by Sharon Gibbs
Chapter Fifty-two
From the west they marched, headed east, and as the sun eventually disappeared Jack kept his army hidden as best he could. They’d managed to cover many miles in the days the sun had hung low in the sky and now as the moon rose he felt they were safe enough to rest.
Waves churned and crashed upon the white sand of the beach, just beyond the dunes, and with the rising of the morning sun, Jack and his men set off. Placing one foot in front of the other they continued along the coast until they veered off on to the passage that would take them home. On towards the mountains they trekked, and as Mount Burlog came into view, their spirits rose. Home was now only a day’s walk away.
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Peter cantered up the dusty road leading to the common with the others not far behind him. As he raced by the apple orchard and around the bend to the gates, he yanked on his reins and pulled his mount to a swift halt. His mare squealed at her abrupt treatment but he’d had no choice. On the path to the Keep, two tall stone warriors stood at the entrance. Their huge granite swords crisscrossed, blocking passage to the common and beyond that the mountain trek to the Keep. Silent and stoic they stood unmoving and Peter was hesitant to proceed alone. Twisting around in his saddle, he looked back for the others and noticed in fields to each side of the road there were more of the stone giants. They stood tall and majestic against the lay of the land and in their hands they held weapons larger than any he’d ever seen. They stared at him with their piercing blue eyes, the same ones which had scanned the land all those years ago, and detecting he was no threat returned their gaze back out across the fields.
As Christopher and the others rode up and stopped beside Peter, the closest of the stone men turned to look at them too. One raised a hand and then set his gaze back to the horizon.
‘What the heck are those?’ Peter asked as he gawked at them.
‘I’m assuming they’re the Guardians of the mountain,’ Christopher said and he kicked his mount forward to approach the two in front of the gates. ‘Guardians, we are thankful for your presence,’ he said as he rode up.
‘Wizard. We have been expecting you.’ Both warriors uncrossed their weapons and lay them against one shoulder in a casual manner.
From across the field to their left, one of the stone guards strode in their direction. Christopher turned to face the giant as he approached. Stone ground against stone as the giant stopped by the edge of the road and stared at the group before it shifted its gaze to rest upon Christopher. ‘You be the one.’
‘Which one?’
‘The one who gave your magic to the girl.’
Christopher looked puzzled and then thought of the ring. ‘Yes, I am the one.’
‘I see that, wizard. I am Jorath, the one in charge of the Guardians, and I welcome you home. Guardians also wait on the other side of the mountain for the army to return just as the other wizard asked. You will be informed as soon as we see them.’
‘Thank you,’ Christopher said.
‘I have let the wizard know you’ve arrived. Get some rest. We will stand watch.’ He then moved over to the group surrounding Henry. ‘Welcome, wizard. I am Jorath.’
Christopher saluted the guards as he and Peter rode through the steel gates and headed up the winding path to the Keep.
Henry stared up at the giant stone leader. ‘Thank you for waking, Jorath. Is there anything to report?’
‘No, wizard, but if things change I will let you know.’
‘Good! Well if you’ll excuse us, we have things to discuss up at the Keep.’
‘Very good.’ Jorath bowed and with his heavy steps he lumbered back across the field to his station.
<><><>
‘Elle! Elle! They’re back!’ Clarence raced through the hallway and dashed down the stairs and as he ran into the lobby he called out to Joseph. ‘Joseph, come! Your boys have arrived.’ Joseph jumped up out of his chair and hurried along after the wizard as he disappeared through the portal.
Elle was in one of the reading rooms, which had been turned into a makeshift infirmary. Wringing out the cloth, she replaced it on Foreman’s forehead. When she heard shouting drift up through the open window, she moved to the opening to peer out. Her eye caught Clarence rush down the front stairs and out onto the lawn as Christopher and Peter rode through the gates. Her heart leapt in her chest and she turned and raced out of the room, flying down the stairs.
As she reached the front portal, her view was blocked by the horses being escorted away and she heard shouts of welcome as Henry, James and a dozen soldiers pulled their mounts to a halt.
‘Christopher!’ she cried as the horses moved on and he came into view. She ran towards him wrapping her arms around his neck and he lifted her up to twirl her around. ‘I’ve been so worried,’ she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
Setting her feet back on the ground, Christopher reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. ‘Belay your fears, my love, we are home,’ he said and then he pressed his lips to hers.
‘Yes, home,’ Henry said, ‘but there’s plenty still to be done.’ Clarence walked up to Henry and welcomed him in a firm hug. As he pulled back he said, ‘Argh, my old friend. I’m glad you all made it back and not a moment too soon. I fear Foreman is worse for wear and needs tending to. Now we are all here we may be able to find a way to heal him.’
Henry gave him a strange look. ‘Haven’t you been able to help him?’
‘I’ve done everything I can think of. But nothing seems to be working.’
‘First, we need to prepare the Keep. We can’t have Zute sneaking up on us unprepared.’
‘I’ve already seen to it, Henry. Fire pits have been set in the fields outside the common and all weapons have been brought up here to the Keep. The core of the army remain alert and the Guardians have surrounded the mountain and are also stationed in the turrets above us. There’s not much left to do.’
As they walked up the stairs into the Keep, Clarence turned to Christopher. ‘Oh, by the way, son. We never mentioned you know what to Albert and Rose. Sort of thought it wouldn’t be a good idea. Just giving you a heads up, lad.’
‘Thank you. Both of you,’ he said as he squeezed Elle’s hand.
‘We didn’t want to worry them any more than they already were. It was hard enough to tell them we’d left you all behind,’ she said.
‘Did you run into any problems on the way back?’
‘No, no problems, Christopher. Our journey was uneventful. Thank goodness. It was hard enough going as it was.’
They climbed the stairs and entered the reading room where Foreman lay on a cot. Henry knelt by the man’s side and passed his hand over the sick man’s chest. ‘He’s definitely worse,’ Henry said as Foreman shivered and Henry pulled up his cover.
Elle knelt down by his side. ‘One minute he’s roaring with fever and the next he’s as cold as ice. I’m treating him for the fever,’ she said as she removed the cloth on his forehead and dunked it in the basin to refresh it, ‘but other than the medicinal cloths and the pain serum I haven’t been able to do anything else.’
‘You’ve done well, lass. Under the circumstances there is nothing else you could’ve done.’
‘But he’s so sick.’
‘Yes, he is. Clarence, did you give him a tonic made from the tree?’
Clarence and Elle looked at each other and then Clarence said, ‘There’s nothing left of the tree.’
‘What? How can there be nothing left?’
‘When Elle and I went down to the enclave the place was a mess. The Scrynne was blown apart and the pieces of the tree we found had turned to ash.’
‘What, everything?’
‘I think so. We didn’t have time to check right then, we were busy looking for the spell to resurrect the Guardians. I haven’t been back down there since.’
‘Well we need to,’ Henry said. ‘Our magic isn’t strong enough to heal him. Even though the moon is waning its power will help, but I fear it
won’t be enough. His only chance is to find a piece of the tree. Elle, do what you can here, lass. We must see if we can find a piece, even if it’s only a sliver.’
As the door to the wizards’ enclave popped inwards, Henry pushed it open and as he stepped inside, the torches on the walls burst to life. Strewn across the floor were the remains of the Scrynne. Henry picked up part of the cover. ‘Such a shame,’ he said as he stared at the carving on the wood and he placed it on the table. ‘Now where do we start?’
The three wizards collected the broken debris and swept up the ash and as they cleared up the broken pieces of the Scrynne, Henry found the small vessel which had been in the chest.
‘Oh my, could it be?’ he muttered as he unscrewed the lid. He peered inside the ebony jar and saw the small splinter still intact. ‘Sometimes a sliver is all that one needs.’ Henry called to Christopher and Clarence. ‘I have it!’ He held the dark vessel up high. ‘A viable piece of wood from the tree. Now let us concoct that tonic.’
<><><>
Christopher lifted Foreman’s head and pressed the glass spiralled vial to his lips. The liquid trickled into his mouth and it wasn’t long before Foreman licked them.
‘Give him some more,’ Henry said.
Christopher tipped a little of the fluid into the man’s mouth and when he was sure Foreman wouldn’t choke he gave him some more.
Elle placed another cool cloth on his brow. ‘It doesn’t seem to be working.’
‘These things can take time,’ Henry said. ‘We’ll just have to wait and watch.’
‘I’ll watch him,’ Thelia said. ‘You all go and eat. I’m sure you have many important things to do. I’ll let you know if there’s any change. Diorna will be here soon with my meal.’
‘Henry,’ she said as he turned to leave.
‘Yes, Thelia. What is it?’
She wrung her hands as she looked at him. ‘I’m scared.’
Henry took her hands in his. ‘Don’t worry, my dear,’ he said as he patted them. ‘The Guardians are staked out around the mountain and are at their stations atop the Keep. They will warn us if anyone approaches. We will not be caught unawares.’
<><><>
In the great hall the wizards, Elle, Atlas and the Galas gathered at one end of a long table. The room was crowded as everyone sat down to eat. The clatter of dishes rose above the din and Henry leant forward to be heard. ‘We need a plan for when the Dark Lord arrives.’
Christopher took a sip from his mug. He was glad Albert and Rose were not with them. ‘How long do you think we have?’
‘A night, maybe two. Who knows, but mark my words he will come, and when he arrives we need to be prepared.’
Christopher gazed into his cup. ‘What is it, lad?’ Henry asked.
Christopher looked up as his grandfather and then over at the others. ‘When I heard Elle’s screams back in the valley I watched you run right past me to help. I followed you and saw myself upon the sodden ground. I tried to call out but you couldn’t hear me. And that’s when a voice told me to come away. As I watched you both frozen in time, he told me I was in the middle plane. A place where souls venture, between life and death. He said the tree of life was dying and would shoot out energy in a last effort to regenerate itself and once it had done that it would die. There is a new tree somewhere. Who knows if it will survive, but without the tree our magic will cease to exist.’
Clarence sighed. ‘Unfortunately we have no time to search for the tree. We wouldn’t even know it if we came upon it. If it can’t survive on its own there’s nothing we can do.’
‘You would know the tree if you saw it,’ Henry said. ‘It exudes a euphoria. There’s no other species quite like it.’
Finch listened to every word Christopher spoke. He’d had a dream about a tree. Could it be the same one? He pushed his meal aside and left the great hall. Slipping past the wizards, he made his way down the steps into the kitchen.
‘Zute has developed a way to draw energy from the earth,’ Christopher said, ‘and we will be helpless to stop him. Once the Tree of Life dies, the Underlands will vanish. We need to send Zute back there before it is gone.’
‘Then you’ll need a way to creep up on him,’ Atlas said, ‘and send him back.’
‘He won’t fall for that trick again,’ Henry said. ‘We need to find a way to contain his power, then send him back. Well, we need to find out how to do that too.’ Henry shovelled another forkful of food into his mouth.
‘It just so happens,’ Clarence said, ‘when we were looking for a piece of the tree downstairs, I took the liberty to have a look through the books there and found this.’ He pulled the volume from his cloak. ‘This book was written by one of the wizards back in the time when the Dark Lord rampaged the land. It also contains information on how they banished him.’
Can we replicate it?’ Henry paused with his fork.
‘Let me see,’ he said as he scanned the page. ‘A pinch of hemlock, three bristles of ackron, rocks ground thrice,’ he read on. ‘I think we should have everything in the enclave.’
‘So how will we contain his powers?’ Christopher asked.
‘That,’ Clarence said, ‘is something to ponder.’
‘Henry,’ Thelia said as she approached the table. ‘Your friend has woken.’
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Foreman sat up on the rickety cot. ‘It’s good to see you again, Henry.’
‘It’s good to see you’re feeling better, old friend.’ Henry knelt down beside him and touched his forehead. ‘The fever is gone, but we still need to deal with that thread of the Sorceress’ magic. How are you feeling?’
Foreman looked from Christopher to Clarence to Elle and then back to Henry. ‘I feel just as I did before.’
‘It should be easy to remove the Sorceress’ taint, as it has embedded its threads in the blackness surrounding your heart. The tricky part is blackness itself. I’m afraid only you can dissolve that shadow. I think, my friend, it is time for you to grieve for the loss of your family. I know the pain will never leave you, it hasn’t left my heart, but you need to move on so you can rebuild your life. There is much joy to be found in the world. You need to deal with their loss and store memories of happier times in your heart. They can only live on through you.’
Foreman’s eyes welled and a tear escaped his lashes to run down his cheek. ‘I don’t know how, Henry.’
‘What has happened in the past is done. It can never be changed, but it doesn’t have to define our lives. I know it hurts, but think. Right here, right now, you are safe and amongst friends and when you think of your loved ones, know that you loved them with all your heart. I think of my beloved Eleanor every day. She would be proud of what we have achieved as would Jezzel and your boys. They would want their father to rise above his pain and embrace their existence.’
‘But it hurts when I think of them and the way they could have died.’
‘If it didn’t hurt,’ Henry said, ‘then it wasn’t love, and you are lucky for true love is hard to find. Are you ready, my friend, to begin life anew?’
‘Yes, Henry, I am, but it will take a while.’
‘Of course it will, and as time moves on and you think of them often, your heart will smile when you remember them.’
Clarence knelt by Foreman’s bedside. ‘We need to go out into the gardens under the moon to remove the taint. It could be painful, we don’t know. Are you ready?’
‘Yes, Clarence. I’m ready to remove her wicked ways from my soul.’
‘Do you think you can stand and walk?’
‘Think I can, Clarence.’ Foreman swung his legs over the side of the cot and as he rose to his feet he became giddy and Christopher placed an arm of security around his waist and took his hand.
‘Lean on me, until your strength returns, Foreman.’
‘Thank you, Hierarch Christopher.’
‘I’m not the Hierarch.’
‘You will be one day, Brother. There are only three of y
ou left.’
‘Three that we know of. Just call me Christopher,’ he said, ‘and right now we need to get downstairs.’ Christopher helped the man walk out of the reading room and descend to the ground floor.
Chapter Fifty-three
As Finch left the safety of the Keep, he rushed down the stairs and headed out to the stables. In the dark he slipped through the shadows clutching his bag of food which he’d rolled up in his blanket. Prepared for the journey he was about to undertake, his eyes adjusted to the black of the night and he could just make out the latch on the door of the stables. Carefully he placed his package down on the ground to pull back the bolt and unfasten the door. As he gripped the metal handle with both hands and turned the latch, the steel scraped in its cradle as it rose from the holder and the door eased open. Gathering his bundle, the young lad pushed the door open, just far enough to squeeze in through the gap. The horses in the barn were already settled for the night but as they heard him enter several whickered to him in expectation of a treat.
‘It’s alright, Milly,’ he said as he approached the mare. He removed a lantern from near her stable door and felt for the flint to light the wick. The lantern flickered to life and Finch shuttered the cover to reduce its glare. As he opened the door to Milly’s pen she rose from the straw and sniffed in his direction. Recognising his scent she walked over and nuzzled the young lad and he gave her a pat.
‘I’m sorry to wake you girl, but we’ve much to do,’ he said as he placed the lantern carefully down upon a stool. He walked back across the barn to the wall where the racks held the horses tack and fetched her saddle and bridle. Readying the mare Finch led her from her pen and Shadow, her foal, followed close behind. Acquiring a skin, he filled it with water from the nearest trough and fastened it on the ring on the front of the saddle. He’d carefully tied his blanket behind the cantle and gathering the mare’s reins he opened the door and led them both out into the night.
