by HR Moore
‘How can I ever make it up to you?’ he teased, running his hand deliciously down her back to the base of her spine, Cleo arching towards him in response.
‘You make your dinner jacket look scruffy you know.’
‘How terrible,’ he said, his eyes smouldering, ‘maybe they’ll throw me out.’
‘Planning your exit so soon?’
‘Not if I can help it,’ he whispered deliciously in her ear, nipping it between his teeth before meeting her eyes once more.
‘So why are you here?’ she asked. ‘You live in the Wild Lands…don’t you?’
‘Do I?’
‘The Great Hall of the Magnei, it’s in the Wild Lands.’
‘Is it?’ he asked, turning her suddenly under his arm, then pulling her firmly back into his hold.
‘I’m sure of it, and I’m sure that’s where you call home; you’re so different to anyone else I’ve ever met, you must be.’
‘I’m hurt.’
‘Oh stop,’ she said playfully. ‘Tell me. Is that where you’re from?’
‘You’re right, I’m from the Wild.’
‘Where?’
His head suddenly snapped up, as though he were a wild animal that had caught the scent of a hunter. ‘Look for me and you’ll find me. I know you will,’ he said in a rush, leaning down to kiss her, hands holding her neck. He pulled back, eyes alight. ‘Come and find me,’ he said, letting her go, disappearing into the crowd.
‘Who was that?’ asked Anita, suggestively, as she and Alexander approached, Cleo resisting the petulant urge to stamp her foot in frustration.
‘I don’t know his name,’ she said, stroppily.
‘But you’re met before?’
‘Yes,’ she said, reluctantly. ‘He’s the one who told me about the Magnei.’
‘What?’ said Alexander, scanning the room for him but finding no trace. ‘His energy was really weird.’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Cleo.
‘Potent. He’s a very strong Spirit, probably the strongest I’ve ever felt, but there was something about it that was just different.’
‘Different how?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well he’s probably a Magnei, maybe they’re all like that?’ Cleo suggested.
‘Maybe, I suppose, but it’s still weird. What did he want?’ asked Anita.
‘Nothing as far as I could make out, but he told me to come and find him in the Wild Lands.’
‘Peculiar,’ said Alexander, thinking aloud.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ asked Cleo, edgily.
‘Come on Cleo,’ said Anita, ‘you don’t even know his name.’
‘That’s not the point,’ she said, turning away with an exasperated flick of her hair, sashaying melodramatically towards the bar.
‘Do you want to go after her?’ asked Alexander.
‘No,’ replied Anita, ‘she’s just frustrated; the mystery must be torture.’
*****
Cleo shouldered past a number of people to reach the bar, not caring whose dress she stepped on or whose dinner jacket she ruffled. She reached the front of the queue, Timi and Helena her only remaining obstacles, and pushed her way clean in between them, putting an end to whatever they’d been discussing so intently.
‘Cleo,’ said Helena, ‘everything alright?’
‘Just peachy thanks,’ she replied coolly, leaning over the bar and directing all attention towards attracting the bar tender.
‘Glad to hear it,’ said Helena, raising her eyebrows before taking Timi’s arm and steering him towards the edge of the marquee.
‘What was that about?’ he asked.
‘Gods only know,’ she replied. ‘Cleo can be…volatile sometimes. But as I was saying, our support is dwindling; many of our followers in the Wild are defecting to join the rebels and it’s draining our resources, not to mention bolstering an already militant group. They’re calling for immediate action and Draeus says even their leaders are struggling to maintain control.’
‘And what do you suggest I do about it?’ asked Timi, not unkindly.
‘You’re a key member of the Institution,’ said Helena, tersely, ‘I expect you to take more than a passing interest in a group that’s threatening to ruin everything. I suggest you take the message back to the leadership and seek support and guidance from them, and whilst you’re at it, I’d appreciate your help with our plan to send the relic back.’
‘I thought you were against what we’re doing at the Cloud Mountain, whatever it is you think we’re doing, and wanted to turn yourself into my enemy?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ replied Helena, regretting her earlier outburst. ‘If you’re doing something to hoard resources, then yes, I think you should stop, but the immediate battle needs to focus on stabilizing the energy. Surely that aligns with your goals also?’
‘Of course,’ he replied lightly, ‘how do you think I can help?’
‘Help us convince the Descendants to participate in the plan.’
‘Why do you think I’d be the right person for that job? The Spirit Descendant is already on your side and I have only limited dealings with Gwyn and Marcus.’
‘Okay, fine, well at least be there when we send the relic back; it’ll add additional weight to the occasion.’
‘Of course,’ he replied, finally, making it clear their conversation had reached its end. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me,’ he said, slipping away without as much as a backward glance. Helena watched him disappear into the crowd. There was something different about him at the moment, but she couldn’t for the life of her pin down what it was. What are you up to Timi, she silently questioned.
*****
Timi left the tent, making his way to a circle of large boulders where a bonfire had been lit. A group were splashing in a shallow section of the river nearby, mostly involving outlandish displays of aggressive flirting; boys threatening to push girls into the river, girls holding them tightly, coquettishly begging them not to.
Timi sat on one of the smaller boulders, pretending to concentrate intently on the fire. ‘How can I help you?’ he asked, after a few moments of silence. ‘You followed me here for a reason, so I suggest you save us both some trouble and simply come out with it.’
Amber stepped out of the shadows into the firelight and sat opposite the Spirit Leader, taking a few moments to compose herself, intending the pause to also demonstrate that she was neither intimidated, nor would she be rushed. ‘As a matter of fact I have a proposition for you,’ she said, when she deemed the silence to have extended for an appropriate amount of time.
‘Oh yes?’ he replied, flicking his eyes up from the fire to look her up and down.
‘Well, I’ve heard rumours…’
‘...oh dear.’
‘About the Cloud Mountain...’
‘...scandalous.’
‘About what’s going on up there.’
‘I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more specific.’
‘I can supply you with an army of trained soldiers. We could come to the Cloud Mountain and protect your cause, whatever precisely that is, although I think I have a pretty good idea.’
‘I see. And what makes you think I need an army?’
‘Who doesn’t in times like this?’
Timi looked squarely at her, his eyes reflecting the dance of the fire, ‘and what’s in it for you?’
Amber paused, taking only a brief moment to determine honesty was the best option. ‘Austin is dead and Marcus has fired me. I need a cause to be a part of and yours is the obvious fit for someone like me. You have monks with great skill and power but you lack those who can provide you with effective combat strategies, or indeed physically protect you, should it come to that.’
‘And what makes you think it will?’
She shrugged. ‘Tensions are rising everywhere. There’s a growing army of rebels in the Wild Lands who aren’t going to stay passive forever. All the Institution can bring to the tabl
e is some crazy scheme to send the relic back, which will never work, and when it fails it’ll provide an obvious cue for the rebels to seize power. That’s what I’d do if I were them, and if you have no army to protect the Cloud Mountain you’ll be easy pickings when they decide to come knocking for everything you’ve got stashed up there.’
‘The Cloud Mountain is impenetrable.’
‘Supposedly. But for how long can it withstand a siege?’
‘Longer than you might think.’
‘But wouldn’t it be better to have the means to protect yourselves? So you never have to go through the inconvenience? So if chaos erupts, which it almost certainly will, you’ll have an upper hand and can seize control yourself?’ She stopped talking, knowing silence now would be the most useful of weapons; she’d planted the seed of suggestion and all it needed was some time to grow.
Timi briefly considered Amber’s proposition, concluding from her energy she was speaking what she believed to be the truth, and quickly decided there was no harm in having an army. He had plenty of space, not to mention more food than he knew what to do with, so they wouldn’t be much of a burden. ‘How many people can you provide?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know, but at least half of Austin’s force will be loyal to me, I’m sure of it.’
‘Fine. Bring those you can to the Cloud Mountain, but whatever you do make sure nobody knows where you’re going; I need to keep up appearances. I’ll be staying in Kingdom a while longer, publically supporting the attempt to send the relic back, and after that, I’ll meet you at the mountain.’ Amber nodded, then, realizing her audience was over, got up to leave. ‘Just remember, very carefully, that you now work for me,’ Timi said quietly, ‘and unlike your last boss, I’m a reader.’
*****
Gwyn had had quite an evening; she’d been fully capitalizing on her status of Chase (almost) Champion, and between that and her position as a Descendant, she’d had no shortage of suitors, not that she’d let any of it lead anywhere of course; it was still too soon after Bas. She excused herself from the company of one of the many men and made her way towards the bacon sandwiches that were now being handed out by the bar; it had been a long, alcohol fuelled, night and she would have done pretty much anything at this point to secure a warm bacon roll.
Rose watched her from across the room; this the only opportunity she’d had all evening to get Gwyn alone, and headed her off once she’d picked up two loaded rolls. ‘It’s great to see you having such a good time,’ said Rose, coming up behind Gwyn as she stepped out of the marquee into the chill of the winter air beyond.
‘Rose,’ said Gwyn, whirling round, surprised that Bas’ mother, who had never before spoken to her, had sought her out.
‘Bas would have wanted to see you enjoying yourself.’
‘I…um…nothing’s happened with any of them.’
‘Hush,’ said Rose. ‘It’s nothing to do with me even if it had, and as I said, Bas would have wanted nothing more than for you to be happy.’
‘If you say so,’ said Gwyn, turning over in her head all the ways she could escape the awkwardness of this situation.
‘Although he would also want to see his last project completed,’ she said, wistfully, looking back towards the river, ‘he was so passionate about it.’
‘Of course,’ said Gwyn, beginning to see why Rose was here, ‘but what does that have to do with me?’ she asked, feigning ignorance.
‘You already know what it has to do with you,’ Rose replied evenly, holding Gwyn’s hardening gaze. ‘Bas told you all about his research, about energy stability, about the energy slingshot to send the relic back. He must have also discussed with you your vital role in all of that.’
‘We may have discussed it once or twice,’ she replied, coolly, ‘but I was never convinced that Bas’ theory was correct, especially as Austin’s view of events was quite compelling. And Bas’ plan will never work without Marcus on side, and he would never betray Austin’s memory like that.’
‘Betray Austin’s memory? You think stabilizing the energy and ensuring reliable food supplies would be a betrayal of Austin’s memory?’
‘It flies in the face of what Austin wanted.’
‘Didn’t Austin want what’s best for the world and its people? Isn’t that what his role as Descendant bound him to seek?’
‘Of course,’ she replied defensively, not missing that this description of a Descendant’s duties also applied to her. ‘Maybe we just disagree on how to achieve what’s ‘best’, or indeed what this ‘best for the world’ scenario even looks like.’
Peter and Alistair unfortunately chose that moment to leave the marquee and Peter stopped to talk to his daughter, the two newcomers sensing at once the tension in the air.
‘Everything okay?’ enquired Alistair, pinning Rose with an accusatory stare; their relationship never frostier now they didn’t even have Bas to provide a hospitable middle ground.
‘We were just discussing Bas’ research as a matter of fact,’ she replied heavily, not above using the memory of their son to her advantage.
‘Oh?’ asked Peter, ‘but what has that got to do with Gwyn?’
Rose threw caution to the wind; they had to do something radical to get the Descendants on side, and time was running out. ‘Bas was working on a way to send the relic back just before he died; it’s a kind of energy slingshot. It would only appear to return the relic to the Gods, the hope being this would be enough to instigate an energy rise. However for it to work, and for the people to believe the prophecy has been fulfilled, of course the Descendants need to be present.’
‘And why Gwyn, not me?’ asked Peter, pointedly.
‘You know why,’ replied Alistair, his tone firm but gentle. ‘The question is whether Gwyn will agree to help.’
Rose turned to Alistair, trying her best to hide her surprise. ‘We were just getting to that bit,’ said Rose, turning back to Gwyn, everyone now waiting expectantly for her response.
‘No. I will not,’ she said sharply, shrugging her shoulders a little to add weight to her point.
‘But why not?’ asked Alistair. ‘I think we’ve given it enough time to know waiting it out, as Austin suggested, isn’t working. There are rebels in the Wild Lands waiting to strike, the Gods only know what’s happening with Marcus, Amber and Austin’s ongoing business affairs, and need I remind you that everywhere around us people are trying to survive a winter on food rations, so they don’t even have enough to eat.’
‘I said no,’ said Gwyn, shrinking back a little under their scrutiny.
‘Well if you won’t help, we’ll have to tell the people the truth about your line,’ said Alistair.
Gwyn looked suddenly unsure, taken aback by Alistair’s words. ‘What are you talking about?’ she looked to Peter for an explanation, but he kept his eyes towards the ground, waiting to see what Alistair would say next.
‘I’m talking about the fact that neither you nor your father are legitimate Descendants.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ spat Gwyn, more assuredly than she felt, ‘and even if that were true, nobody would believe you.’
‘Want to put that to the test?’ replied Rose, enjoying this unexpected turn of events.
Gwyn once again looked to her father for an explanation, but as usual he provided no support. ‘Just help them,’ said Peter, simply. ‘This will all be much easier if you do.’
‘You’re lying,’ she said, ‘and you’re spineless,’ she spat at Peter, searched wildly for a way out; she’d been backed into a corner and even her own father, pathetic as he was, was doing nothing to help. ‘So who would you have replace me?’ she challenged, trying to buy herself time to think.
They looked back at her with hard eyes, intent on giving nothing away. ‘You can help us, or you can find out the answer to that question at the same time as everyone else,’ said Alistair, evenly, almost as though he were bored, Gwyn a mere inconvenience they would circumnavigate one way or another.
Gwyn turned away, her eyes straying, trying to force her mind to process what she should do, her gaze unwillingly settling on Anita and Alexander, laughing and joking with someone at the bar. Rage erupted inside her, blood rushing through her veins, hatred clouding her mind. This was all Anita’s fault, all of it, and someone had to teach her a lesson. Gwyn spun back towards the detestable group. ‘Fine, I’ll help you,’ she growled, ‘but only if Anita has nothing to do with it. She can’t be involved in any of it, and she certainly can’t be there when we try to execute Bas’ crazy theory. She can’t even know what’s going on,’ her anger escalated to unprecedented heights as she vented, throwing another look in Anita’s direction when she finished.
Rose turned to follow Gwyn’s enraged stare, Alexander and Anita looking up, feeling the fierce energy directed towards them. Rose’s eyes met Anita’s. ‘Fine,’ she said, ‘that’s a very small price to pay.’
Gwyn stormed off and Alexander and Anita walked over to join them. ‘What happened?’ asked Anita, feeling the strange array of emotions.
‘She agreed to help us,’ said Alistair, ‘but I had to tell her she’s not really a Descendant to get her to comply.’
Anita froze, turning her head towards Peter, expecting him to say something. He didn’t so she continued, ‘does she know the Body line actually runs through me?’
‘No,’ replied Alistair, ‘and it would be wise not to tell her. She would only agree to help if you’re kept out of it, if you’re not there when the relic is returned.’
The news hit Anita like a punch in the face. She wouldn’t be there to see Bas’ final work come to fruition and Gwyn had taken it away through nothing more than childish spite. Feeling her energy plummet Alexander put a hand on her back, understanding how difficult this would be to come to terms with. ‘If that’s how it has to be,’ said Anita, ‘then so be it,’ resolving herself to her fate, still waiting for Peter to say something to acknowledge her as his daughter. However, true to form, he said not a word, opting instead to follow his other daughter back inside.
*****