The Lord Son's Travels (49 page)

“Allé-dôn
stands strong, as does Roden. There has been no fighting within our borders, as
of our last report from your father.
 
The armies of monsters have taken all of the lands along the Northern
Road.
 
The Lord of the Southlands
keeps some camps in Titaine now, likely preparing for a future eastern
attack.
 
The Elf-King will meet us
in Roden.
 
He is a great ally,
Adrien; he praises you highly and swears his steadfastness.”

Adrien
frowned.
 
"The Lord of the
Southlands has moved even faster than we had imagined. We've not much time
left."

“But
we have enough if we are wise and bold,” Tarien replied.
 
“But I would not tarry long here in Evendor.”

Adrien
answered, “Long enough for what aid the Lady will offer.”

Brendan
entered from his bedroom and overheard the last of the conversation.
 
He joined them at their seats, shaking
his head.
 
“You have already
offended her, Adrien.
 
The stares
when you refused to kneel!”

Adrien
turned to him, eyes blazing.
 
“No
Allé-dônian royalborn will ever kneel to a witch!”

Brendan
threw up his hands in a sign of surrender.
 
“I understand!
 
But she did not, and her favor will be harder to win.
 
Be careful, friend.
 
Needs before desires, as they say.
 
We need her aid more than our
pride.”
 
He turned to the Counselor
for support, who nodded thoughtfully before changing the subject.

“I
have studied some of the talismans in the control of the Lady that may be of
benefit to us.”

Brendan
inquired of the older man, “Do you think she would give them to us?”

Adrien
shook his head.
 
“Evendor gives
away nothing for free.
 
I will hear
her price before I make any agreements.
 
We have our own talisman.
 
Where is the weapon Elenna created?”

Tarien
patted his robe.
 
“I carry it
always.” He observed over Adrien’s shoulder, “There stands a servant.
 
It appears the Lady is now ready to
conference with you.
 
I have not
spoken directly of our needs, Lord Son, she only knows we come for aid.”

“I
need these messages delivered,” Adrien had kept the letters he had toiled over
during the ride in his pocket, fingering them constantly with nervousness.
 
“Please make sure that they are sent
promptly.”
 
Tarien agreed.
 
He noted the directions on the sealed
papers. One was marked personal and to be delivered only into the hands of the
Lord King of Allè-dôn.
 

Adrien
allowed several of the servants to dress him in the local version of formal wear.
 
His ceremonial scabbard had traveled
along with Tarien's group, so to his relief he was able to wear something that
represented his position of authority.
 
Brendan waited for him in the common room, idly sipping a glass of wine.
 
"We were called some time
ago," he informed his tardy friend in warning.
 
The servant was growing nervous at keeping the Lady of the
House waiting.
 
Adrien shook his
head as he looked around the chamber.

 
“Where is Elenna?
 
Where is the Lady Elenna?” he asked of
one of the room servants passing nearby with a handful of towels.

The
boy pointed to the chamber door directly across the sitting room.
 
Adrien thanked him and crossed the room
to bang on the door.
 
Fresh from
his errands, Tarien entered the common room, and asked what he was doing.
 

“Elenna,
the Lady waits for us!” Adrien announced loudly with a second series of heavy
raps.
 

“Why
do you bring her to this council?” Tarien asked his former student.
 
Adrien was surprised at the question.

“She
is knowledgeable of the weapons and the Lord of the Southland’s ways.
 
Why do you question this?”

Tarien
shook his head.
 
“She is a
stranger.”

Adrien’s
expression darkened.
 
“Lady Elenna
is the Bearer of Midiral and a noble of Allè-dôn.
 
Her citizenship will not be questioned.”
 
Tarien had no response.
 
He couldn’t ever remember ever feeling
the wrath of Adrien’s anger before.
 
He apologized quickly, which Adrien accepted with a nod.
 
The Counselor turned to Brendan, who
shrugged slightly to communicate his own surprise.
 
Elenna emerged in time to catch the maneuver, studied him a
minute in curiosity, and shrugged and moved on.
 

Chapter 46

The
four of them were joined in this first meeting by the captain of the soldiers
who had traveled with Tarien.
 
He
had previously served with Adrien as his assistant commander, and was
well-remembered by him as a fine leader and excellent soldier.
 
Adrien promoted him to field general
unofficially and asked for his accompaniment at the meeting.
 
The new High Commander Tomas nearly
shook in his boots at the thought of his new authority, but listened intently
as the Lord Son quickly filled him in on the news they had learned during their
travels.
 
By the time they arrived
in the offices of the Lady, he was questioning Adrien and Elenna about the
weapons and techniques of the monsters and strategies to counteract them.

The
meeting room was in the House of the Lady.
 
This building lay next to their lodgings and behind the
School. Though smaller than the School building, it was much more grandly
designed.
 
From the outside, the
main floors of the building were covered with painted tiles, formed into
detailed and fantastic colorful patterns representing all of the noble and
royal families that had sent their children or citizens to the School
throughout its history.
 
The top of
the building separated into a random collection of towers, some tall and thin,
others short and stout.
 
A few were
connected near their tips with small foot bridges like the one that connected
the Needle with the outside world.
 

Inside,
all the furnishings were rich and well-preserved.
 
Every inch of the walls were covered in old tapestries and
hand-painted silk drapings.
 
The
floors were marble and worn from the never-ending parades of comers and goers
since times forgotten.
 
Elenna
noted the proportions of the rooms were slightly larger than typical; designed
she surmised to give visitors a sense of grandeur.
 
They reached the second floor via an ornate wooden staircase
that emptied onto a large open foyer.
 
To the left were the personal rooms of the Lady; they were ushered by
several waiting attendants to the right.
 

Compared
to the outer sunlit hallway, the chamber was dark and unwelcoming.
 
There were no windows, only rows of
large candles set before mirrors encircling the room to provide some
illumination.
 
The chamber was
dominated by a huge stone table, hewn from a single boulder.
 
A number of large thick candles burned
on mirrored plates in its center.
 
More then twenty identical wooden chairs were scattered around its
circumference.
 
One cushioned chair
raised on a stage was already occupied by the Lady.
 
She gazed at each of their party in turn with polite
disinterest.
 
Behind her seat
waited her favorites out of her usual entourage.
 
After the Allé-dônians took their seats at the farthest
points from her throne, they filled in the remaining places.
 
A servant set a packet of papers on the
table before the Lady, who merely glanced at the sheath then returned to face
her visitors.
 

“Adrien
Lord Son of Allé-dôn,” she said abruptly.
 
Her voice retained the cool measured tones of her previous
greeting.
 
Elenna still had the
feeling the Lady's mind was somewhere she found more interesting.
 
“Allé-dôn has had no interest in the
Ways of the Truth since the Beginning.
 
Why have you come to Evendor?”

Adrien
took a deep breath.
 
“I speak on a
matter that concerns all of the Eastlands.”

“What
say you?” she replied with an air of impatience.

“A
danger has come again from the West,” he said.
 
His voice lingered in the hushed silence.
 

“Such
tales have been whispered to me,” she replied evenly.
 

He
shook his head.
 
“I have seen the
destruction, my Lady.”
 
Though he
knew she had been told through Tarien of their adventures, he repeated the
story anyway for the sake of her advisors.
 
He did not report Elenna’s arrival or their suspicions of
the reasons for her travels, a tale he would save for later.
 
He noted the close attention her
counselors paid; they had not heard the story before.
 
When he finished with their arrival that morning, she had
not reacted with any discernible emotion.
 

“I
have sworn my life to the Truth of the Light,” she said, and motioned with a
sweep of her hands to either side.
 
“My concern has not been for the Outer World.
 
I ask my wisest companions to guide me in understanding of
your request.
 
Speak counselors,
and advise me of my correct actions.”

The
man on her left had paid the least attention of her counselors to Adrien’s
tale.
 
Halfway through, he had
begun to jot down notes on paper.
 
A few details had caused him to raise his head and focus again on
Adrien’s words for a few moments, only to return his attention again to his
writing.
 
Now, at the Lady’s
bequest, he scanned his notes again and asked, “Lord Son, are you an official
emissary of the Lord King of Allé-dôn?”

Adrien
looked confused for a moment.
 
“I
speak for the Lord King.”

The
man continued, “But has your father instructed you on his wishes?”

“My
father has given me permission to speak on behalf of Allè-dôn.”

 
“But you are not his Heir, are you?
 
Did your father express the will of
Allé-dôn to you directly?” the Lady’s counselor pressed. “Have you discussed
his wishes in this matter?”

Adrien
replied slowly, “I left Allé-dôn in the Spring before the invasions began. We
have not spoken since then.”

The
man jotted this down.
 
“Yes, you
did leave Allé-dôn under unusual circumstances,” he muttered.

Another
counselor leapt in before Adrien could reply.
 
“Lord Son, you speak of this Lord of the Southlands as a
stranger.
 
Where came he from?”

“He
is from my home,” Elenna announced before Adrien could admit his
ignorance.
 
All eyes turned her way
in surprise.
 
The counselors
frowned at the indignity of her speaking out of turn.
 
She clenched her fingers on the edge of the table, but
returned their gazes evenly.

“You
are the Lady Elenna?” the second counselor demanded.
 
She agreed.
 
He
nodded slowly and turned back the Lady before Elenna could continue speaking.

“This
Lord of the Southlands must have brought great magic with him.
 
I should think they come from a land
with knowledge of the Truth.
 
We
should attempt to study this magic.”

Adrien
frowned.
 
“I have come to seek your
aid in defeating his magic and protecting the free kingdoms of the Eastlands.”

The
first counselor shook his head.
 
“You cannot speak for all of the free kingdoms, Lord Son.” To his
superior he added, “I recommend we send emissaries to our royal supporters and
ask if they do indeed seek our aid.”

The
other disagreed.
 
“Our place is as
the Seekers of Truth, my Lady.
 
Tis
not our place to enter the politics of the day.”

The
Lady nodded and addressed her guests.
 
“You are welcome as my guests as long as you wish, but your wishes are
not for Evendor to fulfill.
 
We
shall not involve ourselves in these external disputes.”

“You
hypocritical cowards,” hissed a voice across the table.
 
Elenna was on her feet, glaring in
disdain.
 
Brendan frantically
tugged at her arm to pull her back into her seat, but she pulled out of his
reach.
 
Tarien muttered to Adrien
to calm her down.

Adrien
announced with barely controlled anger, “She speaks my thoughts.”

She
nodded in acknowledgement and continued.
 
“There are innocent people dying out there, right outside your
gates.
 
People who think you speak
this holy Truth, and you won’t lift a finger to save them.”

“Tis
not our place, woman!” retorted the first counselor.

Adrien
snapped, “Then this is not our place.
 
We leave immediately.”
 
He
rose from his chair and turned towards the exit.
 
Elenna followed, while their companions struggled to their
feet.

“Wait,”
ordered the Lady.
 
Adrien didn’t
pause.
 
He had nearly exited when
she repeated her word in a more suggestive, plaintive tone.
 

He
paused.
 
“Why?” he demanded.
 
He had his arms crossed against his
chest, regarding her with an expression barely above disgust.
 

She
turned to her companions. “Leave us!” she ordered her minions.
 
They gathered their papers,
expressionless as they passed through the Allé-dônian faction on their way
out.
 
The Lady requested that they
return to their seats.
 
They
complied slowly, waiting for an explanation.
 
She gazed at them with wonder.

“I
did not know the strength of your convictions,” she said.
 
Now that they were alone, her voice was
softer and younger.
 
“You believe
what you tell me.”

“I
would not travel the paths I have taken for guesswork, my Lady,” Adrien replied
with faint derision.

She
nodded wistfully.
 
“I had always
hoped to open a connection with Allé-dôn,” she said.
 
“You are the only nation to bar the Truth from its borders.”

“Evendor
has not shown us good reason to allow its Students within,” Adrien
replied.
 

“Perhaps
today Evendor will.
 
I will speak
to you of our involvement.”
 
She
took a deep breath.
  
“For the
centuries since the Needle rose to the sky, Evendor has been separate from the
Outer World.
 
We are Guardians of
the Truth, beyond the small concerns enveloping your lives.
 
Why should that change?”

Elenna
slipped around the vast circumference of the table, hands held high.
 
“Question?
 
You keep talking about this truth.
 
What kind of truth do you think you found?”

The
Lady studied her as she approached.
 
“You are most impudent,” she declared.

Elenna
nodded.
 
“Yes, I hear that all the
time, but the question stands.
 
What kind of truth do you keep locked up here?
 
You seem to think you are very powerful,” she said as she
slid to a seat in the chair next to the Lady.
 
Brendan glanced at Adrien, who was watching with avid
interest.
 
He shushed his friend
with a wave of his hand.
 
Elenna
leaned forward.
 
“But you sit by
and let your worshipers die in the streets.
 
What kind of holy truth says that's okay?”

The
Lady straightened up.
 
“You do not
understand.”

“No,
I don’t” Elenna nodded. “That’s why I’m asking.”

“You
know not to whom you speak,” the Lady flashed angrily.
 
For a moment she glowed with her
rage;
 
flashes of bright light
emanated from above her seat to illuminate the room. The others in the room
gasped in trepidation.
 
The only
stranger in the room noted instead the long black cord snaking away from the
flashing light along the ceiling to disappear into a small cut-out in the
ceiling.
 
When the flash had ended,
the light fixture disappeared again into the dimness of the room.

Elenna
turned to the Lady again with a smile.
 
"Now that is interesting!
 
You have electricity!
 
I'll
bet this whole room is wired up for fun little tricks."
 
She began to peek under the table,
searching for other hints of technology.
 
Until she saw the unnerved expressions on her companions' faces.
"Hey, guys, don't let her fool you.
 
That trick with the light wasn't magic, I know exactly how she staged
it." Elenna shook her head with distaste as the realizations came.
 
"Its a little game you play with
visitors, right?
 
Intimidate them
with your magic show and scare them into obeying your every command?
 
But the truth is you don't have any
real powers at all.
 
That's why you
won't help us, isn't it, because you can't.
 
You don’t have any real power at all."