He arose from his bed and went about his duties, and the day that followed seemed unusually long. He mediated a dispute between two of his shepherds that could have erupted into a serious matter. He inspected the sheep that they would take to the Gathering to sell, animals now too old for breeding but acceptable for eating, or for their wool. Rahil noticed his restlessness and inquired upon it, but he assured her that all was well. He was simply anxious to set out for the Gathering. She accepted his explanation with a smile and a nod, but he knew she did not believe him. Still, Rahil did know that when he wanted to speak he would speak, and so she let the matter rest.
When the evening meal was over and the board cleared away, Rendor remained by the fire as was his custom. Rahil sat across from him at her loom, weaving. Finally she arose, kissed him, and bid him good-night. She knew her husband’s custom was to remain in his hall alone before he made his final rounds to be certain all was secure. If he desired pleasures from her he awakened her when he came to their bed. Rendor dozed lightly, but then with the discipline that was his he woke himself at the proper time. Rising he made his way through the house, making certain all was locked and barred, snuffing the lights, banking the fire. And when he had completed his rounds he took a small lamp, and made his way down into his cellar, remembering to close the door behind him. The cellar was cool, and the earth beneath his feet had a dampness that seemed to seep through the soles of his boots. As he approached the small enclosed chamber he saw a light flickering from beneath the door. Opening it he stepped into the room. Kaliq and Lara stood there, glowing in the darkness of the root cellar.
“Rendor!” Lara came forward, put her arms about him and kissed his cheeks.
“You are not dead!” Rendor said, his voice openly relieved.
She laughed. “No, old friend, I am not dead. Is that what is believed of me?”
“Rumors from the Coastal Kingdom,” he said. “Faint, but perceptible.”
“Arcas has no subtlety,” Lara remarked. “Kaliq tells me Archeron is being slowly poisoned.”
“I did not know that,” Rendor answered her, turning to glare at Kaliq.
The Shadow Prince shrugged. “What could you do to help? You will soon learn you have troubles of your own.”
“Could you not save him?” Rendor asked. “He is our friend.”
“You really should,” Lara agreed. “Archeron is the only one of the Coastal Kings who can hold the province together. Arcas is ambitious only for himself. He will reveal their secret even without meaning to, ruining the balance of trade, and then Terah will be endangered as well. Move him to your palace before it is too late, Kaliq.”
“Very well,” the prince agreed. “I will leave you here with Rendor while I complete the task. My powers can only do so much from a distance these days.” And then he was gone.
Rendor turned back to Lara, and suddenly realized another man, a very large man, was now standing by her side. Before he might speak, Lara did.
“My lord Dominus, may I present to you Rendor, Lord of the Felan, and head of the Outlands High Council. Rendor, this is Magnus Hauk, the Dominus of Terah.”
The two men sized one another up, and then Rendor said, “I apologize for my hospitality, Magnus Hauk, but this meeting, I was told, necessitated caution.”
“I understand,” the Dominus responded. He then held out his hand. “I greet you in friendship, Rendor of the Felan.”
“I greet you in friendship, Magnus Hauk, Dominus of Terah,” Rendor replied, firmly grasping the hand held out to his before releasing it. He turned again to Lara. “Kaliq said there was great danger. That Hetar will invade the Outlands in the spring, coming through the Coastal Kingdom.”
“Yes,” Lara responded, “and you cannot fight them, Rendor. They will destroy all resistance, and confiscate your lands and your chattel. The women and children who survive will be taken in slavery. The Outlands as we know it will soon cease to exist. The Shadow Princes are wearied with their hidden defense of it. They need time to renew their strength for the greater conflict to come. Terah can help you if you will let them.”
“How?” Rendor asked her.
Lara slowly and carefully explained, concluding with, “And all you need do is swear your allegiance to the Dominus yearly.”
“And we will be separated from the rest of Terah?” Rendor asked.
“Completely,” Lara told him. “The Tormod and the Piaras will have to make their own arrangements with the Mountain gnomes in the Emerald range of mountains, but they are good folk, and the gnomes I am told are likewise. As for the plain beyond, it is uninhabited, and fertile beyond anything I have ever seen.”
Rendor sighed. “To leave the Outlands,” he said softly.
“To continue to live in freedom,” Lara replied. “And everything you possess will come with you. We will transport you by means of magic. The princes will use their combined strengths for you. We will take one clan family at a time.”
“What will your people think of this, Magnus Hauk?” Rendor asked.
“The Terahns live along seven fjords, which are arms of the sea,” Magnus began. “They may visit back and forth among the villages of their own fjords, but they rarely sojourn to the neighboring fjords, or beyond their own fields. They have no idea what lies beyond the Emerald mountains now, nor is it likely they will know what is there in the future. Terahns are for the most part insular peoples, and have been content to remain so, Lord Rendor. Resettling the Outlands clan families beyond the mountains will have no effect upon their lives, or their livelihoods. And your peoples are much like mine, for you keep to yourselves as do we.”
“There is another sea,” Lara told Rendor.
“Another sea?” He was totally surprised.
“Kaliq calls it Obscura. Its waters lap the sands of his desert as well as the shores of Terah. The landscape is somewhat different, but it would still be familiar. And the shoreline as far as the eye could see in either direction would be yours. There would be no danger from Hetar for they do not realize the princes have this sea, which Kaliq tells me is even wider than Sagitta.”
“I must see this place,” Rendor said suddenly. “You want me to stand by your side, Lara, before the other clan lords, and tell them that they must give up all we have ever known. I trust you, yet…”
“You need the reassurance of having seen Terah for yourself,” Lara said. “I understand, Rendor, and your enthusiasm will help me more than your dutiful acquiescence. How long until you must depart for the Gathering?”
“Eight days,” Rendor said. “We must go in eight days.”
Lara nodded. “You shall see Terah before then, Rendor, I promise you.” Then she smiled at him. “When I first saw the green plain of Terah I thought of you and your flocks. And of Roan’s horses, too. The Blathma and the Gitta will grow wonderful crops in that fertile land. And Accius and his Devyn will make new songs.”
“Provided they will agree to come,” Rendor remarked. “You know how difficult Floren of the Blathma can be. He has cultivated his same fields for years, and loves every bit of his land. He will be difficult to persuade.”
“I can only pray he will come,” Lara replied. “But if he will not then he must be left behind to face the Mercenaries of Hetar. They will rape his women, and trample his flowers into the very earth he loves.”
“None of the Outlands families can be left behind,” Magnus Hauk said quietly. “If this Floren will not agree to come he must nonetheless be transported with his people for we can leave no one to tell where the others have gone. Or else he must be slain. I will only do this if my own people are not endangered by Hetar.”
“Agreed!” Rendor said. “We cannot allow our new life to be destroyed before we have even begun it, nor can we imperil the Terahns who will shelter us, albeit unknowingly.”
Suddenly Kaliq stepped from the shadows, and back into their view. “Archeron is now resting in my palace,” he said. “And I have spoken with our representatives to the High Council in the City, telling them where he is so Arcas cannot give it out that his father has died.”
“Thank you!” Rendor said.
“What have you decided while I was gone?” Kaliq wanted to know.
“Rendor would see Terah and its plain before we address the Outlands Council at the Gathering,” Lara told the prince.
“Fair enough, but we must do it on the dream plane,” the prince said. He turned to Rendor. “We must conserve our powers for the transport,” he explained. “But within the dream plane Lara can show you all you seek to see. It is easier, and less intrusive. Can you comply?”
