M’Tek asked her guard to take Sabea and Twyneth and seek cover, safely out of sight. Shiroane looked uncomfortable with the command, but I guessed she had carried out this same order many times over the years she had served as the captain of M’Tek’s guard. Once her guards were away, M’Tek turned to face me and leaned in close to my ear to speak.
“Remember. Be cautious,” she nearly shouted. After I acknowledged her concern, she kissed me urgently. “I love you,” she mouthed.
I wanted to tell her I loved her too, but she was walking away from me already. I followed, and watched as she placed her hand on a strangely smooth rock. After a moment, what had appeared to be a rock suddenly flickered and became the mouth of a cave. M’Tek walked into the cave without hesitating, as if she’d seen solid rocks suddenly turn into cave mouths a thousand times.
I followed her, trailing only a step behind. Once we crossed into the cave, the opening vanished. Peculiar, tubular-shaped bright lights that were embedded in the rock above our heads illuminated the cave. I stared past M’Tek’s shoulder at a long, unnatural, tunnel stretching downward in front of us.
“What’s down there?” I asked. M’Tek shook her head and raised a finger to her lips to silence me. “Is she in here?” I asked.
“Stop talking, Lore,” M’Tek said sternly. “Please. She already knows we’re here. She’ll appear when she’s ready.”
I swallowed back my mounting anxiety, as I tried to understand what I’d just seen, and what I was looking at. The lights in the ceiling were amazing. I kept staring at them trying to understand how fire was held inside of them, or if possibly it was something else.
“This must be from the time before,” I commented in a low voice, close to her ear. “I wonder what it was.” M’Tek spun around to face me, a warning in her stern expression. “All right,” I whispered. “I’ll stop talking.”
Sim’Nu, at least I assumed it was the witch, finally appeared at the end of the long rock tunnel. She walked slowly toward us, in no hurry at all, her shoes squeaking slightly with each step on the perfectly smooth stone beneath her feet. I took the opportunity to study her extraordinary clothing as she approached. She was wearing bright white trousers, and a white shirt, with no adornments on either. On top of this bizarre ensemble she wore an open jacket, also white, with strange white buttons. Embroidered in black thread, onto the pocket of the jacket, over her right breast, were the letters NGE. Beneath those letters, SimNu 157 was stitched. Her clothes were extremely odd, but her shoes really made me uncomfortable. They were also unnaturally white, with thick white soles made from a material I’d never seen before. These shoes were tied on her feet in an incongruous fashion, by white strings.
When she stood in front of us, M’Tek offered a Noge bow, and Sim’Nu reciprocated. Meanwhile, I studied the strange, small, woman standing in front of us, trying to determine her nationality. Her skin was cinnamon, almost like that of a Borderling, but her eyes were an unusual color, almost yellow, but too opaque, resembling pus, her pupils the size of pinheads. I’d never seen anyone with eyes the color of pus before, and had to concentrate to keep from staring. Her hair was a faded chestnut brown, typical of a Borderling, and cut in a blunt way around her head, just below her jaw. She was strange to behold, in dress and feature, and I had to focus to maintain my composure.
“M’Tek, why have you brought the girl?” she asked in pure, unaccented, Old Noge.
M’Tek glanced at me, offering another look of warning I assumed, before she began. “I’m growing sick again, Sim’Nu,” she said quietly. “I’m here seeking treatment,” she continued. “Lore asked to come along. She wants to know you.”
“I’ve done all I can do for you, M’Tek,” Sim’Nu said. “Your time is at an end. We discussed this when you were last here, and you agreed to my terms. Everything that lives must die. I explained to you the…”
“How old are you?” I asked in Old Noge, interrupting the witch’s refusal. Sim’Nu’s gaze shifted from M’Tek to me, as she raised a hand to abruptly shove M’Tek out of her way. M’Tek stumbled, reaching out, steadying herself against the wall of the cave. Sim’Nu stepped close to me, her bizarre gaze slowly trailing over me.
“Loredana,” Sim’Nu said. “I am surprised M’Tek brought you here, to me.”
“It wasn’t her choice,” I admitted.
“You coerced this Fae? How? She is very strong, and you are hardly more than a girl. How did you make this powerful Fae Queen bend to your will?” Sim’Nu asked as her pin-sized pupils focused too closely on me.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here,” I snapped. “Now answer my question,” I demanded. “How old are you?”
“I am older than your concept of time, my child,” Sim’Nu replied. I shrugged.
“Then you’re older than M’Tek, and yet, you haven’t died,” I observed. “So, either you’re not living, or what you said about everything that lives must die was false,” I said, challenging her.
“You are right. I am not a living creature, in the way you and this Fae are,” Sim’Nu replied.
“What do you want from me? Why was I created?” I asked. Sim’Nu smiled, though the expression felt wrong somehow, appearing more of a grimace. M’Tek’s hand came to rest on my arm, her fingers tightening. Another warning, I knew.
“You will repair an error made long ago,” she replied. “You will live the life Sarane, the last Noge Queen, was meant to live,” Sim’Nu continued. “My oversight shifted the order out of balance. With your rule, balance will return. My work will end, and my shift will conclude.”
“Then you want me to rule,” I recapped for her.
“You will reunite Nogeland and set everything right,” Sim’Nu replied.
“Then we both want something,” I said evenly. “I want M’Tek to live. You want me to return balance. We can both have what we want. Heal M’Tek and I’ll do as you ask.”
“I’m sorry, child. This Fae must die if order is to return. It is the way of all creatures. This pain you feel over the loss of this Fae will pass,” Sim’Nu said, feigning concern. “It will hurt when you lose her, I know. She has made you love her. I would have spared you this torment if I’d anticipated the intensity of her fixation with the one before you, the one called Sarane,” she said in a strangely soothing voice. Nothing she’d said made sense.
“If M’Tek dies, I will not restore balance. Your shift will not conclude,” I said evenly, not comprehending what she meant by her shift, but seeing the information as unnecessary to my strategy. “I know you have the ability to keep M’Tek alive,” I added.
“She has had this sickness for centuries,” Sim’Nu replied. “I obstruct the natural order by keeping her here.”
“You have to choose which is more important to you, the natural order, or the balance I can restore by ruling Nogeland,” I explained calmly. “You will heal M’Tek now if you want my cooperation.”
“And what will you do, Loredana, if I refuse your demand? Will you stomp your foot and scream?” Sim’Nu asked gently. I forced a smile, refusing to react.
“I do not wish to live without M’Tek. If she dies, I die also,” I replied. “There are many ways I could kill myself. Poison would be the easiest.”
Sim’Nu looked blank suddenly, her eyes fixed, as if the creature in front of me were simply a shell. Then, almost as suddenly, her gaze shifted to M’Tek. “M’Tek, will you allow this girl, whom you claim to love, to sacrifice herself so senselessly?” Sim’Nu asked. “You must tell her what you have done. You took advantage of your charge. Explain that to her. Tell her she must let you go.” It was my turn to stop M’Tek from speaking.
“I don’t need M’Tek’s approval to end my life,” I warned. Sim’Nu’s strange yellow eyes shifted back to me, but she didn’t speak for a moment.
“I could end the Fae’s life now,” Sim’Nu finally said.
“That would be unwise,” I replied, matching her calm tone. “I would become extremely uncooperative. M’Te
k’s well-being is directly proportional to my willingness to fulfill this role you’ve foisted upon me.” Sim’Nu stared blankly at me again, and then she tilted her head to the side in that vacant imitation of concern.
“I see you are distressed, Loredana. My intention is only to protect you. As a token of my goodwill, I will offer one more treatment to your Fae,” Sim’Nu said to me. “You’ll be cooperative, if I help M’Tek this last time?” she asked. “You will do something I ask of you in return?”
“Yes. What?” I asked too quickly. Sim’Nu smiled that hollow smile again, her expression softening.
“You will breed,” Sim’Nu said evenly. “One year from today you will be joined with a Vilken or Noge nobleman. Soon after you will carry a child of the elite Noge line. If you need assistance finding a suitable mate, I will provide support.”
“Agreed,” I said, willing to promise anything at that moment, regardless of my intentions, as long as M’Tek was healed. “Now, you will heal her.”
Sim’Nu fixed her gaze on me for what seemed too long, as if she were studying me. Finally, she turned those sickly yellow eyes back to M’Tek, as her hideous mouth stretched open in a horrible grimace. My shield hummed as a buzzing sound came from Sim’Nu’s open mouth, the sound of a thousand angry hornets vibrating around me. I watched M’Tek cringe in agony, as if what Sim’Nu was doing to her was excruciatingly painful. I reached for M’Tek, wanting to protect her, but my shield knocked me back. I stumbled, steadying myself against the rock wall of the cave. Finally, M’Tek dropped to her knees, and then the buzzing stopped.
Watching Sim’Nu warily, I knelt down beside M’Tek. “Are you all right?” I whispered. She raised her pale eyes to mine and nodded.
“We need to leave this place,” she whispered. “Now.”
Sim’Nu watched us, her expression impassive, as I helped M’Tek to her feet. That blank expression remained on the witch’s face as the closed wall behind us again became a cave entrance. With my arm around M’Tek so I could help support her weight, I turned us away from the strange creature, and guided M’Tek out of the cave.
The massive din of crashing waves outside prevented discussion of what we had seen and experienced. I hurried us away from the danger I could feel in my skin. M’Tek was having difficulty keeping pace with me. Suddenly, her step faltered, and then she collapsed down to her knees again, before vomiting on the rocks. An extreme sense of helplessness coursed through me, as I knelt down beside her, my palm pressed to her back, as I waited for her to recover.
When I glanced back over my shoulder, the cave opening had disappeared, replaced by a solid wall of rocks. When M’Tek seized my arm in a weak grasp, I realized she lacked the strength to rise. I stood and placed my hands under her arms to haul her back to her feet. We again began our progress toward her guards, at a more manageable pace.
M’Tek seemed to recover her strength some, as the distance from Sim’Nu grew. She was walking on her own by the time we spotted the horses. She straightened to her full height, her shoulders becoming rigid, as we approached the group.
“I’d like to be halfway home by the time we set camp,” M’Tek called, once we were close enough to shout and be heard by Shiroane.
The guard’s gaze darted back and forth, between M’Tek and me. “Of course, my Queen,” Shiroane shouted back, her expression one of concern.
M’Tek had some difficulty lifting her own weight as she strained to reach her saddle. No one moved to help her, everyone appearing momentarily paralyzed by the realization that their powerful Queen was too weak to drag herself into her saddle. I rushed forward gripping her waist to help lift her up onto Twyneth. Once mounted, she turned Twyneth’s head away from the rocky coast, and actually kicked him into a gallop, taking off with an urgency I’d never seen from M’Tek. Sparks flew from Twyneth’s metal shoes as he clambered across the unforgiving rocks.
Everyone scrambled to mount up, hurrying after M’Tek, racing to match her speed. Still, she stayed well ahead of us for almost two hours. Finally, she slowed Twyneth to a trot, and we were able to fall into formation around her. I rode up beside her, noticing thick white foam dripping from Twyneth’s mouth, his neck and shoulder lathered. I realized Sabea was breathing too forcefully under me, and gave the mare a firm pat on her neck. My gloved hand came away coated in lathery sweat.
“M’Tek, the horses can’t take much more of this pace,” I said quietly. “I had to ask one of your guards to stop and pick up Faira. The poor hound was on the verge of running herself to death.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I still don’t think we’re safe,” she pointed out, easing Twyneth to a walk. She loosened her reins and the exhausted gelding dropped his head low, still struggling to breathe. Foam from his mouth was splattered across his chest and the front of M’Tek’s boots.
“It’s over,” I said softly. “We’re going home.” She shook her head.
“You’re wrong,” M’Tek replied quietly and in Old Noge. “It’s just begun,” she added. “Sim’Nu was extremely angry. Even your life is nothing to her. If you produce an heir, she’ll kill you,” M’Tek added.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“I’ve been seeking treatments from Sim’Nu for over two hundred years. I know when she’s angry,” she said sharply. “I don’t understand why she gave in to you. She’s already planning a response, though. I’m certain of it. It won’t wait a year. We’re not real to her, Lore, only some part of an equation she’s trying to balance.”
“Has she ever harmed you?” I asked, noticing the way M’Tek shivered.
“She’s extremely strong. She crushed my shoulder once, and my hip, when I refused to give her Sarane’s hair,” she replied. “I healed. That hair was my protection, and likely the only reason I’m still alive. I thought she’d kill me once I gave it to her, but then she needed me to watch over you and keep you safe.”
“What is she?” I asked finally. M’Tek shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “She hasn’t always been so…” M’Tek paused. “Her eyes were dark brown once,” she whispered. “She hasn’t always appeared so unnatural. I never questioned what she was for the first fifty or so years. When she failed to age, I decided she was a Borderling with Lemu blood.”
“She’s changed so much?” I asked, skeptical about the possibility that the witch could ever be thought a Borderling.
“She’s gone mad,” M’Tek countered. “She wasn’t violent with me in the beginning. I never felt that extreme helplessness that overwhelms me in her presence now. She surfaced when I became sick, appearing concerned for my health. I realized quickly that her object was obtaining Sarane’s hair. That’s why I kept it for so long. It insured Sim’Nu’s assistance with my disease. Back then I didn’t see her as dangerous. Her treatments haven’t always been painful.”
“She was a healer?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” M’Tek replied. “Her methods have always been strange. She was the caregiver for Sarane and Svenar when I was a child. She was supposed to attend to me as well, but she never seemed to notice me.”
“That creature was their nanny?” I asked, surprised. “No wonder they were so twisted.”
“No. She was extremely affectionate, even indulgent with Sarane,” M’Tek insisted. “Svenar she treated respectfully.”
We rode on in silence for a while as my mind played over the puzzle of Sim’Nu. Nothing I could come up with explained the strange creature. M’Tek still seemed shaken, and I wanted her to think about something else.
“Do you really think we’ll make it home tomorrow?” I asked. She glanced over at me and the faintest shadow of a smile settled on her lips, making her truly lovely in the brilliant light of the afternoon sun. It was a remarkable change.
“Of course, my love,” she replied. “We’ll sleep in our own bed tomorrow night.”
****
The season would soon begin in Lareem, and the air was thick with contai
ned vivacity. At any moment I was expecting Pet and my guard to arrive, escorting the young Vilken nobles from Vilkerdam. Anticipation at the coming season was welcome, after my anxiety over M’Tek’s health. I knew if I was to keep her alive I needed to choose a consort during the course of the season, join as quickly as protocol would allow, and conceive a child by fall.
I refrained from discussing my plans with M’Tek, knowing she would disagree with my decision. She believed Sim’Nu would kill me the moment I was no longer necessary to the continuation of the Noge royal line. On the other hand, I knew if I failed to live up to my bargain with Sim’Nu, M’Tek would receive no more help with her disease. Whatever my own personal cost, I was unwilling to risk that consequence.
When the company from Vilkerdam was sighted on their approach, I found M’Tek in her office, and cajoled her into offering a proper greeting to my guests. She was not pleased I’d invited Vilkerlings to her home, but still, she was willing to deny me nothing during that period of time.
And so we were standing at the entrance to the front hall of Lareem Palace when my party approached. I spotted Lord Roland at the head, with Pet only a link behind him talking to a young Vilken Countess. My gaze shifted across members of my guard and various young Vilken nobles, finally settling on Kieran and Kolten, riding alongside one another. Kieran was on her fast chestnut mare, likely angling for that rematch with Sabea I’d promised her, but never delivered on. M’Tek’s arms eased around my waist in what I recognized as a possessive gesture.
“How does it feel, gazing upon Vilken faces again?” she whispered close to my ear. “Does their crudeness appear more obvious after your long absence?”
“M’Tek, please. Be civil,” I replied.
“Of course I’ll be civil,” was her reply. “I’m Fae, not Vilken, my love,” she offered, laughing at her own jab. “We treat our guests with courtesy, even the savage ones.” That was a reference to the ill manners of my own household during her only visit to see me in Vilkerdam. I doubted she’d ever willingly return.
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