“Why didn’t the LifeWaters help him?” Aless cried between Qenn and Kandish. “He told us that he was a chosen and that the LifeWaters found favor with him for being so loyal. The water should have healed him. Why didn’t it?”
Kandish took Aless by the hand and moved her through the crowd away from the skeleton, away from the sobbing and the rumors. She had no answer. No one did. The family all seemed confused, they all had thought as the young girl did. Once they were out of range, Kandish knelt down beside her, wrapped her arms around her tightly and held her close.
“Don’t go back over there, Aless. Promise me you won’t.” Kandish could feel Aless nod, her small frame pressing tight against her own. “Don’t remember him that way.”
She held Aless close for a few minutes, thinking back to the day her father had died. She wished that there would have been someone to comfort her then. Someone who could give her positive assurance. Someone who would have simply hugged her and let her know it was all an accident.
“I’m okay.” Aless said. “You can let go.”
Kandish released her, seeing Qenn and Kamen Ode standing at her side. She playfully messed up Aless’ blonde hair before standing, wiping the corners of her eyes where tears were forming.
“They want to blame Kev Wah for this,” Qenn whispered.
Kamen Ode disagreed. “They can’t see anything.”
Prevost walked over to them, standing beside Kamen Ode. “The people want justice. They want Kev Wah. They will hunt him down and sacrifice him to the LifeWaters. They think doing so will prevent the rest of them from being harmed.”
Kamen spit. “They’ve got it all backwards. And none of them can see it.”
“Their leader has died and they are scared. They want someone to step up and guide them, offer them assurance.”
Kamen looked at Prevost. “They’re brainwashed.”
“They need a leader.” Prevost smiled sympathetically. “They are good people. Just misguided.”
“Are you listening to yourself?” Kamen didn’t like the look in his friend’s eyes.
“Prevost is right,” said Kandish. “They’ll need assurance now.”
“We need to find Kev Wah before they do,” Qenn interjected. “He’s the only one who knows about this place now. He’s the only one we can count on.”
“We have no idea where he could be. There are search parties out for him already. It’s not going to be easy.” Kandish said, feeling a tug on her coat. She looked down to see Aless pointing away from them.
“Might be easier than you think.”
Kev Wah walked over to them, wearing a hooded white robe, his face masked by shadow, his eyes filled with terror. His pace only slowed as he reached them, pausing only long enough to whisper.
“Follow me.”
The group turned to follow him immediately. Kandish placed a finger to her lips, motioning for Aless to remain silent about where they were going, before telling her to stay with her family. Aless frowned as though Kandish was doing something wrong, but nodded nonetheless. She remained where she was, watching the group follow Kev Wah away from the huts to the foliage covering the base of the lagoon near the waterfall. As they disappeared from her sight, she ran back to her family.
The rushing waterfall drowned out the group’s movements through the bushes and tall grass. The snapping of fallen sticks underfoot went unnoticed even to them. They moved quietly and quickly around the side of the lagoon, no trail to lead their feet, only the moon and stars to light the way. They followed Kev Wah as he snaked his way through the wild terrain, which was growing more rugged as they pressed closer to the mountainous hill. The area was dark, the trees blocked out the sky in patches, the tall bushes blackening their trek further. Not a word was spoke.
They were nearly a hundred yards away from the village when Kev Wah stopped them. He turned around, his face dripping with sweat, his eyes still holding a terrible memory. Small fires from the village burned behind them like tiny flickers of light. Kev Wah drew them in close to him, his hands trembling as they removed his hood and opened his robes, revealing all of their weapons tucked under his belt.
“Corwon was wrong,” he said in one gasp. He handed them their weapons in a rush. “We must go there now.”
Kamen Ode breathed hard. The whites in his eyes were only visible in the darkness. “Get the story out now. Or we’re not going any further.”
“I followed Corwon. I stood where he couldn’t see me. I watched him. I wanted to see for myself what the LifeWaters would tell him. I wanted to make sure, instead of hearing more lies.”
Kev Wah used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his eyelids and brows. “Corwon always thought he was special. But he was a slave, like the rest of us. A prisoner.”
“What happened?” Kamen pressed, growing anxious.
“Corwon told the LifeWaters everything. He told it about you, and what you wanted. He said that you carried a magic staff. Corwon said he would bring it, as an offering, a gift for the life he had been given. When he did that, the water rose up angrily and took form, it began to talk. The LifeWaters said it could read Corwon’s mind, and that he was lying. It knew Corwon despised it, that he wished he would have never been given the water. It knew Corwon would try to use the staff against it, to destroy it. Corwon tried to argue with it, but then it got angry. It reached for him and a white light came from it. It told Corwon that it would give him what he wanted. I got scared then, and ran out. I ran for the village to find you, when I saw Corwon floating in the lagoon. He was already dead then. I left him for the others to find.”
“What do you think we’re going to do?” Kamen growled, talking louder than he would have liked to. The waterfall was a mere stone-throw away. Its roar was almost deafening.
“I want you to destroy it!” Kev Wah leaned in close, staring at Qenn. He was mad, scared, and desperate. “Use your staff and get rid of it! Then we can be free!”
“I don’t even know how to use it!” Qenn cried.
“Qenn, we came here to get the magic.” Kandish’s eyes were full of worry. “I don’t think trying to destroy the LifeWaters is a good idea.”
“It’s the only idea!” yelled Kev Wah. “Take its power, then we can all leave!”
“Sooner the better!” Kamen added.
“I will do what we came here to do. We must get the power.” Qenn was not ready. “What if it doesn’t work? I don’t know—”
“You must try!” Kev Wah pointed to the lagoon where the waterfall descended. Before they could protest, he began walking towards it.
Choked by bushes that were nearly as tall as them, the group pressed on behind the mad Kev Wah. He reached the fringe of the lagoon and entered, staying close to the bank, holding on to the water-reeds, carefully walking behind the waterfall. The group stayed close to him now, wondering where this would lead.
A tunnel was bore into the mountain where a narrow river swept in. Kev Wah waited for the group to see, then crouched down and plucked a few reeds. He snapped them in half. Where the reeds were broke open, the water inside glowed brightly. The others did as they were showed, each having their own reed. Using them for light, Kev Wah signaled for them to follow, then entered. It was dark enough that he disappeared from their sight almost instantly.
The group entered the lagoon in single file, walking slowly through the knee-deep water, trudging along to stay in sight of Kev Wah. The glow from the reeds lit the tunnel nicely as they walked through it for a short distance before it opened up into a vast cavern. The small river pooled into a series of small ponds separated by stalagmites and flat rock beds. Stalactites were scattered everywhere as well, meshing with the protruding rocks to seemingly form a terrible jaw line. The cavern illuminated a blue light, spread across the water to cast a glow that reflected along the ceiling and walls. The cavern was enormous.
Kev Wah motioned for them to toss their reeds, then placed a finger to his lips, motioning for them to follow him out of the water onto a large plate
au-like rock slab overlooking the cavern. As the company stood staring down at the maze of stone-icicles and shallow ponds, they became aware of Kev Wah staring fixedly at one in particular.
“Where is it?” Kamen asked him quietly.
Kev Wah pointed straight ahead of them then stepped back far enough where he could not see the pond any further. He looked at Qenn. “Go down there and do it.”
Qenn hesitated. He looked at Kandish for support. Her face alone was comforting. But the look she tried to hide was not.
“Use your magic,” Kev Wah pressed. His voice was a vengeful hiss. “Take your staff and destroy it before it kills us all.”
Qenn ignored him, staring at Kandish. He had seen the look; he knew what was happening to her. “Relax. Stay back away from the water. Think of something else.”
Kandish nodded, trying to calm herself long before they had entered the cavern. “Qenn, I won’t be able to—”
The elf moved in close to her, closing out Kev Wah’s orders to act, feeling his heart ache for the nervousness he knew she was feeling. She was scared. “It’s going to be okay. I can do this on my own.”
Her eyes watered, doubting him. “I can’t let you.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Kev Wah snapped. “If she’s sick, get her out—”
“Don’t worry about her.” Kamen Ode stepped in, moving between Kev Wah and Kandish, looking like an unbreakable wall. “She gets all the time she needs.”
Kev Wah shook his head and snorted his dislike. “We don’t have time for this.”
Kandish pressed her lips against Qenn’s ear. “It’s going to happen again, Qenn. I won’t be able to stop it. Whatever is in here, is threatening me. My magic is stirring itself, wanting to protect me.”
Qenn stepped back from her, just enough to look into her wondrous eyes. He would act now, if only to keep her magic from overtaking her. It was all he could do for her. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
“Would you like to sit?” Prevost asked her, helping her step back to the cool stone wall behind them.
She did not want to sit; she did not want to miss watching Qenn. She wanted to be ready in case he needed her. When he needed her, she corrected.
“I’m fine here. Qenn, go. Be careful.”
Qenn gave her a reassuring nod, then turned away, facing the shallow ponds. She would not see him worry, he thought. She needed to relax. He squeezed his staff tight and felt his heart race. This was dangerous, he knew. He should not have let the others tag along. He should have gone alone. He took a deep breath. Lord Estrial had given him the staff, him alone. A staff that he could use. It was magic. This is the place where he needed to be. Yet, despite these facts, he wanted to do nothing more than bolt away before anyone could get hurt.
He could hear the small murmurs of his group as they voiced caution, as they told him to follow through; small words of comfort mixed in with insanity. Kev Wah was almost frantically pacing the rock, looking as though he was going to explode. He took another deep breath, trying to convince himself that it was going to be okay, when he felt the staff being ripped out of his hands and saw Kev Wah racing away in a blur.
“No!” the others yelled in disbelief.
They watched Kev Wah jump off the ledge and sprint towards the pond, screaming his vengeance. “Show yourself! Come to me, I say! I command you!”
Kandish held on to Qenn’s arms. Qenn stood with is mouth open and an ache in his heart as Kev Wah reached the water. They watched as nothing happened. Kamen Ode began forward, moving to reclaim what Qenn had lost, but Qenn grabbed his arm, and pointed to the swirling water next to Kev Wah. Something was happening.
“What has he done?” Kamen Ode barked. His hands balled into tight fists.
“Qenn!”
Kandish groaned before losing her balance and slumping into Qenn’s arms. Prevost moved in quickly, helping the elf keep her upright. They thought about leaving then, getting Kandish out of there before her magic exploded, but a deep hissing sound suddenly filled the cavern. They looked back to see Kev Wah standing next to the swirling water.
Instantly the water erupted skyward, towering over them before settling down and materializing into an enormous figure. Kev Wah’s words were barely heard as he threatened the LifeWaters. He stood holding the staff as if its magic locked inside the wood was going to erupt and save him.
Nothing happened.
“Who disturbs me?” The voice belled out in an icy tone. The watery figure shimmered in blue light.
“I saw what you did to Corwon!” Kev Wah yelled. “It is time for you to go someplace else! We don’t want you! Or your curse!”
“Go.” The LifeWaters pointed back towards the tunnel.
“No!” Kev Wah screamed in defiance. “You killed my brother! Others are killing themselves to get away from you! You need to pay for what you have done!”
“Your friend betrayed me. You betray me as well,” it spoke. Its voice was deep, filling the vast cavern with a thunderous wake. It disappeared then, sinking down into the pond in the blink of an eye. Then soundlessly it emerged, behind Kev Wah, startling him so that he dropped the staff. He frantically picked it up and tried to use it again. Nothing happened.
“Your weapon is useless, mortal.”
Kev Wah’s response was drown out by the LifeWaters’ laughter. Qenn and Kandish looked at each other in fear.
“It’s going to kill him,” Prevost said. They watched as Kev Wah thrust his staff towards the LifeWaters time and time again, but nothing happened.
“The staff won’t work for him. It wasn’t meant to.” Qenn could only watch in numb sickness. “I need to help him.”
“I am more powerful than you could dare to dream, mortal.” Its voice boomed out again, its size shrinking down to something close to Kev Wah’s. “I am the LifeWaters. I am eternal. You have drank my water, and now you are so. But this is not pleasing? You are not grateful for what you have received. I can see your mind, mortal. I can see your hatred of your life. Of me.”
“You’ve cursed us!” Kev Wah tried again to activate the magic, swinging the staff towards the transparent immortal.
“I shall free you of this burden then,” it hissed. It rose up then, dwarfing the screaming Kev Wah who was thrashing his useless staff violently. Then the cavern lit with a white light. The group shielded their eyes, losing sight of what was happening to Kev Wah. His screaming drowned out as well, lost in the sounds of the LifeWaters’ magic stirring to life. Then it screamed, the light intensified, flaring in bolts that disappeared into the man’s body standing beneath it.
“Let’s go!”
Kamen Ode grabbed Qenn and Kandish, running for the tunnel, Prevost a step ahead of them. They were racing through the tunnel, still hearing the thunderous bolts, still feeling the heat from the white light, which still filled the cavern behind them. They were out the other side quickly, standing next to the waterfall, not looking back into the glowing lighted tunnel, anxious to be safely away.
A moment later the light died. All they could hear was the steady pouring of the waterfall next to them. As they exited the lagoon, standing on the dirt bank, they saw a body floating out of the tunnel. They did not have to stare. They knew what had happened.
“We should get to him before the villagers see him,” Prevost said. He entered the water without a reply from the others, and swam over to Kev Wah’s lifeless form.
“I’m going to be sick,” Kandish moaned.
Qenn helped her move away from the water. He found a log for them to sit on and asked her to rest her head against him. He watched from there as Kamen Ode helped Prevost remove Kev Wah’s body from the lagoon. Even from that distance, and without having to see their reaction, he knew it was bad. The moon’s pale light shimmered across the water beyond them with a welcoming appearance.
Qenn swallowed hard. All he could think about was how the staff did not work.
“That should be me,” he whispered to himself. He felt K
andish’s hands grip his own.
“No, Qenn.” She looked up to find his eyes. “The staff will work for you.”
But Qenn had a hard time believing it now. “I don’t even have it anymore.”
He watched Prevost and Kamen Ode drag the body further inland. They stood over the body, watched it slowly disintegrate.
“Why does it do that?” Kandish asked, her voice barely audible.
“I think the LifeWaters returns them to their natural age, maybe. Maybe it extracts the elements out of their bodies that were put in when they drank the water. Without it, without the magic to keep them from aging, they would expire.” Qenn stroked her hair slightly. “Just a theory, I guess.”
“I’m glad he warned us.”
Qenn nodded. A tear dropped out of his eyes and into her hair. He forced himself to think of something else then, watching Kamen Ode and Prevost bury Kev Wah’s bones. But all he could think of was how they could very easily be burying him.
“They need to know the truth.” Kandish added softly.
Qenn agreed. But who was going to tell them? Who would they trust now? Surely they would not listen to the outsiders tell them of how their beloved LifeWaters killed both of their leaders. It was not something that Qenn looked forward to doing.
He sat there on the log, staring out across the lagoon, with a sinking feeling as if all the hopes he had were shattered. The staff did not even flare, he thought. Not once did it even resemble a weapon. Poor Kev Wah never had a chance. But it should have been him, he knew. It should have been the rightful bearer to the staff standing before the Faerie creature.
Would things have turned out any different? Would I have figured out how to summon the magic? Would I be able to reclaim it now, even when the LifeWaters had it? Would it aid me as promised? Or would I discover as Kev Wah had?
Kamen Ode and Prevost walked over to them then, their faces masked in shadow, their voices kept low and sullen. They led the way back out of the foliage, walking to the village, where small groups of people remained talking about Corwon and how the LifeWaters was going to save them from whatever had happened to him. Kamen Ode paused the group momentarily. They saw that he had intended to tell them what had actually taken place, but then kept walking. Qenn heard him say they would tell them in the morning. Right now they were tired, and simply wanted to rest.
They entered their hut, each walking to their bed and slumping down in exhaustion. Qenn asked Kandish if she was feeling better, and she simply nodded. He knew she was thinking of the staff as well. They all were. They were all wondering the same thing.
Qenn lied down and closed his eyes. He could not get the feeling to leave him. He was scared now. Even more-so than earlier when it was all happening. He didn’t have much time to think about things then. But he had thought long and hard on things now, and the reality of their situation was frightening.
No one said much of anything now, they all were on their beds, trying to drift away into someplace pleasant. But Qenn couldn’t. He had to face his fear. He had to find out why the staff didn’t work.
Kev Wah wasn’t the rightful bearer, Kandish had said. The staff would only work for you, Qenn.
But that was not enough to ease his mind. Not after watching it fail Kev Wah. Not after seeing what would surely happen to him.
An hour went by, then two. Dawn would be on the rise soon, he thought. He sat upright and looked to his friends. They would risk their lives to go with him, he knew. Kandish especially. And her magic would flare out again, and he did not know if she would be able to recover from it. And that didn’t even matter, because the LifeWaters would destroy her long before she could even call her magic to life. Either way, Kandish was in no way able to confront it. But looking at their faces now, as they all slept deeply, he knew he could not give them a chance to die. Not when he could protect them.
He settled it then within himself. He closed away all of his fears, pushed away and blocked out all reasoning that kept him in the bed to begin with. He would do it alone. He would go to the LifeWaters as he had intended. Alone.
Qenn took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He stared at Kandish for a moment, then rose to his feet and walked out to meet his destiny.
CHAPTER THIRTY