by C. A. Farlow
Speaking aloud, Merilyn returned his call. “Yes, McLaran, I do hear you. I trust you have news for us. I am speaking aloud, so Alexandra can hear as well.” She paused. “You have found the Comin. Fire fight? Is your Guard all right? No one hurt?”
Alex leapt from her chair and began to pace as she felt Merilyn’s anxiety rise.
“Newkirk is not hurt badly?” Merilyn turned to Alex. “Newkirk was slightly injured, nothing serious. All but two of the Comin patrol were killed in a fire fight.” Merilyn’s eyes lost focus as she turned her thoughts back at McLaran. “Are you returning with the prisoner? We need information immediately.”
The delay in her learning what was happening as her Seneschal carried on the mental conversation was driving Alex mad. Finally, Merilyn spoke. “Is it safe to go after the Comin by yourself, McLaran? We cannot afford to have you injured or gone for an extended period. I do not want Alexandra facing the Council without you at her side.”
Another pause. “We will interrogate the prisoner when your Guard return.” And another. “Very well, McLaran. We will deal with the prisoner when your Guards return in the early morning. Yes, I understand, no matter what shape he’s in.” Merilyn looked at Alex. “The prisoner was hit over the head and is unconscious. McLaran does not know how badly he is injured.” Alex watched as Merilyn continued her conversation with McLaran. “Travel safely and return quickly, you are needed here. Keep me informed of your progress. I expect reports every four hours. Thank you, McLaran. I will give her your regards.”
Alex interrupted, “Tell him to be safe. If the weather turns, have him return to the Keep immediately. A single Comin out in winter will not survive long.”
Merilyn relayed Alex’s message.
Chapter Two
SNOW WOKE AT THE Seneschal’s call. Raising her head and growling, Snow cuddled closer to Alex, who was curled up with her on a massive bear rug.
“Leave, Snow, she needs to get ready for the Council.” Merilyn pointed to the door.
“She also needs her rest. She will heal much faster if she can sleep. Her new armor is working, but it is taking a lot of her energy,” Snow retorted.
Watching rapidly changing expressions cross Snow’s face, Merilyn said, “I know you are trying to communicate with me, but I cannot hear you. Please wake Alexandra so she can prepare for the Council.”
Softly nuzzling Alex, Snow pushed her nose into her ear.
“Stop it, Lauren, you know I hate that.” Alex swiped at the wet nose.
“You remember Lauren! That is wonderful.” Snow pushed her nose into Alex’s ear again.
“I said, stop it.” Alex jerked up, and swung around toward the offending nose.
Snow reared back to avoid a collision with Alex’s hand. “Oh Snow, it’s you. You know I hate to wake up with your wet nose in my ear.”
“But you remembered Lauren, can you hear me?” Snow nuzzled Alex again. But she could not. Snow shook her head.
A soft chuckle from behind her caused Alex to spin around. “Twisting hurts Merilyn. Stand over here, so I can see you and not pull my wound.”
“Of course, Majesty,” she said with a sweeping half-bow. “I would not want you to hurt. But a wet nose in your ear seems to be a decent method of waking you. I will have to remember that in the future.”
“You enter my rooms unannounced, and disturb my rest while making jokes, it must be a disaster.” Alex smiled at Merilyn to take the sting from her words. “Really, to what do I owe this visit, Seneschal? It must be truly a matter of great importance.”
Bowing low and touching her forehead, Merilyn held the position of obedience. “It truly is of great importance. I had a visitor first thing this morning.” She stood and drew a scroll from her sleeve and waved it at Alex.
“The Council requests your presence this day.” Merilyn read formally from the scroll. Looking up, she frowned. “I am afraid we cannot avoid this meeting.”
“Oh, stop that. You know I hate all the bowing and scraping done around here. And what of this meeting? I thought we were telling them when I would appear.”
Standing to her full though slight height, Merilyn explained, “So I thought, too. But Oswein gathered his lackeys and called for a meeting to assess the health and competence of the Ruler. All joking aside Alexandra, this is serious business. If they are not convinced that you are fit, they can demand you be removed. We have less than two hours to be ready.”
“Fine. I will be ready. Let me have a bath, and I will dress. I will pass their tests.” Alex placed a gentle hand on Merilyn’s shoulder. “Seneschal, all will be well.” She watched Merilyn worry her bottom lip, knowing that was a sign of how concerned she truly was. “Those Hebrideans will not win the day. Have no worry, Seneschal.” Alex trotted down the stairs into the circular bathing room beneath her solar.
Alex didn’t spend much time soaking, climbing out of the hot pool after just a quick bath. Wrapping one of the thick towels around her, she headed back up to her sleep-room. Just off her sitting room, this room reflected Alex in all her personas.
The walls were burnished a deep-red and curved bookcases covered three-quarters of the outer stone walls. Tall floor-to-ceiling window slits gathered as much light from outside as was available in winter. During summer months, the room blazed. Furs from animals Alex had hunted through the years covered the floor. Not all of the species represented were from Terra. Some were from worlds visited in her childhood. But it was the enormous bed that was the centerpiece of the room. The four corner posts were intricately carved ironwood tree trunks, more than eighteen inches in diameter. Each poster chronicled an event from Alex’s past with all the key elements represented. A four-step ladder sat on each side of the bed to allow easier access to the down-covered surface.
Alex threw her wet towel in the general direction of the bed and strode to the armoire. Pulling the double doors open, Alex perused the contents. Knowing she needed to present an image of strength, control, and dominance, she took her formal Guard uniform off the rod. She selected a starched high-collar shirt from the shelf above. She also grabbed a pair of highly polished, over-the-knee boots from beneath the uniforms.
Alex went to Merilyn’s side and watched as Merilyn affixed the badges of rank and honor to the royal purple wool uniform overcoat. The ancestral badges of power were stored in a black walnut case on one of her bookshelves. Today, Merilyn chose the crossed swords and orb badges from amongst the collection—badges of rule. The remaining twelve badges, rings, bracelets, coronets, and medals had been worn by Alex’s foremothers during their reigns. The entire history of Alex’s family rested in this one box.
Merilyn pulled a purple ribbon through the crossed swords medal and attached the orb closure on the other end. This she laid beside the overcoat. A leather belt followed. The gold buckle depicted two loons and when closed their beaks touched. The loon was the signet of Alex’s mother—Fionnaghal. The leather was six inches wide and dyed a purple so deep it appeared black in low light. Lastly she unrolled the Baldric, a purple sash embroidered with gold thread and trimmed with golden piping. This would hold Alex’s sword in a position that allow her to sit or walk without becoming entangled with the dangling weapon while also allowing her to easily draw the sword should it be needed.
The final piece of her uniform was a flowing cape of black armor mesh lined with red silk. The mesh of this cape was much finer than her working armor but still carried all the properties of healing and protection. In a sword fight, a twirl would wrap the cape around her shoulders, protecting Alex’s neck and upper chest from injury. Alex donned the regal outerwear.
As Merilyn slipped the baldric over her head, she instructed, “Get your sword and let us get this over with. Try and avoid questions. If pushed, give answers that are just vague enough to be truth but not open us up for further inquiries.”
Alex turned toward the large tapestry that hung on the wall opposite the bed. A scene of wolves running under a silver moon danced across it
s surface in muted blacks and silvers. The wolves glowed with a pure white aura. The tapestry covered a smooth rock wall, its surface broken only by a small numerical pad. Alex entered a sequence of numbers into the pad with ease. “How is it I can remember things like this fourteen-digit combination but not what happened two days ago?”
After she entered the last number a faint click sounded, and the stone wall rumbled away. Inside was a metal-lined vault. Alex crossed the threshold and waved her hand before another pad on the inside wall. Warm light glowed from hidden fixtures. The walls were lined with shelves that held weapons of all types—from ancient broadswords to the most modern blaster. A rectangular stone table stood in the center of the room. Carved from a block of anorthosite recovered from the lunar satellite that orbited Terra, it glowed white and blue in a background field of the blackest black. On top rested fourteen long wooden boxes
Alex approached the table and reverently stroked each box in turn, murmuring the name of each foremother as she did. A soft smile graced her lips. She stroked the box that held her sword and bowed her head. She whispered a soft prayer for strength, guidance, and wisdom to settle matters without bloodshed. Alex opened the platinum clasps and tilted back the lid, she gasped. The box was empty. “Where is my sword!”
Rushing into the weapons vault, Merilyn looked into the empty box. “Without the Sword of the Ruler, you will not be able to open the Council.”
“Where did I last have the sword?” Think, Alex! “I would have taken it with me. I would need it to open the caches and the nexus. I pray I did not lose it on the journey back, or that the Comin did not find it.” Alex trembled as she realized the magnitude of the disaster they faced.
Merilyn bowed her head as Alex ranted. A slow smile crossed her face. Circling the table, she stopped before a weathered box. One scarred on its face and charred on a corner. She held her hand above the box, and a glow began to surround it. Slowly, it rose to levitate above the table.
“This one. Please open this box, and remove the sword.”
“Are you mad? We cannot open the Doouglas’s box.” Alex shrank away from the table as if the box would strike her down.
“You will and you must,” Merilyn demanded of Alex.
Shaking her head, Alex continued to move away from the table. “But I would be carrying the sword of my Foremother. Just touching that sword will kill me.”
“Not if it is the sword of the First Foremother. Your Grand’Mere was in the countryside away from the Keep when the first bioweapon went off. As the bioweapon expanded and overtook more of the planet, your mother used her sword to open the communication nexi to warn all the outlying planets in a single burst. The energy was too much for her sword, and it shattered. With communications failing, she took up the Doouglas sword—the first sword—and held the nexi to all the worlds open.” Alex bowed her head as the weight of those memories crashed over her. “That sword can be used at a time of great need, by the rightful head of state.” Merilyn’s gaze burned into Alex. “And this seems like just such a time. You are the rightful ruler.”
“If the sword saw Mother as the rightful head of state, then Grand’Mere was already dead.” Thoughts of her mother and grandmother brought tears to her eyes.
“Your Mother may have only ruled for half a day, but she saved our civilization and allowed the leadership to pass uninterrupted to you. She would roll over where she sleeps, if she knew what was happening here now.”
Alex slowly approached the floating box and tentatively reached her hand out. Once she touched the box, it sank back to the stone table. Releasing the two electrum clasps, she lifted the lid. Inside rested the sword. Dull and flawed. The hilt was a cage of filigree gold and dull silvered metal. The blade, nicked in several places, was broader than her own.
But for all the imperfections in the sword, it was the jewel in the pommel that drew Alex’s attention. A diamond the size of a large egg flashed in the light. It was a stone of infinite depth and totally flawless. A crystal that size should appear cloudy, but instead the stone shone with an internal light, as white and pure as a silvered moonbeam.
Alex reached in and closed her left hand around the hilt. It morphed to fit her hand, as if it were made for her. “It fits me.” Alex looked up at Merilyn. “How is that possible? I am the only left-handed ruler in fourteen generations.”
“The sword has chosen you.” Merilyn stepped back. She bowed deeply and knelt before Alex.
As Alex lifted the sword from its case, the blade caught the light and flashed.
“We must go. The Council is waiting,” Merilyn whispered, head still bent.
“This ought to make quite the impression.” Alex moved the sword, watching it flash in the light.
“Hopefully, using the First Sword will distract them from other concerns, and allow us to garner their acceptance without questions. I know it will stop the Hebrideans in their tracks.” Merilyn chuckled softly.
Pulling the sheath from the box, Alex affixed it to her baldric and slid the sword home. “It may amaze the Council, but my missing sword is still a problem. At some point, we will need to find that absent blade, or we will have more trouble on our hands than we can manage.”
Stepping from the weapons vault, Alex closed and sealed the door, dropping the tapestry back into place. As she descended to the main floor of the Keep, Snow trotted to her side and moved in step with her. Her long lopping strides shortened to match Alex’s march step.
Merilyn stopped before the large double oaken doors and turned back to Alex. “Ready?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do this!” Alex said.
Merilyn fixed her with a strange look, but Alex ignored it. Head held high, she waited for her Seneschal to strike the knocker and open the doors to announce the ruler’s arrival.
Chapter Three
AS ALEX ENTERED THE Council Room, Lauren was far away continuing her trek back to the original cave in hopes of finding a way across the nexus membrane. Having to pull the sled herself slowed Lauren down. Her thoughts were focused on Alex. How could she turn me away like that? All she knew was she had to find a way back to her reality. Maybe there she could heal her heart and soul.
Lauren located the first supply cache by accident. While digging out some foodstuffs for lunch, she noticed that the sapphire in the sword was pulsating strongly. The same glow it had when Alex used the sword to open a cache. Pulling the sword from the bottom of the sled, Lauren moved the blade back and forth in front of her. She watched as the intensity in the jewel changed. Pointing the blade in the direction of the highest intensity, Lauren swung the blade in a wide arc. As the sword traced a path in front of her, the shield opened, and Lauren found a small supply cache. Had she not seen the sword, she would have missed the cache entirely. Oh, Alex, you’ve saved me again. I hope me having the sword is not causing you difficulty.
This cache allowed Lauren to rest for a day and to restock her food supply. She knew where the cache was at the base of the Grand Teton. That was her next goal. There she planned to rest for several days. When they had left that cache, there were plenty of supplies left in stasis. And with the hot pool, she could clean her gear and herself.
Rising on the third day of her trek, Lauren crawled from her tent to be greeted by a slate gray sky. Black cumulous clouds scuttled across the horizon. Lauren quickly collapsed her tent and stowed her meager gear in the sled. Another storm was coming. She grabbed one of the grub bags and slung the sled harness over her shoulders, planning to eat while on the move. Gawd, another blizzard.
As the day progressed, the wind continued to build. Soon, driving snow cut Lauren’s vision. Ground blizzards swirled around her knees, obscuring her feet. By late afternoon, the blowing snow and decreasing light further hindered her progress. I could ski right past the cache and never know I missed it until I ended up in the Snake River. How am I going to find it in the dark? And then it struck her. The sword.
Lauren pulled the sword from the sled. The stone glow
ed a deep blue and pulsed with its steady double beat. The sheathed blade radiated a warmth that touched Lauren’s soul. Holding the sword to her chest, Lauren spoke. “Alex, hear me. I left as you asked, but I left a part of me there with you. I don’t know if I will ever recover from that. Why? Please answer me, Alex. Why did you make me leave?”
Listening with her entire being, Lauren heard nothing but silence, felt nothing but emptiness. Sighing, Lauren trudged to the front of the sled and again gathered up the harness. She slid the sheathed blade into the belt of her snow pants, the hilt crossed her chest with the sapphire resting over her heart. In this position, Lauren could see, as well as feel, the stone pulse.
She was exhausted. The terrain was more rugged near the mountain ridge, and she was losing hope of finding the cache before nightfall. Approaching a large stand of fir trees, Lauren knew she could shelter under their drooping branches until morning. She bent over to duck under the branches, but the sword got in her way. Lauren pulled the sword free of her belt. As she grasped the hilt, the double pulse strengthened, and the stone began to glow. What the? She almost dropped the blade in shock as a blue beacon shot from the stone, cutting through the darkness like a laser.
The cache must be close. Lauren began to move the blade in a wide arc. The laser light tracked across the trees and illuminated the nearby rock face. The beacon settled on one spot of the wall and highlighted the cache entrance on the granite face. She had found it. Thoughts of a warm bath made her smile.
Chapter Four
ALEX WATCHED MERILYN GRASP the golden boar’s head and drop it on the knocker plate. The metallic clang combined with a deep wooden throbbing rang through the Council Room as the knocker struck home thrice. As the reverberations from the third strike dissipated, Merilyn pushed on the massive doors. The seam between them split, and the doors swung silently inward.