The Lord Son's Travels (24 page)

She
peered into the barrel of the jerry-rigged weapon.
 
Adrien observed silently as her mind analyzed the find.
 
She finally met his gaze again.
 
Her green eyes blazed coldly.

“Somebody
else from my home made this.”
 
She glanced
again at the weapon, then suddenly reached forth, grabbed the gun, and
violently tossed it away to the side.
 
Adrien stepped back as she stormed off around him. The dust of the road
flew up from her heels as she raged across the street to the open city green.
 
He let her be to gaze down at the
metallic weapon he didn’t understand; his growing fear gnawing at his
stomach.
 
There was another town
nearby from description left exactly in this same condition.
 
The destruction was spreading quickly;
Lord Vance had reports of other towns on the opposite side of the kingdom.
 
How much longer until the capital was
affected?
 
How much longer until
the evil reached Allè-dôn?
 
He
swallowed deeply, then sought out his companion.
 
She had sprawled out in the grass of the empty city green;
unseeing eyes facing the empty buildings as she lost herself in her
musings.
 
How do you empty an
entire town? He thought grimly, glancing around again.
 
Then he crossed the road to join the
silent woman.
 
He crouched down
next to her, his presence unacknowledged.
 
So they remained, lost in their own ideas.
 
Elenna stared ahead, unable to pull her eyes from the
desolate view.
 
The wind blew
through the remnants of the village; doors banged crazily with heavy
gusts.
 

“Do
you believe in evil?” Elenna asked suddenly, her voice calm and almost casual
in tone.
 
Adrien turned to examine
her expression.
 
She could have
been sipping a cup of tea in Lady Rachele’s sitting room, the green in her eyes
were so temperate.
 
Only the
tightness of her lips betrayed the emotions inside.

Adrien
sighed deeply.
 
“The Lady of Sorrow
weeps for us all, Elenna.”

Elenna
leaned back, lying on her side, propped up on one elbow.
  
Adrien pulled up his knees, for a
minute regressing to a little boy at his tutor’s side.
 
For a second his heart was visible;
filling her with pity at the fear flashing suddenly for her to see.
 
The glimpse didn’t last long before his
aura of impassivity descended again.
 

“Who
is the Lady of Sorrow?” she asked softly.

“One
of the maidens of the Lady Eva of the Beginning,” he answered.
 
“The Lady of Sorrow cries for all of
our unrepented sins, as the Lady of Joy laughs with us for all our unrecognized
successes.
 
One is busier than the
other today, I think.” He added bitterly.
 
Elenna nodded.
 
They fell
quiet again.

“You
won’t leave me behind in Thrush Valley,” Elenna stated flatly.
 
Adrien remained silent.
 
She leaned forward, daring him to face
her directly.
 
“I know that was
your idea, but I won’t stay here.”

“Our
road is too dangerous,” he replied in the same unemotional tone.
 

“Its
my road too,” she returned.
 
She
crossed her legs Indian style, still facing the empty village.
 
He emulated her position but turned
away from the gristly scene.

He
noted the stubborn set of her jaw, but continued with his argument.
 
“This is not your battle, Elenna.”

“Somebody
from my home is killing lots of innocent people, Adrien,” she snapped back.
 
“That makes this my battle.”

“Brendan
and I are warriors,” he replied.
 
“We can fight.
 
You…”

“I’m
a woman, I know,” she bit off angrily.
 
Her face flustered red.
 
“I’m sorry that so offends this world, but I’m not backing down from
this fight.”

“Elenna…”

“Listen,
royalborn,” Elenna’s temper finally broke.
 
She turned to him, scowling deeply.
 
She bit off her words, anger dripping
from every syllable.
 
“Whoever this
guy is who got picked up with me, he’s got weapons knowledge and ice water for
blood.
 
You can’t fight him, and if
you try you’re going to end up with a bullet through your heart before you ever
have a chance to summon that sword.
 
I doubt Allè-dôn will be in any better shape with a dead prince than it
is now, so you had better accept my help and stay alive as long as you can.
 
Ah, hell, Adrien, I’m just a long lost
geo major,” she sighed into her hands.
 
“But at least I’ve heard of the toys this guy can make.
 
I’m better help than nothing.”

She
stopped in despair at the thought of their situation.
 
He had listened to her tirade with hope in his heart,
hearing not only her words but the vehemence behind them.
 

“Why?”
he asked her, surprising her with the question.
 
“Why would someone come from your land and want to do this?”

She
stopped short, surprised greatly by the question.
 
“I don’t know why, Adrien.
 
I really don’t know.”
 
She tossed up her hands.
 
“I
really don’t know why people do awful things to each other.
 
When we catch this guy, I’ll ask him,
but we have to find him first.”
 
She rose to her feet, gazing down at the still prone man.
 
“So I either ride at your side or on my
own, but I’m going to get the bastard who did this, I swear on all that is good
and holy.”
 
Adrien, again wearing
his neutral facade, nodded at her defiant frown.
 
Later they would discuss his decision.
 
For now it was time to leave this place
of horror.

“We
will return to the House.”
 
He
strode off in the direction of their mounts.
 
Halfway to the road, he tossed over his shoulder, “Bring
that weapon.
 
We’ll study its make
there.”
 
Elenna nodded, glad to be
leaving this hellhole, and swept the weapon up in her grasp and followed her
companion to their rides.
 
They
galloped out of the valley, leaving the ghost town alone again in the sordid
silence.

They
were halfway down the road to Thrush Valley when Adrien abruptly froze.
 
Elenna, who had been riding slightly
behind him to the left, barely registered his movements until Aréal was
gleaming in his upheld fist.
 
Without any conscious thought she drew her own sword, holding it in
front of her chest as she spun around to examine the scene.
 
All looked peaceful in her view.
 
They were at the foot of a valley, road
clear as far as she could see before and behind.
 
The forest here started nearly two hundred feet from the
northern side of the road; to the south was open field.
 
Wheat wavered gently in the early
summer breeze without a shadow to break the glow of the butter-colored sheaves
under the midday sun.
 
The woods
were dark and silent, as peaceful as if in a after-dinner slumber.

Adrien
slid down from Madoc’s back.
 
He
peered into the depths of the forest, blade still raised into an attack
position.
 
He spared one glance
back to Elenna, motioning her down from her mount.
 
She complied silently, moving to stand by his side.
 
Her horse, sensing his mistress’s
concern, edged closer to Madoc.

“Remember
to aim for the neck,” Adrien whispered to his companion.
 
“That will be the weakest point in
their armor.”

“Who…”

“Beware!”
he cried out, leaping backwards and twisting around to swing his blade.
 
Something had come up noiselessly
behind them as they had exchanged their brief concerns.
 
It wore a white cloak, but that was all
Elenna could recognize in the brief second before Adrien's sword separated its
head from the top of the cloak.
 
She felt the breeze of a stranger’s movements to her side, and struck
without thought.
 
She sliced across
another monster’s chest, feeling her blade slowed by its passage through some
type of flesh.
 
For a moment she
imagined cutting raw steak, but rational thought ended as her blade cut free.
 
She ducked its slow blow towards her
and kicked fiercely at its thick leg.
 
Surprised, the creature stepped back and off balance long enough for her
to attack again.
 
This blow ended
in the monster’s shoulder.
 
Thick
clotted blood ran from the wound.
 
It looked down at her with a golden animal eye centered in a vaguely
humanistic face.
 
She pulled up her
blade between them, wishing she could close her eyes and force the view from
her mind.
 
It took a wavering step
forward, then fell to its hands and knees to the ground.
 
Once more it gazed up with the
emotionless golden eye, then slumped into the dirt.
 
Elenna raised her eyes to see Adrien with two bodies strewn
at his feet.
 
She clasped her hand
to her mouth, dropped her blade, and raced to the side of the road to lose the
remnants of her breakfast from so long ago that morning.
 

Finished,
she crouched back on her heels, breathing in the cool mint flavor of the slight
forest breeze.
 
She was surprised
to realize that Adrien was kneeling beside her with a expression of concern on
his face.
 
She colored slightly in
embarrassment, as he gently felt her forehead.

“Did
one touch you?
 
Some carry poison
on their skin or weapons.”

She
shook her head.
 
“Those are
monsters, I guess.”

“I
believe they must have separated from their pack after the attacks.
 
We’re lucky there were only a few.
 
Are you well?”

“Shit,
I don’t know,” she moaned.
 

He
nodded in acknowledgment.
 
“Your
first kill.
 
If we were in Allé-dôn
I would cut off one of its fingers for you to keep as a token.”

She
grimaced. “No thanks.”

“So
I thought.
 
You fought like a
soldier, Elenna.”

She
smiled ruefully.
 
“And barfed like
a drunk freshman.”

Adrien
smiled in return.
 
“So do most
men.
 
I’ve seen soldiers cry for
their mothers over the bodies of the fallen.”
   

Elenna
turned to face her teacher.
 
“Who
was the first man you killed?” she asked.

His
eyes went distant for a second.
 
Then he answered grudgingly.
 
“The first was a soldier in my barracks.
 
His inner eye had gone blind.
 
He thought his friend was a monster come to kill him.
 
I had to stop him before he killed an
innocent man.
 
We do what we have
to do, my Lady.
 
You have done well.”
 
He rose to his feet and offered her a
hand up.
 
She refused.

“Would
you do it again?” she asked.

He
paused.
 
“A thousand times if it
meant a good man still could return at night to his family.”
 
She accepted his hand this time.
  
The horses had remained near the
scene, waiting with trepidation for their riders.
 
Both fighters mounted without another word and returned to
their journey.

Chapter 24

They
were both grateful the return trip to the House was uneventful. As soon as they
trotted through the main gates, Adrien leapt down from his mount and rushed
inside to his chamber to ponder their next move.
 
Elenna waved off the approaching Lord of the House and
Brendan, who were both anxious to hear what they found.
 
She returned to her own chamber to
study the weapon she had hidden in the folds of her cloak, hoping to figure out
how it had been assembled.

She
had little time to concentrate on her thoughts.
 
Her presence was demanded downstairs for the evening meal
and a recount of her day's events, though Adrien had been excused for the night.
 
For the next few days Elenna was
expected to stay with the Lady Rachele for tea and visits to the local
nobility.
 
As a guest of the house
she was unable to refuse the unwanted invitations, so she put on her most
gracious face and made the customary small talk, all the while hiding her true
thoughts for what little time she could steal away.
 
Adrien became even more of a recluse; during those same days
he took all of his meals in his room; sometimes allowing Brendan or Lord Vance
within to speak for an hour or two.
 
When leaving his chamber both men would display thoughtful expressions,
sometimes isolating themselves with their own ponderings for a long period
afterwards.
 
Once or twice Brendan
and Adrien’s voices were heard raised in anger; Brendan fiercely disagreeing
with the Lord Son’s decision and begging him to reconsider.
 
Adrien remained as obstinate as
always.
 
He now had a plan to
follow once the reply he expected from his father arrived; an event expected
any moment now.

The
message arrived a week after Adrien and Elenna’s journey to Rivermouth.
 
At an hour past the end of breakfast, a
lonely exhausted elf urged his half-dead mount through the final steps of his
long journey to the front door of the Lord of Thrush Valley.
 
Panting, he announced a delivery for
Lord Rian of Allè-dôn.
 
The
doorman, through untrusting in general of the rarely-seen Little People, allowed
the elf to enter the House and wait for his master in the hall.
 
Another servant was sent to find the
Lord Rian and the Lord of the House.
 
Both were still seated in the breakfast room in earnest discussion of
the latest news from the Capital.
 
At the servant’s announcement, Adrien jumped from his seat.
 
“Send for my companions,” he ordered
the servant, rushing past him in the direction of Vance’s sitting room.
 
He encountered Berte waiting patiently
in the hall and in his excitement half-pulled him into the sitting room.

“What
news?” he demanded.
 
Berte waved a
large paper envelope.
 
The message
was still sealed with the personal mark of the Lord King.
 
Adrien recognized his father’s script
from his name and full formal title neatly written on the envelope.
 
He grasped the parchment tightly in
hope.
 
Lord Vance entered the room
and his eyes immediately fell on the envelope.

“Lord
Bran has been summoned.
 
He had
gone to the stables.”

And
Elenna?” Adrien demanded.
 

His
host’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
 
“Is the Lady’s presence required also?”

“Yes,
I need her here,” Adrien replied in a definite tone, discouraging any further
comments from his host.
 
Lord Vance
shook his head very slightly in bemusement as he rang the servants’ bell.
 
The maid who first replied was asked to
bring the Lady Elenna from her room.
 
Adrien fingered the message as they waited for the others to
arrive.
 
Brendan appeared in riding
clothes, his eyes glowing in expectation of the message from home.
 
He urged his friend to open the letter
now, but he demurred, explaining that they were waiting for another.
 

Elenna
opened the door halfway, casting her eyes about the room for Adrien.
 
He met her gaze and gestured for her to
come in.
 
She entered cautiously,
noting the unwelcoming cast of the other men’s eyes.
 
Then she saw the paper in his hands and understood the
reason for the meeting.

“What
did the King say?” Elenna demanded, joining the cluster around the Lord
Son.
 
Adrien noted the interested
expressions on the faces of the servants and ordered them brusquely from the
room.
 
When the group was alone he
ripped open the seal and began to read.

“What
does he say?” Brendan demanded.
 
Adrien’s expressions changed rapidly as he comprehended the
message.
 
At first, his eyes had
brightened as he read.
 
Now his
brows lowered over narrowed eyes.
 
Finally he dropped the note to his lap, anger brimming over in his
darkened visage.

“My
father writes that he received my request.
 
Though my stories are interesting, he says that he expects
that we will return to Allè-dènè to discuss my ideas with him personally before
any rash acts would be undertaken.”

“For the
love of the Lady!” Brendan exclaimed harshly.
 
Lord Vance frowned deeply.

“You’re
not going back!” Elenna exclaimed into the silence.
 
Brendan motioned for her to be quiet.
 
She ignored him and stepped directly up
to Adrien, leaning slightly back so she could face him directly.
 
“He’s not going to help at all,
Adrien.”

“No, I’m
not returning,” he agreed.
 
He
caught Brendan’s eye, whose cheeks had flushed slightly.
 
“I’ve planned for this response, and
have already made my decision on how to proceed.
 
Soon I leave for Titaine, the capital.” Silence reigned at his
pronouncement.
 
Elenna blinked
rapidly as she gauged the response of the men in the company.
 
Brendan’s lips had tightened as he
folded his arms across his chest.
 
It dawned on her that this was the issue that had caused so much
disagreement between them.
 
Lord
Vance nodded slightly at Adrien’s words; his eyes vacant as his thoughts
traveled elsewhere.
 
Berte gazed
from face to face, confusion dominating his alien-like visage.
 

“That
is open rebellion against your father, Adrien,” Brendan declared.
 
“He won’t stand for that.”

Adrien
continued on as if Brendan hadn’t spoken.
 
“I will meet with the King about raising an army to fight the West-born
invaders.
 
Lord Vance has agreed to
travel with me to act as my sponsor.
 
With a willing warrior to lead the troops, I think the King will agree.
 
We will empty this land of these
invaders, then offer our services to our allies.”

“That’s
an ambitious plan,” Elenna stated flatly, as soon as it was obvious no one else
wanted to voice their reactions to his announcement.
 
Her mind tore apart the new information.
 
She compared it with what little
knowledge she had of the politics of this new world, and was shocked at the
scope of Adrien’s scheme.
 
She had
never expected this as the next step of their journey.
 
She glanced again to Brendan.
 
He still had his hands folded across
his chest, his normally gentle expression heavy with unaccustomed sternness.

“At
best you’ll be exiled from Allè-dôn forever, Adrien, if your father offers
leniency.”
 

“Not
permanently,” Adrien replied, meeting the gaze of his friend.
 
Elenna got the impression they had
switched to another long running debate.
 
“I will earn my way back home after we have won.”

Brendan
turned to their host for support.
 
“Vance, I’m surprised you would support this plan.
 
What do you think your King will say?”

Vance
shrugged.
 
“That this has become a
time of danger for our land.
 
Our
people are dying, Bran, and our King does not have the ability to stop the
bloodshed.
 
If Adrien offers
leadership to rid the kingdom of the invaders, the offer will be most
welcomed.”

“A
foreign prince leading your troops?” Brendan scoffed, shaking his head.
  
“What King would want that?”

“A
desperate leader trying to protect his citizens,” Vance replied.
 
“We would prefer the help of our ally
nation, but since that does not seem to be the Lady’s will, we’ll take what is
possible.”

“My
Lords,” the nearly forgotten messenger interrupted.
 
All eyes peered down to the elf’s level.
 
“My King sends a message too.
 
He wishes you to know that he offers
the help of all of our folk to stop the warring of the Great People.”

“The
help of the Little People would be a great asset in our quest,” Adrien
reaffirmed, nodding in pleasure at the hoped-for offer.
 
“Is the King nearby?
 
I would send you to him again for a few
of your people to act as our guides.
 
I don’t wish to take the main roads to the city if they might be under
enemy control.”

“I
shall leave tomorrow,” the elf offered.
 
Elenna, who had listened to the debate in deliberative silence, took
advantage of the pause in the conversation.

“What
about me?” she asked.
 
She directed
her attention to their leader.
 
He
paused, then answered, “I want you to come with us.”
 
Vance’s head whirled around at the news.
 
He gaped dumbly at Adrien.
 
Brendan frowned deeply, as Elenna
herself widened her eyes in surprise.

Brendan
was about to comment when Adrien cut him off.
 
“We have many preparations to make for the journey, Lord
Vance,” he declared firmly.
 
‘We
should start now.”

Vance
nodded, outwardly recovering from the revelation.
 
“When do you wish to leave?”

“Three
days hence,” Adrien answered firmly.
 
“That should be all the time we need.
 
Speed is important.
 
The Lady knows what cities may fall before then.”

Vance
offered to make the arrangements and excused himself from the party.
 
The three remaining travelers eyed each
other cautiously.
 
Elenna sensed
Brendan’s discomfort, and quickly excused herself to ponder these developments
alone in her room.
 
The
Allè-dônians were left alone.
 
Adrien refolded his father’s message, then turned to his friend.

“You
know you don’t need to go with us,” he said.
 
“My father will not hold my behavior against you.”

Brendan
grinned half-heartedly.
 
“Right.
 
Your mother would
hang me for leaving you alone.
 
Bodyguard, remember?”

“I
remember.
 
The ride to Titaine
should be safe.
 
Once there, we
should have an army behind us for the rest of our journey.”

“Where
will this journey end, Rian?” Brendan asked tiredly.
 
Adrien shrugged, and made his way from the chamber back into
the main hall.
 
Brendan followed
him across the entrance hall to the stairs to their quarters.
 
They remained reticent until they had
entered Adrien’s private chamber, with the door firmly locked behind them.
 
Brendan plopped down on the corner of
the newly made bed, as his friend took the comfortable chair near the
fireplace.
 
He picked up his knife
and grindstone he had left sitting on the nearby table, and began to sharpen
with slow rhythmic strokes.
 
Brendan leaned forward, annoyed by his amazingly calm friend.

“Why
are you going to the Capital?” he asked suddenly.
 
Adrien continued his labors as he thought over his reply.

“Why
did we come here?” he asked instead.
 

Brendan
pondered this.
 
“We wanted to see
if the rumors of strangers was true.”

“We
know they are true.
 
Now what do we
do with this knowledge?” Adrien answered laconically.
 
He paid no attention to the blade in his lap but instead met
his companion’s eyes.
 
“We can waste
weeks to run home to beg my father for his consent, or we can contribute our
efforts now to stop the invasion force before it grows too strong.
 
What choice do we have?”