Andrew seemed to be the most emotional about the whole turn of events when he said with tears in his eyes; “Surely we would have dissuaded you from this plan of action, for we love the queen too much to not have guaranteed her safe return. But in defense of the king let me tell you all that the Ancients, our ancestors were terrified of Layton and felt he could not be defeated or killed. With all the weapons that his troops had hidden on them we surely would have missed some and then Layton would have prevailed and the kingdom would have been lost. He then most assuredly would have killed Lorriel for the threat she posed to him as a time shifter. The King has made the right decision in killing Layton to save the kingdom, it is the only way the kingdom will ever be safe.”
And then turning to Raven he said with even more emotion; “Raven, my beloved friend, you must have been tormented and torn by this decision. It was a decision no person had the right to make but you, and you have once again been forced to decide what is best for the whole of the kingdom while suffering loss yourself. We will wait here with you to see if the queen returns.”
Raven could see the sadness his friends felt for the possibility that Rebekka was not to return.
“No,” Raven said suddenly, “I wish to wait here for Rebekka alone. Andrew, you and Master Fields should take these weapons to Andronicus to be disassembled and destroyed. He will know how to safely take care of them. Lorriel, would you return with Sauron and make sure little Edward is fine.”
When they saw that Raven really wished to be alone, they gathered the weapons and their belongings and left the king standing alone by the Halfstaff River.
Andronicus watched the small band approach Layton’s company from the top of the falls. He was fearful for the outcome of this confrontation with the man his creators thought invincible. A second emotion raged within, vying for superiority of his fears. One made of hope and confidence that Layton Teal had never encountered a group of people more capable of handling his genius. If there was any chance Layton Teal would fall to other than time itself, it would be today.
Andronicus had to smile at the fact that no great stride had been made to greatly lengthen anyone’s life more than twenty years. That was one foe Layton Teal could never gain the upper hand on, for all succumbed to old age eventually. Andronicus was glad that humans had not gained victory over the basic aging of the body. To have a Layton Teal that would live for hundreds of years would be unbearable to the point of causing even an android to take a life.
Andronicus’ hopes came to a reality when he saw the outcome of the confrontation. A part of him mourned, as he could not help but do at the loss of any human life. Yet another part triumphed knowing Layton Teal would no longer bring hurt to any others from this day on, forever. It was over for now, though he knew that tyrants could rise in any generation as wicked as Layton had been.
Andronicus watched as the Dukes respectfully buried the dead. He continued watching as the Dukes all left and then the king’s friends left as well. As he stood at the top of the falls contemplating the end of the confrontation with Layton, he noticed that Andrew and Master Fields were coming up the river toward him with the weapons he had seen gathered by the King. He could not see their faces but Andronicus had gotten used to other features which enabled him to recognize individuals at a distance. But what he noticed most of all was the solitary figure left alone on the banks of the Halfstaff River.
“King Raven,” Andronicus thought, “I never told you I had emotions as well as you. When asked about feelings I always changed the subject or answered in the negative. I can guess what you are feeling, for I miss her too. No one ever touched my mind with greater compassion, enthusiasm, or logic than that of beloved Rebekka.”
With those thoughts a feeling he had rarely ever felt came upon him. It was anger welling up from all the injustice life had dealt them all. But mostly anger at how the king had to suffer for doing what was best for others. Of all the humans Andronicus had known in more than a thousand years, none had made greater sacrifice for others than King Raven. And none had suffered more in the process than he. It was a confusing paradox that Andronicus was unable to solve. Was the reward for sacrifice suffering, or was suffering the very foundation of sacrifice? This part of humanities composition would always be an enigma to Andronicus.
He did not realize he had spent so much time contemplating the ethics of human suffering until Master Fields and Andrew Crestlaw arrived with the weapons. He greeted them, but saw that they too felt the sufferings the king and queen must be enduring.
“The king,” Andrew spoke, “has requested that we bring these weapons to you for disposal.”
Andronicus nodded, “I can take care of these so they will never be used or found again.”
Master Fields turned to go, but Andrew did not remove his stare from the face of Andronicus.
Andronicus noticed the intense look of Andrew and asked. “Is there something weighing heavy upon you that you wish to ask me?”
“Do you think the queen will be returned to us?” Andrew said plainly.
Andronicus shook his head sadly not able to hold Andrew’s bold stare.
“It is hard enough,” Andrew continued, “with Lorriel’s life being shortened, and then to lose Rebekka as well will make the rest of our lives less joyous. It will be very hard on Lorriel for they were the best of friends, but the worst will be for our beloved king.”
“It will be hard for us all.” Andronicus choked out the words tying to keep his emotions in check. Andrew noticed the expression on Andronicus’ face as well as his broken reply and said.
“You are not merely a machine, are you?”
Andronicus only reply was: “I must deal with these weapons,” and picking some of them up he headed toward his home. Andrew watched for a moment and then turned and left with Master Fields.
Andronicus knew the perfect solution to the destruction of the weapons. Hundreds of years before he had found a cave close to the head waters of the Halfstaff River. It was a small cave but it went deep into the very bedrock of granite that surrounded the Kingdom of Glenfair. There he took the weapons, far back into the cave where a small tunnel made a sharp curving right and ended in a small bulbous room almost large enough for Andronicus to stand in. There he deposited the weapons placing the explosive devices in a circle around the rest. He pressed a green button on all of the explosive devices and took one and opened a small panel. There he keyed in the time and pressed a blue button which linked all of the devices together. When he depressed a red button, all the devices lit up as the count down to the explosion began. He placed the remaining explosive in the circle with the others and headed outside to wait.
In about five minutes an explosion was heard that shook the ground around him. Andronicus waited for the dust to clear in the mouth of the cave before going in once again. Reaching the small tunnel he was surprised to see that it had not collapsed completely. The very hard granite had resisted the small blast. He peered into the small tunnel and saw melted rock glazing the walls in the places that were left intact. He knew then that the explosive devices produced more heat than concussion in their explosion. He smiled to himself knowing that the weapons had been blown apart and then melted and fused to the rock. Anyone finding this place would be hard pressed to know exactly what had happened here in this small chamber.
Raven waited for two full days by the Halfstaff where Layton Teal’s camp had been. What he knew in his heart was becoming reality, as any hope for Rebekka’s return began to evaporate with the passing of the second day.
When the third day began to dawn, Raven knew all hope of Rebekka’s return was gone. Layton would never have waited this long to fulfill his end of the bargain in returning Rebekka. He would have been eager to get the information and hunt down his prey. Now Raven knew that there must have been some way for Layton to signal the young woman to bring back Rebekka after he got the information he desired. By Killing Layton he had prevented any signal fr
om being sent. His only hope had been that the young woman would have gotten curious and wondering why there was no call or signal would return to investigate. But he knew that was wishful thinking. No one who knew Layton Teal would disobey his orders intentionally. If the young woman was told to wait until he summoned her, that is exactly what she would do. As this realization settled into him, his resolve began to disappear. He was weak from not eating and drinking very little the past two days, and now deeply depressed he wished himself to die there. At that moment several people appeared over the same knoll he had before crossed to reach Layton’s camp. It was Andrew, Lorriel, Master Fields and Sauron. They came to him leading his horse that he had let wander off the day before. When they reached Raven they dismounted, and bringing some food encouraged him to eat.
“I am not hungry,” was all Raven said. They all looked at each other, bewildered at the king’s depression.
Master Fields then spoke; “Sire, staying here will not bring her back, you must return home.”
“Return home?” Raven asked. “Nothing awaits me there I want to return to.”
“You have a kingdom to run, your Majesty,” Master Fields tried once again.
“I have given all I can give to the kingdom, I have no more to give,” was all Raven could say.
Lorriel came forward then and grasped his hand, he looked into her face and the gray hair he saw brought him grief, not solace.
Lorriel saw this but did not flinch when she said, “There is a reason for you to go on, Raven, a little boy named Edward needs you very much. He needs to see by example how a kingdom should be run if he is to be a good king someday. He will also need you when he finally realizes that his mother is not returning to him. And lastly of all Raven, we need you to be our king once again.”
Raven looked at them all and for the first time in days he felt something else besides grief, the love that his friends had for him. At that moment he could not contain the sadness that he had held in check for two days. He pulled Lorriel close and cried loudly upon her shoulder. The rest all wept as well, not even stern Sauron was able to keep the tears at bay. When finally after some time their grief was assuaged, they persuaded Raven to eat some food. He then thanked them for coming and told them what needed to be done.
“Lorriel, you and mother bring little Edward home the first of the week and we will tell him together about his mother. Master Fields and I will head back to the King’s castle and then I will go to the Prescott dukeship. I promised Bandon I would let him know about his daughter personally. There is also some other business I need to attend to while I am there. And thank you all for coming, you have revived my soul.”
The next day as Raven approached the Prescott dukeship, he wondered how he would break the news to Rebekka’s family. He did not have long to debate the issue, for as soon as he was seen to approach the castle the Prescotts came out to meet him at the front gate. Raven stopped his horse and dismounted looking at their anxious faces.
No one said a word for a few moments until Bandon asked. “Has my daughter returned?”
Raven shook his head sadly and said, “No, the queen has not returned to us. I am sorry.”
Lilly Prescott threw her hands over her mouth to stifle a cry that came with the news. Bandon said nothing but turned and stormed off back into the castle.
Lilly came forward then and put her arms around Raven and said, “Please excuse Bandon’s behavior. Although he and Rebekka sometimes argued, he loved her very much.” And then she said more pointedly, “I know you loved her most of all and miss her just as much.” Raven could only nod at the statement, fearing to speak for all the emotion that he felt.
Finally Lilly said, “Come, you must eat with us.”
The meal was well prepared and the food excellent, but Raven had little appetite. No one talked unless it was necessary through the whole meal. When the meal was almost finished, Rebekka’s younger brother Gregory spoke to Raven.
“Do you think there is a chance that Rebekka will come back someday?”
“I do not know,” Raven said truthfully. “But the chances are highly unlikely now.”
Bandon Prescott could hold his peace no longer, with anger in his voice he said, “Why have you not formed a search to look for Rebekka?”
Raven could see the pain showing in his face as he answered back. “If Rebekka were somewhere on this earth where she could be found I would never cease until I had found her. But she has been taken somewhere into the far future where we cannot find her.”
“Bah,” Bandon said in mock disgust and disbelief.
Lilly at that moment said, “Bandon! I am ashamed of you. You of all people should know how much the king loved Rebekka. You yourself have said to me many times that their love was too wonderful to hide from anyone.”
Raven rose from the table and said, “Come with me Bandon, I must speak with you and show you something in your castle.” Bandon rose reluctantly, only because he knew Raven meant the secret room he had shown him not too long ago.
When they had entered the secret room, Raven told Bandon that he now knew how to open the vault in the floor.
“How do you now know how to open the vault when you could not earlier?” Bandon asked.
“Uriah and Amnon showed me when we were with them,” Raven said.
Bandon looked blankly at Raven and then said, “The stress and everything has mixed your mind up King Raven.”
“No,” Raven said smiling. “We did go back in time to see the ancients. Lorriel took us there before we met with you to confront the enemy. Lorriel has the power to travel in time using the same stones that were worn in the battle. The stones made it possible for Lorriel to take us with her.”
“I would not believe you at all save for the impossible slaughter of the men I saw in the battle, if you would call it that,” Bandon said.
“What I tell you is the truth,” Raven said. “Lorriel will grow old before her time and die in about fifteen years as a result of taking us back in time. Using her power that way did something to her. How do you think Layton Teal, the enemy of the ancients came to be here in our time?”
Bandon thought about that and said, “If what you say is true, he had to have a time traveler with him.”
Raven nodded, “That time traveler took Rebekka into the far future, and that is where she is right now.”
“I thought our ancestors were from the past,” Bandon said.
“Not originally,” Raven answered. “They fled from the future into our past to hide from Layton Teal. The enemy just had the bad luck of coming here to look for them.”
“If that is true,” Bandon said, “then our ancestors had to have a time traveler with them as well.” Raven smiled for Bandon was finally getting the picture. He had a much greater cognitive imagination than Raven had given him credit for.
“There was a time traveler with them, her name was Merry Sheldon. She became Uriah Kallestor’s wife and my ancestor. That is where Lorriel gets her ability from.”
While Bandon was rubbing his chin, absorbing the things he had heard, Raven looked down at the mosaic in the floor of the room. A farming scene with sheaves of grain stacked in a field by a red barn, with a family sitting down to lunch, taking a break from their work. It was a wondrous scene that captured the essence of a family content with their life on a farm. Two sheaves of grain stood alone and two heads of grain were higher touching each other in the same way that Uriah and Amnon did in their secret handshake. Raven reached down and pushed on both heads of grain at the same time and they depressed. Raven stepped back and Bandon jumped as the vault began to open.
When the vault had opened, you could clearly see inside a small stash of weapons. Raven reached in and picked out a laser rifle, similar to the one Layton’s men had brought with them. Raven held it up for Bandon to see and then asked him a question.
“Did you ever wonder how I knew about the weapons the day I killed Layton?”
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Raven could see the thoughts racing in his head as Bandon said, “Yes how did you know how to use them?”
“I learned from the ancients, Uriah and Amnon.” Bandon now softened, his anger dissipating in the truth that Rebekka was lost somewhere in the future, beyond their reach.
Bandon asked Raven, “If you knew about these weapons, why did you not use them against Layton?”
“We did not have the time to come and retrieve them,” Raven said. “Plus I was afraid they would malfunction after so many years.” Raven turned on the laser sight and a red dot appeared on the wall. He took off the safety and squeezed the trigger, and the laser sight dimmed and went out. One by one he tried the weapons and all the power cells had been drained with time.
Raven turned to Bandon saying, “None of these works, it has been too much time since they were used. But I still need to take these weapons and destroy them.”
Bandon nodded as Raven began gathering the weapons. There were quite a few of the round exploding devices, and Raven was sure they still worked. Uriah had told him they operated on a different power source than the laser rifles. After Raven had finished gathering the weapons, he showed Bandon how to open and close the vault. When that was finished and he was preparing to leave, Bandon caught his arm.
“King Raven,” he said, and then paused, “no, I mean Raven my son-in-law. I am sorry for the way I have acted toward you.”
“I miss her too,” was all Raven said.
Bandon continued, “Is there anyway she can be found? Maybe Lorriel could...”
Raven shook his head. “No, we do not know where to look, or when. If we had any idea of where Rebekka was I could not keep Lorriel from reaching her, even if it shortened her life further.”
Then Raven grabbed Bandon’s shoulders and said. “There is something we can do for her though, never let the people of this land forget that the queen sacrificed herself for the safety of the whole kingdom.” When Raven said this he saw that there were tears in Bandon’s eyes.
The King's Ancestors Page 25