A Distant Tomorrow (56 page)

“Do you want the clan lords at the meeting of headmen?” he asked her.

“Just Rendor who is head of the Outlands High Council,” Lara replied. “This is an ideal opportunity for us to let the fjord dwellers know there are others beyond the Emerald Mountains. The headmen do not have to know that six months ago the plains beyond the mountains were empty. You said the fjord dwellers have never gone beyond their own village lands. They cannot know who or what lies on the other side of the mountains. I had not thought to bring Terahns and Outlanders together yet, but I think now we have no other choice, Magnus.

“You can tell your headmen that the family of the Dominus has always known they were there, but that the people of the clan families have always been hesitant and reluctant to deal with others, for they are peaceful folk. They pay their yearly tribute and keep to themselves. But now, given the danger facing Terah, they have agreed to send their own high lord to your council to offer what aid they may. Dasras and I will visit the mountain gnomes as a courtesy to inform them of the coming peril, and of the fiction we have woven to protect the Outlanders,” Lara concluded.

“Sometimes,” Magnus Hauk said, “I wonder if you are not too clever for me, Lara.” Then he smiled, and ruffled her hair. “I can hope our children will take after you.”

There it was again. The subject of children. How could he think of children when they were in such jeopardy? He had been very shocked by what he had seen in the City, and yet he still did not quite fathom the deviousness of Hetar. Hetar had to be stopped. She would not allow them to insinuate their guileful and aberrant customs into Terah. There was more than one way to conquer a nation. She understood that. She worried her husband did not. She left him to his planning, and sought a quiet place where she might communicate with Ethne.

Her slender fingers caressed the crystal star hanging between her breasts.
Ethne,
she called silently to the guardian of the crystal.

I am here,
Ethne replied.

Lara explained all that had happened, and what her husband was planning. Then she said,
But I need faeriepost messengers. Will you go to my mother, and ask her if I may have some? I will see they are very well taken care of here, I promise.

I will go to her,
Ethne responded,
but tonight you must meet her on the dream plane and ask for this favor yourself, for it is a great boon you seek. I know you have asked her for little in your lifetime, but Queen Ilona would consider it a great rudeness if you did not speak with her about this yourself, Lara.

I understand,
Lara said.
Please tell my mother that I should appreciate it if she would see me tonight on the dream plane, Ethne. I will tell my husband, and sleep alone.

Wait,
Ethne said, and then after several long minutes she spoke again.
It is done, Lara, and your mother will be awaiting you.

Thank you,
Lara said. Then she went and told her husband that tonight she must sleep by herself so that nothing impeded her journey to the dream plane, and her meeting with Queen Ilona. He nodded reluctantly, but understood her need. They ate together and played two games of Herder before Lara felt it was time for her to sleep.

And when she slept she was almost immediately swept up to the dream plane. It was as always misty in the beginning, and then Ilona appeared. Mother and daughter embraced.

“What is it you need of me?” the queen of the Forest Faeries asked her eldest child. She smiled at Lara, most happy to see her.

Lara explained slowly all that had happened since she had last seen her mother. She told Ilona of the Terahns’ need for the small faeries who served as faeriepost messengers. “There is little if any magic in Terah that I can see,” she said to Ilona. “They have gnomes in the mountains, but they seem to have no faeries, though you have said there are. I have not found them yet. The sorcerer whose shade I destroyed brought magic to Terah, but it seemed to disappear when he was vanquished, Mother.”

“Nay,” Ilona replied. “His magic is still here, but because it is dark magic it hides itself away from the light. You are light, my daughter, and you shine throughout Terah, so it is you who have kept this magic at bay. I will give you several dozen faeriepost messengers, Lara. I know you will see they are well cared for and protected from harm. You had best cast a safety spell upon them when they arrive so no frightened Terahn can hurt them in their own fear,” the queen advised.

“I will, Mother!” Lara promised. “Thank you. Are you well? And my brother, Cirilo? And your consort, Thanos, too?”

“We are all well, Lara,” her mother replied.

“Mother, I saw a dark land,” Lara told Ilona. “Dasras and I were riding over Obscura, and I saw the desert of the Shadow Princes curving to the south, but to the north there was a dark land. Is Terah in danger from it, Mother?”

“There is always danger from the darkness,” Ilona said, and then she began to fade slowly from the dream plane. “Follow your destiny, my daughter,” she called as she disappeared completely.

Lara awoke, and her first instinct was to laugh. The mortal side of her had always resented the inscrutable, and the faerie world was always speaking to her in riddles. She saw it was growing light outside of her chamber window. A new day. She had best prepare a habitat for the faeriepost messengers today. They would quickly be here, she knew. Rising she called to Mila to help her dress, and bring her food. When Lara had eaten she went into the beautiful garden overlooking the fjord. The day was gray, and a faint mist rose from the waters below. A few late flowers offered splashes of color here and there, but the trees were almost all bare of their leaves now. Gazing about her she saw a tall narrow tower on the south side. It soared gracefully into the Terahn sky.

“What are you gazing at?” Sirvat was at her side.

“There,” Lara pointed. “That tower. Who lives in it?”

“No one,” Sirvat answered her. “It was once our grandmother’s quarters when our father was Dominus. She loved the tower because its windows faced south, and it was always warm. She lived to be very old.” Her hands gently rubbed her belly as she spoke.

“How do you get into it?” Lara asked.

“Come, I’ll show you,” Sirvat said leading Lara across the great gardens. “The tower appears to be part of the castle, but it really isn’t,” she explained. “There is no entrance into it but from here in the garden.” They had reached the tower, and Sirvat’s hand searched along the stones of the structure until she found what she sought. The small door to the tower opened slowly. “There is no key,” she told her companion. “The door opens by pressing a small lever beneath this stone. Mark it well.”

Lara peered carefully at the location of the wall stone. “I have it,” she said.

“Come then,” Sirvat invited her, and together the two young women stepped into the tower. “I can still climb stairs, albeit more slowly now,” she chuckled.

On the first landing was a lovely sunny small chamber. It was empty. They found identical chambers on the second and top landing of the tower. Lara was delighted.

“This will be perfect for them!” she exclaimed.

“For who?” Sirvat inquired.

“My mother is giving Terah faeriepost messengers,” Lara explained. “I wanted to find a safe shelter for them here at the castle.”

“Faeriepost messengers?” Sirvat looked confused.

“They are tiny members of the faerie race, and their purpose is to deliver messages,” Lara said. “Terah faeries are hidden, so you have no faeriepost.”

“Why do we need them?” Sirvat asked as they descended back down the tower stairs, and exited out into the garden. Behind them the door closed.

“How much has Corrado told you?” Lara wanted to know.

“He has told me nothing, which is why I came looking for you this morning,” Sirvat said. “He says I must be protected since I am carrying his child.”

The two women reentered the castle, and going to the royal apartments made themselves comfortable in the Domina’s day room.

“See we are not disturbed,” Lara told her serving woman, Mila. Then she turned to Sirvat. “I do not know how much you know of the trade between Hetar and Terah.”

“I know we have a trade with the Coastal Kings,” Sirvat said.

“They are but one of Hetar’s regions,” Lara said. “For centuries they have traded with you for the luxury goods Terah makes. The rest of Hetar believed they manufactured these goods themselves, and the Coastal Kings never said they did not. Now, however, the emperor of Hetar has learned otherwise. Sooner or later he will send someone to Terah. Their purpose will ostensibly be to trade directly with Terah, and not get their goods through the Coastal Kings. But they will also be looking to see if Terah can be conquered by Hetar. Hetar is overpopulated and needs to expand its borders. This past spring it invaded the Outlands where the clan families live. Fortunately we had warning of this betrayal of the ancient treaties. The clan families, along with their homes, goods and chattel were removed from the Outlands, and resettled here in Terah.”

Sirvat gasped. “Did you use your magic to bring them here? I assumed you did when Corrado told me of these Outlanders.”

Lara laughed. Sirvat’s fascination with magic always amused her. “Yes. The clan families were brought to the far side of the Emerald Mountains where the land is much like the land they left. This has been a secret, but soon we will confide in the headmen of the fjord villages. They will be led to believe that the clan families have existed on the other side of the mountains for centuries, and only the ruling family knew of it.

“Hetar has now extended its borders, but all that the emperor promised his Mercenaries was not there. No villages, or herds, or slaves to be taken. The Shadow Princes even used their powers to close the hillsides where the mines had been. Only the land existed in fact for the invaders. Gaius Prospero, Hetar’s emperor, has had to expend his own monies helping to make the Outlands habitable. It is going to take them years. But he will want to recoup his losses as quickly as possible, and so he will look to Terah.”

“He will want to see if we are weak, if we can be conquered, too,” Sirvat said.

“Exactly!” Lara agreed.

“So we have to show this Hetarian who comes that we are not weak,” Sirvat responded. “We have to build an army, Lara.”

“Aye, we do, and we are going to build one,” Lara replied. “Corrado is in charge of rebuilding the coastal watchtowers. The headmen of the fjord villages will soon meet with the Dominus. Magnus will explain the situation, and then we will prepare to mount our defenses for Terah. And that is why we need the faeriepost. They will aid us in communicating quickly with each other. Each headman’s village will be given a pair of faeries.”

“I want to help!” Sirvat said.

“And so you shall,” Lara promised her. “But I must assign you a task that will not distress Corrado. At least until after you have delivered his child.”

The two women giggled conspiratorially.

“I plan to use your grandmother’s south tower to house the faeriepost messengers who will live here in the castle before some of them are disbursed to the villages. There are certain things these little creatures need for their comfort, and when I have told you, and shown you, I will leave you, Sirvat, to prepare for our guests.”

“I will gladly prepare for these faeries who will be the first of their kind in Terah. It is an honor to be able to serve the faerie kingdom,” Sirvat said. “Tell me what I must do, and I will begin at once.”

“Excellent!” Lara exclaimed. “We must work quickly, for I know now that my mother has promised us these tiny helpers they will be coming quickly.”

“I’ll call you when I have completed my task,” Sirvat said getting up, and hurrying away. “And I’ll keep our secrets,” she called out softly.

Lara smiled. It would go well. When Hetar came to investigate Terah they would discover not only a prosperous land, but a strong one. But the dark land to the north had begun to prey on her mind, intrude into her thoughts. The unknown was always the most frightening thing of all. But she shook off her fears. One thing at a time, and for now the defense of Terah must occupy them.

The tiny faeriepost messengers arrived two days later. They had flown across the Sagitta, and were exhausted. Delighted with the accommodation made for them in the south tower they settled in to rest themselves for several days. Sirvat had taken it upon herself to personally serve them, which pleased the faeries greatly, for Lara had explained she was the Dominus’s sister. That the Terahn ruler’s sister would see to their comfort convinced the faeries that they were welcome, and would be content in Terah.

Lara placed a safety spell upon the faeriepost band, and seven were dispatched to the headman of each named fjord. All returned unharmed with tales of the Terahns’ surprise at seeing them. But all spoke of the courtesy they had been rendered. The headmen of each named fjord had then sent to each of the village leaders to come with their wives for they were called to the castle. They would come, the faeriepost messengers reported, with all due haste. Messengers were then sent to Arik, the High Priest, at the Temple of the Great Creator; to Kemina, the High Priestess of the Daughters of the Great Creator, and to the leaders of the mountain gnomes inviting them to the castle meeting. Dasras was dispatched to bring Rendor from the new Outlands.