He needed to get to Blackstone Keep. Mage Gamaliel might offer some insights but Alexander had the nagging sense that the real answers would be provided by Mage Cedric and his Bloodvaults. Blackstone Keep had been inaccessible for millennia. It stood to reason that it had been protected from the world all these years so it would be here for Alexander when the time came to fight the final battle of the Reishi War.
They reached the north fortress gate at midday. Alexander had been silent the entire ride. Once he was inside the mountain tunnel, he set aside his frustrations and brought his mind back to the task at hand. He didn’t know if Phane would be able to see him leave from the north gate but Alexander believed it was his best chance of avoiding the Reishi.
He hoped Erik would be safe enough with a company of Rangers, but it nagged at him that he’d put Isabel’s brother in harm’s way. He’d read about command and leadership. He thought he understood it, but when the time came to make decisions that had very real consequences for other people, he found that the burden was much weightier than it ever seemed in the dry old history books.
He remembered times when he was unable to understand the hesitation or the indecision of a general or a commander in the accounts of battles fought long ago. He understood now. Those men made decisions about the lives of others. It was one thing to read about a battle that had been fought before you were even born and quite another to make decisions about one yet to be fought. The future was shrouded in shadow and mystery. Then there was the heavy responsibility of commanding others to risk their lives. Alexander was perfectly willing to risk his own life if the circumstances warranted it, but sending another out to face the enemy put a knot in his stomach. The feeling only deepened at the realization that he would likely send many men to their deaths before this war was over. How many lives would he command into the darkness?
A wave of disquiet washed over him as they came into a big chamber deep within the mountain. He looked around in the light of the massive chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and took in all of the men who worked and lived here. Some of these men would die in the coming battles. Some would die by his order and in his name. It was more authority and responsibility than any man should have. Why should he be able to cast away another life with a word? What gave him that right? It was certainly more power than he ever wanted.
Then there was Phane. He was a man who clearly reveled in wielding power over the lives of others. Alexander wondered what caused a man to lust after that kind of power. He’d been raised to believe that life and liberty were sacred gifts. They were not to be taken from another without just cause. Phane clearly had no such restraint. From his brief encounter with Phane, Alexander got the impression that the Reishi Prince rather enjoyed watching others die on his word. How did that kind of darkness come to exist in a man?
Men came up to take the reins of their horses. The gatekeeper strode up with his administrator in tow and came to an abrupt halt, bowing formally to Alexander.
“Lord Alexander, we’ve been expecting you. I understand you wish to move through the gate today and be on your way immediately.”
“The sooner we’re on our way, the better,” Alexander replied.
“If you’d like, the kitchen has a roasted pig on the spit. One last hot meal before your journey couldn’t hurt,” the gatekeeper offered.
Alexander felt a twinge of hunger at the prospect of a hot meal, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucky perk up, so he agreed. They ate quickly, checked their packs and were through the gate within the hour. They still had a few hours of light left and Alexander wanted to cover as much ground as they could through the dense forest.
The north gate didn’t have a road leading to it but a steep and winding trail instead; it was too treacherous for horses. Besides, they intended to travel through the forest to stay out of view of Phane’s spies and mercenaries. It would be slower going but hopefully much safer. Alexander didn’t want to fight if he didn’t have to. He knew that killing a small band of mercenaries would have no effect on the greater conflict but could easily risk the lives of his friends or cost him his own. Engaging the enemy now was not wise. There was nothing to gain and much to lose. Moving quietly under the cover of the forest was the best strategy to get to New Ruatha. He had no doubt there would be enemy waiting for him there. By now Phane had probably alerted every agent of the Reishi Protectorate on the entire Isle of Ruatha. Alexander would be hunted wherever he went—best to move in the shadows.
Chapter 37
Isabel led the way through the forest with Slyder flying from treetop to treetop ahead of them. Alexander marveled at how she moved through the woods. She was silent and surefooted. She always seemed to know where to place her feet to find solid ground and to avoid crunching twigs and other forest debris underfoot. After a while, Alexander also began to notice that she left very little evidence of her passage. He felt clumsy by comparison. He could clearly see where he’d stepped and knew that he was making enough noise to alert every animal for miles around to their presence.
He started to emulate her. He stepped where she stepped and tried to move the way she moved. At first he didn’t understand why she moved as she did, but after a while he started to see the advantages of her selection of foot placement and the path she took through the forest. There were times when she stopped and looked for the best way through the brush or a stand of trees. Sometimes Alexander thought he knew which way she would choose only to be surprised by her path. He never argued or questioned her but instead took the opportunity to learn from her fluid, confident movement through the forest.
They made good time descending from the cold altitude of the fortress gate and into the warmer, thicker air of the forest floor in the foothills of the barrier mountains. Late in the evening, Isabel found a little clearing with a brook flowing past it and they made camp. She reported that Slyder saw no threat anywhere nearby so they built a little cook fire to prepare their evening meal.
As darkness fell, colors began to glow slightly brighter in Alexander’s vision, illuminating the forest in a soft cacophony of living light. It was beautiful and haunting all at the same time. He’d never felt this kind of connection to the world around him before. With his second sight he could see the web of life and energy that penetrated and connected everything.
His view of the world began to subtly shift. He’d always been very much an individual but he was coming to see the connections between all living things. He watched his companions when they moved near large plants and trees and could see the colors of their living auras bend and flow into the surrounding aura as if their basic essence was somehow mingling. He felt a deep sense of peace and tranquility in the forest with all of the life surrounding him and wondered if the life energy of the plants all around were the cause of it.
After a quiet dinner, he rolled out his bedroll and lay down to look at the stars peeking through the meadow’s gap in the forest canopy. Isabel tossed out her bedroll beside him and lay down. She looked at him for a long time while he stared into the sky, pondering the nature of his magic and his second sight.
“You’ve been quiet,” she whispered softly. The others had already lain down for the night except Jack, who drew the first shift at guard duty. Lucky was already snoring softly.
Alexander turned on his side to look at her in the dim light of the fire and the stars. He could see her colors more clearly than he could see the features of her face.
“I’ve been thinking about magic and responsibility.” He paused, almost afraid to ask the question. “Are you worried about Erik?” he whispered very quietly.
She was silent for a long moment. “Yes, but I know he’s proud to do his part.”
“I have no doubt of that, but I hate the fact that his life is in danger on my command. I never wanted this kind of responsibility. How can I even justify it? What right do I have to send others into battle?” He fell silent in frustration. The sound of the forest filled the void for a moment.
“I’m much more willing to follow a king who doesn’t want power than one who does,” Isabel said. “Truss would be king if he could. He would rule in his own self-interest. He would wield power to bolster his self-importance and he would use his power to inflict harm on the innocent for his amusement. Such a man shouldn’t be trusted with power of any kind, but he wants it with all his twisted little heart and would gladly kill for it if the chance presented itself. I suspect Phane is no different. You’ve been given power that many men would kill for and you’ve had the weight of the world placed squarely on your shoulders in the bargain. You’re being hunted by the most powerful mage to walk the Seven Isles in two thousand years and the concern you put words to is for the safety of my brother. Whether you want this responsibility or not, you have it, and I believe it’s well placed.” She spoke quietly but with firm conviction.
“I hope you’re right,” he said.
She reached out slowly and briefly touched his cheek. “I am,” she whispered firmly. “And don’t worry too much about my big brother. He can handle himself.”
He took her hand and held onto it. Her presence calmed his mind and soon he was sleeping soundly.
The next few days passed without incident. They traveled through the woods moving as quickly as they could manage on foot through the dense underbrush. The few natural dangers they might have stumbled into were easily avoided. Isabel made a habit of scouting the area ahead through the eyes of her forest hawk. She stopped them at one point and warned of a bear about a mile ahead and then guided them around the area downwind of the bear to avoid any confrontation.
The forest was alive all around and Alexander made a deliberate effort to let the power of it sink into him. He felt invigorated by it and at times forgot what lay ahead and simply marveled at the ancient beauty of the place. He learned as much as he could from Isabel about the forest and tried to improve his ability to move more quietly. At dinner he quizzed her about the way she walked, how she chose her path, and the dangers inherent in the forest. Abigail and Anatoly listened intently and occasionally added questions of their own. Lucky seemed to be at home in the forest even though he looked totally out of place in his simple grey robes. Jack did his best to tolerate his surroundings and he never complained, but it was clear to Alexander that he was far more comfortable in the palace court than he ever would be out in the wilds.
Not long after breakfast on the third day from the north fortress gate, Lucky stopped excitedly and rushed off the path to a patch of odd-looking flowers.
“Alexander, Abigail, come look!”
He stood before a patch of strange-looking plants and smiled broadly. Each plant had a cluster of broad, bright green leaves at ground level with a single stalk jutting out of the center about a foot tall and as big around as a man’s finger. The top three inches of each stalk was covered with dozens of dark little purple flowers all hanging by threadlike stems. There were probably a hundred plants in the patch.
Everyone came up alongside Lucky and looked somewhat dubiously at the flower patch. Alexander was studying the look of the aura around the flowers. It had a swirl of colors that gave him an uneasy feeling like they possessed a great but hidden power.
It was Jack who asked the question first, “What are they?”
“These are called deathwalker root. They are highly prized by alchemists. The leaves and flowers are important ingredients in a number of complex potions, but the root itself is the most valuable part. It’s the main ingredient in healing potions and salve. In fact, the root can be prepared into a rudimentary healing salve fairly easily, but it must be done when it’s fresh.”
Lucky carefully grasped the stalk of one of the flowers and firmly but gently pulled it straight up out of the ground. The root was the diameter of man’s thumb and about five or six inches long. It looked like a small white carrot.
“Help me gather about half the patch, working from the outside,” Lucky said while pulling up another.
“Why only half?” Jack asked as he bent to remove a deathwalker root from the edge of the patch.
“These are rare and valuable. It’s important to leave enough of the patch so that it can replenish itself. If we take them all, this patch will die. If we take half, it will remain for others to use in the future,” Lucky explained.
They worked for several minutes, carefully pulling the odd-looking flowers up by their roots until they had a neat little pile. Lucky laid out a square cloth and set out two empty jars.
“Pluck the flowers one by one like this.” Lucky used his fingernails to cut the threadlike stem of each flower without damaging the delicate little purple pouch. “Be careful not to burst the flower sack. The powder inside will make you sleepy, and it’s the ingredient we want. Lay them on this cloth. Next, pluck the leaves at the base of the plant and put them in this jar. Finally snap off the root, brush off any remaining dirt and put them in this jar.”
In minutes, Lucky had them organized and working. Alexander was always eager to learn and was so familiar with Lucky’s teaching style that he didn’t even think about the time lost. The fact that the deathwalker root could be used to make healing salve far outweighed any delay. Alexander had experienced the value of such magic firsthand. They worked quickly, with Lucky supervising their efforts. Once they were finished, they had a jar full of leaves, another full of the root itself, and a pile of delicate little deep-purple flowers on the cloth. Lucky carefully pulled the corners of the cloth into a pouch and tied a piece of string around it, then gently slipped it inside a metal canister.