by Rick Brown
“I’m sorry to hear that. How did it happen?” I asked. As an experienced soldier, I knew all too well the risk of your unit being captured or killed.
“We were watching some Dommerian soldiers, not aware they were meeting another unit that was approaching from behind us. By the time we realized what was happening, we were trapped between them.”
“Any priests?” I asked.
Zarcharus nodded. “Three.”
I shook my head at the odds. “There’s nothing you could have done. Sometimes fate doesn’t play into our hands.”
I patted his leg and got up from the chair. Abigail immediately slid back under my arm and helped support me. “Farloc, I plan to return to the tower, even if it means crawling out the window. Let the others know I’ll be there.”
“Who are you kidding,” Abigail said. “If I wasn’t holding you up, you’d be crawling now.”
I ignore her remark and we started back to my room. Having Abigail under my arm felt good, but as we rounded the corner, once again, we were caught by Doctor Yorlin.
“Am I going to have to tie you down?” She asked. Then she noticed which room we left. “How is Zarcharus?”
“He seems well. There was a little irritation in one spot, but I soothed it. Other than that, he looks great.”
“Alright then, back to your bed.”
“Of course, we were just on our way,” I agreed. As the doctor went into Zarcharus’ room, Abi and I continued on, but when we reached my room, I kept going.
“Wait, we’re passing your room,” she said as she tried to stop me.
“My room is in the tower. We’re making our escape.”
“Wait for me!” Orlik called from his room. He groaned as he slid from the bed, but once up he hurried over to us.”
“I’ve been cooped up in this place too long,” He quietly complained.
“Why are you whispering?” Abigail asked.
“Because I don’t want that dragon of a nurse to find me,” He explained as sharply as he could without raising his voice.
“That woman is trying to control my life. Eat this, drink water, and sleep more. I can’t take her another moment.”
“Come on. We aren’t out of danger yet,” I said nervously. It may only be a hospital, but it felt like I was running for my life.
I felt better once we were out of sight of the building and approaching the tower. Abigail had complained about our leaving without tell the doctor, but she helped. As far as I was concerned, that meant she was an accomplice and now she couldn’t turn me in. I was leaning heavily on her by the time we reached the door of the tower. “Why did you have to be so big?” she asked as she helped carry me through.
Bri was the first to see us, “Did the doctor discharge you already?”
“Not exactly,” I answered.
“The fool made an escape from a place that wasn’t even holding him prisoner,” Abigail tattled.
“Well it felt like we was prisoners,” Orlik moaned. “Do they have any ale here?” he asked as he walked over to some bottles. Grabbing one he pulled the cork and started drinking.
“Ahh, who needs medicine when we have ale,” He said happily.
“Now to my bed,” I said with relief.
“No, now to a bath,” Abigail corrected as she wrinkled her nose.
“We’ve got him,” Barad said as he and Whilhoit jumped to their feet.
As nice as it felt to have Abigail there, it was a relief to put more weight on the boys. They carried me up the stairs and lifted me into the tub.
“Can you undress, or do you need me to call Abigail up?” Barad teased.
“I’ve got it, thanks,” I said, ignoring his innuendo,
as I pulled my shirt over my head.
Whilhoit started pumping the water, which I appreciated, because there was no way I was going to be able to do it. It was a shock as ice cold water sprayed out the pump and over my legs. I quickly started heating the water as soon as it came out.
Finally he was done, and I could relax for a bit. “So, what have the two of you been doing while I was away?”
Barad looked at Whilhoit and shrugged. “Mostly drinking and cards. Standard winter day stuff.”
“Lots of drinking,” Whilhoit added. “It’s not a winter day without drinking.”
“Has the Councilor been back?”
“No,” Whilhoit answered, “but he did show up at the hospital while you were unconscious. He seemed very upset that his guest had collapsed on his first day.”
I shrugged. “We’ve lost little time and saved two lives. Seems a good bargain.”
“They made a big fuss over that injured elf,” Barad pointed out. “I think he’s related to someone important.”
“Well see, maybe I made us a friend,” I said as I scrubbed my hair, “We’ll be needing those to get the stone.”
Finally, I felt clean. Grabbing a towel, I got up and dried off. “Here,” Barad said as he threw me some clean clothes. “Abi cleaned your stuff while you were at the hospital.” The thought of Abi cleaning my clothes made me smile.
“Come on, lover boy, let’s get you to bed,” Barad teased.
Chapter 25
(Lee)
I woke the next day feeling much better, also finally being clean after our journey through the mines helped too. When Barad and Whilhoit carried me into my room, I didn’t really have a chance to see what it looked like. As soon as they laid me into the bed, I was asleep. Getting up, first thing I examined was the bed. While not as grand as the one in Vennean, it was just as luxurious. After weeks of traveling, it felt good to be in a bed again. The room had wooden floors and walls of stone. On the side of the room there was a writing desk and bookshelves. I would have to invite Ryan up to take inventory. The outside wall was rounded, which made sense in a tower.
I walked over and sat in a chair by the window. Opening the shutters, I got my first look from the top of the tower. The window was just above the treetops, which were covered in snow. It looked as if I could almost reach out and brush their tops. Seeing the other towers that were tall enough to breach the top of the trees gave me a better idea of the size of Illiner. While nowhere near the size of Vennean, it might have been comparable to Coneer.
The city itself was hidden in a valley surrounded by mountains, protecting it from the worst of winter’s weather. Looking at the snow-capped mountains, it now became obvious any attempt to hike over them would have been folly. The city of Illiner was essentially isolated from the world until spring.
I sat back in the chair and watched as the sun lit up the world. My reverie was interrupted by a light knock on the door. “Come in,” I called.
Father Pild peeked through the door. “Ah good, Your Majesty. You’re up. I wanted to make sure you were feeling well this morning.”
“Almost back to my old trouble-making self,” I answered, smiling.
The priest came and stood behind my chair, sharing my view of the city. “I can now see why Farloc missed this place so much. It is quite beautiful.”
“I haven’t had the opportunity to explore the city yet, but I am looking forward to it.”
Father Pild laughed. “I also now understand why Farloc wore a hood. Being the only humans in a city full of elves, you might say we stand out. Still, everyone has been kind.”
“Whose turn is it to cook today?” I asked.
“It’s Barad’s, I’m afraid,” Father Pild answered regrettably.
I sighed as I got up from my chair, “Well, let’s go eat some burnt eggs and bacon.”
Breakfast lived up to Father Pild’s and my expectations. Now that we were without the palace servants, we took turns cooking. While my cooking was nothing to brag about, Barad’s cooking was an abomination. I had my suspicions that he did it intentionally, hoping we would stop asking him to cook. After another burnt meal, I might have even given him that, but Bri wouldn’t. The entire time we were eating breakfast, Brianna stared daggers at Barad as she mechanic
ally shoveled the food into her mouth. We would all die of food poisoning before she would budge on Barad skipping his turn.
After breakfast, I took the opportunity to look around the tower. This was the first chance I had since arriving in Illiner. Looking around, it was obvious the elves had done a good job maintaining the place. It was centuries old, yet nothing seemed deteriorated.
The entire tower consisted of fives levels. The bottom level was the gathering area and kitchen. The second level had the much beloved bathtub and pump, along with three rooms, the next level had five rooms, and the fourth level held what I had been told was a wonderful library, and the fifth floor had just the master suite.
Walking to the bookshelf by our breakfast table, I pulled one book randomly. Opening it up, I found nothing but a strange script. “What is this?” I asked as I held it towards the priests.
“Elvish,” Father Yagen responded. “They’re all in elvish.”
“I see. I don’t suppose anyone can read elvish?”
The priest shook their heads. “Ryan?” I asked.
He, sadly, also shook his head.
“So, you say all the books? Even in the library upstairs?”
“I’m afraid so,” Ryan answered gloomily.
“Maybe we can ask Farloc,” I recommended. “If these are all common books, then we don’t have to worry about it. If they’re special, well then, we’ll need to figure out some way to translate them.”
I slid the book back and continued to explore. I was about to go upstairs when Farloc and his father arrived. Councilor Nenelin approached me with a smile, “Ah, Your Majesty. I am so glad to see you well. It’s the strangest thing, I just came from the hospital, and they are abuzz over two of their patients that just disappeared yesterday. Quite distressing news.”
“That is awful,” I said with a serious face. “You can count on us to be vigilant in our search for them.”
“I’m sure,” He replied with the same serious expression. “So tell me, how are you enjoying the tower?”
“I was just getting my first look around, but I find it very comfortable. Much more my style than the extravagance at the palace.”
He nodded. “Your family has always felt that way. They would stop by here on their way to Ealinhart. A break from the politics of the outer world.”
“Well, it will be nice to escape politics from our stay in Vennean,” I replied happily. “After all, our dabbling in politics for only a few months nearly destroyed the kingdom.”
“Then I bare ill tidings, I’m afraid,” the Councilor stated as he shook his head. “For you have not escaped the politics as you may have hoped.”
“Maybe we should take a seat,” I recommended. The Councilor’s solemn attitude had me worried. He nodded and we went over to the table. I waved for Father Yagen and Ryan to join us as I took my seat at the table’s head.
“Is this a problem with getting the stone?” I asked.
Councilor Nenelin sadly nodded. “I fear so. There are some on the Council who feel it is dangerous to turn the stone over to you. They fear the power of the Eberon family.”
“But the elves and Alsselya are allies,” Father Yagen pointed out. “Surely they don’t carry doubts.”
“Oh, elves always carry doubts. We are a cautious people. It has kept us from extinction. Still, this time I believe some of my fellow elves are in the wrong. It will be our job to convince them.”
“How will I do that?” I asked.
“You have already started, Your Majesty. You healed Zarcharus. You didn’t know it at the time, but his father is the leader of those opposing us.”
“Councilor Belkor?” Abi asked as she sat at the table.
I looked at her with surprise. “You know the councilor?” I asked.
“I met him. He was creepy. He entered your room at the hospital and just stared at you, as you lay unconscious. I asked if he was a doctor, and he just left. It was Doctor Yorlin who told me who he was.”
Farloc nodded. “That sounds like him. I don’t think he ever shared my father’s comfort with humans.”
Councilor Nenelin sighed. “I can’t blame him, our dealings with the human world have offered our kind little good.” He glanced at me. “No offense, Your Majesty.” I smiled and nodded. “Our dealings with Alsselya were good and fair, but most are not. It is difficult for some to separate the humans by their kingdoms. They just lump the good with the bad.”
“So, can you explain the process?” Father Yagen asked.
The councilor nodded. “Next week I shall take you before the Council, where we shall make our request to have Alynon’s Tear returned to his majesty. The council will then consider the request. At that time, they shall vote on whether or not to turn over the stone.”
“Well then, we will have to convince them,” I stated with false confidence. “Do we know how the council is split right now?”
“Right now, it could go either way. I am hoping that it leans in our favor with your healing of young Zarcharus.”
“You’d think Lee saving his son would have been enough,” Abigail said with a snort.
“Were that only so,” the aged Councilor replied. “We elves can live for many years. In that time we can become very set in our ways. After hundreds of years, it can be very hard to change.”
“Who let that knobby-kneed ole elf in here?” Orlik interrupted as he walked down the stairs.
“Knobby-kneed?” The councilor exclaimed as he turned his chair to face Orlik. “You would see I am not knobby-kneed if you weren’t so old and blind.”
“Old? I’m still fresh as a daisy,” Orlik defended.
“Well you don’t smell like a daisy, you smell like fish that’s been left in the sun too long.”
“Ha-ha! I missed you, you old dolt,” Orlik said, as he gave Nenelin a hug.
“You had me worried, old friend. I never thought to see you being carried in injured.”
“Ah, the baddie just got a lucky hit. I’d of taken him.”
“How?” Barad asked. “By him tripping over you?”
“Listen pup, ya better learn to watch that tongue,” The dwarf growled. “I’ve whooped better men than you blindfolded.”
“They’d have to be blindfolded for you to beat them,” Barad laughed.
“That’s not what I meant!” Orlik yelled.
“Ah!” The councilor laughed. “I see you fit right in with King Eberon and his companions.”
“Aye,” the dwarf laughed. “It be just like ole times.”
“While you and Farloc are here,” Ryan interrupted. “The books in the tower seem to be in elvish. We were curious if they were the same books that were at the palace, or new and unique.”
“Oh, they are unique. Some would even be the personal writings of the previous Kings of Alsselya. They were all well versed in elvish. It would not hurt, Your Majesty, to learn to read elvish while here. It might ease some of the differences between you and our people.”
“I would be happy to teach you, Your Highness,” Farloc volunteered.
“And me?” Ryan asked.
Farloc laughed. “Of course, my friend. You too.”
Farloc and I followed Ryan up to the fourth floor library. It was my first visit to the room, and I was pleasantly surprised. Next to the library at Alynon’s temple, this was the largest collection of books I had ever seen.
“Impressive,” Farloc commented. “This is quite the library.”
As we walked along the room, I noticed the walls had sconces with crystals resting in them. With a thought, I was able to light the room. I smiled at my forefather’s ingenuity. The room was brightly lit, as if it were outside.
Farloc walked along the bookshelves, until he finally found a book he liked, and pulled it out. “Ah, this is a book for the young. It was how I was taught to read. We shall use this to start.”
We walked over to a table and laid out the book. Ryan and I both stared blankly at the elven words before us. I appreciated that s
omeone had taken the time to illustrate the story. There was a drawing of an elf carrying a bow as he stood in the woods.
Over the next hour, Ryan and I read the exciting tale of an elf boy that became lost while hunting. He met a talking bear that gave him directions back home. Along the way he recognized many of the flora in the woods.
While I found many aspects of the story lacking credibility, we were able to start identifying words and characters from the Elven writings. By the time we finished the book, I had developed a tremendous headache. Ryan, on the other hand, seemed hungry for more.
“This is a lot to take in,” I excused. “I’ll let my brain rest for a bit.”
Farloc and Ryan chose another book as I made my escape from the lesson, only to go downstairs and find Doctor Yorlin sitting with Abigail, the two enjoying some tea. I thought about sneaking upstairs, but the doctor spotted me before I could turn around.
“King Eberon!” She called out. “So nice to see you. Can you imagine my surprise when I went to check on my very special patient, only to find he had left the hospital?”
Time to face the music. “My apologies, doctor. It had been a long trip through the caverns, and then the days in the hospital. I really just wanted to find a bed that I could call my own.”
“I suppose that, since you look so well, I will look the other way, this time,” She said with a smile.
“You’re too kind,” I said as I took a seat next to Abigail.
“So, what are we talking about?” I asked.
“How stubborn men are,” Abigail answered. “It seems the trait is not just human. Who would have thought?”
I gazed longingly back to the stairs, now filled with regret at having quit my lesson early. Maybe this was some punishment from Alynon. Seems like the sort of thing the god would do.
“Relax, Your Highness. I’m not here to attack you.” The doctor reassured. “I just wanted to make sure you and Orlik were healthy. I didn’t get the opportunity to examine Orlik, but the way he ran up the stairs when he saw me, makes me think he has recovered well.”
Abigail laughed. “Who would have thought, that with such short legs, he would be able to skip two steps at a time.”