The Ring Keeper, page 35
A councillor spoke up. “You might consider… marriage, Emperor.”
A sudden unreasonable wave of fury rose in Callonen. They wanted him to forget Allia and take some other woman into his arms in the hope they could produce a child? The thought sharpened the bitter ache in his chest. The room had gone completely silent.
He took a slow breath. “I realize that having an heir would protect the Warding. And…” He forced his voice to sound calm. “Maybe I should have done that years ago. It’s too late now. Even if I married today and fathered a child at once, it might not even be born before I died. Even if it was, I cannot pass the weight of the Warding to an innocent baby.”
“Then our only chance is to find the ring.”
“When Harrow came back here, he was delirious. He spoke to Talon and Allia as if they were still with him. He said that he’d given the ring to Allia’s baby and hidden her where the demons couldn’t find her. The child would be about fifteen years old by now.”
“So, we have to find a girl around that age who has a ring with a green stone,” Zarek said.
“But Ara’s forces have been looking for her too,” Callonen said, “and the demons.”
“I’ll go. We can do it,” Dane said. “Zarek and I will find her and bring her back to heal you. We’ll keep searching until we do.”
Late that afternoon, Callonen sat behind his desk, working through a stack of correspondence. At a knock, he glanced up to see Zarek in the doorway. “You sent for me, Emperor?”
“Zarek, come in. Please sit.”
The young man took a chair opposite him, looking at him expectantly.
“Dane told me you completed your training and received high praise from your instructors. He says your abilities are extraordinary.”
“Thank you, Emperor,” Zarek said, flushing slightly. “I look forward to beginning my duties.”
“Have you spoken to your mother about your plans?”
Zarek’s expression tightened. “I did. It was the same as always. She wants to keep me locked up, and she’s angry that I won’t agree to it. I understand that she only wants me to be safe, but I have to live my life, and I’m committed to serve the empire.”
Callonen sighed. “She blames me for your father’s death, and the fact that you wish to serve only makes her angrier with me.”
Zarek shook his head. “She knew he was a soldier and that the work he did was dangerous. I think because he was so good at it… Maybe she thought… Maybe we all thought he was invincible, that nothing could ever defeat him.”
Callonen’s throat tightened. It was true. He’d thought that no one would ever beat Talon. Maybe that’s why he’d allowed him to go to Ara. He should never have agreed to it. “I let him go.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m very sorry, Zarek. He was your father. I should have thought more about what his loss might mean to you.”
“He was a good father,” Zarek said. “Not everyone has such a blessing in their lives. The best way to honor his memory is by carrying on his work. Dane and I are ready to leave tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t let you go at all if the Warding were not in such danger. If it falls, you’ll be safer far away. But I want to give you something to protect you on your journey.” He opened a drawer and took out a sheathed dagger. He pulled the blade a little way out, and it glowed softly. “This weapon was given to me by the wizard Zarekathus. There’s enchantment in the blade that can defend against dark magic. I hope it will protect you on your journey.”
Zarek took the dagger. “Thank you, Emperor. And don’t worry, we’ll find the ring in time.”
PART THREE: HOMECOMING
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Year of Warding 42, Sarine-Ara Border
Ana
ANA OPENED HER EYES and saw darkness. She felt the motion of a horse. The weakness following a healing paralyzed her. Heavy fabric covered her face, making it difficult to breathe. In the dark, she had no way to orient herself. Before long, she slipped back into unconsciousness.
When she woke again, Ana saw the night sky above her. The last thing she remembered was Gavin and Toren beside her as she’d healed Rosie after her accident. Something must have happened. But Toren wouldn’t let anything harm her.
“Toren? Can you help me?”
He had to be somewhere nearby. Ana needed to know if Rosie was all right, but she didn’t have the strength to look around, and no one responded to her.
The next time she opened her eyes, Ana saw the light of dawn in the sky. She shifted her head slightly to look around, glimpsing a bare rocky hill. Before she had time to see anything further, the light vanished as someone threw a cloak over her head. Still weak from the healing, she struggled unsuccessfully to throw it off. Someone thrust a cloth soaked with a pungent liquid against her face. It had a strong, sweet smell that stung her nose. Her eyelids became as heavy as lead. Everything faded.
Time disappeared. She noticed nothing except that they were still moving. Was she on a horse? Eventually, the motion gave way to stillness, and silence surrounded her.
When Ana woke fully at last, she saw nothing but darkness. It was so black that she lay there trying to figure out if she had been struck blind or if her eyes were really open. Unyielding rock pressed against her back. She heard nothing except for a few small rodents scurrying and the drip of water. Slowly, she sat up. With her hands, she explored a little around her.
Ana felt a stone floor, not very smooth, but not rough enough to be a natural cave. She felt weak and nauseated, and desperately thirsty. Her mouth was dry and gritty. How long had it been since she’d healed Rosie?
Eventually, Ana saw dim gray light. Morning? It illuminated a rough stone room with a heavy door bound with iron. Near the door sat a small wooden bucket with a little liquid at the bottom. Leaning close to smell it, she found it was water and drank greedily. It refreshed her somewhat, and she looked around.
She explored every corner of the room. Trying the door, she found it locked. The light came through a grate in the high ceiling. A steady drip of water fell in one corner, so she placed the bucket to catch it. Ana found a slender crack at the bottom of one wall, far too small to be a means of escape. The door was sturdy, and the stone surrounding it, impenetrable.
There was no way out.
A great weariness and despair came over her as she finished her search. She sank to the floor and rested her back against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Why would anyone lock her in here? Did someone hate her? Did she have enemies she didn’t know about? She could think of no one who would want to imprison her. Unless maybe they wanted to make Callonen suffer. Or maybe it was because he had named her his heir.
Or perhaps it was because of the ring. Did someone need the power of the ring? But if that was the case, why didn’t they just come to her? Her questions spun around in her mind as she sat alone in the dark. Eventually, she drifted into sleep.
The sound of the heavy door shutting woke her. She struggled to her feet and stumbled to the door. “Wait!” she cried. “Who are you? Where am I?”
There was no reply. Someone had provided a fresh bucket of water and left a dish of food. She called and pounded on the door until her hands hurt, but no one answered. Ana slumped to the floor in despair.
She drank the water. Her stomach still churned, but she did not know how long it had been since she’d eaten, so she tried a bite of the food. It wasn’t good, but she got a few more bites down before giving up.
Tedious hours passed. When the light faded, she huddled against one wall, staring out into the dark.
Days and nights passed, and she quickly lost count of them. They were all exactly the same. Once a day, the door opened a crack, and her captor gave her water and food. A few times, she glimpsed the person, but he was hooded and dressed in featureless black.
She could sense he felt sorry for her. At first, when he came, she would ask for help or beg for him to let her out. He never answered her, though, and eventually she gave up. He might feel sorry, but she could sense that his fear of consequences was so great that he would never help her.
As time went on, she lost hope of ever seeing the sun again. Unless someone helped her, there was no way she was going to escape. She’d been over every inch of the room a hundred times. There was nothing new to find.
How had she gotten here? Somehow, she was outside the Warding. Something terrible had happened while she was unconscious. But what?
The last thing she remembered was finding Rosie. She’d never found out if her injured friend was safe. And where were Gavin and Toren? Had they tried to protect her?
Of course, Callonen would find her if he could. She had only intended to be gone for a week, and she missed him terribly. Being away made her realize how completely the White City had become her home and Callonen her family. He’d been there every day to talk to. Even when he was busy, he made time for her. She felt special when he asked important people to wait while he focused on her. Was he even now trying to find and rescue her? That thought encouraged her, but when nothing happened as the days slipped by, her small hope faded.
There had been hard times before. When she had fled for her life from the Shekkar, it had been Zarek who had encouraged her, protected her, calmed her fears, and promised her they would make it. And when things were at their worst, he would try to lie about it. She smiled at the memory. She could always tell when he was lying. But despite the danger, they had survived. Zarek had saved her.
If only he were here to help her now. He had been so steady, so strong. She would have given anything to have him back. Nearly four years had passed since she’d last seen him, and she had heard nothing from him since then. Maybe their enemies had caught him. Maybe he was dead. And even if he was still alive, there was no way he would find her here.
Alone in the dark, Ana cried.
As the days and weeks passed, Ana heard whispers. The longer she listened, the more she thought she heard a voice. At times, she could almost understand the words, but at other times, it sounded like gibberish. Maybe her mind was going, and she would rot here in the dark, insane and terribly alone.
Her mind kept drifting to thoughts of Zarek, which helped keep her from utter despair. He was always so resourceful when things went wrong. She wished he was here now. Was he even still alive? Was he safe?
She remembered the way his wavy hair looked untidy when he ran his hands through it, and the way his gray eyes had twinkled when he smiled. Those same eyes had hardened as he promised to protect her with his life. He had, too.
It was so easy to feel safe around him, despite any danger, and he had comforted her when she was frightened. He had been her best friend.
One day, as she was sitting against the wall, a memory came of a song Zarek had sung to her when she was afraid. It was an old familiar tune. Fire and water, hammer and tongs… It was about a blacksmith, that much he had explained to her. She sang softly to herself, but then she stopped, unable to remember all the words. Her small voice faded away into the darkness.
Then she heard the song again, like an echo—only it wasn’t her voice. She felt along the wall until she found the crack. The sound came from there.
As she crawled closer to the opening, despair washed over her in a wave. No hope remained. Broken remnants of memories were all that was left. Black loneliness drowned her.
Ana gasped and scrambled away from the wall. She sat in the middle of the room, breathing hard. Once she was away from the crack, the despair disappeared. Her own worries and fears burdened her, but the broken, hopeless feeling was gone. Ana turned to stare at the opening. Slowly, she walked closer. When she reached the wall, she felt the despair again and heard a hoarse voice faintly following the old melody.
She sensed this. The feelings belonged to a person. Relieved that she wasn’t losing her mind—at least, not yet—she knelt on the floor, searching until she found the crack.
“Hello?” she called.
The singing stopped. “I’m dreaming again,” a faint voice moaned. “I thought I heard an old song.”
“You’re not dreaming. I’m here,” Ana said. “Who’s there?”
“Hello?”
The voice belonged to a real person. For a moment, she felt nothing but relief that she had not lost her mind. It was a man’s voice, deep but hoarse from disuse.
“Hello?” He repeated, more urgently now. His voice grew fainter and louder, and she heard scuffling as he moved slowly back and forth, searching for her. It stopped on the other side of the crack. “There’s someone there.” He sounded incredulous. “Are you real?”
“I am real,” Ana responded.
“I’ve been so long in the dark and never talked to another person. What year is it?”
“Year of Warding forty-two.”
“Forty-two…” The voice muttered for a moment, counting. “It’s been twenty years, I think. I don’t really remember.”
“Who are you?”
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I was someone once. The song you sang reminded me of something… I can’t… I can’t recall. Perhaps if I could escape from here and see the sky, I would remember who I am.”
“I hope there’s a way out for both of us.”
His voice was grim. “It’s too late. There’s no way out except death.”
Her chest tightened. She’d been hoping to find a way. But if he’d been here so long…
“I’m not ready to die,” she said. “But it’s so dark, and I don’t know any way to escape.”
“All these years I have never found one,” he sighed heavily. “There’s no hope. Not anymore. If I could see my wife and son again, I’d be happy to die. I can’t remember their faces. But I have to remember. I should remember, somehow…”
“I wish there was a way you could see them again.”
He laughed bitterly. “I can see the way out. He left it within reach just to torment me. There is a shaft in the ceiling with a passageway that leads out into the canyon. I could climb it, if only…”
“If only what?” Ana asked.
“They cut off my legs. He knew I could see the way out, but never climb it.”
“Who?”
“The king. He told me I have to call him the king now, even though that wasn’t always his name. Nothing else. Just the king, the king.” He chanted it, and she could feel the potency of his despair.
She drew in a sharp breath, feeling her stomach tighten in horror. What had happened to this man?
Ana slept next to the crack in the wall and dreamed of looking up to see the vast, clear sky above her with the stars glittering like diamonds. She woke with a start, shivering from the cold, and the white stars vanished, leaving only blackness. “I’m afraid,” she said. “It’s so dark.”
He must have been just on the other side of the wall, because he answered, “It will be all right.” His voice sounded soothing, as if he wanted to comfort her, and she could sense he truly wished to make her feel better. Why should he care if he couldn’t even remember his own life? He was a compassionate person.
Suddenly, it struck her. He had been a good person, and someone had locked him in here, determined to crush his spirit. His torment here in the dark had been so great that he had lost his mind. Yet he still tried to comfort her.
The person who had done this must be truly merciless. If this man had been here all these years and no one had helped him, what hope did she have of escaping?
“Thank you for comforting me,” she said to the crack in the wall.
He was glad to hear her voice and giving assistance, even in such a small way, brought him a scrap of satisfaction.
“I’m not a child anymore,” she said. “I shouldn’t be afraid of the dark. It’s just that… terrible things have come after me in the dark.”
“I know,” he replied, drawing in a ragged breath.
“Do you remember?” she asked. “Did the Shekkar come after you too?”
“I… I can’t. I don’t remember. They’re all around…” His voice grew frantic. She could hear a sound like fingernails scraping against the rock.
“Stop, please!” she pleaded. “I’m sorry I asked you. They aren’t here now. We’re alone. It’s all right.”
She heard him breathing hard and could sense his panic.
“Please,” she called through the crack. “It’s all right.”
“All right?” he whispered hoarsely.
She sang him the song about the blacksmith, and it calmed him.
After a while, he sighed. “Better now,” he murmured.
“I can hear you more clearly,” she said, pulling at the stone on the edge of the hole. It crumbled a little.
“Yes,” he replied. “I’ve pulled away as much of the loose stone as I can, and the opening is larger. I can reach into the crack.”
“Can you reach my hand?” she asked. “I can help you.”
“It’s too late for me,” he said with a sad sigh. “But it would be good to feel someone’s touch. I’ve been alone for so long.”
“I can help you,” she repeated. “Will they notice if you climb out and run away?”
“Run away?” He laughed madly. “The king knows a man with no legs can’t run away. But if I could, they wouldn’t notice. They put a dish of food and a bucket of water through a hole in the door. That’s all. They never check. When I die, they won’t know it. I’ll lie here and rot in the dark. Alone.”
“No you won’t. I’ll do what I can,” Ana said. “Try to reach my hand.”
The wall was very thick, and the opening was small. But she worked her hand into the crack as far as she could. The man put his hand through from the other side. They were close, but still she couldn’t reach. Ana pushed harder until she felt the rough rock cutting into her skin and managed to touch his fingertip.
Her mind exploded. Nothing remained but darkness and fear. Her memories were gone. Hope was gone. She was isolated from all human contact. Blank darkness surrounded her, and a lingering terror that she could not name. Ana felt all the bitter pain of twenty years alone in the dark, crawling like a snake on the filthy floor. She couldn’t stand. Her legs were gone, but she could still feel the pain. There was someone she had sworn to protect, and she’d failed. Crushing despair.
