All of this seemed to be bringing him closer to her, and there was nothing she wanted more.
“Are you sure there is no danger of anyone finding out what we just did?” he asked her at one point. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble.”
She had just finished taking him through an underground passageway that ran from inside the Keep to the woods where they now walked—an ancient escape passage that might not have been used in years and may even have been forgotten by most. She only knew about it because her mentor at Paranor, Clizia Porse, had once shown it to her.
“No, no danger. It’s one of those ancient secrets only a few Druids even remember. As long as the door is sealed, no one can enter from outside the walls, and that would be the only risk. So there’s no reason we can’t use it, as long as we seal it up again when we go back. No one has to know we were out here.” She grinned. “We can have an adventure.”
“What sort of adventure do you have in mind?”
“I can’t tell you that! It would spoil the surprise.”
He shrugged. “You do whatever you wish, Allis. I am your willing companion. An adventure with you, whatever it turns out to be, is bound to be enjoyable. Just promise me you’ll get us safely back inside before my bedtime.”
“Worried about bedtime, are you?”
He smiled and winked. “What’s in the basket?”
She gave him a look. “That’s part of the surprise. You won’t have to wait long to find out. Do you want to hear more about the Druid Allanon? He was the last of a much older order at one point, and when he died the Druids disappeared from the Four Lands for three hundred years.”
For days now, she had been fantasizing about what sort of relationship they might have. Sooner or later, their studies would be complete and they would go on to become Druids. Perhaps then she could partner with him—a teacher to help him continue his education in his new homeland and a helpmeet to share his passion for magic. She did not let herself think about how he might receive this idea when it became time to suggest it. For now, it was enough to have a goal to work toward. Time enough later to find a way to make it come true. It would be an adjustment for him at first perhaps, but in the end he would become happy with such a life if he truly cared about her.
They reached a grassy clearing surrounded by huge conifers and Allis set down the basket, pulled out a small blanket, and spread it. Then she knelt on the blanket and began setting out bread, cheese, fruit, and cold cuts of roast pig along with an aleskin, humming cheerfully as she worked.
“So the surprise is lunch?” he asked.
She shook her head. “This is called a picnic.” She glanced up and saw the bafflement on his face. “They used to have them in the Old World on nice days like this. Families would go to parks and woods and spend the day. They always took food and drink. Sometimes they played games. Sometimes they napped. It was a way to get outdoors and enjoy the weather.”
“I am not sure they would have enjoyed it all that much where I come from. They seldom go outside in my country if it doesn’t involve work. The weather doesn’t allow for it. I’ve never even heard of a picnic, let alone been on one. Maybe this is an experience I’ll want to have more often. So this is our adventure?”
She leaned close. “Maybe. Part of it anyway.”
Then she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. And Kassen kissed her back. He did not try to pull away; it was clear enough he was enjoying it. When her arms came around him, he reached for her, as well. Still kissing, they fell back onto the blanket.
He felt her move closer. “Don’t stop,” she whispered.
But he did. Giving her a final peck on the nose, he said, “Why don’t we eat something? Give me a chance to get used to how this works? This picnic stuff is more complicated than I thought.”
He smiled to reassure her, and she smiled back bravely even though she was confused and embarrassed. “I guess I was sort of rushing things.”
“No,” he said quickly. “It’s something else. I’ve…had some bad experiences. The memories still linger. Just be patient with me.”
They didn’t speak for a while after that, dividing the food and drink and sitting across from each other as they ate. Allis tried not to look at him. She felt she had overstepped herself; perhaps she had even ruined things. But she didn’t understand why he had pulled away from her unless his feelings for her were much different from hers for him.
Then, all of a sudden, she was afraid she understood all too well. There were other women within the order who admired Kassen. On occasion, she had seen him with them, heads bent close in private conference. Even more troubling were his occasional disappearances when he was out walking with her. One minute he would be there and the next he would be gone. He was never gone for long, and he always returned with some explanation for why he had wandered. But even so, she wondered. Could he be meeting someone? Could he already have a lover, another woman to whom he felt a deeper attachment?
That was what it was, wasn’t it? Of course it was!
A rush of jealousy and anger flooded through her. When he reached over and wiped a corner of her mouth, it incensed her, even though she believed he intended it to be an expression of endearment. She turned away instantly, looking off into the trees and feeling miserable.
A little later, after they were finished eating and she was packing up the basket, she said, “Maybe we ought to go back now.”
He shook his head. “I would like to stay here a little while longer. Can we? I’m enjoying this.”
She managed a momentary smile. “If you want.”
He moved over to sit next to her and put his arm around her. “You have been such a good friend to me, Allis. You’ve given me so much since I arrived. I would have been lost without you.”
“I just wanted to help…”
They sat together companionably for a long time, lost in their separate thoughts. Allis did not try to kiss him again, but watched his fair hair ruffle with the breezes, covertly studying his profile, trying to decide what she should do. To attempt to touch him in any way at this point was out of the question. To allow him to touch her even more so. Yet she felt she had to do something.
But it was Kassen who spoke first.
“What do you make of the Blade’s dismissal?” he asked.
For a moment she was silent. Ober Balronen’s unexpected exiling of Dar Leah was not yet common knowledge.
“You know about that?” she said, confused.
“Word of something so important has a way of getting around pretty quickly at Paranor. What do you think of it?”
She shook her head. “Apparently he accompanied two Druids to meet an army that had wiped out several Troll armies to the north. The purpose of the meeting was to try to find out what these invaders wanted. Things went wrong, and both Druids were killed along with all their guards. Balronen said the Blade was to blame, said he didn’t act quickly enough to save them. So he was dismissed from service. He’s to leave tomorrow morning.”
Kassen considered. “Do you think it’s true? What they say about him failing the Druids who were killed?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He never seemed the sort to back away from a fight, and his reputation within the order is very good. I think maybe the Ard Rhys overreacted.”
“That occurred to me, as well. It would be in keeping with what I’ve been told about Balronen. He is not well liked by the other Druids, rumored to be short-tempered and a bit irrational at times. His abrupt dismissal of the Blade reinforces that impression.”
“You’re brave to voice those impressions to someone you barely know. What if I were one of his confidantes? What if I were a spy? I would report such talk if I were.”
He smiled. “But you aren’t, are you? I would like to think I know you well enough to be sure of that. I do, don’t I, Allis?”
She nodded wordlessly,
“Let me say something. I lost my nerve with you a moment ago.” He gave her
a moment to take that in. “I haven’t been attracted to anyone for some time. I’m a little confused that it should happen now—and with you, particularly. I like you very much. I don’t want to do anything wrong. I hadn’t even allowed myself to think there could be something between us besides friendship until today. I guess you surprised me.” He paused. “I just want to say that if you asked me, I would like to go on another picnic with you sometime.”
She gave him a long, searching look, measuring his words and the expression on his face. “I would like that, too,” she said.
And just like that, everything was better.
—
Dar Leah spent the day in his quarters, confined by order of Ober Balronen, his imprisonment enforced by a pair of Troll guards who never left their post. Several times he opened the door to see if they were still there, and each time they were. It took him far less than an hour to gather up his meager possessions, and then he had nothing to do but sit and wait. It made him wonder. Why had Balronen let him remain in the Keep until tomorrow? The more he thought about it, the odder it seemed. What was Balronen planning for him that he was keeping to himself? Perhaps he still thought to find a way to take the Sword of Leah from him. But Dar didn’t have it, and at this point he didn’t know where it was.
Food and water arrived, but other than that no one came to visit. Dar paced and fumed and considered various forms of escape but in vain. He spent considerable time trying to figure out what had become of his sword. He was mystified by its disappearance. He was certain he’d still been carrying it when he pounded on the gates to the Keep and was allowed to enter. He did not remember anyone taking it from him. He had searched his room, but it wasn’t there. Someone must have it, but who? And why would they take it in the first place? No one could use it but someone born of Leah blood, someone who was a descendant of Rone Leah, who had first immersed the blade in the waters of the Hadeshorn at the urging of the Druid Allanon, all those years ago.
He was still pondering what to do to find it, the sun sliding west across the sky and dusk beginning to settle in, when the door opened and Clizia Porse entered. She was wrapped in her familiar gray robes, her head bent beneath her thick mane of dusky hair, her arms folded across her body like a supplicant. She did not look up until she was almost on top of him.
“Lady Porse,” he said with a bow, a courtesy he felt was due her.
“You would be wise to leave here immediately,” she responded, her dark eyes lifting to find his. “Before it is too late.”
He gave her a look. “Too late for what?”
Her smile was wicked. “Come, now. What do you think, Dar Leah? Have you not wondered at the circumstances of your dismissal? Why were you not sent on your way immediately? Why are you sitting there, twiddling your thumbs? Use your common sense. When someone falls out of favor with Balronen, they tend to fall a long way. Sometimes they fall right out of sight.”
Her voice was rough, clotted by age and a passion he did not begin to understand. She was a poisoner, and she had killed many of her contemporaries along the way. He could not help but be wary. Yet her words buttressed his suspicions.
“I should stay and fight the dismissal. The Druid Council will have to hear me out if I insist.”
“You won’t live that long.”
“Is it that bad? Why is he so angry with me? Why so determined to get me out of the way?”
“Who knows what he is thinking these days? Perhaps he is enraged at losing Zia, a prize he desperately coveted. It was convenient to blame you for that loss—you, who were her former lover. And his failure to accomplish anything with his ill-advised mission to these mysterious invaders required that someone other than himself be blamed. You lived while everyone else died, so you drew the short straw.”
“No one is to blame for what happened out there!”
“Of course no one is to blame. But in our current culture within these walls, blame must be assigned. If there is a wrong committed, fault must be found. It is how things are these days. Balronen knows this. He would prefer the blame not fall on him, so he has assigned it to you and administered High Druidic justice by dismissing you.”
She gave him a hard look as he continued to stare at her. “You should be moving toward the door just about now, not admiring my beauty. I would hate to think I have wasted my warning.”
“I would do as you say, but I doubt the guards would be willing to let me pass.”
She made a dismissive gesture. “Which guards are those? You might have missed it, but the last watch left early, and the next has not yet arrived. That should provide you with sufficient time to step outside and disappear into the waiting night.”
He nodded. “But my sword is missing, and I cannot leave without it.” He hesitated, scarcely daring to hope. “I don’t suppose you know where it can be found?”
“As it happens”—she reached beneath her cloak and drew out the Sword of Leah—“I do.” She handed it to him, and he took it from her gratefully. “I stumbled over it last night on my way to bed. Odd that you should be so careless with it. But then you’ve been careless about a lot of things lately.”
He started to object but then changed his mind and simply nodded his agreement. “Tell me why you are doing this. You owe me nothing. You have no reason to help me.”
She shrugged. “That is a matter of opinion. Why don’t we consider it a gift? Later, I may ask you for something in return. It makes it harder for you to refuse me when I have done so much for you. You see? I am investing in you. I think you are a good man, Dar Leah, and those are hard to find.”
She smiled, but there was no warmth in the gesture. “Also, I do not care for Ober Balronen. Not as a person and not as Ard Rhys. I think his tenure is about over. He is an incredibly foolish man with no sense of himself. He would kill us all if he were given half a chance. I don’t care to wait around for that to happen.”
Dar nodded but chose not to ask anything more. Her intentions and schemes were her own, and he thought it better that they remain so. The gift of his freedom would likely cost him something eventually. But was there a price too high to pay to save your life?
“Goodbye, then,” he told her, moving past her for the door.
When he reached it, she called to him. “I’ve changed my mind. I think I will call in that favor you owe me. You and I need allies in this business, young man. We need the help of those who think as we do. I hear there is a Druid living in the village of Emberen in the Westland who believes you have merit. You might consider going to him. You might want to ask him if he would be willing to come here and meet with me. Together, we might be able to achieve a resolution to our problems.”
She turned away, looking into space as she faced the wall. “I think you will find the west gates your best choice for an exit from the Keep. I would move swiftly, if I were you.”
He stared at her for a moment longer—at her gray form, all robes and hair and shadows. Then he was through the door and moving swiftly down the hallway.
—
Allis and Kassen were just returning from their picnic. It was late in the day with the sun slinking west and the light beginning to fail. They had passed through the underground tunnel once more, the young woman being careful to seal it anew, and reached the ground floor of the Keep. Allis was leading the way, and as they rounded a corner she literally ran into Dar Leah. The force of their impact sent her reeling backward into Kassen’s arms and left the Blade stumbling in surprise.
“Allis?” he stammered. “Are you all right? I’m sorry, I was…”
He stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Kassen Drue, and for a moment he was left speechless. Allis was suddenly aware that Kassen was holding her in a more possessive way than breaking her fall required.
She righted herself and stepped away from him. “I’m fine,” she said, her eyes flitting from one man to the other, not failing to catch the look that passed between them. “I should have been more—”
“W
e were just returning from a walk,” Kassen interrupted, his voice calm and steady. “We should have been paying better attention to where we were going. Please excuse us.”
Dar Leah kept his eyes fixed on Kassen. “Out for a walk? Somewhere beyond the walls of the Keep?”
“Allis has been instructing me on the geography of Paranor and the various Druid rules and regulations. A priceless gift to a new arrival, and I am most grateful to her.” Kassen smiled.
Dar studied him carefully. “I think there is much more to you than meets the eye, Kassen Drue. Perhaps we should sit down and discuss it.”
The other man made a brief bow. “It would be an honor to have that discussion with you, but we must save it for another time. I see you have your sword and a travel pack. We must not interrupt your plans.”
Dar frowned, then nodded slowly. “Well, I would hate to think I was leaving when I really should be staying. Things seem very unsettled here at the moment.”
The two men eyed each other silently for a moment. Allis, watching both, realized that something important was not being said and what they were saying had another meaning.
Then Kassen placed an arm around her and steered her ahead, past the Blade. “Fate deals us the hand she chooses,” he said to the other man. “We are all subject to her whims. I wish you safe travels and will look forward to our next meeting.”
Dar Leah said nothing. Allis glanced back over her shoulder and saw that he was still staring after them. Then they rounded the next corner, and she lost sight of him entirely and was left to ponder the meaning of what had just happened.
TWENTY-FIVE
Drisker Arc and Tarsha spent the remainder of the night at their lodgings in Varfleet, so exhausted from the evening’s events that they went to bed without stopping to discuss anything of what had happened earlier. This didn’t prevent either of them from thinking about all of it, however, lying awake until they finally gave in to sleep’s welcome embrace.
The Druid was up early the next morning. Tarsha might have slept longer, but he was shaking her awake while it was still dark and she was deep in her dreams. “No point in lingering in Varfleet,” he whispered.