The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) (30 page)

For the
first time in over a generation, the council met in the great hall. In truth,
the hall had been used for little in many, many years, so it needed some work
to prepare it for the council’s use. The work was seen to quickly and the great
hall was ready at the appointed time, though some councilors still complained
about excessive dust.

The
members of the council were subdued as they entered the hall. Many of them
quickly transitioned to shock or outrage as they realized the balcony seating
was taken up with observers. None of the councilors had realized that Deborah
had sent messengers out amongst the public, inviting them to what she was
calling the people’s council. Plots to stifle the novice queen suddenly fizzled
in their minds as they speculated what this new course of events would mean for
them.

A dark
murmuring started on the main floor as councilors came together to vent. This
discord was quickly silenced when the councilors heard the entirety of the
balcony populace stand. They first looked up and back to see what was going on.
When they noticed all of them were focused on the front of the hall they turned
their attentions forward and noticed that Deborah was standing there
unannounced.

Deborah
had entered from a side chamber near the royal dais. She wore a simple dress of
pale green. Her hair was styled, though not ornately. Her escort consisted of
her father and Yero. David was wearing a pair of unimpressive brown breeches,
his well-worn leather scabbard belt, and a simple blue shirt. Save for the
sword which everybody knew of, he looked rather unimpressive. Yero, on the
other hand, wore full military regalia. His uniform was fresh and crisp, and
many were shocked to see that he was now sporting the rank Commander of the
Royal Guard, though the crest of the household was missing from his left
shoulder.

There
were several messages being conveyed by the appearance of the uncrowned queen
and her escorts. The councilors were busy trying to piece all the clues
together, though many of them were having a hard time completely deciphering
their meanings. Two things were clear, however. First, the queen to be was not
going to place herself above the populace or use her family influence to gain
greater power. Secondly, there were going to be great new opportunities for
all, as was evident in the promotion of a simple captain to the commander of
all the guard. Those of the councilors who were still steeped in the control of
the Manipulator and greed began calculating how much control they might be able
to acquire.

Deborah
motioned for everybody to sit, and they did so. She stood in front of the
throne, but did not sit herself. Yero and David moved to stand behind and off
to the side of the throne, so that a person focused on Deborah would just be
able to see them out of the corner of his eye.

“Good
sirs of the council and my guests,” Deborah began. “I have called you all
together this day to begin setting the words of God into realization.”

Deborah’s
voice projected well throughout the chamber as she put to use several years of
high school drama training. The confidence in her candor of speech belied the
nervousness in her core.

“From this
day forth, the council of the Seventh Kingdom shall meet in this hall. The
council shall be comprised of the landholding nobility of each province within
this kingdom, and a representative of the working class within those borders as
well.”

Murmurs
broke out both on the floor and in the balcony above. Both sets of people
expressed the uncertainty of Deborah’s words and the indignity it could mean
for the current ruling class. The whispering died slowly down as Deborah raised
her hands to call the room into silence. When she spoke this time her voice
seemed even louder, her speech more empowered by passion.

“For too
long this kingdom was held in sway by a demon’s will. I am not saying the
system by which it was governed was responsible for this, though it helped. The
demon isolated the aristocracy from each other and the people
en
masse from the ruling body. We cannot let this happen
again. I know the system of governing I will help create will not be without
pitfalls, nor will it be incorruptible by demons and those led astray by them.
However, it will help us remain vigilant, relying upon one another to hold each
other accountable to the right path of God. Together we can counter the
foothold the Void and the Fallen One seek to have in this kingdom, in this
crossing, and in the worlds beyond.”

When
Deborah stopped talking there was silence. It lasted for seven seconds. Then
observers in the balcony began to clap. They stood once more. Urged either by
passion or pressure to conform, the councilors began to join them. Yero, David,
and Deborah took note of those who didn’t even deign to applaud.

Deborah
raised her hands for silence once more. As soon as she had it, she began speak
once more. He voice was marginally quieter, and a small bit of her nervousness leaked
into her tone.

“It has
been decreed from on high that I will be crowned upon my wedding day.”

She
paused, visibly taking a breath. “Three days from now I will announce my
betrothal, and a week thereafter I will be wed. Following this we will begin to
refocus our governance to the will of the Creator and fortify these lands
against the manipulations of the Void.”

As a mix
of eager and/or conciliatory applause began, Deborah turned and exited the way
she had come. She was grateful for the presence of her father and Yero. She
welcomed her father’s gentle hand upon her shoulder drawing, from it strength
and confidence, two things she had merely tried to project but did not feel.
Halfway down the corridor she turned and embraced him, trying desperately to absorb
his quiet calm and strength. She did not realize she was crying until she tried
to speak.

“I’m. . .
not. . . ready,” she sobbed.

David
embraced her tightly and gently rocked with her.

“I know,
I know. He will make us ready when He calls us forth. He will give us what we
need to carry the burden given to us.”

They
stayed that way for nearly half an hour before they broke their embrace and
continued down the hall to her chambers.

Jared
stood beside Pax at the mouth of an alleyway. Across from them was a broader,
much more elaborate archway.

“Down
that way is the back gate to the royal healer’s compound,” Jared started to
explain. “The rear guard house usually has two guards posted. I can inquire
about the lady’s well-being. It is not likely they will know. However, since it
is so close to the shift change they may be willing to check for us. If she’s
not up, they won’t disturb her. Chances are we will get dismissed and told to
come back later.”

“Will
they not be suspicious of you trying to gain entrance through the rear?” asked
Pax.

“No,
commoners are restricted from coming any other way. With the sun just setting,
the hour might seem odd, though not completely unheard of.”

“So
you’re certain my messenger credentials won’t grease the gate?”

“They
could, although there is just as much likelihood that you could be jammed up
like I am. The lady was pretty bad when we finally rolled her in. At the least
she’s still unresponsive. If they chose to, they could delay you until she came
around, same as me. You said you wanted a second option. Sneaking in the back
is the second option.”

“I’ve had
to sneak into plenty of places to make sure my messages got to the correct
owners.”

Pax stood
quiet for some time. Jared had to focus hard to keep the little man in view; he
seemed to be able to wrap the shadows of the alley around him.

“Very
well,” the nisse finally said, “you must approach the guards and try to get in.
I will accompany you. Be warned, though; do not draw any attention to me.
Should any opportunity present itself I’ll slip in. Once inside a place, it is
much simpler to appear that I belong if I get caught.”

Jared
knew better than to ask how the nisse would get in. However, he could not
resist pleading with the messenger.

“Pax,
should you find her, should you get to speak to Rebekah . . . please let her
know I am out here and concerned.”

Pax
looked up at Jared and studied him with his luminous eyes. He nodded once to
the half-breed and then crossed the street, motioning for Jared to get moving.
They moved swiftly under the arch and down the wide alley. When they approached
the gate, Pax moved off to the side and Jared took point. Jared quickly
received a brush off, as he figured he would. The second guard said he would
check, though.

Just then
two new guards arrived. They opened up the gate to let the booth guards in and
took their place. Unbeknownst to any of them, a shifting shadow had slipped in
during the transition. Jared saw Pax on the other side of the gate, moving
swiftly ahead of the guards. The messenger stopped in front of the door and
waited. The guards opened it, entered, and a wisp followed.

Pax
didn’t drop his shroud until he was well into the building. He knew that being
detected entering the building would quickly get him thrown out. Now, however,
he was safe, for if he was found out now he could use his status to talk his
way out of trouble. The guards Pax had followed had gone down a hall which led
to a descending staircase. The messenger didn’t bother to follow them, figuring
they were headed to a tunnel connecting the healer's house to the barracks or
the castle or any number of staff rooms. Thus Pax started his search on the
first floor.

It took
nearly an hour for Pax to search the first and second floor. At this time of
night, he didn’t encounter many non-patients. There seemed to be at least one
caregiver on each floor, though he’d been able to dodge past each of them in
the course of his search. On the second floor he took the opportunity to talk
with one of the patients he found awake. The elderly gentleman was quite
helpful.

“The
royal healers are actually on the top floors,” he said with deep breaths. “The
first three main floors are for commoner use; we get all the practicing
healers. The next two floors are for special cases and terminal cases they are
studying. The sixth floor is for research. The royal rooms begin on the
seventh. They have a tower there, as well.”

Pax
thanked the informative man and then exited the room. The messenger paused,
uncertain about his next move. He had no doubt the gentleman’s information was
correct; thus he could skip several floors. In addition, now that he had a
better understanding of the layout, he could talk in a more educated manner
with the caregivers and get specific directions. This idea caused him to pause.

Pax had
never felt such an uncertainty. There had been plenty of times he’d not trusted
those in authority; however, this time whenever he thought of speaking to
somebody with any authority he became uneasy. Absentmindedly Pax reached down
into his message bag. There his hand found the sealed note given to him by Yero
and the Sword Bearer. When he pulled it out, he stared intently at the seal.

The
images within the seal seemed to now have a faint glow. The wax itself was
still cool to the touch and quite solid. There wasn’t anything special about
the wax, yet each of the symbols was shining. Then one of the crests flared
briefly. Pax held tight to the letter, unsure of what he had just seen. Then
two heartbeats later, the same symbol flashed again.

Pax
looked up and over in the direction the icon was aligned with. Down the hall he
saw several more doors. He had just come from this direction; they were rooms
he had already searched. Pax also knew one of them led to a stairwell. Curious,
he set off toward it. After a few heartbeats a new crest pulsed with light.
Though it was different, it was still the symbol pointing down the hall in the
direction he was walking. When he reached the stairwell door, the crest on the
wax nearest it pulsed.

Pax now
understood the meaning of the light; it was guiding him. The nisse in all of
his years within this world between had never seen anything like it. Never
before had any of his parcels tried to deliver themselves.

Pax was
grinning as he opened the door. When he stepped into the stairwell, he was
greeted with a new sensation: the letter got warmer. Though it was a minute
increase in temperature, it was enough for him to feel it through his thin
leather gloves. As he felt over the letter, the crest closest to the stairs
leading up flashed. Confident in what he was to do Pax began to mount the
stairs.

The
warmth of the letter increased ever so slightly with each new floor. The icons
led him further up the stairs until he reached the topmost floor. Pax did a
quick calculation and realized he’d gone straight to the seventh floor. He
opened the door and entered another hallway. He was guided down this hallway to
another door that led into another stairwell. This stairwell spiraled up in a
continuous curve. The nisse messenger realized he must have reached the tower
the elderly man had spoken of. Once again Pax climbed the steps.

Every now
and then the stairs passed a door on the right. Pax, however, didn’t go in any
of these doors, as the crests did not indicate he should. He passed four doors
thusly. The fifth door was at the top of the tower. Pax entered it and found
himself in a curved hallway. The door he exited was at the far end of it, with
two more doors visible from this position. As he began to walk slowly forward,
the warmth and glow of the seal increased. He passed the first door and saw the
end of the hallway with a final door at the very end. Even without the urging
of the letter, Pax felt drawn to that door.

Abandoning
any pretense of stealth, he moved quickly toward the door. The door was
unlocked, so he entered without any preamble. There he found the resting form
of Rebekah. She was not resting well. Her breathing was shallow; her skin was
clammy and hot. Not even the cool night air coming in from the open window
seemed enough to make her comfortable.

Pax
approached her with the intention of leaving the letter under her hand.
However, as he placed it there, a mighty wind swept through the room. Pax was
pushed back, and Rebekah’s hand gripped the letter tightly. Her body seemed to
alight with flame. Pax thought he saw a fox near her head. As suddenly as it
began, it was over.

Rebekah
opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The letter dropped out of her hand and
onto the floor. Pax rushed forward to pick it up. As he was standing up to hand
it back, their eyes locked. Rebekah smiled and seemed about to speak when she
suddenly grabbed her abdomen and let out a cry of pain that chilled Pax’s
blood. The messenger backed up, clutching the letter. He looked around, trying
to figure out what to do. Panic was just starting to rise up within him when a
young elf woman ran into the room.

Alawnwee
didn’t notice Pax, and the messenger didn’t draw attention to himself. The
nisse merely watched as the elf healer saw to the distressed Rebekah. Alawnwee
had learned a great deal more while under the supervision of doctor Elam. She
had lost a lot of her nervous habits when dealing with patients and was now
able to act quickly and without panic.

Rebekah
was only marginally responsive. Alawnwee noted with some relief that the woman
was no longer in the coma in which the poison had locked her. Alawnwee had been
fearful that the lady would remain in the coma and eventually wither away. Now,
however, the elf healer saw the lady was in the throes of labor and was not
confident that either child or mother were in any condition to go through the
process.

Alawnwee
pulled violently on a cord beside Rebekah’s bed. She knew the cord would ring a
bell in the healer's quarters, bringing further aid. While she waited she
checked over the lady and tried to focus her.

“My lady
Rebekah,” she spoke clearly and urgently, though there wasn’t any panic in her
voice. “It’s Alawnwee; I’m here. The baby is going to come. I’m here to help.”

As the
contraction passed, Rebekah focused on her friend. She tried to speak, but her
throat was dry. Alawnwee fetched some water and helped her drink. When Rebekah
tried to speak again, her voice came out in a half-heard, breathless, and
hoarse whisper.

“Something.
. . is. . . wrong. So... much. . . pain.”

“It is
probably a side effect of the poison.”

Just then
two more healers came in. As Alawnwee updated them, they moved to the water basin
and washed up. Another contraction wracked Rebekah with pain. Alawnwee did her
best to help her fight through the pain. All the while Pax hid in the corner,
unsure if he should go, yet not certain he should stay.