by Chuck Black
Carliss was intrigued by Si Kon’s description of the mixture and connected what she saw happen to Dalton with what she had seen in various people since coming to the land of the Mooruvians.
“Is it like ale, where a drunkard comes to need the drink?” Carliss asked.
“No,” Si Kon replied. “Ale dulls the senses, and the body comes to depend on it. The Waters of Moorue heightens the senses, and the body does not depend on it, but the mind does. More and more we are seeing people of all ages, but especially the youth, wasting away their lives while enjoying the effects of the mixture. For some it is all they want to do. They will spend all they have to buy more mixture. Eventually they become imprisoned by their perceived need to escape into this dream world.”
There was a long silence as everyone contemplated Si Kon’s words. Then one small voice broke the silence.
“Master is right, Lady Carliss,” Akiyma said. “There are many in my district who would rather drink the Waters of Moorue than face the day. I’ve heard of many who have walked the bridge.”
“Walked the bridge?” Carliss asked.
Takara looked sadly at her girls and then at Carliss. “When people have experienced the dreams of the mixture for a long period of time, they become so discontent with the waking world that they will walk across the bridge that leads to the swamp, never to return.”
Mariko was struggling to hold back tears. She bit her lips. “My friend Kikomay is gone.”
“I’m so sorry, Mariko,” Carliss replied as Mariko leaned into her mother’s consoling arm.
Carliss looked toward Si Kon. “Why don’t people stop them?”
“Because it usually happens at night when no one expects it,” Si Kon said. “I suppose some have been stopped, but once they cross the bridge and enter the swamp, there is little that can be done.”
Carliss looked at Si Kon, perplexed.
“No one has ever returned from Despon Swamp,” he explained in a low voice. “Some think it is because the ground is deceiving and swallows them up. Others say that Malco is so protective of his castle and the surrounding swamp that he kills anyone who enters.” He smiled. “Then there are those fanciful folk who blame it all on the esca lizards.”
He looked over at Carliss, and she smirked. “Perhaps we will all be of their number before this day is through,” he added. He became serious once again. “Tell me, Carliss, how do we save Sir Dalton?”
Carliss gazed straight into Si Kon’s eyes, hesitating a moment before speaking.
“I must walk the bridge!”
THE LEGEND OF MORNING STAR
“That is absurd!” Si Kon said as he slapped the table. “Didn’t you hear me? No one has ever survived Despon Swamp!”
Everyone at the table stared at Carliss.
“I must try, Si Kon. It is Dalton’s only hope.” Carliss pushed back a lock of light brown hair that draped across her right eye. “We discovered an old book that says there is a special flower that grows in the swamp. It is the only way to save the life of one bitten by the esca lizard. So I must go to try and find it.”
Si Kon looked as if he wanted to protest again.
“I knew what I would face when I came here, and I’m not going back empty-handed,” Carliss told him firmly. “Somehow I have to get into that swamp and find the flower. It sounds like the bridge is the simplest way.”
Si Kon continued to stare at Carliss, deep in thought. Finally he nodded. “Tonight there will be a meeting for the Followers here. One of the men believes in your esca lizard and has spent a great deal of time trying to discover the truth of the stories. Many, in fact, have mocked him for this, insisting he wastes his time with myths and fairy tales.”
“Does he live far away?” Carliss asked, not wanting to waste a single minute. “Can we travel to his home and talk with him now?”
Si Kon slowly nodded. “Yes, I’m sure that Soro would love to visit with you if he is home.”
“Afterward, I would like to get a closer look at one of those castles and at that bridge. How close can I get?”
“The bridge is no problem, but the castles are heavily guarded, especially Intar, Baron Karoshi’s castle.”
“We will start with the bridge then,” Carliss said, anxious to be doing something that would bring her closer to an answer. “But we need to see about the castle too.”
“As soon as possible,” added Salina. “Perhaps that is where Alston and my parents are being held.”
“Very well,” said Si Kon. We’ll leave within the hour. Takara, shall we show them to their rooms?”
Takara asked Mariko and Kei to take Carliss, Salina, and Ganoaf to their rooms. Mariko led Salina down one corridor, and Kei escorted Carliss and Ganoaf down another. Ganoaf seemed quite upset that he would not be in the same room as Carliss, but she assured him that all would be well since she would be sleeping just next door.
When Kei showed Carliss her room, she lingered at the doorway. The girl was nearly as tall as Carliss and every bit as thin. Her eyes were captivating, but Carliss sensed a forlorn spirit about her.
“Do you have many friends here?” Carliss asked, hoping to open a conversation.
“A few.” Kei looked at Carliss with eyes that seemed to search for a confidante. “Becoming a Follower has changed things a lot, though.”
Carliss smiled at Kei. “Following the Prince isn’t always easy.” She took a few steps closer. “I admire you, Kei, for being brave enough to follow Him. Though it seems like a sacrifice now, you will be greatly rewarded for choosing to follow the King and His Son.”
Kei looked away from Carliss. “I’m not so brave, Lady Carliss,” she said sadly.
Carliss waited for Kei to continue.
“The Waters of Moorue—all of my friends have used it.” Kei hesitated and couldn’t look into Carliss’s eyes anymore. She quickly glanced down the corridor, then back at Carliss. “And so have I,” she finally blurted out. “Please don’t tell Father!”
“I won’t, Kei.” Carliss reached down and grabbed Kei’s hand. “You and I both know that is something you must do.”
Kei looked at Carliss with fear in her eyes.
“He loves you greatly, Kei—that is clear. The best thing you can do is be honest with him and your mother.”
Kei took a big breath and then nodded. “I know you’re right. But… I’m afraid he won’t trust me ever again.”
Carliss didn’t answer, just waited.
“It’s just… my father has come to believe that the Waters of Moorue is so horrible,” Kei went on. “But I just don’t see it like that. I mean, it doesn’t really hurt you, and it’s actually very pleasant.”
“But don’t—”
Kei cut Carliss off, anticipating her objection. “Oh, some of the people do become obsessed with it, but I’m careful. I’m very careful, really. I just don’t think that would happen to me.”
Carliss put a hand on Kei’s shoulder. “It isn’t how far down the road you go that is important, Kei, but rather which road you choose to travel on. Do you think that those people who have become obsessed with it—killed by it—started out thinking that would happen?”
Kei closed her eyes and then nodded again. “I understand.” She opened her eyes and looked at Carliss. “Thank you for listening to me, Lady Carliss.”
“You’re welcome, Kei.”
“I hope we’ll have more time to talk,” Kei said as she turned to leave.
“I look forward to it,” Carliss replied with a smile.
Within the hour, Carliss, Salina, Si Kon, and Ganoaf were walking through a colorful garden beside Soro, the man who believed in the esca lizards. He seemed anything but gullible or deluded, for he carried the appearance of wisdom in how he talked and walked. His hair was pure white, and the gentle wrinkles of age only seemed to enhance the persona of a man of great experience. Carliss walked beside him and asked many questions about the lizards and the swamp.
“Soro, have you heard anything about a
flower in the swamp that might save the life of one bitten by the esca lizard?” Carliss asked.
They had come to a pergola that vines and flowers embraced to form an enchanting alcove. It seemed a perfect place to talk of tales seldom told. Soro and Carliss sat down on a bench beneath the lattice of the pergola’s roof while the others gathered close enough to hear the soft-spoken words of the older gentleman.
“There is an ancient legend that is told to children,” he began, “though it is usually considered foolishness among the learned.”
He paused, seeming to wait for someone to object. Carliss touched his elbow gently. “Go on.”
The old man cleared his throat and began, reciting as if from memory.
“There once was a good lord who ruled the people of the land with kindness and mercy. He planted a garden that was full of beauty and splendor, and in the garden he built a castle high upon pillars so that all could see and remember that he was their lord.
“All was well in the land until the lord of the castle discovered treachery within the walls of his domain. His own first knight betrayed him and began a civil war that soon ravaged the land and brought great travail to the people. It looked as though the evil first knight had won, for the good lord seemed to have abandoned the castle to his former knight, who now claimed lordship over the land, the people, and the beautiful garden.
“But the evil first knight cared neither for the people or the garden. Before long, the flowers were strangled by vines and the sun obscured by trees that stole the light until a dark, damp swamp had replaced the garden. The evil knight brought poisonous lizards to infest the swamp, and no one could enter or leave the castle without falling to the deadly bites of the beasts.
“But the good lord had a son who was a mighty warrior, and he was angry with the evil first knight for destroying his father’s garden and inflicting such pain on his people. One evening he came to the land, and as he journeyed he defeated many of the first knight’s warriors. Then he came to the swamp. The evil first knight feared greatly, for the good lord’s son wielded a mighty and masterful sword.
“‘But ah!’ the evil first knight exclaimed. ‘My poisonous lizards will kill him before he reaches my castle.’ And that is indeed what happened. But what the evil first knight did not realize is that the good lord’s son never intended on reaching the castle. He had traveled a great distance and fought many warriors to plant the seed of a single lily in the heart of the dark swamp. And beside the lily, before he fell to the poison of the lizards, the son of the good lord thrust into the ground his brilliant sword, which he had used to defeat the minions of the evil first knight.
“The name of the great sword is Morning Star. It is said that whoever searches for the lily shall find the sword. And the one who finds the sword shall have power to overcome the darkness of the evil first knight and his warriors.”
Carliss reflected for a few moments on the legend Soro had told.
“I cannot tell which part of your tale is myth and which part is true.”
“Nor can I,” Soro answered with a smile. “As with all legends, I am sure it holds something of both.”
“It is remarkable how much it sounds like the story of the Prince,” she said.
Soro furrowed his brow. “I…never realized that. But you are absolutely right,” he said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
“Morning Star,” Carliss repeated quietly, trying to remember where she had heard the name before. She couldn’t quite place it. Carliss thanked Soro, and the foursome left to begin their investigation of the swamp and the castles.
As they walked, Si Kon told Carliss and her friends more about the castles and the city. Intar, he said, was the eastern castle of the city, the one closest to his home and to the bridge that led to the swamp. The northern castle was named Romnov and the southern, Vi Dogam. The lord of each castle answered directly to Lord Malco and was responsible for trade negotiations with different areas in the region surrounding Moorue and beyond. Baron Karoshi had been given the largest city district to govern and the largest region to manage beyond Moorue’s borders.
Evidently Malco was establishing a trading network that was quickly spreading and expanding his own personal wealth and influence. Si Kon had heard that Malco was acquiring and building other castles at key locations in other parts of the kingdom to create more production and distribution points for his esca crystals. In spite of his remarkable influence in the city, to Si Kon’s knowledge, Malco had never entered Moorue. But the castle lords made frequent visits to Esca Prime, Lord Malco’s castle.
The afternoon was well spent by the time they mounted up and rode near to the eastern castle. Carliss knew they would have to make the most of the time remaining in order to complete their investigations and make it back to Si Kon’s home for the evening haven meeting. She wanted to meet with the families of the haven to see if they could offer aid of any kind.
They traveled along the city wall until they spotted the castle gate. Just beyond it, they could see the road and the bridge in the distance that led to the swamp, its torches flickering in the long afternoon shadows.
“Carliss,” Salina ventured as they neared the gate. “I know you said we should investigate the bridge and the swamp first, but I’d like to check the castle while you’re at the swamp.” Salina’s eyes were fastened to the gate tower. “It would save time. Perhaps I could talk to the guards and find out if there are prisoners within.”
Carliss paused, then nodded. “That makes sense, but Si Kon should go with you. I’ll take Ganoaf.”
“You will need Si Kon more than I, and we both know that Ganoaf is more of a hindrance than a help,” Salina protested. “I’ll be all right. I don’t plan on doing anything foolish—just ask a few questions.”
Carliss hesitated, thinking of Salina’s earlier reckless behavior in riding after the marauders but not wanting to hinder her friend. “Do you promise?” she asked.
Salina smiled. “Promise.”
“We’ll meet back here in two hours, then, and ride back to Si Kon’s together.”
Carliss watched as Salina rode through a narrow street toward a marketplace of shops near the gate of the castle. Something in Carliss wanted to call her back, but she didn’t. Then her mind quickly turned toward the road and the bridge that led to Despon Swamp.
MARTYRS TO BE
“How far dare I go?” Carliss asked without taking her eyes off the edge of the swamp.
“Soro claims it is safe as long as you can see the walls of the city. Once you lose sight of the wall…”
Carliss, Si Kon, and Ganoaf had secured their horses to a post on the swamp side of the bridge. Now they were standing on boggy ground, staring into a misty, foreboding swamp.
Carliss took a deep breath. She looked at Ganoaf, who was gazing wide-eyed at the dark swamp before them.
“Ganoaf,” she said gently, “you should wait here.”
Ganoaf shook his head. “Ganoaf come with you.”
Carliss nodded, realizing that staying here alone would be just as frightening to him as proceeding into the swamp.
They bypassed the locked gate in front of the stairs that led up to Lord Malco’s causeway. Carliss paused and marveled at the height of it. Then she and Si Kon drew their swords, and they all entered the swamp. They walked quietly but with all senses on full alert.
The swamp was a challenge to navigate, and Carliss was discouraged by their progress. Tall trees stretched overhead, their spanning branches casting constant shadows on the ground beneath them. Mosses, lichens, mushrooms, and ferns dominated the undergrowth, winning out over the sun-starved plants that usually thrive on the plains. Small insects buzzed around their ears, and mist rose around them.
When the city wall was nearly imperceptible as a structure, they stopped.
“To go farther is too dangerous,” Si Kon said. “Soro believes the esca lizards only inhabit the center portion of the swamp, but that is speculation.”
Carliss searched the ground for the flower that had been pictured in Petolemew’s book, but to no avail. She knew they were only on the very fringes of the swamp, for it spanned a great distance before them.
“I have to go farther,” she told Si Kon.
“What good will it benefit Dalton if you die too?” he argued. “Besides, it’s getting dark. Why don’t we return and form a plan with the rest of the Followers. Tomorrow we will find your flower… if it exists.”
Carliss could hardly bear to turn back. She had to see more. Maybe the flower was just a little farther, and she could be on her way back to Dalton by morning. She sheathed her sword and drew an arrow from her quiver instead, then set the nock in the string of her bow.
“I will keep sight of you, and you keep sight of the wall. I’m going in deeper.”
“They have already gathered at my home by now, and they will be wondering where we are,” Si Kon protested. “Surely Salina is waiting as well.”
Carliss just looked at Si Kon, and he yielded his protest. She considered telling Ganoaf to stay with Si Kon but realized it would be pointless. He was as stubborn as she. Fear showed on his face, but it still was not enough to make him leave her side. Together they traveled deeper into the swamp.
Carliss couldn’t deny the apprehension that was rising up within her, but Ganoaf’s presence helped. She glanced back toward Si Kon every few steps, pausing first to listen for the esca lizards, then to search for the flower. They couldn’t travel as far as they had on their first leg because Si Kon was more difficult to spot than the forty-foot wall of the city, especially with dusk falling and tree branches obscuring the view. The boggy ground became harder to navigate the farther they went, and soon Carliss was stepping gingerly from root to stone to avoid having her feet soaked.
When Si Kon had all but disappeared from her view, Carliss stopped. Ganoaf’s eyes were open wide with fear as he searched the darkening terrain for some horrible monster that would pounce upon them. Carliss touched his arm, and he looked at her with wild eyes. Her gesture seemed to calm him some, and Carliss realized that being strong for Ganoaf helped her be strong for herself.