Unbound (16 page)

Debating on whether or not he would follow, or stay with the others in camp, Karn decided he would go with Gannon. He watched the man splashing through the pond until he rounded the falls, and hurried to catch up.

Gannon stood at the foot of the cave, water dripping off his wet clothing. He called out, but got no response.

Karn’s night eyes let him see deep into the cave. He saw a flickering light. He followed Gannon as the darkness enveloped them.

He could hear weeping as he drew nearer. A young Sprite knelt beside the still form of a creature. Seeing the sweet creature’s deathly pallor, he feared the worst. In the flicker of the Sprite’s light, he saw a faint gleam of sweat beading the creature’s brow. It could only mean the being still clung to life. The Sprite hiccupped and he could hear the mumble of words.

“I have failed…what will I do?” She cried into her hands, her whole body quivering. “I’ve let the clan down…I’ve let the master down. What will Jubi think of me now?”

Gannon made his way to the small creature and, in a soft voice, he whispered, “There, there now Seri don’t cry so.”

Karn felt his heart wrench at the sight of the friend in distress.

She looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I just don’t know what to do,” she sobbed “Zhuhai keeps fading in and out of consciousness, mumbling about something he was supposed to protect. I can’t understand. Please don’t tell Jubi I failed. He’d be so disappointed I let him down.” She pleaded, covering her face with her hands as she flew off, her light flickering.

Karn frowned after her wondering why she was so distraught. He turned and saw the being’s eyes were open a crack. The creature licked his lips and whispered a single word. “Water.” Karn looked around in the dimness. The light from the cave mouth barley reached them in the depths.

He located a water skin and handed it to Gannon, who poured it into the creature’s mouth. He drank greedily. “Thanks Gannon, but I meant all of the water, there’s…” A fit of coughing interrupted his words. “…something in the water,” he whispered before he lost consciousness.

Karn was more puzzled then before. “Gannon what is this creature?”

“He’s a Urisk. They’re water Guardians. He’s gotten really sick. He needs Rosen’s help. Could you go get and bring her here? I hope she’s done with the rest of the wounded. If you could, stay with Kayla until I can rejoin her. I would be grateful.”

“Sure.”

* * *

Karn walked towards the water, the tainted smell growing. He turned back to Gannon, to say something, in time to see the creature he bent over begin to convulse.

“Hurry!” Gannon shouted, holding the creature down. “I don’t think there’s much time.

Karn decided his observation about the water could wait. He dashed out of the cave and burst through the waterfall, startling all of the people on the pool’s bank. He stopped in front of Kayla and Rosen. “Gannon needs you quickly There’s a creature in the cave that needs medical attention.”

“The Urisk?” Kayla started towards the water.

Karn stepped in front of her “I’m sorry, Kayla, but Gannon asked only for Rosen. I’m to stay here with you and look after the wounded.”

“Rosen, please hurry! If Gannon sent for you there might not be much time.”

* * *

“Alright, I’ll go. This one needs some tending to. Make sure he stays lying down and calm. As for the others, monitor them for any change.” Gathering her things, she tied a knot in her dress to keep it from getting wet. Taking a deep breath, she entered the water.

A slimy, crawly feeling seeped over her skin as the water slid over her legs. Worried for Gan, she gritted her teeth and plunged through, moving quickly. She thought of a simple spell that momentarily parted the waterfall and she entered the cave, satisfied and dry.

The dimness within bothered her so she made a Mage-light, but it sputtered and went out. She got out a candle nub and sparked it to life. It held the flame, wavering as she walked the short distance to the crouched figure of Gannon.

He turned around, his eyes haunted as he clenched the hand of a dear friend. “I’ve put a shield around his mind to keep him from the pain. I think it must have failed.” The Urisk’s body convulsed.

Rosen dropped to her knees beside Gannon. “What happened to him?”

“He was attacked by a construct. Kayla and I fought one here this morning.”

He continued to hold the Urisk’s hand while Rosen examined the creature.

“I can’t find any outward signs of injury. Gannon, can you tell me anything else?”

“Karn and I found him lying unconscious, so I don’t know what happened. When I got here a few moments ago, Seri said Zhuhai was supposed to be guarding something, and he keeps mumbling about water.”

Rosen studied the Urisk. She’d rarely seen one. They were creatures of myth, yet here one lay. She thought about what Gannon had told her and kept coming back to the conclusion that it had something to do with the water.

Remembering the slimy feeling when she’d waded in to the pond, she shuddered. “I wonder, Gannon, if there isn’t something poisoning the water. It felt odd.” She got to work stabilizing
Zhuhai’s
blood and leached what poison she could from his veins.

Rosen hummed a soft healing song under her breath as she worked, hoping to stave off the rapid poisoning of his body. “I think he’ll make it if we find the source of the poison.”

The creature’s eyes opened, looking deep into hers. Rosen knew with absolute certainty that what she had suspected was true. He took a deep breath and his breathing relaxed. She would find what ailed him. She could hear his soft whispered words in her mind.

“Gannon, how much about Urisk lore do you know?”

“They are water Guardians who live in falls. They’re friendly enough, but their appearance scares passersby.

“Well, it would seem they guard more than water.
Zhuhai says he was
attacked because he guards something. From what I can understand, the object protects itself.

“Only someone with a pure heart can touch the object and remove it from the protective shield. Seems something’s tampering with it and tried to remove it by other means. The object is leeching energy from the Guardian to protect itself.

“It will eventually kill him if we don’t find it and safely remove it. I don’t know where it is, only that it’s in, or near, water and I can’t discern what it does. He’s still too weak to tell me anything of much use.”

“Alright, I’ll have Kayla start a search. If you could find out what size object we’re looking for, that would help.

“I’ll try.” Hopeless tears glazed her eyes as she looked at the creature. To forever guard objects of power must make for a sad and lonely existence.

No wonder they always sought companionship wherever they could. She didn’t notice Gannon leave, so absorbed was she in her contemplation of the creature before her.

21

Kayla turned to Karn on the bank of the spring, glaring at him. “What’s the Urisk’s condition?”

Karn wondered how much he should say. When she turned back to the spring, she smiled. He saw Gannon coming from around the falls.
I wonder why he’s coming. Rosen just entered the cave.

Kayla became more and more animated.

Karn thought it odd; she’d never behaved this way with Gannon before. When Gannon stepped onto the shore, she leapt at him, tackling him with a kiss as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

Gannon pulled back. “We need to go find something.”

“Okay,” Kayla said, her eyes a vacant glow.

Karn didn’t like this. He looked around for Roo, but the dog was nowhere to be found. He started after them in case Kayla needed him.

“I’ll take it from here. Go back to your little pack, dog,” Gannon growled.

Karn looked to Kayla for confirmation, but she stared through him. The wind blew Gannon’s scent towards him; he grew more agitated when he realized that Gannon didn’t smell like himself.

“Ok, whatever you say, Gannon.” He pretended to heed Gannon’s order. Instead he went looking for Roo. If nothing else, his new leader would know if Kayla’s behavior was normal.

“We have a problem. Have any of you seen Roo?”

The pack shook their heads or shrugged. A few cast their eyes shiftily and these he noted to watch.

“Well spread out and start looking. Something strange is going on.”

“Why should we?” one of the members growled.

“Because I said so, Damien. Do you really want to do this right now?” He shifted his body into a stance ready for fighting.

 Damien backed down. “Don’t think this is over Karn. It’s not like you’ve earned that position.”

“We’ll deal with it soon. Now find the boss, because he has earned it, or do you question that too?” Damien shrugged and walked away, melting into the woods around them without a sound. He scanned the area around the water.

The Mage he’d seen talking with Rosen last was nowhere to be found. Karn decided he might be better off in MoonSkin to scent out a trail.

He walked behind a bush, noticing a faint flickering of light.

“What do you want, dog?” Jubi, the Sprite leader, pinned him with a hard stare. He shifted uncomfortable. The little man couldn’t know he’d just made a direct challenge for one of his people.

“Kayla’s gone off with Gannon.”

“So? They go off together a lot.” Jubi shrugged.

“Yeah, I gathered that, Jubi, but this was different. She looked vacant, and Roo’s nowhere to be found.”

Jubi flicked his wings, agitated. “The girl never goes anywhere without her dog. Are there any others missing?”

“There’s a Mage missing and a few of the pack are acting suspiciously. I think they know more than they tell.”

“We should find Roo first. He’d know where Kayla was off to.”

* * *

They split up, each searching in a different direction. Jubi finally found Roo. With a sinking feeling, he drifted closer. He saw Roo’s chest rise and fall, his breath labored.

Jubi fluttered; he was too small to be of any help. There were ways his people could grow large, but only once or twice in a lifetime. He didn’t feel now was one of those times. He called his clan. Soon, the glowing lights of his friends and family spun around him.

“If any among you have seen anything strange, let me know.” Glancing from face to face, he noted one small Sprite’s colors glowed with distress. He flew over to the young one too afraid to come forward with all the elders gathered.

“Hurry now, my friends. Find Karn and bring him back. Something strange is afoot in our woods.” Looking back at her, he gestured. “Come now, Lana,” trying to coax her into conversation. “Is there something you think we should know?”

“I’ve been gathering flowers on the far side of the waterfall this morning. A short time ago, I saw something strange. First one of the male Mages ran by. He kept looking over his shoulder as if he would soon be caught at mischief. There’s something different in the water of the falls and then Gannon came out and took the princess away with him,” Lana said in one breath, her color brightening.