Chronicles of Logos Quest For the Kingdom Parts IV, V, VI, and VII Revised With Index (Quest For the Kingdom Set) (74 page)

Lucius did not
hear even a bird singing, and realized they had stopped when the footsteps
approached. Not even the sound of a child was heard as they waited. He began to
fear that they would never resolve anything when the first villager came to
Dag.

It was Laig
who came first, a shamefaced Laig who knelt before Dag and lowered his head.

“I repent,” he
whispered.

Niamh looked
from her husband to her still defiant sister and struggled almost visibly.

She came
forward and knelt beside Laig.

One by one
they came, all who had turned back to their idols and forsaken Dominio. It did
not include the entire village, for not all had turned. But it was at least a
third of the village that came and repented, kneeling before Dag.

The last to
come was Melisande.

Dag turned
back to the spot where the footsteps had stopped and the Astra appeared.

“And now what
shall you do?” he asked the villagers. “Shall they be sent away?”

“Aye, send
them away!” they cried with one voice.

With a
triumphant laugh cast in the direction of Enora, the only one who did not
repent, Dag turned back to the silent walkers.

“Agents of the
Astra, tormenters of mankind, I order you by the authority of Dominio to be
gone from here. You shall trouble this place no longer. I cast you away and
order you never to return.”

A white vapor
rose where the Astra stood, and they suddenly vanished from sight. A wind rose
and a plume of smoke appeared where the footsteps had stopped, and the smell of
acrid smoke permeated the air, leaving a foul odor that choked and gagged those
who watched. It emanated from the Astra and was directed at Dag, but he
gathered himself to his full height, took a deep breath, and blew it out with a
mighty heave at the smoke. It hung suspended for a few minutes, but as he
continued to blow it slowly dissipated and all that was left was a wisp that
drifted slowly to the ground where he stepped on it and scattered the ashes of
its remains.

The next day
dawned with a renewed radiance, as if the darkness that had held Eirinia in its
clutch had fled before the coming of dawn. The birdsong was sweeter, the sky
bluer, and even the grass seemed to have shed some of its brown and taken on
once again the green tint for which the land was famous.

The Adalbart
family and their friends did not retire until long after the sun had set, so
great was their excitement over the events that transpired at Summer Festival.
For Dag and Kyrene, it was a victory shared, for as he said, he could not have
faced their enemy alone. It would not have been possible to cope with the
hostility of the women while facing the Astra.

Nolwenn glowed
with a return of the radiant innocence that had once defined her sweet
countenance. She was reluctant to leave Dag’s side, and kept addressing him as
Father as if, so Lucius thought, she could not say the word too often. Brand
said little, but his pride in his father was evident. Dirk and Maelys both lost
the look of anxiety that had weighted them down in recent months, restoring
them to the glow of youth.

Judoc and Brit
were quieter in their rejoicing, but peace seemed to permeate their faces and
cast warmth and light into the darkened hut. Now that the women of the village
had repented of their idolatry, both women looked forward to sweet fellowship
with their friends once more and an ending of the armed truce that had been
prevalent in recent relations with the ladies of Leith and Annick.

Lucius alone
had mixed feelings: he was genuinely happy that the villagers had repented of
their idolatry and turned back to Dominio. He was thrilled to have witnessed
the power of Dominio as manifested through Dag and Kyrene. But he knew also
that there was now no need for Kyrene to remain in Eirinia and would thus
depart quite soon, and it was his duty to escort her back to Solone.

Never would he
have thought that he would be reluctant to leave a provincial backwater such as
Eirinia. Why, the place did not have a single large city, it was merely a
collection of small villages with farms scattered in between! Nor would he call
himself a farmer, and still struggled as he helped Dirk with the work. Now that
Dag and Brand had returned there was less for him to do, but he still kept busy
and took whatever task was assigned him, as he did not wish to appear lazy to
these men who worked so hard.

But he had
reached the end of the road in Eirinia. He must leave when Kyrene did or
declare his feelings openly to Maelys, who did not seem to be aware of him. And
he could not stay on in the hope of winning her heart; no one would be deceived
if he offered to stay on and help with the work. True, the Adalbarts still
lacked two men now that Cort had left, and they still felt the loss of Brenus. But
who would really believe him if he said he wished to stay and help, if indeed
they did not laugh themselves to death at the absurdity of the offer?

Now as he rose
early and watched the sun come up, there appeared no solution to Lucius. He
must go with Kyrene and never declare his love to Maelys, or stay on under a
feeble pretext that all would see through and become a joke when she married
another. And he knew that there were many who wished to woo her, but she would
have none of them, for a reason that he did not fathom.

Lucius had
never been as devout as his sister Felicia; indeed, one could not really call
him devout at all. But in the time he had spent in Eirinia, witnessing the
spreading of the darkness and listening to Kyrene speak of prophecy and mysteries
and all the knowledge that she possessed of Dominio and the Kingdom, his heart
had gradually opened and he found himself praying more, and entrusting his
heart to Dominio. Now as he puzzled over his course, he dropped to his knees in
the grass still wet with dew and poured out his heart.

“Oh, Dominio,
I praise You for Your goodness. I know that You know all things, and wish only
for my good. I submit my course to You, only show me the way I should go and I
shall take it.”

He felt a warm
peace course through him, and a gentle breeze touched his cheek almost in a
caress. The touch comforted him; it was as if Dominio knew and understood his
dilemma and truly cared about his tortured feelings. He lingered on his knees
and breathed in the soft morning air, so cool and refreshing before the heat of
the day set in.

A sound behind
him brought him abruptly to his feet. He darted a look behind him and saw
Kyrene approaching. She was not looking at him but gazing up into the sky with
an expression of rapture, and he knew she had come to this spot not to find
him, but to seek Dominio. He thought about trying to slip away unseen while she
looked elsewhere when she spotted him and flashed him a bright smile of
greeting.

“Isn’t the day
lovely! And the sun is all the brighter after the night just passed. Praise be
to Dominio for His deliverance of this land!”

She seemed as
happy as a bride on her wedding day, her eyes glowed with a soft light and her
smile was tender. Lucius knew that her commitment to Dominio was total, and
that it had cost her greatly over the years. But on this day it seemed that she
cared not about the cost, because the reward was enough.

Kyrene
suddenly noticed the sadness in his eyes, and she hastened toward him.

“Lucius, it
will be alright, you will see,” she soothed in her soft voice. “Dominio will
show you what to do; you must trust Him.”

He chuckled
inwardly as he realized that the seers did not always need to be told in words
the dilemmas of their friends, for the Spirit of Dominio revealed the problems
of others to them, and they took the troubles to Dominio in prayer.

It was at the
midday meal that Kyrene made her announcement. They were all assembled and
talking and laughing, although not with the exuberance of the previous night.
For now the triumph of victory had waned, to be replaced with a deep
thankfulness for the protection and care of Dominio in the midst of the storm
they had just passed through. It was in the midst of this that she chose to
speak.

“My friends, I
can not tell you how delighted I am that Dominio has worked everything out. It
is a joy to see old friends such as Laig and Niamh give their hearts back to
Dominio. I do not know what will become of Enora, for she is stubborn and her
heart has hardened, and Dominio alone may be the only One to reach her in her
wickedness.”

Her words made
them all sober, and they bowed their heads as they recalled the events of the
night before. But Kyrene did not permit them to dwell on them.

“And now the
time has come for me to leave. It will make me sad, but I must return to my own
home and my people. I shall leave next week, as soon as I can book passage on a
ship. I wish to thank you for all of your hospitality during my extensive stay.
And know that I shall dearly miss all of you.”

The announcement
brought wails of protest from Maelys and Dirk, who had spent much time with her
and enjoyed her company. Nolwenn was more subdued, but the announcement
appeared to take her by surprise. No one noticed at first that Lucius said
nothing; until Brand mentioned his name.

“And Lucius?
You shall go with Kyrene?” he asked as his eyes darted back and forth between
them.

There was a
sudden gasp from Maelys, quickly stifled as she took a sip from her mug of
water. She looked down at the table and said nothing.

Lucius
attempted a bright smile that shone with artificiality.

“Well, yes, I
am Kyrene’s escort so it is expected that I shall leave when she does.”

He said no
more, the effort nearly strangled him, and he could scarcely get the words past
the lump in his throat. Dirk stared at him, and then looked at his father with
a question in his eyes.

Dag chose to
give his answer through his remark to Lucius.

“Well, we
shall miss your help. You have aided Dirk greatly, so he tells me. And with
Cort gone the need will be greater still. But, as you say, you must escort
Kyrene.”

Lucius was
grateful for Dag’s kind words; he did not think he had truly been much help to
the family, but he had tried.

“Thank you,
sir,” he said with a wan smile, “my father has always admired you greatly, and
I can understand why.”

The meal was
finished in silence as the family digested the imminent loss of their friends,
and it was soon time to return to the fields.

That evening
Lucius felt the need to be alone and headed for the woods. Odd, he had always
hated trees and preferred the city. But here in the isolation of Leith they had
somehow managed to find a corner of his heart to stake a claim in, and he
frequently took some time to stroll through them after a hard day of work, and
the sound of the breeze swaying their branches brought solace and calm to his
spirit. A rustle in the grass made him aware that he was not alone and he
turned around to find the source.

It was Maelys,
who was walking alone with downcast head and aimlessly dragging behind her a
downed limb that she had found on the ground. Her face seemed sad, and he
feared for a moment that he was invading her privacy. He darted behind a tree,
but she heard him.

“Who is
there?” she asked, as alarm spread across her face.

He did not
wish to frighten her, especially after the recent events, so he slowly came out
from his hiding place and revealed himself.

“Oh, Lucius,
you startled me!” she exclaimed as relief roughened her voice. “I did not know
what
was there!”

They both
laughed weakly, and he fell into step beside her. How often they had walked
together during his stay, he thought. How often they had strolled in silence,
no need for words between them. With no one else did he feel this sense of
peace and total contentment. He could not believe that in a week he would go
out of her life and probably never see her again.

But for the
first time, their silence was uncomfortable, as things unsaid between them
somehow made their presence felt. Maelys dropped her stick, and Lucius attempted
a feeble whistle. At last they glanced at one another and both laughed
uncertainly.

“So you are
leaving?” Maelys asked in a strained voice.

“Well, I must
accompany Kyrene; it’s impossible to allow her to return on such a long trip
without protection.”

“Oh, yes, I
see,” Maelys said thoughtfully. “And then you will go home, of course.”

Her voice rose
on the last word and ended on a squeak and broke off suddenly, and she kicked
at a loose pebble at her feet, managing to hide her face from him. He heard the
altered tone in her voice and hope surged through him unexpectedly. He grabbed
her hands and turned her around to face him, but she hung her head and averted
her gaze.

“I do not have
to go home,” he said as he searched her face. “There really is no point in my
going home except to be with my father and mother. I have no duties there, no
occupation of any sort. In truth, Maelys, I think I should be of greater use
here, helping your father and brothers to fill the space left by Cort.”

Her head shot
up and she stared at him with the fearful look of one who does not dare to
hope. And he knew in that moment that if he had hidden his love from her, so
had she hidden her heart from him.

“Maelys,” he
whispered as tears sprang to his eyes, “can, can you love me? If I come back,
will you marry me? I love you so much, dear, more than I ever dreamed I could
love anyone. I have lived for myself all of my life, but you have changed all
that, and made a man of me.”

He swallowed
hard in an effort to staunch the flow of his tears. And then he saw the tears
in hers and was encouraged.

“Maelys? Will
you have me?”

“Oh, yes,
Lucius, yes, yes, yes!” she cried as she threw maidenly modesty to the winds
and flung her arms around him.

He whooped and
grabbed her hands and swung her in a circle, both of them laughing with the
abandonment of children. They danced together through the trees and then he
took her hands and kissed them tenderly.

And as the
last light of day shed an orange glow on the land, he took his love in his arms
and embraced her.