Journey to Queyon: The Innocence Cycle, Book 3

by J D Abbas

  It was a steep climb to the table but from that vantage point, it was possible to see across the magnificent Forest of Alsimion, which shimmered like a gem set into the earth, all the way to the northeastern end of the Belzear Range and the southern-most peaks of the Pallanor mountains divided by the Bengoran plains, a green and gold valley between the mountain ranges.

  One by one, Elbrion and the other Guardians arrived and stood silently, taking in the view and awaiting Celdorn, who was delayed.

  ~

  “Ada, I have a right to be at the council,” Elena argued, glaring up at him. They were standing toe to toe, and she refused to back down. “You’re making decisions regarding my fate, and I ought to have a voice in that.”

  “It is too vulnerable, little one.” Celdorn patted the arms he’d been gripping, as if to placate her. “The stone table offers little in the way of protection. I won’t risk it.”

  “But Zhalor said the Ilqazar have surrounded the mountain, and we would be secure.”

  “From the ground perhaps, but there is no protection from archers. It is possible that some of the men who attacked yesterday may still be hiding on this mountain.”

  “Then move the meeting,” she snapped.

  “The men are already assembled. They are waiting for me.” His jaw tensed, though he kept his voice even. “Elena, you must stay here. I will inform you of everything we discuss, and you may give me whatever input you desire.”

  “But the decisions will already have been made.”

  Celdorn drew himself up and his voice firmed. “Elena, you will remain here as instructed, and you will give these gentlemen no trouble.” He indicated the four guards he had brought to protect Elena and Braiden. When she set her jaw and glared back at him, he tried a different tack. “Little one, you agreed to trust my judgment when we made the decision to travel to Queyon. I’m asking you to trust me now.”

  That caught her off guard. “You’re right, Ada. I did agree to that.” It felt as if all the energy drained from her body. “I have no wisdom to offer anyway. There seems to be no answer.” She turned and went to her bedroll to lie down.

  Celdorn followed her, suddenly looking sad. He knelt next to her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll return soon, little one. All will be well.”

  Elena watched him leave with vacant eyes.

  Braiden, who had been quietly observing, reached for her hand and attempted to grasp it with his damaged fingers. Elena startled, having forgotten he was there.

  “H-he’s trustworthy. He loves you d-dearly and will do only what is b-best for you.”

  Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and gingerly held Braiden’s hand, not wanting to hurt him. “I know. It’s just so hard for me to lie here and do nothing.”

  “I-I fully understand th-that frustration,” Braiden said. “I w-wanted to be at the council as w-well, but Celdorn wouldn’t allow it. He s-said if I couldn’t make the climb or s-sit during the meeting—b-both of which he knew I c-could not—then I m-must remain here.” He stared at the far wall. “I-I can’t even dress m-myself.” He gave a snort of disgust.

  Elena’s full attention turned to him. She chastised herself for again being so self-absorbed. “Braiden, I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask how you’re feeling.” She studied his hand, which she was still holding, then his face. The swelling was much worse. His left eye was a sealed slit set in a blackened purple mountain. The remainder of his face was a landscape of crimson, plum and bluish-black hills of varying tones, interspersed with rivers of stitches. There was only one small clearing on his right cheek that was free of injury.

  “It’s b-better not to ask.” He removed his hand from hers and turned his back.

  Elena felt the shame that engulfed him. She knew the feelings all too well. “I’m so sorry, Braiden. I do understand.” She laid her hand on his shoulder.

  “N-no, Elena, I d-don’t think you do,” he whispered, an anger in his tone that she’d never heard before. “Y-your life was a journey of p-pain from the beginning. Y-you built a gradual t-tolerance for the ever-increasing assaults and-and humiliation. I’m n-not like you.” He coughed and his chest rattled as he tried to catch his breath. “I-I had no place to g-go, no place to h-hide inside. M-my life ended in a series of-of blinding, degrading t-torments. And I-I felt every s-second of it.” He stopped.

  Elena waited. When he didn’t continue, she whispered, “I would heal you if I could. I would willingly take your pain.” It belongs to me anyway.

  “W-well, you c-can’t. So it’s p-pointless to discuss it.” His damaged lips pressed into a flat line. “I n-need to rest n-now.”

  He was done. She felt the wall that rose up around him. Is this what the others felt when they encountered her defenses? Did they feel as helpless and inept as she did at this moment?

  Elena choked back tears, grieved because it was her fault his innocence had been destroyed—again. Something was forever altered inside Braiden. Something that could never be repaired.

  Chapter 33

  Celdorn paused under the stone gateway—a majestic sight as the morning sun encircled his form. His stature seemed to expand, his inner strength visible, one of the mighty kings of old returned to claim his throne.

  A chill swept over Elbrion. He had seen this moment in vision—decades ago.

  One by one Celdorn’s men dropped to their knees, drew their swords, and laid them on the ground. Even Elbrion, who rarely offered this deference, bowed.

  Celdorn halted as if startled by the gesture. Dipping his chin, he moved to the seat at the far end of the stone slab. “Arise, my friends. The aura of this place must be affecting your judgment.” He smiled as he lowered himself to the squat seat.

  Except for Braiden, Celdorn’s entire inner circle was present. Zhalor, however, had not yet arrived.

  As the men returned to their seats on the crude stools, Celdorn began. “It has been a difficult night, leaving us with several complex issues to address: How long must we remain here for the sake of Elena’s and Braiden’s health? Are we sufficiently secure to remain here? Has our location been compromised? What do we do with the threat from Elena’s village? Do we return and secure the safety of her family? Do we pursue those who attacked Braiden? All challenging questions. I can’t decide which is most urgent.”

  “I believe our most pressing concern must be the security of our location,” Haldor said. “We set out with the belief that our highest priority was to keep Elena safe and preserve her life. Are we able to do that here?”

  “If any of those who attacked last night happened to have slipped away, then our location could be known,” Silvandir pointed out. “This is not a fortress. There are far too many accesses to this peak to keep it secure.”

  “And yet, we must secure it—for two more days at least,” Dalgo said. “We can’t ask Elena to ride any sooner or we’ll have the same situation miles down the road, in an even less secure location. And I can’t foresee Braiden on an Ilqazar for at least a week. He’s unable to endure sitting, and his ribs won’t tolerate the impact of riding.”

  “Perhaps we should send for a cart; that way we can move forward but not require either to suffer the pains of the saddle,” Tobil said.

  “The longer we remain here, the greater the likelihood that we will be found or followed,” Elbrion said. “We had hoped that in moving in our small group, we would stay relatively free of notice, but that no longer seems possible since we are surrounded by fifty Guardians and who knows how many Ilqazar.”

  “Zhalor knows,” Celdorn replied. “But he has not yet graced us with his presence to offer his insight.”

  Elbrion arched a brow at the note of irritation in Celdorn’s voice.

  Just then, as if on signal, Zhalor appeared at the head of the trail, flanked by Wheldam and Ahnomar, two of the oldest among the Ilqazar. The triad stood under the stone gateway.

  Zhalor snorted loudly and pawed the earth. Forgive our delay, Lord Celdorn, he related through Silvandir.
I had a council of my own to attend. It was important for me to ascertain what transpired after we left Kelach to prompt this migration. I was as surprised as you by the appearance of my kindred this morning.”

  “You are most welcome, Zhalor, as are you, Ahnomar and Wheldam,” Celdorn said, as he stood and bowed toward the stallions.

  The honor is ours, Ahnomar replied for them. It has been some time since we have held a council together with the Guardians. Thank you for including us.

  Zhalor stepped forward onto the granite slab. When his hoof struck the stone, a rumble immediately passed through the peak, stopping him mid-step. He glanced at the oldest Ilqazar.

  I told you there is great power in this place, Wheldam said.

  There is something moving through the mountain, Ahnomar added.

  The hair on Elbrion’s neck and arms rose; he felt it as well.

  ~

  The cave floor and its walls shook violently around Braiden, as if the mountain were a volcano ready to erupt. Elena sprang to a sitting position next to him, a strange look on her face. Her body shook like the mountain’s tremor passed through her.

  “I must go,” she said.

  Alarmed by the distant tone of her voice, Braiden asked, “G-go where?”

  She stood but didn’t answer.

  “El-Elena, what are you d-doing?”

  She turned to face him; her expression chilled him to the bone. Half-crazed eyes darted back and forth around the cave, focusing on nothing, and she was breathing in tiny, rapid huffs. She looked ... hollow, empty, like a phantom ... not quite human.

  “Sit d-down, Elena,” Braiden ordered.

  She ignored him and moved toward the mouth of the cave.

  “St-st-stop her,” he yelled to the guard by the entrance, who had already stepped in front of Elena, blocking her exit.

  But the next moment, he stepped aside and allowed her to pass.

  “G-Galdon, d-don’t let her leave!” Braiden yelled. “She’s n-not allowed outside the c-cave.”

  The guard stepped toward Braiden and explained in an embarrassed whisper, “She said she needed to relieve herself and she couldn’t do so in the cave with five men present. She said she wouldn’t go far and would return immediately.”

  “She lied, G-Galdon.” Braiden struggled to stand but couldn’t get his legs to cooperate. He waved Galdon away. “Quick, g-go after her. Shimeon, h-help him.”

  The two men immediately dashed out of the cave.

  ~

  Elena climbed up the mountain, guided by a force she didn’t understand. She wound her way through the many curves in the rocks, never pausing when the paths crossed, just forging ahead, her lungs and hip burning with the strain. Part of her was enlivened, part of her terrified. The noise in her head had grown deafening. She put her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to silence the cacophony.

  Elena stumbled to her knees as the mountain shuddered, and her head smacked into the rock wall. She grabbed her aching temple and then had the sudden, strange sense of being outside her body as she tugged at her scalp and peeled back her skin like a shedding snake. A strange creature emerged, sloughing off her flesh. Terror filled her spectating mind, and yet her body—or whatever thing she was now—stood and blindly continued on. Unable to stop herself, she wondered to what she was being drawn, and by whom.

  All at once, the rock walls that lined her path fell away, and she found herself on a ledge overhanging a craggy cliff, being pulled toward the edge. As she gazed at the one-hundred-foot drop below, her head spun.

  ~

  Celdorn watched as Zhalor took another step. The granite slab cracked as if it had been struck by lightning, sending a violent tremor to the very core of the mountain. The stallion continued, hesitating with each step as if uncertain whether the platform would hold his weight. He stopped when he reached the center of the stone table, where a twelve-foot circle filled with strange, ancient symbols was etched into the granite.

  The moment the stallion entered into the circle, an energy radiated toward the edges of the table, pulling Zhalor’s light with it. His illumination pulsated over the edge of the slab, across the barren ground, and into the ten crude boulder-seats. The stones throbbed and trembled with the light that infused them. The Guardians immediately jumped up and stepped away from the stools, a mixture of fascination and fear on their faces. The boulders bulged and contracted, almost as if they were breathing.

  The attention of man and equine was suddenly pulled to the gateway where a brilliant light burst into view as if a star had just fallen to earth and perched on the far side of the stone threshold. At the same time as the illumination from Zhalor reached the stone seats, the starlike creature made contact with the gateway. The creature’s light intensified and pulsated, creating a high-pitched whine as it started to expand. Celdorn was forced to look away, momentarily blinded by the brilliance. Then the star, or whatever it was, glided toward Zhalor, whose head was cocked as if trying to understand something. The stallion’s body throbbed in unison with the star until one lay over the other in such a way that neither was distinguishable.

  Ten pulsating rays shot outward from their union toward the stone seats. The illuminated boulders heaved and sighed as arms and legs emerged. The noise on the peak was deafening as stones rumbled, light whined, and creatures groaned.

  Fear wrapped around Celdorn’s chest, squeezing the breath from him. His thoughts immediately returned to his experience in the Tulegar Gap. He stared in dread as the creatures came to life just as they had when Domar commanded them. His trembling hand groped for his sword, though he knew it was a futile weapon against such enemies.

  Celdorn’s focus was pulled to the center of the table as the circle on which Zhalor stood broke away from the rest of the granite platform and slowly rose until it stood the height of two Guardians above their heads. The air crackled as a steady beam of light shot out from the platform and reached south toward a peak at the top of Mount Goslin in the Mongar Range, lighting the sky along its path. Other beams followed: to the southeast toward Mount Tamor in the Belzear Range, to Mount Urhang in the northeastern Drondonel Range, at Mount Gremont in the northwestern Pallanor Range, and the final, most potent bolt blazed toward Mount Yaesper near Queyon.

  When the light show was complete, an ethereal haze rose from the hole in the stone slab and wrapped itself around the column as it climbed, until it reached the platform and completely encircled Zhalor and the star in a globe of pulsating blue mist. The subsequent silence was shocking, almost deafening, as even the normal sounds of the mountain and its creatures vanished. The men glanced at each other uncertain as to what was happening or how to respond.

  Soft as a lover’s whisper, delicate music began to fill the air. Quiescent, calming tones radiated from the haze. As it grew louder, a lyrical voice emerged, saying, “Be still, my friends, you must return to sleep. Your time has not yet come.” The stone creatures rumbled. “It will not be long, dear ones. Sleep.”

  Then the voice sang a haunting melody whose strains were like tentacles reaching into the hearts of the men and squeezing until tears fell—sweet tears, longing tears, expressing an ache for something they could not grasp.

  The stone creatures transformed as the music enveloped them, dissolving to their former stunted shapes posed around the table. The elevated column was slowly swallowed by the mountain until the platform returned to its position in the stone slab. Celdorn’s gaze was transfixed there as the blue orb rose, as if on the very wings of the song, and separated from Zhalor. As it drifted through the gateway and followed the path away from the peak, Celdorn felt as if his heart were being torn from him, leaving him empty, longing, sobbing for relief. As he gazed around, it seemed the others were experiencing the same.

  Then the blue light disappeared around a curve of the trail, and Zhalor stood alone, his massive head bent with a palpable grief.

  Chapter 34

  Shimeon and Galdon had searched everywhere for Elena with n
o success. They met up just as the beams of light shot through the air from the top of the mountain.

  “What was that?” Galdon asked, nervously glancing up at the many large stones perched precariously above them, any of which could easily start an avalanche if the mountain shook again.

  “I haven’t a guess,” Shimeon replied, “but I wonder if we should find Celdorn and tell him that Elena is missing.”

  “How could I have been so stupid? Celdorn will have my head for this.” Galdon groaned. “But you’re right. We should inform him before any more time passes.”

  “I just hope nothing’s happened to her, that she’s just lost in the labyrinth of these trails.” They turned and together trudged up the winding path that led to the stone table, not relishing the task.

  As they came around the next turn, Shimeon yelled, “There she is!”

  The girl lay on a stone ledge, unmoving. Shimeon ran to her and gently turned her onto her back. “Are you all right, my lady?” Her head lolled to the side, pale as death.

  Galdon knelt beside Shimeon. Dread gripped his heart. “Is she alive?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t tell.” Shimeon laid his hand on her forehead and put his cheek close to her mouth. “She’s breathing, but her skin’s like ice.” He gingerly felt beneath her head and scanned her body. “No bump. No blood. I wonder what knocked her out?”

  Shimeon scooted her away from the edge. “She could easily have fallen off that,” he added before peeking over the lip of the cliff. His eyes widened, and Galdon joined him in gazing down at the hundred-foot drop with nothing but jagged rocks beneath. “And that would’ve been the end of her.”

  Shimeon patted the girl’s cheek lightly. “My lady, please wake up.” But she was unresponsive.

  “Take her back to the cave, and I’ll go find Dalgo—and Celdorn,” Galdon said, though the thought of facing the Lord Protector with this news made him cringe.