The White Tower (The Aldoran Chronicles: Book 1)

by Michael Wisehart

  Before reaching the end of the outer courtyard, Ferrin brought his horse to a stop and turned around. He tilted his head toward the upper chambers. He knew that somewhere deep within that labyrinth of twisted hallways, stairwells, and inner corridors lay an old man with his white hair falling out, and his wrinkled skin cut and torn. He was bound by fate and magic to serve the Creator’s purpose, patiently waiting for the next poor soul to save.

  How long he would have to wait, Ferrin didn’t know. But this he swore: that in life or in death, he would not waste a moment of the precious gift he had been given and, on his honor, he would fight with every last drop of his blood to put an end to the evil seeking to dominate Aldor and its people—both ven’ae and jun’ri alike.

  “I love you old man, and I’ll miss you always.” Not bothering to wipe the tears from his eyes, Ferrin turned his horse back toward the enormous bridge that connected the White Tower to the looming peaks of the Pass of Arnon, and giving a light snap on his reins, he disappeared into the night.

  Chapter 80 | Zynora

  “TAMEEL, COME QUICK!”

  Zynora was seated next to a rope-spun bed in the backroom of their small cabin just east of the town of Syrel, watching ever-so-patiently over their fallen warrior. The young man’s eyes were just starting to open. He’d been in an semi-unconscious state of delirium for nearly three days. She had continued to use small applications of her magic to heal the worst of it. The rest would be up to him. She’d never worked on someone so close to death before, and it had left her drained.

  She made a point not to tell Tameel how close to death she had come herself in order to bring the young man back.

  Her husband hobbled through the doorway of the bedroom and stopped short of her chair when his eyes locked with those of their guest. “Well, son, you gave us quite the start. Didn’t think you was gonna make it.” He took a couple more steps into the room. “It’s been three days since your fever broke.”

  They both waited and watched as the young man struggled to push himself into a sitting position and glance around the room. He looked down at his state of undress, with the patchwork quilt covering his lower half. His chest was completely wrapped in a white binding.

  “Wad . . . a.” When his voice wouldn’t come, he pointed to his mouth.

  Zynora leaned forward and grabbed a small cup from the bed stand. “Here.” She held the tin mug to his lips. He tried gulping it down. “Slowly,” she gently scolded. “You don’t want to drink it too fast. There you go.”

  He finished off what was in the glass and fell back against the propped feather pillows. “Thank you,” he said. His bright gray eyes scanned the room, from the cracked window on the left of his bed to the small dresser in the corner and the simple wooden chair Zynora presently occupied. “Where am I?”

  “You are safe, young man.” She wiped his moist forehead with her cloth.

  Tameel stood in back of her chair and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m Tameel and this beautiful young thing is my wife, Zynora.”

  Zynora playfully slapped at his hand. “Oh, go on with you.” She couldn’t help but blush at her husband’s comment before settling her focus back on their guest. “By the lack of color in your eyes, I take it you’re Upakan. What’s your name, young sir?”

  There was a long uncomfortable silence, and a look of panic crossed the young man’s face. “I . . . I don’t know.”

  Tameel leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “We need to talk.”

  Zynora knew what was coming. She nodded and stood. “We’ll be right outside the door if you need anything, dear.”

  She followed her husband out of the bedroom and shut the door behind them so their visitor wouldn’t overhear their argument.

  “What’d you do, Zynora?”

  “What do you mean what did I do? I saved his life is what I did.”

  “You saved his life?” He pointed back toward the shut door. “He’s completely wonked. He doesn’t even know who he is.”

  “I can’t say as I’m all that surprised.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “No one steps that far into the afterlife and comes back unscathed. He’s lucky to be alive at all. It could’ve been much worse. By the time we found him, he’d practically lost every drop of blood he owned, not to mention the damage to his spine from the arrows sticking out of it. It’s a wonder he can even move. He’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever seen. And I don’t just mean the size of his arms.”

  Tameel waved his finger at her. “What have I told you about using your magic like that? You could have very well killed yourself. And then where would I be? Alone! That’s where I’d be.” Her husband was working himself into a tizzy. She knew how much he hated it when she pushed herself to the limits, but she just couldn’t let the man die. There was something about him that had compelled her to save his life.

  “I’ve never seen anyone come so close to death and live to tell about it,” she said, in as calm a voice as she could muster under her husband’s stern glower. “Someone up there is obviously not through with him yet. I would venture to guess that that young man in there has an interesting destiny.” She smiled at her husband and laid her hand on his arm. “I only hope we’re around long enough to see it.”

  “Not likely. Not with the way you keep flinging out magic.” Tameel sighed and the tension in his shoulders eased slightly. “Will his memory return?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know.”

  They both looked at the closed door.

  “After what we saw on that ridge,” Tameel said, “that might be a good thing.”

  Chapter 81 | Ty

  “WE’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING,” Ty said. He was unable to keep from fidgeting in his seat as he thought about poor Orlyn being questioned by the Black Watch.

  At the head of the dinner table, his father scooped up a second helping of vegetable soup and poured it in his bowl. “The council is working on a way to get him out, but we can’t risk jumping in feet first without exposing the rest of us.” He nodded in Ty’s direction. “That includes you.”

  “I don’t care about me. We need to save Master Orlyn.”

  “Well, your mother and I care about you, and so does the council. I just pray the Tower guards don’t leave before we have a chance to mount a rescue.”

  “What can I do? I want to help.” Ty was anxious to do his part. He was an official member of the council after all now, and that knowledge gave him an air of responsibility he wasn’t used to. It felt good to be a part of something important, something that could make a difference.

  “Best you stay as far away from the Black Watch as possible,” his mother said from the other end of the table. “We can’t afford to have you getting dragged into all of this.”

  “Why not? I’ve as much right to be a part of this as the rest of you. I’m not afraid.” Ty knew that was a lie. The very thought of being taken by the white riders sent chills through him.

  “You know very well why not. We were charged with your protection,” his father said, waving his spoon in Ty’s direction, “and protect you we will.”

  Ty didn’t like feeling so helpless. Everyone acted as though he was still just a child. He was sixteen, after all, and old enough to make his own decisions. “I can fight, Father. See!” He raised his right hand out over the table, palm in the air. “Look what I can do.” His father didn’t even have time to protest before blue flames burst from the center of Ty’s hand. Everyone jerked back in their seats, everyone but Adarra, who was already aware of Ty’s new found gift.

  “Wow! Ty, that’s . . . wow.” Breen didn’t seem to know what to say as he gawked at the colorful blaze dancing around Ty’s palm. The other members of his family appeared to be temporarily mesmerized.

  “You see. I’m an incindi like Master Veldon.” Ty beamed with pride.

  “Ty, what are you doing?” his father said, finally pulling free of the trance. His bright green eyes darted cautiously around
the room. “Someone could see you.”

  Ty huffed. “How is someone going to see me? We live in the middle of—” Ty didn’t get a chance to finish his statement because there was a loud knock on the front door. He nearly yelped. Adarra and his mother did. His flames vanished in a puff as he joined the other members of his family in a state of sudden panic.

  “Everyone, just act normal,” his father said. “I’m sure whoever that is didn’t climb through your mother’s winter daisies to peek in the front window. I hope.”

  Ty stood from his seat. He clenched his fists to keep them from shaking and headed for the front door. He was halfway there when the knock rang out a second time. He was starting to get a little agitated by the knocker’s impatience. “Hold your horses! I’m coming!” He jerked the latch and pulled open the door. The blood drained from his face.

  He half-choked as he struggled to speak. “Lord Barl! What are you doing here?” That was a stupid question to ask. “I mean, how can we help you?” He tried a formal bow but gave up halfway through, too rattled at having just told the Overlord of Sidara to hold his horses.

  Behind him, Ty could hear the rest of his family hopping to their feet, spoons dropping, cups clanging, and dishes being shuffled about as his father made a swift approach. “Your Lordship, how can we be of service?” He gestured toward the front room. “Please, will you come inside?”

  “You know, I don’t believe I’ve been in this cottage since I was a boy,” Barl said. “It was my great-grandfather who built it, you know.” His hand reached out and gently rubbed across the doorpost where there were periodic markings from a sharp object starting knee-high and rising. “I rather enjoyed spending my summers here as a child.” He took a step back to glance around the homestead and in doing so, revealed that he wasn’t alone.

  Ty’s pulse raced when he spotted Lyessa standing directly behind her father. It was the first time he had seen her since their invitation to the overlord’s estate to discuss the growing concerns about something lurking in the Sidaran Forest. The euphoria of the moment was short-lived, however, when he noticed Aiden strolling up the walkway behind her.

  “Is everything alright, young Ty?” Lord Barl asked, apparently noticing the way he was staring at his daughter.

  Ty snapped to. “No, milord, I mean, yes, milord, I mean—” For pity sake, what do I mean? “I’ll see to your horses.” He shied past their guests and made a beeline for the corral where the overlord’s guards were already stabling the animals.

  He kept an eye on Lyessa as he rubbed down one of the mares. He watched, as subtly as possible, as she spoke a few words to her father and then started in his direction. Ty turned his head, not wanting to appear too obvious as she closed in on the gated pen. “So how is our young Master Ty doing today?” Lyessa asked, leaning across the top rail. Ty hated when she referred to him as young, even if she was two years older.

  Ty looked up from his grooming to see her friendly smile. Aiden looked green with envy as he approached. Ty smiled. Maybe it wasn’t a total loss after all. “He’s doing as well as can be expected. And how is Your Ladyship doing today?” He held out a small bucket of oats for the horse and it happily thrust its muzzle in and chomped down.

  “Have there been any new sightings of the creature roaming through the woods?” she asked with eager enthusiasm. “That’s why we’re here, you know. Father and his patrol met me and Aiden at the Sidaran border yesterday. They were escorting us back from Aiden’s family’s estate in Highcrest when Father decided to make a detour to talk with your father.” She looked at him like she was waiting for a response. “So, is it true? Have you seen the beast?”

  “It’s true,” Ty said, laying the now empty oat bucket down and walking over to the railing. “Breen and I went out a few days ago to scout the woods just east of town, and we found the creature’s feeding ground. There’s an entire valley of bones just north of the East River,” he said, pointing off to the right.

  Lyessa looked uneasy as she glanced in the direction of his aim. Aiden’s face showed nothing but skepticism. “Did you get a look at it?” she asked. “Was it like the creature Ambassador Lanmiere told us about?”

  “No, this one was different. We tracked it to its lair. It’s some sort of spider creature.”

  Aiden laughed. “All this fuss for a spider?”

  “A spider the size of a mountain bear,” Ty rebuffed.

  Just when Ty thought Aiden couldn’t have laughed any harder, he did. It took all of Ty’s reserve to keep from punching him in his overly-powdered face. Even Lyessa was trying her best not to snicker. She held her hand to her mouth and looked down the wooden fence rail as if to measure its straightness.

  “It’s the truth! Breen saw it too. We’ve been warning everyone to stay out of the woods, at least until we can figure out how to kill it.”

  “What a crock of targ dung,” Aiden said as he tried to regain his composure. “I’m sure it’s nothing more than some lazy farmers making excuses for not having brought their harvests in on time. These commoners are all the same, no self-discipline.” Ty could tell Lyessa was embarrassed by the nature of Aiden’s response, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, Aiden abruptly pulled her back from the railing. “Let’s go see what they’re discussing inside, shall we?” Aiden continued shaking his head as he directed Lyessa back toward the front of the house. “Mountain bear-spiders, indeed.”

  After joining the rest of his family inside the front room, Ty sat in the corner and listened patiently as his father relayed their expedition into the Sidaran Forest. The overlord, having been away on business, hadn’t been made privy to their findings until now.

  “So, you’re saying you’ve seen this creature? It actually exists?”

  “Yes, milord. Well, my sons did. They tracked it to its nest.”

  “This is rich,” Aiden butted in. “Go on, Ty, tell them what you said you saw.” Aiden turned back to Lord Barl. “When you hear this, milord, you’re going to have a good laugh.” He regarded Ty with look of disdain. “Well, go on, Ty, tell him.”

  “What’s this about?” Barl demanded.

  Ty’s father saved him the embarrassment. “The creature is an arachnobe.”

  “Ha! You see. Wait . . . a what?” Aiden’s nose scrunched as he puzzled over the response. “Ty said it was a giant spider bear.”

  “An arachnobe is a spider. Well, sort of. They are monstrous creatures whose nests are said to populate the deeper hollows of the Razor’s Spine. They are rarely seen and only when they come out to feed.”

  “There hasn’t been a record of an arachnobe being spotted here in Sidara for the last four or five decades,” Barl said, sounding more uncertain with each passing word. “Surely you’re mistaken.”

  “I only wish I were. There can be no mistake. Breen saw it, as well as Ty. They tracked it to its burrow, but thought it unwise to linger. Arachnobes have an extremely keen sense of smell.”

  After a few worried looks and hushed whispers had been passed around the room, Barl finally spoke. “I don’t like it Kellen, don’t like it one bit.” He kept shaking his head. “Just the threat of such a creature could spread a panic that would prove truly devastating to Easthaven.”

  “How so, Father? If people will just stay clear of the woods, maybe it will move on.”

  “These woods provide food and shelter to a number of our citizenry, dear. How long do you think it will take before the merchants stop shipping their freight down river through the forest? Other than the southern road to Briston, it would devastate our trade routes.” Barl leaned forward and stared at his feet for a moment. “No. We cannot allow this to continue.” He wrung his hands. “I will take a regiment of our lancers in to find this creature and destroy it if I have to.”

  “My sons and I can track it for you, my lord.”

  Ty grunted. Thanks for volunteering the rest of us.

  “Excellent, excellent.” Barl’s countenance started to brighten as he clappe
d his hands together. “This will be a grand hunt, aye, Master Kellen? One for the history books, I’d wager.”

  “It shall indeed, my lord. I was hoping—”

  Ty’s father was interrupted as the front door flew open and one of the overlord’s guards stepped in. “My Lord, there are riders approaching.” The expression on the man’s face said it all. “And they don’t look friendly.”

  Chapter 82 | Ty

  THE OVERLORD’S PATROL, consisting of twelve highly trained Sidaran Lancers, were standing protectively in front of the cottage with blades drawn as Ty followed Lord Barl and the others out the front door to get a better look at the horsemen who were just now turning off the main road and coming for the house. A thick cloud of dirt and dust followed in their wake, masking their true numbers. It took a while before the savage looking men reined up on the opposite side of the yard from the house.

  Ty counted around thirty to forty men. At least he thought they were men. Their garb consisted mostly of haphazard pieces of strange looking furs and leathers. As the dust settled, rough black and white markings could be seen painted across the visible parts of their bodies and faces, at least those that weren’t wearing some form of facial masks. They had the look of feral animals.

  At the front of the pack rode one of the biggest men Ty had ever seen, rivaling the size of his father and brother, which was saying something since they were considered to be two of the largest men in Easthaven. The man carried an enormous battle-axe strapped to his right hip. It looked like it weighed at least twenty pounds. And, like many of the others, the man had a couple of white stripes painted diagonally across his cheeks, nose, and eyes.