Redemption (16 page)

Prince Antion gazed about the room looking for other doors, but there were none. Jared crossed the floor and passed through a gap in the bench to gaze into the pool. After a thorough inspection of the chamber, Prince Antion joined Jared at the side of the pool, and they both sat on the bench.

"What do you make of it?" the prince asked.

"It is peaceful," smiled Jared. "The jets of water soothingly break up a silence that would be all too pervasive. It is as if one could come here and forget all the troubles of the world beyond the clouds."

"Perhaps that is why Orro came here in the first place," mused Prince Antion. "Maybe he just sought refuge from mankind."

"You don't think Orro is human?" asked Jared.

"I don't see how he could be," shrugged Prince Antion. "No one can live for thousands of years. Truthfully, I suspected that Orro did not exist at all, but Balrec certainly believes in him. I guess we will have to wait and see."

"Do you think he will be evil like Audric thought?" Jared asked anxiously.

"That thought has kept me awake more nights than you can imagine," sighed Prince Antion. "Audric was a man of great knowledge, and only a fool would easily discount his words of warning, but we have little choice. If you are not prepared to deal with your brother, evil will eventually envelope the Land of the Nine Kingdoms. I am willing to take the risk of facing evil right now to have a chance to save the world from evil later. I think you are, too."

"I am," Jared swallowed nervously.

Suddenly the jets of water changed tempo, and Jared and Prince Antion fixed their eyes on the pool. They watched, mesmerized as the jets began to descend. As the streams of water shrunk, something became visible in the center of the pool, something that had been hidden by the hundreds of water streams.

Prince Antion stared in bewilderment as a stone pedestal was revealed from the top down. The sight of the hidden pedestal was not so shocking, but what sat upon it was. A human head sat on the pedestal facing the two warriors. It was a man's head, but it was devoid of hair, and its texture was like parchment left in the sands to crack and crumble to dust over the ages. Deep within its eye sockets were two solid white orbs, the featureless eyes of a man without sight.

Prince Antion gaped at the head in silence. His first reaction was shock, but he soon began to feel anger, anger at having been tricked by the people of Harangar. They obviously meant to scare him with some magical show of deceit, and he began to wonder what their reasons might be. What were they after?

Unexpectedly, Prince Antion felt a draining feeling within his body, and he began to swoon. He thought that Jared was trying to draw on the Talent within him, and he placed a hand on his friend's leg.

"Don't," the Arin prince said softly. "You must remain pure. Their trickery is not worth introducing evil into your mind."

"Don't what?" replied Jared nervously. "I am not doing anything."

"You are more than I expected," a booming voice echoed in the chamber.

Prince Antion twisted on the bench to find the source of the voice, but no one had entered the room. His eyes returned to the head on the pedestal. He gasped as he saw the head's lips moving.

"You will do well with the proper instruction," continued the voice.

Prince Antion felt the drawing of his Talent cease, and he sought to find his voice.

"Speak not," commanded Orro. "Your words mean nothing to me. In time we will communicate, but that time has not yet come."

Prince Antion felt his head clearing and his strength returning.

"That is what it feels like to have the Talent drawn from you, Prince Antion," declared Orro. "Remember the feeling well, for you must grow accustomed to it. If you are not prepared for it, it will weaken your mind and body until you die. Learn to prepare for it, and you will survive."

The Arin prince nodded silently.

"You, Jared," continued Orro, "have the greatest challenge of them all. Without your help, the Land of the Nine Kingdoms is doomed. You claim to be a man of peace and purity, yet it will take an act of evil and death to restore what has been perverted. Can you destroy Zinan, Jared? Do you have it within you?"

Jared opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He stood open mouthed and wide eyed as the talking head continued.

"Good and evil are two faces of the same man," declared Orro. "Within each man the struggle of two great forces wages a constant battle for supremacy. Seldom does either one win completely before the man's life expires, but it does happen occasionally. It is even more rare when that struggle for supremacy takes place in a person with extreme capability in the Talent. You live in a rare time indeed. The world rests on the shoulders of you two warriors. Should either of you falter, all will perish. Can you destroy your brother, Jared?"

Jared shook his head exaggeratedly.

"We shall see," mused Orro. "It is amazing what men can be made to do, given the proper perspective. The two of you will come into my presence daily until such time as I feel you are ready to return to the Land of the Nine Kingdoms. You will be taught how to use the Talent within you, and what you must accomplish with it. You will grow to understand what needs to be done. Go now."

Jared and Prince Antion rose slowly from the bench. As they moved to an opening in the stone bench, the head spoke again.

"The others in your party will have no need to visit with me," Orro declared, "but neither are they allowed to leave Harangar. Each has made a commitment to aid you in your quest. That commitment must be honored."

The waters of the fountains began to grow tall and soon the pedestal and the head disappeared from view. As the two warriors approached the exit, the huge doors opened magically. Jared and the Arin prince walked silently through he doors, which closed as soon as they had exited. They stood silently for several minutes as both of them tried to catch their breath.

"Do you believe what just happened?" Jared finally asked.

"I would not have believed it if it had been told to me by another," admitted the Arin prince, "but I was there. I felt him drawing the Talent out of me. It did not feel like it did when you and Audric did it. This was much quicker and more forceful. I grew lightheaded and weak. I would not be able to protect you in such a state."

"I don't know that that makes a difference," frowned Jared. "I had hoped that Orro was going to have a different answer than Audric, but he speaks the same. Everyone wants me to kill Zinan, but I cannot do it."

"You were honest with Orro," Prince Antion pointed out. "Your attitude did not dissuade him from teaching you."

"Of course not," Jared retorted. "He plans to change my attitude. That much is clear to me, but I will never change. I cannot take a life."

"You have no choice," frowned Prince Antion. "If you refuse to take one life, you will be taking the lives of thousands of others. The lives of all the people in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms rest on our shoulders. That is what Orro said. We either kill the evil ones, or we enable the evil ones to kill everyone else. King Zinan is the greatest evil one of all. He must die, and only you can do it."

"We don't know that only I can kill him," countered Jared. "That is what Audric said, but he could be wrong. He didn't know how to draw the Talent properly."

"And Orro did know how to draw it," retorted Prince Antion, "yet he also agrees that you must be the one to kill King Zinan. If you have any doubts at all, we will ask Orro tomorrow. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Jared nodded anxiously.

Winona strode through the halls of the palace in Harangar and into the office of Balrec. Balrec looked up as the warrior entered and smiled warmly.

"I trust that you are well rested and enjoying the time home with your family?" asked Balrec.

"My parents are well," replied Winona, "and my brother is close to the age of entering service to Orro. I have been taking this rare chance in Harangar to explain a few things to him. It will prepare him for the future."

"Then you expect him to follow in your footsteps and become a scout?" asked Balrec.

"Of course," answered Winona. "Members of my family have been scouts for generations. There is no finer way to serve Orro."

"If he is half as good as you," smiled Balrec, "he will be among the best of scouts."

"Flattery means nothing to a scout," Winona replied as her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You did not call me into your office to praise my skills. What do you require of me?"

Balrec frowned as he stared at the female scout. Winona was the finest scout he had ever seen, but her personal suspicions of everyone made it hard for him to get to know her. He was concerned about the mission she was about to embark upon.

"My words were not mere flattery," Balrec said evenly. "You are the finest at what you do, and Harangar would be much less safe without your service to Orro. My comments regarding your brother were sincere, but your response troubles me. You seem to grow more bitter with each passing season. What is bothering you?"

"Your comments were meant to pave the way for a dangerous assignment," retorted Winona. "I do not need to have danger softened like melted butter before I can swallow it. I stand ready to serve Orro to the death, as every generation of my family has before me. Danger does not cause my flesh to quiver or my heart to grow faint. It is what I live for. In fact, I have grown bored after weeks in Harangar while my comrades are forced to take my place in the wilds. Tell me what my task is to be, and I will prepare for it. There is nothing else that needs to be said."

"I will be the judge of your fitness to serve," scowled Balrec as a shadow darkened his doorway.

Winona blinked in surprise. Balrec had never spoken harshly to her before. In fact, she had never known him to speak severely to anyone.

"I am concerned with your attitude," Balrec continued more calmly. "I have watched you turn from a sweet young girl into a killing machine in the service of Orro. I have admired your skill and commitment. There is not another person alive that I would trust more with the most important of missions, but I fear that your bitterness may have begun to affect your judgment. I have had reports of your trying to intimidate our guests during their stay. Is this true?"

"Our guests, as you call them," scowled Winona, "are outsiders. They have no place in Harangar. They are pompous, spoiled, rich boys and should never have been allowed into our sanctuary, yet they roam the palace and the streets of Harangar with total freedom. They have spent weeks trying to tell us how things are done in the Land of the Nine Kingdoms as if our ways are somehow deficient."

"Need I remind you that Orro requested their presence in Harangar?" Balrec pointed out.

"I am well aware of that," replied Winona. "Whatever was on his mind at the time? I know that we are not supposed to doubt the word of Orro, but these foreigners are insufferable. The Odessian presents himself as the master of all four-legged animals. He has the stableman hanging on his every word. The Salacian thinks he is the greatest tracker to ever walk the land and has been poisoning the minds of the scout recruits. The giant stalks the city with his huge double-headed axe scaring our people. Should the citizens of Harangar have to fear for their lives while in the city? How do I explain to our frightened citizens that I am responsible for bringing these miscreants into the city?"

"Are you done?" Balrec retorted.

"Hardly," snapped Winona. "The Caroomite spends his time with the bowyers telling tales of his exploits and then proceeds to tell them that they are using the wrong woods to make their bows. Worse still is the soldier from Arin. He corrals any young woman he can find and tries to impress her with tales of his master's greatness."

"I think that will be enough," snapped Balrec.

"It is not enough," Winona shook her head vigorously. "Antion is the worst of all. His pious attitude as he walks through the city sickens me. Everyone in Harangar knows that he has been privileged to meet with Orro every single day over these past few weeks. The people look upon him with reverence, and he just eats it up. I can well imagine that his head swells several sizes each day. The man was born into royalty and thinks who he is. I cannot imagine why Orro continues to let him sit in on the sessions with Jared. It only serves to boost the man's ego, and it is clear that he doesn't care for anyone but himself. Why wasn't he sent home to traipse around in front of his own peasants? That is all men like him are good for. They all want to sit in judgment of others, but don't ever expect them to make a sacrifice themselves. His kind makes me sick."

Balrec's face darkened and his mouth opened to berate the scout, but Winona did not give him a chance to speak.

"So I took it upon myself to put the foreigners in their place," she continued. "Certainly no one else around here could be counted on to do it. I told them that if they brought their weapons out of their quarters that I would humiliate them in front of the people. As I expected, not one of them has carried a weapon since. They are all talk and no action. I am sure that you read my report when I brought them in. I already bested the Caroomite in battle. One would think they would have learned from that lesson, but their arrogance knows no bounds. At least now the people will see them for what they truly are instead of worshiping them. They are just pampered rich boys looking for attention."

"At least you don't hold back on your criticism," Prince Antion said from the doorway.

Winona spun swiftly at the sound of the prince's voice. Rage distorted her face, and a knife appeared in her hand. The Arin prince stood still with his palms empty and extended before him

"I am not your enemy," Prince Antion said calmly. "Put the knife away."

"How dare you sneak up behind me and eavesdrop on my conversation?" Winona snarled.

"I asked him to come here," Balrec declared. "Put the knife away, Winona."

The scout turned to face Balrec. Her face was reddened with anger and her eyes narrowed with contempt. "How dare you humiliate me this way?"

"My intent was not to humiliate you," Balrec said evenly, "but it appears that you have managed to do just that with your childish tirade. It disturbs me that you have shown such a dark side to our guests. Both of you sit down. This problem must be resolved here and now."

Prince Antion crossed the floor and took a seat before the desk, leaving his back exposed to the female scout. Winona seethed with anger for a moment and then sheathed her knife. She moved the other chair away from the Arin prince and then sat down. Prince Antion turned and looked directly at Winona.

"I apologize for letting you continue while I stood behind you," he offered sincerely, "but I was amazed at your perspective. I can assure you that my men are not trying to impress the people of Harangar. They are merely trying to be helpful. Like you, being trapped in this city for the winter also bores them. They have ventured out of the palace to meet the citizens to alleviate that boredom. While I am hesitant to do so, I will order them to remain within the confines of the palace."

"That will not be necessary, Prince Antion," stated Balrec. "Your people are guests, not prisoners. I called you both here because you will be working closely together. It was my hope that a meeting would bring both of you closer to understanding the other. I made a serious mistake. I apologize to both of you for that."

"Working together?" frowned Winona. "Doing what?"

"Orro has requested that you join the daily sessions with Prince Antion and Jared," explained Balrec.

Winona's eyes widened in surprise. Like most of the citizens, she had never met Orro. Few were ever granted an audience with the ancient one.

"I do not think that is wise," frowned Prince Antion. "Our sessions require a great deal of concentration, and we cannot afford to be distracted. Whatever evil is to befall the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, it will begin soon. We do not have any time to waste."

"You seek to exclude me from seeing Orro?" snapped Winona. "How dare you? I have served Orro faithfully as has my family for many generations. Who are you to waltz into Harangar and tell me that I am not fit to see Orro?"

"That is not what I meant," Prince Antion tried to explain.

"Enough," shouted Balrec. "Prince Antion, I apologize for having brought you here to witness this sad episode, but this meeting between the two of you is over. Orro has decreed that Winona will join the sessions, and that is how it will be unless he changes his mind. Kindly retreat from my office, and close the door on your way out."

The Arin prince nodded and rose to his feet. He left the room silently and closed the door.

"Do you see the arrogance of the foreigners?" scowled Winona. "The nerve of him thinking he can say who gets to see Orro."

"Your attitude disgusts me, Winona," retorted Balrec. "You have disgraced our people with your behavior. If I wasn't positive that Orro knows all, I would strongly protest your attendance of the sessions because of the conflict between you and the foreigners, but I cannot object to that. Where I do have influence to act is in your behavior to the foreigners outside the sessions. From now on, you will not interfere with them. If you do, I will restrict you to the palace, not them."

"You place the rights of the foreigners over mine?" gasped Winona. "They will be right back out there tomorrow with their weapons causing terror in the streets again."

"The only reason those men are no longer carrying their weapons is because Prince Antion asked them not to," countered Balrec. "He was afraid that you would goad one of them into a fight, and he did not wish to embarrass you."

"Embarrass me?" sneered the scout. "Do not be ridiculous. I am a trained warrior, not a pampered prince."

"You continue to think of them as pampered princes," Balrec shook his head, "but you are wrong. Your own report detailed the battle that they had with the Borundans. Can you not see with your own eyes that these men have skill?"

"They defeated a small group of feeble soldiers," retorted Winona. "Have they been bragging about their great deeds and inflating the skill of their foes?"

"I have had occasion to discuss their travels with them," answered Balrec, "and I do not find them to be braggarts. Captain Xero's men were the last part of an elite force sent out to track them down and kill them. I think the fact that several of them are princes is coloring your judgment. Regardless of what you think about them, I will give them free reign within Harangar, and they may carry their weapons. You are not to interfere with them or goad them in any way. Is that understood?"

Winona seethed, but she nodded her agreement. She knew full well that Balrec had the authority to confine her to the palace, and as bad as it was being stuck in the city, being confined to the palace would be torture.

"Good," Balrec said with an air of finality. "Starting tomorrow morning, you will join Jared and Prince Antion in daily sessions with Orro. I implore you to open your mind to Orro, and let him wash this hatred out of you. You are too fine a person for such an attitude."

* * *

The old woman rode through the streets of Oran on a horse that had seen better days. People stared at the old nag and the misshapen woman that rode it. One of her legs was twisted, and her foot pointed away from the beast. While her head was covered with a hood, those who saw her face were taken aback by the deep hollows of her eyes. The woman rode to the gates of the royal palace and asked to speak to King Rihad. The guards tried to shoo her away from the gates, but she refused to leave. When she was informed that the Odessian king was not in the city, she gave a sealed note to the guards. The guards dutifully carried the note into the palace and an officer came out to the gates. He stared into the woman's face as if trying to make out her features.

"I have aged," Naveena said softly, "but I remember your face. You accompanied King Rihad to the coronation of King Garrick."

The officer nodded in agreement. "King Rihad is not in Oran," he stated. "What can I help you with?"

The woman glanced suspiciously at the guards, and the officer led Naveena away from the gates.

"I have vital information for King Rihad," Naveena declared conspiratorially. "It is imperative that I speak with him."

"That is not possible," the officer shook his head. "I have already told you that he is not in Oran."

"Then summon him to the city," retorted Naveena, "or take me to him. I have information that he must possess."

"Tell me the information," suggested the officer. "I will see that it gets to him as soon as possible."

"No," Naveena shook her head. "I will speak directly to King Rihad or not at all."

"Then he will never learn of your information," replied the officer. "You do not represent an official envoy from Borunda, and let me be frank here, Borunda is no longer a peaceful neighbor. I will not expose King Rihad to a potential agent of a possible enemy, especially one with your renowned power."

"I have no desire to harm King Rihad," countered Naveena. "If I had, I would not show up here and ask for him. I have traveled a great distance at great risk to myself to bring this news to him."

"At great risk?" frowned the officer. "Odessians would not harm you without reason, even if they knew who you were."

"Some Odessians would," argued Naveena. "King Zinan has spies in Oran, and they would gladly kill me if they knew what I was about to do. I carry information about a future Borundan attack. If you do not take me to King Rihad, the consequences will be great. Are you prepared to accept the death of thousands because of your uncalled for hesitation?"