13

 

 

 

"You really should start eating your food. It is quite delicious."

   Valam looked down at his plate for the first time since he and Tsandra had begun their conversation. Valam thought, "How can I talk and eat at the same time?"

   He had not expected a response, but Tsandra gave him one anyway. "Quite simply, just like this. You can think with your mouth full, can't you?" Tsandra stated the question sincerely, but Valam thought it was a joke. He almost choked on his food before he gulped down a glass of wine. "I guess you can't," commented Tsandra as she watched him.

   The remainder of the meal proceeded without conversation. Valam was embarrassed to find Seth and Evgej staring at him as he finally took in their presence and that of everyone else around him again. When the dinner assemblage broke up, Valam almost expected Tsandra to come over and talk to him, but she didn't. In silence, he walked beside Evgej from the hall, with Cagan, Seth, and Liyan not far behind.

   "The war still seems so very distant," said Valam as he stopped mid-stride, "so different."

   "Yes, at times I even wonder if it exists, yet I know it does," answered Seth.

   They slowly, subconsciously, walked towards the balcony they had occupied earlier in the evening, while they talked.

   "Tomorrow also seems so distant. Do you think we will be able to reach Keeper Martin and Father Jacob?"

   "Yes. We will reach them. Our outposts tell us that King Mark's forces have not yet passed the Western Ranges. They and the plains are still the boundaries that separate us. If your men have indeed landed on the position Brother Seth chose, they should be well away from the mountains. We have sent our scouts out all along the coast. We will receive word soon."

   "This King Mark you speak of. He is the one that completed the journey?"

   "No it was Sathar."

   "Then why does the enemy align under King Mark if Sathar is the true leader?"

   Liyan looked to Seth questioningly and directed to only him and Cagan, "You did not tell them?" Seth shook his head solemnly. Liyan then looked to Cagan, who repeated Seth's gesture of no. Liyan's heart sank as he fought an inner battle. He had to tell them, but something stopped him, held him back from saying anything further.

   "It is all right, Brother Liyan." The voice came from behind them. It fell crisply, beautifully into the air of the night. Valam heard the voice and turned, his heart racing. It was not the one he thought of. All eyes moved to stare upon the radiance of the Queen-Mother.

   "My Queen-Mother," said Seth quickly. He looked around for her normal entourage of escorts, but she was alone. He gasped aloud, "My Queen you should not be alone."

   "Shh," she said, taking a seat next to him. "I will tell you of Sathar and the dark journey. I know much of your kind, Prince Valam." The Queen-Mother paused to choose her words carefully, yet simply. "In your Great Kingdom, who do men follow? They follow other men, do they not? What do they fight for?" She paused again to let Valam consider her words. "They fight for their beliefs, do they not? Their beliefs come from their God, do they not? King Mark is just a tool. He is the one that our enemy gathers under, but Sathar is the one they fight for. Do you understand?" Valam felt the words fall upon him. He fully understood them, though he wished he did not. "What, then, is the dark journey?" he began to think. Before the words escaped his lips, the Queen-Mother answered his question. "It is a passage to a plane in opposition to our own. As ours exists in life, it exists in death. One who completes the journey now lives in both worlds, neither dead nor alive."

   She continued, "How can we defeat him, you want to ask. The final words of the prophecy answer that question. When he that is cursed finds his way back from the dark journey, the end of all we have known is finally upon us. Only from our vigilance in the watch shall we learn of his return. Only with our knowledge shall we have the means to defeat him. But only through our faith shall we truly overcome him at the last."

   The word faith rang through their minds endlessly. The Queen-Mother paused for a moment and then began again, "We must also understand the entire message of the prophecy. As I have previously stated, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. During the Blood Wars the original writings of the prophet were thought lost. They were not."

   "You have them?" screamed Valam, anger etched deeply into the pulsing veins of his face. Evgej also felt the rush of anger within him. "That reaction is the exact reason we have kept it secret for so long. When you hear the rest of my words you will understand. It was for the good of all that we have kept their existence a secret even amongst our own people. Only the great council and I, and now you, know the truth."

   The same thoughts filled Evgej and Valam's minds. They began to look around the balcony and the surrounding area. "Do not worry. My thoughts only go as far as your minds. No one else can hear my words. Brother Seth and Brother Liyan maintain a thought barrier encircling us all. There is nothing to fear. Portions of the prophecy that were restored are incomplete. Several key paragraphs were deleted when it was rescribed. How? Ask the questions of your mind, but the answer is unimportant. The gift had to be so delicately balanced that it could not give one side of the struggle an advantage. It contained clues of equal value for both sides if they would heed the warning. The two paths have run parallel throughout time, both in equal balance with each other. They will converge at the time marked. The end will become the beginning and the beginning will become the end. All of this you know, but the secret we have preserved is who they are. The majority of the prophecy speaks of how he will return amongst us. He that has surpassed the dark journey. He that is evil will bring the past with the future. But the last lines of the paragraph read: he that was formed from the vortex of three shall also return. One shall raise the banner of the east. One shall raise the banner of the west. Together they shall rule over all. The next paragraph you should also know well. It is the curse of the prophecy. Evil works in many types of shading.  Their union cannot be stopped. They will return through their dark magic. They are the harbingers of death and destruction. This is their curse. The last lines should have been this. The child that is yet to be, child of east and west, is the bearer of light and remembrance, and in him, child of past and present, the bearer of darkness will come full circle in the end. He, the bringer of death, child of darkness, also hides the angel of life and the key. He is the third."

   Valam had spent months studying the prophecy and the related writings in his youth. Anger surged through him as he silently shouted these words within his mind, "Why have you brought us here? You did not need us!!"

   "But Prince Valam, we do need you!" said the Queen-Mother sorrowfully. For Valam it was the second time he had shared her deep feelings of remorse and sorrow. This time, however, the tears flowed from his eyes, not hers.

   "We need time. We must find the other; we will bring the child of the future to him."

   "I still don't understand why you needed us to come here."

   "Let me re-read this line to you so that you may understand. The child that is yet to be, heir of east and west, is the bearer of light and remembrance. We need you, Valam."

   "Are you serious? Then why did all the others have to come? They shall die for nothing. They have traveled all this way for nothing."

   "It is not for nothing. You have arrived here safely--that is what matters."

   "Me?"

   "We could not take the risk that a lone ship would be caught. Do you recall the storm that brought your ship to us?"

   "No!" cried Valam, "Oh, Father, No! What of those that died on the journey and those that will die in the fields?"

   "They have passed for a greater cause. It was the only way. If I could have made the journey I would have, but I could not leave. Sathar would have sensed it. He would have sent everything against us. We at least have hope now."

   Valam sat quietly thinking and staring into the darkness of the night. Seth felt sorry for his friend; it had to be. He could sense the mixed feelings of those present. He nodded to Cagan and Evgej and they followed his lead from the balcony. Valam and the Queen-Mother were alone.

   The Queen-Mother stood and stared at Valam. She studied him from his jet-black hair down past his broad shoulders to his muscular arms. She could sense the feelings within him and understood them. "Valam," she said as she seated herself next to him, "they are not here for nothing. We also need them. The capital cannot fall until after the child is born. We will do everything we can to see that it doesn't. Our child is the child yet to be. Do you not understand?"

   For the first time Valam fully comprehended the actions that would follow. He, too, could sense emotions within her. "But I do not love you. How could I? How could I?"

   "How could you father a child? Easier than you would think. I know the feelings you seek to hide. Do not hide them. Allow them to come."

   "You are the Queen-Mother. How can you?"

   "I do what I must. You judge too harshly. I have love within me for all things, for everyone. I can see feelings of love within you. Yes, Tsandra is beautiful and perfect and you feel sorrow for her for reasons you cannot understand, but where lie your real thoughts, whom do you compare her to, for whom do you secretly yearn? The thoughts in your own mind do not lie."

   She grasped Valam firmly by the hand and led him from the balcony. "I still do not understand.  Why me?"

   "You are the first heir to the throne of the Great Kingdom, and I am Queen of the East. I have seen you in my many dreams, Valam. I have seen you and me together. I have seen our child, the child that is yet to be."

   The Queen-Mother led him along many long corridors. Finally, they came to a long, narrow staircase along one of the tiny back hallways. The stairs were steep and seemed to wind their way forever upward.

   Together they climbed. The Queen-Mother climbed backwards, staring deeply into Valam's eyes. She held both of his hands warmly within her own, weaving an intricate, sensuous pattern with her forefingers in his palms.

   Valam was still having difficulty dealing with the reality of the situation. It seemed like a dream to him, a very wonderful dream. He began to wonder if he were, in fact, dreaming. "You are not dreaming, my prince," came the melodic whisper into his mind.

   As they climbed, Valam felt the sensation of movement beneath his feet, as if the tower were swaying back and forth, ushering them upward. He could feel a breeze gently blowing; the air, though cool, was warm and soothing to his skin.

   The staircase ended in a small alcove with no apparent door. Valam started to yell a warning as the queen backed into the wall, but the wall faded as she stepped into it. The room on the other side was plush and richly decorated. The queen softly pulled Valam over to the large westerly window. The view from the pinnacle was breathtaking. He could look out across the whole of the city all the way to the eastern gates.

   The sun hanging on the far horizon added to the impact of the view. The two stood tightly pressed against each other and watched with wonder the beautiful, simple spectacle of the setting sun.

   A blanket of darkness swept over the room as the last shadows of daylight dimmed from the sky. Gradually, caressingly, the Queen-Mother moved her lips to Valam's. Their lips remained locked as they slowly sank to the floor.

   The wildness and warmth of passion began to carry them away. All worries about today or tomorrow were gone. They were in a world of their own creation. They alone dwelt on its shores. They alone drank in its captivating spell.

   The two became one in thought and body. Their dreams and wishes flowed freely between them, surrounding and protecting them. They shed their inner light and became themselves. The Queen-Mother became nothing but a woman and the prince became nothing but a man. They were a man and a woman entangled and united in each other's caresses and affections.

   They awoke in each other's arms to the sounds of a clear, beautiful day. Valam stared into the queen's liquid blue eyes. She stared back into his. They shared one last moment in each other's warmth. Valam kissed her deeply and passionately, then stood and put on his clothes. The Queen-Mother got out of bed and dressed also.

   Valam watched her silken beauty with admiration, as she admired him. Sunlight poured through an eastern window. Valam took her hand and they went to the window to welcome the coming day. The scene was as beautiful as the previous day's sunset.

   "How long will it be before you find out if you are with child? Maybe it was not the correct time?" said Valam, hoping, searching for anything to prevent the inevitable. "I am the Queen-Mother. If I wish for a child, it will be. It is. The time is when I wish it. I can feel the life begin."

   "Are you sure?"

   "Yes, quite."

   "Then it is over."

   "Yes, it is."

   In that twinkling, the inevitable had arrived. She became the queen, and he became the prince. He was Prince Valam of the Great Kingdom, and she was the Queen-Mother of the Eastern Reaches. Valam turned from the window and walked to the stairs. He did not look back as he descended.

   The Queen-Mother watched him leave within her mind. She did not have to look to see him go; she knew he had. She continued to stare out the window at the dawning day, hiding her sorrow in the alleys of her mind.

   Her thoughts began to waver and fade. Emotions within her churned with a torrent of rage and wildness unknown to her. An image slowly formed in her mind's eye. She was with Valam as he wound his way downwards from the tower and into the adjacent hall.

   Valam aimlessly strolled down many halls, finally finding Evgej's room. He knocked and then entered. Evgej was startled as Valam walked in; he awoke and dressed just moments before Valam arrived.

   Evgej misread the expression on Valam's face and asked him how the night had gone. Valam's answer was a scowl. Evgej was lost in confusion. He had understood what the queen had asked Valam, or at least he thought he did. "How could anyone be in such a mood after that? It was a dream come true," he said to himself.

   He replayed the events in his mind. He was sure that he had understood completely. "Hey, Valam, I'm famished.  Let's go get something to eat."

   "I'm not really hungry. I'll go with you anyway. We have a lot to prepare with Seth so we can leave today."

   "Leave today? Why? We can wait for a couple more days."

   "No. We have an obligation to fulfill, and I am hungry after all. Let's go and eat, then we can find Seth," added Valam quickly, to change the subject.

   After they had both eaten, they went in search of Seth. They could not understand where everyone had gone. The great hall was empty. In the kitchens there were only the cooks and no help.

   They went first to Seth and Cagan's quarters to find no one there. They looked everywhere, and came up empty. As they returned to the first floor, they heard sounds from outside. Valam rushed to the nearest window and peered out.

   What he saw astounded him--a virtual sea of brown. The brown robes filled the courtyards as far as he could see. He strained his neck out the window to the left and the right. The view was the same.

   Valam grabbed Evgej and pulled him to the window. Evgej gaped in awe. "Let's get down there quick," said Valam. With Evgej immediately behind him, he raced through the corridors toward the outer doors.

   The two stopped dead as they rounded a corner into the audience hall. It was filled with those of Seth's order, standing rigidly facing the outer doors. Evgej spotted Seth at the fore of the group and pointed to him.

   "Seth, what is it? What is happening?"

   Seth pretended not to notice their presence. Valam and Evgej approached him, yelling his name and still he did not move from his position or acknowledge them. "In the name of the Father, Seth, what is it?"

   "See for yourself," said Seth, opening one of the great doors slightly.

   "Yes, I have seen them. Why are they here?"

   "They are here because of the Queen-Mother."

   "Why, though? What is happening?"

   "You cannot see. It is brother against brother. Tsandra has called them here."

   "Tsandra?"

   "Yes, Tsandra."

   "Where is she? I will talk to her. She will listen to me."

   "She is out there," answered Seth pointing into the crowd, "She will not listen to you."

   "Why does she do this?"

   "The Queen-Mother is in Shalan's tower. She will not come out. Tsandra says she has seen a vision, that the Queen-Mother was hurt and crying. Crying out for help."

   "Just tell her the Queen-Mother isn't hurt, that she is perfectly fine."

   "If it were that simple, believe me, I would have already done that. It is not that simple. She thinks someone has injured the queen."

   "Where is the Queen-Mother?"

   "She is in the tower."

   "Why haven't you sent for her?"

   "Valam, as I stated before, the solution is not simple. No one is allowed in the tower but the Queen-Mother."

   "I was in the tower! I will go to her."

   "Valam, no! Don't ever say that again. You couldn't have been in that tower. Only the Queen-Mother can enter or leave it."

   "It is just a tower, a pile of stone, Seth, think--"

   "Valam, no! It is not just a pile of stone. It is the symbol of our people. It is the heart and soul of our kind. Only the Queen-Mother can enter the heart and soul of her people. Even my thoughts cannot reach her inside the tower. There she is closer to the Father and Mother. Our combined wills could not reach her."

   "Nonsense! I will go and talk to Tsandra."

   "No, Valam," yelled Seth as Valam plunged through the door. "It is you that Tsandra seeks to punish. It was you she saw injure the queen. It is you I protect."

   Evgej followed close behind Valam out the door. Valam ran down the stairs and straight into the crowd. Evgej attempted to stop him, but it was too late; he could only follow Valam into the midst of the brown clad warriors.

   "Tsandra, no. You are wrong. It is a mistake!" shouted Valam. Tsandra screamed out with her mind and pointed to Valam. The crowd descended upon him. Evgej and Valam stood back to back, fending off the crowd, and for a moment they stood gallant; then they were swallowed by a wave of bodies.

   Seth was halfway out the door to aid Valam and Evgej when he heard Tsandra's invocation. He challenged with one of his own, but it was too late. He saw the mob engulf the two. Seth screamed out to his order and they followed him without hesitation into the brown.

   The two forces clashed. A small red tide swept into an ocean of brown. It was brother against brother. Seth continued to cry out to Tsandra; she would not answer his pleas.

   An explosion rocked the courtyard. All quarreling stopped. All eyes turned to look upon Shalan's tower as it disintegrated before their eyes. The heart and soul of the people was forever gone. They began to look around to one another, realizing what they had done. They were horrified.

   A star of energy descended upon the crowd. It soared to the spot where Valam lay. The mass made room for it, creating a wide circle around the fallen two. The light cleared and took on form; it became the queen.

   "Oh Father, Mother! What have I done?" cried the Queen-Mother into the gathered minds. "Samyuehl!" she pleaded. "Samyuehl, come quickly." She knelt beside Valam and took his hand to her wet cheeks.

   "What have I done?" echoed Tsandra. She removed her dagger from its sheath and held it to her breast. "Gather me home, Father," she said, plunging the blade inward.

   "Tsandra, no, don't!" shouted Seth as he leapt upon her. He thrust his will into her mind and she released her grasp on the dagger. It fell harmlessly to the ground. Seth firmly held Tsandra's arms as she struggled to attain freedom. He held her until she stopped trying to resist, whispering thoughts silently into her mind to calm her.

   An opening cleared as a man in blue rushed into the courtyard. He moved tall and proud for a man of his years. His features spoke of one cold as steel, but his heart spoke of one tender and kind.

   "Is it too late?"

   "No, my queen," simply answered Samyuehl. He closed his mind and concentrated his thoughts. He gathered them into a whirlwind and hurled them out into the land, performing a feat that only he could do. He was Samyuehl, first of the order of the Blue. His powers of healing were equaled by none save the Mother-Earth.

   Throughout time, the gift had been passed from heir to heir and so the gift was preserved. He was the conduit of life for his land and his people. His powers were created and joined from that life. He drank it in and formed it within him. He guided it through his center outward.

   A ray of light radiated from him onto Valam and Evgej. It encompassed them and soothed them. The color returned to their limp bodies. Their many lacerations and bruises began to mend as their spilled blood returned to its proper place within them.

   The light intensified and the wounds were gone. Their lives were restored. All was as it should be. Tsandra stopped resisting Seth and faced her mistake. Her great devotion to the queen had led her from the true path. She would never allow herself to make such a mistake again. She would re-earn the respect of her followers, and she would regain the wisdom of her position. She would carry this incident within her as a banner against those who were the true enemies of her kind.

   Valam was the first to open his eyes. He rested his eyes on the Queen-Mother and smiled. Slowly his lips moved, though no sound escaped them. Several times, they formed these words, "I am sorry, my love." His eyes closed as his lips ceased to move.

   Evgej eased to a sitting position and shook his head warily from side to side. When his vision cleared, he stood and turned to Valam to help him up. In one beat of his heart, his mouth fell open in shock and he picked Valam up in his arms and cradled him closely.

   "Oh, no, no!" he yelled, "Oh please, someone help him." He looked first to Seth and upon seeing the sorrow in his eyes then turned pleading to the Queen-Mother. Reflected in her eyes was the solemn harsh truth. Evgej crumpled sadly to the ground. After a long period of lament, he released Valam's body. He stood and with his eyes downcast marched angrily from the square.

   Seth wanted to stop Evgej and console him, telling him Valam would be happier now, more than he could ever have been here in this existence, yet he could not and did not try to comfort him. Seth hoped that through time Evgej would grow to understand that when it is truly your time you have no choice but to transpire, for it is the Father's wish.

   As Seth thought about the new life Valam would find with the Father, old thoughts returned to his mind, thoughts he had thought were long gone; the guilt still remained within him. He thought of a face, bringing a tear to his eye. In the twisting of a fleeting moment he was both elated and sad, angry and glad. He hoped the Father had found special places for the two who were so dear in his heart, and somewhere in the reaches of his mind he knew that they had.

   Seth suddenly realized Tsandra had left his side. He scanned the courtyard and spotted her retreating form. He turned to the Queen-Mother and before he could think of what to say, she whispered into his mind, "Yes, go and talk with her. She will need your strength."

   Seth hastily departed. He found Tsandra a short while later in her quarters. She did not look surprised when he entered. She had known he would try to stop her from doing what she had already set in motion.

   Seth searched his heart for the correct words to say to Tsandra. It was from the depths of his soul that he began. His words echoed the teachings they both knew so well. The entire time he retold Tsandra the teachings of one's passage through existence, in his mind he returned to the pretenses of his youth.

   "Brother, what are the basic premises of life we must follow?"

   "Not to interfere with its progression. We can guide, but we cannot hinder its natural path."

   "Yes, brother, as in all things we must return to the basic laws of life. What is the first law of life?"

   "To preserve what Mother-Earth has created."

   "Yes, but you have grown beyond the simple teachings. Define preservation."

   "It is to allow life to continue along the path that it must follow from one existence to the next."

   "Which leads us to the second law of life."

   "Yes, teacher. The second law does allow us to give guidance."

   "Think not with your mind, brother, think with your soul, wherein lies the will of the Father. Where must one create the border between guidance and interference?"

   "When you know it in your heart to be wrong, it is wrong."

   "Yes, you are learning well."

   Seth returned from his reverie within himself. The words he found were somehow disturbing to him, for they were not what he really wanted to tell Tsandra. Learning from his very words, Seth knew that what he said was wrong. Tsandra was not the one who needed to gain insight on the lessons of life; he was the one.

   "Tsandra, I am--" Seth stopped mid-sentence and the remainder of what he was going to say was lost to him. Unconsciously, he took her hand and held it tightly between both of his. As he did, he remembered a solemn pledge he had given that he had long since discarded. A pledge he had given to himself and for Galan.

   He recalled the advice an old and trusted friend and mentor had given him. Liyan had shown him the foolishness and futility of his action. Seth set about to show Tsandra the same. After he was finished, there was a long pause. They both sat in silence, contemplating thoughts entirely their own, and then without a word they returned to the courtyard.

   When they returned, they found even more people had filed into the yard. Brother Ylad', Brother Nikol, Brother Ontyv, Brother Samyuehl, and the Queen-Mother were all gathered on the platform. The first impression Seth gleaned from their collective minds was one of puzzlement.

   For a time before they reached the platform, neither Seth nor Tsandra understood the calamity. When they joined the group that surrounded Valam's body, they understood. Tsandra's heart fell when she looked upon Valam. She did not understand why the Mother had not reclaimed his body; somehow she felt responsible for what was occurring.

   "Brother Seth, you amongst us know more about man. Do you know why Valam's body still remains?"

   "I am unsure, my queen. Shall I find Evgej? He will know."

   "No. He needn't be disturbed. Brother Liyan is just returning from the docks with Cagan. Go and talk with them."

   Seth marched briskly to the docks. As he approached, Cagan's boat was just returning. Cagan tossed Seth a line with a broad grin on his face. Seth secured the line tightly. Liyan and Cagan jumped onto the dock, the expression on their faces that of a child being caught doing something he knows he is not supposed to do. Their smiles were rapidly erased by the overpowering sense of confused emotions rising within Seth.

   Before the question reached Seth's mind, he responded, "It is Valam. He has passed. It is like a living dream." Further words escaped Seth. He paused and grasped their hands to form a link between their minds and his; then he replayed the scene for them.

   The expression that crossed their faces told of the grief and shock they were feeling. Seth broke the link, and the vision faded from their thoughts. "What has transpired in our absence, Brother Seth? How can this be? We do not quarrel amongst ourselves. We do not kill our ow--" Brother Liyan stopped suddenly. His eyes grew wide and then he suddenly yelled, "Come quickly, we must find the Queen-Mother. We must find her now, before it is too late."

   Liyan then shielded his thoughts and whispered into Cagan's and Seth's minds what he had felt. Before Seth could shield his mind, he too felt the dark presence sweep by. Instantly he reacted and unleashed all the energy he could gather into a burst of speed as he ran back towards the square.