Journey to the West By Bert McKenzie Copyright 2010
Chapter XVII
The cold wind raced down the sides of the Crystal Mountains and tore through the courtyards of Esbereth, whipping and tugging at the tunics and capes of the assembled guards as they awaited their king. Almost all of the members of the high council as well as a conspicuous crowd of curious on-lookers had also gathered to await the confrontation.
"Everyone is waiting in the courtyard, lord" Melcot said as he stepped into the king's chambers. Rowana was lashing the sleeve lacings and making sure Robin was dressed properly. She smiled to her mate as he came in with his announcement.
"Everyone?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"All save you and Lastel from the blue tower."
"Think you he shall not show?" Rowana questioned.
"We shall soon find this out," Robin replied calmly. "Where is the time?"
"The sun approaches zenith. We have but a few moments more," Melcot answered him.
Robin smiled at his two friends. "I had hoped to avoid this, but I see it is not possible. As we go now, we may be going to war among the kingdoms." He breathed a deep sigh, straightened his shoulders, and then purposefully walked to the door. Once in the wide hall, Rowana and Melcot fell in step just behind his shoulders in the positions of guard and advisor. They were filling these positions vacated by Rood and Scott in their sojourn to the human world. The trio marched down the stairs to the ground floor, across the great hall, and to the main tower doors. As they approached, two of the guards who were normally on duty at the main gate opened the oversized, double doors. All eyes in the courtyard focused on Robin as he and his companions stepped out through the doorway and into the chilly winter morning. A number of the palace guard fell in step flanking the king in two long lines. They all came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard.
The sun slowly reached its zenith and still there was no sign of Lastel. The tension in the courtyard was palpable, like a thick, dark cloud that enveloped everyone as they watched the king and waited to see what he would do next. Suddenly, the doors to the blue tower opened and Lastel, accompanied by his four delegates as well as a large number of armed men, stepped out and marched slowly toward the king.
"His delay in coming to meet you is a direct insult, lord," Rowana wind whispered to Robin, but he ignored her comment.
"I understand that you wish to answer my charges," Lastel said loudly as he stopped several yards away from Robin.
The king spoke in as imperious and authoritative a tone as he could manage. "We answer no charges brought by your servants. If you have argument with us, lay it before us and before these witnesses here assembled, or waste no more of our time."
Lastel glared angrily at Robin as he stepped forward. "You know very well the argument I have," he shouted. "I see no reason to repeat myself for your pleasure."
Lastel's anger and burst of rage was just the thing Robin needed. He knew he had provoked the lord of the blue tower, and now by remaining calm and aloof he gained the upper hand. Lastel would seem to the assembled witnesses like a petulant child being scolded by an infinitely patient parent. "My lord of the west," Robin began as he focused on his inner calm. "You may hold a grievance with us and we may even realize your complaint, but we 'request' you restate it for the benefit of the council here assembled. There are certain procedures which this court has followed and shall continue to do so. As a former member of the high council of Tuatha you surely must recognize that."
By now Lastel was nearly spitting with rage. His face had taken on a decidedly blue cast. "I recognize no authority in you or your precious council," he hissed.
A collective gasp went up from the assembled witnesses. Melcot and a number of his men reached for their swords but Robin stopped them with a gesture. "Then we suppose you have no reason for argument and you shall be withdrawing from Esbereth," the king said.
"This eviction can only mean war," Lastel shouted.
"What eviction?" Robin asked, his calm voice cutting through the babble of the crowd. "You are the one who declared you recognize no authority here. A guest would not stay in a dwelling where he respects not the host,"
A quiet laughter ran through the assembled crowd. Rather than further inflaming his anger, it had the reverse effect on Lastel, calming his rage as he saw the game Robin was playing with him. He even managed a tight, thin lipped smile. "As you say, lord," he answered with a slight bow. "Return our kinsman to us whom you hold hostage and we shall withdraw peaceably. Otherwise the western kingdoms must prepare to rescue him by force."
"Rescue...hostage... There seems to be some confusion here," Robin said calmly, although he could feel his heart pounding. "The 'kinsman' you speak of is surely a free Tuathan and has the right to go or stay as he pleases. We hold no one hostage or prisoner."
"Then he shall return with us to the west," Lastel demanded.
"IF that is his wish. Should he choose to remain in Esbereth we trust you shall not force him to leave."
Lastel laughed a deep, hearty laugh. No one else in the courtyard seemed to understand the joke or catch the humor in the situation. "My lord, of course we shall not force him to leave if it is his true desire to stay." His voice suddenly turned as cold as the icy wind from the mountains. "Now produce him."
All eyes turned expectantly to the king. Robin felt extremely uncomfortable in their gaze, knowing his bluff had finally been called. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Permit me, my lord," a voice said at his side. Robin turned quickly to see Rood's crooked grin smiling back at him. "Is this the lad you seek?" He stepped aside and Dannemel was revealed standing nervously behind him and accompanied by Scott.
The disappointment was plainly visible on Lastel's face. He was certain he had the high king and now the youth had returned to destroy all his carefully laid plans. He quickly tried to mask his disappointment with a smile. "Young sir, we worried that you were harmed." He took a step toward the boy, but Dannemel only stepped back behind Rood. Lastel quickly turned again to Robin. "We shall take the boy and depart as was agreed," he said, controlling his anger and disappointment. There would be another time he told himself.
"You may take the boy," Robin said, "if that is his wish." Everyone froze for a moment. Then Robin turned to Dannemel. "And you, wish you to return to the western kingdoms when the lord of the blue tower departs?"
Dannemel glanced from Scott to Rood and then from Robin to Lastel in his uncertainty. He did not fully understand what was happening around him, but he was sure it was of grave importance. And somehow he had become the focal point. "It is your home, boy," Lastel said in a wind whisper. "It is your duty to return with us...and the overseers wish it."
"No harm shall come to you," another voice said in his ear. "You must make a decision, but make it from your heart." Dannemel glance up to see the high king's intense green eyes focusing on him, peering into his very soul.
"I...I choose to stay," he finally said in a quiet voice.
"He has been forced to say this!" Lastel shouted, his anger finally breaking free. "He is being kept against his will!" At this tirade Dannemel jumped back behind Rood who quickly and protectively blocked him from the lord of the blue tower. "I shall not stay for such duplicity. I demand you give me the boy. We are prepared for hostility," Lastel continued.
"Silence," the word rang out. "I command you to be silent." Robin had summoned all his strength in the command, and instantly all sound in the courtyard dropped. For a brief moment the only sound that could be heard was the gently tinkle of water splashing in a nearby fountain. "Now, you will cease these unreasonable demands," the king continued. "If the boy wishes to stay so shall he. If he wished to go so shall he. In either case you shall return to the west. The council shall find a new delegate, one who understands the decorum of the high court." Robin then reached out a hand and gripped Dannemel by the arm. He led the youth out of Rood's protecting shadow and over to where the high council stood. Scott remained at the boy's side as they crossed the courtyard. "Please question him here," Robin said to Lorfana, leader of the council.
The old woman stepped forward and gently reached out, placing her fingertips on the boy's temples. "Wish you to stay or to go?" she asked as she looked deeply into Dannemel's eyes.
The boy could feel himself being pulled forward, falling into the two blue pools surrounding the dark islands of the old woman's pupils. "I...I wish..." Just as quickly as the feeling came upon him, Dannemel felt himself released.
"The boy wishes to stay," Lorfana announced. "By leave of the high king he shall stay being a free Tuathan." She then turned to the council. "By further order of the king we must prepare a delegation to the west to select a new councilor."
"But...but..." Lastel sputtered, trying to find his tongue.
"My lord," the old woman said, addressing him. "We thank you for your service on the high council. We release you from your oaths and duties." She smiled a slight, half smile. "I should think you must have preparations to make before leaving the palace for your return journey to your home." She then turned and walked away toward the council chambers, the other councilors falling along behind. Gradually the assembled crowd began to disperse, Robin turning to greet Scott while Rood accompanied Dannemel back into the tower. Slowly the courtyard emptied, everyone heading off to attend to their other matters. Eventually only one man remained. Only Lastel stood, rooted to the spot of his humiliation. Finally he too turned to walk back to the blue tower to prepare for his long trip home. He wondered what he would say to the overseers. He wondered if he would live long after seeing them again.
The sun had gone down in a blaze of glory, painting the sky magnificent hues of russet and gold. Neither Akuta nor the living corpse that rowed the boat to which he tenaciously clung had any interest in the spectacular heavenly display in the western sky behind them. As the near full moon rose out of the mountains in the east, the skeleton beached the little boat on the sandy shore. He slowly stood and stepped over the edge and into the shallow surf, pulling the boat farther onto the beach. Akuta pushed the boat all he could, but he too was all but dead of exhaustion from his underwater ordeal, and the need to hold and swim behind the little craft all the way back to shore. He leaned on the back of the vessel, too tired to stand and move out of the water. He felt a gentle tug, and opened his eyes to see that the skeleton had gently wrapped its arm bones around him and was lifting him, helping him to stand and wade ashore. The two creatures stumbled across the beach to a little stone bench where Akuta sank to rest for a few minutes. As he sat there, he suddenly realized this was where he had visited with Ellenia earlier that morning. Looking around, Akuta saw no evidence of his friend or the bowl of crystal grapes she had been working to crush.
The skeleton stood by like a silent sentinel as Akuta rested on the beach. As the fairy sat, trying to regain his strength and plan his next move, he realized that his right hand was throbbing in pain. He had almost grown too tired to notice it. He slowly unclenched his fist to see the limp red petals of the ocean rose, stained and spotted with the dark blue drops of his own blood. The stem was still firmly attached to the palm of his hand by the deeply embedded thorns. Akuta reached down with his left hand and tore a strip of material from the bottom of his tunic, and then using it to protect his fingers, he carefully removed the plant. As the thorns pulled loose, the wounds in his hand began to bleed again and the pain returned with renewed vigor. Carefully favoring his injured hand, he wrapped the plant in the torn material, making a compact bundle which he carefully tucked inside his tunic against his chest. He then looked up at his unsavory companion.
"I think we better go now. We have a long trip to complete."
The skeleton turned its grinning skull toward him and opened its jaws to speak. "Ohrah," the faint sound came from the mouth. For the first time Akuta looked closely at the skull. There was a faint glint in the eye sockets, as if the moonlight was reflecting from something. He also noticed for the first time that there seemed to be tiny pits of black and pink tissue around the teeth. Akuta realized that this was indeed a rotted corpse and not just bare bones. The thought made him shiver involuntarily.
He took a deep breath, placed his hand to his chest just to make sure the bundle carrying the secret of immortality was still there. Akuta then stood and looked again at the skeleton. "Let us go." The two slowly headed across the beach and up the slope into the unusual crystal forest. Akuta guided them back to the shallow cave from which he had emerged earlier in the day. They entered and came upon the shaft that dropped straight down for about thirty feet into the tunnels of Turin Kareem. Akuta sat at the edge of the opening and carefully lowered himself into the darkness. After cautiously descending about halfway down, he let go and dropped the remaining distance to the floor, landing agilely on his feet. Moments later the thin figure of his companion scrambled down the rock wall to join him. The two then moved off into the dark tunnels.
"Where is the boy now?" Robin asked after he and Scott had some time alone to physically express the joy of their reunion.
"He and Rood were on their way to the halls of healing. That's where Jennifer and Caseldra took the human girl we brought back."
Robin shook his head. "Another human brought into the land unaware and unprepared. I like this not. We seem no better than the old cult of child stealers."
"Child stealers?" Scott asked. Robin reminded him of the bleak period in Tuathan history that was known as the plague years. A growing faction thought they could strengthen the weakened and dying blood lines of fairies by stealing human babies and children. The humans were to replace the fairy infants who were dying of the plague, an untreatable wasting away. The dying fairy children were made to look like the humans for which they were exchanged by changeling magic and from there came the human stories of changelings. The child stealers were eventually rounded up and punished by King Oberon, Robin's father. The human babies were all returned to their own world, if not to their proper families.
"The children were sent back with sarks," Robin said as they dressed.
"Sarks? What are sarks?"
"Very large white birds," the king explained. "They have long legs for wading in the shallow river waters and long bills. They are unusually strong, so the stolen infants were tied into cloth bundles which were attached to the birds and then the old keeper of magic opened a hole in the sky to send the flock to your world. The sarks delivered the infants to a small farming community and then returned to our world."
"Storks," Scott said. "The birds sound just like storks."
"These are birds of your world?" the king asked.
"Yes," Scott replied. "Your story explains an old earth fairytale."
"A what?" Robin asked sternly.
"I...I mean a children's story," Scott quickly added, coloring a bright red.
The king burst into laughter at his lover's embarrassment. "Let us go to the halls of healing," he said. "By now Rood must have learned of the disappearance."
"Disappearance? What disappearance?" Scott asked as they left their chambers. Robin quickly filled him in on the situation concerning Akuta, Sharon and Alex's body. He correctly theorized that Akuta had gone on a journey to the western islands and that somehow Sharon and the dead body were tied into this event.
They were half way across the main courtyard when they saw Rood striding rapidly toward them. "My lord," he said quickly as he approached. "Know you of Akuta's leaving?"
"Yes," the king answered. "I was on my way to discuss it with you. With the crisis concerning Lastel, I had no time to act on this problem."
"Then by your leave I ask permission to go in pursuit. I have reason to believe he has taken Sharon with him, and probably by force."
"You know not where to look," Robin said as he placed a strong arm around his friend's shoulders and guided him back toward the halls of healing.
"He would travel west. I may start in that direction."
"West is a large area. You may search for them for a lifetime."
"Then so be it," Rood agreed. "I must find them. I must find her."
By now they had entered the halls of healing and were quickly escorted to Maggie's room. The girl had regained consciousness and was being kept company by Jennifer, Caseldra and Dannemel. The three newcomers to the room dropped their conversations as they entered. "My lady, I bid you welcome," Robin said in English as he approached the side of the reclining platform.
Margaret continued to stare wide eyed at Robin as he spoke to her. "This is our king," Dannemel explained softly. But she just continued to stare at the people around her.
"I think she's a little overwhelmed by all of this," Jennifer explained. "And I'm also concerned by her physical condition." Robin looked confused. "She's pregnant," the girl told him. "We could really use a doctor."
"Have our healers examined her?" Robin asked.
"They haven't had much luck. She's so frightened and confused that she seems to be blocking any exams they try to make. She needs a human doctor."
"Can we not send her back to her own world?" Robin then asked. As this suggestion Dannemel became very agitated.
"May I speak with you in private?" Scott said, grabbing Robin by the arm and dragging him from the room. It was a time like this Scott wished he could learn how to use the method of communication the fairies had perfected known as the wind whisper. Once out in the corridor Scott quickly explained that Dannemel was probably the baby's father. If this was the case then it might be imperative to keep the girl in their land at least until after the birth. And it was likewise imperative to have a human doctor available along with their healers.
"Then we must find Sharon," Robin mused.
"Exactly what I have suggested, lord," Rood said as he stepped into the corridor with them. He had obviously used his sensitive elfin hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation. "I shall waste no time in preparing to leave."
"And where shall you go?" Robin asked. "As I told you before, the west is a large area to search."
"If this doctor lives there is but one place she may be," a voice spoke up behind them. The three men looked to see Dannemel standing nearby. "All strangers found in the western kingdoms are taken to Lirsta by the sea. That would be the place to begin such a search."
"That would also be the place to obtain another delegate to the council," Robin mused. "Perhaps it would be wise to send you there in the company of a diplomatic mission," he said to Rood.
"My lord, would you replace Lastel with an even more ambitious and ruthless leader?" the younger boy asked.
"No, of course not."
"But that is all you shall obtain with a diplomatic mission," Dannemel warned. "The western kingdoms are ruled by the overseers, evil taskmasters who want nothing more than total control of Tuatha. I know this for I was originally sent to you as part of their plan. They are the ones who provided the council with Lastel, and Baylor before him."
"How is it we have never heard of these overseers?" Robin asked.
"They live in secrecy surrounded by the black guard and shielded in mystery."
"This sounds like the workings of the dark world," Rood suggested, echoing thoughts already occurring to Robin.
"Perhaps it would be best to send a covert mission to the western lands," the king suggested. "In which case you shall need an experienced guide," he said to Rood, and then all three men turned to look at Dannemel. The boy swallowed hard, feeling the fear rising in his throat at the thought of again approaching the overseers now that he had failed in their mission and had revealed their presence to the high king.