Echoes Of A Gloried Past (Book 2) (29 page)

As Aaron spoke, an invisible shroud settled down upon his shoulders. His words had come from the depths of his heart, and he meant every last one of them.

There was a moment of deafening silence until the crowded warehouse erupted with roars of approval. The people stood taller and even those wounded lying in bed held eyes that glimmered with hope.

Aaron leaped down and came face to face with Verona. His friend’s eyes held a much harder glint to them, but Aaron was so relieved to see him alive that he pulled him into an embrace.

“Well met, my friend,” Verona grinned. “Well met.”

Aaron felt as if a fist had unclenched around his heart. Seeing them all alive and safe took a great weight off his shoulders. He glanced at Braden, who nodded grimly in return and Aaron could feel the absence of his brother, Eric, more profoundly than before by the empty spot at his side.

“I’m so glad you’re all safe,” Aaron said.

“None more so than we are, I can assure you,” Verona said with a grin, but his eyes retained the haunted expression that could not so easily be dispelled with a bit of mirth. 

Aaron shook hands with Captain Nolan and Lieutenant Anson and noticed for the first time that the Elitesman Isaac was not among them.

Verona sensed his question before he could give voice to it. “He sacrificed himself so we could escape, but he wanted me to give you a message. ‘Tell the Shandarian that there are more Elite of the old code who don’t hold with these ideals.’ When we offered to fight at his side he looked at the initiates and told us to fight for them. I think the Elitesmen have many factions to their order, and there are some who may join our cause.”

Aaron nodded. “I think you are right. Is there any chance that Isaac survived?” 

“To be honest I’m not sure,” Verona said.

“We will look for him,” Nolan said. 

Aaron scratched the back of his head. “It was easier to think of them as all evil, but that is not always the case now.”

Verona shook his head, but Braden spoke up. “Most of them are still evil,” he said coldly, leaving little room for argument.

Aaron nodded. There would be no easy way forward for any of them. He looked at Gavril. “Tanneth said he would be here soon.”

Gavril nodded. “I have no doubts that Tanneth has already taken watch on the roof of this building.”

Aaron smiled. Tanneth had done more to help get them this far than Aaron could ever thank him enough for. They sat at a table off to the side and were joined by Lieutenant Anson along with Nicolas, to whom Anson deferred to as one of the leaders of the Resistance.

“It’s not safe for all the leaders to gather in one spot, but what is said here will be passed along to them,” Nicolas said, and his gaze lingered on Gavril and Roselyn. Both had shed their disguises, and the irises of the golden eyes of the Hythariam shone brightly. “I have not seen your people in a lifetime.”

Gavril took the lead and bowed to the Resistance general. "Something we hope to rectify. I will send word to my people, and they will send aid to you.” Gavril reached inside his sack and pulled out a comms device. “You can use this to reach our people. Once I show you how to use it, this will help coordinate our efforts better,” Gavril said and nodded for Nolan and Anson to come over. 

Captain Nolan hesitated for a moment stopping before Aaron. “Your Grace,” Captain Nolan said formally with a fist across his heart. “Many will join our cause, but I wanted to pledge myself to you personally, after your actions in the arena and the other day. You have shown me a light worthy enough to beat back the shadows of this world. A light worth following. From this moment forward, you can count on me.”

Aaron didn’t know what to say, and before he could say anything, Captain Nolan turned away and joined the others with Gavril.

Verona cleared his throat, and Aaron joined them at the table with Roselyn, Sarik, and Braden.

“The beacon of light at the arena was you?” Verona asked.

Aaron swallowed and nodded and echoes of the Eldarin spoke in his mind,
We of the Eldarin, honor the one who is marked by Ferasdiam. Seek us out as our numbers are few and there are things you must know.

“We saw the beacon from the tower,” Verona said. “I think the whole city could see it. There is talk of a dragon descending upon the arena.”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “He didn’t call himself a dragon, but referred to himself as the
Eldarin.
He said that they honor the one who is marked by Ferasdiam.”

“The Eldarin?” Verona said. “I’ve never heard of them, but if they came to your aid then they are okay in my book.”

Aaron smirked at the simplicity that Verona had categorized the world. "I have the travel crystals,” he said, opening his pack revealing the horde of glimmering purple crystals.

Verona and Sarik reached in and took two of them out, studying them for a moment.

“Do you know how they work?” Sarik asked.

Aaron’s mind screeched to a halt and he looked up in alarm. “No,” he said. “I was so focused on getting them that I hadn’t considered how they actually worked. I was hoping that Isaac would be able to help.”

Aaron reached in and pulled out one of the precious purple crystals. He could feel the stored up energy trapped within the prism confines of the crystal. “It can’t be that hard,” he said.

Verona shrugged his shoulders and Sarik looked at the crystal intently.

Roselyn muttered something under her breath. “Typical. First thing is first. What do we know about how these crystals work?”

Aaron called up the memory of his encounter with the Elitesmen at the airfield in Rexel, but he had been too preoccupied with survival and didn’t have an inkling as to how the Elitesmen had used the crystal to teleport from place to place. His mind returned to the Feast of Shansheru, the celebration held in Shandara’s honor at Rexel where he had first danced with Sarah. She had held the crystal in her hand. 

That’s it!

“They require physical contact,” Aaron said. “I remember Sarah having it in her hand the night we danced in Rexel.”

Verona nodded, remembering, and Roselyn smiled at Aaron reminding him of his older sister. “How romantic of you. What else did you see? We need more to go on than that.”

Aaron thought about it for a few seconds. “They only have so many charges, but I’m not sure how many. I think since they are mainly used by the Elitesmen, or those trained similarly, then it has something to do with tapping into the energy in the crystal.”

“We’ll need to test this before you go traipsing off after the Drake,” Roselyn said.

Aaron nodded. “Agreed. We need to get out of here tonight. We cannot linger.”

Roselyn frowned. “Why?”

“I can feel her fading,” Aaron said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Verona and Roselyn exchanged glances, but Aaron did not have time to wonder what had transpired between the two.

“I don’t want to reach out to her here,” Aaron continued. “We need to be away from the city. Can the ship be recalled to a place of our choosing?”

The others glanced at Roselyn who answered. “Just slow down. Take a moment.”

“She doesn’t have a moment,” Aaron said loudly enough to draw confused looks from those around them. He cast his eyes downward. “I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help.”

Roselyn nodded in understanding. “We will get to her in time. I haven’t wanted to ask, but have you given any thought as to how to find her?”

He had thought about it constantly. “I can find her through the bond. She is somewhere in the mountain range near Shandara, at least she was yesterday. The Drake knows I will come for her. He is counting on it and therefore doesn’t need to move around.”

The group was silent for a moment, each taking some time for their thoughts.

“How did you get them?” Verona asked. “The crystals, I mean.”

“Oh I … ” Aaron began, “… went into the other tower to the central chamber after the arena. It seemed to be the place where they recharged all types of crystals.”

Verona pressed his lips in thought. “And you made it out undetected?”

Aaron frowned. “Not entirely,” he answered. “I met the High King, or rather, he found me in the chamber.”

Their mouths fell open, except for Roselyn, who looked questioningly at all of them.

Aaron suppressed a shudder. The High King was powerful. “He is Ferasdiam Marked like me.”

Sarik made the sign of the Goddess upon his brow, and Verona leaned in. "Ferasdiam Marked?" he asked, clearly trying to come to grips with this news. “I wish Vaughn were here.”

Aaron nodded. “I wish Colind were here, too. If they knew, why wouldn’t they have said something?”

“They couldn’t have known,” Verona said.

Roselyn sighed in frustration and said, “Comms device, gentlemen. Try to raise him on it.”

Aaron cursed himself inwardly for not remembering. He brought out the comms device and navigated the small display to Colind’s signal, but it was dull, as if his device was offline. Aaron held it up for Roselyn to see.

“That shouldn’t happen,” Roselyn said, checking her own comms device.

“Never mind about that,” Verona said. “Tell us what transpired between you and the High King.”

Aaron swallowed some water. “I tried to reason with him. I told him of the invading army and how Mactar is not loyal to his cause, but I’m not sure he believed me. He didn’t seem to care about Mactar.”

Verona’s gaze narrowed. “Did you tell him about Sarah?”

The High King’s dismissal of his daughter’s life made Aaron clench his teeth, but he nodded and said, “He doesn’t care. He said that she was my weakness. People carry no weight in his eyes other than the purpose they serve.”

“Did you fight the High King?” Sarik asked.

“I was more concerned with getting away than fighting a battle with him. I had gotten what I’d come for.”

“Indeed,” Braden said speaking up for the first time. “You could have struck a blow to cripple Khamearra and cut the head off the snake here.”

Aaron met Braden’s gaze. “The snakes in Khamearra have many heads. To be honest, I’m not sure it was a battle I could win and to die here in a battle not of my choosing wouldn’t accomplish anything. I’m sure the High King and I will meet again.”

Braden’s eyes still held the fires of anger in them, but he nodded once.

“Where was Mactar during all this?” Verona asked.

“That is an excellent question,” Aaron answered. “I don’t know and I don’t think the lack of his presence was by accident. While I don’t know for sure I can sense his handiwork behind the scenes.” Aaron told them of his encounter with Rordan and how Rordan wouldn’t tell him anything.

“I can only imagine the restraint it took, given your fondness of arrogant young princes,” Verona said, but before Aaron could reply he continued. “I know for whom your actions were dictated, but at some point you will be faced with a choice. Sarah understands that as well.”

Aaron nodded slowly. “I’m not here seeking to wage old wars, but for her I gave them this one chance,” he said, thinking of when Sarah had asked why everything must end in bloodshed. His mind drifted to their time in the forest where they had jumped to dizzying heights through the trees. She moved with the agility and grace of a swan gliding along a lake against the setting sun, while he stumbled and bumped into a few trees trying to keep up with her. He smiled at the memory, missing Sarah’s playful nature and the way she challenged him. How his heart raced as he melted into her arms during the night of the choosing in Tolvar’s camp when she had set her laurel crown upon his head amid the firelight. 

Aaron forced the memory aside as Gavril joined them and said, “I think if we have finished our business in the city then we should leave tonight. Tomorrow will prove to be more difficult to move about the city and I doubt you want to wait idly until the evening.”

Aaron looked around at all the members of the Resistance in the warehouse. He wanted to leave. He had to leave, but at the same time he felt a twinge of guilt as if he were abandoning these people. Aaron could feel Gavril’s eyes on him.

“This is their fight, Aaron,” Gavril said. “They have been waging it for many years.”

“I know,” Aaron said. “I just wish there was more time. That there was more I could do for them.”

Gavril nodded. “You have done much more than you realize. You have given them a path, and with our aid we will help them reach it. In one evening, you’ve managed to put the Elitesmen off balance, and the fires of hope will blaze throughout this city and all the lands of Khamearra. You’ve shown the world that they are not unstoppable. That there are those who can oppose them. I think that should you return to this city someday, you will find it a much different place than it is today.”

But at what cost,
Aaron wondered, taking another look around at all the people. According to Nicolas, there were places like this warehouse throughout the city. The people cast glances in his direction, but they all looked determined.

Gavril reached out to him, and Aaron turned back to him.

“Freedom is never given,” Gavril said. “It is won. These people know this truth. They have bled for it and will continue to fight for it.”

Aaron’s gaze never left Gavril’s. The old soldier from the Hythariam home world knew firsthand what it was like to lose freedom in the name of tyranny, under the guise of necessity. He was no stranger to true oppression, unlike Aaron, who had never had to cope with it, but only learned of it through history books. Gavril was right: this was their fight, and he had contributed a verse to their battle song, but he couldn’t sing it for them.

“It’s time for us to leave,” Aaron said, and the others around him slowly rose, each choosing of their own accord to stand with him. He nodded appreciatively to each in turn, and he knew that the debt he owed his friends was something that, in his eyes, could never be repaid. They would never call it a debt or view their actions as something owed. They simply stood together in unison with him on this path, wherever it would lead them. The burden of leadership fell heavily upon his shoulders, as it would on anyone's, it was just that Aaron was coming to accept it as he never had before.