Authors: L. M. Roth
Dag was
beginning to fret at his continued forced attendance on the Emperor Iacomus.
His duties consisted of expecting to be on hand should the Emperor need him to
perform a miracle, a trying enough existence as it was, but he had been in this
position for more than a year.
Dag calculated
that in combining the months when he was held captive with the months that he
was forced to attend the Emperor that he had not seen half of his family for
nearly two years. It was April again now, and it had been July two years before
when he had taken leave of them. He now had Brand and Judoc with him, as well
as Cort, but Nolwenn would be grown, and old enough to be presented at Spring
Festival with the other maidens, but could not do so without her parents’
permission. He shrugged inwardly, knowing that she was in no hurry to marry,
but the thought rankled within him that she should be denied this rite of
passage because he was condemned to wait upon a madman.
And it was
painfully clear that a madman is what Iacomus was. How else to explain his
insistence that all of the Valeriun Empire bow down to Dominio whether they
actually worshiped Him in truth or not? Dag knew that to bow down to God in
pretext was the same as mocking Him. And to be forced to do so at the command
of a man was worse still; the Emperor had placed himself in the position of
Dominio, taking away the free will that Dominio had given to man.
Already bitter
fruit had bloomed from such enforced obedience. Dag heard of the gatherings of
Valerians who came to meetings to worship a God they did not really know,
professing His name on their lips, and then quarreling among themselves the
moment the meeting ended, vying with one another for favor with the Emperor and
the Minister of State. And Dag knew that Decimus Hadrianus was sickened by the
entire spectacle.
Dag had come
to know Decimus Hadrianus rather well as a result of his confinement, and was
surprised at the many contradictions in the nature of the man who had killed
Felix. He knew that Decimus did not believe in Dominio, yet he asked Dag
probing questions, and he wondered if he were attempting to sift the truth for
himself or merely curious about the true beliefs of the Alexandrians. It came
as a shock to Dag to discover that Decimus’ son Antonius was married to the
daughter of his old friend Marcus, who had more reason to hate Decimus than any
man alive.
Indeed, he had
been visited by the young couple not long after his installment as the
Emperor’s miracle man. He was pleased to see Felicia, whom he had not seen in
several years, and delighted at her ardent faith. Her young husband plainly
adored her, and did not resemble his father at all. Dag marveled at the
workings of fate and how these two young people came together in spite of the
rancor their fathers bore each other.
Dag sensed
that Decimus returned Marcus’ hatred in full measure, yet for Felicia’s sake he
was willing to grant favors to him that protected him from the Emperor’s wrath.
Decimus was the only person in such a position, and it was ironic that he was
called on to assist the man he hated like no other on earth, simply because
their children had fallen in love and married before their parents could stop
the marriage.
Such thoughts
of other people’s children turned his back to his own in Eirinia. How did
Maelys fare these days? Did she still wrangle with Melisande? And how was Dirk
coping with the work? Cort had informed him that Lucius Maximus was in Eirinia,
and he stayed on to help Dirk, waiting for the time for Kyrene to return to
Solone. Dag knew that the sooner he could leave the sooner that Kyrene could
also, and he wondered at how well Lucius liked doing menial labor, something he
had never known.
He was pleased
to be reunited with Judoc and Brand in spite of his pleas for them to remain at
home. How good to have his wife beside him! And his youngest son was blossoming
into a fine young man. He was now fourteen and showing an interest in Valerium
and the workings of the political machinations that he witnessed in the Palace.
But it would be best to take him home as soon as could be done, for a farmer
was all that he could ever see Brand becoming. He had neither the worldly
wisdom for anything else, nor curiosity about the world that his sister Maelys
did.
Yah, it would
be good for everyone to return to Eirinia, whenever that blessed time might be.
And Dag fell to his knees, weeping, asking Dominio to make a way for him to go
home.
He lay
dreaming one night as a mighty storm raged in the heavens above them. Through
his dream he heard the faint boom of distant thunder, and the hissing of
lightning as it periodically tore through the blackened sky. Rain fell in a
blinding curtain of silver, teeming down like a spray of water that cleanses
the earth beneath it.
And in the
dream a child stood before him, smiling and beckoning him with an outstretched
hand.
He could not
tell if the child were a girl or a boy; so beautiful was its face that it might
have been a girl, but even so the angles of its face were sharp enough to be a
boy’s, and he simply could not tell. But it stood before him, silently
commanding him.
Follow me, it
instructed him.
He found
himself rising from his bed, and he looked for Judoc beside him: she was not
there. He wanted to search for her, but the child beckoned to the cloak that
lay over a couch and he donned it quickly along with the sandals at the foot of
it. His feet followed the child although his heart remained behind with the
wife he did not see, and was heavy within him. The door of his room opened, and
he saw the attendants who constantly lay outside to prevent his escape sleeping
on the floor. He thought he would wake them but they slept too deeply.
Down the
stairs of the Palace the child led him, and Dag noted that the Guards who
should have been standing on duty at the foot of the stairs were missing, and
he wondered at it. He followed his guide out the doors of the Palace and out
into the streets of Potentus. And there he had the biggest surprise of all.
Judoc, Brand,
Cort, Siv, and Brit stood waiting for him, all of them wearing identical looks
of astonishment at his appearance in their midst, all of them cloaked against
the rain. That they had been similarly led by the child was evident, as none
were surprised to see it leading Dag. He looked at his family in bewilderment,
and then turned to the child.
It was gone,
and where it had stood the wet pavement was unmarked, with no trace of the
footsteps that should have been there.
Dag glanced
down at the pavement beneath him and moved his feet: his footsteps were clearly
visible. He turned a mystified gaze to his wife, who returned it and shrugged
her shoulders.
It was left to
Brand to say it.
“It was an
angel no doubt, sent by Dominio to release us. And the sooner we leave for home
the better I say, as there will be the devil to pay when the Emperor discovers
we are missing.”
They wasted no
time in heading for Eirinia. Cort pointed out that the main roads and the ports
of Valerium would be watched, so they should return home by way of back roads
through the forests. They still had to face the problem of the guards posted at
the wall on the border between Valerium and Eirinia, and a fast runner would no
doubt be sent to alert them of Dag’s escape. So swift were the runners that
they could easily gain a half day ahead of the travelers and the guards would
be waiting to arrest him at the border.
How to solve
this dilemma seemed insurmountable. They all looked at one another blankly:
there appeared no way to circumvent the guards.
And suddenly a
look of comprehension lit Brand’s face and he shared his idea with the others.
“Father, there
are so many ships and boats in the harbor. It is not yet dawn, but the fishing
boats will already be preparing to put out to sea, but will not catch any fish
in this rain. Would it be possible to rent a boat that would be willing to take
us further down the coast and land us beyond the border so we may avoid the
patrol? We could tell them that sudden illness has called us home and we wish
to travel as quickly as possible, and the land journey would take far too long.
Then we would land at a point at least five miles beyond the wall and continue
our journey on foot from there.
“I know from
spending time down at the ports among the fishermen that they hate the Emperor,
and if any did recognize you they would consider it a good joke on him to help
you escape. What do you say, Father? Shall we try it?”
Dag laughed at
this last statement and cuffed his son on the shoulder as a proud smile
wreathed his face. Cort joined in the laughter, and even Judoc, anxious though
she was to get out of Valerium as quickly as possible, smiled fondly at her
youngest son.
“Let us try
it!” Dag exclaimed.
They walked as
fast from the Palace courtyard as they could without giving the appearance of
hurry, down to the pier, where just as Brand had said, the first fishermen were
arriving. They looked a dispirited bunch; every day counted in their business
and it was clear that the rain falling now would last most of the day and it
meant lost sales as no one was willing to go out to the deeper waters to where
the fish would take cover from the rough currents of the shore. The fishermen
stood around talking idly, discussing each other’s plans, when Cort strolled up
to them, with every appearance of being a customer looking for a business
proposition.
“Hello,” he
called to them, nodding his head in friendly fashion. “I wonder if one of you
could assist me: my family need to return home due to illness and the land
journey would take too long. Is there a captain among you who would be willing
to take us on and land us up the coast? It is not a long journey, but it would
be of invaluable service to us. We would, of course, be willing to pay.”
And he shot
them a dazzling smile that radiated innocence; none of the fishermen would ever
guess that the young man’s father had just escaped from enforced captivity and
there would shortly be a hue and cry for him. The fishermen looked from Cort to
one another: one shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head.
“I could do
it,” he said with an amiable smile. “Looks like nothing will be caught from the
sea today so I may as well earn my supper another way. Bring your family and
let us depart.”
Cort nodded
and assured him that he would return with his family. He hastened back to the
others, and bade them hurry to embark. And then he looked at them all for the
first time since they left the Palace: they had been released in the middle of
the night as they lay sleeping, and none of them were in street clothes, just
the looser garments they wore to bed, with just their cloaks to cover them. It
was an amusing sight, but one which he knew could draw unwanted attention.
However, there was nothing to be done about that now; they would have to
purchase some clothes at the port where the fisherman would take them.
He motioned
for Dag to pull the hood of his cloak down around his face, and then realized
that Judoc’s copper hair would also give her away. So down came the hood of her
cloak around her face as well. He decided that the rest of them would not be so
easily recognized, and he gathered them together to take them to the boat.
The trip to
the port beyond the border lasted a mere four hours, where the land journey
would have taken two days, especially with ruts in the road and the mud from
the rain to contend with. For the travelers, though, every moment lasted an
eternity, worried that even now the alarm would be raised and an armed
contingent sent to arrest Dag and take him back to the Palace, or even the
dungeon for having the audacity to escape.
But they
arrived safely, and with many thanks to the fisherman and much relief, (and
after purchasing some street clothes at the port to avoid incurring the curious
stares of their fellow passengers) they transferred to another boat that would
take them to Annick. The voyage would take roughly a week, and it was a
bittersweet one for Cort and Dag, because as they stood on the deck one evening
after all had dined and the others retired to bed, it was soon clear to Dag
that he was about to lose this son.
It had rained
earlier, the fine misty rain that is characteristic of Eirinia, but the sky had
cleared and the stars emerged from their hiding place. One by one as they
popped out, Cort began to count them. As each twinkling light added its sparkle
to the blackened sky where gray clouds slowly dissipated, Dag listened to the
voice of his son in a game they had played when he was much younger.
“How many did
you count, Cort?” he asked as his voice choked suddenly.
“I counted one
for you, one for me, one for all the sailors lost at sea,” he said softly.
It was a game
they had invented between them; that the stars they saw on board ship
represented the souls of the sailors who had gone to the deep, but returned to
light the way for those voyaging on the deep blue sea. They knew it was
fiction, of course, but it was a game that delighted them and gave a sense of
significance to the men who traveled the ocean to bring back fish and spices
and goods to those who remained safe in port.
And then Cort
gave Dag a look that was sad and tender, and suddenly, Dag knew.
“You are
leaving?” he asked, and then swallowed hard.
His eyes
filled with unexpected tears and he fought to stifle them, always disliking to
show his feelings.
Cort nodded
his head slowly and smiled at Dag.
“It is time,
Father. I must go and find where Dominio wants to use me. I know it is not in
Eirinia: that is for Dirk, who is one of them as well as your eldest son.”
Dag protested,
even as Cort knew he would.
“Cort, you are
my eldest son, and always will be.”
Cort walked
over to Dag slowly, and placed a hand on the great man’s shoulder.
“Father, I
truly appreciate all that you have done for me, and love you as a father,
indeed, more than I did my own father. But I am not your son, and you have two
others. Dirk is the one to take the mantle of leadership for Eirinia. I see it
in him already; he has grown much and will soon be what you are. And as long as
I am here, you will never see him as your eldest; yet he is.”
Cort shrugged
his shoulders, as tears filled his own eyes. Dag studied him for a very long
time, so long that Cort began to think he would never respond. When he did at
last, Cort knew that he was right to prepare to leave.
“Perhaps you
are right,” Dag murmured. “Dirk is one of them, being half Eirini; and you will
always be special to me, the son of my homeland. You should have been my son,
yet you are not. It may be possible that when you are here I am blinded to Dirk
and all that he has yet to become.”
Without
warning a sob rose to Cort’s lips and his shoulders convulsed. Dag grabbed him
and held him close as the young man cried quietly for several moments before
regaining his composure. When he had finished weeping Dag slapped him on the
shoulder and released him.
“Thank you,
Father. Thank you for giving me a home when I had none, thank you for treating
me as your own. I can never repay you or thank you enough.”
“I have your
love, Cort; that is payment enough. One day you will have a son and you will
understand what that means.”
When the ship
arrived in Annick, Cort, Siv and Brit transferred to a small merchant vessel.
Cort had once again asked Dominio to guide him to the right ship, in order for
his path to be determined. And so they boarded the ship with no knowledge of
where it was bound.
Just before
they boarded, they said their goodbyes to the Adalbarts. Brand fought back
tears at the news that his brother would not be returning with them to Leith.
Judoc had known before they left Eirinia that Cort would move on, but the
leave-taking was none the less painful for her in spite of expecting it. She clung
to Cort and kissed his blond curls before releasing him and planting a maternal
kiss on each cheek. She then pulled Siv into her arms and embraced her warmly
before turning to Brit, whose eyes swam with unshed tears at the thought of
leaving her friend. Judoc was at last overcome with the emotion she had tried
so hard to restrain and she sobbed on Brit’s shoulder.
At the last
moment, Brit looked from Cort and Siv to Judoc, and made a decision of her own.
“Cort!” she
said suddenly, a note of urgency ringing in her voice. “Will you be keeping the
hut in Eirinia?”
Cort looked at
his mother blankly. Then he shrugged his shoulders and glanced at his wife, who
looked as blank as he did.
“I had not
thought about it,” he confessed. “Why do you ask, Mother?”
Brit’s gaze
shifted from Cort to Judoc and back again.
“I just
thought that if you were keeping your hut and land in Leith, that I might stay
there while you and Siv travel. I could keep house for you, or for Dirk if he
decides to take it in your absence. It would give you and Siv time alone, which
you have not had the whole time you’ve been married, and I could spend time
with Judoc. Who knows what the situation will be in Leith, and she may need
another woman to stand with her.”
If Cort needed
to seek an answer, he saw it in the expression on Judoc’s face: it lit with
relief and hope. And he realized that she was lonely, not just from grieving
over Brenus, but with the sense of alienation that rose from the situation with
the village ladies. He turned to his wife for confirmation, and Siv slowly
nodded her head.
“Well, Mother,
I suppose I could keep the hut and land until Dirk is ready to take it over. He
is young yet, but in a year or two he will need a home. If you wish to remain
in Leith and look after it for me I would appreciate it very much.”
Judoc let out
a whoop just as Brit turned to her, and they clutched hands like a pair of
young girls who can hardly wait to confide each other’s secrets and share jokes
that no one else could understand.
And as Cort
observed through tear-filled eyes the mutual affection between the two women
that he called Mother, he was satisfied and his heart found peace at last.