Apparition

by Tom Liberman

They looked up with startled expressions for a second but then got back to work. A tall man who seemed to be in charge, whom Mike didn’t recognize, stopped working and walked over. “There’s going to be a rally tomorrow morning,” he said with a smile.

  “What sort of a rally?” asked Mike with a smile.

  “The people want action,” said the man and when Mike gave him a quizzical expression he smiled. “Are you new to Tanelorn?”

  Mike nodded her head, “I live in the countryside north of here and I’ve only arrived in the city today. Action about what?”

  “The enemies of Tanelorn are massing. Gnolls to the north. Dragonkin to the south and the Rock Lord and his minions to the west. The nation is in peril. The Gray Lord simply sits in his house and does nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the Gray Lord but his inaction is endangering us all. I have a wife, children, it’s not just about my life.”

  Mike nodded her head and smiled, “Are there many who agree with you?”

  The man paused and put his hand to his chin, “I would not say many but I would not say few. The Gray Lord built Tanelorn where there was nothing but open fields. We are free to do as we will without interference from some lord or local police force. My father fled such a state and I know that he supports the Gray Lord in this. I appreciate my freedom but I also value my life. I will listen to arguments on both side and I think that many in Tanelorn feel this way. We do not want to overthrow the Gray Lord but there seems to be no other choice.”

  Mike nodded her head, “Fear is a powerful tool. It makes us do things we would otherwise not.”

  “It is not fear for my own life,” said the man shaking his head. “It is fear for my family, my children, and my friends.”

  “I understand,” said Mike and put her hands on her hips. “Thank you for explaining things to me. When is this rally to happen?”

  “This morning, late, is my understanding. Do you know the Golden Cider?”

  Mike nodded her head and Marianna managed to stifle a grunt and she was grinding her teeth at the thought of the place. “I do know it. Rather rundown as I recall.”

  The man nodded his head, “Yes, we’re gathering there and we’ll come here when the sun is just before its highest point. I hope the Gray Lord changes his policies and joins us. I would rather not put anyone else in charge. He has proved his mettle many times. But I will do what I must to safeguard my family. I’ve heard his daughter is willing to effect an aggressive strategy. Perhaps she will step forward. Or perhaps he will name Jon as his heir. We all know what Jon would do!”

  “I guess we’ll see,” said Mike turning to Rhia and Marianna. “Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow is looking like it’s going to be a busy day.”

  Chapter 22

  None of the three slept well that night although eventually they all dropped off to sleep with Marianna on a cot the innkeeper brought in for her to use. By the time the morning light filtered in the window all of them were already up and eager to go.

  “Do you think it’s safe to go to the Golden Cider with Pillswar there? Adusko will be there and that dwarf Borrombo probably. They’ll kill us if they get the chance,” said Mike to Marianna and Rhia as she sat on the end of her bed and tied her shoes.

  “It’s probably the safest place we can be,” said Rhia with a shrug. “They wouldn’t try anything with all those people around. That’s why he tried to have us killed last night.”

  Mike nodded and said, “I suppose you’re right. Still, we’re trying to be cautious, right?”

  “Right,” said Rhia with a grin. “I don’t know if today is a day to be overly cautious though. The fate of Tanelorn hangs in the balance. If the people decide they would rather have Pillswar in charge then that’s it. We’ll have to flee for our lives. Anyone who sympathizes with the Gray Lord will have to run if they want to survive. I’m sure Pillswar will claim that all are welcome, but once he’s in charge we all know what he’s capable of doing.”

  “Not just capable of doing,” said Marianna softly. “Will do. But maybe Jane will convince the Gray Lord, or even Jon. It won’t come to that, I just know it.”

  “There’s no sense putting it off,” said Mike with a shrug. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

  “We should be ready to get out of Tanelorn if Pillswar manages to convince everyone to back him,” said Rhia. “Just to be sure.”

  “We can go to my villa,” said Mike with a smile thinking of her home, her old home. Of her little house that she helped build when she was a girl. “It’s not that far. Maybe we should get horses though. The faster we get there the safer we’ll be.”

  “Do you have any money left?” asked Rhia.

  Mike’s eyes went wide and she shook her head, “No, not enough. This self-reliance is tougher than I thought. I just realized that I paid for this room in advance but that’s going to run out as well, even if Pillswar can’t convince people to put him charge. We’re going to have to figure out how to make money one way or another.”

  “Maybe that’s something to worry about for tomorrow,” said Marianna anxiously looking to the door. Her face was drawn and pale and her hands trembled.

  “No matter what happens you won’t be going back to Pillswar,” said Mike moving over to pat the girl on the back. “We won’t ever let that happen.”

  “Let’s go already,” said Marianna jumping to her feet. “I can’t stand all this waiting.”

  “They said the meeting isn’t until late morning,” said Mike shaking her head. “We shouldn’t go there first thing. The crowd will be gathering but things won’t start to happen until they start making speeches later. That’s when we’ll see. We should just sit tight for a few more hours at least.”

  Marianna paced back and forth in the little room twisting her long hair in her fingers, “I don’t think I can wait that long. I’ll go crazy.”

  Rhia laughed, “I know how you feel. It’s the waiting that’s hardest. Once things start happening it goes all too quickly. But waiting is awful. Mike’s right though. We don’t want to get there too early. I suppose we could go over to Lofo’s headquarters and wait there with him. There will probably be a lot of Gray Knights and Gray Druids there. It’ll certainly be plenty safe.”

  “It’s better than sitting here,” said Marianna continuing to pace back and forth.

  “You’re not sitting,” said Rhia laughing.

  “You know what I mean,” said the red-haired girl turning sharply to face Rhia but she also laughed. “Come on, let’s go. There is no way I can just pace back and forth forever.”

  Mike shrugged, “I don’t see why not. It’s better than sitting around here all morning.” She rose from the bed and checked to make sure she had all her gear. “Pack everything up in case we have to leave in a hurry,” she said while looking around the room for what she suspected might be the last time.

  Rhia and Marianna likewise looked around and packed up their last few items before all three went out the door.

  “Breakfast?” said Mike. “I paid for it already, might as well get some food in our stomachs just in case we’re on the run after today.”

  They ate a hearty breakfast and the talk of the inn was the upcoming event. Pillswar’s name was on everyone’s lips and the room seemed evenly divided. There were plenty of people who thought the Gray Lord’s method had withstood the test of time but others felt more drastic action was required. The place was more crowded than a normal morning, and people were already leaving to get places outside the gate where the speeches were to take place.

  After breakfast they wandered over to the Gray Knight headquarters where they expected to find many loyalists gathered but it was largely deserted. “Where is everyone?” asked Rhia looking around. Only a single Gray Knight stood guard at the entrance.

  “We’ve been asked to keep a low profile today,” said the man overhearing her question. “No one is to interfere with any decision the people want to make.”

  “Who gave that order?”
asked Mike walking over to the guard. He was a little older and rather portly but wore a Gray Tunic and carried a long sword at his side.

  “I got it from my captain but I heard it comes all the way from Jane Gray.”

  Mike nodded, “Probably from the Gray Lord. He really takes this non-interference stuff seriously. I don’t know how you’re supposed to have a nation if no one makes rules. It’s no wonder Pillswar has so many supporters.”

  The old guard shook his head, “I disagree with you there, young lady. I grew up as a slave in Daagor’del, that’s a nation east of here a bit. They had a king and he made all the rules. The militia enforced them. It was nothing but rules and more rules. Eventually everyone in the kingdom was a criminal one way or the other. Then it was chaos. We rose up and killed the king and his soldiers but the fellows who took over were even worse. That’s when I came here. Here a man can do as he pleases as no one much cares as long as someone else isn’t getting hurt. You’re responsible for your own actions and that makes you more careful. We’re not always worrying about what the Five Nations are doing or if Grelm is going to attack. If they do, they do and we’ll deal with it then. No, young lady, I don’t mean to offend you but the Gray Lord’s got it right and I’ll fight for that until I don’t have a breath in my body. The only folks that don’t like it are the ones that haven’t seen it the other way.”

  “What good does it do if someone like Pillswar can take it all away?” asked Mike.

  “Well, that’s a good question,” said the soldier with grin. “A darn good question. Maybe you’ll figure out the answer someday on your own. There’s a lot of things in life it’s best to learn yourself. Best way to learn sometimes. Yep.”

  “What will you do if the people want to put Pillswar in charge? If he takes over the army and orders you to attack Grelm?” asked Rhia her hand resting lightly on the pommel of her sword. “Will you follow orders?”

  “I only follow orders from commanders I respect,” said the man. “Nope, wouldn’t follow those orders.”

  “They might kill you for disobeying orders,” said Rhia. “That’s a serious offense for a soldier.”

  “Yep, they might,” said the man with a shrug. “Like I said, I’ve lived both ways now. Having to take orders and choosing to take orders. I can’t go back, too old, too set in my ways. If I die then so be it.”

  “You don’t have a family?” asked Marianna.

  “Oh, I got family. A good wife, not near as pretty as you, if you don’t mind me saying, but a good woman. Had eight of my kids. Two of ‘em died young but the other six is doing fine. Three boys and three girls. The two Gray Knights, two Gray Druids, one that runs a little shop here in town and one works a farm out in the plains. Up to eleven grandkids now I think. I’d have to ask the wife. You start to lose count after a while.”

  “Aren’t you worried what will happen to them if Pillswar takes control of Tanelorn?” asked Rhia her eyes watching the man closely. “Don’t you care if they get killed?”

  “I care plenty,” said the man with a shrug. “I love them little ones, I truly does. But they’re just folks too, they got to make up their own minds same as I did. That’s the way of it here in Tanelorn. If I’m glad that people don’t bother me about my decisions I gotta be the same ‘bout them. My kids don’t always agree with me and that’s just fine. They got their own lives to lead, same as me, same as the wife.”

  Rhia shook her head and shrugged, “I don’t know about that.”

  Mike pursed her lips and put a hand to her chin while looking at the old soldier. “Come on. If there’s no one here they must be gathering out at that platform. Let’s go see what’s happening.”

  Rhia nodded and Marianna frowned. “I’m afraid to go but I want to go,” said the archer while blinking her eyes. “I never want to stop being with you two, being free, but I’m afraid the world always changes. I thought it would never change back when my father was alive and it changed for the worse. Then I thought it wouldn’t change when things were awful and it did. Now I don’t want it to change but I think it will. I think it will always change. I think it’s silly to try too hard to hold onto things. I don’t know what I think.” Then she started crying again.

  Rhia started to walk over and put her arm around the girl but Marianna put up her hand, “No, no. I’m fine. Just felt like crying for some reason. Let’s go end this thing once and for all.”

  Mike smiled, “I agree. Let’s see this through to the end. Whatever happens is what happens.”

  With that the trio started walking to where they knew the crowd was gathering. It wasn’t long before other people joined their little group. As they converged on the makeshift stage on the outskirts of Tanelorn it became apparent that thousands of people were gathering. That news of the event had spread beyond the city and to the countryside and villas that dotted the landscape.

  The stage itself was covered with flags of Tanelorn with the emblem of mistletoe evident everywhere.

  “If any enemy wanted to attack,” thought Rhia to herself. “Now would be the time to do it.”

  This gathering didn’t have the party atmosphere of a ceremony of the Taking of the Gray although people seemed largely in good spirits as they spoke about the forthcoming events. It quickly became evident that someone forgot to organize the local eateries because no tents were setup for food and drinks. Shopkeepers hustled goods onto makeshift tables and began to set up shop as quickly as they could. There was some confusion as normally each was assigned particular regions but, working together, they managed to come up with an equitable arrangement.

  The groups completely absent from the proceedings were Gray Knights, Gray Druids, or any person of significant authority in Tanelorn. Fortunately it was a cool day with some cloud cover although no storms and the shortage of proper food and water was not a major problem.

  As they made their way through the crowd Mike spotted a young boy hopping up and down and pulling his mother’s arm. She looked around, shook her head, and dragged the boy off and away from the gathering to a small copse of trees in the distance. This particular issue became more painfully apparent as the minutes went by and eventually a group of young boys arrived with shovels and began digging downwind of the stage. They already had a good business going before they even finished the first hole and the transfer of coins began.

  With many hungry and thirsty people unable to get access to the few tents that were already in business, murmurs of disgruntled voices began to rise. This apparently prompted those in charge to move up proceedings and without a great deal of fanfare the fat dwarf Borrombo climbed up on the stage.

  Rhia nudged Mike when she saw the dwarf arrive. “Here we go.”

  “Free citizens of Tanelorn,” he boomed in a massive voice that carried far. “You have reached a time of great peril and a momentous decision is upon you. I have been to Grelm and watched the Sunbringer ascend to power. There is no doubt of his intentions. He believes he is the chosen son of Arioch and that he will lead his people to victory over your armies. He believes the gnolls are the only pure race in the world and he unites the various tribes, he preaches war. There is no mistaking his intentions. I was there, I saw it all.”

  The big dwarf then paused and allowed the crowd, which had been dispersing, to gather around the podium. “I am not of Tanelorn. I come from the north where an enclave of my people watches the world. We have great resources available to us and we wish to help the freedom loving people of Tanelorn. However, we cannot aid those who do not wish to help themselves. Your leadership knows of the danger you face and does nothing. If we were to bring our considerable wealth and make it available to you, we fear it would fall into the hands of our enemies. We cannot aid you while the Gray Lord pursues … or should I say fails to pursue, any policy whatsoever. His weakness invites attack and exposes you to terrible danger.”

  Rhia watched the crowd and they seemed to be listening to the words of the dwarf. Even to Rhia’s ears it seemed reasonab
le although she knew better. She knew he was only saying what people wanted to hear.

  “Free citizens of Tanelorn,” repeated the dwarf on the podium with a broad smile as he put out his hand. “You must step forward and save yourselves if your leaders fail to do it for you. There is one citizen in Tanelorn who is willing to make that sacrifice for you. One man who is willing to put aside his own safety in order to prevent this terrible disaster. I present to you, the savior of Tanelorn, the freedom loving champion of your city, Odonus Pillswar!”

  There was a large eruption of applause and cheering although looking around Rhia couldn’t see that many people making the noise. The shouting largely seemed to come from a few loud voiced men and women strategically interspersed in the crowd. They appeared to be making an inordinate amount of noise. This oddity was noticed by others in the crowd and Mike saw them nudging one another and pointing to the noise makers while shaking their heads.

  After the cheering died down Pillswar appeared on stage as if magically conjured. Apparently the banners of Tanelorn hid some secret entrance which was used for the occasion. He had lost some weight since the last time Rhia saw him, and his skin tone was almost glowing. He smile was very bright and he waved to the crowd flashing it broadly.

  “Free citizens of Tanelorn!” he shouted and the chosen few erupted in applause again. “My friend Borrombo is correct. Everything he says is true. I have been in secret negotiations with his people, the people of Craggen Steep. Yes, the legendary dwarf citadel of untold riches. They are ready to help us but only if you are ready to help yourself!”

  The dispersed viewers erupted in applause and yelling again and perhaps a few other citizens did as well but the majority wrinkled their noses in distaste and shook their heads at one another.

  “The Gray Lord has spurned the generous offer of Borrombo and his people. The Gray Lord does not understand the danger we face. Do not think I hate the Gray Lord. Without his tremendous leadership none of us would be free today. We all owe him a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid. However, he is too set in his ways. He does not understand the nature of the threat poised on our borders. Fifty-thousand hardened gnoll soldiers are ready to attack at any moment. They are allied with the dragonkin in the south and the Rock Lord to the west. They plan their movements and the destruction of Tanelorn together. This is not an army that can be stopped once they cross the borders into Tanelorn. This is an army that must be stopped before they cross our borders and began to ravage our people, my people!”