Mortals & Deities (28 page)

Arderi’s mind searched for something to say. “You never did answer my question.”

Looking at him from the corner of her eye, her cat-like pupils reflecting Sainor’s silver light fully at that angle, she tilted her head to one side. “You ask almost as many questions as the Mah’Sukai, Arderi Cor. How is she supposed to keep up with them all?”

This made him chuckle. “Aye, we are an inquisitive family.” Placing his hands in his lap so he would not fidget, he bit his upper lip. “I meant my
first
question, when we met in that alley back in Mocley.”

She stiffened and started to rise. Placing one hand on her knee, he waved her to remain seated with the other. “Wait. I am sorry if I offended you. Please stay.” When she relaxed, he took a deep breath. This was the first time she had ever made an attempt to speak with him and he did not want to lose the opportunity to learn more about her. Still, by her reaction, he knew he must tread lightly. He would need to ease into the conversation. Get her talking. From his experience, once a girl started talking, they rarely stopped. And there was one thing all the girls back home liked to talk about…“Tell me of your family.” He thought mayhaps he had asked the wrong question when her blade pressed into his throat. That beautiful smile of hers was most definitely gone now. Slowly raising his hand to her wrist, he gently pushed the knife away. “All right.” He kept his voice soft, his words slow. “Not a subject you want to speak about. Forget I asked.” Once the weapon left his throat, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Tell you what.” He continued to speak slowly since she still held the knife and he did not want to push her any more than he had. “You start.”

With only a moment’s hesitation, she slid her knife back in its sheath. “Start what.”

“A
conversation
. You know. You sit there and ask me questions which I then answer without trying to kill you.” He made a point to keep his hand away from the hilt of Dorochi. “Then, I ask you a question. Mayhaps one that will not involve you trying to kill me. You know…we talk.”

She considered his proposal, a thoughtful expression on her face, for several moments. Finally, she nodded once. “She agrees.”

“Agrees? With what?” He did not know if she meant she would ask him questions, or answer his, or try not to kill him.

“She agrees to have a
conversation
with you.” She reached down and adjusted her belt knife. “And she will try not to kill you.”

Her statement was not comforting since he could not tell if she was joking. Still, it was a start. They had traveled together for four days now, and he knew nothing about her. Glancing at her knife out of the corner of his eye, he decided not to risk chancing whether she said that last bit in jest. “Aye. As I said, you may start. Ask me something.”

She did not hesitate. “How is it you have never ridden a horse until four days gone?”

Breathing a sigh of relief—he had dreaded what her first question could have been—he looked toward where the horses were hobbled. He could hear them chomping on the tall grass. “My brother and I grew up in a stead.”

Arderi flinched as Elith jumped to her feet. “The Mah’Sukai is a slave?”

“Nix. It is not like that.” He knew most people saw those who lived in steads as little more than slaves. Now that he had seen a little more of life outside of one he had to admit it was not far from the truth. “It is a fact that the steads were originally created as slave camps. Where those in charge forced people to farm and tend animals. It has not been that way for hundreds of turns of the seasons. Those who live in a stead are free to do as they please.”

Sitting back down, she nodded in understanding. “So they no longer work as farmers and herders?”

“Well, aye. For the most part, those who live in a stead are either a fielder or a herder. Yet, they now get paid for their labors.” However, he had to admit if only to himself, their pay was paltry. From what he had gathered during his time in Mocley, the average man made the same in a tenday as his Papa made in a full turn of the seasons.

“So, the Mah’Sukai…is not a slave, then?” She sounded relieved, as if the thought of Alant being a slave would have been too much for her.

“Nix. We are both free men.” He could not understand why this caused her such agitation.

Her demeanor became even more withdrawn, if that was possible. “Fine. It is now your turn.”

At first, he had no idea what she meant. Seeing the seriousness on her face—like a woman on her way to the headsman’s axe—he understood and started laughing. “Elith! It is not like that. A conversation is not a give and take. We are not doing this to force the other to answer. It is simply two people talking. You do not have to be afraid of it. If I ask something you do not wish to answer, do not answer it.”

“Yes. Yet, you answered her question.”

“Aye! That is what people do when they talk.” He had always felt so unsure of himself around girls. With her attitude, she made him feel like he held all the knowledge. Leaning over, he risked placing his hand on her thigh. Even with her sitting, he could feel the muscles in her leg.

It is like touching the side of a horse’s neck!

Looking into her eyes, her elongated slit pupils reflecting the silver moonlight, he swallowed hard. She truly was beautiful in a most exotic way. Her pale gray skin, her thin black lips, and her eyes…They all added to her allure. “Relax. This is not an interrogation.” At her nod, he continued. “May I ask you about where you come from?”

“She was raised by the Priests in the Temple on the Isle of Komar.”

“Aye. You said you were sent by them to find my brother.”

“She was.” Turning her head, Elith stared off over the Glonlore Bay once more. “Though, she is confused now.” Standing, she took a step away, crossing her arms under her small breasts. “All her life she has trained for one purpose. And now that she has been put to that purpose, she is failing.”

Arderi rose and went to her side. “Do you feel you have made a mistake in coming with us?”

“No. For the first time in her life, she is doing something that feels right.”

Reaching up his hand, Arderi wanted to stroke her white hair. Hesitating, his hand hovered in the air without touching her for a moment before he dropped it back to his side. “Do you—” The look in her eyes when she turned and faced him cut him off.

“She is sorry, Arderi Cor. She does not think she can continue this
conversation
.” With that, she stalked away, disappearing into the dark.

Returning to his rock, Arderi took a deep breath.

Aye. That went well.

The morn broke just as Alant Cor found the last of their mounts. Hobbling a horse did not stop it from walking. It simply encouraged the beast not to wander far. This mare had wandered over a small hill further into the plains, drawn by the scent of a small round pond she stood drinking from. With only mild interest, he noticed that the pond had no streams feeding it. Taking up her lead rope, he patted her on the neck and headed back to camp. He realized for the first time they had never given names to any of the horses and thought he would mention that to Arderi. Though he had little experience with the animals, he remembered the guarders back home all had names for their mounts. Names like Thunder, or Wind, or Firelance. Powerful names that no doubt held a meaning for the rider.

Looking into her big brown eyes, he scrunched up his brow and thought about all the time he had spent on her back over the past four days. “Torture. That is a good name for what you do to my legs and rump, and that is what I will call you.”

Continuing his walk, he thought about his brother still sleeping in his blankets. Alant could not complain, however. He preferred to stand last watch, since it gave him a good period of uninterrupted sleep beforehand. That, and after he crawled off that horrible saddle, it took only moments for him to fall asleep once his head hit his blankets. Plus, it meant that he was awake when the sun broke over the horizon—a sight that filled him with awe each time he saw it.

Arderi always took first watch. Alant guessed this had something to do with Elith. After spending five nights together now, Alant knew the strange girl only slept a few aurns at a time. And only while Alant was awake. Last eve the two woke him with their talking, though he was too tired to stay awake and listen to what they said.

He was not sure how he felt about Elith. She was not Human, of that he was certain. Yet, she was not any other race he knew about either. Not that he was well versed in all the races that inhabited Talic’Nauth. Still, her similarity to the Elmorians with her gray-toned skin, dark black lips, and snow-white hair, disturbed him greatly. She did not have their build, however, and her eyes were far from anything he had ever seen on an Elmorian.

She had saved his life, and was very convincing that she would not allow any harm to come to him. For some reason this made him comfortable. Not only with her. He felt as if she really could protect him from others.

Rousing his brother—Elith was already awake when he returned with Torture—they ate a cold firstmeal of dried fruit, cleaned up the campsite, and filled their waterskins from the pond Torture had found. His body complained about being in the saddle again, yet there was nothing he could do about it. They either pushed on and hoped that Elith could find this caravan of Arderi’s, or return to Mocley and look for another way to find this Sar’Xanthia the strange woman from the forest had told him about. Although, so far all they had done was follow the wide gravel road that led to the town of Diamond Point in the foothills of the Morlis Mountains.

As she had done each day prior, Elith rode on ahead as soon as Alant and his brother were mounted and moving. Normally she would be gone for several aurns. This morn, however, she came riding back after less than a quarter aurn.

Pulling her horse to a stop well in front of them, she waited for their approach. Once they rode even with her, she turned her horse and kicked it to a walk, matching their speed. “She has found where the wagons left the main road and headed across the grassland.”

“Are you certain it is them?” The words came out of his mouth before Alant realized what he said. He cringed at the thought of offending her.

If his words bothered her, however, she did not show it. “Yes, she is sure. It is the large group of wagons you have been following, the ones whose camps you keep seeing. It is about two days ahead of you.”

“Two days?” Arderi did not sound happy. “So they are still that far ahead?”

“You have gained some, Arderi Cor.” Elith’s thin black lips curled into a smile. “With as slow as you and the Mah’Sukai ride, she is surprised you have gained any ground at all.”

The girl had a point. They rode at a pace not much greater than a walk. They could not go faster, however. Each time they pushed the horses into a trot, Alant’s backside took more abuse than he could stand. “We are gaining on them. That is all that matters. The wagons will slow some now that they have left the road. Mayhaps in a few more days, we will overtake them.”

True to her word, when they rode just a bit further they found an area that looked as if a large group had made camp there for the eve. It was not the first of such campsites they had found since leaving Mocley. Although, this one had a noticeable trail of wagon grooves running over bent and broken grass stalks heading away from the road and into the vast openness of the Asgarthian Plains.

As they left the road and started following the wide trail of destruction—littered here and there by odd bits and pieces of discarded debris—Arderi barked out a laugh. “It is a good thing you can track, Elith.” Waving a hand, he indicated the blatant wagon tracks that ran off in a straight line for as far as the eye could see. “Neither me nor my brother would have been able to find this trail without you.”

“She is—” Shutting her mouth with a click, Elith looked from Arderi to the trail and back again. She looked so puzzled, Alant joined his brother in laughing at her.

Riding up next to her, Arderi reached out and patted her leg. “I am just picking on you, Elith. Do not be offended. It is what friends do with each other.”

The familiarity his brother showed to the gray-skinned girl startled Alant. Arderi had never been comfortable around girls that Alant remembered.

Well, to be fair, the last time I was around Arderi he had not even had his fourteenth naming day. I guess everyone grows up sooner or later.

More of a shock was that at Arderi’s touch, Elith appeared to relax. “Friends?”

“Aye, friends.”

The day rolled on, and by the time they stopped to eat halfmeal, the waters of the Glonlore Bay were no longer visible behind them. Dismounting, Alant grunted in pain. “I always admired the guarders back home being able to ride horses.” He rubbed his backside and walked over for the dried meat his brother offered in his outstretched hand. “Now, all I can say is they can have the beasts!”

Arderi lay on his back, almost completely submerged in the tall grass, staring up at the clear-blue sky. “Aye. I have to agree. When Master De’haln said I must learn to ride, I was excited. Now that I have ridden this half-tenday, I am not sure if I ever want to ride again.”

Elith’s horse whinnied and Alant thought it odd timing, as if the beast understood the conversation and laughed at his brother’s jest. Without warning, the horse let out a shriek and rose up on its hind legs, kicking out with its front. Elith jumped to the horse’s side, grabbing its reins in an attempt to bring it back under control.

Alant caught a shadow scurry across the edge of his sight. Turning his head, he saw what it was. A large, flat black shape dashing toward his brother. “Arderi, behind you!”

Rolling over onto his stomach, Arderi froze. An insect-looking creature the size of a large dog, with two claw-like pincers and a tail that curved over its back, hovered an arms length from Arderi’s face. The tail ended in a large ball with what looked like a hooked spike protruding from it. If the thing had eyes, they were lost in the jet-black shell covering its entire body.

Shuffling forward on its six legs, the monster’s tail struck out, aimed at his brother’s head. Panic gripped Alant as he watched the spike whip forward. He did not see exactly what happened next, yet the severed tail of the beast flipped away into the grass beyond and Arderi crouched over the creature, driving his sword down through its head.

I did not even see Arderi move! How did he do that?

A high-pitched squeal emanated from the thing, and all of its legs twitched before lying limp on the ground. Standing, Arderi turned with sword in hand looking in every direction.

Lowering his blade, Arderi shook his head. “Well, so much for that lightning of yours.”

Elith reached up and patted her horse on the snout. “I have never seen anyone move so fast, Arderi Cor. I may have to re-assess—” The horse reared up and kicked her in the back of the head, sending her hurtling toward Alant. She slammed into the ground as the horse bucked several more times. With a loud shriek, the horse stiffened and fell to its side with a loud thud. Another of the giant black insects scurried up onto its already bloating side and clicked its claws at Alant and his brother. Two more of the creatures broke from the cover of the grass and approached Elith’s still form. With a yell, Arderi lunged forward, cutting off one claw as he positioned himself between the monsters and the gray-skinned girl’s body.

Snapping himself out of his shock—he still retained a grip on Torture’s reins—Alant let the Sight of the Essence fall upon him. The swirling Strands filled the area around him while the clarity of the Sight let him see the Spectals floating in each individual blade of grass. Dropping the horse’s reins, he pulled in the Strands he knew represented energy. A crackling blue light began dancing between his fingertips.

Alant stepped over to help his brother protect Elith, only to find that both creatures lay dead at Arderi’s feet. Spinning, he let fly a bolt at the creature perched on top of Elith’s dead horse. The bolt hit the monster, flinging it up and away and filling the gentle breeze with the stench of burning flesh.

An ear-biting whinny ripped over the grasslands and Arderi’s horse bucked and fell kicking into the deep grass. A swarm of four or five of the creatures covered the horse—two attacking each other for dominance of the uppermost part of the horse’s side.

“We cannot stay here!” Arderi’s shout drew Alant’s attention. “There are too many of them. We need to get some distance from these things!” Reaching down, he grabbed the back of Elith’s collar and pulled her away while keeping his sword at the ready.

Turning his attention back to the group of monsters on top of the second dead horse, Alant focused on the Spectals inside them. With a whoosh, horse, monsters, and much of the surrounding grass burst into flames. The heat smacked into him with such force he stumbled backward.

His brother caught him, saving him from falling. “Are you mad!” Arderi waved an arm across the view of the plains. “The grass is dry and dead for leagues! We cannot outrun an entire land of fire!”

Refocusing on the fire, Alant saw that new Strands were being created. These long, spindly red ones leaped from the flames themselves. Although he had never noticed them before, they looked similar to the ones he used to create lightning. He reached out and gathered all the red Strands, pulling them into a tight spiral in the center of the burning grass, folding them in upon themselves. As he did this, the heat from the blaze diminished. Continuing what he was doing, the fire eventually snuffed itself out as he folded the red Strands smaller and smaller. Soon, all that was left was a large pile of burnt blackness covering the ground and a putrid stench filling the air.

Arderi stepped into the grass around the charred pile, smacking the stalks with his sword. He continued in ever widening circles around the area before looking back at Alant. “Well, looks like you either killed them all or your fire scared them away. Whatever they were.” He jabbed his sword in the direction of his dead horse. “Of course, all the supplies I carried are now gone too.”

Kneeling down, his brother put a hand to the side of Elith’s neck. “She is still breathing.” When he pulled his hand away, a thick black liquid covered it. Holding it up to Alant, he looked worried. “Is this her blood?”

Giving a start, Alant realized he stood motionless. He thought about what he had done to the fire. He did not know how the idea came to him, it had just felt…right. Glancing down at Arderi, he turned his attention to the gray-skinned girl. With his new way of healing, so long as she lived, it would not take long to mend her wounds.

At least, I do not think I can heal someone who is dead. Yet, who knows with these new powers of mine?

Even as he thought it, he knew he was wrong. He did not understand how, yet he knew. Dead was dead.

“Alant? Are you going to stand there all day?” His brother sounded frustrated.

Sitting next to Elith, he placed his hands on her back and immediately snatched them away. Something had nagged at him since he met this girl. Now, he saw what. She had no Spectals inside of her. She was a void. Vacant of anything. He glanced around to ensure he still held the Sight. Looking back at her, she became a deep black hole in the colorful fabric that made up the Essence. Now that he paid attention to her with his Sight, he noticed that the Strands that normally floated free, with no discernable direction, seemed to move away from her form. As if some unseen force pushed them.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and he jumped, losing the Sight. He looked up into his brother’s concerned eyes. “I cannot heal her.” He let his gaze fall upon her once more. “There is no Essence in her. I have never seen anything like it.”