The Book of Korum

  *

  Hal was in awe.

  From out in the hall he and just about every other member of the keep's staff were able to hear the 'conversation' that took place between the Baronial family. It was found out later on that the soldiers in the courtyard were debating whether or not Lady Tasha's scream reminded them more of a wailing cat or an enraged hyena.

  "How can you even think of sending me to some strange old bitty's castle without even asking my opinion?!" came Lady Tasha's holler at an octave somewhat higher in pitch than her normal speaking tone. Hal winced painfully just at the sound of it.

  "Now Tasha," her father interposed as loudly and as rationally as he could. "I'm just trying to do what's best for you!"

  "Best for me?!" Tasha snapped incredulously. "Father, have you been drinking?"

  "Tasha, I will not put up with this sort of childish behavior. I am your father! I know what's best for you, better than you do!"

  There was a clearly audible snort of derision at that point. Hal was admittedly impressed. He didn't think that anybody could make such a grotesque sound carry across a room like that. "Would you make up your mind, old man? A moment ago you said that you were sending me away because you don't know what's best for me! Which is it?!"

  "Don't twist my own words against me young lady! I won't..."

  "It's not like you make it difficult for me to twist them, Father!"

  There came a tremendous crash. It was later reported that the soldiers in the courtyard were laying odds on it being an entire china set.

  Hal had to strain to hear the next part of the conversation. Even then what he caught came only in bits and pieces.

  "... I know what you must be... wish your mother was... but you must go... Lady Chrisan... no matter what."

  "... not a child anymore... no right... what I please... "

  "You will do as I say!" came Lord Tyren's voice more forcefully. That's a mistake, Hal thought ruefully.

  "I will not!" Tasha screamed as Hal shook his head with a sigh.

  "Tasha..."

  "Father, there's one thing you're forgetting here! This is my life! Not yours!" Her voice had begun to quaver with emotion. Hal felt his heart going out to her and wished that there was something that he could do. "Controlling my life won't bring mother back!"

  There was a long pause. When they spoke again, their voices were too low for the large man to hear.

  Apparently it was also too low for the keep's staff to hear as well. As if suddenly coming out a stupor, twenty or thirty liveried men and women suddenly realized that they had other places to be. In seconds Hal found himself alone in the hallway.

  Now Hal was not normally known to be the sort of person who would eavesdrop on someone else's conversation. But, the keyholes were rather large. It could almost be said that not taking advantage of such a moment would be an opportunity lost. But Hal wasn't one to think like that. I'll just listen real quick, make sure she's all right, he rationalized as he crept closer to the door. Easily dropping into a crouch, Hal pressed his ear up against the keyhole.

  "... do you want to do with your life? Become an adventurer?" Tyren scoffed softly. "A highwayman or bodyguard? With all of your practicing and learning all the ways to disembowel someone? I mean really Tasha, what use is it to you?"

  There was a soft snuffle. "How am I supposed to know what I want to do with my life? I've never been anywhere, or done anything. You've never let me."

  "I'm letting you now, Tasha."

  "But... I... I can't... " She broke off for a moment. Tyren made soft, comforting sounds and spoke phrases that were designed to soothe. Tasha seemed to reorganize her thoughts and plowed straight ahead. "I just... I can't go to Kaemar, father."

  "Hmm? And why not dear?"

  Tasha took a deep breath. "Because I have to go to Southmoor."

  "Hal," snapped a snide voice from directly behind him. "What do you think you're doing?"

  The large young man nearly cried out in alarm at the sound of the thin, rasping voice. His heart hammering louder than an anvil, Hal whipped his head around to see Garnthalisbain crouching not six inches behind him. There was only a slight scowl of disapproval on his face, but one thin eyebrow was quirked up in amusement.

  Embarrassed, but not so much that he would stop what he was doing, Hal motioned for the mage to be silent and turned to listen again at the door before abruptly swiveling back to face his grim-faced friend. "Where did you come from so fast?" he whispered curiously. "I didn't hear you at all. Did you just... sort of... " he searched valiantly for an appropriate phrase and failed miserably in his attempt.

  " 'Appear out of nowhere in a silent cloud of smoke' ?" Garn suggested with a thin smile and a vague fluttering of his fingers.

  "Yeah."

  "No."

  Hal's face fell. "Oh." He frowned uncomfortably in thought for a moment. "Then how did you... "

  Garn leaned closer, a dark look in his eyes. Hal, unconsciously intimidated, pressed up against the door, trying to avoid the intense gaze as the young mage pressed in. "It's a secret," he whispered, mystically passing his hand before the big man's face.

  At that incredibly inopportune moment, the doors were flung wide open. Hal tumbled backwards into the room with a startled yelp, his arms flailing madly. Tasha, fuming with emotion as tears streamed openly down her face, was stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at the intensely embarrassed individual lying at her feet with absolute fury. "What... what are you doing there?" she demanded coldly, lashing out at the first available target.

  Desperately Hal searched for a valid excuse. Any valid excuse. "Um... I was... er"

  His eyes flew from side to side as he strained.

  Garn chuckled cruelly.

  Fresh tears sprung into Tasha's eyes as she realized a new level of humiliation. She huffed with emotion and stormed off down the hall with a stride that was almost frightening to watch. Garn, still chuckling softly under his breath, followed along behind her, his long black cloak flapping along behind him as he trotted to keep up.

  Hal slowly got to his feet, more than a little embarrassed himself. Glancing into the room he saw Baron Tyren leaning against the back of his chair, watching his retreating daughter's form with an intensely sad expression. Absently Hal noted that there were shards of pottery lying all over the floor beneath the fireplace.

  Trying to subtly make his getaway, Hal started to edge out the door but the Lord of the Vineyard Grove swung his gaze at the slight movement and focused in on Hal's bulky and unstealthy frame. Hal abruptly assumed a military posture and adjusted his facial expression to its well practiced, obedient slackness.

  "Milord," Hal began, a slightly frantic tinge in his voice that he was unable to hide. "I can explain. You see... I was... I was out in the hallway, and... uh... ." Hal stumbled for several long, painful moments before quietly surrendering to his fate.

 

  Tyren almost smiled. Hal blinked in surprise. "Don't worry, lad. I'm sure most of that didn't end up being too private anyway."

  Hal said nothing.

  The smartest thing he'd done all morning.

  Tyren sighed. "Southmoor?" he asked of no one in particular, shaking his head in confusion. "I don't understand. Visions. Cats. Strange women..." The Baron paced the room for several moments before stopping and pouring himself some wine.

  Hal began to feel uncomfortable once again. But he wasn't certain how to excuse himself without making an even bigger idiot of himself. Just walking away is out of the question and I'm not smart enough to know the right thing to say at a time like this, he thought.

  So now what?

  Roughly a minute or two later, Lord Tyren noticed that Hal was still standing at attention in his wide open doorway. The baron said nothing for second or two as he regarded the big man curiously. "Is there something else?" he asked finally.

  Hal's eyes flicked over to Lord Tyren, his face a faint rose in color. He cleared his throa
t painfully, saying: "May I be excused, milord?"

  Tyren placed a hand over his eyes and sighed wearily. "Dismissed" he muttered with a vague wave of his other hand.

  Hal fled.

  He ran as fast as he could through the winding passageways with a surprisingly nimble step. His normal clumsiness seemed to be missing as he sprinted past many startled and incredibly alarmed people. He charged up a flight of stairs three steps at a time and all but hurdled a railing in his attempt to bypass people without harming them.

  Ahead of him were two guards who, in days past, had gone out of their way to find ways to embarrass and humiliate Hal. The guard on the right, seeing an excellent opportunity for mischief, 'accidentally' left the butt end of his spear right in Hal's path.

  Both soldiers were astonished as Hal adroitly sailed over their failed attempt at brevity. They watched in further amazement as the big man continued on down the hall as if nothing had happened.

  When he finally reached his destination, the door to Tasha's room was wide open as she and the mage were deep in a discussion.

  "So that's it then?" asked Garn from his relaxed position, leaning against an unlit hearth with a goblet of wine in one hand.

  Tasha was frantically sorting through her items, randomly picking and choosing as she went along. "Yes, Garn," she said in frustration. "I don't have a choice anymore. If Father won't give me his assent... it doesn't matter. We'll go anyways. We have to"

  "What's... " Hal began, but a quick look from the mage convinced him to remain silent.

  "If that's what you want Tasha, that's what we'll do." Garn said swiftly, sipping at his wine as he cast a contemplative glance at Hal. "When do you want to leave?"

  Tasha's motions slowed as she thought about it. "Tonight, if possible. I want to be able to get away before Father makes it impossible." Her back remained turned to Hal as she hustled over to her closet and began rifling through it. Hal seemed about to speak again but another glance from Garn kept him quiet.

  "It'll take me some time to get together all of the things that I'll need to take with us," Garn said conversationally. "Say an hour or two at the most."

  "Then go and get on it," Tasha snapped irritably. "We'll leave at midnight, during the changing of the guard."

  Garn paused in his thoughts for a moment, as he glanced over at Hal speculatively. Hal could almost see the mage's mind at work as those green eyes gazed right through him. "Will it just be us travelling Tasha?" Garn asked with an exceptional casualness. "That hardly seems prudent, don't you think? Just the two of us?"

  "What?"

  "I'm just saying that maybe we should bring some muscle with us," Garn elaborated, a grin starting to quirk the corners of his mouth.

  "Well what would you like me to do about it, Garn?" Tasha asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she took a half step towards Garn. "I'm running away from home, remember? What am I supposed to do? Get some of my father's guards to come along?" Garn shrugged his shoulders slowly as Tasha sneered with derision. "I can just picture that conversation now. 'Lord Aeros? Would you be so kind as to assign a contingent of guards to accompany us while I escape my father's wrath? Thanks ever so.' Get real, Garn."

  The young mage finally smiled and looked over at Hal. "Well," he began slowly. "The person I was thinking of isn't exactly a contingent. It's altogether possible that he equals one in total girth and intelligence, but he would hardly qualify as a contingent."

  Tasha screamed in utter frustration. Hal jumped slightly as Garn's grin grew wider. She turned fully around and looked ready to throttle the thin mage. "Garn? What are you..." her voice caught in her throat as she finally saw Hal standing in her doorway.

  Garn motioned with one hand for Hal to say something. Hal's brain went over the last bit of Garn and Tasha's conversation as quickly as he could make it go. A moment or two later, he had his conclusion and spoke. "Milady, I would be willing to... go with you and Garnthalis... Garntalyz... the mage," Garn choked on his wine with amusement at that point. "That is, if you would let me."

  Tasha's face had darkened to a deep red in color and her eyes sparkled with fury at the big man. Hal winced, preparing for the eruption. "No!" She exploded. "Absolutely out of the question! I will not be..."

  Garn grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed back into a chair, slowly managing to calm her down. "Now listen carefully, Tasha. I know that you're under pressure right now and I know you think that this big oaf just humiliated you in a huge way with your father. And I can understand you not liking the idea right at the moment. To be honest with you, I'm not sure that I like it very much. But, it does have some merit." He paused to make sure that Tasha was paying attention. She looked like she was about to make some sort of objection, but the firm look in Garn's eyes caught her attention and made her think better of it.

  "Just think it through for a second. I'm quite capable of handling some of the troubles that will come our way, and there will be troubles, don't kid yourself here. But I won't be able to handle everything. Magic's a fantastic tool, but even I can only do so much with it," he explained patiently. "I think that it would be best if I didn't have to use my magic for every little problem that may come up.

  "Without a doubt, Tasha. You show great potential as a warrior. But right now, we need more than just potential. We need ability." He pointed then at the astonished Hal. "And while I may think that the oaf over here is lacking somewhat in brainpower, Hal can handle himself in a scuffle better than anyone that I can conveniently think of," Tasha's eyes grew reluctantly thoughtful at that point as she considered what Garn was saying. "Besides that," he continued. "Hal's fiercely loyal to you and would jump off the nearest cliff if you asked him to. Now, no matter how much he may have embarrassed you," Tasha gave Garn a dirty look which he pointedly ignored. "He certainly didn't do it on purpose."

  Garn took a deep breath and took his hands off Tasha's shoulders. Retrieving his goblet, he moved to stand next to Hal. He looked back at Tasha seriously. "I ask you again, Tasha. Do you really want to do this without him?" He returned to his perch against the hearth and sipped at his wine.

  The ferocity had slowly drained away from Tasha's face during Garn's speech, and she looked almost rational. Her cheeks were lined with tear-tracks and her eyes were red, obvious signs of her overall emotional state. But all that aside, she was in control of herself again. Giving Hal a dangerous look, Tasha spoke to him. "Fine. You can come along. I don't need you along," she clarified fiercely, in case anyone happened to have forgotten. "But if Garn believes that we could use your help... you can come along. Only," she added vehemently startling Hal yet again. "If you give me your word that you won't tell anyone our plans! Not Lord Aeros, not any of the other guards... No one!"

  Hal said nothing for long moments as he tried to sort out his jumbled thoughts and conflicting inner duties. He realized that he didn't have a lot of time to think on this, but it was just too much, too fast for him give a quick answer.

  He was one second away from asking for some time to think about everything that he was being asked to do when some clicked in the back of his mind. Something that made him realize that there was really nothing to think about. He only had one possible answer.

  Hal looked right into Tasha's eyes. "Milady Tasha, you have my oath that I will not tell a soul of your plans. On my life I swear it."

  Tasha nodded sharply. "Good," she said simply before turning away again.

  Hal sighed wearily and Garn pat one shoulder comfortingly.