Free Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One by Tania Johansson Page B

continued, I could make out the shape
of some roofs through the trees, but it all still seemed faint, as if it could
disappear in an instant.
    I came to the end of the bridge
still with no clear idea of what I was walking toward.   The moment I stepped off the bridge
everything in front of me came into sharp focus. I gasped. I was back at the
burnt out village. The bodies still were I had left them. Panic rose in my
throat. What if this had been a trap? What if the ones that said they would
find me, had somehow led me here?   I
turned around intending to run right back across the bridge.   My heart sank. The bridge was gone and in its
place was the forest.   Markai looked back
at me and set off towards the village. Clenching my teeth against the fear, I
followed.
    We stepped clear of the trees
and relief flooded through me. Quiniewa was standing at the edge of the
village. She did not look at me as I approached. She was in the form of the
elderly woman, and for the first time, she really looked old. Her eyes narrowed
as if she was trying to see something in the distance.
    “You are the first human capable
of Travelling since before the Severance.” She looked at me with raised
eyebrows. “You are the first human capable of not only maintaining a connection
with an Enchanted while doing it, but summoning one of the Fae as well.” She
gave her head a small shake. “Ever.”
    After a short silence she
continued. “The most surprising of all: I did not suspect the potential in you.
I should have, but I did not. There I am preaching to you to believe the
impossible is attainable when I did not even entertain this possibility. Curse
me for a fool. By not preparing you for that, I had in fact risked your life. I
apologise for my failure.” She bowed to me, her face sombre.  
    I was unsure how to respond to
this. “What do you mean my life was at risk?”
    Her brows knitted together, but
a small smile curved the edges of her lips. “If you did not realise your life
was at risk then perhaps you are even stronger yet.   No one has ever attempted to Travel without
instruction. Even so, a significant number do not make it through. They enter,
never to be seen again.   No one knows
where they went or what happened to them.” My stomach gave a bit of a twist at
that. Had I known the risk, would I have been brave enough to face it?
    I looked across the desolated
village and I shivered. “Quiniewa, do you know what happened here? Who did
this?” Her mouth pulled into a thin tight line.
    Her hands balled into fists. “We
never imagined that Rakadamon’s plans could have been this far advanced
already. This is the work of the Dark Children and the Twisted Ones. They do
his bidding. This is not simply a physical war, Kadin. This is a war for our
very souls. What you see here was not a simple massacre. These people would
have been given a choice: Give your soul to the Dark Master and live to serve
him, or die in agony. The fact that we see so many bodies here is testimony to
the moral character this village had. You will play a pivotal role in the
events to come. They want to see to it that you never get the chance. Your
carefree days are over, Kadin. You will have to look over your shoulder by day
and sleep with one eye open and your sword by your side at night. You are
hunted.”  
    Iciness crept down my back. This
was what I had feared and yet to have that fear confirmed was hard to take. I
tried to hide my alarm keeping my face smooth. I gave a tight nod.
    Still staring straight ahead,
she continued. “Now more than ever you need to keep Markai close. She will do
all in her power to keep you safe.”
    Suddenly a thought occurred to
me. “Do you know of any legends or folklore that speaks of the Dyrrendrel? Are
they common in certain areas of Surrelmidia?”
    She looked confused at my question
and she shook her head. “No. The Dark Master worked hard at erasing any trace
and every memory of his Children. People were