The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (30 page)

‘May I look at it? There is a very new sage
that would really like to meet you. Her name is Zoi and she hopes
one of her sage skills will be the ability to communicate with the
wild ones.’ Erin, Tempo and Zoi approached the branch. Erin set
Tempo down.

‘Let me land on Zoi then your hands will be
free to check my leg.’ Erin communicated the message and Zoi held
out her arm. Nuit flew to her and Erin examined the leg.

She said aloud to Nuit, “It looks much better
my friend. I would say that you have healed quite well!”

Thank you, Erin. Please pass on to Zoi that
it will take months but I sense the kernel of that talent that she
wishes for.’ Nuit swiveled her head to look at the new sage then
flew away. Zoi looked after her wistfully.

Erin cleared her throat, “Umm, Zoi. Nuit
asked me to relay a message to you...”

Across the way Gyan and Drune were talking to
Cheroan. Gyan had just handed the bag of enhancers back to the
mayor. They heard a shriek of joy and turned to find Zoi giving
Erin a big hug. Gyan smiled, “Off hand I think Erin said something
that pleased your minstrel.” Then he slapped his friend on the
back. Let’s go into supper!”

At pre-dawn, Erin packed her newly cleaned
clothes, slung her pack over her shoulder and headed down to
breakfast. It wasn’t long before the party was walking out to the
corral in the early dawn light. The horses had been saddled and
loaded with their packs and supplies. Cheroan, Mos, Holm, Bas and
Zoi were seeing them off and Erin couldn’t help but reflect how
many friends she had made in the last six weeks. The other thing
she was contemplating was what to do with her life after this
crisis quest was completed. All of the sages and probably ninety
eight percent of the realms population had guild affiliation. That
was a big part on how the realm worked smoothly. Everyone had a
job. That gave them security, status and something to do. Since
being a sage was just something she was, like the color of her eyes
was a part of her, that was not enough. The decision certainly
didn’t need to be made soon but she was letting the problem stew in
the back of her brain.

Tempo was in front of her on her saddle and
they were pulling out with waves and calls of good bye. They still
had a lot to do in a short amount of time. Without Kennet’s wagon
they could move across country and ignore roads when it was
possible. The company was going to do just that by taking a
straight line to pick up the river road to Terresville half way
down its stretch. They couldn’t make the town in one day but could
be there part way through tomorrow. Since there wasn’t a henge
issue all they had planned for Terresville was a public meeting and
hopefully, to find another latent sage. Their count had increased
to fourteen. Fifteen to sixteen was the ideal.

Because they had started so early, as they
had done so many times before, Gyan’s people were eating their
second meal of the day in the saddle when city dwellers were
probably finishing their breakfast. They connected with the river
road by lunch time. The Great One’s troop got off the horses and
walked to cool the animals down. Then they took a break so the
horses could drink and they could eat the tasty travel rolls that
Cheroan’s staff had prepared for them. Tempo was hunting for grubs
and lizards near the river.

Erin sat down with Gyan, Drune and Bast. As
she chewed her roll she looked over at Drune in contemplation.
“What? I can see your mind turning things over like Tempo is doing
with rocks while he hunts.”

Erin shrugged and finished her bite. “Drune,
I don’t mean to pry. But if you are willing to tell me I would like
to understand something. What have you been doing for the last
sixty years that you don’t have a home?”

He got a quiet look on his usually light
hearted face. “I did have a home and a wife and child. I lived near
the headwaters of the Macater. It was a beautiful spot in the
mountains. There was a waterfall nearby that generated our power.
We had a particularly cold winter and most of the cascade was
frozen. Our backup power, the windmill, wasn’t generating because
the air was still and the solar panels were giving us enough that
we weren’t freezing. We had a fireplace and I had cut several cords
of wood in the fall. I had most of the logs stored in a drying shed
a little ways away. That is where I would split and stack. Because
of the configuration of the clearing where we lived I only had room
for a small shed near the cabin. It was a sunny but bitterly cold
day and our shed was less than half full so I hitched the horse to
the sled and went to the drying shed to stock up. I heard a sharp
crack and stepped out of the shed to see an avalanche take out my
home and my family.”

“That was many years ago and I hold their
love and the happy times in my memories, but then I just drifted. I
swear that I became part wind for awhile. I know that that is not
possible, however I don’t recollect. My first memories after that
were walking into Kunscap in very early spring. Gyan kept me busy
around Aerie and such. Since then I have had temporary homes here
and there and have done any number of discreet jobs for Gyan and
the realm. I am at peace and ready to settle down.” He reached over
and patted her knee. “Its okay, Cos. It is reality for our species.
Death is inevitable and so is grieving. With sages it will happen
more because of the length of our lifetimes. Preserve your memories
and keep them in your heart. Sure it hurts. In time the ache will
be a little less. Our life goes on and our memories become a warm
spot in our soul. Then we live and do and be the best that we can
be. We have a built-in support system because every single sage has
gone through this. Hey, I got you as an unplanned ‘cousin’. You
can’t beat that!” He gave her a smile that was the typical Drune:
light and a little playful. “We can discuss the wild henge homes as
we get closer to that. Maybe I’ll arm wrestle you for one.” He
slapped his knees and stood up and looked at Bast who was also
standing. “Let’s see how close we can get to the foot bridge by
nightfall.”

They mounted up and quickly moved into a
lope. Tempo looked over his shoulder at Erin. ‘My eyesight is not
good but I can feel the air has a snappy feel. Are there clouds
building over the prairies?’

Erin couldn’t feel the air as well as Tempo
but had been watching the clouds. ‘When we had started out there
had been one white, fluffy stack of a cloud the shape of a
blacksmith’s anvil. Later, when we joined the river road there were
several floating above the Pastarham prairie, like a herd of puffy
anvils. Now that we are traveling parallel to the river and the
plains the clouds seem to be getting darker. Looks like the weather
is going to get lively over there. I don’t know that we will get
any but we’ll see it.” she answered. A half hour later there were
flashes visible between the clouds.

The cavalcade stopped just before they lost
all light. Erin helped with the horses as others set up the tents.
They were probably a couple of hours away from the foot

bridge and Terresville. While they were
sitting and eating the warm and tasty stew and flat bread that the
security team’s cook made they could see the storm was dropping
some rain but the lightning was now striking land as frequently as
it was going between the clouds.

As the group broke up Gyan spoke to Erin and
Drune. “I need to contact Lor. I would like you two to be there.”
Erin and Drune both nodded and entered his tent. Gyan settled
himself and the two young sages arranged themselves around him. He
took the deep breath and let it out. ‘Lor, how have you been doing
on the research?’

‘Hello Gyan. The ancients really have a way
of hiding information. I found another pattern. It is a celtic
pattern of three bees in a circle. There are three parts. The part
you need should be the last part of the message. Problem is I can’t
find the last book. I’m in the library now. The first part just
reiterated what I found with the asian longevity symbol. That motif
said:
“There are three wild henges across the realm. One is at
the center of all geometric lines. The three form a line crossing
the pattern and are bonding points between sages and Ose. We have
made them and they will protect the sage living there within their
energy focus.”
The three celtic bees have a similar message:
“To keep the binding strong sages need to dwell at the three
wild henges. Eclipses, though,“
Alliz and I have been searching
for one more book with the symbol. We have been all over the
library and still haven’t found it. We’re working on it. I know you
need the information.’

Gyan sighed. ‘Lor, we still have some time
but it’s limited. Tomorrow we will be in and hopefully out of
Terresville. Then we should run into Mikl and concentrate on the
wild henge. Tomorrow is day five. Do you have the apparatus with
you in the library?’ ‘Yes. It seemed the place to keep it. I’ll
check it as we are speaking. Our scientists and mathematicians did
say that the only way they could be positive that they have the
fine tuning right is when the total eclipse actually happens. It’s
a “give-or-take-a-day” situation. I am looking at it and its
currently indicating that, yes, tomorrow will be the fifth day. I
am almost living in the library now trying to get the information.
Check with me tomorrow.’

‘Thanks, Lor. I will. Get some sleep or your
attention will be so poor that you’ll be apt to miss
something.’

“Well, looks like we have four to six days to
pull this together. We’ll be leaving early. Thank you two for the
help.” He smiled at his two young friends. “It’s easier to get
through when you help magnify. Any extra impressions?”

Erin looked at Drune and he spoke. “I’m sure
you got it all. He is trying hard and has a feeling of desperate
concentration. He hasn’t hit frantic yet but he is moving in that
direction.”

“Well, you two get some sleep.”

As soon as he heard that they were in their
tents, not wanting to trigger Erin’s goose-bump antenna, he sat
back and reached out again. ‘Glori, this is Gyan. I am sorry to
bother you. Are you alone?’

‘Oh! Hello Gyan. Yes, I can talk. How can I
help you.’

‘I don’t have time to explain tonight but I
need to know why Auntie Jes’s work shop was not at her home.’

‘I think it was a long time ago. Then she had
one built closer to town. It is on the foot path just outside of
Morraton, on the way to her home, which was higher up the hill and
more isolated.’

‘Glori, I haven’t been to her home. Is there
room in the clearing for a workshop?’ ‘Actually the old one was to
the right of cabin, so yes there is room.’

‘Thank you. I’ll be in touch.’

He cleared his mind once more. ‘Cesler, how
busy are your workmen?’

‘Hey, Gyan. Good to hear from you so soon. We
completed the moving of the posts, the burying of the disc three
feet down in the center and the repaving of the area with the old
glow stones. What do you need?’

‘Some further information has come up and I
need you to build a workshop annex wing onto the right side of
Auntie Jes’s old house. Take Yvon and Glori with you, they need to
be there. They really need to be a part of it. Can you have it put
together in five days time?’

‘Whew, that would be cutting it close. We
have been doing some urban renewal and have torn down an outlying
building. It we take the lumber from that up the hill we might make
it if we work through the night in shifts. The moons are coming
full so that would help. Perhaps we can dismantle her old little
shop. I’ll go out there now and look into that possibility. Can you
tell me what is up?’

‘Well, Cesler, seems that a sage has to be
living there. We think that they may need to be there by the
eclipse. You can’t force a sage there. It has to be a home. So that
lets out Glori and Yvon. But they have to be nearby when you are
building or the workers will become confused. It is the nature of
the henge there. Do what you can, man. I’ll be in touch.’

One more, he thought, and took a deep breath.
Letting it out, he mentally said, ‘Cheroan, do you have a
moment?’

‘Gyan, what’s up, my friend.’

Gyan nodded and visualizing what he wanted
framed his reply. ‘Looks like our time crunch just got a little
more involved. Can you send a team of people to Robse’s place and
retrieve his loom and workshop contents as well as anything that is
left from Shamra’s still room?’

The mayor smiled. ‘It is good of you to ask.
I got to thinking about that after I met Erin when she was
disguised as a boy. I started to think how she didn’t have a home
to go back to. Without anyone’s permission I already did all of
that. The contents are in storage in one of our outbuildings. I
wanted to have her heritage safe for her when she was ready to have
a home.’