David strove to be with his children every night. He talked with them, held them, and tried his best to just be their father. There was strength and hope in their relationship, and each moment they shared gave them courage to go on. For some, the wonder of the Beagle helped them; they found comfort in the angel’s presence and words. Then there was Esther. Esther sang, and though she was only twelve her voice was powerful.
Esther had always sang. Rebekah had joked that Esther made melodies instead of babbling as a baby and harmonized her first words. When others sang with Esther, she could change her pitch and range in order to make her voice flow around theirs. David called it dancing with words. More often than not, Esther sang to and for herself. Now, however, the younger children were asking Esther to sing to them at night. So she did. She sang lullabies, songs from cartoons she saw, and the hymns she had memorized. Sometimes she made up songs to tell stories she knew. Many times she ran out of words and just hummed or made melodies. Above all that, though, she discovered that the Beagle’s gift of tongues had changed her.
One night when she was tired and Dinah and Mary were particularly upset about missing their mother, Esther sang an emotion. She was thinking how their mother gave them hugs when they returned from a day in the woods, and started humming. Then words formed, but they were not words from any terrestrial language. They did not speak of things like love and peace and comfort. They were love and peace and comfort. The younger girls quieted, feeling the touch of their mother in the moment of a hug, and drifted off to sleep with the smell of their mother’s shampoo in their noses.
The Beagle had come in during Esther’s singing. The angel saw the girl’s vacant expression as she finished her song and saw her sag a little as her body began to adjust to a loss of energy. The Beagle approached her and licked her hand. Esther absentmindedly reached out and began to pet the Beagle. Softly, the Beagle spoke.
“You sang a song in the angel’s tongue. You shared a memory, a moment of your life.”
Esther looked down at the angel, half in her lap. Her eyes slowly focused on the Beagle.
“How. . .” she began, but could not finish.
“The gift of tongues in its simplest form allows people to communicate regardless of different languages. There was once only one worldly language, but through a series of events all the races defied the commands of God. On Earth it happened in the place called Babel. God had commanded the people to ‘go forth.’ Instead, they used their singular language to stay in one place, and attempted to build the greatest kingdom ever imagined. When God confused their language, the people finally obeyed God. If they hadn’t, sin would have taken hold faster, and the forces of the Void would have claimed Earth in the infancy of the human race.”
The Beagle paused. Esther did not respond, so the angel continued. “In more complex manifestations, the gift of tongues allows better communication with God by giving humans access to the angelic praise language. Your gift of song has blended with this gift of the Holy Spirit, and you now apparently have the ability to share your pure emotions, thoughts, and memories with others.”
“I feel really tired now.”
“You are young and inexperienced. You have been given the gift, but you must learn how to use it. As it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, pray for guidance and understanding, and God will teach you how and when it is best to use your power.”
“Can you do this?”
“I am not a messenger; I am a counselor. The ability is within me, yet I do not have access to it, as my job does not call for me to need it.”
“Oh, I was hoping you could help me.”
“It is better for you to seek guidance from the Great Counselor. Pray to the Spirit of God and you will be guided truly. I, however, can help you get to your own bed so you can rest.”
The Beagle moved, and Esther staggered along to her bed. Once there, the angel tucked her in. When David returned late that night from a meeting, he found her asleep and the Beagle waiting for him.
*
Nic was alone and surrounded by darkness. It was cold and there was a persistent dripping sound in the far distance. In his right hand he held a large, smooth stone, and strapped to his left arm was a large shield with a pointed tip at the bottom. He was alone, yet there was something else in the deep darkness. There seemed to be no light around at all, though he found that if he concentrated he could see through the murk.
Nic was trying to collect his thoughts, to remember where he was and why. However, he could not recall anything except that he had come down here after something. Then the air stirred and a gush of wind blew at him from behind. All the hairs on his body stood on end and his mind commanded him to turn, to fight. Nic turned quickly and brought up his shield just in time to intercept the body of a pale man-sized creature.
The thing had long pointed ears, more pronounced than an elf’s. Its skin was pulled tight across its body, giving it a skeletal look. The skin around its mouth and eyes was discolored and stained red. When it opened its mouth, repellent breath washed over Nic and he spied two long sharp teeth. Nic’s heart beat faster as a single word echoed in his mind: vampire.
Instinctively, Nic swung his right arm up and the rock therein began to glow. When it connected with the vampire’s head there was a sickening crunch, and the darkness was banished in an explosion of blinding white light.
Nic flailed and sat up, his heart racing and head aching.
“Wha. . .” He grabbed his head and pushed on it with both of his hands. “What just happened?” he finally asked, taking in deep breaths as if he had just returned from beneath the water.
Yero was kneeling beside him. He began to examine Nic as he spoke. “You got hit in the head, hard.”
“How? What? I was in a tunnel?”
Yero held Nic’s chin in one of his hands and held his eyes open with the other. “No, you had your back to a wall most of the fight and were holding me at bay quite handily. That doesn’t matter though, because you tried to make a push through my defenses and moved from the wall, exposing your back.”
“Eve hit you hard,” Mel broke in. He too was kneeling next to Nic.
“Please,” Eve let out an exasperated breath. She stood against the wall, her wooden sword still in her hand. “First Thunder told me to keep everybody on their toes.” She puffed out her chest, turned to them with a serious look, and dropped her voice. “‘You keep reminding them about their blind side.’”
A long metal sword suddenly appeared at Eve’s throat. Fleet of Foot smiled as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “He told me the same thing.” He removed the sword and sheathed it before continuing in a normal tone. “Now, nowhere in his instructions did he say knock people unconscious. You need to watch your power before you seriously harm somebody.”
“Too late,” said Nic. “She hit me so hard I thought I was in a tunnel fighting a vampire.”
Fleet of Foot froze and Yero’s grip on Nic tightened. Nic tried to pull away, but Yero locked eyes with him. A feral light burned in the captain’s eyes, and Nic could have sworn they momentarily changed color.
“Explain,” was the only thing Yero said.
Nic recounted the dream. While he did, Yero’s hands dropped to his sides and he stood. Once Nic was finished, Yero looked over at Fleet of Foot.
“Take care of them,” Yero said curtly. “I must oversee my company’s shift change.”
As Yero left, everybody stared after him. Fleet of Foot watched him with a suspicious eye.
“What was that about?” Nic asked.
Without taking his eyes off the retreating soldier, Fleet of Foot answered. “Vampires are real and quite deadly. There exists an elite guard to combat their incursions into the Crossroads. I think Captain Yero may be part of it.”
“Well, he got awful worked up over Nic’s dream,” Eve commented.
Fleet of Foot turned to her. “Vision,” he said. “He got worked up over your brother’s vision. Nic didn’t have a dream; he saw
something yet to be.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Mel.
Fleet of Foot looked down to Nic and locked eyes with him. Nic nodded slowly and answered. “I experienced it with my entire being. It was reality, just not current reality.”
Mel and Eve stared at their brother and Fleet of Foot nodded. Then, with Mel’s help he lifted Nic to his feet. With the support of the other two men they began walking back toward Way House. Eve followed, twirling her wooden sword. As they neared the rear entry of Way House, Fleet of Foot finally broke the silence.
“We will square you away, and then you can ask Zilda all about vampires and those who guard against them. I will talk to your father about all that has transpired.” He turned to look directly at Eve. “From now on, a poke to the back or tap on the arm will suffice to remind people about their blind side.”
Eve rolled her eyes, but nodded her understanding.
*
“No, what are you doing? Stop!” Zilda was exasperated and grabbed the pencil out of Jeremiah’s hand. “You cannot do it that way.”
Jeremiah looked over at the dwarf tutor and tilted his head to the side. “It works that way, too.”
Zilda took the paper Jeremiah had been working on. There were many lines of math figures on the page. Using the pencil she had also taken, she began marking out numbers and segments of his computations.
“Cutting corners,” she said more softly, “will end you in disaster. You must follow the road you know leads to the proper destination, or you could fall afoul of the darkness. Arithmetic has rules as created by God and discovered by His creations. Look.”
Zilda handed the paper back to Jeremiah and he saw she had marked out four different parts of his problem. He studied the paper for several seconds before looking back to his teacher. He then looked at another set of papers beside him and pulled out a similar set of problems. Zilda looked over this paper and then set it down in front of him. She took the pencil and circled a segment of the computation in the middle.
“Yes,” she said, “you got it right. However, look there in the middle; you had to jig and jog to get back on track. If you had been using this computation to design a foundation for further research or to build anything, your work would have crumbled. Trust the method I showed you. It has helped build vast empires and ships that sail from planet to planet.”
Jeremiah perked up, his eyes glowing with intensity. Several of the other children looked up from their work, as well.
“Here,” Jeremiah asked with awe, “are there such ships here?”
Zilda shook her head, “No, as far as we know this place is a space in between our worlds and the realms of Heaven and Hell. We’ve never been able to confirm that with instrumentation, though, for most technologies were ruined long ago and any attempts to recreate them have failed.”
“This place once had technology, like computers?” This question came from Ruth, who had been listening in.
Zilda turned and saw that all the children present were paying attention. She moved to the center of the room so as to see them all at the same time. “It still does,” she said, and smiled at the wonder washing over their faces.
“However,” she continued, “there is not an overabundance of such things as there is on the worlds outside the Way World. The Coterie, who ruled first, has never relied much on technology, and the nisse would not bring technology here. The dwarves built up the Crossroads and recreated many of our technological innovations when we did. When the avian took over, they also brought in much of their technological knowledge. Their expertise is what keeps the Twelfth Kingdom floating around somewhere out there.
“Keeping all of this technology was not possible, though, after the war between the limnaid and the avian. The limnaid are well advanced in their own right, but using different power sources and configurations. They designed and released a biological contaminant within the atmosphere of the Crossroads that crippled nearly all the existing technologies at the time. It was not until the elves and the weald brought in their perspectives that some semblance of technology truly returned to the Way World. In deference to the nisse, who were the first to dwell within the Hub World and the restrictions imposed by the limnaid’s weapon, technology is used sparingly.
“The avian have ways of monitoring many places within the Crossroads at once. Communication between the castles of the ruling family is kept open using something similar to what you might refer to as computers. The limnaid still have their own technologies, and the dwarves in the deep mountains have adapted weald technology to suit their needs.
“Therein lies the key word that we have all come to understand: need. Nearly all the technology that is in place now is a matter of need, not want. It is a lesson that many of our worlds have not yet learned.”
For a few moments the children processed this information. Before anybody could comment, though, Mel, Nic, and Eve entered. Nic was holding a compress to his temple and, without wondering if he was interrupting, spoke up.
“Hey, Zilda I have a question to ask you about vampires.”
Zilda shook her head and clicked her tongue at the impetuous young man.
*
Well into the second week of the true council meetings, fights were breaking out daily and at times hourly. All of the local lords had arrived, and with more men than could be comfortably accommodated. General Kolk was using every one of his soldiers, rotating them in six hour shifts in order to keep them fresh. Normally he would have relied on the local lords’ militias, but they were the problem. They were full of hot tempered fools, sell swords, and they owed more loyalty to their lords than the crown.
The fields from Council Rock to Ven thus became an assortment of foreign camps. Local lords were taking this opportunity to visit ills upon the other lords with whom they disagreed with. Skirmishes ranged from small (a few men sabotaging other camp grounds) to large (battles involving armed men trying to kill one another). General Kolk even had to beef up the constabulary of Ven with his own soldiers, as drunken brawls were becoming a nightly occurrence.
David was not getting much rest, as he had made himself available to General Kolk. Throughout the day he was overseeing the council meetings with King Avrant. Most of the night was spent working with disputing lords. Progress was not easily won. However, David saw that his presence was creating more unity. Slowly over the course of the long weeks, the landlords started putting aside their minor differences and began to form agreements on major points. This wasn’t necessarily a good course of events, though.
*
Duke Dweller was standing, surrounded by a group of like-minded landlords who were nodding and smiling at his words. He drawled, “We feel it is in the best interest of the council to start fresh. Recognize that there have either been crop shortages, deliveries never reached their destinations, or the gaeder have cut back planting. We should take note of this and move on. Inventory the kingdom’s expected yields, assess a fair market value, and wait for the harvest.”
As if on cue, the lords around Dweller started bobbing their heads, mock looks of sincerity plastered on their faces. Across the room Brogene, the only gaeder landlord in the Seventh Kingdom, stood with his posture rigid. Avrant smiled a wicked smile and spoke up.
“The crown recognizes Brother Brogene.”
Brogene bowed to the king and then faced Dweller. “It would not be to the benefit of the kingdom to ignore the current crisis and go about our business in hopes that it does not recur with the next harvest. I have documentation showing consistent planting in my region. In fact, I’ve confirmed with my neighboring lords, and we have all asked for increases due to the escalating Void activity. Our tax revenues have not dropped by much, and our yields have lessened only marginally. You ask for a clean ledger; why? My own ledgers document every good and ill and can withstand the scrutiny of the crown’s top accountants. Can you say the same about your books?”
A third lord stood up and without being recognized, starte
d to speak. “I ask you all: why are we debating ledgers? We should be seeking solutions to our problems. Where are the extra guards some of us have requested? How do we put a stop to highwaymen stealing goods? What aid can we be given when brokers short us the agreed-upon price, or the king’s own collectors overestimate taxes?”
“Enough, Count Merrin!” the king shouted above the rising din. “The procedures for grievances to the crown are clear and known by all. As for your request for an increased troop presence in your holdings, that can be arranged. Truth be told. . .”
“Your majesty,” David said as he stood. His tone, though respectful, held a hint of warning. “Perhaps some things are best left unsaid. In addition, as I am beginning to see some cohesion in the council’s thinking, I would suggest each group create a detailed plan of action. When next the council meets, we can discuss the merits of each plan.”
David’s comments were met with silence, and all saw the king starring lividly at him. With cold disdain the king finally responded.
“Truth Blade, while the crown appreciates your aid, we would ask that you observe the rules of council and not speak before you are recognized.”
The king then stood and addressed the rest of the council. “It has been suggested that the like-minded groupings of the council convene and draw up a plan to move forward from our present climate of discord. As lord ruler of the Seventh Kingdom, I agree and second the motion. Therefore, the council will be recessed for two days, in which the amicable parties within the body politic can create a document that discusses the ills that currently affect the kingdom’s primary resources and presents a plan to rectify the situation and produce a more robust kingdom henceforth.”
The entire group of councilors were frozen in awe of Lord Avrant’s soliloquy. Then the king spoke again, this time through nearly clenched teeth. “Now leave the council tent, as I wish to address the Truth Blade in private.”
A flurry of activity met these words. David turned to Deborah, his only child attending that day, and motioned for her to leave. Nearby, Hogan, who had been serving guard duty, led her out. The council tent was cleared out in less than a minute, leaving David and Avrant standing alone and face to face. Another minute passed before either man tried to speak. King Avrant was the first.
The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) Page 18