Analindë (The Chronicles of Lóresse) (52 page)

Thorontur and Morcion rose to leave. “May the stars be with you,” Thorontur said.

“May they guide your path,” said Arandur

“And watch over your strength,” Morcion finished.

The remaining group watched the two until they had traveled out of sight. Andulmaion turned to Analindë, “Have you strength yet to attempt another jump?”

Arandur’s head snapped up, “What do you mean, has she the strength?” He glared at the mage. “Analindë cannot be placed in danger. Can’t you make the jump?”

Andulmaion straightened a little, then shook his head, “I have not the skill.”

Analindë stepped between them, facing her childhood friend. “Arandur please, I haven’t been a child for some time now, and what was left of the one you knew died that day in the village. There is a need, I have the strength, and I am ready. Come.” She turned on her heel and strode over to her pack. She pulled it on, strapping it close to her body.

Andulmaion quickly finished putting away the tea things. He pulled both his packs on and checked the sword strapped to his hip.

Taking a cue from the mages, the scouts followed suit, making sure that their packs were firmly attached to themselves. They followed Analindë and Arandur over to a trampled snow bank.

“This spot feels right,” she shrugged, looking around to make sure they were all there. “The Energy is strongest here.”

Andulmaion walked forward and extended a tendril of thought to her. She grasped both the hand and the thought and immediately felt the solid comfort of the wind beside her; the hint of sea eluded her this time. She wondered what he felt when they connected, but hurriedly banked the thought lest it fly out and he should catch it. She grounded and centered herself in no time, then turned to the scouts.

“Please join hands with us,” she asked.

Sintriel came forward and grasped her other hand, Arandur at her side; Thalion grasped Andulmaion’s free hand. “Have any of you ever linked minds with another?” asked Analindë. They all replied that they hadn’t.

“I will be placing an anchor in your mind so that in our travels you are not left behind . . . or wander astray. It won’t hurt, but you will sense something new within your minds. If by chance you have strong shields, please lower them to let me in.” Analindë instructed.

Sintriel grunted beside her. Analindë felt the shielding in Sintriel’s mind fall where she had noticed none before. Sintriel’s mind sparkled and she drew in a surprised breath. “One day you must show me how you do that.” Analindë gasped.

Sintriel grinned, “My grandfather taught me how to shield like that. He was quite proud of my skill.”

“And so he should be.” Analindë answered with a grin of her own. She gently sent a tendril of Energy out, anchoring it to Sintriel just as if she was anchoring to the stone floor back in the tower. She continued on to Arandur and then to Thalion, repeating the process as she went. None of them resonated as strongly as Andulmaion, but she felt their presence nonetheless.

“Okay, it will be but a moment now; please don’t interrupt. After I cast the spell you may become a bit dizzy, but it will pass.” Andulmaion smirked at her comment, but said nothing.

Analindë double-checked her center, then sunk her six anchors into the ground; just as the sixth was set below, a mellow voice that sounded of wood said, «Yes?»

«If you please. We would jump.»

In response, Analindë was flooded with the sweet power of the forests surrounding her; for a brief moment she felt the joy of the wind rushing through her leaves, the refreshing drink that came when her roots sank deep into the earth, and contentment from the summer sun gently warming her branches.

Then she remembered that she wasn’t a tree.

She marshaled her drifting thoughts and firmly fixed a spot in her mind. The place that felt right was on the far side of a sand dune, just outside of the abandoned city.

«Thank you,» She said to the woodland elemental. Analindë fixed the target destination in her mind once more, clasped her comrades even tighter, and with a push of Energy said, «
Capanya
.»

This time the jump lasted longer; they spun around hurtling along through inky black space. At long last they reached the dune and they saw light again. This time, expecting the jarring travel and landing, Analindë was able to keep everyone from being flung in different directions.

She landed lightly, so did Andulmaion. Her legs felt weak. Upon touching the sand, the scouts fell immediately to the ground, holding their heads as if to stop the spinning. Analindë knew the feeling well, so she worked quickly to release her mental hold on them. Analindë felt more than saw Sintriel’s shields slam up.

She turned toward Andulmaion, “That was quite the ride; I hadn’t expected it to last so long.” She sank down onto the soft sands beneath her and closed her eyes.

“You’re getting better at the casting and travel. I barely felt the effects this time. And as for length, we have traveled perhaps three or four times the distance of the first jump we tried, didn’t we?”

Analindë smiled up at him, “You think I did better?”

“You know you did. Now come, when you’ve regained your strength, the others need our help.”

Pleased, Analindë pulled herself to her feet and followed his lead. She couldn’t seem to move very fast and it wasn’t because she was walking in sand.

She decided to make the tea this time and turned to open the packs Andulmaion had dropped. She removed her long coat, folding it compactly into a square, and tucked it into her pack. Then she pulled out the pot, filled it with water, and activated the warming spell woven into the metal. One by one the scouts wandered over to Analindë. She in turn handed them a cup and offered them the contents of the food bag to make a late lunch. The refreshing tea gave her strength and cleared her mind.

“Fresh bread.” The aroma of hearth, yeast and flour wafted toward Analindë as Sintriel pulled a loaf out of the pack. “It’s always what I miss the most when away from civilization.” Sintriel tore off a small part of the loaf and sliced cheese upon it using a deadly blade that had materialized from some hidden spot. Analindë tried not to flinch at how terrifying the woman was.

Once everyone had tucked into the food they’d brought, Analindë rose and started trekking up the dune behind them. Ceaseless desert winds shifted around her, stirring the sands near the crest of the dune. The climb was tiring, but it wasn’t before too long that she found herself staring out over the desert.

The red desert sands stretched unbroken around her for as far as the eye could see. Judging from the maps she’d studied, it practically was endless. There was nothing but sand, except for the fortress that lay in front of her.

A gust of wind whipped around her and she shaded her face as sand pelted her. A moment later the wind resumed its lazy breeze and she dropped her arm. What she could see of the fortress was impressive. It matched what the scrying bowl had shown her. That fact should have been reassuring; instead it made her feel uneasy. The city walls made her feel uneasy. It was as if they knew she was here and waited for her to come. She shivered and turned away from the sight. Sliding down the sandy dune, she rejoined her friends below.

Their discussion had turned serious. They talked about what skills they each possessed and explored different options on how best to approach the fortress. It turned out that Sintriel could sense traps and the offensive places of stronghold from afar, so she and Andulmaion tramped off together to study the fortresses defenses. Analindë watched as they stood side by side at the top of the high dune, searching every visible crag of the fortress for weapons or traps inside.

Analindë avoided the dune, and instead walked a distance away from the others with a flat bowl and a sack of water tucked under her arm. When she found a good spot, she settled down onto the sand. She worried as she scryed the fortress. Had the Humans been joined by others? What other spells had the wizard picked up? She’d brought her friends here; would they leave this place alive? She ventured into the void and spoke the word to listen. Had she and her party been discovered? What were the Human’s plans?

Thankfully, the Humans remained alone and ignorant of their arrival. The rest of her questions remained unanswered.

The elves found that the Humans had been lazy in making themselves at home; apparently, they hadn’t thought they’d be followed. They almost hadn’t. From what Andulmaion and Sintriel could sense, none of the external fortress defenses had been reactivated.

The small group of elves planned their entrance into the fortress for the next morning, during pre-dawn light, counting on a good night’s sleep to refresh them and the morning darkness to give cover. They planned to quickly traverse the barren wastes between them and the fortress walls before the Humans awoke. From there they would wind through the city to find the building where the Humans hid. Their plan was good and they were content.

After eating a brief meal the group dispersed, each preparing for the coming day. The heavy silence of introspection lay heavy on the camp. Andulmaion was worried. She saw it in the way he fiddled with his pack. The others seemed more calm; they’d done this sort of thing many times before, just not out here in the middle of the desert. Thalion took first watch and Arandur volunteered for the second; the rest of them would sleep.

Analindë had volunteered to keep watch, but Sintriel had quickly set her strait. Keeping watch was one of the scout’s strengths; to put a less skilled person in charge of the safety of the group in a situation like this would be negligent.

Analindë didn’t argue.

“We should search for a source to replenish our Energy,” Andulmaion said as sand shifted beneath his feet.

“Together?”

A grin flashed across his face and then it was gone. “No, I don’t think that’s possible—or perhaps wise—to do together, but we both used quite a bit of Energy today. We should refresh our reserves while we have time.”

Analindë nodded quickly. He was right. “Does it matter where we search? I’ve only been to the desert once before.”

“I don’t think it does.”

“It feels the same in all directions.”

“I suppose it would work best to pick a spot to sit, then search further. A city of this size wouldn’t have been built without a source.”

“Unless they used it all up and there is no power left here.”

“We will not know until we look.” He grinned, then turned and walked away from her. “Good luck,” he called over his shoulder.

His retreating back made her nervous. She turned and walked in the opposite direction he had while keeping well away from the others. Walking across the sand was difficult. It slowed her down. Sintriel was performing the Warrior’s Dance of the Evening, and she wondered how the woman managed to move so effortlessly across the sand. Thalion sat cross-legged near their belongings with his eyes closed. She didn’t see Arandur, and wondered where he’d gone.

Analindë walked far enough away that she wouldn’t hear the quiet murmurs of the scouts’ voices should they speak and then walked a little further. She liked the idea of being alone while she worked. Finding solitude. She sank down to the soft sand and cast a swath of Energy around her. Was it safe here? After a moment of searching she decided, yes, it was.

She let her senses sink down into the sands and pool back together. Stretching a tendril of Energy out into a thread, she sent it sliding down through the fine powdery sand to discover whatever there was to be discovered. Playing the game she’d mastered many weeks ago, she let her mind wander as she had done countless times before.

Had it been just yesterday that she’d convinced Andulmaion to let her tag along? Was it only earlier this morning that she’d fully learned to jump? She’d never been the impulsive type and was suddenly realizing why. It was scary. Not-so-safe. She shivered.

She opened her eyes and searched the darkness. The sun had long since set, but the stars shone brightly overhead with only a faint sliver of moon. She thought she saw the faint outlines of the abandoned city’s walls and she wondered what they’d find inside. Humans, definitely. But would she and her friends meet their deaths? Would Andulmaion’s Energy eating sphere be enough? She idly wondered who had lived in the city and why they had left. But then her thoughts drifted back to their chances of surviving the coming confrontation and her thoughts slowed.