Chapter 10 – Benjamin Graeystone
“Is she going to be alright?”
“She will be fine. I traced the injury. There is no permanent damage. It will heal.”
A sigh of relief.
“Good.”
Two voices echoed down a white marble hallway, Jeremiah’s voice and the voice of another that Chalice did not recognize. How did they get here? Which room were they in? This was her place. She had been coming here ever since she was a child. No one knew of it except for her.
“Come on, Chalice. Wake up.” There he was again. Where was … wait! I’m dreaming. I need to …
Chalice opened her eyes and Jeremiah’s handsome face materialized in front her. She was lying on a settee in a strange room and he was kneeling at her side.
“Hey! How are you feeling? Man, you gave me a scare.” He wiped his sleeve across his forehead that was beaded with perspiration. He was shaking and worried.
“Let me see her,” the deep, unfamiliar voice said behind him and Jeremiah moved to the right to reveal the strange, cloaked man that she had seen in the dining room. Old, with lengthy grey hair, a white beard, and bright, grey-blue eyes, he stood in front of her no longer wearing his cloak. The lines of his tanned face were etched deeply into his skin and his age contrasted starkly with his clothes that were newly sewn of a fine material. Dark trousers and a fine shirt fashioned of grey silk hung on his thin body like a drape. Kirna and Tycho sat quietly behind him in plush green chairs next to a snapping fire, Tycho nursing a black eye with an ice pack.
“You!” Chalice cried out and sat bolt upright, glaring at the man. She immediately wished she hadn’t as her head throbbed in pain.
“Relax. I’m here to help you,” he said calmly and she wondered if that were true. She glanced around at the others. They seemed to be comfortable with him there.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Everyone is alright. I took care of the situation down in the dining room. Although, you were putting up a pretty good fight.”
“You should have seen it, Chalice!” Kirna said excitedly at the same time as Tycho. They were both speaking at once about what had happened and she strained to listen. She couldn’t catch everything they said, especially in her condition. She gathered from the words she did hear that the attackers were seized by an invisible force and pinned up against the wall, frightened out of their wits.
“He is Terravailian!” Kirna exclaimed, motioning toward the old man.
Chalice was not impressed. She wanted to know who he was and why he was staring at her the whole time during dinner. She scowled.
“Sit back and rest,” the old man said. “You have just sustained a severe blow to the head. I’m sorry I distracted you. I’m afraid it was my fault you were hurt. In any case, your attackers are gone and they won’t be coming back. I made sure of that.”
Chalice did not obey. She stayed exactly as she was, sitting upright, trying not to fall back. She was being stubborn and would not show any weakness.
“Who were they?” she asked. Jeremiah, who sensed her instability, sat down next to her and held her in place.
“Brigands. They were after your money, well, at least that is what they claimed, but I can’t be sure if they weren’t working for Dar’Maalda. Therefore, we can’t stay in Woodrock for very long. News of what happened tonight will spread quickly, so we will have to leave tomorrow morning.”
“Wait! We? You mean you want to come with us? Why? Who are you?” She was unsure of this man. She didn’t trust strangers. “Why would a Terravailian be so interested in a group of Naeon?”
“Good question. It is good that you are suspicious. I’m sure you get that from Sebastian.” She looked up at him in disbelief. How did he know about her grandfather? The old man sighed. “You probably want some answers, I would imagine.”
“Yes, that would be nice!”
He smiled. “You are just like your father. You look very much like him.”
“You know my father?!” She tried to stand up, but immediately fell back down on the cushions, swaying. Jeremiah caught her in mid-air.
“My head is pounding!” she said, rubbing her temples.
“Jeremiah, is Bunejab with you?” the old man asked.
“You know him?!” It was Jeremiah’s turn to be surprised.
“Who is Bunejab?” Tycho whispered to Kirna who shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes. Please go tell him I need him … and tell him to bring his medicine bag with him,” the man said and Jeremiah rushed out of the room. He then turned to Chalice and spoke softly: “I could heal you, but I get the impression that you would not let me if I tried. Bunejab can give you something that will work just as well … probably better.”
“Umm, who is Bunejab?” Tycho asked again, still confused.
“He is a Chinuk and an old friend,” the man responded.
Kirna’s eyebrows shot up. “A Chinuk?! In the lowlands? How odd!”
“He helped us travel over the mountain. We couldn’t have done it without him,” Chalice said, still massaging her head. “Jeremiah and I had to sneak him into the room so we wouldn’t draw attention.”
The old man smiled. “Yes, I saw that. That was very clever.”
She looked up at him, confused. “You saw us?”
“I had just arrived and I saw you from the other side of the stream. That is how I knew it was you. I knew Bunejab would be with you.”
“But the Chinuka never come down this far,” Kirna said. “I’ve never heard of one who associated with people.”
“Well, he is sort of odd for a Chinuk, but he does have their talents in the medicinal arts. He is very skilled in many ways and has bailed me out of a few tight spots in the past.”
Just then, Jeremiah and Bunejab burst into the room and before Chalice knew it, the little Chinuk was handing her a warm drink with a powder he had mixed into it. She took it gratefully. She trusted him. Everything he had done for her had helped her. She had no reason to believe this time would be any different. And it wasn’t. The potion took effect immediately, relieving the pain and vertigo. She noticed then that Jeremiah had brought his bags with him, setting them on the floor next to the settee as he reclaimed his seat.
“Thank you, my old friend,” the man said. The little Chinuk smiled and chittered at him. “Yes, you did. Thank you for seeing that she arrived here safely.” Bunejab nodded and Chalice glared at the two of them.
“Seeing that I arrived here safely? You mean … that’s what he’s been doing this whole time? Delivering me here? Why didn’t he tell us?”
Bunejab was digging into his rucksack again, pulling out some type of green, leafy material, and handing it to Tycho. Apparently, he wanted Tycho to use it for his eye. Tycho, who was dumbstruck by the fact he was seeing a Chinuk for the first time in his life, fumbled as he took the material and wrapped it around the ice.
“He was asked not to, just to see that you traveled unharmed over the mountain.”
“What’s going on? Who are you and who is my father?”
The old man was removing a pipe from his pocket that he lit by borrowing a lick of the fire from the hearth. Then, he took a seat on a chair near the settee and crossed his legs. Behind him, Bunejab had climbed up onto the bed and taken a seat in the background to watch and listen.
Jeremiah studied the old man, frowning in thought. “Are you Ben Graeystone?” he asked and the man nodded. “Now I remember! I thought I recognized you. Nice to meet you again.” With that, they gave each other a nod of the head. Chalice looked at Jeremiah and he answered her unasked question. “He’s the one who visited my parents when I was young, the reason I came to stay with you and your grandparents for three years.”
Jeremiah knew him. Chalice was immediately comforted by this and felt the tension in her shoulders loosen. Jeremiah looked over and spoke to the old man: “They never told me
where they went or what the mission was all about. What were you doing with them all that time?”
“We were looking for Chalice’s father. I found a lead and came to ask your parents for help. I needed their skills and knowledge. I also needed their expertise in the Chinukan language. I wasn’t familiar with it at the time. We searched in vain because we didn’t find him, but we did discover some crucial information. Now that Chalice is here, I am hoping she will be able to help me find him. I have been looking for him and waiting for her for nineteen years.”
Chalice turned to Jeremiah who met her inquiring stare. She then turned an eye to the old man and asked politely: “Who is my father, Master Graeystone?” Given her treatment of him, she thought a little respect was due.
“Please, call me Ben.”
“Alright, Ben. Who is my father?”
Ben hesitated for moment and then said slowly: “Your father is King Duquaine, the Rightful King of the Realm and a scion of the Ielierian.”
Chalice’s heart sank. She hung her head again and rubbed her temples. Her head was no longer hurting, but she knew what being a daughter of the King meant and she didn’t want to believe it.
“I told you, Chalice!” Jeremiah laughed “I told you!”
“Why do you think I can help you find him?” she asked the old man.
“Because of your prophecy.”
“My prophecy? What are you talking about?” She knew what he was talking about, but still asked the question.
“There is a book with the sign or you could say the sigil of your amulet,” he said and Chalice pulled out the pendant from under the neck of her riding dress to examine it. “It’s the sign of your birthright. It is also the mark on your shoulder.”
How did he know that?! Releasing her pendant, she listened in amazement. She was starting to wonder if this stranger knew more about her than she did.
“He is talking about the Delphaline, Chalice,” Jeremiah said. “You are so determined to deny it!” Shaking his head, he pulled the book out of his saddlebag and laid it in her lap. Silently, she placed her hand on the front cover. Kirna and Tycho just sat there gaping. They couldn’t believe it.
Jeremiah couldn’t understand why she looked so sad. A young woman discovering she is princess shouldn’t make her sad, should it? But it did.
“I’ve always thought it was just a book of stories,” Jeremiah said to Ben. “What is it then?”
Ben puffed a ring of smoke. “Common knowledge, for those who know, is that it is just that, a book of stories, but in reality it is much more. It is a book of prophecy written by the first and only Terravailian Seer, who lived a long time ago during the Ice Age. Every entry in that book is a prophecy. There are many that have been fulfilled and some we are not sure about. When a prophecy is about to take place, a child is born that will fulfill it. Chalice is one of those children. Her story is the last and marks the end of the era of prophecy. No one is certain if there will be any more or if there will even be a need.”
Chalice was suddenly reminded of what Bunejab told his Âwásötah. “Ben, what is a child of the Elîn’Mörá?”
“How did you hear about that?”
“We heard it when we were taken before the Chinukan King and Queen,” Jeremiah answered. “That’s what Bunejab told them, that Chalice was a child of the Elîn’Mörá. It’s why they let us pass over the mountain. He also said something about the Rôi’Státchèn and a return to the First Time. What does any of that mean?”
“Hmmm, I would like to hear more about that visit later, but for the moment, let’s stick to the conversation at hand. Chalice is a child of prophecy. This is what the child of the Elîn’Mörá is. The Chinuka have their own prophecy about a child who will bring about an end to the Rôi’Státchèn and a return to the First Time. The Rôi’Státchèn, or the Way of Peace, is the period of time that the Chinuka have been isolated from the world. The First Time is the era when they aided humans during the Haeliad. They taught them how to live and showed them how to survive in the world outside the underground cities. In return for their help, the Terravail created the mountain dwellings that you must have seen in Chinukan villages. These dwellings allowed the Chinuka to live high up in the mountains. This was helpful whenever there was a war and they needed to escape to a safe place. Unfortunately, it was war involving the Terravail that led to the Rôi’Státchèn. A return to the First Time means that the Chinuka will open their doors to the world of humans once again. Not all of them are looking forward to it.”
“How do you know so much about them and their villages?” Jeremiah asked.
Ben smiled knowingly. “I have a way of getting there. I am the only one of the Terravail who does.” Jeremiah’s eyebrows shot up in interest. “I will show you sometime.”
“I’d like to see that,” Jeremiah said and paused for a moment as if something had just occurred to him. “Bunejab also mentioned a return of the Naezzi. What is that?”
“Ah, the Naezzi,” Ben said sadly, examining his pipe. “It is a sore subject and a sad one. Let’s not talk about it right now. No one knows what happened to them or if they are even still alive.”
“What is a child of prophecy?” Kirna asked, finally breaking her silence. “What does that mean exactly?”
“A child of prophecy is a child that is marked from birth.”
“You mean, a child with a birthmark?” Tycho asked and Ben nodded. Then, Tycho suddenly shot up from his chair, removing the Bunejab-treated ice pack from his eye; not surprisingly, his eye looked much better.
“Really?! I’ve got a birthmark. On my arm. See!” he said eagerly and showed Ben the strange mark on his forearm that looked like a chicken with an enormous head. “Am I a child of prophecy?”
Chalice snorted. Really, Tycho could make you laugh in any situation.
Ben smiled. “No, unfortunately not, Tycho. They are marked with not just any birthmark, but with one that is distinct and identical to one of the entries in the Delphaline.”
Chalice leaned over and showed Tycho the inscription at the end of her prophecy next to her name.
“Yep, that’s your birthmark alright.” Tycho shook his head in awe. “Wow! So your father is the King! Who’d’a thunk?” He sat back down and put the ice back over his eye.
“Wait a minute!” Kirna interrupted. “None of this makes any sense. How is Chalice going to help you find her father? What does the prophecy say?”
“You want to read it to them?” Ben asked Chalice.
Nodding, she acquiesced, reading it slowly and clearly. When she was finished, Ben said: “Nobody really understood the passage until Duquaine went missing and Chalice was born. Parts of it are still difficult to decipher because it is so cryptic. It leaves many questions. However, I am hoping the answers will come in time.”
“How is it possible that my father is King Duquaine? From what Jeremiah told me, the Queen died and her children were captured. So how is that even possible?”
“That is a good question. Not many of the Naeon know that Duquaine remarried shortly after the death of Queen Miria. The reason that not many of them know is because he married a Naeowoman who was working for the royal family in the palace. She was Queen Miria’s best friend and a second mother to her children.”
Chalice inhaled deeply, raising her eyes to the ceiling, then nodded in understanding. She knew why something like that would be kept silent. Jeremiah read her body language and frowned at Ben.
“I don’t follow,” he said.
“You understand, don’t you Chalice?” Ben asked.
She nodded, sighing. “It’s taboo, Jeremiah. The Terravail and the Naeon do not intermarry. They’re not allowed to.”
Jeremiah’s face froze. He looked as if someone had just punched him. His voice was quiet and thoughtful when he said: “Oh, I didn’t know that.”
He knows, she thought. Now he understan
ds.
“Yes, well,” Ben continued. “The people weren’t happy when he married Alaenia and kept silent about it, but they still loved him. He was … he is the best king the Realm has ever had. The only fault or weakness he had was his trust in people, and in particular, his trust in someone he considered to be his best friend.”
“Dar’Maalda,” Chalice growled. Anger filled her as she logically pieced it together.
“Exactly. Ever since the Haeliad, the people of the Maaldanese islands have been at odds with the people of the Realm. They have always considered themselves separate, not taking part in any treaties or trade agreements. It evolved this way due largely to the geography of Naeo’Gaea and the separation of the islands off the west coast from the Realm. Duquaine befriended Dar Maalda, the leader of the Maaldanese, in hopes of healing that break between the two societies. As you know, it didn’t work. It has been the only thing he ever failed at. The only bad decision he has ever made. Unfortunately, it was a critical mistake. Dar’Maalda betrayed him and seized power. Ever since the night of the coup, Duquaine has been missing.”
“And Alaenia? My mother, I assume.”
Ben nodded. “Yes. She was out of the palace with her guard that night, visiting the town folk. She did that frequently. She liked to get out of the palace to be among the people. A palace servant came running to inform her of what had happened. She had no choice but to flee the city. So, she traveled to Canton, her home village, where she had grown up. She lived with a good friend of hers, Marie Bierna.
Chalice turned to Jeremiah. “Do you remember Marie, Jeremiah? We used to go to her cafe.”
Jeremiah nodded. He was holding his head down, staring at the ground. He was thinking and his expression was sullen.
“Yes, she did have a cafe there, didn’t she?” Ben said. “Anyhow, Alaenia kept to herself, hidden, rarely going outside, in order to protect your grandparents and her friends in the village. Even though she wanted to return to Ielieria to find the children, she knew that Dar’Maalda would send men looking for her. At the time, she didn’t know she was with child … you. When she realized she was going to have a baby, she stayed with Marie until you were born. Dar’Maalda eventually did order a search, but his men didn’t find her in the village, so they moved on. After you were born, she had Marie contact me. When I arrived in Canton, she showed me your birthmark.”
“Is that how you know all of this? My mother told you?” She was still wondering about Ben. Who is he really? Why would my mother contact him?
“Yes, she told me everything she knew. I then left Canton to visit Nathaniel, who confirmed that the last child of the Delphaline had been born.”
“Why didn’t my mother stay with me in Canton?” She had always wondered why she was left with her grandparents, not that she ever regretted living with them, she loved her grandparents, but she had always been afraid that her parents hadn’t wanted her. For that reason, ironically, she also wanted to avoid the question. What if they didn’t want me? she thought. She knew he would eventually get to the subject and it was better that she brought it up first. Jeremiah looked up at Ben, listening intently.
“Well, I encouraged your mother to remain hidden with her baby because of the war raging at the time. Everyone did. The Realm was a turbulent and violent place. Many died. I assured her that we had people looking for the King and the children, but she insisted on leaving you with your grandparents and returning to Ielieria. With Sebastian and Naelli, she knew you would be safe from Dar’Maalda’s reach, especially since you were a secret. I think she believed that staying with you would put you in danger. She struggled with the decision. It is not easy for a mother to leave her child behind. After she left, she was never seen again.”
Jeremiah turned to look at Chalice with a soft expression and her throat tightened. She stared down at the floor. A torrent of mixed emotions stormed inside her. All her life she wanted to know about her parents and who she was, and now, she didn’t want to know. She wanted to return to the past, to her life in Canton when the four of them were kids, sitting on the banks of the Créonar, eating sandwiches in their swimsuits. Life was so simple back then. All the same, she was happy that she hadn’t been unwanted. It was quite the opposite. Her mother had left her to protect her. It seemed logical that since she had never known her mother, it shouldn’t matter to her. But it did. Logic knew nothing of human emotion. It could tell you nothing about your heart. She wished she could have known her mother. There was a lump in her throat and tears wanted to push through her cool outward composure, especially when Jeremiah put his arm around her. She fought the tears off furiously, with a rage against Dar’Maalda that was starting to build inside her. She would not let them come. Finally, in a gruff voice, she managed to choke out the question that she’d been waiting to ask.
“What kind of person was she?”
“She was the kindest, most selfless person I have ever known. She was always pleasant to be around and could find the best in every person she met, even in Dar’Maalda, and that’s hard to do,” he said pointedly over his pipe, raising one eyebrow. He reminded her a little of Papa. “Nobody disliked Alaenia. Everybody loved her.”
He paused to study the expression on Chalice’s face. “Do not feel badly, Chalice. She is probably still alive. It is more than likely, I would say. It is law for the Terravail, when they come of age, to swear an oath to the Ielierian. Part of that oath requires them to protect the royal family. This is how we know that your family has to be alive. If Dar’Maalda had killed any one them directly, he would be dead.”
“How do you know that?”
“It has to do with Terravailian power. It’s long and complicated. I will teach you more about it later.”
She nodded. Her torrent of anger was calming. “I have siblings then?”
“Yes, you have two living half sisters. The oldest is Miaela. The other is Shanira. They are a few years older than you. They were just children when you were born. You also have a half brother, or I should say you would have had a half brother, but he died before you were born. His name was Braywin. He was the oldest of the three. He had just come of age and was studying something very dangerous during his training. I don’t know what it was, and Alaenia didn’t know either, but it is what killed him. It was his death that set off the series of events that led to where we are now.”
Jeremiah removed his arm from Chalice’s shoulders and sat forward on the settee, staring at Ben. “What do you mean?”
“Miria was devastated by her son’s death. She wanted to know what killed him. To her detriment, she found out. Alaenia tried to stop her, but Miria was mad with grief. She had to know.” Ben paused and shook his head, looking down at his pipe and sighing deeply. “Duquaine was always a strong man, but the death of his only son and then of his wife just shortly afterward was more than he could bear. He renounced his daieoden and shelved it in a secret place. He didn’t want to have anything to do with it after that, or his ability. Then, he married Alaenia, a Naeon.”
“What is a daieoden?” Chalice asked curiously.
“A Terravailian’s daieoden is a crystal that he or she wears at all times. The daieoden are the stones through which the Terravail get their abilities. Without them, they cannot use their power.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Jeremiah said. “Renouncing it would have left Duquaine extremely vulnerable. That’s how Dar’Maalda was able to seize control, wasn’t it?”
“Precisely.”
“And then he married Chalice’s mother. Is that the reason why those who had been loyal to the Ielierian sided with Dar’Maalda during the battle with Davinthore? Because they didn’t like the marriage between Duquaine and Alaenia?”
“Yes … and no. By renouncing his power and marrying Alaenia, Duquaine broke an unwritten rule. The people didn’t like it, but they were still loyal to him. They revered h
im. But when he disappeared and Dar’Maalda challenged the King’s younger brother in battle, Davinthore’s blunders caused many to lose faith in the Ielierian. I’m sure Dar’Maalda played into it as well, using propaganda against the royal family. The Strelzi, the King’s bowmen, were the only ones who kept the faith. They were close to Duque, as they called him, and never broke their fealty.”
“What do you think of Davinthore?” Jeremiah asked.
Sadness shadowed Ben’s face. “He was always weaker than Duquaine, both physically and mentally. But knowing him personally, I am puzzled, and for many reasons saddened at the outcome of the battle. His choice to go on living with the humiliation of defeat is even more puzzling. There is something not quite right about it. His only flaw was that he wasn’t very strong-minded, but his heart and his loyalty to the Realm were always in the right place. The mistakes he made during the battle confused everyone. Like Theodore, he was an excellent battle leader and together, they could have easily defeated Dar’Draaqua and his men, regardless of their strength. It’s been years and I haven’t been able to contact him in Avielia.”
A thought struck Chalice. Theodore? She remembered what Jeremiah had told her. Theodore Darren. That’s right, he was the battle leader. And yet Ben was talking about Theodore Darren as if he knew him.
“Who is Dar’Draaqua?” she asked.
It was Jeremiah this time who answered. “Vlaadren Dar’Draaqua, the leader of the Draaquans. They call him Vlaad. We saw him, Chalice, the morning we left Branbury. You wanted to fight him, remember?”
“Oh yeah, I remember that.”
Ben’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t! Vlaad comes from the island of Draaqua, one of the larger Maaldanese islands, and he is Dar’Maalda’s right hand man. Nothing gets done without Vlaad knowing about it. The Draaquans follow Vlaad, which is why he is so important to Dar’Maalda. They are not just fighters like the Cantonese. They are a cult of killers, trained practically from birth.”
Kirna and Tycho, who had been silent this whole time, looked at each other with gaping eyes. They knew exactly who the Draaquans were.
“And you wanted to fight them, Chalice?!” Kirna asked incredulously.
Chalice shrugged. “I didn’t know who they were.”
Ben puffed his pipe. “Before Dar’Maalda seized power, no one in the Realm did either. It wasn’t until shortly after that, that they showed themselves. Around the same time, Canton became a fighting village. They were smart enough to know that the Realm was going to change drastically, so they began to train themselves and their young. Today, they are tough and skilled fighters, but they are no match for the Draaquans who possess Terravailian power. In the past, the Draaquans have killed many people. During the battle, they played a major role in the betrayal of the Ielierian.”
Chalice could feel the anger brewing inside her. She shook her head in exasperation. “So, my family was betrayed by their own people?!”
“Believe me, those who defected back then woefully regret it now. They had no idea what kind of person Dar’Maalda is. He is ruthless and cruel. The Realm now is a different world than it was under Duquaine. Once, a person could travel unmolested from one end to the other. That is not so anymore.” He examined his pipe again as regret shadowed his face.
“You know, I’m wondering why the Terravail and the Naeon are not allowed to marry,” Jeremiah said, still dwelling on the subject.
Ben looked up from his pipe. “Well, officially they could, but traditionally they never have. Originally, I believe it was because the Terravail and the Naeon were not interested in it. Later on, it developed into an unspoken, unwritten law that came to be called the Covenant and marriage between the races became taboo. For that reason, it is very rare to find a mixed couple. It happens maybe once in several hundred years, but even then, those unions rarely produce children.”
“Why not?” Jeremiah asked, frowning.
“Because of the nature of the two people. They are both human, but they are vastly different from each other and it has everything to do with Terravailian ability. Because of it, there is a huge gap between the two worlds, not just geographically, but also culturally. They live very different lives. If you have ever been to a city on the west coast, you will see how different it is from the Naeonic villages of the east.”
All of a sudden, a memory came back to Chalice. An image of white towers with golden spires gleaming in the sunlight formed in her mind. Papa had taken her to Ielieria once when she was five. From the fragments of the memory, the city was very different in every way possible.
“Also, because of their power, the Terravail have sustained a higher socioeconomic position in the Realm. I’m not implying that it’s right or just because I know there is prejudice on both sides. What I am saying is that it naturally evolved this way. If a Terravailian chooses to marry a Naeon, he or she has to renounce their position, along with their ability, and move to the east. The problem is, because of their nature, the Terravailian will always be pulled back. For reasons I will teach you later, they cannot live without their daieoden.”
“Can’t the couple live in the west then? Alaenia did.”
Ben shook his head. “For a Naeon, it is very difficult, almost impossible, to live in the west. Alaenia was a rare case because of Miria. Miria was born in Canton to the Biernas, a Naeonic family.”
“She was Marie’s sister?” Chalice asked.
He nodded. “Yes, her twin sister, in fact. Alaenia and Miria were childhood friends. Miria first started showing Terravailian signs when she was young. That can happen. It is also another thing that is very rare, especially if one has a twin that does not. She met Duquaine when she started her training. They fell in love and married. Back then, he was the Duque of Quaine, or more properly, of Iel Quaine. That is where he gets his name.”
That stirred a memory in Chalice. “The Duque of the Gate? There it is again, Jeremiah! The gate.” That word kept cropping up. She wanted to know why.
Ben quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “Sebastian taught you Angaulic?”
“Yeah. Show him your father’s note, Jeremiah.” Jeremiah removed the notebook from his bag and read it slowly to them. Then, he handed it to Ben.
“So they escaped. Good,” Ben said, reading the note silently in his hand.
“He tells me I’m supposed to send the message to someone, but I don’t know who.”
“Don’t worry, you have just done it.”
“It was you, then?” Jeremiah asked and Ben nodded.
“Ben, what is the gate?” Chalice asked.
“The gate is the entrance to Portalis, the portal city to the underground and the Resistance.”
There was a loud, collective gasp throughout the room. Chalice thought that the word Portalis sounded familiar. Where had she heard that before? Sensing their astonishment, Ben’s eyebrows shot up over his pipe.
“You didn’t think we were just going to sit back and let Dar’Maalda take over did you? There is a Resistance and he knows about it.”
“This keeps getting better and better!” Tycho exclaimed, sitting up in his seat. He had taken the ice off of his eye and the injury it had sustained was barely noticeable.
“So the underground cities still exist then!” Chalice said. “I knew it! I knew Papa wasn’t telling me the truth. He said that he didn’t know when I asked him. Where is this gate?”
Ben nodded. “Oh yes, they still exist. They are alive and well, in fact. There is a lot Sebastian didn’t tell you and for good reason. It is the same reason why I can’t tell you where the gate is. If someone were listening in on our conversation, it could be disastrous. I will be able to show you where it is someday, but I can only tell you what you need to know for now. There is information that is so secret, we dare not speak of it above ground. Up here, walls have ears. I am risking enough as it is.”
“Well, wait a minute!” Tycho broke in, apparently ignoring what Ben had just said. “The gate would be located in Quaine. I’m assuming that’s a city somewhere?”
Chalice shook her head. “No, Tyke, it’s not on my map.”
Ben looked keenly at Chalice. “Good observation, Chalice. No, you won’t find it on any map that is in print today. The name of the village was changed a long time ago. Long enough that the people’s memory of it has faded and the location has fallen into obscurity. All this time, it has been kept that way. The Duque of Quaine became a title. Your father held that title when he came of age and like all of his predecessors before him, he did not live there. He oversaw the group of people that protect it. Now, even the title has changed and Duquaine kept the name.”
Concentrating on what he had just said, Chalice realized that something wasn’t adding up. “Wait! If it’s been kept hidden all this time, then there is another reason for the secrecy besides the Resistance.”
Ben cocked his head and studied her again. “Another very good observation! You are a smart young woman, Chalice, but let’s not talk about it until we get to Portalis, alright?” She nodded. She had assumed that that was where he intended to take them.
Kirna and Tycho exploded with enthusiasm. “We’re going there?!”
“Yes, that is the plan. We need to get Jeremiah back to his parents and Chalice needs to begin her training. I think it is necessary for you two to come along as well, for your protection, and because I have taught you too much already. I was hoping to avoid involving you, which is why I didn’t introduce myself right away in the dining room, but when the men attacked, I didn’t have a choice.”
“I’m glad you did involve us,” Kirna said, looking over at her best friend.
“Hold on!” Jeremiah protested. “Chalice and I are going to Chainbridge. Our families were taken there and I’m not going to let my brothers or my friends remain captives.”
They, too, had set out with a plan and he wasn’t willing to change it just because Ben had fallen in with them. He recounted the events of the night Chalice had arrived at the farm and what they had set out to do. After he was done, Tycho sat, gaping in disbelief.
“Umm, let me get this straight,” he said. “You want to travel all the way to Culmanoq to storm a huge fortress, teeming with trained killers who want us all dead, and then just walk out the front door with hundreds of prisoners? Are you crazy?!”
Ben shook his head doubtfully. “You’ll never get past the front gate.” Then, he paused, frowning down at his pipe in thought. “But there might be a way. We can talk about it later. Not here. There is a village a day’s ride northeast of here named Cedarwood. It is on the way to Chainbridge. It is a safer place than Woodrock, with less poverty and crime. Granted, no place above ground is safe, but it will still serve us better. I have friends there.”
Chalice thought about the village and how impoverished it was. “Ben, why is this village so poor? It is the exact opposite of Canton. I’ve never seen a village like this, even through my entire trip to the Trui’Quirré.”
“Because of the taxes,” he replied. “You traveled directly east from Canton didn’t you?” She nodded. “Dar’Maalda has a tendency to tax the Naeon heavily. He is very hard on them. However, the villages in that area of the Realm where you traveled, along with Branbury, produce goods that are valuable to him. As long as they make an annual contribution to him, he leaves them alone. Villages on the other side of the Trui’Quirré, to their relief, are protected by the mountains and rarely see a tax collector. It is too far away from the west, for one thing, and too many have died trying to cross the middle passes.”
Chalice felt a jolt of pride at that. She had done it after all. Ben puffed a ring of smoke and continued: “The coastal villages do, however, receive a less-than-friendly visit every so often from a royal trading vessel, a name of convenience. As you can imagine, they do not visit to trade, just to take. That is why these villages keep a stash of stored goods at all times.”
“Yup,” Jeremiah interrupted. “‘A few bushels a day, keeps the tax collector away.’ That’s a saying in Branbury.”
Ben nodded. “Yes. Anyhow, villages like Woodrock have never been of any particular use to him. Before he came to power, Woodrock was a thriving community of trappers that received frequent visits from the Marchiri who were interested in the fur trade of the east. Over the years, because of taxes, business declined and people began to leave. The ones who have stayed are mostly the poor farmers who have nothing else other than their land, at least for now. Dar’Maalda has given them no mercy, leaving them in abject poverty.” Chalice’s face twisted with a scowl and Ben noticed her expression. “Yes, you are starting to see what kind of a man he is.”
“I can’t wait to free the people at Chainbridge,” she said. “It will be a slap in his face!” The courage she had felt in Bunejab’s village came back to her. It steadied her resolve.
“We’re not there yet,” Ben said, smiling. He was impressed with her spirit. “We will be soon, although I will have to change my original plan. Even the best plans must change if it becomes necessary.”
Jeremiah noticed Bunejab on the bed. It struck him that he had been silent through the entire discussion, not even asking one question.
“You knew about all of this, didn’t you, Bunejab?” Bunejab nodded at Jeremiah with a wide smile. Jeremiah turned to Ben. “How did he know to bring us here? And how did you even know Canton and Branbury were attacked?”
“Did my grandfather send you a pigeon?” Chalice asked as the memory of Papa running to the birdcage flashed in her mind. “It was the last thing I saw him do.”
“Yes. I was on my way to Canton. I was coming to collect you, to begin your training. Once I received the message from Sebastian, I realized that I had to change my course and head toward the Auramont Vale.”
“What did his message say exactly?”
“It said that Dar’Maalda had found out about the prophecy and sent his men to raid the village, looking for you. The village was burning, so Sebastian sent you to Nathaniel’s farm, where he thought you would be safe, I’m sure. Then, Nathaniel would have shown you the book to teach you about your family. In the note, he mentions that he also sent the same message to Nathaniel. Here. You can read it yourself.”
He handed her the letter. She recognized the cursive writing immediately. An emotion stirred inside and she felt the lump in her throat again. Now she understood what Jeremiah must have felt that night he found the letter from his father. Papa’s note read:
He knows. They are here. Do not come. The village is burning. I’m sending the child to Nathaniel in Branbury. He still has the book. Sending him a message as well.
“Can I keep this?” she asked.
“Certainly,” he said, understanding her wish. At the moment, it was the only thing she had of her family. “I sent a letter to Bunejab, asking him to make sure that you arrived and to report back to me. After I received his return message explaining what had occurred in Branbury, I realized that the letter for Nathaniel must have been intercepted. So I sent Bunejab another pigeon telling him to see you safely here and to not reveal anything until I found you. I wanted to make sure that no word of this leaked out or fell upon unsafe ears.”
Chalice shook her head in frustration. “You know, Ben, what is ironic about all of this is that Dar’Maalda isn’t even looking for me.”
Ben arched an eyebrow. “What makes you say that? Of course, he is.”
Jeremiah intervened. “No, she’s right. The morning we saw the Draaquans, Vlaad yelled to one of the men, ‘the Fierian wants him alive.’ They also said they were looking for him when we saw them in the forest. Remember, Chalice?”
“Yeah, I do. Ben, are you sure that Dar’Maalda found out about the prophecy? Maybe he’s looking for someone else.”
Ben puffed his pipe an
d stared at the fire in concentration. “No, it’s almost certainly you,” he said, finally. “From the network of informants we have working in the white palace in Ielieria, we know that he learned about a child of Duquaine and Alaenia in Canton who can defeat him. The fact that he is looking for a young man is interesting. That tells us that he didn’t read the prophecy. He must have heard about it some other way, probably through his spies.”
Chalice looked a question at him and he explained: “He has spies that infiltrate almost every village in the east. He knows that members of the Resistance are hiding here. In any case, it seems he knows that there is a young person who is a threat to him, but he doesn’t know who it is. And Sebastian’s note only says: ‘the child.’ I’m assuming the letter to Nathaniel said the same thing.”
Ben smiled wryly, examining his pipe in thought. “Naturally, he would believe this person a man. In his twisted worldview, only a man could be strong enough. To find out that he is being challenged by a young woman will be the greatest insult to him. We must keep this a secret as well. This can work to our advantage.”
Chalice liked this idea. The less Dar’Maalda knew about her, the better. “Ben,” she said. “Why have you been waiting for me for so long? I’ve been in Canton this whole time. You could have easily come for me a long time ago.”
“No, I could not have. You cannot be trained until you come of age. In the Terravailian world, that is when you turn eighteen. And your training will be different than the others. With you, we will really be testing our knowledge of Terravailian power. You are eighteen now, I presume.”
“Yes, but unlike what you said about Queen Miria, I haven’t shown any signs of possessing special powers. I would know, wouldn’t I? And I certainly don’t have a daieoden. So, I must not be Terravailian, only Naeon, like my mother.”
Chalice was still trying to find a way around it. She didn’t want to accept her place in the Terravailian world. By this time, Jeremiah had risen to stretch his legs and was standing by the window. He stared out of it silently and she wondered what he was thinking.
Ben shook his head. “You were raised as a Naeon, Chalice, but you do not yet know what it means to be Terravailian. The fact is that you are both. That is what your prophecy means: ‘Born of the blood by one half.’ You are the only known mixed-blood that is alive today, probably the only one that has ever lived. Can you imagine what kind of reaction that might elicit from the people? So you can see why I’ve waited this long to come for you and why we have kept you a secret. Not just because of who you are, but also because of what you are. You are the Raie’Chaelia, the True Princess of Ielieria, and the only known Terravailian-Naeon to exist. It is a fact. At some point, you will have to accept it.”
Finally, she sighed and nodded.
“This is so cool! My best friend is a princess!” Kirna exclaimed.
“No. It’s not, Kirna. I don’t want to be a Terravailian Princess.”
“Why not?”
Chalice flitted a glance out of the corner of her eye at Jeremiah. He was still at the window. Looking down at the Delphaline in her lap, she fingered the symbols etched into its brown leather cover.
“Because,” she said quietly. “Just because.”
“You can choose, Chalice,” Ben said, noticing her reluctance. “You can choose not to fulfill your prophecy. If you want, you can walk away from it. It is written in the Delphaline.” At this, Jeremiah turned away from the window and listened sharply.
“Yeah, I know, the freedom to choose,” Chalice said. Kirna looked confused and Chalice showed her the small passage at the beginning of the book.
“You know,” Ben continued, “there have been those who have chosen another path and events of the world still progressed in the proper direction without them, or at least, we assume. We can never know what would have happened.”
And that was it. She knew. Really, she had known since Branbury. She had to choose. It was a choice between the love of her life and her duty to the people. How heartbreaking life could be. It was almost a cruel joke. She stared at the floor in thought.
“It’s a hard decision to make, I know,” Ben said, mistaking her melancholy. “The passage doesn’t say that you will live through it, only that you will find and return your father. So, I will give you time to think about it. Maybe it is a good thing that we are going to Chainbridge. There, you will be able to see firsthand what you are facing.”
He paused to stare at her for a moment. “If you do choose your prophecy, then we can begin your training.” He stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Think on it.” Then, he turned to the others. “We have an early start tomorrow. So I think it is time to retire for the night. Kirna, Tycho, I want you two to meet us at dawn at the inn’s stable, saddled and ready to go.” They stood up and nodded. “And be sure to speak of this to no one! Do not tell your cousin why you are leaving or who you are leaving with. I say that for his protection. The less he knows, the better. Remember, there are spies everywhere. Take care riding back to the farm tonight.”
“Alright,” Kirna replied.
Tycho turned to Chalice. “Well, good night there, child of prophecy,” he quipped. Chalice rose from her seat to hug him and Kirna goodbye. Kirna took Chalice’s face in her hands.
“You are a brave woman!”
Chalice smiled at her. Regardless of everything they had learned that evening, it was comforting to have her best friends with her. They gave her strength. She hugged her friends and they left.
“Bunejab will stay with me tonight,” Ben said. “We’ll see you two in the morning.”
“He is coming with us?” Jeremiah asked.
“Oh yes. He has accompanied me on many journeys. We will need him on ours.” Ben turned to Chalice. “It in is an honor to finally meet you, Chalice. It has been a long time.”
“The honor is mine,” she said and smiled. “And thank you. I forgot to thank you for helping us downstairs in the dining room.”
“Don’t mention it,” he replied. Then, Chalice and Jeremiah collected their things and left.
The walk back to their room was silent. Jeremiah was still sullen. When they entered, Chalice removed her bed garments from her bag on the small table next to her bed and went into the washroom, shutting the door softly.
Jeremiah dressed quickly into his nightclothes. Placing his bag under his bed, he thought about the moonbow and the shooting star they had seen that night on the mountain. He also thought about the wish he had made.
Careful what you wish for, he told himself and found that he was staring out the window again.
Chalice came out of the washroom and joined him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.
She didn’t have to ask him what he meant. She knew. “I didn’t think it applied to me.” It was a lie, but what else was she going to tell him? That she had been lying to herself?
“I know what you will choose, Chalice. I know you.”
She gazed at him, unable to ease his pain, unable to reassure him that he was wrong.
“I don’t care about the law,” he said softly. “I will never leave you.”
She reached up to stroke his cheek and he lowered his head, peering into her eyes. Suddenly, a dark movement from outside the window caught her eye. She could see two figures in the shadows made by the window light of the tavern.
“Jeremiah, look.” They watched as a cloaked man and a woman dismounted their horses next to the stream to allow their animals a drink. After a minute, they led them around to the front of the inn. “Who would be arriving here this late?”
“I don’t know. Should we tell Ben?”
“No. I don’t see how anyone would know we were here. Not this soon.”
“You’re probably right.” He shrugged. “We better get to bed. We don’t have much time to rest tonight.
Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she replied, sliding into her bed. She stared up at the dark ceiling. Her mind would not shut down. Her thoughts and emotions roiled over one another. The decision she had to make stewed in her gut, though she had already known what she would decide the moment she accepted who she was. Jeremiah was right. He knew her. Finally, the turbulence inside her abated and she fell asleep.