The Rise of the Wrym Lord tdw-2

by Wayne Thomas Batson

  16

  DREAMS AND DREAMERS

  A ntoinette, Aelic, and Nock sat at a long table in the Guard’s Keep. In front of each was a giant bowl filled with stew. The moment one bowl was empty, Elspeth swooped down and refilled it from a great kettle of stew. She was kept busy enough, for Aelic and Nock put away enough stew to feed an army. At first, Antoinette thought that one bowl would have fed her whole family for a week, but she surprised herself by finishing it.

  “Are you sure you don’t want some more stew, dearie?” Elspeth asked.

  “Maybe later, Elspeth. It is delicious,” Antoinette said, feeling a bit chilled.

  “Perhaps I’ve added too much garlic,” Elspeth said.

  Antoinette smiled at Elspeth. “The stew is perfect. I mean, look at Aelic.” Caught slurping from his spoon, Aelic looked up. He slowly put the spoon down and then took a cloth and wiped his mouth.

  “See what I mean?” Antoinette laughed. “Aelic can’t get enough.”

  “Be glad that Mallik is not here,” Nock chimed in, his intelligent eyes gleaming. “For we would not have enjoyed even a taste of Elspeth’s fine stew if my hammer-wielding friend was here!”

  “That rascal,” Elspeth said playfully. “It would suit him to ignore the bowls altogether. Can you just see him sitting down with the whole kettle and a spoon?”

  They all laughed at that. Elspeth beamed, obviously happy with the attention being paid to her cooking.

  “What is going on here?” a voice bellowed from the doorway. “I tarry a few minutes and the stew is all gone?”

  “I have put some to the side just for you, Sir Kaliam,” Elspeth said. “You just sit down, and I will bring it right to you.”

  “Thank you, Elspeth,” Kaliam said.

  Kaliam turned to Antoinette and congratulated her once more. “You have passed the three tests-just as King Eliam said you would.”

  “King Eliam told you I’d pass the tests? He knew?”

  “Of course he knew,” Kaliam replied, looking at Antoinette strangely. “That is why he called you for this mission. He knew you would be ready.”

  “Then, what’s the use of testing me? Why’d you make me go through all those… those stupid trials?”

  Aelic glanced sideways at Nock. The jovial mood vanished like a candle being snuffed. Kaliam gripped the table and leaned over to look Antoinette in the eye. His forearms tensed. “Do not call anything stupid that has been arranged by the King,” he said curtly. “And the tests were certainly not for our benefit. But sometimes a warrior must learn her own strengths-and weaknesses-before she can do any real good.”

  Antoinette looked away, feeling guilty.

  “It may be that the lessons you learned from those tests will come back to you in some difficult place. They might even save your life.”

  Antoinette’s shoulders sagged, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sir Kaliam,” she whispered. “I was wrong to say that. I know King Eliam knows what he’s doing.”

  Kaliam straightened and nodded. “Antoinette, you have faced many challenges since arriving in The Realm. I cannot imagine what it has been like for you to leave the comforts of your home to face peril in another realm. But go now, and rest. For tonight is a very important night for you. Sir Aelic, escort Antoinette back to her chamber. Then see to it that she arrives in the Great Hall in two hours, not more.”

  “I am most happy to oblige, m’lord,” Aelic said.

  Outside her quarters, Antoinette asked Aelic to wait a moment while she went inside. When she returned she handed him the photograph of Robby from the soccer web site. “Have you seen him?”

  Aelic stared at the image. “It is like a looking glass on parchment,” he said, in awe of the photo. “And what unusual garments he wears. I have never seen a tunic that shade of green before. And his armor… it does not seem to protect much of his body.”

  “Those are his shin pads.” Antoinette laughed. “And he’s wearing a soccer uniform, not a tunic.”

  Aelic stared at her blankly.

  “Soccer is a game we like to play in our world.”

  “Oh,” Aelic replied.

  “So have you ever seen a Glimpse that looks like him?”

  “Alas, no, I am certain I have not,” Aelic said. “I have only resided here in Alleble for a short time, but he is not here. Nor is he in Acacia where my mother resides, or Mithegard where my father rules. Why do you ask? Is this Robby in some sort of trouble?”

  “I don’t know. Robby is Aidan’s best friend back in our world,” said Antoinette, “and it’s just that Aidan keeps having these dreams.”

  Aelic looked uncomfortable at the mention of Aidan’s dreams.

  “In the dream, Robby’s Glimpse is a servant of Paragor, and he’s involved in some kind of evil mission. Aidan asked me to find him and get him to follow King Eliam.”

  Aelic abruptly handed the photo back to Antoinette and stood up. “I am sorry, Antoinette, I have not seen him. I must go now, and you must rest.”

  “You’ve had dreams too, haven’t you?” Antoinette asked.

  “How… how did you know that?” Aelic asked.

  “When I mentioned Aidan’s dreams, you tensed up,” she said. “And it made sense that if Aidan is having dreams, then you would too, right?”

  “Yes, I have seen some haunting images,” Aelic replied slowly, as if the very mention of them was too dreadful to think about. “Lady Gwenne confided in me that she too experiences similar dreams… strange, sometimes horrible-not easy for the mind to let go. And that must mean you also experience them.”

  “Yes,” Antoinette replied quietly. “But Kaliam told me not to talk about them. It seems to mean something to him, something serious.”

  “I likewise have been so warned,” Aelic replied. “Let us not speak of this again until we have Kaliam’s counsel. Now, m’lady, do get some rest. I will bring your armor when I come for you later.”

  Aelic started to leave, but Antoinette motioned for him to wait.

  “Sir Aelic, do you think I have a chance of finding Robby’s Glimpse out of all the Glimpses in The Realm?”

  “If that is what King Eliam called you here to do,” Aelic replied, “then I am certain you will find him. But if he indeed serves The Betrayer, it will be no easy task to change his heart.”

  17

  THE GOOD CONFESSION

  A ntoinette’s repaired armor felt much more comfortable. And her side-it was as if the wound was never there. Sir Oswyn knows his herbs! she thought. She and Aelic had joined many other Glimpses in the Great Hall. There were knights in armor, ladies in long gowns, even a few children playing in the corner of the room.

  “On your feet, you lot of lethargic widge-lumps!!” bellowed Kaliam as he stormed into the hall.

  He startled Antoinette, Aelic, and most of the other Glimpses in the room. Antoinette and Aelic leaped up from their seats and stood very still.

  Four other knights marched in with Kaliam and stood behind him at the head of the table. One of them was a stout Glimpse with dark eyes and a long coppery mustache and beard, who hefted an immense warhammer as he stepped forward.

  “Very good, Sentinel!” he said. He smiled and elbowed Kaliam in the ribs. “You nearly sounded like the legendary Captain Valithor!”

  “Mallik!” Kaliam exclaimed. “Do not ruin the moment!” But then he burst into laughter himself. Mallik grinned and stepped back in line as Kaliam turned and motioned for everyone to be seated.

  “Citizens of Alleble!” he began. “Twelve knights will ride for Yewland at first light on the morrow. Joining me will be four members of the Elder Guard you see here: Sir Farix, Sir Tal, Sir Nock, and Sir Mallik, along with seven chosen from your ranks.”

  The Glimpses near Antoinette and Aelic murmured at this announcement. “The Sentinel and four Elder Guard?” one whispered.

  “Something must have gone wrong in Yewland,” said another.

  Kaliam fired a harsh glare, silencing the gossip. Then
he continued.

  “The mighty and wise King of Alleble has chosen the twelve for this mission,” he said, looking from knight to knight. “If I call your name, stand and join me at the head of the table. For those of you left behind, understand that the decision was made because of the skills needed for this mission. Do not despair. Your turn will come.”

  A wave of tension washed over the knights. Antoinette glanced at Aelic. His face was grim. His narrowed eyes glinted blue.

  “Sir Aelic, as heir to Captain Valithor’s mantle, you will journey to Yewland,” Kaliam announced.

  Aelic nodded and said, “My grandfather is a hero of Alleble, as is my twin in the Mirror Realm, Sir Aidan, Knight of the Dawn. Their mantles are beyond my grasp. I hope only to serve my King faithfully.” Then he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and stood beside the Sentinel.

  “Sir Tobias, come forward!” Kaliam said.

  A tall, thin warrior rose to his feet. He had dark hair, immaculately cut to hang just above his shoulders, and smallish brown eyes that were close set, divided only by the narrow bridge of his sharp nose. He wore gleaming armor over a rich tunic of deep blue. He looked elegant and held his walking stick as if it were a royal scepter.

  “You will serve as pathfinder on this journey,” Kaliam continued. “But fear not. You will have a wealth of experience at your call. I am also a pathfinder-though, as Sentinel, I shall lead mostly in other ways. And no one in this room knows the southern routes and forest ways like Nock, for he was born in Yewland.”

  Sir Tobias stroked his neatly trimmed goatee thoughtfully and said, “Sentinel Kaliam, my Captain, it will be a significant honor to chart the prudent way to Yewland. It is my hope not to trouble you or our archer extraordinaire Nock with my own mundane pathfinding tasks.”

  Kaliam nodded. Sir Tobias went to the head of the table and stood proudly between Aelic and Kaliam.

  “Sir Rogan,” Kaliam said. “You have come to Alleble from the ruins of Mithegard. And like the city of Seven Towers, you are rebuilt, a new servant of King Eliam. Stand and join the twelve!”

  A massive Glimpse warrior stood and without a word lumbered over to Kaliam. He bowed to his commander and took his place on Kaliam’s left side. Sir Rogan was tall, and his aged leather armor could not contain his broad shoulders. He had long blond hair that fell like a cape behind his head. And his beard was just a thin goatee. Sir Rogan remained silent, but his intelligent green eyes scanned the hall restlessly. He seemed anxious as he fingered the edge of a great battleaxe at his side.

  “Lady Merewen,” said Kaliam as he looked to the back of the hall where stood a form all in gray, nearly blending into the shadows. “You will travel with us to Yewland, for we have need of brave hearts such as yours.”

  At first, the figure did not move. Then, slowly, Lady Merewen came forward and stood before Kaliam. Antoinette could not see her face for Lady Merewen’s head was bowed and covered by a deep hood.

  “M’lord,” Lady Merewen said quietly, “you are gracious to speak to your servant with such kindness. My heart is filled with gratitude and yearns to serve the King if only in some small way. But among the Guard and the honored knights of this land? Surely there are many others more deserving and…” Her voice became only a whisper. “And more worthy.”

  Kaliam smiled kindly and gently pushed back her hood. Lady Merewen’s hair was pure silver, but not the brittle gray of age, for it was like woven silk. And she wore it tied back in many intricate braids. A silver circlet with a single blue gem rested on her forehead above wet eyes. Antoinette marveled at her, for she was beautiful and queenly, but forlorn and sad like a queen in mourning.

  “Lady Merewen,” Kaliam said, and he lifted her chin until she looked at him. “Dwell not in dreary chambers of the past. For behold! You are not what you once were! You have crossed over from death into life. You have bravely forsaken The Betrayer and embraced the one true King of all The Realm. And it is he who now embraces you, Lady Merewen. Not one of us is worthy, and yet he calls us. King Eliam has called you, and so be glad. And let your sword join our number.”

  Lady Merewen smiled, and it seemed to Antoinette that it was a smile suddenly unburdened of a thousand cares. And if ever Antoinette had a doubt about the King she served, it was erased in that moment. Lady Merewen stood proudly among the others near the Sentinel’s side.

  “Sir Oswyn, come join us on our mission,” Kaliam said. “And bring with you your healing salves and knowledge of herbs, minerals, and curatives.”

  “Hail Kaliam!” Sir Oswyn’s rich, musical voice sang out. He rose and flung back the dark bangs of his thick mane. “Hail, and well-met! Indeed I will bring all of my special mixtures-some for healing as you say, but others for inflicting! Ha-ha! I have some new flavors that I should like to test if a willing enemy should be so bold as to ask.”

  Sir Oswyn marched up to join the others, and Antoinette noticed a small lute bouncing on his back as he walked. Does he sing as he rides into battle? Antoinette wondered.

  “Sir Gabriel,” Kaliam continued, “thank you for agreeing to be Alleble’s ambassador, for this journey may depend entirely upon shrewd negotiations. Yewland’s ruler has made claims which need answering, and I can think of no one better to answer than you.”

  “Sentinel Kaliam,” said a thin-caped Glimpse, “with such flattering words you could easily fill the negotiator’s role. Queen Illaria is known to enjoy such quips that cater to her vanity. Nonetheless, I will not mince words with her. Something is amiss in Yewland, and her judgments of late have gone awry. The truth…” He patted scrolls that stuck out all along the seam of his waist belt. “The truth is what she needs. And in the King’s name, I, Gabriel, will bring her the truth.”

  Sir Gabriel was noticeably older than the others. Lengthy waves of gray hair framed his long face. And unlike Sir Oswyn, whose wrinkles seemed to come from excessive humor, Sir Gabriel wore the care lines and heavy creases of much toil in thought. His beard dangled over his breastplate like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. But his age did not imply weakness. Hale and experienced, he seemed to Antoinette more like an old tree that had endured countless storms and stood defiantly on a hill waiting for more. And he wore, tucked into his belt among the parchments, two long fighting knives.

  Sir Gabriel stood next to Sir Tobias, and they shared a quiet word. It seemed they’d had a friendship prior to being called as members of the twelve who would travel to Yewland.

  “We stand now as eleven,” Kaliam said to the crowded hall. “The Twelfth Knight is a place of honor on all such missions as this. And I must say that the first time King Eliam called one from the Mirror Realm and named him Twelfth Knight, I was doubtful that he would live up to that calling. Nay, he surpassed it even! For who shall forget Sir Aidan, Knight of the Dawn?!”

  Some in the gathered crowd cheered and some raised their goblets in reverent silence.

  “So today,” Kaliam continued, “we name another Twelfth Knight from the Mirror Realm. She is Antoinette Lynn Reed. Antoinette, come forward and prepare your heart for the good confession.”

  What is this? Antoinette wondered. Aidan hadn’t told her anything about a confession. She stood before Kaliam and looked questioningly into his eyes.

  “Nock!” Kaliam gestured and the Glimpse archer came forward. His sandy brown hair was drawn back, and this time he wore a gold circlet above his arched brows and keen eyes. He handed a long bundle to Kaliam.

  “Antoinette,” Kaliam said as he unwrapped the bundle, “this sword is Thil Galel, the Daughter of Light, so named by your Glimpse twin, Lady Gwenne. It was by her own request that-should you become the Twelfth Knight-you use her sword on our mission.”

  He held the sword aloft. Torchlight gleamed off the keen double edge of the marvelous blade. Its winged silver crossguard curved slightly above the weapon’s ivory grip. And as Kaliam slashed the blade down through the air, it made an odd half-musical metallic hum.

  “This blade will be yours to
wield, but tonight it will be symbolic of the step of faith you are about to take. Please kneel before me.”

  Antoinette knelt, and as she did so, it seemed the torchlight dimmed so that merely a small circle of light around Kaliam and herself remained.

  “Antoinette, you have been called to be a valorous Knight for the Kingdom of Alleble. This is no small responsibility. And though by right of the passing of three tests, you have been found worthy, we require of you this confession. Do you, Antoinette, confess allegiance and absolute loyalty to the one true King, the provider of all that is just and good? Even were the hordes of darkness to assail you in hopeless demand of your life-even then do you swear devotion forever to the King?”

  Kaliam lowered his voice so that only Antoinette could hear. “Think deeply on this, for nothing binds you to this choice. King Eliam will never force anyone to follow him. And even now, after all that you have been through, even now, you are free to choose. If you say nay, we will bear you no ill will and you will be returned swiftly to your realm. Another will be called, and you will carry on your life in much the same way as you ever did. Only reply aye if it is spoken with the deepest voice of your heart.”

  Even were the hordes of darkness to assail you…

  Antoinette stared into the eyes of the other warriors called by the King. There was great courage in those eyes. And Antoinette knew she would need such courage. This was not a trivial decision.

  When Antoinette looked at Lady Merewen, she saw courage, but also there glimmered a desperate cry of thankfulness. And glad tears streaked down her face. It seemed to Antoinette that Lady Merewen was one who once had no hope but had been given hope anew, one who had nearly perished but had been rescued at the brink, one who had belonged to no one but had been adopted into the most loving of families. That’s like me, Antoinette thought.

  Antoinette looked into Kaliam’s eyes and in a strangely confident voice answered, “Aye!”