by L. M. Roth
Marcus rose from his chair and paced the library floor slowly. Silvia had been taken by Tullia to a quiet chamber upstairs where she could rest from the voyage, and Odelius had been dispatched to another room until it could be determined what to do with him. Justus and Marcus were now alone, and the news was too unbelievable for Marcus to take in.
“Why, Justus? Why would Decimus help you? You say he came to your prison and opened the door and sent you to the ship; yet why would he do such a thing?”
Justus shook his head in equal mystification. He shrugged his shoulders and heaved a sigh of weariness.
“Marcus, I have discussed it with Silvia, and we have no explanation for it either. We are as puzzled as you. But, Silvia did make a suggestion that I think is the most likely reason for Decimus’ strange behavior. He is Felicia’s father-in-law, and she is visiting Valerium with her husband. It is entirely possible that she heard of my imprisonment and asked Decimus to importune for my release from the Emperor. Either he attempted to and it was denied, or he simply took matters into his own hands.”
“I suppose that is possible,” Marcus said slowly as he meditated on the statement, “I certainly can not see Decimus taking it on himself to do you such a favor: the man is still despicable to me, but he does have some affection for Felicia. Indeed, he admitted as much to me when we had to decide whether to dissolve the marriage of our children or let it stand. He may very well have done it for her sake, to ease her distress at seeing an old friend of the family suffer.”
Justus nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest with a satisfied air.
“Yes, I think that may well be the reason. For he made it clear to me that Emperor Iacomus knew nothing of his action, and that if I did not make haste for Lycenium that I was as good as dead. I assumed he meant when the news of my escape was brought to the Emperor; and I have no doubt that Decimus was right on that score!”
“How does Odelius factor into this?” Marcus asked in bewilderment. “Why has he come with you to Lycenium? His roots are in Valerium and he is a stranger here.”
“Decimus’ idea,” Justus said briefly. “He said that someone had to be blamed for my escape, and he already knew that Odelius had brought me a message from Dag, and would probably be implicated anyway once my escape was made known. From Decimus’ point of view, sending Odelius with me was a solution to pin the blame on him and at the same time get him safely away.”
“Decimus said that!” Marcus voice rose until it cracked. “Since when did Decimus Hadrianus care about anyone’s safety but his own? You should know better than that, Justus; after all, he killed your son.”
Justus closed his eyes suddenly as if stabbed by a sudden pain, and Marcus cursed himself for being such a fool as to remind his old friend of that wound he still bore. He waited for Justus to compose himself and collect his thoughts, wishing he had never let the words escape his lips.
“Yes, I know, Marcus,” he said in a subdued voice. “And it was clear to me that he remembers that also. He did not say anything to me about it; indeed, he seemed uncomfortable and refused to look me in the eye at any time during our discourse. I do not think he would have been uncomfortable if he were merely doing a favor for his daughter-in-law for a man who meant nothing to him, with no history between them. Yes, I would say he remembers very well.”
Marcus stared at Justus in disbelief. In his whole history with Decimus the man had been utterly selfish, caring only for his own desires and comfort. Why would he release from prison the father of the man he had so carelessly killed? Was it merely to please Felicia, as Silvia suggested?
Or was there more to this mystery than lay on the surface?
Chapter III
A Menace Brooding
Dirk had not relaxed in his vigil regarding Nolwenn. His younger sister still gave him cause for concern, and he watched her from the corner of his eye so stealthily that even she did not see him do so. Although she had been drawn closer to their mother and Maelys upon the news of their father’s imprisonment, he knew that she still visited Melisande as often as she could possibly get away from the family, and he trusted that vixen not at all.
Just last week Judoc had suggested inviting Melisande and little Gwenaelle to share the evening meal with them, one that was now shared with their visitors, Kyrene and Lucius. Because the Adalbart hut was already filled to capacity Judoc had suggested moving Dirk, Brand, and Lucius into Cort’s empty hut, so that Kyrene might have the use of their room during her stay. It would have been more comfortable for their visitors, he thought, to move Kyrene into the hut along with Maelys and Nolwenn and given Lucius the girls’ room, but Judoc wanted her daughters under her close supervision as befitted unmarried maidens and banished the young men and Brand to their brother’s hut instead.
Such an arrangement also gave Dirk an opportunity to study their guest. Lucius puzzled him; why had he come to Eirinia? Dirk was fond of his father Marcus Maximus, but Lucius did not resemble his father except in his appearance. Both had dark wavy hair and piercing gray eyes that could penetrate with a steely resolve or radiate warm affection. Upon seeing Lucius for the first time, Dirk better understood his mother’s description of the young Marcus as looking like a young god, so handsome had he been. Dirk agreed that Lucius was indeed that with his perfectly chiseled features and athletic physique, but he could not picture this elegant young man actually liking Eirinia with its crude huts, primitive inhabitants, and the coarse fabric of their garments.
Dirk was told that Lucius had volunteered to escort Maelys and Kyrene safely back to Eirinia from Lycenium and that was all well and good; but why did he stay on, long after a reasonable time had come to depart and return home? He had arrived with them in late October, and now it was December and he still made no move to leave…
At any other time Lucius would have agreed with Dirk’s assessment of himself: there would have been no reason for him to linger in Eirinia, nothing to draw him to the place. Not even its fabled beauty would have attracted Lucius, for he saw beauty only in music, art, and great buildings of stone and marble. Nature had no appeal for him, and the woods and hills of Eirinia that so entranced Kyrene held only the irritation of slapping insects that rose from the grassy hills off of his body and sneezing his way through the wild thyme and herbs that grew so profusely. As for the woods, he was not afraid of the legends of strange creatures that walked by night; he was more annoyed at the sounds of the crickets that chirped and the owls that hooted and interrupted his sleep on their trek through the highlands.
No, it was not the beauty of Eirinia that attracted him or inspired him to prolong his stay…
They walked by the stream that evening in the lingering warmth of the sun’s last rays. Maelys had desired some exercise after working with Judoc in the kitchen most of the afternoon, and Lucius had hastily volunteered to chaperone her for her own protection. Such a suggestion would have induced Maelys’ mockery at another time, but she sensed a rising menace in the village, whether from man or from the Tuadan she did not know, and she was secretly glad for Lucius’ offer.
The stream swept by sluggishly, seeming clogged by a burden of brown mud that impeded its progress. Maelys could have wept, so well did she remember the crystal clarity of this stream in former days. What was happening to the land, that the once emerald hills were turned brown, and the streams sullied with mud?
Tears started to her eyes, and Lucius turned to her in concern.
“What is it, Maelys?” he asked, wishing that he dared to put an arm around her.
But he had only known her a couple of months, and such an intimacy was forbidden to show a young lady who was not one’s betrothed. And Maelys did not appear to show any interest in him apart from friendship anyway, which did nothing to encourage him either.
“I am afraid, Lucius,” she whispered. “I feel a menace brooding, but I know not where it comes from or how soon it will break. But I feel it.”
She shivered and wrapped her arms
around herself as if for warmth and comfort. For Lucius it was too much: he placed a hand upon her shoulder and patted it gently. She glanced at him in surprise and smiled gratefully, but ducked away from his hand. That it was from modesty and not dislike he knew, but it was no easier to bear for knowing that.
He knew that if he had any wisdom he should forget the maid and return to Lycenium. But he found that his worldly wisdom had deserted him, and his heart compelled him to stay, hoping for any signs of encouragement from her as a dog waits for spare crumbs from his master’s table.
And Aunt Kyrene made no sign of leaving anyway, and he was bound to travel with her to offer his protection.
He preferred to concentrate for the moment on addressing Maelys’ concern.
“What is it that you fear, Maelys? I do not have the gift for such things that my sister Felicia has, and no doubt if she were here she would share your feeling. But I do not sense anything, and therefore can not understand why you are afraid.”
He looked at her helplessly, wanting for her sake to understand, but the spiritual had always been beyond his understanding, and he was lost.
“There have been reports lately,” she whispered, “among the villagers that the old creatures of legend are walking about after nightfall. Little Erwan had a strange encounter while I was away, one I would find difficult to believe. But only last night Nolwenn told me that someone in Annick heard strange things when walking home after a day’s hunting. He said he heard voices, but could see no one. It made his hair stand on end, and he ran for home so frightened was he.”
Maelys closed her eyes and shuddered, and he resisted the impulse to pull her into his arms.
“Where did Nolwenn get her information from?” he prompted.
There was something about Nolwenn that made Lucius uncomfortable, although he did not know what it was. And that sister-in-law of theirs was even worse. He had met Melisande once, and that once was more than enough as far as he was concerned. There was a sultriness about her that both attracted and repelled him. She reminded him of the actresses he had known in Lycenium that he had trifled with: Melisande had that same air of worldly wisdom and seductive sensuality. But in contrast to the purity of Maelys it disgusted him and he felt a desire to escape Melisande’s presence that he might breathe the pure air.
“She was told by Melisande, who had visited some friends in Annick,” Maelys told him. “And Melisande is not given to being fanciful, yet she appeared to believe it.”
Lucius restrained himself from commenting and waited for Maelys to continue.
“Something is happening, Lucius, and it is escalating. And when it reaches its climax what will the outcome be?”
Chapter IV
A Reprimand and A Revelation
It was on an overcast day in January, when the sky above seemed to mourn in gray silence over barren trees and hills lightly flecked with the downy white of a rare snowfall, that Cort returned to Eirinia. The weather could not have matched his mood more perfectly, he thought in irony. For life seemed gray and bleak as a winter afternoon that stretches on interminably, tarrying as though to taunt those who long for the return of spring.
He took Siv and Brit to his hut, where he was astonished to find his brothers and a stranger who bore a strong resemblance to his friend Marcus Maximus in the days of his youth. He was not at all surprised to discover that the stranger was none other than Marcus’ son, who had journeyed to Eirinia with Maelys and Kyrene. Upon hearing that Kyrene was visiting, he made haste to his father’s hut to be reunited with his old friend, whom he had not seen in many years.
He burst into the hut without even bothering to knock, so eager was he to see their visitor.
“Kyrene! Where are you, Kyrene?” he exclaimed.
A woman rose from a chair near his mother. She was tall and still slim, bearing herself with the grace that he remembered so well. Her hazel eyes were still wide with an expression of seeing something that others can not see, but her tawny mane of waves was streaked with white around her hairline, giving her the appearance of an aging lioness, feeling the years encroach, but who still has the power to roar.
“Cort! I would not have known you; you are so tall and handsome!” Kyrene laughed with a throaty chuckle in the warm velvety voice he had almost forgotten, but now recalled with delight.
They embraced and held one another for a moment, for Kyrene had acted as a surrogate mother to him in the days of their quest long ago. Cort was flooded suddenly with memories of her tender care of him, from making certain he had enough food to eat to buying him clothes when he outgrew his own, and realized how precious this woman was to him.
He made haste to introduce her to his wife and mother.
“Mother, this is my old friend, Kyrene. She was like a mother to me when we traveled together long ago.”
Brit shyly took Kyrene’s outstretched hand, but true to character, Kyrene vocalized her own pleasure at meeting Cort’s real mother, fond though she was of Judoc.
“How delightful it is to meet you! I am so happy that you and Cort are reunited, for families should be together, and I know how much your son loves you and missed you,” Kyrene told the older woman.
Brit beamed under the warmth of the greeting and shot a smile at her son, who now brought Siv forth to be introduced.
“Kyrene, this is Siv, my wife whom Dominio sent me back to Trekur Lende to find,” he said softly with a tender glance at his wife.
Kyrene’s eyes lit up with a soft glow as she examined the young woman. She appeared to be pleased beyond reason, Cort thought, but then again, Kyrene had always seen more than what lay on the surface. He found himself wondering what she was seeing about his wife that brought the pleased satisfaction to her face.
But the other characteristic he remembered of Kyrene was that she did not keep people in suspense for very long. Nor did she now.
“Ah, I am very pleased to meet you,” she said, nodding her head with the air of one whose every wish has been gratified.
She looked from Siv to Cort and smiled and nodded her head once again.
“You are precisely what this young man needs,” she pronounced.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly as she peered keenly into Siv’s eyes.
“And you are precisely what the Kingdom needs at this time, for we shall have need of such as you,” she said somewhat cryptically.
Both Siv and Cort waited for her to explain her words, but Kyrene did not offer an explanation.
It was two days after Cort’s return that he spoke privately to Kyrene.
It had been difficult, with so many occupying the two huts in the dead of winter to find a quiet place where they could talk. Indeed, his return with his family had precipitated a change in living arrangements: he and Siv and Brit had returned to his hut, sending his brothers back to the family hut. He asked Kyrene and Lucius to remain as his guests in his own hut so that he could have more opportunities to spend with them.
This arrangement was satisfactory to all concerned, Lucius being slightly uncomfortable with Dirk’s stealthy but noticeable examination of him. He also had little to talk about with him, as the Adalbart brothers had never left Eirinia and knew nothing of the world. Their conversation was limited to agricultural concerns when not speaking of Dominio and the Kingdom. But Lucius already got on well with Kyrene and enjoyed conversing with her. Her knowledge and wisdom had opened his heart, and he looked forward to hearing her speak of prophecy and the mysteries of Dominio and the laws of the Kingdom.
He was pleasantly surprised to discover that Cort had been to Lycenium, and loved it almost as much as Lucius did. Together they discussed the amenities of the city and shared their own fond memories of it. Cort was also fairly well-traveled, and had actually seen more of the world than Lucius himself had, and it was a pleasure to hear tales of the fabled cities and remote lands hidden from the rest of civilization that he had visited.
As Cort and Kyrene exchanged memories of their quest of lo
ng ago, Lucius listened and learned more of his father and the respect in which he was held by his old friends. They spoke also of Felix, and how his wit and intelligence had saved them on more than one occasion, alternately wiping tears of laughter or mourning from their eyes as they reminisced about the young man who had been cut down before his time. And for the first time Lucius felt the loss of such a man, and understood why his father hated Decimus Hadrianus so much…
Tears pricked his own eyes as he heard the others tell of how close Marcus and Felix had been, like brothers whom nothing could part, and he thought of his own friendship with Antonius and how similar their relationship was. How cruel for his father to lose such a friend and after losing his parents not long before. He must have felt truly alone in the world, with no one to call his own except his wife.
And he marveled anew at the hand of fate that dealt Marcus Maximus the blow of giving the son of Decimus Hadrianus to be his son-in-law.
The weather had turned milder as January sometimes does, with a thaw that produced a light fog, so Cort and Kyrene decided to take a walk in the woods near the village. The trees were bare of the snowfall of two days before, and here and there the branches paid host to hardy little birds who had not flown south for the winter, a winter that was usually mild in the temperate climate. Occasionally a screech rose up from the tries as the birds flew in one mass into the air, only to settle down in the treetops once more.
When they had determined that no one had followed them and they could not be heard Kyrene began without preamble.
“I have met Melisande,” she stated.
