Unicorns' Opal (34 page)

“Did you get it?” Arik finally asked.

Jenneva smiled as she reached into her pack and handed the wrapped parcel to Arik. “We found it, Deliverer,” she announced. “Guard it well.”

The fog was so thick that the captain could not make out the bow as the ship drifted aimlessly upon the gentle swells of the ocean. The sails hung lifelessly from the mast and the crew fidgeted while the captain peered over his charts. A loud roar sounded overhead as something dark and ominous swept over the ship.

“What was that?” shouted Tedi.

“Remain quiet,” commanded Alex as the sound echoed through his mind. A distinct roar heard years ago flashed from his memory. “It was a dragon.”

Alex walked quietly across the deck to stand next to the captain. He peered at the charts and watched as the captain measured distances.

“Do you know where we are?” Alex asked softly.

“Pretty much,” nodded the captain as he tapped his finger on the chart. “It is not so much a problem of where we are, but rather the determination of where these shoals are that bothers me. They can sink us if we are not careful.”

“Shouldn’t we use the oarsmen until the wind picks up?” questioned Alan as he appeared next to the captain.

“Aye, we will,” promised the captain, “but not until I am sure we are clear of the shoals. The currents in this channel will carry us northward. It may not look like we are moving, but we are. The whole sea around us is moving northward.”

“What of the dragon?” inquired Alex. “Do they bother ships?”

“Aye, they do,” frowned the captain. “Best keep your people quiet. They have been known to pluck small boats right out of the sea, but I have not heard of one attacking a ship this large. Never can tell though.”

Alex nodded and headed for the bow. He stood staring into the fog for a long time wondering what he would say when they finally reached their destination. Eventually he felt a comforting hand upon his shoulder and turned to see Jenneva smiling at him.

“You dwell too much upon this,” Jenneva said softly. “The fates drive our hands, not our own needs.”

“Sometimes I wonder,” Alex smiled grimly. “He is not part of the Prophecy and he has suffered enough as it is. Who am I to ask him to sacrifice his life?”

“A friend,” comforted Jenneva. “You are not asking him to do anything that you would not do yourself. And you are asking, not commanding. How can one take offense at that?”

“I guess it is not his feelings towards me that I am dwelling upon,” admitted Alex. “It is the fact that I am about to tear his life apart once again.”

“You presume that his life is happy now,” Jenneva pointed out. “Perhaps you are wrong in that assumption. Let go of those feelings, Alex. We all do what must be done. All of our lives have been shattered, but the world will be a better place because of our suffering. You must believe that as I do, or the pain of life will become unbearable.”

“Land ahead!” shouted Alex as he turned and ran towards the helm.

The captain frantically started shouting orders and the oarsmen pulled strenuously as they tried to turn the ship. Alex stood helplessly as the land became visible as far back in the ship as the helm.

“We’ll be all right,” sighed the captain as the ship started turning to the right. “It is one of the Lesser Pebble Islands. We are farther north than I had calculated. The current must be running fast today. We will be docking within the hour. Get your people ready, Alex.”

Alex noticed that the fog was lifting as he gathered the Rangers and instructed them to get ready. Wind started to fill the sails and the oarsmen were relieved. Within minutes the shoreline of the huge island of Grakus became visible. The small city of Capra grew larger as the ship sailed towards land and the captain eased the ship alongside the dock.

The Rangers disembarked and quietly rode out of the city. Murmurs ran through the Rangers as Jenneva took the lead because Jenneva never led the group.

Are you sure you will remember the way, Yorra? It has been many years.

I am sure, Jenneva. It is not a far ride from here.

The Rangers left the coast road and proceeded up a seldom-used track that rose into the foothills of the mountains. A small footpath appeared and Jenneva turned onto it. The footpath ended before a small villa set back against a vertical wall of the mountain. Alex quickly dismounted and knocked on the door as the rest of the Rangers dismounted. Alan gathered the reins and secured the horses to a post. A slide in the door slid open and an old man peered out.

Alex fumbled for words when the old man did not speak and finally said, “Please announce that Alexander Tork is here.”

The slide closed and the Rangers stood around examining the villa and the view of the sea below. Moments passed and finally the door opened. Without a word, the old man led the way to a large sitting room and indicated that the party should wait. He then tapped Alex on the arm and indicated that Alex should follow him.

“Please wait here,” Jenneva said to the Rangers as she trailed after Alex.

The old man turned and stared at Jenneva following him, but he shook his head and continued leading the way. The villa was enormous on the inside and Alex realized that it was built into the mountain and the front was just a façade. The old man led the couple down several hallways and finally into a huge room. Alex stopped and stared at the floor of the room. The tiles were laid in such a fashion as to present a map of the nation of Targa. The old man indicated that they should wait and walked across the room and knocked on a door. He disappeared through door and closed it. Moments later, the door opened and a man appeared. His face broke into a large grin and he hurried across the room and hugged Jenneva.

“You both are looking very well,” Oscar Dalek grinned as he turned and hugged Alex. “Callie will be here in a moment. We thought you were dead.”

The door opened again and Princess Callie appeared, her face grinning with pleasure as she hurried over to embrace her two old friends.

“You two are a sight to behold,” smiled Callie. “Many times Oscar and I have talked about you and what you must be doing. Let us sit somewhere so we can hear all that has gone on. Gabbi will bring us some refreshments.”

“He will do the same for the large party of travelers that have accompanied you,” interjected Oscar as he led the way to a small sitting room. “I am concerned that you brought others with you. We have maintained our secrecy for many years here. I hope that is not about to change.”

“That is up to you,” declared Alex. “The people with me are trustworthy. They do not even know why they are here or who you are. Even if they did, I would trust them with the information.”

“And I trust your judgment, Alex,” Oscar responded. “Still, the less that know of my existence the better. As for my desire to change the way we live, I have none. Callie and I are quite happy here and we plan to stay here until we die. Nothing can change that.”

The old man, Gabbi, entered with a tray of food and drinks and placed it on the table. He bowed slightly and withdrew from the room.

“He is very quiet,” commented Jenneva.

“He is mute,” Callie responded. “Gabbi has been with us for years. We would be lost without him.”

“We never expected to see you again,” interrupted Oscar. “Yorra is the only being that knows our location. We feared that she might have died when you never came to visit. What brings you now after so many years?”

“Yorra is well,” replied Alex. “She is with us in fact. Oscar, we have come because we needed to. As much as I would like to say that this is merely a social call that would be a lie. We do not have time for social calls and I would not jeopardize your security for such a visit in any event.”

“Then your visit will be short,” frowned Oscar. “There is nothing in the world that we need to know about. We do not want to know about Targa, Sordoa, or Sarac. None of it.”

“It took Oscar a very long time to put all of that behind him,” explained Callie. “He worried himself sick. I thought I was going to lose him. Please understand. We have finally adjusted to life here and just want to live out our lives in peace.”

“There are things that you must hear,” retorted Alex.

“No,” shouted Oscar as rose from his chair and began pacing the room. “There is nothing that I need to hear. That Oscar Dalek died. Let him stay dead. The world will not miss him.”

Alex frowned and stared at Oscar and then at Callie who was looking extremely worried. He feared that knowledge of Oscar’s son being alive might actually cause Oscar more pain than thinking him dead.

“All right,” Alex finally said. “Sit Oscar. Tell us about your lives here. What do you do with your time? How do you afford to live? What does Callie do?”

Oscar calmed down a bit and stopped pacing. He finally sat next to Callie and she reached out and held his hand.

“We are happy here,” Callie smiled. “I paint as my father did. I guess it is an inherited trait. We occasionally sell the paintings and get along just fine financially. Our needs are modest.”

“What of your money from your investments?” asked Alex. “Surely you can tap into that money?”

“No,” answered Oscar. “To do so would let people know that I still live. We do not need the money.”

“I was hoping to use some of it,” admitted Alex. “I will not go into why I need it.”

“Out of the question,” Oscar replied. “Even though I know the money is safely held by a reliable person, I cannot chance even him knowing that we survived.”

“Maybe there is a way to let Alex and Jenneva have all of that money,” offered Callie. “Couldn’t we produce a fake will and name him as heir?”

“I asked Larc about making the funds available to your heir,” interjected Alex. “He would want authenticity of the heir. He offered to release funds to me on two conditions. That I tell him the name of Carson’s horse and present to him a note stating the amount of funds to be made available to me.”

“Carson’s horse was Cauldron,” Oscar responded quickly. “That is too easy. I cannot give you the note however. That would let him know that I am alive. How did you find out that Larc was safekeeping my funds?”

“Why were you asking about Oscar’s heir?” interrupted Callie as her shaking hands rose to her throat. “Why?”

“He lives,” Jenneva said softly. “Your son is alive.”

“Where is he?” Oscar asked as he put his arm around Callie. “Is he with you?”

“Yes,” nodded Alex. “He is with us, but you should hear about him before you rush out there.”

“Tell us,” pleaded Callie. “Does he know about us? Where did you find him?”

“He was found by two fishermen,” Alex began. “One family raised him as their son. The other family had just had a newborn son of their own. They grew up to be close friends and both of them are with us as are their fathers.”

“Their fathers?” Oscar echoed. “I never envisioned that he would be raised by strangers. I was convinced that he was dead. Now we are the strangers in his life and not his parents. How do you know it is him?”

“He was found near the Pebble Islands clutching Callie’s necklace in his hand,” answered Jenneva.

“Both of the boys’ mothers were abducted several years ago,” Alex continued. “I know this will be awkward for everyone, but he is a fine son, Oscar. His father is a man of honor and brought your son up to be an honorable man.”

“What is his name?” asked Callie.

“Arik Clava,” responded Jenneva. “His father’s name is Konic.”

“Arik,” echoed Callie. “It is a good sounding name.”

“All these years and we believed he was dead,” sighed Oscar. “I wanted to believe that he survived, but I could not. I should have kept searching for him.”

“I do not think you would ever have found him,” soothed Jenneva. “Konic kept the boy safe from harm and brought him up safely. Could you have kept him hidden out here?”

“Probably not,” conceded Oscar. “Sarac’s forces have been through here many times over the years. He would have been safe only if we confined him to the villa. How was Konic able to keep him safe?”

“The boys grew up fishing with their fathers,” explained Alex. “They would be out to sea all day and sleep all night. It is only recently that Sarac’s people even got close to them. Fortunately we were there to help. I think the fates have been kind to us Oscar.”

“Kind?” growled Oscar. “I have been robbed of raising my only child. Can you imagine what that must feel like?”

Oscar realized his poor choice of words when he saw the tears form in Jenneva’s eyes. His rage slowly died as he pressed his lips together tightly.

“I am sorry,” Oscar said. “I dwell in my own self pity and forget that others have it far worse than I do. I take my hurt out on the two people who have probably spent their lives looking for my child when I am responsible for losing theirs. Can you ever forgive me?”

“The fault is not yours,” Alex said with his voice cracking. “You did what you could to save our child. Oscar, I know how you must feel about Arik, but you are wrong in a major way. Yes, you have missed the years of his youth, but he is alive and healthy. You have a chance now to share in his life. He is the Heir to the Throne of Alcea. You have much to offer the boy that the father he has known cannot provide. Be thankful that you are finally united.”

“Alcea,” echoed Oscar. “What can I teach the lad? King Byron is better suited for that task. I know nothing of running a country.”

“King Byron is dead,” Alex declared. “He was assassinated by power seekers in Tagaret.”

“Assassinated?” cried Oscar. “They dare to kill a king and you expect me to allow my son to replace him? No. The lad can stay here. We will make room for Konic as well. You cannot believe that after all of these years without Arik that I am going to send him into a viper’s den to be murdered for some fool’s ambition?”

“Oscar, the Ancient Prophecy has begun,” retorted Alex. “Already there are clear skies over Cordonia. Soon the same will be true for the Disputed Area. Arik has to assume the throne for the prophecy to be fulfilled.”

“He is right, Oscar,” interjected Callie. “You cannot hold him captive because you have missed him. He has a role to play in the affairs of the world. Nothing you or I try to do can change that.”