Crystal Throne (Book 1) (12 page)

It wasn’t long after he had finished his story that the darkness coiled around him. He could tell that Maria tried to hold it back, but Thad welcomed it. There was much still he had to do before they could leave and he knew there was no time to waste.

As his eyes fluttered open, Thad stood from his place in the chair, his muscles groaning from the awkward position he had slept in. Looking at the table, Thad’s eyes focused on the three large rings, they were the only things left unfinished. Taking a deep breath, Thad lay his hand on the first ring and focused. The enchantment fought against him as he tied it to the crystals, but he pushed though. He knew that it would be easier if he took his time, but time was one thing he didn’t have.

Large beads of sweat dripped from his face as he pulled his hand away from the last ring. “It’s finished,” Thad said to himself, his voice carrying little of his excitement.

Yes and though you know you should rest, you will proceed to give them away and when they say you should leave at once you not argue and ask for rest even though you need it.

“That is the way of things,” Thad said as he made his way to the door.

“Are you finished yet?” Belaroan asked as soon as the door opened, her voice carrying her displeasure at being made to wait while he worked.

“Yes,” Thad said. “They are finished. There are three large ones in the study for each of you, along with a few small ones as well.”

Belaroan pushed past him without another word and came back a moment later carrying all three of the large rings. “How are we supposed to move with these things?”

“That is your problem,” Thad said irritated. “I have done what I was asked. I have listened to your complaints and I have tired of them, I have had enough.”

“He is right,” Humanius said, silencing both of them. “Their weight is little to us, we need to leave. Thaddeus which of the rings would you suggest we try first?”

“I would suggest the large one. Not only is it my best choice, it is also the one that would be best left behind if it does nothing for us.”

“True enough,” Humanius replied. “Then shall we be off. I see no reason that we should wait around.”

“Where should we head?” Bren asked as he moved to take his rings from Belaroan.

“South for now,” Humanius replied. “If they follow us then we will try another ring and change direction. We will keep trying until we find one that works.”

“And if all of them prove useless?” Belaroan asked, rolling her eyes.

“Then we will have no choice, but to fight though the scions to the palace,” Humanius replied solemnly.

“When that happens, and it will, maybe you would listen to me,” Belaroan said with a huff.

“Let us hope that they work,” Thad said. “Otherwise we will not likely complete our task.”

“Enough bickering, we need to leave, otherwise, it will not matter if they work; we won’t be alive to find out. A few scions are on their way here now and will arrive within the hour.”

CHAPTER XII

They only got a few hours of travel in the first day before the sun began to go down and they were forced to make camp. They had moved south away from the city and into more open land. Thad didn’t know why Humanius wanted them to be on open ground, but they all followed his lead without complaint.

When they camped the scions were close, far closer than Thad would have liked. Though he was on edge knowing that their enemies were so close, Humanius still advised them to get as much sleep as possible.

Thad knew that Humanius and the others, including his son, didn’t need much sleep compared to him. It wasn’t the first time he felt like the weak link in their group, but it was a harsh reminder considering how close their enemies were.

Thad didn’t think that he would go to sleep, but he was so tired that within moments after he lay down his head he was fast asleep. As tried as he was, Thad didn’t get to sleep very long, thanks to a scion wandering into the camp.

Humanius and the others seemed ready for the creature, but unlike the other times the scions had attacked, this one seemed surprised to find them. After the quick battle Humanius turned to Thad, who was still clearing the sleep from his eyes. “Seems like these work, but not good enough to keep them completely off of our scent. The scions are still moving in our direction, but it doesn’t look like they can tell our exact location.”

“Hardly an improvement,” Belaroan replied. “They can still get close enough to find us even without a precise accounting of our location.”

“It gives us more time, and a better chance when we must fight,” Humanius replied, dismissing his sister’s complaints.

His nerves on edge, Thad laid back down though he didn’t fall asleep nearly as fast as before, though within an hour his eyes were closed and he was snoring heavily.

Thad was awoken as the sun breached the top of the horizon and streams of light assaulted his eyes. Shielding his eyes with his arm, Thad tried to look around, but his eyes were having trouble focusing. It was one of the downsides to the large amount of crystals; they reflected light and when the sun was just rising it was like trying to look though endless rainbows. There was so much light that even after his eyes adjusted it was hard to see if he looked in the direction the sun was coming up.

With the knowledge that the large rings didn’t work, they decided to switch to one of the other rings, though Humanius decided to keep the larger rings with them since they did work in a fashion. Belaroan complained about having to carry the large ring around with her, but Humanius gave her a dark look that quickly silenced her complaints.

It didn’t take them long to learn that the second ring was useless, as soon as they switched Humanius noticed the scions turn in their direction almost at once and head toward them. The third ring had them moving off and fumbling around again and it looked as if they had completely lost their scent. Humanius still didn’t want to take a chance so they started moving southeast. It would bring them closer to the city, but still be hard to tell their desired destination in the event the scions could still follow their movements.

After two full days of walking with only minor trouble, Humanius declared it safe to head toward the palace. Belaroan was still skeptical since one scion still seemed to follow their movements. Humanius had admitted that the lone scion that continued to match their direction without error bothered him, but he figured that it wasn’t a danger, as the other scions, even the ones they passed close to, seemed blind to their movements.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, the scion that had been following them was nearly on them. Belaroan thought it would be best to wait in ambush for the creature, but Humanius wanted to push on. In the end, Belaroan wouldn’t let it slid and they had to agree, though Thad had to agree with her this time.

They chose a place at the edge of the city where the roads were still small and the buildings around them were of normal height instead of the ones farther that tried to reach the sky. It wasn’t perfect, Thad would have preferred trees or anything that gave some cover from the ground, but there was no place like that in this world he had seen so far.

Thad saw the scion as soon as it came over the small hill. It followed the road almost like a traveler. Thad couldn’t help, but watch the scion as it moved closer. If it was not made of crystal, Thad would have sworn the thing were human.

Just before the scion reached where they hid in ambush, it stopped and looked where they hid. “I have come to talk to you,” the creature yelled its voice loud, booming yet still sounding musical to his ears. “I do not wish to fight.”

“Are you serious?” Belaroan asked as Humanius moved out from behind the side of the building.

“I can take on one scion easily,” Humanius replied to his sister who had taken a place on top of one of the buildings. “I see nothing to fear from the lone creature.”

“A wise choice,” the creature said with an odd looking smile.

“What is it that you wish to talk about?” Humanius asked as soon as he stood before the creature.

“I wish for you and your friends to accompany me to my mistress,” the scion said, tilting its head slightly. “She wishes for your aid and said that the one she had prepared has come to free her from the usurpers hold.”

“The one she has prepared?” Humanius asked with a frown etched on his face. “Who would that be?”

“I do not know whom she met,” the scion said. “I only know what she has asked me to tell you.”

“Kill it and let us continue,” Belaroan said huffing.

“What do the rest of you think?” Humanius asked of them.

“Why do you want their advice?” Belaroan asked her face pinched in anger.

“They are on the road with us and should have the same say in what we are doing,” Humanius replied. “This is one decision I will make on my own.”

“I think we should go,” Thad said not knowing why he felt that way.

“As do I,” Bren echoed.

“Fools,” Belaroan said, more than loud enough for everyone to hear.

My thoughts as well. Why would you risk meeting with such creatures? It could be an ambush that will leave you all dead. I don’t even know why I am even talking about it. I know full well you will ignore my advice as you have numerous times before and each time you have ended up in a dire situation.

“Well why change now?” Thad said with a laugh to himself that he knew Thuraman could hear. After saying that, Thad couldn’t help but be a little fearful of what might happen. The staff was right about one thing; each time he hadn’t listened to the staff’s warning he ended up in a bad way. As they began to follow the scion, Thad decided to keep his eyes open just in case the worst should come to pass.

The scion was quiet and kept a fast pace. The scion also didn’t look around as it had before, it kept looking to the west with little care for anything else. When the night began to take a full hold and the scion showed no sign of stopping, Humanius called to the creature. Humanius had to explain that they had to stop a few times before the scion understood what they wanted.

Thad began to sit up in his bedroll, but his eye couldn’t help but notice the scion who sat by itself on the group, just looking into the distance.

“Something bothering you?” Thad asked as he walked up behind the scion.

“No and yes,” the scion replied. “I have been remembering what I once was and those memories are…Painful.”

“What do you mean?” Thad asked, not completely understanding what the scion was talking about. “You were human, and those memories hurt?”

“Yes,” The scion said in a soft voice. “Once I was a man much the same as you are. I was a level two mage in the employ of a duke. I was not a strong mage and my lot in life was not great, but it was much better than the countless magic-less who toiled in the fields. I had a wife, though I can no longer remember her name. It is the thoughts of her that bring me pain. I have not thought of her in centuries, but seeing you and your companions have brought those visions back to me.”

“I am sorry that we have brought you pain,” Thad said honestly.

“It will pass,” the scion replied.

“What is your name?” Thad asked. “You must have had one.”

“I don’t remember what I was called when I was flesh, but the mistress calls me Wardwell.”

“Your mistress,” Thad said. He had heard the scion mention her earlier, but Wardwell had said nothing else about the matter and Humanius had remained silent since they had left the city. “What is she like?”

“She is hard to explain,” Wardwell replied. “She protects us and we protect her. She is the voice and we are her eyes and ears.”

Thad had heard the term voice before, but it had come from a scion that had sought them dead. He wished the scion a goodnight and returned to his bedroll, once again expecting the worst.

I told you that you should not go along with this madness. Just wait, at the end, all you will find is pain and this time you do not have friends waiting in the shadows to save you.

“Then we will have to be careful,” Thad replied to the staff. “It is too late for us to decline his offer and the others would not agree.”

Belaroan would agree. She, at least, has a head on her shoulders.

“Thuraman,” Thad exclaimed. “I can’t believe you are talking nice about a female, even if she is a god, she is still a woman and yet you sound as if you like her.” As Thad spoke, he let the staff hear his laughter.

I do not like her nor trust her, but she has kept the most level-headed during this trip and I think you should listen to her advice a bit more. She can be no worse than that witch of a woman you married.

Thad had gotten so used to Thuraman’s complaints about Maria that he hardly noticed them anymore. “You just like her advice because it is the same things that you want, and most of the time you’re only concerned about your own agenda, the same as her.”

Just as you should be. You too often think of others and put yourself at risk. If you stop and think of yourself more often then I wouldn’t have to.

“You know, we will never agree on this,” Thad said shaking his head. He loved Thuraman and it was a part of him much the same way his hands were, yet they were different in most ways that mattered. Thuraman cared only about himself and Thad and never took others needs into account. Thad had tried many times to get him to look at things from the other side of the mirror, but nothing he tried worked. “One of these days you will love something other than yourself,” Thad said with sadness in his voice as he pulled his blanket over his head.

I care about you and your son. Is that not enough? The rest of the world is nothing to me, and I nothing to them. You may try, but in the end we both know it is an effort that will be made in vain.

That night as Thad drifted off to sleep, he found darkness pulling him in. At first Thad thought it was Maria pulling at him, but as the darkness coiled around him it felt different. As the darkness cleared he found himself standing in a large open field overlooking the ocean.

“Father,” a weak voice said barely above a whisper from behind him.

“Sandrea,” Thad replied slightly shocked to find it was his daughter that had called to him. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know, why spend time with a daughter you don’t know when mother is around,” Sandrea said her voice filled with bitterness.

“No, nothing like that dear,” Thad said wincing, knowing that he had said the wrong thing. “Forgive me…I am new to this. I have bumbled enough with your brother and I don’t want to ruin our relationship before it has even begun.”

“Mother was right,” Sandrea said with a smirk. “You are like a lost puppy when you don’t know what to say. It makes it really hard to stay mad at you.”

“That is not something you should say about your father,” Thad said in mock anger.

“I suppose it is not, but just like you, I have had little experience with dealing with a father,” Sandra said her comment biting Thad hard. “I didn’t mean that,” She said quickly, noticing the pain her words had caused.

“You have every right to say it though,” Thad said as he walked over to his daughter. “If I had not been so focused in my studies then I would not have been taken away, and none of this would have come to pass. In the end, it is my fault and I wish to make things better.”

“Then why are you not home,” Sandrea said biting back her words.

“I wish I was, but not everything we want comes to pass,” Thad said with a weak smile.

“That sounds like something mother would say,” Sandrea said with a thin smile.

Sandrea gave Thad a weak hug and for the rest of their short time together they talked about simple things. To Thad’s relief, she had not yet taken a liking to any boys, though there was no shortage of suitors available. Though little was accomplished, Thad felt good about the meeting when the darkness one again moved in to take him back to his own mind.

When Thad woke the sun still hasn’t risen. Looking around he found that the rest of the group calmly kept watch while the scion still sat in the same place looking as if it hadn’t moved an inch all night.

Shortly after he woke, the sun began to rise and they were once again following the scion who continued to walk in the same direction without once having to stop and take measure of his surroundings. As they walked, Thad couldn’t help but think of what the scion had said the night before. The talk about his Mistress and calling her the voice still bothered him. If she was the same one that had sent the others to kill them then it might not be the best idea to walk right into where she was, though he couldn’t help but admit that he had more than a little curiosity about what he had meant when he had talked about the one she had prepared.