The Dragon's Test (Book 3) (10 page)

“Alright,” Timmin said. “I will check the dungeon for Alferug.” Timmin thumbed at his brother. “Brinon will go and get the council.”

“Thank you,” Al said.

Timmin nodded and bounded off into the tunnel from which he had come. Brinon dug into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth bundle. He smiled and tossed it to Al. Al opened it and found a hunk of sourdough bread inside.

“Thanks,” Al said.

Brinon shrugged. “It isn’t much, but it’s all I have on me.” Then he turned and left.

Al turned and looked for a place to sit down while he tore a hunk out of the bread. He wasn’t sure he had ever tasted bread that was so good before in his life. His stomach roared with hunger as he chewed. He had forgotten how hungry he had become, trapped in that pit his brother had thrown him into. It was good to sit and eat.

As he licked the last crumb from his fingers he laid back against the rock and let his eyes close. Sleep was upon him before he could take another breath. He slept heavy and sound next to the pool of water.

Hairen moved into the room and set a scroll down upon the table. “I have the map, Aparen,” she said.

Apare
n looked down at the table. “Where is Silvi?” he asked.

“She is busy,” Hairen said.

Aparen smirked. He noted the contempt in her voice, but he ignored it. He reached out and unrolled the map. “So Senator Bracken is attacking from the west?” he asked.

“He has a small army under his command,” Hairen started.
“He will be leaving from Kuldiga Academy and striking Lokton Manor from the west.” She moved her gnarled, wrinkled finger over the map and pointed to their position. “We will come south from here and strike the manor from the north.”

“If Senator Bracken has an ar
my, why would he need us?” Aparen asked.

“Have you not heard of Master Lepkin’s victory at Gelleirt Monastery?” Hairen asked. She turned a condescending eye on him. “If he could defeat three hundred Tarthun raiders single-hand
edly, surely you can see why Senator Bracken might need assistance?”

“B
ut why would he trust us?” Aparen asked. “A senator working with a coven of witches and warlocks would be strung up in the center of Drakei Glazei.”

Hairen smiled her crooked, sly smile and cackled. “
Don’t you worry about that. Senator Bracken can take care of himself. Besides, his official report will say that House Cedreau came to his aid.”

“But I told Silvi that I don’t want anyone to call
me by my given name. I am Aparen now, not Eldrik.”

Hairen turned on him and pushed him back to the wall with an unseen spell. “Do not talk to me with such contempt,” she warned. “I am still witch enough to handle the likes of you.” She flicked her wrist and dispelled the force pinning him against the wall.

“The others have already pledged their allegiance to me,” Aparen said as he rubbed his chest.

“Make no mistake that I am the matriarch of the coven. You may have the warlocks behind you, but they still listen to me.”

“So you wish to control me?” Aparen guessed.

Hairen smirked again. “No, I have no use for you long term.”

Aparen moved up and looked at the map again. “So you need Lokton Manor destroyed as well?”

“The manor means nothing to me. That prize is for you. However, I do need the Keeper of Secrets dead. Kill him, and you will have me as an ally until the end of your days.”

“And he will be at the manor?” Aparen asked.

Hairen nodded. “He will. I will send Merriam and Silvi with you. They will offer you whatever assistance you require.”

“And the warlocks are mine after the battle?”

“If you wish.” Hairen sighed and tapped her yellow fingernail on the map. “But you must defeat the Keeper. Lepkin must die.”

“I would still prefer not to use my name,” Aparen said.

“For this battle, it will help your family more if you are known by your birth name. Think of
it, would you rather have ‘Aparen’ steal the glory from House Cedreau? Or would you prefer that King Mathias knows you and your family helped his senate?” Hairen folded her arms in front of her. “In fact, it would be best if you return to your manor and collect as many able-bodied men as your house can spare for the fight.”

“My mother will not like being
associated with warlocks,” Aparen said.

“Then take this,” Hairen said. She produced a sealed letter from the folds of her robe and slid it across the table. “It is a direct summons from Senator Bracken to House Cedreau for help.”

He took the envelope in hand and slid his finger under the purple wax seal. He pulled the letter out and read through its contents briefly. “This might work,” he said with a nod of his head. “How do I explain to her where I have been?”

“Just tell her the truth. Tell her you went to Drakei Glazei to see Lord Lokton sentenced for your father’s murder.”

“I cannot lie to her,” he said. “She will know.”

Hairen shrugged. “Then tell her you stabbed him when he attacked the senate and escaped. Tell her you are considered a hero for the feat, and that is why Senator Bracken is calling upon you for additional support. Surely the news of the attack has reached your home by now.
The story will make sense if you explain that Lepkin and another from House Lokton are fugitives on their way to Lokton Manor to raise troops.”

He nodded. “Alright. Can Silvi come with me?”

Hairen shook her head. “No, you should go alone. Silvi and Merriam will take the warlocks separately. Just collect your retinue and then explain that Senator Bracken has sent additional aid for you to meet with before assaulting Lokton Manor.” Hairen straightened her stiff, creaky back and looked into his eyes. “For now, you must still be known as Eldrik. After this battle, you may do as you wish.”

“Alright,” Eldrik said. “I will do it your way, for now.”

*****

Marlin stopped when he saw Lady Dimwater resting on the bench outside the room where Lepkin lay. She was leaned back against the wall, mouth open slightly as she breathed peacefully. Her head was tilted down a bit over her left shoulder and a few strands of her dark hair had fallen over her face as she slept. The prelate walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Have you been here all night?” Marlin asked.

Dimwater stirred and looked up to him. “Is it morning?” she asked.

Marlin nodded. “You really should rest in your room. This can’t be half as comfortable as your bed.”

She smiled and rubbed her shoulders with her hands. “I can’t sleep there,” she said. “I just lie awake in my bed thinking of Lepkin.”

“You know I will come for you as soon as he wakes,” Marlin said. “Go, you should get some rest.”

“Can’t I go in and see him?” she pleaded.

Marlin shook his head. “You know I would let you, if I could,” he said. “We need to have only the purest of energies around him while he recovers. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“What if he never wakes?” she asked sullenly.

Marlin knelt down before her, noting the sorrow swirling through her aura. “He will wake,” he said confidently.

“You sound so sure,” Dimwater replied.

Marlin nodded. “Lepkin is strong. He would not abandon us now. He will return to us.” Marlin could see the doubt flowing through Dimwater’s spirit. He reached over and gently turned her chin to look directly at him. “I may be blind by normal standards,” he began. “But there are many things that I can still see. His spirit is strong, and he gains strength every day. He may not be awake yet, but the gods will not take him from us before his mission is complete. He is the best of all the Keepers that have lived. If you have no faith of your own, then lean on mine when I tell you that he will wake again.”

Dimwater nodded and a sprout of hope blossomed within her heart. “Isn’t there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

Marlin nodded. “I have given Tatev the task of researching a lead on where Allun’rha’s book, The Illumination, might be. I am sure he could use some additional help with the research.”

She nodded and rose to her feet, looking briefly over her shoulder at the door behind her. “You will come for me if there is any change in him, right?” she asked.

“Of course,” Marlin promised.

“Alright, then I will go and help Tatev.”

Marlin watched her leave and then he turned to the door and pushed it open. Four healers stood in the early morning sun, passing their green, healing energy into Erik’s body in the hopes of waking Lepkin from his sleep. The prelate closed the door behind him and stepped up to the foot of the bed. He examined Lepkin’s aura carefully, studying the myriad colors that intertwined and vibrated through his spirit. The healers’ energy flowed in steadily, mixing and pushing into the blue, red, purple, and orange hues. The golden light in the center was growing, but it was still bound and constrained by thick black cords.

“
Has he spoken?” Marlin asked.

“No, prelate,” one of the other healers replied. “But he has
moaned a couple of times during the night.”

Marlin sighed. “Why won’t you wake, my friend?” he asked Lepkin. The healers ceased adding their energy and slowly pulled away. Their shift was done and Marlin could see the exhaustion in their auras. “Go and rest,” Marlin said.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the others?” one of them asked.

As if on cue, the door opened and in walked five fresh healers. Upon seeing their replacements, the tired healers exited the room and closed the door behind them.

Marlin moved around to stand at Lepkin’s head. He placed a hand on either side of Lepkin’s head and began to focus his own energy.

The others fanned out around Marlin, but they waited for him to say when it was time to begin.

The prelate concentrated, building his restorative energy within his chest and then bringing it up to his hands. He could feel its warmth in his palms as the pressure started to build. “Join with me,” Marlin said. Two more priests came up and placed their hands directly over Lepkin’s chest. Green energy started to flow from the three, starting in their chests and coursing down their arms to their hands and finally mixing with Lepkin’s aura. Once the connection was made, another priest came up and placed his hands on Marlin’s shoulders, augmenting Marlin’s efforts by sending his own energy through Marlin. Two additional priests augmented the other two healers.

No one spoke. The only sound in the room was the warm, vibrant hum of the healers’ energy as it flowed into Lepkin. Their energy spread through
Lepkin’s aura. It strengthened the golden light in the center of the sleeping man’s soul and weakened the black cords that bound it. For hours they stood, continuously giving their energy to Lepkin and trying to chase out the impurities in the man’s aura. Lepkin groaned a couple of times, but he showed no sign of actually regaining his consciousness.

After a total of six hours, Marlin sent the last amount of healing energy into Lepkin that he had. The priest behind him removed his hands from his shoulders and the others simultaneously broke connection with Lepkin. Marlin exhaled wearily and slid his hands down to the bed as he leaned over and took in a few breaths.

“He looks the same,” one of the healers noted.

Marlin scanned Lepkin’s aura and his heart grew heavy as he watched the black cords thicken again around the golden light in the man’s soul. “That he does,” Marlin agreed.

“What shall we do?” another priest asked. “If we can’t heal him, then we must choose a new Keeper.”

The prelate shook his head. “No, we continue on as we have been. Lepkin will wake.” He turned and looked to the others. “Go down to the library and see if there is anything that might help us with this.”

“With respect, prelate, we have already searched the library,” a priest replied.

“Twice,” another one added.

“Then look again!” Marlin shouted. He backed away from the bed and used the back of his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Get some food and then go down to the library. There has to be
something
that we missed.” The others relented and walked out of the room. Marlin could see the doubt in their auras, but at least none of them continued to argue with him. As they left, another group of six healers came in, ready to start their shift.

“Any change?” one of them asked Marlin.

Marlin shook his head. “None,” he said. He gestured for the others to take their positions around Lepkin. They did so and immediately began pouring their own energy into Lepkin. Marlin watched for a few minutes and then he walked to the far end of the room and stood in the window, letting the afternoon sun warm his skin. He looked out to the distant trees, scanning the energies of the forest and wondering what more he could do to help his friend.

The rumbling in his stomach pulled him from his meditation and reminded him that his body needed sustenance. He sighed and left the room as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the others. He went down several flights of stairs as he made his way to the dining hall. By the time he arrived, only one of the other five healers that had been with him was still eating.

“The others have already gone to the library,” the priest said as soon as he noticed Marlin enter the hall.

Marlin nodded quietly and sat at a far table, alone. He put his elbows on the table and propped his hands up against his forehead as he closed his eyes. A few moments later he heard soft footsteps approaching and then something
clunked
down on the table in front of him and the footsteps then walked away. The prelate slowly opened his eyes and reached down to take the spoon and shovel the first bite of stew into his mouth. The food was piping hot, and burned his tongue just a bit, but he chewed and swallowed it anyway. Then he set to stirring the contents of his bowl and blowing gently over the top as he waited for it to cool.

Another set of footsteps entered the hall from the left. They came closer to him, so he turned away from his food and looked up to see Dimwater approaching.