Things Unseen: (An epic fantasy adventure series) (The Caris Chronicles Book 1) (30 page)

“It’s not cold.”

“I think it will look better, but suit yourself.”

Janen had never pretended to know much about clothes, happy if they fitted him and weren’t torn. Therefore, he acceded to Kalen’s superior knowledge and put his second shirt over the top of the first.

It would be so good to see Caris again, he wondered if she’d be happy to see him.

****

The day had dragged even more slowly than the first two. Jeniel and Caris had continued to gather and Caris had made a real effort to make more lively conversation, but as the afternoon wore on, she once again became lost in thoughts of Janen. She longed to see him, but feared it as well. She was nervous lest she betray her true feelings to him. She trusted Jeniel not to say anything but was afraid of her own emotions being too obvious.

Caris determined to keep her joy at seeing him contained, she would greet the others first and him with a hand shake. Though she made plans all afternoon, it did nothing to quell her agitation or make the dawdling day pass any quicker.

It was nearing dusk when they finally entered a large clearing to be greeted by an ecstatic Janen, Kalen, and Syngar. Caris ran to Kalen and threw her arms around her. After letting go, she turned around looking for Syngar. She was painfully aware of Janen standing to the side watching her, she was so happy to see him she thought she might cry.

Syngar was helping Crispin from Indira’s back, so reining herself in, Caris turned to Janen with her arm outstretched. The smile on his face faded and he shook her hand awkwardly. She heard Syngar laughing and turned to see him heading over to her, he swept her up in a huge hug.

“Oh, it’s good to see you Caris,” he said.

“Caris laughed happily and returned his hug, “It’s good to see you too!”

When she finally turned back to Janen, he was gone. She looked around to see him greeting Crispin.

The scouts had killed an eppet and set chunks of it to roasting in a fire earlier, so now they all gathered around to eat. Kalen and Crispin had quickly agreed that as they were counting on the elves as an escort, knowledge of the pendant should be shared with them. As Crispin acknowledged, it was a “fruitless exercise trying to keep it a secret”, as the elves were much more aware of the power radiating from it anyway. While the scouts took turns keeping watch, the rest of the group ate and shared stories about their adventures.

“Caris, why on earth did you jump off that cliff?” asked Janen.

“Oh, you should ask Kilew, he tells the story much better than I do,” Caris laughed.

Janen gave her a funny look, and after a brief glance at Kilew went back to concentrating on his food.

“I will not relate how Caris joined The King’s Horse, how she rode a great distance with her peers, how she chased after derks and fought lost people, for these are parts of her story you already know. But listen, as I tell of her great endurance as she tracked the lost ones through the bush in order to single handily rescue her leader,” Kilew began his tale, and everyone fell silent as his melodic tone washed over them, drawing them into the scene.

As Kilew talked, Caris’ eyes kept drifting to Janen. He was leaner than before and he looked tired. The little she had heard of their adventure sounded harrowing. She had so many questions and so much more she wanted to know, but most of all she wanted to hear his voice and have his eyes on her while he talked. He slowly looked up from his food, drawn in by Kilew’s tale as the others had been. Caris looked away from him again, fearful of being discovered, but before long her eyes had slipped back to linger on his high cheekbones and strong jaw.

Janen turned his head, his eyes locking with hers. Her first instinct was to duck her head in embarrassment, but she resisted. He was her old friend and the connection she shared with him as they looked into each other’s eyes was one she didn’t share with anyone else. She didn’t want to shut him out for fear of her true feelings being discovered. She would take as much friendship as he offered, without hiding away from him unnecessarily. She offered him a tentative smile, but he turned his head away to listen, once more, to Kilew.

They woke late the next morning. Kalen, Janen, and Syngar had been pushing themselves relentlessly for a moon and were exhausted. There was still an urgent need to return the pendant to The King quickly, but Crispin was only able to ride so much each day, so there was no advantage in setting out early. The others appeared much relieved to have the elven scouts with them. Caris found it hard to imagine the dangers they had faced. She gazed hungrily at them, she had not realised how good it would be to see Syngar and Kalen again. She went to join Jeniel and Kalen as they inspected Crispin’s wound.

“She is like you Caris, she does not trust us to tend your friend adequately,” said Jeniel.

Caris grinned at Jeniel, accustomed to her teasing.

“I know the healing abilities of the elves far exceed my own,” Kalen said with a smile, “but I am unused to leaving the care of my fellow Horse to others.” She looked back at Crispin’s wound in concern, “This must have been serious.” Looking at Jeniel she said, “It is thanks to the elves he survived.”

Caris looked away, reminded of her shame in bringing Crispin’s injury upon him.

“But Élan said there was an apprentice healer with you as well, surely your storyteller does not also have the gift of healing?” asked Kalen

“No,” Jeniel laughed, “It is Caris, of course. You must have suspected she had the gift, even if you had not yet begun her training?”

“I had not thought, in truth I was much preoccupied. When Caris first joined us, I was unaware that she was untrained as a seer. By the time it came to my attention I was much distressed over a failure of my own to save the lives of many people, and I did not have the emotional strength to begin her training. I thought we would have time, I did not foresee our separation. I am sorry Caris that I have not yet spoken with you on the topic of your gifts.”

“It’s okay,” Caris mumbled in reply. She had so many questions, but did not know how to frame one.

“Perhaps, when you do have that conversation, you can warn Caris of the dangers of blaming oneself for things that are not your fault,” Crispin gently rebuked Kalen.

“With great blessings come great responsibility,” Kalen replied quietly to Crispin.

He shook his head at her and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Caris looked at Jeniel, wondering if she knew what Kalen and Crispin were talking about. Jeniel opened her strange and beautiful eyes wide, to indicate her own perplexity.

“I fear I am going to slow your return to The King. It was selfish and unnecessary of me to request you wait for us, I am thinking you should go ahead,” Crispin said to Kalen.

Caris felt her breath catch, and Jeniel gave her an amused smile. Crispin needed her horse, if he stayed behind, she would have to stay with him, and she would be separated from Janen again.
Though it would not make much difference, he hasn’t said a word to me since we met.

“As your healer is unlikely to leave your side,” she said glancing at Jeniel for confirmation, “And as I understand the scouts will not leave hers, I think it is better that we stay with you.” With a heavy sigh she continued, “We are exhausted Crispin, as much from taut nerves and constant fear of attack as from our fast pace and battles. There is no use us rushing ahead if we again lose our prize before we reach The King. We need the extra weapons with us.”

“Very well, I will just have to heal quicker.”

“That sounds like a better plan,” Kalen smiled as she rose to go and saddle her horse.

Caris was saddling Indira when Élan left Jeniel and approached her, “Fare well Caris, keep my niece safe in your travels.”

“You do not come with us?”

“I do not, I will not leave Rodrin while he is a child, I may never have such a blessing again. It is for the young to seek adventures in the world. The scouts that accompany you are skilled and eager.”

“Well, go in favour Élan, thank you for all your hospitality.”

He inclined his head with a smile and ran into the trees.

It was only as the others climbed into their saddles that Caris realised she hadn’t needed to worry about spending too much time with Janen. As she would be walking while he rode, there would be little opportunity for them to talk comfortably.
It is for the best. Janen and the pendant are safe. I am content.
Caris told herself, though her face belied her.

As Jeniel and Caris collected mushrooms from beneath a log, Jeniel glanced up and with a mischievous twinkle in her eye commented,

“Your man is very handsome.”

“He is not my man,” Caris mumbled.

“Mmmm.”

After awhile Caris could not resist resuming the conversation. She had never talked about boys with the other girls when she was growing up. Everybody knew she would not marry anyone, so it always seemed a pointless and humiliating use of time to Caris. But, with Jeniel it seemed different, and she was not talking about how he would be hers, just about him.

“What do you think of him?” Caris asked.

“I think he is confused,” Jeniel replied. Caris frowned. It was not an answer she had been expecting. She let the conversation drop.

That evening, Caris took her customary seat next to Jeniel by the fire. They fell into conversation about the best way to preserve the mushroom paste. A shadow fell over Caris and she looked up to see Janen sitting down beside her.

“May I join you,” he asked seriously, “Or is this corner for healers only.”

“Of course you can join us!” Caris beamed at him.

He smiled shyly in return. Their conversation was jilted at first, both of them afraid of saying too much. Slowly they relaxed and with so much to catch up on, fell into the easy camaraderie of two old friends who understood almost everything about each other, and liked what they knew.

The eight elves and five King’s Horse followed the trail south of Telvendor. Caris didn’t see much of the six scouts during the day. The scouts took turns joining them for meals and to sleep, but during the day while they were travelling, they disappeared into the trees, and only returned if they were bringing back a kill, to drape over a horses rear, before running back into the trees.

Caris enjoyed the next few days travelling through the forest. Now that she had reunited with Janen, her impatience with their slow progress was alleviated and she was once again able to bask in the beauty around her. She was disappointed to leave the magnificence of Telvendor behind and regretted that she hadn’t paid more attention to the unique splendour of the southern part of that forest, but the woods around her had a subtle grace, all their own, that charmed her.

She quickly saw, once they left the elven lands, why Jeniel had been eager to gather as much as she could. The forest around them teemed with verdant growth but the plants containing healing qualities were a lot harder to find than they had been in Telvendor.

Jeniel and Caris soon tired of their game. There seemed little point running ahead to make time to gather when they were so unlikely to find anything. The track they followed was often wide enough for the horses to walk abreast, allowing the travellers to talk more freely to each other. Crispin continued to heal well, but he was still not able to ride Indira at anything faster than a leisurely walk, so the group travelled together, happy to be reunited and animated in their swapping of stories.

Caris’ pleasure in their journey was heightened by Janen’s tendency to pull Prince alongside her, falling easily into conversation. Although Caris had planned to spend most of her time with Jeniel, more often than not they reined in for a midday meal or toward dusk and Caris was surprised to discover she had spent the entire morning or afternoon lost in conversation with Janen.

Once Janen asked her if she wanted to ride behind him on Prince. She had involuntarily let her eyes slip to his strong back and his waist where she would need to hold on. The desire to sit close behind him and put her arms around him rose in her like an ache. She knew she could not do it without betraying her feelings. She refused his offer, looking away red cheeked. Janen had ridden off to go hunting, though he had come back much later empty handed, and Caris knew it for an excuse to escape the embarrassment she had caused. He had not sought her out again that day.

The next morning, however, he offered for her to ride Prince instead of him, saying he disliked riding the whole time while she was forced to walk. She had taken him up on the offer, not because she minded walking but because she was eager to ride on such a magnificent horse. Caris had not been disappointed; Prince had fought for his head initially but Caris had quickly exerted control over him. She walked him for a while, enjoying the sensation of being up high and the rocking rhythm of the horse beneath her.

She hadn’t realised how long it had been since she had ridden Indira and how much she missed riding. Once she was confident that Prince was comfortable with her in control, Caris kicked him into a trot, then quickly into a canter and a gallop.
Wow, he’s fast!
Thought Caris, exhilaration filling her as the wind rushed through her hair and whipped against her face. She didn’t go far. Mindful that she needed to stay with the others, she soon turned him and cantered back.