Thread Slivers (Golden Threads Trilogy), page 24
Now I can ask the question that has been burning in my mind for days. “Why aren’t all Daggers as skilled as you are?”
She laughed. “Heavens, that is an odd question to ask after everything we have done.”
“I’m serious. I know I have little experience, but I am not stupid. You fought and killed a Knife at the hospice; you faced that demon in green and fought him to a standstill. He held off five other Daggers easily enough and broke away to chase you. In fact he looked like the Daggers were just insects that were annoying him slightly. If it hadn’t been for whatever Duke did to close the city he would have attacked you again. So, why are you so good, or why are the other Daggers not as good as you?”
Ticca looked up at the stars and in a wistful voice answered, “I have had unique training.”
“Obviously, but is it a secret? Can you share it?”
Ticca looked at him for a minute, her eyes going a little wide then slightly unfocused. “No one has asked me before.” Ticca’s gaze shifted to the fire. “I am only sworn to keep the source of my knowledge a secret. But no promise to keep the training a secret was demanded.” She continued to look into the fire as if it were a window. “It isn’t something he’d have missed, either.”
Ditani took one of the rabbits and handed it to him, and handed another to Ticca. Taking a rabbit for himself, Ditani sat down and began to eat. Ticca sat up a little straighter and began to pick at the rabbit. They all sat and stared at the fire, quietly eating and thinking their own thoughts.
Ticca’s voice caught both Ditani and Lebuin by surprise. “I see no reason I cannot pass on these skills. Of course, I am not really interested in being a trainer myself, at least not yet.”
“Would you teach me?”
Ticca looked at him. “Lebuin, you’re a mage — of what use is the sword and knife to you? You can shield yourself better than any fighter and kill with a look. Why learn the knife and the sword?”
“That is what I thought too. I think that is what Magus Cune was trying to teach me. I was just too naive to see it. Magus Cune nearly killed me with a sword in a magical fight. Magus Vestul was killed by a blade penetrating his defenses. I think mages might be, in general, too proud and overconfident. I recognize this in myself and I am disgusted by it. So I ask, would you teach me?”
“After five years training with my uncle, he had taught me everything he could and called on another trainer to complete my education. No offense, but I wasn’t planning on spending that much time with you.”
“I don’t expect to learn all you know. It will be cycles before my magic returns. Should we start now, I might be of more use than just a target to protect.” He looked directly into her eyes and gave her what he hoped she would see as a determined promise to study well. “I promise you, I am a fast study.”
Ticca thought about this some more. “You make a good point, M’lord. It would be helpful for me to stay sharp and remind myself of the basics.” Smiling, she looked at Ditani. “What about you, old man, will you join us in training? I know you can move fast enough, you dodged that Knife’s sword well enough.”
Ditani looked at them in surprise. “Me? I am an old servant who is looking forward to retiring. It was luck that let me survive. I almost fell off the horse doing it.”
Ticca’s eyes sparkled in the firelight. “Well, with some training maybe you won’t need so much luck next time. My trainer always said, ‘Be thankful when luck happens, but don’t count on it.’ Besides, I am told that the knife and sword drills keep men limber and active almost their whole life. Your wife might enjoy that.” She stared at him, grinning wickedly, daring him to answer.
It was hard to tell but Ditani might have looked a shade darker in the dusky light. “Ticca, really, you go too far! But I agree, luck is a silly thing to count on. I do fancy keeping my joints limber, so I accept your invitation.”
Ticca giggled like she had won a prize. “Algan is two or three weeks away by the trade road. It will take us at least a cycle to get there, traveling through the wilderness and avoiding contact. We can train for a mark every morning and evening. It won’t slow us down too much. I think we should concentrate on the defensive skills.” Tossing the remains of her rabbit into the fire, Ticca took off her boots and lay back on her bed roll. “Let me think this through and we’ll start in the morning.”
I can’t wait! I don’t know why but I have the oddest desire to master the knife now. Looking at Ticca, he admired her stamina, courage, and obvious intelligence. This is a woman who will make a blazing trail wherever she chooses to go. I have been very foolish being more concerned with the outside of people than what was inside. With her help I may very well survive Cune’s challenges. I intend to be a very different man when I next meet him.
The evening was getting colder, and looking at Ticca, he saw she was still awake and looking up at the stars. “Aren’t your feet going to get cold?”
“Better cold feet than odd dreams,” she answered mysteriously.
“What do you mean by that?”
Ticca sat up and looked at him across the fire as if trying to decide something. He waited to see what she chose to do, and she looked at the boots and sighed. “I think they are causing me to see things when I sleep.”
Lebuin looked at the boots too. “They are just an artifact, although one with a very useful mix of features. I don’t see how including dreams would ever cross anyone’s mind. Are you sure about this?”
Ticca shook her head. “No, but ever since I got them I have been having visions or dreams. They are as real as this is. I remember them clearly and in every detail. It is as if I am actually living the dreams, and when I wake up I am always confused about where and who I am.”
“Do you want to tell us about them?”
Ticca frowned and thought about it. “Well, they are actually kind of girlish.”
“Meaning that you are a girl in them?”
“Meaning I am another girl who is in love, and the dreams center around the romance. In the dreams I …or she… or, well… in the dreams there are feelings and thoughts with immense love as I have only ever heard of. These dreams make me feel odd, and I am starting to believe such love may really exist.”
“Are they the same dreams?”
“No, they are moving forward in time. Things evolve, as they do everywhere. I think the person I am reliving is the maker of the boots.”
“Perhaps I can help you understand. Tell me from the beginning. You can of course leave out any, um… intimate details.”
Ticca blushed. “Well there hasn’t been any of that, at least none I was present for. I think the first dream might have been followed by a very excellent moment. At least, it was heading there when I woke up. This is about a woman who lives in a large forest city. Her name is Kliasa, and she trapped animals to make boots and travel journals.”
Ditani sat up hastily. “Did you say Kliasa? Kliasa of Rea-Na-Rey?”
Surprised, he looked at Ditani. Rea-Na-Rey, as in the Elven city of the forest? Why would you know someone from there?
Ticca shrugged. “I haven’t heard the name of the city said. I would remember if it was Rea-Na-Rey, still it might be the same.”
“Ditani, do you know a Kliasa?”
Ditani looked at the ground for a moment and his shoulders sagged as if under a heavy weight. “Yes, she was a shining star like none before or after. We all loved her greatly. Magus Vestul loved her as a daughter; I loved her as a sister...” Ditani reached over and picked up the boots tenderly, as a man picks up his baby daughter. “She made these boots for Magus Vestul as a present. He mentioned how uncomfortable his boots were and she set about making him the finest boots ever, so that he would always be able to dance.” Tears ran down Ditani’s cheek as he softly caressed the boots. He then put them back by Ticca. “Believe me, you two have a lot in common, she would want you to have these. I don’t understand the dreams; Magus Vestul never mentioned he shared her memories.”
Everyone was silent for a while. Finally, Ticca looked at Ditani. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“How could you? You are young and the world hasn’t been so unkind to you yet.”
“I take it she is dead?”
“Yes, she died in an attack on her home. It was vicious, brutal, and long since avenged by even more brutal and horrible acts.”
Ticca put her hand on Ditani’s shoulder. “I am sorry. She was so happy and alive. Was it her lover who exacted revenge?”
Ditani nodded. “Oh yes, he did. He did things I shudder to consider. It is said he still bleeds from his heart because the wound never healed. This is why he shows no mercy, or regret, and is willing to do horrible things; things which anyone else with a dark heart would refuse as too dreadful.” The fire seemed to dim and a cold wind blew over them as if nature itself stood in testimony to Ditani’s words.
A shudder ran down his spine at that pronouncement, as if evil had touched their campsite. Lebuin thought about it. “Ticca, unless the artifact was specifically designed to share memories, I don’t think the boots are the cause.”
Ticca shrugged. “Well if I sleep with them on, I have dreams of her and things I have never experienced. I have spent days hunting in her forest and making a wonderful journal which was later given to Magus Vestul at a festival in his honor. It was Magus Vestul who finally called her by name, and I do recall him complaining about his boots. She resolved to make him boots; these boots. She is constantly worrying about this man she loves, trying to decide how to help him with his plans, which he hasn’t yet shared.”
Ticca retold the stories from her dreams. Lebuin paid especially close attention to the description of her feelings while making the journal. When she was done he asked her questions which she couldn’t answer on the techniques used. “I’d love to experience that making myself. I might be able to learn those skills. This would be wonderful.”
Ticca handed him the boots. “Give them a try, if you dare.”
Taking the boots, Lebuin didn’t really have to think about it much. He pulled off his own boots and slid into Ticca’s. “You can wear my boots if you want. They are going to be too big, but they would keep your feet warmer.”
Ticca looked a little put off, but took his offered boots and slipped them on. With that they all drifted off to sleep.
- - -
Sun was streaming in the window and he sat there enjoying the feeling on his face. Sitting up, he noticed something was different, something was not right. This was someplace he did not know. Looking around, he realized he was alone, but there was laughter, like dozens of perfect small silver bells, ringing outside. Standing, he moved to the window and looked out on an amazing scene. Dozens of children were running around, screaming and laughing. Some of the children were astride small deer; others were just running around. They all moved with a speed and agility he found hard to believe. What was even odder was that they were playing a game of chase and tag with a creature the size of a horse that looked like a wolf. The wolf laughed and yelled, jumping around with great agility, running and using trees to bounce off of, trying to avoid the children. The wolf was speaking the language of the children, and even though Lebuin didn’t understand the exact words, it was obvious that the creature was playfully taunting them.
A presence was beside him; he looked and caught his breath. Next to him, smiling and looking out the window, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was dressed in a soft, fuzzy forest-green dress with long sleeves, which covered her from neck to toe. The dress hugged her form tightly from the neck to just below her hips, where it flared out into a wonderful skirt. The dress, while covering almost every inch of her body, still showed every curve of her perfect frame. It ended just above the ground, and peeking out were a pair of matching boots made of glossy leather, dyed a soft mossy green. Around her waist was a black leather belt, on which hung a small pouch and a much-used but well cared-for hunting knife.
“The children so love Duke, and he adores them.”
Looking out the window again, he replied, “So that is Duke; I never would have guessed he played with children.”
“Duke has many sides, as do we all, Lebuin.”
“You know me? How? Who are you? Where am I?”
“You know the answers to all that already.”
Nodding, he looked back at the woman. “You are Kliasa, this is a dream, and I suppose this is your home in Rea-Na-Rey?”
“Correct.”
“I thought these dreams were supposed to be from your point of view.”
“I will not let a man know my intimate thoughts. You come here out of curiosity, and a desire to know the making of my works. Ticca comes here for other reasons.”
“So this isn’t something you laid into the boots? Your mind is directing this? How can that be, you are dead.”
“No, I am between.”
Lebuin froze at that. “’Between’. Another entity told me I was ’between’.”
“Correct.”
“I sensed you there between; you were watching over us from the ethereal realm.”
“That is a reasonable explanation. Yes, I was there. I lent what aid I could to help your survival.”
“Why? What do you care?”
She looked at Lebuin with a mix of pain, longing, and secrecy. “I cannot answer that. There are limits to what I can tell you.”
“How can this be?”
“You know the answer to that, too.”
“The boots… you made them, they are connected to you, so you can use them as a conduit.”
“Correct.”
“So why haven’t we heard from dead mages before through their artifacts?”
“They did not remain between.”
“That isn’t an answer. Surely some of them were not yet ready to move on.”
“It is as much as I can say.”
“So this is between two states of being?”
“You desire to know my secrets?”
“Don’t avoid the question.”
“I am not; I have answered as much as I can. Do you desire to know my secrets?”
This was unlike anything Ticca had said, but it was real. He could smell the flowers, he could feel the sun, and the wind tickled his skin. “I do.”
“What price would you pay for them?”
“I can insure you shall be remembered.”
“I do not need this. I am loved, and once I pass from here I will have no use for anything else.”
Lebuin looked around. “We are between. Money has no meaning; you do not desire to be named. What can I offer?”
“I cannot affect things in your realm.”
Lebuin understood then that she was holding herself here but unable to cause change, or manifest in the physical world. “What would you ask me to do?”
She smiled, and it was like lightning. “You see, good. Three things I will ask of you: Get Ticca to wear my boots, always, until this is done. Protect Ditani as much as he protects you. Finally, do not hesitate to risk all, for all is at risk.”
Lebuin considered. “I can agree to the first two, but I do not understand your third request.”
“You will, you have only to promise me these three things and I shall teach you all my secrets. We have passed the point of the necessity of your ignorance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You will come to know that too, in time. I am aware of more than I should be, because of this place and of how I can interact through my creations. I cannot say more for fear of ruining hope.”
“This is Rea-Na-Rey; you are a silver elf. Your secrets will be of little use to me.”
Kliasa laughed, and it was as beautiful music with ringing tones, high and wonderful. “You know the name! Yes, this is Rea-Na-Rey, and I was what you humans call an ‘elf lord’. I have hidden this from Ticca so she wouldn’t be frightened.” As Lebuin watched, Kliasa’s form thinned slightly, becoming more elegant as her skin shifted to light silver. “I promise you will be able to learn and use the skills and secrets I share.”
Looking out the window, he now saw the children were a mix of human and elf.
“Very well, I will do as you ask, provided what you say is true.”
She smiled at him, and he was joyful. “Lebuin, we are between, it is impossible to lie here. Come, sit there, and we shall begin.”
“How long will this take?”
“Time may pass differently here. I can give you as long as you need; I expect you will need at least a full year, perhaps more. Though it will seem like you have spent a year in study with me, only a single night will pass in your realm.”
Lebuin thought about it and then smiled. “This will be the best dream I have ever had.”
Kliasa motioned to him. “I picked this time because it was a wonderful one. We have three celebrations each year, and tonight’s is the first. You will get to meet and know Duke and Magus Vestul as I know them. My love has already left, so there is no fear of any of my feelings for him intruding on this time. I have finished his boots and he took them with him, although he still doesn’t wear them. There were a quiet few years after his departure that were full of happiness, which I can share with you.”
Cycles passed and Kliasa was true to her word. Lebuin did meet the large wolf and laughed at the stories he told. Duke loved the children and was always playing with them or telling stories. Duke also had a deep love of Kliasa and came around often, just to chat with her; during these times Lebuin would sit and listen, or wander around the city as directed by Kliasa. Finally Duke left to build a better tavern, he said, and he had an emotional farewell with Kliasa. The summer festival had the honored guest of Magus Vestul; Kliasa introduced them and he found he liked him deeply. Lebuin learned that Magus Vestul had had many interactions with the elves, and they loved him completely for his sacrifices for them. All three festivals had ritual requirements on which Kliasa drilled him until he knew them perfectly.
They spent every day together; Kliasa taught him the art of making her boots and journals. She also taught him how to trap and prepare the animals. He roamed the vast forest with her. He learned her trap routes as well as she knew them herself. She taught him to use the sword, knife, bow, and sling as well as any elf. They spent marks every day sparring with weapons. She also taught him to read and write in the ancient language of the elves…
