by Philip Blood
Aerin smiled at this, he knew Mara spoke the truth about his friend.
"…and you have to keep that nobility from hurting him, and everyone who is still free of the Dreadmaster’s control."
Aerin's smile turned to a frown of thought. "But, Mara, how will I know what is the right thing to do?"
Mara smiled, "You have a great heart, Aerin, trust it, and listen to it. When all else fails and you have choices before you that all seem wrong, listen to your heart and then act on it. In the end, that is the best we can do in life."
Aerin nodded.
"And remember, I am not asking you to betray your friend. I really do care for Gandarel, and I only wanted to do what was best for him and his subjects. Unfortunately, he now thinks differently. Tell him only the truth about me, but try to convince him that I am still his friend, and I will be there when he finds he needs me."
Again, Aerin nodded.
"Now, practice is canceled for the duration of the siege, you need to be able to move freely. Keep Gandarel safe and out of the hands of the enemy. And during all of this, make sure you take care of yourself. This is a dangerous time, Aerin, and it will not get less dangerous any time in the foreseeable future."
Here she glanced around at the old documents in the room. "The darkness comes and we must walk through it now, there is no going around anymore."
"Will we all live through this Mara?" Aerin asked in a quiet voice.
He expected her to laugh off his question, or answer in some cryptic fashion; her answer was all the more terrifying because she did not dissemble.
"No, Aerin, we will not."
"But, who..."
"Hush, some things are better not known. Remember this, regardless of all the prophecies in the world claiming to foretell what is to come; the future is never set on one path. There are only likely things and unlikely things, and sometimes the most unlikely event happens and everything changes. Two days ago I would have told you that we would all survive this, perhaps I will be wrong again."
Aerin knew Mara well enough to know she did not believe she would be wrong.
He wished he could read the Dark Prophecies.
Mara spoke, breaking into his contemplation, "Well I need to get back to studying, and you need to start watching over Gandarel."
Aerin went to the door, but before he left he turned to his teacher, "Mara, I still think we can win."
Mara gave him a wan smile, but her eyes were haunted.
The first test of the city’s defenses came that night. The Togroths made an assault on the west wall using ladders. They brought them forward under the cover of night, and within minutes, there were hundreds of them up against the wall.
Just as the attack started, Tocor woke Aerin by shaking his shoulder. Aerin glanced at the black-gloved ‘hand’ of the Quarian, remembering the revealed tentacles of the day before.
“The Togroths are attacking,” Tocor stated.
Aerin scrambled out of bed as if Togroths were in the courtyard.
Tocor chuckled, “Relax, they won't be in the city, yet.”
Aerin slowed his mad scramble for clothes to a reasonable pace. “How do you know they won’t breach the wall?”
Tocor smiled, “Because most of the Guardsmen have spent time along the border forts, and are veteran fighters. Those posted on the walls will not panic. They will stall the attack long enough for reinforcements to arrive to help repel the enemy."
“How are Togroths getting to the wall?”
“Ladders,” he stated simply.
Aerin glanced toward his pile of practice weapons standing in the corner of his room. “Are we going to help?”
There was an amused tone in the Quarian’s voice as he answered, “You think you’re ready then?”
“No, but…”
“Your fighting skills will not be needed this night, at least, not on the wall.”
Aerin realized they were finally going to discuss why Tocor had woken him.
“You must help guard the Seat, Gandarel must not leave,” Tocor ordered.
Aerin was puzzled, “You mean I need to make sure no Togroths get in?”
“Certainly, but the real danger lies with someone taking Gandarel out. Watch anyone who leaves the seat tonight, no matter how they are dressed. We must make sure Gandarel stays safely behind the inner walls. Do you understand?”
“I understand my orders, but not why they are given.”
“Good, that is all you need to understand. However, I will explain a little so that you do not go insane on me with worry, and so fail to keep your senses. We suspect that there may be a traitor within the Seat. Someone got to those Guards who opened the doors for the Togroths back when they attacked the Seat. We never found out who was responsible. However, Gandarel has not been murdered, so it follows that their objective is not to kill, but to capture. Mara believes that this was their intent the first time as well.”
Aerin frowned in thought, “But I heard that priest say that they were to kill Gandarel!”
“Did you, are you sure? Or did you hear him say something that you just assumed meant kill him?”
Aerin tried to remember, but that episode had happened quite some time ago.
“I can’t remember, but if you thought there was a chance that someone was going to murder Gandarel, shouldn’t we have done something?”
Tocor shrugged, “Mara was sure he would not die. I listen to her when she is that positive about something. Besides, we didn’t really have a choice; the only way we could have gotten him out of the Seat was to abduct him. Mara decided that there were other reasons he had to stay, so that wasn’t an option.”
Aerin was amazed, “But you considered it?”
“This is not a game, Aerin. Gandarel must become the new NexLord or we believe there will be no stopping the Dreadmaster this time.”
That made Aerin pause for a moment. “If only Ragol was alive in this age, he could lead the armies again!”
Tocor shrugged, “Ragol was unable to destroy the Dreadmaster, not by military defeat, and not face-to-face, but Mara says that there is a slim chance that Gandarel could be the one. Again, I trust her on this kind of thing. Now, enough of this chatter; get moving. Lor is probably already waiting on you, I got her up first.”
Tocor left his room, and as Aerin laced up his shoes, he wondered at the sudden tendency of Mara and Tocor to tell him things they had never been ready to discuss openly before. The more he thought about it the more nervous he became.
Lor wasn’t ready when Aerin looked for her in the courtyard, but he saw her come out of her room a moment later. He did a bit of a double take, her clothes, while still fairly masculine in basic form, were no longer chosen to hide her more female attributes. The tight sweater she wore tonight left no doubt as to her shape. It disconcerted Aerin, but he put it from his mind as best as possible.
Where Aerin was still a bit sleepy, Lor was astonishingly cheerful and awake. Lor liked excitement and preferred the night to the day.
“Hey, sleepyhead, did you hear about the attack?”
Aerin scowled, “Yes, and I’m worried, what if they breach the defenses?”
“Then you and I will grab a high seat and watch Tocor take them all,” she replied with a grin.
“I think there may be one or two more than even Tocor can manage,” Aerin noted.
Lor shrugged, “Then we’ll mop up the rest for him, I need a little exercise anyway.”
“Will nothing sober you?”
“Nope, I’m ready to prowl. I hope you wake up before you land on your head, I’m feeling like a run!”
“Oh, Gedin, don’t take that same route to the Seat, I nearly tossed my lunch when I looked down halfway through that leap.”
“Don’t worry; we’ll keep it a little safer for you tonight, but still fun!”
Aerin sighed; Lor was in a real mood.
“Come on, the last one to nab a traitor has to moon the Togroth army!”
Despit
e his worries, Aerin had to laugh at Lor’s antics, her mood was contagious.
“First, we find Dono, I can’t wait to yank the covers off his warm snuggled body, then we’ll trot on over and see what is sneaking in the night,” Lor decided, heading up their favorite path to the roof.
Katek came out of his room dressed for travel.
Lor looked him over. “Hey Kat, are you coming with us tonight?”
“My name is Katek,” he answered, “but yes, Tocor suggested I keep you two company and help watch over the Seat tonight.”
Lor gave a very predatory grin. “Well, Kat, it’s time for you to show us what you’re made of on the High Road.”
Katek looked up toward the roofs without much enthusiasm. He knew the other kids used the rooftops for their travel about the city, but so far he had avoided going with them. He didn’t want them to know, but he had a fear of heights.
“Maybe we should stick to the streets?” he suggested, hopefully.
Lor just laughed and swarmed up the side of the Villa toward the roofs.
“Great,” Katek sighed.
“Come on, Kat, I’ll show you the ropes, it is actually a lot of fun,” Aerin assured him.
“It will not be fun, and do you have to call me Kat?”
“Hey, it sounds like a nickname that is going to stick, you might as well get used to it. Besides a ‘cat’ is not a bad animal to be associated with when you are about to travel the high road. You should try to land on your feet all the time.”
Without further talk, Aerin went up the drainpipe toward the waiting Lor.
“Great,” Katek muttered again. He swallowed hard and then started climbing up after Aerin.
When he was only ten feet off the ground the familiar pain in his stomach started, he was deathly afraid.
Lor's head peeked over the roof and snickered, "I bet Mara could climb up here faster than you. Maybe we should call you Dog instead of Kat."
Katek scowled angrily and reached for the next handhold above him. He arrived at the top, breathing hard, though not from exertion. Before he could even look back over the edge to see how high they were, Lor reached up with both hands and patted him on the cheeks.
"Can't keep up with a girl, Kitten?” then she laughed at his angry look. She turned and ran across the flat roof and leaped across to the next building, a good ten feet away.
"Don't call me that!” he demanded angrily.
Lor called across from the other building, "Just touch me once before we reach the seat and, I swear to Gedin, I'll never call you that again!"
Katek growled, then ran toward Lor and leaped.
Lor danced along the edge of the roof, then turned and climbed higher toward its peak.
Katek scrambled after her.
Aerin shook his head and followed behind his two friends.
For the next half hour, Lor stayed a tantalizing five to ten feet in front of Katek, taunting him all the time. She never stopped moving, and he couldn't quite catch her.
They arrived at the roof overlooking the outer wall of the Seat and Katek pounced.
This time, Lor didn't move and he grabbed her by the arm.
"Hah!" Now you WILL stop calling me Kat," he gloated.
Lor laughed, "No, I will stop calling you Kitten, that's what I promised. But Kat fits you well, that was the fastest anyone ever learned to follow me across the High Road, and I'm King... well, Queen of the High Road," Lor said with a grin.
Katek suddenly realized what they had just done, what he had just done, and what Lor had just done to him, all in one flash. "You knew!"
Lor raised an eyebrow, "That you were afraid of heights?"
"Yes!"
"No, you aren't, you just thought you were. How else could you have followed me all the way here?"
Katek finally smiled back, "You are incorrigible."
"You just noticed that?" Aerin said, smiling at his two friends.
"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Do you feel any fear now?"
Katek considered their height, four stories above the street. He felt exhilarated, but the familiar tightening of his stomach was gone.
"You see?" Lor said, not waiting for an answer, "fear of heights is a natural instinct in humans, but just like all fear, it can be overcome."
Aerin felt a moment of destiny in Lor's words; the Dreadmaster used fear as his power and perhaps that too could be conquered.
Lor poked Katek in the chest with a finger, "Besides, you are a natural up here, even better than Aerin was when he started."
"Hey!" Aerin exclaimed.
Lor smiled, "You got better."
Katek looked over the roof at the main gate into the Seat. "So what do you think we should do? Just watch the gate?"
Aerin considered for a moment. "I don't know, are there any other entrances into the Seat?"
"I've heard rumors..." Lor admitted, glancing at Katek.
Katek picked up on the look and knew Lor was hiding something, "Rumors, from what source?"
"Just rumors," Lor dissembled.
"So spill it, what have you heard?" Aerin asked, trying to get Lor's thieving activities out of the discussion.
Katek smiled, "I think you have been consorting with thieves, who else would have 'rumors' about how to get into a place."
Lor frowned and gave Katek a sidelong glance, purposely ignoring him as she answered Aerin, "I seem to have heard that there may be some sort of secret entrance..."
"Entrance... exit, more like, only thieves would think of it as an entrance," Katek noted.
"And what do you know of thieves?" Lor asked the ex-gladiator in disdain.
Katek shrugged, "Nowhere near as much as you, obviously."
Aerin stared at the high walls of the Seat as if he could see through them. "Where is the secret exit?"
Lor was openly scowling at Katek now. "How should I know? I just heard a stinking rumor, not where to knock, for Gedin's sake!"
Katek grinned at Lor's obvious discomfort; he figured his guesses weren't far off. Baiting Lor was turning out to be fun with the shoe being on the other foot this time.
"Lay off her for a minute, Kat," Aerin requested.
Lor turned her piercing look on Aerin; "I don't need YOU protecting me from curious Kat here."
Aerin threw his hands up, "Fine, then please help me figure out where a secret exit could come out, I don't have much experience in this kind of thing."
From over Lor's shoulder Katek winked at Aerin, and then said: "I bet Lor hasn't got a clue, let me see if I can figure it out for you."
"This should be good," Lor noted.
"I'll bet there is a secret door down in one of the shadowy corners. It will probably be shaped to look like a section of the stone. The seams probably follow the lines of mortar so you can't see it," Katek improvised.
Lor looked him over with half-lidded eyes. "Are you done?"
Katek shrugged, "Yes, you have a better idea?"
Lor ignored him and went to the wall, looking down and then around at various buildings that were placed across the street from the walls of the Seat of Stone.
"Well?" Katek inquired.
Lor held up a forefinger to signal for him to wait while she continued to study the surrounding buildings.
"I told you, she..." Katek started, but Lor interrupted him.
"The 'Exit'," she said, emphasizing the change of word, "would be reached from an underground tunnel. If one exists, I believe I know which building has the exit. Now, Smart-boy," she said, referring to Katek, "tell me which building you think it’s in?"
Katek looked over the street and buildings and pointed to one that was closer to the wall than the others. "There," he pronounced.
"Wrong," Lor replied happily.
"That remains to be seen," Katek defended.
Lor shrugged, "Care for a little wager? Loser fetches hot water in the mornings for a month."
"No, not until I see your choice," Katek stated.
Lor walked to the si
de of the roof to their left, facing a street instead of the walls of the Seat. She pointed pretty far up the street to an old round and squat building that had an old weathered granary sign hanging over a chained up door. The bricks were so old that the rains had eroded them around the mortar joints. The building was obviously old, rickety and out of use. It looked like it was ready to be torn down.
Katek looked at its distance from the Seat and said, "You think that is the exit? Fine then, the bet is on. But to win your choice must have the exit within."
Lor agreed.
Aerin entered the conversation, "Which shall we check out first?"
"Mine," Lor stated, "It will save us a trip."
Katek raised both eyebrows but nodded.
"Fine, one of us should stay here and watch the main gate," Aerin suggested.
"I'll stay," Katek offered.
Lor looked surprised, "You'll trust me?"
"No," he said with a grin, "I'll trust Aerin."
Lor smiled, "You'll pay for that, Kat; I'm going to need a lot of bath water."
Katek grinned at Lor, "You know, if I win you will have to carry my bath water for a month, and if you win, well, I'll have proven that you really do know an awful lot about being a thief. How else would you know this kind of thing?"
Lor opened her mouth in surprise, but Aerin grabbed her arm and pulled, "Come on, Lor, we need to get moving."
Lor was still sputtering when the two of them reached the empty street. Normally there would have been more traffic, but people were huddled in their homes or gathered in common rooms around the city. The siege had sobered a city full of people who had grown up with the thought that they were invincible. The idea that their seat of power could be put under siege was beyond their comprehension. It was terrifying to realize that in this day and age Togroths could act together as an army instead of the small hunting bands which were occasionally seen from border watchtowers.
Aerin glanced at his upset friend, "Lor, you are going to have to stop underestimating Kat. He isn't stupid; he just tends to think things through and then act."
