A Stolen Crown (31 page)

Before long, the Al-andor cleared the harbor and was well out to sea before anyone even thought to ask where they were going

*****

Carlis had regretted not making it back in time to Aghlar to see Ehlena’s acceptance ceremony in the temple of the Lady. He regretted it more when he returned to discover that not only had the ceremony been one of strange miracles, but that after disappearing from the temple, Ehlena had reappeared on his ship, the Al-andor which had sailed to no one knows where.

King Toren had convinced Carlis several days earlier, to accompany him on a whale hunt, an adventure that Carlis likened to being invited by a land-bound king to come hunt in the royal forests. They had gone out to sea and sailed northwest along the Aghlar coast to where the whales would often be found. A true adventure, they had sailed past a number of rocky and forested islands and seen some true sailing weather. The seas had been high but not dangerously so and King Toren’s own ship the Al-dea had sailed swiftly across the swells and waves toward the whaling grounds.

Exploring the seas up along the northern coast had been fascinating enough for Carlis, but when they had caught sight of whale’s breaking surface, the former magistrate had been completely enthralled. The ship sailed up along side the giant sea creatures that looked like the hulls of ships turned upside down as they lazed along the surface of the deep waters. Their massive tails would occasionally break and slap the surface in a display that Carlis thought to be miraculous. He wished that Elaine had accompanied them but she had begged off, admitting that she was not comfortable out on the open seas. Still, Carlis thought, even if she feared the sea, the sight of these great and magnificent creatures was completely worth the rattled nerves it took to get to them.

Toren was glad that his guest had enjoyed himself and even tolerated Carlis’ brief objections when the Aghlar king had given the order to fire the giant harpoon at one of the giant creatures of the sea. When Toren explained how many whales there were in the ocean and that his people only took a few each year, Carlis seemed more comforted, though the sight of the whale as they pulled it’s dying body along side the ship to be slaughtered, made the Marmyrian somewhat uncomfortable. Toren did not tell Carlis that, though the Aghlar’s did not abuse the whale population, there were others who spent every waking moment trying to kill the great creatures just so they could harvest certain delicate parts of their anatomy. Those killers were the pirates that Toren and his people patrolled the waters against and they, along with the Adrans, another sea-faring land to the southeast were responsible for the declining numbers of whales in the ocean.

Still, there were plenty of whales still swimming the waters near Aghlar and Toren marked it a good omen that they could come back to port with full stores of the important whale fat and the oils that could be used for making all manner of items. The size of the whale they had managed to catch was much larger than normal and the task of butchering it and storing its meat added several extra days to their trip.

They returned to Aghlar to a frantically worried Elaine and to widespread gossip that the Lady had taken the princess Ehlena into paradise. Those rumors were being corrected by the people who now remembered having seen Ehlena walking toward the shipyards and the stories were further supported that she had boarded the Al-andor and disappeared from port with its crew. Many speculated that Ehlena was on some holy mission, while others sent messages to the palace, asking whether there was anything they could do to assist the princess on her mission.

Toren, faced with so many messages and questions, was unsure how to respond. Carlis was more concerned that Ehlena had disappeared without telling anyone where she was going, than he was concerned about his ship. He was also irritated that the crew would also have gone without leaving him any kind of word and he wondered just how much they respected his orders. He decided he would take a firmer hand as Captain when he boarded the other great-ship, the Al-sea, the sea-princess and set out in search of his unofficially adopted niece.

Toren also sailed in search of Ehlena and the Al-andor, as did several other great ships from Aghlar. While many were awestruck by what had happened at the temple, most of the Aghlars were now concerned for the safety of their new priestess. There had been news that the pirates from Meer Island had recently stepped up their raids and their attacks on Aghlar ships. They hoped that Ehlena would not run into trouble with the ruffian sea-bandits. Still, they took some comfort that Ehlena had sailed on the Al-andor, which was perhaps the fastest ship in Aghlar and it was also equipped with a full compliment of cannons and crewed by some of the best sailors in Aghlar.

*****

Having a fast and heavily armed ship with an able crew was one thing, but Sten was concerned about the fact that the Al-Andor had left port without a proper supply of the precious black powder that made the cannons work. They were also short on fresh water having not had the chance to resupply due to the need for haste, which meant that they now had no choice but to resupply at their destination of Meer Island. He grimaced at the thought of approaching the pirate’s den without any real ability to do battle; they were defenceless and ill prepared for what lay ahead.

“I just don’t get why we’re sailin’ right smack into trouble princess!” Sten protested. When Ehlena had finally awoke from her dazed sleep, the crew had also come to, regaining whatever will and freedom had been subdued when Ehlena had first boarded. The crew continued with their duties, but now many of them were asking the same question or why they were headed toward obvious trouble. Ehlena sipped some more water from the covers of the bed.

“Sten.” She looked at him gravely. “I don’t know why we are going to the pirate island, but I do know that the Lady wants us to go there. I am sure it will become more clear when we get there.”

Sten was not entirely convinced, though it did matter to him that the Lady had actually, in a sense, appeared and taken an active hand in the matters of the world. It had been generations since anyone had experienced a miracle of this kind.

“And the Lady herself told you that we have to go there?” he asked, just trying to understand what had happened. Unfortunately, Ehlena herself did not understand what had happened when the Lady had touched her.

“I don’t know,” she told him. “But I do know that it is important, or the Lady would not have acted so directly. There is something I must do there. Do not worry, Sten. The Lady will protect us and the Al-andor. She would not send us to our deaths,” Ehlena reassured the first mate who nodded in agreement, seeing a faint light in her eyes. Sten too saw the light and felt his spirits lift as he felt the power of the Lady Goddess.

“No. The Lady most certainly would not do such a thing,” Sten agreed, but he noticed some ominous looking dark clouds appearing in the sky far to the northeast, which tempered the feelings of inspiration and courage he had felt from Ehlena.

Carly and Aaron, along with the complaining pirate, Malek, made their way down the river to a small port town on the coast where they had resupplied Malek's small ship and, with favorable winds, they set out to sea. Leaning against the rail at the bow, looking out over the gently rolling waves, Carly realized how much she had missed the ocean. It had been a long time since she had felt the sway of a ship and the fine spray of salt mist in the air and it brought back memories, of a different life, one she had not expected to see again and here she was, sailing right back into the middle of it all; their heading, Maer Island.

They were lucky with the weather for the first few days at sea, with a good, strong breeze and clear skies. Aaron had suffered a little at first, having never been aboard a ship at sea, which was very different from floating along the river, and the effects of seasickness were worse on Malek's small ship than they would have been on a bigger vessel, but Carly was not surprised when the mysterious young swordsman finally managed to get his sea legs. She was pleased that Aaron was also learning about sailing the ship and had made himself useful, helping Malek, which meant Carly could have a few moments to herself.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the gentle crash of the ship as it rode up and down the waves, cutting through the water. It was a natural rhythm and one she knew well, like a heartbeat that she felt in the core of her being, powerful and relentless, like life itself, she mused, forever changing. As the memories of the sea flooded through her, Carly felt something change, like a scent on the wind or a chill in the air; something was different. She opened her eyes and turned around to see a dark cloud growing in the sky, far behind them, but something about it seemed unnatural.

Aaron was in the middle of tying off a rope from the mainsail when his legs buckled underneath him and he fell to his knees and Malek, who had been showing him how to make the proper knot, caught him before he collapsed completely.

"Are you all right, lad?" the pirate asked.

Aaron looked up at him, dazed, and Malek could see that the young man's eyes had turned black as night. "What is happening?" Aaron mumbled as he tried to rise, but fell again.

Carly ran over and helped Malek carry Aaron over toward the steps to the stern castle, but before they could get him there, a cold wind began to rise and lightning cracked overhead. They were both thrown back as the lightning struck Aaron and the power that ran through him lifted him to his feet.

"What's got into you, boy?" Malek shouted as the wind began to howl.

"I don't think he's doing this," Carly said. The lightning stopped and Aaron dropped to his knees again then fell forward, limply to the deck of the small ship.

"He's got a wizard's eyes," Malek said. "

"Something is happening." Carly pointed at the dark cloud that had now filled half the sky. "Look there!"

"That's one bad omen after another," Malek complained. "What do we do with him?"

Carly nudged Aaron with her foot and found that he was no longer coursing with lightning, which was a good thing. She knelt down and rolled him over onto his back and saw that his eyes were wide open and black as Malek had described, although it was different than when she had seen other mages use their power. Aaron's eyes seemed almost a bluish kind of black, like the night sky, and they glittered as though filled with countless tiny stars. It was almost hypnotic, looking into them, but Carly shook off the feeling and set to work.

"Help me move him inside the cabin," she said, and she and Malek lifted Aaron and carried him inside to the quarters at the aft of the ship, where they lay him down on a rough cot. Aaron was mumbling incoherently and Carly thought he looked like he was in a great deal of pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Malek asked as the ship began to sway.

"I don't know," Carly said, "but I think it has something to do with the storm that's brewing."

"We're still half a day's sail from Maer Island. It looks like we've got no choice but to try to outrun the storm and I'm worried about more lightning. It was like it went straight for him. If a bolt like that hits the ship, we're doomed. I don't know if I want someone like that on my ship."

"Well, hopefully if he's in here, he won't attract it," Carly said, throwing Malek an irritated look. "And maybe we're lucky it hit him instead."

Malek shrugged, thinking about what she had said, and the ship began to sway even more.

"Malek, let's just leave him here. We have bigger fish to fry if we're going to make speed to the island."

"All right," he said, "but if we get hit again, I'm dumping him off the side."

"We'll talk about that if it happens," Carly told him, and the two of them went back out to the deck of the ship and hurriedly began securing the ship for the rough seas that had already surrounded them.

*****

Underneath black skies, raging with thunder and lightning, in the new temple of the one god at Maramyr, Dakar signalled the priests to begin the next part of the Awakening ritual as it had been described by the images in the Book. Before him stood Cerric and Calexis, who had decided that they would exchange their marriage vows during the awakening. At first, Dakar had wanted to object, irritated that he would also have to preside over the wedding of the fool, King Cerric and the Xallan witch, but the Book had commanded that it would be so and he obeyed, knowing that he would enjoy the just rewards of his obedience.

As Dakar began to intone the words of the marriage bond, He could already feel the powerful presence that pushed at the edges of the void created in the center of the star crystal. The One God waited on the other side of the portal that would be created with the combined magic of the Priesthood and all those who had read the book and come under its influence. When the star crystal was fully endowed with the power of so many mage-priests, many of whom were assembled in the temple, the portal would open and the One God would come walking through to bring divine order to all the peoples of the world.

Dakar had long dreamed of being in the presence of such an almighty power and looked forward to being the favored disciple of the One God. Perhaps the God would share his divine wisdom and power with his High Priest. Dakar was sure that the God would appreciate how hard he had worked and how far he had gone beyond the mere compulsion of the Book. He was a true disciple and he was eager for his true rewards.

Dakar gritted his teeth as the star crystal pulsed even more strongly and he felt his own magic being pulled towards it. It was almost painful to have such an amount of power flowing out of him, but Dakar focused on the rewards the book promised for his loyalty, perseverance and dedication, which would flow back to him once the Awakening ceremony was complete. For now, he had to complete another ceremony that somehow seemed so common, so uninspiring; the marriage of a King and a Queen and the uniting of two lands. To Dakar, Cerric and Calexis’ wedding was nothing compared with the coming of a God.

As Cerric and Calexis exchanged their vows, the crystal began to pulse even more brightly overhead, increasing in its radiance by the moment. Dakar nearly fumbled the words of the marriage rite as he felt the massive structure begin to drain more power from him as it did every priest that was linked to the One. He hurried through the vows as quickly as convention would allow and Cerric and Calexis took no notice, both of them looking pleased as they sealed their vow with a kiss.

The newly anointed king and queen turned and saw that the sea of black-robes congregated before them for the service had knelt en masse, while the many nobles and people assembled in the further rows and galleries of the temple applauded the spectacle of the royal marriage. Cerric was so impressed with the awestruck expressions that appeared on the faces of the onlookers that he did not see the dark shadow growing around the crystal star behind him. Not as enthralled by the proceedings, Calexis did caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye and managed to turn enough to see the shimmering darkness and the sheer power that was forming around the crystal.

Calexis also saw that the mage-priests were not actually kneeling, but had fallen from the same pain that had doubled over Dakar who was now down on one knee nearby. She looked at Cerric and saw a strange expression come over his face. It was one of hunger, a hunger for power, one that she herself recognised and knew well but had not realized that it ran so deeply in the Maramyrian king. There was something familiar between his look and the dark presence that now seemed to envelop the brightly pulsing star crystal.

The star crystal blasted forth a burst of light. Cerric turned to face the bright glow and took a step toward it. The shadow that had gathered at its center leapt toward the Maramyrian king, gathering around him like a cloak of blinding darkness. Cerric stumbled forward then reached out for the star crystal. Immediately the dark power closed around him and in a bright flash, the crystal shattered. All was silent. Calexis took a step back as Cerric, her new husband, slowly turned and smiled cruelly, looking right through her, shards of crystal embedded all over his entire face and body. Whatever the priests had conjured with their star crystal, it had leapt into Cerric. With her own small magic, the Xallan queen could feel the difference in him and she used her own power to see his aura. There was something heavy and malevolent to it, and though Cerric had always been shrouded in some sort of darkness, his aura was now entirely black.

Cerric’s eyes looked wildly about the temple at all the people gathered who were now nervously trying to edge their ways to the doors. Even though his mouth was not open, a low, rumbling laugh escaped him and reverberated louder and louder throughout the temple until it was a loud cackling roar. The doors swung shut and the people who had been trying to leave were now going to hear what their new king had to say.

Calexis realized that whatever energy had taken hold of Cerric was the same thing that had been draining the power of all the mages. Her pulse skipped a beat as she realized that now, Cerric, or whatever it was that he had become, now controlled the entire Priesthood and could draw on the powers of all its mages. With her power, she could see the subtle flow of countless lines of energy toward her new husband. Cerric turned and looked directly at her and Calexis froze in fear at the power she saw in his eyes. He then turned back to the audience and smiled.

“People of Maramyr, people of Xalla, people of the world! You are mine. Welcome your ruler, welcome your god!” his voice thundered. “Bow before me!” His voice reverberated through the temple and, with a gesture of his hand, the entire crowd felt themselves forced to their knees. Before Calexis could stop it, the words tumbled from her lips.

“Who are you?” she asked. Whoever he was, and whatever he was, he certainly was no longer merely the Maramyrian regent-king named Cerric. He chuckled, his voice deeper than it had been.

“Who am I?” he asked, his tone derisive. “I am Kroma. I am your king. I am your God!” his voice reverberated over everyone assembled in the temple.

Powerless to resist the god’s will, each and every one of them were compelled to their knees, all except one, who stood in the shadows behind a stand that had been brought in to display the Xallan banners. The figure recoiled back into the shadows and wept, knowing finally what part he had played in bringing the god to walk the earth. The only thing that saved him from the horror of what was happening was the surge of energy he felt with the sudden return of his own powers. Gone was the feeble weakness he had been cursed with. He felt it flow through him, enveloping his skin like a familiar set of clothes. He quickly grasped the powers he knew so well and made haste to obscure himself from the god’s penetrating vision as the King, no longer simply Cerric but now also the god, Kroma, swept his gaze through the crowd, revelling in his malevolent glory.

He stepped back, deftly using his powers to hide himself from the powerful gaze of the god-king. Overcome by a wave of emotions, elation and despair and both energized and exhausted with all that had happened, the figure melted further back from the crowd, the truth becoming real. It was true, his powers had returned, but at what price? He knew the god, Kroma and knew him to be a truly evil being, a vicious killer and bringer of war and death, though he knew him by another name. That such a god now walked the lands promised more misery than the people had ever known. The figure wept in the shadows for the people and he wept for the mages who had been tricked into giving their power to Kroma for it was their lives, their force, their wills that had been violated to open the rift between the heavens and the world. He wept for sadness at the strife and hardship that he knew was to come, but a part of him also wept for joy that he, one of the most learned and powerful mages that had ever lived, was no longer cursed to be Anonymous.