The Eight Walls of Rogar: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Series! (The Lost Kingdoms of Laotswend Trilogy--Book One) (44 page)

“Ah,” Andaris said, leaning back against the headboard, “now I see why you needed to talk to me.”

“You must be the one to choose, Andaris.  Do I restore Mandie to her proper,
human
form…or do I send you home?”

It would seem a difficult decision to make.  Andaris knew it should have been.  And yet surprisingly, it wasn’t.  He smiled at Ashel.  “I’m sure we’ll find another crystal one day.  I was already planning to go down into the archives.  You know, to look for a map with the various portals on it, and a book of genealogy with some record of my people.  Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and find a book about magical crystals while I’m at it.”

“I’m very pleased to hear you say that, Andaris.  To be honest with you, if it had been up to me, I would have already done it.  It was Mandie who insisted I give you the choice.”  Ashel stood, flashed Andaris a grin, and said, “I’ll tell you what, you try to get some rest.  There’s a vacant room across the hall.  I’ll take her there when the transformation is complete.  She’ll need to sleep for at least twelve hours, perhaps twenty-four—it just depends on her metabolism.  Following the transformation, she’ll be conscious for a time, maybe thirty minutes or so, at which point you can see her.”

Andaris nodded, feeling dazed.

Ashel turned around and opened the door.

“How long do you think you’ll be?” Andaris asked.

“Difficult to say,” answered Ashel.  “I’ve never done this before.  Though I doubt it will take more than a couple of hours.  Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know.”

Later that afternoon, there came another knock at Andaris’ door.  Now fully clothed, he jumped out of bed, walked to the door, and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” replied Ashel, sounding pleased but tired.  “It’s time.”

“Is she with you?” Andaris asked.

“No,” Ashel answered.  “She’s waiting in the room across the hall, as we discussed.”

Andaris breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.

“Were you able to get any sleep?” asked Ashel.

Andaris shook his head.  “Not a bit, but then I didn’t expect I would.  I was too anxious.  So…how did it go?  Is she….”

“Better than expected,” Ashel said with a smile.  “Wait till you see her, Andaris.  It’s really quite remarkable.”

“And she’s in there?” Andaris asked, pointing across the hall.

Ashel nodded, his smile broadening.  “And she’s very nervous about meeting you, so be careful how you react.”

Andaris’ gaze remained fixed on the door.

“Andaris,” Ashel said.

Andaris looked at him.

“She’s waiting for you.”

Andaris took a deep breath to steady his nerves, stepped past Ashel, crossed the hall, turned the knob, and pushed open the door.

A young girl with green eyes and red hair stood in the center of the room, shy and uncertain.  Andaris tilted his head at her, unable to quell an amazed smile.  “Is that really you?” he asked, eyes widening.  She looked just like the girl from his dream, the one with no tongue.

She grinned and nodded, an infectious grin that put a sparkle in her eyes.  “Ye…yes,” she managed.

“She almost forgot how to speak,” Ashel explained from behind.

Everything about her had changed, everything, that is, except her eyes—they were the same, and most importantly, what lay behind her eyes was the same. 
Poor thing,
he thought. 
She’s trembling. 
“Well, come here,” he said with a grin.

Mandie stepped towards him, hesitated, and then threw her arms around him.

He held her until she stopped shaking, her heart beating against his, her breath warm against his neck.  “It’s all right,” he told her, tilting her face up to his.  “I like the way you look.”  A strand of her hair fell in front of her eyes.  He brushed it behind her ear.  His fingers lingered on her cheek.  The moment stretched.

She blushed and buried her face in his chests.  “I can’t be...believe this is ha…happening,” she stuttered.  “I’m so ha…happy.”

He squeezed her harder, picked her off the floor, and swung her in a circle.  When he set her down, she peered up at him, eyes shining with adoration.

“You….” she said, trying to concentrate.  “You…brought me back…kept me…fro…from losing myself.”  She looked down, her blush deepening.  “The…only thing,” she continued stubbornly, “that kept me fro…from forgetting who I was.”

Andaris wiped the tears from her cheeks.  “You did no less for me,” he told her.

She looked up at him, finding his gaze warm and safe.

Andaris picked her up and carried her to the bed.

They lay beside one another as they had so many times before, except it wasn’t the same, and never would be again.

Andaris turned on his side to face her.  “Shall I,” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes, “rub your tummy?”

She giggled and shoved him away.  He shoved her back.  They wrestled and laughed like children until, feeling wonderfully content and completely spent, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The End of the Beginning

T
wo weeks later, King Laris, true to his word, held a knighting ceremony for Andaris and Gaven.  It was an auspicious event, filling the church to capacity with anxious citizens waiting to see the heroes honored in person.

The crowd exploded with cheering as the two men, dressed in the finest regalia Rogar had to offer, walked with forced solemnity to the front of the sanctuary.  Andaris and Mandie had been inseparable for the past two weeks, so of course she was there, sitting in the pew nearest the pulpit, overflowing with pride and joy for her friends.

The king stood at the center of the dais, flanked on his right by Trilla and on his left by Ashel .  Trilla snickered as she saw Gaven and Andaris walking down the center aisle, shoulder to shoulder, as if getting married, looking ill at ease in their fancy clothes and tight collars.

Sensing their discomfort, Laris kept the proceedings brief.  They knelt before him.  He touched each of their shoulders with the flat of his sword, spoke some words in the ancient tongue of his forefathers, and by the authority of the crown, under the eyes of Rodan, commanded them to rise as knights.  Silver amulets bearing the Danodren coat of arms were placed over their heads—the Silver Circle, Rogar’s highest military honor.  Gaven and Andaris shook hands, faced forward and, to the ringing approval of the crowd, raised their arms in thanks.

After the ceremony, the five companions went to the Loyal Subject to share a pitcher of ale and discuss their plans for the future.  “I’m still hoping to find some mention of my people in the archives,” said Andaris, “and maybe even uncover something that will help me get home.”  He sighed, eyes filling with regret.  “My family’s probably stopped searching for me by now, given me up for dead.  I won’t rest until I find my way back to them.  Regardless how long it takes.”  He turned towards Mandie and, with the beginnings of a smile, winked.  “Although I must confess, I have plenty of reasons not to leave too soon.”  She blushed, squeezed his hand beneath the table, and winked back.

“I should hope not,” said Gaven with a grin, “I need some help building my house.  There’s this remote area along Rogar’s southeastern border that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time.  You should see it, Andaris.  It’s really beautiful.  There are red sea cliffs that butt up against thick pinewood forest.  In the evenings, you can sit and enjoy the salty breeze blowing in off of the water, and watch as the merchant ships sail past.  And there are other wonders too, like the flocks of gulls that follow the schools of fish up and down the coast, and the silverback whales cresting on the horizon, glinting like whitecaps in the starlight.  You ever see the ocean on a clear night, Andaris, with the stars reflecting off the water?  It’s a sight to behold, I can tell you that.”

“No, I haven’t,” Andaris admitted, “but it sounds as if I need to.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak like this, Gaven—with such poetic sentiment.  You almost make me wish I were a sailor.”

Gaven chuckled and shook his head.  “I guess I’m going soft in my old age, which is probably just as well.  Now that I’m rich and famous, I can settle down and enjoy myself, build a house, marry a serving girl, and have a whole litter of children.  The only trouble,” he admitted with mischief in his eyes, “is whether to marry a blonde or a brunette.”

They all laughed.

“You know,” Trilla said, “I’m going to miss each of you—terribly.”

They’d shared a part of each other’s lives that they would always remember.  They were tied by the hardships they’d endured, each memory stored away like gold in the safe, waiting to be pulled out and dusted off whenever most needed.

Gaven drained his mug and looked around the table.  “How ‘bout,” he suggested, “we meet back here three months from now?  That is, if you’re still in town, Andaris.”

“Like I said, Gaven, I have plenty of reasons not to leave too soon.”  He looked each of them in the eyes.  “Four reasons, to be exact.  And if—when,” he corrected, “I find my way home, I’ll do everything in my power to find my way back here again, to all of you.  But this time, before I go anywhere, I’m going to make certain I’m ready.  You never know where you’re going to end up when you go traipsing through the wilds of the world.  Though I can’t even begin to make preparations until I’ve sorted through all of those books down in the archives, and who knows how long that will take, I should guess at least a couple of months.”

“Most assuredly,” said Ashel, “and that’s with my help.  Understand, Andaris, there are thousands upon thousands of books down there, room after room of them, filled to the ceilings, and that doesn’t include all of the scrolls and loose documents, some of which haven’t been read for centuries, some of which are so old that they will need to be translated.  Yes, we will have to be very fortunate, indeed, to find what you seek in less than a couple of months—if we find it at all.”

Andaris sighed and nodded.  “Well, looks like I’ll be here.  The real concern is, will Trilla be able to get permission from the prince to leave Sokerra?”

“Let him try and stop me,” Trilla said, smiling through her tears.  “He may be the prince of Sokerra, but he is also my husband.  He knows his place.”

“Let’s make it official,” said Gaven.

They stood and lifted their mugs.

“Three months,” he said.

“Three months,” they agreed.

The End

C
opyright © 2014 by William David Coury

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

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