“The next day I expected Ogilvy to continue my training,” Stuart said, “but he did not come. A week went by with sign of neither him nor Akil. When a month had passed, I started to believe I had made the entire thing up. I planned to confront Mr. Ogilvy at the next parliament meeting but his seat was empty. Unable to cope with the uncertainty, I traveled to Northallerton to confront him.” Stuart said, nodding to Akil.
Again, Akil rose his hand and again a blue memory orb rose and enveloped the room.
Patches of snow dotted the countryside. Deep muddy ruts ran along a hillside where Stuart was trotting his horse. An abandoned carriage in the distance told the story of difficult travel conditions. Stuart arrived at the Ogilvy manor house. The iron gates were open, the gatehouse unoccupied. No signs of life were apparent as he approached. As the front entry came into view, one of the large oak doors could be seen laying on its side.
“Stuart quickly dismounted his gelding and called out from the threshold, but there was no reply. After several moments of silence, he stepped into the house. Everything appeared in order. Again he called out and again there was no reply. He made my way to the library. Every book rested neatly on its shelf, and not an inkwell stood out of place on the desk. Stuart scanned the bookshelves with a nervous expression.
He stood and began pulling on several of the shelves. When none yielded, he sat on the floor and slowed his breathing. He stood slowly, and moved toward the bookcase. He extended his hand, closed his eyes, and let the incantation flow in a hoarse whisper. Something gently brushed my hand. Astonished, he opened his eyes. A small book tumbled to the floor.
“You’ll never get it open with that incantation,” said a voice out of the scene. Stuart turned, startled. Tabitha Ogilvy stood behind him. She wore a dark cloak and hood, which covered her black hair.
“You’re commanding it to rise. You need to command it to open,” she said.
“My Basque needs some work,” Stuart replied.
“He’s dead. They killed him and took the children,” she said. Tears streamed down her face as she moved toward Stuart for a comforting embrace.
After a moment, Stuart stepped back. “How do you know he is dead?”
“I felt it,” she replied, placing her hand over her heart. “The bond is broken.”
“Who killed him?” asked Stuart
“They were Alvaro’s men disguised as unfaithful.”
“Where is Akil?” Stuart asked.
“I don’t know. No one can find him. The seer is right, the war is beginning,” she said.
“We must go to the council. They will protect you.”
“The council has turned against us. There is no one left to turn to.”
“She looked at Stuart with a pleading expression. His face went ashen, and he looked as if he may throw up. Quickly, he sat on one of the large wooden chairs and buried his face in his hands. Tabitha strode quietly across the dark wood floor and onto the rug in front of the fireplace.
“Only you can right what has been wronged,’ she said.
Stuart lifted his head from his hands and looked at her
“I can’t help anyone. I can barley lift that book from the ground and that was the first time I’d ever gotten anything to move. It is my son who is the supposed Anointed One, not I. My son who just learned to use the wash basin for the first time.”
“I will pick up where David left off,” said Tabitha. I made David a promise the day he first brought you here. I told him I would continue your training studies if something were to happen to him.”
“What good will it do? The council has turned against us. Even if I were as good a sorcerer as your husband we still would have no chance.”
— 8 -
Water poured over his body as James clung to the rope. He could feel the muscles in his hands and arms preparing to seize, forcing him to release the rope and fall into the abyss. He tried to breathe, hoping the oxygen would alleviate the cramping that was about to ensue. Water poured into his mouth forcing him to drink rather than breathe. Immediately his arms regained their strength. He drank again, not needing to breathe anymore. His strength returned. The water felt like liquid energy coursing through his body. He felt alive. He drank again and again, his strength increasing to a level he had never known. His mind was clear for the first time since he’d arrived.
With his thirst satiated, his only desire was to use the power the water had given him. Knowing he had more than enough strength to make the distance, James clung tightly to the rope and planted his feet against the cliff face so he could launch himself toward the sling. Without warning, the water stopped flowing. It was as if someone had stopped pumping at the well.
Kilani stood on the support line like a bird on a branch, watching him. She had a knowing smile on her face.
“Be cautious, boy or you’ll overshoot and end up at the bottom-if there is a bottom,” she said, walking toward him until she stood directly across. “Jump as if it were just out of reach.”
He looked at her uncertain.
“Trust me, it will be more than enough.”
He sprung from the wall with such power that he was sure he would overshoot the sling. Something caught him across the shoulder. It took him a moment to realize that Kilani had lassoed him around the head and shoulders as he shot over the support cable. His waist slammed into the cable.
Dangling by the rope, James did not panic. He was sure his strength could hold for hours if necessary. Kilani, now standing above him, began walking back toward the trailhead. He lifted himself up onto the rope careful not to pull too hard and slowly stood. Balance came naturally once he found his center of gravity. Quickly, he moved to the edge. So many questions ran through his mind as he jumped down from the support line onto the leaf-covered trail. Kilani was nowhere to be seen. James ran down the path determined to speak with her. He covered the distance back to the shack in less than a minute. She was standing outside the entrance when he came to a halt.
“Please,” he said. “I have so many questions.”
“They can wait. Right now, you must follow me,” she replied.
James yelled out as she darted into the forest. It was instantly obvious she had no intention of waiting for him, so he began his pursuit. They ran through the forest at amazing speed. James couldn’t believe the ease at which he was hurtling fallen trees and dodging branches. His breathing was as relaxed as if were standing still. Instead of loud, cumbersome footfalls, their steps were light and silent.
The ground pitched downward as they passed into a clearing, and for the first time since his arrival trees didn’t block his view. Far in the distance stood a mountain topped with sheer rock and surrounded by dense jungle.
“We journey to the top of Mt. Misery,” the woman said.
“That will take days,” James replied.
“We must reach it by nightfall.”
She ran off again before James could argue. They continued toward the mountain. Never slowing, never tiring. They crossed a river and skirted the perimeter of a large lake before reaching the base of the mountain.
As they ascended, the trees became smaller, the undergrowth more and more sparse until James could see through the vegetation. The trees gave way to stone. At the base of the stone was a large, steep yet still passable scree field. Beyond that, the rock jutted directly upward and the smooth face looked unclimbable.
Nevertheless, Kilani never slowed as she hopped from boulder to bolder across the field of waylaid stones. When they reached the point where the stone face turned vertical, James could see a giant fissure in the cliff. Kilani stopped as they reached the fissure and James took in his surroundings.
The mountain sat in the northwest portion of an island. Deep-blue ocean surrounded the oddly shaped island as far as the eye could see. The green of the jungle stretched to all sides. James noticed several smaller satellite islands surrounding the main island. He looked back at Kilani, but before he could ask a single question, she
