“You didn’t waste any time packing,” Cherann said to her brother. “No. I said goodbye to dad. The neighbour will take care of him. He doesn’t look so good. I feel bad about leaving him.”
“You shouldn’t. It was his idea.”
“His?”
“Yes. You only just went eighteen. He knows you have this passion for exploring the world, and he didn’t want you to wait until he died to do so. He said if he goes when you’re gone, at least he’ll die knowing his baby got to experience their dream.”
“He wanted you to think it was my idea. Mind you, I didn’t hesitate to come back. I thought it was brilliant as are most of his ideas.”
“So which way first?” Clearly, her brother’s sadness over leaving their father was short-lived. Cherann smiled and helped him load the last of their things onto the cart.
“We are travelling to Mironi.”
“Mironi. But it’s summer. It’s hot in desert land all the time, so why go during the summer?”
“Because it is fall in Keldon. If we are lucky, we’ll waste enough time there to get to Keldon at the beginning of spring.”
“You plan to waste half a year there?”
“No. It will surely be winter when we reach Keldon. But I had to say something. We are going that way because I say we are. Now get on your horse and let’s go.”
As they made the move down from the low range mountains, Cherann gave her brother a running commentary on the plant life and animal life, snippets of history related to spots that they passed. Her brother was like a human sponge: he took in everything the first time, and if he didn’t get it, that was a sign that it was just too complicated and he needed more time to sort it out—which was rare.
“Look!” Boys, she thought, overly excited by anything they find in the wilderness. Still, what he saw could be genuine. And it was.
A blue unicorn. It was the rarest of all the unicorns, and here it stood in front of them. “What does it want?” Dent hesitated: something that annoyed Cherann to the far reaches of the realm.
“Dent—”
“I don’t like talking to animals. Atorathians aren’t supposed to have magical abilities.”
“All the gifts are derived from the magic of the land. Our abilities to easily hunt magicians and to repel magic come from the same place that magicians get their magic. You have a gift that some magicians would kill to have naturally. It can be learned, but it is by no means an easy task. I have embraced my ability to talk to nature, and you should do the same with animals.”
“But Keldonians can naturally talk to the earth and plants.”
“True, but not on the level that I can. When given a special gift, you should not be ashamed. What is the unicorn after?” Still, he hesitated. “It is not a question; it’s an order. I demand you to ask and listen to the creature’s request.” Her brother did as he was told and seemed taken aback. This couldn’t be good at all.
“What is it?”
“It would seem that her children and mate were abducted by—” She knew why he trailed off. The only people in the realm with the best chance of catching any of the magical creatures were her own.
“Atorathians.”
“But isn’t it a crime to harm any of the magical creatures? Why would we do such a thing?”
“Our gifts can be enhanced, much like a magician’s, and every part of a unicorn, especially its blood and horn, can be used for great magic. There is profit to be gained here.”
“Can we help her?”
“I will talk to the trees. I can see through the trees. That is what makes me special.” Cherann put her hand on the nearest tree and relaxed her breathing. After a few moments, she withdrew and sighed.
“There is a team of poachers ahead; maybe a day or so in front of us. They have a host of conscious animals, magical ones, including the unicorns and phoenixes. It would appear that they’re heading somewhere in the forest to some secret trading grounds between here and the coast of Keldon. I want you to give the unicorn this message. Only she is fast enough to reach the person who can help us.” Cherann told her brother what to do, and the unicorn was gone on the mission.
“Do you know this person?”
“Yes. She was the inspiration behind why I try to be the best human I can be. If anyone cares about the safety of the realm, it would be she. So, with what we have garnered from what I’ve seen and what the unicorn told us, I’m going to let you lead the trail. Remember, we are not trying to attack until we have reinforcements, so once we are close, we must remain a safe distance away.”
“Okay.” Cherann was glad to see that even though her brother didn’t think he was up to it, he also did not protest or argue the command. It was a test, and he would only know if he passed if he participated. So she let him lead. He started off slowly at first, but eventually, her brother seemed to understand the extent of his gifts and adapt as well as anyone could on their first hunt. He was not the best she’d seen, but he was far from the worst.
“I think they are only about an hour or so in front of us now.” It had been three days, and finally, they had closed the gap.
“Good. We lost two days, but all in all, that’s good.”
“Lost two days?”
“They were about a day in front of us. What would’ve been ideal would be to keep it at that length and close in. So it’s not that you took three days. It’s more the fact that we became two days behind them by the second day. Before you started to make progress. I would’ve been more impressed if we made no progress until day three, but you managed to recover at amazing speed on the second day, and now they are but an hour in front of us. Sometimes, even a few minutes of lost time can lose someone forever.”
“What if they speed up?”
“You’ll lose time, but you should be able to pick up on that and make changes to your own pace. They did not move faster. Lucky for you, they didn’t change routes or go off course during the time that you lost. Still, I’ve seen people lose them entirely. Some first- time trackers lose the trail for a whole week before they find it; you took only two days. Not so bad, considering all of that. And I was certain that with so many stolen animals they had to have a camp in the forest, so the chances of you losing them entirely was highly unlikely. This is why I let you lead.”
“Do you think their camp is close?”
“Yes. But now that we are close enough, why don’t you find out.”
“How?”
“The birds. Depending on how magically hidden it is, they may be able to pinpoint its location. Sometimes magicians forget that non-conscious animals can break through barriers. I can locate the disturbance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where the camp is. It only shows how wide the barrier is, which means we can walk forever and never find it, even if we know where it is. There are some kinds of magics no one is resistant to: hiding, cloaking, most barrier- type spells to keep things out and some that keep things in will still work on us. It’s the harmless yet extremely effective spells that still seem to work.”
Dent followed orders well and listened well, she noted. Not always though; he was still a boy but not enough to drive her insane. The bird idea didn’t work. It was a long shot, but why not try? They were going to need the assistance of a magician, and that could be a week or more away. Cherann hoped that they still had a long way to go before reaching the camp. From what she could tell, there was a pretty large disturbance of magic around the area. This could mean either the compound was large or it was small enough to ensure people wouldn’t cross it ever, with a little magical assistance.
“So. Kentais protect all of the creatures of the earth. Especially the magical ones. What about a Pegasus?”
“They are winged, so dragons would be their guardians. They protect all things that roam the skies. Phoenixes, hippogriffs. So it’s not necessarily where their home is, but where they are made to dwell. Fairies can fly, but they aren’t really made for the sky. They are woodland creatures. They hardly ever make it into open sky. They also protect the large dragons that live in the mountains, along with most of the other mountain creatures, since they are much closer to the sky and never venture down into the valleys. The sea spirits— the Leos—have the most to cover. Ocean is everywhere and even the animals that live on land switch into their care if they breed underwater. Much is the same for the reverse, as with turtles. They hatch on land.”
“So the Kentais will watch them then?”
“Yes. And any animal that breeds in the mountains will be under dragon protection for the season. Dragons also watch out for all magical creatures of the realm, so that would include the Kentais, Leos, unicorns and such. If anything should happen to any magical creature that the two spirits can’t resolve on their own, or if they need to go beyond their laws, the dragons will step in. For the most part, each spirit handles its own court quite well, but sometimes the Leos and Kentai will join on court rulings.”
“So the dragons would only get involved if the situation was so great that neither spirit could handle it?”
“Yes. The three spirits take care of our land and expect us as humans to do the best that we can to keep it alive.”
“But we kill fish and deer and all sorts of creatures.”
“So do they. We have to eat to survive. But it’s when we do more than we should; when we are only killing for the sake of killing or making clothes out of the skins of conscious animals that we don’t have to, the problems start. That’s because we can make products of equal quality from animals that aren’t magical or conscious, and they are in greater abundance. Otherwise, we are participating in a misuse of resources under the guise of need. And magical creatures are always forbidden to us unless in extreme circumstance—and most times you don’t have to kill.”
“What does ‘conscious’ mean? You keep saying it, and I can’t continue to pretend that I know what that is.”
“Sorry. Conscious animals are animals that can speak. They are exactly the same as other animals but can think and speak, though usually amongst themselves, and they aren’t magical.”
“So there are communities of talking animals throughout the land that no one knows about?”
“Yes, which is why it is good you can talk to animals. They, for whatever reason, as I’ve already said, don’t talk to humans generally. And we tend to have a hard time understanding them. They talk in the first language of the realm. You might be able to learn the language by talking to them. Your understanding transcends the language barrier. And furthermore, Atorathians speak in the natural tongue, which is the closest to the oldest of languages.”
“Oh. They’ve stopped moving. Can I just use the animals to let us know of their progress?”
“Not often. It’s best to learn how to use your tracking abilities, so you can better blend both skills and get things done more efficiently. That way, if one cannot be used, you’ll still have the other. So do you want to learn some Keldonian words?”
“You speak the language?”
“I speak all the languages of the realm and the common tongue of the magician realm which is ours, the universal language. It appears in all the lands. Most people understand it to a degree because it is a mesh of all the languages. Still, each province is growing so well that it won’t be long before they are all like Atorathians, unable to understand the other without learning it. Language is a peculiar thing. Take Dani, for example. There is Dani, for one, Dani for the whole race as in the Dani people, or Danis as in plural— more than one. It used to follow the same example as Keldon, which is Keldonite the singular and Keldonites in the plural and references the whole race. ‘The people of Keldon’ would be the equivalent to ‘the Dani people’, but most just refer to them as the Keldonians now. We also were once under the same suffix, but we are now Atorathian and Atorathians, and no one says ‘the people of Atorath’ anymore. Mironi is already changing, from Mironites to Mironians and Keldon will soon follow. Language evolves through time. The ‘ite’ suffix is being phased out.”
“Interesting. It would be even more interesting to know why the names have evolved. How much can I learn before we get there?”
“Depends entirely on how long it takes us to find the camp.”
“I want to learn.”
“Okay. One of our servants is a Keldonian. I’ll have her teach you. A lot of people don’t like to give the ungifted important tasks. But I believe that since they are ungifted, we should allow them to play the strengths they do have. Not everyone is good with languages, and I find there’s no magical ability that gives you the faculties to learn them. However, she is an excellent linguist.”
“Even in our tongue.”
“I think you will find she speaks it with more clarity than most of our scholars. And ungifted as she may be, like us, she did get the gift of long life. If I can ever find a way to put her skills to good use, I’ll be glad to let her have a better life than a peasant would normally have.”
“I didn’t think it was possible for peasants to be good at anything.”
“Well, consider this lesson one. A lot of our best attributes are the ones gifts cannot give us. The things I am known for have nothing to do with my skill but my natural love for the land. Magician or not, that is something you can’t just have.”
“Then why are they always servants and field labourers and grunt workers?”
“Truthfully, there are so many gifted working at building and forging and so on, that there really isn’t any work left accept the grunt work. Seems that no matter how good things get, there will always be some sort of class distinction. I guess that’s just a way of keeping the balance and testing the levels of our humanity.”
“So I should watch the peasants to see if they inherit anything that’s just natural that anyone can have, and use it?”
“Yes. Always allow them to shine in a world where they normally wouldn’t. It worked for Ronilas. She was the greatest seamstress of her age; the best carver and hunter, and even warrior. She was all of that and a peasant, but if she wasn’t a seamstress, and the magicians didn’t accept her skill, she would never have had the connections to form the Alliance.”
“I guess it’s like you always say: all Salinor’s creatures are special. It’s just finding out the why.”
“Exactly. So lessons begin now.”
“Now?”
“The message has been received. The moment when they are in the forest, you will know.” Dent said after speaking to the unicorn.
“Thanks, Dent. And thank your friend. Tell her that when we find her family, we will bring them back to her. It’s too dangerous for her to stay with us.” Cherann responded. Her brother told the unicorn to stay close but out of sight; that way they wouldn’t have to go far to find her, but she would be out of the way. It had been another five days since they had indeed lost poachers. They couldn’t pass through the barrier without being noticed, so the two of them and the peasants travelling with them had to wait. There was always the possibility of retrieving the animals once they were sold and out of the protection of magic, but there was always the chance that everything was done at the camp. If the animals were slaughtered here, there wasn’t time to wait—but wait was all they could do. Her hope was that the buyers did not come until signalled. Then they had a few days to work with. Chances were this was how it happened. Why just show up unannounced, she wondered, hoping for something to purchase? Better to know what goods were there and start some wagering beforehand.
It was mid-day when a message came on the wind of the trees. Cherann put her hand on the nearest tree, and through her ability to see through them, the magician was able to do the same. It was a Keldonian by request because they could speak to the trees naturally thus making it easier for her to communicate with them.
“It is nice to finally meet you,” he said to her. “And you likewise. So are you a soldier?”
“Yes. A warrior practised in the art of reverse magic. For something this serious, chances are it isn’t just a barrier. It will take time. I see you have a few people with you.”
“All ungifted. This is why we need you. How long before you can reach our location?”
“Can you send us a guide? That would ensure we take the faster route.” At that moment, the birds started to sing to each other. Even other forest and woodland creatures started to make noise. The forest was alive with the buzz of nature.
“There’s a rabbit nearby—a conscious one. Follow it, and it will lead them to another animal and so on. The animals say if they move without stopping, they can get them here by nightfall. We must be close to the borders of Mironi.” Cherann relayed Dent’s message.
“We are, Dent. But I’m sure the camp will take us farther into the forest and not closer. We’ve already begun turning away as if going towards Keldon and away from Mironi.”
“I see the guide. Me and my party will follow the animals. My name is Tork.”
“Thank you for responding,” Cherann said to Tork.
“It was you knowing the right person to ask that got us here so swiftly.” With that, the magical link was broken.
“I want you to keep the one who helped us fully updated on our progress. Never use the same animal twice. If something goes wrong, I want this person to know.” Cherann said to her brother.
“Okay.” Just as predicted, by nightfall, they had arrived. They were a party of more than thirteen in a mix of all races, and all were magicians. There were no Atorathians.
“Where exactly did you lose them?”
“We lost track of them over there, by that cluster of trees.”
“Okay. There is a lot of magical disturbance. And it does seem like reverse magic will be needed.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Dent asked.
“Something can explode, and we could all be destroyed. Or we could be transported somewhere and captured. It’s very risky business.”
“This is a very large circle. Is it possible to do from this one spot?” Cherann knew the answer but had to ask.
“No. What we are going to do is even more risky and will be continuous as opposed to breaking the whole barrier and just hunting. We will work on this spot and extend a clean barrier around all of us. The barrier will extend out enough so that we hunt the extended area and see which way they went. Once we figure that out, chances are we should be able to push forward only as far as the edge barrier we’ve created and then create another barrier, or invisible dome, so to speak. It’s not an easy business holding up a reverse spell or moving it because the levels of magic may change through the barrier, which means adjustment. That can take just as much time as the original piece of magic.”“So we should track hard, fast, and efficiently,” Cherann said, looking at her brother.
“I can do it. I have to do it. It’s only us two.”
“Okay, Tork. Begin.” Cherann said.
“Bring the peasants. We don’t know how many animals we may need to save. Extra hands will be worth it. Get between us. I suggest you sit. It could be awhile.” Tork said. Cherann looked around. Her quick assessment of thirteen wasn’t far off. There were fifteen of them all standing and lost in the magician whisper that was going up like a smooth yet powerful song floating through the trees. Once the field was created, it was time to move. Then it was time to begin. The first search took a full thirty minutes. Then they moved thirty feet in one direction.
Cherann could see this had to be difficult. None of the magicians broke their concentration or speech during each move. Soon they worked out a way to continuously track, so they almost never stopped moving. The task was wearing down the magicians, and at one point they almost got caught. The magicians rapidly closed in so tightly that no one could move. The whisper got intense, and soon she knew why: there were scouts. The magicians must’ve somehow managed to stop doing the reverse magic and put up a shield so they couldn’t be seen—and they did it all in mere seconds and without blowing them up. That was no easy feat, Cherann knew.
“Are you guys doing okay?”
“We are trained soldiers. Warriors. We can push ourselves to our last breath at full strength. We will get you there. Truth be told, I don’t think any of us has done reverse magic that fast. It’s possible but never advisable. We are all lucky to be alive.” And that was the last Tork spoke before they expanded, only twenty feet this time, but they started moving.
After a full twelve hours, they found the camp. They were close enough that the spells on it could no longer keep them from seeing it. “This is large. There could be hundreds of animals here. All this time in the forest of Atorath. Only a few days away from Mironi. Can we do this alone?” one of the magicians asked.
“We will rest for an hour and only use enough magic to keep us undetected. Then this is how we will handle this. . .” Cherann put forth the plan. The Danis could become invisible in the most undetectable way, so they would stealthily take out the guards at the gates. The Mironians were the trained assassins, so as they moved through, it was their job to take out anyone they could without being noticed. The Keldonian would be with Cherann and the brother protecting the peasants. Since they were so tall, there was no sense in giving them the jobs that required stealth. Protection suited them better. The plan turned out to be quite effective.
They made it to where the animals were being kept. Leaving would require more force though, Cherann knew. As soon as the gates were unlocked, they realised that leaving the cells might prove impossible. And they were in a dungeon, so there was nowhere to go but up. The alarm was sounded, and soldiers appeared everywhere. The four Danis remained invisible to take out anyone that the others missed, and the peasants tended to the animals. They forced their way up the stairs and out of the cell area, then across the halls of the complex. Once out in the open, they had to go around the second level and down onto the mainland to head toward the entrance.
Being seen made it far more difficult to even get on the ground than to actually fight their way out. Ultimately, they made it out; losing only one phoenix and a hippogriff. But the war was not over. The peasants were led to a safe distance and the rest, swords raised, ran back into the complex. There were only seventeen against much more, but they were determined to bring this compound to the ground and release the last of the animals. The clashing of swords; the throwing of magic; flying daggers— it was brutal, but it was for a vital cause. Atorathians and magicians alike needed to pay for their actions and today was the time. Cherann realised that she enjoyed battle—the feel of steel crushing another’s heart and destroying her opponent. She thrilled to the battle cries of a successful kill and the adrenaline pumping through her veins—all of it. Somehow, against the odds, all of them were left standing with a small group of men and women trapped within their circle.
“Destroy them.” It was an instinctive order, and one of the magicians obeyed Cherann immediately. One blast of energy and all the poachers burst into flames.
“Release the animals and burn this place to the ground. If we can, we should have a team try to free up the magic around here, so people and animals alike can roam freely through the forest again.”
“Okay.” Tork sent his crew to the task and minutes later the compound was in flames and animals were running free. The unicorn thanked them again before disappearing into the trees with her family.
“You are every bit the woman I believed you would be.”
“And you are an excellent soldier, Tork.”
“Yes, but we have been tracking them for years. And you come along and have taken them down, with the help of your brother, in two weeks.”
“Coincidence. If my brother had not been in the forest, the unicorn more than likely wouldn’t have had anyone else to run to. It was fate.”
“Indeed. You command well. Any army force would do well with you running it—not that I’ll name one out loud.”
Cherann laughed. He was not the first to suggest she run the Alliance. “Should that day come, I’ll be sure to find a place for you to do reverse magic. It appears you’re very adept at training others.”
“We all have our gifts. I will be going now. Until we meet again.”
The magicians went on their way, and Cherann and Dent continued on as well. Although both groups were heading to the same land, they were going to different parts and so did not travel together.
“They did not all speak our tongue.”
“No, but enough of them did. As long as there is clear communication, anything is possible.”
“So what will we do when we are in Mironi?”
“Just get some sleep. We’ve got a long couple of days ahead. You will find out when we get there.”
“This sure better be worth the scorching heat. It’s already too hot as it is.”
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