Miraculously, the food was still fresh and hot. Between bites, Dathan spoke of the day they had parted. “I watched Warren for the rest of the bloody day. The next morning, he wouldn’t bloody wake up at all. I was afraid he was gonna bloody die on me, so I went looking for some blasted Mountain Salliphium.”
“What is this?” Aelianna asked, munching on a piece of bread.
“A bloody herb they give to someone who’s dying, to give them energy. Anyway, by that time it was damn cold and bloody snowing again, so I bundled us up for the night. The next bloody thing I remember was waking up here in that amazing room.”
“I don’t remember much,” Warren added after swallowing. “I barely remember reaching the mountains. It’s all hazy after that.”
“You were just about bloody dead,” Dathan said.
“Closer than you can imagine,” Merrek said. He sat with them in the circle, but did not eat.
“How could you bloody know that?”
“He knows an inordinate amount about all of us,” Aldrick explained.
Merrek stood and bowed to the group. “As I said, a good host should know a little something of his guests.”
After what seemed a very long time, they leaned back from the table, replete from gorging themselves.
“This feast would have satisfied even Gormond I think,” Garrick said with a grin.
Warren belched loudly which set them to giggling; even Aldrick found he was so relaxed and satisfied he could not stop himself from chuckling at the silliness of his companion. They had been through many hardships, with more to come from the sound of it, but at that moment Aldrick felt better than he had in many Summers. Only Jelénna and Adrias joining them could have made him feel utterly complete.
Chapter 4
Jelénna yawned and rubbed her eyes. She had not been sleeping well lately. Thinking back, she could not remember the last time that she had been able to enjoy a good night’s sleep. At least she was no longer experiencing the dream of the gruesome death of her husband on a field of white. She had felt more than relieved when that particular nightmare had finally stopped. In truth, her dreams were not the reason for her weariness at all. In fact, she had been having a relatively pleasant dream of late, in which Aldrick was safe and content in a mysterious place of comfort and happiness. No, it was not her dreams that kept her tossing and turning at night.
Now it was the constant worry over her husband being many months late in returning from his mission with the king, with a possible revolution in the works. That was the reason she was presently having trouble sleeping. In typical fashion, if it was not one thing, it was another, she thought as she stifled another yawn.
After recovering from her terrifying encounter at the market, she had often returned to the area looking for more information, when Adrias was at school or playing with friends. What she had overheard from the group of men in the alley had convinced her that there was a plot to break into the palace and free Brodan. What they planned to do with the murderous son of the former king was a mystery, but one that she was determined to solve. It seemed likely that the former regent would have his eye on the throne, however.
She spent a great deal of time wandering around the market and surrounding areas, trying her best to look as inconspicuous as possible. Once or twice she had seen a suspicious group of men gathered and conversing in hushed tones, but she had been unable to get close enough to hear anything out of the ordinary. She was curious to learn more, but not reckless enough to get so close as to be seen again. This left her a bit frustrated that she had thus far been unable to learn anything more about the alleged rebellion.
She realized of course that it was entirely possible that a small group of Brodan supporters and malcontents were merely indulging themselves in a grandiose fantasy of going back to the way things were before the Tournament. Yet she felt in her gut that there was more to it, and that she had inadvertently stumbled upon something significant.
She was sure that the fact she had not overheard anything additional yet did not mean there was nothing more to be learned. And so she continued her outings to the market on a daily basis, weather permitting.
Tiberius of course did not like her wandering about the market looking for rumors. He was as interested in learning of any possible rebellion as she was, but with only rumors and a few whisperings to go by, he was understandably more concerned about her safety, than he was about any information she might discover. He had men who worked for him watching for anything out of the ordinary, and they had learned nothing so far. He did not think that Jelénna would be any more successful than they, and in his estimation the risk of her being seen by the men from the alley was too great.
Yet, Jelénna could not sit in her room day after day, with nothing to do but worry over the absence of her beloved husband. With no chores to attend to, and nothing to keep her occupied, she felt compelled to go to the market. The outings helped her keep her mind off of Aldrick, and made her feel like she was doing something worthwhile. She just had to live with the small risk of being discovered again; it was a worthwhile risk in her estimation, considering the importance of stopping a possible rebellion.
Days spent doing little but wandering the marketplace did give her plenty of time to think. Lately, she thought a great deal about Adrias, and his recent change of attitude.
In the beginning, when he had been upset about his father leaving on his ‘grand adventure’, she had been worried that Adrias would do something rash, like run away. He was a bit young for such a monumental decision; yet it would not be the first time a headstrong boy like Adrias had done something reckless. She loved her son, but he was as intractable as her husband was when he had made up his mind, yet quite a bit more emotional, with the inexperience of youth. He was much too young and innocent to survive on his own.
And yet just when she was most worried about the emotional state of her son, he had changed completely. Nearly overnight, he was no longer upset at all, and instead seemed quite content to play with his friends and go to school. He no longer inquired about Aldrick or when his father might be expected to return.
When she had voiced her concern about his absence, with the intention of preparing her son for the possibility that his father might never return, Adrias had shrugged and gone back to what he was doing. She had been worried he would do something foolish from being too emotional, but now her concern was that Adrias no longer seemed to care if his father returned at all.
Jelénna tried to remind Adrias of how much his father loved and cared for both of them, and that they needed to ask the All Father to return him to them soon, safe and sound. Adrias had seemed uninterested in any of her attempts to talk to him about the subject. On a good day he would say something like, “I’ll welcome father home when he returns,” but on a bad day he would say, “I don’t think father will ever return.”
One cold day she had gone down to the market for her usual walk about to shop and investigate for further clues, when a sharp wind came up. Strong gusts blew loose snow about, and the biting cold clawed its way underneath her furs. Most of the shops were shut down or closing, as the inclement weather was too harsh for most people to be out shopping at this time. Jelénna shivered from a particularly icy blast, and thought of Adrias. She was having no luck in her investigation today, and decided to head back home.
She entered the palace and stood for a moment, relishing in the relative warmth of the protected building. Shaking off a light dusting of snow, she started down the hallway. She was approaching the staircase that led up to the room she shared with Adrias, when she saw her son dart down the hallway towards her with one of his friends hot on his heels.
They were laughing, and she smiled to see her son so happy. As the two boys turned and started up the stairs, she noticed Phalstave standing on the steps about halfway up. He licked his lips, and watched the approach of the youngsters with a strange gleam in his eye. Something about the peculiar noble had always given her an od
d feeling, but seeing the hunger on his face now sent a warning chill down her spine.
Adrias and his friend laughed as they dashed up the stairs, oblivious to the leering man. Jelénna stood transfixed, her eyes glued on the noble. She held her breath as her son reached the midpoint of the marble staircase. She tried to force herself to relax; the boys were running, and it seemed they would soon be past the strange noble and onto the top of the stairs.
Abruptly Phalstave was in motion, throwing himself at Adrias and grabbing him roughly. Terror gripped her, but Jelénna launched herself towards the stairs. Adrias cried out in surprise, and thrashed against his captor as his friend dashed up the stairs.
Moving by instinct alone, Jelénna rushed up the stairs. In a rage, and with no thought to the consequences, she grabbed Phalstave and pulled him off balance. Surprised by her sudden grip, the noble released Adrias. Gritting her teeth, Jelénna lifted her right foot and put her knee into his midsection as hard as she could.
Phalstave cried out in pain and shock as he doubled over from the blow. She grabbed his collar and whirled him around. He stumbled on the lower stair, and still dazed by her blow, tumbled down the marble staircase.
Without thought, Jelénna dashed down the stairs and jumped on the moaning noble. She began pummeling him about the face and chest without restraint, as he cried and begged her to stop.
Two palace guards, having heard the ruckus, came running down the hallway. One of the men pulled Jelénna off the crying noble. She struggled and cursed, trying to kick the puling man, but the guard managed to hold her back. The other guard knelt next to Phalstave, who was covered in blood and groaning quietly.
The guard stretched the injured noble out on the floor, and then let out a disgusted grunt. “By the All Father, he pissed himself.”
“What happened here?” The guard holding Jelénna demanded as she continued to struggle.
In her fury, Jelénna did not answer immediately, but Adrias spoke up. “That perverted old man grabbed me!”
“Grabbed you? Is this true?”
Jelénna finally stopped struggling against the guard, but still shook as she began to sob. She did not answer his question, but managed to nod in consent.
Phalstave mumbled something unintelligible, and the guard near him leaned closer and asked him to repeat himself. “He says he was just playing with the boy.”
“That’s a lie!” Jelénna screamed. “He grabbed him!”
The guard near the bloodied noble stood and addressed his companion. “In any case, this one needs the physician. Why don’t you escort these two to Tiberius, and let him sort this out.”
Jelénna had calmed down somewhat by the time they arrived at the library and found Tiberius, yet she still fumed at the horror she had just witnessed. She could not seem to keep visions of the incident with Khelvar from flashing through her head. The guard gave the current regent a brief description of what he had seen, and then left. Adrias plopped down on a chair by the fire and stared at the flames without a word.
“What happened?” Tiberius asked, concern showing clearly on his face.
“That bastard Phalstave tried to molest my child!”
“What?”
She still shook from emotion, but managed to relate what she had seen take place on the staircase. When she was finished, Tiberius asked Adrias if he had anything to add, but the boy merely shrugged and would not speak.
The old man looked at both of them for a moment, and then came over and put an arm around her. Jelénna put her head on his shoulder and sobbed quietly. “My dear, everything will be alright. Rest assured, I will look into this. I’ll have a talk with his superior Felinus, and get to the bottom of this. If he is guilty of what you say, he will be held accountable for his actions and pay the consequences.”
“He is guilty!” Jelénna stammered, with tears in her eyes. “You must believe me.”
“I believe you my dear,” Tiberius said in a consoling manner. “But I must follow procedure.”
“He must pay for this crime,” Jelénna declared. “He will pay!”
Chapter 5
The following morning, Aldrick and the others shared an amazing breakfast at the same table, and again they nearly ate themselves sick. Merrek left them to their own devices, claiming other matters that required his attention. Aldrick wondered if their unusual host was truly busy, or if he had simply left them alone so they could relax and talk amongst themselves.
That night Merrek once again joined them at the table for dinner. As before, food had been prepared and delivered, and yet there was no sign of any servants or staff. While Merrek was with them, they tried inquiring about the nature of their true objective once more, but to no avail. As usual, the kind old man smiled and shrugged off their questions in his usual ambiguous way, yet they found they were not particularly concerned about the lack of information.
Aldrick did find it odd, that although their mission was apparently an urgent matter, no one was eager to leave the house, or begin their journey. The others seemed perfectly content to rest and recover from their near death experiences, and enjoy the amazing hospitality of their host. Even Aldrick, although he recognized there was some urgency to their mission, felt happier and more at peace than he had in many Summers, even without his family.
Several days seemed to pass by in a blur of relaxing and feasting, but Aldrick could not be certain of how much time had passed. He felt as content as the others did in staying to enjoy the wonders of the house. Yet there was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that whispered of their need to move on. He knew that for every day that passed, his family must be worried sick about him, and yet it was so easy to ignore it all. Once he began to have those thoughts, it was time to eat again, and the concerns were forgotten with the wonders of the feast.
At nearly every meal, Merrek would join them, gently reminding them of the urgency of their mission. He would speak of the need for them to focus on their gifts, and the importance of their task, yet he would never elaborate on the nature of their ‘true objective’. It was all too easy to delay their departure, while they continued to enjoy the peace of this place.
Between meals, Aldrick spent a great deal of time wandering through the gardens, or exploring the jungle. One day, he noticed Aelianna sitting by the stream, playing with what appeared to be a small brown wolf. Later, she told him the creature was her childhood pet, an orphaned gorg’gron named Roxin. As she described the animal, no one sitting at the table, including Aldrick, felt the need to question the appearance of the departed pet.
The next day, Aldrick saw Garrick speaking to a stranger near the footbridge in the garden. He had never seen the young man before, but he bore a strong resemblance to the king. When he asked Garrick about the encounter later, the king had no recollection of speaking to anyone other than the members of their group.
Aldrick could not have said how many days had passed since their arrival, when he had his own unexpected visitation. It was not until that encounter that Aldrick truly began to realize how complacent they had become here, and how crucial it was for them to continue on their journey.
Late one evening, Aldrick was enjoying yet another delicious pomegranate wine––he had been delighted to discover that the refreshing beverage did not have the usual side effects of alcohol––when an attractive woman in a long blue dress appeared, and sat down next to him. At first he did not pay much attention to her, as he was absorbed in his drink, but when she spoke, his heart skipped a beat.
“Aldrick my son. You can no longer stay here.”
After what seemed an eternity, he turned and tried to focus on his mother, but she was gone. He had lost her, once again. But her words stayed with him, and for the first time he realized that they had become trapped in the house by their own volition; too comfortable to make the difficult decision to leave. He felt a wave of emotion at the loss of his mother and the comprehension that they must leave this wonderful place, and a tear rolled down his cheek.<
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As if on cue, Merrek chose that moment to appear. “It is time for you and your companions to begin your journey.”
His tears evaporated, and Aldrick nodded. It was time to go.
That night, they gathered together for one last supper. The mood of the group was more somber than usual, everyone having realized in their own way that it was time to leave. They tried once more to ask Merrek about the nature of their ‘true objective’, but frustratingly, he still gave them no answer. Yet they still knew in their hearts that it was time to leave.
While they did not understand all the ramifications of their decision, they did agree on the need to address the machinations of King Zabalan’s doppelgänger. Garrick especially argued for this, claiming he now felt the journey was absolutely necessary and imperative. Aldrick’s vision had already prepared him for the idea of them working together, and Aelianna did not need much convincing after what Merrek had told her, and since the quest fell within the purview of her Ae’roya Jost, or so she claimed. In the end, she was prepared to do what was required to save her people, wherever that might take her.
The Key of Creation: Book 03 - The Temple of Kian Page 4