Brian Rathbone - The Dawning of Power

"Two o' my sons still live 'cause o' you. I owe ya a great debt. I know I've repaid that debt poorly, and I'm sorry fer that. Ya have my gratitude."

"You need not thank me," Catrin said. "I did what I did because it was the least horrible way I could find to save myself and my homeland. People died as a result of my actions, and that is something I will lament until the end of my days, but it is done. All I want now is for the people of the Greatland and the Godfist alike to be free and safe."

Rolph looked over Catrin's shoulder, and he motioned for Collette and Jessub to come out. "Everything's as it should be," he said as they approached.

"I told ya t'would be," Collette said with a smile. "That man nearly worried 'imself into a sickbed."

"Did ya really get married 'n' fight the Zjhon 'n' destroy the statue 'n'-"

"Jessub, hush," Collette said, but Catrin knelt down in front of the boy.

"I did some very scary and foolish things because I had little choice. I would much rather have spent my time on the farm."

"Not me! I'm gonna be an adventurer when I grow up, 'n' I'm gonna fight bandits 'n' find treasure. You'll see!" Jessub said; then he ran across the barnyard, fighting imaginary foes.

Collette looked at Catrin with tears in her eyes. "I knew I liked ya, soon as we met. I knew ya were a good girl. I can never thank ya enough for sparin' our sons and the other young men. They were only doin' what they were told, and they're such good boys. Ya saved 'em, and yer father's protectin' 'em. Ya'll always be welcome here."

"Thank you-both of you. I must go now. When you get news of my deeds, always know that I'm doing the best I can."

"May the gods bless ya!" Collette called as they rode away, and Catrin actually felt safer knowing she could always go to the Tillerman farm.

"Wait! Elma, wait!" Jessub called as they left, and Catrin turned her mount. "I made this for ya," he said, breathing hard.

Catrin opened the folded piece of parchment carefully, for it was worn and tattered around the edges. On it was a faded message, but painted over it in bold strokes was a striking image of a winged woman hovering over a man.

"That's you and my daddy," he said, and the sincerity in his big, brown eyes was like a knife into Catrin's soul.

Climbing down from her horse, she gave Jessub a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "You're a good boy, Jessub."

"Gramma said ya saved my daddy and Uncle Artus. I wish ya coulda saved Uncle Fenny too," he said.

"I'm sorry,"

"Ya did the best ya could," he said with a firm nod. "Good-bye, Elma. Good-bye, Cannergy."

"You did the best you could," Benjin echoed as they rode away.

Catrin tried to hide her tears.

Wendel watched in amazement as Martik orchestrated a monumental operation. Six horses, ropes, and a dozen men hauled on the massive section of greatoak. At first it had seemed like sacrilege, but the trunks would only lie and rot. Why not make use of them?

Using the trees that were downed to make a trail between the valley and the grove, Martik assembled a rolling monster. Logs were placed in the path before the greatoak, and then they were soaked with water to make them slick. With three horses on each side, they pulled, and amazingly, the leviathan moved.

Now at a place where they had to make a sharp, uphill turn, things were getting tense.

"Keep 'em ropes taut!" Martik shouted, despite the fact that he knew the men were trying to do just that, but the horses had reached a place where the incline was too steep. "Boil me. What made me think I could do this?"

"You're doing just fine," Wendel said. "Breathe deeply for a moment and relax yourself."

Martik stood for a moment, trembling with anxiety, but then he relaxed noticeably.

"Now you're ready to conquer this thing," Wendel said. "Come at it with a clear mind."

Martik nodded and looked thoughtful. "Thank ya," he said.

"If it were me," Wendel said, scratching his chin, "I'd unwind the rope around the trunk one time, and that would be enough extra rope to get the horses past the incline."

Martik made an annoyed sound. "Why didn't I think o' that?"

"Sometimes you just have to look at things from a different viewpoint."

As Catrin, Benjin, and Chase skirted the farmlands, they came to the stone bridge. It now stood well above the swift-running water, which was no longer clogged with debris. Beyond, though, the flood damage was still evident, even if the grass was already beginning to cover it.

As they crossed over a series of hills, Catrin was surprised to recognize parts of the landscape, even as nightmarish as it had been during the flood. If she remembered correctly, they were nearing the area where she and Benjin had climbed the tree, the place where they had lost Barabas. Thinking of him was painful, and she pushed him from her thoughts.

Around a bend, flashes of red and orange were visible. As they crested a rise, a field of flowers awaited. Two hills formed a small valley, and it was covered with vibrant life, the flowers making it look as if it were still afire.

"Pyre-orchids," Benjin said in a whisper. "They're extremely rare and only grow after forest fires, and then only under certain conditions. We must harvest them."

"We don't have time," Catrin said.

"Difficult times are ahead, li'l miss. In those kinds of times, disease can wipe out entire cities. Pyre-orchids can be used to treat almost every known plague. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity."

"Then let's do what needs doing and move on."

Harvesting the orchids proved as easy as removing the flower from the stem, and they soon had the flowers bundled together and divided up between them. Beyond the burned-out forests of Astor were lands that Catrin dreaded. She doubted she could find the place they had exited the ancient mines, and even if she could, they would have to wait for the full moon to get past the daggerfish, which left them little choice but to travel through populated lands.

At the first town they reached, Benjin spotted signs of the Vestrana at a local inn. "I'm going to go in and talk to the innkeeper," he said. "I'd like to get rooms for the night but only if we can remain discreet. Stay here and try not to draw attention to yourselves." He slipped into the inn.

Waiting for him to return, Catrin held her breath. Despite signs of the Vestrana, she feared a trap. When Benjin appeared at the back corner of the inn, she drew a deep breath. With a wave, he told them to join him, and they led the horses to the back of the inn, where two stable boys waited. Benjin gave each stable boy a copper and asked that they stack the bales of orchids somewhere dry. They looked at him strangely, but he tossed them each another copper and they were eager to help.

The innkeeper was an older, bearded man with a broad, vein-streaked nose. His name was Orman, and his smile was infectious. "Welcome to the Brendton Inn, friends. The food's hot and the beds clean. If you'll follow me, there's a private room this way. I'll bring your dinner there."

"Does he know who we are?" Catrin asked when Orman left.

"I think he suspects, but he gave all the right signs. We should be safe in his care," Benjin said.

But Catrin still had doubts. Too many things were no longer certain or safe. When Orman returned with food, she wondered if it might be poisoned but decided she could not live the rest of her life in fear. With trembling hands, she grabbed a stuffed pepper. It was delicious.

Orman returned to clear the plates and brought a tray of mugs and a jug of dandelion wine. "Secret family recipe," he said. He poured wine for each of them and handed out the mugs. When he handed Catrin her mug, their eyes locked. His brief stare commanded her attention without being overt. Wrapping her hand around the mug, she realized there was a piece of parchment cleverly wrapped around half the mug so it was concealed in her grip. Toward the top, she felt a wax seal.