A Threat of Shadows

by JA Andrews

  Alaric could almost feel the pressure of her fury pull away from him and refocus on the duke. Saren, her hands gripped tightly in her lap below the table, pierced Thornton with her gaze. “How nice of you to join us.”

  Thornton’s eyes flicked to Alaric then back to the queen. He opened his mouth to speak, but the queen continued. “These dwarves bring news that nomads are gathering in the Scale Mountains because a Shade Seeker is attempting to raise Mallon.”

  Duke Thornton snorted. “The dwarves wouldn’t know an army was gathering above them if the troops were stomping and shouting down every muddy hole they could find. And you expect us to believe that Mallon’s been what? Sleeping for eight years?”

  The two dukes next to him smirked.

  “Duke Thornton,” Alaric said, keeping his voice level as he targeted the duke with all of his own frustrations. He stood, reaching into his pocket for the scrolls he had requested from the library. “I knew your father.”

  Thornton gave him a bored look.

  “I met your grandfather, Morlan, once as well,” Alaric said. “I hear that, unlike your father and grandfather, you’re having a hard time keeping the southern passes safe.”

  Thornton raised an eyebrow. “The passes are crawling with brigands who worm their way up from the south to harass the gold merchants. My soldiers keep the passes open.”

  “Well, that is your job,” Alaric said.

  The table had gone quiet. The mapmaker was looking between Alaric and Thornton. The scribe was scribbling away madly, recording each word.

  “Yes it is,” Thornton answered. “And what exactly is your job, Keeper? Did you notice that while you’ve been away, the court has continued running just the same? Makes many of us wonder what it is you did when you were here. And it makes us wonder why you came back? Out of a deep loyalty to the queen, was it?”

  The anger that had been growing since the meeting with Menwoth surged to the surface. Alaric forced his jaw to relax. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Saren sitting perfectly still in her chair, her back stiff.

  Alaric let his gaze travel around the room. The rest of the council sat waiting, barely breathing. It was impressive how much weight the young duke carried. Not a single person spoke up against him.

  “As far as I’ve heard,” Thornton continued, “wherever you’ve been and whatever you’ve been doing, Her Majesty was displeased with it. So if you haven’t been serving the queen, what have you been doing?”

  Alaric let out his breath in a laugh. Whatever this duke deserved, it wasn’t an explanation of Alaric’s actions. He opened his mouth to answer, but Saren spoke first.

  “What Keeper Alaric has been doing is not the concern of a lesser southern duke.”

  The scribe smirked and wrote the queen’s words with obvious pleasure. Thornton turned furious eyes on the queen.

  “My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said in a scathing voice. “This man is the first Keeper I’ve ever met, and I find him less impressive than I had expected.”

  “I, on the other hand,” Alaric said, “am impressed by the power you’ve amassed in such a short time at court. The Black Hills are such an insignificant duchy that the nobles from there are rarely even noticed at court.”

  Duke Thornton’s eyes went flat, but Alaric ignored him, unrolling one of his scrolls and spreading it out on the table. “But it doesn’t seem to me that court is running quite as well as it did before I left and before you showed up. It seems to me that there is a bit of dishonesty and exploitation going on.” He set his finger on a passage of the scroll and looked back at Thornton. “One of my jobs here is to make sure the truth of things doesn’t get lost.”

  Thornton’s eyes narrowed.

  “For instance, I have a bit of truth here that deserves to be found.” Alaric cleared his throat and read. “I, Morlan, Duke of the Black Hills, do hereby bind myself as protector of the southern passes. My family is responsible, financially and militarily, for the safety of the three passes leading south from the Black Hills. All financial and military needs will be seen to by myself and my posterity, up to the exhaustion of our resources, before requesting assistance from the crown. In return, King Bowman graciously pardons my treason.”

  Alaric raised his eyes to meet Thornton’s stare.

  “Do you know what this treason is he speaking of?” Alaric asked conversationally. Alaric spread out the other scroll and scanned down it. “King Bowman kept the matter fairly quiet. Here it is. During the twelfth year of King Bowman’s reign, Duke Morlan of the Black Hills was caught pilfering gold from the merchants along the southern trade routes. His men, disguised as highwaymen, robbed and murdered southern merchants, keeping the gold for the Black Hills family and using it to bribe members of the king’s court. When caught, King Bowman generously forgave Morlan the charge of treason in exchange for repayment of the gold stolen, with interest, and Morlan’s agreement to protect the southern trade routes with his own resources. From Midsummer’s Day, year twelve of King Bowman’s reign, the Black Hills duchy is responsible exclusively for the safety of merchants traveling the southern passes. Any losses experienced by the merchants will be repaid by the Black Hills treasury. This treaty is binding to Duke Morlan and his posterity for the duration of the duchy.”

  Alaric glanced at Thornton. The duke’s face was white with fury.

  “That is an interesting bit of truth,” Queen Saren said.

  Thornton opened his mouth to speak, then shut it.

  “If you had knowledge of this,” Alaric said, walking around the table toward the duke. “Your recent actions would be treason.”

  Thornton’s hands were at his side, clenched into fists.

  “These copies are for you,” Alaric said dropping them on the table before the duke. “If I were you, I’d work on how to convince the queen that you didn’t know any of this, that somehow, your father neglected to teach you your family’s duty. I’m sure Her Majesty will be requiring an explanation. Soon. The royal treasury is calculating how much money you have mistakenly accepted from Her Majesty to protect the passes you are responsible for. I suggest you contact your own treasury to begin collecting the funds.”

  Thornton shoved his chair back and stood up, glaring at Alaric. His two friends rose, too, backing up toward the door.

  “And I also suggest you get that brigand problem under control quickly. Her Majesty will be checking with the gold merchants who enter Queenstown to make sure they’ve received safe passage.”

  Thornton turned blazing eyes to the queen.

  She looked back at him calmly. “I’ll send for you when I have time. Do not leave the palace.”

  Duke Thornton grabbed the scrolls, spun on his heels, and stormed from the room, followed quickly by the other two.

  Saren sank back in her chair, a genuine smile spreading across her face.

  Alaric bowed to her. It didn’t make up for everything, but it was a start.

  Chapter 34

  With the exit of Duke Thornton, the tension in the room dissolved. Alaric walked back to his seat amidst a sea of murmuring.

  Saren cocked her head to the side. “Alaric, how did you find out about Gustav and what he was doing?”

  “I was searching for some information from an old Keeper named Kordan when I met this group. Douglon had discovered the remains of Kordan’s home in a valley in the Scales.”

  “The Keeper didn’t live at the Stronghold?” Saren asked.

  “Not at the end of his life. He left the Keepers and built his own home, west of here at the edge of the Scales. Douglon had found a map there to where Kordan had buried a Wellstone.”

  The queen and Lord Horwen looked impressed by this. Most of the other faces in the room were blank.

  “What’s a Wellstone?” ask General Marton.

  “A gem that holds memories or energy. They are extremely rare, and it is what I had been searching for. Unfortunately, it’s what Gustav was looking for as well. To raise Mallon, Gustav is goin
g to have to find a lot of energy and store it somewhere. The Wellstone would be the perfect tool for that.”

  “What are you planning next, Alaric?” Saren asked.

  “We’re going to the Greenwood to move the Rivor’s body to a more protected place. It won’t stop Gustav forever, but it will slow him down and give us more time to find him.”

  General Marton cleared his throat. “This Shade Seeker is in Queensland preparing to raise Mallon. So who is organizing the nomads?”

  Alaric shrugged. “I have no idea. But I can’t believe the two things are unrelated.”

  “It was Gustav!” Milly said suddenly. The entire room turned toward her and she shrank back into her chair. “I mean, it could have been.”

  Alaric shook his head. “He’s been in Kordan’s Blight for months.”

  “I know,” Milly said. “But he told me once that before he came to Kordan’s Blight, he traveled the Roven Sweep among the nomads. He said they loved him.”

  Lord Horwen was looking in amazement at Milly, “This is the queen’s council, young woman! Not a tavern where peasants shout out rumors. Hold your tongue!”

  “Lord Horwen,” the queen said sharply, “she is welcome to speak. If I didn’t allow rumors in my council meetings, we would have very little to discuss. Milly, do you think Gustav was telling the truth?”

  She paused. “Well, I didn’t. He also told me once that he could move the moon.” She looked at Alaric. “That’s impossible, right?”

  Alaric nodded at her. “Definitely.”

  “So I thought he was just making more things up,” she continued. “He doesn’t seem like a man anyone would follow, but…”

  “But what?” the queen said impatiently.

  Milly looked at Alaric again. “He always gets what he wants. None of you really liked him, but you all did exactly what he wanted.”

  “He managed to influence us,” Douglon said. “But he could hardly do that to an entire army.”

  “He wouldn’t have to control the entire army,” General Marton said, “just the leaders.”

  Alaric shook his head again. Gustav couldn’t have done that, too. Could he? The idea had the unsettling feeling of being… probable. And if the dwarves were right, the nomads had been slowly gathering for months. Theoretically, Gustav could have set things in motion before going to Kordan’s Blight.

  “This wizard fellow doesn’t sound as foolish as you all made him sound,” Horwen said with a chuckle. “Sounds like an evil mastermind!”

  General Marton nodded.

  Saren nodded as well. “Whether Gustav is the mastermind behind this or not, it is clear that we face a threat. One we didn’t even dream possible.” She looked at the maps and then turned toward Alaric. “What do you need us to do?”

  “Ready the army and send some scouts to figure out what the nomads are doing. If we can stop Gustav, I think the nomads will disperse. But if he is successful…” Alaric looked around the room, knowing he didn’t need to finish. “We might as well put up a fight.”

  The queen nodded. “There are things to plan,” she said to the council. “You all know your jobs.” The council members rose, talking among themselves and moving out of the room.

  “You live in the Scale Mountains,” Horwen was saying loudly to Menwoth. “You should come to the library with me. I’ve been studying maps of the mountains near my lands, but they are woefully incomplete. Your expertise would help.”

  Menwoth nodded. “I have spent a great deal of time with High Dwarf Horgoth’s maps, sir. It is possible that I could fill in some gaps.”

  “He’s never actually spent any time in the mountains, though” Douglon muttered to Brandson. Menwoth shot him a glare.

  “Excellent!” the old man boomed, his cane tapping quickly on the floor as he walked toward the door with Menwoth. “It’s nice to talk to someone of sense. I’m stuck with commoners so often. My steward sent me a message today claiming they’ve seen a red dragon over the Greenwood.” He waved his arms around. “Help, Lord Horwen! A blood-red dragon rides the sky at night!” He shook his head. “Peasants! There hasn’t been a dragon in Queensland since before I was born.”

  Menwoth snorted and the two disappeared out the door, his voice fading away.

  Alaric’s stomach dropped. Gustav was already west of here, searching for Mallon’s body. Through the council chamber ceiling, the rain drummed loudly. Alaric growled in frustration. It was going to take them the better part of a day to reach the Greenwood, and Gustav was already there.

  It was people like Lord Horwen and his nervous peasants who would suffer if Mallon was raised. People who didn’t completely understand what was going on and who didn’t have the power to do anything about it. The same people who Alaric had once spent a great deal of energy to protect. How had they fallen so far out of his view? Alaric looked in annoyance at the table spread with maps and papers. He needed to leave, to chase down that stupid wizard and stop him before he managed to pull off another thing he shouldn’t be able to.

  General Marton looked after the departing lord with a troubled face. “That’s strange,” he said. “We received a report of a red dragon seen in the area yesterday.”

  Alaric looked sharply at the general. “What area?”

  “This area. Near the city. The report came this morning from a farmer whose land lies a half day’s journey north of here.” Marton looked thoughtful. “I sent a soldier back with him to check it out, but I admit I didn’t believe him. If there’s a dragon in the area, it’s not acting very dragon-like.”

  “Gustav flies on a red dragon,” Alaric told the general. “I’m sure Horwen’s people are telling the truth. I expect him to be over the Greenwood looking for Mallon. But I can’t imagine that he would come back east to Queenstown. There’s nothing here for him. If your soldier finds anything, let me know.”

  Chapter 35

  Hours later, Alaric closed the door of his room behind him. He had offered Saren the help he could. The army would be assembled and some general plans were underway.

  As the day had gone on, Alaric had felt more and more overwhelmed. Something about the seemingly unattainable expectations everyone had of him, and the constant reminders that if he hadn’t been gone for so long, a good many problems could have been avoided. It all combined to leave him feeling like he was fighting against a cloud of guilt and judgment. Saren had ordered food brought to the council chamber, and they had feasted and talked and planned, but Alaric had spent much of the time wishing he could just return to his room for peace and quiet.

  Night had fallen, and his room was filled with the comforting red light of a fire someone had lit in the hearth. On the desk, a single candle was lit for him, and Alaric didn’t bother to light any more of them. When he dropped into the chair in front of the fireplace, he saw that his bag and cloak had been tidied up over in the corner. He let out a groan that he knew expressed more frustrated than some cleaning deserved, but couldn’t even the cleaning staff leave him alone for a single day? He had forgotten how diligent the servants were in the palace. After one incident, years ago, of a servant sweeping up and burning the tatters of an ancient scroll he had been trying to reconstruct, he had greatly curtailed their duties. It was going to be hard to come back here.

  Having someone prepare a warm fire was nice, though.

  A book on the mantle caught his eye, and he leaned forward to get a better view of it. It was one of several decorating the shelf along with candles and a vase of flowers. The rest of the books he was familiar with, but not that one. The title read, True Light. He heaved himself out of the chair, grabbed the book, and sank back down. He flipped open the book. The pages were blank.

  He turned back to the cover. True Light.

  Alaric picked up the unlit candle that was sitting on the side table. Touching the wick gently, he said, “Verus lumen.” A rush of energy barreled through his finger, and a tiny dot of bluish-white light appeared. Alaric forced his finger to stay steady while
the energy burned through it, far more energy than a normal flame required. The light grew brighter, casting a stark white light. Alaric pulled away, clenching his finger for a few breaths until the pain faded.

  He set the candle next to him on the table and opened the book to the first page. Silver words leapt into existence.

  Brother, I have a troubling matter and no one to turn to.

  If it is you, speak your name.

  Alaric stared at the words for a moment. “Alaric,” he said.

  The writing shimmered slightly, but remained unchanged. Who had left this? No Keeper had stayed here since he left.

  No, Will had been here. If this was from Will, what did he want Alaric to say?

  Of course. “Alaric the Feckless.”

  The words shimmered, faded, and reappeared.

  Speak your full name.

  Alaric grinned. “Alaric the Feckless, Keeper of Trivia, Pawn of Queens.”

  The words shimmered brightly and then faded. In a breath, the entire page sparkled with silver writing.

  Yes you are.

  Brother,

  I leave this message because I do not trust it to a raven. I have no time to return to the Stronghold myself. I have lingered as long as I dare. I hope you return soon.

  I have been to the elves and met an elf named Ayda. She appears to be the last living elf. She said the elven people fought the Rivor and imprisoned him.

  I have seen Mallon’s body. He is not dead. In fact, he is still strong. The elves have his mind trapped, however, and he is not conscious of anything around him. I could find no way to wound the body.

  Something must be done. Although Ayda was complacent, I believe the Rivor will find a way to escape. Without the elves to help, I fear his return would be unstoppable. Tell the Shield. We need to destroy Mallon now while he is weakened. Although how we are to do that, I have no idea.