The forgotten stone, p.10
The Forgotten Stone, page 10
The party would be seen long before reaching the gates, another reason Canukke advocated stealth from the outset as an unrealistic strategy. The group would enter as far as possible as one unit, though probably only several representatives would be permitted an audience with the governing authorities. For Levav, that meant Baron Javen and Baroness Jenulia. The rest of the group would wait outside the gates with the horses, keeping their eyes and ears sharp and positioning themselves strategically to takedown or sneak past guards should the signal come.
Kilith didn’t like the plan, preferring negotiation to any resort of violence in Levav, but he said little once the plan was set. Canukke added several pitiable details to their dilemma to “pluck the heartstrings” of the weak, emotionally driven Levavin. He was also prepared to take hostages or slit the throat of every authoritative individual right down the line until they got the information they needed if the baron and baroness were not cooperative. Baird rolled his eyes at Enouim and shared knowing looks with Silas, but both agreed to the plan.
As the nine individuals approached a bridge across the moat, large gates standing fifteen feet tall opened. Two mounted guards rode across to meet them while guards on the wall observed them closely.
“Afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We have not received word of your arrival, and I see no supplies for trade; please state your purpose.”
“Our deepest apologies, but our visit is a matter of life and death borne of such urgency that we were unable to provide notice,” Canukke answered. “We seek audience with the lord and lady of Levav regarding the imminent danger of the peoples of Gorgenbrild, Kalka’an, and indeed the blight sweeping through the mountains that may reach you as well. As you may have heard, a conglomerate of tribes called the Sumus have banded together and cut us off from the rest of the world. We seek counsel from our friends in Levav.”
Enouim leaned over to Baird seated next to her and whispered, “Do you think he really believes the word ‘indeed’ makes him sound more troubled and serious, or he just likes the way it sounds?”
Baird smirked but said nothing. Gabor shot her a death glare and she shrugged back at him.
“We have heard news of your predicament,” the guard said. “What manner of assistance do you require?”
“We prefer to keep the details discreet,” Kilith replied.
“Surely a true crisis is afoot for men of Gorgenbrild and Kalka’an to come to us for help. Please bear with us as we relay the message and await further instruction.”
After about an hour, the gates opened again and the guards reappeared to inform them that all nine of them could enter through the first gate, but only four would progress past the second. Canukke gestured to them that he, Kilith, Oloren, and Silas would go in to negotiate while Enouim, Vadik, Baird, Gabor, and Pakel stayed behind. The group followed the guards across the bridge and through the first gate. On the other side they dismounted their horses, and Canukke, Kilith, Oloren, and Silas parted ways with the rest of the company, going into the heart of Levav on foot.
A forty-foot gap stood between the outer and inner wall, the space that Enouim and the other four now occupied. Green grass swayed in the breeze, in stark contrast to the yellows and browns of the plain over which they had just traveled. Several guards stood by the outer gate, and more watched them from the top of the walls above them. Guards led the horses through the second gate after Canukke, Kilith, Oloren, and Silas went through.
Clouds covered the sky like patchwork. Mostly white, they reflected nearly as much light as the sun would itself. Enouim wondered what she would see if she could be in those clouds looking down. She wanted to see more of the city and hoped the rest of them would be allowed inside soon. For now, they waited.
Vadik stood, pacing impatiently. Gabor, Enouim, and Pakel sat in the grass, engulfed by their own thoughts. Enouim thumbed the scar on her collarbone; Pakel twirled his karambit in his hands, and Gabor plucked at the grass with his fingers. Baird leaned nonchalantly against the stone wall, unperturbed. Enouim wondered how much of life was spent waiting, depending on other people to do things. It was maddening, having no inkling of whether the next five minutes were the last bit or if the three hours that had gone by already were only the beginning. After four hours, they were told they would be allowed past the inner wall and given a more comfortable place to wait. Two guards introduced themselves as Banor and Kenan and escorted them through the second set of gates into Levav itself.
Enouim’s first impression was of color—color everywhere. The buildings and houses were all painted in vibrant colors, yet still somehow seemed beckoning and soft to the eye. Many dwellings shared walls, creating a row. Small waterways wound throughout the city dotted with short bridges and light boats not much larger than a canoe. Enouim’s eyes drifted over the happy colors and glittering water roads, and she felt a warmth sweep through her that put her at ease.
Vadik whistled. “Hordes, that’s a sight, isn’t it?”
“The feeling you have soaking up the city sights is the feeling we hope to create for guests and for each other inside our borders,” Kenan said. “For us, it is love, trust, mutual respect, compassion, openness, and vulnerability that we desire to come naturally. For these things to thrive, and for honest, raw exchanges between souls, there must be safety. Thus, physical safety is a precursor to any mental or emotional safety. We take it very seriously.”
“That’s beautiful,” Enouim said, almost without realizing she’d spoken. She loved the view, the vivacious colors, the lazily running water. The idea of using the boats sounded lovely in theory, but Enouim thought she would rather watch than ride in one. Water made her nervous. She ran her thumb over the scar on her collarbone and wondered if the old scars on the back of her neck would still burn with the touch of water. Since childhood, whenever she bathed or found herself in the rain for very long, she’d carefully covered them with watertight bandages.
“It is a privilege for outsiders to set their eyes on Levav. Unfortunately some do not come with pure intentions, and we have had to put up barriers. We will keep close to you while you are here, though in your case it could be that the baron and baroness themselves will clear you. Trust breaks down all barriers with time. We hope you do not hold our protective procedures against us.” Kenan smiled apologetically as they walked further into the city and down a gently sloping rocky path.
“It is said that the greatest protection Levav possesses is the Ecyah Stone,” Baird prodded, as Banor and Kenan gestured toward two small boats.
Vadik and Gabor stepped lightly into the first, and Baird hopped into the back of the second. Enouim clung to Pakel, eyes wide as she stared at the water. Pakel looked at her curiously, and she steeled herself. Taking a deep breath, she allowed him to take her hand and gently help her into one.
Kenan stepped into the boat with Vadik and Gabor, and Banor took the second boat with Baird, Enouim, and Pakel. Both guards picked up long poles and shoved off from shore at an easy pace.
Banor arched an eyebrow. “The Eh’yeh Stone is much more than protection. It is life. It is the line in the sand between good and evil; it divides the soul and is not for the faint of heart. It is not for the greedy, either. I wonder at your interest in it.”
Enouim, noting the difference in pronunciation, wondered if all Levav preferred this phonetic version of the name.
“It is a legend in Gorgenbrild that some do not even believe in,” Baird responded easily. “We are divided as to the truth of the matter and placed bets. Is it real?”
“As real as you or I,” Banor replied. “Perhaps more so.”
“The legend of the stone has fascinated me since childhood,” Enouim said. “I have heard of the power of the stone, like a great force moving in whoever holds it and granting victory. But what is this about dividing the soul? How can a soul be divided?”
“I wouldn’t touch a thing that could split my soul in two!” Pakel exclaimed. “Surely you mean that the soul is tested by such power, and that by it one may see the real nature of a man.”
“The genuine nature of a person is certainly illuminated by it, tested by it,” Kenan answered. “The soul is divided against itself upon contact with the stone, as if the intentions of mind and heart were put on trial and waging war within one’s chest. We are utterly exposed before it, ruled by it, and yet it is good to know oneself. Without it, we imitate its lessons as best we can and prioritize self-awareness. For out of the mind and heart come all manner of deceitfulness and darkness, and we protect ourselves and each other by recognizing when that happens.”
“Zegrath’s teeth, that’s terrifying,” Gabor said. “It sounds like you have personal experience with the Ecyah Stone. But now you say you are without it—did you have it and lose it?”
“Perhaps I speak too much for our guests,” Kenan hedged, and transitioned into sharing information about the houses, the flowers, and the benefits of life in Levav within its carefully crafted structure of love and rules. Love of rules, it sounded to Enouim, after hearing that Levavin were not to kill, steal, lie, or even think about doing such things. They were expected to monitor motives behind every action, and often kept daily journals of mental wrongdoings to remember what to work on within themselves. Still, the Levavin seemed truly caring toward persons of any lifestyle. It was a strange mixture, and Kenan told stories of people receiving justice but also compassion, even after despicable deeds.
Approaching a small building with vertical slats for windows, Banor and Kenan apologized that this was where they would be staying for the next couple of hours but assured them of good food and comfortable bedding. Every effort would be made to bring them to the rest of their company as soon as possible. They passed under a low bridge, ducking their heads as they continued underneath it and around a bend. And that was when it all went wrong.
It took only a moment for the guards to realize that one of the party was missing.
“Hey! Where is the bearded one?” Banor demanded.
Enouim glanced about and saw Pakel in front of her—as he had been the whole time—and Vadik and Gabor with the guard Kenan. Baird, who had been sitting behind her, was nowhere to be seen. Banor and Kenan poled the boats to the water’s edge and Kenan sent a loud, clear whistling signal to a nearby tower. A flurry of motion answered, and two guards ran from the tower.
Enouim’s heart lurched into her throat as she spied Baird making his getaway at full-tilt, clothes dripping wet. The kindly demeanor in Kenan and Banor’s faces vanished. Leaping onto land, they ordered Enouim, Pakel, Vadik, and Gabor up onto the bank after them. The two guards grabbed onto the arms of their guests and began dragging them toward the small building to which they’d been headed.
“We know nothing about this!” Pakel yelled. “His actions have no part with us!”
“Oh, really?” Banor responded. “You all seemed pretty friendly a moment ago!”
Vadik sprinted after Baird, and Kenan let go of Enouim to tackle Vadik to the ground. “I can bring him back!” Vadik insisted, pulling his arm free. Pakel knocked Banor backward to go to Vadik’s aid, calling out for Vadik to calm down and listen to reason.
Gabor and Enouim stood awkwardly to one side. Enouim couldn’t imagine that getting further involved would help their case. Kenan was on top of Vadik, yelling, “Cooperate or be found guilty of espionage!” Five more guards from the tower ran toward them.
“Unhand me!” Vadik grunted. “You first!”
“Stop fighting,” Gabor yelled. “We are on the same side!”
Pakel pulled Kenan off Vadik and stood between them. “We are here as friends!”
Just then the first of the guards reached them and swung a saber toward Vadik. Instincts kicked into high gear, Vadik burst in, pulling the guard toward him, stripping him of his weapon, and redirecting the man’s momentum straight into the waterway. Kenan flew at him, but Vadik’s hands and feet danced like lightning. Making quick work of him, Vadik thrust the saber into the man’s side and pushed him away.
Alarmed, one of the tower guards ran to Kenan’s side while Banor drew his blade and leaped for Vadik. Pakel jumped in front of his friend, throwing his left hand out to protect and move Vadik behind him. Pakel glanced back to check on Vadik, but a glance was all it took. Banor struck him at the base of the skull with the butt of his saber and Pakel crumpled. Enouim screamed.
12
Enouim ran to catch Pakel as he fell. She caught his head in her lap, and her fingers shook as she touched his face and watched his chest for movement. Nothing. Gabor restrained Banor in a single smooth motion, and the guard hovering over Kenan tore off the corner of his tunic to press into the wound, his hands covered in blood.
Vadik gaped at the scene as the reality of what had just happened sunk in. Several guards took hold of him, but he hardly seemed to notice. One of the newly arrived guards knelt by Pakel and began to examine his head and neck, but he wasn’t moving. Everything had happened so fast. Enouim looked away, only to find Kenan’s glazed eyes staring up at her. Accusing her for her people’s brutal instincts. Dead.
They were going to take her. She was probably going to be thrown into some windowless pit and forgotten. Canukke never wanted her here anyway. No! She had to find Baird.
Enouim gently slipped out from under Pakel’s head and stepped back. She was the lowest of priorities. The guards were consumed with tending to Kenan and Pakel, pulling Gabor off Banor, and gaining control over Vadik. For a moment Vadik’s eyes met Enouim’s. Emotions swirled there: fear, desperation, sadness, pain. He looked … lost. Enouim felt torn in that moment, but there was nothing she could do for him here. She turned and ran.
One of the guards noticed her escape and bore down on her from behind. Enouim’s legs found a rhythm just as the guard lunged to take her down, and she dodged it. The guard regained his balance, grabbed her braid, and yanked her backward. He released her braid to hook his arm around her throat from behind and she instinctively gripped his arm with both hands. As she struggled, her right foot found itself on the outside of his. Enouim dropped her center and rolled him over her shoulder so that he crashed to the ground at her feet. She moved to flee but stumbled and landed her knee on his ankle, then she bolted.
Past rows of houses and waterways along the edge of Levav, she ran, until she thought her muscles would burst, then she pulled up behind a building at the edge of the fortress to catch her breath. She looked up at a stone building on top of the second wall. Maybe if she could get a better view of the city, she could see Baird. A six-foot locked gate blocked off winding steps leading up to the building, but Enouim found just enough footholds on the rock wall and gate to pull herself up and over.
She raced up the stairs as thoughts of Pakel assaulted her mind. Pakel blinking back at her from his horse when she first poked her head out as a stowaway in the supply wagon. Pakel listening to her troubles; Pakel patiently teaching her how to fight. Pakel helping her into the boat just that morning, confused by her fear but accepting. Pakel putting himself in the path of a knife to protect his friend. Enouim funneled all her energy into her legs. Her feet pounded the cold stone steps, hot tears trailing down her face, and she hardly noticed her surroundings until she ran straight into something solid. She rocked backward and something caught her from falling, then let her go.
Startled, she looked up to see dark, gentle eyes set in a kind face. The man was perhaps late thirties, bald with a well-kept goatee and warm, golden-brown skin. He wore a white tunic with grayish-beige robes and a quietly surprised expression.
“Whoa! I’m sorry, we seem to have collided. Are you okay?” The man looked her over and then peered down the stairs behind her. “What’s happened?”
Met with gracious caring and oddly comforted by the man’s peaceful presence, Enouim felt fresh tears escape. He searched her eyes, not alarmed, but attentive. She took a ragged breath. “I didn’t do anything wrong; you have to believe me. It’s all a big misunderstanding. My friend is hurt, maybe dead, another friend is missing, and I’m scared they’re going to take me away from them …”
The man swept his hand toward several small cushions arranged on the stone some ten feet further. The top of the wall where she found herself was twenty feet across and extended in both directions, but a solid locked gate to one side separated that side of the wall from this side. It felt isolated from the guards up here.
“Goodness, you’ve had quite a day,” the man said. “Are you running from something or to something?”
“Um …” Enouim paused to consider the question. “I guess both? There were guards that should be looking for me by now. And … I was trying to find Baird.”
“I see. Your missing friend. Well, here in Levav, sharing a fear with a stranger like you did with me is a sign of strength and character. I would say that starts you off on the right foot. Let’s slow down a second and maybe you can tell me what exactly is going on.”
Though part of her still wondered if he was safe, her options were slim. She was desperate for the solace of a sympathetic ear. Besides, her gut said he meant well. “I’m not from here,” Enouim began, the man nodding with her. Clearly this was no surprise. “I’m here with a group from Gorgenbrild, well mostly Gorgenbrild, and four of them went to meet with the baron and baroness to get help for our mission, and the rest of us were waiting and then Baird ran off, and the guards started to grab us, and Vadik lost it, and then the guards lost it, and then Pakel …” In the span of a moment, her brain cycled through what felt like a hundred different priorities for what to do next. Suddenly she looked up and said, “We have to find Baird! He is in trouble, and caused more trouble than he knows. We have to find him before it gets worse.”
“What might he be looking for?”
“He … looking for?” Enouim paused. Of course. Kalka’an had investigated to see what the layout of Levav was and to find out whether they were in possession of the Ecyah Stone. They learned the lay of the land but not whether the stone was with Levav. “I’m not sure I’m supposed to say, but I think he is looking for … a weapon. Not to hurt anyone here though. Just to save our people back in Gorgenbrild.”
