Midnight Quest (36 page)

This time, an outbreak of protests sent her ears ringing. Jewel didn’t even try to shout them down, just pointed sternly at the door.

Chizeld took a step forward and bellowed, “LEAVE! Priestess has issued command.”

 “I do not feel Elahandra’s blessing with you any longer,” she verified coldly. “I do not trust you to protect my sister priestesses as you should. You are released from service in dishonor. I will not tolerate any further disobedience. Pack your belongings and leave.”

“Will not!” someone shouted from the crowd, and with the shout came the sound of a sword sliding quickly free of its sheath. “The priestess does not have the authority to—”

Chizeld moved so quickly that a light breeze flowed over her skin. Jewel flinched back from the movement, startled, and then started again when Bortonor started growling and snarling. Good heavens, were they really going to
threaten
her?

“Has the guard forgotten who to obey? Who formed it? Who to serve?” Chizeld’s voice seemed to echo against the stones, it was so loud, like a thunderclap of anger that had exploded. “Every man in this room should serve the Goddess of Elahandra and those ordained! This woman has
more authority than the ministers of Thornock!
Anyone who cannot recognize the truth of this has no business here!”

“But—”

The protest cut off instantly as intense light filled the room. The fine hairs on Jewel’s skin prickled with the intensity of it, and if she didn’t recognize the source of it, she’d swear that fire surrounded her. But this presence she knew all too well, and she smiled in recognition.

“Elahandra,” she greeted aloud (because frankly she didn’t think most of the men in here would know unless she said something), “you honor us with your presence.”

“Some of you will find it an honor,” Elahandra responded tartly, voice sounding unusually loud in the dead silence of the room. “The rest of you are right to be terrified. I’ve let this situation carry on because I had
hoped
that if the situation became desperate enough, you’d become more humble, and turn to me and your god as you should have. Instead, what do I find? That you’ve sold yourself to the highest bidder!
You,
who were supposed to protect my chosen!”

Jewel could hear a lot of nervous gulping and even a few whimpers. And to think, Elahandra wasn’t even there in body, just her voice.
They might have fainted if she actually had come in person,
she thought, an evil smile on her face.

“I will not tolerate this any longer,
” Elahandra boomed at a deafening volume. “If you were ordered to leave by
my
priestess, do so! And if any of you dare to threaten her, I will strike you dead on the spot!”

With a snap, the light abruptly vanished, returning the room to its normal state.

They apparently knew better than to argue this time. There were still grumbles, and wails of disbelief, but people also started to file out of the doors. She listened for several minutes, taut with apprehension, but no one tried to approach her directly. When the room was mostly clear, she relaxed and turned to the men standing patiently next to her. “Gentlemen, I am very glad that
you
at least, are loyal. You have a large task ahead of you. I need some of you to instantly go to the various priestesses that are already called. Otherwise you will be tasked to rebuild the Center and start gathering recruits to train.”

“Priestess,” a voice that sounded older and somewhat raspy asked, “Who should go?”

She had no idea. Turning slightly to her left she queried, “Chizeld, you trained here did you not?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know these men well enough to know who has the skills to train recruits?”

“Of course.”

“Then designate those men, please. Try to leave some here to help with that, but I need at least two men to go to each priestess.”

“Hmmm…understood.”

Jewel stood silently by as Chizeld started assigning responsibilities and tasks. Since she had absolutely no idea how a center should be run, most of what he said didn’t make much sense. Still, from their reactions, she judged that Chizeld did indeed know what to do and who should do it. She only needed to stand there and nod thoughtfully, giving her unofficial stamp of approval to his decisions.

Eight men were assigned to the different priestesses and told to leave as soon as possible. Clari already had help on the way (actually, by now, they might have already arrived) but having reinforcements from the Center couldn’t hurt. Clari had a very strong need for help and not much support from the local people. Two of them, of course, were for Chantel so they didn’t have much of a trip to make. They swore that they would present themselves to her by that evening.

The two heading for Jordia’s priestess had more of an interesting task, as neither Jewel nor Chizeld could tell them where to find her. They’d have to pray to Elahandra and get direct guidance. Jewel thought to offer for them to just join their party the next morning, as they were heading that direction anyway, but then she thought better of the offer. Two men traveling would be much faster than three men, a blind woman, and a dog. Especially since she always slowed down considerably around rough terrain, which she would be crossing soon. No, better they leave separately. Jordia’s priestess needed help, and the sooner it could arrive, the better.

“Jewel?” Chizeld’s tone silently asked if there was anything more she wanted to add.

“I think we’re done here,” she answered his unspoken query. “Unless there’s something else?”

“No, nothing else.”

“Then let’s return. We have our own preparations to see to.”

~*~*~*~

After Jewel left, Rialt had no been quite sure what to do with himself. Having a bit of space to himself like this was rare. After a moment of pondering, he took himself down to the back of the house and the open training yard there. Father always claimed that if a man had energy and time on his hands, the smart thing to do was train.

Rialt spent a good amount of time loosening up, going through the forms with not only his axe, but the long dagger as well. In short order, Sarvell joined him, although he chose to work in a different corner of the yard, well out of Rialt’s way. The blades whistled through the air, but they did no speak, just trained in companionable silence.

By some unspoken agreement, the mayor’s guards did no approach, but let them be. A few watched for a space—why, Rialt had no idea as they surely had better things to do—but other duties eventually called them away, until it was just the two of them left.

Feeling warm and limber again, not to mention a bit sweaty, Rialt put his weapons back in their sheaths. He stood off to the side, in a pleasant spot of shade, and watched Sarvell for a time. The man had good form. Not as polished as a professional soldier, perhaps, but close enough to make no never mind.

The blond abruptly stilled, swung the sword in his hand right, and then sheathed it with an easy motion. Sweat beaded his forehead and he breathed a mite hard, but a satisfied smile lingered on his face. It felt good to train, it did.

Sarvell wiped away the sweat on his head with the back of his hand as he crossed over the yard to stand at Rialt’s side. “I’m proud of you, you know,” Sarvell stated with an impish twinkle in his eyes.

That twinkle said good and well that whatever the man said next, Rialt should no take it seriously. So he responded mildly with, “What, now?”

“Proud of you,” Sarvell repeated, more mischievously. “There was a time that you wouldn’t have let Jewel go off with just Chizeld. It’s so sweet to see how much you trust him now.”

“You be daft.” Rialt snorted and looked away, but this blank training space of dirt and brick walls did no have anything to entice a man’s eyes, so he naturally turned to look at the blond again. “You think I be worse than Bort, eh?”

“Rialt,” Sarvell responded patiently, “you
are
worse than the dog.”

Rialt let out a chuckle, as he could no refute that and did no see the harm in it, anyway.

Shaking his head, Sarvell continued, “Fortunately for Jewel, Chizeld tends to check your more protective instincts. I would shudder to think of her future otherwise.”

It would no be as bad as all that, would it? Well, mayhap it would. Rialt could no be bothered either way. “Can no blame me,” he pointed out, half-seriously. “The lass has no fear, and we have seen her face danger that would make a grown man flinch. Shards! If you asked any soldier to shoulder the mission she had, you would find scant volunteers.”

“And she won’t even complain,” Sarvell sighed, commiserating. “I wonder some days if she’s just so used to things being more difficult for her than everyone else, that it doesn’t even occur to her that
this—”
meaning the trip in general “—would be difficult for anyone. It’s either that or she just lost the habit of complaining as a child.”

“Belike both.”

“Mmm, maybe. But I’m wondering why Elahandra let it get this bad to begin with. Why wait so long to put the crystals back in place?”

“Jewel asked the same question of herself.” He had no liked the answer either. “The answer is two-fold. It was pride, you see, that cost the clans the crystals. In our anger, we cast aside herself’s protection. We shut ourselves off from her, and so she could no help us.”

Sarvell’s expression filled with bleak understanding. “The limitations of the god, huh? Elahandra was given the right to work only through her priestesses in each land, and without the crystals or their priestesses…”

“She could no do a thing, not unless someone asked for help,” Rialt finished unhappily. “But of course, no one did. No one needed to at first. Thornock’s crystal was still blazing along, after all. It was no until later, much later, that problems started occurring. But by then, everyone had forgotten that in order to have a god’s protection, they had to
ask
for it.”

It unfortunately made too much sense, although it sickened Rialt to admit to it. Even the Ramath had been too stubborn to ask for help.

“So what changed?” Sarvell asked aloud, almost rhetorically.

“Jewel.” Rialt smiled without meaning to. “She asked. She was surprised to learn she was the
first
to ask. It boggles a man’s mind, it does, but no other priestess thought to do it. Mayhap they were too involved in politics to think.”

“Or too concerned with their own safety to worry about something that would happen in the future,” Sarvell growled, a dark scowl drawing his brows together in a flat line.

Rialt grunted in sour agreement. “Eh, or that. But when Jewel asked, herself’s hands were untied, and finally she could act. At least, that be what the lass told me.”

Sarvell lifted a hand and rubbed at his closed eyes wearily. “Two hundred years of political maneuvering, wars, bribes, and threats. And it all could have been avoided by a simple prayer for help. Dross and dreck, but it makes me mad enough to strangle somebody.”

He empathized completely. In fact, if Sarvell could figure out the right man to strangle, he’d help.

“We need to make sure that all of that is recorded somewhere,” Sarvell stated firmly, clearly deep in thought. “Chizeld would be the right person to make sure it happens. Maybe, if it’s written out in detail, future generations won’t make the same mistake.”

“Eh,” Rialt agreed, “it be a good thought, that one.” Assuming that the future generations took the time to read the records. But he could no worry about the future and what might or might no be. He had his hands full with the present.

“Speaking of the future…” the mischievous light in Sarvell’s eyes rekindled, although this time he edged a little away, as if he
knew
that saying this would get his head handed back to him. “When are you going to openly confess to Jewel, hmmm?”

Caught off-guard, Rialt could only stare at him in spluttering amazement for a moment. “Ya bandy-legged dastard! What are ya noising on about?”

Sarvell took another step backwards, smile turning evil. “Oh come on, don’t play innocent with me. At first, you didn’t even like her. Now, you’re actually making
doe eyes
at her.”

Doe eyes?!
He had no!

“Have some consideration,” Sarvell continued casually, as if he were no working himself up for a drubbing. “It’s making me and Chizeld uncomfortable. Besides, it’s completely useless. Jewel can’t see you looking at her that way, remember? You’re going to have to actually say something.”

That tore it. Rialt dove for the shorter man with every intention to cudgel such ideas out of his head. But of course, Sarvell expected that, and he spun about and fled for his life, laughing like a mad gaffer all the way. Rialt followed hot on his heels, and the flush in his cheeks was no from the exertion of the chase.

That, that,
that eijit!
When he got his hands on him, he would skelp him— that was what he would do. After properly throttling him, of course, to make sure he did no say such things in the future.

“Rialt!” Jewel’s voice called from the main house. “Sarvell! I’m back! Eh?” her voice grew fainter, as if she had turned to speak to someone. Rialt snuck a glance over his shoulder to find she was standing just inside the doorway, speaking to Chizeld. The training yard was no so big that her voice could no carry. “What do you mean, I should leave them alone? They’re
chasing each other?
”

Sarvell apparently heard this as well, as he laughed all the harder. “Don’t worry, Jewel!” he called to her, darting around a support pillar and using it to launch himself further out of Rialt’s desperate reach. “He won’t kill me!”

“I would no lay odds on that,” Rialt growled, putting on a burst of speed.

Sarvell, the younker, ducked at the last possible second and somehow managed to evade his grasping fingers. With more speed than Rialt had given him credit for, he took off for the only other side door, making a break for freedom.

Jewel called something to them, but the blood was roaring in Rialt’s ears now, and he could no hear the words. It did no matter, really. The tone was enough for him to know she was amused by their antics.