Destiny (45 page)

“Of course!” came several voices.

The Norghanian walked into the room and greeted them all one by one. When he reached Iruki, he looked into her eyes and stopped briefly. The Masig’s face was stern, but it was suddenly transformed by a wide smile as she hugged him fondly.

“I’d never have thought I’d be happy to see your Norghanian face, Tracker,” she said.

“I’m so happy that’s the case,” he said, and smiled at her.

Iruki beckoned to him, and he sat down beside her.

Baldor came over to them immediately. “What would you like to drink?” he asked.

“The strongest beer you have,” Lasgol replied cheerfully.

“What news from the icy North?” Iruki asked. “What have you been doing this past year?”

Lasgol’s eyes lingered on his friends around the table for a moment, then he began to explain. “I’ve spent this past year in my own country. After I went with you to the Fountain of Life, Iruki, I went on to the north, to my own kingdom. I gave a lot of thought to what I should do, because this war has had a deep impact on me. It’s changed me.”

“And all of us,” Komir said, nodding at Lasgol in agreement.

“It affected my sense of honor and responsibility towards my country and the Crown. The horrors I’ve seen my fellow countrymen commit and the orders I was forced to follow went against my principles —against the principles of any honest-hearted men. As a result, I resigned from my post as Royal Forest Ranger. I went back to my little snowy village and became a hunter, though fortunately not of men. Now I’m Lasgol the trapper.” He smiled.

“Well done!” Iruki said.

Lasgol went on with his explanation. “The political situation in Norghana is complex. We lack a King. General Rangulfsen, with General Olagson’s support, seized power after the death of King Thoran at the hands of Count Volgren, and then the Count’s death shortly afterwards.”

“So did the two Generals manage to escape and reach Norghana?” Komir asked.

“Yes. They went by the Pass of the Half Moon, through the mountains, with the survivors of their respective armies. They crossed the steppes to the River Utla, then from there they took ship to the north. It seems things are calm but tense. Rangulfsen has promised to crown Urik, Thoran’s infant son, when he comes of age. Olsen, the king’s second cousin, wants to get the crown for himself at any cost. I very much fear that we’re heading for troubled times in the north. But that’s no longer my concern, I don’t care who does or doesn’t rule in Norghana. I’m not interested. I’ve come to today’s meeting to put myself and my Gift in the service of the Bearers. I’ve had enough time to think, up there in the cold mountains, to go over everything that’s happened, and think about myself as well. I believe the reason why the Gods of the Ice blessed me with this wonderful Gift wasn’t to hunt and track down men in the service of despots, but to help protect Tremia, to help you, the Bearers. I’m convinced of it. And that’s why I’ll help you keep the secret of the evil which sleeps eternally, so that it never wakes, and to the best of my ability defend Tremia and its peoples from any evil.”

Haradin was pleasantly surprised. “A laudable purpose! And your help will always be welcome. What do you say, Bearers?”

Aliana gave her judgment. “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say Lasgol is a faithful and worthy friend. His help will always be precious. We don’t know what the future holds for any of us, and we must all fight to preserve the enigma and prevent the sleepers from ever waking. All the assistance we can get is welcome, because it’ll help us bear the load we always carry on our shoulders as Bearers.”

“Me agree,” said Asti.

Iruki nodded. “I share Aliana’s feelings.”

“Then we are agreed,” said Haradin.

“Do you have any more surprises up your sleeve?” Aliana asked the Mage with a wink.

Haradin gave her a mysterious smile. “Only one more. But you’ve barely tasted anything! Please enjoy the food and drink! I don’t want to be thought a bad host.”

The group of friends began to eat as they talked.

The last guest arrived a little later. The door opened and a figure in a grey robe made its appearance.

“By the Light which illuminates all of our paths! What a joy to see you all together!”

“Lindaro! How wonderful!” Sonea cried. She rose like lightning and threw herself into the man of faith’s arms. The force of the little Librarian’s embrace almost carried them out into the street. Lindaro regained his balance amid laughter and gently hugged his partner in adventure and study, then greeted the rest of the group. They welcomed the priest of the Light with warm hugs and wide smiles.

“Lindaro, my good friend.” Komir held his arms and examined him from head to foot. “You get thinner every day. Don’t they feed you at the Temple of Light?”

The man of faith shrugged. “Well, at least you look much better than the last time I saw you,” he joked.

“That’s true enough,” Komir admitted, laughing, and hugged him tightly.

“Sit beside me,” said Haradin, “and share your news with us.”

Lindaro sat down and smiled at the group. “I’m deeply happy to see you all here. I thank the Light. It’s been a very tough year, very tough, and seeing you all here healthy and happy makes me feel wonderful. The pain and destruction this war has left behind have been so great… We priests of the Temple of Light have done all we could, trying to bring consolation and help to the victims of this barbarity… but we’ve been able to do so little… So much destruction, so much suffering… The evil of men and the perversity of war know no limits. In all truth I can tell you it’s been a desolate time. My soul still weeps for all the sorrow I’ve witnessed and for the impotence I’ve felt all along the way. So many families broken… the pain of their loss… beyond words…”

“The Priests of the Temple of Light have been working tirelessly,” Aliana said.

“You’ve done a wonderful job,” Haradin agreed.

“With the help of the Light we’ve tried to bring some comfort to all the victims of the horror that is war. I wish we could do more. I wish a tragedy like that may never be repeated.”

Haradin nodded heavily. “Don’t we all!”

“There’s still so much to do, to rebuild, but most of all so much sorrow to heal.”

“Very true,” said Komir sadly.

“Will you keep helping those in need?” Aliana asked.

Lindaro shook his head. “Abbot Dian has charged me with a new task, a very important and secret one. He wants me to organize and supervise the study of the Temple of Ether under the Egia Lighthouse, and everything we find out there about the Ilenians is to be documented in the utmost secrecy. The order is from the Royal House, from the King himself.” He gave Haradin a knowing look.

The Mage winked at him. “The petition was mine. I spoke to Gerart and conveyed to him the importance of keeping the discovery of the Ilenian temples and the Grimoires secret. That’s why the Royal House needs your help, Lindaro.”

“I’d guessed as much,” said the man of faith.

“Choose priests you trust absolutely and make sure that every discovery remains secret. I trust you completely. All of us here trust you completely. You must be the guardian of everything we may discover.”

“Very well, Haradin, that’s understood. You needn’t worry, I won’t fail you. I know very well the danger we all risk, that all Tremia risks. The last thing I’d want is a holocaust.”

“It’s a heavy load and a great responsibility,” Haradin went on, “but we can’t leave it in the hands of the Crown or the Temple. It has to be you, Lindaro. I hope you understand, and that the load isn’t too heavy to bear.”

“I’ll bear it proudly and willingly. I just hope to be worthy of it.”

“You will be, I haven’t the slightest doubt of that. Any important discovery, inform me first and I’ll come at once to see you.”

“So I shall, Haradin, never fear.”

Sonea clapped delightedly. “You’ll have the chance to study the Grimoires.”

“True.” Lindaro smiled. “I guess you have a real advantage where that’s concerned. I haven’t been able to do much study this past year.”

“No, not at all,” Sonea said sadly. “I couldn’t study them either. I had to leave them with Haradin and go back to Erenal.”

“You went back to your country?” Lindaro asked in surprise. “To the Great Library?”

Sonea nodded. The smile she gave him was rueful. “The exile was lifted. I was asked to go back… well, along with all the Librarians who managed to escape when the Black Army attacked. The Kingdom has been laid waste, particularly the capital and the counties nearby. Thousands of innocents died. Most of the Librarians were murdered when the Dark Lady took the capital. My dear Master Barnacus… among them…” She was unable to hold her emotions back, and her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry… may the Light keep him in its bosom.”

“The few who survived hid among the Thousand Lakes and were trapped, because the Black Army also raided Zangria, to the north.”

Haradin explained: “As in Rogdon, the Middle Lands of Tremia, Erenal and Zangria, were devastated by the Dark Lady on her way to the conquest of the western lands.”

“This past year we’ve been trying to rebuild the Order. It’s been a difficult job as there were very few of us, in the midst of a ruined kingdom. But with plenty of strong will and tenacity we’ve managed to start making progress. There’s still a long way to go, but my hope is that one day the Order and the Great Library will once again be what they were. Although I’m not deceiving myself. I know it’s the work of a lifetime.”

“As is the rebuilding of Rogdon,” Aliana said.

“Yes,” said Sonea, “but you have a King, and we have no-one.”

Haradin put a hand on Sonea’s shoulder. “True, Gerart is making a tremendous effort to get Rogdon back on its feet. His leadership and strength are proving crucial in the reconstruction of the Kingdom.”

“The Light will grant us the strength of spirit we need to carry on,” Lindaro said firmly. “I’m convinced our kingdoms can do it.”

“I hope so too, although I trust head and muscles more than I do the Light,” Sonea said with a touch of amusement.

“Ah, woman of little faith,” teased Lindaro.

“You know this is the one I go by,” she said, putting a finger to her temple.

“Yes, yes, you and that prodigious head of yours,” Lindaro said, smiling. “So, tell me, will you go back to Erenal and the Great Library?”

Sonea looked aside at Haradin and smiled. “Mmm, yes and no. Now that Barnacus is no longer with us, and as there’s nobody better equipped, I’ve been appointed Master Archivist of Ethnic Knowledge. As such I’m at liberty to follow my studies. I can’t be permanently away from the Library, but I have a certain freedom to study wherever I wish, just as long as I report my findings to the Great Library.”

“Congratulations,” Haradin said. But there was doubt in his voice.

“Thank you, but I’d have given my right arm to have risen by my own merits… but these aren’t the sort of times that allow people to choose their own destiny. I’ve been thinking a lot this year. About what happened to us five, about the medallions we all wear hidden round our necks, about the Ilenians… I’ve thought long and hard, and I’ve come to a conclusion…”

“Go ahead,” Haradin encouraged her.

“I believe we should go on studying them. I’ve come back to stay, to keep learning.”

“You mean the Ilenian Grimoires and the knowledge buried in them?” Lindaro asked.

“Yes, but more than that, I want to understand further than those remains. I want to learn everything I possibly can about the Ilenians, about their civilization, their magic, their Power, their temples… How many temples are there? What’s their purpose? What other places do the Portals lead to? I have so many questions I’d like answered. I don’t want us to be manipulated again by the Ilenians, or their Objects of Power, whether they’re Grimoires or medallions or anything else. I want to know, learn and understand. I want to be prepared and vigilant, for we mustn’t forget they’re sleeping eternally in that chamber underground, but they wish to awaken. And who can be sure that one day they won’t find some means of doing so? Just as they nearly did by making use of the five of us.”

For a moment there was silence as they considered Sonea’s words. At last Haradin spoke.

“As always, Sonea, you’re quite right in your judgments. I’ve always liked you, not just because of how smart you are, but for your guts and enthusiasm.” The Mage smiled broadly. “If you wish to study the Grimoires, the Temples and other Ilenian remains, I’ll help you. I too believe we must learn as much as we can in order to understand the lost civilization and the danger it represents, and be always at the ready.”

“Thank you, Haradin, I’m very grateful. And what about the study of the medallions?” She took out her own, which she wore round her neck under her tunic.

“The medallions are a more complicated matter, my dear Librarian. Right now you have a basic knowledge of their use and power, but I understand you want to go further. Am I wrong there?”

“No, you’re not wrong at all. I want to learn to use all its Power, to my desire, not the way around like it happenes now. I want to know its full potential as well as its limitations —everything I can possibly know about it. And to document it all, for those who come after us, for future generations.”