CHAPTER 4

As the first rays of dawn pierced the charred and muddy remains of Kairi’s house, Tevel shook himself from his thoughts. He touched Kairi’s shoulder and she looked up at him almost pleadingly. Her hair hung over her face in pathetic curls, not quite hiding her tear-stained cheeks. She reluctantly let herself be helped to her feet, and she and Tevel made their silent way towards the still smoking beams.

“Be quick. Salvage anything you can fit in your pack, anything useful.” Tevel moved off in the opposite direction, stepping over broken pottery and smouldering ashes. 

Kairi stood for a moment before picking her way towards what was left of the kitchen. Finding a small cupboard that the fire had barely touched, she opened it to find four red apples, slightly withered from the heat, but still edible, and a small, misshapen block of cheese. Carefully she placed the food in her pack, wrapping it up with the bread and apple Kiryona had given her. Close to the front door she spotted her bow and quiver poking out from underneath some rubble. They had avoided damage almost entirely, and Kairi slung them over her shoulder.

Kairi moved numbly through the house, picking up pieces of unburned clothing and lifting up broken boards to look underneath, until she came to where her bedroom once stood. Small shards of glass from her mirror were scattered throughout the room, which together with the puddles from last night gave the room the appearance as if it had been sprinkled with crystals. Kairi turned stone-faced to survey the damage, and, seeing nothing salvageable, she began to retrace her steps to the front of the house.

As Kairi turned, a sudden crunch beneath her feet sounded differently from the rest of the rubble. She knelt down and brushed ash and dust off of the small hand mirror. The frame itself had been broken by her foot, but the mirror inside was still intact. She gazed sadly at her reflection—gold eyes sparkling with tears. She closed her eyes and clutched the mirror to her chest.

Kairi took a deep, ragged breath, and felt herself falling. Opening her eyes, Kairi gasped. She could no longer see the house around her or hear Tevel poking around in the rubble nearby. She turned her head back and forth, struggling to see through the haze that clouded her vision, but darkness prevailed.

***

Her brother’s face floated toward her through the shadows. His expression was full of apprehension, and although his lips were moving, Kairi couldn’t understand what he was saying. He repeated himself frantically, his lips making the same formations over and over. Finally he broke off in the middle of the phrase and a look of terror came over his face. Then he was gone.

Kairi! A voice called to her, and she tried to follow it in the darkness.

Ryn? Where are you? Why did you leave me? Kairi strained to make out the blurred shapes around her.

Fingers of grey, smoke-like fog reached out in the darkness, tugging at her. She felt as if she were bodiless, as if she were floating through a hazy forest, but the trees were all out of focus, and a dark shadow obscured her vision. And that voice was forever calling her name, but little by little it faded into silence.

Where are you? Don’t leave me! Kairi whispered, and descended again into darkness.

***

“Kairi?” Tevel’s concerned face hovered over her, and slowly the darkness faded away in the afternoon sun. Kairi could see a blur of green and blue all around them. She blinked away the haze, trying to figure out where she was. Tevel was sitting over her, watching her anxiously.

“What did you see?” Tevel demanded, as soon as he saw her eyes flicker towards him.

“What?” Kairi closed her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.

“What did you see, back at the house?” His voice was marked with a sense of urgency.

“What happened? Why am I lying down?”

“For the love of Farryn, tell me what you saw!” Tevel roared.

“Why are you yelling? I saw Ryn.” Kairi turned her head away, a sob threatening to escape.

“What was Ryn doing? What did he look like?” Tevel’s voice grew quiet, almost dangerous, and Kairi looked up at him with concern.

“He looked like he was saying something. He kept repeating the same thing over and over, but I couldn’t hear it. He—” Kairi frowned, remembering his face, “He looked frightened.”

Tevel let his breath out in a big whoosh, muttering to himself. He looked up at the sky for a moment, frowning, then looked back down at Kairi.

“Do you think you can get up?”

Kairi nodded, sitting up slowly. Her vision swam, but as Tevel helped her into a sitting position, her equilibrium slowly returned.

Kairi looked at the small clearing around her, taking in the small fire burning without smoke and a pot bubbling merrily besides them. “Where are we? How did we get here? How long was I asleep for?”

“Asleep? My dear, you have much to learn.” Tevel looked at her with a grave expression on his face. “Three days is how long you have been—" he paused, raising an eyebrow, "asleep. We are just a short distance from your house, but we cannot be seen from here."

Kairi glanced around. "I don’t recognise this part of the forest."

Tevel shrugged and said cryptically, "It cannot be found unless you know where to look. It is protected, for now." He watched Kairi for a moment, then seemed to come to some sort of decision. He shifted, crossing his legs in front of him, and took a deep breath. “What do you know about the Mages?”

“Nothing, except that they are—,” Kairi paused, “Were— extinct. They always seem to be the villains in the legends.”

“Aye. That’s what Olbin would have us believe. However, they are not extinct, as I’m sure you’ve gathered. They are merely hidden. We must get you to them.”

“But,” Kairi frowned, “they could be anywhere!”

“Luckily, I have come across a number of Mages in my travels, and I know where they hide. We will rest here for today, and move at nightfall. In the meantime, I will teach you how to find your Power and control it.”

“How do you know so much?” Kairi asked suspiciously.

“It is enough that I know,” Tevel responded simply. “Now, first: close your eyes and try to find the Power inside you." Kairi obeyed, struggling to see anything but the blackness behind her eyes.

"Relax, Kairi. Breathe in and out. Focus on the air moving through your lungs."

Gradually the tension in Kairi's shoulders eased as she focused on breathing slowly and steadily. She could feel her heartbeat and noticed that there was another distinguishable pulse within her. It had the same rhythm as her heart, but something about it felt different, and it seemed to glow within her, although how she saw this she had no idea.

"Now," Tevel spoke quietly, “try to draw out a small amount of Power.”

“How?”

Tevel remained silent. Frowning with concentration, squeezing her eyes shut, Kairi tried to envision picking up this pulsing glow, as if her thoughts were a hand, but nothing happened.

“Breathe, Kairi, and relax.”

Kairi let out her breath in a whoosh, and focused on he breathing again. She imagined pinching her power and drawing it upwards, and in her mind she could see a thread of Power, almost invisible, like spider’s silk, rise up out of the mass of power.

“Good,” Tevel spoke softly, “now try to making a barrier around your mind using your Power.”

Kairi thought for a moment, and then began pulling thread after thread of Power, painstakingly weaving them into a sort of spherical web around her mind. When the web was complete and she couldn’t See any more holes in it, she opened her eyes. She could sense the shield’s protection around her.

Tevel studied her for a minute before speaking. "Good. That is a basic Shielding.”

“Shielding?”

“Shielding is what Mages use to keep others Mages from hearing their thoughts or attacking their minds. Some people without magic do this unconsciously, although I'm sure they don’t know what it is they’re doing. Non-Mages cannot hear other's thoughts, however if a person is sensitive to magic, knows the other person very well, or the Mage's thoughts are particularly urgent or forceful, and are unshielded they may still be heard. You must practice building and dismantling your shield until it becomes instantaneous. It may mean the difference between whether you live or die.” 

Tevel handed her a chunk of bread, half an apple from her pack and a small bowl of the contents of the steaming pot, which turned out to be a stew made from mushrooms and some kind of dried meat. "After doing any kind of magic, no matter how small, particularly when you are just beginning, remember to replenish your energy.”

Kairi nodded. There were still so many questions she had, but she sensed that Tevel was done giving her answers for now. He looked up at the sky again, judging the time, before turning to her.

“Finish your meal and get some rest, you have lost a lot of strength the last few days. I’ll keep watch.”

When she had finished with her food, Kairi lay down on the ground, shifting to try and get comfortable, but her mind was whirling. Unable to sleep, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the Power inside her, watching it pulse steadily in time with her heartbeat. Eventually exhaustion overtook her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

***

Kairi woke to Tevel gently shaking her shoulder. ”We must move now. The protection of this circle only lasts until the sun goes down." 

Kairi rose unsteadily to her feet, gratefully taking a small wedge of cheese from Tevel. As she nibbled at it, she watched him curiously. “Protection?” 

Tevel however, didn’t seem to hear her. She had always known Tevel to be full of cryptic riddles, and obscure knowledge, but she couldn’t help feeling that he was hiding something from her. She frowned and followed Tevel out of the clearing.

As they walked in silence through the chill, dark forest, the only sounds were those of crickets and tree frogs, and the occasional hoot of an owl. Kairi used this solitude to study her Power. She stumbled once or twice as she attempted to visualise it, drawing odd glances from Tevel, whom otherwise seemed lost in thought. 

Finally, as the hours passed, Kairi found she could see the power without closing her eyes, just by focusing a certain way. In doing it this way she could also see the power that ran through everything around her. It was almost as if a network of different coloured light-threads was overlaid on her normal vision, contrasting brightly against the darkness, yet they didn’t emit any light onto the surrounding leaves.

The different colours of the threads brought her thoughts back to the colour of her own power and she began experimenting, realising that with some added effort she could separate the silvery threads making up her own power into colours. She used this new discovery to try and create a stronger barrier around her mind. She layered the colours one over the other, ending with a layer of silver, which she supposed was the combined result of all the colours.

Satisfied with her accomplishment, she contented herself with examining the network of power around her, trying to discover a pattern in the different coloured threads, as they pooled brightly in some places while throbbing dully in others. In some places different coloured threads collided, causing a swirling pool of power, and Kairi wondered at its beauty.

***

Tevel stopped at last, when the first hint of lightness was creeping into the patches of sky visible through the trees. Kairi sank down to a fallen tree that lay beside their path, grateful for the rest. She drank deeply from the water-skin Tevel held out, and then helped Tevel set up a fire. Tevel showed her what branches and plants to gather to prevent the fire from creating smoke, and they sat and ate a meal of dried berries and nuts before unrolling her blanket and trying to sleep.

They continued travelling by night, and resting. Kairi and Tevel took shifts for keeping watch, although Kairi began to notice that every time they stopped to make camp, usually when she was occupied by something and distracted, Tevel would would stand with his eyes closed for a few seconds, his lips moving ever so slightly. Once when she had caught him at it, she felt the air around them change, saw the lines of Power shimmer and change direction, but it was almost imperceptible, and she wasn’t sure whether or not she was imagining it. Still, though, it deepened her suspicions that Tevel was not all he claimed to be.

***

One morning a week or so after they set out, as they settled into their camp, Kairi asked tentatively “What are the Mages like?”

Tevel paused from building the fire. “They are like you and I, I suppose. Some of them are good, and some of them are bad. It doesn’t matter what Power you have, Kairi, it’s how you use it that defines you.”

“How many are there?”

“Hundreds, at least in this particular stronghold. There are undoubtedly more all over, but they keep well hidden. Olbin has forced them all into hiding.” Tevel frowned bitterly.

“Why does he hate Mages so much?”

Tevel shrugged, “He used to be one of them, but he became infatuated with a dark, perverted magic. Some believe he has Elven blood. Magic prolongs the lives of those who wield it anyway, but he has lived centuries—unnaturally long even for a Mage. Pureblood Elves lived many hundreds of years, sometimes thousands. Still others think that he has found some kind of dark magic to make himself immortal.”

“What do you believe?”

Tevel stared intently at her for a moment, frowning. She got the feeling he was wondering how much to tell her. “I know very little about him, there are many rumours, which makes it difficult to know what is true and what is not. I do know that he is at least 200 years old, though he has ruled this land for about a century. He had a younger brother, Mytar, who was King before him, well-loved by his subjects. It is rumoured that Olbin murdered Mytar to take the kingdom from him, and some believe his wife as well.”

Kairi frowned indignantly. “Surely people wouldn’t allow it!”

Tevel sighed. “After Olbin took the throne, most of those loyal to Mytar were killed or imprisoned. He had vast resources at his command, and Magic that he could use to control and beguile. Olbin used his resources to destroy anyone whom he thought could challenge him. He managed to get the Humans on his side as well, for they had already waged their own war on Magic before.

“Magic used to be very everywhere, and Mages lived in harmony with the other races.” He elaborated at Kairi’s blank look, “Elves, Mages and Animals were the original races created by the Immortals. Not the Animals you’re used to seeing, although they are very distantly descended from them. These were called Aniih, and they were sentient beings with Magic of their own. Humans and others such as trolls, orcs and the like were created later. A war broke out between humans and those with Magic, and many magical creatures were wiped out—relegated to being the villains of myth and legend. It was probably very easy for Olbin to convince the humans to join him in his fight against Magic.”

“But if he has Magic of his own—.”

“He doesn’t parade it about, Kairi, and he certainly doesn’t use it in front of his subjects. I’m sure many suspect that are closest to him, but none dare speak against him or they risk their own lives, and he is extraordinarily powerful. As for people in the countryside—Since Mytar’s rule and then Olbin’s, this land has enjoyed relative peace, what do they care about Kings in their castles if they are safe, and have enough food to last the winter?”

Kairi frowned. It was true, she supposed. She hadn’t really given Olbin much thought throughout her life, and rarely heard anyone complain about him, except the occasional grumble when the annual tithe was due. He was spoken about in their village in hushed tones, almost fearfully.

Tevel shifted in his seat, “You should get some rest.”

Kairi nodded and settled down.

***

They passed another fortnight like this, Tevel occasionally answering her questions about Magic or teaching her how to fight with her dagger. She noticed he seemed very reticent to discuss his own past, and she did not press him, though her curiosity was mounting. She had always found him fascinating, but he had always been a very private person, preferring to recount stories found in his books rather than discuss himself. 

They spent the majority of time in silence, conserving all of their energy for travelling at a gruelling pace. Kairi didn’t know where they were going, but Tevel seemed to know the way. They stayed off the paths, and met no one else. Kairi continued to practice putting up her shield, and was pleased to find that it grew easier and easier, so that she could snap a layer of her shield up nearly instantly.

She discovered that green threads of Power primarily ran through plant life, while blue could be found anywhere there was water. On days in which it rained it was as if a blue haze hung over everything. Yellow threads could be found in the sunbeams, and intertwined with red threads in their campfires, and whenever the air stirred, almost translucent light blue threads could be seen swirling amongst the leaves. 

Kairi found she could sense the birds and beasts in the forest, they shone out as spots of light when she focused her Sight. She marvelled at the sheer number of living things that inhabited the forest, and the more practice she had, the greater her Sight could reach. She noted with interest that she could not see Tevel in this manner, and wondered if maybe people were different, but thought perhaps Tevel was shielding his mind from her. Her suspicions were growing that he had Power of his own, and on one night when Tevel stopped suddenly, Kairi steeled her self to confront him. However as she opened her mouth to ask him, Tevel spoke, “We are at the crossroads now.”

“Crossroads?” Kairi repeated, confused. 

“Stop.” Tevel held out a hand to stop Kairi from going any further. “Wait here.”

Kairi watched as Tevel stepped off the path into the dense foliage, wondering what he was doing. She frowned, Looking at the air around Tevel with her Sight, noticing how lines of Power seemed to flow to a spot just beyond Tevel, all disappearing in the same spot, even though they should have been pooling from what Kairi had learned by observing the rest of the forest.

Kairi started in surprise as Tevel’s thin form disappeared with a slight hissing sound, leaving a ripple of Power behind. She reached forward, hesitantly touching the spot where the Power converged, and a ripple spanned out from her finger, sending a tingle of electricity shooting through Kairi’s arm. She jerked her hand back, squinting at the air, trying to figure out its secret.

Kairi became so engrossed in examining it that when the hand emerged and caught the sleeve of her tunic, pulling her through the rippling air she couldn’t even make a noise of surprise.

As Kairi passed through, she felt an electric shock ripple through her, and she was filled with an incredible cold, the hairs on her arms and neck rising. Just as soon as it began, however, it passed, and Kairi was hit with a warm, moist breeze as she stumbled forward into a well-lit forest very different from the one in which she had just stood.