Crown of Silence

by Constantine, Storm

  ‘One small beverage won’t break your fast,’ Nordren said and put a kettle on his stove. ‘I brew a drink from nuts and herbs. It’s very pure and will refresh you. It will also lend your friend a revival.’ He took off his cloak to reveal a shiny, bald head that looked like polished ivory. His age was impossible to determine, for although his face was not deeply lined, he had an air of great maturity.

  ‘Will Merlan be all right?’ Shan asked. ‘Can he travel?’

  Nordren nodded. ‘He is in shock and should be kept warm. No doubt he’ll have strange tales to tell of his experience when he wakes, but I have no fear for him.’

  ‘We’re grateful for your help and will of course recompense you,’ Taropat said.

  Nordren made a dismissive gesture with one hand. ‘No need. I want for nothing. As I told you, it is my function to aid seekers here. Tomorrow I will take you across the lake in my boat to the path to Rubezal. It is far quicker than negotiating the track beside the water, for in some places it is almost impassable and you have to make a detour into the forest.’

  He gave Tayven, Taropat and Shan measures of his nut drink, served in metal mugs. While they drank, Nordren knelt beside Merlan and managed to get him to sip from a bowl. Then, exhausted, the group arranged themselves on the plump soft cushions for sleep, and Nordren climbed into his huge bed.

  Shan lay awake for over an hour, as one by one his companions began to snore softly. He noticed that Tayven slept in Taropat’s arms, so their relationship must have been rekindled in some respects, no matter what Tayven had said. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Merlan stirred beside him and uttered a few distressed whimpers. Shan put a hand upon his brow. ‘Hush, it’s all right.’

  Merlan opened his eyes, which glittered in the glow of the one remaining lit lamp. ‘I saw it,’ he whispered. ‘Shan, it was in my grasp. I saw the Crown. I reached for it, but then something hideous, terrible, devouring, came. It stirred the waters to mud and the Crown was lost. The beast had me in its jaws, but Taropat got me away. I have failed you.’

  Shan squeezed Merlan’s shoulder briefly. ‘A hallucination, that’s all. You’re safe now. Sleep.’

  Merlan sighed. ‘I’m alive,’ he said and closed his eyes.

  Shan turned onto his side.

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Breath of the Serpent

  Sunlight coming through Nordren’s curtains woke Tayven very early. Taropat’s arms were curled around him. He pulled away carefully and found that Merlan was already awake, sitting on a chair by the window, staring out at the lake through the narrow gap between the curtains. His colour appeared normal, and apart from the bewildered expression on his face, he seemed to have suffered no ill effects from the previous night’s events.

  Tayven went over to him and touched his arm. ‘Merlan,’ he said softly. ‘I’d like to speak with you. Let’s go outside.’

  Merlan got to his feet without wincing, which Tayven took as another good sign. Taropat and Shan were still asleep, but Nordren’s bed was empty.

  Outside, the air was chill and fresh. ‘The landscape here looks different by daylight,’ Tayven said, ‘less sinister.’

  Merlan nodded glumly. ‘That is probably why, traditionally, seekers are supposed to visit the place after dark.

  ‘It feels like autumn though, doesn’t it? Strange. The smell of the air is wrong for summer and the colours are muted.’

  Merlan made no comment. Tayven examined him for some moments. Perhaps he was not as unaffected as he first appeared. Tayven drew a breath and said, ‘I need to speak to you about a personal matter.’

  He sensed that Merlan’s body stiffened slightly. ‘What about?’

  ‘Well, you’re Taropat’s brother, and I know you don’t hold a high opinion of me. After what’s happened over the past couple of days, I don’t want you to think I intend Taropat harm.’

  Merlan turned his head and stared at Tayven unblinkingly for some moments. Then he said, ‘I don’t think that. I just think it would be better if you left him be. Let the past stay in the past. He turned to you once because his wife shattered his hopes, his confidence and his dreams. I can’t see the benefit of rekindling that time.’

  ‘It isn’t like that. I know I carry a reputation, Merlan, and sometimes I joke about it, but essentially it isn’t me. I don’t know what’s happening with Taropat and me, and I suspect it’s only an ephemeral aspect of our being here, but if anything will cause him distress I’m sure it would be your disapproval. Whatever happens to us on this quest, we should accept it and deal with the consequences later. I can sense, as you can, that Taropat is still fragile, for all he’s changed. Inside, a lot of Khaster remains.’

  ‘What did you talk about yesterday?’

  ‘The quest, mainly. He also talked about Shan, and how he feels the world should change. It wasn’t that personal really.’

  Merlan was again silent for a few moments, then said, ‘We should guard against ourselves, our own hearts and minds. We are venturing into the unknown territory deep within and that which we churn up with the mud will be terrible.’ There was a hollow, prophetic ring to his voice. ‘I’m also concerned that Taropat seems to be leaving his own mud untouched.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Merlan sighed. ‘I hope I’m wrong, but I have to speak of it. Haven’t you noticed how Taropat hasn’t gone through any personal experiences yet? And what about the way he behaved after our fight? I think it’s odd that he acted as if nothing had happened. We have to consider he might not be as stable as we’d like to think. Now that you’re close to him again, you should keep an eye on him. I get the feeling that beneath his unruffled exterior, there’s something waiting to explode.’

  Tayven considered these words. How could he dispute them? He’d taken comfort from the scant moments of Taropat’s physical embrace, but he could not hide from the fact that Taropat was an entirely different creature from Khaster. ‘I will be alert for signals,’ he said.

  ‘Do you love him?’ Merlan asked.

  Tayven hesitated. ‘I’m not sure what I love. That’s the trouble.’

  ‘I can understand that,’ Merlan said.

  ‘What happened to you last night?’ Tayven asked. ‘Why did you take the Dragon’s Eye?’

  Merlan frowned as if he could barely remember. ‘I saw the Eye lying among Taropat’s clothes, and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I had to pick it up and take it with me into the water.’

  ‘What did you see with it down there?’

  ‘I thought I was dying, Tayven,’ Merlan whispered. ‘The weeds sucked me down and my lungs filled with water. Then I saw something shining in the darkness. It was the crown, symbol of the greatest majesty. I reached for it, could feel its warmth. I knew that if I could only touch it, even briefly, our quest would be blessed. I did not expect to rise from the water holding it in my hands. I knew that I was only seeing it in my mind, but its secret was there.’

  ‘What secret?’

  ‘The one we must know in order to attain the real Crown. I understood the immense importance of the artefact, how its peace-bringing properties would bring power to the king, and therefore his subjects and the land itself. For a few moments, the Crown was before me, as real as you or I.’ He shook his head, screwing up his eyes. ‘But then, for some reason I became uncertain about everything, I doubted it was really there. It started to feel very wrong, a terrible fear shot through me. I reached out for the Crown again, but before I could touch it, a terrible chthonic beast rose from the depths and enclosed me in thorny tentacles. It taunted me, putting thoughts into my head. It had shown me the Crown, because it knew I could never possess it. None of us can. Does the Crown exist in reality?’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows? All I know is that we can never complete our quest, Tayven. I saw us all in a bleak and dismal landscape, separated, wandering desperate, blind. I saw the bones of men all around us. What awaits us at Rubezal is more horrifying than we can imagine. It is extinction of the soul.’

  ‘
I don’t believe that,’ Tayven said carefully. ‘What happened to you was a test, Merlan. You saw the Crown, which is the symbol of our success, and you confronted your fear. Don’t give in to it. You survived. You conquered the weir. The Crown may not be in your grasp, but at least you saw it. You know it exists, if only in your mind.’

  ‘What of it?’ Merlan said bitterly. ‘I am afraid. Wasn’t the lesson supposed to be the overcoming of fear? I haven’t felt that, I haven’t learned it. All I learned is that our quest is folly. We are deluding ourselves, seeking legends, seeking dreams, like little boys lost in a fantasy. Here, in this rarefied air, we can forget about the horrors of the battlefield, the exquisite cruelty of the court. This place and its dreams have no bearing on such foul human constructions. But we are human and the lakes cannot help us. We are flawed.’

  ‘I know more about the horrors of the battlefield than you do,’ Tayven said. ‘And I also know that what we’re doing here is right. Maycarpe is right. In your heart, I believe you realise that.’ He paused, then said, ‘You and I are uneasy confederates, but we share a secret. You beheld the Crown. You know who should wear it.’

  Merlan stared at him for a few moments. ‘I know what Maycarpe thinks, and perhaps you share his vision, although somehow I find that difficult to believe.’

  ‘Do you share it?’

  ‘I did for a short time, but now I think we are grasping at straws, looking for the most likely candidate. Perhaps the true king is not even known to us yet. He may yet to be born.’

  ‘You may be right,’ Tayven said. ‘Our minds should remain open. But don’t give up, Merlan. We’re so close to success.’

  Merlan’s mouth was a grim bloodless line. ‘What did you see, Tayven? What did Taropat and Shan see? I’ll tell you. Nothing. For you it was a test of physical danger, but you were wrong. Now, you are not prepared for what will follow.’

  Tayven did not speak to Taropat or Shan about his conversation with Merlan. Nordren returned to his dwelling and brewed them more of his restorative beverage, then took them to his boat and rowed them across the lake. The early morning sunlight had disappeared behind thick cloud, which was gradually descending over the mountains in a suffocating shroud. Sound was muted and the thick slap of the oars against the water made it seem as if they travelled through mud.

  As he worked powerfully at the oars, Nordren offered them advice on how to approach Rubezal. ‘Markers have been left, but you have to recognise them,’ he said. ‘It gets very bleak up there, believe me.’

  ‘I thought you hadn’t been there,’ Shan said.

  ‘I haven’t and I wouldn’t, but I’ve been told,’ Nordren replied. ‘Some have returned with hollow eyes. They said the atmosphere of the place drove them away. It broke their spirits and took their minds.’

  Tayven glanced at Merlan, who made no comment. How could they approach this site if one of their party had lost heart? Tayven knew it should be brought out into the open, but perhaps Merlan didn’t want to speak in front of Nordren.

  They disembarked where a narrow path snaked between a thick forest of twisted thorn trees. ‘Perhaps we’ll see you on the way back,’ Taropat said lightly to Nordren.

  Nordren only smiled. ‘Good luck.’

  The group watched as the guardian’s boat glided off into the mist. ‘Well, there’s no point in delaying,’ Taropat said briskly. ‘Is everyone ready?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Shan.

  Tayven nodded, glanced at Merlan, then said, ‘How about you?’

  ‘Whatever I say will have no effect.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Taropat asked.

  ‘Tell him,’ Tayven said.

  Merlan shook his head.

  ‘Tay?’ Taropat said. ‘What is this?’

  ‘Merlan saw something beneath the waters of the weir last night. He saw the crown, but he also saw us fail in our quest.’

  ‘It was fear,’ Taropat said. ‘We knew that would happen.’

  ‘You don’t know anything,’ Merlan said in a dull voice.

  ‘Then why don’t you tell us?’ Taropat said, halfway between sweet and sharp.

  ‘You want the truth? I think we should turn back. There’s no reason to continue.’

  There was a moment’s silence, broken by Shan. ‘Turn back? Ridiculous. We experienced Malarena. We passed through. We’re truly on our way now.’

  ‘Merlan thinks otherwise,’ Tayven said.

  ‘Do you agree with him?’ Taropat asked.

  ‘No, but I think he should speak, be heard.’

  ‘He saw monsters in the weir,’ Shan said. ‘It was his own fear. He had to conquer it, as we did.’

  ‘I saw our folly!’ Merlan cried. ‘Our folly at going against the might of Magravandias. The wrath of the empire lurked there, the dark heart of every king who’s been corrupted and has caused pain, suffering and oppression. That was the monster.’ He made a wild gesture with both arms. ‘These lakes are owned by an ancient race of demons, who have a great hatred and jealousy of humankind. They spawn fear and the lust for power within any man or woman who has the will to conquer. The journey lulls the senses, seduces, and it’s only here, at Malarena, when the claws are bared. Fools have swallowed the delusion by then. They think they’re experiencing spiritual truths. But it’s not that. The lakes are the world’s vengeance on man.’

  ‘An interesting premise,’ Taropat said dryly.

  ‘Perhaps Merlan should wait for us here,’ Shan said.

  ‘There is no returning,’ Merlan said. ‘That’s what you don’t understand. Nordren knows it. I could see it in his face.’

  ‘We go on together or not at all,’ Taropat said. ‘Is that what you want, Merlan, for us to turn back now and never know whether we could have attained the crown? Never know whether the real demon was the pernicious fear of failure?’

  ‘I know what I saw,’ Merlan said. ‘The crown, if it exists, is beyond our reach. We are not worthy of it. I will continue, because I have trodden the path of no return. I can’t go back, but I know the truth and I can’t pretend otherwise.’

  Taropat sighed. ‘You have to fight this. Otherwise, you will be a weak link.’

  ‘He should not come,’ Shan said. ‘He played his part, which was to get us into Magravandias. It is you, Tayven and I who form the trinity. Merlan does not have to be with us. He can turn back.’

  ‘It will blight his life,’ Taropat said bitterly. ‘You know it will.’ He put his hands on his brother’s shoulders. ‘Merlan, you are strong. You had a bad experience last night because you knocked your head and you’ve barely eaten or slept. Be with us. Remember hope. You were always so positive, so much stronger than I was.’

  Merlan pushed Taropat’s hands away. ‘I’m with you, brother. I’ll not desert you. I have no choice.’

  ‘We will succeed,’ Taropat said. ‘We’ve come this far. We were meant to come.’

  Tayven could feel Taropat’s conviction, but knew it wasn’t touching Merlan. ‘Rubezal will be difficult, we know that,’ he said. ‘We are prepared for it. Remember, I’ve been there before, and I returned to tell the tale. The lakes are what you make them. Last time I was here, I was with Almorante, who didn’t know what he was doing. We do. I came here unarmed before, and if there was any evil influence present, surely it would have had me then?’

  Merlan glanced at Tayven sourly. ‘It’s already had you, Tayven. You were nearly destroyed by what Magravandias stands for.’

  ‘But he wasn’t destroyed,’ Taropat said. Look, he stands here now, still strong, a shining light who has overcome his suffering.’

  Tayven winced inwardly, averted his eyes. Was that really how Taropat saw him?

  Taropat shouldered his backpack. ‘We can’t waste any more time. Let’s get started.’

  Tayven felt the discussion was far from finished, but already Shan and Taropat were a few yards ahead on the trail. Tayven touched Merlan’s arm. ‘I know what you saw. Believe me, I of all people accept what you’re saying,
but my gut instincts tell me we should go on. At least accept you might be wrong.’

  Merlan said nothing, but followed the others up the path.

  The trail twisted and turned, seeming to loop in on itself to make the journey longer. It rose steeply for a couple of miles, then abruptly plummeted into a valley of thick thorn, where Tayven almost expected to see dead princes impaled on the clawed branches. There was a musty smell to the air, and a pervading mist made it impossible to see far ahead. It really was as if they were walking into the unknown, another realm, a hinterland.

  ‘Are you sure this is the right way?’ Shan said. ‘We’ve been going downwards for half an hour. Rubezal is higher than Malarena.’

  ‘The path tricks us,’ Merlan said.

  Taropat threw his brother a caustic glance, but ignored the remark. ‘According to Nordren, we have to pass through the valley of thorns to reach the quickest trail to Rubezal. Which way did you and Almorante come before?’ he asked Tayven.

  ‘Not this way. We had trackers from the Magravandian army with us. They cut a path through the thorn forest that skirts the northern shore of Malarena. We took a straight route, but I don’t think we could follow it now. I have a nose for direction, but not to the same degree our guides did then.’

  ‘We’re going miles out of our way, I’m sure of it,’ Shan said. ‘Do you think Nordren lied to us?’

  ‘We’ve seen the signs,’ Taropat said. ‘The crossed twigs at the wayside, the reed ribbons on the trees.’

  ‘Twigs fall from trees and accidentally cross,’ Merlan said. ‘Reed ribbons fall from the nests of birds.’

  ‘Merlan, shut up,’ Taropat said. ‘Tayven, what do you think? You know this landscape best of all of us.’

  ‘Well, we’re heading roughly in the right direction, but I agree with Shan that this does seem a tortuous route. Once we’ve crossed the valley, I think we should bear east. There are no landmarks I recognise here.’

  The valley floor was a swamp of shallow lakes, spongy grasses and sucking mud. Tayven stepped on a tuffet of sedge which promptly capsized, causing him to plunge a foot into the bog. He lost his boot pulling himself out and found that a group of dirty white leeches had attached themselves to his leg. Shan pulled them off, while Tayven’s stomach churned. He had lived in a wilderness for years, and was used to dealing with the worst of parasites, but here there was something distinctly repellent about the wildlife here. Amphibians they caught sight of looked diseased, being blotchy and scabrous, and the birds that watched them from the weirdly desiccated foliage had patchily bald heads, as if their feathers had fallen out through sickness.