A Bit Of Encouragement For Someone’s Success
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“I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it,” said Kade, “but don’t forget that the more people who know about the book like, the better.” He had a point. I could have just told Lina and let her spread the word herself—and she did tell others.
But now they knew my secret; it might make sense to share their own secrets with me as well. And since we’d been talking so long, it was getting late. “Why don’t you come over tomorrow?” he suggested.
Lina agreed readily enough—she was still looking at the book like she wanted to eat it up, so maybe this time she really would do some good.
“And you too, Kain. Don’t think I won’t take advantage of you.” She turned to him, grinning, then frowned slightly. “Though I suppose I can ask what you’ve heard from them about our new home…”
We exchanged a look across the room. The three of us were friends, but none of us had ever gone beyond a casual interest in each other’s lives. Lina and Kade looked away before either of us could say anything, which seemed fair. It felt like we were doing something wrong by asking questions.
“I guess we should get going,” Lina decided. “Kade, thanks for showing me this—”
“Of course, of course!” Kade hurried off to find his sister before Lina could say anything else that might embarrass her. I watched Lina go, wondering if there was any way for us to talk without being overheard. But when the door closed behind her, the only sound was that of the wind blowing outside.
“Well, we haven’t got much time left anyway,” I said aloud. I tried again: “It was nice to meet you, Kain. We ought to get back soon.”
“Yes, yes,” Kain muttered distractedly. I hadn’t noticed him until he spoke, but now that he did, I saw that he was sitting on one of the desks, staring intently at something out the window. A breeze rustled through his hair, causing the black strands to ripple.
His eyes were closed tight as though he might fall asleep right where he sat. I wondered if I could reach him if I went over there. I wasn’t exactly certain why I had such an urge to do so. It had never bothered me when I’d seen him sleeping in the past.
He didn’t answer. I walked slowly around the desk toward him. The light from the window made the air feel colder than it should have. As I passed the door, I caught sight of a figure coming out into the hall—it was someone new, someone, I hadn’t seen before.
I stopped walking and stood silently. I could see his face, but not clearly. He wore the same kind of clothes as mine—the hood was pulled down low over his head and covered most of his features, even his mouth.
The rest of his body was wrapped in a long gray cloak, making me think of a monk’s habit. He carried himself carefully, as though afraid he might break something if he moved too quickly.
I waited until the man was almost past the door and then I stepped out after him. “Are you lost?” I asked quietly, so no one in the room would hear.
The stranger turned his head slightly toward me and opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. I repeated myself: “You’re new here, aren’t you? You must be lost. Can I help you find your way anywhere?”
“No,” he whispered back, “thank you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t bother you. Please forgive me.” He began to move away.
“Wait—” I started to call him back, then changed my mind. It didn’t matter. The stranger was gone. I glanced at the open door behind me.
“Oh! Sorry—” Lina’s voice trailed off, then cut abruptly short as she realized that we weren’t alone. Both Kade and I had been silent since we’d met her outside, listening to the sound of voices from inside. We looked at each other briefly, then turned our attention back to the room.
“It looks like we’re all here,” Kade announced unnecessarily. “Let’s start right off with introductions. Everyone knows what you are, Kain… I wonder if anyone has heard about our new home yet.”
I thought for a moment. There were plenty of stories circulating about our old home, but there was no need to mention them. They might make people worry unnecessarily. “Not very many people have heard about it,” I admitted. “But it was just recently discovered; I don’t think it’ll take long for word to spread.”
Someone else raised their hand, and Kade nodded to her. “Do you know what’s happened, Lina? Is the war over or something?”
Lina shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Why does that matter?” Kade asked, frowning. He turned to me. “Don’t they already know about the war?”
“Most people know about it, but no one wants to think about it because it makes them so sad,” Lina said, “and some don’t really believe it’s ended. They think we’re fooling ourselves, or that we’ve been brainwashed by our leaders.”
We fell silent again, turning our thoughts to the things we knew and the things we guessed—to what had happened before and what might happen after. In the silence, it was easy enough for me to ignore the cold draft that blew through the open doorway.
I listened as Kade and Lina spoke, but my mind wandered elsewhere. For a moment, I imagined that I could hear the sound of distant footsteps. Then another idea crossed my mind.
“What if the person who found us wasn’t really looking for us at all?” I asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Kade and Lina both stared at me as though I were mad.
“Who says that this was a person?” Kade demanded. He shook his head angrily. “It might have been a beast. Or a machine. Why do you suppose that is? It’s probably someone out there in the world. Someone who saw you come down and decided to pick up your trail.”
I hesitated, then lowered my voice. “I’ve been wondering lately if maybe I am just imagining these visions of someone following me.” I tried not to let anger show on my face as I added, “They’re getting stronger every day. And besides, why would anyone want to follow me anyway?”
Kade frowned and leaned forward intently. “Well… perhaps they’re just curious.” He paused, thinking aloud. “Or they want to warn you against going further. Maybe you’re upsetting some important balance that only certain kinds of creatures can sense…”
“Maybe,” Lina suggested, sounding thoughtful for the first time. “And maybe whoever it is is also trying to protect us.” She glanced at me sharply. “That’s what I think.”
“Protect us?” Kade echoed blankly. “From what?”
There was an awkward pause as Lina and Kade exchanged glances. Kade cleared his throat and went on. “Well, if it’s a friend, then they probably have a good reason for wanting us to stay where we are.” His tone was casual, but I caught a trace of anxiety behind his words.
For once, Kade wasn’t speaking just for the sake of conversation. I could tell by the way his eyes kept glancing around the room that he was afraid. Not that anything terrible was happening in this quiet, empty room, but something was bothering Kade. Something that made him nervous.
I watched him carefully and saw the moment when the image of the stranger appeared in his mind. He looked away quickly and murmured, “Sorry.”
The silence grew heavier until I finally broke it by speaking to Lina. “You say they’re protecting us, Lina?” I asked hesitantly, not wanting to seem too interested but also unwilling to stop talking about the strangers entirely. “From what? What kind of thing could be out there in the world that would frighten you?”
I didn’t know why I was asking. Lina was young and strong, more than able to defend herself and Kade if she needed to, but her voice had grown thin with fear and her hands trembled faintly.
She swallowed nervously as she answered. “I… I’m not sure,” she confessed in a small voice. “It doesn’t feel like any animal I’ve ever seen, but…” Her voice trailed off.
Kade took her shoulders in his hands, but before he could speak, there was a sudden knock at the door and we all jumped.
“Hello? Can anyone answer me?” A woman’s voice rang through the room and Lina and I scrambled to get out of her way as Kade hurried to the door. “Are you in there? Please answer!” The speaker sounded frustrated and impatient.
“It’s me! It’s Lina!”
The door opened slowly and Kade peered into the corridor outside. Then he ducked back inside and shut the door. “I’ll go talk to her,” he whispered. “Stay here.”
I hesitated only a moment before nodding. I hadn’t meant for him to come out alone, but Lina and Kade both deserved some privacy. If anything serious had happened to Lina… then I was willing to take whatever risks were necessary. Besides, I was beginning to understand how Kade felt. There was something strange about being so far from home, in such hostile territory.
But as soon as I stepped onto the landing, my courage deserted me.
Lina had gone ahead, so I was alone among the unfamiliar corridors—in this place, which now seemed as much a mystery as the rest of the city. I hesitated uncertainly for a moment, then turned away from the stairs and headed back toward the room.
I had almost reached the doorway when someone shouted suddenly beside me, causing me to turn abruptly to find myself staring straight at a man wearing an expression of intense annoyance. My mouth dropped open as I realized I recognized him, though he was dressed strangely, wrapped in a thick cloak and carrying a staff like a weapon.
I knew immediately who this must be.
“Ralbeth…”
The man’s eyes widened as well, taking in my appearance in a single glance. I hadn’t changed since we last met, except for the fact that I was still alive and walking freely around Rolm, while he had been captured and enslaved by the people who lived in that horrible palace of theirs.
And now he was trapped in a dark corridor surrounded by monsters, just like I was, and I was surprised to see that there was no anger on his face at all.
He blinked rapidly, his lips working silently, and for one panicked moment I thought he might be angry at me for coming here and stealing away the only chance he had of escape. But when he spoke, his tone was light, almost amused, and I could hear the relief in his voice when he said, “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
His voice was so different to mine that it took me a few moments to figure out what he was saying, but then I realized what he meant. He hadn’t meant to scare me. He had simply forgotten that I couldn’t see him properly. In a panic, I shook my head.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just… I can’t really see your face. You look like someone else.”
The man laughed softly and touched a finger to my forehead. For a moment I felt the heat of his hand, but then it faded and I saw nothing but the faint gleam of his silver ring and the glinting threads of hair that hung loosely down over his brow.
“I think the word you want is ‘familiar.’ We don’t have enough time to go on a long walk together and catch up on old times. So let’s get right to it, shall we?”
He was still speaking in that odd mixture of languages. When he had first spoken to me, after we found each other in that strange forest near Keshian territory, his accent had been terrible, almost unintelligible. But now it was almost as smooth as Ria’s when she spoke to us in our mother tongue.
“We need to run,” Ralbeth declared as he turned to me once more. “They’re looking for us.”
“Who are they?” I asked urgently, but Ralbeth did not hesitate before he shook his head.
“I can explain later, but we can’t wait. They will find us here.”
I followed him back toward the stairs with no questions left to ask, but when we reached them I paused and glanced back at him. “Can you really make them believe me if I tell them I’m a messenger from the emperor?”
“I think they will,” Ralbeth replied calmly, then added quickly, “And I should warn you: They will try to kill us. Do not argue.”
There was something about the way he had spoken that made me shiver. The words, “do not argue”—it was like a promise of imminent death. I looked up sharply and nodded. Then I climbed the stairs two at a time, following my escort into the darkness.
***
Kade sat on the narrow bed, staring blankly at the wall across from him as he absently twisted and turned the fingers of his right hand. His thoughts wandered aimlessly over everything that had happened since I had woken up in that strange room.
My first impression had been that it was a small room—a little bigger than ours at home, perhaps, or even a little smaller. There were four doors, three large and one tiny, that led to various parts of the building.
One was open and led outside; another stood partially closed and appeared to lead to a kitchen area, and the other three I had already explored. All were identical, containing shelves full of dusty books and scrolls. The fourth door held nothing but empty air, although when I tried to step through it, I discovered it was solid—as much of a surprise as seeing the ghost in that alleyway.
But there was no sign that the building had ever contained anyone besides myself. There were no signs that it had ever been anything more than an abandoned ruin. A simple square structure with only the barest hint of decoration, the walls and ceiling were covered in a thin layer of dust, but otherwise, everything was pristine, untouched by human hands. Everything but what lay behind those walls…
Kade shuddered, forcing his mind away from the ghosts of this place. They weren’t real. He knew that. This room wasn’t haunted. Not exactly. He had seen a ghost, and that alone told him that all those legends and stories that people always used to talk about were nonsense.
It had been the ghost of the woman who had died in this very house, long ago. Her death had caused a great deal of trouble because she had killed her husband during their honeymoon. She had stabbed him with a sword and then fallen to her knees beside him.
She had whispered to him until she choked herself to death; there had been marks on the floor where she had struggled against the invisible chains. Now he was dead too. Only a ghost could cause such a mess, and that had to be a coincidence.
That was all it was.
But the thought did not comfort him. After leaving the building, he had gone straight back to the inn to question Ria. At first, it seemed like there would be nothing to tell me; Ria had never mentioned any of this.
But Ralbeth was not Ria—he had known something of what she did not, and it had taken him less than five minutes to tell me how I might have ended up here. And he had given me the name of someone else I must speak to, though he refused to say whom.
It took me some time to work out that Ralbeth meant Varee, and once I did, I realized that I was far beyond Ria’s knowledge at this point.
Now that he had told me about the ghost, Kade wondered if there was a chance that I really was one of them. He knew that the Order of the Silver Hand—the people who had kidnapped Ria—had been looking for an Archdemon, but he hadn’t believed it when they told me. I couldn’t possibly be an Archdemon.
But why then am I wearing this robe? What is it about this place that makes my body act differently? How can I see them without blinking—and what did those people mean when they called themselves the Order of the Golden Path? Why do they want me anyway?
Kade stopped twisting his fingers in order to rub them together nervously, but he kept staring at the wall. His eyes were fixed upon something beyond the plain white plaster: a faint pattern of light and dark, like the faintest shadows cast by firelight on the wall.
He blinked, trying to clear his vision of those shadows, and then he saw it: a face among those shadows, just like he remembered the faces on the statues in the Temple of the Dead had been: a young man, bearded and smiling with eyes closed against the world. Kade gasped.
“Who are you?”
The voice came from directly across the room, but I didn’t move. “What—”
Kade leaped to his feet. He ran to the nearest door, yanked it open, and darted into the corridor—just as I heard footsteps in pursuit. I was halfway across the hall before he reached it. In an instant, I had crossed half the distance between us, but he had blocked my path, and now we faced each other in silence.
The End