Destiny (43 page)

“And you rescued us?” Iruki asked.

“With the help of the Keepers we tracked the Sorcerers one by one, following their trail, and found them. I fought with them on four different occasions, and miraculously came out victorious. That’s how I rescued you eighteen years ago.”

A long, tense silence followed Haradin’s revelation. Komir, who already knew part of it, had less trouble coming to terms with the terrible significance of those facts. He swallowed hard and saw that his companions were trying to make sense of all they had heard. In their faces was pain as well as understanding.

Aliana was the first to react.

“You saved us, Haradin. That’s what matters, and we must thank you for it. You mustn’t torment yourself. You did all you could, and for that I’m eternally grateful.”

“So are we,” Iruki added. She glanced aside at her companions, who all nodded in agreement.

Haradin acknowledged their thanks with a small bow, but his eyes remained on the ground.

“Was it you who took us to our foster homes?” Aliana asked.

“It was. I searched for the most suitable homes I could find in the neighborhood of the ill-omened events. You were in great danger. I had to hide you and make sure you were protected and well looked after. I chose the best I could under the circumstances, bearing in mind the urgency of the situation. Iruki and Asti were handed over to chiefs of their respective tribes, you and Sonea to well-regarded Orders. It’s all I could do… I’m sorry…”

“You did well,” Iruki said. Her eyes were moist from emotion. “I couldn’t have wished for better parents.”

Asti nodded in agreement.

“How did you hide us from the Dark Lady?” Sonea asked. Her restless mind was tying the loose ends together.

“I asked the Silver Witch to cast a spell on four runic stones, as she had already done with the Somber Medallion. And so she did. My Keepers placed the runes of hiding close to your homes. They’ve been keeping watch on you since then from a distance, without interfering, and informing me.”

Komir stepped forward.

“What you’ve told us is much to take in all at once,” he said. “But we asked for explanations, and you’ve given them, whether or not we like what you’ve told us. I’m grateful, Haradin, although it leaves my soul troubled and in turmoil.”

Haradin looked Komir in the eye and gave him the trace of a bow.

Komir met his gaze and acknowledged the bow with a nod.

“And now what, Haradin?” Aliana asked. From the look on her face, she still had not quite taken in everything she had been told.

“Now we’ll leave this accursed chamber, never to return.”

Kayti pointed to the sealed door. “Shouldn’t we kill them?” She asked.

“Yes, we should,” Haradin said, his face uneasy, “but I doubt whether we’d be able to. You saw what happened. If we try to go in to kill them I fear we’d fail, and what’s worse, they’d manage to wake up. My magic is useless in there. That Chamber oozes Ilenian power. The medallions you wear serve the Ilenians, over and above your will. They’d turn against you and obey their masters. No, it’s too risky. We’re not powerful enough to confront the Ilenian magic in there. We should seal the Chamber and erase it from our memory.”

Kayti nodded.

Haradin turned and looked at them all.

“The Ilenians must never be awakened. Never. I need your word that everything you know about the Ilenians and this Chamber will never be revealed to anyone. This has to be a secret you’ll take to the grave.”

They all nodded in assent.

“Komir?”

“You have my word as a Norriel.”

“Aliana?”

“Of course, Haradin. By the Mother Healer.”

“Asti?”

“Me promise by Usik Forests sacred.”

“Iruki?”

“By the Mother Steppe of the Masig.”

“Sonea?”

“By the Order of Knowledge.”

Haradin looked at the couple:

“By Zuline, the Lady Custodian,” Kayti said.

“As Komir said, you have my word as a Norriel,” said Hartz.

Finally, Haradin looked at the Norghanian Tracker.

“By my honor,” Lasgol said.

The Mage smiled, satisfied.

“My Keepers and I will deal with the sacred task of hiding this place from humanity and watching so that nobody ever finds it.”

The Keepers bowed deeply to their leader.

Haradin turned once more to the young group. His eyes were determined.

“Remember, this oath binds you for life. Now be faithful to it.”

Komir gazed at the landscape from the top of the great Egia Lighthouse. The view from that height was spectacular, just as he remembered it: the infinite ocean of enchanting indigo in front of him and league after league of green fields and small woods on the plains behind. The breeze brushed his face, and for a moment all his tensions and worries vanished.

“The time has come to say goodbye,” came Haradin’s voice behind him.

Komir turned and saw that the Mage was giving him a sincere smile. Behind him the whole group was waiting.

The great Mage put his hand on Komir’s shoulder. “King Gerart has just arrived with a detachment of Lancers. I have to go and meet him. It’s time for rebuilding. It’s time for peace.”

Komir smiled at him.

“Goodbye, Haradin. Take good care of the Kingdom, and of the future of men.”

“So I will, young Norriel. And you take good care of yourself. You did well, Komir, very well. It fills me with pride to have fought beside you. We wouldn’t have done it without you.”

“Nor without you, Haradin.”

“Friends?”

Komir smiled and nodded. “Friends.”

Haradin turned to address the rest of the group:

“Now is the time to think over everything that’s happened to us here. It’s time for reflection, to see how things have changed us, to decide how to go on with our lives.”

The Bearers nodded heavily, as they understood the importance of those words.

“Now is the time to rebuild the nation and your spirits. But in a short while in the not too distant future, I shall call upon you, and when I do I hope you’ll come quickly.”

“We will,” Aliana assured him.

“In the meantime, meditate, think over the events, their importance, the secret you’ve sworn to protect with your lives.”

“When I call, we shall gather to talk about the past, and in particular, about the future.”

They all nodded and took their leave of Haradin.

The Mage in his turn smiled, and left.

“I’m going with him,” Lindaro said. He was holding the Book of the Sun under his arm. “I must go back immediately, there’s so much to do… so little time…”

“I’m coming with you,” said Sonea, who was clasping the Book of the Moon firmly. “I have lots of long hours of study waiting for me.”

The Priest of the Light stopped at the door and turned with a wide smile.

“See you soon, my friends, take care —and by the Light, don’t get into any more trouble!”

Iruki looked up at the sky. “It’s time to go back to the steppes, to my Blue Clouds. My soul needs rest and quiet, to tend to the wound that I know will never fully heal.”

“I’m coming with you on your journey,” Lasgol said to her.

Iruki’s gaze turned to him, then after a moment she nodded. They exchanged farewells and good wishes with the rest of the group and set off.

The look Komir gave Hartz was unsure.

The big guy noticed this, and came closer to him.

“Everything’s all right between us, my friend. The past is forgotten.” Then he gave Komir a big bear hug which left him breathless, but with his heart joyful and tears in his eyes.

“Thank you, my friend, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”

Hartz nodded, smiling.

“What are you going to do now?” Komir asked him.

Hartz turned towards Kayti, who was waiting beside the big brazier. “We’re going to Irinel,” he said. “Carrot-top wants to show me her kingdom.”

“You’re going to have to travel a long way east, across practically the whole of Tremia…”

Hartz laughed. “That’s even better. I’ll have a chance to get into all sorts of trouble on the way and find a few more skulls to crush.”

Komir could not help catching something of his friend’s cheerfulness. He hugged him.

“You take good care of yourself,” he said, “and don’t get into too much trouble!”

“I’ll try… although I’m not sure I’ll manage it.”

“I want you to know, and I say this from the heart, that you’re the best friend a man could ever wish for.”

Hartz smiled at him and turned towards Kayti.

Komir looked at Kayti in her white armor,

“And the grimoires?” Komir asked, giving her a questioning look.

Kayti let out a long sigh.

“I should take them to the Brotherhood, but I know they’ll be well-protected with Haradin. I won’t bring up the subject again.”

Komir nodded and jabbed his thumb at the big Norriel. “Take good care of him,” he said.

Kayti returned the look and smiled. “Don’t you worry, Komir, I will.”

The Norriel warrior watched them leave, and a feeling of sadness mingled with happiness took hold of him.

Asti took both Aliana’s hands in hers.

“I go back with others.”

“I understand,” said Aliana. “You go, I’ll come soon. I must speak to Gerart.”

At the sound of this, Komir’s heart began to beat like a war-drum.

Asti gave him a smile and left.

“Well,” Aliana said. “Now there’s just you and me left,”

Komir gazed at her beautiful face. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind. Just the sight of her made Komir’s heart bleed at the thought that he could not have her.

“That’s right,” said Komir, feeling hurt. “We’d better make this a brief farewell. The King is looking for you, to make you Queen of Rogdon.”

“That’s a decision which concerns nobody but me,” Aliana said. She came closer and looked sternly at him.

“You’re right. I’m sorry I said that…”

At that moment Gerart appeared at the door. The King of Rogdon stared at Aliana for a moment.

Aliana went over to the King and bowed.

“You know, between us there’s no need for formality… We’re friends. More than that, my heart belongs to you…” Gerart took both her hands in his. Aliana blushed.

“My King… Gerart…”

“I’ve come for you. I need the answer to the question you’ve been delaying. I need my Queen beside me to rebuild Rogdon.”

Aliana gazed at those blue eyes and took the handsome face in her hands.

She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry… Gerart… I can’t be your Queen,” she said with a knot in her throat.

Gerart raised his head and looked up at the sky. His face showed pain, and his eyes deep sorrow.

“I should have gone after you in the Usik Forests. It’s something I shall never forgive myself for. I lost you there, for choosing Rogdon over you.”

“Don’t ever say that. You did the right thing, and you know it.”

“If I’d gone after you I would have won your heart, and this wouldn’t be happening.”

“If you’d come after me, Rogdon would be lost and you would never have forgiven yourself. We might not even be here.”

“But I’ve lost you…”

“You’ll always have me on your side.”

“Not the way I had hoped.”

“And you don’t know how sorry I am,” Aliana said with tears in her eyes. “You are destined to become a great king. The best monarch Rogdon has ever known. You have a brilliant future ahead of you. I’m not the person you should share it with.”

“You have taught me what true courage is, Aliana. You didn’t hesitate to come and rescue me from the Black Army. It’s what I should have done and did not.”

“I did it for Rogdon, just as you did. It’s the same choice.”

“I have learnt a great lesson. One must follow one’s heart.”

“We must follow both, duty and heart, although sometimes the choice might seem impossible.”

Gerart nodded sadly.

Aliana kissed his cheek tenderly. “You did the right thing, my King.”

And with that kiss, all the moments lived with Aliana went through Gerart’s mind, the weight of his responsibility towards the Kingdom which had forced him to choose between what his heart yearned for and what his duty dictated. He knew that no matter how much it might break his heart, he had done what he had to as the heir of Rogdon when he left Aliana in the Usik Forest —without Haradin Rogdon would not exist. And anyway, she was safe, All the bearers had joined to defeat the Dark Lady. And although nothing would have made him happier than ruling over Rogdon with Aliana as his Queen, he understood that she too had matured in the course of the whole process, just as he had himself, and she had made her choice.

Aliana made a move to say something, but Gerart raised his hand to stop her. He smiled at her. The smile was sincere, although there was deep grief in his eyes. He nodded at Aliana, then at Komir, and then with great dignity, the King left the hall.

Aliana went back to Komir. She stared into his eyes without saying anything. Between them, time seemed to stand still.

She put her arms around his neck and to his great surprise, kissed him passionately.

Komir looked into Aliana’s eyes.

“Don’t you want to be Queen?”

“That’s not my choice.”

“And your Order?”

Aliana shook her head.

“You’re my choice, Komir. You’re my Destiny.”