TO HOLD BACK THE DARK - CHAPTER TWELVE
As soon as they stepped outside, Allanah found herself shivering. Rufus McNair had been right about the freezing temperature Allanah quickly sat down on a bench and huddled against the building. Michael sat next to her.
"We should have brought our cloaks. Rufus wasn't exaggerating when he said it was freezing," Michael said.
Allanah nodded. "The weather is changing so quickly. It wasn't like this when we arrived yesterday. We were trapped in a blizzard up in the mountains, Michael. I know that you can expect snow as early as November up there, but not blizzards. Did you notice there isn't a trace of snow here? I don't remember seeing any snow here before either."
"You're right. But then, Mark did say that several sorcerers live around here. They could have a lot to do with the absence of snow. You didn't bring me out here to discuss the weather."
"No. I wanted to talk about Mark. When we were here before, he was very articulate, very calm, and very intelligent. Now he's acting like...well, like a....oh, I can't think of the word I want."
"He's acting like a blithering idiot!"
"Exactly. Why?"
"He's obviously putting on an act for someone. Prince John noticed something odd last night." Michael told her of the Prince's observations.
Allanah nodded. "I'd like to know who this act is for. He certainly knows we wouldn't be fooled by all of this. Should we tell David?"
"I'm not sure. If Mark is trying to fool somebody, then he must have a valid reason. Exposing him might put him in danger or compromise him. If we tell David, then he'll feel compelled to tell Ardis, and so on. I think we should speak to Mark directly."
From the low hills came the lonesome howl of a wolf and Allanah felt a chill go down her spine. "Let's go back in. I want to check on Prince John."
They went back in and she headed upstairs while he returned to the dining room. Allanah knocked lightly on the door of the room John shared with Michael. "It's Allanah, may I come in?"
As an answer, the door opened and she entered. John closed the door behind her.
"I heard a lot of noise from downstairs. Is everyone here now?"
Allanah sat down on one of the beds and he sat down on the other one. "The group from Morvalia was here all along, and the Marille contingent just arrived, lead by no other than our favorite former teacher, Rufus McNair."
"I though I heard a familiar bellow." John couldn't keep from grinning as he remembered the man. "How is he?"
"He looks the same as he did when he was teaching us. Oh, by the way, you're not the only royalty here. Princess Margaret is here also."
"That's logical, she is a Priestess after all."
"Your father isn't the only King that's missing either. King James vanished during breakfast and King Richard vanished about an hour ago."
John shook his head slowly. "This isn't good at all. Our alliance has been a strong presence on this continent for years. The three Kingdoms brought a stop to the pointless and seemingly endless wars. King David, King James and my father fought together against Morgan. They were friends and they based the alliance on their friendship. I think this scared other kingdoms more than anything else did. I know there were quite a few Kings who hoped the alliance would suffer when King David died. They found out otherwise when Richard continued in his father's footsteps. I don't know what will happen now that all three of the Kings are missing."
"Well, only those here, and those in the council know that King Mark is gone."
"They can only lie for so long. There will also be a lot of questions once it's known that the other two are missing also."
"Can Prince Andrew be counted on not to panic?" Allanah had seen Richard's brother a couple of times, but didn't really know the young man.
"Good question. Prince Andrew has never been trained to be King since it was always assumed that Richard would marry and have children. Also, Rufus McNair is Richard's chief advisor and Andrew won't have the benefit of his advice. Still, I think he would know enough to keep it quiet. He wouldn't want the Kingdom to panic. Corin could give you a better run down of Andrew since they trained together as Healers."
"But, you know Andrew also."
John nodded. "True. I think Andrew will be very scared. He loves Richard very much and has never wanted to be King. When we were younger there was a lot of traveling back and forth between our kingdoms and I would play with Andrew since we were the same age. Even then, he was glad he wasn't the first-born. He used to tell me that he felt sorry for me because I would have to be King someday. I think that he will turn to his uncle, Prince Duke Nicholas for advice and comfort, but Nicholas has never been trained to rule, either. Nicholas has been trained as a fighter and he has a reputation as an excellent strategist. At least, that's what my father always told me. We haven't been involved in that many wars for anyone to really know. Still, together, I think they can keep things from falling apart."
Even as he had said all of that, John realized that he did have to return to Trayille's capital. His uncle was a good man, but he wasn't the Crown Prince. John was, and as Ciris had said, his duty was to his kingdom and he had to return to do whatever he could to insure the safety of his subjects and his throne. Since the Marillians had arrived and the Morvalians had been here all along, there was no harm in him taking a few people with him. He would definitely ask Allanah to accompany him home. He knew she didn't want to be on this trip anyway. Besides, there might be less danger to her if she was with him.
"Is Marille in any danger from a neighboring kingdom?" she asked.
John laughed. "All three of us are in danger from somebody, but there are two kingdoms that worry us the most. I have a map in my pack, and you'll understand the situation a little better once you see it."
He grabbed his pack and dumped it out on the bed, sorting through the contents until he found what he wanted. He unrolled the map and spread it flat on the floor between the beds.
"Now, Trayille and Marille share borders with Rianelle. Morvalia and Marille share borders with Sierra. Sierra and Rianelle aren't allied, but they aren't enemies either. Both would like to lay claim to us, mainly for our natural resources, such as the coastline and our very fertile ground. Both Kingdoms are fairly arid, Sierra more so. They also wouldn't mind having control over the Holy City of Macrille, Dari, and the Amber Isle Whoever controls them, could control the entire continent. That's why we've always insisted that they remain free, with access for one and all."
Allanah noticed a tiny Kingdom just south of Sierra. "What about this one? Stirling? Is it for or against you?"
"Neither. Stirling is so small that they really have no choice but to back whoever appears to be strongest."
"Wonderful. So, who can we count on for help?"
"We have no one but ourselves, Allanah. Any other help will have to be negotiated, bought, or begged. I hope it won't come to that, but there's no telling what our enemies will do once they learn the Kings are missing."
"I wonder if any other Kings are gone?"
"That's a good question. Will you do me a favor? Will you go and bring Ardis and Rufus back here? I can get them to contact the other kingdoms to find out."
"Sure. I'll be right back," Allanah gave him a reassuring smile. It was good to see him thinking and planning and not all torn up inside over what may or may not have happened to his father.
While Allanah was gone, John used the time to straighten the room since he and Michael weren't exactly neat. He repacked his belongings and folded the towels. When Allanah did come back in with Rufus and Ardis, he saw that Rufus had a full bowl of stew, bread, cheese and a mug of ale. John grinned. He had seen Rufus at many a banquet and Rufus always managed to live up to his legendary appetite. John was quite surprised when Rufus handed the food to him.
"Ardis told me that you left the table without having eaten very much. The ale's for you, too. We can't have you starving, so eat, Your Highness."
"Thank you." John took the bowl and sat down on the bed. "I was beginning to feel a little hungry." He dug in with a gusto that showed he was more than just a "little" hungry. After a minute or two of eating, he paused long enough to tell them what he wanted.
"I'd like to find out if any other Kings are missing and the only way I know to do that is to get in touch with them. I'd like for Ardis to ask Gambine to get in touch with King Charles of Rainelle and for you to get in touch with King Erik of Sierra."
"It would be no problem, Your Highness," Rufus said.
Ardis smiled. "I have Gambine. He wants to know what he should say if King Charles is there."
"He's to issue an invitation to the wedding of King Richard and Princess Mara for March."
"I wasn't aware that a date had been set yet," Rufus said.
"It hasn't. But, father was getting ready to announce it. He really wants this marriage to take place."
"And what if King Richard doesn't come back?" Rufus asked the question he most feared.
"Then we'll find her another husband. Rufus, I really don't want to plan for something like that right now. King Richard is a great guy and a really good king - for Marille. I have to worry about Trayille, though, Just use the invitation, please?"
Rufus did as he was asked and soon had an answer. "King Erik is ill and can not under any circumstances be disturbed. We should try again in a week or two."
"Then he's not there, either. Any word from Gambine?" John asked Ardis.
"King Charles had vanished. Gambine said the mage there seemed to be in a panic and very upset. Apparently, no heir can be located."
"Doesn't he have a wife?" Allanah asked. A Queen could rule as Regent until an heir could be located.
"She died during childbirth about a year ago. The baby died also. King Charles is still grieving and hasn't even begun to look for another wife. He has no brothers or sisters. There aren't even any illegitimate children. I believe he has an aunt somewhere, but I don't know if she has children or even if she's eligible for the throne." John took a piece of bread and ran it around the bowl, sopping up the last of the stew. "Any thoughts on the matter?"
"Well, from the way I heard it happened with King Mark, I think magic is involved. Very powerful magic," Ardis said.
Rufus nodded. "I agree. I also think the kings are still alive. It took either a strong magician or a lot of magicians to make those men disappear. If whoever is behind this wanted them dead, they could have just as easily killed the Kings as taken them. The sudden deaths of that many kings would be even more disastrous than their sudden disappearances."
John looked at Allanah. "What do you think?"
"It may be nothing, but when we were in Emeralde Plain and the Farachuk Caravan was attacked, we were able to feel the magic. Everything about this "thing" of fear and blackness has suggested someone or someone's who are very strong. Could the disappearance of the kings be related to this "thing"? Could the same person or persons be behind the two?"
"It's possible, but what could someone hope to gain by all this?" Ardis asked
"Confusion, intimidation, isolation. All of that has happened. The kingdoms are wide open to attack right now. As far as travel goes, I certainly have no intention of allowing anyone to travel to Marille right now, at least not any further than Emeralde. It's just too risky. I'm not sure that King Richard had any intentions of allowing travel right now, either. So, if Marille should be attacked, I can't get soldiers in there to help. The same is true for help coming to Trayille from Marille, or help coming here. I know that your small group made it here without incident, but that could be because our unknown enemy was busy kidnapping the kings. This mission has just taken on a new importance. If this thing can't be stopped, then we need to at least know who is behind it." John drew in a deep breath, hoping that what he was about to say was indeed, the right thing.
"I will be going along in the morning." He held up his hand, silencing Ardis before she had a chance to argue. "I know that my Uncle needs me in Tralik right now, but he is a very capable man and he can handle things on his own. My father, however; is God only knows where, and I can never rest easy until I find him or... or know what has happened to him. I owe that to my Mother and to the Kingdom. And if this "thing" that we're here to investigate is connected to the disappearance of my father, then this is where I can do the most good. Bringing him back alive is paramount."
It pleased him to see Allanah nodding her head as he spoke, now she spoke in his defense.
"Prince John is right. We have to know what has happened to the King and all the other Kings as well. People can't be expected to take our word for it if we come back telling them that their right and true kings are dead. We will need proof if it comes to that, and if they are alive we need to rescue them. The Prince can keep in touch with his Uncle through Ardis or any other mage in this group. We will need everyone once we go into those mountains and we can't weaken our chances by sending Prince John and an escort away."
"You would be a sitting duck, Your Highness," Rufus said, "Unless you had a sizable force with you. Allanah is correct. We can not weaken our force, small as it is."
Ardis finally nodded. "The Torchuk's won't be too kindly disposed to this idea, Your Highness, but I can see that having you with us is for the best. It will be as you wish it."
"There's another thing I wish. I know that I am now, at least, King in deed, but I refuse to take charge of this expedition. I do not have the experience or the expertise to get us through this alive. I think it would be only fair for the leaders of each group meet and decide on a reasonable method of leadership."
Ardis again nodded. "I concur, Your Highness. We will meet tonight."
"Good." John couldn't think of anything else to say about their mission, so he settled on good manners instead. "Thank you again for the stew," he told Rufus.
Rufus grinned. It might be the last decent food you get in a while, Your Highness. I'm glad you were able to enjoy it. I had better go and see where young Wolfson has put me for the night. After our leadership meeting, I'll be wanting a good night's sleep since we will most likely be heading out first thing in the morning. Good night, Your Highness."
"I'll walk down with you, Rufus," Ardis said good night to John and Allanah and left with Rufus.
In the ensuing quiet, Allanah took a moment to carefully watch her old friend. He was worried about his father and his kingdom, she knew that. Yet, he was trying his best not to let it show. It was a struggle for him. Even though his father had told him that a king must express his true emotions in private, there were times when it was difficult for John to do so. Suddenly she remembered their second year in school on the Amber Isle. Their class had adopted a pet, a squirrel which they named Greyshadow for his coloring and tendency to shadow the class. All of them tended to the animal and even though he remained wild, he would respond to their advances and allow himself to be petted and groomed. Then one day, a few upper classmen had captured Greyshadow. It never was established if they realized that he was their pet, the end result was that he was their meal. The entire class mourned the untimely death of their friend. John took it extra hard - somehow the animal and the Prince had forged a unique bond. He had immediately rushed off to the rocky shores of the island. Allanah and Michael had followed and remained at a discreet distance. John faced out to sea and every now and then they could hear his sobs upon the ocean's breeze. When John finally turned to walk back to the school, he was composed and there was no sign that he had ever shed a tear. Nothing was ever said about Greyshadow, but for the rest of the year the upperclassmen who feasted upon their friend encountered many mishaps and misfortunes. Everything from their clean laundry being suddenly dirtied overnight to their sheets sprouting bugs. Allanah had often thought that John and Michael had been behind the deeds, or at least had been the instigators of the entire revenge scheme.
John suddenly looked up and their eyes met. John hesitated before he was able to hide the love which he felt for the Elven woman. He hoped that she hadn't seen it.
As for Allanah, what she had seen was even more troubling to her than knowing that he loved her would have been. Allanah, for the first time, saw a man. A very handsome man, with beautiful eyes. Eyes that were currently sad and lonely. Eyes that seemed to look right into her very soul. She idly wondered if she had ever really noticed his eyes before, and then answered herself that she obviously hadn't.
"I had better let you get some sleep," she finally said.
"I'll see you in the morning then," he replied. "Sleep well."
"You too." Allanah left and went to her room and to bed. Sleep was a long time coming for her. All she could think about was John and the mission that awaited them in the morning. It wasn't until after Rhea and Aline had turned in for the night that Allanah finally drifted to sleep.
The hour before dawn found the Inn of the Wolf a beehive of activity as everyone scurried about preparing for the mission. Some re-packed and then ate breakfast, others broke their fast first and then tended to their packing. There were a few who were managing to do both. David was one of them. He had made a sandwich of sorts and was eating it as he oversaw the distribution of the supplies. The night before, he, Ardis, Rufus, and Mark had sat down and tried to come up with a strategy. They finally decided that they would enter the mountains in three groups, ten minutes apart. That way, if one group was attacked by anything, the other two would not be put at risk, but would be available to help if things went badly. They already knew that traveling in one huge group wouldn't offer them any great protection from the "Black Thing"; the caravan attacks were proof of that. They would all camp together and then on the next day, a different group would take the lead and so on. They also decided that each kingdom's group would stay together. Most of them were already used to working with the others from their own kingdom and it might put the entire party at a disadvantage if they were spread out. The only exceptions were Michael and Allanah. One of them would be riding with whatever group took the lead, as they planned to retrace their journey out of the mountains. Neither one was thrilled with the idea, but they knew it had to be done. It was decided to let Mark's group go in first, followed by David's group and then Rufus' group. Michael volunteered to ride with Mark, leaving Allanah free to remain with their group.
As streaks of pink began to stretch up into the sky, they were all mounted and ready to go. "Ready?" David asked Mark.
"We're ready. We'll see you in camp."
"You can count on that. Oh, and have supper ready." David grinned.
Mark grinned back. "It'll be the best meal you ever had on the trail, I assure you."
He urged his horse forward and they set out.
As the Morvalians filed past him, Michael pulled up alongside David, "Take care out there, David." For once, Michael seemed very serious.
"We will, and you do the same. I really do expect to see you in camp tonight." He extended his hand and Michael grasped it.
"I'll do everything I can to make sure I'm there." He whirled his horse around and took off after the Morvalians, who had gone quite a distance down the road already. He caught up to Mark quite easily and fell into place beside him.
David and the others watched the Morvalians disappear down the road and into the low-lying hills. As he watched them leave his line of vision, his stomach knotted, and for a brief moment he thought that he might never see them again. But then, that's the way he had felt when Michael and Allanah had left them in Emeralde. Separations always did that to him. He looked around and noticed that Ardis and John were talking together. He had overheard them earlier discussing whether or not to check in with Prince William. He wondered if they had. Aline, Allanah, and Rhea were talking with one another. Corin was engaged in a very animated discussion with Cosima and Torchuk. They were probably still arguing about the fact that Prince John was accompanying them. Hell, David wasn't sure he wanted the Prince along, but he didn't really have a choice. It was bad enough being stuck with Aline. At least she was a healer and would most likely come in handy some where alone the trail. As for the Prince, well, David had practiced with him back at the castle and knew how good John was with weapons. Plus, Prince John was trained in the magical arts. He wouldn't be a total liability. Besides, it wouldn't do to split the group up just to escort him home. David looked over to Rufus and his group. They would have the longest wait, but they didn't show any anxiety about it; they looked calm.
Rufus pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it and then at the sky. "It's almost time for you to get going, David."
"I know. We'll see you tonight."
"Damn straight you will. We'll have a grand camp, won't we? There won't be a creature alive who will dare to attack us tonight."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Allanah softly said. Neither man had noticed her as she brought her horse over to theirs.
"Your wolf wouldn't dare to attack such a large number of people, lass." Rufus sounded so sure of himself. Allanah really wanted to believe him, but deep in her soul, she found that she couldn't. She had been through too much to believe that there was safety in numbers.
She merely nodded, not trusting herself to answer him.
"Well, it's time for us to be off., David said. "Come on." He beckoned to the others and they followed the same route as the Morvalians.
This time, it was Rufus who watched until they were out of sight.
"Worried?"
He turned to face his son. "Aye, that I am. Still, we have the Lord on our side, and that counts for a lot."
"It does indeed." The Princess replied. "With God, all things are possible."
"Aye." Rufus said. Then he thought, "Even huge wolves who strike without fear."
Then he purposely made himself think of nothing as they awaited their turn. He knew that if he thought of the trouble his King and the Kingdoms were in and what they were about to ride into, he would worry himself half to death. No, it was best to think of nothing than to think of all the wrong things.
Minutes before they were to ride out, Princess Margaret lead them all in prayer. Marillians tended to be an openly religious lot, which was only to be expected since the heart of the church was in Marille.
"Dear Lord, guide us through these mountains as we search for the abomination which threatens your children. Help us to fight this evil and to preserve all that is right with the world. Be with the other parties as they travel before us, keeping them safe. Watch over the Kings and guide those who are left to run the Kingdoms. In the name of your only son, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen."
"Amen." They all chorused.
"So be it," Rufus said, "Let's go." They rode out.
The stableboy watched them go, wondering idly if he would ever see any of them again. Once they were out of sight, he returned to the inn. Mark had left him in charge and he would not fail his master. When Mark returned, his Inn would be in the same condition as he left it, this the stableboy swore.