Enchantress Awakening: Part One of the Book of Water (The Elemental Cycle 1) (14 page)

“What do you mean by elemental magic?” She obliged.

“Glad you asked, do you remember what I told you about how magic is aligned with certain elements?”

“Yes, you said that in the western lands our magic is bound to the element of water.”

“Good, in general you should not take that too literally. Water in this sense can also mean that which connects life. Your art of Enchanting is the water that runs with fire, or to put it another way concerns the passions that move people and connect them with each other. Nonetheless there is some literal translation when, and only when, it comes to elemental magic. Do you understand?”

“I think not entirely. Do you mean to say this description is both literal and non-literal?”

“It is a metaphor but metaphors and concepts of imagination are part of magic so in a sense it is a metaphor that takes on literal meaning when applied so.”

“I understand even less now. Is there not a simpler way to express this? I may be able to imitate the speech of the learned but I am not a scholar yet.”

“As you wish” Gideon relented with a sigh. “When it comes to elemental magic you may find you are more inclined to spells that combine water with fire as these are the elements which make up your art. Fire is passion and water is empathy, together they contain the ability to bewitch the heart for which you can read Enchantment.”

“Why did you not express it so simply to begin with?”

“Nothing to do with magic is simple, it is involved and it is diffuse and dwells within subtle shifts of thought and infinite and varied as the shades of human imagination. How can you hope to understand it in simple terms?” Gideon stopped himself from going further, catching the glint of amusement in Caleigh’s eyes.

“I understand; it is fire and water.” Caleigh said with a smile.

“Water and fire” Gideon sighed.

“What of your art? Sometimes it seems very much akin to Enchanting.”

“Foresight, Saglore, Sorcery or however you term it is less to do with deep feelings than it is the power of the mind to manipulate energy.” Caleigh raised her eyebrows vacantly in mock confusion “Water and air, if you will. In this case air stands for conscious knowledge. Let us return to the matter in hand. Here is a bowl of water.” He said passing it on to Caleigh’s lap then placing his hand on the surface. Caleigh’s eyes widened when seconds later an icy web spread out from below his palm until it criss-crossed the dish in a solid sheet. Gideon lifted his hand then tapped the ice with his fingertips to demonstrate it was indeed solid. “Touch it.” He bade. Caleigh complied, putting her fingers onto the cold sheet. “Now, picture the things that come to mind when you think of heat and warmth.”  Caleigh first summoned up the vision of a roaring fire in a hearth and meat cooking on a spit, all the while very conscious of the chill spreading up through her fingers. Her mind turned to the hall of Cynric with its glowing torches and thick air, warmed by the close press of bodies. Unbidden her thoughts then drifted to herself within a throng of sweaty naked bodies all writhing over her groping at her flesh with fingers, lips and tongues.

A cracking sound came from below that made her open her eyes and regard the bowl of ice again. “That is it, Caleigh. See how steam rises from where your fingers trail.” Caleigh looked in wonder as the watery pools by her fingernails rose up into thick streams of white and then drifted into a swirling cloud around Gideon’s outstretched hand. Eventually Caleigh’s fingers twitched away from the perpetual feel of cold and the remaining ice sloshed around in the bowl where she left it. Gideon directed the steam above the dish and began to fall in rain-like drops until all had returned to liquid. 

“Wondrous” Caleigh exclaimed delightedly. “I understand why you so love magic. How long must I wait afore we can try again?” Gideon chuckled fondly.

“I can see that these four hours will pass quickly.”

15. A land of mists and druids

A forest loomed close and through it they had to pass to reach Elevered. Although as the crow flies it was not far from here to Tovrik’s residence, the track wound back and forth many times and would take most of the day to get beyond the trees. “I have seen places such as this in my dreams.” Caleigh said to Dana. “I think long ago they were a place of rituals.”

“So they were of old. Rituals that would make people of this time blush fiercely.” Caleigh coloured slightly herself at this reference.

“Yes, such is as I have dreamt. I had worried it was simply my thoughts turning lusty again.”

“You should not worry about that.”

“I do though. I find the urge to lie with others near constant and fervent in its strength. Worse, my desires are not for one, whom I love and cherish in all ways, but for many partners whether they are dear to me or no. Have I the heart of a whore?”

“Not at all, for one, I doubt most whores sell themselves to sate their desires.”

“Those are not comforting words, Dana.”

“You misunderstand me. There is naught wrong with a woman possessing strong desires, ‘tis not your fault that you were born in a time that understands this not. In times of old, when those rituals were performed it was considered natural for a gifted woman to lie with many partners. Why do you think the Druidesses created the potion to prevent them being with child? They did it because for them the act of love had a role in their lives that was not always related to bearing offspring. When two people who want each other lie together it is the expression of a powerful feeling. The pity of a whore is that she loses that feeling for the sake of coin.”

“I had never thought of that.” Caleigh conceded. “It is the same as magic. Why is it that people put so much shame on things that should be celebrated?”

“Who knows? Envy perhaps, you will likely learn the answer ere I ever do.”

The trees rose up before them and swallowed the party onto a road narrower than before where the horses were forced to ride single file in front and behind the cart. Away from the track on the left-hand side the ground plunged down sharply into a bracken filled ravine forcing them to travel with slow care where the road turned sharply.

“How is anyone meant to pass by this way with any haste? This road would add a day at least to an army’s march.” Penric complained from the saddle.

“I believe that may have been the original intent.” Gideon answered from the horse ahead of him. “You must also remember that we are in steep hills here though they be covered by leave and branch.”

“What does Tovrik do when he wishes to depart swiftly?”

“The road from Elevered to Miverva is wider and straighter and he has other ways of moving swiftly if the need arises.”

“If the Minerva road is easier then why did we come this way?”

“I did not say it was easier. The climb is far steeper and all round the way is longer. Besides, if we had not passed through Crowbridge our company would be three warriors lighter. Of course we could have passed on to Minerva after Crowbridge but I would rather have two days on the road than four and would rather go by ways where our going might not be noted.”

“Who would wish to note our going?” Ellie asked from the cart.

“The open road is far from safe. To be noted by any there would be ill. I ask you to trust my judgement on this.” Ellie and Caleigh smiled conspiratorially at getting this rise from Gideon.

Further on Gideon had reason to question his judgement for the bright sunlight had disappeared to be replaced by a falling cloud that snuffed out much of the light passing between the branches. The lack of light slowed them further for their horses had to tread all the more carefully. Intermittently Gideon would look up and the sky and frown heavily then shake his head. After a while all the party began to notice this habit until finally Ceol spoke up. “What is troubling you, Master Gideon? Do you see a storm ahead?”

“No, I do not and that is half the trouble.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ellie asked before anyone else could.

“These clouds are grim but they should not darken our progress so, there is something pressing about this gloom that I cannot explain.” Caleigh could not explain it either yet there was certainly something foreboding about the way the light seemed to dim with every turn. Where in light the forest had appeared green and full of life it now seemed close and bleak. Eventually they came to a dip in the road where Gideon came to a halt waving the others to pause behind him.

“What is it?” Asked Penric, who was closest to him. Gideon put his finger to his lips and closed his eyes in concentration. The rest of the party grew quiet and watched him in anticipation of an explanation. Instead of speaking he pulled out a wand from his robes with his left hand. Ahead of him a stone in the road rose up and hovered in front of his horse’s nose. With a sudden gesture he pointed to a tree a way to his left and the stone flew at his clipping through twigs and leaves until it thudded against the trunk and bounced away. Everyone waited for a few moments before Gideon shrugged and took the reins of his horse once more. “You saw something?” Penric inquired.

“I thought there might be something there. It is of no matter.” Gideon spurred on and despite his reassurances Caleigh felt sure that something had caught his attention though what it was she could only speculate.

Just when the party began to feel reassured that nothing was amiss they came upon a crossing of one of the many streams that intersected their path. A short wooden bridge ran over the stream and normally this would present no kind of obstacle. The party could barely see the bridge however as it lay in the centre of a wall of thick white cloud drifting along the line of the water. Beyond the bridge naught was visible but the dim outline of trees.

“What is this, a forest fire?” Ceol speculated. Gideon rode closer in spite of his horse’s hesitation.

“This is most awry.” He stated upon drawing nigh the edge of the cloud.

“What is the matter? Can you see from whence the smoke comes?”

“It is not smoke; the air is cold. This is a fog.”

“On a summer’s day, how can this be so?”

“I know not.”

“We cannot go on through. The way is treacherous enough in this half-light. To enter fog is to invite a misplaced hoof or a stuck wheel.”

“If we tarry now we will not escape the forest ere nightfall.”

“If we press on blind we may not leave it at all. Come Gideon, there was a clearing a short way back where we can rest for a while. Mayhap the fog will pass if the sun returns.” Gideon nodded in agreement and turned his horse back. Meanwhile everyone else dismounted and began the arduous task of releasing the carthorses then turning the cart around on the spot, only achievable by lifting it up. Even after Gideon cast a spell to make to load lighter it still took a lot of shuffling and heaving to set the vehicle right again. By the time they made their way up to the small clearing Ceol had spoken of they were ready to rest for the night fog or no.

There were black ashen stains at the centre of the clearing that indicating that it was a common stopping point for travellers through the forest and soon these ashes were stirred up as the party added new logs in a pile in preparation for the fall of night. There were other logs farther from the centre that were obviously chosen for their suitability as seats and about these the party settled once the firewood had been gathered.

“It seems passing through the forest is not so swift after all.” Penric remarked once they were settled. Caleigh shot him a warning look too late.

“Would you rather we were only now arriving in Minerva with two further nights in the open ahead of us?” Gideon snapped. “Who knows what troubles may have beset us if we had done different? And since you cannot say for sure that things would be better if I had chosen other, refrain from saying aught if that is all you can utter.”

“There is something troubling you Gideon. Can you not speak of it?” Caleigh asked.

“I beg your pardon, Penric. Caleigh is right I am troubled. For much of the time we have been on this forest road I have felt as though we were being observed and tested. This concerns me greatly. I begin to wonder if our coming here was known.”

“Do you feel like we are being watched at present?”

“No, whatever or whomever it was has left us for a while. Yet I am still troubled, Ceol was right about the strangeness of fog at this time. Some part of me feels we should have pressed on through.”

“As you said yourself, you cannot know how things might be different if a different decision had been taken. Tomorrow if the mist still lingers we will have to press on through it but at least we will have the full light of day to help guide us.”

“We should hope as much. We are not far from Elevered as we are. In any event we should be able to reach its gates by midday.”

“I’ve meant to ask afore, how did Elevered come to be and how did Tovrik end up residing there?”

“I was curious about that too.” Penric added. “I had barely heard of Elevered prior to this journey.”

“Elevered is not well known because it does not feature widely in the affairs of the outside world, yet it was important of a time. It was first founded as an archive for the Secret Keepers, or Librarians as we now call them. Caerddyn thought it was wise to keep some store of knowledge separate from what was held at Helmgard. Over the years it developed as his personal library for times when he wished to escape the bustle of the capital. When he was charged with keeping the royal children safe he brought them to Elevered. It was likely at this time that much of the fortification was constructed. Time passed and the Kingdom fell and in the chaos the great library of Helmgard was burned along with a great store of lore across the land. Elevered became a sanctuary for scholars and the written word.

So it remained until Caerddyn was lost to knowledge. After his departure Elevered waned in importance and the scholars departed. The Librarians still kept an honorary presence but their numbers were much diminished. Without Caerddyn, Elevered was simply a fortified library scarcely able to maintain itself. 

Then around forty years ago, Tovrik first appeared in these parts making a name for himself as a performer of tricks. He came upon Elevered and found it had fallen into great disrepair a mere ten years since Caerddyn’s death. Then with a handful of scholars he set about reconstructing it both as a fortress and a store of wisdom. If you have ever wondered what Tovrik does with all the coin he has earned over the years then you will find the answer when you look upon all that has been done in Elevered. This is not to say Tovrik has been alone in this venture for as you will see, Elevered is once again the headquarters of the Order of Secret Keepers.”

“So Tovrik never met Caerddyn?” Ellie asked.

“He has never indicated as much.”

“Tis strange, you tell this tale as though you have read it from a story. Has Tovrik not told you these things directly?” Caleigh questioned.

“Tovrik speaks little of his past.”

“And I suppose you have never asked him about it either.”

“People have a right to reveal of themselves as they see fit.” Caleigh sighed and rolled her eyes. “Do you find fault with this?”

“Gideon, clever and gifted as you are there are ways in which you’re a typical man.”  

“Is that a fault?”

“Be fair Caleigh, he was born one.” Penric agreed. Caleigh looked at Ceol for a reaction which he returned with a gaze of complete non-commitment.

Great standing stones in a ring around a grey altar, passing underneath one of the mighty archways Caleigh observed in the moonlight two figures next to the altar, the taller of the two was Loreliath arrayed on this occasion in a see-through white material covered in a trail of broad green leaves that protected her modesty. The man alongside her had a thick mane of hair and beard, brown and flecked with grey. He wore robes of emerald green, in his right hand he wore a long wooden staff while upon his left wrist coiled a bracer fashioned in the shape of a golden serpent. On the altar between the two figures was a huge three-handled goblet of pure white crystal filled to the brim with water so clear it seemed to glimmer. “See what our combined arts have accomplished. With this we shall heal the hurts of this land.” Spoke the man in gravelly voice.

“Is now then not the time to lay aside the last remnants of our enemy?”

“The time is soon, Loreliath, I promise you that.”

Caleigh wandered around the standing stone she passed by and when she had come full circle back to the centre the cup was gone and a different man stood beside Loreliath, who now wore more conservative robes of white. The man was the same height as the one before and was likewise bearded and with hair flecked with grey, though his was raven where it still retained colour and his robes were of grey-blue rather than green. Before Caleigh could hear any words spoken the man disappeared and Loreliath turned to her with a start “Wake up!”

Caleigh’s eyelids lurched open bringing into view the clearing where they had made camp. The light was the blue of dawn and all was deathly quiet. She counted her companions, Penric, Ellie and Dana were here but there was no sign of the others. Rubbing the weariness out of her face she remembered why she had woken so suddenly. A warning had broken through her vision. “Everyone, get up!” Dana was closest and she shook her while repeating her call. Eventually Penric’s face winced to life and Ellie lifted her head from the ground. “I think we’re in danger! Half of us are missing!” Needing no further encouragement Penric scrambled for his arms and Ellie likewise searched around for where she had left her sword. They had no more time than this to prepare, at that very moment Caleigh caught sight of the first of them, then another until she spied nine strangers approaching the camp from two sides. They wore rough garments of hemp and hide and each of them was armed with crude axes or a wooden spear making their intent very clear.