Chapter 119
Cara and Morris met the next day in the early morning at the spiral stairs.
"So what have you decided?" asked Morris.
"About what?" said Cara.
"About whether you will let me come with you still, " he said.
"After you told Stevin everything? Don't worry it's fine, it wasn't your fault I know how stubborn and difficult to get rid of my brother is, " said Cara.
"Good because I just got permission from my parents to go, " said Morris.
"Your getting permission was never the big question it's asking the elders for Rit the main problem, " said Cara.
"Yeah, so I know Elder Rain is at his house right now, we can go and ask him for a start, " said Morris.
"Fine, lead the way, " said Cara.
Elder Rain's house was just as big as Elder Holt's only it had a different color and feel to it.
There were a lot of older guards and people in the courtyard, Cara felt uncomfortable and already like she was breaking some rule, but Morris seemed fine.
"Stand up straight, you look like you are here to steal something, I come here often they won't stop me, so calm down, " Morris said to her.
But at the front door to the house, they were stopped.
"Morris, how are you? How is your father?" a man asked them.
"Good morning Mr. Druders, father is well, thank you, " said Morris.
"And who is this?" he asked.
"This is my friend, Cara, we were going to meet Elder Rain for our favors, do you know where he might be?" asked Morris.
"Oh, yes, I think I remember seeing her at the tournament, congratulations to you both for making our clan proud, Elder should be in his office, he had some visitors, " said the man and left.
"Wow, he didn't stop you or ask any questions, " Cara said, if it was her trying to enter Elder Holt's house uninvited she would have been thrown out in an instant.
"I told you, I come here all the time, they all recognize me, " said Morris and they headed for Elder Rain's office.
Morris knew the way very well and he went and knocked on the door to his office.
"Come in, " came a deep voice from inside, and Morris entered with a nervous Cara behind him.
Elder Rain indeed had a visitor and it was none other than Elder Maeve. The most reclusive elder in the mountain other than Elder Shadow. Morris hadn't expected her to be there too and she wasn't a common sight so he was taken aback. She had a very thin and frail-looking body, covered in multiple layers of shawl and dirty blonde unkempt hair.
"Morris? I wasn't expecting to see you here today, " said Elder Rain.
"Good morning Elder Rain, Elder Maeve, " they bowed to the two elders.
"We didn't know you were with Elder Maeve, sorry for disturbing you, we will leave, " said Morris.
"No, wait, it was Elder Maeve herself who told me to let you guys in, and as usual Maeve your intuitions are never wrong, " said Elder Rain to Elder Maeve. Elder Rain had a happy and curious expression on his face.
Morris and Cara moved closer to the desk, where they were sitting.
"Ah I completely forgot, you must be here for your favor, right Morris?" said Elder Rain.
"Umm, actually I have asked my dad the favor and he will ask Elder Rahm about it, " said Morris.
"Elder Rahm? Why not me? I was hoping you would choose me, Maeve you said the person knocking behind the door had a favor to ask of me so I was sure it must be a winner from the tournament and most probably Morris, " said Elder Rain almost looking dejected.
"They do have a favor to ask of you, " said Elder Maeve, her eyes elsewhere as if she was thinking something else.
"Oh, then maybe your friend here is the one with a favor, I do remember seeing her fight you in the tournament, " said Elder Rain.
"Yeah, she is Cara, and no she has asked Elder Rahm for a favor too, but we both wanted to ask you something?" said Morris.
"What is it?" asked Elder.
"It is about Rit, you know he lives on the top floor, " said Morris.
"This can't be a coincidence, " suddenly Elder Rain said and this time even Elder Maeve's ears perked up.
"Of course, I know Rit, he is Elder Shadow's assistant, what about him?" asked Elder Rain.
"Well I don't know if you know this but, Elder Shadow is gone, " said Morris.
Elder Rain gave the both of them a surprised look and then looked at Elder Maeve meaningfully.
"How do you know about it?" asked Elder Rain.
"So you do know about it then?" asked Morris.
"Yes, Elder Maeve informed me just this morning, she had gone to see him in the hall of dreams and she found out that it was empty, and then she went and tried to ask Rit about Elder, but he couldn't give any proper answer and as well you know Elder Maeve isn't very good at talking, she came here to ask me if I knew something, " said Elder Rain.
"Yeah, well Rit didn't tell because he didn't know, Elder Shadow just left yesterday, he doesn't know why, which has troubled Rit very much, and he believes he left a job for him and he needs to leave the mountain to do that, " said Morris.
Elder Rain and Maeve looked at each other for a long time thinking silently.
"How do you two know so much about Rit?" asked Elder.
"Well a few days ago, Elder Holt sent Cara to deliver food for Elder Shadow, as you know he usually does, well that's when Cara met Rit and even talked to Elder Shadow," said Morris.
"You talked to Elder Shadow? I don't believe it, " said Elder Rain.
"Did you see anything else in there?" asked Elder Maeve for the first time.
"Yes, a cat and a big beast with a long neck, " said Cara.
"It's true then, Elder Shadow must have trusted her to show her his other forms, " said Elder Maeve.
"Yeah, but, what should we do then? Let Eit leave the mountain, " asked Elder Rain.
"My intuition is telling me that's the right thing to do, " said Elder Maeve in a shaky voice.
"But we can't decide that alone, " said Elder Rain.
"We have two votes here, I can talk to Elder Holt and you can talk to Elder Sarah, four of is should be enough to make this decision," said Elder Maeve.
"Well, I trust you, if you think that's the right thing to do, " said Elder Rain.
Morris and Cara hurried off to tell Rit the good news. Rit was completely overjoyed that he would finally be able to fulfill Elder Shadow's orders.
"So, we will be seeing you at the meeting then?" asked Kalinda.
"Yes, If I make it there alive," said Ash jokingly.
"No, offense but you said you were being trained by the amazons, but I can't sense any mana around you, do you not have any affinity to it?" she asked.
"Yeah, someone put a spell on me to block my powers, it's a kind of challenge to prove I am worthy," said Ash.
"Ah, that must be what I had been sensing, it's a kind of magical block, I can remove it if you wish?" Kalinda offered.
"No, it's fine, I need to complete the challenge," said Ash.
"It sounds just like the amazons to make a challenge like this," said Kalinda.
"Are there dangerous things on the way to the meeting?" asked Ash.
"There are things, and they can prove to be dangerous if your luck is bad, but from the way you found us tonight, I don't think you will be in any big trouble, sorry we won't be able to accompany you, we will be taking a different path through the trees, we have some acquaintances of ours to meet," said Kalinda.
"No, this is help enough," said Ash.
The day to leave for the five-head meeting arrived in Waraul Mountain. Cara and Morris woke up early and packed and Morris arrived at Cara's house. Rit had left the mountains two days before when the Elders had permitted him, he would be waiting nearby outside and looking for their carts, and when they left he would follow them quietly.
Cara's mom opened the door for Morris when he knocked.
"Come in, Mr. Caine, your dad has been sending me messages all day yesterday to look after you, so don't get in any unnecessary trouble, although you seem like a quiet kid, it's Cara I am more worried about, Elder Rahm is already kind of annoying at us for making this trip into a picnic of sorts," she said letting him in.
Morris went to Cara's room where the two brothers and sisters were arguing. Stevin had just dropped the news yesterday that he would be coming with them too, that didn't annoy Cara as much until he said that Jared would be coming along too.