To Hold Back The Dark - Chapter Eight
The ride should have been a long, hard one, but luckily for the pair, the horses they rode seemed to have no end to their endurance. The beasts seemed to race the wind. As a result, the journey was taking less time than it would have if they would have been on their old mounts. Since they were moving so fast, neither one had the opportunity to say much to the other but they each had plenty of time to think.
Allanah was regretting what she had said and done. She knew she had spoken with the intention to hurt Michael, just as he had hurt her. She realized that he was afraid of being in a relationship. The problem was that he had completely misinterpreted her actions. She wasn't ready for a permanent involvement, either. Her only problem now was to find a way to tell him so without hurting him further.
Michael was very heavily dealing out self-recrimination. He couldn't figure out why he had been so stupid as to take another woman to bed while Allanah slept under the same roof. He supposed that in his drunken mood, he had done it to hurt her, and he knew that he had succeeded in doing just that. He deeply regretted everything which had happened, and hoped that in time, the whole entire episode would blow over. It never occurred to him to talk things over with Allanah. Well, actually, it had occurred to him. It just didn't seem to be a reasonable and intelligent thing. In time, she would forget all about it, and maybe even forgive him. At least that was what he hoped.
Still, he was apprehensive when Allanah and her horse slowed considerably and then stopped. As he stopped also, he fervently hoped that the angry words spoken back at the stables had been forgotten.
"Is anything wrong?"
"No, I just thought that we should stop for lunch. It is about that time."
He glanced up at the gray sky. He had not paid much attention to the passage of time, especially since the sky had been threatening to rain for quite some time now. However, now that they had stopped, his stomach was doing from very distinct grumbling.
He dismounted, "What do we have?"
"I brought some provisions before you awoke.", she said as she alit from her horse. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a drawstring bag and opened it. "We have cheese and sausage. Bread, too. I also bought some fruit. I didn't buy too much since I figured we'd be in Tralik by tomorrow."
"What's to drink?"
"The water in our waterskins." She walked over to where a few low rocks formed a rustic table and set out the small meal. Michael grabbed the waterskins and followed, sitting across from her. He began to eat with what he hoped was intense concentration, so that she wouldn't want to speak with him. It didn't work.
"Michael, we really need to talk about what's happened. Now, before you start to protest or say anything stupid, hear me out. What happened back in that cave, happened because we both wanted it to happen. I never intended for it to lead to marriage or any other type of permanent arrangement. I never intended to trap you in any way. I'm not ashamed of what I did and you shouldn't be ashamed either. I do apologize for the things I said about your, uh, lady friend. What you do is your business and yours alone, and not any concern of mine. It was just a bit of shock for me to walk into your room and find you with her like that."
"It was a bit of a shock to me to wake up like that, too. Allanah, I'm sorry that I reacted so badly. I value your friendship very much and your confidence. I did mean what I said about not using you, I am sorry though for the tone of voice in which I said it." He smiled, "I wish like Hell that I had made love with you, but I'm also glad that I didn't. I don't expect you to understand that. I don't want anything to come between our friendship or to harm our team, and I don't believe that we could have any type of a relationship without that happening. What happened was nice, and I wish that more could have happened, but my better sense still tells me that it should never happen."
Allanah was silent for a minute and Michael began to fear that he had hurt her again and that she was either getting ready to cry or yell at him or both. Much to his surprise, she smiled.
"I can see that you're right. It was a nice experience, Michael, and I'll never forget it. We're still friends, aren't we?"
"Always."
"Good. I don't think I could stand it if our friendship was damaged because of something that was so nice and comforting. Well, the food is nearly all gone; we should save a little bit for when we next take a break. I was thinking that maybe we should consider riding through the night."
"How do you feel?"
"I feel fine. My leg is throbbing just a little, but none of the other wounds hurt. What ever it was that Mark gave me seems to be doing me very good. Then too, there's the fact that last night I used a few more self-healing spells. If I get too tired, I promise to stop and let you know."
"You better. Making grand entrances into inns with you in my arms is not exactly my preferred way to make a good impression on people."
"But, it is a good way to make a lasting impression! Well, let's go. Now that we have things straightened out, I'm more anxious than ever to get to Tralik."
"So am I."
They gathered up the remainder of the meal and remounted and headed for Tralik. The landscape passed by them quickly, a fact they regretted but lived with as a necessity since time and speed were essential. They very rarely traveled across open country since David preferred sticking to the roads whenever possible, and the scenery was very beautiful. The cooler autumn air had turned all of the leaves into pallets of gold, red, orange and brown. Evergreens were randomly scattered amongst the foliage, green and youthful looking in their predetermined role to add color to the bleak winter landscape. The closer they got to the water, the further away their bad memories seems, and yet, each one know they could never completely erase the feelings of terror and despair, or the sadness at the death of Kasim Hutheir.
They briefly stopped at sunset to eat and then continued their ride through the cold dark night. They reached Tralik just as the sun was rising over the ocean. As they neared the palace gates, they did stop the horses long enough to gaze with contentment at the ocean. The inner courtyard was empty when they rode through the gates, so they were able to proceed directly to the stables without interruption. After leaving the horses in the care of the stable hands, they made haste to the King's Chambers. They didn't even stop long enough to send messages to the rest of the group - they knew that word of their arrival would spread quickly through the palace community. The others would join them as soon as they heard Michael and Allanah had arrived safely.
The guards outside of the King's apartments greeted them warmly. They were clearly relieved that the two were finally there, and while one went in to announce their presence to King Mark, the other informed them that the others had arrived the previous day and were expected within the hour for a conference with the King. The other guard then returned and escorted them inside where King Mark sat with Queen Eliza and their three children; Crown Prince John, Princess Mara, and Prince Richard.
King Mark rose as they approached the table and made their bows. "Sit, please. Have you eaten?" When they shook their heads he immediately ordered that two more plates be brought to the table. "It is so good to finally see you here! I have literally been on pins and needles ever since I received those first messages from Emerald about the attacks. However, as much as I'm bursting with curiosity, I think it would be wise to wait until everyone else gets here. I think that all of my counselors and Prince William should be here as well. Ah, here are your plates."
He looked on eagerly as the duo dug in with gusto. He liked to see people eat and he loved to talk. It was often difficult to say anything to him what with his tendency to shove food at people and talk non-stop. Yet, when it came to matters of importance, he was a patient man and would hear everybody's opinions before speaking or making a final decision. His twenty-six year reign had been quiet and successful, and it was difficult for the younger subjects to believe that his reign had started out in a very bloody way. When Mark and William were children, their father was murdered. The assassin was captured and executed, and Mark's uncle Morgan became Regent. Everything seemed to be fine until one day Prince Morgan secretly ordered one of the guards to take Mark and William out of the Kingdom and kill them. Luckily for the two princes, the man entrusted to do the deed had a conscience and had no intention of doing the evil deed. He told the Regent that the boys were dead, but in reality, he had placed them in the care of his brother, and they grew to manhood. Once grown, Mark Arden met Prince David of Marille, and with his help was able to defeat Morgan in battle and regain his rightful throne. King Mark and Prince David remained close friends and the ties between the two Kingdoms were strong. After David became King, he suggested to King Mark that they join his son, Richard, and Mark's daughter, Mara in marriage. The two were betrothed at a young age and it was arranged for Mara to spend three months out of each year in Marille. Crown Prince Richard and Princess Mara became fast friends, and as they grew together, their friendship blossomed into love. Now that Mara was seventeen, the marriage would take place. The King was afraid that this unknown killer in the Great Desolate Plain might interfere with the marriage and could jeopardize the well being of both Kingdoms. Free trade was of vital importance and this thing or whatever it was, so far seemed to like Caravans best of all. On a more personal level, Mark felt as if he owed it to his dear departed friend David to see to it that their children were happily wed.
By the time that Michael and Allanah had finished their meal, the others were there. There were warm and emotional greetings all around and Allanah was very surprised to see Aline with them. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. Corin was even happy to see Michael, although he did pound his friend on the back with a little more force than was necessary. The King's advisors waited patiently for the reunion to end, and once it did the King asked for everyone to gather in the council chamber and that he would be with them shortly. Even though they would be discussing things of great importance, he thought protocol might be a little better served if he was properly dressed.
Everyone was seated around the huge council table when King Mark arrived. "David Windwillow already gave us a report yesterday and I see no need now to repeat all of that." He turned to Evan Gambine, who was a strong telepath. "Evan, will you be so kind as to relay an ongoing account of these proceedings to King Richard?"
"Of course, Sire. If I may have a moment to establish contact?"
"Go right ahead."
A short moment later, Gambine nodded, and the King continued.
"Who would like to tell us what happened out in the Plain?"
Michael nodded to Allanah, so she began, "Your Majesties, we had a much closer look at it than we planned. When we went to examine the remains of the Hutheir Caravan, we saw the Farachuk Caravan approaching and we went to warn them. While with them we felt this sudden fear and then we were literally enveloped by this thing. The fear was nearly overwhelming and we literally could not see a thing through the darkness. We used all of the spells that we knew and somehow managed to keep the Caravaners from being terrified. Our spells somehow managed to keep an attack from happening." Allanah shivered slightly as she remembered the angry howls that they had heard.
Michael picked up the narrative. "We followed the trail of magic that this thing left behind and it led us into the mountains. It covered a few valleys, but wasn't present when we were up on the mountaintops themselves. We found one of the Naythor people while we were in one of the valleys. he had somehow managed to escape. His name was Kasim. He died of fright before we could get any useful information from him."
"He died of fright?", one of the mages asked.
"Yes. He was scared out of his head when we saw that the blackness was moving and heading toward us. We had enough time to bury him...."
"It moved? It actually moved while in the mountains?", someone asked.
"Yes. We already knew that it could materialize out of thin air, but we were still surprised to see that it could spread the way it did. We managed to avoid it by traveling south. The weather became very cold and while we were sheltering for the night, our horses were killed by some unknown person or beast."
"How?"
"Their throats were ripped open. After we discovered that, we decided to walk as far as we could. The snow was coming down quite heavily but we were fortunate enough to find a small cave to shelter in. While there, an unusually large wolf attacked us. Allanah was injured, but not too seriously."
Michael paused while her family and friends took the time to reassure themselves that Allanah was fine, then he continued. "We then headed east and eventually encountered a road and then a little ways down that, an Inn. The next morning we discovered that we were in Morvalia. I'm still not sure how we ended up there. The innkeeper was kind enough to sell us horses and we made our way north to Trayille. We made it to Trannelle in record time and then road all last night."
"On the same horses?", Prince John asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. I have never seen horses with that much speed or stamina. But then, the innkeeper led us to believe that horses in that region need to be fast. Wolves of the type we encountered are native to that area. Any other questions?"
"I'm sure we all have a million questions for you. First though, I would like to see what King Richard may want to know." He indicated for Gambine to ask and he responded with King Richard's question.
"Could you tell if this thing was in Marille or Morvalia?"
"No, Sire. All we know is that this "thing", whatever it may be, is in the mountains. We have no idea which side of the border it lies on. If it's spreading, then it may be in both Kingdoms, or even heading towards Trayille as well.", Allanah answered.
"Well?" King Mark looked at Gambine, who smiled.
"King Richard responds with one word."
"And that is?"
"Shit!"
King Mark smiled since he felt the same way. Then he addressed his advisors. "Have any of you heard of anything like this?"
They all shook their heads, grim.
"I can see no alternative to a visit, Your Majesty.", one of the senior mages stated. "Perhaps a group of us can go and check this "thing" out."
"It could be a fatal trip."
"It could be just as fatal not to go, Your Majesty. I, for one, am more than willing to take my chances.", she replied.
"Well, I certainly can't let all of you go." The King thought for a few moments, then nodded, "Okay, One scholar, one Mage, and one Sorcerer. Ardis has already volunteered, so that takes care of the Mage. Who else is willing to go?"
"I'll go.", volunteered Cosimia Tirchuk, who was one of the scholars.
"I might as well go then, too.", said her husband, Ciris.
"King Richard says that he had people who are willing to go also.", Gambine said.
"Good. We should also tell King James about this since Morvalia may also be effected by this calamity. I'm sure he'll want to send his own people, too." Then King Mark looked directly at Michael and Allanah.
"Are you willing to escort them?"
Michael looked at Allanah, willing to follow her lead in this. her instinct was to say absolutely not, that all she wanted to do was to stay in Tralik. She could tell by the look on Michael's face that he felt the same way. The others though, were more than eager to go, since they felt they had missed out on something. Slowly she nodded, "We'll show them the way, Your Majesty. How are King Richard's people going to get there?"
Gambine was silent for a moment, listening, and "He proposes that you meet his people at that inn you stayed at while in Morvalia They can cross the Azures and then travel south until they reach that road you came across. Then both groups can meet with King James' people there and travel together into the mountains."
King Mark nodded, "An excellent idea."
Gambine nodded and relayed King Mark's agreement to King Richard.
"Your Majesty, King Richard will have his people leave before dark.", Gambine replied.
"Good. You all should go pack and get your supplies ready. I want you to leave first thing in the morning. You are all dismissed. David, will you and your people stay?"
"Yes, Sire."
Everyone left except for them. King Mark smiled. "I think that you five have a few things for me?"
"We recovered everything that we were sent for, Your Majesty.", was David's reply.
"I know it seems trivial compared to that mysterious thing out there, but I have been anxious to get those items back where they belong. Each thing represents a part of Trayille culture and history. The Brooch of Arvada was given to King Stephon II two hundred years ago, and until it was stolen during my father's reign, it had been worn by every king since then. I truly believe that if my father had not have lost the Brooch, then he might not have succumbed to the poison given to him by my Uncle. The Brooch's main power is protection. I wouldn't be surprised if the Brooch kept you from getting hurt more seriously by that wolf.", he said to Allanah.
She nodded, "That could be true. I don't remember feeling anything different during the struggle, but the Brooch may act without wearer's knowledge, Your Majesty." She unpinned it from her collar and handed it to him. "I almost feel as if it's somehow a part of me. It feels strange to give it up. Wear it in good health, Your Majesty."
"I intend to. Next is the Ruby of Trannel.", he accepted the ruby from Rhea and looked at it lovingly. "This was first given to Queen Meagan McPherson as a wedding gift when she married Erik, the third Duke of Trannell. Erik later succeeded his brother to the throne, and ever since then the Ruby has been passed down from Queen to Queen. It was stolen from my uncle, and even though I can feel some satisfaction that it's theft caused him great embarrassment, I am most certainly glad to have it back. The last item I had you recover is perhaps the most important of them all. It's an ancient Elven scroll which was brought into the royal family when Elivarra, the last Elven Queen, married Marek some hundred and fifty years ago, thus uniting the two royal families and the Kingdom. The old Elven nobility still survive, and the bloodline of both Royal families runs pure in my veins. I believe that some of the Elven nobility have royal blood, but not in direct descent."
Corin nodded, "Our family is descended from Elivarra's Grand-father. But what is the scroll exactly for?"
"That's something which I don't know, but fully intend to find out! All the records show is that the scroll was in her possession. They never mention what the scroll contains or how it can be used, if it can indeed be used!" He shook his head. "For all we know, it could be a copy of her marriage contract. It was stolen one year to the day after I was officially crowned."
The king laid the artifacts out on the table. "I have had people out searching for these ever since that theft. Yet, it wasn't until last year that we discovered the thefts had been done by one person who had then given them out. A few months ago, we managed to track the items to Aluntaa, and had strong hunches about who had them. I'm relieved to see that our hunches were right, and that what was once ours, is now ours again. I doubt that the keepers of these items will make too much fuss to King Richard over their disappearance. Still, I did have Richard's unofficial approval to retrieve them. You do understand that there was no way King Richard could have publicly allowed me to send people into his Kingdom to steal something from his subjects? Even if the items in question were rightfully mine."
They all nodded and he smiled. "Good. I really don't want you all getting a bad reputation in Marille either. We never did learn the identity of the Master Thief! For all we know, he or she could still be alive and prepared to steal these items again. My magic users will see to it that they won't be so easy to steal this time around. Well, my thanks to you for a job well done! You have definitely earned your pay and my trust many times over, and here I am asking you to risk life and limb again. You will all be in for some substantial bonuses when you return from this trip, that I promise you. Now, I want you to rest and prepare for your journey to the Azures. You are officially on leave until tomorrow morning." He dismissed them and they left after making their bows, leaving him alone with his newly regained treasures.
The five left the Palace proper and headed for the guard quarters where they all lived. Each one of them had a ground floor room that had two doors. One door opened into the hallway of the building and the other opened onto the practice yard. The officers of the guard also had rooms designed in this way in order to assure easy access to both the King and the guards. The quarters were roomy and comfortable, but since Dhillon Morningstar had moved to Tralik, they had been spending most of their off hours at this house.
They all went into David's room to sit and relax while discussing the past events and deciding what supplies they would need. They filled one another in on almost everything that had happened since they separated in Emeralde. Allanah was thrilled to learn that her little sister was going out as a travelling apprentice and also that she would accompany them out of Tralik on this trip. Allanah and Michael decided that it was the better part of humility to skip the part about their near-romantic encounter and spat. Corin sat as close to his sister as he could, feeling very protective of her. He had been shocked and scared when he had heard about the wolf attacking her. He was also confused about the amorous feelings he had felt. If Michael had been with Allanah, then why weren't they telling anyone? Why wasn't Michael being more attentive to her? Then again, he wasn't sure that he wanted Michael to be anywhere near Allanah. It was all too confusing for him.
Allanah sighed and stood. "It's been nice having a chance to catch up on things, but I am in need of a bath and some sleep. We rode all night."
"You and Michael go on. We can gather things together without your help.", David said. "I'd like a chance later to see those horses you bought! Maybe Mark Wolfson will be willing to see a few more. We could really use steeds like that."
"Steeds? Miracles is more the proper term!", Michael grinned.
"Steeds will do for now. You two get on out of here."
"Yes, sir."
Michael and Allanah stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind them. "I'll see you later.", Michael headed left towards his room and Allanah turned right to go to hers. She was opening the door when she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw the Crown Prince approaching.
"Your Highness?"
"Do you have a minute or two? I have something to discuss with you."
"Of course, Your Highness. Would my room be adequate?"
"It always has been."
He followed her in and sat down at her small table while she pulled out the things she would need for her bath. He had been in her room on numerous occasions since they were good friends. They were the same age and been students together on the Amber Isle. King Mark had insisted that his children, especially the heir, know the basics of magic. Prince John was lucky that he also had the natural talent for the magic and he excelled in his classes. His sister, Princess Mara, had turned out to be a very adept Healer.
While the prince patiently waited, Allanah heated her bath water. One of the more luxurious features of her room was the alcove containing a built-in bath with running water. To heat the bath, all you had to do was light a fire under the large stone tub. If you were good with magic, heating the water was a snap. As soon as the fire was under way, and everything in place, Allanah sat across the table from John. Now that they were in private, they could use a more casual approach with their manner and conversation.
"What did you need to talk to be about?", she asked.
John shifted nervously in his seat, "Well, my father thinks that it's time for me to look for a bride."
"Oh no."
"Oh, yes. What about you? Has your father approached you on that subject?'
"Not yet. I heard that he wants to talk to me about something, but I don't know what it is exactly. I missed seeing him and we'll leave before he arrives. I don't know if I'm quite ready for marriage. Are you?"
"I really don't get that much say in the matter, do I? Sooner or later, I'm going to have to get married. It comes with the job." He got up and walked over to the window. The guards were conducting fighter practice already, teaching the younger squires. Later in the morning, the knights would be out there with the older squires., honing their skills.
"I've asked father for permission to accompany all of you."
"What did he say?"
"He hasn't given me an answer yet, but he didn't immediately say no, so that may be a good sign. I do need the experience, so he may be agreeable. He told me that I'd have my answer by noon."
"He'll be reluctant to send you a mission that could be dangerous, but I hope he tells you yes, it that's what you want."
"That's what I want. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to him tell me about how he and Prince David of Marille were mercenaries of a sort, and how valuable that experience was for him. I've spent hours studying tactics and strategy. I've sweated and exercised in order to be the best swordsman I can be. I've certainly lost enough blood in the trying, that's for sure. Well, I should let you relax. I'll see you at dinner tonight?"
"I intend to be there, unless David makes other plans for us. having to leave in the morning doesn't leave much time for planning."
"I know. But, David is good at doing that with short notice. Until later."
"Bye."
After the prince left, Allanah locked the door and then undressed. Slipping into the warm water, she let out a contented sigh. It felt so good to know that she had the time to relax and enjoy the warmth. It had been nice to have a bath back at the Inn of the Wolf, but that one had been a hurried affair meant to cleanse her body only. This time was now for her. She drew upon all of her powers of concentration to blank her mind. For a short while, she succeeded. Then unbidden thoughts began to sneak through. She was thinking about what the Prince had said about wanting to go out in the world and actually fight. Even she had heard King Mark tell the stories of how then Prince David had earned his living as a mercenary on the orders of his own father. Once Mark had children, his friend had encouraged him to do the same for his children. King David certainly saw to it that his heirs were sent out. He felt that it built character and provided experience that could never be gained from the practice yard. Of course, now the only Kingdom's still warring with each other were located in the western part of the continent. As it was, Marille and Trayille had only been at war during the reign of King Mark's uncle, Morgan. Morvalia had even become embroiled in that conflict once Mark disclosed that he was the rightful heir and their assistance helped him win his crown back. The people of the three kingdoms had enjoyed a welcome peace these last years and all three kings planned to see to it that this peace lasted. There were adults who did not remember war. Allanah and the Crown Prince were two of those. It was a shame that this mysterious force was threatening the hard won peace.
Allanah scrubbed vigorously as she pondered Michael and what to do about him. She still desired him, yet she had not been lying when she said that she wasn't looking for a long term relationship. That is what a marriage was meant to be, and as much as she liked Michael, she doubted very much if she could ever marry him. For one thing, while she loved him dearly, she didn't feel as if she was in love with him, and they were two entirely different things. She smiled as she remembered the blistering looks that Corin sent Michael's way while they were in David's room. Corin was clearly making Michael feel uncomfortable. It was amusing and yet she knew that she would have to talk to Corin about his behavior. It wouldn't do to have him upset and angry with Michael. It was comforting to know that Corin cared that much for her, but at the same time it was slightly outrageous that he should be so upset over something that he had no say on and would never have any control over. Of course, Corin had no way of knowing that she had not actually lost her virginity, but then again, it wasn't any of his business. She hadn't acted upset when he lost his virginity years ago, so why was he behaving this way? She dunked her head under the water to wet her hair, then washed it and rinsed it. As she stood, she pulled the plug, allowing the water to drain into the pipe and out to the holding pond. Allanah briskly dried off, then dressed in a soft wool dress and stepped into a pair of soft slippers. Dressing in leathers and pants made life on the road easier, but it felt good to relax and feel like a woman in something soft and loose. Judging by the popularity of gowns for men, she could tell that even men liked to feel comfortable. She stood by the window, combing out her long black hair as she watched the fighters work out in the practice yard.