The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (11 page)

The Great One turned to Keir and Nuit. They
would be able to understand him through Erin’s mind. “The ancients
left us very special enhancers for all sages to use to give our
connection extra intensity for times like these. It will not cure
the imbalance but it will stop the deterioration at this level. The
rest of the process, of bringing our world back into alignment, is
what we will be doing when we leave here this afternoon. What I
would like to ask you, Nuit and Keir, is would you be willing to
fly small bags across the realm? We have three to deliver as soon
as possible to Ree, to Bas at Sherroton and to Lazin at Osily. If
you are willing I can tell those individuals to watch for you at a
designated time and place.”

“The most dangerous one would be to Char. If
anyone saw you carrying something or giving it to Char it would
endanger both of you. We will be going to Yerra first and we will
hand deliver that one to him personally. The rest of them really
need to get the other sages before we could get there. Would you
two be willing to deliver three?”

Nuit spoke first to Erin. ‘I could take the
northern part of the realm. Osily and Sherroton are in line with
each other. Also, since I fly at night, there would be less chance
of being spotted carrying two small bags. I have met Bas and though
I haven’t met Lazin you have told me of his ottol.’

Keir spoke next. ‘I can fly directly to Ree.
After I have delivered it to her I will find Kennet’s wagon. I will
be extra careful in Sawblen.’

Erin turned to Gyan. “Both have agreed. Nuit
will deliver to Lazin and Bas. Lazin needs to have his ottol with
him as identification. Keir will fly to Ree. Both...” she paused to
get affirmation from Nuit, “Both will find us when they have
successfully completed their delivery.”

Gyan gave a big sigh of relief and bowed to
them. “Thank you, Keir and Nuit. You can rest and leave tomorrow if
you wish.”

Keir looked at Erin. ‘I can leave now. I’ll
fly through the pass and be on the prairie side by tonight.’ Erin
relayed the message to Gyan who put the stone in a small velvet bag
and gently tied it to Keir’s leg.

Erin walked to the window, which Lor had
opened. ‘Travel safe, my friend.’ she said and he was gone.

Nuit said, ‘I will sleep now. Tonight Lor can
put the bags on me and I, too, will go through the pass.’ She flew
up into the rafters and fell asleep, as Erin reported what the owl
had said.

Lor nodded. “Will do.”

Sterling came in with the food and they all
sat down and ate. Gyan brought Lor up to speed about the
calibrations of the device and the installations that he would have
to oversee. “You will find greater detail in the library when you
put the books away. Don’t worry. We put everything away except the
the very last. When the device is done and the glow stone pieces
are complete you need to store them back into their boxes which we
also left out. We can return those pieces to their cubbyholes
later. I will be checking with you frequently.” “Sterling, are the
wagons stocked?”

“They are ready for you, Gyan, any time you
are ready to leave.”

Erin spoke to Tempo. ‘Wake up my friend. You
need to go collect your emigrating family.’

Tempo opened his eyes and blinked. ‘Are we
ready to leave?’ He stood up and stretched.

Erin smiled. ‘Yes, we’re ready. The wagons
are near the front of the city. We’ll meet you there.’ Tempo jumped
down from the chair and ran out of the door.

They all got up from the table. Gyan looked
at the two sages that were going to go with him. ‘You two need to
put on your pendants and pocket your new enhancers. From now on
they must be with us all of the time. Lor do you have any
questions?”

“No, I think I’m good. I will go to the
library and go over the information after you leave.”

Gyan gave a nod. “Okay. Let’s collect our
packs and meet our little travelers in front of the city.”

Soon they were all walking down the cobbled
road and approaching the city commons. Erin saw that the horses and
the security men were out toward the road. Other than the drivers
of the wagons, everybody would all be riding. Kennet was standing
at the end of his wagon checking his load. The other two wagons had
hay and sacks with nuts but otherwise they were empty. There were
boards that stretched from the ground to the bed of the wagons,
gangplank style. Erin went up to Kennet. “It is good to have you
with us.”

He slapped her on the back heartily. “Same to
you. So what is our cargo in the last two wagons?”

She gave him a wicked grin. “Thirty skunks
emigrating to the prairie provinces.”

His jaw dropped. “You are kidding me, right?
Tempo was one thing. He has helped us many times with his early
warning system. Thirty?”

Erin got solemn. The prairies are being eaten
alive with vermin. Bure and his kin were not just killing ‘witches’
they were also killing any and all skunks they found. We need them
there.” Just then there was a change in the conversational tone of
the crowd. Coming from around the corner was Tempo and a host of
other skunks. It looked like a rippling wave of black and white. He
led them to the gangplanks and they started up. Erin was counting.
As the fifteenth skunk went up into one wagon the rest of the
skunks started up the next. Thirty skunks were loaded and ready to
go to their new home. There were several slack jawed people who had
watched the organized loading. Kennet was one of them. He finally
closed his mouth and looked at Erin. He was speechless for a moment
then he burst into laughter. “Well, I’ll be...” Not finishing his
sentence he turned to the front of his wagon.

Erin scooped up Tempo and put him in front of
her saddle. She then mounted and he settled into her lap. She could
hear Bast at the front of the caravan. “Let’s go!” They all started
to move down the road toward Narrow Valley and the rest of the
realm.

Erin rode back beside the last two wagons.
Tempo wanted to tell everyone to nestle down into the hay because
they would be traveling fast and it could get a little bumpy. When
she was beside the wagons Tempo stood up on her lap and through a
series of growls and and other noises the point was communicated.
It was good timing because the pace had really picked up. Since
they were starting late in the day they hoped to get to the rock
slide or beyond it before they camped. To do that they were moving
at a brisk clip.

She rode ahead again to check in with Gyan.
As she came along side of the Great One, Tempo spoke in her head.
‘Everyone is settled in. We thank the Great One for the
thoughtfulness of the nuts. Before we separate at the crossroads we
need to have a conference so the drivers and my relatives are on
the same page. Since I am going with you I will not be available to
communicate for them.’

‘Point taken.’ Erin turned to Gyan. “Tempo
wanted to convey to you that every skunk is nestled down into the
hay and appreciative of the thoughtful inclusion of nuts for them.
He asks that before the two wagons with the skunk passengers split
off from our party that we stop and have a conference with the
skunks and the drivers. Tempo will not be going with them so we
need to make sure that everybody, drivers and skunks, understand
how the emigrants will be dispersed.”

He nodded. Tonight when the skunks go out to
forage I will take the time to explain why they are with us. I
didn’t have time to go over that before. We have a good crew and it
shows as they are not questioning our unusual passengers. We will
tighten down the instructions to both groups at the end of tomorrow
as we hope to make the crossroads by then.” Erin nodded in
understanding and fell back to ride for awhile beside Drune.

They rode hard all afternoon and managed to
get almost to the end of Tight Valley by the time they lost light.
The three wagons stopped in the road and everybody made camp on the
grassy ground beside it. Erin and Tempo got down from the horse and
strode back to the last two wagons. She helped the drivers set the
gang planks and Tempo took over. She could understand his speech to
his fellow skunks just like he could follow her conversations to
other people when their minds were open to each other. “Hunt well
and be back before dawn. We are a day away from the turn off into
the prairies. It will be in that area that you will want to live
because the mice, vesi and bugs are plentiful. The Great One will
stop and talk to everybody tomorrow night so you will understand
his plan for our world. See you tomorrow!’ The sea of thirty skunks
disappeared into the night shadows beyond the reach of the
firelight.

Erin turned to her friend. ‘You too, Tempo.
Go eat. I will see you later.’

She turned to the horses and started grooming
them. She had learned, particularly with all of the quakes and
such, that it was important to build a rapport with the animals and
to reassure them that people cared about them. She worked with the
horses, side-by-side with the owners until the communal meal was
ready. Apparently one of the security men was known for his simple
but delicious camp cooking. Erin, Drune and Kennet were not
disappointed. There was a flat bread that was almost like a cake.
It was great eaten alone or for dipping into the stew of legumes in
savory gravy. Everybody around the campfire was so focused on the
food that there was little conversation.

Gyan, having eaten his fill, sat back
replete. “I appreciate each one of you for being willing to leave
your homes on such short notice. The realm is in serious trouble.
Bure, who has been exiled to Obsidian,” at that he gave a nod to
Bast, “and his family, not only murdered several talented and wise
people but they also killed every skunk they could find. What we
are doing on this unseasonable journey throughout the realm is
trying to rectify what those men threw out of balance.”

“The quakes and storms have been increasing
and the weather patterns have changed. Because of the torrential
rains and the absence of one of their biggest natural predators,
the prairie provinces have had a large increase in mice, vesi and
assorted bugs. The vermin are getting into the food storage and are
biting and stinging folks. Wounds have been prone to infection and
their droppings have contaminated food. The healers are busy
because the pests are making people sick. Our thirty passengers
will be reestablishing the skunk population and hopefully will help
us get the problem under control. We will speak in greater detail
on this part of the plan when we get to the crossroads
tomorrow.”

“There’s more. Bure and his family have upset
a balance the ancients set up centuries ago. I ask for your
complete discretion.” He stopped and looked in each face of this
hand picked team. When he had received a gesture of compliance from
everyone he gave them one more hard look then continued. “Our world
was so unstable as to be unlivable, when the ancients found it. I
don’t fully understand all of the details but they discovered that
there were some people that had a special characteristic in the
very tiniest parts of their bodies that somehow stabilized the
tectonic forces, and other elements like weather, for the planet.
In order for the planet, and our realm, to be balanced we would
need to have a certain number of those people. Those people are
sages and in the killing spree Bure killed almost half of our small
population along with several others.” There were groans and
shocked expressions around the campfire. “This set up a potentially
catastrophic scenario for our world. We have found some information
that the ancients left us of things we can do to hopefully
straighten out the damage. Part of our mission concerns that
task.”

He held up his hand for silence. “Bure
managed to plant a germ of an idea in several minds that “witches”
were responsible for the horrendous disasters that have befallen
the realm. He told these people that he was trying to rid the realm
of the infestation of these evil witches. Some people believed him.
That infection has found breeding ground with fearful and
superstitious people. For the most part it is the Sawblen Province
that is affected. There is some spill over into the others but in
Sawblen, Mayor Harra has had to place protective ‘relatives’ in
homes of midyears or older skilled individuals. That shows a
dangerous mood. Can you imagine what would happen if the general
population would have heard what I just told you about sages? It
could play into what Bure has already planted. No, we need to be
very careful and that is why I asked, and truly require, your
discretion. But it is only fair that you understand since you are
riding into potential danger.” There were nods around the fire.
Erin had her mind wide open to try to sense if there was any among
the travelers that were skeptical or thought the whole sage thing
was nonsense. It appeared that everyone was totally behind what the
Great One had said. That was good to know.