Eldrick was awoken by a gentle shaking from Alekos.
"The portal is about to open?"
Nodding, Alekos helped Eldrick to his feet.
"This is as far as we go. Father says we will have a new home. As soon as we get home we have to pack for the move. Maybelle will be going home soon too and she will help us move to the mountain." Eldrick could see the bright smile on Alekos' face even in the darkness.
"Well... I wish you and your master the best of luck. Your provisions are set out near Petal, your master is packing light to conserve his strength. I will see you again in about a year and a half or so, I guess."
"Alekos," Glimhook called. "We need to head out if we plan on making it home with speed. Thank you, Eldrick. I have misjudged you and your master. I won't make that mistake again. I still don't trust most of your kind, but I trust you. Safe travels, may Alie smile upon you."
As Alekos joined him, they waved farewell before vanishing into the undergrowth.
"Petal can see the portal opening. Chase left earlier but said to tell you he has confidence in you."
Eldrick smiled to himself knowing everyone was eager for this journey to end. Gathering his gear and provisions he joined Sergei to await the opening of the portal.
As the portal opened Eldrick could see a vast forest ahead. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the overhang of a cave mouth or sheltered niche. He was happy about that since they were going to need more sleep before they headed out for the conclave. He hoped they weren't too late. With a sudden sense of panic, he turned to Sergei.
"Sir you haven't taught me to read the omens. Isn't that part of the training I need to prove?"
Sergei chuckled, pushing his apprentice through the portal.
"There is always more to learn. Augury is not a skill one is required to know in order to advance. I trust that you will learn it as you go. Sigmund will help in that aspect I am sure. He taught me after all." Stepping through he dropped his pack on the ground.
"We'll rest here until dawn. Always easier to find the grove in daylight and with the sun as your guide. Oh, welcome to Shay." Following his pack, he too went to the ground.
Eldrick, shucking his burdens sat as well. "We travelled halfway across the world already? I didn't think that was possible."
"The Fealands play havoc with time and distance. Petal is an effective guide, he was telling me he spent three hundred years learning all the paths so he would know the shortest distances from one place to another. All the better to reach different flowering fields." Laying back he rests his head on his pack.
"We have several hours before dawn, I suggest sleeping." Closing his eyes he quickly drifted off.
Eldrick wasn't sure he would be able to sleep. He was too excited for the coming days. There were too many unanswered questions. Following Sergei's directions, he lay back and tried to sleep.
"Hey, Petal. Amaryliss has message for you."
Eldrick cracked his eyes open enough to see a young female sprite shaking Petal.
"Amaryliss says, stay with Eldrick for message service. Hyacinth has delivered message and now must find a place to rest."
Eldrick now fully awake laid still with his eyes closed as he listened.
"Hyacinth, Petal thanks you. Hyacinth can rest here. Petal needs to wake Sergei and Eldrick now anyway."
Eldrick opening his eyes smiled at the sprites. "Good morning Petal. I will wake Sergei. Could you get a fire started?" Glancing over he thought better of the request. "On second thought, I will wake Sergei after I get a fire started." Rising he went to gather wood from the edge of the forest. Returning to the campsite he noticed a fire pit of loose stones. Pulling out his flint, he grabbed his knife to set the fire ablaze. With the fire going he took a couple of pots to the creek not far away. Returning with water he placed the pots on the fire to heat.
"Sergei it is time to wake up. We need to prepare for the conclave," Eldrick said, shaking him gently.
After waking his master, he returned to the fire to prepare breakfast. They were almost out of the provisions Sergei had packed. He thought about the rules of the Feast of Servalin. Everyone should bring something to share. Well, there should be game, berries, and other edible plants in the forest. He could forage as they walked. Looking to the north he saw what appeared to be a hamlet. Maybe they could reprovision there before heading into the forest.
After breakfast, Eldrick cleaned the pots and dishes in the creek while Sergei had his tea. Having attended to all the needs of the morning and packing the dishes away, he rose and offered a hand to Sergei. "Sir, we are running low on provisions. I see a town just north of here where we may be able to resupply."
Nodding, Sergei grunted ascent. Heading off towards the town, Eldric could feel that ominous sense once again. He set it aside as nerves since he had never been outside of Herigmark. They were almost to the village when Sergei stopped dead in his tracks.
"Boy, that is not the place to resupply." The blood in Sergei's face drained visibly. "That is Clayerboorn. It was once the hub of commerce for Shay, they serviced the druid conclave. That is until about thirty years ago. Every living thing in the village vanished one night. No one knows where they went. There are rumours of odd things happening there." He grabbed Eldrick's tunic. "We can forage in the forest, on our way to the conclave. Come let's head to the conclave before we lose the direction."
He now understood the uneasy feeling while heading to the town. He began relaxing as they made their way to the verge. They hadn't gone far into the forest when a figure jumped out of the underbrush. Eldrick reacted, snapping into a defensive stance, staff at the ready.
The figure was dressed in dark green, a cowl hiding its face. Eldrick saw a flash of light glinting off the blade of a knife as the figure lunged. The blade sunk deep into Sergei's chest, and the cowl fell away from the stranger's face. "My father sends his regards. Now to dispatch this pathetic excuse of an apprentice."
Eldrick remembered the face from the castle. Victor. How did he get here before us? No. no time to think, react. His staff snapped upright, almost of its own volition. He could feel his anger rising, as a blade lodged into the end of the staff.
Victor looked at Eldrick in surprise.
"Well, you are still a nobody, an orphan with no family connections. There will be no one to mourn you when you are gone." Victor stepped towards Eldrick slowly and methodically as he taunted. A sneer crossed his face as he looked Eldrick in the eyes, "A nothing, a nobody."
Eldrick shook his head to try to dislodge the words as they fastened onto his mind. The first few attacks by Victor were easily deflected. Eldrick found himself lagging as the battle progressed. His vision constantly flicked over Victor's shoulder to Sergie's prone form while the words kept rattling in his head beating down his resolve.
"You're a nobody."
"You are nothing."
Eldrick felt his fingers turning lax, the staff slipping through his grip until the butt hit the ground. The ring on his thumb began to burn and the medallion around his neck vibrated against his chest. The energy of Corrigenda flared through his staff. At that moment he understood the sacrifice of Alie, the thrice dead. He had to take control of his magic before it could control him. Shifting his stance he kicked off his shoes and pulled the blade from the staff. As his bare feet hit the ground he pulled the energy from the staff still held in his left hand. With the blade in his right hand, he parried the lunge from Victor. Unfortunately, it was not enough to prevent the blade from nicking him and drawing blood along his upper thigh.
Victor crowed in triumph, "Not long now!"
Eldrick snapped his wrist forward and let the dagger fly. It hit Victor in the chest and sunk in deep. Bringing his staff back up he lunged with it connecting with the solar plexus, then bringing it up into Victor's chin. As Victor flew backwards through the air Eldrick released a blast of elemental flame burning his face.
Eldrick felt the muscles of his legs give way and he fell face-first into the loam. Crawling past the body of Victor the smell of charred flesh made him gag. He refused to stop until he was at his Master's side.
"Eldrick follow the rising sun. It will lead you." With a sigh of escaping breath, Sergei passed as Eldrick watched his life and light extinguish.
With his arms losing strength he could no longer hold himself off the ground. His head landed on Sergei's chest inches from the blade.
"No Sergei, no! You cannot die on me. Please come back. Please..." the tears flowing freely down his face as his anger fled, replaced by grief. A heart-rending lonely grief. He lay there crying. Hoping the poison in his system would take him too.
He couldn't move and who knew what beasts were out here. Better to die here with his master than to go on alone. If Sergei had died from the poison he would have been able to continue. Seeing Sergei like this with a dagger in his chest and knowing he hadn't been able to defend his master destroyed his confidence. The order had no reason to take him now. He had failed. Failed in all he had meant to do. Closing his eyes, he welcomed the darkness.
Eldrick woke to the sound of wings. He could move, if only a little. Shifting his head he was confronted with the sight of the dagger protruding from Sergei's chest. With a shriek, he scrabbled backward. He looked around for the source of the wing sounds. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the two figures on the other side of his master's body. They were pawing through his pack. He had seen their kind before but the brown around the eyes of these two was different from the one he had seen in the Faelands. The brown feathers in stark contrast to the black.
Grabbing for his staff and missing, he jumped over Sergei to confront the two procyvid. As he landed they cocked their heads to one side. Eldrick could see the insignia of the master druid in their paws.
"Hey, give that here. I need that."
It looked at what was in its paws, then reached out as if to hand it to Eldrick. Eldrick snatched it, lest the creature thought better of offering it. He considered the fact that the procyvid had understood him. The sun setting in the east caught his attention. Had he lost an entire day? Wait where was Petal? He couldn't remember seeing Petal since departing the campsite. All he had to do was follow the setting sun and he could return there, but that would cost him another day's travel.
What had Sergei said as he died? Walk into the sun in the morning and away from it in the evening to reach the conclave. Tucking the medal into his trews pocket, he glanced back over at the procyvid. They were sitting there watching him, to see what he would do. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the form of Victor, with his head caved in. His stomach rebelled. Turning away, he began retching. He couldn't move on until he buried Sergei. He needed a proper burial. Not having a shovel, Eldrick drew his knife and chopping into the turf, he began to dig a hole to place his master in. The two procyvid hopped over and began to dig with their claws. Eldrick fell backwards in surprise. What were they doing? Were they helping him? He knew they were highly intelligent, but he had never heard of them helping someone before.
Once the hole was deep enough, the procyvid flew off. Eldrick carefully shifted his master's corpse into the hole, tears flowing down his cheeks. Pulling the dagger from his chest and tossing it aside Eldrick began to cover him in dirt. The procyvid came back carrying stones, only this time it was not two, but hundreds. As each placed a stone over the grave, they let out a keening that built up in volume. With each stone, the dirt slowly faded until the only thing visible was a stone cairn. Eldrick whose tears had not stopped the entire time he was burying his master, mentor, and friend looked over at the procyvid. Each one had their heads bowed, their left forepaw pressed to their chest.
After a few moments, they dropped their paws to the ground and let out a raucous cry of mourning. The eerie sound disturbed the silence of the forest. A silence Eldrick hadn't noticed until now. A few glanced from Eldrick to the form of Victor. Eldrick following their gaze once again saw the corpse of his master's murderer.
"I don't care what happens to that," he spat, pointing at the dead body.
With what Eldrick could only imagine was a cheer, most of the procyvid descended on the corpse. There were so many Eldrick could no longer see the body. His attention was drawn to the two who had originally landed. They sat there looking at him. Walking over to where he'd dropped his gear the two procyvid followed him. Gathering everything up he turned his back on the sun.
Stopping beside the cairn, he looked at it, his tears welling up once more.
"From the earth, we came, to the earth we return. May the circle of life be kinder to you in your next incarnation. For this, I call on Merridedd. Alei, we thank you for allowing this thread to flourish and influence those around it. So mote it be."
Placing two fingers to his lips he then pressed them to the cairn. "I will never forget your lessons, nor the kindness you showed to me. Rest now, my friend."
Resettling his burden, he continued walking away from the sun. Oddly, the procyvid would sort of leapfrog ahead of him. One flew ahead while the other waited for him only to fly ahead as the first waited. This went on well into the night before they stopped in a small clearing with a stream nearby and a firepit in the center.
Unshouldering his packs he began gathering wood to make a fire from the deadfall around the clearing. He wasn't hungry. He knew he needed to eat if he was going to keep his vow to Sergei and himself. He gathered the pots for water and set them aside until he had the fire going.
Picking up the pots, he heard a small voice. "Is it safe for Petal to come out now?"
Shifting the one pot to peer into the other he saw Petal huddled in the bottom.
"Have you been there the whole time?"
Petal nodded.
"Come on out of there. We are in a clearing and preparing to settle down for the night." Setting one pot down on the bank as he dipped the other into the stream. Petal landed on his shoulder as he repeated the process. Retrieving both pots he returned to the fire. As he approached Petal began to shift nervously.
"Petal sense procyvid. Don't let procyvid have Petal."
"Relax Petal. These two helped me out today. The rest dealt with Victor, or what was left of him."
"What happened to Sergei? Petal no see Sergei."
"Petal,," he snapped. "I don't want to talk about it right now!"
He could feel the sorrow and grief trying to overwhelm him once again. The thought of leaving his master buried in an unmarked grave in the forest rankled. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to continue without his friends around him. Sergei was laying in a hole in the ground, and Sebastian was still in Herigberg. All his healer friends could be scattered to the four winds. He felt Petal trying to crawl under his hair when he heard a cawing from above. Looking up he saw the procyvid each had a fish in its claws. Landing beside him they offered their bounty to him.
"I only need one for Petal and myself," he commented as he accepted the larger of the two fish. "You may have the other. Thank you." He bowed over the fish to them. They again bowed their heads with a paw to their chest.
"What? How? Petal has never seen the procyvid give the bow of respect to anyone but the tamers. How did Eldrick do this?" Petal's voice was hushed and Eldrick could feel the breath on his ear.
"Petal, I have no idea. What does it mean?"
"It means they will help you. Eldrick has companions for life. These are young ones still. Petal is safe with these two."
"Uh, Petal there was a whole flock of them who gave that bow. Are they a flock or is there another name for a large group of them?"
Petal sitting down on Eldrick's shoulder scratched his head.
"Petal not remember right now. But Petal will think on it. Did you say a large group showed Eldrick bow? Not good, not good at all."
"What do you mean it's not good?"
"One or two is okay large group means trouble. Especially when they get older."
"Petal, what are you talking about?"
"Procyvid mature within ten years, those two look to be about six or seven years old. A large group can take down the great plains buffalo. Older ones can carry one off by themselves. Petal would not like to see a horde of procyvid. That is what a large group is called a horde." He began shaking.
Eldrick had been cleaning the fish as Petal spoke. Taking a sharpened stick he thrust it through the fish and placed it over the fire. His thoughts racing. He seemed to be gathering allies. He wasn't sure if that was what was actually happening, but then the most unlikely events kept happening to him. He was an apprentice without... No! Don't think like that. Grief was waiting for any stray thought to come pouring out. He couldn't let himself dwell on anything for too long or become paralyzed by grief. Well, at least he didn't need to go out foraging today. He was going to need to tomorrow though.
The scent of the fire-roasted fish was tantalizing. Pulling the fish off the fire he broke a piece off and handed it to Petal. Eating his own piece of the fish he pondered what Petal had been telling him. He couldn't wrap his head around what it was he had done to gain the respect of the procyvid, nor why there were so many here. He was making tea when he heard a mass of fluttering wings.
Looking up he saw the horde descending on the clearing. Settling on the ground they bowed to him before they turned away walking to the edge of the clearing and settled down facing the forest. Eldrick considered what Petal had said. A large group of procyvid meant trouble. But trouble for who? Or what? Looking around he noticed that not all of the procyvid had joined them. Where were the rest?
"Petal suddenly feels safe." His voice broke into Eldrick's musings. "Procyvid usually scare Petal but this group makes Petal calm," cocking his head to one side he gave Eldrick a sidelong glance. Curling up near the fire but far enough away to not risk his wings, Petal fell asleep.
Eldrick, drinking his tea, cried softly. He felt lost. His guide was no longer around and he was floundering. Pulling out his master's insignia he sat there holding it running his fingers over the triquetra. Tears slowly gliding down his cheeks to drop on the emblem. Laying down he tucked the insignia in close to his chest and drifted off into the blessed darkness.
