“The emperor will never agree to work with Terah,” Gillian said.
“Of course he won’t, for he is a fool,” Lara agreed. “This is where the women come in. They must force Gaius Prospero to do their bidding—and they can, Lady Gillian. The emperor would like to dismiss the women as he previously has done but too many of your men have died in pursuit of his dreams. We all need peace.”
Lady Gillian considered Lara’s words in silence for several long minutes. Finally she spoke. “Aye, we need peace and the prosperity that comes with it. Would your husband really aid Hetar even after we attempted to war with you? Why would he do that? What advantage does it give Terah over Hetar?”
“Aye, Magnus would aid you, for it is to all our benefit, not just Terah. We wish to live in peace, trading with you for our handcrafted and luxury goods as we always have, but other than that Terah wishes no communion with Hetar at this time.”
Lady Gillian nodded and then she said, “What happened in the Outlands before Hetar invaded? The common folk do not question, Domina, but I know you were first wed to an Outland clan chief who was murdered by his brother.”
“The plot to murder Vartan was instigated by Gaius Prospero, who believed by killing him he would set the Outlands into confusion, making it easier to conquer them.”
“But the Outlands were empty of people, of livestock, of villages when Hetar pushed into it. Even the mines in the mountains were gone. What happened?”
“The Shadow Princes were not pleased with what Gaius Prospero wanted to do. They took the clan families under their protection, and as a final punishment for the emperor they sealed the mines and raised up growth over them. It will be many years before they are discovered again,” Lara said. She didn’t really think it was necessary for Lady Gillian to know the entire truth of the matter.
“The Shadow Princes are really the most powerful among us, aren’t they?” the older woman said softly.
“I believe they are,” Lara agreed.
“You have great powers, too. Oh, you need not answer. I remember the exquisite innocent you were the night Gaius Prospero displayed you for sale,” Lady Gillian reminisced. “Your aura was light and beautiful. Now it shimmers with incredible force. To have survived all you have survived, that strength had to be already within you.”
“You have the sight?” Lara asked, surprised.
Lady Gillian nodded. “That is how I knew you must not be sold within The City,” she answered. She paused and then said, “I almost forgot! Kigva, a trusted servant of Lady Vilia, has been attending our meetings. Since she is not a woman who makes decisions on her own, I must assume she had been coming as Vilia’s spy, but to what purpose I am not entirely certain. I sense that Lord Jonah is preparing to attempt to unseat Gaius Prospero and will use his failures against him with the magnates and the High Council. But why does Vilia’s woman bother with us?”
“Perhaps Lord Jonah will use the Women’s Movement against the emperor or perhaps he wants their support if they appear to be gaining momentum,” Lara suggested.
“Lord Jonah’s mother is my successor,” Lady Gillian said. “Farah is no fool. Whatever she does will be to protect herself and her position. But so will Lady Vilia. She is a patient woman and willing to bide her time to gain her objective.”
“If she is like many women,” Lara considered, “she will be in silent competition with her mother-in-law to be her husband’s chief advisor. It is just possible that we might win her over to our side if she believes it is to her own benefit. She may be Gaius Prospero’s former wife but I will wager she yet has influence with him. She would be more of an advantage to us than Lady Farah. Can you arrange a meeting between us?”
“I can,” Lady Gillian said. “When?”
“This time tomorrow night,” Lara replied. “Now I must go, for Magnus worries when I am gone too long.”
“I will try,” the older woman said. “Do we have time though?”
“Not a great deal, but enough,” Lara told her. And then with a nod she disappeared in a puff of mauve smoke.
When Lara told her husband of her meeting with Lady Gillian and the plan she had devised, he was well pleased. “I will go with you tomorrow night,” he said.
“Why?” Lara wanted to know.
“Lady Vilia is a proud woman. While I believe she will respect you and listen to what you have to say, I think we would get quicker action from her if the Dominus of Terah were to ask for her aid. You must remember that this lady has been raised in a society where they are taught to revere their men. Time is of the essence for us, and if the Mercenaries and Crusader Knights remaining in The City are to be brought back up to their strength, then we must begin training them sooner than later.”
“You are right!” Lara agreed. “I had not thought of that. I have been so busy strategizing I did not consider Lady Vilia’s sensibilities. I am certain that your charm will win her over. But the question is, who will she win over? Gaius Prospero, her former husband, or Lord Jonah, her power-hungry new husband?”
“It doesn’t matter as long as Hetar will ally with us to defeat the Twilight Lord,” Magnus Hauk said. “And if Og can win over the giants, Kol will be truly weakened.”
“I will ask him to meet with his sire upon the Dream Plain again,” Lara answered. “But we must have something to offer Skrymir and his people. We cannot just ask for their aid and give nothing in return. The hilly lands that abut the Dark Lands are uninhabited and the clan families do not need them and are far from them anyway. Can I tell Og that you will offer those lands to Skrymir in exchange for his aid?”
“He must pledge me fealty yearly, the price to be at his discretion,” the Dominus answered his wife.
“It is generous,” Lara said and then kissing her husband upon his cheek she wafted herself to Kaliq’s palace of Shunnar, sought out her mentor and told him of their plan to lure the giants to their side.
“I think you may win Skrymir over,” Kaliq answered. “His people were never really hard or brutal. They only became so to protect themselves after the Forest Lords betrayed their long friendship and the survivors were forced to flee. In all the years they have sheltered in the Dark Lands, Kol has never before asked of them what he will soon request. I believe they will welcome an opportunity to leave his realm and settle on the far edge of the New Outlands. Yes, find Og, and speak with him. When he is ready to sleep, tell him to come to me as he did before.”
Lara sought out Og in his green valley among the horses, and explained to him what she wished of him. “Your father was not hostile to you when you last met,” she said. “Do you think he can be turned from the dark back to the light?”
Og sighed. “Oddly, Lara, the impression I got was that he was afraid of what might happen to his people if left to Kol’s tender mercies, but that he did not know what else he might do. I can but make the offer and attempt to convince him. I will seek him out tonight with the prince’s help,” Og agreed. He absently rubbed the muzzle of a small bay mare. “Aye, the sooner the better.”
“Thank you, my dearest friend,” Lara said and then she wafted herself back to her own castle in Terah.
Og chuckled at the puff of mauve mist that she left behind. Then giving the little mare a swat on her rump he sent her off as he walked across the great green meadow to the palace, where he knew the prince his master would be awaiting him. Again, as the first time, Prince Kaliq set the green enameled gold amulet in the shape of a tree about Og’s thick neck. Then he conducted him to the great chamber with its long bed. Og drank down the cup of frine that had been mixed with herbs to help him sleep. Then he lay down while Prince Kaliq sat in a chair by his side. Soon the giant was snoring.
As he was falling asleep Og had concentrated on his father, silently calling out his name as he drifted into unconsciousness. Then he found himself standing surrounded by a gauzy mist and knew he had once again attained the Dream Plain. “Father,” he called out. “I need you to come and speak with me.”
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All remained silent about him and then Og realized that his sire was probably not used to be addressed thusly.
“Skrymir of the Forest Giants, I need you to come and speak with me,” he said.
“Who calls me?” his father’s deep strong voice answered.
“Your son, Og, horse master to the Shadow Princes,” Og replied and then he saw Skrymir striding through the mist toward him.
“What is it you want of me, Og?” his father asked as they now stood face-to-face.
“I bring you an offer from Magnus Hauk, Dominus of Terah,” Og began.
“Who is this Dominus of Terah?”
“He is the ruler of the vast territory beneath the mountains of the Dark Lands. His wife was my savior and is my dearest friend to this day. My lord father, you know that the greatest of the Shadow Princes, Kaliq by name, is my master and patron. He knows that the nature of our race is a gentle and kind one. He believes the harshness that you must now exhibit is what has kept you alive since the treachery of the Forest Lords changed our way of life. But my master also believes that given the chance, you would return to your former selves. And it is through him that the Dominus makes this offer. It is a good offer, my lord father.
“Leave the Dark Lands. Eschew the Twilight Lord’s influence and again become the race we once were. The Dominus will give to you and our people all the lands beneath the Black Mountains from the Obscura to beyond infinity if you will reject Kol and his plans for conquest. The land is not harsh like the mountains you now inhabit. The land is rolling, forested hills with broad fertile valleys. It is a good place,” Og said.
Skrymir’s amber eyes grew almost misty at the thought of such a land, but then he said, “When my liege lord conquers Terah, those lands can be ours if we ask him.”
“The Twilight Lord will never conquer Terah,” Og replied. “Without a faerie woman he has not the power to do so. And he must watch his back more carefully than ever before, for there are those who would seek to place one or the other of his sons on his throne. The Dark Lands borders on civil war, my lord father.”
“My lord Kol’s faerie mate gives him all the power he needs for his conquest,” Skrymir boasted.
“She is no longer by his side, my lord father,” Og told his sire. “Lord Kol stole the faerie wife of the Dominus of Terah, but only after stealing her memories so she would not know who she was.” Then Og went on to tell Lara’s tale to Skrymir. He told him that Kaliq had restored her memories and that the beautiful faerie used her magic to create two sons from the one. “It was all planned in advance,” Og said. “The Domina Lara was sent deliberately by the Council of the Magic Kingdoms to bring this chaos to the Dark Lands. It was a part of the great destiny she has. Without her, your master cannot accomplish all he desires. Lord Kol attempts to wreck the perfect balance between the light and the dark. But he will not be allowed to do it.
“Now he seeks out the lady Lara on the Dream Plain for Prince Kaliq has penned him within his castle for the next hundred years. He cannot leave it to lead his armies. He cannot leave it to even visit his House of Women or teach his sons how to ride one day when they are old enough. So he makes his feeble attempts to draw the Domina back into the darkness so he may use her powers, but he will never succeed. The lady Lara is the very essence of light, my lord father. Tell me, how do you communicate with him?”
Skrymir’s large but slow brain absorbed all that he heard from Og. The last time they had spoken he had fled his son with a terrible headache, but this time he swallowed down the pain of so much information and considered Og’s words. Finally he said, “The Chancellor Alfrigg has built a new reception hall. The end where he stands is an original part of the castle. The new end is where petitioners and liegemen go, yet they are connected and appear to be one chamber. It is here we listen to the Twilight Lord’s directives and receive our orders from him.”
“And no one goes to the foot of the throne of Lord Kol?” Og queried gently.
“There is a filigreed silver railing across the room and none may move past it,” Skrymir said slowly. “Is that because we cannot get past it, my son?”
“Indeed, my lord father, I believe it is,” Og replied. “This chamber has been fashioned to make it appear as if all is well, but it is not. Still, ’tis cleverly done.”
“So we may have no fear that the Twilight Lord will punish us if we desert him?” Skrymir wanted to know.
“My master, Prince Kaliq, will weave a protection spell about each of the Forest Giants and about your new lands,” Og said.
“If we take this chance and go against Lord Kol, we must leave everything we have behind,” Skrymir noted. “We will have no goods nor homes to call our own. We will be little better off than when we fled the Forest Lords all those years ago.”
“I am certain the Domina Lara would use her magic to see that everything you lost was replaced,” Og promised.
“I had a large hall in the old forest,” Skrymir murmured slyly.
There was a tinkle of laughter that startled them both and then Lara appeared through the mists of the Dream Plain. “Greetings, Skrymir, lord of the Forest Giants,” she said smiling at him. “Darling Og, take me up in your hand so your father and I may speak face-to-face.” When the giant had done so and Lara was settled comfortably in his palm she continued. “A large hall with a great stone fireplace and sleeping spaces for your retainers would suit you, I am certain. And a fine chamber behind the hall with its own fireplace for you to sleep in. It should have a good-sized bed for I am certain that once you have been safely resettled you will want to take pleasures with a new wife. The giant woman, Thrym, pleases you but you have never felt safe enough in the Dark Lands to offer her your protection.”
“How can you know these things, my lady?” Skrymir wanted to learn. He looked at her closely. Aye! It was the same beautiful woman Kol had told them all was his mate. But she was not. Kol had used this beautiful creature for his own ends. If she were not powerful, with powerful friends, he could have destroyed her, for Skrymir could see that Lara was no part of the darkness. Indeed, even here upon the Dream Plain where much was muted, she glowed with a radiance that could only come of good.
“I am Lara, daughter of Swiftsword and Ilona, queen of the Forest Faeries,” Lara said gently. “I know much, my lord.”
“You are Maeve’s granddaughter?” Skrymir suddenly knelt. “She was a great lady and I can see that you take after her. Will you follow your mother one day, my lady Lara?” he asked her.
“Nay, my half brother Cirillo will follow our mother. I cannot, for I am not all faerie,” Lara explained. She reached out and touched Skrymir’s russet head. “Help us defeat Kol of the Twilight, my lord. You will not suffer for it.”
Skrymir looked up into Lara’s beautiful green eyes as he knelt. “I know that I can trust Maeve’s granddaughter,” he said. “The Forest Giants, those of us who remain, are yours to command, my lady Lara.”
“When you awaken, my lord, gather your people and depart the Dark Lands as quickly as you can. Once you have crossed its borders into Terah, my mother’s people, with whom you are familiar, will meet you and guide you to your new home. Og did not finish what needed to be said, however. You must acknowledge the Dominus of Terah as your overlord. Once a year he will visit you and you will offer your fealty to him by whatever means you choose among yourselves. It is the only thing he will require for the lands he cedes to the Forest Giants,” Lara explained.
“The Dominus is your husband,” Skrymir said.
“He is, and a finer mortal you have never met. Nor are you likely to meet a better man,” Lara told him with a little smile.
“It is little enough to ask of us,” Skrymir said. “I will swear fealty for us all. And the land is ours and our descendants’ to do with as we please, my lady Domina?”
“The land is yours but you cannot destroy it,” Lara said.
“We did not destroy the old forests in which our kind lived for so many c
enturies. We tended that forest. We will cherish and tend this new forest that your lord husband gives us.”
“Rise then, Skrymir, and take my faerie blessing with you when you awaken. The Forest Faeries will await you,” Lara told him. “Be cautious, however, that you are not caught as you make your escape,” she warned him. “Remember, take nothing with you but the clothing on your back. You do not wish any part of the darkness intruding upon your new life. This will be difficult for some of your people, but make certain they leave all behind them lest you bring discord into your new life.”
“What of our weapons?” he asked her.
“Take only those you brought with you, my lord. And now I will leave you to bid your son farewell,” Lara said. “Please put me down now, Og.”
Og set Lara gently back upon the ground of the Dream Plain, bending as he did so to murmur, “Thank you, my lady.”
Lara smiled up at him. “Forgive me for intruding, but our time is short, dearest Og. I like your father.” Then she kissed his ruddy cheek and turned back into the mist of the Dream Plain to disappear from his sight.
“I like Maeve’s granddaughter,” Skrymir said.
Og straightened up and nodded at his father. “She is a good faerie, my lord.”
“I will keep my promise to her,” Skrymir nodded. “Come and visit your kin in our new home, Og. You will be welcome.” Then the giant lord turned and walked away, the tendrils of the gauzy gray mist obscuring him quickly from his son’s view.
Og turned to go and then he heard a deep hypnotic voice calling from somewhere in the haze. The sound sent a shiver down his back.
“Lara! Come to me, my only one. You are mine! I will let no one else have you! Lara! Answer me! Come to me!”
The Twilight Lord! Og realized. It had to be the Twilight Lord. He backed away from the sound, forcing himself to waken. He gasped and sat straight up in his bed. He was drenched in his own sweat and his great heart was hammering wildly.
“What is it?” the Shadow Prince sitting by his bedside asked.
The Twilight Lord Page 36