Source Of The River (3 page)

E
arly the
following morning, Kaiya stepped outside to bask in the warm glow of the sun.
The storm had left no trace of its presence the night before, and the dark
clouds had all flown away. As she made her way across the pasture, a black-and-tan
herding dog came bounding toward her, his tail wagging frantically.

“Good morning, Doozle,” she said, scratching the
dog behind one ear. He licked her hand in reply, and the two of them continued
until they reached her father and the small flock of sheep he was taking to
town.

“You look much better this morning,” Darvil
observed.

“I feel much better,” she replied. “Can I come to
town with you?”

“Might as well,” he replied with a shrug.

The trio set off for town, following the dirt path
that led away from their farm. All the while, Doozle nudged the sheep along,
taking pride in a job well done. The pace was slow and casual, the sheep having
no desire to be quickly sold at market.

The mountain air still had a touch of coolness to
it, despite the impending arrival of summer. Kaiya enjoyed the fresh air, which
still smelled of the previous night’s rain. Mountain winters could be rather
cruel, and she was determined to enjoy every moment of the warm-weather season.
Descending slightly through the mountains, the village awaited just ahead of
them in the distance.

“I suppose I should have brought some of Mum’s
knitting to market,” Kaiya said. “She’ll be unhappy with me that I didn’t.”

“Too late now,” Darvil replied.

Her father had never taken much interest in
conversation, so Kaiya decided to walk in silence the rest of the way.

The town was already bustling with activity when
they arrived. Many farmers and craftsmen had set up stalls to peddle their
goods. Miners were passing by in large groups, heading for the caves where
sparkling treasures patiently awaited their arrival. Soon the mountains would
ring with the sound of their hammers.

As she neared the town, Kaiya’s head started to
feel heavy. Once again she felt the nausea in her stomach, but she did her best
to shake it off. She could feel a strong magical presence but had no idea what
it might be. To her knowledge, she was the only living dwarf with any magical
abilities.

“You look pale, child,” Darvil said, placing a
hand on his daughter’s arm. “Are you sick again?”

Kaiya shook her head. “I’m fine, Papa. I need only
to sit a moment.” She took a seat on the stone steps that led into the village.
“You go on ahead,” she said.

With a sigh, Darvil turned and headed into town
with his sheep. Doozle whimpered and lay down on the grass next to Kaiya. She
stroked his soft fur, happy to have his companionship. A gentle breeze caressed
her face, and she closed her eyes as if to block out the world. Focusing only
on her breathing, she felt less sick.

Suddenly, she felt as if someone were watching
her, and she jumped to her feet. Looking around, she could see no one nearby.
The feeling, however, did not leave her. Something was definitely aware of her
presence, as she was of it. Her heart pounded in her chest as she entered the
town. The feeling only became stronger, leading her to the far end of town near
the mining caves. Doozle trotted along beside her, completely unaware of her
concern.

As she approached one of the caves, an intense
feeling of dread overcame her, forcing her to take a step back. Breathing
deeply to regain her composure, she swallowed once and continued forward.
Cautiously, she entered the cave, curious as to what she might find.

Inside it was completely still, and the air was
cool and damp. The metallic ringing of hammers in the depths of the cave filled
her ears, making it difficult to concentrate. Her nerves were beginning to take
over, and she hesitated to go deeper into the cave. Drawn forward only by her curiosity,
she resolved to find the source of the magic she was sensing.

The cave walls sparkled as she moved between the
oil lamps affixed to the walls. Following the mining path, she inched deeper
inside. The pounding in her chest grew stronger, along with the throbbing in
her head. Surely she was approaching whatever magic was causing her discomfort.

“Halt there, girl!” a voice rang out from the
darkness.

Startled, Kaiya stopped in her tracks. A man with
a torch was approaching her, marching heavily on the stone floor.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“I, I...,” Kaiya stumbled. Her gray eyes flashed
with magic as she searched for the correct words to say.

“I know you,” the dwarf said angrily. “You’re that
witch girl. You’re the one causing the problems with the mines. Get out of here
or I’ll give you a sound beating!” He swung his torch angrily at her.

Kaiya moved back, avoiding the swinging torch.
Doozle barked aggressively at the miner, ready to defend his friend.

“Get that mutt out of here too!” he demanded.

“There’s something inside this cave,” Kaiya
replied hotly. “I can sense it.”

“Damn right there is,” he replied. “There’s a
witch in here, and there’s going to be trouble if she doesn’t get out!”

Kaiya’s eyes continued to flash as she suppressed
the anger inside her. “You’re an old fool,” she said. “There’s something
magical in here, and I’m probably the only person around here who can figure
out what it is.”

“It’s a curse you’ve left on us, no doubt,” the
dwarf spat.

Several miners had come to witness the commotion
and were standing close behind the man with the torch.

“She’s the one,” one of them whispered. “She put
the spell on us.”

Kaiya wrinkled her brow, clueless as to what they
meant. “I haven’t done anything,” she insisted. “I came only to see what it was
I felt. There is a magical being inside this cave.”

“Yes, and if she doesn’t get out, I’m going to
bury a pickaxe in her skull!” A miner stepped forward raising his weapon high
in the air.

Doozle continued to bark, but Kaiya pulled him back.
“Come on,” she said as she backed away from the crowd. As she turned to leave,
a rock hit her on the shoulder. Soon, several of the miners were throwing rocks
at her, forcing her to run from the cave.

Outside in the daylight, a few miners were about
to enter the cave for work. They stared untrustingly at Kaiya as she fled, but
none of them spoke a word. Hurrying back to the market, Kaiya looked among the
crowd for her father. Spotting him near the smithy, she slowed her pace and
approached him.

“Papa,” she said. “There’s magic in one of the
mining caves. I couldn’t tell what it was before the miners chased me out. I
think it might be dangerous.”

Darvil and Ortin, the blacksmith, exchanged
glances.

“They accused me of being a witch and said I’d
cursed them,” she continued.

“There are rumors of sickness in the mines,” Ortin
said. “They must think you’re the cause.” Ortin’s dark eyes looked
sympathetically at Kaiya.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,”
Darvil replied. “She’d never harm a soul!”

“People have always been suspicious of her,” Ortin
remarked. “She’s different, and they’re ignorant.”

“My magic isn’t used for curses,” Kaiya said. “I
have never studied such a thing. Why would they think I want to hurt them?”

“Because they don’t know any better,” Darvil said.
“We’ve kept you shut away too much, I suppose. We should have brought you to
town more so people could see that you weren’t any different from them.”

“I stayed away because they were mean to me, Papa.
You didn’t have anything to do with it. It was my choice.”

“They don’t seem to have trouble with the magic
runes that Trin carves,” Ortin said. “But that’s not the same as what you can
do.” He stroked his black beard before continuing. “You can conjure magic from
the air. No dwarf in my lifetime has done such a thing. They don’t know what to
think of you.”

“They can think whatever they like, but that’s no
excuse to be ugly. They threw stones at me.” Her voice was full of contempt.

“They trust magic that comes from a hammer and
chisel,” Darvil said. “They don’t trust what they can’t understand. I don’t
understand it myself, but I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“There she is!” The dwarf she had first met in the
cave had followed her back to town. “She’s the one who caused the illness, and I
caught her in the cave making sure the curse stuck!”

“That’s a lie!” she shouted back.

Some of the townsfolk looked up from their work,
straining to hear what the yelling was about. A few of them felt brave enough
to approach. Darvil stepped between his daughter and the angry miner.

“Listen here,” he stated. “If you raise one hand
to my daughter again, you’ll have me to deal with.”

“Take that witch of yours and get out of here,
farmer,” the dwarf replied. “Get out of here before there’s trouble.”

“You’re standing in my smithy,” Ortin broke in.
“You can get out of
here
before there’s trouble.” Ortin gripped a large
hammer tightly in his hand and lifted it so the miner could see he was serious.

“You better lift that curse, witch,” he said,
pointing at Kaiya. With those words, he turned and headed back to the caves.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles, but thank
you,” Kaiya said.

“You start using your magic against them and there
will be real trouble,” her father warned. “It’s best to let us deal with it.” He
nodded his thanks to Ortin and took his daughter by the arm. “Let’s get back
home,” he said.

Reluctantly, Kaiya joined him on the road home and
maintained her silence. She was determined to find the source of the magic and
learn whether it had anything to do with the illness Ortin had mentioned. Worry
lay heavily on her mind as she walked, while Doozle trotted alongside without a
care in the world.

S
tepping up onto
the riverbank, River glanced around at the gathered crowd. Ryllak motioned for
his son to follow him as he walked away from the commotion.

“What did the
Spirit tell you?” he asked.

“Only that there is
a sickness among the dwarves in the mountains. There is evil there.”

Ryllak looked at
the ground and back at his son. “Did the Spirit say what this sickness is? Are
our people in danger?”

“He did not say,”
River replied, shaking his head.

Pushing his way
through the crowd, Galen came to River’s side. “Looks like there’s a bit of
excitement here today,” he said with a smirk.

Ryllak gave him a
chiding look, displeased with the young elf’s cheerful disposition. “This isn’t
something to be made light of,” he said. “There is trouble in the mountains,
and trouble could always make its way here.”

“My apologies,”
Galen replied, bowing his head slightly and biting his lip.

River sighed,
glancing between his father and Galen. “What will they do with the body?”

“It will be taken
to Myla at the House of Medicine. She will make arrangements for it.” Ryllak
glanced back over his shoulder at the dwarf. The elves were lifting him onto a
stretcher for transport.

“Couldn’t we take
him back to his family?” River asked.

“That would prove a
difficult task,” Ryllak replied. “It’s a long journey into the mountains. I
think it’s best we deal with his remains here.”

“We should at least
inform his kinsmen, don’t you think?” Galen asked. “There has to be some way to
send a message. Maybe River can do it.” He slapped River on the arm jokingly in
an effort to lighten the mood. Serious situations made him uncomfortable, and
he was usually too quick to make a joke. This time, he tried to be on his best
behavior.

“Maybe,” River
replied. “I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go to the
House of Medicine. Maybe Myla will let us watch her examine him.” Galen seemed
eager to get away from Ryllak.

“Try not to get in
her way,” Ryllak suggested as he turned to leave.

The pair followed
the elves who were carrying the dwarf’s body through the village. The crowd had
finally dispersed, and the elves were busying themselves with their duties
beneath the silver trees of the Vale. The sun shone brightly, and the birds
sang with joy despite the events of the morning. It seemed as if nothing out of
the ordinary had occurred.

“She doesn’t like
me,” River said.

“Who, Myla?” Galen
asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “She’s
always scowling at me, no matter how hard I try to be polite to her. I can’t
recall doing anything to offend her, but she hates me just the same.”

“She doesn’t know
you is all,” Galen said, trying to ease his friend’s mind.

As they arrived at
the wide silver tree, they paused for a moment to allow the elves carrying the
body to enter. Slowly they marched through the arched doorways of the House of
Medicine and laid the lifeless dwarf onto a cot. Galen and River stepped inside
quietly.

“What is this?”
Myla asked, rising from her desk. Her blond hair was pulled tightly back into a
ponytail, giving her slender face an even thinner appearance.

“We bring you the
body of a dwarf who fell to his death from the mountains,” one of the elves
said.

“I want nothing to
do with dwarves,” she replied coldly. “Take it elsewhere.”

River bravely spoke
up, knowing that Myla was not one to take kindly to an argument. “Mistress,” he
began, “this dwarf was suffering from an illness before he fell. Your medical
knowledge is needed to determine if it is a threat to us.”

She narrowed her
eyes, staring at River. “The Westerling Elves do not suffer natural disease.
Being some sort of hybrid elf, I expect you did not know that.”

“I have lived in
the Vale for two hundred years, Mistress,” River replied, trying not to sound
disrespectful. “I know we are not susceptible to most disease, but this may be
brought on by magic.”

“I want nothing to
do with it,” she declared haughtily. “One of my assistants may look at it if
any of them are willing.” She turned her back to River and resumed working at
her desk.

Stepping outside
into the sunlight, Galen said, “That went well.”

River stared at
him, annoyed by the comment. “I shouldn’t have gone in. I should have let the
others convey the message.”

“River, it’s not
you she hates. It’s your father.”

Taken aback, River
said, “My father? Why would she hate him?”

Laughing at first,
Galen asked, “Don’t you remember that time you fell out of the giant almond
tree at the far edge of the Vale?”

“Yes.” River had no
idea what an event from so long ago had to do with anything.

“You landed with a
splash and a thud, and I nearly died laughing.” He chuckled and continued,
“When you didn’t get up right away, I got worried. I ran back to the village to
get Myla, but as soon as she knelt down to check your pulse, Ryllak walked over
and scooped you up. He told her not to worry as he carried you back to the
river and tossed you in. She hasn’t liked either of you since that day.”

“He didn’t toss me.
He sat me at the edge,” River replied.

“Well, he—wait,”
Galen said. “You were unconscious. How do you know what he did?”

“I wasn’t completely unconscious,” he said with a
shrug. “I knew what was going on around me, but I couldn’t seem to wake up—until
he put me in the water, of course. Anyway, that seems a silly reason for her to
dislike either of us. We didn’t need her help, that’s all.”

“Yes, and she thinks everyone should always need
her advice.” Galen grinned at River, feeling proud of his explanation.

River shook his head and laughed despite himself.
“You have a unique perspective on things, Galen.”

Galen beamed proudly. “I know it. If you weren’t
always trying to be all mystical and elementalish you’d see things as clearly
as I do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” River replied. “What do
we do now?”

“I think I know someone who will examine the dwarf
for us,” Galen said. “Follow me.”