Mitchell Graham - [Fifth Ring 03] - The Ancient Legacy(V1.0)

by Mitchell Graham

  "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't mean to be so distracted."

  "I know."

  "This whole business is very confusing."

  "It's not really."

  Mathew frowned and looked at her for an explanation.

  "I only know what you've told me about Teanna and what I've heard," Lara said, "but if the Guardian and her father were telling the truth, it's possible that she's changed. People grow up."

  "I suppose so," Mathew said. "I'm a bit frightened of her, that's all."

  This time it was Lara's turn to be surprised. Taking his hand, she led him back to the bench. His eyes had their far­away look again. Nearly a minute passed before he spoke.

  "The rings don't make you invincible," he said. "If Teanna hadn't gotten Armand to call off the attack at Ardon Field, we'd have lost. It's as simple as that. Even Delain says so. To this day I don't know why she did it. Do you know what the Guardian told me?"

  Lara shook her head.

  "He said Shakira's army stands at one million ... one million. And that doesn't count Vargoth and Coribar. I can't fight that many."

  Lara finally understood. "Mathew, I married you be­cause I love you. I also believe in you. When Father Kell-ner locked me up in the Emerald Cavern, I prayed that you would come for me, and you did. You were magnificent then, just as you were when you fought Karas Duren at Ar-don Field. You're not alone.

  "Our people aren't ready to hand the world over to the Orlocks and their friends. Bran deserves a chance to grow up. You can only do the best that you're able."

  Mathew opened his mouth to reply, but never got the chance. The hum, which began softly and gradually grew got louder and a point of pure white light appeared out of nowhere hanging suspended in the air.

  Mathew knew what it was at once and he got to his feet and stepped in front of Lara as the light expanded into a line and then grew into the shape of a rectangle.

  Teanna d'Elso swayed on her feet and took a halting step toward him. "Mathew ..."

  He caught her before she fell.

  Dinner passed largely in silence that night. Collin glanced at his friend several times and started to speak, but a look from Lara forestalled him. Father Thomas was equally distracted and spoke hardly at all. Eldar d'Elso sent his re­grets at not being able to join them. The message was de­livered by Julian Tesh, who told them that Teanna had still not regained consciousness. Her father and his physicians were with her. He also said that rooms had been prepared if they wished to stay the night.

  Later, unable to sleep, Mathew lay awake in bed again. After two hours he gave up, dressed, and slipped out of the room. Lara opened her eyes as the door closed and considered going after him. It took an effort to stop herself from doing so.

  Mathew knew he needed to walk. The corridors of the palace were narrow and he wasn't sure which way to go. After one turn he came to the balcony and double stair­case that separated the guest quarters from those belong­ing to the royal family. The staircase led to the main hall and the dining room. An ornate gold clock on a table at the top of-the stairs said it was two in the morning. He stood there for several minutes looking down at the hall before he decided to try the opposite direction.

  At the end of the hall he turned and found himself in a different corridor with rooms on either side. A few pic­tures hung on the walls. One more turn brought him to still another corridor, where he stopped. Voices were coming from the room at the end.

  Tone deaf he might be, but there was no mistaking Fa­ther Thomas's voice. The royal crest above the door told him the room belonged to Eldar d'Elso. Curious, Mathew moved closer and listened.

  "I don't blame you, Siward," the king was saying. "I never have. Marsa's tastes always ran to younger men, and she knew children were important to me. I couldn't give them to her ... and you weren't a priest then."

  "Do you think she knows?"

  "She knows. Marsa was very forthcoming with her daughter ... in all things."

  There was a pause.

  "I thought as much," Father Thomas replied after a mo­ment. "Teanna and I had a conversation in Gawl's palace several years ago. I said nothing, of course, but her anger spoke volumes. If you think it's best, I'll leave before she wakes."

  "No, no," Eldar said. "I meant what I said earlier. You'll find that she has matured a great deal over the past few years. She might even be happy to see you."

  A rueful laugh was Father Thomas's answer.

  "I'm quite serious," said the king.

  "That would be a nice thing. I certainly have feelings for the girl. I always have, but the fact is that you are her father, Eldar. You were the one who raised her, and it's you whom she loves. This is as it should be. I was never here, nor could I have been under the circumstances."

  "Yes," the king said. "Ceta seems like a fine woman. I hope you and she will be happy together. I wish you both joy. It's a shame that you abandoned your former occupa­tion. We may need your services before long."

  "We shall see," said Father Thomas, "How bad is it?"

  "Bad. We've managed to repulse their first attacks, but they were only the initial forays. Their strategy was to catch us unprepared. Since they didn't, they've had to regroup and rethink things, which means sending for reinforcements."

  "Can your people hold out?"

  "I think so," the king said. "If they weren't already committed to Stewart Vale, Vargoth would come at us from the south. That's where the war will be won or lost. Should Alor Satar fall, we'll be fighting on two fronts, and that won't be good. Mathew and Teanna must work to­gether."

  "Agreed," Father Thomas said. "If her ring works the way his does, she'll recover her strength quickly. I've seen this before with Mathew. She should be all right in a day or two." ..

  "Assuming we have that much time."

  Mathew was in shock. Teanna was Father Thomas's daughter?

  But he'd heard it with his own ears. Suddenly, bits and pieces of different events and conversations began to make sense: Gawl's remark about Father Thomas know­ing Marsa in his studio after the statues had come to life, and the odd expression that had crossed the priest's face; and the look that had passed between Teanna and Father Thomas the night the assassins tried to steal his ring.

  There had to be at least a half dozen other details that now fell into place.

  Mathew stood there, uncertain what to say or do. The whole business was insane, and becoming more so by the minute. Without question Father Thomas had to be the most complex man he had ever met. He suddenly felt very em­barrassed being there. Some things were private and meant to remain that way. If Father Thomas chose to talk about it, thai would be.his decision. Mathew quietly walked back down the hallway.

  He knew that sleep was not going to come that night, and he didn't want to disturb Lara. One look at his face and she would start asking questions, he went downstairs to have a drink—a good stiff drink.

  To his surprise, he found Collin seated by the fire in the library. His friend hooked a leg around one of the chairs and pulled it closer. Mathew walked to the sideboard first, picked up a decanter of something, and sniffed. "Try the one on the right," Collin suggested. "What are you doing up so late?" "I might ask you the same thing." "Couldn't sleep," Mathew said, flopping down into the chair with the decanter. He offered the bottle to Collin. "I've had enough," Collin said, stretching. Mathew looked at him.

  "I ran into one of Teanna's ladies-in-waiting after din­ner and she offered to show me around. Nice girl. Very in­teresting place they have here."

  Mathew nodded and decided to leave the topic where it was. The liquid felt warm as it went down and left a slight aftertaste that reminded him of almonds.

  "What are you doing up at this ungodly hour?" Collin asked.

  "I've been seriously considering becoming a monk and moving to an island."

  Collin chuckled. "Have you talked to Teanna yet?" "No, she's still too weak," Mathew said.

  "I ran into Julian Tesh. He told me that she
forced Eric and Armand into making a treaty with the West."

  Mathew gave him a flat look.

  "You don't believe it?" Collin asked.

  "I don't know what to believe," Mathew told him. "I know we'll have to talk, but it's hard being cordial to someone who tried to kill you twice."

  "Twice?"

  "That dragon in the cavern was her invention."

  "Mmm," Collin replied' "What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know," Mathew answered, stretching out his legs. "I've heard that things are getting pretty bad."

  "Between you and her, you could take Shakira, couldn't you?" Collin asked. - -

  Mathew shook his head. "Maybe. It's not as simple as that. If Shakira really has an army of a million creatures, it's gqing.to be hard. The rings don't make you invincible. There's only so much power you can draw on, and doing it drains you. Once that happens—"

  "Right, right," Collin said. "Well, you'll think of some­thing. If you let the creatures have a look at that homely face of yours, it might send them screaming back to their caves."

  Mathew poured himself another drink, and the two friends sat talking about politics, philosophy, books, women, and a dozen other things that young men talk about as the sky grew light. The years apart from each other seemed to melt away, and for a while they both for­got the storm that was gathering in the west. .

  Lara was brushing her hair when she heard a knock at the door. She did up the last two buttons on her dress and went to answer it. Expecting Mathew, she was surprised to find a dark-haired woman standing there. The woman was tall and quite beautiful. She was dressed in a pair of brown leather pants with a matching vest. Her boots added an ad­ditional three inches to her height, and her shirt looked like a man's garment.

  "Good morning. I'm Teanna d'Elso," she said. "May I speak with you?"

  "Of course. Come in. I'm Lara Lewin." Lara's uncertainty about whether to curtsey was quickly settled when Teanna held out her hand. "Thank you for seeing me," said Teanna. "Have you had breakfast yet? I can call for something."

  "That would be fine," Lara replied. Teanna both was and wasn't what she expected. "Perhaps we should sit."

  Teanna nodded and they walked to a pair of love seats on either side of the doors leading to the balcony.

  "This is difficult for me," Teanna began. "Princesses don't generally apologize for making asses of themselves, but that's what I'm here for. I was hoping to find you alone. We've met before, you know." Lara's brows came together. "Really?" "You weren't conscious at the time, but I lifted some blocks of masonry off you in an underground cavern." "Oh," Lara said. "Thank you for that." "I know you and Mathew were recently married and that you have a child now, so let me first wish you both happiness. I don't know what he's told you about me, but I really do want to apologize. At one time I thought I was in love with your husband."

  Lara blinked. She knew a great deal about Teanna and about the things she had done, but the candor of this state­ment caught her off guard. And yet, one look at the ex­pression on the princess's face was enough to convince her that she still held feelings for Mathew. Coming here, she knew, had to be painful for Teanna. She didn't know what prompted her to do so, but she reached out and took her hand.

  The two women spoke for the next half hour. Breakfast came and went and they still continued to talk. It was dif­ficult for both of them.

  * * *

  It's safe to say that the last thing Mathew expected when he came back to his room was the sight of Teanna and Lara sitting on the couch together giggling like old friends.

  Lara got up and came over to kiss him. "Teanna and I have just been chatting," she said.

  "So I see."

  "I'm going to leave you both alone together," said Lara. "I know you have a great deal to talk about. Teanna's been telling me about what's happening at Stewart Vale. It's terrible, dear. You have to help."

  Mathew opened his mouth and closed it again. "Of course," was all he managed.

  Later, when he and Teanna entered the dining hall, everyone was there. Collin and Father Thomas got up and bowed, while Ceta and Lara curtsied.

  "We'll be leaving shortly," Mathew announced.

  His statement came as no surprise, because Lara had already prepared the others for it. Though not fully recov­ered, Teanna said she felt strong enough to take Father Thomas and Mathew with her to Stewart-Vale. Ceta, Lara, and Collin would travel to the battle site with the king's escort.

  The rest of the news was grim. Teanna told them that every man, woman, and child of fighting age had been flocking to Stewart Vale for the last two weeks, at a place called Balengrath. They were coming from countries and towns everywhere. Whatever the outcome of the battle, it would decide the fate of mankind for generations to come.

  "Your majesty," Mathew said, addressing Eldar. "When this is all over I will return here with Teanna and we'll see what we can do for your wife. I give you my word on that. We would try now, but I think it's important that we both conserve our strength."

  "That's understood," Eldar said. "My gratitude and prayers will go with you. We will join you at Balengrath in one week's time."

  The goodbyes were more difficult than Mathew

  thought they would be. He felt a pang in his heart when Lara whispered, "You are my life . .. come back to me."

  Father Thomas and Ceta's parting was equally difficult. They stepped away from the others and spoke privately When they returned, the priest and Teanna made eye con­tact, but Mathew only saw polite nods pass between them. Then he and Father Thomas took their places on either side of her.

  Transporting always made him slightly nauseous. And he was glad the whole process lasted less than a minute Once he got his breath back he decided that if he needed to go someplace in the future, it would be by conventional means.

  56

  Stewart Vale

  They materialized on a hilltop a short distance away from an enormous gray citadel..The flags of Bajan, Alor Satar, Nyngary, Cincar, and his own beloved Elgaria were flying from the battlements. To his left was a broad valley, easily two miles wide, where a battle was in progress. Cannons were firing all along the. hills and on both sides of the valley. A smoky haze hung in the air.

  "Princess," a soldier called out, running up to 'them. "You are needed. The Orlocks are attacking the eastern flank."

  "I'll come," Teanna said.

  "I'll come with you," Mathew said.

  "Where can I find Delain?" Father Thomas asked the man.

  "He is in the main hall with Darias Val and Armand Duren. "I believe Kalifar is with them."

  Father Thomas thanked him and turned to Mathew and Teanna. "I must familiarize myself with the situation here. Do what you need to do, but make sure not to expose your­selves unnecessarily. I would like to see each of you when you are through."

  Teanna's expression turned cold and she opened her mouth to say something, but the priest cut her off.

  "There is much you and I need to talk about, but this is neither the time nor the place to do it. Right now our peo­ple need you. We'll speak later."

  Father Thomas spun on his heel, walked toward the en­trance, and disappeared into it.

  "He gets that way sometimes," said Mathew.

  "I wouldn't know," Teanna replied coolly.

  Fifteen minutes later it seemed to Mathew that he had been dropped into a maelstrom. Across the valley floor thousands and thousands of Orlocks, supported by an army of Vargothans, were advancing on the Alliance's men. Along the ridge, Alor Satar's cannons continued to tear into the enemy. The Vargothans answered with their own cannons and field catapults. Fountains of earth flew skyward as the balls struck home. On the right side of the field, near where the trees began, two groups of soldiers on horseback were engaged in violent combat. From the color of the cloaks, Mathew could tell one group was from Alor Satar and the other from Vargoth. The Alor Satarans were clearly outnumbered.

  He grasped the situation at once. "We need
to buy those men down there some additional time," he told Teanna.

  "How?"

  "Like this."

  He formed a picture in his mind and concentrated. Star­tled gasps came from the soldiers manning the cannons as well and those on the field as a fifteen-foot-high wall ap­peared out of nowhere. It stretched from one side of the val­ley to the other, effectively cutting the two armies off from each other. Elgarian reinforcements charged forward to help the embattled Alor Satarns against the enemy now trapped behind the wall.

  Teanna's mouth dropped open and she grabbed his arm excitedly. "I never thought of that."

  "It won't last long," he told her. "Either the Vargothans or Shakira will knock it to pieces before long, but at least it gives us time to think."

  Teanna smiled at him. "You seem to think very well, Master Lewin."

  Mathew steadied himself and blinked a few times to clear his vision. The headache was starting again. "I'm fine, but it does take a little out of you."

  Teanna nodded and started to ask another question, but broke it off as a group of riders came galloping up the hill toward them.

  "You are about to meet my cousins, Armand and Eric," she said.

  Armand skidded his horse to a halt and jumped off. "Brilliant, Teanna. Just brilliant," he said, hugging her.

  Before Teanna could answer, he turned to the soldier next to him, "Have the cannons concentrate their fire on the enemy's center." Then he turned back to Teanna and added, "That was the first bright spot I've seen in—"-

  "Armand, this is Mathew Lewin," she said. "The wall was his idea."

  The smile faded from Armand's face, but after a brief hesitation, he put out his hand and said, "Thank you for your help."

  Mathew returned the greeting and bowed. "You're wel­come, sire. I'm glad that we're fighting on the same side."

  Armand looked at him for several seconds. "Yes. This is my brother, Eric. I assume you know Val and Delain."

  "Pleasure," Eric said, from horseback with a small wave. "Well done, young man."

  Darias Val's greeting was far more enthusiastic. He dis­mounted, threw his arms around Mathew then kissed him on both cheeks. He was dressed in a belted black tunic and pants that came just below the knees, to the top of his boots. The curved sword he carried was common to his country.