The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) (16 page)

“Oh, I know that.”

The doctor seemed surprised by
the admission.

 “You’re pregnant. You’re going
to have a baby. Can’t tell if it’s a boy or girl yet. Strange, but I should be
able to tell by this point, but I’m getting mixed signals. Do you know who the
father is? Well, of course you do. But don’t tell me,” the lady babbled.

Christine knew who the father
was. It could be none other than Darius, the only man she had ever been with.
Drops of moisture fell from her eyelids. He would be so happy at the news.

The old wizard doctor came over
and patted her head. “Now, dearie, don’t cry. You’ll be fine. I’ll make sure
you take some herbs that will help the sickness and keep both of you healthy.
You must eat well and exercise and stay positive.”

Christine sat up. The doctor had
misunderstood her tears for sadness other than her memories of Darius. “How can
I exercise? I am locked in this room all day long. How can I stay positive? I
am being held prisoner. My husband doesn’t know where I am, and the general has
threatened to use me to take over the Realm.”

“No, no, no,” the wizard wailed.
“You cannot tell me these things; I told you that.” She held her hands over her
ears. “Now I am doomed. I know too much.”

Christine took the woman’s hands
in hers, looked her directly in the eyes, her own still full of tears, and
whispered, “You could help me escape.”

“No, no. I can’t do that. Were
you not listening to me? I won’t live another day if the general finds out.”

“My husband can protect you. He
is also friends with Prince Mezar.” Christine wiped her tears away, feeling
hope for the first time since being taken.

The lady put her fingers to her
lips. “You must not mention the general’s son. He has done something and
escaped.”

“Please help me?” Christine
begged the lady. “Don’t you think it would be wrong for my husband to never see
his child?”

“And who is your husband?” The
doctor paused. “No. Don’t tell me,” she amended.

“He is Darius DarSan Williams,
King of the Realm.”

The lady, for being a wizard and
all, didn’t have much control. “Oh no. No, no. What have you gotten me into?”
Her face contorted with anguish.

A knock sounded on the door, and
a servant entered. “My lady.” He spoke to Christine. “The general would like
you to dine with him tonight.”

Christine looked afraid and
glanced at the doctor for help.

The doctor took a deep breath and
tried to compose herself. “Inform the general I will dine with the two of them
tonight also. The lady needs to take care of herself. I will work with her to
make sure she is eating properly.”

The servant nodded and left.

Christie hugged the doctor.
“Thank you.”

The doctor smiled in a resigned
fashion. “Pray your husband finds us soon. I don’t know how long I can keep
myself alive.”

HISTORY OF THE CREMELINOS

D
arius paced the library in the governor of
Sur’s office. It had been commandeered for his headquarters while staying in
the most northwestern city of the Realm. A week ago, a sudden early winter
storm blew down from the north. Temperatures plummeted, and the snow fell at a
rate unheard of this time of year. The entire region was shut down.

The King was frustrated and
anxious to find his wife. Between the time traveling to White Island, Sur, and
the battle, it had now been almost two months since he had last seen her. He
had made amends with Mezar and had apologized for his distraught behavior.
While Darius had slept that first day, Mezar rode out and inspected the attack
area himself. Instantly obvious to him by hoof prints in the earth, the horses
were indeed from Gildan and not from Arc. The horseshoes used in Gildan,
especially in the royal stables, showed a very distinct design and a slight
altered state to a common shoe.

Upon hearing of this news as well
as Mezar’s account of what he overheard his father and the other men in Gildan
saying, Darius was relieved at least to have a direction to go in. He also felt
remorse for the battle that had ensued in the mountains with Prince Bronwyn
over the apparent abduction. The Gildanians under Mezar’s father had done a
very fine job of trying to lay blame on the Arcs.

Darius had expressed his apology
to the High Wizard on this accord. Wizard Olan, however, had told the King that
although his reason for battle may have been misled, the intent of the prince
was to sow discord and invade. This made Darius feel a little better for his
somewhat-reckless behavior. Men had still died on both sides, and as King, he
would have to hold at least some responsibility for that.

Once in the last few days,
Lightning communicated to Darius she had felt a strong surge of feeling from
Christine. Immense joy followed by sorrow. She tried to establish more of the
link, but once again the bonding crumbled. The good news was she was still
alive.

“Please sit down, Sire,” High
Wizard Sallir said. “I am an old man, and you are making me tired just watching
you wear out the carpets.”

Darius gave a short smile and
flopped himself in a large chair in front of the roaring fireplace. Looking out
the window nearby, all he could see was white. The flakes decreased, giving him
so
me hope, but the ground would need to be cleared or
melted before they could travel again.

Olan continued. “That is a fine
gift you gave to my apprentice. I am not sure if she is ready for it yet.”

“It is not my choice, High
Wizard. The Cremelinos have a mind and will of their own in these things.”
Darius felt amusement float through his bond with Thunder. “What do you know
about them anyway?”

“The Cremelinos?” The High Wizard
thought for a moment, apparently accessing knowledge learned long ago. “The
Cremelinos are originally thought to have come from the eastern kingdoms a
thousand years ago. At the time, those in the east were enlightened with magic
and lived in peace with the land and each other. Fairies and other magical
creatures, like the Cremelinos, flourished in this environment. All the land
was ruled by a wizard’s council, the wisest among the land. The population grew
and spread across lush forests, deserts, highlands, and into the mountains. The
unique abilities of the Cremelinos to communicate with each other and with
those they bonded with were used by each of these groups of people to stay
connected.”

“How did a Cremelino choose who
to bond to?” Darius asked, enthralled with the history.

“It is said each wizard was
chosen by the herd for a specific Cremelino to bond with. This bond could not
change except upon death of the wizard or the horse.” The High Wizard paused to
take a drink.

“That makes sense,” Darius
agreed. “They told me which Cremelino to take for Christine as well as the
others that came with me from the island.”

Mezar, who had been dozing off on
the far side of the room, joined the two of them. “But how did they get so far
from the eastern kingdoms?”

“You are jumping ahead, my
friend.” Olan winked. “As the groups of people spread across the eastern lands,
they began forming kingdoms of their own. The wizards tried to keep a common
governing body, but after a while, it became more and more difficult to control
everyone. As the population grew, need for land, cities, and food grew. This
started small skirmishes and even battles. A few wizards even began to side
with these kingdoms in their own exclusive relationships, dragging their
Cremelinos into the fray.”

Roland came into the room and
interrupted the story to tell the group clear skies were seen to the north and
west, and the storm should be gone by the end of the day. The governor invited
all of them to join him for dinner that evening.

“Finally, we can begin to make
plans.” Darius let out a sigh. “Now let’s hear the rest of this story.”

The High Wizard continued, “The
Cremelinos were goodhearted creatures. They could not be tempted or turned to
evil; however, some of the wizards were. In order to gain favor and wealth from
their benefactors, men set themselves up as kings in these new lands and delved
into the darker side of sorcery. They created spells and creatures that should
have never been. Through the bond, the Cremelinos felt this evil and could
barely stand the pain to their pure hearts.”

“As you recall, I said a bond was
made that could only end at death. Some of the Cremelinos started to find ways
to put themselves in danger, to seek death as a means to escape the evil hearts
of their masters. However, their masters found out about this and held them
more in line. They started using their evil magic on them to control them and
force them to communicate their evil plans with others. These wizards even drew
energy from their Cremelinos to increase their powers. This was unholy and
disgraceful.”

Darius felt sadness through his
bond that almost overwhelmed him. He swooned to the side, almost collapsing.

Mezar reached out a hand to
steady him. “Darius, are you sick?”

“Thunder, my Cremelino, was not
aware of all these events.” Darius straightened. “He is grieved for his kind.”

“The wizard council stood intact,
although they lost some prestige and power over the land.” Olan seemed to enjoy
the storytelling. “They formed a plan with the Cremelinos without their masters
knowing. They would lure them to a battle in which the wizard council would
take the evil wizards captive, killing them, and destroying the evil bond. The
council laid a plan to invite all the wizards in the land to an event at the
Wizards’ Conclave. It was thought to be an invitation to expand the council and
let the other wizards take more power. All of the Cremelinos who were bonded
came with their masters. Those that were not bonded were told to gather on the
western shores of the land, where some of the most powerful wizards would meet
with them.”

“At the Wizards’ Conclave,
something went wrong. A traitor among them thwarted their plans to capture the
evil wizards. A battle ensued, one of power and magic. Wizards on both sides
died, Cremelinos perished, and the land around the conclave was left utterly
desolate. Many of the Cremelinos at this time, seeing their plans to eradicate
the evil wizards to be a lost cause, turned against their masters as a last
resort. This was thought impossible, but their grief and pain was so deep
through the bond. They reached out and, with personal pain to themselves,
severed the bonds and destroy many of evil wizards’ minds. At this point, the
wizards took to killing their own Cremelinos before they could be destroyed
themselves.”

“What about those that fled?”
Darius asked.

The High Wizard smiled. “Almost
there, Sire. In the end, the Wizards’ Conclave fell. This organization for
wizards had been intact for a thousand years, helping to bring stability to
these kingdoms; however, greed won out. It was supposed that some good wizards
and Cremelinos had escaped but not many. Those that turned evil, though they
lost their Cremelinos, became victorious and returned to their separate
kingdoms with a loosely agreed upon set of rules. For many years afterward, the
eastern kingdoms struggled and battled for lands and kingdoms. There are many
stories from that time until now that describe how they grew into the great
continent they are now, but those will have to wait for another snowstorm, I am
afraid.”

“So?” Darius asked again.

“So, Darius, those Cremelinos
that escaped to the western shores of the continent were loaded on large ships
by a few remaining wizards, men and women. They sailed across the Eastern Sea
until arriving at what we know now as White Island. There were no inhabitants
of the island at that time, there was fresh water and land for growing grass
and grain, and it became a refuge and a place of repair for the horses for many
years. Soon the herd grew, and the wizards began venturing out into the western
lands. The Cremelinos’ abilities were kept in strict confidences from the
rulers of these early primitive lands.”

Darius sat on the edge of his
seat opposite the old wizard.

Olan took a sip of wine before
continuing. “Gildan was much smaller then, the Realm had not been formed, and
the Kingdom of Arc was basically bands of nomads. Once the original wizards
died out, their descendants became the caretakers we have today. Some of them
most likely have power flowing in their veins and, though not full wizards, are
able to care for the horses.”

 “My wife is not a wizard, but
she communicates with her Cremelino.”

Thunder’s voice answered Darius’s
statement before Olan could.
It was done as a favor to you, young wizard, as
part of the prophecy. Your wife has enough wizard blood flowing through her
veins for us to communicate with her. We needed Lightning close to you to watch
over the prophecy. We recognized in you the one from the prophecy, the one that
would bring us back to our glory. Now we communicate with all wizards as
needed. It is a time of changing for all of us.

Darius relayed this information
to Mezar and Olan.

“Tell me the prophecy,” Olan
said.

Darius smiled. “I am not sure I
know it all. The Cremelinos can be a little secretive. It seems I am only given
bits and pieces.”

Thunder sent a wave of amusement
to his mind and asked Darius to touch both Mezar and Olan so he could
communicate to them all.

Darius did so and Thunder spoke
to them all.

Forgotten lines of ancient magic

and the power of the throne.

One will make them both his own

if his heart sees the true
power.

He will bring light to fight
darkness

and love to fight hate

if he reaches into the power of
his heart.

He will find new allies, turn
enemy to friend, and

find the binding of all power on
the path of peace.

Olan
sat back and smiled. “Amazing. Amazing. So this is how you speak to them?”

Darius
nodded.

“I
wonder what it means to ‘find the binding of all power?”

Darius
shook his head. He didn’t understand most of what the prophecy said until after
each part was fulfilled.

The
High Wizard looked wistful. “You gave a very great gift to Danijela and to our
kingdom. King Anwar will be happy and proud to meet with you and enact any
treaties you desire. We would be happy to have you visit our esteemed capital.”

Darius
smiled, then frowned and sighed. “All in good time, my new friend. First, I
must rescue my beloved and help Mezar reestablish peace in his empire.”

Mezar
bowed his head slightly to his neighboring King. “At your coronation, I pledged
my support to you until the end of my days, Darius. I do not take that lightly.
At first light, I will ride with my men back to Gildan. I will find your queen
for you.”

Darius’s
eyes misted over, and he thanked his good friend.

Soon
Roland came back in to call them to dinner. They walked over to the large
festival hall, where other nobles from the city were gathered. Cray and some of
his officers had also been invited. What surprised and somewhat worried Darius
was when he saw Danijela enter, hanging on Sean’s arm. Sean looked his way and
smiled. It was not the scornful smile he usually had for Darius through the
years, but a smile of peace. Darius still didn’t trust the man who had betrayed
him too often and who had caused much pain to him personally. For now, he would
keep a close eye on him and especially his interest in the young wizard girl.

The
feast was a scrumptious affair with roasted pork and gravy, freshly baked
bread, fall vegetables, and plenty of drink to go around. The group on the
whole seemed to enjoy themselves, though Darius sat a little somber, thinking
of his wife and kingdom.

Mezar
excused himself early, saying he was firm on his pledge to leave in the
morning. Darius followed him out to inform him that the Cremelinos requested
his presence in the stables. With mild curiosity, the two friends did as
requested.

Once
there, a young male Cremelino strode toward Mezar and nuzzled up against him.
Mezar’s face registered shock.

“He has
chosen me. I never thought . . .” Turning to Darius, he asked, “Did you know?”

Darius
shook his head. “I was asked to bring these Cremelinos with me, but they wouldn’t
tell me why. One went to a young wizard girl in Mar, one to me, one to
Danijela, and now one to you. Each has chosen us in turn.”