The Rise of the Wrym Lord

by Wayne Thomas Batson

  Aidan scoured his mind, hoping he’d told her everything she’d need to know. He’d told her to try to find Kaliam when she got to Alleble. He’d told her she’d need to get fitted for armor. And he’d told her to expect to be trained—hard—for her mission. He hadn’t told her about the chores she’d probably have to learn to do. No, that little tidbit, he’d left out. He wanted Antoinette to experience the joy of “refreshing the dragon pen” just as he had!

  They’d printed a picture of Robby, and Antoinette taped it inside the cover of her copy of The Story . She promised to find him if she could. But Aidan knew it would really be a one in a million chance. If she did find Robby’s Glimpse, Aidan hoped she would remember that anything that happens to a Glimpse would have an effect on his human twin. That could be tricky, Aidan thought. Robby’s Glimpse is an enemy knight. What will happen if there’s a battle?

  Aidan sat up and looked out his window. I wish Dad would come home soon, he thought. Ten o’clock. He’s really late—and he’s still got Grampin’s diary!

  Aidan flopped back on the bed and exhaled. He wished he was the one going to Alleble. He wanted to clown around with Kaliam, Nock, and Mallik again. He wanted to watch the sun rise between the peaks of Pennath Ador and see its rays sparkle in the glorious fountains.

  But more than anything else, he wanted to see Gwenne.

  There was a soft knock at Aidan’s bedroom door. His mom walked in carrying a cell phone. She did not look very happy.

  “It’s your father,” she said abruptly. She handed the phone to Aidan and, without another word, shut the door behind her.

  Aidan put the phone to his ear. “Dad?”

  “Aidan, glad you’re still up.”

  “You’re at the office pretty late. Is that why Mom’s mad?”

  There was a brief pause. “Uh, no, that’s only part of it. But listen, I wanted to talk to you. The reason I’ve been at the office is that there are some problems with an account I used to have at Riddick and Dunn’s Baltimore office. We’ve been trying to hash it out over the phone, but it’s just not working. They need me to fly in tomorrow morning. I’ll probably need to be there a couple—maybe three days.”

  “So, anyway,” Aidan’s dad continued, “I was thinking that maybe you’d like to tag along. It’ll give you and Robby a chance to talk about some things. What do you think?”

  “Are you serious, Dad? I can go?”

  “Well, you might have to miss a day of school, maybe two . . .”

  No wonder Mom’s mad, Aidan thought. She never likes me to miss school.

  “Uh, I’ll get over it!” Aidan said, laughing. “This is so cool! Thank you, Dad! Thank you!”

  “You need to pack, and you should probably call Robby to see if it’s okay for you to drop by while we’re in town. But listen, don’t stay up too late. Our flight leaves at seven A.M. from Colorado Springs Airport.”

  I won’t be able to sleep! Aidan thought after he hung up the phone.

  As he packed, Aidan thought it was rather funny that Robby was going to get the truth of Alleble from both sides—from Antoinette in The Realm, if she could find him, and from Aidan back in Maryland. And face-to-face, Robby would just have to listen, wouldn’t he?

  10

  THE DOOR WITHIN

  There it was, just as Aidan had described: a long, narrow bridge of planks and rope stretching across a vast chasm to a destination unseen.

  Antoinette could still feel the bed beneath her, and she could still hear familiar house sounds. Aidan had told her that too. Nothing to worry about. Don’t open your eyes. The sounds of your room will go away as you travel across the bridge.

  She wondered if her parents would look in on her. Unable to have children, they had adopted three-year-old Antoinette and raised her as their own. Now, to allow their only child to enter a world at war was a huge risk for them, but in the end they trusted King Eliam enough to let their daughter go.

  Back to the bridge, Antoinette told herself.

  In her mind she walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. It was a long way down—impossible to tell for sure how far to the ground because thick white mist swirled below.

  Antoinette found a stone and hurled it out as far as she could. She watched it arc and fall. She saw it disappear into the cloud bank. And then she listened.

  Nothing. Okay, so it’s a long, long way down.

  Antoinette shrugged. The height didn’t worry her. She looked at the bridge. It looked sturdy. She looked at the sky. It was blue and cloudless, only the slightest breeze. She knew she’d make it across that bridge. In fact, she decided to run across.

  Feeling invincible, Antoinette stepped out on the bridge. There, it was just as sturdy as it looked. So, off she went—a jog at first, confidence surging—then, a run. Then, an all-out sprint.

  The planks went by in bunches. She started laughing as she reached the beginning of the upslope. Then she stopped running and stood very still.

  She had heard something, and it was not a creak or a groan from the hallway or the rattle of the heat kicking on in her bedroom. It was not any house noise. It was a low roll of thunder, deep and menacing.

  Antoinette slowly turned her head to the left. The sky, which had only a moment ago been peaceful and blue, had turned to a sickly yellow haze. And the horizon was black and spreading.

  Lightning flickered. Thunder followed like the echo of a cannon. Strange, Antoinette thought. Why didn’t I sense the storm approaching? And then Antoinette was afraid.

  Lightning split the sky. Antoinette ducked as thunder crashed and echoed off the cliff walls. The wind picked up and swirled. The bridge began to sway.

  If the storm caught her out in the open, suspended over the chasm. . . . Heavy raindrops began striking her. Antoinette held the Book of Alleble close to her body to keep it dry. Then she stumbled. Shaking, Antoinette knelt there for a moment. She wanted the storm to go away. She wanted to make it go away.

  Maybe I should just open my eyes. Then she realized her eyes were already open. She was no longer in her bedroom. It was no longer a vision.

  When she looked up, it seemed that there were scowling faces in the clouds. Hideous, angry faces full of hate. Her skin prickled. The air grew chill.

  Antoinette stood again, clutched the Book of Alleble, and sprinted, calling out to King Eliam as she ran. Her King would not let it end here, before her mission had really even begun.

  The rain came harder now, obscuring her view of the way ahead. She slipped on the wet planks. One foot went over the edge for a moment.

  Thunder crashed. It seemed to be laughing at her.

  Antoinette pulled herself up and struggled forward. Then, through the sheets of rain, she saw it. The door! She pushed forward until, suddenly, she stood before it. The storm was gone as though it had never been. Antoinette exhaled, wiped back her sodden hair, and whispered, “Thank you.”

  The door was tall, hewn from gray stone and engraved intricately with castles, unicorns, warriors, and a long and winding road that led to two mountains. The sun rose between those peaks, and Antoinette’s heart rejoiced.

  Seeing the silver ring, she reached down and pulled. Light, fierce and startlingly pure, shone forth from behind the door. Antoinette shielded her eyes with one arm and walked through The Door Within.

  Passage

  The light was warm, and all chill and dampness from the rain left. At last, the light dimmed and flew away to a pinpoint—one star among many in the darkness that seemed to stretch to forever all around her.

  Antoinette now walked on a gray stone path. She felt light, almost as if she were floating. She began to hear voices, many voices, like echoes of all the conversations of history. But one voice rose above them all.

  And though she did not recognize the language, she felt it was calling her. It was the voice of her King, and she knew it like a child knows the voice of her father. His voice drew her along, and she followed.

  The darkness on both sides
of the path began to flicker. Images arose—huge, vivid, moving images. Antoinette felt a tiny scratching in the back of her mind. Had Aidan said anything about this?

  The first vision was of a deep forest where immense dark trees grew. In the center of the forest was a marvelous tree, older and taller than the rest. Its vast canopy suddenly withered and became smoke from the fiery cauldron of a volcano. Molten rock ran red down cliffs and into a cratered landscape spiked with jagged stone.

  The vision changed again, and one dark crater became a tomb. Its door wrenched free and splintered. The vault was empty except for a rectangular altar of white marble in the exact center of the floor. The tomb vanished, but the white altar rested now on a wide balcony overlooking a sleeping city.

  Suddenly, something blacker than night fell from the sky and shattered the white altar. It was a stone. In quick succession, another fell on the balcony. There was a marking in red on the stone. Soon stones like the first began to rain down from the sky, and the vision changed.

  There were many visions, one after the other, accelerating so that Antoinette could not follow them all.

  It is too much for you, an icy voice whispered. You will fail.

  Aidan had told Antoinette of the voice that had warned him off of the path. She tried to ignore the voice, determined not to listen.

  She looked at the path ahead. It was narrow.

  Come, my darkness will save you, the voice called.

  Antoinette did not veer right or left, but focused on maintaining her straight course. And there ahead was a window in the night.

  You will not escape the storm again, the voice warned her.

  With all her strength, Antoinette lunged for the window.

  11

  A SORT OF

  HOMECOMING

  M’lady? . . . M’lady, if you please,” a voice persisted. “May I enter?”

  Sleepy, Antoinette thought the voice sounded familiar. Perhaps a bit formal, but nice.

  There was a knock on the door. And again the voice said, “M’lady? . . . M’lady, if you please. May I enter?”

  Her eyes sprang open, and she sat bolt upright, looking around at unfamiliar surroundings. “Yes,” she said.

  A Glimpse knight opened the chamber door. He was backlit in gold from the hall’s light.

  “M’lord’s Sentinel has summoned thee.”

  “Aidan?” Antoinette asked.

  The Glimpse’s eyes flickered blue, and he shifted uncomfortably. “Nay, m’lady. I am called Aelic. You speak of my twin in the Mirror Realm.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just got confused because—”

  “You have traveled the narrow path between our realms,” Aelic said. “It is quite disorienting—I know. I made such a journey once upon a time.”

  “Am I . . . is this?” Antoinette looked hopefully around the chamber.

  Aelic leaned a little farther into the chamber, but did not step in. “You are in King Eliam’s castle in the city of Alleble. On behalf of my Lord, as well as the citizens of the Land of Seven Fountains, I bid thee welcome.”

  He bowed low with a flourish of his dark cape—all the while keeping the chamber door propped open with one foot.

  “Thank you,” Antoinette said. Wow, she thought, Aidan really does look handsome in armor.

  “On the chest at the foot of your bed, you will find warm clothes and suitable armor,” he said, gesturing and letting the door begin to close. “Elspeth will be along shortly to help you dress, and I suspect she will bring you a goodly assortment of victuals. I will return in due time to escort you to the Guard’s Keep.”

  “Victuals?” Antoinette echoed.

  “That is food, m’lady.”

  “Oh,” Antoinette replied.

  Aelic bowed again and turned to leave. “Wait!” Antoinette called, feeling a warm blush in her cheeks. “My name is Antoinette. Would you call me that instead of m’lady?”

  Aelic smiled. “Yes, m’lady—um, Antoinette . . . as you wish.” And with that, he was gone.

  Antoinette chewed at her lower lip as she scanned the chamber. Large candles on tall silver stands lit the four corners of the room in soft blues and purples. Magnificent tapestries adorned the walls and gave the room a sense of history and grandeur.

  I’m here! I’m really in Alleble! Antoinette thought. She threw off the covers, leaped out of bed, and ran to the chest to see the clothing and armor that had been laid out for her. A silver breastplate gleamed up at her, and she had to catch her breath. Engraved upon it were two mountains with the sun rising between them, the symbol, she knew, of King Eliam’s great victory over Paragor’s rebellion. She ran her fingers across it and smiled.

  Next to the breastplate was a stack of plate armor and a light silver helmet. Aside from the helmet, Antoinette had no idea how to put the stuff on, but she could hardly wait to try! Then, she saw the clothing and laughed out loud for joy. She snatched up the dark breeches and the tunic and ran to the long mirror that stood in one of the corners next to a candlestand.

  She held them up to herself and turned this way and that. She especially loved the black tunic she’d been given. It had intricate purple embroidery on the collar and sleeves and a braided black belt. This is just my style. How did they know? she wondered. She hurriedly slipped them on and modeled them in the mirror. They’re just the right size too!

  There came several rapid knocks at the door, and then a voice. “Hullo, dearie, Elspeth at your service! Are you decent?”

  Antoinette ran and opened the chamber door. She found a round-faced Glimpse woman busily twirling a small white towel in one hand and balancing a tray on her rather large hip with the other hand. She smiled a broad cheeky smile and bustled into the chamber.

  “Hullo, dearie!” she said again and placed the tray on a small table near the door. “Do have a seat, dearie, and have a bit to eat. There is good cheese there, some of my famous crusty bread, and a bit of beef. Fuel for the furnace, as I often says. Now, fill up when you can, for you never know when the next meal might come.” She cackled a laugh and patted her ample belly. “Now, sit here and eat.” Antoinette did as she was told.

  “My name is Elspeth, but you can call me Mum. All me other girls do. Now, what should I call you?”

  “Antoinette.”

  “Antoinette. A beautiful name, that is.”

  Elspeth surveyed the room, then she busied herself gathering up Antoinette’s clothes.

  “I see you found my Lady Gwenne’s clothing that I put out for you. It fits you well, it does. Makes sense, I suppose, seeing as how you are her twin and all. But your red hair, that is different. Now, my Lady Gwenne’s hair is of golden blond like the King’s wheat at the harvest.”

  “My real color is blond too,” Antoinette said.

  “I thought as much. Do not misunderstand me. Your hair is long and lush—pretty enough in its own way,” Elspeth said. Then raising one eyebrow, she glanced at Antoinette and added, “Aelic certainly thought so. But there I go again, flapping my lips like dragon wings. You probably have so many questions.”

  Aelic thinks I’m pretty? Antoinette thought, and her mind wandered.

  “Antoinette, dear, are you there?”

  Antoinette snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. “Uh, . . . well, I guess my big question is, do you know what my mission will be?”

  “Me? No,” Elspeth replied. “I am sure I would not be able to tell you anything of those matters. Some venture to put a crick in the dark one’s plans, like as not. War is coming, and maybe even within our own borders this time—or so many claim. But swords, shields, and battles are not where my wisdom falls. Mops, brooms, cleaning, and cooking—now those I can tell a thing or two about. Soon enough, you will be brought before Kaliam, our Sentinel. It is from him you will learn all that you could want about missions and such. Was there anything else that you wanted to know?” Elspeth asked, as if she’d actually answered Antoinette’s question.

  Antoinette shook her he
ad. Elspeth had carried on so long, Antoinette was afraid to ask her anything else. “No thank you,” Antoinette said. “The food was very good.”

  “Did you like it, then?” Elspeth asked. “Just some old family recipes, really. But good enough for a fair number of knights, I can tell you. Take Sir Aelic, now. That one cannot seem to get enough of my stew. He is always pestering Lady Gwenne to get me to make that stew for him. Here now, enough about that. We must get you into your armor. It should fit just right, seeing as how it is also Lady Gwenne’s. Her spare set, really. Kindle, our armory keeper, had it made up for her when she returned from Mithegard.”

  Elspeth was right. The armor fit almost perfectly. Antoinette looked at herself in the mirror and laughed. “I’m a knight!” she said.

  “Well, a right, regular swordmaiden,” Elspeth agreed.

  “Swordmaiden?” Antoinette echoed, a broad grin forming. “I like the sound of that, but . . . uh, I don’t have a sword.”

  “True enough, dearie. I expect you will need to see Kaliam about that.”

  Just then, there came a sharp rap at the door. Elspeth hurried to answer it.

  “Sir Aelic has returned, m’lady,” Elspeth said.

  As Antoinette turned to greet him, Aelic stumbled backward, startled by the beautiful young woman before him.

  “Even with your hair aflame and being younger, how much like Gwenne you look,” he said. “It is strange to see a friend’s likeness in one who is not Glimpse-kind. I imagine you must be thinking the same thing about me and my twin of your kind.”

  “Yes, it’s kind of strange. I mean, I just saw Aidan earlier today.” Antoinette laughed, remembering the duel she’d had with Aidan.

  “Do you jest?”