The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (15 page)

“As it is, I can not allow you just to walk
away. You knew that what you were planning was against all of our
laws yet you were going to do it. If you had succeeded you would
now be banished to Obsidian for the rest of your lives.” Gyan‘s
voice was now cold and stern. “Your punishment will be light but
hopefully will remind you next time you are tempted to take matters
into your own hands. Today there will be seventeen shaved heads.
Each of you will have tattooed on your head the word WITCH. Until
your hair grows back and covers your foolishness, you will be
subject to questions about the tattoo and the lack of hair. You
will need to answer that you almost committed murder because you
believed half-baked children’s stories instead of doing what the
rest of us are doing: working harder, asking experts and simply
enduring when we must. You are forbidden to wear a hat or to cover
your head in any way. When you age and your hair thins you will
have more questions put to you.”

“You should be ashamed of what you attempted
to do today. Char is innocent as is every other target you cooked
up. Witches don’t exist! Should you start to feel aggrieved because
of your well earned punishment, let me remind you that within the
punishments available there are those that would cause you physical
pain or injure you and make it difficult for you to do your craft.
You are getting off lightly. Don’t mistake this for softness. I
have none where you seventeen are concerned. I’m thinking about
your families that would suffer if you could not earn a living.”
Gyan gave a nod and the city security people rounded up the
seventeen miscreants and led them away.

The security men started to break up the
crowd and put the street to rights. Gyan, Erin and Drune went to
the injured. Char was okay but a little roughed up with a variety
of bruises and scrapes. Terk was cut and bruised and had a slight
concussion. A healer was putting Kaas’s arm back into joint. As
Erin approached the boy her pendant got very warm. She looked
around for Gyan. He caught her searching glance and came over.
“Great One, this brave lad is Kaas. He is Char’s assistant and
fought very hard for his mentor.”

Gyan looked at the boy and at Erin. He said
in her head, ‘He is a latent sage. A young one but my pendant is
very warm!’

‘Mine too.’ said Erin

‘We’ll come by tomorrow to see how they are
doing and have a conversation.’ said Gyan. “Hello young Kaas. I’m
grateful for you efforts to help Char and am pleased to meet
you.”

The lad’s intelligent blue eyes focused on
the leader of the realm. “Your timing was great. I don’t know what
would have happened if you hadn’t come when you did.”

Gyan gently touched the boy’s wavy hair. His
inclination was to pat his shoulder but that was inappropriate due
to the boy’s injury. “We’ll visit with you and Char tomorrow and
I’ll explain how that happened. Right now we need to see the mayor
but we will be back.”

As the three sages walked back toward the
city Gyan said, “I am pleased with him. We’ll learn more about him
tomorrow. I don’t know about you but I could use a bite to eat.
Let’s go to see Kennet, pick up Tempo and the box of caps with the
disc. We have a long meeting with Harra ahead.” He ruffled Erin’s
short hair and slapped Drune on the back. “It has been a busy day
so far and it isn’t over. Told you it wouldn’t be dull.”

The air was tense in Mayor Harra’s office.
Dryr, Yerra’s city Elder and one of three city officials, was
pacing and raving. “What is Gyan doing here? Did you know he was
coming? His actions are usurping our rights with his security force
and sentencing!”

Aron, the city legist and number two
official, shook his head. “What’s bothering you Dryr? Gyan stopped
you and your group from doing something you would forever regret.
We have tried to reason with you for weeks. You were wrong! Murder
is wrong! You and your group have threatened our families because
you were bent on murdering innocent people!” He walked over and put
his hands on the agitated man’s shoulders. “Get over it. Bure was
lying to you for his own warped reasons. He was using you, man! I
am supremely glad that Gyan stopped you. Now! You send word out to
your group to release our family members!”

Harra, who had had his back to the men,
turned his head to look over his shoulder at Dryr. When he spoke
his voice was hard and cold. “I am very grateful that Gyan and his
security force rode into our city in time to stop your thugs. As
for usurping our rights, you’re crazy if you believe that! Gyan is
the Great One of our realm. We all have the same laws. He has the
right to sentence. How would I know he was coming? You have been
shadowing me for well over a week. Have I received a letter? My
daughter and Aron’s wife had better be in my office safe and
untouched within a half hour. Go now and return with them! Get out
of here!”

When the fuming man left, Harra stepped out
of his office and motioned to a small man who was lingering in the
corridor. His hair was long, thick and pulled back at the back of
his head. They spoke quickly in undertones and the man left in the
same direction that Dryr had gone. He stepped back in the office
and closed his door, facing Aron. “His entire family are having
their heads shaved and tattooed. I would like to see him join them.
Another elder can be chosen. I wouldn’t have been able to live with
myself if they had killed Char, but my daughter, Posie, and your
wife, Josy, were at risk.” he shook his head. He looked up as Gyan,
Drune, Erin and Tempo walked in, smiling.

Erin and Drune instantly sobered. Gyan looked
at his young sages and acting on a hunch walked over and put a hand
on the mayor’s shoulder. “Good to see you Harra!” He repeated the
gesture on Aron’s shoulder. “Now tell me, how big is this group
really? Who has been pressuring you?”

Harra sighed. “Have I ever told you how much
I appreciate your intuition, Gyan? You stopped most of them. As
near as I have been able to learn there are a total of twenty here
in Yerra. There may be others in the province but I believe that
most are here. The three that weren’t in the mob today are Dryr,
Oban and Stel. Dryr, my City Elder, is one of the ring leaders.
Aron and I weren’t aware where the organizing was coming from until
my daughter, Posie, and Aron’s wife, Josy, disappeared on the same
day. Then Dryr dropped into the office and calmly informed us that
their safety depended on our inaction and looking the other way
while they eliminated witches. I did what I could by
surreptitiously placing big, strong ‘long lost relatives’ in homes
of targeted citizens. Today was the closest they have come to
succeeding. I profoundly thank you for timely arrival. Oban and
Stel must be on guard duty for our kidnapped loved ones. I have
just sent that insect to bring back our family members. I also sent
a man to follow him. We don’t know where the women are being held
and are not positive if they have more guards than Stel and
Oban.”

“Has Dryr been staying really close to you,
even in the evenings when I contacted you? Because we converse in
our heads you could have told me of this and not revealed anything
to him.”

Harra hung his head. “I’d hoped to be able to
solve this within house. He was in the room when you last ‘dropped
into my head’. They have been very careful and very arrogant. They
also have been spying on us and have threatened to send us severed
fingers if we move against them. I had just gotten that news when
you spoke to me last. My mind was a bit in shock. Have I thanked
you for your incredibly good timing?”

Gyan squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
“Erin is responsible for our timing. She sensed the mob’s emotion
building and took off at a gallop. Bast and I have learned to trust
her abilities. We just followed.” Gyan cocked his head. “Do you
want me to sit in that chair? With its tall back and the fact that
it faces away from the door I could be here when your ladies are
brought in.” Harra nodded. “Erin, could you go get Bast. You two
could be in Aron’s office next door. Drune, I would appreciate it
if you would sequester yourself in that alcove. Just for security
reasons, you understand.”

Erin left right away being careful to appear
nonchalant but purposefully seeking where Bast was. She didn’t have
to go far. Because the focus of his job was protecting the Great
One, Erin found Bast lingering outside a nearby shop while casually
watching everyone who approached the area of the Mayor’s office.
She stood beside him and looked into the shop’s window. Quickly she
filled him in on what Harra had revealed and what they were
expecting to happen. Bast’s expression went flat. He put one hand
on the back of his neck and ran his hand to the top of his head as
if he was deep in thought. The gesture ended in a fist briefly. Two
of his squad strolled up to look into the shop. He spoke quietly.
“Byan, you know what Dryr looks like. Go lean against the city
entrance and watch for him. Tyn and Nar also can identify him. Have
them spread out and try to find them He should be coming this way
with the mayor’s daughter and the legalist's wife, both are
hostages. We need to be invisible. Give his description to Chai so
he can be combing the immediate street area. Send Omin and Zar to
Aron’s office. Bast then turned to Erin, “I could be wasting my men
because that man could be anywhere. Is it possible for you to sense
Elder Dryr?”

“Perhaps, if he is feeling a strong emotion.
Trouble is that there are several who are emoting loud feelings
right now. I will try.”

“Good. It is worth the effort. Here comes
Omin and Zar. I want you to walk around with Omin. If you pick up
anything, tell him immediately. Go! Fill him in as you walk. He’ll
know what to do if you get lucky and pick up Dryr.”

Erin put Tempo on her shoulder and
intercepted Omin. She grabbed him by the arm as she passed him but
kept moving. He turned smoothly and stayed by her side as she left
the city. ‘Erin,’ said Gyan in her head, ‘send Tempo to me. I need
you to entirely blend with the crowd. I just spoke to Bast and he
said you were out combing the area with Omin.’ Erin stopped and put
Tempo down.

‘I heard,’ said Tempo, and ran toward the
city entrance. Erin and Omin turned toward the dunes. It somehow
seemed logical to go the opposite direction from Char’s shop. They
moved through the wings of streets flanking the city on that side
as she filled him in. Erin was not picking anything up until they
had reached the end of the last street. She felt a strong mix of
emotions coming from the woods: anger, frustration, arrogance and
some fear from one source, and pain, utter fatigue and uneasiness
from two other individuals. There was some smug satisfaction mixed
in from somewhere else nearby. Erin put her hand on Omin’s arm and
pointed. He spun around and raised his fist then opened his hand
and made rapid gestures to either side. Erin’s eyebrows went up.
She hadn’t realized that they had collected others from the
security detail as they had moved through the streets. Moving
silently two men moved to the right and two to the left
disappearing into the trees on either side of a small trail. Omin
pulled Erin into the shadows of the last building. “Can you verify
who and how many?” he said in a whisper. She shook her head. There
is one who is more volatile with arrogance, anger and some
frustrated fear. There seems to be a couple of people in pain who
are working at an exhausted level but it feels like there may be a
few others. I don’t know if the others are with the first group but
they are pleased with themselves. Omin stepped out of hiding for a
moment and not seeing anyone on the trail made a series of rapid
hand movements then stepped back by Erin. “Go over to that building
a couple of streets up. Lean against it like you are shirking work
and taking a break. You will be able to see us. As soon as we have
them in sight, we will casually flank them. We want Dryr and the
women to be unaware of us and to go back to the office on their
own. That is the favored scenario. It is the two or more you aren’t
clearly picking up that are my concern. The unknown element. When
the group with the women emerge from the woods I want you to run
ahead and tell Gyan. Go!”

Erin casually moved to the building indicated
and slumped against the wooden wall. She kept the stance as she
scratched her head. It wasn’t more than a minute later when Dryr
and two filthy and battered women emerged from the woodland trail.
She could see the subtle movement on either side and just behind
them. The women looked in bad shape with one supporting the other.
There was a flash of metal in Dryr’s hand. Erin rolled off the wall
and around the corner of the building. Once out of sight she took
off running.

‘Erin, I see you. What is happening?’ She
smiled. ‘Keir. Good to have you back with us. The city elder
kidnapped those two women behind me. There are a couple of other
kidnappers in the woods. We arrived just in time to prevent the
gang from killing Char. Now the kidnappers have lost and are
bringing the women back in. It is a dangerous situation as they
could be killed. Gyan’s security is around them and I am running to
warn Gyan.’