Order of The Rose: Forsaken Petal (16 page)

The man looked Tom over for several minutes. He waved his hand and Tanya turned motioning for Tom to follow. They walked toward the door which opened as they approached. The two guards stood to the side allowing them to pass, closing the door behind them. They walked down the hallway for several yards when Tanya suddenly stopped and turned looking at Tom.

“
I need you to trust me,” Tanya said. She spoke quietly and looked up and down the hall. “You and your friends are in grave danger. The man you were speaking to is the leader of the Aetos clan. He is a very powerful man who sits on the counsel. The counsel has become even more corrupt and many of them have aligned themselves with the witches. If witches are after you then he is probably one of the men that sent them.”

Tanya continued down the hall this time going down a different hallway than they had come. They walked a little farther to where were no guards and stopped.

“He will send word to the counsel letting them know that he has caught you and your friends. They will be here soon,” Tanya said.

“
Why would you help us?” Tom asked.

“
The counsel is destroying my people because Cedrick is misguided and follows blindly,” Tanya paused for a moment as if thinking to herself. “There must be someone in the counsel bringing witches in to do his bidding and use them to take control of the other counsel men.”

They continued down the hallway until they reached a well guarded hall. The guards snapped to attention as Tanya approached. She walked up to a door and the guards stepped aside. She opened the first door and Tom saw that Aithnea was sitting on the floor against the wall. She must have been bound as he was because her wrists and ankles were still raw from the ropes that had bound her.

Tom started toward Aithnea. “Are you all right?”

The guards immediately stepped in between him and the open door. He stopped. Aithnea stood and Tanya walked toward her quickly. She said something to Aithnea that Tom couldn’t hear and they walked toward the open door, the guards looked confused. They found the rest of the group behind the other doors. Tanya led them through the hallways until they reached the outer doors that were guarded by several men. As they approached the closed doors a side door opened and Cedrick stood at the head of a large group.

There was a woman wearing a long black gown standing behind Cedrick. Her hair was black and she wore black makeup on her eyes and lips. The woman looked at Kristiana and suddenly began to chant mystical words of magic. Cedrick looked back at the woman in surprise. Kristiana and Aithnea, sensing the danger began to chant as well and John rushed the guards by the door.

Cody and Tom taken aback by the sudden action did not stand by for long as they both rushed the nearest guard who had already pulled a pistol and sword from his belt.  As Tom rushed past Tanya, she pulled the long sword and wicked looking dagger from her belt. Tom and Cody hit the guard at the same time a black web spewed from the hands of the woman in black.

The web spread out as it approached the small group. Caspin stood in front of the web to shield them from its ill affects. As it hit him, he held his symbol high and the web turned to nothing more than black smoke that vanished.

Bolts of light flashed from Aithnea and Kristiana’s hands at the same time, shooting toward the witch striking short of their mark and hitting an invisible barrier that the witch conjured seconds before
the onslaught. The guard fired, missing his mark. Tom and Cody hit him moments later leaving him lying on the ground. His discharged weapon laid harmlessly on the ground beside him.

“
Try not to hurt them,” Tanya shouted.

She swung her sword in an arch toward the guards warning them back. Many of the guards were confused not knowing who to attack. Cody held the guard
's head and hit it against the ground knocking him unconscious. Tom grabbed the knife on the guard’s belt and scrambled to his feet. There was a thunderous noise behind him and he heard Aithnea scream out in pain. Tom turned as Cody stepped in front of him to hold the guards back.

Aithnea
was down. Kristiana cast yet another spell toward the witch as John cut tried to cut his way through the guards toward Cedrick. Looking unconcerned at John's approach Cedrick held a large staff loosely in his hand.

Tom ran toward Aithnea, stopping when he felt her life force begin to fill him. He looked at the witch who she was focused on Kristiana.
Now’s my chance.
He focused on the life force inside of him and aimed at the witch.

The witch shrieked in pain as she was thrown against the wall with a thud. Tom walked toward the witch, pinning her to the wall with the spell, not allowing her to move. Several more missiles shot from Kristiana’s fingers hitting the witch square in the chest causing her to shriek even louder as her flesh burned from the white hot missiles.

“Get the boy,” Cedrick yelled above the battle.

Tom saw many guards hesitate only a moment and then began to surround him.
I can’t worry about the guards, focus on the witch.
The guards continued to close around him. Tanya rushed in front of him swinging her sword toward the closest guard. The guard barely had time to block the long sword before she sliced her dagger toward his arm. Her aim was deadly. The man dropped the sword as the dagger cut across the top of his right forearm. He fell back and the guards stopped moving forward.

Tom began to close his hand as if he had a grip around the witch’s throat. The witch began to gurgle and gasp for breath.
You will pay.
He was enraged and he wanted the witch to pay for all the pain he had ever felt.

“
Stop him he’s killing her,” Cedrick yelled. He charged John and swung his staff high and brought it down toward him. John side stepped the heavy staff and brought his knee up to Cedrick’s gut knocking the wind out of him. Cedrick fell to the ground hard. John brought the flat of his blade down across the side of his head knocking him unconscious.

Tom continued to hold the witch to the wall when he felt a force hit him hard, knocking him back several paces. His concentration broken, the witch fell to the ground gasping for air and slowly rising to her feet, a chilling look in her eyes. A man next to the witch had fallen, his lifeless body twitched in death spasms. Kristiana started to chant and Aithnea was back on her feet fearlessly standing next to her. The witch looked at her enemies, the rage evident on her face. With the wave of her hands she disappeared. A lightning bolt hit the wall where she had been.

The guards all backed toward the wall dropping their weapons. Tanya stepped toward Cedrick and checked to make sure he was still alive. “He will be awake soon and I don’t want to murder a counsel member or we’ll have the whole country after us,” Tanya said.

Caspin walked over to Cedrick and laid his hands on him. “He’ll be fine.”

Tanya walked toward the door and as the guard opened the door for her he said, “We'll give you some time before announcing your escape.”

“
Thank you, I will miss you all and I hope to see you all again soon,” Tanya said.

The group ran quickly across a small courtyard, toward a gate house. The gate was raised and no one stood guard that Tom could see. Once outside the gates Tanya headed toward some bushes where she pulled out several packs and their old gear.

“We must hurry, Cedrick will not wait to send others after us,” Tanya said.

“
Why are you helping us?” John asked.

Tanya stopped and looked at John. “Cedrick is a good man and he has a good heart but the counsel has corrupted him. He is being controlled by someone. Until we find out who that person
is, many will suffer. I have seen what the witches are doing to many of the people and the damage they have caused to the land.”

Tanya looked at John steadily and then continued softly as she looked away. “I have seen what those witches can do to people. They are cruel and they are destroying the country that I love.”

John put his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for your help.”

The group hurried down the path with Tanya leading the way.
How can we fight the counsel and the witches? How did the counsel ever allow them to become so strong? Who’s helping them? Could it be Archelaus?

The group walked for several hours when Tanya headed toward the mountainside .
Where are we going?
It looked as if she was walking straight into the mountainside when she suddenly disappeared. Tom stopped, his mouth dropping open. Tanya reappeared looking at the group. “This way, it’s an illusion that few know about.”

Tanya disappeared once again and John followed her. The rest of the group approached the
mountainside disappearing into the mountain face. Once Tom got to the point they had disappeared he could see how the wall of the mountain opened up. He put his hand through the shimmering wall of stone. His hand shimmered as it passed through. He walked into the passage which led to a large cave.

Tanya began a fire. “This is a good spot to hide for the night,” she said.

Tom set his pack down and went over to Aithnea. “Are you feeling all right?”

“
Yes, I’m doing ok. That witch is powerful, she was able to bat away my spells like they were nothing,” she replied.

“
Yes, she is powerful…” Kristiana walked up to the two, “…but she has shown us that she can be overcome. We’ll need to prepare better for her. I had the feeling that she was able to know what we were going to do before we even did it. It’s a good thing that she didn’t expect the attack to come from you. But don’t expect her to be caught off guard again,”

“
If you don’t mind me asking, how did you do that?” Tanya asked.

Kristiana regarded Tanya for a moment. “We believe that, for whatever reason, Tom is able to use the life energy inside of him as they did in the olden days.”

“So, he is an enchanter?” Tanya said looking up in surprise.

“
Yes, a sort of an enchanter. We were headed to Darthmoth so that we could meet up with a friend who could help us understand better what is happening. Now the problem seems to be that we will not be able to get in contact with him as we had hoped,” Kristiana said.

“
Who is this friend that you are trying to meet up with?” Tanya asked.

“
Tanya, we appreciate all your help, but you can understand how we’re not quite ready to trust you completely yet,” John said.

“
I understand,” Tanya said.

She looked at Tom for a second longer then continued working on the fire. After the fire was going strong Caspin prepared a meal for the group. After their long hike, everyone ate quickly and prepared for bed. Tom was told to take the first watch with Cody.

They sat next to the mouth of the cave with their blankets wrapped tightly around them. “It sure is strange how things have gone since I met you Tom,” Cody said. He drew in the sand with a stick haphazardly. “I was planning on working for Archelaus as a guard or something, or maybe a trainer when I got older.” He stopped drawing and looked up at Tom. “It’s odd how things change so suddenly in life without much of a warning.”

“
That’s the truth. A couple of years ago I was sitting in an orphanage getting beat up every once in awhile, not amounting to much of anything.”

There was silence and Tom thought about the lonely days in the orphanage. He smiled as he looked down at the ground.
It’s crazy how all of these bad things are happening around me and I’m still happier than I ever was back at the orphanage. I’m so glad I met Cody and Aithnea. That’s why I can handle the stress of death.

“
Tom, do you think we’ll ever figure all of this out?” Cody said.

“
I hope so, I’m getting tired of having to look over my shoulder wherever we go.” Tom looked out the cave mouth thinking of the cabin. “It was nice at the cabin. I felt like I had a family for the first time in my life,” Tom said.

“
Me too,” Cody replied softly.

Tom sat thinking about the friends that he now had. Friends he considered family and how he would give his life for them. He wondered about Tanya and what she had given up to come with the group. Had she given up family and friends. What about how the soldiers looked at her with absolute respect and loyalty, how they had half-heartedly raised their swords against her. It was as if they would prefer dying to harming her in anyway. The time passed quickly as Tom sat quietly reflecting.

Chapter 16:

Cody stood and walked toward the others. “Our time’s up.”

Tom stood slowly as the aches of the previous battle caught up with him and walked slowly toward the group. Cody was waking Kristiana and Aithnea for the next watch when he noticed that Tanya was gone.

“Where’s Tanya?” Tom said.

Cody looked toward Tom and then where Tanya was sleeping or where she was supposed to be sleeping. Tom quickly scanned the cave, looking for any sign of her. She was nowhere to be seen but her pack was still next to her bed.

“John,” Cody yelled.

John jumped out of bed pulling his weapon out at the same time, looking for danger.

Tom looked at where Caspin had been. “Caspin’s gone as well.”

“
Where would they have gone? We were guarding the entrance and I didn’t see any other way out,” Cody said.

“
There must be a secret way out or you two fell asleep,” John said

The group began searching the cave looking for another way out. Tom walked to the back of the cave where the wall jutted out oddly. He studied it and noticed that the dust and grime had been recently removed as if some had pushed on the stone. He put his hand up to the stone and pushed. The stone gave way under his hand and a small portion of the wall slid away revealing a tunnel. The tunnel went for about fifty feet. There were stars glistening at the end of the tunnel.

“I found a secret door over here,” Tom said.

John and Cody ran over, looking through the entrance.

“Kris and I’ll start after them while you three pack up everything. Catch up as soon as you can.” John said, and he started through the entrance.

Tom, Cody and Aithnea packed things up while John and Kristiana hurried down the secret passageway. When they had everything packed they headed down the passageway toward the cold dark night. They made it through the passageway quickly and Tom noticed another irregular rock on the outside of the wall. He pushed it and the passage closed up as if it had never existed. The three looked around for traces of John and Kristiana’s passing.

Aithnea pointed at odd silver footprints on the ground and said, “It’s a spell that Kristiana must have cast to show us the direction they went.” She began following the silver footprints.

Tom followed after her and noticed that as they passed the footprints they would slowly start to fade. As they ran along the path, they also
noticed that the footprints were getting brighter as they drew closer to John and Kristiana. The night was dark with only a little light from the waning moon and stars.
How could they see anything, let alone track Tanya?
After about an hour, Tom thought he caught a glimpse of someone ahead of them and hoped they had finally caught up to John and Kristiana.

Cody slowed his pace. They followed at a distance, hoping to find out who it was before revealing themselves. They followed the person through the forest, winding in and out of the trees that were growing thicker as they went. Tom noticed that the person would stop every once in a while and study the ground.
They must be tracking someone as well. Who is it?
They gained on the person, staying as quiet as they could.

Where are John and Kristiana? Whose footprints are we really following? This might not be such a good idea.

The person stopped again and Cody motioned to them that it was time to catch up. They ran the last thirty yards to the person, pulling their weapons in preparation for a fight if they needed to.

Tanya heard them before they had gone more than five yards. She turned on them with both weapons pulled and ready. It was so quick and her face was so fierce Tom was overwhelmed, not wanting to engage her, knowing that if they did she would easily win.

Tanya lowered her weapons. “Where are John and Kristiana?” she asked.

“We thought that we were following them, the silver tracks, we thought that they were theirs,” Cody responded.

Tanya glanced at the tracks that were behind her. “No, they are not theirs they belong to me. I put tracer dust on my shoes hoping that you would be able to follow me if I took too long or did not return. The dust fades slowly. I’m not sure why Kristiana and John wouldn’t follow it unless they thought it was a trap. We must hurry, I can track Caspin but I must stay close or I will lose him,” she said. She turned back to the ground and moved quickly on.

Tom hesitated for a moment then started to follow her. Cody and Aithnea started after them.
How can she move so fast in the dark and still track?

Tanya would stop every once in awhile and look at the ground then  move again.

“How are you tracking him in this darkness?” Tom asked, after she stopped for the third time.

“
I’ll tell you more about it later, but for now just know that I am. The thing that is so surprising though is how well Caspin is hiding his trail. I have been tracking all my life, this is one of the most difficult trails I have ever followed,” she explained.

Tanya continued, stopping occasionally to study the ground. Tom followed seeing the silver footprints appear as she moved.

Her trot suddenly turned into a full out run. She pulled her weapons out of their sheaths and held them at her side as she ran.

Tom ran after her but feared to pull his weapon knowing that if he did he would probably trip and fall, only hurting himself. He was having a hard time keeping up with her and after several yards of sprinting his breathing became heavy.

Tanya ran as if she was taking a casual stroll down the street, jumping over logs and ducking under branches. Her pace never slowed. Tom could hear Cody and Aithnea behind him, their breathing becoming heavy as well.

Tanya let out a battle cry as she jumped high in the air swinging both of her weapons at once. The creature she hit looked like a huge wolf that stood on its hind legs. It was bleeding from the terrible wounds that Tanya had inflicted and was slowly backing away from her. Tanya began to circle the creature, crossing her weapons in a defensive stance.

The creature seemed unaffected by the wounds that Tanya had inflicted. It growled at her and held its huge claws out in front readying itself to pounce. Its mouth revealed a row of razor sharp teeth, saliva dripped down its chin and to the ground. Its eyes had a hint of red as it measured its enemy.

Sweat ran down Tanya’s face and arms, her hardened muscles in her neck and chest tense.

“Stay back,” Tanya yelled over her shoulder. She moved in for another strike. First swinging her dagger low, the creature jumped back dodging it easily. But it opened up for a slash from the long sword which arched down toward its unprotected chest. The creature fell backwards screaming out in pain. Tanya stayed back preparing her next move. The creature howled in pain. Blood was flowing down its chest and waist forming a small puddle below it.

“
Stop, Tanya!” John yelled from behind them.

Tom turned, Kristiana and John were coming over the small hill, running toward them. Tanya backed away from the creature still holding her weapons at the ready. John came past her holding a plant in his hand he knelt next to the creature. The creature sniffed at the plant that John held. Then with its uninjured arm took the plant and slowly began to chew. Kristiana was next to the creature opening her pack and pulling out bandages.

Tanya slowly lowered her weapons and stood limply looking at the creature, which she had nearly killed, begin to turn into Caspin. She immediately sheathed her weapons, seeing what she had done. She knelt next to Kristiana and began to help bandage the man.

Tom watched as the fur turned to clothes and the claws turned into hands.

“I had to get out before you saw me,” Caspin said. His breath coming in ragged gasps.

“
Why didn’t you just tell us?” John asked.

Caspin’s face was turning grey and a tear was rolling down his face. He grimaced from the pain. Tanya had made a salve and had already begun to apply it to his wounds, while Kristiana applied bandages over the open wounds.

“I was... I was afraid that you would not allow me to travel with you. I have been on the run for so long, avoiding so many people that I didn’t think that I would ever be able to be around people again. Then I met up with you at the shack and thought that if I was able to keep it a secret … I would be able to get to Archelaus and he would  help me. Last night the black moon had risen and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stop the change and my secret would be reveled.”

John put a jug to Caspin’s mouth so he could drink.

“How did you know the plant would work?” Caspin asked after taking many gulps of water.

“
Kris noticed that your tracks had changed. There is a legend about a werewolf who was able to control his changing with this herb. Kris had seen some of the plant the other day while we traveled. We went back to get it just in case it would work,” John explained.

“
Caspin, I saw you use the plant on Tom’s wound and saw the worry in your face when you had to use it. I figured that you were just worried that it was gone but when I saw the change in the tracks I knew then why you had been so worried. Without the plant you can’t control the change.” Kristiana said. She applied a bandage to the last wound.

Tanya put her hands on the wounds and said a few words in a strange tongue that Tom had not heard before. Color began to return to Caspin’s face. He looked more alive than before.

Caspin smiled weekly and put his hand on Tanya’s hand. “Thank you, do not feel any sorrow for what has happened tonight. You have acted with honor and courage, not many people would face a full grown werewolf, let alone in the night.”

Kristiana looked at Caspin’s face and then at Tanya. “How did you do that?”

“Tanya is a ranger of the white forest clan. Isn’t that true my dear?” Caspin said, turning to her.

Tanya said a few words in her native tongue, her face changed slightly, becoming more slender, her ears were longer on the top and pointy. Her hair turned to a golden yellow and her eyes became a bright green.

“You speak the truth Caspin. I am a ranger of the white forest. I have also had to hide my true form for many years. I left the white forest many years ago in search of my true calling. It’s not unusual for my people to go among men in search of their path. I found mine with the White Eagle clan. Until I saw you, Tom. I knew, then, that our paths lay close together. I have to make sure that you remain safe, even if it costs me my life.” Tanya turned toward Tom and knelt on one knee, pulling her sword from its sheath and holding it in the palms of her hands. “I swear to protect you with my life for all time. My sword is your sword and where you go I will go.” Tanya bowed her head slightly.

Tom stepped forward kneeling in front of Tanya not quite sure what he should do or say. “Tanya, I accept your help and feel honored to have you with me. You do not ever need to bow to me though I am just a boy.”

Tanya smiled. She stood and pulled him up with her.

Why do these people try so hard to protect me? Yes I have magic but so does Aithnea and Kristiana. Caspin also has a magic of sort. How can I live up to their expectations?

“
We might as well go back to the cave and regain our strength till morning. Regrettably, we’ll need to continue on.” Looking at Caspin, he said, “Even with our wounds.”

They headed back to the cave with John and Cody on either side of Caspin. They both had an arm around his waist and he leaned heavily upon them. Tanya led the way back her elven eyes making it easy for her to follow the trail.

Caspin groaned as John helped him down to the hard cave floor and Tanya stacked blankets under his head.

Tom laid down, covering up with a blanket that didn’t do much to keep the cold out.
Why would she want to follow me, I’m just a boy. A boy who doesn’t know where he’s going or why.
He thought about the days at the orphanage and how the boys had constantly ridiculed him and hurt him.
I’m a nobody, I’ve always been a nobody.

Tom was comfortable being a nobody. Now that people where starting to look at him as if he was something important he didn’t know how to act. He had never had to worry about letting others down or of having to get close to others for that matter.
What happens when I’m unable to live up to their expectations and let them down? What will happen to my friends then? Will they stand by me; will Tanya still be by my side? What about Cody…What about Aithnea?
After wrestling with question after question he began to dream.

He dreamed of the meadow. It was so beautiful. He saw the fawn with its mother and the fish jumping in the pond. He dreamed of the night and of shadows covering the land bringing death to everything that they touched. He heard the voice calling out to him again. This time the dream was a different. He no longer stood alone at the edge of the pond but his friends were there with him, all of them except for one, Cody.

He looked for him around the clearing, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He heard the voice again, recognizing it this time. It was Cody’s, he was crying out for help. Tom began running toward the voice into the thick forest, searching for his friend. He ran so long his legs ached and his breathing grew heavy. He finally found him. Cody was fighting desperately against many different creatures. Some of them had horns and tails with red skin, others were gruesome looking men with red dragon symbols on their capes. Tom ran toward Cody. The ground grabbed his legs, keeping him from getting to Cody, from saving Cody. He struggled with the ground, tearing glob after glob of hard dirt away, but with each handful two more appeared.