“This is Aldor here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the map with his finger.
“Over here is the Outlands,” he took the lead and shaded over a portion of the land.
“This is where the greatest concentration of the darkness is. No man with a soul can survive in such a place. Our ancestors somehow managed to keep the dark fog behind the boundaries of the Outlands. You see, though the invisible darkness rests upon the land it has never been able to penetrate Aldor and the mountains of Krev. Until now.”
Jasper frowned, “I do not understand.”
“Not only has the dark fog of the Outlands extended past its boundaries, but Aldor is no longer immune to the darkness. On our way here we saw it with our own eyes, we encountered Feelers just outside the gates in the forest.”
“The light stones are losing power,” Jasper said with dread.
“I do not think this has anything to do with the light stones. I believe the people of Aldor have welcomed the darkness into their hearts, just as we have accepted the light in ours. It’s the fulfillment of prophecy, setting the stage for the great war. I still believe though that the boundary has some level of power left, or else we would have been overrun by Outlanders and Feelers and Haddin’s men already.”
Jasper gripped his forehead, “this is too much. Aldor is the last stand against the dark forces of Saharia, if we are consumed then Saharia is lost.”
“Now more than ever it is imperative that we spread El’s light to the hearts and minds of people. We cannot depend upon the walls of a kingdom or the stones mined by a dead people to protect us anymore,” Geoff was saying, his eyes bright with passion.
“We must warn my father,” Jasper said.
“If we go to my father first, he will manage to convince him.”
Geoff lifted his eyes to his staff leaned up against the wall, and sighed, “we did not part on good terms but… King Kalgary trusts him.”
“Yea well he should not and neither should we,” Jasper said.
Geoff frowned, “Excuse me?”
“Look Geoff I am sorry to tell you this, but… your father is compromised. He may very well be one of the many drawing the darkness into Aldor. I have reason to believe he is addicted to arc stone.”
“What?”
“I found it, hidden in his office. And you remember how you told me that El’s light in us helps us discern the presence and aura of darkness in the world around us?”
“Yes?”
“I felt it when I entered his chambers. It felt much like that constant eeriness that haunts Dravia.”
Geoff lowered himself to the chair next to the writing table, shaking his head.“As much as I want to doubt you, it all makes sense to me now. He always let me do the offerings, I cannot remember the last time he entered the highest place of the temple. I thought he was training me but maybe he was just… protecting himself.”
Jasper sighed, “Maybe he just did not want to defile the temple. Maybe he can still be saved. We have seen people liberated from the hold of arc stones back in Dravia. With El’s light all things are possible.”
Geoff nodded, “you may be right. But we cannot trust him.”
“We do not have much time,” Shadaya spoke up.
“If I know Haddin, he is very much aware of what has happened to Aldor’s defenses and whatever he has planned is well underway. It may be a matter of days before he attempts to breach Aldor.”
Jasper reached out and took her hand, the feel of her hand in his once more was like coming home, “Shadaya is right.”
Geoff nodded, “alright, you should rest for a bit. We will set out for Stone Vale at midnight. The king must be informed.”
Chapter 29
Dressed for travel in slim brown trousers, scuffed black boots and an unflattering beige blouse, complimented with a forest green coat, Ruby closed her bedroom door behind her for what she knew to be the last time. She then joined a very pregnant Bianca and her husband, in the courtyard. They were busy packing their things. Well, Tim was packing, Bianca was firmly instructing.
Bianca noticed her approaching and a focused frown turned into an excited grin.
“There you are! I was just telling my husband here that this cannot be all you are travelling with.”
Ruby’s smile did not reach her eyes, “but it is.”
Bianca’s eyes widened, “nonsense, you barely have two trunks here. Topaz has more than you.”
Ruby chuckled, “I must be turning over a new leaf.”
Bianca frowned, “Ruby?”
The warning in her best friend’s tone was clear; she did not believe her. But there was no time for, nor wisdom in explaining.
“Hello princess Ruby,” Bianca’s husband greeted gleefully, like a man justified.
“Hello, I really appreciate you joining us. I hope it was no trouble.”
Bianca’s husband was a slimly built, jolly man with a full thick beard which effectively swallowed up his youthfulness. He was a carpenter by trade, having fully completed his apprenticeship. Ruby had no doubt that their small family would flourish in the North. It was her hope that they would stay there and be safe.
“It’s no trouble Princess. You mean a lot to my wife and you always look out for us.”
She smiled, “I should go make sure that Ryder is properly secured.”
“Oh, I just checked him. He is being treated like royalty,” the man replied.
Ruby bowed a little in appreciation, “Thank you.”
No one fully understood why she was taking a dying horse with her. But she had made a promise to a dear friend and Odi had made a promise to her.
“Well then, I’m happy he is in good hands. That horse means a lot to me.”
Bianca and her husband exchanged glances.
“I’m going in to join the others; to say goodbye to father.”
Bianca nodded, her eyes reflecting the sadness Ruby felt. She knew that she would be telling her father goodbye possibly for the last time, and that he would not be given the privilege of knowing it. She had begged Odi, over and over, but he would not budge. The king was the last person they wanted to know of their existence. He would have to believe that she had run away again.
Ruby entered her father’s study where her two sisters and brother were with her father. The king tried to smile and laugh for their sake, trying to make a dreary situation light. But his eyes were sad.
“Ruby are you all packed my dear?” the king asked.
Ruby nodded, “I’m ready.”
“Good you three will leave shortly, I don’t want you travelling extensively at night. For my peace of mind, I would have you leave now. You will have some of the best soldiers with you.”
The girls nodded in understanding, with Topaz glancing at Ruby, their shared secret shining in her eyes.
“I will miss you father,” Ruby said reaching up to embrace him.
The king hugged his daughter back and kissed her hair, sighing deeply.
“I will miss you too dear one.”
He stepped back and cupped her cheeks in his large hands, “my dear girl, you are truly special, hold fast to what makes you, you.”
Something about the way he said it, unnerved Ruby. It was almost as if he knew this was goodbye. There was an air of finality to his words, as if he somehow knew that the path she was choosing to take, would lead her far from him.
She sniffled and wiped a hand quickly across her eyes before stepping away.
“Alright then,” the king said with feigned cheerfulness, “time to go my beauties.”
Diamond ran towards him now and threw thin hands around his midsection. She was always a girl of few words, her paintbrushes always saying more than she needed to. True to herself, she said nothing; just clung to her father, with her eyes shut tight.
The king sighed as he patted her back, Ruby had never seen him cry, but she was sure that if Diamond held on just a little bit longer, today would have been that day.
“Alright,�
� he said huskily, “We’ll walk you to your carriages.
Ruby took one last look at the castle and smiled, so many memories it held within. She would cherish them all. Jasper came and stood beside her. Smiling, he extended.
“Let me help you up.”
Ruby took his hand and held it, “I’ll miss you brother,” she said somberly.
He chuckled, “we’ll see soon enough.”
She shook her head slightly, it was almost imperceptible, but by the narrowing of his eyes, he had noticed.
“Don’t do anything foolish Ruby,” he warned.
She smiled, “this time I promise you, I have thought everything through and El wills it.”
Jasper looked worried, but it soon turned into surprise, when she reached out and pulled a lilac kerchief that he had tried to hide beneath his leather jerkin.
“I would have liked to meet her,” Ruby said softly, with a mischievous smile.
Jasper’s wide eyes only made her chuckle, “she has very good taste in perfume,” Ruby teased.
A smile finally broke out across his face, “I would have liked for you to meet her too.”
As they drove away, all three sisters popped their heads out of the windows to wave their father and brother goodbye.
✽✽✽
Ajorel was sitting at his writing desk when Kalgary requested access to his cell. The man did not even move when the door to his room was opened and the king entered, shutting the door behind him.
“You’re back,” Ajorel said, his hands still moving swiftly across a piece of parchment.
“What are you so busy writing? Your last will and testament?”
“In times to come El’s words to us in this time will be light to the generations that come after us. Your father knew this and that is why he had the writings of the prophets destroyed along with the remaining prophets themselves. I too am writing the vision and making it plain, as El directs. If El wills it, it will be added to the remaining documents of historical and eternal value.”
“El wants you to write what he tells you down?”
Ajorel nodded, noting how the king ignored his comment about his father. “I am only a man, a servant of El. My time will come when he calls me to him, just like the prophets before me. The written word can live beyond me, in a way, it is immortal.”
The king nodded, carefully considering Ajorel’s words, “is that why you’ve saved those letters in your staff?”
“They are part of the history of the prophets.”
Ajorel returned his quill to its holder and turned around, “please you may sit. I haven’t found any bugs yet.”
The king looked at the narrow bed Ajorel was pointing him to and grimaced. But he lowered himself to the edge of the bed, hearing it squeak beneath his weight.
“What brings you by?”
The king kept his eyes focused on his hands that he was rubbing together nervously.
“I…” he paused and shook his head, “I came to tell you… that I believe you.”
Ajorel arched a brow, “what exactly do you believe? I have said many things.”
The king looked up at him and exhaled deeply, as if the words he was about to say wearied him.
“That you are a prophet, sent from El.”
Ajorel leaned forward now, intrigued, “why do you believe?”
“I have always known, in my heart. I tried to fight it. But I can’t deny it any longer. Things have been happening to confirm your words. But I refuse to believe that Aldor’s destruction is at hand.”
“You can believe what you like, doesn’t make it turn into truth,” Ajorel said.
The king looked up at him, “darkness cannot get past the border, and Dravia doesn’t have the men to defeat us. Aldor’s defense system is the best in the land. Everyone knows that.”
Ajorel grunted, “the Aldorians are still El’s chosen people, but they have strayed far from him. They have rejected his kingdom and exalted their own. It was your father’s doing. He set himself up as more than a king, he wanted the people to believe that he was El’s hand on earth. Until he believed it to the point of madness. His madness consumed him so much that he had the boldness to lift his hands against El himself. But his hardened heart was an instrument in El’s hand, opening the doorway to the freedom of men all over our world.”
The king looked pensive, “Tell me about El’s kingdom.”
Ajorel rubbed his legs slowly, the king had noticed that that was a habit of his, the actions of a man with cold in his bones.
“Saharia is a place of choice,” Ajorel started, “we exist in a world where there is light and there is darkness and we must choose one or the other. The place where El dwells is a place of being. A place where the kingdom of El is established and his will is done. Those of us in Saharia who have committed to him, have chosen the light, for he is the light.”
Kalgary frowned in offense, “but I am committed to him and I have chosen the light. I safeguard the light stones and the way of El, it has been my family’s duty for generations.”
“But you see King Kalgary, that is the problem,” Ajorel countered, “you have tried to make your kingdom into the kingdom of light. But El does not need a substitute. His kingdom, his ways are good and he only desires a people who are willing to restore it to Saharia. Not make a version of their own.”
“So, you’re saying that Aldor is not the kingdom of El?”
“Aldor has served its purpose to El. It has been a kingdom of refuge and has made El’s name known throughout the land. But it is no kingdom of El. The kingdom of El surrounds us and dwells within us. We carry it with us beyond the gates. So, it is not limited to one people, it is open to all who would have El as king. Even if these walls are crushed the kingdom of El will not be destroyed. It will reign in the hearts and minds of men. It will spring forth with power and push the darkness of the world into its rightful place.”
“This is an interesting teaching you have.”
Ajorel’s smile looked like one of sympathy, “it is not mine. I am merely a servant of the kingdom of El. You say you believe but you are still unwilling to surrender your power and the pride of your name. El is looking for a people far and wide and he is about to change what it means to be royalty.”
King Kalgary looked forlorn, “I refuse to believe that the Stone reign is over. I’m sorry. I will fight to my last breath for my kingdom.”
“Your kingdom?” Ajorel countered calmly.
The king’s wide eyed look confirmed that his own slip of the tongue was a betrayal to his initial words.
Ajorel looked at him with unusual kindness now, “I don’t know what El has in store for your blood line, he is still a God of mercy and your children have gained his favor in their own way. But I can tell you your fate if you continue in your pride.”
The king got up then, “no, I’ve heard enough.”
As the king turned away, Ajorel said softly, “you will not release me.”
The king looked over his shoulder, a dark shadow cast over his face much like the one now shrouding his heart, “like I said,” he replied, “you are a prophet.”
As the door of his cell closed behind him, Ajorel bowed his head reverently, “oh my Lord,” he prayed, “do not forsake me in this dungeon.”
Chapter 30
The rich green pasturelands of the North spread out before them like a beckoning embrace. Even the air had changed into a crisp coolness like a refreshing gulp from a running stream. Topaz looked down at her booted feet on the trampled grass on the edge of the path to Thames pass. Thames pass was the unofficial Northern border, there a company of men stood guard, some of whom would escort them to the city. It was good to be out in nature, but she missed home already. She knew they were sending them away from the action, and that her brother and father stayed behind at great risk to themselves. She sighed and kicked the grass, she wondered how long it would be before her boots greeted the cobblestone streets of Stone Vale again.
"Alri
ght ladies, break time is over," Ben shouted cheerily as he stretched out the kinks in his back, the loud cracking sound made Topaz wince. She turned to see if he was still in one piece.
He continued talking as if he had not just detached his spine, “At the rate we were going, we should make it to the North city by early morning.”
Ruby was finishing feed Ryder some ripe apples and grain, “Just a little while longer,” she said, “I need to… uh… relieve myself.”
Ben shook his head and went to check on his own horse, "that was the purpose of the break princess,” he said sweetly.
Topaz smiled at him as she made her way back to them, reaching into the carriage to retrieve her duffel bag. Was it even possible for him to be annoyed or upset about anything?
“Traveling through the lands of Aldor is not nearly as scary as traversing the haunted forests of Dravia," he said, "but we can’t let our guards down. Nyla will go with you."
“And I,” Bianca perked up, reaching out her hands for her husband to pull her up from the ground where she was sitting.
“I always have to relieve myself,” she said.
“Topaz you coming?” Ruby asked.
“No go ahead,” Topaz replied, “someone’s got to keep an eye on these guys.”
Topaz watched them go. On their way, Ruby had built up the courage to tell Diamond and Bianca that she was not going to go all the way to the North with them. Diamond, as always was not surprised, there wasn’t much that could surprise her. Topaz figured that if she could’ve created art that could tell the future, and expose the fears, longings and passions of others, she might have been that way too. But Bianca did not take it so well. She stayed silent for the rest of the ride, even after Ruby insisted that she would be safe. Topaz had no doubt that they would all keep Ruby’s secret. According to their plan, Ruby would disappear tonight with Odi, who must not have been very far away and then Topaz would have the task of telling the others that it was Ruby’s own choice to do so. She was already armed with a letter for Pearl and her father… should she see him again.
Kingdom's Darkness (Gemstone Royals Book 2) Page 24
