Percival stood quiet for a moment, and then he finally spoke. “All right, Svana, for you and Jakobe—I will help you get him to Hekla. We have to hurry though, we don’t have much time, an hour or two tops.”
“Thank you! Thank you!” She jumped up, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. “You’ve no idea what he means to me,” she whispered through broken tears.
Then she hurried back to his side, completely given to the one thing she had fought the entire time she had known him. It was as clear as day: I love him.
She inched down close to his face, and let her lips caress his cheek just for a moment as she whispered into his ear. “I love you. Just stay with me, all right?”
Svana would have given anything to hear his strong voice or have him tease her. To see him so lifeless, so weak, it tore her apart.
Oh, Lingaria, what am I to do? I need to get the medicine for the king, but I must save Jakobe. I must! She thought, guilt overwhelming her so much that she was about to forsake her biggest mission to save this man.
It’s all right, Svana. I know that you are a warrior at heart, but even the strongest of us desire a love so strong it can pierce the void. Do what you need to do to save him—Telluris can wait.
24
Hekla
Even the darkest shadows disappear when you shed some light on them, or—at the least, some fire.
Eonnueth, The Clever, Sixth Dragon Elder, Seventh Age of Verdil
Hekla nodded. “We will win the kingdom back, Ecthelion—I promise you.”
“Give me just a moment to gather some supplies, and I will return to Aequoris with you,” he assured her.
“Thank you.” Hekla turned to Jetevius. “I need to go to the surface cities of Aequoris. We need as many people with us as possible, can you and Ecthelion go to the water villages and spread the word about what we plan to do?”
“Uhm—what do we plan to do, Hekla?”
“We are taking back Aequoris for the people,” she said, matter of fact.
“Then yes, he and I will see to that. Hurry back though; we’re going to need you,” Jetevius pleaded.
She rested her hand on his shoulder. “These are my people too. I will be back as soon as I can.”
He nodded to her, and she exited Ecthelion’s hidden home, swimming outward the direction they had come, toward the city where the light grew brighter. Once she had left his home far behind, she veered west toward the floating city’s entrance from the water.
The light oakwood ships were still chained—an entire fleet of them, bobbing up and down in the water, unused.
“At least some things don’t change,” Hekla muttered aloud. Now on land, she didn’t need her air bubble anymore, and she desperately wanted her scepter in case of attack. “Orbium Expandum Aquum purum Ceasum.”
The bubble surrounding her disappeared, and her scepter fell from above her, its orb blazing brilliantly with Speltus’ sapphire magic. Hekla caught it before it hit the ground, feeling the cool blue metal in her hands. Once again, she felt complete. The magic within the scepter, and within Speltus himself, flowed within her. Her anxiety calmed as she held her weapon once again.
The last time she had visited the Aequoran cities above water, many of its people were outside tending to crops. Today she saw no one, and Hekla wondered about the soldiers who had fought, and how many were from the floating lands.
The city was disturbingly quiet, and it bothered her. How many had died in the battle at Telluris? Where were the families of those who had? Had they all gone into hiding? Hekla paused to study the city itself. She could not get over the beauty of everything belonging to Aequoris. Its cities, a pastel rainbow of pinks, purples, blues and all shades of aquatic greens, and hauntingly beautiful.
With no one around, and nowhere to go, she was unsure what to do next. Hekla came there with the hope of finding more people who would join her. She had not expected the place to be completely abandoned. She plopped down on the ground, crossing her legs, and feeling hopeless.
A shuffling in the bushes alerted her to someone’s presence. She jumped up and spun around.
“Hello? Who’s there?”
No one answered, but Hekla could still hear the shuffling nearby.
“Hello?” she asked again, but she heard nothing but silence. Then, the shuffling came again and a little brown body, covered in fur, ambled out. The otter waddled over to her, sniffed her feet, then stared up at her with large, unblinking brown eyes.
“Hey, little guy!” Hekla grinned.
He chittered at her, before waddling away.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked, but he didn’t look back.
The last time she saw the otter, he had brought her to the city she now stood in. Hekla had no doubt he was about to take her somewhere else she needed to be. She followed him and found that he took her along a pathway leading between several homes.
She recognized a familiar pink coral, raising high into the sky. The window lit up, and lovely coral flowers grew all around the outside. Why do I recognize this place? It then dawned on Hekla. Luna! Luna lived here!
“Thank you, so much!” Hekla bent down and kissed the little furry beast on the head.
The otter chittered happily before waddling away. After a moment of silence, she heard a soft splash. He must have gone back into the water. Turning her attention back to the home, she lifted her fist, took a deep breath, and knocked lightly. When there was no answer, she knocked again.
Just as she was about to leave, the door creaked quietly open.
“May I help you?” A soft-spoken woman peaked out, giving Hekla an untrusting glance.
“I, umm. I was looking for Luna. Is she here?”
“You came back!” The little girl peeked her head around her mother, her jade skin and teal hair as vibrant and lovely as ever.
“Hi, Luna. I’m so happy you’re all right.”
“Momma, this is the woman I told you about. The woman who’s going to save us!” The little girl was talking excitedly, pulling at her mother’s dress.
“Oh, I’ve heard so much about you. Would you like to come in? We were just about to eat dinner.”
“Thank you. That is too kind.”
Luna was ecstatic. She grabbed Hekla’s hand and led her inside the ocean furnished home. Coral, shells, and soft oak made up the interior. Luna led her to the dining room, where they sat on the floor at a large flattened shell table that had been pieced together and glued with tar.
Luna’s mother set a plate of cooked fish and seaweed crackers in front of them. Hekla hid her distaste of the fish in front of her, smiling at the woman and offering a polite, “thank you.”
In the center of the table was a small bowl of freshly cut Aequoran pears. Hekla eyed them with hunger in her eyes.
“Please, have some.” The woman offered the bowl to her and Hekla put a few pieces on her plate.
“I’m so glad you’re back. There was a battle, and most of our soldiers went. Many have not returned yet,” Luna said, her small pale face far too worried for someone her age.
“To be honest, sweet Luna, there were a great many lost, but there were a great many more who were not. What of your brother, is he here?” Hekla looked around, wondering where the boy was. She remembered Luna telling her about him.
“He left to fight. He’s much older, and the king ordered it.”
“He hasn’t returned yet?”
Luna shook her head.
“Do you know something of my Hadrian?” the mother asked softly, her eyes misty with tears.
“I’m sorry… I don’t. Was he a soldier?”
“No. He was a young man, barely getting to learn about life. Curious and brave, and he wanted to fight. Not that he had a choice, the king insisted that anyone over the age of fifteen years had to fight.”
Hekla was heartbroken, she didn’t want to tell the woman that she suspected the worse, and that if he hadn’t come back yet, then chances were he was gone, a
nd there was nothing that can be done.
“No matter. My Hadrian will come home—I know it. Come, let us eat, and you can tell us how you plan to restore peace to the kingdoms. I long to hear of it.”
Astrid nodded her head, and bit into the cooked fish out of politeness, even though internally, she was screaming. I hate seafood, oh please don’t regurgitate it. She managed to swallow it down, then quickly followed it by a bite of pear.
“Right now, at this very moment, there are two men headed to Aequoris who long to see the kingdom restored to its former glory. They will gather allies, and together we will march on the king. We will put a stop to the evil he is doing, and we will take back what rightfully belongs to the people.”
“What?” the woman said, her jaw dropping. “If you do that, the king will have you killed. He doesn’t tolerate any insubordination.”
“Miss, Jetevius is the head of the Tellurian army, he will not back down from the king, and Ecthelion used to be a head elder years ago. They both know what it used to be like here, and they both know that the king killed his own wife. They won’t tolerate it anymore. So, please just trust me.”
The woman sat quietly for a moment, and Luna spoke up, her voice slightly high and excited. “See momma, I told you she was going to help bring peace back to the kingdom.” Luna was beaming, her smile nearly touching her ears.
Hekla patted her gently on the back. “I promised you, and I want to be a woman who always keeps my promises.” She winked and grabbed another piece of pear.
After a moment, the woman relaxed slightly. “Hekla, I believe you. You have our support, and I will tell the others what you plan to do. You can count on us.”
“There are others?” she asked, surprised, as she had not seen anyone.
“Yes, they are in hiding, because they live in fear of retaliation from the king since they did not defeat the Tellurian army during the recent battle.”
Hekla rubbed her forehead nervously. “And you know where they are?”
The woman nodded. “I do, and I will speak to them.”
“Thank you, and I cannot tell you how much this means to me, and how much it will mean to Jetevius and Ecthelion.”
“Also, please call me Miralee, it feels odd that you have not addressed me this entire time.” The soft-spoken woman offered an awkward smile.
“Miralee, it is wonderful to meet the mother of such a vivacious child.” Hekla wanted to tell Miralee about their first encounter in the jail but decided against it for fear of ruining Miralee’s trust.
“Thank you, though I don’t imagine she got it from me. Her father was a strong influence on her before he died. She never lost that—thank goodness.”
Hekla smiled and nodded, feeling completely at ease then. The number of Aequorans who trusted her was growing, and at any rate, once Jetevius and Ecthelion did their part, they would have a strong group of people to stand up against King Renault. And that was reason to hope. Her tension eased and she could afford to relax.
She desperately wanted to keep her promise to the little girl, even more so, since she suspected that Luna’s brother had died in battle. Another thing she couldn’t bring up to Miralee, for fear of breaking the woman’s trust. The woman took hearty bites of her meal, and though Hekla thought she would gag, she ate the meal bit by bit, expressing her gratitude as she did so.
They spent the rest of the evening laughing, and discussing how Hekla had come from the Volcano, and her meeting with the great Palladin, who Miralee had always assumed was nothing more than a rumor.
When they finished eating, and talk of Palladin had subsided, Hekla found herself drawn to asking about her husband, and father of Luna.
“When did he die?” she prodded, “if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Oh, he died a few years ago. There was a war, the final piece that divided the kingdoms completely. It didn’t last long, mind you, but it didn’t need to. By that time, the only kingdom that was prospering and had the army needed to fight and win, was Telluris. That was just after King Renault came into power.
“He started a battle as soon as he became king?”
“Not King Renault. He was good when he was first appointed. His wife was as kind as they come, and even though things were bad above the surface, I always believed that between the two of them, it would never be that bad. Anyway, the new king, King Armand took the throne of Telluris, and immediately started a war.”
“We didn’t have time to think or breathe, and we lost many soldiers. It was such a shock, that I don’t know if we ever recovered after that. The queen tried her best to care for our every need. She helped see to our crops, and made sure that we were all thriving, and anything we needed—she made sure we had. Her death came as a blow to everyone.”
“I think a lot of us gave up that day, knowing that without her, peace would never come to stay. Her public execution was one of the most publicly mourned events I’ve heard of in the history of executions. It also opened the door for a side of King Renault I’ve never seen.”
“That is what Ecthelion said. He used to be the king’s best friend and right-hand man. He couldn’t believe the darkness that appeared in someone he once called a friend.”
“Indeed, I think I remember this man you speak of. The queen disobeying was the first act of defiance against the king, but Elder Ecthelion leaving was the second. King Renault was nearly insufferable after that, and any allies he had, disappeared in the weeks to follow,” Miralee continued.
“Let me ask you something, Miralee. Do you think that he can be saved? Brought back I mean; from whatever darkness he is holding onto?” Hekla was genuinely curious.
The woman didn’t say anything for a long while, and Luna grew impatient.
“Of course, he can! He was good once. Good never truly goes away, that’s what makes it good. If it went away, it would be bad.” Luna laughed innocently, and it warmed Hekla all the way through her head to her toes.
“You make a solid and valuable point, my young friend,” Hekla told her.
“She does, doesn’t she?” Miralee smiled broadly. “To answer your question, I think my daughter is right. I think that someone who has been good once, can be good again. Darkness is not so powerful that it can drive out all light, for even on its deepest levels, light can still be found in the darkest of places. So yes, I think he can be saved. I think we all can,” Miralee finished.
The woman and her daughter were unlike anyone that Hekla had ever met, aside from her sisters. If they believed he could be saved, then she would hold onto that, at least for a time.
25
Astrid
Your skill is never truly tested until you are outnumbered beyond measure. When all hope seems lost, and there is no one to depend on except yourself, that is when your true skill is shown. And it will surprise everyone—including yourself.
Reidlesiul, The Bravest, Seventh Dragon Elder, Eighth Age of Verdil
“Quimby, I have to be honest with you,” Astrid said. “I only returned to Caelestis because I wanted to see the king, but now, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. I feel that I should help my sister deal with King Armand, or at least what is to come if he dies.”
Astrid stood up from the table, her eyes downcast. Every time she came to Caelestis, no matter what she did to help with Caelestans, it was never enough, and her desire to see the king was never fulfilled. Whether they refused to take her to him, or like now where no one knew where he was.
“If he dies, there will be one kingdom without a king, and that may be for the best for all of us,” he said.
“Yes, but if something happens to him, who is to say that the Aequoran king, or our king won’t try to take his place, or at least try to take over Telluris, ya know?”
“True, that could be worse for us.” Quimby went silent, and she could tell he was deep in thought.
“Well, I know you’d rather to go back to Telluris to be with your sister, but we do need you here. How about you ca
mp at the base of stairs that lead here. That will give you the opportunity to be close to the land kingdom, in case you do get word that the king passes, and it will keep you close in case your people need you—in case I need you.”
Astrid nodded. “Would you mind staying with me? I’m tired of being alone, and it’s getting dark again. I could use the companionship.”
“That’s a splendid idea, I’m not terribly well equipped for sleeping on the ground, but I don’t mind doing that for you,” he winked.
“Oh, Quimby, you’re a wonderful friend. I’ve always hated the dark, and there seems to be too much of it in my life right now. Not to mention, I’m terribly tired. My mind and body are tired, and I don’t think I’d have the guts to tell the king of the decision we made in Telluris to burn the bodies together. It was the only thing we could come up with, and it could have been a beautiful unifying moment between the kings had they just agreed to meet for just a moment.”
“Only they didn’t,” he said.
“No, not even one dared to show up to prove that their people were more important than their egos. They’d all rather see their people die.” The thought saddened her, but there was nothing that could be done.
“Yes, of course I’ll come with you. No need to get sad. Let me just grab a few provisions for us, and then we can be on our way, all right?”
She nodded, and he disappeared from the room briefly. Astrid wandered out of the room, strolling along the hallway toward their rooms, hoping that she would run into him and they would be on their way. The memory of Aronus leaving her alone, flashed across her mind.
Still angry at me, Aronus? I hate when you’re upset with me.
Dragon Bow Page 17
