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  ‘We have to risk it,’ said Vanapha.

  Lidayel seemed to have raised resistance only by careful habit and held his hand up to the sky without further question. A fiery globe shot into the air, gaining height with magnificent speed. At its peak, far up in the sky, Lidayel focused and the globe flared as a bright red colour. The Rangers immediately noticed it, steering their Volje to the sight overhead.

  Down below Lidayel spread his arms and his magicks bathed his hands in the same red display, making him all the more visible even in daylight. The Rangers purposefully searched the ground and spotted the Summoner. There was no hesitation.

  Fearsomely the Volje descended in circular patterns, sounding great eagle cries along the way. They could not know their intent, but the diving beasts seemed life threatening in any instance. Only at the last did the Volje show passiveness, gliding widely to coordinate their touchdown. The party stood aside, opening as much space as possible for the Rangers to land on the barren patches among the rocks. They came down in great billow of wind, dust swept up and thrown aside.

  The Rangers dismounted immediately, looking overtly alert and suspicious with their swords drawn. They might’ve been ready to negotiate with those calling their attention, but were nevertheless vigilant. It was Elmira though that leapt frantically and broke the tension as she gave Brunick a big hug.

  Olexion and his men straightened, sheathing their swords slowly.

  It was the strangest thing. Brunick and Alex could not believe seeing Elmira here of all places, while Vanapha and Lidayel were certain to guess that this was the woman they heard Cid talk so much about.

  What would she be doing here? they’d thought.

  Olexion in turn had never seen such a bizarre gathering; Brunick a documented Mason, Lidayel a Summoner Olexion knew personally when memory served, and a Valkyrie woman without a doubt judging by dress and bearing.

  What’s going on here?

  ‘Where is Cid!?’ asked Elmira, suddenly aware he wasn’t present.

  Brunick sighed, marvelling at the odds of the person showing up who he would never be able to look in the eyes if something happened to Cid.

  ‘He’s okay Elm, he’s alive but…’ started Brunick diplomatically.

  An uncomfortable silence ensued.

  Olexion interrupted Brunick’s difficulty shamelessly.

  ‘Lieutenant Brunick, I am Olexion, First among the Rangers, I'm certain that we can answer many of each other’s questions.’

  Brunick took the man’s hand. ‘It’s good to see you and your men Ranger. This may all look very strange to you and we’ll be glad to explain to anyone who is still reasonable within the Kingdom,’ said Brunick, a tired relief coming onto his face.

  ‘You sound like a man burdened,’ said Olexion.

  ‘Ha, you have no idea,’ said Alex in kind, sounding more cynical than he had intended.

  ‘Excuse the lack of formalities Ranger, but we have been battered by the sun, quite hungry and somewhat sleep deprived,’ said Vanapha.

  ‘Very well, we have a way station hidden up in Hashur just above us. It’s called Oldeloft, and serves well as a refuge of ours. We were actually just heading there when you signalled us. Let’s go make ourselves comfortable there and we’ll talk at length. We can all fly double-’

  ‘Forget it, I’ll climb if I have to, you won’t catch me dead on one of those things,’ said Brunick, nudging his head toward the Volje.

  Olexion pursed his lips. ‘Fine, there is a trail that leads up to it, I’ll walk you there,’ Olexion turned to his men. ‘Survey the area; I want to know exactly what’s going on down here. Meet us at Oldeloft at sundown.’

  The Volje took flight, Olexion’s own Volj trained to on without him.

  ‘Come along then, it’s a stiff walk up, but it’ll be worth it.’

  They followed the Ranger, lining up behind his steps.

  ‘Great job Brunick, you just foiled my one chance to ride on a Volj,’ said Alex in quiet anger.

  ‘You can count on joyrides some other time,’ answered Brunick, annoyed.

  Elmira fell in stride with Brunick, a great worry on her face.

  ‘Brunick, where is Cid?’ she asked quietly, though making it clear that she wasn’t letting the matter wait.

  Brunick was intent on sitting down and speaking coherently with the Olexion, but he could no longer not tell Elmira the truth.

  ‘The Priests got to him Elm, he is a fallen,’ Brunick said grimly, unable to meet her eyes despite his best efforts.

  Elmira’s horror was complete as she came to a halt, her features taut with shock. Brunick turned to her, holding her gently on her arms with his massive hands.

  ‘Don’t worry!’ he whispered forcefully, ‘we found this Summoner, his name is Lidayel! Elm! He can cure Fallen! And we know where Cid is!’

  Brunick could not tell whether Elmira had heard anything for she was outright whimpering and he was sure she’d fall to her knees if he weren’t supporting her arms.

  Lidayel approached, standing close to get Elmira’s attention.

  ‘My lady, I am Lidayel. It is as Brunick says, if we can get to Cid I will be able to heal his mind,’ he reassured.

  ‘Cid is a fallen?’ asked Olexion in alarm, as he too had evidently stopped to listen in.

  Brunick nodded over his shoulder. ‘Let’s get to that Oldeloft of yours. I’ll explain all you’d like to know and probably a bunch of stuff you won’t.’

  For the first in a long time the companions enjoyed what could be remotely called civilization. On the shoulder of Mount Hashur, hiding in the shadow of its peak, was an old grey-stone house. It was well hidden out of sight from anything down below and all could appreciate how only the Rangers with their Volje might find it.

  Like Olexion warned the mountain trail had been punishing pressing uphill. Alex was in unvoiced wonder as he recognized an unassuming road winding up the mountain cone, there only for those who knew of it. Coming up to the shoulder, Oldeloft’s hold revealed itself as a secret of the land, something one would simply not see on a map.

  The building had an asymmetrical number of rooms wrapped around a central corridor, with an impressive veranda at the front and a fire pit at the back. A single dead tree stood at the front near the veranda, its figure withered to a fragile ash complexion. A separate block of simple holdings stood aside to shelter the Volje.

  The dwelling was big enough to house another ten men if it needed, and was outfitted in a way that suggested it could be utilized for long durations. In all, the way station was well stocked, yet scantly furnished.

  It did have some comforts, mostly concentrated in the lounge, where Olexion and Brunick spoke quietly. The two men sat across each other, speaking over a dusty coffee table. Their voices interchanged with a quiet array of questions and answers, the stories told supplementing each other. Elmira sat to their left on an old green couch, somewhat calmed now, yet not uttering a word. She was detached, only showing attention whenever Cid’s name was mentioned.

  Vanapha was exploring the house and Alex had discovered a hammock hanging from the veranda’s roof which he had fallen asleep in. Lidayel was having a look at the house’s books in the very next room. Armed with a thick leather bound tome the Summoner returned to the lounge, laying himself down in a reed framed recliner.

  ‘Hmm, we’ll have to save Cid, he’s too valuable to let slip to the Fallen,’ said Olexion, concluding.

  ‘We’ll be glad to have your help, we ourselves wont dedicate our time to anything else until we have Cid back,’ said Brunick.

  Olexion nodded, ‘do you have a plan yet? From what you’ve told me it might be very difficult to approach this man.’

  ‘Yes, there will be nothing simple in this, even magicks won’t help much because of that Hethellean spear of his. That’s the least of our worries though.’

  ‘I’m listening,’ said Olexion.

  ‘Even as a Fallen Cid isn’t reckless, with his instincts still
being intact and all. He retreats the moment he realizes he’s fighting the odds, so we’ll need to advance with subtlety,’ said Brunick.

  ‘I agree, it might be best if you and the Summoner can approach him alone, while the rest of us hides away and watch to offer support should the need arise.’

  ‘If I can just get that spear out his hands, then he can’t harm me anymore. That’s easier said than done though,’ said Brunick.

  ‘And our Summoner friend, he will have to make direct contact?’ asked Olexion.

  Brunick grunted, ‘that’s how the magicks work apparently, guess it’s not much different from healing a wound.’

  ‘Yes, proximity is always an issue in magic,’ stated Olexion.

  Lidayel sat up straight from his chair on the far side of the room.

  ‘I’d like to point out that just like healing wounds take time, so will this. Brunick, you will have to hold him down while I work,’ he voiced.

  Brunick nodded.

  ‘It sounds like a reasonable plan. I’ll be sure to help if things get messy. Have you any notion on where he might be?’ asked Olexion.

  ‘Vanapha is a skilled Star·Seer. She’ll use her Farsight to track him down.’

  ‘It is settled then, rest now, you’ll need your strength and wits. By dusk hour we’ll set out and find him. We will heal him then,’ said Olexion to Elmira more than anyone else.

  Elmira did nothing more than nod.

  Vanapha welcomed the rest, though she was never one to sit still, nor afraid for solitude. She scoured Oldeloft’s supplies, finding a good array of weapons, equipment, medicine and trinkets. All the while the issue of Cid came back to her. She reminded herself that they were going to save him soon, that Lidayel would heal him, but it did little to settle her nerves. She was disturbed by how quickly she had come to care for him.

  Seeking to preoccupy herself Vanapha tried to garner herself some new arrows from the Oldeloft’s collection, as her own quiver was running dry. This was a bit more difficult as most of the arrows stockpiled here were made for shorter bows than hers. In enclosed spaces like this her Sights were always a bit awkward, nonetheless as she searched manually she kept simultaneous efforts to scour the house mentally. She regretted it somewhat as she saw the other members of her party.

  None of them were at ease; Elmira was sleeping in one of the rooms, her dreams making her mumble in distress, Brunick was pacing all around the house, Alex couldn’t find rest on the hammock and Lidayel was sitting in the lounge reading a book, but never turning a page. Only the Ranger Olexion seemed unperturbed, standing solitarily at the mountain edge, staring at the Basin.

  Vanapha tailored her Sights as to avoid her friends, rather focusing on the nooks and crannies of the house. There was no denying that everyone here idolized Cid in some way and the thought of his character being lost to the Fallen spell was terrifying. Even Olexion, Vanapha knew, who had no emotional investment in Cid, would be well aware of Cid’s importance in whatever laid waiting for Lanston in the days to come. Again she pushed the thoughts away, strengthening her Sights.

  Her efforts paid off, revealing two tightly wrapped packs of thirty well preserved arrows that would fit her composite longbow. This however did not happen before she found a concealed trapdoor in the storage room, taking note of it. After replenishing her arrows Vanapha returned her attention to the basement.

  Knowing it would be dark, she lit a lantern and opened the trap door, revealing a steep flight of stairs into the underground. She descended and as the lantern revealed the nature of the basement Vanapha smiled.

  It was a small square fully furnished room, its premises completely outfitted with what made it a rudimentary laboratory. Her trained eye as an alchemist quickly allowed her to spot equipment here that she would need to create some basic potions and formulae.

  Among her sisters she was known much better as an outdoor warrior or scout. Rigid training as a Valkyrie though left no single woman on Rade’Remar without the ability to read stars or create alchemical substances.

  Unashamed she ruffled through the counter unit's drawers, finding withered notes alongside old bottles, breakers vials and casings. Apart from the obvious glass instruments covering the surface of the counter she found an assortment of thickeners, diluters, acids, catalysts and most importantly, sealed vials containing pure water with an ideal mineral count. Other than that she found nothing decisive - nothing that could allow her to create anything exotic or useful.

  Her motive was simple; she knew that one way or the other she was likely to get herself involved in a coming battle. As a lone archer, even with her Sights, she would not make much difference against the numbers of the Fallen. The solution she now believed would be to create something using her alchemy, anything at this point that could help the Lanston men.

  Vanapha had ideas, but for now she would have to wait until she could get her hands on proper materials. She was hopeful though, as her Sights could help her now that she would be searching the landscape for it.

  Resigning to the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do something with the little laboratory right now, her mind instantly jumped to Cid again. She then admitted to herself that she was growing worried and that she felt great concern for the Colonel. They would have to do something soon.

  Chapter 42

  Somewhere in the Middle

  It was close to sundown when Olexion’s Rangers returned; bearing good news. They had seen Cid at the foot of the mountain, near one of the old mine entrances. Olexion prepared everyone to leave within an instant and it was clear they were all determined to get Cid back. They were to go quietly on foot, hide behind a ridge and hope Brunick and Lidayel to be enough to fix the man.

  Once again Olexion though found himself on the losing side of an argument as Elmira refused to stay behind. The woman seemed inimitable in her stubbornness.

  It doesn’t matter, he thought by himself, with our plan she won’t get near Cid anyway.

  In anticipation Olexion gathered himself a round steel-plated shield from the house storage, having not fought with one since his training days. He sincerely believed he might have need of it should he face Cid; going with sword alone up against a man with a spear of that size was a fool’s cause. This shield in particular had a fine edge all along its rim, an old Diengezi design if Olexion recognized it correctly, made so to make of the shield a weapon as much as a armour. Taking time to sharpen the long-since dulled rim, Olexion also polished its surface with some suspicion, finding the mark of Diengezi hidden under a sheen of decay. The simple but true marking of great warriors set some confidence in the Ranger now that had been lacking.

  They set off, Vanapha taking the lead again as she mystically tracked down the fallen Colonel. Elmira could not understand how this woman knew exactly where to go, but she wasn’t going question good fortune. At some point the group split, keeping a scarce contact with hand signals as they wound down to the mountain base. They didn’t tell her as much, but Elmira instinctively knew that Cid was somewhere between their two groups and they would press him from his hiding ways soon enough. She wanted so badly to see him alive, but she dreaded the moment when he would appear before her as a fallen.

  They came upon the man much sooner than they were prepared for and this time he was waiting, knowing the game they played. Evidently he had chosen a large open natural court of sand in front of the mine entrance. He was definitely not going to be cornered, not easily anyway.

  Vanapha, Alex, Elmira and the Rangers hid away and kept to the ridge. The reasoning was that too many approaching stimuli might scare Cid away again, or worse than that, set him to attack without relent.

  ‘Are you prepared Summoner?’ asked Brunick over his shoulder, as Lidayel followed right behind him.

  ‘I should be, like I said, I need to touch him directly. If you can just subdue him somehow,’ answered Lidayel.

  Neither Brunick nor Lidayel were feeling particularly confident.


  ‘Any other magic tricks you can think of?’ asked Brunick.

  ‘Maybe, but not much that will help us in this situation,’ whispered Lidayel as they drew close.

  ‘Fine, be ready to back me, I’m going alone, see what happens.’

  Brunick walked with his hands up, his axe left with one of the Rangers back at the ridge. They wanted to be as appear as docile as possible.

  ‘Cid…’

  There was no recognition or response from Cid. He merely stood, bare-chested and upright, Mindevhier still looking deadly as he held it limply in his right hand. In his eyes was nothingness, devoid of emotion and intelligence in its pallor.

  ‘Cid, you’re… come on, this is not you. You can win it. They can only corrupt men with dark minds… you are not a bad man Cid…’

  Brunick could not imagine a more terrifying encounter, against his own friend, wielding the one weapon that could kill him.

  Getting closer, Brunick turned hopeful; still Cid stood motionless, his morbid eyes looking off in the distance.

  He’s fighting it, I knew it! thought Brunick, taking another step closer. Brunick’s optimism nearly cost him his life.

  Cid lunged with terrific speed, the spear and his arm striking at a range close to three yards. Brunick jerked away and the spearhead cut through his Stoneskin and into his bicep. Backing away Brunick felt his arm go somewhat limp.

  Alex and Vanapha stood with their bows poised, neither one of them having the heart to shoot. Cid attacked furiously, his initial lunge followed by short quick stabs at Brunick’s chest. Brunick, with his left forearm, uncannily managed to brush away the spearhead as he slowly retreated. It was only moments though before his hand was cut severely. He retracted in pain and demised followed as Cid sliced right into his leg. Brunick knew the wound was not as bad as it looked and made a scene of collapsing onto his right knee. This way at least he knew what was coming next.

  He had seen it a hundred times; given enough space and offered with an incapacitated opponent Cid would cut wildly at his foe’s throat. He did not disappoint.

  Brunick surged upright, taking advantage in Cid’s sidelong sweep. He moved right past the cutting point and caught the shaft of the spear. With a wrench he drew Cid in close and with a head butt divided him from the spear, Cid rolling backwards to regain his feet, blood lining from his nose.