Things Unseen: (An epic fantasy adventure series) (The Caris Chronicles Book 1) (32 page)

Her eyes came to rest on Janen who rode ahead of her
. He never judged me; despite my difference, he always called me friend and encouraged me in my abilities
.
I am glad he rides with us now.

Caris smiled to herself as she remembered her behaviour toward him that afternoon. He had been down about something, though at the time she had been oblivious.
I gushed all over him more than once; he must have been so embarrassed. At least I didn’t profess undying love. I’ll play it cool and hopefully he’ll just put my odd behaviour down to being drunk.
She smiled and shook her head at herself, stopping quickly, with a wince, as pain seared through her.

It was dark when they reached the bottom of the valley. Two of the scouts had drawn in close to lead the way down the last half of the descent as the humans were struggling to find their way in the dark. Lillin and Minkre had reached the bottom ahead of them and had six bobbies roasting over a couple of fires.

The firelight revealed a knee-deep narrow stream flowing along the bottom of the small valley. Large moss covered boulders lined the hill, working their way up amongst the trees. The elves had built their fires, not far from the stream, in a wide clearing surrounded by the long drooping leafed trees that filled the valley. Caris had never seen trees like them before but, with a throbbing head, she decided that morning would be soon enough to take a closer look.

She opted instead to go straight to the stream where she knelt down and submerged her whole head. The icy water caused the pain to flare. She withdrew quickly, wringing her hair out and shivering as cold droplets ran down under her shirt. Jeniel met her with a wide cloth; she led Caris to sit by the fire and gently wrapped her hair up on her head within the material.

Caris laid down, cushioning her head on her arm, letting the warmth of the fire wash over her. The cold water had been a shock, but it did help to clear her head, and now that she was warm with her head cocooned, the pain began to recede. She felt ready to sleep and after eating the meal Kalen handed her, she curled up with her fur and elven blanket and happily succumbed.

In the morning, Caris wandered under the drooping trees, while the others finished breaking their fast. Kalen approached her.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better than yesterday,” Caris laughed. “My headache is gone, and so too, my drunken foolishness. At least, that is, if I am foolish I won’t be able to blame it on being drunk,” she said with a grin.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, have you had that experience before?”

Caris’ face darkened. A part of her felt resentful, that other than Amarin, no one had ever tried to teach her anything about her gift. She liked Kalen and didn’t want to be angry with her but she felt she could have done more to help her understand herself.

“Not like that. Remember that village we rode into? The one that the derks had completely wiped out?”

Now it was Kalen’s turn to look dour, “Yes, I remember it well.”

“Well, before we got there I saw pictures of the derks there, of ... it ... happening. I didn’t know then that it was real, I thought I was just having distorted memories of our village... But I’ve never had the drunkenness or the headache before.”

“Did you know nothing of your gift? Was there not a seer in your village to train you?”

“No, you are the only seer I’ve ever met. I never knew there was such a thing as a seer,” she tried not to sneer the last word.

“Garner told me you were ignorant of your gifting.”

“Garner?” Caris remembered clearly her conversation with Garner and how instead of laughing at her, he had taken her visions seriously. “Why didn’t Garner tell me what was happening then, if he knew?”

“He thought I should’ve been the one to teach you if you hadn’t been trained, as indeed I should. I am sorry Caris that I have never approached you on this topic before. When you joined the Horse, I took it for granted that you had been trained as all young seers are, it wasn’t until Garner approached me that I realised maybe that hadn’t happened.” Kalen stopped, evidently struggling with something.

“I have been taught the responsibilities that come with being a seer my whole life, Caris. But I am often remiss, and when I am, it is often others who suffer the consequences.” Kalen looked down at the ground. Caris watched her intently, not understanding what Kalen was saying but aware that it was costing her a lot to say it. “I also had forebodings leading up to the derk attack on that village, but I was distracted, enjoying too much the company of my friends, to stop and evaluate what my disquiet portended.”

Bravely, Kalen met Caris’ eyes, “So you see, it is not only you I let down. After the attack I had a lot to work through, a lot to forgive in myself, admittedly I am still working on that. When Garner approached me about you, I felt myself too distraught to immediately take on an apprentice. I thought we would have time.”

Caris looked at Kalen dumbstruck. No stranger to guilt herself, Caris felt immediate sympathy for Kalen. At a loss to know how to help Kalen when she had never been able to forgive herself for failing her mother, or more recently for causing the geboath attack on Crispin, Caris finally said, “Well, we have time now.”

“We have time now,” Kalen echoed. Thus, as they continued their journey, Kalen began to teach Caris about her gift.

The journey south through the forest was a pleasant one despite the small band’s impatience to reach The King quickly. The woods were beautiful and diverse and though not as familiar to the elves as Telvendor, still well known. Crispin continued to heal and grow in strength and was able to ride farther each day. The elves agreed to learn how to ride, taking turns on Syngar and Kalen’s horses, Prince proving too uncooperative for the green riders.

The scouts weren’t very happy about riding, claiming their legs were better than a horses, but finally agreeing that once they reached Nader’s Crossing they would need to buy horses and press on to The King at all speed.

Jeniel was excited to learn and Caris enjoyed taking the role of teacher for a change. Kilew was glad to learn something new and believed the knowledge would enrich his storytelling. Caris had learnt that his insatiable craving for hunting out stories was why he had joined them on their mission. Each night he practised his craft on the willing members of their small band, sending the weary travellers to their rest with minds full of adventure, heroes, and magical beings.

A fresh windy afternoon saw them arrive at the western edge of Nader’s crossing. People gaped at the three King’s Horse, the seer in elven clothes, and the handsome young man who, as Caris noticed for the first time, was dressed in clothes little better than rags. However, it was the eight elves that drew the most attention.

Caris had never seen a town before and, after so long in the bush, the sound and smells were an assault on her senses. It was not that long since she had sat around the campfires with hundreds of elves and thankfully, the streets were not very crowded, so she was not as overwhelmed as Janen seemed to be by the number of people who stopped to gawk at them. Caris felt ridiculous in her beautiful elven clothes, like a derk wrapped up in an eppet’s coat, but as most people were engrossed in the beautiful elves that walked proudly with them, she was able almost to forget herself.

She looked over at Janen, wondering what his first impression of the town was. She was surprised to see he had dismounted from Prince, where he would have had a birds-eye-view. He was walking sandwiched between his horse and Syngar, staring red faced at the ground. She saw Syngar try to step away from him and Janen’s arm reach out quickly snatching him back to his side.

Caris looked around at the town again, wondering why Janen was acting so strangely. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him frightened before and wouldn’t have expected him to hide behind someone if he was. Seeing nothing threatening, she shrugged her shoulders at him and went back to gawking at the town.

They were walking down a wide dusty road that ended abruptly at the trees where they had entered, its only purpose seemingly to divide the buildings that lined its sides. The buildings were large and built right up against each other. They all seemed to be shops or businesses of one kind or another, and Caris wondered how many people must live close by to make so many shops necessary.

They hadn’t gone far before the road began to narrow and become more crowded. People hurried in and out of doors conducting business or stood in small groups talking. As Caris noticed the dresses the women wore, she became glad she wasn’t wearing her hunting clothes.

Caris began to feel that the buildings were closing in around her. There were too many people staring at them and nowhere to hide or escape.

She was glad when she saw Crispin was heading towards a building that stood slightly apart from the others. Instead of going to the front door, he led them straight around the back. Caris was startled to see that behind the building was another row of smaller buildings that, she realised, must face onto another street. She had never imagined so many buildings in one place.
If this is only a town, then what must a city be like?
She asked herself.

Crispin led them over to a stable where he dismounted. A boy approached them from the stalls as a man came hurrying out to join them from the back door of the building.

“Welcome!” his voice boomed at them. “Welcome, my name is Darnon, and this is my inn ‘The Blue Swan’. You are most welcome here, we have rooms for you all, and of course at a discounted rate for members of The King’s Horse, and for seers,” he bowed his head at Kalen and Caris in turn, “and elves,” his voice dropped to a whisper on the last word as he looked wide eyed at the elves.

Embarrassed and amused by Darnon’s greeting, Caris glanced around to see how the others were reacting to him. Seeing the twinkle of mirth in Jeniel’s eyes, she almost started laughing. She looked away hurriedly before the temptation became too strong. She tried to see Janen’s reaction but he was standing on the other side of Prince, and wouldn’t have been able to see Darnon’s enthusiastic welcome anyway.

Caris watched as Syngar stepped up to Darnon, greeting him with a deep flourishing bow. “We are most grateful.”

A small furrow creased between Darnon’s eyes.

“And that discounted rate would be?” Syngar asked.

“Only a mark each for a bed and the best meal you’ll find in Nader’s Crossing.”

“Come, Darnon, the best in Nader’s Crossing? You know I have eaten here before and unless you’ve stolen the Orange Turtle’s cook then we both know we won’t get the best meal in Nader’s Crossing
here
. Come to think of it,” Syngar said turning to Crispin, “I am really hungry, let’s go there for half the price.”

“You won’t go there; they won’t look after your horses proper!”

“We look after our own horses,” Syngar replied with a wide smile, starting to turn his horse away.

“Fine, fine, because you’re such distinguished company you’re welcome to stay for only 10 marks for the lot of you,” he said turning to Crispin.

Crispin smiled blandly but refrained from answering.

“Darnon, you know you’ll more than triple your ale sales tonight when every man and half the women in town come to gape at our friends,” Syngar said nodding at the elves. “It seems to me you should be paying us to stay.”

“My good man, if only I could. I would dearly love to bless you all with the generosity I am renowned for, but the times are so hard and with The King’s road closed to the north and nothing coming through, the price of meat is so expensive.”

Syngar snorted. “The day you serve meat with board I’ll eat my boots, we all know we’ll get nothing but fish here.”

“Seeing you eat your boots would be inducement enough,” Darnon mumbled.

Syngar laughed, then beginning to lead his horse, called to his companions, “Come we’d do better bedding down with the grey people, Darnon will rob us blind to share his roof.”

“Alright! Eight marks for all of you and the elves eat and drink in the common room.”

Before Syngar could reply, Kilew stepped forward. “Six marks for all of us, my companions eat and drink in private and I will tell a story in your common room.”

Darnon stared at him wide eyed and momentarily speechless, then coming to himself he stepped forward and hastily shoved his hand toward Kilew, “It’s a deal,” he stammered, then regaining his composure repeated himself loudly and with a flourish, “It’s a deal!”

As they led their horses into the stable, Caris heard Syngar grumbling to Kilew, “If I knew I had that to bargain with I could have had him pay us.”

“I am sorry, I didn’t realise money was tight. I should have spoken to you first.”

“Money is not tight, The King provides us with more than we could ever need. We let Syngar bargain because otherwise certain people,” Crispin nodded back toward the inn, “would get the idea they could charge The King’s Horse outrageous prices.”

“And because Syngar loves to bargain,” Kalen laughed. “It is his favourite hobby.”

“Then I am grievously sorry, to have robbed you of such a great pleasure,” Kilew said with a small smile.

“Just tell me first, if you feel inclined to honey any of my deals tomorrow, so I can make the most of it,” Syngar grumbled as he began unsaddling his horse.