Blackveil (89 page)
And then she was there, gazing through Birch’s eyes only to see . . . the dark of night. She sighed. After being in the dark of Blackveil for so long, she’d gotten into the habit of thinking of the other side of the wall as perpetually sunny, but it was not. Night fell there, too.
Her sight adjusted to the dark and she realized Birch was peering into the distance where lamplight winked in windows. Someone crept up next to him. Grandmother could make out very little of the newcomer’s shape in the dark.
“Report,” Birch said very quietly.
“Sir, looks like thirty men or so. Just a few women. Must’ve sent the rest away with the children.”
“Just like the last two settlements,” Birch mused. “Word has gotten around about us.”
“If they were smart, they’d have all left. It’s just not as entertaining without them trying to defend their families.”
“This is war, Corporal,” Birch growled. “It’s not meant to be entertaining. We’re training men to fight and kill.”
“Yes, sir,” the corporal replied, sounding chagrined at the rebuke. “What are your orders?”
Birch glanced at the moon through the trees. It was a thin crescent like the fingernail Lala had folded into the knot. “We’ll get a better lay of the land at dawn. Then we’ll put the men into position. Strike at dusk.”
“Thirty aren’t going to be much of a challenge.”
“The practice is good,” Birch said. “Soon our soldiers will be facing stiffer opposition—bigger towns, trained militia. We need to take advantage of these training exercises while we may.”
Grandmother withdrew from the vision. It sounded like Birch’s work was going well. Perhaps she’d look into the fire tomorrow to see how his campaign fared. She began to doze, the broth warm in her belly and the heat of the fire toasty against her skin. She felt as content as a cat in a sunny window.
Curiously, she imagined a pair of eyes watching her from the fire, a pair of depthless, black eyes set in a face of flame.
She jolted to wakefulness, and the face was still there. The others did not appear to see it.
“M-my lord?” Grandmother said.
“THE SLEEPERS?”
“They are awake.”
The eyes shimmered. “EXCELLENT.” The face lost form for several moments, then the fire plumed and the face reformed in a roiling fury.
“SHE HAS DEFIED ME. SHE WILL STEAL THE SLEEPERS! YOU MUST STOP HER.”
He then told Grandmother what to look for as glowing embers showered down from singed trees. The Queen of Argenthyne had existed in some ethereal form all these years protecting the grove in a piece of time. It appeared she planned to awaken the Sleepers in that distant past and lead them to a safe haven.
Grandmother was not in any condition to seek a way to find the queen or figure out how to fight her across time, nor were her people, yet she must obey God’s will. She did have tools. She made a knot, tossed it onto the fire, and sent a tendril of power into the dark of the grove, seeking a Sleeper. Seeking several Sleepers. One or more of them might be willing and capable of doing what she needed.
SLEEPWALKERS
K
arigan saw the grove as it was meant to be seen, the trunks of the trees grand columns of silver, not mottled by rot or disease. The full moon shone through the canopy, glistening on the tips of pine needles and casting shadows of interlaced tree limbs on the forest floor. Pale flowers blossomed in the moonlight, suffusing the air with a pleasant fragrance. Crickets chirruped and the fluting song of the wood thrush rose and fell through the grove.
arigan saw the grove as it was meant to be seen, the trunks of the trees grand columns of silver, not mottled by rot or disease. The full moon shone through the canopy, glistening on the tips of pine needles and casting shadows of interlaced tree limbs on the forest floor. Pale flowers blossomed in the moonlight, suffusing the air with a pleasant fragrance. Crickets chirruped and the fluting song of the wood thrush rose and fell through the grove.
Karigan had not felt such tranquility since . . . She did not know when. She turned to gaze at the castle and understood the legend of Laurelyn’s castle of moonbeams, for the towers gleamed like the extension of moon glow.
“It’s beautiful,” Karigan murmured, and she realized with a start that her vision was no longer doubled, no longer overlain by the darkness wrought by Blackveil. She saw only this one shining world.
Yes, I preserved this piece of time and set it aside so it would remain unmarred,
Laurelyn said.
From here I shall rouse the Sleepers. They will not be the dark beings you witnessed in your present, but Eletian Sleepers as they should be. You will lead them to safety.
Laurelyn said.
From here I shall rouse the Sleepers. They will not be the dark beings you witnessed in your present, but Eletian Sleepers as they should be. You will lead them to safety.
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Laurelyn gazed at the moon, her face aglow in its silver light.
I’ve enough strength left to create a temporary bridge. There were once other bridges out of Argenthyne, but those were destroyed long ago.
I’ve enough strength left to create a temporary bridge. There were once other bridges out of Argenthyne, but those were destroyed long ago.
Karigan began to grow suspicious about where such a bridge would take her.
As though Laurelyn perceived her thoughts, she said,
The bridge will take you to an island in a transitional place. I believe you have been there before?
The bridge will take you to an island in a transitional place. I believe you have been there before?
Her words confirmed Karigan’s suspicions. The white world. She sighed, and nodded.
Good. You will know not to become distracted there.
When Karigan nodded again, Laurelyn continued.
The island is small, smaller than the castle chamber you found me in. There you shall find a second bridge, a more permanent bridge. You shall lead the Sleepers across it to Eletia’s grove.
When Karigan nodded again, Laurelyn continued.
The island is small, smaller than the castle chamber you found me in. There you shall find a second bridge, a more permanent bridge. You shall lead the Sleepers across it to Eletia’s grove.
“Eletia? Truly?”
Laurelyn smiled again.
Truly. However, I must warn you, I do not know if Eletia’s time will correspond to this piece of time. If you meet anyone there, it is difficult to know how they shall receive you, for they are intolerant of intruders. Once they see you’ve Argenthyne Sleepers with you, they should prove accepting.
Truly. However, I must warn you, I do not know if Eletia’s time will correspond to this piece of time. If you meet anyone there, it is difficult to know how they shall receive you, for they are intolerant of intruders. Once they see you’ve Argenthyne Sleepers with you, they should prove accepting.
If they didn’t kill her first. “Will the Sleepers follow me?”
Yes, you’ve the light of the silver moon on you. Some would call you Laurelyn-touched. When I rouse the Sleepers, they will not be fully awake, more akin to sleepwalkers, and they will do as I command, which will be to follow you. When they reach the grove in Eletia, some may awaken fully. Others will simply gravitate to one tree or another and continue the long sleep.
It sounded simple enough. Deceptively simple. The white world was never simple.
“Why can’t you lead the Sleepers yourself?” Karigan asked.
I no longer exist beyond the grove. You, daughter of Kariny, are the one who can cross thresholds.
Karigan sighed.
You must maintain your ability the whole time,
Laurelyn instructed,
or all will be lost. Once you safely reach Eletia, you may let it go and you will be propelled to your present time, but in Eletia. Or, you could hold on to it until you return here. I can maintain the bridge for a while.
Laurelyn instructed,
or all will be lost. Once you safely reach Eletia, you may let it go and you will be propelled to your present time, but in Eletia. Or, you could hold on to it until you return here. I can maintain the bridge for a while.
“My companions . . .” She swallowed hard. In this place, in this piece of time, she had almost forgotten about them. She closed her eyes. Surely none of them survived, but Laurelyn had said she could change outcomes . . .
Then Karigan suddenly understood. “By my doing this, there won’t be any Sleepers—the tainted ones—to attack my companions in the present because I will have taken the Sleepers away in the past.” It made her head spin, but there was logic to it.
Laurelyn nodded.
Be aware, however, that I’ve not been able to preserve the entire grove. My power has waned over these many years while I awaited you, and the fringes of the grove have slipped from my protection, so your companions will still be up against many enemies.
Be aware, however, that I’ve not been able to preserve the entire grove. My power has waned over these many years while I awaited you, and the fringes of the grove have slipped from my protection, so your companions will still be up against many enemies.
“Still better odds than against all of them,” Karigan murmured.
You should also know that I was unable to protect the Sleepers in Argenthyne’s other groves. I fear one day they, too, shall be a threat to your people.
“Mornhavon destroyed the grove in Telavalieth,” Karigan told her.
Then pray it is so for the others. Now, daughter of Kariny, we must get you on your way, because the more time that passes, the more my strength ebbs. First the bridge.
Laurelyn raised her hands to the moon and her palms filled with light. She then cast the light from her and it beamed in a glowing arc through the woods.
Moonbeams? “That ... that’s the bridge?” Karigan asked in incredulity.
Do not fear. It shall hold you, and the Sleepers, too.
Laurelyn began to sing, a melodious song without words, unearthly and unlike anything Karigan had ever heard before. She shivered. Laurelyn’s voice rose and expanded through the grove, flowing between the trees and up into the canopy.
Figures emerged from behind the trees and walked toward them, as though in a dream, unaware of their surroundings. These were not the creatures that had attacked Karigan and her companions. They were beautiful as all Eletians were, and untainted by the dark. Gradually hundreds stood arrayed before her and Laurelyn’s song faded. She spoke to them in Eletian, but they showed no signs of comprehension or wakefulness.
These are my people,
Laurelyn told Karigan.
All that remains of them. Among them are friends, confidants, and heroes of another age. Artists, poets, smiths, and architects. Please help them reach Eletia so something of Argenthyne lives on
.
Laurelyn told Karigan.
All that remains of them. Among them are friends, confidants, and heroes of another age. Artists, poets, smiths, and architects. Please help them reach Eletia so something of Argenthyne lives on
.
“I will,” Karigan said, only now fully appreciating the responsibility she was taking on.
Then cross the bridge. They will follow.
Karigan turned to leave.
Thank you,
Laurelyn said.
And remember, do not tarry in Eletia if you wish to return and aid your companions. My time is ending, and I shall not be able to hold the bridge for long.
Laurelyn said.
And remember, do not tarry in Eletia if you wish to return and aid your companions. My time is ending, and I shall not be able to hold the bridge for long.
Karigan nodded, then trotted down the terrace steps and walked between the Sleepers to reach the bridge. The Sleepers fell in behind, following her in silence. It was eerie.
When she reached the bridge, she gazed skeptically at it, or rather through it, for the moonbeams were translucent and she could see the ground beneath, which was not at all reassuring. She shook her head and took one step onto the bridge, and then another. It supported her just as Laurelyn said it would.
She continued with more assurance. It was as steady as walking on stone, but the bridge was narrow, and being able to see through it continued to disconcert her. She picked up her pace, and as she approached the apex of the arch, the way ahead grew cloudy, indistinct. She took a breath and plunged ahead.
The scents of the grove, the gentle air and sounds, vanished. Karigan emerged into the white world blinking. She’d begun calling it the “white world” the first time she’d passed through it, for the sky and the ground were both the same milky white color. She’d learned since that it was the space between the layers of the world, a transitional place just as Laurelyn had said. The two times she’d traversed its plains, she’d been confronted with visions, some metaphorical, some positively nightmarish. Once she had even seen the after-math of a battle, the ground strewn with the corpses of her friends . . . and the king.
At the moment she was enveloped in the white of the sky. The white world had a bleaching effect on her uniform as if color was not tolerated. And down below? She swallowed hard. Her previous passages through the white world had shown her a landscape of only featureless plains. This time she walked above a chasm so deep she could not perceive its bottom. She heard no water below, felt no updrafts or breezes, just saw the plunging depths where shades of white turned to shades of gray, and darkened beyond that.
Karigan had never feared heights, but she hastened her steps until she felt the solid white ground of the island beneath her feet. The Sleepers were right behind her, crossing the bridge in an orderly file. She thought them fortunate to be unaware of their surroundings.
It was the chasm that made the island an island; there was no milky sea or lake surrounding it. As Laurelyn had told her, the island was not even as large as the chamber that had housed the moondial. Karigan spotted the bridge on the other side that was supposed to cross into Eletia. It was a more ordinary looking bridge of stone and mortar.
She paced, waiting to ensure each and every Sleeper made it across the moonbeam bridge onto the island before she set off again. As each Eletian stepped off the bridge, she wondered if he or she were a poet or great hero. What had motivated them to take the long sleep? What were their names? What had they seen in their long lives? She cleared her throat and said hello to several of them, but none replied. They were entirely unaware of her, their eyes distant, filled with stars that did not exist here.
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