The group pondered this, with Salina being the one to ask the awkward question. “Why have we been waiting?”
Elister answered promptly. “For the same reason I gave you months ago. Premature action could have resulted in not only their deaths but yours as well. We needed further intelligence on their defenses and motives. We now have what we need.”
“So we finally free our loved ones?” Targon asked hopefully.
Elister frowned and looked down for a moment. “Yes and no,” he began. “I haven’t told you much yet, as we were still learning, but we can only save one or the other. There is no time to save both, and neither will survive if we split our forces.”
“You ordered us to split our forces not more than three months ago,” Salina pleaded with the druid. “Why can’t we save both?”
“Because we aren’t strong enough to,” Elister said with sadness in his voice. “And we are running out of time.”
The group sat silently. Even the children who weren’t asleep in their caregivers’ laps were somber and quiet. Several folks murmured, Agatha swore under her breath, and Horace gave everyone a stern look. Khan finally spoke. “I used my critir when last in Kesh to probe the defenses of my former countrymen.” The wizard paused, hesitant to give bad news. “The druid speaks truthfully. Your family members are running out of time.”
“That’s just great,” Horace finally said in disgust.
“You’re sure?” Salina asked.
“Yes,” Elister said. “You all must make a decision, and you must do so tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, many of you will leave for perhaps the last time.”
“Is there no other way?” Targon asked.
Elister shook his head, and Mary from Rockton spoke. “I don’t feign to know what you are talking about, but Dareen was braver than any man I know.”
Salina stood suddenly, looking at the woman from Rockton with a frown, before saying, “Is that a vote for Targon’s mother?”
“Please, don’t,” Targon said, sadness in his voice as he stood as well and gently placed a hand on her arm.
Wally and Marge nodded, with Marge adding, “It’s not like that, dearie. We simply have a soft spot on our hearts for Master Targon’s mother.”
Cedric gently handed a sleeping Karz to Monique, who took the young boy and held him in her arms. He stood and walked over to his mother while everyone watched. Facing her, he had tears well up in his eyes, but his words rang true. “Mother, what would Father do if he were here?”
Salina shook her head, and tears rolled down her eyes. She started to cry, a rare sight for the strong woman, and Cedric took her in his arms as she placed her head on his shoulder. Everyone allowed them the moment, and it was difficult to find a dry eye in the gathering, with the exception, perhaps, of Elister and the Kesh men, though the two latter looked as if they’d prefer to be dead and somewhere else.
The group sat in silence for the longest time. Seconds turned into minutes, and still no one spoke. This was not going to be an easy decision. With some effort, Salina pulled back from her son and nodded at him. She didn’t try to hide her tears, wiping them on the sleeve of her blouse, and sniffled twice to compose herself. She nodded at Targon as well and then sat down and said, “We go to Kesh.”
Targon bent over slightly to address her. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Salina shook her head. “Cedric is right. Bran would never forgive himself if we managed to save him and he learned of our decision here. He has committed his entire life to serving our realm and our people, despite the ruler we had. I could never put that guilt on him.”
Cedric sat down next to his mother and held her hand. There was some talk before Will got up and cleared his throat. His face showed both pity and anger. Everyone knew that after the great escape by the Ulathans and Rocktons from Ulsthor, that Elister had to break the news to him about his beloved Inga. Most thought the romance was shallow and superficial, as that was what they were led to believe. Only when Argyll had brought back news of her sacrifice in freeing the others did everyone understand the depth of the man’s despair. Will said, “I will go to Kesh and free Targon’s mother. I will make the Kesh pay for what they have done.”
His tone was so fierce that most eyes looked upon Dorsun and Khan, who sat silently toward the rear. They seldom participated in these gatherings, keeping to themselves, and their demeanor was always somber. No one could recall seeing them smile or laugh. It was difficult for them and for the others to understand the emotions that ran so near the surface. Neither man argued the point; both remained silent.
“Do you know who you want to send on this mission?” Targon asked Elister.
“I do,” the old man said. “Will is one of them.”
The tall Ulathan soldier nodded at Elister and sat back down. No one else spoke while all attention turned to Elister, who stood unmoving. After a few moments, Targon spoke. “Elister, are you all right?”
“What? Did you say something?” the dead druid asked.
“Not again,” Horace complained, and Emelda shushed him.
“He ain’t done that in some time,” Agatha noted.
“What did I do?” he asked.
Targon took two steps over to the man and whispered in his stone ear, “You fell asleep again.”
“I did no such thing,” Elister protested. “I was thinking . . . that is all.”
“Then have you thought up who will come with Will and I on this mission to secure my mother’s release?” Targon asked.
“You will go,” Elister said triumphantly.
Targon sighed. “We know that. Who else?”
“I will go,” Salina said.
“It would be understandable if you stayed . . .” Targon ventured.
Salina shot him a look that meant business. “You are not saying that to me. Either I go with you or I go to Korwell alone.”
“But, Mother,” Cedric said suddenly in fear, “that would mean your death.”
“So be it,” she said. “I am no stranger to it. I’ve been on death’s door before.”
“Aye,” Will said. “Salina must come with us.”
Cedric turned to look over his shoulder at Will. “You don’t expect me to stay behind and leave my mother to venture around Kesh by herself, do you?”
“Cedric and Salina, then,” Targon said approvingly, gracing the young man with a smile even though he was barely older than him by a year.
“We will certainly not stay in Ulatha,” Khan said, and Dorsun nodded.
“Good,” Targon said, turning to face the Kesh men. “Happy to have you with us.” Though, the declaration surprised no one. The last few months, the Kesh were at the forefront in fighting their own countrymen. No one expected it to be any different.
“I want to come,” Jons said.
“Absolutely not.” Agatha rebuked the young boy.
“You are needed here to guard the women and children,” Emelda said with more tact. “Who can I trust to man a crossbow with my beloved husband?”
Jons smiled and looked at Horace, who gave the lad a wink. They had been practicing for the last several weeks just in case, especially when they reflected on what had happened during the ambush by the Kesh brigands during the summer.
Agatha was livid. “You shouldn’t encourage the boy. He doesn’t understand the danger. What? Do you want him to end up like Thomas?”
The reference to the deceased orphan who died at only twelve was painful to all. No one wanted to counter the old woman, but Horace was the closest to being fearless of her tongue. He said, “That’s exactly why we’re teaching him to fight, so he don’t end up dead.”
Emelda put a hand on her husband in an act of restraint as Agatha and Horace exchanged glares with one another. Few wanted to come between that. Targon, however, felt a need to lead, and he spoke softly, though his words carried clearly to his countrymen. “We all mourn Celeste and Thomas, as well as the others who have sacrificed in this struggle”—
he locked eyes with Will, indicating that Targon was referring to Inga—“but we need to stick together if we are to survive, especially in light of what Master Elister has shared with us over the last few weeks. Jons, you are needed here with Horace, and that is final.”
Jons smiled and didn’t seem too put out. He was happy to be seen as worthy of helping the old man guard the cabin and homestead. Being only nine years old, it was true what Agatha said about not understanding the dangers fully, but he was being given a lesson in life that was too real and painful for one of his age. War paid no heed to niceties and pleasantries.
“If you’re going to Kesh, then I want to come. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Core,” Marissa said from her seat next to Olga.
“Agon help us,” Agatha exclaimed again. “Have all the children lost their minds?”
Horace couldn’t resist. “She’s hardly a child, that one. Has the blessing of the wood mother in her, she does.”
“Possessed is what yer meaning,” Agatha shot back at the old man. “She’d be dead by now if not for that large bear protecting her.”
“She can handle herself,” Horace replied.
“Master Targon, you’re not going to allow this, are you?” Agatha looked at him, and the rest of the group did the same.
Targon felt uncomfortable in the limelight, though he’d do what he had to do. He thought about it for a second, and then said, “Core may very well play a crucial role during our travels in Kesh.” Then, turning to look at Khan, he asked, “We won’t be using the main roads, will we?”
“Of course not,” Khan said. “We will most likely need to travel in the wilds near the northern mountain chain of the Felsics where they branch out to the great ocean.”
Targon nodded. “Then Marissa will join us for the journey, acting as a scout with Core. She won’t be entering the Kesh capital with us, and neither will the bear.” He looked sternly at the young lady who had bewildered the group since they’d first met her. She simply nodded in approval.
“If there is no further business, I think that should be enough.” Elister finally spoke, breaking his silence. “Unless any of the Rockton women intend to join?”
“You shouldn’t be asking them.” Agatha scolded the druid.
Mary spoke for the trio of women from their neighboring realm. “I would go if I thought I could help, but Gwen and Shiela will not step foot again in that foul realm. I would stay with them, if I could.”
“The opportunity had to be given,” Elister said, looking at Agatha. “One should not judge another simply based on gender or age.” He gave another glance at Salina and then Marissa. “There is a need for speed, so too many will hinder our chances of success. Remember, we are assaulting the very foundation of Kesh society and intending to free one of our own from directly under the nose of the High-Mage and the Onyx Tower. More dangerous this could not be.”
Khan nodded his head in agreement, and Dorsun’s eyes widened at the mention of the ruling wizard caste. It was still difficult for him to think anything else other than awe at those in power and authority in his old realm. Khan spoke. “Do you have a plan for entering Kesh other than using the secret meadow?”
The magic-user was referring to the path that had been used many times by the Ulathans to enter and egress the wizard realm. It was a mountain meadow that stood upon a cliff overlooking Kesh proper. They had used old ropes to descend and then climb back up upon their return, but it was close to the mountain pass, and brigand patrols had gotten closer and closer to finding their secret entrance. Most, however, could think of nothing else. Using the meadow pass and cliff meant running through multiple patrols and a sure chance of encountering a fight.
Elister put a stone hand on his stone chin and mimicked the stroking motion that the wizards of Kesh were so fond of, before he spoke. “Actually, speed and secrecy are more important right now. If you use the mountain meadow pass, you will run into another patrol as you and Targon did so recently. The fight will most likely go in your favor, but the encounter will alert the wizards of your presence, and they will send reinforcements.”
The warrior men nodded their heads in agreement. All had forayed into Kesh, and despite winning a battle decisively, they were set upon quickly by more enemy patrols. Will spoke first out of anger at the Kesh. “So what if they find us. We should eliminate every patrol that comes our way and clear a path from Ulsthor to Keshtor.”
Several others nodded, though they didn’t understand the strategic situation. Khan replied before Elister could. “Each time we were victorious, the remaining patrols were vectored directly to us. This could only be done by arcane means, and while we are stronger than any one patrol, we could not stand directly against the combined might of the entire Ulsthor garrison.”
“I thought you said the wizards in Ulsthor left for their capital?” Will asked, standing now and gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His anger had not diminished during their conversation.
“They did.” Elister jumped in before Khan this time. “However, the Ulathan wizard, the one serving Khan’s old mentor, was reassigned to Ulsthor and tasked with holding the town and searching for us and destroying us once we were found. The man is using his critir, aided by the master critir in the Onyx Tower—”
Khan interrupted the druid. “The Chamber of Seeing critir has been repaired. My old master sees everything now.”
“Almost everything,” Elister said with a grin.
“He can see where we are when we are fighting?” Will asked, astounded at the revelation.
“Close,” Khan explained. “With the aid of the druid, he does not actually see us as much as he feels us and our location, using our power against us. He needs to be close first in order to use the Chamber of Seeing properly. When we engage a patrol, he knows where to look and can rapidly deploy forces against us.”
Salina turned to face sideways so she could see the Kesh wizard. “How are we supposed to travel anywhere in Kesh, then, if this High-Mage of yours is constantly tracking us?”
Khan looked at Elister, so Salina turned her head the other way to see the druid, who said, “He won’t be tracking if he doesn’t know you are there. To that end, I am proposing a different path, one that was, and may still be, closed to you.”
“What are you talking about?” Targon asked.
Elister continued. “Long ago, a group of travelers used the path to enter Kesh from Ulatha when the road and mountain pass was barred to them. It was under a similar circumstance. I led them to the area near where the Ulathan entrance was located, and they continued into Kesh via this secret underground route.”
“Why did you not share this with us before?” Salina asked. “When did this happen?”
“It occurred during the great Dragon War and at a time when Ulatha was under siege by Kesh,” Elister explained. “The route is actually a long-since-abandoned underground city of the ancients. The original builders were steeped in the lore of defensive magic, and their doors are not made to be opened at will. Unless you have a key or part of their ancient magic, the doors will remain barred to you. They will not open.”
Horace chimed in from his perch on the front porch of the cabin. “How long ago are you talking about, Master Druid?”
Elister resumed his stroking as several stone chips fluttered to the ground from the man’s petrified chin. “A thousand years ago, give or take a couple years.”
“Wow,” Cedric said, his eyes open wide. There was some murmuring in the group, but the Kesh men could only roll their eyes again. The druid had told them months ago that he was over a thousand years old, yet the Ulathans always seemed to treat the revelation of the same information with awe and respect. It was something the Kesh were unaccustomed to and never seemed able to fathom as far as a reason went.
“So you knew these ancients?” Salina asked, a tinge of awe in her voice, though she always showed respect to the druid, even though he was dead.
Elister put his hand down and
tilted his head back, laughing gently at the question. His eyes didn’t sparkle—they were lifeless—but his demeanor hinted at a small sense of glee and approval with the living. He said, “No, they had long sense departed this world before I was even born.”
“How long before?” Horace asked, always interested in anything older than himself.
“Let me see,” Elister said, looking up at the twinkling stars and noting the impending arrival of the twin sisters on the eastern horizon over the Border Mountains. “I would say it was a thousand, a thousand years ago if my old mentor, Master Greyson, was correct with his history lesson.”
“What were these ancients like?” Cedric asked, always eager to learn.
“Well, it has been a thousand years since I last studied about them,” Elister said. “I do remember there being talk of two races of ancients. One loved the earth and lived below it, and the other loved the sky and lived under it.”
“Which ones are we talking about?” Horace asked.
“The ones who loved the ground,” Elister explained. “They built a city under the mountains, and many passageways as well in order for them to travel to and fro. One of which went from one realm to another, though it’s my understanding that Ulatha and Kesh weren’t even in existence when their immense dwelling was built.”
“Where did they go to?” Cedric pressed his questioning. They had actually had a similar conversation weeks ago, but the tale was always interesting for the young man.
“No one knows for sure other than the fact that they left Agon.” Elister sounded sad at the pronouncement.
Agatha wrenched the topic back to the present with her usual surliness. “What’s this got to do with getting into Kesh. Can they do it or no?”
Elister looked at the old woman and answered, “Yes, they can. At least, I think they can.”
“Well, which is it?” She returned fire.
The dead druid looked at Khan, and the wizard spoke. “I believe I can open the door with a spell, so yes to your question, Lady Agatha.”
Mad Mage: Claire-Agon Ranger Book 3 (Ranger Series) Page 17
