Thealos cocked his head curiously, cinching the bag strings and stuffing the bundle in his tunic. “Have what?” he replied in Silvan.
“A connection with Earth magic.” His pale face was the only one not dripping with sweat, and he looked almost cold in his dark blue robes. Thealos studied his long, narrow fingers – bony and elegant – then opened his cloak wide to reveal the blade of Jade-Shayler. The Shae’s eyes gleamed and he nodded, looking at the weapon respectfully.
“Last night, I felt the magic nearby,” he said. “I knew you were there, before you attacked. Are you one of the Shae Guardians?”
Thealos shook his head. “No, I am not. I found this magic, and I feel some of it working in me when I use it. What do you know of it?”
The frail man squatted near the stump Thealos sat on. “I have kinship with the ones who forged it. It was made with the skill of my kind. The Shae Warders.”
Thealos looked at him curiously. “I know of the Sian Council in Avisahn, but I did not know there were Warders living down here…”
Justin shook his head, forestalling him. “I am not from Avisahn. Tell me – who is the Shae King today?”
“What do you mean, today?” Thealos asked, confused. “King Silverborne has ruled for nearly sixty Silvan years; surely you are not that old.”
Justin smirked. “He was a young man when I last knew of him. Does he have any sons? Who is his heir?”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. You are scarcely older than I am!”
“You do not understand the nature of the Shae Warders. We do not live as long as the rest of the Shae as a price for the powers we invoke. I, myself, have lived out twenty Silvan years. No more. But I have not seen Eroth’s light for many years…I have slept in the Earth magic protecting the Warding that I was called to defend.”
Thealos stared at him in disbelief and leaned forward. “And what Warding were you called to protect?” he said in a soft voice, but he thought he knew already. Justin was talking about the Everoot. He was certain of it.
“I cannot tell you,” Justin said. “It is a secret I must guard until I can remember my charge. I know what I am, but not who I am. I remember snatches from the past, back before the great wars. When I awoke, I remember being caught by the Krag in the ruins of my watchpost, not knowing what had transpired to bring about its desolation. My memory has been…razed. Whether it is due to my long sleep or not, I do not know. I was summoned back to my Warding. But I do not remember when or how. You must take me to the Shae King.”
“Why?”
Justin shook his head. “I do not know. But I’m sure the answers I seek are in the archives of the Shae King. I ask again, my friend. Who has survived these many years? Who leads the Shae now?”
Thealos slung his travel pack loose and set it down next to him. He mopped his neck and throat. “Silverborne’s daughter, Laisha. She rules the Shae in her father’s name. He had a son, a great one. When I was a small boy, he was killed during the Purge Wars.”
“The Purge Wars?”
Thealos looked at him in amazement. “When the Shae and the King of Dos-Aralon drove the Bandit armies out of the Shoreland...”
“Dos-Aralon?” Justin asked, confused. “‘Dos’ means there was another before it. When was the other?”
“You truly do not know what happened?”
“I swear by the goddess Shenalle, whom I serve.”
Thealos was baffled by the Shae Warder’s ignorance. He was certain Jaerod would know what he was talking about. But too many years had passed. The humans and the Shae were allies instead of enemies. He could see Justin’s hatred for humans in the way he glared loathingly at Sturnin Goff. Tensions between the races must have been even stronger back then. How was he going to convince him to speak with a Sleepwalker?
“I will tell you what I can, but there is a man you should meet. A man called Jaerod.”
“A human?” Justin said, wrinkling his nose.
Thealos sighed. “He knows the ways and history of our people. He has visited many of the Shae watchposts and studied from their archives. He may know who you are.”
“The language of man has changed too much over the centuries. I can barely understand the Drugaen tongue that the Krag spoke.”
“Jaerod speaks Silvan.”
The Warder Shae paused, uncertain. “I do not think this is wise. Perhaps I should go on to Avisahn alone. I will find my answers there.”
“The village we travel to isn’t far. Go with us that far. Perhaps more of your memory will return with time.”