Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (49 page)

The dwarf would still not look up. Seeing the algors in such a manner reminded him of what he saw in the corridors deep within the sand. He began to see how they could be so close and how they could share so much. With that, he understood the relevance in his own vision, a vision that was brought about by an understanding deep in his own soul.

When the image of his son was multiplied in the chambers below the surface of the desert, he wondered if it was an illusion, but he realized it was beyond that. It was a measure of comprehension and compassion. The recesses of his soul were allowing him to identify with the algors. He didn't understand why, perhaps it had something to do with the algors themselves and their ability to connect to each other and even strangers who they deemed part of their community, but he could not disregard what had happened. He understood how much they must have suffered at such a terrible loss.

Bol's own pain erupted once more through his body, made it difficult to speak. When he did, it was barely above a whisper, but what one algor heard, they all heard.

"I'm sorry."

The algors replied immediately, and once more, in total unison.

"The dwarf king is not our enemy. You may all leave in peace."

Jure teleported himself, Ryson and Bol directly to the chamber in Dunop's castle that Enin utilized for such spells. Their sudden appearance, especially that of the exiled king, caused more than a slight amount of alarm. Dwarf guards were summoned immediately, as was the queen.

Therese arrived with several advisors. Her expression revealed a growing frustration with events that seemed to defy sanity. Ever since Petiole escaped, she faced one calamity after another. Tensions remained high with the elves, and she could not dismiss the threat of the dieruhnes. The delver's sudden appearance with Bol compounded her concerns, added uncertainty to matters requiring delicate deliberations, and if not handled properly, could destabilize the evolving crisis even further.

Her first instinct was to question the delver. Her previous conversation with Ryson made her suspicious of his motives, especially in regards to Bol Folarok. With the exiled king standing before her, she could only imagine what might have happened. The delver had warned of a possible conflict with the algors, and that was not another pot she wished to have stirred.

In deference to a true Folarok, however, she addressed the dwarf first.

"Are you well, Bol Folarok?"

She would not address him as king, for though he once wore the crown and carried the proper heritage, he had willingly signed the decree of abdication. His son and Therese's husband, Jon Folarok, was the recognized king.

"As well as can be expected," Bol replied.

"Have you been mistreated?"

Bol eyed the delver and considered the question. He had certainly not enjoyed the past few moments of his life, but he could not consider the actions of the delver in line with abuse.

"No, I have not."

"Can you tell me why you're here?"

"I'd rather have the delver explain."

With that, Therese was free to address Ryson Acumen, and her tone quickly changed. She did not become deliberately hostile, even attempted to mask her irritation, but displeasure was evident in her voice.

"Why have you come here?"

"I wanted to bring Bol back to you, and I need your help."

Therese ignored the request for assistance and focused instead on the exiled king's appearance in Dunop.

"Why did you feel it was necessary to remove Bol Folarok from SandsFine?"

"Because I believed it was necessary to bring him to the
Lacobian Desert."

The revelation shocked the queen.

"You took him to see the algors?"

"I did."

Before Therese demanded further information, she paused to consider the scope of the admitted deed. The situation surpassed delicate and exploded into intolerably severe. Thoughts of elves and dieruhnes faded from her immediate concerns. She turned her attention away from the delver and addressed the guards.

"Please wait outside, but remain in the hall."

The dwarf sentries obeyed without question, and the queen nodded for an aide to shut the heavy door. Therese would have liked to take private council with her advisors, but she knew Ryson's keen hearing would allow him to perceive even the slightest whisper. Not wishing to leave anyone alone, she returned to questioning the delver.

"Do you realize that endangering royalty is a crime... even if it is regarding a king that has abdicated?"

"I didn't force him. He came along willingly."

One of Therese's counselors, Geg Sedmor, spoke without waiting for the queen to reply. He may have stepped beyond his place, but he viewed his outburst as justified. His duties revolved around maintaining order in the city as well as safeguarding the rule of the royals, a position that had become much more important after the separatist movement. The threat of another rebellion was always on the advisor's mind, and placing a Folarok in jeopardy—any Folarok—was an action that could not be ignored.

"Whether he was willing to go or not is irrelevant," Geg declared roughly. "Bol is still a Folarok, and his safety is the concern of Dunop."

"Is that why you left him alone in SandsFine?" Ryson charged. "He was being watched by swallits... agents of serps. They were prepared to kidnap Bol."

The stunning disclosure silenced the advisor, but only for a moment. He found the delver's actions insolent and reckless.

"And you took it on yourself to handle such a matter?! Bol could have requested additional security. We would have provided it if it was necessary. You do not have the authority to take such matters into your own hands."

"And whose hands should I have left it in... the serps?"

"That is not the point," Geg argued.

"It's exactly the point. It's the reason I'm here. The serps were using Bol and I put a stop to it. They were using him just as they are using Petiole."

At the mention of the escaped elf elder, Therese reentered the conversation, but with much greater composure than her counselor. Still, there was a limit to her patience and the delver was testing that boundary.

"We have discussed this before and any further debate on this issue will not be tolerated. You must cease making comparisons between Petiole and Bol."

"Why? Because you don't want to admit the serps were using both of them?" Ryson shook his head in disgust, but then attempted to take a more tactful course. "You don't want to accept that Bol did anything wrong, and you keep saying that Petiole's crimes far exceed anything Bol might have done. Maybe you're right, but that's not what matters. What I've been trying to explain to you from the beginning is that the serps don't care. They were using them both to stir up conflict."

"Conflict is exactly what you risked when you placed Bol in jeopardy in the desert."

"He was in jeopardy in SandsFine. The swallits who were watching him weren't looking out for his well-being."

"And so you decided to bring Bol to the algors as what... some kind of offering?"

"No, we all went to the algors to stop the serps. We all made our own decisions. Don't you want to know what happened?"

"Of course I will need to know," Therese conceded, "but good or bad, it does not lessen the severity of your own actions. We cannot hide our mistakes behind results."

"You still think it was a mistake?"

"It
was
a mistake!" Therese responded with growing frustration. "Geg is correct. You acted on your own, involved the dwarves without consulting us."

"Only to a point," Ryson confessed. "I thought you were being manipulated by serps."

Geg erupted and immediately defended his queen with both passion and fury.

"You think our queen is under the control of serps?!"

"Control? No, but you're all ignoring what's happening around you."

"Ryson Acumen, you may have the admiration of many in this city, but I do not share that respect, especially when you impugn the leader of Dunop!"

"I'm not trying to impugn anyone, but the serps don't care who leads Dunop. They just want the dwarves at odds with the elves. They want a war, and they'll do anything to achieve that end. They're planting the seeds of conflict at every turn."

"Conflict? What conflict? Have there been any open hostilities between the dwarves and the elves?" Geg demanded.

"Not as of yet, but it's ready to explode."

"That is your opinion."

"Is it? How close are you to sending warriors into the forest?"

"What we do to protect our city is not your concern!"

"Answer the question!"

"It has already been done," Therese admitted, as she reclaimed her authority and took the reigns of the discussion. "I would not abide by Petiole's ridiculous proclamation, but at the same time, I had to protect every dwarf... above or below ground. Warriors are necessary to ensure no one is attacked, whether by Petiole and his dieruhnes or by some militant elves that might agree with his sentiments."

"And don't you think the elves are aware of your warriors?"

"I am sure of it."

"And you don't think that's heightened tensions?"

"You again make it sound as if the fault lies with the dwarves," the queen debated. "The elves have been tracking our movements. They placed guards at the entrances to our city, and they continuously patrol areas of strategic importance."

"Don't think for a moment that I don't hold them responsible as well, but they're being manipulated just like you. Just like we all have been. It's got to stop."

Geg decided he was not quite done with the delver. He didn't appreciate any of the accusations, and he liked Ryson's decision to include the exiled king even less.

"And so you decided to take action on your own... to put Bol Folarok at risk?! You brought him before the algors. What does that have to do with tensions between dwarves and the elves?"

"Everything. The serps are behind all of this."

"But you brought him to the desert!" the advisor admonished. "You could have brought him here. We could have protected him. Instead, you presented him to the algors. That was totally unnecessary and beyond foolish. It was criminal!"

"Was it? We managed to convince the algors that they have no quarrel with Bol. The serps can't use him anymore. He's safer now than he was before."

"As the queen has stated, the results do not excuse the action. You had other alternatives."

"He's right," Queen Therese agreed, but with greater calm. "I realize the serps are causing turmoil, but that did not give you the right to act as you did. You should have consulted me before seizing Bol Folarok."

While Ryson was willing to shout back at the dwarf counselor with equal hostility, he showed much greater restraint when responding to the queen.

"I didn't seize him. Like I said before, he came along willingly. And I didn't have the time or the inclination to come to you first. The serps have their way of finding things out."

"You think there are spies in Dunop?"

"I think there are spies everywhere. Enin is basically a spy. He gave part of his magic to the serps so that they could see and hear just about everything he does... and everything that happens around him. He admitted as much. If they're able to watch Enin, don't you think they can get eyes and ears in Dunop? Something got in here to help Petiole escape and no one knows who or what it was. That's a fact."

The queen took a moment to consider the delver's contention. Even when her advisor began to speak about the preposterous nature of such a notion, Therese held up her hand to bid him to be silent.

"To a degree, I understand your point," the queen finally allowed. "You did not wish to give away your intentions to the serps. You wished to avoid external forces and influences. The strategy, however, must apply evenly to us all. By acting on your own, you did not allow the dwarves to have their say in a matter that is extremely important to us. I continue to find that troubling."

"It's not that I wanted to exclude you, but we talked about the serps before. Despite everything I said about what was happening, you continued to let the tensions between the elves and the dwarves rise."

The queen took exception with the charge.

"The decisions I made were in the best interest of Dunop."

"Don't you think the serps know that? They know you're a strong leader who cares about your city and all the dwarves. I know that too, but that's what the serps are using against you. That's what they do. That's what this is all about. The serps are using our best intentions against us. They're making us dance to their music and enjoying every moment of it."

"So should I make decisions that will hurt or jeopardize the dwarves just to prove to these serps that they can't make me do what they want?"

"Absolutely not. I almost made that same mistake. They almost made me do something I would have regretted, something that would have changed me. I know it's confusing, but we have to find a way to avoid the serps manipulations and continue to do what's right. I think I achieved that by taking Bol to the algors."