First Comes The One Who Wanders (35 page)

Joshuas shook his head and then looked at Erion comprehension dawning in his eyes. "Rengailai."

Erion thought for a moment then agreed. "But why separate us? I thought Leilas said he didn’t think she was worthy of notice."

"That's what he told her," said Joshuas. "That doesn’t mean he was telling her the truth."

Erion sat and rummaged through the pack for some food. "So, what do we do now?" he asked, taking a bite of hard tack.

Joshuas accepted the wafer made from flour, water and salt from Erion. "Try to go around this spell and catch up with Leilas between here and Montshade."

"Do you think she has seen through this spell and will wait for us?"

"She might for a day or two. But she knows time is against us. I believe she'll choose to go on alone."

"There we're back to it being hers to choose." Erion finished off his piece of hard tack. "Why is it no one ever explored that part of the prophecy before?"

"I suppose because it's a given for crafters," said Joshuas. "We say it, but we don’t expect a light crafter to choose the dark any more than we expect a dark crafter to choose the light."

"But it does happen, as in the case of Gidron Frey."

"Yes, it does happen. More often when one feels abandoned and alone."

"Then around it is and hope we find her," concluded Erion.

"Again," sighed Joshuas. "Ever since I met this woman, all I seem to do is lose her, when all I want to do is keep her."

"I hope one day that will be possible, my friend. I’ll take the first watch. You need some rest and a few hours won’t make any difference at this point."

Joshuas grunted his agreement, wrapped his cloak around his body tightly and dropped into a restless sleep, feeling the darkness around him trying to take hold.

~~~

The horses stamped impatiently. Having been saddled and packed, they were ready to be on their way. Leilas folded the map and tucked it in her tunic. Mounting her horse, she debated with herself one more time then headed for the road. She’d felt the veil of magic the last time she’d called out to Joshuas. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to separate them and she hadn’t found a way to break the spell. It was old magic, strong from the age alone. She would have suspected Rengailai if she didn’t know he’d dismissed her as insignificant. Hoping that Joshuas and Erion would find some way around the spell, she continued on the path they’d chosen.

There was a town about twenty miles away. That would be a good day’s journey. Perhaps she'd be able to sleep in a warm bed at the end of the day and find a place to stable the extra horses. Joshuas and Erion could claim them when they reached the town. The day was cold and gray, the sun not even trying to break through the clouds. There were a few travelers on the road, heading for Reyoro Dell. They left the strange looking crafter, wrapped in a cloak, leading three horses, alone. Leilas preferred it that way. The less contact she had with others, the less chance she'd be recognized as the girl with a bounty from Darryl of Draggor on her head. She'd be taking a chance staying at an inn. But she had to find a place for the horses.

She spent the day mulling over the prophecies she'd learned, trying to make sense of them, as well as her dreams and visions. Then she thought of the people she knew, wondering which person could possibly be the champion she was supposed to call. Would she know him when she saw him? Would the Book of Sylph tell her who to choose? She sighed impatiently, would she ever have answers to her questions?

The day was darkening into dusk as she turned toward the grove of oak trees in which the town of Oak Branch was nestled. This grove wasn’t original to Solea, but had been planted by the first king after his coronation as a gesture of good will to the people of this region. The people who lived here were a mixture of people who'd left the north for warmer climes and of people leaving the south in search of better farm land. In the end, the town turned out to be a stopping place for people moving from one populated region to another. It had never become a large, thriving populous of its own. The people had their own unique look and accent that was a blend of the north and south. Anyone was allowed to enter the town. It had always been that way. But the people who called this place home treated all outsiders with suspicion.

Her first order of business was to find the stables. She wound through the streets, ignoring the interested stares that her presence was attracting. Why wouldn’t a cloaked rider leading three horses attract attention? There was nothing she could do about her entrance into the town. But with luck, her leaving would attract far less attention. She found the livery near the edge of the town and climbed wearily from her mount. It had been a long day’s ride from the forest clearing.

The hand working with the horses was surprised to see a stranger with four horses. He eyed her suspiciously, but kept his questions to himself as he accepted her money for the horses keep. She'd given him a generous amount of silver for his lack of curiosity and his compliance to her request.

"Is there an inn nearby?" asked Leilas, after putting her coin purse away. The boy pointed in the direction of the middle of town. Leilas stretched her stiff muscles, turned and walked in the direction the stable hand had indicated. With her cloak wrapped around her and her hood covering her hair, she could pass as a young man, with her height. If people made the assumption she was, she wouldn’t go out of her way to correct the impression.

The warmth of the inn was a welcome relief from the cold of the day. Making her way to a table in a dark corner, she looked around at the people there. A few older men were sitting at a table, drinking and playing a game of dice. She decided they must be residents of the town. She hadn’t passed any travelers on the road all day. The large group of soldiers must have picked up any lone travelers as they passed. They were probably the last of the travelers moving North until the spring.

"How may I be of service?" The owner of the inn stepped up to her table, his shirt and breeches covered with a leather apron. He was a strong man, who stood six feet or more. Dark-haired with a close-trimmed beard, he looked menacing. But Leilas detected a gentle spirit in him.

"Dinner, ale, and a room," replied Leilas in a deep, husky voice. The innkeeper took a second look at the sound of her voice and she wondered if she'd already been discovered.

"Room will cost you ten coppers. Dinner costs two, in advance."

Leilas reached in her pocket and pulled out the money. Laying it on the table, she covered it with her cold-reddened hand. "You can have it when I see the food." The innkeeper laughed and hurried off to find her dinner. With the money she'd paid for the horses keep and the high prices the innkeeper was charging her for dinner and a bed, her purse was quite a bit lighter than it had been just the day before. She would have to make up for the expenditure by spending most of the trip camping.

When the innkeeper, whose name seemed to be Percy, returned with her food, she took her hand off the money. Percy laughed again and slid it off the table into his extremely large and beefy hand. Depositing it in the big front pocket of his apron, he wiped his hands on a cloth tucked in his belt.

"It's a cold day out there," he began amiably. "Don’t blame you for stopping the night here. Are you headed to join the armies?"

Leilas took a bite of the savory stew before she answered. "I have business to complete for my guild before I'm free to join the fight."

"What guild would that be? I can’t quite make out the insignia. It’s not one I’ve seen before."

"The Sky guild," replied Leilas, praying he didn’t question her too much further.

"Unusual symbol for the Sky guild," replied Percy. "We don’t see many light crafters on this road, these days."

"Perhaps that'll change soon."

"I hope so. If it doesn’t I may have to close the inn and leave. It's getting too dangerous to stay. The Dredracians aren’t pleasant to deal with and they grow bolder and more belligerent every day. Let me know when you're ready to see your room." Dinner delivered and curiosity satisfied he went to talk to the two old timers at the game table.

Leilas ate quickly. It was the first food she’d had since morning. It didn’t take long for the food, the fire and the long day to take its toll. After her head had fallen and snapped back into place twice, she pushed herself from the table, collected her pack and followed Percy to her room.

"It’s not fancy, but I reckon it beats the rocks in the forest." He handed her the candle. "There’s been several strangers around lately I don’t like the looks of too well. With that price on your head, I'd suggest you use that bolt." Startled that he'd recognized her so easily, Leilas’ hand dropped to her short sword, readying to defend herself against the innkeeper. Now that he'd revealed his hand, he'd have to take her prisoner or risk losing his money.

"You don’t have anything to fear from me miss. I don’t have any use for the new king or for any of these Dredracian soldiers. Breakfast starts at dawn."

"Thank you," said Leilas, dropping her hand from her sword, letting her first impression of this man guide her. She didn’t feel any malice in him. Setting her bag down, she watched him turn to go, hoping she'd judged him correctly.

Bolting the door after him and sitting near the fire, she pulled her boots off, listening for any sound that Percy had deceived her. But when an hour had passed and there was no sound of anyone returning to her room, she relaxed. Placing her feet on the hearth, she closed her eyes and warmed her feet, trying to ease the ache in the red-raised scar on her leg. She didn’t want to think about men like Percy betraying her to Darryl or the war that was coming, or the fact that the Jovanulum had no champion because she hadn’t named him. Instead, she tried to think of the pleasant days she’d spent with Solein. She fell asleep basking in the warm sun of Neothera.

She could see Joshuas and Erion standing in the spot where the campsite should have been, but there was no campsite. She tried calling out to Joshuas, but he couldn’t hear her. The veil of dark magic still surrounded them. Joshuas and Erion were talking. She wished she could hear what they were saying. All she could hear was laughter.

She woke with a start at the sound. Someone was watching her and playing with her. They were enjoying the pain they'd caused by separating her from her companions. Leilas shivered at the thought. If she’d believed she was going to travel to the Crystal Caves of Anhjou undetected, she was wrong. If this presence was Rengailai as she suspected, how could she go on and lead him to the Book of Sylph? The four crafters had gone to great lengths to keep it from him all these years.

Lying back against her pillow, Leilas tried to think. She needed to find the book to know what she was supposed to do. If she found the book, then Rengailai would know the plan, too. It couldn’t be so simple, Leilas finally concluded. Deciding she would trust that it would work out as the Creator planned, she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

The smell of meat and potatoes woke her. She'd slept longer than she’d intended. Taking advantage of the water jug and the mirror, she washed and tied her hair back in the fashion of men. It was long for a man, but many crafters were in the habit of dressing oddly. Thinking she might get away with being a young boy, she took a chance of leaving her hood down.

"Good day, young sir," said the girl serving. Leilas had chosen the same dark corner. It looked as if her disguise had worked. She didn’t risk giving her disguise away by speaking. She grunted her thanks as the girl deposited her plate and beer on the table. The owner wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so much the better, thought Leilas as she ate. He’d already seen through her attempts to disguise herself. She didn’t need him giving her identity away to anyone else, unintentionally. The fact that no one had come to arrest her and drag her away during the night made her believe that he had no intention of exposing her to the enemy for the bounty money.

Eating quickly, she gathered her belongings and stepped into the cold morning air. She threw her hood over her head as she stepped outside, as much for warmth as for disguise. The stable hands were just opening the doors of the barn when she arrived. Checking on the two horses she was leaving behind, she was satisfied they were in good hands.

"If a crafter and an elf come this way, these horses are theirs," she told the stable hand. "Otherwise if I'm not back by the spring, you may keep them with my thanks for their good care." The stable hand brightened at the promise of horses for nothing more than taking care of them for the winter.

"You are too kind, young sir. May you have good luck on your journey. May Jovan be with you."

"And with you as well," replied Leilas. Climbing on her mount, she gathered the reins of the pack horse and was on her way.

According to the men in the inn, snow was coming tomorrow or maybe the next day. If she pressed on through the night, she might have traveled far enough South by then to avoid the storm. She was no longer toying with the idea of moving slower and hoping Joshuas would catch up to her. It seemed clear that some power out there wanted her to take this trip alone.

Several groups of soldiers passed as she traveled. She took care to move off the road and hide if she caught sight of them first. If they saw her first, she grunted a greeting and rode past, trying not to draw attention to herself. So far, none of the soldiers had been interested in taking on a strange crafter. Soldiers who'd been in battle knew what a single crafter could do to human warriors. Those who hadn’t been in battle had been warned. Crafters were most often given a wide berth by all but the bravest warriors. Most of the time, the bravest warriors didn’t live to become wiser soldiers.