The Veredor Chronicles: Book 02 - The Journey West (9 page)

‘Magnificent,’ whispered Cassiel in awe.
‘The throne has remained empty for many ages.’ He walked forward toward the throne and Eben followed.

‘Why doesn’t King Edric take
it as his own throne? asked Eben.

‘H
e wouldn’t dare. When the Ecorian Arbiters divided the Ecorian Empire they agreed that no man would ever sit on the Sapphire Throne. Such an action would cause a war. It would mean a king was declaring himself to be the new emperor and greater than all the other kings in Veredor. Only an Ecorian can sit on the throne.’

Eben followed Cassiel across the mar
ble floor. As they approached two of the guardsmen stepped forward to block their way.

‘No closer!’ commanded
a guardsman firmly. They stopped in their tracks.

‘We were just looking and would not dare…,’ said Cassiel
.

‘Look, but com
e no closer. Our duty is to protect the Sapphire Throne. By order of King Edric no man can come within twenty feet.’

The
y stared for a while at the throne and then suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind them.

‘Are you looking for somewhere to sit?’ asked
Meara, smiling at Eben. She then turned and looked across at Cassiel.

‘The throne
is even more magnificent than in my dreams,’ said Cassiel. Meara nodded in agreement and glanced around the hall.

‘The Ecorians
were exceptional people. They united the people of Veredor in a way that no one has ever repeated.’

Moment
s later Gelson and Red walked over from the shaft and not long after Tom followed.

‘Let us take you to your chambers,’ said Gelson. ‘All the guests of the
council are staying on the level below. Please follow us.’

Gelson and Tom led them back across the hall and down a stairwell that
led them to a wide corridor on the level below the Ecorian Hall. Beautiful paintings, sculptures, and freshly cut flowers were placed all along the way. They followed the corridor for about fifty yards and then took a turn to the right, descending a short stairwell that opened up into another corridor. On the right side of the corridor were several short arched windows and a view outward across the city below; a door led out to the stone balcony. Along the left wall were two doors.

‘These are your chambers. The first rooms are f
or you, Sir Red and Lady Stella,’ said Gelson. ‘Lord Eben, the second door leads to your rooms. Your chambers, Lord Cassiel, are on the far side of the palace where the Irilians are residing. Each room has a bell beside the door. If you ring the bell the palace staff will come to your assistance. You can ask the palace staff to find us if you require anything that they cannot provide. Everything you require will be provided. The council will be held at noon the day after tomorrow in the Ecorian Hall. We hope you enjoy your time here in the palace.’ Gelson and Tom bowed before leaving.

‘You will find the chambers are
comfortable indeed,’ said Meara. ‘You should all get some rest. Tonight we will have dinner together with Baftel in my chambers. The palace staff can take you to my chambers at sunset. We have a lot to talk about.’

With this Meara tu
rned and left with Cassiel. Eben entered his lavish and luxurious chamber. He came firstly into a large carpeted sitting room with cushioned chairs and couches, beautiful paintings on the walls, a desk by a window, and a round wooden table with four chairs. An archway led him into a second room where he found a large bed that took up almost the entire room. A doorway led out to a small stone balcony. He stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at the city below and out at the picturesque land; it was a beautiful sight to behold. He smiled.

CHAPTER NINE

Eben rested for an hour and felt he could finally relax. As the day neared its end he changed out of his worn dirty clothes. He chose a loose fitting white shirt and dark trousers. The house staff also brought him new leather boots of the highest quality. He attached his sword to his belt and looked in the mirror. He was feeling completely refreshed.

When t
he day was nearing its end he rang the bell at the door. Within a minute a very short and a man with curly red hair and bright blue eyes arrived at his door.

‘How can I help you, Sir?’ he asked
, a big friendly smile crossing his face.

‘I wish to be taken to
the Irilian Meara’s chambers.’

‘Certainly, Sir,’ replied the man.

Eben followed the man as he made his way down the corridor and up the stone steps. He then opened another door which revealed a thin corridor that cut through the centre of the palace and was lit only by lantern light.

‘This is t
he short cut, Sir. Otherwise you have to follow the outer corridors.’

Eben followed h
im along the long corridor. They arrived at the opposite door within two minutes. The man opened the door and turned left. On their right side were arched windows that revealed a wide view from the far side of the palace. They continued a little way and then followed a flight of steps downward. The steps curved toward the left. There were three doors spaced about thirty feet apart.

‘The second door is the
one you seek, Sir.’

‘Thank you,’ said Eben appreciatively.

‘Most welcome, Sir,’ said the man as he turned to leave.

Eben approached Meara’s door and knocked three times. Moments later the door opened
, and Red looked out at him.

‘Eben, you must
see the sunset,’ he said excitedly. Eben followed Red into Meara’s rooms and could instantly see the blazing red sun shining through the large west facing windows. Everyone in the room watched in silence for several minutes as the sun set over the horizon, leaving a subtle blue twilight sky.

‘Even the sun shines more beautifully in
Irvaria,’ said Meara, after the sun had fallen below the horizon. Eben looked around the room and saw Baftel sitting at the table with man he didn’t recognise.

‘This is the
Irilian Arlen,’ said Meara, indicating toward the man. Arlen was an old man with high cheekbones and an overly big nose. His hair was very long and silvery grey, and he also had a long silver beard. His dark eyes had a look of deep attentiveness. ‘Arlen, this is Eben, Champion of Ortaria.’

‘I a
m most pleased to meet you. I have heard much about you,’ said Arlen as he stood up to shake Eben’s hand.

‘
I’m pleased to meet you too,’ said Eben.

‘It is good to hear your voice again, Eben,’ said Baftel with a smile
.

‘I’m glad to see you
again, Baftel,’ Eben walked over and hugged his old friend.

‘Please tak
e a seat, Eben,’ said Meara as she took a bottle of wine from a shelf beside the table. ‘This is one of the finest wines in Irvaria, grown in the Springs of Adira in the foothills of the Great Mountains. She poured them each a glass. ‘I can’t express how happy I am to have you arrive unharmed. I have been deeply concerned for your safety.’

‘We almost didn’t
make it. We have passed through many trials on our way here from Ancora,’ said Cassiel.

‘Yes, the road you cho
se was dangerous, but perhaps it may have been just as dangerous to come by sea. I can only hope that the council yields the benefits that we hope it will. There is much history between the kingdoms and orders that are attending.’

‘
Have you heard anything we should know?’ asked Cassiel.

‘
There are some things I would like to inform you about. The council was called by King Edric at the request of the Fiorian Acartor. Acartor has been staying in Faircastle since he escaped the Dungeons of Zarkanor in Kaznor where the evil Master had imprisoned him for many years. You should also know that the situation in many kingdoms has become desperate. The Kingdoms of Coran and the Kingdom of Glenia in the Far West have fallen into enemy hands. Iarthar and Dravania are still holding their borders, but the Far Western Lands are overrun with muckrons. Word also came several days ago that Orelin is under siege, and an army of muckrons have occupied the Iron Gate Pass. King Ignis has sent an army to Galdir to protect Ortaria from invasion; it is not known how many enemies he is facing. Acartor has personally met the one who is known as the Master, and he knows much about the plans of our enemy. He has not revealed much yet; however, I expect he will reveal everything he knows at the council.’

‘Do you think this evil Master is the Prince of Shado
ws? We have come to believe he most likely is,’ said Cassiel.

‘I do not know
. I believe the Fiorian Acartor will reveal his true nature.’

‘Can the Irvarians
send an army to help King Ignis?’ asked Red.

‘I can assure you the
Tabarian Knights and monarchs in the Far West will also be requesting reinforcements from Irvaria and Everdon,’ said Meara gravely. ‘I doubt that any can be sent. We have become aware of two hundred enemy ships sailing around the Cape of Ateria. They are carrying a large army of muckrons, at least forty thousand, with one purpose and one purpose only: to invade Everdon and Irvaria. Baftel has seen the fleet with his powers. King Edric is also aware of this impending threat. It is unlikely that King Edric will send troops to a foreign land if he faces such a threat at home.’

‘This is very disturbing news,’ said Cassiel.

‘There is always hope,’ replied Meara with a slight confident smile.

‘We believe that the Master
in the north has made a fundamental mistake. He has sent the greater part of his army to attack Irvaria for one reason. I believe that reason is to capture the Sword of Light.’ The entire company turned to look at Eben.

‘Perhaps
he will not attack if the sword is not in Irvaria,’ suggested Eben.

‘
It is unlikely that our enemy knows the Sword of Light is in Irvaria. The sword does not reveal itself to anyone, and no seer can unveil its location. The most crucial information we have gained is that the Master is coming south with the fleet. We may have a chance to defeat him once and for all.’ Meara stared directly at Eben. ‘Someone will have to face this evil Master eventually, and you, Eben, are the greatest swordsman I have ever seen. I believe this task may be your destiny.’

Eben nodded and considered the situation.
He remembered back to when he was fighting the lindworm in Riverside and all the other battles. Perhaps Meara was right. Perhaps it was his destiny.

‘No one outside this room knows th
at you carry the Sword of Light,’ said Meara as she looked around the table at the whole company. ‘We should not tell anyone at the council that Eben possesses the sword until such a time is required. We still don’t know what we will learn from the other envoys. Keep the Sword of Light with you at all times. There are many people here who would risk much to have such a weapon.’

**

Eben returned to his rooms and tried to sleep. He felt restless and couldn’t stop thinking of the endless possibilities. He finally fell asleep late in the night and slept until late the following morning when he heard someone knocking loudly on his door. He stumbled out of bed and quickly clothed himself. Again someone knocked heavily. He went to the door and unlatched the lock. Red and Stella stood outside and stepped in.

‘It’s nearly noon, Eben. Don’t you want to explore Faircastle?’ asked Red as he walked over to t
he windows to take in the view. ‘We had breakfast already. The palace chef is a true master. You can order anything you feel like,’ said Red, turning back to look at Eben with a happy smile.

‘Perhaps you can
order some fried eggs and toasted bread,’ said Stella as she took a seat at the table.

‘No, I’m not really hungry,’ said Eben as he poured himself a cup of water.

‘We’ve decided to stay here in Faircastle after the war,’ said Red. Eben smiled, knowing that Red had said the same about so many places before. ‘Irvaria is perfect. The land is beautiful and the people are the most noble and decent we have ever met.’ Eben could see Red and Stella were in perfect agreement.

‘I
can understand why you would want to live here; there’s no other place like Irvaria. Let’s hope that we win the war. If the evil Master is coming with forty thousand muckrons I think we are going to have a fight on our hands.’

‘I’m
sure we can win. We won in Scaldonia and Ortaria. We know how to fight muckrons, and we can repeat what we’ve done before,’ said Red decisively.

‘
I hope you’re right,’ said Eben.

For the remainder of the day they explored t
he palace and the city within the wall. Faircastle was a maze of lovely streets and laneways. Each turn presented a pleasant picture. The greatest care had been taken by the townsfolk to keep their city clean and presentable. Probably the most striking feature of the city was the pursuit of architectural excellence. In the evening they returned to the palace. They met with Cassiel and sat in his chambers and watched the sunset.

‘Tomorrow will be an important day for us
,’ said Cassiel.

‘I only hope that we can convince the
Irvarians to send an army to help King Ignis,’ said Stella.

‘I’m sure they will seek to
do what is best for everyone,’ said Cassiel. ‘These Irvarians are a proud and brave people. They have a natural sense of honour. I believe they will send help to King Ignis if they are able to.’

‘And we wi
ll finally meet the Fiorian Knights,’ said Eben gladly.

‘Many of our ques
tions will be answered tomorrow. Let’s hope the answers we receive bring us hope,’ said Cassiel.

**

Eben woke early in the morning of the following day. He prepared himself for the council. After breakfast he went to the window and drew the Sword of Light from its scabbard. The morning light reflected off the blade.

‘Today we’ll see where the journey is going to take u
s,’ he said to himself.

He sat on a cushioned chair
and placed the sword on his lap. For a long time he stared out the window into the distance. Many thoughts and questions passed through his mind. He knew his time was coming. If anyone had any knowledge of what happened to his mother and father they would surely be at the council. He thought that if his mother was the leader of the Fiorians they would surely know what happened to her. A feeling of anticipation swirled in his chest.

After some time the silence was broken by a
sharp knock at the door. He sheathed his sword and walked to the door, unlatching the lock. The door opened and Cassiel walked into his room.

‘It is almost time
. How do you feel?’ he asked, clapping Eben firmly on the shoulder as he walked by.

‘I feel fine
.’

‘
I will be seated with the Irilians on the far side of the table from you. King Edric has arranged all the people from the west to sit on the western side of the table and those from the east on the eastern side. Because I am now an Irilian apprentice I have been placed to sit with the Irilian Order. You will be seated with Red and Stella near the Scaldonians and Dawnians.’ Cassiel sat down at the table and took and apple from the fruit bowl.

‘I have a fe
eling we are about to see into the unknown,’ said Eben.

‘I don’t doubt it,’
said Cassiel. ‘Remember what Stella said: we’re all in this together. We have travelled a long road. We shall stand by each other until the end.’