The Twins (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

As Cairn and Calyx emerged from the foliage to stand in front of Tomas’ tree, they could hear his humming and see him huddled high up in the branches. Cairn felt as if he was violating the privacy of the moment, and he turned to beckon Calyx to leave with him, when Tomas bounded down from his perch and ran to Calyx, only to grasp on to his huge forelegs and hug him deeply to himself. Cairn approached the two of them and saw tears streaming down the cheeks of the boy.

“So, you know already?” he said softly. “I thought I would have to be the bearer of this tragic news.”

Tomas looked at him, his green eyes brimming with tears. “When I first sensed danger, it was already too late. Ormachon would not let me leave. He made me stay here with him. I wanted to go to them! But, he forbid it. Did you see what happened?” Tomas spoke these words like a grown man, holding his head high, forcing back the pain and the overwhelming feeling of loss.

“No, Tomas, only the results. It was an evil enemy that attacked your aunt and uncle. There was nothing I could do. I too was too late,” Cairn responded. “I gave them a proper burial, as best that I could under the circumstances. I wished to spare you the anguish of having to see them, so that you could preserve your memories of them as they were before. They were good and noble people, undeserving of their fate,” Cairn said, his yellow eyes dulled with fatigue and sadness.

“I must go to the cottage. I have to say goodbye. Then we can leave,” Tomas remarked with single-minded maturity.

Cairn was taken aback by the words. He assumed that he would have to coerce the boy to leave. After all, he would be leaving his tree, Ormachon, and his home all at once. Such must be difficult for a young man. But, Tomas seemed to know what he needed to do, and his confidence during this most distressing time emboldened Cairn.

“You are remarkably strong, my young friend. I am honored that you trust me enough to be willing to journey with me as your protector,” he said honestly.

“Ormachon likes you. Oh, I do too, and Calyx also, but Ormachon tells me that it is you whom I must journey with now for a time. He knows! He always knows,” Tomas answered, pushing his blonde hair out of his face and wiping his nose with his sleeve and sniffling, reminding Cairn that he was just a boy after all.

“Please tell Ormachon that I will not let him down. Nor you, Tomas. I have an important journey to make and it will be my favor to have you accompany me. Both Calyx and I will guard you as if you were our own flesh and blood. That I pledge to you, and to your tree!” Cairn stated boldly.

“I have to stop at the house first. I do not really have anything of my own to bring along. Ormachon says that I do not need anything from here. But there is something of my aunt’s that I want to find before I go,” the boy said.

“I will go with you there, Tomas, and then we can leave, if that is all right. You should not journey there alone and unaccompanied,” Cairn replied.

Tomas looked a slight bit perplexed for an instant, not seeming to comprehend the potential danger that Cairn perceived. He seemed to have no fear regarding his own safety. Or perhaps, he just did not envision a situation that truly threatened him. His innocence was like a breath of fresh air and Cairn was invigorated by it even under these trying circumstances.

The boy hesitated a moment longer and then replied, “Yes, it is. I have beforehand said my goodbyes to Ormachon. Besides, he promised me that he will be with me wherever I go, so I am not afraid.”

Tomas looked around, seeming to take in everything he saw deeply and with meaning, then he looked up at the huge tree under which he stood, closed his eyes and stood still for a minute or so. Abruptly, he turned away from Ormachon and started walking toward the path to the cottage.

As Cairn and Calyx pivoted to follow, Cairn saw the entire tree rustle its leaves in farewell, shedding some as it did so which fell at his feet as he was walking away. Tomas turned and said, “Pick them up. Don’t be afraid. He wants you to!”

Cairn bent down and gathered up the Lalas leaves, placed them in his pouch, bowed to Ormachon with reverence and then quickly caught up with the boy who was already some ways down the path, disappearing into the thick grass, with Calyx following closely behind.

Upon arriving at the small house, Tomas took a moment to absorb the situation, examining things closely as if he were trying to determine something or understand something that was confounding him. The look upon his face was not only sad but quizzical. He walked slowly to the fresh mound of earth that Cairn indicated was the burial site, knelt down, and bowed his head after placing his delicately sculpted fingers atop the soil. Muttering under his breath and motioning gracefully with his hands and arms, he appeared to be much older than his fourteen odd years.

He carried himself with such dignity for this young a man, under circumstances that would test a hardened and experienced adult, that it moved Cairn to the brink of tears himself. When he completed his personal tribute, manifesting a maturity far beyond what would be expected of one his age, he stood and walked to the cottage. When he completed a task, he simply moved on to the next one with renewed determination. He seemed not to linger over things, but to always move with a clear purpose. Cairn and Calyx remained a few paces behind him, respecting his solitude. He was an extraordinary youth, dealing with a situation most would find difficult to face with as much dignity as this boy did.

Stepping over some debris as he was about to enter his former home, he glanced down at the ground where his aunt and uncle had fallen for their final time. Noticing the burnt twig that had once been in Safira’s hand, he smiled knowingly to himself, and then he bent to pick it up and examine it. He held it tightly in his fist and closed his beautiful, green eyes. After a moment, he released it and let it fall to the ground, appearing to be considerably pleased, having obviously retrieved some sort of information from the relic and requiring it no more.

Cairn followed him into the house, watching him as he closely examined the devastation. Very little remained in one piece after the battle. The walls were scarred and broken, the hearth was pilfered and in disarray and the floor boards were shattered by what could only have been axe blades. What he was seeking was not going to be found inside, and Tomas evidently knew that as he made only a cursory examination of the premises before he turned decisively and walked out the door. Moving briskly toward the garden in the rear of the home, he spotted a small but beautiful cloud-berry tree, its thick trunk gnarled and twisted though its blossoms were full and fragrant. After contemplating the tree for a moment, Tomas turned toward the shed behind the house and ran over to it. Fetching a short handled axe from inside, he returned to the sweet smelling tree, removed his tunic and proceeded to chop at its base, attempting to topple it, or so it seemed.

Cairn was astonished at the ferocity with which the young boy attended to this task. “Tomas? Perhaps you need not vent your anger on this tree?” he offered, uncertain as to what the boy was doing.

“I seek something,” he replied simply and straight forward, never pausing for a moment. “Safira directed me here with her last thoughts. I would never inflict a lasting hurt on a tree like this,” he said as if such a suggestion was out of the question. “I need to find the object she has hidden,” he answered, never wavering from the task at hand. “Did you see the charred branch by where she fell?” he queried while swinging the heavy axe, perspiration beading on his forehead, matting his blonde hair.

“Yes, I thought it strange when first I approached them that she clutched it so tightly still,” Cairn replied remembering the moment. “Even after her life expired.”

“It bore a message for me! That is why my aunt held it dear. She hoped I would find it before someone else did. Lucky for me that you were the one to discover them.” He turned to face Cairn after those words, delaying his efforts for the first time. “Was it luck?” he asked, briefly catching Cairn’s eyes with his own, and then immediately returning to his labors, neither waiting for nor expecting an answer. Cairn pondered the question himself, feeling even more and more assured that his encounter with the boy and his family was ordained, meant to be, and was not mere serendipity, contrary to his previous beliefs concerning such matters. Cairn had always been a strong believer in free will as the cornerstone of right and wrong and good and evil. People were responsible for their own actions, and that ultimately determined the parameters of blame and conscience. His short sojourn with this family was altering his mind-set of many years, and strangely, he was not shaken, but comforted by the boy’s words and the doubts that they raised.

As Tomas toppled the stout tree, what remained was a short stump about seven inches in diameter. It appeared to be soft and viscous in its center where the boy stuck his slender hand, searching for something. The pulp gave way to his caresses, and shortly he withdrew his fingers, producing a small black velvet box. Cairn was astonished that such an object should be discovered within the trunk of a tree, being that it must have been placed there when the tree was just a seedling so that it could have grown up around it, protecting and hiding it until now.

Tomas cupped the box between his two hands and hummed a sweet melody, one that Cairn found vaguely familiar to his ears, yet could not at all recall where or when he could ever have heard it. Expending no effort to conceal what he was doing from Cairn, Tomas seemed to generate a great deal of heat from his closed palms, engulfing the box and causing it to glow as if it were white hot. The boy was concentrating so intently on this exercise, that his facial features took on the mask of a much older person, so stern and serious he had become. Cairn was transfixed by the boy’s actions.

Without warning, the light flared up soundlessly and the box just disappeared! What remained was a solid silver ring suspended in the air for a moment before it fell to the earth, spinning and jingling as it hit the ground. Tomas’ face relaxed and he once more looked like the child of fourteen that he was, as he bent to reclaim the ring. Examining it briefly, he slipped the tip of his finger inside the band and rubbed it over the rune like etchings therein. He drew a string of rawhide from his belt pouch, threaded it through the silver band, tied it off and placed it around his neck underneath his shirt.

“Would you help me for a minute? I am not strong enough to lift this by myself,” Tomas turned and said to Cairn, pointing at the fallen tree.

“What do you need me to do?” Cairn asked, anxious to help however he could.

As he moved next to Tomas, he could not help but notice a wound on his smooth stomach. It was strangely uniform in shape, though he was too distant to examine it closely. The boy hastily snatched his tunic from the ground and put it back on, before Cairn was able to determine whether the injury was fully healed or not. He hoped it was not a festering hurt with Safira no longer available to treat him.

“I need to raise the tree, and it is too heavy for me alone,” he said as he placed his hands around the trunk, below the lowest branches.

Together, Tomas and Cairn heaved the broken tree upright, and with the youth’s guidance, placed the severed tree atop the severed trunk.

“If you can, please just hold it steady for a little,” Tomas conveyed as Cairn put his muscle into the task.

Tomas placed his hands around the area that he had previously hacked away at, slowly rubbing them up and down, seeming to blend the two now separate parts together as if they were made of soft clay. When he completed his kneading of the wood, he stepped back a pace, pointed the index finger of his right hand at the rejoined area and closed his eyes. Shortly, a blue-white light emanated from his finger, and as he moved the finger around the tree, the light seemed to seal the separation, mending the hurt and coercing the parts to grow back together.

Cairn watched as the tree became whole, unblemished once again, standing healthy and strong as if no one or no thing had ever done harm to it. In fact, Cairn recalled vividly the boy’s words as he said earlier that he would not inflict a lasting hurt upon a tree.

Well, Cairn thought with satisfaction, the boy is true to his word.

“We can go now,” he said, as he turned to face Cairn and Calyx, who sat relaxed and quiescent a short distance away.

Cairn cursorily inspected the area, making sure he and his company were not unwittingly leaving anything behind, and then he motioned to Calyx to join them. He placed his arm around Tomas’ shoulder and guided him away. The Moulant bounded readily behind them, his fur flashing and shimmering in the sun and they all stepped into the brush, heading southward once again toward Pardatha

Chapter Sixteen

The boy was somewhat somber as they departed, not surprisingly so under the circumstances, but he frolicked with Calyx as time passed and he treated the big Moulant as if he was a cuddly pet. Scant words were spoken for the first few hours, until Tomas stated he was hungry. They came upon a comfortable lea, slightly sheltered by a grove of wild, tall cherry trees in full blossom, and sat down to rest and take their modest repast.

Cairn was now quite anxious to get on with his journey, having lost considerable time with the events of the past days. He took out two of the Lalas leaves, a mortar and pestle, and ground them up, adding a cup or so of sweet juice from a flask around his waist. Meanwhile, Calyx bounded off in search of his own meal.

Together, Tomas and Cairn shared the rejuvenating mixture, in what was not intended to be, but what seemed nonetheless to be, a ceremony of bonding. As they passed the liquid back and forth, they both experienced a closeness that defied reason. Cairn recognized the extraordinary power of this young man and he could not understand who he could be or where he could have come from. After all, he really knew nothing about him, as he had so little time to converse with his aunt and uncle before their tragic demise, and he barely had spoken to Tomas, although they did share some very serious and compelling moments that do often serve to connect people together. Yet, he felt so comfortable in his presence, as if he had known him forever, and these feelings of closeness were obviously reciprocated by the boy.

Again, Cairn knew in his heart that this was not an ordinary fourteen year old, his magical abilities aside. He was pleased to have him accompany him and he knew that he would serve the cause in some way when they arrived at Baladar’s side, that their meeting was not chance, despite how contrary to his belief structure that seemed.

Good fortune was rearing its head amongst the ruins and tragedy of the past events, demonstrating the resiliency of life once more, reinforcing Cairn’s faith even on the brink of these recent disasters. In time, he would learn more about Tomas, where he came from, who his parents were and how he came to be the bondmate of Ormachon. Now, it was vital that he concentrate upon the journey at hand.

Just south of the home of Trevor and Safira was the road that lead to the lake where the Selgays resided. After having enjoyed their brief diversion, they gathered their belongings as Calyx returned to join them, and the three adventurers set forth with a shared feeling of hope manifesting itself in their bounding gait and lack of apprehension, despite the danger that they all knew lay ahead.

As the woods thickened and the breeze, gentle at first, strengthened considerably, it reminded Cairn that they were entering the Forest of the Winds. The sun was setting, which in itself was not a concern, but they needed to traverse the forest quickly if they wished to reach the lake while darkness still reigned. The only possible way to cross the dangerous waters without being attacked was during the pitch of night.

Cairn picked up the pace, as Tomas and Calyx followed without complaint. After walking for about two miles, what remained of the heretofore blue sky was practically blocked entirely by the enormous Tangary trees whose leaves, as large as saucers, rattled in the wind. The noise became unbearable at times, as the breeze increased in velocity, and the small party maneuvered its way through the thick and tangled underbrush.

Shortly thereafter, the deafening clamor caused by the now violent gusts crashing through the treetops began to cause severe pain, pounding the two human’s eardrums incessantly. Cairn removed a thick cloth from his pack, tore it lengthwise into two parts, and tied one around his head, covering his ears. Moving to Tomas, he secured the cloth around the boy as well. Calyx required no such protection, as his furry ears were pressed tightly to his head, blocking his keen sense of hearing, but relieving the pain of the, by now, extraordinarily thunderous noise.

As the wind continued to rage through the branches, large pieces of dead wood began to fall among the party, landing at times rather close to the travelers. Cairn did not fear the trees. They abided their trespassing with little affront and would not harm them, but the winds howled unceasingly, hurting their ears, making communication all but impossible, slowing their progress and obscuring the path that would lead them to the lakeside.

Calyx was called upon to guide the trio, his acute sense of smell directing them toward the water, and thus, despite the wind, he was able to lead Cairn and Tomas closer to the edge of the woods. Fighting their forward motion, causing them to stop at times until the gusts subsided, the Forest of the Winds lived up to its name, convincing Cairn that the myths surrounding it were true, that many a man could easily enter and never return again, succumbing to the noise, fallen debris and total loss of his sense of direction once inside the densest parts. Calyx, though, would step cautiously behind a huge tree trunk, shelter his massive bulk enough to raise his broad nose into the air, and then determine the direction of the lake by the aqueous odor. Stepping into the open once again, he bounded ahead with Cairn and Tomas close at his heels.

If not for the Moulant, the remaining two would have been lost forever in the tangle of brush and brambles, eventually becoming stone deaf from the constant assault upon their eardrums. It was so hard to know if one was going forwards or in circles, or even backwards, due to the raging winds wreaking havoc on their senses. But, Calyx was an extraordinary guide and protector, and Cairn neither feared for their safety nor their ability to reach the lakeside with his loyal friend in the lead.

An earsplitting crash shattered the momentary silence, far louder than any previous disturbances. A huge tree came booming down directly in front of them, forcing the group to run swiftly backwards to avoid being crushed under its weight. After the dust settled, they deftly stepped through the fallen branches and over the prostrate trunk, as the wind immediately kicked up considerably in their faces. The air was thick with debris, forcing them to protect their eyes and making breathing difficult. Cairn and Tomas huddled together, the elder sheltering the younger with his arms and body, while Calyx dauntlessly stood before them to deflect any large and dangerous objects that might fly into them from the accelerating explosions of wind. The Forest of the Winds clearly did not want them to leave without exacting its toll.

Forcing their way forward, capes and fur and hair standing almost horizontal to the earth, making slow and tedious progress, they finally emerged from the thickest of the forest vegetation. They still had a ways to go before they would come forth from the woods, and the sluggish pace was beginning to concern Cairn, as they needed to cross the lake before the sun rose. To be caught in broad daylight on a small raft in the middle of the lake would be suicide. They would be an easy and tasty meal for the Selgays. Well, Cairn and Tomas would be, at least. Calyx could save himself, but it would be nearly impossible for the big cat to do much of anything to save them under those circumstances. Cairn forced such thoughts from his mind, not choosing to dwell on the possible, but only upon what obstacles were here and now, real and in their direct path, as was his nature.

Driving themselves into the wind, step by step, with Cairn assisting the boy as much as possible, they finally reached what appeared to be the end of the tree line, when a silence overtook the forest within an instant, the violent gales ceasing completely. Nothing moved. Even the dust appeared to drop to the ground as if its single source of animation had been withdrawn all at once.

The small group huddled together, their eyes darting from side to side, not knowing what to expect when suddenly, a voice louder than the previously deafening wind and seemingly emanating from all directions simultaneously, broke the short lived but ominous silence.

“Who dares to invade my lands without permission?” it thundered in an incredibly deep tone.

Not knowing where to direct his answer, Cairn turned to the deepest part of the wood and replied courageously, “I am Cairn of Thermaye.” Pointing to Calyx he continued, “This is my companion Calyx, a Moulant, born of the forest, and the boy is my new found ward, Tomas of Pardeau. We meant you no disrespect in entering your realm without sanction, but I humbly regret that I was unaware that these woods were inhabited by anyone whose permission was required. I beg your sincere pardon if I was misinformed,” Cairn stated respectfully.

The response came quickly and from all directions, assaulting their senses like the wind, “Well, you have been misinformed!” the still disembodied voice echoed. “I let no one pass through here that I do not approve of. These woods have been my home for tiels upon tiels untold, and I protect and defend them from what I and only I deem to be unacceptable!” the voice boomed in the otherwise perfect stillness of the night. “Move out into the open so I can gaze upon you. You smell human. Have you axes with you?”

“No, I promise. We have none in our company. We only meant to traverse the Forest of the Winds as it was the quickest route to the lake. We must cross the mountains and reach the southern city of Pardatha as soon as we can,” Cairn replied, his voice clear and calm.

“What dire business drives you through my lands?”

Cairn was unwilling to divulge too much information, as he was not even certain to whom he spoke, but he believed that speaking no less than the truth would be unwise.

“Baladar, Lord Protector of Pardatha has summoned me in order to educate his ward. These two,” he pointed to Calyx and Tomas, “are accompanying me on my journey.”

“You speak honestly, Cairn of Thermaye. You seem trustworthy. I have observed you since you stepped into the forest. Nothing here goes unnoticed by me,” the voice said boldly. “But the trees did not warn me of your approach. Why? Why did the Lalas not tell me you were coming?”

Still cowering a little before this unknown entity, Cairn began to search the area around them for a sign of the source. Suddenly, a swirling gust of wind appeared to their left in a small clearing about ten yards away. As the swirling increased in velocity, drawing into it leaves and twigs and anything loose in its immediate vicinity, a clear and distinct shape seemed to form in its center. The force of the suction obliged the small group to hold onto one another in order to prevent themselves from being sucked into the gyrating mass. Even the big Moulant had to anchor his paws deep into the slippery surface to avert tumbling forward.

“If you are more comfortable being able to see with human eyes who speaks to you, gaze now upon my countenance. I have many faces, most of which you would not recognize, as I am made of the wind, not the earth. But see me now, and be not afraid.”

The debris coagulated quickly until a face of sorts was visible, the eyes of which were comprised of beautifully shaped leaves, twigs formed the eyebrows, while fruits, berries and multicolored leaves finished off the features. It hovered in the air before them.

“There, is that better?” the wind creature asked, seeming to warm considerably to the group.

“Thank you, yes,” Cairn responded for them all, and continued, “Who are you, if I may be so presumptuous as to inquire?”

“Yes, yes, I know. Humans need names,” the wind creature said, annoyed and impatient, yet somehow unthreatening. “If you wish to call me something then call me Percepton, protector of the Forest of the Winds. Since time untold I have kept these woods safe and healthy. My partnership with the Lalas has been long and fruitful.

“But, of late, evil things have entered. My borders have been violated. Those who tried have been unsuccessful, or should I say, they have not been permitted to leave once they have entered.

“Yet, my trees cry out in warning. Times are ripe with change, some good, some evil. I must determine for certain what side you three serve if I am to let you travel through my lands. Why was I not told of your approach?” he said once again rhetorically, his eyebrows arching high. “I need time. I cannot make these judgments hastily. Where is my help? Why do I not hear from the trees anymore?” Percepton cried out in anguish.

“You must wait here until I can decide what to do. I must seek advice. I must think. Don’t move, any of you,” he thundered as the wind picked up around the travelers and formed a circle of swirling leaves, hemming them in.

At that moment, Tomas leapt out from behind the shelter of Cairn’s body and blurted out above the din of the blowing litter, while hanging on tightly to Calyx’s tail, “I am not afraid of you. Why do you scare us so? We mean you no harm. If you are good and noble, then you would know that we are of noble purpose too.”

The boy closed his eyes. He stood perfectly still and said, “I can sense that you are good, that you know we do not choose to disturb your lands. Please let us continue. We only wish to proceed on to the lake and have no intention of taking anything that does not belong to us,” he said with such sincerity that Cairn was quite proud and astonished once again by the maturity and courage of the lad.

Tomas spoke directly into Percepton’s fluttering face. “The Lalas mourn the passing of one of their own. Promanthea tells me so. I feel the pain too. Otherwise, they would have advised you of our coming,” he said, sadly but with certainty.

The boy said this so sweetly and with such tenderness that Cairn raised his head, wondering to himself how much more he must know that he had not yet spoken of.

Immediately, the circle of their captivity vanished as Persepton began to speak. “Do you think so?” He sounded thoughtful. “I believe you. Yes, you speak the truth, young man, and you are wiser than your young years might indicate. I feel it now,” he said, the leaves of his eyes crushed together, simulating closure. “I agree. They would have informed me themselves,” Percepton said gleefully and with renewed energy. The expression of joy was short lived, though, as the reality of what Tomas described suddenly struck him. “Which tree died?” Percepton queried suddenly. “Do you know? Was it Acire or Mintar? Oh, I hope not Mintar. But it would be no better if it were Acire.”