The Stone of Knowing Complete Set, page 64
He omitted nothing from his account except Elena and the stone, and if it seemed remarkable that Drettroth should have pursued Thomas and the monk so tenaciously, none of them commented on it.
“So now I finally understand how King Delmar managed to appear on the battlefield at such a critical moment,” Nestor remarked. “None of my sources could account for it at all.”
“The thing I don’t understand is why the Rogandans abandoned the fortress,” said Thomas.
“Word must have reached them about the outcome of the battle,” said Will. “It’s surprising how quickly news travels, especially bad news. They probably all packed up and headed for Rogand. Our scouts have been reporting a constant stream of refugees heading east.”
“I doubt they’ll receive a warm welcome from King Agon,” said Nestor.
“No,” Will replied. “Drettroth is gone, but Agon remains. We now have an alliance with Varas as well as with Castel. All of us will need to strengthen our borders and rebuild our armies.”
King Steffan paced back and forth impatiently, waiting to be informed of the arrival of Essanda.
Steffan had heard nothing about her exploits until after the battle. By then she had been escorted to Castel Citadel by Count Gordan as originally planned, even if her departure was somewhat belated. Steffan had been almost frantic with alarm when he first heard the story. He still felt agitated now, even though he knew she was safe and unharmed.
He had been entirely preoccupied with an endless round of official duties since the battle at Torbury Scarp, with no possibility whatsoever of traveling to the citadel to see her. Unable to speak with her, his frustration had grown until he felt like he was almost at breaking point.
In the end King Istel had decided he could bear it no longer. Taking matters into his own hands, he arranged for Gordan to bring her back to the camp at Hazelwood Ford. He held off telling his son-in-law until a few hours before she was due to arrive. Istel had been more than a little apprehensive about Steffan’s reaction, but Steffan was delighted, to Istel’s obvious relief.
Essanda was now due any minute.
“As far as I’m concerned she can’t get here soon enough,” said Istel. “You’ve been like a bear with a sore tooth from the moment I told you she was on her way!”
Steffan said nothing, but he managed a self-conscious smile.
A head finally appeared at the entrance of the tent where the two of them were waiting. “They’ve arrived, Sire.”
Steffan burst out of the tent, almost colliding with Count Gordan. “I’ll have words with you later!” he promised the nobleman fiercely. “Where is she?”
Essanda had just been helped from her horse, her face looking flushed after the ride. His protective instincts rose up at his first glimpse of her—to him she seemed both beautiful and fragile. And infinitely precious.
He ran to her and swept her into his arms. An overpowering jumble of emotions—brimming pride, intense relief, firm reproach—totally engulfed him, and tears flooded his eyes. He drew her away from his chest and pressed her forehead firmly to his lips.
“Essanda, I couldn’t bear to lose you! It would destroy me.”
She buried herself in his chest once more, her eyes overflowing.
“I’m so sorry, Steffan,” she managed through her tears. “I never wanted you to worry about me. I just felt I couldn’t let him do it—I couldn’t let him destroy Will and everything you’d worked for.”
“You wonderful girl. I’m not angry with you! I was very distressed, but I’m so proud of you. You’re incredibly brave! And you saw the truth when I was blind to it.”
“I didn’t feel very brave. Seeing our men fighting and dying before my eyes—it was too much for me. I hadn’t understood how terrible war is.”
“It is terrible. But it’s over now. And I’m so glad you’re safe!”
She sighed her relief at his words, and hugged him tighter. “Please don’t be angry with Gordy,” she pleaded. “He feels so guilty, but it wasn’t his fault.”
“Hmmm. I’ll have to see about that,” he said with a half-hearted grumble. “Good did come of it in the end, I suppose.”
He held her at arm’s length and gazed seriously into her eyes. “No more escapades without discussing it with me first. Promise?”
“I promise,” she said meekly, smiling as she wiped away her tears.
He tucked her under his arm and turned her toward the tent. “Come and see your father,” he said with a happy smile.
The next day Will found Thomas sitting alone eating some food.
“What are your plans now, Thomas?” he asked.
“I’m planning to leave Hazelwood Ford as soon as I can. There were some pieces of the story that I left out,” he said, a little shamefacedly.
“I thought as much,” Will replied with a smile. “The stone?”
“Yes. I still have it. And it is working reliably again. There’s quite a story behind that, too.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing it.”
“And there’s someone waiting for me, too.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “Oh,” he said. “That sounds like a tale worth hearing.”
“The problem is that I’m not sure how to find her again.”
“Tell me more,” said Will.
Thomas briefly described his time in the forest. If he was vague in his description of Elena and her father, it was only because he felt at a loss to know how best to describe them.
Will listened for a while, then he smiled again. “This girl living alone with her father in the wilderness—did she appear at first glance to be an old hunchback dressed in black?”
Thomas was too astonished to reply. But he nodded his agreement.
“In that case, I think I can help you find them, because I suspect I met them myself when I was traveling to Stantony,” Will told him. “In fact, I can do better than that. I will accompany you. I need to visit somewhere very near there myself. I should warn you, though—it will be a few days before I’ll be able to leave.”
He explained his own connection with the mysterious pair. Thomas could only shake his head in amazement.
Will clearly had many demands on his time. Thomas was overwhelmed with gratitude for the help that his friend had promised, and told him so many times.
In the end a full week went by before Will was ready to set out. To the delight of Thomas, Rufe had announced he would be traveling with them as well.
A large party of mounted soldiers would also be accompanying them at the insistence of King Steffan. Will had tried to talk him out of it, but the king was unbending. He was not willing to take any risks with his two key leaders, for all that they were commoners.
On the last day before their departure from Hazelwood Ford, Nestor hosted a final farewell for the travelers. They ate their evening meal together, then relaxed in the cold evening air appreciating a magnificent sunset.
“I’ve decided to become a monk,” said Ander.
A loud guffaw immediately exploded from Nestor. He guffawed again, and before long all of them were laughing, Ander included. The mood of the moment took complete hold, and every one of them was soon held fast in the grip of uproarious merriment, weeping with laughter. Thomas knew it was excessive, but there had been so little to laugh about in recent days.
Finally they were able to calm themselves. Nestor shook his head. “You had me for a moment,” he told Ander, a new chuckle rising up to threaten his equanimity once more.
“You’ve more than proven your mettle as a soldier and a leader,” said Will. “We’ll miss you.”
Rufe nodded. “You’ll be a huge loss to the army. But the world needs men like Brother Vangellis a lot more than it needs soldiers.”
“Please don’t compare me with Brother Vangellis,” Ander protested. “I can’t do more than aspire to be like him.”
Nestor looked back and forth between them, a bewildered look on his face. “You’re actually serious?” he asked.
“Of course,” said Ander.
“But I don’t get it.”
Ander looked at him thoughtfully. “Do you understand what made him like he was?” he asked.
Nestor paused for a moment, then shook his head.
“Neither do I,” said Ander. “But I intend to try to find out.”
“Brother Vangellis would be pleased if he knew,” said Thomas.
“He would,” agreed Rufe.
They set off from Hazelwood Ford early the next morning. King Steffan was there to see them off, with Queen Essanda at his side. Young as she was, she had already made a name for herself. It was the first glimpse for Thomas of his new queen, and he was impressed.
“Safe travels, Will! Take care of him, Rufe!” she called out in her clear high voice, a shy smile on her face.
Will bowed deeply in response. Thomas could see from his ready smile that she had won his affection as well as his admiration.
Once they were underway, Thomas looked back to see the young queen sending a final wave. Feeling unusually bold, he waved back.
They traveled along established roads whenever they could, and only set off across the fields when they needed to. They spent their first night under the stars. It was bitingly cold, but thankfully the worst of the winter weather was not upon them yet.
On the second day their scouts surprised a small group of men, who ran from them in fear. The soldiers spread out and rounded them up, bringing them to Will.
They were clearly Rogandan soldiers, and a miserable looking lot. The real question was whether they were defeated soldiers fleeing back to Rogand, or an armed rabble roaming the countryside looking for trouble. None of them were armed, but they might well have discarded their weapons when they were first discovered.
Will looked at them searchingly. Then he saw something that seemed to startle him. He pointed to one of the men, who shuffled forward unhappily. Will spoke to him in Rogandan. The man replied, and a long interaction ensued.
Will left the men and rode up to Thomas. He leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. “I need you to take a look at these men, Thomas. They claim they are simply on their way back to Rogand. I would like some verification.”
Thomas surreptitiously reached for the stone, and surveyed the group. “They’re harmless,” he told Will.
“Including that one?” Will pointed out one of the men.
“He’s weary and discouraged,” Thomas told him. “He seems to have little to look forward to, and he certainly doesn’t want to be a soldier. But there’s nothing sinister about him at all.”
Will nodded. He spoke to the men sternly before sending them on their way. He did, however, detain the one he had pointed out to Thomas.
He apparently asked the man his name.
“Haldek,” was the reply.
Further conversation took place between them. Then Will asked for a spare horse. “This man will be joining us,” he said.
The soldiers were clearly taken aback by Will’s announcement. Rufe, who knew his commander too well to be surprised by anything he did, simply smiled.
Will swung Haldek in beside Thomas, asking him to keep an eye out for the Rogandan, and the column set off again. From the occasional glances Thomas directed at his new companion, the man seemed anxious and unhappy.
Thomas knew there was no reason to fear him, and he found himself recalling Elbruhe’s initial reaction when she first joined them. The memory brought him a wave of compassion for his new companion. When Haldek next looked in his direction, he presented him with a friendly smile. The Rogandan looked slightly less miserable, and Thomas was willing to claim that as a success.
Over the next few days the two of them began teaching each other words in their own languages. Haldek proved the more able student. With little else to do as they rode, he concentrated hard on learning vocabulary, and soon was able to attempt very simple conversations. Thomas gradually discovered that he had a kind heart and an easy manner. Thomas could also see that Haldek was warming to him.
On one occasion Thomas found himself briefly alone with Will. “Why did you single out Haldek to join us?” he asked.
“He doesn’t realize it, but he’s saved me twice,” Will replied.
“Another story for another time?” asked Thomas.
Will nodded, grinning.
Several days had passed when Will finally drew Thomas aside. “We will soon be nearing the location where I expect to find your friend and her father,” he told him.
Thomas felt his heart skip a beat. A flush flooded over his face. He had been so eager to see Elena, but now he felt unexpectedly shy. How should he behave when he saw her again? What if she had lost interest in him?
Will smiled at his confusion, but chose not to comment. “We don’t need to take all of the soldiers with us,” he said. “We can rejoin them later. I suggest we just take Rufe and Haldek.”
Thomas was surprised at Will’s inclusion of Haldek, but he decided not to question it. Will undoubtedly had his reasons.
When they set up camp that night Will told the soldiers that they should expect to be there for two or three days at the least. The smaller party set off in the morning after Will issued instructions for the soldiers to wait for his return.
Thomas did not recognize any landmarks, and Will could not identify the precise location of the cabin by the stream, either. So their search began without any clear idea of where to look.
Mid afternoon arrived with no apparent progress toward reaching their goal, and Thomas began to despair of ever finding Elena again. Then Rufe found a stream with a path beside it. Nothing about it was familiar to Thomas, but they decided to follow the path in one direction until it became dark. Will chose the direction, and they set off.
After a while Thomas began to suspect that they were retracing his path as he fled from the Rogandans. His excitement grew even as the light was failing. He became certain they were heading in the right direction. They picked up their pace and reached the cabin as the darkness deepened around them.
Thomas ran to the cabin and went in. It was deserted.
There was nothing they could do except wait until daylight came. They tethered their horses and bedded down near the cabin.
Thomas lay there in the dark, wide awake and deeply troubled. Where were Elena and Rubin? Had they been taken after all, in spite of his warning and his efforts to lead the Rogandans away?
He hadn’t forgotten that he advised Elena to hide, though. Maybe she and her father had taken his advice and removed themselves to a different location. But she had asked him if he would come back for her. That made no sense if she wasn’t going to be here anymore.
The night was far advanced before he finally surrendered to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.
He woke with a start to bright sunlight. The others were up already. Rufe spotted him and came to speak with him.
“Is this the right location, Thomas? The cabin hasn’t been lived in for some time.”
“Yes. This is where they were living. Where could they have gone?”
Will appeared from the direction of the stream. “I’ve found animal snares in the forest nearby—I’d say they were set not too long ago. And the garden beside the cabin appears to have been tended in the recent past.”
Will’s report restored a glimmer of hope to Thomas. There and then he decided that he would stay and wait, however long it took. He would remain there on his own if necessary.
His patience wasn’t put to much of a test in the end. In the early afternoon a voice sounded tentatively from nearby. “Thomas, is that you?”
He looked up to see Rubin peering out cautiously from behind a tree.
Thomas ran to him with a joyful cry. “Rubin! Is Elena safe? Are you both well?”
“Yes, we are both safe and well.”
Thomas’s relief knew no bounds. “Where is she? Can I go to her?”
Hearing voices, the others gathered, and Rubin looked around him uncertainly.
Taking a deep breath, Thomas tried hard to calm himself. “Let me introduce my friends,” he said. Restraining his eagerness with difficulty, he formally presented Will, Rufe, and Haldek to Rubin.
When the introductions were over, Rubin turned to Thomas. “I know you are anxious to see Elena, but I think it would be best if I break the news to her. It will be a very happy surprise, but still a shock. She understood why you needed to leave, but she has taken it hard as the days have gone by. She has greatly feared for your safety.” He glanced around him. “I think, too, that she will be shy with so many people here.”
Thomas was crestfallen, but he accepted that Rubin knew best.
“The Rogandans have been defeated,” Will told Rubin. “They’re leaving Arvenon. I think it is safe for the two of you to return to your cabin now.”
Rubin nodded gratefully. “I don’t know you,” he said with a puzzled look on his face, “but there is something familiar about you.”
Will smiled. “I once accepted your hospitality for the night,” he replied. “It feels like a long time ago. I probably looked a little different back then as well.”
“Of course,” said Rubin, his face lighting up. “Elena told me that you faced some trouble after you left. I am glad you found a way through it.”
“That is largely why I am here,” Will replied. “It is time to end the folly that has forced you and your daughter into isolation from the world. The trouble has spread well beyond the two of you. You can continue to choose to live apart from other people if you wish, but the persecution must end.”
Rubin looked hesitant, but he nodded his understanding.
Will nodded toward Thomas. “My friend here seems barely able to contain himself,” he said with a smile. “Perhaps you could fetch your daughter.”
Rubin readily agreed and disappeared into the forest.
Little more than thirty minutes passed before Rubin reappeared, this time with a radiant Elena. Ignoring everyone else, she flew to Thomas and embraced him joyfully, tears of gladness flooding her cheeks.
