The Door Within tdw-1

by Wayne Thomas Batson

  With the exception of spending time with Gwenne, it was a grueling week. Aidan reflected on it all as he lay in bed, the very bed in which he awoke six days earlier. Every night, he went to sleep thinking he would awake and find it had all been a dream. Every morning, he awoke to rediscover that it was real.

  Aidan turned on his side and rumpled his pillow. The curtains were now parted and shutters thrown open, so Aidan stared out of the chamber window at the bright full moon. Its pale light gilded the parapets, turrets, and rooftops of Alleble at rest. Here and there Aidan saw a cottage light blink out, and he imagined a Glimpse mother and father kissing their child good-night upon the brow. He thought of his own parents then. But he did not wish for them to be there to comfort him, to kiss him on the brow and say everything would be okay. No, he wished with all his heart that he could be home to comfort them. They would be terrified, frantic with visions of kidnappings and violent abductions. He wished he could be with them, just for a moment, to tell them their son was okay. He rubbed the new calluses on his hands and drifted to sleep.

  “Congratulations, Sir Aidan!” announced Kaliam the next evening to the group assembled in the Great Banquet Hall of the Castle of Alleble. Gwenne, Kindle, Captain Valithor, and a large gathering of Glimpses raised their goblets to Aidan. Nock and Bolt were there as well, flanking Mallik at the table. Aidan saw that Mallik had a goblet the size of a fishbowl. He took a quick swig and winked.

  Aidan was not used to all the attention and wished for the moment that he could crawl under the enormous oval dining table in front of him.

  “Again I say… congratulations! You have survived the training that is required to be considered a Knight of Alleble!” Kaliam’s words were met with a chorus of cheers and many solid slaps on the back, paining Aidan greatly as he had accumulated quite a collection of bumps and bruises over the last couple of days.

  Aidan turned to Gwenne to say something, but the words vanished when he saw a tall, prominent-looking Glimpse enter the back of the banquet hall. The Glimpse wore a dark blue cape and carried a small burlap-wrapped bundle. A hush fell over the gathering. Yet the Glimpse said nothing, but he bowed low, handing the bundle to Captain Valithor.

  A few of the younger Glimpses whispered excitedly and pointed at the mysterious caped Glimpse. He seemed to be someone of importance, though he bowed to Captain Valithor-an act that again reminded Aidan of his commander’s rank and stature.

  The stranger left just as Captain Valithor bellowed, “Just one moment, thou artless assembly of fly-bitten flapdragons! It would seem that you have declared this minnow a knight too soon!”

  At that, Aidan’s heart fell. All the work, the beatings, the cuts and bruises-had it all been for nothing? He looked to Gwenne who, oddly enough, wore that wry, crooked smile of hers. Aidan scanned the hall from Glimpse to Glimpse. Some whispered. Others smiled and stared at Aidan, waiting. Waiting for what? Mallik was laughing uproariously in spite of the twins’ efforts to shush him. Aidan wondered if he was the only one terrified about what the Captain would say next?!

  The Captain waited for what seemed like several eternities before finally speaking. “I am astonished! Even you, the weedy, idle-headed giglets I have taught so well, noticed not that Aidan is missing something. Something of great importance to a knight!”

  There were smiles around the room as Glimpses laughed and pointed at Aidan. What was so funny here? Aidan felt as if he must have dressed in some comically incorrect way. The Captain cleared his throat gruffly, instantly silencing the crowd.

  “For as any knight with half a brain knows, a worthy servant of Alleble must have a sword-a real sword!”

  The room erupted in cheers of “Here! Here! Give the knight a blade!” The Captain picked up the bundle from the table and then, untying the black twine that bound the package, walked over to Aidan who stood flabbergasted.

  The Captain dropped the cord near Aidan and handed him the now loosely wrapped bundle. “Here, lad, open it, for herein lies a token, a sign of your knighthood.”

  Aidan took the bundle and, for a moment, simply stared down at it. The shape was right, and he recognized the weight-it must, of course, be a sword. He peeled back the last layer of cloth and gasped, his breath stolen. There, shining out from the cloth like the sun rising behind the mountains, the very emblem on its haft, was the sword known as Fury!

  Yet, it was not Fury. Aidan grasped the handle and held up the gleaming short sword, for that is what it was, a short sword, about a foot shorter than Fury but in every other way identical to the incredible blade Aidan had coveted at the armory.

  “But how?” Aidan blurted out, dumbfounded. “I thought-”

  “You thought correctly!” interrupted Captain Valithor. “Indeed, there is only one blade called Fury. And it already has an owner!”

  The Captain threw back his dark green cloak and unleashed a blade from its scabbard. He held the gleaming sword aloft, and to Aidan’s continuing bewilderment, it was the real Fury!

  Just as quickly, the Captain sheathed his sword. He turned back to Aidan and stared directly into his eyes.

  “Now, good lad, hand me your blade and kneel before me.”

  Aidan, remembering the correct way to deliver a sword, took both hands and carefully grasped the blade near the point and again just above the hilt. He gave the blade to the Captain grip-first and then fell quickly to his knees. The Captain took Aidan’s sword and placed the blade upon Aidan’s right shoulder. Then, he began to speak.

  “You have been called by the King to serve the Kingdom of Alleble in truth and honor. You responded in faith and have chosen the narrow path.”

  As the Captain spoke, Gwenne and the rest of the gathering silently surrounded Aidan and the Captain.

  “Lad,” the Captain continued, “you have shown great skill at arms, and though truly your training has only just begun, you have been found worthy of the title Knight of Alleble! It is my duty and honor as Captain of the Guard to require of you the good confession. Do you, Aidan, 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?”

  The Captain lowered his voice so that only Aidan could hear.

  “Aidan, think hard on this, lad. From your reply there is no turning back. If you speak nay, you shall be returned safely and speedily to your realm, and this-all this-can become for you the fairy tale most in your world believe it is. Only reply aye if your heart, your very soul, cries out to do so.”

  Aidan felt as if time had stopped. Everyone in the room except the Captain and himself had vanished, and he was alone with his decision. At home, his decisions seemed so meaningless… without consequence. What should he wear to school? What should he pack in his lunch? What should he spend his allowance on? This decision, however, weighed in his heart as if everything in the world depended on it. There was a sense of phenomenal joy in Aidan’s heart that did indeed cry out for Aidan to accept.

  But there too, lurking from a shadowy corner of his mind, a dark voice whispered, “Mis-s-s-stake.”

  It chilled Aidan, and he felt a dangerous presence willing him not to confess. It hovered above him like a ghostly hand.

  This is serious. This isn’t the kind of promise where I can cross my fingers behind my back. To make the confession could lead to war. .. could lead to death-my death! Going home would be safe. Aidan blinked.

  Aidan looked up through a haze of fears, but the eyes of his Captain, like beacons for a lost ship, penetrated deep into Aidan’s heart. In Alleble, there was meaning and purpose. Things happened for a reason. To leave, to turn his back on it all, would be to abandon everything he ever wanted. It would mean throwing away his dreams forever.

  Staying would not be safe-that was clear. But, Aidan decided, it was the right path. And so, with courage swelling within, he cried out, “Aye!”

  The crowd of Gl
impses erupted in cheers, whoops, and hurrahs! The Captain’s snowy mustache curled on one side in a proud smile, and he nodded.

  Finally, when the roar diminished, Captain Valithor gently tapped each of Aidan’s shoulders with Aidan’s new sword and announced, “Then, by the heartfelt confession of your lips, I now dub thee Sir Aidan, Knight of Alleble and Servant of the one true King!”

  The next thing Aidan knew, he was at the bottom of a massive pile of joyous Glimpses. He felt squashed, but he didn’t care. And though he couldn’t see anything through the jumble of arms and legs, Aidan heard thunderous deep hurrahs and huzzahs above all the other din, and he knew it had to be Mallik. I have friends here, Aidan thought.

  After the banquet, Aidan and Gwenne walked to the unicorn stables beyond the castle courtyard. They leaned on the fence and watched the majestic beasts play in the moonlight. Aidan sighed, still finding it hard to believe that the legendary craftsman Naysmithe had forged a short sword just for him.

  Aidan turned to his friend. “Gwenne, in the old language, how would you say Son of Fury?”

  Gwenne scratched her head for a moment and then pronounced, “Son of Fury would be Sil Furyn-a proud name for a blade, Sir Aidan.” She put strong emphasis on Aidan’s new title. He blushed and looked down at the hilt of his sword. He was a Knight of Alleble now-a knight! Wouldn’t Robby be surprised!

  “I think Sil Furyn shall be your name,” Aidan said drawing the weapon.

  The moonlight glinted off its keen edge. Aidan held the Son of Fury high, turned, and with an oft-practiced jolt, threw a perfect moulinet at an imaginary foe. Gwenne applauded. Aidan bowed and sheathed his sword. He had never felt so valued and important. It was all too good.

  As they walked back to the castle, Aidan glanced at the Fountains of Alleble, for even at night they coursed and arched fifty feet in the air. They were beautiful and hypnotic. But Aidan’s eyes lingered on the one empty fountain, and he shivered. Turning quickly, he followed Gwenne into the gatehouse.

  16

  TRAITOR’S LEGACY

  A idan couldn’t sleep. And the fact that he couldn’t sleep made him angry. After all he’d been through-the early mornings, the grueling workouts and training, the intense emotions of the ceremonyhe ought to have passed out and slept for a week. But somehow, he was still restless. He tried thinking of pleasant memories. He tried deep breathing.

  He even tried counting sheep! But that just sent Aidan’s mind spinning with silly thoughts like: Are there any sheep in Alleble? If not, what do they count to sleep? Counting dragons doesn’t sound very relaxing!

  Aidan couldn’t stand it. He threw off the downy covers and stepped to one of the chamber’s arched windows. The moon was much lower in the night sky, already well into its routine descent. The rooftops, turrets, and parapets glistened silver. The fountains sparkled as if their waters were enchanted with stardust.

  Aidan stared again at the fountain nearest the castle, the empty fountain. It lay partially in shadows far below. Aidan blinked, thinking he saw something move near the fountain’s base. He squinted to be sure his eyes and the shadows weren’t deceiving him, but then he was sure. There was someone down there.

  Aidan threw on a dark tunic, a rugged pair of breeches, and slipped on his old Nikes-glad someone had brought them to his room. Even without socks, they felt like paradise compared to the hard boots he had worn all week.

  He was certain no one would care if he was out at night, but he felt sneaky anyway as he tiptoed from his chamber to the spiral staircase. The guards who were always posted at the castle’s inner gatehouse nodded when Aidan passed. He was, after all, a knight himself and as such, free to roam most areas of Alleble at will.

  The flickering orange of torches faded as Aidan wandered beyond the castle and onto Alleble’s main thoroughfare. Slipping silently from shadow to shadow, Aidan approached the Seventh Fountain, the dry fountain. There a tall Glimpse warrior stood, leaning over the circular granite wall and staring forward. His back was to Aidan, and he did not turn around when Aidan drew near.

  The Glimpse cleared his throat. “Ah, Sir Aidan,” he said. “What brings a young knight out when the moon falls low and day nears the threshold?”

  “Captain?” Aidan guessed. Surely it was Captain Valithor, for no other Glimpse in all of Alleble stood as tall and as broad. And yet, the voice was different. Not as gruff and commanding as usual.

  “Sorry to disturb you, Captain. I, I couldn’t sleep. I shouldn’t be here, should I? I’ll just head back to my chambers.”

  “Nay, lad. Join me,” said the Captain.

  Aidan did. He clambered up and sat on the granite wall close to where Captain Valithor stood. They both stared out over the sleeping kingdom.

  Alleble was very still and quiet. The only sounds came from the other six fountains that resonated like a constant tide. Staring at the fountains and listening to their steady, hypnotic song was relaxing. Aidan almost felt he could sleep now. But then he peered into the empty fountain before him. And he remembered.

  He remembered why one fountain, one of the renowned Seven Fountains of Alleble that flowed in ceaseless splendor for untold centuries, was now dry forevermore. With great sadness, Aidan stared at the vast, empty pool bed and imagined it when it was last filled. He had read in the scroll that the Elder Guard, their wives, and their children, were surprised by traitors in the still hours before dawn, dragged at swordpoint, and cast into the fountain-cast aside like refuse in a pond.

  They must have been so cold, Aidan thought. He could almost see them standing in the pool of black fuel oil. He thought he knew what had happened to them that night, but he did not want to imagine it. Aidan cringed.

  He wanted to look away. He wanted to run away. But the fountain-bed had a gravity that gripped Aidan so that he could not turn from it. He swayed, and for a moment he felt he would fall infall into the deep, dark liquid where he would surely drown or burn. A strong hand gripped Aidan’s shoulder.

  “You know of this fountain, then?” said the Captain quietly. Aidan blinked a moment as if waking from a dream. He numbly watched Captain Valithor pull on a pair of long silver gauntlets. He had never seen the Captain without them. Before the gloves completely hid the Captain’s hands, Aidan thought he saw wounded flesh as if they had been gashed or cut. No, Aidan realized, not cut. Scarred. Burned.

  Aidan stared wide-eyed with recognition. Captain Valithor nodded slightly. His white brows furrowed, and he turned to lean again on the edge of the fountain.

  “I was your age at the time,” he began. “My mother and father were asleep in the loft of our cottage. But, like this night, I could not sleep. My father, you see, was to take me into the mountains the next morn to search for dragon roosts. I aspired to be an artist then, and wanted to sketch them in the wild. Alas, it was not to be.

  “The traitors were stealthy, but still I heard them. I had just enough time to slide out of my window onto the ledge. I wanted to cry out, to warn my parents, but fear stole my voice. I failed them, Aidan.

  “From my hiding place on the ledge, I saw dark shadows-ten at least-advance toward the stair to the loft. They fell upon my father, and though he was just startled from deep sleep, he fought like a lion. He slew two of them before they struck at a weakness he could not defend-my mother. They held a dagger to her throat, the cowards.” Captain Valithor gripped the edge of the wall as if he would crush it.

  “My father for the first time-and the last-surrendered his sword. They took my parents away with the other Elder Guards and their families to the courtyard.

  “They nearly caught me then, for I knocked a stone loose from the ledge as I clambered to the ground. They sent two knights after me, but I knew the alleys and backways. I lost them easily enough.”

  “You were the one?” Aidan asked. “You were the boy who escaped?”

  “Yes, Aidan, I escaped. But I needed to get to the courtyard to see what they would do with my parents. I tried several streets but found th
em all guarded. Finally, I climbed the bell tower near the sixth fountain. And there I saw them-my mother and father, the others, the children. They were drenched in dark liquid, and I knew it was oil, for the air smelled acrid. They were surrounded by two legions of traitorous knights-all cloaked in black but streaked angry orange from the torches they carried.

  “Then I saw, high on a balcony of the castle, two knights. One of them had a sword drawn. The other lay down on a bed of stone. I was young and did not fully understand what was happening.

  “The sword flashed in the moonlight and fell. When my father and the other knights in the fountain screamed in rage, I knew that something terrible had happened. I felt it. Still I watched, transfixed, waves of dread washing over me. The knight standing on the balcony raised his sword and gave a great shout of triumph.

  “It was Paragor, Aidan, though then he was called Paragal. He was filled with unquenchable lust for blood and death. I watched in horror as Paragor took a torch from the wall and flung it in a high arc away from the castle. It fell like an evil star from the sky into the fountain. At the same time, the traitorous archers loosed a hundred fiery arrows into the pool. There was a great shock wave as the fuel vapor ignited and fire roared up from the fountain, engulfing my parents and the others in its hungry flames.”

  “No!” Aidan almost shouted. He leaped down from the fountain. “No, that… that can’t be what happened. Paragor said he’d release the other knights if the King allowed himself to die.”

  “Paragor is a liar, Aidan. He plotted always to murder the entire Elder Guard, for he knew that they would not rest until they avenged the King’s death. I watched from that tower, watched Paragor commit a deed too foul for words. I was stricken and nearly fell from my perch, but somehow I found strength in my anger. I grabbed the chain to the great bell and set it to ringing so loud the mountains trembled.