Elsinestra walked expectantly over to the heavy, wooden door, unlatched it and then slowly pulled it open. Her husband stood before her, his eyes serious and his face solemn and etched with concern. Treestar bowed deeply and she stepped to the side, allowing him to enter.
The King ceremoniously stepped to the middle of the room and stopped at the foot of the table where the boy lay, unmoving. The air in the chamber was heavy and damp, and the sun battled for space with the thick clouds that were coagulating ominously overhead. Occasionally, a bright beam of light would break through the dense cover and illuminate a portion of the floor, exposed as it was to the sky above.
Filaree Par D’Avalain stepped over the threshold next. Her long hair was tied back, and her tanned skin shone healthy and clear. She wore leggings of green suede, and a tunic of black silk that was cinched at the waist by a belt, intricately woven out of green and black cloth and secured by a delicately carved silver buckle. The golden ring inside her blouse hung heavily upon its chain, and she fought against its weight to remain upright as she walked. Respectfully, she followed the King and stopped beside the table, which was swathed in a simple, white satin cloth, upon which the unconscious boy lay. His head rested peacefully upon a heavily embroidered pillow.
Cairn of Thermaye was the next to enter the Chamber of the Stars. His yellow eyes shone brightly, in stark contrast to his pale skin and hairless pate. He wore a simple gown of brown cloth, hooded and loose, that hung nearly to the floor. A braid of hemp secured the waist. His feet were shod in sandals of leather, and his clothing was unadorned. He took his place next to Filaree.
Dark and startlingly handsome, Robyn dar Tamarand was the last to walk into the room. He closed the door behind him, and they could all clearly hear the seals set, securing the chamber from any and all who might attempt to enter. Robyn’s long and graceful fingers protruded from his blouse of white silk which hung open loosely at the neck. He wore pants of black leather, high black boots and an ebony belt tooled in silver and studded with small gems. His hair hung down upon his shoulders, swept back from his broad forehead. Slowly, he walked to the table whereupon Davmiran lay, and stood opposite Filaree and Cairn.
Elsinestra laid her hand atop Adain’s arm and took her own place at the boy’s head, while her nephew stood inconspicuously next to her. She surveyed the faces of each of the three who stood at Davmiran’s side. A solemn hush settled over everyone, as they gazed upon the unconscious boy. With his eyes closed and his hair pulled back, it was hard to believe that the young man before them was not their friend Tomas. The resemblance was so exact, it was as if they already knew him.
The Queen allowed them to reflect for a few minutes before she addressed them. “It has been a long and arduous journey that you have endured in order to be among us today. Neither you nor we expected to be standing here, in the Chamber of the Stars, with the heir of Gwendolen unconscious before us. The fabric weaves of its own will,” she began.
The rumblings of thunder could be heard in the distance as she spoke, and they were growing louder with each new crash. The open roof revealed the thickening clouds ever more clearly to them all. Time was growing short.
“Our world is being threatened by a force so evil and so desperate that it is hard for any of us to fully understand it. Nevertheless, we have been blessed with possibility once again. Though the trees die all around us, life continues on. Davmiran Dar Gwendolen, surely the one the books speak of, has been given to us to protect and to educate, to train and to teach. But first, he must be awakened from the bliss of his unconsciousness, the innocence of his insensate state. Do you have the ring, Filaree of Avalain?” she asked.
“Yes, your Highness, I do,” Filaree answered, and she reached under her blouse, and pulled the chain carefully over her head.
The small circle of gold glowed brightly in her hand, as she held it expectantly before the group.
“Let the ceremony begin,” Elsinestra said, bowing her head slightly and stepping back a pace from the table.
Filaree had not allowed herself to think for too long about what she was going to do with the ring when the time was finally upon her. She believed that it would come to her during the moment, and she relaxed her mind as best she could in anticipation.
Gently raising the boy’s shirt, she slid the ring off of its chain and placed it carefully upon Dav’s abdomen. She then carefully laid the delicate chain on the pillow beside his head. The runes upon his skin immediately flared brightly as the gold touched him, as if they were alive. They seemed to lift themselves from his body, encircling the ring itself and swirling inside it and out, welcoming it in their own magical way. Everyone watched in utter silence as the ancient symbols of his name spun rhythmically, and glowed in multicolored hues, dancing joyfully all around. In minutes, they seemed to disappear completely, though they could all now see that the outside of the ring itself had been etched delicately with the very symbols that, since Baladar named him upon his arrival in Pardatha and until just moments ago, had scarred Davmiran’s skin.
The words came to Filaree unbidden. “Palambrea corte sin. Eto amicale lefemtor. Sisdiachor.”
A funnel of white light burst from the center of the ring into the sky above, breaking through the cover of clouds and extending high into the heavens. The entire room blazed brightly, illuminated by the shimmering vortex. Filaree reached out her hand to Elsinestra to her left and to Cairn on her right. Instinctively, Cairn then grasped the hand of the King, who had already taken Robyn’s. Robyn completed the circle simultaneously, holding the Queen’s left hand in his own. As soon as their fingers were all entwined, fine tendrils of sapphire colored light spread out from the ring toward each of the five encircling the heir. They wrapped themselves over each pair of hands, spinning a delicate and lustrous cocoon around them, and warming each participant thoroughly and completely.
“Keta perkata crea externatior. Domatri nee beluthra,” Filaree spoke, trancelike.
They could all hear a rushing sound fill the chamber, as if a strong wind had been trapped within the walls and was desperately searching for a means to escape the confines of the premises. As they watched, each pair of eyes jumping from the ring to the boy, the air crackled and flashed, seemingly alive itself. Tiny sparks flickered all around, exploding silently and then disappearing and making it difficult to see clearly. It soon appeared as if they were looking into an opaque glass, which refracted the light and made everything behind it blurry and unclear. Dav’s face too had become obscured behind this lambent barrier.
The light that encircled their hands turned a deeper blue, and they all felt themselves being pulled toward the boy’s prostrate body. Soon each of the five, with their hands still entwined by blue fire and grasping one another as if they were inextricably attached, was touching the boy’s flesh. The noise grew louder and louder, drowning out even the sound of their own breath, and everything appeared to be spinning uncontrollably before them. An incredibly strong feeling of vertigo overcame each of the participants, and they could no longer feel the floor beneath their feet, nor see the walls around them.
Their hands grew warmer and warmer, and they were all overcome with the most amazing feelings of comfort and well-being, beatitude and bliss. All sense of time and space had vanished entirely and they all basked in the glory of the moment, lost in the numbing rush of joy and happiness. Elation filled their hearts and uplifted their souls.
Instantly, it was all gone; the lights, the noise, everything! The room was back to normal, and the five participants stood, hand in hand, staring at the wide open, blue eyes of the heir. The chain hung around his neck and the ring lay peacefully upon his chest, suspended from it. For the first time since the casting, Davmiran moved. His vision slowly swept the room, and lingered for only a moment on each of those encircling him. And then he smiled.
Chapter Forty-three
“Quickly, we’’re almost across,” Alemar said as she spurred Shira on.
Giles and
Clovis were close behind her, and they could all see the path before them. The walk across the narrow bridge of ice was harrowing, to say the least. Although the pass appeared to be fragile and weak, it supported them the entire time. Iscaron and his army walked in back of them, slowly and methodically, driven by their new purpose, though their feet left no marks upon the icy surface. Clovis looked backward, and as far as his eyes could see, were row upon row of the undead, marching with their weapons drawn and their armor clattering.
“Are you certain that it is safe to lead them back to Eleutheria?” Clovis asked once more.
“Absolutely!” Alemar replied. “There is no doubt in my mind that they will keep their word. They wish only to glimpse the city another time before they leave forever.”
“It will be quite a sight for the people of the city!” Giles remarked.
“That is the truth!” Clovis chuckled. “What will your brother say when he sees you leading the ancient army of Iscaron to the gates of Eleutheria?”
“I hope he will finally realize that we must join in the struggle,” she answered. “Perhaps he will be moved enough by the plight of our ancestors, to recognize the danger to our own people,” Alemar said wishfully.
“Is he frightened, do you think?” Clovis asked.
“I wish I understood what motivates him. He is unsure of himself and he is afraid of taking any chances. It is also hard for him to accept that my father loved my mother so much. Even though she is long dead, he hates her more than he does me,” she said with a frown.
“He perceives you as a threat to him, Princess,” Giles observed.
“I know. Despite what I say and despite what I do, he will always dislike me,” Alemar shrugged.
“Well, maybe now he will at least recognize that what you have been saying all along is true. Hopefully, he will not be an obstacle in the way of the mobilization,” Clovis commented.
“I fear that he will always be contrary when it comes to me,” Alemar replied. “But, my father will recognize the need! He is a good man, you know,” she said, as if they required convincing.
“Do you think that the people doubt that?” Giles asked. “He is our King, and the people are loyal. They are not aware of the intrigues that occur in the castle. They will do what he asks of them.”
As they walked, they all could not help but repeatedly notice how dramatically the landscape had changed even in their short absence. Unlikely as it seemed, they could see areas of brown peeking out beneath the melting surface. None of them could ever recall the earth revealing itself like this. The ground was soft and wet and puddles of slush were forming everywhere.
“How badly do you think the city has suffered?” Clovis asked after a while.
“If it is as hot there as it is here, the results cannot be good,” Giles responded.
“The air is so heavy. Can you feel it blowing up from the south? It is like an army itself, destroying everything in its path,” Alemar said.
“What will you do with the seeds?” Giles asked, changing the subject to a more hopeful one.
Alemar thought for a moment before answering him, though this was not the first time she contemplated just such a question.
“I will plant them before the gates of Eleutheria, as long as the earth is exposed there as it is here,” she answered.
“And if it is still covered over with ice?”
“I only hope that it is, but by the looks of things, it will be worse when we arrive at the city. I do not think we will have to dig too deeply nevertheless. We are higher up here and it can only be warmer there,” the Princess replied.
“I wonder what they think happened to us,” Giles mused.
“I am sure that my brother hopes we will never return,” she mocked.
“Does he hate you that much?” Giles asked.
“He is jealous, that’s all. I do not think he really hates me. But, if I never returned, then my presence could no longer remind him of his own cowardice, and he would not be unhappy for that. You see Giles, I do not feel that the safety and security of Eleutheria rests upon our being detached from the rest of the world. I believe deeply that everything is connected, and that we must do our share to protect what is good and right. He would rather we hid behind the walls of ice,” she responded.
“If the heat is causing as much damage there as it is here, I suspect that everyone may begin to agree with you, Princess,” Clovis said sardonically. “And Kalon may no longer have those walls to shelter him from the world.”
“It certainly would be the more difficult way to learn that lesson,” Giles added.
“My father has grown complacent himself of late,” Alemar continued. “I think he is unsure of what he really believes. Perhaps when he sees his ancestor approach the gates, he may change his mind as well. Our people have suffered longer than we realize because of Caeltin D’Are Agenathea,”
They rode in silence for quite some time, navigating the newly formed rivulets and gullies created by the vast amounts of water flooding the plain. Steam rose from the thickest of the ice packs, as the temperature both above and below the surface was increasing dramatically. As they neared the outskirts of Eleutheria, it was clear that the damage was worse than even they anticipated.
“I hope that the gates are still standing when we get there,” Clovis remarked.
“The city must be in awful shape. What could they possibly be doing about it?” Giles wondered.
“There is not much they can do. I only hope that we will be able to reverse the course of this disaster ourselves,” Alemar said, her voice riddled with concern. “I never asked the Seedkeepers what I should do with the seeds,” she said, realizing for the first time that her joy in finding them and retrieving them overwhelmed her to such a degree, that she did not speculate beyond the point of bringing them back with her to the city. “I know that I must place them in the ground as quickly as possible,” she said.
“What good could they possibly do in such a short term?” Clovis questioned. “It will take them ages to sprout and grow, even if you do manage to get them into the soil right away.”
“We can only hope that the magic in them is strong. I must believe that we have recovered what Wayfair and Crea hoped we would when they instructed me to go to the Caves of Carloman in the first place. I hope to the First that I am right,” she said.
“For everyone’s sake,” Clovis echoed her thoughts.
“Weeho,” Giles yelled. “Look at that!” he said, pointing toward the city, the outskirts of which had just come into view as they rounded a small bend.
They stopped momentarily, and they all had to shield their eyes from the glare that reflected off of the glistening walls of the city. They still stood, but it was clear that they were melting quickly, which accounted for the incredible brightness of the light. The dripping water had created a sheen upon the battlements that was more luminous than they could have imagined.
Alemar looked back and saw that the army of Iscaron was still close behind, methodically walking, two by two, with her ancestor in the lead. As the lost army of Eleutheria caught up to them, Iscaron raised his hand and signaled to his men to halt. They continued to gather, massing at his back, and stare almost childlike at the beleaguered walls. The sight of their beloved city was almost more than they could bear, having been imprisoned for so long with nothing but their home and loved ones to think about. Some of the men were driven to tears and sobbed relentlessly, while others laughed uncontrollably. Still others stood motionless, transfixed by the vista of the once mighty walls before them, seemingly unaware of the devastation that the heat was causing.
Alemar led Shira down the embankment and across the plain that surrounded Eleutheria to the west, with Clovis and Giles by her side. As she neared the massive gates, she allowed her horse to break into a canter, and she approached the city at a rapid pace. The gates, though shimmering and wet with moisture, were still intact, and she headed directly for them. No one was in sight, either outs
ide the walls or on the battlements, and the heavily carved gates of ice were shut tight.
It was obvious even from the outside, that the city had suffered extensive damage, and it was getting worse by the minute. The walls were dripping wet, and vast pools of standing water gathered in numerous spots from the runoff of the city. The brown of the firmament was visible in a multitude of areas, and although it pained Alemar to see this, it also gave her hope that she could place the seeds directly into the soil itself without having to waste precious time digging below the frozen surface.
“Where is everyone?” Giles asked, as he caught up to Alemar.
“I suppose they are inside, trying to figure out what to do to stop all of this,” Clovis replied hopefully.
“Where are the guards?” Giles continued. “I do not see anyone anywhere,” he commented, shielding his eyes from the glare with his hand and scanning the perimeter of the city.
Alemar dismounted and let Shira wander off. She walked to the smaller, shut doors on the left side of the main entrance, and prepared to announce their arrival by banging upon the ice itself, when a solitary figure appeared on the battlements overhead.
“Go away! You are not welcome here,” Kalon shouted down at her. “Have you not brought enough trouble down upon your people already? Look at what has become of Eleutheria,” he yelled.
Giles and Clovis joined Alemar beneath the mammoth tower that flanked the main gates.
“Where is my father?” Alemar demanded, surprised that Kalon was the one to greet them upon their return.
“He does not wish to see you, Sister,” Kalon replied.
Alemar’’s eyes hardened. “You may be my father’s son, but you are no brother to me,” she replied vehemently. “I demand to see my father. Open the gates.”
“It was not enough to bring death and destruction to your people because of your overweening pride? Must you also assault us with a mercenary army at the moment of our greatest weakness? The gates will open to you only if they melt away completely,” he bellowed, and backed away from the wall.
The Awakening Page 40