Ascent of the Aliomenti (6 page)

Will found a small pub nearby, and was able to secure a warm meal and wine. He wasn’t accustomed to drinking so much wine, but the city had no ready source of fresh water, unless one wished to hike a significant distance to a point upriver from the town itself. And there was simply no way he could know if other cities, upstream, might be dumping refuse into the water he’d eventually drink. The wine, though not nearly as refreshing as the clear waters of the Ealdor, was clear of most impurities.

He wandered about the city again after his meal, and found an inn where he could lodge until he found more permanent quarters, and used the time to contemplate what he’d do next. Even now, only a few hours after arriving in this city, he found himself wanting to leave. Entry hadn’t been easy; exiting would be a greater challenge, especially for someone like Will, a man who had arrived earlier that day. A city founded on suspicion and under constant alert for attacks would believe him part of an advance scout group for such actions.

He could simply teleport away, or turn invisible and fly out of the city under the cover of darkness. That approach would work if it was just him, but he worried about the impact his actions would have on Hope and Eva. Rachel might recall him mentioning that he’d heard of Eva’s medical prowess that morning, and if it was ever revealed he’d made that comment only minutes after entering the city, others might question his motives. That would bring Hope and Eva under suspicion as well, for it would associate them with a suspected future troublemaker. Will wasn’t concerned that they’d be hurt in an actual fight, one in which they had the chance to observe their attackers and leverage their Energy skills to their advantage. Yet those under suspicion in a city such as Abrecan would not be given a fair fight. It was far more likely they’d find their room invaded in the dark of night, while they slept, their throats cut before they had a chance to react.

He’d wait to leave until they did. It would ease all of his concerns, for they’d be with him, rather than at the mercy of a far larger community, a community which had no reason to trust anyone, and far more reason for paranoia. Perhaps they, too, longed for a greater freedom than what existed here, a city in which people of all ages might find themselves gravely injured due to poor planning, tossed aside due to lack of concern, or executed for suspicion of treason. Will wanted to believe that the three of them could find a better alternative home.

After securing lodging, Will retired to his room for a brief bit of rest. He projected a telepathic message to both women, a mental picture of his current lodging, and suggested that they converse at some point that evening. They need not be seen together; both women could teleport the distance to his room, and he could move to theirs unseen as well. Two hours later, as night fell, they elected to meet in Will’s room at the inn. The women didn’t want their neighbors to become suspicious upon hearing a man’s voice through the walls. Far better, they’d determined, to meet in Will’s room, where extra voices would be considered nothing out of the ordinary.

“How’s the little girl doing?” Hope asked.

“I suspect she’s doing quite well,” Will replied. “I started giving her assistance before we got to you. She’ll probably enjoy the best health of her life when she wakes up. More importantly, I think she’ll see her mother happy and smiling again.”

Eva grinned. “You noticed that too, did you?”

Hope glanced between the two of them, confused. “Noticed what?”

“Richard and Rachel seemed rather taken with each other, and he seemed to feel quite an attachment to the little girl. I think they may become a wonderful family at some point in the future.”

Hope sat down on the cot, folding her arms across her chest. “I hope not,” she said, her voice low and quiet. “I’ve seen that situation before, that combination of parents and child, and it didn’t work out very well.”

Eva sat next to her. “Your situation was unique, Hope, and not in a good way. Families are far more often a source of joy. Consider the time you spent out Trading, whether with our group or later, with the Weavers. That companionship? That sense of belonging? That’s what most families feel. There are squabbles and arguments, but when those end, you’re always left with something wonderful. I agree with Will. That’s what we’re likely to see with Richard, Rachel, and Miriam.”

Hope looked up, and her eyes were moist. “I wish I could believe that,” she whispered. “I wish I could
experience
it.”

“
We
are your family, Hope,” Eva said. Her voice now was stern, one that permitted no disagreement. “The previous family, such as it was, is gone. We’ve both accepted you because we
want
you to be part of our lives. Accept that. Accept that we care about you for who you are.”

Hope nodded, but it was clear it would take time for such acceptance to take root.

Eva turned to Will. “I know you’ve only just arrived, Will, but Hope and I have been here long enough to realize several problems with long-term residency. First, we’ve apparently been too successful in our practice; there are whispers of witchcraft around us already. Secondly, we feel unsafe, due to all of the knights who train in the open spaces, without concern about injuring or killing others. Third, we wish to experience forests and trees and rivers again, at any time, not just once per week. We want to leave, Will. And we’d rather not wait. Will you join us in leaving this city before the gates open again?”

Will smiled. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

V

Northwest

1021 A.D.

The women returned to their tiny room to fetch their few belongings for their departure. Eva returned to Will’s room at the inn with her bag of medicinal plants and herbs. Hope brought only the hair pin and necklace that had once belonged to her mother, Genevieve. The items had been gifted to Hope – then known as Elizabeth – by Arthur as they’d prepared her burial. Will knew only that Hope would one day wear the necklace to their wedding. At the thought of that day, a thousand years hence, he felt a sudden surge of fatigue.

Though they were paid up on their lodging, the women left a gold coin for the landlord, believing it was the proper thing to do. The trio debated leaving a note, but were unable to devise a plausible explanation for the sudden disappearance of three people. The gold coin was intended to be an indication that they’d not been taken against their will, though they were uncertain if an escape or forced abduction would cause greater concern.

With both rooms emptied of possessions, they each teleported in turn to the copse of trees outside the walls of the city, where Will, unbeknownst to the two women, established a protective physical barrier with his nanos. Each of them generated a personal barrier of Energy as well; they’d wake if anything threatening approached and pierced those fields. With their defenses set, the trio slept in peace and comfort under the stars, unconcerned about discovery or stealth attacks.

When they awoke in the morning, they shared a meal of fruit collected from the nearby trees. The fruit was exceptionally succulent, enhanced in size and flavor from the Energy emanating from the trio. All felt sated and prepared for a journey.

“Where should we go next?” Will asked.

“We moved northeast when we left the village,” Eva said. “Since we don’t want to go
closer
to the village, perhaps we should consider continuing in that direction.”

“That makes sense,” Hope said. “There’s just one problem.”

“Right,” Will said. “We have to go past the city to do that.”

Eva glanced at Will. “Is there a way to ensure we aren’t seen? I’d prefer not to travel several miles off course to avoid detection. And we can’t teleport to the other side, because we have no visible markers.”

Will returned the glance. “Off course? Are we heading in a very specific direction, or just generally northeast? If so, why not just go north for a few miles and resume the northeasterly route? Or just go southeast, which still gets us further away from our... origin.”

“I’d prefer not to go
too
far north,” Eva said. “I’m worried about the weather we might encounter during winters if we do so. The further east we can go, the better.”

“Then let’s go south first,” Hope replied. “Go far enough to avoid detection, and then pick up a northeasterly route once we’re certain the scouts from Abrecan can’t see us.”

Will found the suggestion reasonable. Eva seemed prepared to protest, but then agreed, noting that Hope’s suggestion addressed the concerns Eva had expressed. After they packed away more of the fruit and refilled their water skins, the trio set off south. They walked until they could just detect the city walls to the north, and then turned due east. Once they had traveled for a mile, they changed course again at Eva’s urging, this time to the northeast.

“I’m curious,” Will said. “What made you move northeast when you left? We tended to travel north on most Trading runs, so you would have gone past several of those towns and risked detection. You also expressed concerns about weather, specifically weather that became bitterly cold. Why not head south and avoid all of those problems? Why continue to push movement northeast?”

Eva hesitated a moment, and then sighed deeply. “I was not born in this area,” she said. “I never knew my parents. I was brought to the baron, through channels I haven’t quite worked out, when I was a newborn. The only information they had about me...” She paused, unable to continue.

“They were told you’d come from the northeast,” Will said, understanding. “You were hoping to use this time to find your original hometown?”

Eva nodded. “It’s a foolish fantasy, of course. I wouldn’t know my home community if I found it, because I have no memories of the area. I wondered, though, if I might come across a town or a village where the people look more like me.” She indicated her hair with a wave. “Not many people where we lived, whether before or after we escaped the baron, had hair coloring like mine.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Of course, even if I find an area with people of a similar appearance, who can say if it means anything? After all, my brother and I look nothing alike.”

Will nodded at the observation, a curiosity he himself had noticed. Eva was tall for both her era and gender, and her hair was snow white. Adam, in contrast, was of an average height, and his brown hair bore little resemblance to Eva’s. “It certainly can’t hurt to look, though. It’s not as if we have another target in mind. Moving further away from the Aliomenti village seems like a good idea.”

“Aliomenti?” Hope frowned. “What’s that?”

“Adam recommended that we give ourselves a name. He found the remnants of the sign on the Schola, and the letters from
alio incrementum
were reformed into Aliomenti. Choosing the name... that was part of his speech after the fire and massacre.”

“What?”Eva asked, and the coloring of her face nearly matched that of her hair. “What fire?”

Will found it hard to look at her; he’d left so quickly after talking to Hope that he’d never related the events to Eva, and now he didn’t want to say anything. But he did. “Adam returned from his journey, Eva. He brought word that he’d found the true secret, the way to unlock those abilities in everyone. And it was no mere boast; he demonstrated abilities far in excess of anything Roland ever suggested. Everyone was quite excited, until he stated he wished to share it first with three people. When he found out what happened to the two of you and Genevieve... he became angry. I believe he probed the memories of everyone there, because I
felt
him digging through my mind. What he found horrified him, Eva, to the point that he decided to take action. He wanted to punish them for what they’d done to the three of you, and prevent future atrocities. He kidnapped Arthur, made up a story to get me out of the village, and then...”

Eva was no fool, and the pause following the comment about the fire and massacre were all the clues she needed. Her horror, shock, and grief were suffered in silence. The only indication of her understanding and acceptance of Adam’s actions were the short, quick breaths she inhaled, the sounds coming from her a tearless, heaving, silent cry. Will stepped closer to put a comforting hand on Eva’s shoulder, and Hope gripped Eva’s hand.

“I can’t believe he’s done it,” Eva finally whispered. “Why didn’t he tell me? Why wouldn’t he talk to me?”

Will, uncertain if these questions were rhetorical, elected to reply. “It is not something I think he felt comfortable sharing. He may have been embarrassed or ashamed.”

Eva blinked, as if waking from a dream. “What?” The sound of her voice seemed to jolt her to full awareness. “Yes, of course he was. He should still talk to me, though. You say he now has very strong abilities? Like you do? That those abilities enabled him to... start the fire?”

Will found her resilience at the news that her brother had murdered four dozen people remarkable... and slightly unnerving. “Yes, Eva. He has strong Energy skills. That’s how he restrained fifty people in their rooms as he doused the exteriors using kegs and casks of alcohol. That’s how he scooped flaming embers from the fires burning in the ovens to ignite those buildings. That’s how he held them all still until they were burning to death, freeing them only to sense their own skin burning off and feel themselves suffocating in the smoke. That’s how he ensured that they knew they were dying.” His own voice choked with emotion as he recalled the sensations he had felt as he’d realized what Adam had done, what Will himself, despite all of his Energy skill and nanotechnology, had been helpless to stop.