CHAPTER XXI
In the Capital City the rest of the Foreshadow of Balance had been busy. Though Dylan had come from a technologically superior world with many great cities, he had spent enough time in the forests to be awed by the size of the city and the amount of people. There were still many horses and horse drawn carriages, but there were also carriages that flew by themselves.
“Do not stare, young Guardian,” Bell told him.
“But how do they fly?”
“Magic. The rich believe it is better than horsepower; they will not put up with dirty, smelly animals anymore,” Bell said with some disgust in his voice.
“As if anyone can think of horses that way,” Lucas agreed.
“It is the same in our world,” Dad said. “The rich want the new, expensive machines, want to be different from normal people; want to look down on us.”
“The Five Worlds are not so different,” Kaitlin said.
“You and Dylan take this inn,” Bell stopped and said. “I and Kaitlin will find another a street down and Lucas will check in here a little later. Stay here and wait in the barroom, oh and don’t acknowledge Lucas if you see him.”
“When will you be back?” Dylan asked.
“In about an hour, we must make first contact,” and then they disappeared into the crowds leaving Connor and Dylan to check themselves into the inn.
Kaitlin and Bell checked themselves into an inn one street over and Lucas went on to walk around the block to get back to Dylan.
“Stay here for an hour and then go to the other inn and find Lucas,” Bell told her.
“And you will meet us there?”
“If all goes well.”
“And should it? Is this dangerous?”
“It shouldn’t be yet, but we cannot know what is happening until your sister contacts us.”
“Then be careful.”
“I will,” Bell smiled and left.
%%%
“Any news?” Hallorn asked him as they sat in a crowded inn.
“None yet. Any on your side?”
“Not really, only what is happening in the city.”
“And what is that?”
“Stirring the pot,” Hallorn leaned closer. “So many people in the city have either grown rich through the Chinerthians or are Chinerthians, but there are still dissenters hiding in the shadows.”
“And what are they doing?”
Hallorn leaned back, looked around the room quickly and then drank some ale.
“They are waiting to meet your companions.”
“I do not like the idea of people knowing about them.”
“It is not a trap,” Hallorn smiled. “They are but three people and they need to know that the time is right to rise up. No one else will know our plans.”
“So be it; nothing is in my hands to control anymore.”
“I thought that was as you wished it.”
Bell didn’t reply.
%%%
Bell stopped to wash up and got to the inn in just over an hour. Lucas was sitting talking to Kaitlin and Connor and Dylan sat in a corner. Bell gave a slight nod to Connor and sat down next to Lucas where they chatted for five minutes and then got up and left. Connor waited a few minutes and then they too got up and left. Even at this time the streets were still busy because market stalls had been set up along the road.
Lucas was looking at some vegetables and fell in behind Connor and Dylan as they walked past. Up ahead were Bell and Kaitlin and they followed them into another inn. It was quiet inside and they managed to find a table at the back big enough for all of them. Once they had drinks Bell told them what was happening.
“And no news from your sister?” he finished.
“Only that they are at Maelem’s Square.”
“Then tomorrow I will meet with Hallorn again and set up a meeting.”
“It is safe?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t know. I suspect so; no one would mess with the Stormclouds, but we can assume nothing.”
“And they like you,” Dylan said to Bell.
“Well I once fought with them,” Bell shrugged.
“Yes,” agreed Dad, “at the Battle of Alban’s Wood Hallorn said.”
“Yes, that was a long time ago, before the Yokum Rebellion.”
“Where is it?” Dylan asked.
“North of here, towards the Portal.”
“What happened?”
“The Chinerthians were in control and some of us, the Stormclouds mostly, decided to try and cut them off from the Portal and then slowly take back our World.”
“Some would say that it started the Yokum Rebellion,” Kaitlin said.
“Yes,” agreed Bell with a sigh. “It was foolishness.”
“Why?” Dylan asked.
“Because the Chinerthians had the True King imprisoned, but they kept only a loose grip on us. The only thing the Rebellion did was kill many of our own people and tighten the Chinerthian grip.”
“How can you say that?” Lucas asked angrily. “We fought and died to try and free our World.”
“But we didn’t, did we?”
“If that is your attitude then why are you bothering now?”
“My reasons are my own, Lucas,” Bell said looking at the tabletop.
“Reasons are not good enough,” Lucas stabbed a great finger at Bell, “it is belief that will get us through.”
“Calm down, Lucas,” Connor said. “Bell has not let us down; he’s giving everything to this Quest.”
“Perhaps,” Lucas grunted.
“Lucas,” Bell said quietly, “I have the belief; back when the True King was taken I fled into the woods rather than die, I was young and angry and perhaps a coward. I swore an Oath to defend the forest way of life, to protect the forests from the Chinerthians and I thought I could do that. I was wrong and my hot headedness led to the Yokum Rebellion.”
“You are Yokum?” Kaitlin asked.
Bell shook his head.
“No, Yokum are ants that live deep in the forest. They build big nests and there is something inside that other animals like to eat.”
“Like bees and honey,” Dylan said.
“If you say so. Anyway, when an animal gets a certain distance some of the ants will go out and bite it in the hope that it will turn away. If it gets closer more ants will come and bite it, if it turns back less ants will bite it in the hope that the irritation will deter the animal from ever getting close.
“We thought we could be like that, that we could harry the Chinerthians until they could no longer keep fighting and leave. So we called our group Yokum.”
“So you started the Yokum Rebellion?” Lucas asked.
“We did; the Battle of Alban’s Wood was our first major battle.”
Lucas nodded, but was silent.
%%%
The next day Bell once more met with Hallorn in a quiet lane.
“The meeting is set up?”
“Yes, go to the Hidden Door Inn and walk through to the back room.”
“Really? The Hidden Door?”
“Hiding in plain sight,” Hallorn smiled. “It’s just like old times, huh?”
“I try not to think about it.”
“We did a good thing, we might have done more, but you deserted us.”
“We were young and foolish; we weren’t ready,” Bell scowled.
“Is that how you justify it?”
“I can’t justify all those deaths.”
“No, your leaving, your running away? What did you think would happen when you started Yokum?”
“I didn’t think, that’s the point,” Bell seethed at him.
“And are you ready now?”
“We all have to be.”
“But are we?”
“That’s not for me to say, I am not a leader anymore.”
“Nonsense,” Hallorn rebuked. “Tonight, an hour before the sun sets. Back room, just you and the Outworlders.”
Hallorn walked away leaving Bell standing alone
. Was he ready for this? He wasn’t a leader anymore, but could he truly say he was ready if he wasn’t ready to lead once more? He had made an Oath to Defend the Forest Way, could he truly do that if he denied the past? If the time came, would he be ready to step up or would he once again lose hope? It was all to be seen, for now he had to bring the Guardians to the meeting and hope.
%%%
Lucas, Dylan and Connor walked into the Hidden Door to find it empty other than a bartender who was cleaning glasses. He didn’t even look at them as they walked across the room and through the back door. They found themselves in a small storeroom with Hallorn.
“Where is Bell?”
“I am Protector of the Guardian, I will not leave his side,” Lucas said.
“Bell thought four was one too many people,” Connor explained.
“It is wisdom,” Hallorn nodded. “Come.”
He moved a heavy looking barrel to reveal a trapdoor that he also opened. He then led them down a dark flight of stone stairs.
“Careful, there is no light until we reach the bottom, put your hand on the person in front’s shoulder and go slow.”
They did so and it was still dark at the bottom, Dylan didn’t like it and put a hand out to touch the wall. It was very close and cold to the touch, but he could feel that it curved quite a bit and after a while light became visible from around the bend. They reached torches on the walls and dropped their hands.
“This way,” Hallorn said.
Finally they reached a room, perhaps a cellar. It was not large, but it had a table in the centre and behind that sat two older men and a woman.
“So,” one man simply said.
“These are the Fifth Worlders, and the young Guardian’s Protector, Lucas.”
“How do we go?” Lucas asked.
“It is well,” the woman answered.
“So,” the man said again, “these are the Outworlders. Come closer so we can see you.”
Dylan and Connor started to move, but Lucas put out his arms to stop them.
“Forgive me, but I don’t trust anyone who makes me meet them in confined places with no easy exit. Who are you?”
The other man laughed.
“Very wise, Protector, but it has to be this way for our safety. I am Solper, this is Honn and she is Wesper. We are all that is left of the Yokum Rebellion.
“After the Chinerthian invasion we tried to regain the city, but they outnumbered us so we went underground, literally, and during the Yokum Rebellion we led a guerilla campaign and continued even after the Rebellion failed.”
“And now what do you do?” Connor asked.
“We wait. We realised that our efforts were getting us nowhere except in danger of our lives. So we have gone to ground waiting for a chance to rise.”
“And now the chance has come,” Wesper said.
“We hope so,” Lucas said.
“You will need more than hope,” the first man, Honn, said.
“We come from Earth, a Portal opened in our garden. It seems that this is a big event, perhaps a turning point. At least those that have formed around us think so.”
“How technologically advanced has Earth become?”
“No,” Dylan said. “We’re not bringing anything through.”
Honn smiled. “But why not?”
“It won’t help, we have lots of wars still.”
“He’s right, bringing Earth technology might help you defeat the Black Queen, but it won’t help you in the long run.”
“Who are you to make that decision, Outworlder?” Wesper accused.
“Either you’ll help us or you won’t, but we won’t tell you where the Portal is.”
“It will make itself known in time, all we have to do is wait,” Honn said.
“Then let us go,” Lucas said. “They are not interested in helping, just gaining power for themselves,” he turned and ushered Dylan and his Dad to the door. “Just as you predicted, no better than the Black Queen.”
“Wait,” Solper said. “You are right. It is not easy for us to sit here and wait for others to come and help; we fought for so long and have become useless, all we see are ways to defeat the Chinerthians. We have forgotten the reasons behind that. We fought for peace and freedom.”
Connor turned. “You won’t find that through Earth technology.”
“No, perhaps not,” Wesper agreed, “and it is not our place to say. Hallorn says you intend to free the True King, if this happens it is up to him to decide what to do.”
“Yes,” Honn said and shook his head. “I apologise.”
“Then let us form a plan,” Hallorn said.