The Summoned
The Light Plane: Heroes' Forest
Asa awoke with a start, crying
out loudly and springing to his feet before he was fully awake.
"What is it?" Leo demanded, standing warily
next to Asa. "What's wrong?"
Asa shook his head, forcing himself to calm down.
"Nothing.... I was dreaming." His senses were slowly returning to
normal as he took in his surroundings. The forest - he was safe here,
provided his initial cry hadn't attracted the attention of any of the soldiers
that were no doubt hunting them.
Rachel emerged from the foliage, followed by Elayna.
Both seemed alarmed and were searching the clearing - looking for the phantom
hunters Asa had dreamt.
"Are you all right?" Rachel asked.
Asa nodded. "I'm fine, I'm fine... I
was just dreaming." he sighed, "Just dreaming." He didn't sound very
convinced, and he was fairly certain that his companions weren't either.
Elayna looked up at Asa coldly. "It was about
him, wasn't it?"
Asa shivered. The Elayna he had met on the
side of the Tyre mountains had been a scared, shy, innocent child.
That Elayna was no more - she had been replaced by this adult in a child's
body. An adult bent on revenge.
"Yes. I dreamt of Norax." Asa shuddered
as he said it. He didn't even want to remember the dream, but fragments
of it had a tendency to surface when he least expected them to. He
winced as he watched Elayna's cold expression - she had been in the dream
too, and her face now was as it had been then... filled only with hatred.
Asa turned away.
"What's going on here?" A haggard looking
Paul entered the clearing from one of the paths. His eyes were red
and it was obvious he hadn't received very much sleep. While Asa
had fallen asleep the instant the wizard had told them it was safe for
them to do so, Paul had stayed up and reinforced his spells.
"I apologize Paul... I was merely dreaming." Asa
said.
Paul nodded, his face weary. "Yes... dreams
can be disturbing." The apprentice looked over the group. "Well,
it seems that we are all awake, so I will take the opportunity to let all
of you know what's been happening. We were followed into the forest
last night by a small group of men who were just pursuing us. They
were led astray easily. Earlier this morning, however, a dedicated
search party including two wizards was dispatched to find us." He
smiled tiredly. "It took me three hours of concentration and spellweaving,
but I managed to fool the wizards into thinking we were headed southwards....
This forest connects to the one which surrounds the Nexus, and where my
false trail leads. So we will be safe, unless another party comes
again. We should be gone by then, however. I'm suggesting that
we start walking now."
Leo nodded his agreement, but his words sounded
more reserved. "But are you certain, Paul? You've obviously
been awake all evening. If you need to rest, we can wait for you
here."
Paul shook his head. "No, there is too much
at stake - we must press on."
Asa spoke up. "Paul, you said yourself that
the search party's been distracted. And I don't think there's too
much of a chance of them sending out another, if they think the first one's
on the trail. You need sleep, Paul. As you said, there is too
much at stake."
Paul hesitated, hanging his head wearily.
"You are right... I did not sleep at all, and I suppose I must. Still,
Seeker would want me to go ahead...."
"Seeker would want to make sure we get there in
once piece." Asa said. "And if you're not alert, we might not.
Leo's a great knight, and a fine warrior. Rachel and I are experienced
summoners, and Elayna's healing abilities are stronger with every day that
passes, but none of that would matter in an attack if we never saw it coming!
You're the only one of us who can use magic to see, use it to mislead our
pursuers, and make us safe. A swarm of Fire Elementals would chase
away our enemies, but you could find some way to do it without getting
anyone killed. That's what Seeker would want." He was speaking
more angrily than he had meant to, but he could tell his message had been
received.
Paul sighed. "Of course... I can't let you
all down." He looked over the group. "Thank you all.
I will be in the clearing nearby this one. If anything occurs - any
thing at all - wake me and let me know." With that, he moved back
into the forest.
Leo looked after him for a moment. "I'll be
there too. I know I'll feel a bit safer if he has a guard."
Asa nodded. "I'll join you in a moment."
He sat down on the ground, shutting his eyes and trying to clear his mind.
The dream still clung at the edges of his consciousness, and his muscles
were shaking. He needed to calm down.
Leo left the clearing, and after a moment of silent
thought, Elayna followed him out. Asa merely remained where he was,
trying to relax his mind enough to stop trembling. After a while,
he managed to calm down. When he opened his eyes, he saw Rachel sitting
quietly before him.
"Are you going to be all right?" She asked.
Asa just nodded in response. He wondered to himself why she was still
here instead of off guarding Paul. She had been near him a lot recently,
though she hadn't said much.
"That's good to hear..." she trailed off, seeming
somewhat nervous. "Asa, I have something I need to say to you.
"I'm sorry. About what happened at the Nexus.
I wasn't in control of myself, as you no doubt know. You know how
it feels, except it was even worse for me.... Because I had given
Norax permission to summon me." She looked down at the ground.
"It was before he changed. He didn't even ask me for it - one day
I just told him, that if he ever needed me near he could summon me.
I didn't know what was going to happen.... After he changed... after
that Sword took him over he just left. Luther was the one to break
the news to me. After he returned from the castle without Norax,
I feared the worst - or what I had thought was the worst. Luther
told me more though. There was terrible violence happening - Norax
was destroying forces loyal to the old regime and our rebel forces alike,
setting up his own group to do so. Luther got me out of that town,
and that was the last I saw of Norax until the day he had his men kidnap
me and bring me to his tower.
"It was terrible. I was given a choice - I
could do what he told me of my own free will, or Norax could invoke a summons.
I didn't know your story, Asa, but I still refused to do what he asked.
So he summoned me, and forced me to. And for that, I'm sorry.
I can't forgive myself for it, and I can't expect you to forgive me either.
I just wanted you to know how much I regret ever putting trust in that
warlord." She looked back up at him warily, trying to gauge his reaction.
Asa sighed. "I never blamed you, Rachel.
I didn't even know it was you until Paul mentioned it to me some time back,
and even then I wasn't angry. I know what it's like to be summoned,
though I haven't faced such betrayal as you have. I know you had
no choice in what you had to do. And the fact that you've come with
us tells me that you're a better person than you think. Over a hundred
years ago, you gave your trust to someone who betrayed it, but he's just
like us - he's being controlled from the outside. With us, it was
through a summons, but with him - he's being directed from the sword...
by a demon. So I don't blame you....
"I trust you Rachel. When we ran the blockade,
both of us summoned more than we strictly should have, and neither of us
could walk on our own, so we leaned on each other for support. I
never even hesitated then, and I don't intend to in the future. You're
one of us... one of this little group that seems to have attached themselves
to me for whatever reason." he smiled at this, and was relieved when
he saw Rachel smile back.
"Thank you Asa..." Rachel took a deep breath.
"for everything. I'm happy that I have your trust. You can
be sure that you have not misplaced it." She stood up slowly.
"I'm glad we could talk. I guess I'll go and be part of Paul's honor
guard. I hope we get the chance to talk again."
"As do I." he said, watching her go. It was
interesting to see her, he thought. She had been quiet most of the
time, and Asa was glad to see a seemingly intelligent, and kind, person
within her. Of course, she was nearly a century older than he...
probably kept alive by the same sort of magic which sustained Norax.
He found that didn't really matter to him.
Closing his eyes, he went back to trying to relax
and found it a great deal easier than before. After a few moments,
he decided that he would join the others standing watch over Paul.
He opened his eyes, and screamed.
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