Are they seeking the tree or seeking to avoid it?
she deliberated.
Why would anyone try to avoid one of the trees?
she wondered, her concern growing by the minute.
“The sooner we escape from these wretched confines, the better I will feel,” the strange woman said aloud, quite near now to where Tamara lay hidden.
The Sister could clearly see the riders by this time, and she could not help but gasp under her breath at the scene before her. Among the group was an enormous troll, fat and ugly. Of course she would not hold his looks against him, but his weaponry alone indicated that he was not on a ride for the pleasure of it. He sat atop a huge, black steed, who spit and frothed at the mouth as the troll yanked upon his reins fiercely. He was flanked by perhaps thirty men, all clothed in tunics of green emblazoned with the image of a tree upon the fronts. They were most definitely from Talamar, but they did not bear the colors of that Dukedom. She tried to see what was upon the banners that they carried, but the wind was still, and the pennants lay too close to the poles to distinguish anything.
Bringing up the rear and marching on foot, were another fifty or so orcs, short, squat and hairless, chanting something unintelligible as they ran to keep up with the mounted soldiers before them. Each one carried a sharpened spear, the tips of which glinted black in the darkening sky.
The woman commanding the group was imposing upon her dapple grey mount, clad in green too, but with no image across her chest. Rather, she wore a breastplate of black metal that was unpolished and formidable looking. At her side, she carried a thin shaft of black metal as well, it too was dull and not burnished in any way and the hilt of it sat upon a small platform that extended outward from the tip of her right boot. Her black hair was braided and tied off behind her and it hung down upon a cape of crimson that also lay folded and flat against her back.
Tamara shrunk deeper and deeper into the bed of leaves upon which she lay observing, and it seemed to her that they welcomed her and sought themselves to shelter her and conceal her bulk from the intruders. Much to her chagrin, the woman commander chose that very spot to dismount and to order her small army to rest. She sniffed the air like an animal would and then looked around slowly and carefully.
“These woods are rife with all manner of creature,” she concluded, though unconcerned. “Rest the beasts, but not for too long. I wish to arrive at the accursed tower before the sun has completely set,” she continued.
The giant troll, obviously her second in command replied, though Tamara perceived a slight bit of arrogance in his guttural tone, as if he resented the woman’s leadership somewhat.
“As you wish, Lady Margot.”
Lady Margot?
the Sister repeated to herself silently.
Now, where did I hear that name before?
she tried desperately to recall.
As she restated the name over and over to herself, the memory revealed itself quickly.
Now I know. Gretchen had made a comment at supper the other week about the new Duchess of Talamar and how she had totally captivated the minds of the population there, as well as the heart of Kettin, her new husband
, she remembered vividly.
So, this is the woman who came from nowhere to assume the power so easily. If I recall, Gretchen was skeptical even then of her sudden rise. Emmeline too. I wonder what she wants with the Sisters of Parth now?
Tamara deliberated.
The dark haired woman was now directly in front of the concealed Sister, when a loud clamor arose from the rear of her troops. The Lady Margot turned abruptly in a sweeping motion and her cape flew out behind her, billowing widely as she pivoted. Tamara was aghast at what she saw then. A blazing sun on a stark black background revealed itself from within the folds. She sucked in her breath with a gasping sound and then quickly covered her mouth with both her hands.
The Evil One! She is a disciple of Colton’s. May the First help us all
, she thought, astonished.
And they are heading for the tower. What could they possibly want with the Sisters, unless they know what it is we protect?
she speculated.
I must warn the others.
Just as she was cogitating on exactly how she could get a message to the tower before this contingent arrived at the gates, she felt two fleshy hands grasp her shoulders tightly.
“What have we here?” a scratchy, foul smelling voice hissed at her neck. “No, do not turn around. Stay as you are,” it ordered. “My Lady,” the voice shouted. “I have uncovered a spy in our midst. Here, hiding in the leaves,” he continued, and he raised one arm high and signaled his whereabouts to the group.
Lady Margot walked determinedly to the tree under which Tamara lay and stared down upon the Sister whose face was barely all that was visible in the dense pile of leaves.
“Release your grip, soldier. Let her stand.”
As he did so, Tamara rose with as much dignity as she could muster, straightening out her skirts, smoothing her hair and brushing off the debris that clung to her garments. She lifted her chin and gazed upon the woman coldly.
“This is very interesting” Margot said. With the pointed end of her black blade, she drew a line from Tamara’s head to the tip of her finger. Then she suddenly jabbed the sharpened point into the collar, caught a piece of the fabric and pulled upon it. “You wear the cape of one of the Sisters. What brings you to these parts unattended, spying upon us?” she mocked. “Bind her, Challan,” she ordered the monstrous troll. “And bring her to me over there,” she pointed to the clearing before her. “But first, skewer that useless beast yonder and feed it to the orcs,” she said as she pointed in Hector’s direction.
Tamara rose, arched her back and stood straight and tall, despite her ample bulk. It was one thing to detain her and question her. After all, she was spying upon them from a hidden vantage point. But to harm her beloved pony? That was unacceptable.
“Leave him alone,” she boomed.
The soldiers all turned toward her and began to laugh.
“Quiet,” Margot commanded, leering at those around her. Then, she turned her black eyes upon Tamara. “Why, Sister? Is he dear to you?” she questioned, sugary sweet.
“He is a living thing who has done no harm to anyone. If you wish to harm someone for your sinister pleasure, than do so to me,” she replied, composed.
Tamara was not at all frightened, as she suspected she would be. But the mere fact that this twisted woman was contemplating killing a helpless animal for no reason, hardened her resolve. She felt strong, despite her precarious situation.
Margot walked in a slow circle around Tamara, and eyed her up and down. The maid of Parth did not flinch. She stared straight ahead, calm and dignified.
“Skewer her then instead,” she said finally.
At that point Tamara realized that this was no game being played here, and that her very life was in mortal danger. In addition, she would then never be able to complete her task and return to Parth with the answers that were so vital to the Sisters. She was not schooled in the art of battle, and she had no weapons with which to defend herself. Her situation was grave indeed.
As she contemplated what she could possibly do to survive this disastrous predicament, a small contingent of Talamaran soldiers circled around her at the direction of the troll. One of them had a coil of rope in his hands and was tying loops in the end, apparently to slip over her hands. Suddenly, she heard Hector’s distinct bray in the near distance and it was not a friendly one but rather, one of panic and pain. This she could tolerate no longer.
Without knowing exactly what or how she did it, she lifted her hands quickly and the soil and leaves and twigs all about her flew wildly into the air, obscuring her momentarily from the soldiers surrounding her. The debris remained suspended in the air, swirling all around at a very rapid speed. Using the cover of this distraction, she slipped behind the large tree and sought to reach Hector before any great harm was done to him.
Immediately, the small maelstrom ceased and the objects fell to the ground once again. The soldiers looked frantically about them for the stout woman who was there just a moment ago.
Tamara dodged behind another trunk and hid from view as best as she could. She knew that it would be almost impossible to escape from here, and she was still rather astonished at what she had just done. As she was about to move toward where she believed the frightened sounds of her pony were originating from, a bony hand clenched her right shoulder, the nails of which dug deeply into her flesh. The Sister cringed slightly at the touch, and at the pain as well.
“That was an interesting display back there. I did not realize that the Sisters practiced the art of earth magic,” Margot said into her ear. “What else have you concealed from us all these tiels? The tower has much to reveal, I suspect.”
The woman’s hand was stronger than Tamara could have imagined and the nails cut deeply into her flesh. Still, she stood tall and proud.
“The business of the Sisters of Parth is no business of yours,” Tamara practically spit at her. “There is nothing of interest to the Dark Lord there.”
“Oh, but I believe you are mistaken, Sister,” she said as she wrapped a slender cord around Tamara’s neck and then walked in front of her so that she could look upon her face. “The tower may have exactly what I seek. In any event, you will not live to know the results of our little visit to the other maids.”
Margot began to pull more tightly upon the cord, constricting it and causing Tamara to turn a deep red in color. She did not lift her hand to attempt to loosen the noose, as she knew that it would be to no avail. Rather, she stood her ground proudly and without fear, recognizing that perhaps her time had come after all. She tried one more time to raise her arms and hopefully conjure up some help, but she did not really know what she was doing. Regardless, before she was able to move her fingers, the soldiers stepped in and secured the loops around her wrists, pulling them taut and bringing them behind her back.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked. “What have the Sisters done to you or your master? We are scholars and gardeners,” she tried to explain.
“You are liars,” Margot hissed.
“Why do you say that? We have never lied about anything to anyone,” Tamara replied honestly.
“Only to yourselves, Sister. Your very existence is a lie. You serve one purpose and one purpose alone, and that will soon change,” the servant of Colton’s said.
Tamara had heard those very sentiments spoken before, but it did not conjure up the same meaning when coming from the mouth of this sinister woman. Suddenly, she wondered if that is what the passage meant. Doubts were flooding her emotions and pulling her toward despair.
Could it be that the Sister’s purpose was to protect the map until this moment? Until Colton dar Agonthea came to take it away from us? Were we guardians all these years for the wrong side?
she thought.
Tamara reddened, and Margot recognized the change immediately.
“Ah, you are not so optimistic anymore, Sister? Could it be that you now recognize the true reason for Parth’s existence all these tiels?” she asked. “You have served him well, all of you. And, he appreciates it. Truly he does. But now your time of service is coming to an end.”
Lady Margot walked away from the bound Sister and beckoned to her lieutenant.
“See that she does not have the opportunity to warn her Sisters of our coming.”
Tamara felt the ties that bound her constrict, as the massive troll retrieved the ends from the soldiers that held her. He yanked coarsely upon the rope, and her head snapped backward. It was growing harder and harder to breathe. The monster was enjoying her suffering, and he pulled slowly and cruelly upon her noose, causing her to gasp for air. Sadly she felt herself slipping away, sliding into unconsciousness, and it troubled her more deeply than the thought of her own death that she was unable to warn her Sisters.
She felt her final moment upon her, and just before she blacked out she thought she saw a light descend upon her from above.
Ah, they have come for me at last
, she thought calmly, though sadness engulfed her.
Be gone, woman
, a deep voice commanded.
You have no power here.
The noose around her neck went limp suddenly and she felt her arms, which had been pulled taut behind her, slacken and drop. Through her half-conscious vision, she watched as dust rose everywhere around her, and she heard weapons being drawn and what seemed to be the noises of battle. A storm must have set in, as she heard thunder and saw streaks of lightening too through her half open eyes.
Tamara regained her breath slowly and her vision began to clear. At first, she thought she was dreaming or perhaps already dead, but then she realized that neither was the case. In fact, what she had just witnessed was very real, and although she did not fully comprehend what was occurring, she knew that someone had come to her aid at the very last moment.
Premoran raised his arm and drew a circle with his index finger around the entire space that surrounded Tamara, Lady Margot, her lieutenant and the green cloaked soldiers that stood in the clearing. A wall of shimmering light began to form about them all.
Tamara watched as another creature slowly descended from the sky above her upon beautiful gossamer wings that gracefully billowed out from behind it. It landed lightly next to the other figure, and its wings immediately disappeared as if they were never really there to begin with. She thought that perhaps she was dreaming after all. The lack of oxygen caused by the tightness of the noose around her neck had made Tamara swoon somewhat, and she watched all of this through a haze of recognition, not sure at all whether her life had ended and the angels were coming to carry her off to the lands above the clouds, or whether she was still alive and was being saved from the torment that was about to be inflicted upon her.
Challan, the troll, backed up hurriedly away from Lady Margot, seeking to create some distance between himself and what he perceived to be the focus of this intruder’s wrath. Margot stood her ground, though she was clearly disoriented by this unexpected arrival.