David Zindell - The Lightstone

Kane seemed to forget himself for a moment and laid his hand gently upon Alphanderry's head. 'So, the Baron was certainly Kallimun.'

'A priest, then?' I said. 'But when he served the wine, I was sure he wanted to celebrate with me.'

'The priest hide well, don't they? Especially beneath their own emotions. Celebrate, ha! He wanted to celebrate your death.'

As if troubled by his own tenderness. Kane suddenly snapped his hand away from Alphanderry's head and stared at me.

'And now,' I said to him, 'you celebrate his.' 'That I do,' Kane said savagely; He looked about the grass where only a short while before the bodies of Baron Narcavage and his men had lain. 'The Baron's plot must have been hastily planned – evenso it nearly succeeded.'

'But were they plotting to kill the King and Queen or me?'

'Both,' he said. 'It's obvious that your death was to be the signal to attack them.'

He went on to say that all the Baron's men obviously belonged to the Kaliimun, as did some of King Kiritan's guards.

'In Galda,' Alphanderry said, 'there were many such plots before the King was brought down.'

He rubbed the side of his head where Baron Narcavage had bludgeoned him with his fist. He looked at me and asked, 'But why would the priests want to kill you?'

Kane flashed me a warning glance then, Liljana, who was staring at my forehead, said softly, 'Because he has the mark.'

At this, Kane whirled upon her and demanded, 'What do you know of that?'

We were all waiting to hear what she would say, but she would not be hurried. She carefully drew in a breath, then said, 'Earlier, I overheard the Baron whispering to one of his knights that Val had the mark. I didn't know what he meant.'

'He meant that Val was marked out for death,' Kane said 'Nothing more.'

But Liljana clearly did not believe him. Her eyes fell upon my face as if searching for the truth.

'You saved my life,' I said to her. 'Is there anything you would ask in return?'

My question seemed almost to offend her. 'Do you think I told you about the wine in hope of gain?'

'No, of course not,' I said. 'But in so doing, you've gained much, even so. My gratitude – my trust.'

She smiled, revealing her small, even teeth. She said, 'I've been looking for a company to join on the quest, it's not easy for a woman to take to the roads alone.'

Alphanderry smiled at me as well. 'I've been looking for companions myself. Would you consider adding two more to your company?'

'As you've seen tonight,' I said softly, looking first at Alphanderry and then at Liljana, 'there are those who would hunt me. If you joined us, you'd be hunted, too.'

Because I trusted them both – and because they needed to know -I told them how Morjin had sent assassins to kill me in Mesh; I told them of the Grays and of our battle in the woods; lastly, I gathered in all my faith and told them the full prophecy of Ayondela Kirriland.

'You do have the mark, then,' Liljana said, looking at me in wonder. 'I'd be sorry for you if I didn't feel so much hope. But hope or not, if what you say is true – and I'm sure it is – you need more companions to help you.'

Alphanderry, as well, looked happy, as if he were setting out on a great epic that he would one day sing about. All that he said to me was, 'Please, take me with you.'

And then Maram said, 'The prophecy told of the seven brothers and sisters of the earth. We've need of two more to make seven.' 'Yes – two more warriors,' Kane said.

'Warriors we already have,' I said, looking at Atara and Kane. 'Ours are not the only skills we might need on a long journey.'

'The seven brothers and sisters,' Master Juwain said. He smiled at Alphanderry and Liljana. 'It seems that this was meant to be.'

We all stood looking at each other. And then Atara whispered, 'Val -I can see them with us. On the road. In the forest by the sea.'

'Ah, I can see them, too,' Maram said, not quite understanding what she was talking about. I turned to Kane and asked, 'Will you have them join us?' 'Is this what you truly want?' 'Yes,' I said, 'it is.'

Kane touched his sword and told me, 'I pledged this to your service in seeking the Lightstone. And that your enemies would be my enemies. Well I suppose I should pledge that your friends will be mine as well.'

So saying, he held his hand out and laid it on top of mine. Then Atara covered his hand with hers, and so with Master Juwain and Maram. Then Liljana carefully placed her hand on top of Maram's, while Alphanderry laughed happily as he slapped his hand down upon all of ours.

Soon after that, King Kiritan and Queen Daryana, accompanied by many guards, strode from the palace and rejoined the celebration. The guards from the garrison stood about with their shields and spears to provide a sense of enforced safety at odds with the gaiety that the King wished to encourage. After all, this was still the night of his fiftieth birthday and the calling of the quest, and he wasn't about to let a little poison and death spoil it for him.

The King and Queen walked straight toward us across the lawn. The glowstones around the fountains cast their pure white light upon them – and upon the faces of Belur Narmada, Julumar Hastar, Hanitan Marshan, Breyonan Eriades, and other great nobles of Tria who stood near us. Baron Maruth of Aquantir and Duke Malatam of Tarlan, waiting with other lords and their ladies, bowed their heads to the King. Even Sar Yarwan and Sar Ianar and the other Valari knights seemed glad to see that he was still alive.

The King drew up close to us; he stood stiffly and sternly, as if in great pain. I noticed that he seemed unable to use his right arm. His eyes fell upon me with a great heaviness as he said, 'Sar Valashu Elahad, we wish to thank you and your friends for saving the Queen's life. We had heard that the traitors wounded you.'

'They did,' I said, bowing my head. 'But it was nothing that Master Juwain couldn't take care of.'

The King smiled as if he didn't quite believe me. Then he turned to Liljana and said,

'It seems we should have kept you in our service after all. Perhaps you would have sniffed out the Baron's plot even as you did the poison in his wine.'

She returned his smile and told him, T'm sorry, Sire, but I had to follow my heart.'

'As you now follow Valashu Elahad and my daughter to lands unknown?'

The hard glint of his eyes told me that, gratitude or no, he would never relent in his pronouncement that I must bring the Lightstone into Tria if I ever hoped to marry Atara.

Liljana smiled at me, and then took this opportunity to speak on our behalf. She told the King that the power of love between a man and a woman was greater than the force that raised up mountains and must always be exalted. Then she said that the recovery of the Lightstone would be meaningless in the absence of this purest and most purifying of forces.

'Why else should we seek the Lightstone,' she said, 'if not to bring a little more love into the world?'

'Why, indeed?' King Kiritan said. Then he sighed and called out to us, 'Well, why don't we all drink to that, then?'

He nodded at a groom standing near the fountain. A few moments later, the water bubbling out of it gave way to a dark red liquid I mistook at first for blood. But it proved to be wine: a special vintage with which King Kiritan had filled this fountain and reserved for the ending of his celebration. The King, I saw, was a man who would insist on his child getting right back on a horse who had thrown her.

He motioned for us to follow him over to the fountain, and this we did. He took up a goblet and filled it with the rich red wine and invited us all to do the same.

Considering the evening's earlier events, the King's guests were reluctant to drink it.

And then Liljana sniffed the contents of her goblet and smiled, and many others did, too. Then the King raised his goblet and called out, 'To die finding of the Lightstone and to those who have pledged here tonight to seek it!'