Night descended over the mountains and the stars began to fade into view, winking down upon the travelers as they fought to keep their fire burning in the strong wind. Finding some shelter on the leeward side of an outcropping of rocks, the five crowded around the fire and the stew that began to cook.
The youngest member rubbed his bare arms vigorously, trying to smooth the goosebumps that had appeared long ago. He shivered and tried to bury himself within the remains of his brown robe. Quite useless, the robe had been torn away up to the knees, the hood and sleeves gone entirely, and his tattered cloak was little larger than a shawl.
Something heavy and warm was suddenly dropped over his shoulders. A small fur blanket; at least, small to its owner.
The young boy took the blanket and held it out to the giver. "No, no, I'm fine Sorz, really."
"Take it," the minotaur snorted impatiently, "I have no need of it and you'll catch your death otherwise."
"Er…thank you." he stuttered, then wrapped himself up tightly and sighed, breathing in the scent of their dinner. "How much farther until we reach Solace, Thistletoe?" he asked cheerfully.
The strawberry-blond kender looked up from sorting his treasures and beamed. "Not much farther, just over these mountains! Here, I'll show you." Digging through the pockets of his woolen vest, dumping a collection of items onto his lap, he pulled out the worn map and began scanning over it. "Just another day's walk I'll wager and…oh…oops." he said absently as he turned the map in his hands.
"'Oops' what?" hissed the cloaked figured on the opposite side of the fire, his reptilian eyes narrowing to slits.
"Oh nothing, I was just holding the map sideways, that's all."
All eyes focussed on the kender and widened.
"Just now, right? Not the whole time…?" the human boy began with assurance, mainly for himself.
"Well, the words are all in different directions so I didn't notice until just now that what I thought was the top since I first found this map has really been the side the whole time."
"You absolute…doornail!" shouted the dwarf, throwing the spoon she had stirred the stew with to the ground.
"We traveled all this way, nearly got ourselves killed…because you failed to read that map properly!?" snarled the cloaked figure, rising. "This time you die, kender!" With that, the draconian drew his sword and advanced upon the confused kender.
"No! Stop it Phaiva!" shouted the boy, jumping to his feet and stepping between the two, hands on the draconian's sword arm. "It was a mistake! Let it go!"
"Move, street magician! I have grown exhausted with that vile creature and I aim to end its mouth!"
"Not like this and not now. So stop this!"
"Or what, bastard boy? You'll spell me away? There is nothing magic about you except for that staff, which has been more of a burden than help." Phaiva growled, but turned away and resumed his seat.
"So, what now lad?" inquired the dwarf, pouring the stew into a bowl for herself as though nothing had happened.
"I don't know, Azure. I guess turn around and try again, hopefully in the right direction?" he stated, gazing at Thistletoe with one eye.
"Sorry Fayard, I'll get it right this time."
"It's all right This, I'm really in no hurry. But may I see the map anyway?"
The kender nodded and handed it to the human. Sitting down again, Fayard scanned the old parchment. It was difficult to read, actually. Well, he knew what to do now. He smiled and accepted a bowl of stew from Azure.
The fire had died down long ago leaving a shadow over the strange party who slept heavily. All except Fayard, who lay on his back, staring up into the stars. He had lied; he was in a hurry. He wanted to get to Solace as soon as possible, so then he could go home, back to Palanthas.
There's Paladine, he thought lazily, mentally tracing the figure in the sky, and over there is Tahkisis, locked in their constant watch over each other. Perfect balance, like Mother always said.
Reaching into his robe, he pulled out the heavy jewel that had grown cold on his chest. He lifted the chain over his head and held the dark jewel out, observing it. No light reflected on its smooth surface. The Nightjewel, he had been told when it was given to him.
You knew I was going to go, didn't you, Master? In fact, I know you wanted me to…that's why you gave me this, so I could go back to you when I return to Palanthas, when I return home.
Mother…
I hope she's all right…
I awoke to sunlight in my face and an acolyte scolding me for sleeping in. I rolled over, ignoring her, trying to remember what had happened that night. Fuzzy fuzzy…
Oh yeah, the Tower. Faded now, it seemed no more than a nightmare. Perhaps that was all it was. I dismissed it as such and got out of bed.
Breakfast was the usual, and I ate without much appetite. Nightmare or no, the Darkness had come at last to tempt me and toss me its stray riddles. Why? What was it in me, the son of a cleric of good, that could attract the eyes of the Night into my very sanctuary? And then I knew.
I had been hiding it too long, trying to keep it to myself, but that seemed quite fruitless now. I would have to tell someone. Not Mother, not yet, but someone I could trust to keep it secret and still help me. Dark forces are as persistent as Light, if in a different way, and I knew I would have no peace until I quenched the source of my problem.
Returning from breakfast, I gave some small scraps to my mouse, Riddletuft. A runt of a mouse, he lost his foot when two boys were torturing him in the corner of an ally. I rescued him from their grasp by "transforming" him into a steel coin, which I gave them, and brought him back with me instead. I don't cage him, he's allowed to come and go as he pleases, but he never strays far from my room anyway. A ran a finger over his furry back and left, traveling out into the city for some errands for my mother. That also included spending the day with my friends.
Traveling through the streets -I love the city!- I called out my hello's and good morning's to both old friends and strangers. Some returned my calls, some didn't. Oh well. I finally spotted my circle of friends huddled by the fountain, engrossed in one of their many games of chance. A blond head popped up and saw me coming, his face breaking into a wide grin.
"Hey, it's the golden-eyed wonder!" he teased as we put our hands together in our own traditional shake we hadn't grown out of yet. "Where were you yesterday? We missed you at the games."
"Some people came in with symptoms of the plague, so I stayed and helped." I replied as we sat back into the circle where I was greeted warmly. Mattha scooted and made room for me. I thanked her, trying to ignore her smile. I had known Mattha nearly all my life, but as of recently I had begun to get…restless around her. I had mentioned it to some of the adults at the temple, but they would only smile and tell me that I was growing up. Well thanks for the help.
Rolling the dice between my palms, I held for a moment, until my audience was about to rip my throat out. "I'm feeling good today," I began craftily, "Foor, what do I win this bout?"
"If you win, that is. My lucky Pieces are open. What do you have?"
"Three golds, one silver, plus my regular Pieces."
"You must be feeling really good about your luck."
"Maybe." I smiled, and tossed the dice. In these games, it really mattered little who won what. Our 'pieces' as we called them were really stones or shards of broken items (such as paperweights, old statues, and even broken pieces of weaponry) that were painted or smoothed to our liking. It was all a matter of collecting pretty things, and what was lost was usually won back in another game. In the end, it was just who had won the most pieces that day.
By the end of the game, I had only four Pieces left. Two green metals, a yellow stone, and my lucky obsidian marble that I had won off Foor two tears ago, and had never lost since. I planned to keep it that way. Mattha was about to take my place when I pulled her aside. I had to tell someone.
I guess I trusted her more than I realized.
"What is it?" she said irritably, trying to brush me away and get back to her game.
"I need to talk to you. It's important." I stressed, taking her arm firmly. She must have gotten my point because she came willingly after that. We walked away from our friends and to a small open-ended ally where few people were wandering about. "okay…" I began nervously, wringing my hands, "Okay, how do I put this…?"
"Fayard, you look really pale. What's wrong?" she asked me gently, placing her hand on my arm. Oh please don't do that…
"Well," I began again, getting my bearings. If I couldn't tell her then I couldn't tell anyone. I'd try another approach. "You…you know how I'm always hanging around the Great Library?"
"Yeah."
"Do you ever wonder why?"
"Foor, Desva and Kinfer do every now and then, but not really. What you do is your own business I guess."
Damn me for having sensible friends. I rubbed my arms nervously, one of my bad habits, and paced in a small circle. "Well you see, I can…well, I can do…things…and…"
She gazed at me skeptically. "What kind of 'things'?"
"You know…uh…" This wasn't working, I would never get it out at this rate. What was the worst thing that could happen? My friends shun me?
Ooh, that did sound pretty bad, actually. I'm the social type, afterall. I sighed and tossed my arms. Actions speak louder than words, I guess.
"Do you see that cat down there?" I gestured to the gray ally cat mulling about on a broken cart, "Watch it, okay?"
She looked at me dubiously but nodded and turned her attention to the cat. "What am I watching for?"
"You'll see." I drew up the sleeves of my tunic and grabbed a handful of sand off the street. Rubbing it between my palms, another one of my bad habits, I grabbed the phrase from my mind and tossed it about until I was pretty sure I had it. Books never teach pronunciation or stresses. It was several minutes before I had the words on my tongue, and even longer before I felt the familiar tingle in my fingers. I tossed the sand up, pointed at the cat and said the words.
"Nothing happened." Mattha said flatly, then turned and looked at me. "What are you doing?" she sighed as I gathered more sand.
"I did something wrong again…One more time! I know I can do it!"
"Do what?"
I stood. Please don't tell me I lost it! I pleaded silently. No, I must have really done something wrong, for the words were still there…oh, I used a whole different word entirely. I rolled it over my tongue softly until I thought I had it, and the tingle fluttered through my whole body.
Oh yeah, I had it now. I filtered the sand through my fingers and spoke, gesturing to the cat.
Ast tasarak sinuralin krynawi!
What a rush. And then Mattha let out a cry that nearly knocked me over. "What! What!" I cried, leaning against the wall. If some large demon had leapt out of the dirt I was too tired to run. Instead I saw Mattha run over to the still form of the cat that had tumbled off the cart. She touched it softly and then drew back slowly.
"It's asleep…" she said, lifting it up and putting it back on the cart where it stretched and resumed purring.
"Oh good," I sighed, wiping my sleeve across my sweaty brow, "the way you were acting I thought I killed it." My relief scurried away, tail between its legs when she turned and marched back to me angrily. She took a firm hold of my wavy hair and yanked.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" she shouted, then let go, her anger spent.
"I don't know," I snapped, rubbing my scalp, "should I go and announce to everyone that I've got some freakish magic in me from who-knows-where? I think not! I showed you now because I hoped I could trust you!"
She gazed at me closely a minute then nodded. "All right. I'm flattered you chose me then. So that's why Fayard Tarinius hangs around the Great Library is it? To secretly study your magic."
"I would ignore it, but I've heard so many tales of people ignoring their abilities and driven to insanity because of it. I didn't want that to happen."
"I guess that would put a strain on our friendship," she smiled, then slugged me in the shoulder, "So my friend, what are you gonna do about it? You are going to tell your mother, aren't you?"
"How can I? This would just do damage! I've gone to the library and I've studied, I know how to hold control over my magic and a few spells. That's all I need."
Mattha shrugged, "I wouldn't know, my family's a bunch of carpenters. But where did it come from? Your mother's a cleric but…"
"No, there is no record of magic in her family, believe me, I checked. I don't know where it comes from."
"Maybe your father."
I stood up straight then and gazed down the ally towards the street. "My father…" I began softly. I swayed on my feet slightly; gods I was tired. I rarely cast spells, if ever, and they always sapped my strength completely. Mattha offered me her arm.
"Who is he anyway?" she asked casually as we emerged back on the street.
"I wish I knew…"
For the first time, I cared. I wanted to know who the other person of whom I was half was.
That evening I took a walk. A walk that just happened to take me to the Great Library. There was one person who, if I bothered him enough, would give me some kind of answer.
"Bertrem, please!" I whined as I followed him like his shadow through the corridors. I was growing, sure, but still just young enough to hold whining as one of my weapons, and I would use it until he gave up, "I have to know! I just want to know what he was, an occupation, a class, anything!"
"I'm locking up Fayard, go home." he cried in exasperation. I was almost tempted to drop to the floor and cling to his foot, but I was too old for that, and I had never been that kind of child anyway.
"I must know." I stressed.
"You don't need to, go home."
"I don't what?" I whispered in disbelief. I was a fool. Nobody ever spoke of my father because nobody wanted me to know. Suddenly I was very angry. "I don't need to know?" I hissed slowly. I am rarely angry, and never to that extent. My anger burned up my common sense and I whirled and held out my hands. The words came instantly this time.
Kair tangus moipiar!
Flames shot from my hands and engulfed a pot holding a plant. Bertrem nearly jumped out of his skin, and I did as well when I suddenly realized I enjoyed watching him do so. I fell back as the plant smoldered and fell as ashes to the floor. But at the time, I was still angry.
"You're absolutely right," I shouted sarcastically, "I don't need to know!" I paused and suddenly pulled back, stepping out of whatever flames I was leaping in. "I-I'm sorry…I'll clean it up and…but…you see? I just want to know what he was. Please, just tell me that and I will be satisfied."
I don't remember much after that. I only remember his answer, and then leaving the library in the dark. Dark, like his answer.
"Your father was a mage. A powerful mage of the black robes."
I shivered. A Black Robe? What a slap in the face. I gazed up at the tower, black and leering. It all made sense.
Interesting, now that I thought about it. The Tower, the magic, all that made sense now when it hadn't before. And the other things in my life, the grounds I had stood upon, were suddenly wrong. What would my mother be doing with a mage, a black robe, in such an intimate situation!? That's why I had always never cared, because, deep inside, I knew no one would ever tell me. Is this why?
Is that why my mother had never mentioned him until now?
My dreams were plagued with shadows reaching out for me and dragging me to the Abyss where the Dark Queen wait for my blood.
I spent the next day before the Altar alone. I was thinking clearer now, and it made sense. I wasn't angry anymore, or confused. No wonder no one had told me about my father before, look what a mess I had become because of it.
"Well Paladine," I mused, straightening my tunic, walking up and down the room, rubbing my arms, and all my other dumb habits. "Well…I thought I'd be satisfied if I knew what he was…but I'm not. It's even worse than before, and I am to blame for it. I pushed for answers when I should have been content. But now I'm not, and I'm going to have to ride this out.
"But still, I don't understand…what could have happened to entangle my mother into…that with a black robe? Huh, asking too much now, I guess… But please, what can I do now that will end this? I must know…please, tell me what I must do."
I didn't leave the temple until well into afternoon. I wandered the streets, lost in my own thoughts. I felt as though all eyes were on me, everyone was pointing…laughing at me even for my foolishness. How could I have never seen it before? It was as though everyone knew except me. I was suddenly feeling very antisocial.
I was jerked from my thoughts when Foor nearly knocked me flat. I was surrounded by all my friends suddenly, and for one split second I could see them all laughing at me as I sprawled in the dirt. No such thing. Kinfer caught me before I fell and soon all of us were walking around, laughing and causing harmless mischief.
I felt better.
Nincur, a small boy of slight build, began showing me his new collection of Pieces as we all lounged in the shade of a tree.
"This," he said, showing me a gold-colored marble, "is open if you want to play me with your obsidian."
Normally I would accept, but despite my healthier mood I wasn't about to test my luck. Besides, "That hardly compares with my obsidian." I laughed. "I'll try you for a yellow."
"You kidding? No gold is worth a yellow."
"And no gold is worth an obsidian, get it straight."
He laughed, and tackled me. This happened often, especially between he and I, when we had disagreements over Pieces. We wrestled a moment, but in the end I pinned him down. I'm stronger than he is, so I usually always win. Unfortunately, Kinfer jumped into the fun, and then Mattha came to my rescue, and soon the whole lot of us were wrestling around in the grass for a forgotten reason. Eventually some adults broke us up and chased us off, claiming we were a disturbance or something. Compared with some groups I'd seen before, we were as innocent as kender.
Maybe that's why…
The sky began to dim and everyone slowly began to go home. It was just Foor and I as we hurried by the gates when he stopped.
"Come on, we gotta get home," I stated, pulling him along.
"No need. See, there's my dad." Foor said, gesturing. Sure enough, a large wagon rolled up hauling his family.
"Where are you going?" I inquired as we strolled over to the wagon.
"Headin' down south to Haven."
"That's a long way…"
"Yeah, but think of the adventure! I've never been out of Palanthas before. Well, not too far anyway."
"You are coming back, right?" I cried as he climbed up beside his father.
"Of course, I want my obsidian back!"
I laughed and waved as the wagon pulled away. I suddenly noticed the small pang as I watched him next to his father, relating the day's events. I realized with a heavy heart that that pang had always been there. I had just never acknowledged it.
The wagon departed through the gates, and I watched it until it vanished from view. I was about to turn when a light, so light it was almost like a gentle breeze, seemed to push me forward slightly.
I understood, and stared at the gates.
"Thank you Paladine." I whispered. I turned and ran home, a sudden flutter in my chest. I knew what to do now, the gods had shown me the way. It was exciting and depressing all at once.
I had to leave Palanthas.
Wow…I have nothing to say. Wait, yes I do!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Yay! I'm going to go work on Hourglass some because I'm getting threatened *-*;; ß
I actually made one of those dumb faces…the apocalypse is upon us!! Uh, yeah, college tomorrow, bleh…I'm supposed to sleep…nah…