Chapter Three - The Citadel

A cleansing breath brought Adric back from a deep sleep. Annoyed, he rolled over and buried his face in the fabric of his bed trying to ignore the noises filling the house. Adric reached for his pillow but was annoyed further to find that it was not there. He paid this abnormality no mind and continued to fidget until he got comfortable. Confusion consumed him. He strained himself, trying to remember what happened the night before.

Something truly felt out of place, as most things do after waking up from a long, deep sleep. What had he been dreaming? He had definitely been dreaming about something. Gaden had been there, and Karina, but he couldn’t remember exactly what they were doing. Or was it a dream?

Adric opened his eyes. It took him a minute but soon he realized that he was not in his own house. He sat up suddenly, disturbed by this realization. Where was he? How did he get here? Was he in danger? And then, at the thought of danger, it all started coming back to him. They had been at the Library at Eladin. He remembered the cloaked man, the mysterious cloaked man he chased through that endless labyrinth. And then there was the fire. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered all of his things being left in the library to burn to waste, not least of which was his beloved book of legends, a book he would now be unable to pass down to his own descendants. A family treasure that was now no more; lost on his watch, including all the evidence contained within. Now they had nothing to go on.

Adric rose and had a look around. He was in a large room with a ceiling so high he couldn’t have touched it, even if he had stood on top of his bed. The bed was wide and was resting on four dark polished wooden posts towering several feet above his head and draped with fine white linen. There was a very small round table in one corner of the room with two chairs underneath that were the same color as the bed posts. The same fine white linen that was draped over the bed covered a window adjacent to the table. The fabric waved gently at him through the calm wind coming into the room from the open window.

Adric walked to the window. He pulled the fabric out of his way and peered outside to see if he could find anything familiar; anything at all that could give him a clue as to his whereabouts. The fear that filled him just moments ago was slowly abating. Somehow this place, wherever or whatever it was, didn’t feel like a place of danger. Outside, just a short distance away, was a large fenced in pasture. He was amazed at the number of horses contained within its barrier. He did not recognize this place at all. He had never seen so many horses under one watch before.

There was a knock at the door. Adric left the window and opened a heavy wooden door that was curved at the top, and which hung on large, black iron hinges. He was immediately comforted to see that Gaden was standing on the other side.

“Good evening,” he said, blandly. Adric looked back at the window as if searching for the time.

“Hi,” Adric said.

“It’s nearly sunset,” Gaden said. Adric seemed lost for a moment.

“Do you remember the library?” Gaden asked. “You’ve been asleep all day,” Gaden said.

“All day?” Adric blinked and shook his head. “But, what about you?”

“Same. I woke up only a couple of hours ago.”

“And Karina?” Adric asked. Gaden’s face went blank. He said nothing.

“Gaden, where’s Karina?” Adric said, his stomach going ill.

“We don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Adric repeated, confused and somewhat accusingly.

“She was taken. We are still trying to work out who took her. She must have been taken after we all passed out.” Gaden put a hand on Adric’s shoulder. Adric felt the color drain from his face. He had never been so full of questions, yet so speechless at the same time. His head was pounding with confusion. He allowed himself to be steered back to the bed.

“What happened?” He said.

“Do you remember the other man, the one you chased?”

“Yeah,” Adric said.

“We think he’s the one who took her, but we don’t have anything more than that.”

“But…” Adric didn’t know what to ask first. “Why… Who is we?” Adric jumped to his feet. At that moment, the large door clicked and opened again.

“At your service,” The man said. It was Elric, and Adric was taken aback to see that he was bowing to them. Again, Adric found himself speechless. Elric rose, and walked over to Adric, followed by his son, Avan. Elric held out his hand, and Adric took it.

“I am Grand Marshal Elric of Alldel, horse breeder, Alldelan Scout, second in command to the Steward of Alldel, Commander of the Alldelan army.” Elric held himself up to his fullest, and most respectable height, his title equally impressive. He wore a scarlet tunic, with black pants and boots. There were three gold stars on each side of the collar on his tunic. Adric was familiar with this type of demarcation of rank, though he had never seen so many stars on one uniform before now. But then, he thought to himself, he wouldn’t have. There was but one grand marshal in all the land. Elric was that one man. And then Avan held out his hand.

“Avan, son of Elric, sixth lieutenant of legion two, Alldelan Council member, military trainer for the army of Alldel, Alldelan sub scout.” Avan released Adric’s grip, and bowed, too. He wore the same garb as his father, yet he only bore three stars, two on his left-side collar, one on his right. This, Adric had seen in the markets of Eladin before. Lieutenant was a respectable rank, a command grade, but not so uncommon as grand marshal, or indeed even that of field marshal, subordinate to Elric, but only by one degree of separation. He also knew that sixth lieutenant was referencing which group of footmen he commanded in his legion. There were four legions in the Alldelan military. Each legion was led by one field marshal overseeing five commanders. Each commander was in command of twenty-five lieutenants such as Avan, and each lieutenant commanded one hundred forty-five footmen. Footmen consisted of the lower grades, those being junior garrison, senior garrison, and captain. Captains were the next in line if something should prevent a lieutenant from fulfilling his obligations. The field marshals for each legion then reported up to the grand marshal, who reported to the steward or king.

This complex segregated chain of command allowed the grand marshal to assign smaller groups to accomplish more menial tasks, rather than utilizing the entire military when it was not necessarily required. If a small reconnaissance job needed only a limited number of soldiers, a single unit, which is commanded by a lieutenant, could be assigned to the task, thus only depriving Alldel of one lieutenant and his footmen, rather than vacating the nation of its entire military. This meant that Avan was commanding the sixth unit in legion two, and though lieutenant was only the first grade in the command ranks, it did impose a lot of responsibility, and was a coveted grade. The fact that Avan had achieved the rank of lieutenant at his young age spoke very highly of him. After having been introduced more officially to the two of them, Adric returned the courtesy.

“Hello, I’m Adric, son of Cassian,” he said, and then Elric went on.

“Heir to the Alldelan staff, king of the great nation of Alldel,” Elric beamed. Gaden, not wanting to be left out, held out his hand sheepishly,

“Gaden Arnhadson, um… hunter of… of animals…” He trailed off, unable to think of anything else to say.

“A worthy opponent,” Avan finished for him and nodded respectfully. Gaden smiled politely. Adric couldn’t wrap his mind around everything. There was too much going on. He had been out all day, Karina was gone, and his book was gone. Elric must have noticed the look on Adric’s face. Still, Elric smiled.

“Follow me. We can talk.” They rose and followed him through to the end of the room and down the hallway. If it was possible, the rest of the house was even more extravagant than the bedroom. The hallway was deep and stretched out far in front of them. The ceiling was arched and lined with stone columns that stood no less than twelve feet high. The columns were wrapped in green vines that were adorned with fresh white flowers blooming every few feet. A sweet smell wafted throughout the house. It was unfamiliar to Adric, but it was soothing and tranquil.

“Lorlean Dance.” Elric picked a flower off the vine and passed it to Adric. He took it and raised it to his nose. The sweet aroma filled him, soothing him instantly. It was an experience as much as it was a scent.

“I’ve never seen these,” Adric said. He was intrigued by the flower. It was more than a sweet smell. It was relaxing.

“They bloom every evening and secrete tiny drops of oil. That’s where the scent comes from. The oil trickles down the vines, and the scent lingers throughout the day.” Adric stopped and ran his finger along a vine. It felt dry. “The oil will have dried up by now. Tomorrow morning, it will run down the vines, afresh. As the oil reaches the blooms, it causes them to quiver. It looks like they’re dancing. Nasha, my wife, loves them,” he said. “And Karina - she used to come over just to watch them.” For the first time, a smile faded slightly from Elric’s face. But it wasn’t long lived. He turned around and gave Adric an encouraging wink. “Come, have a seat. I’m honored to have you in my home.” Elric showed them to another room.

Adric walked in. It was a five-sided room. Each wall was ornately dressed in fancy trim work, ancient art, and windows that stretched from the floor, all the way to the ceiling twelve feet above them. The ceiling was domed and lavished handsomely with more of the same fancy trim work. Several chairs were arranged in the center of the room, on top of a rug that nearly covered the entire wooden floor. A knee-high table stood in the center of the room where seven meticulously arranged candles sat flickering in the center. Adric sat, Gaden selected the chair beside him.

Elric strode over to a tall wooden cabinet at the other end of the room. It had claw feet and stood nearly a head higher than Elric, which was saying something.

“Stupid cabinet.” Elric scoffed. “Every time Nasha needs something, she has to stand in a chair, but she won’t hear a word about letting it go,” he opened one of the doors and pulled out a stack of papers. Elric sat down with Adric, Gaden, and Avan, and laid the papers down on the table. He rifled through them, picked one out of the bunch, and handed it to Adric. He took it and flipped it over to read,

“Kala desti ‘o hyre pil’e nieza vel thangi vel deskiy.” Adric looked at it closely. He examined it like it was another clue he found buried away for nobody to see. He gave it one last puzzled look and passed it to Gaden. Gaden took it and looked to Adric for a clue.

“It’s Rhodhinian. We don’t know what it means,” Elric said. “We have a reliable source in Soceria that can translate it. We will have to take it there.”

“Wait, you don’t know what this is?” Adric asked. He was surprised.

“Rhodhinian is a harsh language. We can’t translate it. But it was left with you when Karina was taken. I suggest we get going right away.”

“There’s no need,” Adric said.

“Isn’t there?” Elric let out his usual chuckle.

“I can read and speak Rhodhinian.” They looked at him, incredulously. Gaden beamed at Adric, proud they knew something the others did not. Elric handed the page back to Adric.

“You have my attention,” Elric said, still smiling.

“Well, as you said, Rhodhinian is a very harsh language, refined and full, but very harsh. It reads, her heart rests within the hands of the heir,” he set it down on the table in front of him.

“You’re quite sure?” Avan asked.

“No doubt,” Adric said. “In fact, I’m so sure, that I can say I find it interesting that the writer chose to say, nieza, instead of, niesi. That is, within, instead of with. I told you that Rhodhinian was a harsh but very refined language. My instinct would suppose that their choice of words is no accident. If I told you, her fate rests with the hands of the heir, I would mean that her fate relies on the heir himself. But if I told you, her fate rests within the hands of the heir, I would mean, more specifically, that her fate relies on the heir’s actual hands, or at least that would be the meaning in the Rhodhinian language.” Elric sat back and crossed his legs. He had a look of deep thought on his face.

“What do they want?” Gaden asked. Still, Elric sat quietly. Avan was looking anxiously between Adric and Elric. The look on Elric’s face wasn’t what you would call comforting, which was a first.

“You are the direct descendant of the great King Wystan,” Elric said slowly. Still, he did not move.

“Yes,” Adric confirmed. This was nothing new to him or to Gaden. Elric looked up at him. Elric had a somber face, but still warm, still comforting – friendly as always. Adric shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I’m just a blacksmith. I always have been. Please, don’t treat me as someone more unique than I am. My family has abdicated the throne for centuries,” Adric said.

“Sadly, that’s true. They just kept slaving over that book they wrote.” Elric paused. “It’s a masterpiece of work, please don’t misunderstand. But we need our king.” Adric sat in silence for a while.

“I just find it hard to believe that my ancestors could have led the kingdom any better than the stewards have done,” he said.

“As to that, I cannot speak. I can only tell you what is the truth. Truly, the throne is yours.” Elric stood up and went back to the cabinet. He opened a different door and pulled out another stack. He brought it back to the table and sat down. Elric went through the pile and started laying everything out in front of them. There was a map, a list of names Adric didn’t recognize, something that looked like diagrams of a house, and,

“My book!” Adric lunged forward and seized the book of legends that he had been so sure was gone forever. “But, how? I thought it was left in the library.”

“Gaden must have left with it. We found him holding it when we picked you up,” Elric said. Adric flipped through the pages, astonished at his failure to think to ask Gaden about it. “Adric, are you familiar with the Staff of Alldel?” Elric asked.

“I’ve read about it in passing, Dawnwood I believe it was called, well, if it exists, of course,” he laughed because he was a reasonable man, and reasonable men did not believe in such things as the Staff of Alldel, or, indeed, the Staff of Rhodhinia. Except, he remembered, the man who stood on the horizon that night by the library. If the Staff of Rhodhinia did not exist, then what was that hooded man carrying in his left arm?

“Oh, it exists. We just haven’t found it,” Elric said, breaking Adric from his thoughts.

“How can you be sure?” Gaden asked. Elric looked at him momentarily, and then at Avan.

“Well,” Elric paused. “We know where to find the Staff of Rhodhinia, it’s only a matter of locating the other one at this point.” Adric nearly dropped the book.

“You found…” words failed him.

“Rhodhinia has it, Heartsbane they call it, and things aren’t looking good. They know about you, Adric. They want you because without you they can’t wield the Staff of Alldel. You mentioned that the note wants your actual hands. Only the heir to the throne of Alldel can pull the staff from its pedestal.”

“So, he wants me to get it for him?”

“We believe so. Elric said.”

“And he is holding Karina as a bargaining tool?”

“That would seem to be the case.”

“Where is he?” Gaden asked.

“Roman stays in Ahri, Rhodhinia’s capital city.” Elric took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. Adric stopped on the page labeled, Alldelan Treasures. Underneath the title was an inscription written in a funny language that he did not recognize. Curly, loopy writing and strange shapes were circled around the base of a staff that someone had sketched at the top of the page.

“At least come with me to Aelwynn. We can help you get Karina back, and then, maybe you will find what you are looking for.” Adric set the book down and looked up. He thought hard about Elric’s proposition.

“Okay, I’ll do it for Karina.” Adric looked at Gaden, who nodded.

“How far is Aelwynn from here?” Gaden asked.

“Not far, on horseback,” Elric said. He stood up. “I’ve got to be over there soon, anyway. The sooner we get started, the better. Nasha is waiting on me.” Adric gave Gaden a look, they nodded to one another and they stood together. “Follow me,” Elric said and waved his hand.

They followed him to another arched wooden door on black iron hinges just like the one in his bedroom. Elric opened it, warmth blanketed Adric as the setting sun poured in over him.

Elric let them go through first and then shut the door behind him. They followed Elric around the back of his house and Adric saw, once again, the pasture behind the white fence where seemingly hundreds of horses were kept. Adric thought this was where they were going until Elric changed course and Adric noticed a magnificent building with a roof that seemed to reach for the clouds. The building was so large he didn’t know how he could have missed it.

Elric and Avan walked to the high wooden doors and pulled them open. They struggled against the mighty weight, but the doors relented, and they entered.

Straw-covered the floor. It was musty and stale inside. There were hundreds of cabinets lining both sides of the walls. Strange numbers were stamped into each of the cabinet doors. They were organized in some order because the first row was labeled, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, and so on. There was another row labeled, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, carrying on up to 6.1.1, and again on to 7.1.1, they went on forever. There was a ladder on wheels which was mounted onto a track that stretched to the top-most cabinet.

“Citadel cabins,” Elric said, noticing Adric reading the labels. “Each one belongs to the resident for that cabin. We allow them access to these grounds for horse tending. There isn’t room for all of the horses at the citadel.” Adric watched Elric. Elric did not open one of the cabinets with the numeric labels. Instead, he opened a larger cabinet standing alone in the corner.

Inside were countless varieties of brushes hanging on various pegs. Tools Adric did not recognize were organized neatly on the shelves. But what caught Adric’s eye, were ten leather saddles on the top three shelves. Elric grabbed the first saddle and tossed it behind him to Gaden, and then threw another to Adric. They caught them and examined them with interest.

“You do ride, don’t you?” Elric asked, not even looking in their direction.

“Of course,” Gaden said.

“Good.” Elric turned around and handed one of two saddles to Avan. He shut the cabinet doors and locked them with a small key he pulled from his coat pocket. He led them back outside, and they followed him to the pasture where the horses were grazing.

“We always keep the king’s horse,” Elric said. This surprised Adric. “Stay here for a moment,” Elric said. He opened the gate and walked in. For a moment, it looked like he was just going to stand there. But then he put his fingers to his lips and gave an earsplitting whistle. A gleaming white horse trotted gracefully to a halt, directly in front of Elric, who waved her in to him. Elric patted her neck and guided her to the gate. Avan opened the gate for his father.

“Adric, this is Ylandyr. You’ll find no finer steed anywhere. She is truly worthy of any king.” Adric stretched his hand out and ran his fingers through her snowy colored mane. Ylandyr snorted her approval and rubbed her head against Adric’s hand.

“Saddle up, she’s yours now.” Adric began to protest, but then Elric took off back into the field. He waited a moment until he got control of a beautiful chestnut colored mare with a gleaming black tail and mane. Avan opened the gate once more and he passed through with the horse.

“Gaden, this is Annari,” Elric said. “She’s one of the fastest horses I’ve ever bred. She has no owner yet, she’s still young but she is ready for assignment. She’s yours if you’ll come along.” Gaden stepped forward and stretched out a hand. He had always considered a position among the Alldelan ranks but had never pursued it. Annari reared and whinnied loudly as if in protest. Gaden jerked back, but Annari lunged forward. She knelt and rubbed her head against Gaden’s chest. Gaden stumbled and Elric laughed.

“You didn’t think I would give you an untamed animal, did you? Like I said, she is still young, but she will warm to you.” Gaden grinned and patted Annari’s neck. “Saddle up and meet us over at the barn. We’re going to get our horses, and then we’ll head off.” Elric and Avan walked toward a sizeable stable house behind the storage shed. Gaden threw his leg over Annari’s back and situated himself. Adric did the same. They directed their horses to the barn just in time to see Elric and Avan ride out.

“If you’re ready, then?” Elric didn’t wait for an answer but shot passed them, his steed’s hooves pounding the ground beneath them throwing up dirt and grass. They turned and followed Avan. Gaden rode directly beside Adric.

The wind whistled past his ears. His hair and jacket whipped out behind him from the speed of the ride as Ylandyr raced him across the knolls of the Alldelan countryside. The Socerian mountain range could be seen barely visible behind them, jutting up over the trees of the Tulusbian forest. Adric had never seen such a glorious view. This was indeed a magnificent location to build a house.

He and Gaden looked at one another and then Gaden tore off. Adric gave chase. Gaden was hunkered down as low as he could ride. Adric raced passed Elric and Avan and tore across to cut Gaden off. But just as he was about to catch up, Gaden kicked his horse to urge her forward, and he disappeared behind a cloud of dust. Elric hadn’t been lying. Annari was very fast indeed. They slowed to a casual trot to allow Elric and Avan to catch up to them.

“That was exhilarating,” Gaden said, through deep breaths.

“I haven’t had that much fun in years.” Adric was beaming. “Annari is incredible,” he said. Gaden smiled and patted Annari on the neck affectionately. She snorted her approval.

“Ylandyr is beautiful,” Gaden said. “She’s so clean.” Adric took in his surroundings. He wanted to enjoy every minute of this. He took in the snow-capped mountains, which marked the Socerian border a deceivingly long distance away. They soon crossed a rickety wooden bridge over the Thendor River, which stretched out, sparkling in the dying sunlight. It connected Meromar Lake with the South Sea at the extreme southern border of Alldel. North of the river and beyond Meromar Lake, Adric knew, lay the Rhodhinian border. He knew it was just his imagination, but those waters seemed to taunt him at the thought.

Before long they could see the outline of a massive city on the horizon. Buildings stood tall against the skylight. They approached a stone path that led them to the city center. A vast fountain stood in the center of the square in the middle of the capital city of Aelwynn. It was a bustling city, not quite as large and sprawling as Eladin, but plenty large enough. There were many city-goers about. It seemed Elric’s passing through the city was nothing unusual to them, as they waved at him, a few even saluting him. Against the far northern edge of Aelwynn was a massive stone structure. Adric knew this was the citadel where the officials of Alldel resided. He had visited only a couple times. They reached the entrance to the citadel, which was lined in towering marble pillars. An armed guard was stationed in front of each of the pillars. Each guard held onto a head-high pike.

Elric dismounted, and they followed his lead. They directed the horses to the stable house beside the entrance to the Alldelan citadel. Inside were at least twenty more horses. There were several vacant stalls. Elric put each of their horses inside a vacancy and then they walked toward the guarded double doors. As they approached, the guards reached for the doors and pulled them open.

“Welcome back, sir.” They said in unison.

“Go and get Lord Thale for me. Tell him it’s urgent. I will tend your post,” Elric said. The guard on the left replied,

“Yes, sir.” And he left the hall quickly. They were in a towering white room. The floor was a highly polished tile of marble. Every step they took echoed against the walls. They sat down on one of two benches to left.

After a very short time, the doors at the end of the room opened and five men walked through. Their boots clacked loudly against the floor. Adric recognized the leader immediately as Lord Thale. He did not recognize the others who followed him, but they were all dressed alike. Lord Thale stepped forward and held out a hand to Adric. He noticed that this man had four gold stars along either side of his collar.

“Lord Thale, Steward of Alldel,” The man said.

“Adric, son of Cassian,” Adric said.

“Gentlemen, greet this man as you would greet me. Our king has arrived at last.” Adric felt his eyes widen involuntarily. Each of the other five men stepped forward, knelt onto one knee, took Adric’s hand, kissed it, and then stood and stepped aside without even a glance at him. This wasn’t exactly the greeting he had expected.

“Adric, you have, of course, met my grand marshal, Elric. He is second in command here. Behind me is Verrik, one of my field marshals.” Adric noticed three stars on the left side of his collar, and two stars on the right. “And, then you have Lieutenant Ivar, and his son Oneas, who is a captain. They’re my scouts for Rhodhinia and Lorlea.” Oneas had only a single star on his left collar. “And last, but certainly not least is lieutenant Garrin. He is in charge of civilian affairs,” Adric nodded to each of them. He felt quite out of place here. He was a blacksmith, and now he stood among high-ranking officials. This wasn’t his place, regardless of what others said.

“Well,” Gaden whispered so only Adric could hear, “We wanted an audience, right?”

“Look, I just need to find Karina. I don’t know what I’ll do after that, but that doesn’t matter to me right now. Karina is what is important.” Thale smiled.

“Very true. Don’t worry, you have all of Alldel at your disposal, and at your command. Follow me. We’ll get started right away.” Thale turned and made his way to the door in front of them. Adric glanced at Gaden, who nodded. Gaden stepped forward and walked beside Adric.

They followed Thale to a set of towering oak doors on black iron hinges. Verrik and Oneas each grabbed a door and pulled them open with a rumbling creak.

“Do you know much about your grandfather, Adric? The late King Wystan, I mean,” Thale asked.

“Well, I like to think that I do, but lately I’m not so sure.”

“Did you know that he built all of this?” Thale stepped up beside a stone wall and waved his hand over the side. Adric peered over the side of the waist-high stone wall.

He was gazing into a massive cavern which was hundreds of feet deep. Hundreds of people scattered about like tiny ants, and none of it was primitive. A giant crystal chandelier was hanging from the top-most floor of the cavern lighting all seven stories which lined the circular room. Pillars of marble fifteen feet high separated floor from ceiling on each level. Rugs of most beautiful scarlet trimmed in thin gold strands lined the floors. Branches of deep hallways were positioned across all seven floors. And if Adric’s eyes were not deceiving him, there were shops and vendors of all kinds scattered throughout the center-most level.

There were four magnificent staircases at least thirty feet wide and lined with the same scarlet carpets positioned at ninety-degree intervals from one another. They led from the highest level all the way down to the bottom. Banisters of finest wood were erected along each staircase. And in the very center of the bottom level, was a head-high stone carving of a beautifully shaped ruby.

Adric could tell, without looking at him, that Gaden was speechless. Gaden had never visited the citadel before now.

“Your grandfather built this as a safeguard against the Rhodhinian forces centuries ago. It kept them safe during their time, and it continues to keep us safe even today.”