The Dark Lord's Demise (18 page)

The silvery gray Koach, Swiftlope, padded quickly along the cobblestone streets of Nephesh. Lisa had to trot to keep her grip on
the bristly fur of his back. She searched for familiar landmarks. So
much in the city was changed. Strangely enough, the crowds of
people regarded her and her wolf companion exactly as they had regarded the four children and their captors the day before. That
is, they did not regard them at all. It was as though Lisa and Swiftlope wore the Mashal Stone on one chain and were invisible.

Behind them people shouted "Look out!" and "Make way!"
Swiftlope stopped and looked back. Another Koach, very dark gray,
almost black, burst through the crowd. Its red tongue hung out one
side of its mouth, and its white teeth were bared. Even when it
knocked two people flat onto the cobblestones, its long bounding
strides never slowed. It galloped straight toward Swiftlope and Lisa
at full speed.

Swiftlope lowered his head and growled. The stiff hair rose
along his back. Lisa cowered behind him. She'd be caught in the
middle of a wolf fight!

The dark Koach stiffened its legs and stopped in front of Swiftlope. It panted a moment, tongue dripping, then gave a series of
short howls and barks. Swiftlope's ears went up. He yipped briefly.
The other Koach barked and whined at greater length. They carried on a conversation in their own language while Lisa strained to
understand (which, of course, she couldn't). Meanwhile, people
passed by as though the group of three did not exist.

The second Koach turned and trotted off through the crowd.
Swiftlope shook his huge head. "Her majesty, the queen, sends me
new orders. I am to escort you not to the place of the abandoned
children, as the king said, but to Nephesh Palace. I do not understand. However, I have learned never to question the wisdom of
Queen Hisschi, for she holds the best interests of the kingdom in
her heart."

In disbelief Lisa stumbled along beside the Koach. An hour ago
she had been a fugitive from a dungeon. (Technically, she still
was.) Now she was on her way to Nephesh Palace, the royal residence.

The sight of the palace thrilled Lisa and tore at her heart. It was
much as she remembered: an ornate stone structure with towers,
battlements and flags, surrounded by great lawns that descended
in terraces to the River Rure. Only a little over a year ago (in Canadian time) she and her brothers had joined crowds of citizens on
those lush green lawns for a royal garden party to celebrate the wedding of Kardia and Suneidesis. That was soon after Gaal's victory over the sorcerer Shagah, after the destruction of the evil city
of Bamah, with its temple of sorcery and stone altar of sacrifice.

Lisa surveyed the palace lawns to see if anything had changed.
Scattered here and there were features she didn't remember: gazebos and benches, gardens and pools and fountains. Everything
was beautifully maintained. Yet the grounds were deserted. No one,
royal attendant or gardener or distinguished visitor, strolled
through them or worked or sat and enjoyed the view.

Lisa and Swiftlope entered the palace through what appeared to
be a back way. Servants passed them and nodded in greeting. At
least now Lisa didn't feel invisible. The Koach led her through a
series of hallways until he stopped at a closed door. He bared his
wicked-looking teeth, grasped the latch in his jaws and pulled
downward. It was the type of pull latch that a wolf can open easily
with its mouth and that a smaller dog or cat might learn to open
with its paw. The door swung open to reveal a luxurious bath of
creamy white marble, well stocked with bottles of colored lotions
and piles of soft, thick towels. The Koach said, "Wait here a
moment." He lumbered off down the hallway. His toenails clicked
on the stone floor.

Alone, Lisa stepped into the elegant bathroom. In her heart she
called out, Gaal, I don't know what's going on, but I know you've got a
mission for me. I believe everything I said to Betty Riggs. Oh no, Betty!
What's happened to her? What's happened to Wes and Kurt?

Swiftlope's clicking nails signaled his return. In his huge jaws he
held clean clothing. "Make haste with your bath," he told Lisa after
she had taken the clothes. "Food will be brought to you. Then their
majesties wish to greet you in their council chamber."

Wes and Kurt did not exactly see Gaal leave. He turned away
from them, and at the same time the room of abandoned children
surged back into view. Nothing in the room had changed. The tall
boy sat at his game of Kill the Rat and beckoned to Kurt to rejoin
him. The frightened boy cried. The girl in the ragged tunic
bragged, "They can't scare me!" Only Kurt and Wes were changed. They had been with Gaal, and now they wanted to help all these
people. They wanted to tell them to trust the Shepherd because
whatever was going on, he would get them through it.

The door of the room banged open. An official in a dark-blue
tunic stepped inside. All the children froze in place under his
severe gaze. Loudly he announced, "Wesley Friesen! Kurt Friesen!
Are they present?"

The brothers hesitated. Why were they being summoned?
Would they be returned to prison or taken to the lodge ahead of
the others? And why? Gaal had told them to listen. Perhaps they
should say nothing yet. The boy who played Kill the Rat spoiled
their strategy. "That's them right there!" he said. He pointed and
grinned in devilish satisfaction. Wes wished he hadn't been so
quick to introduce himself and Kurt.

The official looked them over doubtfully, as though he couldn't
believe his job had been so easy. He jerked his head back toward
the doorway and said, "Come with me." His authoritative voice
gave no room for questions or contradictions. The brothers had
time for only a glance back at the strange roomful of children
before the door slammed shut and they went on to whatever was
next in this odd adventure.

It soon became clear that the official was their escort, not their
captor. He did not bind or restrict them in any way. In fact, the
man barely looked at or spoke to them. They felt their brains spin
in their heads. If they were no longer prisoners or suspects, what
were they?

They covered a quarter mile or so at a fast walk. Kurt whispered,
"We're going in the direction of Nephesh Palace." In a moment
Wes whispered in disbelief, "We're going to Nephesh Palace."

In fact, they now traveled the same route Lisa and Swiftlope had
taken: across the lush lawns, around the stately building and
through a modest entrance to a servants' area of the palace. Like
Lisa, the boys were rushed through hot baths and a change of
clothing. They would have enjoyed a good long soak and scrub,
but they made haste when they learned their destination: the royal
council chamber for an audience with the king and queen.

"What do you suppose this Queen Hisschi is like?" Kurt asked Wes. He turned around before a large mirror and admired his new
tunic.

"What kind of person do you think Tiqvah would marry?" Wes
returned.

"Oh, somebody beautiful and smart. And I'll bet she knows how
to use a sword too. Gosh, I'm kind of nervous about seeing them."

"Remember what Gaal told us? He said we should listen, listen,
listen. Something more important is going on than a visit with the
king and queen. Though I admit I'll be glad to see Tiqvah again."

Kurt frowned at himself in the mirror. "Gaal said we have to rescue Anthropos from delusion. Could it have to do with what the
old prisoner said about Gaal's worship being perverted? And I
don't understand how Betty is mixed up in this. Gaal said we have
to rescue her from this delusion too."

"Betty has been a pain for us ever since she first rang our doorbell!" Wes grumbled. "As for her delusions, we've already seen one
in action. She said our bee stings went away because she decided
they weren't there. She tried to steal the credit from Gaal."

"She doesn't know Gaal," Kurt pointed out, "so maybe it was a
natural mistake. Anyway, I hope she and Lisa are okay. Do you
think they both got caught by the soldiers?"

Someone knocked at the door. By now they had no idea what to
expect, good or bad. "Come in," Wes said. The door opened, and
in another second the room exploded as Wes, Kurt and Lisa
jumped up and down and screamed and hugged each other. The
boys were usually not eager to hug their sister, but they were
ecstatic to see her safe.

When they calmed down a little, Lisa asked, "Where's Betty?"

"We don't know. We thought she was with you," Kurt answered.

Wes said, "Listen, we're bound to get interrupted soon. We don't
have much time. Gaal came to us and he told us-"

"Gaal came to you? When? Where?"

"A little while ago, in a room full of abandoned kids. Oh no, I
just thought of something. Maybe Betty wound up there before we
did. Maybe she's already been sent to the lodge."

"That business about the lodge is all rot," Kurt scoffed. "I don't
think anybody gets sent there. I don't know what really happens to those kids, but it's something bad."

Lisa interrupted, "Will you please explain what you're talking
about? What room full of abandoned kids? Wait, I'll bet I know.
When I saw Tigvah, he ordered me to be taken to join the other
abandoned children."

Now it was the boys' turn to be astonished. Together they said,
"When you saw Tiqvah?"

The door opened. The huge bulk of Swiftlope filled the doorway. Kurt and Wes stepped back, unsure how to react to the appearance of the Koach. Lisa put them at ease. "Swiftlope, these are my
brothers, Wesley and Kurt. Sorry, they don't speak Koach, although
Kurt has been known to try."

The wolf pricked his ears. Kurt apologized, "Not really, only in
fun." In answer Swiftlope growled, "Their majesties await you in
the royal council chambers. Come with me." He turned his great
body and padded off down the stone corridor. The Friesens looked
at each other a little helplessly. Lisa said, "If only we had more
time to talk! What did Gaal say

"Only that there's a delusion of some kind, and Betty Riggs is
mixed up in it," Wes answered quickly. Down the corridor Swiftlope
turned and gave an urgent whine. The children hurried after him.
Whatever was going on, it was not wise to keep the king and queen
waiting.

The royal council chamber was smaller than you might expect.
Its single window looked out into an inner courtyard. In the center
of the room stood a black semicircular table. Here they had once
found King Kardia with the witch's green stone dagger in his chest.
When Kardia learned that his wife and son were in mortal danger,
his indignation and courage melted the dagger. Enchanted stone
cannot stand the heat of fearlessness.

Now at the same black table sat the one who looked so much
like Kardia, yet different enough that they could not long be mnistaken for each other. At his side sat the queen. She did not need to
ride a beautiful bay horse to look regal and in command. Seated in
a plain chair, one arm on the polished table, she appeared both serene and majestic. She nodded in greeting when Wes, Lisa and
Kurt entered the council chamber. Lisa felt drawn to the queen, yet
she could not judge what was going on behind those deep-gray
eyes.

By contrast, Tiqvah rose to his feet, a most unusual action for a
king. His thin face widened into a smile of welcome. He looked
almost like a boy again. "Wesley! Kurt! Lisa! I feared I would not
recognize you, but you look the same!" For a moment he was puzzled. "How can this be? How is it I have aged and you have not?"

"It's Anthropos time versus our time," Lisa explained. She
thought she should add "your majesty," but the phrase felt out of
place after Tiqvah's warm welcome. Meanwhile, Kurt and Wes
stood speechless. This was their first look at Tiqvah as an adult.
They needed time to absorb the changes in him.

The king leaned forward with his knuckles on the shiny table.
His clothing hung loosely on his frame. "I regret I did not know
the Lady Lisa when I first saw her. I thought she was another abandoned child allowed to run loose in the streets. As I considered her
remarkable words, memories of my childhood stirred within me. I
recalled wonderful things that, to my shame, I had forgotten. I
rejoice that you, the friends of my youth, friends from another
world, have returned to Anthropos!"