Dragons of a Fallen Sun, page 28
He glanced meaningfully back into the palace, where Palthainon was standing at the young king’s side, whispering into his ear.
Laurana followed his gaze. “I understand you, Marshal,” she replied. “You are a representative of an organization I believe to be wholly given over to evil. You are the conqueror of my people, our subjugator. You are allied with our worst enemy, a dragon who is intent upon our total destruction. Yet, I trust you far more than I trust that man.”
She turned away abruptly. “I do not like this view, sir. Would you mind if we walked to the arboretum?”
Medan was quite willing to spend a lovely moonlit night in the most enchanting land on Ansalon in company with the land’s most enchanting woman. They walked side by side in companionable silence along a walkway of crushed marble that glittered and sparkled as if it would mimic the stars. The scent of orchids was intoxicating.
The Royal Arboretum was a house made of crystal, filled with plants whose fragile and delicate natures could not survive even the relatively mild winters of Qualinesti. The arboretum was some distance from the palace. Laurana did not speak during their long walk. Medan did not feel that it was his place to break this peaceful silence, and so he said nothing. In silence, the two approached the crystal building, its many facets reflecting the moon so that it seemed there must be a hundred moons in the sky instead of just one.
They entered through a crystal door. The air was heavy with the brfath of the plants, which stirred and rustled as if in welcome. The sound of the music and the laughter was completely shut Out “Laurana sighed deeply, breathed deeply of the perfume that scented the warm, moist air.
She placed her hand upon an orchid, turning it to the moonlight.
“Exquisite,” said Medan, admiring the plant. “My orchids thrive— especially those you have given me— but I cannot produce such magnificent blossoms.”
“Time and patience,” Laurana said. “As in all things. To continue our earlier conversation, Marshal, I will tell you why I respect you more than Palthainon. Though your words are not easy for me to hear sometimes I know that when you speak, you speak from your heart. You have never lied to me, even when a lie might have served your purpose better than the truth. Palthainon’s words slide out of his mouth and fall to the ground, then slither away into the darkness.”
Medan bowed to acknowledge the compliment, but he would not enter into further disparagement of the man who helped him keep Qualinesti under control. He changed the subject.
“You have left the revelries at an early hour, madam. I hope you are not unwell,” he said politely.
“The heat and the noise were too much to bear,” Laurana replied. “I came out into the garden for some quiet.”
“Have you dined?” the marshal asked. “Could I send the servants for food or wine?”
“No, thank you, Marshal. I find I have very little appetite these days. You can serve me best by keeping me company for a while, if your duties do not call you away.”
“With such a charming companion, I do not think that death himself could call me away,” the Marshal returned.
Laurana glanced at him from beneath lowered lashes, smiled slightly. “Humans are not generally given to such pretty speeches. You have been around elves much too long, Marshal. In fact, I believe you are more elf than human now. You wear our clothes, you speak our language flawlessly, you enjoy our music and our poetry. You have issued laws that protect our woodlands, laws stronger than those we might have passed ourselves. Perhaps I was wrong,” she added lightly. “Perhaps you are the conquered and we are, in truth, your conquerors.”
“You make sport of me, madam,” Medan returned, “and you will probably laugh when I say that you are not far wrong. I was blind to nature before I came to Qualinesti. A tree was a thing I used to build a wall for a fortress or a handle for my battle-axe. The only music I enjoyed was the martial beating of the war drum. The only reading in which I took pleasure were dispatches from headquarters. I freely admit that I laughed when I first entered this land to see an elf speaking respectfully to a tree or talking gently to a flower. And then, one spring, after I had been living here about seven years, I was amazed to find myself eagerly awaiting the return of the flowers to my garden, wondering which would blossom first, wondering if the new rosebush the gardener had planted last year would bloom. At about the same time, I discovered the songs of the harpist running through my mind. I began to study the poetry to learn the words.
“In truth, Madam Lauralanthalasa, I do love your land. That is why,” Medan added, his expression darkening, “I do my best to keep this land safe from the wrath of the dragon. That is why I must harshly punish those of your people who rebel against my authority. Beryl wants only an excuse to destroy you and your land. By persisting in resistance, by committing acts of terror and sabotage against my forces, the misguided rebels among your people threaten to bring destruction down upon you all.”
Medan had no idea how old Laurana must be. Hundreds of years, perhaps. Yet she was as beautiful and youthful as the days when she had been the Golden General, leading the armies of light against the forces of Queen Takhisis during the War of the Lance. He had met old soldiers who spoke still of her courage in battle, her spirit that rallied the flagging spirits of the crumbling armies and led them to victory. He wished he could have known her then, though they would have been on opposite sides. He wished he could have seen her riding to battle on the back of her dragon, her golden hair a shining banner for her troops to follow.
“You say that you trust in my honor, madam,” he continued and he took hold of her hand in his earnestness. “Then you must believe me when I tell you that I am working day and night to try to save Qualinesti. These rebels do not make my task easy. The dragon hears of their attacks and their defiance and grows extremely angry. She wonders aloud why she wastes her time and money ruling over such troublesome subjects. I do my best to placate her, but she is fast losing patience.”
“Why do you tell me this, Marshal Medan?” Laurana asked. “What has this to do with me?”
“Madam, if you have any influence over these rebels, please stop them. Tell them that while their acts of terror may do some harm to myself and my troops, in the long run, the rebels are harming only their own people.”
“And what makes you think that I, the Queen Mother, have anything to do with rebels?” Laurana asked. A flush came to her cheeks. Her eyes glittered.
Medan regarded her in silent admiration for a moment, then replied, “Let us say that I find she who fought the Dark Queen and her minions so tenaciously over fifty years ago during the War of the Lance has ceased to do battle.”
“You are wrong, Marshal,” Laurana protested. “I am old, too old for such matters. No, Sir” —she forestalled his speaking— “I know what you are going to say. You are going to say that I look as young as a maiden at her first dance. Save your pretty compliments for those who desire to hear them. I do not. I have no heart left for battle, for defiance. My heart is in the tomb where my dear husband, Tanis, lies buried. My family is all that matters to me now. I want to see my son happily married, I want to hold grandchildren in my arms. I want our land to be at peace and I am willing to pay tribute to the dragon for our land to remain at peace.”
Medan regarded her skeptically. He heard the ring of truth in her voice, but she was not telling him the entire truth. Laurana had been a skilled diplomat in the days following the war. She was accustomed to telling people what they wanted to hear while subtly swaying them to believe what she wanted them to believe. Still, it would have been extremely impolite to openly doubt her words. And if she meant them, Medan pitied her. The son on whom she doted was a spineless jellyfish who took hours to decide whether to have strawberries or blueberries for luncheon. Gilthas was not likely to ever take such an important step as making up his mind to wed. Unless, of course, someone else picked out his bride for him.
Laurana averted her head but not before Medan had seen the tears welling in her almond eyes. He changed the subject back to orchids. He was attempting to grow some in his own garden and was having minimal success. He discussed orchids for a long while, giving Laurana a chance to regain her composure. A quick touch of her hand to her eyes and she was once more in control. She recommended her own gardener, a master with orchids.
Medan accepted the offer with pleasure. The two of them lingered another hour in the arboretum, discussing strong roots and waxen flowers.
“Where is my honored mother, Palthainon?” Gilthas, Speaker of the Sun, asked. “I have not seen her this past half-hour.”
The king was dressed in the costume of an elven ranger, all in greens and browns, colors that were becoming to him. Gilthas ind it difficult to believe that someone looked quite impressive, though few elven rangers were likely to go about their duties attired in the finest silken hose and shirts, or a hand-tooled and gold-embossed leather vest with matching boots. He held a cup of wine in his hand, but he only sipped at it out of politeness. Wine gave him a headache, everyone knew.
“I believe that your mother is walking in the garden, Your Majesty,” said Prefect Palthainon, who missed nothing of the comings and goings of the House Royal. “She spoke of needing air. Would you have me send for her? Your Majesty does not look well.”
“I am not well,” Gilthas said. “Thank you for your kind offer, Palthainon, but do not disturb her.” His eyes darkened, he looked out upon the throng of dancers with sadness and wistful envy.
“Do you think anyone would take it amiss if I were to retire to my room, Prefect?” he asked in a low voice.
“Perhaps a dance would cheer Your Majesty,” Palthainon said. “There, look at how the lovely Amiara smiles at you.” The prefect leaned near the king to whisper, “Her father is one of the wealthiest elves in all of Qualinesti. Silversmith, you know. And she is perfectly charming—”
“Yes, she is,” said Gilthas in disinterested agreement. “But I do not feel equal to dancing. I am feeling faint and nauseated. I believe that I really must retire.”
“By all means, if Your Majesty is truly not well,” said Palthainon reluctantly. Medan was right. Having robbed the king of a spine, the prefect could not very well fault the young man for crawling about on his hands and knees. “Your Majesty should rest in bed tomorrow. I will take care of the affairs of state.”
“Thank you, Palthainon,” Gilthas said quietly. “If I am not. needed, I will spend the day working on the twelfth canto in my new poem.”
He rose to his feet. The music came to a sudden halt. The dancers ceased in mid-whirl. Elven men bowed, elven women curtsied. The elven maidens looked up in expectation. Gilthas seemed embarrassed by the sight of them. Ducking his head, he stepped down off the dais and walked quickly toward the door that led to his private chambers. His personal servant accompanied him, walking ahead of the king, bearing a glowing candelabra to light His Majesty’s way. The elven maidens shrugged and glanced about demurely for new partners. The music began again. The dancing continued. Prefect Palthainon, muttering imprecations, headed for the refreshment table.
Gilthas, glancing back before he left the room, smiled to him’self. Turning, he followed the soft glow of the candlelight through the darkened hallways of his palace. Here no courtiers flattered and fawned, here no one was permitted to enter without first obtaining permission from Palthainon, who lived in constant fear that some day someone else might wrest away the marionette’s strings. Kagonesti guards stood at every entrance.
Freed from the music and the lights, the twittering laughter and the whispering conversations, Gilthas breathed a sigh of relief as he walked the well-guarded corridors. The newly built palace of the Speaker of the Sun was a large and airy dwelling of living trees that had been magically altered and lovingly transformed into ceilings and walls. The tapestries were made of flowers and plants coaxed to form beautiful works of art that changed daily depending on what was in bloom. The floors of some of the rooms of the palace, such as the dancing room and the audience chambers, were made of marble. Most of the private rooms and the hallways that wound among the boles of the trees were carpeted with fragrant plants.
The palace was considered something of a marvel among the Qualinesti people. Gilthas had insisted that all the trees standing on the land be utilized in the shapes and positions in which the trees had grown naturally. He would not permit the Woodshapers to coax them into bending themselves into unnatural poses to accommodate a staircase or shifting their branches to provide more light. Gilthas intended this as a sign of honor to the trees, who were pleased, it seemed, for they flourished and thrived. The result was, however, an irregular maze of leafy corridors, where those new to the palace would often lose themselves for hours on end.
The king did not speak, but walked with his head bowed and his hands clasped behind him. He was often to be seen in this attitude, roaming restlessly the halls of the palace. It was known that at these times he was mulling over some rhyme or trying to work out the rhythm of a stanza. The servants knew better than to interrupt him. Those who passed bowed low and said nothing.
The palace was quiet this night. The music of the dance could be heard, but it was soft and muted by the gentle rustling of the thickly entangled leaves that formed the high ceiling of the corridor through which they walked. The king lifted his head, glanced about. Seeing no one, Gilthas moved a step closer to his servant.
“Planchet,” said Gilthas in a low voice, speaking the human language which few elves spoke, “where is Marshal Medan? I thought I saw him go into the garden.”
“He did, Your Majesty,” his servant replied, answering in the same language, soft and low, not turning around to look at the king lest someone should be watching them. Palthainon’s spies were everywhere.
“That’s unfortunate,” said Gilthas, frowning. “What if he’s still hanging about out there?”
“Your mother noticed and followed after him immediately, Your Majesty. She will keep him occupied.”
“You are right,” said Gilthas with a smile, a smile only a trusted few ever saw. “Medan will not bother us this night. Is everything ready?”
“I have packed food enough for a day’s journeying, Your Majesty. The knapsack is hidden in the grotto.”
“And Kerian? Does she know where to meet me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I left the message in the usual spot. It was gone the next morning when I went to check. A red rose was in its place.”
“You have done well, as always, Planchet,” Gilthas said. “I do not know what I would do without you. I want that rose, by the way.”
“The rose is with Your Majesty’s knapsack,” said Planchet.
The two ceased talking. They had arrived at the Speaker’s personal chambers. The king’s Kagonesti guards— ostensibly body guards, but in reality, prison guards— saluted as His Majesty approached. Gilthas paid them no heed. The guards were in Palthainon’s pay, they reported every movement the king made to the prefect. Servants waited in the king’s bedroom to assist His Majesty in undressing and preparing for bed.
“His Majesty is not feeling well,” Planchet announced to the servants as he placed the candelabra upon a table. “I will attend him. You have leave to go.”
Gilthas, pale and languishing, dabbed his lips with his lace handkerchief and went immediately to lie down upon his bed, not even bothering to take off his boots. Planchet would see to that for him. The servants, who were accustomed to the king’s ill health and his desire for solitude, had expected nothing else after the rigors of a party. They bowed and departed.
“No one is to disturb His Majesty,” Planchet said, shutting the door and locking it. The guards also had keys, but they rarely used them now. In the past, they had checked upon the young king on a frequent basis. They always found him where he was supposed to be, sick in bed or dreaming over his pen and paper, and at last they’d stopped checking. Planchet listened at the door a moment, waited to hear the guards relax and return to their games of chance with which they whiled away the long and boring hours. Satisfied, he crossed the room, threw open the doors that led to the balcony, and looked out into the night.
“All is well, Your Majesty.”
Gilthas jumped from the bed and headed for the window.
“You know what to do?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The pillows are prepared that will take your place in the bed. I am to keep up the pretence that you are in the room. I will not permit anyone to visit you.”
“Very good. You need not worry about Palthainon. He will not put in an appearance until tomorrow morning. He will be too busy signing my name and affixing my seal to important documents.”
Gilthas stood by the balustrade of the balcony. Planchet affixed a rope to the balustrade, held it fast. “A profitable journey, Your Majesty. When do you return?”
“If all goes well, Planchet, I will be back by midnight tomorrow night.”
“All will go well,” said the elf. He was several years older than Gilthas, hand-picked by Laurana to serve her son. Prefect Palthainon had approved the choice. Had the prefect bothered to check Planchet’s background, which included many years of loyal service to the dark elf Porthios, the prefect might not have.
“Fate smiles upon Your Majesty.”
Gilthas had been looking into the garden, searching for signs of movement. He glanced back quickly. “There was a time I could have argued with that statement, Planchet. I used to believe myself the unluckiest person in this world, snared by my own vanity and conceit, imprisoned by my own fear. There was a time I used to see death as my only escape.” Impulsively, he reached out and grasped the hand of his servant. “You forced me to look away from the mirror, Planchet. You forced me to stop staring into my own reflection, to turn and look upon the world. When I did, I saw my people suffering, crushed beneath the heel of black boots, living in the shadows of dark wings, facing a future of despair and certain destruction.”
