by David Wind
“They know fully their mistake. They erred because they believed Nevaeh too weak to stand against them. They did not know about me until it was too late. Enaid and I, you and Inaria were the forces that stopped them once we had all the kingdoms behind us. As far as we know, all but one of their dark sorceresses was destroyed. But they have had fourteen years to prepare, and this time the mutated masters of Dark Powers and their black sorceresses and their hordes of misshapen beasts will come themselves. If we are not ready for them, we will be defeated and the last of humanity will be wiped from Nevaeh.”
Nosaj remained silent for a long time, grateful for Roth’s accompanying silence. When he at last took a deep breath he said, “Then there is no choice but to allow Areenna to go on this…journey.”
Roth laughed. The sound was loud and crisp. “Allow? Accept would be a better word. Do you truly believe we have ever had a choice? Know you not the powers of our women?” Roth laughed again, and then shook his head. “While you think of Areenna as your daughter, you must begin to think of her as the most powerful woman in Nevaeh.”
Nosaj’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open for an instant before he said, “Most powerful. No, Enaid—”
“—Enaid has already foreseen. The fate of Nevaeh rests on Areenna’s shoulders.”
Nosaj closed his eyes and struggled against the revived feeling for the loss of his wife, and fearing the same for Areenna. When he opened his eyes, a single tear rolled onto his cheek. “Never before have I wished not to be a king, but today is that day.”
Roth exhaled slowly. “I understand old friend, for my son, too, must travel this frightful path.”
<><><>
Walking quietly through the stables, Mikaal went to the far corner stall where his kraal was eating a mix of dried grass and grain. He stood silently watching the large animal, admiring the sheen emanating from the deep blue-black fur.
“Charka,” he called in a low voice, “we go on an adventure tomorrow.”
The kraal lifted his large triangular head to stare at Mikaal. He snorted loudly, stepped close to Mikaal, and pressed the flat of his head against Mikaal’s chest for a moment before returning to his food.
Mikaal laughed, turned and started away. He had found the young but fully grown kraal caught up in deep bramble bushes. When he’d first seen the trapped animal, it was not its predicament, but its size and beauty and determination to free itself that had called to him.
A wild kraal was a dangerous animal to be close to especially when trapped, but when this one had seen Mikaal walking toward it, it had stopped its mad battle to tear free from the thorny bushes and waited, carefully watching the man’s approach.
The closer Mikaal had come, the more blood he saw leaching from the kraal’s wounds. When he’d finally stepped next to the animal, the kraal had lowered its head and snorted once, softly. Mikaal had drawn his short sword in his right hand and his knife with his left and begun to cut away the brambles.
It had taken a half hour to free the animal, and when he had, the kraal stood in the same spot, its flanks quivering, but it had not run off. “Go, boy, go,” Mikaal whispered.
The kraal did not move; instead it stared directly into Mikaal’s eyes. He sensed it wanted something, but had no idea of what. Then he began to inspect the powerful animal and saw that the bleeding was not stopping even with the thorns removed. He reached out slowly and very carefully stroked the kraal’s forehead.
The kraal had pushed against his hand and in that moment Mikaal felt something happen within his mind. While he hadn’t been sure of what, he had known the kraal needed more help and he had placed his hand on the kraal’s neck and urged him to walk with him. That had been three years ago.
“We leave tomorrow,” he told the kraal. He shook away the memory and started back to the keep. He made it ten steps before a guardsman appeared.
“The queen asks for your presence, My Prince.” So saying, he went off in the direction of the keep. Mikaal followed at a more leisurely pace.
Upon reaching his mother’s quarters, he knocked once and entered. He found both Enaid and Areenna sitting on a large cushioned divan, deep in conversation. “Mother, Areenna,” he said with a smile.
“Come.” Enaid patted the cushion next to her, moving over far enough to accommodate him. When he was seated, Enaid leaned over and kissed his cheek before saying, “We have much to plan and discuss. You are packed?”
Mikaal glanced from his mother to Areenna before saying, “I am.”
“Good. Tomorrow, after the morning meal, you and Areenna will leave. You will ride to the far eastern coast. There is a place of great power, a place more potent than any other in Nevaeh. There you must finish your training. It will not be easy, but it must be done—and they will do their best to stop you.”
Mikaal nodded thoughtfully. He looked at Areenna and gave her a confident smile before turning to his mother. “How many soldiers shall we take?”
Enaid took Mikaal’s hand in both of hers and brought it to her cheek. Their eyes locked and she released his hand. “You take only yourselves. No soldier can accompany you.”
“Because of my abilities?”
“Yes,” Enaid whispered. “But it makes no difference. None other than those seeking their final training can go. It has always been thus.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?” Her eyes searched his face, seeking any tell-tale signs. “Good,” she said a moment later. “Areenna, Mikaal’s training is upon your shoulders. It will not be easy.”
When Areenna nodded, Enaid went on. “The place you seek is an island set off the mainland. It is where the ocean becomes a bay. The bay itself is fed both by the ocean and by a river flowing from far away mountains of Northcrom into the bay. The Island is surrounded by both water and land. The southwestern tip of the island is the place of power. It is where, thousands of years ago, the war between Nevaeh and the…the others began.
“Have you been there?” Areenna asked.
Enaid stared at her with haunted eyes. “I have. I was there with your mother, twenty-three years ago.”
Her voice was warning enough not to ask further questions and Areenna did not.
“You will first go westward, through King Reltaw’s dominion of Morvene. From there you go north to Northcrom, King Maslo’s domain. After Northcrom you go southeast through Aldimor. These three kingdoms and their kings are fiercely loyal to us. And more importantly the three queens are necessary for the completion of your journey. While the route is longer than going directly, you must follow this course. It offers safety, knowledge, and a degree of protection from them.”
“It will be a two, maybe three day trip to Morvene. I know several inns on the road where we can stay comfortably,” Mikaal offered.
“No,” said Enaid, her voice sharp with warning, “you cannot stay at any inns. You must keep your journey quiet. The son of Roth and daughter of Nosaj will create a stir wherever you go. You travel incognito. You do not make your presence known to anyone other than the Queens of the dominions you visit. As to the Kings…only if there is no other choice. Do you understand the importance of this?”
Mikaal glanced at Areenna and saw her eyes were already on his. Their green depths and golden motes asked if he truly understood. When he nodded, she turned to Enaid. “We do.”
“When you are near the borders of each dominion, you, Areenna, must send your aoutem to the Queen with a message of your pending arrival and of the secrecy necessary. I will do my best to alert them as well.” She paused, looked at each of them and said, “There is one more thing. Before you reach the Island, you will cross a wasteland, and travel through ancient ruins, the worst in the northeast. There will be considerable dangers from mutated animals and men and women who are…not like us. But once you pass through the wastelands, you will find safety at the Landing from which you travel to the Island. There are two Landings: one on this side of the Island and one at the Island. These Landings are specia
l. They are ancient and protected from anything dark by something so powerful it cannot be described.”
Enaid turned to Mikaal. “It will not be easy, the training. A man has never before been trained. Not only must you be strong, you must learn how to be open in your mind. It is not in the way of men, while it is of most women, but you must find a way. Without opening your mind, you cannot learn and cannot be trained.”
“I will find a way,” Mikaal said easily.
Enaid slowly shook her head. “You will, but not in the way you think. Now, go, rest.”
Mikaal and Areenna left together. Mikaal walked her to her quarters. “She makes it seem as if it will be difficult for you to train me.”
“Because a man has never been trained, and the training is different from anything you have ever done. It was hard for me in the beginning and I cannot imagine how much harder it will be for you.”
He stopped and turned her to face him. He studied her face for several seconds and said, “I have withstood the training of a warrior, what makes you think I cannot handle what you will teach me?”
Areenna smiled, it was a soft and gentle smile. She reached up, much as Enaid had done, and touched his cheek with her fingertips. “Because it is not a warrior’s training, it has nothing to do with physical strength, my Prince, it is…” She paused, seeking the right words before realizing there were no words to describe the inner journey that was so necessary for him to learn.
“It is what?” Mikaal asked, his eyes questing as deeply as his words.
Areenna blinked, twice. “Hard,” was the only word she could manage.
<><><>
Alone in her bedchamber, the servants gone for the night, Areenna lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what would happen tomorrow. She closed her eyes in yet another effort to sleep, but opened them a minute later. From a distance came the familiar sensation of Gaalrie capturing her evening meal. She allowed herself to feel the rush of Gaalrie’s pleasure at the kill before closing off her mind from the treygone’s.
When the sensation of the treygone faded, she realized her inability to sleep was not about being nervous or afraid of the coming journey, rather, it was the excitement at what was about to happen. She’d never expected an adventure of this type, and while she was not prepared for it, she accepted its importance. She reluctantly accepted the burdens Enaid had placed upon her. It was not a matter of going to the East, but of training Mikaal—something that had never before been attempted. At the same time, Areenna recognized the journey would be not just the most important part of her life, but of the lives of everyone she knew and loved.
<><><>
After leaving Areenna at her quarters, Mikaal went up to the top of the eastern rampart to be alone under the night stars. Looking out over Tolemac, he wondered what would happen when he learned more about the powers he has been hiding for so long. But as hard as he tried, he could not guess. The only indication he’d gotten from Areenna was how hard it would be. And that admission from her had seemed difficult. Why?
He wondered about the beautiful princess. He had known her in school, but had paid her scant attention other than sensing she was, even at that early age and without possession of any powers, an unusually intense girl.
Exhaling sharply, he turned and stiffened with surprise when he found his father not a foot away. Roth’s smile was open and warm. “I saw you from across the parapet,” he said.
“You could have given me a warning rather than scaring me half to death.”
“Where’s the fun in that,” Roth replied with a wide grin. “Yet I sense you want some solitude, and I am being selfish by wanting to spend some time with you before you leave.”
When Mikaal nodded, Roth started to turn but Mikaal stopped him. “Stay and talk with me.”
Roth smiled. “When you were young, three or so, we would come here and I would—”
“—hoist me on your shoulders and walk the entire parapet.”
“You remember?”
Mikaal nodded. “For some reason, I remember everything about my childhood.”
“That can be good; it can also be a curse.”
“Yes, Especially the spanking! I can still feel your slap on my ass when you caught me taking your broadsword from the sheath.”
“A father’s duty…and what did I tell you?”
“‘This will be yours one day. Until then, your hands stay clear of its pommel.’”
Roth looked at his son. “And?”
“And then, with my ass still burning from your hand, you took me to the smith and had him create a sword I could hold and handle.”
“And all without a tear. You did well for a six year old.”
Mikaal smiled. “I did, didn’t I?”
Stopping, Roth turned to his son and gazed deeply into his eyes. “You leave tomorrow, for how long we know not. When you return, and you damned well better, you will be different. We all make important journeys in our life, some sooner than others. The one you embark on tomorrow, while no different in one sense, is extremely different. It will change you and help you to understand why we must fight and protect not just ourselves, but everyone in Nevaeh.”
Roth grasped Mikaal’s hand. “Do not once think this journey unimportant, for it may very well be the most significant journey of your life and of everyone else’s.”
Mikaal swallowed under the intensity of his father’s eyes and slowly nodded as Roth’s words sank in.
Releasing him, Roth said, “Good, then let’s go downstairs, for I would raise a farewell glass with my son, and present him with a gift.”
A few minutes later they entered his private quarters, the walls filled with scrolls and books. The books, like the scrolls, were all hand-written. True to his promise onboard the starship, Solomon Roth steadfastly refused to use any technology from the past. If a printing press were to be discovered, then it would be created without his interference.
There was a pitcher and two glasses on the table in the center of the room. The pitcher was filled with deep red wine and Roth poured himself and his son a glass. Holding his glass high, Roth said, “To you and to Areenna, may your journey be swift and clear.”
They touched glasses and drank. Then Roth went to his desk, picked up a long cloth covered item, and carried it to Mikaal. “A gift for your journey.”
Unwrapping the gift, Mikaal’s jaw dropped at the sight of the gleaming longsword. He tore his eyes from the sword to stare at his father. “I…”
Roth smiled broadly. “You are welcome,” he said as Mikaal looked back to the longsword, its shaft gleaming in the torchlight.
“While one of my broadswords might work for you, this one was made for you of the same metal as mine. With your size and strength, the longsword suits you better and is more fitting for you than my broadsword, do you not agree?
At a loss for words, Mikaal grasped the metal laced, leather wrapped pommel with both hands and tested the heft of the sword. “It is wonderful, and light,” he finally said.
“This metal is from my time. It is light, strong and will not dull, ever. Now put the sword down and finish drinking with me.”
“Yes, Father,” Mikaal said with a broadening smile. He lifted his glass and said, “To tomorrow.”
Roth shook his head and whispered, “No Mikaal, to your safe return and to Areenna’s.”
CHAPTER 10
THE SUN HAD not yet risen when Areenna woke to the first deep purple streaks of dawn edging onto the eastern horizon. While hard to explain, ever since the battle in the forest and the joining of Mikaal’s hidden power, she had become sensitive to everything around her: Gaalrie floating above; Enaid’s gorlon, Irii, walking the hallway with Enaid; the troubled depth of her father’s sleep; Mikaal’s first stirring of wakefulness.
Leaving the bed, she used the toilet and then went to her wardrobe. Just as she opened the ornately carved wardrobe doors, a knock sounded on the chamber door. Areenna smiled when Enaid entered. “How
slept you?”
“Fitfully.”
“As we all did. Good choice,” Enaid said when Areenna pulled a short tunic and pants from the wardrobe. “What weapons have you?”
“What use for weapons should I have?” Areenna asked, puzzled.
“Areenna, your powers are strong, but there are times when they will need the aid of a weapon.”
Areenna accepted the gentle rebuke and said, “I have my bow for hunting and my short sword should it be needed.”
“Good. Work with Mikaal on the sword. He is his father’s equal with the blade. It will also be good to do, for you will be able to train him while you are trained.”
“How…oh,” she whispered, remembering all too clearly how her mother would work with her as they hunted, forcing her to use her mind even as she used her hands with the bow and arrows.
“It will be a safe way to start his training. It will make it easier for him to understand what you are doing. Remember, we are used to our abilities because our mothers prepared us when we were very young. Did you forget how your mother would tell you the stories of the women who came before you? It is in this way we women begin the training of our daughters long before the start of formal training at their fourteenth birthday. I doubt he will be as comfortable with the training as were you.”
Areenna took in her mentor’s advice. “You are right. I will start slowly.”
“Good.” She turned her head, listening. “Ah, everyone is up. Come, it is important for us to share this morning’s meal with our men.”
Areenna held her face immobile as the meaning of Enaid’s our men, struck her.
<><><>
A bare thirty minutes later found the five sitting at a table piled with dishes of eggs, sweet rolls, slices of meat, and bowls of fruit. The servants had been dismissed and the chamber door closed.