The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) (17 page)

“I
wonder who the remaining two are for.” Mezar said.

Darius
did not know. “What will you name him?’

Mezar
thought a moment and then said, “Star. He shines like the brightest star in my
homeland.”

Darius
and Mezar spent a few more minutes with all of the Cremelinos. Thunder had
communicated recently with Radiance and informed Darius of Kelln’s findings on
Alessandra’s mother. Kelln still didn’t know how to reach the Preacher without
getting himself killed. Darius was just happy that, for the time being, the
Preacher seemed to not be more of a problem, though he still felt uncomfortable
with not having the man in a prison.

“So now
we are able to communicate in Mar with Tali and Kelln, here in Sur or Arc with
Danijela, wherever you go in Gildan, and with me.” Darius mouth went wide in a
broad smile. Things were definitely looking up.

“Just
like the old days.” Mezar moved his hand over the smooth mane of his new
Cremelino one more time. “Like the High Wizard said.”

“Let’s
just hope ours ends more peacefully,” Darius mused.

While
Mezar went to get ready to leave the following day, Darius returned to the
feast. Still thinking about Kelln and the Preacher, Darius saw Sean laughing
with animated gestures with a group of nobles from Sur, and a plan began to
form in his mind, a plan that definitely held an edge of danger and risk, but
one that may prove Sean’s newfound loyalties once and for all.

PLANS

T
he sturdy horse sloshed through the
mud-filled road on its way to Mar. It’s sturdy pace and strength let Sean’s
mind wander. The dirty and uncomfortable surroundings did little to dampen
Sean’s spirits. He sat atop the black Friesian and whistled a merry little tune
he’d picked up at a bar in Sur. Even though the ground was still trying to soak
up the record-breaking snow and rain over the past ten days, the skies were
clear and bright blue. The storm seemed to have forced the change in seasons
from fall to winter, but all in all, it wasn’t a bad day for traveling.

The more Sean thought about his
situation, the more amazed he became. When Darius asked him to go to Mar and
help Kelln find the Preacher, he bristled at first. The Preacher might kill him
for his failure in Arc and Sur. Darius still questioned his loyalty to the
Realm and looked at this assignment as a test of sorts. Sean still even
questioned it himself. Could he be trusted?

Sean wished for Danijela as a traveling
companion. He had seen her power, and she would be a strong ally in a fight. He
was intrigued by her power and her sharp wit and feisty persona challenged him.
She, as a wizard apprentice of Arc, and he, being a noble of the Realm, knew
nothing serious would ever happen, but the flirting during the storm had helped
to pass the time—though the age difference was slightly scandalous at best.

Alone, he rode the empty miles
between Sur and Mar, a week-long trip with the muddy roads. Why did Darius
allow him to go alone? Why did he trust him? Should he trust him? What if he
was once again blinded by the Preacher’s power and charisma? Sean realized he
was weak for those things.

With all his personal doubts, the
one thing that kept him focused was the moment when Darius could have let him
be killed-after all that  Sean had said and done to him personally, yet he
struck at the prince with his power instead and saved his life. Moments later,
as the King held the inconsolable Danijela after her brother fell off the
cliff, the power of peace, love, and comfort that emanated from Darius was
something that Sean would never forget. Those two memories burned a change to
the deep recesses of his mind.

Yes, he still wished for power.
He wished people would bow to him. But he now saw Darius as one worthy of what
he might never achieve himself. Maybe in the King’s good grace, someday he
would be fully pardoned for his crimes and given a small spot to rule in the
Realm.

Each night he stayed in a clean
inn and ate well with money provided by Darius. He had to stay an additional
day in a small town that sat on the banks of the Black River. The river had
swollen with the recent rains, and the bridge needed to be repaired.

Finally after eight long days
riding, he glimpsed the white walls of Mar beginning to rise in his line of
sight off in the distance. With his credential papers in his pocket, there
wouldn’t be any problem entering the city. Darius told Kelln through his and
Tali’s Cremelinos what was happening. He had told them he was sending someone
to help but held back who it was. Sean smiled at the thought of Kelln’s
surprise when he found out. Another one of Darius’s tests of his loyalty, he
assumed.

Entering through the city gates,
Sean surveyed the market district. It was not as wet here, and people were
dressed in loose-fitting, colorful clothing. Vendors reached out to sell him
clothes, jewelry, and other trinkets. He was amazed at the colors that swirled
around him. Women in their dazzling multi-colored skirts and vendors with
colorful tent-tops made it hard to concentrate on where he was going. He
dismounted and walked next to his horse through the city.

The smell of spiced food filled
the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation of a meal. He made his way
through the market district and toward an inn Darius recommended he meet Kelln
at.

Before stepping up on the inn’s
porch, a young man grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

“Hey, you urchin.” Sean tried to
kick the boy. “What is the meaning of this?”

The young boy deftly escaped the
kick and glanced around quickly. “You are here to see a special person?”

“What are you talking about? Who
are you?” Sean was getting annoyed.

The boy leaned in and whispered,
“You are looking for the ambassador?”

Sean stopped in his tracks and
took better stock of the situation. “And who are you that I should be telling
you my business?” He noticed a few people glancing their way as they walked
down the street.

“My name is Rapp. I’m the
governor’s runner and let’s say a friend to the ambassador.”

“Rapp, you say? Well, I’m
supposed to meet him here by direction of your King.”

Rapp’s eyes opened wider. “You
know the King?”

“Of course I do,” Sean snapped.
“Now let me go in there.” He tried to move around the boy but was stopped again.

“He’s not there. I will take you
to where he is.”

Sean didn’t know what to make of
the situation but decided there wasn’t any choice but to trust the boy. As they
passed the edge of the inn, a dark-haired beauty joined the two of them walking
down the street. She appeared to be only a few years younger than Sean, not
nearly as young as Danijela. But there was something about her that reminded
him of Danijela, though not in looks, for they were completely opposite—one
smaller with short blonde hair and one tall with long dark hair. The
similarities were more in the way they carried themselves. Confident.

She smiled at him, and Sean
thought it more of a predator grin than a welcoming smile.

“Tali is going our way, too, “
Rapp offered. “So do you know the ambassador?”

Sean smiled. “Let’s just say, he
and I have had our moments together. This may be quite a reunion for him. A
surprise!”

The girl turned to him and
glared. “I wonder if you are to be trusted.”

“The King sent me, didn’t he?”
was all Sean said. Tali shrugged.

With apparent surprise, the girl
threw herself in front of Sean and pushed him up against the wall of a close-by
building. She pushed herself in tight against him, as if to kiss him.

“Pretend we are lovers. Don’t
look around.”

Sean smiled at the fun. “Sounds
fun, honey, but don’t we have business to get to?”

She leaned in closer, and Sean
smelled a slight wave of perfume. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, and
she flashed her brown eyes at him. Her face was smooth and porcelain, quite a
contrast to the dark brown hair hanging down past her shoulders. Sean moved in
for the kiss.

Rapp continued walking around the
corner. He whistled a signal. Two men came around a corner and glanced
momentarily at the couple kissing at the edge of the building. After walking a
few steps away, the girl moved her hand in a slight wave. Two bricks from the
walkway moved, and the men tripped on them, sprawling on the ground.                        

With the distraction, Tali
grabbed Sean’s hand and proceeded around the corner, joining once again with
the young boy.

     “Done already?” Sean
quipped. Then instantly felt a sting on his behind. Turning around, he tried to
figure out what happened.

“Tali, King Darius told you not
to do that with your magic,” Rapp said.

She glared at the boy. “But young
men sometimes deserve it.” Then she glared at Sean.

“What did I do? And who are you?
How did you do that?” Sean was full of questions. Taken out of his controlled
environment, he was not his usual self.

The girl came around in front of
him and sarcastically offered him her hand to kiss. “I am Taliana Penrose,
daughter of Governor Penrose, and a wizard of some means.”

“Great, another wizard,” Sean
mumbled under his breath. He kissed her hand, and she smiled at him, flipped
her hair, and continued walking.

Turning to Rapp, he said, “Is she
always like this?”

Rapp rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes.
She enjoys the teasing. You should see her with the ambassador.”

Sean laughed at that. He couldn’t
imagine the thin, redheaded Kelln El’Han handling anything so sophisticated as
this woman.

Composing himself once again, he
became more serious. “Who were those men?”

“Those were high-ranking members
of the Guild of Thieves. They are aware of who I am and would wonder what I am
doing here in this part of town,” Tali said.

“And what are you doing here?”
Sean asked.

“Making sure you stay safe on
your way to meet with the ambassador and the governor.”

“Wizards,” Sean sighed. “Can’t
seem to get away from them anymore.”

“So you are here to help Kelln
find the Preacher?” Rapp asked.

Sean was surprised that the
information had been shared. He nodded, not wanting to say anything more.

“How will you do that?” the boy
asked.

“We have a history together,” was
all Sean said. “Nothing more until we meet Kelln.”

Thirty minutes later, they
entered a back alley that ran between sets of nice homes nearer to the water.
Rapp signaled to stop in front of a door that he entered first. A minute later,
he came back out and ushered them in.

The house was pleasant with
painted white walls and comfortable furnishings. An open window afforded views
of the Blue Sea. Sean breathed deeply, smelling the ocean air in his nostrils,
and realized that this was his first time being this close to the ocean. Coming
upon a room, two men sat in chairs. The one facing him was obviously the
governor, and the other held a mop of red hair sticking up over the top of the
chair. As soon as the three entered the room, the two men stood up and faced
them.

Kelln about fell over himself.
“Sean? What are you doing here?” He pulled his dirk out and headed toward one
of his most hated enemies.

Sean stepped back a few feet and
put up his hands. “Kelln. Stop. Darius sent me.”

“If he did, then you tricked him
again.” Kelln’s face was red.

Tali, her height between the two
men, stepped between them. “Kelln, at least listen to him. He says he knows the
Preacher.”

“Of course he knows him, Tali. He
kidnapped Darius, helped the Preacher escape, and has sided with him in
creating havoc in the kingdom.”

The three others in the room glared
at Sean for an explanation.

“Please, put down the weapon,
Kelln. Let’s just talk.”

The governor stepped closer.
“Ambassador, my daughter and I can handle this young man if he is not who he
claims to be. I agree with your assessment, but our King did send him to help.
Let’s at least hear him out.”

Kelln mumbled a retort but
reluctantly put his dirk down.

Sean stepped up to the governor
and bowed, reverting to his noble upbringing. “Governor Penrose, I am Sean San
Ghant of Anikari. I do indeed hold some history with the Preacher. But let me
assure you, King Darius has sent me here in good faith to help the situation.”
He took out his papers, which he gave to the governor. Darius had written a
note to him and the ambassador.

“I still don’t believe it,” Kelln
mumbled.

Sean turned to him. “Just so you
understand, Kelln, I was not the one that let the Preacher escape; that was
your beautiful raven-haired friend, Alessandra. It was all her doing. I was
just offered a way out with them, and I took it.”

Kelln jumped toward Sean again
and tried to grab him.

Tali swatted him back with a push
of air. “Now boys, we can’t tolerate this fighting if we are going to get
anything done.”

“A feisty one, she is.” Sean
smiled a toothy grin at Kelln. “She likes to tease the boys it seems.” That
remark got him another pinch on the bottom. “Ouch.” He scowled. “Stop that.”

“Then stop acting childish,” Tali
said, hands on her hips.

Her father smiled and regained
control of the situation. “Let’s all sit, please. We need to plan on how we
find the Preacher and stop his influence from growing in the city. Rapp, make
sure the place is secure, then ask someone to bring us some food. This might be
a long night.”

* * *

In the three weeks since
Christine had been under the care of her newfound friend, her nausea had
abated, her skin tone was healthier, and her energy level was up. The two
developed a schedule of spending time together each day and taking walks.
First, it was just inside the large building she was held prisoner in, but in
time, they ventured to an outside garden area.

The fresh air and sunlight lifted
the queen’s spirit. With winter approaching, the days were getting shorter and
the nights cooler; however this much further south, the daytime temperatures
were still comfortable enough to wear a light coat.

The doctor never shared her own
name with Christine and still seemed very skittish and nervous any time that
Christine talked about her home or the chance to escape.

Christine discovered through
listening to the servants that she was being held in Gildan in a large estate
of one of the general’s most faithful followers.

“There must be hidden doorways in
the garden walls,” Christine mentioned one day.

“Dear, you must stop thinking
about escape.”

“I can’t,” Christine said.
“Darius is out there searching for me. General Alrishitar is planning on
invading the Realm. I must warn my husband. There is no one else.”

The wizard smiled. “How did such
a young girl become so bold in life? I could never be like you.”

“But you are a wizard with powers
I can never even dream of.”

“But I am a weak wizard. I am a
wizard of the mind. I do not fight or battle. I use my power for studies and
scholarly work. That is how I learned about healing.”

“My husband is a wizard of the
heart,” Christine mentioned proudly.