Seabird- An Invitation by Sherry Thompson

Author:Sherry Thompson
Format: epub

Kataro awakened Cara at dawn. She ate quickly, gathered the little she had and tied the bag to the pony’s saddle. Her leg was so stiff, she had to try three times before she got herself into the saddle and the aching throb in her thigh had erupted into jabs that made her wince. Riding wasn’t likely to soothe it.

They left the small valley cautiously and turned east. Kataro encouraged her to hasten before he took up his position above and just ahead of her. Without the valley’s protection, he reminded her, they were vulnerable to spies of the Shadow. At his insistence, they found the southern bank of the Sweetwater and stayed as close to its bank as they could while still under cover of the trees.

The seabird explained that Daetaga shunned not only water but also light. “Remember your own encounter with the werewright. He arranged to meet Braznar in the dark after moonset. Even starlight is painful to the great ones of the Shadow. Nonetheless, never rely on daylight alone to protect you. The daemagos will brave the full light of day if their goals require it, and they hold enough power over their followers to force them to do the same.”

“The werewright used a lantern!”

“Yes, but their lanterns yield a form of light they find harmless. Flowing water is another matter. We believe that it burns them like acid though the damage is not as lasting. A great one or even a werewright can enter a stream but they will do their best to avoid this. The pain must be very severe, and the wounds that the water gives them quite debilitating though temporary. Enchanters suspect that daemagos suffer great mental and emotional distress from the touch of water. They believe it can be lasting and, for them, lethal.”

Cara leaned back in the saddle to look up the seabird. “I just remembered something that puzzled me at the time. Bran forded the river. How did he get away with that?”

“As you doubtless realize, Braznar was merely a hired spy--not entirely evil or entirely of the Shadow, yet.” He sighed. “We, all of us, move towards the Light or towards the Shadow with each decision we make. In most cases, we are not aware of this. Braznar is not the first Elder to turn to evil for gain nor will he be the last. Had the negotiations been successful and had Braznar attempted to re-enter the river, things might have been otherwise. Then, or perhaps later, he would have found that he followed the Shadow whether he knew it or not. Hardly the first to learn that.

“Ride on quietly now. We are still close to the gorge and many of the Shadow’s spies have sharp ears.”

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