Deltora's Protector
Chapter 5 – The Masked Ones and Gla-Thon
Aiden knew that without a doubt he was lost. He had been travelling west for four days, walking slowly as he was in no hurry, but still he had yet to even hear the sound of the Broad River. The food in his pack provided by the Ralads was almost finished and the thorns along the path he had chosen scratched at his skin and tore at his clothes. He decided that he hated them.
It was several hours later that Aiden stumbled across what appeared to be a well-used road. It ran north to south, not the way that he wanted to go, but he guessed that he could rest upon it for a while in case someone came by and could give him directions. Pulling out his flask of water Aiden sat down on the ground with a satisfied sigh. He told himself that he would wait half an hour before moving again, but while he waited he decided to practice playing his flute.
He began with some basic warm-up exercises, playing the different music scales so that in time he would become familiar with every sound and tone that he could create with the flute. There was nothing artistic about how he was playing, all the children in Raladin had been able to play each scale perfectly, and through each scale they were able to create lively tunes that Aiden was hoping to one day be able to play.
Half way through his playing Aiden froze. The flute pressed up against his lips was still as another sound drifted across the wind. The sound of singing, horses and rolling wagons drifted in the air and in slight apprehension Aiden wrapped his red scarf around his face in the hope of not being recognised. He had already gathered that this was a main road, and while he had intended to ask for directions if someone stumbled upon him, he hadn't actually been expecting anyone to appear.
He hoped that it wasn't more Grey Guards.
Aiden stood up slowly and leant back against the tree he had been resting in front of. He held his flute tightly in his hand and watched as what appeared to be a traveling circus appeared down the road heading north. Aiden blinked in surprise and looked closer. The people who were running around hardly looked like people at all. It appeared as if animals were running down the road, well, animal heads on human bodies. Aiden watched, bemused and slightly afraid as they came closer.
It wasn't until the lead caravan actually stopped in front of him that he realised that the animal heads were in fact masks. The quality and detail in each mask was amazing and each mask seemed to morph to the skin of their owners, creating the illusion of part human part animal.
"A bare-face who covers themselves?" a fox-woman stated scornfully. "Now I have seen everything."
"Don't be harsh Rust," a muscular pig-man stated. "It's a child."
"One who plays the flute very well," a large owl-woman mused. The other two, the fox-woman and the pig-man stared up at the owl-woman upon the caravan in shock.
"Bess, ya cannat bay thankan abat kaypayn am!" the fox-woman all but shouted. "Ha as nat a Masked One!"
Aiden blinked that the change in language. He had been thinking that for a moment the only language spoken in Deltora was English.
"A nay that!" the owl-woman, Bess, replied callously. "Bat thar as samthang abat am. Ay shall tak am."
Aiden suddenly blinked rapidly as the "new language" he had been listening to was in fact a code. It was only the sound that was different, they only changed all the vowels to an "a" so what was actually being said was:
"Bess, you cannot be thinking about keeping him! He is not a Masked One!"
"I know that! But there is something about him. I will take him."
The fox-woman, Rust, and the pig-man, whose name was Otto, argued some more with Bess but it seemed that she had made up her mind. The other masked travelers of the "circus" were waiting patiently for Bess to keep moving, and the children had moved off the road to play.
"Enough!" Bess finally snapped. "You! Child! Come to me!"
Aiden jumped as everyone's attention seemed to suddenly focus on him but made his way closer to the caravan. He looked up to Bess and tilted his head to the side in question.
"Speak! What is your name?" Bess commanded. Aiden lifted the bottom part of the scarf so that she could see his scar and shook his head. He quickly pulled out some paper and charcoal that was left over from his time in Raladin and quickly wrote his name so that she could see it.
"Aiden," Bess said slowly, dragging out each letter. "You have had the ability to speak taken from you. Is this paper how you communicate?"
Aiden nodded before looking down at the flute still clutched in his hand.
I'm trying to learn how to play to convey emotion, he wrote. I'm not very good though
"Well," Bess said. She snapped her fingers together as if she had just realised something. "I will teach you. You will be my student and will play when we travel and earn money to pay us back. Deal?"
Aiden nodded and smiled underneath his scarf. Bess ordered Otto to grab a mask from her caravan for him to wear and as soon as that was done the company began moving forward again. Aiden looked at his new mask and smiled brightly. The red mask looked similar to Fawkes, and it would match with what he was wearing. He slipped his scarf down to slip the mask on and shook his head to test it.
It appeared to be like a second skin. It wasn't stuffy or hot, it was quite soft against his skin and didn't restrict his ability to breathe. When he shook his head the mask didn't slip or slide, it sat perfectly still upon his face.
I am a bird-man, Aiden thought happily. A phoenix.
As the sun was setting the group stopped and set up camp. Bess ordered Aiden to stay at her caravan while she made sure that everything was being set up properly and then after that they would eat and begin his lessons. Aiden didn't mind, he was happy to sit and swing his legs while a campsite was created from nothing in mere minutes. Fires crackled happily, children laughed and ran around, parents and other adults scolded or encouraged the children and the horses snickered and pawed the ground where they had been harnessed for the night. Several adults had set up what appeared to be the start of an assembly line for food as a few of the older children were already lined up and waiting with plates in their hands.
Aiden jumped when a plate of steaming food appeared before his eyes. He followed the hand holding it and saw Bess' owl mask. Accepting the plate with a nod, Aiden waited until Bess was seated with her own meal before he started eating. The food was hot a delicious, warming him up from the inside and allowing him to marvel at how easy it was to eat with the mask on. Throughout the day he had at times forgotten that he was wearing it.
"How old are you Aiden?" Bess asked after a while. "You seem to be too young to be travelling on your own."
I'm 15. My parents died when I was little and I grew up alone. I met Steven, Nevets and Queen Bee a few months ago and they've been looking out for me but I was separated from them when Grey Guards attacked us.
"So young," Bess murmured. "Steven and Nevets? The traveling merchants? We often trade with those two, though I have never met Nevets. Shall I assume that you would like to find them again?"
Aiden nodded and started to write again.
If we find them, I would like to go with them, but until then I would also like to learn from you
"That can be arranged," Bess said with a nod. Aiden could tell that she was smiling even though all her facial expressions were hidden behind the image of an owl. "Now, show me what you know already and we'll move from there."
Aiden pulled out his flute again and began playing his scales. Bess was impressed that he had been only learning for a month, but as soon as she discovered that he had no idea how to read the music he was playing, she set him back and gave him a theory lesson on what note was what. She explained that playing scales was fine, but to create real music one would have to be able to know what note they were playing.
Over the next three weeks Bess tutored Aiden in the art of music. He learnt how to read music, and how to play different tunes that he could use to entice potential customers to give up their money when they performed. They performed in Purley, Happy Vale and Charity and Bess expressed her pleasure at how much improved Aiden had become. He had integrated himself in with the Masked Ones so easily, that even when they had passed by a group of Grey Guards he had not been recognised. He had even gained a close friend in a young boy with a polypan mask, Zerry. Zerry was an orphan too, and had bad reputation around the other children. He was a first-class thief and could steal anything without anyone noticing. Aiden had wanted to see if the rumors were true and gave the boy only two years younger than him a dare. Zerry had to take one thing off a particularly snobbish girl in a cat mask. The object in question was a bracelet that she wore around her wrist, and one that she was always staring at. According to Zerry it was the last thing that she had of her parents.
To make the dare as risk free as possible, after Zerry stole it, presented it to Aiden as proof, he had to return it without the girl noticing. Zerry had merely nodded and declared it easy. Aiden watched from the small fire he and another boy with a dog mask, Matthew, had set up. Matthew was lying on his back staring at the sky, looking just like a lazy dog.
"Here Pyro," Zerry suddenly said as he appeared by Aiden's side. "This is her bracelet, any doubts?"
Aiden shook his head and then motioned that he was to return it.
"Why do we have to return it?" Zerry grumbled as he moved away. "I could probably sell it at the next town for something decent."
Aiden shook his head as the younger boy ran off again. Zerry was a troubled boy who had been abandoned by his parents when Grey Guards raided their house. The Grey Guards had demanded payment, but seeing as both his parents had no money on them, they had dumped their four-year-old son on their laps and that had been the last time he had seen them. He had escaped from the Grey Guards while they slept and had been picked up by the Masked Ones a few days later. When he was seven they had gone through his old town and discovered that the next time the Grey Guards had come through they had been killed because they couldn't pay them anything.
Ever since then Zerry had had an obsession with money, as he never wanted to die because he didn't have enough. Aiden understood as he had led a poor childhood of his own, but whereas he had learnt to fight to defend himself, Zerry had taught himself to steal.
"That kid idolizes you," Matthew suddenly stated. Aiden looked at him with his head tilted on the side. "Don't look at me like that. You know perfectly well what I mean. If any one of us had told him to return what he took, he would have laughed and run off to hide it. I don't know what you did but he almost worships the ground you walk on."
Aiden did know what he meant. In the first town they had been in, Purley, Zerry had been caught pick-pocketing by a particularly violent man and had come close to killing Zerry before Aiden had shown up. Using the power of the bracelet around his wrist, Aiden had sent out the most concussive force that he could throw and knocked the man unconscious. Zerry, wide-eyed and afraid, had merely sat still as Aiden approached him and healed what injuries he could by directing the bracelet's magic into Zerry's body. No one else knew of what had happened and Zerry had every intention of keeping it that way. He had also vowed to become better at stealing, as he didn't want to be caught again.
"Fine, keep your secrets," Matthew muttered. "Does he know that you won't be with us forever?"
Aiden nodded his head and watched as Zerry expertly returned the bracelet before returning again, this time with a plate full of stolen food for him and Aiden to snack on.
"He'll probably try to run away with you then," Matthew continued. "He'll be unbearable when you leave."
"No I won't dog-face," Zerry snapped when he returned. He placed the plate on the ground between him and Aiden and glared at the horizontal boy. "Pyro isn't going to be gone forever. He will be back. Won't you Pyro?"
Aiden nodded and slung his arm around the younger boy's shoulders. Zerry struggled in vain and once he was released he quickly moved the plate away. Matthew only laughed and then looked at Aiden in confusion.
"Why does he call you Pyro? It's something that everyone has been asking."
"Because he burns things when no one is looking," Zerry mumbled. "He also burns people if they're bad."
Matthew blinked and then looked at Aiden in disbelief. His eyes, the only thing visible behind the mask, moved up and down his body.
"I don't see it," he declared. "Aiden the Pyro…I can't see it."
"You will one day," Zerry muttered. Then louder he continued. "Can you play your flute again? It's cool to listen to you. Something lively."
Aiden grinned and pulled out his flute. He was proud of his progress, nowhere near a professional yet, but he had mastered several simple tunes and was working his way up to the more complicated songs under Bess' excellent tutoring. The sound of his music filled the air and soon there were several people jumping up and dancing with each other.
Zerry was laughing as he watched the others dance, but Aiden couldn't have been happier. He almost didn't want to leave the Masked Ones, but Steven and Nevets were waiting for him. It had been two months since he had seen them, and he was missing them. He hoped that Steven would be along the road they were on. He felt that it was time to go home.
"Once there was an Ol-io,
Jolly-wolly Ol-io,
Once there was an Ol-io,
Fearsome as could be!"
I said to that Ol-io,
Jolly-wolly Ol-io,
I said to that Ol-io,
You don't bother me!"
Colly-wobble Ol-io,
Jolly-wobble Ol-io,
Colly-wobble Ol-io,
You don't bother me!"
Aiden could hear the faint sound of singing over the general noise of the Masked Ones. His ears perked up as he recognised the words and soon he was running off towards the sound. Zerry called out to him, but Aiden was fast and he was soon far ahead. The troupe was coming up to a crossroad where they would turn left to head south towards Rithmere, a town where the Masked Ones were sure to gain a lot of money from performing. Aiden had been excited about going, but the sound of his "brothers" singing caused him more excitement.
"Colly-wobble Ol-io,
Jolly-wobble Ol-io,
Colly-wobble Ol-io,
You don't bother me!"
Aiden darted ahead of the lead caravan, ignoring the shouting behind him, and leapt into the path of Mellow and Steven. Mellow reared back in shock before stepping forward and pushing her nose against his mask in confusion. Steven dropped down from his perch to see who he had nearly run over, and cried out in delight upon recognising Aiden's outfit.
"Aiden! You're alive!" he cried in delight before picking him up and swinging him around. "The Ralads said that you were safe, but recovering from a few injuries from the Grey Guards. I was so worried about you! Mother nearly ripped my ear off for coming home without you, but I know she would have been worse if I hadn't come home at all and she had found out from another source. Oh, I'm so glad that you're safe."
Aiden laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around his brother's neck. He knew that he would get a harsh telling off later, but for now he was happy to see his family again.
"Pyro!"
Aiden looked back to where he had come from and started to pull Steven after him. He knew that Steven understood where he had been as he asked no questions and even greeted Bess warmly before offering to sell them some of his wares. Zerry appeared at Aiden's side and after taking one long look at Steven, seemed to know that Aiden wouldn't be traveling with them anymore.
"Young Aiden," Bess said to get his attention. "You have made me proud in your progress and I hope that you will return to me one day so that I can see if you have kept up with your practicing. You may keep that mask, so that when you return you will return as a Masked One, not a bare-face human."
With a slight bow Aiden agreed. He slung his arm around Zerry's shoulders in a promise to return before waving goodbye to everyone in the troupe. Steven lifted Aiden from the ground and placed him a top of his caravan so that he wouldn't be trampled as the Masked Ones went south.
"You better come back one day Pyro!" Zerry shouted as he went passed. "I'll never forgive you if you don't!"
Aiden played a few notes on his flute in promise, the brief lively jig putting a bounce in Zerry's steps. Aiden waved until he could no longer so the group before he turned to Steven. He only hoped that he had enough paper to explain everything that had happened in the past two months.
It had taken the rest of the day to explain his journey to Steven and Nevets. The caravan had not moved from where they had stopped at the crossroads, and in a not-so-surprising occurrence, Nevets and Steven had split when there was no danger and Nevets was holding Aiden in his lap. In front of the trio were pages upon pages of paper with words scribbled all over it. The charcoal still in Aiden's hand was that much smaller now, that he could barely hold it and write.
Steven organized all the paper in order, declaring that it was like a mini novel. Aiden had been completely honest with his brothers, even telling them about his bracelet, which in turn led to telling them what the whole City of Rats adventure was all about. Both Steven and Nevets had studied the bracelet curiously, but it was Steven who seemed to have an idea on what it was. Aiden considered asking him about it, but decided against it, only asking that they didn't tell anyone except Queen Bee.
With the sun setting, it was unanimously decided to camp in that spot and move on in the morning. So around the camp fire Aiden demonstrated his newly acquired musical skills, playing a range of musical tunes both lively and slow. Like the first time they had met, Aiden fell asleep by the fire and holding a mug of homemade Queen Bee Honey.
Over the next few days Steven explained the path that they were taking would lead them past Dread Mountain, Bone Point Lighthouse, and depending on the time they could either go back to the orchard or further south to the coast. In a couple of months, regardless of what path they took, they would stop in Del for a few days. Aidan wasn't too keen on that as Steven had admitted to hearing whispers about an enemy of the Shadow Lord, one that Grey Guards were to capture and bring to the Shadowlands as soon as they had him.
After a week of travelling the merchant caravan passed by Dread Mountain without stopping. Grey Guards were everywhere, so Aiden started to wear a hat down across his eyes so that he wouldn't be recognised. He never was.
However, as unfortunate as everything ended up being, the wheel of the caravan broke and they were forced to stop to repair it.
As Aiden was waiting for the caravan to be operational again, his mind erupted with images almost too fast for him to follow. He swayed in his seat slightly and closed his eyes so that he wouldn't lose his balance. When they opened again Steven was in front of him and holding him upright and looking at him in concern.
"Are you alright?" Steven asked. Aiden nodded and pulled a small notebook from one of his pockets and a new piece of charcoal. This couldn't be explained via hand signals or music.
I just had another vision. It took me by surprise.
"That was a vision? What did you see?" Steven asked after reading the paper.
Someone needs my help. I have to go for a bit but I'll be back. Will you wait for me here?
Steven was quiet for a while, still holding onto Aiden. In time he nodded and stepped back. His eyes flashed briefly and Aiden knew that Nevets was worried about him.
"You be careful," Steven ordered. "We'll be waiting here when you get back, call with your flute if you need help."
Aiden nodded and slid down off the caravan. His bare feet were silent as he stepped off the road into the foliage that stretched far in each direction. Within moments he was out of sight and exploring the different vegetation that he had never seen before. The leaves and branches under his feet snapped under his slight weight but he wasn't too concerned with anyone hearing him, he needed to come this way.
When he heard a crash ahead of him he froze and waited to see what would become of it. Voices echoed around him but the sound was too distorted to make out properly. Using the sound as a cover, Aiden began to move forward again, but this time taking extra care to be as quiet as possible.
He ended up in a clearing, not very big but it seemed to be the wider part of a game trail as it connected a bit further on to a windy trail. In the middle of the clearing was a pale child. There was dark blood on the ground surrounding the child, but there was no one else in sight. Aiden crept forward to see if he could help, and as he came closer he noticed that it wasn't a child at all.
"Stay away brat!"
Aiden stopped where he was as ordered, but instead of moving away, he sat down and tilted his head to the side as he regarded the person in front of him. Steven had told him that this part of Deltora was the home of the Dread Gnomes, and they lived in the mountain. To see one outside was a rare occurrence as they loved their treasure and horded it where no one else could get it.
Aiden started to draw in the dirt, symbols he had learnt from the Ralads. According to them, there were quite a few who recognised the language, not as many as in the past, but there was a chance that the Dread Gnome before him would know it. He asked what her name was, as it was clear to him that the Dread Gnome before him was female.
"Why don't you speak brat?" the Dread Gnome asked, but it wasn't cruel, more curious than anything. Aiden lifted his red scarf so that the scar beneath it could be seen. The Dread Gnome gasped in horror. At her expression Aiden let the scarf drop and rearranged it so that it sat comfortably.
"Humans did that to you?"
Aiden nodded as he pulled out his flute, not playing, just running his fingers over the holes. The Dread Gnome spat on the ground before completely relaxing.
"I guess that we are alike then," the Dread Gnome continued. "Humans did this to me too. Didn't quite catch it, but I think it was the Resistance. Barbarians think that because I live in Dread Mountain I am a supporter of the Shadow Lord. That…abomination…took my home from me and sat that fat beast upon our treasure. I haven't seen the sky in months, we aren't allowed outside you see. I just wanted to see it and those humans got me."
Aiden waited patiently, if with a little worry, as the Dread Gnome continued to speak. He wanted to help her, at least to put pressure on the wounds and stop the bleeding.
"My name is Gla-Thon," the Dread Gnome, Gla-Thon, said suddenly. "Could you write that on a stone for my grave? I don't think I'm going to live much longer."
At this Aiden darted forward and put his hand over her mouth. The message was clear. 'Don't say things like that'. He looked over the wounds and let his right hand trail over them, letting small bursts of energy break free to knit the wounds back together. Gla-Thon watched him with wide eyes, she could feel her body healing at a far more rapid pace than she was used to. When he was done Aiden slumped backwards, panting from the effort he had expended in healing. What he was using was the little medical knowledge he had looked at in preparing from the Triwizard Tournament. What he didn't know his own magic did so while it was a trying process, it still got him the desired results.
Gla-Thon sat up slowly and checked herself over in disbelief. Aiden knew what she was thinking as himself had thought something similar when he first turned up in Deltora.
Why am I still alive?
Aiden sat back up as much as he could and smiled softly. The two of them stared at each other in silence, Gla-Thon eventually allowing her gaze to drift to the scribbles on the ground. She asked him if he could write his name for her, he did.
"Aiden, I shall remember that," Gla-Thon stood up. "I will return to the mountain now, where I know that at the very least my life is guaranteed for now. I don't serve the Shadow Lord, but until a better option turns up I will continue as I have. Be safe, human Aiden."
Aiden nodded and watched as the Dread Gnome walked away. He realised that they were roughly the same height, something he was secretly pleased about as that meant there were people who he would be slightly taller than.
Once she was out of sight the young wizard lay back flat on the ground to catch his breath. He had no idea how long he lay there for, only that by the time he was ready to get up the sun was on its downward path and the shadows were long. He had to get back to Steven as he did not want to be trapped in unknown territory after dark. So with heavy limbs he stumbled to his feet and staggered back along his trail and into Steven's waiting arms. Steven held him in his lap as they moved away from Dread Mountain, and Aiden was asleep long before they stopped properly for the night.
"Aiden, wake up."
Aiden opened his emerald green eyes sluggishly and looked around blearily. He hadn't expected Steven to wake him up, normally he just set him down and covered him with a blanket if he fell asleep before they reached their destination for the night. Looking around though, he realised why he was woken. They were surrounded by a rag tag group of armed men.
They weren't Grey Guards, and they didn't look like they would work for the Shadow Lord, so Aiden figured they were the Resistance that Steven had been telling him about. He looked at his older brother curiously but accepted the mug of warmed honey willingly enough. His throat was recovering and it didn't hurt as much anymore, but it was only the honey that seemed to have any effect on it.
"It's become too dangerous for you to be travelling with me," Steven explained quietly. "These people are friends and they will protect you until the heat calms down."
Aiden looked stricken, the mug in his hand forgotten as he tried to reach for his flute to convey how much he hated that idea. Steven stopped his hand from moving with a sigh.
"I'm not abandoning you, I want to keep you by my side," he said. "But you've seen how determined the Shadow Lord wants you captured. I don't want you to have to endure that fate. I will come back for you once it's safe. I would trust these people with not only my life, but yours as well."
Aiden stopped trying to reach his flute and stared at Steven sadly. Steven released his hand only to pull him into a hug. He stood up and led Aiden over to where the main group was.
"You'll protect him?" Steven asked one man with a scar down the side of his face. The man nodded. Steven knelt down and pulled Aiden into another hug.
"Be safe Aiden," he whispered. And then he was gone. Aiden looked back at him as he disappeared before his attention leapt back to the man Steven had given him to.
"Welcome to the Resistance. My name is Doom."
Next up in Deltora's Protector:
Chapter 6 - Doom and Tora