Chapter 9
Kayla and Edrich left as soon as the presence of the vampires was revealed, true, but there was no way for a human to outrun a vampire. Edrich was as weak and useless as ever but he could, at least, run properly for a long time; funny what a short period of vigorous training can do to you. Running put strain on the body but it left the mind as clear as ever before- Edrich could think normally and had enough time to form a plan. Once he did so, the boy grabbed the vampire's cold hand and led her further north – northwest, to be precise- to where the estate of the Lord of the Tear was according to his maps.
Seeking refuge in a castle would be ridiculous, of course, even if for some odd reason the Lord would approve of their hiding there- a stone wall was nothing a grown vampire could not climb. No, he was not searching for shelter... he was after an escape route.
The two did not run all the way there- they stopped several times and they actually passed half the distance walking. The total time it took them to reach their destination was two hours. By the time they got there Kayla was already done adding the bits of untraveled land to the imaginary map she kept in her head at all times. She could tell that their next task would be stealing a horse or two.
Neither of the two cared for innocence as long as the crime did not dirty their hands with blood. Stealing was a simple act that was necessary for their survival and they did not think much of it.
The first horse they found was quite a beautiful one- female, obviously well-bred and the property of some noble. She did not flinch when she noticed Kayla's presence- she did not react in any way, actually. Kayla stood back and took in her surroundings while her partner approached the beast. There were several people around but none were paying attention to the two children dressed in simple clothes and wearing the same tired expressions as everyone else. The mare had a rope attached to the saddle and its other end was tied to a large stone table on which the noble's servants were playing cards.
Kayla waited as Edrich approached the animal patiently, careful not to alarm it, and put a hand gently on its head. Her heart would have been consumed by jealousy had she been able to see how warmly her friend smiled at the horse as he slid his fingers across its flesh. He did that several times before the mare lowered its head and brushed its head against his cheek.
That was the moment the vampire finally understood what Edrich was doing- he was communicating with it! The boy was actually communicating with it without acting awkwardly or being uncomfortable. Could it be that it was the humans that he was unwilling to communicate with? Was the reason he did not speak because he did not need words to communicate with animals?
Regardless, the men were pulled out of their game once they finally noticed the boy's presence. "Hey, kid, that horse belongs to Lord Ferren's bastard. Step back." There were three men- two were intoxicated and one was not, all three of them dressed in red and black and not particularly worried that he might do something. They did not expect him to retaliate or disobey so Edrich had several spare seconds to begin untying the knot closer to the saddle. "Stop it or I'll cut you in two." The tipsiest of the three unsheathed his sword. Before he could get close enough to the boy, a second sword was unsheathed and it cut through the man's thigh.
The soldier fell to the ground, screaming in pain, his sword discarded. His comrades were up immediately and Edrich used the sword to cut the rope. He would have been caught by one of the men before he could climb the horse had Kayla not hit him with one of her arrows. It hit the man on the inside of his sword arm and he, too, dropped the weapon. When the third finally had Edrich in his reach, the boy was already mounting the horse and it was too late to capture him. A second of ride in Kayla's direction and she was pulled up onto the saddle behind Edrich.
That was it. Once Kayla settled in her seat comfortably Edrich signaled the horse to increase its speed and they were far from civilization soon enough. The escape was a success. The horse- Sasha, as Kayla insisted on calling her- was indeed a good one. Outriding the men chasing them was a piece of cake and the only disadvantage of this operation is that now they had one more mouth to feed.
They were heading north now: Their destination was in Ellion, a country rumored to be several times richer than Farkleath and Farkleath was quite well off, as well. To get there they must cross several rivers blocking their path and then find a way to get to the other side of the Sea of Disdain, the waters between the two countries.
They needed some gold. The mare could be sold for good coin but it might not be enough and going around the sea was out of question- they'd be captured before they even reach Ellion if they attempt that. Edrich was the brain when it came to that kind of decisions although Kayla was not stupid or dumb- it was because she could not see the map that she left that to him. She calculated the direction in which they were going by monitoring movement of the sun so she was not completely clueless, but maps were beyond her.
Kayla suggested that they use the gold she earned from hunting to spend their nights in inns. Edrich liked the idea and on the first night they did, the two stole a second horse- male, black and only a little slower than Sasha. The horse was given the name "Fredrick" and it seemed to be quite pleased with it. Riding was much faster than walking so the two were advancing pretty fast. The vampires were still after them but they were not fast enough to catch up.
Kayla would watch Edrich practice his essence manipulation every night and point out his errors- she could sense the essence flow and tell him where he failed. He was improving quickly with her guidance and soon enough he began studying the elements- mostly air. Kayla noticed how his movements became swifter and faster as he did the things he would do on a daily basis- even the braiding of his hair now looked like it was assisted by the wind. She also learned of the importance of understanding the element you were trying to summon and praised the boy for his progress.
"Why don't you try to cast spells now?" she suggested once, and his uncomfortable expression revealed the fact that he was not doing as well in that field. Edrich would actually wake up long before her every single morning to practice different incantations in an attempt to get the air to help him. He begged for its protection, for it to grant him the ability to fly or to cut a leaf in two. The element denied all his requests. He could feel the denial, too- he knew that it did not approve of him yet and drowned himself in the book Hadvar entrusted him with in an attempt to understand the element better.
One of these days was slightly different from the rest.
"Ed. Ed, get up, now." Kayla was sobbing hysterically, her voice strained and full of fear and regret. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how that happened, I swear-"The boy shut her mouth with his palm, sitting up. She had tears in her eyes. Once she calmed down a little and was capable of telling him what was wrong, he removed his hand from her face. "They're here, Ed. I don't know how I didn't sense them, I'm so sorry-"She did not get to finish the sentence because the boy pulled her up to her feet and began gathering their things.
How could he be so calm at a time like this? It was the end of them, there really no point in running. Well, actually, he could escape; she was the target, after all... and he knew where to find the Nuns... Why was he not leaving her? Why did he keep holding her hand when he was done gathering their things? Why did he pull her all the way to where the horses were resting outside, why did he not stop running when he noticed that the animals were no longer there?
"They were stolen..." she whispered. That's what you get for stealing, huh? What was the point of running? There was no way the boy had an escape plan now. It was her fault, if only she would have warned him earlier... She did not know how they got so close so soon... Could she have lost her edge? No. It wasn't it.
"They're on horseback, "she breathed out. Edrich's grip tightened and he was sweating more than before. "Leave me," she begged. "Please, Ed, let go-"she pulled her hand out of his. Edrich stopped running and faced the vampire. A moment of silence stretched to what seemed like an eternity.
Before her usually sharp senses could tell what was happening, she was slapped.
"What the-"she almost hit him back but her hand stopped inches from his face. His eyes frightened her- she has never seen him this upset. They were burning with what she would have mistaken for hatred had she not known him as well as she did. That was the moment she realized that she hurt him.
"Please don't leave me," she whispered as they ran, holding on to him, "I really don't want to be alone anymore." His other hand clenched into a fist with these words being said. They say that the life of a child is easy, nothing to fear and no responsibilities... why does Kayla have to be the exception? Why did she have to get hit to allow herself to act selfishly? She did nothing to deserve a fate this cruel, unlike him. Oh, he deserved much worse- an eternity being roasted over the flames of hell would not suffice. His curse kept whispering that in his ears.
Kayla did not complain anymore- not a single word. The tears running down her face did not bother her because she could not see, anyway, but she was unable to stop them because of the warmth of his hand on hers. It brought back memories of the life she had before she became a monster. The circumstances under which she was turned into one were not relevant anymore but the days before it will forever be precious to her.
"Oh! There they are!" A rusty voice called out a split second before the sound of the horses' hoofs' knocking on the cold earth was heard. The children kept running as the vampires closed in on them, leaving them in front of a cliff. Edrich turned left without hesitation and Kayla almost lost her balance. They kept running along the crumbling remains of trees the roots of which have died long ago. There was the sound of water flowing not far from their current location and that was the direction they were running towards.
"It's a waterfall." Kayla informed him, "A huge one. The speed of the flow is extremely fast, too." Perfect, he thought, a sound barrier. Kayla was singing something quietly between her pants and the closer they got to the water, the less of her singing he could hear. There was only one way they could escape, the way he was thinking of all along, but it was a gamble- he had no reason to believe that it would work, really, but he was quite certain that it would.
They stopped right in front of the waterfall, gasping for air, and their chasers got off their mounts to greet them. "Hello, princess. We've come to take you home." One of them, a man with skin so dark that he was hard to spot in the night, stepped forward.
"What do you get out of this? Only one person can drink my blood." Kayla inquired, her anger and frustration finally catching up with the fear.
"Curious, aren't we?" Another man stepped forward. "Gold. A decent amount, really, much more than what your cursed blood is worth."
Gold again, Edrich almost laughed. He always found it amusing that all creatures with human-like intelligence were bound to this concept like an old man to his walking stick. Was it really worthy of such power? It was just a concept, after all, like any of the many religions of the men walking the same earth as him.
"Please, don't do this..." She knew it was pointless to beg, she was no fool, but she could not hold these words back. The vampires, men and women alike, laughed at her. "We are not bound to the simple human concept you hold onto so desperately. A conscience is a foreign memory now." In the dark their red eyes glimmered and they were the only thing that could be seen clearly in this lighting.
Edrich pressed Kayla's hand once. She focused on him for a moment and noticed that his lips were moving. Air was coming out of his mouth but it was too loud for her to hear him. She was dumbfounded for a second before realizing what it was that he was saying.
"How can you be so sure that you will get your reward?" Kayla asked, her tone mocking them. A woman answered: "Even with the blessing of your blood, Terekan can't fight off several dozens of vampires-"
"Oh, but he can." Kayla cut her off. "You do know that my blood grants immortality, do you?" She had to buy more time for Edrich. He deserved to know her secret, although she never wanted him to find out like this... "I don't know what he told you but I would not sell immortality for any amount of money, which is why I find what you are doing now amusing." She was growing more anxious with every breath she took and it was getting harder to keep a straight face. "She's lying, don't listen to her." Her plan was ruined just as the vampires started arguing over who gets her blood. The man who interrupted them was tall, thin, and young. He smelled of sunflowers and Kayla could sense it all the way from where she was standing.
She had no ideas left. More time, more time.
Edrich pressed her hand again. A signal. She realized just before he did it a second time. The third would be the last, she knew. He was done with the incantation, or almost done. He pressed her hand. Three. "Erthol o Maraak, shor, zaarthul-agan" He yelled the words loud enough for everyone around him to hear despite the noise coming from the waterfall. Before their enemies could comprehend what language these words were spoken in and what was the odd, shining stone in his hand, the children ran off and jumped off the cliff.
Kayla did know these words. "Ultimate power of stealth, wind, come forth," She has never heard an incantation this blunt- usually, one would ask the elements for help, not command them. Was that the power of a Wielder? Will it even work? She did not even have time to appreciate how pleasant his voice actually was.
They were falling and there was no sign of them stopping anytime soon. The wind did not aid them- rather, it was as if it went out of its way to try stealing their breath away. Could the wind be angered? Could it be irritated? Was it the end?
Her companion's hand was slowly slipping away when he began laughing frantically. It was a chuckle at first but it soon evolved into a full-scale I-am-an-evil-overlord kind of laugh. It did not frighten her, though- if things were not going well, Edrich would be too busy concentrating on examining different ways to survive the fall to laugh. He would be so focused on it that he would wrinkle his thick eyebrows the way he always would when his life was on the line.
"It worked," Kayla sobbed, noticing that the wind was now carrying them away from the water and slowing down their fall. They were completely soaked already and it was extremely cold but Kayla could only feel the warmth of being alive.
Edrich did not stop laughing. Tears found their way to his eyes and it sounded like he was choking on his sobs. I'm flying, he thought, I'm getting out of this alive. He realized what he was doing wrong during his training while he ran through the forest that night with Kayla- he was asking for help. He, the sole knight chosen by Karthaias to keep this world from falling apart, was asking for help. How could the wind acknowledge his authority when he refused to acknowledge it himself?
That was why he commanded it. He was the tool of Karthaias, god of the forest, a being so powerful that it would make the wind itself cower. The wind was free, playful, and it will not submit to a man like him unless he can make it respect him. That is what he learned from his research about it.
The wind dropped them off by the side of the river flowing under the waterfall. Their landing was quite nasty but neither of the two complained. Edrich was still laughing, even as he spit out some of the mud that got into his mouth. "I'm so sorry," Kayla was still shedding tears, relieved, unable to stop them. The human stopped laughing at some point and got up to clean up his clothes. The vampires would take quite some time to get to them, thankfully, but they will be more careful now that they know that Kayla has a mage protecting her. Also, Edrich has passed the point of no return- he was a target now, too.
"They will think that we washed off somewhere to the east, well, that's the direction the water flows in, so..." Kayla was trying to suggest that they go in the opposite direction but Edrich already had that in mind. They were both too mentally and physically exhausted to do something efficiently so he just nodded, hoping that she noticed, and lied down to rest. They would have to get a horse again and ride north-west, for that is where the port was, but that would cost them quite some time- originally, they were supposed to cross a certain mountain not far to the east and get on a ship somewhere around Roeran Lake and leave for the same port.
The night was still young and there was a long time before dawn but both children knew fairly well that as soon as the sun begins to rise they must leave.
***
"Faerendal. Come in, boy." Hadvar did not expect the guest but he was happy to welcome him into his humble study in Teggen's High Academy of Magical Studies. Faerendal was a brilliant yet mischievous student during his stay there and Hadvar held many warm memories of him close to his heart.
"Thank you. It's been too long, Master." Faerendal was soaked from the rain and he already removed his cape before he entered to avoid leaving water on the clean floor. "Don't call me that. 'Hadvar' would suffice." The older man sounded almost insulted but the kindness in his small eyes did not fade. "What brings you here?"
"Am I not allowed to visit my favorite teacher once in a while?"
"Oh, of course you are –these visits are much appreciated, too- but we both know that you did not come for that." Hadvar offered his guest a seat by the fire burning brightly in the center of the room and the younger man accepted politely. It was obvious that the issue they were about to discuss was no pleasant or simple one.
"I heard you've been on prison duty. Why?" Faerendal always believed that prison duty was the worst job a wizard could possibly have. Hadvar could not be tempted by gold, which meant that he must've gotten something good in return. "Actually, I quit halfway so I did not receive the full reward- the gold, to be precise. I did get what I was after, though- a certain book, nothing that would interest you."
"Tell me." The student could feel that something was odd. Hadvar sighed.
"It was a Black Book. Achvanzel did not know its true value so I could seize it before it fell into the wrong hands."
"Thought so." Faerendal sighed. "I have one of those in my possession, too. The rumors about it being indestructible were true."
Hadvar's eyes widened. "You, too? I see... Did you notify the council?" Hadvar brought the student a bowl with hot soup as he said that.
Faerendal accepted the gesture, pleased. "You know that I don't trust them," he sipped from the bowl and enjoyed the sweet taste of boiled carrots lingering on his tongue. "I thought so. I don't know how you came across that relic but I suggest that you keep it secret, the way you did until now." The older wizard did not trust the council, either, but he was bound to them because of his profession and had no choice but to notify the higher-ups. The only plus of this whole ordeal was that his issues with Achvanzel were cleared up.
"Why did you quit?" The warm liquid was spreading in the man's stomach and he felt much better than before.
"It was a spontaneous decision." He did not spare any details.
"Was a certain dark-skinned, blue-eyed boy involved in it?" The other man's expression changed completely and he was suddenly much paler than before. "You've met him."
"Aye, and he's not doing too well."
"I will never forgive myself for what I've done to him," Hadvar dropped on a nearby chair, suddenly exhausted, "He was a boy, and he is going to die because I did not insist on sparing his life-"
"He was a criminal." Faerendal cut him off.
"He did not have the eyes of a killer."
"The worst of scum do not, either."
"He is not a murderer." Hadvar insisted. "I refuse to believe that." He was anxious to hear what became of the boy. The fact that he got to Faerendal meant that he was walking north in a steady pace, to Ellion. Hadvar knew that the Nuns were to be found in Ellion but it was a large country and finding them would be hard, perhaps impossible.
"By the time he got to me, he was. He has killed a man and his conscience did not take it well." Faerendal put the empty bowl on the table and browsed the room as he waited for Hadvar's reply. At first he thought that there were nothing but bookshelves there but after a while he noticed several chairs hiding in different corners of the room, a few tables and a small alchemy lab.
"I see..." Hadvar sighed. "Tell me, what has become of him?"
"Well, he knows the precise location of the Nuns already. He probably knew it before he read your notes."
"What? How?" Hadvar jumped to his feet. These were great news but quite unexpected ones.
"Please sit." The man obeyed, expecting bad news. "He is not travelling alone, he has made a powerful friend." That was good, wasn't it? If he could even make a friend, he was probably okay, wasn't he?
"That friend is the current Vampire Princess." Hadvar groaned and dropped his fist on his thigh. "That boy just loves trouble..."
"His name is Edrich." Faerendal was revealing the facts slowly and steadily to avoid shocking the older man. He was very patient and monitored Hadvar's reactions. "What else? What else do I not know? And how do you know his name, did he speak?"
"No. The vampire learned it from a spirit of the forest." Now he had to reveal the worst. "You probably didn't look at his skin when you healed him, right? Being a professional and all."
"No, I have not. I was focused on his flesh wounds." Hadvar realized.
"Master, that boy is a Wielder. He is Karthaias' knight."