Utgar stared blankly at the spy. Silence reigned in the hovel for a full ten seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Utgar finally asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Wellspring!\u201d the spy repeated. \u201cShe knows where it is!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar grappled with this statement for a few moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s\u2026 There\u2019s a Wellspring here?\u201d he finally managed. \u201cHere, in the Volcarren?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spy nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd Runa knows where it is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, the spy nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut\u2026 how? How could she know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe must have found it,\u201d the spy said. \u201cShe had it\u2019s power. Ahnvad knew it the moment he saw her. She has drunk of a Wellspring. She must know where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar sat back. Runa. A Wellspring. Here, in the Volcarren. But that didn\u2019t make sense. It was said that those who drank from a Wellspring gained incredible powers. Runa didn\u2019t have those powers. He, Utgar, would have known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou lie,\u201d he said to the spy. \u201cIf Runa had drunk of the Wellspring, she would never have been captured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spy shook his head. \u201cShe didn\u2019t know it herself. But Ahnvad could tell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWellspring powers are easy to detect with the right tools,\u201d the spy said. \u201cAhnvad has those tools. He had sensed the presence of a Valkyrie months ago, and once he was in the same room as her, he knew. We drugged her with a toxin which removes magical powers. After that, she had no more chance of breaking out than any other prisoner. Her powers are gone now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar was silent for a moment. \u201cThen why are you here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spy said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnswer,\u201d one of the guards said, a warning in the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Utgar thought he knew. \u201cAhnvad,\u201d he said. \u201cHe thinks Runa knows where the Wellspring is. And you\u2019re here to watch Runa, hoping she\u2019ll return to it. That\u2019s it, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomething like that,\u201d the spy muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen that means,\u201d Utgar turned to Vraen, \u201cthat we were allowed to escape. If he,\u201d \u2014 he gestured to the spy \u2014 \u201cwas planted here, Ahnvad expected us to rescue him along with the others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen nodded thoughtfully. \u201cThat explains the lack of guards,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought the camp seemed under-guarded. There must have only been fifteen soldiers there.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cAhnvad sacrificed them. For a gamble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar turned back to the spy. \u201cWell,\u201d he said, \u201cAhnvad\u2019s wrong. He thought that if he set her free, Runa would lead him straight to the Wellspring. But he\u2019s sacrificed his men for nothing. My daughter doesn\u2019t know where any Wellspring is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spy laughed. \u201cYou really believe that?\u201d he said. \u201cShe had the power of the Wellsprings! She has drunk Wellspring water! In this desert, you Volcarrens must remember every spring you come across. She knows where the Wellspring is, and until it is found, Ahnvad will follow her, watch her, hunt her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar glanced at Vraen. Vraen was staring at the spy with a hard look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou think,\u201d the spy continued, \u201cthat you can dissuade Ahnvad just by saying that she doesn\u2019t know? This is a Wellspring! The one who drinks from it has power beyond imagining! Ahnvad will not be stopped by a little lapse in memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar had heard enough. He stood, surveyed the spy for one brief moment, and then turned on his heel and exited the hovel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen caught up with him outside. \u201cDo you think it\u2019s true?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar didn\u2019t answer immediately. It was all too\u2026 much. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to think,\u201d he finally said. He stared at the star-flecked sky above them. \u201cA Wellspring, here in the Volcarren. And Runa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt does explain why they took her,\u201d Vraen said slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes\u2026 but a Valkyrie?\u201d Utgar said, turning to look at him. \u201cI would have known if my own daughter was a Valkyrie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot\u2026 necessarily,\u201d Vraen said. \u201cWe have an elder here, one who remembers the old stories from before the war. He\u2019s always said that those who drank from a Wellspring often felt no change. He\u2019s told one story, about a kyrie who drank from a Wellspring, and only found out years later. Wellsprings were only really discovered when someone injured drank from them. The waters healed them, and then they knew\u2026 but if Runa was never injured\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar shook his head. \u201cI made sure she never was,\u201d he said. \u201cI kept her well away from any danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was silence for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s true,\u201d Vraen said slowly, \u201cif there is a Wellspring somewhere in the Volcarren\u2026 we have to find it. Before the Empire does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar looked again at the sky. He knew what Vraen was going to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUtgar,\u201d Vraen said, \u201cI know Runa has suffered terribly, and I don\u2019t want to make her relive it\u2026 but if she has found a Wellspring somewhere\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know, Vraen,\u201d Utgar said. \u201cShe would have told me if she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut she might have stumbled across it. She wouldn\u2019t know what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA source of fresh water, Vraen?\u201d Utgar said. \u201cThe spy \u2013 what\u2019s his name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMeren,\u201d Vraen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, he was right,\u201d Utgar said. \u201cWe would remember any spring of water like that. Runa would have told me.\u201d He looked down at Vraen. \u201cBut you\u2019re right,\u201d he said. \u201cA Wellspring isn\u2019t something we can dismiss, fictional or not. I\u2019ll ask her if she remembers anything. But tomorrow. For now, she must sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Vraen said after a moment. \u201cLet her sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was midday before Utgar felt comfortable asking Runa anything. Normally, the prospect of a Wellspring somewhere in the Volcarren would have excited him. If the Volcarrens found it, it would mean freedom from the Empire. But right now, all that concerned him was Runa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she woke, she still clung to him. Food was brought, and she ate nervously, as if afraid that it might all suddenly turn into a dream, and Utgar become Ahnvad, back to torture her again. But as the day wore on, her confidence grew. Finally, Utgar felt they could delay no longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, when asked if she remembered coming across any pool of water or faint trickle, she shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI just don\u2019t remember anything like that. I would have said something, wouldn\u2019t I? A source of water like that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Utgar agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s not something we would forget\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen was in the room, his arms folded. \u201cRuna,\u201d he said, \u201cI hate to ask you this, but can you tell us exactly what Ahnvad asked you? Did he know a rough location? Did he ask you about a specific area?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar glanced at Runa. She had turned slightly paler at Ahnvad\u2019s name, but her voice didn\u2019t shake as she answered Vraen. \u201cNo,\u201d she said. \u201cHe asked where I had been. Anywhere I had been. Every cave, every canyon, anywhere I had ever gone. But I couldn\u2019t remember ever finding a pool or anything. I think\u2026 I think in the end he must have believed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFather,\u201d Runa said, turning to Utgar, \u201cI heard about\u2026 about Meren. About how he was a spy. About what he said. He said the Empire will be watching, and\u2026 and following.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBe at peace, Runa,\u201d Utgar said. \u201cNone shall touch you while I am here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa gave him a weak smile, but Vraen pulled him aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe has a point,\u201d he whispered, so that Runa couldn\u2019t hear. \u201cShe\u2019s marked. Doubtless it was Ahnvad\u2019s plan to have Meren follow her, and report to him if she found the Wellspring. But now that he\u2019s been discovered, they\u2019ll have to watch her themselves. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll try to capture her again; they let us rescue her by choice. But they\u2019ll be following her. There could be Imperial scouts above us right now, flying where we can\u2019t see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar was silent. Vraen was right. He looked at Runa. \u201cI thought once I had her back, I could return to my old life,\u201d he said to Vraen. \u201cI thought I could just disappear back into the desert like I did before. But you\u2019re right.\u201d He paused. \u201cI can never go back as long as the Empire is looking for Runa. And\u2026\u201d he took a breath, \u201cwe endanger you by staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He raised his voice so that Runa could hear, and spoke to Vraen. \u201cYou\u2019ve done more than I could ever ask for me and my daughter, Vraen. We might have been safe here, but if the Empire thinks my daughter knows the location of a Wellspring, we\u2019ll be safe nowhere. Our only option is to run. We\u2019ll hide somewhere the Empire can never find us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen raised an eyebrow. \u201cWhere?\u201d he said. \u201cHow? The Volcarren is a flat slab of rock. There\u2019s no cave or canyon you could hide in that the Empire wouldn\u2019t scour. They can fly, Utgar. How will you hide?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll think of something,\u201d Utgar said. \u201cI\u2019ll have to.\u201d He turned to Runa. \u201cWe must leave, Runa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa looked scared, but she nodded and stood. \u201cThank you,\u201d she said, inclining her head to Vraen, \u201cfor what you have done for us. I will not forget how you saved both me and my father, nor the shelter you have given us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen opened his mouth to reply, but Utgar interrupted him. \u201cRuna?\u201d he said. \u201cThe\u2026 The burns. They\u2019re\u2026 gone.\u201d He had just noticed it now, when she stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa blinked and looked down at her arms, which were bare. The skin was unblemished. Utgar had seen those same arms covered with burns only a few hours ago, but now\u2026 now it was as if they had never been touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vraen looked in wonder at Runa. \u201cThis is beyond my healers to do,\u201d he said. He looked suddenly at Utgar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s beyond any healer, Vraen,\u201d Utgar said, still staring at Runa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa looked from one to the other. \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Utgar could not speak. Vraen opened and closed his mouth several times. Then he finally said: \u201cIt can only mean one thing. Only Wellspring water can work such a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Utgar stared blankly at the spy. Silence reigned in the hovel for a full ten seconds. \u201cWhat?\u201d Utgar finally asked. \u201cThe Wellspring!\u201d the spy repeated. \u201cShe knows where it is!\u201d Utgar grappled with this statement for a few moments. \u201cThere\u2019s\u2026 There\u2019s a Wellspring here?\u201d he finally managed. \u201cHere, in the Volcarren?\u201d The spy nodded. \u201cAnd … Continue reading Chapter Seven<\/span>