Into the Stone Land (22 page)

Avea gritted her teeth, had to sit. Deanna was cleaning Avea's wound, preparing it for the healing treatments. “Not many, I'm afraid,” Avea said, her voice low. “He felt responsible, you know, for your capture. His oath was to protect you so that you could do your work.”

Tall had thought they were talking about this night, but now realized they were talking about the night Ray had been captured.

Ray let Avea grip his hand as she worked through the pain she was feeling. “It wasn't his fault. It was my—”

“No,” Avea said. “You both are blameless. You couldn't have foreseen the attack. No more than Grandin could have.”

“Is he?” Ray asked. “What about Alkin, Rhyliath, Kyitin?”

“Grandin's brother fell when you were taken,” Avea said. “This night, I saw Alkin and Rhyliath take flight, when the retreat began.”

Ray persisted. “Grandin? Did he make it out?”

Avea hung her head. “I don't think so… I saw him fall. I couldn't get to him.”

The news was saddening to all. Not a word was said for several long moments. It was Deanna who broke the silence. To Ray, she said, “See if there are more cloths that can be shredded.” To Avea, she said, “The bleeding slows but does not stop. Tell me, was it the Prefect's sword?”

Avea glanced at Tall, said nothing. Tall thought perhaps it was because she'd taken the wound to ensure his escape. Ray ran to the tent, returned with several clean cloths.

“Yes or no?” Deanna said, tearing a cloth and applying torn patches to the wound in layers.

“Yes,” Avea finally said.

Deanna nodded, her expression tightened. “This is to be expected then.”

“To be expected?” Tall said incredulously.

“His blade has a power,” Deanna told them. Avea's expression said it was news to her. Deanna continued, “The wound will heal. It will take longer though, and we must be patient.”

Tall moved to warm himself by the fire. His growling stomach brought a wry smile to his lips. There wasn't anything to fill his empty belly with, but he wished there was.

Avea seemed to sense this. She said, “The tent, Ray. You'll find what supplies remain in the hidden storage. Peel back the panel, turn the stone.” To Deanna, she said, “Enough, sit. We need to talk.”

Deanna acquiesced, taking a fireside place beside Tall. Deanna looked as tired as Tall felt. He put his arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder.

“Do you know me, girl?” Avea said, her voice commanding.

“There are few of Adalayia who don't,” Deanna said. “You are the traitor, Avea of Korran. You murdered Prefect Gentren.”

“I am no more of Korran, no more a murderer, than you are,” Avea said sharply. “But that is neither here nor there. The question I ask is whether you know who I am to you.”

“Only from another's memories of you,” Deanna said quietly.

“My memories. You stole them from me!” Ray shouted, as he returned from the tent. What food stuffs he found, he started passing out as he glared at Deanna. Tall took two of the long, orange roots. He was developing a fondness for these, he realized.

“Those memories remain your own. I merely reviewed them.”

“Liar, you took my memories! Return them!” Ray shouted.

Keenly interested, Avea moved around the fire. “What's this of memory taking?” she asked. “Explain yourself, Deanna.”

Deanna showed Avea the thrall spheres, told her about them as she had Tall and Ray earlier. She finished by saying, “It was the only way I could protect him.”

Avea touched Deanna's shoulder. “You did well, granddaughter. You've proven you are a friend to our cause. You've proven the Endweller blood runs through you.”

Deanna looked up into Avea's eyes. “Granddaughter? Endweller?”

“Truly, you've your mother's eyes, your mother's heart and cleverness. You are of the line,” Avea said, cupping her hand under Deanna's chin. “You don't know how much it sorrows me that this is our first meeting. How I wish it could've been otherwise.”

“Grandmother,” Deanna said, almost inaudibly, as she hugged Avea.

Their sudden joy was a relief to Tall. He grinned and edged away, hoping to talk privately with Ray. Tall and Ray had only walked past the tent, a few steps into the darkness, when Deanna let out a high-pitched scream that brought them running back.

Tall saw the cause of alarm immediately. “Calm, calm,” he shouted as he ran. “Nothing to fear, Deanna. They're friends.”

Tall sank to his knees, wrapped his arms around Horn Eyes. Ever Hunger, Big Feet, Bent Snout, and the others were so happy to see him, they bowled him over. He rolled and frolicked with them, hooting happily as they playfully nipped at him. Then they calmed, and backed away strangely.

It took Tall a moment to realize they were opening a path. What he didn't expect to see next was a pair of slithers. He wrapped an arm around Hazard and smiled up at Ray, who had his hand around the other slither.

“A friend of yours?” Tall asked.

Ray said, “His name is True.”

“Your choosing companion?”

Ray nodded. He didn't say anything for a time as he focused on True. Finally, he said, “Quite the brood you have. It's amazing. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would not believe it. The smoot was right about you doing something no other had ever done.”

“It is you,” Tall said, “who has done something no other has ever done. You've run out your long path, survived the Stone Land when all others gave you up for lost. We can return home now with no heaviness in our hearts.”

Avea, with Deanna at her side, said, “Not over, not home, not just yet.” She looked up into the sky expectantly. A moment later Tall heard a rush of air. He followed the sound with his eyes, and soon Rhyliath's form was bursting into view from the dark sky. The resounding thump of Rhyliath's landing, the soft rustling of his wings settling after his landing, followed, but was broken by his raucous crooning. The roar was filled with anguish and sorrow but triumph as well. It said I have returned, I have fought and lived.

Alkin slid off Rhyliath's back with a sluggishness Tall had never seen before. Ray was at the other's side immediately, Tall after a slight delay. Tall and Ray walked Alkin to the fire. Deanna started to check Alkin, but Alkin waved her back. “Rhyliath first,” he said, but it was the only thing he managed to say before unconsciousness took him.

Panicked triage followed. Avea assessed Rhyliath's injuries. Deanna, Alkin's. Avea shouted, “Deanna, to me.” The two talked heatedly. Avea said, “Ray, Tall, remove Alkin's armor and do your best. Bind, stop the bleeding where you can. Deanna and I look to Rhyliath.”

Avea and Deanna worked on Rhyliath, whose head was slumped on the ground.

Tall and Ray removed Alkin's heavy leathers and boots. “Why not home?” Tall muttered to himself as he worked to bind wounds as quickly as possible. “Some plan, some victory.”

Ray surprised Tall by answering. He said, “No plan is perfect. No victory without sacrifice.”

Tall started to say, “It was all for nothing,” but Avea spoke over him, as she came from seeing to Rhyliath. She said, “Only master soldiers serve prefects and equites. Those men were the best of the east and west, and this night, they are broken and defeated. It may not have been the plan, but it is as it is.”

Tall couldn't help himself when he shouted, “At what cost?”

Avea looked down at bloodied Alkin. “He'll live,” she said. “There's not a wound that's fatal.”

“How can you know this?” Tall said. “You haven't examined him.”

Deanna, who must have finished with Rhyliath, held the spheres over Alkin. She said, “It is true. All those wounds, and not a one that's more than superficial. It's a miracle.”

“It's no miracle,” Avea said. “Know this, where you see despair, I see hope. This was not just a victory, but a great victory. Our lost seer is returned to us, and we've now a tree singer as well.”

Tall balled his hands into fists and shook himself. “Grandin's dead,” he said. “His men are dead with him. I want nothing more than to go home.”

“And then what?” Avea asked. “What will you do when the wizard's next at your door?”

“I'll deal with that when the time comes,” Tall said. The expression on Ray's face said he wasn't sure what to say or whether he should side with Avea or Tall.

Avea helped Deanna wrap a cloth around Alkin's right leg. “Believe me when I say you won't have a chance to ‘deal with it' when the wizard's at your door. It'll be too late. You'll have missed any chance you had.”

“I want to go home,” Tall said, his voice breaking.

Ray said nothing, but his eyes said he wanted nothing more than to go home too.

“Let the boy go home,” said a voice out of the darkness.

Tall and Ray looked up at the same time, and both gave shouts of hurray and surprise when Grandin and two of his men walked into the camp. All were wounded, but already bandaged. Grandin's left arm was in a sling, and one of the others had a makeshift crutch.

“Grandin, Delkan, Stytuk,” Ray said as he greeted each in turn by clasping their forearms.

Ray and Tall escorted Grandin, Delkan, Stytuk into camp. The pleased look on Avea's face as she watched the undermountain men take seats around the fire was one Tall wished he could paint and keep. He never wanted to forget that look, that expression of absolute esteem and glee, that was in her eyes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Stanek is the author of many previously published books, including several bestsellers. Currently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children. Robert is proud to have served in the Persian Gulf War as a combat crewmember on an electronic warfare aircraft. During the war, he flew numerous combat and combat support missions, logging over two hundred combat flight hours. His distinguished accomplishments during the Persian Gulf War earned him nine medals, including the United States of America's highest flying honor, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.

As a boy, he dreamed of being a writer. In elementary school, he was a junior editor for the school newspaper. Although he has written many books for professionals since 1994, his works of fiction have quickly become his most popular books. His first novel was Keeper Martin's Tale, which was simultaneously released in adult and children's editions. He describes the book as “a story of mystery, intrigue, magic, and adventure.” Many of his other works of fiction are also fantasies, set in incredibly fantastic worlds.