Chapter 12. The Forest Castle
The top of the Stone tower was the tallest part of the Forest Castle. Arios stood on the windy terrace, enclosed with the granite blocks. The last night’s experience drained him more than he knew. When the escort reached the castle, he fell asleep, deeply, but without dreams, and woke early, in the spasm of fear that still held him.
A strong wind was blowing, giving rise to his own feeling of insecurity, which he tried to struggle against, but unsuccessfully. The granite wall was low, and the sorcerer, looking at the distance, unconsciously gripped the granite. The view was magnificent. To the south, green valleys stretched all the way to the far Blue Mountains, whose peaks seemed less real than the transparent white clouds above them.
“How peaceful it all seems, from up here,” thought Arios. “From this point of view, all troubles look unreal, meaningless. If I have stayed on my mountain, this war, no matter how devastating, would have no meaning to me. And now... Well, what’s done is done, and there’s no turning back.”
Now, only the thin silver line of the Grey River in the north separated Ledonia from the oncoming darkness. Unnatural dark clouds massed low over the northern lands, and the thick fog sheltered the legions of the Lord of Doom. The ford at which Seton’s army waited was only a few hours of easy riding away, and Arios could recognize the king’s forces, positioned on the hills. The main part of the army was already there. Orin was also there; after the sunrise, he rode away with the king’s guard under the command of Lao-Min. The king himself commanded the last stages of the evacuation of his people from the town and the castle. No one had any hope that the castle could withstand a siege, in the case of the defeat at the river ford. Therefore, it was decided that all men unable to fight seek shelter in the depths of the forest. When everything was over, Seton III, followed by ten guards, will go to the Grey River, to greet the Lord of Doom properly.
The thudding of the horseshoes was slowly fading away, somewhere on the other side of the gloomy grey walls. Deep down, in the courtyard that used to swarm with life, an ominous silence was setting. The sorcerer was looking to the north, lost in dark thoughts, when a hoarse voice, coming from the stairway, roused him.
“Young man! Help me!”
He turned and saw an old man, trying to climb the last few high stairs with visible effort. “It took...me...long to get...up here.” breathed he, while Arios extended his hand to help him. “I would like to talk to you.”
“I don’t mind talking,” smiled the sorcerer. The old man was fat, his head bald, with a long, white beard. He was wrapped in a black robe, its white sleeve decorated with complex patterns. He exhaled few times, and seated on the stone.
“I haven’t been here for years,” uttered he. “Too high for me, too high.”
“Everyone’s talking about your yesterday’s deed,” he got to the point. “They say you burned the demon that attacked the king and his escort.”
“It’s true,” said Arios quietly.
“You gave hope to the people.”
“I’m afraid it’s false.” The sorcerer couldn’t hide his bitterness.
“Can’t the sorcerer who burned half of his kingdom stop a mere army?” asked the old man, watching him carefully.
“You know who I am?” asked Arios in surprise.
The old man stopped for a minute.
“I’m a sorcerer, too. My name is Laron, and behind my back they call me Bald,” said he, stroking his head.
“I’m Seton’s court wizard, I would say, for many years now. Although, my wisdom isn’t of much avail these days. My powers are limited. But, I’ve heard of you. In the circles of the Consecrated, well-known is the legend of the man who released the greatest powers in man’s history, and then disappeared in unknown direction. For years, we were waiting for the sorcerer to appear and claim everything that belongs to the mightiest of all. We feared, we even prepared for your coming, and you didn’t come. The memory of you began to fade away. And lo! now you appear from nowhere, in the moment of gravest peril for this part of the world, and more, I’m afraid. Could it be a coincidence? I would die happy if you’ll tell me your story in this little time we have left.”
Arios was confused. “I didn’t know I caused so much strife,” he began.
“What happened in Otram was the consequence of my stupidity and ignorance. It never even crossed my mind to use that power ever again. After that, it seemed to me that the whole world is after me. Fleeing, I reached the south slopes of the Blue Mountains, and settled there, in complete wildness. I lived there until the last few months.”
“Ha!” laughed Laron. “So, there never existed any danger from you! The Consecrated feared the whole time the very thing they would have done in your place.”
“Exactly,” said Arios. “The danger was only in your heads. I never intended to impose my will to others. In fact, for years I haven’t used the words of power. I was far from the people and the temptations of any kind.”
“But, how did you get here?” the old sorcerer interrupted.
“That is the thing I myself do not understand completely,” sighed the sorcerer. “Until recently, I used to think it was my decision to travel this way, but I’m not so sure now. How to explain everything that happened? My companion, prince Orin ar den Raamternan, maybe you met him this morning, came one day to my cottage in the mountains and said he was searching for Dragon Rock and the Ring of the Kings, which will give him ultimate power. After long contemplation, I went on the journey with him, and realized I’m doing it out of curiosity. Or maybe I wanted to find a solution to my problem in the end of the journey. Or maybe I was just simply bored. It doesn’t matter. But the damned mountain just kept its distance from us. When I think about it, seems like it led us right here. And when we finally got through the Blue Mountains, we came into a land threatened by a horde of demons, and the forest elves think I’m the one destined to save the land. True, last night I defeated the beast into which the black sorcerer has transformed, but there was no real power in it. It was only an animal. The demon I confronted before laughed at me when I tried to overcome it. I was completely helpless then. If some destiny dragged me here, I don’t have a faintest idea how to save this land.”
“An unusual story, really,” said the old man. “And there are many unknown things. Dragon Rock, you say? The people in this country are not sure is it really a mountain, or just an illusion. Sometimes it’s visible, sometimes not, like now. But, it is not known if anyone ever was there and returned to talk about it.”
“Small wonder,” said Arios, looking to the north. “It’s probably the only moving mountain on the world.” He did not want to mention his conversation with the Elf king about the Upper Realms.
“But, that dream is over now. In a few hours, we’re going to the river. There, I’ll maybe get some answers.”
The court wizard rose with obvious effort.
“So, it seems I’m not any smarter than I was before. There’s something in all of it, but I cannot see the whole picture. Well, for years I’ve been living much more in the books, than in the real world.” He went to the stairways.
“Better you go too; the king is prepared and will be leaving at any moment. I stay here in the castle. I lived here, so I’ll die here, if it is to be that way.”
“You go,” said Arios. “I’ll stay here few minutes more.”
So, this is it, thought he. The darkness over the northern lands started to spread, and there is no more delaying. They expect me to confront, maybe even destroy the enemy. But, how can I ever explain to them they look for hope in a man who realized he doesn’t know anything? And that he’s the greatest mystery to himself? Under my mask there is nothing, just emptiness. I used to live thinking I had some power, and that was the essence of my existence. I needed nothing else. I confused emptiness and darkness with peace and harmony, and I was happy. It’s amazing; we know least of ourselves just at the time we think we know everything about it. And now, when
I finally realized how weak I am, and how little knowledge I have, they expect of me to save the whole land.
He smiled ironically. The only relief for me lies in the fact that there’ll probably be no one left to reproach me for my failure.
Suddenly, while he watched the clouds of thick mist, whirling, driven by unknown dark forces, he remembered the encounter with the elven girl in the snowy night, on the mountain pass. Her words ringed clearly in his mind - Remember the smallest things when times are hard. He reached in his coat; his hand touched the small wooden object - the unusual flute, whose strange powers saved them in the most dangerous moments. Is this the answer to his questions? Will it ever be given to him to know?