The Kingdoms of Strinnlad (Book One): The Rise of Magic

FIVE

 Aureate sunshine seeped through Rhys' eyelids. He coughed and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. After blinking the tiny stars away from his vision, he faced Kendrick. The man was sharpening his long-sword with a charcoal-coloured whetstone. Rhys looked out at the lake. This morning, it was shrouded in a thin layer of smoky mist. Cleo walked up from the clearing, carrying two full canteens. They locked eyes. When she smiled, Rhys noticed tired lines around her eyes, and as she approached him, he saw that she had faint bags under her eyes.

"Morning," she greeted.

"Good morning," he replied. "You don't look like you slept well."

"Yeah," she said, biting her lip. "I don't know. Everything that's happened-"

Rhys nodded sympathetically.

"And there are these voices," she continued. "They're really soft, though."

"Can you hear them now?" he asked, sitting up.

She shook her head. "So you can't hear them?"

Rhys shook his head.

Once Quinn had woken, they began their journey north towards Wood Elven Castle. The children loosely followed Kendrick, trudging through the undergrowth. Occasionally, Cleo would check the map. Rhys jogged up to where Kendrick was walking.

"So what do you do?" he asked. The man looked over.

"Nothing at the moment," Kendrick said. "I used to train with the dwarves, but I've decided to travel around Strinnlad instead."

"I'm hoping to find something I want to do with the rest of my life."

"You're a shapeshifter, aren't you?" asked Quinn from next to Rhys.

"Indeed I am," he answered.

"How does that work?" Quinn asked.

"Well, if I will myself to turn into an animal, I can," Kendrick replied simply.

"And you have unlimited shapeshifting?" Rhys questioned. "You can shapeshift as often as you want?"

"No, not exactly," Kendrick said. "It works similarly to your magic. I have a certain capacity."

"So if I am tiring or very fatigued, I won't be able to shapeshift," he added.

"Can't you hear this?" called Cleo. They turned around. She was going red. Her expression was confused and frustrated.

"What are they saying?" asked Rhys.

"What are what saying?" asked Kendrick.

"She's hearing these voices," explained Rhys.

They looked over at Cleo. She had stopped walking. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she has her eyes closed tightly.

"You have a difficult task ahead of you," she repeated.

"Can't you hear them?" she asked, exasperated. They all shook their heads.

"Thererumoursumors that there are trees around these parts that whisper into people's ears," said Kendrick.

"Huh." Cleo looked at the thick oaks that surrounded them from all directions. The barks were covered in moss, and the one next to her had scarlet sap seeping down its trunk. They didn't look out of the ordinary.

"Never mind, then," she said dismissively. "It's just a low humming, usually."

"Okay, let me know if it gets worse," called Kendrick. They continued along the path.