The Endarians closed in around them. A particularly statuesque fellow in gray signaled for the riders to follow him. The Endarians turned toward the lake, falling into a great column a dozen warriors wide, with the three human riders at its center.
The formation with which the riders moved came to a halt and parted to allow the gray-clad warrior to lead the human riders between his compatriots. Up ahead, the fortress rose. Traces of mist hovered just above the azure surface of the surrounding lake. A flock of geese ascended from the western shore, settling into a familiar V formation as they winged their way to the south.
The bridge crossed the water in a gentle arch. But when the horses stepped out on it, no sound rang forth when hooves struck stone. Arn cocked his head to listen. The other sounds in the world around him continued. He could hear the faint honking of the geese and the louder sounds of horses breathing and leather creaking. Only the clip-clop of hooves striking stone was missing.
Arn studied the castle walls as they drew ever closer. They looked strangely smooth, and he found it difficult to see the corners. Arn redirected his attention to the bridge, which was constructed of the same material.
Up close, this effect was even more pronounced. Only where the stone was silhouetted against the water below was there a clear delineation of edge. In fact, studying the material made him slightly dizzy.
The gateway into the fortress yawned before them at a distance of about a hundred paces. There was no drawbridge, nor was there any sign of a portcullis that could be lowered across the thirty-foot-wide opening. He could clearly see through the tunnel into a grassy courtyard on the far side where a small group of Endarians waited.
The riders’ Endarian guide paused for several seconds as he entered the passage. When Arn moved up beside the guide, he again felt a sudden pressure much like what he had felt in the tunnel behind the waterfall. The feeling passed, and he and the others continued down the tunnel. The odd sensation repeated itself as they stepped out into the inner courtyard.
Arn blinked and squinted as his eyes readjusted to the bright sunshine, which seemed much lighter than when he had entered the tunnel a few moments before. In fact, the sun seemed slightly higher in the sky than it had been just a moment ago. He looked around. The thick outer walls of the fortress arced away behind him, gradually curving inward.
The party of Endarians that they had seen through the gate stood about fifty paces in front of them. Kim stood between her brother and a stunning woman, clad in shimmering blue. Several other Endarians stood just behind these three. A broad smile lit Kimber’s features, and she raised her arm and waved, a motion that John mirrored. Just then three young Endarians trotted forward.
“We will take your horses, gentlemen,” said one of the serious youths.
The three companions dismounted, lifted their packs off their mounts, and turned the horses over to the Endarians. Much to Arn’s surprise, Ty’s stallion snorted with pleasure as one of the Endarians ran a hand over its muzzle. The big horse turned and followed the boy toward a distant stable, accompanied by the other Endarians and horses.
Arn slung his pack over his left shoulder and walked toward the waiting group, with John and Ty beside him. Kim ran forward and threw her arms around John’s neck in a hug that he heartily returned. She released her embrace of John to quickly hug Arn and Ty as well.
“My friends,” Kim said, “I would like to introduce you to my mother, Queen Elan.”
The queen in the blue gown stood almost as tall as Ty. She stepped forward and Arn bowed to kiss her extended hand.
“We are deeply honored, Majesty.”
The queen inclined her head.
John followed Arn’s example, but as he stepped backward from the kiss, he stumbled and would have fallen had Arn not reached out to support him. His face reddened, but a kindly smile from the queen seemed to reassure him.
Arn held his breath as the queen turned to Ty, wondering whether the unpredictable wild man would do something that would embarrass them all. But Ty responded with all the grace of a nobleman, copying Arn’s motions as if he had been born to them.
“I would like to welcome you all to Endar and to express my personal gratitude for saving my daughter’s life and for safely returning her to me,” Elan said. “It has been ages since a human last set foot inside this castle.
“You must all be tired from your long journey, so Galad will usher you to your room and allow you to clean up and rest before dinner. Tonight, we shall hold a grand banquet in your honor. I will leave the difficult discussions until tomorrow.”
The queen then turned and walked across the park toward one of the many gardens, accompanied by all her party save Galad. As the group strolled off, Kim turned and waved once more. Then she disappeared behind a hedge.
The three men followed Kim’s brother as he led them off toward the palace. While flowers had been the central theme of the park, water became the dominant feature as they approached the palace facade. Waterfalls, lily ponds, fountains, and geysers produced a lilting melody that Arn found hypnotic.
This gave way to steps a hundred feet wide, leading up a terraced embankment and to the wide palace doors. The walls of the palace were of the same white stone, although the doors and other fixtures were of wood, intricately carved and inlaid with scenes of animals, trees, and mountains. These carvings had been painted so that the scenes appeared to be lifelike, such that Arn felt as if he were looking at an actual landscape. He almost expected to see the animals raise their heads at the approach of strangers, but they did not. The feeling passed as the doors swung open.
Arn, Ty, and John followed Galad into a ballroom larger than any Arn had seen in Hannington Castle, the walls of which were decorated with delicate tapestries. The far wall of the ballroom was glass and looked out over an inner garden completely enclosed by the palace. At the center of the ballroom, a white set of stone steps spiraled upward.
Fascinated as he was, Arn did not have much time to study the room, for Galad led them rapidly up the stairway. The odd coloring of the stone made it so difficult to see the edges of the steps that Arn had to concentrate in order to avoid stumbling and plunging down to the ballroom floor. John and Ty seemed to be exerting similar levels of concentration in their ascent as Galad moved up the stairs with Endarian grace and the ease of long familiarity.
They reached the top and followed Galad down twisting corridors lighted by a soft glow given off by the stone walls, floor, and ceiling. The hallways they traversed, wide enough for three to walk abreast, offered no decorations other than the intricately carved wooden doors that the men passed on either side.
After several minutes of negotiating narrow corridors and stairs, Galad led them through a door and into a large room with a fireplace and hearth in the center of the far wall. Comfortable rugs covered the floor and a massive window opened onto a balcony on the left side of the space. Three pallets with heavy quilts lay spread out before the fireplace.
“Kimber said that you three would prefer to stay together,” Galad said. “If that is not the case, we can set up different rooms for you.”
“This will be fine,” Arn said.
“Bath facilities are through that door,” Galad continued, pointing to a door on the right-most wall. “We have also provided clean garments in the closet. I will give you some time to freshen up and relax from your journey. Then, just before sunset, you will be escorted to the Feast of Welcoming. Until then . . .”
Galad turned and strode out of the room.
“Well, what do you make of that?” Ty said as he walked to the doorway and glanced down the hall. “Kim’s brother sure is a cold bird. I get the distinct feeling that he isn’t too happy about us being here.”
“He was happy to see Kim,” said John, “but as far as he’s concerned, we should have turned back after we dropped her off.”
“And did you hear Queen Elan’s comment about difficult discussions ahead?” said Ty.
Arn paced
slowly across the room with his hands behind his back. He paused to stare out the window. “I’m not sure what kind of reception I was expecting, but this is not it. Something is wrong here.”
“I say we leave before we get our throats cut,” said Ty.
“I’m staying,” said John. “Kim isn’t about to let anyone harm us, and I can’t believe that Queen Elan would, either. Did you see the look on her face when she thanked us for saving Kim’s life? That was true gratitude.”
“Yes, and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on,” said Arn. “Regardless, leaving now is out of the question. Some kind of Endarian magic was operating in that fog, so we probably couldn’t find our way out if we tried. Let’s sit tight and play the part of welcomed guests.”
The three men slept the afternoon away on the comfortable pallets. When Arn opened his eyes, he saw the orange ball of the sun hanging just above the mountains. He yawned and stretched.
A knock on the door brought him to his feet.
“Come in,” he said.
Kim’s lithe form stepped into the room. She was clad in a green gown that glittered with a translucent sheen. She had laced delicate white flowers into hair that cascaded down her back.
“Hello there, sleepy ones,” she said.
At the sound of her voice, John scrambled to his feet.
A groan came from the spot where Ty lay atop his pallet. “Go away and come back tomorrow.”
John’s foot struck him in the ribs.
“I have come to inform you that the feast will begin in one hour,” Kim said. “Though all of you may not like the idea, please wear the fresh clothes that hang in the closet.”
She shot a glance toward Ty. “I am sure that they will fit, but I warn you not to be startled. Endarian garb has rather unusual properties. I will be back to escort you after you have had a chance to get ready.”
She turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.
“Damn it. I didn’t even get a chance to say hello,” said John.
“We should prepare for dinner,” said Arn.
The three men stripped out of their clothes and took the new pants and shirts from the hooks where they hung. Ty’s startled exclamation pulled Arn’s eyes to him.
“What in the deep?”
The green trousers that Ty had pulled on were now scarlet, with just a hint of black threading its way through them. As he slipped into the shirt it also changed color, the thin veins of black becoming more predominant in its cloth. When John put on his clothes, the scene repeated itself, except that John’s attire acquired a deep blue.
Arn stared down at the green outfit that he had draped across his left arm. He slipped it on. The color shifted and faded, leaving the cloth as black as Slaken’s blade, although he thought he saw a transitory shimmer of red shifting across its surface.
“Wow.” A low whistle escaped from John’s lips. “It looks like these clothes are designed to tell them something about us.”
Arn strapped his knives to his body.
The three men finished dressing and settled down to wait for Kim’s return. They were soon rewarded with the sound of a tap on the door. John opened it.
“You three look lovely,” she said as she stepped back to observe her traveling companions. Her gaze lingered slightly longer on Arn than on the others, but she made no comment.
“Shall we go?” she asked. Arn gestured forward, and Kim guided them through the winding passages and back down the spiral staircase. She led them across the large ballroom and back out through the front doors. The early evening air was brisk, and Arn was surprised to find that the light Endarian clothes kept him warm.
Perhaps a hundred Endarians stood in the grassy park, clustered in small parties. Kim guided them toward the largest of these groups. As they got closer, Arn could see Elan talking intently with an ancient-looking fellow clad in pale green. His hair had gray streaks, and his frame was bent. The old Endarian was so thin that Arn thought that a strong wind might blow him away.
As Kim led them along the edge of the garden closest to that group, Elan turned toward them.
“Ah, it is good to see you clean and rested,” the queen said. “Quite an improvement.”
“I must compliment your tailors,” said Arn. “These clothes are by far the most comfortable I have worn. I hardly know what to think of the color, though. I hope you do not think that my heart is as black as this cloth.”
“Black does not necessarily indicate evil to us,” said Elan, “but let us not discuss such weighty matters at the moment. We are here to celebrate, to make merry.”
With that, she turned and raised her hands. A hush fell across the park. The queen signaled to Kim, who guided her friends to a place beside Elan. The small groups of Endarians moved to form a circle on the grass so that the queen and her party sat nearest to the palace. With twilight taking hold, Arn was barely able to see those gathered on the far side of the park.
Queen Elan reached out, palms up, and other Endarians ventured forth to set trays of food illuminated by fist-size, lighted globes before the seated assemblage.
The evening passed quickly. Arn felt tempted to overindulge on the delicious venison, bread, and wine, but he resisted. A glance to his side informed him that Ty and John were unconcerned with such worries. Between courses, singers performed, and though he did not understand the language, the music pulled forth visions of times long gone, when Endarians roamed these lands in far greater numbers. The poignant sense of loss affected Arn most deeply.
He had just pushed away his plate and leaned back when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around, he was surprised to see Elan.
“Come. Walk with me,” she said.
“Certainly, Majesty.”
Rising to his feet, he strolled beside the queen through one of her many gardens before entering a wooded portion of the park. A number of Endarians darted between the trees parallel to their course. They were so quick and blended so well with the grove that Arn almost failed to detect them.
The queen halted and turned toward him. “It is time that you learn the reason that your reception was somewhat less than a warm one,” she said.
Arn waited, saying nothing.
The queen began to slowly pace as she spoke, her hands intertwined in her garment. “We Endarians are an ancient race. Up until four hundred years ago, we numbered in the millions and spread throughout the forests of the north. At that time, there arose an evil beyond telling, an ancient wielder known as Kragan, whom we believed long dead.
“Kragan sought to spread his power through the destruction of the Endarians. The war that followed decimated my people and shattered the great kingdoms of men. In the end, Kragan, along with his city-state of Lagoth, was destroyed in a conflagration of spells that created the Mogev Desert.
“The surviving Endarians, who numbered but a fraction of their former strength, returned here to our seat of power to recover. For some time, we were able to do just that, to console ourselves over our terrible losses with the knowledge that we had destroyed the threat Kragan posed.
“But a little over thirty years ago, a great horde of vorgs swept out of the northeastern planes to ravage the land. King Rodan of Tal sent a young warlord named Jared Rafel as an emissary, offering an ancient Endarian document as tribute as he sought to forge an alliance between our peoples against the vorg.
“I would have refused him audience had not a member of the Endarian High Council been with the scouting party that first encountered Rafel. That councilor recognized the importance of the ancient scroll and brought Lord Rafel before me and the council. After much consultation, we determined that an alliance with the humans would be mutually beneficial.”
“And the scroll?” Arn asked.
“We turned it over to our wisest archivists. Ever since that time, they have studied it in an attempt to understand and verify the prophecy it contained. The prophecy was written in an ancient variant of the Endarian dialect. Its
phrasing caused considerable disagreement in its interpretation. But one thing is very clear: the prophecy has correctly predicted every major historical conflict, including both the Kragan War and the Vorg War.
“There is also general agreement in the high council that Kragan will rise again, that his fate is somehow linked to Rafel’s human daughter. That is part of the reason that I sent a party of Endarian warriors, led by my own daughter, to find Rafel and summon him here.”
Queen Elan paused, her dark eyes sparkling in the moonlight, their intensity foreboding.
“Blade, I know who you are and what you do. I know that Rafel saved you from the gallows when you were but a child. I know the dark legend that you have become. You are no doubt aware by now that your knife does not shield you from Endarian magic.”
“I am.”
“Then you should know that we believe that the ancient scroll foretells that you will play a key role in determining whether the prophesied ray of hope lives or dies. Whether or not you will end up saving or destroying her is open to debate.”
“How so?”
“Consider this,” Elan said. “An Endarian princess is sent to summon Rafel to Endar. The princess is captured by the vorg, but before she can be seriously harmed, an infamous assassin rescues her and, along with his two barbarian companions, returns her safely to her mother, the queen of the Endarians. An intriguing coincidence, would you not agree?”
Now the chill Arn had felt was replaced by a growing tension in his muscles.
“I understand what you’re implying,” he said.
“There is a faction among my advisors who believe that this is all too convenient. They say that Blade has used far more intricate schemes to reach his other targets. They tell me that I cannot afford to take chances with one such as you.”
“If I were them,” Arn said, “I would be telling you exactly the same thing. Knowing my reputation, you’re foolish to risk my presence here.”
“Maybe I am not taking as big a chance as you think.”
“If you mean the bowmen positioned in the trees, they could not keep me from killing you if that was my intent.”
Mark of Fire (The Endarian Prophecy Book 1) Page 25
