***
The afternoon light was extremely bright on Marina's sleeping eyes. Its warmth began to pull her from the fog of sleep, comforting against the chill hanging within the small copse of trees they hid within. With a start, Marina sat up, realizing how late in the day it must be. Immediately thoughts of yesterday's events came rushing into her mind. She looked around the camp, but it was quiet. She was the only one still sleeping, and everyone else was gone.
She rose quickly, brushing sleep from her eyes. With another quick look around, she changed her clothes, and wandered over to their small cooking pit. There was a thick stew simmering on the fire, still warm. Suddenly ravenous, Marina dished up a healthy portion into her bowl, and sat down on a nearby log. She ate quickly and silently, looking around between bites for any sign of her comrades. Nervousness began to boil in her stomach. Has something happened to them?
Just then, Shaila entered the camp at a brisk pace.
“Good morning Marina.” She called as she walked toward the cooking pit. “Are you feeling all right? I want to examine you to make sure there was no damage from yesterday's divination.”
Marina nodded, her mouth full of food. She swallowed the large bite, and quickly emptied the rest of the bowl. When she was finished, Shaila beckoned her over, and placed her hands on Marina's cheeks.
“You're in perfect health.” Shaila said after a few moments. “No damage to your mind occurred, and your ability seems intact as well.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Sorry again for not saying anything. I'll be more prepared now.” Marina said. “Where are the others?”
“They are off meditating, working on defending their minds.” Shaila said. “Both Nihlen and Galen have made great progress in just one day. Either of them may complete the training within the next day or two.”
“What about Cal?” Marina asked.
“Cal is having trouble making progress.” Shaila stated honestly. “I've examined his mind, even while meditating, and it is a storm. You and him are close, are you not?” Marina nodded in response. “There is something he can't get off his mind, and it is a barrier to full control. Do you have any idea what may be wrong?”
Marina looked down at the ground. “It could be a lot of things to be honest. Cal has never wanted to be on this journey. Repeatedly he's tried to get me to back out. He's only along now because I refused to give in. He's bull headed, but he's protected me for a long time. In the end he gave up, and followed just so he could protect me. He may be afraid, or resent me for our current situation. It could be many other things.”
“I see...” Shaila said pensively. “Marina, are you and Cal related?”
Marina was surprised by the question. “Not by blood, but Cal has always been like a brother to me. We've been together since we ran away from forced servitude when we were children.”
“Does Cal also see you only as a sister?”
The question hung in the air. Marina had considered the thought a few times over the years. The way he looked at her wasn't always with the thoughts of brotherly love. “I don't know to be honest. I've never led him to believe I love him in that way.”
“Love is not a force that can be directed solely be the actions of a single individual. This may be a difficult thing to face, but it's impeding his progress. We need to be out of here soon, I won't be able to hide our presence forever. If everyone can't master this training, we will have no choice but to leave them behind. It's too dangerous to leave information in the hands of anyone who can't protect it.”
The last words hung heavy in Marina's heart. I couldn't imagine having to leave Cal behind... But what can I do? If I tell him I don't see him that way, he may leave anyways... Marina thought, a knot forming in her stomach.
“We will wait and see how he does today. I brought this up now so you would have time to consider what you want to do. For now, we will be taking a break from divination. Your power is too vast and complex for me to divine here and now. Instead, you will work on the mind training with the others. From what I can sense of your ability, you should have an affinity for this training. You may even be the first to complete it. Head out somewhere nearby, and meditate. Try to suppress all thoughts. Once you can quiet your mind instantly, find something you can focus on. Something simple that doesn't conjure up any other thoughts. This can be difficult, but if you search your mind enough, you will find something that will work for you.” Shaila said.
Marina nodded, rising from her seat. She picked a direction at random, and moved out of the camp. It only took a few minutes to find a suitable place, a densely shaded thicket of trees with a small clearing, a fallen log near the middle. She sat down, and took a deep breath. As she closed her eyes, and tried to quiet her mind, her ears buzzed with the bounding footsteps of her inner thoughts. She took another deep breath, and tried to force the torrent of her mind down. Thoughts of home, her past, her future, Cal, Nihlen, and many other things toppled one over another, each vying for her attention.
She shook her head a few times, as if her thoughts were water in her ears, to be forced out as such. She slapped her cheeks a couple times. “Focus!” She began concentrating as hard as she could, trying to force the thoughts under. The harder she focused though, the louder the thoughts seemed. She stood up, and began pacing around.
I can't do it... Shaila said I have an affinity for this, but I'm not seeing it. What is it I'm supposed to do? I don't understand!
“Marina...” Shaila suddenly called, making Marina jump in surprise. “You're trying much too hard. You're thinking about stopping your thoughts, which is getting you wound up much too tight. This isn't an exercise of concentration, though it may seem to be on the surface. In fact, this first part of the training is the exact opposite. You must let go of everything, even the thought of clearing your mind. Complete emptiness. To get it, you must relax, and let go.”
“How did you know I was struggling so much already? I just started.” Marina asked, her heart still thumping from being startled.
“In your distress your thought projection surged. Even with my weak mind reading skills I was able to pick it up.” Shaila said, her face turning serious. “That is very dangerous. The truth is, of everyone in this group right now, you present the most danger to mind readers.”
“What?” Marina asked, taken aback. “But in the camp you said I should have an affinity for this sort of thing. My ability is in the mind as well right?”
“You will have an affinity for this training. However, in these early stages your ability is like a double edged sword. Your mind is more receptive to mental contact than that of others without these types of abilities. Without the necessary skills to defend yourself, you can be detected from further away, and your mind more easily penetrated by another ability user. Like any other user, your physical and emotional state will affect your ability. Just as fear, anger, or love can make people physically stronger in times of duress, abilities will surge in the same way. When you feel those types of emotions, like you just were, and aren't able to control your thought projection, you could easily lead enemies to our group without even knowing.”
Marina sat down, hugging herself with her arms. “So if I can't do this, I will also be left behind?”
“Do not despair. I did not tell you these things with that in mind. This is something all ability users go through in one way or another. For people with mental abilities, it's vulnerability while their powers develop. Normally we wouldn't have to worry about something like this, but considering our current circumstances we do.” Shaila said, and as she talked, she moved over to the log and sat down next to Marina. “I wanted to let you try to clear your mind yourself, and see how it went. As I thought, your mind is a torrent, just like Cal's. I suppose it's ultimately because Nihlen and Galen have received extensive training in many areas throughout their lives. For you, and Cal as well I think, I am going to suggest a different method.”
“What should I do?” Marina asked.
“When I worked on this training I was around twelve years old. Being a child, obviously I wanted to go play, or do anything else besides something as boring as meditating. My mother, who also taught Helida and I to use our abilities, tried her best to teach me, but to no avail. Months passed, much longer than such training should take. Eventually she gave up on having me clear my mind. Instead, she told me to skip that step, and try to find the thought that would be my mental stopper. It's an unconventional method, but once I found it, it became easier to clear my mind of other thoughts and leave only that one. I believe we should try this now as well. If you can't silence your mind, then we will put your thoughts to work so you can find the thought that will become your defense.”
“What kind of thought?” Marina asked.
“It's hard to say.” Shaila answered. “It differs for each person. The key is that it's something another ability user can't grasp onto and reach further into your mind. Even thoughts that seem inconsequential can lead to other thoughts like a chain. It needs to be something you almost never think of, something that relates to yourself in almost no way. This presents a unique challenge, as the more distant from ones-self a thought is, the harder it is to conjure up. Do not try to force it though. Calmly let your mind wander wherever it wishes, as if you were floating down a river with no paddle. You will know a suitable thought once you encounter it. When you feel you've found it, come and see me. If it seems to work we will return to the previous step.”
“I will try.” Marina said.
Shaila then rose from the log, and disappeared back into the trees. Marina turned on the log, and laid back. She closed her eyes, and began to allow her mind to wander. Hours passed, and her mind traveled through many different memories. Her early childhood years, with her family, before they were separated. She hadn't thought of those times in many years. The warmth and love she had once known had been buried by the years of struggling that followed. She thought of the house she and Cal had just bought, and wondered if it would still be waiting for her when she returned. If she ever did. She thought of Cal, and Shaila's words about his probable true feelings. She thought of Nihlen too, and the feelings she had developed, and was still developing, toward him.
Afternoon turned to evening, and evening to night. In those hours, Marina still hadn't moved. Thoughts still skittered in all that time. From consequential to inconsequential. She couldn't remember a time she had thought so much about her life. She had never realized all the unaddressed thoughts bouncing in her head. As her thoughts began to wind down, she sat up. Her body was extremely stiff after hours of lying on the log. She rubbed her eyes, and stretched. At that moment, one last new thought whispered in her mind. It was a memory she couldn't place, of a time she couldn't remember. An image appeared in her mind. It was as clear to her as if she were looking at it carved into one of the nearby trees. It looked as if countless tree branches had grown together, twisting and twining around one another. In the center, where the branches met, they grew as if a single tree created from the branches of many others. The twisted branches formed the trunk, and a canopy of golden leaves spread out from the top.
Smiling to herself, Marina started back toward camp. She knew the tree was the memory she needed, and was eager to share her discovery with Shaila and the others. As she entered the camp, she found everyone else already gathered around Shaila sitting in a half circle.
“I had a feeling you would be coming soon.” Shaila said, glancing toward Marina. “It's time for me to test your progress so far. Prince Nihlen, if you would come forward first.”
Nihlen rose, and moved the short distance to sit in front of Shaila. She placed her hands on his cheeks, and looked into his eyes. “You're nearly there. Your image is sound, but it's distorted by other thoughts, though much less than yesterday. Good work. Galen, you next.”
Nihlen and Galen quickly switched places. “Yes, much better as well Galen. This training is much more difficult the older you become, but you are progressing well. Cal, if you please.”
Galen moved out of the way quickly, but Cal took his time shuffling up to sit in front of her. “I see the making of an image, but it's blurred, and caught in a torrent of other thoughts. You're still not there.”
Wordlessly, Cal rose. Instead of returning, he stalked off into the trees. Marina rose to follow him, but Shaila put up a hand. “Leave him be for now. It's your turn for examination.”
Marina tore her gaze from the trees, and moved to sit in front of Shaila. As she placed her hands on her cheeks, Marina pictured the tree she had seen, clearing her mind of all other thoughts.
“Wonderful!” Shaila exclaimed, pulling her hands back. “Your image is solid and clear. I found no other traces of thoughts. That image though, I feel like I've seen it before.” She paused for a moment. “That is unimportant though. You have completed the training.”
“Great job Marina!” Nihlen exclaimed, clapping her on the back. Galen nodded his approval as well.
Marina quickly thanked them, before jumping to her feet. “I'm going to go check on Cal.”
She wandered off into the trees in the direction Cal had left. The sounds of the camp quickly faded, replaced with the almost loud silence of the wilds, punctured occasionally by the sounds of its inhabitants. Marina peered through the trees, but in the growing darkness of night, it was hard to see much further ahead. She strained her senses to pick up on any sign of Cal's location.
She saw a shadow move between two trees.
“Cal?” She called tentatively.
A branch broke somewhere in the trees behind her, and she whirled around, trying to spot the source.
“Cal?” She called again, her voice shaking slightly. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Without warning, something crashed into her with amazing force. She stumbled forward, a heavy weight on her back. She felt claws digging into her flesh, blood trickling warm and thick down her skin. She still had not regained her balance, and half-fell into a tree, trying to catch herself. She bounced off though, unable to catch the additional weight she now felt. She slammed hard into the moist ground of the forest, the breath rushing out of her.
A heavy weight stood on her back, and musty breath crawled over her shoulder. She tried to turn and see what held her down, but she wasn't strong enough. Whatever it was, with its claws digging into her back, she was unable to move.
Panicked, she screamed. Her high pitched cry cut through the darkness, but the creature was unfazed. She felt sharp pain, claws leaving her back, and more blood poured out. She tried to push herself up, but her muscles weren't working. She turned her head left and right, trying to gain sight of the creature. Then she saw it.
It was massive, at least the size of a full grown man, even on all fours. It was covered in long, silver fur that shined like the moonlight. As it looked at her, it bared its massive jaws. Teeth like daggers lined its mouth, and its golden eyes said it was hungry. Clearly she was its next meal.
It closed in slowly, never taking its sharp eyes away from her. Marina tried to push herself up, but she still couldn't. Her injuries, and now a heavy dose of fear, had locked her muscles. It moved forward until it was looming over her, lowering its head to end its prey's life and enjoy its meal. A low snarl escaped its jaws, and then it lunged forward.
Marina cried out, trying to curl herself into safety. She closed her eyes, and waited for what she thought was the end.
No end came though.
She opened her eyes to find her vision obscured not by the giant creature, but by a human. It was Cal. He stood in front of her, each hand gripping the top and bottom of the beast's jaws. The beast growled and snarled, but it could not seem to force Cal down, or its jaw to snap shut.
“Cal!” Marina exclaimed, a tear leaking from her eye. She had thought she was going to die for sure.
Cal didn't turn, but continued struggling with the beast. The two stared one another down, trying to establish superiority over the other. The beast'
s growls grew into primal snarls as the two tested their strength. With a sudden grunt, Cal picked the animal up off the ground, and threw it. It slammed into a tree, a high pitched whine escaping from it.
The beast was only momentarily phased though, easily landing on its feet. Angry with interference just as it had caught dinner, the animal bared its teeth, growling loudly at Cal. It then bounded forward with amazing speed for its size, hurtling right toward Cal.
The beast slammed its head into Cal, and began pushing him backward. He grunted with effort, and slowly the pushing ceased. The two pushed against one another, a battle of strength between man and nature. With one hand, Cal grabbed the beast by the throat. With a yell, he forced his arm up, throwing the beast into a standing position on its hind legs. He then rushed forward, picking the beast up by the stomach with his shoulder. He carried the beast until they slammed into a tree. As they slammed into the trunk, it cried in pain. Then its head came down, and its massive jaws snapped onto Cal's other shoulder. Cal gave no sign the injury hurt him. With his free hand, he began slamming his fist into the underside of the beast. Hit after hit the creature took, but it refused to release its grip on Cal, his new enemy.
Suddenly, a cold feeling washed over Marina, and she knew Nihlen and the others were coming. Thank goodness... She thought, as her head suddenly began spinning. She was near losing consciousness from the pain and bleeding.
“Marina!” Nihlen yelled from behind her. Within seconds, she felt his hand on her back. “Shaila, hurry! She's lost a lot of blood. Tend to her while I go help Cal!”
“No, wait.” Marina said faintly, trying to reach his arm to stop him. “Cal will be all right. I can feel it. This is something he wants to take care of by himself.”
Nihlen looked to Cal, and then down at her. “Are you sure? He could die. That's a skelt, and they are very dangerous creatures.”
“He'll be fine.” Marina said confidently.
“What are you waiting for?” Galen said suddenly from behind her. “He's in danger, we have to go help him!”
“Marina says to let him handle it. I trust her.” Nihlen said, sitting on the ground beside her.
A jolt of pain in her back made Marina cry out. Without a word, Shaila began tending to the wound. Trying her best to ignore the burning, sickening pain, Marina turned her attention back to Cal and the skelt.
Its massive jaws were still clamped around Cal's shoulder, which was leaking a lot of blood, and Cal was still beating its soft underside with his fist. Marina could see sweat forming on Cal's brow, though she wasn't sure if it was from the pain, or from physical exertion. Maybe both.
With a sudden yell, Cal drew back his fist, and slammed it into the creature. The force was so great, the trunk of the tree behind the beast cracked. Furiously yelling, Cal continued pummeling the skelt with all his might, each hit cracking the tree trunk further. With each strike, Marina could see the jaws of the massive beast beginning to loosen. Five more hits, and the beast had released its jaws from Cal's shoulder, and it howled in pain. With one final yell, Cal struck the skelt once more. With a resounding crack, the tree splintered, and began to fall. The skelt went back with it, and both crashed to the ground, filling the quiet glade with a massive explosion. The skelt then rolled off the felled tree, motionless on the forest floor.
Cal sank to his knees, breathing heavily. He stared at the beast, his chest heaving. Still it gave no sign of rising.
“Nihlen, Galen, bring Cal back to camp! His shoulder will need to be looked at immediately! I've stopped the bleeding here, and will bring Marina back. Let's go!” Shaila barked, as Nihlen and Galen scrambled to follow her orders.
“Is he going to be all right?” Marina asked faintly.
“He is strong. As long as we stop the bleeding he will be fine. It doesn't appear to be a life threatening injury. You should worry about yourself for the time being.” Shaila said.
Marina sighed with relief, and rested her head on the cold ground. Suddenly it began to grow colder though. Marina opened her eyes, and looked down. Water was seeping up from the ground below, lifting her up like a cushion. The water washed over her back, and the cool temperature brought some relief on her sizzling back. Shaila started walking back toward camp, and the cushion of water bearing Marina began to follow.
Behind them, Marina could hear the sounds of Galen and Nihlen grunting as they bore Cal's weight between them. From what she could see, Cal appeared to have lost consciousness. A jolt of pain suddenly wracked her, and she allowed her body to become limp. The water below her was more comfortable than any bed she had ever slept in. She probably would fall asleep if not for all the pain she felt.
“We need to leave here immediately.” Shaila said as they entered camp.
“I thought we had to remain until our minds could safely repel any attacks?” Galen called, as he began examining Cal's shoulder injury.
“It's definitely not ideal. Urian instructed me to train you until it was safe to tell you everything, but that doesn't seem possible now.” Shaila responded.
“Why not?” Nihlen asked.
“You correctly identified that beast as a skelt. Do you remember their natural habitat from your studies?” Shaila asked.
Nihlen was silent while he contemplated her question. “I believe they live deep in the mountains...” He was silent once more as comprehension dawned on him. “Which means, that skelt was far away from its natural habitat. Cascadia is only one mountain, not the type they would like.”
“Precisely.” Shaila said. “Though nearly impossible to tame, skelt are some of the greatest tracking beasts. Someone is searching for us, and if they have skelt at their disposal, I won't be able to hide us here much longer.”
“I see...” Galen said. “So what do we do now?”
“We have no choice but to press on. It seems you all will have to wait until we reach Elharlia to learn any more about our current situation. We should be quite safe once we have contacted Karishian.”
“Do you know Karishian?” Nihlen asked.
“Not personally.” Shaila said, as she started tending Marina's wound. “I was hoping to be able to explain everything, including how the most wanted man in the world fits into the whole picture. For now though, all I can do is ask that you remain patient for a while longer. As soon as it is safe for me to do so, I will tell you everything I can. For now we should break camp, and get moving. They may already be headed here to search.”
Nihlen and Galen nodded, and began moving around their camp breaking it down. Shaila silently finished tending Marina's back, and bandaged her up. “Do you think you'll be able to ride?”
“I'll be fine.” Marina lied. Her back was on fire, and even thinking of getting up sent pain shooting down her nerves.
She began pushing herself up, burying the pain deep within herself. There was no time to sit around if they were being pursued. With a will reinforced with iron, Marina began helping the others break down camp. They were nearly finished before Cal finally regained consciousness.
Marina turned toward him just as he started coming to. As soon as he saw her, he lunged to his feet. As he rose, his body twisted in pain from his shoulder wound, and he fell to one knee.
“Cal!” Marina said, helping him steady himself. “I'm so glad you're all right!”
“What about you?” He asked frantically, his eyes sliding over her bandaged upper body. “Are you all right?”
“I'm fine.” Marina said gently. “You saved me before anything really bad happened.”
“Thanks goodness.” Cal said, wincing from his injured shoulder.
“That was some battle Cal.” Nihlen called from the other side of the camp. “If you hadn't been there, something terrible may have happened.”
“To think he fought a skelt bare handed, and defeated it. You have truly come a long way.” Galen chimed in. “That's not something a lot of people can say they've done.”
Cal waved his hand in thanks, looking around the
camp. “Are we leaving tonight?”
“Yes.” Shaila said. “That skelt was not a natural occurrence. Someone is looking for us, and it would be better to avoid contact at this point. We absolutely must reach Elharlia. We can't risk being caught before then.”
Just then, a branch cracked. Everyone tensed, looking for the source of the noise, hands resting on weapons. Two people had appeared in the center of the camp, but they were not enemies.
“Urian! What are you doing here?” Shaila asked incredulously.
“Hello Shaila, I'm happy to see you were able to rendezvous successfully with the Prince and his companions. Were there any problems with Helida? I've heard Cascadia is in quite a state since then.” Urian said. Shaya peeked over the old man's shoulder for a brief second at Shaila, before disappearing from sight once more.
“I wish I had arrived sooner, she had rampaged quite a lot before I made it. I was able to drive her away with minimal problems.” Shaila reported. “However, just minutes ago we had a run in with a skelt. Is your sudden visit related in some way?”
“It is I'm afraid.” Urian said, his tone growing serious. “Things are progressing worse than we had anticipated.”
“Do you know who the beast belonged to?” Galen asked. “Is it Illian?”
“I do not believe so, though I can't rule out the possibility. However, the evidence I have been able to gather seems to point in a different direction. I believe your current pursuers are under the employ of Rinh.”
“Rinh!?” Nihlen exclaimed, barely able to retain his composure. “How have they tracked us this far? We should have left them behind when we crossed the sea to Leoradan!”
“We had hoped so, but this doesn't seem to be the case. Allow me to share everything I've come to tell you, then you may understand more.” Urian said, taking a seat. “King Erian Rinh has finally communicated with the outside world. He has demanded that all other nations submit to his rule under the banner of Askrah. Also, he has named you a wanted fugitive, to be captured and returned to Draven immediately. If his demands are not met, he will bring them about by force. This proclamation just reached my ears minutes ago. Within days I'm sure a summit will be called to answer this. The rulers of other lands will discuss their opinions and options, though forming a consensus may prove quite difficult.”
“He can't be serious though, can he?” Galen asked. “It's true Draven is one of the most powerful nations, but surely he does not believe he could march against the rest of the world and bring them under his thumb by force.”
“I wouldn't be so sure.” Shaila said. “We are not talking about conventional warfare. A single ability can turn the tide of a battle, and we don't know what abilities Rinh has at its disposal. An army without ability users, no matter the size, could easily be obliterated. This era is moving, and the secret of abilities is becoming known to the masses. Would you be able to convince your soldiers to march to their death against people like us?”
“Shaila is absolutely right. Cascadia is a prime example. Helida's attack was on such a scale people were unable to doubt their eyes. Word is now spreading like wildfire around the world. The great trading city of Cascadia, destroyed by a fire wielding human. Some will discount the stories at first, but it's only a matter of time until people have no choice but to acknowledge abilities, and what they mean. You can bet if they didn't know about abilities before, all the world leaders know of them now. They will be even more afraid to get involved with the subjugation of Draven, especially if they have no ability users of their own.” Urian said.
“So what do we do now?” Nihlen asked.
“There is nothing we can do yet.” Urian said. “Right now, it is indeed Rinh who has the upper hand. That is why you must reach Elharlia. The Eye of Kings is the only power that can stand up to the Eye of Gods. Erian is aware of this as well though. He will stop at nothing to make sure you disappear from this world. Which brings us back to my original point. It would be safe to assume there are agents of Rinh trailing you. They have been tracking you since you left Askrah. I'm also afraid I must report one other thing... Jaylin Pascel was murdered.”
The shock of the words hit Marina like she had been tackled, the air completely leaving her body.
Nihlen fell to his knees, punching his fist into the ground. “He died because of me... Because I went to him for help. They tracked me there, and killed him... Jaylin... I'm so sorry...”
“I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. Jaylin helped you even though he knew the danger. If it weren't for him, you would have never escaped the island. He placed the future of your kingdom above himself. He will be sorely missed...” Urian said.
Nihlen... Marina thought, frozen at the sight of his grief. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her brief encounter with Jaylin. He took us in, and saved us. Without a question at all. To think he's... The tears spilled over, and Marina sobbed into her hands.
“I'm afraid I must also apologize again.” Urian said, rising from the seat he had taken. “After laying that on you, I must place yet another burden on you.” In an instant the old man disappeared, reappearing in front of Marina. “You must come with me for now. There's no time to explain. Shaila, I'll trust you to take care of the rest.”
Urian then reached out and grabbed Marina, and they vanished from the camp.
Chapter 19
Howl