Chapter Sixteen: A Glimmer of Something
(Note: This is not official version and may be removed in the near future. This do not reflect what is read in the podcast version, nor any other version you may encounter. I have preserved the rough form for posterity — or something like that. This novel has since been rewritten.) James stumbled to his feet. He was still dizzy from expending so much magic, yet now, unlike in previous times, he could at least see and stand. Dust filled every inch of the pass between the mountains. Darkness covered everything. He could barely see a few inches in front of him. He covered his mouth with his sleeve in an attempt to keep the dust out of his lungs. Still, it found its way into his mouth; he could taste it. He coughed, blinked quickly. It took him a moment to get sturdy on his feet, though he could not see exactly where his feet were. The rocks beneath him weren’t sturdy, as they never had been since he and the others had walked the pass. Then he took a few hesitant steps. Something brushed against his foot and clattered. He reached down and yanked back as something sharp pricked his finger. He brought it beneath his eyes, saw a single drop of blood welling up at the end. The drop fell and he knelt down, waving his hands in the air. The dust swirled around his arm and cleared away for a brief moment. There on the ground was his sword. He remembered losing it when Nara’karesh had attacked. He shook away the thoughts. It’s dead now, he thought. Dead and gone forever. James quickly took hold of the hilt and picked the sword up. Dust enveloped the blade as he lifted it from the ground, spiraling wildly like the hands of ghosts. He took a few more steps in the dark, nearly tripped. “Pea? Darl?” he said. “Here,” Pea’s voice passed like a wavering echo through the dust somewhere nearby. James headed that direction. Rocks slid away under his feet, but he managed to find the tiny man sitting on a large stone that had rolled out of the landslide. “Are you okay?” “As good as I can be given the circumstances. And you?” “Tired…” “Aren’t we all?” He nodded. “About time for some good news.” “What do you mean?” “Nara’karesh is dead and the Masters of Arnur have been avenged. Strangely corny, but true.” Slowly the dust began to settle; James could now see ten feet in front of him. There the silhouette of the Lean hovered and some distance behind Darl sat on a tall stone. James motioned to Pea and then walked forward cautiously. As soon as he came into clear sight of Darl the old man cursed. “I’m starting to come to an understanding of why magic users are so incredibly dangerous no matter what side they are on,” Darl said. James and Pea snickered. Then James looked back to the landslide as visibility increased. They had pulled from the mountain far more than he had anticipated. The large outcropping had turned into a massive landslide that had narrowly missed him. He remembered now where he once stood, utterly helpless to the corrupted blackness of Nara’karesh. Now the entire width of the pass was filled with rock and dirt a hundred feet high. And somewhere in that mess was the lifeless body of the lyphon. James sighed with relief at having lost this one burden. Now I only have one thing to worry about, he thought. Luthien and his army. He knew that he could very well be walking into Luthien’s hands if Ti’nagal had been taken, and ultimately to his destruction. Something told him that Luthien had no desire to take him alive. “Shall we continue?” Darl said, standing and tossing the packs to their prospective owners. “To Ti’nagal,” James said. “Yes. To Ti’nagal.” Darl turned and led the group along the pass. The Lean slipped into view next to James. James glanced to the side, nodded slightly, and returned his gaze to the shifting rocks beneath his feet. “Again,” the Lean said, “I say that you are mighty.” “I’m not,” he said, a hint of distaste in his voice. “As you said before. Yet you tear apart mountains.” “With help. And again, that doesn’t make me mighty. Power never does.” “If not power, then what?” “Integrity and honor…” Darl’s voice was assertive. “Power is left to those who have neither.” “Do Kings not have integrity and honor because they have power?” “That depends on how a King uses his power.” James slipped, caught his balance. “A King who leads and commits no evil act does not consider himself to have power, but rather to be a servant to his people.” “Yet he commands his people to do his bidding.” “Yes, but if he gives those com…” he slipped again. “…commands for the good of his people he isn’t using his power for a bad reason.” The Lean’s form shifted as if its arms had passed through it and returned to their original places. “I see.” Then the Lean blinked away. “Like teaching a child,” Pea said. James glared. “I mean, a very ill-behaved child unlike our fine young lad.” “You know, you’re not very good at lying.” “We Erdluitle’s don’t lie. We fib.” Pea stopped, turned and put his hands on his hips. “Fib?” James gave a questioning look. “To fib is to lie without intending to get away with it.” “So, you lie and get caught?” Darl said scruffily. Pea whirled around, said, “Well I don’t expect someone of your stature to understand the complexities of Erdluitle culture” and stormed off along the pass. James and Darl continued. Then Darl turned and said, “I think I’ve insulted him.” “Very likely,” James said, laughing. Then the two wound their way through the mire of rocks and settling dust. A few hours passed before they managed to slip out of the