Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Read online

  “Did Justin send you?” asked Joss.

  “No one sends me,” Ora replied. “I’ve decided to help. A message will arrive from Justin tomorrow confirming the same thing. I happen to be ahead of it. You can think tonight how you want to move, get everything started, and wait for his message if you like.”

  “Thank you. If you are correct, we should tell the Elves, Ostrakans, Salmatinians, and those of the Wild Woods tonight. Maya?” he extended his hand.

  Maya nodded, taking his hand, and they left to spread the word followed closely by Neville and Carr. Taran assigned Dulcie some exercises while he and Ora took Maya and Joss’s previous place on the balcony.

  “Why are you here?” Taran asked.

  “You need me,” she said simply.

  “Yes, I agree. We needed you when we met you and that need never disappeared. You left us for a while. What changed?”

  “I could not stay while Lucy was here. So much depends on her and her decisions. I could not have her depending on me,” said Ora. “Everything was too fluid. I could not see until she made certain choices.”

  “Now, are things clearer?” asked Taran.

  “Yes, I can see enough now to help.”

  “What changed? Is there hope for us?”

  “Yes, there is hope now that Lucy made the decision she needed to make,” said Ora.

  “What decision?” wondered Taran.

  Ora looked at him with her large, dark, depthless eyes.

  “She’s with the Rav, isn’t she?”

  Ora nodded.

  “But it’s a good thing?”

  Ora nodded again. Taran sighed. He was sure Justin wasn’t happy right now. He looked out at the dark sky as the moon rose. Ora slipped her hand into his, and they stood there together thinking, hoping.

  Chapter 43

  As Lucy and the Rav traveled, she noticed an odd, jolting sensation. She realized the Rav, for she preferred to think of him that way rather than by his given name, was shortening their travel with small jumps. They were like the ones she had used traveling from the mountains to the Elves, only smaller. She ignored the odd feeling, looked straight ahead, and did her best not to think about Justin. The Rav also seemed to have plenty to ponder, and they rode in silence. After a while, the Rav turned west, following a narrow, almost hidden, path. Lucy followed, glad she was in such good shape. She was tired, but not ready to complain or ask for a break. Soon, it got too dark to ride safely.

  “I can see in almost darkness, but the horses can’t. We’ll stop here for the night,” he announced. “When I’m in the mountains, I don’t light a fire. Are you okay with a cold dinner?” for the first time since they had met, he looked apprehensive.

  “I’ve eaten cold food before,” smiled Lucy.

  Before they could eat, they cared for the horses. Usually, Gavin did that, but obviously he wasn’t there so Lucy handled her own mare. She unsaddled her, rubbed her down, and picketed her near some grass. She sat down with her back against the mountain side. Lucy wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was better than riding for the moment. She hadn’t ridden in a while, and she was sore. She took some travel bread, dried fruit, and cheese out of her pack, glad she and Justin had divided the food. She wondered what they were going to do about a tent. Did he sleep in the open? She didn’t have a bedroll. The Rav sat down next to her and stretched out his long frame. He gnawed on some jerky.

  “Perhaps I should have stopped somewhere and let you pick up your normal supplies. I see you don’t have a bedroll. It didn’t occur to me that you wouldn’t be packed for traveling since you were…traveling,” said the Rav.

  “Don’t worry about it. The assumption was common sense,” Lucy sighed.

  “Why don’t you have a bedroll?”

  “I suppose I should show you. It’s a skill you should probably know I have, in case it becomes important.”

  Lucy stood up. She looked at the Rav and melted into her kestrel shape. She flapped onto a nearby rock and tilted her head at him. Then, she melted back.

  “Talented,” he said dryly.

  “We brought food and clothes in packs, but traveled and slept as birds,” explained Lucy.

  “That explains a lot,” he said. “That’s probably why I couldn’t sense you all the time. You disappear when you are a bird. Is it only the bird, or can you change into other animals as well?”

  “I could probably transform into anything. I have to be really careful the first time though. Ishalla showed me how to do it.”

  “Can you transform me?”

  “I could probably change you, but I don’t know if I could transform you in a way that keeps your identity. It would take practice. At this point it would be an emergency effort rather than a possible option.”

  “At least that solves the bedroll problem, if you don’t mind continuing to sleep as a bird.”

  “I don’t mind,” said Lucy.

  “For now, during the day, I’d prefer you to travel as a person. We have much to discuss, when the trail allows for it. I think when we get closer to the army, scouting in your other form might be helpful.”

  Lucy nodded in agreement. She finished her dinner, melted back into a kestrel, and went to sleep. She had to admit she felt better sleeping in a tree than on the ground beside him. Morning dawned earlier than Lucy would have preferred. She felt wide awake as a kestrel, but as soon as she melted into her human form, she felt all the soreness from yesterday. She joined the Rav in a breakfast of travel bread and dried fruit. Then she saddled her mare, mounted, and continued to follow the Rav through the mountains.

  “How far are we going to travel though the mists?” asked Lucy.

  “We aren’t. We’re going to the western edge of the mountains. From there, we will be able to do some work at a distance, some once they are visible, and more while they cross the mountains. Hopefully, we’ll finish things up during their engagement with your army.”

  “Sounds safe,” said Lucy sarcastically.

  He grinned. They continued to travel the barely discernable path. The trail was so obscure and dangerously narrow that Lucy was sure the Shadow Weavers wouldn’t consider it a viable option for their army. The sun beat down on them as they carefully moved single-file, skirting a precipice. Occasionally, an outcropping of rock provided shade, but mostly they were exposed enough that Lucy was sure she would be sunburned. As least there was a breeze. It helped prevent travel from being too miserable.

  The next few days passed in much the same way until they reached an outcropping of rock overlooking the valley and the mists. Despite the urgency of the approaching army, they could only travel as quickly as the trail would allow them to. Lucy shivered. She had no desire to spend any more time in the mists. Behind them was a cave.

  “We will wait here,” said the Rav. “The cave is deep enough for our needs, but not deep enough to be dangerous. We’ll take care of the horses and then do some work.”

  The cave was warm and dry. The Rav or one of his friends had obviously used it before. Wood was piled in the back, ready for a fire. Near the wood, was a stone cubbyhole hidden by a rock. Inside, was a small cache of dried fruit, bandages, ointment, a full water-skin, flint, and a dagger. A good survival and first-aid kit. Sunset found them sitting cross-legged on the outcropping.

  “What next, oh great teacher?” Lucy joked.

  “I know you can work through water. Can you work without it?”

  “I can try anything,” said Lucy.

  “Use your mind to follow me. We’re going to work on the basics with the army. Untie everything you can. Don’t worry about tracing anything back to its source. Don’t get too close to the Shadow Weavers. Stay on the sides. The army is on the move, so there is no more need for secrecy. However, it will be hard to hold it together. Some of those in the army are natural enemies. The Shadow Weavers are using magic to bind them together. Anything we convince to leave will help in the long run. Today we focus on untying. Tomorrow, we can hit those we untied w
ith doubts, boredom, and anything else we can think of to convince them to quietly go home.”

  “Sounds like the beginning of a plan.”

  “We have to start somewhere.”

  Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated on using her senses to follow the Rav through the mists and to the army. She found some of the advance guard quickly. She tried to see the black and red threads, like she could in the water. It was harder; the threads and images were faint without a medium. She was able to untie the outriders. She could sense that the Rav was doing something else. She didn’t know what. Apparently, they were multi-tasking. Lucy worked her way farther west and along the north edge of the army untying as she went. She didn’t expect anything she did to take effect right away. A Troll was going to kill no matter what she did. What she was hoping was that it might get distracted and wander off to prey on something closer rather than continuing through the mountains to her friends.

  Lucy untied as many as she could but stopped when she got a headache. Her mind returned to her body on the cliff. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, stood up, and stretched out sore muscles. The Rav maintained his slumped position for a while longer before opening his eyes and also stretching.

  “Too much for you?” he asked.

  “I had a headache. I decided I could take a break and then continue. Obviously, this is not a sprint procedure. I can pace myself for the long run.”

  He nodded and grabbed some jerky to gnaw on. It was warm enough that night, that they did not light a fire. The next day, Lucy and the Rav spent their time untying what they could and taking breaks in-between. Some of the animals, colossal bears, wolves, and feral mountain cats, were easy to lure away. They were ruled less by thought and more by instincts. A promised meal in a week or two was less appealing than the fake trail of a deer Lucy laid to the south. These animal deserters would have decimated an army when engaged in battle. Once removed from the equation, the animals lost interest and didn’t return. Lucy couldn’t tell if their actions were having any effect on the size of the army. As the Rav had pointed out, she didn’t accurately have a concept of its actual size.

  The next day it rained torrentially. Lucy and the Rav spent the day huddled in the shelter of the cave, glad to be dry as they continued to magically harass the nightmare army. The rain gave Lucy an idea. She remembered from her time in the mists that the composition of the ground there was not solid. They had to cautiously pick their paths around marshes and quicksand. How was the army moving through the unstable ground? Could she make their journey more difficult? These nightmares might live in the mists, but that did not mean they were immune to all of the dangers therein.

  Lucy sent out her mind towards the army. This time, she felt the ground under the front of the army. It seemed solid enough. Could she undermine that stability? There was enough water in the air. What if she siphoned some into the ground? She concentrated on adding water underfoot. She also tried to sense what held the ground together, making it solid. Could she break apart some of those bonds? Could she alter the area enough? She felt the horses at the front of the army tremble and start sinking into the ground. The more they struggled, the more they sank. She created a mire at the front of the army. She felt bad for the horses, but any riders she sank now couldn’t kill her friends later.

  As the army milled around, trying to stop its forward momentum, process the problem, and skirt the swamp, Lucy looked for more ground she could turn into a deadly trap. She found a likely spot near the south edge and did the same thing there. She remembered the clicking, deadly bugs in the bog from her mist excursion and sought them out. She couldn’t speak to them mind to mind because there wasn’t much there to speak to, but she was able to convince them there was food, and plenty of it, in the direction of the army. The bugs followed her urgings and made matters less than enjoyable for the army. It was slightly funny to watch ferocious Ogres looking apprehensively around at the clicking sounds.

  “Well done,” congratulated the Rav.

  “The mists are treacherous. I see no reason not to use them to our advantage,” shrugged Lucy.

  “Devious mind,” he smiled.

  “No, practical mind. It’s a numbers game now. How many they have, how many we have, and how many can we neutralize before the two forces meet.”

  “What’s that?” he asked, not focusing on Lucy anymore, but on the approaching army.

  Lucy sent her senses out to see. It took her a minute to figure out what was going on. Then, she started laughing. The Rav looked at her confused.

  “Kinda’s trap team. There were rumors that the contingent from the Wild Woods included a battalion of killer bees. I heard they were going to accompany Kinda and make themselves useful. Apparently, and happily, it appears those rumors are true. They must be attacking while the army is still in the mists to try to lower moral,” Lucy explained.

  The Rav grinned a grin that reminded Lucy of Kinda. Lucy couldn’t help but return it. Despite the rain and the horror of the approaching army, things were looking up at the moment.

  That night, Lucy was having a hard time sleeping because of the rain. Since she couldn’t sleep, she thought about trying another idea to hamper the nightmare army and reduce its numbers. She traveled out with her mind to where the army slept. She thought about how Justin and she had returned dead Skelt and Dwarrolings to the ground. She had no idea if she could do it from a distance or not, but she thought it was worth a try. She wasn’t sure what to do with Ghouls and Specters, so she found a sleeping Dwarroling. She focused pressure on his chest and slowly pushed him into the marshy ground. Luckily, he slept through it, and even though he was still alive, she was able to magically break down his essence and return him into the marsh.

  Lucy was partly appalled by her newfound ability, but she reminded herself it was a numbers game and continued on to the next Dwarroling. It was also a mental game. She tried to pick her victims randomly, but purposefully enough to cause worry and panic to other members of the army. When the comrade sleeping next to you disappeared in the middle of the night without a sound, it was sure going to be harder to sleep soundly the next night. Exhausted, Lucy fell asleep near dawn still in her human form.

  Light streamed through the cave when Lucy next awoke. She couldn’t hear any more rain. She was also confused because there was a soft, fluffy, warm, weight resting on her forehead. She opened her eyes slowly to try to help her identify the source of the warmth. She determined there was a small owl perched on her head.

  “Nut?” Lucy asked.

  “Good morning,” replied the owl in a more feminine voice than Nut’s.

  “Good morning,” said Lucy. “I’d like to sit up.”

  “Of, course,” the owl replied, fluttering to perch on Lucy’s knee instead.

  “You’re finally awake,” commented the Rav from the other side of the cave. “There’s work to be done.”

  “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I worked then,” defended Lucy.

  The Rav shrugged, repositioned himself, and closed his eyes to cause trouble to the army. Lucy turned her attention back to the owl.

  “My name is Lucy. I’m pleased to meet you.”

  “I know. My name is Melindath Ethrrel Glindawin. You may call me Meg.”

  “How do you know who I am?” asked Lucy curiously. “Do you know Nut?”

  “Nut is my brother. He asked our family to watch out for you. We are to help you if we can and warn you of danger.”

  “I appreciate the concern. Is there anything I need to know?”

  “Do you know he’s a Rav?” Meg fluffed her feathers in irritation.

  “Yes,” answered Lucy.

  “Keeping company with a Rav could lead to the imminent termination of your life.”

  “I can hear you,” interrupted the Rav, sounding slightly insulted.

  “You were meant to,” replied Meg glaring in his direction. “You cannot keep her safe. Her proximity to your existence threatens her entire being.”r />
  “I think I can take care of myself,” said Lucy.

  “Thinking does not make it so. He is perilous company.”

  “I consider myself warned. Thank you for your concern.”

  The Rav looked irritated. He opened his mouth, seemed to reconsider the action, and closed it again. Apparently, he had better things to do than argue with an owl, because he closed his eyes again and sent out his mind. Meg flew the short distance from Lucy’s knee to her shoulder and nuzzled up to her neck. Lucy found the closeness both comforting and disconcerting.

  “You should leave,” intoned Meg.

  “He says he needs me to help defeat the army.”

  “You could do what you are doing elsewhere.”

  “I could,” agreed Lucy. “Circumstances might change. He may have other ideas. Right now, I think I’m doing what I need to be doing. I have to help my friends.”

  Meg clicked her beak in a way that implied displeasure. Then, she cuddled closer to Lucy.

  “I will help keep you safe.”

  “Thank you,” replied Lucy. She wondered how a small owl was going to keep her safe. If nothing else, Lucy enjoyed Meg’s presence.

  “You can send your mind out now. I will watch over you.”

  “Thank you,” repeated Lucy. Since she had nothing better to do, Lucy returned her attention to the army.

  Lucy and the Rav spent much of their time sending out their minds. During her breaks, Lucy chatted with Meg. When the Rav was mentally present, Meg made her displeasure known by fluffing her feathers, clicking her beak, and glaring in his general direction. The Rav was annoyed. Lucy was amused. It was a relief to have something to laugh at considering the circumstances.

  On the fourth day, the army arrived at the base of the mountains. The army had traveled much quicker than any of them had anticipated. Hopefully they, along with Kinda, would be able to lengthen the time it took the army to cross the mountains. Given its size and the mist, Lucy could hear it long before she could see it. The sounds of hooves beating against the ground, harnesses jingling, horses snorting, feet marching, voices murmuring, armor clinking, undefined animals growling, and a general sense of menace echoed up the valley to where Lucy and the Rav were perched, watching, waiting. She could also smell it. Apparently bathing wasn’t high on the list of things-to-do of nightmare creatures. The mists lifted enough that Lucy could see it. The size of the army took her breath away. It was immense and filled the valley. How could they ever defeat it? Was it possible?