He ruminated on all the differences he would have experienced in his life if he had been raised differently, and as his mind ran through a long list of episodes, he realized how much he had been formed by the road he had been forced to follow. The last years and months, the time he spent with Aristotle in particular, and the experiences he had been forced through since the disaster in Riverside had completely altered him. He thought about the visit to the cave in the Pale Mountains, and his many Goldenfields decisions and activities, which had changed him so dramatically from the boy who had entered the mountains as an easy-going stable boy in a traveling carnival.
As the sun began to drop rapidly towards the horizon, Alec began preparing himself for his journey. He drank water from the spring pool, then soaked several articles of clothing in water and tucked them together in his shirt, to carry water with him on what he expected to be an arid journey.
Alec said a long, solemn pray of thanks to God and to John Mark for the healing and revelations he had experienced on his pilgrimage, asked for guidance and assistance, then began walking away from the isolated mountain, back towards Bondell, using the sunset and the stars to guide his journey towards a world he realized he was going to try to change dramatically.
Chapter 22 – The Return from Oblivion
Alec walked resolutely throughout the night, trying to maintain a steady pace across the uneven terrain. As the sun rose he maintained his travel, looking for the first spot that might offer any type of shade, or ideally, moisture, where he could stop and sleep for a few hours. He had occasionally sucked water out of his drenched clothes while walking, but had judiciously tried to preserve most of the dampness for the next two days’ trip.
Halfway through the morning Alec came across a deep arroyo, into which he descended, looking for his place to stop. At the bottom of the chasm, fifty feet below the desert surface, he laid down at the end of a small box canyon, and quickly fell asleep. As he lay sleeping he dreamed of water running across the desert and falling down into the box canyon and sinking into the sandy soil to lie atop the stony bedrock.
When he awoke after a few hours of rest, he began scooping sand away, digging a hole in hopes of finding some of his dreamt water. A foot below the surface the soil began to grow moist, and another foot down saw a puddle begin to form. Alec widened the hole to allow more water to collect, then left to go in search of plants he could eat to alleviate his hunger. As he collected various items and chewed on them greedily, he gathered several roots that reminded him of the water roots he and Leah had eaten when they had floated down the Giffey River.
Alec found a small puddle awaiting him in his hole, and soaked several clothes in it before resuming his trip. He climbed up the opposite wall of the canyon, and with the sun setting on his left began steadily walking.
Step by step he covered a great distance during the night, and as the sun rose on him a second time, he saw signs of a moister climate, with more grasses and shrubs. Alec resolved to walk as far as he could without pause, and by late that afternoon spotted a tree line that turned out to mark a small stream of running water. He knew that the appearance of the stream was fortuitous, for he had reached the end of his endurance, and settled onto a mossy bank, where he fell into oblivious sleep.
When Alec awoke the next morning he sat up and began to mentally prepare himself to meet people once again, anticipating interactions, questions and conversations that would put an end to his quiet contemplative experience. Exactly how long had he been asleep in the cave, he wondered? What forces from Goldenfields, if any, would he find carrying out the training in Bondell? It might actually prove problematic, he realized unhappily, for him to report in and then check out to go on his own mission to Oyster Bay, but he would face that when he came to it.
More immediately, he expected that he would travel far enough to revisit the monastery on the edge of the wilderness before nightfall, and shortly after noon he saw it arise as a dark shadow on the flat horizon, growing slowly larger as he approached. By late afternoon Alec arrived at the gates of the walls, and re-entered to seek hospitality.
“Who are you, to approach us from the south?” the house master asked, obviously feeling rude to ask, but not able to resist.
“My name is Alec, and I am returning from a pilgrimage,” he replied. “I stopped here on my way going there, and appreciated your hospitality then.”
“You did stop here, didn’t you, back in the late winter? We saw a large group of men come looking for you afterwards, and then return crestfallen and empty-handed,” the master said, looking at him closely. “Where were you?”
Alec paused, wondering whether to admit his miraculous experience or not. “I was in the pool of John Mark, in the midst of a vision,” he said after several seconds. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go say my devotions now.” He stood and left before more questions were put to him. He wasn’t sure what to tell anyone; he wasn’t sure what would be believed, and what would sound like preposterous braggadocio.
Alec walked to the chapel and knelt in prayer before the altar, feeling an immediate sense of peace as he began to contemplate and pray before the cross. He joined the chorus of other voices in chanting praises to God, and a flood of satisfaction entered his brain, leading him to deep introspection that only ended abruptly when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice called, “Friend.”
“Friend,” a monk repeated kindly, “we are all gathered for evening meal, and if you wish to share some, you’ll need to join us now.” He apologized for interrupting Alec’s prayers and left the chapel. Alec soon followed him, and sat down to a small loaf of bread, a bowl of stew, and a glass of watered down wine. After the meal there were further prayers before retiring to bed. Alec joined the group of men at prayer, then went to sleep in the guest dorm.
In the morning, Alec prayed before sunrise, then ate breakfast and prayed again with the monks. He felt the desire to offer some service to his hosts in return for their hospitality, and asked the master of the monastery if he could provide a health clinic for everyone who wished healing. Later that morning he sat in the dining hall and treated everyone who came to see him, using his health senses for the first time in a long time. Without items to use for cures, Alec resorted to prayers, inviting his patients to pray with him as he applied his healing powers to treat the many minor ailments he found -- the aches, breaks, warts, and cuts that took little effort. A few conditions that affected the men’s fundamental health, such as heart and lung problems, required him to exert more of his powers by praying for intercession. By lunch time Alec had treated everyone who sought healing, a satisfying assertion that his powers were fully restored.
He joined the monks in prayer again that afternoon and after dinner, then went to sleep again. The following morning, Alec prayed and ate breakfast, then accepted a sack of supplies from the master and left the monastery to resume his journey to Bondell. “You have the look and the powers of a Holy Man, Alec,” the master told him sincerely as he fingered Alec’s long hair while they shook hands upon his departure. “Go in peace, and serve the Lord.”
Alec walked through the empty lands the entire day. At mid –afternoon he passed the small woodlot he had slept in on his way to the pool, and around midnight he arrived in a small village, where he entered the local chapel and spent the night sleeping. In the morning he arose early and promptly began walking along the country lane that led towards the city. During his trip he walked past many farmsteads and saw several people in the fields and on the road. All the crops were sown and growing well, leaving Alec to again wonder how long he had laid healing in the cave.
After sunset he arrived at another village, and knew that he would be back in Bondell within a day. He again slept in a church, and again left early in the morning.
During the days of solitary travel Alec had contemplated the discoveries that were revealed to him in the cave. He felt certain that he was about to pass quickly through Bondell and journey to Oyster Bay
, where he would act to avenge the murder of the king, and recover the crown for safekeeping until a new king was named. Then he would travel most of the way across the Dominion to find the tomb where Noranda was sealed. The future would be left unplanned, and he would weigh whether to return to Goldenfields to help in the battles there, or float back to Oyster Bay if the succession to the throne remained perilously unsettled. And at some point he would have a chance to see Bethany again, and perhaps in the mean time he could decipher his own feelings towards her.
Alec traveled resolutely throughout the day, not taking time to talk to anyone along the way, eating the supplies in his sack from the monastery. By late afternoon the city was in sight, and Alec was contemplating his arrival back at the palace. He looked forward to surprising Faldor the chamberlain with his long delayed appearance.
An hour before sunset Alec shaded his eyes in consternation as he approached the gate to the city. Flying over the palace in the center of the city was a familiar flag, a sickeningly familiar flag, bearing the colors of Oyster Bay.
Chapter 23 – The Return of Powers
At the gate a half dozen guards in Oyster Bay uniforms were watching the light traffic that was entering Bondell. “Who are you?” a sergeant asked Alec as he approached the entry.
“I’ve been on a pilgrimage to the monastery at Drywall,” Alec replied.
“Saying your prayers, were you?” the sergeant asked cynically. “Were your prayers answered?”
“Before I even got there,” Alec replied simply, trying to figure out what to do in this unexpected situation.
“Where are you going now?”
“I’m going to return to the home of my grandmother, Anna, who lives in the neighborhood near the Cobble market square,” Alec replied, hoping that he wouldn’t merit an escort to check on him.
“Carnin, Augusul, walk the boy back to his grannie’s home to make sure she tucks him in for the night,” the sergeant detailed two men.
Alec looked at the two who shuffled forward, then set his course towards the slums of Bondell where he prayed he would find sanctuary and answers to the disastrous appearance of Oyster Bay forces in control of the capital.
They walked though the city in gathering glum as darkness descended in the narrow streets. Alec arrived at the alleyway staircase he remembered climbing before, and went up to knock at the door with his shadows in tow. The door jiggled, then opened to show the face of the woman Alec had healed months ago.
Unseen by the soldiers, Alec put his hand on his sword handle, prepared to wield his weapon rapidly if Anna was unable to grasp the nature of the ruse he was foisting upon her.
“Grandma Anna, I’m back from my pilgrimage. These men didn’t trust me to come back to you,” he nodded with his head.
The old woman in the door way looked from one to the other then found her tongue. “Alec, you were gone longer than I expected. Come in boy and we’ll have a bite of dinner.” She opened the door wide and motioned for his entry.
Alec looked back at his escort.
“We’ll tell Sarge you’re home safe and sound, son,” one said as the two soldiers clattered down the stairs and back to their station.
“Well you’re playing a surprising game,” Anna told Alec with the door safely closed behind her and Alec in the kitchen. “What were you going to do if I didn’t remember you?”
“I would have killed them,” Alec said matter-of-factly. “What has happened here? Where did those soldiers come from and how are they in charge of the city? Where’s the prince?” he asked the last question with a suddenly sinking feeling.
“A month ago three ship loads of men arrived in the bay and proceeded to take over the city, the docks, the palace, and everything else they wanted,” Anna told him in some agitation, pacing back and forth. “The Goldenfields warriors and the locals they were training were outnumbered and knew it, so they took the prince and his court and withdrew from the city, fighting their way out. They’re supposedly up the coast at a fortress where they’re besieged.”
Alec saw a movement in the back room and a young boy appeared. “Who’s this, grandma?” the child asked.
“This is our friend who made your knee feel better when you fell down in the market not too long ago,” Anna replied. “Do you remember?”
“I remember that,” the boy replied. “You put relindo roots on Jamem’s sore finger, and after that her mother put those roots on every sore she had. Why do you look so messy?” he abruptly finished.
“Why are you here?” the boy asked Alec after several seconds of pregnant pause.
“I came to talk to your grandma,” Alec told him at last.
“You go back to your room and let us talk now,” his grandmother said in a kindly voice.
Alec watched the boy leave. “What have the Oyster Bay men been like?” he asked.
“They’ve done their share of looting the shops and taking the girls they want,” she replied. “They don’t have many friends here. The shipping down south to the far lands has stopped, other than for the Locksforts. So there isn’t much work at the wharves, and that’s just one more thing that has the men angry.
“And the boy shouldn’t have said it, but you do look a mess. Those guards are likely to come back to check on you just because of your looks,” Anna said as she motioned to the pitcher of water and soap in the kitchen.
Just then a knock at the door surprised them both. “Do you have many visitors at night?” Alec asked.
“Usually, no,” Anna replied as she approached the door, with Alec and Thomis close behind.
Three soldiers stood outside, and pushed their way into the apartment when Anna opened the door. “We’ve come to invite your grandson to talk to an officer,” one of them said.
“Why would he need to go anywhere? He just got home,” Anna replied. “He hasn’t been here for weeks.”
“A neighbor says that you don’t have a grandson as old as your traveler here,” the soldier replied.
Alec considered the situation. He could force a battle here and use the confined space of the apartment to help beat the three men in swordplay, or he could wait until they were out of sight down on the street, where the soldiers would be better able to spread out and provide a more formidable confrontation. But Anna and Thomis would be exposed to the violence if he fought the battle here.
Alec picked up his bag. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon, when this is all straightened out,” he told Anna, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Someone must be trying to stir up trouble, probably the couple below us.” He looked at the soldiers. “They didn’t like my dancing at night,” he said with a grin and a shrug.
He followed one soldier out of the apartment, with the other two behind and went down the stairs. “What will happen?” he asked.
“We’re just going to go to the station for a few questions. Nothing to worry about,” the soldier said without looking at Alec as they walked down the street.
“I’m not going further until you tell me what this is about,” Alec asserted. He stood still at the entrance to the market square. “Why are you concerned about one boy in the city?”
The soldiers looked at Alec and slowly spread out around him. “We’re looking to make sure no trouble moves back into the city. You carry a sword, and no one really needs a sword here for honest business. Let’s just talk this over,” the leader said.
Alec dropped his bag and pulled out his sword. “You can leave me alone, or we can fight this out right here. I’m not going any further,” he said.
The three soldiers’ swords were pulled from their scabbards, and Alec prepared for a battle like none he faced since he’d trained in the armory at the palace in Oyster Bay.
“Put up your swords,” a voice said, and a patrol of three more soldiers appeared on the other side of the square.
Alec took advantage of the sudden distraction to strike at one of the three soldiers around him. He killed him and went on the attack against the next soldier, duck
ing below a swing from the third. He killed the second and faced the third as the three other soldiers arrived.
“I saw you once,” the officer from the patrol said. “I went to the armory to watch the ingenaire from Goldenfields fight multiple members of the King’s Guard. He was a left-handed talent who was flawless and extraordinary to watch. You put on quite a show that day. Your hair was short and clean, and your clothes were presentable back then.”
“Ergoni,” the officer said to one of his men. “I want you to run to headquarters now as fast as you can and let them know what you’ve seen and heard here. Let them know what we face, because I suspect the rest of us are going to die trying to prevent this man from chasing you. Go now! Go now!” the officer shouted.
Alec watched the man start to run as fast as he could away from the tableau.
“Why did you kill the king?” Alec asked the officer.
“I didn’t kill him; the people who did were wrong to do so. I’m sorry he died; it was evil. But it happened and we’re stuck now trying to keep the pieces of the Dominion together,” the officer said. “The king was a good man.”
Alec struck quickly, piercing the knee of the man on the right of the officer, disabling him, rolling on the ground, then rising to similarly disable the other guard. He stood up again and faced the officer, just ducking under the man’s attempt to stab him.
Alec stood and looked at the officer, then parried his attack, stepped back and parried another attack, then sliced hard at the man’s forearm, severing much of the flesh and causing the Oyster Bay leader to drop his sword.
“Thank you for admitting the king was a good man,” Alec told him, looking at the man who held his arm and grimaced in pain. Alec reached out and touched it, healing the muscles within, so that the man would recover use of the hand in time.
The Loss of Power: Goldenfields and Bondell Page 29
