"Time´s End (Chapter 4- new)" by Nicoline Badenhorst

The fresh air had eased her troubled heart, but did not blow away her regrets or her troubles. What had gotten into her? Her mind told her in no uncertain terms that what she had done and was planning to do was folly, but somehow- by no reasoning she could remember, she must have come to the conclusion that this was the right thing to do. A small voice told her that it was, and another opposed it vehemently. The war in her head went on. None the less, when Lanouri returned to the castle, she was ready to face Arlon, Tyleen, her grandmother and her mother.

For long moments, they sat opposite each other, avoiding each other’s eyes by focusing on dinner instead. Lanouri risked short, furtive glances at Tyleen, trying to glean hidden information of her childhood friend. She barely counted twenty-three summers, yet she felt aged by her memories of another life- Tyleen had been a friend, now she was distant, wary of intimacy. Who had she become? Lanouri’s searching eyes could not guess at the events that had marked her friend one of the enemy’s so quickly. Four years... Four years, and before they had almost been Siamese twins!

 “If the governess assents, I shall remain at the Castle until the princess has returned successfully from her mission.” Arlon announced, interrupting Lanouri’s pensive mood.

Before Adalia could reply, Lanouri spoke up. “My mission will most assuredly take a copious amount of time, time in which the Master will sorely miss the counsel of his assistant.”

 “However kind it is that you concern yourself about my Master, I can assure you that I possess the means to communicate with my Master across long distances. My physical attendance at his side is not necessary, and His wish is it to be closely informed of progress.”

 “Well then,” Lanouri grimaced at her own words, “I would suggest you accompany us in this quest, seeing that it is you who hold the greatest gain in this.” To her surprise, Arlon clambered up and bowed to her.

 “As you wish, your highness.”

 “I shall accompany my tutor, for the simple reason that my help might be needed,” Tyleen announced, levelly and with an authority that dared objection.

Iand had followed the discourse with interest. Calmly, he addressed the governess, “If you would not mind, then I would like to accompany this outing as well. I feel I could learn much of your culture and history, especially with such a charming historian as Lanouri to explain everything at leisure.”

Slightly surprised, Adalia replied: “Have you grasped the purpose of this mission?”

Misunderstanding, Iand quickly interposed: “I will simply observe. I am under the impression that the task at hand is to retrieve a relic.”

 “Well, why not?” Lanouri sighed, “Let’s make this a tourist event. After all, there’s no guarantee that we find anything at all. We might just as well profit from fresh air and a companionable, non-committant get-together. The more the merrier.”

 “Lanouri! Do excuse my daughter. At times, she overdoes things a little. I’m sure there’s no argument against your going along- Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to help, bring in a few unconventional ideas.” For the first time, full attention turned towards Aureola, a pale, tall woman with dark rings under her eyes and the dark charm of a night rose.

Iand nodded. “No offence taken. I have felt at the beginning of this journey already that it is much to ask of whomever we were destined to meet to take in complete strangers, from an unknown country, lacking the accustomed culture, with the mysterious, maybe only ostentatious agenda of learning.”

Lanouri sighed. “No. I have to excuse myself. I must admit I am loath to take more responsibility than necessary and would prefer if you rested in the safety of the castle, but if you are willing to bring on to yourself unbeknownst dangers by accompanying us, who am I to refuse?”

 “If everyone else goes, then there’s no reason why I can’t come too,” Mae interjected cheerfully, “I’ve been wanting to see the backlands ever since Lanouri showed me a picture.”

 “No, Mae, that’s out of the question!” Lanouri objected.

 “Why not? I can take care of myself just as well as anyone else!”

 “If you wish, I can put my personal servant at your disposition, Mae,” Tyleen proffered, “since we shall be taking them along in any case. Then you’ll have someone to help you where needed, and there really is no reason why you should not be able to join us.”

 “That really is very kind of you, Tyleen,” Aureola commented.

 “That said, I believe it is time for us all to make an early retirement. Aureola, when does your watch start? Lanouri, you need rest if you’re going to be of any use tomorrow. Off now, all of you.” Adalia artfully cut off the wave of heated objections that was about to stream from all sides.

As they exited, Arlon approached Rydenhall discreetly. “I shall make arrangements for my retinue to return to the Temples. How would you like to ask your... colleagues if one or two might want to see a... more refined culture?”

 “We’d gladly accept,” Rydenhall replied. He was intrigued with this man, seeming so akin to the Sictem in so many ways.

 “Then I’ll approach you with the details later on.” Arlon strode off in the direction of his quarters.

* * *

After this incident, Lanouri took care to avoid anyone who could approach her with more unreasonable requests concerning the journey to dig up something she felt was better left buried. Instead, she took her sweet time preparing everything with pedantic attention to detail. The factual preparations for the journey, such as foodstuffs, whether or not to take horses and the like took up much too little time, so that, after only two days, Lanouri faced the trouble of their destination. She had, of course, travelled the Marin lands extensively a few years back as part of the general education all Marin received. The gypsies received quite a tidy remuneration for the tourist services they provided. However, she had only ever seen the bigger settlements where the gypsies traded, never any “sights” or remote mysterious temples and so she had no idea where to look.

No one knew exactly what and, more importantly, where the Cask of Ashathorin was. Although nosy about all other aspects of history, Lanouri had taken extreme care to avoid any subject nearing any decision of the first, greatest queen, so she only knew the story in outline. Some things were better left unquestioned, mystified, free of the inquisitiveness and detail of histories compiled by lesser people.

Such were her thoughts as she shuffled gloomily and with little zeal into the library. The librarian looked up in surprise. This was the first time he had seen her in such a bad mood, for as far as he knew, she loved the library and archives ardently, and would never have dreamed of giving up her job in favour of something less dusty. Before, her mood had always cleared up as soon as she had escaped into the world of history. There was only one other thing that made her as happy, and that was nickering, impatient for the action she scented on the air, in the stables.

 “I don’t suppose you have anything on the Cask of Ashathorin?” she sighed, weary with a mental strain she could not entirely explain.

 “Rumour travels fast. I’ve heard you’re about to set out with that stranger and the priestess to find certain insanity trying to do the impossible tasks Ashathorin wisely set those foolish enough to seek power.”

 “You have a way of putting things that makes a poor questing heart leap with joy.”

 “Well then, I might have something that’ll cheer you up some. I’ve found a copy of the riddle that’s supposed to be engraved on the cask’s entrance.”

 “I suppose then that I have to look at it, don’t I?”

 For the second time in a few minutes, the librarian was surprised. “I thought you’d offered to go in search of this amulet-thing?”

 “That I offered to do it doesn’t mean I actually want to do it. I think it’s best to leave things where there have been put, especially when they’ve been put there for a reason by people wiser than I am. But if this hideously insane thing has to be done, better I watch over it.”

 “Well, I’m afraid now that you know there’s this riddle you’ll have to take a look at it. But don’t worry, it’s in old Marin- hideously difficult to understand and full of catches.”

 “Sorry to pry, but have I heard correctly that there is a riddle concerning our quest’s destination?” Iand came out from behind a shelf of books about the culture of Marin. Lanouri snatched the piece of paper out of the librarian’s hand.

 “If you don’t mind, this was a private discussion. Rest assured that I’ll provide you with all necessary information as soon as I am certain of its validity.”

Iand only shrugged and returned to his scrutiny of the volumes. The librarian merely nodded. Everybody knew how jealous Lanouri was about what she considered her documents.

* * *

Once back in her quarters, Lanouri slumped down on the nearest cushion, stared into nothingness for a few moments, sighed and took out the neatly folded piece of paper. She unfurled it even more slowly than she had walked up to her rooms. Finally, there was nothing left to do but look at it.

Be warned, if thou dost dare to cross this holy edge

Be warned, for here those have lived and died that mortals dread

Be warned, t'is not the place where mortals tread.

Hold thy balance- find the blood of those that shall not bleed

Hold thy balance- find the page yet unborne by its maker's need

Hold thy balance- find the spectre of thy own desire.

In desperation, die and find the phantom's gift of death

In desperation, die and find the truthful tears of my last queen

In desperation, die and find the sprite of gods' real gift.

Be lured into oblivion by Siren's voice in song

Be lured into oblivion by rainbow jewel's endless night

Be lured into oblivion by the soul of that which cannot be.

Rise up, and find the Phoenix's quill that does not burn its holder's hand

Rise up, and find the fifth where four are not enough for might

Rise up, and find the core of that which thou dost lack unknowingly.

Seeker, be guided by thy heart, seeker, be guided by thy dreams.

Only those in need may gain, only those that deserve shall win.

She stared at the scrap of paper, reread it several times and finally burst out in a fit of laughter bordering on madness. This was better than she could have imagined! Now let’s see what you make of this, Arlon! she thought with no little satisfaction.

Now, with this in hand, she had the weapon to stall even the most persistent, the most winning amongst her adversaries, triumphant in her knowledge that the Cask of Danger was safe from their vile, greedy grasp. Yet she could not contain a little, urgent voice in the back of her mind that urged her to feel the opposite. Her intellect told her in no uncertain terms that there lay only bitter tears in the breaching of the Cask, but her heart told her she needed to find that Cask, break it, and steal the amulet out of its heart.

* * *

For the very first time, Arlon was speechless. He stared in turn at the paper in his hand, then at Lanouri, Adalia and Tyleen. Finally, he got a grip on himself. He frowned; Lanouri could almost see his thoughts racing each other behind his forehead.

“This can’t be right-” He reread the riddle for the fifth time since Lanouri had ambled up to him and pressed it wordlessly into his hand. “You must have made this up to thwart me!”

“Now you wrong me.” Lanouri answered levelly. “This is an authentic reproduction of the insignia at the entrance of the Cask. What you make of it is your own business.”

“No. Lanouri, without your help, we shall fail. You have to help us.” Tyleen’s desert-sky blue eyes fixed imploringly on Lanouri. Lanouri tried to withstand the gaze, tell them solve their problems on their own, but failed miserably. She’d never been able to say no to Tyleen. That she dared ask her this! She, of all people! Somewhere in the back of her head, a voice repeated a command the words of which she could not quite identify. She gave up fighting against it. And remembered. She stiffened, eyes widening, and snatched the riddle out of Arlon’s hand, fleeing the hall.

Adalia’s eyes narrowed with a sudden, disturbing thought. Her granddaughter had always laid the greatest value on etiquette and control of emotion- doubtlessly a result of the harsh discipline her parents had subjected her to. Why did she misbehave so badly now? “Aureola, I’d take kindly to you having a word with your daughter in the near future. Her behaviour is inexcusable.”

Aureola nodded. At the sight of Lanouri’s most recent escapade, her pale cheeks had coloured with anger. “She must not think that we shall excuse her conduct under any circumstances. A princess has duties, and she must never forget hers. I feel a lesson is in order,” she stated, looking at the council for approval. She fancied herself never to have been lenient on her youngest daughter merely because of her... illness. Rather, she had always encouraged her to look past this... deficiency. True, she would never have believed that this most unlikely of all of her offspring would one day be the heiress. Nonetheless, it had happened as no-one would have dared foresee, and now there was nothing but to make do with the inferior material.

* * *

Iand had spent all his waking hours with exploring the castle in its myriad of secrets, the Marin language in its astonishingly complex simplicity and the history and culture of Marin in its rich and tragic variants. Now that he had mastered the language, he took interest in the council meetings- open and accessible to the public by means of galleries that looked down on the council hall. Though the citizens had no voice to object, he had found that they took rather more interest in the council decisions than in his home country, and everyone regularly made use of the galleries to listen in on the discussions of Marin politics. Every fifth day, the governess held a court day, listening to the complaints and charges of the citizens- astonishingly few, given the number of inhabitants. Adalia was very accessible, and took pains to explain the system to him.

“The Marin are taught from an early age onwards to solve their own problems. The council has too much to do to arbitrate on every little dispute, so there is a standard procedure to follow before it comes before the council and me. As you can undoubtedly appreciate, I do not like to be bothered with petty problems. However, we do recognize the need for counsel and higher judgement in exceptional cases. But do not think that the voice of the people matters not to us- each and every councillor stands regularly for approval by the citizens- including me. We cannot afford not to listen to the people’s complaints, because they’d simply put another in our place.”

So, on this day, he had been in the galleries again, listening to the conversation on politics between the council and Arlon, who had taken the opportunity to discuss a trade proposal that he had been planning with his Master when Lanouri entered. At first, she had held herself in the background, content to merely watch the goings-on.

 In a pause, she had then approached Arlon with a smile that forebode nothing well. And now this! He didn’t know what to think. Normally, Lanouri was cool, withdrawn, unperturbed, at least in his presence. She’d never transgress any kind of rule, so he was at a loss to explain to himself this change in behaviour.

He didn’t exactly know why he had decided to follow Lanouri in the first place. He didn’t know what drew him to this girl- certainly not any bodily attraction, for there was nothing attractive about her. She was intelligent, yes, and educated. She was easy to talk to about any subject, true, but so were all the other Marin he had met thus far. Yet he somehow felt there was some kind of knowledge she –they all- withheld from him, and that he could not stand. He had not gone on this strenuous journey in order to be told that he was not allowed to know everything he wanted. All his life, he’d been searching for something- not that he wasn’t content with his life. Umanatan provided for everything he could wish for, he felt sheltered and safe within His all-enveloping darkness. And yet... Iand has always felt restless, as though there was some vital point he was missing out on.

And here he was, as close to this secret as never before... Maybe that was it! He must have followed her because, on a subconscious level, he had felt that she was the key, that she had the answer. And now she was leading him to it!

At first, Iand had feared she would ride, but instead Lanouri had taken a little used, narrow and steep path into a part of the forest even more threatening to the desert-dwelling guests than usual. Even Iand, who had trained himself to objectivity, had qualms upon entering this part after the girl, into the dark recesses of a forest older than mankind itself. To Iand, the trees seemed full of a strange essence of life: full of the menace of savage animals, yet at the same time gentle giants covering for the frail.

Where would a girl like Lanouri go if in emotional turmoil? Iand followed at a safe distance, feeling only slightly guilty at intruding in another’s privacy –after all, she was leading him to the Secret that had been meant for him all along-, as she hurried deeper and deeper into the forest, trees tall enough to swallow all light, old enough to have seen the beginning of mankind themselves. Finally, at a time when Iand had almost decided to turn back for fear of suffocation, they reached a clearing. The afternoon light struck his eyes almost blindingly intense, so that at first, he did not see the solitary figure in the middle of the clearing. He blinked away the tears that the light had stung into his eyes, yet the figure did not lose any of its ethereal quality. Rather, it continued to flicker and revolve like a projection of one of the older three-D projectors. Involuntarily, he cast a look around, expecting a dusty old machine huddling in the shadows, casting the figure into their faces. He didn’t find it.

* * *

Lanouri had sunk down at the feet of the figure, apparently trying to find comfort in the presence of a picture. Well, he had seen stranger things in his lifetime. A strange song spiralled out from the huddled girl, out into the deathly quiet woods. A song that told of pain only, at first, pain greater than any mortal should have to bear. The harmonies came out in half-sobs of agony, asking wordlessly ‘Why? Why me?’ again and again, until Iand felt compelled to step out from behind his trees, but for some reason, he did not. Instead, something inexplicable happened: The three-D picture of a woman manifested, stooped and gathered the girl at her feet into her arms, crooning understandingly into her ears until the invocation became clearer, less troubled. Still carrying an undertone of distress, the song now turned to the reason behind the trouble. Words that ought to have been unfamiliar to Iand wove a tale of a sister –or maybe a friend- betraying, then coming back to demand the rights due to her. The need to go against conviction, to find something that did not want to be found, the question if it could be allowed. A single, clear answer that broke the girl’s song. The figure abruptly lost its materiality, let go of the limp figure in its arms and revolved anew with serene detachment.

What Lanouri did next came as a surprise to Iand. He had surmised that she could be emotional, but not to this extent. “Come back, you coward! You can’t just leave me here to ruin all you fought for! Make me stop! You are a fine one to come with laws! Do you want them to kill me for a promise I was forced into? Do you want them to win? You’re giving us all up! You’re giving me up! Do you realise what she did to me?” she shrieked hysterically, “You darned, stupid, nasty coward, you can’t just do that to me! You can’t... I hate you, hate you, hate you!” She broke down in sobs. “You can’t just stop being there for me...”

By and by, she calmed down, until at last, she wiped away the remnants of her tears and, getting up, cast a last, sorrowful glance at the figurine.

Well, now, if ever, was the time to admit he had been prying... Iand stepped out from his hiding place and approached her. She jumped when she saw him, hastily brushing her tear-wetted hair out of her face and trying to hide the evidence of her tears. “Can’t I have peace even for a few minutes?” She glared at him angrily, midnight-blue eyes darkening to smoky grey at once- a trick of the light, he was sure. “What’s it about me that nobody seems able to let me alone...”

“I’m sorry...” He let his voice trail off, uncertain of how to explain away his nosiness.

“Yes, right, you should be! Who do you think you are? Don’t you have any respect for anyone’s privacy? Can’t you just leave me alone? What right do you think you have, following me, spying on me!” Her face softened, as if she didn’t have any strength left for emotion. “Oh, well. What’s done is done. Maybe you’ll consider asking me the next time- or at least warning me!” She sighed, then looked up at him with one of her sad half-smiles.

nd looked around at the clearing for the first time. The late afternoon light struck a certain kind of wild charm into the brush- a creeper draped its tendrils around the base of a tree, striking its single flower into a ray of the sun; not far off he made out the tinkling sounds of a spring. While Lanouri sidled away to wash the remnants of her outbursts away, he ambled up to examine the flower. It had a striking colour- a kind of purple-midnight blue something, with streaks of orange radiating from the stamens into the petals.

“Look, but don’t touch.” Lanouri’s voice right behind him made him jump. “The night rose is poison to the touch- but it’ll make an excellent cure to almost any ailment- except of course plain old age, and it’s the insignium of the vampyre clan. As you can imagine, they’re quite jealous of it.” She nodded towards the path back to the castle. “I’ll tell you more about it on the way back.”

“What’s the vampyre clan?” Iand asked as they retraced their steps. He noticed only now that he didn’t feel the least intimidated by the trees any more. Maybe it was the company of Lanouri. She seemed to have a calming effect on him.

“Vampires are, well, half-human beings with elongated canine teeth for the sucking of blood. The vampyre clan is one such family of vampires.”

“Yuck.”

“Only until you get used to the thought,” she smiled, and this time, it lighted her eyes, making the smoky grey seem more translucent. “After all, there isn’t as much about it as common folklore makes of it- they say the vampires suck to kill and that they are evil, all the nonsense you get with uneducated people.  Luckily, there are the Marin to prevent further harm.”

“I know what vampires are- after all, I suppose every culture has a similar credo of myths, but that’s all there is to it. It’s nothing more than the expression of fear of a painful death.”

Lanouri smiled wryly. “So you don’t believe at all in magic and magical things?”

They had arrived at the castle gate- since it was dusk already, the gates had already been locked and they had to knock, but were let in immediately- though not without a stupid comment that Lanouri gave back in kind.

“Only to the extent that it has been proven,” Iand took up the conversation as they ambled to the hall for dinner, “It has been proven that the belief in something can make it happen, at least to the percipient’s eyes, but the magical token carries no power at all. Every phenomenon common folklore has marked as supernatural has an explanation that conforms with all physical laws.”

“Who says the supernatural doesn’t have its own ‘physical laws’? Who says you’ve found and pinned down every natural law there is, and formulated it correctly?”

“Lanouri, human beings, or even semi-human beings are not made, not able to live off blood only. Maybe the tale stems from occult practices of drinking sacrificial blood, but there is no way that vampires can really exist. There is just no biological way that horses can sprout wings and fly away, no reptile in the world could possibly spout fire from its snout. There are a thousand more examples of the impossible-”

“Ah, an excellent cue! This leads me directly to my own topic.” Arlon stepped out from behind a curtain.

“Today everybody seems to have taken to the old game of hide and seek. Didn’t your mom teach you it’s rude to listen in on other people’s discussion? Mine certainly did.” There was an uncommonly sharp sting in Lanouri’s voice that made her choice of words seem almost rude itself.

“I have conferred with my Master. Both he and I have, as you might be aware of, a certain amount of knowledge of the topic of the sacred lands and the history thereof. We believe we might have found the place where the Cask of Ashathorin is situated.”

“By all means, go on talking, I know you can’t resist the sound of your own voice, but if you don’t mind, we’ll continue our own conversation- it has significantly more content than your chitchat has. But while you’re at it, I’m sure you can solve the rest of the riddles too. Don’t worry, I won’t give you any spoilers, I wouldn’t be so mean and blight your fun.” Lanouri smiled evilly.

 “Do you mean you actually solved the riddle?” Arlon gasped, incredulous.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It is not meant to be solved in an afternoon. But I, unlike you, consider more than one source of information. I know where to start, and it’s not by going on a sight-seeing tour to the Cask, so if you would please leave the planning to me. After all, it is you who forced me to help you, so do yourself a favour and trust a bit in your own judgement- or was there just nobody better than me that you could train your little beloved priestess on?” Her voice was bitter like wild almonds.

When Arlon had marched away and he felt safe again, Iand asked: “What was this about?”

“Nothing that you need concern yourself with. Just drop it, right?”

 Iand merely shrugged, keeping his face carefully blank, though internally he boiled with rage. How could she dare keep a secret from him? Everything was vitally important to the uncovering of the Secret. She was intentionally hindering him in his quest!