by L. R. W. Lee
“Andy, you can’t take that burden,” Mom objected. “Yara made her own choice.”
“Marta!” Cadfael called, motioning.
Andy bit back emotion. “I vowed no one else would die on my account, but I couldn’t save her.”
“Oh my…” Marta landed in the huddle with Alden, Hannah, and Lucee.
“My queen,” Regent Bellum interrupted.
Mom nodded.
“My queen, we have not been able to locate the King. Rest assured every effort is being made—”
“Father’s in the dungeon,” Andy choked out. “Abaddon’s got him. He said so himself.” Everyone’s eyes turned.
“Are we to trust the word of that slandering dragon?”
“He wasn’t lying.” Andy shook his head.
“I feared as much,” Mom acknowledged.
“Mermin! Over here!” Cadfael boomed, drawing the wizard’s gaze.
“Thank goodness you’re safe.” Mom exhaled as Mermin approached, limping. Dried blood smeared his robes in several places and a long gash cut across one sleeve. His silver hair flew in disorganized chaos and he grimaced.
Hans stood and embraced him. But when the wizard spotted Yara’s body, he bowed his head. “I’m sowwy.”
Raucous, maniacal laughter interrupted the solemn moment, and everyone looked toward the smoking ruins. In the dusk, the fog had thinned enough to see figures on the balcony overlooking the Oscray field.
“Oomaldee is mine!” The declaration fell over the assembly like a blanket over a flame, snuffing out any lingering hope. Then in a stately cadence, the voice continued, “After all these years, I have vanquished your king and castle. Today I reclaim the dignity stolen from me by your ancestors. I am now your king and you are my subjects. Bow before me!”
Glances ricocheted about. No one moved.
“Bow before your king!” the voice sneered a second time.
Castle staff remained frozen, but cavalry and army officers rose to stand at attention, jaws set.
Seeking to put down the rebellion, zolt drew their weapons and started across the service bridge, but a wall of griffins intercepted their advance.
“Fine.” The voice was silky and calm. Shivers crawled down Andy’s back. “Your pathetic excuse of a sovereign shall bear your insolence.” A muffled cry sounded across the space, then another, drawing gasps from onlookers.
Father!
Mom closed her eyes and squeezed Andy’s arm, groaning.
Icarus and Troilus launched, soaring toward the origin of the taunts. But Abaddon and his minions retreated back into the castle before the griffins reached them.
Andy caught Mom and Regent Bellum exchanging nods.
“Has anyone seen Razen?” Mom queried. “We need to care for the needs of all.” Then in a quieter voice, “Hans, what is the proper etiquette for—”
“Honoring my princess?” Hans murmured.
Mom nodded.
I’m not ready.
Sensing his thoughts, Mom put a hand to Andy’s cheek. “It won’t get any easier, honey.”
Andy knelt and picked up Yara’s hand.
I don’t want to say goodbye. But it seems you’ve already left me. I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to get hurt let alone die for me. I hope you can forgive me. Andy burrowed his face in Yara’s still form as sobs again overwhelmed him. I love you so much.
Mom’s hand on his shoulder eased him up. She tried to offer him some moonberries but he shook his head.
“Then why don’t you help Hans.”
Andy glanced back at Yara’s body.
“Nothing will happen to her.” Mom put an arm around his shoulder and led him through the maze of humanity. Despite the fog clouding his brain, he registered Emmadank and Ox distributing food and blankets. Medrick and Henkel, the dwarfs, helped unload several wagons of supplies offered by the citizens of Oops. Max, Oscar, and Henry, the gold weavers, helped with the efforts and waved a somber hello as he passed. Cavalry and army soldiers assisted throughout.
They walked past a family huddled around a cook fire—their two children bore fowl features. The adults of another family they passed had similar characteristics. Despite Andy’s daze, he was struck by the sheer number of folks whose lives had been upended by Abaddon. A sense of injustice, deeper and more real than ever before, ignited in his belly. Having your life radically changed through no fault of your own...
Andy locked eyes with one of the turned—the bird-man diverted his gaze downward.
“It’s not your fault,” Andy mumbled, drawing the man’s eyes back up.
Hans helped unload a wagon of freshly cut timber as Andy and Mom approached. “Help me build the pyre. It’ll do you good.”
Mom exchanged nods with the healer before turning.
Andy climbed into the wagon and hoisted up the end of a log twice his height. His muscles strained with the effort but his body welcomed the exertion. With Hans manning the other end, they freed the timber from the stack and hauled it over to a pile the healer and several castle staff had assembled. Hans instructed where to place it.
Andy lost count of the number of logs he and Hans added to the stack, but with his thoughts absorbed in the task, his mind began to clear. When the pyre reached belly height and his clothes dripped with sweat, Hans declared, “It’s finished.”
The simplicity of the statement brought Andy back to reality and his stomach tensed. Hans put an arm around his shoulder and they silently walked back to where the healer had laid Yara’s body. Hannah and Alden kept vigil.
“You ready, Andy?”
“Give me a minute.”
Hans joined Hannah and Alden. Andy knelt and rummaged in his pouch, extracting a silver chain with his half of the heart pendant.
“I want you to have this so your heart will be whole wherever you are.”
Andy loosed the clasp and drew half the chain under Yara’s neck. He fumbled with the stem of the spring ring before finally getting it to open.
“Sorry,” he chuckled, but disappointment hit when Yara did not respond with her usual laughter.
Andy pulled on the chain of the necklace Yara still wore, and her half of the heart slipped from under her tunic. His body quaked as he paired the halves and laid the whole on her chest. “I miss you so much…”
Hans’s hand on his shoulder several minutes later told Andy he needed to give the healer an opportunity to say his goodbyes as well. So he wandered over and joined Hannah and Alden who shared silent hugs and tears.
The healer picked up Yara’s still form, and Andy knew the final step had arrived. Andy placed his hand on Yara’s knee and Alden and Hannah flanked them as they processed through the assembly. Mom, Marta, Cadfael, and Lucee followed, hushed children in tow. Everyone paused from their work as they approached and held a respectful silence as they passed. Griffins patrolled at a distance, so as not to frighten.
They reached the pyre and Hans laid Yara’s body atop it, then stepped back to join Mom and the others. Raising his hands he cried out, “Yara Merewald Amice Deorwynn Savant, princess and sole remaining heir of Cromlech, you were like a daughter to me. A year ago I thought you were dead, killed when our enemy overran our land. But you proved stronger and I received you back, resurrected as it were. For these months I have prided myself in your tutelage and delighted in who I saw you becoming—a queen with wisdom and talents, like your mother.”
Hans swiped at the streams leaking from his eyes. His voice cracked as he continued, “I will miss you. I will miss your smiles and laughter. I will miss your kind and curious spirit and just knowing you’re around. I take comfort that a part of you lives on in my memories and in all whom you touched. I now commend your spirit to those who have gone on before and to the Ancient One.”
Hans dropped his hands and sighed.
Andy stepped forward holding out Methuselah. He had agreed to ignite the pyre, for it seemed only fitting that his blade, given its shared history with Cromlech and the phoenix, should sen
d the princess on her way.
I love you… Andy brought Methuselah near the wood and a pure white flame shot from its tip. Despite the size of the timbers, they submitted to the ceremony and soon popped and crackled as Andy moved to each of the four corners, igniting an inferno.
Andy joined Hans and watched as yellow-orange flames circled Yara’s sleeping form. Tendrils of heat danced across the pyre, making it look as if she stirred and would soon rise.
Without warning, a brightly colored bird larger than a swan swooped and dove, trumpeting a mournful cry. Dark orange, red, and crimson feathers covered its body.
“Aray, you came,” Andy whispered. “How’d you know?”
“Of course I came,” a girl’s voice sounded in his head. “Yara and I are connected.”
“What do you mean?” Andy’s hope jumped up and danced.
The phoenix flew in a circle around the gathering. “Recall if you will, during the testing you endured in Cromlech, Princess Yara declined position and pleasure, choosing rather to offer her life for her country’s healing—and for me. Having entered the Afterlife by the flame of Methuselah, she and I will eternally trade places every time I resurrect. We are princesses of Cromlech cut down before our time, mirrored for eternity.”
“So Yara will return in the form of a phoenix?”
“That’s right.”
“But that only happens every five hundred years, right?”
“In the Afterlife a day is as five hundred years, and five hundred years as a day.”
Andy’s hope fizzled.
Aray continued, “Death is but a doorway to a reality mortal eyes cannot fathom. Only the eternal dares consider the fullness that lies beyond.”
Andy nodded.
As if reading his thoughts, the phoenix offered, “You loved Yara with your whole heart. Truly loving someone means not only enjoying them when they are with you but also releasing them to their future, even if it’s one you’ll not share. Without doing so, you remain captive to your love. And as with all captivity, the only end is sorrow and pain.”
Aray swooped once more then flew into the darkness, leaving Andy to stare into the dancing flames until he could no longer make out Yara’s form. As the pyre burned down, his soul filled up with an emptiness he had never before experienced, an emptiness neither tears nor words could ease.
Mom put an arm around his shoulders and led him to a campfire. Bedrolls had been laid out.
“Our camp reminds me of when Castle Avalon was built,” she shared. “Father and I spent so many days out here with Mermin and the staff.”
Andy stared at the flame.
“There was so much we couldn’t see. But I guess that’s the way the future goes. We can only do our best to prepare for it and hope for wisdom to meet its challenges.”
Mermin, Alden, and Hannah joined them, and Mom brought them into the conversation. “Just remembering what it was like when the castle was being built.”
“Ah, yes.” A smile played at the corners of Mermin’s mouth. “I wewember it as if it were yesterday.”
“Remember touching the stone?”
The wizard nodded.
“What was it like?” Alden ventured, eyes wide.
Mom and Mermin recounted the tale Andy had heard before.
“So what’s going to happen to Mermin if you guys disappear again?” Hannah reasoned when they had finished. “I mean, with the King stuck in the castle and you not around, the Stone of Athanasia may not be close enough. Mermin could get sick, right?”
Mom’s hand flew to her chest.
“That’s good thinking,” Mom praised. “Thank you for your concern, Hannah.” Mermin glanced at Mom, his brow wrinkled.
“Imogenia!” Mom called.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cromlech’s Terminal
“Yes, my queen?” a girl’s voice bubbled as Imogenia’s silvery form appeared.
Andy jumped then blurted out, “Have you seen Yara?”
The spirit cleared her throat. “I have not seen her, but I’m not surprised what with the number of souls in the Afterlife. Besides, your princess would have gone to Cromlech’s terminal.”
Andy slumped.
“Imogenia,” Mom began, “I know you’re not ready to lift the curse. I can’t say I understand, but be that as it may, I know you did not intend to harm anyone other than your brother when you cast the curse. Is that correct?”
“Yes, my queen. I knew the people would be affected, but I hoped their fury would spur Kaysan to repent. I didn’t purposely hurt any individual. They’re my people too. I’m no monster.”
Andy raised his brow.
“I understand, Imogenia,” Mom reassured. “That being the case, I need you to help someone I love dearly, someone who has suffered along with me as you punished your brother.”
Imogenia’s eyes darted to Mermin then back to Mom. “What do you need me to do?”
Mom outlined her request, at which the ghost-princess turned mathematician and postulated the low probability of success.
“Imogenia, I am your queen, am I not?”
“Yes, Majesty,” Imogenia cowered.
“You will not deny me,” Mom’s voice grew louder. “Had it not been for this curse, Mermin would not be in jeopardy.”
The spirit’s eyes grew large. “Yes, my queen. I’m sorry. I-I’ll do my best.”
“See that you do.”
Imogenia bowed and her translucent form drifted from the campsite.
Andy lay on his bedroll and glanced over at Mom on his right.
Yara slept there yesterday.
The longing set his thoughts adrift into the tumult of the day’s events and allowed a restless sleep to claim him.
In his dreams, Andy walked among the ruins of a walled city. Charred bricks lay strewn in broken streets, and the sheared-off walls of buildings now stood only waist-high. Scattered items spoke of the conflict: a cracked cookpot here, a broken mortar and pestle there. The blackened skeleton of a wagon lay on its side, a gentle breeze turning its wheels that squeaked a tale of destruction to anyone who would listen.
Andy did not recognize any of his surroundings, and while every stray noise made him jump, curiosity urged him on. His eyes darted about and he felt for Methuselah before remembering his dreams never permitted him weapons.
He approached a building where the open pages of a book flapping in the doorway beckoned him to investigate. Andy stooped and picked up the tome, dusting off its cover with a swipe of his forearm. While the letters formed words he did not understand, he recognized the form of recipes—two measures of something added to three of something else produced what looked to be a remedy judging by the accompanying drawing.
Is this Cromlech?
Andy placed the book with its companions under a protected covering and continued on. Waddle and daub lay in disorganized heaps. At length, the familiar arrangement of a town square came into view. Despite the burned buildings flanking the center well, Andy made out what looked to be a cemetery. Rocks and other markers standing in neat rows bore witness to those who had gone before.
Yara! Okay, where’s their terminal?
Andy’s heart raced as he scoured the scene. Where are you? You have to be here!
He dashed down the rows of dead and circled the perimeter, spotting nothing resembling Oomaldee’s terminal. Come on! It has to be here!
“Stop and think!” a voice like Dad’s sounded in Andy’s head.
MiniMe? You’re here in my dreams?
“Apparently so. Now stop running around and think.”
You’re right. Okay, where could their terminal be?
Andy turned around in a circle, looking from grave markers to burned buildings to town square to crushed buildings and back to gravestones. The breeze tousled his hair, bringing with it hints of jasmine and honeysuckle. Yara…
Still unseeing, frustration drew Andy’s gaze upward and he cried, “Reveal yourself, would ya!”
Like a fluor
escent bulb on the fritz, a silvery-white structure shimmered and came into focus on the far edge of the graveyard.
Awesome…You’re like Methuselah!
Andy raced for the structure and bounded up the mountain of iridescent steps that cascaded from the foundation. Wasting no time contemplating what he might find behind the ornately carved doors towering at the top, he laid hold of the right handle and heaved it open.
It’s heavy for being part of my dream. The random thought flitted through his mind then evaporated.
Stepping inside, Andy froze and grabbed hold of the railing before him. He looked down to the floor below where a pyre larger than any he had seen before dominated the center of a quiet, circular, ivory-colored atrium. Pure white flames danced and bobbed across its top. He gasped when a body suddenly appeared in the flames. The woman stretched and yawned, then sat up. A spirit standing to the side caught her attention and motioned for her to approach. She stood and wandered over to the edge before descending on what looked like an escalator. After a short conversation, the assistant pointed her toward one of several sets of double doors lining the circumference of the space. Andy watched, mesmerized, as three more bodies appeared one right after the other. The assistant greeted each in turn, consulted a clipboard, and directed the new arrivals to different egresses.
Above the spectacle a brilliant light shone from the domed ceiling, illuminating the two-story room. Andy strode a quarter way around the walkway that ringed the space. It seemed to float, but on what Andy could not deduce. He descended to the ground floor and approached the greeter as another spirit arrived in the pyre.
“Excuse me.”
The silvery being ignored him and motioned the man over.
Andy peered over the attendant’s shoulder at his silvery clipboard.
Name: Allard Beval
Physical Age Attained: 36
Occupation: Herbalist
Arrival Cause: Complications of Pneumonia
Options (Select one):
Kos
Gehenna