Marked (36 page)

“Excellent idea, Father! I will propose it to them. Let’s hope they accept and we can get financial support from the Royal Family.”

“I will draft an urgent message to the Prelate, explaining the delicate situation with the Ilenian artifacts and asking their intervention in passing this on to the King. I will also inform them of the importance of the discovery as well as the discretion we are taking in our actions—of which he is already aware. In his last message to us he instructed that we should be extremely discreet, and that he would be meeting with the King’s advisors to explain to them what has happened and the significance of the discovery.”

“Wonderful. My task now is to try to convince Komir and his friends.” Lindaro clasped his hand and made the sign of the Light, saying goodbye to the Father Abbot.

With thoughts of that encounter in his mind, Lindaro opened the door of the inn—one of the most popular ones in the city due to its proximity to the central market. He found the Norriel there, seated comfortably at a table in the back of the establishment, two large mugs of beer resting on the rustic wooden table before them. Lindaro waved at them and, when the two friends saw him, they greeted him with warm smiles as they raised their mugs in a welcoming gesture. The priest walked through the crowded establishment filled with clients for the dinner hour. He sat down at the table and looked at the Norriel waiting for him. They were speaking in their strange mountain language.

“Good evening, Lindaro. A beer to chase away your thirst?” offered Hartz.

“No, thanks. I would prefer to have a little cold water. The Light teaches us to stay away from alcohol as it clouds our mind and leads us away from the path of goodness,” explained the priest.

“I don’t know if I like that divine Light of yours, Lindaro. In my land the goddesses do not forbid us to enjoy the pleasures of life,” replied Hartz, raising an eyebrow.

“Someday you’ll have to teach me about the Norriel gods—they might be better than the Creator Light and I’ll be obligated to change my beliefs,” joked the clergyman with a smile.

“If you’d like, Father. It seems like you followers of the Light enjoy so few of the small delights of the good life.”

“To achieve purity and remain strong against human weaknesses it is necessary to renounce many mundane pleasures. I understand that, for you who practice different religious customs, it may be difficult to comprehend.”

“Hartz, leave our friend in peace. If he does not want to drink, he must have his reasons.” Komir playfully elbowed his friend.

“All right, all right, I’ll leave him alone—but I was only trying to sweeten up his bitter existence a bit.”

“What news do you have for us? How’s everything going at the lighthouse? Have there been any important developments?” asked Komir.

  “Well... it’s best that I get right to the point. I have a proposition for you regarding the valuable objects you recovered from the crypt. I hope you understand that the proposal I am about to present to you is well intentioned and meant to bring us to an agreement that is satisfactory for all parties. I assure you that I proffer it with the best of intentions.”

The priest told them of his conversation with the Abbot and their plan for the resolution of the conflict of the future of the ancient artifacts. When Lindaro had finished speaking, the two Norriel exchanged a glance. They spoke for a few moments in the language of their tribe, ignoring the priest, whom they knew could not understand a word of what they were saying. Hartz shook his head and waved his arms about in what, to the priest, looked like unfavorable gestures. He immediately felt disheartened by the display. Komir furrowed his brow and the expression on his face became increasingly hardened; the longer they talked, the more grim his countenance. Their discussion abruptly ended and they turned back to Lindaro, but for several moments they simply looked at him without saying a word.

“You are asking a lot from us, Father. You want us to blindly trust your Temple without any guarantee that we will not be betrayed, either by your Temple or by the Crown.” 

“Komir, I assure you that you can completely trust my Order.”

“So you say, Father,” replied Hartz, crossing his arms over his burly chest.

“Hartz, it hurts me down to my very soul that you don’t trust me.”

“How long have we known each other, Father? A few days? I’ve had disputes with neighbors I’ve known all my life.”

“But after everything we’ve been through together... I just thought that—”

“You think a lot, man, but if you think I am going to give you the Ilenian King’s sword you could not be more wrong.”

“I understand that you want to keep it; it is worthy of a great warrior like you but we must thoroughly study it—it is a very unique weapon.”

“If someone tries to snatch it away from me I’ll crush his skull and then snap his head off. Got it?”

“Komir, please, make him listen to reason...”

“I’m sorry, Lindaro. There’s nothing I can do in this matter.”

Lindaro looked at the two friends and, seeing their determined faces, decided not to press the matter of the sword. But he could not give up on everything; these treasures were of enormous importance. He had to persuade these obstinate Norriel.

“Listen to me, please. What I am proposing to you is a fair arrangement.”

Komir leaned forward and stared into Lindaro’s eyes. “We are not cultured men of great intelligence, nor are we familiar with this world so far away from our highlands. But we see the value of those objects and we know that greed is a dangerous thing. Avarice and false promises are no strangers to us—even if we are mountain savages.”

“I know, Komir. I know that I am asking you to blindly trust me and your instincts won’t allow it. I can guarantee the Temple’s honesty because honesty is precisely one of the principles upon which we have built it. The Crown also has earned a well-deserved reputation of integrity over time. The King is respected for fulfilling the promises he makes to his people. But at the end of the day you have only my word. I understand that. If you want to take some time to find out more, I am sure that here at the inn and in the market you will find plenty of referrals one way or the other.”

“What do you think they’ll say to two Norriel from the highlands if we do ask? We’re considered uneducated savages here, not worthy of the Rogdonians; useful only to serve as mercenaries or henchmen. They’ll tell us everything is rose-colored.” Hartz took another swig of beer.

“Why are you so agitated today?” Lindaro asked.

“Hartz had a ‘small’ altercation in a nearby tavern. Some hot-headed guys made fun of us for being Norriel—and it was completely unprovoked. Hartz didn’t much like the comments and insinuations about our mothers... I tried to calm him down but when they told him he was uglier than a toad and as stupid as he was huge, he let them have it. I actually enjoyed seeing Hartz bash their heads together. He ripped all five of them to shreds. Unfortunately, there were serious damages to the establishment and they banned us from the place for life. But it was worth it to see this big guy beat the hell out of them.”

“I see... I’m sorry you had problems...”

“We’re used to it. It’s no secret you Rogdonians are haughty; you think you are superior to us mountain men.”

“I can assure you that’s not the case with all Rogdonians, Komir.”

“It is true of the majority of them. As you can understand it’s very hard for us to trust you.”

“Please, Komir; trust me—I beg of you, for everyone’s sake.”

Komir sighed heavily and looked at Hartz, who still appeared to be quite annoyed. They again began discussing in their native language.

Finally, Komir addressed Lindaro. “If you give me your word that we will not be deceived or robbed, I will accept your proposal because of our friendship. But rest assured that if somebody ends up betraying us, there will be very unpleasant consequences for whoever was a part of it, regardless of his social position or lineage. We will find him and he will pay,” warned Komir, his face stern.

“Thank you, Komir! Your message is clear—and I have no doubt you would fulfill your threat. I will let it be known.” said Lindaro.

“This is the deal: you can keep the grimoire and the Guardian Mage’s staff; they are yours.”

“I thank you, Komir, from the bottom of my heart. May the Light protect you.”

“The sword stays with Hartz. There is no discussing this—no matter how valuable it is.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’ about it!” barked Hartz.

“All right, all right. Can we at least study it?”

“Oh, all right! If nothing else just so you’ll leave me alone!” Hartz reluctantly conceded.

“The crown of the Ilenian King is worth a fortune; we are all well aware of that,” said Komir. “So here is what we’ll do. You will advance us some gold so that we can continue our travels and it is yours to study or do whatever you want with it. When the Royal House pays you for it, we share the wealth.”

“But—”

“That is my final offer. Take it or leave it.”

Lindaro considered his alternatives and answered, “I accept.”

Aliana rushed to Gerart, worry consuming her. The Golems’ attack had been brutal, and the Prince was lying unconscious on the ground. Seeing him lying there, gravely injured, she could not help but think the worst. Immediately she began working to heal him. His wounds were serious; he’d suffered heavy contusions on his chest and head. Gerart’s life was slipping away; she had to intervene quickly.

Pulling as hard as she could, Aliana was able to take off the dented cuirass that was crushing his chest and impeding his respiration. Once she had him stabilized, she ran to help the rest of her wounded companions. One by one, she attended to them, trying to heal their wounds. Fortunately, these men were strong, physically fit, elite soldiers, or they would not have survived the horrendous beating they’d taken. She worked tirelessly until she was sure she would not lose any of them. Once she had finished the healing, they were all still unconscious but stable so she let them all rest and returned to the Prince’s side to make sure he had not suffered any complications.

When she placed her hands on Gerart’s chest, he woke up.

“What happened? Where am I?”

“Stay still, Gerart. You were seriously injured but you’re all right now. You need rest.”

“And the Golems?”

“We destroyed them. It’s all right now. We’re out of danger.”

As Gerart looked around, his initial confusion slowly faded as he recognized where he was and saw his injured companions.

“How are they? Are they all alive?” he asked apprehensively.

“They are fine, don’t worry. I took care of them and they are resting now, regaining their strength.”

“Thanks be to the Light! I thought we weren’t going to make it.”

“Stay still; you need to rest for a while. Your body needs to heal.”

“As you order, Healer,” he said with a smile. “What would we do without you? You healed and protected us. What would
I
do without you?”

When she heard that, and the way Gerart had said it, Aliana’s heart was again filled with a rush of conflicting emotions. A part of her longed to be lost in his arms, even more now that danger and death were around them every step of the way. She knew these could very well be her last moments of the face of the earth. Her feelings of desire toward Gerart had gradually been blossoming from the beginning of the expedition. Right now, looking at him lying there beside her, she could barely contain the passion she felt for him. But another part of her could not, would not, allow herself to be swept away by her emotions... by these burning feelings that rose from her stomach like a wildfire, climbing through her chest and gripping her throat until she could barely speak. No, she could not allow herself to be consumed by this. Her responsibility was to her Gift, to the Order.
That
was the path she had to follow.

Gerart looked into her eyes, his intense gaze the color of the sea. Aliana’s heart was pounding so hard that, for a moment, she thought it would beat right out of her chest. She could hear it reverberating in her ears like a war drum, keeping her from thinking straight.

As if he could read her mind, hear her thoughts, the Prince wrapped his arm around her and pulled her toward him.

Well aware of the Prince’s intentions, Aliana allowed herself to be pulled into him. She leaned into Gerart’s strong body. As she felt her body against his, a sweet tingling sensation started in her stomach and rushed upward, filling her with an exciting energy followed by an irresistible, warm sensation. 

Gerart kissed her passionately as he held her in his powerful embrace.

Aliana lost herself in the moment, an explosion of passion enveloping her. Never before had she experienced desire like this. She allowed herself to savor these marvelous sensations, to be carried away by them. As Gerart held her, she could feel every muscle of his virile physique. Aliana felt every inch of her body flushing, her desire growing, her shame displayed on her blushing cheeks. Never before had she had contact with a man. Guilt suddenly washed over her, changing the shivers of pleasure into a chilling sense of shame.

She abruptly pulled away from Gerart and stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have let myself get carried away,” apologized Gerart, immediately regretting what he’d done.

“I am as much to blame as you are, Gerart. You don’t need to apologize. But we can’t let ourselves be swept away by this passion. It isn’t right. We have to stop this.”

“I understand... My advances are unwelcome. It won’t happen again. I don’t know what possessed me to act like that.”

“It isn’t that, Gerart...”

“Then what is it?”             

“I am devoted to my Order, to my Gift. I must follow the path of Healing. It is everything to me...”

“I understand. The Gift you possess is a gift from the Light; it should not be wasted.”

“That’s how I feel, too, and that is why I have to stay on the path set forth by the Order and serve my fellow man according to the established rules.”

“Is there no other way? I do not want to take you from the path you’ve chosen, but there must be some other way I can be close to you.”

“The Prince who is the heir to the throne of Rogdon and a Healer from the Order of Tirsar? I don’t see any way that can be... Our obligations and duties would keep us apart; they would stand in the way of every step we’d want to take...”

“All I know is that from the moment my eyes met yours, there was no other purpose for me than to win your heart.”

Aliana blushed. She took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m sorry, Gerart... I can’t. I have to stay on the path I started... There is no place in it for the love of a man or for building a family. Healing requires absolute dedication, equal to that of creating a family.”

“Neither you nor I can deny these feelings, Aliana. And we’ve both known it for quite some time,” said Gerart, looking deep into her eyes.

Aliana stood up and, needing to resist him, walked back toward her companions to continue the healings. She did not look back, aware that Gerart was watching her. For a moment, she wanted to be able to give in to her feelings and allow herself to love the Prince, but she knew the consequences that could bring about.

Aliana resumed caring for her wounded companions.

The Sergeant, who was as strong as an ox, had only suffered a few bruises and a hard blow to the head. That man was indestructible.

“What’s wrong with me? I dislocated my shoulder, right?” Lomar asked Aliana, grimacing.

“That’s right, Lomar. You also have some deep contusions and some internal bleeding that, if we hadn’t caught in time, would have been fatal. Rest for a bit while we think about how to get your shoulder back in place.”

“I’ll take care of that,” volunteered the Sergeant. “Don’t worry; it won’t hurt too much, little soldier,” he mocked with a foreboding, malicious smile. He took Lomar over to the stone wall and motioned for him to look at the ceiling. At precisely the moment when the rookie did as he was told the Sergeant shoved the trusting lancer’s shoulder into the stone wall.

Lomar screamed out in pain.

“Done! It’s back in place. An old remedy from my grandmother,” explained the Sergeant, howling with laughter, as Lomar—who was as white as a ghost—tried to recover from the painful experience.

Aliana tightly bandaged Kendas’ ribs, two of which were fractured. On his head was a lump the size of a plum.

“Try not to make any sudden movements. I’ve sped up the healing of your ribs as much as I could, but now they need to go through the natural healing process. There’s nothing more I can do for the time being. You’ll want to make sure you don’t break them again by moving too quickly or exerting too much energy. In a couple of days I’ll be able to work on them again. My Gift cannot work miracles, it just helps nature follow its course.”

“Thanks so much, Aliana. I already feel so much better. And thank you for alleviating my headache; it was killing me.” Kendas smiled at her warmly.

“Ha! If it were up to me, I would have increased the pain instead of reducing it! Quite a pair you are; one small, insignificant battle and you snap like little porcelain dolls. You’re nothing more than a couple of crybabies. In my day, there were
real
men. I still remember one of my fellow soldiers, Kadar the Ugly. Now
that
guy was a real soldier! In the battle for the port city of Corula he fought beside me for an entire afternoon without taking a rest—with a Nocean dagger stuck in his shoulder clear up to its handle! At sundown when the Noceans retreated for the night, instead of heading for the infirmary, he drank a whole bottle of red wine. And when he’d emptied it, he winked at me and said, ‘I’d better go have them get this dagger out of me. I’ll need them to patch me up so I look handsome for the morning attack.’ And even more amazing—the ugly son of a bitch survived the siege. And now here I am surrounded by a bunch of feeble excuses for soldiers who let themselves get beat by a couple of walking rocks!”

Aliana smiled. She loved how the Sergeant harangued Lomar and Kendas; it was his way of expressing his appreciation for the two brave lancers even though they most likely did not take it that way.

She concentrated, seeking out her interior power. She knew her healing energy was almost exhausted and that she needed to rest so it would have a chance to be replenished. If she did not sleep soon she would be overcome with exhaustion. Wearily, she sat down and leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and fell into the deep, restorative sleep she so desperately needed.

When she awakened a few hours later, Aliana saw that her four companions were watching her in silence. Gerart had recovered and was staring at her, his fear written all over his face.

“I’m fine; I just needed to revive my inner energy,” she said as she stood up, trying to ease the Prince’s concern.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Gerart asked as he took her by the hand and looked into her eyes.

As she touched Gerart’s hand and saw the kindness in his eyes, Aliana felt her cheeks growing warm. She quickly looked away and lowered her head. Trying to sound aloof, she said, “I feel fine now. Don’t worry, Gerart.”

“We owe you our lives, Aliana. You saved every one of us from certain death,” he said, his tone of voice showing a combination of gratitude and admiration.

“Kendas is really the one who saved us by locating the spirit that was hiding there.”

“How did you manage to see it? It was totally invisible in those shadows,” said Lomar. “Or is that the sort of thing you learn in the country by playing hide and seek in the cornfields?”

“I don’t know... I really have no idea. When I hit the floor, just before I lost consciousness I was able to see the spirit’s golden eyes for a split second. I think it was because of the blow to my head... but I’m not sure. And, no, we don’t learn that in the cornfields; that’s where we hide from the vanity of all you city slickers so we don’t get contaminated.”

“Well, whatever the reason, you seeing that thing and Aliana’s healing talents saved us. Thank you, both of you,” said Gerart, bowing his head to them in a gesture of gratitude. “We should continue on now.” He pointed toward the exit of the cave.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep going. None of you is in great shape; it’s too dangerous,” said Aliana.

“Nonsense! They’re just bruises. And that can’t stop a Royal Lancer!” asserted the Sergeant.

“We are not leaving here without Haradin,” insisted Gerart, though if he were to be honest, he was having serious difficulty breathing. “Let’s keep going. Let’s finish off that mage or spirit or whatever it is so we can find Haradin. We are so close... We can’t allow ourselves to be intimidated!”

Faced with her companions’ dogged determination, Aliana had to concede. They were not about to turn back. Not now.

They cautiously entered the adjoining cave. Much to their surprise, it was a beautiful room in the shape of a rectangle. And it was
immense.
The walls, a reddish color with metallic streaks, sparkled in the torch light with the captivating beauty of a sunset over an infinite ocean. Banners with unusual golden symbols held up by long lances adorned the wall of the cavern. The ceiling, so high they couldn’t even see it, towered over a shiny, almost luminescent scarlet floor. With no visible rocks or stones on its surface, it was like standing on a sea of crimson glass. In the middle of the impressive room was a gigantic monolith of scarlet rock around which stood some twenty motionless figures. The monolith appeared to have captured—or enchanted—the men who stood frozen in time, silently gazing at it as if hypnotized. Behind the great monolith in the back of the cave was a tall arch of the same color. It led to a magnificent marble altar upon which rested a brown sarcophagus with intricate gold ornamentation.

They stood there, quietly beholding the strange and marvelous place, trying to comprehend what they had discovered.

Guardedly, they continued on toward the center, swords unsheathed. Aliana loaded her bow and peered into the shadows in search of the spirit. Once in the center of the room they stopped behind the twenty immobile figures—men who, by the looks of their different armor and clothing, were apparently not from the same group, or even the same kingdom. They must have arrived there separately, on different expeditions.