The World of Samar Box Set 3

by M. L. Hamilton

  “Jarrett Murata,” came a voice and the Terrian lifted his head to meet the gaze of a young page. He straightened into a sitting position and felt a wave of apprehension wash over him, but the young boy simply bowed. “I’ve been sent by Lord Tarnow. He requests your presence in the Council room.”

  Jarrett felt his heart sink. Of course he does, he thought. He nodded and with leadened legs, he rose to his feet.

  The page led him back into the castle and into a hallway on their right. They passed many doors on either side, all closed, and many windows which opened onto the gardens beyond the castle wall. Kazan was not an ornate castle. The tapestries which hung on the walls were old and worn, the floors hardwood and bare, except at long intervals where a throw rug had been lain, but the rugs, themselves, had faded with use. Even in the castle, the effects of a ten year siege were evident.

  The page led him to the end of the hall and paused before two enormous doors with large iron handles, shaped remarkably in the image of a wolf’s head, the symbol of Adishian, a symbol which dominated the center of the blue Adishian crest. The page motioned for him to wait outside and pulled open one of the heavy doors only wide enough for him to squeeze through.

  Jarrett felt numb now. His panic upon the arrival of the page had dissipated. What more could he do? He’d been wrong and whatever punishment Tarnow sought, he would sustain it. He glanced around the small waiting area, impatient now that his punishment should be served. On the far wall, framed in elegant, rich wood, was a portrait of Tyla. Despite the neglect of the rest of the castle, this portrait was maintained in absolute perfection, not a single speck of dust clouded its surface.

  Jarrett exhaled in awe. The artist had captured the Adishian Queen in all her radiant beauty and flawlessness. She sat on a red, velvet stool, her small, dark hands clasped in her lap. She wore robes of pale blue that fell about the stool in layers of fabric. About her slender waist was tied a midnight blue sash and around her neck, she wore a string of pycantra, which gave off an iridescent light. Her thick, black hair cascaded off her shoulders in a mass of luxuriant waves and framed her lean face.

  It was the face that caught Jarrett’s breath. The lines of the face were drawn with such care that every lift of her perfect Stravad features came to life – the high cheekbones, the full lips and the slant to the emerald green eyes. The eyes were the most exquisite though, shining out with intelligence, and deep within the painting, they bore a mysterious, powerful light. Jarrett let his breath escape in a shuddered sigh. The man who painted this portrait most surely had felt the ponderous weight of Tyla Eldralin’s charm, for it was done with the most careful of strokes. The painter had caught the elusiveness of this beautiful woman, he had captured the spirit of life that infused her, and he had touched upon the hidden power, which made her irresistible.

  The door to the conference room opened suddenly and the page stepped out. “They’re waiting for you.”

  Jarrett took a deep breath and followed the boy inside. The Council room was a great chamber, flanked on either side by long tables. In the middle of the ceiling was an enormous chandelier with more than a hundred candles.

  At the tables on either side of the room sat the members of Council, old men with grey beards and proud stern faces. Kendrick was seated at the far end of one of the tables, his eyes fixed on the Terrian. At the end of the room stood a dais and Muzik Andrada stood to the left of it. On the right was a Nazarien Jarrett had never seen before. In a large velvet chair in the middle of the dais sat Tarnow, Lord of Adishian. Tarnow was an old man with a long, gaunt face. He had large dark eyes and a hooked nose. His hair was grey and he had a short-cropped beard, which was also speckled with grey.

  Jarrett was brought to stand before him and he bowed deeply.

  Tarnow regarded the Terrian, then motioned the page away. “Welcome to Adishian, Jarrett Murata,” he said. Jarrett looked up and met his gaze, feeling his apprehension mount. Tarnow leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on either arm. Still he regarded the Terrian as if he were measuring him. “I see the Queen has done well by you. Are you fully recovered?”

  “Very nearly so, Your Highness,” said Jarrett, struggling to maintain a sense of calm in his voice.

  Tarnow nodded. “I haven’t called you to Council until this time because I wanted to give you sufficient enough time to recover. Do you feel well enough to sit at Council now?”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” answered Jarrett. A bead of perspiration had broken out on his brow. Did this mean that Tarnow knew nothing of what had happened with Tyla? Or was their betrayer only waiting for the King to leave Council before being told?

  “Very well,” said the King, “You may take a seat over there.” He indicated an open seat beside Kendrick and Jarrett hurried to his place.

  Kendrick inclined his head, but didn’t speak. Jarrett settled back into the seat, grateful that all eyes were no longer trained on him. He stared at his hands and would have disappeared into the floor had he been able to. He felt Muzik’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t lift his eyes to face him.

  Tarnow motioned to the Nazarien on his right. “Dolan, inform the Council about the information we’ve received from Sarkisian.”

  The Nazarien bowed low to the Council.

  Kendrick leaned close to Jarrett. “Dolan has been with the King of Adishian nearly his entire life. He is his closest advisor. He was the one who sent word to Shandar of Tyla’s existence,” he whispered.

  “As of this morning, we’ve received word from Sarkisian that a battle has broken out on the border of Sarkisian and Dorland. As most of you know, this is the first battle to be fought since this blockade began ten years ago, although we’ve all been expecting it to happen at any time.”

  A murmur rose from the men gathered and Jarrett looked around. Before he’d left, even Terra Antiguo was preparing for the hostilities between Sarkisian and Dorland to escalate into a clash of arms. This new information didn’t even come as a surprise to him.

  “As we’ve feared,” said Dolan, “Adishian has been asked to send troops to Sarkisian’s aid.”

  Again a murmur rose among those in the Council room. One of the Council members closest to Jarrett spoke out. “We were certainly not asked to send troops, it was demanded. Why don’t you say it as it really is? We were given no choice.”

  The room erupted in angry debate. Tarnow allowed it to continue for a time, then he slowly raised his hand and the room fell silent. “I appreciate your position, Councilor Manx, but Dolan is not the one to blame for your discomfort, for all of our discomfort. Allow him to finish.”

  Manx sat back and raised his hand, allowing Dolan to continue. Dolan cleared his throat. “I’m in agreement with you, Councilor Manx, Adishian was given little choice in this matter. If we do not dispense a battalion to go to the aid of Sarkisian, Sarkisian will surely dispense a garrison to Adishian, and I know that none of us wish this to happen.”

  “Do you really believe we can forestall this much longer?” said Manx angrily.

  Again Tarnow allowed a heated debate to ensue. Jarrett watched it with a growing feeling of dread. They were each saying the same thing, were in fact agreeing with one another, but they were arguing just the same. No one wanted Adishian to become occupied by Sarkisian, yet they all felt that this was a foregone fact, that soon Rarick would dispense a garrison and Adishian would fall completely under its command.

  In the midst of all the mayhem, Jarrett felt Tarnow’s eyes on him. He turned to meet the steady gaze of the Adishian King and fear welled in the pit of his stomach.

  Tarnow slowly raised his hand and the room fell to a seething silence. “I’m afraid none of you understand all that now faces us with the outbreak of fighting between Dorland and Sarkisian.”

  A surge of tension rose within the Council room.

  Tarnow leaned back in his chair. “Old as I am, Rarick has deemed it necessary that I ride into battle, leading the Adishian battalion.” A groan of protest rose fr
om the assembly, but Tarnow silenced it. “I foresaw as much a long time ago. Rarick hungers for another jewel to add to his crown and intends to obtain it immediately. If he’s going to continue advancing, he wants his hindquarters protected. The only way to accomplish this is to gain absolute possession of Adishian, and the only way to gain possession of her people is to dispose of her King and any remaining loyalty the people may still feel towards the crown.”

  “You aren’t suggesting you intend to go, are you, Tarnow? After all, it would be ridiculous,” said Manx.

  “It would be suicide,” said the Councilor next to Jarrett.

  Tarnow smiled sardonically. “I’m suggesting that I’ll do exactly this,” he said and lifted his hand quickly to silence them. “I’ve planned this for a long time. I’m an old man and I don’t mind dying if I can do so well. As you all know, I love my land and my people, but I can do nothing more for them, they must learn to help themselves. I may not have served them well, but I have served them for a good many years. It’s time now to pass this on to another and as I have no heir, I leave Adishian to whoever can free her from the clutches of Rarick and Sarkisian.” He leaned forward and his sharp hawk’s face grew deathly serious. “Heed my words in this, my friends, for you have been witness to my dying wishes.”

  He rose to his feet then and left the dais. He crossed to the center of the room. “As you all know, I have loved and served my people for many years, but the single thing I have loved and served above all else has been my Queen, Tyla Eldralin. I bargained with Rarick to bring her here as a very young woman and I have worshiped her since that time. Tyla has powers beyond any I’ve ever seen and Rarick hungers for her power. Should he claim it, the consequences will be beyond anything any of us can imagine. If he can’t harness her power, he will kill her.”

  “When Rarick comes to Adishian it will be for this reason, either to possess Tyla’s power or to kill her himself. He has waited a great deal of time for her, waiting for her to come of age and grow strong with practice and control. He and I both have sensed the time has come. I have been too weak to save Adishian from its fate, but I am not too weak to save Tyla.” He paused and the room was heavy with his silence. “Weeks ago I sent Dolan to Talar Eldralin’s brother, informing him of his niece and pleading with him to aid me in effecting Tyla’s escape from Adishian. Knowing that Rarick has taken great pains to plaster his likeness over all of Nevaisser, he sent two highly trained warriors in his place.”

  He moved further into the room. “As you are loyal to me, so shall you be loyal to my Queen. If I ride into battle, I will afford these two enough time to escape with Tyla. It must be so, for I will hear no other plans. Not only do I do this for my Queen, but I do this for my people. I cannot allow Rarick to unleash such a devastating weapon on Nevaisser. I cannot allow it.” His face was stark with the full import of his words. “I ask only that you give them what aid they need and I promise, in return, that I will not disgrace you.”

  The Council was silent for what seemed like hours. Jarrett felt his whole body grow taut with expectation. Such a sacrifice was this old man willing to give for the love and safety of his Queen, but Jarrett thought, such a sacrifice would be easy enough to give if it meant he could prevent losing her, especially to Rarick of Sarkisian. Slowly, but resolutely the Council came to agree. They rose as one in unity with their King and faced him with sad, yet determined faces. There was little else they could do. Fate had pressed its seal tightly about them and they were left with little more than their ability to accept it with stoicism.

  CHAPTER 7

  Jarrett stood in Tarnow’s private chambers and stared out the window at the lush gardens. The rain had begun again at daybreak and fell with a driving force. A fire burned behind him, but it did little to chase away the gloom of the day. The castle was more quiet than usual and Jarrett felt uneasy in the silence. Kendrick sat at a desk to his left and studied maps of both Nevaisser and Loden. The two companions had said little to each other since the previous day and Jarrett left it at that, glad for the peace it afforded him.

  Tyla had not come to see him that morning, but had sent one of her aids instead. Jarrett had allowed the aid to change his bandages, but then he’d sent her away. He felt odd and thought continually that he was missing something. He’d returned to his room twice during the morning, before Tarnow summoned, and searched trying to discover what it was he was missing, but he couldn’t remember. The feeling retreated to a distant part of his mind, but lodged just beyond his consciousness with a nagging persistence.

  He thought about the previous day and the incident in the garden. No one had come forward to betray them yet, but that didn’t ease his anxiety. He felt sure that whoever had been witness to their kiss was merely waiting for the right opportunity to disclose this information.

  Kendrick stirred behind him and shuffled the maps. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Tyla,” he said without lifting his head.

  Jarrett stiffened involuntarily. He turned and regarded the Nazarien. “She’s been helping me regain my strength.”

  Kendrick shuffled the maps again. “It’s a good thing, I suppose. At least one of us will know something of her before we undertake this journey. I would have liked to spend more time getting to know her, except Lord Tarnow needed my counsel.”

  Jarrett ignored the barb, turning back to the window.

  But Kendrick wasn’t ready to let the issue die. “You didn’t see her today, though, did you?”

  Jarrett turned and their eyes met. “What’s your point?”

  “No point, I simply heard that she wasn’t seeing anyone today and I thought it strange. Just concerned.” He paused and returned to his maps, but a moment later, he looked up at Jarrett again. “Did she say anything to you yesterday?”

  Jarrett shook his head. “I suppose she has her own reasons for being alone. This is a trying time for everyone.”

  Kendrick eyed him in return, and then nodded. He went back to studying the maps as if he’d forgotten the conversation. Jarrett didn’t feel the matter was finished though. There was something too pointed about the Nazarien’s questions for the issue to be finished. Kendrick was suspicious of him and although he hadn’t actually come out and accused him of anything, his lack of accusation was all the more maddening.

  Jarrett turned to the window and closed his eyes. He was feeling guilty, and therefore was reading more into the Nazarien’s inquiry then there had been. At most Kendrick was envious of the time Jarrett had spent with Tyla, he’d admitted as much, and he had no reason to suspect anything else, unless...

  The door opened and Tarnow entered. His face was drawn and grey, and his shoulders were stooped as if the burdens he carried were becoming too much. He moved to the table and reached for a chair. Behind him came his Nazarien advisor. Dolan’s eyes made a circuit of the room and he inclined his head at the two men, then he took up position behind his King.

  “Come closer, Jarrett,” Tarnow said, sinking into his seat, “I don’t have much time.”

  Jarrett moved away from the window and took a seat at the table beside Kendrick. The King’s dark eyes fixed on the Terrian and Jarrett felt like he was looking for something.

  “Tomorrow at daybreak, I ride with a small battalion to the borders of Dorland and Sarkisian. My aids have calculated the distance and figure it will take us at least eight days to reach our destination, that is if nothing hinders us along the way.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out under the table. “I have imprisoned three of the Front Guard in my dungeons. I’ve no doubt that Rarick knows of their confinement and this may be the reason for his decision to make his move toward possession of Adishian.”

  “As I’ve told Kendrick many times, Rarick seeks to be ruler of all Nevaisser and this is manifestly possible, especially with aid from the Orahim. I’ve had our prisoners questioned and from what I gather, Rarick has promised to give land here in Nevaisser to the Orahim, once he’s conquered it, i
n exchange for their aid in conquering the remaining kingdoms in Nevaisser. As we said in Council yesterday, Adishian has been so weakened by its false allegiance with Sarkisian that my people are willing to accept anything Rarick offers.” He gave a bitter laugh. “I guess anything is better than starvation. You’ve seen the outlying lands and know what I mean. I’ve done my best to aid my people, but my best hasn’t been enough.”

  He lowered his eyes to his hands. “You’ve also met my Queen, you know what a remarkable woman she is. I have worshiped her for these ten years, she is the only thing that matters to me any longer.” He raised his head and fixed his eyes on Jarrett. “Tyla is unlike any other woman I’ve met. I’ve never found a man that wasn’t subject to her charms. Rarick has spies in Adishian, but he hasn’t seen her himself once in these last ten years. I’m afraid of what will happen once he does and once he’s aware of her power. She must be taken from Adishian and the closest location, and the safest, is Loden.” He sighed heavily. “When I leave tomorrow morning, you must do everything within your power to see that she agrees to accompany you to Loden; however, I’ll tell you now that she won’t wish to go, she may even refuse, but you must make her go.” His eyes bore into Jarrett’s with a desperate intensity. Then he leaned back in his chair. “You’ll have a week, with any luck, to prepare for your journey, to gather stores and convince Tyla, but you’ll have only a week. In that time I’ll arrive at the border, so should you delay, Rarick will learn of your plan and will overtake you. Understand this, both of you, Rarick will never allow me to return to Adishian alive.” He paused and his face grew distant. “I can accept my own death, I’ve lived a long life. I can accept my death as long as I’m comfortable in the knowledge that Tyla is free of Rarick once and for all. You both must promise me it will be as I have said.”

  “It will be,” said Kendrick.