Book of One 04: A Child of Fire

by Baker, Jordan

  "A scouting mission," Quenta said. "And will you be taking the Queen's Guard with you? Will they not be busy guarding the Kandarans in our forest?"

  "I will require only my personal guard," Ariana said. "It would not be much of a scouting mission if I took a large force with me."

  "I see no reason to prevent you from leaving Elvanar," Quenta replied.

  "The court cannot deny your wish to travel where you will, but I am not particularly enamored of this idea, Ariana," Laurana said.

  "If this is not a matter for the court, then we can discuss it privately if you wish," Ariana told her, hoping that Laurana would not take offense to her standing her ground in front of the others.

  "We will," Laurana said then she turned to the members of the court. "Quenta will oversee the preparations to defend Elvanar and I will have the Queen's Guard make arrangements to provide refuge for the Kandaran people. The court is dismissed."

  The court elves stood and, after a short bow to the three thrones, they exited the room. Quenta rose and followed them out and Ariana waited behind with Laurana, expecting that the queen would have a few unpleasant things to say about her plan.

  "You did well," Laurana said once the room was clear. "It was unfair of Quenta and Rolan not to inform you that the court was to meet early today."

  "I would expect nothing less from Quenta, but I am disappointed in Rolan," Ariana said. "I thought he might be a friend."

  "Rolan may yet be your friend, Ariana, but when it comes to matters of court, you would be wise to trust only yourself. As you pointed out, things are seldom entirely one way or another."

  "You are right," Ariana admitted. "One thing is certain though, Quenta does not want me at court. I suspect he will never change his opinion of me."

  "Ariana, it is not so much you that Quenta finds objectionable, it is what you represent," Laurana explained. "The fact that you are a member of our house but you are of mixed parentage is a problem for him, but that does not mean he might not come to respect you. I will not lie to you, most of our people share his views on the matter, but you have gained the respect of many by your actions. Try to remember that when you are in court and Quenta tries to bait you."

  "I apologize if I said anything rude," Ariana said, realizing that exchanging insults with Quenta did little to help win the hearts of the members of the court and probably also did not help her with Laurana, who had already shown great patience with her even though Quenta was her son.

  "You are young, and even younger by elven standards. It is not unexpected that you would be a little impetuous, but I think this idea of yours to travel north is unwise."

  "I know, but there is something I must do," Ariana told her. "The king of Kandara gave me a gift and, I don't know why, but I know I must use it to help his son, Prince Borrican, who is my friend."

  "A gift from a dragon?" Laurana gave her a curious look. "There is an old belief among our people that one should never accept gifts from dragons for they are seldom given freely. With dragons something is always required. Perhaps that is why you feel you must help this Prince of Kandara."

  "Borrican is my friend," Ariana told her. "I would try to help him regardless of any gifts from his father. Tell me, do you know much about dragons?"

  "I know very little about them except that they are one of the elder races and both our kind and theirs have long kept a distance from one another. We are creatures of the forest, and they are creatures of fire so we have had our differences."

  "The histories of the Great War mention the dragons and the elves fighting one another."

  "That was long ago, and we found a peaceful arrangement. The dragons agreed to stay out of our lands."

  "And what did they expect in return?" Ariana asked, since Laurana had said that the dragons always wanted something.

  "We gave up the power of true fire."

  "True fire?" Ariana remembered Eric saying something about it. "I have heard of it, but I don't know what it is."

  "True fire is more powerful than the fire of flame," Laurana explained. "It is a fearsome power, powerful enough to burn dragons, who are impervious to most fire, and it is the power of true fire with which we fought them and killed many of their number."

  "To give up such a power is no small sacrifice," Ariana commented.

  "It is a power that we did not want within our forest, so it was a sacrifice we were willing to make, and if the dragons left our lands then what need would we have of it?"

  "But what if the dragons were to break their word?" Ariana asked. "Without the power to fight them, Elvanar would be defenseless if they ever attacked."

  "Dragons never break their word," Laurana told her. "An oath made by the head of a dragon clan is binding upon every member of their house and every member of their line until the end of time. At the end of the Great War, the dragons made several oaths and they promised never to attack Elvanar."

  "How can an oath apply forever? The histories talk of many agreements between peoples being broken generations later."

  "Like us, the dragons are long lived, and their memories are said to be even longer, which gives them a kind of wisdom. Also, like us, they do not tolerate oathbreakers, though they deal with them far more severely."

  "What would the dragons do to an oathbreaker?"

  "While an oathbreaker among our people might be sent to the outer forests or, in a severe case, cast out of Elvanar, among the dragons, an oathbreaker would be killed. The dragons are vicious creatures and they are not known for their forgiveness. Tell me, did you promise anything to King Eric?"

  "I don't think so," Ariana said, trying to recall her conversation with Borrican's father and she remembered that she had promised not to tell anyone of the secret he had given her, the power of fire. For a moment, Ariana worried that she might have broken her promise but she had not told Laurana what the gift was, only that Eric had given her something, though, from the things they were speaking of, she wondered if the elven queen might already know.

  "Then you are very fortunate," Laurana said. "It is rare to receive a true gift from a dragon, but I can't help but wonder if this is the reason that you feel compelled to help this Kandaran prince."

  "Borrican is my friend," Ariana told her. "I would help him regardless."

  "Then that is your choice. Quenta tells me this Borrican has taken his dragon form and cannot seem to return to the way he was before."

  Ariana regretted telling Quenta what little she had, knowing he would probably find a way to use it against her.

  "Yes," Ariana said. "His father and uncle have been killed and his brother has betrayed him, and all of Kandara. Borrican is alone and I must help him, if I can. I had hoped that he would come to Elvanar, that you might know of some way to help him."

  "I know only the histories of our peoples. It is good that he did not come here, for he would not have received much welcome and your words on behalf the Kandaran people would likely have failed. If King Eric has given you a gift that might be of some help to his son, then it is up to you to do what you can to honor his trust. Otherwise, Prince Borrican might seek his own kind."

  "Are there more dragons in the world?" Ariana asked.

  "I believe so. I know they left for the lands of the north, but no one has heard from them for many generations."

  "I must find him," Ariana said. "I do not think he knows of this. Even if I cannot help him, I could tell him what you have told me."

  "Then you will do as you must," Laurana said.

  "You do not object?"

  "I do object, Ariana. It is dangerous for you to travel to Kandara and the mother in me would keep you here, safe, on behalf of my sister, who you remind me of so very much, but like her, you will do as you will and I know better than to stand in your way. I will help you as I can, but your life is your own and you will do as you will. Tell me what you need."

  "Only a small contingent," Ariana said. "And three good pairs of boots." Laurana looked down at Ariana's feet,
which were bare like her own. "There are few trees in the mountains of Kandara, but the rocks on the ground are very sharp. Fresh horses and some supplies, that is all."

  "I think those things can be arranged," Laurana said, torn between a smile and a fretful frown at how young and childlike Ariana seemed, so different from how she had handled herself in court.

  "And if you could try to keep Quenta from abusing my commanders, I would appreciate it," Ariana said, with a touch of wisdom returning to her expression.

  "I will do what I can," Laurana said and she smiled at her precocious young niece, while hiding the quiet sorrow she felt at the thought of her own sister, who had missed out on both the joys and the fears of seeing her daughter find her path in the world.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Brian lit the second torch as the first one guttered and he continued along the passage as the voices of the keep began to whisper warnings that he should go no further. He reached the place where the barrier had previously stopped him and Jax and he felt the torch bump into the invisible wall. Brian had spent a number of days thinking about the oath the keepers had asked of him and he had asked them even more questions about it, considering what it might mean for his future.

  If he agreed to take the oath of a defender, it meant that when he died, his essence would become part of the keep, that he would become one of the keepers. Since Brian was not sure what might be the alternative to such a fate, it did not seem to matter much. He spoke with Jax about it a little more and even asked Fergus what he thought of the idea, but both men were circumspect in their opinions about the afterlife and were of little help. Fergus thoughtfully suggested asking the keepers if they were happy with the choices they had made and with their existence as spirits who were forever bound to protect this place. Their answer was that they were honored to protect life even after death.

  Brian was not sure exactly how they could protect the living if they were only spirits, but when he asked them what was beyond the barrier, they would not answer clearly, only saying that there was power. Even though Brian had longed to be a soldier for as long as he could remember, he never thought about his path as being about gaining power, but more romantic ideas like doing good deeds and defending people like his family against bandits and enemies who might attack the lands. Since he had joined up with Lord Kaleb, and had been given a command position within the ranks of the Bordermen, whose job it was to protect the lands of White Falls and Maramyr from the Xallan forces from the east, he had learned that being a soldier was not particularly romantic and the situations he had been in were far less clear in terms of those simple ideas of right and wrong that he once believed in. The Xallan queen had married king Cerric and now, it seemed that Maramyr itself might be the enemy.

  The day before, a rider had arrived at White Falls, bringing news from the battle of Kandara, where Lord Kaleb had gone with a number of his more seasoned fighters. The news was dire, for Kaleb and several of the other commanders in Cerric's army had turned against him, siding with the Kandarans and, if the rumors were to be believed, the royal princess, Ariana, who was the rightful heir to the Maramyrian throne. While everyone at the keep was relieved to hear that Kaleb had escaped the battlefield with a number of his soldiers, with Kandara fallen and Cerric returning to Maramyr in triumph, there was much talk about what might happen with White Falls. When Kaleb had given Cerric difficulties in the past, he had stripped him of his lands and handed them over to a neighboring baron. Now that Kaleb had openly defied Cerric, there would undoubtedly be some kind of consequence for those who remained loyal to the Lord of White Falls.

  They barely had time to absorb the news when riders approached from the city of Maramyr, bringing word that Cerric had ordered that White Falls was to be vacated and that the lands would be ceded to Xalla as part of an agreement with the Xallan queen. Fergus and Jax, whom Kaleb had left in charge, had gathered everyone to discuss what might be done. Since Kaleb was to still be alive, as far they were concerned, he was still the Lord of White Falls, and no orders from Cerric would change that, especially if the rumors about the princess were true. They had not fought to remove Baron Manfred just to give up White Falls so easily. Their decision was unanimous that they would continue to hold the fortress and defend the lands until Kaleb returned, but one of the scouts Jax had sent out to keep an eye on the eastern lands that bordered on Xalla had arrived with news that a sizeable Xallan force was marching directly toward the keep and that they had already razed a small village, sending the people fleeing to White Falls. They had already begun to arrive before the scout had even finished giving his report.

  The defenders numbered less than a hundred and the scout estimated that the Xallan force had at least five hundred and was both well supplied and heavily armed. With many of Kaleb's best fighters having accompanied him to Kandara, defending White Falls against such a force would not be easy, though the keep itself had many advantages against attack. The problem was the outlying areas, and the folk who lived on Kaleb's lands. Defending the keep itself might not be overly difficult, but protecting the towns, farms and homesteads was more of a challenge and when the villagers who had already lost their homes to the advancing Xallan force began to arrive and speak of the terrible things the invaders had done, Brian found himself thinking more about what the oath the keepers had proposed. If whatever was hidden in the blocked passage would give him the power to defend the people, then it was worth taking the oath. He stared at the empty passage before him, wondering what to do next.

  "I am ready," he said. "I am ready to take the oath."

  "The oath of the defender," said the voices.

  "Yes," Brian said. "What must I say? Tell me the words."

  "No words," they said. "The oath is taken. You are a defender."

  "Just like that?" Brian was a little confused. He was expecting that there would be some kind of speech or that he might have to write his name somewhere.

  "Your thoughts speak true," the voices said. "The heart of a defender. You may pass beyond."

  Brian held up the torch to the barrier and found that it was gone. He shrugged and continued forward through the passage and, within a short distance, he found a doorway that was unlike any other he had seen before. It was made entirely of metal, like the steel of a sword, but of a slightly different color, which he could not make out in the torch light and its surface was worked with intricate engravings of symbols he did not recognize. There was no handle or latch on the door, but instead there was an indentation in the shape of a hand. He placed his palm upon it and his fingers into the grooves and felt the cold metal of the doorway grow warm at his touch. A moment later he heard a heavy metallic sound and the door slid upward into the stone ceiling of the passage. A soft light spilled out from the other side, illuminating the floor then the walls of the stone corridor until the door had risen completely.

  Brian stepped through the opening and found himself in a circular room with many doors that were similar to the one he had just opened. Unlike the passages he had traveled through, the room was free of dust, though Brian got the feeling that he was the first person in many years to enter this place. Like parts of the keep, the walls themselves seemed to glow, illuminating the room, not as brightly as the light of day, but with a soft, white light that was easy enough by which to see so he placed his torch on a sconce he had noticed in the passage just outside the room.

  He walked back inside the room and this time the door slid closed behind him. At first, he thought he might be trapped but there was another hand mark on the inside of the door and when he tried it, the door slid back open. Satisfied that he could come and go without any trouble, he walked around the circular room. Mounted on the walls, which were made of the same metal as the doors, was a variety of weapons, sets of armor and even a few shelves with books and other items, that Brian thought looked like the sorts of things a mage might own. He counted five doorways including the one through which he had entered and each of them was marked with
symbols that he did not know and had a hand mark that he supposed would activate them.

  "These doors," he said. "Where do they lead?"

  "Sanctuary," said the voices.

  "I thought these tunnels were the sanctuary."

  "Yes. Sanctuary. The others."

  "Others? There is more than one sanctuary?"

  "Yes."

  Brian was not sure what that meant, since the rooms and passages he had traveled underneath the keep itself were fairly extensive and he imagined that they could easily hold hundreds of people or more, which might be useful if the approaching Xallan soldiers were joined by additional forces now that Cerric was returning to Maramy with his armies. For now, he decided to focus on why he had come down here in the first place, which was to find some power that would help him defend against those threats.

  Among the many weapons that hung from the walls of the room, Brian saw two hand axes that were much like his own except they appeared to be made of a different kind of steel than most weapons he had seen, with a gold and silver sheen to the metal, and there were large blue jewels set in the ends of their shafts and smaller ones that matched glittering on the sides of the axe heads. They were next to a matching sword, with a large clear stone in its pommel, and a set of armored pieces made of some kind of leather he did not recognize and plated with the same metal as the axes with a combination of blue and clear jewels embedded in various places as well. It was as though the weapons and armor had been made to match, that they had once belonged to someone.

  "Whose are these?" Brian asked.

  "Defender's," said the voices.

  "Any defender?"

  "Defenders."

  The voices were of little help, but it did not matter. If the weapons and armor had some kind of power that would help him, then he would use them. He lifted the axes off the racks that supported them and tested their balance then he took down the sword, removed it from its scabbard and swung it in a few slow arcs and was pleased to find how natural the weapons felt in his hand. Brian removed his own weapons, unbuckled the rough leather armor he wore and exchanged it for the pieces that hung from the wall, then slid the axes into the leather straps on his back and buckled the sword to his belt. He was surprised at how well the armor fit and somehow felt stronger with it on. He wondered if he should put his own armor and weapons on the wall but it did not seem right to hang such simple items in such a place so he gathered them up and decided to take them with him back to the surface.