Revelation (18 page)

Braden and Lorik both sat down next to Aaron as he sipped from the water flask. “Captain,” Braden spoke first, “for two centuries I was marked as a coward and set to live out my days in captivity. I won’t withdraw from the hunt! The Book of Aleth must be recovered, and I won’t stop until it is. It would truly be cowardly if I took the gift of the enemy just to spare my own life. We would never be free if we bind ourselves to that which is evil.”

“I agree with Braden, sir,” Lorik said. “I told you before that I have made my choice. I believe that Celedon has been deceived and that somehow the emperor is behind it. This Book of Aleth is the key to the truth, and I have set my heart to find it. If I die because I made this choice, then I die knowing that it was the right one.”

Aaron knew his own choice was clear. He had already gone too far and seen too much to shrink back and give in to the temptation offered him. Although the warning of his cloaked guard echoed in his thoughts as well, Aaron didn’t want to align himself with what was evil. In his heart he knew his course. With his will cemented, he looked at his two companions with a renewed sense of purpose. He would find the book and learn the truth or die in the attempt.

“Have you made a decision, Captain?” Lorik asked.

Before Aaron could answer, the door swung open, and the hooded figure entered again, this time, however he was carrying something hidden in the folds of his robe. The figure motioned to the three sitting on the floor. “Come…come quickly!” His tone conveyed an urgency that bordered on panic.

“What,” Aaron said, “come where?”

“There is no time for questions—you must come with me now!” protested the strange figure. “I have secured some of your belongings and will lead you to the main gate. From there you must proceed south through the Waste and leave this land forever.” Without another word, the hooded figure started down the dark hall leading to the throne room. The three companions chased after him, following close behind their guide. Aaron drew alongside and tried to match pace with the long strides of the one leading them.

“What are you doing? Why?” Aaron asked.

“No questions,” the hooded figure commanded. “This is your only chance of escape. The lord of this castle is in repose and will not summon you to return to his chambers until tomorrow. You must leave, and leave quickly. Do not stop for rest by day or night until you have crossed the border of this realm. If he discovers you’re missing before you are free from his influence, you will have no other opportunity.” They continued walking, drawing to the door that entered the throne room and turned right, following the passageway that Aaron had seen before.

The hall was clean, free of debris and dust, well lit, with torches along the wall spaced several feet apart. It was long, but very straight, and Aaron could see a large door at the end. As they approached he could see it, too, was ornately designed, carved with exquisite scenes of nature. Through it the four of them passed and entered into a large courtyard that separated the main building from the outer wall. Aaron, Braden, and Lorik all had to run to keep up with their guide moving swiftly across the yard. Aaron could see maybe fifty paces ahead of them the large, reinforced gate. It was operated by two massive pulleys which lifted the gate with strong, iron chains. They didn’t, however, try to raise the barrier, but turned to the left side of the structure and stood, as it appeared, in front of a solid stone wall.

The hooded figure extended his hand from the folds of his robe and, with a slight wave, a door made of solid stone opened. He led them through the small exit and beyond the exterior wall. Outside the castle, free from the confines that held them, Braden and Lorik stood breathless in their haste. Aaron looked at their guide with amazed wonder. Winded for the effort, he took several deep breaths to try and regain some stamina.

“Why are you doing this?” Aaron asked.

The robed figure paused and looked down at Aaron. “I know who you are, protector,” the figure began. “I betrayed you and the King a millennia ago and handed your life to my master. Now, at the turn of the age, I have the chance to redeem my failure and, perhaps, make some small repair to the damage I’ve caused.”

Aaron frowned, perplexed at the archaic references and how they applied to him. “I’ve not been around that long,” he said. “The only harm you’ve done me is to take me and my companion’s captive in this place. I don’t understand.”

“And there’s no time to explain,” the strange figure spoke. “Suffice it to say that, ages ago, I gave my allegiance to the master. In exchange I was offered power beyond my limited understanding. If only I knew then what it was I chose, if only I knew what I had done!” The figure stopped momentarily, languishing in his grief. He then gazed at the three who stood before him. “Perhaps, I have made some amends for my betrayal by giving you this chance of escape.” He reached inside the folds of his robe and drew out one of their satchels, handing it to Aaron. Inside the bag Aaron saw several wraps of provisions including the Terapan leaves given to them by Dalyn. “I couldn’t risk bringing all the items, but these should be sufficient to the edge of the Waste. Now, go! Don’t delay for you have only a marginal chance, and haste is of the essence.” The cloaked figure turned again and began to glide back through the castle wall.

Braden, however, stopped momentarily and turned back toward the castle. Lorik and Aaron watched as Braden went to where the robed figure stood in the doorway. “Who are you?” asked the dwarf. “What is your name?”

The robed figure stood, silhouetted in the moonlight, the glint of gold reflecting the silver moon. “I was once called Mellenden the High-Born, close counselor and friend to the King of Celedon.”

Braden gasped in horror. Then the robed figure vanished and the door disappeared, becoming nothing but a stone wall.

The night was still early, and with many miles to go Aaron handed the pack to Lorik who took it gladly. The three companions turned away from the castle wall to descend the southern side of the hill. The moon was full, shining its brilliance across the countryside and providing much needed light for their journey. Aaron hoped their benefactor had the power to control the specters that swirled in the Waste, and their journey would not be hindered by the ever-shifting landscape.

The way south was relatively easy as they meandered and jogged down the slope leading away from the castle. It wasn’t long before they found themselves off the hillside and stepping as swiftly as possible through the dank, misty bogs, eager to reach the southern border.

7

Desperate Flight

They moved swiftly through the barren Waste. The silver moon shone with great power over the landscape and illuminated the rugged terrain before them. The heavy fog that once had trapped them was nothing more than a thin mist hanging in the moors. Aaron led the way, followed closely by Braden then Lorik who occasionally looked behind to see that no one was in pursuit. Hours passed, and the miles seemed to roll continually on as they ran by the light of the full moon. Aaron couldn’t have guessed how far they had come, but on he ran, amazed at how swiftly they crossed the region. Unlike their approach to the castle on the hill, the way south was unhindered by shifting bogs or a changing landscape.

“Sir,” Lorik gasped. “Sir, I can’t… I need to rest.”

Although reluctant to slow down, Aaron knew that his sergeant was right. They stopped, taking refuge on a small spit of land with two streams of water coursing by on either side. They had forced themselves to cover many miles in a brief period of time, and Aaron hoped if their captor didn’t know they were on the moors, he wouldn’t expend the energy to manipulate the landscape against them. The moon sat upon the horizon, descending behind the mountains as the night drifted slowly into dawn. Aaron would be glad for the daylight, hoping the morning would bring a refreshing outlook upon their grim circumstances.

He sat with the other two and opened the satchel which Braden carried. He distributed a small container of water. “Drink, sparingly,” Aaron suggested, “we might need to stretch this for some time yet.”

“How far do you think we’ve come?” Lorik asked.

Aaron gazed back to the north, surveying the horizon. The failing moonlight dimly lit the massive hill and the castle on its summit in an outline of grey against the darker sky. “I would guess that we’ve covered more than three leagues. We still have a long way to go if we are to make it out before the lord of this desolation realizes we’re gone.”

Braden sat in quiet contemplation. He looked up as if to speak, then hung his head in thoughtfulness. Again, he looked up at Aaron, his brows furrowed in perplexity. “Captain,” Braden said, “the creature that freed us, do you know who he was?”

“His name was unfamiliar to me,” Aaron replied. “He said he was once called Mellenden, the High-Born.”

Aaron saw the obvious trepidation of his dwarf companion even at the mention of the jailor’s name. “And, so?” Aaron inquired.

“Captain,” Braden said, his voice trembling, “Mellenden was lord over the elves, or the
High
-
Born
, as they call themselves. He ruled in the ancient times, during the Great War and was once friend to the King. If that truly was the ancient lord of the elves, I can’t begin to imagine what caused him to turn and side with the king’s enemy.”

Aaron was moved by his friend’s grief. “Braden,” he said, “nothing is as it seems. These last few months I’ve come to realize that the history I once knew is a lie. It could be that the history that you’ve always known has been changed as well.” Aaron paused as he thought about his own understanding of their circumstances. “What we must do is press on to find the book and discover for ourselves what the truth is. Maybe this creature was the lord of the High-Born, maybe it was a cleaver deception. Whatever the truth is, we must continue.” Aaron paused again, thinking of their captivity. “If this was the one you speak of, I am grateful that he was in a position to help us. Perhaps, as he said, he finally redeemed himself from a past mistake.”

These words fell hard on Braden’s thoughts. “You’re right, of course,” Braden said with deep sadness. “Our history records Mellenden possessing great nobility and strong courage. If that was truly the lord of the elves, I just
cannot fathom
what happened so that he would be willing to betray the King. But, perhaps in the end, he showed a glimpse of his former nobility.”

Far to the east a faint glow steadily grew as the first light of dawn crested the eastern horizon. Aaron repacked the water flask into the satchel, hoisted the pack over his shoulders and prepared for another long run. “Men,” he said, “it’s time we leave this place. We are several leagues away from the edge of this land, and we still have to navigate the river Dalyn warned us about. If we can keep pace as we did coming this far, we should be able to cover the entire distance before nightfall.”

The three set out southward, running at times, desperate to put the Waste far behind them. Hours passed, mile after weary mile. Aaron looked back and, having come so far south, he could not distinguish the castle nor hill upon which it stood with any of the other surrounding landscape. The sun marked time across the sky, bright, clear, and growing warmer by the minute. Unlike their initial experience, the surrounding countryside seemed unaffected by their passage. Aaron held out hope their escape had gone unnoticed. He wondered what would happen to Mellenden when their flight became known. That thought passed quickly when a shadow passed over the sun.

He stopped, with Lorik and Braden at his side. High above them, winging northward across the sky, a large shape with massive leathery wings crossed over their position. “Hide!” Aaron ordered. The three of them found covering under a large, scraggly plant. Circling, the flying creature seemed to be looking for something.

“Captain!” Lorik whispered. “What is that thing?”

“This is the creature that Rayn and I encountered in the forest—the one that killed Lieutenant Morryn,” Aaron replied. “I had hoped to never see one again.” His voice wavered as he watched the sky.

Braden sat trembling, huddled under a large bush. “Captain…” he whispered with great anxiety. “Captain… that is a deladrin. It was those creatures that took the stronghold in the Kanton Mountains and sent the dwarves fleeing for their lives!”

“What could it possibly want in this desolate land?” Aaron inquired, hoping that the creature didn’t see or sense their presence.

“It wants us!” Braden choked out a whisper.

“How could it know that we are in the Waste? How could it know that we are even alive?” Lorik’s questions only served to frustrate Braden even more.

“Don’t you understand?” Braden asked, anxious yet trying to keep his voice quiet. “All these evil creatures are one with their master—the usurper! They are under his power, and if he knows we are alive and in the Waste, he won’t stop until he finds us and destroys us.” Braden looked toward the creature still circling high overhead like a vulture over its prey. “Once we were captured, the enemy knew that we were still alive and still after the Book of Aleth. The fact this creature is overhead only serves to show the emperor knows that we’ve escaped. He is still looking for us.” Braden fell silent as the winged creature descended, nearly hovering directly over their position. Then, as quickly as it came, it winged its way south, disappearing beyond eyesight.

Aaron stood from under the brush, glad to have the beast gone and even more apprehensive about their journey. With little food and no weapons, they were not equipped to campaign against any creature such as the deladrin, let alone a stronghold occupied by such ferocious beings. Aaron scratched his head, puzzled, and turned to Braden. “If these creatures possess the book, why don’t they just deliver it to him?”

“Sir—” Braden began.

Lorik interrupted. “Think about how many border skirmishes we’ve had to deal with. If this book contains the power to overthrow the emperor, I suspect creatures such as the one we’ve just seen would try to keep it for themselves.”