Order of The Rose: Forsaken Petal (17 page)

Tom could only watch as Cody took his first wound. Cody cringed with pain; blood ran down the side of his head. Then another and another, until he was on his knees fighting for his life. Cody looked at him desperately, pleading for his help. Another blow came and still Tom could not help.

“Why Tom? Why didn’t you help me?”

Chapter 17:

Tom woke with a start. He was horrified at what he had just seen.
Had he let Cody die?
  

Thankfully it was morning and would not have to try and go back to sleep. He thought it best to keep himself busy to try to get the memory of the dream out of his mind. He started the fire and prepared breakfast for the others. He went through the motions with a horrible feeling in his stomach, not able to look in Cody’s direction.
Maybe it was just a dream. Hopefully it was just a dream.

“
Tom, are you ok?” Aithnea said.

“
Yeah I’m fine,” he replied quickly.

Aithnea walked up behind him and put her arms around him holding him tight for several minutes. Tom held her hands feeling the warmth that she always filled him with. She loosened her grip pulling Tom around to face her. Her eyes looked like shining emeralds.
She's so beautiful. 

They stood holding each other for a long time while Aithnea rested her head on his chest and Tom rested his head on hers. He could feel the strength that she gave him and it melted the worries and pain away from his aching heart. Whenever he looked at Aithnea he knew that everything would be ok and that he could make it through this.

There was a hissing noise behind him and Tom realized that the water was beginning to boil over. He quickly turned to pull the pot off the fire.

“
Well Tom, don’t quit your day job,” Cody said standing up. He walked over to the fire.

Tom lowered his head not able to look into his friends face, remembering the hurt in his eyes during the dream.

Cody leaned over the fire and stirred the coals. “That was a crazy night wasn’t it. I can’t believe that Caspin is a werewolf and then to watch Tanya fight was just amazing. I think John would be hard pressed to beat her in a fight.”

“
I heard that,” John said walking up behind them.

“
She is rather amazing though isn’t she?” John added after a moment.

Tom continued to keep his head low keeping himself busy. Aithnea helped Tom with the breakfast. She kept looking up at him trying to figure out what he was thinking.

“I think that Tom and I will go and get some more wood for the fire,” Aithnea said. She grabbed his hand and headed for the secret passage. Tom tried to resist, but only a little knowing that she would win. He didn’t really want to stay in the cave with Cody anyway. 

They left the cave with Cody yelling, “Don’t get lost in the woods.”

Tom and Aithnea hurried out of the room, Tom turned red and Aithnea laughed. When they had made it out of the cave he started to look for wood but Aithnea grabbed his arm and turned him around to look at her.

“
Tom, something’s bothering you. I can feel it, you forget that we are connected and even if we weren’t connected I can tell by how you’re acting.”

“
It’s nothing, it was just a dream,” Tom said trying to escape her gaze.

“
Let me help you. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. We’re all in this together, whether we want to be or not.” Aithnea looked down at the ground.

Tom looked at Aithnea’s beautiful black hair as it fell around her face. The sun made her hair look like ebony. He pushed the hair back off her face and lifted her face with the cup of his hand and held it. He lowered his head slowly and kissed her on her red lips. “Aithnea, I know that you will always be there for me. It’s just hard for me to remember that because
others that I have loved in the past are now gone. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Aithnea smiled. “Tom, you’re just acting sad so you can kiss me.”

Tom smiled back, but it soon faded. “I am so worried that I’ll let everyone down. I have never had to worry about anyone but myself before and it’s scary. To have people like Tanya telling me that they will follow me anywhere. I’m worried that I’ll lose you.” He lowered his head as he felt the burning in his eyes. He knew that he was going to start crying again.

Aithnea pulled his head up again looking into his tear filled eyes she smiled. Going up on her tiptoes she kissed him gently on the lips. “It’s like I said you’re just trying to get a kiss.”

Tom smiled and wiped the tears away. “It worked didn’t it?”

She grabbed him around the waist burying her head into his chest. “You will never let me down Tom. I know that you’ll always do your best and that is good enough.” She gave him one more hug and then started to gather wood. “If we don’t bring back some wood then they’ll think that we were just out here kissing. We don’t want that do we?”

Tom grinned and started to gather wood.

They gathered wood until they could carry no more and headed back to the cave. Tom could tell, by the smell of it, that someone who was a better cook than he had taken over. They entered the cave as the others were beginning to eat. Tom and Aithnea sat down next to Cody. Tom was once again able to look at him without remembering the hurt.

The companions finished eating and began to pack up their things. Caspin was moving around ok with Tanya’s help. She was always right next to Caspin, helping him whenever he needed it.

Tom walked up to Caspin, “Is there anything that I can help you with?”

Caspin glanced at Tanya. “Tanya, I think, feels that she owes me and so I can’t even move without her right there.” He smiled at Tanya.

She smiled back kindly. “Caspin it is only fair that since I was the one that hurt you that I should be the one that helps you.”

“I disagree with it being your fault but I’m grateful for your help. You’ve a very wicked sword. I’ve never been hurt that badly before.”

“
It’s an elven blade, made from a forge in the heart of the white forest. It’s one of a kind and made by a master sword smith,” Tanya said. She held the blade out admiring it.

Tom looked at the blade. It appeared to be different than before. It was a silver blade and it appeared to be glowing. The silver handle was interlaced with vine etchings and several gems were set into it. Tanya must have noticed that he was staring at it because she handed it to him hilt first.

He carefully took the blade from her. The weapon was light and well balanced.
This could easily be hung on the wall as a piece of art.
Tom held the weapon for several minutes testing its balance and weight.

Cody walked up looking like a lost puppy dog. “May I hold it?” he asked. His eyes were sparkling as he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

Tanya nodded and Tom handed it to Cody. He stepped back several paces and performed several maneuvers with the sword. “With this weapon I could easily best you,” he said looking over at John.

John looked at Tanya. She nodded with an understanding smile. John pulled his own weapon from its sheath and taking a defensive stance approached Cody slowly with his weapon ready.

Cody looked at her nervously and then at the sword.

“
Go ahead, you can’t break it,” she said.

Excitement rippled through Cody’s arms and body as he approached John with the weapon at the ready. He was immediately on the offensive swinging the elven sword at John with as much force as he could. As Cody swung the sword it seemed to pull Cody off of his feet and throw him to the ground.

John was laughing so hard he nearly fell over.

Cody was paralyzed on the ground.

Tanya walked over to Cody and bent down next to him. She touched the sword and his back at the same time whispering in elven.

“
Cody the problem with the sword is that it has only one owner. When someone who is not the owner tries to use the weapon, it will paralyze them,” John said through fits of laughter.

Cody was able to move once Tanya touched him and the sword and he sat up. Looking first at Tanya and then at John. Tom thought for sure he would be angry but instead Cody held the sword up to Tanya, looking at it in awe.

Cody pulled himself off of the ground. “John and Tanya, I only have one thing to say, you had better watch out,” he said. He then smiled broadly.

Cody looked at the sword again. “Thank you for allowing me to hold this magnificent weapon.”

Tanya nodded at Cody. “You will, one day be a true weapons master. Remember that it’s the master that makes the sword not the sword that makes the master.”

Cody looked at her for a few minutes longer than expected and blushed. He quickly turned and went back to packing.

They all turned back to their packing and within a few minutes everything had been packed. Once they were all ready they turned to John and Kristiana for direction. John and Kristiana looked at each other. Making a decision John said, “We’ll seek out the locations on the tapestries.” Turning to Caspin, “We not only need but want your companionship, but we understand if....”

“
My mission is your mission and now that we have an understanding of my condition I see no need to go to Archelaus. I believe that it’s God’s will that we have come together at this time. My calling is with you,” Caspin said.

“
Kristiana and I think that we should seek out the monks of the eternal word and ask for permission to enter their library in the city of light.”

Caspin looked up at John in surprise. “John, no one has ever been admitted to the library without being a member of the order. How do you plan on getting permission?”

“We’ll need to figure that out as we travel,” John replied.

“
We also will need to get a better means of travel than foot, otherwise it will take us months to get there.” John said looking down rubbing his chin with his fingers.

“
We could always ask Archelaus for a car,” Cody suggested.

John looked up at Kristiana and then to Cody. “I’m not sure where he stands and if he should be trusted.”

Looking annoyed Kristiana looked at John and said, “We need help and we have no reason not to trust him.”

“
I just don’t feel good about it. He was aligned with the witches once before, who’s to say that he has not once again aligned himself with them,” John said.

“
He has always said that was a mistake and he wouldn’t dare now that he has aligned himself with the enchanters and the healers. He would lose their support if he ever turned back to the witches.”

“
We need to get resupplied and he seems to be our only ally at this time,” Caspin said.

“
Maybe he’s not,” Tanya said. She started playing with the hilt of her sword. “We can always go to my people. They may be willing to help us in our quest.”

“
That might work. But I thought that they don’t let outsiders in,” John said. His attention was now on her.

“
They’ll allow us to enter if I am with you,” she said.

“
I say we vote on it. I don’t think that anyone should make this decision alone. We can go to Archelaus or we can go to the people of the white forest,” John said. “All who are in favor of Archelaus?”

Kristiana, Aithnea, and Caspin raised their hands.

“All who are in favor of going to the white forest?” John asked.

Tom, Tanya, Cody and John raised their hands.

“Then it’s decided. We’d better get moving,” John said. He picked up his pack.

“
Tanya you will take the lead with Aithnea. Kristiana and I will stay in the back to cover the trail. Cody and Tom help Caspin with his gear and anything else that he needs.” John looked to Tanya to start out.

Tanya headed for the back of the cave, opening the secret passage and began moving fast with Aithnea. Tom and Cody picked up most of the gear and helped Caspin along behind them. Kristiana wasn’t too happy and was arguing with John as they were leaving. Tom, Cody and Caspin struggled to keep up with Tanya, but they managed. Tom looked over his shoulder and saw that John and Kristiana had still not left the passage.
Maybe she doesn’t like elves or is she just dedicated to Archelaus and if she is why?

“
What do you know about Tanya and her people, Caspin?” Cody asked.

“
Well, I know that they live in the white forest and that they keep to themselves most of the time. Tanya must be one of their leaders or she wouldn’t be wearing the sword that she is. Very few of those swords are made and it’s a great honor for her to have one. I also noticed while we were at the Aetos stronghold that she was a leader there. I can only surmise that she is a strong leader.” Caspin trailed off as he thought more.

Tom looked hesitantly at Caspin and then ahead. “Caspin, what happened to you, I mean how did it...?” Tom stopped not being able to find the right words.

“I once was the priest of a small village in the far north. There I was respected and loved by the people. The people were good to me and I felt like they were family,” Caspin said. He smiled as he spoke; there was a hint of sadness in his tone.

“
I would tend to the needs of the people with my abilities and they would help me in other ways. We lived together as a family for many years. One year it was colder than normal and there came reports of people disappearing from their homes. Being the leader I went out with a few men to see if we could find what was attacking our village. We traveled for many days finding strange tracks that led from the village. We eventually came to a cave where the tracks had led to. We found a werewolf there who attacked us instantly. During the battle two men were killed and one man was bitten.