Keeper: First Ordinance, Book 2 (11 page)

"You may have the area between the castle and the
docks—it will provide easy access to those on the ships—they wish to help,"
Omina said. "I grant access to any ground you wish to excavate as well."

"I've had to place a shield about me—I can feel the land
groaning with the disease if I don't," Reah said. I jerked my head in her
direction—it was exactly what I felt daily.

"I feel the same," I ducked my head. "There
will be no more harvests in Fyris and the people will die." I didn't tell
her that in the last two days, the disease affecting the land had gotten worse.
I couldn't explain it, so I kept the knowledge to myself.

"Yet Tamblin thinks to start a war with the Prince and me,"
Omina sighed. "He focuses on the wrong things and has since he took the
throne."

"I worry that innocent men will die in a war, when we
should concentrate our efforts on defeating the poison. If we don't, all of
Siriaa faces extinction," I said.

"Has the poison passed the boundaries of Fyris, then?"
Rath asked.

"It has," Berel confirmed. "My father's best
scientists are at a loss as to what it is and how it might be neutralized."

"Elabeth knew," Justis snapped.

He was right—Elabeth had somehow kept it at bay in the past.
Now she was dead and the poison threatened everything.

Again, I wished for the book Jurris kept from all. Perhaps it
could tell us what we needed to know.

Chapter 6
 

Lironis

Quin

Perhaps I should have expected it—with the Larentii and the
Elf King involved. That evening, when I walked out of the old physician's
quarters after a long day of cleaning, I could see the top of it past the
castle walls. Gleaming in the late afternoon sun, it was constructed of metal
and glass, much like some of the buildings I'd seen in Kondar.

To me it looked pristine—a clear surface upon which a study of
the poison could be performed. Berel, walking down the stone path leading to
the healer's quarters, offered a smile as he watched me gaze at the new
research facility. I knew I was covered in filth, but couldn't help smiling
back at him. "Daragar says there are showers in the new building, if you'd
like to make use of them," Berel said.

"Really?" Dena stopped beside me and gave Berel a
hopeful glance.

"Yes—there are several," Berel laughed. "Come.
I think clothing can be found for you while you bathe."

"There are tales that Avii Castle was constructed in a
day, but I never really believed it," Dena shook her head as we followed
Berel toward the castle gate. "I believe it now."

"I watched it appear from nothing. Daragar says the
Larentii and the powerful can manipulate atoms, so construction presents few
problems to them."

"Atoms?" Dena failed to understand.

"I'll explain it later," Berel grinned. "Come
on, I'm hungry. You must be, too."

* * *

"It will take Tamblin fourteen days to arrive with his
troops—they cannot travel without rest," Rodrik said over dinner. This
time, we'd gathered in the dining area of the new research building, which was
equipped with a solar-powered kitchen.

Kaldill asked Reah to design it, and it was better than
anything I'd seen—in Kondar or Avii Castle.

"I fear he'll take what he wants from the people along
the way, and kill them if they refuse," Rath mused. "Whether it be
food, beds or grain for the horses."

"Do you know the origin of your name?" Torevik asked
Rath. "My last name is the same, and I wonder if there is a common root
word in our pasts."

"I know little of our past," Rath shook his head.

Berel ducked his head—he knew something. I merely had to wait
until later to find out what it was.

* * *

"The people of Fyris have no connection to either Kondar
or Yokaru. They do have some connection to the Avii, although you can see the
vast differences between the Avii and the Fyrians easily enough," Berel
explained while pulling up a private file on his tab-vid. "Father received
this information from his science staff."

Within the information given to Berel was a void, where other
information had been removed. That worried me—why was it necessary to remove
any information from the report?

"Did you see what the missing information was?" I
turned to Berel.

"No. Father said it didn't have a bearing in their
findings concerning the Avii and the Fyrians."

Still, I wanted to know what it was but didn't say it. Berel
had already given me everything he had, and that was a very kind act of faith.
Did Rath and Omina know that they might not be native to Siriaa? After all,
that's what Berel thought, and I agreed with his assessment.

Where had the Avii and the people of Fyris originated?

How did they arrive, and why?

With the arrival of a Larentii, an elf and half and whole High
Demons, I had no idea how many other worlds there might be, or what the Avii
and Fyrians might have been before they were brought to Siriaa.

I had little information with which to comprehend any of those
things.

* * *

I began cleaning the old physician's bedroom on the third day,
while Dena worked in his library and Ordin began seeing patients in the outer
rooms—those who were brave enough to approach a winged healer and his volunteer
staff from the large ships anchored near Lironis. That meant he was seeing
those who were worst off or in the most pain.

The old physician had died in his bed, which left a smelly
mess behind. Rolling up covers first, I dragged them to the window and shoved
them through and outside—I doubted Ordin wanted the bedding dragged past those
who waited to see him at the door.

The old, straw-filled mattress came next, and I was grateful
to get the smell of it shoved outside the room. This was the reason I'd offered
to let Dena clean his library—the bedroom was an untidy clutter she shouldn't
have to clear away.

We had cleaning supplies courtesy of the ships, and I was
grateful as they helped clear away the smells. Next, I began to dismantle the
bed—it was constructed of heavy, carved wood and slats.

That's when I found it.

The box was smooth on all sides and shut tightly. I might have
thought it a child's coffin, except it was made of metal.

This metal shone in the dim light, letting me know it had been
manufactured far from Fyris—they had not the skill to make something of this
quality. It bore a strange, flat keyhole, too, but wasn't locked. What had the
physician kept inside it? Cautiously I lifted the lid.

What I discovered revealed some truth about me, but I lacked
sufficient knowledge to reason it out completely.

Within the box lay a strange material, with parts of it
removed. The missing part was in the shape of a large doll—or a child. Upon
closer examination, I found several hairs where the head would have lain.

Those hairs were the same colors as mine—gold, copper and
silver. Nobody else had hair such as that—these
were
mine.
Sometime in the past, when I was very small, I'd lain in this box.

Shutting it hastily, I shoved it away from me in horror.

* * *

"Quin, you seem distracted," Berel observed during
lunch. I'd been forced to bathe after clearing out the bedding earlier, and
after my discovery, had to force myself to keep working.

I'd also never taken anything in my life. I'd done so that
day, hauling the metal box up castle steps until I reached Justis' suite.
There, I hid the box beneath my bed in the tiny room next to his.

Nobody thought to stop me; perhaps they imagined the box was
for Justis or another in the royal wing. Only servants saw me as it turned out,
and they had their own duties. They'd never bothered with me before and that
habit continued, although I now wore wings.

"Just reflecting on the old physician. He cut my wing
nubs away when I lived here before," I offered to stave off Berel's
curiosity. Yes, I was thinking about the physician, but I was thinking more
about the box.

"Forget those times, Quin. They are in the past,"
Gurnil coaxed. He sat next to Dena, and they'd discussed what she'd found in
the physician's library. Perhaps Gurnil would carry those old books back to
Avii Castle with him, or perhaps he already had copies of those outdated
medical texts.

Before, I would have been interested in any book. My mind had
been taken over, however, by the mystery of a metal box found beneath the
physician's bed.

I forced myself to pay attention during the rest of the meal, then
made my way back to the physician's quarters to finish cleaning.

* * *

By the end of the day, Ordin's healing quarters were as clean
as we could make them, and more supplies and equipment was ordered. Guards were
assigned to Gurnil—both Black Wing and Fyrian. One of those guards was Yann,
who'd pledged his loyalty first when Amlis and Omina arrived in Lironis.

He stood straighter and prouder, now, I noticed. In the past,
I'd seldom seen him unless Varnell wanted something from the kitchens outside
mealtimes.

"Quin, I'll ask you to spend time with me," Ordin
said after dinner. I understood what he meant—he'd be asking me to heal those
he deemed worthy. I nodded—we agreed on those things much of the time. I knew
he'd listen, too, if I told him otherwise.

"Tomorrow morning, Master Ordin?" I asked.

"Yes, after breakfast."

I found it humorous that there was a balcony outside the
third-floor kitchen in the research building—built not just for dining outside
on a nice day, but as a landing space for those who could fly to get their
meals.

An elevator was inside for those who had to walk and chose not
to take the stairs. I also knew—whether anyone else did—that the research
building could become a fortress if Daragar and Kaldill chose to make it so. It
was powered by Siriaa's sun and was self-sufficient—including a machine that
desalinated and purified drinking water from the sea.

Work had already begun on the lower levels of the facility and
soil samples, brought in by residents of Lironis, were examined with equipment
most of them had never dreamed of. They were paid, too, these contributors—with
food and clean water kept in reusable metal jars.

Some of those jars bore a finish similar to that of the
strange box I'd found. Storing that information away, I turned to the business
of flying from the research building with Ordin after breakfast, to begin
healing those we could.

* * *

"Prince Amlis, your father is killing many in his path.
People are deserting villages far ahead of his army, now that they know he's
coming," Justis stalked into Amlis' study, followed closely by Ardis.

"How do the villages know he's coming?" Amlis shook
his head, confused by Justis' words.

"Two of our guests—Torevik and Kordevik—told them,"
Justis replied. "I see no reason to stop them; they're saving lives."

"I agree with you," Amlis rose from his seat and
held up a hand. "I don't want people to die, either. Had I an army,
perhaps we could convince Father to stop this madness."

"What would happen if he died? Would his army continue
his quest?" Ardis asked.

"No, not since we hold Yevil," Amlis turned to look
out his window. "Yevil would have commanded the army had my father fallen,
but without his presence, I imagine that many, especially recent conscripts,
will merely desert and ride homeward."

"Then there's a simple solution to this problem,"
Justis muttered. "You don't have an army and it will go badly for all if
the Kondari are forced to fire upon your father's troops."

"You're talking of killing my father," Amlis hissed,
turning a swift, angry gaze upon Justis.

"Who has killed too many already, including your uncle
and the Avii King and Queen. He is also responsible—with that aberration we
hold on the roof of your castle, for killing an entire planet. That's what is
happening, or have you not reached that conclusion yet?"

Justis' anger frightened Amlis, but he refused to back down. "Can
we not capture him instead? We hold Yevil already—I blame him most for the
crimes you listed."

"We can attempt a capture, but I warn you now—should it
not be successful, his death will be warranted. He's cutting a swath through an
already sick and threatened population, employing murder and theft wherever it
pleases him."

"Do you have a plan of capture?" Amlis took his seat
again with a troubled sigh.

"Not yet. I believe something can be arranged. I'll let
you know." Justis rustled his wings and swept from the room.

Amlis was left to wonder whether Tandelis had ever witnessed
the anger of the Avii.

* * *

"Father, I have received word that you should expect
visitors," Berel began. He held his tab-vid aloft while a smiling Reah and
Kaldill stood behind him.

"What visitors?" Edden smiled at his son. "Those
two behind you, perhaps?"

"If you'd like us to come," Kaldill nodded. "Although
more important visitors are scheduled to arrive. We merely wanted to coordinate
with you to find an acceptable time."

"I'd like to meet you," Edden said. "Is it
possible to bring Berel and Quin, too? I can arrange for an airchopper from the
ship to deliver you to Kondar."

"We have our own transportation, but yes, I will be happy
to bring Quin and your son for a visit."

"I will clear my schedule for tonight; will that leave
you enough time to arrive?"

"More than enough," Kaldill agreed.

"Will you arrive in time for dinner? How many guests
should I expect?"

"Reah and I will bring Quin, Daragar and Berel. Ildevar
Wyyld, Founder of the Reth Alliance, will arrive with two others. That makes eight
guests, although only seven will be dining," Kaldill chuckled.