The Wizard and the Warlord (The Wardstone Trilogy Book Three) (12 page)

“So I can go on this journey with you?” she asked carefully. “I’ll not be a bother.”

“Can you do anything?” Oarly asked. “We won’t be riding in carriages, or traveling in boats. The Giant Mountains are as harsh as it gets, especially since winter is moving in. We won’t be riding much, either. Can you hunt, or wield a sword? Can you handle the rough of the wild?”

“I’m an excellent archer,” she blurted out defensively. Then she giggled happily, realizing that she just remembered something about herself.

Oarly’s winking nod assured her that he had planned the tricky questions all along.

Phen’s smirk showed plainly that he thought Oarly was full of it. “Yes, you can come along,” Phen answered her question. “But we need a name for you. Since our Master Dwarf is so smart, let’s see if he can drag you into blurting out your name.”

“I’ll do it too, lad,” Oarly boasted. “Just you wait and see.”

“I almost had it,” she said with an exasperated huff. “I can’t stand this not knowing.”

“Just make up a name for now,” Oarly suggested. “What do you want your name to be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a contemplative frown. Her feral yellow eyes made her look angry as she thought about it.

“How about Karee?” Phen asked. “That was my mother’s name. At least that was the name the ladies at the orphanage told me.”

“Karee,” she sounded it out, tasting the way it felt on her lips. A smile spread across her face. “Karee it is.”

“Bah!” Oarly exclaimed. “That’s about as elven as Oarly Shardsworth.”

“Karee is a beautiful name,” she said. “And I like it. From now on, call me Karee.”

“Lady Karee,” Phen corrected. Her mannerisms and intellect spoke of nobility. Phen saw it even if she and Oarly didn’t.

“No, Phen, just Karee for now,” she told him.

“The idea of the exercise was for her to decide what she wanted to be called, lad,” Oarly grumbled. “You challenged me to get her to reveal her name and then you ruined my plan.” He got to his feet and scowled through his hairy face. “I’m going out to get some air.”

“Thank the gods,” Phen joked. “You are a miserable companion when you are sober. I can’t believe there wasn’t a drop of drink to be found anywhere in Oktin when we stopped over.”

“That’s what happens when a few hundred dwarfs start building a palace.” Oarly looked back and grunted as he exited the cabin. He paused at the door and had to fight to suppress his smile. “Remember what I told ya, lad,” he warned. “Don’t let it break off now.”

“Break off?” Karee asked, looking at Phen with a curious expression.

“Nevermind him,” Phen sighed. He took a breath, trying to focus his mind on the feel of Master Sholt’s wand smacking across his knuckles in class.

“What’s wrong, Phen?” Karee asked. “You don’t look like you want me to go on your quest with you.”

“I’d rather you than Oarly, any day,” he laughed. “Of course you can come along, but since Dreen is so close to the Evermore forest, wouldn’t you rather go see your people?” Phen shrugged. “Surely someone is worried about you. Your mother and father, a friend. We might be long months in returning from the Leif Repline fountain.”

At the mention of her father, she felt hollow for a moment. For a fleeting instant she knew, but something swept in and filled that void before the memory could manifest itself into a true reflection of the past.

Phen noticed the sudden blank expression and the vacant, almost fearful look in Karee’s wild yellow eyes. He put his hand over hers and squeezed gently. His touch, as cold and hard as it was, put a bright smile on her face. It must have been a contagious smile because he found himself grinning back at her stupidly. Spike broke the moment by leaping onto the bench where Oarly had been sitting.

Phen was as pleased as he was surprised when she didn’t let go of his hand and purposely used her free hand to scratch behind the prickly lyna’s ears.

“I would rather go back to my people knowing who I am,” she said absently, after a time. “I have a feeling that this is all happening to me for a reason.” She forgot Spike and put her other hand over Phen’s so that he now had both of her hands in his. He wished he could feel her touch more specifically.

“I had a vision of you finding me.” She scrunched up her face, searching for an explanation. “I know that much in my heart, so I will follow the course I am on and see where it leads me.” She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “But, as you said, someone might be worried about me. I don’t even know that my family is from the Evermore Forest, but surely someone there would know of a missing elven woman. Is there a way I could get a written message to the elves when we get to Dreen?”

Phen didn’t think that the term elven woman described her very well. She appeared far too young to be considered a woman grown, but he understood the desire to be accepted by one’s peers. “Of course,” he told her. “We can send a rider or two to Vaegon’s Glade. They can leave your message there. Your people will find it.”

Again she felt the tremor of memory as Phen spoke. Vaegon—the name seemed vaguely familiar to her, but she didn’t know who he was, or why she recognized the name.

“Who is Vaegon?” she asked before the thought left her.

“He was a friend of Hyden Hawk and King Mikahl,” Phen said reverently. “The only elf who concerned himself with helping stop the demon wizard from using Xwarda’s powerful bedrock to destroy the world. Lord Gregory said it was because Hyden saved his life the year before last at the Summer’s Day festival, but both Hyden and Mikahl said that it was more than that. They think of Vaegon as a hero of the realm. He died fighting a Choska on the wall in Xwarda.”

The stirring in her mind continued, but never centered on anything. The idea that only one of her people would stand up against such an evil foe seemed to block out the rest of it. For a long time she chewed on her cheek and thought.

Phen found his adolescent mind wandering in the wrong direction again, so he busied his mind with the thoughts of the Leif Repline and of hopefully getting to see Hyden Hawk soon. Oarly broke the silence this time when he stormed into the little cabin. The dwarf seemed uplifted by his stint of the air above.

“You love birds need to get ready,” Oarly said excitedly. “The fork is in view, and the rumor is that there’s plenty of wine, so don’t dally.”

***

It was midday before Corva slipped back into consciousness. Dostin had carried him a long way through the swamp following King Mikahl. Mikahl didn’t remember Dostin from his short stay on the Isle of Salaya, but Dostin remembered the High King and his legendary sword. He wanted to ask a thousand questions but was too nervous and overburdened with Corva’s weight to get them out of his mind. By the time they stopped, the monk was so out of breath that he couldn’t talk.

“This is a deep enough channel to be reached by river boat,” Mikahl told the monk. He couldn’t believe that the man had carried his elven friend through the night. It was a valiant accomplishment. The monk hadn’t so much as complained. As a matter of fact, Mikahl was sure that Dostin hadn’t even grunted or made a sound at all.

After Corva was laid in a comfortable looking position, King Mikahl gave Dostin back his makeshift staff and used Ironspike to start a fire. “Watch over him. I'm going on to Low Crossing. Wait here.”

“Are you coming back?” Dostin asked fearfully. He suddenly blushed and took a knee. “Your Highness,” he added.

“A boat will be along for the two of you soon. I’ll see to it personally. Just keep putting grass on the fire so they can make out the smoke.” Mikahl gave his best reassuring smile. He started to say something about the monk kneeling, but was too exhausted. For a long while he just watched Dostin. “Get up, my friend,” he finally said after he realized that Dostin wasn’t going to get up until he told him to. “If you want to meet up with the elven girl, she will be in Dreen in a day or two. You are welcome to stay at the castle there, both of you. You helped the realm with your bravery and skill. I am in your debt.”

“You saved us from the priest’s cage, so we are even,” Dostin replied without thinking about it. “How do you know about Telgra? Do you know the short man and the heavy one who are helping her?”

It took Mikahl a moment to figure out that the monk was talking about Phen and Oarly. “How could you know about them?” he asked.

“Corva saw the tracks and told me it was a big, heavy man with little feet and a really short man who helped her into a boat.”

“Corva is an excellent tracker then,” Mikahl nodded. “That’s exactly what happened. She is on her way to Dreen with two of my most trusted friends. Should I give her a message? I will see her later this day.”

Dostin scratched his head and thought about it. “Tell her to wait for us in Dreen. Corva and I will come along as soon as we can.” He glanced at Corva. “Is he going to be all right?”

“Aye,” Mikahl nodded. “He’ll come around. I will tell your friend Telgra to wait for you. If you stay put until a boat gets here, you should be safe. Tell Corva I said thank you for his help and that he is welcome anywhere in my kingdom, as are you, mighty Dostin.”

Mikahl laughed at his choice of words. The brave monk was mighty.

He looked at the sky. The sun was starting up into the day with vigor. “I’m off, my friend,” he said. He checked to make sure that the broken Spectral Staff was still lashed to his back, then he drew Ironspike. At once, the bright horse appeared under him, and in a single rising leap he was off.

He flew straight to Low Crossing and ordered a boat to be immediately sent to pick up Dostin and Corva. “Treat them like royalty and escort them directly to King Jarrek,” Mikahl ordered. “Tell him to have the monk and the elf escorted to Dreen as soon as possible.”

The boat captain gave a head bow and promised to comply with his orders. After that, Mikahl was on his way to Dreen where his young queen waited.

***

“Where are we?” Corva asked after he fluttered his eyes open and saw that they weren’t near the ceremony grounds and it was broad daylight. His head had a throbbing, egg-sized lump on it. His fingers discovered how tender it was when they found it.

“Oh, hello, Corva,” Dostin grinned happily at the elf. “We’re waiting on a river boat right now. Telgra is on her way to Dreen, and we are supposed to see King Jarrek for help getting there. The High King says that we get to stay at his castle. He says that he owes us for helping him.”

“Shhh,” Corva hissed with a half grin on his face. Dostin’s voice made his head hurt worse. He'd always wanted to see the great city of Castlemont. The elves who had seen it all agreed that it was a wonder to behold. The idea that he was about to betray his Queen Mother, though, wasn’t lost on him. He decided that even she had to agree that if Telgra was in Dreen, he had to go get her.

Dostin loaded grass on the fire. The pillar of smoke it created was reassuring, but the amount of insects and strange noises around them kept them uneasy. When the old river boat finally arrived, they both found they couldn’t wait to get on it.

Phen was too heavy to ride a horse so they had to take a horse-drawn wagon from Fork to Dreen. The only wagon available had just been used to haul a load of fruit to the docks at Fork. The bed was sticky and pungent and was drawing insects. Luckily, the farmer put Phen on the bench seat in the middle. He drove his two-horse team from Phen’s left, and Karee road under her hood on Phen’s right. Oarly was too drunk to mind the bed of the cart.

Phen offered to pay the farmer handsomely for the trip, but the man wouldn’t hear him.

“It’s my pleasure to give Marble Boy and his companions a ride,” the farmer replied proudly. “My boy Brendley was sacked at Seareach by those Dakaneese bastards. A ride is the least I can do for you, sir.”

During a rough section of road about halfway through their journey, they were jostled to and fro dramatically. The driver looked back over his shoulder to the wagon bed and cringed. Nervously, he nudged Phen, who followed the farmer’s pointing finger with his eyes.

Phen burst out laughing at what he saw. The farmer visibly relaxed and continued urging the horses along.

Oarly was out cold. Phen couldn’t contain his mirth as the jolting motion of the wagon tossed the dwarf around. Oarly’s hair, beard, and every inch of his clothing was matted with sticky fruit juice and bits of leaves and debris. A swarm of bright yellow bees hovered around him like a cloud.

Karee chuckled quietly when she saw. “At least he won’t smell like a goat now.” She gave Phen’s cold hand a squeeze.

“Aye,” Phen replied. “We might have to shave him to get all of that out of his hair.”

They arrived at the low, but seemingly endless, red block wall that surrounded the city of Dreen. It was just after dark, but the gate guards let them in with no questions. Once they recognized Phen, they all saluted. Karee watched with sleepy eyes as they rode past street after street of low built one- and two-story red brick structures. She asked through a yawn why they were built so far apart.

“See the fences between the homes? During the day, those pens are full of horses and cattle. Some still are.” Phen pointed at a large yard full of cows. “The whole city’s commerce is based on horse flesh. It’s probably the biggest city in the realm, but it has far fewer people than Xwarda or Seaward City.” Phen looked at Karee to see if she was still listening, and found her nodding into sleep against his stony shoulder. He hadn’t even felt her lean against him. A few long hours later, they finally reached the castle’s palisade wall. By then Phen was fighting sleep as well.

The fatherly look of concern on Lord Gregory’s face when he quietly escorted Karee into the castle was overpowering.

“Phen, you should never leave without telling someone where you're going or what you're about,” the Lion Lord scolded. The man’s gaze made Phen feel a visceral sort of fear. “Now let us take in this elven girl who has caused such a stir.”

Phen looked at Lord Gregory inquisitively. “How did you know I was traveling with an elven girl?”

“The same way I know that master Oarly is going to sleep in the hay barn until we can get all that muck washed off of him.”