Touch of Destiny
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Table of Contents
Prologue The Boy What Makes a Friend? Into the Calm The Tribunal Favor Worthy and Willing The Perfect Shape A Day at the River Finding Humor One Year Later Heart of Gumber Gentle Warning Answers Secret Errand Sacrificial Promise Winter Feast Blood and Snow Metal and Magic Solstice Moon Invitation Pieces of the Past The Raven's Perch Growing Spark Rude Awakening House Arrest Confrontation High Tide Caged Justified The Elder Tree The Raven's Den King's Call No Barrier Can Hold EpilogueThe Raven's Perch
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27 April
Ashlyn reveled in the sight of the rushing stream, the pure light glinting off the water. She had missed this: standing in the cool riverbed with the current gently pushing against her ankles. The pebbles and stones beneath her bare feet were smooth, softened by moss.
Bending down, she picked a stone that was to her liking and held it up to examine. It was gray, ringed with darker textures set inside. It was cut, signaled by the thin slashes missing from its shape.
It was fascinating. The stone felt incredibly smooth now that the water had chipped away its roughest layers.
Not far downstream, Damien did the same, picking up worthy stones and placing them in a leather satchel that hung from his shoulder. He was also barefoot and had rolled up the legs of his pants so they wouldn't get soaked as he waded.
Ashlyn couldn't refrain from looking at him for very long. Her eyes kept shifting from the rock in her hand to the young man where he worked, seemingly unaware that he was being watched every few seconds. Perhaps it was inevitable that he eventually noticed her glancing toward him and returned her gaze with a smile.
“You were right, this is strangely fun,” he said. “Hunting for a gem among rocks.”
“The rocks are beautiful to me,” she replied, wading over to him and holding out her recent find. “What do you think of this one? It has a story to go with it; a few cuts. It’d probably make a fine necklace.”
Damien examined the object for himself before rejecting it. “Nah, it’s too rugged to be a pendent.”
The stone resting in her palm again, she let out a breath, closed her eyes. It glowed as a thin ward came and wrapped around it, a piercing light that Damien had to shield his eyes from. When the light faded, she held the stone out to him again.
“What do you think now?”
The boy turned it around to see. “What’d you do to it?” Then he caught on himself and leaned in close to read the small letters that now appeared. “So…flows the…river. Heh, that’s a neat trick.”
“I want you to have it,” she said. "See if you can make a necklace out of it."
The boy chuckled while placing it in his bag. “As if I could say no to begin with.”
They continued farming in silence, a little too close for both their comfort. After a long while he became stiff, turned with a curious glare in his dark eye.
“I forgot to tell you...I encountered another Druid while you were gone. He found me and spoke to me. At first I thought I was seeing things but there’s no way I imagined it. It was too real."
"Did this Druid give you his name?" Ashlyn asked.
“No.”
“Was he in human form?”
“No, he was a gray wolf I think.”
“Oh.” Ashlyn breathed out in relief. “It was Drekaan. He’s a friend. But I’ve never heard of him venturing so far away from the Heart. So, why did he speak to you of all people?”
“It’s hard to remember, but I think he said something about corruption? That he needed my help?”
"Corruption? I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.” Damien shrugged. “What am I, a mage who can just fix things? That’s your vocation, Ash.”
“It would have been nice to learn of this sooner,” she said.
“Yeah, it must be hard to stay informed when you spend so much time away.”
“You know what’s not hard? Writing a letter.” She picked up another rock and tucked it in her bag. “If the realm truly is in danger, I could investigate.”
“Be my guest,” Damien said. “But I don’t think this Drekaan is all there in the head. I’ve seen no corruption.”
Ashlyn rested a hand on her hip. “That’s because there’s a ward, and Drekaan is its keeper. If there is a source of corruption, the ward would be the first to take damage. And if an Elder asked you, a mortal, for aid then it must be a serious matter indeed.”
“Whatever.” Damien brushed it off. “I don’t concern myself with these things anymore. Never again.”
The girl watched him as he continued his leisurely task, filled his bag with soaked pebbles. Ashlyn turned her gaze to the sky, scanning the high treetops to estimate the distance between here and the Elder’s warding tree. It wouldn’t be too long a walk.
“Damien? Once we’re done here would you come with me to—” But she froze when a dark shape caught her attention. A raven sat within the branches, with silver eyes that watched from a great height. She discreetly backed away, reached for Damien’s arm.
“Hey,” he teased, “find your own rocks.”
Ashlyn couldn’t pull her gaze away from the creature. Struggled to remain steady.
“Ash?” Damien noticed something was amiss and faced her from behind. “You got quiet.”
“I think we should go,” she dipped her voice to a whisper. “It’s…not exactly safe here.”
“What?” The young man gestured to the openness around him. “It couldn’t be more safe. You dragged us into the middle of nowhere.”
“Trust me?” Ashlyn moved to the riverbank, gathered her belongings, and put on her shoes. She sensed Damien’s reluctance as he did the same, following behind as they paced along the path. She heard the quiver in his voice when he spoke.
“Not what you thought it’d be?”
Ashlyn sighed. The boy was content a few moments ago, now he was nervous. “It’s not you,” she said. “It’s— hard to explain.” Despite her effort to ease his mind, it grew worse.
“What is it?” he demanded. “Do you…know something?”
“That.” She pointed out the raven who spied on them. “That is a problem I created a while ago.”
Damien stopped, squinting up at the trees. “A problem where?”
“That.” She got closer, more specific. “Do you see it?”
“Are you not all there in the head either? I see…trees.”
“Urg!” Ashlyn threw up her free arm and continued walking. “I’ll explain when we get to the Heart.” Staff in hand, she led Damien toward the northwest but was compelled to stop again when she sensed her companion hesitating to follow. The young man stood there with his arms crossed, a skeptical expression on his face.
“What did you do, Ash?”
She dipped her chin and said, “Remember that blood sample you gave me? I couldn’t figure out how to…make it work, so I gave it to Girithane. I knew he could help me.”
"Who the hell is Girithane?"
"One of the Elders. A Druid. A wiseman. He goes by a few titles."
Damien pinched the bridge of his nose. "You gave my blood to a Druid? Ash, I trusted you to hold onto it. I wouldn’t have given it otherwise."
“I know.” She cursed at herself. “There is nothing to be done now. I was desperate.”
He palmed his eyes. “What, even a mage of your talents couldn’t figure me out? I should have known better.”
“But I did figure you out,” she said, “just not on my own. Girithane told me what I wanted to know.”
"And...?"
“Apparently my theory was off. You have strong Ithunil lineage in your blood— which is rather obvious when you think of it.”
"Ithunil?" Damien squinted. "You mean, those people I destroyed? The ones who lived in that city of stone?”
She saw how it disturbed him, made him clench his jaw.
“Yes.” She shook while closing the gap between them. "I should have seen it sooner; the dark eyes and hair, the tanned skin… The wide veins in your arms. You are undoubtedly Ithunil, Damien.”
He breathed out as if a weight had been lifted. “And my abilities? Those are Ithunil too?”
“No…” Ashlyn paused. “Girithane also confirmed what I suspected; you are unique amongst your kind. Your particular gifts are unprecedented.”
“So all that searching was for nothing?”
“I wouldn’t say nothing,” she said. “But I suppose there are some mysteries that a vial of blood cannot solve.”
Damien moved ahead of her on the path, gave a teasing scoff. “And I suppose I can’t trust you to hold onto things.”
The closer they drew to the Heart, the more eerie it became. With each stretch of distance, Ashlyn cursed herself more and more for neglecting the area for so long. Though she entrusted it to the Druids, the thought of darkness creeping into their homeland made her scared for them.
It was disheartening to see life within the forest fading as they passed, but her fears were ebbed after stepping into a calm clearing. Towering above them now was the Druid’s ancient ward; a thick tree that stood alone within a tight ring of rocks jutting up from the ground. A small fork of the river rushed through here, thin enough to step over without a foot-bridge.
The tree did seem healthy as they drew near, but the emptiness of the meadow seemed out of place. She heard no creatures stirring, no birds. Even the insects and pollinators were nowhere to be seen. Ashlyn signaled Damien to stop and held out her staff.
“Drekaan?” She halted at the formidable trunk, praying she wouldn’t be mistaken as an intruder. “Are you there?” She waited a long while for the Druid to appear within the ring of stones, but nothing came of it. If only to make sure, she passed inside the ring and placed a palm up to the base of the trunk. Listened.
“Ash?” Damien came up behind her. “What the hell are you doing?”
Sighing, she broke her contact and faced him. “The ward seems intact. I sense no corruption.” She watched him examine the nearest stone, a curious look on his face.
“How did these get here?” he asked, brushing his fingers over the runes etched within.
Ashlyn planted herself beside him, met the tips of his fingers. “The Elders don’t just talk to each other over distances, they have a way to travel as well. This portal connects to the other ones.”
The boy took out the etched stone from his bag and held it up to compare. “These runes are in the same language but, I can’t read it.”
“Yes, the Druids have older dialects. Difficult even for me to make out.”
“What does it say?”
She looked at the stone carving before answering, “I think it’s just an incantation to protect the ward.” Then she laughed, though it wasn’t all that amusing. “I suppose even the ward has a ward.”
Damien cleared his throat. “Well, now that we’ve seen there is no corruption can we go back?”
Ashlyn sensed his busy thoughts, the nerves building under his skin. She couldn’t place how she had made him so uncomfortable. "Yes, we can go back." As she turned, another male voice rang about the clearing, a voice that made her hairs stand up on end. She saw Girithane approaching, adorned with his animal-skin robes and tribal staff.
“The Sorceress of Lorianthil comes to do a Keeper’s task?”
“Girithane.” Ashlyn stood in front of Damien, held out her own staff. “Why do I get the sense you keep stalking me?”
“You?” The Druid smiled. “It is not you I follow.” He pointed to the boy standing near. “Is this not the specimen you asked me to study? Is it never to be found alone?”
“What do you want?” Ashlyn demanded.
“More a matter of what I need: its blood.”
“I gave you all the blood I had. My friend isn’t willing to give any more.”
Girithane stopped a few paces away from Damien, gave a bow. “Does it understand me?”
Damien glared. “I understand you, but the girl is right. You should go away.”
“I mean no offense in my manner,” Girithane said. “My fellow Elders rely on me for many tasks, but above all I am a scientist. I have uncovered much potential from merely a small sample of its life fluid. Imagine what could be done with more.”
“There will be no more experiments!” Ashlyn shouted. "He's not one of your specimens, he's a person. He's my friend!"
"What a shame." Girithane shook his head. "The immortality of our forest kin decays; they are but an age away from being…human." He sauntered closer. "But perhaps the solution lies within a human’s blood. I could reward it well for its time. What does it want? Gold? Priceless gems? I have everything it could desire."
In a burst of anger, Ashlyn shot an orb of light from her staff and let it knock Girithane back several feet. He almost fell and hit the ground before his body shifted into the shape of a raven and flapped about menacingly. In a flash, the raven multiplied into three duplicate copies and spun around her in a circle.
She reacted, sending a pulse of lightning out from her staff and dispelling the little illusion. The single raven wavered for a moment before he recovered and landed on top of a jutting rock.
“Peace, Sorceress.” Girithane’s silver eyes shifted over to Damien. “I shall find what makes it willing. Its own suffering perhaps?”
Damien smirked up at the raven. “Do your worst.”
In a flash of hazy purple magic, the stones surged and Girithane disappeared.
***
What had just happened? One moment, Damien was taking a stroll through the woods and now...? Some creepy Druid wanted to take his blood? He sighed, brushing the top of his scalp.
"Never a dull moment with you." He glared at Ashlyn. "This is why... This is why I don’t trust people. You abused it, Ash." He wanted to sound angry, but for some reason his voice only reflected pain.
"I know...and I apologize." She reached out, causing Damien to shake her away.
"Don't touch me." He began to storm off, having very little clue as to where he was going. But of course, the Sorceress couldn't leave him alone. And if he were being honest, he sort of liked the fact that she followed him so adamantly.
"There's nothing else I wish to say." She hopped over the small river behind him. "You have every right to be mad. It was a foolish impulse. I didn’t calculate that Girithane would take a heavy interest in you.”
He turned on her for just a moment, scoffing. "You make it sound like it happened forever ago. What, like one year can erase the past? Clearly not.”
"I should have consulted you, I know that. Just say what you want me to do, and I'll do it. I want to win your trust back."
"Why? Why even bother after what you've done!" The girl looked at the ground, let a tear drip from her eye. Damien held the bridge of his nose, cursing. "Don't do that... don't cry. How can one person feel so much emotion all the time? It must be exhausting." The girl covered her face to let her sobs flow. "Oh, gods." He rolled his eyes, continued on his path. He wished he knew the way back home, wished he could put some distance between him and the girl. He wished a lot of things… that she wasn’t so pretty, or soft.
“Damn.” He kicked the dirt and circled back to where he had left her, stared at a point on the ground. “I need you to take me back home. It’s a maze out here.”
But the girl was still lost in her own tears. He grunted, waited as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. Saying nothing, she gathered herself and started forward.
He hated the silence, how only their steps filled the void of the woods. He couldn’t bear it any longer, he needed to voice his anger. “I know you probably meant well, but it was foolish! You understand? The next time I give you something, you better protect it.”
Another long bout of silence stretched on between them, and Damien thought he would collapse from exclusion until, finally, the girl spoke.
“I’ll do my best to protect you from Girithane.”
“How?”
“I can cast a barrier. Keep you from his gaze.”
“I’m not too worried about that raven man. You seem to intimidate him enough.”
“You told him to do his worst. Are you sure you want to find out what that is?”
“What could he do to me that hasn’t already been done? I’ll be fine, Ash.”
“I won’t risk it,” she said. “Girithane is clever; he gets what he wants. You have loved ones he could easily threaten.”
“Psh, no I don’t.”
He heard the shock in her voice. "You mean to say you have no attachment to anyone?"
"Nope," he said proudly.
"What about Naelen, or Lila? You have an entire family now, Damien. Not to mention— friends.”
"Eh, they're all capable fighters. I’m sure they could handle an old man like Girithane."
The girl scoffed at it, shaking her head. "I've never met anyone as closed-off as you. You think it’s exhausting for me to feel over people? To spend a life in your skin would be worse."
“Ouch. Thanks for the insult. Ash.”
The girl frowned at him. “One day you’re going to realize just how alone and empty you are. You will beg for a friend, even just one, to come beside you.”
“You’re wrong. I would beg for you, my only friend, to stop bothering me! Stop trying to ‘help’ because you’re not!”
“Fine.” She folded her arms. “My efforts end here. If you ever wish to speak to me again, I’ll be at my mother’s house.” She moved ahead of him, quickening her pace to make it difficult for him to keep up.
Damien pushed himself into a jog, but after a few steps he gave up the effort. The girl had every right to get away from him.
“Ash, wait…” He called after her, hoping she would slow down. “I still don’t know the way!”
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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 20:57, Nov 21 2024