In Pursuit Of Wisdom (Book 1) (75 page)

“Ingenious,” Niku observed.  “Many animals must have walked across this illusion in the cave floor, falling hundreds of feet to the catacombs below.  That would explain the large number of bones we saw down there at the bottom of the shaft.”

Quentin nodded.  Strongiron motioned to the others.  “Come, let’s continue.”

They left the cave and felt the sun on their faces for the first time in days.  It was cool
, but not as frigid as when they left Elvidor.  Winter had come to this part of the world as well, but perhaps spring was close.  Walking out from the cave, the chilly air was lost on them all, however, given the sight they came upon.

Pouring over the edge of a sheer cliff was a massive waterfall.  The water, however, wasn’t clear
blue or muddy brown.

It was silver.  Pure silver.

The view was breathtaking, and it was impossible to take one’s eyes off it.  The water gathered at the bottom into a large tide pool, and then rushed downstream and emptied into the enormous lagoon that made up the center of the nearly circular continent.  The central lagoon was so vast that it might as well have been the sea; you could not see the land on the opposite side.  Where the silver water crashed into the crystal clear water, a sort of cloudy, opaque river delta emerged, with lightening shades of gray.  The spray at the bottom of the waterfall filled the air with a silvery mist, causing light reflections everywhere.  It looked like tiny mirror fragments were suspended in the air, and the effect was dazzling, almost blinding after days in the catacombs.

“Long we have waited for this day!”
said a voice behind them.  “Welcome, welcome!”

Kari turned around.  She saw three m
ale Elves, ancient even for their race, dressed in simple white robes and heavy white cloaks that contrasted starkly with their dark skin.  It was then that she saw the tower behind them.

A single tower, beautifully sculpted, rose from the ground to match the height of the cliffs surround
ing them.  Rookwood may have been more impressive in size, but the detailed stonework was a level of craftsmanship she had never seen anywhere in her life.  She had no doubt that what stood before her was the fabled Tower of Dariez—the ancient home of the True Clerics.  This was her calling.

The three old Elves
approached Kari and the group, walking somewhat slowly.  “We have been expecting you.  Since others first came to learn about Dymetra—and unfortunately, about the Fallen One as well—we knew the time was approaching when our God would send a new champion.  Long have we waited to share what we know.  A long time indeed.”

Kari took a step forward, as everyone in her group watched her.

One of the Elves came forward, walking past Kari and said, “Welcome, Strongiron.  Come, refresh yourselves.”

The others started sharing awkward looks.  Finally, Strongiron said, “Ah, I don’t know how you know me, but I’m here to safely deliver Kari to you.  It is her destiny to become a True Cleric.”

The Elves smiled.  “All may study who feel the Call.  But you, Strongiron, are preordained.  The world will need many with faith enough to heal.  There must be more than one beacon of light in the growing darkness of this world.”

One of the
Elves walked over to Quentin, and put a hand on his shoulder.  “Your Art cannot heal you, for the source of your power is Man.  But you will learn that with Dymetra, all things are possible.”

The Elf said
a word, and Quentin’s hands flew to his mouth. He opened it and stuck his tongue—his new tongue—out.  Overcome with joy, he kept sticking his tongue in and out of his mouth, licking his lips.  He looked at everyone and said, “…I…can speak.  I can talk again!  Master Niku—it is a miracle!”

“Come inside our tower, and warm yourselves, friends
,” the third Elf said.

Niku’s eyes grew wide, like little white saucers.  “It is indeed.  The tales of old seem to be true.  The True Clerics are back.”

The Elves looked at one another, smiling somewhat sadly.  “Some of us never left.  But come, we have much to discuss.”

All of them began walking toward the tower, except Strongiron.  He stood there, staring at the silver waterfall, the tower, the massive inland sea, and Quentin, trying to take it all in.  “I’m a
General,” he said.  “Fighting is all I know.”

“Perhaps that is why you were chosen,” said the
Elf that had healed Quentin.  With another smile that seemed to crinkle his entire face, he made a grand gesture with a sweep of his cloak and continued leading them all into the Tower.

Strongiron reached out and put his massive hand on his shoulder, stopping him.  “
Dymetra…She really exists, doesn’t She?”

Everyone looked at
him.  The Elves turned to look at Quentin, who stepped forward and clasped the True Warrior’s hand.  “Yes, General.  She most certainly does.”

Turning, they all began trudging into the Tower, out of the c
ool, misty air, with Kari last.  She paused before entering, her stomach in knots and her fists balled up. 
This was supposed to be
my
destiny.

~Queen Najalas~

Queen Najalas knew this day
had been coming.  Chief Chocktaw had reported the curious movement of hundreds of small watercraft through the strait of Holstine and around the southern edge of Elvidor, past the great Elven forest of Filestalas.  This was no army.  These boats looked hardly seaworthy, as if children hiding by the shoreline could sink them while skipping stones.  Still—in these times the Queen took no chances.  Simon and a contingent of her guards “welcomed” these visitors.  Seated in her Great Hall, she waited while some of the leaders, including this so-called ‘Admiral’ called upon the Queen.

Herodius entered, along with four or five other men.  They were thin, but fit
-looking.  However, it was his eyes that Queen Najalas fixated on.  He looked like the most resolute man she had ever seen.  There was no fear in his face anywhere.

“Your Majesty,” he began.  “We have sailed a long way to share what little news we have.”  Herodius told the Queen of their capture, the murder of their families, their training, the plans they overheard, their escape, and their remarkable journey to The Rookwood.  “And so, your Majesty, we do not seek refuge.  No.  We come to fight!  My men and I seek only opportunity
to deliver justice to those who have taken so much from us.  If you would have our service, let the men of the Uncharted Isles lend their strength to your efforts.  Let us make a common cause of a common enemy in this dark, dark world.”

The Queen looked at the fierce man in front of her. 
He has passion, this one. 
“Tell me, Herodius, what is it you wish of me?  You sail halfway around the world, with few provisions, for what?  The opportunity of future revenge?  Tell me that there is more to your efforts than mere bloodlust, because I wonder how that will be sustained as the weeks stretch to months just sitting here, waiting for our enemy to attack.  Because if you think I plan to sail with my own troops away from our stronghold to meet his, you are gravely mistaken.”  She fixed Herodius with a steely stare.

As stoic as ever, he looked at the Queen with unblinking eyes.  “Your Majesty,” he began.  “We are not looking for charity.  Our men are proud, and they have some training already.  With a modest bit of food and rest, I know that we will be a fierce addition to your army.  I have already seen these men fight the Ogre and his mercenaries—we won our freedom the hard way, and we will fight for that freedom, whether as part of your army or on our own.  I would have us join you, but that decision rests with you.”

He paused, briefly looked down before looking back at the Queen, boldly stepping forward.  “My Queen, have you ever lost everything?”

I lost my King, my Husband,
and my Partner to share this burden. 
“I have lost much, Islander, but not everything,” she said.  “And neither have you,” she added, returning his gaze.  “You live still, for one.”

Herodius blinked, wiping away a single, proud tear.  He actually smiled sadly.  “Yes, I suppose you are right.  Perhaps not everything.  But if you have lost as much as I have—my family, my home, my way of life—then you would understand that what I am asking for is simply a fresh start!  Not just for me, but for all of us who came here.  We do not want charity or a handout.  We will work the land until we can buy our own.  We will train with your soldiers and earn our wages at the very bottom of your army.  We will serve in your castle as laborers to pay for the food we eat.  We came here with nothing but information and pride, and if there is no place for us here, than we will leave with the same.”

Herodius raised both hands, addressing everyone in the Great Hall.  “Our Queen has asked us a good question.  A fair question.  You ask what will keep the fire of revenge burning should we settle into a new life here.  I can only speak for myself, but I daresay my sentiment is shared by every brother and sister of mine that journeyed here across the sea.

“The answer is hope.  Hope is what will keep the fire burning.  Not the presence of hope, but the very lack of it.  What I have learned is that hope and fear are closely related:  one cannot have hope unless one fears something to lose, and when one has nothing to lose, there is no hope.”

“You speak of despair, Herodius Cromwell.  Of what value to my kingdom are 9,000 islanders, full of despair?”  The Queen stood up, looking for answers.  She stretched out her arms in a gesture that was somehow both empathetic and exasperated at the same time.

“No!  Not despair.  Never despair.  I reject that a lack of hope is despair.  What I am trying to tell you is that for all of us
there is nothing else
besides revenge.  You take hope away, and you leave nothing but a void into which we pour our anger over this atrocity.  Look at my wrist!”  He held up his arm, upon which could clearly be seen his number: 1X5Z9.  “I am a just number to this fiend.  Do you think if we regain our strength, make new friends, and learn a new skill that we will soon forget what the Ogre and his Master have done?  My Queen…how could we?  It is written on all of our bodies.”

The Queen stepped down from her throne and walked over to Herodius.  There were several gasps from some in her court.  She gently extended her hand to look at his wrist.  The arm was heavily scarred, but the tattoo was clearly visible:  1X5Z9.  She softened her eyes and looked directly into moist ones of the proud man in front of her. 
Can I trust this man and his kind to fight for us when it really matters?  Can I put them under my knights, or under my castle guards?  Will these 9,000 mouths really earn their keep?

An unexpected flash of movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. 
Stepping out from the shadows, Magi called to the same Queen who had put a bounty on his head.  “He speaks truly, my Queen.  It is a Dark, Dark World.  But I assure you both: it is
not
a hopeless one.”

He smiled, holding aloft the brilliant Staff of Insight.

The Cast (Alphabetical):

Aaron
:  A food tester

Abel Steele
:  Opponent of Strongiron

Absynthe the Weak
:  Son of Torbeth, Ancient King of Elvidor

Arkin Steele
:  Disfigured Warrior, opponent of Strongiron

Arrington, Lionel
:  Ranger from Brigg

Arrington, Lord
:  Overseer of Shoal

Axel Steele
:  Opponent of Strongiron

Barnabus
: A smitty in Briz.  Half-brother of Thimble

Belara Kassar
:  Niku’s Number 2 Mage, a gifted Illusionist

Bertram
:  Master-at-Arms in the Fighting Pits of Kekero

Bingham, Lord
:  Overseer of Ilbindale

Black-John
:  Village smitty in Brigg

Bollinger, Lord
:  Overseer of Misk

Brandon Gains
:  Large-scale farmer in Brigg

Bronson
: A deckhand on
The Modest Mermaid

Bruno Stoney
:  Innkeeper at
Stoney’s Drink

Captain Grull
:  A leader under Tar-Tan

Cherokum
:  Elven Scout

Chocktaw
:  Elven Chieftain

Corovant, Lord
: Overseer of Gaust

Crystal
:  A serving girl at
The Royal Steed

Daphne
:  Xaro’s Enchantress mother

Diana
:  Elven maidservant

Dymetra
:  One True God

Elmon
:  A miller from a hamlet near Briz

Elsa, the Ol’ Shakoor
:  Northern Prophet

Elyn, Lady
: 
Elven Princess

Ethan Bollinger
: 
Lord Bollinger's son

Fate
: 
Demi-God also known as Destiny, or Fortune's Song

Genovieve
: 
One of Malenec's favorite zombie's

Goodwin, Lady Melanie
: 
Farmer's Widow in Brigg

Gwen
: 
Elven Maidservant

Hamath, Lord
: 
Lord of Whilure

Hazelton, Lady Fran
: 
Lord Daniel's wife

Hazelton, Lord Daniel
: 
Overseer of Paragatha

Helmut Bowhistle
: 
First mate aboard
The Modest Mermaid

Hem-see Rah
: 
Ancient Elven King

Herodius Cromwell
: 
Islander from Uncharted Isles

Horace Packard
: 
Large-scale farmer in Brigg

Jacyntha Blacksmooth (Jaz)
: 
Magi's Mother

Jamison, Lord Ian
: 
Overseer of Shith

Jonathon Venerek
: 
The Queen's Steward

Kari Quinlan
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Karwin the Short
: 
Warlord who overthrew Absynthe

Kenoshee Rah
: 
Ancient Elven Queen

Kensington, Lord
: 
Overseer of Kekero

King Alomar
: 
King of Elvidor

Kuth-Cergor
: 
The Anti-God

Kyle Quinlan
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Magi Blacksmooth
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Malenec
: 
A Dark Cleric

Manny
: 
Fish peddler in Gaust

Manoramoshi
: 
Elven guard

Maria Cromwell
:
Herodius's wife

Marik Kinshaw
: 
Master True Mage, teacher of young mages

Markus
: 
Captain of
The Queen's Arrow

Mika Lalonde
: 
A Captured Islander

Mikel Lalonde
: 
A Captured Islander, friend of Herodius

Morsus
: 
A wight in the employ of Fate, the Master of Pain

Nathaniel Mist
: 
Head of the Thief's Guild

Nepalacerta
: 
A scorpion-like creature, with a lizard's head

Niku Whitestone
: 
Head of Magic for the Queen

Norman
: 
Lord Bollinger's Steward

Nugget
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Orion
: 
Xaro's Warrior Father

Paul the Wanderer
: 
Famous and accomplished Ranger

Peace-Arm Tuitio
: 
Strongiron's father, Knight of the Order of Thunder

Peter Massilon
: 
Admiral of the Queen's Fleet

Phillip Xavier Trenton
: 
Village Elder in Brigg

Phineas
: 
True Mage in the employ of the Queen

Pilanthas
: 
Ancient Elven Prophet

Queen Najalas
: 
Queen of Elvidor

Quentin
:
Mage dispatched to Urthrax by the Queen

Quinn
: 
Warrior dispatched to Kekero

Quixatalor
: 
Ancient Archmage

Ragor Stri
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Rebecca
: 
A Ranger from Brigg, known as "The Lady Ranger"

Reginald the Third
: 
Ancient King of Elvidor

Renee
: 
Lady friend of Trevor Blink

Rhee
: 
Female True Warrior under Strongiron's command

Robin Edgewild
: 
Veronica's father

Roc-San
: 
Warlord who rose to power after Karwin

Ronbar
: 
A miller from Rookwood

Samir
: 
Recruited Veronica

Serenity Hopewell
: 
True Mage, former student of Marik Kinshaw's

Silas
: 
Innkeeper of
The Royal Steed

Silverfist
: 
Head of the Assassin's Guild

Silvia Edgewild
: 
Veronica's mother

Simon Brisbane
: 
Captain of the Queen's Guard

Sindar
: 
Warrior from Brigg

Skylar
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Strongiron Tuitio
: 
Warrior son of Peace-Arm, member of Queen Najalas's inner circle

Tarsh Minster
: 
Mage in Brigg, training under Marik

Tar-Tan
: 
Warrior half-ogre

Thimble
: 
A dwarf travelling with gypsies

Thomas
: 
Scribe in the Great Library of Gaust

Thorax
: 
Iron God

Tinkle
: 
A gypsy from the black markets of Paragatha

Tomas Blacksmooth
: 
Magi's Father

Tonthor
: 
Elven guard

Torbeth the First
: 
Son of Reginald, Ancient King of Elvidor

Trevor Blink
: 
Talented Thief

Vartan
: 
A cook at
The Royal Steed

Velvet, Lady
: 
Innkeeper at
The Last Call

Venatus Carrion
: 
Ranger from Brigg

Veronica Edgewild
: 
Talented Assassin

Vincent
: 
Lord Kensington's Son

Windomere
: 
Ancient True Cleric

Wyzle
: 
Keeper of the Books, Great Library of Gaust

Xaro
: 
True Mage who conceals his status

Zender
: 
The Mystic Under the Mountain

Zephyr (Captain Z)
: 
Captain of the boat,
Sheila's Bane