The Final Storm

by Wayne Thomas Batson

  And with the wind howling, Robby dangled from the bridge, trying desperately to hoist himself up. He managed to get a hand between two planks where he could get a stronger hold. Then, using the strength of his upper back, arms, and shoulders, he pulled one knee up to the edge of the planks. But, try as he might, he could not get his knee or foot over the edge because the wind kept blowing.

  His muscles ached. Robby knew he wouldn’t last much longer. So he pulled with all of his athletic might and yanked his body as high as he could. His right knee found purchase, but only for a moment. Robby struggled, trying to heave himself up, but felt himself slipping. “I can’t do this!” he yelled. And then one of his hands slipped off the plank. He let go and fell backward. “King Eliam, help me!” he screamed as his body lost all contact with the bridge.

  Robby closed his eyes as he plummeted into the unknown.

  A hand found Robby’s hand in midair. The grip was absolutely strong and would not let Robby fall any farther. And as if Robby were made of paper, the hand lifted him up and over the guide ropes and placed him securely in the middle of the bridge.

  Robby opened his eyes, but there was no one there. “You are never alone,” a voice said. And behold, the mist ahead of Robby spread apart, and before him—like a solitary monument—stood a door. Robby raced up the remaining planks and seized hold of the door’s large ring. Robby exulted with gratitude, knowing that he had been rescued from his own feeble efforts—rescued and guided at last to The Door Within!

  “Thank you! Thank you, my King!” Robby repeated over and over, as the door opened and brilliant light streamed out. It was the glad, golden light of the sun and stars—the very same light that had illuminated the Scrolls and chased away his fears in the dark woods. Robby smiled and entered The Door Within.

  PASSAGE

  The golden light faded away to a tiny distant point, and a narrow path rolled out like a carpet into the darkness before Robby. Still smiling, he walked up the path, and as he did so, he realized that his senses were behaving strangely. His senses of sight and hearing were dulled, making him feel as if he were underwater. But his sense of touch was alive, and he felt like he could almost feel the texture of the air as it tingled all around him.

  Robby held his arms up as he walked, letting the marvelous, peculiar air wash over him. Then the darkness on both sides of him began to flicker. Peculiar blurred images began to appear. Slowly they began to focus.

  Dark storm clouds, swirling and brooding, raced overhead. Lightning flashed, shedding eerie flickering light on a sea of armed knights in black armor. This army stretched all the way to the horizon and was as wide as Robby could see. Robby quickened his pace, for he did not want to remain in the midst of such a terrible army. Lightning flashed again. The vision wavered and changed. The storm clouds melted into the deep green canopy of a forest. A great pit opened up in the forest floor, and suddenly the vision took Robby beneath the surface.

  A knight appeared there, illuminated by strange gray subterranean light. And before him spread dozens—no, hundreds—of furry brown humps. The humps began to move. They were advancing toward the knight. The knight backed away. As the things grew near, Robby saw a sea of glassy black eyes. Robby turned away from the visions. He kept his eyes on the path as best he could and ran.

  In spite of his attempts not to watch, Robby saw images out of the corners of his eyes. The vision flickered and changed again. This time he saw a battle before massive walls of stone. Knights in a great many types and colors of armor fought desperately. Their swords clashed. Arrows flew in swarms.

  But suddenly there was something burrowing beneath the knights, and as it traveled it threw great numbers of knights violently into the air. Then, as it neared, Robby caught a glimpse of a large scaly claw reaching out of the crowd of soldiers. Then there were several claws. And each one grabbed a fistful of knights, crushed them, and tossed them aside like broken dolls. Robby felt an unrelenting fear that this creature, whatever it was, was coming after him. He forced himself to look straight ahead, but he could sense the visions begin to speed up—one replacing the next—until it was just a blur.

  Robby ran as fast as he could. Just a few feet ahead a shimmering window appeared in the darkness. Robby ran for it and dove, disappearing through the window.

  23

  KINDRED SPIRITS

  Lady Merewen stood by Kaliam’s side on the wide balcony above Guard’s Keep. Her silver hair glistened in the moonlight, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with hope.

  “Do not fear, m’lord. You chose rightly in this matter. The Blue Mountains must be defended, out of loyalty—and of need. And if our dragon force is quickly victorious . . . it will give Paragor something to think about.”

  “If?” Kaliam replied thoughtfully. “That is what troubles me. Too often as of late I am left here to stare and wait while my friends venture forth to war.”

  “There will be war enough for us all before too long,” she replied, staring at the shadows of dark mountains in the west.

  “Nay, m’lady,” said Kaliam, and he turned to her. “It is not war that I desire. But . . . I am averse to ordering good knights into danger, while I remain safe within the walls of the city.”

  Lady Merewen took Kaliam’s strong hands into hers. “There is not a single knight in all the armies assembled here who would question your mettle . . . or your courage.” Kaliam’s determined expression melted, for Lady Merewen had guessed his secret fear. “Do not forget who chose you for this position,” she continued, capturing Kaliam’s gaze in her own and refusing to let go. “You have been called to be Sentinel of Alleble, and King Eliam does not make mistakes.”

  Kaliam was silent for many long moments. Indecision played upon his brow as he searched her eyes. But then a subtle smile appeared on his lips, and he seemed to have come to an unspoken conclusion. Lady Merewen looked at him questioningly.

  “M’lady, you are most extraordinary,” he said at last. “But come, it is time now to meet the new Twelfth Knight.”

  Robby found himself sitting on a chair in the dark. But it was not his room. He turned to his side and stared at a large window that was shuttered except for a crack. Through this narrow portal, Robby saw the twinkle of stars and beneath those, indistinct gray shadows.

  He stood and slowly, as if afraid of what he might see, he threw wide the shutters. And then he laughed. Laughed out loud. The kind of joyous laughter he had not experienced in a long, long time. For beyond the shutters lay a wide, sleeping kingdom. Castle turrets, powerful stone walls, keeps and many small cottages lay quiet beneath the stars. But surging with unmatched grandeur, towering higher than many rooftops, plumed the great fountains of Alleble. And something inside of Robby formed the words in his mind, and he whispered, “I’ve come home.”

  A sudden knock at a door behind Robby made him jump. “M’lord Robby?” a boisterous female voice called. “M’lord, are you there? Well, of course you must be there. Kaliam said you would be. I suppose the better question is, may I come in? Hullo, Robby?” She knocked again.

  “Uh, yeah,” Robby called, turning around. “I guess.”

  The door opened, spilling light into the chamber. And in walked a very round Glimpse woman carrying a rather large tray filled with many covered dishes. She set the tray down on a desk Robby had not seen at first and then went about the room lighting candles.

  “There now, much better!” she said, her back still turned as she lit the last candle in the room. “There’s some light to eat by. I am Elspeth, and Kaliam sent me to see that you are fed. A growing boy needs his victuals.” She turned to look at Robby. “Oh!” she said. “Oh, not a boy at all. A young man.”

  “That’s righight,” Robby replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.

  “A mite taller than most lads,” she said, looking him up and down.

  “And stronger . . . well, all the better. Come now, have a seat and eat your fill. I have prepared my special stew for you and some biscuits, if
you have a taste for them. Sir Kaliam will be here shortly, but if you have questions while you wait, I will do my best to answer them!”

  Robby sat down at the desk, and Elspeth removed the cover from a large steaming bowl of stewed vegetables and meat, swimming in gravy. The smell from the bowl awoke the hunger in Robby, and he hastily picked up a spoon and began to eat. There were chunks of potatoes, carrots, and some other vegetable Robby had never seen. It was triangular with one side covered with a thin purple skin. Whatever it was, it was good. But the meat was the best part. It didn’t taste like beef. It didn’t taste like chicken. It was extremely salty and had some savor that Robby didn’t recognize, perhaps from the gravy, but absolutely delicious.

  “My mama makes some great beef stew,” he said between his last few mouthfuls. “Or at least she did when we lived in Florida, but I gotta tell you, I have never had anything that tastes this good!”

  Elspeth beamed and patted Robby on the back. “What a kind lad you are to say such things. My stew is a favorite around here. The Knights of the Elder Guard like it, but no one more than Sir Aelic.”

  “Who’s Aelic?” Robby asked, dabbing up the last of the gravy with a biscuit.

  A cloud seemed to fall over Elspeth’s jovial face for a moment. “Why, Sir Aelic was as noble a young knight as anyone could know. Sir Aidan’s Glimpse twin, you know. He was sorely wounded in the Battle on the Forest Road in Yewland. But now he seems to have just vanished from The Realm.”

  “Well, that makes sense,” Robby muttered.

  “What is that you say, lad?”

  “Well, back in my world,” Robby explained, “I was there when Aidan entered The Realm, and a Glimpse and his twin can’t be in the same world at the same time, right?”

  “Yes,” Elspeth replied. “But how did you . . . oh, silly me. I suppose Sir Aidan must have told you that, you being friends and all.”

  Robby felt a pang of guilt. It had not been Aidan who told him about the dynamics of leaving one world for another. Count Eogan, a servant of Alleble’s greatest enemy, had taught him that . . . and many other things besides. Robby wondered if they knew.

  “Where is Aidan?” Robby asked. “Can I see him? He’ll be real glad to see me here, I think.”

  “I am sure I do not know,” Elspeth replied, dabbing the scratches on Robby’s face with a cool ointment. “If indeed he is back in The Realm, I am glad for it. For Sir Aidan is a valiant warrior. But he has not arrived in Alleble. Of that I am certain. Perhaps Sir Kaliam will know.”

  “Perhaps Sir Kaliam will know what?” asked a tall Glimpse knight entering the room. He was followed by a beautiful Glimpse with long silver hair. Both of them wore armor and had swords at their sides.

  Elspeth bowed. “M’lord, Sentinel!” she said. “And Lady Merewen too, though I suppose I ought not to be surprised.” Robby started to stand, but Kaliam motioned for him to stay seated.

  “And just what do you mean by you ‘ought not to be surprised’?” Lady Merewen asked in mock anger.

  “Oh, be kind to your servant,” Elspeth said, bowing again. “I meant no harm. Forgive the assumptions of an old busybody like me.”

  Kaliam laughed and turned to Robby. “Welcome, Robby,” he said, gesturing grandly with the sweep of an arm. “Welcome to the city of Alleble and into the service of King Eliam the Everlasting.”

  “The lad from Antoinette’s picture,” Lady Merewen thought aloud. “Perhaps Antoinette completed her task, after all.”

  “Who is Antoinette?” Robby asked.

  “I wonder Sir Aidan did not tell you,” Kaliam said. “Lady Antoinette is a friend of Aidan’s from the Mirror Realm—a place Aidan called Colorado.”

  “Oh,” Robby replied. “Aidan moved there. Colorado is far from where I live.”

  Kaliam nodded. “Lady Antoinette is a skilled swordmaiden. But alas, she has been captured by the enemy.”

  “Is that my mission?” Robby asked. “Am I supposed to rescue her?”

  “Nay, lad,” Kaliam replied sadly. “Though every hour that passes while Lady Antoinette is still in captivity scratches at my heart, we are in no position to invade Paragory.”

  He put his hand on Lady Merewen’s arm. She smiled bravely, but she wondered privately if Antoinette would ever leave Paragory alive.

  “Where is Sir Aidan now?” Elspeth asked. “Robby says that Sir Aidan has entered The Realm.”

  “He has?” Kaliam replied with a sideways glance at Lady Merewen. “I find that news somewhat heartening, but Sir Aidan is not in Alleble. Perhaps it is just the difference in the reckoning of time between our worlds. I know that Aidan would not stray from the narrow path unless King Eliam led him to do so—not after what happened the first time he entered The Realm.” Kaliam laughed quietly to himself.

  Robby looked from Kaliam to Lady Merewen and back. “Why am I here?” he asked.

  “To train to be a knight, and if you pass your training, you will be the Twelfth Knight,” Kaliam said.

  “Twelfth Knight?” Robby asked.

  “Yes,” Kaliam explained. “Often on special missions, we send forth warriors in teams of twelve. The twelfth knight chosen has special honor. Aidan was a Twelfth Knight. So was Lady Antoinette.”

  Eagerly, Robby asked, “What is my mission?”

  “Impatient to strap on a sword and be off, are you?” Kaliam asked. “I am beginning to wonder if all the beings in the Mirror Realm lack patience. You will discover the nature of your mission tomorrow. But before that happens, you will have much to do . . . training not the least of which.”

  “Shall I rouse the lad at sunup, then?” Elspeth asked.

  Kaliam glanced at Lady Merewen, and the mischievous grin reappeared. “Nay, Lady Elspeth, not at dawn. Say rather, wake him at second bell.”

  “What?” Robby objected. “I’m going to bed? I just got here.”

  Kaliam patted Robby on the shoulder. “You have arrived in Alleble in the middle of the night. Rest now, as much as you can. For there is no promise of such comforts as sleep in the future.” Elspeth nodded, bowed, and left the chamber. Kaliam followed, but Lady Merewen lingered a moment.

  “Should you meet Lady Antoinette one day,” Lady Merewen whispered to Robby as she stood under the arch by the chamber door, “you owe her a debt of gratitude.”

  Robby was shocked. “I don’t understand,” he said. “I don’t even know Antoinette.”

  “Ah, but Sir Aidan did,” Lady Merewen replied. “And Aidan asked Antoinette to seek your Glimpse twin, Kearn, in The Realm—it was in seeking him she was captured.”

  “Kearn?” Robby replied absently.

  Lady Merewen nodded. “Kearn was a powerful captain in Paragor’s service,” she said with a knowing smile.

  Robby felt as if Lady Merewen could suddenly see right through him. “So . . . ,” he said, looking at his feet, “you know about me, then?”

  “Yes, Robby, I know about you. Antoinette told me some, but Kaliam knew much more than she. But even if they had not told me, I still would have known that you once served the enemy.”

  Robby blinked back tears.

  “In spite of your size and apparent strength,” Lady Merewen explained, “there is a fragility about you. At moments you look ashamed, as if you really do not belong here in Alleble. Like you might suddenly be discovered for what you are and be dragged from this city and taken to a much darker place.” Tears streamed freely down Robby’s cheeks.

  “Nay, Robby, I see all too clearly the shrouds that Paragor continues to cast over you in the hopes of reclaiming your allegiance. I see it, because I too wore such shrouds. But let your tears become tears of joy as mine did! I cast off the enemy’s feeble webs, and I am confident that here you will find such hope too!”

  Robby swallowed and nodded, his square jaw still trembling.

  “We shall talk again, you and I,” Lady Merewen said. “But for now, sleep. Sleep in such comfort and peace as you have never had before. For, Robby, you are home now.”<
br />
  24

  TESTED AND PROVED

  It appeared to be a glorious spring day in Alleble. The sun was climbing, and a gentle breeze stirred the great banners hung outside the main gatehouse of the castle. Still, Kaliam felt uneasy that the dragon riders had not returned from their mission in the Blue Mountains, especially now that Robby was in Alleble.

  Kindle, the armory keeper, had procured fitting armor for Robby, and Kaliam helped Robby put it on. “So Aidan really defeated an army all by himself?” Robby asked as Kaliam slid the breastplate harness over Robby’s head. Kaliam nodded.

  “Not exactly by himself,” Kindle said with a wink. “Or are you forgetting how Sir Aidan managed to navigate Lady Gwenne and the others through the stampede without getting stomped?”

  Kaliam frowned with mock anger. “Yes, well, of course King Eliam was with Aidan in that battle.”

  “I should say!” Kindle exclaimed with a laugh that made his ample belly shake. He turned back to Robby. “So, why do you ask, lad?”

  “I dunno,” Robby replied, running his fingers over his new gleaming silver armor. “I guess it’s just that things are so different now. Back in my world, when Aidan and I first met, well . . . Aidan wasn’t good at much.”

  “Ah! I see now,” said Kindle. “You used to be top knight, eh? And you are worried that Sir Aidan has passed you by? Is that it?”

  Robby shrugged. Kindle went on to say more, but Kaliam held up his hand. “To serve in The Realm of Alleble,” Kaliam said, “you must put aside all such jealousies.”

  Each busy with his own thoughts, Kaliam and Robby left the armory en route to the training yards behind the main keep. Kaliam wondered why he had such a nagging uneasy feeling about Robby; Robby wondered if Kaliam held something against him.

  The few citizens of Alleble who were out on the avenues nodded respectfully to their Sentinel and his companion. But some of them did more than nod. Three elderly Glimpse women walked by, staring and whispering. Robby heard one of them say, “Is he one of them?” But then the other two ladies shushed her and whisked her away.