by M J Webb
“Welcome, dear friends. I give thanks for your deliverance. Where do I begin, and what do I say to you? We know what you did for us all at Dassilliak. We will always be eternally grateful. Your effort and your sacrifice shall not be in vain, I promise you,” stated Zephany, impressively.
Never one to stand on ceremony, Ben was about to respond on behalf of all his companions, but the Princess continued before he was able. “…Brraall, your people have earned their place in our history books by the valour they have shown, they now rank alongside the greatest Estian warriors from past and present, as defenders of this realm, and as valued allies and friends. You have all served with great honour, when in my eyes we have done nothing to deserve such loyalty. Mere words scarcely suffice in times such as these, but let me try… It is my sacred vow, witnessed by all present on this day, that you and your kind will never be mistreated in these lands again. I swear, from this day forward, your enemies will be our enemies, your friends will be our friends!”
Everyone in the crowd began cheering wildly. The warriors of the Estian Alliance then began walking amongst the tribesmen, greeting them openly and behaving as though they were long lost friends, heroes returned safely after years away from home. Though none of the tribal warriors could speak their tongue as yet, they were all carried along with the atmosphere and they responded with gratitude.
After a while, Caro restored the silence once more, allowing Princess Zephany to continue. “…Now Ben, though we have much to discuss, you all must rest, prepare yourselves for the forthcoming battle.”
“Err… Yeah, I s’pose so. But first I need to know the score?” replied the youngster.
The meaning behind his words was completely lost on the young royal from Rhuaddan. She had absolutely no idea how to respond and she instinctively looked at Verastus for guidance. “Srr… I believe he means, what is happening?” the Falorian stated, amazed to find himself translating happily for his friend.
“Kah! Yes, you are a strange boy with strange ways, Ben. To answer your question, we know very little that you cannot see for yourselves. The army of evil facing us grows in strength by the hour. Though, it must be said, that thankfully, so does our own. When the shield between us falls, we will have the fight of our lives ahead of us. We will have to defend these walls with everything we have, and hope that we can hold out. As for Jake, he has left and gone with Tien. They travel to the Thargw homeland. Jake hopes to steal the fourth stone away from the Thargw Emperor himself. Gellsorr is with them. It is a mission unlike any other, and in truth, I do not see how it can be achieved…”
“No?” interrupted Ben. “Well, I wouldn’t count him out just yet! He’s full of surprises, my best mate.”
“No Ben, you misunderstand me! I have not, I assure you, ‘counted him out’ as you say. I did not mean to sound… I am merely intrigued as to how he will accomplish… I am counting on his success. Indeed, I am planning for it.”
“Oh, good!” said Ben. “Sorry, I thought you were…”
The teenager ceased talking abruptly. The crowd around him had suddenly begun to stir quite noticeably, interrupting his train of thought. Their moans and grumbles grew gradually louder as somebody pushed their way forcefully through them all to reach the front. Finally, the lead ranks parted a little and through them squeezed the old lady who had spoken with Zephany and Caro earlier. She approached Ben with some hesitation and raised her trembling hand to his face. Then, her fingers began gently touching his features, as tear after painful tear rolled down her cheeks.
“Srr… Yes? What is it? Can we help you?” asked Princess Zephany, breaking the awkward silence which had developed. Her soft voice was full of compassion and yet it was obvious to all that she did not appreciate the interruption.
The old lady continued staring into Ben’s eyes as she replied to the question in a gentle voice of her own. “It is all true. You… You are the Keeper. You have returned to us.”
Ben tenderly took hold of her hand and pulled it away from his face. He lowered it to her side, before releasing it. “No, I’m sorry but you have it all wrong. I’m not the Keeper and I don’t think I’d want to be thank you very much. I’m his best friend. My name is Ben.”
The old lady appeared bitterly disappointed. However, her sorrow only lasted a moment or two before she spoke once more, with swiftly renewed optimism. “I see. He is here though, is he not? He has come back to us?”
“Yes. The Keeper is on Mynae, as I have just explained,” answered Zephany, speaking for them all. “He will return to us shortly, we hope.”
The elderly woman turned to answer the beautiful Princess. “I… I apologise for my actions, your highness. I could not hear from where I stood.”
“What is it you want of the Keeper?” asked Caro.
“I… I do not know.”
“Then, may we ask, what are you doing here? Who are you?” replied the knight.
“Yes… Yes, of course. I should have said, forgive me? I know how this must appear to you all. Where are my manners? My name is Jean. I have travelled a great distance to be with you now, to join you. I must be allowed to speak to the one who calls himself the Keeper. You see, the last man to bear that title, was my husband.”
* * *
“What?!”
It was an instant, natural, heartfelt reaction to the old lady’s words. The ludicrous statement had shocked and stunned everybody, especially Ben. He had blurted out the solitary word with such power and abruptness, that all those around him nearly jumped out of their skins.
Once the commotion had finally died down, it was Princess Zephany who once again took command of the situation. “So, there is another story to be told on our journey, another twist of fate? We shall listen to your tale in more comfortable surroundings. Come with us to the tavern, and there you can divulge your secrets, convince us all that what you say is true. Come, Ben. The rest of you weary souls are to relax a little while you can. Sleep, and report to Caro when you are ready for your assignments.”
Ben suddenly snapped out the trance he was in as Zephany spoke directly to him. He was still deep in shock but his mind and body had suddenly gone onto autopilot, and he followed willingly. “Eh? Hell yeah! Now this oughta be good!”
Once inside the tavern, they all settled down around a large table. It was soon furnished with food and drink. Queen Bressial and Lord Castrad joined them, along with most of the Alliance leaders. “Come on then, we’re all waiting to be amazed. No? Well, I’ll start, shall I? You can’t be Jean! She’s dead. Sawdon and his thugs killed her years ago, when they tried to get Harry, before he destroyed the stones, or pretended that he had at any rate,” began Ben, seeing no reason at all to mince his words.
The old lady opposite him carefully placed her cup on the table. She answered in a quiet voice which was trembling a little with apprehension. “I… I know this will be hard for all of you to accept. But, think on it, I have no reason to lie. I have nothing to gain by deceit. What purpose would it serve?”
“But… I’ve seen Jean’s picture, in the attic. You look nothing like her,” rasped Ben, defiantly.
“That was a very long time ago!” snapped the woman. “It was taken in another lifetime completely.”
“Ben, please, let her speak? We will hear her out and we will then decide, once we have the facts, or at least, once we know what is supposed to have happened,” said Princess Zephany. Ben nodded obediently and sat back on his stool, inviting the stranger to continue.
“Tell us, what proof do you have of your claim?” asked Queen Bressial.
“What? I… Err… I have nothing. Everything I had was taken from me. I know that sounds like…”
“That would seem a little too convenient?” stated Lord Castrad.
“Forgive me… Maybe you can tell us a little about your world, the world you came from?” said Verastus, his voice kind and gentle. The escaped slave wanted to believe her story and it showed. “…The things you can remember will help to
prove your identity.”
She nodded and tried to think of what to say. “Err… Yes, okay. Ben, if I speak to you of cars, television, radio, phones…? Does that convince you? These people here would not know of such things, would they?”
Ben was half way there but he still needed convincing. He remained a little cautious. “Yeah, I suppose so… But you could have heard about them from the things me and Jake have said somehow? Or from one of the other Keepers?”
“Yes, I could. Though, I did not. Well, what then? What can I say that will convince you? I know, Harry! Let’s see… He was in the army for years, he was away an awful lot… Err… Ah! We had a son, Graham. He would be about…”
“How…? How did you know that? No one knows about him. They… Err, the Keepers, they have kept him out of it all along. Harry told us. His identity is a secret that mustn’t be revealed, ‘cos it would place him in danger if they knew… Jean?” asked a shocked Ben, realising all of a sudden that however improbable it was, she had to be telling the truth. “Is it really you?”
“Yes, Ben, it is me, I assure you. I stand before you now as sure as eggs is eggs, risen from the dead I suppose? I am Harry’s wife, Jake’s grandmother.”
“But… How?!”
“I’ll tell you, Ben. I’ll tell you all. Though, you must bear in mind that these are truths which have only returned to me very recently. For years, I did not know. I could recall nothing. I had no memory at all of these events until, over a week ago now, I saw a strange light in the sky. There was a bang unlike any other, and a pounding in my head that just would not stop. It lasted for days. When it was gone, a whole new world of memories filled my thoughts and dreams, terrifying recollections of past events, heart stopping scenes of deeds done, and wrongs suffered. They played over and over again in my mind like a bad record with the needle stuck. It took me some time to understand them, to make any sense at all of what I was seeing. Every time I closed my eyes it was as if my worst nightmares had come to haunt me all at once.”
She was shaking now, and crying hard. Ben and Zephany took hold of a hand each and it comforted her. After a short while, she felt able to continue. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“It’s nothing,” said Ben. “The light… You must have seen it when we opened the box in Harry’s attic, when we came through to Rhuaddan, to escape from Sawdon. It must have triggered something inside of you?”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“But, I don’t understand? How did you survive? Harry told us that he checked you in the living room, and he thought you were dead? He would never have left you otherwise. He’s been wracked with guilt ever since. You should see him, he is…”
“I’m sorry? You’ve seen him? He lives? But that’s the best news ever! Oh, praise the Lord, I thought… It does not matter now what I thought. When I heard that the Keeper was a boy and not a man, I naturally assumed that Harry had been killed, that another of our family had taken his place?”
“No. He is alive and well. Err… Well actually, that’s not strictly true. He’s not so well, he’s… A bit knocked up to be fair.”
One look into Ben’s eyes told Jean that the youngster was telling the truth. “Yes, but he is breathing, fighting?!” she cried with relief, as even more tears flowed. Only, these were tears of joy and elation.
“Can you go on, please? We need to hear your story in full,” stated Queen Bressial.
Jean looked at Zephany for support. The Princess nodded and she continued. “Yes, of course, I’m sorry. Where was I? When I arrived here I knew nothing of my past. For all I knew, I was just an ordinary peasant from Rhuaddan, with no memory of life before the dungeons, before captivity. I was a prisoner of no consequence, one of many held in Heron Getracht fortress for no apparent reason, just another victim of King Vantrax, that’s all. I knew nothing of why I was being held there, and no one seemed able or willing to tell me what I had done. All I knew for certain was my name.”
“That must have been awful? I cannot imagine what that felt like,” said Zephany.
“Yes, it was. But then, I knew no different, did I? I just lived from day to day, trying my best to survive. I was held for years in that fortress. Eventually, I was released from the dungeons and put to work, no longer considered a risk, if I ever was. For a time I cleaned, I cooked, washed and scrubbed… Until, one day, whilst the King was away, I escaped.”
“Escaped? From Heron Getracht? How? Few have managed such a feat. It is said to be almost impossible,” stated Verastus, who himself had been held captive there and was now seriously impressed. His own remarkable escape from the mine at Lidzenstor was considered miraculous, but this?
“I know. It is impossible, believe me. I could never have done it alone. I had help.”
“What? Who from?” replied the astonished Falorian.
“A young servant named Nytig. I never knew why he helped me, but he did. I shall never forget his kindness. I have heard that he paid terribly for it.”
“Nytig? Huh, I met him. He… Agh, it doesn’t matter. Please, go on,” said Ben.
Jean smiled at him and continued. “From the memories which have returned to me of late and the tales told by our people who were there at the time, the lucky few who escaped with me and heard the soldiers talking, I have managed to piece together what actually happened. It goes like this; at our house in Lichfield, many years ago now, eighteen or nineteen I’d say but I don’t know for certain, I was attacked by Sawdon and two others. I had never seen a Thargw before and the sight of him turned my legs to jelly so that I couldn’t stand. They tried their hardest to make me talk, asking me question after question about Harry and the whereabouts of the stones. When I refused to speak, they beat me, thrashed me to within an inch of my life. I still carry the scars of that day on my body, and now in my mind also.”
“But… Harry told us you were dead? He went back to check?” said Ben, remembering their conversation with Jake’s grandfather in his kitchen, before Sawdon had attacked and been confronted by Jake.
“What can I say? I don’t know what happened, Ben. I can’t remember seeing him. I must have been unconscious. I would have looked dead to him I suppose, and he wouldn’t have had time to check properly, would he? Not if Sawdon was chasing after him,” said Jean.
“He was! He told me that.”
“Well, there you go then.”
Ben was silent for a second or two. Then, he remembered something else. “Hang on… The fire? Harry said the whole place was in flames? Sawdon had left, hadn’t he? You were unconscious. So, how did you get out? And how did you end up here?”
“Yes, it’s a real mystery, isn’t it? Well, I was told that once the great Thargw returned to Rhuaddan, without the Keeper and without the stones he was sent to capture, King Vantrax was absolutely furious with him. He almost killed him right there and then, but he decided to use another small piece of reolite to send Sawdon straight back. Only this time, he was alone. He was told to search everywhere once again for the stones, and the Keeper, for the King refused to accept that both were lost.
Don’t ask me why because I do not know, but it is said that somehow, the stone and the spell didn’t work properly. I guess something, or someone, interfered with them? Whatever happened though, instead of appearing next to Harry and the stones he had with him, as should have happened, Sawdon was sent back into the burning house, to the living room where I was seated.”
“That must have shocked him? It was the spirits! It must have been,” stated Ben.
“I… I suppose so, if you say it. I do not know anything more. Anyway, I was informed that he was only there for a short time because the fire had really taken hold by then and the heat was intense. I must have been coming round and groaned or something, because Sawdon realised to his surprise that I was still alive. He brought me back with him. I suppose it was to appease his master, or for leverage should Harry be found, I guess. Only, he never was. And when I eventually recovered from my woun
ds, my memory did not return. I was of no use to them at all as I could tell them nothing. I presume I was kept alive in the hope that one day I would remember. It served no purpose I guess to inform me of my real identity.”
“So, you lived all those years in that miserable place, alone, not knowing who you were?” asked Lord Castrad.
“Yes… And no. I was not alone.”
“What?” Verastus responded for them all. “Please explain. What do you mean?”
Jean looked around the group, at their confused expressions. “My child was with me.”
“Child?! Wow! Back up their horsey!” shouted Ben, bewildered and amazed.
“Yes. You do not know, do you? How could you? Well, I realise that it may come as a shock to you, on top of everything else, but I was in the early stages of pregnancy when they found me. It’s a full blown miracle she survived the beating I took, I really thought I would lose her. But she did, and…”
