by M. C. Elam
Hawk saw her cringe. What vile creature was this to make such a gentle woman react so to the idea of marriage? He knew that historically the Lawrenzian kings proved a vicious lot in battle. The raids on Ascalla began with Peter Brenan’s reign. He wondered if Selene and Father Wryth had something to do with that. Clearly, mention of the past brought her anguish.
“You can’t imagine how I dreaded each encounter with him. My heart turned black and wretched. I knew only one thought. I could not marry Peter Brenan. Death was better. Wryth was the only one aware of my plan.”
“Your plan?”
“Yes, I swore to Wryth that if my father forced me to marry Peter Brenan, I would stab him while he slept. My sweet, devoted brother would not see my soul condemned for eternity. He left the safety of the church, and together we stole away in the night. We made for the borders of Ascalla.”
Selene sighed deeply, and Hawk took her hand. She painted such a vivid picture of their escape that Hawk felt he fled with them in the darkness, a young brother and sister running for their lives.
“Did you know Ascalla then? Did you know you would find sanctuary?” he asked.
“Oh no, Prince Hawk. All we knew about Ascalla was that her border was closest. We were on foot and it was a long way, through a dismal black forest and across the mountains in winter. We hid by day and moved only at night. Peter sent his army to find us and bring us back. The forest crawled with Owlmen. I think we survived by the prayers Wryth made.
“When we reached Ascalla, we found villagers in a place called Baline. They hid us until we could seek sanctuary from the king. The Prince of Ascalla led the first party of warriors that came through the village.”
“Father?”
“Yes, your father. He was skeptical at first. Ascalla had no alliance with Lawrenzia, but both realms conformed to an unstable peace. Wryth soon convinced him about Peter’s vile nature, and he gave us escort to Falmora. At first, they imprisoned us. Your grandfather was not so easily convinced. He feared creating a political incident and making an enemy.”
“Did they keep you long in the prison?” Hawk asked.
“Not long, I suppose, but it did seem so. I did not mind for myself. Anything was better than marriage to Peter, but Wryth was miserable shut away from the church. He missed his quiet meditations. Prince Ian came every day. He talked long with Wryth. He gave me heart as well. We thought all would be well, but then in the spring,” tears welled in her eyes, and her voice caught in her throat. “In the Spring your father stopped coming. For weeks the only person we saw was the guard who brought us food. We grew frantic for news.”
“And Father stopped coming altogether?” asked Hawk.
“Yes, it was weeks before we saw him again. He came to us late one night. The story he told us was incredible. Warriors, Owlmen, crossed the border and lay siege to Ascalla. They ravaged the little village that had sheltered us and burned it to the ground. They took captives and slaughtered any of the villagers who resisted. The king, your grandfather, questioned those who escaped into the forest, but they were of little help. He promised them soldiers to rebuild Baline, their little cottages and farms. Did that happen? I do hope so.”
“Aye, my grandfather saw to it.” Hawk saw no reason to tell her about the other raids or the one that did destroy the whole village.”
“You can see why Wryth feared we would be put to death as spies. Ian insisted that such things didn’t occur in Ascalla without unequivocal proof. Finally, the King's warriors captured one of Peter’s Owlmen. From him came words to support our story.”
“And then grandfather set you free.”
“No, not then. King Peter claimed we committed treason against Lawrenzia and demanded your grandfather turn Wryth and me over to him. When your grandfather refused, Peter declared war. It was many months before the battles stopped and an uneasy peace covered the land. I believe when your grandfather refused to surrender us, Peter decided the effort was too costly. Ian told us that our captivity was now protective. That did little to ease Wryth. He was hungry for God's house as he put it.”
“But finally my grandfather did free you.”
“No, your grandfather did not free us. But our circumstances changed. At least mine did.”
“I don’t understand,” said Hawk.
“The next is difficult for me to tell you, but it’s the reason I have the pearl. You must promise me that you won’t judge your father. No man lives with a more loyal heart. He is a true king among men as well as a ruler.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Your father never stopped his daily visits to me. Only when he was away from Ascalla did he miss coming. We talked for hours. Sometimes he brought books and read to me; sometimes we would just sit together. I knew I was in love with him before he told me that he returned my devotion. I was so happy when he promised we would always be together. That promise kept me strong.”
“My father fell in love with you?”
Selene caught the distress in Hawk's voice. She sensed dismay and betrayal. Suddenly, there was a clear distance between them. His dark eyes, so like his father’s, turned cold. She feared he was ready to bolt and continued quickly.
“You insisted upon knowing the story, Hawk. Now listen at least to the rest before you cast judgment upon me or upon your father. Yes, we did love each other. Your father was older then than you are now, nearly twice your age, in fact. He was alone for a long time. Your grandfather sought to align Ascalla to a realm that would gain a sizeable army and equal or better wealth as well as land. His way of doing so meant marriage to a princess of another realm. He and the Ascallan council arranged a betrothal, but your father didn’t know about it. The girl was much too young to wed, and the old king waited to tell Ian what he planned.
“One night, Ian came very late. He told me his father was sending him to Andors.”
“My mother came from Andors.”
“Yes, your mother lived there. Your grandfather told Ian about the alliance he sought with Andors, and that to form that alliance, Ian must marry the princess. When he refused to go, your grandfather grew wild with rage. He told Ian that if he refused, he would disinherit him and strip his titles. Your father threw it back in his face and stormed out.
“So the man that came to me that night thought he came with nothing but his warrior’s sword. We fled in the darkness. Ian brought us here, to Shadall where he had trained beside Griffin years before. Together they entered the caves once again.
“While they were inside, Wryth found his way here as well. Your grandfather sent him with a single soldier. But the soldier turned back at the mountains. He didn’t know the trail and feared losing the way. Alone, Wryth continued. Again, I believe his prayers carried him through. He found the sea, and he found me. All he would tell me was that the King of Ascalla sent him to find us.
“Ian was still inside the caves with Griffin. He came out changed.”
“Changed how?”
Selene ignored his sullen tone and went on. “Have you ever seen a yearling stallion frolic in a field? Brash and brazen, he charges life with abandon. Magnificent in his essence. That was your father when he entered the caves. But when he and Griffin came out, both were changed. Wisdom replaced Ian's arrogance. He knew he had to go back to Ascalla and mend the rift with his father.
“Ian talked long with Wryth before they called me to join them. I do not know what they spoke about. Perhaps Wryth simply prayed with him. I cannot say. For that, you must ask my brother. All that I know of the moment is that Wryth gave him a letter from your grandfather pleading with Ian to return.”
“Did my mother know about you?” he asked.
“I cannot say, Hawk. She did not hear it from me. I never returned to Ascalla. But your father did. He went home to mend the argument.”
“And as soon as he was gone you decided you no longer loved him and turned instead to Griffin. Is that what happened?”
“Why would you think me no bett
er than a harlot? What right do you have to assume such a thing? That is not what happened at all.”
“Then what? You do not suggest that my father was disloyal to you?”
“I suggest to you that your father knew his duty to Ascalla. The pearl he gave me as a love pledge but not one he could honor. Both of us knew he would never return.”
“And so my mother was his second choice. All the time he was with her, he...”
Suddenly, Selene was on her feet. She walked back toward the village. Her move surprised Hawk, and he ran to catch her. The black pearl was still in his hand.
“Selene, will you stop please.”
“I have had quite enough of you today, Prince Hawk. How could you suggest that your father thought of another when he was with your mother? You are a spoiled puppy, and I would have you away from me just now. There was honor between your father and I. I am no whore, and your mother, no pawn.”
High color flooded her cheeks, and Selene thought about slapping his arrogant royal face. He degraded her. He degraded his father. She looked him full in the eye. Finally, she bit her lips and continued back along the path.
“You are to ready to condemn that which is foreign to you, Prince Hawk,” she said. “Is it so impossible for you to understand that there was no less love between your father and me than I feel for him today? I will cherish him always. But I love Griffin. He is... Oh, never mind.”
Hawk knew he was wrong. Selene might dress as a beggar in this strange land where passion for living was more important than finery. Even so, she was every inch, noble. He was learning truths and learning them quickly.
“Please stop. I was... I was wrong,” he said.
He halted his step. If she would not forgive him, he would wait to prove his sincerity to her, but he could not continue to chase her down the edge of the bluff. They were almost to the village now. He watched as she continued on a few more feet. At last she turned.
“I would hear all that you have to tell me, milady Selene,” said Hawk.
“Without insults and condemnation?”
“Without insults. I was wrong to treat you so.”
“Come then. Walk along beside me, and I will tell you the rest.”
Hawk took her arm and they continued along the path.
“There is really nothing more. Your father returned by way of Andors. Wryth went back as well. I gave birth to Terill that same winter. When Wryth visited me the next year, Griffin and I learned of your father’s marriage and that your mother carried a child, you. That spring, ended Wryth’s visits. His last act until he escorted you to us was to bring Ian’s pledge to carry on the quest in the fall of his son’s seventeenth season. I think it broke my brother’s heart when he found me with Terill and learned that I had embraced Griffin's faith. He fears for my eternal soul.”
“And you do not? I mean to have known the true faith and relinquish it for another?”
“You mean is that sinful? I cannot say. I know God well, Prince Hawk. Who is to say God is not in the sea speaking to the people of Shadall? Who is to say that God’s name told to them is not Shadall? How can you call one faith truer than another? Can man judge such things?”
Hawk did not question her further in matters of faith. He did not wish to offend her again, but about one more issue he must hear from her. How could he begin to explain to her what he felt? So much of what she told him seemed to parallel his path with Evangeline. Now he questioned his father’s love and loyalty for his own mother. He would never desire or love anyone as much as Evan. He knew he could not. If his father was in love with Selene, how could he turn to another and leave her behind.
“I must know your heart on the matter of my parents, my lady.”
“My heart? Why is my heart important? I would ask you a question. Did it ever seem to you that your father did not love your mother?”
The answer was easy. Hawk remembered all the moments when he saw his parents together. He thought of his mother and her wasting illness. He remembered his father's prayers and long hours in the palace chapel on his knees. He remembered the shining lights he saw in their eyes whenever they looked at each other.
“Never, my lady.”
“Then be at peace. I love Griffin deeply. The pearl marks an enduring loving friendship of great distance. I do love your father. I always will. But Griffin is my husband, and I am devoted to him as was your father to your mother. When Ian and I ran from Ascalla that night, neither of us knew the depths of our hearts. We learned that here in Shadall. We knew each other in all ways. And then your father entered the caves with Griffin. When he returned his duty was clear, and so was mine. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
“I think so, Selene. But there is one more thing.”
Hawk reached for her hand. “You say you gave birth to Terill the same winter.”
She drew a breath. “Yes, Terill is your brother in blood, sired by Ian. But never doubt that Griffin is his father.”
“Griffin knows? Does Terill?”
“Both of them know that Ian gave the seed of life to me. My body nurtured the seed, and I bore Terill. But Shadall gave his spirit to Griffin. In Shadall blood does not mark parentage.”
“Does my father know?”
“Perhaps Wryth told him. I don’t know, but it makes no difference. Terill is Griffin’s son.”
“You truly believe that?”
“As truly as I believe your spirit and Terill’s are intertwined as brothers.”
“Both ways can’t be true.”
“You think in terms of the world of man. Lift your soul free and seek the answer in God.”
“I have to sort this out.”
“Prince Hawk, when I walked with you today, I had one goal, to give you the black pearl. God’s intentions took us beyond.”
“I feel angry.”
“With whom, me?”
“No, my father.”
“You want to place blame.”
“Aye.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think your anger has a deeper root.”
“I can’t tell you.”
She nodded and started back to the village.
“Wait, Selene, please. You must keep the pearl. Father meant it for you. No one can take it from you. I would defend with all my heart your right to it.”
Selene's slender fingers closed over the smooth black surface, and she placed the pearl back inside the silk pouch that disappeared inside the folds of her garments. She looked up at Hawk, and her eyes glittered with warmth.
“I will ask Shadall to send your spirit to me that you may be as my second son, Prince Hawk of Ascalla. Now come. My bread will be too tough for the palate if we don’t hurry.”
11 - Prayers for the Soul
The first snow of the season began to fall as Father Wryth neared Falmora. Wryth liked snow. It gave the world a fresh chance and covered old scars. He tilted his head, opened his mouth and caught a few flakes on the tip of his tongue. A game for children, he thought, but why not, he was a child of God. He wished he could linger but knew it was time to make up his mind. Seek audience with King Ian, or find Evangeline and see where matters stood with her. Neither idea pleased him much, and both, he had no doubt, would cause extreme anguish.
He followed the road north to the fork and turned east through Pandera’s Forest. On the slim chance she had ignored Hawk’s directive and kept the marriage secret, he headed for the cottage. Evan was a levelheaded young woman. If Ian remained ignorant about the events of that night, she might see reason, agree to destroy the document, and save them all from charges of treason.
He was close enough now to smell the smoke from her hearth, but the scent of pine, mixed with fallen leaves was the only discernible odor. A few more yards and he broke through the trees. Evangeline’s horse stood near the stoop. It noted Wryth’s approach and groaned a mournful cry, one that pricked the heart of anyone with an ounce of compassion. Wryth had heard
that sound a time or two before. Once when he was a boy and found an old dog abandoned in a shed, and again, in a stable where a mare mourned her stillborn foal. The horse was free of saddle and halter and not hobbled or tangled in anything that he could see. He whistled, and Tommy came to him, like a puppy seeking a gentle hand. Wryth patted his neck, and the animal seemed to calm.
At first Wryth did not notice the white wolf pawing at Evan’s door because Tommy had blocked the view, but his mount caught its scent and balked. Wryth hauled back on the reins, swung one leg over its back and slid to the ground. Stiff legged from riding astride since dawn, he approached the cottage. He knew the wolf must have spent long hours digging at the door because of the scar marks in the wood and the bloody sheen apparent on its paw.
The animal sensed him and turned. He marked her agitated gaze, the ridge of hair that bristled down her back, and the guttural growl that rumbled in her chest. Wryth lowered his eyes and took another step. Something was wrong, and despite the wolf, he had to get inside the cottage. He had seen the same animal before, walking beside Evangeline, and tried calling to her by the name he had heard the girl use.
“Easy, Chinera. I mean you no harm.”
At the sound of her name, her ears perked. Tommy neared the stoop again and began the same mournful keening as before. The sound distracted the wolf long enough for Wryth to move a step or two closer. She caught his movement from the corner of her eye and wheeled on him. She crouched low in the haunch, ready to leap.
“Easy girl. Easy Chinera.” He knew he dared not withdraw. If he did, she’d be on him in an instant. His only recourse was to stand his ground and continue talking to her until she calmed.
“What’s amiss here girl? Is your mistress inside? Does she need you? Shall we have a look?” The wolf responded favorably to his gentle tone, enough that he took another step and then another. He turned his hand, curled his fingers into the palm and presented it to her. She sniffed, took his measure and made a low growl that ended in a whine. Wryth waited. If he rushed her now, he’d lose the modicum of trust he had gained, not to mention the possibility of a few fingers.