Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) (28 page)

“Oh yea?  How’s that?” he taunted. 

“The night of my wedding celebration, I’d planned on slipping a truth telling brew into my mother’s wine to find out the real reason she was shipping me off to Montanisto. Unfortunately, Spencer got ahold of it on accident and downed the whole thing.  While we were dancing, he began spitting off a whole bunch of absurd truths that only someone intoxicated by my brew would dare say.  So, I took the liberty to ask him if he would allow you to come to Montanisto with me, but he refused.  My brews are flawless and always on point, Liam.  How could he be lying?” 

The Warden had stopped his playful flirting and was now looking at her in astonishment.

“You really shouldn’t play in things you don’t understand, Zora.  That’s extremely juvenile.  Mind altering brews can be deadly if not used correctly.  You could have killed someone!”  Zora was shocked speechless at the Warden’s harsh reaction to her honesty.

“Don’t understand?  I understand what I do much better than you think, Liam!” 

“No, you don’t!” he argued.  “If you use Ithillium in any wrong way, it could be disastrous!  What you do with plants requires bonding with Ithillium.  You mustn’t use your gift for the wrong reasons!”  Zora’s shock quickly turned into anger.

“You scold me as a student whose been doing this her whole life, yet you forget I’m nothing more than a novice!  I only do what feels right to me, and so far it has worked.  Even my brews.” 

As she roiled internally, her anger increased as the source of Liam’s aversion to her potion became apparent.

“You’re not really upset that I made the brew are you?” she demanded.  “You could care less for Spencer or Evangeline’s welfare.  You’re just upset because its unintentional effects allowed me to catch you in a lie!”  Zora scrambled to her feet and towered over him.

“I don’t know why I even bother.  You’ve been lying to me for three whole years about everything!  Are you doing it now?  Are you telling me you’ll come see me and train me when in fact you have no intention to?” 

Zora was yelling, and tears of defeat were coming back in full force.  “And what about the other promises you made me?” she demanded.  “The one to help me figure out how I got this accursed thing!” 

She showed him the scar again, although now it was white and faint on her smooth skin.  Liam immediately jumped up as her tears threatened to spill over her flushed cheeks.  He placed his hand affectionately over the scar, feeling the silky remnants of the lavender oil.  He slid his other arm around her waist and brought her close into him. 

“I won’t forget that promise,” he whispered in her ear.  “That I can assure you.  I know you’re going through something, and I don’t have the knowledge to help you.  But there is someone in Cerendova that I know I can confide in.  He’s a dear friend who’s extremely pious and intelligent.  Once I have an answer for you, I won’t hesitate to return here.”  He squeezed her in closer, and Zora could hear the honesty in his words. 

The young woman felt Liam run his hand across the small of her back as he slowly leaned in towards her.  She could smell the fresh windy scent that seemed to flow off his skin, and she inhaled it deeply till she was dizzy.  Zora felt his other hand gently slide under her jawbone and cup the back of her neck, causing her stomach to fill with butterflies.  Then he tenderly brought his lips close to her and planted a kiss on her forehead, lingering there only for a moment before drawing back.  His blue-green eyes peered into hers.

“Keep practicing everything I have shown you,” Liam said.  “And remember to do it with a clear mind.  Emotionless.  Never let anyone see what you do.  Practice in the quiet solitude of your personal chambers, away from meddlesome eyes and ears.  I cannot emphasize the importance of this.  If anyone were to suspect you of being a
Slythos
.”  He gulped hard.  “I’m not sure I’d ever see you again.” 

Zora nodded compliantly, dreading the moment he was going to pull away from her.  That would mean he was leaving to do what Wardens had to do.  “Be safe,” he added.  “I’ll be back soon.  I promise.”  He turned to go.

“Liam!” Zora called.  He stopped at the entrance of the tent and looked at her.

“What if I change my mind?  What if I find out that a life in Montanisto isn’t one I want to live.  How do I find you?” 

He fully faced her now.  “Use Ithillium,” he replied.  “Think back to all of our lessons in Samaria.  Do you remember the brightest star in the southern sky?”

“It’s Sirius, I think.  It’s in the Canis Major constellation.” 

“Yes.  Face the southern sky just before dawn when Sirius is most visible and make the Bond with the starlight.  Flow it through you then release it back into the sky.”  Zora looked confused.

“I don’t understand.”

“Think of me when you do it.  I’ll get the message.”

And then he was gone. 

Zora stood for a while, sill feeling the lingering remnants of Liam’s warm touch on her neck, his gentle kiss on her forehead, and the smell of his body heat that seem to permeate her cozy little tent.  She tightly gripped her hourglass pendant and traced its curved outline slowly with her thumb.  Then Zora felt something that she’d never felt before- a deep ache in the core of heart caused by being separated from Liam Pershing Rose.  Over the last month she seemed to have lost everything that was dear to her and gained only a little bit in return.

Chapter 18

Liam found his stallion, Brody, parked close to Spencer’s camp.  He was hitched up to a low hanging oak branch that was concealed by excess vegetation.  Liam had come to see the horse earlier that morning before Zora had even awoken, and everything was as he’d left it.  The stallion was healthy and muscular, with a glossy midnight coat and a hint of white on his chest and muzzle.  The beast greeted him noisily when he sighted his rider. 

“Hey, boy,” Liam greeted glumly, running his hand over the horse’s back.  “Are you ready to leave this horrible place and go home?”  The stallion neighed in return making Liam feel a little bit better about temporarily relinquishing Zora to fend for herself in Montanisto.

             
I will be back,
Liam reminded himself
.  And I will make a point to seek out my friend in Cerendova who may be able to shed light on Zora’s strange visions.

Liam grabbed his saddle pad and placed it in the center of Brody’s back.  He then draped a blanket over it before putting on the saddle and pulling the girths tight.  He easily bridled the horse and fit the bit in his mouth, since Brody was well accustomed to the processes.  He loaded up all his equipment and checked to ensure everything was secure before stepping into the stirrups and lifting himself onto the horse.

He turned over his forearm to contact Aaron.  The wound where Zora had slashed him was healing nicely due to her talented care, and the thought of her caused his heart to long deeply.  He didn’t want to leave her, but she had made it clear she didn’t want to come with him to Cerendova.  At the same time, why should he expect her too?  She wasn’t from his lands.  She was born and raised a Commoner, despite the mystery of her bloodline.  That’s all she knew.  He’d just have to convince Captain Maddox to reassign him into Cara so he could be close to her again and keep his promises.

Liam prepared his message to Aaron and watched as his beautifully inked rosebud tattoo dismembered then reformed to create the words of his thoughts. 

Location, Brother?

A few seconds later, Aaron responded with the coordinates for the group’s location.  They appeared in garnet on his arm.

25.4° N, 80.9° W. 

Liam sighed and pulled out his brass astrolabe to help him navigate through the dark, homogeneous Montanisto swamp forest.  He nudged Brody into a canter then swung around to the east.  He traveled for two hours in that direction, then redirected south when the mangled forest began to thin and he came across a slow current, low lying bayou.  From there he would follow the crawling waterway for almost a whole day until he reached his Brothers. 

Liam wandered along the bog-covered shoreline of the bayou with the orange southern sun blazing the right side of his body as it slowly sank into the watery horizon.  Before him lay nothing but wetlands as far as the eye could see.  The black stagnant water encompassing the land was covered by sharp pointy cladium that gave the illusion of river of grass.  Here and there dark pools of brackish water dotted the landscape, mirroring the sun’s penetrating glare in shimmering reflections of the sky.  Debilitating heat waves rolled off of the land bringing with it the putrid smell of sea salt and old standing water. 

Liam continued along this direct path till twilight fell over the sky, watching the myriad of wildlife scamper through the dismal wetlands.  Great blue herons with long elegant necks wadded through the green grasses feeding on small fish underneath their feet.  Brown and white colored osprey flew above him, hunting the marshes below with keen golden eyes.  Liam had to stop three times during his trek, both for himself and Brody.  The Warden had to lead the stubborn horse carefully over wet grasses in order for him to drink from the swampy lakes and stay cool.  Brody resisted at first when he tasted the unfamiliar murky water, but with a quick touch of his mind using the power of Ithillium, Brody complied.

As deep hues of blue and purple replaced the blazing sun, Liam scanned the emerging southern stars for Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina, to help him pinpoint his location relative to his fellow Wardens.  The celestial body was dangling over the sun kissed horizon eagerly waiting to take its place in the night sky.  Liam slowed Brody down to a slow walk and brought forth his astrolabe so he could align it with the horizon.  Once his approximate latitude was calculated, he readjusted his route, diverging back east from the bayou hoping he’d reach the other men before it was completely dark.

Liam had almost fallen asleep sitting upright in his saddle when he began to feel the overwhelming presence of his fellow Wardens nearby.  His mind immediately instructed his body to wake up, and Liam told Brody to pick up his pace.  Eventually he came upon a small, shallow lagoon broken off from the bayou.  It was one that he and the others often camped at individually before crossing the Border.  Liam could see the shapes of four Wardens huddled around a smokeless fire adjacent to the rippling water.  Red cypress trees with their engorged roots, crimson trunks, and drooping rubicund leaves bordered the lagoon giving the cadre some sort of privacy from the openness of the wetlands. 

He stopped just short of the lagoon where his cadre could not see him.  The man watched for a moment while they talked and joked with each other, glad to finally have some company in a job that was prone to loneliness.  Liam didn’t know why he had halted.  Perhaps it was the fact that once he stepped into their midst, it meant he could no longer turn around and go back to Zora.  Any other time he would have been chomping at the bit to visit with his Brothers, for they were the closest people in the world to him, but Zora occupied his thoughts now instead.

“Liam has arrived!” Aaron called out when he had finally nudged Brody to move forward into camp.  “I’m glad you made it safely!”

  The other Wardens looked to him as they quickly got to their feet to greet him and help him get settled.  Liam quickly counted them: five out of the seven traveling Wardens were there, including him.

              “Good to see you finally made it,” Captain Maddox said in his husky voice as Liam brought Brody to a halt and dismounted.  He grasped the Captain’s hand in a firm embrace then began stretching his saddle sore legs and back.

              “And you Captain,” Liam replied as he went to retrieve his saddlebags from Brody.  Suddenly another hand grabbed hold of his head and began jerking it around in all directions.

              “Three years in the Commoner Realm sure does age a man!  Look at all the wrinkles he’s got now!” A falsetto voice laughed sarcastically behind him as he began pulling on Liam’s cheeks and hair.

              “Hey! Hey!” Liam replied playfully, pushing Isaac Casey away with a strong arm.  “I’m still better looking than you, you double chinned buffoon!”  Isaac just laughed and wrapped his arm around Liam’s shoulders.  “It’s good to see you Brother!  Everyone at home has been asking about you.”

              “When he says everyone he means
everyone
,” Jerome Ramsey added in with a playful wink.  He had appeared behind Isaac and grabbed Liam’s hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

              “Are you hungry?” Jerome asked.  “Isaac and I were able to trap and kill a six foot gator last night.  As big as Maddox he was!  And we’ve been feasting on him ever since.”  He grinned mischievously. 

              “Let the man breathe, Brothers!” Aaron suddenly broke in, pushing Isaac and Jerome aside.  “He’s been traveling for hours.  Isaac!  Go tend to his horse.  Jerome!  Get the man something to eat without boasting about it!”  Liam smiled gratefully at Aaron as the other two men immediately obeyed and left him alone for the moment.

              “Come on.  You’re probably tired,” Aaron said as he directed him over to the fire pit where Captain Merlin Maddox had reclaimed his seat and was cleaning his sword with palm oil and a cloth.

Maddox was an unusually muscular man for his mediocre size.  His eyes were a dull grey color and strangely large, like those on the face of a hand painted baby doll.  He didn’t talk much, which meant that when he did say something, you better have the smarts to listen up.  Liam had had to learn that the hard way while training under him as a child. 

Maddox was the most skilled swordsman in Cerendova and the best one Liam had ever seen or had the honor of sparring with.  Because he was strict, fair, and a natural born leader, Maddox had been granted the responsibility to train and command Cerendova’s cadre of Wardens.  Korbin Black, one of the other Wardens not present, was Maddox’s second in command. 

As Liam sat down on one of the logs next to the fire, he felt Maddox regarding him closely yet remaining silent.  Aaron occupied the space neutrally between them and immediately pulled out his flint rock and hammer stone to work on making some new arrowheads.  The chipping of the rock was the only thing to be heard for a couple of minutes.

              “Are Korbin and the newbie still out?” Liam asked, trying to diffuse the air of tension coming from Maddox.  Korbin had been charged to take the newest member, Avery Morris, on an assignment with him to train.

              “They should be here soon,” Maddox answered hoarsely.  “In fact I believe they were following the same route as you.  You passed through Montanisto on the way here, correct?”

              “I passed by there, not through there,” Liam corrected.  “But yes, I was in the area.”  He frowned to himself.  “If they were close I would have sensed it and made a point to meet up with them.”

              “I’m surprised you didn’t,” Maddox said casually.  He ran his fingernail over the point of his sword to dig out some of the caked dirt.  “What route did you take coming from Samaria?”

              “My usual one, Captain.  I followed the Argent River south all the way to Cara, then headed west around Lake Nekoti past Montanisto until I intersected with the bayou.”

Maddox flipped his sword over and poured some more oil on the blade from a glass vial pendant.  The sword’s lustrous silver face reflected the orange fire blazing in the pit before them.  The Captain looked up at him from underneath greying eyebrows.

              “If that’s the case you should have arrived two days ago.  What caused your delay, Brother?  Did you come across something on your journey home that I need to know about?” 

Liam glanced over at Aaron to see if he had said something to the Captain about Zora, but his eyes were darting unsurely between the two of them, as if a physical brawl was about to break out at any moment.  Liam chewed on a hangnail nervously, listening to the cheerful sounds of Isaac and Jerome messing around in the background.

              “The roads are worse for wear following the brutal rainstorms over the last couple years,” Liam answered.  “A lot of the well traveled throughways have been entirely washed away leaving slower, more difficult paths as the only option.”  What he told Maddox wasn’t a lie; it just wasn’t his truth.  Sariel would have something to say about that.

Maddox continued to slide his polishing cloth along the blade of the sword carefully removing any grime that clung to its edges.  Without looking up from his task Maddox replied with, “All the men say the same thing.  I’m afraid it’s going to take this Realm some time before they recover from such damage.” 

By now, Isaac and Jerome had rejoined the other men and taken a seat next to him.  Jerome thrust a bowl of stew into Liam’s hands.  Its steaming contents included gator meat, carrots, and potatoes.  Liam spooned it eagerly into his mouth.  The smokeless fire in the middle of their circle was slowly dwindling, and Liam watched as Maddox smoothly channeled Ithillium and shot a perfect orb of energy into the fire pit bringing the crackling blazes back to life.

All sat in silence for a couple of minutes as the constellations in the heavens slowly made their appearances, and a clear bright moon peaked over the edge of the Border.  The swamplands of the south were a dark place to be at night, almost as heavy as the deepness of the Anion mines.  The campfire was the only thing lighting the small red cypress enclosure.  Its glow shown darkly on the Wardens’ faces and made oblong shadows across the murky ground.  Liam had been gone so long from his Brothers and from his home that his mind went blank when he tried to think of something to talk to them about.  Luckily, Isaac did it for him by asking him about Samaria.

“We’ve all been wondering, Liam, how the condition of the Samarian Zone was,” Isaac began.  “Hopefully you’ve have had better luck than the rest of us since you’ve been on assignment for so long.” 

Liam observed Isaac’s face for a moment.  It was full of unexplained anticipation, as if any good news that Liam might carry would alter the current kismet of the cadre.  He tried to deter the question by swallowing his last bit of stew and washing it down with a long swig of water.  After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he finally had to answer.

“Everything was functioning as it should,” Liam tried to emphasize, “and it
was
secure, like normal.”  He felt the weight of his fellow Wardens’ stares press down on him as he explained himself.  “Until the night before I left.  The barrier…it had changed somehow.”

“Was the web weakened?” Isaac asked in a tight voice.  “Did you observe any rifts?”  Liam shook his head and then ran his hands through his mane of maple brown hair like he did when he was unsure of something.

“No, I didn’t observe any rifts, at least not at first.  The web on the other hand…well…I don’t know how to explain it.”  He sighed heavily.  “The last time I went there…it had somehow…I don’t know… receded.  In fact, it didn’t appear to be there at all.”  Aaron and Jerome gasped in disbelief, and Isaac gave a small cry of outrage.