by Maggie Furey
Incondor was conspicuous by his absence, and to the Wizard that crowned the entire evening. He looked around at the jewelled surroundings glittering in the lamplight, the sumptuous feast and the bright, smiling faces, all there for him. He heard all the plaudits that came from every side, and basked in his position of honour at Queen Pandion’s right hand. Suddenly, in a moment of absolute clarity, he remembered the day Incondor had pushed him off the landing platform and remembered what his winged foe had said when Kea had threatened to tell Ardea.
‘If you know what’s good for you, Kea, you’ll keep your mouth shut. It would be my word against yours, and my friends will back me up. Do you think I fear Ardea? A mere teacher? A nobody? My family is closely related to Queen Pandion herself. Who is she going to believe? One of her own blood, or you, a common harp maker’s apprentice whose grandmother was nothing but a lowly drudge?’
Well, things had certainly changed since then. Who would the Queen believe now? Some skulking braggart, or the hero of the hour? The next time their paths crossed, Incondor had better watch out.
After the feast was finally over, Ardea and Crombec sat up for most of the night in the harp maker’s cluttered quarters, discussing what Yinze had told them, and sharing their dismay at the implications of Incondor’s cowardly attack in the arena. ‘That youth always has been wild,’ Crombec said, ‘but this time he has gone too far.’ Small and spry, his grey hair clipped short, the harp maker lacked his customary twinkle of good humour, and looked worried and tired. ‘Wine and spirits are forbidden here for a whole number of good reasons. This is more than mere youthful rebellion, Ardea. This is dangerous.’
‘And this feud with my pupil is completely out of hand.’ Ardea took a sip of her cold liafa, neglected while they talked, and set it down with a grimace. ‘I know Yinze doesn’t want us to tell Queen Pandion, and I can understand why, as an emissary sent by the Archwizard himself, he doesn’t want to become embroiled in any trouble. But we must do something, now that we know.’
She sighed, and rubbed her tired eyes. ‘The blame has got to lie with me, Crombec. I should have been more vigilant. Surely I should have noticed that something was seriously amiss. What that poor boy must have been going through, these last few months! I can’t believe he could have managed to stay so close-mouthed about his problems all this time, choosing to suffer in silence instead of coming to us for help. Why, without Kea’s intercession, I don’t think we would have dragged it out of him yet.’
Crombec’s gloomy expression softened for a moment at the mention of his favourite pupil. ‘That girl is the joy of my old age. She might look a little strange, but beneath that colourful exterior she has plenty of common sense.’
‘Sadly, Crombec, this problem is far beyond the scope of plain common sense. This time Incondor has gone too far. He could have killed Yinze today. Even now we could have been trying to draft a message to Cyran to tell him of the tragedy—’ She broke off with a shudder.
‘Don’t think of that.’ Crombec laid a comforting hand over hers. ‘It didn’t happen, and instead, somehow, that young idiot pupil of ours came out looking like a hero. It’s what will happen now that concerns me, however. Incondor’s plan backfired on him today, and if things have already deteriorated so far between the two of them, I can only imagine his chagrin and anger tonight. I fear that the problem will only escalate from here.’
‘You’re right.’ Ardea rubbed a tired hand over her face. ‘Goodness knows I’m going to miss that boy when he leaves, but I think we should persuade the Queen to send him home as soon as possible. It may avert a tragedy.’
‘Come along, then.’ Crombec got to his feet. ‘We still have an hour or two before the sun rises, so let’s get some rest. We’ll see Queen Pandion in the morning and tell her everything.’
Ardea went to the door and paused, with one hand poised on the latch. She looked back over her shoulder. ‘She’s not going to like it.’
She was right about that. Ardea and Crombec were long-lived and well-respected members of the Aerillian community. They had known the Queen for all her life, and had always been on very friendly terms with her. Nonetheless, they found themselves quailing at the look on her face when they told her of Incondor’s misdemeanours, and his cowardly attacks on Yinze that had put the Wizard in such danger.
‘Are you absolutely certain this is true?’ she demanded.
Though they were usually friends, Ardea sensed that this was no time to be friendly. She decided it was best to adhere to strict formality, and sat up a little straighter on her chair. ‘Were we not absolutely certain, we would never have come to you with this, Your Majesty. Yinze did not willingly volunteer this information to us. We only extracted the truth from him with the greatest of difficulty, after what happened yesterday in the arena. He is keenly – almost too keenly – aware of his responsibilities as a representative of his people, and the last thing he wants is any trouble or stigma to be attached to the Wizardfolk over his personal troubles. Kea corroborated his story, as did his housekeeper Kereru, who witnessed a previous attack by Incondor and his friends.’
Pandion’s mouth was a grim line. ‘I cannot thank you for bringing this news to me. Incondor’s behaviour brings shame on us all.’ She rose, and walked to the window, her wings, dark brown with each feather exquisitely edged with a narrow band of white, sweeping out behind her. Ardea and Crombec waited in silence while she stared out at the wild mountain landscape.
‘Rightly or wrongly, I cannot bring disgrace upon my family by making Incondor’s aberrations public.’ Pandion kept her golden eyes firmly fixed on the view outside, almost as if she was reluctant to face them.
When Ardea hesitated in her reply, Crombec stepped in with the words she’d been reluctant to say. ‘Your Majesty, it is our opinion that if this situation is allowed to continue it will end in tragedy. I appreciate how hard it is to discover that one of your own family is acting so rashly, but can you truly afford to let that prevent you from taking action?’
Pandion turned back to face them. ‘You are right, of course,’ she said with a sigh. ‘Yinze must be protected at all costs.’ Her wings rustled as she straightened her shoulders. ‘In your opinion, Ardea, has he learned what he came here to learn?’
A pang of sadness struck deep into Ardea’s heart. ‘Yes indeed, Your Majesty. He has acquitted himself diligently and well and I am proud to call him my pupil.’
‘Very well then.’ Pandion’s voice was clipped and decisive. ‘Cyran has been pressing all the Archmages to send his delegates home, for since the death of Hellorin he is becoming increasingly concerned about the threat of the Phaerie on his doorstep. I was reluctant to part with Yinze before he mastered our magic, but now that he has done so, he must go home as soon as possible, and in all honour. Also, I will accede to Cyran’s wishes and send one of our own people back with him to learn what they may of the Wizards’ Earth magic.
‘In the meantime, until arrangements can be made, it is important that we keep your student and Incondor apart. I will send the troublemaker out with a party to hunt the great cats of Steelclaw. On his return, once Yinze is safely out of the way, he will be dealt with.’ She took a deep breath. ‘That is my decision. Tell the young Wizard to start packing. Within the next few days he will be leaving us.’
3
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REAP THE WHIRLWIND
‘Why do I have the feeling I’m being punished for something I did wrong?’ Yinze complained to his teacher, who had come to his quarters so early that he had barely finished eating. ‘Yesterday I was being feted and feasted by the Queen, then out of the blue she’s sending me packing in what feels very much like disgrace.’
‘Do you think you’ve done something wrong?’ Ardea’s face was expressionless.
‘I told you yesterday when you dragged the truth about Incondor out of me!’ Yinze said exasperatedly, too anxious to remember the usual terms of respect between pupil and teacher. ‘I’ve practically turned mysel
f inside out over the last few months to keep out of trouble. I don’t want to drag the good name of the Wizards through the mire – let alone what Cyran would do to me if I did.’
‘There you are, then,’ Ardea said briskly. ‘You’ve just answered your own question. You know perfectly well that you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re guilty of nought but stupidity for worrying yourself over nothing. The Queen is very pleased with you, and so is Crombec, and so am I.’ Her voice softened. ‘We’re all very proud of you, Yinze, and what you’ve achieved here. But you’ve learned all you need now.’
‘But if I stayed I could learn more.’
‘Then the Skyfolk student who is accompanying you to Tyrineld can continue to teach you. What’s wrong with you, boy?’ She flung out her arms in exasperation. ‘You never actually said anything, but all during the winter I got the very distinct impression that you were desperate to go home.’
‘That was then. At that time I was still very homesick, the weather was absolutely dreadful, and I wasn’t making any progress. But now that I am, and I have friends—’
‘Kea, you mean?’
Yinze, to his horror, actually felt his face his face go hot. ‘I have other friends here,’ he protested.
‘But you weren’t talking about them, were you?’ Ardea took a deep breath. ‘Yinze, I will be frank with you. I want you to be very careful about getting too close to Kea. Such a coupling is against the laws of both the Wizard and Winged Folk. You must know that it would result in a great deal of trouble for you both.’
Horrified at how close he’d come to revealing his most secret yearnings, Yinze forced himself to laugh. ‘Couple with Kea? I can get enough girls of my own kind, thank you. And you’re right. The female population of Tyrineld must be pining for me, and it’s time I was getting back to them.’
On the same day, not very far away, Kea, having just received a similar warning, was giving a very similar reply to her own mentor. ‘Mate with Yinze?’ She looked guilelessly – she hoped – at Crombec, her eyes wide open in surprise. ‘Why in all the wide skies would I want to do that?’
She hoped that he couldn’t hear her heart hammering. If she failed to convince him now, her plan, her dearest dream, would come to nothing. Kea’s scheme – or maybe she should call it a hope – had been born while she and Yinze had been working together on his harp. Ever since he’d first arrived she had liked the Wizard, with his handsome face and those laughing eyes that, until he’d finally developed the notion of using sound to give him control over Air magic, had become ever more sombre. She had been delighted to play a part in helping him to solve his problems and master the powers of her people, but while they worked together her bond with him had grown ever stronger. She had found herself thinking:
What if he succeeds? There’ll be no need for him so stay here any longer.
As the harp took shape and they had closed in on their goal, Yinze looked happier and happier, while Kea’s unhappiness had grown. She couldn’t possibly be in love with him of course, she kept telling herself. That was taboo between their people. If she loved him, then she’d be honour bound to stay away from him – and she couldn’t bear the thought of that. No, she told herself, they were friends, that was all. It was the notion of losing a friend that was making her feel so sad and restless. But if he was a friend, and therefore safe, maybe she didn’t have to lose him after all. By now it was common knowledge that Queen Pandion would be selecting a representative from the Skyfolk to return with Yinze to Tyrineld and learn the Wizards’ Earth magic. If only Kea could get herself chosen, then she wouldn’t have to be parted from him after all.
She had a great deal going in her favour, for she had already been helping Yinze to form a bridge between the powers of Earth and Air. Surely that must put her ahead of any other candidate? So confident had she been, that Crombec’s question had taken her completely by surprise. She only hoped her reply would sound sincere enough to convince him.
‘Well, it’s just that – you’ve been working so closely together these last months,’ Crombec floundered. ‘That is, you’re such good friends, I’d begun to wonder . . .’
Kea looked at him reprovingly. ‘Master Crombec, you’ve taught me everything I know. You of all people must surely realise that my work is my all-consuming passion right now. In the future, when we both feel I’ve attained sufficient mastery of my skills, there will be time enough to start looking around for a suitable young man. In the meantime – well, I’m just too busy for such nonsense.’
‘Oh. Good. Er . . . good.’ For once, the harp maker seemed at a loss for a reply. Kea slanted a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. Had she convinced him? As his shoulders relaxed and he turned away, whistling, to his work, she realised that she had, and her heart beat a little faster with excitement. The scheme that she had been hugging to her heart for some time was safe for a little while longer.
While Kea drifted off to sleep that night, confident that her plan was still safe and secret, she had no idea that the very same proposition was being discussed at the palace, between Crombec, Ardea, Queen Pandion and the Royal Council of advisers. Though she had dared to hope, however, it still came as a shock when, first thing in the morning, and barely out of bed, she found herself summoned before the Queen. All at once, it appeared that her dream stood a chance of becoming reality.
Kea’s hands were shaking as she dressed, and she barely noticed the brilliant sunshine sparkling on the white buildings of Aerillia as she flew across to the palace. Pandion was waiting for her, not in the imposing hall of Audience but outside in the sunshine, on a wide balcony that overlooked the city, and Crombec and Ardea sat beside her, at a table on which were set a steaming pot of liafa and a platter of sweet cakes.
Kea made her obeisance, and the Queen nodded graciously. ‘Come and sit down, child,’ she said. ‘Break your fast with us.’
To be in the presence of the Queen was awe-inspiring. To be sitting here, in the palace, drinking liafa with her, was just unbelievable. Kea, for once lost for words, sat down and took the cup in unsteady hands, hoping desperately that she wouldn’t slop the hot, dark liquid all over the place and disgrace herself. Ardea and Crombec, sitting one on either side of her, came to the rescue. Yinze’s mentor tipped a generous spoonful of honey into Kea’s liafa. ‘Take a drink and steady yourself,’ she said. Crombec put one of the little cakes on her plate. ‘Eat,’ he said out loud, his eyes twinkling kindly. ‘If your usual habits are anything to go by, I’ll wager you had no breakfast.’
‘The girl is here for more than breakfast,’ Pandion said briskly, making Kea drop the cake back to her plate, untasted. ‘I don’t have all day to dawdle over this business. Kea’ – she turned to the winged girl – ‘as you may have heard, I am sending one of our students back to Tyrineld with Yinze, when he goes home. The chosen person will study the Wizards’ Earth magic, as Cyran’s delegate has done with our magic during his time here. After considerable discussion with Ardea, Crombec, and my advisers in the Royal Council, I have decided that you will be the one to go.’
‘Oh! Oh, thank you.’ Wild with excitement Kea leapt to her feet, almost sending her liafa flying. Suddenly realising she was about to hug the Queen, an unpardonable breach of protocol, she sat down quickly and composed herself, but inside her heart was singing. It had really happened! Her secret plan, her dearest wish and hope, had come to pass.
If Pandion had looked intimidating before, she was even more so when she frowned. ‘When you go you will constantly bear in mind that you are representing the Winged Folk – representing me – in a foreign land. You will comport yourself with dignity and decorum at all times. Is that absolutely clear?’
Kea quailed. ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ she whispered.
‘You must be aware that there was considerable doubt about choosing you. You have worked very closely with Yinze on his project these past few months, and the two of you have become friends – very close friends, it seems to me. Dangerously clos
e.’ Pandion’s gaze seemed to be drilling right into Kea’s head, as if she was trying to see what thoughts were concealed within. ‘For this reason, we came very close to deciding against you, for I was not prepared to risk the intolerable scandal of a coupling between our race and the Wizards. But your mentors, I gather, have spoken to both you and Yinze very seriously about this matter, and both of you have protested very strongly against the possibility.’
Yinze said that? Kea felt a stab of sadness at the thought, but there was no time to dwell on it, for the Queen was still speaking.
‘Ironically, the very situation which prompted my uneasiness has weighed in your favour. While helping the Wizard, you have shown that you can work well with his kind. Also you, of all the Skyfolk, have the greatest experience in integrating Earth magic with our own. Therefore I have set my doubts aside. But bear in mind, Kea, that your friendship with Yinze must go no further than it already has. I will be in regular communication with the Archwizard, and at the faintest hint of a scandal, you will be recalled to Aerillia.’ Her eyes grew hard as flint. ‘And you will be punished.’ Then her expression softened. She rose, and held out a hand to Kea. ‘Go with my blessings, child. You have already made the Skyfolk proud. Go now, and make me prouder still.’
Clearly the interview was over. Once Pandion had left the balcony, Kea could hardly wait to tear herself away from Ardea and Crombec, and their congratulations that she knew would all too soon turn into more warnings about good behaviour – as if she hadn’t heard enough of that today. She was bursting to tell Yinze her news, and she didn’t want to waste a minute. She sped across to his quarters, flying recklessly fast, and hurled herself through the door as soon as he opened it. ‘Yinze, Yinze, you’ll never guess . . .’
His delight at her news was all she had imagined, all that she could have wished. ‘Why that’s wonderful, Kea. Congratulations. I couldn’t be more happy.’ He whirled her round in an embrace, as he had done once before, and as they spun to a halt, their eyes met; held. Kea’s heart beat faster. Yet, when he lowered his head to kiss her, the Queen’s dire warnings resounded in her mind. She ducked her face away hastily, and the moment turned to dust and ashes.