Tranquil Fury (21 page)

John said, “I am so tired of questions. I only have one left, what are you guys drinking tonight?”

 “That amber stuff with the honey,” replied Zack.

John smiled, as it was not as harsh as the other dwarf brews, “Sweet.”

 “Dude, you know it is.”

 “What were you talking about,” asked John?

“We were talking about who was going to be next,” Logan said.

 John took a drink, “What do you mean?”

Logan replied, “Well, first my sister is taken over by this crazy world. Did you hear what she was saying to the dwarves? I was half expecting her head to start spinning. Now Eric has a new toy, or friend, or both, whatever it is. Does this one have a personality as well?”

 “No idea,” said John, but the thought of it sent a shiver down his back.

Zack looked at John, “Logan wants to place a bet to see who gets taken over by this crazy world next. I think it will be the eldest.”

 “Why me,” asked Ryan?

“Well, we can eliminate John. No offense, but he never gets picked for anything.”

“None taken,” John nodded in agreement.

 “They already got Lauren so they don’t need Logan, the unpleasant twin. Lauren got all of the good traits, and Logan got the leftovers. Look at him, he is always a mess.”

Logan protested, “What about Mirtza?”

 “Dude is from here, he may already have been beamed up to the Mother ship.”

Ryan looked at Zack, “What about you?”

 “Well, my first parents didn’t want me, my second parents didn’t want me, and my uncle didn’t want me. Why would this crazy world be any different? If they were suffering from a deficiency in rejection, I could see them warming up to me, but seriously, Ryan, you would be their number one draft pick. It was nice knowing you. Let us know what it’s like on the other side.”

Ryan shook his head, “You can really be an ass at times you know?”

 “Why would you say that,” asked Zack?

“Well lately, the only thing that seems to come out of you is crap.”

 “Life is crap, get used to it.” Zack filled his mug and headed off to a different chair.

Mirtza looked at John, “Your young friend is troubled.”

 “Actually, I think he is in a good mood. Zack has had a hard life, and he most likely needs help, but will never seek it out. I think he is here for a good time, not a long time.”

Mirtza tilted his head, “I don’t understand?”

“I don’t think anybody understands Zack.” Logan replied, “John, what do you think happened with Lauren, Eric, and that sword?”

“I saw what she did, and heard what she said. What it means, I have no idea. One minute she is Lauren, the next she is not.”

 “Should I be worried about her,” asked Logan?

John turned to Mirtza, “What do you think? As Zack said, you are from here.”

 “I know of the Earth Daughters, Earth Mothers, and Mother. I have never heard of them doing anything bad. I spoke with the Earth Mother the other morning, and she said that Mother was guiding Lauren. I have no idea on how Lauren receives any messages from Mother, or how she knows to act on them. When it happens, I am as surprised as the next person. It is as you say John, one minute she is Lauren, and then words, and actions that do not belong spring forward. Few, if any, would know the Master Weapons Smiths birth given name, yet when she needed it, she knew it. I cannot explain that either.”

Ryan set down his empty mug, “So Mirtza, you got us to the healers like you promised, sort of. Why are you still hanging around?”

 “The Newlands are deserted, and the Northlands as well. From the sounds of it, everybody left and headed south. I could head south as well, but I find comfort in numbers, as I spent enough time wandering alone, and after a while the silence begins to hurt.”

John looked at Mirtza, “You were gone a long time, how did you get lost?”

 “Mountains, I hate mountains. Fall down a few steep hills, follow trails that are not trails, and then chased by a few hungry animals. Some valleys were so deep you could only see the sun if it was right overhead. Some forests were so thick you could not see the suns at all. It was really quite easy. And then the desert.”

 “I think dinner will be ready soon, I have to go wash up,” said John as he stood to leave, Ryan and Logan following.

As they walked to their rooms, all they heard was “Sand, as far as the eye can see. And the heat, I was boiled every day. Then would freeze that night…”

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It was after the last meal when the Earth Mother approached Logan, and asked him up to her room to talk about his sister. But that was not her motive, as the cold water from the previous day was still unanswered, and she was getting tired of questions. If the Trickster did not make the cold water, then it was Logan who handed the buckets to Lauren, but that made even less sense. She had asked the elves about the water, and been advised that the buckets they handled were not as cold as the water they walked in that day. Somehow, from when the last elf touched the bucket, to when Eric received the contents, the temperature changed. Only four possible answers existed: John, Logan, Zack, or Ryan. John, so small, she doubted he would be able to manifest any power. Smart he might be, but still small. Zack and Ryan, she was not sure about, but Logan, brother of Lauren, he piqued her interest. While it may have been possible for Lauren to make the water cold, water was not of Mothers domain, as that domain belonged to Sister. There was something strange here, and she needed to figure it out. As she opened the door to her room, she said, “I does prefer mine forest to this room, always so cold inside mountain it does be. Look mine fire does be out again.”

Logan without thinking said, “Would you like me to start it?”

 “Please.” As she sat down in her chair, she saw Logan add some kindling and fresh wood. Just when he should have asked if there were any matches, the Earth Mother saw the kindling start to smoke. By the time Logan sat down in the chair opposite to her, a large fire was blazing, which astonished her, but she quickly regained her composure, and asked, “Friends and thou does hath an usual experience. How does all enjoy it?”

“In some ways it is really cool, in other ways, really weird. No offense Earth Mother, but elves, dwarves, magic swords and all, it feels like I am watching a movie. I know it's real, but at the same time, it doesn't seem real.”

 “What be movie? Worry naught, thou can answer mine question later. Should I be in thine world, many questions would I hath. Treated well does thou be?”

“We are being treated great, the food, the drinks, the stories, everything is incredible. It’s hard to believe, but incredible.”

 “Of thine sister, what does thou think, now that Lauren does be Earth Daughter?”

“I think it’s good. A few times before we got here, I was becoming really worried about her. She would be quiet for days, and that’s not my sister. And a few times, she did and said things that, well I thought somebody had taken her over. We had a talk a while ago, after you made her an Earth Daughter. She told me she was receiving directions, and information from mother. But when I asked her how she still heard our mother, she told me it was a different mother. I am really not sure of how it works, or why, but she seems to be doing better now, acting more like her old self, well for the most part.”

 “This does be good. I does naught know why Mother does focus on thine sister, but trust Mother I does.”

“Can you please explain this Mother to me? I would like to better understand what everybody is talking about.”

 “Young Logan, I would enjoy that very much, but naught today. Riddle I does hath, that I does hope thou would be able to help solve.”

“Okay.”

The Earth Mother poured a large mug of water, and gave it to Logan, “Does thou remember sword, Tranquil Fury. To Eric, what it does?”

“Yes.”

 “Does thou remember how Lauren does say to dwarf, hold him in chair, water she does throw?”

“Yes.”

 “Does thou be scared for Eric?”

 “Yes, I was scared for everybody, nobody knew what was happening.”

 “Does thou remember how Lauren kept telling thou, she does need colder water?”

 “Not really, everything was a blur to me.”

 “She kept saying colder water.”

 “I know.”

 “Colder, colder, colder.”

 “I know. I know. I know.”

 “And the water does get colder, does thou know that?”

 “No,” Logan was getting nervous.

“Colder water, I does need colder water Logan, I does need to see ice in that water Logan. Thine sister kept repeating it over and over.”

 “I know. I was there.”

The Earth Mother got up, and walked towards Logan, “Colder water, I does need colder water Logan, I does need to see ice in that water Logan, and Earth Daughter does repeat it over and over.”

Logan was getting really nervous, “What is going on?”

The Earth Mother grabbed the mug of water, went to stick a finger into it to see how cold it was, but found the entire contents frozen solid. When her warm hands touched the cold clay, the temperature shock caused the clay to break, and revealed the solid block of ice inside. She peeled off the mug and held up the ice, “How does thou do this?”

Logan was shocked, looked at the ice in her hands, “I didn’t…I don’t know… What?”

“When thou walked in here, thou does start fire with naught matches. How does thou accomplish that?”

 “I don’t know.” Logan felt caught in an ambush, was getting upset, and could feel his forearms tingle.

 “Friend Logan, think. How does thou make fire? How does thou make ice?”

 “I don’t know. Until right now I didn’t know I could. Lauren and I are twins, she is an Earth Daughter, maybe I am something similar?”

 “Young Logan, naught does be such. Mother, to daughters only does she speak. Ten generations past, naught hath any seen what thou does.” 

Logan was starting to lose his composure, and felt trapped, wanted out. He brought up his hands to wipe away the tears of confusion forming in his eyes, his shirt sleeves fell down, exposing the red and blue feather tattoos.

The Earth Mother grabbed Logan’s right arm, “Where does thou get these? Sister’s marks they does be. Where? How?”

Logan stood, but not the scared Logan. This Logan was confident, his eyes, two large dark orbs, “This does naught concern thou, worry naught. Mine sister, protection I does be.” Logan extended his left hand to the fireplace, signaled with his index finger to it, and the fire leapt to his hand, burnt in its full intensity. Then Logan wrapped his fingers into a fist, the fire in his hand went out. The Earth Mother speechless, let go of Logan’s arm, who simply walked out of the room, down the hall to his bedroom.

After he left, the Earth Mother looked up,
Mother, what is thine Sister up to, what hath she released into thine lands.
Mother was the ground. Plants, animals, and her children she looked after. Sister wrapped herself around Mother, provided water and air that gave life. She was younger than Mother, only a couple generations old in the lore of the Earth Mother. She knew that many had sought out Sister, but to her knowledge, none had ever heard Sister, until this night.
The eyes of the lad, does be like his sister. Why Sister? Why Now? What does be happening?
It was late, and her mind was whirling with a thousand questions. Hoping Mother would provide dream answers, she went to bed, but neither sleep nor answers, that night would she receive.

Exhausted from tossing and turning, praying, silently screaming for answers, the Earth Mother finally drifted into restless unconsciousness, her eyes shut, but her mind active. Late morning sunlight, streaming in her window made her sit upright in her bed. She raced downstairs to the kitchen, needed to talk to Alron before they left. Gor advised her that nine had left several hours ago, and that they had asked Mirtza to join them, thinking his knowledge of midlanders would be able to help. And that Ryan and Logan had also joined the excursion. Her pained expression surprised Gor, but he thought it best to return to the kitchen.

Chapter 16

Lauren rode alongside Bor, who was still wiping the sleep from his eyes. An hour before the first sun had greeted the new day, Alron had woken everyone, and it was evident that Bor was more accustomed to waking others. They only had time for a quick oatmeal breakfast, before Alron chased them all down to the stables and their waiting mounts. The path to the south road, even though still shrouded in darkness, did not seem to matter to Alron. He was anxious to start the trip, did not like travelling with such a large group with only Panry and himself to protect them. Aaro and Bor would be of great assistance should any trouble arise, but without his usual front and rear guard, Alron felt apprehensive, as too easily they could ride into an ambush, or be overtaken from behind. Alron had argued politely with the Earth Mother the previous day,
how can I protect Earth Daughter?
‘Protect and serve’ was her only answer.

As well, Ryan and Logan tagged along on the trip, which Alron did not like, more bodies just made it harder to protect the group. But they had awakened with the others, and followed them down to the stables. Nobody had told Hakk that the elves would be traveling on their stags, and he had saddled six ponies. Mirtza was a last minute addition, but he was too tall to ride any of the ponies or stags comfortably. And Alron was still unsure where Mirtza had gotten the odd eight-legged horse from, but by that time, it was too late to question anything. He had overheard the Earth Mother call Mirtza a Trickster, but was unclear exactly what the word meant.

As they headed out, Alron sent Panry to the front guard, and advised him that if anything caused him alarm, he was to return to the group.
I does naught like this Mother
. Aaro he made ride as the rear guard.
Better than naught
. John, Lauren, Ryan, and Logan may have had complaints against Mirtza as a guide, but Alron was a cruel taskmaster, who denied all from speaking while on the move. Alron rode in the lead, his deer-like ears swiveling from front to back, listening for any potential trouble, while his eyes scanned the road for marks left by Panry. Before they headed out, Aaro had advised that the first midlander village was more than two days south. They would then circle back, north by east to the other midlander settlements, and then home. All were enjoying the trip, until they stopped for the night. Accustomed to Gor’s cooking, nobody had inquired about food, and all greeted the cold field rations and water with disapproval. Alron advised that fires could give away their position, and the smells of cooking could carry for miles, so their camp would remain cold, like the food they were now served.