Demiourgos (15 page)

“Rose can I ask you a strange question?” Nina whispered as she scooted a little closer.

“We are like sisters; you can ask me anything, you know that.” Rose smiled over at the girl and kept her voice low to play along with the tone of the setting.

“How did it feel your first time?”

“Well, I will be honest with you it hurt a little because of the circumstances. It would be different for you though. My master was not a patient man; he was very rough and forceful when we were together.” Rose looked over at the look of shock and disgust on her face and laughed a little. “Your experience will be much better, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so.” Nina replied in a small voice as she rolled over on her back and sighed. “I find myself thinking that it would be better for my older sister to succeed to the throne but my mother is pushing me to make a bid for it when she decides to concede the seat.”

“Is that your tradition?” Rose was genuinely curious about succession considering that Mira seemed to be an only child.

“The tradition is that the children of the throne, which are the children of the current ruler, basically train and study hard in order to obtain the seat. Whichever of them is deemed the most worthy by the council will be crowned until a successor is born or until they die and then the process starts all over again.” Nina looked Rose in the eye and frowned a little. “I don’t want to be the queen.”

“Sometimes our destiny is laid out for us like a map and other times it is a dark room filled with strange things you must sort out on your own with no aid. Honestly we never know which is true but I believe that we have to figure it out eventually.” Rose replied, trying to make Nina feel more confident in the situation.

“The ramblings of a mad desert scholar.” Nina giggled and then protested as an errant pair of breeches hit her square in the face. “What?”

“Well that’s the last time I share my vast wisdom with you.” Rose scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue at the golden-haired elf. The little moments of camaraderie she felt with Nina made her troubles seem miniscule; she just wished the feeling would persist through the days. “Destiny is a strange thing. I go from being a slave to a living bomb to an apprentice in the ways of magic all in a short span. Then I find out that not only are your people counting on me but a strange knight that I know nothing about. He told me that a naarabi girl read him his future. She said that the desert rose would lead him out of darkness or something like that. I’m not sure I can take the heavy mantles that are being placed upon my shoulders.”

“Well, no matter what happens I will stick by your side.” Nina smiled over at her. “I still have romantic notions of fun and adventure.”

“I’m sure we’ll beat that out of you soon enough.” Rose giggled and closed her eyes, rolling over to try and get some sleep. “Well, we’d better try to get some sleep before tomorrow; Leo told me that it was going to be a hard trek up and through the mountain.”

“About that.” Nina’s voice suddenly held more gravity than before. “Never mind.”

“What?”

“Nothing, you’ll see soon enough.” Nina replied as she attempted to smile.

~~~~

Her morning duties were not as hard on her anymore, she felt as if she was falling into the rhythm of desert travel finally. Once they started out the leader of the expedition, a rugged-looking elf by the name of Torshal, began the march by ascending a steep stone ledge on the side of the mountain that Rose had not noticed before. The climb was not so bad but she considered that to be due to the fact that she had been trudging through the sands for weeks. She did not need to do her morning exercises when she was travelling in this manner and that suited her just fine. The trail led upward and back around offering hand holds on their right and then left when they doubled back upward.

A good part of the day was spent ascending the steps toward their goal. A little before noon they finally stepped up onto a plateau of sorts at the top of the walkway. The view of the desert, while showing nothing but vast expanses of sand in all directions, was breathtaking. On the large platform was a deep recess that the elves identified as the home stretch, beyond the cave system was the valley of the elves’ homeland. Rose stood at the mouth of the cave for a long time while those around her rested and gathered their strength after the climb.

As she stood there she knew not how much time had passed. The longer she stared the longer the feeling persisted; something was pulling her forward, something other than wanderlust. The tug was borderline physical; it took all she could do not to put one foot in front of the other. Part of her wanted to scream for Barius, Leo or even Nina but she just couldn’t get the words out. She knew they wouldn’t understand. A hand on her shoulder caused her to look back; to her relief it was Leo standing behind her with a concerned look upon his face.

“Rose you’ve been staring at the entrance for quite some time now. Anything you’d like to share?” He smiled a little and inclined his head toward the darkness. “We’ll be on our way soon.”

“Something,” She said softly, causing his eyebrow to arch just a little. “It wants me to walk forward. It’s pulling me forward but I’m fighting it. It feels like my body is rebelling against me, I’ve never felt this way before. It scares me.”

“Deep within these caverns is a place long forgotten to time. Somewhere in the system of caves that riddles this mountain, it is told, lay the fabled citadel of the naarabian kings lies. It is supposedly the first and last city that your people held on this world. It was merely a tall tale for a long time.” Leonidus put a hand on her shoulder and then a hand on her forehead, whispering something into her ear. She collapsed into his arms causing alarm all around him. “Fear not, I just forced her into sleep.”

“Care to share with us the reason father?” Mira said as she approached Leonidus from behind. “Because I am quite curious.”

“Reasons beyond your understanding young queen.” He snapped as he turned to her with the young woman in his arms. “Barius, Noranda, I need you to carry her again. She will sleep until we reach the end of the cavern.”

“Yes sir.” They said in unison.

“I will carry her if you will let me revered father.” Liostro suddenly said from behind them all, drawing looks from most and a nod from Leonidus.

~~~~

“Grandfather can you tell me why you decided to put Rose to sleep?” Nina whispered in a low voice as they walked through the caverns. The walls around them were illuminated by torches casting sinister writhing shadows along the side tunnels and alcoves they passed. The underground was a dangerous place, even this far above the earth the tunnels were rarely traversed without caution. They were almost to the other side of the entrance so Nina figured a little whisper wouldn’t hurt.

“Do you remember, my little sunbeam, when you were younger and decided that you wanted to explore these caves?” Leonidus said to her with a knowing hint to his voice. “Do you remember where I found you and what was at the end of the cavern with no name?”

“I do. I remember the door.” She shivered visibly when she thought about that place and the sense of dread she had felt when she found it several layers below the earth. Her little exploration expedition had gotten her lost for some time. She found out later that her grandfather had been near her the entire time; he had let her wander seemingly on her own to teach her a lesson. He had also forgiven her quickly when they stumbled upon the door to the fabled fallen naarabi citadel. “What does that have to do with Rose though?”

“Honestly I do not know but something deep within these caverns was calling to her, a compulsion that I could not trace with magic. I felt it, the link was there but I just couldn’t figure out how to identify and sever it. I’m hoping that by putting her into a sleep and waking her after we are clear of the caverns the link will not renew.” He looked over at Nina and smiled to attempt at erasing her worried look. “Don’t look so concerned Nina; she will be fine I’m sure.”

“You know I hate it when you attempt to shield me from life’s woes.” Nina replied as she looked forward past a few of the other elves and to her mother marching imperiously near the front of the column. She sneered a little and sighed. “You know mother doesn’t allow me the luxury of being a child.”

When they passed down the corridor he knew quite well, Leonidus scowled into the darkness and walked on. The last thing he needed was for the dead city of the naarabian people to be unearthed by a whelpling like Rose.

“Truth rings in your words, but the problem is that some things are better left unsaid and that is one of your downfalls I’m afraid my little sunbeam.” He tossed her a quick wink and held out his hand for her to stop the line of questioning. “We shall talk more in my tower when we are back at the palace. Rose should wake soon, and we’re near the exit.”

Rose let out a long breath and sighed, sitting up and stretching out languidly. For a moment she was confused until Liostro let her down to stand on her own two feet. Instantly she leveled a glare on Leonidus and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did you do that?”

“All will be revealed in time Rose, but for now I would like to welcome you to my ancestral home.” He swung his arm out wide as they exited a wide-mouthed cavern.

Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed a sight she thought to be the stuff of myth and legend. As far as she could see there was nothing but green treetops laced with tufts of mist, lancing sunbeams and clouds. From her vantage point she could hear the sounds of the forest loud and clear. Haunting cries and echoes drifted around the aged bark of the trees to find her ears. The sun shone down below giving the whole scene a ghostly illumination.

The sights and sounds of the forest were nothing as compared to the smell and feel of the damp air around her. Rose fell to her knees and a few tears slid down her cheeks and for a long moment she was silent, unmoving. “It’s like something out of a dream, it’s so beautiful.”

“Your tears are far more kind than your words my dear. This is the last forest on the face of this continent. This place is the last hope for a world beaten down and battered to the ground. This is our home, a secret we defend with our lives.”

“I have no words to describe it.” Liostro was in awe as well as he swept his gaze across the living relic from the past. “I never thought in a thousand years I would see such a sight.”

“Now that you have seen it, you know what it is we protect.” Queen Miralastra piped in to the conversation as she turned around and regarded the two newcomers. “Your job first and foremost is to the family and to this forest; you will protect it with your lives.”

Liostro and Rose both looked at each other for a moment as the young knight helped her up to her feet. The both of them removed the desert clothing that had been draped over their normal clothing and stuffed it into the packs they carried. They were silent as the long procession of elves walked down an enormous set of stairs carved into the mountain leading down to the valley below. They could feel the age of the ancient forest as they stepped down onto the moist loam and grass. A plethora of colors greeted them, all a stark contrast from the drab yellows and reds of the desert sands or the cracked earth of the scrublands and desert tundra. The air was thicker here, making it a little hard for both Liostro and Rose to breathe at first.

“The whole region used to look like this?” Rose marveled as she touched one of the trees reverently with her fingertips. She felt a light jolt as she traced the age-old bark and then pulled her hands away. A presence entered her mind for a moment then withdrew and she got the feeling that she was invited into this place, as if it had welcomed her home. “I can feel a presence in the trees here, older than time. It feels benevolent.”

“Amazing.” Leonidus said as he scratched his chin and regarded Rose thoughtfully. He had only seen two people in his long lifetime that could talk to the guardian of the forest so easily. “What did it say to you Rose?”

“It didn’t really say anything but it felt as if I was just welcomed me home.” She turned to her tutor and friend and regarded him with a curious gaze. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“Turn around my dear.” Leonidus pointed behind her and fell to one knee along with the rest of them save for Rose. Even Liostro went down to one knee, Leonidus observed.

Rose turned on her heel and got a slight start when one of the trees in the forest moved and walked toward her. Her body felt frightened as if it would be a good idea to run and hide but her mind felt a sense of peace and the intertwined feelings were slightly overwhelming. The grizzled looking tree had long arms that almost dragged to the ground and long legs that ended in a series of roots. The bark that covered it was enclosed in moss and vines. It had a wide body and a wide face but it looked more like an old grandfather than a monster. It was obvious that this ancient being was the one who had welcomed her. When she gathered her courage she looked up at the tangled mass of branches and leaves that sprouted from its head and regarded the gnarled face with a nose and mouth that looked like an old man. Its eyes were the most remarkable, they were a deep forest green with swirling motes of lighter green colors that moved and danced all their own. “I know you.”

“Young soul of an ancient blood line, I feel your presence here and you are welcome within my domain.” The large tree’s voice boomed across the forest like thunder during a storm. “I know you as well as I know my own trees and I have been waiting a long time for you to come home.”