The King was dressed in more subdued colors than he had been at the welcoming ceremony they had witnessed earlier that day. He now wore a simple brown robe, with a black sash about the waist. The elders were all dressed in gray robes with black sashes.
All eyes turned toward the four Outlanders who were joined by Taros Ranvok.
"I am Pan Taros, King of the Tanna Varran people in exile. Welcome to Tor Varnos – the principal settlement of our people."
Safreon bowed in response and the other three followed his lead with Merit even managing a shallow bow.
"You are a curious group: a man, a young woman, a Wizard beast and an iron gnome. This group might almost be comical were the circumstances of your visit not so grave.”
"Taros Ranvok, my son, has recounted to me the events that led you here. He has described how you apparently unleashed the Mathi in ignorance and then sought to make amends for that act by slaying the beast. Fear not, for my Son has owned up to his part in your actions."
Hemlock noted that Taros Ranvok tensed visibly at that remark. The Elders murmured amongst themselves and their faces wore looks of disappointment.
The King cleared his throat."I do not know if you know of our ways, Outlanders. We have been a violent people throughout our history. Our people made war against an ancient Empire when they sought to walk the path of peace. All of the other free people of that realm rose up against us and we were defeated by them. We fled to a distant part of the Empire where we then fell under attack from the Witches. Then the great separation came and our new homeland was shorn from the Empire and bound to the City. We feel that this was a curse brought down on us as a result of our former malice. I have since led a new movement of pacifism within our people. Guided by these new principles, we have been able to make peace with the Witches. Though this land is cursed, we have learned to follow a brighter path. We now work for the redemption of all beings. We have learned to practice the art of compassion, even for our enemies.
"Our young, however, seem to question the merit of our new values. Taros Ranvok is not unique in his views that the old ways were not evil and that we should fight our enemies rather than engage them in dialogue and negotiate peace with them.”
"I have heard of your City and the people there. They prey upon each other like animals. The rich live on the backs of the poor, who work at the point of a sword. The wizards have created and enforce this system. Since you are from the City, I am not surprised at the actions you took against the Mathi. I am surprised that you are here, however. I would like to hear your direct account of the reasons for this."
Safreon took a step forward and began to speak. "We are from the City and much of what you say is true. We are no strangers to violence, but we only resort to it when there is no effective alternative. I personally strive to promote liberty and justice in the City, and to a greater or lesser extent, all of my companions are walking that same path. We came to these lands quite unexpectedly, having escaped under duress from the City and a conflict with the wizards. You will note that my companion, Gwineval, is a Wizard himself. He helped us to escape them, for we have shown him that an alternative exists to their unquestioned power.
"That is the tale of our arrival to these lands. We were teleported here in a machine of the wizards, now broken beyond repair. Once we took stock of our situation, we thought to appeal to the generosity of your people for shelter and sustenance. We climbed a hilltop to search for a town and inadvertently roused the creature which you call ‘Mathi.’ We fled from its attack, unable to effectively combat it with our magic or swords. We sought refuge in a cave where we interrupted a ritual which we were quite unfamiliar with. Your warrior, Bradrun, sacrificed himself despite our attempts to prevent his action.
"We then met with your patrol and learned of the apparent fate of Bradrun's soul. Fearing and loathing that consequence, and encouraged in some measure by your people, we decided to track and attack the creature again, with the aid of your magic."
As Safreon spoke, Hemlock noticed that the counselors of the King seemed to be drawn in by his words, and seemed to pay greater attention as he proceeded.
"We succeeded in slaying the Mathi and then followed your people here, becoming aware in greater and greater measure of the conflict between our actions and your doctrine. We do not desire to become involved in your internal disagreements, and regret any part we may have played in causing them. We place ourselves at your mercy and ask for shelter for a few days before we leave you to return to the City."
When Safreon finished speaking, the chamber was silent for several minutes. None seemed inclined to speak before the King passed judgment.
Finally, the King impassively rose from his throne to speak. Outside, a storm was rolling through the valley. A thunderclap struck and the stern visage of the King was cast in a sudden, stark relief. The queerness of the angles of the room again struck Hemlock, as the long shadows of dusk were temporarily lifted and then snapped back into place with an unearthly suddenness.
"We will meditate on what has been said. Then a verdict will be reached."
Great pairs of colorful wooden drums were rolled into the chamber on wheels, and set around the outside of the room. More incense burners were lit, filling the chamber with even stronger aromas. The King's advisors each manned a drum and they began to pound the drums in unison, marking out an even beat of alternating pitch.
The King's eyes went blank as he stared past and through the Outlanders, as did those of his advisors, who were able to drum mechanically while appearing to be in a trance-like state.
As the drums sounded forcefully and without pause, Hemlock’s head began to swim. The sound of the drums seemed to be congruent with the visual angles of the room and with those of the tower itself. She sensed that the drumming was having a magical interaction with the architecture in some strange fashion. The overall pattern that was traced out was similar to a rune of clarity, which she had used herself many times since hearing it used so frequently in Wizard Guild magic. The wizards' version was more coercive in nature, however, while the Tanna Varran version was comparatively benevolent. She tried to memorize the pattern, wishing to use it for her own purposes, but it was too complex for her to commit to memory.
After what seemed an interminable length of time to the Outlanders, the drumming ceased in unison. Curiously, none of the strangers had perceived any cue to stop, but the precision of the halting had been exact.
Slowly and solemnly, the King and his advisors returned to their seats. Once all were comfortable, the King rose again and spoke:
"Just like the storm overhead, a great storm is passing over the hearts of my people. We are turning away from the path of peace toward that of war. I sense now that you may play a greater part in this than I had thought. I have dreamed of a great Wolf who interrupts my meditations. I then saw my people, upon seeing the Wolf, pause in confusion and then pick up their spears. I feared that this Wolf was Her who we do not speak of, yet I see now that the Wolf may represent you four, for you seem to have caused my people to reach for their spears."
"I am not blaming you for recent events, but it is clear that your arrival is a grave omen for our people. You must leave as soon as you can, before greater events are set in motion. I am not so callous, however, that I would cast you out into the spectral night. No, I must allow you to rest here tonight. At dawn, you will leave. You should head east, back toward the City. We will show you caves where you can safely rest along the way."
Hemlock saw Safreon glance at Gwineval with a look of concern on his face. Gwineval appeared ready to speak, but Safreon shook his head negatively and Gwineval acted in accordance with this cue and did not speak.
Taros Ranvok looked rueful as his eyes met Hemlock’s. She looked away somewhat uncomfortably, as he gestured for the four to follow him out of the chamber.
Chapter Sixteen
The four wanderers returned to the communal living chamber, escorted by Taros Ranvok. The young
Tanna Varran told them that Pan Taros was planning to address the Townsfolk to describe the newcomers to them and explain his decision regarding them. Taros Ranvok’s manner was solemn, and Hemlock could tell that he sought to make eye contact with her, but she avoided it.
Taros Ranvok soon left the chamber. Many of the Tanna Varran townsfolk in the room were whispering amongst themselves and looking at the four outlanders. Their looks were neutral, seeming neither supportive nor angry. Hemlock wondered if this would still be the case after Pan Taros addressed them.
Eventually, most of the Tanna Varrans left the hall to attend the address. Only a pair of guards remained at the door.
Gwineval took his leave of the rest of the group to take a swim in the adjacent bath. Hemlock sat down beside Safreon while Merit looked out the nearby window at the sky, apparently lost in his own thoughts.
"Safreon, what will we do when we get back to the City?"
"I have been thinking about that," he responded. "I think that the wizards have addicted the entire City to Witch Crag magic. But now we've seen where that magic comes from, and I, for one, have no desire to partake of it any longer."
Hemlock nodded her agreement. "It's disgusting. But there are people like my sister who depend on it," she added.
"That's an unfortunate truth. We can't just stop using magic. Some amount of magic is innate to the City, but the wizards have regulated all spell casting and have required people to use their potions. We have to lead the fight against that regulation and in support of the restoration of natural magic."
Hemlock considered that for a time and then responded, "So we continue to fight the wizards."
"Yes, I'm afraid so. We lack the strength to confront the wizards directly. We have to try to aid Gwineval in returning to the Wizard Guild and retaining his position. The only way I can see to do that is to let him go back to them with information about my Wand. This information will make me even more of a marked man. It will probably affect you as well. It will be an extremely dangerous time for us both, Hemlock."
"I don't fear the wizards," she responded. Seeing Safreon's dark look in response, she added, "I respect their power, now more than ever. But I do not fear them."
Her statement seemed to placate Safreon somewhat. "Even if we manage to get Gwineval accepted back into the Wizard Guild, he will be under suspicion by Falignus. He will be an ally, but we still need more power in order to oppose Falignus. We will have to devise new ways to fight him. We may have to take the fight to the Elites as well. They are so addicted to Wizard magic that they will never willingly give it up. They will support the Wizard Guild unless..."
Safreon stopped speaking as he noticed Gwineval returning to their vicinity. Safreon began to speak about Taros Ranvok, his father Pan Taros, and the meeting which was apparently about to take place.
Hemlock rose and walked to the window, thinking to speak to Merit. But Merit, sensing her approach, moved off into a corner and sat alone.
Hemlock gave a slight shrug in Merit's direction and then gazed out the window herself.
She mused about how her life had changed in the past several days. She thought about her sister, who now seemed a world away in the Warrens, even though it could be reached in only a few days on foot.
Hemlock quietly cursed the day that her sister had joined her on her journey to the City. But then she thought of her step-father and that reaffirmed her opinion that her sister was better off in the City, even considering the physical maladies which she suffered from here. Hemlock took comfort in the fact that at least her sister’s spiritual life was pure in the City. That was a thought Hemlock cherished.
As Hemlock gazed out over the Tanna Varran town, deep in her musings, she noticed a large building nearby, which was lit up with bright lanterns and torches. Most of the townspeople were filing through the doorway. This was, no doubt, the meeting hall where the King was about to deliver news of their group.
Something caught her eye on the pitched roof of a building slightly above and adjacent to the larger meeting building. Hemlock perceived a ghostly figure crawling over the roof toward the meeting hall. It moved like an animal but it had a human appearance. Hemlock realized that it was the radiantly beautiful form of a woman. Hemlock was frozen for a moment as she watched the figure leap and soar across the divide between the rooftops. She was awed by the beauty of the creature, which seemed to exceed the measure of anything beautiful that she had previously experienced. She felt small and belittled by that beauty, yet she could not look away. The animalistic movements of the spirit also registered in Hemlock’s mind, providing a subtle undercurrent of loathing to the awe she felt as she beheld the comely form.
Stopping beside a high window on an upper section of the two story meeting hall, the insubstantial woman froze. As Hemlock watched, she began to fade; her beautiful flowing hair morphed into a fine mist. Hemlock found herself struggling to focus on it. The entire figure dissolved into mist, still casting a slight unearthly glow, and then passed through the closed window and faded from view.
Hemlock soon snapped out of whatever form of rapture had held her while she beheld the figure.
"Safreon!" she cried.
"What? What’s wrong?" asked Safreon, who had been sitting nearby speaking with Gwineval and Merit.
"I don’t know, but I just saw something. It was the ghostly figure of a beautiful woman. It seemed to pass into the hall where Pan Taros is addressing the townspeople. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before; beautiful, but terrible. So terrible…"
Safreon glanced at Gwineval and Merit, who had both risen to comfort Hemlock. He then directed his attention across the room toward the two guards which had been left at the door of the chamber.
"I think we need to alert the Tanna Varrans. Your description sounds like the Witch that haunts these hills and valleys: the Master of that Mathi creature that we dispatched," replied Safreon.
Gwineval nodded, while Hemlock was still trying to shake off the effects of her experience; though she was aware of her surroundings, she did not react to them.
Hemlock watched, detached, as Safreon jogged across the hall, trying to balance the urgency of his message with a desire to avoid trampling the bedrolls of the absent townspeople.
Soon, he returned with a Tanna Varran guard, who looked extremely grave. Hemlock was starting to feel a little better as Safreon spoke to her.
"Hemlock, please repeat to this man what you told me about the figure you saw enter the meeting hall."
"It was the ghostly figure of a beautiful woman, the most beautiful woman… person… that I have ever seen. She moved like a beast, but I still could not take my eyes off of her. She leapt from roof to roof and then dissipated into a mist which flowed into the meeting hall."
Hemlock watched the color leave the face of the Tanna Varran guard. He paused for only a moment before crying out, "Quickly! We must alert Pan Taros and Tored! The Witch herself may be in that hall!"
The guard made to grab Hemlock, but she easily avoided his grasp and gestured for him to lead them. The guard complied and set off in a swift run, looking back to make sure the rest followed. The others followed quickly behind, with Merit doing his best to keep up.
They left the hall and emerged onto the wooden causeways of the town, which creaked under the weight of their footfalls. They ran as quickly as possible in the dark evening, making their way along walkways and stairs to the meeting hall, which was not too far from their quarters.
As they ran, Hemlock looked at the rafters and roofs of the buildings around them, their queer angles seeming to accentuate the threat of seeing another ghostly figure. But she saw nothing but the characteristic stark angles of the Tanna Varran construction techniques.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the hall.
Hemlock glanced back for Merit, but she did not see him. The Tanna Varran guard would accept no delay as he ushered them into the hall, through broad double doors.
They could see the ass
embled throng and feel the warmth within the hall.
Hemlock saw Pan Taros speaking on a raised stage to the townspeople below. The King seemed to notice the motion of their group moving in the crowd and paused his melodic speech.
Undaunted, the Tanna Varran guard took them to a stairway, beside which two warriors stood. The warriors would not let the group pass.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" asked Pan Taros from the stage above, commandingly, and pointing in their direction.
All eyes in the hall turned toward the group.
The guard who had led them began to speak haltingly, but Safreon put a hand on his shoulder and the guard was silent. Safreon began to speak and his voice rang out clearly over crowd.
"Pan Taros, we regret the intrusion, but my companion, Hemlock, saw the ghostly figure of a beautiful woman crawling on the rooftops and entering this hall not moments ago!"
In response to this, a low murmur of alarm rose in the crowd.
Hemlock noticed that Tored and Taros Ranvok, who had been seated in the shadows behind the podium above, bolted up out of their seats and arrived immediately at the King’s side. There was a quick consultation and then Pan Taros shrugged them off and addressed the crowd.
"Silence! Silence!" he cried.
Slowly the murmur of the crowd trailed off and there was silence.
"Do not fear. We will determine what has happened and what, if anything, must be done," stated the King reassuringly.
Pan Taros pointed down to Hemlock.
"Now tell us what you have seen, and omit no detail," he commanded.
Hemlock related her experience carefully, but quickly.
Hemlock And The Wizard Tower (Book 1) Page 22