R. Salvatore - Echoes of the Fourth Magic

“What do you think she wants with him?” Arien asked.

“I do not know that she wants him at all,” Ardaz replied. “I only know that he must choose his own path, and now he chooses Avalon. Let him go, Arien. I will have friends watching him, I promise.”

Arien knew in his heart that Del had earned and deserved the trust of the Illumans, but he knew the consequences as well. Ryell and many others would be furious with him if he let Del go, and this was not a good time for his people to be divided.

But he decided finally to follow his heart, reasoning that the sacrifice of conscience was a far greater evil than anything Ungden could bring upon them. Arien would not accept that loss for the sake of precaution. With grim determination, yet softened with empathy, he looked Ryell straight in the eye. “DelGiudice may go.”

Ryell turned away.

“Splendid!” Ardaz shouted.

“But only after,” the Eldar continued, “the Calvans are clear of the lower hills around Mountaingate.”

“Desdemona is watching them now,” the wizard happily reported. “She will let me know when they are gone.”

“Also on that day, the other three may again walk freely in the valley,” Arien said. “We must learn if they, too, are worthy of our trust.”

Infuriated, trembling as if he was barely holding a thin line of control, Ryell turned back and shot Arien a look of utter contempt.

“Be calm, my friend,” Arien said. “You I appoint to oversee the watch of the other three, and you yourself shall escort DelGiudice down to the archway at Mountaingate. From there you can see that he enters Clas Braiyelle, and if that wood of peace and order allows him entry, then know he is no friend of Ungden the Usurper.”

“And the other three must return to, and remain in, their rooms at night,” Ryell suggested, and it pleased Arien to learn that his friend, obviously infuriated about his decisions, was apparently willing to accept them.

“As you wish,” Arien replied.

“Then I am satisfied.”

Del’s heart lifted high when Ardaz came to him with the news that he would be allowed to return to Avalon. Billy, too, danced when he learned that he would soon be able to again walk freely among the elves. The wizard thought that he had done them a favor by informing them of Arien’s decision, but in truth, the two men grew even more miserable as the days dragged by and still Desdemona did not return with news that the Calvan scouts were gone.

During this time, Sylvia and Erinel visited the room often and proved a tremendous comfort to the two men. Soon the four had become great friends, exchanging fine tales. Del was a bit disappointed, though, that neither Sylvia nor Erinel shared his enthusiasm about his return to Avalon. Whenever he spoke of Brielle, they looked at each other with concern and pity, as if they knew something about the witch that he did not, and they always changed the subject at the first chance. Del began to understand Ardaz’s advice to him about keeping his meeting with the witch private. Though he could hardly believe the incongruity of it, it came clear to him that the wizard had been correct in his observations that even the good people of Illuma didn’t fully accept the witch of the wood.

Ardaz spent most of the time in the other room, talking more with Reinheiser than Mitchell. They were a perfect match, for the physicist was an attentive audience and the wizard loved to talk. Reinheiser pressed Ardaz for stories of Istaahl, the White Mage, and the city of Pallendara, which the elves called Caer Tuatha. Try as he may, though, he could not get the wizard to elaborate about the Black Warlock, Morgan Thalasi, other than the common recounting of the Battle of the Four Bridges and of the days before the first mutation.

Finally, shortly after breakfast on the morning of the sixth day, Desdemona returned to Ardaz with the news that Mountaingate was clear.

“They stayed a long time,” Arien said when the wizard reported to him. “Do you think they found anything?”

“Oh, no, no,” Ardaz replied. “They were just stubborn, that’s all.”

“Let us hope,” Arien replied. “Go then and inform DelGiudice. He will want to be off right away. And tell the others that they may now leave their rooms.”

“Oh, simply splendid!” Ardaz cried, and he bolted out of the room.

“Take Erinel along with you, and DelGiudice,” Ariel said to Ryell.

“Yes, Eldar,” Ryell answered, “and woe to him if the wood refuses him.”

“It shall not.”

A short time later Arien and Ardaz saw the three off at the tunnel entrance on the western edge of the valley.

“Well, let’s get moving,” Del said impatiently, “A blindfold?” he asked, holding out his hand.

“No, friend,” Arien said, giving Ryell a sidelong glance. “This time you may travel without one.”

“I’m flattered,” Del stuttered, surprised. “But truly, I’d prefer to be blindfolded. If something goes wrong and I’m caught by Calvans, it’d be better for all of us if I honestly couldn’t lead them back here.”

Ardaz burst out in laughter. “There, Ryell, he has passed your silly little test.”

Arien, too, smiled broadly. “We hoped that you would see this wisdom.” Again he eyed Ryell. “We hoped that you would care enough not to jeopardize our safety.” With that, he tossed a hood to the man. “Farewell, my friend, I look forward to your return.”

“I’ll be back,” Del assured them. “Good-bye for now. And take care of Billy for me!” He shouldered the pack they had prepared for him, donned his hood, and entered the tunnel between Ryell and Erinel.

“There he goes,” Mitchell muttered, standing with Reinheiser a short distance away.

“It is better that he leaves,” Reinheiser replied. “DelGiudice would fight you if he knew your plans.”

“He’s a cockroach,” Mitchell growled. “And I’m going to come back and step on him.”

Reinheiser merely nodded and let it pass.

The journey to Mountaingate didn’t seem long at all to Del. He skipped through the tunnel and down the trail full of anticipation, his feet barely touching the ground. He could hardly stand still when the time came for Erinel to remove his blindfold.

“We are at the field, and there lies your destination,” Ryell grumbled pointing to the distant line of trees and obviously glad that this whole thing was almost over.

“Ardaz will know when I return?” Del asked. “I don’t want to be stranded down here.”

“He will know,” Erinel assured him. “And do not worry, someone will be here to meet you and guide you back to Lochsilinilume. Now, off you go!”

“Good-bye, then,” Del said, and he raced off to Avalon and his dream, his heart pounding.

But when he got to the forest, Del found no entrance. The road was gone! Confused, he began searching up and down the line of trees, yet no trail was to be found. In fact, the trees always seemed thickest wherever he searched, as if they were huddling together before him to block his path. He couldn’t even find any opening large enough for him to enter the wood. “That’s strange,” he whispered.

Under the archway, Ryell fitted an arrow to his bow.

“Uncle, no!” Erinel cried.

“Yes!” Ryell retorted. “It is the will of Arien and all have agreed. Look for yourself, Erinel, Clas Braiyelle will not have him! He is a spy of Ungden, certainly, and we have been deceived!” He drew back on his bowstring and began creeping across the field, Erinel following nervously.

At the wood, Del stood scratching his head. “How strange,” he muttered, mimicking the voice of his new wizard friend. “How very strange.”