past vows no longer make sense in the face of the present, I would have you swear to act according to your best judgment, rather than blindly follow your oaths.”
He paused for a moment before replying, “I will gladly swear it.”
“As your lord I have certain duties and responsibilities on your behalf and I shall endeavor to remain worthy of your service. We will hold your knighting in a few weeks once Sir Dorian is well enough to attend,” I told him. “Now get up, I get uncomfortable when people kneel for too long,” I added with a smile.
Cyhan stood and sheathed his sword. “If you don’t mind I’d like to wait here until it’s over.” Although he didn’t elaborate I knew he meant Edward’s dying.
I nodded. “Meet me at my house in the city when it is done,” I said and then I left him there. I wanted to check on Rose and then I needed to find Penny.
Chapter 47
Rose’s condition hadn’t changed much when I returned though she seemed warmer. Elaine still lay beside her, but her eyes were now open and she watched me silently as I checked on Rose.
Eventually her curiosity won out and she spoke before I did. “How did I get here?” she asked.
“I tricked you into making a mistake and then I threw you against a stone wall. I’m surprised you’re awake already,” I answered mildly. “Do you remember the fight?”
She shook her head negatively and after some questioning I discovered that she had no memory of the events that had occurred since she had summoned the shining god, something that had apparently happened the day before. Ironically, she had been praying to Celior to kill the King when he had offered to do more for her if she would help him cross the world bridge.
I ended our conversation as quickly as I could. “I need to find my wife and help a friend. I want you to stay here and keep Lady Rose warm until I send someone for you. Will you do that?” I asked.
She readily agreed and I went back to the throne room, or what was left of it. When I arrived I found Dorian conscious but unable to dig his way free of the rubble. I couldn’t examine his body through the enchanted armor that encased him but I suspected he had some serious injuries.
Struggling with fatigue I began carefully moving the large stones and granite blocks that had him trapped. It would have been easier to ‘listen’ to the stones and extract him in the same way I had carried Rose through the ground once before but I had no desire to risk any further use of those abilities that day. I was still feeling rather strange after my experiences within the bosom of the earth.
Dorian gritted his teeth when I finally pulled him free. “Damn that hurts!” he declared through clenched teeth.
“How badly are you injured?” I asked him.
“I feel like everything is broken but somehow everything still seems to work,” he replied.
“Let me get the armor off so I can examine you,” I said quickly.
He pushed my hands aside with surprising strength, “I can walk. Once you take this armor off I’m not sure how bad it will be but it won’t be pretty and I probably won’t be able to move around much after that. Let me help while I can. Have you found Penny?”
I shook my head, “She’s safe but I’m not sure where. I need to find her.” I didn’t bother explaining that she was with Moira.
“Then why are you here?!” he exclaimed.
I almost laughed at his reaction. It was typical of him. “Let me show you where Rose is before I abandon you. She’s badly wounded.”
That got his attention and it was several minutes before I could explain well enough to reassure him that she wasn’t about to expire instantly. I led him to where Cyhan had left her and explained why she had a teenager bundled up with her. Someday I felt sure Dorian would eventually come to expect weird things to occur around me, but it didn’t seem to have happened yet.
“Stay here with them,” I said, to which he rolled his eyes. Obviously I didn’t need to tell him that. “Cyhan is nearby and I’ll have him come help you later when he’s done,” I said and surprisingly he simply nodded. I couldn’t help but wonder what had transpired between the two warriors before Dorian had appeared in the throne room armed and armored.
Walking out I turned my thoughts outward and called to Moira again. I need to see Penny. Where are you?
After a long pause I heard her reply, she is with me beside the great stone.
What stone?
The stone I created before my final battle against Balinthor. It is near the palace on the east side, she replied.
I remembered the place. Why there?
When she answered I could detect a poignant feeling to her thoughts, I sought to protect your child. There is no safer place in Lothion.
Obviously she wasn’t remembering my house. The enchantments there made it by far the most impregnable location in the capital. As I considered those things I hadn’t meant to broadcast my thoughts but Moira heard me anyway.
No, she countered, there is no place safer than this. Even the gods could not enter here against my wishes. There was a note of pride in her reply and a hint of something else, a feeling that seemed almost maternal.
My curiosity was fully engaged now and despite my bone weary state I hurried to reach the place she had named. I found them both, as she had said, standing beside the great stone that thrust up from the bedrock beside the palace. There was no sign of any door or entrance and I had never considered that there might be anything inside the colossal monolith before, but now I wondered.
Ignoring my inner questions I headed straight for Penelope. Considering my last words to her, she had a look of some apprehension on her face as I walked steadily toward her. “I did the best I could…” she began but I put a hand over her mouth and pulled her into a fierce embrace.
Her belly was larger than I remembered and before I knew what had happened I found myself sobbing as I held her. My emotions were so great that it took a short while before I realized that our awkward embrace was being shaken by Penelope’s cries as well. It was the sort of moment that normally would only occur behind closed doors, but both of us had been through too much to worry about such things today.
Eventually we both calmed down and began to collect our thoughts. Looking around I realized Moira Centyr was gone already. “Did she take you inside the stone?” I asked. Despite my emotions I was curious what she had seen there. My magesight showed nothing but a solid rock with no hollows or inner chambers.
Penny nodded and then kissed me, which effectively ended our conversation for a minute or so. Holding her now, I felt fresh tears forming. “I thought I’d never see you again,” I said softly, when I was able to break away from her lips at last.
“About the note,” she replied, “I didn’t think I could put anything more there…”
“Let’s worry about that later,” I interrupted. “What was inside the stone?”
“You have too much to deal with. We can talk about that in a day or two,” she said with an odd look in her eyes.
I found the lack of details maddening. “Look Penny, I’ve had about all I can take of cryptic messages and hidden meanings. If you discovered something strange or important in there I need to know what it is!” Stress and weariness led me to raise my voice more than I might have normally.
“Mort, stop,” she said calmly. “This isn’t anything like that. Nothing bad, nothing serious or dangerous, we just talked, woman to woman.”
“And what did you say?”
“Tomorrow,” she insisted. “I can see Lord Hightower leading the city guard up the streets. You need to deal with him and explain what happened. We can discuss family matters later.” She ran her hand over her belly and I was even more mystified than before.
