Dark One Rising (58 page)

“Don’t say I told you so, please. I feel like an idiot not to have taken your word more seriously, and I feel like an imbecile every time I utter the words “Melenthia is the Chosen One”. I have confirmation from the Elvin elders and from Sol himself. It’s the truth. She’s the one. All the rumors of the Tanith Prophecy have become a surrealistic nightmare.” He frowned now, staring into the fire’s flames dancing in the hearth.

“There’s more to it than her being the Chosen One, isn’t there?”

He looked back at Brogan. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because I know you well enough, after all these years, to see the worry on your face and hear the tone in your voice. You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Am I that transparent?”

“Only to those who see deeper into your heart, Sire. Rumors are only skin deep. I have seen the kind heart you’ve had since you were just a lad. You have compassion for people, and you see them deeper than most. You know when they are telling the truth, and you know that there is more to them than what is seen on the outside. You’ve saved a lot of men because of that.”

“And yet, I cannot save her.”

“She is not for you to save this time, but rather someone who will save you.”

Dain smiled slightly now at his old friend. “She already has. I’m no longer the man that everyone thinks I am. I’ve changed in ways that I can’t even explain, and it’s because of Melenthia. She has brought forth a side of me that I haven’t shown in many a year, a side that I had all but forgotten existed. The real me. And in that process, I did fall in love with her. I’m scared for her.”

“If she is truly the one the elves claim her to be, then she will prevail.”

“She’s still vulnerable to evil, just like the rest of us. This fight she has belongs to us all. We must all face the challenge together, that is why I need all the provinces with me. It’s the only way she can win. I made a vow to her that I would stand with her to the end, and if I have to die, then I will.”

“Well I for one will try not to let that happen. I’m with you. Wherever you feel I’m needed, I will gladly accept.”

He leaned across the table and grabbed Brogans arm. “Thank you, my friend.”

They finished their dinner and went back to perusing the map and making movements where they thought best. They stayed that way well into the night, then Dain decided no more could be done when all were exhausted. He excused everyone to their beds.

***

Emerick and Dain were sitting in his office going over the daily reports from cities throughout the realm. He signed dispatch letters and warrants and gave his guards duties for the coming week. Drydon Keep was secure for the moment, but it was only a matter of time before Fallon felt bold enough to try to attack it as well. Troops were on their way to Danyl to stand with Baron Ulric and secure his fortress. More troops would be needed to hold down the city border and control the mob that would most likely form from the survivors fleeing from the Triple Cities. He had troops preparing for that as well.

The maps they had been going over several nights before were full of markers, pinpointing the places Fallon’s army had struck or were on their way to striking. Almost all of Aaralyn was red. The outlook was bleak. If they didn’t gain Chancellor Jaxon’s support, he felt that Fallon would easily win this war, and it was a thought that frankly made his stomach churn.

He knew that Melenthia would be given the training and knowledge she would need for her part, but he wasn’t so naïve to think that she would be able to save them from everything.

He let his mind wander to her for a moment. She was in Vallis now; she would stay tucked away with the elves for as long as was necessary. She had been gone a little over a month, and he realized more everyday just how much he missed her. He wished she were here by his side, giving him the strength and fortitude he needed to wage his part in this war with Fallon.

His mind wandered further than he wanted as he pictured her naked curvy form, warm in the bed beside him, her face flush with the passion they had just shared. He shook the thought away. “
Keep your mind on the present
” he silently said, reprimanding himself for veering off track. He had apparently been deeper in thought than he realized because he suddenly heard his name from across the desk.

“Sire, did you hear me?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

The pleasant thoughts that had been occupying his thoughts a moment before were gone, and he reluctantly pulled himself back to the room of men sitting across from him. He frowned, not realizing that he was doing so, and Emerick caught it. Emerick thought he’d better give his king a break before he was so entrenched in battle that he would not have any time to rest at all.

“Gentlemen, could you give His Majesty and I a few minutes in private?”

They all nodded and stood to leave one by one, filing out of the room, the last man shutting the door behind him. Emerick looked at Dain and frowned now. “You were awfully far away a moment ago. What were you thinking?”

Once again his mind wandered to her soft skin, responding sensually to his every touch. Her full red lips pouting at him when trying to get him to do what she wanted him to do. Her golden red curls wrapped around his fingers as he gently kissed her neck. Her laugh, her passion for the mundane of life. He missed her more than he ever thought he could miss any woman, and he hoped she was alright.

He looked back at his Prime Minister and friend and smiled awkwardly. “I don’t think you want to know, Emerick. I’d hate to see you blush.”

Emerick sighed. “We’re in the process of trying to stave off an onslaught by the enemy, and you’re thinking about sex?”

He had known Emerick a long time, and there had been many times in his life that he had confided in his father’s oldest friend, sometimes even about women, but hearing him say that out loud made him slightly uncomfortable.

He laughed awkwardly. “I see Alek has rubbed off on you, my old friend. That’s exactly what he would have thought too. I miss her, and I was just thinking about her in general. Not
just
that.”

“I know you’re tired, Your Majesty. Perhaps you should retire for a couple of hours. We can reconvene once you’ve rested.”

“Thoughts of her will only keep me awake.”

“Alek is not here to admonish you, so I suppose I have that task now. You need to get a grip. You’ve never been like this with any other woman.”

“You’re right, I haven’t. She’s not just another woman though, Emerick. She’s special.”

“Indeed she is, and the Keep is much too dark without her vibrancy, but you must find a way to concentrate. She’s under the protection of the elves. She’s doing what she must. You must do the same. Her training will do us no good if we let Drydon fall. For her, you have to keep your mind on task.”

Dain was annoyed at Emerick’s logic but knew he was correct all the same. He must stay focused and not let himself be distracted with anything, including her. As much as he hated to fight off the images of her, he had to try. He missed her, but she would be back when her training was complete. He would just have to hold things together until then.

“I’m sorry, Emerick. You’re right. Just give me an hour to get something to eat and to get my thoughts in order, and then we can go back to affairs of state. With some nourishment and some fresh air and quiet time, I’ll be better.”

Emerick stood and placed a supportive hand on his friends shoulder. “I’m glad you miss her. That means you’re serious about her, and I don’t have to worry about your reckless endeavors anymore. If you weren’t missing her or thinking about her in some capacity, I would doubt your intentions.”

Dain smiled now. “My intentions are only honorable.”

“I can only hope that when all this is done, this dark castle might just have a permanent light in it. It’s been a long time since this castle has been honored with the presence of a queen.”

Dain laughed now. “You really know how to get to the point, don’t you?”

“Why mince words, Your Majesty. You love her.”

“Yes, Emerick, I do. When all this is done, and she’ll still have me, I just may yet make you and Alek happy and make her my queen.”

“Of course you will. You must concentrate on the now first, if there is to be a later. If you fail, so will she.”

Dain nodded and stood, leaving the room to take a small break. He would eat, think of her some more, and take a few minutes to close his tired eyes and rest. And maybe he would take a few minutes outdoors in the fresh air. It was getting colder now, but the crisp air would do him some good. He’d been locked away too long. He would then put her to the back of his mind so that he had space to deal with the problems at hand. She would be back in his arms soon enough, and he hoped that together they could be strong for each other. Together they would win this war, and when it was all over, he would have her in his arms forever. Never again would they be parted. He used that for a closing thought and proceeded to lock her in his heart to keep his mind free. It was not what he wanted, but it was necessary. He knew that she probably had to do the same thing, and that brought him some comfort, if only a little.

CHAPTER 36

I
n the time she had been with the elves, she had noticed a change in herself over that time, one she couldn’t really explain in words, but she knew that when the time came to leave the safety of these borders, she wouldn’t be the same women who entered them.

She stood beside the mirror pond at the edge of Vallis, looking down into its reflexive pool. Her hair was short again. She decided to cut it off when it started to become a hindrance in the way of her training. It was easier to fight and move around without it falling in her face. She had tried many times to just pin it up, but because of the heaviness and thickness of it, it kept falling out. She decided shorter was better. But that was only one change in her.

Her body had changed as well. It was still curvy and womanly, but added to that was a suppleness that she didn’t have before. Her arms and legs were still lean, but now they were also muscular and strong, and her face was tan.

She saw herself differently, both physically and mentally. She was getting quite adept in her lessons. She could levitate anything without thinking about it and could light a fire even with the wettest of woods.

She had learned all about the past and wars that had been fought on this land, how all the wizards and magicians had been cast out by the reigning kings of the time. The land had been torn apart by greed and evil, and now, after a millennia of peace, the evil was rising again. This time, however, there were no magicians to stave off the slaughter. Now there was only her and the armies that could be gathered by the reigning kings to fight off the evil that was rising. Sol was the last of his kind. He was old, so very old, and his last task would be to train her, then move on. She had grown quite fond of the quiet man with the friendly steel gray eyes and crinkly smile. She understood why Alek was so taken with him. He was kind and patient, and never once had he admonished her for losing concentration because she was thinking of Dain.

She thought of him often. Thought about their last night together before she left for Vallis. He had wrapped her up into his arms and told her that he would forever be hers. She didn’t need to worry about him finding another. She knew she was the only one, and thoughts of him kept her going, but sometimes she thought too much, and her lesson went awry. She had finally learned how to control those thoughts better and could separate them now, even when she didn’t want to.

She reached under her simple homespun tunic and lifted the necklace out. She looked at it for a few minutes, clutching it in her hand gently, thoughts of him blazing her mind. She swore to herself that when this was done, there would be nothing else to distract her from him and a life together.

Footsteps behind her pulled her out of her musings. She tucked the necklace back in the safety of her tunic and turned to see who was approaching.

An elf was headed her way, one she had only seen a few times watching over the outer gates of the city. He and six others protected the borders of Vallis from stray wanderers who found themselves somehow lost in the forest. It didn’t happen often, but occasionally someone would stumble into Vallis unknowingly, and usually they were escorted out, never knowing they had ever even been there.

He reached her and bowed. “I did not mean to interrupt your thoughts, My Lady, but there is someone at the gate, and they are asking for you.”

She was puzzled. “Why would someone ask for me in Vallis?”

“The visitor at the gate is a friend.”

“A friend?” She was intrigued now. No one but Dain, Kevaan and Alek knew she was here.

“Yes, lady. Will you come?”

“Of course.”

She followed him the way he had come, twisting his way through the thick trees. They bypassed the village and instead went around it, to the gate at the far end of the city’s perimeter. He approached the two other elves who were standing at the border gate waiting for them.

As Melenthia got closer, she saw who it was that was waiting and smiled. When he saw her, he looked to the elves with him, and they nodded approval. He took her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek.