Page 55 of The Lost Guard's Healer

“We need to go now,” I say.

“You are right,” Aldus agrees. “We Shanti People are the only ones in this land who can sense the returning power of Thanek and the other forces among others. We are the most in tune with ancient magic. The Oathlands will not have detected Thanek’s return. And the only reason the Kingdom knows of the attack is that they have seen the approaching army on the horizon. That’s why they have positioned themselves so high above everyone else, so they can see approaching armies from miles away.”

“The Oathlands have their magic back also,” I say. “Perhaps they have sensed Thanek’s return.”

Aldus shakes his head. “The magic in this world is newer. It is diluted and filtered. I speak of ancient magic. The kind that runs through our Shanti blood.”

I frown in thought, coming to a dark realization. I must do what I hate. I have to defend the Kingdom and save everyone there.

All I wanted was to return home, and now fate has brought me back to this village. If we don’t help the Kingdom, death and destruction will spread across the world.

Galene shares a concerned, deeply troubled look with me. I can see the fear in her eyes. I want to reach out and comfort her but have to hold myself back.

One part bothers me. A Kingdom messenger coming all the way out here and knowing where to find the Shanti People. But that is the least of my concern, and far from the most outlandish thing I’ve heard today.

We make a plan to send as many people as we can to the Kingdom. We must do what we can.

Chapter twenty-three

Rourk

The villagers spread out and prepare to go to war for the first time in their history.

It takes us some time to decide who will go and who will stay. All the hunters are tasked to make the journey to the Kingdom, except for the three who will remain to keep guard of the village, and two who will become messengers. Several able-bodied men and women step up and request to go with us. They have no training or combat experience, but they can wield a weapon and are fit enough to not become a burden. I’m aware that everyone may well be going to their deaths, including me, but we are all willing to take that chance.

The Shanti People may be secretive and keep to themselves in this world, but they have a code to help others. They cannot let the Kingdom get attacked without aid.

They’ve kept out of the affairs of the Oathlands and Kingdom for centuries, but this time it’s different. The fate of the entire world is at stake.

At my insistence, a message is sent out across the village. Everyone with a magical ability should step forward and join the party heading to the Kingdom. No one is forced to do anything they don’t want to do, but I know we need any advantage we can get. The villagers are asked to attune to their abilities in the time they have, to be certain they know how to wield them without being a danger to themselves or others. We don’t have long before we leave, so every minute counts.

Two hunters are tasked to go as swiftly as they can to the Oathlands to deliver a plea for help. Freddick was initially tasked as one messenger, given his lack of experience fighting, but he firmly insists on going to the Kingdom. He wants to help fight the invading force. I see that killer look in his eyes. That world-weary, battle-hardened look that’s mixed with spiking fear and adrenaline. There’s no way of stopping him from going to the Kingdom.

It's unlikely the Oathlands will reach the Kingdom in time to help in the battle, but we have to take that chance and let them know what is happening.

Travel packs are prepared, along with food and water for the journey. Others are quick to fashion more arrows out of wood and sharpened rocks for blades. The entire village becomes a hive of preparation.

I meet Aldus’s eyes and we step aside to speak to each other.

“We have forty-five people to go to the Kingdom,” he says. “That’s all we can spare. And more than I thought we’d get. I’m not too happy about some of the younger ones, or older ones, with us, but they’re insisting they want to help.”

“If they don’t slow us down or get in our way, they will all be helpful,” I say, looking around. “It will have to do. All we can do is all we can do.”

Flashes of magic cut through the dwindling afternoon light. A blast of fire strikes a far-off tree. A sphere of lightning launches into the air. I’ve discovered more people showing abilities they’ve never revealed to me before. The one who can fly, a young girl named Delis, is spiraling and looping in the air. The hunters have been teaching her how to throw knives down with accuracy.

“Before we go,” I say to Aldus, “I’d like to know something.”

He regards me with a hard look.

“The elders,” I say. “They are not really the elders of the village, are they?”

His face is impassive. “What do you mean? What is this?”

“I’ve seen how the elders work here. And how you work. You, Magdalena, Colm, Yovin, and Abby. Abby was a hard one to figure out, as she really didn’t seem like someone who holds any influence or power. But I noticed it was just a mask. A mask that you all wear. You five are the genuine leaders of this tribe. The elders are just the faces of the village.”

Aldus eyes me for a long moment, visibly troubled and thoughtful.

“I do not understand why you are doing this, now,” Aldus responds with enough subtle heat that tells me to back off.

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