The Prophet Of Lamath

by Hughes, Robert Don

  "By the powers," said Tohn in dismay. "Somehow they woke the beast!" Tohn gripped the battlements of his castle and stared. He had been surveying the wreckage done to his beautiful green fields, by the battle when the flash from the pass caused him to look up. He watched as the dragon rose screaming from behind the rocks; he shuddered at the sight of those bizarre heads as they scorched away trees and shrubs. The dragon's double-throated scream was audible all the way across the valley and it shocked Tohn into action. He raced down the outer staircase as fast as his old legs would carry him, calling what names of his children, cousins, nephews, and aunts he could remember, calling out other names that he couldn't put with faces, in the hope that someone would answer.

  "Get inside! Get inside!" he called. From the battlements ran others who had witnessed the catastrophe, and these echoed his warnings to scramble for cover. Tohn tried to run across the courtyard, but his breath was gone, and he paused to regain it, coughing amid the flying dust. Then he remembered. "That merchant lad," he said aloud, to no one but himself, and he grabbed a lungful of dirty air and dashed back to the main gate of the keep.

  "Grandfather! What are you doing?" a young matron screeched, but he either did not hear her, or chose to pay her no mind. He slipped the heavy bolt and threw his weight behind the door to push it open.

  There was only time for a quick glance around, for escaping Maris and Chaons alike saw that crack in the castle gate and turned to ride frantically toward it. Tohn leapt back inside and heaved the gate shut behind him. He slipped the bolt back in place even as the frightened soldiers jumped from their horses and ran to bang on the door's heavy planks. The young merchant had been nowhere in sight.

  "I cannot," Tohn sighed, more to himself than to the shouting warriors beyond the barrier. "For my family's sake, I cannot." Powerful arms gripped him on either side, and he was carried across the courtyard by teenage youths whose names he could not remember.

  "His mind is a little addled by the battle, I think," said the young mother who preceded them toward the inner keep. "The dragon is loose. Grandfather!" she yelled in his ear. "We need to get inside or he might harm us!" Tohn said nothing as these, his offspring, patronized him. Let them think him a senile fool, he told himself. Perhaps they'd put him to bed. Tohn's heart was breaking at the tragedy beyond his walls. Though he could not get enough air into his lungs, his chest seemed to be trying to explode. He needed sleep. Oh! Tohn thought, how I need sleep!

  Chapter Fifteen

  WHEN ASHER RETURNED to the capital, he encamped his forces on a field west of the city. It was here that he received Pelman and his party.

  "I hope the dungeon was not too uncomfortable," he said, greeting Pelman. "I felt you would be safest there until my return. Who are these with you?" Pelman introduced Bronwynn and Rosha, then introduced Erri. The little sailor had met them that morning at the dungeon gate, holding Minaliss' reins in one hand, and the white pony's reins in the other.

  "You've become a loyal follower very quickly," Asher observed as he acknowledged the short seaman's bow.

  "Once you've discovered the truth, it's senseless not to be loyal to it." Erri shrugged, and Asher gazed back at Pelman.

  "My feelings exactly. I apologize. Prophet, for nearly having you killed on such a false charge. Is the arm the only ill effect you suffered?" Pelman's dislocated shoulder had been reset and bandaged, and his left arm hung now in a sling. "Only my arm, Asher. And please, don't hold yourself responsible. You were acting sincerely." "Yes," Asher said grimly. "Sincerely wrong. The monster-" Asher paused. "How quickly we change.

  I've never called the dragon that before." He shook his head, then went on. "The dragon is a-burning." Pelman frowned. "I was afraid of that. I saw several charred sections as we made our way through the city." "And not the city alone. The beast has ruined crops, destroyed villages, and consumed large quantities of our population. Truly, this is no god." Asher spat the words out in disgust. "I've spoken with-him and discovered it for myself. The dragon is divided." "I'm thankful you discovered it when you did, Asher." Pelman smiled, rubbing his arm. Then his smile faded. "So. The dragon is a-burning. And he can't do that unless both heads cooperate. It appears that Vicia-Heinox has reunited himself in order to punish the rest of the world." "What can we do? Is there any way to restrain the monster?" "One way," Pelman said. "By killing him. And the method of doing that has yet to be discovered." Asher frowned. "As a boy, I was taught that the dragon is uncreated and immortal. But you say he can be killed-and you've proved yourself a Prophet. If he must be killed-who could discover such a way but you?" Asher's gaze was earnest.

  Pelman sighed. He was thinking of Serphimera's vision. "Who but me?" he said softly. Then he looked around at Bronwynn. "You have the book?" "Right here." "I'll study it, Asher. I'll look. This book told us of the beast's creation-perhaps it will yield some clue to its destruction as well. But it may take time-" "Take what time you need, Prophet. You realize already the urgency of the situation." The situation was urgent indeed . . . and not just for Lamath. Vicia-Heinox appeared everywhere. Peasants in regions far removed from Dragonsgate, peasants who disbelieved the dragon tales because they had never met a man who had seen the beast, now saw and feared. For Vicia-Heinox did not visit an area without giving it a sampling of dragon-burn.

  It was not true that the dragon was systematic in his devastation-but had the beast reasoned out some pattern, it could not have been more crippling to the mental state of mankind. He struck arbitrarily, burning one man's field while leaving the field next to it to ripen. Witnesses babbled incoherent accounts to their disbelieving neighbors, then hours later those neighbors would chatter their own tales of horror. Villages collapsed into smouldering cinders as the inhabitants watched and wept. Elsewhere, entire populations disappeared, leaving silent, lifeless dwellings as a mute testimony to the dragon's voracious appetite. Vicia-Heinox distributed his misery generously. His path of destruction could be traced through all three lands. While he was certainly not just or fair in his punishment, at least he vented his anger impartially. If there was a soul in any of the lands who did not know the dragon was a-burning, it was because he had cut himself off from the rest of the race and had hidden under the ground. The cry was everywhere the same. "Who will deliver us from the two-headed beast?" Everyone in Lamath had a different explanation for the cataclysmic events of the last weeks. Many blamed the dragon's rampage on the Prophet, saying that this punishment was Lord Dragon's retribution for Asher's stopping the execution. These would have followed diligently any new command their Priestess might have given, even to storming Asher's compound and murdering Pelman on the spot. But Serphimera was giving no new commands. Serphimera had disappeared.

  Others praised the Prophet for revealing the twi-beast as a sham, and claimed that this destruction was the dragon's attempt at revenge. This new party united behind Pelman, and the group grew larger daily as it was joined by soldiers freshly returned from the front. They had heard from their leaders the dialogue of Asher's meeting with the beast, and had seen the flash of light in Dragonsgate just prior to this eruption of chaos. "The dragon is divided!" they declared to loud cheers. "The Prophet is right!" These words swiftly formed the foundation of a new litany. Everywhere, the final chorus was the same. "All bless the Prophet! The Prophet will deliver us!" Serphimera's loyals, prowling the street comers and searching the alleys, clenched their teeth against these new heresies and continued to search for their leader. "Remember," they reminded one another in whispers, "the Priestess has seen his doom!" But where was Serphimera? The inner circle seemed to know, but they said nothing. Most of them wore their gloom wrapped about them like winter capes. The" others zealously kept on searching. Where was she? The double-headed dragon singled out the cities for special punishment. Each of the major metropolitan areas felt the dragon-bum in widely scattered locations. But perhaps the hardest hit was the High City of Ngandib. Lamath and Chaomonous both stood astride giant waterways, but Ngandib sa
t on a great plateau. All water had to be pumped up from the valley below, and the liquid was always in short supply. Once the twi-beast set his fire upon a section of city, the blaze was nearly impossible to quench. By the time Pahd mod Pahd-el arrived home at the head of his victorious army, the flying monster had burned away half of his capital. Later that same day, Dorlyth mod Karis received a summons by blue flyer, demanding his immediate presence in the court of the King. Weary though he was, Dorlyth mounted his horse and rode west, wondering what Pahd required of him. When he saw the billowing black smoke while still miles away from the base of the plateau, he realized why he had been called.

  Pahd's mother ushered Dorlyth into the King's chamber with grim silence. The King reclined, as usual, but Dorlyth noted a distinctive difference. Pahd mod Pahdel was wide awake.

  "You saw?" Pahd asked.

  Dorlyth nodded. "Sickening. Worse than I had imagined." Pahd looked away. Then he exploded. "And I can't do anything about it!" He suddenly reached out and gripped Dorlyth by the wrist. "I need help!" "Whatever I can do, my Lord, I will-" "Pelman the powershaper. Where is he?" Dorlyth shook his head. "To my great regret, I have no idea." "None whatever?" "Only that he left for Lamath some weeks ago with my son. I have heard nothing since." "Why would he go to Lamath?" Pahd demanded. "I need him here!" The King jumped up, paced the room, then sat on the footstool before his throne and hid his face in his hands. Finally he looked up. "I've never faced anything like this before, Dorlyth. Nothing prepared me-for this!" "No, my Lord," the bearded warrior replied. He laid a hand on the King's shoulder, and the younger man gazed up into his face. Pahd's eyes were wet.

  "I have lost half of my' kingdom to this burning beast! In only a week! Can't someone help me control this monster?" Dorlyth patted the King's shoulder, trying to impart some hope and strength even he himself didn't feel. "Perhaps Pelman will-" he began, but his voice trailed on. It was such an unlikely idea. Why even mention it, and raise the young King's hopes? Ligne paced the opulently furnished apartments that until lately had belonged to King Talith. They were hers now, but today the gigantic canopied bed brought no smile to her lips. Today the gilt-edged mirrors that ringed the walls reflected an angry pout back at their new mistress. Ligne was now indisputably Queen of Lamath. The bones of her former lover lay charred on some Mari hillside, if Jagd's information were correct. But of what value was a kingdom burned into ruin? Ligne had not opened the shutters for days, for it pained her to see so much of her golden city smouldering. The people were crying out to the crown for help against the monster, but what could she do? She no longer had an army-Vicia-Heinox had scattered what remained of that giant golden column all the way across Ngandib-Mar. The small remnant that had made it home through the forest and the mountains had been organized into a brigade of rebels by that meddlesome General Joss, and her pitiful little palace guard was kept busy guarding her outposts against Joss' harassment. Nor did she have a navy any longer-without coming into bow-shot of a Lamathian vessel, the Admiral of Chaomonous had managed to lose the greatest flotilla anyone could ever remember seeing. The man rotted, now, in Ligne's dungeon, but the damage was done. The mightiest nation in the world suddenly tottered on the brink of military and economic collapse.

  Ligne sighed. Ruling wasn't much fun anymore. "Kherda!" she screamed, just as she did a hundred times a day, and the new prime minister of Lamath scrambled from his offices down the hall to appear at her door.

  "Yes, my Lady?" "What are we going to do?" "Do, my Lady?" Kherda replied timidly. "What-what can we do?" "That's what I'm asking you!" Ligne bellowed, her face turning crimson. "You're supposed to be my advisor! Now start advising or I'll find someone else!" Kherda winced, and reflected briefly on the irony of it all. He had toppled Talith's government, only to find himself in a worse position in Ligne's. "There-is perhaps one idea that might be helpful." "Then get it out!" "I've learned from our contacts that a certain- subject of yours has become somewhat prominent in the government of Lamath." "One of my subjects? Who?" "I hesitate to mention his name-" "Get to the point!" the woman screamed.

  "It's Pelman the player, my Lady!" Ligne stared. Then she laughed. "In Lamath, is he? And alive?" "Apparently, my Lady." "Then Admon Faye has failed me. But go on! What's Pelman got to do with the dragon burning up my kingdom?" "It seems, my Queen, that it was Pelman who started the dragon's current erratic behavior." "I'm not surprised. That idiot actor is incredibly skilled at getting under one's skin." "Perhaps Pelman could calm the beast as well." Ligne laughed so hard that she choked. "Pelman? A dragon-tamer? Kherda, you're getting senile!" "You forget, my Lady, that Pelman is said to be powerful outside the land. Perhaps he-perhaps he has some power that might be-" "Ridiculous!" Ligne cackled. Then she licked her lips and thought a minute. "Still, it's worth a try. Where can we get in touch with this fool?" "Through General Asher, the Chieftain of Defense and Expansion of the Kingdom of Lamath." "I suppose you know where this General may be contacted?" "I could have a bird directed to the palace, if that is what you wish-" "Not a bird, Kherda. A hundred birds. A thousand! We will fill the sky of Lamath with blue flyers!" For the first time in days, Ligne flung open a shutter and gazed out. "Pelman shall know his presence is required at Dragonsgate-by order of his Queen!" Pelman and his three initiates had read and re-read the book to one another for days, but they still hadn't wrested any solution from its pages.

  "We're n-not going to .find anything!" Rosha burst out, his frustration getting the better of his patience.

  "We will too!" Bronwynn snarled back at him. She was just as frustrated as he, but was unwilling to relinquish the idea that somewhere in the book they would find some key. "It's got to be here!" "I'm thinking the lad's right," Erri muttered softly, and the young couple turned to look at him. "Seems to me if the writers of that book knew how to control the twi-beast, they would have done it themselves." The little man's eyes flickered over to Pelman, who had been sitting in morose silence throughout the morning. "I think perhaps the Prophet is agreeing with me." But Pelman said nothing, preferring to keep his own sullen counsel. They all knew what he was contemplating. Try as they might, their words hadn't pierced his gloom. He was reviewing the doom Serphimera had pronounced on him.

  "You shouldn't worry about it, Pelman!" Bronwynn pleaded. "She's just a crazy woman who gets a thrill out of getting others swallowed! Forget her!" "Oh, she's far more than that," Pelman murmured, and he rose to stroll around the hot tent for the twentieth time.

  "But she's robbing you of your-your creativity!" the girl continued. "If Erri's right, if the writers of the book expected you to find a solution, you need to concentrate! You need to-" The flap of the fish-satin shelter was thrown open, and Asher strode in. "Still struggling, I see. No results?" "How can we make any plans when he won't take his mind off that imposter Priestess?" Bronwynn snapped.

  Asher's reply was uncharacteristically gentle. He touched the girl's cheek lightly, and said, "Don't be too harsh with your master. When it comes to Serphimera, I have the same disease." Bronwynn's eyes widened, and Asher, embarrassed, abruptly dismissed the subject. "But I didn't come to discuss that woman; I came to tell you news of another. I think, dear Princess, that this will be of particular importance to you. Rather, I should say, my Queen." "Queen?" Bronwynn asked.

  Rosha echoed her. "Q-queen?" Even Pelman snapped out of his reverie to listen to this news.

  "Yes, my Lady, you appear to be a Queen without a kingdom. At any rate, that is what my foreign-policy advisors have concluded. It seems a woman named Ligne has usurped your father's throne." "Ligne!" Bronwynn spat.

  Pelman leapt over to grasp Asher's arm. "How did she accomplish that!" "Through guile, I would wager, having heard a bit about this Ligne from the local merchant houses. But I really don't know. All I can say is that the skies of Lamath are filled with blue flyers this morning, and they all bear the same message. It's to you, Prophet." Asher extended the note to Pelman, who grabbed it and read it aloud: "Pelman, the so-called Prophet.
They tell me you are powerful. Report at once to Dragonsgate and dispose ^f the dragon. By order of your Queen. Ligne." "That woman is no Queen!" Bronwynn cried, her hands forming into claws unconsciously.

  "Oh, but it appears she is," Asher observed. "For the moment, at least." "But what about my father?" "I saw your father in Dragonsgate over a week ago." Asher's face grew very grave, and he spoke more softly. "There is a strong possibility that your father is dead." Bronwynn's mouth opened slightly, and her breathing turned shallow. Then she spun on her heel and faced Pelman. "We have got to get rid of this beast!" Her eyes were flashing fiercely-they were also filling with tears.

  "Bronwynn, that's what we've been trying to do for days." "We haven't been doing anything! We've just sat here talking, while you've moped around!" A tear streaked down the girl's face, and she frowned the more savagely as she felt it drop. "It's time for us to move!" "I'm with h-h-her," Rosha said proudly, and Erri had to hide his smile behind his new blue tunic.