Chapter XII - Vision

Tancred had always thought King Trystellan Jaeger and his family to be attractive and striking in appearance. The king was a tall man with shoulder-length dark brown hair and brown eyes. Queen Derrica, who possessed fair golden hair and white skin, contrasted his dark features. The twin princesses, Juliette and Mariel, had inherited the dark hair of their father and pale skin of their mother, creating an exotic look for them both. The crown prince, Garrick, looked like his father, but stood perhaps a little taller than the king, which was an impressive feat.

The entire royal family of five had been present for the royal dinner, but only the king and Prince Garrick were in the small chamber reserved for meetings of great importance after the meal concluded. Half a dozen of the king’s closest counselors and Father Gywain were already waiting when Tancred and Jaedon entered the room.

The first fifteen minutes of the meeting were spent discussing Tancred’s latest mission, though Tancred had sent in a report of everything that had happened right after his return four months before. Finally, King Trystellan leaned forward from his position on his throne and said, “To put it bluntly, Lord Hunter, we need your expertise on another spying assignment.”

Tancred nodded, showing no emotion on his face.

Marlon, a chief counselor, stepped forward. His robes were the color of deep red wine and his beard was white and trailed down his chest. “There are rumors that the Wild Men of Rulaan are planning to ally with the Elangsian country.”

Tancred paused, his brow furrowing deeply. What is this? I heard nothing of the sort while I was in Ruma! “Rest assured, lords,” he said, “this supposed plan was not breathed of while I was in the capital city of Elangsia.”

“Perhaps it was not spoken of four months ago, but it is now,” King Trystellan said. “We have heard from a reliable source that this alliance will be consummated quite soon. We can only assume that the two countries wish to march together and make full-fledged war on us.”

Tancred folded his arms across his chest, his mind whirling. Rulaan was a small country north of Elangsia, many miles away from Aerilya. There among the hills and caves lived a people long ago named the Wild Men, though there were women and children abiding there as well. They were not a great nation, and kept generally to themselves. Nevertheless, if their strength were somehow combined with Elangsia’s cunning, it would not bode well for Aerilya.

“We have warred against Elangsia for twelve years,” Prince Garrick added quietly. “And we have withstood their attacks thus far, much by way of you and your men, Lord Hunter. Elangsia alone cannot defeat us, nor could Rulaan single-handedly do so, if they should for some reason wish to march on us in war. But if those same two nations banded together…” the prince’s words trailed off, but his meaning was quite clear.

“What do you want from me?” Tancred finally asked evenly, looking around at the counsel.

Silence reigned for a moment. Rusch, a younger member of the counselors, cleared his throat. “We would ask that you conduct another spying mission into the capital of Elangsia, Ruma. We must know if these rumors about the Wild Men are true. If they are, we can be ready to battle them and not be taken by surprise, as I’m sure they would want. If it is false, then you may return at your earliest convenience and not worry about it again.”

My earliest convenience, hmm? Tancred lips tightened in a very small, cynical smile. Rusch makes my missions sound like pleasure jaunts rather then life-threatening ventures. He looked over at Jaedon, who gazed back calmly.

The choice is yours, his eyes clearly communicated. Tancred felt the support of his mentor and took courage from that.

He glanced back at the panel of advisors; Prince Garrick and King Trystellan; Father Gywain. The priest held his gaze of a long time. Tancred finally tore his eyes away from the priest and looked coolly at the king.

“I will go,” he said simply.

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Zoe urged Brac into a canter, ducking under a branch as her stallion picked up the pace. She bit her lip. I can’t believe that I almost forgot today was the day, she thought. The dreaded dawn of the third day had come; it was time to leave. Aching emptiness gnawed at her insides and she had not even left Braedoch yet. Brac sensed her inner turmoil; she could tell by the way his ears flicked back at her all the time and his nervous snorts. He was so perceptive of her moods.

She had left almost immediately after Duard’s announcement three days ago, confused and growing angrier by the second. Her emotions had exploded out in the wildness of the forest, far from any listening ears. Brac had been the only living creature that observed her rage, fear, and grief as she vented it with abandon. She had spent the miserable days out alone, and woken up that morning with a start. She had yet to pack for her trip…wherever she was going to head.

They entered the glade in front of her home and Brac pulled up quickly. She slid off and trotted him to the stable. There, she unsaddled him and slipped his bridle off. She would have to put all the tack on him again shortly, but she wanted him to be comfortable as she went to pack. She ran for the house, her heart pounding. Did I miss them all? She wondered. Had her siblings departed? Part of her was convinced that they wouldn’t leave without bidding her farewell, but what if they had? She entered the house and almost slammed into Sam. Relief tore through her and she looked at her twin with wide eyes, panting a little.

“You haven’t left yet?” she questioned, trying not to show how worried she had been that he would be gone. She realized what a dumb question it had been after she uttered it. Of course he hasn’t left yet, idiot. He’s standing in front of you!

“I’m still here,” he replied. “Where have you been?”

“In the woods with Brac,” she muttered in response.

“Have you packed yet?” He sounded concerned.

She shook her head.

“C’mon,” he said, taking her arm and heading toward her small cubbyhole of a room. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks,” she murmured. Now that she was there and Sam was with her, she began fearing the inevitable separation. Full realization of what this banishment meant was sinking in more with each passing second. Zoe stopped at the door to her room and picked up a packet that was on the floor. She inhaled and smelled fresh bread. “Daelia,” she breathed.

“Yeah, she made some loaves for all of us.”

Zoe nodded, entered her room and snatched her pack that sat at the foot of her bed. “Where are you heading?” she asked as she folded up a blanket and grabbed some rope, stuffing them both in her pack.

“I think I’ll go to the village first,” Sam said softly. “I need to bid some people goodbye before I finally leave the area.”

She shoved a water flask inside, mentally noting that she’d have to fill it at the first available stream. Suddenly filled with unexpected tenderness, she picked up Daelia’s precious bread, gently laid it inside, and cinched the pack shut. She twisted toward Sam. “I wish this was all turning out different.”

Pain flashed in his eyes. “I know,” he murmured.

She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. “I hate this! I hate it!” She looked up into Sam’s eyes, which were a light gray with flecks of underlying green. As always, they carried all the understanding in the world. She said desperately, “We will be strong, Sam…we must be strong…but I wish we were not going to be on our own.”

“I don’t want to leave you, Zoe,” Sam’s voice cracked with pain.

She swallowed and turned swiftly away, grabbing her dagger and practice sword that she kept by her cot-like bed. “I don’t want to leave you either, Sam,” she whispered. “Why must it be like this?”

He shrugged half-heartedly. “Duard,” he said merely.

Anger flared and she tightened her lips. “All this stems from his arrogance and cruelty.” She slumped down on her bed and Sam slowly followed suit. She looked over at the small table that sat beside her bed and listlessly glanced at her few remaining possessions.

The first was a simple leather throng that had been formed into a necklace of sorts. On it hung a small, knotted root, worn smooth by her constant rubbing. She used to wear the twisted thing everywhere she went, relishing its familiar touch by her heart as she tramped through the woods or lay on her cot before falling asleep. She had found it when she was young and had explained very gravely to Taerith that its puzzling twists and contortions signified the grand and mysterious nature of Deus. He had smiled quietly at her and told her to keep it close if it reminded her of the Unseen One. However, in later years when she first discovered that Aiden did not believe in Deus—despite his teaching the rest of them to revere and trust Him implicitly—doubt had embedded in her heart concerning the authenticity of the Unseen One’s love. Finally she had taken off the root-necklace. It had sat beside her bed ever since, an uncomfortable reminder of her uncertainty.

The second item was a small, beautiful carving of a galloping horse—Brac—fashioned by Sam for her sixteenth birthday. She picked it up and cupped it in her hand, looking again with admiration at the fine workmanship.

“Do you remember when you carved this?” she asked quietly, feeling his gaze on her.

“For your—our—birthdays.”

“Yes,” she said softly. She slipped it into the leather pouch that she wore at her side and looked over at him. “No matter how far away from each other we are, I will always hold you close to my heart,” she said awkwardly. “I wish I could tell you how much I will miss you in words, but…” her voice trailed off helplessly.

He responded immediately by wrapping her in a hug. He understood. He heard her ineloquent words and knew exactly what she meant, and needed. She closed her eyes against the burning tears and tried to remember the moment so that she could later treasure it. Her twin smelled wonderful, as he always did, like the sun and its warmth. He held her tightly but not uncomfortably, and she could feel his heart beating beside her own.

I love you, Sam. She could think the words but it was so hard saying them when she knew that they would not see each other again. I love you so much.

They pulled apart after a moment and she rose to his feet quickly. “I am going to fetch some jerky from the kitchen,” she mumbled.

He also stood. “I need to go now,” he managed in a low tone. “I will miss you, Twin.”

She managed a tiny smile at the term of endearment. They had referred to each other in that way since they were young and it carried a special kind of feeling to it. “As will I, Twin.”

She returned to her room several minutes later. Sam was gone. She stared at the empty room for a long time, immobilized. “I will miss you, Twin.” His words haunted her. And somehow, she knew they would continue haunting her, forever…

Zoe sat up with a gasp, her eyes flying open and hair tumbling loose around her shoulders. Her chest heaved as she dragged in deep draughts of air, struggling to free herself from the heavy blanket of sorrow that oppressed her. She was inside the small tent she had lived in for the last four months at the Hunter’s camp, and the night air filtering in through the crack of the door flap was warm but not sticky or heavy. Her skin was wet with sweat, and she threw her blanket off her legs with a small moan. She dropped her head into her hands and concentrated on regulated her scattered emotions.

It was just a dream, Zoe, she told herself half-heartedly, but she did not believe her own thoughts. She had dreamed of real events, of the day she had said goodbye to Sam and left Braedoch. Everything had come back in the dream, from the vivid colors of spring in Braedoch to the heart-wrenching feeling when she hugged Sam goodbye. I can almost feel his arms around me still, she thought, a shudder of pain running over her frame. She cupped her palm slowly and imagined holding Sam’s little carving of Brac again. Fresh loss came over her as she realized she could not just pull out the carving and stroke it in remembrance of her twin.

She had not thought about Terrance Grant for some time. The slaver still possessed Sam’s carving. Zoe felt new resolve to regain her precious possession from the man. He is a dog, she thought angrily.

She thought of Grace. The little girl’s image had troubled her keenly since her departure from Ruma. A likeness of her sweet face and cloud of brown curls came to mind again. Marissa’s beautiful countenance followed; next Rebekka’s; then Tryna’s and her husband Gavin’s. I’m failing them every day that I stay here, she thought soberly. They are slaves back in Ruma. They need to be freed.

She had spent her time at the Hunter’s camp wisely, practicing her swordplay, archery, and knife throwing. I am probably as good as I will get without real instruction, she realized. I could take Brac and leave for Ruma without telling anyone. If I leave before the Hunter returns, then I will not even have to deal with him any longer. The last thought was somewhat pleasing. She had not missed Tancred during his absence to Bryndor, Aerilya’s capital.

She had heard of people who had dreams that told them to do certain things. Perhaps the dream about my farewell to Sam was to motivate me to action again, she thought as she lay back down.

She resolutely pushed away the niggling truth that all the stories of people learning things through dreams had mentioned that Deus was the sender of the dreams. It was frustrating to think of Deus and Christus. Deus was not who she had always been told He was. He was never there when she needed him. A sudden surge of anger toward Deus flared up inside her, hot and unruly.

She rolled unto her back and whispered fiercely, “Besides, if You loved me at all, You would not have taken me from my siblings. If Christus paid for my freedom with His blood, as I have been taught since I was a girl, why don’t You care enough to help me bear this pain I am surrounded by?”

Suddenly a pinprick of light appeared at the top of her tent. At first, she thought it was a tiny hole in the tent that she had missed and that the light of the moon was shining through. But the pinprick was growing steadily into a larger sphere, and began extending on the sides and enveloping her. The light was not pale and cold like the moonlight…it was a shimmering blue and carried with it a warmth that permeated her to the core. It smelled of sunshine and summer breezes and salty ocean scents. It tasted of warm bread drenched with butter. Of peace and joy and hope. Before she could move—she vaguely wondered if she could have moved at all—the light had completely wrapped around her and infused her.

Her eyes slowly closed and a sigh escaped her lips. The sigh seemed to expand and echo around her, filled with all the pent up longings, fears, and anger that she had kept suppressed. The light was not just light. It was a Presence of something…Someone. The warm Presence throbbed around her, filling her and the surrounding tent with feeling. Zoe did not know how else to explain it. Just as she felt she would burst apart with all the emotions within her, a whisper echoed through her mind, accompanied by the soft touch of a hand brushing down her cheek.

Peace, Zoe.

Her eyes snapped opened and she stared straight up. The blue light was gone. She slowly reached a hand up and touched her cheek, only to find that it was wet with tears. She was crying. She had not cried for as long as she could remember. But this time, instead of it signifying weakness, she felt as if she were being cleansed. She was calm as the scalding tears ran out the corners of her eyes and down the side of her face, into her hair. A dam had been released inside her, and it began washing away a few of the layers of pain she had shrouded herself with.

Eventually she turned to her side and wiped her face clean with her blanket. She was cold and threw the coverlet over herself once more. She stared at the side of her tent, her eyes unblinking. “Deus?” she tentatively whispered.

The faintest touch of a warm breeze caressed her face and ruffled her hair. It was but for a moment, and then the sensation was gone. Zoe quietly touched her cheek again, her mind whirling with all that had happened.

She did not fall asleep again for a very long time.