“Dylanna is here?” Kamarie asked, managing at last to get a word in.
“Yes, I am here.” Dylanna suddenly appeared from a room up ahead of them and, embracing Kamarie warmly, she smiled in obvious relief. Oraeyn noticed that she was dressed in a long, flowing blue dress, and her hair cascaded down over her shoulders in waves of deep brown. As he looked at her, all traces of Darby were finally erased from his mind. He could never think of her as a simple lady’s maid again; from that moment on she would forever appear to him as Dylanna, a beautiful, powerful wizardess.
“Kamarie, Oraeyn, Brant, you do not know how good it is to see you all alive and well,” she stopped and looked around, then spoke again. “But where is Yole?”
Nobody answered her question, and Leila cut in before Dylanna could say anything else, “Come in, sit down, rest, and I will bring you food and drink, then you can tell us the whole story without interruption.”
The weary travelers followed Dylanna and Leila into the house and sank into the comfortable chairs and couches of Leila’s main room. As Kamarie sat down, her tiredness threatened to overwhelm her and she was grateful for the cozy chair beneath her. She thought that it would be nice to never rise from her place again. Leila brought them tea, fruit, and bakery goods fresh from the oven that invited them to eat. They accepted with grateful murmurs and dug into it with enthusiasm. The tea, which Kamarie normally did not care for, was delicious and tasted of cinnamon and some other spice that was rich and tangy and not at all tea-like. The rolls were lightly buttered, and there was a bowl of raspberry jam that they added liberally to their bread. The croissants were hot and laced with warm, melted chocolate and the flaky bread literally melted in their mouths. Both Leila and Dylanna were brimming with questions about their travels, but they kept silent as the three travelers devoured the food and drink before them. When they had finished, Leila spoke.
“I know you all must be tired, perhaps the story should wait until you have had a chance to get a few hours of sleep in comfortable beds. Then you will be refreshed and clear-headed, and answering questions will not seem so much a chore.”
“Perhaps that would be best,” Brant agreed after studying Kamarie and Oraeyn for a moment.
Leila led them upstairs to her guest rooms. All of them were amazed at the size of Leila’s house, though none of them said anything. Kamarie chose the first room that Leila showed them. Nodding at the others, she yawned and smiled.
“Good night,” she said.
Kamarie closed the door behind her and crawled into the big, soft, pillowy bed. She did not have time even to admire the beautiful decorations of the room or feel grateful for the clean, cotton sheets. Exhaustion swept over her as she lay down and breathed out, relaxing her aching muscles. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was pulling the thick, fluffy blanket up to her chin and thinking that she had never felt so comfortable.
Morning came much too quickly for Kamarie’s liking. She sighed as she opened her eyes, and then she stretched luxuriously. Sitting up, she blinked. For a moment she thought that she was back in her own room in the palace and that everything had just been a dream. As she woke up more fully, however, she realized that the room she was in was not her own, though there were many similarities. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Kamarie got up and wandered around the room. Someone had attended to her injuries and set out a fresh change of clothes, and there was a bowl of hot water for washing on the table beside the bed. After enjoying this luxury, she changed into clean clothes, and headed downstairs feeling much brighter and more cheerful.
She found the others at the table, eating a breakfast of eggs and bacon and thin hotcakes topped with berries and sugar. They welcomed her with big smiles. She greeted them cheerfully and sat down. As the smells of breakfast reached her nose, she discovered that she was very hungry. She loaded up a plate of food and began eating with a will borne of hunger. It appeared that Brant and Oraeyn had washed and been given clean clothes as she had, for the layer of traveling dust had been cleared away from them, and they looked refreshed.
Leila entered the room with a smile. “Kamarie! You’re awake, good! When you’re done with breakfast, there is someone outside who wants to see you. He is very impatient.”
Kamarie looked at her aunt, mystified. “Who?”
Leila’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “I can’t tell you who, that would ruin the surprise, but don’t rush your breakfast.”
Dylanna had a wide grin on her face, and Kamarie was annoyed by the fact that everyone seemed to know what this was all about except for her. Despite Leila’s instructions not to rush, Kamarie hurried through her meal, wondering who the mysterious visitor was. She also wanted to know how whoever it was knew that she was here. When she finished eating, Leila smiled and then told them all to follow her. She led them to the back door and then flung it open. Kamarie blinked at the sudden light; then her eyes opened wide as a smile spread across her face.
“Tor!” she cried, running towards the silver horse and flinging her arms around his long neck.
The horse nickered and nudged her shoulder with his nose.
Kamarie laughed. “I’m glad to see you again too! I was so worried when you weren’t at the Pearl Cove.”
Tor shook his head vigorously and then lowered his eyes and gave her a reproachful look.
Kamarie sobered. “I’m sorry for leaving you behind, but you really would not have liked Krayghentaliss. It’s all underground and it was dark and there were dragons.”
Tor nibbled at her pockets, a gesture of forgiveness as plain as if he had said so.
Kamarie giggled. “I’m sorry Tor, I didn’t know you were here or I would have grabbed an apple. I’ll bring you one later, I promise. And some sugar, too.” She turned to Leila. “How did he get here?”
Leila and Dylanna had both watched the whole exchange with understanding smiles on their faces. Oraeyn, however, could not have been more shocked than if Tor had actually opened his mouth and spoken audibly. Oraeyn’s mouth dropped, and his eyes were wide with shock. Brant, if surprised, showed no visible signs of his astonishment. Looking at him, no one would ever have been able to guess that anything out of the ordinary had occurred.
“Tor should have taken the other horses home when Calyssia set them free to return to the palace. But your ornery horse insisted that he just absolutely had to visit me first. They all arrived here shortly after Dylanna did because the other horses apparently wanted to do some sight seeing.” Leila smiled. “Tor also came here because he believed you would come here before you went home. That is a smart horse you have.”
Oraeyn shook his head, rubbed his eyes, scratched his head, and then gave up, deciding that whatever he was hearing probably had no easy explanation. Brant was watching Kamarie and Leila carefully, and after a few moments a small, knowing smile crept up to the corners of his mouth as though he suddenly understood. Dylanna turned around to look at Brant, but by the time she was facing him, Brant’s face was as unreadable as ever. Her eyes closed to slits as she stared hard at him. Brant looked back at her easily, his face clear and open but expressionless. Dylanna watched him for a moment, then shook her head and walked back into the house muttering something unintelligible under her breath.
Kamarie patted Tor one more time, then turned to follow the others back inside, “I’ll come back out to visit you later,” she promised the horse.
Once they had all gathered back in Leila’s main room, Dylanna and Leila begged Kamarie, Brant, and Oraeyn to tell them all about their journey to the Harshlands. So Brant began telling what had transpired along the trail since the Dark Warriors had sprung upon them and caused them to separate. He told of coming to Marghita and Enreigh’s house, and Oraeyn chimed in explaining about how Marghita would not stop talking or let any of them get more than a single word in edgewise, not even her husband. Leila laughed at that and said that she knew someone who reminded her of his description of M
arghita.
Then Kamarie explained about how she and Yole had fled in the night to save time and how they had felt that someone or something was watching and following them. Then she recounted her instructions to Yole and told of the three Dark Warriors who had attacked her. Dylanna shuddered at that part. Oraeyn finished the story with an explanation of their decision to make for the Harshlands in the hopes that Yole had indeed found his way to Leila’s home. He added that Brant had expressed confidence that Dylanna would come to no harm in her travels; at this, Dylanna glanced at Brant, who simply nodded in recognition of their shared confidence.
“We must find Yole,” Kamarie said worriedly.
Dylanna put a hand on Kamarie’s shoulder. “The confidence that Brant placed in me is the same I place in our young dragon friend.”
Kamarie smiled. “Yes, he’s fairly resourceful, and quick too. I was teaching him a bit of forestry along the way, and he caught on very fast.”
Just then a loud knocking on the front door caused them all to jump slightly. They all followed Leila to the door to find out who the unexpected visitor was. As they approached the door, they heard a voice from outside, shouting loudly, but none could understand the words.
“Oh, my!” Dylanna said in shock as the words became audible.
Whoever was outside seemed to be bellowing at the top of his lungs, “I know you are in there, so don’t pretend you aren’t home! Is this how you would treat visitors? I know that your heart is as cold as an iceberg and as black as your cats’ fur, but I did not know that you left your guests standing in the cold on your doorstep to freeze! Come out if you dare, Witch Queen of the Harshlands!”
Kamarie and Oraeyn were shocked to hear these accusations. Brant calmly reached for his sword while Dylanna looked at Leila in shocked curiosity. Leila herself looked rattled for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. She approached the door, but Dylanna grabbed her shoulder.
“Sister, do you think it is safe?” she asked worriedly.
Leila smiled at Dylanna’s concern, then chuckled and said, “As safe as a wandering bard ever is.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Yole had tried to stop Kiernan from yelling through the door. He tried to say that the knocking would bring someone to open the door eventually, but Kiernan insisted that he must shout or they would be left standing outside for eons and ages. Yole personally thought that the minstrel just wanted an excuse to speak more loudly than normal, but he kept his thoughts to himself and buried his face in his hands while Kiernan shouted to the wizardess through the door.
Just as Yole was beginning to think that perhaps nobody was at home or that the wizardess could not hear Kiernan's ranting, the door swung open.
“Kiernan!”
A pretty young woman flung herself at the minstrel and hugged him.
“Beautiful ice princess!” Kiernan said cheerfully. “Ah, so you don’t leave your guests to rot on the doorstep. That is good to know.”
Leila’s face turned red and her violet eyes flashed as she tossed her head, “I do not own any black cats either, and for your information my heart is not carved out of ice!” She sounded angry, but there was a twinkle deep in her eyes. “And only you would claim to be freezing in the desert during the end of Warm-Term.”
Kiernan smiled agreeably and nodded. “Well then, so the rumors aren’t true.”
Leila laughed. “As though you don’t start half the rumors concerning me.”
Kiernan opened his light blue eyes wide, the picture of innocence. “Me? Why, how could you accuse me of such a thing?”
“Easily.”
“My dear woman, you do me a great injustice,” Kiernan said in injured tones, as he did his best to look as though her comments had wounded him deeply. “I have never had anything but respect for you, and only speak of you with words of highest regard.”
Yole rolled his eyes.
Leila snorted in exasperation. “You are as impossible as ever.”
Kiernan smiled irritatingly. “Admit it, you would be disappointed if I was ever less impossible than ever.”
“Your word games never cease to amaze me, dear minstrel.”
“She called me ‘dear,’” Kiernan whispered loudly to Yole, “that’s always a bad sign.”
Leila fixed the minstrel with a bemused stare, then directed her attention to Yole and asked, “And who is this?”
Kiernan flung his arms wide. “My darling wizardess, allow me to introduce to you my apprentice, Yo... ian! Well, actually, he is not exactly my apprentice; I just offered to teach him some bits of the trade as we traveled along. We met up quite by chance as we journeyed along the road. Poor young... ster had lost his way, but he insisted on traveling to these dangerous parts and what could I do? Let him wander alone? He’s picked up the juggling quite well but the poor boy is as tone deaf as Silver.”
Yole glared at the minstrel.
Leila smiled. “Welcome to my home, Yo... ian.”
“Milady,” Yole said, blushing, “I must confess, I have not been completely honest with this good minstrel. You see: my name is not actually Y... ian.”
Just then Kamarie caught a glimpse of the boy and ran towards him. “Yole!”
She and the others rushed outside and surrounded Yole, peppering him with questions about how he had gotten there, and taking turns hugging him. Yole was overjoyed to see them, and even happier that he had not missed them by arriving too late. He smiled and tried to answer several of the questions, but soon gave up, deciding that he would tell them all about it when everyone calmed down a bit. Kiernan watched all of this with a bemused expression on his face.
“Now what is all this about? You know these people?”
Yole spoke up, “I am sorry Kiernan, but as I said, I have not been exactly honest with you about myself. I hope you will understand that anything I said that was untrue was only to protect you and anyone you might come in contact with. My name is actually Yole, not Y... ian. These good people are my companions and friends. We lost each other as we were traveling to Leila’s house.”
The minstrel scratched his head and seemed to be doing his best to look puzzled, but then he brightened. “So that means you all must have quite a story to tell. Come, let us go inside and you can tell me your tale and then I can turn it into a ballad that will be sung for as long as the Dragon’s Eye rises each morning.”
They all agreed that Kiernan’s idea was a good one, and they went into the house. They spent the rest of the day exchanging tales and recapping what had happened since the attack of the Dark Warriors had first separated them. Kiernan was fascinated by their tale, especially the part about their wanderings through Krayghentaliss. He asked many questions about the dragons and their tunnels, seemingly awed by the fact that there was a whole world within Aom-igh that he had never visited, and yet the questions he asked revealed an insight that put Brant on his guard. When they were all caught up, Kiernan leaned back and stretched out his long legs.
“I say, that is quite the story!” he exclaimed. “Well then, it’s settled.”
“What is settled?” Oraeyn asked.
“Why, the fact that I am going to travel with you,” Kiernan said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“No, I do not think so,” Brant said quietly, but firmly.
“But I must!” Kiernan cried. “I am a minstrel and all of you are in the middle of a greater adventure than any I have ever heard sung! I must continue on with you so I can find out how the story ends!”
Brant shook his head. “We cannot have anyone else traveling with us, especially not a minstrel. We must make all haste back to the palace. It is normally a three day’s journey, I intend to be there two days hence.”
“If you do not allow me to travel with you, then I will follow you, and you cannot stop me from doing that,” Kiernan said sulkily. “Besides, you are going to let Leila travel with you, and I am much less trouble than she is.”
<
br /> “We may as well take him with us,” Leila said with a sigh, “he is as stubborn as that old mule of his when he sets his mind on something.”
Brant sighed as well, realizing this was one battle he didn’t need to fight. “All right, I suppose you can come with us. But leave your cart and mule here and ride a real horse like the rest of us, otherwise there is no way that you will be able to keep up with our pace.”
Kiernan turned his head to one side. “I am not sure if Silver would like it very much if he heard you implying that he is not what you call a ‘real horse,” he said mock seriously, but then he seemed to decide to stop being difficult and he nodded enthusiastically. “Of course, of course, Silver will not mind staying behind, he needs some rest anyway, I promised him a vacation a long time ago. May I stable him here Leila?”
Leila nodded. “Of course you may.”
Brant blew a short breath out through his mouth and let his shoulders drop. “We are leaving at first light. Anyone not ready to go when I say ‘move out’ is staying behind.”
❖ ❖ ❖
The aethalon stood trembling before Tobias. It was not the Captain of the King’s Helm who was causing the trembling, however; it was the nearness of King Seamas. The king had insisted upon hearing the reports as they came in, and his presence made the men a touch nervous.
“Why have you returned? You were not in any of the scouting parties,” Tobias kept his voice calm.
“No, sir, but...” the man glanced towards the king, “I think I might have found the one His Majesty is looking for.”
If Seamas heard, he did an excellent job feigning disinterest. Tobias breathed an inner sigh of relief. At least his king was still sane enough to act his part.
King's Warrior (The Minstrel's Song Book 1) Page 32
