Tyler's Story (Tales of Quelondain) (10 page)

Tyler remembered the tall castle outlined by the
ocean behind it. “Yes, Pinsaber is beautiful.” He turned back to
the little village below them and smiled. “The Namaels do tend to
like some flair when they do things.” His thoughts turned to Howel
where Rainen, head sorceress of the Majs, made her home. Her
dwelling of choice was a small stone house, not unlike the ones
they were looking at now. “We Majs, on the other hand, like things
a bit more simple.” He took Heidi’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Come. Let’s see if we can get you home.”

She took a deep breath and smiled. “Please,
let’s.”

John’s stomach growled. “Do you think we could stop
at the pub for a bite to eat first?”

Tyler glanced at Heidi, leaving the decision up to
her. She nodded. “I could use something to eat. And a beer. God, I
would kill for a beer right now.”

Tyler grinned. “There’s no need to kill. A mug of
sloan should do you just fine. My aunt says it’s like amber
ale.”

She grinned. “Perfect.”

He was about to say something else his aunt had told
him but stopped short. By the moons, why was he telling her these
things? He’d spent the last five years keeping details of his
family to himself and in the past week he had mentioned them at
least five or six times.

Heidi gazed up at him, trying to find a clue as to
what had caused the emotions that had passed over his features.
Shock, pain, sadness, and what? Anger? She put a hand on his
arm.

“Come. You can buy me a drink.”

The deep brown eyes blinked and squinted with his
usual smile. Mina threw a glare in their direction before shifting.
Her sister followed suit and the two lionesses bound down the hill
toward the town. John cocked his head in question and Tyler
nodded.

“Go ahead, John. We’ll meet you down there.”

“Sorry. I just haven’t shifted since yesterday and I
need to run.”

“I said go!” Tyler laughed. He looked up at the sun
and noticed it had taken them much longer to get here than he’d
anticipated.

“What happens if you don’t shift?” Heidi watched as
the coyote loped off after the lionesses.

“You start to feel edgy, like you’re nervous or have
too much energy.”

“So, do you need to shift?”

He shook his head. “No. I was shifted most of the
night.”

“You don’t need to run?”

“I’m fine.” He laughed as Maddy leapt sideways and
tackled her sister, the two of them rolling in the tall grass. John
gave a playful yip and jumped over them.

Heidi shook her head. “This is unreal.”

“You’re doing alright?”

“I think so. It’s a lot to wrap your head around,
that’s all.”

He smiled. “I can imagine.”

“How did your aunt handle it?”

“Aunt Hayden is an amazing woman. She sort of just
fell into the rhythm of things once she’d crossed over. It probably
helped that she was fated to my uncle.” He glanced down at her.
“Some beings here dream of their mates ahead of time. We call that
fated.”

“Hmmm. I’m not sure I’d like that. You know, not
being able to pick who you wanted to be with. Are you fated?”

Tyler shook his head. “No, and I never will be. My
brother was. If one twin is, the other won’t be.”

Heidi frowned. “What happened to him?”

He took a deep breath. “Five years ago, there was a
war here. He was killed.” His jaw clenched involuntarily.

Heidi’s throat tightened at the obvious pain he was
still feeling over the loss of his brother. “I’m sorry.”

He smiled sadly. “Not your fault.”

She remembered the obvious hatred Mina had shown at
the fact that she was human. “But it was humans that did it,
right?”

Tyler nodded. “There was a man named Braw. He was
from your world. He decided shifters were evil or possessed… I’m
not sure. He managed to get his hands on a staff that could
separate a shifter from his or her animal.”

Heidi’s eyes widened. “Wouldn’t that kill you?”

“It would and for many unfortunate shifters, it did.
He planned on using the staff to rid Quelondain of both Majs and
Namaels.”

“But you won.”

“We did.”

“What happened to Braw?”

“He was killed and the staff was destroyed. Most
humans had been following him out of fear and are now trading and
interacting with the other beings of this world. There are still
groups of rogues that cause problems, but they are getting fewer as
the years go by.” He smiled at a tall grey haired man leaving
Growlen. “Good day.”

“And the same to you,” replied the man before
shifting into a grizzly and shuffling away.

Tyler laughed at the evident shock on Heidi’s
face.

They made their way to the pub and found the others
already eating steaming bowls of stew.

“We ordered yours,” John said between bites and
gestured to the extra two bowls.

Tyler took a chair and pushed one of the mugs toward
Heidi. She took a sip.

“Oooh, you weren’t lying. This is great!” She took a
deep swallow of the sloan and followed it with a spoonful of stew,
all the while gazing around the pub. Everyone here looked human,
but she knew better whether her brain wanted to believe it or not.
“How do you tell everybody apart? You all look the same.”

Tyler grinned. “We have marks.” He leaned sideways
and brushed the thick dark brown hair away from the back of his
ear, letting her see the crescent mark all Majs were born with.
“Namaels have a straight line in the same spot.”

“And humans…”

“Carry bows and arrows.” He started to laugh at the
sceptical look on her face. “I’m serious. Shifters simply turn into
their animals to hunt, yeah? Humans can’t do that and most use a
bow and arrow to kill their supper.”

She smiled and took a drink of her sloan.

“What? I’m not lying to you.” He leaned back into his
seat and gazed at her, his head cocked to the side.

“I know. I just… I keep expecting you to start
laughing then tell me I’m dreaming, or I’m a part of one of those
terrible practical joke shows.”

His gaze softened. “Sorry.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “Yeah, well, I
suppose it is all your fault.”

His smile widened and he took a sip of his drink.
Once they were done eating, he stood and grinned. “Heidi of the
other world, if you’re all done eating, let’s find the resident
magic wielder.”

She nodded and tried to calm the butterflies in her
stomach, watched him put coins on the table, and followed him to
the bar where he inquired about where they might find such a
person.

The man raised an eyebrow at him then gave Heidi a
good look up and down. She blushed, embarrassed. Tyler growled low
in his throat and put a hand on her shoulder. The bartender raised
his hands and grinned.

“You came in with three women. By the way she was
looking at you, I was sure you were with the younger of the
sisters. I really didn’t think this one was yours.”

Tyler opened his mouth to tell him he was right; that
Heidi wasn’t his. Of course, if he did that, then she was fair
game. “You were wrong.”

“Alright, then, the being you’re looking for goes by
the name of Grent. He’ll be the third shop from the end, two
streets north of here.”

Tyler thanked him and waved to the others. “We’ll be
back.”

John nodded and the women glared.

“I don’t think those two like me very much,” muttered
Heidi as they exited the pub.

Tyler glanced down at her. “I’m sure they like you
just fine. The problem is that for some reason or another they’ve
gotten it in their heads that I’m the perfect candidate for a
mate.”

“But I already have a boyfriend and they know that.
There’s also the fact that hopefully I won’t be here much
longer.”

“That’s where they think you’re wrong. They don’t
think you’ll be able to get home.” He saw the panic on her face and
stopped so he was facing her. “Heidi, I’ll get you home. I
promise.”

“How can you be so sure?” She swallowed hard and
tried to keep the tears from filling her eyes.

More than anything he wanted to tell her that if the
cross gem idea failed that he would take her to his aunt and get
her home that way, but couldn’t bring himself to say it. Instead,
he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and smiled
softly.

“Because I promised and I will.” He leaned forward
and kissed her forehead. “Trust me.”

Heidi gazed up at him, a slight frown on her face as
she searched his. He seemed so sincere, so certain. She nodded. “I
do.”

He turned and led the way to the shop they were
searching for. She coughed and tried to hold her breath as they
walked through the door and her nostrils were assaulted by an array
of smells that ranged from bitter, to sweet, to stale, to
rotten.

A short man with auburn hair streaked with grey
looked up from whatever he’d been looking at behind the counter and
smiled.

“Good day to the pair of you. My name is Grent. How
can I help you today?”

Tyler nodded. “I’m looking for a cross gem.”

Grent’s eyes widened with his obvious surprise. “Can
I ask why?”

“No.” Tyler’s reply was curt and Grent nodded.

“I don’t have one here. They’re rare, you know.”

Tyler grunted at the obvious.

“I do, however, know of someone who might be in
possession of what you seek. Her name is Brunn. She’s a Wedelven
magic wielder who specializes in rare stones.”

“Where is she?”

Heidi glanced at Tyler, surprised at how he’d gone
from such a caring and sweet man to this, a hard and seemingly
uncaring character.

“Swandern.”

She caught the slight stiffening of his jaw at the
mention of this place. He nodded. “Thank you.” He turned.

“Wait!”

Tyler turned back to Grent.

“Swandern is three weeks travel at a good pace… maybe
I could interest you in a displacement stone.”

He nodded. “I’ll need it to move my entire pack.”

“How many?” Grent was rummaging through a box he’d
pulled out from under the counter.

“Five.”

The magic wielder hummed and hawed and finally pulled
out a smooth green stone.

Tyler took it. “How much?”

“Five.”

“Three.”

“Four?”

Tyler shook his head. “Three.”

Grent clenched his jaw then quickly agreed when it
became obvious Tyler was about to return the stone. “Fine!
Three!”

Tyler dropped the coins into the man’s hand, put the
stone in his pocket, and guided Heidi out of the store. Once
outside, he shook himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just not much of a people person,
that’s all.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re a confusing
man, Tyler of Quelondain.”

He grinned. “Not really. Come on. I want to see the
looks on the others’ faces when I tell them we’re going to
Swandern.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I suppose it depends on your point of view. Since
there may be a cross gem there, for you, it’s a good thing.”

Mina glanced up as they walked back into the pub, her
eyes taking in Tyler as he walked back to the table. Maddy and John
cut their dance short and joined them.

“Did you find one?” John looked from Tyler to Heidi,
excitement clear on his face.

Tyler shook his head and John’s whole being seemed to
deflate.

“I’m sorry, Heidi. I know how much you wanted to go
home.”

Tyler grinned. “We did, however, find out where there
may be one.”

John cocked his head to the side. “Oh?”

“Swandern.”

Maddy paled and Mina’s eyes turned into blue saucers
on her face. John’s head straightened.

“Are you serious?”

Tyler nodded. “I am. I bought a displacement stone
that will move us all at once so we don’t have to travel
there.”

Maddy shook her head. “We’re not coming.”

Mina looked from her sister to Tyler. “But…”

“No, Mina. There is no way we’re going to the
Sandsea, even if it is by means of displacement. It’s sure suicide
and I don’t plan on dying just yet.”

Tyler grunted. “I think that’s being a bit extreme,
don’t you?”

Maddy raised an eyebrow at him. “Tyler, I’ll be more
than happy to take on tlarrisons, jainks, or whatever else lives in
these parts if the need arises, but I refuse to go up against a
Zerpanay. We’re a quick meal to them and that’s it.”

“The Sandsea is immense, Maddy. The chances of
running into one are slim.”

“Maddy…” Mina put a hand on her sister’s arm. “I want
to stay with…”

“No.” The elder of the two grabbed her pack and
hooked it over her shoulder. “Get your pack, Mina. We’re heading
north, not south.”

“But…”

“Now!”

Tears filled Mina’s eyes and made the blue in them
shimmer. She reached for her pack and looked at Tyler. His eyes
widened as she stood on her tip toes, laced her fingers behind his
head and pulled him down to her lips. He gently put his hands on
her shoulders and eased away from the kiss. Her eyes met his,
questioning whether she’d made an impact on him.

He took a deep breath, leaned down and kissed her
softly on the forehead. “Go with your sister, Mina.”

She stiffened and jerked out of his grasp, her glare
honing in on Heidi before she stalked off after Maddy. John waited
until the sisters had left the pub before bursting out
laughing.

Tyler shook his head at him, noticed the bartender
looking at him with raised eyebrows, and groaned to himself. By the
moons, what was it with women. He ordered three drinks and they sat
at their table once again.

“So why is Maddy so against going to Swandern?” Heidi
took a drink, enjoying the smooth taste of the cold ale.

“Swandern is about two days’ travel into the Sandsea.
The Sandsea is the territory south of the Majs borders. One of the
reasons beings try to stay away is the Zerpanays. They’re a cousin
of the dragons that stay in the Northern Regions. Ugly things. I’ve
been told they look like oily feathered snakes with wings and ten
pairs of legs. They use magic against their prey.” He stopped at
the shock and fear on her face. He reached across the table and
laid a hand over hers. “Heidi, there’s no need to worry. We’ll use
the displacement stone to get to Swandern where we’ll find the
Wedelven magic wielder then use the stone to come back here.”