Return of the Crown (21 page)

“We make good time. We should be down in two
or three days if the weather holds. The Blade should get some
walking in and work his sword arm. He needs to regain strength,”
Kialgyn informed them.

“While you get a workout, I’ll contact
Connor. I haven’t spoken with him in days.” Pulling out the scrying
bowl, she set it on a fur she’d spread on the ground. Finding the
aural plane came easy and she projected her thread down the
mountain, searching to the east and Connor’s last location. She
opened her senses, discovering Connor’s thread. Gently she tapped
his thread, getting his attention. She giggled at the sight of him;
he reminded her of her nurse, plump and rosy-cheeked.

‘
What are you twittering about, Ravyn?
You’ve seen me as a woman before,’
he grouched.

‘
But not like Nurse Mayweather. You look
like her twin.’

Connor paused, thinking,
‘You know you’re
right. I wasn’t consciously trying to look like her, but trying to
find an image people would trust and feel comfortable around.’
He chuckled.
‘She always made people feel right at home in the
castle, didn’t she? Now, where are you?’

‘
Kialgyn and his pack are bringing us down
in a sled; they borrowed it from a trapper. Blade is recovering and
nearly back to full strength. Kialgyn says we should be down in two
or three days. Will you meet us?’

‘
I will be in Farrier at The Dancing Bear,
the only inn in town. I’m working as a healer. The army is
gathering at Brightling River. I’ve received disturbing news from
Veris. We must proceed quickly. Zelera is fortifying the castle
with defenses conjured from the Dark Arts. Many good folk have lost
their lives and more will follow.’

‘
What are these defenses?’

‘
I tried to ascertain them, but the
Darkness shrouds everything. Searing pain surrounds the castle;
when I attempt to scry it, my heart feels as though it will burst.
I will make another attempt later today after I’ve rested.’
His
voice sounded weary.

Ravyn sensed his apprehension, and her
stomach began coiling. Connor was nervous, and that made her
nervous.

‘
Don’t fret, Ravyn, I just overdid myself.
I’ll find a way through the Darkness, never fear. I will see you at
The Dancing Bear, and we will begin planning. The Light’s blessing
upon you.’

Retreating from his thread, Ravyn then
projected her aura toward Veris, toward her home. As she approached
the place where the castle should be, a bitter taste saturated the
aural field. Color faded to inky black. Anguish and pain clawed at
her mind. Turning to retreat, she found herself surrounded by the
Darkness. Her heartbeat raced; her breathing came in shallow little
gasps. The Darkness continued pushing in on her, crushing her. The
constricting coils squeezed all the happiness and hope out of her.
If only she could cut through it.

Envisioning a sword in her mind, her father’s
sword glowing with the Light, she imagined it cutting away the
layers of ebony decay. She screamed in agony as countless dead and
dying filled her vision, their faces burning into her mind.
Zelera’s maniacal laughter echoed through her head. A glimpse of
rock, fire, water, and wind whipping past her, she screamed again
before collapsing on the fur. Pain burned through every fiber of
her being. The image of the sword dissolved depositing Ravyn in
complete Darkness. Ravyn cried out for the mercy of the Light.

Dropping his sword, Blade raced to Ravyn as
she screamed. He caught her as she slumped down unconscious, limp
as a noodle. Fear gripping him, he noticed her rapid breathing and
the throbbing blood vessel on her temple.

Kialgyn sat alert, ears pricked forward, nose
scenting the air. “There was no magical attack. I do not sense it.
But, the aura surrounding her smells of festering decay,” he
growled and his gray hair stood on end.

Blade splashed water on Ravyn’s face.
Moaning, she tried to open her eyes. The light stabbed at her. The
Light! Her eyes fluttered open and she was looking up into Blade’s
anxious face.

“Ravyn, are you alright? Is Connor okay?” the
words tumbled out. Blade brushed a stray black lock of hair away
from her eyes.

She struggled to sit up, tears coursing down
her pale cheeks. She let them fall. “Connor’s fine,” she whispered.
Blade put the water skin in her clammy hands. She took a small sip,
fighting to swallow. The contents of her morning meal threatened to
come up.

She tried standing, but Kialgyn nudged her,
and she toppled back into Blade’s arms. “Rest, then tell us what
happened,” Kialgyn growled, his black nose snuffled around her
face. “I sensed great evil surrounding you, but it is gone
now.”

“But we must go. Now,” Ravyn cried. She
pushed away from Blade, but he held her tight. She turned her face
to his, tears coursing down her cheeks, “My people, the evil things
she’s doing.” She shuddered. “We must stop her!”

“Aye,” growled Kialgyn softly. “I smelt death
in the air. Zelera is strong in the Darkness. This encounter
weakened you, and you must be strong. She is waiting, waiting for
you to fly into her web. If you do not care for yourself, you will
be the victim, not the victor.” He nudged her pack at her, and then
sat down, his patient blue eyes comforting her. “Eat, drink, and
tell us what you saw.”

Ravyn sighed, leaning against Blade, drawing
on his strength for support. “I was talking to Connor. He’s
traveling as a healer woman, and he will be waiting for us in The
Dancing Bear in Farrier. Connor sensed evil in Veris but couldn’t
see behind the Darkness surrounding the castle,” she paused and
rubbed her hands along her arms to chase away the shivers. “I
thought I could try seeing, maybe get past the Darkness. So, I
followed the aural field to Veris and ran into a Darkness so
complete,” her voice cracked. “The stench was revolting. I tried
turning back, but it surrounded me, suffocating me. Fashioning an
aural sword of Light, I slashed at the Darkness,” tears streamed
down her face, dripping off her chin. “Pain and anguish overwhelmed
me. Hundreds of my people dead, women and children, and Zelera’s
evil gloating laughter.” She cringed, fighting for breath. “I
couldn’t hold the sword any longer, and I fainted.” Sniffing, she
sobbed, “All my people, all those innocent people.”

Wrapping his arms around her, Blade rocked
her gently. “Shhh, Ravyn, shhh. Her time is at an end. We will stop
her.” Ravyn snapped up and turned, staring deep into Blade’s green
eyes.

“I remember something else. I sensed rings of
Darkness surrounding the castle. Rings of rock, fire, water, and
air. They are defenses of some kind.”

Brushing a lock of black hair off her face,
Blade soothed, “Ravyn, time will tell. The Light will give us the
answers.”

“But we don’t have time,” she wailed becoming
agitated once more. “We need to get moving. I’ll eat while we
ride.” She pushed herself up on unsteady feet.

Kialgyn and the wolves stepped to the
harnesses. Kialgyn stared into Blade’s green eyes as he secured the
harness, “She is with us, and yet she is not. I do not sense the
Light within her, like before. She is hollow. She must find the
Light again. You must help her.”

“How? I know nothing of working with the
Light.”

“That I do not know, just that you must, or
we will lose her to the Darkness.”

After strapping them in, Blade helped Ravyn
back into the sled. Her eyes were still lost in the miasma of
Darkness. Blade watched her mechanical movements and vacant
expression, and cursed himself for not being able to chase her
fears away. All the sword skills in the world would do nothing to
fight a shadow.

The sled started moving, and Blade placed
food in Ravyn’s hands. She ate. Her hands took the food to her
mouth, and she chewed and swallowed. Her eyes continued to stare
off somewhere else, somewhere Blade couldn’t follow. When the bread
was gone, her hands lay slack in her lap.

Blade mixed sleeping herbs in water,
encouraging Ravyn to drink every drop. As she started nodding off,
Blade murmured in her ear, “Seek the Light, Ravyn. The Light was
with you in the Darkness. Let it bring you back to me.”

“The Light,” she mumbled as sleep overtook
her. “I need the Light.”

Ravyn saw a huge wall burst up before her,
built upon the deaths of her people. Each brick entombed an
innocent soul. The wall towered over her, casting a long dark
shadow. Then a ring of fire erupted. The bodies of her people
fueled it. A ring of water filled with the lifeblood of her people
splashed down before her, ever expanding. Then a torrential
spinning void sprang up before her. As her people were being
tortured to death, their screams for mercy created more force and
drive, whipping the wind into a frenzy. As she passed each ring, a
shimmering trail of her tears marked her path. An ornate dressing
mirror loomed before her. Locked beneath the glass were her
parents. They hadn’t aged a day since they were stolen from her. As
horrifying as it was, it no longer frightened her. Peace settled
over her, and the mirror shattered in a million pieces. The Light
reflected back at her from all the tiny shards, glowing and growing
till it consumed her.

Connor reached Farrier that same day. Hetty
was right. People knew he was coming. A huge crowd waited for him.
Some begged for healing, others for news. He aided the very sick,
but there were so many of them. As the day wore on, he begged for
rest and a meal.

A young man approached him holding out his
arm. “The General is at the Inn and requesting your presence,
ma’am.”

“Take me to him, lad. General Joff shouldn’t
be kept waiting.” The crowd backed up, some heading home and some
following the healer toward the inn.

The Dancing Bear was tidy, nestled amidst the
town’s shops. Flinging the door wide open, a beaming Joff greeted
Connor. “My good woman, please enter and be my guest. The table is
set for the noon meal. You’ve travelled many roads, been to many
towns, and I’d love to hear your news.”

“Sir, such a gracious offer cannot be
refused. I’ve quite a hunger and thirst to be satisfied as it has
indeed been a long road.” Connor bustled ahead of General Joff, his
nose drawing him toward the food.

Inside the common room a table boasted pints
of ale, bottles of wine, stews, bread, and a roast pig. The
tantalizing aroma tickled Connor’s senses, setting his mouth to
water. His grumbling stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten all day.
Connor plopped down and grabbed a pint, slugging down the ale.

“Ahhhh, that’ll wash away the dust of the
road. Now to fill my belly.” Piling a plate to overflowing, he
attacked it with vigor. Joff and his men finished eating and then
waited for Connor to clear his plate.

“I’ve never seen a woman with such a healthy
appetite before,” Joff quipped, as Connor stuffed a large chunk of
bread into his mouth. “But, I guess it helps keep up appearances,”
he said poking Connor’s fleshy arm.

“Ah, yes, appearances,” Connor mumbled around
his food. “It also helps fuel the fire, and I’ll need a lot of fuel
before the week is out.”

A young serving maid refilled their mugs with
ale. She smiled at Connor. “You may want to save some room, ma’am.
There’s a splendid apple crisp cooling in the kitchen.”

Joff chortled, “She’s got a hollow leg,
Jolene. Trust me, she’ll have room.” Turning to Connor, he sobered,
“You finish eating, and I’ll start with my news. Men are massing
all over Aigerach. People were fleeing Veris in droves until Zelera
sealed the gates.” His face hardened. “The atrocities being
reported are unspeakable. Zelera fuels the Darkness with the
torturous deaths of the people. A wall erupted around the castle a
week ago, the bodies of the sacrificed people in every brick. Then
a death pyre erupted into a wall of living flame that continues
burning, with no signs of slowing. A moat of putrid liquid also
lies around the castle. Any living thing touching it dies
immediately, and it is some 100 yards across. Lastly, a whirlwind
surrounds the walls of the castle, sucking anything close into its
swirling maw. Zelera created an army of foul creatures, thousands
of unnatural monsters. They were once men, now distorted and rotten
through the curse of her Dark Arts.”

The color drained from Connor’s borrowed
face. He closed his eyes, forcing the tears to stay locked away.
The food he’d so enjoyed moments before felt like lead, weighing
him down. He began massaging his aching temples, trying to rub out
the evil images.

“I knew it was bad,” Connor said softly,
“but, this. We must get Ravyn into the castle. How, I am not sure,
but we must. Ravyn will be here in two days.” Connor stood up,
gripping the table’s edge to stay balanced. He turned to Jolene, “I
need a room where I will not be disturbed.” He felt old. He let the
visage of the plump healer melt away; a tall, grey-haired man
emerged. Hiding was no longer necessary. “Prayers to the Light
might be prudent,” he said to the men. He then turned to Jolene,
following her to a room.

Jolene took Connor up the stairs, reverently
opening the door to a small room. “It’s the quietest room in the
Bear, though small. Will it suit you, sir?”

A faint smile crossed his lips. “It suits me
fine, Jolene. Many thanks.” Tossing his pack down on the small
table, he then laid down on the soft goose down mattress, folding
his arms across his chest. He prayed to the Light for guidance,
settling into a trance, staring at a water spot on the ceiling.

A raven appeared in the blue sky with a great
sword clasped in its feet. It was heading toward the light of the
sun. A large wall sprang up in front of the bird, but the bird went
right over the wall. Fire burst in front of the bird, but it flew
straight through, not a feather singed. Water poured from the sky,
but the Raven continued flying toward the light. Wind whipped at
it, tearing at its feathers, but it continued beating steadily
onwards. Darkness consumed it, and it faltered. Battle erupted;
bodies littered the ground, friend and foe alike. The Raven
fluttered in the Darkness, flitting about unsure where to go.