The Shards (29 page)

“Lord Baladar! Unlock the door. Let me in!” he could hear someone yelling amongst the continual banging upon the thick wooden slab.

Slowly, he rose from his chair, leaned forward and swept the stones back into the suede pouch. He lifted the ring which was still warm and placed it upon his finger. His mind was flooded with the visions from before, and he replayed them so that he could remember as many details as possible, though he knew that some had already faded and were lost forever. He struggled to recall as much as he could. Grogan was worried about him, and it was cruel to delay him any longer.

As he walked to the doorway the thought struck him,
I must go to the lake!
It was almost as if someone had directed him to do so. With a determined look in his eyes, he released the seals and opened the door. Grogan burst in to the room, anticipating trouble.

“My Lord! We have been standing here for quite some time. Is everything all right?” he asked anxiously.

“Yes, quite all right. You have no need to worry. I must have dozed off and I did not hear your entreaty,” Baladar explained. “I am truly sorry to have caused you such concern. It seems that I am more fatigued than I realized. Is anything wrong?” he asked.

“No, Lord Baladar. As long as you are okay, everything else is fine. I only wished to advise you that the guard has been posted as inconspicuously as possible as you so directed,” he said.

“Thank you, Grogan. I do not anticipate any trouble in any event, but you are correct. It is the prudent thing to do under the circumstances,” Baladar replied. “And now, I think that I will go for a ride and mull all of this over. It is difficult to gain perspective when I am holed up in the castle all the time. Our responsibilities have multiplied since the others departed, and I have much to consider.”

“As you wish, my Lord. Do you wish me to accompany you?” he asked.

“No, Grogan. That will not be necessary. I need some time alone. I shall return before nightfall,” Baladar responded.

“As you wish, my Lord,” he said as he bowed his head slightly, though it was clear by his tone of voice that he disapproved of his master’s decision.

Baladar often in the past wandered out into the woods to commune with the spirit of his wife and her Lalas, and Grogan knew how important those moments were to him, though he was always disquieted and vexed until he returned. Fortunately, it had been a long time since he had done so, much to the relief of the Master at Arms.

“Shall I have your horse saddled and readied?”

“No, thank you. I will do that myself. I have so little to do these days, it will be my pleasure,” he said.

“With the crowds gathering daily around the young tree, you may one day recall these moments of leisure more fondly than you do so now, my Lord,” Grogan said with a wry smile.

“That may be, Sir. If so, you must remind me of my words so that I do not complain and sound foolish,” he replied warmly.

“That is a promise, my Lord,” Grogan said with a smile.

“Good. I will hold you to that!” Baladar replied as he ushered him out of the room. “Meet me here at sundown and we will discuss the more permanent arrangements we must make regarding the future of the tree.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Grogan replied, bowed and left the room.

Chapter Thirty-one

The passageway opened abruptly into a cavernous space. It was illuminated by strips of light that were suspended in mid-air all around. Neither Tamara nor Angeline were able to determine what these bright bands were made of. Every strip was about three feet in length, and they hung high above their heads in symmetrical rows. As they walked into the chamber and looked up, each one virtually disappeared. From beneath, they were invisible, yet as soon as they gazed at any one of them from an angle, it became visible again.

“These are fascinating!” Tamara commented as she stared all around. “How is it that they seem only to have substance when looked upon from certain directions?” she asked Etuah.

“What you see is an illusion,” she replied simply. “Behold!” Etuah said, waving her long arms back and forth.

As she did so, the lights that were so geometrical seconds before and seemed so fixed in space, broke up into thousands of swirling, luminous pinpoints that flew in all directions, caught in the whirligigs created by the Drue’s hand motions. They floated high and low, and as the gusts of air reached further into the chamber, more of the objects that had appeared to be stationary and solid, disintegrated instantaneously and flew randomly and directionless around the room, while they sent clouds of light of different intensities everywhere.

“We try to create order where we can,” Etuah explained. “Though there is no real need, it still comforts us.”

As they walked deeper into the cavern, the Drue moved her arms again, and the pinpoints of light reassembled in what appeared now to be torch-like shapes that began to adhere to the walls all around them.

“Are you more at ease with these?” she asked the sisters.

“I was not uncomfortable before,” Tamara said, wide-eyed. “However, whatever you choose is fine.”

“I thought the other lights were just beautiful, but it really does not matter,” Angeline agreed as they continued moving across the flat, hard floor.

“Our time together is limited. We must begin as soon as possible,” Etuah said, changing the subject a moment later.

Tamara looked at Angeline before speaking once again to their host.

“You have said that we cannot stay here, that we do not have time. And you say we must begin. You know so much about us. It is not as if I do not trust you, Etuah,” Tamara said to the Drue, “I truly do, believe me! But, you are confusing me. Who told you we would be arriving here? You said that the Lalas know, and therefore, so do you. But did they also tell you about the map?” she asked bluntly.

Etuah had stopped walking and turned to face the two sisters. When she stood sideways she was practically invisible, much like the lights that they saw before. Now, as she stood before them, they could see her clearly. Her garments trailed out behind her like streamers or filaments in the wind, though not even the slightest of breezes wafted through the cavern. Her skin was so pale and her limbs were so thin that she appeared waif-like despite the fact that she was taller than either of the other two women. The glow that engulfed her came from within her body, as if the blood that flowed through her veins was itself iridescent.

“You cannot stay here,” she began to explain. “A part of you will die if you stay here. The hollows cannot sustain you for long. There is no life here, and if you remain between you will never be able to leave. The hollows claim those eternally who abide here longer than they should, or who cannot withstand the intrusion upon their souls,” she said.

“How long do we have?” Angeline asked.

“That depends upon each of you somewhat,” Etuah answered. “I do not know your strengths yet,” she replied, and she eyed them both closely.

“A day? A Week?” Tamara continued to press her.

“Perhaps a few days. It is uncertain,” Etuah said, avoiding a more definite response. “Perhaps less. I told you before that the Lalas advised us of your arrival. It was an unusual communication. We do not confer with the trees; we share things sometimes. And even that is sad for us as well as for them. We arrive when they are no more.” Etuah opened her bulbous eyes even wider than usual as she stared hard at Tamara. “It was necessary this time,” she said.

“If the trees are guiding us and protecting us , why need we fear?” Angeline asked in a voice that sounded more ethereal than usual.

Tamara turned to her friend and looked her directly in the eyes. Before she had an opportunity to question her, the Drue spoke again.

“The Dark One seeks the map as well,” Etuah replied simply. “And more…”

“How could he have known that we had taken it out of Parth? Was he even aware that it was in the Tower to begin with?” Tamara asked.

“Somehow he became aware,” the Drue woman replied.

Both Tamara and Angeline gasped at her words. Neither of them quite understood the full implications of them, but they were quick witted enough to realize what she meant.

“One of the sisters told him? That cannot be possible,” Tamara declared.

“Absolutely impossible!” Angeline agreed.

“He was advised nonetheless,” Etuah said. “It was not a coincidence that lead one of the Possessed to your trail. The options for betrayal are few.”

Tamara pondered her words for a moment.

“Though Parth harbored the parchment for hundreds of tiels, that fact was almost as well kept a secret as the location of the First itself,” the Drue said.

“Yet this betrayal led us to you!” Tamara reasoned. “We would never have found you had we not been forced to seek shelter.”

“The fabric weaves of its own will,” Etuah replied.

“Often, yes,” Tamara agreed. “But this time?” she questioned.

“What are you saying, Tamara?” Angeline asked her friend, confused.

“I do not know for sure, sister. I am bewildered as well. Etuah tells us that we were deceived. She tells us that perhaps one of our own trusted sisters told Colton of our journey. That seems unlikely to me. But, surely someone gave us away. The Lady Margot did not simply stumble upon us in the hills. That was not the first time she and I had met, but she had no reason to track me, sister!” Tamara said. “And we ended up here, in a place we would never have found otherwise. So whoever betrayed us, regardless of their intention, assisted us enormously, it now seems!”

“Assisted us? She almost killed us!” Angeline replied.

“But she did not, sister. And now we are here, sound, though perhaps not altogether safe,” Tamara said. “Etuah tells us that we can journey to Odelot through the hollows,” Tamara continued to think out loud. “So, despite Margot’s efforts, and despite the fact that she was sent by someone to intercept us, it is still possible that the betrayer helped us instead!” the stout sister concluded.

“You are a wise woman,” Etuah said. “It is no wonder you were chosen.”

Tamara looked at her askew once again, but her use of the word ‘chosen’ was ambiguous enough this time that she did not reply directly to it.

“Do you know the truth, Etuah?” she asked.

“You ask me that as if ‘the truth’ was something tangible; a fact that we need only discover. I know what I know. We were advised of your arrival by the trees. I cannot tell you when they determined you were in danger,” she said.

“If they wanted us to come here, then why did they not just instruct us so?” Angeline asked. “You told me that Liam and Oleander were forthright with you before. And they knew that evil woman was after you. Why play these games with our fate and the fate of so many others?”

“I cannot answer that. I only hope that if what we suspect is true, there is a greater purpose here that we do not comprehend now. It is not our fate that is the issue, sister. Surely the fabric weaves of its own will, but the yam is set and the loom still must be warped somehow. I believe that the cloth is the result of both free will and determination, not one or the other alone,” Tamara said.

“We must hurry now,” Etuah interrupted. “We are almost there. Time grows short. Perhaps one day you will learn what you call ‘the truth’ about this. Now though, there are other things to be concerned with.”

Etuah grabbed both of the girls’ hands and pulled them forward. Her fingertips adhered to their skin in a way that was not distasteful at all, but rather, quite compelling. Her long legs moved fast, though it seemed as if she was merely gliding along at a leisurely pace. Tamara and Angeline rushed to keep up with her. They were crossing this large, open space that was now illuminated by the countless torches that hung upon the far walls. The floor was flat and hard and when they looked up, they could not see a ceiling above, however it could have been lost in the darkness.

A large arched opening appeared before them after a short while and Etuah headed directly for it. Once inside, the path sloped downward steeply.

“Come,” the Drue urged.

She sat down abruptly and pulled them along with her. They immediately began to slide down the passage. It was honed smooth by someone or something, and they moved easily and quickly through it. It grew wider as they moved further on, and every now and then, smaller tunnels split off from it, but these other passageways all seemed to head in the opposite direction. The three women veered right and left somewhat, but they appeared to be heading straight ahead for the most part. Etuah’s body glowed again in the absence of any other light sources, and it illuminated the area as they made their way deeper into depths of the earth.

“What is this that we are in?” Angeline asked as they glided along.

“It is where a root once was,” the Drue replied.

“A root?” Tamara questioned.

“Yes. We are nearing the heart. The roots were larger here.”

“The heart of the tree?” Tamara asked.

“Yes. Though the Lalas is no more, the space remains intact,” Etuah said. “You must prepare yourselves now. You have felt it already, though you may not know it. But it is far more difficult to enter this space. Do not allow your feelings to overcome you. Be strong,” she warned them.

Nothing could have prepared either Tamara or Angeline for the shock that they felt the moment the passage ended and they found themselves standing once again beside the Drue woman in this massive, new space. Angeline gasped and Tamara reached out to her to comfort her. She too wanted to cry, but she fought the impulse as hard as she could. Neither of them could explain the profound feeling of sadness that suddenly engulfed them. It was so deep and so total that they could barely keep their heads upright. The weight of their emotions was almost unbearable, and they sought out each other for solace, though even that did not help. Angeline fell to her knees and wrapped her head in her arms.

“You will grow accustomed to the feeling,” Etuah said with compassion in her voice. “It will never leave you whilst you remain in the heart, but it will ease.”

“This is the saddest thing I have ever experienced,” Angeline sobbed. “The feeling of loss is overwhelming. It seems so tragic, and I cannot stop myself from crying, yet I do not know why!”

“It is tragic, sister,” Tamara said, as she stared at her friend through her own tear streaked eyes. “What could be more tragic than this? It feels as if life itself has been stilled.”

“A part of life has been taken from the whole. What you are experiencing is the absence. As well, you are reliving the passing. Thus, you suffer twice,” Etuah explained. “I told you that the hollows are the closest a living thing can come to the void. And you two have the great misfortune of being alive here. Your living spirits are imbued with the same essence that the Lalas who resided here personified. Thus, you can sense what once was and what is no more. That is why the pain of sadness is so intense. You feel the change; you recognize just how much has been obliterated. The lost ones see in this only a chance to end their anguish. They see the nothingness that remains and no more. That is what they crave.”

“I cannot bear this any longer. You must help me, Tamara,” Angeline pleaded. “My heart is breaking. I have never felt such sorrow,” she said, and she laid her head down upon the hard ground.

“Take my hand, sister,” Tamara said.

She reached out and grasped her friend’s fingers and assisted her to her feet once more. Though she too was suffering more intensely than she could ever have imagined, she found the inner strength to calm herself, and she thereby attained a place of peace within the turmoil of her spirit. With confidence and tremendous self-control, she shared that place with her friend, as she coaxed Angeline gently though forcefully, into the same shelter that she found. She breathed a relaxing breath and opened herself to the tormented sister fully and selflessly until Angeline too gained solace from her efforts, and until she too achieved a spiritual equilibrium once more. But oddly, something was no longer the same with her. Tamara perceived a subtle difference in Angeline that she could not fully understand.

“Abide with me until it passes,” Tamara said to her, never releasing her hand. She simultaneously tried to determine what it was that had changed in her friend.

“Thank you, sister. Thank you so much. I could not have withstood that anguish much longer,” she acknowledged.

Etuah looked on approvingly, and she nodded her head back and forth upon her long, thin neck.

“You are all that they said you were,” she commented.

Tamara looked at her askew yet again, confused by the Drue’s words.

“Me? Are you referring to me?” she asked, distracted still by the disturbing difference she sensed in her friend.

“Yes. I was advised of your strength,” Etuah replied.

“Advised?” she questioned. “My strength?”

“Few others could have recovered so quickly from the effects of this place while assisting another concurrently. Yes, they have chosen well.”

Before Tamara had an opportunity to ask another question, four other Drue emerged from behind a tall, black obelisk that stood in the middle of the chamber. They looked very much like Etuah, but slightly different in height. Two were considerably taller and two were a bit shorter than she was. The two taller of the group had long hair, or what appeared to be hair, streaming down their backs. It was almost translucent, much like their skin, but it gleamed and glinted in the semi-darkness, and added to what was already an altogether otherworldly appearance. Etuah walked toward them and extended one of her long arms. The others did the same until the suctions on the ends of their fingers touched one another. All of their lips colored slightly and stood out starkly against their pale skin, and both Angeline and Tamara felt the tenderness between the group of Drue as they reunited.