The Kingdom

by Bryan M. Litfin

  “I had some very precious steel put into this ring. Can you guess where it’s from?”

  Ana gave a little shrug.

  “An arrowhead that was used here exactly three years ago.”

  “Oh! That’s perfect!”

  A joyful radiance lit up Ana’s face as Teo slipped the ring on her finger. He met her gaze and said, “Anastasia of Edgeton, I give you this ring as a symbol of my eternal vows. With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you.” Abruptly Teo spun toward the crowd. “And I want you to do the same,” he announced.

  At Teo’s signal two guardsmen approached from behind the trees, carrying a tall, cloth-covered object. After setting it down on an X marked with chalk, they removed the cloth and stepped away. A collective murmur escaped the lips of the spectators. The object was an intricately carved pulpit of rich cherrywood.

  “Today I want to tell you the story of an exceptional woman,” Teo said. Then, with the clarity of a teacher and the passion of a lover, he began to spin a tale of Ana’s undaunted courage. He told how she had crossed the kingdom’s highest mountains to venture into the Beyond. There she fought against ferocious wolves. Stared down the length of an arrow at her enemies. Held her head high in the face of insults and lies. Brought great men to their knees with her noble spirit. Found the grace to forgive when she was betrayed. Poured out her life so that others might live. And most beautifully of all, Anastasia of Edgeton had been unwavering in her one supreme goal: to find the Sacred Writing of Deu and bring it home to the land she loved.

  “Therefore I offer this pulpit as a gift,” Teo concluded. “Not a gift to Anastasia, but in honor of her. I give the gift to you, the good people of Chiveis. On this very spot, where my future wife saved me from the claws of a bear, I now promise to proclaim the Sacred Writing in a manner worthy of the sacrifices she made to bring it here.”

  Having finished his speech, Teo took a step back, expecting a thoughtful silence to descend on the place. Instead the crowd burst into thunderous applause. Grinning, Teo turned toward Ana. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but she was smiling too.

  “All rise,” the Papa cried, and the congregation stood. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Teofil and Anastasia of Chiveis, joined this day before the Eternal One as man and wife!”

  The harpsichord and flute began to play, so Teo and Ana linked arms and walked down the aisle to the cheers and well-wishing of their friends. The Queen Mother and her son Piair sat on the front row in full regalia, while Stratetix and Helena sat opposite them. Almost the whole town of Edgeton had turned out for the event, along with many Royal Guardsmen, including the Warlord. Several foreign guests were in attendance as well: Mayor Calixte from Jineve, Count Federco from Ulmbartia, and even Vlad the Nine-Fingered, with whom the Warlord had worked out a nonaggression pact. Though Vlad looked uncomfortable with his hair slicked down and his rough garb exchanged for civilized clothing, his attendance at the wedding was a sign of mutual good faith between the Chiveisi and Germani.

  Teo and Ana reached the rear of the seating area and headed for a heavily laden banquet table. The wedding ceremony had been kept simple, but the party afterward was intended to be a grand affair. White streamers had been strung among the branches, and wind chimes added their tinkling melody to the musicians’ songs. Every kind of food was available, from roasted meats to full-bodied cheeses, from fresh summer fruits to sweet pastries. Sparkling wine flowed freely, and kegs of the best Chiveisian beer had been set up on stands. No one had an empty plate or cup except when going back for more. A festive mood permeated the forest clearing as the guests celebrated with the newlyweds.

  Teo smiled as Count Federco walked up, looking handsome in a tailored jacket and crisp shirt. Bard accompanied his commander, and so did another Ulmbartian at the wedding, the elderly Sol with his long white hair tied back in a ponytail.

  “I can’t thank you enough for throwing open the Citadel’s gate and saving my neck,” Teo said as the count approached. “I owe you one.”

  Federco gave a hearty laugh. “Not at all! I was just paying you back for the time you barred a door and saved my own skin! Now we’re even.”

  “Didn’t I once tell you it’s good to have friends in high places?” Sol asked with a grin. Teo chuckled in agreement.

  Federco turned toward the bride with a polite dip of his head. “Anastasia, I remember the day you attended a ball at my chateau. I thought I had never seen such a lovely vision in all the world. And yet today I daresay your loveliness has reached new heights.”

  “Thank you, Count,” Ana replied graciously.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Bard said. “You look stunning. It has been so great to see you again this past month. I’m going to miss you when I return to Ulmbartia.”

  “I’ll miss you too, Bard. You were kind to me when I was a stranger.”

  Teo held up his hand to intervene. “Hey, don’t forget. The expedition blazed a path between our two kingdoms. Now we can tame the wilderness and secure the passes. We might see each other again someday.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Sol said, raising his glass. “And look here, Teofil—Chiveisian brandy.”

  “Is it as good as I promised?”

  “Even better than grappa,” Sol acknowledged.

  The three Ulmbartians moved on as Ana’s parents approached with Shaphan and Lina. Helena cradled a baby in her arms.

  “Oh!” Ana exclaimed. “Let me see my little niece!” She took the infant in the tiny pink dress from Helena. “Hello, little Anastasia,” she cooed, tickling the baby’s chin.

  “Rosetta is thoroughly enjoying her new grandbaby,” Helena remarked. She slipped her arm around Ana’s shoulder, then caught her attention with a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Maybe you and Teofil should provide me one too.”

  “Mother!” Ana cried, her face turning red.

  “Never hurts to try,” Teo said with a laugh.

  After chatting a while longer, Teo went to the beer barrel to refill his mug. When he returned, Ana’s family members were gone and Vanita had taken their place. She was in deep conversation with Ana.

  “Marco has decided to get into shipping,” Teo overheard Vanita say as he walked up. The idea was intriguing.

  “Where?” he asked.

  Vanita turned toward him. “He wants to start a trading business between Chiveis and Jineve. The route between the two kingdoms is mostly by water. It’ll be perfect for him.”

  “For him?” Teo asked, raising his eyebrows. “Not you too?”

  Vanita’s face fell. She shook her head. “I’m going to stay here in New Bern, so I’ll still see him. But when Marco asked me to marry him I had to say no. He hasn’t yet become a follower of Deu.”

  “I’m sorry, Vanita. I’ll pray for him.”

  Ana touched her friend’s shoulder. “So will I.”

  “Thank you both,” Vanita said, then quickly brightened. “But never mind me! Today isn’t a day for sadness. Look, the show’s about to begin.”

  A short distance away near the lip of the bluff, several workers were making adjustments to a series of iron tubes stuck into the ground. The wedding guests began to drift over to a place where the trees parted before an expansive view of the Chiveisian frontlands. In the distance Teo could see the snowy summits of the kingdom’s three great peaks rising above the other mountains around them.

  A fountain of sparks shot from one of the iron tubes, sending the workers scurrying away. A few seconds later a loud whoomph was accompanied by a burst of smoke and a shrill whistle. Everyone waited in expectant silence until . . .

  BOOM!

  A fierce explosion streaked the sky with a starburst of red and gold. The spectators jumped back, oohing and aahing with delight, though perhaps also with a little residual fear. A second explosion followed the first, and then the sky was filled with fire and thunder and smoke.

  “I love it!” Ana giggled, her long-lashed eyes opened wide. “It’s so noisy and colorful!”<
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  Teo smiled at Ana’s childlike wonder. Though the display in the heavens was amazing, he took more joy watching the expression on his wife’s face as the fireworks detonated. The concussions resounded one after the other, each hurling multihued sparks in every direction. At last, after a tremendous climax, the show ended. White smoke drifted across the sky, and all the guests applauded.

  “My ears are ringing,” Ana said far too loudly.

  Teo spotted Shaphan a few paces away and beckoned him over. The young man handed Teo a sack and left the couple alone.

  “What is it?” Ana asked as she tugged her ear.

  Teo brought out a glass bottle filled with a granular substance.

  Ana frowned. “Astrebril’s fire.”

  “Right. We just watched the destruction of all the black powder in Chiveis. Only this little bottle is left.”

  “What are you going to do with it?”

  Teo knelt in the grass and tugged Ana down beside him. He removed a matchbox from the sack, then a book: The Secret Lore of Astrebril. “The Papa brought this to me from Roma,” he said. “We thought it might help us make a weapon of our own. But we’ve changed our minds about that.”

  “Look where it led the Ancients. Let’s not start the world down that path again.”

  “We can put a stop to it right now.”

  Teo opened the book and sprinkled black powder among its pages. After making a little pile in its spine, he struck a match and handed it to Ana.

  “No more secret weapons,” he said.

  “No more Astrebril,” Ana replied, and dropped the match.

  As the carriage rounded a bend in the trail, Ana let out a gasp. “It’s just like I always imagined!”

  “I thought you’d like it. King Piair spared no expense. He put the best craftsmen on the job, so the house is really sturdy. It’ll last a long time.”

  “Oh, Teo . . . it’s the perfect place to build a life together.”

  The carriage pulled up near the front door. Teo got out, then reached to help Ana. She lifted the hem of her bridal gown and grasped his hand as she stepped lightly to the ground. The newlyweds thanked the coachman as he drove off, then turned to examine their new home.

  The stone cottage sat on the bluff about a league from where the temple would rise. Though it was remote now, Teo hoped one day the house would be within the limits of a thriving new city. A garden had been planted out back, and the window flowerboxes overflowed with bright red geraniums. Not far from the door, a brook babbled into a plunge pool to provide the home with water. The builders had situated the cottage so that it offered a vista across a flat meadow stretching toward the western horizon. The sunset now lit up the sky in a crimson blaze that faded to rosy pink before disappearing into the blue-black depths. In the distance the Farm River was a shimmering ribbon of gold as it made its way toward Jineve.

  Ana stepped onto the porch to take in the view. As she glanced around, she noticed a flower-covered mound a short distance from the house, with a headstone. “Teo, is that . . . ?”

  “Yes, it’s Liber. So we can always remember the gift he gave us. The gift of life.”

  “That’s nice,” Ana said, slipping her arms around Teo’s waist and laying her head against his chest.

  He held her like that for a while, breathing rhythmically with her in the silence. Finally he drew back and touched her chin, lifting her face to meet his gaze.

  “How are you feeling about all this? Are you scared? Overwhelmed?”

  She smiled brightly. “Not at all. I’m the happiest girl in the world.”

  “And the prettiest,” he replied, then leaned in and kissed her. The touch of their lips was tender at first, just a light caress, but the arousal of passion was quick to follow. Teo felt its primal force crying out for more. He could tell from the way his wife clung to him that she felt the same.

  When they parted, Ana glanced up at him with a coy smile. “Teo,” she said, “right now I am so glad you’re not my brother.”

  They both laughed at that, then kissed again. Ana clasped the back of Teo’s head with her fingers intertwined in his hair. As he curled his arms around her body and drew her near, the powerful desire of a man for his beloved rose up within him.

  Ana reached backward and grasped the doorknob. She turned it and kicked the cottage’s door open with her heel. “Come inside,” she invited, taking Teo by the hand.

  “Excuse me, sir!”

  The startled couple whirled toward the sound. A lone rider was there, backlit by the setting sun. He wore the garb of a forest wanderer.

  “Who are you?” Teo demanded.

  “I was told this is where I could find Teofil of Chiveis,” the man said in his rough dialect.

  “You’ve found him.”

  The stranger dismounted and walked his horse close. His only weapon was a sword that remained in its saddle scabbard. “I have traveled many leagues,” he said, “but my master has come even farther. He hired me to find you.”

  “Well, friend, you’ll have to come back another time. The Royal Guard can help you for now.”

  The man fell to his knees, and Teo noticed a bloodstain on his tunic. “Please, sir! My master is wounded! He begs to speak with you right away.”

  “Perhaps we can aid him,” Ana said.

  “The best aid you could give him would be to hear his plea. I left him across the meadow when he fell from his horse. He awaits you there.”

  “Who is he?” Teo asked.

  “He has come to Chiveis from a kingdom far to the west. We met by chance in the woods, and he offered me a great sum if I would guide him to you. He is the king of a people who dwell on an island across the salty sea—the Britanni.”

  Teo and Ana exchanged glances. “What does he want with me?” Teo asked.

  “Your reputation has reached him through the gossip of sailors. My master believes in a single God, but the druidim of his land started a rebellion. They pursued him and wounded him before he finally got away. Please—you must go! My master wants nothing more than to speak with you.”

  Glancing at Ana, Teo said, “I should probably check it out. Do you mind?”

  “Mind?” Ana shot him a sharp look. “I’m going with you!”

  Teo started to protest but quickly realized Ana wasn’t going to be dissuaded. She mounted the horse and grinned at Teo from the saddle, her long legs protruding from her white wedding gown. Shaking his head, Teo stepped into the stirrup and swung up behind her.

  “Go that way,” the stranger said, pointing. “You’ll find my master where the grass ends and the trees begin.”

  As Teo collected the reins, Ana spoke over her shoulder. “Life with you is one big adventure, Captain.”

  “I’m afraid so. Sorry about that.”

  Ana turned all the way around to look into Teo’s face. “Don’t be sorry. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I know. That’s why I love you.”

  Facing the western horizon again, Ana leaned back against Teo’s chest. “I need you to do something,” she said.

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Hold me.”

  “What?”

  “Just pull me close and hold me.”

  Teo slipped an arm around her slender waist. “Okay. Why?”

  “Because we’re going for a ride.”

  At those words Ana kicked her heels, prompting the horse into a wild run. At first it was all Teo could do to stay in the saddle. Yet both he and Ana were experienced riders, and soon their two bodies merged into one as they caught the rhythm of the galloping horse. Teo leaned forward, holding the reins in one hand and his new wife in the other. Ana’s laughter was in his ears, and her golden hair streamed past his cheek. As they raced across the meadow turned orange by the setting sun, Teo could only marvel at the exceptional woman riding with him into the Beyond.

  E P I L O G U E

  The old Frenchman leaned on his shovel under a dark and noxious sky. Sweat beaded his brow
despite the cold winter air. He knew he had expended far too much energy compared to the meager amount of food he had taken in, but it was worth it. His wife of fifty-two years deserved a decent burial.

  He shuddered, then wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his dirty hand. Yvette had suffered much during the last three days. Her pain was intense, and the hemorrhaging was messy. Yet she had remained firm in her faith to the end. “We are saints of the Most High,” she had said on her deathbed. “We must have hope when others do not.”

  “The world is bleak, woman. What hope is left?”

  “The Eternal One will do a great work,” Yvette said weakly. “Believe it, my husband. Believe this too shall pass.”

  Though Yvette was gone now, her final admonition still rang in the old man’s ears. He sighed and walked back to the house.

  Two weeks later the Frenchman awoke to the fate he had been awaiting. He felt a tickle on his upper lip, and when he blew his nose, his handkerchief came away red. Good, he thought. Soon I shall see my wife.

  Searching through the empty kitchen drawers, he found a used Ziploc bag. The room was dim now that the skies were perpetually gray and electricity was a distant memory. He held up the bag to the window and noticed a small hole in it. That probably won’t matter, he decided.

  A strongbox in his closet contained papers whose former importance had vanished in the chaotic post-nuclear world. The Frenchman dumped them out and took the box to his desk. A Bible lay there: a leather-bound volume with gilded edges, translated by Louis Segond, the nineteenth-century Swiss theologian from Geneva. A cross and the words Écriture Sacrée were inscribed on the cover.

  Taking a sheet of stationery, the old man wrote out a note and signed it. After tucking the note inside the Bible, he enclosed the book in paper, slipped it into the Ziploc bag, and wrapped the whole package in cloth and twine. Finally he placed the book inside the strongbox. One of its hinges was loose, so the lid remained slightly ajar when it was closed. Nothing could be done about that now. It would have to do.

  The streets of the city were deserted, at least by the living. Here and there a corpse lay in a heap, but the old man ignored the frozen remains. Today was an ash day, so he covered his mouth and nose with a scarf as the white flakes drifted from the heavy overcast. As if that will matter, he thought grimly. He hunched into his coat, fighting a losing battle against the eternal winter.