The Stones of Magic
Chapter 13
Mach woke the next morning just as the first signs of light were beginning to cast a golden glow on the western horizon. He closed his eyes and lay still, trying to remember what he had seen in his dreams last night. He was sure that what he had witnessed was important. Something made him feel that, if only he could recall what he had dreamt, he would discover more about himself.
The only thing he came was the strange vision he had just before falling asleep. There had been something else though, something after he had fallen asleep that he just could not put his mind to remember.
A rustling noise came from somewhere out of sight. He opened his eyes cautiously and tried to identify who or what made the sound, his hand already reaching instinctively for the sword he knew to be tied to his side. As his hand clenched around the hilt, he heard another leafy rustle from somewhere behind him followed by a loud thud. He lay there watching with half closed eyes, waiting for his chance to surprise whatever it was that had come for them. If he were to fight alone, he would surely need as many advantages as possible to stay alive. Several more times he heard the rustling and then a few more thuds as though something heavy had struck the earth.
The rustling came again, this time much closer and far louder. He tightened his grip on his sword and readied himself to leap to his feet and an attack. As quietly as he could, he began to try and maneuver himself into a position to better see what had become of his friends. The moment he turned over, however, the rustling stopped. Damn it! Mach thought darkly. He had given himself away, and there did not seem to be any signs of Mendoll, Bastra or Sehto. He slowly placed one hand on the earth below him and readied himself to leap up from the ground.
“You awake?” A familiar voice touched his mind.
“Miatsu, there's something at the camp! Where are you? Where are Mendoll and Bastra? Where is Sehto?” Mach screamed desperately in his mind. He was beginning to panic. There were still no signs of the others and a terrifying thought struck him. What if the little imp had attacked them all and was now planning to kill him? So this was the end of his journey. He would he not be able to find and protect his mother, and he would fail to exact his vengeance on Rubious. He was not even capable of protecting himself right now!
“I not sure where others are? Big guy here doing same as me.” Mach heard the words in his head. “Look here and see me.”
He raised his head slightly, ready to strike. From where he had first heard the sounds, Miatsu appeared through the trees, clutching a couple of dead rabbits with his tiny hands. Each one had its head cut clean off.
Mach could not believe what he was seeing. “Was that you making all that noise? What in the hell were you thinking? You scared the hell out of me! And how did you get from there to behind me anyways, how are you able…” Mach stumbled on his words, struggling to comprehend the current situation, but Bastra’s voice cut his rant short.
“That would have been me.” The Gargoyle said from behind Mach, making him nearly jump out of his skin in surprise. From out of the bushes, Bastra’s massive form lumbered forward, carrying three times the number of rabbits Miatsu had gathered. Each one had been speared through the chest with a pole. “I figured since he was hunting, I might as well gather enough for my own stomach. That little bit would not be enough for all of us, let alone me.” Bastra smiled at the exasperated look on Mach’s face, his mouth moving like a stranded fish without a single sound coming out.
“Seems like we're going to have meat for breakfast,” Sehto's muffled voice unexpectedly sounded from under a pile of blankets and wraps that had been hidden perfectly beside piles of leaves and brush. He freed his head from the warm bedding and beamed at the rabbit hunters with bright eyes. “Excellent! Who's going to clean and cook it?” Sehto was sitting up before the last words had left his mouth, however the smile faded far before he finished. Both Miatsu and Bastra dropped their bloody prey at Sehto’s feet and walked off without a word. “I guess that would be me, then?”
The look on Sehto's face changed from bewilderment to a disappointed pout for only a moment. It was such a priceless expression that Mach could not help but laugh until his stomach started to hurt. Sehto smiled once again and gathered up his task. It had been a long while since he had anything to laugh at and it was good to feel this lighthearted again, even if it was only fleeting. So many times he had only been able to think of the horrors that might lie ahead, or the horrors that had just occurred. But right now, it was a relief that the thoughts filling his mind consisted only of the hilarious expression on Sehto’s face and was absent of all the dark fears that had previously plagued him. He noticed Sehto eyeing him hopefully and, not wanting the tracker to offer the magnificent opportunity of helping him cook breakfast, decided it was time to go elsewhere. Casually, He rose to his feet, muttering something about needing to empty his bladder, and sauntered off.
He strolled into the woods to find an isolated area to relieve himself, the trees were tall and thin and without the mist to make the world around seem dark and depressing, the golden trunks and bright green leaves were a small reminder of home. For a moment he could almost think he was back home and he were merely out for some kind of odd training exercise. He marched away from camp thinking he would be alone only to find Mendoll standing, his back to the camp, apparently doing the same thing he needed to do. Silently he sidled up next to the Mage, found a nice bush to conceal himself, and pulled his pants down just far enough to do what needed to be done. Mendoll finished and turned away. But not before Mach caught a glimpse of the Mage’s face. There was something different about the old man’s eyes. Something that concerned him.
Perhaps it was due to lack of rest. After all, they had been going for a few weeks without a real break. It wouldn't have been at all surprising if the weary Mage was finally succumbing to the immense pressure of the Guardians' knowledge and the events of their journey thus far. He remembered a few times when he was very young, his mother had worked for several days without rest, getting their tiny plot of land in Selane ready for the planting season. She had looked much the same as Mendoll did now. But not exactly. There was something to his eyes that he could not explain as simply fatigue. It seemed a bit...ominous. But then again, as he had originally thought, perhaps the Mage merely needed a bit more rest.
Mach spoke up about his concern that they were all not getting enough rest for all that they seemed to be doing and was relieved to hear that the Mage had already considered planning for more regular rest stops throughout their normal day. To add to that, and a relief for Mach despite the continued closeness of their new ally, Mendoll suggested that they spend the day here and depart when night came. One day would be enough time for him to rest, or so he claimed and the others would do well to take advantage of it. Regardless of the shape they were all in by nightfall, it would have to do, and Mach did not think that anyone could dissuade him from leaving at any other time. No one here had any control over the Mage, and no one dared to think they did either.
For the first time in weeks, Mach was able to sit down and thoroughly enjoy his meal without worry of needing to leave right away. As he filled his plate with various bits of fried and flame roasted meat, he subtly felt that he was only out camping with family members he did not see often enough.
For several hours, the memories of the events in last few weeks vanished from his mind as jokes were told and they all teased each other over one thing or another. For all he cared about at that moment, nothing was wrong with the world and everything in life was perfect. Life was perfect. That is, until the casual conversations and snide remarks turned to the King of Sirunre.
He had yet to tell them of his dream, but he was beginning to think he should take Sehto's advice. Mendoll was relating some of the horrors that King Rubious had been rumored to be responsible for.
“And he just killed his father, in cold blood?” Mach asked fearfully.
“When Rubious fights, it is usually to the death. His fath
er had taught him that from a very young age. To him, it is kill or be killed. Or at least it use to be,” Mendoll explained. He then looked directly at Mach. “Rubious is a supreme swordsman. Rumor has it that he has not yet lost a fight in the last two decades. Every person that he has challenged, or has challenged him, is now six feet under.”
“So what will we do if he catches up with us?” Mach asked a little worried about what he was going to do when he finally came face to face with the man.
“We run.” Mach was shocked that it was Bastra who had spoken. There was something unnerving in the fact that even Bastra feared Rubious' blade. Especially considering that the Gargoyle had been willing to face down a hydra twice already.
Sehto spoke calmly, through Mach could tell that he too was a little disturbed by what he had heard. “Don't worry, so long as he took the course that was drawn on the map in the planning room, we will be fine. With the army he brought with him, it is likely that he will not make good time, which means that we have the advantage. Besides, I do not think that these Guardians would ever allow him to retrieve the Stones.”
Mendoll agreed confidently. “They keep talking about this Great Mage that gave them the Stones to guard. I don't think that anyone willing to put Guardians, like these ones, in charge of something as important as the Stones would have been non-specific about who gets it later on,” Mendoll nodded contemplatively and sighed. “It is likely that we may not even be right for them.”
“But we still gotta try.” Mach stated flatly, as his thoughts turned back to his mother and for the first time in hours, shame welled up in him as he realized he had not given her much thought lately. “If there is even a slight chance that he may get the Stones, we gotta do everything we can to prevent him from getting them. Right?”
“Well said, Mach. We do indeed need to try. However,” Mendoll said as he took a bite from his sandwich of meat, bread and fruit, “I think it will require a good deal more than merely trying.”
As night crept up on them, they gathered up their gear and went back to the Raven. Duty weighed once again upon their shoulders and Mach felt it in every fiber of his being. After everything the group had said about King Rubious, he knew that, although Rubious had been injured, he was not about to give up on the Stones. He had healers aplenty in his court and it was certain that he would be traveling with a few of them. That man would surely be out of bed in no time at all and that meant their time was running out. But not as quickly as it had been. The sense of urgency was less now to them all.
In addition to the situation with the murderous king, he also could not stop himself from worrying about the people that lived in the city of Kyrie. If Rubious was as vindictive as rumors had it, the King of Sirunre may very well go after those innocent civilians to retaliate for his defeat at the Guardian's hands. He could not bring himself to understand the mind of a man that would do such a thing. But when he spoke of his fears to Sehto, the tracker said that that was just how some people were and said no more on the topic.
What mattered most right now was figuring out what they were going to do once they finished visiting the next location. The map they had stolen from King Rubious’ ship only named the locations of four of the Stones and according to Mendoll, the legend clearly stated that there are a total of seven. What would be their next course of action once they found the next Guardian?
Mendoll kept silent about what he was planning, but one thing was for sure, the Mage was thinking hard about what their next move would be.
They circled the island and headed southeast, moving forward slowly since traveling during the night could be deadly enough even in the wide open sea, let alone in such close proximity of land. The massive island that sat between the four smaller loomed to the east as the Raven skimmed past, headed straight for their next destination. Even in the darkness, Mach could see that the mighty cliffs that rose high over the sea and the foaming torrents of vicious waves that sought to tear it down. He wondered if the cliffs extended to surround the entire island and had the strangest feeling that his guess may indeed be the case. The entire coast may just be composed of nothing but those impassable cliffs.
The wind was in their favor this night and with the forest-green moon above illuminating the way, Mach was able to see the many night birds gracefully soaring above them. The light of the moon reflecting off the Sea was hypnotizing and there were several times he found himself in need of shaking his head violently to clear his mind and more than once he had to move away from the railing to refocus his mind.
As the sun’s rays began to light up the sky in the west, the shadow of an island rose above the waters directly ahead of them. Long rolling hills could be seen in the distance, flowing like waves across the island. As the island came into better view, a city that could rival the capital city of Eldour seemed to shimmer into view like a mirage from the desert.
“It loud.” He heard Miatsu complain softly as the docks came into sight. He was not sure what the imp was talking about. He did not hear a single sound other than the hum of the wind in the sails and the waves crashing against the hull of the ship. He could see that the city was bustling with people even from this distance but how could Miatsu possibly hear them from this distance?
“Tuindreg. The city of trade,” Mendoll said as Sehto guided the ship toward the piers. “This is the outermost city in the five Empires that anyone from the mainland ever comes to. In fact, this is the only city that is regularly visited by anyone. Even Kyrie never gets the kind of business that Tuindreg gets.”
Bastra bent down toward Mach a little and spoke with a hush in his voice that made what he said a little eerie. “Though Tuindreg is as busy as any capital, it is more of a silent port. In other words, what happens here tends to stay here. Rumors have it that this port hosts trade relations with the lands across the Great Seas, and that a great deal of those traders wish only to remain unknown,” Bastra informed Mach.
“Sounds like you've been here a few times,” Sehto replied, glancing at Bastra from the corner of his eye.
“Many times before. I use to come here with an old friend of mine often enough. The trade was usually lucrative,” Bastra admitted wistfully, reminiscing about the bygone days that had passed by so peacefully, “that was long ago, however.” Mach looked up into the Gargoyle’s face and saw the glimmer of a tear in his eye. There was something about the place, or perhaps the old friend, that seemed to almost crack the Gargoyle's impenetrable outer shell.
Not wanting to press a subject that may turn out to be highly uncomfortable or embarrassing, he turned his eyes to the city and added no more to that subject. Tuindreg truly looked like the stopping point for those travelers and merchants braving the Great Seas. There were far more ships here than Mach had ever seen in his entire life. Ships of all shapes and sizes were approaching the island from every direction, ships with designs he had never seen before, and ships that could hardly be called a ship for their tiny size. It seemed that no sooner had a ship pulled out from its pier that another moved in to take its place. No less than eight dozen docking locations extended from the shores of the city. Thankfully though, it did not take long before they found an open pier and Sehto quickly directed the Raven to move in on it.
From the deck, Mach could see that the streets were busy, reminding him of a beehive. Almost the whole of every road crisscrossed and in every corner of the road was filled with people warily eyeing their surroundings as they trudged along and carts rumbled along the paved ground. Now that they were closer, he began to understand a little of what Miatsu had been talking about, though he still was not sure how the imp had heard this noise if this is what he had complained about. As they tied the ship off at the pier, he found it very hard to hear himself think, let alone hear what the others were saying. Everyone near them was talking at once, but no one could hear what anyone else was saying. Some passing men roared with drunken laughter but were quickly drowned out by the piercing shrill of a woman chastising he
r children. Bells attached to a young mare never ceased jingling as she pulled her master's cart through the thick crowds, braying angrily at those who dodged in front of her and adding to the cacophony of the ordinary day to day chaos of Tuindreg. All this and more blended together to form a singular atmosphere of meaningless sounds and soundless conversations that might as well have never been said.
As the group started filing down the ship, Sehto leaned toward Mach with warning in his voice. “Keep one hand on your blade.” He said with a glance at a single man standing not too far from them, his eyes were on the load being taken off of his ship but his hand never left his sword. “There are thieves aplenty here and if you look ready to kill for what you have, they are less likely to mess with you. Don't be afraid to look them in the eyes, either. If they think you may remember their faces, they'll be even less willing to face you.”
Just as Sehto finished whispering, Mach looked over at the alley between two buildings and saw a small group of men watching them pass by. He saw that one of the men had his eyes trained on Sehto, intently observing each of his actions. Mach looked over at the tracker to see that he had one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on his coin pouch. When Mach turned his head to look back at the group of men, they had vanished into the shadows of the alley. This was no place for him to be alone and he was very glad that Bastra was among their group. Not many would be idiotic enough to go toe to toe with a Gargoyle in his home back in Selane, even though everyone knew the typical personality of a Gargoyle was not unlike a warrior. Here as well, it went by at first glance that the inhabitants and visitors considered the Gargoyle to be quite intimidating. Truth be told, Bastra indeed looked formidable enough to face a small army and win.
Their destination turned out to be an inn at the far corner of the city. Though the place would undoubtedly be full of thieves and brigands, the inns on the far side were cheaper, and as Sehto put it, more likely to be a good cover. Anyone who went there obviously had less to lose in the way of possessions, so people would be less likely to target them.
“Besides, anyone willing to mingle with thieves and brigands either have no money, or are up to something themselves,” Sehto explained in a whisper. He kept his head down as he spoke, but he noticed that the tracker's eyes were constantly shifting so that he might not miss an important observation. “This of course makes them more deadly than anyone who might be there. Best way is to look strong, but also look poor.”
“After all, only an idiot would mug a man with no money and only the foolish would mug the strong.” Mendoll added as they walked through the door of the inn.
“Unless you happen to be a rich-looking mercenary,” Bastra stated wisely as they walked into the inn. “Only the strongest fighters would wear their gold and jewels in the open, and that would mean certain death to an attacker.”
Mach volunteered to stay behind and watch over their gear and their rooms at the inn while everyone else went for supplies and information. Everyone except Miatsu, who seemed to never stray from Mach’s side. It was beginning to get a little weary, all this clinging and the little imp's persistent presence. True, he was beginning to change his opinion of the imp but not enough to feel completely at ease around him. He thought about leaving the inn and telling Miatsu to watch the gear while he was gone. However, that idea was thrown out the window as he thought of how useless he would be if he were attacked. It was always better to have someone around to watch your back and he was still not as confident as he had hoped to be. Sehto had been drilling him and training him at nearly every chance he got. But there was just something that was holding him back from mastering the skills needed. And that will be my end if I don’t get over it soon. Rubious is a master with a sword, I can be no less when the time comes.
He sat upon the dusty floor, staring out into the sun-filled skies and thought of his mother. It had been several weeks now since the attack on his home. He wondered if the Gargoyles of Madtu had found her yet, or if the soldiers of Eldour had. Whatever the case was, he prayed that she was all right. If anything about his visions were accurate, than she had been injured severely that day and she needed a healer badly.
“You are thinking, yes?” Miatsu asked softly. Mach almost jumped at the sound of the imp's voice. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had forgotten that there was anyone there with him. He looked at Miatsu for a moment before turning his eyes back to the window and nodded. “Tell me. I like to hear what you see.”
He was so much taken aback by the request that all he could do was look at Miatsu in disbelief. He was not sure whether or not he should answer. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long while.
Finally he sighed and turned his eyes back to the window. “I was thinking of my mother. I have no idea how she is or whether or not she’s still alive. I keep having these dreams of her, or at least I think it's her. The woman I see is identical to my mother in many ways, but the problem is she is so heavily bandaged and the room is so dark that it makes it hard to be sure of anything. I just can't tell if it's her or not. The one thing that stands out no matter what is her hair. It's like mine and I have never met anyone with hair like ours, so I don’t think I'm seeing someone else. But, it may still be someone else.”
Mach felt the tears beginning to overflow but he forced them back. His voice cracked as he spoke again. “I just wish I knew what it was, a dream or maybe something that's real. Hell, even if it is happening now or in the past or the future. I just don’t know... I just ... it's so damned confusing, all of it.”
“Far sight, past sight, future sight. All are confusing, and have great pain. But also, they help. You learn lots by looking, by watching.” Miatsu answered. He was so calm, and maybe even a little too kind, almost like a mother reassuring her scared child. He looked at Miatsu again and felt himself relax and regain some inner peace. The imp was right, if he would just pay more attention to what was going on when he had his visions, he might be able to find out where he was going. And if it was his mother, then the moment he finished up here, he may be able to find her if he could just identify where it was he kept going. If he could persuade Mendoll to join him when the time came to seek her out, then there will be a Healer Adept there to do whatever is necessary to heal her.
“For a long time it has hidden from you, now you know and can understand. Now that it shows itself, use it.” There was something in Miatsu’s voice, something that resembled someone or something far older and more experienced than what the little imp had shown before this moment. The sudden deepening of his voice was followed by a strange sensation in the mind, as if ages of wisdom were suddenly transplanted. What was more, he could see the change in his eyes as well. It was as though he had aged several years in the last few moments. But as quickly as it had come, the feeling of maturity left Miatsu and he returned to his impish old self. “That why we train! I teach you, you teach me, yes!”
Could Miatsu be right? Was this one of the Mage sights he was experiencing? It made perfect sense now that it was thrown in his face for him to see, or more like now that he was coming to at least accept it in the tiniest ways. But, if that were the case, then why had his mother seemed to be able to see him the last time he had been there? If this were just sight, then there should not be any way to interact with those around him. He should be invisible to everyone, and his mother should not have realized he was there. Right?
But that still did not answer the question of whether or not he truly saw his mother in his visions, or if it was another woman, or if it was merely his imagination. His father’s words came to mind the more he thought about it. His father always said that, to find anything in this world, all one had to do was follow his or her heart. By doing so, by listening carefully to what the heart desired, he would be led right to the place where he should be and discover his destiny.
Mach smiled at the memories of his father and wondered what he would think of his son now. Of course, he would be slightly ashamed at hi
s son for running away in the manner that he had. If he was truthful with himself, as he was trying to be now, he did not leave for any kind of vainglory. He had not left with Bastra and Mendoll for the adventure, nor had he done so because he felt he would obstruct the efforts of any search party. Now that he had time to settle down and decipher his cluttered thoughts and emotions, he realized he had only done it simply because he was terrified to find his mother dead, or worse, dying, slowly and painfully.
As he searched within, he realized quickly that the woman he kept seeing could only be one person. Without a doubt in his soul, he finally knew he had found his mother. He only needed to locate where the hut was and then he could save her. He decided in that moment of epiphany, that no matter what came next he would find a way to save her the moment he returned home. Unfortunately, they would need to finish up here first.
No more of this sailing around. He would return to Selane and begin his search from there, and if anyone got in his way… I will cut them down.
There would be no more searching for these Stones of magic. That was someone else’s mission. Perhaps after he ensured her safety, then he may choose to continue with the others, but only after she was safe. Miatsu kept silent while he mulled over his decisions. It was almost as though the imp were thinking the same things as he was, or was at least receptive and understanding of Mach's thoughts.
Perhaps Miatsu would follow Mach when it came time for him to leave the group. As annoying as the little guy was, Mach would not mind his company. He was certain that the others would be too busy with the search for the Stones to really care about his personal agenda. But that was fine with him, it was not their burden to bear after all. And in any case, he would not wait around to find out if they were going to follow him or not.
Now that his decision was made, he needed to only to act. A sudden feeling of ease and relief spread through him as he came to his decision. It was almost as though he had been holding his breath underwater this entire time and was only now allowed to surface for a breath of fresh air. The feeling was rejuvenating to say the least. He had his own mission now and it was only now that he felt strong enough and capable enough to handle it.
The darkness above deepened as he sat stoically, looking into the star strewn sky. The others had not returned as of yet and although Mach was starting to worry a little, he knew it was not wise to leave his position to go search for them. The most likely scenario would be him running around lost in that maze of a city he knew nothing about and then possibly getting mugged before being beaten and left for dead on the filthy streets.
Without ever realizing that he had moved, he found himself laying back on his tiny cot. Through the blackness of the night sky, he could see a thick mass of clouds moving in. A chilling breeze swept through the open window and circled around in the room, bringing with it the scent of rain. He shivered. It would surely be raining in the city a few hours from now.
He glanced over at Miatsu. If it was true that the little forest imp did not sleep, he sure could fool anyone that had never met him before. Miatsu sat completely still, his eyes appearing to be closed from the dim lights of the dying candles. His chest rose and fell slowly with each deep breath. He heard the unmistakable vibrations of silent snoring as he lay there. However, it could have just been his own that he heard.