by Nathan Roden
Lucien drew his sword.
“Who goes there?” Lucien asked.
“It is only me, Your Grace.”
“Oliver.”
“What are you doing here this time of morning?”
Lucien held out his hand. Oliver took it. The king pulled his squire to his feet.
“Well?” Lucien said.
Oliver looked down. His shoulders drooped in the posture of defeat.
“It is the queen, Your Grace.”
“The queen? What about the queen?”
“I believe…I believe she is in danger.”
“Danger?” Lucien said. “Danger from what?”
“It is nothing I can explain, Your Gra—”
“Stop lying to me!”
Lucien shoved Oliver’s shoulders.
“Please, your Grace. I only wish to—”
Lucien grabbed Oliver by the hair. He pulled Oliver close until he could feel his breath.
“You will tell me…what you know...or I will have your head!”
Oliver’s knees grew weak. His shoulders quaked and his body went slack.
Lucien slapped him.
“You stand up and talk to me like a man! I am your king and I asked you a question!”
Oliver wiped his eyes and sniffed. He steadied his breathing.
“Very well, my King. My fate was sealed on the day of the dragon’s escape. I will hide no longer.”
“What are you saying?” Lucien said.
“The wizard—the giant brought here from the bowels of hell—he will go to Islemar.”
“I heard what he said,” Lucien said. “I was there, remember? He believes there is another wizard hiding there. Why should he care unless he thought this other sorcerer was helping the dragon?”
Oliver shook his head.
“He is not a sorcerer. And he is not helping any dragon.”
“He is only a boy. A blind boy.”
“How do you know this?” Lucien asked.
“We lived a short distance from the Brewer family. I used to play games with the blind boy and his sister. They are…they are exceptional, Your Grace.”
“Are you saying that these children have magic? And you told no one about it?”
“What would you have done? They were young children. They were no threat to anyone. Lord Brewer was always kind to me. He vouched for me to Captain Raynard! Would you throw these children into your dungeon? Their father died there!”
“Well, this boy is as good as dead,” Lucien said. “If Dathien can sense his presence from this far away, there is nowhere for him to hide.”
“That is why I must go, Your Grace. I have to warn the queen.”
“Warn the queen? About what?”
Oliver’s eyes met Lucien’s.
“The boy and his sister and brother are hiding from the wizard in Islemar. Where else would they be but under the protection of the Lamonts?”
“What?” Lucien exploded.
“Sh! Please, Your Grace! If I do not get there before the giant does—then all is lost!”
Lucien grabbed Oliver’s collar with both hands. He was so consumed by rage that his hands shook. Spit flew from his mouth.
“This is treason! I will have you thrown into the dungeon!”
“And you would have every right, my King. But if that is to be my fate, I will go with a clear conscience.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“The dragon did not kill the queen’s handmaid. She is alive.”
“Liar!” Lucien growled. “I saw her body myself!”
“You saw a hundred burned bodies. And you saw one with a locket on top of it.”
“Why are you telling me this? What difference does it make?”
“Because you are in danger as well.”
“What?”
Oliver cleared his throat.
“The queen is carrying your heir—”
“If it is indeed a male child,” Lucien said.
“It is a male child. This is a certainty.”
“How can you—?”
“After the child is born—Sterling is going to kill you.”
Lucien stared into Oliver’s eyes. Neither flinched or looked away.
Lucien let go of Oliver’s collar.
“What game are you playing? And to who have you pledged your alliance? Have you allied against me?”
“This is no game, Your Grace. And I assure you—my only desire is what is best for the kingdom.”
“Wait here,” Lucien said.
“I’m coming with you.”
Fifty-three
Finn stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Do not worry, My Queen. And, My Lady,” he said. “I will post only my most trusted and faithful men to watch over the children.”
Robinette Lamont bent over and ran her hands through Ezekiel’s hair.
The little boy smiled up at her.
“So very precious!” she whispered with a crack in her voice.
The three Brewer children were warm and dry on cots laid out in a remote corner of the dungeon of Castle Islemar.
Finn, Lady Lamont, and Jaclyn stepped away.
“They cannot stay in here forever,” Robinette whispered. “With no place to run and play—or even to stand in the light of the sun!”
Jaclyn scowled.
“Sterling has inflicted this wicked creature on us. The dragon eludes him—so he turns on the children? Does this madness have no end?”
“Sterling has always feared magic,” Finn said. “And although the giant is powerful, he is by no means invincible. He will always fear there are others who might best him.”
Jaclyn balled her fists.
“If I could get word to Simon, I would ask him…”
“What would you ask him, Jaclyn?” Robinette asked. “The dragon has strength, and fire—but he is no match for this wizard’s magic. This wizard has killed many dragons. That’s why Sterling brought him here. You must not allow your desires to cloud reality.”
Jaclyn sat down. She buried her face in her hands.
“What good is it to be the queen?” she sobbed. “If I cannot help the innocent? Am I no more than an illusion? Am I no more than a portrait inside of a dress? If I cannot make the world a better place—what purpose do I serve?”
Lady Lamont sat down and put her arms around her daughter.
“We stay alive, my queen,” Finn said. “We live—while your father gathers support for the rebellion. We live to fight for one more day.”
Finn pulled the carriage beside the dungeon door. He waved and nodded to two ladies who passed by.
“Good day, ladies.”
“And a good day to you, Lieutenant. Are you driving Lady Lamont’s carriage? Please tell me that you have not been demoted!”
Finn laughed along with the two ladies.
“No, not yet! Actually, I am taking the Queen and Lady Lamont on a picnic.”
“Oh, that sound lovely!” the ladies swooned. “Where are you going?”
“That is yet to be determined,” Finn lied.
He knew exactly where they were going—to the far side of the lake. It was a place he knew well.
“Give the queen and My Lady our best, Good Sir.”
“I will.”
When the ladies disappeared from view, Finn slipped between the doors and the carriage. He lifted the three children inside of the carriage and closed the doors.
He pulled to the front of the castle and helped Jaclyn and Robinette Lamont into the carriage.
Eight soldiers followed behind on Finn’s orders. He told them to remain far back. He also told them to stay well out of sight when they reached the lake.
The men did not understand, but orders were orders.
Finn pulled the carriage to a stop.
“You have chosen the perfect place for a picnic, Captain!” Lady Lamont exclaimed. “I have not been to this side of the lake in ages!”
Jaclyn inhaled the
fresh air and smiled. She closed her eyes and lifted her face to meet the warm midday sun.
“It is lovely here, Lieutenant Finn,” Jaclyn said. “Thank you so much. Let’s get those children out to meet this gorgeous day! It is simply dreadful that they have to hide in that cold, dark dungeon.”
Finn opened the carriage doors.
“Come out! Come out! Wherever you—!”
The children were gone.
And then they were there.
“You could have told me that you can do that, Caleb,” Finn said.
“Aw, where’s the fun in that?” Caleb said.
Finn tousled Caleb’s hair.
“Run about and play, children,” Jaclyn said. “Mother and I will get everything ready.”
“I can do it,” Caleb said.
“That won’t be necessary, dear,” Robinette said.
Sara tugged at Jaclyn’s sleeve. Jaclyn bent over to listen.
“Caleb likes to do things. When people don’t let him do things it makes him sad.”
“Very well, Caleb. Prepare us a picnic, good Sir. The basket is—”
“Yes, my queen. I know where everything is.”
Robinette put her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.
“Well, of course, you do,” Jaclyn said, making a face at her mother. “How silly of me.”
Caleb raised his hand toward the carriage. The basket rose and hovered over a perfect patch of grass near the water. The lid opened and the contents flew out in a blinding rush. Two blankets snapped open and floated to the ground. The other contents distributed themselves in a perfect arrangement.
Finn laughed and clapped his hands. Jaclyn and Robinette joined in, and then Sara and Zeke.
Caleb smiled and looked a little embarrassed.
“That was tremendous!” Finn said.
“Amazing!” Robinette added.
“Very, very nice, Caleb!” Jaclyn said. “Did the Lady teach you that?”
“No,” Caleb said. His smile faded.
“This was a simple thing. The Lady taught me other things—some of which are not so simple.”
“Can you show us?” Jaclyn asked.
Caleb turned away.
“Perhaps later.”
His smile returned.
“After we have enjoyed this exquisite meal. I smell roasted chicken!”
They finished eating. Sara and Zeke ran toward the lake shore chasing butterflies.
“What did the Lady show you, Caleb?” Jaclyn asked.
“She said that the time would come when I would have to protect myself. When I would have to protect all three of us. The Lady was always honest with me. If she was not I would have known it. She said that there was magic she could teach me that she could not do herself.”
“That sounds…dangerous, Caleb,” Robinette said.
“I cannot lie, My Lady. It is dangerous, indeed.”
Jaclyn glanced at Finn. He shrugged.
“Sara!” Caleb called. “Come here, please.”
Sara took Zeke’s hand and they walked toward Caleb.
Caleb reached out and hugged his sister and brother. He kissed them on their foreheads.
“I will need for you to take Zeke and go to the happy village.”
Sara nodded.
Caleb raised his head and opened his mouth. He made a high-pitched noise that faded to silence even though his mouth remained open.
Flocks of birds left the trees and flew north. Rabbits scurried across the field in the same direction.
Jaclyn leaned toward Sara and whispered.
“What is he doing?”
“He’s telling the animals to go away—for a little while.”
“Why?”
Sara smiled.
“You’ll see.”
Caleb closed his mouth.
“Zeke, go and visit the happy village with Sara.”
Sara sat on a blanket, with her legs crossed in front of her. Zeke sat down in her lap.
He looked up at Jaclyn and waved.
“Bye-bye!”
Jaclyn waved back.
“Caleb, what are you doing?”
Sara placed her hands on the sides of Zeke’s head.
The children became as still as stone. Their eyes rolled up in the backs of their heads.
“Sara!” Jaclyn screamed. “Caleb! What is happening?”
Finn leaped to his feet and drew his sword. He did not know what else to do.
“Do not worry, My Queen,” Caleb said softly. “They’ve gone to a safe place.”
“What safe place?!” Robinette exclaimed.
“A place that protects their eyes and ears,” Caleb said.
“As well as their minds.”
“Did you do that?” Jaclyn asked.
Caleb smiled.
“No. Sara did.”
“Sara?” Robinette exclaimed. “She has magic, as well?”
“Oh, yes,” Caleb said. “She has considerable skills for her age. I hope to teach her when she is a little older; as the Lady taught me.”
Jaclyn was a bit faint. She wobbled on her feet. Finn caught her by the arm.
“What are you about to do, Caleb?” Jaclyn asked.
“You wished to see what the Lady taught me. Have you changed your mind?”
“No.”
“Be ready to close your eyes,” Caleb said. “And you should cover your ears.”
Finn covered his ears and stepped in front of Jaclyn and Robinette.
“Caleb, perhaps we should discuss this first—”
Caleb was no longer listening.
He raised his right hand in front of him. An orb of light appeared. He lifted his hand toward the sky and a beam of light rose high into the clouds. Caleb stood still as if in a trance. He closed his eyes and his face showed no expression.
Suddenly, his face changed. A halo of light appeared around him. He looked older. Wiser. And full of power.
Caleb swung his hands toward the woods.
THOOM!
Bolts of lightning shot down, exploding dozens of trees that had bordered the lake for a hundred years. The air was filled with the rain of splintered timber. The impact left a crater of twenty-feet at its center.
“Great Vehallion’s ghost!” Finn cried out.
“By the gods, Caleb!” Robinette said when she was finally able to speak.
Jaclyn looked on in shock until a voice whispered in the back of her mind.
We are in danger.
The soldier in charge of the guard detachment drove his horse toward the noise.
Finn ran toward him, waving his arms.
“It is nothing! No cause for concern! Back to your stations!”
Caleb stepped across the blanket and touched Sara on the shoulder. Her eyes became normal as did Zeke’s.
“The fire,” Finn said. “The fire is spreading—and we have no way to stop it.”
“Do not worry, My Lord,” Caleb said.
Caleb lifted his hand once again, this time in the direction of the lake. The lake’s surface began to ripple. A swell of water rose into the air, becoming a water spout that reached over a hundred feet into the air. Caleb moved his hand, and the spout moved over the raging fire.
The fire was extinguished in a matter of seconds.
“We have to go, lieutenant,” Jaclyn said. “Quickly.”
They loaded the carriage and made their way nervously back to Islemar. They saw only merchants on the road.
The children were safely in their beds, in the dark recesses of the dungeon.
Robinette Lamont poured herself a glass of wine with shaking hands.
“It appears that we have averted disaster, once again. Who could have dreamed that that sweet boy was capable of such destruction?”
Jaclyn fell clumsily into a chair. She blew out a long breath. She rested her hand on her swollen belly. Her child tossed and turned.
“We can only pray that whoever heard that thought it was thunder.”
“Y
es,” Robinette said. “Thunder—from a clear, blue sky.”
Fifty-four
The boys pulled the heavy body behind the blacksmith’s shed. They wiped their tears on their sleeves.
Raynard turned the corner.
“Bloody hell—?”
Sterling pulled Raynard aside.
“It is just as I have suspected. Lucien’s outburst has emboldened others. The stench of revolution has not only reared its ugly head; it spreads like an unabated fire. I will put an end to it.”
“Immediately.”
Raynard nodded. He was virtually the equal of Sterling in power and authority but he knew he derived his status only as Sterling’s right-hand man.
Especially when Sterling’s face looked the way it did that morning.
Raynard had seen what Sterling was capable of. He was convinced that if Sterling had a soul at all, it was the darkest shade of black.
“Where is Dathien?” Sterling asked.
“The last time I saw him he was wandering the King’s Road on the east end of the village. He mumbled words that I couldn’t understand—like he was in a trance. I swear by the gods, I cannot wait until that freak is—”
“Find him,” Sterling said. “I want you to ride to Islemar. Take our biggest horse. If you find Dathien, take him with you.”
Raynard exhaled.
“I can bring the king and queen back here, straightaway—without the aid of that giant freak.”
Sterling stared out the window.
“It is a feeling I have…”
“Sterling, the wizard is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake! How many more are we to ignore before he kills the dragon?”
“Don’t tell me you are growing soft, Captain!” Sterling snapped.
“You know me better than that,” Raynard said. “But if we sanction killings inside the village of Islemar—”
“Anyone who impedes our attempts to find that cursed beast is no friend of the kingdom!”
“Think about it, Sterling. The most well-liked and respected man in this land has sworn his loyalty to the throne. He rules over the seaports with his own iron fist—filling our pockets without the need for us to lift a finger! If your…your monster decides to go on a killing rampage right in Lamont’s face, how can we expect things to remain the same?”