From a Far Land Read online

  His father pursed his lips. “That doesn’t sound like any of the Loremasters I know.”

  “Well, people are different,” Jason said. “I know it doesn’t sound like Reyga, but that Chon doesn’t seem like such a nice guy. How do you know they’re all like Reyga? For that matter, how do you know Reyga is even like what he seems? How do you know it’s not just an act?”

  “Jason, I’ve known Reyga for longer than you’ve been alive,” his dad answered. “So let me put the same question to you. How do you know Bothan is telling the truth? Maybe he’s the one that has plans to attack the Circle, and not the other way around.”

  He frowned as he considered that. For some reason, the possibility that it was Bothan who might be lying had not crossed his mind. Before he could reply, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation. He opened the door and saw Reyga, Tal, and Seryn standing outside.

  “May we come in, Jason?” Reyga asked.

  He knew Reyga was trying to be polite, but couldn’t help his irritated response. “Like I have a choice?”

  “Jason,” his dad said.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “Sure, come on in.” He moved back to the center of the room as the Loremasters entered.

  “I am certain you have many questions,” Tal said. “We will answer your questions as best we can, but first Loremaster Seryn needs to examine you.” He looked at Jason’s father. “I am sorry. I must ask you to wait outside.”

  The elder Bennett showed no sign of moving. Reyga placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

  “Please, my friend,” Reyga said. “I promise nothing will be done to Jason, and I will explain everything later.”

  Bruce held Reyga’s eye. “Fine,” he said, “but I’m holding you responsible, old friend. He’s my son and I don’t want anything happening to him.”

  “Have no fear.”

  His father turned to him. “We’ll talk more later.” Then, with a glance at the three Loremasters, he walked out. Reyga closed the door behind him.

  “Why do you need to examine me?” Jason asked. “I’m fine.”

  “Please, Jason,” Reyga said. “It is necessary.”

  He wondered what they would do if he refused. As he looked at their faces, he saw that, once again, they weren’t really asking. “Fine,” he sighed. “What do I need to do?”

  Seryn stepped forward. “Please lie down,” she said. “It will be much the same as when you were in the healing area.”

  Once he was lying down, the Loremasters moved into position beside the bed. Seryn stood in the center, with Tal and Reyga to either side, their hands resting lightly on the Diamond Loremaster’s shoulders. The two men raised their free hands, and Jason saw Tal’s hand begin to glow with a milky white light, while green sparks danced on Reyga’s fingers.

  “Wait a second,” he said. “I don’t remember you two doing that before.”

  “Peace, Jason,” Reyga said. “You will not be harmed, but this is a necessary precaution.”

  He tried to relax as Seryn’s hands blossomed with the same soft argent light as in the healing area. That had been a pleasant experience, but he didn’t know what to expect with the other two Loremasters displaying their power as they were.

  “Please try to relax, Jason,” Seryn said. “This will not harm you, but I must probe a little more deeply than when you were injured.”

  “Does this have something to do with what Reyga felt when I was at his place?”

  “Perhaps,” Seryn said. “That is yet to be determined. Now, please try to remain still and silent.”

  Seryn moved her hands to just above his head. Tal and Reyga seemed tense, which made him nervous. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on staying calm.

  After a moment, he heard Seryn say, “Nothing unusual yet. I am going to probe more deeply now.”

  Jason opened his eyes and looked at her. Her eyes were closed, and her face showed her concentration. The dimsai danced on the other Loremasters’ fingers as they focused on Seryn.

  A tiny line furrowed the space between her eyes. He wondered what she was looking for. Then her eyes opened suddenly. “Oh!”

  Instantly, a barrier of energy sprang up between Jason and the three Loremasters. He flinched away at the sudden appearance of the crackling shield, almost falling off the other side of the bed. The glow left Seryn’s hands and she grasped the men’s wrists.

  “No,” she told them. “There is no danger here.” Tal and Reyga looked at her then extinguished their power as well.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “What was that all about?”

  “My apologies, Jason,” Tal said. “There was an incident during your absence which has required us to take certain precautions.”

  “What kind of incident?”

  “I think that would be best discussed another time,” Tal answered. “For now, suffice it to say that I do not believe it necessary for you to remain in your quarters.”

  “So I can go out and walk around?”

  Tal nodded. “Yes. My only request is that you tell the Warders where you are going whenever you leave. They will remain posted here at your door.”

  “Why?”

  “You were abducted once, Jason. I would hate to see that happen again.”

  He thought it was a pretty flimsy excuse, but didn’t want to make them mad and possibly risk being confined to his room again, so he didn’t say anything.

  Tal seemed satisfied with his silence. “I would also like to talk with you again,” he said. “I will send for you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  “Then we will wish you a good evening,” Tal said. “Loremasters, we have matters we need to discuss.”

  Seryn nodded to Jason, with Reyga adding a wink to his nod, and the three Loremasters left him alone in the room.

  ~~~

  The next morning, Jason woke up still unsure whether the Circle was telling the truth or his ancestor. He needed to talk with his dad some more. He opened the door and saw two Warders stationed outside.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where my dad is, would you?” he asked.

  One of the Warders nodded. “He came by earlier and requested that we tell you when you woke that he would be in the training yard.

  “Where’s that?”

  After the Warder explained how to get to the training yard, Jason went to find his father. Ten minutes and two wrong turns later, he found the entrance.

  As he opened the door to the training yard, a cacophony of clashing metal, shouting trainers, and the grunts of men and women swinging their weapons met him. The smell of sweat and leather hung in the air, joined by smoke and ash from the forges at one end of the yard. The sound of the smiths’ hammers formed a ringing cadence winding in and out of the other sounds.

  The balcony ran around the yard, broken occasionally by steps leading down to the training area. There were also several entrances to the yard at ground level. A small set of sturdy benches stood along the far wall.

  Jason saw Gatlor barking orders at a group of swordsmen, while a short distance away, Seerka was a blur as he fended off three men attacking him with blunted sticks.

  Dominating one corner of the training area, Calador was studying a scroll of some sort. Just as well, Jason thought, who’s going to spar with him? No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, when a second Dokal warrior ducked through the entrance in Calador’s corner. Laying the parchment aside, Calador stood and greeted the newcomer, and then picked up two large clubs. An instant later, the two were engaged in a furious exchange of strikes and parries. Jason watched for a few moments, fascinated by the battle dance of the behemoths, and then observed, with some amusement, the men closest to the two giants decide to train in another section of the yard.

  He saw his father standing at one end of the benches. Reyga was there as well, seated at the opposite end talking with one of the Warders. Jason waved to get his dad’s attention, and motioned for him to stay put while he came down.

 
Steps led down from the balcony close to where his father was standing. Rather than try to cross the yard, he decided to walk around the balcony. He was about halfway there when what sounded like a clap of thunder rang out. Everyone stopped and looked around for the source. Then, from an entrance behind his father, Chon stepped into the yard.

  “Hear me!” the Loremaster shouted. “And heed my words well.” His voice echoed from the stone walls. “I serve Teleria! I serve the prophecy.” He took another step into the yard. Chon’s was the only movement. His audience was frozen, waiting for his words.

  “What I do, I do for Teleria and for the prophecy.” Another step, and still no one moved. “The prophecy says ‘His destruction is our hope.’”

  Jason noticed Chon’s steps were bringing him closer and closer to his father. Suddenly, he knew what was about to happen. “No, no, no…” he whispered as he started walking, and then running, for the stairs.

  “His destruction is our hope!” With one hand, Chon grabbed Jason’s father and spun him to face the yard. His other hand lifted a wickedly curved dagger over his head. The curves of the blade burned into Jason’s mind as it hovered above his father. For an instant, the sunlight flashed off the blade, piercing his eyes.

  “For Teleria!” Chon shouted, and plunged the dagger into Bruce Bennett’s chest.

  “No!” Jason screamed.

  As Bruce Bennett’s body sank to the ground, the Loremaster yanked the dagger out and disappeared into a portal that opened and closed before anyone could react.

  Without knowing how, Jason was on his knees, cradling his dad’s body. “Dad! Dad!” he pleaded, as tears burned hot trails down his cheeks. “C’mon, Dad, wake up. Wake up! It’s gonna be okay. Please don’t leave me. Please be okay. Please, please, please…" His father didn’t move. He buried his face in his father’s shoulder. “Dad, no…”

  A small part of him noted that no one had moved yet. The rest was too overcome with grief to care. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Seerka’s voice intruded upon his loss.

  “Jason—”

  “GET AWAY FROM ME!” His grief exploded into rage. “Don’t touch me!” Blinded by his sudden fury, he barely noticed Seerka flying through the air away from him. His dad was dead at the hands of a Loremaster! He let his father’s body slide to the ground. It was just an empty shell now. But he wasn’t empty. A wrath like none he had ever known filled his soul. Even his skin felt like it was on fire.

  He stood and faced the yard. The men and women there squinted against a glare that threw their shadows into sharp relief upon the walls. He didn’t know where the light was coming from, nor did he care. He scanned the faces until he found the one he was looking for: Reyga.

  He pointed a finger at the Loremaster. “Bothan was right,” he grated. His voice sounded alien to him. “He told me not to trust you. He told me about the prophecy, and what it really meant.”

  He looked at his dad’s body. The suddenness of his loss tore at him again. Then the rage returned. He glared at Reyga. “But I didn’t want to believe him. I wanted to see for myself. My dad didn’t believe him either, and now he’s dead. Killed by one of you!”

  Reyga raised a hand. “Jason, please—”

  “No!” Now it was Jason’s voice echoing from the stone. “I gave you a chance, and it cost me my father. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  He reached inside his shirt and pulled out the summoning stone. He gripped it tightly and concentrated on Bothan as hard as he could. Almost immediately, a portal opened up beside him.

  “Don’t try to find me,” he said coldly. “Don’t any of you try to find me. I promise you’ll be sorry if you do.”

  Then he turned and stepped through the portal.

  *****

  Reyga was stunned. So much had transpired within the last few minutes that even his disciplined mind was finding it difficult to know what to focus on first.

  When Chon stabbed Bruce Bennett, Jason had reached his father with a speed only possible with dimsai. Then, when Seerka attempted to comfort Jason, the Ferrin was blasted into the air by a corona of power that erupted around the young man. Only Seerka’s feline reflexes saved him from injury when he hit the ground.

  Reyga replayed the events in his mind. The question about what Reyga felt in Jason had been answered in dramatic fashion. In its place, new questions arose. Was Chon a traitor? Why did he kill Bruce Bennett? Where was Jason now, and how would he respond to his father’s murder, apparently at the hands of a Loremaster? Jason had said his ancestor was right. Another question answered that gave rise to even more. What were Bodann’s plans for Jason? What had he told Jason about the Circle? Was Chon in league with Bodann?

  His thoughts turned to the Obsidian Loremaster. Certainly Reyga and Chon saw Teleria through different eyes, and had even had their share of tense moments during meetings of the Circle. But there had ever been an underlying current of mutual respect between them. For all of Chon’s blustering, he often made observations that caused the Circle to rethink its position. Reyga found it difficult to believe the man capable of what he had just witnessed. But, then again, events over the last sixday had Reyga questioning his own judgment on more than one matter.

  He wiped a hand over his face. That was all for another time. For now, there were other matters to which they must attend. He knew one of the Warders would already be hurrying to notify the High One, so he focused on the one question that might lead to answers to several others. He turned to find Gatlor at his elbow.

  “We must find Loremaster Chon,” Reyga said. “Have the Warders conduct a thorough search of the Haven. If he is not found, be prepared to alert all of our villages to notify us if he is seen, should the High One order it.”

  Gatlor nodded. He started to turn away, then stopped. “Loremaster Reyga,” he said, “I know you thought well of Jason Bennett, but even were he not an enemy before, we must certainly consider him one now.”

  Reyga stared at the body of his friend. “Aye,” he said at last. “Unless we can prove the Circle is not responsible for this atrocity, that would be the prudent position to take. At least for the time being.”

  A Warder ran up to them. “Loremaster Reyga, the High One has summoned all Loremasters to an immediate meeting of the Circle.”

  “Of course,” he said, “where we will discuss and debate yet more questions to which we do not have the answers.”

  “Loremaster?” the Warder asked.

  He shook his head. “Pay no heed,” he said. “Thank you for notifying me. I will go there at once.” He nodded to the Warder and Gatlor, and then headed for the Circle chambers.

  More Questions

  “There you go,” the young woman said. “That arm should be fine now.”

  The boy sitting on the treatment table cautiously flexed his arm, and then smiled as he realized there wasn’t any pain.

  “Thanks, Meryl,” he said. “You are the best.”

  Meryl smiled at her little brother. “You say that now, Cord, but when I get my tasks at home done before you, you will be saying something else.” She ran a fond hand through his curly hair as he slid off the table. “Now go home and let mother see that you are healed. And get ready, because she has told you before that you were going to break your arm climbing that wall. Now that you did, you will never hear the end of it.”

  The boy scuffed at the floor with his toe. “I know,” he said. “All right.” He gave her a quick hug and headed out the door. Before she could turn away, he poked his head back around the doorjamb.

  “And if anyone asks, I never hugged you!”

  “Not a word,” she chuckled. “Now get going!”

  Cord flashed her an impish grin and disappeared into the hallway. Shaking her head with a smile, she turned back to the figure on the bed. Her smile faded as she looked at the Shanthi girl. Lenai was completely motionless. The only sign of life was the slight rise and fall of the sheet.

  Meryl was a fourth year student in the Diamon
d Order, and she had never seen or heard of anything like this. No one had. What had been done to Lenai struck at the very heart of everything the Diamond Order stood for. They were healers, using their talents to mend broken bodies and spirits. Whoever had done this to Lenai had used her as an instrument of death, violating her in a way that no healer in the Order could ever hope to repair. Meryl knew how highly the Shanthi valued honor. She did not envy the person who would have to tell Lenai about what had been done to her, and the terrible results that followed.

  She studied the still figure, but did not see any change, so she turned and walked back to the table where she had been grinding herbs before Cord arrived. While the healers could always use dimsai to mend major injuries, the intimate nature of their power was something they preferred to avoid when treating minor cuts, scrapes, or pains. In these instances, they used herbs and other plants for treatment, using their dimsai abilities to infuse the elixirs, salves, and powders with extra potency.

  She gave the ground up leaves in the bowl a few more turns with the pestle, and then reached for some dried berries to add to the mixture. A loud gasp caused her hand to jerk, sending berries rolling across the table. She spun around, expecting to see that someone had entered the room. Instead she saw Lenai, awake and blinking as if in a daze. Potions forgotten, she hurried over to the bed.

  “Lenai?”

  The Shanthi girl turned toward her, but was clearly having a difficult time focusing.

  “Lenai, are you well?” When Lenai still did not answer, Meryl tried again. “Lenai, can you hear me? Do you understand my words?”

  Lenai’s gaze wandered across the ceiling. “Where…?” she whispered.

  “You are in the healing area in Lore’s Haven. You have been here for two days.”

  The Shanthi’s brow furrowed as she closed her eyes again. “Thirsty.”

  Meryl filled a mug and slid her hand underneath Lenai’s neck. She gently lifted her head so she could drink. After a few sips, she laid her head back.