The soldier before him smiled and then nodded. “Slowly,” he said simply.
Lacombe did as he was told, for though he was confident he could take any two of the soldiers before him, he knew he would die quickly against all twenty and their long, deadly weapons. He slowly pulled the papers from his pocket, eased forward and handed them to the soldier who was in charge of the patrol. Lacombe studied the man as he read and quickly decided that if the Massi had many such men on patrol the High King would be very hard pressed to surprise them.
“Why alone?” the young soldier asked when he finished reading the recommendation. “Paulo usually sends out small parties of new men together.”
Lacombe shrugged. “Impatient to kill Temple Knights I guess,” he answered and several men around him smiled in response. The young soldier just grunted, and his demeanor once again impressed the Executioner.
‘Yes, the High King may be in for a nasty surprise,’ he thought but kept his face carefully neutral as the soldier took to inspecting his mount. From his expression it was clear that the animal did not impress him.
“Horseman?”
Lacombe shrugged. “I ride well enough but I fight better on the ground.”
The soldier nodded and ran his eyes once more over Sunwind, still evaluating. Finally he handed the papers back to Lacombe.
“My name’s Gaston. Captain Jeffery Gaston. Ride straight along this road and do not deviate. You will pass through several more check points, just show your papers and tell them you’ve talked to me. When you arrive in Manse check in with a Lee Brandt.”
Lacombe nodded and was about to speak his thanks but Captain Gaston had already wheeled his mount and signaled his men to move away and continue on their patrol.
Lacombe was pleased and concerned at the same time. It would be well if the Temple Knights were severely weakened, but a well-trained, disciplined army would also present some challenges during his eventual escape following the death of the traitor. In the end he just sighed and spurred Sunwind into a fast trot, suddenly anxious to arrive in Manse and get a lay of the land. He just hoped the young Tarina would not recognize him before he was ready to make his move.
ǂ
They appeared outside the main walls of the city amidst the dirt and squalor of the Parma poor, much to na Gall’s dismay. To Travel from Massi to Cassinni was not an easy task even from the very tip of the finger. The distance to cover was great, almost as far as the trip from Koshka to Light, and so her accuracy suffered. na Gall followed the men through the bridge and would have collapsed in the mud if not for Bock, who stepped forward to support her.
“Eh now!” a loud voice shouted to their left and in a flash Lonogan’s right kali was out and though he was still hampered by the weakened Traveler, he spun about to see who was challenging them. na Gall glanced weakly around and noticed that all five of her bodyguards were now armed and ready to protect her. She smiled inwardly. Gwaynn’s training was beginning to show dramatic results.
The mud rat that yelled quickly realized the danger and disappeared down an alley without uttering another sound.
“I need food and rest,” na Gall said just above a whisper.
“Your home is near?” Lonogan asked, glancing about, his expression slightly alarmed. They were currently in an area which appeared to be best avoided by any but a well trained army.
na Gall laughed lightly. “No, I’ve missed my mark. Let’s head northeast.”
Bock nodded. “Let’s move quickly. I’m not a fan of the smell.”
They made their way rapidly through the muddy streets, keeping a watchful eye on the many locals who curiously peered in their direction. But they needn’t have worried. Though they’d arrived in a very unsavory quarter of Parma, the Massi soldier’s demeanor as well as their weapons signaled to any bent on robbery that it might be best to avoid the group and look elsewhere. Despite na Gall’s weakness they moved along quickly and within a quarter of an hour they were beyond the worst of the ragged poor. They came upon the main road that led from the lower wharves to the heart of the city, and na Gall, who continued to lean heavily on Lonogan as they walked, pointed to the north. They weaved their way through a warehouse district and into the center of Parma where Lonogan managed to hire a carriage. Twenty minutes later they came to a large, solid looking house that was surrounded by a high brick wall and protected by a thick iron gate. The latch was locked but a man appeared on the porch before Bock could become too impatient.
“Elbert,” na Gall said quietly then sagged against Lonogan, who effortlessly hoisted her into his arms and watched as the old man slowly approached the gate.
“Hurry man!” he yelled and the old man paused. “Get a move on Elbert,” Bock added, “Jess needs rest and food.”
At the sound of his name, the man moved forward once more and stopped just out of reach on the far side of the gate. He eyed Lonogan and the rest of the men, soldiers obviously, but then his gaze moved to na Gall.
“Jessie? Little Jessie,” he said suddenly concerned and quickly moved forward and opened the way.
“Come, come,” he said and noticed the worry on Lonogan’s face.
Bock carried the Traveler up the wide stairway in front of the house and onto the large open-air porch before angling her body and entering the house. There, a tall woman with a narrow but handsome face, watched his progress nervously.
“Set up a perimeter,” Lonogan ordered his men and then turned to face the woman who stood waiting. “She needs food,” he told the woman, but she just smiled and nodded.
“Bring her in here and place her on the settee,” she instructed. Bock did as he was told and placed na Gall gently down. Despite her height, Lonogan was surprised to find that the Traveler seemed very light, and it was hardly an effort to carry her. He even felt a twinge of regret as he pulled away from the warmth of her body.
na Gall, who was awake and still alert, smiled widely up at him.
“Mama,” she said softly. “This is Lonogan Bock…General Bock of the Massi.”
Bock straightened up, surprised and half turned to the older woman. He bowed slightly. “Ma’am.”
“Miranda. I’m…” she began but stopped as a servant brought in a large drink filled with a thin pale liquid.
na Gall drank without hesitation and when it was gone she handed the glass back to her mother.
“Apple juice,” she said to Bock and then smiled. “Any peach juice mother?”
Her mother smiled at her before looking quizzically toward the maid, who shrugged and left the room once more. Another servant, a tall, painfully thin man, brought in a tray of bread and cheeses. He set it before the Traveler and na Gall immediately began to eat without comment.
“Welcome home Jessie,” Miranda na Gall said and patted her daughter softly on the shoulder.
“Miranda…” Bock said mostly to himself. “Miranda na Gall…the cellist?” Miranda nodded and Jess beamed. Lonogan looked down at Jess as the Traveler stuffed food into her mouth at an alarming rate.
“Your mother is Miranda na Gall, the cellist?”
Jess nodded, but did not answer because her mouth was full of bread, so Lonogan turned back to Miranda.
“I had the pleasure of hearing you perform in Solarii…four years ago now I guess it was. You were wonderful,” he added and then his eyes went wide and he turned back to Jess. “Your father is General Clark na Gall?”
“Retired,” Miranda corrected, frowning at her daughter who continued only to nod and eat. “Although you would never know it by the amount he travels these days. He’s in the west, reviewing the Palmerrio borders with General Keadle. Our neutrality in the conflict is creating a lot of tension with our neighbors.”
“Mother,” Jess began and swallowed the bite of cheese she still had in her mouth. “Where’s Owen?”
Miranda shrugged. “He’s around,” she answered then turned to Lonogan. “Her brother. I apologize. I believed I raised her to have better manners.”
“Slow down child,” Miranda said but lowered herself gently and sat by her daughter’s side.
Jess continued to eat rapidly, her every instinct telling her that her body needed nourishment…and fast. She only paused to deliver one-word answers to a comment or question and looked up relieved when Katty, the maid, returned with large glass of a thick yellow juice.
“Peach?” Jess asked between bites and Katty nodded. The Traveler took it and quickly guzzled the full contents.
“I have more,” Katty, who was young, maybe a few years younger than Jess, said with a laugh. “I’d not wanna be around when all of this decides to exit your other end.”
“Katty!” Miranda shouted but Katty just raised her eyebrows and smiled then turned and departed quickly. Jess laughed and Bock tried to stifle a grin in an attempt to spare the feelings of the elder na Gall as she turned pink in the cheeks.
“I apologize again…what you must think of us,” she muttered.
“Oh mother,” Jess stated, “we’re at war. We’ve been living in the dirt and mud with danger and death all around, a little joke is hardly going to offend either of us.”
“War…” Miranda said very solemnly. “We somehow managed to get your father through his entire career without a major conflict…but now you…” her voice trailed off, and then her brows creased.
“Jessie why are you here?”
“Mother,” Jess began but stopped as another glass of peach juice arrived, this time by Lamont, the thin man, and Bock surmised that Katty must have decided to make herself scarce.
“And you’ve brought a General,” Miranda added, glancing up at Bock.
“Mother we’ve come to talk to King Marc…” Jess began again.
“He won’t see you,” her mother interrupted.
“I think he will,” Lonogan disagreed. “There are only two Travelers left alive,” he continued, purposefully neglecting to mention either Gwaynn or Laynee. That makes your daughter a very important person.”
Miranda sat very still, breathing heavily. “Well, she’s always been an important person, but Marc is very…well he’s timid. He’ll not hold an audience with you if he suspects it will send the wrong message to the High King…he’s very loyal to Mastoc.”
“Not loyal enough to fight at his side,” Jess interjected.
Miranda shrugged. “As I said, he’s very timid.”
“Perhaps your father…” Lonogan began before Miranda rounded on him, standing quickly to face him on equal terms.
“You will not involve Clark!” she demanded hotly, just short of yelling.
“Mother!” Jess shouted back but then the front door crashed open. Bock spun and drew his kali instinctively. The move was very smooth and very fast. Gwaynn was teaching his General well.
The intruder was a young man of about twenty who gazed at the crouching sword bearing man before him with wide eyes.
“Owen,” Jess said quickly as one of Bock’s men followed the young man inside, “my brother.”
Bock immediately straightened up, and signaled to the man at the door that all was well. The soldier retreated as Bock smoothly replaced his kali.
“Sorry about that Owen,” Lonogan said as the young man cautiously navigated around him. Once passed Bock he broke into a smile and fell upon his sister. They hugged, kissed and tickled just a little before Owen stood and faced Bock once more.
“Owen, this is Lonogan Bock, the Massi General,” Jess said from the couch.
“Excellent!” Owen answered and stuck out his hand.
They shook hands heartily and Jess took a moment to study Lonogan closely. Not surprisingly she found that she completely agreed with her brother’s assessment.
ǂ
Zarina Monde was good, very good. They appeared in the clearing just below the cabin and there, sitting on the porch sipping tea was Tar Nev, smiling down at them. Gwaynn smiled back and waved as they made their way up the hill, but the High Zarina did not share his enthusiasm.
“He’s a bit creepy,” she whispered, “sitting there like he’s waiting for us.”
“He probably is,” Gwaynn whispered back.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Nev said to Gwaynn as they came within speaking distance, then Nev glanced at Monde. “I’ve food ready in the cabin,” he told her and with a slight bow led them both inside.
The table was already set…for three. It held the usual; meat, cheese, fruit, but also on the table was a large bowl of sugar cubes and in the middle a pitcher of liquid that, after a quick inspection, Gwaynn realized was peach juice. He smiled at Nev as Monde again whispered under her breath.
“Creepy.”
“I see your war preparations are going well,” Nev said and they all sat down. The High Zarina did not wait to be invited but immediately began to fill her plate and eat, taking more than her share of sugar cubes.
“Try the juice,” Gwaynn told her and she did without a word. “The High King is coming,” he said to Nev, while picking at the food, eating very little. “There’s no way we can stop him now.”
Nev nodded. “Yes, I heard about the Toranado fleet. Without the help of the Cassinni I don’t think you’ll be able to keep out an invasion by sea. Massi has far too much shoreline to cover.”
Monde raised her eyebrows. “You know about our trip to the Cassinni.”
Nev shook his head negatively. “No, but it is what I would do. Any answer?”
“Not yet,” Gwaynn answered. “But we need all the allies we can get,” he added and it took him a moment to realize that the High Zarina was no longer moving, and the air had become silent.
Nev smiled. “Come,” he said and reached into the bowl for a large handful of sugar cubes. He led Gwaynn outside and away from the frozen Traveler. They moved around to the side of the cabin and without a word Nev bent down and picked up two logs from the stack placed against the cabin wall. Gwaynn followed suit, searching briefly for the two smallest logs he could find.
Nev chuckled. “You’re growing fast,” he said and then fell silent as they both began to climb Mount Erato. Thirty minutes later they were at the cave. Nev dropped his logs just inside and Gwaynn did likewise, then they moved out and sat down on the ledge overlooking the island and the Inland Sea.
Once sitting, Gwaynn gazed out over the island he’d grown to love and realized that for the rest of the world time was still moving very, very slowly. It was eerily quiet and the wind was utterly still. In the distance Gwaynn could make out the white tops of waves, but there was no movement and flow to the water; it was as if someone had placed a giant still painting in front of the true world.
They sat for a moment looking out at the spectacular view and Gwaynn was surprised how much he missed this place.
“I’ll not help you with the High King,” Tar Nev said before Gwaynn even put forth the proposal. “That’s something you will have to do on your own, but have courage. I believe you’re up to it.”
Gwaynn jerked around and looked at his former Master, anger flashing across his face. “You’ll not help?” he asked, suddenly incredulous.
Tar Nev shook his head. “I’m not much longer in this world, and if I was to help it would just make matters worse.”
Gwaynn frowned, shocked then studied his old Master carefully. The Tar did not appear ill; in fact he seemed in a fine state of health. “Not much longer in…” Gwaynn began but stopped as Nev chuckled again.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he answered. “I’ll be leaving, but not in the usual sense. I’ve had enough. I’m moving on to where I can truly be a Solitary.”
Gwaynn shook his head, confused. “But where will you go?”
Again Nev chuckled. “Earth of course, just not this one.”
Gwaynn’s eyes flew wide. “You can travel between worlds like…like Galen Dawkins?”
Nev shrugged and it was his turn to frown. He sat sil
ent for a moment, pondering the question. “I’ve not done it before, but I believe I can. In any case I’m going to try…soon.”
Gwaynn looked out over the island and said nothing for a very long time as he considered this new possibility. The idea definitely had a certain air of attraction. “Where…which one will you…?”
Nev laughed. “I’m not sure and will be surprised if I have much control over the choice. I’ll go to the first attractive place which presents itself…somewhere with no people…or very few, would be ideal…just somewhere else. Of course it may not happen as I’d like the first time, but if not; I’ll keep at it until I’m satisfied with the result.”
“But then…Galen says if you leave there is no coming back.”
“That’s what’s said, though he also teaches that there are an infinite amount of worlds nearly identical to this very one. Who knows, I may get lonely.”
They again sat in silence for a time, before Tar Nev patted Gwaynn on the shoulder. “Come I’m getting tired and hungry. Not even I can slow time indefinitely.”
Gwaynn stood. “The High King?”
Nev shrugged. “This is your world now. You must do what you think is necessary,” the Tar answered then smiled. “But just because I have failed you, doesn’t mean you will not find allies on Noble Island. While you’re here you should pay a visit to Herra.”
They moved down the mountain quickly, Gwaynn watching his old master closely as time continued to crawl along. Nev showed no real sign of weakening, but Gwaynn noticed that beads of sweat were beginning to form on the back of his neck. When they stepped back into the cabin, Nev staggered a little but then made his way to the table and sat down. Gwaynn noticed his hands were shaking slightly and once they were both in position time instantly began to flow around them once more.
Tar Nev immediately began to eat ravenously as Gwaynn poured him a big glass of juice. Tarina Monde frowned still eating heartily herself, and gave Gwaynn a questioning look.
Gwaynn shrugged. “After we eat we’ll be moving down to Herra.” He told her. Monde was old enough and wise enough not to say anything more.
Elsewhere ti-3 Page 7
