The Wizard's Curse

Chapter 4-2

After a few minutes, Summer Rain came over and sat down next to him. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was incorrect in my surmises. I am sorry you had to go through all of this.”

“Not your fault. How were you to know?” Tarkyn frowned. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Summer Rain gave a little shake of her head but didn’t answer.

“She burnt herself on your shoulder, sending you the life force,” said Rainstorm over his shoulder from where he was setting the fire.

Tarkyn pulled his other hand out from within the blanket. “Give me your hand,” he instructed.

“No, my lord. You are not strong enough.”

“Summer Rain, give me your hand.”

The healer stared mutinously at him for a moment before reluctantly unwrapping her hand and placing it in his.

Tarkyn’s eyes widened. “My shoulder did that? Wow! I must have been hot!” He looked up at her. “Thank you, Summer Rain. It must have taken great determination to hold your hand there when it was burning. Now, close your eyes, and I will send you through some esse. Don’t worry. It will make little difference to my recovery. Ready?” When she nodded, Tarkyn closed his eyes and directed a small wave of power into her hand. “Better?” he asked.

Summer Rain breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked down at her hand, the blisters had gone and the skin was already only slightly pinker than the rest of her hand. “Thank you. That is a great relief.”

“Good. The least I could do.” Tarkyn looked around at Stormaway and the woodfolk standing around him. “I suppose it’s the middle of the night and you want to get back to bed but…”

Looks of surprise on the woodfolk’s faces told him that returning to bed hadn’t crossed their minds.

“I think we’re all a bit too shaken to go back to bed yet, Tarkyn,” said Waterstone dryly, shaking his head. “If you were about to say we need to sort a few things out first, I couldn’t agree more.”

“Oh. Good.” Tarkyn raised his eyebrows. “So, it’s not just me who’s a bit wound up at the moment.”

A ripple of laughter greeted this remark.

Waterstone smiled grimly at him. “Tarkyn, the forest has been badly damaged again by the oath’s vengeance. We have an unconscious, infectious woodwoman lying over there, under guard. Golden Toad and Ibis Wings are also being held under guard in their shelter until this is sorted out. And the forest is slowly dying around us as we speak. I don’t think any of us has any plans for sleep.”

“Your Highness, you must explain to us what happened so we know what we’re dealing with,” said Stormaway.

Tarkyn rubbed his hand over his brow. “I don’t know for sure. I think perhaps my power mutated the parasites. They certainly became stronger and larger when they fed on my power. When I cleared them out of Rushwind, I checked all through her body for damage and found none. But she wouldn’t let me into her brain. I accepted that because of her privacy, but now I think a small colony of parasites must have escaped into her brain and warped her thinking, maybe even taken over completely. Just before you people helped me get rid of the parasites in me, they were heading towards my brain.”

Tree Wind frowned. “How do we know they didn’t get there or that there weren’t already some in your brain and that you’re not acting under their influence?”

Tarkyn didn’t take Tree Wind’s question amiss even though in the past she had been one of his severest critics. His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. “That is a scary question. When I realised what was happening, I did put up a shield, which Rushwind couldn’t have done. But what if some were already in there?” He shook his head. “How can we tell?”

“How would we have been able to tell with Rushwind?” asked Summer Rain.

“If you had stayed tuned into her thoughts, you would have been able to tell,” answered Tarkyn. “When you think about it, she acted unexpectedly, straight after my attempt at healing her. When she attacked me, I couldn’t tell her thoughts, of course, but the images coming through from her were hideous.” He looked at Waterstone. “I think it’s time to even up the score. Waterstone, I give you permission to have free access to my memories and any images and feelings you can access.”

A babble of consternation broke out at this announcement, some of it surmising Waterstone’s past actions and some of it in reaction to Tarkyn’s offer.

“Sire, that is asking too much of yourself,” objected Falling Branch. “Can we not just trust you if you reassure us?”

Tarkyn shook his head. “Not if I am not acting under my own volition. I won’t know. I will think I am being honest and so will you, when I may not be. Someone outside me has to scan my thoughts and feelings.”

“But isn’t the very fact you’re offering proof enough?” he persisted.

“I don’t know, maybe, but we can’t afford to take the risk.” He looked back at Waterstone and gave a wry smile. “Sorry, Waterstone, I dumped you in it, didn’t I? I’m not thinking too straight at the moment. Are you willing to do this?”

“I am willing, but could it be dangerous?”

Tarkyn shook his head. “I wouldn’t think so, as long as someone is nearby to pull you out of my thoughts. But again, don’t rely on what I say until we know whether I am to be trusted. Ask Stormaway.”

Stormaway frowned down at him. “Tarkyn, this is very uncomfortable. And can I just point out that if you are indeed still infected, then the tree’s power will be feeding the parasites and strengthening them?”

Tarkyn whipped his hand away from the tree trunk. “Oh my stars, Stormaway. You’re right. How could I have been so stupid?”

“I think it is encouraging that you do not yet appear to have been overrun when we all sent you that life force earlier on to heal the burning,” pointed out Summer Rain.

Tarkyn breathed a sigh of relief. “True. That is encouraging.” He gave a little shiver. “Come on, Waterstone. I feel as though I’m going mad here, not knowing whether I am truly myself or not.”

Waterstone frowned. “Are you sure?”

Tarkyn smiled. “Yes, my friend. I am sure. I trust you with my memories and images. Go ahead.”

“I can’t see that I need to go very far back.” Waterstone looked around for confirmation and saw several people shaking their heads. “Show me your memory of earlier this evening after you thought you’d healed Rushwind.”

Tarkyn’s memories did not have words attached to them, only images and feelings. Rainstorm embarrassed. Rushwind looking askance at me. Outrage and hurt at her behaviour. Autumn Leaves angry with me. Golden Toad nervous but kind. Feeling raw, shaken, frightened by intensity of feelings, tired.

Waterstone pulled out. “Hmm. I think we could have looked after you a bit better after that first run-in with Rushwind. You seemed to have scored a lot of criticism when you were least able to deal with it. Still, so far so good,” he reported with a reassuring smile at Tarkyn. He took a breath. “Right. I suppose I’d better see what happened when Rushwind came to see you tonight.

Rushwind bending over me. I feel mildly friendly. Rushwind’s face fills with hatred. Eyes burning red. I’m watchful not frightened. Rushwind puts her hand on my shoulder. Searing pain. Raging wind above me. Everyone, come! Waterstone could feel an echo of the pain from the image, but he persevered. Parasites pouring into me through my shoulder. Flooding everywhere. Flowing out through my hand up into the tree. Now, grey globules change direction. Moving towards my head. Shield goes up. Fear. Outrage. Power now destroying parasites. Anger and terrible images of forest dying flood in. Unleashed rage. Fiery blast through my all my blood vessels. Blinding, burning pain.

Waterstone pulled out, sweat beading on his forehead. “Stars above, Tarkyn! You poor bastard! You’ve been through the wringer.”

“But what do you think? Did my shield stop them getting to my brain?”

Waterstone nodded. “I think so. There were parasites in you for some time before you put up the shield, but they seemed intent on flowing into the poor old oak tree at the start. Even if your shield didn’t work, your outrage at their intention to enter your mind was what triggered your successful attack on them. So, I think you are not infected.” The woodman regarded Tarkyn thoughtfully for a moment. “Do you think you can manage one more? I’ll scan your images now. Agreed?”

Tarkyn took a deep breath, let it out and nodded. “Fine. Away you go.”

Waterstone looking intently at me. Kind, strong, dependable, clever. I feel strung out and battered but safe and cared for by all around me. Affection. Warmth. Worry. Waterstone going pink. Amusement.

Waterstone pulled out and laughed, still pink with embarrassment. “Very b****y funny! You’re fine. Not a nasty thought in you.”

Tarkyn grinned. “Now you know what I think of you, don’t you?”

“What?” asked Rainstorm from the side.

Tarkyn laughed. “He’s easily embarrassed. That’s what.”

This time, Rainstorm knew when to stop pushing. “So. What are we going to do?” he asked instead.

Tarkyn gave a deep sigh. “Now that I know I don’t have any parasites left in me, I can continue to draw power from this uninfected tree. As soon as I’ve recovered, I will have to whip up my rage again and channel it through my power into the infected trees to destroy the infestation. You can help me with images and anger again. As I get used to the concept of the parasites, it is harder to reach and maintain the same level of outrage.”

“What about Rushwind? And Golden Toad and Ibis Wings?” asked Lapping Water.

Stormaway shook his head. “They will have to wait. At least in them, the infection is contained at the moment. In the forest, it is spreading as we speak.”

“And,” added Tarkyn, “Rushwind must be kept unconscious because, if she runs amok, no one can touch her to contain her.” He looked around at the sombre faces. “Is everyone in agreement with that plan of action?”

“I don’t see what else we can do,” said Autumn Leaves.

Waterstone frowned. “It puts a heavy load on you, Tarkyn, if you have to relive that same hideous experience.”

“One more thing we have to be careful of,” put in Stormaway. “If the parasites should spread to this tree while Tarkyn is still drawing power from it, he will become re-infected. Even if we move him further away from the infected trees, we will still have to keep an eye on the progress of the infection through the forest. I’m not sure that he would survive another roasting like that.”

“I hate to sound pessimistic,” said Thunder Storm, “but how can we expect Tarkyn to battle this infestation that is feeding on the might of the forest? His rage was only just strong enough to cure himself, even with the help of our images.”

Tarkyn shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. There was plenty of energy. Once your images ignited my rage, the infection was burnt out almost instantaneously. It was my recovery from the scalding that took all the time and power. Saying that, it’s not going to be easy.”

“How long will you need to recover?”

Tarkyn shrugged. “I don’t know. Not too much longer, I hope. We can’t afford the time. Until I start to turn green. Then we’ll know I have as much energy stored in me as possible.”

Stormaway had a sudden thought. “Running Feet, would you check whether the infected trees are still alive, please? Don’t touch them though.”