Chapter 17 Faron #2
“Princess Isabelle will grant you a moment of her time,” he said. “Don’t waste it.”
Faron climbed the rise, inspecting the entrances of the caves as he neared. Sure enough, he found the markings carved into either side, three interlocking triangles, each one hanging below the other. Claimed by the qiyan. They never should have camped here.
The princess knelt beside one of the fires at the entrance of the third cave.
Several bedrolls and soft blankets were beside her, drying in the heat.
The woman’s expression was carefully guarded as Faron approached.
Aubert, her family adviser, was at her side.
The old man looked miserable as he held his cap over the fire to dry it.
Several knights sat with them or stood around looking agitated, and they did not disguise their disdain at Faron’s arrival.
“Welcome to my humble little camp, Faron,” Isabelle said as he dropped to one knee before her and bowed his head, as was expected of him. A bit of a twinkle lit her eyes. “Or should I call you the One-Man Ram?”
“Ram will suffice, if such nicknames must be used,” Faron said, and stood. “Forgive my rush, but I bring warning. These are qiyan caves. They are not safe shelter, and even worse to sleep within. We must leave before all daylight is lost.”
Isabelle’s eyes narrowed. “You speak of the markings along the entrance.”
“Fearful nonsense,” one of the knights scoffed. “The qiyan have not bothered us for over a century.”
“So you knew?” Faron asked, his bafflement growing along with his frustration.
“We did,” Isabelle said. “But I thought them abandoned, and even if not, surely the qiyan would not protest if we use them as shelter from the rain.”
“Qiyan tunnels are never abandoned,” Faron said. Others glared at him, but Isabelle looked shaken by his words.
“Marshal Oscar shared this fear,” Aubert pointed out.
“Where is the marshal now?” Faron asked.
“Farther inside the cave,” Isabelle said, gesturing behind her. “He and several of his men took torches to check the cave’s limits and ensure our safety. I thought that a fair compromise.”
Faron clenched his fists. Fools, fools, fools!
“Call him back, now,” he said, knowing he was crossing a line. Someone of his status should never speak to his princess thus. One of the knights reached for his sword, but Isabelle glared at him.
“I already have,” she said. She hesitated. A hint of worry was added to her words. “He’s been gone for much too long. I sent Firth to…”
A scream interrupted her. It contained one word, and it echoed through the stone to the cave entrance.
“Princess!”
Faron crossed his arms, biting down any comment he might make. Best to let this play out. A younger man came running, a torch in hand. His face was pale and his eyes wide with fear. Sweat ran slick across his neck and forehead.
“Princess!” he shouted again, his relief palpable at reaching the entrance. “The soldiers, they… they…”
Isabelle stood and grabbed his wrist. Her eyes bored into his. “Calm yourself, soldier. Breathe deep, and then tell me what you found.”
The man obeyed, and when he at last recovered, he spoke steadily, but with haste.
“They were slain,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. Their weapons were drawn, and it looks like they fought a battle, but if they killed anything, I saw no other bodies.”
“Everyone?” Isabelle asked. “What of Marshal Oscar? Did you see him among the bodies?”
The scout shook his head.
“No, my lady. I checked, too. I didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but then I heard noises farther into the cave, and I… I…”
The princess hushed him with a word. All around her, knights drew their swords.
“Fetch us torches,” one of them said. “We’ll go and find the bastards responsible.”
Faron closed his eyes and summoned radiance from the well within him. In this, he could not be ignored, and so he projected his power into a single word.
“No.”
The knights froze in place, obeying as if the command came from the princess herself. The same, however, could not be said for Isabelle. She only tilted her head to one side.
“Why not?” she asked.
Faron closed the space between them, curious but unable to look into such a matter now. If Oscar was taken, then time was already running out.
“I have had dealings with the qiyan before,” he said, revealing as much truth as he dared. “Please, put your trust in me. I will find Oscar, and if he is alive, I will bring him back safely. Anyone else you send inside will only join the ranks of the dead.”
Isabelle stared at the dark tunnel leading deeper into the cave. Her frown tightened.
“You believe you can return him to me?” she asked. “Then swear it.”
“I swear it.”
“Then may Leliel’s blessing be upon you, Godsight,” she said. “Go, and bring me back my friend.”
Faron had left his shield behind with the others, but at least he had his sword.
“A torch,” he said, ignoring the grumbling of the knights. “Fetch me a torch. And find my brother Sariel. Tell him to follow me. He is the only other person I trust to navigate these caves and live.”
More grumbling, but they obeyed. One of them thrust a torch at Faron, and he accepted it in his free hand. His other drew his sword.
“Be back soon, I promise,” he said, winked at the princess, and then raced into the dark unknown.