His ears hurt. So did everything else, down to his toes and the tips of his fingers, but his ears brought his mind out of blissful unconsciousness. The first thought that flitted through his throbbing head and the stabbing pains that inhabited it was the painful ringing in his ears.
The second was cold. Numbing cold, like he had been lying in icy waters for hours, and that his body had never known warmth to begin with. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to obey him. The effort brought a reward of sorts though. A wet cough tore through his chest, causing him to flop around weakly. He managed to roll onto his side as a second cough broke free of his chest, and he spat out a bloody combination of water, blood and saliva. It was then that he realised he was lying on a shore of a large lake, as his blood glistened on the water before his eyes.
Coherent thought slowly put itself back together in his head, fighting off the consciousness-draining pain, and his body began to respond to his will. First a few twitches of his fingers, then a hand, then his arm. He began to drag himself out of the water, inch by painful inch…
He collapsed on stony shore, shivering and coughing, completely disoriented and exhausted by the few minutes of what, to him, felt like the most difficult feat ever achieved by man. As he lay gasping he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
The shore on which he lay was stony, the rocks under him sharp and unyielding. The air was crisp and cold, as was the waters of the lake behind him, almost black under an iron grey sky, with clouds blocking the sun as far as he could force himself to see. A freezing, clinging mist was creeping down towards the lake, like ghostly fingers reaching towards water. He could feel the bitter wind on his skin but could not hear it moan over the water, the ringing and throbbing in his ears and skull blocking out all sound.
He struggled to his knees, looking at his hands, enclosed in dead black gauntlets with silver inlays wrought in strange symbols and patterns he could not make sense of in his exhausted state. He sat up onto his knees, and another cough escaped him, ending in another mouthful of blood and water being spit onto the rocks.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and staggered to his feet. A wave of dizziness hit him and almost toppled him over and he barely managed to keep his balance before staggering up to the brush and trees ringing the shore. The gnarled and twisted trunks of the small trees seemed indifferent to his struggle to reach them.
He finally reached the treeline, his exhausted muscles screaming at him as he pushed on into the thin forest, looking for some form of shelter from the wind and the cold. He stumbled and fell to his knees more than once in his trek deeper into the trees, not knowing what he was searching for but knowing that he would recognize it when he found it.
He finally staggered into a small clearing, made by a fallen tree. Years of mighty winds had rolled it up against other trees and piled twigs, grass and other broken off branches against it and on top of it, forming a fair sized wind break on the far side. He managed to force himself into a small crack in the woody mess and found a small open space inside and promptly collapsed, his meager strength spent.
When he awoke it was raining, a soft drizzle that misted everything beyond what he could see from the gap he left when he forced his way into the windfall. His body was shot through with pain, his muscles cramped and stiff. His hearing had cleared and his head pounded less, for which he was thankful. As he lay in the misted stillness, he closed his eyes and tried to take stock of himself. He could feel the sharp bite of broken ribs, as well as what felt like a twisted ankle. He had no idea what had happened to him but he was sure it was an experience he was not anxious to repeat.
He lay like that, staring into the darkness of his mind as sleep gently took him again.
As he slept, words slipped slowly, quietly from his mouth, to seep into the air around him. Unbidden, his hands rose and clasped over his chest, fingers interwoven and thumbs tucked into the palms of his hands. The words seemed to hover and swirl around his hands as light, soft and slightly yellow, began to pulse within his clasped hands. The words, ancient and powerful, poured from his mouth and the light pulsed stronger and stronger, seeping down from his hands to his chest, spreading like molasses over his arms and down his legs, flowing over his throat and eventually covering him completely. He lay, oblivious, in his cocoon of pulsing light for several hours, the flow of words non-stop, the light pulsing around him.
As the light pulsed, it became streaked with red and brown and a sickly green, and his wounds began closing as his bones shifted and knit back together. He groaned slightly in his slumber as the incantation continued to swirl in the air around him and the cocoon glowed brighter. His hands finally began to relax and the light began to slide off of him, to seep into the ground around and beneath him. When the light faded completely, he relaxed, his hands falling to his sides and his breathing the deep of restful sleep.
When he awoke again, daylight shone into the opening of his meager shelter. He squinted past his boots, then slowly worked his way out of the windfall and its meager shelter. It took him a moment to realise that his wounds were healed and his head completely clear, and then a moment longer to realize that he was ravenously hungry. He had vague recollections of strange dreams, words spoken and an enveloping, comforting light. He shook his head and took a deep breath of the clear morning air. The dreams and his miraculous healing would have to wait.
He looked down at himself, studying his clothing. His hands were still encased in the black gauntlets, the silver insets shining in the sunlight. Exceptionally fine work, he thought to himself. He slowly pulled them off and inspected his hands. The callouses stood out starkly. His were a swordsman's hands, worn tough on the hilt of a blade.
He tucked the gauntlets into his belt and rubbed his face. The light beard that he habitually wore made a soft rasping noise as he sighed. He started walking towards the lake, glimmering in the distance from between the trees. He unbuckled the belt he wore, tucking the gauntlets under his arm, and inspected it.
Broad, black leather, double layers stitched together for extra strength yet supple and smooth, with two pouches in the small of the back and well as a larger one on the right side. The buckles for pouches were silver, finely wrought but very strong, as was the buckle for the belt itself. Intricate scrollwork on the double prongs of the buckle seemed familiar to him but he had trouble placing it. On the left of the belt were studs, for either a sword or a heavy dagger's’ sheath. He looked into the pouches, finding flint, but no steel, some line and a small box of kindling in one, as well as a small whetstone, and several packets of herbs in the other. The final pouch held three vials of different colored fluid, three small red crystals and a folder piece of parchment. The note was useless, being soaked in the lake, and the paper fell apart as soon as he tried to open it.
He slung the belt over his shoulder as he walked, and looked at the rest of his garb. A tight fitting black tunic, with sleeves which ended just above his elbow, and black pants. Both obviously made to fit him, and made from a very tough material, almost like hard leather armor but with the suppleness of linen. His boots were also of black leather, thick and heavy, slightly scuffed in places, clearly having seen much use.
He reached the shore and stood for a moment, trying to get his bearings and figure out where he was. The lake stretched out for at least two miles, maybe more to the far shore and looked deceptively deep. He looked around to see if he could find where the lake was fed from, but he couldn’t from where he was standing. The opposite shore was an awesome cliff, rising up hundreds of feet into the clear blue sky, with the sun just having cleared it as he reached the lake.
The water was a deep azure, and clear enough for him to see some movement below the water. When he knelt down and scooped some into his hand, he found it tasted almost sweet and crisp. He looked out over the water in silent appreciation of the beautiful place he found himself in. He straightened slowly, then dropped the belt and started stripping down to his smallclothes, intent on washing away the smell and the dirt.
When he shed his tunic, he found an amulet hanging around his neck. He held it up to the sun to inspect it. A silver chain held the amulet, a five pointed star in a circle, the edges of the star interlocking so no beginning or end could be seen, and in the centre a small blue stone in a wire spiral. The stone spun slowly as he held it up, its smooth surface unmarred and the sunlight flashing through it.The circle had more of the symbols that decorated his gauntlets.
In his right boot, he found a hunting knife. The broad blade was chipped in places but still sharp and serviceable. He smiled as he laid it on top of his neatly folded tunic, next to his belt. That will come in handy, he thought to himself as he finished stripping and walked gingerly to the shore over the sharp rocks.
He walked into the cold, still waters, looking up at the top of the cliff with the sun just above it, and slowly sank down into it up to his neck. It was invigorating, but the chill would drive him out before long, he decided. As he scrubbed the dirt and blood off he turned in a slow circle, following the line of the cliff. It stretched all the way around him, forming a massive basin with the lake at its lowest point. The forest he had taken shelter in stretched from the lake all the way to the other end of the basin, the trees climbing the opposite slope, as best he could tell.
The cliff fell away in one place only. To the north of him, he could see a notch in the cliff face, and could vaguely hear what he thought must be a massive waterfall. He considered going to see if he was right, but his hunger asserted itself at that moment, so he made his way back to shore, intent of finding something to eat. Before he started though, he decided to quickly wash his clothes as well, they would dry fairly quickly on the rocks in the sun. He could doze while he waited.
When his clothes were dry and he was dressed again, and he had transferred the knife from his boot to his belt, tucked into the small of his back, he started back towards the forest. He saw that the undergrowth was mainly small bushes and grass, so he guessed he should be able to find some small game and fruits, at the least. How he would catch said game, he would consider when he found it.
He walked for only a few minutes before coming across a small game trail, and decided to follow it, pulling the line out of its belt pouch and tying a slipknot for a snare. As he walked he tried to piece together what happened to him, how he came to be where he was. His recollections were still blurry, but he started to remember bits and pieces. A great battle was fought, and the climactic finale caused an explosion that threw him into a river. Apparently that river connected to the lake he woke up in.
He thought on these images while he set his snare, then slipped off into the brush to wait. He found a tree not too far from the trail, and nestled at its roots, his back the broad, rough trunk, and pulled the amulet out from his tunic and idly spun it on its chain as he waited. He found himself staring into the spinning crystal, mesmerized by the light flashing from it.
“What are you doing?” a voice behind him asked. He sprang up and took two steps away from the sound before spinning around to confront the owner of the voice, a little girl with flaming hair and a simple, earth-colored dress, who peeked out from behind the tree he had been resting against. He crouched down, his hands open and extended towards her, silent as death.
For several moments they stared at each other, measuring each other. She didn’t seem afraid of him, and he felt vaguely silly for assuming a defensive stance against a little girl. After a moment more he relaxed and straightened up, his dark clothes seeming to drink in the morning light filtering through the branches. He eyed the girl. “Who are you?” he asked, his deep, rough voice reverberating through the forest stillness.
She tilted her head a little, her body sliding out from the shelter of the trees trunk as she looked him up and down. “I’m not telling. You’re rude, you didn’t answer my question.” she replied, her voice soft like the wind brushing through the leaves.
He frowned at her, then crouched down again to bring their eyes almost level. “I am sorry. I didn't mean to be, you scared me, that’s all. My name is Cailin, and I’m trying to catch something to eat because I’m hungry. And I was playing with this while I waited.” he smiled as he held up the amulet for her to see.
She stared at it for a few moments, then walked up to him and touched the amulet with a little finger. “It’s really pretty. Where did you get it? “ she asked him. He straightened up and tucked it away before scratching his head. “I’m not sure” he replied. “I mean, I can’t remember, but I think I’ve had it for a really long time.” He looked down at the girl standing in his shadow. “What’s your name?” he asked.
She smiled at him. “My name is Gaia. I’m happy to meet you, Cailin” her deep green eyes sparkling in the light filtering through the leaves.
He smiled back at her as he straightened up. “Do you live around here, Gaia?” he asked, glancing around. Gaia nodded, and took his hand. “Come with me, I’ll show you.” she said, as she started tugging at his hand in the direction of the deep forest. He smiled and gently pried his hand loose from her grip. “Just a second, little one, I need to take down my snare first. I don’t want anything caught in it to suffer until I get back.” He smiled as he slipped away towards the trail. He quickly undid the snare and came back to the tree where the little girl was waiting for him.
She chatted as she led Cailin through the forest, deeper beneath the ancient trees. She seemed to know where she was going, so Cailin followed along, answering her questions as they went. The little girl skipped over roots and dodged around bushes, light-footed as a cat and just as quiet, where he had to push through the thickening underground with the canopy overhead letting less and less light through.
Ahead he saw a break in the trees, shafts of sunlight marching off into a haze that shortly resolved itself into a great clearing. Soft grass rippled in the breeze, and he slowed, then stopped, taking it all in as Gaia skipped ahead through the ankle deep grass. He stood there for a few moments, then broke into a jog to catch up with the girl, who had already disappeared back into the trees. Cailin was worried that he had lost her, but Gaia was just ahead, leaning against a tree, waiting for him.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”, she smiled at him. “It’s the biggest clearing in the entire forest. We call it the Open” she said as she skipped ahead, nimbly avoiding roots and bushes, barely disturbing the leaves as she passed.
“We?” Cailin asked, pushing a bush out of his way, trying his best not to break any of the branches of the plants he passed but often with questionable success. “Are there other people here?” Gaia called back over her shoulder “You’ll meet them soon, we are almost there”. She skipped ahead, a slight shadow under the trees’ spreading limbs. Cailin frowned as he pushed through after her fleeting form.
After a few minutes of walking, Cailin spotted what looked like a stone wall through the gaps in the trees. The wall grew in his sight until he cleared the tree line and gazed up at the fortress that shouldered its way up from the forest. Massive stones fit snugly to form the foundations for the walls reaching up to the blue skies far above, with small windows spread evenly along its length. Its gates, wide enough for three large wagons to drive through side by side, stood open like the maw of a great beast, dark and foreboding.
The passage through the wall was dark and cool, with the light at the end of the tunnel beckoning to Cailin as he walked under the huge stones of the fortress wall. The passage led out into a courtyard, and Cailin marveled at the sight.
Immense flagstones, the color of burnt sugar, stretched out toward the broad front of the fortress, several hundred meters before him. The courtyard was guarded at the corners by gardens, lush green grass and flower beds in full bloom reaching out from the warm stone walls, but kept in check by walls no higher than his shin. A massive fountain burbled in the centre of the yard, three tiers of polished red granite rising up three times his height, the water from the top tier spilling over into the one below by way of five notched in the round bowl. The notched on the bowls all lined up perfectly.
As they passed the fountain, Cailin saw large fish, yellow and red and white, lazily making their way around the large bottom tier, which was easily ten meters across. As Gaia passed the fish all swam to the side in a group, their mouths breaking the surface and opening and closing, as if waiting for food. Cailin held his hand over the water and looked on as the fish went into a little frenzy.
He let his hand drop as his gaze roamed the yard, trying to take it all in. In one corner there appeared to be a stable, and the ground next to it was not paved, but rather taken up by what looked to him like a training yard, with weapon racks lined up along one side and dummies standing to attention along the wall. He could see a few horses in the stall, but there was no other person in sight.
Gaia had reached the massive double doors set deep into the wall of the fortress, and reached up to touch the silver seal set into the middle of the doors. The seal was the same five pointed star as the amulet he wore, he realized with a start. Gaia lightly brushed her hand over it and the doors smoothly swung inward, revealing a dark passage into the belly of the stone. As she skipped inside, Cailin slowly mounted the steps and crossed the threshold. As he stepped across he could feel the amulet warming against his skin and from the corner of his eye he saw a ripple of light flow across one half of the seal on the doors.
The little girl had walked over to a massive column, half hidden in the gloom, and pressed a stone, set about a meter off the floor. At her touch the stone glowed briefly, but before it faded, torches burst into flame all along a row of columns previously hidden in the dark.
Cailin gaped. The columns were massive, wide enough to need three men holding hands to encircle them, set with four torches each to give an even light, and were a deep red and flecked with bits of silver, which glittered in the new light. They marched off into the mountain, four rows of columns to each side of a walkway, about three meters wide, that led down the center of the cavernous room. A thick black carpet led the way down the center of the room, bordered in red with silver designs sewn into the fringe.
At the far end, Cailin could make out a single door, only half the size of the main portal they had entered from, also set with the seal in silver. Cailin lengthened his stride again and finally caught up with Gaia as she reached the other door and reached up to brush the seal with her fingertips again. “Gaia, what is this place?”, he asked as the door swung open. Again he could feel the amulet warming and saw the rapplie of light flow across the seal on the door.
“This is my home, Cailin. Come on, everyone will be in the upper courtyard. I’m sure they would like to meet you!” she bubbled as she started up the broad spiral stairway the door had revealed. The carpet flowed up the steps, muffling their footsteps as they climbed, up and up for what seemed to Cailin, and his legs, to be an eternity. On the next landing, Gaia bounced off down a short hallway to another door, this one of unadorned oak.
“This way!”, she called back over her shoulder, as she threw the door open and stepped into the bright sunlight flooding into the hallway. She disappeared into the shaft of light.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Cailin slowed, and came to a stop just before the doorway. He reached behind himself to grip the knife as he cautiously stepped out into the sunlight.
The door let out onto a circular garden, etched into the side of the fortress’ massive wall. Lush green grass grew in a circle formed by a waist high stone wall, the grass stretching fifty meters across from the door. Several benches were scattered around the garden, white marble gleaming in the bright sunlight. A large round table stood in the centre of the lawn, with several platters and cups scattered over its top. A few small trees grew in large pots here and there, and a handful of other people stood around, all looking his way. Cailin felt very self-conscious all of a sudden.
Gaia was skipping across the grass towards one of the groups of people. “Uncle Kal, I found him!” she called out as she reached a tall man in a light grey robe, pointing back over her shoulder toward Cailin. The man turned to face the oncoming little girl, a smile creasing his already lined face behind a thick white beard. Cailin could see a long tail of braided hair, white like his beard, lying over his shoulder. Gaia ran into his open arms, laughing as he picked her up.
Kal looked up at Cailin as he straightened, smiling in greeting as Cailin slowly made his way across the grass towards them, his hand still gripping his knife’s handle, His robe was a light grey and unadorned but for a belt around his waist. The belt was a darker grey, and cinched with a buckle wrought in the symbol that was on the door.
“You can be at ease, my friend.” Kal smiled at Cailin. “You have no enemies here, I assure you.” Still carrying the girl, Kal made his way across the grass to where Cailin stood. He gently set Gaia down on the grass and help out his hand to Cailin. Cailin looked at the hand extended to him for a moment before releasing the grip on his knife and grasping Kal’s forearm, and was grasped in turn.
Kal smiled as he squeezed and then released Cailin’s forearm. “Come, you must be starving.” Kal turned slightly and held out his arm to indicate the round table. “As you can see, we have been expecting you.” He started off across the grass, the little girl skipping ahead of him, with Cailin trailing in his wake. He was still very cautious about everything, but the scents from the table were beginning to intrude on his thoughts.
“Expecting me? Why would you be expecting me?” Cailin asked as they got to the table. Platters with roasted meat and fresh vegetables, bowls with fruits and nuts and several pitchers with what looked like different juices, wine and water stood scattered over its surface, and he keenly felt the pangs of hunger. He reached out to take an apple from one of the bowls.
“We felt the power of the spell you cast, Cailin.” Kal stroked his beard as he stared off towards the distant cliffs. “We felt immense power radiating from you, which is why we sent Gaia to find you.” He turned to Cailin, who stood with his mouth hanging open, the apple forgotten in his hand.
“What are you talking about?” Cailin asked, an edge to his voice. “I have done no magic. Magic is blasphemy!” Cailin slowly crushed the apple in his fist as his anger rose. “I have done no magic!” he shouted.
Kal looked at Cailin as he stroked his beard calmly. The silence stretched out, as all eyes turned to the two men, facing each other over the table. Finally, with a sigh, Kal folded his arms and leaned a hip against the table. “Who taught you that magic is blasphemy, Cailin?” Kal asked. He took a goblet and offered it to the younger man.
Cailin glared at the goblet until Kal put it back on the table. He took a step back from the table, as his hand slipped behind his back to grip his knife again. He shot a glance to either side of him, as a few of the other people started drifting closer. A breeze breathed through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. Kal held up a hand and everyone stopped. “Cailin.” he said softly. “Who taught you that magic is blasphemy?” Kal asked again, his own voice cooling slightly.
“My father taught me, as well as my grandfather.” Cailin hissed as his eyes flicked from Kal to the others. “They taught me that magic is evil, that it has no place in this world.” Cailin sank down slightly, balanced on the balls of his feet as he glared at the older man.
Kal sighed as he closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. “Magic, Cailin, is neither good nor is it evil. It merely is. What we use it for can be considered as either good or evil.” Kal straightened, and held his hand out in front of him, palm down. “Observe.” he said softly, as slight furrows of concentration appeared on his brow.
Cailin kept his glare in place, his hand gripping his knife handle, as he waited. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then he noticed how the grass under Kal’s palm was moving, as if in a wind. The grass seemed to swirl and grow longer and longer, finally reaching up to Kal’s palm. Kal turned his hand up, lifting it higher with the grass following his direction, swirling into a tight mass and beginning to darken into an earthy brown. Cailins eyes grew wider and wider as the grass continued to transform a small tree, sprouting branches that divided into smaller branches and eventually leaves and even dark purple blossoms.
Cailin fell onto his back, staring at the tree in amazement. Kal dropped his hand, and opened his eyes and stared directly into Cailin’s. “What is evil about this tree, Cailin?” Kal asked. “What is evil about what I have done? I have created a home for birds, a source of food for us, as this tree will bear fruit in its time, and shelter from the heat of the sun in summer. Have I wrought evil? Have I brought violence, hunger, hatred or despair?” Kal placed a hand on the trunk of the small tree. “Or have I managed to do a measure of good with my blasphemy?”
Cailin opened his mouth, but could not say anything. There simply was not anything to say. His whole life and way of thinking had just been proven a lie right before his eyes, and he could feel his mind shying away from the fact. Everything he had been brought up to believe was wrong and his black and white world had just been shattered.
Kal crouched in front of Cailin, a gentle smile on his face. He laid a hand softly on the young man’s shoulder. “Cailin. I want you to stay here for a time, and let us teach you. Let us show you a different view of the world.” Kal felt Cailin trembling slightly under his palm.
Cailin couldn’t speak, as he was mesmerized by the sight of the tree. A small red flower had peeked out from between a few of the leaves, seeming to wink at him as the light breeze caressed the branches. His eyes were slowly drawn away from the tree to Kal’s face.
Cailin stared at Kal for long moments, taking in the finer details he had missed previously, like Kal’s eyes, a very pale blue, so pale to be nearly white, the very bushy eyebrows above them, the lines at the corners of his eyes and across his forehead… “Why would you want to help me?” Cailin stammered. “I am just a soldier who got lost, and no one special!” A tear slipped down the side of the face.
Gaia came around Kal’s legs and sat down cross-legged on the grass next to Cailin, and gently wiped away the tear. “You aren’t no-one, Cailin. You never were, and you never will be. We have been watching you for many years now, waiting for you to find your way to us. And you have finally come home to us.”
Cailin stared at Gaia as the tears started flowing down his cheeks. “I’ve never had a home,” he sobbed, and the little girl put her arms around his neck as he cried into her small shoulder. Cailin, cried, vague memories of a miserable lifetime spent on the road drifting through his mind. Gaia stroked his hair and whispered comfort to the young man until the storm of his weeping had passed.
After a while, Cailin looked up at Kal with red rimmed eyes for a few moments, then hung his head between his knees. “I’m sorry, Master Kal, for my behaviour.”, he said to the grass under him. Kal reached down and placed a gentle hand on Cailins shoulder and squeezed. “That's quite alright, my boy. You wouldn't be the first to threaten me, and I doubt you will be the last.” Kal turned his hand up and offered it to Cailin.
Cailin took the offered hand as Kal helped him to his feet, and led him to the table. “You must be starving. Here, eat your fill…”, Kal followed his own advice and picked up a plate filled with a few cuts of meat and fruits. Cailin reached for a plate and filled it with meats and some fruit as well. Kal smiled as he turned away and led him to the edge of the garden to sit on one of the stone benches. Cailin followed him, keenly aware of the eyes that followed him as he made his way across the little garden.
Kal had settled himself on the bench, his plate beside him as the blur of conversation started up from various points in the garden. Cailin set his plate down on the bench as well before sitting down and beginning to eat. The two men sat in silence for a time, each enjoying the meal and sense of peace that permeated the garden like a fine mist.
Gaia came over with two goblets which she deposited on the bench before skipping off to join one of the other groups of people. Cailin’s gaze followed her, his eyes narrowing slightly. Kal saw this, and leaned over to him. “Something the matter, my boy?” He picked up one of the goblets, and took a sip, waiting for the younger man’s reply. Cailin kept his eyes on Gaia.
“Her movement. It isn't natural. She… blurred… every now and then.” He squinted at the little girl as she made her way around the garden.
Kal laughed quietly. “Excellent, Cailin. Excellent indeed… Not many would pick up on that so quickly. Your powers of perception will stand you in good stead.” Kal took a bite of a soft green fruit that Cailin had never seen before. “Of course, she would do that. She is a wood sprite.”
Cailin frowned over at Cal. “A wood sprite? I have never heard of anything like a wood sprite?” He too took a drink from his goblet as he watched the older man chew and swallow. Kal leaned back against the low wall behind them, idly stroking his beard. He eyed Cailin. “Are you sure you want to know, young man? I don't want to upset you again.” Cailin flushed as he saw the faint smile behind Kal’s beard.
“I’ll be fine, Kal.” Cailin growled.
Kal chuckled as he pulled a pipe out a hidden pocket in his robe. He snapped his fingers, igniting a small flame and held it to the bowl, taking a few puffs before leaning back and blowing a streamer of sweet smelling smoke. He gestured with the stem of his pipe, his voice quiet and suddenly serious.
“Wood sprites, Cailin, are lesser spirits.” Kal folded his arms, looking at Cailin through a veil of blue-grey smoke. “All elemental sprites, and there are quite a few, such as wood sprites and water sprites along with several others, are the lesser spirits of this world.” Kal pulled on his pipe, blowing out another long stream of smoke. “Ï suspect that you will meet several on your journeys to come.”
Cailin frowned, only listening with half of his attention as Kal recounted a few meetings he had had with various sprites, as Cailin watched Gaia intently. She looked up and met his eyes squarely across the courtyard.
Cailin….
Cailin started at the voice that suddenly flowed into his mind, accompanied by an immense presence. You really should pay attention to Kal. He’s really wise, and you could learn a lot from him. Cailin glanced around, his eyes a little wild, until he glanced back at Gaia to find her laughing at him behind her hand. She winked at him, then turned around and strolled over to the young tree that Kal had made to grow a few minutes ago.
Kal had stopped talking and was watching Cailin closely. He leaned forward, his head turned slightly toward Cailin. “She spoke to you just now, didn’t she?” Cailin just nodded, and Kal sat back again with a smile behind his beard. They sat quietly for a few more minutes before Kal smoothly rose to his feet and said “Come, my friend. Lets go introduce you to the others. Many of them will have something to teach you. Many will not. It all depends on you, at the end of the day.” Kal strode off across the grass toward one of the knots of people standing around, eating and drinking and talking in low tones with each other.
At the first group, Cailin was introduced to a mountain of a man, who introduced himself as Blake Stone, a blacksmith by trade and metalworker to the community. As he and Cailin grasped each other’s forearms, Cailin felt something pass between the two of them. The mans deep blue eyes sparkled and his voice, made rough by years of inhaling the smoke from forges, completely fit in with his iron grip and callused hands. “Welcome, young one. Come by my forge some time, and share an ale with me, yes?” Blake grinned down at Cailin and Cailin would later admit that the man’s sheer size was intimidating, with Blake being at least two heads taller that the younger man. His size notwithstanding, Cailin immediately felt drawn to smith, and could feel a deep bond forming.
Blake the introduced Cailin to his wife, a tiny slip of a woman, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, whose name was Hazel. She smiled and shook his hand, with Cailin taking care to be gentle with her dainty hand in his grip.
As they stood talking, Cailin felt a light touch on his arm, and he turned around to see a man of his height, but with a slighter build than his, wearing a dark red robe with the hood pulled up. Cailin couldn't make out his face, but the voice that came out of the dark depths was smooth and light, like liquid crystal.
“Ah. So we finally meet… Welcome, brother. My name is Revin.”, the voice intoned as one long fingered hand emerged from a wide sleeve to pull back the hood, revealing a face as smooth as moonlight on water, and as pale.
Revin was of delicate build, with an aquiline nose and high cheekbones. His cheeks were slightly sunken and he was clean shaven, with his dark eyes glittering from cavernous sockets.
“It is a pleasure to meet you… Brother?” Cailin replied, as Revin’s hand disappeared back into his opposite sleeve.
“Ah. The term is referring to the fact that you have inborn magic, as I do.” Revin smiled again, a slight curling of the corners of his thin lips. Cailin felt slightly intimidated by the smile and predatory look in Revin’s eyes, but he held his ground, standing straight and looking the magician in the eyes. “I hope that we will be having long conversations about your power in the near future?” the dark robed man asked, intently studying Cailin.
Though still extremely uncomfortable with the knowledge that he had certain abilities, Cailin agreed, thinking that it can't bring him any harm, and might provide some answers. Cailin also had a vague sense of unease about Revin, but he shrugged it off as the result of the massive shock he had suffered in the last few hours.
The conversation flowed on, with Revin asking a few probing questions and Cailin answering where and what he could. Questions of his power were left unanswered, or ignored, and Cailin asked little in return, a fact that did not seem to phase the dark robed magician. He eventually appeared to become distracted and abruptly ended the meeting, and after a brief farewell, walked to the door and disappeared down the corridor.
“Strange man... “, Cailin said under his breath as he watched the corridor swallow Revin’s slight frame. He then jumped like a cat on a hot stone when Gaia spoke from his elbow. “Isn’t he though? I can rarely get a read on him, and I can get a read on almost anyone.’ She grinned up at his startled expression. “Did I scare you? I’m sorry.” She grinned impudently.
“Yeah, you really LOOK sorry.” Cailin took a moment to get his hammering heart under control before squatting down in front of the little girl, and cocked his head at her, slightly narrowing his eyes. “Do you enjoy scaring me, Gaia?”, he asked.
Gaia giggled, and reached out to muss his hair with a small hand. “Immensely. Since the moment I met you. I think we can be friends.” She smiled at him.
“Rather that than have a sprite as an enemy”, he smiled as he stood up. Gods, he thought, this must be a dream. I’m in a strange place, with no idea how I got here, to be told I can do things I’ve always believed is born from pure evil, only to be shown that what I was taught isn’t true, with strange people that welcome me as if they’ve known me my entire life, and now I’m becoming friends with a spirit…
He turned his face up to the sky, with the sky rapidly darkening as the sun sank below the edge of the cliffs. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as a breeze flowed over the garden, stirring his hair and setting the leaves on the new tree to flutter. Gaia stood next to him, and gently took his hand.
Do you feel it, Cailin? Her voice breathed through his mind. Do you feel the world around you, feel it breathing, feel it growing, feel its life?
Yes, little one. I can feel it… he answered, as the realisation dawned on him that he could feel everything around him. In his mind's eye he could see the ebb and flow of the energies around him, from the wind, a whitish-blue swirling around and touching everything, to the earth and stone around him, pulsing with a greenish-brown hue, to the waters of the far off lake, he could see and feel everything….
Careful… Gaia’s voice came to him, tinged with a hint of concern. Don’t get lost in it all. Come back to us… In Cailin’s mind he could feel Gaia pulling him toward something. When he saw what it was, he was stunned. Is that… ME!?, he thought. He saw his body shining with a golden-silver hue, pulsing in the early evening light. Gaia gently guided him back to himself, and he experienced a melding as he felt himself sink back into his body.
When Cailin opened his eyes, he took a deep breath and slowly looked around him, seeing the world through new eyes. He looked down at Gaia, who smiled up at him and held her arms out to him. He smiled back, then leaned down to pick up the little girl before turning back to Kal, who was watching them from the table with a small smile on his face.
“So? Will you stay with us, if only for a time?” Kal asked, sipping from a goblet. Cailin looked into Kal’s eyes for a few moments, before turning to stare out over the trees. He thought about everything that has happened in the last few hours, all the changes he has been forced to accept, and silently acknowledged that parts of his upbringing was, if not a lie, then misinformed. He smiled a sad little smile, and turned back to Kal.
“It seems that I have much to learn, and I doubt that I'll find anywhere else to learn it. The land I come from is not… open, to this sort of thing, as you probably guessed.” he said as he shifted Gaia to his other hip. He looked at the sprite and smiled. “Yes, Kal. I will stay.”
Gaia grinned at him, and Kal’s smile was wide and genuine. He laid his hand gently on Cailin’s shoulder, and turned them towards the door. “Come, my young friend. I have something to show you.” Kal lead them into the door and down the hall beyond. They walked for a time in silence, broken only by their footsteps and Gaia’s humming. The melody seemed somewhat familiar to Cailin, but he could not place it.
In time, the party came to another wooden door, set with the silver seal. Kal swung the door open and stepped through into another courtyard, but this one was very different to the one they had left. The wall around the edge was slightly higher, coming up to Cailan's chest, and crenelated. There were candles everywhere, bathing the area in a soft, flickering light, and shadows danced everywhere. A ring of soft grass, almost a meter wide, broke an otherwise completely paved area, and surrounded an area about ten meters across. The area inside the ring was also paved, but the stones formed five spirals, all curving inward to another seal, set in silver with a wide silver ring embracing it. The silver seemed to glow in the light of the moon, rising just above the cliffs in the distance.
Cailin felt the seal pulling him inward, and let Gaia slip down to the ground. Instinctively, he pulled his pendant out from his tunic, laying it on his chest, where it could catch the moonlight. He stepped forward onto the grass, then stopped as Kal put his hand on the younger man’s chest. He looked deep into Cailin’s eyes, and asked quietly “Are you sure, Cailin? This decision will change the course of your whole life, forever. And it will not be an easy path...It is not too late to turn back, should you wish” He watched intently as Cailin considered his words…
The moment dragged on, and then, abruptly, Cailin pushed past him and stepped into the center of the spirals and the seal. Behind him, Kal pulled up his hood, and Gaia’s humming became a song, the words speaking of a homecoming and the joy of finding one who was lost. Cailin turned his face up to the moon, now full in the sky, washing the world in white light and setting the silver beneath his feet to blazing. The light grew brighter and brighter as Kal began chanting, the words meaningless to Cailin. He was caught in the light, and the emotion in Gaia’s song. Soon, the blazing light enveloped Cailin, and he could hear Kal’s voice reaching out to him.
“The spirits of this world see you now, Cailin. Will you serve them?” Kal’s voice asked.
Cailin could feel presences around him, benevolent, caring, loving, and he smiled as he answered; “I will…”
“Will you freely do as they instruct, and fulfil the duties they will lay upon you?” Kal’s voice was intent.
“I will…” Cailin answered again, without hesitation.
“Will you defend this world, when it is deemed necessary, though it cost you your life, or the lives of those you hold dear?” Kal’s voice was but a whisper.
“I will. I swear it...” Cailin replied. The words flowed from deep within him, and he could feel his oath flowing from the words into the light that enveloped him, and the light became a bright gold flame streaked with all the colors of the rainbow, spinning and swirling around him, tugging at his clothes and hair.
“Then, as witnessed by the spirits of this world, and the Gods they represent, be welcome.” Kal’s voice was not a whisper, but a welcoming cry, almost a shout, and a sudden roaring filled Cailin’s ears as the rainbow of light bathing him suddenly bolted skyward, a pillar that pierced the heavens.
The light faded slowly, and Cailin found himself on one knee in the center of the circle, one forearm resting across his bent leg and the other a fist on the ground. He slowly rose and took a deep breath of the crisp night air, tilting his head back and feeling the loving light from the moon bathe his face.
Gaia strolled over to him and took his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” she said as she started pulling him towards the door. Kal smiled, stroking his beard as he watched the sprite pull the young man into the dark passageway. When they were gone, he stepped over to the seal, and stretched out his hand, palm up, and called forth a small flame. The flame danced and spun on his palm, growing larger until it was roughly the size and height of a child's ball.
A voice drifted out of the flame; “Did he choose to stay?” The voice was soft, feminine and seemed to come from an immeasurable distance.
Kal bowed his head towards the flame before answering “Yes, oh my Mistress. He is very powerful, though he does not yet know how powerful. We will train him to the best of our ability, and when the time is right and he is prepared, we will send him to you.”
The flame flickered, becoming a shade deeper. “Very good, my old friend. You have served me long, and have served me well. I have complete trust in your abilities and judgement, and those you have gathered around you. Be blessed, Kal. We shall speak again.”
Kal bowed again as the flame spun in his hand, pulling into itself until it was merely a pinprick of light before vanishing. He straightened, turning in a rustle of robes and walked into the keep, pulling the door closed behind him. As he walked the familiar passages to his quarters, he turned his thoughts to the lessons he must prepare for the morning, and for the days and weeks to come.