“MUST YOU LEAVE SO SOON?” Keera asked.
Moylir nodded. “We must get to Gentra. If we go through the prophecies one more time, perhaps we can find a way to stop the Mekans before they destroy more worlds.”
“Will the Kromins be going with you?” Saemus asked.
“They will be of great use to us.” Moylir frowned. “However, if they all accompany us, we will have a hard time communicating. Perhaps if only two came with us...”
-- I will remain behind--
“Hurry back. I don’t know why, but I feel safer with you three around,” Keera said. She threw her arms around Moylir.
“We will go with you,” Forka said, pointing to Robert. “We need to check on the status of Earth and the Jhinn.”
“Then one of the clones should go with you as well,” Moylir said.
“Does that mean you’re going too?” Keera asked, grabbing Sloan’s hand.
Sloan and Brad shared a look. “We will remain behind.” It was hard for him to say those words. Even though he was married now, home was still the Jhinn encampment. The Jhinn would be ill-equipped to handle the Mekans if they arrived.
The grateful look in Keera’s eyes almost erased any doubts he had about staying on Astra.
“We will contact you if we find anything.” Feeror led the way to the Kromin’s ship.
“As will we,” said Forka.
Keera and Kaelin waved as their comrades made their way aboard the travel pod. Moylir paused and waved back. The travel pod lifted easily into the air, barely causing a light breeze as it shot away toward the Stroh Hills and the portal.
“I hope they find what they need soon,” Kaelin said.
“As do I,” said Keera.
A sudden commotion interrupted their conversation. A horse came down the main road at a full run. As soon as he spotted Rome, the rider yanked back so hard on the reins the animal squealed and sat back on its rump. The man fell to the side and the case he was carrying went rolling through the dirt. Several villagers ran to help the man to his feet.
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” Kaelin said.
The man was gasping and trying to speak. All he could do was hand over the leather satchel to Rome and wait for the man to read what was inside.
Rome’s face blanched as he read the parchment.
“What is it?” Saemus asked.
“The Mekans have destroyed much of the Eastern Continent and are slowly making their way here. Many have already crossed the Sea of Solace. Mordaen reports severe wave fronts that are wiping out coastal cities along both Continents.” Rome sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.
“What can we do?” one of the villagers asked.
“There’s nothing we can do. These things are going to destroy us!” another villager exclaimed.
“I have family in Vis Rellisa! I need to know if they’re all right! I should travel there and see if they’re all right,” said another.
“We will remain here until such time as I decide we go, is that clear? And no one is to go gallivanting off on suicide-rescue missions for friends and family. The Mekans are still a long way off so we have a little time to decide what we are to do. If we are to leave, there is still much planning that needs to be done. I will appoint some of you to begin gathering supplies in the event that we need to evacuate,” Rome said.
“We will need to evacuate. It’s just a question of when,” Saemus said.
“Shouldn’t we leave now rather than waiting until the enemy gets here?” a villager asked.
“We can’t just leave. There are preparations to make. Which we can see to if you’re done with all the questions,” Rome said firmly.
The village leader then gave instructions to the villagers to begin collecting supplies: food, water, medicine, fodder for livestock, weapons, anything Rome thought they would need to survive.
Saemus spotted Beth Stone, Jon’s mother, hurrying toward them. His heart sank. The last time she had been this distressed it was because her son had run away, only to later be kidnapped, sold to Queen Cheye, and taught to harness forbidden magic.
“Have either of you seen Jon?”
Keera frowned, trying to remember the last time she had seen him.
“I haven’t seen him since before the wedding. I figured he was at the farm” Saemus said.
“No. He’s been moody and withdrawn since you first arrived. I thought it was because he was still upset at finding out he was adopted,” Beth said sadly.
“It could be,” Saemus said. “However, it could be something else.” Saemus glanced at Kaelin and Brad sharing a quiet moment under the shade of an aspen tree.
Beth didn’t miss the look. “Surely you don’t think he’s still in love with that girl, do you? That was so long ago.”
“I’ve caught Jon staring at her on more than one occasion, and when he sees Kaelin and Brad together, he looks enraged,” Keera said.
“Not to mention that we’ve been traveling with Fa’ Vel. Who knows what that man has been filling his head with,” Saemus said.
Beth looked even more distressed than when she first arrived. “Could he have run off again?”
“Let’s go see if he’s at Fa’ Vel’s camp before we jump to conclusions,” Saemus said.
Saemus, Keera, and Beth made their way to Fa’ Vel’s camp at the edge of town. Saemus’ heart sank when he didn’t see tents through the trees. It was clear before they arrived at the camp that the evil magician and his men were long gone.
“What do we do now?” Keera asked.
“The clone can tell us where Jon is,” Saemus said, opening his mind to the telepath.
--What is it you desire?--
--We need to find our friend, Jon. He seems to be missing--
The clone answered after only a few seconds. – He is traveling toward a city called Faerow. He did not seem pleased that I made contact.
--Why is he going to Faerow?--
--Unknown. But he is with a rather large group--
--Can you contact him again and ask him what he thinks he’s doing? And why he left without saying anything to anyone?-- Saemus asked.
--He is not allowing me to discern the answers to your questions--
Saemus sighed loudly, wishing he didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news. “Jon has left with Fa’ Vel and his men. They’ve gone to Faerow. I don’t know why.” Saemus frowned. “Not sure why Fa’ Vel would go back to Faerow, seeing how he had Mordaen’s family killed.”
“Perhaps Mordaen never saw him. It wouldn’t surprise me if Fa’ Vel had his cronies do all his dirty work,” Keera said.
“The question is, what do we do?” Saemus asked. “Do we go after him? Let him go his own way?”
“Why should we go after him? He made his choice,” Keera said before she could stop the words. She winced when she saw the pained look that flashed across Beth Stone’s face.
“Like it or not, he’s one of us. And we might need his power if the Mekans come,” Saemus said.
“Maybe he and Fa’ Vel will defeat them and we won’t need him here at all,” Keera mumbled.
“That’s not nice, Keera—”
“I don’t really care if it’s nice! We went after Jon the first time he ran away and caused all sorts of trouble. Now he runs away again just because Kaelin married someone else. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself,” Keera said.
“Maybe he will realize the folly of what he’s done and come back,” Beth said as she wrung her hands.
“That’s true. Maybe he only went along to make sure Fa’ Vel was leaving for good,” Keera said, jumping on the chance to take the sting out of her recent words.
“His absence doesn’t change anything. We must make preparations to leave and it’s too dangerous to send anyone after them. We just have to trust that he knows what he’s doing,” Saemus said.
Beth nodded. Saemus put a comforting hand on her shoulder, wishing Jon hadn’t put his mother through this a second time.
He better not show his face around here for a good long while.
Saemus led the way back to the village, his heart weighed down with the tasks Rome had set before them. It would take some time for the villagers from Heart Stone, Oak Brook, and Willow Haven to gather the necessities. In the meantime, the Mekans drew closer to his home.
As Saemus, Keera, and Beth approached the Village Green, they noticed riders galloping at full speed down the main thoroughfare. They split when they reached the fork leading to Willow Haven and Oak Brook.
“Where are they going?” Keera asked.
“Rome is sending riders to spread the word to the homesteads. At this time of year, they’ll be working the fields. They need to be warned about the danger so they can flee,” a villager explained.
“I’ll say good day to you. There’s lots of work to be done to get ready. I best go see to the girls,” Beth said as she headed for home.
“How can he be so selfish? Those girls were devastated last time he took off,” Keera snarled.
“Perhaps they have grown used to his absence,” Saemus said.
Keera grunted. “I guess. Still, it seems like a rotten thing to do.”
“I agree. But we can’t worry about him right now. We have to help our people get ready to evacuate.”