Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

Chapter 25: End of the Beginning

"No one truly understands the universe's extent, from beginning to end.

Though many a scholar and learned mage have gazed long into its depths.

Myriad lights and expansive dark, balanced one against the other.

Space without end, distance unimaginable and power absolute.

Yet, in all their gazing, in all their searching, the learned ones

All agree on one thing: here, there is order."

- from the personal journal of Charon Everstrider,

Lord High Sage of the First Order, Council of Sages, Chain Islands 

Lawrence roughly shook off Will's and Captain Markus' helping hands and struggled back to his feet from where he had fallen to his knees, his strength and senses robbed by the new runes now tumbling around in his head, accompanied by a strange surge of magical power.

"I said I'm fine, damn you," he growled, using the Tree to brace himself.

"You don't look fine," Will immediately retorted even as Markus signaled one of his subordinates to go for a druidic healer. "First you start silently howling in pain like something is torturing you from the inside. Then you keel over, nearly going face down in the snow. What gives? And don't give me some burning lame excuse, either. We've been through too much together for you to start lying to me now."

Lawrence shot his friend a hard look, an equally hard retort on his lips. Then, with a sigh, let the words die before they could leap past his lips. Will was right: he had gone through just about everything Lawrence had, and did so as a matter of choice. He had more than earned the right to the truth.

Before the big Ironstorm prince could tell his old friend the truth, however, he caught sight of a knot of figures striding with purpose across the Caer Aslan grounds towards them. Among them were two he recognized instantly.

'Lords Cadmon and Bethane,' he silently named them with a frown. Well, he did want them to show themselves sooner versus later so he could find out what the Chamber was going to do now that the capital was liberated. At least they decided to arrive after he had his bell rung, and not during. That would've been ... challenging to explain.

"Something's going on with the other two Wielders," he tersely explained, looking back over at Will. "Something big. Not sure what, but whatever it is, it's activated a number of runes inside my mind. The additional magic flowing through me from those runes was the source of my earlier agony and loss of strength. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out what's going on sooner versus later. It'll have to wait, though." Lawrence let his eyes return to the approaching group of lords.

"Now I need to deal with Cadmon and Bethane."

Hearing the names of the two powerful lords, Will turned to where Lawrence was now looking, a curious expression appearing on his face. That expression became thoughtful as he too watched the lords approaching. They were close enough now that the group of men surrounding them could be identified as some of Ian's rangers, hooded and cloaked against the weather.

The broad, bluff Bethane didn't hesitate when they finally drew up to the waiting Lawrence. Smoothly he went down on one knee, with head bowed.

"Your Majesty," he rumbled. A surreptitious glance at the staff in Lawrence's hand quickly brought the addition: "And Lord Wielder. You have the Chamber's thanks for liberating our fair city."

"And our condemnation of the traitor Mern." The slender and spare Cadmon added from where he too had taken a knee only a heartbeat after his colleague.

"His execution at your hand was well deserved, sire."

Lawrence slowly nodded in acknowledgment as he let his eyes move from Bethane to Cadmon, thoughts racing behind his steely blue eyes. Should he tell Lord Cadmon of Nerise's fate in the Gyren? How she fell in a dark soldier ambush? Seeing how worn and tired the thin lord already appeared, the powerful prince frowned. No ... no, it would destroy the old noble to discover his eldest was now dead. He'd have to be told sooner or later, but now just wasn't the time. He needed Cadmon as strong as physically and mentally possible to make the rebuilding process work in their favor. Him, Bethane, and the other powerful lords in the Chamber; he needed them all to begin rebuilding Talemon. Hopefully, they would be finished before the horror of the Return reached them. His face tightened. Time, however, was now against him.

Pushing the dark thoughts and the grimace from his face, Lawrence cleared his throat.

"My lords, please stand," he indicated with a lifting gesture. "A good Aramas winter is nothing to be kneeling in." He went on as the two elderly lords carefully returned to their feet. "Unfortunately it is in winter that we find ourselves, needing to rebuild both our capital city and our nation. And as quickly as humanly possible."

"You speak with a note of urgency in your voice, your Majesty," Bethane said with a frown. "Is there something else that threatens Talemon beyond the foulness that was Mern?"

Saying nothing in reply, Lawrence instead slowly turned to look out over the darkened city, stretching out from the foot of Caer Aslan under its blanket of white snow. Cadmon and Bethane exchanged a quick look of confusion and alarm. But, just as Bethane readied to repeat his question, Lawrence spoke, his voice low and intense.

"Do you remember, my lords, the visit of the king and high lords of Caliphra last summer?"

"Aye, your Majesty," Bethane said, nodding and frowning as he recalled the pomp and circumstance that had washed over the city, prelude to a royal wedding that ended in Mern's coup against the Ironstorm family. "The Caliphran monarch brought with him the Norak Utterance, and his daughter in marriage."

"And did any of the lords and ladies of the Chamber take the opportunity to examine the Utterance when it was before them prior to our signing the treaty with Caliphra?" Lawrence pressed.

"Not in detail, sire," Cadmon husked with a look over at the still frowning Bethane. "It was protected by some sort of magic if I recall."

Lawrence allowed himself a thin smile. Some sort of magic, indeed. The enchantments protecting the prophecy scroll copy the elven ambassador had left him, nearly knocked him off his feet, Wielder strength notwithstanding.

"If you had, my lords, you would've read that there is only one true threat to Talemon. To Talemon, Ramnor and all of Creation." He looked over his shoulder at the two older men.

"And that is the Return of the Kaal Eran, the demon devourers from the Abyss."

He turned to let his eyes once more stretch out over the city. His city, the capital of his nation, a symbol of the strength and honor of her people. He felt his face tighten. It would be here they would strike first, to tear the heart out of the Talemonese before they could join the fight against the Return. A ripple of runic light danced up the Tree Staff in response to the surge of emotion that rushed through him.

"Here, my lords," he husked tautly, the Tree glowing more brightly as his emotions continued to burn. He made a broad, expansive gesture that encompassed the whole of the snow-covered city stretching out before them.

"Here, in the Star of Aramas, the city that binds our great nation together, we will meet that foe the prophecy speaks at length about." He paused, casting his Wielder senses far and wide to range over the world. What he found didn't please him at all.

"The demons will soon travel across the vastness between their holdings and ours, dark intent in their hearts, to strike at those that would stand against them. And as the Star of Aramas is our heart, and one of our most powerful holdings, it will be here we will meet the Return." Lawrence's face tightened with determination.

"And then we will make our stand against them!"

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