Avondale V

by Toby Neighbors

  “Oh, hello,” he said, getting hastily to his feet.

  “Welcome, wizard,” said one of the beings.

  Tiberius couldn’t really make out their features. They wore long robes that were so white they reflected the glorious light. Their faces were shining and seemed happy, their hair was like snow, and their voices were so kind Tiberius felt tears once again stinging his eyes. He had never felt so welcome, so completely accepted, in his life.

  “You have discovered the Emerystone,” said the other being.

  “I have,” Tiberius said happily.

  “You should be very proud. You are a master of the Fourth Order now and fit to lead the Orders into a new age.”

  “I … I…” Tiberius wanted to say that he was thankful, but he felt a sudden sense of shame. The beings had called him a master of the Fourth Order, but that wasn’t the case. He didn’t even know the Second or Third Orders. He had broken the cardinal rule of the Four Orders by jumping ahead. It wasn’t completely his fault, but he wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Do not be troubled,” said the first being. “There is no judgement here.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not a true master,” Tiberius said. “There is so much I don’t know.”

  “Our wisdom was doomed,” said the second being.

  “We knew much would be lost,” said the first. “But we always believed that you would come. That is why we created the trials. Only a master of the Fourth Order could retrieve the stone. And you must use your knowledge and skill to rediscover what was lost. Set the course for future generations of wizards to find their way back to a full knowledge of the Four Orders. That is your destiny now.”

  “And I’m to use the power of the Emerystone?” Tiberius asked.

  “There is no power in the stone beyond what you see here,” said the second being.

  “The Fourth Order of magic is much too formidable to be harnessed and controlled,” said the first being. “Our mistake was in fashioning the stone. Power must be earned, otherwise it will be taken for granted.”

  “Or abused,” said the second being.

  “The power that was once held by the great wizard Emery is no more. We have seen to that. This stone will from now on be simply a gemstone. Its only power will be the great wealth it will bestow you. Use it to further your understanding of magic and ensure that magic benefits all mankind.”

  “But there are no more wizards,” Tiberius said. “And the world is on the brink of disaster.”

  “Then use your skills to save it,” they said in unison.

  Tiberius was speechless for a moment. He looked down at his hands, which were dark with dirt. He held the stone in his hands—the diamond seemed to capture the pure, warm light. When Tiberius looked up again, the two beings were gone, and the light faded away. He sat blinking back tears in the darkness. He had come so far and been through so much, only to discover that the Emerystone was nothing but a diamond. It held no power.

  “What’s wrong?” Lexi asked.

  The tiny light was still glowing, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

  “Tiberius?”

  “It’s useless,” he said.

  “What is?” Lexi asked.

  “The Emerystone,” Tiberius explained. “It has no power.”

  “What? Why would anyone go to the trouble of hiding it if it was powerless?”

  “It contained a message,” Tiberius said.

  “What message.”

  “I saw two beings. It think they were wizards from before the cataclysm.”

  “You saw them?”

  “It was like a vision,” Tiberius said. “Anyway, they told me I was to restore the Four Orders of magic.”

  “Okay…”

  “But I can’t, Lexi. I’m a fraud. I skipped the Second and Third Order. That part of the book was destroyed.”

  “But you can do amazing things, Ti.”

  “I can do some things,” he agreed. “But I’m no master wizard, and this entire trip was a complete waste of time.”

  “So what do we do now?” Lexi asked.

  “We have to get back to Avondale and get the Balestone back. Before my brother gets it.”

  Chapter 25

  Olyva

  It was simple luck that the site Olyva had found was on the eastern side of the mountain. Other mountains surrounded Mount Avondale, and the fleet from Sparlan Citadel was approaching from the north. The captain on the Hamill Keep sky ship was crafty. After unloading the cargo that had been hastily loaded onto the ship and after the soldiers set to guard the cargo had disembarked, he sailed out away from the mountain and brought the large ship slowly up through the mist.

  The night was dark, and the ship rose slowly and silently, leaving the bank of fog and hovering just above it. They had expected to see the fleet from the capital surrounding Avondale, and the captain wasn’t going to risk his ship trying to approach a city that was under siege, but the fleet of war ships were stationed so far on the other side of the city that they were out of sight. He brought the ship in low, using the mist and the city’s huge walls to hide the massive vessel. Only the huge balloon sail and the command deck rose above the mist. Lines were dropped from the bow to gauge the room between the hull and the mountain. When they were only two dozen paces above the sloping mountainside, the stairs were lowered, and the sailors poured out onto the ground.

  More ropes were dropped from all around the ship, which the sailors held fast to keep the ship from drifting into the mountain. Only then did the captain rouse Olyva.

  “My lady,” he said, waking Olyva from a troubled sleep. “It’s time. We’re in position and close to Avondale. The king’s ships haven’t come around the city yet.”

  Olyva had a struggle to wake up. She was completely exhausted and had to force herself up and onto her feet. She thanked the captain and went down to the ship’s hold as quickly as possible. Her bare feet rubbed against the rough wooden steps but made no sound. Her whole body ached, and her stomach felt sour. She knew she needed sleep, but there was simply no time to rest. Rafe, the earl, and the entire city were waiting on her. Depending on her, really.

  “You be careful, my lady,” said the sailor who was stationed at the set of ropes that worked the massive wooden staircase.

  “Thank you,” she said, trying to smile.

  She stopped once she was on the ground, letting her feet dig into the rocky soil. She had a canteen of water, which she unstoppered and poured over her feet. The water was cool, much like the night air. Olyva filled her lungs to capacity and let her toes soak in as much water as possible. Then she set off.

  She was still tired, and the climb wasn’t easy, but she quickly passed out of the mist, and the massive city walls came into sight. She could see the soldiers keeping watch. They had spotted the sky ship and were waiting for Olyva. She walked as quickly as she could around the wall toward the northern gate, but Rafe met her before she arrived. He was already leading the people out to meet her.

  “You made it,” he said with a sigh of relief. “There isn’t much time before dawn, and I was beginning to worry.”

  “The captain is cautious,” Olyva said. “But the ship isn’t far. We can load the children and elderly onboard before we climb down.”

  “You won’t need to,” Rafe said. “There aren’t enough people leaving the city. There will be more than enough room on the sky ship for the entire group.”

  “Really?” Olyva asked. “Surely they saw the king’s fleet.”

  “They did, and we sent word that the king would most likely attack the city, but most of the citizens are convinced that Earl Ageus is committing treason. They think he should just turn Tiberius over to Leonosis. Some are protesting outside the earl’s palace right now, but I’ve got plenty of armed soldiers in the palace to prevent them from doing anything stupid.”

  “So there will be a fight?” Olyva asked.

  “It’s unavoidable,” Rafe said. “I know that we had hoped Tiberius would make
it back, but even if he did, it would only move the location of the battle.”

  “You’ll be fighting,” Olyva said, trying to wrap her tired mind around the fact that she might lose Rafe forever.

  “I’ll be leading the troops,” Rafe said. “The commander doesn’t fight unless things get really dire.”

  “But things will get dire, won’t they?”

  “Only if Tiberius doesn’t get back soon,” Rafe said honestly. “I don’t want you to worry.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “I mean it—we have a good plan, and we aren’t taking any chances. Leonosis wants Ti alive. I could see it in his eyes when we met with him earlier.”

  “You saw him?” Olyva asked. “Was he possessed?”

  “He looked horrible. Your father had dead eyes, but otherwise he looked healthy. Leonosis looks like a starving man in the king’s royal robes. But he was very much alive, and he’s desperate to get Tiberius.”

  “And the Balestone?”

  “Yes,” Rafe said. “I’m quite certain that’s what he really wants. I don’t think he’ll destroy the city, otherwise he’ll risk killing Tiberius. My guess is he’ll send his troops in. It will be bloody for certain, but we’ll have the advantage. We know the city so we’ll fight in the spots where we have the greatest advantage. It will be a delaying strategy, and who knows? Leonosis might even just lay siege to the city and try to wait us out.”

  “I want you to come to me,” Olyva said.

  “I will,” he said. “Nothing could keep me away, I swear it.”

  “I’ll be waiting, always.”

  There was only time for one passionate kiss, then the crowd was passing them by, wandering in the dark. Olyva slipped from Rafe’s warm embrace and hurried to show the evacuees the way to the ship. The line of people was long, and most were very poor. The wealthier citizens had opted to stay in their sturdy homes and protect their treasures. Olyva could feel the mountain tensing, like a wild animal gathering itself before leaping to attack its prey. She was certain the mountain would erupt; it was only a matter of time. If the king’s army didn’t destroy the city, the mountain would.

  Once she had led the line of people to the ship, she hurried back along the band of frightened refugees, waiting to make sure everyone could find their way to the Hamill Keep sky ship. Desyra was one of the last people to come. Her eyes were swollen, and her face was red. Even in the darkness, Olyva could tell her youngest sister had been weeping.

  “What’s wrong?” Olyva asked her, falling in to walk down the mountain with her sister.

  “Mother won’t come,” Desyra said. “She’s hurt, and so is Frezya. Cassandra died.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Olyva said, feeling a sudden pang of guilt.

  “Mother said it was your fault. She blamed it all on you.”

  “I know,” Olyva said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Did Rafe really kill Cassandra?” Desyra asked, stopping and staring up at Olyva with tear-filled eyes.

  For a moment Olyva wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want Desyra to hate her or Rafe, yet her mother and sisters had attacked her. Their anger and jealousy had driven them mad, but Olyva's innocent, trusting baby sister still loved them. Truth was the best option, she realized. The world was about to become a difficult place for Desyra, but shielding her from the harshness would not help her.

  “Yes,” Olyva said. “He did it to protect me. Mother has lost her way.”

  “How could he?” Desyra cried. “How could he do that?”

  “They attacked us. Did mother tell you that? Did she tell you that Frezya wounded Rafe? Or that Cassandra was dragging me down the stairs by my hair? Lives were at stake, Desyra. It’s terrible that things got so ugly so fast, but we gave them every opportunity to leave peacefully. Now, you must deal with your grief and overcome it. Hurting for your family is not a bad thing, but you cannot let it keep you from facing the hardships that lie ahead. There are hundreds of people boarding the sky ship, and they will all be looking to us to help them adjust. We have to be strong—that’s what Father would do.”

  “Oh, Olyva, if only he were here, I know that none of this would have happened.”

  “You’re right. He was our protector, but now he’s gone, and it’s up to us to take care of ourselves. We can’t make Mother or Frezya do the right thing. We can only encourage them and hope for them.”

  “And pray for them,” Desyra said.

  “That’s right. We can pray for them. But we are only responsible for our own actions. Do you understand?”

  “I think so,” the young girl said.

  “Good, because I think you’re going to be a very important woman someday. Perhaps an earl’s wife, or possibly even queen.”

  “Really? You think I could be Queen of Valana?”

  Olyva felt a flicker of doubt—not about her sister, but for the future of Valana. Desyra could be anything she wanted to be, Olyva had no doubt about that, but there might not be a Valana for anyone to rule.

  “Yes,” Olyva said. “You would make a wonderful queen. But no matter what you become, remember that our first duty is to care for the people around us.”

  “Just like Father always did.”

  “Yes, if you are anything like Father, you will be a great woman someday.”

  Desyra seemed in better spirits as they boarded the ship and gave the all-clear for the captain and his crew to sail away from the city. Most of the people stayed on the lower decks, but Olyva and Desyra went up to the command deck. The sun was just rising behind them, casting golden rays of wondrous light onto Avondale. Olyva was struck by the incredible beauty of the city. It was truly a marvel, she thought. Then they sunk back down into the mists that covered the blighted lands, and Olyva wondered if she would ever see Avondale again.

  Chapter 26

  Rafe

  Rafe stood on the wall and watched the sky ship sink down into the mists. He felt as if it were an omen. His greatest love was on the ship, and watching it slowly disappear into the blighted lands sent a cold shudder straight through him.

  The sun was just beginning to rise, and that meant that the earl’s plan would soon be in full swing. Rafe had no part in what he knew would only be the first volley. He turned and watched as the sky ship from Avondale unfurled its sails and set out across the sky toward the fleet of war ships. It was a gutsy move on the earl’s part, one that was sure to merely poke the bear and start a fight they were certain to lose if Tiberius didn’t return, but the earl was convinced that if he could make Leonosis angry, the new king and his sorceress queen would focus their attention on Avondale, giving the refugees a chance to survive whatever happened in the city.

  Rafe took a moment to think about Tiberius. His friend, the earl’s third son, once considered nothing but a waste of space, was now their only hope. Rafe believed in Tiberius, he had seen Ti do things that boggled his mind, yet finding another magical stone somewhere in the blighted lands seemed impossible. He couldn’t imagine that Tiberius would make it back to Avondale before they were all killed, and even if he did, Rafe doubted that he would be in possession of a magical talisman that would save them all. Rafe knew that, no matter what, a lot of people were going to die, and even though he was a warrior, trained all his life for battle, the thought of the senseless killing made him ill.

  He walked up to the rooftop of the palace where the earl was watching with several of the officers that were in charge of the soldiers in the palace. They watched with grim fascination as the sky ship sailed toward the fleet.

  “And so it begins,” the earl said calmly when Rafe arrived.

  “Everything is ready, my lord,” Rafe said.

  “I have no doubts. What chance do you give my plan?”

  “Not much, I’m afraid,” Rafe said. “Even if your scheme is successful, there are simply too many ships and too many men to stop if they are intent on taking the city.”

  “Sometimes victory isn’t defeating your opponent,” Ea
rl Ageus said. “We don’t have to beat Leonosis in a fair fight—we only need to distract him, to keep him busy until Tiberius arrives.”

  “And if he doesn’t arrive?”

  “Well, then Leonosis won’t find him here, will he? Either way, we win.”

  “He’ll take his fury out on the city,” Rafe said.

  “Perhaps, but cities can be rebuilt. Besides, your wife is convinced the volcano is going to erupt, and with all the tremors we’ve felt, it’s hard to doubt her.”

  Rafe wanted to share the earl’s sense of optimism, even if it was fake. Earl Ageus was different now. Before his illness, the earl had been gruff, demanding, and certainly not merciful. The city had been the symbol of his pride. He was the earl of the grandest city in the kingdom. There were other wealthy cities and cities with essential resources that could be found nowhere else in Valana, but Avondale had more than any of the others. Being the ruler of Avondale gave Ageus a prestige that the other earls could only envy. Even the king’s own fortress was a grim abode compared to the beauty and grandeur of Avondale.

  Yet now, Earl Ageus acted as if the city were easily replaceable. He was open to ideas other than his own, more patient than Rafe had ever imagined he could be, and even encouraging. Perhaps Tiberius’ spell had done more than just heal the man or give him a newfound appreciation for life. It was as if the earl had been living for just such a time as this, and he was thrilled to not have missed it.

  The conversation died down as the magnificent sky ship from Avondale approached the ships of the king’s fleet. From the top of the palace roof, Rafe and the other men were forced to use powerful telescopes to see what would happen. The sky ship had taken in sail as it approached the fleet, slowing its progress, which was certainly expected. Leonosis would think that Tiberius was on the sky ship. He might even be lulled in close to Avondale’s vessel, which was loaded with firebombs and sailed by a tiny fraction of the crew.