The Rainmaker's Staff
by Tanya Reed
Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so far. Sorry this part's taken so long to get out. Also, thanks to everyone who's stuck with me since the beginning. Only two more chapters left!
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
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The next day started out overcast and a little chilly. It was strange to see clouds in the sky after so many weeks with only sunshine. Nigel kept looking at the sky anxiously, and Sydney knew he was afraid it would rain. Sydney thought back to their conversation the day before. Nigel was right about one thing. Rain here could bring anything.
The woods, when they entered, were gloomy. The trees were tall, dark evergreens that blocked out much of the light. Even though there was a path, the tops of the trees on either side touched, forming a canopy. The path was so narrow that the two of them could just barely walk side by side. It was quiet and spooky and, Sydney admitted to herself, she was glad she wasn't alone.
Though Nigel didn't say anything, Sydney could tell he was even more nervous than she was. He jumped at every sound and his body, rigid and tense, was tipped slightly towards her. Whenever Nigel was frightened, he tended to stick to her like the proverbial glue.
After awhile, Nigel commented, "It's like every Friday the 13th movie I've ever seen."
"They're just trees, Nigel," Sydney answered, though her thoughts had been running in similar directions.
"I'm still not looking forward to sleeping in them. In fact, I don't even like walking in them much."
"We'll be fine. Even if there is something...unnatural here, we'll handle it."
"Before or after it bites off our heads?"
"Nigel. It. Will. Be. Fine."
"I hope you're right, Syd, but something feels off."
"Well, we are walking through forests that have survived being blasted with some sort of destructive force and just may have residual magic or mutant beasts roaming them. Of course things feel off."
He frowned at her. "Thank you for that very detailed explanation. I feel so much better now."
"Glad I could help."
He made a face, and she was tempted to tell him his face could freeze that way.
The thought made her smile, and Nigel said, "I'm glad thoughts of our certain death amuse you."
"Oh, Nigel. Everything will work out. Just go with the flow."
"That's your answer for everything, isn't it?"
"Well, it usu...," Sydney stopped short and raised her arm. "Shhh. Listen."
She had heard something but she wasn't sure what because it hadn't been very loud. In fact, it was such a slight noise, she felt it more than heard it.
Nigel stopped immediately and didn't even twitch. He was so still he could have been a statue.
Sydney listened intently for almost a minute before she heard the noise again. She saw in Nigel's eyes the he had heard it this time too.
"Sydney?" he whispered.
"Shhh," she told him again.
They listened as the cracking and snapping of branches got closer and closer. Nigel looked ready to bolt, and Sydney was considering flight herself.
She touched his arm gently, and he read her signal as she knew he would. The two of them crouched low and moved into the trees by the side of the trail. Even though it was early morning, it was like twilight among the trees. Sydney took her knife out of her boot and sank to the ground, hauling Nigel with her. He grunted, but settled, burrowing into years' worth of tree droppings. Sydney did the same, hiding behind brush and lifting her head only enough to be able to see the road.
They waited tensely as the noises approached. The snapping got closer, and it was easy to tell that whatever was coming was large.
"I'm really beginning to hate this reality," Sydney heard Nigel breathe.
Though his voice was barely audible, Sydney reached over and clamped her hand over Nigel's mouth. He looked affronted at this, especially when she put her finger to her own lips.
The source of the noise finally lumbered into view, coming through the trees and onto the path. It was the biggest bear Sydney had ever seen. It made a grizzly bear look like a kitten in comparison. Sydney saw Nigel's eyes go wide and round, and she was sure she looked slightly startled herself.
The beast stopped and stood on hind legs as it sniffed the air. Sydney took a good long look at it and hoped it wouldn't discover her and Nigel because she knew, this time, fight or flight, they would probably lose.
After several agonizing seconds, the creature dropped back down on all four feet and ambled off down the path. It was so wide that branches snapped on either side of it.
Sydney and Nigel waited until it was out of sight and they could not hear its passage anymore before breathing sighs of relief. Sydney took her hand from Nigel's mouth and slowly got to her feet before helping him up as well.
"Do you think it will come back?" Nigel asked.
"It seemed to be going somewhere, so I don't think so," Sydney said as she brushed dirt and leaves off the front of her black vest.
"That was the biggest bear I've ever seen. I wonder if it's natural for this world or whether it's mutant."
"I don't know, Nigel. I'm just glad it didn't decide to have a Sydney snack."
"Or Nigel."
"Him too."
Nigel pushed out onto the path and continued, "I don't know if I like the fact that we're going to be following that thing."
Sydney hoisted her bow, pack, and quiver onto her back and followed. "I don't see how we have much of a choice. Do you?"
Nigel eyed the thick trees on either side. Besides the path the beast had broken through, they seemed inpenetrable. Without a word, he started trudging forward. Sydney had to hurry to catch up and match his pace.
As the day wore on, the forest grew noticeably gloomier. Plus, it felt as if someone were watching them. Sydney had to keep fighting the urge to look over her shoulder. Like Nigel, though she wouldn't admit it, she would be glad to find the relic and get back to their own reality. The limited interaction they had with magic there was enough for her.
They followed the beast's tracks for most of the day before the tracks meandered off into the woods. Sydney pointed out the broken branches that marked its passage. She hoped there weren't too many like it in their journey ahead.
Taking out the map again, she said, "We should soon be reaching a river or a stream. We'll need to cross over to the other side."
"Great, I should have brought my trunks."
The river, when they reached it, was not what Sydney had been expecting. From Yorn's words, she pictured a small and quiet stream. In reality, the river was about waist deep and it rushed by, dragging debris in its wake.
"How are we supposed to cross that?" Nigel squeaked.
"Very carefully."
Sydney thought a moment, then got an idea. She dropped her things to the ground and dug through her pack for her crossbow.
"What are you doing?"
"I think I've got a way to make it a little safer to cross."
Crouching, Sydney cocked her crossbow and attached a rope to the bolt. Aiming at what would be chest level, she shot across the stream, imbedding the bolt in a tree on the other side. She pulled the rope sharply to make sure it would hold, then tied her end to a nearby trunk.
"Lifeline," Nigel said quietly in understanding.
"Exactly."
Sydney flung her things over the rope to keep them dry and waded out into the river. The water was cold and bit at her, even through her pants. The current was also as strong as she expected. It pulled at her legs.
"Careful, Nigel," she said behind her.
When she was in the middle of the stream and fighting to remain upright, she felt the rope move, indicating that Nigel was following behind her.
Sydney was glad to reach the far side. Gratefully, she pulled herself from the water. Goosebumps burst out onto her arms and she began to shiver.
"I hate being cold."
Wearily, she dropped her stuff in the middle of the path and turned to watch Nigel's progress. Her associate seemed to be having even more trouble than she had. He was drenched even above the water line, his shirt clinging to him like a second skin. Even his hair was plastered to his head.
"Nige?"
"I'm okay, Syd."
His progress was slow and unsteady, and he swayed with the push of the water against his legs. Sydney could see that his knuckles were white where they held onto his pack and bedroll, which were slung over the rope. Sydney found herself holding her breath every time Nigel stumbled.
Then, when Nigel was just past the middle of the stream, where the current was strongest, it happened. He stumbled and his hands slipped. Nigel's body twisted, and he went down.
"Nigel!" Sydney screamed as the water grabbed him and flung him from the line.
He didn't answer her as the river pulled him under. Struggling, he fought to the surface and took a breath before it pulled him under once more and started sweeping him away from Sydney.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit," she swore, wondering if she could swim strongly enough to beat the river and snatch Nigel back from its clutches.
It only took her a split second to decide chasing him along the bank would be faster. The trees came close to the river, but, in most places, there was enough room for a small body to slip between. Sydney started off as fast as she could, ducking branches that grabbed at her and using others to keep from falling on her butt.
She hadn't gone far before her heart jumped in relief. Nigel had managed to grab onto one of the lower hanging branches, and he was clinging to it for dear life.
"Hang on, Nigel."
Luckily, the tree the branch sprang from was on Sydney's side of the river. It also looked like it could hold her.
"Can you stand?"
"The water's too deep here," he answered. His voice sounded thin and scared.
"Don't worry. I'm coming to get you."
"Hurry. I can't hold on much longer."
Without hesitation, Sydney crawled out onto the branch. It moved crazily under her weight, but Nigel managed to keep holding on. She inched out slowly, afraid of jarring him loose.
Sydney reached him without mishap and wrapped her legs tightly around the branch. It creaked ominously when she bent down to grab Nigel's hands in hers. As she lifted her friend from the water, she prayed the branch wouldn't break.
"Sydney," he gasped.
"It's all right now. Don't talk. Hold on to me."
As the two of them were carefully making their way back towards the bank, Sydney was unimpressed to see Nigel's pack and bedroll flowing down the river beneath them and out of sight.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit," she breathed again.
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you when we get back to the bank."
He accepted this and allowed her to draw him back until they were both lying in the mud, safe on the bank.
They lay there in silence for awhile before Sydney asked, "You okay?"
"Yes," he said, still sounding breathless, "but I'm wet and cold."
Sydney couldn't wait to peel off her clothes either. At least she had something dry to put on. Poor Nigel.
"Nigel, I have some bad news..."
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That night, they had to have a fire. Nigel was chilled to the bone, and all of his clothes were travelling on their way to who knew where. They followed the river back to the path, and then Sydney started clearing a place to make a campfire. The woods were damp, unlike the rest of Telurra, but she was still careful to make sure her fire was controlled.
Once that was done, she changed into her nightclothes and made Nigel strip down to his underwear. Despite his protests, she made him wear her other nightdress while his clothes dried in front of the fire. When it came time to sleep, they curled up in the same bedroll. Neither of them complained because, despite the fire, they were chilled all the way through.
By morning, Sydney was feeling toasty warm. In fact, the only reason she didn't sigh and go back to sleep was that, if Karolyne was right, their pursuers would have reached the forest sometime around the time Nigel was swept away.
This thought stirred Sydney and, after a few moments, she untangled herself from Nigel and slipped out of the bedroll. Because she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to fight off a cold without enough sleep, she packed up their things before waking him. With over half of them gone, it didn't take very long.
"What's for breakfast?" he asked sleepily.
"I see your dip yesterday has made you no worse for wear."
"Well, I'll be glad to get out of this nightshirt. I feel bloody ridiculous."
"It's only fair. If I have to wear lace, so should you."
He sighed in exasperation. "In case it's slipped your notice, Sydney, I am the man of this team."
"No," she said, eyeing him up with pretend frankness, "it hasn't."
"Stop teasing me, Sydney. One of these times, I'm going to take you seriously, and then we'll both be in trouble."
Once more, her thoughts flashed to a picture of Nigel reaching out and untying her shirt. She flushed as she wished she knew where the thought came from.
She turned away to roll up the bedroll, hiding the blush. "Is it all right if you carry my pack and bedroll? It will leave my hands free for my knife, sword, and bow."
"What about your crossbow?"
"We should be all right without it, I think."
Nigel nodded, then went into the trees to get changed and take care of morning business. While he was gone, Sydney wondered if she should tell him about the hunters on their trail. She decided not to because then she'd have to tell him she was receiving ghostly visits. She didn't want him to think this place was driving her crazy.
When he reappeared, Nigel looked more like himself. His clothes were neat, though she noticed his shirt still wasn't tucked in, and his bangs were sticking up in all directions.
"Better?" she asked.
"Much, thanks."
The trees were a little thinner on this side of the stream and the trail was fainter. The path and the stream ran side by side, though the path sloped up gently while the stream stayed below.
"It's getting pretty high, stay back from the edge," Sydney warned Nigel.
"I'm not stupid, you know," he quipped.
"No, just a tad clumsy."
He made a face at her, but he didn't really look annoyed. He actually looked pretty chipper for someone who'd lost all his clothes and possessions.
Somewhere around noon, Sydney and Nigel were walking along when she heard the snap of branches. She grabbed Nigel's arm, and he froze. She knew he was thinking of the large bear they had encountered before. The problem this time was that they had nowhere to hide.
After listening for a moment, Sydney realized that she wasn't hearing the tread of a large beast but the passage of humans. With a scowl, she dropped her bow and quiver and drew her sword.
"Sydney, what is it?"
"Company."
Nigel dropped the bag and bedroll on the ground as well. Though he had no weapons, he looked ready to give Sydney all the help he could. God love him, she thought. There was no one else she'd rather give her back to, even if fighting wasn't his forte.
The noises came closer and Sydney could tell there were at least three people. Bouran's Staff hunters. She had been afraid they would catch up.
"It's our old friends," Sydney commented seconds before the four they'd fought at Mala's became visible.
"Hello, Bouran," Sydney said.
"Sydney," he answered, "you didn't think we wouldn't come after you. We want the Staff."
"Go to hell." She jumped forward, attacking instead of letting them take the lead.
She jumped for the white haired man first. Nigel subtly moved out of the way. In the last fight, the group had learned Sydney was the real physical threat, so as she attacked, the others moved forward as well. Sydney watched Nigel just long enough to note he'd moved back to the trees before giving her whole attention over to her enemies.
The clang of her sword against her opponent's broke the stillness of the day. She pushed his blade away and twirled to kick out at Bouran. The woman made a slash, and Sydney barely managed to miss it by twisting sideways and away.
"Syd, look out," Nigel called.
She turned to see the other young man close behind her. This time, her head kick hit home, and once more she felled him like a tree. He should have learned his lesson about staying away from her feet during their previous fight.
Hearing something behind her, Sydney did a backflip out of the way. The sound of a blade slicing air filled the place she had just been standing.
She then crouched and swept out her leg, tripping the woman who had been about to take advantage of the opening Sydney's flip had left. Coming up, she managed to avoid Bouran's blade and connect once more with the white haired, bearded man. They exchanged a few strokes before she ducked away again underneath Bouran's sword to elbow him in the stomach and punch him in the chin. Bouran's sword clumped to the earth, and he stumbled.
The woman was getting up, so Sydney aimed a kick at her face. She fell back, holding her nose and coming precariously close to the edge.
Sydney whirled to punch Bouran hard on the jaw and then kick him in the backside when he stumbled.
This time when she turned, she saw the white haired man make a lunge at her. Instead of meeting it, she avoided it, and he went right by her. His momentum brought him to the edge of the drop-off. With a growl, he turned, putting a little too much weight on his back leg and a ledge that was already crumbling.
He, Bouran, and the woman were all there, near the edge, when the ground began to give way. They scrambled but went down amid a shower of dirt and stones and half of the path.
Sydney winced and looked away. She didn't even want to look over the edge to see what happened. Instead, she checked to make sure the last young man was still unconscious, then she grabbed their gear. It had almost been lost with the falling debris.
"Let's go."
She led Nigel into the trees and not along the path, but he didn't argue. He'd been with her long enough to know there was a time and place.
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Sydney lost track of how long they had moved through the trees, but she didn't want to risk going back to the path. She knew they'd soon be out of the forest and be able to use the sun for their reckoning.
They spent the night huddled together in the bedroll under a camouflaging cover of branches that Sydney made for them. In the morning, they got up early and kept moving.
It was with relief that they got back out into sunshine again. It was almost like deja vu and their first glimpse of the wounded lands. Only this time, things didn't look so beautiful or perfect. The grass was just grass, not a startling green, and the flowers were few and far between. The ominous feeling remained, however.
"Do you think they survived?" Nigel asked.
"I don't know. I don't want to take too many chances. We're getting close to the relic."
Nigel accepted this quietly as he shaded his eyes and looked around. Like Sydney, he was probably wondering what would be coming ahead. Because journeying through the Wounded Lands was different each time you went through them, Yorn had only been able to give them a guide to directions and not the dangers.
Sydney felt an unfamiliar twinge of fear as she contemplated the fact that almost no one had made it this far and lived. In defiance of the feeling, she straightened her shoulders and strode out into whatever was waiting.
"No turning back now, huh, Syd?" Nigel said quietly.
"No turning back," she affirmed.
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Give me a minute."
Though she was anxious to get moving, she stopped and glanced at him. He was staring at the country ahead, his face and eyes very serious, his errant bangs hanging down over his forehead.
"All right, I'm ready. Bring on the monsters."
"Not too many monsters, I hope," Sydney replied as the two of them walked side by side.
The land wasn't only less green and beautiful than the meadows in front of the castle, it also showed occasional deep scars and distant ruins. Some places, the dirt was so churned up that it looked like some beast had chewed it. Whole chunks were gone from some hillsides. That wasn't even mentioning the gravestones.
At first, Sydney didn't know what they were. It was only after the third cluster piqued her interest that she went over to examine them. They were made of simple stone and shaped in small pillars with writing on them. Though Sydney couldn't read them, the language looked familiar.
"What do you make of this, Nigel?" she asked, dropping to her knees in front of the nearest.
Nigel came over and studied the stone carefully. He was silent for several moments before saying in surprise, "I can read this."
She had thought he might be able to. "So, what's it say?"
Nigel read silently to himself before his eyes turned sad. "It's an epitaph."
Sydney brought a finger up to trace over the letters. "The ones who were buried before there was no one left to bury the dead."
Nigel nodded and stood, his face pensive. Unwilling to disturb his thoughts, Sydney just moved on.
The rest of the day was quiet. They saw no sign of pursuers and the land mercifully left them alone. On unspoken agreement, the two of them avoided the ruins. Who knew what torutured spirits could be lurking in skeletal remains of a wounded land? Sydney decided this time she really didn't want to find out.
They made their camp by a stream, a lot smaller and calmer than the one that had tried to claim Nigel, and went to bed early. Sydney was sure fear of pursuers would keep her awake, but once she had snuggled in next to Nigel, she was out like a light.
---------------------------------------------------
"Sydney...Sydney!" Nigel's urgent whisper called Sydney from sleep. She tried to ignore it, but it was very insistent. A sharp poke to the stomach made her let out a growl and open her eyes. If he did that again, she was going to break his fin...
The thought was left unfinished as complete blackness met her eyes. Quickly, she closed and opened them several times rapidly. Things remained just as dark.
"Nigel, did you turn out the lights?"
She heard her partner breathe a sigh of relief. He was so close to her, his breath tickled her cheek. "Sydney, thank God you're awake."
"I can't see."
"Neither can I."
At least the problem wasn't with her. "Do you know when this happened?"
"No." He had a slight edge of panic in his voice. "I just woke up and it was like this. The globe won't even come on."
"What?" she asked, then ordered, "Globe, light."
Nothing happened.
"Sydney..."
"Calm down, Nigel. It's going to be all right."
"How?"
"Have I ever let you down before?"
There was a pause, then a soft, "No."
Good, she thought, his trust in her would keep him calm. Well, at least semi-calm. That would give her time to think--because she had absolutely no idea what to do.
After a moment, she said, "The first thing to do is see if it's a local phenomenon. We'll take our things and crawl for aways until we see if we can find light or normal night. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Do you know where the light globe is?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, "it was over here."
Sydney almost squeaked in surprise as Nigel's questing hand found an intimate part of her in the darkness. She started and said wryly, "Wrong globe."
Nigel did squeak and snatched his had away. Sydney could imagine the blush racing over his face and was surprised it didn't cut through the darkness.
"Sorry!"
"Don't worry about it. I won't break your hand...not this time. Are you sure the globe was on my side?"
"Quite sure."
"You're not just saying that because you wanted to feel me up?"
"Sydney!"
"Just asking," she said lightly, suddenly feeling better. "Here, let me see if I can find it."
She turned on her side with her back to Nigel and started feeling along the grass. Her hand bumped against something which rolled.
"Here it is."
She undid the side of their bedroll and slipped out. By touch, she and Nigel managed to gather their few belongings. Using their last piece of rope, Sydney tied the two of them together. They inched along on their hands and knees, Sydney occasionally getting run over by Nigel if she stopped suddenly.
They had been going like that for awhile when Nigel commented, "We're going downhill."
"I noticed."
"Do we want to be going downhill?"
"I want to go in any damn direction that will lead us out of the darkness."
"Right." The, after a few more minutes, "What will happen if the darkness never ends?"
"It's got to end sometime."
"But will we reach the end of it?"
"Do we have a choice but to try?"
He didn't have an answer for this, and they crawled along in silence once more.
Sydney was contemplating the fact that she felt as if she had been struck blind when her right hand came down on nothing but air. Overbalancing, Sydney fell forward, sliding down a steep incline. She slid several feet before suddenly stopping short and dangling over a drop of unknown depth.
"Nigel?"
"I've got you, Sydney." His voice sounded strained.
"I'm dangling off the edge of something. If you can't hold me, let me go. I don't want to take you with me."
"Are you kidding?" he said lightly, "Then who would get me out of here? If you go up, I go up. If you go down, I go down."
"Don't be stubborn, Nigel."
"Look who's talking...Can you get a grip at all?"
"My hands are in some pretty unstable dirt, and my feet can't feel anything at all."
"I think I can pull you up," he grunted, "but I'm going to need your help."
"I'll do what I can."
She felt the rope jerk as Nigel started to pull backwards. Sydney buried her hands in the dirt and pushed, trying to help. Wet earth fell away under her fingers, but she managed to inch upwards. Slowly, as she pushed and Nigel pulled, Sydney made her way towards him.
Nigel's arms on hers as she came over the top was one of the nicest things she'd ever felt. Both of them lay on the ground panting and spent for several minutes before Sydney said a heartfelt, "Thanks."
"Like I said," Sydney could hear the devil in his voice, "you're my way out of here."
After that, the two of them were more careful. Their progress had been slow before, but now it was a snail's pace. They crawled that way for hours. The darkness was unrelenting. It seemed that it was all that was and all that had ever had been or would be. If Nigel hadn't been with her, Sydney thought she might have gone crazy.
Without warning, something stabbed into Sydney's eyes. She threw her hands up and let out a cry before realizing that it was light.
"Syd?" Nigel's voice was anxious and frightened.
"I'm all right, Nigel," she said, adding to herself, if you don't count these spots I'm seeing.
"What's going on?"
"I found the light. Come ahead slowly and with your eyes closed. It's going to take a little while for them to adjust."
She took her own advice and lay down on the ground on her stomach. She heard Nigel shuffling up beside her and his "oomph" as he too settled on the ground.
They lay there in silence as their eyes adjusted, and Sydney wondered how many people the blanket of darkness had killed. Yorn hadn't mentioned it, so she assumed he had never experienced it.
"My eyes aren't hurting through my lids now," Nigel commented eventually, "Do you think it's safe to open them?"
"Try, but slowly."
She suited actions to words as she too opened her eyes to slits. The sun was bright but no longer burned. Blinking, she opened her eyes the rest of the way, though she left them in a squint.
"Nigel?"
"I've never been so happy to see the sun in all my life."
"Me either," Sydney admitted, sitting up to see where they were and whether they were still heading in the right direction. "But I think we might be a little off course."
"How far do you think?"
"I don't know. Let's have a rest and some lunch while we try to get our bearings."
The countryside around them had changed for the worse. The grass and trees were brown and dead, and it looked like it would be impossible for anything to grow. The land was as dead as its people. Sydney hoped that once they got pointed in the right direction again, things would be more alive. If not, it was going to be hard to find food.
As they were eating, Sydney looked behind her and saw a wall of black stretching from the ground up as far as the eye could see. It was creepy, and knowing they and spent so much time in there didn't make it any better. She turned her back on it again, determined to think only on what lay ahead.
They were getting close now.