Dragons and Demons, page 41
“I have not lied to you.”
She nodded as if she truly did know. Then she said, “This connection we have is special. I wish to remain with you.”
Rezkin was disappointed that he had not broken the bond completely, but it seemed to be an improvement of sorts. There was one concern for which he needed reassurance. “I am not your mate.”
Tiseyi smiled. “No, you are not, but we can be friends.”
Rezkin tilted his head in thought. He had not added to his official list of friends in some time. He had not considered that he would ever need to, but this situation seemed extraordinary. He slowly nodded and said, “Very well. Friends it is.”
Chapter 22
Tiseyi loped at his side as Rezkin led Pride on foot over the cracked, rocky terrain. Her paws barely touched the rocks as she covered the ground with more grace than the rest of them put together. Her dark coat, which looked like charcoal bearing flecks of silver, stood out against the pale, weathered rocks. She leapt over a gully then turned and happily waited for him as he climbed the side with Pride in tow. Unfortunately, the gully was dry and the last time they found a water source had been hours before the sun had reached its zenith. Northern Pruar was more desert than savannah, and even that late in the fall it was hot beneath the unrelenting sun.
Rezkin tipped his head back to watch the hawk that kept pace with them overhead. Its wing dipped, and the bird dove into a lazy spiral before straightening and ascending on an invisible current. This time, Rezkin was fully aware that the raptor was omessa. In fact, three of the birds were on their trail, leading the way and ready to take word back to the rest of the tribes should he need them. Rezkin looked back to the men who were making their way across the shallow gully, and he reached down to give one a hand. The former slaves were tired, but still, they did not complain. Nothing but their honor was keeping the men with the party as they made their way across northeastern Pruar. The omessas, on the other hand, twenty in all, had no problem navigating the rough terrain. A combined force of wolves, leopards, and lions plodded across the broken earth with the ease of the animals they emulated.
About an hour later, a mirage overtook the horizon. It shimmered blue and silvery grey and stretched for as far as Rezkin could see. It took him a moment to accept that it was not, in fact, a mirage, but the ocean, and directly in their path was a port city.
“Thank you,” shouted Tam as he waved his hands in a worshipful gesture to the hawk that had guided them true. He and Uthey patted each other on their backs as they enjoyed a momentary celebration of good fortune. Rezkin shared in their joy at finally reaching the city but did not fully understand the boisterous display. Tiseyi groaned and looked up at him with worried eyes.
“Do not fret,” he said. “I will not allow any harm to come to you in the tesia city.”
The she-wolf brushed against his leg as she continued padding across the broken terrain. He glanced over at Azeria and Entris who were also eyeing the human city with concern. They would have to be particularly careful not to be seen since there was no telling how the humans would react to the presence of beings of a mythical race. They had only their hoods and enchantments at their disposal, which he thought might not be enough in such a crowded city..
He pondered their dilemma for a moment before asking, “Can you not make yourselves appear human?”
Azeria gave him a vicious scowl, but Entris said, “It is difficult to change our nature.”
“You do not have to change your nature. Can you not place an illusion over yourselves?”
“I am not good with creating illusions,” said Azeria. “It is not one of my strengths.”
Entris said, “I can create such an illusion for a time, but Azeria would need to stay near me to reap the benefits as well. It would become unstable with distance.”
“Show me how,” said Rezkin.
Entris looked back to see that Tam and his men were far enough behind not to overhear their conversation. Then he said, “I have been considering this. Gizahl did not give us the answer to your problem. It is best for you not to use your vimara.”
Rezkin’s gaze slid to Azeria, but she did not look his way, nor did she give away her thoughts. He said, “I have considered it as well. It is unacceptable to remain weak in a skill in which I could excel. I must learn to use my power to its full extent.”
“You know what will happen if you do.”
“No, I know what you think will happen.”
“You are intentionally being difficult. It has always been so—in every case.”
“Gizahl seemed to think I already knew the answer. I must only figure out what I know. Besides, it is not your problem.”
“It most definitely is my problem. I will be the one who must kill you when that happens. I do not wish that fate upon either of us.”
Rezkin did not wish for that fate either, but he was driven to pursue the knowledge and skills of the Spirétua. Creating an illusion would be a small step toward that goal. He looked at Azeria again and considered that it was only logical to give her the best chance at survival. With two of them able to cast the illusion on her, she would have a greater chance of going undetected in the human city. Once again, he said, “Show me.”
When they finally reached the city named Ki’kyo, Rezkin asked around until someone could give him directions to reasonable accommodations. It seemed most of the inns were located along the main thoroughfare that passed through the market beside the docks. Eventually, he was able to find lodging for everyone, including the omessas who had taken on their human forms and donned clothing similar to those the tesias wore. He gave Tam money to purchase clothing and supplies for his men since they were all wearing the thread-bare rags they had worn at the quarry. Nanessy offered to help Azeria find apparel that was more common for human women and even suggested mage robes, but the female refused.
When Rezkin saw that everyone was settled and Pride was seen to, he headed for his own room. That is when the innkeeper called to him without looking up from his books. “No dogs in the inn. It can stay in the stables with the horses.”
A middle-aged woman in the colorful garb of the tesias strode up behind the man. “That’s not a dog! That’s a wolf. What’s a wolf doing in here?”
Rezkin said, “She is with me.”
The innkeeper straightened and finally looked down at the canid. “A wolf comes into the city and we kill it. It’s either a wild animal or an omessa.”
The woman sniffed. “Same thing. They know better than to come here, though.”
Rezkin said, “As you can see, I am not an omessa, and she is mine.” Tiseyi brushed against his legs and looked up at him, and he considered that he should have worded that last differently. He did not want her to think he was staking a claim on her. “She is well-trained and will not cause any trouble.” He adjusted the purse that hung from his belt so that the heavy coins clinked together, then said, “Or I can take my business elsewhere.”
The innkeeper looked to the practically empty common room and sighed. “Just don’t be bringing it down here with the other guests. And clean up after it! I don’t need wolf scat all over my floors.”
Rezkin nodded and headed toward his room. He had tried to get Tiseyi to stay with Azeria and Nanessy or the other omessas, but the she-wolf just huffed and followed him into the room. The bedroom was a small affair with a moderately sized bed, a dirt floor, and a single wooden chair in the corner. After checking the room for traps and poisons, he sat in the chair and pulled out the mage relay device he had created. He first made contact with the ship that had been waiting for their call off the coast and ensured they would be docking on the morrow, then he shucked his clothes and weapons and lay down in the bed. He considered that the bond could be a ruse and Tiseyi could attack him in his sleep, so rather than sleep, he entered a deep mediation. Still, he meditated with a knife under his pillow.
When he roused himself before dawn, it was not to the soft fur of a wolf laying by the door but to a woman clad in one of his shirts sleeping in the chair across the room. He shifted and she was instantly awake. She smiled over at him and tugged the edge of the shirt down to cover more of her legs. “You wake early,” she said.
“I train in the morning,” he replied.
Tiseyi smiled coyly, but she did not move. “I thought perhaps you were eager to see a certain elf. I know you desire the white-haired one.”
“I do not—”
“You cannot hide it from me. I can smell your interest in her. I know your feelings and desires, remember?”
Rezkin said nothing as he retrieved clean clothes from his pack. Tiseyi raised one eyebrow and looked at him expectantly. As he began dressing, he replied, “Azeria is an accomplished warrior, and I respect her. That is all. And neither does she desire me.”
Tiseyi seemed to struggle with something before she finally said, “I do not believe that. She wants you. She must only accept it.”
As Rezkin looked over at her, a glint of the morning’s first light fell across her flawless, bronze skin. He considered that she was an attractive woman, yet she did not draw him to her as did Azeria. Still, ever since he had attempted to break the bond between them, he had felt a closeness to her, a sense of familiarity, as if she were a distant part of him. Somehow, it made him inclined to confide in her; only, regarding Azeria, he had nothing to confide.
He said, “You are reading too much into things.”
Tiseyi rolled her eyes and strutted over to a table that held a pitcher and basin. She said, “You are stubborn, but I believe you will relent. No one can remain so distant from everyone. It is inhuman.”
“Perhaps I am less human than previously thought.”
“From what I have heard, the elves are even more sentimental than humans. You will come around. At least, I hope you do. I cannot bear to feel this coldness from you. It is disturbing.”
Rezkin said nothing, and by the time he was dressed, Tiseyi had washed and transformed back into her wolf form.
Not long after the sun rose, the ship called in from port using the relay Rezkin had created. He gathered his entourage and boarded with haste. After a quick celebration of Tam’s return and a debriefing, Rezkin assigned Shezar, Marlis, and Yerlin Tomwell to accompany Tam and his men back to Cael and then on to Gendishen. They were able to acquire passage to Uthrel on a Gendishen trading vessel. Farson, Jimson, Reaylin, and Nanessy, along with the Eihelvanan and the omesessas, were to accompany him to Ashai. The voyage would not be a long one, thanks to the direction of the currents and Nanessy’s power over water. Rezkin had originally planned to disembark secretly near Port Manai so as to land that much closer to the King’s Seat in Kaibain, but Journeyman Wesson had informed him through the relay that the Mage Academy had been sacked, and a large contingent of the king’s army was moving toward northwestern Ashai. Rezkin decided to confront this contingent and hopefully contain the threat before it spilled over the border.
The first few days north of Pruar had been quiet as they only encountered a few Pruari fishing boats. The closer they got to Ashai, though, the more frequently they observed scouts. After successfully avoiding the Ashaiian warships near the port city of Cerrél on the southwestern coast, their ship continued north along the coast toward the smaller, northern city of Port Gull. Wesson had requested their presence in the small village of Benbrick that lay upriver a little more than halfway to Maylon. Rezkin did not know the significance of Benbrick, but he was willing to accommodate the would-be battle mage who had already proven himself.
Rezkin was at the railing watching the coast pass by when Farson approached.
“You have been accumulating some strange allies. Is the wolf really a woman in disguise?”
Rezkin glanced around to make sure Tiseyi had not snuck up on him. She was quite stealthy in her wolf form. When he was satisfied that she was not near, he said, “Yes and no. She is both, really.”
“We should have known about the shape-shifters,” Farson grumbled, mostly to himself. After a moment of silence, he sighed. “Despite your collection of allies and kingdoms, we have not made much progress on defeating Caydean.”
“I disagree,” said Rezkin. “It has become apparent that this war is much larger than one man sitting on a throne directing his army toward a battlefield. It began decades ago, before I was even born, and it is not about the kingdom of Ashai. Ashai is only the breeding ground for a more devious plot, one that was not Caydean’s doing. I now believe that the Sen Berringish is responsible, at least he was in the beginning. It was he who brought the demons to our lands, and now Caydean has taken up his mantle. We have prevented the enemy from gaining footholds in three kingdoms, and keeping the dragon out of their hands was a major triumph. We were only lucky to have been there when we were.”
Farson huffed. “Luck. I do not believe in luck.”
Rezkin turned to face the man who had helped raise him. He said, “I have made the decision to learn the way of the Spirétua.”
“Even if it will drive you mad?”
“Even so.”
Farson was quiet for a moment. Eventually, he said, “I fear nothing in this world, not demons, not dragons, not Caydean—nothing but you, because I know what you are, of your capabilities. My fear was potent when I believed you to be intent on destruction, but I no longer believe that to be your cause. I do not, however, know which to fear more—you with clear intent or you with your mind addled.”
“I am not the most dangerous being in the world.”
Farson appeared pained as he said, “You are the most dangerous to me.”
Rezkin did not know what to make of his former tutor’s confession. He said, “You are a striker. It is your duty to care about the welfare of Ashai. I assure you I will acquire the maximum Skills available to me and do my best to see that Ashai survives this war so that it may prosper again.”
Shaking his head, Farson said, “It is not the welfare of Ashai that concerns me, Rez.”
“What then?”
Farson grumbled, “You could not understand.” Then he turned and strode away, and Rezkin was left wondering after him. He glanced over to see Azeria watching him with a perplexed expression.
“What is it?”
“Your mentor is a strange one (confused). His facial expressions are contrary to the feelings he claims.”
“How so?”
“He claims to fear you, yet he looks upon you as if filled with concern for you.”
Rezkin chuckled feeling genuinely humored. “Farson? Worried for me? If so, it is only because he fears the consequences of my failure.”
Azeria pursed her lips. “Not so. He said it was not your kingdom with which he concerns himself. I believe he loves you.”
Rezkin frowned. “Have you been speaking with Nanessy?”
She looked at him curiously. “No. Why?”
“Never mind.” Changing the topic, he said, “Our destination is the village of Benbrick. We shall be there in about two days’ time. In the meanwhile, I shall be training with Entris. Will you join us?”
She appeared surprised that he would ask. “I am not Spirétua.”
“No, but you use your power in a similar fashion. You may have some unique insight.”
“Very well. If you wish it, I shall join you.”
He held her gaze and said, “I do wish it.”
Wesson stared at the village. It was nearly midday, and the main road into town was desolate. A shutter creaked, a dog barked, and in the distance, he could hear the racket of the mill down by the river. As he looked on, a few people left what he remembered to be the general store and entered a tavern that had been built since he had last been home.
“It looks so much smaller than I remember.”
Waylen glanced his way. “It could not be any smaller. How old were you when you were last here?”
“I was twelve,” said Wesson as he kicked his horse to get it moving again. He directed it down a dirt path that led away from the village center.
“Why did you leave?” asked Corporal Namm who rode behind him. Celise rode at Wesson’s side, and it had taken some convincing just to get her to accept her own horse.
Wesson’s shoulders tensed, and he hedged. “I had to leave. I came into my power early.” He nodded down the roadway. “This is the way to my home—or, rather, what was my home. My mother and her husband still live here. Both of my stepsisters are married now. One lives in Vogn and the other in Maylon. I have never met them.”
Waylen said, “So you have not been home since you were twelve? Not even to see your mother?”
Wesson shook his head. “No, it was not safe.”
“I cannot say as it is any safer now,” Kai grumbled from behind where he rode beside Dennick Manding.
“No, perhaps not, but that is why we are here,” said Wesson. “The Torreli and Sandean forces will converge with the rebels in this vicinity, so this is most likely where Caydean’s forces will attack.”
“If the rebels are near, should we not have seen them by now?” said Waylen.
Kai said, “The buildup of the Ashaiian army in the central hills pushed the rebels to the west nearly a year ago. They have had plenty of time to establish a foothold in the area. I would not be surprised if the whole village was full of rebels.”
“Not likely,” grumbled Wesson. “The people of this village were not exactly the sort to dedicate themselves to a greater cause.”
Kai said, “Is that truth speaking or resentment?”
Wesson swallowed a growl and said nothing. Although he had been left with little good to say about the village, it was not fair to disparage them now without cause.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Wesson focused on the ride. It was not long before his family home came into view. The land around it was mostly prairie, although the backyard butted up against the small, wooded area that lined the creek. The front gate that had been in need of mending when last he was there had been replaced and appeared to be freshly painted in white. A garden-lined path led up to the front steps that were decorated with boxes of calla lilies along each side.
