As Antoinette began to explain her adventure to Trenna, Honk took flight-effortlessly bearing her two passengers into the sky.
35
LEGEND OF THE WYRM
M any Glimpses in Yewland are faithful to King Eliam,” Trenna said, winding her long dark hair into braids. “Some of them told stories of the Mirror Realm. I always thought they were myths, clever tales to entrance the little ones. And yet, here you are, proof that they are true.”
“People in my world find it hard to believe too,” Antoinette said as they flew north of Baen-Edge, following the trail of the enemy.
“So I have a twin,” Trenna said. “Only she wears skin like yours and lives on-”
“On earth,” Antoinette explained. “And yes, your twin is out there somewhere.”
“Amazing!” Trenna said. “And this Kearn?”
“He is a Glimpse of a young man named Robby, who happens to be very important to a friend of mine.”
“I am amazed at you, Lady Antoinette!” Trenna said.
“Why?”
“You came all this way alone, risking your life for a friend!”
Antoinette sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was time to tell Trenna the rest of the story. “I didn’t come alone. There were eleven others. We set out from Alleble to come to Yewland, for Queen Illaria had been threatening to break up the alliance.”
“What? Why?” Trenna asked.
“Well, that’s what we wanted to know. We discovered that Paragor had sent an imposter to Yewland posing as an official from Alleble. This imposter, Count Eogan, made horrendous claims and nearly destroyed the alliance.”
“What happened?”
“The imposter fled Yewland just before my team arrived. He apparently went to Acacia.”
“Did you pursue him there?”
“No,” Antoinette replied. She took a deep breath. “We were supposed to, but while I was in Kismet, I saw Kearn. I realized who he was, but he escaped. I wanted to go after him, but my commander insisted we follow the imposter to Acacia. I… I went against his orders, took this dragon, and, well… that’s why I’m here instead of in Acacia with my team.”
Antoinette wished she could see the expression on Trenna’s face, but she could not. Trenna sat in front. Finally, Trenna nodded and said, “You should not have defied your commander. And it pains me to hear that you forsook the mission King Eliam assigned to you. And yet, I understand the division that strove in your heart. Growing up in Yewland, I lived with such division every day. One of my very closest friends could not understand why I would not follow King Eliam. I am not sure myself, really. I suppose I liked the idea of Yewland being an independent power in The Realm. How strange it is that now, when I finally acknowledge him as my King… it is due to your disobedience. I find it heartening in some ways.”
“What do you mean?” Antoinette asked.
“It is good to know that King Eliam can make noble use of imperfect servants, that good can be made-even from mistakes.”
They flew in silence for some time, each busy with her own thoughts as gradually a starry darkness claimed the sky.
Honk! The white dragon bobbed her head.
“She smells something!” Trenna said. “Smoke it is. Lady Antoinette, take her down.”
With the heels of her boots, Antoinette applied gentle pressure to the dragon’s sides. They circled quietly down into a grove of pines.
“The enemy’s camp will not be far ahead,” Trenna explained as they slipped off the dragon’s back. “It will be better for us to go on foot.”
“I feel naked without a sword,” Antoinette said as they crept slowly through the trees.
“I cannot claim to be sorry you are without one,” said Trenna, “for that blade paid my price. Surely slaying all of them was not your plan, was it?”
Antoinette was silent.
Trenna stared at her. “You do have a plan, do you not?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Antoinette admitted.
“Well, you may wish to begin thinking,” Trenna whispered. “I see the flicker of a campfire ahead.”
Antoinette crouched lower to the ground, for she saw the light ahead as well. Most of the trees were evergreens-for that she was thankful. Walking upon their needles made little sound. Still she was cautious. Whatever plan she decided on, it surely did not include being captured because she stepped on a dead branch. At least she didn’t have to worry about Trenna. Apparently her experiences hunting had taught her to use great stealth, for she made no sound at all.
Antoinette and Trenna passed a clearing where a group of not less than forty dark horses grazed on ferns and tall grasses. The horses seemed not to mind the strangers who were crawling through their midst. Antoinette and Trenna followed a wandering path through more pines and came as close as they dared to a second clearing where the Paragor Knights were seated around a crackling fire.
Then, behind a hollow fallen tree, the two spies lay motionless and silent. Antoinette still did not have a plan, so she decided it was best to wait and listen.
“I am not one to question the master,” said a gravelly voice. “But I still do not think it is true.”
“Yeah, Grimmet is right. Why ’re we botherin’ with all this Wyrm Lord superstition anyway,” answered another knight who obviously had his mouth half full of something tough and chewy. “We have enough troops to take Alleble down ourselves!”
“What, ’ave you got rocks in yer ’ead, Savadrel?” came a third voice, deep and throaty, full of contempt for the others. “Yeah, we might be able to knock down the enemy’s front gate with what we’ve got. But should the plan fail, Yewland, the big chaps from the Blue Mountains, and all the rest a’ the stinkin’ allies will come char-gin’ in and run us down. We need an edge, I say.” There was muttering among the many knights sitting near.
“Well, the plan’s already failed in Yewland,” said the knight called Grimmet. “I daresay we’ll contend with those cursed bow-hawkers before we’re done!”
“The plan in Yewland did not fail,” came a new voice, low, confident, and menacing. Antoinette recognized it as Kearn’s. “The master did not expect Yewland to change sides like so many of the weaker kingdoms have. Eogan’s work there was simply to plant seeds of doubt-to purchase time and stay their hand until we have achieved our goal.”
“That’s just grand for now,” said Grimmet. “But what about when we return? The trees along the Forest Road will be ripe with archers! What will we do then?” A dozen other knights grumbled in agreement.
“Faithless, you are!” Kearn hissed, and the other knights fell silent. “When our mighty Prince at last frees the Wyrm Lord from his tomb in the Shattered Lands, all will flee before us! It is no legend! King Eliam himself knows this. That is why he hid the scroll away in the old tree, where he thought no one would ever find it. And, as for the Braves of Yewland, there will be few enough of them when we return. For as the prophetic scroll decrees, the Wyrm Lord will call forth his allies of old. And the Seven Sleepers will again prowl the woods of Yewland!”
There were cheers and raucous laughter around the fire. Antoinette’s eyes met with Trenna’s, and what she saw there mirrored her own fear.
36
CAPTURED
A ntoinette risked peering over the fallen tree and saw Kearn stand up and face his men. “Feast a little longer, recover your strength!” he said. “We have a hard ride still before us. Put all thought of fear and doubt out of your minds. Tomorrow we begin a season of victory.”
Kearn leaned over and whispered something to one of his lieutenants and then stepped out of the firelight into the trees on the other side of the clearing. Where’s he going? Antoinette wanted to know. She ducked down and turned to Trenna.
“I’m going to follow him,” she whispered. “Maybe if I corner him one on one, he’ll listen.”
“And maybe he will put a dagger in your back!” Trenna replied. “That is your plan?”
Ant
oinette frowned. “Have you a better one?”
“Yes,” Trenna said. “How about we both get out of here, right now? I do not know anything about this Wyrm Lord they spoke of, but I know enough of the Seven Sleepers to convince me there is great danger on the horizon. There are many in The Realm who must be warned!”
“I know, but I can’t just leave without trying,” Antoinette said. “Go back to the dragon. If I don’t come back in twenty minutes, or if you hear them coming for you, fly out of here. Go to Acacia. Find my team from Alleble. A tall knight named Kaliam leads them. Tell him all that we heard. He’ll know what to do.”
“I will not leave without you,” Trenna said indignantly.
“If I don’t come back, you have to. Remember, you are not bound to me. You are a servant of King Eliam. This news must get to Kaliam.” Trenna nodded grimly. She embraced Antoinette quickly and was gone.
What have I gotten myself into? Antoinette asked herself. She shook her head and crept away from the fallen tree. Careful to stay out of sight, she made her way around the clearing and into the darkness under the pines. She followed as best she could the direction Kearn had taken moments before. She moved slowly, placing each foot deliberately upon the carpet of needles. All the while, she scanned the trees.
The tension made her heart race, and her side throbbed in rhythm. Finally, she saw him. Antoinette crouched behind a wide pine trunk and stopped moving. He was standing at the edge of a fold in the land where perhaps a creek or rivulet flowed. His back was to her, and he gazed up into the western sky, seemingly at the moon.
“Come out of the shadows, Antoinette,” he said without turning. Antoinette’s heart hammered.
“How did you know?” she asked, and she stepped slowly out from behind the trees.
“I heard something among the horses,” he replied. “There was a sense of disquiet with them, but not much. You were quite stealthy by the campfire. I heard only the rustle of a branch, the snapping of a twig.” He turned around and faced Antoinette. His eyes flashed red.
“It was very brave of you to follow me alone,” Kearn said. Antoinette sighed inwardly, for he did not seem to know anything about Trenna.
“I must confess,” Kearn said, “it relieves me to discover that you survived the wound I dealt you. But it vexes me to wish anything other than your swift demise. I ought to kill you now.”
There is something different in his tone. It might be humility, Antoinette thought. Respect? Maybe.
“I am unarmed,” Antoinette said, lifting the edge of her cloak so that Kearn could see the empty sheath. “I sold it in Baen-Edge.”
“Pity, that was a marvelous sword,” he replied. “But that explains how you were able to follow me. Those greedy fools in Baen-Edge will do anything or tell anything… if the price is right. And any price is right.”
Kearn circled slowly around Antoinette as he spoke. “You should have killed me when you had the chance,” he said angrily. “Twice now, you have delivered me-your sworn enemy!”
“Does that bother you?” Antoinette asked.
“Yessss!” And he was practically in her face. “I bear the shame of being at the mercy of my enemy not once but twice!”
“It’s more than that, Kearn, isn’t it?” Antoinette asked. She tried to take his arm, but he shrugged her off.
“Do not touch me,” he hissed and drew his sword. “It is harsh enough that I cannot get your face out of my mind. And I fear that killing you would do nothing but make your words ring in my head all the louder.” He slashed his sword in the air. “Tell me, what did you mean when you said that I would go into forever not knowing my own peril?”
“I believe,” said Antoinette, and she took a deep breath. “I believe that there is still time for you to change. If I had killed you, that time would have ended.”
“Change?” Kearn scoffed. “What? To follow the weak ways of Alleble? I am Kearn, the left hand of Paragor!”
“You don’t think I’m weak, do you?” Antoinette asked. Kearn rubbed his jaw and was silent for a moment.
“Yes, you are weak,” he said finally. He began to march again, gesturing in the air with his sword. “You should have taken my life. And you are weak-minded if you think that I would renounce the power that I have, and the glory! In Paragory, I can snap my fingers and ten thousand knights are at my disposal. I am hailed a victorious champion, and they bow when I pass.”
“But that’s not all there is,” Antoinette said quietly.
“What?” Kearn stopped suddenly. “What did you say?”
Antoinette stared into Kearn’s eyes and felt an intense conviction growing in her heart. “I said, the power and the glory-that’s not all there is.”
Kearn laughed. “What is this nonsense you speak? Power and glory-and the riches they bring-that is everything!”
“No, no it’s not, and when you die, you’ll lose all of it. And then you’ll know; only it will be too late.”
“Nay,” Kearn argued, growing angry. “Paragor has foreseen it-when he looked into the first scroll and saw our destiny. Our victory will be final, and death will not rob us of anything. We who have served the master well will be remembered in the world to come, and we will rule it!”
“But King Eliam wrote the first scroll,” Antoinette quietly said, hoping the others would not hear her. “Don’t you get it? King Eliam was here before Paragor was even born. It is King Eliam who holds the future in his hand. King Eliam offers peace, unyielding love, and the promise that we never have to be alone again! But if you refuse his offer, your death will bring you just what you asked for: an eternity of discord, hatred, and isolation. That’s what I meant! That’s what I came here to rescue you from!”
Kearn sheathed his sword, and his mouth hung agape. He clutched his hair as if he might rip patches of it from his scalp. “Why me?” he asked finally. “That first moment in Kismet, you looked at me like you knew me, but I have never seen you before in my life. Why did you pick me?”
“I didn’t pick you,” Antoinette replied, reaching into a pocket. “But someone from my world did. He’s a hero of Alleble, and at least in my world, he’s a good friend of yours.”
Kearn looked up. His eyes narrowed. “That is not possible,” he whispered.
“Here,” Antoinette said as she handed him the photo of Robby.
Kearn clutched the photo with both hands and stared. He looked up, and for a moment, Antoinette saw something flicker in his eyes. But it was quickly gone.
Kearn straightened, and his eyes darted right. “Lies!” he hissed. “Sorcery! Guards, bind her!” And suddenly, Paragor Knights had her by the arms. They roughly clasped manacles upon her wrists, manacles with heavy chains. Antoinette struggled, but it was no use.
Kearn stood before her and his eyes flashed red. “You will come with us to the Shattered Lands,” he said. “And tomorrow, you will see just how wrong you are!” He tore the photo of Robby in half and let it fall to the ground. He laughed and walked away. The soldiers dragged Antoinette along behind him.
Trenna stroked the white dragon’s neck and feared for Antoinette. She had been gone for much longer than twenty minutes. Much longer than an hour. Still, Trenna could not bring herself to leave. She paced by the white dragon, wishing she had a good bow and a quiver full of Blackwood shafts. Then I might be of some use! she thought. But she had nothing. To go charging alone into the enemy camp, she knew, would just give the enemy another prisoner. And the longer she waited, the more she thought about the legend of the Seven Sleepers and what it could mean for her homeland-what it could mean for The Realm-if it was true. Trenna leaped onto Honk’s back and flicked the reins.
“I am sorry, Lady Antoinette,” she said, and the white dragon soared away into the night sky.
37
ACACIA
T he sun was already high when Trenna first caught sight of Pennath Kirin, the mountains just to the east of Acacia. They were small peaks compared to some, draped completely by a thick blan
ket of fir trees. Nonetheless, it was all the white dragon could do to fly over them. Trenna knew the beast was spent from the torrid pace, but she had to get to Acacia. “Just a little farther, Honk,” she called. “Just a little farther, and then you shall rest!”
The first homesteads of Acacia appeared: cottages, fenced parcels of land, and grazing livestock. Next, there were cottages surrounded by crumbling stone walls, and at last, there came the castle of Acacia. It was built on a wide hill and had three towers and many rows of arched windows. At last, Trenna spotted a wide ledge of stone to the rear of the castle. Honk glided down and landed softly. Other dragons of various colors were there, sunning themselves or eating, but they stared at the white newcomer. Trenna dismounted quickly. Honk made her way over to one of the feeding troughs and helped herself.
Two knights ran to greet Trenna. Their gray armor was inlaid with designs of a silver tree whose trunk and limbs were curvaceous and heavily laden with long bunches of white flowers. “Welcome to Acacia,” the knights said together, and both their eyes glinted blue.
“Are either of you Kaliam?” Trenna asked.
“No,” they both replied. “You speak of Kaliam from Alleble?”
“Yes!” Trenna said. “Is he here?”
“He is here,” said one of the knights.
The other guard explained, “Kaliam and the other Knights of Alleble are holding court with Lord Sternhilt in the castle library.”
“Take me to them, now!” Trenna exclaimed. “I am on an urgent errand!”
They led Trenna to the back of the ledge and under an arched overhang, then down a long torchlit tunnel, and finally up a spiraling staircase to a wide set of doors. The guards opened the doors, and Trenna ran into a huge room with a high, vaulted ceiling. The walls from floor to ceiling were laden with books. In the center of the library was a table surrounded by the most lordly warriors Trenna had ever seen. Nock she knew, but he looked older and stronger, and in some ways more solemn than she remembered. At the head of the table sat a Glimpse with a long gray staff that split at the end and spread like a silver blossom. He was large in girth and had a thick brown mustache that quivered when he spoke. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
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