Chapter 16
A Humble Man
Landen awoke to find himself staring into the face of a goat. He again thought that he was hallucinating, but like the cottage, the goat was real. Landen realized that he was lying on a soft bed.Reaching to his forehead, he touched the cold, wet towel that rested there. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the robed figure coming across the room toward him. This time, though, Landen got a clear view of the man.The slim man was of average height and appeared to be about forty years old. He wore a green cotton robe.Coming up to Landen's bedside, the man asked using telepathy, "How are you feeling?"Landen sat up on the bed. After removing the towel, he felt his forehead. It was cool."I think that the fever has broken," Landen replied also using telepathy because he assumed that the man was a Noelmian with whom he could communicate only through that method."That's good," the man said. "You should be fine now.""I want to thank you for your help. Are you a doctor?""No, I'm just a simple shepherd who knows something about the art of healing."Landen glanced at the goat, who was still watching him with a curious expression. "Our friend here seems to find me quite interesting."The man gently nudged the goat toward the open doorway. "Yes, he's an inquisitive little fellow.""You, too, must be curious about the gypsy whom you found on your doorstep. My name is Peter Landen. I'm a Noelmian who has lived on earth since my infancy." Landen shook hands with the man.The man nodded. "I know. The arrival of the earth vessels has stirred up a great deal of excitement on Noelm." Landen smiled. "I suppose that everyone on this planet knows what is happening; telepathy is an efficient form of communication.""It certainly is, and my sources are better than most. My name is Francis. This has been my home for many years. You will be safe here. The Tragadomians never bother me." "Why not?""Because I provide for the needs of their Noelmian workers, whom the Tragadomians want to keep as strong and as happy as possible. I serve as a religious counselor to the Noelmians, and I care for their physical needs as well by supplying food and clothing from this rich valley. The Tragadomians have allowed twenty Noelmians to help me with this work. Those Noelmians live in several cottages a mile west of here. Most of our work is done over by their cottages. We make cotton clothing and use the milk from the goats and cows to make cheese, butter, and various dairy products.""I am surprised to learn that there are sheep, goats, and cows on Noelm," Landen said. "Triamber, the Loremaster of Noelm, taught me all about this planet and the animal species which inhabit it, but he never mentioned sheep or goats or cows.""That is because Triamber left Noelm before those animals arrived. On their intelligence-gathering expeditions to earth, the Tragadomians captured various species of animals that are not native to Noelm.""I was one of the species that they scooped up," Landen said with a wry grin.Francis returned the smile. "Yes, I'm aware that you visited this planet previously. In fact, at that time I was prepared to come to your aid, but you did quite well without my assistance.""What could you have done?" Landen asked."There were many ways that I could have helped you then, and there are many ways that I can help you now. You think that your chances of successfully completing your mission are slim, but things are not as they appear. Sometimes it seems to you that all hope is gone. The evildoers appear to be invincible. Don't despair, though. Out of defeat comes victory. The righteous are never forsaken."Francis then told Landen where Susan and the rest of the Emerald Warrior crew were being held, where in the Golden Mountains the two shuttlecraft had landed, and where Triamber was at that moment.Triamber had been unable to enter his hometown. Since his departure many years ago, the town had been fenced in and guards posted at all gates. The fence had been built under the pretense of providing protection for the residents of the town; however, in reality, most Noelmians wanted to get out of the town, and few wanted to get in.Triamber was the exception. In his case, at least, the fence served its alleged function of keeping someone out. He did not allow this setback to discourage him. For over a day, Triamber stayed in hiding near a riverbank on the outskirts of town. He was certain that he would eventually find an opportunity to contact Noelmians who could assist him in his mission.Finally, the opportunity came. A group of Noelmians hauling cartloads of supplies came out of the town. They began to travel across the plain in the direction of the Crystal Palace.For a short distance, Triamber followed them. Once he ascertained that the group was not under observation by Tragadomian guards, he approached the Noelmians and identified himself. Many of the Noelmians already knew something about Triamber and the arrival of the ships from earth, but much of their information was incomplete or inaccurate. Although telepathy was an efficient form of communication, stories were often told incorrectly as they passed from one individual to another.Triamber gave them the true story of all that had transpired. They continued walking while they conversed because, if the group was late in arriving at the palace, Tragadomian soldiers would come to search for them.Twice a week, a group of Noelmians from the town brought supplies to the Crystal Palace. Most townspeople enjoyed the trip to the beautiful palace, so they took turns making the excursion.The group was thrilled to meet Triamber. Even though the Loremaster had left Noelm as a young man, he had become a legendary figure amongst his people.Triamber was dazzled by the sight of the Crystal Palace. He questioned the Noelmians about its origin. All that they could tell him, though, was that it mysteriously sprang up soon after Landen had escaped in the cruiser. They told Triamber that the Ruling Force named Haden had somehow built the palace over a span of a few days.I am on the brink of finding the answers to my questions, Triamber thought with growing excitement. I can only conceive of one type of being who possesses the awesome powers of Haden.The steel gates surrounding the palace swung open to admit the Noelmians. They passed unquestioned through the ranks of Tragadomian guards. The group took the supplies, which consisted mainly of food, to the kitchen at the rear of the vast structure.Triamber thanked the Noelmians for getting him to his destination. Once in the kitchen, he inconspicuously slipped away from the group.He glanced out the doorway. Seeing no guards in the corridor, Triamber entered the passageway."Peter?" he mentally focused all of his telepathic energy on forming a mind link with Landen. "Peter?" he repeated, and the image of Landen sitting in a cottage formed in Triamber's mind."Triamber?" Landen asked in amazement. The image of the hallway in the Crystal Palace took shape in Landen's mind. "Peter, I am on the verge of solving the mystery of the Ruling Force called Haden. It is here that his essence resides. Since I might not escape from this palace alive, you must watch everything that occurs. You will succeed me as the Loremaster of Noelm. It is vital that the information which I obtain here be passed along to you.""Triamber, break off this telepathic link immediately!" Landen urged him. "Haden or Baalson could be listening! They'll know that you are in the palace.""I'm certain that they already know that I am here," Triamber said as he turned down another corridor."What is it that you seek, old man?" the voice of Haden asked.Triamber felt a shiver of excitement go through the length of his body. He knew that the voice that he heard now was the same voice that Bokins had heard in the caves centuries ago."I seek the Bringer of Order," Triamber said aloud."Ah, so you are the Seeker of Answers," Haden said."Yes, I am," Triamber said. "Are you the Bringer of Order?""I am the Keeper of Promises," Haden replied.Haden does like to play games, Triamber thought. I must be careful, though; Haden is a lethal gamesman."Where is the Bringer of Order?" Triamber asked."It is he to whom you speak. I am known by many names." "What manner of being are you?" Triamber asked as he steadily came nearer the inner sanctum. He could sense the presence of Haden in that room."I am one of the Mighty Ones who were created by the Word before the foundation of time," Haden said.Triamber went down the hallway leading to the inner sanctum. Out of the shadows stepped a dark-robed figure. The figure blocked Triamber's path to the room in which Haden waited."Greetings, Triamber," the witch-captain said. "You have done well to get this far, but you shall go no farther. Nor shall you leave here. I hope that all your questions have been answered because I would not want you to die with your curiosity unsated."Triamber stepped forward and looked at his adversary. "You are Adrian Baalson, Miriam's husband.""Yes," the witch-captain said. "And you'll be glad to hear that Miriam and I have been reunited. She has told me about her ill-advised rescue of your shuttle crew.""And she told us something about you," Triamber said. "How did a sorcerer belonging to earth's dark ruler gain the trust of this planet's ruler?""As soon as I arrived on this planet, I felt the presence of Haden," Baalson said. "I knew that he was the Ruling Force who controlled what happened here. Through my powers, I was able to communicate with Haden. I persuaded him to establish a visible presence here on Tragadom. Haden then assumed a form and built this palace. He appointed me as his chief captain.""What happened to the Tragadomian leader, Salurm, and his war council?" Triamber asked."They made the fatal mistake of trying to track me down when I arrived on Tragadom. They sought to kill me. But then I contacted Haden. He had already realized that it was folly to try to conquer earth, and I assured him that the effort would indeed be futile as well as dangerous to Haden. Then I explained that Salurm and his war council were so fanatical about their desire to conquer earth that they would need to be removed. Once they fell from Haden's favor, they lost his protection. They had no protection from me. The pursued became the pursuer. I slew Salurm and the entire war council."The witch-captain took a step forward. "And now, old man, I shall slay you."Baalson pulled a stiletto from beneath his cloak and rapidly advanced toward Triamber, who braced himself for the onslaught.Landen's eyes became unfocused. He was engaged in such a complete telepathic bond with Triamber that Landen was seeing through Triamber's eyes. It was like Landen himself was being attacked by the witch-captain.Triamber stood motionless. Baalson mistakenly believed that the Noelmian was frozen with fear. In actuality, Triamber was experiencing a tremendous adrenalin rush, the most extreme of his entire life.As the witch-captain lunged at him with the stiletto, Triamber dodged the knife and snapped a backfist into the right side of the sorcerer's head.Stunned by the powerful strike, Baalson collapsed against the wall, dropping the stiletto. Triamber sprang toward him in order to strike again.The witch-captain barely had time to raise his hands. A burst of orange flame radiated from Baalson's hands. It was not a concentrated beam capable of vaporizing Triamber; the sorcerer had not had sufficient time to focus his mental energy into a beam. However, the scattered burst of fire was sufficient to stop Triamber.The Noelmian staggered backwards. His arms had been burned when he lifted them to shield his face from the fire. His chest and stomach were also burned.The witch-captain was upset that he had needed to use black magic in order to avoid being defeated by Triamber. Before the battle began, Baalson had believed that he was capable of killing the elderly man through ordinary means without resorting to magic.The witch-captain picked up the stiletto and came toward Triamber again. He slashed at Triamber. The Loremaster was able to move quickly enough so that the blade only grazed his cheek.As the stiletto flashed by, Triamber lunged forward and grabbed Baalson by the throat. With both hands, he locked the sorcerer's neck in a grip like a steel vise.Baalson gasped for breath. He had temporarily forgotten how powerful Noelmians were. Once again Baalson was forced to use black magic against Triamber.The witch-captain changed into a cobra. Startled by this sudden transformation, Triamber released his grip on the cobra as it coiled to strike.The beast's head smashed into Triamber's throat with such force that the Noelmian's neck was broken. As Triamber fell backwards, the cobra struck a second time, its fangs fatally digging into the throat.Triamber was dead. After returning to his normal form, the witch-captain moved toward the body in order to perform a dark ritual. Before Baalson reached Triamber, though, the body vanished.The witch-captain banged his fist against the wall in frustration at being denied the opportunity to offer a sacrifice. Noelmians don't have the ability to teleport their dead, Baalson thought angrily. Landen couldn't have taken Triamber away. Haden must have done it."Why did you remove Triamber?" the witch-captain called out to Haden."I didn't take Triamber," Haden replied. "There are other powers at work on this planet besides me. You should be aware of that fact by now.""No other power prevented me from killing the old man.""I almost did. It was not necessary to kill him. He merely sought knowledge, not to challenge me.""He was using telepathy to send the knowledge that he obtained from you to your enemies, who would then use that knowledge against you. In order to protect you, I had to kill him.""I do not need your protection. In the future, you will only kill if I so command.""As Haden bids," the witch-captain replied and stormed back toward his chambers.At the moment that Triamber was killed, Landen let out a cry of pain and closed his eyes."Break the link now," Francis ordered. "You have to leave Triamber. Where Triamber is going, you cannot yet follow. You must stay here with us."Landen opened his eyes, which once again were focusing on things in the cottage.He looked at Francis. "Triamber is dead," Landen said in a low voice."I know.""Did you watch the attack?" Landen asked, assuming that Francis was a Noelmian and, therefore, had the capability to establish a similar telepathic link with Triamber."Yes, I watched the attack," Francis said. "But I viewed things differently from you. In my eyes, Triamber won. The witch-captain has had victory snatched away from him. Triamber has gone to his reward in the Blessed Realm." For almost an hour, Landen conversed with Francis about Triamber. Landen told Francis how much Triamber had meant to him. Eventually, wearied by the prolonged, emotionally-draining telepathic bond, Landen went to bed and slept soundly.
