Revelation, page 14
“Ah, Captain,” the ruler spoke. “I see you have returned.” The tall man stood from the throne while Aaron’s guide took up his position to the right of the dais.
“I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter,” Aaron voice cracked with thirst.
“You’re right, of course. But there is no reason we cannot be hospitable to one another while we converse about your future.” The tall stranger’s tone dripped with confidence.
“You speak of hospitality, yet we go without food and water,” Aaron protested.
“Oh, but Captain,” the tall ruler replied, “I want you dead. I thought that allowing you to live would have been hospitality enough.”
Aaron didn’t feel at all that he wanted to banter words with his captor, and his sense of diplomacy was lost upon his thirst. “You said you had an opportunity for me. What would that be?”
“No Captain,” the other said, “I said I wanted to kill you.” He laughed briefly and then continued. “It is my master who wants to offer you an opportunity, not I. But I will obey his will and speak his opportunity to you.”
“Well, speak it!” Aaron demanded.
“Very well, my impatient guest, I will give you his words. My master wants to offer you an opportunity to leave all that you have undertaken and return to your city. He will allow you to resume your position as captain, with a view to becoming commander of the Royal Guard.”
Aaron was shocked at the offer. “Only the emperor can make such an offer! Are you telling me that your master is the Emperor of Celedon?”
“I’m not telling you anything of the sort. My master is who he is and he has power to provide you the position that I’ve spoken to you… and power for much more. He is very liberal with his generosity to all who submit to his will and he is very hard to those who oppose him.”
“What does he want from me? What do I have to do to merit such generosity?” Aaron still couldn’t believe that the offer was genuine.
“Just as I said—leave behind this pursuit of yours. You are chasing the Book of Aleth, and my master simply wants you to leave this search behind and go back to the life you had… maybe even a better life.” The tall lord uttered his words with the eloquence of a master orator. “My master knows that you have doubts about all that has been told you and that you are seeking some answers; there are none to find. Your quest is only taking you on hard roads that will leave you in greater despair and ultimately ruin your life. He is giving you a chance to forsake destruction and return to the life you once had.”
Aaron thought about what was told him. As he stood there, weak with thirst, the tall figure took him toward the satchels waiting on the table beneath his sword. “Take a drink of water, captain. There is no reason for you to suffer needlessly.” He reached into the bag and retrieved a leather flask, handing it to the captain. Again the tall figure reached into the satchel and pulled out two more of the leather containers. “Drink, and take some to your companions.”
Aaron, then, thought about Lorik and Braden. They would not follow him if he chose the road that was offered. He drank deeply from the water flask; the cool water flowed across his parched lips and down his throat like a refreshing stream. He then reached for the other two, holding them as if he held treasures greater than gold. He looked at the tall, thin figure that stood over him. “What of my two companions? Will they benefit according to my choice?” Aaron didn’t want to reveal any of his thoughts.
“Unfortunately, Captain,” the tall man said with a wry smile, “their fate is given to me. Your choice will be for you alone.” The tall ruler paused for a moment. “To show you the sincerity of my master… if you choose to take his offer of freedom, and can convince your companions to do the same, I will grant you their lives. You will have power over them, and they will be yours to do with as you will.” He then raised his bony arm and waved his hand slightly in the air. “There,” he said, “Your friends have been released from their bonds. Go back to them and think about the opportunity that has been given you.” He turned back toward the throne and sat down again upon it. “Think about this, as well, Captain”— the tall man’s voice became hard and cold—“you only have one choice, and one chance. Your decision will be final.” With a glance, the door opened behind them, leading to the hall beyond. “I will send for you to hear your final decision.”
Aaron left the audience chamber, escorted by the hooded man. He walked along the corridor in silence, pondering his fate as well as the fate of his two friends. A few minutes later he found himself by the door to his cell. It opened and Lorik and Braden paced around the room freed from the restraints of the shackles. Aaron sighed with relief to see that his friends were unfettered. Entering, he quickly gave them each a flask of water which they took without delay. They gulped and gasped as they drank the cool liquid, while Aaron wondered if it would be the last refreshing thing they’d ever receive.
“Captain,” spoke Lorik, “what was the offer?”
Aaron hesitated, reluctant even to speak of the choices before him. He looked at his two companions and considered how far they had traveled together… especially Lorik. The idea of them being given to the hands of the madman who sat in the throne room was more than Aaron could handle.
Lorik fixed his eyes on Aaron with a determined gaze. “Captain, I can see you’re troubled. I’ve known you too long not to know when you’re trying to protect the men you command. Don’t hold back what was spoken to you. We’ve been through too much now for you to try and manage this situation alone.”
Aaron glanced at Lorik, knowing that he would never agree to the terms that would spare their lives, knowing that he would die at the hand of the tall stranger. He sat down on the cold, stone floor while Braden and Lorik stood vigil near him. Aaron despaired of what would happen, believing that all roads, now, would lead to eventual ruin. “I’ve been offered a chance to return to my old life and regain my position with the guard.”
Lorik gave a questioning glance. “Sir,” he said, “what was asked of you in return?”
Aaron spoke with hesitation. “All I have to do is… is to give up our pursuit of this book and leave behind all that we’ve set out to do.” Aaron gazed at his two friends. “There’s more. If you are willing to come with me, then your lives will be spared. Otherwise, I’ve been told, you would become as those three over there,” he said as he pointed to the skeletal remains of the three dwarves. Aaron found it desperately ironic that he had made a similar offer to the man he pursued to North Village—give up the book and live, or keep the book and die.
Braden and Lorik both sat down next to Aaron as he sipped from the water flask. “Captain,” Braden spoke first, “for two centuries I was marked as a coward and set to live out my days in captivity. I won’t withdraw from the hunt! The Book of Aleth must be recovered, and I won’t stop until it is. It would truly be cowardly if I took the gift of the enemy just to spare my own life. We would never be free if we bind ourselves to that which is evil.”
“I agree with Braden, sir,” Lorik said. “I told you before that I have made my choice. I believe that Celedon has been deceived and that somehow the emperor is behind it. This Book of Aleth is the key to the truth, and I have set my heart to find it. If I die because I made this choice, then I die knowing that it was the right one.”
Aaron knew his own choice was clear. He had already gone too far and seen too much to shrink back and give in to the temptation offered him. Although the warning of his cloaked guard echoed in his thoughts as well, Aaron didn’t want to align himself with what was evil. In his heart he knew his course. With his will cemented, he looked at his two companions with a renewed sense of purpose. He would find the book and learn the truth or die in the attempt.
“Have you made a decision, Captain?” Lorik asked.
Before Aaron could answer, the door swung open, and the hooded figure entered again, this time, however he was carrying something hidden in the folds of his robe. The figure motioned to the three sitting on the floor. “Come…come quickly!” His tone conveyed an urgency that bordered on panic.
“What,” Aaron said, “come where?”
“There is no time for questions—you must come with me now!” protested the strange figure. “I have secured some of your belongings and will lead you to the main gate. From there you must proceed south through the Waste and leave this land forever.” Without another word, the hooded figure started down the dark hall leading to the throne room. The three companions chased after him, following close behind their guide. Aaron drew alongside and tried to match pace with the long strides of the one leading them.
“What are you doing? Why?” Aaron asked.
“No questions,” the hooded figure commanded. “This is your only chance of escape. The lord of this castle is in repose and will not summon you to return to his chambers until tomorrow. You must leave, and leave quickly. Do not stop for rest by day or night until you have crossed the border of this realm. If he discovers you’re missing before you are free from his influence, you will have no other opportunity.” They continued walking, drawing to the door that entered the throne room and turned right, following the passageway that Aaron had seen before.
The hall was clean, free of debris and dust, well lit, with torches along the wall spaced several feet apart. It was long, but very straight, and Aaron could see a large door at the end. As they approached he could see it, too, was ornately designed, carved with exquisite scenes of nature. Through it the four of them passed and entered into a large courtyard that separated the main building from the outer wall. Aaron, Braden, and Lorik all had to run to keep up with their guide moving swiftly across the yard. Aaron could see maybe fifty paces ahead of them the large, reinforced gate. It was operated by two massive pulleys which lifted the gate with strong, iron chains. They didn’t, however, try to raise the barrier, but turned to the left side of the structure and stood, as it appeared, in front of a solid stone wall.
The hooded figure extended his hand from the folds of his robe and, with a slight wave, a door made of solid stone opened. He led them through the small exit and beyond the exterior wall. Outside the castle, free from the confines that held them, Braden and Lorik stood breathless in their haste. Aaron looked at their guide with amazed wonder. Winded for the effort, he took several deep breaths to try and regain some stamina.
“Why are you doing this?” Aaron asked.
The robed figure paused and looked down at Aaron. “I know who you are, protector,” the figure began. “I betrayed you and the King a millennia ago and handed your life to my master. Now, at the turn of the age, I have the chance to redeem my failure and, perhaps, make some small repair to the damage I’ve caused.”
Aaron frowned, perplexed at the archaic references and how they applied to him. “I’ve not been around that long,” he said. “The only harm you’ve done me is to take me and my companion’s captive in this place. I don’t understand.”
“And there’s no time to explain,” the strange figure spoke. “Suffice it to say that, ages ago, I gave my allegiance to the master. In exchange I was offered power beyond my limited understanding. If only I knew then what it was I chose, if only I knew what I had done!” The figure stopped momentarily, languishing in his grief. He then gazed at the three who stood before him. “Perhaps, I have made some amends for my betrayal by giving you this chance of escape.” He reached inside the folds of his robe and drew out one of their satchels, handing it to Aaron. Inside the bag Aaron saw several wraps of provisions including the Terapan leaves given to them by Dalyn. “I couldn’t risk bringing all the items, but these should be sufficient to the edge of the Waste. Now, go! Don’t delay for you have only a marginal chance, and haste is of the essence.” The cloaked figure turned again and began to glide back through the castle wall.
Braden, however, stopped momentarily and turned back toward the castle. Lorik and Aaron watched as Braden went to where the robed figure stood in the doorway. “Who are you?” asked the dwarf. “What is your name?”
The robed figure stood, silhouetted in the moonlight, the glint of gold reflecting the silver moon. “I was once called Mellenden the High-Born, close counselor and friend to the King of Celedon.”
Braden gasped in horror. Then the robed figure vanished and the door disappeared, becoming nothing but a stone wall.
The night was still early, and with many miles to go Aaron handed the pack to Lorik who took it gladly. The three companions turned away from the castle wall to descend the southern side of the hill. The moon was full, shining its brilliance across the countryside and providing much needed light for their journey. Aaron hoped their benefactor had the power to control the specters that swirled in the Waste, and their journey would not be hindered by the ever-shifting landscape.
The way south was relatively easy as they meandered and jogged down the slope leading away from the castle. It wasn’t long before they found themselves off the hillside and stepping as swiftly as possible through the dank, misty bogs, eager to reach the southern border.
7
Desperate Flight
They moved swiftly through the barren Waste. The silver moon shone with great power over the landscape and illuminated the rugged terrain before them. The heavy fog that once had trapped them was nothing more than a thin mist hanging in the moors. Aaron led the way, followed closely by Braden then Lorik who occasionally looked behind to see that no one was in pursuit. Hours passed, and the miles seemed to roll continually on as they ran by the light of the full moon. Aaron couldn’t have guessed how far they had come, but on he ran, amazed at how swiftly they crossed the region. Unlike their approach to the castle on the hill, the way south was unhindered by shifting bogs or a changing landscape.
“Sir,” Lorik gasped. “Sir, I can’t… I need to rest.”
Although reluctant to slow down, Aaron knew that his sergeant was right. They stopped, taking refuge on a small spit of land with two streams of water coursing by on either side. They had forced themselves to cover many miles in a brief period of time, and Aaron hoped if their captor didn’t know they were on the moors, he wouldn’t expend the energy to manipulate the landscape against them. The moon sat upon the horizon, descending behind the mountains as the night drifted slowly into dawn. Aaron would be glad for the daylight, hoping the morning would bring a refreshing outlook upon their grim circumstances.
He sat with the other two and opened the satchel which Braden carried. He distributed a small container of water. “Drink, sparingly,” Aaron suggested, “we might need to stretch this for some time yet.”
“How far do you think we’ve come?” Lorik asked.
Aaron gazed back to the north, surveying the horizon. The failing moonlight dimly lit the massive hill and the castle on its summit in an outline of grey against the darker sky. “I would guess that we’ve covered more than three leagues. We still have a long way to go if we are to make it out before the lord of this desolation realizes we’re gone.”
Braden sat in quiet contemplation. He looked up as if to speak, then hung his head in thoughtfulness. Again, he looked up at Aaron, his brows furrowed in perplexity. “Captain,” Braden said, “the creature that freed us, do you know who he was?”
“His name was unfamiliar to me,” Aaron replied. “He said he was once called Mellenden, the High-Born.”
Aaron saw the obvious trepidation of his dwarf companion even at the mention of the jailor’s name. “And, so?” Aaron inquired.
“Captain,” Braden said, his voice trembling, “Mellenden was lord over the elves, or the High-Born, as they call themselves. He ruled in the ancient times, during the Great War and was once friend to the King. If that truly was the ancient lord of the elves, I can’t begin to imagine what caused him to turn and side with the king’s enemy.”
Aaron was moved by his friend’s grief. “Braden,” he said, “nothing is as it seems. These last few months I’ve come to realize that the history I once knew is a lie. It could be that the history that you’ve always known has been changed as well.” Aaron paused as he thought about his own understanding of their circumstances. “What we must do is press on to find the book and discover for ourselves what the truth is. Maybe this creature was the lord of the High-Born, maybe it was a cleaver deception. Whatever the truth is, we must continue.” Aaron paused again, thinking of their captivity. “If this was the one you speak of, I am grateful that he was in a position to help us. Perhaps, as he said, he finally redeemed himself from a past mistake.”
These words fell hard on Braden’s thoughts. “You’re right, of course,” Braden said with deep sadness. “Our history records Mellenden possessing great nobility and strong courage. If that was truly the lord of the elves, I just cannot fathom what happened so that he would be willing to betray the King. But, perhaps in the end, he showed a glimpse of his former nobility.”
Far to the east a faint glow steadily grew as the first light of dawn crested the eastern horizon. Aaron repacked the water flask into the satchel, hoisted the pack over his shoulders and prepared for another long run. “Men,” he said, “it’s time we leave this place. We are several leagues away from the edge of this land, and we still have to navigate the river Dalyn warned us about. If we can keep pace as we did coming this far, we should be able to cover the entire distance before nightfall.”
The three set out southward, running at times, desperate to put the Waste far behind them. Hours passed, mile after weary mile. Aaron looked back and, having come so far south, he could not distinguish the castle nor hill upon which it stood with any of the other surrounding landscape. The sun marked time across the sky, bright, clear, and growing warmer by the minute. Unlike their initial experience, the surrounding countryside seemed unaffected by their passage. Aaron held out hope their escape had gone unnoticed. He wondered what would happen to Mellenden when their flight became known. That thought passed quickly when a shadow passed over the sun.
