Fifthwind (33 page)

The
man's face brightened. "There was another that passed through this
way not too long ago who called himself Fahd." The man turned back
toward the house and called out. "What was the name of that
traveler that passed through here on his way to Eskerwold?"

The
gray-haired woman reappeared in the doorway, and wiped her hands on
her apron. "He called himself Fahd Karthos."

Ben
interrupted, "What do you know of this man who called himself
Fahd?"

"We
heard rumors that when he arrived in Eskerwold, he forcefully removed
that bastard mayor from his lofty perch and punished him for his
crimes against the good people there. They said that Karthos expected
no reward in return."

Cobalius
hushed further questioning with his hand against Ben's chest. "We
will begin work in the morning. Go inside and tend to your wife's
needs and rest your weary joints. All will be taken care of." He
then turned to Ben and ushered him away.

The
old man called from behind, "My name is Merrick, be watchful of
those skulking grayfolk, they've gotten two of my sheep this week.
You'll be alright if you keep a fire burning."

"Grayfolk?"
Ben asked as they moved back through the meadow toward the far
hillside.

"The
Murg," Cobalius replied. "They're wild here, unarmed and free
from the influence of foul men. They almost always move in small
packs, and will avoid people if at all possible, but can attack
fiercely if they're frightened or hungry."

Ben
nodded, but changed the subject, "Are all the Fahd from Tania?"

"No,
Fahd Karthos and I are the only ones native to this side of the
Stonespine," Cobalius answered using the Tanian name for the
Kreggorian range. "The rest that have been located thus far are
from the southern lands."

"Tending
to these people is to be my path to the five skills?"

"We'll
spend a few days here before moving on to Eskerwold. You will learn
the way of the Fahd through your journeys with me." Cobalius
stopped and closed his eyes for several minutes, growing still as his
breathing slowed.

Ben
patiently waited at his side, not wanting to disturb his
concentration. Cobalius had either sensed something, or was making an
effort to see a distant place. After a few moments, Cobalius opened
his eyes and smiled.

"I
offer this only so you will keep your mind clear of harmful
thoughts," he said. "Your friends have survived another night.
Casualties have been low, and they've managed to fortify the Masked
Pig aptly. Mason and Gordo have organized routine patrols, and Kyla
is continuing to grow in strength. There is general unrest and
grumbling about your abrupt disappearance. It seems that many are
convinced that you left only to save your own skin and some of the
men have also deserted the effort."

Ben
started to object, but was stopped by Cobalius' halting hand. "Mason
and Kyla do not doubt you. They worry for your safety and await your
return."

Cobalius
patted Ben on the shoulder and continued his march up the hillside.
"Gather some wood, we have plenty of time until nightfall, and I
don't plan on being cold tonight. I'll be back later with something
for us to eat."

With
that, Cobalius took several more steps and then vanished.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Cobalius
kept his word and had returned later in the evening with meat, bread
and cheese from an unknown location; it was conceivable that the food
had been retrieved from as far away as the Masked Pig, maybe even
farther. Nothing could surprise Ben at this point. He was somewhere
in the middle of the Empire and doing charity work for the enemy,
while his mentor popped in and out of existence like a firefly. That
the man had somehow acquired cheese was trivial.

Just
before sundown, Merrick and his wife had ventured up to their
campsite and offered blankets and hard-cider to help fight off the
night's cold. Merrick's wife, Vionna, saw no reason for the travelers
to spend the night on the hillside and had argued fervently to have
them at least move down closer to the house. Of course, Cobalius
would have nothing of it, stating that strangers should never be
trusted too close to one's home. The blankets were accepted with
appreciation and the grace of Vionna's selfless kindness was
complimented, even though Ben was convinced that his treatment would
be sorely different if the couple knew he was a Kreggorian officer.
He had never felt that the Tanians possessed the refined culture and
compassion of the Southern Kingdom.

That
night, just as Merrick had warned them, they had encountered a small
pack of the familiar creatures known locally as the Grayfolk. The
Murg living wild in the mountains were little more threat than any
other predatory animal, though they had a more organized social
structure and used basic tools and a rudimentary language. Exactly as
Cobalius had explained, the half dozen creatures had given the camp a
wide berth and had tried to circle around to get the animal pen
below, but Cobalius had moved out to confront them and chased them
away into the night.

In
the morning, Ben had insisted on an update of the situation in
Kishell Springs, but Cobalius had refused, saying that he was keeping
a watchful eye on Ben's friends and would act if necessary. Ben was
still not sure he could trust Cobalius to care enough about the
people there to do anything at all. From his experience, Tanians
rarely showed compassion to their own kind, much less to those of the
Kingdom.

Ben's
sleep had been restless and fitful with dreams of his friends in
danger. Images of terrible monsters and lightning wielding sorcerers
on mountaintops infiltrated his night visions and kept him from
getting the rest he needed. Before he knew it, morning arrived and he
was put to work in torturous servitude to an undeserving Tanian host.

Despite
the cool air, Ben wiped perspiration from his forehead with the back
of his sleeve. The very same ax that had seemed too small and and too
light for the large task of splitting a winter's cord of wood, was
now a huge weight in his tired hands. With each overhead swing, his
shoulders burned in protest.

He
had spent the entire morning, moving harvested potatoes into a small
cold cellar, while Merrick and his wife salted and wrapped the meat
from a slaughtered hog. Once he had finished that chore, he had
commenced the chopping of wood, which would take several days to
finish. Meanwhile, Cobalius worked tirelessly on repairing a breach
in the fencing around the pen, after having patched a hole in the
roof. He had not stopped to rest as of yet, so if only for pride's
sake, Ben would not be the first to take a break.

He
wasn't at all happy with the idea of providing aid to a Tanian
family, no matter how nice they seemed. These people and all that
they stood for had threatened the Kreggorian way of life and had
taken from him many good friends. Being made to work for the enemy
without any offered explanation was wearing on his pride. He managed
a soft chuckle when he imagined what Mason would say about the whole
affair.

Ben
put down his ax and gathered together the split timber. His back
ached under the strain as he stacked the wood under the leeward eave
of the house where it would not be buried by the inevitable snow
drifts. The wood supply was growing larger by the hour, and higher
for his tired arms to reach.

Vionna
reacted quickly to Ben's momentary pause in labor and brought to him
a large cup of water.

"Thank
you," Ben said, accepting the cup.

"You're
working too hard. You should stop and rest. You and your friend are
so kind to help us. My Merrick is a fine husband and he tries hard,
but he's getting too old to do all the chores around here. In the
spring, I'm going to insist that we move closer to Eskerwold where he
can get help from our sons."

"That
would be wise I think," Ben nodded and drank deeply from the cup.
"How many sons do you have?"

The
woman blushed with pride, but also showed the weight of far-away and
sorrowful thoughts. "Two living in the city, and four more that
were lost in the war with the Kraggs. My youngest was only sixteen
when they killed him."

Ben
tensed when he heard the word Kragg escape her lips. The term was
intended to be offensive, but he reeled in his emotions with an
understanding of her pain. To lose your children in war was a price
no one should pay. She had earned the right to refer to the
Kreggorians in any way she chose. He would not allow himself to show
sympathy, but he offered the only kind words he could stomach. "War
is a terrible thing... both sides have suffered."

Vionna
looked at Ben with a quizzical hint of anger that he would even
suggest such a thing as compassion for the enemy. Then, slowly her
face melted into a gentle smile. "You're a selfless young man and
your wisdom exceeds your years, but I have been cut too deeply by the
Kraggs to care about their troubles. It's hard to let go of the
past."

"It's
good that the war is over. Maybe, in time, the border skirmishes will
also end."

"I
don't know why the Kraggs keep coming through the passes every spring
to stir up more trouble. We're beaten... they don't have to kill all
of us to prove it," Vionna said with pleading dismay. "The
Empire is fallen, and we're glad to see it gone. It was hard living
all those years under the rule of a stubborn warmonger. The day his
own bodyguards killed him was a day of victory for us all. Yet those
damn Kraggs still attack us every chance they get!"

Ben
had not known that the Emperor had been killed. The best reports that
King Erlich had received were that he had been bullied out of power
by his most trusted advisors. The war had then ended, but the Empire
was thought to be intact. Ben wanted to ask more questions about the
current state of affairs in Tania, but knew his ignorance would be
suspicious.

Ben
found himself defending the actions of the border raiders. "Maybe
they don't know."

"And
maybe they don't care!" Vionna scoffed, but then lightened her
voice, "You don't seem to hold much ill-will toward them, and I
suppose you're right. I should learn to be less crass. I guess each
side is to blame as much as the other. If only those who rule could
see the world through the eyes of us lower on the ladder."

"The
world would be a much different place if that ever happened," Ben
agreed.

Ben
finished his water and thanked her again before returning to his
chore. Vionna made her way back inside to tend to her own
preparations, leaving Ben alone to think about all that he had heard.

Cobalius
joined Ben, having completed his own labors, and helped stack the
rest of the chopped wood. He then spoke for the first time in hours,
"Did you enjoy your talk with Vionna?"

Ben
was beginning to understand why Cobalius had brought him here.
"Things aren't always as simple as they seem."

"They
almost never are. That's why The Fahd learned long ago to never
choose sides in a conflict. What is called truth, varies widely
depending on who you talk to. We cannot allow ourselves to become
emotionally involved and therefore swayed by the views of others. We
must always act without prejudice."

"But
you oppose The Core."

"We
seek to maintain balance, and avoid conflict. To bring peace and
prosperity to all people. The Magus Core is different, they want to
enslave, destroy, and dominate. That is a clear conflict of
principles that cannot be resolved in any civil or diplomatic way.
The Fahd will always oppose those that wish to destroy life. It is
not bias or hatred that drives us against The Core. It is the need to
survive and our compulsion to protect those who cannot protect
themselves. Come with me, I've something to show you."

The
two men moved through the meadow to the far side of the small dale.
The breeze was picking up and clouds were beginning to gather lower
on the not-too-distant, rocky peaks; there would likely be snowfall
within a day, but with luck it would be light. Once they found a
comfortable place to sit, Cobalius revealed a small lunch of spiced
meat and bread he carried in a wrap of cheesecloth. "It refreshes
the soul to do good work for those in need. Don't you agree?"

Ben
was too tired to complain, but even though he had softened to the
hardships experienced by Merrick and his wife, he still had issues
with being made to work for a Tanian family. He spoke his feelings
without flattery, "There are those in need elsewhere as well."

Cobalius
only barely acknowledged Ben's remark with a slight nod of his head,
then offered Ben a sliver of meat and half of the loaf. Without
preamble, he changed the subject. "The Fahd only have one true
skill. It is the level of mastery that defines that skill in five
ways."

"The
skills are related?"

Cobalius
nodded as he tore a bite-sized chunk of bread from his half of the
loaf and ate. "Our only skill is the special relationship we hold
with the Witherscape. How deeply that relationship goes will manifest
itself in what appears to be unique ways."

"Mindsight,
Drifting, Shifting—"
Ben stopped, "I don't know the other two, but how are they all the
same skill?"

"Mindsight
is the ability to see the Witherscape within our thoughts; you are
familiar with this and have virtually mastered it. Drifting is but an
extension of Mindsight, where you can then move within that perceived
realm in your mind and see remote locations."

"I
understand how those two are similar, but what about Shifting?"

"Shifting
is more difficult, but still only an advancement over Drifting.
Imagine that once you've mentally Drifted to a remote location, you
manage to reenter our world at that new spot. If successful, you will
have effectively transported yourself to a new location instantly."
Cobalius leaned over and picked up a stone and tossed it toward a
nearby tree. "Close your eyes."