One Final Lesson -- Part 4/6

Previous Installments:
One Final Lesson -- Part 1
One Final Lesson -- Part 2
One Final Lesson -- Part 3

The wind whistled through the fields as I strolled, fishing rod in hand, to go down to the pond. Kira and Jas were out of sight ahead of us, but Linna was a step ahead of me, hopping along, as she was telling me she was going to catch a catfish as long as her arm. I grinned, as I knew she was lousy at fishing, but the day was young and we snuck out before Mom and Dad would notice. We reached the edge of the woods and I could hear Mom calling something, so I stopped and listened.

"Come on, Cardwyn!" Linna called out. "We're almost there!"

I heard Mom call again, and I waved Linna onward. If someone was going to get in trouble, let it be me first. What was she saying? 'Where's my makeup'? No, Mom never painted her face...

I concentrated harder.

Was it 'wake up'?  But I'm already awake.

Linna stomped her foot. "Cardwyn, let's go!"

"Wake up, Cardwyn, please wake up!" Mom's voice again. At first it was from across the fields, but now it sounded like she was next to me, closer than Linna.

The fields and the fishing pole and the impatiently waiting Linna all began to fade. I smelled iron.  

Wait. There was something here...

"Come on, Sweetie, please don't be dead!"

Dead? But I'm not.... Why would Mom think that? What was I doing? Was I in the fields? No, what was I...

THE DOOR. 

I threw the latch on the door and...

My eyes shot open.

The world was all wrong. The hallway was on its side and my head throbbed. I shut my eyes and groaned.

"Oh, thank the Light!" came a hoarse whisper.

Mom.

I opened my eyes again with a squint and saw her kneeling on the floor in front of me, still dressed in black. Her eyes were wet.

Oh Light, I had to tell her before.... "Mom, they're inside already," I croaked. "Carys saw them in their bedroom, and I had to warn the others..."

"Shh," Mom whispered. "We know. They have Carys and Karyn."

"What?" My eyes stung. "We've... We've got to do something!"

"We can't. Not while they've got a knife at their throats." Mom's voice was bitter. "They outsmarted us."

I pushed myself up and felt my face slowly pull away from the floor like the time I fell asleep at breakfast and landed face first in blackberry jam. The world tilted crazily and I nearly threw up.

"Easy," Mom whispered, holding me upright. "You've lost a bit of blood."

I placed my hands on my head. The hair on my right side was sticky.

Mom handed me a vial and held my head in place while I sipped it. Unlike the one Mistress Evelyn gave me earlier, this one was slightly red in color and tasted like wine infused fruits. Almost immediately my head stopped throbbing and I opened my eyes fully. "That stuff is amazing," I whispered.

"Good," Mom replied. "Here's what's happening. Everybody else is outside where the Defias can see them. They don't know about me, and they think either you're dead or not a threat."

I nodded.

"They are in the process of hitching up our wagon and loading all of our tools into it. We've got probably less than an hour before they're finished and then we become useless to them." The implication of what 'useless' meant was plain in Mom's eyes.

"We need to get outside so we can stop them," I whispered. "Out the back and to the woods, then circle around behind the barn."

"You need to stay here and be safe."

"No, Mom. Not this time. I'm not going to let them kill anyone. I'll blast them before they try."

Oops.

Mom stared at me for a long moment. "I figured that was what Evelyn was up to last night," she said finally.

"It's not what you think, I didn't even know she was a Mage at all and that she had apprenticeship in mind until it happened," I babbled. I couldn't seem to keep my thoughts straight. "We only spent an hour at most on casting, as she didn't want me to get into this fight without being able to protect myself." That I was barely able to summon a snowball was irrelevant right now; I was scared and angry, and I felt more focused than I was throughout last night. I straightened and shook myself. "We don't have much time."

Mom nodded and let go of me. She looked me up and down, and after a brief pause she gave me a hug. "Let's do this," she said, her voice as cold as death.

***

Mom led the way down the stairs and through the house to the kitchen. She paused by the kitchen windows, opening them up a bare sliver, and stared hard out into the nearby woods. After a few moments, she shut them and turned back to me. "I open the door, and you exit. Wait for me to shut the door and then we go right then straight. Follow me and don't look back."

I nodded.

The door opened with a whoosh, and I squinted as I stepped out into the sun. I had this uncomfortable feeling in my chest, as if I expected to see an arrow suddenly bloom out of it, but I forced my legs to move and I crept off the stone steps and to one side. I didn't hear the door close, but a moment later Mom stepped in front of me and began moving forward. I followed behind, watching with awe as she managed to avoid making any noise at all. This was a side of Mom I'd never seen until now, although it does explain how she always seemed to know where all of us were as kids. We thought we were being clever, but to her it must have been like the Parade of Fools during Goldshire's harvest festival.

She paused a second, stole a glance behind, and picked up the pace. Her hand reached in and pulled out a dagger, palming it, as a slight hiss escaped her lips. I followed, trying to match her steps and avoid any gravel or loose stones. That uncomfortable spot in my chest immediately switched to my back, and I was acutely aware I was the one in the rear.

We reached the trees behind the house and kept going. After a two dozen paces Mom finally crouched down behind a tree and I followed suit. I opened my mouth to say something and Mom shot me a glace. She held up a finger to her lips, then slowly leaned her body around the tree to look.

My heart beat so loudly I was sure Mom could hear it.

Mom sat back against the tree, glancing over at me. She held up a hand, then 4 fingers... then 3...

I thought I heard something behind my tree.

2...

Definitely something there.

1...

The sound of a wood thrush sounded loud in my ears. Mom whistled in reply.

"Good," a voice purred in my ear. "I didn't think you were one of them."

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

A dark shape materialized in front of me, crouching. Unlike Mom, this figure was clad in brown, green, and black, with a similar cowl over her face obscuring all but her eyes. "Scared you, did I?" the voice replied in a distinctly female voice, a slight laugh escaping her lips. "Imagine what these... Defias? Defias... looked like when I got to them."

"B-Balthan?" I whispered as I gathered my wits that had scattered all around me.

"So, you do know the dwarf," she replied, speaking with an accent that was distinctly different than Elsharin's. "You're definitely not one of them, then."

"SI:7?" Mom whispered.

"No," the figure said. "But we do have a... working relationship. The dwarf mentioned your history in his note, so I used it to my advantage."

I was staring at Mom. "SI:7?"

"I'll explain later." Mom turned back to the figure. "Sentinel?"

"Again, we have a working relationship. We could play this all day, you know, but I've seen the... situation... and we really should bury some blades in their necks."

The figure pulled out a pair of daggers and a vial. She casually undid the stopper and dripped a sickly greenish liquid over the blades.

"Paralysis?" Mom asked, a hungry note creeping into her voice.

"Certainly. Care for a vial?"

"Yessss...." She drew in a huge, shuddering breath and pulled out her daggers. Her hands were shaking.

"Mom?" I started. "Are you okay?"

"I... I'll be fine." She swallowed hard. "I swore I'd never do this again when I left, but Light help me, we need this now."

"Ah, yes," the figure said, nodding. "The dwarf mentioned that."

"Mentioned what?" I asked as I watched Mom accept the proffered vial and began pouring the liquid on her daggers.

The figure blinked at me, her strange angular eyes probing mine. "If you do not know, it is not my place to inform. But I will say that I do understand your mother. To have this ability --to be good at it-- and then walk away, is very hard. It takes real courage to stop what you're addicted to. I do not have such courage."

I finally noticed the two swept back ears that poked out from a pair of holes cut in the cowl. "Are-- are you Kaldorei?"

"Yes, I am. You don't see many of my people out here?"

I shook my head.

"Ah." The figure turned back to Mom. "I make my own," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. "This is very strong, but on balance just a temporary effect, not the stuff that you find some of these thieves using."

"That's good to know," Mom replied. She shuddered again. "Will it take effect quickly enough?"

"Yes. I take pride in my work," the figure said. "Let's go; I'll lead the way, and the young Mage can stay between the two of us."

Young Mage? I must have made a face because the figure laughed, a husky, rich sound. "Balthan's words, not mine. Stay low and keep moving. There are no more of these Defias around in the surrounding woods. We took care of that."

The three of us crept through the woods, circling back toward the barn, while I tried to figure out what the Kaldorei meant by "we". Perhaps it was a translation error, and she meant to say "I". Or maybe "we" is how Kaldorei think. But even more concerning than that puzzle was Mom. This side of her was so un-Momlike that I was truly scared of her for the first time in my life. My thoughts were suddenly scattered by a high-pitched wail that came from somewhere nearby, and I refocused on putting one foot in front of the other.

The creak of our wagon along with the clank of metal on metal drew my attention as we reached the closest point between the woods and the barn. The Defias must be loading up the wagon right now, which meant our time was even shorter than I thought. We moved a few steps more, and the front of the house came into view in the bright sunlight.

Carys and Karyn were held by a pair of wiry looking men. Carys was squirming, but the Defias holding her had a tight grip. Balthan, Mistress Evelyn, and Dad were ringed by several Defias, and the rest of the group separated by another half dozen. The three Defias I'd seen earlier were standing between Dad and the two hostages. Mom nudged me and pointed. A pile of weapons was tossed to the side, including the sword Dad hung over the mantle, Mistress Evelyn's staff, Balthan's hammer.

I could hear Carys crying and screaming for mama.

Something broke inside me. The Frostbolt spell Mistress Evelyn had taught me suddenly seemed inadequate to the sheer amount of pain I wanted to inflict on the Defias. Clenching my fists, I began to stand up, but I felt a hand on my back shoving me down again.

"Not now," Mom whispered, her voice raw. "Soon. Very soon."

I tried to calm myself, to focus, but all I felt was rage.

"Closer," the Kaldorei whispered, tugging at my clothing. "Then we'll give them a surprise."

I took a slow, deep breath and nodded.

We moved past the barn and toward the front of our house, where the lane wound through the woods toward the Old Elwynn Road. The Kaldorei stopped, turned her head, and whispered a few words to her right. A slight, deep purr came out of some nearby stinger bushes.

"Kit says they've not done anything the past few minutes," the Kaldorei whispered back to us.

Well, that explains the 'we' part.

"Oh, and that she and the Young Mage have met, but not been formally introduced."

"Um, okay," I whispered. "Hello, Kit."

A short huff followed by a low growl brought my attention back to the yard.

"They--" the Kaldorei added, indicating the Defias, ''--think they have archers roaming the woods, but like I said, Kit and I took care of them. Still, see the woman in the group of three? We're both certain she's at least a Mage."

"At least?" I whispered back. "What's worse?"

"Warlock," Mom replied.

"Necromancer," the Kaldorei added.

"Demon worshiping Priest."

The bushes growled again. "Yes, or even a Demon in disguise," the Kaldorei translated.

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

"I don't have the deftness anymore to take out the one holding Carys, my granddaughter," Mom admitted, looking at the Kaldorei. "Can you do it?"

"Yes," the Kaldorei replied. "And you'll take the other one?"

Mom nodded and touched my shoulder. "How long does it take you to cast?"

"All I know is a Frostbolt, and that takes about as long as a count to 2 or so."

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. When you hear the sound of a wood thrush again, count to eight and then cast at the Mage. It doesn't matter if you hit hard at all, just enough to distract her. After you cast, run. Run as fast as you can, get to Carys, and get her and Karyn up to the porch. Understood?"

"Understood."

"I believe in you, Cardwyn." Mom gave me a brief hug, turned, and nodded at the Kaldorei. They both vanished into the trees.

The bushes moved, and the next thing I knew I felt hot, pungent breath on my face. The purr grew very loud and took on a slightly worried tone, and I heard sniffing around my ears. Well, the sort of sniff you'd hear out of something cow-sized, anyway; I thought my hair would be sucked upward. Suddenly something large, warm, and wet rubbed against the sticky side of my head, like someone was rubbing sand from the creek into my wound.

My head stung and I winced, gasping.

The rubbing stopped and I heard a purr that ended in a question.

"I--- I'll be okay," I managed, gingerly touching my head. I could feel something oozing up there, but it wasn't as if my brains were falling out.

The purr became a huff.

"Come on, Kit," I said. "I need to focus. I don't want to fail."

I stood and leaned against a tree for support. Whatever Kit did made me woozy; that elixir that Mom had given me must have worn off. Shaking my head in attempt to clear it only made things worse. How was I supposed to cast feeling like this?

"What would Evelyn do?" I muttered out loud. "Just grin and bear it?"

No, she wouldn't. She was far too clever for that. She'd have something already prepared for this problem, like another vial or something.

Another vial! "Oh, how stupid of me," I whispered as I felt around my clothes. Evelyn was prepared for this after all, I decided, as my hand closed on the vial she'd given me earlier this morning. I popped off the stopper and chugged the contents as if it were a fresh beer at the harvest festival. The throbbing didn't go away, but my head cleared and I could think again.

I moved forward, toward the edge of the trees, but staying out of view. I'd had plenty of practice with this, playing hide and seek through these woods with my siblings and other friends from nearby farms, but never in so important a circumstance. Nothing seemed to have changed, at least from what I could tell, but the Defias on the left was getting agitated.

"Will you shut that kid up?" he demanded, clenching and unclenching his fists. "If you don't, I'll do it instead."

"If you touch her," Dad said in a low voice, "I'll make you wish you were never born."

"You're in no place to make threats, Songshine." The Defias turned his attention to his left. "Ash, go see what's taking them so long in that damn barn."

One of the Defias closest to Jas nodded and headed toward our barn. Jas watched him go and then turned his eyes back toward Dad. As his eyes swept across the trees, they paused a moment over my hiding place and continued onward. He and Dad exchanged a brief look and Dad resumed his glaring over the three Defias in front of him.

"He must have seen me, Kit," I whispered to my invisible companion. I backed up a bit and into some brush.

The soft song of a wood thrush echoed somewhere nearby.

I stood up, shoved some brush out of my way, and began counting. One...

The effect on the three Defias leaders was like lightning. The one on the right lowered his hand to the pommel of his sword, the one in the middle snapped to attention, and the one on the left took a step or two forward, facing Dad.

Two...

"I just saw something in your eyes that I don't like, Songshine," He said.

Three...

"I heard that just as well as you did," he continued, "and if you try anything at all, they both die."

Four...

"You got that?"

Five...

"I got it," Dad said.

Six...

Jas exchanged a look with Linna, and they glanced over where I hid.

Oh no, I thought. Please don't look this way. Please please please...

Seven...

Carys screamed again. A surge of fury filled me once more.

Eight...

I took a breath, spread my arms, and focused. As difficult as it was last night, something just clicked inside me and I found I could manipulate the arcane much easier. Instead of smoke, it was like playing with lute strings. 

The Defias Mage began to turn around, her eyes searching.

I funneled my rage into the casting, and the arcane responded with a bright bluish light, far sharper than I'd ever managed before. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Linna's mouth open in an 'O'.

The Defias Mage looked straight at me and our eyes locked.

Her eyes opened wide.

Next Installment: One Final Lesson -- Part 5/6