Seekers of Nazar

Chapter Eleven

Leilandri had quelled the storm.

Tol-Aka had felt her magic pushing on the chaos like an opposing force. Eventually, she had won, shielding them from the worst of it. He knew what she had done for his people. His father wouldn't have stopped the wave of dark magic, even if he could. It wasn't the Zul-Li way. Tol-Aka understood why. He had grown up on stories of people going corrupt from the power the creator had bestowed upon them. The Zul-Li tended the pattern; they did not alter it.

But Leilandri wasn't corrupt, she was tired. She was sitting by the window with her head resting against the frame. The sun cast shadows on her face as she absent-mindedly ate the breakfast Elleric had given her.

Quelling the storm had been a selfless act, and a brave one. Tol-Aka was grateful she had done what his father could not, and that she had helped despite the council's harsh criticism of Nazar the day before. He didn't know the toll it took on her. Judging from the expression Elleric and Tori were exchanging, it must have been significant.

Through the window, he caught another glimpse of the damage. Anger started to rise like bile in his throat. The Zul-Li had spent all summer fortifying their camp and bracing for the biting chill of winter. Yet, dark magic had destroyed it in a matter of hours.

The Zul-Li had fled to safety, but it had found them. It had reached its long arm past the shadow of the mountain and killed again. Mothers and fathers were once again grieving. Tol-Aka wanted to fight, but there was nothing to strike at.

There was a knock at the cabin door. Oda-Ma-He didn't wait for an answer before entering.

"Son," he bowed to the room. "I must speak with you before you leave."

His vest and shirt were rumpled, and his braids were partly undone. Even his shoes were covered in dry mud up to the ankles. "You need to make a stop on your way to Riverbend."

Leilandri sat up to protest, but her strength gave out. Before she could say anything, she leaned back against the window frame.

Oda-Ma-He grabbed Tol-Aka's shoulder. "Go home, my son. Go and tell the soldiers to ready the city for our return. We cannot rebuild the summer camp before winter. If the dark source can reach us here, there is nowhere we are safe."

Oda-Ma-He smiled slyly. "Besides, I'm an old man now, Tol-Aka. I want the strength of our ancestors around us. I'm happy the council agreed with me."

The room was silent. Elleric was calculating the impact, while Leilandri closed her eyes.

"Will you send runners to the other camps?" Tol-Aka asked his father.

"They left at dawn. We will be together again before the first snow."

Tol-Aka knew it was the right decision. The thought of returning to the city, restoring the Zul-Li to their source, made iron run through his blood. He was ready. He would stand at the giant stone entrance and beat back a hundred waves of dark magic if he could.

It was time to go home.

Oda-Ma-He went to sit by Leilandri. "Great lady," he said softly. "What you did last night for our people -" He stopped and looked down at his old, weathered hands. "You did what I could not," he whispered.

Leilandri gazed at him and then reached out to hold his hands in hers. "Your people have suffered so much because of this Weaver. I'm glad I could help."

Oda-Ma-He nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He looked frail, sitting on the bed with a hunch to his shoulders.

"Last night," Leilandri said hesitantly. "With my pattern. Do you know anything else about why it stopped the way it did?"