Chapter 8
Azonis and River
River woke, blinking her eyes. Whatever happened seemed to have drained the very life from her. The aftermath left her skin blanched, with dark bags hanging under her eyes. Dried blood matted her hair and streaked down her face. Azonis dipped a cloth into the icy river and knelt next to her. With a gentle touch, he inspected the wound on her head and wiped the dried blood from her face.
"I think you will live," Azonis said in a hush, as he ran the cloth down her face.
River smiled and said, "Thanks to you."
Azonis gave her a slight grin. "You are welcome, River. I also owe you a great deal of thanks. You saved my life."
"I am sorry that I wasn't able to help you sooner," she replied.
"Better late than never," he said, making sure he had removed all the dried blood from her face. "There. You are all cleaned up."
"Thank you," she said again, batting her eyes.
"You dispatched of the Hoggins rather easy," Azonis said, extending his hand. River took it, and he helped her stand. "That was a powerful spell you performed. Why do you not cast spells of that magnitude more often?" he asked.
"If it were that simple. Spells such as those almost deplete my magic reserves entirely. I was taught that it is better to use many lesser spells, rather than one big one. It is not wise for a mage to be caught without magic. You never know when you will need to use a spell," River said, and grew still for a moment. "If one would deplete their entire magic reserve, their life would cease to exist."
"Your magic can run dry? How so?" the Sestian asked, rubbing his chin.
"Even Wizards can deplete their magic reserves, although they possess much more magic than a mage. A mage's magic comes from their life force, but Wizards are made from magic," she told him.
"If Wizards are made from magic and mages use their life force to create magic, then why can we all not perform magic?" Azonis asked.
"Long ago a Wizard taught a Human how to perform magic by speaking incantations. Mages hold these secrets dear to them. Only certain individuals can become a mage," she replied.
"How does one become a mage?" he asked. "Could I become one?"
"For one to become a mage, he or she must be born on the same day, of the same season, as the Wizard who taught the first Human how to use magic. That is why mages are not that common," she said as she took to her feet.
"This seems very complicated. I am glad that one can be taught to use a blade on any day," he said with a smile.
"Do you think we should go look for Thaddeus and the others?" River asked.
"I am not sure. It may be best for us to stay here and wait. The river undoubtedly runs into the Dead Lands. It is not wise to go wandering about in the Dead Lands," Azonis replied. "I also doubt your ability to travel."
"What if they are in need of our help?"
"Thaddeus will be fine. He is the most skilled warrior I have ever met. I have no worries concerning him."
"What of Rasmere and Caleb?" she asked once more.
"They should be able to handle themselves as well. With you running low on magic, and the beating I took from the Hoggins, I do not feel comfortable tromping around in the Dead Lands this close to night fall," Azonis said, looking at his hand and turning it from side to side inspecting the hole in his palm. "If we go anywhere, we should try to make it to the main road. It should be much safer there."
"Can we at least follow the river for a short distance?"
"No," Azonis said, patting her on the shoulder. "We should stay here, or make our way to the road."
River's throat grew tight. She rubbed her palms back and forth on her pants. She feared the worst for Thaddeus and the others. For the life of her, she could not understand why Azonis refused to search for them. She was certain that Thaddeus, or the others, would not hesitate to come looking for them if roles were reversed. The Dead Lands had the reputation of being the most dangerous place in all of Calencia, she was aware of that, but she would risk her own well-being to find her lost companions. She gave Azonis a disapproving look and sat down on the ground in quiet protest.
Azonis, although he did not show it, shared River's worry. An eerie feeling came over him; this was not the last of the Hoggins in the area. The idea of his companions wandering through the Dead Lands sickened him. One could not guess what terrors lay before them. As bad as he wanted to go help them, it would not be wise for him and River to set off on their own. He was tired, and River had depleted the last of her magic. They were not capable to deal with whatever beasts they might, or would, encounter. Azonis decided it best to sit and wait for the others to come find them.
Darkness crept over them, and they still had no word from the others. Azonis and River kept their minds off of their current situation by way of idle chatter. River soon realized that she liked Azonis better than she had initially thought. He proved to be a rather peculiar individual set in his ways, but once you got to know him, he wasn't so bad. He was growing on her, as was she on him.
As they sat discussing their quest and back stories, the cry of a hawk pierced their ears.
"Look," River said pointing at a hawk. "I wonder if it is him?"
A beautiful brown hawk appeared in the light of the moon. It followed the river, straying left and right, as if searching for something, or someone. The hawk locked its eyes on them and dove out of the sky. The hawk slowed as it came closer to the ground and transformed into its Human form.
"Thank God above," Caleb said as he wrapped his arms around River's neck. "It is good to see you two. Are you all right?"
River locked her arms around his waist and gave him a long squeeze. "We're fine. What of the others?"
"Alive. They are waiting for us in the Dead Lands," Caleb responded.
"The Dead Lands?" Azonis questioned. "Why are they waiting there?"
"There is a steep cliff blocking our way back. They cannot make it back," Caleb replied.
"Can you not fly them?" Azonis asked.
"No," Caleb said regretfully. "The Hoggins did not treat me kindly. I am not strong enough to carry them."
"How long will it take us to reach them?" River asked.
"An hour or so," Caleb said. "If we hurry."
"As bad as I dislike the idea of traveling through the Dead Lands at night, we cannot leave them there alone," Azonis said as he gathered his things. "Let us take leave from here. The sooner we regroup with Thaddeus and Rasmere, the better."
They set out to meet back up with their fellow companions in the Dead Lands with Caleb in the lead. Azonis and River carried Thaddeus, Caleb, and Rasmere's gear. Caleb scurried along as an opossum, not wanting to risk all of them being captured if the Hoggins planned to ambush them once more.