Shaping Magic (9 page)

Aina gave a startled gasp; she didn't think Lindon fully understood what Donovan just gave him, a Life debt. He had fully committed himself to Lindon and left it up to him when it was fulfilled. She had done the same, she just never told him about it; it was hard for her to put herself into anyone's servitude even if it were by choice. Maybe someday she would tell him but for now, she couldn't bring herself to publicly make the vow to him.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked Lindon.

“Nothing, just sit there relaxed and tell me if you feel anything.”

Lindon wanted to start small, so he gently took the Dwarf’s hand in his own. Feeling trepidation, he closed his eyes, trying to feel the energy in his own body. When he felt he had it, he slowly wished for his friend to be healed of his injuries, and with gentle guidance, he allowed the flow of energy to move into Donovan.

At first, he could feel nothing, then little by little Lindon could feel the same tingling that he had felt the day before caring Donovan. As the energy left his body, he worried that he might be unknowingly harming him, so he opened his eyes to look. Donovan's face was one of total relaxation. The scars that had crisis crossed his face had all but faded and now were only faint lines on his face. Not wanting to overdo it, he cut the flow from his body to Donovan and then released his hand.

It took a few seconds for Donovan to realize that Lindon had stopped his healing and let his hand go. When he opened his eyes there were tears in them; it was like the years of imprisonment had never taken place. His joints and numerous broken bones no longer hurt; he didn't feel any pain.

His body was whole again. He jumped to his feet and gave a great shout of pure joy. He ran at Lindon and before he knew what was happening, Donovan wrapped Lindon in the biggest hug he could. Dwarfs were not known for their overemotional side, but he just couldn't help it. Yesterday he was sure he was going to die and had accepted it, to today he was whole again and had strength in his muscles. His body hadn't filled out again, but that was nothing that some good food couldn't fix.

Still with tears in his eyes, he released Lindon from his embrace, then did something Lindon didn't expect. He bent to one knee, and in a solemn voice said, “I pledge my service to you for as long as is necessary to protect you from all foes. This I pledge by the name of Gal Nola, my god.”

Lindon was stunned; he hadn't expected quite that reaction from Donovan. He didn't think he had really done all that much. When Aina approached, he hoped that she would talk some sense into him, but when she approached, she too sank to her knees beside Donovan. “I am Aina Bow-Strike, I too pledge my service to you to protect you from all foes for as long as is necessary. This I do by the name of Shu Nola, my god.”

Lindon was beyond stunned. Here kneeling in front of him, an Elf and a Dwarf both pledging themselves to him. Why they were doing it was beyond his understanding but something about it seemed right, and he could not bring himself to refuse them.

Seeing them both kneeling in front of him with heads bowed, Lindon stepped up to them. Placing one hand on each head, he wished them both well and with as much ceremony that he could, said, “I accept your service to me and if there comes a day when I no longer deserve it, I free you from your pledge.” Suddenly, Lindon could feel power well up inside him and down his arms to the contact between them, and with a flash, all three were frozen in place as power rushed through them.

When it was over, Lindon felt completely drained; he was barely able stumble over to his makeshift bed before he passed out. Aina and Donovan were still kneeling where they were, looking to one another to find an explanation for what just happened. Both of them could feel something different in themselves but could not pinpoint what it was.

It was midday when Lindon finally woke; he was still feeling the effects of the previous night. He felt like he had been kicked in the head by a horse and every muscle ached from being tensed up as the power rushed through him.

As he groggily sat up, he noticed that he was covered in a blanket, and he was not wearing any clothes underneath. Looking around in panic, he spotted his clothes hanging on a makeshift rack beside the fire drying.

When he had finished dressing, he looked around for Donovan and Aina. Thinking the worst, he quickly he picked up his swords and was just about to go searching for them when Donovan walked back into camp carrying the other bedroll. It was still dripping water as he walked to the fire and hung it up where Lindon had found his clothes.

“Ahh, it’s good you are awake. We were starting to wonder if you were ever going to get out of bed.”

“Where's Aina?” Lindon asked.

“She is still down at the little creek we found, cleaning her clothes.”

“How long was I asleep for?”

“Two days.”

“Two days! Why didn't you wake me?”

“We tried; you just wouldn't wake up. Your heart was beating strong, and you were breathing, but other than that there was nothing we could do, so we decided to just let you sleep.”

“Sorry for being so curt with you, it’s just that my head is pounding, and I feel like I have been running for days. Every muscle in my body aches.”

“No worries, Lindon; I am just happy to see you up and about. I would guess that you're probably a little hungry too.”

“That's an understatement; I’m hungry enough to eat a side of beef by myself.”

“Well we don't have quite that much to eat, but we do have a nice rabbit stew and some wild herbs that Aina found.”

When he was handed the bowl of stew and some hard bread that they had gotten from the dead attackers, Lindon's stomach grumbled loudly. With the sounds of Donovan's chuckling, he went to work on the stew.

“
Donovan, I thought you were coming right back
.” Lindon looked around to see where Aina was, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

“
I was, but Lindon is awake, and I was just getting him some food
,” Donovan answered, but Lindon could have sworn that his lips didn't move.

“Where is Aina, and how could I hear your voice? Your mouth didn't move,” asked Lindon.

“If you can wait a few minutes, we will be right back.” Not waiting for an answer, Donovan went back down the little path they had made to the creek.

Lindon sat there in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. How could Donovan talk to Aina when she wasn't here? He decided to try to wait calmly for their return; he picked up his weapons to give them a cleaning while he waited, but when he had them in his hand, they were already cleaned and sharp. He set them back down, giving it no more thought, thinking one of them had done it for him.

After a few minutes, both Aina and Donovan came back up the path, carrying the rest of their gear. It wasn't much, but at least it was now clean. Lindon sat cross-legged waiting for them to finish hanging the wet items. When they were done, they came and sat on the other side of the fire, facing him.

Aina looked at Lindon. “
Can you hear me
?

“Yes I can, what I can't do is see your lips move as you talk to me!”

This time she spoke out loud. “Well, that makes three of us. While you were sleeping, we found out that after whatever you did to us, we can now talk to each other without our voices. At first, it worried me that Donovan could maybe read my mind, but it doesn't seem to work that way. We practiced quite a lot while you were unconscious, and we have found out that he has to be thinking about me as he thinks his words, and somehow I can hear him, but if he isn't thinking of me, I can't hear his thoughts, and vice-versa. “

Lindon turned to Donovan. “And you can hear when she talks to me in her mind too?”

“The only thing I heard was when she spoke out loud.”

“But I heard both of you when you were speaking to each other earlier.”

“Let’s try something; I will try talking to Aina see if you can hear.”

“Okay.”

“
Aina and Lindon, can you both hear me
?”

“Yes,” they both answered.

“
And now, Lindon, can you hear me
?”

This time only Lindon answered “Yes.”

“Okay, this time, Lindon, try to use only your thoughts to talk to one of us.”

“
Donovan, can you hear me
?”

“Yes. How about you, Aina, could you hear him?”

“No, I couldn't.”

“Okay now, Lindon, try to do it again, but this time think of both of us at the same time.”

“Okay, I will try.” Lindon paused, then thought of his comrades. “
Aina and Donovan, can you both hear me
?”

“Yes,” both answered.

“Good, it seems we can all talk this way, as long as we are thinking of both other people. Not sure why or how it works, but for some reason, we can.”

“So what are we going to do now?” Donovan asked.

Lindon thought about the question—what
were
they going to do? He should go find Arden and his grandmother, but that didn't seem like the right thing to do.

They were both looking at him to decide, but he wasn't sure of what to do. “I don't know,” he answered. “I mean, we were going to meet up with my grandmother and Arden at someplace called sanctuary, but that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. What do you think, Aina?”

“I don't know either, everything that has happened, up until now, just sort of happened without having any kind of plan.”

“What about you, Donovan, any ideas?” Lindon asked.

“I have one, but I doubt if Aina would think it’s a good idea.”

“Just say it, Donovan; I promise I won't bite you if it's bad.”

“Okay, here it is then. I was thinking that I might know a person that may be able to explain about what has happened to us and what it might mean.”

Lindon sat up straighter. “Who?”

“There is a Dwarf woman whom they say is a seer—she kind of knows things before they happen, and she is said to be the wisest of our people. I don't know if she can help us understand what is going on, but she is the only one I can think of that might.”

“And why wouldn't I think that is a good idea?” said Aina tartly.

“Well, you see, she lives past where even my people live. To reach her from here would take about two weeks traveling—about a week to my people, and then another week to where she lives—and all of it deep underground.”

“I see; you would normally be right about my going there but this time I think it's the right thing to do. There may be someone among my people that might be able to help, but I don't really want to risk the barrier to get to them, and with a Dwarf and a Human they may refuse to help anyway. Do you think she would help us even with me being an Elf?”

“I don't think my people would refuse to help just because you're an Elf; we don't actually hate your people, it’s just that they don't trust them. However, I am confident that if I ask, they will help.”

Aina looked at Lindon. “What do you think?”

Lindon thought about it for a minute before answering. “I think you’re right; it’s our only choice. I don't think my grandmother can help, and we need to find someone that can. It's our only chance; even if she doesn't know, she may know someone that does.”

Chapter 11

Lindon had been following Aina and Donovan for the last two days, gaining confidence in his riding ability—not quite enough that he would allow Donovan to ride with him, but at least he could now maneuver his mount without too much trouble and was not in danger of falling off at every turn.

As they came over the last rise, Lindon could see the sleepy little village nestled in the shadow of a huge mountain. Sitting on top of the rise, he could see wagons coming and going. He was surprised at the amount of traffic in the little village.

“The village is called Naphara. It's where we send our goods to be traded with the outside world.”

“That explains what all the wagons are doing. You would think though that the village would be bigger for the amount of traffic that comes and goes,” Lindon stated.

“Actually that is by design; we don't really want a large city here. It's too close to an entrance to the tunnels. There isn't any trading going on down there, only the transportation of the goods that have already been bought.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Come on, we can get a hot meal before we get the supplies that we need for the journey.”

Riding into the village, Lindon was struck with the impression that the people were quite happy living here. Not seeing the strife that marked the other communities he had seen, everyone seemed to get along and the aura of fear that was prevalent even in his home village was absent.

They made their way through the main street, there were many strange looks directed at them. Lindon realized that a Dwarf riding behind an Elf was probably not something that they saw everyday. They came to a squat building made of stone, stopping in front. Donovan was the first to dismount, Aina and Lindon following.

They had to move quickly to catch Donovan as he entered. Lindon, seeing that the entrance was not made to accommodate people his size, had to duck his head as he entered. When they entered, Lindon was surprised to find the place was full of Dwarfs. Having only ever met Donovan, he was unprepared for the sound or the smell of the place. When he was fully inside the door, the place went quiet. One of the patrons yelled, “Humans and definitely Elves are not welcome here!”

Donovan didn't delay in answering, “They are with me and anyone not liking it can step up.”

Lindon was about to suggest that they didn't want to have to fight their way out so not to rile up the crowd, but before he could say anything someone shouted, “Donovan, could it really be you?”

The place erupted in celebration as Donovan was hoisted into the air and paraded about, being passed from Dwarf to Dwarf before above the ruckus, his voice boomed, “Would you stop all this nonsense and put me down!”

With a kind of reverence, he was gently lowered to the ground. One fellow a little taller than the others came up to Donovan. “We all had all given up hope that you were alive; I mean, it's been almost two years since you vanished,” he said with tears openly running down his cheeks. “Where have you been and what happened to you?”

“Now is not the time for explanations, but the thing you need to know now is that these two saved my life and fought to keep me that way. They will be given every courtesy that you all can give, understand?”  The tone in which he delivered his last statement left no doubt in any of the minds of the Dwarfs present. As one, they shouted, “Aye.”

“Now if some kind soul would bring three ales and enough food for hungry travelers, that would be much appreciated.”

They were ushered to a table in a quiet corner of the room. Lindon could tell the Dwarf that had first spoken was bursting with questions, but his respect for Donovan was such that he kept quiet until Donovan was ready to tell his tale. As they were sitting down, Donovan's voice came to Lindon and Aina's mind: “
Say nothing to anyone here; we will only tell the full story to the seer. Agreed?”

  They both answered, “
Agreed
.”

“Kailid, after we are done eating, we will be traveling on. Can you get the supplies ready for the journey?”

“Where will you be heading to?”

“Home!” Donovan said with a little sigh.

Nodding in understanding, Kailid got up from the table. “The supplies will be ready when you are.”

They finished eating in silence. When they were done, all three stood to go. The door opened and Kailid entered.

Seeing them standing, he hurried over to them. “We have to leave quickly; there are about fifty solders looking for you and they don't seem too friendly. I have also spread the word that nobody has seen anyone matching your description, but it's only a matter of time before they check this building.”

Donovan looked at Lindon, seeing the look on his face. “Don't bother; too many innocents would get hurt.”

Lindon nodded. “Then we had better get out of here before they come.”

“Right. Did you manage to get the supplies we will need?”

“Yes, they will be waiting at the entrance, but I think it would be best if we all went.”

“What do you mean all?” Donovan cautiously asked.

“I mean all of our people; if they don't find any Dwarf here they may not look for any tunnels that could lead them. The Humans here don't know where it is but if they capture one of us; they may be able to force the location out of them.”

Somewhat surprised, it was Aina that agreed with Kailid. “He's got a point, Donovan; if they can't find the tunnel, it will be a lot harder to track us.”

“It seems I am outvoted. Fine, gather everyone together and let go before it’s too late.”

One of the Dwarfs opened up a trap door leading down into the earth. Lindon let out a small moan. “I really hope this doesn't lead to the sewer system. I've really had enough of traipsing through muck to last a lifetime.”

Kailid was kind enough to inform Lindon that it didn't go into a sewer; it was just a tunnel that would lead them out of the village and into the tree line. Once there, they would travel above aground for a little way until they reached the main tunnel entrance.

It took them half the day to reach the tunnel entrance. Lindon was amazed. The path was intricate and the doorway was cleverly hidden. It wasn't so much as a doorway as a large boulder. If Lindon looked at it from any angle, it appeared to be part of the rock face. On the one side, Lindon noticed, was an opening that was large enough for a Dwarf to easily fit through. Of course, Lindon was slightly larger, so he had to squeeze.

“Of course, this isn't where we bring our goods through, but we didn't want to take a risk on being followed. Besides, this will take a few hours off our journey; that is, as long as you’re not afraid of heights,” Kailid said with an evil sounding chuckle.

Turning to two of the Dwarfs, Kailid said, “You, and you—stay here had watch the tunnel for a couple of days. If anyone follows, bring it down.”

“Yes sir,” they answered together.

Turning to the rest of them, he said, “Let’s go.”

The further they walked from the entrance, the darker it got. Before long it was pitch black. Lindon couldn't even see his own nose. He wondered how on Earth the others knew where to go in the dark.

He was about to ask when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Aina—at least he thought it was her—and was surprised to see her eyes were glowing not with magic but with a purplish color.

“I will guide your steps.”

“I appreciate it, but how is it that you and the Dwarfs can see where you're going? I can't see a thing.”

“We may not like each other, but Elves and Dwarfs have one thing in common: We both have something called night vision. It means that we can see in the dark; what you consider too dark to see isn't for us. Unfortunately, for you, Humans don't have the same ability.”

“You mean I am going to have to walk in the dark the entire time?”

This time it was Donovan who spoke. “No, you won't have to. When we get to a certain tunnel, we will all need light; it will be too dark even for us to see properly.”

“That's a huge relief. I really wasn't looking forward to be stumbling in the dark the entire time,” Lindon said with relief.

They traveled for another hour before someone called a halt. To Lindon's eyes, one of the Dwarfs started to glow and the telltale reddish glow of magic appeared around him. A small light appeared over the group. For a second the light dipped toward Lindon before it started moving down the tunnel, and they started walking again. The light wasn't very bright, but at least now he could see where he was going and no longer needed to be guided.

“
Lindon, we will be stopping for the night soon. I suggest you try to stay away from the magic user and the light.
”

Lindon jumped a little, hearing Donovan's voice in his mind. “
Why
?” he asked.

“
He has been talking about how the light acted when he first created it, and he is very curious about you. I just don't think anyone needs to know yet about your ability
.”

“
Okay. I will try to keep my distance
.”

They traveled for another hour before the group was halted. “We will camp here for the night and get an early start in the morning,” Kailid ordered. The Dwarfs went about setting up camp.

Lindon was glad for the break. Walking in near darkness was not his idea of a good time, and the tunnels seemed to weigh down on him. As they were setting up camp, he tried to stay away from the magic user. Lindon was busy laying his bedroll down when he felt the approach of the magus. Not wanting to seem rude to the man but also taking in to account Donovan's warning, before the Dwarf could start talking, he asked Aina if she needed any help.

In mindspeak he said, “
Donovan suggested I stay away from the magus
.”

“
I understand
.”  Out loud she said, “Yes, can you go ask Kailid if there is someplace special that we have to go to the bathroom?”

  Without turning to face the Dwarf he went in search of Kailid, thankful for the distraction that Aina had come up with. As he walked away, he decided to tell Donovan about the magic user’s attempt to talk to him and let him deal with him.

When he found Kailid, he was talking with some of the Dwarfs about the path they were to take in the morning.

“I don't think the Human will be able to get across; it will be better if we go the long way. Having one of Donovan's friends fall to his death would not look good,” one of the Dwarfs said to Kailid.

“I have already mentioned it to him, and he was adamant about getting home as fast as possible.”

As Lindon approached, Kailid quickly tried to cover the fact that they had been talking about him. “Hello Lindon, how do you like the tunnels of the Dwarfs?” he asked with a little too much enthusiasm. Lindon just let it go, not wanting to cause any kind of problem.

“It’s definitely a new experience for me. I have been in tunnels before but never ones like these. It is truly amazing that they are here. I had no idea that below my feet, a whole other world existed,” he said diplomatically. Lindon didn't consider telling them that if he never knew about it he wouldn't have missed it or that he couldn't wait to see the open sky again, but he knew that would probably be a long time from now, so he would have to make the best of it.

“Glad to hear it. Most Humans that come down here don't seem to like it much, they think it’s just rocks and rocks, but we will show you some of the places down here that will take your breath away, I promise.”

Lindon doubted it, but with as much enthusiasm as he could muster about the prospect, said, “That would be wonderful. I look forward to it.”

“Was there something I can do for you?”

“Um... yes, I was wondering where it is that we go to do...um...our private business? If you know what I mean.”

Kailid threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, I understand. There is a small tunnel that leads off over there.” He pointed toward the little opening that Lindon could just make out. “You go down that tunnel for about fifty yards, there is an outcropping where you can sit and take care of your business.”