Gorinthians Page 6

  "Why did you bring all of these others with you?” he barked suddenly, still glowering down at Cha'le. She looked around at the others in puzzlement.

  "Have we met?” Cha'le asked in bewilderment. "What others are you talking about?"

  "I am still waiting for an answer, Thistledown,” he said, annoyance clear in his voice.

  All eyes turned to Cha'le's pack where Thistledown reluctantly poked his head out of the top.

  "Terrance!” he exclaimed jovially. "Good to see you! You've been well, I trust?"

  "I have been well, yes,” he replied ominously. "I will wait to ask how you have been after you answer my first question."

  Thistledown winced slightly. "Well, I thought that if he had a couple of friends with him on the journey, he might be more willing to go."

  "And did it occur to you to talk this over with me first, or are you running things independently now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "I was going to mention it, but you seemed to have a lot on your mind, so I thought that I would just--” Thistledown cut off as another person entered the clearing from behind them.

  Celdic let out a small groan. It was Tarya Selindria. She looked like she was going to give them all the lesson of their life, probably one that would leave them all limping for the rest of the day. She stopped several paces from Terrance, studying him with her intense gaze that missed nothing. She was in her usual tight black trousers and blouse, with her dark black hair spilling down to her waist. Celdic had faced her many times on the combat field, so he recognized the pending danger as she leaned her weight back slightly so that one of her legs was slightly in front of the other. Tarya Selindria had shown him what it was like to fight someone that fought with their yar. Using their yar gave them the ability to feel every movement their opponent made as they made it. It also allowed them to control their own body with the power of their yar as they felt every particle around them as if it were a part of them. When she had used him as an example to the other students-he was the best among them-she had pinned him to the ground in painful contortions before he had even finished making his first jab at her throat. After a dozen humiliating defeats that lasted no more than a second as she sped through the air at lightning speeds, she added ten more of the best students to the fight. She offered her blue-bladed sword to the first person to strike her. None of the students had come close to making contact with her as she spun through the air like a deadly whirlwind, leaving groaning bodies in her wake.

  Celdic watched apprehensively as Terrance and Tarya Selindria eyed each other intently, hoping that his teacher did not kill the stranger before Celdic had a chance to learn who he was and why he had appeared in a vision to Celdic.

  "Who are you?” Tarya Selindria demanded curtly, her attention never flickering from his razor gaze.

  Terrance looked at her for a moment, as if deciding what to tell her. Finally, he nodded slightly and said, "I am called Terrance."

  "Why are you here?” Tarya Selindria pried in the same curt tone, bordering on rudeness.

  "For a number of reasons,” he replied evenly, gazing at her with an expression that Celdic did not recognize. Then he began to speak to her in a language that he did not understand. It was a very musical language, almost hypnotic in its rhythmic cadences.

  Celdic could see from the expression on Selindria’s face that she could understand him, but she just shook her head and announced, “I can't understand you. Speak normal."

  "Forgive me. I mistook you for a Zeran,” he returned, his gaze searching her face. "I was wondering how a Zeran had become a part of Chasel Ri’ Aven."

  "Apology accepted. You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"

  A crease appeared in the corner of Terrance's eyes and Celdic realized that they were laugh lines from a person that spent a lot of time laughing. "I have come to gather up Celdic for a journey he will be making. I am afraid I cannot tell you very much more than that. It would put us both in more danger than we are already in."

  Chapter 6

  Everyone stared at Celdic and Terrance with expressions of astonishment. No one ever left the Mountain. Tarya Selindria looked at Terrance with narrowed eyes.

  "What makes you think we are going to allow you to take Celdic with you?” Tarya Selindria asked finally. "For that matter, what makes you think you will be allowed to leave this mountain yourself?"

  Terrance glanced wryly at Thistledown before he answered. "I have already talked to the Elders and explained the situation to them. They have given the word to all of the Watch and the Guardians as well, so if you doubt my word, we can stop by the gate."

  "Why would they have allowed an outsider to come and take one of our children?” she demanded suspiciously.

  "Children?” Celdic protested in annoyance, but before he could say another word, Tarya Selindria silenced him with a glance.

  "The arrangement that I made with the Elders is between them and myself,” Terrance stated firmly. "If they choose to tell you, that is their right, but I will not betray their faith."

  "Then you had better plan on having an extra companion, because I will not allow you to take him away from everyone that he knows with no more explanation than that,” Tarya Selindria announced resolutely. "For all I know, you plan to use him in some twisted ritual that will end with him worse than dead. I sense there is much that you are hiding. I don't trust you and I will not leave him alone with you."

  At this, Thistledown began laughing uproariously, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Finally, someone to tell it to you the way it is!” he gasped, shaking with mirth.

  Tarya Selindria looked at Thistledown with a look of disdain. "Is this your pet or just a pack rat that you keep for sick amusement?"

  Thistledown's laughter cut off sharply and he grimaced at her so fiercely that Celdic thought that he was on the verge of attacking her. It was Terrance's turn to chuckle. "He usually says whatever he wants no matter how embarrassing. You get used to it."

  "I have news for you if you think that you are taking Celdic and leaving me behind," Li declared, before either of them could continue their conversation.

  "Or me,” Cha'le and Lendel said together.

  Tarya Selindria whirled around to pierce them with her catlike stare. "It is bad enough that they are taking Celdic. I will not allow you three to go as well.” Her gaze softened slightly. "Now go along to school before you're later than you already are."

  Li and Cha'le looked on the verge of protest but the look on Selindria's face convinced them to keep their objections to themselves. Glowering among themselves, the three of them moved off toward the Tar Ri’ San.

  "You should have let them come with us," Terrance said conversationally, "They are going to follow us when we leave anyway."

  Tarya Selindria glared at him. "They will do as they are told. They know better than to disobey a direct order.” She tossed her head impatiently and gestured in front of them. "Well, are we going or not?"

  Terrance gave her a small bow and proceeded in front of her toward the gates. "We will need to pick up the packs and add a few supplies before we leave."

  Tarya Selindria just nodded and followed behind him, with Celdic bringing up the rear. Celdic's thoughts were roiling inside his mind, never pausing long enough for him to examine. In one afternoon, everything he knew was changing. Not only had he grown up at the Mountain from the time he was born, all of his ancestors on record had been born and raised there as well. None of them had seen outsiders either and, in a few days, he would become an outsider. The thought of leaving Li behind made him feel like he had swallowed a rock that sunk to the bottom of his stomach.

  As Celdic walked slowly behind Tarya Selindria and Terrance, Thistledown jumped down from Terrance's pack and waited for Celdic to catch up.

  "Do you mind?” Thistledown entreated, looking up at Celdic.

  "Sure,” Celdic replied dully, bending down to one knee for Thistledown to scamper up to his back and p
erch behind his head.

  "Why so glum?” Thistledown pried curiously. "You have an adventure ahead of you; people and places very few of you have had the chance to experience. Not to mention the most gifted guide in the known world at your service."

  They were far enough behind the other two that Celdic felt he could share some of his thoughts without anyone overhearing. He did not want Tarya Selindria to know how badly he was taking the sudden departure.

  "I never thought I would have to leave Li behind,” Celdic complained morosely. "I always thought we would marry eventually."

  Thistledown laid his finger along his nose slyly and said quietly, "Oh, but she will be joining us, as well as the other two. You see, Terrance left a Suggestion on them when they left. They will be meeting up with us in three days."

  Celdic looked at him in astonishment. "He couldn't have done that with Tarya Selindria standing there! She would have noticed."

  Thistledown shook his head ruefully, "You will soon learn that there is quite a bit that Terrance can do that you wouldn't have believed possible."

  They rounded the bend in the trail that led to the gates where a small pile of equipment and packs lay. Terrance spoke briefly with one of the Guardians, who tapped his fist to his chest and sprinted into the city. Tarya Selindria was questioning one of the other Guardians, who looked more uncomfortable by the second. When she finished the interrogation, she stalked back to where they were scowling so blackly that Celdic did not dare ask her what she had asked the Guardian.

  "Captain Jorbran will be back with your supplies in a few minutes.” Terrance said as he rejoined the group.

  Tarya Selindria did not bother responding. Instead, she studied Terrance closely as if he were some kind of puzzle. Judging from the expression on her face, it was a puzzle that did not smell very nice. “I will be back in half an hour. There are several items that I will need to bring along.”

  Terrance nodded as Tarya Selindria turned and moved quickly toward the road to the Rajan Gardens. Her small cottage was near the border.

  Celdic and Terrance did not talk as they waited for Tarya Selindria to return. Terrance made his way up and down the wall talking with various Guardians and some of the watchmen. Captain Jorbran glanced at Celdic every few minutes, his eyes seeming to know secrets about Celdic. He found himself counting the bricks in the wall until Tarya Selindria returned half an hour later, with a small bag hanging from her shoulder. Terrance rejoined them, instructing Selindria to put the contents of her bag into one of the packs that he had prepared.

  "You said you are called Terrance," Tarya Selindria remarked, watching him as she transferred her possessions from her pack to the one that he had prepared.

  "That’s correct," Terrance acknowledged easily, as he begun to inspect the packs one last time.

  "Are you claiming to be the same Terrance that founded Chasel Ri’ Aven?" she asked, doubt heavy in her tone.

  "I have made no claims,” Terrance replied, stopping to look at her with his intense eyes. "There is a bond that was created of which every human descendant of the Mountain land is a recipient. There is no need for me to claim to be anything. They all know who I am because the bond connects us to each other. Those who are raised here are taught about the bond while they are still young."

  Terrance looked back down at the pack that he was retying. Celdic looked at Tarya Selindria. She was still watching Terrance but her mind was obviously in another place. There was an uncertainty in her eyes that Celdic had never seen before.

  Captain Jorbran’s return broke the silence. He had a large pack strapped to his shoulders that he unbuckled and set in the pile in front of them. He clasped his fist to his chest and went back to his post at the gate. Terrance began separating packs and forming three piles. He gestured Celdic to one of the piles. Celdic slung the pack over his shoulders, grunting in surprise at the heaviness of the pack. It must have been loaded with sand to be as heavy as it was. Struggling with the new weight, he picked up the other bag that contained a change of clothes.

  Celdic looked around and noticed that Tarya Selindria looked as uncomfortable with the heavy pack as he did. Terrance finished loading his pack and then walked over to where they were still struggling with the weight of their packs. His eyes seem to grow in intensity for a moment and Celdic felt a small taste of the power that he had felt the previous day when Tarya Selindria had been teaching them evasive defense. When the strange sense of power receded, the pack on Celdic's back seemed to weigh almost nothing at all. He saw Tarya Selindria's eyes widen in surprise. Neither of them had felt his yar at all.

  "Right then," Terrance said, turning away from the city and starting down the path. "Let's see if we can make camp on the boundary tonight."

  Still looking unnerved about something, Tarya Selindria began following Terrance. Celdic decided to chance her mood and ask her a few questions. Falling in line behind Tarya Selindria, Celdic tried to formulate his questions.

  "Tarya Selindria," Celdic ventured tentatively, "could I ask you a few questions?"

  She slowed down slightly to put a little distance between them and Terrance. "I will answer what I can,” she said when Terrance was out of earshot. Celdic had never thought of Tarya Selindria as secretive. Since the time they had met Terrance, Celdic noticed that she was becoming increasingly closed.

  "Terrance mentioned there was a bond between all of the human descendants of Chasel Ri’ Aven. I haven't felt anything different since he arrived and it didn't look like Cha' le, Lendel or Li did either.” Celdic left the question unasked, hoping that she would finish it for him.

  She absently reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, looking thoughtful. "If there is a bond, and I am not saying that I believe there is, then it is possible that one of your ancestors is not from the mountain."

  "But we never have outsiders!” Celdic exclaimed in astonishment. "That's one of the reasons we have the Guardians."

  Looking at him carefully, Tarya Selindria seemed to be deciding how much to tell him. Celdic felt a branch smack him in the face and decided to pay a little more attention to the path.

  "Over the years, the Elders have sent scouts out into the world to gather information,” Tarya Selindria explained carefully. "This is not widely known and I wouldn't tell you now except I do not believe we will return."

  Celdic was stunned. From the time that they were little children, their parents and teachers instructed them that there was no contact with the outer world and that there had not been in their entire history. After a moment of thinking, Celdic realized that something did not fit.

  "How is it that you know about it, if only the Elders know?” Celdic asked with a small frown.

  "Because I am better at eavesdropping than Li and Cha’le,” she replied with a toss of her head.

  Something that Terrance had said tugged at his memory. "Tarya Selindria, what is a Zeran?"

  For a long moment, she did not answer. Her eyes had clouded over and she suddenly seemed wary. "Why do you ask?” she asked with a frown.

  "It was just something I heard Terrance ask you earlier.” Celdic watched her closely, looking for a sign that she was not being honest. "I have never heard of a Zeran. Is it another country?"

  "I guess you could call it another country,” she replied after another pause. She did not elaborate.

  "Celdic, I would like you to call me Selindria from now on,” she said suddenly. "The days of the Tar Ri’ San are done and strangers will probably become overly curious if they hear you naming me with a title."

  "Fine,” Celdic conceded, thinking how strange it would be to call her by her name alone. All in all, Celdic did not feel like Selindria gave him very good answers to his questions. Deciding to try a different angle, Celdic glanced toward Terrance. "What do you think of Terrance? Do you think that we can trust him?"

  Celdic witnessed the uncertain look in her eyes for a second time that day. "I don't know.” She frowned, staring at h
is back as if the sheer intensity of her gaze could push answers out of him. "There is much about him that is hidden. I have a few suspicions about his purposes if he really is the same Terrance as the one of old."

  "What do you mean?” Celdic asked curiously. He suddenly remembered Thistledown’s amazement at their ignorance of history before the founding of Chasel Ri’ Aven and wondered just how much was left out of their education.

  "The Terrance of old was reputed to be the head of an order that brought about the end of the civilizations of old,” she instructed in her lecturing tone. "He claimed that what he did saved the planet from ruin, but there are more than a few schools of thought regarding that claim."

  Celdic was intrigued. They had learned almost no history outside of their own civilization. "What did he do?” Celdic asked. "To end their civilization, I mean."

  "No one really knows for sure. The world was different then than it is now. It is said that anyone could use the power radiated by the planet. It was that power that made it possible to make the kind of civilization they had, but it was also the same power that made it possible to destroy the planet. This is because anyone could use it, almost without limit. Fearing the planet was on the verge of destruction, the Derinian Order used a talisman they created to focus vast quantities of the planet’s energy and turned the power against itself to create a shield that cut it off from the surface of the planet. Their intent was to limit people’s ability to control objects by making the planet’s power inaccessible to anyone. After that, people would be limited to controlling their own yar and lay objects such as plants.” She finished, and then added with a wry look, "After two thousand years, it is hard to say what is myth and what is true."

  Celdic felt like a starving man that had just been fed. Academic study was by far his favorite hobby in life. He had been told about some of the schools of learning called universities that existed in some of the larger cities like Shalilayo. He had dreamed of creating another school of learning at Chasel Ri’ Aven. The Tar Ri’ San taught them everything that they needed to know about their own society, as well as some in-depth study on a wide range of academic topics. Once your twenty-fifth birthday came, however, you were done with school. After that, you chose a trade to work for the rest of your life. The only real research that was possible after that was working in the Rajan Gardens.