The Crystal Chalice (Book 1) (43 page)

 “Not at all. I
understand only too well your need for security.”

 “Very well then. The
Captain will show you to your quarters in a moment, but first there is someone
I would like you to meet. My mother is a very old lady and rarely leaves her
rooms but her greatest pleasure is in meeting new people. I should explain that
she is completely blind but has something of the gift of second sight and
delights to surprise people by how much she can tell about them without the
benefit of physical sight.”

 He led them through a side
door into a handsome apartment, in which, despite the heat of the summer, a
small fire was burning. An old lady, tiny and frail as a bird, sat in a chair
by the fire. Her long silver hair lay loose on her shoulders like moonlight, in
contrast to her midnight-black velvet robe. As they entered, she turned her
head towards the door and they saw that her eyes were almost white, filmed over
like mist. Before anyone could speak, in a dry, faint voice like the rustling
of last year’s leaves, she said: “Who is this that you have brought to visit
me, my son?”

 “Strangers to our
kingdom, mother.”

 “Do they know that the
old Queen sees better without her eyes?”

 “They do.”

 She turned her head
towards her visitors. Andarion, ever courteous, stepped forward to greet her,
but the King held up his hand to restrain him, and gestured for silence.

 “I see a Prince, tall
and fair,” the old woman mused in a cracked voice. “Direct descendant of a
noble line. I see a man whose heart is true and free of guile, but troubled with
a great burden of fear for the land of his birth.” She stared at the Prince
with her sightless eyes. “The Kingdom of Adamant is honoured by your presence,
Prince Andarion.”

 The King, noting the
Prince’s astonishment, smiled proudly. “Is she not remarkable? Few have such
gifts these days.”

 The silver head turned
in Triana’s direction. “Ah! What a pleasure it is to see great beauty of form
combined with beauty of character. There is great kindness and sympathy in your
heart, little one. Have no fear, the road may be long but your heart’s desires
will be fulfilled, though never again will you return to the forests of
Kelendore.”

 She paused for a
moment, as if thinking over what she had said before turning her attention to
Elorin. “Here is something unusual. A girl with no name. Yet Elorin will always
be your name because it becomes you better than the one you had before. Your
distant past is unknown to me but the course your future takes depends on how
you read your own heart. Face your fate with the courage you have always
shown.”

 She sighed. “Relisar,
last of the Order of the Book. Well intentioned, kind of heart, but, alas, not
skilled or gifted enough to fulfil the task you have set for yourself. You will
seek long and hard, with many bitter tears but you will never find the one you
seek. Yet despite your failures, you are much loved by your companions.”

 Relisar looked away,
desperately trying to hide his distress and failing signally.

 “Who is this dark and
silent stranger?” the old woman asked, turning to Celedorn.

 The King told her his
name and she repeated it, turning the first syllable into a hiss.

 “I see strength and
determination, but all else is shrouded in darkness. Why do you hide yourself
from me? I cannot see you!” she exclaimed, her voice rising. “I cannot find
you! Show yourself!” Suddenly she gave a cry and recoiled, flinging up her
hands as if to ward off a blow. “Ah! You should not treat an old woman so!”

 The others stared in
astonishment, for Celedorn had neither spoken nor moved.

 “I think you had better
leave,” said the King gravely. “My mother is upset.”

 When they were outside
the room, Relisar turned to Celedorn, amazement written all over his face.
“What on earth happened?”

 Celedorn shrugged
dismissively. “She tried to get into my mind, so I told her to get out.”

 “I felt it too,”
volunteered Triana. “It was as if she was speaking to me inside my head, asking
questions which I felt obliged to answer, but......well, it wasn’t
threatening.”

 “Perhaps not,” replied
Celedorn. “But my thoughts are my own.”

 “She has a remarkable
gift,” observed Relisar sadly and everyone knew what he was thinking.

 “She’s wrong, Relisar,”
Elorin told him kindly. “You have never failed any of us. If it had not been
for you, we would be lying in those tunnels with our throats cut by the Turog.”

 But he refused to be
comforted. “I failed
you
, Elorin. I took away your past, deprived you of
your earlier life.”

 “Don’t look so sad,
Relisar. We have no idea what my life was like before. It is possible that you
rescued me from an unhappy life. Perhaps I now have something better than I had
before. Certainly, I have gained four of the truest friends anyone could ever
wish for. I count that riches indeed.”

 Triana added her mite.
“The old woman was right in only one respect, Relisar - you are much loved.”

 Tears stood in the old
Sage’s eyes. “Bless you, my dear. I will try to be worthy of you all, and I
will not give up on my quest. I
will
find the Champion, despite all she
predicted.”

 “Celedorn was the only
one of us with any sense,” the Prince admitted. “I’m not sure, with hindsight,
that I liked my thoughts being probed.”

 Just then, the Captain
approached them, followed by some servants carrying their belongings. Celedorn
took back his sword with alacrity.

 “My name is Naldian,”
The Captain informed them. “I have been instructed to show you to your
apartments. I trust,” he added, unbending a little from his icy aloofness,
“that you understand the reason for my earlier caution. The curtain of adamant
that protects us is said to be impenetrable, you can therefore imagine the
shock sustained by my patrol when you suddenly appeared through it.”

 The Prince smiled,
never proof against an apology. “There are no hard feelings, Captain. My
country too faces the threat of the Turog, only we have no protection other
than our swords.”

 “The Turog have never
broken through the curtain - I dare not even think of what would happen if they
did,” Naldian said gloomily. Then abruptly changing the subject, he said: “You
will dine with the King this evening - an honour indeed. Tomorrow I am at your
disposal to show you the sights. The ladies, I’m sure, would like to see the
King’s gardens and the city. Then there is the military school, the market and
the great library.”

 Relisar’s eyes
glistened. “A library,” he breathed reverently. “How many volumes?”

 “Over ten thousand,
dating from the days of the Old Kingdom.”

 Elorin laughed: “Ten
thousand? I think there is little chance of our enjoying the benefit of
Relisar’s company during our stay.”

 The others laughed, but
the Captain shot her a strange look which no one intercepted.

 Their apartments were
in a distant wing of the palace, close to the boundary wall with the city. The
rooms were on the first floor, above a dining hall occasionally used by
officers of the royal guard. For the first time in many long months, Elorin
found she had a room to herself. She reflected wryly that the last room in
which she had enjoyed solitude had been her prison at Ravenshold. Nothing could
have been more different. Her room was luxury indeed. A large bed with a gilded
headboard sat in the centre of the room, covered by a feather quilt encased in
crimson silk. A polished dresser was set with silver combs and some gold-topped
scent bottles and the window was screened by red silk curtains. It was nearly
dark and candles had been lit on the dresser, casting golden patterns on the
white ceiling. She dropped her pack on the floor and flopped back onto the bed.

 “Wonderful,” she
sighed, and promptly fell asleep.

  Elsewhere in the
palace someone was not so content. The old Queen clung to her son’s hand,
deeply disturbed. “They bring trouble, my son. I feel it most strongly. The old
man has gifts he does not even realise. He merely lacks the confidence to use
them, but even so, he tore a rent in the curtain of adamant - I read it in his
mind. He is a danger to our safety. Also this girl with no name troubles me.
She has a strange fate laid upon her, of which she is yet unaware. I cannot
tell what it may be, but it bodes ill for us.”

 “And the dark one?”

 “Him, I both hate and
fear. I cannot penetrate his mind. In all my years, I have never found a single
human being who could close his mind to me, but he can. If he had repulsed me
using physical force instead of strength of will, he would have flung me across
the room. His refusal was utterly violent.”

 “Do you think he has
spiritual power?”

 “No, I do not sense
that, just a great determination and a strength of will that is rare. Watch
him, my son, watch all of them.”

 The next week passed
very pleasantly. Once Naldian had dropped his reserve, he proved to be a
pleasant and knowledgeable companion. The incident with the old Queen appeared
to be forgotten and on the several occasions when they dined with the King, he
refused to hear of their departure with such jovial insistence that they felt
obliged to stay a little longer. This was no hardship to any of them, with
perhaps the exception of Celedorn.

 Relisar was soon
introduced to the magnificent library and immediately made a fast friend of its
guardian - an elderly man who shared his passion for ancient manuscripts.
Elorin’s prediction proved true, for apart from occasions when he was dragged
forcibly away from his books to dine with the King, little was seen of him.

 Elorin and Triana soon
discovered the delights of the busy town with its many wares guaranteed to
attract the feminine eye. Naldian took the Prince as his guest to the officers’
mess. Celedorn was invited to go hunting with them but refused, explaining to
the Prince that he only enjoyed hunting things that could fight back. So
largely he found himself left to his own devices. He began to disappear off on
his own shortly after breakfast each day and what he did for the rest of the
day, no one quite knew. In fact he was exploring the city, getting to know its
streets and its gates, acquainting himself with escape routes - should such an
event become necessary. He did not entirely take the King’s smiles at their
apparent value. Ever since his encounter with the old woman, he had been
restless, conscious of a desire to leave the kingdom that he could not quite
explain. Moreover, he had noticed that the King paid marked attention to
Triana, his eyes dwelling upon her with a warmth that Celedorn could only see
ending in trouble.

 The others, aware of
being treated only with kindness and generosity, were therefore surprised to
discover that he had purchased five horses which he had stabled at an inn in a
quiet part of the city.

 “Why not stable them at
the palace?” asked the Prince. “It’s more convenient and I’m sure the King
wouldn’t mind.”

 “I find myself
reluctant to let the King know that we possess them. I have noticed how he
always finds an excuse to prevent us from leaving. The latest is that we must
attend a banquet, but we must resume our journey soon, for autumn is not so far
away and the time is approaching when we had hoped to be at the Harnor.”

 They had all met in the
Prince’s room. Elorin, who had been perched on the edge of the dresser swinging
her legs, jumped down and asked Celedorn to show her the horses. He looked
surprised but was glad to have the chance to enjoy her company alone. He was
soon leading her through a maze of twisting, cobbled streets that were somewhat
less grand than the main avenues that Naldian had been showing them. He turned
down many side streets and cut across so many alleys, that soon Elorin was
completely lost.

 “You certainly seem to
know your way around the city.”

 “Yes, I have been
putting my time to good use. I feel the moment is approaching when the King’s
pleasant smiles may cease. We should be prepared for a very hurried departure.”

 “You think he would
prevent us leaving?”

 “Let’s just say that I
am not convinced that his reluctance to let us leave, stems purely from his
enjoyment of our company.”

 “I noticed that when
the subject of leaving comes up, Naldian always avoids the issue. The Prince,
too, is getting restless, aware always of the need to get home to Eskendria.
You are right. This matter will come to a head soon.”

 They turned into the
courtyard of an old inn, a little shabby, but homely nonetheless. Celedorn led
the way around the back of the building to the stables and they entered to be
greeted by the pleasant, musky smell of straw and horses. Five swift-looking
horses were in the stalls.

 “Which one is mine?”
she asked.

 He indicated a grey
horse. “I had a notion you liked greys.”

 She crossed to it and
stroked its velvet nose. “You remembered. The horse you lent me at Ravenshold
was a grey and he was the nicest-natured horse I have ever ridden.”