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THIRTY-TWO
<h2 style="text-transform: uppercase">TOMFORD</h2>
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Tomford woke to a bright blue sky and birds chirping from a nearby tree. A sense of calm settled on him. It did not last long.
“What in mud’s name do you mean you won’t help us fight the growers?” Emeryn said, towering over Heradion.
Tomford strode over, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What is going on?”
Emeryn pointed. “This old man says he won’t fight.”
He looked from her to Heradion, who didn’t betray any thought on his blank face, and back to Emeryn again. “We’re not here to fight the growers, are we? We need the void prisons.”
“And Taera,” Emeryn said.
“And Taera,” Tomford agreed.
“We won’t be able to get to her without going through the growers. I don’t want to fight them, but we don’t have a choice. Heylien said that sometimes you’d have to do things you didn’t want to do.”
Tomford replied gently. They all still felt the loss of the archer. “If it comes to that, we’ll do what we must, but let’s try diplomacy first.”
“You can’t beat Taera,” Heradion said simply.
Emeryn set her jaw. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“I know more than you think, which means I know you will have far greater results if you reason with the Halvgudar rather than fight them.”
“Juoko fought Taera,” Tomford said, remembering the old legends.
Wade and Freyn sat nearby, listening to the exchange.
“Fought and killed her!” Wade added.
Heradion snorted. “As you all know, Taera is very much alive. Don’t believe everything you hear in the old stories.”
“But you fought her,” Emeryn said. “She even said so herself when I met her. Why fight if you can’t win?”
“A most bullheaded friend of mine would not listen to reason. My,” he waved his hands in the air, as if searching for a word, “let’s call it <i>purpose</i>, prevents me from revealing too much about myself. Thus, sometimes I have to keep up appearances.”
“I don’t get it,” Wade said.
Heradion shifted to face Wade. “I’m not surprised. To surmise, I did not fight Taera. Nor will I do so now. But I might be able to assist you in convincing her that the best course of action is to join your cause.”
Emeryn laughed derisively. “Join us?”
“How else do you suppose to bring her back with you to Eld’s old kingdom? As far as I am aware, none here is a Slayer. Even if you were, imprisoning a Halvgud is no easy feat.”
“We’ll force her to her knees, then drag her with us.”
Heradion scoffed. “Didn’t take you for a blockhead, young lady.”
Freyn interrupted, pointing to the north. “They are located in that direction.”
Tomford saw a tall mountain through the haze. “Can you tell how far?”
“You’ll find Eld, Anea, and Ocea in the mountain range. Sounds like Taera is trying to find her siblings as well.”
“What do you mean?” Tomford asked.
Wade stood and walked over. “Yeah. What does she want with them?”
“She said something about standing with her siblings against Chaos when I fought her,” Emeryn said.
“Taera is frightened, which makes her desperate. Halvgudar cannot stand against a Prime. It is not in their nature.”
“What does that mean?” Tomford asked.
“It means that she wants to live. That, in turn, means that she might be willing to see reason. Especially if you reach the other Halvgudar before her.”
“Sarien didn’t say why he would need the imprisoned gods,” Tomford said. “I’m guessing you can shed some light on that?”
“The boy is stumbling through this whole affair and pulling every lever he finds,” Heradion said. “My guess is that he intends to free them.”
“Free them?” Emeryn exclaimed.
“Why would he do that?” Tomford asked.
“How else are they supposed to help your cause?”
“But you said Halvgudar can’t do anything to stop Wyndemir.”
“Not directly,” Heradion agreed. “But your city will need any help it can garner. The Halvgudar may not be able to stand directly against Wyndemir, but they are an asset, nonetheless.”
“You think Eld will defend Fyrie?” Wade asked.
Heradion shrugged. “Why not? It’s his city. Also, he’s likely sick of rotting away in an empty void.”
Tomford shuddered, remembering his own brief stay in the void. “You’re probably right.”
“So, what you’re saying is our main goal is to wave hello to Taera and then grab some cubes before traveling back?” Wade asked. “Sounds simple enough.”
“No.”
All eyes turned to Emeryn. “I will not leave the Kin under her wicked influence. The only way we will make a pact with that monster is if she agrees to release them from her grasp. When all this is over, she has to leave Maydian. All of them must leave.”
Her gaze settled on Tomford, who wasn’t sure what she wanted of him. He gave her an awkward nod.
“I’m not here to tell you what to do,” Heradion said.
Wade cleared his throat. “Do you have a plan, or do you mean for us to charge in screaming our heads off?”
Emeryn and Wade glared at each other for a good, long moment before Emeryn sighed and relented. “We start by getting the prisons first. They will be key to this no matter what. We can also lure her with them and if we manage to bargain with her, they could be used as leverage.”
“Just remember that Taera holds no love for the other Halvgudar. The only reason she seeks them is for power, so do not rely on her possessing any warm feelings for her so-called siblings,” Heradion warned.
Wade nodded. “Daylight is burning. Let’s pack up and go.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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* * *
Reaching out with his healer’s glow proved easier each time Tomford made the attempt. He was able to heal at incredible distances as long as he kept up his concentration. Od kept an eye on him but didn’t speak for the longest time, not until the shore finally made an appearance in the distance.
“You’re a tall man in possession of some physical might.”
“Yes?”
Od’s face soured. “That makes you a fighter?”
“Unarmed combat is what I have been training for. With the resilience granted me by my powers, I have been doing well against my opponents.”
“How many have you killed with those fists of yours?”
Tomford’s jaw tightened. “I disable. I don’t kill.”
“Because you’re a healer?”
“Because it isn’t right.”
“It isn’t right,” Od repeated, thoughtfully.
“Where are you going with this, old man?”
“How many would have died without your interference, without your healing <i>touch</i>?”
“How am I supposed to know?”
“Many?”
“Many,” Tomford confirmed.
“And which do you prefer? Healing or killing?”
“I already told you I don’t kill people. Obviously, I prefer healing.”
Od nodded and turned around to glance at the approaching shoreline. “In these times, you’ll be forced to choose. You’d do well to think on what is more important to you.”
“You’re full of advice, aren’t you? I’ve been doing just fine up until now.”
“And perhaps you will continue to balance the two for a time. A brief time.”
The skiff struck firm ground and Tomford disembarked. He held out a hand for the old man.
Od shook his head and pulled his little boat back out onto the water.
“You’re not coming?”
“I don’t much care for large gatherings.”
“If Vatnbloet is beset by rhinn invaders, I could use your help.”
“You’ll do fine.”
The skiff was gently carried backwards out into the open water, far enough that Tomford had to shout for Od to hear him.
“Then why come here?”
Od’s shout carried across the water. “Heradion sends his regards!”
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* * *
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Emeryn
Climbing a mountain with one arm was a challenge. She found herself at a clear disadvantage compared to the others in her party, who were forced to slow their ascent to wait on her.
For a time, she crafted an arm out of earth and mud, but it drained Emeryn’s inner nurture and she needed all her power in case they encountered Taera before reaching the void prisons. Frustration welled up inside her as she stumbled and fell. She’d lost count of how many times this had happened to her, but the bruises on her arm, shoulder, and legs were easy enough to count.
Tomford hurried down the slope to give her a hand, which she gratefully accepted. “Thank you.”
“How are you holding up?”
She reached over to brush off the dirt. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Good, because we’re here.”
Emeryn straightened. The whole group, minus Heradion, who’d declined to follow along, stood looking over a crest. She hurried over and immediately found the target of their search.
Far below them, in a grass covered valley, people were moving back and forth like busy ants. Emeryn spotted details telling her they were definitely the Kin. The way their camp was situated, how they moved in groups, and the coloring of their tents and clothes all triggered a sense of nostalgia within her. These were her people. The Kin did not belong to Taera, they belonged to each other. Emeryn would see them free, no matter what.
Freyn didn’t bother looking down into the valley. “There are more scattered over the mountain.”
“The cubes must be close,” Wade said.
“Freyn, can you sense what type of magic is being used?” Emeryn asked.
Freyn shook her head, noncommittally. “I can distinguish between two different types, but I can’t read nor understand what is being used without previous experience with it.”
Emeryn pointed to the ground, then carefully moved earth aside with her power. “Is anyone else using geomancy?”
Freyn narrowed her eyes. “No. They’re all using the same thing. All but one, anyway.”
“Taera?” Emeryn asked.
“I suppose so,” Freyn said. “It’s someone extremely powerful and very different from normal magic users. Different, but similar.”
Freyn drifted away, her jaw going slack. Emeryn snapped her fingers before the Malac woman’s face. Freyn blinked and shook her head as if to clear it. “You’re the only geomancer,” Freyn said.
“Taera made a fatal mistake,” Emeryn said, pleased.
“What?” Tomford asked.
“I find it kind of amusing that their elitist tendencies made Taera disregard geomancers completely. Growers are able to sense and link up with anything living in the ground, excluding burrowing animals and the like, but they can’t actually sense the ground itself. That is the domain of geomancers.”
“So, she doesn’t know precisely where they are?” Wade asked.
“I assume the prisons are located deep within the mountain.”
“There’s no cave or opening down there as far as I can see,” Tomford said.
“No, I don’t think there will be. And now they won’t be able to find it since the growers’ abilities are limited.” She indicated to the mountainside. “Nothing grows up here but a few shrubs.”
“It’s up to you,” Tomford said.
“I suppose so.”
Emeryn pulled her coat closed against the cold, then sat beneath a large boulder to shield herself from the wind. Closing her eyes, she focused inward, into her core to gently coax her nature’s nurture.
While stoking her power, Emeryn reached out and downward into the mountain. The ground answered her call and trembled like it wanted her to mold it, to give it shape.
Emeryn knew that it was just a reflection of her own exhilaration when holding her power. Earth was inert and could not reason nor want.
Since the change in her brought on by Sarien’s power, it was different. Better. To her, it was as if the very earth beneath her feet felt her intentions and needs. They were one. With that knowledge held firm in her mind, Emeryn quested down into the mountain and into herself.
The mountainous area around them was solid stone. Drawing more of her power, Emeryn expanded her search. It did not take her long to find what she was looking for. A rectangular underground chamber constructed by man.
“Found it,” Emeryn said, opening her eyes.
Wade didn’t turn from observing the Kin. “Where?”
“You’re looking at it. They are sitting right on top of it.”
“They’ve found it?” Tomford asked. “I thought you said they couldn’t.”
Emeryn shrugged. “Maybe Taera can sense the other Halvgudar. It doesn’t matter. They can’t reach the chamber.”
Wade muttered a few incomprehensible curses. “Should’ve brought more people, like I wanted. We can’t fight them all.”
“We’re not fighting the Kin,” Emeryn said. Though she had argued with Heradion about needing to fight the Kin to reach Taera, she knew that if there was a slight chance to spare her people, she needed to take it.
“I’m open to suggestions.”
“The solution is simple. We go underground and get to the chamber first.”
Tomford looked worried.
“What?” Emeryn asked. “You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“What doesn’t?” Freyn asked.
“Taera isn’t actually a god, but near enough by our standards.”
“So?”
“You’re telling me a being like that can’t do such a simple thing as burrow underground?”
The Vatner was right. It didn’t make much sense. “She doesn’t like geomancers.”
“Do you think that she is willing to let her prejudice blind her in the situation she is currently in?” Tomford asked.
Emeryn didn’t think so. “No, you’re right. Something is off about this whole thing.”
“A trap?” Wade suggested.
“For whom?” Emeryn said. “We’re the only ones here.” Was it possible that Taera knew that Emeryn would come for the cubes herself? It seemed preposterous. Like Tomford said, Taera wasn’t a god. She wasn’t omniscient.
“Your plan is solid enough. We move in closer, then burrow beneath them, grab the cubes, and regroup to decide how we will deal with Taera,” Wade said.
“Growers are coming,” Freyn said, pointing westward.
Emeryn saw no one, but she did not doubt their new friend. “How long until they get here?”
“They’re close. Two of them.”
“We can easily beat two growers,” Wade said.
Emeryn started down the slope. “No. The moment they see us, Taera will know we’re here.”
They hurried away from their perch and headed to a stone outcropping. Emeryn flattened herself against the ground. The others followed suit.
“Where are they?” Tomford whispered.
Freyn panted, “Where we were standing.”
“Coming this way?” Emeryn asked.
“They’re continuing down the slope to the camp,” Freyn said.
They all breathed a little easier until she spoke again. “More of them are drawing closer.”
Emeryn gritted her teeth. “You’ll have to guide us past them.”