A Journey Toward Enlightenment

Mayoi, Omishan
Thistledown 8, 517 P.Y.

Harvest season is approaching. I'm awed by the colorful changes taking place around me. What was abundantly green, is slowly giving way to shades of orange, deep red and yellow. The oppressive heat and humidity have subsided. The new allegiance initiates are spending a good bit of their time gathering provisions for the cold that is rapidly approaching. Mari and I have completed Initiate Mage training. Yesterday, I received my first appointment as Mage for an expedition. I'm excited about new assignment and hope to be of good service to my companions.

Saylah of Thistledown

At the sound of Makenya's voice, Saylah looked up from her packing. A broad smile spread across her face. Six full moons had passed since Makenya had departed for her assignment in Whitebay. Saylah was grateful for the timing of her friend's return. Now she would have a chance to see Makenya before she departed.

Makenya strutted into Saylah's room and leaned in the doorway. "Going somewhere?"

Pretending not to be excited, Saylah responded, "Perhaps." She placed a final piece of clothing into her hide backpack, pulled the drawstring tightly and tied it closed.

"I heard a tale about you going off to your first post as a Mage." Makenya continued in a teasing tone. "But that can't be true, you're still too green.

"Well it is true, so don't be smarting off."

"Going be a whole lot of dying in that fellow!" Feigning shock, Saylah gasped. The room fell silent as they faced each other. Saylah snickered first then they both burst out laughing. Makenya walked over and touched Saylah on the shoulder. "It's good to be back and good to see you."

Smiling warmly Saylah said, "It's wonderful to see you." She placed her backpack on the trunk that sat at the foot of her cot. "I have to run and report to the troop leader but when I return, I want to hear all about Whitebay."

"And I'll be happy to tell you."

"I hear you made a name for yourself out there, and that you are an excellent tank."

"Really - you heard that?" Makenya fidgeted with glee.

Saylah recognized Makenya's surprise and pride. "Yes, I did." Concerned that she would be late she said, "I must hurry now but will see you soon," and raced out of the room and down the dark corridor.

***

Saylah found the Fellowship Leader, Beldanar, in the main gathering hall. He was seated across from Master Gilmar at a small table near the cooking hearth. Master Gilmar's back was facing Saylah. He turned around at her approach.

In an exaggerated tone Master Gilmar said, "Ah, Yeoman Saylah."

Saylah bowed. "Good 'eve, Master Gilmar."

"And how is the Ranger who would be Mage? Oh, excuse me, I mean Archanter."

Sensing tension in the air, Saylah considered her response before replying. "I am well."

"On your way to your first Mage appointment I hear. Beldanar and I have been discussing his strategy." Beldanar looked at Saylah directly for the first time. His beady inset eyes swept her with an unfriendly gaze. He was short for a Lugian and lacked the typical girth. His posture was poor and he sat slouched over the small wooden table.

Taking his queue from Master Gilmar, Beldanar's tone as he spoke was condescending. "Are you sure you're prepared for this journey?"

Saylah pulled herself up and stood as though a rod was in her back. "I'm quite ready."

"This isn't Mage training you know. It will be a dangerous journey and needs a skilled Mage."

Saylah didn't wait for Beldanar to complete his thought. "Danger is everywhere on Dereth." She stepped forward. Tall for a human female, she towered over the seated men. "I assure you - I am ready."

Beldanar grunted. "Well I've no time for mistakes. This is an important journey we make." He handed Saylah a rolled piece of parchment. "I hear your good with a map. Plot our route and meet me here on the morrow to discuss it. The future health and safety of a dozen new knights depend on us."

"I understand." Map in hand, Saylah stepped back from the men. She bowed to Master Gilmar, turned on her heels and left. On the way back to her chamber, she wondered at Master Gilmar's manner. Since the completion of her initiate Ranger training, she'd barely seen Master Gilmar. She'd greeted him in passing on occasion; in the dining hall or in the tight winding corridors that lead to the sleeping chambers, but nothing more. She wondered by what means he would have developed the dislike that she sensed. Of more concern, was anything that he might have said to Beldanar that might give him cause to doubt her abilities.

Back in her chamber, she spread the map out carefully on her cot. The worn parchment, with its cracked edges and sharp creases, showed much use. With her finger, she identified the approximate location of the Mayoi Allegiance Hall then dragged her finger across the map's surface to where the Vesayan Sanctuary was depicted by crudely sketched tower. The distance she noted was at least a two-day march on foot, a half day if the fellow was mounted, which it would not be. Summoned mounts were an extravagance used sparingly at the training halls where the motes and enchantments needed were in short supply. An effective route would require the correct and precise selection of available portals. Saylah retrieved her folded portal map from the shelf above her cot. The possession of such a map was uncommon at her rank. The map she now unfolded with care had been her father's - she'd taken it with her when she'd left the Shelter. She was careful to update the locations of functioning portals whenever she'd come across them or received word of the existence of one from a reliable source. Comparing the two maps, she plotted the best course for them to follow in her head. She considered each option several times to ensure that she'd selected the best route. When she was certain, she charted their course onto a small square of parchment that she'd retrieved from her desk, along with a quill and tiny bottle of ink.

The growing sound of voices drifted down the tunnel and into the chamber. Saylah noted the grumbling of her stomach and realized that it was time for the evening meal. She reviewed the course she'd charted a final time. Satisfied with her work, she blew on the ink to hurry its drying before placing it on her pillow. She rolled up the map she'd received from Beldanar and left it on her cot, placed her portal map back on the shelf and headed to the dining hall.

The dining hall, which also served as the main gathering hall was noisy and crowded. A majority of the current residents were present for the evening meal. Nearly one hundred allegiance members of various fighting classes, purposes and roles, lived in the Mayoi Allegiance Hall at any given time. The hall served as a temporary home to a dozen mages, swordsmen and rangers, all being initiated into eventual knighthood. A battalion of knights was kept on staff to patrol the surrounding areas and guard the local portals. Tutors, Master Tutors, artisans and a cooking staff were permanent residents of the hall. Visitors were also welcomed and housed in an allegiance hall. Tradesmen, supply caravans and fighting contingents in need of rest as they made their way to and from distance destinations, were all welcomed.

Saylah scanned the hall looking for Makenya. She spotted Makenya seated at a cluster of tables with the other Feral Intendents. They were in the center of the hall. Their loud and boisterous voices carried across the noisy room. Saylah made her way toward Makenya, nodding to familiar faces along the way.

When Saylah reached the table of eating men, she greeted them. "Evening all." Faces familiar to her replied in kind, others grunted and some said nothing at all.

Makenya looked up from her bowl of stew. "Not eating?"

Saylah responded with a smile. "Shortly. I was more interested in hearing about your adventures in Whitebay."

Rakor, an Initiate Feral Intendent looked up from his bowl. "Me too." Biting off a large chunk of bread, he continued with his mouth full. "I want to hear about Whitebay."

Makenya ignored his excited tone. "Go away pup. I'm talking to Saylah right now." Getting up from the table she said, "Let's go get some air."

Saylah followed Makenya as they wound their way through the tightly spaced tables. They walked in silence down the tunnel that led to the surface portal. Torches placed at irregular intervals lit the way. At the end of the tunnel, the surface portal shone. Its small purple shaded halo hovered above a circular platform comprised of three tiers. Makenya ascended the steps and hopped into the portal's glowing light. With her long stride, Saylah placed her foot on the first step then leaped into the light.

The moonless night hung dark and still. The dry leaves of the Thistledown season crunched beneath their feet. They walked a short distance from the hall's entrance and settled themselves under a watchtower.

Resting on her haunches, Makenya fiddled with the straw at her feet. "Too bad you're leaving so soon."

"Yes, that's unfortunate. Let's just be glad that I got to see you before I left."

"Yeah, but I'll be gone again before you get back."

Saylah paused at the sadness in Makenya's voice. "True. But I'll complete Mage training soon and be assigned to a fighting post."

Makenya sighed. "I know. Probably won't be in Linvak though.

Saylah chuckled. "No, it won't be Linvak. At least not in the beginning. I'd have to reach Enchanter or Sorcerer before going there."

"And even they have a hard time of it." Makenya hesitated before speaking. "If you'd stayed pure Ranger you could have been there by now." Looking for Saylah's reaction she said, "We could see each other, even if we weren't posted in the same city."

Saylah recognized the truth in her friend's words. Her decision to be an Archanter was delaying her advancement, as she completed training for two disciplines instead of one. As much as she wanted to complete her training and fulfill her allegiance obligation so that she could return to her family, she wanted to ensure herself the best options for securing a mercenary post afterward that could help her relocate her family on the surface. As a ranger, she could hunt, fight and provide for her family until she found the right patron. As a Mage, her options for finding a patron were greater. She was among a growing contingent of fighters choosing to train as a mixed fighting class. Mixed class knights could be more easily placed on assignments and fill dual roles when battalions were short handed. However, many purists didn't agree with this training style and were becoming vocal.

"True - yet this is my choice. And as well you know, I have my reasons for it."

"Yeah, I know."

Smiling, Saylah encouraged, "Now tell me all about Whitebay and your victories!"

Makenya told Saylah about the perilous journey from Mayoi to the Linvak portal in the Vesayan ringway. She described the growing insurgence in the area and how the Buruns had once again overtaken the Sanctuary, led by a vicious band of Browerk Burun Chiefs. She explained that the Portal Island itself was still secure, but that the Moarsmen now guarded the inlet that must be crossed to reach the portal. Most shocking and debilitating to the mortals' ability to send their legions to Linvak, was that the Vesayan Lifestones had been destroyed, leaving the fallen without the ability to resurrect themselves within the ringway.

Saylah's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in shock. Her voice rising she asked, "Is this widely known?"

Scratching her head Makenya said, "I think so."

Saylah paused before asking her next question. "How did you survive the journey?"

"Barely!" Makenya replied. "Only half of the Knights made it across to safety."

Saylah gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Goodness!"

"We waited for two days to see if any others would come. But they never did. Resurrecting in Ikeras and then trying to make the trek back alone, is near impossible."

In a hushed voice Saylah asked, "What do you think happened to them?"

Makenya grunted and shrugged her shoulders. "Probably went back to their allegiance halls to wait for another contingent to make the journey."

"My goodness, I had no idea the journey itself had become so dangerous." Saylah leaned on the post at her back. They fell into silence as they reflected on Makenya's revelations. A cool breeze rustled the trees around them and the air crackled. The voices of Knights guarding the trinity of portals near the Mayoi hall carried on the night air.

Makenya broke their reverie. "You know what though - that's nothing compared to Linvak itself." Makenya's lowered her voice to a whisper as though to speak the words conjured fear. "The Gurogs are advancing on the manned outposts."

Saylah leaned in close to Makenya's face and listened intently. "Really?"

"Yes, we're losing ground on a daily basis." Makenya bobbed up and down from her crouched position and wrung her hands. "There's been fighting amongst our races over who will control the outposts and recovered cities."

"How foolish!" Saylah hissed angrily. "We're barely surviving on the surface and already we are arguing amongst ourselves for control?"

"Yes, the Lugian Lords don't want Tumerok or Human commanders leading outposts on that continent. They are afraid that when the war is over, the other races won't yield back the lands to the Lugian people."

Saylah was appalled by what she was hearing. "Why don't' we win the land back first." With emphasis she added, "And then, worry about who controls what."

"I agree but many don't see it that way."

"I was worried about going to Linvak before, now I'm terrified." Saylah took a deep breath. "As a Mage I won't have much offensive power." Gazing off into the night she said, "If there's confusion and disorganization where ever I'm placed, I'll constantly be an easy target in battle."

Hesitantly, Makenya replied. "You'd be much safer as a Ranger."

Saylah snapped her head around, somewhat miffed by the reminder. "Perhaps - perhaps not. Regardless, I won't be there as a Ranger. I've already served my time as such. I'm now a Mage."

"Yeah, I know. I was just saying." Changing the subject Makenya continued. "Anyway, it's not hopeless or anything - just hard." A lighter tone entered Makenya's voice. "Things might be better by the time you arrive."

"Why's that?"

Makenya replied with excitement. "On our way back we went into Linvak Tukal for supplies. While we were there, we heard tales of a Human lord named Krotuse, who's trying to unite the commanders in Linvak under a single fighting banner."

"Really?"

"Yes! He's a mighty warrior from the Order of Dereth. He is respected by many and fierce in battle. He and his men are stationed in Ondekodo. They say if anyone can bring agreement among the commanders and mortal races of Linvak, he can."

A long silence followed before Saylah spoke again. "I knew Linvak was a hard fight but hadn't known to what extent. You should be proud that you've done so well there."

"I guess - I mean, I am." Makenya stood and stretched. "It was different being without you and without Dark." She paced a short distance in front of Saylah who was still seated. "I had to pull my weight. At first, I wasn't sure that I could. But we were losing every battle. I got tired of it and decided to start rushing in head first and see how long I could survive."

Saylah laughed. "You're crazy."

Laughing too Makenya said, "Yep - but it worked. I found that I had more strength then I'd ever realized."

"Well that's one way to find out.

"Next thing I knew, other Feral's were doing the same and we started winning."

In a teasing tone Saylah commented, "So you spread your madness around did you?"

Grinning widely Makenya replied, "Yep!"

"Well good for you then." Saylah smiled. "You've changed so much. I'm proud for you and of you."

Makenya strutted back and forth bowing to an imaginary crowd of onlookers. "Thank you." She bowed deeply "Thank you!"

"Okay, maybe you haven't changed all that much."

"Nope, not much at all." Saylah double over with laughter when Makenya hopped back and forth on one foot doing the moose dance.

The two talked long into the night. Makenya regaled Saylah with more tales of defeat and victory across the frozen plains of Linvak. At times, Saylah felt as though Makenya was holding back a bit so as not to discourage her about the efforts to reclaim Dereth. When dawn was only a few hours away, they each retired to their sleeping chambers.

Although exhausted, Saylah tossed and turned on her cot. Realizing that tomorrow she would be making her final preparations to leave for her first assignment as Mage, she was too excited to sleep. She hoped that she would prove to be a good Mage and display the same kind of courage that Makenya had learned to feel. Lying on her back, she tried to calm her growing excitement and worry. She knew that she'd been trained well, and by one of the most revered Mage Masters on Omishan. Taking a deep breath, she rolled on to her side and pulled the covers close about her.

"It will all be fine." She whispered into the darkness. "I know all that I'm supposed to do," she thought to herself and considered it just dumb luck that her first assignment as Mage, was sending her into the Vesayan ringway. She closed her eyes and thoughts of home appeared. An image of her mother's serene face wavered before her. Her sister, seated crossed legged, was sewing sandals by the hearth. Kerdwic arriving for the evening meal with an arm full of firewood as a gift for her mother's care of him.

The last thing she saw before she feel asleep was the first sunset she witnessed after leaving the shelter. The image of a golden sun dropping low in a crimson sky, her skin bathed in light and her lungs filled with the fresh air of the Esper Reaches were burned into her memory.