Origin (34 page)

“You have my word as a friend that I will investigate what happened to Rhianna and bring whoever was responsible to justice, Rhys. I will also protect Elwyn, as will her father as soon as he knows of this horrible crime.”

“I have to tell you, elf, that for the first few seasons of Elwyn’s life I kept expecting to see Azavon walk through my door looking for Rhianna and the child. When that didn’t happen, I figured he just didn’t care. I never realized that he thought them both dead. I feel badly for my misjudgment and the bitterness I have felt towards him over the seasons. When you told me how Azavon had been deceived, I realized that I had to let that anger and bitterness go so I could do what is best for my niece.

When I heard you describe what your brother went through when he heard the news of Rhianna’s death, I understood Azavon’s grief because it mirrored my own. I was devastated at losing my wife and unborn child to the same illness that took Rhianna’s life. I also have to confess to you both that my sister’s dying wish was for me to go to Findara and tell Azavon that her last thoughts had been of him and the incredible love they shared. She also asked me to tell him that her only regret was to have to leave him and their baby daughter so soon.”

“Rhys, I’m a little confused. Why didn’t you ever come to Findara, or at least sent word to Azavon at some point in time.”

“Actually, what kept me from contacting Azavon was the illness that swept through our village a month after my sister gave birth. For over a hundred seasons before I came to Tarlon, there had not been a plague or a disease that was as widespread and as lethal as the one that swept through the village shortly after Rhianna’s arrival. The illness specifically targeted all children under two seasons of age, and all adults that had been weakened by some recent illness or condition such as pregnancy.

After the illness did its damage, I discovered that all of the elderly villagers, pregnant women, villagers that had been recently treated for an infection or illness, and children under the age of two were dead. Anyone else who came down with the illness, recovered without any lasting health issues.

At first I thought maybe Stefan found out where I was living and hired an assassin to try to eliminate me, but I later decided that, due to the nature of the disease, the most likely targets were Rhianna and Elwyn. I came to believe that the enemy was most likely someone from Findara who followed Rhianna and was willing to sacrifice an entire village to eliminate her and the unborn child she was carrying.

I have never been willing to risk Elwyn’s life by going to Findara. When I thought about what had happened to my sister, a grown woman, I was not willing to risk bringing a babe or a young child into that danger. I promised my sister I would protect her and I wasn’t sure that I could do it there.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you may have a valid point in that, Rhys. The more I hear, the more concerned I am, even for Azavon’s safety.

I have had many seasons to think about this, elf, and I believe that somewhere in your court there has been a carefully constructed plan to eliminate as much of the human element from the throne and royal family as possible. I think things have been quiet until now because, as you told us; you have never been married, Azavon has never remarried, and your sister married an elf. Think about it Ayron and please see that my little girl isn’t walking into more danger than she risks with me.”

Ayron and Clayre were both shocked by this revelation. Ayron suddenly realized that by taking Elwyn to Findara, he was most likely leading her into a nest of vipers. He also realized that the most poisonous ones had hidden themselves very well. As he shared this with Rhys, he came to realize just how difficult it was for Rhys to stay here in Amarni when the person he loved the most in this world was walking into danger. While both he and Rhys knew that the time had come for Elwyn to take her rightful place as heir to the throne of Silvendil, they were now both very aware of just how dangerous a situation that could be.

“I’ve been patiently sitting here listening to you both talk about the dangers to Elwyn from enemies in Findara. But what about all of the attacks we have experienced so far and this King Stefan you both keep talking about? Where does he fit into all of this? It sounds like too much of a coincidence that all of this is coming up at one time. Rhys, you and Elwyn seem to have enemies coming out of every corner. Is there anything else you haven’t told me about yourself that I should know?"

“Now woman, don’t be so harsh to a sick ‘old man,’ said Rhys with a grin. I agree with you that something is going on that none of us understands yet. And no, to answer your question, I am not aware of any other enemies Elwyn and I have in the Known Lands. What do you think about this Ayron?”

“I think that Clayre has a good point. There has to be some connection between Stefan and Findara. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they are allies, but our enemy in Findara is most likely coordinating their efforts with Stefan to eliminate a common problem; mainly you and Elwyn. She is the rightful heir to both the throne of Silvendil and of Avrelan and I can think of many reasons why some people from both kingdoms might not see that as a positive thing. Rhys, I need you to get well as soon as possible so that you and Clayre can come to Findara to help us figure this whole thing out. Rhys, you may know more than you realize about the situation and Clayre, I value your perspectives and insights as we talk. You are the only one here that has an outsider’s perspective because you have neither attachments nor feelings toward either Silvendil or Avrelan. You may be able to see what we miss.

Rhys, I’d like to go back to something you said earlier. Did Rhianna ever say the name of the person she trusted this information to? I know that she had a young woman who worked as her personal assistant, but I’m not sure if that is the person she trusted so much. No one ever came to me when Azavon and I arrived home from Grimsfyne,” he said with a puzzled frown.

“No,” said Rhys apologetically. “I’m sorry but that was all Rhianna shared with me and I was reluctant to push her on the subject as sick as she was. Perhaps she wrote more about some of these things in the diary that Clayre gave Elwyn to take with her. I never had the heart to read it myself, but I probably should have for Elwyn’s sake. I know that she wrote in it frequently.”

“Don’t worry Rhys,” Ayron said cheerfully. “Reading the diary will give us something to talk about as we journey toward Findara. It will also give me some time to see if I can separate friend from foe.”

After bidding them both farewell, Ayron left the hut and went out to talk to his remaining soldiers. He was surprised that the sun was already dipping below the western horizon. His discussions with Rhys and Clayre took much longer than he’d anticipated. Kormir, Alea, Mintas, Briten, and Galdor were all waiting patiently for him by the large village campfire, each drinking a hot cup of tea and waiting for the evening meal to be served. Even though each one of them looked exhausted, he knew that they would all have followed him into much worse. In fact, if he were to ask, they would willingly follow him to their deaths. The problem was that he was going to ask them to do something even harder; to stay behind and wait for Rhys to heal. They had lost so many of their number while trying to get Rhys and Elwyn to safety, he felt he had to leave the five soldiers that were still living, here in Amarni so that they could safely escort Rhys and Clayre to Findara as soon as Rhys was strong enough.

After greeting his soldiers, Ayron got a mug of hot tea for himself and explained the situation to them. He could tell that they were unhappy about being left behind, and even more unhappy about him riding off alone to find Elwyn. They did, however, understand his request. With all that Rhys and Clayre had been through, his soldiers could understand why he felt he needed some familiar faces to stay with them and then to be a part of their escort to Findara. That knowledge was at war though with the army code that stated that it was considered risky to ride off alone unless accompanied by a drakenhawk who could signal danger as well as join in a fight. Ayron planned to take this trip to find Elwyn alone and so they tried as hard as they could to convince him to take at least one other soldier with him. Kormir even offered to send his drakenhawk Krill along with him, but Ayron refused to take him, explaining that Krill would be the only way that they could communicate with each other after he was reunited with Keroc. Because he was uncomfortable enough about the situation with Kierra, he chose not to share it, even though it would have reassured his soldiers to know that he wasn’t really alone. In the end, each of his soldiers realized his plan made sense and agreed to stay behind in Amarni. They shared an evening meal together, and then wished him good health and good fortune as he left. His next stop was to find and speak with Hodari.

Ayron found Hodari talking with his dawa mwaname, who was the village healer. They were fussing about the best method of treatment for an injured morden. Hodari excused himself and started to walk with Ayron back toward his hut. As they walked away the dawa mwaname lifted his spear over his head and said:

“Brother to the Amarani people be warned. That which you seek to protect faces much danger. She will come under much more serious attack before she finds peace. It is up to you to gain her trust and be there for her when she calls. It will be important for you to know that there are large rats in your grain, so be careful in whom you put your trust once you have arrived at your destination.”

With that, the healer turned and walked away without looking back.

“Did you have a chance to ask dawa mwaname’s advice about the reluctance of our morden to choose a head mare to lead the herd?” asked Ayron as they walked slowly through the village.

“I did brother, and his answer was most curious. He told me that your morden have never been without a head mare and that she and the elf queen would see to Raffe and that he would not enter the void.”

Ayron felt as if he had been hit by lightning bolt as the shocking revelation hit him. Gemma was the head mare and Elwyn was bringing her home. The complexity of this whole situation was overwhelming, to say the least.

“Thank you, Hodari. The Amarani have opened my eyes once again with their wisdom. I will take it back with me to my people in Findara.”

“I would take dawa mwaname’s words and warning seriously if I were you my brother,” Hodari said as he walked. “While I often grumble about his doom filled prophesies, he normally sees things very clearly and has saved my life more times than I can count.”

“I will my friend,” replied Ayron. “I wanted to thank you again for saving my life and the lives of the people who were with me. I am deeply in your debt. I am also grateful that you are willing to keep Rhys and Clayre safe until they are strong enough to make the trip to Findara.”

“It is not a problem my friend,” said Hodari slapping him on the back. “Your family is my family and I know that were the situation ever reversed, you would guard my family with your life as I will yours. Now go in peace my friend and may it not be too many seasons before we meet again.

Next time you come, please bring your niece and plan to stay awhile. I would like to meet this female chieftain and introduce her to my people. There are many things about the morden that we are discovering daily, and my dawa mwaname says that there are many more things that we can learn from your niece, or as he calls her the “elf queen”. He says she is learning many things on her journey that will change the way we view them. ”

“Your dawa mwaname’s comments do not surprise me. I think I’m getting to the place where nothing about my niece surprises me. I am coming to believe that she is more than just a special young woman. Peace, my friend until our paths cross again.”

When they arrived at Hodari’s hut, his entire family was there to give him a proper send off. Kubwa, Hodari’s son, was leading a contented Gerrack who had obviously had a bath and a grooming. His saddle was also been cleaned and polished. Moya, Hodari’s daughter, came out of the hut dragging his saddle bags. All of his clothing had been carefully laundered and folded, and several packages of food filled the rest of the bags to the brim. Finally Zuri came to him, handed him two large waterskins that had been filled, gave him a hug, and wished him a safe journey. Ayron tossed his saddle bags on Gerrack’s strong back, hung the waterskins from the pommel of the saddle, and mounted his stallion. As he rode away, Ayron had mixed feelings. There was a part of him that wished that he could stay in Amarni until he felt stronger and more able to deal with the challenges that he knew were ahead. There was another part of him that was excited and looking forward to joining his niece. He was looking forward to getting to know her, and helping her to face the challenges that lay ahead.

Ayron turned for one last look at Amarni and headed back toward Unity and the road that would lead him to Elwyn.

E
lwyn was rather annoyed to find herself still alone the next morning. She lay on her bed pad for a while trying to decide what she should do. It was obvious to her that Gemma, Raffe, and Keroc thought she should continue to wait here in Kren for Ayron to arrive. She remembered that the land to the north of her was supposed to be dangerous, but she couldn’t remember why. Frankly after all she’d been through; it was hard for her to imagine anything that might scare her more than the shadow squads had. She got up, threw some wood on the fire, put on some water for tea, and fed Keroc. After she ate, she packed up the rest of her gear, and headed out to visit with the morden.

Elwyn could tell that Gemma and Raffe were still very much against her venturing on alone. Every time she mentioned traveling north, the morden started shaking their heads, snorting, and stomping their hooves. Elwyn did wonder if the morden knew something that she did not. “If only they could talk,” she muttered to herself under her breath.

What bothered her most about her current situation was that she had not heard from anyone. Ayron hadn’t arrived when he said he would, Kierra hadn’t contacted her, except for that one brief moment when she first arrived in Kren, and she had seen no signs of the drakenhawks that Kierra said she sent to heal Keroc and protect the two of them. Besides, there was something about this place that made her skin crawl. It was the first time that she ever sensed danger and hadn’t been able to discern its source.