Chronicles of Logos Quest For the Kingdom Parts IV, V, VI, and VII Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set)

by L. M. Roth

  He said no more, the effort nearly strangled him, and he could scarcely get the words past the lump in his throat. Dirk stared at him, and then looked at his father with a question in his eyes.

  Dag chose to give his answer through his remark to Lucius.

  “Well, we shall miss your help. You have aided Dirk greatly, so he tells me. And with Cort gone the need will be greater still. But, as you say, you must escort Kyrene.”

  Lucius was grateful for Dag’s kind words; he did not think he had truly been much help to the family, but he had tried.

  “Thank you, sir,” he said with a wan smile, “my father has always admired you greatly, and I can understand why.”

  The meal was finished in silence as the family digested the imminent loss of their friends, and it was soon time to return to the fields.

  That evening Lucius felt the need to be alone and headed for the woods. Odd, he had always hated trees and preferred the city. But here in the isolation of Leith they had somehow managed to find a corner of his heart to stake a claim in, and he frequently took some time to stroll through them after a hard day of work, and the sound of the breeze swaying their branches brought solace and calm to his spirit. A rustle in the grass made him aware that he was not alone and he turned around to find the source.

  It was Maelys, who was walking alone with downcast head and aimlessly dragging behind her a downed limb that she had found on the ground. Her face seemed sad, and he feared for a moment that he was invading her privacy. He darted behind a tree, but she heard him.

  “Who is there?” she asked, as alarm spread across her face.

  He did not wish to frighten her, especially after the recent events, so he slowly came out from his hiding place and revealed himself.

  “Oh, Lucius, you startled me!” she exclaimed as relief roughened her voice. “I did not know what was there!”

  They both laughed weakly, and he fell into step beside her. How often they had walked together during his stay, he thought. How often they had strolled in silence, no need for words between them. With no one else did he feel this sense of peace and total contentment. He could not believe that in a week he would go out of her life and probably never see her again.

  But for the first time, their silence was uncomfortable, as things unsaid between them somehow made their presence felt. Maelys dropped her stick, and Lucius attempted a feeble whistle. At last they glanced at one another and both laughed uncertainly.

  “So you are leaving?” Maelys asked in a strained voice.

  “Well, I must accompany Kyrene; it’s impossible to allow her to return on such a long trip without protection.”

  “Oh, yes, I see,” Maelys said thoughtfully. “And then you will go home, of course.”

  Her voice rose on the last word and ended on a squeak and broke off suddenly, and she kicked at a loose pebble at her feet, managing to hide her face from him. He heard the altered tone in her voice and hope surged through him unexpectedly. He grabbed her hands and turned her around to face him, but she hung her head and averted her gaze.

  “I do not have to go home,” he said as he searched her face. “There really is no point in my going home except to be with my father and mother. I have no duties there, no occupation of any sort. In truth, Maelys, I think I should be of greater use here, helping your father and brothers to fill the space left by Cort.”

  Her head shot up and she stared at him with the fearful look of one who does not dare to hope. And he knew in that moment that if he had hidden his love from her, so had she hidden her heart from him.

  “Maelys,” he whispered as tears sprang to his eyes, “can, can you love me? If I come back, will you marry me? I love you so much, dear, more than I ever dreamed I could love anyone. I have lived for myself all of my life, but you have changed all that, and made a man of me.”

  He swallowed hard in an effort to staunch the flow of his tears. And then he saw the tears in hers and was encouraged.

  “Maelys? Will you have me?”

  “Oh, yes, Lucius, yes, yes, yes!” she cried as she threw maidenly modesty to the winds and flung her arms around him.

  He whooped and grabbed her hands and swung her in a circle, both of them laughing with the abandonment of children. They danced together through the trees and then he took her hands and kissed them tenderly.

  And as the last light of day shed an orange glow on the land, he took his love in his arms and embraced her.

  Chapter XXX

  No Easy Road

  The entire Adalbart family erupted in rejoicing at the news. Even Dirk, who had watched Lucius questioningly, was pleased at the betrothal. He could not resist teasing his brother-in-law to be, however, on the choice of his profession.

  “It is relieved I am to have another hand to help with the work,” he said with mock solemnity. “And even more relieved that it should be you, Lucius. What a help you will be with the plowing, your lines are almost straight now, and there are times when the oxen let you go ahead as they have finally found out who is master…”

  He continued on in this vein, his words drowned out by hoots of laughter from the family. Even Lucius laughed, as happy tears streamed unheeded down his face. Later he would wonder at himself, a man of the Valeriun Empire, weeping unashamedly before others. But later he would also realize how long his protracted stay in Eirinia among those who expressed themselves freely had changed him.

  Judoc alone had an air of caution and a concerned frown furrowed her forehead.

  “And what of your parents, Lucius? Will they really be pleased at their only son, the heir to the Maximus estate, living in Eirinia to farm? Do you really think they will accept this?”

  Lucius was taken aback. He had not thought about it, and as his family had been exiled in Lycenium for more than three years it was not a matter that was of immediate concern. But now he had to face the question.

  “I can appreciate your concern,” he said, “but in truth, my family is in exile in Lycenium and in view of the Emperor’s stance I do not see a return to Valerium for some time. At the moment, there is no Maximus estate to attend to. And my father has many years ahead of him yet. By the time he passes on, Dirk’s sons will be grown and can help with the farm if the need should arise for Maelys and me to return to Valerium.”

  “But what of your parents, Lucius? Will they approve of the match?” Judoc persisted. “Or is this a wild dream of yours that will dissolve as soon as your parents forbid it?”

  Lucius glanced at Maelys, who appeared stunned by her mother’s questioning. Dag said nothing, but his sober air finally penetrated Lucius’ happy dreams.

  “I do not see my father forbidding the match,” he said with dignity. “As for my mother, she will need to accept it, for I will not be moved.”

  Maelys smiled beams of relief, and his heart leaped in joy. No, he would not permit any parental protest to keep them apart!

  Judoc considered him, and looked from him to her daughter.

  “Very well, then,” she said with a satisfied air. “You have my blessing.”

  Kyrene felt the need to speak to Melisande once more before she left Eirinia. She had seen the young woman come forward to repent at Summer Festival, yet she kept herself apart from the Adalbarts and there had been no occasion to talk with her regarding her actions.

  She knocked on the door of Melisande’s hut a few days before she departed and was greeted warmly by the young woman. When she entered she saw little Gwenaelle playing on the floor with a wooden doll. The child rose when she saw Kyrene and limped over to greet her. As she picked up the little girl she felt a flood of compassion sweep through her; poor fatherless little child, with a mother that no one really liked!

  She placed Gwenaelle on her lap as she sat before the fire with Melisande. Gwenaelle clutched at Kyrene’s fingers and attempted to count them.

  “One, three, four, seven,” she prattled.

  Kyrene laughed and Melisande joined in. But Gwenaelle persisted to the comb
ined amusement of the two women. Kyrene tousled the child’s curls and kissed her cheek.

  “She is precocious, this one,” she said as she studied her.

  Melisande smiled wryly before answering.

  “In all ways but one,” she said. “Gwenaelle can not walk without limping. It worries me at times because…”

  She broke off suddenly and turned her face away slightly. Kyrene caught the note of anxiety in her voice and hastened to comfort her.

  “Because of what?” she asked gently. “There is nothing to worry about in a limp. It is unfortunate, but not fatal.”

  “Yes, I know, but,” Melisande paused and took a deep breath.

  She waited for a moment and swallowed hard before she continued.

  “It’s just that, that, Yuna cursed me when I was carrying Gwenaelle and I am afraid, afraid, that she’s…cursed. And the limp is the visible sign of something worse.”

  Kyrene understood then the root of the anxiety.

  “You are afraid she is cursed by God, is that what you mean?”

  Melisande did not reply, but nodded her head vehemently.

  Kyrene pondered the question for a moment, and silently prayed. As she did so, words came to her, words that she hastened to speak to the troubled young woman so worried about her child.

  “I do not believe she is cursed,” Kyrene stated firmly. “For what has she done that she should be cursed? Why, she is but a child, an innocent child! But, I do believe it is possible that the limp is there to bring such questions to your mind, that you might seek Dominio for the answer. Have you been doing that, Melisande?”

  Melisande shot a curious look at Kyrene and shook her head.

  “No, I have not been seeking Dominio,” she replied. “Indeed, I do not believe in any deity.”

  “Oh, but you came forward last week at Summer Festival when everyone repented, and I thought perhaps you were turning to Him.”

  “No; I repented of leading others astray, as I did Nolwenn. I was afraid, and more afraid when I saw the power that came through Dag. What a man he is, Kyrene! I know now why my mother loved him more than she did my father, for I see what it is she saw in him. He is truly a man among men. But I have not been seeking Dominio; I should need proof that He even exists before I could do that.”

  Kyrene felt restraint within her: she sensed that to proceed would only result in turning Melisande away from Dominio completely.

  In your time, Lord, she prayed silently, in your time.

  On the evening before she departed, Kyrene chanced to meet Melisande one last time as she strolled on the green. They smiled and walked together, watching Gwenaelle run off to play with a couple of little girls who played nearby.

  Kyrene decided she could not leave without giving an urgent warning to Melisande. She might not thank her for it, but she could not live with herself if she did not issue it.

  “Melisande,” she said as she turned to face the young woman, “I must say something to you before I leave tomorrow. Your life is ahead of you, and you shall have a long life, but whether it is happy is entirely dependent upon you and the choices you make.

  “You may either continue to harbor your bitterness toward Dag and never know any joy in this world, or you can forgive him for what you perceive to be a grievance against your mother and find happiness along the way. You can either return to Gaudereaux and live with your grandparents and perhaps inherit all that they have, but be consumed by your bitterness if you do not forgive. Or you can continue to live here to spite Dag and continually remind him and Judoc of the pain you have brought on their children.

  “The choices are yours, but I warn you: there is no easy road ahead of you, for your decision to forgive or not to forgive will decide your fate.”

  She stared at Melisande, who dropped her eyes and looked distinctly uncomfortable. She looked at the ground, over her shoulder at her daughter, at the sun about to set, everywhere but at Kyrene.

  “Do you understand this?” Kyrene asked.

  But Melisande only flushed and did not answer.

  Kyrene was sent off with Lucius the following day, with tears and kisses and wishes for a safe journey.

  “How good it was to spend time with all of you, and I shall miss you so!” she cried as she wiped tears away from her overflowing eyes.

  She was met with a river of them in the eyes of Dirk, Maelys, and Judoc. Even Dag struggled to hide his, but embraced his old friend warmly.

  “Yah, like the old days it was, when we had adventures!” he agreed, and placed his large hands on her slender shoulders and laughed in fond remembrance.

  She joined his laughter and then began to weep again.

  “Yes, like the old days,” she agreed. “But remember one thing, my dear friend: no matter how long the passage of time or how great the distance between us, we will always be family because of the blood that binds our hearts together.”

  Chapter XXXI

  In the Eyes of the Law

  The summer was passing rapidly in Lycenium. Already the August days were cooling, and the days visibly shorter than a month ago. And as summer was about to pass into autumn, Justus Lucius reflected over the days he and Silvia had been forced to spend in Lycenium.

  To say that his wife had been deeply upset when she came face to face with their son’s murderer did not even begin to describe the sense of shock, pain, and remembered horror of that long ago day when her only child lay dying in her arms. For years she could not even think of that day without trembling and uncontrolled weeping taking over her usually calm disposition. She had recovered only after much discipline of spirit, giving thanks to whatever deity had given her Felix, grateful for the years she had been blessed with him, and choosing to never look back on the day he had been so brutally taken from her. And from there she had slowly picked up the thread of her life and gone on.

  It had been too cruel a shock when they learned that the daughter of Felix’s closest friend had actually married the son of his murderer. But even then they never anticipated seeing Decimus Hadrianus again. Justus still marveled that the man had been instrumental in releasing him from his prison in Valerium, and surmised that Felicia had prompted it.

  But to see him so unexpectedly that even Decimus was stunned had been Silvia’s undoing. She wept long afterward, even when Justus reminded her that Decimus had, in a way, asked forgiveness of her when he stated that he was sorry. Nothing could stem the flow of her tears, and at last Justus went to visit Marcus Maximus to enlist his aid.

  And so on this day of late summer he found himself in the garden of Drusilla’s estate pacing through the rose beds with his son’s old friend.

  “I am at my wit’s end, Marcus,” he declared in a voice agitated with concern and frustration. “She simply can not stop weeping since we saw Decimus last night, so great is her agitation and so vivid the memories of that day.”

  Marcus pondered on this statement; in truth he was deeply shocked by the account that Justus related to him of that evening with Felicia and Antonius, and what amounted to an apology on the part of Decimus. How unlike him that was, Marcus thought. Could it be that fatherhood and his love for his own son had finally brought home to him what he had robbed Silvia of with one careless thrust of a knife?

  “I wish I could help you, Justus,” Marcus stated. “But in truth, I am sometimes puzzled by Decimus’ behavior myself. I had expected him to wish to dissolve the marriage between our children, even as Tullia and I have, but he declared exactly the opposite, and even reminded me that Felicia’s reputation would suffer harm if they divorced. And you know just how true a statement that is; blame is always laid on the woman, even if she is innocent.”

  Justus shook his head in bewilderment as he listened to Marcus. It was only too true that last statement; and how peculiar that Decimus would care about the reputation of the daughter of his old enemy!

  “I have puzzled over many things this past year, my old friend,” Marcus stated as they continued their st
roll.

  He paused beside a small pond where a lone duck had landed to take a late morning swim. The duck cocked its head at them as if listening, and then proceeded with its dive.

  “And one of them is why on earth I am continually forced to put up with the company of Decimus Hadrianus. I was rid of the man for years, but it was his son who has been the catalyst that keeps the man intruding in my life, first through his friendship with my son, and then his marriage to my daughter. And I can not understand it except to consider the words of an old friend of mine: Dominio simply will not permit me to go on hating my enemy.

  “Instead, I must learn to bless him and pray for him. And I will admit that it has been the most difficult trial of my life. Indeed, I would rather face the Empress Aurora again and live in fear for my life than to be forced to tolerate the company of a man I loathe so much. But as Kyrene reminded me, Dominio loves all men, we have all sinned, and I must repent and show him the same mercy that was shown to me.”

  Justus was thoughtful as he listened to Marcus, and it was evident that his words penetrated deeply. And yet, he had questions that were still unanswered and put them before his friend.

  “Do you mean then that in Dominio’s eyes all sin is equal? That in His eyes a murder is no greater than a lie, or a theft? That would upset the entire justice system, would it not? For a thief will spend many months in the dungeon until his crime is expiated, but a man will hang for a murder. How can it be that this God of yours views sin differently than we do those who sin against society?”

  “It mystifies me also at times, Justus. But, you see, Dominio is holy; He is pure and without sin. And so to Him, all sin is the same, and a thief and a murderer are equally guilty because each as trespassed His law. There is no lesser penalty for either because both have sinned and fallen short of His glory.”

  Justus passed a hand through his short crop of graying hair and wrinkled his nose in concentration.