The Blaze Ignites (12 page)

It took us a long time to tell Beldorn
everything that had happened—hours actually, because he wanted
every detail from almost every point of view. Surprisingly, Beldorn
took the news of Norka’s death rather hard, even shedding a tear.
When I asked him if he knew Norka, he just said now wasn’t the time
to discuss it.

He had led us into a back door that was just
next to the stables of Rocksheloc on the north face of the
mountain. Halfway up the stone flight of stairs he took us into a
door on the left of the stone hall and into the humble room the
Humounts had given him temporarily. While we’d told our story,
Addredoc, Meddyn and Thrawyn exchanged unsettling looks and
whispered in Ancient Salynnian too softly for me to make out
words.

“So what do you think?” Rabryn asked.
“Interesting story, huh?”

Beldorn sighed and rubbed his eyes with his
thumb and index finger of his right hand. “It’s…involved certainly,
but to tell you the truth I knew most it already.”

“What?” I asked. “Then why did you have us
sit here and blab to you about it? All of us would have preferred
sleeping
for the past few hours, thank you very much!”
Cairikson, thankfully, had fallen asleep in Ortheldo’s lap ten
minutes into the tale.

“Because I gave the Humounts the option of
whether to let the White Warrior into their home after they heard
your tale.”

My eyes went wide and my heart stopped. “They
heard all of that?”

“They’re all gathered in the throne room and
have been listening in since you arrived.”

I jumped out of my chair. “Are you insane,
old man?” I cried. “Were you not listening? Hathum has hunters
looking for me! He could have hunters in that room! You may have
just sentenced me to death, Beldorn! You want to go dig my grave
while you’re at it?”

“Have you no faith in me, Azrel?” he asked,
genuinely hurt. “Of course I blocked those potentially harmful
Humounts from hearing your tale. However, the ones that did not
hear are not completely clueless. They have a hunch of who is
visiting and who is causing such a commotion. Evil is awakening in
the world and the world knows it. The world also knows you are
bound to return because of this. It could be now, or when Evil has
reached the level of power It did in your father’s time—but they
all know the White Warrior is bound to be back eventually.”

My mouth went dry and rage pounded in my
temples. The world that hated me was waiting for me to save their
sorry asses? Maybe they were just waiting to find me and have me
endure the thousand years of torture they said my father deserved.
It took me a couple of times to swallow and make myself calm down.
How I hated these people.
All of them!

“All the people here have mouths that can be
opened to an enemy,” I said, glaring.

“They will not speak of your tale to anyone.
The ones I let listen may not like the White Warrior, but they are
not evil. What they heard was for them to privately
contemplate.”

I narrowed my eyes as I studied his, but he
looked away too quickly. “What are you not telling me?”

He sighed. “Curse that ability of yours.” He
met my eyes again. He didn’t even have to say anything and I saw
it.

I rubbed my forehead with the heel of my hand
in annoyance. “So the king hasn’t even decided whether he wants me
here at all or not?”

“It’s a very dangerous business as you know,
to even
think
highly of the White Warrior. So giving her
aid…” He shook his head, which said it all. “The king
may
grant us a stay though.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

He looked at me with regret. “Then we can
assume he will get aggressive and we’ll have three hundred Humounts
to worry about.” I could practically feel the Redians’ ears perking
up as the threat to me presented itself.

“You
must
be joking,” I said flatly,
too shocked to even yell. “You had the people of Rocksheloc hear
our story with the possibility that they
still
might get
aggressive?”

“Yes.”

I threw my arms up in the air and slapped
them against my thighs. “Well great! Now if they decide to get
hostile we’ll be forced to kill three hundred Humounts, completely
wiping out the entire
race
of Blue-Violet Salynns! Not to
mention if one of them opens his or her mouth about me, we’ll have
more powerful lands to fight off when we leave here. As if we don’t
have enough to worry about, Beldorn! All this because
you
wanted to take a chance on the fact the world might suddenly
forgive my father, who has been hated for an age.”

He suddenly and unexpectedly smiled then.
“Very well done, Azrel,” he nearly whispered. “I didn’t
particularly see it being said like that, but I think they’re wise
enough to let the sarcasm go.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “What are you
talking about?”

“You’re not angry at Rocksheloc for not being
loyal to your father, which is just what they were waiting to hear.
You’re willing to kill in your own defense if you must, but you
mean them no harm, am I right?”

“Of course not!” I said, as if he were thick.
“I’m not a murderer! As long as they leave me alone, I’ll leave
them alone.”

He smiled and nodded with approval. “The king
has decided to meet with you, but only on the condition that you
will protect Rocksheloc should your visit here reach more powerful
ears that may seek to retaliate against its residents for letting
you survive.”

I slowly sunk back into my chair, staring at
him in disbelief. I didn’t recall making that deal, but I couldn’t
disagree now because I needed those maps. I slumped over the table,
propping my head up against the heels of my hands. So now if
Dwellingpath, or someone else, attacked Rocksheloc, I was
responsible for it.

Beldorn lightly patted my shoulder. “No one
is going to find out Rocksheloc let you live.”

I looked up at him and stared quietly for a
moment, hoping that was true. “Why did you have to tell them who I
was?”

“Azrel,” he said gently, “it’s time to slowly
reintroduce yourself into the world and into hearts of the good
people who once followed your father. Rocksheloc is a good
start.”

“Beldorn,” I said a little desperately and
stood up. “Hathum is
looking
for me! Now it’s more critical
than
ever
to keep who I am a secret. Isn’t hiding who I am
what you’ve been telling me to do my whole life? Isn’t that why you
and Rabryn had to make the barrier stronger around The Pitt? All of
that was so no one could find me!”

“That is true; but I also told you you’d know
when to reveal yourself and to whom.”

I chuckled without mirth. “Once again, Old
Man, telling the Humounts of Rocksheloc who I am was
your
decision, not mine. Just like it was your decision—not mine—to tell
my brother who I was.”

He glanced downward. I wanted to keep
hammering into him. I wanted to keep begging him to take back what
he’d done. But what was the point? He had yet to make himself
useful by giving us advice about what we had told him—for instance,
about my alter ego. I needed to know how to end the separation. I
needed to know a lot of things.

Instead of bothering to ask right now, I just
shook my head in defeat and sat back down. I knew he’d tell me when
he felt he needed to. Maybe he didn’t know what to say. Either way,
asking about it would do no good. Neither would fretting about
it.

“So what have the deafened ones been told
about the situation?” I asked miserably.

“You’ve been announced as a famed warrior
visiting from a land across the sea. They are aware that you are
being escorted by some Casdanarus dwellers across our lands and
that you need maps in order to explore our vast land
thoroughly.”

“That’s original,” I said and rolled my eyes.
“And not far from the truth I might add. Couldn’t you have come up
with something a little better? I thought you were old and
wise.”

“I
am
old, Azrel, and according to
you, my wisdom is waning.”

I allowed myself a smile for a moment. Then
it vanished as I shook my head and stood again. “Can we get this
over with, please? I want to get the maps and get out of here.”

“Let me lead the way, Azrel, so I might
announce you properly.”

I massaged my forehead with my thumb and
index finger and let him pass me. Ortheldo and Rabryn were soon on
each side of me, with the Redians behind. I sighed as I watched
Beldorn head out the door and turn left to continue up the stairway
of the stone hallway. He stopped on the top step just before a
fifteen-foot tall doorway that allowed a lot of light in. All of us
waited on the steps as Beldorn went through to what I could only
assume was the throne room.

“Lord Elraramir, I trust you and your company
have decided to meet peacefully with the lady.”

“We have, Beldorn. Please allow her to come
forth with no fear.”

“No fear? Please,” I muttered to myself,
which earned me an elbow in the ribs from my brother.

“I present to you then, Azrel, the Lady From
Beyond the Sea.”

The Lady From Beyond the Sea?
I rolled
my eyes as I stepped past Beldorn into the light of the throne
room.

It was so huge that I actually stopped in my
tracks for a moment and looked around, wide eyed, before I slowly
continued on. The three hundred beings that stood in the middle of
the round room, standing about a quarter mile away from me, looked
like a drop of water in the ocean. It was at least half a mile, if
not more, across from wall to wall.

The left wall was almost entirely made of
two-hundred-foot-high glass windows that faced East. There was a
small thin break between the two sets of windows that was barely
wide enough for five men to stand shoulder to shoulder in front of.
At least thirty fifteen-foot-tall wooden doors encircled the room,
all opened inward towards the throne room. Some allowed glimpses of
elaborately decorated hallways that were just as tall and wide as
the doors. Some revealed only stone stairways that curved out of
sight. Others across the way were too far away for me to see much
beyond them. The doors were placed around the room evenly except
for on the left wall with the windows.

A beautiful stone balcony circled the top of
the throne room. It had tapestries and stone arches and glass
display cases of ancient weaponry made by the Rocksheloc Humounts
of old. Splashes of gold, silver and crystal flashed in the
overcast daylight that poured in from the windows. The balcony also
had fifteen-foot wooden doorways encircling it that led off to
various areas of this massive mountain. Stone columns supported the
balcony underneath, giving this room the air of majesty it
deserved.

I was finally able to bring my eyes to the
floor and my jaw nearly went slack. It was the prettiest, most
elaborate floor I’d ever seen. It was a glossy pale blue and white
marble with a little bit of purple quartz mixed in. The colors
swirled around each other as if it were a lake of ink that had
suddenly frozen over. I could not believe this floor! I’d never
seen anything like it.

As we approached, I realized that the crowd
stood in front of their king’s throne. It was made of the same
white, blue and purple glossy mix of marble as the floor was and
perched proudly atop a short flight of stairs, just in front of the
stone break in the two sets of windows. A blue velvet carpet
trimmed in violet tassels rolled down these steps and out across
the floor for about thirty feet. A human sat upon that throne, an
elder human with thin, short white hair and a stout friendly face.
He looked like some toddler’s grandfather rather than a king. He
didn’t wear a crown but he was donned in heavy blue and purple silk
robes. He rose to his feet as we approached, and though he had a
slightly hunched back, he held himself with pride and dignity as he
smiled at me.

I panned my eyes over the crowd as we
approached. I could pretty much identify those who had been weeded
out from hearing our story and kept from discovering that the White
Warrior was back. A few faces looked upon me with such cold hatred
that I had to shake off a shiver that ran down my spine. The rest
were smiling warmly. All of the Humounts were elegantly dressed in
their best silks and velvets.

As we stood in front of them, the Salynns in
the room bowed in formal fashion to the Redians and my brother.
Rocksheloc’s residents were the lowest ranking Salynns in
Casdanarus. Their powers were very limited compared to those of
other Salynns.

“Let it be known,” my brother suddenly called
out, “that those that stand before you are beings with more power
than your large numbers can overcome. Should any of you advance at
any time in a threatening manner”—his eyes narrowed at the cold
group I’d noticed upon entering—“you will taste the wrath of five
sword masters, three wizards, three Redians, and a Goldian.” All of
them glanced around at each other nervously. Rabryn looked up the
stairs at the king. “The warning is no less aimed at you.”

“Oh calm yourself, my boy,” the king said,
waving his hand dismissively as he made his way down the stairs.
“We mean her no harm.” He stood in front of me and dipped his head
in acknowledgement. “My lady.”

“King Elraramir, I thank you for allowing me
a peaceful meeting, but the Goldian’s warning stands true. I am
only here to collect recent maps of your land so I might have a
safe and productive journey.”

“Of course dear, but will you not open your
mind to us, as we have for you?”

“I will open my mind, but will not be blinded
by potential dangers.”

“Fair enough, my lady warrior. Now, we are
all grateful for your presence.” My eyes flicked over to the angry
Humounts, mostly concentrated to the right side of the crowd. “But
Beldorn says you have not slept well in days. We would be relieved
if you all would take rest as we prepare the maps. Then allow us
the great honor of your company with a feast tonight.”