Metal and Flesh (The Rohvim, Book 1)

22.4 Recruit

They entered through the double doors at the rear of the hall, getting misted by the spray from the fountain, and found seats. Frederick and Darla saw them and waved from across the room. Aeden saw the other company members, who he had come to think of as his family, enter one by one with many others and find their seats as well. When the chamber was filled to capacity, overflowing out into the hall, the small door on the rear of the dais opened and out stepped the thirteen members of the elder council, taking their seats, all except for Clara and the master healer who stood at the front of the dais. The chamber fell silent.

   Clara began, "In the beginning ..." She repeated her story of discovery, similar to before, the speech almost becoming a ritual for the old, graceful woman.

   She concluded the history and continued, "And now we face a crisis possibly more grave than the previous one. Four months ago, we, on an errand from the king himself, sent a group of thirteen to track down the warlord and neutralize him. I stand before you today to announce that the mission was a success!"

   A wild cheer went up from the crowd, Clara motioning for the surviving members to stand and receive the adulation. After nearly a minute of cheering and clapping, she raised her hand, and the hall fell silent again. The company members sat back down and she continued, "The mission was a success, though not without grievous loss. Our beloved Rupert Murridock, of Ramath, was killed. Another, Priam Switchback, of Elbeth, was captured by the enemy, and ... well, I shall permit the master healer to provide further details to you all." She nodded to the master healer, and fell silent.

   The old man spoke, "Thank you, Clara, for your words. It is true, the mission went as well as we could have hoped for, though we passed through trial and pain to win it. In addition to our dear Rupert, it was discovered, after Priam was captured, that the enemy managed to seduce the young man, with power or fame or glory or who knows what, and he returned to ambush the company several weeks later, resulting in the death of Rupert. The reason I bring this up, is that Priam was seduced by the enemy, but it was not the warlord. In fact, the warlord is here among us now."

   The chamber erupted in chatter, many people flashing looks of fear, and the master motioned to Cyrus to stand. "This was the warlord Shiavo. He is the elder brother of Aeden Rossam, member of the company, who was kidnapped some fifteen years ago, and made thrall to a man named Yoruth. Through Cyrus, Yoruth masterminded the entire plot to march on the kingdom and capture the city of Elbeth and the region surrounding."

   A woman on the front row asked, "But why? He sent a large army, yes, but surely he knew it was not large enough to conquer the entire kingdom."

   The master healer replied, "True. And the answer is, we do not know why. In fact, we know very little. What has been made apparent by this entire episode, however, is that we were inadequately prepared for this disaster, and are still ill prepared to investigate it further and ultimately solve it. As such, in the company's absence, Clara and the other members of the council have been busy recruiting other members into the society, greatly swelling our ranks. They have aimed for balancing our numbers with rohvim of a variety of skills and strengths. Our primary occupation is still as healers and to be a comfort to the world, but Clara has gone out of her way to recruit skilled warriors, noblemen familiar with the politics of the kingdom, blacksmiths, armorers, farmers, craftsmen, builders, tinkers, laborers, people from all parts of the kingdom. We risk our sacred secret becoming common knowledge, and of the people rejecting us as sorcerers and witches with such a greater presence, but Clara believes, as do I and the rest of the council, that the time has come to take a more active role in the affairs of the kingdom, so that events similar to those of recent days may be averted in the future." And with that, the master healer ended his speech and turned to Clara.

   "My beloved people. You, saviors of the world and benefactors of the race, are a royal generation of rohvim. Your great grandchildren will tell their great grandchildren stories of these days. Look around you at your companions-they will be the future heroes of myth and legend. But now, the question arises, how do we meet this new threat? How do we discover the identity of this Yoruth and guess his plans before doom overtakes us all? We know little, and we have few clues to guide even our guesses. As such, we will send groups of you to all corners of the known world. To the north, to the south, to the east, traveling far and wide in our own kingdom and the other kingdoms of the west, searching for answers, for clues, and through our combined efforts we will discover this new evil and stop it before it comes to fruition. Over the upcoming days and weeks, we will organize ourselves and begin sending out our scouts. Until then, go. Prepare yourselves. Get your affairs in order. On the morrow, return, and we will take counsel together once more. Of one mind and heart!" she called.

   "Of one mind and heart!" the crowd answered, and the multitude stood, gathering around the members of the company and Aeden's brother, peppering them with questions and begging for stories. It was late afternoon before Aeden and his brother managed to escape the hall and start the walk home.

   "Let's go get mother and head on over to Betha's," said Aeden. "I talked much with the master healer on the journey home, and he agreed that with both of us now in the society, it would be permissible to tell her about it and our true natures. Maybe Betha and her father can help with that."

  

   Priam, Yoruth, and their companion kept a steady pace for many weeks, aiming to arrive in Ramath well before the company. "I won't be able to enter the city-not unless they fail, of course ..." Priam trailed off.

   "They will not fail. It is prophesied to be so-knowledge from the creator himself given to man." Yoruth muttered, breathing heavily from exertion.

   "I don't know, Aeden is a good swordsman, and the rest of them are very talented. But I just don't see how ..."

   Yoruth interrupted, "You don't see how because you do not see at all! Have you not studied the words from the prophesies I've shown you? The one-the rohva of the first kind that the king of healers himself shall choose, along with the second, shall be the instruments of change in the hands of the Creator himself. And this one here-" Yoruth motioned back to their companion, "-we're not dragging this one around for fun! It's all in the Chronicles. All of it! That is why I have taken great pains to preserve those close to him-that is one of the reasons you're here and not dead on the field of the great Puertamandian plain. It is because I willed it and I only willed it because the Chronicles demand it. And they demand it so that I ... we, can change the world. It is prophesied."

   Priam hushed up at this, not wishing to stir Yoruth's ire more. At last, though, he continued, "Who is the creator?"

   Yoruth smiled, and replied, "The creator sits at the top of the mountains, and he awaits us there. And we will find him. Just as Ilien the fair. Just as Galen Thunderspeak. We will find him."

   "He's a man?"

   "Man? Woman? Rohva? Divine being? Does it matter? But we will find him, and at last the prophecies will be fulfilled. And we, my dear, will fulfill them. To the praise of all."