She dressed him, cleaned his wounds gently and gave him a delicious liquid to drink. It tasted wonderful, though it burned deeply as he swallowed. Her thoughts were swirling and spinning in his head, but all that he could think about was leaving Lormarion, and Seramour, the city he so despised now. He wanted to be as far away from here as he could, so that he could forget all about his mother and how she made him hit her, the guard who forced death upon himself by hindering his escape and Aramela, the whore and evil traitor who committed such monstrous acts.
He allowed Adrianna to assist him, and he followed her directions as if he was in a trance. She led him to the door and pushed him gently but forcefully through it. He heard the sounds of horses somewhere in the near distance and she led him in the direction of their impatient whinnying and hoof stamping. Ruffin allowed her to lift him onto one of the animal’s backs and to secure him to the saddle with some kind of restraint. He was grateful to her, and he felt safe and stable. She mounted her own black steed, and with a click of her tongue, they were off.
Ruffin glanced backward only once, and he watched as the trees of Lormarion faded into the distance for what he knew was the final time. Out of the corner of his tired eye, despite the obfuscating fog that seemed to muddle his vision and his thinking, he also saw a momentary burst of brilliant light, so strong that he had to squint in response. He watched as the small cottage containing the bodies of Aramela and her treacherous father crumbled upon itself in an eruption of crimson flames, consumed and turned to ash. He then closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep, deep sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
She dreamt of Avalain. Her mother was sitting in the library with her and together they were looking through a great big, old book that was covered in dust. The sun was streaming through the stained glass windows from behind her and it was casting the strangest of shadows upon the high wall of volumes and manuscripts. The beams of multicolored light seemed to dance and flirt with the books, as if they were choosing amongst them, first this one and then that. Her mother kept pushing them away, shooing them from her like she would if flies were buzzing around her head. Filaree could not understand why her mother was not reaching out for them instead and trying to catch them in her hands like glowbugs in a jar, they were so beautiful.
She tried to speak to her, to tell her how lovely the dancing rays of light were, but the words would not issue forth from her mouth. The more she tried to speak, the more frustrated she became. She would open her mouth, knowing what she wanted to say, but the words would not come, as if her vocal chords themselves were absent from her. She stuttered and choked in silence, and Queen Esta was unaware of her travail even though she was sitting right before her.
Suddenly, the wall burst into flame behind the Queen, ignited by the shafts of sunlight that pranced upon it. Her mother continued to read the book that was opened in her hands, unaware of the conflagration at her back, and she persisted in waving her hands about her and fending off the light like it was a swarm of annoying insects.
By now, Filaree was becoming agitated and disturbed, but she was frozen in her seat and unable to stand and unable to utter a warning. Her mouth was open wide, but all that would issue forth was a scream. Once it issued from her mouth, it seemed never to stop.
“Wake up, Filaree. Wake up. It’’s just a dream, a bad dream,” Cairn said to the warrior lying beside him on the soft, mossy earth.
He held her arm lightly in his hand and shook it gently, as he sat propped upon his elbow.
She arose with a start and opened her eyes wide, searching from left to right for signs of danger. It took her a few seconds to understand where she was and who was addressing her. She shook her head from side to side and tried to clear the images from her mind, but she could not rid herself of the disturbing thought that her mother was in danger.
“Thank you, Cairn. I was dreaming, yes. But it was so real. I have not had a dream like that in such a long time. It must be all the excitement of leaving Pardatha and beginning our journey once more that precipitated such a restless night. I wanted to speak, but the words would not come,” she said while smoothing her disheveled hair across her brow. “I was home in Avalain, in the very room where I went when I was first ‘called’ here, and my mother was there with me. She was so busy looking at something in an old book, it must have been the Tomes, that she did not notice that the wall had caught on fire. All the books were burning right behind her, and she was ignoring them, not lifting her eyes from the tomes. I tired to warn her, but I could not. It was terrible and frustrating. I was helpless.”
She shook her head again, but she could not erase the uncomfortable impression that this dream had upon her.
“Well, I suppose it was only a dream. I do wish though, that I could see my mother again. And Avalain. Oh how I miss that city,” she said, as all of the pent up emotion welled up within her.
She turned away from Cairn so that he would not see the solitary tear that made its way slowly down her cheek.
“You will return home in time, Filaree. But, we have much to do first.”
“Oh, I know that, Cairn. And I do not mean to imply that I wish for a moment to be doing anything other that what we are doing now. I just cannot help but long for my friends in Avalain and the warmth of my family. I wish I could communicate with them the way Robyn does with his tree and his father. It would bring me great joy to know that my mother is safe, and that the city and its people are healthy and secure.”
Cairn could imagine how the Lady felt, though he could not share these emotions with her, as he never had a home or a family of his own since he was a small child. Calyx was his closest companion and he went with him wherever he traveled.
“Not all the news Robyn receives is reassuring, Filaree. Sometimes it is better to remain unaware,” Cairn replied.
“Yes, perhaps. But only if things are not as they should be. In that case, I would want to know anyway.”
“I suppose so.”
“Where are the others?” Filaree asked, realizing for the first time that they were alone.
Cairn looked around him in the darkness of the pre-dawn hours.
“Robyn’s bedroll is empty, though still where it was when we retired. But the others I do not see. I guess they rose early and already stowed their gear.”
He stood up and began to survey the nearby area.
Filaree scowled, “Why would they do that? We are all going to depart together anyway?”
“Maybe Robyn knows,” he answered, and he walked to the edge of the campsite in search of the Chosen.
“The others have gone,” they heard Robyn’s disembodied voice announce from somewhere in the distance.
“Robyn?” Filaree questioned, unable to locate his physical presence. “What did you say?” she asked tentatively, while rising simultaneously, her hand already on the hilt of her sword.
Cairn returned to Filaree’s side and sent out a mental call to Calyx, uncertain himself if something untoward had happened while they slept. Within moments, they could hear a thrashing through the distant brush, as the Moulant bounded to his friend’s side.
At the same time, Robyn too emerged from the dark brush nearby and walked toward the other two.
“Tomas, Elion and Preston left. They did not wake us, as was their intention, and they did not leave a message of any kind. They must have known we would try to find them if they did,” Robyn said calmly, apparently unalarmed.
“Why would they go without letting us know? Why would they go at all?” Filaree questioned, though not quite as calmly as Robyn.
“We are the ones who have been ‘called’, not they. We are the only three who must go to Seramour. I can only assume that they determined that they had a different need to attend to,” Robyn said.
Filaree raised her hand to her chest as she noticed that something was irritating her skin, and she found the ring hanging heavily within the folds of her tunic.
“Well,” she said with conviction, “they obviously knew what they were doing and went of their own free will. They left me with the ring,” she commented, raising it before her on its short chain.
Robyn cocked his head sideways, and then approached her.
“A good choice,” he said as if to himself. “Far better than I would have been,” he concluded with a faraway look in his dark eyes.
“What was it that you said, Robyn?” Cairn asked, having been able to distinguish only a word or two and wondering who the Chosen was speaking to.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Robyn replied. “I was merely thinking out loud.”
“I am surprised that Calyx did not warn me of their departure,” Cairn remarked, looking upon his friend in a questioning manner. “Surely he was aware of it.”
The big cat-like animal’s wide eyes seemed to blink in embarrassment, as if he understood Cairn’s comment and was trying to pretend that he did not.
“He would not betray them to us, even out of loyalty to you, Cairn. Not if he understood their need. To me, that is reassuring all the more. Calyx doubtless must have known that they left. Their withdrawal could not have occurred without his becoming aware of it. And yet, he did nothing to give them away. They were certainly in no danger then,” Robyn concluded.
“I suppose not,” Cairn concurred, though perplexed and disturbed by their furtive leave-taking nonetheless. “But why could they not have at least let us know that they were leaving. I am surprised that Tomas would withdraw from my presence without a word of some sort to me,” Cairn said, clearly hurt by his friend’s abandonment.
He was beginning only now to feel the loss. He and Tomas had been together since their meeting in the woods of Pardeau, before even his aunt and uncle died, and he assumed guardianship of him then. They had not been apart since for any extended period of time. His heart was growing heavier by the moment.
“Now Cairn, do not go and get sentimental on us. You are the stoic, remember? You are the one who always sees the necessity in the saddest of situations and recognizes the inevitability of it all. Do you just preach for the benefit of others and not apply your knowledge and insight when it comes to yourself?” Filaree asked, seeking to comfort her companion in a way that he could relate to.
“Yes, Filaree. You are correct. Surely they had reason, and if Tomas felt that he could have advised me, he would have. I have just been with him for so long now, I am unused to the prospect of losing his company,” he said, downcast.
“So am I, Cairn. We have been a family of sorts for these past months, and I too have grown very fond of the three of them,” she said.
“It must have been very difficult for Elion to leave, knowing that we were returning to Seramour, his home.”
“All that he has been talking about for the past three weeks is how much he wanted to go home, to see his parents and the Heights. We spent quite a bit of time together of late, and he so looked forward to the reunion. A great need must have persuaded him to abandon this journey for another.”
“How do we know that they are not going to Seramour? Maybe they just wanted to arrive before we did, or just separately from us,” Cairn speculated.
“That would be odd,” Robyn interjected. “We had no controversy amongst us all, and our strength would only have been enhanced if we traveled as a larger group. We certainly would not have slowed them down in any way.”
“That is true. They must have headed in another direction entirely, or they would have lingered with us longer before parting ways. To do so now only indicates to me that they are journeying north, at least for a while. They would not now go back to Pardatha and over the Thorndars, and if they intended to go east, it would have been much easier for them before we crossed over the river,” Cairn said.
“Unless they only last evening decided to leave us,” Filaree stated. “In which case, they could be headed in any direction whatsoever, except perhaps southward, the way we are going.”
“In any case, we must rest assured that they know what they are doing and why. They are a capable lot, the three of them. Meanwhile, we should be on our way ourselves if we are to accomplish our purpose in this lifetime,” Robyn proclaimed, though his eyes scoured the surroundings even as he spoke.
They all concurred, and then began to gather the remaining belongings. They carefully cleared the camp site of all evidence of their stay, just as a matter of course. They did not anticipate any enemy to be lingering so close to the walls of Pardatha, but they were not prepared to take any chances, regardless of their immediate sense of security.
Once mounted, they rode quickly and purposefully through the heavily wooded forest. They would need to spend one more evening in the open if they rode hard and if nothing hampered their journey. They planned to arrive in Lormarion before the sun set on the day after next.
Each of the three had much to ponder during this journey, and each withdrew into his or her own world of thought and memory before long. They spoke little and rested even less. Filaree could not shake the nagging feeling that her dream was a premonition of some sort, and it bothered her for quite some time. Finally, she was able to convince herself, out of practicality if for no other reason, that the dream was harmless in and of itself, and that it was natural for her to harbor concern for her mother and her homeland. Her thoughts began to drift to Elion. She missed him more than she expected she would, but she had confidence in his choice to depart, and she feared not for his safety.
Cairn felt Tomas’ absence poignantly, and he struggled with the emotions that welled up within him. He felt as if the opposite paths that they were traveling now were indications of a greater scheme, and that their closeness was going to gradually suffer. He knew that the next time he saw Tomas, he would not be the same boy that he was now. He was maturing so quickly. When they first met, he was like a child, though wiser perhaps and more insightful. He wore the innocence of youth like an old, familiar jacket that he knew he had outgrown, but would not discard. The losses on the way, the tragedies they could not avoid, changed him. Colton had changed him. The conflict he so acutely felt all the time, changed him. Cairn knew that he would be a different person when next they met, and this affected him deeply.
The anxiety he felt was like a father for a son, and his heart was heavy for it. He had not experienced the feeling of partnership and family since he was a child and it was therefore difficult to lose it so soon. Parting from the boy would have been hard no matter what the circumstances. But, to not have the opportunity to say farewell, when so much uncertainty surrounded them all, made it all the more trying. Cairn rode with his thoughts upon these issues, conflicted, and surprised at how effortlessly and thoroughly Tomas had brought him back to the world of relationships and emotions that he had been separate from for so many tiels.
Robyn was perhaps the only one of the three who believed that this separation was for the best. Although he did not anticipate it, it felt right to him. He had been uncomfortable with the prospect of the twins encountering one another at this time, and he was not sure why. The relief he felt now was for that reason alone.
Three of the races are represented by that small group
, he thought.
What could they have in mind?
He was also glad that the ring was around Filaree’s neck and not his own, although he knew that he would have welcomed it had it been given to him. The last time he had possession of it, he was so filled with energy, so invigorated by the circumstances, that he was uncertain how much of it was attributable to his proprietorship of the ring, and how much flowed from within himself. He was a bit jealous nonetheless, and he recognized that admission reluctantly.