Emerald of the Elves (42 page)

“Let Prince Midge remain with Darok and me,” suggested Tanya. “The priests might become alarmed at the presence of a fairy.”

Arik nodded, and Prince Midge frowned and reluctantly jumped onto Tanya’s shoulder.

“I have a job for you,” Tanya whispered to the fairy. “I want you to watch the meeting through the window and display it to me. Can you do that?”

Prince Midge brightened at the prospect of doing something devious. He nodded enthusiastically as Alex led Jenneva and Arik out of the inn.

The walk was short, and the doors to the temple of Risa stood open. The three Rangers entered the temple. The entrance opened into a large prayer room with a statue of the goddess Risa at the end of the room opposite the doors. To the right of the statue was a corridor leading back to the rest of the temple. The prayer room was empty with the exception of two priests who were kneeling in prayer before the statue. Another priest stood guard at the entrance to the corridor. Alex walked across the room and stood before the guard.

“We would like to see the head priest,” Alex announced.

“Is Brother Chalo expecting you?” asked the guard.

“He is not,” admitted Alex, “but it important that we see him.”

“What is the purpose of your visit?” questioned the guard.

“The purpose is something that we would prefer to discuss with Brother Chalo alone,” replied Alex. “Please ask if he will see us.”

The guard frowned and nodded. “You shall wait here,” he instructed.

Alex nodded as the guard turned and went down the corridor. He returned promptly, shaking his head.

“Brother Chalo is quite busy this day,” informed the guard. “He asks that you return tomorrow.”

Alex remained quiet as he tried to think of a reason to object. Arik eased by him and confronted the guard.

“I can appreciate the number of duties that Bother Chalo must handle each day,” he said, “but our time is also precious. We do not have a day to spare. Please notify Brother Chalo that King Arik of Alcea wishes a few moments of his time. I promise that we will be brief.”

The guard looked skeptically at Arik and frowned. Eventually, he nodded and retreated down the corridor again. It took longer than the last time for the guard to return, but he was nodding as he approached.

“Follow me please,” the guard said. “Brother Chalo has decided to grant a few moments of his schedule to greet you.”

The Rangers followed the guard along the corridor to a large office. A hardy old man with a baldhead sat behind a desk. He rose as the Rangers entered the room, but he did not bow to any of his guests.

“Please have a seat,” invited Brother Chalo as he waved his hand towards the chairs before the desk. “I understand that one of you claims to be King Arik of Alcea?”

“I am King Arik,” declared Arik as the Rangers sat down. “I appreciate that you are willing to interrupt your busy schedule to see me. I will not take up much of your time.”

The priest waved the guard away and sat down in the chair behind the desk. “I have read of Alcea,” he declared, “but I was unaware that it actually existed. Where is it, and how have you come unto the title of ruling it?”

“Alcea is located in the north,” replied Arik. “If you are aware of the Ancient Prophecy, then you must realize that the time of the demise of the Dark One is close at hand. I am the prophesized king.”

“I am aware of the prophecy,” nodded Brother Chalo, “but only in a scholarly manner. The Ancient Prophecy has no bearing on the teachings of Risa. How do you know that you are this king spoken of in the prophecy?”

“I have a mark upon my chest,” responded Arik. “It is spoken of in many prophecies. You are welcome to inspect it, if you have reason to doubt my claim to the throne.”

“That will not be necessary,” Brother Chalo smiled politely. “Alcea rising will have no impact on this temple. What is it that you wanted to see me about?”

“I am on a quest to restore the Sword of Heavens,” explained Arik, “as demanded by the Ancient Prophecy. No doubt that you have heard of the clearing of the skies in several places around the world. The Sword of Heavens has accomplished this. Currently, we are trying to restore the Emerald of the Elves to the Sword of Heavens. To do so, we must secure the Book of Things for the elves before they will relinquish the Emerald of the Elves. I have come to ask you for the Book of Things.”

“The Book of Things?” echoed Brother Chalo. “Why have you come to me?”

“Because the Book of Things is in your possession,” declared Arik.

“I do not know the truth of your statement,” retorted the priest, “but if it is in our possession, then it shall stay in our possession. Surely, you must realize that we do not give our tomes away. Knowledge is the mainstay of our religion. We guard our library zealously.”

“I can appreciate that,” countered Arik, “but the Book of Things is necessary to end the reign of the Dark One. Surely, that is a cause noble enough for you to make an exception?”

“Risa has issued no instructions regarding the demise of Sarac,” replied Brother Chalo. “I am afraid that the book will remain in our library. I am sorry that you have wasted your time on the trip down here.”

“But the Book of Things does not belong to you,” protested Arik. “It belongs to the elven people. Their prophecy demands its return. Do you think the goddess smiles upon those who withhold other peoples’ knowledge from them?”

“The book is our possession,” the priest declared sternly. “Just because someone else claims title to it, is that a valid reason for us to give it up?”

“Would you resort to force to keep it from its rightful owners?” questioned Arik.

The priest gazed nervously at the weapons carried by his guests, but his demeanor hardened. “How dare you threaten the goddess Risa?” he blustered. “I can assure you that this temple will forcefully resist any attempts to take the tome.”

“An interesting position that you have taken,” frowned Arik. “For a temple that is the recipient of over a thousand volumes delivered to it by my ancestors, merely because you claimed prior ownership, I find your position indefensible. If I were to emulate your position, I would have to seize your entire library because it would rightfully belong to Alcea.”

“What are you talking about?” scowled Brother Chalo as he rose to his feet.

The door opened and two armed guards entered the room.

“Twenty years ago,” Arik responded calmly, “this temple was robbed by the minions of Mordac, a servant of Sarac. When Mordac was defeated, King Byron of Targa recovered all of the stolen books. He allowed the temples to submit lists of books that were stolen from them. King Byron, my grandfather, honored those lists because he believed that the TRUE owners of the books deserved to have them back. This temple submitted lists of over a thousand books. Those books were returned to you in good faith. The Book of Things was on that list. Now you state that such an accommodation is illogical. If what you say is true, then I submit that your entire library belongs to me.”

“So that is how you know that this Book of Things is in our possession,” sighed the priest as he sat down and waved the guards away. “It was a noble thing for King Byron to do. Still, you must understand my position. I am entrusted with the safety of this library. I cannot merely turn a book over to you because you claim to be the King of Alcea.”

Arik stood slowly and began to remove his tunic. “I offered to show you the mark before,” he stated. “I shall do so now.”

When Arik had removed his tunic, and before he had removed his breastplate, the priest gasped.

“That is the Breastplate of Alcea,” Brother Chalo remarked. “It was created for King Auric the Conqueror. How have you come by it?”

“It is his entitlement,” interjected Jenneva. “I am sure that you know that it can only be worn by the rightful King of Alcea?”

“Yes, yes,” nodded the priest. “It was said that it is magical and would crush the bones of the wearer if worn by anyone else. There can be no doubt of your ancestry, King Arik. Still, you ask me to go against my goddess Risa. She has entrusted me to protect the temple’s library. How can I acquiesce to your request and still be faithful to her demands? If she were to show me a sign of her favor in you, I would gladly present you with the Book of Things, but I cannot in all good conscience do so without a sign. Surely, you can understand?”

“My husband almost lost his life retrieving your books from Mordac’s castle,” interjected Jenneva. “Arik’s grandfather was honest and noble in the distribution of the books. Surely, these are signs of righteousness? King Arik has cleared away the Darkness from four corners of the world. He works now to complete the fifth. What more can you ask for?”

Shouts emanated from the prayer room and then the corridor outside the door. Brother Chalo rose with concern etched across his face. As he stared at the door, seawater flowed under it. The seawater flowed towards the desk, but it halted as it approached the chair Arik was sitting in. It pooled around Arik’s feet for several minutes as Brother Chalo stared at it. As suddenly as it came, the seawater retreated. When the flow had disappeared under the door, leaving only small remnant puddles, Brother Chalo shouted for an attendant. A priest opened the door and looked into the room expectantly.

“Retrieve the Book of Things from the library,” instructed Brother Chalo.

“You have changed your mind?” Jenneva asked after the attendant left.

“I wanted a sign from the goddess Risa,” nodded Brother Chalo. “I think it is safe to say that the water goddess has given us the sign I sought. I am thankful that she has blessed the giving of the Book of Things to King Arik. Were it not for his grandfather, we would have no books to worry about.”

“I thank you for you generosity,” responded Arik. “I hope that I can bring you clear skies in the future.”

The attendant returned with the Book of Things and handed it to Brother Chalo. The priest removed a large velvet purse from his desk and slid the Book of Things into it. He ceremoniously handed the purse to King Arik.

The Rangers expressed their gratitude and exited the temple. They returned to the Seaside Inn, and gathered in the room Arik and Darok shared. The dwarf prince and Tanya entered right after them.

“That was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen,” remarked Arik. “I have never given much faith to the goddess Risa. Why do you suppose she blessed me so?”

Prince Midge flew in the window and landed on Arik’s shoulder. He looked at Tanya and asked, “Were you able to see everything clearly?”

“It was perfect, Prince Midge,” Tanya smiled. “Thank you.”

Alex looked at Arik and then at Tanya. He shook his head in confusion, and Jenneva began laughing. Prince Darok also began laughing and Tanya sported a mischievous smirk.

“What is going on?” asked Alex. “I feel like I am the only one who is missing the joke.”

“You are not the only one,” Arik frowned in confusion. “I do not see what is funny.”

“Very nice, Tanya,” congratulated Jenneva. “Why don’t you enlighten our unfortunate men?”

“The water was your doing?” guessed Alex.

“It worked out alright,” grinned Tanya. “Prince Midge was relaying the meeting to me. When Brother Chalo wished for a sign from the water goddess, I could not resist. I was even able to direct it to Arik by watching the vision that Prince Midge was showing me.”

“That was very effective,” chuckled Alex. “I wish I had known beforehand. I would loved to have concentrated on the priest’s face when it happened instead of staring at the water and wondering what it would do next.”

“Thank you, Tanya,” Arik laughed as he shook his head mirthfully. “Now we can return to Elderal and clear the skies over Tagaret.”

“I have been thinking about that,” Alex said as he turned serious. “We may save a great deal of time by catching a ship from Trekum.”

“Won’t that be dangerous?” questioned Jenneva. “The rogue armies are gathering there.”

“And Sarac’s Ravens are somewhere between Tagaret and us” countered Alex. “I think it might be safer to risk the trip to Trekum. Either way has its risks.”

* * *

“Sit down, Bin-lu,” greeted Colonel Nolan. “You performed excellently. You have justified my choice of you as a replacement. I am proud of you.”

“Thank you,” responded Bin-lu. “I was not sure that I had done the right thing. If I had died in the fighting, you would never have found out where the assassins were hiding.”

“But you did not die,” grinned Zackary. “Besides, Wylan could have led us back through the sewers. I am impressed with what he did, by the way. I would like to reward him in some way. Do you have any ideas?”

“He will not wish a reward,” frowned Bin-lu, “but I do have a suggestion.”

“What is it?” inquired Zackary.

“Make him useful,” replied Bin-lu. “He looks upon himself as a cripple, but I think his skills are too great for him to be abandoned. If you could involve him in the army in some way, he might regain a sense of worth.”

“I will see what I can do,” promised Colonel Nolan. “I agree that his skills are impressive. His courage and devotion to King Arik have also been noted.”

“What have you found out about the estate?” asked Bin-lu. “Was the prisoner helpful?”

“More than helpful,” nodded the colonel. “The estate belonged to Duke Everich. The man you wounded was a soldier in the Targa army. His name is Bouts. One of the other bodies was identified as Sergeant Pyke. He was the personal assistant to Colonel Salvo.”

“I take it then that Colonel Salvo was not one of the other bodies?” inquired Bin-lu.

“He was not,” frowned Colonel Nolan. “We still have not located him, but Bouts has confirmed that Colonel Salvo was the leader of the group. He was either not at the estate when you got there, or he had just left. Bouts was not sure of the timing because he did not know when you arrived.”

“Did you post men at the estate to capture him when he returns?” asked Bin-lu.

“I did,” nodded the colonel, “but I do not expect him to be fooled. If he does not see Bouts on duty guarding the gate, he will know that there has been a problem. I think that he will not be trapped so easily.”