Soul Seeker (The World of Lasniniar Book 1) (33 page)

Golaron opened his eyes and winced.

“How are you feeling?” Silvaranwyn’s soft voice floated down to him.

Golaron tried cracking his eyes open once more. It was daylight. The rising sun seemed unnaturally bright. “How long?” he croaked.

“A day and a half.” Silvaranwyn held out a hand to stop him from sitting up. “You must move slowly. You have lost a lot of blood.” She passed him a waterskin, holding it for him as he drank.

“Any sign of the others?” Golaron asked between sips.

Silvaranwyn shook her head. “I have been watching the battlefield. I have seen no sign of life.”

Golaron forced himself to a sitting position. “Have you not slept the entire time?”

“Not as you would call it, no.” Silvaranwyn forestalled his protest. “I allowed my soul to wander far to the south and bask in the light of the Quenya while I watched over you. It is a form of elven meditation that allows one to find rest while remaining awake. I am quite refreshed.”

Golaron frowned as he looked at her more closely. She looked well rested. Her coloring was unchanged, but her eyes were bright and clear, and the minor wounds she had sustained were already healed. Her beauty, tempered by sorrow, still dazzled him. He pulled his gaze away and forced himself to consider the fate of the others.

“Can you sense nothing of Linwyn or Iarion and Barlo?” he asked.

Silvaranwyn looked sad. “My connection to the Quenya is dwindling. I would have to seek out a bird, or another creature to search for them, which would be very draining for me now. All I know is what my heart tells me.”

“And what is that?”

“That Hidar spoke truly. Linwyn has been taken hostage.”

“And Iarion and Barlo?”

Silvaranwyn sighed. “Iarion is troubled. Whatever was revealed to him by the Forbidden Pool haunts him. Most likely it was something terrible, a combination of falsehood and truth designed to make him falter. I believe he took advantage of the chaos of the battle to leave the rest of us behind in order to spare us from whatever he saw. Barlo probably went with him.”

“Whether Iarion wanted him to or not.” Golaron gave a wry smile. “What now?”

“Now that you are awake, I will search the battlefield to confirm my suspicions and hopefully find Linwyn’s or Iarion and Barlo’s trail. Then you must decide.”

“Decide?”

“Do we follow Linwyn’s trail and rescue her from whatever fate has befallen her, or do we find Iarion and do what we can to help him succeed in the quest?”

“What kind of decision is that?” Golaron threw his arms up in the air. “On the one hand, we could rescue my sister from certain death, but leave Iarion to potentially fail in a quest that could save Lasniniar. Or, we could help Iarion save the world, and leave Linwyn to her fate. It’s an impossible choice! Does the Quenya tell you nothing?”

“Only that it is your choice to make and that whatever you decide, my place is with you.” Silvaranwyn rose to her feet in one fluid motion. “I will leave you to your thoughts while I search the battlefield.” She walked away, leaving Golaron feeling very much alone.

He sat and stared at the carnage that surrounded him. Hidar’s body was only a few feet away. Silvaranwyn had covered their fallen companion with a blanket, for which Golaron was grateful.

Although his stomach turned at the thought of food, he forced himself to eat, knowing he would need his strength. The rations the dwarves had given them at Dwarfwatch had gotten them all the way through the dark lands and beyond. They would not last much longer. And now they were in the middle of enemy territory.

What were they going to do? Both he and Silvaranwyn were unfamiliar with the area. They had lost all their guides. If they could find Iarion, he could lead them. But perhaps Silvaranwyn was right and Iarion did not want to be found. And if they decided to go after Linwyn, what then? He was seriously wounded and she was fading. How could they possibly rescue her?

Golaron berated himself for letting Linwyn out of his sight. She was a fearsome warrior, but she was brash and impulsive. She needed someone to watch her back. Golaron had been too busy looking out for Silvaranwyn, who, he was forced to admit, could probably take care of herself.

Linwyn always counted on him to be her shadow. Now he had let her down. The thought of his proud sister as a captive in enemy hands infuriated him. She would fight back and try to escape, but at what cost? Could he really leave his twin to her death? He could only imagine what his father would say if he returned home without her.

But the reason they had come on this journey was to help Iarion try to save Lasniniar. If he and Silvaranwyn went after Linwyn, they would lose their chance to catch up with him. Could the elf succeed without them? Golaron did not know. He had a great deal of respect for Iarion and his fighting abilities, but he was only one elf. Even if Barlo was with him, Iarion’s chances were slim.

Golaron was still trying to sort things out when Silvaranwyn returned. She sat beside him and took a long pull from her waterskin.

“Iarion has gone northeast. Barlo is with him.”

Golaron frowned. “Northeast? Why that direction? There is nothing there.”

“I believe he and Barlo went that way in search of a more defensible position. There is a bottleneck between the Mountains of Fire and the sea.”

“So they have gone in the opposite direction of Melaquenya.” Golaron pondered this news before looking at Silvaranwyn once more. “And what of Linwyn?”

“It appears she was overwhelmed and taken captive. I found this.” Silvaranwyn pulled something from her pack. Golaron uttered an inarticulate sound of pain. It was Linwyn’s helm.

He struggled to his feet, his mind made up. “Which way?”

Silvaranwyn stood with him. “They have taken her west.”

“West? Are you certain? Why would they take her west when the Fallen One is just north of here?” Golaron fought to maintain his balance.

Silvaranwyn placed a steadying hand on his arm. “These men serve the Fallen One out of fear. Perhaps they did not want to go directly to him without the prize he seeks. Instead, they lead us on a chase and most likely into a trap.”

“But we do not have the Stariquenya.”

“They do not know that. Hidar must not have mentioned to his father which one of us bears it, or they would have gone after Iarion.

“The Fallen One is mistrustful of his minions, particularly where the Stariquenya is concerned. It is the source of his power. Although he can still feed off it while it is in someone else’s possession, it serves him unwillingly and he cannot locate it. Like my own connection to the Quenya, his powers will gradually diminish with time and distance, and eventually fade altogether if he cannot be reunited with it. His Forsworn will fare no better.

“He probably only instructed these people to be watchful for a group of strange travelers coming from the north, saying we had taken something belonging to him. We were most likely supposed to be recaptured and brought to him along with our possessions, and that was all they knew until Hidar told them the rest.” The elf shrugged.

“Then why did they not press their advantage on the battlefield? They had us outnumbered.” The feel of Silvaranwyn’s hand on his arm was distracting.

“Hidar’s father does not serve the Fallen One willingly, but to keep his tribe alive. We killed many of his men and many more would have died before they eventually killed us. It was more than Hidar’s father was willing to pay. I am certain the news of his son’s death was also a factor.” Her voice was sad.

“I do not understand these people! They could have helped us. Hidar would still be alive, and they would have helped us overthrow the Fallen One. Even if their tribe was exterminated in retribution, it would be a small price to pay to save all the Free Peoples of Lasniniar.” Golaron’s anger was making him stronger. He no longer needed Silvaranwyn to steady him.

“We all do as we must, Golaron. If you became Lord of Belierumar, could you sign the death warrant of your people?” Her silver eyes seemed to pierce his soul.

Golaron wanted to say yes, but he pictured the men and women of his homeland, proud and fierce, and faltered. “I—I do not know.”

“And what will you choose today? Will you go after Iarion, or will you try to save your sister?”

Golaron knew it was the same question. But somehow the answer seemed clearer. “I will do both. We will go after Linwyn and once we free her, we will search for Iarion. He has been forced to backtrack and is still weak from the Forbidden Pool. We know where he is headed. We should be able to catch up. I cannot leave Linwyn behind.” He felt the truth of those words as he said them. Linwyn was a part of him. He was unable to imagine life without her.

“Iarion is resourceful and has friends in many places. He will not fall behind for long,” Silvaranwyn warned him.

Golaron sighed, knowing she was right. “It is a risk we will have to take.”

Silvaranwyn nodded her approval and started to move. “Linwyn’s trail is this way.”

Golaron was still weak. At times, Silvaranwyn had to support him as he walked. He knew he should rest, but he forced himself to keep going, knowing every step took him closer to Linwyn. Silvaranwyn seemed to know better than to tell him to slow down.

Despite his injury, they made good time. The men who had taken his sister were a large group, so they traveled more slowly. He and Silvaranwyn saw no one as they crossed the Daran Falnun. The land seemed empty.

At the end of the first day, they made camp south of the River of Dawn. Although Golaron protested, Silvaranwyn kept watch all through the night. In the end, he had been too exhausted to argue. Now the sun was rising and they were preparing to set out once more. The trail was clear and easy to follow. No doubt the men intended it to be. It led straight to the Pass of Stars.

The pass was quiet. Too quiet.

Golaron drew his sword as they approached the entrance. He looked around. The area was empty. He saw a single, bloodied sword lying abandoned at his feet. He and Silvaranwyn continued with caution. Not far from where the sword had been dropped lay the body of one of the men of Hidar’s village. Golaron stepped over him.

Further into the pass lay two more bodies. One was a man from Hidar’s tribe. The other was a Greater Man wearing the colors of Nal Huraseadro. The Greater Man had been impaled by the other man’s spear. But the sword that had killed the Lesser Man was missing.

“Golaron, look.” Silvaranwyn gestured at something on the ground.

It was a length of rope. Golaron searched around the bodies and found a second bit of rope that had been cut. For a moment, Golaron’s heart seemed to leap from his chest with a surge of renewed hope. Linwyn had gotten free! But there were still more bodies to be found. As they moved westward through the pass, the carnage increased.

A major battle had been fought recently. The men of Nal Huraseadro had tried to hold the pass against Hidar’s tribe. Their numbers had already been decimated by the Fallen One’s army that had passed through only a few weeks before. This attack had come without warning. Not a single warrior of Nal Huraseadro was still alive.

Golaron’s hopes sank. Linwyn’s captors had triumphed and continued on their way, taking Linwyn with them. He knew they would not have pressed on without her. Still, Golaron forced himself to search the bodies to be certain. Linwyn was not among them.

“She must have used the distraction of the battle to try to escape,” he said. “Once those two men killed each other, she cut her bonds and took the sword. Then she ran east, away from the battle and toward us. She killed one of them, but probably not before he alerted the others.” Golaron frowned. “I just thought there would be more bodies where we found the sword. Linwyn would not have gone down without taking a few of them with her.”

“She is most likely still wounded from the battle in the Daran Falnun,” Silvaranwyn said. “Perhaps even a head injury, like your own. It was how they were able to capture her in the first place. They have probably kept her drugged as well. It is amazing she managed to escape at all.”

“That’s my sister,” Golaron said with sad pride. He looked into the distance and frowned. The Upper Daran Nunadan lay before them. “But where are they taking her? The Fallen One has no allies in these lands.”

“Do you not remember the Forsworn One and its army?” Silvaranwyn looked at him.

Golaron felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach.

They were taking Linwyn to Nal Nungalid.

–
Chapter Thirty-Three –

Worst Fears Realized

Linwyn had lost track of how long they had been traveling. After her attempted escape in the Pass of Stars she had awoken to find herself not only bound once more, but gagged and blindfolded as well. The men had learned their lesson and were taking no chances.

Perhaps a day ago they had crossed a river. Although Linwyn could not see, she could hear many boots splashing through rushing water. It had to be the Silvershroud. They could not be far from their destination.

Hidar’s tribe had met no further resistance since the Pass of Stars. Who was left stop them? The survivors of Nal Nungalid were refugees living with the dwarves. The men of Nal Huraseadro had already fallen trying to defend the Pass of Stars not once, but twice.