The Final Storm, Page 2

  “That will never happen! King Eliam defeated Paragor the first time and cast him into exile. He will do it again.”

  “Pity, no,” Kearn replied. “Alleble will fall. Your beloved King knows this.”

  “Lies!” Antoinette cried. “Stop it! It’s all lies!”

  “If they are lies, Antoinette,” Kearn said with a hideous smile, “then they are King Eliam’s lies. For Alleble’s destruction is foretold in the Scroll of Prophecy written by King Eliam’s own hand!”

  Kearn took the torch from the wall, left the chamber, and locked the door behind him. Antoinette was left in utter darkness. Tears ran down her cheeks.

  Antoinette awoke with the dawn. She found a new tray of food just outside her cell. She took a bite of the bread and savored it. Surely this was not the kind of food that prisoners in Paragory usually received. She went to take another bite, but then dropped the bread on the floor. Her Book of Alleble, which had lain in the corner of her cell just the night before, was gone.

  3

  THE STONES OF OMEN

  Sir Kaliam, Sentinel of Alleble, stood at the large window in a lofted keep high in the castle and stared out over the kingdom and the moonlit lands beyond. Sir Thrivenbard, Alleble’s chief tracker and woodsman, entered the room and stood respectfully behind him.

  “Well?” Kaliam demanded.

  “My Sentinel,” Thrivenbard said, and bowed to the knight. “It is with a sad heart I bring you the news that the body of Sir Gabriel was found among the twisting paths and dark boughs of the Blackwood.”

  Kaliam was silent.

  “Sir, it has been three days since our search parties have discovered a survivor. We are only finding those slain, and Sir Aelic was not among them.”

  Kaliam did not turn around. “Thrivenbard,” Kaliam said quietly, “I do not expect you to find Sir Aelic among the slain.”

  “But my Sentinel,” Thrivenbard said. “So much time has passed since the battle and—”

  “Nonetheless!” Kaliam shouted, before mastering himself and turning to face the knight. “Nonetheless, you will not find him among the dead. The Battle of the Blackwood raged from one end of the Forest Road to the other, from the borders of Yewland and into the heart of the Blackwood itself. In such a large area, a lone knight might be missed.”

  “My men are skilled,” said Thrivenbard. “They have searched every thicket and under every bough—”

  “Then you go, Thrivenbard,” Kaliam exclaimed, “and search every thicket and under every bough again! No one in all The Realm has your skills in tracking and knowledge of the woods—not even the elder scouts of Yewland.” He walked over and put a gentle hand on Thrivenbard’s shoulder. “Thrivenbard, much depends upon your success.”

  “I will see to it, my Sentinel,” Thrivenbard replied. “With King Eliam as my guide, I will not rest until I find Sir Aelic.”

  “Thank you, servant of Alleble,” Kaliam replied. He knew if anyone could find Sir Aelic, Thrivenbard could.

  “Never alone!” the Sentinel said.

  “Never alone!” Thrivenbard replied as he bowed. Before taking leave, Thrivenbard stopped. “Sir?”

  “Yes?”

  “Since we have not found Sir Aelic,” Thrivenbard said, choosing his words carefully, “is it possible that he was taken alive as a prisoner of the enemy, as was Lady Antoinette?”

  Kaliam turned his back to Thrivenbard and stared out upon the moonlit realm again. “Losing Antoinette to the enemy is already a great blow to our cause. If Paragor has Sir Aelic as well . . .”

  Thrivenbard bowed again and walked swiftly from the chamber.

  The moon was much lower in the sky when Lady Merewen entered the library and found Kaliam at the window. “How long will you stand there?” she asked in a gentle voice. With great difficulty she lowered her dark hood, and her long silver hair spilled out upon her bandaged shoulders.

  “Merewen!” Kaliam turned, and she went to him. Kaliam looked at her and put the back of his hand to her brow. “Your fever has passed! How do you feel?”

  “Sir Oswyn says I was fortunate only to have been scratched by one of the Sleepers and not bitten,” she replied, her violet eyes gleaming. “Herbs to treat my wounds are readily available, but not so for a bite. I am to be fine, Kaliam. But I am not sure you can say the same. You look in need of rest.”

  “I cannot rest.” He sighed. “I am the Sentinel of this kingdom. I have charges.”

  “And you will do your charges no good if you kill yourself with anxiety.”

  Kaliam stared west into the night sky. “Paragor has released the Wyrm Lord and the Sleepers from their tombs. Alleble must prepare. Sir Aelic is still lost, and we cannot abandon Lady Antoinette to torment behind the Gate of Despair!” Kaliam’s head fell to his chest. He seemed suddenly aged, burdened with a weight that he could not bear.

  Lady Merewen kissed him on his forehead and gently raised his chin. She stared kindly into his dark eyes. “In the midst of my darkest doubt,” she said, “you lifted my chin and told me, ‘Dwell not in dreary chambers of the past!’ You reminded me of the hope that we have as servants of King Eliam. This hope I return to you now. Stare not west where shadows dwell, but upon Alleble and be reminded!”

  Kaliam looked down to the Seven Fountains. The moonlight danced in the high plumes of water and mist, and for a moment, his heart was glad. Then he saw the seventh fountain now so long dry, and his hope fled.

  “You see,” he said, “even in the most glorious places in Alleble, the enemy’s black touch can be felt! I see below me a place empty and barren, save for memories of pain, despair, and . . . Paragor’s treachery!”

  “Nay, m’lord! That is the site of our King’s greatest victory!”

  “But Paragor remains. He has brought evils out of legend into his service and amassed at least an army to match our own.”

  “King Eliam defeated death!” Lady Merewen said sternly. “Who shall stand against the one who rose again?”

  Kaliam and Lady Merewen searched each other’s eyes and in the silence found hope. In the moonlight, they embraced.

  Suddenly, a storm of arrows whistled into the nighttime air from the battlements. Alleb Knights scrambled into action below.

  “What is there?” Lady Merewen asked.

  “A dragon!” Kaliam said. “Ridden by a servant of the enemy.”

  “But why would he send a single dragon rider?” Lady Merewen asked. “Against our defenses, that is madness.”

  They watched the creature, black against the moon, streak from the sky. Heedless of the hail of arrows, it dove down over the fountains, and then soared almost straight up. It seemed to climb forever. Until, barely visible, it dropped something jet black from its talons.

  The object crashed down upon the wide balcony near the Guard’s Keep. Kaliam leaned over the window ledge and gaped down at the balcony. A chill came over him, and he felt his heart falter. “Antoinette,” he whispered. “It is what she saw in her vision.”

  Far below, the pristine white marble altar upon which King Eliam sacrificed his life had been smashed. Lying in the countless fragments of marble was a sinister black stone.

  Many voices cried out then from below, and more volleys of arrows whistled into the sky from the battlements. “They come again!” someone roared.

  Kaliam and Lady Merewen looked up. The sky was filled with innumerable dragons flying almost wingtip to wingtip! They began to break formation and rapidly descend. Again they dove low before surging up above the tallest turrets of the castle.

  As the Alleble archers’ arrows found their marks, dragons crashed bodily into the castle walls or slammed to the cobblestone road.

  But countless survived, and dark stones fell from the sky like a deadly black hail. They smashed through thatched roofs, cracked walls, and crushed the few Alleb Knights who could not find shelter. When the barrage ended, Alleble’s streets filled with frenzied activity as knights raced from door to door, and Glimpses awakened by the c
ommotion sought to find out what had occurred.

  An enormous Glimpse warrior dressed in black fur stormed into Kaliam’s chamber. He had a tremendous hammer in one hand and a large black stone in the other.

  “What devilry is this?!” Mallik demanded.

  Kaliam grabbed the huge stone. Red markings were gouged into the diameter of the stone.

  “A new weapon of the enemy?” Mallik snorted, brandishing his hammer. “It is so like him to attack without warning while we sleep!”

  “No, Mallik,” Kaliam replied, looking up from the stone. “It is not a new weapon but rather his oldest and most favored . . . fear. Since his exile, Paragor has chosen his battles, attacking our weaker allies and waylaying our diplomatic missions. But always, he has known his limitations. The attack on Mithegard was different. The armies of King Ravelle were many and skilled, and yet Paragor attacked. Then, with the aid of the ancient evils, he brazenly conquered Clarion and crippled Yewland! These that drop on us now are The Stones of Omen. Paragor has declared his rule over all The Realm. Soon . . . he comes to claim his throne.”

  4

  CALL TO ARMS

  The morning sun glinted off the tips of a thousand spears as a caravan of many Glimpses marched out of the west toward Alleble. It was not an invading army from Paragory, and it was not all soldiers. But even so, the advancing multitude caused Kaliam great dread as he watched from a tower near the main gate. He knew the dark blue and gold livery of the heralds to be that of the realm of Mithegard. And Mithegard’s approach could only be another omen of what was brewing.

  Kaliam dreaded the arrival of Mithegard’s ruler, the brave King Ravelle, because Aelic was his son. As Kaliam descended the stairs from the tower, he wondered how he would break the news that Aelic was still among the missing.

  “Hail and well-met, Sentinel of Alleble!” said King Ravelle as he leaped down from his unicorn and clasped Kaliam’s shoulders. “It is far too long since I have looked upon the Seven Fountains.” And though his words were full of vigor, his face was grim.

  “Well-met, indeed!” Kaliam replied, looking out over the line of Glimpses that reached from Alleble’s main gate seemingly to the horizon. “But King Ravelle, why has Mithegard emptied? Or am I mistaken and this is not your entire city?”

  “Your eyes do not deceive you, Kaliam. We come seeking refuge—and to add our swords to the forces of Alleble. Though the Seven Towers stand again and our walls are rebuilt, we cannot survive alone in the shadow of the enemy. I bring news of a threat the likes of which The Realm has never seen before.”

  “Then much news will be shared,” said Kaliam. “But some news should not wait for the council this evening. As soon as you have marshaled your people within the walls, come to Guard’s Keep.”

  “King Ravelle, I am glad you have come,” said Kaliam outside the door to Guard’s Keep.

  King Ravelle nodded and followed Kaliam to an alcove down the hall. A single torch flickered on the wall and Kaliam’s face was half in shadow. “I have news that I would not deliver in front of all,” Kaliam said, choosing his words carefully.

  “Speak on, Kaliam,” King Ravelle replied. “Do you have word of my son?”

  “M’lord, Aelic is among the missing,” Kaliam said. “Some fear the worst, but I believe your son is yet alive. And I have my best knights joining Yewland’s braves in the search.”

  “There is much talk of the dark things that occurred in the forests of Yewland. Talk of legends and loss. When I did not see Aelic here—” King Ravelle continued but now with a tremor in his deep voice. He swallowed hard and nodded as he spoke. “I feared worse, Kaliam. May the King of all this Realm guide them in their search.”

  A massive fire crackled in the corner of the chamber within Guard’s Keep. Kaliam, King Ravelle, Lady Merewen, Mallik, Farix, Rogan, and many others from Alleble and Mithegard were seated around the huge table inside the chamber, awaiting the start of the council.

  At last, Kaliam stood and said, “King Ravelle, trusted friends from Mithegard, welcome to our kingdom—and into the confidence of the Elder Guard! You have no doubt heard much rumor about the events that occurred in the forests of Yewland. It is time you hear the full tale.”

  For more than an hour, Kaliam chronicled everything that had happened. The Glimpses from Mithegard were horrified to learn about the Wyrm Lord and the Seven Sleepers, about the devastation the ancient creature had caused in Clarion and on the Forest Road. As they listened, the Mithegardian Glimpses slumped back in their chairs, afraid.

  Then the King of Mithegard stood and addressed the gathering. “Worthy Knights of Alleble, the news of our enemy bringing ancient horrors to life is grievous indeed. But especially so in light of what I must share: My countrymen have come to seek shelter within your walls. We fled our home because Paragor is now mustering an army, a fraction of which would overwhelm the city of Seven Towers.”

  “How does he manage such a force?” Mallik spoke his thought aloud.

  “Long has the enemy hidden his true strength,” Kaliam explained. “In the catacombs beneath his city and in the hollows of the dark mountains, there are captives from Paragor’s conquests . . . but there are also descendants from the brood that led the rebellion against King Eliam that fateful night.”

  “But that is not his only source,” said King Ravelle. “You see, after the attack that destroyed my city, I have kept a constant network of spies coming and going into the enemy’s dark realm. Paragor’s force has more than tripled, due to a steady stream of soldiers from the far west.”

  The council was stunned into silence.

  “Paragor has dared to cross the Cauldron Sea. He has made alliances with Frostland, Inferness, and Candleforge—for my spies have seen their colors enter the dark land.”

  Sir Rogan slammed a fist on the table. Mallik stood up and growled, “This cannot be! Frostland, Inferness? Those places have been our allies of old!”

  “Long before Paragor’s rebellion even,” said Kaliam. “Merewen, do you know anything of this?”

  “Of his armies beneath the ground and in the mountains, yes,” she replied. “But I had no knowledge of Paragor’s dealings with the far west. I doubt very much that he would have entrusted that part of his plan to any but his closest lieutenants.”

  Farix paced restlessly. “I do not understand why old allies would turn against us now.”

  “Perhaps he has sent more false ambassadors,” Mallik said. “Like Count Eogan, who for a time was able to embitter Queen Illaria at Yewland against us.”

  “That may be,” said Kaliam. “But I fear we are partially to blame. We have trusted in history for too long, looking to the allegiance of other more volatile kingdoms and taking the far west for granted. Candleforge, Inferness, Frostland . . . perhaps they misinterpret our lack of contact as ambivalence.”

  “Or perhaps Paragor has helped them to see things in that way,” King Ravelle said. “And perhaps there is a stalwart remnant in each of those realms who remain faithful to King Eliam. It may be just a portion of their Glimpses who have renounced the old allegiances.” He paused and his voice grew deeper and more grim. “But that is enough to create an unsurpassed army. Kaliam, they are now grown to such an extent that they cannot be housed within the catacombs or mountains of Paragory. They gather openly now upon the plains of the Black Crescent. There are tents, new stables, and fires as far as the eye can see.”

  “Then our course of action is clear,” Kaliam said. “We must answer the challenge by summoning all of our allies to our aid. For the first time since the Cold River Battles, we will send forth riders upon the blue dragons. They will go to the four corners of The Realm, and then we shall more than match Paragor’s force.”

  The knights gathered there banged their fists on the table and cheered. But King Ravelle spoke over them. “That must be done!” he shouted, and the gathering quieted. “Send the blue dragons tonight if it may be, but you will need to do more to prepare.”

  “
What do you mean?” Kaliam asked.

  “The walls of Alleble are mighty,” he said. “But perhaps it has been too long since an enemy has approached them.” The Knights of Alleble stared at one another.

  “Many of you witnessed firsthand what Paragor did to my city,” King Ravelle went on. “And upon the plains of the Black Crescent he has put his minions to work building more weapons of war: catapults; tall, rolling siege engines; and stout battering rams—many already built as of a fortnight ago but far more being prepared. You must mobilize your engineers . . . dig rings of deep trenches far beyond your walls, so that their rolling machines cannot approach. Bring forth your own catapults. Mount them upon the turrets! And as for the walls themselves, if there is any way to fortify them against Paragory’s exploding fire weapon, you should do so.”

  “Mallik?” Kaliam looked at his hammer-wielding knight.

  “Aye!” he replied heartily. “I have a mind of what we can do, but . . . in order to do it we will need more skill than there is in Alleble. Let me travel to my kin in the Blue Mountains. They will come to Alleble’s aid to build and to fight!”

  Kaliam grinned at his friend’s unbridled enthusiasm. “Excellent, but Mallik, instead let us send word to your kin via the dragon couriers. Perhaps you could pen a note to King Brower? We need you here.”

  Mallik smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

  “But can they do it in time?” Lady Merewen asked.

  “I can answer that,” King Ravelle said. “The Glimpses of the Blue Mountains rebuilt my entire city in a month. They will craft new walls in far less time.”

  “Good,” Kaliam said. “Even so, we need to loose the dragons as soon as may be.”

  “Agreed!” Mallik bellowed. “When my doughty folk arrive, we will build such walls that should the Seven Sleepers try to breach them, they will break their teeth!”

  “One more thing, Kaliam,” King Ravelle said. “After the Battle of Mithegard, a number of my best archers came to me with an idea for a new weapon.” He motioned to a nearby attendant, who handed him a very strangely shaped bundle.