“Put your weapons down. You are out-numbered and surrounded.”
She gripped her sword tighter and assumed a fighting stance. “Perhaps you will do the honorable thing and fight me yourself!”
Pwyll laughed. “Why would I do such a thing. Foolish girl, this is not a fight you can win. Are you so eager to die?” Drawing back, he raised his arms and gestured to the soldiers. Spreading out, they drew their swords. “If you were journeying to Taleros on official business of Gabirel you would have a guard of honor and be riding in relative comfort rather than fleeing like a thief. Whatever you are about, the High Council is powerless to help you. I know you met with the man, Freyr Kusti. He paid for his betrayal with his life. I want the maps he gave you!”
“I don’t know anything about any maps. Now let me pass or feel the bite of my blade.”
Sebastian almost called out as one of the soldiers closed in on Krystelle from behind. Before he could blink, she moved in a blur of motion and that soldier was on the ground bleeding with his sword laying beside him. Krystelle resumed her stance. “If that is the best you have Pwyll, I suggest you surrender to me before more of your men get hurt.”
“I tire of your games sword-maiden.” Pwyll lunged forward, a flash of light crashing into Krystelle. The fight, if that was what it was, did not last long as Pwyll’s sorcery overwhelmed the woman. In a few moments, he disarmed her, sending her sword flying and leaving her with just the dagger in hand. Filling with anger and frustration, Sebastian gripped the earth to keep himself from bursting out to help her. If this woman, with all her demonstrated skill was defeated so easily, what chance did he have? Still, he felt like he should do something.
Deliver the message.
That was his mission. He just had to wait this out. He did not know what he would do if Pwyll moved to kill her. Could he hide here in the underbrush and watch her die without doing something? Deep down, he wished he were more sure of the answer. He had never seen magic used before and it sickened him to see it now. Everything he had been taught told him that it was an abomination, and he understood why. Who could stand against such power? Surely no one was meant to wield those forces.
Across the river, Krystelle looked about at the two soldiers and tall wizard surrounding her, dagger in hand. Looking between them, and directly at the underbrush where Sebastian hid, she dropped the dagger, raising her hands in surrender. Pwyll turned to his soldiers, “Bricius, bind her. Return with her to Aldmoor and wait for me there. Do not allow it to become known that she is being held.”
Sebastian watched in horror as one of the soldiers, this Bricius he assumed, tied her hands with a length of cord and led her back towards the old road, along with one of the other soldiers. Gerlach Pwyll took one last look about the clearing and was turning to leave. He saw the fishing rod the same moment Sebastian did. “Hold!” He ordered the remaining soldier. “What is that there, by the water?”
The man waded out into the river and picked up Sebastian’s rod. “A fishing rod m’lord. There must have been someone else here.”
“Bring it. Who ever owns that rod may have spoken with her. We will join up with Heinrich Tornike in Taleros to see if we can find the owner.” Sebastian managed to wait until Pwyll and his man had disappeared into the forest and out of earshot before he started running.
#
Running through the forest, Sebastian was barely aware of the branches that bit and snapped at his arms and legs. After about ten minutes, he stopped in the lee of a huge downed pine felled by lightening the prior season. Struggling to catch his breath, he examined the package she had given him. Bound by twine and sealed, he did not recognize the insignia pressed into the wax. The temptation was strong to open it and see what was inside, but the memory of the tension in Krystelle Mora’s voice and her urgency stopped him.
In his favorite stories, the people in the middle of adventures never ran away in fear. Their hearts never tried to beat out of their chests and they certainly did not feel like sicking up. He felt all those things. Perhaps he was not cut out for the life of adventure he had always craved. An overwhelming sense of duty welled up inside him.
Tucking the package into his cloak, he peeked over the grey bulk of the tree, scanning the forest for any sign of pursuit. The forest was quiet and there was no sign of his passage on the carpet of old needles blanketing the ground. Listening to the sounds of the wood, all he could hear was the tapping of a driller-bird and a gentle breeze in the branches high above. Determined to complete his mission he set off towards home in a ground-eating lope.
From that point it was only about a fifteen-minute jog to the outer fields of his uncle’s farm and about ten minutes beyond that to their homestead. The farmhouse itself consisted of four main buildings surrounded by a grey wall made up of rocks from the Taler River. The stone doubled as the exterior wall of each of the buildings and provided the family a measure of safety from bear and sabre-cat attacks, especially in the dark of winter. Approaching the homestead from the river-side, Sebastian quickly made his way around to the wall-gate. Already his fear was subsiding and his heart beat had returned to normal, no longer pounding in his head.
He was on an adventure! A beautiful woman had sent him on an important quest and he was her only hope. It made his heart soar. Walking up to his family home, the danger seemed remote. Nothing bad ever happened in Taleros. It was all so…normal.
His aunt was tending to the small garden just inside the opening of the outer wall, nurturing her flowers and herbs, while his little cousin, Bernice, danced about in a yellow frock. Too small yet to be of much help on the farm, Bernice still had the freedom to enjoy her childhood. Sebastian’s aunt and uncle knew that she had many hard days of work ahead of her and indulged her just as much as they were able.
Seeing him approach, his aunt called out, “There you are Sebastian. I was afraid you had planned to waste the day away, what with your uncle gone to town. He won’t be pleased if the east field lays fallow this season because you’ve spent too many days following a lark.”
Excited from his brief adventure, yet not wanting to reveal too much to his aunt, Sebastian struggled to think of a reply for her that would satisfy. “Yes, aunt Shearen, I know, I know. I’m headed out that way now. Just need to fetch something first.”
“Well good. He was in a frightful mood this morning and I can only imagine what a day in the town is going to do to him.”
As he passed by their small well on his way inside, Bernice went scrambling up the rim to dance around the perimeter. She loved to scamper about, heedless of the danger. He grabbed hold of her before she could fall and swung her up and away from the hazard. She giggled as he twirled her through the air and set her on the ground. “Careful little butterfly, I don’t want you to slip and bruise your wings!”
“WHEE!! Again, Again!”
“Bernice!” Sebastian’s aunt called, “You let your cousin Sebastian get on about his chores.” Sebastian winked at her and gave her one more twirl before sending her running off to find some other mischief. His heart sank as he watched her amble away. It had not dawned on him until that very moment that his little adventure might put his family in danger. He did not know what he would do if something happened to little Bernice, or his aunt and uncle for that matter.
Slipping inside the farmhouse, Sebastian crossed to the small arms locker his uncle kept on hand to defend the homestead against animals and the occasional raider. Scanning the contents, he pulled out a small dagger. It wouldn’t do him much good against Gerlach Pwyll’s magic if the wizard somehow managed to track him down, but it gave him a feeling of comfort and security. Securing the dagger in his belt, he crossed over to his small room. Pulling up a loose floorboard, he stuffed the Krystelle Mora’s package into his childhood hiding place.
A few hours, and a long day of work later, Sebastian found himself back in the farmhouse for supper with his aunt, uncle, and little Bernice. Throughout the day, he poured over the encounter with th
e woman at the river and still had more questions than answers. There were no knights or Lords in Taleros, much less one of the legendary Knights of Gabirel, and he had certainly never heard of anyone named Quiren Adelwolf. Yet he had promised the woman he would deliver her package to this stranger if she didn’t appear to collect it from him by morning. It did not seem likely that she would escape the wizard, but he had seen her fight and was not willing to bet against her.
“Sebastian, there’s a lot more work to be done on the east field. We passed by it on the way back in and it barely looked like it had been touched today.” His uncle sounded more tired than normal, leaving Sebastian to wonder how things had gone in the village.
Sebastian’s aunt gave him her best ‘I told you so’ look. “Yes Uncle Caleb, I’ll be out there first light tomorrow.” He wanted to distract his uncle from asking more about the field or his own activities that day. “How was market?”
Caleb grimaced. “Bah. Prices are stagnant but at least the winter crop is still in high demand. I was able to hire a third hand. He’ll be starting two days out so we need new bedding in the bunkhouse for him.”
“Yes, uncle.” They ate in silence for a while. As they were finishing, Sebastian found he could not stand it any longer. He had to see if his uncle knew anything about the mysterious Quiren Adelwolf. A name he had never heard of before that day. Yet Krystelle Mora had seemed certain the man lived nearby. “What’s the latest news from town? I heard a rumor about a Gabirelian Knight near Taleros and thought you might know more. Supposedly, his name is Quiren Adelwolf. Have you ever heard of a knight by that name?”
“Quiren Adelwolf? Who told you that name?”
“Ummm…I, uh, saw my friend James by the fields and…”
“Stop right there.” He turned to his wife and gave her a meaningful look, “Take Bernice and get her ready for bed.” Waiting until they had left the room, he continued. “None of your stories and lies. James was in the town today all afternoon helping his da with the blacksmith. Tell me the truth.”
There was no getting out of it, he was going to have to tell his uncle the full story. Starting with his decision to shirk the morning chores for a fishing trip on the river he began telling them about the mysterious girl who had assaulted him and held the knife to his throat. He reached the point where she told him that Gerlach Pwyll was chasing her when his uncle stopped him, shrugging his shoulders back, he glanced toward the room where Shearen was putting Bernice to bed. “Hold there boy. The less we know the better. This woman, she asked you to do something for her, did she?” Sebastian nodded in assent. “Did she give you anything?” Sebastian nodded. “Show me.”
He lurched from the table toward his room and pulled the package from it’s hiding spot. Handing it to his uncle, he took a step back. Caleb turned the package over in his hands, examining the seal and bindings. A flicker of recognition crossed his face at the seal. “You’ve not opened it?” Sebastian shook his head. “Good. Don’t. Tomorrow you’re going to go do what she said, whatever it was. You’re not going to tell me or your aunt or your little cousin, and you’re not going to brag about it to your friends in the town. When it’s all said and done you’re not ever going to mention that woman or the name Quiren Adelwolf again. He hasn’t gone by that name in your lifetime, but Adelwolf lives out by the eastern ridge. He’s one and the same as the hermit you boys call the Greybeard. You could trust him with your life, and you may need to if Gerlach Pwyll is mixed up in this. Now, is there any way Pwyll can know about you?”
“No…yes…maybe, I don’t know. I dropped my fishing rod and he found it by the river.”
A grimace appeared on his uncle’s face as a chill washed down Sebastian’s spine. “Sebastian, with the new hands we have enough to make do around here. It’s time for you to choose an apprenticeship. There’s more in you than farming, and it might be better you’re not here if Gerlach Pwyll comes a’looking. There’s a call gone out for recruits to the Dragon Guard. Think on it, they need strong boys…men…like you.”
After dinner, Sebastian fled to his room as quick as he could, more questions in his head than answers. Before today, his uncle had never once suggested he might leave the farm. For all he could tell the plan had always been for him to stay on and help run things, at least until Bernice came of age. Even still, why would his uncle want him to go all the way south to join the Dragon Guard? Better the king’s guard than that, at least to his way of thinking. He might as well join the Krenon, or seek out the forbidden isle of Uriasz for that matter.
As a boy, this place had become home to him. He had always wondered somewhat about his real parents, but his aunt and uncle had loved him as their own. Even when Bernice had come along, there’d been no difference in the way they treated him. As much as he daydreamed about knights and dragons and princesses, he did not want to leave this place. Thoughts torn between the familiar comfort of life or the prospect of the life of adventure he craved, Sebastian drifted off into a fitful sleep.
#
Dusk settled over the Taler River as a full moon rose above the branches of the nearby trees. All was peaceful in the clearing, a far cry from how things had been earlier in the day. Far in the distance, the first owl made his presence known with a soft whoop whoo while a fawn made its way down to the riverside. She had just taken her first drink when her head swiveled up, alert to danger approaching. She froze for a moment and then bolted into the woods, following the same path Sebastian had taken earlier that day.
Draped in flowing, burgundy robes, the two Krenon emerged into the clearing, one leaning on a long staff. Making no sound they circled the area once, twice, three times; ending next to the boulder that had served as Sebastian’s perch. For a time they stood there, wrapped in silence, as the light of day gave way to the moon’s silver illumination.
When the last light of day had gone, the first Krenon tapped his staff four times, sending a flash of light throughout the clearing. The irony of using magic to hunt magic did not occur to them. They watched as the golden light coalesced into forms and shapes, playing back the events of the afternoon. Pulling back their hoods to reveal heads devoid of the merest hint of hair, they locked black eyes.
“This confirms it. HE was here,” said the one with the staff. “You can no longer deny it, with all we saw on the road, the power released there. But there is too much power. Even Gerlach Pwyll should not have the ability to counteract the Ban to this effect.”
His companion turned away, “With each passing year, the Ban seems to weaken…and our task becomes that much more difficult. But I agree, this is unprecedented. He will have left traces.”
“There is but one place for him to go, I will summon the others to join us while we seek him in Taleros. We have not the strength to take him ourselves.” He raised his staff high overhead, taking it in both hands, concentrating while the other looked on. His lips moving, but making no sound, he appeared to be having some sort of argument. A moment later he broke off and lowered the staff. “They are sending a single brother, and it was all I could do to get that.”
His companion took a step back, “A single brother? Contact them again! What good will one do against the kind of power Gerlach Pwyll wields?”
Leaning heavily on his staff, the man shook his head, “Very little, I’m afraid; but it’s all they will send. News has come from the Watchers at Dazhberg.”
“What news could be more important than finally bringing Gerlach Pwyll to heel?”
“What news indeed? They would not say, but no further aid will come to us in our quest. We are being dispatched en masse to the Dazhberg. I can think of only one thing that would merit this kind of response. I believe the Eligius Siothrun has been removed from the Aodhan Bret.”
“That would mean…”
“Yes…after all these decades we have the opportunity to eliminate the monks and their unholy alliance once and for all.” Staff in hand, he pivoted and moved off in the direction of the distant road, pulling
the hood back over his head.
His companion remained where he was, head cocked, looking off into the distance. Closing his eyes, he sniffed the air, straining to understand what he was sensing. His eyes snapped open, “Wait, brother.”
The one with the staff paused, and turned back, “Is there something more?”
“We have missed something. There is another presence, one that is unfamiliar to me. I do not believe Gerlach Pwyll was the only magic-user in this clearing today.”
“Brother Kazik, how can we have missed that? The lodestone would have shown the presence of another defier.”
“I do not know, but look for yourself.”
Lowering the staff, he focused its energy on a second sweep of the clearing. There. It was not much, just a flicker. He narrowed his eyes. “You are right, there was another here. The power is nascent, but it is there.”
“There’s something more, Brother Lugus. I think I understand why we did not notice it before.” He turned back to face the other, “Whomever it is, they have the same cursed bloodline as Gerlach Pwyll.”
“Indeed, brother. Then perhaps it is good we have found them now, before their strength is made manifest. We can stop them before they become a real problem.”
“After we take care of Pwyll.” Together, they disappeared into the forest.
#
Sebastian rose before dawn and made a quick meal while his aunt packed a luncheon for him to carry. Neither she nor his uncle said much as he prepared to ride out. He checked four times to be sure the package Krystelle had given him was secure and looked longingly towards the loft where Bernice slumbered. There was a foreboding in his heart and he felt compelled to say goodbye before he left. Moving toward the ladder up to the loft, his uncle laid a hand on his arm. “Let her sleep.”
Eligium- The Complete Series Page 2