Chapter 19 - Complications
“Does anyone know what language they speak this far north?” Connor asked, sitting back from the map as they bumped along the road in their borrowed wagon.
Everyone turned to face him without an answer.
“I now a couple of languages but they’re basically all derivatives of the common language of the Midlands. I don’t know anything about the languages of the north or the south.”
“I know some of the southern languages, but that doesn’t help us now,” Kait said.
He looked at her like she was insane. “Why would you learn any southern language? You hate the south.”
“It’s true, but I did it for you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The Shadows are strong in the south. When you were named Seeker and it became obvious that the three of us were going to stay together, I took it for granted you would eventually have to go south. I only learned the biggest languages.”
“Does anyone speak any of the northern languages?”
They all looked at him a bit blankly.
“How are people in Elverum supposed to tell me how to get into the caves if none of us speaks their language?”
Bryan grinned a bit lopsidedly. “I guess you’ll have to figure that out, won’t you, Seeker?”
“You are no help at all. Your cousin learned southern languages for me, why couldn’t you do your share and learn some northern ones?”
He laughed. “I’m your personal healer, I am doing my part. Talk to Aiden.”
Aiden grinned a bit sheepishly. “I’ve never learned another language in my life.”
“Great, this isn’t going to be easy at all.”
So far north they ran out of daylight much earlier than they did at home. They got in fewer hours of travel because of it. That left them with much more time to do normal things. Kait spent most of the evening teaching Connor magic. He was very glad for the extra lesson time. He never questioned why she was pushing him so much more. She didn’t offer an explanation either. After the magic lesson, while Connor was eating again, Kait and Aiden would go for a walk. They never went far, they always stayed within the barriers Connor set. They only went far enough to be out of the campfire light. They both felt uncomfortable when they were still in the light, as if Bryan was watching them. Most of their talking was done in whispers just to make sure they could talk freely. When everyone else laid down at night, Kait stayed awake, pushing her ability to sense the Shadows. She never really stopped trying to sense them. At night though, she pushed her ability. She hoped the more she practiced, the farther she would be able to reach. The more warning she could get of the Shadows, the better.
She never sensed the Shadows, no matter how far she pushed her ability. She felt something else, something unfamiliar. At first, she thought it was her imagination. She hadn’t ever pushed her ability so much. She wondered if she wasn’t meant to push it so far. Maybe it was a natural ability, like dancing. If it was something she was exceptionally good at, she would be able to sense farther away. Maybe she wasn’t exceptionally good at it. Maybe she was pushing herself too far. Other members of the Light gave her a comfortable sense of security. The Shadows were an icy coldness with a sense of dread and imminent danger. This new sensation was confusing. Sometimes, it felt welcoming, as if it wanted her to come closer. Other times, it was fleeting and mysterious, like it was trying to hide from her. Still other times, she felt intense anger. It made her heart race with adrenaline. It made her want to get in a fight. She was glad everyone else was asleep when she felt those sensations. She was afraid she would pick a fight with someone just to feel a release from the anger coming at her. She tried alternating how far she pushed her ability. She tried not pushing it at all. She still felt the new sensation. The farther north they got, the stronger, more clear the sensations became. She knew it couldn’t just be her imagination. She also knew this was Connor’s search, he needed to know what she was feeling.
“I need to talk to you about something,” she said lowly to Connor one evening as they made themselves comfortable for his magic lesson.
He glanced over at Bryan and Aiden, who were covering the horses with blankets to keep them warm during the night. “You sound so serious.” He kept his voice low as well but tried to make light of her tone.
“I’ve been working on something. I probably should have told you sooner. I thought it was just my imagination for a while.”
“You don’t think so anymore.”
She shook her head.
“What is it?”
“There’s something ahead of us. I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve been trying to push my ability to sense the Shadows. I found this new thing instead. It feels completely different from the Light or the Shadows. I think it’s conscious of me. I get different sensations from it. Sometimes I’m afraid the emotions coming from it will reflect in me. I’ve only been checking at night when everyone is asleep so I don’t take its emotions out on any of you.”
“That sounds pretty strong.”
“It isn’t always like that. Sometimes I feel like it wants us to come closer.”
“Isn’t this kind of like what happened in the Haunted Valley?”
“No, not really. When we were there, I knew we were dealing with ghosts. I have no idea what this is. I thought since this is your search, you needed to know. You need to know what I know in case this thing needs to be dealt with.”
“How do I deal with it?”
“I don’t know, I don’t even know what it is.”
“How do I figure out what it is? How long have you been working on it?”
“I started stretching my ability when we left Latopolis. I didn’t start sensing this thing until a day or two later.”
“It’s been several days, then.”
She nodded. “Maybe it will be easier for you. We’re heading toward this thing on your search. Maybe they’re related.”
“It can’t hurt to try, right?”
“Of course not, and I’ll keep trying too.”
“Tell me what I need to do.”
“First, you’ll need to calm yourself completely. You should probably wait to do it tonight after Bryan and Aiden have gone to bed, that’s when I’ve been doing it. Remember how I taught you to probe a person’s consciousness?”
He nodded.
“It’s like that, except you have to leave yourself more open. You can’t focus on one person.”
“Can’t we focus on this thing we’re trying to figure out?”
“We can, once we get more information about it. Right now, we don’t even know what sort of creature we’re dealing with. It could be a person but I’m not so sure. It doesn’t feel like a person. It feels more like a wild animal.” She looked up as Aiden started walking toward them. “Let’s get started with your lesson. We’ll work on this later when there’s less to distract you.”
Connor grinned. “Okay.”
The rest of his lesson was spent working on spells, primarily barriers. He was a fast learner, especially when it came to protective spells. Aiden sat with them the entire time. He didn’t look envious anymore. He almost looked interested in what was happening. When the lesson was over, he and Kait headed out of the firelight for their walk.
“You don’t look as jealous of Connor’s magic anymore,” Kait whispered.
She could barely see him smile. “No, I’m not. I wish I could do magic but I’ve got the next best thing.”
“You can still feel mine?”
He nodded. “It feels different with each spell. It’s kind of fun trying to match what I feel with what you’re doing.”
“Until it fades.”
“It doesn’t have to,” he said hopefully. “I don’t have any use for my magic. You could do so much with it. If you want, you can use it as often as you want.”
They walked quietly for several moments while Kait thought. She had to admit, he was right. He couldn’t use his ability, at least not yet. It wouldn’t hurt him for her to use it, it wouldn’t stop him from being able to do magic in the future. It seemed like a good idea for both of them. She would have access to a vast amount of power. Aiden would be able to feel magic. Tapping someone’s power repeatedly, on purpose, was something that wasn’t done. It was almost taboo. She was taught how to power-share in school. Her teachers always stressed that tapping someone’s power was only to be done in an emergency. She didn’t feel bad about doing it the first time because it had been an emergency.
“Kait?” Aiden sounded nervous, like he was afraid he had offended her.
“Sorry, I was thinking.”
“I didn’t realize it needed so much thinking, I’m sorry. Forget I suggested it.”
“Oh no,” she said quickly. “I know you didn’t know, there’s no way you could have. You didn’t go to magic school.”
“What is it? Can you tell me?”
“There isn’t much to tell. I know how to tap your power on purpose, I learned in school. I was always told it should only be done if there was an emergency. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to tap your power as much as we want. It won’t hurt you. I don’t know if there are any other side effects.”
“I don’t understand, what’s the problem?”
She shrugged. She realized she didn’t have a good reason not to take his offer. “I don’t know. From the first day I started learning magic I was taught not to power-share. I can’t ever remember being given a reason not to do it. The teachers probably never said anything so we wouldn’t get any bad ideas. The one who is using the power would become very powerful, especially with someone like you behind them.”
“Can you think of any reason why it shouldn’t be done?”
“Only one, and it’s an extreme example.”
“What is it?”
“If the person supplying the power is extremely powerful and the user takes too much, the user could destroy himself.”
“What’s too much?”
“It’s different for each person. What might be too much for me might not have any negative effect on someone already more powerful, like Connor.”
“He’s more powerful than you?”
“Much, he’s just untrained. There will come a point where I won’t be able to teach him anymore. He’s already surpassed me in the strength of his barriers.”
“Does he know that?”
She laughed. “Probably not.”
“Is power-sharing something you can build up to, like you’re trying to build up Connor’s endurance?”
She looked up at him thoughtfully. “It should be. Everything else about magic is.”
“If you want to use my power, you can. I trust you with it. I don’t know how great the risk of taking too much from me is since I can’t possibly have that much in me -”
“You do. Bryan and I experimented with power-sharing when we were younger to see what it was like. What happened when I tapped your power, the strength of the spell I did, never happened to me before. If I had known what I was doing when I tapped your power I would have been afraid of hurting both of us.”
“If the risk is that great I understand if you don’t want to use my power. It’s always there if you change your mind, though.”
“Thank you. It is a very tempting offer. You know, I really think it was tapping your power that made my magic settle down.”
“You’ve said that before. I don’t understand why, though.”
“That’s the only thing different that happened between my testings. Bryan even said it wasn’t likely that I just needed more time, I’d been off balance for so long already.”
“Does Bryan think it was me?”
“I’m not sure what he thinks. I told him I thought it was just that I needed more time. He didn’t sound convinced. He probably still thinks about it, he wouldn’t want to leave that question unanswered. I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought it was you.”
“Do you think he’ll ask about it?” Aiden asked. He was starting to sound nervous.
“Maybe. Tell him you don’t know anything about it. You were unconscious when I did it.”
“Is that going to be enough for him?”
“Just keep saying it, that’s what I do.”
“What if he asks what my task is?”
“You could tell him that couldn’t possibly have anything to do with what happened. I’m not sure he’ll ask, though. He and Connor seem to believe you’re the Guardian.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’ll think it’s some protective Guardian ability.”
“He’s going to think we’re plotting something if we don’t go back.”
She looked over at Bryan. He was staring hard in their direction. “Is he calling for us?”
“No, but he’s been staring for a while.”
“We are farther away than usual, and we don’t usually stay out this long. We’re lucky he hasn’t started calling for us already.”
“You’re probably right about that. Let’s get back over there before he does start calling.”
They let go of each other’s arms as they walked toward the campfire.
“It’s late,” Bryan said as the two settled onto their own bedding. “We should all go to sleep.”
Connor and Kait only pretended to be going to sleep while the other two pulled off their shoes and covered themselves with blankets. Bryan wasn’t watching her to make sure she went straight to sleep. She watched him, though. When he finally looked like he was sleeping deeply she looked over at Connor. He was watching her. As soon as she started to sit up, he quietly unwrapped himself from his bedding. He tip-toed across their little campsite to sit down beside her. He glanced at Bryan and Aiden as he took her hand.
I was wondering, can you only do this at night?
No, you can do it whenever you want. I do it after everyone is asleep because there are fewer distractions. Since you don’t know what you’re looking for yet, it will be easier for you to find while the others are sleeping.
Once I know what it feels like I could do this whenever I want, like when we’re in the wagon?
Of course.
Let’s get started, then.
Kait explained the process of reaching out with his magic. When he felt like he had enough direction to try it, she went over the feelings she had been getting from the unknown being. There was a determined look in Connor’s eyes as she let go of his hand. He stared at the fire, his face going blank. She waited patiently. She wondered if Aiden would be able to do this. He felt the Shadows before their last attack without even trying. Maybe he wasn’t completely unable to use his power after. She wasn’t going to use his ability if he could.
Kait?
She looked over at Connor. He was grinning foolishly.
Thinking about Aiden?
She felt heat spreading across her cheeks. Why would you think that?
Because you were staring at him.
Sorry, yes, I was thinking about him. It’s not what you’re thinking. He’s been asking questions about magic. I was thinking about our conversations, that’s all.
Connor’s grin broadened. What kind of questions has he been asking?
The usual, the same questions you asked when I first started teaching you. Let’s get back to what we’re supposed to be doing. Did you feel anything?
Actually, I did. I felt you and Bryan and Aiden. It’s like a warm blanket being around the three of you.
That’s exactly how I feel. Was there anything else?
There was something else. It wasn’t like you. It was like someone else reaching out for me. It was...curious.
That’s it. You focus on that, I’ll focus on watching for the Shadows.
How late should I work on this? Have you noticed it getting easier or harder with the time of day?
No, I don’t know that it’s a person, or if he is, he probably doesn’t have a regular sleep schedule. Work on it until you’re tired. You’ll be working on it again tomorrow anyway.
Thanks for teaching me how to do this.
You’re welcome. Now get off my bed.
Connor went back to his own bedding. They both sat up for a while longer focusing on their own target. Kait couldn’t feel the Shadows, just like every other night. She was satisfied she wasn’t going to find the Shadows that night, she laid down. Connor was still sitting up on his bedding with his head lowered. She wasn’t worried about him staying up too late, there would be plenty of time for him to sleep in the wagon.
When Kait woke up in the morning, there was a light dusting of snow over everything. Once it started snowing this far north, it never really stopped until spring came back. Instead of starting right away on breakfast she went to the back of the wagon. She pulled open the sack King Jonathan had given her. It was filled with all the clothing she would need this far north. She started pulling on the clothing. There was a pair of thick, fur-lined boots, a woolen overdress made from the heaviest, softest material she had ever felt, and a heavy, dark blue cloak. She was just clasping a wide belt at her waist when Bryan came around the corner. He smiled when he saw what she was doing.
“Our clothes won’t keep us warm any longer now that it’s really started snowing.”
Kait nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. These things King Jonathan gave us are really nice. It’s very good quality and the fabric is amazingly soft.”
He laughed. “You sound surprised that he can afford it. He is a king.”
“I know he can afford it. I meant it was very nice of him. He didn’t need to give us such nice things.”
“Of course he would give his son the best. It would have been rude not to give us something at least almost as nice. He likes us,” Bryan said with a shrug. “We’re his son’s first friends. He appreciates us.”
“Did he tell you that?”
He nodded.
“It must be nice not to look like Aiden’s mother,” she grumbled.
“He’ll get used to you, don’t worry.”
“I know. I just wish it was one less problem I had.”
He smiled. “It will pass on its own. Go make breakfast.”
Connor and Aiden were still sleeping as she started cooking. As soon as the food started heating, the scent of the salted pork filled their camp. She looked up when she heard rustling. Aiden was sitting up, smiling.
“This is my favorite way to wake up.”
She smiled. “What way?”
“To the smell of your cooking.”
“Lucky for you I’m the best cook out of all of us.”
“Yes, lucky for me.” He looked around at the snow. “I guess I shouldn’t hope for the weather to get better.”
“No, it will only continue to get worse. Go put on your heavy clothes from the king.”
Bryan woke Connor up when he came back from the wagon. By the time camp was cleaned up and everyone was in their snow clothes, Kait had breakfast ready. They ate quickly without much talking. Connor was the first one to climb into the wagon. He took one of the back seats. Looking a little confused, Bryan waited for Kait. She climbed up beside Connor. She knew he was planning to search for whatever was ahead of them in the north. Aiden climbed up next, followed by Bryan. As Aiden slapped the reins against the horses’ backs, Kait leaned forward. She wanted to keep Bryan and Aiden occupied so they would leave Connor alone. She hadn’t had a chance to find out from him just how focused he had become on the thing he was searching for.
All day Connor stayed quiet. Kait checked on him periodically throughout the day. She never got a chance to talk to him. He either had his head lowered or he was reclined back with his eyes closed. The other two never bothered him. She did see Bryan look over at him several times. She knew Bryan would be asking questions later.
As she expected, Bryan left the camp setup early that evening to catch her alone.
“You know why I’m sitting here, don’t you?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
She nodded.
“Tell me what’s been going on with Connor all day.”
“He and I had a little talk last night. He’s worried about having a repeat of the Amant Valley. He’s been trying to analyze what he’s seen in his visions. He’s been trying to make sure he hasn’t missed anything.”
Bryan nodded, a pleased look on his face. “I’m impressed. I was worried he still wouldn’t take his search seriously. This is good. I’ll leave him alone to think as much as he wants.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you will.”
He laughed as they went off to help the others again. She knew he would like the answer she gave him. She also knew it would give Connor all the time he needed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep Bryan and Aiden occupied the entire way to Elverum. Now, she didn’t have to worry about it.
“I saw Bryan talking to you earlier,” Connor said as he and Kait sat down for his magic lesson that night.
“You didn’t think he wouldn’t notice how quiet you were today, did you?”
“No, I guess it was inevitable.”
“Are you still up for doing magic tonight?” “Absolutely. I do want to talk to you about what I felt today before we get started. I think Aiden should hear it too. He’s my Guardian. It’s not really fair to leave him out of this.”
“He’ll be along any moment, I’m sure.”
As if he heard Kait calling him, Aiden appeared from the other side of the wagon. He walked straight to where they were sitting. He sat down within reach of Kait. He looked between the two of them.
“You weren’t waiting for me, were you?”
“Actually, we were,” Connor said.
“Why? You don’t need me here to start the lesson. I’m not actually learning anything.”
“There’s something I want to talk to the two of you about before we started.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Aiden relaxed. “Okay, then.”
Kait took his hand. She gave him a quick smile.
“Last night Kait told me she found something unfamiliar in her scanning for the Shadows,” Connor said, looking a bit cautiously at Aiden. “She didn’t recognize it and she couldn’t make anything of it, so after you and Bryan went to sleep last night, she taught me how to reach for it. That’s what I’ve been doing all day.”
An almost stunned look came onto Aiden’s face. Kait, can you hear me?
Of course.
Connor is expecting a reaction from me. This is all an act, okay?
Okay.
“Aiden?” Connor called a bit timidly.
“I’m sorry, I’m just wondering why this is the first time I’m hearing about this.” His fingers twisted around Kait’s.
“How long have you known about this?”
“Almost since we left your father’s,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re both sorry, really sorry,” Connor said. “I promise it won’t happen again, okay?”
Aiden nodded. “I’m assuming you have an update.”
“It’s not really informative, but yes. Kait told me this thing seemed conscious of her. Sometimes it seemed curious, sometimes welcoming, sometimes it seemed to be hiding. That’s exactly what I’ve been feeling all day. I didn’t realize something like this could do that.”
“It shouldn’t be able to,” Kait said. “You felt what members of the Light feel like. The sensation of our presence is just there. It’s the same with the Shadows. It should be the same with this thing. It’s a presence, not an actual person.”
“What does that mean?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I think it’s important, though,” Connor said. “It can’t be a coincidence that I have to go north and this thing is in the north. It’s only going to get stronger as we travel. I’m going to keep working on it during the day. I’ll give you two another update tomorrow night before my lesson.”
Kait nodded. “If you make an important breakthrough though, I think you should tell us right away.”
Aiden nodded in agreement.
“I will. Can I have my magic lesson now?”
“Of course,” Kait said with a roll of her eyes.
Connor’s magic lesson was completely normal. They pushed his magic until his stomach was rumbling with hunger. As he was shoveling food into his mouth from an extra plate, Kait and Aiden were walking out of the firelight.
“You know I’m not really mad at you at all, right?” he asked in a hesitant whisper. “I was only pretending to be upset because that’s what Connor was expecting.”
“I know, thank you very much. That was quick thinking on your part.”
“How did I do?”
She smiled. “It was very believable.”
“Do you think he suspects anything?”
“No, he never has.” She looked up at Aiden. She couldn’t see his golden eyes in the darkness but she knew he was watching her. “I really appreciate what you’re doing. No one else would do this for me. I would probably be bound to Bryan by now if someone else had found out.”
“You can’t help what task you were given any more than I can. You didn’t ask for it, you may not have even wanted it. I didn’t. I can’t tell you not to fulfill your task, you don’t have a choice. I can try to make it easier, though.”
“I’m glad someone understands, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was thinking about your offer to let me tap your power.”
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize it was an offensive question.”
“No, I’m not offended, don’t worry. It’s a very tempting offer, but I don’t want to use your power if there’s any possibility that you can. It’s your power, not mine.”
“I can’t use it, that’s why I offered it to you. Whatever is keeping me from using my power isn’t stopping you.”
“I think you can use it, at least a little. I want to work on that with you before I start using your power.”
“Why do you think I can use it?”
“Just before the Shadows attacked when we were at the fall festival, you felt them. That’s how I feel them. It’s their presence. It feels wrong and cold. I want to see if there’s anything else you can do.”
“That was magic?” he asked a bit dubiously.
“Indirectly.”
“I trust you if you think there’s something I can do.”
“If you don’t mind staying up late, we can start working on it after Bryan goes to sleep.”
“That’s fine with me.”
They only walked for a little while longer before returning to the campfire. Shivering, Kait wrapped up in her blankets. Connor was already laying down with his eyes closed, a satisfied smile on his lips. Bryan waited until he was sure Kait wasn’t going to get up again before wearily rubbing his eyes. He laid down but he didn’t close his eyes until Aiden also laid down. Kait stared blankly at the fire while she waited. She knew Bryan had probably fallen asleep fairly quickly, he had looked tired all evening. She started to get a little impatient. She was about to go see if Aiden had fallen asleep when he cautiously sat up, watching Bryan. He crept over to where Kait was sitting, still watching Bryan.
She unwrapped her hand from her blankets to take Aiden’s. He’s asleep, you don’t have to worry.
He gave her a crooked little grin. I’ll always worry about him, sorry.
You know I’d test your food for you, don’t you? You don’t have to worry about him poisoning you. Besides, we haven’t done anything remotely improper.
His grin broadened. I can’t help myself, I guess.
Try not to worry too much. Ready to get started?
Sure.
Kait could tell he was feeling less confident than he sounded earlier. She didn’t know what to expect of his abilities. She was absolutely certain he had plenty of power in him. She didn’t know if he would purposefully be able to access it. They spent more than an hour trying to get him to feel the difference between the Light and the Shadows. He was only able to feel the warm security of the Light once. Kait saw it as very encouraging, but Aiden didn’t think it meant anything. He tried to convince her, and himself, that it was just his imagination that he felt anything. If it hadn’t already been so late, she would have continued pushing him. She kept hoping he would be able to sense the rest of them. She was sure if she could make any sort of breakthrough with his magic, he would be able to learn everything else.
Everyone except Bryan was tired in the wagon the next day. Kait and Aiden tried to pretend they weren’t tired. Kait knew Bryan noticed. They were all much quieter than normal. He didn’t say anything to them but she knew they would have to be more careful before he got too suspicious. Some time after midday Kait was leaning against the wooden beam behind her with her eyes closed. She could feel them slowly drooping lower and lower. She almost gasped aloud when a warning tingle shot all through her body. She sat up abruptly, startled into full wakefulness. The only one who noticed was Aiden. Without questioning, he sat forward, ready to grab Connor. Only a moment later, Connor’s entire body went rigid. Aiden put his hands on Connor’s arms.
“What’s happening?” Bryan asked from his seat beside Connor. “Is he having another vision?”
“It looks like it,” Kait said, watching Connor closely.
“Why is he having so many this time?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully he’s learning something helpful, like how to get into the caves.”
“He said the people in the village would tell us how to do that,” Aiden said.
“I would like to skip the town, actually,” Bryan said, stuffing his blankets more securely around his legs. “I don’t want to get stuck up here. I don’t think even this wagon would make it through a blizzard.”
“You’re probably right, but wouldn’t you rather be up here than in the deep south? Didn’t you say that’s where the Shadows have the most control? I know I read that while we were at the Fortress. I’m assuming it’s still true.”
“It is. They’re probably all down there because no one likes to be this cold.”
Aiden grinned as Connor finally started to relax. “I can’t disagree with that.”
He pulled Connor onto the second bench where he and Kait had been sitting while Kait climbed up beside Bryan. They sat quietly watching Connor sleep. Bryan glanced back at Connor.
“Do you want me to stop? Should I have a look at him?”
“Not yet,” Kait said. “He’s been fine after all his other visions. The work I’ve been doing with him should start paying off. He shouldn’t sleep quite as long as before.”
He grinned. “I keep forgetting you actually had a plan by doing that.”
“There’s always a reason for what I do.”
He laughed. “If you say so. I thought most of the time you were doing the first thing that came into your mind.”
“There’s always a reason for those actions to come into my head.”
“I think I’m with Bryan on this one,” Connor mumbled as he slowly sat up. “I don’t understand you most of the time.”
She gave him a playful push. “You’re only saying that because you just had a vision and you think I won’t argue with you. I know your visions are normal now so there’s no chance of that.”
“It is nice to have normal visions. How long did I sleep this time?”
“Not long at all. Eventually, you won’t have to sleep at all.”
He gave a happy sigh as he looked dreamily up at the sky. “I can’t wait for that day.”
“Which shouldn’t be much longer at the rate you’re adapting,” Bryan said. “Now tell us what you saw before I stop the wagon.”
Connor laughed. “I didn’t actually see anything new, sorry. I saw the blue man again. I think he’s sitting up rather than laying down. His eyes were closed, though. I’m assuming he’s just sleeping. I don’t really want to see a dead body. The skeleton that had my ring was bad enough.”
“Why is he blue?” Aiden asked. “People are blue when they die out in the cold. We are heading north. Are we looking for someone who’s dead?”
“I don’t think so. I also felt like he wanted me to come to him, like maybe he has the shield.”
“Well, if he has the shield, you have to go to him,” Bryan said. “You’ll find out if he’s dead or alive very soon. According to our map, we’ll get to Elverum tomorrow or the next day. Maybe we should pick up the pace while we can.” He slapped the reins against the horses’ backs. Immediately they started moving faster.
If they hadn’t been so far north and dealing with bad weather, they would have driven late that evening. Instead, they stopped while they still had enough light to set up camp like they had on previous nights. Their campfire was bigger and they pulled out more furs and blankets. They were all colder than they had ever been before. Kait didn’t think she would ever be fully warm again. The idea that she might want to make a short trip into the southern territories only briefly crossed her mind. She would rather keep a slight chill instead of going into the south. She despised the south. It was too hot. It was all very dangerous. Most Shadowmen lived in the southern territories. She didn’t have an explanation for why there were so many Shadowmen in the south. She hadn’t been south of the border since before she was initiated. The elders thought it was too dangerous for powerful people like her and Bryan to go where they would undoubtedly be outnumbered even with all of Connor’s guard. It worked out well that she had absolutely no desire to go south.
Chapter 20
Everyone turned to face him without an answer.
“I now a couple of languages but they’re basically all derivatives of the common language of the Midlands. I don’t know anything about the languages of the north or the south.”
“I know some of the southern languages, but that doesn’t help us now,” Kait said.
He looked at her like she was insane. “Why would you learn any southern language? You hate the south.”
“It’s true, but I did it for you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The Shadows are strong in the south. When you were named Seeker and it became obvious that the three of us were going to stay together, I took it for granted you would eventually have to go south. I only learned the biggest languages.”
“Does anyone speak any of the northern languages?”
They all looked at him a bit blankly.
“How are people in Elverum supposed to tell me how to get into the caves if none of us speaks their language?”
Bryan grinned a bit lopsidedly. “I guess you’ll have to figure that out, won’t you, Seeker?”
“You are no help at all. Your cousin learned southern languages for me, why couldn’t you do your share and learn some northern ones?”
He laughed. “I’m your personal healer, I am doing my part. Talk to Aiden.”
Aiden grinned a bit sheepishly. “I’ve never learned another language in my life.”
“Great, this isn’t going to be easy at all.”
So far north they ran out of daylight much earlier than they did at home. They got in fewer hours of travel because of it. That left them with much more time to do normal things. Kait spent most of the evening teaching Connor magic. He was very glad for the extra lesson time. He never questioned why she was pushing him so much more. She didn’t offer an explanation either. After the magic lesson, while Connor was eating again, Kait and Aiden would go for a walk. They never went far, they always stayed within the barriers Connor set. They only went far enough to be out of the campfire light. They both felt uncomfortable when they were still in the light, as if Bryan was watching them. Most of their talking was done in whispers just to make sure they could talk freely. When everyone else laid down at night, Kait stayed awake, pushing her ability to sense the Shadows. She never really stopped trying to sense them. At night though, she pushed her ability. She hoped the more she practiced, the farther she would be able to reach. The more warning she could get of the Shadows, the better.
She never sensed the Shadows, no matter how far she pushed her ability. She felt something else, something unfamiliar. At first, she thought it was her imagination. She hadn’t ever pushed her ability so much. She wondered if she wasn’t meant to push it so far. Maybe it was a natural ability, like dancing. If it was something she was exceptionally good at, she would be able to sense farther away. Maybe she wasn’t exceptionally good at it. Maybe she was pushing herself too far. Other members of the Light gave her a comfortable sense of security. The Shadows were an icy coldness with a sense of dread and imminent danger. This new sensation was confusing. Sometimes, it felt welcoming, as if it wanted her to come closer. Other times, it was fleeting and mysterious, like it was trying to hide from her. Still other times, she felt intense anger. It made her heart race with adrenaline. It made her want to get in a fight. She was glad everyone else was asleep when she felt those sensations. She was afraid she would pick a fight with someone just to feel a release from the anger coming at her. She tried alternating how far she pushed her ability. She tried not pushing it at all. She still felt the new sensation. The farther north they got, the stronger, more clear the sensations became. She knew it couldn’t just be her imagination. She also knew this was Connor’s search, he needed to know what she was feeling.
“I need to talk to you about something,” she said lowly to Connor one evening as they made themselves comfortable for his magic lesson.
He glanced over at Bryan and Aiden, who were covering the horses with blankets to keep them warm during the night. “You sound so serious.” He kept his voice low as well but tried to make light of her tone.
“I’ve been working on something. I probably should have told you sooner. I thought it was just my imagination for a while.”
“You don’t think so anymore.”
She shook her head.
“What is it?”
“There’s something ahead of us. I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve been trying to push my ability to sense the Shadows. I found this new thing instead. It feels completely different from the Light or the Shadows. I think it’s conscious of me. I get different sensations from it. Sometimes I’m afraid the emotions coming from it will reflect in me. I’ve only been checking at night when everyone is asleep so I don’t take its emotions out on any of you.”
“That sounds pretty strong.”
“It isn’t always like that. Sometimes I feel like it wants us to come closer.”
“Isn’t this kind of like what happened in the Haunted Valley?”
“No, not really. When we were there, I knew we were dealing with ghosts. I have no idea what this is. I thought since this is your search, you needed to know. You need to know what I know in case this thing needs to be dealt with.”
“How do I deal with it?”
“I don’t know, I don’t even know what it is.”
“How do I figure out what it is? How long have you been working on it?”
“I started stretching my ability when we left Latopolis. I didn’t start sensing this thing until a day or two later.”
“It’s been several days, then.”
She nodded. “Maybe it will be easier for you. We’re heading toward this thing on your search. Maybe they’re related.”
“It can’t hurt to try, right?”
“Of course not, and I’ll keep trying too.”
“Tell me what I need to do.”
“First, you’ll need to calm yourself completely. You should probably wait to do it tonight after Bryan and Aiden have gone to bed, that’s when I’ve been doing it. Remember how I taught you to probe a person’s consciousness?”
He nodded.
“It’s like that, except you have to leave yourself more open. You can’t focus on one person.”
“Can’t we focus on this thing we’re trying to figure out?”
“We can, once we get more information about it. Right now, we don’t even know what sort of creature we’re dealing with. It could be a person but I’m not so sure. It doesn’t feel like a person. It feels more like a wild animal.” She looked up as Aiden started walking toward them. “Let’s get started with your lesson. We’ll work on this later when there’s less to distract you.”
Connor grinned. “Okay.”
The rest of his lesson was spent working on spells, primarily barriers. He was a fast learner, especially when it came to protective spells. Aiden sat with them the entire time. He didn’t look envious anymore. He almost looked interested in what was happening. When the lesson was over, he and Kait headed out of the firelight for their walk.
“You don’t look as jealous of Connor’s magic anymore,” Kait whispered.
She could barely see him smile. “No, I’m not. I wish I could do magic but I’ve got the next best thing.”
“You can still feel mine?”
He nodded. “It feels different with each spell. It’s kind of fun trying to match what I feel with what you’re doing.”
“Until it fades.”
“It doesn’t have to,” he said hopefully. “I don’t have any use for my magic. You could do so much with it. If you want, you can use it as often as you want.”
They walked quietly for several moments while Kait thought. She had to admit, he was right. He couldn’t use his ability, at least not yet. It wouldn’t hurt him for her to use it, it wouldn’t stop him from being able to do magic in the future. It seemed like a good idea for both of them. She would have access to a vast amount of power. Aiden would be able to feel magic. Tapping someone’s power repeatedly, on purpose, was something that wasn’t done. It was almost taboo. She was taught how to power-share in school. Her teachers always stressed that tapping someone’s power was only to be done in an emergency. She didn’t feel bad about doing it the first time because it had been an emergency.
“Kait?” Aiden sounded nervous, like he was afraid he had offended her.
“Sorry, I was thinking.”
“I didn’t realize it needed so much thinking, I’m sorry. Forget I suggested it.”
“Oh no,” she said quickly. “I know you didn’t know, there’s no way you could have. You didn’t go to magic school.”
“What is it? Can you tell me?”
“There isn’t much to tell. I know how to tap your power on purpose, I learned in school. I was always told it should only be done if there was an emergency. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to tap your power as much as we want. It won’t hurt you. I don’t know if there are any other side effects.”
“I don’t understand, what’s the problem?”
She shrugged. She realized she didn’t have a good reason not to take his offer. “I don’t know. From the first day I started learning magic I was taught not to power-share. I can’t ever remember being given a reason not to do it. The teachers probably never said anything so we wouldn’t get any bad ideas. The one who is using the power would become very powerful, especially with someone like you behind them.”
“Can you think of any reason why it shouldn’t be done?”
“Only one, and it’s an extreme example.”
“What is it?”
“If the person supplying the power is extremely powerful and the user takes too much, the user could destroy himself.”
“What’s too much?”
“It’s different for each person. What might be too much for me might not have any negative effect on someone already more powerful, like Connor.”
“He’s more powerful than you?”
“Much, he’s just untrained. There will come a point where I won’t be able to teach him anymore. He’s already surpassed me in the strength of his barriers.”
“Does he know that?”
She laughed. “Probably not.”
“Is power-sharing something you can build up to, like you’re trying to build up Connor’s endurance?”
She looked up at him thoughtfully. “It should be. Everything else about magic is.”
“If you want to use my power, you can. I trust you with it. I don’t know how great the risk of taking too much from me is since I can’t possibly have that much in me -”
“You do. Bryan and I experimented with power-sharing when we were younger to see what it was like. What happened when I tapped your power, the strength of the spell I did, never happened to me before. If I had known what I was doing when I tapped your power I would have been afraid of hurting both of us.”
“If the risk is that great I understand if you don’t want to use my power. It’s always there if you change your mind, though.”
“Thank you. It is a very tempting offer. You know, I really think it was tapping your power that made my magic settle down.”
“You’ve said that before. I don’t understand why, though.”
“That’s the only thing different that happened between my testings. Bryan even said it wasn’t likely that I just needed more time, I’d been off balance for so long already.”
“Does Bryan think it was me?”
“I’m not sure what he thinks. I told him I thought it was just that I needed more time. He didn’t sound convinced. He probably still thinks about it, he wouldn’t want to leave that question unanswered. I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought it was you.”
“Do you think he’ll ask about it?” Aiden asked. He was starting to sound nervous.
“Maybe. Tell him you don’t know anything about it. You were unconscious when I did it.”
“Is that going to be enough for him?”
“Just keep saying it, that’s what I do.”
“What if he asks what my task is?”
“You could tell him that couldn’t possibly have anything to do with what happened. I’m not sure he’ll ask, though. He and Connor seem to believe you’re the Guardian.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’ll think it’s some protective Guardian ability.”
“He’s going to think we’re plotting something if we don’t go back.”
She looked over at Bryan. He was staring hard in their direction. “Is he calling for us?”
“No, but he’s been staring for a while.”
“We are farther away than usual, and we don’t usually stay out this long. We’re lucky he hasn’t started calling for us already.”
“You’re probably right about that. Let’s get back over there before he does start calling.”
They let go of each other’s arms as they walked toward the campfire.
“It’s late,” Bryan said as the two settled onto their own bedding. “We should all go to sleep.”
Connor and Kait only pretended to be going to sleep while the other two pulled off their shoes and covered themselves with blankets. Bryan wasn’t watching her to make sure she went straight to sleep. She watched him, though. When he finally looked like he was sleeping deeply she looked over at Connor. He was watching her. As soon as she started to sit up, he quietly unwrapped himself from his bedding. He tip-toed across their little campsite to sit down beside her. He glanced at Bryan and Aiden as he took her hand.
I was wondering, can you only do this at night?
No, you can do it whenever you want. I do it after everyone is asleep because there are fewer distractions. Since you don’t know what you’re looking for yet, it will be easier for you to find while the others are sleeping.
Once I know what it feels like I could do this whenever I want, like when we’re in the wagon?
Of course.
Let’s get started, then.
Kait explained the process of reaching out with his magic. When he felt like he had enough direction to try it, she went over the feelings she had been getting from the unknown being. There was a determined look in Connor’s eyes as she let go of his hand. He stared at the fire, his face going blank. She waited patiently. She wondered if Aiden would be able to do this. He felt the Shadows before their last attack without even trying. Maybe he wasn’t completely unable to use his power after. She wasn’t going to use his ability if he could.
Kait?
She looked over at Connor. He was grinning foolishly.
Thinking about Aiden?
She felt heat spreading across her cheeks. Why would you think that?
Because you were staring at him.
Sorry, yes, I was thinking about him. It’s not what you’re thinking. He’s been asking questions about magic. I was thinking about our conversations, that’s all.
Connor’s grin broadened. What kind of questions has he been asking?
The usual, the same questions you asked when I first started teaching you. Let’s get back to what we’re supposed to be doing. Did you feel anything?
Actually, I did. I felt you and Bryan and Aiden. It’s like a warm blanket being around the three of you.
That’s exactly how I feel. Was there anything else?
There was something else. It wasn’t like you. It was like someone else reaching out for me. It was...curious.
That’s it. You focus on that, I’ll focus on watching for the Shadows.
How late should I work on this? Have you noticed it getting easier or harder with the time of day?
No, I don’t know that it’s a person, or if he is, he probably doesn’t have a regular sleep schedule. Work on it until you’re tired. You’ll be working on it again tomorrow anyway.
Thanks for teaching me how to do this.
You’re welcome. Now get off my bed.
Connor went back to his own bedding. They both sat up for a while longer focusing on their own target. Kait couldn’t feel the Shadows, just like every other night. She was satisfied she wasn’t going to find the Shadows that night, she laid down. Connor was still sitting up on his bedding with his head lowered. She wasn’t worried about him staying up too late, there would be plenty of time for him to sleep in the wagon.
When Kait woke up in the morning, there was a light dusting of snow over everything. Once it started snowing this far north, it never really stopped until spring came back. Instead of starting right away on breakfast she went to the back of the wagon. She pulled open the sack King Jonathan had given her. It was filled with all the clothing she would need this far north. She started pulling on the clothing. There was a pair of thick, fur-lined boots, a woolen overdress made from the heaviest, softest material she had ever felt, and a heavy, dark blue cloak. She was just clasping a wide belt at her waist when Bryan came around the corner. He smiled when he saw what she was doing.
“Our clothes won’t keep us warm any longer now that it’s really started snowing.”
Kait nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. These things King Jonathan gave us are really nice. It’s very good quality and the fabric is amazingly soft.”
He laughed. “You sound surprised that he can afford it. He is a king.”
“I know he can afford it. I meant it was very nice of him. He didn’t need to give us such nice things.”
“Of course he would give his son the best. It would have been rude not to give us something at least almost as nice. He likes us,” Bryan said with a shrug. “We’re his son’s first friends. He appreciates us.”
“Did he tell you that?”
He nodded.
“It must be nice not to look like Aiden’s mother,” she grumbled.
“He’ll get used to you, don’t worry.”
“I know. I just wish it was one less problem I had.”
He smiled. “It will pass on its own. Go make breakfast.”
Connor and Aiden were still sleeping as she started cooking. As soon as the food started heating, the scent of the salted pork filled their camp. She looked up when she heard rustling. Aiden was sitting up, smiling.
“This is my favorite way to wake up.”
She smiled. “What way?”
“To the smell of your cooking.”
“Lucky for you I’m the best cook out of all of us.”
“Yes, lucky for me.” He looked around at the snow. “I guess I shouldn’t hope for the weather to get better.”
“No, it will only continue to get worse. Go put on your heavy clothes from the king.”
Bryan woke Connor up when he came back from the wagon. By the time camp was cleaned up and everyone was in their snow clothes, Kait had breakfast ready. They ate quickly without much talking. Connor was the first one to climb into the wagon. He took one of the back seats. Looking a little confused, Bryan waited for Kait. She climbed up beside Connor. She knew he was planning to search for whatever was ahead of them in the north. Aiden climbed up next, followed by Bryan. As Aiden slapped the reins against the horses’ backs, Kait leaned forward. She wanted to keep Bryan and Aiden occupied so they would leave Connor alone. She hadn’t had a chance to find out from him just how focused he had become on the thing he was searching for.
All day Connor stayed quiet. Kait checked on him periodically throughout the day. She never got a chance to talk to him. He either had his head lowered or he was reclined back with his eyes closed. The other two never bothered him. She did see Bryan look over at him several times. She knew Bryan would be asking questions later.
As she expected, Bryan left the camp setup early that evening to catch her alone.
“You know why I’m sitting here, don’t you?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
She nodded.
“Tell me what’s been going on with Connor all day.”
“He and I had a little talk last night. He’s worried about having a repeat of the Amant Valley. He’s been trying to analyze what he’s seen in his visions. He’s been trying to make sure he hasn’t missed anything.”
Bryan nodded, a pleased look on his face. “I’m impressed. I was worried he still wouldn’t take his search seriously. This is good. I’ll leave him alone to think as much as he wants.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you will.”
He laughed as they went off to help the others again. She knew he would like the answer she gave him. She also knew it would give Connor all the time he needed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep Bryan and Aiden occupied the entire way to Elverum. Now, she didn’t have to worry about it.
“I saw Bryan talking to you earlier,” Connor said as he and Kait sat down for his magic lesson that night.
“You didn’t think he wouldn’t notice how quiet you were today, did you?”
“No, I guess it was inevitable.”
“Are you still up for doing magic tonight?” “Absolutely. I do want to talk to you about what I felt today before we get started. I think Aiden should hear it too. He’s my Guardian. It’s not really fair to leave him out of this.”
“He’ll be along any moment, I’m sure.”
As if he heard Kait calling him, Aiden appeared from the other side of the wagon. He walked straight to where they were sitting. He sat down within reach of Kait. He looked between the two of them.
“You weren’t waiting for me, were you?”
“Actually, we were,” Connor said.
“Why? You don’t need me here to start the lesson. I’m not actually learning anything.”
“There’s something I want to talk to the two of you about before we started.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Aiden relaxed. “Okay, then.”
Kait took his hand. She gave him a quick smile.
“Last night Kait told me she found something unfamiliar in her scanning for the Shadows,” Connor said, looking a bit cautiously at Aiden. “She didn’t recognize it and she couldn’t make anything of it, so after you and Bryan went to sleep last night, she taught me how to reach for it. That’s what I’ve been doing all day.”
An almost stunned look came onto Aiden’s face. Kait, can you hear me?
Of course.
Connor is expecting a reaction from me. This is all an act, okay?
Okay.
“Aiden?” Connor called a bit timidly.
“I’m sorry, I’m just wondering why this is the first time I’m hearing about this.” His fingers twisted around Kait’s.
“How long have you known about this?”
“Almost since we left your father’s,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re both sorry, really sorry,” Connor said. “I promise it won’t happen again, okay?”
Aiden nodded. “I’m assuming you have an update.”
“It’s not really informative, but yes. Kait told me this thing seemed conscious of her. Sometimes it seemed curious, sometimes welcoming, sometimes it seemed to be hiding. That’s exactly what I’ve been feeling all day. I didn’t realize something like this could do that.”
“It shouldn’t be able to,” Kait said. “You felt what members of the Light feel like. The sensation of our presence is just there. It’s the same with the Shadows. It should be the same with this thing. It’s a presence, not an actual person.”
“What does that mean?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I think it’s important, though,” Connor said. “It can’t be a coincidence that I have to go north and this thing is in the north. It’s only going to get stronger as we travel. I’m going to keep working on it during the day. I’ll give you two another update tomorrow night before my lesson.”
Kait nodded. “If you make an important breakthrough though, I think you should tell us right away.”
Aiden nodded in agreement.
“I will. Can I have my magic lesson now?”
“Of course,” Kait said with a roll of her eyes.
Connor’s magic lesson was completely normal. They pushed his magic until his stomach was rumbling with hunger. As he was shoveling food into his mouth from an extra plate, Kait and Aiden were walking out of the firelight.
“You know I’m not really mad at you at all, right?” he asked in a hesitant whisper. “I was only pretending to be upset because that’s what Connor was expecting.”
“I know, thank you very much. That was quick thinking on your part.”
“How did I do?”
She smiled. “It was very believable.”
“Do you think he suspects anything?”
“No, he never has.” She looked up at Aiden. She couldn’t see his golden eyes in the darkness but she knew he was watching her. “I really appreciate what you’re doing. No one else would do this for me. I would probably be bound to Bryan by now if someone else had found out.”
“You can’t help what task you were given any more than I can. You didn’t ask for it, you may not have even wanted it. I didn’t. I can’t tell you not to fulfill your task, you don’t have a choice. I can try to make it easier, though.”
“I’m glad someone understands, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I was thinking about your offer to let me tap your power.”
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize it was an offensive question.”
“No, I’m not offended, don’t worry. It’s a very tempting offer, but I don’t want to use your power if there’s any possibility that you can. It’s your power, not mine.”
“I can’t use it, that’s why I offered it to you. Whatever is keeping me from using my power isn’t stopping you.”
“I think you can use it, at least a little. I want to work on that with you before I start using your power.”
“Why do you think I can use it?”
“Just before the Shadows attacked when we were at the fall festival, you felt them. That’s how I feel them. It’s their presence. It feels wrong and cold. I want to see if there’s anything else you can do.”
“That was magic?” he asked a bit dubiously.
“Indirectly.”
“I trust you if you think there’s something I can do.”
“If you don’t mind staying up late, we can start working on it after Bryan goes to sleep.”
“That’s fine with me.”
They only walked for a little while longer before returning to the campfire. Shivering, Kait wrapped up in her blankets. Connor was already laying down with his eyes closed, a satisfied smile on his lips. Bryan waited until he was sure Kait wasn’t going to get up again before wearily rubbing his eyes. He laid down but he didn’t close his eyes until Aiden also laid down. Kait stared blankly at the fire while she waited. She knew Bryan had probably fallen asleep fairly quickly, he had looked tired all evening. She started to get a little impatient. She was about to go see if Aiden had fallen asleep when he cautiously sat up, watching Bryan. He crept over to where Kait was sitting, still watching Bryan.
She unwrapped her hand from her blankets to take Aiden’s. He’s asleep, you don’t have to worry.
He gave her a crooked little grin. I’ll always worry about him, sorry.
You know I’d test your food for you, don’t you? You don’t have to worry about him poisoning you. Besides, we haven’t done anything remotely improper.
His grin broadened. I can’t help myself, I guess.
Try not to worry too much. Ready to get started?
Sure.
Kait could tell he was feeling less confident than he sounded earlier. She didn’t know what to expect of his abilities. She was absolutely certain he had plenty of power in him. She didn’t know if he would purposefully be able to access it. They spent more than an hour trying to get him to feel the difference between the Light and the Shadows. He was only able to feel the warm security of the Light once. Kait saw it as very encouraging, but Aiden didn’t think it meant anything. He tried to convince her, and himself, that it was just his imagination that he felt anything. If it hadn’t already been so late, she would have continued pushing him. She kept hoping he would be able to sense the rest of them. She was sure if she could make any sort of breakthrough with his magic, he would be able to learn everything else.
Everyone except Bryan was tired in the wagon the next day. Kait and Aiden tried to pretend they weren’t tired. Kait knew Bryan noticed. They were all much quieter than normal. He didn’t say anything to them but she knew they would have to be more careful before he got too suspicious. Some time after midday Kait was leaning against the wooden beam behind her with her eyes closed. She could feel them slowly drooping lower and lower. She almost gasped aloud when a warning tingle shot all through her body. She sat up abruptly, startled into full wakefulness. The only one who noticed was Aiden. Without questioning, he sat forward, ready to grab Connor. Only a moment later, Connor’s entire body went rigid. Aiden put his hands on Connor’s arms.
“What’s happening?” Bryan asked from his seat beside Connor. “Is he having another vision?”
“It looks like it,” Kait said, watching Connor closely.
“Why is he having so many this time?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully he’s learning something helpful, like how to get into the caves.”
“He said the people in the village would tell us how to do that,” Aiden said.
“I would like to skip the town, actually,” Bryan said, stuffing his blankets more securely around his legs. “I don’t want to get stuck up here. I don’t think even this wagon would make it through a blizzard.”
“You’re probably right, but wouldn’t you rather be up here than in the deep south? Didn’t you say that’s where the Shadows have the most control? I know I read that while we were at the Fortress. I’m assuming it’s still true.”
“It is. They’re probably all down there because no one likes to be this cold.”
Aiden grinned as Connor finally started to relax. “I can’t disagree with that.”
He pulled Connor onto the second bench where he and Kait had been sitting while Kait climbed up beside Bryan. They sat quietly watching Connor sleep. Bryan glanced back at Connor.
“Do you want me to stop? Should I have a look at him?”
“Not yet,” Kait said. “He’s been fine after all his other visions. The work I’ve been doing with him should start paying off. He shouldn’t sleep quite as long as before.”
He grinned. “I keep forgetting you actually had a plan by doing that.”
“There’s always a reason for what I do.”
He laughed. “If you say so. I thought most of the time you were doing the first thing that came into your mind.”
“There’s always a reason for those actions to come into my head.”
“I think I’m with Bryan on this one,” Connor mumbled as he slowly sat up. “I don’t understand you most of the time.”
She gave him a playful push. “You’re only saying that because you just had a vision and you think I won’t argue with you. I know your visions are normal now so there’s no chance of that.”
“It is nice to have normal visions. How long did I sleep this time?”
“Not long at all. Eventually, you won’t have to sleep at all.”
He gave a happy sigh as he looked dreamily up at the sky. “I can’t wait for that day.”
“Which shouldn’t be much longer at the rate you’re adapting,” Bryan said. “Now tell us what you saw before I stop the wagon.”
Connor laughed. “I didn’t actually see anything new, sorry. I saw the blue man again. I think he’s sitting up rather than laying down. His eyes were closed, though. I’m assuming he’s just sleeping. I don’t really want to see a dead body. The skeleton that had my ring was bad enough.”
“Why is he blue?” Aiden asked. “People are blue when they die out in the cold. We are heading north. Are we looking for someone who’s dead?”
“I don’t think so. I also felt like he wanted me to come to him, like maybe he has the shield.”
“Well, if he has the shield, you have to go to him,” Bryan said. “You’ll find out if he’s dead or alive very soon. According to our map, we’ll get to Elverum tomorrow or the next day. Maybe we should pick up the pace while we can.” He slapped the reins against the horses’ backs. Immediately they started moving faster.
If they hadn’t been so far north and dealing with bad weather, they would have driven late that evening. Instead, they stopped while they still had enough light to set up camp like they had on previous nights. Their campfire was bigger and they pulled out more furs and blankets. They were all colder than they had ever been before. Kait didn’t think she would ever be fully warm again. The idea that she might want to make a short trip into the southern territories only briefly crossed her mind. She would rather keep a slight chill instead of going into the south. She despised the south. It was too hot. It was all very dangerous. Most Shadowmen lived in the southern territories. She didn’t have an explanation for why there were so many Shadowmen in the south. She hadn’t been south of the border since before she was initiated. The elders thought it was too dangerous for powerful people like her and Bryan to go where they would undoubtedly be outnumbered even with all of Connor’s guard. It worked out well that she had absolutely no desire to go south.
Chapter 20