“It would give us a little more time together,” Rafe said. “And there is no one better to lead the city down into the blighted lands.”
Olyva didn’t speak. She looked from Rafe to Tiberius, the conflict she felt making her forehead pinch as she wrestled with the decision. Then she nodded.
“Good!” the earl said. “Are the blighted lands as vibrant and fertile as the Countess Mauryn tells me?”
“They are, Father, even more than she knows,” Tiberius said.
“We’ve been fools for so long,” the earl said to himself. “Well, it’s time we change that. We have so much to do, but Robere is seeing to your provisions, Tiberius. He’ll accompany you south. Once you find what you need to destroy the Balestone, you must return here. I’ll hold your brother at bay for as long as I can, but I won’t sacrifice the city needlessly.”
“I will,” Tiberius said.
“Rest yourself this afternoon,” the earl went on. “When night falls, I will see you out to the war ship personally.”
“Thank you, Father,” Tiberius said.
“Yes, thank you, my lord,” Lexi added.
“It is the least I can do. We cannot let Valana fall into the hands of a monster,” the earl said as he walked toward the door. “Even if I created it.”
He added the last sentence in a whisper, but Tiberius heard it. Even though he’d lived almost his entire life without his father’s love, it was hard to see his father so distraught.
“Nothing left now but to get ready,” Rafe said. “Unless you need me for something else?”
“No,” Tiberius said. “We all have things to do. Good luck.”
“You, too.”
Rafe escorted Olyva out of the room, and Tiberius was left with Lexi. She sat down in a seat opposite Tiberius’ chair. They didn’t speak for a while. Tiberius tried to keep his emotions in check. He was terrified of setting out on his own, but not because of the danger. He was afraid that he couldn’t do what needed to be done on his own. He was glad that Lexi would be with him, but it felt wrong to be leaving Avondale without Rafe and Olyva.
“I wish they were going with us,” Lexi finally said.
“Me too,” Tiberius agreed.
Food was brought up to the room, and they ate. Eventually Tiberius napped a little, while Lexi paced around the room. Waiting for nightfall was difficult. Robere returned and reported that everything was ready. Earl Ageus was sending a dozen soldiers with Tiberius. They would serve as protection but also crew the ship. The earl was also sending his most experienced captain to make sure the war ship carried them where they needed to go and back as quickly as possible.
“It will be tight quarters, but at least we’ll be safe,” Robere explained.
Tiberius nodded.
“I wish we could leave now,” Lexi said. “It doesn’t seem right to wait.”
“I agree,” Tiberius said. “But the plan is good. And we need that other ship to be well away from the city when we leave.”
“You think they might wait for us?” she asked.
“It’s possible. If they suspect our plan at any rate.”
“Your father had them locked in a room without windows,” Robere said. “They couldn’t have seen us provisioning the other ship.”
“He should launch it from the palace roof, not the watchtower,” Tiberius said. “He’s probably already thought of that, but would you mind going and telling him?”
“Of course, my lord,” Robere said.
He left, and they were forced to wait again. Tiberius struggled to find a way to sit or lie down that didn’t make his back hurt worse. The pain was a deep, burning ache, and he could find no relief from it. Lexi massaged his back, trying to keep the muscles that wrapped around his ribcage from cramping.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the light outside the palace windows began to fade. The earl returned with Rafe and Olyva. They all shared one last meal together as night fell.
“Do you have a plan for hiding the Balestone?” his father asked.
“Yes,” Tiberius said. He had tucked the little pouch into his belt. “In fact, it’s already taken care of.”
“Good. That’s the last bit of business for tonight,” Earl Ageus said, then he took Tiberius aside from the others. “I know that I haven’t been a good father.”
“Don’t say that,” Tiberius argued.
“No, it’s true. Lying on my deathbed I realized I had been chasing the wrong things. And then you gave me a second chance.”
“It was nothing,” Tiberius said.
“It was much more than that. I saw how much your ministrations hurt you. You shared my pain and then freed me from the disease that was killing me. In fact, I feel stronger than I have in years. I feel young again. You gave me a second chance, and I don’t want to squander it. Your brothers have made poor decisions, but they were only emulating me. Yet somehow you turned out different. Maybe it was because I didn’t poison you with my presence.”
“Father, please don’t talk that way.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t complain. I want you to know that I’m proud of you.”
Tiberius felt tears stinging his eyes again. He had never really known how much he desired to hear those words from his father.
“And I don’t want you to do anything foolish,” he went on. “I want you to come back. I need to make up for lost time.”
“That would be nice,” Tiberius said.
“So promise me you’ll be careful,” Earl Ageus said.
“I promise.”
“And promise me you’ll return to Avondale.”
“I promise.”
“Good, now say goodbye to your friend. It’s obvious he would rather be leaving with you than staying here with me.”
Tiberius turned around and waved to Rafe. The earl left the room, and Rafe joined Tiberius in the corner.
“It’s time,” Ti said. “Can you help me up to the war ship?”
Rafe nodded.
“It’s good that you’re staying,” Tiberius said, trying to reassure his friend. “My father needs you. Avondale needs you.”
“What if you need me more?” he said.
“I’m going to find the Emerystone. Lexi and I can do that, and then we’ll come back here.”
“My only regret is that I can’t go with you and stay here at the same time.”
“You’ve been a good friend.”
“So have you, Ti.”
“Let’s get going.”
Lexi and Olyva walked together, talking in quiet voices. Rafe was stoic, and Tiberius was in so much pain that he had to concentrate solely on getting to the war ship. It took a while, and when they finally got to the top of the palace, Tiberius had to rest before he attempted to climb the rope ladder.
“You should learn to fly,” Rafe said. “Can’t wizards levitate?”
“I don’t know that spell,” Tiberius said.
He was thankful for the darkness that hid the tears that were now rolling down his cheeks. He didn’t try to stop them. He was already sweating from the pain of climbing the stairs. And he dreaded the pain of climbing the rope ladder into the war ship, but it couldn’t be avoided.
“Well, you get a good hold on the ladder,” Rafe said. “The soldiers will pull you up to the railing and help you into the ship.”
“Thank you for everything,” Lexi said. “Be safe.”
She hugged Olyva and brushed the side of Rafe’s cheek with a kiss. Then she hurried up the ladder and climbed over the rail. Tiberius heard the trill of Dancer as the little wind glider settled on Lexi’s shoulder.
“This isn’t goodbye,” Tiberius said.
“Hurry back,” Rafe said.
They embraced gently. Olyva handed Tiberius a small pouch then hugged him.
“It will help with your pain,” she told him. “One pinch will help you sleep.”
“Thank you,” Tiberius said. “Watch out for him and take care of yourself.”
“I will,” she promised.
“Stay alive, no matter what,” Tiberius told Rafe.
“You do the same. And get back here.”
“I will.”
Tiberius took a deep breath then stepped onto the first rung of the rope ladder. Holding his weight as it swayed backward sent spikes of pain all through his back and made him feel weak, but the soldiers hoisted him upwards quickly. It took all his strength just to hold on, and then he felt strong hands pulling him over the side of the ship.
“That’s it!” the captain said in a quiet but authoritative voice. “Bring her around.”
“I need to go over the lake,” Tiberius said as he limped to the command deck. “Then we head south.”
“As you wish, my lord,” the captain said.
“Didn’t Olyva give you something for the pain?” Lexi asked.
“She did.”
“You should take it,” Lexi said. “I’ll make sure we get underway.”
“I’ve got one last thing to do first,” Tiberius said.
There were no lights on the war ship, and even though the stars were bright overhead, the moon was only a sliver. The ship moved quietly over the city, and Tiberius leaned against the rail.
“The Balestone?” Lexi asked.
“I have to leave it here somewhere,” Tiberius said.
The ship glided over the lake, and Tiberius could see the stars reflected on the glassy surface of the water. He pulled the small pouch out of his belt and once again he could hear the voices trapped inside the Balestone. They were seductive voices when they wanted to be, and he felt the temptation to take the stone and use it to conquer Valana. He knew that possibility was within his grasp and he toyed with the idea that if he used the stone to defeat Leonosis that he could rule the entire kingdom. He knew he could be a better king than his brother. He would be a fair and generous ruler, but he could also feel the greed and lust for total submission just beneath the surface of the stone’s tempting voices.
“No,” he said, opening his hand and watching the pouch that held the Balestone fall.
There was splash far below them, although Tiberius couldn’t hear it. Still, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Tiberius knew that Rafe had been right about the lake. It was too deep and too cold for anyone to even attempt to find the stone. Yet it might be enough to fool Leonosis into coming to Avondale to find him.
“Now you can rest,” Lexi said.
Tiberius nodded, and she led him below the deck. The space beneath the main deck had been slung with hammocks for the soldiers manning the ship. Robere was waiting for them and led them through the darkness to a small cabin.
“There’s a bed,” he told Tiberius. “I’ve seen to it myself. And water in a jug. Plenty of blankets. You should be warm and comfortable.”
“Thank you, Robere.”
“It is my pleasure, master Tiberius.”
Lexi helped Tiberius into the bed. His back was aching and burning, but he felt better knowing they were on the move.
“Make sure we go south,” Tiberius told her. “And if anyone is following us, wake me up immediately.”
“I will,” she assured him. “Now, get some rest.”
He took a pinch of the stems from the little pouch that Olyva had given him. He put it in his mouth and thought they tasted like pine needles, only softer. Almost instantly he felt his muscles relaxing. The pain in his back was still there, but he didn’t seem to care anymore. The cabin was completely dark, yet the greater darkness of unconsciousness pulled him down into a warm, weightless place where the pain slipped away, and he knew nothing but relief.
Epilogue
The Balestone drifted down into the cold, dark waters, but the voices inside didn’t stop. They howled with dreadful fury as the stone sank further and further down. The lake at the center of Avondale’s cone-shaped mountaintop was deep, but eventually vegetation grew upward. It was mostly long, fragile weeds, quivering with even the slightest movement of the water, but there were also the soaked and rotting corpses of trees; their bare, gnarly branches were like the arthritic fingers of an old woman.
The straps of the small, leather coin pouch that held the Balestone eventually caught on a brittle limb, and for a few moments the pouch settled, hanging in the cold water with the intense weight of the lake pressing down upon it.
Then something unexpected happened. The Balestone began to spontaneously heat up. The water around it warmed, then suddenly began to boil. In the darkness of night, the bubbles that erupted from the lake went unnoticed. A steady stream of water was converted to steam around the stone, which did not take kindly to being tossed away like garbage. The Balestone grew red hot, glowing in the oppressive darkness until finally it burned its way through the leather pouch and continued its journey down into the lake.
The glowing stone cooled rapidly, but the illumination revealed the tangled bottom of the lake. There were slime-covered boulders, and waving aquatic weeds surrounded the stunted trees, but none of those things held the stone’s interest. Bouncing off of another tree branch, it rolled slowly down the side of a huge, round boulder, before the Balestone dropped into a deep crevice.
The gloom of the lake grew even darker, and the water beneath the surface of the lakebed began to warm. The Balestone could feel the incredible, destructive power of the molten rock deep inside the mountain. The crevice narrowed, the sides of the trench narrowing the further the Balestone descended. Finally, after several more minutes of downward motion, the Balestone lodged between the narrow walls of the crevice. The molten rock was still far away, dormant, unmoved, but the Balestone began to change that. It was a slow process, but the voices inside the Balestone began to summon the great power of the mountain, calling to it, tempting it to rise once more.
The change had begun, even though from the war ship high above the city, it went unnoticed. The subtle changes in the lake would go unnoticed, as well, but the Balestone would not be forgotten. It would not be tossed aside, its incredible power marginalized. Its revenge would be absolute, its power awesome to behold. The beings trapped in the stone would find a way to escape their prison and wreak havoc on the world of men. It was only a matter of time now—the change had begun.
Look for the stunning conclusion to the Avondale series coming in Summer 2015
Learn more about Toby Neighbors and his books at www.TobyNeighbors.com
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