The Shards (10 page)

“Caroline? Where are you?” her father called from a distance, but she could no longer hear his voice. She had already lost herself inside of the silent visitor’s mind, and another’s memory guided her. “Caroline! Daughter!” he yelled anxiously, seeing the bodies lying upon the ground ahead, near where the stranger’s horse stood grazing.

As he ran towards them, he grew more and more agitated. By the time he reached her side and saw her closed eyes and limp body he was frantic.

“Caroline! Look at me, child!” he screamed. “This cannot be happening. I cannot lose another to this accursed power.” He lifted her in his arms. Carefully, he separated her from the stranger’s body upon which her head lay. “Speak to me! Say something! Come back, my darling. Come back to me!” He removed his gloves and rubbed snow on her unresponsive face. Tears ran down his cheeks and froze in thin, opalescent streaks.

“Why did you not listen to me? You cannot be near outsiders! I told you that! Your power is a curse! It will kill you as it killed her!” he sobbed.

Conrad turned to the motionless stranger and kicked him in the leg.

“Wake up! It is your fault. You cannot die! If you die, I will lose my daughter forever just as I lost her mother!” he yelled harshly.

He placed Caroline gently over the saddle of the nearby horse and returned to the stricken elf. The distraught man lifted him up as well as if he was weightless, and hoisted him over his own shoulder.

“Keep breathing!” he said in the elf’s ear as if his will alone could keep him alive.

Holding the horse’s reins in his free hand, and with the elf hanging limply across his strong back, he swiftly lead the animal bearing his unmoving daughter through the thickening snow and toward their cottage.

Chapter Ten

“Wake up, Princess,” a soft voice whispered into her ear.

Alemar opened her eyes immediately. How someone could have entered her chamber without her knowing it, even though she was fast asleep, disturbed her initially. But as soon as her vision cleared and she was able to focus in the dim light of the new morning, she was immediately at ease.

“What is it, Teetoo? Have you news?” She sat up and drew the covers around her bare shoulders.

“He is alive, my Lady! Premoran lives!” he sighed with relief, though there was a hesitant and tentative quality to his tone. “I could not fully decipher the message, but it most definitely was from him,” he said calmly, yet consternation marred his graceful features.

“You were right after all. You knew it all along,” she smiled and laid her hand atop his incredibly delicate fingers.

“I suspected. Now I am certain!”

“Do you know where he is? Is he free? Was he victorious?” she asked excitedly.

Teetoo frowned. “He is his brother’s captive,” he replied.

“But he is alive!” she joyously declared, ignoring the obviously dire circumstances surrounding his survival.

“Yes, he is alive,” he said, and he bowed his graceful head.

Alemar lit a small candle that sat upon the table beside her bed. In the light of the flame, she could see that the Weloh’s round eyes were filled with tears. She slipped from the bed with the blanket shrouding her, sat beside him and placed her arm around his stooped shoulders.

“This is good news, Teetoo,” she soothed. “Is this not what you were hoping to hear? He lives!”

“We must help him, Princess,” Teetoo said quietly without lifting his eyes from the floor. His brow was furrowed and his voice was stern and determined.

“Can we?” she asked, as if speaking to herself. The thought of having to come to the aid of one as powerful as Premoran had not occurred to her heretofore.

“I do not know. But we must try,” he answered glumly.

“Of course we must,” Alemar agreed. Her mind immediately began to assess their options. “Have you a plan?” she asked.

“A plan, my Lady?” he inquired as if this was a strange question.

“Do you have any idea as to how we can rescue him?” she elucidated.

“Rescue him?” he replied, looking at her like the word had no meaning to him.

“Yes, rescue him,” she said, eyeing the Weloh oddly. “Teetoo, you are confusing me. You just told me that we must help him How else can we assist him?”

“We must kill him, Alemar,” Teetoo said quietly, his features frozen in a tragic grimace.

She lurched. “Kill him? What are you saying? Why would we kill him?” she asked incredulously.

“Because there is no other way to save him,” he answered. “This is what he would want us to do. He must be suffering beyond reason, beyond our wildest imagination.”

Alemar was unaccustomed to problems without solutions, and she was totally unwilling to accept her friend’s analysis of the situation.

She straightened up and drew in her breath. “Listen to me, Teetoo,” she said, taking hold of his limp hand once again and looking him in the eyes. “We will find a way! If he is a prisoner of Caeltin’s, then we can free him. If he is alive, then there is hope.”

“He is in Castle Sedahar,” he said sullenly. “We cannot enter Colton’s domain. It would be suicide. We have no choice but to end Premoran’s life ourselves or somehow provide him with the means to do it.”

“Why? Why do you say that? Caeltin would never expect us or anyone to attempt to sneak into his castle, so we would benefit from the element of surprise. Besides, how do you know that we could not penetrate his home? Has anyone ever tried to before?” she asked.

“Not that I am aware of,” he replied, less downcast than a mere moment before. “And that in itself is a lesson we should heed.”

“I see no lesson in that! It merely means no one has had enough reason to attempt it. It does not mean that it cannot be done. There is a chance that we could do this, and if there is even a chance, then we must try. We are strong! We are resourceful! And you can fly, Teetoo! You can go anywhere you want to,” she said.

“The Dark Lord will see us coming. His eyes are everywhere,” he said, shaking his head.

“Then we must hide from them very carefully. I am an elfin warrior and you are a Weloh! My ancestor was the Ice Princess, and her father rose from the dead and came to our assistance right here only weeks ago. Anything is possible, Teetoo! That much I have learned. Caeltin has thrice been defeated already. A new tree has sprouted and thrives in Pardatha! Premoran lives! What more could we ask for? We can do it, Teetoo. I know we can,” she implored him.

“Your words give me hope, Alemar. But they are just words,” he said glumly, and he turned away from her. “Sedahar is a quagmire of vileness and decay. It is unlike any other place on earth. Assuming we could even gain access to his home, we could never escape again. We are not strong enough to stand up to him.”

“Even with Premoran at our side?” she asked.

Teetoo raised his sad eyes to the ceiling, and a lone tear ran down his pale face and hung for a moment from his graceful chin. As the smile turned the corners of his lips upward, the tear fell to the floor silently.

“Perhaps, Alemar, perhaps. But we do not know what condition Premoran will be in, even if he is still alive when we get there,” Teetoo said. “He will be weak at the least. And in pain, I am certain. The Dark Lord is a cruel master, and an even crueler brother. We should not count on Premoran’s assistance in any capacity. Why Colton has kept him alive this long is baffling me. We may find that he is already dead by the time we get there.”

“Then you agree to try?” she asked, and she turned her beautiful face beseechingly toward him while pointedly ignoring his reservations.

He hesitated before responding to her. After raising his chin high, he gazed across the room and out the small window on the other side. The sun was rising in the east, and it cast a soothing glow across the sleeping city. After another moment of silence he moved to Alemar’s side once again.

“How can I not?” the Weloh replied, grasping her hand. “He is my friend. I love him like a father. Besides, you present a very good case. Or should I say, you make a weak case sound convincing,” he smiled.

Alemar let go of his hand and walked to the dressing table on the other side of the room. She opened the drawer and removed a small pouch from it. Pulling softly on the worn strings, she opened it and stuck two of her fingers inside. Carefully, she withdrew a folded and ragged piece of parchment and began to spread it out on the bed. It was covered with faded writing, ancient letters and runes, and at the bottom there was a simple line drawing.

“What have you here?” Teetoo asked, unsurprised that the Princess seemingly pulled something out of her hat once again.

“Just a little item that I though might be useful at some point,” she replied, grinning. “My uncle gave it to me before he departed for Crispen. It belonged to my mother, he said. I thought at first that it was simply a memento. But now I realize that it is much more than that,” she said while beckoning to Teetoo to lean in closer and have a look for himself.

“Can you read the writing?” Teetoo asked, looking closely at the letters.

“Yes, in fact, I can,” she said. “My father always believed that knowledge of the old ways was important. I learned as a child to understand much that has practically been forgotten by most people. One of the things that he insisted that I study was the old language of my people.”

“You are a very deep and complicated woman, Alemar,” the Weloh responded.

“Not really. Just disciplined, I think. I worked hard as a child to make certain that my father respected me after my mother died. I was afraid that he would forget that I was his daughter after he remarried. I could not bear the thought of losing both of my parents.”

“I am certain that your father respects you. If I were he, I would feel nothing but pride in having a daughter like you.”

Alemar laid her hand on Teetoo’s arm and looked at him earnestly.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” she said. “I miss my home, and I miss my father. Having you by my side has made it so much more bearable.”

“What do the letters mean, Princess?” he asked after a brief moment.

“Sedahar,” she replied simply.

“Is the drawing a map?” he asked.

“I think it is a route of some kind into the dreaded place. It certainly is not a detailed map. I do not even know if it will be helpful, it is so vague and cryptic. Sedahar purportedly changes all of the time itself, but the bedrock upon which it is built endures. It seems to me to be more like a way to navigate a maze than a drawing of a path, but it seems almost useless it is so elementary,” she said, looking at it more closely. “It appears as if some water has marred the surface. I hope it has not ruined it.”

Teetoo bent down and ran his smooth fingers over the parchment. “May I?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she replied, stepping back a pace.

He began to rub the surface lightly with his index finger, causing just the slightest bit of heat with the friction of his hand. Almost instantly, a soft powder rose into the air. It began to sparkle and glitter as it spread out over the paper, and it clouded the space with a fragrant odor.

“My eyes see things slightly differently than yours,” he said, staring at the parchment.

“Does your nose smell things differently as well?” she asked. “The odor of Lalas is unmistakable!” Alemar commented, and she breathed in the wonderful bouquet as deeply as she could.

“It is marvelous for me, too,” he replied, though his concentration did not waver.

As they stared intently at the paper before them, what heretofore appeared to be indefinite and simplistic began to transform before their very eyes. Within an instant, an intricately detailed map appeared in front of them, almost three dimensional in mien. Colors swirled and settled upon the paper, defining the areas even more exactly. It was clear that the route it charted originated in the dead remains of a once mighty Lalas and that it followed the massive tunnels and caverns that were left when the tree’s roots decayed and disappeared, straight to the outskirts of Castle Sedahar itself.

“This is amazing!” Alemar exclaimed. “I would never have done that in fear of damaging the parchment.”

“A fortuitous gift,” Teetoo said. “It appears that we have found our way into Sedahar after all!”

“As usual, the fabric weaves of its own will,” Alemar replied. “I had no idea that any of the trees ever grew that close to his domain. What a great Lalas it must have been to have had a root structure so extensive and elaborate. Now we have no excuse but to rescue Premoran!”

“It will not be easy, Princess. Even though this has presented itself to us, we must realize the tremendous risk that we take.”

“Is there no risk to be taken by not trying?” she asked.

“As usual, you are right. In fact, doing nothing could result in an even greater peril for everyone. There must be a reason why he has kept Premoran alive for this long. He needs him for something.”

“Is it possible that he is merely toying with him; languishing in his victory? In any case, we cannot allow Caeltin to use him, even if it is only for his self gratification,” Alemar replied menacingly.

“No. If we find we cannot save him, we must put an end to his captivity in some other way,” he asserted.

“I understand, Teetoo,” she agreed. She put her arm around the Weloh and he embraced her in return. They hugged each other tightly for a moment before separating.

“We are going to succeed, you know,” she commented without the inflection of a question in her statement. “We must. Fate has brought us together, and together we will face whatever obstacles get in our way.”

“I could not imagine a more formidable ally than you, Princess. Your optimism alone could topple the Dark Lord.”

“I believe in the efficacy of thought and faith,” she said earnestly. “And I also believe that what we are fighting for is good and right. We will prevail.”

Teetoo straightened his back and stood as tall as he could. “By the First, I hope so,” he responded. “May the Gem of Eternity illuminate our path through the darkness.”

Chapter Eleven

The silhouette of a slim figure cast a shadow across the polished stone of the floor, illuminated by a brilliant light emanating from somewhere behind it. Sparks flew in all directions, silently and soundlessly bouncing off of the roughly hewn rock walls before burning out and floating to the ground in soft, grey snow-like flakes. The bluish aura surrounding the semi-circle of Chosen flared brightly for a moment and then was extinguished as if it had been sucked out of the room by a powerful exhaust. The doorway sealed itself with a hiss as soon as the visitor was fully within the chamber, leaving behind only a faint line upon the wall where it once was and some billowing steam which rose slowly toward the ceiling before disappearing into the darkness above.

Blodwyn released the hands of her companions and stepped forward, her staff held high in front of her. The other ten Chosen looked on with mixed expressions upon their faces. Some were shocked at how young Tomas appeared to be, while some of the others were simply relieved that he had finally arrived, and they breathed a bit more easily for it. Still others were paranoid and discomfited by the entire proceeding, and the distress was almost tangible. Though they stood together without breaking their formation, the tension was unmistakable.

“What is this place?” Tomas asked. “Who are you all?” the boy inquired with no fear in his voice, but merely surprise.

Blodwyn stepped forward once again and assumed the leadership of the group in the absence of a formal hierarchy.

“We are all, each and everyone, Chosen of the trees,” she replied.

“Why are you here, and why have you summoned me?” he asked, as he looked all around the room.

“Have you no intuition?” Dashiel questioned.

Tomas gazed at each of eleven people standing in a semicircle before him, lingering momentarily on each face and bonding with each in his own way. He felt their doubts, their fears, their insecurities and he also sensed the hope that welled up within their souls. Some resisted his advances, while others welcomed and embraced it. He did not force himself upon anyone, but lay his spirit open beside their own and waited for them to invite him in. Eventually, even Pithar accepted his overture.

“Is Robyn dar Tamarand not here?” Tomas asked, knowing full well the answer already.

“We thought it best not to involve him in this,” Blodwyn replied.

“He has his hands full with the heir,” Connor said with furrowed brows. “Besides, if we do not accomplish anything, we lose very little. His presence here would be too great a risk for him.”

“We do not even know where he is,” Liam shrugged.

“You knew where I was?” Tomas asked.

“No,” Blodwyn responded immediately. “But we hoped that we could reach you with our call. And we were correct.”

“We elected not to attempt to contact the Chosen of Promanthea. Our methods are not foolproof. The correspondence could have been traced. We could not jeopardize the heir,” Edmond said.

Tomas considered these comments for a minute.

“Should I feel elated by your concern for my brother, or slighted by your lack thereof for me?” he asked, stone-faced.

Crea, Chosen of Wayfair, stepped forward at that remark.

“We could not accomplish much without one of you, Tomas. We had to make a decision and we chose you. Were we wrong to do so?” he asked.

The boy bowed his head and closed his eyes. He stood silently for a second or two.

“No. You were not wrong. I understand. I would have done the same thing.” He raised his chin high and looked at the group once again. “To involve my brother in this conspiracy would have been dangerous,” Tomas said.

“Conspiracy, you call it?” Blodwyn asked, her head cocked to the side in question.

“Is there another way to describe this meeting?” Pithar inquired, agreeing with the boy’s characterization. “We meet in complete secrecy. We seal ourselves within a chamber that no thoughts can penetrate.”

“We seek to make things right again!” Liam pointed out. “We do not seek to do harm to anyone or anything. Secrecy was essential. Is not the term ‘conspiracy’ rather harsh?”

“I apologize,” Tomas said. “I did not wish to impugn your motives. It is just that I have learned to question many motives these days.”

“The fabric weaves of its own will. We had few choices left,” Edmond scowled. “You are here, are you not?” he asked Tomas.

“Of course he is here, Edmond. What does that prove?” Harton quipped.

Liam heaved a deep sigh. “Why must you quarrel, Harton? Edmond simply made a point. If we were not all meant to be together, than the boy would not have arrived before the chamber was sealed,” Liam said.

“Have we no control over anything anymore?” Crea moaned.

“We do. And we can still effect change. We are not separate from our bond-mates, just apart,” Carlisle said. “I wish only to come away from here with hope.”

“And you will, Carlisle,” Blodwyn said. “We all will.”

“Hope? I want explanations. I want information. Hope is merely a feeling. I need a reason!” Tobias intoned.

“Have you all been betrayed as I have?” Tomas asked bluntly. His words took everyone off- guard and caused a hush to descend upon the entire room.

“Betrayed?” Blodwyn repeated. “How were you betrayed, and by whom?”

They all stared at the boy intently, dreading his next words. “By Ormaehon, my bond-mate,” he replied so quietly they could barely hear him. “I was traveling with my friends, and he gave away my location to one of the Possessed, an evil woman whom we had encountered earlier in our journey.”

“How do you know it was the Lalas?” Liam gasped, shocked by the boy’s revelation.

“I know,” was all Tomas said. His eyes dark and pensive as the memory resurfaced once again.

“Was the woman called Margot?” Liam asked.

“Yes,” Tomas replied not surprised that at least one of the Chosen knew of her.

“She entered the woods where I live and attempted to kill a sister from the Tower. Needless to say, her efforts were thwarted,” Liam explained.

“By the Lalas?” Tomas asked.

“No. By Premoran. The sister from Parth was coming to convene with me and with Oleander when she was waylaid before she arrived.”

“I have also heard of her,” Harton said. “She has taken charge of the Duchy of Talamar.”

“It is no surprise that the spineless son of the dead Duke has relinquished his authority to Colton. I have had my doubts about him from the day he was born,” Carlisle sneered.

“She has also raised a considerable army whose sole purpose is to relieve the trees of their authority. She has somehow convinced the people the Lalas have turned against them,” Liam continued.

“Somehow?” Pithar said. “We raise the same questions. Is it a surprise that those less familiar with the ways of the trees doubt their motives at this point, particularly when they are being urged to these sentiments by one as ‘qualified’ as she is in the art of persuasion?”

“She insists the trees have committed such a series of vile and horrific acts! No Lalas could ever do the things she claims. It can only be the work of one of Colton’s servants.” Liam said.

“The Lalas have allowed the seeds of doubt to sprout in many minds,” Blodwyn said.

“They must have a reason for what they do,” Edmond said.

Dashiel shook his head. “To what purpose?” he asked. “Why would they encourage these sentiments?”

“Would that we knew,” Connor said, perplexed.

“Is it that they are encouraging the feelings, or are they unable at this time to alter them?” Harton asked.

“Neither choice you offer is a good one,” Tobias commented sullenly.

“Why would your bond-mate beguile you in such a way? It is unthinkable!” Pithar asked.

“His purpose eludes me. I cannot imagine why Ormachon would wish to confuse you so,” Crea said.

“There must have been a reason,” Blodwyn said quietly, furrowing her brow. “If you are so certain that it was Ormachon who gave your position away, then he must have had a reason. This would not be the first time we did not understand the motives of the great trees,” she continued, seeking to turn the mood of the group away from such depressing analyses.

“Never have I heard or read of one sacrificing a Chosen in such a way,” Harton said.

“You omit one thing, my friends,” Carlisle said, and the others all turned their attention to their comrade. “The boy is here!”

“Good point,” Connor said.

“A crucial point!” Dashiel echoed loudly.

Carlisle smiled then stared hard at Tomas. “How did you escape from the Dark Lord’s lieutenant? If Ormachon intended you to be captured, do you not think that you would be in Sedahar this very moment?” Pithar continued the thought. “What miracle saved you from Colton?”

“I collapsed and I have no memory of how we evaded the storm that descended upon us. I only just awoke when you summoned me,” Tomas replied.

“So, you did not resist the onslaught?” Carlisle asked, and Tomas shook his head in agreement.

“I was unable to. I do not know how I ended up where I awoke. I assume that my friends saved me and carried me inside this shelter.”

“Is it no coincidence you took refuge in the very same cavern that we chose to convene this gathering in?” Blodwyn asked, sweeping her staff around in a broad circle. “I do not believe in chance. There is a greater plan at work here.”

“Could Ormachon have known? It is possible that he sent this evil one after you so that you would leave your path and seek the shelter of this mountain?” Harton asked, stunned by the thought.

“He could have spoken to me. He could have told me,” Tomas whispered. “When last I was with him, there were things that he withheld from me; information, thoughts. I felt as if he was pushing me away, and I could not understand it then.”

“Speak up boy,” Harton admonished.

“Leave him be, Harton. I felt the same thing the last time I was with Wayfair, as kind and good as he is,” Crea said, recalling the rejection vividly.

“As did I!” Edmond echoed.

“The trees are keeping things to themselves, it seems. I too have felt the distance recently,” Liam said.

“The world is unstable. They are dying! Are they seeking to preserve themselves in ways that they have not attempted before?” Connor asked.

“Or are they seeking to protect us from the pain that they are suffering?” Tobias asked.

“Perhaps. Their reach has been truncated of late. We all know that. They cannot simply pass on everything that they would like to as easily as they could have previously. We do not know just how hampered they are,” Harton said.

“It is possible that Ormachon had no other option but to frighten you into this shelter,” Crea said.

“Why did he not tell me when I was in his presence only a short while before?” Tomas asked, unsatisfied with the possible explanations that had just been given.

“I am convinced that they have a plan!” Blodwyn repeated. “If Ormachon wanted you dead or captured, you would be dead or captured now! You would not have found refuge and you would not be here telling us this.”

“She is correct, of course,” Tobias nodded.

“By revealing your position to the enemy he could have confused them as well,” Pithar speculated.

“What do you have in mind?” Blodwyn asked, and they all turned their attention to the Chosen of Marathar.

“Were you attacked? Did the enemy in fact seek you out?” Pithar asked.

“Yes, I felt the approach and I saw the skies darken. The smell upon the wind was unmistakable.”

“They took the advice of a Lalas and sought you out based upon what Ormachon told them?” Pithar asked.

“Yes, most certainly,” the boy replied.

“Does that not strike you all as strange?” Pithar asked the group. “Why would one of Colton’s Possessed ever heed the words of a Lalas unless they were words of warning concerning their own welfare?”

“It strikes me as strange,” Blodwyn said emphatically.

“I did not have a chance to even think about this,” Tomas said. “I only just regained my senses. The last thing I remember is the horrid, sickening feeling that engulfed me after I realized that the enemy was informed of my whereabouts.”

“And yet, though you fell to the ground senseless, you were not overcome? You ultimately escaped and found your way here?” Pithar continued.

“Yes, all that is true,” Tomas said. The terrible feeling of loss and abandonment that had not left him since that fateful moment was slowly abating somewhat. “You think that Ormachon gave my position away for a reason other than that he has forsaken me?” the boy asked, his green eyes wide and pleading.

“Yes, I truly do. There is no other explanation for why you survived, and for why you are here with us now,” Pithar said.

“Do you think that Ormachon knows of this meeting?” Harton suggested.

Crea drew back. “If he does, than they all do!”

“I doubt that the trees know we are here. They would not have needed to resort to such deception in that case. They could have simply advised each of us that we needed to find Tomas and bring him here,” Connor said.

“Well then, we are facing one of two choices,” Blodwyn summarized. “Either the betrayal was real and Tomas escaped regardless of his Lalas’ desire to see him captured.”

Tomas visibly paled at that comment, and Liam went to his side to offer him support and comfort.

“Or,” Blodwyn continued, either unaware of the boy’s discomfort, or simply unmoved by it. “this was planned, and he sought to drive the boy into the mountain for some other purpose.”

“What other purpose than meeting us could the Lalas have had in mind?” Dashiel probed.

“Why did we choose this place to gather?” Crea asked, and the others looked at him immediately as if he said something terribly important.

“We chose this cavern because it is a place that is sheltered and protected from the outside,” Harton said.

“Exactly! Is it not sheltered from both the trees as well as from Colton?” Crea inquired.

“I believe we have our answer!” Blodwyn concluded. “Ormachon knew that he could direct Tomas here and that he would be safe within the caves. At the same time, by accurately revealing the boy’s whereabouts to the enemy he has garnered their trust, so to speak. He must have needed to do that for some reason.”