The Rock of Ivanore (20 page)

With the stench of Dokur's sewers behind them, Marcus uncovered his mouth and drew several deep breaths in succession. The clean, salty air that filled his lungs refreshed him.

Above them loomed the Fortress, a mighty castle built of massive granite blocks. But Marcus was not interested in the Fortress just now. His eyes were locked on the magnificent scene directly below them. There, endless ocean waves laced in foam rolled into shore and gently lapped against the white sand. Only the shadow of the watchtower marred the beauty. Marcus stopped to listen to the lull of the ocean.

“Why are we stopping?” asked Xerxes impatiently. Marcus ignored him. He did not want to answer him in front of Kaië.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Kaië had stopped her relentless march to stand beside him. “I've spent my entire life in Dokur. The sea has been my companion and confidant. I had hoped one day the sea would bring me my freedom.”

They stood for several moments gazing toward the horizon. Marcus thought he saw a dark spot in the distance but could not tell what it was. He strained his eyes, trying to make out more detail, but Kaië tugged on his arm.

“We must hurry,” she said as they resumed their climb.
“If Jayson was arrested, he would have been taken directly to Chancellor Prost, keeper of the law.”

“Arrested? But he came to warn them!”

“Warn them of what?” asked Kaië. “Please tell me.”

“But I swore an oath.”

In Marcus's hand, Xerxes shook with annoyance. “This is no time for secrets!” he said. “This girl can be of use to us! You will have to confide in her!”

Kaië stopped and crossed her arms. “I won't lead you another step until you explain what is going on.”

Marcus hesitated to reveal the secret with which he had been entrusted, but without Kaië he knew helping Jayson would be impossible. “Dokur is in danger,” he began. “Jayson came to warn Lord Fredric, but it seems his enemy, Arik, has already arrived.”

 “Arik is here in Dokur? What does he plan to do?” she asked.

“I don't know exactly,” replied Marcus, “but I think he plans to capture the watchtower.”

Kaië's eyes flashed with fear. “Arik must intend to prevent the tower guards from sounding the alarm,” she said. She turned hastily, increasing her pace. The distance between them and Dokur grew quickly.

Marcus turned his gaze again toward the sea. The dark spot he had seen before seemed to have swelled to twice its size, but still he could not discern any shape to it. In the harbor, Dokur's navy lay as though asleep, their sails bound tightly against bare masts. The sight of them filled him with foreboding.

he Dragon's Head Inn was a dilapidated nook in the dirtiest part of the city. With its entry located in a dark alleyway, it was the shelter of choice for Dokur's most nefarious individuals.

Kelvin pressed himself against the alley wall, hoping the shadows would conceal him from whomever might gaze down from the second-story window. Earlier he had followed Arik to this place and had even slipped inside and hidden beneath a table. It was here that he had overheard Arik's plans.

All but one Mardok was to accompany Arik to the tower, with the one remaining left to guard Clovis and the others. But in the time it had taken Kelvin to get to
Marcus and back, he could not be sure that Arik and the other Mardoks had not already returned.

Kelvin's hands, moist with apprehension, gripped the handle of his dagger as he slipped through the door. To his surprise, he found the room empty. Even the barkeeper was nowhere to be seen. This time he did not take refuge under a table but made his way toward the staircase at the far side of the bar.

Kelvin crept along, his dagger drawn. Each step caused the floorboards beneath his feet to creak. He paused occasionally to listen for movement in case Arik and the Mardoks were lurking about, but he heard nothing. As he continued past the bar, however, he heard a low groan. Kelvin turned, his dagger held high, ready to strike. On the floor behind the bar lay the barkeeper in a pool of his own blood. The barkeeper groaned again and weakly lifted his hand.

Kelvin sheathed his dagger and tore a strip of cloth from his shirt, hoping to use it to stop the bleeding. As he knelt beside the man, he realized that any attempt at saving his life would be futile. The man struggled for each breath, and his body convulsed uncontrollably. Kelvin took his outstretched hand.

“How are you, my friend?” Kelvin asked softly, forcing a smile.

The man managed a feeble smile of his own. “In death's grasp,” he whispered. “I overheard their plan to take the tower! Arik and those monsters . . . seizing the tower . . . a fleet of enemy ships waits beyond the harbor!”

The man fell into a violent fit of coughing, and his breaths became even more labored. “I am the only one who knows.”

“Hush, now,” Kelvin soothed. “Keep still.”

“No!” the man's face twisted in an agonized expression. “You must go to the tower! Warn the guards—or Dokur is lost!”

“But my friends are being held captive upstairs. I must rescue them.”

The man grabbed Kelvin's hand and pressed something into his palm. “Free them quickly! Then go to the tower! Swear you'll go to the tower!”

Kelvin opened his fingers. In his hand lay a key. “I swear it,” he said.

A tranquil expression eased across the barkeeper's face. Then, with one last breath, he died.

t the top of the hill, two hundred yards or so from the base of the Fortress, Kaië dropped to her knees behind a large boulder. She pulled Marcus down beside her and put a finger to her lips.

She motioned for him to help her. They leaned their weight against the boulder, and it slid away easily, revealing steps descending deep into the earth. Marcus followed Kaië, a thin finger of sunlight their only illumination.

Soon they reached the bottom of the steps, but whatever lay ahead of them was hidden in darkness. Marcus's stomach tightened into a knot. He had no choice but to trust Kaië.

“This tunnel leads to Lord Fredric's private chambers,” she explained. “It was built as a means of escape should Dokur ever fall under attack.”

“Do you take this route often?” asked Marcus.

“Only once before. The night I followed Ivanore.”

Xerxes gasped in surprise. Marcus covered the bird's beak with his hand but, realizing the futility of it, let go.

“That was completely unnecessary!” grumbled Xerxes.

Marcus grasped Kaië's hand and turned her toward him. Through the darkness he could see nothing, but he listened for the sound of her breath.

“Who are you, Kaië?” Marcus shivered. The tunnel was damp and cold. “You know about Jayson, and on your insistence I told you why he came here. Now you say you know Ivanore. Explain this to me.”

“My mother was Ivanore's maidservant,” Kaië answered. Her breath was steady, certain. Marcus felt it on his face, warming him. “When Mother died, Ivanore became like a new mother to me. When she ran away with Jayson, I went with them. I remained by her side when they were betrayed and dried her tears when Jayson was exiled. Their separation broke her heart.”

Kaië's breath faltered and her voice choked, but she regained control. “That night, as she escaped, I followed her through this tunnel. When she realized I was following her, she pleaded with me to remain in Dokur and watch the sea until Jayson returned. I was to tell him where to find her. I swore to her that I would deliver her message, and every day for the past fifteen years I have waited. Now, finally, I will be able to fulfill my promise.”

The warmth of Kaië's breath moved away from Marcus, and he heard her footsteps echoing against the stone floor ahead of him.

“Wait,” he said. “We need light.” He retrieved Zyll's key from his pocket and searched the darkness for warmth. He found it in Kaië. Drawing from it and combining it with his own, he funneled their energy into the key itself. The key began to glow, emitting a gentle light that illuminated the area immediately surrounding them. For a moment, Marcus imagined the world had disappeared and only he and Kaië remained within this solitary sphere of light.

“You haven't told me why Jayson would be arrested,” he said, hoping his voice did not betray his thoughts. “You'd think Lord Fredric would reward him for trying to save Dokur. And why did Ivanore run away from her own father?”

Kaië continued walking and Marcus followed. A few short minutes later, a thin line of light appeared directly in front of them. A door! Kaië hurried ahead and glanced through the lit crack.

“Lord Fredric's council room. It's empty.” She started to open the door but hesitated. “It was the baby,” she said at last.

“Baby?” said Marcus in surprise. “What baby?”

“Ivanore and Jayson's son—Fredric's legal heir,” explained Kaië. “On the night Jayson was exiled, Fredric swore he would kill the child the very next morning.”

ord Fredric's council chamber was a hexagonal-shaped room with wood-paneled walls reaching three stories in height to a stained glass ceiling. Each wall bore a full-length scarlet banner bearing an image embroidered in gold thread: seals of the royal family. In addition to the door through which they had entered, there were two other doors as well.

“That one leads to the main hall,” said Kaië, indicating the door opposite them. Then, pointing to the other, “That door opens to a private stairwell leading to the throne room on the second floor.”

The room was lit in colored hues filtering through the fragments of glass in the ceiling. Crimson, sapphire, and golden beams burst like a rainbow in midair. As Kaië passed
through this brilliant ray, Marcus caught himself staring at her, for the light cast an aura about her as though she were an angel—the light her halo. Sensing that he had fallen into sudden silence, Kaië stopped and turned to face him. For that moment, as he gazed upon her face, he imagined he had indeed been transported to some heaven.

“Are you coming?” asked Kaië, her face blushing with the unanticipated attention.

“Wait,” said Marcus. “I'm confused about what you said. I read in the island's history that Ivanore was kidnapped after Jayson's exile. But you claim that Fredric threatened to kill their baby, so Ivanore ran away.”