The Merchant and the Menace (50 page)

“The signs are there for all to see. I did not want
to believe but I knew it was true. A great war approaches and many will be
lost. Word from the Eru is dark. Their riders are harassed in the northern
marches. They are kept off balance and running. When they try to defend one
location, another is set upon. They request assistance. We are silent.

“Derolian woodsmen give my people reports of Ulrog Hackles
massing along the mountains. The woodsmen fight when they are able, but each
month the Ulrog numbers increase. Our people complain of a lack of timber from
the Derol. We hear the Derolians plight, but we are silent.

“The cries of my Zodrian cousins are the loudest.
Blade and armor return from the North with no man to outfit. The death toll
grows greater every month. A generation of young men is being robbed from them.
Macin clenches his teeth and fights on. He asks nothing of us, but we know the
despair they face, and we are silent.

“It is time for our silence to be broken!”

She turned to Corad and took his hands in hers. She
bowed down before him and looked up into his eyes.

“We have been happy lo these many years my husband
and my king. I served you loyally and faithfully our entire marriage, as you
have do so for me. You are my bastion, my rock. Change is hard and sacrifice
even more difficult. It is our time. I have seen it clearly for many years now,
but held my tongue. I did not want to lose you.

“However, Lord Ader is right. We can sit idly by no
longer. If we do, we will be the last standing, surrounded in a world of UIrog.
We must take up arms and fight at the sides of our brothers and sisters to the
north.”

Corad stared down into her eyes a moment longer.
Slowly he pulled her up till she was wrapped in his arms.

“I would stand toe to toe with the Demon Lord of
Chaos to protect you, my love. If you have kept me ignorant of your knowledge,
it was out of love for me. If you say it is time, it is time.”

Corad turned to Ader.

“We may not see eye to eye on our beliefs, mystic,
but you may command my trident at the head of the Rindoran Spear. We will march
north at the request of Manfir, son of Macin, heir to the throne of Zodra.”

The Rindoran King stepped forward and held a hand
out to the old trader. Ader enveloped it with his own hands and smiled his
assent.

“Now you must tell me of this secret weapon, this
thing that the Lord of Chaos fears so. What weapon is so mighty that it
frightens the Master of Fear?” asked Corad.

Ader turned and faced his troop. He held a steady,
calm smile on his face and winked at Kael as he wrapped an arm around the boy
and pulled him forward.

“Corad Kingfisher,” said Ader and he turned to the
queen. “Queen Lucyn, meet Kael Brelgson, titled prince of Luxlor, heir to the
broken throne of Astel, ... and my grandson.”

“WHAT?” exclaimed Kael.

Kael sat on a window seat in the ancient towers of
Rindor staring through diamond panes of thick leaded glass at the river hundreds
of feet below him. Eddies and currents churned and swirled on their way past
the rocky outcrops of the river island. Fishing boats, tiny from this distance,
moved in and out of these currents searching for schools of pike and the lone,
prized Urgron. Clouds drifted past, painting the river and countryside in
shadows. Kael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Confusion, shock and
anger exhausted him. He wanted a full day of sleep. The weight on his chest
grew so heavy. He needed his father.

After Ader proclaimed him the heir to a kingdom he
never heard of, as well as the old man’s grandson, events moved rapidly. Corad
and Queen Lucyn intensified their focus on the young man. They fired questions
at both Ader and Kael, occasionally shooting disbelieving looks at Manfir. The
Zodrian prince stayed stoic as usual. Ader delayed their questions by
requesting accommodations in the castle. Attendants were sent to collect their
belongings at “The Singing Mermaid”. Teeg and Eidyn were dispatched to track
down Granu, the errant member of their party, and bring him to the castle as
discreetly as possible. Flair and Kael were led from the meeting chamber to a
set of rooms high in the castle’s towers. Kael wanted to protest, but was so
overwhelmed by these new revelations that he was unable to act. He spent over
an hour staring at the river below when there was a knock upon his door.

Kael wandered over and slowly drew it open. Ader
stood in the hallway, hands clasped behind his back rocking on his heels. Kael
scowled at the old man.

“What do you ...?”

Ader’s right hand shot up, cutting off Kael’s
words.

“You have every right to be angry. You have every
right to be upset. You have every right to ask questions,” announced the old
man. “But first let me say, all knowledge that was hidden from you was for your
own good. Your mother and father hoped for a normal life for you. I tried to
fulfill that wish.“

“They gave me a normal life,” exclaimed Kael. “It
wasn’t until you got involved that it turned..... ABSURD!”

Ader frowned and took on a hurt expression. He
struggled with his feelings. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed.

“In the past hour you were thinking. In that hour,
if you reflected on anything I said in the meeting room, one conclusion certainly
reared its head,” Ader opened his eyes and smiled at Kael. “If my claim of
kinship to you is to be believed, then Brelg and Yanwin are not your true
parents.”

Kael clenched his teeth and glared at the old man.

“ABSURD .... I say it again, ABSURD!“ shouted Kael.
“I don’t possess a clue as to what is going on, but I know who my parents are.”

“Calm yourself, my boy! I don’t tell you this to
hurt you. I fought against this moment your entire life. Do you think it
pleases me to shatter your world? I spent years protecting the fiction that is
your life. I knew I would expose that fiction one day. Events force my hand.
Today is that day.”

Kael spun and stomped to the window. He looked back
down at the rushing waters of the Ituan River and clenched his teeth once more.
He folded his arms in front of him, his body rigid with tension. He refused to
face the old man. Perhaps Ader would simply go away and with him all of Kael’s
troubles.

“I don’t want to hear another thing,” he whispered.
“Whatever was hidden from me in the past, and whatever the future holds, I know
one thing. My life isn’t ‘fiction’! I know who my mother is, and I love her. I
know who my father is and he’s waiting for me now. All I care about is seeing
him. Once I find my father, I hope to put all this behind me.”

Ader sighed and leaned heavily upon his walking
staff. Silence hung in the room for a long moment.

“I’m sorry, my boy. I didn’t mean to imply that
those you care for are merely players in a troupe banded together to hide you.
Their love for you and yours for them is as true as any love. You are simply an
innkeeper’s son from the Southlands. That’s all you ever knew. We are truly just
the sum of our experiences,” said the Seraph. “However, that
was
a
chapter of your life. For good or ill that chapter is closed. 'Twas not my
doing, but now that it’s done, I can’t afford to allow you to indulge in
fanciful notions. You will
never
return to your old life, no matter what
the future holds. Your father will
never
return to his old life.”

“Why not? By whose decision?” growled Kael to the
river below.

Ader frowned and sad eyes scanned Kael’s hunched
shoulders.

“As much as I might wish to indulge you, Kael,
unfortunately I cannot,” said the Seraph softly. “This isn’t just about you.
It’s not just about Brelg and Yanwin, or Mester and Wist for that matter. The
future of the world hinges in the balance. In order for your kind to succeed,
many sacrifices must be made.”

“Who are Mester and West?” muttered Kael.

“Mester and Wist,” corrected Ader curtly. “They’re
your parents, Kael, the couple that lovingly brought you into this world. A
woman who held you in her arms upon your birth and cried tears of joy. A man
who proclaimed a joyous new era of prosperity for his kingdom upon the birth of
its new heir. I don’t deny for one moment the place in the hearts of Brelg and
Yanwin for their eldest son Kael, but don’t belittle the love and sacrifice of
your true parents.”

Kael turned. He furrowed his brow as he struggled
with his emotions. He didn’t want to hear this nonsense, but a part of him
craved it. He was angry with Ader for all his recent deception, but trusted
him. So many conflicting feelings.

“Go on,” mumbled Kael lowering his head.

Ader moved toward the boy and led him to the window
seat. Kael sat and once again stared at the hypnotic flow of the river below
him. He calmed and let the old man speak.

“Astel was once a thriving kingdom to the East. It
lies through the Derol forest and over the Mirozert Mountains, quite a journey
from here. Astel was a kingdom of rolling hills and sporadic forests. The lakes
were filled with fish and the forests with an abundance of Avra’s creations.
The palace sat on a bluff overlooking a lush valley.

“The DeHarstron family founded Astel and they ruled
it for centuries. The kingdom was renown for producing great thinkers and
artisans. The power of the mind was valued above all other commodities. Not the
least of these thinkers were the DeHarstrons themselves. War was banished as an
inefficient and unnecessary means to resolve conflict. Famine was eradicated
through cultivation and irrigation techniques. Medicines were developed and
studied to defeat disease. The poor were provided for and the aged cared for.
In short, Astel transformed into a model of Avra’s hope for his children.

“Do not mistake me, however. There are some things
that even the greatest of societies cannot control. The Ulrog roamed the frozen
wastes behind the Scythtar Mountains. Occasionally, they accomplished the
difficult journey through the mountain passes and swept out to attack Astel.
'Twas nothing like the harassment of the Zodrians and the Eru, but it was
enough to force Astel to maintain a trained fighting force. As with all studies
performed in the kingdom, the army produced superior tacticians and brave fighting
men.

“Mester was a fine example of the best of Astel. He
truly was a great thinker, an architect, a philosopher and engineer. He
improved the road system and developed ways to strengthen the fortifications.
He was also an excellent military man. The Ulrog population grew and their
forays into Astel intensified. Mester led the Astelan armies against huge bands
of Ulrog raiders. He systematically decimated their numbers.

“In his twenty-third year he traveled to Luxlor on
a diplomatic mission. He spent a season in the White Almar palace. There he met
the fair Wist, fourth daughter of Ilver Admir and Alel of Forend. He fell in
love and remained in Luxlor for two more years wooing the hand of the queen’s
sister.”

Kael’s eyes left the river and met the Ader’s.

“The queen’s sister?” said Kael puzzled. “That
means...”

“...you are half Elven,” stated Ader.

“What?” replied Kael with shock.

“No secrets anymore, Kael. All will be revealed.
But I must ask a favor of you. Will you heed sound advice if given?” said Ader.

Kael’s attitude softened. Whether it was truth or
fiction, the Guide was finally giving him answers. Kael was hungry to hear
more.

“I’ll heed your advice, if I agree that it’s sound,”
stated Kael.

“I suppose that’s as close to a ‘yes’ as I should
expect,” stated Ader. “I’m willing to reveal all to you. Anything you ask I
will try to answer, but...”

 “Just as I thought,” interjected Kael. “A
condition to this ‘truth telling’.“

Ader frowned and shook his head.

“Don’t become surly, my boy. I’ve dealt with kings
and generals for centuries. I’m not prepared to coddle a surly adolescent after
all these years,” said Ader.

“Sorry,” apologized Kael as he eyed the river once
more.

Ader cleared his throat and pressed on.

“As I said, I’m willing to answer all, but I ask
you to take your time. The revelations are there for you to discover, but
please digest them slowly. Your past and the implications for the future are
too great to rush through. Emotion and heartache are there. Joy and knowledge
as well. Do not rush through what you need to learn and lose sight of why you
are learning it,” said Ader.

“Why
am
I learning it?” asked Kael.

Ader stroked his chin and smiled at the boy.

“To discover who you are and to decide who you wish
to become,” said Ader.

The boy sat for a moment weighing Ader’s words.
Already he felt overwhelmed by the information he uncovered. Each question that
popped into his head generated a hundred more. Each possible response revealed
a hundred more possibilities. Ader was right. He mustn’t rush down a raging
river of questions. Instead, he must digest the information that is to be given
him and determine the important next questions.