The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (23 page)

Gyan shook his head. “You have incredible
friends. I wish I could share the story with the people but there
are those out there that wouldn’t understand. Don’t worry, I’ll
handle it. It will work in our favor. You wouldn’t be the young
sage that I have come to admire if you had done anything else.”

“Glori, what are you finding?” The healer
used the owl’s name as she spoke softly, “Nuit has a cut high on
her leg. It looks like an arrow grazed her. She was, apparently,
fast enough that she out flew it but it did open her up. I have to
put in a couple of stitches but mostly it had already clotted. I
believe she passed out due to blood loss. She must have pushed
through trying to get back to her friend knowing she would be safe
here. I put a salve on it.”

Gyan spoke again. “Glori, it isn’t everybody
who would accept all of this.” She turned her brown eyes on Gyan.
“When my parents died in the flu epidemic twenty-five years ago,
Auntie Jes took me in and raised me. Over time I saw things I
couldn’t explain and asked Auntie Jes about them. I know about
sages and why we are so deeply in trouble now. I respect that you
three have gifts beyond what we do but you didn’t ask for them.
They are a part of you. I also hear what is said out there and know
that you have superstition and ignorance running against you and
jeopardizing your efforts to try and right this. I don’t know how
you can because you have lost so many, but I know that you are
trying. I won’t share any of this with anybody.”

Erin glanced at Gyan who gave her a nod.
“Glori, we three have been frantically searching the ancient’s
archives at Aerie trying to find a solution. We found that they did
leave us a back door. There are a few latent sages scattered around
the realm. They gave us the means to find them and to activate
them. Did you see me weaving through the crowd tonight?”

“Yes, that caught my attention. I wouldn’t
have missed the opportunity to meet the Great One but I am a little
uncomfortable in crowds. I kept shifting around and I saw you were
also.”

Erin pulled the pendant from her shirt with
her left hand. “This pendant tells us when we are in the presence
of a latent sage. It gets really warm. I was trying to find who it
was reacting to.” Still keeping it around her neck she leaned
forward and held out the pendant for Glori to touch. “It is a
beautiful piece of the ancient’s technology.” Glori gasped when she
felt the warmth and she raised her eyes to Erin. “Glori, you are a
latent sage.”

The healer looked at Gyan in disbelief. “I
can help? I can be a Timeless One and have years to grow in my
craft?”

“Yes, to both of your questions. It does set
you apart and you will outlive many friends and loved ones. That
needs to be considered.”

The room was quiet as she thought. Nuit
opened her eyes and let loose of Erin’s arm to grasp a fold on her
pack. Erin slipped a pouch out of her pocket and casually laid it
on the pack near Nuit’s leg. She picked up Tempo and the little
skunk dropped the mouse at Nuit’s feet then leaped to the floor.
Glori looked up from her reverie and looked into the eyes of the
three sages in the room. “Activate me. When my skills start to
develop I will have questions. We’ll deal with them later.”

Drune placed his palms over her pulse points
as Erin stood and rested her hands on his shoulders. Within a few
minutes Erin and Gyan felt their pendants pulse. Drune slowly
removed his hands and they gave Glori a big smile. Her smile was a
little tremulous. “I am?”

Gyan nodded. “There is one more thing.”

Glori interrupted in a panicked tone. “Oh, I
don’t have an enhancer? What can I do?”

Gyan laughed and raised his had to stop her.
“It is delightful that I don’t have to explain. Here, choose what
is meaningful to you.” And he opened the bag and spread the pieces
out.

She looked them over briefly. “The rutilated
quartz for healing and the green fluorite that is shaped like Nuit.
It is also for healing but will be more meaningful because of Nuit.
Thank you! When Auntie Jes died I set hers aside in a secret place.
Then Zinar died and I was concerned that his would be lost, so I
took them and put his enhancers with Auntie Jes’s. I buried them in
the center of her garden, protected by her spirit posts. They
weren’t mine. But these are and I feel better having my own.”

The three sages just looked at Glori,
surprised by this new bit of news. Gyan finally spoke. “Do you live
in Auntie Jes’s home?”

“No, it is a nice home and not far from the
city, but it is too full of memories for me.”

Gyan nodded. “Look it’s late. Cear is already
up and we all need our rest. Thank you for healing Nuit.” The owl,
having eaten Tempo’s offering, clicked her beak in agreement. We
are used to rising early. Would it be possible for you to show Erin
and Drune, Auntie Jes’s home, just after dawn?”

Glori smiled, “It would be my pleasure. I’ll
be in the inner courtyard waiting for you.” She gathered up her
things into her basket and with a smile to them all she left the
room quietly.

Gyan shook his head in wonderment. “Well, I
have been around a long time but truly haven’t gotten out much. I
have never been to Jes’s home. This makes your point about Ree’s
home more pertinent than ever, Erin. We’ll give Lor a few days to
find the answer in the archives.” He looked over at Nuit. “How are
you feeling, my friend?”

Nuit understood his speech though Erin’s
mind, and answered the same way. ‘I’m feeling a little better. The
wound is sealed and the mouse has helped. I need to be careful but
I also must get more food. I’ll be mindful how I fly. If you’ll
open the widow I’ll be off. I’ll stay in touch with you, Erin.’ The
young sage got up and opened the window as she relayed Nuit’s
message. With a look at all of them Nuit silently flew out and into
the darkness.

“We really have to get some sleep. You two
have enough travel bars with you for breakfast?” Erin nodded.

Drune said, “I have enough for tomorrow but
need to replenish my supply. Will we be eating lunch here?” he
asked plaintively.

Gyan laughed and slapped the young man on the
back. “Yes, we will stay at least that long. You two look over her
home, her posts and garden and retrieve the enhancers. That will
give us the few extra that, you, Erin, pointed out, we need.” He
rose. I’ll contact Peyr briefly and let him know we are coming.
Good night and sleep well.”

Drune got up and with a wave left for his
room. Erin turned to Tempo as she closed the window. ‘Thank you for
the thoughtful gift for Nuit. It really helped. Will you sleep
here? I can smuggle you out in my pack in the morning.’

Tempo did the slap-pounce that he was known
for. ‘That sounds like a plan. I would like to see Auntie Jes’s
place. You can call Keir at that time and he can come too.’ Erin
looked down at her little friend. ‘That is a great idea. He seemed
to sense something about Ree’s posts. I look forward to hearing his
impressions!’ She turned down the energy to the glow stones,
slipped her pouch of stones back into her trouser pocket and
prepared for bed. As she settled under the covers she said to
Tempo, sleepily. ‘I realize that we aren’t finished and out of
danger yet, but I feel good about the Sage count being up to
twelve.’

The little skunk watched his friend fall
asleep, then he said very softly, ‘It is a good thing. Sleep
well.’

Bright and early the following day, Erin,
with a pack over one shoulder, Drune and Glori left the city and
took an east trail into the hills. As soon as they were out of
sight of the city Tempo emerged from the pack and kept pace with
the three sages. Erin had called Keir who rode the thermals
overhead. A twenty minute brisk walk brought them to a small
clearing with a lovely view of Duluse Plains and the road ribboning
toward Sidetel Pass. There was a small two story log cabin and a
cluster of six carved ‘spirit’ posts like in Ree’s garden. It was a
charming setting with a lot of light but surrounded by the quiet of
the woods.

Keir landed on Erin’s shoulder and they
approached the posts. She lightly touched the post and felt an odd
quality of awareness. “Drune, come touch this and see what you
read.”

Keir spoke. ‘These are just like Ree’s. They
have a sleeping attentiveness.’

Erin puzzled on the falcon’s statement. ‘That
is an interesting way you described them. Are they like the henges
by the cities?’

The Keir’s response came back immediately.
‘No. Those were made by men and serve as focal areas for the
planet’s energy. These are different. Older.’

Drune had had his hand on a post for over a
minute. “These are really old, Erin. My guess that they were made
and placed by the ancients and serve a slightly different purpose.
They are more than they seem and definitely know that we are sages.
They are quite alright with us being here. I look forward to
hearing what Lor finds.”

Tempo nodded. ‘I’m going to hunt on my way
back to the city. I’ll meet you there.’

Glori took them inside and showed them
around. Even though Auntie Jes had been gone for over a month
nothing was disturbed. There were no mouse droppings or any other
signs of trespass. They returned to the garden and dug up the cache
of enhancers that Glori had hidden. Erin slipped the small box into
her pack and they started down the trail back to the city.

“Where do you live now, Glori?”

“I have a nice little home in the outer city
just beyond the street with the stable. I like being close to the
city and I have my own herb garden. It is relatively quiet there. I
had a happy childhood with Auntie Jes and I don’t mind if someone
lives there, but it can’t be me.”

Erin was the only one of the three that had
seen the posts at Auntie Jes’s cabin and at Ree’s. “You know,” she
said musing aloud, “Each of the city henges is different. They are
carved or chiseled to represent the products of the region. They
are tall, straight and point skyward like a spire. But the ‘spirit’
posts have funny stylized human faces and are curved and more
sinuous. They are focused here at our level or just above our
heads. Yeah, I’m looking forward to hearing from Lor.”

When they got back to Morraton, Glori left
them with a wave. Drune and Erin went up to their rooms to pack.
Erin opened the box of enhancers and found five inside. She placed
her father’s with them and closed the box. She would get it to Gyan
later. Right now it would be tucked into her pack. She hoisted it
onto one shoulder and joined Drune. They were going to take their
packs to Kennet. There was always a guard about because of their
cargo. As they were going down the staircase there was a rumble and
the ground gave a hard twitch like a horse being plagued by flies.
Erin grabbed for the bannister and held on. Drune had been turned
toward Erin so he grabbed for her but hit the stair with a bounce
and a groan. They stayed where they were until it seemed that the
ground was finished. Drune got painfully to his feet and rubbed his
abused backside. “Let’s get outside. If I am going to lose my
footing I would rather land on soil. It is softer than stone
steps!”

They got outside and Drune started to move
easier. Making their way to the stable they found most of the
animals were getting used to quakes and were panicking less. After
all, the irritating phenomenon had been happening for a month now.
Kennet gave them a cheery wave when they told him they were storing
their packs. Bast was returning to the city to connect with Gyan so
he walked with them. As they approached the city commons they saw
that Yvon was out and making measurements. She had a container of
paint and a rope with her. She was marking where the posts should
be. Erin and Drune gave her a big smile and waved.

They found Gyan in Mayor Cesler’s office,
returning the bag that belonged behind the lintel. It was almost
time for the public meeting. Bast conferred quietly with Gyan then
left. The Great One approached his young sages and put his hands on
their shoulders. “How has your morning been?”

Drune, with a side look at Erin, grinned.
“Interesting and productive. Are you ready for your meeting?”

Gyan gave a sharp nod, then turned to the
mayor. “Cesler, let’s go see what questions are brewing in the
minds of your people.” The four walked out together but at the
outer steps Drune went left and Erin went right, down into the
gathering crowd.

Mayor Cesler called the people to the front.
“This is a pretty rare occasion that our realm’s Great One can
break free of his duties in the capital and come and see us. I’ll
let him explain. Folks, this is Gyan, Great One for the realm!”
There were cheers and clapping and Gyan stepped forward.

“Mayor Cesler made a great introduction. I am
here because we have had a rather difficult fall with all of the
quakes, storms, pests and now some illness. Mixed into that has
been a very troublesome rumor that we have witches. So I would like
to hear your concerns and viewpoints and to share with you what I
have learned from extensive searching of the archives of the
ancients in Aerie. When you have something you wish to share please
raise your hand.