The Crystal Legacy (Book 2) (16 page)

“We’ve suspected there were evil creatures somewhere in the hills west of here, but we seldom venture into the exposed mountain peaks to investigate,” King Mendentak said.

Next morning, the king called for Saxthor when the adventurers went to pack. “We’ve seen wraiths searching by moonlight around the lakes in the last few weeks. We saw wraiths as recently as three days ago. Whatever they’re searching for, they haven’t found it yet. You must be especially careful out on the plain and around the lakes now.”

“Wraiths again,” Saxthor said.

“We know there’re at least two wraiths out there. One is large and especially powerful. We were successful in extinguishing a lesser one. The more powerful one got away. We don’t think it realized we were pursuing it. To be so powerful, The Dark Lord created him especially for this search. His maker is watching his efforts too closely for us to reveal our presence. You mustn’t let the great wraith learn of your whereabouts.”

“What should we do if we encounter him?” Saxthor asked. “If we’re looking for the same thing, or if he searches for us, we’ll be in the same locations and most likely will run into each other.” Saxthor’s hand tightened on Sorblade’s hilt.

“You have in your possession an extremely powerful wand,” the king said. “Draw a veil around your band, should you see the wraith, and wait for him to pass. The veil won’t only hide you; it will void your energy trace from the shade.”

“Wand?”

“Weren’t you given a magic wand about the length of your forearm, made of ivory cut in a spiral with a powerful golden rune inlaid in the handle?” Mendentak’s eyes widened as his face scrunched.

Saxthor thought about his possessions. Puzzled, he turned up his hands.

“Wand, I have no magic wand.”

Mendentak searched Saxthor’s face. “Memlatec recently confided to the Council of Elfin Kings that the heir to the Crown of Yensupov was moving across the peninsula. We offered to provide you, Saxthor, with the Peldentak Wand to aid you in your search. We did so. I hope we didn’t entrust it to the wrong man.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mother!” Mendentak summoned the guards. “Find Queen Merritak at once.”

The guards rushed from the hall.

“The wand’s loss would be catastrophic to us,” Mendentak said.

The beautiful Queen Merritak swept into the room with a butterfly’s grace and virtually floated over to Saxthor and her son, the king.

“Greetings, young Saxthor,” the radiant queen said in a silken tone that soothed his very soul. The queen turned to her son, “You commanded my presence, my son?” The queen’s golden hair seemed to draw the sunlight into the room and radiate from her. Her elegance carried warmth that flowed around Saxthor like a summer breeze.

“Wasn’t this the man to whom you gave the Peldentak Wand?” Mendentak asked. His agitation was stark.

The puzzled queen looked to her son. “It is he.”

They both looked at Saxthor, who was at a loss for words, shuffling foot to foot. I’ve never seen this unforgettable lady before, he thought. Having seen her now, I could never forget such radiance in my life.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I’ve never seen you before.” Saxthor bowed low. “I can assure you I couldn’t forget anyone so regal.”

The queen’s face cocked slightly, her brows arched. She raised Saxthor’s bowed face and smiling, transformed before his eyes into a stooped-over old lady wrapped in tattered clothes. Her smile rekindled Saxthor’s memory.

“Why, yes, Your Majesty, the harbor at Botahar! I hid the Peldentak Wand, still in its case, in the bottom of my satchel. To tell you the truth, I’d no idea what it was.” Saxthor felt his face flush and wished he could hide his sheepishness.

The king and dowager queen, now returned to her regal form, held hands and smiled at Saxthor.

“We’re much relieved. Show him how to use the wand, Mother,” King Mendentak said, laughing. “It’ll do him no good in the satchel.” He turned to Saxthor and bid him a safe journey, then left the hall.

“Go to Prince Saxthor’s chamber and bring his satchel,” the queen told her attendant. The queen drew Saxthor to high-back oak chairs. They sat and talked of his journey from Botahar until the attendant hurried in with the haversack. Saxthor retrieved the long-forgotten wand case, and, triumphant, presented it to her.

“You see; I didn’t lose it.”

She put her delicate hand on his.

“It’s our fault you didn’t know of the wand’s significance. The misunderstanding is excusable and forgotten. We hadn’t realized you wouldn’t be familiar with wands.” The queen took the case and held it to herself in both hands. Her face relaxed, her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath. Only then did she look at Saxthor and then lovingly looked again at the case.

“At the Wizard Wars’ end … You’re familiar with the Wizard Wars?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Yes, I studied them with Tournak.”

“At the Wizard Wars’ end, there was a great battle involving the armies of wizards, elves, mountain dwarves, and men against the Dark Lord and his orcs, ogres, saber-wolves, and rock-dwarves. In the battle, the Dark Lord mortally wounded King Peldentak, king of all the Eastern Forest Elves. Our elves brought him home here before he died.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Saxthor said.

The queen cast him a gentle smile and Saxthor blushed.

“The king commanded that the master carver, Ozzentak carve a wand from the king’s most precious possession, a unicorn’s ivory horn.”

“A unicorn?”

“Yes, a unicorn. As the king lay dying, he allowed his powerful elfin blood to flow into the wand’s hollow core. The power of his blood’s magic is great indeed. The handle’s gold rune seals in his blood and its magic.” The queen glowed as she spoke, pausing to looked up at Saxthor.

“King Peldentak was my husband and Mendentak’s father. As we sat with him on his deathbed ages ago, he commanded that we hold and protect this wand until such time as one would come to lead the next battle against the Dark Lord when he rose again. Mendentak and I agreed that you, as the crown’s apparent inheritor, should have the wand to aid you on your journey. That’s why I sought you out in Botahar.” Merritak held the precious wand to herself for a moment and then extended it to Saxthor.

Saxthor felt goose bumps run over him. At that moment, the energy radiating from the queen’s love for her husband’s memory was almost overwhelming. He hesitated to take the wand, understanding Merritak’s connection to it. Then he realized only the need for extraordinary power to fight the evil could induce the queen and her son to part with such a treasured icon. Saxthor recognized the gift’s significance and the pride she felt in sharing it with him. He couldn’t refuse it even if it added to his burden. He looked at the lady as she extended the case. He took it in both hands, feeling love’s warmth that came with it. They both looked at it for a moment in silence.

“Let us show you how to use it and what it can do,” Queen Merritak said, breaking the silence.

Saxthor handed the wand to the dowager queen.

Merritak then thrust her arm out straight so the wand took aim at a bowl on the room’s center table.

Saxthor watched the bowl and waited for the result, but nothing happened. He looked at the queen. She smiled again, then handed him the wand.

“By Peldentak’s command, the magic of this wand will only activate for the one who comes to lead the armies against the Dark Lord,” she said. “For all our magic, we can’t release the wand’s power. You try it.”

Saxthor was puzzled and again looked at the queen. “I’m neither an elf nor a wizard; I’ve no power to command the wand. I’m but a man.”

“You don’t yet know your own power, Saxthor. You do have enormous power. You just haven’t learned how to use or control it yet. It’s time you began to discover who you are. I sense that you command the great dragon Yamma-Mirra Heedra’s power through the dragon ring you wear. That power is great indeed. Now try the wand.”

Looking at the ring, Saxthor remembered that he’d used its power to shatter the iron ring shackling Habbernee in the rock-dwarves’ chamber. He took the wand, placed his thumb over the golden rune that felt warm to the touch. He thought of the rock crystal bowl and thrust his arm out, directing the wand’s aim at the bowl. A blue spark shot across the room; the bowl glowed, then disappeared. They stared at where the bowl had been.

“Ah, it seems you are the wand’s rightful master.”

Saxthor could say nothing. The sudden realization the wand could’ve vaporized him and all his companions stunned him. It had been rattling around in the bottom of his satchel since they left Botahar. The chill subsided when he finally adjusted to the vision. He turned to the queen.

“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.” He reverently placed the wand back in its case.

“Aside from obliterating physical forms, the wand can also draw a veil around you, rendering you invisible to your enemies should you get into a tight spot. Just turn your hand down at the wrist, and draw the veil line while thinking of a veil of invisibility. Also, it can function as a shield if you hold your hand and wand straight with your elbow bent to hold your forearm, hand, and wand across your chest.”

Saxthor could only look at her, hoping his look of disbelief didn’t show. He held two of the most powerful magical tools known.

“I thank you again, Your Majesty, for your warm hospitality and your most precious of gifts. I shall treasure it beyond telling and protect it with my life.

“You do us honor, Lord Prince.”

Saxthor blushed yet again. “It’s time to get back to my companions. We must be on our way.”

“Be cautious and watch for wraiths, Prince Saxthor.” The queen rose to leave. She put her hand on his head as a blessing and floated across and out of the reception hall. As she passed the table, she flicked her finger. The crystal bowl rematerialized on the table.

Saxthor crossed the hall, staring at the bowl; he touched it, then left.

The troupe said their farewells to the elves and departed the enchanted woods. Tonelia looked around, enjoying the fragrance of white autumn clematis and cyclamen with their carpets of pink flowers spread beneath the massive oaks. Saxthor looked behind him only to see the fall’s rich harvest disappearing as they passed. They followed the stream down through the gorge. Looking back, all they saw was some large oaks and a few fir trees where all the elfin enchantment had just been. Soon they would be on the plain and headed for Lake Talok and the third jewel.

“I wish they didn’t have to hide from people,” Tonelia said.

The others’ silence and downcast gazes confirmed she wasn’t alone in that thought.

* * *

Earwig cackled in her dark tower. “Queen Eleatsubetsvyertsin remains in seclusion, unconcerned that her support in the kingdom is slipping away. The nobles have retreated from the court and retired to their estates. Unrest grows among the peasants that work the small farms and great estates when there is little demand for their products. Most Neuyokkasinian agricultural products are perishable. If the diminishing harvests go unsold, they’ll rot in the fields, fertilizer for rebellion.”

Earwig intercepted the letters between Crown Prince Augusteros and the queen. Using sinister spells to rework the wordings, she antagonized both the queen and the heir, driving a wedge further between them. Eleatsubetsvyertsin became more despondent. The prince consort was helpless in trying to draw out the queen into the public domain, even with Memlatec’s urging.

* * *

Finally, Memlatec went secretly to the queen and told her that Saxthor was alive and again on the continent. At first, the news overwhelmed her. Then she became angry that Memlatec had kept the news from her for years.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I dared not let your emotions betray Saxthor’s presence,” Memlatec said.

“We should have you thrown in the dungeon,” Eleatsubetsvyertsin said. “You’re the only one that knows where my son is, though.”

“It’s critical that Your Majesty take your place as head of state providing moral support for your people in these trying times. Under no circumstance may Your Highness reveal that Saxthor is alive and on the continent. I know both Earwig and the Dark Lord are aware that the prince is alive and roaming the peninsula so telling you now could do little damage.”

He dared not tell her what the nature of Saxthor’s mission was, that would be too dangerous to divulge. Still the news of Saxthor’s survival renewed the queen’s spirits and gave her something to live for.

The queen summoned her chamberlain and the chatra and had them prepare an agenda of public engagements to get her back in the public eye. She went to her office and told her secretaries to prepare the stacks of official documents for her review.

“We must start with the ones neglected the longest,” she told them. “We feel good being motivated with a purpose again. I must restore the kingdom’s fortunes once more.”

With the queen recovered and fully active again, Memlatec turned his attentions to the economy. In a meeting with the chatra, the wizard suggested the chief minister prompt the ambassadors to double their efforts promoting foreign purchases of domestic products. The queen sent money to the various embassies to entertain the merchants encouraging them to buy Neuyokkasinian products. Her majesty visited the Ministers of Interior and Agriculture and suggested investment in state warehouses that would buy and store products until needed. That would prevent crops from rotting in the fields and get money into the farmers’ hands. With money in hand, farmers again bought the kingdom’s manufactured products. The whole economy turned up just as the queen started to make public appearances again. Once more, support strengthened for the Calimon dynasty in Neuyokkasin.