The Tide of Unmaking, page 13
part #3 of Berinfell Prophesies Series
They all stood listening, captivated by the scene stretching out before them.
“Uh, Grimwarden?” asked Kat.
“Yes, Lord Alreenia?” Grimwarden replied.
“I thought you said you had assembled a small force of Elves.”
13: Mind Games
IT WAS ODDLY NOSTALGIC FOR the Six to be bunking in their old Nightwish staterooms again. Things were exactly as they’d left them so many years ago on the day the tribes made their exodus back to Berinfell: the same furniture, the same dremask braziers, the same wardrobe of underground work clothes and royal garb. There was very little they’d wanted to bring with them, choosing to embrace their victory and a renewed life above ground rather than cling to the darkness of this place.
Still, Nightwish had a certain romance to it as Taeva had accurately—if not hastily—pointed out.
The feelings, however, would be short-lived, as Grimwarden wanted to depart for Taladair just after midnight, hours after they’d entered Nightwish. For those submerged in Taeva’s homeland, time, and likely breathable air, were running out. Every minute counted. Grimwarden set everything in motion so that the Nightstalkers could depart within hours of the lords’ arrival. There was just enough time for the travelers to grab a quick, but much-needed nap.
“Where are you going?” Kat whispered, trying not to wake Autumn or Taeva.
Kiri Lee froze, surprised she’d been caught. “Out. Can’t sleep.”
“Me neither. Want some company?”
“Sure,” she said, though inwardly she wanted to be alone.
“My, how easily we forget one another’s strengths,” Kat smiled. She tapped the side of her temple.
“Oh. Right.” Kiri Lee frowned. “But you promised not to listen in unless we gave you permission.”
“I did promise,” Kat replied. “And you did give me permission. You said, ‘I have no secrets from you.’ Remember?”
Kiri Lee squinted and then smiled. “Oh, yeah…right. Listen, I’m sorry about what I thought. It’s just—”
“Don’t worry about it, Kiri. I get it. Go get some air.”
“OK. Thanks, Kat. Just need some alone time.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself, girl. I told you, I get it.”
Kiri Lee thanked Kat, appreciating her humility, and scolding herself for not being truthful with her mind-reading friend. Then she slipped out of the room and made every effort to ease the latch into place.
Kiri Lee kept to side corridors so as not to be seen by any Nightstalker patrols. She obviously had nothing to fear, but she’d rather move undisturbed and even unnoticed. Eventually she arrived at one of the underground hubs—a large domed room with over twenty tunnels burrowing to various locations on the surface. The engineers had carefully created hubs like these, along with an intricate schedule to ensure each Elf in Nightwish had their allotted amount of time in the sun, while likewise keeping them out of harm’s way to any Gwar sorties.
She chose a random tunnel marked Hibiscumi 4-b in First Voice script, indicating the type of shrubbery topside—essential for camouflaging any sunbathers—while also identifying the quadrant and sub-lot. The tunnel led her on for ten minutes before Kiri Lee came to a latticework hatch covered by the roots of a flowering bush. She waited for a minute, listening. An old habit. But of course now, enemy Gwar scouts weren’t hunting in the Thousand League Forest. She chuckled to herself and pushed the thatched cover aside. She emerged into a wooded glade drenched in moonlight and cloaked in a sea full of stars.
The scene was just what she needed. A place to recharge, to think. To recenter on Ellos and prepare for the days ahead. It had been many years since she’d seen battle—real battle, not just simulations—and she wondered if she was ready for it again.
Peace was a balm that all too soon blurred the memory of trifling with the affairs of the wicked. But it could also dull instincts. A warrior could lose her edge. Surely the passion to protect was still there, but could she do it still?
Could she kill if she had to?
Kiri Lee found a small boulder to sit atop. Holding her knees close to her chest, she shuddered, the cool night air prickling her skin. The fingers of her right hand absently played across her stomach until they touched the scar, the imperfect flesh left behind from the wound that had nearly ended her life. The wound that had indirectly taken Jett’s life instead.
She missed Jett. Not in a romantic way, of course, though he certainly was handsome. And heroic. No, Autumn had always liked him, and she wouldn’t dare violate Autumn’s memories, even with unspoken curiosities hidden deep inside her own heart. Friends didn’t do that to one another. Ever.
But what did it matter anyway? Jett was gone.
But what if he wasn’t?
The image of the intruder outside her window. Wisp? Phantom? Or could Jett somehow…someway be alive?
Gooseflesh continued to erupt all over her arms and neck. What if Jett’s alive? She allowed herself to muse for the moment. What would I tell him?
Thank you, Jett.
Too insincere. Too common. Anyone could say thank you.
I owe you my life.
Melodramatic. What did it mean anyways? Lifelong indentured service?
You saved me from—from…
A shadow passed through Kiri Lee’s peripheral vision. She spun right, and her heart leaped into her throat. Feeling exposed, she stood up and took to the air, ascending five or six steps toward the leafy canopy.
There it was again, this time slipping between the trunks in a copse of trees. She couldn’t make it out, but it seemed big. A large wolf possibly. Or even a bear. Whatever it was, it was moving silently. It didn’t want to be seen or heard. It was hunting. A true predator.
Kiri Lee instinctively reached for her dagger, but she was in her sleeping gown. She would have to avoid fighting tonight, if she could. Flee and hide, she thought. That is the plan.
From twenty feet above the ground, she turned slowly, looking for the thatched tunnel cover hidden on the forest floor. She saw something up ahead, a dark spot in the shrubs. It was in the correct general area. She’d have to chance it. If enemy or beast, she’d have one shot to escape. If Elven Nightstalker patrol, she’d have one shot to avoid having to offer a lengthy and embarrassing explanation.
She took a deep breath, then set off sprinting through the air like an Olympic runner, only she careened down an invisible race track.
Within the span of her first lunging steps, she could scarcely hear, what with her pulse blasting like a drum in her ears. She was roughly twenty-five feet away, her eyes narrowing on the tunnel entrance.
But her gut told her the creature was making its move too. She could feel its presence, a shadow closing in just as she dashed for the tunnel.
Get there, Kiri! Come on!
Her muscles burned though she pressed against only air.
The last five feet she dove. Her hands reached for the hatch.
She struggled to throw the cover back, the lower corner snagged on something. It wouldn’t budge. She wrestled with it, expecting an attack at any moment.
But the hatch would not move. She spun and rolled and came to a breathless crouch, scanning the darkening forest. The air was still. Nothing moved.
She bent down, fingers shaking, as she searched to release the trellis cover from whatever hindered it.
Foolish girl! She saw now and remembered. The root.
All of the sunbathing hatches had camouflaged triggers or latches on the outside. Shaking her head at her own fear, Kiri Lee knelt at the knobby root of an immense, old oak. She twisted the center segment of the root forward until she heard a dull click. Then, still feeling silly, she pried the door open.
All was well.
Until the shadow passed behind her again.
This time she spun around and yelped, seeing a lone figure standing beside the boulder she had sat atop.
Kiri Lee froze, suspended by fear.
By shock.
Blending with the dark shadow-play all around was a face. Distorted. Confused. But one she would never forget. The face of the boy who’d saved her life and forfeited his own.
“What’s this about?” asked Tommy, rubbing his eyes. “Couldn’t this wait another hour?”
“For real. I was having a dream about pizza,” said Johnny. Then seeing Tommy’s rueful expression. “Seriously, it’s been so long.”
Kiri Lee had pounded on the boys’ door until they’d answered, then demanded they meet in two minutes in a secluded chamber further down their bedroom corridor. Then she roused Autumn and Kat, leaving Taeva alone, and led them on a sleepy walk to the meeting place.
“I know, I know,” apologized Kiri Lee, “but you need to hear this.”
“Go on,” said Tommy. “We’re here, aren’t we?”
“I could not sleep, so I went above for some air. You know, clear my head, that kind of thing. I was thinking about everything we’ve been through, and preparing myself mentally for battle again. It’s been a while for all of us, right?”
“Are we here to discuss your self-reflections on war, Kiri Lee?” asked Tommy.
“Man, I can’na believe this,” said Jimmy. “I’m going back to me room.”
“Me too,” huffed Autumn.
“I saw Jett.”
The Five looked at her.
“Not this again,” said Jimmy. “It was a dream, Kiri Lee. Johnny dreams of pizza. You dream of Jett.”
“Hey!” Autumn objected.
“In the forest this time,” Kiri Lee explained. “He walked right up behind me.”
Tommy ran his fingers through his curly hair. “Kiri Lee, don’t you think you may have been dreaming? We already went over this.”
“I’m telling you, Tommy. It was him. Nearly scared me to death. I saw a shadow, and made a mad dash for the tunnel entrance, thinking it was a wolf or a bear or something. And when I turned around, it was Jett. And it wasn’t through a thick window this time.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Tommy asked. “I mean, we checked his grave, we asked the caretaker—”
“Do you think it’s that easy for me to forget the face of the person who saved my life?” Kiri Lee looked at each of her friends in the eyes, willing them to believe. “Never. This time I’m telling you, it was him. He looked different. Confused. Not fully himself. In fact, I don’t think he even recognized me. Before I could even think what to say, he was gone. But it was him.”
Tommy looked around the room. Whatever sleepiness there was before, it was gone. His friends were all awake and sober-minded.
“You sure it wasn’t a Wisp?” Kat asked. A few of the others nodded, as that was their conclusion from the alleged sighting in Berinfell.
“How would a Wisp have known exactly where to find me in the Thousand League Forest?” Kiri Lee replied. “Berinfell, sure. But up here? No way.”
“But you said he didn’t recognize you,” said Kat. “Surely if it was Jett, he wouldn’t have any trouble there. As you said, no one’s going to forget an exchange like that.”
“Unless he’s brainwashed,” said Johnny. The others looked at him. “You know? Or brain dead. Maybe, he never died at all, but he’s so messed up that he doesn’t really know anything, like amnesia.”
“But…but we saw him die,” Autumn whispered.
“That still doesn’t explain the grave site,” Kat said. “But it does explain why Caretaker Thrain was acting so funny. His thoughts were so scattered not even I could read them. I thought he was just in shock at having the Lords of Berinfell show up in the middle of the night; not exactly a routine visit.”
“Do you think he was hiding something?” asked Autumn. “Maybe he knew Jett’s grave was empty. Maybe he was trying to keep it from us.”
“Why hide something like that?” asked Johnny.
“Because,” Tommy said, trying to put all the pieces together, “who would ever trust him as a caretaker again? Having a Lord of Berinfell get exhumed on your watch isn’t exactly the best thing for your resume.”
The Six stood there, each pondering the rationality of it all. It felt more like a conspiracy theory than a viable plot, but Kiri Lee was family. And she was desperate. There was no way they were going to crush her hopes.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Tommy said, “Jett’s alive.” He looked squarely at Kiri Lee. “But I’m sorry, Kiri Lee. We have our marching orders for Taladair, so we can’t conduct a search ourselves.”
As her head fell, her face disappeared behind a curtain of dark hair. “But…”
“However,” Tommy went on, “we will make sure that a team of Nighstalkers stays behind to search the area.”
“But what if they find ‘im?” Jimmy asked. “What if Jett’s not himself, and they fight?”
“They wouldn’t stand a chance against Jett,” Autumn said.
Tommy blinked. “There’s no easy solution here. We just have to believe that Jett, even if he’s not himself, would never turn violent against his own people.”
“Yu’d better be right, Tommy,” Jimmy said. “Yu’d better be right.”
14: March of the Nightstalkers
GRIMWARDEN FEARED WHAT THEY MIGHT find in the submerged wreckage of Taladair. Watery graves, most likely, he thought.
The intelligence, however, far outweighed whatever horrors waited beneath the surface. They needed a lead, a loose end that would give the Nightstalker army a tactical advantage in their pursuit of Asp. Yes, it was first and foremost a rescue mission, but the reconnaissance was vital.
And what to make of the supposed sightings of Jett? Goldarrow had relayed the story of Kiri Lee’s first encounter in Berinfell. To have another such experience here in Nightwish was a little hard to dismiss as chance. Had it been a Wisp? Surely that was it. But if so, why had the creature come now after seven years? Up to no good, that much was assured.
But if not a Wisp, what then? Grimwarden didn’t believe in ghosts, and the alternative was beyond his mind’s boundaries to accept.
“I hope you slept well, my Lords,” said Grimwarden stepping over the threshold to the lords’ barracks. Goldarrow followed just behind.
“Aye, Guardmaster,” Tommy said. “I slept well enough. To be honest, the coming mission made it hard. One moment I’m imagining our approach to Taladair, the first sighting of the enemy, and how we’ll respond. The next, I’m running through Vexbane and Mandiera forms in my head. I don’t feel tired, though.”
“The lack of sleep is no small thing, Lord,” Grimwarden said. But within, he thought it a good sign. Mark of a true warrior, a leader, he thought. “Perhaps you can rest after the first march.”
Tommy grinned. “Nah, there’ll be plenty of time to rest when we’re dead.”
“Hey!” Jimmy objected. “That’s my line.”
“And a morbid line at that,” Goldarrow chided. “There’s no cause for such talk, especially among Berinfell’s Lords.”
Tommy and Jimmy immediately began studying their boots. Each lad mumbled, “Sorry.”
“What about you, Kiri Lee?” Goldarrow asked. “Did you sleep?”
She nodded. “I think after the shock of seeing…well, after the encounter, I think my adrenaline wore off. I crashed. Slept like a stone.”
“Good,” Goldarrow replied. “Be comforted. When we return from our mission, we will get to the bottom of this. Perhaps the Nightstalkers we’ve tasked with the search will turn up something.”
Tommy looked up abruptly.
“Fear not, Tommy,” Goldarrow said. “If it is Jett, the Nightstalkers will not engage him. They will tranquilize him.”
Tommy sighed heavily. “I hope that works.”
“Good to see that you have all dressed,” Grimwarden said, purposefully changing the subject. “However, the attire you wore from Berinfell will not be suitable any longer. You need Nightstalker gear.”
“Nightstalker gear?” Kiri Lee echoed.
“Indeed,” Goldarrow replied. “Better by far than any armor you’ve ever worn.”
“The Guardmaster says that only because she helped design it,” Grimwarden explained. This earned him a slap on the shoulder from Goldarrow. “What I meant to say is that the Nightstalker gear is the finest in all of Allyra.”
“Much better.” Goldarrow crossed her arms.
“Yes, but is it fashionable?” Kiri Lee asked.
“I think you lived in Paris too long,” Autumn said.
“In any case,” Grimwarden grumbled, “you’ll get your new gear after we eat.”
“We seemed to have lost Princess Taeva, however,” Kat said. The lady lords had dropped off to sleep one-by-one. But when they awoke early in the morning, Taeva was gone.
“Not to worry, Lord Alreenia,” said Goldarrow. “She was summoned by Regis to go with Mr. Charlie and get outfitted for our expedition. Your sizes, for obvious reasons, are all well known to our seamstresses, even here in Nightwish. But Taeva arrived with only the clothes on her back. Our battle dress may be foreign to her, but even a sturdy pair of boots and a tightly woven cloak are universal assets to even the most foreign among us.”
“Ah, we thought she’d run off,” said Kat.
“Really?” inquired Grimwarden with the slightest sarcasm in his tone. “And where might she have run off to?”
“Well, not like that,” Kat stammered. “We just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“Very good then,” said Goldarrow. “Mumthers has—”
“Mumthers is here?” the Six exclaimed, each adding their own endearing comments to the news.
