Suzerain of the Beast (Vision Dream Series Book 3), page 54
“I cannot wait until we all get back to the warm beaches of Alcedonia,” said Memdaren.
“If you two and the rest of the scouts walk south till you find the sea, there is a port town just west of the river known as Relendale,” said Ivindset. “There you all may find a captain willing to take you to an Ardenon port or if you’re lucky, even as far south as Northern Hardabinia.”
“Iv, you’re…you’re not coming with us?” asked his brother.
“No, I cannot go right now, Arly,” replied Ivindset. “I made a promise to someone here, and I am going to keep that promise.”
“A promise to these people? Iv, you do not owe them anything,” said Memdaren.
“These people saved my life. And both of yours too in a way,” said Ivindset. “I cannot turn my back on them.”
“What about Olivbenna?” asked Arlinset. “What will she think?”
“I hope she will understand…little brother,” said Ivindset. “Even if you two do not.”
“I am sorry, Ivindset, but you will have to do this alone,” said Memdaren. “I wish you luck.”
“What about you, brother?” asked Ivindset. “Will you stay a little longer and help me?”
“No, Iv. I am done with these foreign lands,” said Arlinset. “I wish only to get back home again… forget this sense of obligation and come back with us.”
Ivindset wanted to argue with his brother, wanted to convince him that he was doing the right thing by staying here and finding Valerdwin for Keshvillana, but he knew his brother would not understand. If he had switched places with his brother, he too would be longing to get back home to Daravinia…and he would let nothing stand in his way.
But a promise, is a promise.
Ivindset said nothing more, but just kept on paddling the small canoe through the night towards the invisible shores of Rosverdar.
Soon their canoe bumped into the shallows of the opposite bank of this large river. Ivindset and Memdaren jumped out and pulled the canoe up on the shore, allowing Arlinset to keep from getting wet. Then the rest of their freed Daravinian brethren came out of the woods to greet them.
“We thought you three were lizard meal for sure,” said Gelfrondus, as he came up and gave Memdaren a hearty hug.
“We surely would have been if it were not for my brother’s crazy deer blood scheme,” said Ivindset, proudly.
But Arlinset turned and walked away from his brother and the others, saying nothing. Ivindset followed.
“Should you not be rushing off to help your friend?” Arlinset growled at his brother.
Ivindset put his arm around his brother’s shoulders, and his brother let him.
“I know you do not understand. But know that I really wish I could come with you all right now,” said Ivindset. “Please tell Olivbenna that I love her.”
“You should be the one to tell her. Not me,” said Arlinset.
“You are right,” admitted Ivindset.
“I will tell her that her pigheaded husband will be home soon,” said Arlinset.
“You are an elegant orator, little brother,” said Ivindset.
“I will miss you too, brother,” said Arlinset. “They kept us separated all that time. Now we will be separated again.”
“Yes,” said Ivindset. “But first we need to get you some clothes. You cannot show up in Alcedonia naked. I have some extra clothes in a pack I have stashed very close to here.”
❖ ❖ ❖
The narrow path wound through heavy brush for a time until it finally opened up to a small clearing where there stood a run-down farmhouse surrounded by some dilapidated barns and pens. It looked as if no one had been here for years.
“Is this the king’s winter cottage?” Traydreal asked.
“We will need to get a fire going in the old place,” replied Gazprmun, ignoring Traydreal’s question.
They tied up their horses to a rail outside one of the old barns. Gazprmun went over to a woodpile on the side of the house and gathered up an armful of chopped wood that was stacked against the sidewall of the homestead. Traydreal noted that the captain seemed quite familiar with this abandoned farmhouse. Traydreal followed suit and took up an armful of wood. They carried the wood inside to the large main room’s hearth. And with the help of a spell, they had a roaring fire blazing in a matter of minutes. Though Traydreal missed his cooking stone, he had become quite adept at fire spells suitable for cooking and heating fires. There were white cloth tarps covering the furniture in the main room. The captain went right to removing them to reveal some chairs, a modest table, and a long couch with the swagger of one who is the home’s owner.
“This place is yours, I take it,” said Traydreal.
Gazprmun stopped what he was doing and without looking up he answered, “Yes. It is humble, but it is all mine.”
“Surely a captain of the royal guard would have lands better than this,” pressed Traydreal.
“It belonged to my great aunt before she passed on,” said Gazprmun. “She had no children so she left the land to me. We were close when I was a lad.”
“Touching story,” said Traydreal. “But why are we here?”
There was something very odd in the captain’s behavior, but the wizard could not put his finger on exactly what it was. Traydreal was beginning to suspect that the king had nothing to do with this detour.
“I thought we should stop and rest before the last part of our journey to Ludidun,” said Gazprmun, still not looking directly at Traydreal.
“Ludidun was only a few miles from where we turned off the main road to the capital,” said Traydreal. “What is the real reason?”
“The real reason you are here, wizard, is to kill me,” said a woman’s voice behind him.
❖ CHAPTER 54 ❖
OPENING HIS EYES, he saw nothing but white. And he smelled…mint. An overpowering scent of mint.
Have I died?
The whistle of a teakettle gave out a shrill reminder that its water had come to a boil.
Do the angels drink mint tea?
He heard the sound of feet shuffling around him. Someone took the kettle off the heat. And someone else came stomping in and then put something heavy down upon the creaky wooden floor.
“Will he live? Oh, please tell me he will. I did not mean to kill him,” he heard a young voice say rather desperately.
Is that…Rikkard?
Valerdwin sat straight up and pulled off the damp white linen rag that was covering his face. He found that he was lying on a small cot in what must be Duuganraile’s farmhouse. On one side of his cot, Valerdwin saw that the old man was standing with his back to the archer. On the other was Rikkard, who looked relieved to see that Valerdwin was finally up.
“You are alive!” proclaimed Rikkard.
Suddenly Valerdwin felt a terrible pain on the left side of his head. When he went to rub it, the archer winced in pain. There seemed to be a large tender bump just under his hair.
“Sorry, I…I sort of did that to you,” admitted Rikkard.
“Well, young Rikkard,” said Valerdwin, and he started to chuckle to let the lad know that it was all right. “You did a fine job of it.”
“Here,” said Duuganraile, and the old man turned around. He was holding a mug of steaming liquid, which he was stirring with a small wooden spoon. “Drink this.”
“What is it?” asked Valerdwin, as he took the cup from Half-mask. He peered into the mug of steaming brown liquid. It smelled strongly of mint.
“Enough questions, just drink,” said Duuganraile.
If the old man were going to kill him, he would have done so by this time, so Valerdwin put the mug to his lips.
Stop! It is poison! He is tricking you! Mother will protect you!
Valerdwin stopped and looked suspiciously up at Half-mask. The old man was now holding Valerdwin’s sword.
“Drink it!” demanded the old man.
No! Do not drink it! Kill him! Kill him! Kill…
Then the voice in his mind was silent. Valerdwin realized that someone had put the mint-soaked white rag over his head and face.
“Hurry! Drink it!” growled Half-mask.
Valerdwin forced himself to drink down the liquid in the mug. It was hot. And…tasty. Minty.
“It is good,” said Valerdwin.
“Drink it down. Drink it all!” ordered Half-mask. “Every last drop!”
The archer downed the rest of the hot substance. And then he removed the white linen from his head and face.
“What was that?”
“You do not know?” asked Duuganraile in surprise. “But I found it in your pocket.”
Valerdwin recognized it as the pouch that Lamieadela had cursed him for having. The pouch that the herb dealer from the village had given him.
“A dealer from the village gave me that,” said Valerdwin.
“And did she see it?”
“Yes. She was very angry about it. I was going to get rid of it,” said Valerdwin. “But I guess I never did.”
“Lucky you. This herb counteracts the enchanted poison that she gave you. It wears off after a time, so we will have to keep making tea with it to keep you out of her reach during our journey.”
“Then you are coming back with me?” asked Valerdwin.
“It appears the only way to keep any more of you from being controlled by her, is for me to go back and stop her myself,” said Duuganraile.
“If this tea stops working, I am libel to try to kill you,” said Valerdwin.
“The fact she only wished you to kidnap me, and not kill me is a hopeful sign,” said Duuganraile. “I hope you are ready to ride, for we need to leave here are soon as possible. You do not have enough of the herb to last the entire trip.”
“I am ready now,” said Valerdwin.
“Me too,” said Rikkard. “I am going too.”
“No!” said Valerdwin and Duuganraile at the same time.
“I cannot have the whole village trying to hunt me down to kill me,” said Duuganraile. “One killer is enough for any man.”
“Aye, and it is much too dangerous for a lad,” agreed Valerdwin. “There is no telling what I might do. No, you are much better off staying here.”
“But, I—” Rikkard started to protest.
“Rikkard, you know it is the right thing to do,” said Duuganraile, softly. “I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
“All right, Duuganraile,” said Rikkard, looking dejected. “I will go back home.”
❖ ❖ ❖
“Peace friends!” said Erlerwin. “I am Captain Erlerwin of Palzintine.
Immediately the pikemen rose out of their defensive stance, and stood leaning against their pikes. One of the pikemen approached Erlerwin’s horse.
“I am Sergeant Mildren,” said the lead pikeman, “Now, tell me just what is a Palzintine captain and his men doing wondering our woods?”
“My men and I are searching for a…comrade. An archer who was lost during the battle,” said Erlerwin.
“And she is his beloved,” said Rozdardon. “Do not let him forget that part.”
“Roz!” scolded Erlerwin.
“And she is also my sister.”
“Aye, we have heard about the woman archer who was lost in fighting on the southern ridge,” said the sergeant.
“My famous sister,” remarked Rozdardon.
“Can we be of service to ye and your men?” asked Mildren.
“Yes, can you tell us if there are any villages near here?” asked Erlerwin.
“Aye, our village be only about a day’s ride from this very spot,” said the sergeant. “If you wish, you and your men are welcome to travel with us, but be warned there are no paths through the route we travel. Only thick brush and sharp rises.”
“I appreciate the offer, but we need to move as swiftly as we can,” replied Erlerwin.
“We can be a sight faster than you may think, Captain,” said the sergeant.
“I never doubt the assertions of a pikeman,” said Erlerwin. “They always have the best point in any argument…and the longest!”
The sergeant and his men laughed.
“Your best bet is to take that wide path just yonder. Your horses will move quickly on it,” said Mildren. “Well then, luck be with ye on yer search, Captain.”
❖ ❖ ❖
It had been about five turns of the hourglass since they left Duuganraile’s farmhouse. The two of them traveled on a wide road which made their trek easy, and they made good time. Valerdwin’s stomach was not-so-gently reminding him that he had had nothing to eat since they left. The man known as Half-mask turned out to be a lousy traveling companion, for he had said little since they started. But Valerdwin could not blame him, after all, the man was journeying with someone who could turn into his assassin at any moment.
“He must have really trusted you to bring you to see me,” said Duuganraile.
“He?” asked Valerdwin.
“Young Rikkard,” said Duuganraile.
“Yes, he seems like a good lad,” said the archer. “But not that good of a judge of character.”
“Considering your condition, I think you are of sturdy character, Traveler Valerdwin,” replied Duuganraile. “Just a bad drinking partner.”
“Why is Moth…Lamieadela so interested in you? In your destruction?”
“That is much too sore a subject, Traveler Valerdwin, and like an opened wound, it is best left alone to heal in its own time,” said Duuganraile.
The man trotted his horse off slightly ahead of Valerdwin’s, and so the matter was obviously closed to discussions with strangers. Of course Valerdwin felt that he had been thrust right into the middle of their struggle and was not an innocent bystander. But the archer decided to let the matter drop. Perhaps Half-mask would tell him in his own good time.
Not far ahead, Duuganraile stopped next to a side trail.
“There is a village just around that bend,” said Duuganraile, when Valerdwin halted next to him. “It is a little longer but we can bypass the village altogether.”
“Would it not be faster just to go through the village,” said Valerdwin. “We do not need to stop there.”
“Many of the people from this village are relatives of the people of my village,” replied Duuganraile. “Just leave it to say that I would rather not see them and they would rather not see me.”
“I understand,” said Valerdwin.
Without the constant prodding from Lamieadela’s mysterious orange drink, Valerdwin felt he could humor Half-mask. Then there came a lot of cracking of twigs and branches and crunching of dead leaves and crusted snow. Someone or something was heading towards them from down that trail. Valerdwin backed up his mount just in time as a donkey and its rider emerged from the woods going at as fast a gallop as the little beast could manage. The rider let out a scream of surprise.
It was a woman!
“Do not hurt me, I…I was just going home,” stuttered the young woman. She sounded frightened.
“Worry not, lass, we mean thee no harm,” said Duuganraile in a very soft and soothing voice.
“Yes, we are just travelers,” said Valerdwin. “Are you in trouble?”
“Not…me,” said the woman trying to catch her breath. “My…village. It is being attacked by a gang of ruffians. I beg of you, kind Sirs, come and help us rid these fiends from our village.”
“We can try,” said Valerdwin, grabbing his bow and getting ready to follow the woman.
Duuganraile shook his head at Valerdwin, “I am truly sorry, lass. But we have urgent business elsewhere and time is against us.”
“But—” started Valerdwin.
“The tea may wear off much more quickly if you get worked up in this fight,” warned Duuganraile.
The old man was right. If the exertion caused Duuganraile’s brew to wear off too soon, then he would be under the whims and commands of Lamieadela again. Valerdwin put down his bow.
“I am sorry as well,” said Valerdwin, dropping his head.
“I must go back to help wherever I can,” said the woman, and she pointed to where the smaller trail continued on the other side of the main road. “Follow this part of the trail, and it will lead you into the back of the village.”
“I am afraid we will not be coming to aid your village,” replied Duuganraile, frowning.
“But you have to go!” screamed a voice behind them all.
“Rikkard?” exclaimed all three of them, when they turned around to see who it was that hollered.
“You know this lad?” Valerdwin asked the woman.
“Yes,” said the woman. “All his life.”
“Bellenonia, is she…” started Rikkard.
“I do not know if she is, Ricky,” said Bellenonia. “I have to go help her now.”
And Bellenonia kicked her donkey, and the two quickly disappeared down the trail towards the village.
“You have to go save them,” said Rikkard franticly to Valerdwin and Duuganraile, “You have to help…you just have to…”
“You need to get back to your village at once, Ricky,” said Duuganraile. “Your parents will be worried and blaming me.”
“There is nothing the three of us can really do anyway,” said Valerdwin, though he did not fully believe his own words.
“No! All you care about is if the people of our village will blame you again. I don’t care! You two can just go off to find your devil woman if you wish,” said Rikkard. “But I am going to help defend this village!”
And the lad galloped his horse onto the narrow trail, trying to catch up to the woman, Bellenonia, and her donkey.
Valerdwin glanced over at Duuganraile for a moment then picked up his bow. “Looks like we are going to be making a bit of a detour.”
“That it does, Traveler Valerdwin. That it does.”
❖ ❖ ❖
As her horse rounded the bend, she saw columns of black smoke billowing from several small buildings in the village, while others were fully engulfed in flames. Over at the mill tower was a large group of men with torches and logs trying to either batter down the mill’s heavy iron door or somehow set fire to the stone structure. She was sure she spotted Croasdorac barking orders to his men about how best to break into the old mill. And, to her horror, Roseverinda saw Nell standing alone by the well at the village square, wielding her rusty sword at three riders who encircled her. The riders trotted their horses round and round the old woman as they took turns whacking at her with the flat part of their swords, and laughing.
