Condras fire, p.47
ConDra's Fire, page 47
He leveraged his fatigued body to standing. The anticipation in the study deepened. “I’ve developed a plan. Everyone will need to help, including Corvus. It is vital that we put up wards around the ranch. By combining our power, Nissasa will find it difficult to break through. Once the wards are in place around the arena, we will widen their breadth to include the entirety of Shu Chenaro’s acreage. I know we can’t sustain them for long, but they will buy us some time.” He paused a moment to allow the import of his words to sink in. “Removing the young people to safety is tantamount. This will occur after the wards have reached their expanded level. The children will teleport, their energy trail erased by the breadth of the wards. I will also shield Efillaeh and the Compass of Ostradio, making it next to impossible to track them.”
A wave of fatigue made him clasp his cane with unsteady hands. “It is time for a break. Omudi and Thaer have put their tails between their legs and stolen away with their retinues, and TheLise has departed with Tissent and Roween.” He smiled at his Major Domo. “Stebben has arranged for a meal to be served in the conference chamber and will escort you there. Esán, please remain with me.”
When the room had emptied, he eased his aching bones onto a chair and leaned his forehead on the knob of his cane. He straightened and flexed his clawed hand. “Pull up a seat, boy. We have much to discuss.”
Esán rubbed the recent growth of fuzzy hair on his head. Somber blue eyes narrowed. “Are you alright, sir?”
Wolloh forced a smile. “Just feeling my age.”
Esán positioned a chair opposite him. “It is my responsibility to teleport The Prima Crystal Evolsefil back to the Cave of Canedari on Myrrh. How can I do that and help Torgin find his mother here on DerTah?”
“Almiralyn sent word that, for the time being, Evolsefil is safe. CheeTrann and Paisley will take care of it. Rescuing Coala Renn Whalend is vital. You will find her. Then you will take her to Myrrh.”
Esán sat back and stared straight ahead. Again, his eyes narrowed. “So much to accomplish, and time pushes hard at our heals.”
With a touch of nostalgia, Wolloh observed Nomed’s nephew. He remembered Seyes when he first arrived at Shu Chenaro…his talent, his anger, and his desire to achieve. Esán resembles him. Fortunately, he does not possess the anger. And he carries dual Seeds of Carsilem. He is young but has the talent to do what is required. If he fails… Wolloh clutched the crystal knob. Failure was not an option. He locked his good eye on the boy’s face. “I have a vital job for you, Esán. Listen closely.”
End - Chapter 56 of 58
ConDra’s Fire - S.K. Randolph
* * *
57
DerTah
Brie glanced up as Esán preceded Stebben into the Conference Chamber. Stebben paused by the door, his eyes on her. The Star of Truth tingled. Finishing her last bite, she excused herself from the table and followed him down the hall.
Stebben opened a door and ushered her through with a slight bow. Two leather chairs sat side by side in front of a fireplace. Wolloh’s dark head leaned against the back of one.
“Join me, Brielle.”
She hurried to the chair next to him and studied his smooth profile. Happy to be seated on his ‘good’ side, she noted the intensity of his gaze and sensed the seriousness of his expression even before he faced her.
“You, my dear, are about to embark on another journey in pursuit of your destiny. Your skills will be honed and your abilities challenged. It is time to awaken your gifts. I don’t have time to explain them all. You will discover them as you need them. However, two things you must remember. A DiMensioner’s power increases with practice and use. Never forget the desire to serve magnifies that power.”
Her heart beat hard in her chest. “Are you suggesting I’m a DiMensioner?”
“I am saying you have the gifts. When The Unfolding’s cycle is complete, you will become my apprentice along with Esán.”
The throne of ReNin RepPosu flashed into her memory. Wolloh’s face…
He nodded. “You remember. Good. Kneel in front of me, and we will awaken your power. Almiralyn gave you the Stone of Remembering. I will need it.”
Brie touched the Star of Truth. It responded with a warm flow of energy down her spine. Kneeling in front of the High DiMensioner, she removed the blue stone from its velvet pouch and placed it in his uninjured hand.
“You must trust me without question, Brielle. Close your eyes and clear your thoughts.”
For a moment, she kept her eyes on his face. Her lids lowered. His fingertips rested on her temples. The coolness of Almiralyn’s gift touched her forehead. Awareness of each tiny particle composing her body, each synapse in her brain, and each molecule of air as it traveled into her lungs flooded through her. WoNa’s face appeared and faded. Her mother and father…Ari…Almiralyn…Gerolyn…Lorsedi…her heritage surged through her veins until she thought she would drown.
Soft words called to her. “Brielle, open your eyes.”
Heavy lids lifted. Her eyes rebelled against the light. A touch on her forehead awakened her fully to Wolloh’s serious face.
“Please stand.”
Using the chair arms to steady her trembling, she pushed herself to her feet.
“How do you feel?”
She swallowed. “Shaky.”
“Sit down and rest.”
She eased herself to sitting and gulped a breath. Her gaze sought his face.
He nodded, returned the Stone of Remembering, and handed her a goblet of water. “Sip it, and pay close attention while I explain what happens next.”
When Brielle returned to the conference room, Ira noted a flush in her cheeks and a brightness in her eyes he hadn’t seen earlier. She went straight to Gerolyn, and the two of them left together. He wished they’d invited him. Instead, he sat tracing infinity signs on the conference table. A tap on the shoulder interrupted him.
Stebben stood by his chair. “Wolloh would like to see you. If you’ll come with me.”
He swallowed a desire to lash out and followed the Major Domo into the hall. “At least someone wants me around.” He muttered his frustration under his breath.
“I beg your pardon, Ira?”
“Ah…nothing, Stebben. Just talking to myself.”
“I see.” He opened a door. “Wolloh awaits you here.”
Ira entered and glanced around the room. Its comfort welcomed him.
A voice from a chair by the fire invited him to have a seat. He rounded the chair and stared at the distorted side of Wolloh’s face.
“Please sit, Ira. We have little time.”
Curiosity won over his inclination to disobey. He plopped down in the chair and studied the High DiMensioner.
Wolloh’s opaque eye seemed to drill a hole in him before his good eye caught the gleam of the dying fire. He lifted his cane and tapped the crystal.
Ira yawned and leaned back in his chair. When he opened his eyes, fragments of strange dreams clung to his memory. “What did you do?” He scowled.
“I put a shield around Efillaeh and placed important information in your subconscious.”
“What kind of information?”
“You will know when you need it.”
Ira considered pushing for an answer, but the look on Wolloh’s face canceled the inclination.
“Go join your friends and be ready to help Esán later today.”
“Yes, sir.” He rose from his chair.
“Take care of yourself, Ira.” Wolloh’s serious expression made him pause.
“And you, sir.” Troubled thoughts tumbled through his mind as he left the room.
Torgin poked at the food on his plate. His appetite had vanished with the news of his mother’s abduction. The assurance that others would rescue the Five Fathers kept him from fretting about them, as well. The people involved are smart and capable. They’ll get the job done. His forehead wrinkled. My parents…my poor father must be so worried about Mother. A shudder of dismay squeezed his throat tight. How am I going to rescue her?
Stebben beckoned him from the doorway. Shoving his plate away, he stood up and followed him from the room. He had seen Brie and Ira leave with Stebben and couldn’t imagine what Wolloh would want with him.
The rhythm of their shoes on the tile floor almost dispersed his nervousness, but not quite. When the Major Domo held a door open, he steadied his breathing, squared his shoulders, and walked into the sitting room.
Wolloh leaned against the mantle of a stone fireplace, gazing into remnants of the morning’s fire. As he turned, the different aspects of his face emerged in the light. “Thank you for coming, Torgin.” He tapped a chair with his cane. “Please join me.”
Torgin sat on the edge of the proffered chair and folded his hands in his lap. The High DiMensioner, who would have scared him to death a few moon cycles ago, inspired respect and curiosity. Unsure what to expect, he waited. So did Wolloh.
When at last he broke the silence, Wolloh spoke with quiet gentleness. “I am very sorry about your mother, Torgin. How do you feel about helping to rescue her?”
“I want to, sir.” He fidgeted with his tunic. “I don’t know what to do.”
“First, I need to see your compass.”
Torgin knew his face went blank. Everyone wants the compass. Can I trust this man?
“I promise to return it. I want to shield it so Nissasa cannot track it, and I would like to add to its information base.”
“What do you want to add?”
“I’d rather not say. You will discover it when you need it.”
Torgin studied his hands. His brain ran a quick inventory of potential reasons for secrecy. He looked up. “You don’t want anyone to read my mind, right?”
The odd mouth shaped a smile. “You are a bright young man, Torgin.” He held out his hand.
Torgin placed the compass on the High DiMensioner’s palm and watched with interest as he held it face down over the crystal knob on his cane. Chron-clicks flashed by. Finally, he flipped it, tapped the face, and handed it back.
“That should do it. You are the perfect person to carry this. Guard it with your life.” He sat back in his chair and studied Torgin’s face. “Since Lorsedi requested Yaro join him at the front, I am sending Corvus to help you find your mother.” His good eye seemed to sparkle. “If that’s alright with you, of course.”
The burden of his mother’s kidnapping felt suddenly less overwhelming. “Oh, sir, thank you. I trust him almost as much as my heart brother. But can you spare him?”
“I can for a time. Please ask Stebben to bring Desirol to me.”
“I will, sir. Thank you for your trust. And for helping me to find my mother.”
When he returned to the conference chamber, Ira, Brie, and Esán sat together at the end of the table. Withdrawing to watch them unobserved, he noted how much they had changed and realized how much he, too, had changed since the start of their adventures several moon cycles ago. He wondered what was next and then decided it didn’t matter. As long as they were all together, they would manage.
Desirol did not trust the High DiMensioner, and he couldn’t understand why his father did. The last thing he wanted was to meet with him alone. He glared at Stebben’s broad back. When the Major Domo opened the door to the study, the temptation to walk away held him rigid.
“Desirol, please come in.” Wolloh’s voice held an edge of authority that he dared not ignore.
Standing by the chair next to his, Desirol tried to hide his dislike and his discomfort. The odd face made him nervous.
“Sit down, boy. I don’t bite.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Sit down, Desirol. I will not get a crick in my neck because you dislike me.”
Desirol rubbed his flushed cheek, sat ramrod straight in the chair, and tried to ignore the face.
“You will accompany your friends later today. Before you leave, I would like to share some information.
“I am staying here with my father. You can’t make me leave.”
Wolloh placed his cane between them. “As I recall, your father told you to do as I asked. You are not safe here. The Mindeco is at the border, sniffing to find you. Since you refused to wear your drango tunic, he left his mark on you at Nesune Ruins. His goal, Desirol Telisnoe, is to take over your body. Do you know what that means?”
He gulped. “Yes. But my father won’t let him get me.”
“Your father’s responsibilities prevent his protecting you. He needs you to go.”
“Well, I won’t.”
Wolloh tapped the crystal knob with his forefinger.
A light shot from its center. Desirol’s forehead began to burn. The room blurred, then refocused. “What did you do?”
“Helped you relax.”
“Go? Oh. With Esán.” He rubbed his forehead and wondered if he had forgotten something. Unable to track down what it was, he shrugged and prepared to listen to the High DiMensioner od DerTah.
When Desirol left, Wolloh sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. The desire to give in to his fatigue almost overpowered him. He massaged his feathered brow. Wards around the ranch are vital in order to remove the children from harm’s way. With a frustrated sigh, he lowered his hand. He wanted nothing more than time free from The Unfolding. I need quiet, my house emptied of people, and time to regain my strength. This is not to be, however…
A soft knock made him grasp his cane. “Come in, Stebben.” He watched the man he had rescued so many sun cycles ago enter and close the door. “What have you discovered?”
“I can find no trace of Corvus. You may need to send the children on their way without him.”
Wolloh cupped the knob on his cane in unsteady hands and peered into its depths. “Nissasa has interfered with my crystal. He is closing in, and the Mindeco is pacing the borders. I can sense Lorsedi and his men, but I cannot find Corvus anywhere.”
“Could he be in the oasis caverns? They would obscure his whereabouts.” Stebben sat down in the leather chair vacated by Desirol.
A tremor ran the length of Wolloh’s left side. He flinched and massaged a muscle cramp in his shoulder.
Stebben leaned toward him. “You are too tired to construct wards. You need to rest. We can hide the children longer.”
Wolloh straightened and fixed his good eye on his Major Domo. “I don’t have the luxury of resting just because I’m tired. We have too much to accomplish.”
“At least take a quick nap, Wolloh. I’ll wake you in one chronometer circle.”
“Half a circle…and I’ll nap.”
Stebben nodded his agreement and prepared to leave. He paused and shot Wolloh a stern look. “I’ll keep everyone at bay. Rest.” He exited and shut the door without a sound.
Setting his cane aside, Wolloh leaned into the comfort of his chair and closed his eyes. Too many tangles to untangle…too many… He yawned, blanked his mind, and slept.
End - Chapter 57 of 58
ConDra’s Fire by S.K. Randolph
* * *
58
Myrrh & Der Tah
Almiralyn stood in the serene quiet of Veersuni. The colored pieces of light from the window still floated in front of the velvet curtains. Beyond the emptied panes of glass, stars scattered across the panoramic expanse glittered. A crescent moon gleamed in the vast heavens.
The image of the Mindeco in Elcaro’s Eye had sent both Merrilea and Sparrow into a panic. Almiralyn did her best to calm their fears. None of them knew whose reflection shone in its eye. She tried to assure them it wasn’t necessarily one of the boys. The women remained unconvinced, and the Guardian did, too. When the fountain refused to show anything more, Elae and Zugo escorted them back to Meos.
Dread she could not explain, and had not mentioned, kept her from returning with them. Why am I so uneasy? WoNa is safe. Allynae is safe. He and One Man are at Shu Chenaro. The children are with them.
She turned her back on the window and stared at the fountain. What I need to know requires looking into the enemy’s camp. Dare I try it without Nomed’s support?
The door from the Reading Room opened. A man’s silhouette paused, then moved into the light. Almiralyn smiled. “Seyes, I am glad you’re here.”
He crossed to the fountain and met her gaze. “When Merrilea and Sparrow came back without you, I felt you might need my help.”
She joined him beside the fountain. “I believe there’s trouble in DerTah. I was just about to use the Elcaro’s Eye. You must have felt my need. I didn’t want to use it again without your help. You can monitor the wards while I see what the Eye will share.”
Nomed gave her a worried half-smile and placed his hands on the bowl’s rounded rim. “I’m concerned about Esán. Perhaps it will show us where the children are.” He closed his eyes. His breathing deepened, then he looked up and nodded grimly. “The wards are solid, Almiralyn, but something strange vibrates at their outer edges. Do you think Nissasa is attempting to break through?”
“I believe he is trying. Let’s hope he’s too distracted by events in DerTah to pursue it. Please let me know if you need help to maintain them.”
She waved a hand over the fountain. “Show us the events unfolding in DerTah.”
The water swirled and grew calm. On the surface, an image took shape.
Corvus and a young Dansgirl knelt at the top of the outcropping at Eissua Oasis. Below them, at the water’s edge, three Sebborran warriors hid near WoNa’s cave entrance.
“That must be Nichi.” Almiralyn smiled. “Karrew told me Corvus was on the way to rescue her.”
The girl darted across the top of the sandy ridge and disappeared into a group of oragasu trees. Corvus followed.
