The twelve trudged along the meandering path of the enemy through the night. Drained emotionally and near total exhaustion, they pressed on, fueled by loyalty to King Eliam and the urgency of their mission. By dawn the trail had led them to the Forest Road.
“Alas, it is as I feared!” Sir Tobias called to the group. “While we were delayed in the Blackwood, the enemy’s convoy has passed us by!”
“How long ago?” asked Antoinette.
“Several hours, at least,” answered Nock. He sighed and seemed relieved. “Well, at least they did not stop to conquer my homeland!”
“Yes, then where are they going?” Mallik asked.
“From the Forest Road?” Kaliam replied. “Acacia is possible, though I think Baen-Edge is most likely their destination. The Glimpses there are no friend to Alleble. And some claim that slave trade thrives there. Who can say? After that there is Clarion and a whole host of small provinces to the far east. Alas, that we may never know.”
“What do you mean?” asked Antoinette.
“Our path now is to Yewland, young Antoinette,” Kaliam said.
“But shouldn’t we follow the enemy? You said yourself that he is up to something wicked, and that we must discover his plans.”
“No one wishes to know more than I,” Kaliam said. “But our charge is to travel to Yewland. There is still the matter of the false ambassador who is poisoning Queen Illaria’s mind with contempt for Alleble. No, as much as I would like to know what else the enemy is doing, we must first see that his plans fail in Yewland.”
There was nothing more to be said. Kaliam commanded their team, and he was not to be questioned a second time.
As they neared Yewland, Tobias asked Nock to lead. The twelve made their way several miles west along the Forest Road and then due south to the borders of Yewland. As they traveled the well-trodden path, the foliage around them became much more lush and green again. And now, far from the constricting roots of the Blackwood, a great variety of trees sprang up and thrived. Birds sang from the treetops. Squirrels, chipmunks, and other small woodland creatures chattered at each other and played under the wide ferns and among the tangled roots. The demeanor of the twelve had improved mightily. Only Kaliam was pensive.
“We must be wary,” Kaliam said. “Of all the provinces of The Realm, Yewland of old has been our friend. But now we cannot be certain of a hospitable welcome. Keep your words humble and brandish not your weapons.”
At last the trees funneled them to a place where the path seemed to end and a grove of tall bamboo rose up before them. “We have perfect timing,” said Nock. “To arrive just as the morning sun begins to wax! For through this bamboo curtain is the Hall of Sun and Moon—a sight I have sorely missed!”
Nock led the way, finding a seam in the bamboo and easily parting the tall shoots to reveal a path that had been invisible. The twelve emerged from the bamboo and found themselves in a great open glade lined on all sides by tall silvery trees. Thick shrubs with deep green leaves and broad white flowers flourished everywhere and filled the glade with soft sweet smells. Birds of many colors soared from tree to tree, and large blue butterflies danced around the garlands of broad yellow flowers that hung in the treetops.
Nock stopped and inhaled deeply. “Moonblossom and Golden Tear,” he said. “They grow in Yewland and nowhere else. It is good to be in the land of my kin.”
“How . . . how is it that the high flowers glitter?” Mallik asked.
“Golden Tear, they are called.” Nock smiled. “For each pale bloom brings forth a single large drop of nectar each morning. The sun’s rays shine through it like a window into The Blessed Realm. In my city, Mallik, they prepare a drink from that nectar that will restore a Glimpse’s energy with some to spare. Curl your beard, it will. But it is very costly. Perhaps we can all share—”
“Nay, I will buy each his or her own!” Mallik interrupted.
“But, Mallik, it is a month’s wages for even a tiny glass!”
“A pittance to me,” Mallik said, a sly grin forming. “Trading in the marble from the Blue Mountains has—”
“Shhh!” Kaliam warned. “Be silent. There are—”
But before the Sentinel could utter another word, tall Glimpse warriors surrounded them. They were clad in cloth armor that was many mingled colors, matching the trees, shrubs, and foliage all at once. It seemed to Antoinette that they had appeared out of thin air. One moment they were not, and the next moment, they were there. And each of them had a Blackwood bow raised, an arrow trained on one of the twelve. The tallest of the woodland warriors, a Glimpse with very long golden hair, stepped forward and addressed them.
“Hail, travelers from Alleble,” he said, and his voice was deep and commanding. “You tread on hallowed ground in uncertain times. State your business in Yewland!”
“Why, Baldergrim, I ought to put a shaft in your foot!” Nock laughed as he came to the front. “Honestly, greeting your own kin as if you did not know any better! Tell your braves to stand down!”
“Master Nock!” the blond warrior exclaimed with sudden recognition, and Antoinette noticed that his eyes flickered blue. He slung his bow and embraced Nock fiercely. The other warriors lowered their bows. Some of them smiled; while others looked doubtful. But all of them were surprised. “Of all the unlooked-for blessings—seven summers it has been since I’ve laid my eyes on you!”
“Far too long!”
“And where is that rascal Bolt?” Baldergrim asked, craning his head to examine the twelve.
A shadow passed over Nock’s face. “I have tidings concerning my brother, among other things. But I would gain an audience with Queen Illaria to share them. We have come from Alleble with vital news, and on our way have discovered news I deem even more grave.”
“I see you choose your words carefully,” Baldergrim said. “Come then, I will deliver you into Her Majesty’s throne room, but do not look for favor. Your Ambassador Eogan has left Yewland a divided house!”
“Ambassador Eogan?” cried Sir Gabriel, stepping forward. “So, we now know the imposter’s name!”
“Imposter?” Baldergrim replied.
“Yes,” said Nock. “That is part of what we came to share, but come, bring us to the Queen, and you shall hear much.”
Kaliam stepped forward, and Baldergrim looked upon him with awe. “This is Kaliam,” Nock announced. “He is Sentinel over all Alleble and the leader of this team.”
Baldergrim stared. “M’lord Sentinel, it is an honor to meet one so highly favored by King Eliam the Everlasting!”
Kaliam nodded to the Yewland Brave and said, “Baldergrim, what did you mean when you said Eogan left Yewland a divided house?”
Baldergrim glanced at Nock and continued. “Forgive me for not being immediately forthcoming, but I believe the information you seek must wait also. Come, and I shall bring you before the Queen!”
Baldergrim and his braves led the twelve into the green city of Yewland. Antoinette gawked to look upon it, for it was as if wooden castle turrets had sprouted from the trunks of great trees—alder, oak, beech, hemlock, ash, and pine. Long parapets and battlements had grown along their massive boughs. And everywhere there were stairs. Twisting, spiraling, stretching in all directions. Long stairways reached up from gabled cottages clustered at the trees’ roots and disappeared into the massive green spread above. Others crisscrossed between the treetops, while still others wound in a serpentine fashion around the tree trunks.
Baldergrim dismissed his team of warrior braves, led the twelve from Alleble to a wide stairwell, and began to climb. They came to many forks in the stairs where one branch would descend while the other climbed, but Baldergrim did not pause.
“How do you find your way?” Antoinette blurted out. “These passages have me all mixed up!”
“Indeed, that is the aim,” Baldergrim said. He looked over his shoulder at Antoinette and winked. “The stair network provides more defense for Yewland than would a dozen granite walls, for we braves always have the higher ground. Our best archers, like your comrade Nock, can simply pick off the enemy as he tries in vain to find his way!”
Baldergrim glanced from Antoinette to Lady Merewen. “There is one other advantage to having such a labyrinth of passages,” he said with a wink. “It makes it difficult for such lovely visitors to escape!”
Antoinette and Lady Merewen blushed. Aelic and Kaliam frowned.
Baldergrim led them up a last great climb to a wide platform in the top of a towering hemlock. Their climb had led the twelve through so much foliage that they had no real sense of how high off the ground they actually were. Now they saw the dizzying height and shrank back from the edge. The hemlock overlooked a deep valley, where a massive knee of stone jutted skyward. Upon this mountainous rock was an enormous green castle. It had many turrets and bastions that spread out from the center keep like buds of some wild, flowering shrub. From the platform, an arrangement of cables traversed a wide, terrifying gulf to the castle’s main gate. Suspended carriages moved back and forth along the cables. Aside from those, or perhaps a ride upon the backs of dragons, there seemed no other way to gain access to the castle of Yewland.
Just then, a very large carriage arrived, drawn up to the platform by dozens of Yewland Glimpses. On Baldergrim’s command, two Yewland Braves with eyes glinting green opened the carriage doors. Baldergrim beckoned for the twelve to enter. Once the twelve were comfortably seated, he entered and sat beside Antoinette on the cushioned bench. Aelic, who sat to Antoinette’s left, stared at Baldergrim strangely. On Baldergrim’s command, the pair of Yewland Braves shut the door. They looked at Antoinette with expressions polite but not welcoming.
“Baldergrim,” she asked, “you are a knight in the service of Yewland?”
“Yes, m’lady, an Argent Brave, commander of many in the Queen’s Army.”
“But you also serve King Eliam, right?” she asked. “Your eyes, I mean.”
“Yes, they sparkle blue with the purity of my devotion to Alleble,” he replied as he glanced at the two braves now busy securing the carriage. “Ah, I perceive your confusion! You wonder that one family can serve two masters! Yewland for a long, long time was an independent realm. When King Brand the Stern-hearted many seasons ago announced our alliance with Alleble, many entrusted their hearts to King Eliam . . . most, in fact. But some remained hesitant—though not fearful—and so Yewland remained at peace. Even after Queen Illaria—who is from a long line of those who wished to remain independent—ascended the throne, there has been little conflict between the green and blue eyes. That changed only recently, but I will say no more.”
The carriage lurched forward, and Antoinette watched the platform slip away. They now hung suspended by a single cable over a wide, perilous gulf, and it seemed as the carriage inched along that they moved farther away from safety and into the dangerous unknown. Antoinette wondered how strong the bond holding the alliance between Yewland and Alleble was. For like their carriage, it seemed to hang on only a thread.
