The Blaze Ignites (13 page)

“How long will it take to get the maps?”

“Oh, just a few days. We must consult other
maps and history books to draw up recent ones that are
accurate.”

My eyes widened. “Draw up?”

“Yes, my lady. Our most recent maps are from
ancient times. Not many travelers have come across the sea to
Casdanarus needing them, not since the Nameless War ended.
Casdanarus has changed very much since that time. Very few travel
outside their own realms these days, so maps are useless. The small
number that used to travel often has decreased further due to the
Shadow Creatures awakening in the past few months.”

I looked at Rabryn and Ortheldo just as they
looked at me. I could tell our muscles were tense, as we all
thought the same thing. Was it really that bad out there
already?

I let out a heavy breath of annoyance. I had
to get out of here, more than ever. “If you knew I was coming, why
didn’t you start drawing the maps weeks ago?”

“I’m sorry my lady, but we couldn’t do you
any favors until we understood you better,” Elraramir replied.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the
bridge of my nose as a sudden wave of fatigue threatened to bring
me to my knees. I really needed to sleep. “How long is a few days?”
I looked at him. “I’m really pressed for time. If it will take more
than a week, I’ll take my chances without the maps.”

“Very well. Fali? Reese?”

Two Salynn Humounts stepped forward, one from
the angry group and the other from the smiling group. “Yes, my
Lord.”

“Take the guests to their quarters, then get
your team straight to work on the maps. I want them done in three
days. No more.”

“Yes sire,” they both said and bowed.

“Everyone else,” the king called, “back to
the kitchen duties. We have a feast to prepare for tonight.”

The crowd dispersed, some looking over their
shoulders at me with suspicion, others looking amused and licking
their lips as they absorbed me, and some just looking curious. I
breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t feel every single pair of
eyes on me.

“My lady, I am Reese,” the Salynn from the
angry group said. “If you’ll follow me, I’m in a hurry to get you
to your quarters.” He was attractive, like all Salynns. He had long
dark brown hair that fell straight to the middle of his back. The
top half pulled back into a tail, and two smaller tails were at his
temples, falling in front of his shoulders. He had big grey eyes
that were set far apart, beautifully centering his nose and apple
blossom pink lips. Too bad he was a jerk.

I glared at him. “If you’re in such a hurry,
you can take the members of my party to their quarters. I have a
young Whiteian in Wizard Beldorn’s room that will be sharing
quarters with me. Since Fali isn’t in such a rush, he can escort me
after I get the boy. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”

His prominent cheekbones turned a little red
and his brows dropped slightly. After taking a moment to calm
himself, he glanced at Fali then looked back at me. “As you wish.”
He looked past me to my friends. “If the rest of you would kindly
follow me.”

“My quarters better be very near the lady’s,”
Ortheldo said, also glaring at Reese.

“As well as mine,” Rabryn added.

“Ours too,” Addredoc said gently. “
All
of ours, please.”

I tried to suppress a smile and almost
managed, but I had to look down when it came despite my
efforts.

“I don’t decide who goes where,” Reese
replied, a little shortly. “I put you where I’m told.”

“While you boys hash it out”—I looked at
Fali—“would you mind coming with me for a moment, my dear
Blue-Violetian?”

His soft looking, peach cream skin reddened a
little bit. “Not at all, my lady. Please lead the way.”

Fali and I turned to walk back towards
Beldorn’s room, but someone took hold of my upper arm, stopping me.
I turned and saw Ortheldo giving me a meaningful look. “Be
careful.”

I nodded. “You too.” Fali and I headed across
the room to the stone staircase towards Beldorn’s quarters.

Fali was also good looking, but then again I
had yet to see even a remotely unattractive Salynn. He had small
tight curls in his blonde hair, which were close to his head and
looked stiff, unmoving. His hair was only as long as the nape of
his neck, so he only had a few Sallybreath Flowers. He had large
attractive cheekbones and a slightly round, gentle looking face.
His pale blue eyes were hypnotizing. The skin-tight white silk
leggings that stretched over his strong buttocks made the fact that
he was a male a little too obvious. His close fitting, light blue
silk tunic had belled sleeves with purple lace around the hem of
each. It was cinched at his small waist by a purple sash. He had
rather a human quality about his body structure. He wasn’t
gracefully thin like most Salynns, but actually had slightly broad
shoulders and a little thicker build—or perhaps it was the way his
clothes were fitting that was giving me the wrong impression.

“So Fali,” I began, feeling the need to break
the silence, “you’re heading the team drawing up the maps?”

“Reese and I are, yes.”

“How do you like the idea of working with Mr.
Sunshine back there?”

He chuckled. “Reese can be hard, my lady, but
he takes the jobs he is given very seriously.”

“I bet he’s
very
serious about getting
rid of me, so I apologize right now if he works you and your team
too hard.”

Fali laughed. “You’re lovely, my lady.
Something I didn’t expect.”

“My name is Azrel, not ‘my lady.’”

“Azrel. What a beautiful name.”

We approached Beldorn’s door. I pushed it
open a crack. Cairikson was still lying curled up on Beldorn’s bed,
sound asleep. I tiptoed inside and gently gathered him in my arms.
I felt so guilty about riding so hard with him. He’d just gotten
better from a terrible sickness and I’d driven him on like a pack
mule.

Fali was still smiling as I stepped back into
the hallway. He caressed Cairikson’s cheek with the back of his
index finger. “He’s beautiful. He’s not yours, is he?”

“No no,” I whispered with a smile. “Me? A
mother? Never.”

Fali laughed softly. “Well, follow me my
la…Azrel,” he quickly corrected himself and smiled.

I smiled too. “Lead the way.”

He led me back up the stairs and as we
crossed the throne room, which was now empty, I got an unsettling
feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something didn’t feel right. The
magnificent throne room suddenly looked terrifying and foreboding.
It felt like I was standing in the heart of a hornets’ nets and I
was about to wake the entire hive. Though my discomfort was
probably all over my face, Fali was in front of me, so luckily he
couldn’t see it.

He led me through one of the many doors on
the opposite side of the throne room into a massive hallway where
fifteen men could walk abreast. Cases of weapons and gorgeous woven
tapestries filled it. “It is absolutely incredible what you people
do inside mountains,” I said in false awe. I really wasn’t
interested, but felt the need to hear a kind voice. Perhaps I had
one ally in this hornets’ nest. Fali seemed friendly enough.

“Thank you.” He smiled at me over his
shoulder. “Your admiration is appreciated.”

I smiled in return. Maybe one.

He took me through the last door on the left
side of this hallway, from which a circular stone staircase led
downwards for about 5 minutes. The stairs ended in a perfectly
round display room with more cases of weapons, suits of armor, rugs
and tapestries. It was a good-sized room, with comfortable looking
seats lining the walls and in a square in the center. A balcony
ringed this room, but because it had a solid stone wall as opposed
to banisters, I could only see the tops of beautiful tapestries and
a few more wall displays cases above it. Columns circled the lower
portion of the room and some decently tall windows across the way
let in light, grey though it was.

He took me to a door to the left of the room
that opened into another stone hallway. We walked down it to the
very last door on the left. When he opened the door, I cringed.
There were no windows in this room. A bed was on the left,
stretching across to the right. Tables carved from the rock wall
were on each side of the bed with unlit lamps on them. A writing
desk, also carved right from the stone, protruded from the back
wall in the right corner. It had lovely tapestries on the walls but
no carpet covering the floor. It looked like a cave.

I stepped inside and laid Cairikson down on
the bed, covering him with the wool blanket.

Fali smiled at me from the doorway. “You need
your rest. We have a feast tonight and I won’t have the guest of
honor dragging herself in.” I smiled at him as I crawled into the
bed on the opposite side of Cairikson. “When you wake, I’ll bring
you and the boy a small snack to tide you over until sunset when
the feast begins.”

“Thank you, Fali.” I was asleep before the
door even clicked closed.

Azrel

My eyes opened only the Gods knew how long
afterwards. Because there were no windows, I couldn’t judge the
time by the sky. Suddenly I realized that Cairikson was gone! My
heart fluttered with near panic, but I was too terrified to move. I
feared if I sat up I’d see his small mangled dead body at my feet,
so I searched the room first with my eyes.

“Cairikson?” I called.

No answer.

No! He couldn’t be far. I would have woken up
if something had happened to him. Wouldn’t I have?

“Cairikson?” I managed louder.

Breathing heavily, I forced myself to sit up
and turn my head. The room was empty! I threw the covers off and
stood. “Cairikson!” I yelled as I bent to look under the bed.
Nothing.

“Cairikson!!” I was almost hysterical now.
Nothing was under the writing table. My boy! My baby! My brave
orphan!

“Cairikson!!!” The closet was empty. I wanted
to die! I should have been watching him! I should have been taking
care of him! I looked behind things, in things, under things!
Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!

“CAIRIKSON!” I screamed at the top of my
lungs, pushing away images of what might have become of him.

“Azrel?”

I spun around to the sound of a wonderfully
familiar voice. Cairikson stood in the doorway, holding Fali’s
hand. My body went limp with relief and then I ran to him and
dropped to my knees, wrapping him up in my arms.

“Gods Almighty, you had me scared to death! I
thought something happened to you.” I pulled away and cupped his
face in my hands, brushing his hair off his forehead, looking for
any harm done. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay, Azrel,” he said innocently.

I pulled him into my arms again. “Next time,
leave me a note and tell me where you went. I don’t want you to get
hurt.”

“I did leave a note.”

I pulled away again and looked into his face.
“You did?”

“Yeah,” he said and pointed in the direction
of the writing desk. “Right there. I thought you’d worry.”

I eyed him with playful suspicion and went
over to the stone desk. Sure enough, there was a piece of parchment
with large, barely legible handwriting all over it:
Azrel, I
went to explore. I’ll be back. Cairikson.

I sighed and smiled over at him. “So you did.
I’m sorry. I didn’t see it.”

“It’s okay,” he said with a sly smirk. “I
understand that you were just so worried for adorable little me
that you were blinded from all mind usage.” I laughed when he gave
me the biggest, toothiest grin I’d ever seen in my life.

I went over to him, dropped to my knees again
and started tickling him. He laughed and screamed and squirmed in
my grip. “Oh yeah? Yeah? Who’s worried for who now? You’re worried
for yourself, aren’t you? Because you’re being tickled!” I sat him
up and started planting kisses all over his face.

“Ew! Ew gross! Girl slime! Yuck!” he cried
out, still laughing. After a few more I let him go. He stumbled
away from me, wiping the sleeve of his tunic over his cheeks and
forehead. “Thanks a lot!”

I winked at him. “Any time.”

I looked behind me at Fali, who had made his
way into the room. When I looked forward again I saw Reese standing
in the doorway. His hands were pressed into the doorframe, and he
was staring at me.

My smile melted and my brow went up. “May I
help you?” He simply pushed himself away from the doorway and
walked away without a reply. I scowled. “How long was he
there?”

“The whole time,” Fali said. “He came with me
and Cairikson to the kitchen.”

I got to my feet and ruffled Cairikson’s
hair. “So you ate, then?”

“Sure did! They have lots and lots of food
being made in the kitchen. Reese made me a plate.”

“Humph. Let’s hope it wasn’t poisoned,” I
muttered to myself.

“What, Azrel?”

“Nothing,” I said and went towards Fali. I
realized he’d placed a tray of food on the nightstand. “Thank
you.”

Fali turned to me and smiled. “Enjoy. I would
stay but I have to join Reese in checking up on the mapping
team.”

“Where are they being made?”

“In the history room.”

“History room?”

“Book room?”

I sat in thought. “Library?”

“Yes, library,” he said with a smile.

“Where is that?”

“It’s up on the third level of the Northern
side of the mountain.”

“This is the…Northwestern side, correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

I nodded. “Could you tell me where the rest
of my company is?”

“I don’t know. Reese took them to their
rooms.”

“I’ll poke around and look for them.”

“You’ll see them tonight.”

“I know, but I really want to see them
now.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know where he put
them.”