by Sharon Hinck
Lukyan tapped his walking stick a few times. “Don’t you see? The answer, the important answer, is right before you.”
He captured our attention, then reached out to rest his hand on Caralad’s head. The boy smiled up at Lukyan, and the old man’s eyes watered. After a long pause, he pulled his gaze away to look at the rest of us. “The answer is this child.”
Chapter
31
Susan
I’d expected encouragement from Lukyan, perhaps a brief speech to remind us to trust the One. His focus on the little boy at this time of crisis left me confused and even disappointed. Was he being metaphoric? Was this some sort of parable? We needed concrete direction for immediate problems. Did the elderly on this world suffer from dementia?
Even Linette seemed startled. She tightened her grip on Caralad and studied Lukyan with a worried gaze.
Kieran sprang to his feet. “We have to get Jake in front of the Council—what’s left of it. If you don’t have any new information for us . . .”
“He’s not from the clans,” Lukyan said quietly.
I stared at the boy again. “He doesn’t look Rhusican or Hazorite or Kahlarean. If he’s not from the clans . . .”
Mark stiffened. “Are you saying he’s from . . . where we come from?”
A poor lost boy from our side of the portal? I leaned toward Mark and whispered, “Are we meant to take him back with us?”
“No. You don’t understand yet.” Lukyan looked at the boy as if for permission to say more. “It’s time to turn to the Deliverer for help.”
“Which we’ll do when he shows up one day.” Kieran shifted his weight.
Lukyan frowned at him. “He is here.”
Kieran turned, quickly scanning the round walls of the tower. There was nowhere for a man to hide.
Linette caught on first. “Caralad? Is it possible?”
Lukyan gripped the arms of the chair, his limbs as gnarled and weathered as the wood that held him. “If my only reason for thinking this was the voice of the One in my heart, I would understand your doubts. I’m an old man. Perhaps overwhelmed by my zeal as my days approach my final gathering, or perhaps confused by age and weariness.” His alert eyes and wise smile made a mockery of those doubts. “But this child fulfills every prophecy. ‘When three Restorers gather—’”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “I thought that was part of Cameron’s scheme.”
Lukyan nodded. “You remember well. His false verses spoke about the time when several Restorers would come in quick succession, marking the end of the time of the Restorers. He twisted the true Verses. They speak of three Restorers at the season-end gathering, but not to do away with the gift of Restorers. Instead this will be a sign of the Deliverer, the fulfillment that all the Restorers pointed toward.”
Linette soaked in his words, her expression rapt. “But the Verses are talking about something generations from now. They promise that even our enemies will know the words of our songs before the Deliverer comes.”
Kieran groaned and sank back down.
She frowned at him. “What?”
“Think about it.” Resignation shaded his words. “Our work in Hazor.”
She gasped. “Of course.”
My temples throbbed as I tried to fit the pieces together. Kieran and Linette had spent many seasons sharing the Verses with the people of Hazor, but did that count? Did that fulfill the promise? Maybe Lukyan was seeing pictures he wanted to see in a Rorschach blot of prophesies.
Lukyan’s rheumy eyes sought mine. “Many of Rendor clan have told me that you did more than lead them out of Rhus. You shared the truth of the One with the Rhusicans.”
Had I? It was true that when Nicco had torn around in my psyche, using my memories as his demented playground, he’d stumbled onto Someone he couldn’t comprehend. In his own way, he’d been curious. But did that really mean that truth had been revealed to all the enemies?
I shook my head. “Even if our interactions with surrounding nations fit the prophecy, this couldn’t be the time of three Restorers. As far as I can see, the clans no longer have even one.”
Jake nodded. “After my capture by the Kahlareans, the Restorer gifts left me. I see that as a mercy. They couldn’t succeed in their schemes without the blood of a Restorer. But now I’m not even sure whether I’m meant to provide leadership in Lyric any longer.”
“I’m sure now that Jake’s service to the clans is done, we’re meant to return home,” I said firmly.
Lukyan pointed an arthritic finger in my direction. “One.” Then his arm swung to Kieran, who was still frowning. “Two.” A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he pointed to Jake. “Three. This has never happened before.”
My stomach tightened, strange currents skittering through my nerves. Could it be? Could we be observing the moment of fulfillment of the clan’s most cherished prophecy? It would be like joining shepherds on their visit to a Bethlehem stable, knowing that the culmination of grace in all of human history was unfolding. I couldn’t begin to untangle the theological implications of how the One was unveiling His plan for this world, but a small thrill ran through my stomach and my pulse quickened.
I looked at Caralad. Could he be the promised Deliverer, or was he just a lost child? Or worse, could he be a ruse from an enemy to sow confusion? Gentle eyes blinked back at me. If he were the Deliverer, why didn’t he speak? And how could this little boy help the clans?
I reached for Mark’s hand. Sitting awkwardly on the floor beside me, his eyes were wide, fixed on Caralad with an expression of awe. I wanted to give in to the tentative hope that the others were experiencing, but a part of my heart sank. My plans of disentangling our family and getting home slid further toward the horizon. How could Mark leave his world if he believed the promised Deliverer had come? How could I ask him to? And what would Jake’s role be now? The familiar ache of being torn between two worlds throbbed in my chest.
Silence and confusion held us all captive for a moment. Finally, Kieran stood. I expected him to drag Jake away and hurry to the Council tower. Instead he crouched in front of Linette and the boy and offered his arm. Caralad’s eyes twinkled as he gripped Kieran’s forearm in a traditional warrior’s greeting. Kieran held his gaze, then turned to confront the rest of us. “I’ll be the first to say that the One’s prophesies have not looked the way we expected.” He raised an eyebrow in my direction, no doubt remembering what he’d originally thought of Tristan’s suggestion that I was a promised Restorer. Unexpected and then some. “But even though that caused frustration and confusion, the One did what He promised.”
Kieran was telling the rest of us to have faith? I rubbed my eyes and fought back a wave of vertigo. Meanwhile, Linette’s face lit with gratitude. She briefly touched Kieran’s cheek. A small gesture of appreciation or something more?
Jake sprang up and cleared his throat. “Lukyan, I agree this is important, but I do need to speak to the Council – what’s left of it.”
Kieran straightened and nodded. “And we have to meet with the Corros delegation quickly and see if we can prevent all-out civil war. Let’s all go to the Council tower now. We’ll bring the boy along, but this isn’t the time to tell anyone who he might be.”
Linette set Caralad on his feet and rose to stand beside him. Her chin tightened as she confronted Kieran. “I’m staying here. The clans have never needed the feast day gathering more than today. The best way to call others to worship is to worship.”
Kieran bristled, ready to argue, but as he stared down Linette, the planes of his face softened. “Maybe you’re right. Do you know of anyone else who plans to come?”
Beyond the arched entryways on all sides, the streets were empty. Linette’s shoulders drooped. “Everyone I’ve spoken with is afraid or angry. Lukyan, what about the other songkeepers?”
Lukyan shook his head, suddenly
looking every one of his years. Using the arms of the chair, he struggled to stand. “But I will try again. You should begin the first gathering day songs. I can care for the boy.”
Caralad smiled at Lukyan, but shook his head. He turned away from all of us and knelt at the railing of the center dais. His small face tilted upward.
Linette picked up one of the small drums used for the call to worship. “It looks like I’ll have company. He can stay with me. I’ll begin the songs.”
“And we’ll come back to join in as soon as we can,” Jake promised her.
“I could stay, too,” I offered. I hated imagining Linette and the boy alone in this huge tower, futilely inviting the clans to gather. Sitting through negotiations with a clan that was threatening Lyric held no appeal. And to be honest, I couldn’t handle seeing my husband and son growing further entrenched in life here.
Mark helped me to my feet. “We’ll both need to inform the Council about what we learned in Kahlarea. Jake will need our support.”
He was right. Still, my feet dragged as we left the tower.
Cameron was representing Corros, stirring up the strife. Meeting with the Council meant facing him. I wasn’t sure I could do that. His evil went far beyond his initial cruelty toward me. His schemes had hurt Jake.
I clung to Mark’s hand. Beside us, Jake strode toward the Council tower with all the confidence of a leader. He didn’t look reluctant to confront Cameron.
Maybe I could also stay calm for this parlay and hold myself together when I saw Cameron. Or maybe I should sharpen my bootknife.
Chapter
32
Linette
As the others left, I carried my drum to a doorway, the solid floor of the tower seeming to waver under my feet. I had good reason to feel unsteady. Danger stalked Lyric from within and without. Why would the One send a helpless boy to a time like this?
My gaze sought Caralad where he knelt beside the center dais, his tender face tilted upward. Could he really be destined to become our Deliverer? He looked so ordinary, so defenseless.
I thought of the reaction of Wade’s men. Fear and suspicion like that would put Caralad in danger. He needed a family to keep him safe until his destiny was confirmed. Perhaps Lukyan and I would find a couple who could give him the protection he needed.
Deeper determination strengthened my arm as I began beating the rhythm of the gathering call, my palm drawing a welcoming invitation from the taut leather. I couldn’t understand all the ways of the One, but I could still trust Him, and I’d do all in my power to help Caralad. And right now, I’d worship, even with a voice of one.
The drum wasn’t my usual instrument, but I did my best. Still, the doors of homes across the plaza remained closed, the streets empty. If we could just gather people, surely the conflicts and disputes would shrink in the presence of the One who created us all.
I moved to an archway on another side of the tower and tried again. The rhythm sounded as weak as a shallow pulse. In past seasons, the combined songkeepers from all the clans had created a compelling tide of sound that almost carried people toward their time with the One. The empty tower made me ache. The longing for those times of worship filled me—not my own puny wish but a deep longing stronger than myself. The One longed for His people. He invited. He called. He welcomed.
I raised my voice and began the traditional greeting song.
Called by the One,
Draw near.
Maker and Protector,
He is here!
I moved to yet another entryway and sang out to the city.
Why did I persist? Even if some of the Lyric clan heard and joined me, they were only one of the twelve clans. Unlike Lukyan and me, many of the other clans had ignored the feast day pilgrimage, too worried about rumors of imminent attack. Even if messengers reached them to reassure that it was safe to come, it could take days to gather.
Keeping the rhythm steady, I walked to the next of the eight archways and began to sing again.
From the direction of the guardian tower, a small group made their way toward me. Hope rose and I fought to keep my rhythm from rushing. As they grew closer, I saw waterfall emblems on tunics. Of course! Rendor clan—those who weren’t needed for the emergency Council meeting.
Deep voices sang softly, joining the call.
A few doors slid open, revealing faces of Lyric families taking note that feast day was being honored after all. Bit by bit a trickle of local families moved out into the street. Some of the children wore torn and dirty tunics, not their best clothes. After the feast day had been cancelled, no one had bothered with their usual special preparations. But now, one by one, transtechs put aside their gadgets, grandmothers left their three-peg weaving, and tradesmen arrived with toddlers riding their shoulders. A mother cradled an infant, a grandson supported an old woman, and a husband and wife held hands and leaned against each other as they approached.
As people entered the tower, a few raised their brows at the sight of a lone child kneeling by the dais. Others smiled. How would they react if they heard what Lukyan believed about him?
Prodded by some protective instinct, I moved to Caralad’s side. Normally, once all the visiting clans gathered, the songkeepers activated the dais that rose and rotated, helping us lead the songs. Since I was alone, I saw no reason for that pageantry. Instead, I put away the borrowed drum and picked up a rondalin. We filled a meager circle around the dais, but I was grateful for each person who had answered the call.
Before I could begin the next song, Lukyan limped into the tower followed by several songkeepers. Even Havid and Royan, with their pinched and sour faces, trailed the group. I hid a smile. Apparently, once they knew that the feast day gathering was proceeding, those two didn’t want to miss their opportunity to be prominent. They brushed past Caralad and picked up their instruments, stepping onto the round platform.
Lukyan looked so weary. The trip from Braide Wood had already exhausted him, then the stress of alarms, hiding, not to mention the coldness and distrust of the local songkeepers. The past few days had taken a great toll. I hurried to take his arm, guiding him to his place. I was grateful that the others began the next song. My throat was hoarse from doing the call alone.
With no regard for Caralad’s safety, Royan slid the lever to activate the dais.
I reached a hand for the child, offering to help him onto the platform, but he simply eased back and continued to kneel with his gaze fixed to the windows far above us.
Lukyan leaned heavily on his walking stick as the dais rotated slowly. “Thank the One for a few more voices,” he whispered to me under the music.
“What do you think is happening at the Council tower?” I asked him. “Will the negotiations succeed? Do you think they’ll all come join us soon?” Longing flooded me again as I pictured the quarrelling clans reaching enough of an agreement to join the gathering. The morning worship was always a tender time of confession, forgiveness, and new unity. We’d never needed that more.
The elder songkeeper lengthened his bent body, riveted on Caralad as our platform circled past. “The One holds our future. Let us place our needs in His hands.” He smiled at the families surrounding us. “May the One stir our hearts beyond rote songs and responses.”
The faces below us reflected the mixture of feelings welling in my heart. Uncertainty at the problems beyond the tower walls. Sadness at the sparse numbers. Gratitude at the One’s invitation to meet with Him in this special way. Eagerness to hear from Him.
I strummed my rondalin, adding another layer of depth to the rising music, and joined my voice to the song. One emotion rose above the rest: love for the One who loved us first.
Chapter
33
Susan
My memories of the Council tower were far from fond, and my heart clenched as we entered the austere building. Our footstep
s echoed against the hard, bare floors and crashed back from the obsidian walls. A foreboding sound.
Kieran marched straight to the Braide Wood chambers, while Jake veered off and followed the curved hallway toward the Rendor offices.
I hesitated. From my first visit, I’d been embraced by Braide Wood and claimed it as my clan. Should I join the Braide Wood representatives?
Mark’s arm around my shoulder decided for me as he guided me to follow Jake.
Rendor’s outer offices were empty. Unlike other times I’d attended Council sessions, today there was no pageantry. We didn’t wait for the somber chimes to call us in. Jake and Mark didn’t leave their sword belts in the outer office. We just crossed the clan office, pushed aside the next door, and strode into the central Council area.
The Rendor balcony already held several councilmembers who had been part of the group that traveled with us. Mark and Jake immediately entered a conversation with them, adding to the agitated murmurs throughout the tower. Twelve balconies encircled the massive room, with ramps leading down to the center. A few of the balconies remained dark, even token representation withdrawn. The clan sections that were lit had conspicuously empty seats.
On the far side from us, Kieran joined Tristan and several others from the Braide Wood delegation. I was glad to see they both wore their swords. This attempt at negotiation could easily devolve into armed combat.
As much as I’d hated the tedious bureaucracy of the Council in my past encounters, today’s disorganization was worse. No clear leader guided the discussion, and tense voices rose and fell while no one seemed to be listening to anyone else.
Finally, I dragged my gaze to the Corros balcony. Men and women were arguing animatedly, and I spotted a few Hazorite soldiers with the group, but there was no sign of Cameron. Relief washed through me. Perhaps I wouldn’t have to deal with him after all.