Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

Ryson agreed that was the best course of action, but not for all of them.

"You all go ahead," the delver stated. "There's something I need to do first."

"We should go together," Holli suggested. "Enin will want to see you. Your senses might help unravel this puzzle."

"I'm as confused as you are," Ryson admitted, and then offered his best consolation. "I'll meet you back at Connel. I'll get there as fast as I can, but I have to go out into the desert."

"Why?" Sy asked.

"Because I have to. I got something from the sword before Lief pulled it away from me. I'm not sure what I saw, but something has me confused. I need to check this before I see Enin. I can't explain it better than that."

That was good enough for the captain of Burbon's guard. He had learned to trust Ryson's instincts. They saved many and on more than one occasion.

"Then hold on to those blades. You might need them out there. And be careful."

"I won't be long," Ryson managed. "I might even beat you back to Connel."

Holli didn't think so as she watched the delver dash off to the west.

As implausible as the sight was before him, Ryson was not surprised-not really. If anything, he almost expected to see what waited for him. Despite the absurdity of his discovery, events made more sense, his lingering fears dissolved. He might doubt his sanity, but he no longer had to question his loyalty or his faith in a friend. He believed that was the point of the last message from the Sword of Decree, but he couldn't be certain. He had to confirm it, and he hoped he would be able to do so by returning to the place that Lief Woodson had died.

The ground he stood upon was the site of their battle with Tabris, the sorceress who had joined forces with Sazar. Because of her treachery, two of Ryson's closest friends had died in the wasteland.

For a brief moment in time, that small portion of the desert had been an oasis, life coaxed from the desolation by Tabris' magical power over the wind and storms. With Tabris destroyed, nothing could keep the desert from reclaiming the land. Plants had withered and died, the pond was now a dry bed. All that was left were rocks and sand.

Still, Ryson could find the spot where Reader Matthew died after forcing Tabris' spell to explode within her, and he noticed signs of the crater created by the lightning blast that killed Lief. The blast site was the delver's true destination-a pinpoint in all of existence that called to him.

The apparition stood in the center of the crater and smiled warmly upon the delver as Ryson approached.

"I knew you would come," the spirit revealed.

Ryson looked on the face of Lief Woodson-not a face of flesh and blood, but a spiritual countenance, a shimmering outline of soulful grace. In many ways, it looked the same as the ghostly form that first met the delver outside the portal, but Ryson now also saw the difference. He knew instantly that the spirit Heteera raised was an imposter. The true spirit of Lief Woodson stood before him now.

"I'm very happy to see you, Lief!"

And it was true, seeing his friend at this moment brought Ryson a great sense of relief, almost peace, but then he felt something else. It was as if a great sadness fell upon his delver senses. The overwhelming feeling of remorse tempered the joyous reunion.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" the delver asked of the spirit.

"What I want is now complicated," the spirit replied, "and not the true issue. I no longer belong in this world and it reminds me of what I had become-angry and violent. I am here because I have to be here, not because I wish to be."

"Why do you have to be here?"

"It is very simple. I'm being given a chance-an opportunity to rectify what I had become. I suppose I could have resisted this chance, simply accepted oblivion, but that would not be the right thing to do. You should understand that."

Understand?

There was little to understand. Ryson wanted to be joyous at the sight of a friend, to know Lief had not become unbalanced with hate and anger. A spirit should be above such conditions, and yet, Lief was now speaking of doing what was right. That consideration now plagued the delver in a different way.

What was right?

Did he even know anymore? Even if he did, did it matter?

The delver remembered his last encounters with Lief when the elf walked among the living. They argued over what was right . Ryson recalled the tension that had grown between the two of them during Lief's last days. Lief had become obsessed with cleansing the land of dark creatures, but Ryson had seen it as senseless killings, nothing more. They argued over the point, but the elf became rigid in his desire to kill all things he judged evil and that included every monster from the dark realm.

That's what Heteera had seen when she recalled the images of the past, and that's why she called upon Lief's spirit to help her in her task.

"A woman named Heteera cast a spell to recall you," Ryson declared. "Is that the chance you're talking about?"

Lief shook his head.

"No mortal can forcefully recall the soul of another that has passed on, no matter how powerful the caster. I am here because a far greater power has granted me an opportunity for redemption, a redemption I did not seek in life, a chance I wasted. Thankfully, there are several chances, and though I do not wish to be here, it is an opportunity I am grateful for. Still, you must understand that I am here because I choose to be here, not because I was recalled."

"That almost sounds like you're punishing yourself."

Lief did not respond and the delver's curiosity expanded.

"Are you?" Ryson pressed.

"We all punish ourselves in some way when we come to a mortal life, but we are also given a chance to learn. I failed to see what I should have seen. I blamed others, including you."

Once more, Ryson recalled their arguments. If Lief blamed him, then it was quite possible that the elf believed the reverse as well.

"We saw things differently. I didn't hold it against you."

"But you were not the only one I blamed. I found fault with all the elves of my camp, even the elder, Standish Loftber, and he did not deserve my rage." Lief paused, but only for a moment. It almost seemed to cause him pain to recall the actions of his past life. "I blamed him because he banished me, but he was right. He made the wisest of decisions and he put others before himself. He found the only path that would bring stability for everyone. After forcing me to leave, he exiled himself. It was a very brave thing he did. He did what he thought was best for my camp. He learned his lesson, but as I said, I did not learn mine."

"So you came back to learn a new lesson? It sounds like you've already learned it. What's there to come back for?"

"You would not understand it all, not yet anyway. The Reader Matthew understood. He renewed his faith at the very end, and he has found the way. There is no need for him to return. He found his path and it seems as if I now have to find mine. I am, however, thankfully getting guidance, though I am not certain I deserve it."

"I have to admit, I'm confused by more than that," Ryson admitted. "I don't know if I understand any of it. You said you couldn't be recalled by a spell, but Holli sensed that you were summoned when she met Heteera, and Enin never questioned the sorceress' story."

"Holli sensed the echo of the spell," Lief explained, "but she lacks the insight to realize that such a spell would be useless. As for the wizard, Enin should know better. I am surprised he even accepted this story."

"You mean Heteera's lying?"

"I am not graced with the insight into Heteera's true intentions. I do know that Enin's awareness has grown. Though he cannot truly enter the afterlife, he has been gifted with a power that allows him to see beyond this life, beyond physical existence. He should have sensed the deception."