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army."
I swore. "Then I can't quite take the prince home yet - his father may have
already lost the war, and we'll need to protect the prince while we think of
something else. And we'll need to move him, as well. Cordo will eventually
search here for him. We need a relatively safe place that Cordo has never been
to, and wouldn't dare go to alone."
Pelia nodded. "We should take him to see his grandmother, then."
"Ah! A splendid idea," I replied, nodding in agreement. "The giants of Dhobari
village can protect him easily."
"And even more easily if I go with him," Pelia added.
"And me," Lyota said suddenly, then looked to her mother and I. "If... If
that's alright, I mean."
I smiled. "Yes, Lyota - it's perfectly alright."
"And me!" Kiriin squeaked. "I wanna go, too! I can help you guard the prince -
you've already seen what I can do! Besides, I've never met a giant."
Lyota giggled, and I grinned. "Alright, you can go, too, Kiriin."
Parial shook his head. "Wait... I have a grandmother? I mean... She's still
alive?"
I chuckled. "Yes, Parial - and she'll be very happy to see you, I'm quite
certain."
"But... But my father! You said he might already have lost the war!"
I nodded. "Yes, Parial. I'll have to go and see what has happened, and
determine what needs to be done," I replied, then raised a hand to stifle an
outburst from the prince. "I know, I know - you want to come with me. You want
to know what's happened with your father and your aunt, and what is going to
happen in the future. I want to know, too. For now, however, we need to keep
you safe. Alright?"
Parial nodded, though his face showed enormous reluctance to agree. "Well...
Alright."
"Good," I said, then looked to Pelia. "How soon can you get him to Dohbari?"
"Probably a quarter hour, Eddas. We'll need to pack a few things, then
translocate to your tower, since I've never been to their village before.
Afterwards, we'll simply walk down the road to their village."
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"Just follow the king's road eastwards, Pelia. Take the turning at league
marker 44. As giant's feet keep the ruins of the road fairly clear, you really
can't miss it," I replied, and stood, summoning my staff to my grip. "Lyota,
I've already removed your things from my Hidden Sanctuary and placed them in
your quarters, so if there's nothing else..."
"There is something else, Eddas," Pelia replied, and rose to her feet.
My heart skipped a beat at the expression on her face. I knew that for some of
my courtesans, it had been thirty years... Had they finally changed their
minds? Was it possible that at long last, I might not spend my nights alone?
"Yes? What is it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
Pelia reached her arms around me, and hugged me tightly for a long moment. My
heart pounded, and I reached up to hug her back...
Then, she let me go, and stepped back. "Be safe, and come back to us, Eddas.
We were all very worried when you went off with Lyota on your quest... And we
will worry even more until you are safely back with us. We all love you very
dearly, you know. Please... Be careful," she said, and smiled.
A platonic hug - that was all. Lyota gazed at me quietly, her face the mask of
a skilled chatto player, while Kiriin and Parial smiled at me.
I suppressed a sigh, and managed a smile in return. "I shall, Pelia, never
fear," I replied, then cast my spell of returning.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"The beauty of an elf-maid passes all understanding. Annoyingly, they're well
aware of how they look."
- Vilandian proverb
"Ho, the gate!" I called, shouting up to the guards upon the wall. I had to
call to them - though it was broad daylight, the drawbridge of Steelgate was
up.
I had appeared outside Steelgate in the same spot I preferred - far enough
away to not draw immediate attention, but close enough to examine the castle
before I approached it. It was, coincidentally, the same location I had
feigned my death in seventy years ago, and the same location I had appeared in
twenty-five years ago when I became Noril's teacher. I am, in truth, a
creature of habit - perhaps a failing of mine.
I had examined the castle and the surrounding lands before I approached, my
thoughts grim. Gone were the pastoral flocks of sheep of a quarter century ago
- the threat of war had driven the shepherds from the fields. The castle
itself looked well-prepared for a siege, and I could see archers stationed
along the walls, carefully watching the surrounding lands. Still, there were
no signs of a siege yet, so it was still possible Noril had not yet lost. Now,
I stood before the castle, and called to the guards to let me in. Of course, I
could simply have translocated myself inside - but there was hardly any reason
to alarm the guards.
"Ho, there, woman!" a guard in an open-faced helmet called back. "Who are you,
and what is your business here?"
"I am Dame Raven, Defender of the Realm, come to assist the crown in their
hour of need! The prince is safe, I have recovered him from his abductors!" I
shouted back, then paused. "And who are you, might I ask?!"
The guard's broad grin was easily visible, even from where I stood. "I am
Captain Thedrin, my lady, and I command the King's Guard while Lord Tybalt is
away with the King! And I swear, my lady, you shall get a far better reception
from me than you did the last time we met!" Thedrin shouted back, then turned
and shouted to the guards below him. "Lower the drawbridge and raise the gate!
Pass the word - Dame Raven is outside the walls!"
A few minutes later, I walked across the drawbridge to the smiling reception
of Thedrin, a dozen guards, another dozen halberdiers acting as the Princess'
bodyguards, and Princess Dawn herself. I bowed, as was proper, and Dawn nodded
regally in return, the broad grin on her face showing she could barely repress
the urge to hug me. As I tossed back the hood of my robe, the guards gaped at
me - Thedrin, however, gasped. I looked to him. "What is it, Captain?"
Thedrin quickly bowed his head. "Your pardon, my lady, but you... You are
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incredibly beautiful. Even more so than I remember from our meeting
twenty-five years ago. And you have not aged a day."
I smiled, as was polite. For his part, twenty five years had grayed the hair I
saw peeking out from beneath the edges of his open-faced helmet, and his face
had the usual wrinkles one might expect of a man in their fourties. "You are
too kind, Thedrin."
"No, my lady, only truthful," he replied, his head still bowed.
"Where is the prince, Dame Raven?" Dawn asked.
"Safe, your highness. For now, I must know what is happening with the
campaign."
Dawn nodded, and looked to Thedrin. "Captain, close the gate and raise the
drawbridge again. See to it the lookouts remain sharp - Dame Raven's arrival
must not distract them from their duties." Thedrin bowed, then began issuing
orders as Dawn held out a hand to me. "Shall we go, Dame Raven?"
With Dawn's bodyguards in tow, we proceeded from the gate, across the
courtyard, and into the castle itself. Dawn continued speaking as she walked,
her bodyguards opening doors and stepping through them first, as was proper [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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