“Yet the part about the princesses obviously is true,” frowned Volox. “Do you believe this to be true, Garl?”
“I do,” Garl nodded. “I would not be here if I did not believe in the Prophecies of Kieran. My ancestor was much favored by Kaltara. Kieran’s visions were the truth of what is to come.”
“And just where will this king be found?” asked Tamar. “I notice that the scroll does not address this matter.”
“No, it doesn’t,” conceded Garl, “the scroll is clear enough for me. It states that the lost princesses will find this king. They cannot do that if they are dead or imprisoned.”
“Can you boys write?” asked Anija.
Eltor and Caldal both nodded. Garl looked skeptically at Anija and waited for her to explain her thoughts.
“Good,” Anija said decisively. “Eltor, Caldal, and I are going to make copies of this scroll. I plan to make sure that dozens of copies appear around this city in appropriate places. I know that you said public opinion will not help much, but we are only six. We will need more help.”
“Make the copies,” Garl nodded, “but do not distribute any of them until I say it is alright to do so. I do not want to tip our hand just yet.”
“Or the guards at the prison will be increased,” agreed Tamar. “There are a few soldiers that I would trust my life to. I plan to talk to them. I am sure they will help us free the princesses.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked Volox.
Before anyone could answer, there was a knock at the door. Everyone froze except the elder who rose quietly and approached the closed door.
“Who is it?” he shouted through the door.
“A call to Council,” shouted the voice on the other side of the door.
Volox cracked the door slightly and stared at the soldier.
“What is the urgency?” he asked. “No meeting is scheduled today.”
“I was not told,” answered the soldier, “but rumor is that it is for a vote regarding the execution of the assassins. The meeting starts within the hour.”
“Thank you,” Volox said as he closed the door.
Volox walked back to the table and sat down. He exhaled deeply and shook his head.
“Now I know what I will be doing,” he said softly. “I will stall that meeting as long as I can. Still, there is not much time to accomplish what we must.”
“How long can you stall?” asked Garl.
“Several hours I think,” answered Volox, “but it depends on how testy things get. Malid may try to force the vote over my objections. I would like a copy of that scroll to carry with me. It may buy us an extra hour or so.”
“What about members of the Society of Mages?” asked Tamar. “Do you still have friends there, Garl?”
“No,” Garl shook his head. “I have previous students, but even they will avoid me. I was fortunate to find one to help me access the royal vaults, but that will not happen again.”
“What happened there?” asked Volox. “When I was new in this city, your name was among those listed as the shining stars of Elvangar. A year or two later you were dismissed from the Society and disappeared. No real explanation was ever given.”
“It is not something I like to talk about,” frowned Garl, “but it is pertinent to this matter. I was a rising star in the Society of Mages, as was Karaza. We often tried to outdo each other in what I thought was a friendly competition, but I was sadly mistaken.”
“Karaza is now the Head of the Society of Mages,” interjected Volox for those who did not know.
“Things between us really turned foul when I was chosen to be the Head of the Society of Mages,” continued Garl. “Karaza was furious. He told everyone who would listen that I was selected only because I was the king’s uncle, but that is not how our king carried out his duties. He was nothing if not honest, fair, and objective.”
“You were the king’s uncle?” Volox echoed with surprise. “I never knew that, and the king was responsible for my elevation to elder. I though that I knew him well.”
“You probably did,” smiled Garl. “He did not play favorites. After the incident of the great storm, the queen was in a terrible state of depression. Who could blame her? Her loss was of a magnitude that no one person should suffer. I tried to console her by telling her that the king was not dead. I promised her that he would be found and returned to her. Karaza claimed that I was lying to her to solidify my high position because she really favored Karaza over me. He said that I would be replaced if she knew the truth of her husband’s death.”
“And all you were trying to do was to comfort her in her time of loss?” asked Anija.
“No,” Garl shook his head. “I truly believed that the king was alive. I was very close to my nephew. I was sure that I would have felt it in my heart if he had perished. I tried to share my hopes with her.”
“And she didn’t believe you?” asked Tamar.
“Worse,” sighed Garl. “About a year after the terrible incident, Karaza convinced the queen to allow him to mount an expedition into the world of the humans to search for the king. He promised to use his magic powers to locate the king if he lived. She granted his wish. When Karaza returned, he was unlike his old self. He claimed to have found the grave of the king, proving his death, and therefore my dishonesty. The queen was incensed that I continued to believe that the king was alive. I was stripped of my title, thrown out of the Society of Mages, and banned for all time from stepping foot in the city of Morada.”
Chapter 26
Defending the Accused
Tamar ushered the two soldiers into his office and closed the door. He walked across the room as far away from the door as he could get and motioned for the two soldiers to follow him. They dutifully obeyed.
“I am going to say something to the two of you that must remain confidential,” opened Tamar. “Can I trust that you will not repeat what you are about to hear?”
“There is no need for such a question,” responded Lortar. “You know us better than to ask such a question.”
“I hope that I do,” replied Tamar, “because what I am going to ask of you, some would call treason.”
“I cannot believe that,” Fengri shook his head. “You would never commit treason. I have never met a more loyal officer.”
“It will not be treason,” confirmed Tamar, “but some will call it that. Can you see a mission through to its end while being called a traitor?”
“If I believe in it,” nodded Lortar. “The fact that you believe in it already says a great deal to me. What is it you want us to do?”
“Read this,” Tamar said as he handed a copy of the scroll to the soldiers.
Lortar and Fengri read the scroll together. When they were done they returned it to Tamar.
“What is that scroll?” asked Fengri.
“It is a copy of one of the Prophecies of Kieran,” answered Tamar. “Do you understand what it is foretelling?”
“The prophecy is clearly stated,” replied Lortar, “but why are you showing it to us?”
“Have you heard the rumors of the rebirth of Angragar?” asked Tamar.
“Of course,” nodded Lortar. “Everyone has.”
“Well the rumors are true,” declared Tamar. “The first Prophecies of Kieran stated that when Angragar was reborn we would enter the Time of Calling. Does this make any more sense regarding the scroll that you have just read?”
“It does,” shrugged Fengri, “but I am still missing the connection.”
“There was a report of an attempted assassination of the queen,” explained Tamar. “The supposed assassins are two young women that come from another land. They are twins. They are of the Kieran line, and they are the age of the lost princesses.”
“But if these are the princesses of the prophecy,” frowned Fengri, “why would they try to kill the queen?”
“I don’t believe that they did,” answered Tamar. “I think it is a ploy by someone else to have the princesses executed, thereby destroying the prophecy. I am sure that you both know of my special association with the queen? Well I have been forbidden entry to the palace on the orders of Karaza.”