by Duncan Lay
Ezok and Gello exchanged a look. Unspoken was the thought that the Fearpriests wanted to be the only ones who could use magic. Anyone with magical power was a threat to their authority, and therefore to be stamped out.
‘Search for someone with undiscovered magic power. Perhaps we can find some when we return there, trick the child into training them…’ Gello suggested.
‘This will take too long!’ Onzalez snapped.
‘And why will they come forwards, if they think it will mean their death?’ Ezok pointed out. ‘But I believe I have the solution.’
‘Then let us hear it!’
‘I have spoken to this Radiant Child. She is a powerful creature, but not wise to the ways of men. She is used to only dealing with elves and dragons. She asked me to help her to escape and I agreed, swearing an oath to help return her to Dragonara Isle.’
‘I presume there is more to it than that, if you’re telling us this,’ Onzalez said dryly.
‘Indeed. I swore the oath to Aroaril!’ Ezok chuckled. ‘It is an oath that has no power over me! In exchange for helping her, she is going to teach me how to use the Egg. She thinks she is doing this to lull you into a false sense of security, so you will allow her enough freedom that she might escape with my help. She thinks she has my loyalty and that I am fooling you to help her—when she will be the one who is fooled, for she will give away her secrets and never be allowed to escape.’
‘It sounds unnecessarily complicated. Why do we not just force this child to help us?’ Onzalez grunted.
‘You did not see her in action. She scattered our men in all directions, swatted away Khaliz as if he were a fly! We cannot use force—Ezok is right, we need to use cunning,’ Gello agreed.
Onzalez sat silently. ‘I need to talk to this Radiant Child myself. Bring her here.’
‘Should we not go to her? It might not be wise to let her too near to the Egg,’ Ezok pointed out.
‘Then we go to her! Now,’ Onzalez snarled.
Karia had thought hard about how she should act when the Fearpriest and the others came to talk to her. Ezok seemed harmless enough, although a little silly. But she had seen what the Fearpriest could do from her vantage point on Argurium during the battle of Norstalos. And, of course, she had heard much about Gello during all the war councils she had attended over the past few months.
She had experienced a wave of panic while in the cabin by herself. She wanted to see Martil. She wanted to see Merren. She wanted them both to hold her. Part of her wanted to scream and cry and beg for them to let her go. But then she had calmed herself. These were evil men and they would have no sympathy for her, nor mercy. Thanks to Barrett, she was able to use her mind carefully, logically, think the problem through. Looking at it, she was almost grateful she had spent that time on the farm with her da, and in the woods with her half-brothers. It had taught her how to survive a situation like this. And, with a little saga-style acting, she would stay safe until Martil got there.
Breathing deeply, she controlled her thoughts and planned what she was going to do, what she was going to say, as Barrett had taught her. She had read, and been read to, about many strange beings in the sagas. So she knew how they were supposed to behave. Hopefully Gello and the Fearpriest had not read the same sagas.
So when the three of them ducked into the cabin in which she was kept, she made sure she was sitting cross-legged on the bunk, the ropes that had pinioned her piled up neatly on the deck. Altering the ropes, so they slipped off her wrists and ankles had been easy enough and would create the right impression, she felt.
She had also learned from Ezok that they had described her as the ‘Radiant Child’, whatever that was, so she used a trick of Barrett’s to make it appear as if she was surrounded by a golden light.
The intake of breath from the trio almost made her smile but she kept her face calm.
‘Why is she not tied up? Ezok, did you release her?’ Gello growled.
‘I am free of my bonds because I chose to be. If you want my help, I would advise you not to anger me,’ Karia said smoothly.
She saw the three of them stare at her.
‘This is no normal child,’ Ezok whispered.
‘You are right. I am the Radiant Child, Wielder of the Dragon Egg and you have made a grave mistake in removing me and the Egg from our rightful place on Dragonara Isle,’ she said. ‘When you attacked me, I summoned my Guardian. The demon warrior with the sword that cannot be stopped. He is coming for you. And he will not rest until you are all dead. Return me to Dragonara or you shall all die.’
For a heartbeat she thought she had them. Ezok looked terrified, while Gello was plainly alarmed. But the Fearpriest merely chuckled.
‘Your demon might have frightened my allies in your own hall. But, on Tenoch soil, he shall be no match for me,’ Onzalez boasted.
Ezok could feel the sweat trickling down his back. This was a dangerous game he was playing. In truth he did not quite know just who he would betray. Whoever it looked like was going to lose, he guessed. He had embraced Zorva for power—now he would do whatever it took to survive.
‘So you think,’ Karia told the Fearpriest. ‘But I must warn you that the Egg was not designed to leave Dragonara Isle. Taking it away could doom everyone on this world.’
Onzalez did not move. ‘I do not believe you,’ he said calmly. ‘You are a creature of the dragons and not to be trusted.’
‘What of the Egg? Will you show us how to use it?’ Gello demanded.
Karia turned to him. ‘Why should I do that?’
‘Because we shall kill you otherwise!’ Onzalez said.
‘And then you will have nobody to tell you how to use the Egg. And my Guardian will wreak a terrible revenge,’ Karia forced herself to say, trying not to look afraid. She took a deep breath. Time to show her power. ‘Touch me and you shall scream in pain.’
Onzalez laughed. ‘I have the magical protection of a God! Zorva has promised to keep me safe—and you say I cannot even touch you?’
He stepped forwards and, lightning-fast, grabbed at her hand. Karia had been trying to think how she could use the magic to make her skin hot while not hurting herself, and did not react quickly enough. But she did not need to. As soon as his fingers touched hers, Onzalez shrieked with pain and jerked his hand away.
‘What? What is it?’ Gello cried.
Onzalez stared at Karia as if he were seeing her for the first time.
‘She has power,’ he whispered. ‘Touching her was like putting my hand into flames.’
‘So how were we able to carry her off the island?’ Gello grunted.
‘We never touched her skin—just her clothes. Besides, she was unconscious. Perhaps the power only works when she is awake…’ Ezok suggested.
‘We should not touch her again,’ Onzalez decided. ‘We must discover the source of her power.’ He turned back to Karia. ‘What if we do you honour, worship you as a God? Would you grant us power then?’ he offered.
Karia looked at him blankly. This was something she had not considered. Besides, she was still trying to work out what had just happened. Certainly she had done nothing to stop the Fearpriest. Or had she? She was not sure now.
‘You should do me honour,’ she told him. ‘Provided you treat me well, I will begin to reveal certain secrets of the Egg to—him.’ And she pointed at Ezok.
She saw the three of them exchange looks, but kept her face blank.
‘Agreed,’ Onzalez said finally. ‘Food will be brought to you, as well as water.’
‘And you will let me see the Egg?’ Karia asked, a little too eagerly. Once she had her hands on the Egg, she was sure she could seal herself off and turn this ship around, have it back at Dragonara by the end of the day.
Onzalez looked towards Ezok before turning back.
‘Not immediately. But perhaps, if you can show Ezok how it works, so we can understand it better,’ he said carefully.
Karia bowed her head in agreement, thinki
ng they had fallen for her ruse and wondering if she would ever find out what she had done to scare Onzalez, how he had been affected when touching her.
Gello looked over to Onzalez, and smiled.
Ezok watched them all, and sweated.
The ride down to Cessor had been a blur to Martil. People kept trying to talk to him, when all he wanted was more speed, to be on the ships and after Karia already.
It had been the same back in the capital.
Conal had found him fresh clothes and helped clean the blood that had survived his swim in the sea from his face and hair and hands. Louise had embraced him, told him she would be praying for him, while seemingly every Norstaline wanted to shake his hand or touch his boot as he rode past, out of the capital. He ignored them—these were the same people that had told Merren that they did not want him as a Prince Consort. So the fact they lined the walls to cheer everyone, human and Derthal, heading south was of no consequence to him—although Merren was pleased to get such a send-off.
She had sent Wilsen and Jaret over to him, several times with a request to speak. But he just ignored them and, after a while, they gave up and went away. He was glad of that. He did not want to hurt them. He could not let himself go near Merren. He wanted nothing to distract him.
If Archbishop Nott had been there, perhaps he could have spoken to him. But he could not confide in Kesbury and Milly, although the new Archbishop had told him that Aroaril, and Father Nott, were watching over Karia.
‘One of the last things he did was to bless her. At the last, he was more a servant of Aroaril than a man. The power of that blessing would be extraordinary, especially against a Fearpriest. Should one of them try to lay hands on her, it will burn him like the hottest fire imaginable,’ Milly had said.
Martil had nodded. That was a little comfort to him.
Strangely, Barrett was one of those to seek him out.
‘We have had our differences,’ the wizard said. ‘That is putting it mildly. But we both care about Karia. And the lessons I gave her will stand her in good stead. She has been trained to focus her mind, to banish fear and worry and concentrate on her magic. And her powers are extraordinary. There is much she can do to protect herself. She will not be helpless.’
Martil ignored that. ‘I just want to know if you will help me destroy Gello and all who harbour him.’
Barrett hesitated. ‘I shall obey Queen Merren’s orders,’ he said finally.
Martil stared at him. ‘That will be all then.’
He greeted Nerrin and Dunner, listened to them swear they would bring Karia back and talk happily about the way the Norstalines had truly accepted the Rallorans. He was pleased to hear that villages and towns were welcoming Rallorans into their midst but still stayed apart. He preferred to stay with the Derthals, where Sacrax told him about their new home, in the northern forest.
‘The caves of my ancestors are much bigger than my people remember. So much better than the north. My people can wander, as they were meant to. Follow the game through the forest, make camp where they want. It is everything we wanted. I think if you tried to take it back, I would stay and fight!’ Sacrax chuckled.
‘How have the Norstalines been? Has there been any trouble?’
Sacrax shrugged. ‘Many do not like us, still. They do not come near. But some do. Ones who fought with us against your enemies, they trade with us, they will visit.’
Martil thought with a pang of those men, the ones he had trained all those months ago, when it was just a handful of them in the northern forest where Sacrax’s people now roamed. But they were too far away to join this expedition.
‘So your chiefs are happy? They are pleased that you allied yourself to Norstalos, came south and helped us?’
Sacrax laughed. ‘Oh yes! I have even had some of Rath’s old followers beg to join my tribe, so they can leave the mountains! Especially when I showed them the plants growing around the caves. There is one fruit plant that blooms in winter!’
Martil thought then of all the walks he had taken with Karia, of the magic she had learned there and used on the surrounding plants—and he could not talk any more. The memories were too painful.
Merren watched him, and worried.
If it had been anyone else who had refused to speak to her, she would have been furious with them for disobeying her orders. But she told herself he was still upset, though she hoped he was not harbouring a grudge against her. Normally she was willing to face any problem head on but she was scared of what might happen if she confronted him. She could not bear the thought of losing him once more, removing all hope from her life. She resolved to make him talk to her once they were on the ships, when there was more time.
And, in truth, there was more than enough to keep her busy.
For instance, many homesteads and villages had been damaged or destroyed in the Tenoch advance, and each wanted to show her the pace of rebuilding, as well as talk about the problems they still faced. Word seemed to be spreading faster than they could ride, with people coming out of villages and farms to cheer them on. Although the people were hard at work rebuilding, they still stopped to wave, or to offer something, even if it was only water, as well as talk.
Apart from that, many of those helping rebuild were prisoners taken after the battle, Tenochs, Berellians and Norstalines who had surrendered rather than run or die. Now they laboured to show they could be trusted, although some were still being identified as criminals and needed to be taken away to face punishment for their crimes. Three times Merren was asked to look into a case where a prisoner had been identified as having burned down Norstaline buildings but the village that he worked for thought he was repentant and should be forgiven his crime. With the example of the Rallorans in the back of her mind, she promised to hold any sentence until she had looked at the case.
The country was getting back on its feet, she could see that. There were still signs of the invasion everywhere, from farms that had been burned out and not yet rebuilt, to the raw wood and fresh thatch and sound of building, to the graves of Norstalines who had died at the hands of the invaders and the graves of the invaders themselves, slaughtered as they fled in panic.
Food was a major concern but Barrett’s Magicians’ Guild had been travelling around to many villages, helping grow just a few fresh vegetables to keep them going through the winter.
And while Martil did not want to talk to her, she could barely get Sendric to shut up. Every time they paused, either to speak to villagers or for the night, he was there. Always pushing for her to complete the marriage, cautioning against this expedition.
‘We do not know what we face! We are taking the best of our army into a strange country. What if it is all a trap? What if they are waiting for us? Norstalos will be defenceless if we are defeated!’ he cried.
‘If the Dragon Egg is lost, then it will not matter if Norstalos is helpless, for the whole world is doomed,’ Merren told him finally. ‘Let that be an end to the discussion!’
While there was plenty to occupy her, like Martil, she chafed at the journey and just wanted to be on the ships.
But once at Cessor, there were tasks waiting. The city had been almost destroyed by fire and although thousands of men had been hard at work rebuilding, there were still vast areas that were blackened and ruined. Yet the people turned out to welcome them, to promise their support and to cheer her, giving her the first reason to smile in days. And she was relieved to find the allied army waiting for them at Cessor, having assembled swiftly. In the little more than two days of hard riding it took to get down from the capital, the Rallorans and bowmen had made it to Cessor, while several hundred of Kettering’s men were already there. Between Norstalines, Rallorans, Derthals and Elfarans, there were more than three thousand in this allied army. But while this was a powerful force, every man tested in more than one battle, they were heading off to an unknown country. They had to do it—but she did not want to go in blind. Knowing what she would face was vital. If they
failed, then not only would these men die, but the world would end. In terms of pressure on her shoulders, it made the Berellian invasion look like a playground fight. With that in mind, she had ordered the few Tenoch prisoners taken after the battle to be questioned by Nerrin and Kettering, so all could learn more about this mysterious continent they were about to invade.
Then she could tackle the other problems.
For instance, the Tenoch ships had been used as temporary accommodation by the citizens of Cessor without houses and many of these were unhappy at having to leave what they thought of as home but Fergus and his fellow councillors helped her soothe them. That was a relief, having the support of the city’s council, for Fergus could not do enough for her.
‘My Queen, your men stayed behind to save my life and the lives of my family and friends, after we had insulted them and spat upon them. They had no reason to stay—in fact good military sense says they should have left before those Tenochs arrived. I have much to be grateful for, and much to make up for. I am eager to do what I can,’ he told her.
She talked with him about what the city needed and wrote out orders for Conal to send more aid. That all took time but, at the end, it meant she could leave the loading of the ships to Fergus and his councillors, so she could summon the leaders of this allied army, as well as the few ships’ captains in the area, who would transport the army in the morning. These men also sat in on the council, albeit at the fringes, for they were going to be vital to the success of the expedition. Already they had been looking over the various ships, selecting the ones that were the most seaworthy.
Despite her dismissal of Sendric’s words earlier, she was very conscious of not sailing into the unknown. Yes, the fate of the world rested on this. But at the moment she was more worried about the men and women who would follow her across the sea.
‘So, before we sail let us learn about Tenoch,’ she announced. ‘Captain Nerrin. What did you discover?’
Nerrin laughed. ‘Plenty. The prisoners could not do enough to help us.’ He took out a piece of parchment and used a dagger to hold it down. ‘They even helped draw us a rough map.’