Escana (69 page)

Confusion momentarily dulled his
more primal instincts.

'That's right, if you kill me now
you'll be stranded out here with no way to control the aqueduct and
miles away from any of your targets.'

Targets? How much did this man
know of the task he had been set?

'You are after what you know as
The Six. A mysterious group of individuals with the power to destroy
the world, are you not?'

Jakob nodded, to deny such a
precise claim would be an utterly transparent lie.

'What you weren't told was that
when I was a youth, I was visited by a stranger and told that I must
destroy The Six of my time too.'

What? The claim hit Jakob like a
body blow, the idea that he was chosen for this particular task was
embedded within him, it resonated with an almost blinding truth. Now
here was a man that claimed his quest was not unique.

'There have been many before and
there will be many after you. The Six are not a mysterious group of
individuals, they're The Six most influential people in the world
today. They hold no special powers or skills that need curtailed, it
is you that is destructive to the Empire, not they.'

He tried to take it all in but
for some reason he couldn't concentrate enough to respond.

'The Academy in Levanin will take
you in and do their utmost to treat your malady, I'm lucky to have
caught you when I did. Most cases like this are undetected until the
person in question is killed in an attempt on their target's life.'

Was it that simple? Did Jakob
have a diseased mind? The idea that he was the chosen one to set
forth and do battle against some hidden foes seemed ludicrous now
that it was put under scrutiny.

'I was not so lucky, I succeeded
in killing my target. A feeble old man who held great sway over the
courts of Levanin at the time.'

Jakob saw the regret and pain in
the man's eyes, yet what he said clashed so horribly with the
certainty he had felt. Why would he have been given these feelings
and be told to act upon them if he were not chosen?

Unless he was mad.

It was a sobering thought, that
his own perceptions and the very workings of his mind may be
directing him into doing something catastrophic. He had been through
so much, had survived so many perilous events in this traversing of
the land. Was it all by chance that he had lived long enough to
discover there was nothing special about his life at all?

'Our destination is Levanin, I
can only hope that research has yielded something to aid you since my
time spent there.'

The implication of what Jakob
felt finally hit him. 'What is it you do that makes me regard you as
one of The Six most important men in the Empire?'

Gooseman laughed. 'That's easily
explained, the first target of the afflicted is always a more local
presence. As the owner of the largest inn and a well-regarded member
of the community I was an obvious choice. As the afflicted does away
with his targets, they become increasingly important on a grander
scale. We've had a number of men attempt to murder the Emperor. The
Emperor is always the sixth target.'

Jakob silently wondered what had
happened to Gooseman's next targets, how far had the man got before
he was stopped?

'You are what those in Levanin
refer to as a rogue talent. Ordinarily those gifted with powers come
from the capital alone, with the few isolated cases such as yourself
being brought into the fold for their own protection.'

So he was to be locked away in
some large building to keep him from harming any others by this
balding innkeeper.

'How was it that a simple
innkeeper tracked me down to Sah'kel? Why take me from that place and
not your son?'

Gooseman looked at him
appraisingly. 'I suppose it is apparent that I am much more than an
innkeeper. The powers in Levanin have ways of detecting the
utilisation of power outside of their jurisdiction, it's how we
locate the rogue talents. They then make contact with someone that
knows the talent personally and send them through a warp gate. Given
the relationship you have with your father they decided to choose me
to escort you.'

It sounded plausible, Jakob
wasn't entirely convinced though. Why would they send the very man
Jakob had been targeting? Why would they leave him in such isolation?
It seemed odd that they'd know of his talent but somehow were unable
to predict who he would attack with it.

He steadied himself on the edge
of the boat, watching Gooseman sit with an expression of
concentration on his face as it picked up speed. Jakob tried his
utmost to fight down the murderous feelings, now that he had an
explanation for them they somehow seemed easier to manage than
before. The conflict he had felt and the voices he had heard seemed
manifestations of the illness, amplified by his talent. He wasn't
entirely convinced with the explanation and he knew that Gooseman was
leaving out a lot but he had yet to think of a better reason.

'How long will the journey to
Levanin take?'

The innkeeper opened his eyes and
the boat slowed slightly. 'A night and a day, should I concentrate
hard as you sleep. The sooner you rest the faster the journey will
be.'

A great weariness stole over him
then, his questions could wait for tomorrow. The wooden deck of the
boat now felt very comfortable, inviting him to sink into it and
embrace sleep.

H
e awoke to a
narrow strip of sky piercing two huge walls of rock, apparently
Re'tak had managed to carry him to the canyons in time to save him
from the devastating heat.

He looked around but there was no
sign of the lizard, he sincerely doubted that he had been abandoned
here and sent a thought questing out into the dunes.

Re'tak, I am conscious. Where
are you?

It was strange, the feeling of
exhaustion that he usually associated with communicating to his
friend didn't hit him, he flexed his hand experimentally and found no
pain in his joints either. Slowly he tested each extremity before
sitting up, again no pain greeted him. What had happened in his
unconsciousness?

I
will
be
with
you
soon
my
friend.
Came
the
delayed
response.
I
am
hunting
prey.

Knowing better than to interrupt
such an important task, Hern went back to testing his limitations. He
experimentally set weight upon his leg, then another. There was no
buckling or discomfort, no weakness or fatigue or even the slightest
hint that anything had happened to him. It would appear that all his
faculties had returned, he reminded himself to query Re'tak upon the
lizard's return.

Even in the shade of the canyon
the heat was almost unbearable, though not life-threatening like the
open desert. Hern could deal with the discomfort if he had to choose
between that or losing his life.

It wasn't long before the lizard
did make his return, Hern made a mental note to stop calling him
that. The dehumanisation of the creature may be accurate but he
should accord Re'tak respect solely because of his sentience.
Besides, if Re'tak really could hear his every thought then it was
sure to grow tiresome being considered 'the lizard' and he had no
desire for his friend to take offence.

He entered the canyon at great
speed and slowed as he finally approached Hern, he had something
indistinct in his jaws. Hern was just happy that he hadn't been as
rough when he had been a passenger in there.

I have brought us some fresh
kill, you best not turn your nose up at it.

Hern
smiled
and
pointed
at
him
in
a
gesture
of
perfect
innocence.
Who,
me?

Re'tak snorted in disgust, he
knew it was good-humoured though.

Compared to the foul meat we
were fed in captivity together, fresh kill sounds ideal, thank you.

He felt Re'tak's mental shrug, it
wasn't a big deal to him. Hern also found that with his increased
vitality it was easier to separate his own thoughts from his friend.
He could even dampen down the stream of consciousness to a degree
that was comparable to before, a pleasing development.

It gave a good chase, I can
tell you don't want to know what it was, sufficed to say it is
edible.

He
decided
that
now
was
the
time
to
ask.
What
did
you
do
to
me
that
I'm
in
such
good
health?

Silence. It lingered for a time
as Re'tak focused on stripping away the hide of the indistinct
creature.

We do not talk about that,
please do not pry any further.

It was the first time he had
heard such a request. Hern found that knowing each other's thoughts
allowed for a degree of acceptance unprecedented in ordinary social
contact, should there be a disagreement or clash of opinion it could
be smoothed out quickly by a comparison of reasoning rather than
words to indicate it.

One thing he wasn't prepared for
was just how many shared values he had with Re'tak, initially he had
expected their upbringings and species to be the rift between them.
His people had a societal structure and a set of laws and rules that
were both sensible and just given the circumstances. The quibbles
they had faced in their time together had been ironed out to the
enlightenment of both parties.

Now his friend wanted privacy, as
tempted as Hern was to delve into Re'tak's head his respect for all
that he had done for him gave him pause. What was to stop the exact
same thing happening with regards to his darkest secrets or most
important information if he were to plunder that entangled mind now?

Instead he decided he was going
to stretch the understanding they had already developed with his next
thought. He chose to project it rather than have Re'tak read it in
his thoughts.

We have to go back.

Again there was silence, as
tempted as Hern was to listen in on Re'tak's thoughts he allowed them
to flow unimpeded by his perceptions, they needed to have consensus
without their strange joining of thought.

Why do you wish to go back to
that?

It was a good question, why did
he want to go back? Was he playing the hero to justify to himself
that he wasn't a terrible person? Did he plan to right all the wrongs
of this world one by one until they took his life in the attempt? No,
neither of those things rang true as he thought them. He wondered if
Re'tak had offered him the same courtesy in not reading his thoughts.

He wanted to make a statement,
one that would be discovered by the masters in Je'dara. A statement
that would say to them exactly what he thought about their unjust
punishment and what he had planned for them upon his return. He
couldn't have them think that he had escaped barely with his life and
the aid of others, they needed to fear him.

Why is it that you wish to go
back then?

The question confirmed his
suspicions about Re'tak, he was honourable and respectful of Hern's
thoughts, he had not pried and attempted to divine the reasoning.
Instead, he had waited for Hern to deliver it in his own fashion and
trust to that should it be an adequate explanation.

He wondered to himself how much
of what he had just thought was gleaned from Re'tak's own processes
subconsciously.

It is both a matter of pride
and honour. I need to send a message to those that betrayed me and
sent me there. It needs to be a message written in blood.

Then
let
us
feast
for
now,
friend
Hern.
Re'tak
replied.
For
come
the
evening
sun
we
shall
traverse
the
desert
once
more
for
vengeance.