Original: To Fire It Shall Return

Chapter 5

They spent the rest of the night in one of the buildings, the minute bumps and twigs in the wood digging into Alainna's body - guiltily used to soft beds and mattresses. The Badlanders of Nophelan were grateful to the travelers for trying, of course, and treated them to an early meal - at dawn. The September morning air was cool and Kelden's breath puffed mistily as he stumbled out of the building, pushing his now-tangled hair out of his face.

The breakfast consisted of dry meat, and bread made out of a hard, lumpy grain. Kelden found the meat unbearably stringy and the bread tasteless, but felt too guilty about what had happened the night before to complain. He pretended to enjoy the disappointing fare and even tried to join in with some of the raucous laughter that rose and fell in undulating waves around the huge table, which was inside one of the larger buildings. It seemed as though the entire community ate around the same table, though many had taken their plates and retired to the floor or left the building, as there weren't enough chairs. Perhaps there were other tables in the smaller buildings, but everyone came to this one first to get their food.

After breakfast, the five climbed onto their Horses and took to the air a third time, taking a southerly course. Only an hour into the flight, Kelden's Horse began to whuffle and toss his head nervously. He glanced up just as a dark cloud covered the sun.

Damn

He knew the rain would come soon, but urged his Horse faster, knowing the others would follow and hoping they would reach Kaladar in time.

It was not to be.

Before he knew it, the wind whipped up, and the Horse began straining to keep his course in the stiff wind. Then the skies opened up, sending the rain down in huge droplets that drenched them in seconds. Desperately he raised a hand and pointed, indicating that they should land on the stretch of flat, bare ground they were passing over. If they didn't land immediately, they would begin passing over a seemingly endless expanse of forest and landing would become impossible.

Norath says we shouldn't land. His familiar's voice echoed in his mind. The lizard sounded incredulous, he knew as well as Kelden did how dangerous this storm was.

Ignore her, Kelden advised as he concentrated on getting his Horse safely to the ground.

A few minutes later a drenched and indignant Kelden was arguing with an equally drenched and equally indignant Norath.

"I couldn't keep going; we would have just tired the Horses and been blown miles off course."

"But the land is dangerous-"

"The air is a hell of a lot more dangerous in a cross-wind, sister!" Kelden replied, his words punctuated by stabs of his finger in the air and chirps from Karim. Alainna was beginning to see the clear signs of a storm brewing behind Kelden's eyes. His pale face was reddening and his dark eyes had lost all expression. The light in them had been extinguished and he only stared coldly at Norath, even as his gestures grew more impassioned. She stepped between them quickly, laying a calming hand on either shoulder before Kelden could add to the tempest pouring down on them out of the sky. Kelden rarely truly lost his temper, so, as with many such people, his anger, when full-blown, was spectacular.

"Please, both of you! Kelden is right, we could not have continued, but Norath is also correct. We will be on our guard and be airborne as soon as this cloudburst ends." They stared at each other for a moment longer, then reluctantly nodded and the five of them then began leading their Horses into the nearby forest to find shelter.

But the cloudburst didn't end. After three unrelenting hours they were obliged to continue their journey on the ground. Riding on the ground, as Lelahn quickly discovered, was a lot harder on the body then in the air. Furthermore, the Badlanders were profoundly nervous, their eyes constantly shifting this way and that and nearly jumping out of their misshapen skin at every birdcall or snapped twig.

The forest itself was odd. The trees were stunted and some grew in strange contortions that seemed to defy gravity. There was hardly any underbrush, a fact that helped their progress nicely, but gave the forest a disturbing, naked atmosphere. Also, there was a decided lack of wildlife. Though Lelahn had heard numerous birdcalls, an actual bird had yet to materialize. Maybe they were smart and stayed inside. She thought miserably, shivering in the wetness. Still, she wished the Badlanders would stop acting so damned skittish, it was making her nervous.

They collapsed, exhausted, in the shelter of one of the gnarled trees. The insane twists of the trunk served to create a shelter of sorts from the driving rain. They tied the Horses to another tree and settled down in the mud, huddling together for warmth. Kelden found himself between Alainna and Norath, roughly in the middle of the group. Alainna's warm body pressed against him felt like it was the only familiar thing in this hellhole. He could hardly restrain himself from reaching out and stroking her golden hair, dirty and matted from the rain, yet still as bright as sunlight underneath. Not even ten hours of constant rain could dull that effulgence. He closed his eyes and lay down on the cold ground, trying to ignore the sensation of her soft body against his.

A few hours later, Kelden awoke suddenly, not knowing why or what had roused him. The rain had stopped, but thick clouds still obscured the moon and stars. He stood up slowly and moved a few paces away from the tree, listening carefully to the almost complete darkness, but heard nothing. After a moment, he realized that that was what had roused him; the birds that he had been hearing for hours, had stopped, and now the silence was complete. Not a sound, except for the deep breathing of his comrades could be heard. He felt Karim awaken and look around sleepily from his perch on the tree. Kelden, almost unconsciously, turned to look back toward the tree as he heard the question through their bond,.

What is it, love? Karim asked, only using the affectionate term because he knew that no one could hear. Often familiars could hear each other when they tried, but Sharra was asleep, making it safe for Karim to drop his guard. The lizard tried to cultivate an uncaring reputation, and would only use such terms when he was sure no one was listening.

The birds finally stopped making all that noise, Karim. Do you know why?

No, but it's odd, I'll take a look around and see if anything scared them off. With that, Karim scurried up the tree to one of it's highest branches to look around. Before he could give a report, Kelden suddenly felt a premonition of danger run up and down his spine like ice. Without thinking, he grabbed his sword up from the ground and whirled, bringing it up. He was just in time to parry the knife. The clash of the metal knife against his crystal sword woke everyone else and they exclaimed in mixtures of sleepiness and alarm.

Then they attacked.

The creatures swarmed them, bursting out from behind trees, and under piles of leaves, and behind stumps. They rushed, screaming in high-pitched voices, scratching, biting, and slashing with knives. They were so numerous that the travelers felt as if they were in a sea of bodies, all trying to slash them to ribbons. Their skin was rough, leathery, and hairless, identical to the material with which the Badlanders made their clothes. Some were short and stubby, with long spindly arms and huge, unblinking eyes, others larger, with coarse hair all over their bodies, and arms like short tree-trunks. All of them; however, were dark brown, blending almost perfectly with the night.

Kelden slashed and slashed at the creatures, each strike hitting a vital organ, each felling an opponent, until the ground was sticky with blood and he was surrounded with the bodies of the dead. And still they kept coming, too quickly for him to regroup and use his magic to help him fight. He was so busy he couldn't even spare a moment to see how the others were doing. After an endless period, the creatures finally learned and drew back, avoiding him and attacking his friends instead of facing his blood-soaked sword. At last, he had a moment to look for his companions.

Lelahn was slashing grimly at the creatures, supported by Sharra who swooped and pecked at any who threatened to get in under her guard. Despite her obvious inexperience, she was holding up well against the onslaught.

The Badlanders could barely be seen in the distance that separated them. They had been carried away from the trees by the living current, but Kelden could just make out that they were standing back-to-back, also fighting effectively.

Finally, Alainna was nearby, slashing with her dagger, with all her centuries of experience guiding it. Because of its shorter length, the creatures hadn't begun to avoid her, despite the rapidly growing pile of bodies in a ring all around her.

Since none of the creatures would get close enough to interfere with him, Kelden ran to the nearest tree, the carpet of monsters parting before him, and climbed it quickly. He sat in a natural 'V' in the branches, above where the creatures could attack him while he concentrated, and began picking them off from above. He held up a hand and pointed at one the creatures. The monster he pointed at burst into flame. He repeated this over and over. Sometimes when a creature became a living fireball, the closeness of the crowd caused it to set those nearest to it aflame as well. These expired with an ear-splitting shriek. He concentrated on those who were close to his friends, but not so close that the dying creatures might set one of them afire as well.

While Kelden's attention was diverted by the concentration necessary to cast the spell, a small creature crept up the tree and raised its knife to attack. At the moment it was about to bring the knife down into Kelden's skull, it slipped on the rain-drenched wood and missed, striking him between the shoulder blades. They both fell out of the tree, Kelden hitting the blood-soaked ground bonelessly. He lay helplessly, as the creatures hungrily swarmed towards him.

Alainna caught sight of Kelden as he tumbled from the tree and, despite herself, screamed his name.

"Kelden!"

She worked her way over to where she had seen him fall, slashing fiercely at any monster that came too close. As she drew nearer, she saw Kelden lying in the mud. The creature that had knocked him down was standing over him, ready to drive its knife through his back. She knew she was too far away to help him. Desperately, she directed her magic power toward the creature, not knowing if she could stop it. The creature suddenly arrested in the act of bringing the knife down, halting as if held in place by some kind of invisible force. Then, as Alainna surged forward again, not knowing what, if anything, she had done, another of the creatures collided with it and it exploded, flinging hard bits of flesh and blood in all directions. Then she realized; she had used her only bit of protective magic, that of encasing things in ice. Her desperation had giving the spell unnatural power and she had frozen the creature, every bit of it. Sickened at the needles of frozen flesh that pelted her, she finally reached Kelden's side. There she stood her ground, defending her friend with her dagger.

Almost as quickly as this madness had begun, it ended. The creatures suddenly swept past the travelers as if they had simply been caught in a stampede instead of a crowd of monsters who were actively trying to kill them. They each grabbed up a member of their dead and vanished into the night as if they had never been there, leaving nothing but blood and foot-prints behind.

Alainna knelt beside Kelden, tears dripping from her cheeks as she saw the blood - his - that caked his back. Lelahn and the Badlanders appeared at her side, looking at Alainna questioningly.

"He's not dead, but I don't know if I can help him," Alainna said, not looking to see what reaction this would get, only gazing at Kelden, wishing she could see his beautiful face. Sharra landed on her shoulder, a comforting weight.

Well, what are you waiting for? she asked, I'm ready to help you heal him.

I don't know if I can do it, Sharra. I've never Worked with anything this bad before.

Don't be silly, love. There's no point in not trying.

You're right, Alainna acknowledged. She laid a gentle hand on the place where he had been struck. Blood still flowed sluggishly from the wound and it felt wet and sticky to the touch. A shiver ran through his body at the painful contact. She focused her mind, drawing the strength she needed from Sharra and began reciting the ancient incantation under her breath. The ruby on the amulet she wore glowed brightly, lighting the area with a soft red glow that battled the darkness of the cloudy night.

Lelahn broke in, "Is there anything we can do?" Alainna looked up irritatedly, seeing the concerned look, but not registering it.

"No, just leave me alone." she snapped, and then began the spell again, ignoring the girl. Lelahn looked down at Alainna for a moment. Pain and misery showing on her mud-streaked face, she turned away.

Karim tore down the tree and headed for his familiar as soon as the battle ended. The distance, to his tiny body, seemed to stretch for miles. He drew up to Kelden's face, which was turned sideways in the mud. His eyes were closed and his breathing, shallow. Karim stared into his face, chirping worriedly.

Please, wake up, love. Please.

Lelahn moved away from Alainna, struggling against the onslaught of tears which threatened to overwhelm her. She felt betrayed; by the only person she trusted anymore. Such was her distress that she didn't even notice that she was actually about to cry, something that she hadn't thought possible.

She refused to look back at the pair, knowing that if she saw Alainna again, bending over Kelden with that look of despair; if she saw her with tears streaking her muddy face as she soaked her hand in Kelden's blood, refusing anyone's aid, Lelahn would surely lose control over her already fragile emotions. She walked past the tree where they had slept part of the night, ignoring the concerned stares of the Badlanders, intending to see how the Horses had fared through the battle.

She rounded the huge tree and stopped dead as she saw the Horses. They were lying on the ground, hanging by the ropes with which they had been tied to the tree. Each throat had been cut, carefully, meticulously, and purposefully. Other than the slash, and the dirt and blood soaking into their white fur, all five Horses were utterly untouched.

Alainna remained in a trance for almost an hour, repeating the healing spell over and over. Tears and sweat spilled down her face and were absorbed into her already rain-soaked robe. Finally, she felt the wound close under her fingertips, leaving smooth, whole skin under the dried blood that adhered to it.

She could hardly move away to rest, such was the depth of her exhaustion. Convincing her arm to move back to her side used up whatever reserve of strength she had left and she and Sharra collapsed in the mud, seemingly as lifeless as Kelden. Alainna managed to remain conscious long enough to hear Kelden stir and groan painfully, then, she and her familiar slipped into a dreamless sleep.

When Alainna awoke, only a few minutes later, Lelahn was gazing down at her with the most uncharacteristic look of fear in her eyes. Norath and Ferris were also kneeling over her. Alainna could see the glimmer of tears in Norath's eyes. When Lelahn saw that she was awake, she instantly seemed to relax, and the familiar mask slipped down over her face. Norath, however, seemed just as distraught as before. Alainna sat up slowly, and, seeing Kelden resting comfortably against a tree, his ever-present smile showing on his lips, she turned her attention to other matters.

"Norath, what's wrong?" she asked, summoning up all the energy she could find to bring up a reassuring smile.

"The Horses were killed in the fight." Norath said miserably. She seemed on the verge of breaking into hysteria.

"How far are we from Kaladar?" asked Alainna, fearing the worst. She wasn't sure they would fare as well in another battle. Certainly her power was depleted, it would take days before her magic was up to full strength after that healing spell.

"A day on foot, but surely Kelden can't travel. We will have to carry him," Norath said.

"Is that what he told you?" Alainna asked, not having to force the smile now.

"Well, isn't it true? How can he possibly travel after such an injury?"

"He can travel, let's go," Alainna said shortly, beginning to get exasperated at the woman's obtuseness.

Norath shook her head. "That is not possible, I refuse to allow you to injure him. What has he done to you?" Lelahn's mouth twisted in indignation, only a foreigner would accuse the White Sorceress of wrongdoing! She restrained herself with effort.

"He is my friend," stated Alainna unequivocally. Norath snorted.

"How can he be? You are lying. He performs black magic. How could he ever be friends with you?"

"I'm not lying. He's fine, and we have been friends for three-hundred years." Norath glared distrustfully at her, unconvinced.

Alainna got to her feet and stalked over to Kelden, putting on her best scowl. Kelden watched her come with a smile on his face, but as she came closer he frowned. She hissed at him, "You lazy creature!"

He looked at her defensively, "What?"

"How dare you tell them that you can't walk yourself and that we will be forced to carry you? May the skies shake and the clouds rain fire if I were to carry you to Kaladar instead of making you walk on your own two feet!" Kelden jumped to his feet and advanced on her, his face red with fury. He shook his fist at her.

"What in The Wizard's name are you talking about? I didn't tell them any such thing and I never would!" Alainna ignored him and turned to Norath.

"Are you convinced? Let's go." Without waiting for an answer, she started off, continuing the journey to Kaladar.

Kelden caught up to her, "You are really something. Why did you do that? I could have just told her! What were you two talking about?"

"I did it because I could, and she needed the jolt. And, what we were talking about isn't important," she said, evading the question without quite knowing why. She smiled and looked up at him with childlike innocence. "You didn't tell me how you feel."

"I feel better than I have in years, I think you may have overcompensated." He paused, "I don't mind though. Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? It's not as if I had any choice."

Kelden fixed a neutral gaze on her face. She looked into his bottomless eyes, trying to divine what he was thinking, but they were like still mountain pools, revealing nothing.

Finally he looked away. "Because I could." They continued in silence.

Lelahn ignored Alainna and Kelden's conversation and adjusted her gait so that she would be walking beside Norath. She had felt a kinship with the woman, even though she was a Badlander. Something in her strength and good-sense appealed to Lelahn. She was joyful beyond words that Alainna hadn't died, pushed beyond endurance to save Kelden, and Lelahn felt the need to understand what it was that had brought her savior into danger. Norath seemed knowledgeable, and Lelahn felt that she understood that the Anatans didn't know much about the Badlands, so she wouldn't judge or laugh at Lelahn for asking questions.

"What were those things that attacked us?" Lelahn asked casually. Norath looked up at the slightly taller woman and sighed quietly before answering.

"They were leather-backs. We capture and kill them for meat and clothing." Lelahn shook her head. "But they had knives. Are they intelligent?"

Norath shrugged. "Marginally so. They understand how to use knives, and can copy the ones they steal from us, but they have no real intelligence of their own." Lelahn looked at her questioningly, trying to conceal the distaste she felt. But her eyes clearly communicated the message to Norath, You kill intelligent beings for food and clothing? The Badlander bristled slightly. "They reproduce at a terrific rate. Literally hundreds of leather-backs are born each mating cycle. They have numerous natural enemies, yet you can see that our minimal needs hardly put a dent in their population. They have no regard for their own lives, or for their dead. When they took the bodies, it was for their own meals, no other reason. We use them for such things in order to control the population, otherwise they would surely overrun the entire Badlands, not to mention, Anata and Mecco." Lelahn nodded, satisfied.

"I see. That makes sense." She smiled at Norath, who began to relax slightly. The trek through the forest was nerve-wracking and she knew that her uncommon defensiveness was a result of over-stressed nerves, as had been her wild accusations of Alainna. Anyone could see that she and Kelden were friends, though Norath still couldn't understand why someone with his magic abilities would be associating with the White Sorceress.

They stopped for a short rest three hours later, choosing a relatively dry spot under a tree and digging some sandwiches out of their packs. Lelahn was feeling something awakening within her that she vaguely remembered from her childhood: curiosity. She had a sharp mind and recalled her parents spending hours answering her exhaustive questions. The tendency had died in her during her long suffering, but now it was creeping back, almost unnoticed. Now something had been bothering Lelahn since the battle with the leather-backs, and she took this opportunity to ask a question of her companions.

"Alainna," she began, fixing her with a penetrating look.

Alainna smiled in response, "What, child?"

"Why is it that you didn't use your magic to kill the creatures like Kelden did? And when you did use some of your magic to kill one, why didn't it burst into flame like the ones Kelden attacked?"

An uncomfortable look passed across Kelden's face and Alainna glanced at him briefly before answering. "It's because we have different internal makeups. My emotions are better suited to healing, and other passive magic, that's why I was chosen to be the White Sorceress. I only have a little bit of defensive magic, and I very rarely use it as such, but if I am in danger, I can coat things - and people - in ice. In this case, I was so distraught that when I used my magic against that creature, I managed to freeze all of it, not just the outside. I've never done that before."

Kelden spoke up, "Actually, we aren't really sure why Alainna and I have different magic. All of the other good wizards and sorceresses Work with ice, like Alainna does. Fire, which I Work with, is the realm of black magic, except that those who Work with black magic, don't need familiars. So, I am a white wizard, but I use black magic." In response to the suspicious look that Lelahn shot him at this revelation, Alainna rose to Kelden's defense.

"Whether someone can use fire or ice is not a choice that one makes. It's simply determined by something no one really understands. Usually it indicates whether someone is evil or good, but Kelden is just an exception to that rule. He is certainly good, but something else that we just haven't understood yet is blocking his access to good magic. The fact that he has a familiar is more telling in this case." Lelahn seemed to accept this, though as she pretended to be fully absorbed in her meal, she couldn't help sneaking speculative glances at Kelden.

What could it mean? Lelahn thought.

They stopped by a stream just outside of Kaladar. Alainna turned to the others,

"All right, we're quite a sorry sight. So Lelahn, Norath, and Ferris, you can wash in the stream. Lelahn frowned rebelliously, but they stripped off their muddy clothes and gingerly stepped into a still pool created by some rocks and were soon rubbing themselves vigorously with sand.

Alainna and Kelden moved until they were a healthy distance away from each other. Then Alainna closed her eyes and raised her arms up, muttering a spell. A cloud of snowflakes enveloped her as the water vapour in the air around her crystallized. A moment later, the snow was gone and so was the mud that had previously covered her. She shook a few errant flakes out of her silky hair and smiled at Lelahn who was looking at her in open-mouthed astonishment.

Meanwhile, Kelden repeated the same movements, closing his eyes and holding his arms up, but this time, a flame seemed to curl up from the ground. It climbed higher and higher until he was obscured from sight by the flickering fire. Alainna could feel the intense heat on her face, but was not concerned for him; no one could be harmed by their own magic. After a few moments, Kelden stepped out of the flame like a demon emerging from some doorway to hell. His skin and hair glowed as brilliantly as Alainna's, revitalized by both the cleanliness and the spell. Despite his angelic look, Alainna had to admit that the effect was quite disturbing.

When the others had finished their much more primitive bath, and emerged, dripping, and shivering despite the relative warmth of the air. They finished their journey into the village, arriving at the central fire-pit just as the sun began to decline in the sky.

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