Do not fret, for know we are hale and in good spirits, and we deem the Fates are with us. Know as well that you are in our thoughts.
With love, I remain,
Celeste
Princesse de la Foret de Printemps
“By Mithras, we must do something,” declared Valeray. “We cannot just idly sit by and let them face the bloody Changeling Lord by themselves.”
“I agree,” said Borel.
“We have elements of our warbands with us,” said Alain, “as well as the full Springwood warband at our behest. That makes a formidable force.”
“Oui,” said Luc, “yet the dark of the moon is but a fortnight hence, which gives us little time. I say we gather remounts for all and ride to Port Mizon.”
“Mizon?” asked Saissa. “Why th-? Oh, I see: Mizon is where lies the map, and you will need a copy to find your own way.”
“Seek Chevell,” said Valeray, “for he knows where Celeste and Roel debarked. He is a good man and will aid.” Valeray glanced from Luc to Alain to Borel and said, “Let us fetch the warband leaders. There is much planning to be done ere we can be ready to leave.”
“Sire, you are not going,” said Borel.
“What?”
“I am sorry, Papa, but with your broken foot, you will only be a burden, and as Luc has pointed out, time is short, and we must hie.”
“But, but-”
“He is right, love,” said Saissa, stepping to a nearby bellpull, “and you know it.”
Borel turned to Liaze and Michelle and Camille.
“You will not go either. Camille, if you are indeed with child, we cannot risk it. But even if not, to you and Michelle and Liaze I say, we will be freer and faster if we do not have to worry about you, especially in the midst of battle.”
Even as the three began to protest, Valeray growled,
“Borel is right: we must stay.” In that moment a servant knocked on the door in answer to the bellpull, and shortly thereafter Armsmasters Anton of the Springwood, Remy of the Autumnwood, Jules of the Winterwood, and Bertran of the Summerwood entered the room.
The very next day, out rode the combined warband, Borel and his Wolves at the fore, Alain at Borel’s side, Comte Luc just behind, along with Anton and Remy and Jules and Bertran. Remounts trailed after, just one apiece, yet they hoped to get more in Port Mizon.
A horn sounded, and away they galloped, Quint on point and running sunwise.
With tears in their eyes, Liaze and Camille and Michelle watched them go, as did members of the various staffs of the four Forests of the Seasons.
And when the last man disappeared into the woodland, Michelle sighed and said, “May Mithras protect them all.”
“Oui,” said Liaze.
Camille turned to the two and said, “Let us find Hierophant Georges and see what he knows of familiars.”
“Familiars?” asked Michelle.
“Oui, for I suspect the crow Anton spoke of is a familiar of some witch.”
“One of the acolytes?” asked Liaze.
“Mayhap,” replied Camille, “for with Rhensibe and Iniqui dead there are two acolytes left, and who better to want revenge upon the house of Valeray?”
“Hradian and Nefasi both,” said Liaze.
“Oui,” said Michelle. She looked up at the balcony where Valeray and Saissa stood to watch the warband go. “ ’Twas Valeray who fooled Nefasi into revealing where she kept the Seals of Orbane. Let us see what he knows of familiars, too.”
And into the manor they strode.
The warband reached Port Mizon in the noontide on the fourth day after setting out. There they exchanged all horses for fresh ones, most coming from King Avelar’s stables. Avelar called Vicomte Chevell unto him and arranged for the Sea Eagle to transport the warband and their animals to Port Cient, for that’s where Celeste and Roel had debarked to ride to the Changeling realm.
Borel and Lieutenant Florien were given access to the treasured map, and they copied down all that Celeste had drawn, for Florien had aided her in that task, just as he now aided her brother.
Some two days after and in the wee hours, they laded the Eagle. And when they were done, the holds and even the decks were jammed with men and horses, and, of course, Borel’s Wolves.
At dawn they weighed anchor, and halyards were haled, and the sails bellied full, and the ship got under way.
25
Memories
Hacking and wheezing, they came out through a smoke-filled cleft nigh the crest of a rocky tor, and Celeste filled her lungs with sweet, fresh air, and she wept to see open skies. Roel embraced her from behind, and Celeste clasped her hands to his and said, “I thought I might be trapped forever.” Roel kissed her on the nape of the neck. “And I thought I might never find you.”
“But you did, and I wasn’t,” said Celeste, and she turned in his arms and kissed him deeply; then she looked into his eyes.
Roel smiled down at her. “Burning wet straw was quite clever, cherie; else it would have taken me longer to fetch you. -But tell me, how did you manage to slay the giant Ogre?”
Celeste leaned her head against his chest and murmured, “I remembered an old tale of men being trapped by a giant being, and they got him drunk and blinded him. Me, I did not want him blind, but dead instead.” She raised her face. “Where are the horses? I’ll tell you the full of it as we ride.”
“Yon,” said Roel, pointing to one of the twisting canyons below.
“Then come,” said Celeste, kissing him once more and then freeing herself from his embrace, “let us away from this Ogre hole.”
Roel nodded, and from its anchorage, he untied the rope they had climbed to get free and coiled it. Then he took her by the hand and down the slope they went.
“. . and so you see, I slew him, though in hindsight mayhap ’twould have been better had I blinded him and tricked him into rolling the boulder aside, as did the men in the tale, though I only thought of that later.”
“Non, cherie, what you did was right; else he might not have been fooled and would have slain you instead.” Celeste shrugged. “Mayhap so, but I wouldn’t have risked starving to death, for alone I could not move the rock.”
Roel laughed. “You could have eaten the Ogre. He would have lasted for many, many days.” Celeste shuddered. “Don’t even think that, Roel.” They rode without speaking for a while, and then Celeste said, “He was a man-eater, and many a victim had he consumed. His stew was of people he had captured and thrown into his pot. Oh, Roel, though I did not take pleasure in slaying Lokar, Faery is a better place without him.”
“Oui, my love.” Roel reached across the space between them and touched her arm.
In that moment Celeste gasped and cried in dismay.
Roel jerked his hand back and clutched the hilt of his sword, and he stood in his stirrups and scanned about, yet he saw nought but the rolling hills they had come into. “What is it, Celeste?”
“I deliberately let Lokar win at pips,” said Celeste, despair in her tone.
“Oui, and. .?”
“Don’t you see, Roel, Lady Lot told us there would be many challenges along the way and we must win them all. But I let Lokar triumph at pips.” Roel frowned in thought and then intoned:
“Difficult tests will challenge you At places along the way;
You and your love must win them all, Else you will not save the day.” He looked at Celeste and shook his head. “I think the test was not in playing pips, but rather in defeating an Ogre. That, and finding a way to get free. And in both of those, you managed skillfully.”
Celeste sighed. “Well, I did slay Lokar, and together you and I got me free. Oh, my love, I do hope you are right.”
In midafternoon, the wind strengthened and clouds scudded across the sky above, presaging an oncoming storm, for on the far horizon, a dark heave of clouds roiled toward them. Left and right and ahead they looked, but nought of shelter did they see. They paused long enough to fetch their oiled, leather cloaks from their bedrolls, and to make certain the gear on the packhorses was well covered. On they rode-a candlemark and then two-and even as in the distance ahead they caught sight of a broad forest, spatters of rain forerunning the storm came flying on the wind.