'At last, my chance to protect the fair lady,' he croaked through lips cracked from the salt air. He withdrew his sphere from the small bag at his waist. After several moments, Alodar could see a shimmering bubble of translucence which engulfed Duncan and Vendora. His two followers rolled the bubble up on the bulwark and tossed it into the waves, tumbling Duncan and Vendora together in a confusion of cloak and gown. Obviously, from its motions, the bubble could not be used in any rough sea. Alodar watched as the attendants jumped in after and began pushing the two landward, untouched by the chilling water. He saw Aerial come back to join him, as the last two, they jumped overboard and waded to shore. Watersoaked and fatigued as they were, simple foraging and lighting a fire took the rest of the day. Only Alodar's curt commands and steadfastness kept tempers in line and limbs moving until it was done. As darkness fell, the small band huddled in close about the flame, seeking at last dryness, warmth, and rest from their ordeal.
'Now that the emergency is over,' Feston said, rubbing his hands together and then touching the hilt of his sword, 'we can, I feel, revert to our original chain of command. And my first direction is that we should abandon this beach and quickly search out a cave in the hills, so that the night can be spent in some sort of shelter.'
'There is no strength left for that, Feston,' Alodar said. 'We have already endured the elements for four full nights. Another will tax us less dearly than a search without light over the rough ground.'
'I have given a directive,' Feston growled. With a savage gesture, he withdrew six inches of blade from his scabbard. A sudden rumble of disapproval checked his action, and Feston looked quickly about at the men who circled the fire. 'You there, by your insignia, you are royal marines. Follow the orders of your commander,' he said.
'We serve the person of the fair lady,' Grengor said quietly in reply. 'Until she gives us direction otherwise, we will follow the command of master Alodar. You bail as well as any man among us, lord Feston, but it is lady Aeriel's page who has seen us safely through the storm.'
'And that is the truth, Vendora,' Aeriel cut in. 'Just as at Iron Fist, the thaumaturge has proven his worth to the crown of Procolon. Let the deed and not the station be your guide, my fair lady.'
'I am not so dim of sight or slow of mind as you sometimes make me, Aeriel,' Vendora said, pulling erect and drawing her robe about her. She looked slowly about the ring of Alodar's marines, each grim-faced and with a hand on sword hilt. 'I observed with care the events of the past days. Indeed, the man has acted well in behalf of the crown. But tell me, Alodar, how did you know, when none else did, that the barge would founder?'
'In truth, my fair lady,' Alodar said, 'I do not know that it did. The helm may have been repaired or the patches held. The barge still may be plying the seas, having ridden out the storm as well as we. Yet, to determine with certainty the seaworthiness of the vessel could well have been fatal. I made the decision that I felt I had to.'
'And then, instead of possible comfort in my stateroom on board, where has your decision brought your liege?' Vendora said.
'To the uplands north of Bardina?north of the boundaries of Procolon itself?my fair lady,' Grengor cut in. 'I campaigned here in your father's time and recognize the black oak which creeps down from the hillside.'
'My fair lady,' Basil said, 'perhaps this makeshift alchemist has served you well these past days, but we are by no means safe from major peril. Our voyage was for aid to stop the forces that threaten to overrun the kingdom. In the west we fight no less than demons, and our army makes no headway in dislodging the grip of their crazed servants from the land. And from the south march even more, to stab at the heart of Procolon.'
He paused and looked about the landscape. 'We cannot chance another voyage across a sorcerer-watched sea in such a little craft. And little time remains to return to Ambrosia for one more seaworthy. Our one hope now lies in recruiting to our cause the barbaric nomads who aimlessly roam these lands. And only by statesmanship and bribery can we bend their primitive passions to our will. Fortunately for you, my fair lady, watersoaked though this tunic is, it still safely protects many a jewel of great value. Appoint me leader, and I will see you safely home in triumph.'
'If the danger is as black as you paint it,' Duncan said, before Vendora could reply, 'then a handful of jewels will be no guarantee against the treachery of these simple-minded ones. Permit me to be always at your side, my fair lady, and with my sphere and command of the others about me, no matter what happens, your safety can be assured.'
'Enough, enough!' Vendora cried, with a hint of irritation in her voice. 'We must deal first with the matter of Alodar's recompense for services duly rendered. I doubt that any of you would act with such decision, faced with the question of abandoning ship. Indeed you did not. Such boldness must not be stifled, but rather it should be encouraged. Tell me Alodar, what boon do you wish from your queen?'
Alodar breathed deeply and then replied with a rush. 'You speak of boldness, my fair lady, and it encourages me to speak of my driving quest.'
With a sweep of his hands, he turned and addressed the entire assemblage as well as the queen. 'You all know that lord Feston accompanied the fair lady from the confines of the siege at Iron Fist, and for his effort he was made no less than suitor for her hand in marriage. Then Basil the apothecary, armed with the treasures secured at real peril from the Fumus Mountains, earned like status for his aid to the power of the throne of Procolon. And finally, Duncan of the Cycloid Guild offered the fair lady protection most magical; and for this, he too is suitor for her hand. My fair lady, though my deed may in your mind not compare with these, my desire is yet no less. I too seek your most royal favor and your hand.'
Vendora threw back her head in a peal of laughter. 'Ah Alodar,' she said at last. 'You do lighten the weariness that hangs so heavily upon me. But stay, your words are well chosen, and by logic's laws you have saved and prospered the life of the queen as well as any. Stand forward by the fire so that I can note you better.'
Alodar slowly rose and approached the queen, his heart pounding with the little energy that remained in him. He felt every impulse to glance away as she stared, but he held his gaze level, looking back at her squarely.
'You are comely looking enough,' Vendora said, as she turned to face the others. 'My good company, may I present Alodar, suitor for the hand of the queen of Procolon.'
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Alodar Enchanted
ALODAR stretched his legs and smiled. The weariness of their journey still hung over him, and the meager morning meal did little for his hunger, but he was content. He flexed his fingers in the coarse sand just inches away from Vendora's arm. He looked about the camp. Only Grengor and a few of his marines remained. The rest were away, scouting the surrounding hills for signs of the nomads. Down the beach, Aeriel stood alone, staring out to sea. Behind a nearby dune, Kelric had yet to stir from his slumber.
Alodar shot a sideways glance at Vendora while she idly scraped a bit of beach tar from her gown. He had come this far from the most humble beginnings, spurred on only by hopes and dreams. To rank finally above them all must be within his grasp, if becoming a suitor ever was. It was only a matter of seizing the opportunity.
Alodar looked to the north and saw the line of hills slowly converge upon the sea. The beach narrowed to a slender ribbon and then terminated abruptly against a rocky point that cut off the view. Back to the west, a sprinkle of vegetation dotted the slopes, chokecherry and spicebush still green beneath the bare branches of oaks and dogwoods that yielded to pines and cedars as the elevation climbed. At the limit of vision, a hint of snowy whiteness mingled with the hazy purples of the great mountains that thrust into the interior.
Alodar lazily scanned the panorama a second time. As he looked to the lower hills, he caught sight of one of the scouting parties that had left at dawn. He squinted into the morning light, trying to resolve some detail, and decided finally that the specks slowly bobbing his way must be Basil and his retainers. As they drew closer and confirmed his guess, he sat upright and then pointed at the approaching figures.
'Look, Grengor,' he said. 'Basil does not return empty handed. He left with two followers but there seem to be four men marching back to camp.'
'And by the looks of the last,' Grengor replied, 'he journeys as a captive rather than a friend. It is not an auspicious beginning, if we are to convert all of these wild northmen to our cause.'
Everyone turned to watch Basil's progress; several minutes later he puffed into the camp. 'My fair lady,' he said, as he rushed to the queen, 'already I prove the great worth of my wealth to your crown. Behold, I bring forth your first new subject from the wastelands.'
