by Luna Lais
Eranen turned at the sound of Lissandra's laughter, "What?" he questioned.
"He does that just to annoy you," she said.
Eranen smiled back, "I know."
"I will take care of shelter for them and get the books secured while you are gone. Did you have anything special in mind?" she asked.
"No, just make sure to keep it concealed by the trees. No need to announce we are back." Eranen said glancing to the sky.
"How long will we be staying," she asked thinking of all that need to be done to the house to make it ready for the Order.
"Just until morning," he sighed already exhausted. "I have to get to the mountains by spring. Before the army marches through. If he is there, he is in danger." He turned and looked at her cautiously. "I want you in Rorgrim where it is safe."
"I am going with you," she said firmly.
"No you are not," he really did not want to argue about it, but now was as good of a time as any. "Not in your condition. Winter may be here by the time I am done. I will not risk you or the baby to a cryptic message in a book."
Lissandra's hands immediately went to her belly. If Eranen was right and she was with child then traveling to seek the old man in the mountains did seem an unnecessary risk. Lissandra was not sure she believed it. She felt no different and it was still a few weeks before she would no for sure. "I do not want Darien to know why I am staying behind," she said. "We can tell him together once you return."
"I will leave that to your discretion," Eranen agreed. It would be for the best knowing Darien. If he knew of her condition he would probably confine her to her chambers until Eranen's return. "We will both tell him of this business with the Order as soon as we arrive," He was firm on that. Claudette being allowed to live would not sit well with Darien. If he was going to get upset it would be with Eranen, not with Lissandra.
Lissandra only nodded and walked back to the group of displaced women. She was dreading telling Darien what she had done, but she was not a killer. She could not justify taking the life of someone who did not wish to harm her. The man who had killed Rachel had been executed and Claudette was no longer a threat. She would be a powerful ally though, they all would be. Lissandra turned to Claudette; she still had much to teach her before morning.
Part I END
Chapter 40
Part Two- Separate Paths
The weather was already frigid in the mountains. While those below were still feeling the warmth of the waning summer, snow was falling on the highest of the peaks. In another month when the trees in the forest of the land below the mountains were just starting to turn vibrant with the colors of autumn, snow and ice would begin blocking most of the passages through the rocky peaks. Maneuvering through those passages was always treacherous no matter the season, especially when you wore long robes. His robes were thick since the air on the mountain side where he lived was always much cooler than that of the forest which ran through the foothills. He had been making this journey down the mountain to the forest below once a year for most of his life. He always came just after the summer harvest to get supplies to see him through one more year.
Winter on Matalia's peak would be harsh, but life on the mountain had never been easy. It was a life of his choosing. Had he chose otherwise he would probably be dinning in the castle in Rorgrim even now. The life of ease he had known as a boy, a servant to answer his every whim and beautiful girls trying to gain his favor. He had lived that life once a long time ago and by choice he had turned away from it. He was not supposed to be a part of the world beyond the mountains, not yet anyway.
The time was coming. The time when he would return to the world he had turned his back on so long ago. He did not often think of what that life might be like. He did not want to get his hopes up again only to have them dashed by a cruel twist of fate. That had happened before. He had to be patient, wait for the man to come to him. He had made the rules, now he had to live by them.
"Not much further," he said out loud to no one. He had learned in his isolation that he had to speak out loud to himself or ever year when he needed his voice to get supplies it would not work properly. When the path began to widen and become less rocky he fingered the talisman at his neck, before tucking it beneath his robes.
It was a bright sunny day with just enough of a breeze to keep him from becoming over heated beneath the coarse brown robes he wore. "Are you going to ask?"
"Of course not" he answered himself. "Just because I saw one of them pass through the mountains does not mean he was someone."
"Now that sounded intelligent."
"Of course he was someone; I was not seeing things. I just do not want to get my hopes up that he was the one I have been waiting for." He was alone, but he did wear the same braids as the others wore. His appearance on the mountain pass meant nothing. Truthfully he had looked more like an escaped prisoner than a man searching for someone. The blond men in black had been traveling through the mountain pass close to his cave for years. They always had children with them and what he suspected to be plundered goods. This man had not been with the blond men. He had been traveling alone.
He shook his head trying to clear his mind of those children. He could have saved them, but he didn't. Just because he was capable of saving them did not mean he should. Fate had a destiny for him and not staying focused on that destiny could put it farther from his reach. He had taken the time to gather the bodies of those children who died along the pass on the way to the barrens which lay on the other side of the mountains. He gave them each a proper burial. No he couldn't save them, but he could respect the lives they had and give them what he himself hoped to have someday. A death where he was remembered for the trials he suffered and sacrifices he made so that one day the world would be righted. He remembered each face. In the last ten years he had buried hundreds.
"He reminded me of one of those children from long ago. It was the eyes."
"Yes those eyes haunt my dreams and are a reminder of the life I once had. I can still see myself hunting with my best friend in these very woods."
"He proposed to her on that mountain you know. It's named for her."
"Stop it. He was my best friend. They were my family both in the heart and by the blood. It is natural to miss them, but do not dwell on the past. Doing so will not help the future."
"Do you still remember his last words to you before he died?" He stopped walking not wishing to go any further down the road of the past. "Do you remember? He said avenge our suffering, fulfill your destiny brother."
"He called me brother." He said as he quickly began his journey into the forest again. "Stay focused on the task at hand or you will never get out of these mountains."
"You could at least ask about her. You have never asked a single question."
At that he took his walking stick and threw it down. "Why did you mention her? What is it about the forest that reminds you of her?"
"This is where you met, where you truly said goodbye."
He was driving himself crazy. He had to stop before he did something rash. Taking a deep breath he walked over and picked up his walking stick.
"Where is Perjak anyway?"
"He is getting old. He may not even come this time. It might be someone else. You knew the last time you saw him that he might not make it through the winter."
"I know I just do not want to see anyone else I care about die."
"People die. Even if you fulfill your destiny others you love will die. The difference is there will be more of them. Right now it is just Perjak you worry about. Once you return to living among people you will care about even more of them. I wonder how many will have to be sacrificed for your cause."
"None. None will be sacrificed by me. Those who help, I will keep safe."
"Isn't that how you ended up on the mountain in the first place, making promises you couldn't keep."
"I have learned from my mistakes. I will fail no one else."
"What a comfort that is to
those already in their graves because of you. Which one do you think he was? The one who's coming for you maybe?"
"No the wise man is coming for me. He was too young to be wise."
"Looks can be deceiving and everyone looks young to you." He nodded in agreement as he glanced to the horizon just above the tree line.
"I should be able to see it by now. The top of the library should be visible above the trees."
"Yes it should be visible, but maybe the trees have grown in the last year."
"It is not more than a mile to the meeting stone. Where's the library? In all these years the trees have not grown enough to hide it from view. I can not believe they have done so now!" Just as he finished saying the words he saw what he was looking for. Not the library, but the meeting stone was becoming visible just a little further down the road.
The meeting stone was a large smooth piece of white stone that sat just off the side of the road. The stone was much longer than a man and when it had first been placed on the road it came just to his waist, but over time it had sunk into the ground so only about half the height could be seen now. Its sharp edges smoothed by the elements. As a young man he remembered using it as a table when they went on picnics with the girls. In reality it was for a statue, one that was never finished. One of these days he was going to carve it and reveal the image waiting inside. That was his dream anyway, just one of many he had to put off until his task was done.
As he came closer to the stone he could see an old man sitting on the ground leaned against it napping. He could also see the cart and mules.
"Perjak" he whispered to himself and began running towards the man. He stopped just a few feet in front of the old man then glanced in both directions. Where was Tom and Early he wondered.
Slowly he began walking towards the man taking a nap. He lightly tapped the sleeping mans leg with his booted foot. The old man snorted a couple of times and then began to snore.
He studied the old man a moment before kicking his leg again. His winkles were deeper than before. What was left of his hair was completely white. Last year it still had a few auburn strands that refused to yield to age. Japer sill didn't wake. Gently he leaned over and shook the old man's shoulder. " Sleeping on the job Perjak" he said grinning.
Perjak slowly opened his eyes. It took a moment for him to recognize the man in front of him. The boy had grown a beard and let his wavy blond hair grow out some so it curled just at the collar of his robe. If not for the warm glow of his amber eyes Perjak might not have recognized him.
"Tobias," Perjak said shakily. "Is that you boy?"
"Who else would it be?" Tobias grinned.
"Under all that hair I thought perhaps a bear had come to eat me for lunch."
Tobias laughed as he offered the man a hand up. Perjak grasped the offered had for support and tried to lift himself from the ground. After a few tries Tobias bent over and lifted the old man to his feet.
"My knife broke a few months ago so I have not been able to shave the beard from my face." Tobias said pulling Perjak to him and giving the old man a hearty hug.
"Sorry to hear that," Perjak said looking guilty. "I'll put an extra from my pack in the cart so you do not find yourself in discomfort again."
"Thank you," "Tobias said releasing the man. "Do not fret over the knife over much. The beard kept my face warm coming down this morning"
Tobias walked towards the cart and began fishing through the contents. " If you do not mind the wait I would like to shave before we eat. It takes hours to get the crumbs out and in the warmth of the forest it is starting to itch."
"Go ahead," Perjak said breathing heavily as he leaned against the large stone. "You remember the way to the stream?"
Tobias glance back at Perjak. The old man could barely move. Just standing made him short of breath. Tobias knew this would be the last time he ever saw his friend. Seeing Perjak standing alone by the rock reminded him about the others that should have been there.
"Where is Tom and Early?" he asked as he continued rummaging through the cart.
Perjak began walking towards him when he asked the question. Tobias stopped what he was doing and stood where he was waiting for Perjak to come to him. Watching him make the walk from the stone a short distance to the cart was painful. He knew that it hurt the old man to even take a step. The minute he reached Tobias, Japer grabbed the cart for support. "We need to talk about that." He said trying to catch his breath. Tobias handed the water sack he had across his shoulder to Perjak and waited until the old man was breathing easier before continuing.
" What do we need to talk about?" he asked scared to hear the answer.
A familiar look of sadness entered Perjak's eyes. It was a look he had seen countless times before. "Tom died of the fever last winter." The pain of Tom's death was evident in his voice. Tom had been Perjak's only son.
"I am sorry Perjak," he said softly. "He was a good man." Perjak could only nod at Tobias's words. "And your grandson, where is he. Why didn't Early make the journey with you?" Tobias wasn't sure what he saw in the old man's eyes at the mention of his grandson.
"He's dead too," was all Perjak said.
"Was it the fever, too?" Tobias prodded. He felt guilty making Japer talk about the death of his grandson, but with his death Tobias's future was uncertain.
"No, it wasn't the fever that took him," Perjak spoke so softly Tobias had barely heard his reply. "He wanted to quit."
Tobias tore his eyes away from the old man not wanting to meet his eyes and see the anguish he had caused. "What do you mean he wanted to quit?" Tobias asked hoping he was wrong about Early.
"He took the oath," Perjak said in a way that made Tobias feel like Perjak was looking to him for justification. "I did my duty and protected you."
"You killed him?" Tobias cried out, "You killed Early, your own grandson?"
"I had to. I took an oath as well. Your existence must be protected at all cost. He made his choice at the appropriate age. He was not forced and knew what it meant. I made the same decision as a young man. I fulfilled the duty I was sworn to. I could not allow him to walk away. My family has never wanted for anything. In return we bring you supplies and protect your existence at all cost. Even if the cost is one of our own. That was the agreement and it has been kept."
Tobias could not speak. He did not know what to say. Had he known about Early, Tobias would not have stopped Perjak. The fate of the world depended on Perjak and his family keeping their oath.
"That's what we need to talk about," Perjak interrupted Tobias's thoughts. "I do not have any other sons or grandsons to give to you in service. All that is left of my family line is me and Kale."
"Kale," Tobias repeated. "Who is Kale?"
"My granddaughter," Perjak turned around and opened one of the packs. He pulled a straight razor from it and handed it Tobias. Tobias took the blade and waited for Perjak to continue. "A girl should never be asked to do this. Time is drawing near for you. I do not think she will have time to marry and have a son before you need someone. She is all that is left. If you do not mind a female she is strong and can handle the work. She would not disappoint you." Perjak looked into Tobias's eyes. "She's younger than you just barley past her twentieth year, but she would do a good job. I will not be here next year." Perjak added the last trying to persuade Tobias to see his reasoning.
Tobias had smiled when Perjak had mentioned the girl being younger than him. Sometimes he had to remind himself he was only twenty-five. "I am sure she will do fine," he said reassuringly. "Just make sure she knows what to do and understands what may be asked of her if my time comes before another male can take over for her."
"She does," Perjak said as he leaned against the cart again. "I already have her oath. I had no choice."
"If you already have her oath why isn't she with you." Tobias asked a little upset that his new guardian would allow the old man to make a journey alone that could easily kill him.
"I did not want to bri
ng her until I knew it was acceptable with you. You are master and we merely your servants.
Tobias grimaced he never did like it when they referred to him as master. "You are servants to the House of Raven only. The most loyal and devoted in history. One day your family name will be placed above all others."
Perjak did not respond or move at Tobias's words. He was tired. He didn't remember being this tired before. He needed to go home. He needed to see Kale one last time. "If you are not going to shave can we continue with the questions and then eat. I need more time to make it home before dusk than I use too."
"Alright," Tobias said still holding the razor. He moved around the cart to stand before Perjak.
"Is there anything you want to ask" Perjak said quietly.
Tobias thought for a moment. He had never said yes, but those gray eyes were haunting him and he did not see the library. Perjak thought the time was coming. He had to know something. Slowly he reached in his robe and pulled out the talisman. He held it up for Perjak to see. "Does this still mean anything?"