25. We're Not Alone
I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I never noticed Miriam approaching. The shock flipped the book from my fingers. It slid across my thigh and fell out of view.
When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell.
Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may.
After all...I can't fix stupid.
Previously: Attacked in the dark, our hero and his companions help a farmer and his children flee from danger. Wendell is wounded, and the party makes a hasty retreat into the wilderness.
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Just because someone says, "That’s not possible. You can’t do that," doesn’t mean it’s true. Some of the best experiences in my life have been from proving someone wrong in a good thing.
It hurt…every time I saw her, it just…hurt.
It was also a sure sign that it was a dream.
She looked up into my eyes, reached her hand around my neck, and pulled me closer.
I liked this part. Her…pulling me in.
She wanted to be closer to me.
Me, mind you, which was…well, pretty fantastic, dream or not.
Leaning in, she closed her eyes and pressed her soft, full, warm lips to mine.
Help me.
Again the voice. Right at that key moment? It couldn’t wait until AFTER she was done kissing me? For all I knew, she might want a second kiss!
Sigh.
That voice haunted me. Pulled at my heart. It was, somehow, familiar to me and couldn’t figure out why? It drifted away from me, down the hallway, but I couldn’t see anyone. The spooky part was, I heard it through more than just my ears. I heard it through my skin. The hairs on my arms and neck snapped up, like a mild shock of electricity traveling up my spine to the top of my head.
Help me, please.
It only took me a fraction of a millisecond to decide how to respond.
I set the girl down next to me. Gently.
Hey, I’d like her to kiss me again, alright?
My entire world spun as I tried to find where the voice was coming from.
“Did you year that?” I ask.
“Hear what?” She continued staring at me, but this time, she was smiling.
They are coming.
The voice came from…everywhere.
Soft. Clear. Scared.
It definitely sounded like a child…and that worried me.
Come on, come on, Wendell…, you’re running out of time. You have GOT to figure this out.
Sigh.
…not a chance.
The hiss from behind…again.
No matter how many times the girl jumped into my arms, her face contorted with terror; she was perfect. Yes, I know this is a story from the perspective of a teenage boy, but I’m telling you, this girl was breathtaking. Everything about her was beautiful.
…and it wasn’t just her looks.
There was something about her. Something I could feel each time I dreamed of being in her presence. That feelings were also familiar, like the voice, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
“No!” she cried, “Don’t let them get me! PLEASE!!”
The hair rose again on the back of my neck, even though I know what’s coming next. It’s not her expression that does it. It’s the scraping sound echoing behind me. Claws against stone.
I shuddered.
Turning, I see two more of the ghastly robes.
This was so getting old.
Empty hoods. Sure. Big deal.
Hollow, vacant holes where faces should be. Faces probably scowling at the kid who just didn’t care anymore about this part of the experience. The shredded sleeves, in place of hands of flesh, reached out. Like specters, they moved towards us, crawling on all four limbs, prowling along…
“Seriously,” I tapped my foot, annoyed. “Do we have to go through this again?”
“Jussst a boy. Jussst a CHILD,” it hissed.
Apparently so.
They pause…swaying in the shadows. Watching me. The tops of the hoods roll forward, bend — skinless brows frowning at me. For some reason, they look an awful lot like sock puppets this time. Huh. Can your imagination get bored? Arching their backs, they change positions, like beasts ready to pounce upon their prey.
I strain my ears to pick up some sign of the child’s voice. For a moment, there was something that I could feel…like that sensation when you’re swimming in a pool, and you reach out for the edge? Because you can feel it…just inches away.
Kinda like that.
…but there’s nothing.
It’s gone.
“Go home or ssshe will…”
“Yeah, shut up,” I interrupt, the voice pounding in my skull. Grabbing the girl, I pull her close. “Let’s go.”
What’s the list again? Useless shelf to my right. Two wood crates and three full gunny sacks — probably grain — a pile of someone’s forgotten laundry. No help there. To my left, a stained glass window.
For the first time, I get a good look at the colorful window. It was a scene with a knight in bright armor, defending women and children, huddled behind him, using a drawn sword and shield. The horde, creatures with claws and fangs, scraped at the shield. A wave of evil coming at him, and this guy was standing his ground.
Huh.
I clasp the girl to me, her head against my shoulder. This time I don’t hesitate. She’s warm, yes…and I feel my heart pounding in my chest…but I focus.
I’m moving before the creatures launch themselves, claws outstretched. “Hold tight!” I yell as I plunge through the glass. The icy wind stings my flesh, the glass shards tear my cheek and forearm.
…and she’s still with me!
I’m not sure what to do now.
She looks into my eyes, studying me…then smiles.
"You are so close," she whispers.
She kisses my cheek. Soft. Simple.
I blink…and I’m all alone, again…plummeting to my death.
Oh well.
The waves of the sea beckon as the rocky shore rushes up to meet me, and the wind calls out my name.
‘Wendell,’….
‘Wendell,’…
"Wendell!"
I woke with a start, a firm hand against my chest.
"Easy," Evan whispered. He nodded towards the sleeping children huddled together near a prone Hiram under a tree. The morning glow over the horizon was peeking out, but the sun wasn’t fully up yet. Lucas, the farmer, was laying next to his daughters on one side of Hiram. Miriam cuddled Livi on the other.
"You were doing it again," Evan said. The look on his face seemed to battle between concern and annoyance. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Sorry," I said. "These dreams are a bit too real." Evan looked exhausted. He’d been up all night, keeping watch. "Take a nap," I whispered. "I’ll take over."
Evan nodded and spread out on the ground, turning away from me…hammer within reach.
We’d been pushing hard for days, using the horses as much as possible to put distance behind us. Between Evan and Lucas, we only used back paths and hunting trails, avoiding excessive signs of smoke. If Lucas was correct, Til-Thorin Keep was within a day’s journey from here. When we worked our way back down the mountain looking for water, we got caught near a stream as the light faded.
It was a risk, camping so close to the valley overnight, but we didn’t have a choice. None of us wanted to chance lighting a torch or creating a campfire. We’d stand out like a beacon on the mountainside, but without light, we couldn’t navigate the horses. So we were stuck until dawn.
I pulled my bag closer and waited for the sign.
Evan snored.
Not loud enough that I had to rouse him for fear of getting caught, but enough to know when he was truly out. This had become my system during our trek, which gave me the chance to do a little reading. Miriam’s counsel was good. I shouldn’t hide what I was trying to do, but if I could avoid conflict with the blacksmith without compromising, I would.
I flipped open the flap on the bag and pulled out the beefy little book I’d been studying. It was old and wrapped in scared purple leather, but solid. It was called "The Alvis Articulation of Magic", and it was the only book I’d found so far that looked like it would fit inside my bag.
Point for me.
I held the mouth go my bag open and waved the book across the lip of the enchanted leather.
Just like I thought, there was a faint shimmer along the edge of the book as it left my pouch. It shimmered again when I put it back in. I had no idea what it meant, but something was going on with this bag…and it had already found me once.
The other thing about this little volume was that this Alvis guy explained the fundamentals of magic in ways I could almost grasp.
Another point for me…and probably everyone else.
The only drawback was the meaning of certain words. After his "words matter" comment, Alvis followed up with, "for magic to take from, pronunciation is half the equation." So until I could learn how to say some of these words, and say them properly, I would not get very far. So I spent most of my time skimming through pages, trying to glean whatever I could.
Thank goodness it had pictures.
So while Evan snored, I studied.
Over the last few days, I’d learned that magic had distinct categories. There was a diagram that showed circles, or rings, reaching out to the edges of the page, like ripples of water. At the center was a label which said ‘Universe/Deity’, scribbled around a sketch of a single, lidless eye. Around that were six more circles, which were labeled ‘Core’, ‘Spirit’, ‘Mental’, Inner Physical’, ‘Outer Physical’, and then ‘External.’
The adjacent page had a list of elements, the top being ‘Light/Intelligence’. The list followed with Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Metal…and Shadow. In the bottom corner of the age, looked to be a hand-written list which added "Forms". It listed, written, spoken, emotion and physical.
How these diagrams worked was still beyond me, but some lessons this Alvis laid out gave me a decent grasp of magical concepts. Everything comprised something called ‘intelligences’, which were the smallest living…anything the mägo were aware of. These intelligences attached themselves to one another for a variety of reasons, but the more that collected, the greater the whole became. Alvis pointed out that if you take any two things…there will always be a ‘greater’ and a ‘lesser’.
He used mägo in the example, and was clear that this didn’t mean ‘better’, but rather potential capacity. That could be brains, wisdom, strength, charisma…just about anything, which is measured in various ways. With magic, ‘greater’ seemed to refer to life force, level of concentration, understanding, and a natural influence with intelligences.
Alvis explained it this way:
‘The magic used in each ring is limited by the level of intelligence contained therein. When there are combinations in magic, or an overlapping of those rings, the intelligences required grows exponentially. The influence one ring has over another goes from the center outward, not inward.
Thus you will see that even though a practitioner of an outer ring may have more experience than a practitioner of an inner ring, the closer you are to the center influence, the greater your raw overall potential.’
Evan snorted and abruptly turned towards me.
I slid the book out of view and waited for the snoring to resume.
With the sun rising, I knew there wasn’t much time…but I wanted to better understand something. Under ‘How magic is fueled’, Alvis states…
‘All spells require a measure of life force from the practitioner. A small measure of will to create the spark from which all intelligences will follow. With this spark, a mägo then learns to both control and mitigate that draw upon one’s life force through concentration, components, and the correct words. Those who seek to use magic through sheer force alone will not have a long career as a mägo.
If one pushes beyond the natural strength and influence nature and life have allotted them, the consequence is a shorter lifespan.’
Dang.
"That means, if you’re going to mess around with magic, you better make it count," Doubt chimed in.
Magic had a cost. If you didn’t use it in the right way, that cost could be…everything.
Evan snorted again. I looked up to see the kids stirring, but the last part from Alvis had me thinking:
‘I would note here, reader, that in all my experience, which is substantial, every rule and principle I have laid down has been, at one time, challenged or shown to have an exception. The Hero of the Gem has shown that creativity and imagination, coupled with an iron will, can transform and even redraw the boundaries of magic.
Of course, it must be acknowledged that with the Ithari, he has a perpetual life force to draw from. Other mägo do not.’
"Well, I’ll be…," grunted Doubt, "…you ARE an exception to the rule."
"Now’s your opportunity to clean up," Miriam said.
I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I never noticed Miriam approaching. The shock flipped the book from my fingers. It slid across my thigh and fell out of view.
"Wha-huh?" I said, my head snapping up.
Miriam chuckled. "You should take advantage of the spring and," she nodded at my arm, "clean…your…wound. It may well be the last time before we reach Til-Thorin." She kneeled down to place a thin blanket over Evan’s shoulders. His snoring faded.
Oh," I said, "Right. Good idea."
She looked at me curiously. "You alright?"
Standing up slowly, I nudged the book behind a rock and pulled my bag in front of it. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. I’ll, uh, go down right now."
Miriam looked over at the children. Ana and Nola sat with Livi, sharing food. The girls smiled at one another, even Livi, as Lucas pulled something from his pack. He then cut pieces off a slab, probably the dried meat he’d packed, and handed it to Hiram, who also looked happy. The kid finally had color in his face again.
"This was a blessing," Miriam said, "finding Lucas and the girls." She nodded, as if agreeing with her own sentiments. "I know what it’s like to be alone, and raising children on my own."
I cleared my throat. "I’ll go wash up and be back in a few minutes."
The river was a short distance from camp, but easy enough to get to. We’d found a nice clearing, where a small alcove against the mountain rock let you sit in the warm sun, with ready access to the icy stream without falling in. The morning sun rose over the trees, giving her light to the flat rock of the mountain. The tree line hid you from the rest of the valley below, creating a small cocoon of stillness.
Warm. Soothing Comforting.
I slipped off my shoes and socks, set them at the stream’s edge and kneeled down. Pulling back the loose bandages Miriam helped me create for show, I inspected the wound. There was only a faint scar now, where the Therrin’s blade had gone all the way through my arm. Now it was pink where my skin had regenerated.
Just a little longer and I wouldn’t have to pretend who I was to the blacksmith.
Taking a deep breath, I plunged my head under the water.
Dang, that was cold.
Creativity and imagination could affect the bounds of magic? I wondered what Alvis meant by that.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
I pulled my head from the water…and bit my bottom lip to keep from shrieking.
"Livi," I snapped, a little too bluntly, "you scared me!"
Eyes wide with fear, she slipped behind me, trembling.
"What’s the matter?" I said.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Hide.
Ithari’s voice washed over me like fire. The alcove exploded with color, every detail plain and obvious. My ears perked back…and I know this is going to sound crazy…but I could feel footsteps. One set was coming up the opposite side of the stream, while the second set was coming down our escape path.
There was nowhere to run.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Hide.
Grabbing Livi’s hand, I pulled her with me to the flat wall of the mountainside. There was only a single rock jutting up from the ground, but it blending with the mountainside.
Then I heard them.
Grunts. Growls.
Livi gripped me with fingers of steel…and trembled.
Urine pooled at her feet.
Kneeling down, I wrapped her in my arms and whispered, "Close your eyes, sweetie. I’m here. Just close your eyes and be as quiet as you can, okay?"
She nodded frantically and buried her head into my neck.
…but she couldn’t stop shaking.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
I was willing, at that moment, to do anything to keep that little girl safe. To keep whatever came through those trees from touching a hair on her head.
…and for the first time, I knew Ithari had heard me.
Didn’t you?
Yes.
I placed a calm, firm hand on the back of Livi’s head and whispered. "I’ll protect you, Livi."
Just as the two figures pushed past the shrubs and trees, I thought of a great blanket wrapping around us both and whispered, "Silmä inakmään."
The creatures looked somewhere between men and the demons I’d seen raiding Evan’s village. They had gray-green skin, boils, and deep scars across their faces, and badly stitched wounds that never fully healed. They wore mismatched armor, holed chain under soiled cloth, and carried spears and pouches. Long knives hung at their hips.
Looking at one another, they grunted acknowledgment and went to the water.
As the larger of the two plunged its face into the stream and started lapping up liquid like a dog, the smaller sniffed. Popping its head to the side, it sniffed, then sniffed again. Dropping low, its eyes narrowed to slits.
My shoes.
Wading across the stream, it squatted on our side of the stream and snatched up my sneakers. An obscenely long tongue licked along the surface of the mägoweave.
Ew.
I’d have to burn them now.
The creature sniffed the air again.
…and turned in our direction.
The sun’s rays blazed against the mountainside, where I kneeled in plain sight, arms wrapped around Livi. There was no foliage, no shadows to hide in.
Just magic.
Step by step, the thing moved our direction, nose high in the air.
That’s when Evan’s hammer arched high and came down on the head of the creature, doing the drinking dog impression. There was a crunch, combined with the ‘splosh’ of hitting the water, as the creature’s head did a second impression…of a pancake.
The water turned dark as the body collapsed in the grass.
The smaller enemy turned and hissed, stopping maybe four feet from us. Standing upright, it lifted its spear and threw it at Evan, still hunched over the carcass at the stream.
Well,….it would have thrown the spear, if I hadn’t been gripping the end.
Head bopping about in confusion, it looked up at the spear tip, floating in the air, and spun.
My parents are wonderful people, and they taught me well. Especially not to take things that didn’t belong to you.
So I gave the spear back.
The long, crooked blade slid easily into its belly and under the ribcage.
"Silmä inakmään," I whispered…and came into view.
I’ll always remember that look of shock on the creature’s face.
It told me the magic had worked, and they hadn’t missed Livi and I because they were blind or stupid.
"Livi!" Evan yelled, then dashed through the water.
Whatever the thing was, slumped over against the rock, its confused eyes frozen open in death.
I kept my body between it and Livi.
Evan scooped up his sister and hugged her tight. "When mother couldn’t find you, I had a bad feeling." He kissed her cheek and forehead. "Please don’t wander off like that again. We need to stay together, Livi. So I can protect you!" He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers. "Okay?"
She nodded, which made him smile.
"We have to go," he huffed. "Now."
When he looked at me, my hand was still on the end of the spear.
Evan looked at the body, then back at me, eyebrows high.
I shrugged.
"I was just trying to wash my face.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I sighed.
Evan shook his head. “Til-Thorin is through that,” he said firmly, pointing to the swirling blizzard. "And I’m going to say this again. This is a bad idea." He looked back at Lucas, who nodded agreement.
The horses were exhausted, being pushed all day, but we were safe. Well, safe-ish, being hidden on top of a mountain overlooking the last valley of our journey. The only problem was, the entire area was shrouded in an unnatural storm, echoing thunder like cannon fire.
Lucas slipped off his black mare and walked over.
“I owe you both so much," he said. "You brought us with you, protected us,…but I have no desire to take my children into such as that.”
“You don’t owe us a thing,” Evan corrected him. “You had your own horse, and you fed us. We are the ones who are grateful, Lucas.”
“Where will you go?” asked Miriam.
The farmer looked back at his daughters sitting astride the horse. “I have a brother in Sangil. It’s about time he met his nieces.”
“Then the gods be with you, friend,” said Evan, and shook Lucas’s hand.
Lucas shook my hand, gave Miriam a respectful nod, and got back onto his horse. Positioning himself behind his daughters, the mare bolted down the path and out of view.
This was crazy. A strange pressure was swelling in my chest and I could feel the danger, the evil, growing around us. I couldn’t shake the feelings from my dreams. Anxiety and fear filled even the brief naps I had taken along the way. It made the shadows seem more real around us.
Waiting. Yearning. Wanting.
“No matter what happens, we have to get to Til-Thorin,” I insisted. “I know you think I’m crazy, Evan.” I stepped almost too close to the blacksmith and whispered, “but you’re wrong. The King of Andilain is in that Keep. My friends are in that Keep. Our only hope of safety from this invasion is in that Keep.”
I stepped back and rolled my shoulders back. It was now of never to make my stand against my stubborn friend. “So with or without you, I’m getting to that Keep.”
“As am I,” added Miriam.
Evan growled in frustration. The two had been at odds since Lucas and his daughters had joined us. Evan would argue about the dangers — how following the mountains to the west was wise. Miriam would counter with village prophecy and assertive directions as the head of the family. I’d stayed as far from the discussions as possible, though the blacksmith glared at me at every turn.
She took her son’s hand in hers, cupping his palm while rubbing his fingers. “I know this is much to accept, my son, but I believe Wendell. There is something inside me that whispers, encouraging me to go with him. I believe that going with Wendell will bring us prosperity.
Evan pulled his hand away. “How can you say something like that, mother? We’ve lost everything!”
Miriam stepped up into his face, placing both hands on his chest, and gripped his tunic firmly. She wrapped her knuckles in the leather and tugged. “Have we? Truly?! What have we lost that matter?” she pleaded. “We have our lives — we have each other! Everything else can be replaced.”
“Everything?” he scoffed, his tone bitter. “I lost the one I loved most in this world.”
Miriam grit her teeth, trying to choke back the tears. Her grip intensified, nostrils flaring. She stared up at her son, her face flush as she sobbed. “And I lost MINE.”
Her head fell against his chest as she wept.
Slowly, Evan’s arms wrapped around his mother and he held her close as she cried.
Behind them, Livi slipped down from the stallion. She crept up behind her mother and looked up at Evan, waiting until he noticed her.
When he finally looked down, she smiled.
Miriam wiped the tears from her eyes upon the dirty rags enveloping her hands. “Moving on has been the hardest thing in my life,” she choked, “but that is exactly what your father would want me to do.” She reached up and touched Evan’s cheek. “As would Jess.”
All I could do was stand in silence, holding the rope to the horses.
Hiram used both his hands to push himself upright.
“Can we decide where we’re going soon?” he asked, “Because I got shot by an arrow, and now my butt hurts too.”
Evan laughed.
For the first part of the afternoon, the trails were clear. This made the riding smooth and fast. But the closer we came to the edge of the blizzard, the less confident I felt.
There was nothing natural about it. The snow and wind whipped about wildly, out of control. It wasn’t just wind or ice. It had a wild life of its own. Lightning cracked across the sky and deafening thunder followed in its wake, making the ground shudder. The frost whipped around them in circular patterns, screaming and biting at them until they were compelled to dismount and guide the horses by foot.
Evan placed his mother and siblings on the stallion.
“We need to use the blankets, mother,” he shouted, “they are more important than your herbs!”
“No, you mustn’t!” she objected, but Evan ignored her and pulled the packages from the horse.
I kneeled down beside the blacksmith and shouted, “I may have a solution.” I reached into my jean pocket and pulled out my money purse. Keeping a firm grip on the bag, I pulled the string and then held out my hand. “Give me the herbs.”
Evan looked at me as if I’d had gone stark raving mad. It didn’t matter to me anymore. I motioned again, and the blacksmith finally handed over the stained cloth containing his mother’s rare concoction.
I took it, bunched it as tight as I could, then pushed it into the purse. “More,” I said, “Give me all of it!”
Piece by piece, Evan handed me the vials, pieces of plant and items wrapped in cloth — and one by one, they disappeared into the tiny container. The blacksmith’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“How did you do that?” Evan growled.
I was too concerned about Miriam and the children to care much about his opinion of me at this point. “I don’t know,” I said honestly, but matter-of-factly. Then I stood up and walked back to the mare.
Evan took the blankets and wrapped them tightly around Livi, who straddled in front of her mother. Hiram held onto his mother around her waist. Miriam ended up nestled between them as her oldest led the stallion forward.
…into the unknown.
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Author Notes
This is one of the strong changes from the perviously published books…Wendell’s delving into studies about magic. He was always curious, and overly excited to try and do as much as he could on his own. This was only hinted at in book 8 Howling Shadows, and it should have been made clear at this point in the story.
So there ya go!
My timing is off with getting the audio done for this weeks episode, and I apologize for that. The plan is to get that done tomorrow morning if circumstances permit.
The GREAT news is that my grandson is, as I type this, leaving the NICU and coming home with his mommy!!! YAYYY.
Jaime
Congratulations!!! So happy for the whole family. Love love love. All the love.