Conspiracy (15 page)

Gregor raised another question. “How much do the Northern Realm Elven understand about the Southern, Eastern, and Western Realm? Further, how much do they know about the human world?”

William smiled and nodded. “They have retained knowledge of the Southern Realm, but have no knowledge of either the East or West. Since they are now third and in some cases fourth-generation from their banishment, and they are unable to exit their Realm, they have lost all understanding of the human world. They are nomadic in nature, have divided themselves into a half-dozen or more tribes, and do not recognize a single king. They have formed a ruling council with representatives from each of the tribes. They have become what the humans would call a democratic society.”

This time Mallorie had a question. “Exactly where is the Northern Realm located?”

“Across the top of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia,” William responded. “They have retained our historic cultural roots and adapted to the climate. They raise reindeer, grow crops, and move with the seasons. It is a very primitive, but peaceful existence. I will be most interested to see how they respond to knowledge of the other Elven, and if they so decide, exploring the outside human world. Do not be surprised if they decide to remain as they are.”

William stood from his place at the head of the table, placed his hands flat in front of him, and smiled at the small assembly. “Are we prepared for our adventure?”

The other three delegates also rose and followed William outside into the bright sunshine of a Southern Realm morning.

Two hundred miles above the Arctic Circle on the west coast of Norway sits the community of Narvik. Within the human world, a rail line runs from the ocean port of Narvik to the Swedish interior. Thirty miles along that track, the mountains begin to rise gently toward the east. William’s small group of Elven royalty arrived in a cluster of trees several hundred yards from the railroad station. Still part of the human world, they could see several people milling around the station, but they had not been spotted.

To their left sat an old Viking church, unused and in disrepair. William stepped briskly toward the church, followed by his group. Inside along the wall sat several ancient decorations, paintings, and wooden carvings. William moved to the decoration that looked like a Russian Orthodox icon.

“This is the portal to the Northern Realm,” he said. “By direction of the king at the time it was established, the portal will only open to an elf from the Southern Realm. For the time being, only the three rulers and I will pass through. Ian and Michael, I would ask that you wait here briefly. It should not be too long. Prince Gregor, if you will assist. Queen Mallorie, please take hold of my arm. Queen Eimile, please do the same with Prince Gregor.”

With his eyes, William motioned for Gregor to grasp the icon. In an instant, all four were standing in the chapel and the slight ambient sounds they had previously heard from the train station were gone. Only the wind in the trees provided a gentle rustling sound.

“We are now in the Northern Realm. If you will make yourselves comfortable within this chapel, I will sift to the nearest village and contact the leaders. I will request that they convene their grand council as quickly as possible. This will likely take several days, but I believe we will be invited to reside in the local village until then. I will also ask permission for Ian and Michael to join us.”

Eimile spoke for the first time. “Why will it take several days?”

“There is much you will learn about the Elven in the Northern Realm, but one important issue is that they’ve lost their ability to sift. I believe they still have the power, but not the knowledge. They travel as the humans did in this part of the world before the invention of motor vehicles—by dog sled. They also use pigeons for communication, which should hasten their notification.”

With those words, William left the chapel, and those remaining began to examine their surroundings.

“I've been to Norway before,” Gregor said, “but not this far north. It's quite beautiful country, actually.”

Mallorie looked at Gregor for several seconds and then spoke. “Were you aware of this Realm?”

Gregor did not answer immediately, but picked up a small wooden stump from the floor, dusted off the top, and used it as a stool. “I knew from my early education that those elves who were banished had been placed somewhere outside the Southern Realm, but I did not know where. Your Realm is actually far closer. Did you have no hint or rumor?”

Mallorie shook her head without responding. She spotted a chair in the far corner and crossed the room to take a seat. Eimile stood by the side window, observing the outside landscape, quietly listening to the exchange. When Mallorie didn't respond to Gregor, he stepped through the front door and began to circle the building.

Eimile remained by the window. After all the years that Mallorie was “dead,” she was now reunited with her daughter and in less than three days, they had essentially become enemies. It was not the reunion she had envisioned when Reagan had first told her that Mallorie still lived. Two things bothered Eimile: the first was that during their time in the Southern Realm, her daughter had not seemed to grieve the death of her husband. Mallorie had been visibly shocked immediately following his death, but the subsequent two days had not revealed a deeply felt emotional loss—at least from the perspective of her mother.

The second issue was even more perplexing. Mallorie’s determination to return to the Eastern Realm, with the explicit warning from Gregor that it was not safe, left Eimile with a nagging suspicion that Mallorie was more involved in the overthrow than had been apparent. Her willingness to “negotiate” with the rebels, even refusing Gregor's offer to accompany her, was not logical. The death of her husband at the hands of the
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and their command of her kingdom should have given her pause, but she seemed to have no fear.

Eimile continued to stare out the window, Gregor now having left her field of vision. The final inconsistency in her daughter was Mallorie’s immediate willingness to change her attitude about assistance from the Southern Realm. The moment William was introduced and the Northern Realm was revealed to them, it was as if an opportunity had presented itself.

She knew of Ian’s concern, and Gregor’s dismissal of it. He seemed to think that Mallorie had no ulterior motives, but Eimile had already heard her speak of Tony taking over the Western and Eastern Realms. There was more going on, and Eimile was determined to keep her eyes open. But it grieved her that after so many years of separation, she had quickly come to distrust her daughter.

Eimile turned away from the window and stepped toward a chair several feet away from where Mallorie sat. She looked at Mallorie for several seconds, her daughter's head slightly tilted back and her eyes closed. Eimile had to admire her daughter’s toughness, her ability to stand against outside opinion. Such strength was required in a good ruler. Perhaps Mallorie was a queen after all. Eimile had to admit that as grandmother, she had quickly come to love Reagan, but there had been no hesitation about sending her in harm's way. She was the grandmother, but she was also the queen. Such decisions were tough. Perhaps Mallorie had learned the same hard lessons of being the ruler. Duty before family.

Unwilling to broach the subject at this time, Emily pivoted and stepped toward the door. “I think I'll have a look around outside and see what Gregor has found. The Northern Realm is geographically far different than my home, yet I find it quite beautiful.” Without further comment, the queen of the Western Realm left the chapel building.

The moment she left the building and Mallorie was alone, she quickly rose and moved close to the icon William had used to enter the portal. She felt it, examined it, and tried to determine how and why it would only work for an elf from the Southern Realm. She explored in vain.

William returned after about two hours, in company with two local men. Rather than finely woven cotton and linen, the two men wore leather pants and shirts. Their boots were fur covered and they wore multicolored skullcaps. They were fair skinned, both possessing light hair which hung long over their shoulders. One had brown eyes, the other deep blue.

“We have been invited to attend the village and will be welcomed with all courtesy. These two men are the village elders, Hagnar and Morvan. They have also agreed that Ian and Michael may join us.”

“Will you bring them over now?” Gregor asked.

“Yes. I will pass through the portal and bring them back with me,” William answered. “In a short while, a few men will arrive to transport our party to the village.”

William stepped back to the icon and grasped the object firmly, and in an instant he was gone. Moments later, he returned with Ian and Michael. The Northern Realm elves studied their two new visitors for a few moments, then turned and left the chapel.

“They didn't seem all that friendly,” Queen Eimile said.

William smiled at her. “They are very reserved people. Their hospitality is unrivaled, but their verbal skills, especially in the presence of strangers, are limited. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the gentle nature of their silence. Once you come to know them and understand their ways, they speak volumes with the expressions on their faces. Now, shall we step outside and I will show you a bit of the beauty to be found in the Northern Realm?”

Outside the chapel, the ground and the hillsides were covered with a moderate dusting of snow. Heavier concentration was evident in the mountains and on the trails that wound through the darkly shadowed trees. Little was spoken among the newly assembled group, but William was in soft conversation with the two local elves. They sat on a large leather skin that had been placed on the ground, preventing the cold and wet snow from dampening their clothing.

Gregor and Ian stood off to one side. “What do you make of all this?” Gregor asked.

“This whole week has been beyond belief, Gregor. If someone had told me a month ago that as the next ruler I would visit the Southern Realm and learn of the Northern Realm and its inhabitants, I would’ve said they were crazy. But then, I thought you were the security chief of the royal family of the Eastern Realm,” he chuckled.

Gregor smiled back at him. “After twenty years I began to think of myself as if I really was the security chief. This last visit home and finding my father…” Gregor hesitated, his countenance suddenly saddened.

“I understand,” Ian said softly. “When my grandfather, Queen Eimile’s husband, died, I was humbled and quite frankly frightened by the possibility that the Grand Council would select me as the next ruler. And I was only one of several choices. You, on the other hand, have known all of your life that you would one day rule.”

“That didn’t make it any easier to accept the finality of my father’s life,” Gregor responded.

Both men began a slow amble through the woods, always keeping within visual distance of the remainder of their party. Queen Eimile and Queen Mallorie were visible in the distance, remaining separate from each other and the others in the group. Michael had joined William and the two Northern Realm elves as they sat on the ground conversing. Changing the subject, Gregor addressed the common issue he and Ian shared.

“So, we have two potential rulers of Elven kingdoms, and both have chosen humans for our mates. I don't know about you, but it leaves me in a quandary. I’ve seen our wedding in a vision, and you know from our prior association that I have complete confidence in the validity of those visions. Do you think both women understand the true nature of the ninth crossing?”

“No, I don’t, but I know they’re both smart enough to have given it consideration. Reagan has mentioned to me her concerns about leaving her mortal life behind. If she chooses to become fully Elven, then the choice will have been hers. I believe the same would apply to Heather.”

“Do we have the right to ask them to give up their lives? To forego all that they have come to understand regarding a normal life? I’m hesitant to place that level of burden upon Heather.”

“What else can we do if we love these women, Gregor? I’ve given this a lot of thought. Reagan is fully involved in her career, not to mention the father they share who remains unaware of their Elven heritage. It’s not easy for them to envision leaving that behind.”

A slight tinkling of bells could be heard in the distance, and Ian stepped back through the trees to get a better view. Four large sleds could be seen approaching in the distance. They were each pulled by six dogs. As Ian and Gregor began to walk toward the chapel, William and the two Northern elves stood, followed by Michael. William turned toward the trees and waved at the two men, summoning them to join the party.

The village, which William said was named Norland, was unlike any community the visitors had seen. It took about an hour to drive from the chapel to the village with two of the visitors in each sled and the two Northern elves in the fourth. Eimile and Mallorie remained apart, each taking seats in separate sleds. The trip proved interesting to the visitors because they usually sifted from place to place. The ride was actually pleasant and crossed open tundra as well as small forested areas. The entire valley was surrounded by high mountains, the tops of which were covered in deep snow.

As they entered the village, many children swarmed around the dog sleds, running alongside and trying to touch the visitors. Even the women of the village were interested in this unexpected change to their routine. Of the Southern, Eastern, and Western elves that had made the trip, only Ian, Michael, and Gregor had spent substantial time in the human world. The image presented by the Northern Realm village reminded Ian of films he had seen of Native American tribal villages.

The sleds pulled to a halt in front of the largest structure in the village, a circular building constructed primarily of wood and leather. Four men, dressed identically to the two hosts who had brought the sleds, stood in front of the building. Without preamble, they turned and entered, the visitors following.