Chapter 11 #2
“Worse than you being tied up and held by some Cutters?” She was referring to when Mekos had been kidnapped.
“I had that under control,” Mekos said.
“I’m glad I don’t have on the Truth Necklace. It would burn through my bones.”
He laughed.
They passed a small house in the woods. “That’s where Kaley met with Garen. She has a whole box of magic things from him.”
As they flew, the land rose higher, with mountains surrounding them. Mekos pointed to what looked like dark holes in the sides
of the rock. “My great-grandfather . . .” He didn’t finish, but she knew. He’d told her that the skeleton of the famous hero,
Haver, had been found in one of those caves.
Finally, they saw a long building. It seemed to wander through the woodland, peeping out here and there. A pointed roof could
be seen, then a pretty balcony. There were tall windows and short ones, all with a stone facade.
“It looks like the pictures in Kaley’s books.”
“She called it ‘a storybook castle.’” Mekos reined Perus to the side and he easily settled on the ground. Before them were
double doors that opened and two men came out. They wore big trousers and short jackets that glistened with gold embroidery.
They were beautiful men!
“Wonder if you could borrow one of those uniforms,” Aradella murmured suggestively.
“And here I thought you liked wolves.”
She smiled sweetly at him.
The men didn’t speak but led them down an ornate hallway to a big room with guards at the corners. The ceiling was painted
with pictures of men and women in a garden. The walls were covered with gold-embossed carvings.
“Beats our old palace,” Aradella said. “Although, we’ve heard that Olina has a room covered in jewels.”
“All of them stolen, I’m sure.” Mekos lifted his head and his nose twitched. “Food.”
Aradella had to hurry to keep up with him as he went to the end of the big room. A guard opened a door to a smaller, cozy
room that had a table laden with hot food. There were no guards stationed around the walls.
Mekos didn’t hesitate in picking up a delicate porcelain plate and filling it.
Aradella stood back, looking at a door at the far end. She wasn’t surprised when it opened. In came a man who she instinctively
knew was in charge of the place. He had an air of importance and knowledge about him. She sensed that he’d expected them.
The question was whether or not he could help them.
“My lady,” the man said and gave her a bow from the waist. “I am Zeon and I am at your service.”
His courtesy was flattering, especially since she had on clothes meant for skulking about at night. Reaver clothes. She did
her best to put on her princess pose. “How do you do? I’m Aradella and this is—”
“Son of Tanek,” Mekos said. “As Arit calls me. I believe you’ve met her. Did she drink your beer cellar dry?”
Zeon smiled. “Nearly. She certainly had all my guards doing her bidding.”
When the two men laughed, Aradella felt a wave of pride. Her aunt had disparaged Mekos’s family as being uncouth, lowly swansmen,
but Mekos was charming—and he was not intimidated by a man who owned a place like this.
Zeon gestured toward the table. “Please help yourselves. If there is any other food you’d like, let me know.”
“This is quite lovely.” She picked up a plate and began to fill it. “I take it you know why we’re here.”
“Yes,” Zeon said. “I’ve had some significant revelations in the last hours.”
“From Grandmamá?” Mekos asked as he sat down.
“Yes,” Zeon said. “Right now, she is . . .” He didn’t seem to want to finish his sentence.
“Losing her mind?” Aradella sat across from Mekos.
“Thinking about flying to a mountaintop and never returning?” Mekos asked.
Aradella took a bite, then held out her fork, looking at Mekos. “It’s your family, so maybe they’ve found a waterfall.”
“So now you don’t like waterfalls?”
Smiling, Aradella looked back at Zeon. “I apologize. Our current situation is more than we can comprehend, but we’re doing
our best to deal with it. Have you foreseen a solution?”
“Yes.”
Aradella put down her fork but Mekos kept eating. She waited for Zeon to tell what he knew.
“Have you heard of the island of Abicis?”
The two young people shook their heads no and waited for him to continue.
“I think you need to go there. The Empyreans are . . .”
When he couldn’t find the words he needed, Mekos said, “You mean the rulers? The people who have declared they will Right
the Ancient Wrongs—as they call it? All done while they continue to honor traditions? But if we don’t agree with them, they
will bomb our homes and kill the people who stand against them?” His voice was rising, getting deeper. “They call themselves
the Peacekeepers.” He nearly spit the last.
Zeon was wide-eyed. “You sound like Haver,” he said softly. “You look like him.”
Mekos was trying to regain his composure. He pushed his hair back. “I’m flattered, but with these ears, I don’t think so.”
Zeon began to blink rapidly as a sight came to him. “You want to see Haver’s cave.”
“I do,” Mekos said.
“His body is no longer there, but the room has been left untouched. I can send a guide with you today.”
“And afterward, we’re to go to the island you mentioned?” Aradella didn’t wait for him to answer. “What’s it like? Why do you seem to be afraid of it?”
Zeon gave his attention to her, looking pleasantly surprised. “You’re right, I am afraid of it. In my visions, I saw that
your senses had been keenly developed from living under Olina’s rule.” He seemed proud of her.
“I have managed to stay alive,” she said modestly.
“In your circumstances, that is a monumental feat.” His eyes narrowed. “This mission carries the possibility of a death.”
“Death is always around me.” Aradella sounded uninterested in his revelation.
“She’s lived most of her life under threat,” Mekos said solemnly.
“Tell us about the island,” she said. “Do we need weapons? Kaley has an Earth gun. We could—”
“No, no,” Zeon said. “Abicis isn’t like that. It’s full of people who don’t fit in.”
“Fit in what?” Mekos asked.
“They don’t belong with the Empyreans, so they’re sent to Abicis. They’re misfits.”
“You mean criminals?” Aradella asked.
“No, not at all. Or at least not too many of them are. But they are different. Unusual. They’re not like the other Empyreans.”
“Have you been to this island?” Mekos asked.
“No.” He grimaced. “My foresight isn’t as clear as your grandmother’s. I believe she has the ability to propose different
possibilities of action. I cannot. I can foresee what will probably happen, but that future can be changed.”
Aradella and Mekos glanced at each other. “We know that too well,” Aradella said. “Are you being blocked from that power or
was it not born in you?”
Zeon smiled. “That’s the question I’d like answered. I think I’m being held back. Or maybe it’s my vanity that hopes so. Whatever the cause, I’d like a stronger power of foresight.” He pointedly looked at Mekos, as though saying, Tell your grandmother.
The door opened, a guard entered, gave a curt nod to Zeon, then left. He turned back to them. “The horses are ready to take
you to the cave if you’d like to go now.” They nodded yes. “But first, I have a gift for you. A bit of magic.”
To Zeon’s astonishment, Aradella whispered, “Oh no!” and Mekos gasped as though in terror.
“Sorry,” she said. “The mask you gave Kaley and Tanek caused us some problems. Big ones.”
Zeon raised an eyebrow. “Did it? I’ll have to look into that. But this gift is something you’ll need. I can’t see clearly
enough to know the details—” there was bitterness in his voice “—but I do know that it’s necessary.” On a table by the wall
was a cloth bag made of worn-out tapestry. It certainly didn’t look like anything special. Zeon held the bag up. “This holds
a lot.”
“That’s nice.” Aradella tried to sound interested, but the bag didn’t stir any emotions.
Zeon picked up four metal goblets and dropped them into the bag. It stayed flat. He put in a serving plate, a set of cutlery,
then a vase of flowers. The bag didn’t expand. He put in a silver tray that was too big and too heavy to go into the bag,
but it slid inside, and showed nothing on the exterior.
With an unexpected movement, he tossed the bag to Aradella. She almost sidestepped to miss it as it was bound to be heavy,
but she did catch it. It was flat and light.
“Go on,” Zeon said, “open it.”
One by one, she pulled out the items he’d put in there and set them on the table. She looked at him. “This is the fantasy
of every woman who has ever been born.”
Zeon laughed. “You’re to fill it with plants.
I foresaw that you’re going to need them.
It takes only a sprig of each one, but you’re to collect as many different types of plants as you can find.
And . . .” His eyes seemed to go blank, as though he was seeing something inside his mind.
“And small stones,” he said softly. “There will be a need for some very odd things.” With a shake of his head, he came back to them.
“Sorry. I can’t see much more. But take the bag and fill it. ”
“I can get some plants on the way up the mountain,” she said.
“And a bone,” Zeon said sharply. “‘The bone of a righteous man.’ I can hear that.” He shook his head, as though coming back
to reality. “I’m keeping you here too long. It’s a pretty day and you should go out. There was a storm when your parents were
here, and they nearly froze to death. I had to go get them. If you’ll come with me, I’ll give you a map and tell you how to
open the hidden door.” His face softened and his eyes lit up. “When you return, I have a surprise for you. It’s something
very good.” He looked pointedly at Aradella. “You, especially, will be glad of this. At dinner, I’ll tell you about whatever
I foresee this afternoon, then early tomorrow, the lot of you can go to Abicis.”
“The lot of us?” Mekos said. “How many are there?”
“Only as many as necessary. The arrival of too many people would arouse suspicion.” They could see that he was enjoying being
secretive.
Mekos took the bag from Aradella and put in bread, cheese, sliced meats, and two bottles of wine. When he held up the bag,
it still appeared to be empty. “Can I put a person in it?”
Aradella squinted her eyes at him. “So you can leave me here? Oh no you don’t!” She took the bag from him, and turned to Zeon.
“Thank you. You’ve given us hope.”
He looked over her to Mekos and his eyes grew serious. “Maybe someday you can introduce me to your grandmother. I should very
much like to talk to her.”
“Gladly.” Mekos turned away and raised his eyebrows at Aradella. It appeared that Zeon was indeed ambitious.
Zeon watched the two young people fly away on their green dragon, then he went back inside to work.
What he really wanted to look into was finally being allowed to see that Vian, an Empyrean and one of the Seven no less, was number one of his order.
But that information would have to wait.
To clear his mind, he thought of the joy he was going to bring to Mekos and Aradella when they saw what he’d done. It hadn’t been easy!
When he’d first seen the vison of what could happen, he’d groaned. To make it come about, he knew he’d have to contact Reena.
She was a very independent person and it was hard to persuade her to do things. He reminded himself that she didn’t like being
called a witch, even if she was one. He knew that when she was five years old, she’d turned a playmate she didn’t like into
a toad. It had taken a lot of threats to get her to change the girl back into a human.
Even though Reena was an adult now, her attitude hadn’t changed. She’d embedded the compulsory chip—the device Empyreans required
to be implanted in everyone—into her big gray dog instead. When Zeon tried to reach Reena, the dog had been out chasing rabbits.
Zeon had seen into that rabbit’s future. It would escape the dog and produce more offspring. A lot more!
Finally, he’d reached Reena and told her what he needed. She’d been suspicious—and very protective.
Zeon had talked fast and persuasively and, at last, she’d agreed. But she’d made it clear that she didn’t like doing what
he needed.
“You couldn’t use the other one?” she’d asked. “They’re twins.”
“Ah, so that’s why I kept getting a blurred vision. It’s the younger one I need. The one connected to you.”
Reena grimaced. “All right, I’ll send her, but you better not let her be harmed.”
“I don’t think she will be,” Zeon said honestly. “How soon can she get here?”
“I’ll send her on one of Olina’s birds.”
Zeon raised his eyebrows. He knew she meant one of the huge creatures that had the head of an eagle and a four-legged body of some unknown Earth animal. “Good,” he replied. “I look forward to meeting her, and I’m sure Aradella will be very happy to see her.”
Reena seemed to be suppressing a smile. “I’m sure she will be. They’ve spent their whole lives together.” Abruptly, she cut
off the connection in a way that made it seem like she was afraid she’d say something she shouldn’t.
Now Zeon was smiling. Aradella’s cousin, the beautiful Princess Bree, had arrived an hour ago. She was going with Aradella
and Mekos to Abicis.