Tides of Faith: Travail of The Dark Mage Book Two (51 page)

Its long strides rapidly covered an
incredible amount of ground. She wasn’t sure how long it carried
her before its pace began to slow. In the dim moonlight filtering
through the clouds above, she noticed darker shapes looming out of
the night. As they drew closer, she quickly realized they were
walls, or rather what were left of walls. A farmhouse most likely
for when they passed through a section of crumbled stone, she saw
the chimney. Then she saw the bones.

A great pile of white bones lay piled
against one wall. Its macabre collection stood taller than herself
and was capped with a trio of gleaming skulls; human skulls. It
brought her to the pile and released her so that she lay against
its base.

It then brought its insect-like head
toward her and smelled her. Jira’s skin crawled when the antennae
bent forward to touch her. There was a slight clicking noise coming
from the creature. She couldn’t tell what made the sound for her
face was not directed at the creature’s head and thus could not see
it.

She wanted to cry.
Don’t eat me
, she
screamed, but the words failed to come.
Father!

From outside, a great cacophony of
screeching sounded. From all around the sound grew and rose in
intensity. There had to be more than one animal out there making
that noise.

The creature’s head rose and swiveled
from side to side. Its clicking sound grew more
pronounced.

When something struck the outside of
the wall with a resounding thud, the creature turned toward the
sound.

Screeching went on and on with barely
a halt in between.

Thud!

Another strike against the outer wall
of the dilapidated farmhouse.

From the corner of her eye, Jira saw
the creature move away and hurry toward the break in the wall. Its
clicking sound grew and there was a guttural sound coming from deep
within its throat.

At the opening it paused and the
screeching stilled for a brief moment. Then it charged forward and
the screeching resumed with increased fervor.

Jira strained to hear what
was happening. First came sounds of the creature fighting, then the
creature squealing, then silence. Had her head been turned a little
bit further, what lay beyond the gap in the wall through which the
creature had departed would have been visible.
What would come through there?
Assuredly not her father. He would not have screeched, he
would have instead shouted damnation upon the creature.

Movement from outside brought fear, it
was coming toward her. The sound of steps, of a man walking grew
louder and then she knew that someone had stepped through the
broken wall.

She cursed her immobility; longed to
have her knives in hand.

The man walked toward her and then
knelt by her head. She couldn’t see him clearly for he was at the
edge of her vision.

“Ah, Jira,” the man said. “What
trouble you have gotten yourself into.”

He knelt by her head and she felt his
hand upon her side. Then gentle pressure and she was rolled onto
her back.

“Fear not,” the man said. “The effects
of the creature’s poison will not last long.”

Reaching into his shirt, he pulled
forth a small vial. Unstoppering it, he dribbled warm liquid
between her lips. “This should help.”

The man was in his early thirties,
dark brown hair with eyes to match and dressed in rugged leather
travel clothes. His warm smile put her at ease though she couldn’t
say why.

“It isn’t wise to be off on your own,”
he said. “This place has many dangers and it is very easy for one
to go astray and be lost.”

A tingling sensation started on her
tongue and worked its way to the back of her throat. From there it
gradually spread throughout the rest of her body. Where the
tingling subsided, the paralysis had vanished.

“Who are you?” she croaked when she
finally had use of her voice. “Do I know you?”

He smiled at her again and shook his
head. “I do not think you would know me, though I know all about
you. Even met you once many years ago when you were but a
babe.”

She started asking another question
when a rustling out of her field of vision forestalled
her.

“There is someone here who was most
worried about you.”

Thinking it to be her
father, she turned to find a diminutive face staring back at her.
Around the outer edge of
its left eye was a
dark patch in the shape of a crescent moon.

Her Little Brother laid a hand on her
cheek, then vanished.

She turned back to the man.

“It would seem there are a few things
we need to discuss, little Jira.”

“Who are you?”

“My name, is Brother
Willim.”

Brother Willim sat cross-legged on the
ground before her.

“Eat this,” he said, producing a
handful of nuts and dried berries wrapped in a large leaf. “It will
help restore your energy.”

She did feel weak, weak as a kitten in
fact. With the first bite, she felt better.

“Will… will that creature come
back?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Her next question was quelled when he
raised his hand and gave her a look indicating she should be
quiet.

“Now we haven’t much time, and unless
you want your father to learn of your efforts regarding the Little
Brothers you will listen and take heed.”

Her eyes grew large at the thought of
her father discovering her nocturnal activities. She nodded most
vehemently.

“You have a special gift, Jira. The
earth spirits do not appear to just anyone. In fact, it is rare in
the extreme for them to appear to anyone outside our
order.”

She nodded, put another nut between
her teeth, bit, and listened.

“But with this comes responsibility;
responsibility not only to them, but to yourself.” His face turned
grave as he paused a moment to see if his words were sinking in.
When she nodded, he continued.

“Going off in the dark, alone, in a
place that is dangerous is simply foolhardy. Twice now you have
placed yourself in jeopardy, and twice your Little Brother has come
to your rescue. This places them in danger… Do you
understand?”

“Yes. I…I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, Jira. That is why I
am here. When the creature took you, the Little Brothers sought me
out.” He nodded toward the opening through which he had entered the
old farmhouse. “They and I took care of it. It needed destroying in
any event, being an unnatural mutation of nature.

“Had I not been with them, they more
than likely would have lost one or two in the battle.” He paused a
moment to let that sink in before adding, “As they did last
time.”

Her eyes widened. “Last time?” she
asked confusedly.

Brother Willim nodded. “Several nights
back. You went away from your camp and sought the Little Brothers.
A creature roamed the wilderness and the Little Brothers
intercepted it before it could attack. You returned to your bedroll
none the wiser. But because they protected you, two earth spirits
are no longer in this world.”

“I didn’t know,” she cried. Tears
welled up at the thought that two Little Brothers had perished
because of her.

“Now you do. So do not let it happen
again.”

She nodded, then said, “But how can I
see them then? If I can’t go off by myself, and they won’t come
into the camp…”

His face hardened. “That is selfish,
Jira. Maybe you cannot see them as often as you wish, but such is
the burden we whom they befriend must undertake. Do you want to be
responsible for more of them dying?”

She shook her head
vehemently.

“Then be patient. Know that your
Little Brother, the one with the moon-shaped crescent is always
nearby though you may not see him.” He paused a moment then added,
“I believe he has bonded to you.”

“What does that mean?”

“It is hard to explain.
Suffice it to say,
he
thinks of
you
as
his
little
girl.”

Jira smiled.

Brother Willim cocked his head to the
side and got a faraway look for a moment. “Your father is almost
here, Jira.”

She grew apprehensive.

“I do not believe he will be too upset
with you.”

“I hope not,” she replied.

“But I would advise you to tell him
what you have been doing.”

Fear leapt into her eyes.

He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Honesty is never a bad thing.” She looked skeptical. “Trust me,
and have faith in your father. He is a good man.”

She nodded.

Getting to his feet, Brother Willim
held out a hand for her to take. “Come, Jira.”

Her grip on his hand was a bit more
than firm. Nervousness at what might happen when her father arrived
caused her to drag her feet. Once at the gap in the wall she saw
the grisly remains of the creature that had taken her.

Vines twined tightly around a creature
that had been all but shredded. Blood was everywhere.

Brother Willim walked her past the
grisly scene and as he came to the corner of the broken wall,
reached into his shirt and produced a handful of seeds. Summoning
the power of Asran, a green glow enveloped his hand; then with a
prayer, tossed them to the base of the wall.

Where they landed, vines sprung from
the ground.

Jira gasped in delight for the vines
gave off a greenish light.

“Vines of Brilliant
Light
, some call them.”

Traveling up the wall, they spread out
and soon had most of it covered in a glowing latticework. Leaves
sprung to life and half a dozen or so buds grew then opened. Each
of the flowering buds produced light equivalent to a torch.
Combined with the vines, the whole area was bathed in brilliant
light.

“Pretty.”

Brother Willim patted her on the head
and chuckled. “Yes they are. I do love them though I haven’t had
much occasion to use them.”

“Jiron!”

Scar pointed off to the growing light
in the distance.

“Let’s go.”

Moving at a run, they raced across the
desert to the unnatural glowing light in the distance. It didn’t
take long before they saw two figures standing bathed in the
illumination. “Jira,” Jiron breathed as he recognized the smaller
of the two. He drew his knives and advanced.

“It’s Brother Willim,” James
announced. The priest of Asran was an old and good friend from the
war. Many an adventure had they shared. He and the other members of
the Hand of Asran had proven invaluable in their efforts against
the Empire during the war,

“What does he want with Jira,” Jiron
questioned. His knives remained out and would continue to be so
until that question had been answered to his
satisfaction.

“I don’t know,” James replied. “But
I’m glad to see him.”

“Father!” Jira exclaimed when she saw
him emerge from the darkness. She let go of Brother Willim’s hand
and hurried toward him.

He grabbed her in a big hug. “Are you
okay?”

She nodded vigorously. “Yes, Father.”
Jira then pointed to Brother Willim who was walking to join them.
“He saved me.”

It was then that Jiron saw the
vine-entwined, bloody remains of the creature that had taken her.
He set her down and sheathed his knives. “Thank you,” he said to
the priest when Brother Willim reached them.

“Glad to do it.”

James stepped forward and held out his
hand. “So good to see you again.”

Brother Willim took it and gave it a
shake. “I’m glad I was in the area.” He tousled Jira’s hair. “She
was in a pretty pickle.”

That’s when Jiron’s joy at finding his
daughter subsided and a father’s irritation at her having even been
in that predicament took its place. “And just what were you doing
away from camp that you could be taken?”

She looked up to her father, then
glanced to Brother Willim. The priest gave her a nod of
encouragement.

“I…”

“Yes?” Jiron said when she
paused.

Swallowing hard, she lowered her eyes
to the ground. “I was trying to find the Little
Brothers.”

It took a moment for that
to sink in.
“You were what?”

She sank into herself at his
roar.

Jiron turned toward Brother Willim.
“What part do you have to play in this?”

“My part began when she was taken by
the beast,” the priest of Asran replied.

His hand went to his knife
hilt.