Lord of Lies (33 page)

There is a place 'tween earth and time,

In some forgotten misty clime

Of woods and brooks and vernal glades,

Whose healing magic never fades.

An island in the greenest sea,

Abode of deeper greenery

Where giant trees and emeralds grow,

Where leaves and grass and flowers glow.

And there no bitter bloom of spite

To blight the forest's living light,

No sword, no spear, no axe, no knife

To tear the sweetest sprigs of life.

The deeper life for which we yearn,

Immortal flame that doesn't burn,

The sacred sparks, ablaze, unseen –

The children of the Galadin.

Beneath the trees they gloze and gleam,

And whirl and play and dance and dream

Of wider woods beyond the sea

Where they shall dwell eternally.

As I recited this well-known work, the words seemed to hang in the library's still air like dreams. Flick flamed brightly and whirled about to the verses' music. When I had finished, Master Juwain smiled at me and said, 'Very good. And very true, as we have seen. But someone -I couldn't determine who - rewrote these lines to tell of
another
Vild where the crystal must have been hidden. Listen:

There is a place 'tween earth and time,

In some secluded misty clime

Of woods and brooks and vernal glades,

Whose healing magic never fades.

An island in a grass-girt sea,

Unseen its lasting greenery

Where giant trees and emeralds grow,

Where leaves and grass and flowers glow.

And there the memory crystal dwells

Sustained by forest sentinels

Of fiery form and splendid mien:

The children of the Galadin.

And they forever long to wake,

To praise, exalt and music make,

Breathe life through sacred memories,

Recall the ancient harmonies.

Beneath the trees they rise and ring,

And whirl and play and soar and sing

Of wider woods beyond the sea

Where they shall dwell eternally.

'Do you see?' Master Juwain said. 'If Kane told true, we know that there are at least five Vilds somewhere on Ea.'

'Kane told true,' I said with sudden assurance.

'And if these
verses
tell true, there must be a lake somewhere in the middle of one of Ea's grasslands, and an island in the middle of it.'

'Why a lake?' Maram asked. 'The Vild we discovered in Alonia was in the middle of the forest, and yet the verses described it as "An island in the greenest sea".'

'Because the
new
verses,' Master Juwain said, 'tell of a
grass-girt
sea. That can only be a lake.'

'Metaphors,' Maram grumbled as he yawned. 'Poetic fancies.'

'No, I think not,' Master Juwain said. 'There is a certain precision here. The maker of the verse might have written of a
grassy
sea, mightn't he? Why grass-girt, then?'

'Ah, who could ever know?'

Master Juwain smiled at Maram's crabbiness, then said, 'I once read of an invisible island in the middle of a lake. Until tonight, I thought
that
story was a fancy.'

Something sounded deep within me and I looked at Master Juwain through the candles' flickering light. 'And where was this lake, then?'

'At the edge of the Wendrush. Where the grasslands come up against the curve of the Morning Mountains, above the Snake River.'

I nodded my head, for I had once seen this lake on a map. 'That's Kurmak country I perhaps Atara has finished her business in Tria and has returned there.'

I gazed out the windows at the stars in the sky to the west. It seemed that, just then, these bright bits of light could be no brighter than my eyes.

'Val!' Maram half-shouted. 'I hope you're not thinking what I
think
you're thinking!'

'I must know,' I said to him.

'But Val, why do we need to go looking for this Vild and some old crystal? Almost everyone already
believes
you to be the Maitreya. And when we reach Tria, I'm sure you'll prove this to everyone's satisfaction.'

'I must know, Maram,' I said again. 'Before we reach Tria, I must truly know.'

I drew my sword then and held it straight out toward the west. Once this bright blade of silustria had pointed me toward the Lightstone; now it pointed me toward my fate.

'This lake,' I said, 'lies along the way to Tria.'

'A way without roads,' Maram grumbled. 'A way through the Kurmak's lands and then through unknown parts of Alonia.'

'The Kurmak will give us safe passage,' I said with sudden certainty. 'Sajagax will. He is Atara's grandfather, and he'll have to offer her friends hospitality.'

For a while, as dawn's red glow brightened the windows, we stood among the books and little gelstei telling tales of Sajagax, the Kurmak's famous chieftain. We debated whether to seek the akashic crystal in his lands. Master Juwain seemed willing to risk his life - if not the Lightstone itself - in discovering what knowledge the crystal might contain. I held that we would face risks along whatever road we took, and of what use would the Lightstone ever be if we never learned its secrets?

And so in the end even Maram agreed to this new quest. Master Juwain locked the drawers containing the thought stones and returned the keys to Master Tavian. Then we rejoined the Guardians where they waited in the cool air in front of the Library's doors. It fell upon me to tell them what we had decided. Only a few of them seemed dismayed at the prospect of venturing into the Wendrush. But Baltasar - and many others - counted it as a reasonably safe journey. They reaffirmed their allegiance to me as Knight of the Swan. In the end, as Baltasar said, it was upon me to decide whither the Lightstone should go.

We rode back down to the Tournament Grounds in the quiet of a lovely morning. Dew sparkled from the blades of grass by the road, and bright birds chirped all along the way. It was good to see our familiar pavilions flapping in the breeze. The news that the Guardians would be riding through the Wendrush spread quickly through our encampment - and then through the whole of the Tournament Grounds. Lord Lansar Raasharu approached me to request that he accompany us on our way toward Tria, and I could not refuse him. Estrella, at first, clung to my waist, and then followed me about like a lost puppy for the rest of the day. Finally Lord Harsha took me aside and said to me, 'She refuses to return home with our other countrymen. The girl is half-mad, it seems, and is determined to remain with you.'

'Yes, it's impossible to dissuade her,' I said. 'And perhaps there's no need. She can ride well enough now to keep up with us.'

'You shouldn't be taking her on what might be a dangerous journey, Lord Valashu. But since you're determined, yourself, it should be said that a young girl should not go forth alone in the company of a hundred and twenty men.'

'What do you propose, sir?'

'That she rides with Behira and me, and sleeps in our tent as she did along the way to Nar.'

'Very well then,' I said. 'But would you take
your
daughter into dangerous lands?'

Lord Harsha sighed and rubbed his crippled leg. His single eye fastened on me like a grappling iron, and he said, 'It would seem that Behira is determined, too. We're a determined people, aren't we? The Wendrush
might
prove dangerous. But Tria certainly will, for Sar Maram, who seems determined to drink or dally his way to his doom. And that is why we, who still love him, must go with him to protect him.'

'Oh, it's a matter of
love,
is it?'

'Indeed it is. My love for my daughter and my hope for her happiness, in whatever strange soil it might take root.'

'My friend will no doubt be pleased with your devotion.'

'Well, Sar Maram has proved himself a great knight, hasn't he? Then, too, it's said that no one should die before he's seen Tria.'

In the end, I agreed to take Lord Harsha with me. I would be glad for the fellowship of this crusty old warrior, not to mention his sword. Then, too, as he had said, it would be good for Estrella to keep company with Behira, who was almost like a mother to her.

Late that afternoon, our numbers increased by five more. True to his word, King Danashu chose his finest knights to take vows as Guardians. One of these - Sar Hannu of Daksh - had won a fourth in the long lance and had done quite well in archery and the sword. The other Valari kings, seeing this, insisted that their knights should join us, too. I could not refuse them. And so by the time evening settled over Nar, our encampment swelled with these new knights: ten Lagashuns and ten from Waas, and fifteen Atharians. My uncle, Lord Viromar, found twelve Kaashans eager to ride with us, and one of these was Sar Laisu who had made his own quest to find the Lightstone. So far, this put 171 Guardians under my command. Although I felt sure of every one of them, I remembered too well that I had possessed similar confidence in Sivar of Godhra. I remembered, too, that it had been Lord Harsha who had originally proposed Sivar for the Guardians. He still suffered from the shame of this misjudg-ment. Therefore, to redeem him in the eyes of his friends, and in his own, I asked his help in approving these new knights. This he gave After some hours of grilling them and looking at them closely with his blazing eye, he found all of them worthy. And so he found himself worthy to give service to his king's son, and we were both glad for

that.

The last king to ride into our encampment with a contingent of knights was King Waray. He held his sharp nose high as he presented Sar Varald, Sar Ishadar, Lord Noldru the Bold and seventeen others. Although he didn't say it, I knew that he wished to choose at least as many Taroners as there were Ishkans for the Guardians. I was glad for these new men, and told King Waray this. But, as I had with King Hadaru, I admitted that it would not do to take more than these 191 Guardians into the Wendrush and then into Alonia.

'Sajagax will have to welcome Master Juwain, Maram and me,' I said to him. 'It's to be hoped that he'll also welcome knights who ride with me - but certainly there is a number beyond which even he will grow wary.'

'Your concern for the concerns of our enemies is touching,' King Waray said.

'Sajagax is no enemy of the Valari.'

'Is he not? He has fought two battles with the Ishkans and has thrice tried to invade Anjo.'

'Yes, but there has been peace between them these last ten years.'

'Even so, he would not welcome King Hadaru or King Danashu on his lands. And likely not King Sandarkan, King Mohan or myself. Neither King Kurshan. And so we all must take the Nar road to Tria.'

'It's likely to be the safer road.'

'It is. And that is the point. We believe that the Lightstone should take the safest route.'

'The Lightstone,' I said, 'will be safe enough with the Guardians. You have my promise that we'll bring it into Tria.'

'By yourselves. As you'll bring
yourself,
Lord Valashu. But you should know that some of the other kings believe your place is with us.'

'Does King Mohan say
this,
then? King Hadaru?'

'Well, no, not yet. They're inclined to ride with their own retinues, by themselves, to Tria. But if the Maitreya - the man who would be proclaimed as such - if
he
were to take the Nar road, then all of us might be persuaded to ride with him.'

It was a grand thing that King Waray proposed: the kings of the Valari riding together into Tria, their helms and armor shining brightly, their emblems bold beneath the sun - and with me and the Lightstone in the lead. For a moment, I was tempted to abandon my quest to recover the akashic crystal. But then I shook my head and said to King Waray, 'You know why I must journey into the Wendrush.'

'Yes, I
do
know why,' he said; 'And you must be honored for this. Just as you must be honored for another thing.'

Beneath the noise of our encampment, King Waray's shining eyes grew quiet with a sad sincerity. For moment, I trusted him. I saw that he was truly a man of aspirations who had never been able to live up to his ideals.

'Lord Valashu,' he told me, 'it's said that you have the power to make others feel what is in your heart.'

'Sometimes, that is true.'

'Then you must also have the power
not
to persuade others this way. You must know how I, of all men, appreciate your restraint in this with me.'

I
did
know this, and I bowed my head to him. I said, 'You speak of honor, King Waray. But how can one honor anyone while doing violence to his soul?'

'How indeed, my young friend? Perhaps you
should
ride with us to Tria. But since you can't, perhaps
I
can keep the spirit of your dreams alive among the other kings.'

'Thank you,' I said, bowing my head again. 'You honor me.'

'Excellent,' he said. 'Now I must excuse myself and wish you well on your journey. Until we meet in Tria.'

And with that, he clasped my hand in his and rode off into the night.

The following morning, the Guardians assembled along the road outside our encampment. With hundreds of horses pawing the earth and men laughing in the early light, I arranged for the new knights to ride among the old, as I had with the Ishkans. I left Baltasar to see that this was accomplished. And then I went inside Asaru's pavilion, where my brother had been moved, to say goodbye to him. For in a few moments I would be traveling north and east, while he must recuperate here before returning to Mesh.