The Alabaster Throne (The Fall of Atlantis Book 1)

by Wilson Harp

  He had grown weaker through the day, but without a pack, he didn’t seem to have faded as much as the day before.

  The next morning, they started early. A bright sunrise greeted them, but a glance to the north showed the same column of smoke. Tal wondered if it would ever fade or if he would tell his children about the days the sky over the mountains was clear.

  When they reached Folsit a few hours later, the town was crowded. People bustled about and carts were loaded with goods and winter crops.

  Jubaas caught the sleeve of a man by a cart.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “You haven’t heard? They sent runners out with the news. The High King comes to Mestor! There is to be a royal wedding and Prince Olatic is to marry Princess Tera of Atlas. Our future king will be wed to the High King’s family!”

  “A wedding?” Siande said. “Did you know this?”

  “Olatic said something about it at the feast, but I had put it out of my mind. I knew his bride was to be from Atlas, but I had no idea it would be the High King’s youngest daughter. This is a powerful move by my father, it will strengthen Mestor and make us the strongest kingdom in the south of Atlantis.”

  They moved on past the town and crossed the Birnde at mid-afternoon.

  “This is where I must leave, my lord,” said Jubaas. He pointed to a distant shack next to a giant walnut tree. “My mother’s house is just there, and the fields are hungry for the plow. I wish you well.”

  “Thank you Jubaas,” Tal said. “I’ll look for you again. I want to go hunting with you on the mountain.”

  “We will have a fine hunt.” He made his goodbyes to the rest of the travelers and set off at a run toward his home.

  Daelcor shook his head. “I can barely walk, and there he is at a full run.”

  “Will we have trouble with the gate?” Siande asked as she looked down the road to Mestor.

  “No, there are plenty of people traveling into the city and we look the part of tired, weary travelers. Just keep your hood over your hair and no one will note us,” Tal said.

  Every step closer to the city made Tal and Siande more nervous, but Meleus was so pale and weak they needed speed. Soon the walls of Mestor came into view, and with it the crowds of people outside the gate. The farmers, villagers, and townspeople from two days away had carted all of their goods to sell within the city if they could find space, or outside the gates if they couldn’t.

  “I hope they will let us pass,” said Meleus. “There are many guards and they may think I have a disease.”

  “Don’t you worry,” said Daelcor. “They will see I’m a priest of Hondre and you are under my care. They’ll let me go to the temple.”

  “One of the guards might recognize you or Meleus,” Tal said. “When we reach the gate, you take Meleus in. I will stay back with Siande for a few minutes and then enter.”

  “A good plan,” said Daelcor. “We’ll see you at the temple.”

  Tal took Siande’s hand and moved off the road as they approached the city. They went through the mass of wagons and carts and looked at many of the wares and food which were for sale.

  “You just want to delay our entry,” Siande said. “Me too. But it’s time to go.”

  Tal turned her to him. “The next few days will be painful, Siande. There are matters which must take place and it will turn the city over.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “No matter what happens, know you own my heart.”

  She smiled and tears touched her eyes. “You have owned mine for a long while now, though I feared to make it known to you.”

  Tal smiled and drew her into an embrace. “Let us go then, now we know where our hearts are.”

  They pulled the hood of their cloaks up and melded into a group of travelers. The guards gave no attention to them as they passed the gates. Inside the city, the streets were crowded, but still clear enough to walk. They made their way to the palace gate and moved to enter.

  “No entry, these grounds are off limits,” a guard said as he dropped his spear to block their passage.

  Tal flipped the hood of his cloak down. “I am Prince Taldirun, and I’ve come home.”

  “By the gods, it is, and you’ve seen a nasty fight. That scar stands out.”

  “I have seen a fight, and now I need to see my father.”

  “He’s in the throne room, the High Queen is expected at any hour. And tomorrow the High King will arrive.”

  They passed through the gate and Tal looked at the wide stairs which led to the Palace. “I have to let him know I’ve returned,” he said.

  “I know,” Siane said. “And I need to go put my mother’s mind at ease. I will see you soon, my prince.”

  “You will, Siande. I’ll go to see Meleus tomorrow morning, you come, too.”

  “If my mother will let me.” She hugged Tal and hurried off to her mother.

  Tal steeled himself and headed toward the Palace’s kitchen entry. He knew there would be too many people in the throne room and he wanted to get a message to his father without attention.

  One of the cooks turned to tell him to leave, but recognized him and went back to her pot. Every oven and fire was in use as a great feast was to be prepared for the High King and Queen.

  Tal grabbed one of the serving boys by the shoulder. “Go find Vistral and tell him he has a visitor from Sais in the kitchen.”

  It was a code the royal family used to let Vistral and the other chief servants know to be discreet. Soon the chief servant arrived and his eyes widened when he saw Tal.

  “I need you to give a message to my father,” Tal said.

  “And I have a message from him. You are to speak with him immediately upon your return. Now go to his private rooms and I will send him to you.”

  “I don’t need to see him.”

  Vistral raised his eyebrows and motioned to the door which led to the king’s private rooms. “Go now, young prince. I speak with the authority of the king.”

  Tal bowed at the second-hand royal command and went into his father’s rooms.

  Soon the door from the throne room opened and King Fa'amuil rushed in.

  “You’ve returned, my son, but with less of you than you left with it appears.”

  “Just a scar, father. I’ve been to—“

  “No. Not now. If you had returned with news which was happy, you would have entered by the main door. The news you bring is terrible, or you wouldn’t have snuck in by the kitchen. It can wait until after the wedding. Let us have a week of joy, your answer can be revealed later.”

  “Yes, father.”

  “Was Praset’s daughter with you?”

  “Yes, she was father. How did you know?”

  “She has looked at you for a couple of years, my son. But you only had eyes for the spear and chariot. Does she please you?”

  “She does. Is it a good idea?”

  “I believe so. I will try to arrange it and put off your marriage as long as I can. Young women are very jealous, and she seems doubly so.”

  “It will be difficult.”

  “Don’t mention the news you bring. Not to me, although Olatic might be a sympathetic ear.”

  “He knows?”

  “He has suspicion. But he has been preparing for his wedding so much he has given it little thought.”

  “I wish to see him.”

  “Tomorrow. He is pacing in the throne room now, where I need to be. Soon the High Queen and Olatic’s bride will present themselves. Go get a bath and sleep. Tomorrow you’ll need to be here when the High King arrives.”

  “I will, father.”

  The king hugged Tal tight and kissed his cheek. “I am glad you have returned. It brings joy to my heart.”

  Tal left the palace and did as his father commanded. He lay in bed freshly bathed and exhausted. He fell asleep to the sound of trumpets announcing the arrival of the High Queen.

  Chapter 14

  The amber light appeared and Tal was
in the middle of the trees. He was nervous for the first time in this place, a feeling he would never have associated with these dreams. The trees seemed fuller and more menacing, somehow, and yet it was just the same as before. It wasn’t the dream which had changed, it was him. He was different now, somehow, and he didn’t know how he would face the man.

  He wandered as he thought, amazed at how clear his mind was. All of the conflicting emotions and fears which gnawed at his mind were gone. Doubt, that ever constant companion his father had told him to keep by his side, was absent. Tal realized he had not sent doubt away, nor did doubt sit smugly in the distance and watch Tal travel down a path to destruction. Doubt was simply not allowed in this place.

  “Doubt is repulsed by the truth,” the man said. “It lies in the shadows and won’t step into the light to be examined.”

  “My father said to lean on doubt, to acknowledge it and let its presence reassure you in your actions.”

  “Your father understands the nature of doubt, it will lurk and destroy where it can. But you were curious why it was not here.”

  “Because this place is truth.”

  “In a way. It’s a place where truth resides.”

  “Why am I here?”

  “Don’t you want to be here?”

  “To be truthful, no. I wish for a night of rest and an easing of my cares. These dreams portend great events, and I am weary of such days for a while.”

  The man nodded. “You live in tumultuous times where the fates of whole nations are decided. And I wish I could say it will grow peaceful for you, Taldirun, but it will not. Not for a long while. In fact, it will be much worse.”

  Tal’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed at the man.

  “Be angry, but it’s not my doing. If I had my way, then none of this would take place, but evil dwells in men’s hearts and Atlantis suffers for it.”

  “What will happen?”

  “You will mourn and weep, sink into a despair you do not think you can rise from. If you allow it, you will find those who will take care of you when you are so wounded.”

  “Like the wolf,” Tal said. “They didn’t leave him to fend for himself after he had been injured while helping the pack.”

  “What do you fear about the wolves?”

  “That they will kill me.”

  “And what do the wolves fear from you?”

  “That I will kill them.”

  “So why didn’t the wolf kill you in the woods? The pack could have killed you all.”

  “We weren’t a threat.”

  “Weren’t you? He’s still afraid men will kill him. You’re still a threat to him, just as he’s still a threat to you.”

  “He is far from here. He isn’t a threat anymore.”

  “But he’s a threat to others. A hunter or shepherd might be killed because you left him alive.”

  Tal shook his head. “Because it wasn’t worth the risk. We had other things we had to do.”

  “Why didn’t they kill the bears? Why didn’t the bears fight harder for the food?”

  “It wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “Precisely. There are times to defend yourself against threats. And times to let those who oppose you, even those who might be a threat one day, live. Sometimes the immediate risk is too high a cost to prevent a possible future conflict.”

  “When will I know what situation requires resolve and which requires weakness?”

  “Not weakness. Mercy. Be merciful when you can, and be resolute when you must.”

  Tal closed his eyes as he thought of what he would face in the days to come. “I didn’t betray you.”

  “I know you didn’t, and I’m glad. He knew anyway, but not because of what you said.”

  Tal’s eyes snapped open and he drew himself to full height. “If he knew, then why did I have to remain silent?”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “No.”

  “Is he dead?”

  “Of course. He killed himself.”

  “He killed himself because of what he saw. He killed himself because you crawled into his room and asked him to consult the gods for you.”

  “I didn’t kill him. I didn’t want him to die.”

  “No, but the results are the same.”

  “I’m innocent of his blood.”

  “And you are innocent of telling him about me.”

  “It’s not the same. If I had told him about you, nothing would have changed.”

  “Yes, it would have. But you don’t have to face what would have happened, and for that, you should be grateful.”

  “What I face is bad enough.”

  “You received the answer you went for, and yet you haven’t thought on it. Why?”

  “I’ve done nothing but think on it. The betrayal of the royal family and the shame which will descend upon Siande, the army, the kingdom as a whole is overwhelming.”

  “Not that question.”

  “About Siande? If she’s cursed?”

  The man shook his head. “Nor the question about your future, although that was unfortunate for the Prophet. It was his own fault, putting the question in your mouth. No, the question you needed to ask was not the one your father told you to ask, nor the one Siande asked you to ask, nor even the one the Prophet compelled you to ask. It was the one you alone wanted to know.”

  “I asked him if I should shun glory and follow truth.”

  “And what answer did you get?”

  “Glory is the crown of kings and the birthright of those with divine blood.”

  The man smiled. “Why have you not thought on that?”

  Tal’s mouth dropped open. “The crown of kings. But I’m not to become king.”

  “Come and look,” the man said.

  A polished silver oval rested against a tree. Tal approached and stopped as he peered within.

  A wolf stared back at him, but it was his own face. A scar across the muzzle and deep blue eyes stared back at him. On his wolf head was a crown of yellow and white flowers.

  “The wolf pack of Mestor. And I would be their wolf king,” he said softly.

  “A king wears a crown, but it is merely a symbol of his glory. Your fate is one of glory. It will be your crown.”

  Tal saw wolves behind him. Meleus lay injured as Dalecor hovered over him. Siande moved closer.

  “Your pack has started, Taldirun. Lead them.”

  Tal sat up and caught his breath. He looked down at his hands and exhaled in relief when he didn’t see paws.

  “My lord?” Pitros asked. “Are you awake already?”

  Tal blinked in the dim light. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  “You told me you would sleep late and not to wake you.”

  “I did.”

  “You’re up earlier than I normally wake you.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  Pitros looked back toward the door. “No, it was just a surprise. You should get dressed and head to the palace. The High King comes today and you’ll be wanted in the throne room.”

  Tal rubbed his face with his hands. He didn’t want to face Praset and smile and chat when he knew the truth. “I will. Soon. First I need to find something to eat.”

  Pitros brought in a tray of fruit and bread as Tal dressed.

  “Oh, not that,” said Tal. “I need some meat after my dream last night. I’ll go find something in the palace kitchens.”

  “Very well, my lord.”

  Tal left his rooms and walked out into the dawn. The sun’s rays moved across the land and Tal frowned. The dream calmed him, but the man had told him things would get much worse before his life was peaceful.

  He walked toward the palace, his stomach growled at the thought of a fresh slice of pork, but the sight of the temple reminded him he promised he would go and see Meleus in the morning. He knew if he entered the palace, even in the kitchens, someone would see him and he would be swept into the throne room until the ceremonies and feasting for the High King was over.

&
nbsp; Tal touched his stomach and hoped he could find something to eat in the Temple. He started down the steps where the lower temple quarters were when he heard a voice. He looked and spotted his mother and Bator’cam on the narrow steps to the Temple of Balket where the fires for sacrifices were lit. A slave would be sacrificed to bless the wedding of Olatic, and Tal was grateful he was not required to attend.

  He thought about heading to the palace kitchens again since his mother was gone and it would be easy to avoid her, but he continued down to the lower temple. He reached the rooms where the sick and injured were treated and as he passed the first door, he heard the cough of a young boy. When he glanced in, he saw Janu, his nephew.

  “Hello Prince Tal,” the young boy said as Tal stuck his head in.

  “Hello Janu, why are you here?”

  “He’s had a bad cough for a week, my lord,” Maldrophe said as she sat in the corner. She was a serene of Rosta, and in charge of those who were not seriously ill. She was also Daelcor’s mother and a common visitor to the king’s apartments.

  “How long has he been here?”

  “Princess Mira brought him down this morning, just an hour ago. She doesn’t want him to disrupt the ceremonies.”

  “Mama said if I coughed, I could make the gods mad. But I do want to see the High King. Do you think I’ll meet him?”

  Tal smiled and hugged his nephew. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Meleus is in the far room on the left. He’s had priests with him since he was brought in. Siande is there, as well. She stayed the night in his room.”

  “Oh, good. He needed to have a friend near.”

  “Your eyes twitched when I mentioned her. Are you upset she is with him?”

  “Of course not.”

  Maldrophe shook her head. “Young men are so easy to read. You are jealous, but don’t you worry. She views you as her conquest, not him.”