Fair Semblances: An Allegorical Fantasy (Chapter 21)

It was a clear August day in Lebben-Or, the city of the High King, and the hot afternoon sun cast its brightest rays on a small company of sojourners making their way through the crystal walkways of the Beautiful City toward the seven-tiered tower in its center. The company consisted of a brother and sister named Gilead and Ariel, and their joint friend Mishael, all three of whom seemed to be quite young, still in their teens or very early twenties at the most. Although they were conversing pleasantly as they walked along, with an occasional peal of laughter livening up their journey, anyone who knew them well would have noticed at once that there was about them a certain air of solemn expectancy, a nervous sort of anticipation that was quite out of the ordinary. They all gave the impression that something momentous was about to happen, and that its fallout would affect each one of them profoundly.

Soon, the three friends were entering the bottom level of the tower, which consisted of nothing but a vast, open room, the focal point of which was a magnificent throne of ivory and gold, and a limpid stream that flowed out from under it, and went on to water the city’s numerous parks and gardens. But without even pausing to glance at the impressive throne, the little company continued on to the far end of the room, where a staircase admitted entrance to the tower’s higher levels. Soon, they had ascended above the great throne room beneath; and after going up several more levels, they turned down a wide hallway and followed it to its end, where it opened up to a large, circular conference room, with curved tables extending around the perimeter, all lined with chairs on the outside alone.

The three friends drew up to one of the tables, and took their seats side by side. The room was already occupied by about fifty or sixty persons, ranging in age from early adulthood to remarkable ancientness. Behind one of the tables on the side of the room opposite the three companions was standing a man very imposing in appearance, with a fierce countenance and penetrating gaze. Seeing them come in, he nodded almost imperceptibly, and called out in a commanding voice, “I believe we have all arrived”. The various conversations that had been taking place in subdued, muffled tones ceased at once, and every eye turned to the imposing man. When he was satisfied that he had everyone’s attention, he began to speak in clear, rapid sentences, that leapt from his lips as arrows from the bow of Tahath, and lodged with unerring skill in the consciousness of the listeners.

“At present,” the chief speaker began, without any further introduction, “we have two urgent situations with which we must deal before losing any more time. Just this morning, we received word from one of our allies in the East, confirming Mishael’s report. Vrak has indeed razed the city of Lusk, and its ruins are still smoldering; however, there is as yet no report of its Queen, Isabella, only whispered rumors that she escaped unharmed and is planning her revenge. At the same time, we have lately been receiving unsubstantiated stories that the leopards of Zoar are once again roaming the deserts, and even venturing into the nearby cities of men. Our compatriot in Waverly, Porthos the inkeeper, tells us that several children have inexplicably disappeared from the city in the middle of the night, and he fears the worst; but so far, he has not identified anything certainly. If the reports are accurate, that would mark the first time in the Present Age that the leopards have been active; and it would almost certainly indicate that Tiamat has not just been awakened, but he is growing stronger, and beginning to implement some dark design. It is therefore paramount that we send a company to these regions, with the purpose of finding out more certainly what has become of Isabella, what is taking place in Zoar, and if there is any connection between the two.”

“The second situation, as you all are no doubt aware, is the matter of Tobias. I myself have just returned from Fair Semblances, and was finally able to confirm our suspicion that he was in fact being held prisoner there. However, I was unable to free him before a company of sanguinors and three of Vrak’s best wyrms conducted him south, toward Dolos, the fortified city of Vrak, which lies behind the southernmost peaks of the Draconian Mountains. I was able to discover that he was not alone, but that there were in fact two prisoners, both of whom are now no doubt in Vrak’s custody. This fact is very enigmatic, for we are missing none of our own allies besides Tobias.”

“There have also been certain changes in Fair Semblances. As you already know, Vrak has been openly occupying it with a company of sanguinors ever since Mishael’s escape. As far as I could tell, when I was there, the inhabitants seem largely to have accepted this new paradigm, and are continuing their lives much as before. Only this will be new to all of you; I have told no one yet, having just had time to arrive here this morning: the Grand Proprietor, who was a man by the name of Shimei Ahitub, as Mishael has informed us, is no longer alive. When I entered Fair Semblances with two of our phosphors, he resisted me mightily, and would likely have been successful if Vrak’s wyrms and sanguinors had come to his aid; but apparently, Vrak considered Tobias and the unkown second prisoner a higher priority, and so he sacrificed his proprietor for the sake of retaining his prisoners. Even alone, he was a very powerful opponent, and he managed to withstand me long enough that I had no opportunity to make any attempts to rescue Tobias. But in the end, I proved to be stronger, and dealt him a fatal blow.”

“So now, we must decide what to do about Tobias. Rescue him we must, but how to go about that task is certain to be problematic in the extreme. Never since the founding of Dolos at the beginning of the Present Age has anyone dared to enter its dark fastness. To overcome it would require all the might of Lebben-Or; but the High King has already informed me that the time for this great battle is not yet here, for he still has a few more of his imagi to gather together to his city first. So if we cannot rely on might, we must fall back on stealth, and attempt to gain an entrance covertly, and rescue Tobias before Vrak is aware that we are even in his lands. This is a plan forced by desperation, and is unsatisfying in many respects; however, I believe it may have the slightest chance of success at no other time than now, as Vrak’s attention is currently riveted upon the East, and the feud that he has begun with Lusk. He is likewise sure to be aware that things are stirring again in Zoar, and so now, with Fair Semblances fast in his grip and Tobias right under his nose, as it were, he will certainly direct all of his energies toward those situations, and temporarily make Lebben-Or a second priority.”

“But we must move quickly. It is already August, and the high passes of the southern Draconian Mountains will be impassable within a month or six weeks, less if the snows come early. And I shudder to think what should happen if a company became trapped on the western side of the mountains, in the very heart of Vrak’s land, for an entire winter. So if we do send out a company, it would have to make its timely exit, with or without Tobias, a high priority.”

“I would not care to force this assignment upon anyone; and so, before I select a company, I want first to ask if there are any willing volunteers, who would not be afraid to undertake so daunting a mission.”

For a few minutes, there was a pensive silence throughout the entire room. But finally, Lebbaeus, an ancient man with a long, white beard, arose to his feet, cleared his throat, and responded with a calm, confident voice,

“Tobias belongs to our company, and it is only right that we be given the first chance to seek his deliverance. I am confident that I speak not just for myself but for the entire company when I say that we are not only willing, but we would consider it a positive offense if you should send anyone else to do what we by all rights ought to do.” At this, a murmur of approval was heard from several persons around the room, the most audible of which was uttered by a sturdy young man with jet black hair and a prodigious beard sitting next to another man of similar age and appearance, both of whom we met in the first part of our tale, and who the reader will remember were the cousins Ethan and Tahath. At this, Lebbaeus paused for a moment, and then continued:

“Although the company has been hurt by the loss of Tobias, who was one of our wisest and bravest, yet it has also been strengthened by the recent addition of Mishael, who has already been tested and proved, and will certainly have a most valuable role to play in our little company.”

“Yes,” Mishael cried out at once, “I consider it a privilege to risk my life for Tobias as a friend; and it is also a solemn duty that falls most especially on me, for it was he who rescued me from Fair Semblances at risk to his own life, and so it is only fitting that I attempt the same for him.”

“And we have already learned to work well with each other in situations requiring stealth, on our journey across the Desert of Salt,” Ariel added, “and this quest would benefit much from our history together.”

At this point in the conversation, the leader of the discussion turned his gaze on Ariel, and, much to the surprise of the entire room, responded with a reproachful dismissal, saying only, “But you will stay here in Lebben-Or. You are in no condition to travel.”

The whole group turned as one toward Ariel, obviously awaiting some sort of explanation.

“But I – well – really, I’m fine – almost fine that is, certainly well enough to leave,” she stammered, turning first white with surprise and then crimson with embarrassment.

“You are not fine, you are injured, your injury has become infected, and you have foolishly hidden that fact from the rest of us,” the leader responded in a curt, no-nonsense sort of way. “And to do so was not only foolish, it was selfish; your company must be able to rely on your undiminished contribution to the effort, which you will not be able to provide when you are fighting a serious infection. And it is more serious than you think. I learned of this from the High King himself, who had compassion on you, knowing that you would not have survived this quest in such a condition. It will take time for you to heal, even here in Lebben-Or; and you must not leave the city in any event until you have healed completely. You are closer than you think to being beyond recovery.”

During this time, as she was being so severely censured, Ariel looked indignant, as if she would answer in her own defense; but finally, when the opportunity came for her to speak, she lowered her eyes, and after a moment she responded softly and submissively, “One night when we were sleeping in the tunnels of Zoar, one of the little beasties, that we since came to suspect have grown into the leopards, scurried across my foot, and when I jerked away, it bit me. I never said anything at first, because I didn’t want to worry Gilead and Mishael when we were so close to Lebben-Or; and afterward, when it became infected, I kept silent, for fear of being excluded from the attempt to rescue Mishael, when the time had come. It has grown a little worse, but I thought it merely an inconvenience that I could endure in silence.”

Seeing her consternation, the imposing chairman of the meeting replied in a much gentler voice, saying, “This, too, might turn out for the best; for the physicians of Lebben-Or will be able to discern if the infection has indeed been caused by the venomous fangs of the leopards of Zoar; and this in turn may provide definite confirmation of the reports we have been hearing.”

Just then, someone from the other side of the room, apparently feeling pity for Ariel, and wishing to draw the attention of the crowd away from her, called out to the chairman, “Gamaliel” (for it was, in fact, Gamaliel who had been speaking), “if the company of Lebbaeus goes to Dolos, who will be left for the situation in the East? It is his company that has the most experience in those regions.” Ariel immediately took the opportunity to sink back into her chair; and Mishael, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, saw by her countenance that she was bitterly disappointed, and he felt his own heart break with hers. Never before had he felt such sorrow over the pain of another.

But he did not have the time to commiserate too deeply, for the conversation was continuing in the meanwhile. Turning his attention back to the room at large, he was just in time to hear Gamaliel barking out to a middle-aged man of slight build and almost entirely bald, “Kadmiel, what is the condition of your company?”.

“We are presently less than half,” the man replied a little timidly; we had to leave most of the company in a little village far south of here, when we were plagued by a debilitating fever on our last mission. Just tomorrow, those of us who were able to travel had hoped to return with medicine and supplies from Lebben-Or, and bring them back here when they recovered.”

“What of Micaiah?” Gamaliel asked, addressing his question to no one in particular.

“He just lost three of his company to wyrm-fire,” a wiry young man spoke up just to Mishael’s left; “and he is mourning their loss, which is why he is not here.”

“What of Nethaneel?”, he continued.

“Neither I nor anyone from my company has ever been in the East,” a big-boned man about thirty years of age, with fiery red hair and beard, immediately responded. “I wonder if it would be wise to send us on so delicate a mission when we have no experience in those parts.”

“Well then,” Gamaliel announced after a brief pause, “I will go myself. I had wanted to go back to my watchtower, and keep a close eye on Fair Semblances, but this is more urgent, and Zoar, at least, and the whole Desert of Salt for that matter, is well within my scope. I am a little less familiar with Lusk, but I willing to do what I can. Alright then, Lebbaeus, see that you prepare your supplies and formulate your plans tonight; for you must leave tomorrow morning. We have absolutely no time to spare.

And gradually the room began to empty, as the men and women, in twos and threes, and all discussing the import of what had taken place, began to make their way out. Last of all, Gilead, Ariel, and Mishael, who had all been uncustomarily silent the whole time, arose and left the little room in the high tower, going back along the same paths by which they had come.

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