by L. M. Roth
After digesting this very important fact, the little band bade farewell to Xenon, for who knew when they might meet again? Perhaps soon, perhaps never.
Xenon tousled the curls of young Cort, and shook Dag’s sturdy hand. The mighty Trekur Lender clasped Xenon’s hand and bowed his head in silence. Fanchon smiled and dropped a little curtsy, and Marcus and Felix gravely saluted the old man in the manner of the Valerians.
But Xenon caught Kyrene to him in a warm embrace, which brought tears to her eyes. She stifled a sob and beamed at him through the shimmer of her swimming eyes. Then he waved to them in farewell and turned back in the direction from which they came.
The little group looked after him after he had gone, then at one another, then at the boat. And then, at last, at the River. Dag pushed the boat into the River, and tied one end of the rope firmly to a tree which stood on the bank while they stocked the small craft with their provisions and belongings.
One by one they descended the bank and climbed into the boat. After all the others were seated, Dag loosened the rope and leapt into the vessel.
They waited. They had no oars, for Xenon had said that the River would take them. For the space of perhaps five minutes the boat remained utterly still, although the stream ran swiftly about them.
Then each felt a tremor in the bottom of the boat. Slowly it began to drift, not downstream to the shore, but upstream to places unknown. The current seemed slight, although they saw the water run rapidly over the rocks. Then the vessel headed for a passage where the river narrowed.
They held their breaths, fearing the boat would run aground, ending their voyage before it had begun. The boat eased them through the narrow passage, and they could see that the course grew wider again. Gently the River took them through the narrow space, where the water slowed to a trickle. Up over the rocks it lifted them. Then the trickle became a flow, the flow became a torrent, and suddenly the current carried them away.
As the River Zoe conveyed them on their course at her mercy, one thought was uppermost in the mind of Marcus.
The Empress Aurora was not going to be at all pleased with the result of the quest on which she had sent him.
Quest For the Kingdom
Part II
Conquering the Domain of Darkness
by L. M. Roth
Text Copyright © 2012 L. M. Roth
All Rights Reserved
Preface
“There is another matter that perplexes me, Kyrene. I have not had opportunity to speak with you about it until now, and I would like your opinion on it.”
He then shared with her the strange visions he had seen in their travels: the evil visage that peered out from the Tribal Chief’s face when he confronted and denounced Dag, and the eerie figure he saw at the edge of the woods at the home of Pascal and Gaelle during the banquet.
Kyrene nodded her head eagerly as he related these visions.
“Very good, Marcus, very good indeed,” she said with the air of a tutor commending an exceptional pupil. “You are growing in discernment, and that is why you perceived them.”
Marcus hesitated a moment, then voiced his own conclusion.
“Were they the Astra?” he inquired as he lowered his voice.
“Yes, indeed!” Kyrene exclaimed. “Or rather, two of the minor ones.”
“Minor?” Marcus asked skeptically. “But they were hideous!”
“Oh yes, I am certain they were!” the girl answered him. “But it is only the minor Astra that are hideous.
“It is the high ranking Astra who are more difficult to detect, for they disguise themselves as beings of great beauty. These do not incite one to carnality, but rather to a false spirituality. They set themselves up to be worshiped as gods and lure the ignorant to set up idols, to bow down to what is not God, and to persecute those who belong to Dominio.
“They pretend to be loving, kind, and tolerant of all peoples and their faith save one: they hate Alexandrians and incite their own followers to make war on us. Yes, they seem beautiful, but make no mistake, Marcus; they are evil.”
Those last words were pronounced with such finality that for a moment Marcus found himself bereft of words. Yet, he had something niggling at him, that would not leave him in peace…
“I have one more question,” he finally ventured. “Why could not Dag make the Tribal Chief see reason, and how empty the worship of Bjorrne is? Why do they persist in believing a lie?”
“They believe because the lie is of long tradition, and it is entrenched in their understanding. What you saw in the Tribal Chief’s face was a lower ranking Astra, but over that one is a higher, more powerful general, if you will, who exercises control of that territory in Trekur Lende and gives orders to those of a lower rank. It is a hierarchy, Marcus, just as it is in a standing army.”
This statement made sense to Marcus, who was raised in a military family, and whose thoughts proceeded along such lines. And yet…
“Why was Dag unable to break through that lie with the truth of Dominio, and Alexandros Whom He sent?” Marcus persisted.
“Dag could not prevail because he had not yet been tested,” Kyrene explained. “Do you remember what Xenon taught us? ‘You will never defeat the kingdom of darkness unless you conquer the chambers of your own heart.’ ”
“Who really possessed Dag’s heart: that was the test.”
Kyrene paused.
“For Dag, it is Dominio who occupies the throne of his heart. One day he will see it. And when he does, the kingdom of darkness will shudder when they hear the approach of his steps.”
Table of Contents
Chapter I
The River of Remorse
Chapter II
Lycenium
Chapter III
Festival In the Streets
Chapter IV
Tullia
Chapter V
A Proposal of Marriage
Chapter VI
A Soldier
Chapter VII
Betrayed
Chapter VIII
A Confession Most Unexpected
Chapter IX
Brothers of the Blood
Chapter X
Farewell To Lycenium
Chapter XI
The Forest of Forgotten Delights
Chapter XII
A Dangerous Storm
Chapter XIII
A Vision In the Night
Chapter XIV
Cort
Chapter XV
Dag’s Tale
Chapter XVI
The Decision of Dag
Chapter XVII
Land of the Long Day
Chapter XVIII
A Strange Celebration
Chapter XIX
The Confrontation
Chapter XX
The First Battle
Chapter XXI
Return To Gaudereaux
Chapter XXII
The Folly of Fanchon
Chapter XXIII
Goodbye
Chapter XXIV
A Perilous Crossing
Chapter XXV
In the Dragon’s Belt
Chapter XXVI
A Desperate Dilemma
Chapter XXVII
The Mysterious Isle
Chapter XXVIII
A Maze of Confusion
Chapter XXIX
The Hideous Secret
Chapter XXX
Customs
Chapter XXXI
Elena’s Story
Chapter XXXII
Arrival In Valerium
Chapter XXXIII
News From Afar
Chapter XXXIV
Encounter With Valerius
Chapter XXXV
What the Empress Proposed
Chapter I
The River of Remorse
Gently the River bore them on their way. Soon they had left the sheltered valley behind and were in open country. They saw rich green meadows that stretched for miles on either side,
and a cloudless blue sky that seemed like a peaceful ocean directly over their heads. Never had birdsong sounded as sweet as on that morn. It felt as if the birds joyfully heralded their return to distant lands.
Marcus felt his spirits lift unaccountably. His first sense of foreboding at the news he must give the Empress Aurora had dissipated in the beauty of the day, the freshness of the breeze, and the consoling thought that, after all, Dominio watched over him and cared for his every concern.
The others seemed to share in the joy of the day. Soon all were laughing and talking light-heartedly of what they would do when they returned to their homelands.
“I intend to visit the baths, very first thing, and rejoin civilization,” Felix remarked, to the uproar of laughter by the others. “Then, I shall delight my venerated pater and mater by my safe return to them, and share the love of Dominio with them. Then, I shall begin enlisting recruits from among my valiant Valerian friends to spread His kingdom.”
Dag’s rugged face lightened as he shot a grin of appreciation at Felix.
“I, too will spread the Good News to those in Trekur Lende,” he stated in his booming voice. “But it may be hard in a land where Bjorrne is god,” he rued.
“And I will help Dag,” Fanchon bubbled. “Oh, how I long to see Trekur Lende! Those long summer days when the sun never sets! The forests, and the Lights of Rainbow Hue! It will be delightful, no? The Lights, I mean, not the forests, for who has not seen a tree? Imagine a rainbow without any rain! Just sun, sun, sun!”
Young Cort mumbled something under his breath that sounded to Marcus like, “Just wait until the long winter nights!” Marcus stifled a grin and shook his head at Cort, who rolled his eyes at Fanchon.
“And what about you, Cort?” Marcus inquired. “What will you do on your return?”
Cort hung his head and shrank his small body further down into the boat.
“I do not know,” he muttered. “I have nowhere to go.”
“Cort!” Dag reproved him sternly. “You know I will take care of you! You will come home with me.”
Cort flashed a relieved grin at Dag, but Fanchon watched this exchange with a sudden wariness in her blue eyes. She laughed a laugh that for once was not like the enchanting piping of an ethereal flute from a celestial realm, but rather like the shrill whine of a reed hitting a discordant note that plummets to Earth with a dull thud, jarring in its intensity. She smiled a tight little smile at Cort that did not reach her eyes, but said nothing.
“And you, Marcus?” Kyrene asked gently in her warm velvety voice. “What shall you do on your return?”
Marcus hesitated before answering. He was still sworn to secrecy regarding his quest, although its object had failed.
“I have a few personal matters to be taken care of,” he ventured. “After that, I do not know.”
Kyrene gazed into his eyes as if she could see into his very soul, but did not inquire further.
Down the current Zoe took them. Gradually, they left the open country behind and saw ahead of them tall, moss-covered trees that loomed ominously over them. Marcus did not like the look of them, but their course was not his to decide. They must trust their course to Zoe, for Xenon had told them, “The River will take you where it wills, if it wills. You do not take the River: it takes you.”
They entered the trees. Here the current slowed to a gentle flow. The trees rose above them to enormous height. Their boughs met overhead, forming a canopy that filtered the sunlight. Moss covered their bark and hung from their branches, creating a curtain of slimy green. Marcus noted lizards on a few trunks, scrambling up higher as if startled by the boat.
Here and there they heard splashes in the water, as if some large animal had jumped into the current. They kept a sharp eye out for predators, but saw nothing. Along the shore was heard the creaking of fallen branches, made when something stepped on them.
As the boat carried them deeper into the forest, a mist rose above the water. Marcus knew it arose from the droplets trapped by the interlocking branches, but that did not alleviate his dislike of it. For it gave the moss-draped trees a ghostly appearance, like that of some specter of past misdeeds come back to haunt one.
Glancing at his friends, he realized he was not alone in his apprehension. Fanchon moved closer to Dag, who kept a tense hand on his weapons belt. Cort hunkered down with widened eyes, hardly daring to draw breath. Kyrene started at every sound and turned to look behind her. Felix paled and stared unblinkingly ahead as if waiting for something to leap out of the mist.
Fanchon broke the silence.
“Oh, I do not like this place at all! It must surely be haunted, no? I am reminded of things I wish to forget, but they will not leave my mind!”
“I, too, feel the same,” Dag announced. “I know that my sins are washed clean, but I think of them now.”
Cort nodded his head vigorously, and Kyrene sighed in assent. Felix kept silent but turned even paler.
“I also feel as you do,” Marcus admitted. “As if the wrongs of the past will hinder me in the work I am to do.”
“Yes, yes, that is just it!” Felix cried out. “How do we overcome this guilt so we can continue our course?”
Marcus pondered for a moment. Then he made a decision.
“We will inquire of Logos,” he announced, although he could not help but feel somewhat foolish at the very idea. “After all, that is what Xenon advised us to do when the need arose.”
He slowly withdrew the Sword from its scabbard of toughened leather. He stared at it in silence for a long moment. I cannot believe I am doing this, he thought to himself. He hid his skepticism from the others, for they looked to him for leadership.
Finally, he addressed the Sword.
“Logos,” he intoned. “How do we deal with the weight of this guilt?”
For a tense moment nothing happened. Then a faint gleam flickered from the Sword, and grew steadily brighter. Before the unbelieving eyes of Marcus, words written in a flourish of gray-white script began to form on the silver blade as if the Sword was a scroll of parchment.
“There is no condemnation for those who belong to Dominio.”
A gasp rose from all of them, and they laughed in relief.
“It works!” exclaimed Fanchon. “And I feel free..free! As if I could dance all night!”
“Yes, free. That is how I feel,” Dag heartily concurred.
Cort beamed, and Kyrene looked relieved. But to the surprise of Marcus, Felix sat quietly in the boat with tears silently coursing down his cheeks. Then he closed his eyes and bowed his head, as if in prayer. Marcus looked away, reluctant to invade his friend’s privacy.
He noted that he also felt liberated, and decidedly humbled. Logos spoke to them exactly as Xenon had said it would.
He turned to the others.
“Well, that was our first test of faith, it seems,” he remarked. “We must be alert for any others that arise on our journey.”
Chapter II
Lycenium
The River began to widen and the trees to clear. Gradually the current carried them back into open territory. Green hills rose on either side of Zoe. Here and there they spotted a humble house or two, with goats grazing on the hillside or lambs scampering through the grass.
For many hours Zoe carried them swiftly along on their course. As they left the mist laden bog behind them, their hearts lightened as well. At one point Kyrene began humming softly under her breath. Then her humming grew louder, and became a song. It was a hymn of praise to Dominio, and one by one they joined in, each adding their own phrase.
“I cried unto the Lord with my voice,” Kyrene began.
“And He heard me and rescued me,” sang Marcus.
“And saved me from my trouble,” Cort added.
“He put a song in my mouth,” Fanchon chimed in.
“And joy in my heart,” Dag chanted.
“And now my life is His,” Felix pronounced.
They continued this spontaneous pra
ise for some time; then sat in quiet contentment, each one silently meditating on all that had taken place in the past few weeks.
The River bore them on and the terrain climbed steeply higher into the Mountains of Moldiva. It was a country of snow-capped peaks and lush green valleys, graced by lakes of crystal waters that opened unexpectedly in quiet forest glades.
Marcus realized they were heading north, and would soon see the city of Lycenium at the River Zoe’s edge. Strange, but he had never heard the name of the river that ran parallel to the city called Zoe. In Lycenium it was known as Aquae Vitae, or the Waters of Life, so called because everything the city needed was brought in by boats on its current. The reverse was true as well, as the goods Lycenium disbursed were transmitted by way of the river.
Lycenium was a leading port for textiles, and all manner of luxurious cloth was bartered within her walls. If there was truly a city where East met West, it was in Lycenium; for she was at the crossroads of two very different cultures. Here one might rub shoulders with learned men from the West who lectured from the classics, or be met with mystics from the East who spoke of visions and ancient wisdom known only to those who sought it.
A lady might indulge herself in the bazaars which catered to every need or luxury the heart could wish for. From silks and brocades to jewels of every description, exotic spices or perfumes of infinite variety; there was nothing to be desired that could not be found in that city. It was a favorite resort for those who wished for a change of scene and some exciting diversion from everyday life. Here entertainers flocked to display their talents: actors emoted in the amphitheater, keeping the classic dramas and comedies alive and relevant to those who cried and laughed to words that still resonated in the hearts of those who heard them. Circuses traveled through Lycenium, featuring daring acts and exotic animals from lands undreamed of. It was a common sight for a musician to stroll the streets delighting onlookers with a ballad.
For those who were of a scholarly bent there was no center in the world to compare with the immense library that housed volumes from all over the world. One could study the history of every known nation or sample the philosophies or savor poetry and drama.