Alynon's Tear

by Rick Brown

  “That cloak doesn’t look very thick, are you sure it will be warm enough while on the run?” I asked.

  With a gasp she spun to face me. Quickly composing herself, she straightened her cloak. “It will be fine, thank you. I was just running an errand for the cook. She needs some bacon for the Lord’s breakfast.”

  “Oh? I asked, playing along. “I thought Mary was the cook’s assistant.”

  “She is, but I also help out,” She said as she started glancing around, looking for an escape.

  “Well, there’s no reason to go alone. It wouldn’t be safe. How about we take Stiven’s wagon?”

  “Who are you?” She asked, her eyes narrowing.

  “Who am I? What does that mean?” I asked, confused by the unexpected question.

  “Everyone in that group looks to you before doing anything, even Lord Waith. And no guard would call his Lord by the first name. So, who are you?” She asked angrily.

  I smiled at being caught. She’s a smart one. “Well, if we are guessing who each other are, I’d like to take my turn, Miss Abigail Hannen.”

  “Leave me alone! I never did anything to the King!” She screamed, looking like a cornered cat.

  “Easy there,” I said trying to calm her. “Let’s go back inside and talk about it in there.” I started walking toward her.

  “LEAVE ME ALONE!!” She screamed as I approached. Suddenly, I was surrounded by lightning bolts striking my shield. The incredible light blinded me as the power of the strikes knocked me out of the stables and rolling across the yard. My shield wavered as I came to a stop.

  “No!” I heard her cry as she came running after me. “I’m so sorry. Please, I’m so sorry. Please be alive!”

  As I heard her approaching I spun and cast lines of energy that I wrapped around her. It caught her mid-stride, and she fell with a grunt.

  “Please! Let me go! I can’t control it!” She cried. A moment later a hard wind stuck me sending me tumbling across the yard.

  Putting up another shield, I was able to block the wind. I was still barely able to hold the energy that was binding her. Then another attack as the earth beneath my feet exploded knocking me into the air. This time I was prepared and held my shield. Using my magic, I gently descended back down.

  By this time everyone from the manor was rushing out into the yard. Whilhoit outran everyone as he placed himself between Lord Hannen’s niece and me, his sword drawn.

  The girl Mary ran out and threw herself between Whilhoit and Miss Hannen. “Please! She can’t control it! If she feels in danger it defends her.”

  “What defends her?” I asked joining them.

  “Her magic. She can’t control it,” The girl said as she cried.

  I loosened the magic around the niece’s legs. “Stand her up and let’s go inside. I’m tired, sore, and cold.” Rubbing my back where I landed on rock, I started back up the hill to the manor house. I could hear Whilhoit and Lenux standing the prisoner up and following behind me.

  Barad, Bri, and Farloc came up to check on me. I noticed Farloc had found time to pull his hood up.

  As I approached the door, Stiven was watching us all approach. “What happened?” He asked as he stepped aside to let me through. Father Yagen, Father Pild, and Ryan were already waiting for us.

  I thought about what the girl had said about using his first name. “Well, LORD WAITH,” I emphasized. “I would like to introduce you to Miss Abigail Hannen.” I motioned towards her as she was escorted into the room. “She is apparently a wild magic user.”

  Lenux looked at her cautiously, “She doesn’t have control?”

  “Well, let’s ask her,” I replied as they set her down in a chair.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said as she looked at me. Tears running down her face. Her dress was stained with mud from falling into the dirt. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just so scared.”

  “So, you can’t control it at all?” I questioned. She just shook her head.

  “Ok, we will come back to that. Why were you running away?”

  “I was afraid I would take the blame for my uncle, but I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even know him!” She pleaded.

  I started to feel bad for the girl. She must be terrified. As I released the energy I had holding her, she quickly raised her hands to cover her face as she kept weeping. I turned to Stiven. “Lord Waith, do you wish to question the girl.”

  “Yes, I suppose I should do that, umm… Captain Eberon,” he answered using my old military rank.

  He pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of Abigail. “Now young lady. Let’s start with what’s most relevant at the moment. Did you intend to attack the Captain?”

  “Captain?” She asked, looking at me. “No, I was just so scared that my magic tried to defend me. My family thinks I’m dangerous. That’s why I was exiled to my uncle’s empty manor. So I couldn’t hurt them.”

  “Well, good!” Stiven said, smiling. “That answered a big question for us. We had wondered about this exile.”

  “What are you going to do with her?” Mary asked from the corner of the room.

  “Do?” Stiven was taken aback. “Oh yes, I guess we have to decide what to do. Captain Eberon, do you wish to charge this young lady with attacking you?”

  I grimaced, still rubbing my sore back. “No, my Lord. I understand now that she had no intent.”

  “Well,” He said smiling. “I guess you are not under arrest!”

  “That’s it?” Abigail asked.

  “Yes, I think so, unless someone else has a reason?” He said looking around. No one spoke.

  “Well, this has been an interesting night,” Stiven said as he stood. “Young lady, you are free, but I would request that you stay the night. Tomorrow we shall try to figure out what to do with you.”

  “If you don’t mind, My Lord,” I spoke up. “I would like to talk with Abigail for a moment.”

  “Well, that’s fine with me. Young Lady?” Abigail just nodded. “Well then, I shall go back to my new bed, it is just a wonderful bed!” He said gleefully, as he left the room. I nodded to the others to leave as well. They left taking Mary with them.

  “A wonderful bed, I wonder what that is like?” I said aloud as I took the seat across from Abigail.

  She gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry about that too, Captain. If you like, I’ll find you a better room, there are plenty.”

  I raised an eyebrow, “Plenty, eh?” I said, remembering I was told it was the last one. She just gave a guilty shrug.

  “Tell me about your magic? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as strong as you.”

  She looked down. “I hate it. My family told me not to use the magic. I tried to stop it, but it kept attacking people anytime I was scared or lost my temper. I’ve never killed anyone, but I have hurt people.” The last she said in a whisper.

  “Hate it? The magic has been your protector. Why would you hate it?

  “My family doesn’t like magic. They say magic users are evil. I’ve tried to fight it, I have!” She said, getting more upset as she explained.

  “Easy!” I said trying to calm her. I didn’t want another incident.

  “I’m ok,” She said as she took a deep breath.

  “Look, you may have noticed tonight that I can use magic too. Tomorrow let’s start working together and see if we can get you some control. At least to the point where you don’t accidentally kill someone.”

  She nodded gratefully, getting up from her seat. “Now, Captain. Let’s show you to a better room.”

  Chapter 9

  (Lee)

  I awoke in a much better bed than I started that night. Even so, I was feeling sore. My shield protected me from Abigail’s attacks, but I was still knocked around by her barrage. Remembering the cold of last night, this time I put on my boots before leaving the room.

  As I walked down the hall, Farloc stepped out of his room. He was still wearing his hood. “Good morning, Ambassador. Do you sti
ll feel it’s necessary to hide yourself in Lord Waith’s manor?”

  He thought for a moment and lowered his hood. “Probably not. Thank you, Your Majesty. How are you this morning?”

  I took a sore step toward the stairs as Farloc followed me. “I have to admit that I am bruised from last night. Getting hit by that magic was like a practice with Bri.”

  Farloc shook his head. “That is vicious. Miss Wellborn is a skilled warrior.”

  “Well, this one is powerful, but she is not skilled. That’s the true danger.”

  Much like in our suite at the palace, I found the priests sitting at the breakfast table. Today Ryan had already joined them.

  “Good morning, Captain, Ambassador,” Yagen greeted, adopting the cover of calling me Captain that Lord Waith started last night.

  “Good morning, everyone. How are you this morning?” I asked as Farloc nodded in reply.

  “We are well, thank you. We started questioning the staff before breakfast. Everyone agrees that the young lady has no ties to Lord Hannen’s conspiracy.”

  “She does seem to be well liked by the staff,’ Father Pild added.

  “I spoke to her last night. I will try to help her before we move on.” I suddenly felt the coin on my chest go cold. Oh No. I leaned back in my chair in frustration. It seemed Ayisha was just as demanding as her brother.

  “What is wrong?” Farloc asked as he noticed my change in mood.

  “Nothing. I just realized that I will need the girl to come with us in order to have time to teach her.” The coin warmed happily.

  “Is that wise?” Yagen asked.

  I tapped the coin under my shirt to let him know it wasn’t my idea. He gave a slight nod of understanding. I had not shared my interactions with the gods to Farloc. Since it broke some sort of rules amongst the gods, I thought it should be kept secret.

  “I think it would be best for the girl,” I replied aloud.

  Mary came out of the kitchen carrying some coffee. She gasped and nearly dropped our cups when she spotted Farloc. I leapt forward and took the coffees from her.

  “Mary, can you do me a favor?” I asked. She nodded while not taking her eyes away from Farloc. “I would like you to tell the staff that Lord Waith has an elven visitor. He is Ambassador Farloc. Can you do that?”

  “Yes… Yes, sir. I will do it right away,” she said as she backed away into the kitchen.

  “Well, That won’t take long to get the word around,” Yagen said laughing. “I suspect that girl is sprinting through the halls now, yelling the gossip as she goes.”

  “Yes, I think you definitely chose the right person,” agreed Father Pild.

  A few moments later Barad, Bri, and Lenux stepped into the room. “Good morning everyone,” Brianna greeted as she sat down.

  Barad looked at Farloc. “Good morning Ambassador. I should warn you. Rumor has it that there is an elf in the manor.”

  Farloc grinned. “Then I shall keep my eyes open for one.” Apparently Farloc was getting used to Barad’s twisted since of humor.

  Father Yagen looked to the kitchen door. “But, she just left out that door. How can she have already started spreading the rumor?”

  “Never underestimate a teenage girl with a hot rumor. She can spread it faster than fire,” Father Pild answered.

  We all looked at him, and he just shrugged back. “I have sisters.”

  Lord Waith and Whilhoit were the last to join us. “Good morning Gentlemen, I hoped you enjoyed your night at the manor,” Stiven said as he sat to join us.

  “It is very nice,” Father Yagen answered.

  “It is, isn’t it,” Lord Waith glowed. “It is even nicer than I imagined. Now, I must start looking to aid the village. Those poor people will need my help. Oh, but Captain Eberon,” He said turning to me. “I know you are on an important mission. You need not wait any longer than you want. I now feel quite secure in the manor.”

  Originally, Lord Waith was concerned that there might have been those loyal to Lord Hannen still staying at the manor. I agreed he was right that there was little danger here.

  “Thank you, My Lord. In that case we should probably leave tomorrow. I fear it is getting colder every day. It will still be weeks before we reach Illiner.”

  We had asked Farloc about the Elven city to pass time as we rode. He explained that the city was Illiner, the largest city of the elves. As he was describing it, I recognized it from my dream with Alynon. White towered buildings amongst the trees. It was an exciting idea to visit the place in real life.

  “Lord Waith, after thinking it over, I believe I will need to take Miss Hannen with me for training.” Barad, Brianna, and Lenux looked at me with surprise, but Stiven looked very relieved.

  “Ah. Excellent. I was afraid Lady Waith might not be very understanding of a pretty young lady living in our house. That and the burn marks that now cover my stable.”

  “What are we going to do with the girl!?” Barad complained.

  I tapped my coin under my shirt to once again show it wasn’t my idea. Barad looked at my chest, confused for a moment, then leaned back in his chair frustrated. The same frustration I was feeling.

  “Well,” Father Yagen started. “How about we ask her to meet us in the den after breakfast? See what can be worked out.”

  I nodded in response. “That sounds like a good idea.” I turned to Ryan. “How goes your sword practice?”

  “I’ve learned a lot about the technical aspects,” He replied smiling. “However, we haven’t had much time for physical practice while on the road.”

  “Well, my friend,” Barad piped in. “Today is your lucky day. We have a whole afternoon for Bri and I to beat on you.”

  “Also, now that we are moving further from the capital, it will mean camping out. You should have time in the evenings to get some work in,” I added.

  As Mary came in to bring us some food, Father Yagen requested that Abigail meet us in the den after breakfast. She nodded in reply and hurried out of the room. I suspected that Miss Hannen would be informed before our first bites are taken.

  Chapter 10

  (Abigail)

  Last night had been terrifying. Did I really think I could just ride out of here on Dreamer? I didn’t even have an idea of where I was going, and only a few silver coins in my bag. I had trouble sleeping last night in fear of what almost happened. If he had not been a magic user, if he couldn’t have protected himself, he would have died.

  I kept telling myself it was ok, that he wasn’t hurt, but I couldn’t escape the ‘what ifs’. By now everyone would be downstairs eating, but I just couldn’t face them right now. What were they going to do with me? I wondered. As nice as the Lord was, I doubted he would just let me stay here. Also, the magic training the Captain promised, could I really learn to control it? If so, maybe my family would take me back.

  I frowned at that idea. I didn’t want to go back to them. Even without being a magic user, it was a miserable place. I was a little old, but maybe a guild would take me on. Magic users were rare.

  Getting up, I walked over to the window. The yard glistened with morning frost. Touching the window, I could feel the chill of the air outside. Looking at the stables and the charred lines that my magic scorched into its walls, I once again felt overwhelmed by shame.

  I was startled from thought as Mary burst through my door. “The Father asked if you could join them after breakfast to talk,” she said between breaths. She must have run all the way from the kitchen.

  “So soon?” I asked worriedly, and then sighed. “I guess it’s for the best. I’ll go crazy trying to guess what will happen. Can you grab me a dress?”

  Mary went to my closet and picked out one of my favorite dresses. “This one. I like how it matches your hair.” Personally, I thought my brown hair was boring when so many in Vaelin had beautiful blond hair, but Mary kept telling me it was pretty. I saw it as just another way I was different.

  Still, the red dress did look nice. Wea
ring it, I felt more confident than I had before. As Mary was helping me get ready, Tillen knocked at the door. “Good morning Abi,” He said as he entered. “You look lovely this morning. Lord Waith is now ready to see you in the den.”

  I took a deep breath. “Thank you, Tillen.” I got up and followed him to the den.

  Gathered in the den was Lord Waith’s entire party. Most were scattered around the room, but Lord Waith and the Captain were both seated in front of an empty chair. They both rose as I came in.

  “Miss Hannen, Good morning,” Lord Waith said with a smile. “Please come have a seat,” He stated as he motioned to the chair.

  Giving a nervous nod, I took the seat. “Good morning, My Lord. Captain,” I stated, nodding to each. “I wish to once again apologize about last night. I didn’t mean to attack anyone.”

  “Of course, my dear. Your apology is accepted. Did you sleep well?” I just shook my head no. The Lord just laughed. “Oh, I guess that is to be expected. It was an exciting night.

  “We must now decide where you shall go.” Even though it was what I expected, it was still painful to hear. It must have shown on my face, because the Lord apologized. “I’m sorry, my dear. While you seem to be a pleasant girl, I fear Lady Waith wouldn’t like another woman in the house.”

  I nodded my understanding. “Of course, My Lord. I can leave today, if you like.”

  “Oh, and just where would you go?” He asked, raising his brows.

  “I thought maybe a guild would take me,” I said glancing at the Captain. “You said my magic is strong?”

  “Oh yes,” he agreed. “You are very strong. I, however, would like to offer you an alternative. We are escorting Ambassador Farloc back to Illiner, the elven capital. You could accompany us and we could work on your magic. That way you could also remain safe in our group”.

  I glanced around the room till my eyes fell on the elf. So, that’s what was hidden under that hood. I realized. Going on a trip to the elven capital? I never even planned what to do after leaving the manor. Still, it was better than just getting kicked out of the house. “I have no money, Captain.”