finally made a couple miles of progress when we came to a fork, each trail going around a different side of the mountain. Jedaro looked at me and as usual asked ‘which way, Andi?’ Suddenly, I got a vision of spilled blood, bodies, and leering cruel faces, and I grabbed his arm. ‘Neither, Jedaro, we need to go back the way we came!’ But for once, he refused to listen to me. Even as I begged and pleaded with him, he chose the left path.”
Andea stifled a sob. “A mile ahead, we came around a small copse of trees near the trail, and suddenly, we were set upon by mounted and armed men. The leader had heard of ‘Jedaro’s luck’. The caravan guards tried to fight, but it was useless; archers were hidden in the trees. Jedaro was slain right in front of my eyes, as were most of my caravan friends. I was captured, tied up, and thrown over a horse. A few of the others who survived were strung together and forced to walk.
“A day and a half later, we arrived at a fortress still under construction, and we were told that we were now the property of the Grand Wizard Verledn. The entire place was being constructed with slave labor, both common and magical. The stronger wizards were overseeing and bullying the weaker ones who seemed to be doing all the work. The fortress had walls of stone and even a ring of deep water around it. The Grand Wizard himself came out to view us as we entered. He was about my father’s age, but he did not have nice eyes and he never smiled. He had white hair and always wore black robes and carried a big staff; he was really scary. After a few minutes of yelling and threats, the others I had been captured with gave me up right away as ‘Jedaro’s Luck’. But I was pretty sure the leader of the soldiers already knew that. I was shut up in Verledn’s tower and every day I was brought before him and he would ask me questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Why are the stars different but the moons are not? What can you tell me about a place called Sky Raven? And most importantly, if I ever saw winged people in my visions, I was to warn him immediately. But he seemed to be obsessed with this Sky Raven place because he asked about it daily. If he didn’t like my answers, he had the guards beat me until I told him what he wanted to hear. I tried to tell him that the visions come when they will and on their own terms, but he wouldn’t listen. Finally, I had had enough and decided I needed to escape.”
If this Verledn is trafficking with demons, he should be obsessed with worrying about Sky Raven. I grinned, thinking about what Alex and Maya would do to him and his fortress.
Andea continued, “Well, the first two times, they caught me before I got out of the tower. The third time, I was on the top of the outer wall trying to figure out how to get down when I was discovered. That turned out to be the bad one.”
“Couldn’t your visions tell you when and where to go?” I asked.
“No, see that’s one of the problems...I can never see myself in the visions. Now if I had escaped with someone else, I could have concentrated on that person and perhaps seen how they might have escaped, but I had no one.”
“So when you told Kerrik to look for me in the tavern?”
“It was really because Kerrik needed to find you, right…” She smiled, thinking about something. “By the same token, you need something, as well, Ryliss…”
“What are you really, Andea?”
“I would have thought you would have guessed by now. I’m a seer, a blind seer now, actually; quite the irony, huh?”
I quickly reviewed my knowledge of the subject. “My people have no record of seers. I have heard that the Lifebane used them, but you are the first I have encountered. So are seers another form of wizard?”
“I don’t know, Ryliss. I’m the only one I know of, although magic must run in my family as Kerrik is an air wizard.”
“An air wizard! Well, that explains a lot,” I huffed, thinking about
Andea stifled a sob. “A mile ahead, we came around a small copse of trees near the trail, and suddenly, we were set upon by mounted and armed men. The leader had heard of ‘Jedaro’s luck’. The caravan guards tried to fight, but it was useless; archers were hidden in the trees. Jedaro was slain right in front of my eyes, as were most of my caravan friends. I was captured, tied up, and thrown over a horse. A few of the others who survived were strung together and forced to walk.
“A day and a half later, we arrived at a fortress still under construction, and we were told that we were now the property of the Grand Wizard Verledn. The entire place was being constructed with slave labor, both common and magical. The stronger wizards were overseeing and bullying the weaker ones who seemed to be doing all the work. The fortress had walls of stone and even a ring of deep water around it. The Grand Wizard himself came out to view us as we entered. He was about my father’s age, but he did not have nice eyes and he never smiled. He had white hair and always wore black robes and carried a big staff; he was really scary. After a few minutes of yelling and threats, the others I had been captured with gave me up right away as ‘Jedaro’s Luck’. But I was pretty sure the leader of the soldiers already knew that. I was shut up in Verledn’s tower and every day I was brought before him and he would ask me questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Why are the stars different but the moons are not? What can you tell me about a place called Sky Raven? And most importantly, if I ever saw winged people in my visions, I was to warn him immediately. But he seemed to be obsessed with this Sky Raven place because he asked about it daily. If he didn’t like my answers, he had the guards beat me until I told him what he wanted to hear. I tried to tell him that the visions come when they will and on their own terms, but he wouldn’t listen. Finally, I had had enough and decided I needed to escape.”
If this Verledn is trafficking with demons, he should be obsessed with worrying about Sky Raven. I grinned, thinking about what Alex and Maya would do to him and his fortress.
Andea continued, “Well, the first two times, they caught me before I got out of the tower. The third time, I was on the top of the outer wall trying to figure out how to get down when I was discovered. That turned out to be the bad one.”
“Couldn’t your visions tell you when and where to go?” I asked.
“No, see that’s one of the problems...I can never see myself in the visions. Now if I had escaped with someone else, I could have concentrated on that person and perhaps seen how they might have escaped, but I had no one.”
“So when you told Kerrik to look for me in the tavern?”
“It was really because Kerrik needed to find you, right…” She smiled, thinking about something. “By the same token, you need something, as well, Ryliss…”
“What are you really, Andea?”
“I would have thought you would have guessed by now. I’m a seer, a blind seer now, actually; quite the irony, huh?”
I quickly reviewed my knowledge of the subject. “My people have no record of seers. I have heard that the Lifebane used them, but you are the first I have encountered. So are seers another form of wizard?”
“I don’t know, Ryliss. I’m the only one I know of, although magic must run in my family as Kerrik is an air wizard.”
“An air wizard! Well, that explains a lot,” I huffed, thinking about
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