It was now late afternoon. During the day the battle had taken many turns. The arrival of nearly ten thousand troops, Imtal soldiers and free men, had changed the tide of the battle for a time. Still, this had only made the field more even and not equal.
Adrina was in the middle of relating the story of their journey and of how Keeper Martin and Captain Adylton had managed to persuade the free men of Mir and Veter to join the Kingdom’s cause. “Most are oarsmen from the free city fleet, not soldiers, though still good with a blade,” Adrina said. “Gold surely persuaded their loyalty, also a fear of losing their freedom, for after he had captured the whole of the South, King Jarom surely wouldn’t have let the Free Cities remain outside his rule.”
“Surely we cannot just sit here,” Vilmos said. “We must do something.”
“I aim to do something, all right.” Adrina grinned. “Tell me exactly what the lady told each of you. She did speak to each of you, right?”
Galan and Vilmos quickly told Adrina what they remembered of the conversation, though much of it seemed a blur.
“She spoke of choices being like the branches of trees and for right or wrong you follow one or the other, and of good and evil,” concluded Vilmos.
Adrina asked, “Did she tell you to remember something?”
Vilmos was pacing. Adrina knew he was growing restless. She turned to Galan, and found an unexpected expression in the elf’s eyes. “What is it Galan, what do you see?”
Galan was staring off into the distance, her eyes were unfocussed. Seth upon the walls.
“Really, you can see him from here?” asked Adrina.
Galan didn’t answer. She was apparently lost in what she was seeing and Vilmos explained what little he knew of her gift, which he deemed akin to corporeal stasis.
It is not, Galan said, it is a projecting of thoughts. I can project feelings and images too.
“Like an image in a dream,” Adrina said.
Galan didn’t reply—she was again distracted by what she saw.
“Is there a way we can see as well?” Adrina asked.
Perhaps.
Suddenly, Adrina saw Seth standing atop the upper battlements along Quashan’s southern wall. She could feel the wind blowing through his hair and the despair ravaging his heart. Seth’s emotions flowed to Adrina, mixing with her own, and soon despair ravaged her heart as well. The enemy had breached the southern gates of the city and a wave of humanity was pouring in. Torches were being distributed and many buildings were already burning. Cries of panic rose; she heard women and children crying as they ran from the homes they fled.
When Galan broke the link, Adrina found she was trembling beyond her control and her cheeks were wet with tears. From their vantage point, they saw the billows of smoke, and eventually the flames as well.
Adrina asked, “Is there no hope?”
Neither Vilmos nor Galan spoke.
Adrina turned to the group of guardsmen who Valam had insisted remain to see to her protection in case the worst happened. Their faces were racked with anguish and lament. She knew they wanted to join the fight, though it would surely cost them their lives.
She stood and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I order you into battle!” Adrina shouted.
The ranking soldier said, “His Highness ordered us to remain.”
Adrina glared. “And I am ordering you into battle! Now, mount your horses and go.”
“We cannot.”
“If Quashan’ falls, I will have no need for fifty guards. I will have no need for guards at all.” Adrina turned away from the speaker. “I will count to five, when I turn around you will be gone, and I will speak never a word about this. One, two—”
Adrina waited until the sound of hooves mixed in with the din of the battle before she turned back around. She was surprised to find that six guardsmen remained.
She glared at them, but they held their ground.
“We must stay,” one of the men said. “If it comes to it, we will ensure you reach Imtal.”
Adrina didn’t offer a response.
Vilmos seemed suddenly inspired by the sight of the retreating guardsmen and there was the same twinkle in his eye that Adrina had seen in her brother’s eyes earlier. “Take my hand,” Vilmos told Galan.
Vilmos’ eyes glossed over, and it seemed he was in a trance. Adrina and Galan waited. Adrina was unsure what to expect.
After a time, Vilmos released Galan’s hand. “In the foothills, the Wolmerrelle. Erravane.” His voice betrayed dismay. “William of Sever, she certainly is seeking him out.”
Galan’s voice whispered in Adrina’s mind, You will find help in a most unlikely source.
“To think, I once called him cousin,” Adrina said, “If only we understood why he turned against Great Kingdom.”
“Perhaps we do,” said a voice from behind them.
The Kingdom soldiers rushed to protect Adrina. Adrina, Vilmos and Galan turned around and stared into the afternoon shadows. A man with gray hair and a distinctive salt-and-pepper colored beard slowly made his way from the shadows. Adrina said, “Keeper Martin.”
Recognizing the lore keeper, the soldiers backed down.
“You must excuse me,” Keeper Martin said, “I have been listening to your conversation for some time. I circled back about an hour ago.”
Keeper Martin walked toward them. Adrina saw that his face was drawn and pale, and then she saw the deep stain of blood on the right side of his cloak.
“An arrow.” Keeper Martin said simply as he eased to a sitting position.
Adrina’s eyes went wide.
“Yes, I will live.” Martin motioned for them to sit. Adrina, Galan and Vilmos sat.
“I was in Gregortonn when King Charles was poisoned and, finally, I understand why King William has joined with King Jarom.”
“King? What—” Adrina began.
Jacob raised a silencing hand. “King Charles has passed on. The grippe took Phillip. William is heir. As you can see by the display in the field, there was no contest to his ascension. Yet, I am sure that it is with little pride and no love that the army of Sever sides with Vostok.
“The truth is that I myself did not understand what I had seen in Gregortonn until some hours ago, but by then I thought it too late to act on what I knew. Yet, I can see the error of that now and you are responsible for opening my eyes.”
Adrina furrowed her eyebrows.
“Babbling, aren’t I? Perhaps—” Keeper Martin coughed and gripped his side. “—it is the wound. Yet, I tend to do that normally. It is the green and the gold.”
“Green and gold?” Adrina asked.
“All along I was sure agents of King Jarom had somehow seized power in Sever’s capital, for you see, I saw through the disguises and when I saw banners of green and gold—Kingdom colors—to me such colors were not out of place, but those of Sever knew at once the colors were foreign.”
Keeper Martin’s face became extremely pale. He bit back pain, then took a long drink from a wine-bag. “Do you understand?”
“I am beginning to,” Adrina said.
“Brother Galan, as Lore Keeper of Great Kingdom, I know much more about your kind than the average Kingdomer, still your gifts are truly amazing. Can you truly project images into the minds of others?”
May I? asked Galan, suggesting she wanted to take a closer look at Martin’s side. Keeper Martin nodded approval and then seemed not to notice Galan’s hands probing the outside of the wound. You did not remove the shaft of the arrow.
“The shaft snapped.”
Shock crossed Adrina’s face as Galan’s hand melted into Martin’s side. Keeper Martin gave no indication of sudden pain, in fact, he seemed at ease. Adrina, torn between repulsion and attraction, watched. The skin around Galan’s wrist rippled as if fluid, and as if nothing was happening, Keeper Martin turned to Vilmos and said, “What little I know of the Watcher, through Father Jacob, leads me to believe that you are gifted with the forbidden as is he, and while I do not condone its use, I believe, as does Father Jacob, exceptions must be allowed if they are for a greater good. Yet, you are also from Sever. Yes?”
“My home is Tabborrath Village,” Vilmos said.
Martin said, “Your Highness, come here, let me look at you.”
Adrina didn’t move. Galan was withdrawing her hand and in it, she held the broken arrow.
“Your Highness,” Martin repeated.
Adrina looked up. Martin looked into her eyes. “You are the image of your mother, and Queen Elthia as well. Can you braid your hair in a triple