Guardians of Evil Page 9

  “Yes, Master Wilorm.” She felt hurt and wanted to shout that she had problems, but he wouldn’t care nor would his customers. She made the mistake. She wasn’t paying attention and had ruined an entire pot of soup. She spent the rest of the day preparing small swans and flowers to decorate plates.

  “Only fair, Liada. You can do better than that. I expect to see you rested and ready to work tomorrow,” Wilorm said as he went back to his preparations. Liada was relieved to leave for the night. The days and nights were turning into an ongoing nightmare. Tonight was her meeting with Zeph. She needed someone to pour out her troubles to. When she arrived, Zeph was already sitting on what she now thought of as their log.

  “Liada, you look terrible,” he said as soon as he saw her. She apparently looked the same way she felt.

  “Oh, I’m so glad to see you. It’s been horrible. I gave Emmund the list last night. He told me the priests are hunting for the sprites, and he guessed that I have one.”

  “How?”

  “It was simple now that I think about it.” She sighed and sat with her shoulder slumped. “I got information no one else could, and suddenly the priests are looking for sprites. And they were looking for me. How hard was it to figure out, really?”

  “I guess so,” Zeph said as he walked around restlessly.

  “He wants me to leave Ostono and go to Sporish.”

  “You can’t.”

  “I think it’s more like I have to. The priests will hunt the sprite and it’ll lead them to me, my family, and you. Besides, the lives of the First Ones are at stake. If the priests get all that power back like they had before, they won’t rest until they find and destroy them all. And who knows how many people will get hurt for them to do it?” Liada realized she’d made her decision. She straightened. “Thanks, Zeph.”

  “For what?”

  “Talking to you helped me decide. I’m going to Sporish. I love Tali and can’t imagine a world without the First Ones. And I don’t want to imagine a world run by the priests. Or a world where you or my family are hurt.” She looked around at the forest and breathed in the green smell of the trees. A sense of calm flowed into her. She didn’t know how she was going to help, but she’d find a way.

  “I’m going with you.” Zeph stood with his hands on his hips, lips tightly set, and glaring as if ready for a fight.

  “I want you to go with me. It would be nice to have your company and someone I know to talk to, but I want you to stay here safe.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how safe you’re going to be if they trace the sprites to me. Let’s wait and see what happens. It’ll only be a couple of days.”

  Zeph glowered at her. “You can think about it all you want to but there’s no way you’re going off by yourself.”

  * * * *

  Now that Liada had made her decision to go Sporish, she was able to relax. The next morning she watched Wilorm make a complicated casserole. He had her cutting beef, rabbit, and pork into chunks, which he browned in a pan while she cut up onions and carrots, which were also browned. Then he combined them, adding salt, pepper, honey, herbs, and wine that filled the air with a delicious savory odor. The result when finished, four hours later, looked and smelled delicious. For the rest of the morning she experimented with hot sugar. She realized she was singing to herself as she worked. Engrossed in her work, it surprised her when she finished and looked at the reasonably good-looking blue and white crane she’d produced. It was standing on one leg—sort of. She’d cheated, leaning him against a couple of marsh weeds she managed to make green. Someday, she promised herself, she’d figure out how to make the stork support itself on one leg.

  “Not bad, Liada. I see you’re back to your old self. Good.”

  As he turned away she mimicked “not bad, Liada,” under her breath and crossed her eyes at his back. I’d like to see you do better. Actually, he could probably make it stand on one leg. She chuckled. It had been a good day.

  * * * *

  Liada was dressed in her usual dark clothes and strolling towards their meeting place in the forest when Tali arrived and settled onto her shoulder.

  “Tali, I’m glad you’re back. The priests hunting for sprites keep me worried.”

  “Yes, they are very active. Ironically, they ignored Upper Terrace Place and began their search on Lower Terrace Place. Sechael is arranging to leave for Sporish in a couple of days, traveling in his own carriage. He has contacted a woman named Rychael, who is on the Sporish Supreme Council.”

  When Liada arrived at their meeting place, Emmund was nowhere in sight.

  “He is here,” Tali said.

  “I think the secrets are over, Emmund.”

  He stepped out from behind the trees. “Yes, I would agree. However it comes naturally after a while.” As they were exchanging smiling jibes, Zeph stalked into the grove of trees.

  “I understand you intend to come along with Liada to Sporish,” Emmund said, watching Zeph.

  “Yes. I think we’re both at risk, and I hope it’ll keep anyone from paying attention to our parents.”

  “For a while, but I agree it would be worse if you stayed. I have friends in Sporish who can help you.”

  “Sechael is making arrangements to leave in a couple of days. He’s contacted a woman named Rychael,” Liada said. She shook her head at the kind of people involved in this plot. They were important, wealthy, and yet as fanatical as the priests.

  “Meet me here tomorrow night. Be packed and ready to travel,” Emmund said as he stepped back and melted into the shadows. Liada and Zeph sat there for a long time saying nothing.

  Liada laughed a little. “I’ve always dreamed of magical creatures, adventures, and seeing foreign lands. I’m not sorry about meeting Tali, but so far the rest isn’t as much fun as I expected.”

  Zeph merely nodded.

  Chapter 7

  Ostono: Stonecross

  Liada and Zeph stayed after Emmund left, trying to decide what excuses they should make before they left for Sporish.

  “We can’t tell anyone we’re leaving. I think I’ll tell Master Wilorm my mother isn’t feeling well, and she wants me to help out for a while. That way Wilorm will think I’m going home, and mother will think I’m at the Travelers Inn,” Liada said.

  “Yes, that’ll at least cover you for a week or two, maybe longer. I have an aunt and uncle in Pinedge. I’ll convince Father that I’d like to see them. Uncle Rourn is a blacksmith. If I tell Father I want to work with him for a while that might work.” Zeph frowned. “If I can’t convince him and just leave, it’s for sure they’d want to talk to you to ask if you’d seen me.”

  Liada made a face. “Especially since you’ve been visiting me lately.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot with all our talk of going to Sporish. The priests were back in our area last night. I heard they searched a good part of the Upper East Side starting at Lower Terrace Place south to Anza Street and east over to your parents’ Inn.”

  “That means they’ll probably be on the west side tomorrow, including the Travelers Inn.” Liada paused. “Tali, why do the priests search mostly at night?”

  “Because we leave a slight energy trail as we move. It is easier to detect at night.”

  “How long does it last?”

  “Six to ten hours depending on how fast we move. The faster we move the more energy we use and the clearer the trail.”

  “Then if you leave with us tomorrow night, you’ll leave an energy trail they could follow,” Liada said.

  “Yes.”

  “You better leave tonight then. Go to the Misty Bridge. We’ll meet you tomorrow night on the Sporish side.”

  “That would be safest. By tomorrow night our trace will be gone,” Tali said. She brushed Liada’s cheek as she left.

  * * * *

  Liada peeked into the kitchen. Wilorm hadn’t arrived. She went around making sure everything was in its proper place, wiping down spots the cleaning crew had missed, and starting the fires. She’d
finished when Wilorm arrived. He was in a good mood, which he usually was until the cooking started. Liada thought it best to approach him about leaving before the kitchen got busy.

  “Master Wilorm, I will have to leave after today’s meal is finished and I’ve cleaned up. My mother isn’t feeling well and wanted me to help her for a few days, until she’s better.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Liada. That will be all right. Tell your mother I hope she recovers soon and that you did all right while you were here—most of the time,” Wilorm said with a slight smile at the end.

  “Thank you. I’ll tell her.”

  “You’re welcome back when you’re ready. You have much to learn.” Wilorm turned and took today’s menu out of his pocket and studied it. “Prepare the ingredients for a simple pot pie, then come over here and watch me do the crust. You don’t add the right amount of water, you don’t knead it properly, and it comes out different every time. And you have yet to do it right.”

  Liada scooped flour out of the barrel.

  I did a few times, sort of, you old grump.

  The day went quickly. She managed to make a close-to-perfect crust under Wilorm’s watchful eye. Afterwards, she said her goodbyes and returned to her room to pack her few clothes. When she stepped outside, she saw four senior priests roaming Eddy Street. Their red robes trimmed in silver and their white surcoats with a red cross made them impossible to miss. At each house, the priests yelled an order for the house to be opened. The door was quickly thrown open, and their Quag darted in and out of the house, searching. The priests must have directed it to be visible for its impact on people. Normally, Quag remained invisible.

  Since they were on Eddy Place, she turned and headed south along Orme Street towards Post Road. She hurried along, hoping she could find Zeph on his usual path and their meeting place. She had just reached Post Road when she met him walking towards her.

  “Zeph, how did it go?”

  “Pa agreed after I whined all day. He gave me a letter to Uncle Rourn. Why are you here? I thought I was to meet you at the Travelers Inn?”

  “The priests are out in force. Right now, they are on Eddy Place. I was afraid if they saw me, they’d recognize me. Let’s use Drumm Road to get to the market and the road to Misty Bridge.”

  “What about Emmund?”

  “When he sees the priests, he’ll guess we left without him. We’ll wait at the bridge.”

  When they reached the market, it was still open and Liada had a strong urge to roam around her favorite haunts one last time. They did stroll slowly, stopping here and there so they’d blend in with the crowds. They reached the road to Misty Bridge an hour later and began what would be a long trek. She’d never been that far, but thought it would take over a day to reach it, as it was some twenty miles away. Once it was too dark to see the road, they stopped and slept under a little bush beside the road. Rocks kept poking her in the ribs and she hardly slept at all. Every rustle in the grass or bushes made her jump. Nearby, Zeph kept tossing, too. As soon as the sky turned early morning gray, they got up and started trudging down the road with their packs over their shoulders.

  The road was well traveled, since it was the main road from the bridge to Stonecross. They passed a lot of merchants pushing carts and women carrying baskets of goods. An occasional coach or wagon rattled by. Liada got out some bread she’d packed, and they munched it as they walked. Fascinated with the variety of people traveling the roads, she started her game of “guess where they’re from” with Zeph. He was getting almost as good as she was, and the time passed quickly.

  The area became more barren and rocky as they neared the Misty Bridge, and the little farm cottages were further apart. Only goats could be seen grazing rocky slopes. A few thorny bushes and small trees grew near the sheer cliffs rising above the shores of Lake Disos separating Ostono from Sporish.

  The gray stone bridge spanned a narrow gorge and resembled the drawgate of a castle. Each side could draw up one-half of the bridge, stopping traffic. On both sides of the bridge, vendors sold food and souvenirs. A strong breeze blew high scuttling clouds and waves dashed sprays of water up and over the craggy rocks at the base of the cliff.

  The bridge had two sets of guards. Ostono soldiers guarded the east side and Sporish soldiers the west side. Mostly they collected tolls and ensured no weapons were carried across. The guards weren’t concerned about anything else.

  “What do you think, Liada?”

  “I think Emmund can find us whenever he wants. He’s probably been following us. But he’s not likely to cross over into Sporish in the daylight. Let’s cross and wait for him on the other side. It’s only a couple of coppers at each gate and I have money.”

  “I’m hungry. We haven’t eaten much,” Zeph said, rubbing his belly.

  “We can eat on the other side. Who knows where or when Emmund will show up,” Liada said, pausing to look at the guards. “Zeph, you take this silver since you’re older. That’ll look more natural.” They got in the line behind a thin, gray-haired man at the Ostono checkpoint.

  “Two coppers each,” the guard said. He looked like he had just come from a tavern. His clothes were wrinkled, his tunic unbuttoned at the neck, and his cheeks covered in graying stubble. His partner, who didn’t look much better, stood off to his left collecting tolls from the travelers coming from Sporish. Zeph handed over the silver and got the six coppers change.

  The guard waved them through, and they stepped onto the wooden bridge. The view was worth the coppers. At the bottom of the gorge a blue ribbon of water wound its way from Lake Svasser into Lake Disos. The sides of the cliffs had streaks of reds, browns, and gray changing as clouds passed in front of the sun. On the other side, two more guards stood in the way. These guards looked alert and their uniforms were clean and unwrinkled.

  “Business?” the taller of the two guards asked while looking them up and down.

  “Visiting our uncle,” Zeph said and held up his father’s letter. Fortunately, it didn’t specify a town or city.

  “Four coppers.”

  Zeph paid the coppers and they moved off the bridge onto solid ground. They wandered around the stalls until the aroma of cooking meat pies with thyme and onions caught their attention. When they found the stall, Zeph bought two meat pies and berry juice. They munched on the pies, strewing crumbs down their fronts, and wandered around waiting to see if Emmund would show up. The sun sank below the horizon, and it started getting dark. When he didn’t show, they had no option but to start walking towards Osshaft, another day’s walk. They had only walked several minutes when Liada felt Tali land on her shoulder.

  “Tali, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  “I’ve talked with the Seadragons and told them about you and what you’ve discovered about the priests. They’ve agreed to help.” Tali spoke into her ear in an almost inaudible whisper.

  “Liada, are you listening to me?” Zeph said.

  “Sorry, Zeph. Tali’s back. She says the Seadragons are going to help us.”

  “Seadragons?”

  “Yes, one kind of the original three First Ones.” As she talked, she felt something land on her other shoulder. It felt like soft feathers tickling her neck and she giggled.

  “What’s your name? Can we see you?”

  “If you step off the road into the trees. There’s no one around right now. However, the glow could be seen for miles.” Liada waved to Zeph to follow her into a grove of towering trees.

  “That is far enough, you can stop. My name is Kaimanawikoliakainoe. You may call me Kaim.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Kaim.”

  “Behold.” With that a glow formed in front of their eyes. He was a delicate creature, resembling a miniature horse with a long snout, no legs, and a flowing tail. But the most beautiful part was the dozen or so blue, leafy wings. They gently waved back and forth in the light breeze.

  “You’re beautiful,” Liada and Zeph said together.

  “I’m jea
lous,” Tali whispered in her ear along with a melodious laughter.

  “You’re beautiful and special, Tali,” she said, then asked, “Kaim, do you also have a circle?”

  “Yes, all of the First Ones were created in groups. The first of the group is the leader of the circle.”

  “Liada, Emmund approaches,” Kaim said. She could feel his long snout lying alongside her ear, and it tickled. “He is coming up the road in a carriage.”

  Liada and Zeph walked out to the road and waited. A few minutes later, Emmund pulled up upon a small black carriage they couldn’t have seen if it weren’t for the lamps on the corners. He was sitting on a bench high in front, holding the reins.

  “Glad to see you made it. Get in.” The coach was small but the seats were padded and large windows gave them a good view.

  They sat in silence as the miles sped by. There was little to see in the dark and the road seemed to have been cut through a forest. After a while, the swaying of the carriage put Liada to sleep.

  As the soft light of sunrise began to appear, they approached the city of Osshaft. Off to their right, they could see Lake Svasser and boats leaving for the day’s fishing. Sails of blue, white, and black with designs and symbols in contrasting colors made the turquoise water look like it was covered with butterflies. As they got closer, she spotted a huge market.

  “Look.” She pointed toward it.

  “What about it?” Zeph said, looking out the window.

  She shrugged. “Oh, it’s just not that different than the one at home is all.”

  Emmund turned left onto a curved road circling the markets, which extended back to the docks and then made another left turn into the city proper. In the beginning, the houses were mostly brownish brick row houses. As they traveled further into the city, the buildings turned to small single houses with little gardens and then to larger well-maintained homes. Once more, he turned left and stopped in front of a small Inn. In front of the doors hung a wooden sign with a large gray fish and Sporish symbols Liada couldn’t decipher.

  “The Whaler Inn,” Tali said in one ear and Kaim in the other.