Taming the Elements: Elwin Escari Chronicles: Volume 1 (29 page)

“That’s right,” Mother said. “Most of the people are bringing trades that we didn’t have before, but there are a few that bring competition as well. The prices for most things have gone down because of it. There is a new foresting crew to help with new construction. Old Gailin didn’t have enough of a crew to do it on his own. There are even artificers that have come. Your Poppe has purchased a grand display of fireworks for the festival tomorrow.”

“Zarah said they had fireworks every year in Justice,” Elwin said.

He almost struck himself for bringing up Zarah’s name. He let out a sigh of relief when the conversation continued without acknowledgement of the slip.

“How’s my Da?” Feffer asked.

“He has never done better for himself,” Father laughed. “Your Da could turn a profit by selling a farmer his own dirt.”

Feffer’s smile split his face, then his smile drooped into a frown.

“Feffer,” Elwin said. “What is it?” He knew the answer before Feffer spoke his name.

“Wilton. I’m worried about him.”

“Me too,” Elwin said.

His mother and father exchanged a look of concern, but they didn’t voice the unasked question. Feffer answered anyway. Hearing Feffer tell them about Wilton’s torture and the death of his squad was not any easier the second time. It sounded like something out of a book, but it wasn’t. Wilton had seen his companions die. By the end, Mother had tears in her eyes, and Father’s face paled.

For several moments, the only sound came from the crackling fire.

“Where do you think he went?” Elwin asked to break the silence.

“Home.”

“That is probably for the best,” his mother said.

Father nodded. “Willem will take care of him.”

The silence lingered for a bit more. Feffer looked up and said, “Elwin, what is it like living in the palace?”

“My rooms are too big, really.”

Feffer rolled his eyes. “Rooms? Bah. If you want to trade, you can have my bunk in the barracks. It smells like old sweat and rotten small clothes.”

“You make such a compelling argument, but I will keep my accommodations.”

“Accommodations,” Feffer said rolling his eyes. “Really. What’s it like?”

“Honestly. It’s exhausting. There is protocol for everything. I have multiple forks and spoons for every meal, and I can’t wrinkle my clothes a hair, or I hear it from Harkin three times over.”

“Harkin?” Feffer said.

“Ah,” Elwin said. “He’s … uh … He’s my … uh … manservant.”

“You have a manservant?” Feffer said, incredulity thick in his voice. “I eat slop and run drills all day. But you are exhausted with your
manservant
? Unbelievable!”

“I hardly ever see him,” Elwin protested. “He mostly just lays my clothes out and keeps my quarters clean.” Harkin tried to dress him, but Elwin refused. He wasn’t about to tell Feffer about that part.

“Oh,” Feffer said dramatically. “He only keeps your
quarters
clean and lays out your fancy shirts. Does he fluff your pillow and make your bed? My mattress is so thin, the ground must be more soft.”

“I work hard too.” Elwin crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I train almost nonstop. And when I say nonstop. I mean. Non. Stop. After breakfast, I train with the Elements until lunch, then I get lectured to for
hours
. Before supper, I train with my mind’s eye, where I try to will my soul to move about through fighting forms. Which, by the way,
is
as exhausting as it sounds. After the evening meal, I have one hour of free time before I have to meet Jasmine in the shadow realm for more training. That’s right. I even train in my sleep. Then I wake up and my day starts over. Oh. Right. And every Lifeday, we train with swords.”

“Okay,” Feffer said. “Maybe you do work hard. But you have a
manservant
. If I spill my slop, I go hungry and have to do press-ups for making a mess. Your manservant probably apologizes to you for the mess you made.” Feffer stuck his nose up in the air and made a mocking tone. “I am so sorry you spilled that. Please allow me to clean it up for you, sir.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Elwin said. Then he smiled. “I don’t eat in my quarters.”

Feffer rolled his eyes again.

Elwin looked to his parents for support. They both had amused smiles.

“Would anyone like more tea?” Mother said while pouring water into her own cup.

Elwin and Feffer both held cups out for her to refill.

“Soldiering can’t be all bad,” Elwin said after taking a sip.

“Nah. You get used to running through the drills. I’m the best in my squad with the forms. I was the first to learn all of the stanzas of every form, and I get to spar in the advanced class. It’s my favorite part.”

“Wow,” Elwin said. “You’ll make the White Hand yet.”

“I intend to.” Feffer’s face grew somber once more. Elwin didn’t have to ask to know Feffer was thinking about Wilton.

“Well,” Father said, “we have an early start, tomorrow. We should be off to bed.”

“Finish your tea boys,” his mother said. “The sleeproot will help you have a good night’s rest.”

“Sleep in a bed.” Elwin stood, stretching and yawning, “I can’t wait.”

“Where do I sleep?” Feffer asked.

“If you recall,” Father said, “Feffer, you were going to come stay with us last year. The night before you boys left, I began building bunk beds. After you were gone, it was a good project to keep me busy for a few days.”

“See, ” Feffer said, “the mischievous days of my youth weren’t all bad.”

“It wasn’t all that long ago,” Mother said. “Have you changed
that
much?”

“I have,” Feffer said. “I swear.”

“I don’t know,” Mother said. “You’ll have to show me before I believe you.”

“I will show you,” Feffer said. “What would you like me to do?”

“Come help me with these dishes.”

Feffer’s smile slipped for a moment, but it returned in an instant. “I will. I am excited to help you.”

Feffer walked ahead of Mother into the kitchen and began to sort plates.

“Good night, son,” she hugged Elwin and went into the kitchen.

His father patted him on the back. “It gladdens my heart to have you home, son.”

Elwin leaned in for a hug and watched his father go down the hall. He stood and took a deep breath. So much had changed, but this was still his home.

As he rounded the corner to his room, Elwin heard his mother ask Feffer to go outside to draw water from the well. He smiled. Feffer had talked himself into chores. That had to be a first.

Elwin stopped in the doorway of his room. It was just as he had left it. The books were all straightened and the bed was made. Nothing was out of sorts, except, atop his blanket was the book that Asalla had given him the year before. The one he had left in the grass.

“I found it in front of the inn before I got your letter,” his father said from behind him. “It looked like something you might like.”

“That is odd,” Elwin said. “I wonder how it got there. I had left it behind the Madrowl’s shop.”

“One of the kids must have found it.”

“I’m glad you got it before the rain did. The book merchant gave it to me before everything happened. He said that it was a rare find. If it is alright with you I would like to take it back with me when I go.”

“Of course.” Father sat on the bed next to him. “I wanted to wait for you to bring this up, but I have something I need to say to you.”

“What is it?”

“Your mother and I realized long ago we couldn’t have children. When you came into our lives, we thanked the Lifebringer for giving us such a precious gift. You were so young, too young to be away from your mother. We had to hire a wet nurse until you were old enough to have goat’s milk. Before we knew it, you started walking. You were quick to learn everything. We were so proud of you. And we still are.”

His vision began to blur.

His father placed his strong arm around Elwin’s shoulders. “What happened last year. It was an accident, Elwin. No one could have known that you had this power within you. What happened to that man was a tragedy. No one will argue that. But your mother and I love you, and we will always have a bed for you. I want you to know that.”

“I do.” He wiped the tears that started falling. “I love you, as well. And I will come back as often as I can.”

His father hugged him for several moments.

“Deed is done.” Feffer said as he bounced into the room. “I get top?”

“You can have the top,” Elwin said, wiping his tears.

His father hugged him one more time and said, “Night boys,” as he left the room.

“Good night, Father,” Elwin said, as Feffer called, “Good night, Mr. Escari.”

Feffer climbed into the top bunk. “I guess it would be easier for you to get up and down from here though, eh?”

“Yes,” Elwin said, as he settled into the bottom bunk. “I guess it would.”

“You have to tell me what it’s like,” Feffer said. “Flying. Even as I see it, I can’t believe it.”

Elwin took a deep breath. He could feel the Air connecting Feffer to him. The power was always there, waiting to fill him.

“There is nothing else like it, Feffer. Even touching the Elements makes you more alive. I feel connected to everything. Even now, I can feel you moving your hand through the Air, as if it were a bird.”

Feffer stopped moving his hand and Elwin laughed.

Feffer peeked his head over the side of the bed. “How did you know that?”

“As your hand moves, it create ripples,” Elwin said. “I don’t know
how
exactly. I have to focus on the Air, then I can see it in a way. How do you see or hear? You just do.”

“You see with your eyes,” Feffer said as he lowered his hand to the bed, “and you hear with your ears. What do you
see Air
with?”

“My essence,” Elwin said.

“
Oh
,” Feffer said. “
That
explains everything.”

“We should get some sleep,” Elwin said.

“Night, Elwin.”

“Good night, Feffer.”

Elwin woke beside his bed.

He could see Feffer already asleep above him. Watching the slow rhythm of his friend’s breathing, he wanted to make this moment last.

“We made it,” he said. “Feffer, we’re home. This Summer Solstice Festival will be much better than last year’s.”

He could hear the voice of his parents in the common room. He willed himself next to the fire. They sat on the same sofa as before, only they faced each other.

“He has grown so much,” Father said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

“I know,” she said after a time,“but don’t you wish he could stay here?”

“I do, but he is meant for greatness, above the life of a farmer.”

“Do you regret your life as a farmer?” she asked.

“You know that I do not,” Father said, “but I do not have Elwin’s gifts.”

She took a deep breath. They were quiet for a time, staring into one another’s eyes.

He touched her face. “He will be alright. I have only met one other with a kinder heart.”

Elwin felt as much as heard lightning roll through the clouds overhead. He returned to his room. It didn’t feel right spying on them.

They loved him, and that was all that mattered to him.

Chapter 15

Visions and Bargains

Zarah sat up in her bed, trying to catch her breath.

Her shift was wet with sweat. Her muscles ached and her head was sore. If she let herself, she could have laid back down to sleep. She had not entered the shadow realm in the night.

Instead she had been given dreams.

She could not go back to sleep. Zarah had to find her mother. The sun had not quite risen, so she would likely be in bed. Her mother shared quarters with her father in the next room over.

If it was much farther, Zarah was not sure she could make it without rest.

It took a lot of strength to push her blankets aside and roll out of bed. Her legs had nothing left to support her weight, and she fell to the cold marble.

She felt the power of Air flowing around her canopied bed and around the corners of her large room. Even if she had not heard the water splattering off her opened balcony, she could feel rain disturbing the Air as it fell. The fluid nature of Water intertwined around the flow of Air. Water nourished all living things, but Air brought the life-giving Water to the land.

She wanted to let the power fill her and fly to her mother’s quarters, but her essence had been drained. Having Visions always drained her essence so that taming a drop of power would render her unconscious. Or worse, she could damage her essence permanently.

Taking several breaths, she focused on the task at hand. Zarah crawled to her vanity dresser next to the door. Wrapping her arms around the sides, she pulled with her arms and pushed with her legs to stand. Her stomach heaved, and she closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

The door felt like moving a boulder placed by a giant. She pulled with all her weight to get it open and almost fell as it swung inward. Ever-torches lit the hallway, but no guards or servants walked the corridor.

Using the wall as support, Zarah worked her way up the hallway. When she reached Father’s door, she stopped to catch her breath, leaning against the door for support. Her first knock had not been as loud as she had hoped.

Balling her fist, she pounded with the last of her strength. Her legs gave out, as the door opened inward. She never made it to the floor.

Zarah felt strong arms lift her and carry her into the darkened room.

“Father,” she said. “I must speak to Mother.”

“Are you alright?”

“I had a Vision,” she said. “I will be fine, but I must speak to Mother, now.”

She did not need light to know that he had placed her on a cushioned chair next to the fireplace. Flint and steel sounded and the torch caught. Her father placed it into the fireplace along with kindling and a small log.

“Are you alright?” It was Mother’s voice. “I was about to come see why you had not met me for your lesson.”

With the light of the fire, Zarah could see her father had robed before answering the door, but Mother only wore her shift.

Zarah tried to sit up, but the room spun. Remaining slouched, she said, “I had a Vision. Elwin is in danger. We all are.”

Mother sat on the ottoman, next to her. “What did you see?”

“I saw our city from above, as if I were flying. A fog too dark to be natural surrounded it. At the center of the fog, I saw Elwin in a cage. A man in dark silks stood next to it, holding the key. I could not see the man’s face, but I
felt
his power. Feffer Madrowl was dressed in a loin cloth, like Tharu wears. He crept up to the cage wielding raqii dath and moved with the grace of a cat.”

Zarah stopped to catch her breath. Her stomach still felt as if she might sick up, and she tasted bitterness at the back of her throat.

“Is there more?” Mother asked.

Zarah nodded. “Yes. But, I saw two things happen at once. They were both shadowy with solid pieces. In both of the Visions the most solid image was Elwin fighting against the cage. Feffer became transparent, as if a ghost. In one of the images, Feffer was opening the cage. In the other, he was dead at the feet of the man in silks.

“In the first image with Elwin free, he and Feffer fought the man in blue silks and drove him from the castle. In the second image when Feffer died, Elwin laid in his cage and wept himself to sleep. The man in silks laughed as the castle walls crumbled to dust. He said, ‘You are mine at last
son of Bain
. At last, the world is mine.’

“The castle faded and a field of corpses began to rise, though they did not draw breath. Large winged creatures made of bones, like dragons without scales, covered the lands. People were made to swear allegiance to the Seeker.

“The field faded into mountains, where dragons rose from their rock cocoons. They were much more massive than any bard has every told. The dragons were divided by the color of their scales. Gold and green dragons hovered over Alcoa, like guardians, while the black and red dragons tried to destroy them. There were dragons of other colors, who went to other nations, and others still who scattered to odd corners of the world.

“Mother.” Zarah swallowed. The next part was difficult to say. Her mother and father were listening to her every word.

“What is it Zarah?” her mother asked.

“The dragons were gifted in the Elements, and they could all do things from legend. Beneath their power, the world began to crumble. Mountains shifted, the lands quaked, and the seas rose. The Alcoan nation was fissured and the Island Nations were swallowed by the sea.”

Her heart was beating faster, she realized. She swallowed the acid taste in her mouth and closed her eyes. “Then, I woke up.”

Her parents remained quiet for a long time. Her heartbeat returned to normal by the time her mother finally spoke.

“Zaak, would you please inform the king that we have an urgent matter to discuss?”

Her father’s jaw was tight. He gave her a single nod and exited, not stopping to dress. Mother did not speak until the door closed.

“I prayed this day would never come,” Jasmine said, “but you must soon be ready for war. Including you and I, there are three elementalists in the city. We had to send most of ours in defense of the northern isles. Those who remain on the island are in the port cities, preparing for attack.

“I am afraid that some of the northern isles have fallen to the enemy. Bain has elementalists using the Death Element in battle. They call themselves black savants.”

She took a deep breath. “The only reason we have this knowledge is due to a brave survivor, named Wilton Madrowl. He is one of the king’s thief-catchers. According to his reports, these black savants are going from city to city, looking for someone they call the Son of Bain. He followed one of them to our city.”

“Here?” Zarah wanted to stand up but knew her legs would not support her. “Why did you send Elwin away? And by himself? We should have gone with him.”

“Mind your tone, young lady. Neither of us could easily leave the city without notice,” she said. “We are both too well known. Elwin has been mostly restricted to the castle and is not well known outside its walls. I have spied on him in the shadow realm, and he is safe. No one has followed him. Sending him away was the best decision I could have made.
Especially
now.”

“What about my Vision?”

Mother looked at her for several moments.

“Elwin being captured is tied to our city in ruins,” she said, more to herself than Zarah. “It will take some time to puzzle out the rest. For now, he is safe in his hometown. He will not return until the day before his trial. That will give me the time to find this
black savant
in our city. Elwin’s power is so great that even a novice could find him if he was to remain here. After the trial, I will send him with Tharu to the Chai Tu Naruo people or with Hulen to the dwarven city of Dargaitha.”

“Mother,” Zarah said. “The prophecies are real, and Elwin will begin it. He will cause the Awakening. And if he dies, our nation will fall.” She could not push the images of dragons fissuring the lands from her mind. “The whole world will fall.”

Mother took a deep breath. “I know child. I know.”

The first streams of predawn light escaped the storm clouds in the east, giving the small village of Benedict a few pink rays. Wilton sat atop his father’s store with his legs hanging over the ledge, not bothering to wipe the rain from his face. Drops of water thrummed off the roof and dampened the red wood, turning it to a deep crimson. Dark pools gathered at sags in the roof like puddles of blood.

Beneath him, the square was desolate.

Maybe less people would visit this year’s festival. He knew it to be an empty hope. The rain would cause everyone to be inside the inn. Wooden walls provided flimsy protection, even if they were crafted of the thick redwoods from the Carotid forest.

It was not long ago when he remembered this height being the pinnacle of his life. He would come up here as a boy and watch people go by. He remembered being afraid of falling forward. The memories betrayed his current view. The ground was not so far away, ten paces. If he fell now, he knew how to roll into the fall to avoid injury.

If he jumped the right way, perhaps he could find his life’s end. People would say he fell. No one would know what he had done.

He felt tears in his eyes. How many of his family and friends would die?

Wilton had already seen more death than he cared to see. Zaak had been a fool to send him and the others to that island. They were like untrained children against giants. No. Children would have stood a better chance against giants. It was madness to have thought they could have defeated the black savants in their own camp.

Garrin Haysworth of Paradine, a lordling to a major house, had been in command. Like the rest of the thief-catchers, Garrin was lean of stature. Wilton knew that Garrin’s birthright wasn’t the sole reason for his leadership. His dark eyes had a way of weighing a man as if Garrin could see his inner thoughts.

Even now, Wilton could not fault Garrin for his strategy. The lordling had made the best of an impossible charge. With his eyes closed, he could see that night as if he was still there.

The moon almost waxed full, providing ample light by which to see.

Their ship dropped anchor a mile from the shore. Captain Tidworth had been a smuggler of wyvern’s tail before the war, but his ship had been torched by the savants. Seeking revenge, Tidworth confessed his crimes to the king’s court, and the king took the smuggler into his service against Bain. Tidworth’s unique skills took them unseen through the dark.

Not a single torch was lit. Tidworth sailed them by moonlight and memory.

From the deck of the ship, Wilton saw dying campfires, casting shadows on large tents. The encampment of Bain’s army stretched across the sandy shores and onto the rocky plains beyond the beach.

If there were sentinels, none cried out. Garrin said there would likely be no watch on the sea by night. The underwater crags on the east side of the island made it difficult to traverse even by daylight, so Garrin counted on the foot patrols to be apathetic as well. In truth, the enemy had little need for a diligent watch. Being one of the smallest of the northern isles, Napri had been conquered first. If any of the citizens had survived the attack, there would not have been enough of them to have been a threat.

Garrin tapped him on his shoulder and pointed to the ropes hanging over the ships rails. A dozen moonlit faces bobbed in and out of the sea.

Wilton felt his heart flutter when he swung his legs over the rail. His raqii dath bounced against his naked thighs as he eased himself down the rope. The rope rubbed against his bare chest, reminding him that he wore only a loincloth.

It had taken a few months to grow accustomed to the lean apparel. Now he hardly noticed.

Summer had just begun, but the water still had a chill. The waves were calm, but they still made him rise and fall. The feeling was quite different than the lucid lake of the Carotid where he had spent the summers of his youth. He tried not to think about the water’s surface beneath him. The Lifebringer alone knew what creatures dwelled in the ocean’s depths.

Wilton kicked his legs and moved his arms to stay afloat, while the others lowered to join those in the sea. No one spoke. He and his thief-catcher brothers had grown accustomed to silence. Dark and quiet were close allies to a thief-catcher. Even their commands were all given by hand signs.