The Seedbearing Prince: Part I (18 page)

-Master Irwin Dosay's Compendium of Seedlore

T
hey rested on the
caved in roof for some time. Dayn worked his ankle to keep it from
growing stiff, while Nerlin kept a silent vigil of the surrounding
ruins. A frenzied scrabbling in the distance pulled Dayn from his
thoughts.

Nerlin stared off to the west, worry etching
deep lines into his brow. “What new trickery is this?” he
muttered.

“Shardians!” A roar echoed among the
buildings. “Show yourselves!”

“Moridos,” Dayn whispered. Fear tightened his
chest, but Nerlin just shrugged.

“Guess his brother didn’t make it.”

The redbranch lining the valley rim roiled
and twisted with unnatural movement for a mile across. Dayn's mouth
dried at the thought of how many voidwalkers hunted them now.
Nerlin glanced at Dayn's pack again. “Still not too late to toss
it.”

“No,” Dayn said firmly. “I have to return
it.” He locked eyes with the farmer, who sighed before hefting his
own pack.

In the distance, the tree line suddenly
erupted. Confused animals tumbled down the slope and scattered into
Terabin Round, several herds of antelope, fluttering birds, even a
yowling ridgecat.

A seething mass of gravespinners rushed after
them, a river of hard, shiny bodies on spindly black legs. They
easily numbered in the hundreds, enough to churn the mist to froth.
Seeing so many made Dayn's skin creep. The spinners lunged
halfheartedly at the animals in their midst, but seemed intent only
on fleeing the redbranch.

“Peace protect us. Even the animals are
afraid of them,” Dayn whispered. The thought of another voidwalker
encounter left him sick with dread. “I don't know if I can face
them again!”

“Me neither. We cannot bound all the way to
Misthaven.” After a few tense moments of thought, Nerlin turned
back to the steps. “I have an idea. This way!”

The old farmer scampered down, and Dayn
followed, perplexed at his words. He kept a wary eye out as he
followed Nerlin’s sprint through the ruins of Terabin Round.
Thankfully they crossed paths with nothing save a terrified
antelope. The poor creature bounded over a wall as soon as they
chanced upon it.

“Shardians!” Moridos’s voice thundered from
every corner. “Face me, cowards!”

After several twists and turns through the
streets, the farmer stopped. An impressive circular plaza spread
before them, large enough to fit their entire village with room to
spare. The mist here streamed over their boots, pulled thin by an
unseen current.

Beneath their feet, the white stone looked
flawless. Diamond-shaped tiles spiraled inward toward a shadowed
hole in the center about twenty paces across. Mist from the entire
plaza poured into it.

“Peace send it still works!” Nerlin
exclaimed. He ducked into a small, lone structure on the edge of
the plaza, with Dayn fast behind. Pure darkness swallowed Dayn as
he followed the farmer down a curving hallway.

“Do you mean for us to hide in here?”

“No more hiding.” The sound of water pouring
onto stone reached Dayn's ears. He heard the distinct leathery flop
of an empty waterskin being tossed to the ground.

“What...what are you doing?” Dayn blurted
out. “We need that!”

“Saving your hide. Keep quiet while I figure
this out. I know it's dark, but find that sealer. What I wouldn't
give for my lantern back.”

Dayn dug through his pack and quickly found
the wooden cask. He could only hear faint splashing in the dark. He
began to wonder if the voidwalker’s assault on their minds had
stolen Nerlin’s wits.

“I...I have the sealer, there's more than
half left.”

“Good. You’ll need it all.” Blue and green
light suddenly illuminated the center of the room. Water rippled
upon a circular slab of stone that stood waist high, glowing
brilliantly. A mixture of relief and triumph shone on Nerlin's face
as the stone surface grew steadily brighter. Dayn backed away from
the glowing water despite the farmer’s ease.

“What is that?”

“It’s called a leap point,” Nerlin explained,
as he gingerly touched the stone surface. Light jumped to his
fingers in an electric texture of green and reddish bronze. The
farmer worked his fingers over the water as though he were writing,
or painting with finger dyes. The thin layer of moisture rippled
outward in three perfect circles across the slab, and he stepped
back.

“Before the Ringmen found the transports,
traders used leap points to travel short distances through the
Belt―or great distances on a single world. Peace only knows what
the old builders made them for in the first place. If this works, I
can send you to Greenshadow in a blink. No need to bother with
Misthaven, now that the Ringmen are gone. Stand back, it works the
same as a transport’s vapor array.”

The water abruptly jumped from the slab,
gliding outward into the chamber in a spray that dampened Dayn's
face. Countless pinpoints of vapor, finer than his eyes could
account for, filled the entire room, floating in the air. They
rippled through a range of colors, reflecting off the walls in a
rhythm akin to a heartbeat.

“Peace,” Dayn breathed. He recalled stories
of rainbows upon other worlds or in the torrent, but never imagined
he would stand in the middle of one. Colors swirled before his face
as the droplets floated away from his breath.

“We’ll need to find a spot away from the
northern road, but not so far that you'll get lost ,” Nerlin said.
He held his fist outstretched above the stone and rotated it
slowly. The fine spray pinwheeled oddly throughout the chamber,
following the turn of his hand like a flock of birds.

He slowly pulled back, as if readying to
break a man’s nose with his open palm. Dayn gasped as the fine
spray rippled, then finally coalesced into an image of a firmly
packed road. Majestic silverpine towered on either side.

“So it's like a map?” Dayn asked. Nerlin
nodded, intent on the image, guiding it with his hand to follow the
road closer to Misthaven. The vapor painted such a clear image,
Dayn could almost see the needles on the individual trees. A ruffle
of movement passed through the scene, blurring it, then
disappeared. “What was that?”

“I'm not sure. Let's see.” Nerlin pointed two
fingers at the slab and circled his wrist. The scene shimmered,
pulling away from the road to show more of the surrounding forest.
“There’s not enough water to keep this up for long.”

“Peace, look there! It's a transport!”

“Blind me, but you have the most upside down
luck I've ever seen,” Nerlin groaned. “To find the Preceptors, just
as they’re leaving for the Ring. Peace!” More details came into
focus as Nerlin manipulated the vapor. The transport reminded Dayn
of a dragonfly with no wings, but flattened and angular. A small
crystal partition rested between the 'eyes', but drab, gray metal
formed the rest of the long hull.

Nerlin made a twisting motion with his wrist,
and let his hands fall. The vapor remained centered on the
transport. Dayn's eyes widened. He could see Lurec's face through
the front crystal of the craft! The image began to brighten enough
to make them both squint.

“Dawn’s coming,” Dayn said. The night had
felt like an eternity that would never end. “Those grassy hills
beneath them are west of the road from Kohr Springs. Maybe they’re
coming back to Wia Wells.”

“No, see the angle? They’re climbing.” Nerlin
looked at the water droplets around them in consternation. They
were steadily evaporating, the image growing dim at the edges of
the room. Whatever powered the ancient leap point, the water Nerlin
needed would soon be spent.

“If this thing can send me to
Greenshadow—”

“Shoot you, like a slingshot.”

“Can it get me to the transport, too?”

Nerlin looked ready to spit. “I barely know
what I’m doing here, boy! You could hope the Ringman navigator has
enough sense to see you coming, but getting you to Greenshadow is
already chancing some broken bones. Missing the transport could
mean a lot worse.”

Dayn knew what he needed to do. “I won’t
sleep another night if I don’t risk it. The Defenders will be able
to help with the voidwalkers, and I’ve got to take the Seed back to
Lurec. It’s important, I know it.”

“Are you sure? There’s a lot I can tell you
in Greenshadow, things you need to know. About the voidwalkers,
especially. The Elders all know about them, lad, though no one ever
thought to see one here. You need to know about the World Belt,
too. The worlds aren’t what you believe they are!”

The farmer’s words paralyzed Dayn. He could
not afford to make another bad choice. “Do you know about the Seed?
What it’s for?”

“No,” Nerlin admitted. “But your aunts might.
Greenshadow, boy. It’s for the best.”

Dayn watched the image of the transport as it
steadily climbed higher. Soon the Ringmen would be gone for good,
likely never to return to Shard. “I have to do this. I’m
sorry.”

“Had a feeling the wind would blow that way,”
Nerlin muttered, but a twinkle lit his eye. “Well, If you have the
heart to brave the Dreadfall, this should be easy sport. Put on
your gear, quickly!”

Nerlin dug into his pack and pulled a band of
dark red metal, attached to a piece of clear crystal.
For my
face,
Dayn realized.

“To keep your mouth free of flies. Here, like
this.” Nerlin adjusted the circlet on Dayn's forehead until he
heard a click. Oddly enough, the crystal face plate did not fog
from his breath.

“This is almost like a Defender's mask, isn’t
it?”

“Almost,” Nerlin acknowledged. “But it’s made
special, for a courser. It...used to be mine. I’m giving it to
you.”

Dayn gaped. “You've been offworld?”

The farmer's face softened, just for an
instant. “You'll get your chance, boy, I'm sure of it,” he said.
“But we must hurry. The leap point will draw that monster to
us.”

The light of the room began to fade, as water
dried from the stone and the air. Nerlin reached beneath his cloak
and produced a small leather pouch, which he proffered to Dayn.

“These are wind draughts.” Dayn plucked out a
pebble-sized, pale blue pellet. It felt strangely cool on his palm.
The pouch held a few dozen more inside. “Strong lungs are a lost
art in coursing. You held your wind well enough in the redbranch,
and few can keep up with me. Hold one in your mouth when your air
is gone.”

The old farmer bent over the water, scrawling
designs on the wet stone, but paused to bore his eyes into Dayn’s
as he spoke. “Some people panic when they cannot breathe, and think
more is better. Not with wind draughts! Two will make your head
float so bad you couldn't grasp a wingline if it were tied around
your fingers. Three will leave you giggling like a one-tooth
toddler. More than that...you’ll sleep forever.”

“I understand,” Dayn said. He secreted the
draughts in his belt pouch. “I could have used these in the
Dreadfall.”

“On the edge of your very last breath, mind
you! These aren't sweet twigs. Make sure you sit or lie down.
Standing will break your legs.”

Dayn finished securing his harness, and
looked at Nerlin in utter confusion. “You want me to lie down
now?”

“Peace, boy―in the plaza! These are just the
controls. There’s a platform in the center. Get your wingline
ready. You’ll need it to rope the transport.” Nerlin barked a laugh
as he began to manipulate the controls once more. Blue light
swirled around the chamber.

“What if I fall?”

“The sealer―cover yourself from head to toe
with it. Use it all! There's enough there to survive a mountain
dropping on you.” The room's imagery shifted as Nerlin painted the
air with his fingers. The ground rumbled beneath their feet. “The
voidwalker will hear that. Our water’s nearly gone. Hurry!”

“But what about you?” Dayn shouted to be
heard over the rumbling. Fearful as he was, he could not leave the
old farmer to face Moridos alone.

“I'll be fine, boy.” Nerlin shoved Dayn
unceremoniously toward the door. “Go! You must reach the plaza
center before it turns red.”

“Remember, you have to plant this year.” Dayn
choked out the words as he took in the fact that Nerlin needed to
stay behind and operate the leap point. “You said you would.”

“I will boy, that’s a promise. Now if you
miss the Ringmen, you’ll drop somewhere north of Kohr Springs. The
sealer will protect you. I’ll let the Ringmen know to look for you,
if I can. Deal firmly with them, boy―you are of Shard. Show them
you’re no mudwit farmer. Be ready with that wingline―the transport
will come up on you fast. Go!”

Dayn lurched into a run. Outside, the plaza
glowed with new life beneath the mist, the intricate diamond
patterns pulsing in shades of blue. Dayn reached the center. After
peering over the edge, he easily hopped down the three spans and
onto a platform wide enough to hold an inn.

He spread the sealer over his clothes,
ignoring the pungent odor. He applied it everywhere he could reach
quickly, smearing it over his chest and removing the face guard to
apply it to his head. The strange stuff tingled faintly upon his
skin and flashed faintly upon his clothes.

Remembering Nerlin's words, Dayn lay on his
back, holding his staff tightly to his chest. The rumbling ceased,
and he heard nothing but his own breathing.

The platform jerked, swooping downward and
falling hundreds of spans in seconds. The surface beneath him
angled sharply. He imagined Nerlin aiming the leap point toward the
transport, guiding the vapor inside the room.

Lights along the inner wall suddenly glowed
red. In a moment of wracking pain, all of Dayn’s bones felt as
though they would fly apart. Wind suddenly rushed forcefully
against him, pushing at the clear mask and whipping his cloak. The
strap of his packs sawed into his shoulder. He looked beneath him
in shock. Terabin Round was nothing but a white speck on the
southern horizon. It disappeared within seconds, swallowed by
redbranch wilds.
I’m flying! The leap point worked!