Amidst the rolling hills of pastoral land, they could see the fork in the mighty Yantra River that ran throughout the length of Carleon. It began its life in highest peak of the Jagged Teeth and was the main waterway for the northern and central provinces of the kingdom including Aeron’s home of Eden Halas and of course Angarad. At the fork, the great river split into two smaller tributaries of the Orean that drained into the Lenkworth Sea and the Riselle that emptied into the Starfall Bay.
‘So where are we going?’ Keira asked as they travelled northwards along the river.
Arianne had hoped not answer this question too so soon but she could not avoid Keira’s direct question. During the previous evening, Lylea had told her many things, of where they had to go, what they would encounter and what she needed to find before she arrived there. The elven queen's prescience determined from where the danger would come and while Arianne did not posses her mother’s talents, she had a Celestial’s blood in her lineage and that power could be drawn upon if she believe in it.
Arianne had never found the courage to try.
Lylea did reveal for the sake of her companions, details of the quest should be meted out sparingly. The Enemy would not hesitate to torture them for information if he required it and after what had happened to Keira at the hands of the Disciples, Arianne was risking none of her friends to that kind of danger again. However the notoriety of where they had to go would not be lost on Celene even if Keira did not recognise it.
‘Sanhael.’
‘Sanhael?’ Celene twisted sharply in her saddle to stare at Arianne in astonishment. ‘That is where we must go?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ Keira’s gaze shifted between the two women as she saw Celene’s shock and Arianne’s reluctance. She had no idea what the place was but judging from the worried expression on the faces of her friends, she guessed it was not a good place to be. ‘What is Sanhael?’
‘Sanhael is the ancient stronghold of Mael,’ Arianne explained, feeling a chill run through just describing the place. ‘It was thought to have been destroyed when the Gods finally banished him into the Aether. ‘
‘Except they destroyed it by driving it into the earth,’ Celene pointed out. ‘The Gods wanted it wiped off the face of the world, to be removed from Avalyne for all time.’
‘Then how…?’ Keira started to ask.
‘My mother told me that is where the Enemy now resides. We must cross the Frozen Mountains and descend into Mael’s Pit. The way into Sanhael lies through the foot of Mael’s Pit.’
‘The Frozen Mountains,’ Keira’s mused, taking in their destination. She knew of the mountains of ice that sat on the edge of the known world, facing the Brittle Sea. ‘The Enemy is there?’
‘It is as a good a place as any for an ancient evil to hide unnoticed,’ Celene stated. ‘There are stories of wyvern, shape shifters and other foul things residing there.’
Celene wondered what else did Arianne know about the Enemy. What had Queen Lylea told her the night before? Her experience with elves taught Celene that they could be annoying cryptic at times and as much as she loved Arianne, the Queen of Carleon was apparently no different. Celene suspected she was holding back the whole truth to both spare and protect them. She had little doubt that Lylea had provided Arianne with a good deal more intelligence than she and Keira had been privy to and Arianne would dispense it as needed.
With a sigh she decided that there was nothing to be done now except to continue on as they had planned.
‘If that is our course is the Frozen Mountains then so be it,’ Celene declared and turned to Keira aware that the lady of the Green must surely be fearful now that they knew their destination. ‘We knew this would not be an easy journey to make but we are both resolved to stay at Arianne’s side are we not?’
‘We are,’ Keira said as she gave Celene a nod of confidence before turning to Arianne, ‘we are with your Arianne, wherever you must go.’
‘Thank you,’ Arianne extended her reach towards Keira who took her fingers and gave it a gentle squeeze.
With the agreement to go on decided, Celene spoke up, ‘if our destination is the Frozen Mountains then I suggest we take the river route. We will find a boat at the docks at Naiad and continue down the river until we reach the Winter Keep for fresh supplies.’
Grateful that Celene was moving onto more practical matters, Arianne agreed with the route that the warrior of Angarad had mapped. ‘We could also disembark at Eden Halas and gain fresh horses for the ride into Angarad.’
Even if relations between Dare and Halion were chilled, Arianne knew that every hospitality would be afforded them by his wife, Queen Syanne who was also Dare’s adopted mother. Even thought the lady had not attended the celebration at Sandrine, Arianne suspected it was due to Halion’s dislike of his queen leaving the safety of Eden Halas to travel so far away from home to a city of men.
Despite the importance of the quest before them, Celene could help feeling some pleasure knowing Angarad was on the way to the Frozen Mountains. It would be good to see her father and brothers again. She had not seen them since she had led their army away from Wyndfyre to join the Alliance in the march towards Abraxes and their final showdown with Balfure.
‘You will get to see your family,’ Keira declared, fascinated to know what kind of people had spawned such a fearless creature as Celene.
‘Yes,’ Celene nodded, ‘although there will not be much time for reunions. We need to make haste to reach our destination.’
‘We are in your hands Celene,’ Arianne replied. ‘You know the Northern Province far better than I.’
‘Thank you Arianne,’ Celene said grateful for the faith being given to her. However, there were some things that she had to know about their quest. ‘Arianne, we know that you have your reasons for telling us little but we must know something of what is happening if we are to be of any use to you.’
‘Yes Arianne,’ Keira added her voice to lend weight to Celene’s entreaty. ‘Please tell us what you can. You don’t have reveal everything.’
Of course they had a right to know and her reasons for keeping silent were good ones. The Enemy’s resources were unknown to them. They knew that he was powerful and he could call down Mael from the Aether but could he see the past, present and future as Queen Lylea could. If so, was he looking at her now? Watching her with a reptilian third eye, carefully charting her flight from Sandrine?
Lylea had told her that there was a task to complete before they reached Mael’s Pit and for the sake of her friends, it was best to keep it silent. If the Enemy knew what she intended, he would also know what it was she sought. Arianne had asked for more detail but her mother was as cryptic as always and being her daughter did not allow her any special consideration from Lylea. She wondered if this was her own good or simply because it was Lylea’s way. One thing had stood out above all the warnings and instructions the High Queen had given though Arianne did not fully understand it.
‘Your blood is more than just human or elf. Your grandfather was sired by a god and that too runs through your veins. You will do well to remember that.’
Arianne knew that her family line was descended from the Celestial Enphilim but she had no idea how that manifested itself in her. If there was power in her, Arianne had never seen it.
‘I will tell you what I can,’ she said after a moment. ‘The Enemy is not known to my mother. She cannot see him but she knows that he is powerful indeed. Perhaps not strong enough to strike directly at Dare while he surrounded by an army but more than capable of killing him were he to come face to face with the king. We do not know if he can see us but we must take precaution.’
‘Is that why we had to leave in such secret??’ Keira ventured a guess.
‘Yes,’ Arianne nodded sombrely. ‘Because I want the Enemy to think that I am still in Sandrine, not coming for him. If I am unseen by most in the city, that can be explained. I am after all with child, a difficult pregnancy might warrant the
need to be sequestered until the babe is born. Better yet, if Dare pursues us, the Enemy might think that he is the one who is going to confront him in the Frozen Mountains, not us.’
‘So he will not realise that we are actually on are way well before Dare leaves Sandrine because he thinks you are still in the city.’ Celene nodded in understanding.
‘If he is using agent to watch over me, yes,’ Arianne nodded. ‘I can get to him before he realises that I am no longer at Sandrine. We must reach him before the second full moon.’
‘We will have to ride hard,’ Celene said with a sigh. They would have to remain hidden from the Enemy but also keep one step ahead of the King. As someone who was accustomed to riding with Dare, this would not be easy to do.
‘We must,’ Arianne whispered. ‘I have to reach the Enemy before I will give birth to a demon.’
Arianne closed her eyes in anguish, unable to speak any further because the horror of that was more than she could bear. Her body shook with emotion and her hands tightened around the reins of her steed with such intensity that her knuckles became white. Tears wanted to spill from her eyes at the unfairness of her lot but she knew that it would avail her nothing. It would not change that the Enemy was going to harm her baby unless she prevented it.
‘It will not happen,’ Keira assured her, her hand still in the queen’s and she squeezed tighter because her anguish was so exposed that there was nothing else left to say assuage her fright.
Arianne looked up and met Keira’s gaze, grateful for the support.
‘I swear to you Arianne, not only as your friend but as your loyal subject, I will die before I allow my future king to be blighted with an obscenity. We will stop him Arianne, I promise. We will stop him.’ Celene said firmly.
Despite Celene’s confidence, Arianne knew the quest ahead was nowhere as easy to accomplish as her words implied. There was real danger ahead and every likelihood they could lose their life in the process. However, it meant a great deal to her that her friends were at her side and that she was not totally alone in what awaited her in the Frozen Mountains.
‘Thank you,’ she replied, her voice filled with emotion, ‘I do not deserve friends such as you.’
‘Well,’ Keira declared with a hint of mischief, intending to bring a smile to her friend’s face and dispel the heavy mood of the moment, ‘That goes without saying of course.’
Chapter FIVE:
DISCOVERY
When Dare awoke the next morning, he found himself alone.
His aching head reminded him painfully that the evils of drink should never be underestimated. Grimacing at the throbbing inside his skull, he sat up in his bed and stared for a moment at the empty space beside him and wondered where Arianne was. Slightly disappointed by her absence, he was not so drunk the night before to forget the heat of their lovemaking. It would have been much nicer to suffer the drumbeat inside his head if he could lie in bed with her.
No doubt she was somewhere in the palace, attending to her own duties, most likely conferring with the seneschal regarding the comfort of their guests this morning. He supposed she would appear soon enough.
Still when he climbed out of bed, a feeling of uneasiness came over him he could not explain.
Ignoring it, he went about the rituals of morning, dressing and making himself ready to move about his court and appear kingly as he did so, still dogged by this odd sensation that something, somewhere was not right. These were instincts he had relied upon for much of his life and had saved him more times than he could count. Why he should be visited by them now, in a place he should have felt the safest made him tense. When he emerged from the royal chambers, he was gripped by this feeling that something was lurking in the periphery, waiting for an opportunity to ambush.
Making his way to the Great Hall which had been cleared of the previous evening's decadence and readied for breakfast, Dare was certain that the others would be awake by now, headache or not. His long friendship with them had taught him one thing about his former travelling companions, not even Balfure could keep them from a good breakfast. Indeed, before he even reached the large doors that emptied into the room, he could hear the chatter emanating from the corridor. The sound of their animated voices brought a heartfelt smile to Dare’s face for it felt like old times again.
However, before he could join them, he heard a familiar voice call.
‘Dare.’
Dare glanced over his shoulder to see Aeron behind him. Of course it was, he thought silently, Aeron was still the only person he knew who capable of sneaking up on him. As the elf approached, Dare stifled the smirk that wanted to come as he noted the prince did not have the usually spring in his step that the king was accustomed to seeing. In fact, for someone so light on his feet, it was safe to say that at the moment, the expression on Aeron’ face was positively grim.
Elves were notoriously bad drinkers but when Aeron and Kyou resumed their playful rivalries, all good sense left them both. Last night, their competition was joined by Tully, Ronen and himself to a lesser degree. However, they were accustomed to drinking; Aeron was not.
‘How do you fare this morning Aeron?’ Dare asked.
‘I think I’m going to be ill,’ Aeron grumbled.
‘The nearest window is that direction,’ Dare said helpfully.
The elf gave him a look through narrowed eyes. ‘If you were truly my friend you would kill me and end my misery.’
‘I thought elves were known for their ability to endure,’ Dare teased. ‘I am certain that your suffering will pass.’
‘Not soon enough,’ Aeron grumbled as the two resumed their journey into the hall where the smell of food was wafting down the hallway towards them.
‘Tell me,’ Dare asked as they approached the entrance. ‘Did you see Arianne anywhere?’
‘No,’ Aeron shook his head. ‘I have not. Why?’
‘It’s just that I have not seen her this morning,’ Dare replied, feeling once again that uneasiness, ‘I wonder where she is.’
‘She is probably seeing to your guests,’ Aeron responded, noticing the concern in Dare’s face as real worry.
Dare supposed he was being ridiculous. After all, they were host to some of the most prominent people in Avalyne during this celebration. Aside from her mother and their friends, there were Lords from other cities in Carleon in attendance and he could appreciate Arianne feeling a little self conscious playing hostess to such a prestigious collection. She was Queen as long as he had been King and while he had numerous chances to prove himself since beginning his rule, Arianne’s opportunity to shine in her position was limited to occasions such as this. Prior to the arrival of their guests, she had been a flurry of action, moving across the palace, ensuring everything was perfect.
‘I am sure that you are right my friend,’ Dare smiled and then patted Aeron on the back and grinned, ‘Come along Aeron. Let us get some food into you. I am certain, meat off the bone, tender and red, covered in thick gravy and eggs bubbling with fat will make you feel so much better. All that food churning in your belly, bubbling with last night’s spirits…..’
Aeron glared at him and muttered under his breath, ‘and they thought Balfure was the evil one.’
*****
If there was one thing Dare knew he would never become accustomed to since becoming king, it was the practice of everyone rising to their feet when he entered a room.
While he resigned himself to his fate in the company of his subjects, it was even more disconcerting when he saw it performed by his friends. These were the people with whom he had travelled the wilds of Avalyne, whom he had shared a campfire and had gotten drunk with in taverns. They’d fought together and bled together. They even mourned as one. Their friendship was far too deep for this formality to ever feel appropriate.
Nevertheless it was a burden of his station and he bade them to sit as soon as they had made the attempt. Beside him, Dare heard his best friend snigger in discomfort, feeling some vindicat
ion for his earlier teasing because Aeron knew just how much he loathed the ceremony and pomp that accompanied his title as king.
At the long dining table in the Great Hall, the servants were working busily to see to the needs of his guests, walking up and down the large room, filling up goblets and setting down trays of food. They kept their heads bowed and tried to go about unseen as they carried out their duties. Directing this activity with the expertise of a battlefield general was a thin, hollow cheeked man with an aquiline nose and an impeccably groomed beard named Esau.
Esau had come into Dare’s service when the king had finally regained control of Sandrine Keep. Esau’s family had served the Keep and the kings within it for five generations and now that a king had returned, he wanted to serve House Icara again. Dare, who knew nothing about maintaining a castle, was more than happy to appoint Esau his seneschal and the man had never given Dare cause to regret it.
As he approached his seat in the centre of table, Dare noted that Tully and Kyou were already well into breakfast if the pile of food on their plates was any indication. Also present this morning was Lord Navarre of Varaen, who had wisely retired early the night before, engaged in conversation with his youngest son Adevane. Both nodded at Dare in greeting as he walked past them and took his place at the table.
Navarre ruled the Varaen in the Southern Province before the occupation of the kingdom by Balfure. As an elder statesman approaching his seventieth year, Navarre was an able diplomat who had little taste for power but knew how lightly he needed to tread around Balfure to spare his people molestation by Balfure’s Berserkers. During those dark days, Navarre had managed to reach an accord of sorts with Abraxes that allowed him some control over his city .
Avalyne Series 01: The Queen of Carleon Page 7