The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations (37 page)

             
She hadn’t been able to sleep an entire night since the attack by the creature and her being called beyond the veil.  Painful truths had been revealed to her about people she thought she knew and their awful intentions.  Even Saab, one of her closest friends and advisors had been proven to be a traitor.  She had discovered that he was watching her for the Dark Lord Bleylock and was supposed to assassinate her when he had the chance.  For when she was dead, a new Lady of the Woods would then be chosen; one that would more likely continue their traditional policy of staying out of the world’s business.

             
But what was she to do, she worried?  She could confront him, she thought; perhaps even kill him.  But he had been so loyal.  He’d been a good friend when she had needed one.  There had been times when he was there for her when she could turn to no one else.  She’d shared secrets with him and opened her heart to him.  Had he been human, she may even have loved him.  Why hadn’t he murdered her before?  What was he waiting for?

             
She started to drift off to sleep when she heard the voices from the Sanctuary.  They were low and quiet at first; barely whispers.  She thought they might have been merely part of a dream at first and tried to ignore them.  They soon grew louder and clearer.  A name was being called over and over.  When she realized the name, she awoke with a start.

             
The branches gently lowered her to the ground and she almost ran to the Sanctuary.  When she reached the steps, she heard Saab call out to her.

             
“Is everything alright, My Lady?” He asked her.

She froze for a moment.  She was alone with no guards or archers watching her.  She was vulnerable.  Was this the moment he
had been waiting for?  An even more frightening thought occurred to her.  Had the Sanctuary been calling her to her own murder?  Had the woods decided her fate?

             
She looked at him and he was merely standing near her.  She didn’t say anything at first.  She tried to compose herself and not give away that she knew his intention.  She also still wondered if she had been misinformed.  Perhaps he wasn’t her murderer.  She peered at him through the darker light.  He had no weapon that she could see.  Perhaps it wasn’t the time or he didn’t really intend to kill her, she thought.

             
“Everything’s fine,” she said in an attempt at a calm voice.  “I just need to look at something in the Sanctuary.”

             
“It’s very late, My Lady,” he told her.  “Perhaps you shouldn’t be out here alone at this hour.”

She forced a smile and a laugh.

              “What have I to fear in the forest?” She asked in a teasing voice.

She heard his familiar grunt that was as close to a laugh as she knew she would get from him.  She started up the steps and half w
ay up, looked back at him to see if he had followed her.  He was still at the bottom of the steps looking up at her, but when she looked at him, he turned and walked away to her great relief.

             
By the time she entered the Sanctuary, the voices had stopped calling.  Looking around, she didn’t see her, but could feel her presence.  She must have gone behind the veil, she thought.  She was slightly startled by the sound of the doors closing, but felt safer inside the Sanctuary.

             
She knew that the only thing she could do was wait.  It reminded her of the time that Terri was called behind the veil, but this was different.  She was jealous of Terri being called, but happy for her.  Something good and wonderful had happened then; something with a great promise.  She was apprehensive now.  This didn’t feel as hopeful or promising.  This felt darker and troubling.  She wanted to know what was happening and was frustrated by the fact that she could only wait.

             
She examined the Sanctuary which still looked unfamiliar.  The grass had grown and was beginning to look wild.  Many of the flowers had withered, but new blooms had appeared.  The stream still trickled quietly and there was still a tear down the center of the veil.  There was a stillness inside the Sanctuary that she’d only known when she visited at night.  It was as if it were resting but not quite sleeping.

             
She walked in the grass for only a few moments but it had felt like longer.  The older woman then walked from behind the veil with a sad, but determined expression.  Kayla then knew why she had been called behind the veil and her heart sunk.

             
“Why does it have to be you?” She asked her almost crying.

The older woman looked up at her and her eyes penetrated Kayla’s heart.

              “Because I’m the only one who can accomplish this task.” She said sadly.

             
“That can’t be true.  I can go.  I can do it.”

             
“No.  It has to be me.”

             
“But he will destroy you.” Kayla implored her.

The woman nodded sadly, but then looked at Kayla with serious eyes.

              “There can only one Lady of the Woods at a time.” She told Kayla.  “And I’ve hidden from Kenner long enough.”

              In the palace of Glahm, King Kryam walked from behind the curtain that separated him from the rest of the world.  It had been two hundred years since a King of Masallah had come out to face his people in the great hall, but never before thought Kryam had it ever been more necessary.  The throne, cut out of a block of the mountain and rising high above the floor of the hall sat in between the two statues of Kings Ellorid and Gregor, both in imposing poses and wielding an image of the Stone Hammer.  When he looked down on the royal court they were on their knees and bowing with their faces to the floor for no one was allowed to look the King of Masallah in the face.

             
“The time has come my people,” He announced in his booming voice, “For the great people of Masallah to unite in the face of war!  It is a war we do not ask for, but it is a war that we can not avoid!  The forces of Walechia are crossing the Serpent River and will move toward the pass of Paribas.  In three short months they will come through the mountains to take from us that which the Great Mother has given.  They mean to kill Masallah’s sons, violate Masallah’s daughters and defile our sacred lands.  But they will not find us unprepared.  Today, I send forth my generals throughout my Kingdom to build an army the likes of which the world has never seen.  One Hundred Thousand of Masallah’s sons will be called to fight our enemy.  They will be called from the mountains.  They will be called from the foothills.  They will be called from the farms and from the fields.  And if need be, we will enlist the Morgrils to fight in our cause.  When the army of Walechia comes through the mountains, they will find us ready and waiting to crush them to the last man.  And when that task is done, we will march forth to unite the land under the true and rightful King descended from the Great Mother herself.  We will avenge the men who have died at the hands of Walechia and bring a last and permanent peace under the just rule of the descendants of the Mother. With the sacred Stone Hammer in my hands, I will ride at the head of my army and shatter everything that stands in my way until justice prevails and peace reigns forever!”

Chapter Forty Three

              Kenner was surprised by what he saw when he passed through the door.  It was a simple path through the forest.  It was no tunnel of light or grand temple at the top of a mountain.  It was just a little path that led through the forest to what looked like a clearing less than a moment’s walk away.  He still felt the presence he felt back in the temple, but it didn’t seem as imposing as before.  It was all around him, but not threatening.  He felt neither fear nor comfort from it being near.  It was simply there.

             
Another presence was there as well and a familiar one.  He felt a little comforted by the presence of Shadow, but he was still apprehensive at the moment.  He looked behind him to the door and she was there.  She was bathed in a silvery light much like the light from the city and she bore her familiar sweet smile.

             
“Are you the guide the Father told me about?”

             
“Haven’t I always been?”

             
“That’s debatable.”

             
She stepped closer to him and he looked ahead at the path again.

             
“It doesn’t look like I need much of a guide,” he said.  “Looks pretty straight forward.”

             
‘It is,” She answered.  “But there are a couple of things I need to talk to you about before you go in there.”

This frustrated Kenner a little.  Although he was still anx
ious about whatever was about to happen, he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.  Whatever Shadow wanted to talk to him about seemed an unnecessary delay.

             
“And what is that?” He asked trying to hide his impatience.

             
“The first is that I wanted to apologize to you.”

Kenner was surprised at this.  What did she need to apologize to him for?

              “What for?” He asked.  “Did you lie to me like Terri?”

             
“That’s the second thing.  You need to let that go before you go to your conversation.”

He sighed both
impatiently and frustrated.

             
“Alright, fine.” He said.  “What did you want to apologize to me for?”

             
“I’m sorry that things have moved along so quickly.  We honestly thought we would have more time to prepare you for this moment, but it seems things have moved faster than we anticipated.”

             
“Out of pure curiosity; who are we?”

Shadow chuckled.

              “I think you already know the answer to that.  You’re trying to deflect your fear by being funny again.”

             
“I’ve got to try something.”

She stood closer to him and he
thought he felt something of a soothing touch from her.

             
“Don’t be afraid.” She told him tenderly.

             
“Don’t be afraid?  Your friend in there just told me that after tonight the world’s in my hands.  That’s not something to be afraid of?”

             
“The entire world won’t be in your hands; just a moment of time that will affect the future of humankind.”

             
“Oh, that really is comforting to know.”

             
“And yours won’t be the only will that matters after tonight either.  However, you will have a better understanding of your role in the events to come and this will help you make better decisions.  For after tonight, they are your decisions alone.  No outside entity or agent of destiny will be able to push you in one way or another.  Even the winds will be at your command.”

             
The last statement Shadow made did not help.  Kenner felt himself weak and almost faint again.

             
“I don’t want this.” He tried to tell Shadow, but she was gone.  “Typical,” he said to himself.  “Nobody cares about what I want; just what I can do for them.”

             
The clearing ahead of him felt as if it were calling to him.  There were no voices or whispers.  It was quiet, except for the sounds of the forest far away.  Instead, it was more of a sensation of being summoned by the clearing ahead.  He summoned his courage again and moved forward. 

             
It was only a few paces to the clearing, but it felt like a mile or more.  Once again, Kenner was underwhelmed by what he saw.  It was just a simple clearing in the forest; not a stone circle like the one in the Blackwoods.  No soaring statues or icons.  It was just a space in the forest that had no trees.  The presence was still there, but nothing impressive to the eyes or ears.

             
He couldn’t help but find it ironic.  Considering everything he’d seen since poaching a deer; the great city of Kallesh, the mountains, the Blackwoods, Korsh, the Tree of Life and its life and the underground city.  The most important place he felt that he was supposed to be was just a simple clearing in the forest like ones he’d seen a thousand times before.

             
He suddenly felt tired and almost sleepy.  The sensation was not unlike being drunk, but his head was still mostly clear.  Only his body felt slightly faint.   He sat down in the grass and then overtaken by more exhaustion, he lay back and stared above at the stars.