Cefiz walked toward them, weaving his own path through the confusion. As he closed on the pair he became convinced the smaller Windrider was a woman. His pace quickened. A third Borz assassin hailed the pair and moved toward them. The woman’s face came into focus. Cefiz broke into a run.
Vieri returned a greeting from Sayid and called for his help. She assisted Viday Shan to a healer. Viday’s free arm rose and Sayid ducked under to support the other half of the Shan leader’s weight. Vieri adjusted and looked up to see Cefiz racing toward her. Viday’s face was weary but he smiled and whispered to the woman. She returned the smile and slipped from beneath Viday’s weight, sprinting toward Cefiz.
Kael stared at a far different reunion. He held himself in check. The boy wanted to give the pair a chance to focus. Aemmon and Brelg walked briskly toward one another across the smoldering battlefield. The pair warmly embraced and stayed locked in one another’s arms for a long moment. When they broke free, they simply stared with a wide grin on each face. Finally, Aemmon spoke and tears flowed freely down the cheeks of the old sergeant.
“Brelg is a man unlike any other,” came the voice of Avra at Kael’s side.
The boy turned and looked into the shining face of his Creator.
“I needed a man of such strength to guide the life of my Son,” continued Avra. “Brelg has always been that man.”
Kael looked back to see Brelg and Aemmon approaching. Brelg opened his arms wide and threw them around the boy. Aemmon stepped beside Avra.
“We will leave you now,” said Aemmon. “But know that We love you and Our thoughts are always upon you.”
“Hilro will remain amongst you on this world, both seen and unseen,” continued Avra. “Be ere vigilant against evil, Kael. We will be waiting for you when your time comes.”
Kael smiled at his brother then turned to Brelg.
“Let’s go home father.”
Granu struggled forward carrying the body of Brother Shor. The giant’s face was grim and his eyes cloudy. The crowd parted to let him pass. Suddenly, he stood face to face with Hilro.
“You are angry because you lost a friend,” declared Hilro.
Granu nodded and laid Shor at his feet.
“Do you truly believe him lost?”
Granu pondered the question..
“Think,” continued Hilro. “What is possible and what is impossible?”
A look of anguish crossed Granu’s face as he struggled with the question. Finally, he softened.
“All things are possible with Avra,” said the giant.
“That is right,” smiled Hilro placing a hand upon the giant’s broad shoulder. “You will see Brother Shor again someday, just as you will see your father and your uncle. You will enjoy an eternity of one another’s company. For now, bury the vessel which held Shor’s spirit, gather your people and return to your kingdom.”
Hilro turned and motioned to an old woman holding the hand of a small boy. She led the boy before Granu.
“Your people suffered much in this dark time,” said Hilro. “They need the healing hand of a compassionate sovereign.”
He knelt before the boy with a reassuring grin. Patting the child’s head, Hilro turned his face back to the Keltaran king.
“And little Aul here needs the wisdom and guidance of a good father,” said Hilro. “Will you answer the call and heal your nation, Granu Stormbreaker?”
The grim face of the giant stared at the boy for a moment. Granu stepped forward and took the boy’s hand in his own.
“Lets gather our people, Aul. Can you help me lead them home?”
The little boy nodded.
Jenpry sat on the charred floor of the Eru plain cradling the head of Teeg Cin Fair in her arms. The Master of Spies opened his eyes slowly as the lady dabbed the blood from the corners of his mouth.
“You found me,” he wheezed.
“Hush,” she said softly. “I knew when I saw flame to the north, you would be at the center of some mischief.”
The pair was alone save for the great carcass of Drengel the Conjuror. Teeg tried to raise his head and look about.
“Is it over?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “The Deceiver has been banished once more.”
Teeg smiled and laid his head back in her arms. A spasm of pain flashed across his face and his breathing was choked and difficult. Jenpry held him tightly.
“Do not struggle,” she whispered. “Try to relax. Be at peace.”
A shadow fell over the pair. Teeg’s glassy eyes widened. He stared past the Sprite queen. Jenpry looked up to see the figure of a large man standing over her. The man appeared both ancient and ageless all at once. White robes clothed Him and dazzled the woman with their brilliance.
“It is time to go,” said Avra to Teeg with a smile. “You served your people and this world well.”
“Must I?” coughed the old Elf.
“This mortal coil which binds your soul cannot maintain much longer,” said Avra pointing to the old Elf. “That body will cease to be useful.”
Teeg glanced between Avra and the woman holding him tightly.
“But you may change that,” stated the old Elf.
Avra’s grin broadened.
“Yes, I can,” replied the Creator.
“I have never been one for rules,” grinned Teeg through the pain.
A twinkle played in Avra’s eye.
“Neither have I,” He laughed. “However, you earned your place in paradise, my friend. Do you wish to forgo its glory?”
“For a time,” stated the Elf softly as he turned and looked to Jenpry. “At this moment the only paradise I can conceive lies on this world.”
Avra nodded his approval.
“I will find a need for you in the future, Teeg Cin Fair,” stated Avra. “For now, take the hand of this fair lady and return to your home. Arise.”
Jenpry’s head spun and her eyes locked with those of Teeg. She helped the Elf struggle to his feet. When they looked about, Avra was gone.
EPILOGUE
“THEY COME IN the night,” stated the farmer. “We neither see nor hear them.”
He stood within a small field. Its rich earth was furrowed and turned to the sun. About him lay the product of many months of hard labor. Turnips and beets lay strewn into a pile and signs of heavy feet trampling the dirt lie everywhere.
His wife stood beside him. She glanced over her shoulder to the cliffs and slopes of the Scythtar Mountains then back to the tiny farm from which she and her family scratched a meager living.
“And has their activity in this region increased?” questioned King Manfir as he stood inspecting an upturned beet. The Black stood behind him and a retinue of fully armed Guardsmen remained in their saddles.
“Yes,” replied the farmer’s wife. “It becomes more frequent. The first few seasons it was just the crops, but it moved on to other things.”
“Such as?” asked the king as he dropped the beet back into the pile.
“The stone wall about our cabin,” said the farmer sweeping a hand in the direction of the small dwelling.
Manfir turned. An expertly constructed wall ringed the cabin. Each stone was fit and wedged tightly to those around it.
“There’s no mortar!” continued the farmer. “I couldn’t build a wall like that in a dozen years.”
“We awoke one morning to find it ringing the house,” added the wife. “That was a week ago, before we found this season’s crops harvested and piled here.”
“They even diverted a bit of the Frizgard into my fields last year,” laughed the farmer. “No more carrying buckets of water to thirsty crops.”
Manfir nodded then scanned the tiny settlement. It certainly was a handsome, thriving little outpost.
“It appears you have become the beneficiaries of someone’s goodwill,” announced the king. “We’ve seen this throughout the northern settlements.”
“I’m not complaining,” chuckled the farmer. “It was you w
ho wanted to investigate.”
“All of the happenings in the kingdom concern me,” replied Manfir. “Whether good or ill. I am pleased you find success here.”
Manfir turned to his troops.
“We will return to the capital,” stated the king. “I must attend to business in Luxlor within a fortnight and see nothing here to warrant further investigation. Head to our camp and make ready. Send a messenger to General Flair and inform him of our discoveries. I will join you shortly.”
The troops saluted, turned their mounts south and rode from the homestead.
“May Avra and his servants continue to bless your house,” said Manfir to the farmer and his wife.
“And the kingdom,” smiled the goodwife.
The pair bowed and returned to filling a small barrow with their recently harvested crops. The farmer wheeled the barrow to a small stone crib that looked as if it had been constructed in the same manner as the wall.
Manfir strolled away from the busy pair into the now empty field. His eyes searched the rocky crags of the slopes of the Scythtar that rose just beyond the rushing water of the Frizgard River. After a moment he halted and kept his eyes fixed on a boulder halfway up the barren expanse. Within seconds, the boulder moved then transformed into the form of a huge Ulrog. The creature crossed its hands upon its heart then laid them palms open and upward.
Manfir returned the gesture. The Ulrog’s stony face broke into a broad grin and even at this distance, Manfir’s keen eyes could read the word carved into the stone man’s hide.
A moment later and Nostr the Ulrog spun and hiked rapidly up the face of the mountain. A dozen other boulders transformed and the last of the Ulrog followed their leader to perform their penance at another of the many settlements along the northern reaches.
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“Will you sit back and calm yourself?” grumbled King Granu to the young man riding beside him.
“I can’t help it,” smiled the teen. He stood in his stirrups and scanned the horizon anxiously. “We should see it by now. Why can’t we see it yet?”
“I’ve told you. We skirt the foothills of the Southern Zorim. The Nagur is lost from us behind the remnants of the great hills,” replied Granu.
The young man craned his neck even higher in an unsuccessful attempt to see the southern horizon.
“Aul, you will be king one day,” chastised Granu. “The people expect a modicum of ... dignity. We will enter the Nagur soon and be within the halls of Luxlor not long thereafter. Can you project a feeling of calm confidence until then, even if you don’t truly feel it?”
Prince Aul glanced over his shoulder at the procession of retainers and soldiers trailing he and his father. He frowned and dropped back into his saddle. Granu smiled broadly, reached over and tousled the young man’s red mane.
“You will have a year amongst the Greys to study all there is to know about them,” laughed King Granu. “I am sure you can muster a few more hours of patience.”
“Yes, sir,” frowned the boy.
The guests and courtiers of the Grey Elf Kingdom crowded the throne room in small groups chatting about the day’s upcoming events.
“Do you think they will bring the baby?” whispered Queen Lilywynn from her seat upon the dais.
“I’m not sure,” replied Eidyn. “Certainly he’s old enough to travel, but they may prefer he stay with his nursemaids. It’s a long and tiresome journey, especially for one so young.”
Lilywynn frowned. Eidyn grinned broadly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“If they don’t, perhaps we should make a journey of our own,” smiled the king. “We can inform the people that we need to assess the status of the kingdom.”
A shining smile quickly replaced her frown and she hugged her husband tightly.
“I can plant stories of suspicious activity near the borders,” came a whisper from Eidyn’s right. “It would be nothing to create the proper atmosphere which demanded your departure and investigation.”
Eidyn and Lilywynn exchanged a smile and turned. Lord Teeg leaned forward in his chair with a gleam of excited anticipation in his eyes. The Lady Jenpry sat beside him with an amused frown. She grabbed the edge of his cloak and pulled him back into his seat.
“You passed the mantle of Master of Spies on to Diom years ago, my dear,” she stated. “It is time to release your hold and let youth step forward.”
“Youth is overrated,” sulked Teeg. “I prefer the wisdom of age.”
Jenpry smiled broadly at her husband and patted his hand as she turned to the throne.
“Daughter,” she said. “Perhaps we will accompany you on this journey. It seems my husband longs for his days of roaming the wide world.”
Lilywynn smiled and nodded, but Teeg remained within his funk. Jenpry turned back to the Elf lord and looked deeply into his eyes.
“And then perhaps,” she continued. “We will leave you for a while. Traveling the world as Lord Teeg and the Lady Jenpry is not the medicine this illness requires. The great kingdoms of the world are so difficult to see from the heights of nobility. They are so much more accessible from the eyes of the traveling merchant, the poet, the acrobat or ....”
“.... the actor extraordinaire!” grinned Teeg with a flourish of his hand.
“Yes, the actor extraordinaire,” smiled Jenpry and she leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss.
From a pair of identical chairs set on the other side of the throne, the Lady Eirtwin leaned forward and addressed her son.
“Perhaps Lord Teeg should be employed to discover the whereabouts of the delegation from the Toxkri,” she said. “The king of the Sprites and his wife were due hours ago.”
As if on cue to her query, the doors of the great hall opened and an Elf guard stepped into the room.
“Queen Lizzel and entourage from the sovereign kingdom of the Toxkri,” announced the guard.
All upon the dais rose and the guests throughout the room spun to the open door. Into the chamber stepped a group of a dozen Sprites dressed in the familiar gossamer robes and led by a beautiful young woman. She approached the throne and bowed deeply. As she rose her eyes met those of the Lady Jenpry and they danced with delight.
“Mother,” she smiled.
Jenpry returned the smile.
“Daughter. You are late and your husband is absent.”
“Yes,” frowned Lizzel as she turned to the center throne. “My apologies sister. The king left our party as we crossed from the Toxkri into the Nagur Wood. He needed to attend to something.”
“I am sure he will arrive shortly,” said Lilywynn, dismissing any slight with a wave of her hand. “I am elated to see you.”
She stepped from the throne and embraced her sister warmly. Jenpry also left the thrown and joined in the greeting. Eidyn moved to join them.
“I’m puzzled,” he said to Lizzel. “What could be so distracting as to cause him to leave your party? Security in the Nagur Wood is as strong as it has ever been. Certainly he did not fear for the safety of your party. My patrols scour the wood daily.”
Lizzel bit her lip and her eyes fell toward the floor.
“Ha! Youth,” scoffed Teeg. “There are plenty in this room who would like me to stop meddling in the affairs of the world, but I’m still the only one with his eyes open wide enough to see what is before his very nose.”
The former Master of Spies stepped forward and pointed to a group of young pages standing in a recess of the throne room. Amongst them, in the full garb of a court page, stood Sprig, king of the Sprites. The little man quietly entertained those around him by performing sleight of hand.
“He’s been here for nearly an hour,” laughed Teeg.
As all eyes turned on the little man he winked and dashed forward to embrace his wife. Jenpry eyed Lizzel.
“It appears our husbands cannot leave the ways of their youth behind them,” frowned Jenpry.
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“A small price to pay to have men of such character,” replied Lizzel as she kissed Sprig on the cheek.
Teeg grinned at the compliment and stepped down from the dais to join his wife in a warm embrace.
“Where is Kael?” asked Manfir as he moved through the crowd and approached the group.
“Yes, I expected to see the boy when I arrived,” said Granu from behind the Zodrian king. “Although the hospitality of Luxlor is renown, I cannot tarry here too long.”
“He is hardly a boy,” scoffed Lilywynn.
The Elf queen turned to face Sprig and Lizzel.
“Did you see any signs of them on your journey?” she asked.
Sprig shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
“We saw no signs,” stated Queen Lizzel. “But they would most certainly travel a different path to Luxlor.”
Once again the doors to the throne room opened. This time a small contingent of black robed Windriders entered unannounced. Their leader stepped forward and removed the mask from across his face. Cefiz bowed deeply to the group gathering before the dais.
“I am a simple man and do not like to be announced like royalty,” stated the former Guardsman.
Manfir moved forward and the men embraced warmly.
“You’re late,” stated the Zodrian king.
“We wondered if you would ever arrive,” said Granu from beside him.
The giant patted his friend on the back and Cefiz extended a hand.
“The winds of the desert are fickle my friend,” said Cefiz as he shook Granu’s hand. “For obvious reasons we chose not to rush the journey.”
“You brought Kael with you?” smiled Granu.
Cefiz simply grinned, turned and extended a hand toward the group of black robed Windriders. From the crowd’s midst stepped a figure holding a small silken bundle. The figure moved toward Cefiz.
“Lords and ladies of the Elven court. Friends. I present to you, Kael Rada Shan.”
The Mirror And The Maelstrom (Book 4) Page 27