The Wizard and the Warlord (The Wardstone Trilogy Book Three) (14 page)

“…we welcome General Escott and the added protection the alliance force will give us, Your Highness,” Cresson repeated the words of someone else in a droll monotone. “Though I don’t see Xwarda as susceptible as Sir Hyden Hawk does. Nevertheless, his warnings will not go unheeded. His wisdom cannot be questioned. Our city would have fallen if not for him. All access to the Wardstone is being monitored relentlessly and the ship builders and other tradesmen who require pieces of it are being sifted as well as can be without questioning their honor or offending them.” Cresson paused and looked up at the High King expectantly.

“Tell Queen Willa that the general will be leaving Dreen in a matter of days with his troop. She should expect them in a few weeks. Tell Dugak that Master Oarly will not be able to join the group going underground this winter, he regrets, but duty has called him elsewhere. Assure Dugak and General Diamondeen that he is not on another bender; he is serving the realm.

“I will be departing with Queen Rosa to Westland soon. I want to spend the winter there. I haven’t been home, for any length of time, since my father died. Lord Gregory and Lady Trella will be in charge here, though the Lion Lord is leaving on a short journey on the morrow. I will have Master Sholt cast a sending when we arrive at Lakeside Castle. We miss you, Willa. Tell Starkle and Lady Andra we miss them, too.” Mikahl waited for Cresson to look up and then nodded that he was done speaking.

A few moments passed, then Cresson looked up. “Queen Willa says that she loves you as well,” the mage relayed. “Don’t go too hard on Phen, he’s just a boy. Master Oarly, though, knows better than to abscond without notice. We will prepare for the general’s arrival. If you happen to see King Jarrek, tell him to hurry back to Xwarda, at least for a visit.” Cresson looked up and appeared to be relieved that he had gotten through all of that. “That’s all she said, Highness.”

“I’m sure you’re tired, Cresson,” the High King said. “Queen Willa will go on and on if we let her. You’re excused for now. I will send someone for you, if need arises.”

“Thank you,” Cresson said as he bowed himself out of the room.

“General Escott, you’re excused from council until you’ve returned from Xwarda. I will want weekly reports sent via Master Sholt throughout the winter.”

“And I expect the same through Cresson,” Lord Gregory added.

The general nodded his understanding and followed Cresson out the door.

Once the door was bolted behind them, Lord Gregory laughed. “I still can’t believe I used to think Queen Willa was an old witch.” He shook his head. “It just goes to show how powerful rumors can be in shaping our views of the world.”

Feeling the informal mood take over the room, Phen finally spoke. “The rumor’s power was intensified by the fact that, for a couple of generations, Highwander and Westland had no direct communication.”

“I’m glad your brain wasn’t turned to stone.” Mikahl grinned at Phen. “You’re too fargin smart for us to do without.”

“Aye,” Lord Gregory agreed. “I can see why Hyden likes you so much. It’s his attachment to Master Oarly that I can’t figure out.”

“It’s me ability to adapt to any situation, and the way I can ignore the feeble wit of you Westland folk that he likes,” Oarly shot back with hands on hips.

“Hey,” King Mikahl said to the dwarf, “I’m a Westlander too, ya know.”

“My point exactly,” Oarly deadpanned.

Lord Gregory laughed out heartily.

“How long do you think we will be holed up in Hyden’s village?” asked Phen.

“At least eight weeks,” Mikahl answered. “If it were me, I would stay in one of those rabbit holes until spring.”

“Rabbit holes?” Oarly asked.

“Hyden’s people live in underground burrows that the giants made thousands of years ago,” Lord Gregory said.

“Well, at least they have good taste,” Oarly grunted his appreciation.

King Mikahl wrapped his arms around his shoulders and shivered. “It gets so blasted cold in those mountains that even the pack horses will have to be kept underground.”

“No wonder Hyden wanted me to bring so many books,” Phen chuckled.

“That reminds me,” Mikahl said as he strode over to the map table and retrieved a long leather bundle. “This is for you to deliver to Hyden. It’s the bow Vaegon gave him. You will never even begin to understand how much this means to Hyden. Guard it with your life.” The look in the High King’s eyes made Phen shiver.

“And don’t sit on it, lad,” Oarly said. “You’ll surely snap it in half if you do.”

“Another thing you should know,” Lord Gregory said. “The Skyler Clan doesn’t really like elves that much. Lady Telgra might not enjoy spending months cooped up with them.”

Mikahl nodded agreement with the Lion Lord. “For that matter, she might not care to go on with your group after she has restored her memory in the pond you’re going to visit.” He set his gaze on Phen again. “You should let her know the full extent of what she’s getting into. As valiant and helpful as her companions were to me, they won’t be told where she’s going, either. The location of the Skyler Clan’s village is to remain secret at all costs.”

Phen nodded that he understood, and he did. As attractive as she was to him, he was still of an age where the excitement of the upcoming journey was more powerful than his budding male urges. At least that was the case when she wasn’t in sight.

“I better talk to her,” Oarly said as seriously as he could manage. “Phen here is smitten by her beauty. He might get a little too excited and break off his magic wand.”

High King Mikahl and the Lion Lord shared a look then simultaneously burst into laughter as they realized what the dwarf was insinuating.

Phen sighed and scowled at them. Suddenly an idea came to him. It was hard to cast the spell without laughing or giving himself away, but he managed to do it unnoticed.

Phen pointed at a tangle of Oarly’s hair. “What is that?” he asked.

Oarly heard a buzzing sound where the boy was pointing and his laughter stopped immediately. He pulled at a wad of his hair and walked a full circle, craning his neck, trying to look at it. He resembled a dog chasing his own tail.

Phen gave Mikahl and the Lion Lord a wink as he grabbed Vaegon’s bow and quickly eased out of the room.

“What is it?” Oarly yelped as he danced in a circle. “Where did Phen go?” All of a sudden a half-dozen angry bees came out of the tangle and began swarming around his head. The dwarf began skipping and hopping and swatting like a madman, trying to bat them away.

“That’s not funny, lad!” Oarly raged. “They’re… they’re… they’re fargin stinging me, Phen!” he cried out in a voice that was a full octave higher than normal. He flailed his arms and ran around the council chamber, hopping and spinning.

“Back to the pump house,” Lord Gregory ordered through his guffaws.

“Or jump in one of the troughs,” High King Mikahl added with a slap of his knee. Then to Lord Gregory, Mikahl said, “I bet a gold piece that the dwarf doesn’t make fun of Phen’s magic wand again.”

Phen let Oarly suffer his swarm of magic bees until after he had eaten his midday meal. Luckily, the welts and stings disappeared along with the rest of the illusion. Phen reveled in how potent his spells had become, especially with the dragon tear medallion aiding him. A simple illusion had not only caused Oarly pain, it had caused his skin to react by swelling and turning plum red. It seemed to Phen that while the spell was in effect, it was really more than an illusion. He vowed to experiment with those types of spells on the journey.

That afternoon, he and Oarly, along with Lord Gregory and Lady Telgra, inspected the three wagons that were still being loaded.

“It will take years to get through the mountains with all this stuff,” Telgra said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I’ve got a pack and a saddlebag worth of stuff that Queen Rosa and Lady Trella loaned me. That’s all I’m taking.” She turned to Phen. “What is all of this for?”

Phen found Oarly and Lord Gregory staring at him for an answer as well. He hadn’t talked to her yet. The loading of the wagons had distracted him.

“Walk with me, my lady,” Phen said, offering her his arm. “There are a few things you should know before you commit to this quest.”

“I would say so, if you are planning on dragging all this over the mountains.” She hooked her arm in his and they started away. They walked to a quiet place outside the barn where the wagons were staged. The fall breeze was cool, yet the sun was bright. They stopped in the small strip of shade that ran alongside the main structure.

Phen looked at her. “We are going to spend the harsh winter months with the Skyler Clan. They are the people who…”

“They are the ones who climb the sacred cliffs for hawkling eggs,” she said over him.

“Aye,” Phen touched her chin and pulled her gaze to meet his. “What else do you remember?”

“Nothing about myself. So all of that stuff is to get us through winter then?”

“Yes, it is, but I have to tell you more.” Phen smiled awkwardly. No matter how hard he tried, the idea that this beautiful elven girl was staring at a petrified freak made out of marble wouldn’t escape the back of his mind. “We’re not stopping at the Leif Repline fountain… I mean… we are…” he shook his head and grabbed the bridge of his nose. “We’re stopping there, but once we’re done at the fountain pool, we’re continuing on. A friend of mine, Hyden Hawk, is in the clan village we’re going to lay over at. He is a great wizard. He is going with us to the fountain. His familiar, the hawkling named Talon that I told you of, shares the same affliction as me.”

“You told me about Talon on the boat,” Telgra said. “Where are we going after the Leif Repline?”

“On the far side of the mountains there is an artifact, or an enchanted weapon, or something that Hyden says can be used to seal away the demons and the Dark Lord for good.”

“Those lands aren’t even on your maps and yet you’re going there after some magical thing?”

“Yes.” He shrugged, showing that it was out of his control. “I only found out early this morning. I was supposed to tell you sooner, but I got caught up with Oarly and packing.”

“You told me that Vaegon was the one elf who helped the kingdom of men against the demons.” She stood proudly and her wild eyes flared as she spoke. “Now there is another. I will go on this quest into the unknown with you.”

“But what if after you get your memory back you don’t want to continue?” Phen asked with concern. “We won’t be able to escort you home. You could be an elven princess or something.”

“That’s silly, Phen.” She giggled at the idea of it. “I won’t change my mind. You have my word. And if I do, I will suffer my decision on my own.”

“All right,” Phen nodded. His happiness was plainly visible by the huge grin on his stony face.

“What are we going to do in your friend’s village all winter, Phen?” she asked with a grin as wide as his. Her eyes met his and she put her arm around him.

Phen found that he suddenly needed to be thinking about something else.

***

“The lad is in a fix,” said Oarly to Lord Gregory. “I can see it plain. Humans and elves aren’t meant to be attracted to each other, yet I see she is as smitten as he is.”

“Phen doesn't really appear to be human anymore, though,” Lord Gregory replied. “And you have to admit, she is beautiful.”

“She’s probably a hundred years older than him,” Oarly grumbled. “The boy will get his heart broken.”

“We all do, sooner or later.”

Oarly looked at the Lion Lord and realized it was the truth of it. He nodded and changed the subject. “So the horses that we use to pull the wagons will act as our pack horses next spring then?”

“Aye.” Lord Gregory was glad to be back to business. “You’ll have twelve horses available when you leave in the spring. I don’t know if you’ll use them all or not. Hyden’s cousins, Tylen, Shalloo, or even Little Con, might want to go with you. It will be good if they do because they have experience in the heights and can hunt and scout for the group.”

“It’s too large a group already, I think,” Oarly said. “We’ll attract too much attention. The smaller predators will flee us, but the larger ones will see us as a threat or a meal.”

“Don’t let me find out that you are afraid of the mist monster,” Lord Gregory chuckled. “All those tales of ice dragons and dread wolves are just campfire stories.”

“They’re more than stories, man,” Oarly argued. “Those tales came from happenings. Embelished maybe, but I bet my boot flask they aren’t just made up.”

“No, they are not,” Phen said as he and Telgra returned. “There are razor-toothed snow worms, gargantuan shagmar bears, and giant mountain-trolls up there. There’s a hundred other things as well.”

“What in the fargin hells is a snow worm, lad?”Oarly asked with concern showing plainly on his face.

“They burrow through the snow and snatch you under as you’re walking along,” Telgra said, with hand animations adding to the effect of her words. “Shloop!” she sounded loudly, making a falling-through-the-surface motion. “Just like that, you’re gone.”

Phen and Lord Gregory both laughed at the wide-eyed look on Oarly’s face.

“You should be on the training yard watching the High King, lady,” Lord Gregory said after a moment.

“Why?” Telgra asked.

“He is choosing your escorts today. It is amusing. It seems that all the men who are capable of managing a wagon and a four-horse team aren’t capable of wielding a sword.”

“The wagon drivers can return with you and the empty wagons,” Phen said.

“Aye,” Lord Gregory agreed. “That’s what I told him.”

“By Doon, there’s going to be a hundred men on this trek before nightfall.” Oarly stormed off toward the horse pen where Mikahl was practicing.

“I’m going to speak with Queen Rosa and the ladies,” Telgra said. “Finding guards is men’s work.”

“I’ll escort you,” Lord Gregory said. He was still grinning over Oarly’s discomfort from the snow worms. “I need a word with Lady Trella anyway.”

“I guess I will go with Oarly,” Phen said reluctantly. He'd actually hoped to spend some more time with Telgra. He’d have plenty of time with her soon enough, he told himself. Thinking about Oarly’s warnings, he decided he would probably have too much time with her.