The Vitalis Chronicles: Tomb of the Relequim (45 page)

Rain didn't know what to say to any of that. “Is that... possible?”

“
It would seem so,” he smiled again as he shot a little puff of flame out of one finger. A nearby
horse shied away, startled. “The one thing she did manage to get me to do was to find her daughter. The rest, well, I'm not even sure what she wanted from me.”

“
What happened to her?”

“
To Charsi or her daughter?”

“
Both.”

“
Charsi, as far as I can tell, exploded. From my limited experience, when a Mage is killed they
take as much with them as they can. Somehow she protected me from it, something I'll never
understand for a number of reasons. But she's gone. Alisia, her daughter... well, she's gone too.”

“
Did you know her well?” Rain was laying on her side, head propped up on her elbow. “Before
she died?”

“
Yeah,” Ardin closed his eyes and pictured her for a moment. “There was a lot that was left unsaid, but I knew her really well.” His hand closed subconsciously around the Uriquim. He hadn't even realized he had tugged it out from under his armor.

“
Was that hers?” Rain gestured to the jewel.

“
In a way,” he said as he sat up. “She died because I couldn't protect her. In the end she died because of me.” He pulled his knees up to his chest, squinting as he stared back towards the wasted east. “She died at the hand of the general I had set out to kill just months before. As if it wasn't bad enough that she died under my watch, she was killed by someone I had already failed to end.”

“
I'm really sorry, Ardin.” Her hand was on his arm, soft, gentle. He hadn't noticed it there before. It was tearing him up to have her touch him, but he couldn't pull away. There was comfort in it... something that he suddenly realized he needed so badly.

He got up quickly then, shaking the feelings loose and leaving them in the grass. He had work to do, and he wouldn't mess it up. Not this time.

“
We had best get going,” he told her as he walked over to collect Gella. “How far do we have left?”

“
Just another league to Albentine,” she said as she watched him go. “We can take rest at the gatehouse there. They have stables and a small garrison, so there should be food.”

They rode on through the morning, taking it a bit more slowly as their sense of safety grew.

“
Why did we never see any more of the enemy's forces?” He had his eyes about, scanning for any movement as they rode. “In fact, where are your forces?”

“
The Demon's raiding never came any farther than this. And for whatever reason, one day, about two months ago, they all pulled back and disappeared.”

“
Why did they burn the land, though? I don't understand that.”

“
To leave it fallow, to send a message. Some of the more powerful creatures wilt plants with a touch, and leave dead footprints wherever they wander. The rest was done by the dragons.”

“
Dragons? There are dragons near here?” He turned in the saddle as if he might see one coming
over the horizon right then.

“
No, and I don't think there are very many left. But the ones that are alive can cause plenty of
damage on their own. A lot of what we rode through was scorched by them. They tend to eat only what they've cooked, and they eat a lot.”

“
And they get unleashed solely to burn stuff, I bet.”

The white peaks of the mountains came well in view as they crossed over a fairly large line of hills. They were enormous, Ardin thought. Some looked as big as the ones back home. Potentially even bigger. It made his heart smile to see real mountains again.

“
That as well. But none can fly through the Dragon's Teeth.”

“
The mountains?”

“
Yes. For whatever reason, the Demon's lizards refuse to fly through the high passes of the
mountains. It's one of the reasons he lost in Albentine.”

They came across the highway as they worked their way up more of the foothills. By the time they reached the mouth of the valley, they would have climbed a significant distance. It sat just behind the first row of peaks, she told him.

They were hailed long before they got that far, however. A group of mounted knights in full plate armor came up alongside them. They saluted with two fingers to their foreheads as soon as they realized who Rain was.

“
Your Highness.” Their heads bowed as they lifted their visors. “We have awaited your coming
for months now. It bodes ill that you should return alone.”

“
Not alone, though it is ill tidings I bring. Does the pass remain open?”

“
Open and clear for one such as yourself, though I must ask after your companion.”

“
A friend of the realm.” She dismissed the inquiry as they trotted on. Ardin silently sighed his relief. “How fares my brother?”

“
He fares well, m'lady. We are told he regains his strength with every passing day.”

“
You will escort us to the pass, I hope.” The question came across as more of an order to Ardin, and it was heeded as such.

“
Of course, Highness. M'lady's return warrants a larger honor guard than I can provide, but we shall do our best.”

“
Very well.” She nodded curtly and took the lead, gesturing for Ardin to join her.

The High Road worked its way through the foothills that felt increasingly like mountains themselves. The air grew chill the farther they went, but Ardin found it refreshing. The trees grew in thickets, often in the draws, leaving the tops of the hills nearly bald and rocky. Tall pines grew everywhere while lower trees with broad leaves filled in as many gaps as they could find.

It was a blessed relief to Ardin to hear the sound of the breeze rushing through the boughs overhead. It reminded him of the sea, and home, and the White Forest all at once. He didn't know whether he should laugh or cry, so instead he swallowed the memories and the feelings that followed them.

The two towers that stood above the mouth of the valley of Albentine were monstrous to Ardin. Thick and round, with what looked like five different levels to each. The windows near the top were much larger than those in the middle. The lower levels had no windows at all, save a few arrow slits fifteen feet off the ground. He didn't see any doors, and wondered how men got into them.

They continued on into the valley as the sun waned before them. Within the hour they were facing two more of the immense towers with a gate between them. While the towers soared from the slopes above the gorge, the gate itself stood as a wall to block their passage. It barely came up to the feet of the towers that protected it.

The grate that hung in front of the doors was pulled up with the loud clanking of heavy chains as they approached. The gates swung slowly open, away from the riders, and were gaping by the time they reached them. They were made of a thick, dark wood. He couldn't put his finger on what kind it was exactly, but they were ornately decorated. The faces of crowned kings were carved into the stone that bordered the top. On the doors themselves was etched a broad open plain surrounded by mountains. A city comprised of tall walls and towers rested at the center, and split where the doors had joined.

They were guided to a stable carved out of the wall of the gorge on their left. Hay sat piled to one side with a large well in the center. And next to that were stairs that he assumed would take them up into the tower.

“
You'll forgive me if I leave you here, your Highness,” the soldier in plate armor said as Rain dismounted. “We have yet to complete our patrol. The garrison's steward should be able to find you accommodations.” He gestured behind them where a slender man in loose robes was descending the stairs.

“
And to whom do I owe my thanks for such an effective escort?”

“
Sir Beldin of the Shale, your Highness. Welcome back.” He touched two fingers to his forehead before wheeling his horse. The men trotted back through the gate as the doors swung slowly closed.

The steward of the Stone Pass was as hard as his charge. Slender and stern, he wasted no time finding his guests room in the southern tower. He hardly spoke as they ascended the stairs. The first floor appeared to be stores and kitchens. The kitchens in particular made Ardin happy to see. The second floor was half dining hall, and half barracks. On the third floor were more sleeping quarters, before the King's hall and quarters were to be found in the top floors.

The steward arranged a room for Ardin next to a barracks hall on the second floor before leading Rain up to the King's quarters after she bid him goodnight. It seemed odd to Ardin for the King to have his own living space here, but perhaps he needed a place away from the city. It was strange in any case.

Ardin was shown where he could bathe, but was left to his own devices to heat the water over an iron stove. He washed up as best he could, but felt he would never again be truly clean. His hair still felt gritty with ash even after washing it three times. The water was nearly black when he stepped out of the large wooden half-barrel that served as his tub.

He dried and found a tunic laid out for him. The steward returned to give him a light meal and wish him a deep sleep. Ardin crammed as much fruit and cheese in his mouth as he could, succumbing to his exhaustion and falling asleep moments later.

The morning found him stiff, but better rested than he had been in a long time. The steward came in to wake him, leaving a set of clothing behind as he went. Ardin got up slowly to dress himself. The armor was still light leather., but the shirt, trousers, and cloak they had left were a light gray satin. Where the dark gray clothes he had been given were now he couldn't say. He didn't mind so much. These seemed to fit as well and were more comfortable. He was just lacing up his boots when the steward reappeared.

“
Her Highness requests your presence in the King's Hall. We will serve you breakfast there.” And he was
gone again.

I guess I'd better find those stairs, then.
They were easy enough to find, though they were steep. The tower felt even taller from the inside than it appeared from without. When he finally reached the fourth floor, he found himself in a small foyer and out of breath. There were no more stairs, just a few benches with a large window looking out into the mountains.

He took a moment to look outside before turning to the large doors that filled half of the wall behind him. They were already cracked open and swung on their hinges easily enough when he pushed. On the other side was a great hall that took up most of that level of the tower, the rising sun blinded him momentarily from the opposite side. A large table worked its way around the room like a giant horseshoe surrounded by dozens of large chairs. The windows on this floor were immense. They provided a view of the surrounding mountains that only served to remind onlookers how small the massive towers really were.

Rain sat at the far end of the table, the pinnacle of the horseshoe. The chair she sat in looked more like a throne. Its back was twice her height when seated and appeared to be covered in a thick velvet. Its corners and joints looked like the metal helmets of the knights who had escorted them in. Tapestries of a massive battle swept around the room between and above the high windows. Those that faced east or west appeared more faded than the rest.

She smiled as he entered, rising to meet him half way around. Her blond hair flowed, combed out and glowing in the light of the white mountains. She wore a long green dress laced in gold and well suited to her figure. Emeralds adorned her neckline. Her collar bones were smooth lines topping off a triangle of skin that set Ardin's heart pumping. She was beautiful.

He must have been staring because she laughed at him as he came to a stop.

“
You thought I always dressed in armor and strips of dingy cloth?”

“
I... well I haven't seen... uh... a dress in a long time.”

She laughed again. “Is it the dress you find so interesting?”

He blushed before he could say anything in response.

“I hope you slept well.
Have you taken a look out of these windows yet?” She took him by the hand and walked him over to the eastern view. “Look at that, you can see for miles and miles. Well, through what's not obscured by the mountains. But the rising of the sun as seen from this tower is
difficult to match.”

He couldn't help a glance over at her again. She was so slender, but the curves of her... he was feeling a bit light headed.
The mountain air is so thin.

“
I think I could use some food,” he said as he shook his head and looked back out the window.

“
Crag is bringing us breakfast,” she said as she looked at him. “Fitting name for him, isn't it? I wanted to ask if it was his given name or something he'd earned. I was a bit too focused on finding a bath though in the end.”