“Oh,” Jayson muttered, and brushed the broken twigs from his hair.
“The largest Elven library is, of course, at the palace, but other nobles and elders may have documents in their personal libraries as well,” said Piper.
“The largest library in Chartile is actually in Tutaria,” Dimitri called over his shoulder. “It has several Draconian texts as well.”
“You could always stay,” said Piper. She stopped and turned to look at them. “As Queen, I can give you whatever you desire. I promise you will not want for anything. You are my only friends.” Her voice trailed off. She looked at the ground and began fidgeting with her hair.
“What about our families?” asked Jack. “I can’t leave my mom and sister.”
“Our parents have to be really worried,” said Leo, nodding in agreement.
“Guys, it’s been, like, over a month now. Our families have probably, you know, come to terms with us being gone and all that. They probably had a big funeral and everything. Man, that’s so weird.”
“We at least have to try,” said Jack. Piper sighed and nodded her understanding. She turned and followed after Dimitri who had waited for them several paces away.
Cannondole’s silhouette stood before them as the last traces of sunlight dwindled away. They had no idea where in Cannondole they were going, and decided to make camp and steal into the city at daybreak.
The ground felt harder and more uncomfortable for Jayson that night. It seemed to remind him all too well of the comforts of home, and he lay awake long after his friends had dozed off into silent slumber. Piper and Dimitri lay curled together, entwined in each other’s cloaks for warmth. He wondered if they would get married. He wondered if Jack would marry Gemari someday. He knew Leo would be content to research in the libraries for the rest of his life. Maybe Leo would even become an Elder on one of the councils one day.
When Jayson thought of his own future in Chartile, there was nothing. If he had to remain, what would he do? Join the Elven army? Fight for Jack and Gemari? That just sounded too weird. He had never really fit in anywhere. Not on Earth and not in Chartile either. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be free of his vision, his destiny, of killing that man.
Jack woke with a start beside Jayson, sitting bolt upright. He clasped his hands to his mouth to keep from screaming, and breathed deeply through his nose to calm himself.
“Dude, are you okay?” Jayson asked, leaning toward him.
Jack was silent for a long time, trying to catch his breath.
“Yeah,” he finally whispered through ragged breaths. “I’m okay. Just a dream.”
“I know what you mean,” said Jayson, patting his friend’s shoulder. He wrapped himself in his cloak and settled in to stare at the unfamiliar clusters of stars through the trees above.
Jack looked at him, unsure what Jayson could have meant. Hesitantly he replied, “I saw my Dad.” Jayson sat up and turned toward Jack again. Jack’s voice shook as he tried to hold back his tears. “He was drunk again. He hit my mom, and he was trying to come after me. I had my bow staff in my hands, but I couldn’t move. I was frozen. I can’t believe I’m still so scared of him. I can beat Dimitri on my best days. I know I could easily…” His voice faltered, and he hoped Jayson couldn’t see the tear running down his cheek. “It’s just… he’s still my dad.”
Jayson could only nod. He didn’t know what to say, and could only think of really stupid stuff that might make Jack feel better. Most likely, it would probably make him look like an idiot.
Jayson shrugged and sighed. His mom would have hugged him, but he wasn’t about to do that. They sat in silence for several minutes, wishing there was a fire to take the chill out of the early autumn air.
“Well, g’night, Jayson,” Jack mumbled and wrapped himself in his cloak.
Jayson watched him, feeling guilty he hadn’t said anything. “’night,” he said, and settled into a restless slumber.
Piper was the first to wake the next morning. She lay quiet, curled into Dimitri’s warmth as his strong arms wrapped around her. Leo was snoring, and she giggled at the thought of being caught because of this. Fear soon overtook her moment of happiness, and she thought of her very near future. It was only a matter of days before she would confront Taraniz. Days before she would discover the fate of her Gran. Days before she could be Queen of all the elves in Chartile. She squeezed Dimitri’s hand. He didn’t want to be King. He couldn’t be King. Still, he was the only one she wanted at her side.
Her heart pained at the thought of Nefiri, having to choose between what was right for her people and the ones that she loved. Nefiri had dismissed Dimitri from her service because he had decided to stand with those who supported the Black Diamonds. Piper did not agree, but she understood. But she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t cast Dimitri away like that— not how she had been cast away so long ago. Almost exactly eighteen years ago. She would find a way. She was Piper. She could fix anything.
Dimitri squeezed her hand back, and hugged her closer to him. She smiled, and her heart raced thinking she would give anything to wake up like this every morning for the rest of her life.
“You’re almost home,” he whispered quietly in her ear.
“I know,” she said and untangled herself from his grasp. She reached for her rucksack and pulled a small pear-like fruit she had been holding onto since before they left the mountain. It was slightly bruised, but plenty fresh. She offered a bite to Dimitri. He sat up cut off a piece with his knife, tossing it into the air to catch in his mouth.
“You certainly cannot do that at the high table.” she teased.
Dimitri laughed and shuddered. “You won’t catch me anywhere near those prissy elven banquets.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Piper asked, her hands flying to her hips.
“I-I just mean… they’re very… well, there are so many rules, and everyone is always so perfectly dressed and poised.”
“I have seen you during meetings and banquets. You look wonderful, Dimitri. You can be very proper when you want to be.” Piper replied kindly, relaxing once more.
“Only because I had to be. I never really it. I wanted to join the army, but…. Maybe now I can, since…”
“Dimitri, I heard what Nefiri said. I think she will take you back into her service. It was more of a…” Piper struggled for the correct word. “A political move, I’m sure of it. Now that the council has decided to work with the Black Diamonds, there is no need for this rift between you.”
Dimitri shrugged, and bit off a piece of dried meat he had pulled from his pack.
Jayson, Jack and Leo woke shortly thereafter, and shared in the last decadent bites of Piper’s “pear-apple-fruit-thing” as Jayson called it.
“If Taraniz’s army is in Cannondole, it must be because she knows Valar has been helping us, and expects us to go there.” said Piper as they cleaned up their camp.
“She obviously knows what Piper looks like, and they probably have descriptions of what you three look like by now.” Dimitri nodded to the boys.
“Our shoes would be a dead giveaway, anyway.” Leo indicated the tennis shoes they had changed back to before leaving the mountain.
“Yeah, but they don’t know you’re not with Nefiri anymore,” said Jayson.
“What?” asked his friends together.
Jayson rolled his eyes. He did have some good ideas once in a while.
“Well, nobody knows that you’re not working for Nefiri anymore. So, just go in there and pretend you have a message from her for Valin. Then, you can talk to Valin and Valar about the best way to sneak us in.”
They all stared at Jayson until he awkwardly shrugged and started kicking the dirt with his toe.
“It is not a bad idea,” said Dimitri, and Jayson beamed.
“Taraniz knows that the dwarves have turned on her,” said Leo.
“No,” said Piper, “I do not believe Taraniz will be with the army in Cannondole. Sh
e will remain at the castle, because she knows that’s where I will eventually go. If the messengers we caught a few days ago headed straight to the castle, even by the roads, it would be three days at least. Taraniz would need another two days for any messages to reach the commander in Cannondole from the palace. We may be cutting it close, but I think we may still be able to bank on messages not having been received yet. It is a risk, but it is worth a try.”
“It is better that we send me in to be safe.” Dimitri looked at Piper and smiled. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to our future Queen and our Kings.”
They crept as quietly as they could along the outskirts of the forest line. The boys were thankful for the training they had received from Piper during their hunting lessons long ago on how to ‘ninja stealth walk’ as Jack had put it. At the forest’s edge to the village, they hid in the tall bushes and surveyed the scene. There were elven soldiers everywhere. They had camped along the main road that would have taken them from the elven palace straight to Mount Kelsii. Men flitted in and out of the taverns and huddled around the blacksmith’s workshop. The people of Cannondole could be seen peeking out of their windows and walking quickly with heads down from one building to the next. The Chantry of Canna, Mother of the skies and seasons, had its doors shut tight, and no candles burned in the windows.
Dimitri put up his hood, and handed his orenite cuffs to Piper. She tucked them in her rucksack, and hugged and kissed him. “Please be careful,” she whispered.
“Yeah, be careful, man,” said Jayson, and each of the boys shook Dimitri’s hand in turn.
“If I am not back by nightfall, get as far away from here as you can.”
“You think it’ll really take that long?” Jack asked.
“I do not know,” said Dimitri. His face set hard, he stood, and made his way around to the bend in the main road.
Chapter Eighteen
Into Cannondole
Dimitri’s heart raced. He loved the thrill of the unknown, especially when Nefiri had sent him to spy on the elders and certain elven nobility. This, however, was different. If he was caught, they would begin looking for Piper and the boys. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. He had to protect them at all cost.
He walked the main road, his face obscured by his hood, hands clasped together beneath his robes. He began running scenarios over in his mind. He never planned what he would say. The mark of a good spy was his art of improvising. He rounded the bend, and a large wagon came bouncing and creaking down the road beside him. Dimitri smirked, and stepped to the side.
Two soldiers stepped out from either side of the road, and held up a hand to stop the driver.
“State your business,” said the soldier to the left. He sounded bored, which meant he was likely not on high alert, and Dimitri’s smile deepened.
“Goods from Serestell,” said the wagon driver, confused as to the soldiers’ presence. “I’m headed to Castielle, sirs.”
The soldier on the right looked the wagon over. He glanced at Dimitri, who stood lazily beside the cart. He smiled and nodded to the soldier, and leaned against the wagon nonchalantly. The soldier eyed him for a moment, and Dimitri’s heart beat harder and faster. The soldier nodded back, and continued his search of the wagon. Dimitri silently breathed a sigh of relief. Posing as the merchant’s son had been a trick he had used before, but never when the dwarves had been under such scrutiny with the elves. The soldier on the left recovered the goods in the wagon with the burlap tarp. Nothing more than woven baskets and mats.
“Move along,” he said, and waved the merchant on. Dimitri gave a friendly wave to the soldier on the right as he passed. He continued beside the cart, staying just out of the driver’s vision. They rounded another corner by the chantry and Dimitri ducked behind a tree.
The Lord of Cannondole lived in a small estate manor behind the Chantry of Canna, facing the very center of town. Dimitri saw Cannondole was filled with soldiers, but certainly not enough as to be a serious threat to Fortress Kelsii. Valar had been the Lord of Cannondole before his appointment as the King’s advisor. His son, Valin, had taken his father’s place in running the bustling town several years ago. But, since Valar’s disappearance after King Aramor’s death, walking up to the front door was out of the question. Dimitri would have to improvise. He stepped back onto the road, his hood still drawn up, and headed toward the town center.
The Glass Lantern was Cannondole’s main inn for traveler, and the town’s most popular tavern for a pint. It was rumored to have a history of aiding those loyal to the magical arts after the fall of Duke Noraedin, but of course it was only rumor. Dimitri held the hanging wooden sign in his sights for a moment. It might be the perfect place to look for someone foolish enough to help him get to Valin. He stepped off the main road as a group of rowdy soldiers emerged from the inn. The door slammed open, and Dimitri stepped back into the shadows of the building. There was no need, as the soldiers appeared thoroughly drunk. Dimitri stepped through the door before it closed, and allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim light.
There were only a handful of people in the tavern that morning, and the last of the soldiers seemed to have just departed. Dimitri realized he had no coin or anything to trade or barter with. He lowered his hood and approached the bar.
“Evenin’, sir,” said a pretty young girl from behind the bar block. “Will it be board or booze for yeh?” she asked, flashing a toothy smile. She was a few years younger than Dimitri, but her fingers deftly counted out the coins left on the bar with one hand as she balanced a tray with the other.
“Neither,” said Dimitri, and he flashed his sultry smile back at her. “I’m only passing through, and needed a place to rest my feet out of the wind for a bit.”
“Aye, sir,” said the girl. “My name is Atana if yeh change yer mind. Where are yeh headin’, if you don’t mind my asking?” She set the tray beside her, and began scrubbing them clean as she talked.
Dimitri hesitated for only a moment, gently stroking the stubble on his chin and replied, “I have a message from the Chamberlain of Duneland to the Lord of Cannondole.” The lie rolled off his tongue perfectly. “Simply financial in nature, but…” He lowered his voice and leaned over the bar. The girl leaned in closer, her eyes locked onto Dimitri’s. She blushed when Dimitri came so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. “It is a matter he would prefer to keep private. You understand. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who could…” He ran his fingers through his hair and licked his lips. He looked over his shoulder, pretending not to notice as Atana blushed and suppressed a shiver. “Make any sort of formal introduction, would you?”
Dimitri grabbed a grape from a dirty plate behind the counter, and tossed it in the air to catch in his mouth. Again, he leaned forward, resting his elbow on the bar and his chin on his hand. He looked at the girl with his eyebrows raised in an innocent stare.
The girl did not speak for several long seconds. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, swallowing and glancing behind her nervously.
“Meet me in the stables in a half hour.” she said and rushed off.
Dimitri stretched and swung his feet onto the chair beside him, and waited, a smug grin spreading across his face.
Atana returned minutes later. She continued to wait on the few patrons left in the tavern, but only passed Dimitri brief, side glances as she worked. At ten minutes before their meeting time, she disappeared again. Dimitri found himself bouncing his knee and playing with a hole in the inside pocket of his cloak. His mind raced with the possibility that the girl could have turned him into the soldiers. He glanced at every window and every door in the tavern before allowing his mind to settle. No, the soldiers would have come charging in without warning the moment they heard the news.
Dimitri knew he could be arrogant at times, and he had yet to forget Piper’s words to him about his stubbornness. He was not about to take any chances. He headed for the stairs leading to the rooms above the t
avern available for rent. He stepped quietly, making no noise and checking for creaking floor boards. He pressed his ear against each door, and listened. The third room was silent, and the door unlocked. Dimitri opened it to find the bed stripped of linens and completely bare.
He sighed and stepped quietly to the window. The city street below was deserted. Dimitri smiled and thanked Ygtall, Goddess of mischief and gambling for his luck. He swung himself up the eaves and onto the thatched roof. From there, he could see the entire surrounding area. He checked every entrance into the inn, lying flat against the roof. No soldiers. He could see the army had made camp in the large, now empty fields at the edge of the town. Cannondole was known for its summer harvest of hot yellow peppers, and the once lush fields had been picked clean and turned into an encampment. More soldiers had pitched tents and pavilions in the area beside the chantry— right in front of Valin’s estate. The side road leading to the small manor house was riddled with tents and campfires. None of the soldiers seemed on edge. They were calm. Too calm for Dimitri’s comfort.
Dimitri squinted, staring at the most dense sections of soldiers. Through the early morning fog, he saw a different sort of haze. It hung in the air above the natural fog and shimmered slightly to the experienced eye. Leo had been right. There were more soldiers waiting in Cannondole than what first met the eye, and the people of the town took little heed of the strange occurrence. His skin crawled as he thought of Piper facing such a formidable adversary. If Taraniz was capable of this, what else could she do?
Dimitri climbed back down the side of the building, and found a trap door leading from the roof of the stables to the hay loft. He jumped through, landing in the soft bales, and listened quietly. He heard the voices of a boy and girl arguing in the stable aisle below.
“How do yeh know he’s not working for the soldiers, huh? How do yeh know he’s not trying to get to Lord Valin to kill ‘im? His dad was King Aramor’s advisor and he’s gone missing.”
Chartile: Prophecy Page 21