Spirit Speaker

The carriage rattled and bounced its way along the stone road that led to the elven forests. 

Anna was irritated with me. 

I knew why.

"Look, highness, I have no control over her." I said. "She comes and goes when and wherever she pleases."

"Yet she's always with you."

"Not always." I said, looking fondly at the golden amulet in my hand. "At least not in the way you're thinking."

"It's unfair."

I shrugged. "It's life highness. At least you got to see her this time."

Miss Rita cleared her throat. "Sorry for interrupting, highness, who are you talking about?"

"The woman earlier, the one that was cradling his head." Anna said, pointing at me. 

"So you saw her too, I take it?" Miss Rita looked relieved. "I thought I was losing my mind."

"She's real." Anna said, glumly, and blew a strand of hair from her face. "And Lukas is her favourite."

I chuckled. "Jealousy is an ugly colour on you, princess." 

She pulled her tongue at me. 

I pulled mine back at her. 

"Who is she?" Miss Rita asked.

Severen was seemingly dozing in the heat, but I was almost certain he was awake. He was listening intently, though I had no idea if he had seen the goddess or not.

"You know who she was, Miss Rita." I replied. "You just aren't quite ready to admit to yourself yet."

"Every soul in your weave recognised her, Miss Rita." Anna told her etiquette teacher. "It took me a few moments to realise what she was, and a few weeks to figure out the who." She tapped Gurada. "This helped."

"A spider?" Miss Rita studied the focus. I saw the colour drain from her face.

There it is.

"Is that where you went?" She asked, turning to me, her eyes wide. 

"You're certainly taking my sudden disappearance and reappearance in stride, Miss Rita." I observed mildly. 

"Master Lukas, I have seen you summon fireballs out of thin air, and throw lightning bolts at your servant, just to have them blasted back at you. You vanishing for a few seconds is nothing compared to that."

"Yes, Miss Rita, the goddess took me to her domain, and let me heal up there." I unbuttoned my shirt to show my chest, burn-free. 

"How did you ever come into contact with her?" Severen asked, no longer feigning to be asleep. 

"You saw her too, Master Ilyas?" Anna asked.

He nodded and pulled out a silver necklace, a beautifully carved owl hanging from it. 

"Most surveyors, even the Academy-trained ones, are taught to believe in the Seeker. He's the god of truth and hidden things after all."

"Yes, Master Lukas, how did you come into contact with the goddess?" Anna asked. 

I shrugged. "Is that all that important?"

"Yes!" The three of them said in unison.

"Master Lukas? We're coming up on the border."

I raised my hand. "Hold that thought. Come, Anna, it's time to introduce you to the Elven Forest."

*

The border was the same as the other one, a glowing line stretching from horizon to horizon separating two pieces of land that looked identical to the land around it. 

I was looking at the border speculatively. 

Anna was looking at it apprehensively. 

"Okay, Anna, just like last time," I said and stepped over the line. 

I staggered. The Forest spirit was much stronger than Desari. 

"Okay, princess, take my hand." I held my hand out, careful not to cross the boundary. 

Anna took it and stepped over the line. 

I caught her quickly. 

"Steady…steady highness, you're doing fine," I said, my one hand on her shoulder, my other on the small of her back. 

"That one was much worse than when we crossed from The Kingdom." She said, catching her breath. 

I shrugged. "The Forest spirit is much stronger and far older than Desari. It would have been worse if you hadn't spent every evening getting beaten up by Rowan."

I raised my hand and waved the carriage over. 

"We're a couple of days away from Golden Leaf. Be careful. The Stormborn elves don't like humans. Stay near me, and you should be fine, but do not, under any circumstances, go wandering."

"Why do they hate us?" Anna asked as I helped her back into the carriage. 

"Slavers," I replied. "Desari Slavers looking to sell in the empire. Elves go for a lot of money."

"Are they such a problem this far from The Kingdom?"

"Not as bad as they were a hundred years ago. They would come into the forest back then."

"What changed?"

"The Stormborn clan got a new chief, and began fighting back."

*

The carriage rolled to a halt. 

"Sir? We're at the inn."

"Thank you, Rowan!" I called out.

"We're not camping out?" Miss Rita asked, her voice hopeful.

I shook my head. 

We had been avoiding inns as much as possible on our trip, the princess was a valuable hostage after all, and I didn't trust travellers not to give into temptation. 

Besides, I liked sleeping under the stars. 

"Why not?" Anna was disappointed, she liked sleeping under the stars as much as I did, she didn't get much of a chance to do it back in Arantha. 

"The elves here hate humans," I explained. "This inn is one of the few safe places in their lands. Merchants use it when trying to reach the other clans from Desari."

It was early evening when we walked through the familiar doors. 

I'd stopped here before, on my way to Golden Leaf on the other timeline. My father was safe, but my mother… he wasn't taking any chances. 

My memories of that time were a little hazy, but from what I could see, things hadn't changed much. 

There was a timelessness to the Elven Forests that spread even here. 

It was safe. 

"Jaina, why don't you go and help Rowan with our luggage?" I suggested. "He seems to be struggling a bit."

Anna looked over to Rowan, who was not struggling in the slightest. She shrugged and gave him a hand. 

A necessary pantomime, no one would expect a princess to help with the luggage. 

The inn was made of sturdy brick, with a thick thatch roof over top, on a dark stained, exposed timber frame. 

Tables lined the walls, and a large firepit burned merrily in the middle of the room. 

The innkeeper watched us from the far side of the room, behind a wooden desk. 

I made my way over to him.

"Not too many half-elves make their way through Stormborn." The elf said when I arrived at the desk. 

I shrugged. "Making my way from the coast. Didn't feel like making the weeklong journey to pass through Featherwind."

The innkeeper shrugged. "Whatever your choice, you've made it. What can I get you, half-elf?"

"Three rooms, food, baths if possible." 

"I can do the rooms and the food. The pump's busted out back, I won't be able to run a bath for you, and I don't think your companions would like to use the river." He looked over my shoulder at Anna and Rowan. "They might attract the wrong kind of attention."

He looked under the table and pulled out three keys. "Here, just upstairs. We don't have anyone else staying the night, but I'd still be careful if I were you. Things aren't good in the forest these days."

I know. 

"I heard there was war brewing," I said, taking the keys. "Who's at whose throats these days?"

"Clawed Fist and literally every other clan in the forest, though that's died down right now. The Clawed Fist elves have moved into Featherwood territory. Something's wrong in their clanhome."

"Any ideas?"

The elf shook his head. "Nothing. We don't hear much in the inn, the Stormborns tend to block communications. Humans don't need to know what humans don't need to know."

"Makes sense, and dinner is?"

"Any time after sunset. Just grab a bowl from the cupboard over there and fill it up with whatever's in the pot."

I thanked him and turned back to my companions. 

"Okay, Jaina, Miss Rita, here's your room key. Master Severen, you're on your own, and Rowan and I will be sharing."

They took their keys, Rowan slipping ours into his pocket and picking up the luggage. 

"Master Lukas," Severen said, watching the others go. "I think this is as far as I go." He looked around the inn. "There's plenty for someone of my skills to do here."

He shimmered for a moment, and the average-looking brown-haired human in front of me became a grey-haired, silver-eyed elf. 

"When are you leaving?" I asked, taking his key back from him. 

"Now. I have a contact in one of the villages a few hours hike from here. She'll be able to give me a better understanding of what's going on."

"I can help you with that, you know," I replied. "A landbreaker's taken up residence in Clawed Fist territory, and has sent all the greater spirits in an uproar."

Severen's face paled, and he shimmered back into a human. 

"That's not…that's…"

I nodded. "Bad, huh? Don't worry. I've sent for Headmaster Pyrab. He should be reaching out soon with instructions. I've never dealt with a landbreaker before, and I don't want to do it on my own."

Severen shimmered again, and the elf was standing in front of me again. 

"Yes, well. I'll keep an ear out. Thank you, Master Mage for the ride." 

He bowed slightly and turned on his heel. 

I watched him leave. 

Something was kicking at my senses. I looked around the common room, keeping my gaze casual.

Nothing unusual…except for…there. 

A man, grey cowled, sat at a corner table. He was watching me, an unreadable smile on his face. 

He waved me over. 

He looked familiar. 

The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. 

I'd felt something like this before. 

A god.

I crossed the floor to his table. 

"Twisted Weave." The man said, his eyes white. 

Shielded. 

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage." I said evenly. "There are seven of you after all, and I've yet to meet the other five."

The man laughed and dropped a golden amulet on the table. A horse. 

The Crafter. 

"It's completely by chance that I happened to meet you here." The Crafter said, pocketing the amulet again. "My sister has blocked you quite effectively on the Weave, and whatever you did to the Seeker has made the others a little cautious in trying to contact you."

I shrugged. "He read my weave, and I did the same in return. He didn't like what I found."

The Crafter regarded me for a second. "You really don't care who I am, do you?"

I shook my head. "Nope, there's only one of the Seven that demands my allegiance, and you're not her."

The Crafter laughed. "Damn. I see what my sister was talking about. Do you know how long it's been since someone talked to me like this?"

"She said much the same." I turned to the innkeeper and held up a finger. "Do you want something to drink?"

The Crafter shook his head. "No, thank you. The Stormborn elves tend to trip over themselves when they see me."

"You are an imposing figure, sir." I replied glibly. 

He laughed. "No, no it's not that. I've been their patron for a couple centuries now, which makes it difficult for me to hide from them." 

Patron?  I hadn't heard of this before. It was understandable of course. I'd avoided the forest in my previous life, and it had been just under 30 years since I was last here in this life. 

My knowledge of the elven way of life was severely lacking. 

"It's surprising to see you here." He was saying. "I'd imagine our meeting is more than just a coincidence. The old man is tiring of my sister monopolizing you. I think you'll probably run into more of us in the future."

"What do you want from me?"

The Crafter laughed. "Nothing, Lukas. I have no desire to make an enemy of the Weaver. She's prickly enough as it is. Believe me, I had no idea you'd be here."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Keeping an eye on things. That landbreaker is causing havoc further east, and I've taken a liking to these elves. I'd rather not have to take steps to rescue them."

He studied me for a moment. "You, on the other hand, seem to be barrelling headlong into a confrontation with the beast."

I sighed. "I knew I would be. There's something about my weave that just attracts trouble."

"And blessings of course. You've met three gods already. There hasn't been a mortal that's done that since old Pilak raided the golden halls a thousand years ago."

"I thought he just visited them." I said incredulously. "Why the hell did he raid them?"

"Seeker had managed to anger him somehow. I didn't pay too much attention to it. I was a fairly new god at the time, and was too busy consolidating power to take an interest in any family squabbles."

I shook my head amazed. "Is that when he lost that game of chess to the Spirit King?"

"How do you think we got him out of the halls?" The Crafter chuckled. He paused. "Actually I'm glad you're here. I need you to do something for me."

I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms. This is new.

"I'm listening."

"There's a shrine just a few hours away from here. I'd like you to swing by it. I've lost contact with it, and I'd like to know what's going on."

"You've lost contact?"

"It's as if it never existed. I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh."

"You know what it means, don't you?" He said shrewdly. 

I nodded. "How much do you know about what's going on?"

"You mean your project with the Weaver? Not much. It's got something to do with the world ending on the other timeline right?"

I nodded. "The spirits call it the Rending, sir. And it's what ended the world last time. It… attacks the weave? I don't know, but whatever it does, it blocks the gods, and it paralyses lesser spirits in its immediate area."

The Crafter sat back, his face troubled. "And you think that's what's vanished my shrine?" 

I nodded. "Probably sir. I'll check it out for you."

The innkeeper put a tankard of something on the table and gave my companion a quizzical look before shrugging and heading back to his place behind the bar. 

I picked it up, concentrated for a moment, and ice crystals appeared on its sides. 

"I hate warm ale," I explained, before draining the tankard in one go. 

"That looked good." The Crafter said with a smile. "I haven't had one of them in a long time."

"What's the point of being a god if you can't enjoy the little things?" I asked, putting my tankard back on the table. 

He shrugged. "Immortality, immense power, a stake in the fate of the world, the adoration of millions."

"Must be lonely."

The Crafter raised his eyebrow. He shook his head. "You really don't care."

"No sir. Where's the shrine?"