rylek’s heart broke as it battled with his mind. “No, that’s not it at all,” he said. “You have no idea how much…I was just so scared of losing you that I’m not sure what I…” Now it was his turn to wander in speech as he felt himself imprisoned by the cursed Oathbinder flashing in his mind.
Yeah, there it is,
he thought to himself. “I know I haven’t quite been myself lately, but there’s been a lot weighing on my mind,” he said aloud. “There are choices I’m going to have to make soon, and I’m not sure what all they will entail.”

“What kinds of choices?”

He wanted to share everything with her, to unburden himself from the heaviness that chained him down. But he knew he could not say a word.

“I don’t even know,” he said truthfully.

The silence returned for a few minutes. Finally he willed himself to look at her face and he met her starry eyes as they were reflecting the light of the moons.

“Selenor, I am so sorry,” he said, his voice choking a bit as tears began to well in his eyes.

“For what?”

“Everything.”

She did not immediately respond, but peered deeply into his eyes as if to pry away the answers she desired. Eventually he had to look away. Then in a near-whisper she said, “Is there anything at all I can do for you?”

Rylek nodded towards the cottage. “You need to go back to sleep,” he said. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Aren’t you coming back in?”

“I don’t think I’ll be sleeping anymore tonight.”

Selenor sat still for a little longer, then slowly and silently came closer to him and placed her hands gently but firmly on his shoulders. He looked up at her again, but with a look she silenced whatever he was about to say. Then she brought him down so that his head rested in her lap.

“I don’t want to sleep anymore,” he said. “There’s no rest for me there.”

She shushed him softly. Obediently he surrendered to her as she lightly ran her fingers through his hair, causing tendrils of chills to spread down his spine. Involuntarily his eyes closed, and soon enough she was tenderly humming an old children’s lullaby.

Ecstasy swept throughout his rigid body like a peaceful wave, unwinding every new knot and dissolving every worry. Within moments Rylek was lost within dreams of unspeakable serenity, having succumbed to the power of his own beloved vocamancer.

The Return

Chapter Sixteen:

The Children of Calm

The sound of a door softly closing woke Rylek
. In the disorientation that usually occurs after a deep sleep, it took him a moment to realize where he was: back in Altan’s cottage on his sleeping mat. Selenor was still asleep beside him.

Did I dream it?
he wondered.

Silently he sat up and examined the room in the gray-washed predawn. Lana and Tresten were also asleep on their mats, while Altan was nowhere to be seen. Not knowing what else to do, he lay back down, hoping to get a little more sleep before it was time to leave.

However, in what seemed to be the space of merely a few moments, the door swung open and Altan’s voice came piercing into his dreamless sleep: “Awaken! We must depart from this place at once!”

Rylek sat up and saw that some time must have passed since he had previously woken. It was considerably lighter in the room, though from a quick glance out the window he could see there was no sun shining. Dark thick clouds had moved in overnight, riding the wings of a strong wind.

The others were also sitting up. “What’s going on?” Tresten asked in the middle of a yawn.

Altan was busy putting the cottage in order. “I received a vision - we must fly now,” he said hurriedly. “Rylek and Tresten shall go with me, but Lana and Selenor will stay here where they are safe. I have arranged for there to be plenty of food to keep you girls satisfied until we return, and the cottage itself will provide any protection you need. I pray we are able to return shortly.”

Rylek took a quick glance at the others. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“To your home,” Altan said breathlessly. “Now up with you both and prepare your packs. We have no time for words.”

“Now wait just a minute,” Lana said, standing up with the boys as they obeyed. “Why do we have to stay here? I don’t want to be left behind.”

Selenor caught Rylek’s eye. “Did something happen?” she asked, with a slight tremble in her voice.

“I am not certain if it has already happened or if it will happen shortly, which is why we must leave now,” Altan answered. “Every moment we waste talking could be the difference between salvation and disaster.”

Outside a loud peal of thunder shattered the air. Rylek and Tresten were ready.

Lana looked incredulously at everyone. “There is no way Selenor and I are going to sit here waiting around for you guys to get back. If our home is in danger, we’re going with you.” She nodded towards Selenor. “Right?”

Selenor’s eyes were large as she slowly nodded.

Altan shook his head as he opened the door. “This is pure nonsense!” he said. “You will do as you are told.”

“We’ll just follow you, regardless,” Lana said boldly.

Rylek looked anxiously back and forth between Altan and his sister. Altan’s face was rife with tension and pain, while Lana’s was firm with determination.

“What reckless obstinance and insolence!” Altan exclaimed. Then he slowly exhaled and closed his eyes. “So be it,” he said softly. “But we will not wait for you to catch up with us. Come, Rylek and Tresten; we have tarried too long as it is.”

As they stepped outside, they were met with the strong chilly wind that smelled heavily of forthcoming rain. Another roll of thunder rumbled off in the distance.

“Fine day for a pleasant garden stroll,” Tresten said.

“Let us be off!” Altan said, and he ran towards the area where the horned mare had been.

“The man does not mess around, does he?” Tresten asked.

“I don’t think he knows how to,” Rylek said. He looked inside and saw the girls were almost ready. “Be quick and catch up,” he said to them. “Apparently we’re running the whole way.”

“Don’t worry about us!” Lana said. “We’re right behind you!”

Tresten looked at Rylek. “Well?” he asked.

“After you,” Rylek replied.

At that their bodies were tickled with the first drops of cold rain. With a sigh, they followed after Altan.

***

There was no real path upon which Altan led them. Ever weaving mostly uphill between trees, splashing through tiny cold streams, dodging branches, there was neither time nor breath for conversation. After nearly an hour of the exhausting pace, Rylek realized the girls would never ask for a break, knowing it would just confirm to Altan how right he had been. But they were lagging behind, and he knew they needed to rest. So he asked if they could stop for a short while.

“As long as the emphasis is on
short
,” Altan said.

He waited all of two minutes and then drove them on again.

A throbbing pain was growing inside of Rylek’s chest as the morning went on, and he was unsure how much of it was due to the run and how much was from the anxiety and fear of what was waiting for them in Calm.

What could possibly have happened, or is about to happen, that has him in such a tizzy?
he wondered. Even with everything he was told on that life-changing New Year’s night, he could not think of any possible scenario that could warrant this strong a reaction from Altan.
Besides, if it was truly that bad, what could just the five of us do?

Dark thoughts such as these circled around in his head for the first couple of hours, until sheer exhaustion drove them all away. The day continued on in a seemingly endless cycle: run for an hour, rest for two to three minutes, run another hour, rest again. No one said anything during the stops; everyone was too busy grabbing quick swallows of water, short bites of food, and generally saving as much energy as they could.

Sometime in the early afternoon they finally broke out of the forest, and were greeted with the full onslaught of a torrential downpour. The hours crept by as the rain slowly numbed Rylek’s skin and despair numbed his brain. He no longer looked at his surroundings. All thought, all hope had been strangled from him. His muscles were on fire, his skin was freezing, his lungs were ready to burst, and his limbs were going to fall off at any given moment.

Run. Run. Run.

He no longer remembered the breaks.

With a shock he realized he was lying on the ground next to a warm crackling fire inside a dark cave. The other three were there with him, sleeping peacefully, and Altan stood at some distance from them by the mouth of the cave, pacing anxiously. It was completely pitch dark outside, the rain still coming down in heavy droves.

“What?! How?!” he called out as confusion, fatigue, and exposure had taken over.

Altan quickly walked over to him, stooped down, and placed one hand on his head, the other on his shoulder. “Sleep, my young friend,” he said. “Rest in the peace of The One.”

Weariness regained its place of supremacy in Rylek as he lay back down, instantly forgetting everything but quiet and tranquility.

***

“I am sorry, my young warriors, but we must be off again,” came Altan’s voice.

Rylek opened his eyes and instantly obeyed, standing up and putting his pack back on. It was still pitch black outside, though it sounded like the rain had stopped.

“I’ve allowed you to sleep for an hour and a half. We cannot afford any longer,” Altan said. “I pray I was successful in helping to multiply that time in your bodies, and thence heal your physical traumas.”

With a start Rylek realized how refreshed he felt, as though he had slept through an entire night.

“An hour and a half?” Tresten said in an awed voice. “How in all of Mira were you able to…?”

“There is no time for that,” Altan quickly replied. “We must be going. We can be in Calm before nightfall.”

***

It was not long after they had left the warmth of the cave and been shrouded in damp cold air when the starless sky began to grow a little grey in the east. Rylek never saw the sun rise, due to the clouds completely blanketing the sky. However, soon there was enough light for him to perceive their surroundings a little easier. What he saw did little to cheer him: a seemingly boggy wasteland was spread as far as his eyes could see, with an occasional leafless tree dotting the horizon. The needle-grassed terrain rolled up and down in frozen waves, with a vague brooding darkness somewhere ahead of them.

The day continued on as the previous had gone. Though he had felt rested earlier, it was not long before the all-too-familiar fatigue slowly crept back into his body. His lungs were stinging from the bite of the bitter northwesterly wind. He found it easier to stop looking around and instead focus on Altan’s perpetually moving feet.

By noon, all conscious thought and self-driven will were gone. His mind had blocked out all the pain and exhaustion messages it was receiving, opting instead to run on minimum requirements. That was why his senses were thrown for a jolt when he suddenly heard Altan’s voice.

“It is as I feared,” he said. “We are too late.”

At the sound of his voice, Rylek collapsed. Nausea swept over him as he struggled to take in oxygen. His sides were pierced with cramps, and a cold sweat coated his body. As if from a previous life he suddenly remembered the bathhouse in Perdeisolen, and wondered if he would ever be able to bathe again.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, and recognized the forms of the other three as they also fell to the ground. He would have thought their breathing was quite loud if the sound of his own was not drowning out theirs. Slowly he lifted his eyes to where Altan had been standing and saw he was now walking away from them.

“You must stay here until I return,” he said to the four. “I am sorry I must leave you in this state, but it is imperative that I discreetly discover what exactly has happened. I swear I will not be gone long.”

Rylek summoned enough strength to lift his head and look around. He was surprised when an air of recognition came to him - he knew this place. At that same moment he took another breath and was suddenly aware of the acrid smell of smoke. In front of him, some distance off, large pillars of ascending billowy black were coiling in the air. Instinct took over as he slowly forced himself to crawl forward, little by little, muscles screaming back to him in agony. After several moments he found himself on the edge of a high cliff overlooking a small lake on his right and the remains of a village on his left.

His hand rested by a small outcropping of the rock where two names had been carved five years earlier. Slowly and pathetically his finger tried to trace along the thin etched lines.

But then his mind refused to accept what his eyes were telling him and promptly shut down.

***

In the pit of blackened unconsciousness Rylek began to be aware of an odd sensation in his stomach. He could neither see nor hear anything. All he was aware of was this peculiar feeling of his midsection being stretched, distorted, bent, and plucked. Then quite suddenly it was as though his entire body was flung - into or through what, he could not tell. Something inside his mind told him he was moving, although his senses could gather no information.

Then, little by little, he grew aware of thoughts and images that were not his own but were somehow being pressed into his subconscious. They flitted in and out of each other, bleeding into one another, jumbled into a chaotic mess until confusion began to give rise to fear. Jagged mountains, desolate beaches, dark forests, bejeweled caves, sprawling metropolises, ancient coliseums, bloodied battlefields, pastures, swamps, fog, throngs of people, massive towers, and countless more scenes poured in and out of his mind. He could not see them, but was somehow aware of them. Simultaneously he was also conscious of thousands upon thousands of other consciousnesses bleeding into his. Phrases such as
in the name of
,
with great fear and loathing
,
watch him die as a coward
, and
where there is one there is sure to be another
swam through the images. All manner of passing time was lost on him. All the while he soared through an infinite pit of black.

Gradually the images and thoughts began to lessen, as though he were moving further away from them, and the black that blanketed him began to grow light. His stomach returned to normal, and he was suddenly aware of his feet being planted on something solid. Light was all around him, but he could not see anything. He felt warm but naked, content but fearful, and knew he was not alone.

So it did not come as a surprise to him when a voice formed in his head. It was rich and deep, regal and lordly. The words it fashioned were spoken slowly, as though it had all the time in the world to get its message across:

Rylek Monae, dear child of Mira,

It is not for you to despair of signs and times.

That Which Has Been, Is, And Ever Shall Be has called you:

Your path is laid before you, lined with thorns and sorrows.

But I am your strength and courage;