Legon Awakening

chapter Fourteen

Reprieve



“The adversities in life are there to teach us, but it is the space between them where we grasp at the meanings of the lessons.”

-Tales of the Traveler



The last two and a half months had been some of the most intense and wonderful in Legon’s life. He was growing stronger with magic. Now he could heal small wounds, light fires without shooting flames everywhere, and do a myriad of other things. Also, the connection between him and Sasha was stronger. They could communicate with their minds fully and had access to each other’s knowledge. To their amazement and Keither’s disappointment, they were able to handle all of Arkin’s questions now. When they asked why they could suddenly handle all his questions, Arkin explained to them that he’d been training them their whole lives with only half the pieces, and now that they were able to combine their knowledge, the training was made complete. Arkin called it mental networking, explaining that it was how most parts of the Elven and Iumenta governments were run—by literally putting their heads together.

Arkin would talk to them now in their minds, so their learning was progressing faster and faster. It was amazing what you learned when you saw exactly what the teacher was trying to tell you. With their increasing knowledge of the Mahann and Jezeer, Legon was able to use the Jezeer to target and affect his and other’s muscles or other biological things. Sasha’s development was similar. Legon and Sasha had gotten to the point where their minds never truly left each other. They may not have been able to see exactly what the other was thinking, but they were always aware of the other. This came in handy with Sasha’s episodes.

Legon and Sasha also found that not only could magic enhance the people and animals around them, but hinder them as well. When Sasha would slip into an episode Legon was able to keep her body from hurting itself. The energy involved was great and he couldn’t stop all of her convulsions, but she no longer sustained injuries and didn’t need hours to recover after them. She still lost visible consciousness, but she was awake and active in his mind. That was, unfortunately, the bad part. Now Sasha was aware of each episode and, more important, the pain of them. Before she hadn’t been awake and had no recollection, but now she was keenly aware of her body fighting itself, and Legon felt all of it.

He dipped a rag in the stream next to their camp. The water was cool and refreshing as it ran over his fingers. They were still heading south in a meandering path. Summer was in full force and this part of the empire was hot and, to his distaste, humid. The wet heat was oppressing, the air seemed to weigh down their lungs and they were always covered in sweat. The land was flat now, but they were in a dense forest and the scent of moss and earth became more apparent.

There weren’t a lot of major waterways in this area, so towns and villages were sparse. On occasion, there would be large clearings or they would approach a co-op farming community. The co-ops usually had no town center and the people in the area tried to support one another. They were seldom bothered by bands of robbers because the people really only had the food they grew and tried to sell. Because of their meager belongings, these people fought hard for their property. At any rate, many robbers at some point in time, usually when they hit bottom, had worked for one of these people. All in all, Legon liked most of the people in the co-ops. They were usually kind and they banded together.

It was also rare for people to go into the Queen’s care from these communities. The empire was in control of these areas, but just barely. The openness of everything gave people places to hide anything, like family members. In addition, the cost of harassing the people in remote places like this was too high, thus they were left alone for the most part.

Legon pulled the rag out and wiped down his face, neck, and upper body. He felt a week’s worth of trail debris and filth rub from him. They had been passing creeks for the last week, but none of them were clean so they weren’t able to bathe at all. This was one of the major discomforts of the road. Back home, working with his father as a butcher, and Sasha working with his mother as a healer, there had been strict laws about cleanliness. Breaking those laws was expensive, so every day they cleaned everything, from their workspaces to themselves. He normally did this at the end of the day as a means of washing off the death of his job, but still he washed his hands before work and after lunch. On the other hand, as healers, Sasha and Laura washed after every patient. Kovos also had grown into the habit of regular bathing, not due to any laws but rather the desire to not look like he was constantly rolling around in soot. Keither, on the other hand, hated it, and Arkin had to force him to do it. It was as if the boy thought that by getting rid of the grime from the road he was somehow more susceptible to the elements.

Keither slipped on some moss and landed on his side. Legon looked up at him.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“I cut my elbow! Dang it! I look like a moron,” Keither said, exasperated.

He understood what Keither meant; it hadn’t taken a genius to notice that Keither harbored feelings for Sara. This was actually good. He wanted to prove himself and so he tried harder with everything to impress her.

“Here, let me look at it.” Legon said.

“Oh, you don’t have to. I mean, it’s not that bad.”

Legon chuckled. “I know you’re tough, but Arkin wants me to fix everything with magic so I get better.”

* * * * *

Across camp, Sasha paused for a moment as she felt Legon accessing information in her mind. This wasn’t uncommon for either of them to do. Arkin wanted Legon to use magic to check every injury and then heal it. While he had a detailed knowledge of anatomy, he didn’t have knowledge of the healing arts like Sasha did. Legon’s memory was perfect like her own, but there still was no reason keeping all the information the other knew. Sure, they would retain memories from each other that were basic and common, but if they weren’t then why waste the space?

She went back to preparing some eggs in a cast-iron skillet. Sara was humming to her left. Sasha smiled at her. The last couple of months had been the best in her life. She knew that it was odd to think that; they were on the run, living in tents, and not talking to the rest of the world, but it was true. She missed her parents and the valley, but other than that she missed…well, nothing. People in Salmont had treated her like an outcast and wished her harm, but not here, not these people. She was with her best friend Sara, who was now free and happy, her brother Legon, Arkin, who she thought was amazing, Kovos, and Keither. Even Kovos treated her differently than before. He was always nice, but the other day he came up to her and apologized for thinking less of her for so many years. It took her off guard. She knew that he was always a little nervous around her, but not anymore.

Legon was inspecting an elbow. She broadened the connection, but not to the point of seeing out of his eyes. She had done that once and only once. It was last week when Legon and Kovos had been bathing. Legon had been discreet about it and didn’t tell anyone, but it still was a little awkward for her for the next few days whenever Kovos touched her. Still, Emma is a lucky woman, she thought. Her face flushed at the memory. Sara looked at her and smiled.

“See anything good?” Sara winked. Of course Sasha had told Sara.

“No, I’m not looking.”

“Ah, remembering, I see.”

“Oh shut it. Keither hurt himself and I was just wondering.”

Sara tried to take an unconcerned tone. “Oh, what happened?”

“Nothing, really. Legon thinks it’s just a laceration. The humerus looks good and so does the subcutaneous…”

“English, please.”

“Oh, sorry. He cut himself.”

“See, that was not hard at all, was it?”

Sasha stuck her tongue out and went back to the eggs.

“We need to get you a man, Sash.”

“Yeah, because there’s a lot of great ones out here,” she said, gesturing with her hands around them. “But you, on the other hand…there’s Keither, or Legon.”

Sara laughed. “You’re not going to try and hook me up with your bother again, are you?”

“Why not? He’s got a good trade, he’s part Elf, and I may be biased, but he’s good looking too.”

“Yes, he is all those things, but no; I’ve had my fill for a while. But you… let’s see, who is there?” Sara smiled. “Kovos is taken, but… Arkin? Come on, the older man.”

“Yuck, Sara! He’s cute for his age I guess, but he’s like my dad. So is this the part where you tell me that men age like fine wine?”

Sara walked by her to get something out of the tent. “Well, not everything ages well.” She winked at her.

“Oh that’s nice, Sara.” Sasha paused again feeling an odd, amused feeling. She stomped on the ground.



Sara looked concerned. “What is it?”

“Dang it, dang it, dang it!”

Sara was alarmed in a flash. “What Sasha, what is it?”

“I’m a moron. I didn’t close my connection with Legon at all.” She was so mad at herself. She always did stuff like this.



Sara paused for a moment. “He’s been listening?”



Oh course he was. How could he not? If she wasn’t being a dunderhead she would have noticed the men talking as well.



She huffed. “How could he not?”

Sara considered this for a moment and then she asked, “Is he still there?”

“Yes.”

Sara raised her voice. “Bring back firewood.” She smiled. “Nice Sash, very nice.”

* * * * *

Sara busied herself with breakfast. When the men returned, she placed the new firewood in the pit. She looked over at Keither, who looked away quickly. He obviously had a thing for her. The thought of trusting a man was odd to her now. She knew how to say what they wanted to hear and how to make them think they were in love with her, but she had done that with lies. She hadn’t cared about a single client. In fact, she hated each and every one. They knew she was a slave, and for some reason they liked it. They treated her horribly. Like that prick in Salez who had tried to stop her from leaving. Oh, she remembered him. He was cruel and got a discount because he was one of the Queen’s. The thing that disgusted her about him was that he too was in the care, but had shown aptitude at fighting so was placed in a special regiment. He would get his someday. Those were the front-line men; most did not make it long. Sara had needed to be good at what she did. If she made the owner good money then she didn’t go to the barracks—to the soldiers in the care and the others. She shivered on the inside remembering them. Avoiding the barracks was worth talking a man out of a week’s pay any day of the week.

She looked at Keither. There was nothing that was physically appealing about him. He was young with no social skills and also in need of a diet. At the same time, he wasn’t like most men. Kovos and Legon weren’t either, but they were strong and looked it. Keither was just a mind, and that was it. He was harmless. He was also the type that would probably follow a woman with puppy-like devotion, not because he was a romantic, but rather because he suffered from low self-esteem. He would be simple to manipulate, but due to his lack of status, money, or appearance it was unlikely that anybody with a malignant disposition would fall for him. But, that knowledge aside, there was a part of her that wanted to protect him, to safeguard his innocence. It wasn’t attraction she felt, but compassion. Could that change to something more? She didn’t think so. She didn’t want to have to take care of a man for the rest of her life, and unless Keither changed, that’s what she would have to do.

Still, the thought of what Sasha said about her and Legon…the Everser Vald. “Don’t think that name,” she said to herself. Arkin would be angry if he knew she was dwelling on it. She looked at Legon. What would it be like being with an Elf? He was going to turn, that much was obvious. This wasn’t something she knew much about, but Arkin had filled in some gaps. She pushed the thought from her mind. It would be a horrible existence when she thought about it. One would grow old, weak, and die while the other would be left behind, young forever. At the same time, she was more connected to him than anyone else in the world. He knew and understood her, and in a sense she understood him as well.

He wasn’t hard on the eyes, either. She had a crush on him as a kid. Well, if she was being honest, she still did, but it wasn’t worth her friendship with Sasha. Plus, what would the Everser Vald think of her? She knew that he loved her. She couldn’t ever deny that and she could trust him to care and protect her… “Stop, Sara. It’s not going to happen,” she thought.

She was so thankful for everyone in their little party. Every night she prayed to the White Dragon to protect them. She wondered if they believed in him. Or did they think that he was merely mythical? Sasha knew; she had to. But Legon?

She handed a plate of eggs and cheese to Kovos.

“Thanks, Sara.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kovos was changing as well. He was more tempered now. He was going to make a great husband for Emma. Now that he was sharing thoughts with Sasha, she was changing them all, making them better.

* * * * *

Kovos followed Legon and Arkin back to camp with Keither close behind. Legon gave Sasha a funny look when he passed her and she flushed a bit. Kovos figured she was still feeling awkward from the day he had said that he was sorry for the way he had thought of her his whole life.

As they rode he became lost in thought. He was questioning a lot about himself lately, and he wondered what kind of man he was going to turn into. Legon and Sasha were up front with Arkin, learning who knew what. That stuff made him uneasy. Lately, Legon had taken to joining the minds of all those around him for training. The idea was simple. If they got into trouble, Legon and Arkin would use magic to fortify themselves and those around them. When his mind was connected with Legon’s he was privy to the other minds he was connected to as well. Sasha was an excellent shot with a bow, so if a fight ensued she would stay back with Sara and Keither firing arrows into the fray. With all their minds “networked,” as Arkin put it, she knew where everyone was going to step and they knew where she was shooting. Her accuracy was scary. In a small farming co-op, Arkin bought Sasha a hundred-pound bow that she could shoot when Legon used magic. It was an odd sensation having an arrow streak past your ear and not be worried about it at all. Also, with all their perspectives being taken into account, the group became hyper-aware of their surroundings. In a way, they gained the experience and perspective of those in the network. It made everyone a better fighter when they would practice three on three. Knowing each other’s fighting styles in detail helped as well.

Legon, Sasha and Arkin could use pure logic, too. Sometimes, when Legon would use magic, he would tap into Sasha’s mind to figure out wind speed and trajectory, and she in turn would do that to others when shooting. When this happened, it didn’t have that much of an effect on him. It was like background noise. But at any rate, it was changing his view of the world drastically.

Arkin appeared to be done with teaching for the time being, and Sasha went to work with Keither on the horse. Legon went to talk to Sara. Arkin came up to Kovos and smiled.

“What’s on your mind?”

Kovos ran a checklist in his head. “Oh crap, do I have my mind open?”

Arkin smiled again. “No, but your body is, and I can see that you are thinking. I won’t cross into your mind without permission unless necessary. Besides, you would be able to feel it now.”

“That’s good to know.”

Kovos was happy that he was to the point where he could feel another mind and, if necessary, reach out to someone. It was also a comfort that his consciousness couldn’t be breached without him knowing.

“Now, what’s on your mind?” Arkin asked

Kovos thought about lying to Arkin but, mind protected or not, Arkin knew him too well.

“This stuff is kind of freaking me out a bit.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. It’s just odd seeing Sasha and Legon sitting silent next to each other and then laughing. Or feeling other people in my head.”

“Ok.” Arkin sat silent, waiting patiently for Kovos to say what was really bothering him.

They were moving along a clearing in the trees, probably close to a co-op. As they went he could see a line in the landscape. On one side of the road were dense trees and forest. On the other were open fields. To the right of him where the fields began was a waist-high stone wall marking the edge of someone’s property. On the other side of that wall was a wheat field. It looked as if there had once been a forest where the field was, and it made him wonder at the dedication of these people. They would have had to clear cut the land and then pull all the stumps. Not to mention removing all the stones that would break a plow. That was probably where the stones from the wall had come from. The wheat was high now, and as he looked out at the field he noticed a breeze playing in it. The wheat looked like a sea of giant gold waves rippling away from them. The contrast between the forest and the field seemed to be a good analogy for what was happening to him.

“Do the elves do this a lot—the mental networking? I mean, I see true benefit in it and all, but… I don’t know what I’m saying.” He really didn’t know what he was saying. He was having a hard time keeping track of his thoughts these days. Too much stress, too much homesickness. Well, more Emma sickness if he was being truthful.

“Isn’t it nice to know what the other person is thinking?” Arkin asked.

“Yes, it is, but I don’t know… I think that maybe I’ve been messing up in life and if I knew what others were thinking….” He breathed out. “I can’t stop thinking about how much different my life would be if I knew what, well…”

Arkin helped him. “What Emma was thinking?”

“Yeah, is it bad to want to know that?”

“No, not at all. You know what the dot on Legon’s Tattoo means, don’t you?” Arkin asked.

“Yes, it’s for when he gets married.”

“Exactly. I haven’t told you about Elven society as much as I have Legon and Sasha. I should have included you in that. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Why does it matter?”

“When elves get married, they stay connected mentally, and after years of having a perfect insight into their partners they almost become one mind,” Arkin explained.

“Ok, so that’s why they’re able to stay married forever. If you understood the other person, really understood them, it would be hard to split up.”

“Yes, but there is more. They rely on each other to the point where they are completely dependent on the other person. That means that when one dies, the other is always quick to follow.”

“What do you mean?”

“Their bodies do not become frail like ours, but losing that connection kills their mind and their will to live. Once that happens, the body follows.”

Kovos sat pondering this new information. It was amazing to think about people so close to one another that one dies when the other does. Amazing, but also sad and beautiful.

“I want that,” he said with a surprisingly high amount of conviction.

“Good. You can have it. You have the ability to connect with someone if you try. Now remember, you are your thoughts.”

“So I’d better start being the man I want to be with the kind of mind that Emma will want to live in,” he said, smiling.



Arkin patted his shoulder. It felt like a great weight had been taken off him, and he decided that from that point on, he was going to work his hardest on himself. He was going back to Salmont to get Emma, just as soon as they got Legon and Sasha to the border.

* * * * *

Arkin rode separate from the others for a while trying not to let his fatigue show, when suddenly he felt Legon’s presence.

“Are you ok?” Legon’s voice said in his mind. It was followed by energy that coursed through his veins. Arkin told Legon about the Iumenta searching for them, and almost at once Legon offered his strength to him. It was rare that Arkin felt the pull of other magic users on his spells this hard. He pushed it from his mind knowing the drain wouldn’t last long. Legon inquired about what kind of spells he could use for protection. Silently, Arkin explained that wards were passive forms of magical protection. You could have a ward active and feel no drain until it was needed. Legon was months away from using the complex magic needed for masking them, but Arkin could use Legon’s considerable magical power to do it himself.

Suddenly Arkin felt a huge drain on his wards. There was thick forest on all sides of the road now. Legon rounded up the others, bringing them in close to him. It was easier to protect things that were close to him as magic was affected by space. Arkin felt his heart race as another huge hit on his wards drained energy from his magical reserves and his body.

“Dragon,” he said in a hoarse voice.

They all moved off the road and Legon came up next to Arkin, placing his hand on his shoulder. He felt Legon open the connection between their minds all the way. The power was amazing. He felt a deep well of magic in him, but still it was nothing to the dragon that was coming. They might be able to resist the seeking spell if the dragon wasn’t looking that hard, but if it noticed the drain on its own power it would be sure to investigate.

* * * * *

Legon felt the pull on his magic and now his body. He rushed to connect his mind with the others and the horses. As he made the connection, he began to siphon off energy. There was a dull thud in the far distance. Sweat was forming on Kovos’ brow from the drain, but he kept his mind open. The thudding was closer now, much closer. He needed more power. He tapped Sasha, Sara, and Keither, and saw all of them place their hands on their chests from the sudden taxation.

THUD… THUD.

More. Where was there more? There were blue dots popping in his eyes and he saw Arkin slump in his saddle. The horses. He could use more from the horses.

THUD.

Phantom was starting to shake. Still there was more needed. He rummaged in the minds of the others, spiking hormones and endorphins, causing their hearts to race. They were producing a lot of energy, but not enough. Arkin was almost unconscious now. They needed more, and the beating of the dragon’s wings was like thunder. He reached into Keither’s mind and body, forcing the fat cells to give up their contents, forcing as much energy out as he could. He looked up through a gap in the trees to see a pale-green sky. No, not the sky. Wings and a long, snake-like body with four black-clawed feet. The dragon seemed to be leaching light from the sky as it passed overhead. The trees blew from the torrent of downward air but it didn’t look down. Finally, the sound of wings died down and Legon released the magic.

* * * * *

Sasha took an inventory of herself. She felt like her whole body was buzzing now that Legon was no longer draining it. Her heart was pounding and she closed her eyes, breathing deep, repeating a calming script. The sound of wings was gone, and she thought that the dragon either hadn’t seen them or didn’t care. The thing that amazed her was just how strong it was. When it passed overhead it hadn’t even looked down, so it must not have been concentrating on whatever spell it was using to find them.

Murray was covered in sweat, along with all the other horses. Sasha felt like she needed to sleep, but there was something that seemed off to her. There was something missing in her mind… Arkin! She got off Murray and rushed over the carpenter, who was lying across Phaedra’s neck, passed out in his saddle.

“Arkin, Arkin, are you awake?” she said, shaking him but trying to not to be loud.

“Yes, Sasha, I’m fine. It’s passed now. We will sleep here tonight.”

She looked around. This was not a great place to camp for the night. They were off the road, which was good, but they were in thick trees. Still, the brush could be good in case anything else flew over head. Kovos still had his head cocked up to the sky, looking, waiting for the dragon to come swooping down on them. Legon looked fine, though; he wasn’t breathing hard and he looked calm, his eyes closed and body still. She poked him with her mind. His voice came reverberating back into hers.

“I’m fine. I’m trying to see if the coast is clear.”

As he said this to her she became aware of the minds of other animals. There was a deer that was about fifty yards away sniffing the air and looking for whatever had caused the trees to move. Further was an eagle that was surveying the forest with shrewd eyes. This was new to her; she had never thought of using the animals in an area to do reconnaissance, but it was smart. Legon was taking advantage of all of their senses and using his mind to gently nudge them to look and go where he wanted. He wasn’t doing much; he was letting the animals’ survival instincts do most of the work. Also smart. He opened his eyes.

“Are you all ok?” he said. Sasha sensed that he knew exactly how much energy he had taken from all of them, but this was the polite thing to do.

“Legon, I’ve seen that one before,” Sara said, sounding terrified. “He’s from Salez. We need to get to the border soon.”

Arkin spoke. “He was looking for us. There’s no denying that, but we have about two weeks until we reach the border towns and safety. Now we need to rest.”

“Arkin, are you going to be alright?” Sara asked.

“I’m fine, just very tired, as are all of you and the horses. That was a lot of energy we needed to use.” He looked up at Legon with a look of new-found respect.

“Using the fat in our bodies along with hormones and endorphins was very wise of you. I am impressed.”

“Thank you,” Legon said

Legon was thinking hard; Sasha could feel it. She felt him tapping into the logical part of her mind. He was using the information from the animals to figure out the best place to rest for a day or so, and the best ways into the hiding spots and out of them.

“There is a good place about one hundred yards over there,” he said, pointing into some dense brush.

“But that’s thick wood,” Kovos said, looking cynical.

“Only for a little way, then it opens. The forest canopy is high there,” Sasha said.

“And how do you know this?” Keither asked.

“The minds of the animals in this area. They have been hiding from threats for years. Now let’s move,” she said with a bit more force than she was planning. Arkin looked at Legon again and smiled.

They worked their way through the thick underbrush, and sure enough it cleared to a perfectly secluded place. The ground was bare except for some twigs and leaves. It was round with more than enough room for all of them and the horses. Twenty feet above them the trees became so dense that there was barely light to see. Not even the dragon could see them from overhead now. Legon instructed everyone to place their bedrolls on the ground; there wasn’t room for a tent or a fire. Everyone agreed. They might need to leave in a hurry. The tents would slow things down and a fire could attract attention.

It was mid-day when they made camp, but within a few hours the clearing was already dark. They lay on their bedrolls in a circle with their heads to the center, trying to rest.

“How are we going to see?” Keither asked. He always forgot about magic.

“Lumanaighty,” Legon said. And with that, a violet orb of light bloomed in his palm. It floated about four feet off the ground to the center of the circle, hovering. The light was sufficient for their immediate area but ended within ten feet, the way only magical light could. The light was taking almost no energy from Legon, so Sasha wasn’t concerned. Everyone looked odd in the violet glow, their faces washed of color. It made the colored parts of their eyes look like dark gray stone. Sara and Arkin’s fair hair glowed in the light, making them both look otherworldly. There was blackness where the light ended. The thick woods did not allow any sound or light to penetrate them. They were a dot of light in a sea of nothingness.

Arkin stirred. “I have protections still in place, but what are you doing Legon?”

“I have a weak connection with animals in the area; I used the information from an eagle to find a nice place for deer to lie down for the night nearby. Also, there is an owl in the area. If they see anything out of the ordinary, or if they get frightened, I will feel it and broaden my connection with them.”

Arkin smiled widely at him and looked much better. “Passive surveillance. Very good, Legon. With the waking sleep you will never lose contact with them, but with a weak connection other magic users won’t be able to stumble on to it.”

“They can do that?” Kovos said, worried.

“To an extent. They will be feeling the emotions of the creatures around them, and if something seems off they will investigate. But with a weak connection Legon will not be influencing anything, so they won’t look.”

After that, no one looked like they wanted to ask anymore, but contented themselves with resting. Legon and Sasha began the waking sleep.