Empress Aurora Trilogy Quest For the Kingdom Parts I, II, and III Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set) (22 page)
Authors: L. M. Roth
“For it shall
not only reveal what you are to do but will also expose who you are. For make
no mistake: it is a two-edged sword. As it imparts a word, it will also judge
you by that word; for how you receive that word and whether you obey it will
determine your destiny, as the thoughts and intentions of your heart are laid
bare.
“One final
charge do I lay on you: when the dagger of darkness stabs your heart, parry the
thrust of your enemy with the word of Logos. For Leon was created by the spoken
word of Dominio, and he must still submit to it, though he rebelled against it.
When he lunges for the kill, raise the Sword of Logos against him. It is your
mightiest weapon of defense.”
Marcus looked
long at the sword in his hands. All of his life he had longed for a sword of
his own. Now he had received one, yet he was told not to use it? How could this
be? He could not help but wonder what his father, Valerius Maximus, the head of
the Imperial Army of Valerium, would say to that!
River of Life
The time had
come for the journey home. Xenon had taught them all that he knew, and had
given Marcus the gift of the fabulous sword, Logos. Now they must return to
their homelands and spread to their fellow countrymen the good news of the
reconciliation of mankind to Dominio, of the resurrection of Alexandros, and
the Kingdom of Heaven established on Earth.
The night
before they left, they called on Xenon for a final meal. He would miss them,
his children, he said, for they had become dearer to him than any blood
children could ever be, for they shared the bond of the blood of Alexandros
between them, and what could be closer than that?
Then the old
man seemed troubled in his spirit and his mind seemed to wander. They waited
patiently for him to return to them. Felix inquired if anything was the matter?
Xenon seemed to bring his gaze back upon them as if from a long distance. He
hesitated, but only for a moment.
“I had a dream
last night, one I feel came to warn me. In the dream, there were merchants,
merchants from Koohyaram. They were setting a watch on the Eastern Road, under
orders from the Ashkani. He covets the Pearl and is lying in wait for you. He
would use the merchants to deceive you, to capture you, seize the Pearl, and
kill you.”
The little
band listened in horror.
“You must not
take the Eastern Road,” Xenon warned.
“How then
shall we return to our homelands?” Marcus asked the old man. “The only other
route is over the Great Sea to the West and that is fraught with peril.”
“There is
another way,” Xenon assured him. “Meet me at the pier to the mainland tomorrow
at noon. I will show you how you must return.”
The clouds
billowed up, piled one on top of the other in a column of fluffy whiteness.
Here and there the rays of the sun shot through, illuminating the entire mass
with an unearthly light, as though some other world had briefly invaded their
own.
Farewell to
Solone, land of knowledge, where learning was prized above all else. Farewell
to Xenon, sage and prophet, whose teaching and training would guide them
through their journey.
Kyrene,
however, was to continue to travel with them. For Xenon saw that they would
need much counsel on the road ahead, and Kyrene would be of great assistance.
It was not usual for a single lady to accompany men on an expedition.
However, the
presence of Fanchon as Dag’s intended satisfied the conventions and made
Kyrene’s acceptable.
Marcus noted
with surprise that Felix brightened at the news that Kyrene would escort them.
What, he wondered, of Tullia and the feelings that Felix entertained for her?
Was his friend so fickle in his affections, or did Marcus perhaps only fancy a
growing attachment on the part of Felix toward the young woman?
Xenon had met
them at the pier, where a boat waited for them. He was leading them for a short
distance to the place where they would embark. It was not far, he said.
They set off
from the opposite shore of the island across the sea to the mainland. Marcus
felt an unexpected pang in his heart as they sailed. He had been so happy here,
if only for a brief sojourn. Would he ever see Solone again, he wondered. And
what of Xenon? Would their paths ever cross again before it was time for the
old man to take his last journey?
The boat
pulled into the little harbor on the shore of the mainland. To the surprise of
everyone but Kyrene, the Captain detached a smaller boat which Xenon instructed
the young men to hoist on their shoulders and carry to the point of
embarkation. It was a curious boat, having no sails, nor oarlocks.
It was about twenty-five
feet long, and its mid-section contained seats carved into the wooden interior.
At the stern was a small cabin that rose to a height of about ten feet, and
about ten feet wide. Within the cabin, as they would soon discover, was a compartment
where the young men would sleep: there was another directly below deck for the
young ladies, and a tiny galley kitchen below deck at its fore. But for now
Dag, Marcus, and Felix hoisted the little craft onto their shoulders and
proceeded to carry it, following Xenon’s lead.
They followed
the course of a small stream that emerged from the mouth of the sea. They
followed it inland to a distance of perhaps a mile, when Xenon instructed them
to put the boat down.
They had
followed the stream into a wood. Here cliffs of brown earth rose high on either
side, crowned with tall trees that gave shade from the burning rays of the sun
of high noon. Smaller trees dotted the cliffs here and there, saplings at best,
their foliage a mere spray of lacy green like ferns. Those also grew in
abundance in the sheltered valley, draping over the cliffs in a curtain of
green.
Here the stream
had broadened to a river that tumbled over the rocks in the midst of its path
with a roar that was almost deafening.
“This is Zoe,
the River of Life,” Xenon intoned solemnly.
“She will take
you on course to your homelands.”
Felix puckered
his forehead.
“She will
take…” he broke off.
“Yes, you
heard correctly,” Xenon smiled at the young man’s bewilderment. “For you do not
take Zoe: the River of Life takes you, where it wills, if it wills.”
After
digesting this very important fact, the little band bade farewell to Xenon, for
who knew when they might meet again? Perhaps soon, perhaps never.
Xenon tousled
the curls of young Cort, and shook Dag’s sturdy hand. The mighty Trekur Lender
clasped Xenon’s hand and bowed his head in silence. Fanchon smiled and dropped
a little curtsy, and Marcus and Felix gravely saluted the old man in the manner
of the Valerians.
But Xenon
caught Kyrene to him in a warm embrace, which brought tears to her eyes. She
stifled a sob and beamed at him through the shimmer of her swimming eyes. Then
he waved to them in farewell and turned back in the direction from which they
came.
The little
group looked after him after he had gone, then at one another, then at the
boat. And then, at last, at the River. Dag pushed the boat into the River, and
tied one end of the rope firmly to a tree which stood on the bank while they
stocked the small craft with their provisions and belongings.
One by one
they descended the bank and climbed into the boat. After all the others were
seated, Dag loosened the rope and leapt into the vessel.
They waited.
They had no oars, for Xenon had said that the River would take them. For the
space of perhaps five minutes the boat remained utterly still, although the
stream ran swiftly about them.
Then each felt
a tremor in the bottom of the boat. Slowly it began to drift, not downstream to
the shore, but upstream to places unknown. The current seemed slight, although
they saw the water run rapidly over the rocks. Then the vessel headed for a
passage where the river narrowed.
They held
their breaths, fearing the boat would run aground, ending their voyage before
it had begun. The boat eased them through the narrow passage, and they could
see that the course grew wider again. Gently the River took them through the
narrow space, where the water slowed to a trickle. Up over the rocks it lifted
them. Then the trickle became a flow, the flow became a torrent, and suddenly
the current carried them away.
As the River
Zoe conveyed them on their course at her mercy, one thought was uppermost in
the mind of Marcus.
The Empress
Aurora was not going to be at all pleased with the result of the quest on which
she had sent him.
Quest For the
Kingdom
Part II
Conquering the
Domain of Darkness
by L. M. Roth
Text Copyright
© 2012 L. M. Roth
All Rights
Reserved
Preface
“There is
another matter that perplexes me, Kyrene. I have not had opportunity to speak
with you about it until now, and I would like your opinion on it.”
He then shared
with her the strange visions he had seen in their travels: the evil visage that
peered out from the Tribal Chief’s face when he confronted and denounced Dag,
and the eerie figure he saw at the edge of the woods at the home of Pascal and
Gaelle during the banquet.
Kyrene nodded
her head eagerly as he related these visions.
“Very good,
Marcus, very good indeed,” she said with the air of a tutor commending an
exceptional pupil. “You are growing in discernment, and that is why you
perceived them.”
Marcus
hesitated a moment, then voiced his own conclusion.
“Were they the
Astra?” he inquired as he lowered his voice.
“Yes, indeed!”
Kyrene exclaimed. “Or rather, two of the minor ones.”
“Minor?”
Marcus asked skeptically. “But they were hideous!”
“Oh yes, I am
certain they were!” the girl answered him. “But it is only the minor Astra that
are hideous.
“It is the
high ranking Astra who are more difficult to detect, for they disguise themselves
as beings of great beauty. These do not incite one to carnality, but rather to
a false spirituality. They set themselves up to be worshiped as gods and lure
the ignorant to set up idols, to bow down to what is not God, and to persecute
those who belong to Dominio.
“They pretend
to be loving, kind, and tolerant of all peoples and their faith save one: they
hate Alexandrians and incite their own followers to make war on us. Yes, they
seem beautiful, but make no mistake, Marcus; they are evil.”
Those last
words were pronounced with such finality that for a moment Marcus found himself
bereft of words. Yet, he had something niggling at him, that would not leave
him in peace…
“I have one
more question,” he finally ventured. “Why could not Dag make the Tribal Chief
see reason, and how empty the worship of Bjorrne is? Why do they persist in
believing a lie?”
“They believe
because the lie is of long tradition, and it is entrenched in their
understanding. What you saw in the Tribal Chief’s face was a lower ranking
Astra, but over that one is a higher, more powerful general, if you will, who
exercises control of that territory in Trekur Lende and gives orders to those
of a lower rank. It is a hierarchy, Marcus, just as it is in a standing army.”
This statement
made sense to Marcus, who was raised in a military family, and whose thoughts
proceeded along such lines. And yet…
“Why was Dag
unable to break through that lie with the truth of Dominio, and Alexandros Whom
He sent?” Marcus persisted.
“Dag could not
prevail because he had not yet been tested,” Kyrene explained. “Do you remember
what Xenon taught us? ‘You will never defeat the kingdom of darkness unless you
conquer the chambers of your own heart.’ ”
“Who really
possessed Dag’s heart: that was the test.”
Kyrene paused.
“For Dag, it
is Dominio who occupies the throne of his heart. One day he will see it. And
when he does, the kingdom of darkness will shudder when they hear the approach
of his steps.”