Chapter 28 – Poised to Gather

Breakfast was oatmeal, served without any flavoring. The tavern was crowded this morning, though there wasn't much conversation. Riou, Nanami, Pilika, Apple and the three performers had pulled their chairs into a tight circle around a pair of tables. For his own part, Flik sat with Tsai and Rikimaru to either side and Viktor directly across from him. There were others too. Gengen sat in a chair trying to wipe oatmeal off his nose. Millie, one of the few who was venturing to speak, sat at the same table as Anita, Hanna, and Oulan. These three women ate silently. Shu headed up the last table; his companions were Gilbert, Kinnison, Tuta, and Freed. Somehow, the strategist managed to make eating oatmeal a dignified process. Leona and Barbara stood behind the tavern counter, eating there. Zamza paced around the room with his bowl of oatmeal in hand, looking, in vain, for a free place to sit.

No one made any noises regarding Riou and his decision. Flik risked a few looks in the youth's direction, but nothing seemed to be showing on his face. He just kept spooning mouthfuls of oatmeal, even as Nanami struck up a halfhearted conversation about fortune telling with Rina.

Shu's chair suddenly scraped along the floor, and he stood up, walked over to the counter, and handed his empty bowl to Leona. Clearing his throat, he addressed Riou. "I shall be up in the great hall. I await your choice, Lord Riou." Then he left the tavern, his steps soft, but still the loudest thing in the room.

Zamza hurried over to take Shu's spot, but other people started getting up. Freed and Tsai, followed by Apple, got up, delivered their bowls, and left the room. Viktor nodded at Flik, and they too gave their bowls to Leona. She scowled at the pile of dishes growing on her countertop.

Pale light from an overcast sky filtered into the dim interior of the castle. The general mood continued to be subdued as Viktor and Flik climbed the stairs. At the entrance to the great hall, the journeyman crystal glittered. Flik went over and offered a silent prayer to it. Though he was not technically setting out on a journey, he did feel like today marked the beginning of a new direction in his life. Viktor arched his eyebrows, but as Flik stepped back from the crystal, he decided to bow and say a prayer too, mumbling under his breath.

They entered the room to find Apple speaking to Shu. "I think you're putting Riou under a lot of pressure," she declared. "You've practically decided the matter for him." They stood by the dais. Tsai was also near the dais, but closer to the windowed western wall. Freed paced around in the center of the room.

Shu was unperturbed by the argument. "We covered this ground yesterday, Apple. I believe Riou has the strength of character to bear up under the adversity. If you wish to continue this discussion, at least bring some new arguments. It grows tiresome debating the same points with you."

Apple balled her hands into fists, shaking with annoyance. But then she took in a deep breath and spoke again. "How about this? Suppose Riou agrees to this only because of your arguments? If he doesn't truly believe in himself, he could end up cracking at the worst possible moment. What happens if his confidence collapses and he decides to run?"

Shu smirked. "You flatter me, Apple. Do you think my words are so strong that they would sway Riou into doing something that his heart is set against?"

Apple huffed. "I do, in fact. If he said 'no,' I think you'd try with all your might to argue him around to 'yes.'"

Shu shook his head. "If that is your concern, then I promise you that I won't. I will make no more arguments to try and persuade him. If he rejects the leadership, I will hold my peace. Is that satisfactory?"

Apple didn't say anything else. Viktor and Flik walked towards the dais, taking up positions on either side of Shu and Apple. Flik began wondering about Riou's choice. What would happen if he decided not to become the leader? Would they be able to continue fighting? Or would they be driven out of North Window by the next Highland army?

More people entered the room. Rina, Eilie, and Bolgan walked to the center of the room, near Freed. Tuta wandered over to the windows and looked out at the castle and town in the midmorning light. Barbara, Leona, and Pilika entered a little later and took up a position at the far wall. Gilbert strolled in and stationed himself in the far corner. Last of all came Riou and Nanami. Everyone was quiet as the two of them walked up to face Shu. Riou met Shu's eyes, his face composed and calm. Nanami remained a pace behind her brother, looking at him.

"Have you made your decision?" Shu asked.

"If all of you believe in me," Riou began, "I will do it."

Flik had the distinct impression that people started breathing again. It seemed foolish, but he felt relief that Riou had accepted. For the first time in a while, he felt confident of victory over Highland.

"Thanks, Riou," Viktor said and walked forward to shake the new leader's hand. "I promise that you'll have all my power to help you defeat that bastard, Luca Blight."

Flik took a few steps towards Riou. It felt strange, this boy had started out as his prisoner and now was master over them all. "Riou, thank you for giving us your power. I'll stand with you to the very end of this."

Tsai, speaking slowly and deliberately, added, "I have no love of conflict and little enough strength, but I will fight with all of it to help you bring an end to this war."

Freed also spoke. "For the sake of South Window and my Lord Granmeyer, and for all those who have suffered because of Highland, I will follow you."

Smiling, Shu bowed in front of Riou. "Lord Riou, with all of the knowledge that I have learned from Master Mathiu, I swear that I will bring you victory."

Apple bowed too. "You know my limitations, but you shall have all the aid that I can give."

Gilbert shrugged his shoulders. "I've already watched you bring us one victory. My men and I will fight for you."

Viktor started belly laughing. "Come on, why are we all so formal and serious? You'd think somebody died in here. We have a new leader! We ought to have a party. Leona, cook us up a feast." Leona scowled at Viktor's order, but it softened quickly. People started cheering.

Then a new voice spoke, calm and reserved. "May I offer congratulations as well?"

Tuta, who'd been standing by the windows, jumped in surprise. "Master Huan!" he exclaimed.

It was. The same man who'd left Tuta in Flik's care back in Muse now casually made his way to stand next to Riou. His long black hair was still impeccable, and he was wearing the same orange dress robes.

Tuta jumped happily. "Doctor, you're all right. I was afraid you'd…" He looked abashed to have even thought about the doctor being injured or dead.

Huan smiled serenely. "It's quite my fault that I've had you so worried."

Flik shook his head. He'd hardly had time to think about what had happened to Doctor Huan. There had been times when he'd been too busy worrying about surviving to the next sunrise. "How did you escape Muse?" Flik asked.

"A kindhearted soldier stayed by my side, even when I could hardly keep up. We went west into Greenhill and south into Two Rivers. I heard that a resistance was gathering here, so I got some boatmen to get me across the river.

Nodding, Shu said, "Your arrival will undoubtedly raise the morale of our soldiers. Your reputation for healing is well known."

Huan inclined his head. "Thank you for the praise. If my modest knowledge of medicine can help save the lives of your troops, I will be happy." He bowed to Riou. "Lord Riou, I shall endeavor to make myself useful to the people of this castle."

Tuta looked thoughtfully at Riou. "What are we going to call this castle? If we've got a new army, doesn't the castle need a new name as well?"

Viktor clapped his hands. "The kid's right. North Window was the name of a village that was wiped out years ago. We don't want go around reminding people of that."

"What about it?" Freed asked. "Perhaps we should let Lord Riou come up with a name."

Eilie rushed over to Riou's side, nudging between him and Nanami. "Yeah! Come on, Riou, think up a good name." Nanami frowned at Eilie's usurpation of her place at Riou's side.

Riou looked at Eilie and pondered the decision for a moment. "Well call it Dunan Castle, after the lake it overlooks."

Viktor nodded. "Good choice. It's a great name."

"I think it's good, too," Eilie exclaimed, smiling.

Rina laughed behind her hand. "You'd have said that for anything he came up with."

Eilie flashed a glare at her sister. "Shut up, you're embarrassing me!"

Rina continued to laugh. Other people were busy trying out the name. Bolgan jumped up and down, shouting "Dunan Castle! Dunan Castle!" Apple was more thoughtful, whispering the name under her breath. Freed simply declared, "So, it's now Dunan Castle."

Flik smiled. "It's fine, isn't it? We gave Riou the choice, and he's come up with a workable name."

"Good," Viktor replied. "Now that the naming is taken care of, let's get back to planning the party."

He extended his arms to hug Riou and Nanami, but hadn't even begun the embrace when the room was filled up with soft blue light. Flik turned towards its source on the dais, not with alarm, but with the sense the he knew what this foretold. As the intensity of the light diminished, the silhouette of a woman appeared.

Viktor shouted something that Flik didn't quite hear over the general astonishment. Shu put his hands behind his back and slowly turned to face the light. Nanami jumped between her brother and the light, brandishing her folding rod. "What is that?" she asked. Getting a closer look, she continued, "Who are you?"

It was no surprise to Flik when the figure responded, in a serene, detached voice, "I am called Leknaat. I am the keeper of the Gate Rune and the Arbiter of the Great Balance." Flik had seen her once before, when she'd revived Gremio during the Toran Liberation War. For a time, Flik had wondered why she couldn't have brought Odessa back, too.

Leknaat was dressed in a hooded cloak and a long dress, both of which were light blue. A mauve shawl draped around her shoulders and down the front of her dress. Her black hair hung all the way to her feet.

"Riou," she said, turning to face him, "you who have inherited the 'Bright Shield Rune.' The cycle is now closed. The hundred and eight stars of destiny are once again poised to gather. I bring you a gift, the 'Stone Tablet of Promise.' Each name that appears on this stone is another linking to destiny. They are your followers, and your strength."

There was another shimmering of light, and another figure appeared next to Leknaat. Flik nearly groaned; it was someone else he recognized from the last war. The figure looked like a young boy with neck length brown hair that also hung down to just above his green eyes. He wore a green sleeveless surcoat that came down to below his knees. His shirt and pants were white.

"I am Luc," he declared disdainfully. "I am Lady Leknaat's greatest pupil. I shall guard the 'Stone Tablet' for you. You should all be grateful that the Lady has given this to you." He paused, glanced slightly towards Leknaat, and his cool expression slipped a little. "I shall also grace you with my august presence. It's not something I would've chosen, but Lady Leknaat commands it of me."

Leknaat turned her head slightly towards Luc, silencing him more effectively than any sharp words. She said, "My eyes are old, and the future is dim and indistinct. Strands of fate weave around you, and together they will comprise what is to come. Your friend, the one who bears the 'Black Sword,' he has a role to play as well. You both have been granted power, but you have also been handed a destiny. The path of destiny may be crushing, but it can be navigated by one with an open and courageous heart. Remember this: it was your free will to begin down this road, and it will be your free will that will see it to the end. You are not a slave to fate, Riou, so do not despair. Proceed carefully. I will be watching."

And in another flash of light, she was gone, leaving only her student up on the dais. Luc's expression turned superior again, a cold smile breaking out on his lips. "I think I recognize some of you losers," he declared. "What were your names? Oh, Viktor and Flik, that's right." He considered for a moment. "I thought you were dead."

"You little punk," Viktor growled. "Did Leknaat get tired of your attitude? Maybe that's why you're here."

"Is this person a friend of yours?" Nanami asked uncertainly.

"More like an associate," Flik explained. "He fought with us during the Liberation War."

Luc's face settled back into an even expression. "I think the term 'associate' might be too strong," he interjected offhandedly.

Viktor sighed, hanging his head. "Bah, forget the party. This kid's killed my mood."

Luc scrunched his nose. "I'd forgotten how…pungent such a gathering can be. This room is far too stuffy for my purposes. I shall call the 'Stone Tablet' somewhere more open. At least there I'll be able to imagine the freedom the wind brings." With a flash of light, he had disappeared.

"You think he's gone?" Viktor asked.

"Not likely," Flik answered. "He didn't leave us last time; why would he this time?"

"A man can hope," Viktor replied.

Shu cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "If Riou is to gather people to use, then he must go out to the various towns in this province to see who he can round up. Apple and I will work out a duty chart of who is going with him. There is also the need to continue recruiting and training troops. I ask that none of you neglect your duties."

Flik raised his hand, suddenly feeling like a boy back in Warrior's Village, waiting for his instructor to acknowledge him. When Shu did, Flik asked, "What about the war? Shouldn't we be planning our next move?"

Shu smiled knowingly. "There's no rush. Moving too precipitously will only result in our defeat. Besides, I expect a diplomatic opportunity to come up shortly."

In Solis 460, Earthsdei, the 28th of Mai:

Dear Diary,

I am writing this so that in thirty or forty years, when these events have grown cold and distant in my memory, I will not take for granted the things that I have witnessed here. Tir apparently had a similar effect on people, but I was so caught up in my own quest to avenge Odessa that I must not have noticed. Viktor and I and Freed were part of Riou's escort. We went around much of South Window, to the capital, to the major towns, even to little villages. Everywhere we went, Riou was mobbed. I do not know how the news had spread so quickly –maybe we have Apple and Shu to thank for that- but everyone knew of the hero Riou. And everyone wanted to meet him, speak to him a moment, or even just touch him.

Not only that, but they wanted to join him, men, women, and children. It was a minor nightmare simply to see that these people were properly fed as we returned to Dunan Castle. The people who joined were entirely unexpected too. In Radat, Freed's wife, Yoshino, in the middle of her laundry knelt before Riou and asked to join her husband. In South Window, we stumbled over a lady innkeeper and her husband, both of whom somehow know Riou. They too joined us. Not only that, but it seems the husband, Alex, knows a supplier of medicinal items, so now we've got all sorts of restorative herbs coming into Dunan Castle.

When we left, the castle was a bleak, empty place. Now it is beginning to fill up with life. I can hardly walk anywhere without seeing children in the hallways. That seems to have been Hanna's idea. She's taken to being guardian and surrogate mother to all the orphans here. Not only that, but Shu has hired on several teams of masons and carpenters. There's even some crazy inventor from South Window who hopes to build an elevator for Dunan Castle. All of them are in the process of restoring the rooms on the third floor. Hopefully I'll be moved out of the tavern one of these days.

Viktor suddenly stuck his head through the tavern door. "There you are, Flik. We've got duty down at the docks for the next four hours."

Flik shook his head. "It's not as though I'm complaining, but we just got back earlier this morning."

Viktor laughed good-naturedly. "You've had enough time to sleep, don't you think? Besides, who can sit still with all the hammering and rattling going on?"

"Indeed," Flik answered, getting up from his table. Viktor's statement about the noise was certainly true. Carpenters had set up a temporary workshop on the first floor, and were hard at work constructing beds and other furniture. They also had plenty of conscripted help. Tsai was over at one station helping to saw boards. In another location, Freed was nailing together the framework of a bed. Oulan was hefting in another set of finished boards so that the work could continue. And Rina moved through the chaos to give workers water. In fact, the only person in the room who wasn't doing anything was Luc, who stoically stood in front of the upright slab that was the "Stone Tablet of Promise" and seemed to be trying not to sneeze from all the sawdust.

Viktor and Flik walked through this room and exited down a small portal. This opening led to a set of stairs going down. The lower level of Dunan Castle already contained a jail, which, not surprisingly, had its share of disorderly drunkards, petty thieves, and worse scoundrels. A passage to the right led to an underground graveyard. Many of those who had fallen in the battle to defend this place were buried there.

Finally the passage opened out onto the docks. They'd been, like the rest of the castle, in ruins when Flik had first looked on them. They weren't so now. Teams of workers were laboring to extend temporary wooden wharves and build more permanent stone ones. Viktor and Flik were part of a replacement crew for one of those teams. Stripping off their shirts, they set to work. For the next four hours, they labored under the watchful eyes of a master carpenter who shouted curses as often as he breathed.

It was a dangerous job, involving people getting down into the water. One of the men was suddenly swept up in a rip current, and Flik had to dive in to help rescue the poor man. The water was murky and green, and Flik found the drowning man mostly by feeling for him. He hauled the man up onto the closest pier. Luckily he was still breathing, hacking and spitting water out of his mouth.

By mid-afternoon it was time for Flik, Viktor, and their team to give way for another crew. Viktor celebrated by running down the end of the pier and doing a cannonball into the water. Flik, whose clothes were still damp from the rescue, simply walked back towards the tavern.

On the first floor, he found that all the carpentry work had ceased. Everyone in the room was busy looking at the two people arguing in front of the "Stone Tablet." Flik walked forward to get a better view and found that they were Luc and, somewhat surprisingly, Zamza.

"As the magic instructor for this army," Zamza shouted. "I demand that you join the rest of my students out on the practice field."

Luc sneered. "I'm your student? I could burst your body like an overripe melon if I wanted to."

Zamza's mouth worked furiously as he tried to come up with some retort. Flik took the moment to step towards the two of them and ask, "What's going on here?"

Luc let out an exasperated sigh. Zamza jumped behind Flik and declared, "This mage won't attend my lessons. Shu did make me the magic instructor."

Flik glanced over his shoulder at Zamza. "I don't think Luc needs lessons. He is the student of Lady Leknaat, after all."

Zamza continued to press his argument. "He needs to come out and practice with the other mages. How's he supposed to lead a unit if he's not familiar with the men?"

"As long as they stay out of my way, everything will be fine," Luc shot back. "I can handle my duties on the battlefield by myself."

Zamza did not look pleased. Flik tired to mollify him. "Listen, Luc served in Toran in the Liberation Army, so he knows his way around a battle."

"None of this would happen if I had a room," Zamza retorted, crossing his arms. "How is it that I, the most important member of this army, am still sleeping in a hallway?"

Flik restrained himself from punching Zamza. "If it makes you feel any better, my bedroom is in the tavern."

Zamza walked off, maintaining an air of rarified dignity until he had disappeared. Flik looked back at Luc and found the wind mage glaring at him. "Do you think you understand me?" Luc hissed.

Flik didn't answer. He knew Luc well enough not to expect any thanks for helping him out, but this level of hostility was exceptional.

"You think that because you are lightning, you can even begin to know me? You think you understand, dancing across the night sky, but how readily you seek to be constrained. That is your destiny, to be bound by iron and conducted into the ground. All of your energy will be used to serve others."

The room had grown even quieter as the workers listened to Luc lecture Flik.

"I am the wind," Luc declared. "How can you comprehend me? I am unbounded, the whole world is my domain. I will always strive for freedom, and I shall have it."

Flik held up his hands at chest level, palms towards Luc. "You have your freedom. Nobody's going to make you do anything you don't want to. You can leave at any time."

Luc's face became unnervingly beatific. "Your words are so very illuminating," he said pleasantly. "Now I see that ignorance really is bliss. Be glad that you do not see existence as I do, for that knowledge would surely cause you to go mad."

Flik abandoned the conversation, turning and walking towards the tavern. For once both he and Luc were in total agreement.