‘What we did was madness!’ Shan said to Taropat.
Taropat touched the wound on his forehead gingerly, winced. ‘We had to do it, Shan. Merlan will be fine, I’m sure.’
‘He’d better be, otherwise we’re turning back now, aren’t we?’
Shan felt invigorated, full of energy. At his feet, Merlan had curled up on his side. ‘What did you see down there?’ Shan said to Taropat.
‘Darkness,’ Taropat replied. ‘Impenetrable darkness. I had prepared myself for so much more – terrible visions – but there was only a void. For a while, I was Khaster again, and I was prepared to face whatever would be shown to me, but Malarena’s lesson is not focused upon me.’
‘Tayven?’
‘I don’t know.’ Taropat placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. ‘And who knows what Merlan saw?’
Tayven returned with the blanket and they carried Merlan to a more comfortable spot nearby, a carpet of spongy moss beneath the trees. Merlan’s eyes were open and he turned his head slowly from side to side. Tayven gave him some water and he swallowed.
‘Can you speak?’ Shan said. ‘Merlan, can you hear us?’
Merlan blinked, but said nothing. Taropat took one of his brother’s hands and Merlan’s fingers grasped his own. They were so intent on their companion, they did not hear someone approaching, until a voice above them said, ‘May I assist you, sirs?’
The hooded figure they had seen on the other side of the lake stood over them. He was swathed in a long dark robe, and his face was bony and ivory pale beneath his hood.
‘That would be generous of you,’ Taropat said. ‘We went into the weir, as you probably saw. It looks as if Merlan here took a knock beneath the water.’
The hooded man did not appear to think their actions were unusual. ‘Allow me to examine him,’ he said. ‘I’m adept at treating the wounds incurred in these waters.’
The others moved aside so the man could squat down. ‘Many don’t survive,’ he said, as he lifted Merlan’s eyelids. ‘You should consider yourselves lucky.’ He examined Merlan thoroughly. ‘Hmm, nothing too serious. The injuries are not physical. He is in shock. All he needs is sleep. I have a posset I can give him to help his condition.’
‘You are the guardian of this site?’ Taropat said.
‘I am Nordren,’ the man said. ‘Many years ago, as a young man, I undertook the quest of the lakes seeking enlightenment. When I reached Malarena, I could find no trace of a physical guardian. As I wandered the shore, I came upon a shack, in which I found the body of a man, long dead. The raven came to me and landed on my shoulder. I knew then I was destined never to complete the quest. Here I stayed, as a guide for others. That was my destiny.’
‘Have you ever entered the weir?’ Shan asked.
‘I cannot,’ Nordren said. ‘Should I do so, I could move on to Rubezal, and that is not my fate.’ He stood up. ‘Carry your friend to my dwelling. It is basic, but has floor space for guests who are not too particular.’
Taropat hesitated. ‘We plan to take as little sleep as possible.’
‘Your aims are noble,’ Nordren said, ‘and I can tell from your breath you haven’t eaten properly for some time. However, fasting is one thing, sleep deprivation another. If you do not rest for some hours tonight, you will never fulfil your quest. Rubezal is the hardest lesson of all.’
‘Has anyone completed the quest?’ Shan asked. ‘Has anyone reached Pancanara?’
Nordren smiled grimly. ‘None has returned to say, but I’ll tell you this: some have perished here at Malarena. Others, who have stayed on the path this far, never understand the true lesson of the lake, or else realise it, cannot face it and turn back. Those who pass on may fail at Rubezal. You will see their bones there. I’m not even sure Pancanara exists. I think that once you have received the knowledge of Rubezal, Pancanara comes into being within you. I am sure it is a spiritual concept. Now, dress yourselves. Let’s get your ailing friend to warmth.’
As they walked to Nordren’s dwelling, carrying the semi-conscious Merlan between them, Shan asked the guardian, ‘Would you have let us drown if we’d been unable to get out of the weir?’
‘It is your decision to undertake the quest,’ Nordren answered. ‘If you emerge from the waters, I offer assistance. That is the way.’
Nordren’s dwelling was actually more comfortable than he had described it. He was not so much of an ascetic as he appeared, for he had done many things to make his abode homely. Matting covered the floor, constructed from woven reeds of different colours that formed a complicated pattern. The scrubbed wooden table was decorated with an earthenware jug containing iris and bull-rush, while against one wall was a surprisingly large bed with a thick mattress and quilt. Several oil lamps cast a warm, comforting glow around the single, spacious room. Curtains were drawn against the night, and cushions filled with rush down were piled in a corner. ‘Make your bed from those pillows,’ Nordren said. ‘You will find them more than adequate.’
Tayven and Shan laid Merlan down on three cushions that seemed to fold around his body like comforting arms. Nordren offered them a blanket. Merlan appeared to be sleeping normally now.
‘One small beverage won’t break your fast,’ Nordren said and put a kettle on his stove. ‘I brew a drink from nuts and herbs. It’s very pure and will refresh you. It will also lend your friend a revival.’ He took off his cloak to reveal a shiny, bald head that looked like polished ivory. His age was impossible to determine, for although his face was not deeply lined, he had an air of great maturity.
‘Will Merlan be all right?’ Shan asked. ‘Can he travel?’
Nordren nodded. ‘He is in shock and should be kept warm. No doubt he’ll have strange tales to tell of his experience when he wakes, but I have no fear for him.’
‘We’re grateful for your help and will of course recompense you,’ Taropat said.
Nordren made a dismissive gesture with one hand. ‘No need. I want for nothing. As I told you, it is my function to aid seekers here. Tomorrow I will take you across the lake in my boat to the path to Rubezal. It is far quicker than negotiating the track beside the water, for in some places it is almost impassable and you have to make a detour into the forest.’
He gave Tayven, Taropat and Shan measures of his nut drink, served in metal mugs. While they drank, Nordren knelt beside Merlan and managed to get him to sip from a bowl. Then, exhausted, the group arranged themselves on the plump soft cushions for sleep, and Nordren climbed into his huge bed.
Shan lay awake for over an hour, as one by one his companions began to snore softly. He noticed that Tayven slept in Taropat’s arms, so their relationship must have been rekindled in some respects, no matter what Tayven had said. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Merlan stirred beside him and uttered a few distressed whimpers. Shan put a hand upon his brow. ‘Hush, it’s all right.’
Merlan opened his eyes, which glittered in the glow of the one remaining lit lamp. ‘I saw it,’ he whispered. ‘Shan, it was in my grasp. I saw the Crown. I reached for it, but then something hideous, terrible, devouring, came. It stirred the waters to mud and the Crown was lost. The beast had me in its jaws, but Taropat got me away. I have failed you.’
Shan squeezed Merlan’s shoulder briefly. ‘A hallucination, that’s all. You’re safe now. Sleep.’
Merlan sighed. ‘I’m alive,’ he said and closed his eyes.
Shan turned onto his side.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Breath of the Serpent
Sunlight coming through Nordren’s curtains woke Tayven very early. Taropat’s arms were curled around him. He pulled away carefully and found that Merlan was already awake, sitting on a chair by the window, staring out at the lake through the narrow gap between the curtains. His colour appeared normal, and apart from the bewildered expression on his face, he seemed to have suffered no ill effects from the previous night’s events.
Tayven went over to him and touched his a
rm. ‘Merlan,’ he said softly. ‘I’d like to speak with you. Let’s go outside.’
Merlan got to his feet without wincing, which Tayven took as another good sign. Taropat and Shan were still asleep, but Nordren’s bed was empty.
Outside, the air was chill and fresh. ‘The landscape here looks different by daylight,’ Tayven said, ‘less sinister.’
Merlan nodded glumly. ‘That is probably why, traditionally, seekers are supposed to visit the place after dark.
‘It feels like autumn though, doesn’t it? Strange. The smell of the air is wrong for summer and the colours are muted.’
Merlan made no comment. Tayven examined him for some moments. Perhaps he was not as unaffected as he first appeared. Tayven drew a breath and said, ‘I need to speak to you about a personal matter.’
He sensed that Merlan’s body stiffened slightly. ‘What about?’
‘Well, you’re Taropat’s brother, and I know you don’t hold a high opinion of me. After what’s happened over the past couple of days, I don’t want you to think I intend Taropat harm.’
Merlan turned his head and stared at Tayven unblinkingly for some moments. Then he said, ‘I don’t think that. I just think it would be better if you left him be. Let the past stay in the past. He turned to you once because his wife shattered his hopes, his confidence and his dreams. I can’t see the benefit of rekindling that time.’
‘It isn’t like that. I know I carry a reputation, Merlan, and sometimes I joke about it, but essentially it isn’t me. I don’t know what’s happening with Taropat and me, and I suspect it’s only an ephemeral aspect of our being here, but if anything will cause him distress I’m sure it would be your disapproval. Whatever happens to us on this quest, we should accept it and deal with the consequences later. I can sense, as you can, that Taropat is still fragile, for all he’s changed. Inside, a lot of Khaster remains.’
‘What did you talk about yesterday?’
‘The quest, mainly. He also talked about Shan, and how he feels the world should change. It wasn’t that personal really.’
Merlan was again silent for a few moments, then said, ‘We should guard against ourselves, our own hearts and minds. We are venturing into the unknown territory deep within and that which we churn up with the mud will be terrible.’ There was a hollow, prophetic ring to his voice. ‘I’m also concerned that Taropat seems to be leaving his own mud untouched.’
‘What do you mean?’
Merlan sighed. ‘I hope I’m wrong, but I have to speak of it. Haven’t you noticed how Taropat hasn’t gone through any personal experiences yet? And what about the way he behaved after our fight? I think it’s odd that he acted as if nothing had happened. We have to consider he might not be as stable as we’d like to think. Now that you’re close to him again, you should keep an eye on him. I get the feeling that beneath his unruffled exterior, there’s something waiting to explode.’
Tayven considered these words. How could he dispute them? He’d taken comfort from the scant moments of Taropat’s physical embrace, but he could not hide from the fact that Taropat was an entirely different creature from Khaster. ‘I will be alert for signals,’ he said.
‘Do you love him?’ Merlan asked.
Tayven hesitated. ‘I’m not sure what I love. That’s the trouble.’
‘I can understand that,’ Merlan said.
‘What happened to you last night?’ Tayven asked. ‘Why did you take the Dragon’s Eye?’
Merlan frowned as if he could barely remember. ‘I saw the Eye lying among Taropat’s clothes, and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I had to pick it up and take it with me into the water.’
‘What did you see with it down there?’
‘I thought I was dying, Tayven,’ Merlan whispered. ‘The weeds sucked me down and my lungs filled with water. Then I saw something shining in the darkness. It was the crown, symbol of the greatest majesty. I reached for it, could feel its warmth. I knew that if I could only touch it, even briefly, our quest would be blessed. I did not expect to rise from the water holding it in my hands. I knew that I was only seeing it in my mind, but its secret was there.’
‘What secret?’
‘The one we must know in order to attain the real Crown. I understood the immense importance of the artefact, how its peace-bringing properties would bring power to the king, and therefore his subjects and the land itself. For a few moments, the Crown was before me, as real as you or I.’ He shook his head, screwing up his eyes. ‘But then, for some reason I became uncertain about everything, I doubted it was really there. It started to feel very wrong, a terrible fear shot through me. I reached out for the Crown again, but before I could touch it, a terrible chthonic beast rose from the depths and enclosed me in thorny tentacles. It taunted me, putting thoughts into my head. It had shown me the Crown, because it knew I could never possess it. None of us can. Does the Crown exist in reality?’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows? All I know is that we can never complete our quest, Tayven. I saw us all in a bleak and dismal landscape, separated, wandering desperate, blind. I saw the bones of men all around us. What awaits us at Rubezal is more horrifying than we can imagine. It is extinction of the soul.’
‘I don’t believe that,’ Tayven said carefully. ‘What happened to you was a test, Merlan. You saw the Crown, which is the symbol of our success, and you confronted your fear. Don’t give in to it. You survived. You conquered the weir. The Crown may not be in your grasp, but at least you saw it. You know it exists, if only in your mind.’
‘What of it?’ Merlan said bitterly. ‘I am afraid. Wasn’t the lesson supposed to be the overcoming of fear? I haven’t felt that, I haven’t learned it. All I learned is that our quest is folly. We are deluding ourselves, seeking legends, seeking dreams, like little boys lost in a fantasy. Here, in this rarefied air, we can forget about the horrors of the battlefield, the exquisite cruelty of the court. This place and its dreams have no bearing on such foul human constructions. But we are human and the lakes cannot help us. We are flawed.’
‘I know more about the horrors of the battlefield than you do,’ Tayven said. ‘And I also know that what we’re doing here is right. Maycarpe is right. In your heart, I believe you realise that.’ He paused, then said, ‘You and I are uneasy confederates, but we share a secret. You beheld the Crown. You know who should wear it.’
Merlan stared at him for a few moments. ‘I know what Maycarpe thinks, and perhaps you share his vision, although somehow I find that difficult to believe.’
‘Do you share it?’
‘I did for a short time, but now I think we are grasping at straws, looking for the most likely candidate. Perhaps the true king is not even known to us yet. He may yet to be born.’
‘You may be right,’ Tayven said. ‘Our minds should remain open. But don’t give up, Merlan. We’re so close to success.’
Merlan’s mouth was a grim bloodless line. ‘What did you see, Tayven? What did Taropat and Shan see? I’ll tell you. Nothing. For you it was a test of physical danger, but you were wrong. Now, you are not prepared for what will follow.’
Tayven did not speak to Taropat or Shan about his conversation with Merlan. Nordren returned to his dwelling and brewed them more of his restorative beverage, then took them to his boat and rowed them across the lake. The early morning sunlight had disappeared behind thick cloud, which was gradually descending over the mountains in a suffocating shroud. Sound was muted and the thick slap of the oars against the water made it seem as if they travelled through mud.
As he worked powerfully at the oars, Nordren offered them advice on how to approach Rubezal. ‘Markers have been left, but you have to recognise them,’ he said. ‘It gets very bleak up there, believe me.’
‘I thought you hadn’t been there,’ Shan said.
‘I haven’t and I wouldn’t, but I’ve been told,’ Nordren replied. ‘Some have returned with hollow eyes. They said the atmosphere of the place drove them away. It bro
ke their spirits and took their minds.’
Tayven glanced at Merlan, who made no comment. How could they approach this site if one of their party had lost heart? Tayven knew it should be brought out into the open, but perhaps Merlan didn’t want to speak in front of Nordren.
They disembarked where a narrow path snaked between a thick forest of twisted thorn trees. ‘Perhaps we’ll see you on the way back,’ Taropat said lightly to Nordren.
Nordren only smiled. ‘Good luck.’
The group watched as the guardian’s boat glided off into the mist. ‘Well, there’s no point in delaying,’ Taropat said briskly. ‘Is everyone ready?’
‘Yes,’ said Shan.
Tayven nodded, glanced at Merlan, then said, ‘How about you?’
‘Whatever I say will have no effect.’
‘What do you mean?’ Taropat asked.
‘Tell him,’ Tayven said.
Merlan shook his head.
‘Tay?’ Taropat said. ‘What is this?’
‘Merlan saw something beneath the waters of the weir last night. He saw the crown, but he also saw us fail in our quest.’
‘It was fear,’ Taropat said. ‘We knew that would happen.’
‘You don’t know anything,’ Merlan said in a dull voice.
‘Then why don’t you tell us?’ Taropat said, halfway between sweet and sharp.
‘You want the truth? I think we should turn back. There’s no reason to continue.’
There was a moment’s silence, broken by Shan. ‘Turn back? Ridiculous. We experienced Malarena. We passed through. We’re truly on our way now.’
‘Merlan thinks otherwise,’ Tayven said.
‘Do you agree with him?’ Taropat asked.
‘No, but I think he should speak, be heard.’
‘He saw monsters in the weir,’ Shan said. ‘It was his own fear. He had to conquer it, as we did.’
‘I saw our folly!’ Merlan cried. ‘Our folly at going against the might of Magravandias. The wrath of the empire lurked there, the dark heart of every king who’s been corrupted and has caused pain, suffering and oppression. That was the monster.’ He made a wild gesture with both arms. ‘These lakes are owned by an ancient race of demons, who have a great hatred and jealousy of humankind. They spawn fear and the lust for power within any man or woman who has the will to conquer. The journey lulls the senses, seduces, and it’s only here, at Malarena, when the claws are bared. Fools have swallowed the delusion by then. They think they’re experiencing spiritual truths. But it’s not that. The lakes are the world’s vengeance on man.’