Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book 1) (31 page)

He knew, even though it pained him, that he had to leave the Falcon Raiders.  If he remained with them, his very life may well be forfeit.  If he stayed, his destiny would be for naught.  Of this he was certain.

What could he, a singular man, unwanted criminal, Sorcerer, do?  His powers did not allow him to alter minds, not without a terrible cost to himself, and his victim.  But something had to be done, somehow the course of things had to be altered.  He thought hard, considering what he should do.

Of only one thing was Cam certain.  Cam had to rely upon that which he’d seen, and trust that he was being guided to the next step.  Everything inside cried out for him to make haste, strike out on his own, before it was too late.  He could not ignore this.  Quietly, he gathered what few belongings had come into his possession.  He pulled on his vest, his belt and sword, fingering the intricate carved pommel below the hilt.  He threw on his black cloak, pulling up the hood.  He extinguished the candle.

For the first time in his life, he had belonged to something larger than himself.  He did not want to go.  Why did he need to leave, and now?              He shook his head.  He knew, somehow, he did not abandon his friends and comrades to their doom.  He would abandon them now so he could save them.  Somehow.

Cam silently walked out of his room, stealthily closing the door, traveling along the hallway.  He was down the stairs, and on the edge of the main room, where several of the Falcon Raiders were already awake, beginning preparations for the dawn’s departure.

He concentrated, softly muttering the spell. 

“Sleep,” he whispered.

The effect was instantaneous.  As Cam entered the room, everyone within was soundly asleep.

He felt a certain satisfaction knowing his power had fully returned.  It had been easier, and far faster than it had worked in a long time.  Quickly, Cam stole out into the dark, abandoned streets.

His night vision was excellent, so Cam moved fast towards the stables.  Normally reliant on his own feet, he sensed that he must travel more swiftly than his feet could carry him.  As he neared the stables, he recalled that Alran and Khelvan were on duty.  Not wanting to harm them, he approached with his spell already planned out.

A few minutes later, he was walking along the road out of the abandoned village, leading the saddled grey horse he’d chosen.  This was the only road that was usable out of the town, all the others had become either too badly rutted or were seriously overgrown.

Cam remembered that there were three guards in the trees, just outside of town.  He began, softly, to cast the necessary spell to avoid them.

“Power within me, magic of sorcery, power beyond sight.  Sleep bring only a moments dreams to these men, forgetting that which they see before them.  A moment’s sleep of pleasant, peaceful bliss.  A slumber by my power induced - Sleep.”

He hoped no one would fall from the tree they were perched in.  They’d only nap a few moments - he certainly didn’t want to leave the Falcon Raiders without their defenses. 

When he was just past them, he mounted the horse, and rode along at a fast walk.

A few minutes later, he increased his pace to a trot.

Once again, Cam was on his own.  He quested now to find a way to rescue Lyrra-Sharron and her kingdom. 

He hoped with tremendous fervor that he could save his friends.  Somehow.  He felt the debt he owed, though they were mostly unaware, must be paid.  He had to believe they would forgive him his abrupt departure.

Cam Murtallan, Falcon Raider, Sorcerer, rode alone into the west as the sun began to rise at his back.

Chapter 24

Lyrra-Sharron had gathered her things, and called for her officers.  Before her stood Dak, Andim and Kallan.  She waited on Cam, and had sent a Falcon Raider to his door to awaken him.

“All assignments have been set?” she asked.

“Aye,” Dak responded.

“This is unlike Cam,” remarked Lyrra-Sharron, a hint of impatience in her tone.  “He is usually the first to answer summons.”

“He did seem somewhat...preoccupied, after we finished assignments,” Dak commented. 

“He usually meditates before he sleeps,” Lyrra-Sharron explained.  “Perhaps he did so over-long, and sleeps it off now.”

“He’s been a real boon to our forces,” stated Andim. 

Dak nodded his head in agreement.

A Falcon Raider named Torra approached them.  “Lord Cam is not in his room.  In fact, his belongings are gone.”

Lyrra-Sharron’s eyes turned cold.  “Gone?”

“Yes,” Torra acknowledged.  “No cloak, no staff, no sword...”

“Andim, Kallan, go fetch our posted guards from last night!” Lyrra-Sharron interrupted.

She muttered thanks to Torra, gestured to Dak, and began to walk to the stables.

“Did Cam say anything to you?” she asked quietly.

Dak shook his head.  “Not at all.  He expressed concern about this plan, but aside from that, no.”
              Lyrra-Sharron crossed her arms.  “It makes no sense.  Where is he?”

They reached the stables, where most of the horses were already mounted, the rest saddled and ready.  Alran and Khelvan, the young boys who’d been on duty during the night, looked uneasy.

“Your Highness!  Lord Dak!” they intoned, bowing their heads quickly.

“Is something the matter, lads?” asked Lyrra-Sharron, catching the boy’s clearly distracted looks.

“Uh, not, not that we, that is...” Alran stumbled.

“It’s just...well, something odd,” said Khelvan.

Andim and Kallan came to them with the prior night’s tired guards.  They each made their own salutes to Lyrra-Sharron and Dak.

“Dufon, Lingon, Gravin,” she acknowledged.  “My lords, did anyone leave camp during the night?”

“No, m’lady,” replied Gravin.  “It was a peaceful night.”

“You all remained awake?” questioned Dak.

“Of course!” they each replied quickly.

“You are certain Cam Murtallan did not leave during the night?” queried Lyrra-Sharron.”

“Not a soul stirred, I assure you,” reiterated Dufon.

“Lord Cam?” Alran hesitantly questioned.

Dak turned to the boy.  “He is missing.”

Alran started to shake his head.  “It, it simply couldn’t have been real!”

Khelvan also shook his head nervously, looking to his friend.  “We both remember, Alran.  It, it must’ve...but it seemed like a dream, and I don’t remember going to sleep...”

“Lads, an explanation would be appreciated here,” interjected Lyrra-Sharron.

They both snapped out of it, looking to one another.

“Gravin, Dufon, Lingon, you’re dismissed.” said Dak. 

They made gestures of farewell quickly, and left.

“Would you two care to explain yourselves?” Lyrra-Sharron asked crossly.

They looked at one another again, clearly more uneasy than before.

“Khelvan, what happened?” asked Dak more gently.

Khelvan shrugged.  “We, well, we were on duty, when, uh, someone, uh, approached.”

“We put up our staffs, and it was, well, Lord Cam,” added Alran.

“We, uh, we asked him, um, what he was, uh, doing out here, and...well, and...”

Khelvan seemed at a loss, looking to Alran.

“Go on already!” Lyrra-Sharron impatiently burst out.

Alran jumped, startled, as Khelvan shrank back against the wall.  “Well, that’s just it.  The next thing we know, we find ourselves on opposite sides of the door, lying on the ground.  We figured we’d dozed off, but...” he made a sound, almost like a higher pitched belch.

“We thought it couldn’t be, but, but we both saw the same thing, or at least thought we did, and then...” added Khelvan.

“We saw the saddled messenger horse was missing as we went off duty this morning,” Alran concluded meekly.

“And you did not report this immediately!” exclaimed Lyrra-Sharron.

“It didn’t seem real,” started Khelvan.

“We were so sure it was a bad dream,” added Alran in a rush.  “and we, well, we never fall asleep on duty, and we just...”

“It’s alright,” said Dak comfortingly.

“No, it certainly is not,” Lyrra-Sharron remarked, turning on him.

“Yes, it is,” he said with emphasis, raising a hand to forestall the argument.  “It’s alright, because Cam is an officer of the Falcon Raiders.  They’d be loathe to question his actions.” He turned to the boys.  “Go eat.  Then get to your assignments.”

They both bowed shakily, and took off at a run.

“Do you care to explain why you have chosen to usurp my authority?” asked Lyrra-Sharron icily.

Dak turned to her.  “They didn’t fall asleep on duty.  Cam cast a spell on them.”

Andim and Kallan looked startled.  “I wouldn’t think he was strong enough anymore...” started Andim.

Dak shook his head.  “You know he has strength, still.  And we four all know what he really is.”

“Why would he leave?” questioned Lyrra-Sharron.

Dak shrugged.  “Perhaps he disagreed more than we thought.”

“That doesn’t sound like Cam,” Kallan commented softly.

“No, it does not,” agreed Lyrra-Sharron, looking inwards.  “Maybe…maybe he succeeded.  Perhaps he actually got his power back.”

“What difference would that make?” asked Andim.

She looked at him.  “He has a...task…that had brought him to Sharron.  If he has got his powers back, perhaps he...continued what he began.”

“Leaving without a word?” queried Dak.

“It is possible,” Lyrra-Sharron conceded.  “Perhaps he found something, and had to leave immediately to pursue it.”

Dak let out a sigh.  “I guess.  You should know that he expressed serious misgivings to me.  It’s possible his conscience got the better of him, and he left.”

              “Are you in disagreement with this action?” she asked pointedly.  “Do you think I have made a bad choice?”

Dak looked at her closely, clearly chose his words with care.  “I support you.”

“Good.  Now is not the time for dissention in the ranks.”  She chose to move to a new topic.  “Now then, what do we do about this?”

“Is there...a chance Cam might betray us?” asked Kallan.

Lyrra-Sharron chortled a moment.  “To whom?  Where could he go?  No.  He is a Sorcerer, and thus a criminal in this Kingdom.  He can only remain here disguised, as I assume my father has likely kept his face on the wanted scrolls.  If he is gone, he likely is leaving Sharron, if not the whole of Estaria.”

“It still makes no sense,” said Dak, more despondent than Lyrra-Sharron would have expected.  “I really trusted him.”

She glanced at her second in command.  “I think our secrets are safe with him, Dak.  Did he...did he reveal to you why he was here?”

Dak nodded his head.

Andim and Kallan both had a questioning look in their eyes.

“That task was more important than us.  If he found something, had a vision of some sort...” she trailed off.

“I see what you’re saying,” remarked Dak.  He was himself once more.  “You are right.”

“So we let it be,” she concluded.  “My lords, if anyone questions you about Cam’s whereabouts, tell them he was sent off on a special assignment.  But let it be known that if anyone comes across him, or hears of him, I want to know about it.”

Andim and Kallan agreed with that.

“Dak, he knows our plans.  Let us make certain if and when he returns, we question what he has been about.  He has less than a week until we march to Mintarn.”

“Something tells me we will not see him again,” Dak stated.

Lyrra-Sharron smirked at that.  “I cannot agree with you, Dak.  He and I are linked, somehow. I can feel it.  His task will effect the whole world.  His presence amongst us, even if it will no longer be, has been a good omen.”

Her second seemed a bit perturbed, none-the-less.  “After all we’ve been through, you would think he’d have said farewell?”

Lyrra-Sharron shrugged.  “That is another reason I do not believe we have seen the last of Cam Murtallan.”

They moved on, gathered the Falcon Raiders, and split into two groups, beginning the march to Tarmollo, where they would gather everyone they had. 

The question of the whereabouts of the Sorcerer became insignificant in light of the task before the Falcon Raiders. 

*****

Varlock-Sharron Anduin arose early, as he customarily did.  He’d spent the night alone, but had slept better than he had in a long time.  He dressed, and went to his study.  He again took on the facade that the King of Sharron presented for the world to see.

He studied reports from the front lines, increasingly distraught.  No exact knowledge of the Medaelian forces.  No real idea their numbers.  No clear sign where they would push.  Likely, they’d direct one hard strike on one front, to make the most effective use of their massed army.  It was always possible they’d split up, but the uncertainty of numbers and opposition made this less likely.  One large push.

Of course, it was also the Cordianlott and Lirdarran armed services that were out there.  This made the situation less predictable.  How big a militia did Wilnar-Medira have at his command?  How strong was this union of armies?  Was there a breach in the chain-of-command the Sharronians could take advantage of?  There was not a simple question to be had.

General Bodrir had decided the attack would come likely before the start of the new year, despite Sir Garvol’s intelligence.  While he understood the superstition of the Medaelian King, he did not trust the opposing general, nor his allies, to wait.  He expected as soon as they  were ready, and their forces fully assembled, they would attack. 

So General Bodrir wanted to oversee what was being done on the front himself.  Once the Falcon Raider problem was resolved, Varlock-Sharron planned to join him. 

Unlike his brother monarchs, the King of Sharron would not leave his men to fight a major battle without him.  Dangerous as this might be, it was a long-standing tradition.  The monarchs of the House of Anduin had always been war leaders.  They’d not send soldiers to engage in mass combat they were unwilling to participate in themselves.

Varlock-Sharron looked about his study.  He found himself restless, and so he decided a walk was in order.  He stepped passed the usual pair of guardsmen at the door, and chose to walk down the hall.

The royal castle was divided into many sections, and was home to not only the royal family, but most of the servants and upper level bureaucrats as well.   The royal family had a large number of private apartments, taking up about a third of the space in the palace.  There were guest rooms for ambassadors and other diplomats, and the members of the Council had large private chambers in a separate area.  Of course, there were also the dungeons for ignoble guests.

There were multiple kitchens, storerooms, armories for the Royal Guardsmen, dining halls, conference rooms, and even hidden passageways reserved for the crown and select others.  Unlike many royal abodes, the quarters of the servants were not bunkhouses, but rather private rooms or suites, depending on position and rank, with communal washrooms.

At this hour, there were numerous valets, messengers, attendants, cooks and domestics going about their business.  Floors were swept and mopped, linens were changed out and laundered, food was prepared and taken to the mess halls and dining rooms, and other general business was being seen to.  From time to time the King would directly cross someone’s path, and they all would quickly bow or curtsy.  Some looked rather shocked, since Varlock-Sharron was not often seen in this part of the castle.

The King took a moment to glance behind.  Not surprisingly, the Guardsmen from his study were a few paces in his wake. 

It occurred to him where he wished to go.  For the first time in months, Varlock-Sharron approached the stairwell to the ground level, and the hallway that led to the library.

The servant currently serving as Bibliothecary was not at her station yet, probably still having breakfast with her family, as her husband was an officer of the Guardsmen.  But Varlock-Sharron was King, so he produced his key, and entered the massive library.

Gara-Sharron boasted one of the most incredible, rich, and diverse libraries in the world.  The number of scrolls, books, codices and other documents numbered in the tens of thousands.  Varlock-Sharron had personally added several thousand to that number, collecting rare volumes from wherever he could, when the opportunity presented itself.

The ceiling was a dome ending twenty feet up, and there were rows upon rows of shelves, stacked neatly with their documentation.  The room was kept very clean, to protect the texts within.