“Jane! JANE!” he screamed, and the sound seemed to come from deep inside him. A shriek torn from his soul.
Elixia realised that Fern was never going to stop resisting Accolon, no matter how firmly he was held.
“Knock him out, Accolon,” she sobbed, as loudly as she could.
Turning back to Fern, Accolon struggled into a position to hit him, but it was hard, for the wind was trying to push them both overboard. But before he could raise his fist to knock Fern down, everything changed.
Though the rain and wind still lashed them, the seas had calmed. As quickly as the ocean had risen, it was now as calm as a lake.
Out of those still waters came Aegir, the sea god, and in his arms he carried Jane. He put her limp body down onto the deck, and Accolon finally let Fern go.
“She will live,” Aegir said quietly and there was a different kind of cry in the air then. Elixia realised that he was talking to her, and she tried to compose herself.
“Thank you, Aegir. She is very precious to us all.”
“Yes. I see,” he said, nodding towards the group of people who had come to huddle over the still form of Jane. “It was not her time to die. She has important things to do here, even if she does not yet know them. Nevertheless, she is safe for now. The storm will rage again—it is not in me to hold it back much longer. I bid you goodbye.” Then he was gone.
Elixia watched the sea for a moment, then shouted.
“Quickly! We must get her below deck before the storm starts again.”
Elixia’s words brought them all to their senses. Fern insisted on carrying Jane below deck despite his exhaustion. He laid her on the bed in her cabin, and Elixia made Accolon and Fern leave them.
She gently stripped Jane’s drenched clothes from her body. Elixia dried her and arranged the single pearl that always hung around Jane’s neck. Jane looked deathly pale and her lips were slightly blue. Parts of her were badly bruised and Elixia took great care. Jane’s dark hair lay in tangles over the pillow, but somehow, lying so helplessly, she looked more beautiful than ever. Elixia felt a warm power radiating from the pearl.
Elixia left the cabin and found Fern waiting by the door. “She is powerful. Did you know...?” Elixia looked to her brother and made a gesture towards the girl lying on the bed, covered with a blanket.
He went to her side. “Yes. I’ve known she’s special for some time now,” he said quietly, stroking her cheek. “She is just so much more than I deserve,” he breathed.
Elixia was alarmed, for Fern was not a man inclined towards self-pity. But of course he thought himself to blame for her ordeal. It was always the way.
“Fern, listen to me,” she said urgently, firmly. “This was not your fault.”
He looked at her for a moment, then said, “Aegir said it himself. It was not her time, she was above deck in the storm because she was trying to talk to me. She could have died because of me.” He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his face was dark. “It is too dangerous for her to be around me.”
Elixia shook her head. “Fern, you’re being foolish.”
He shook his head bluntly. “No. I’ve put her in danger too many times. I need to get her away from me.”
“She will not listen,” the queen said slowly. “As long as you still love her, she will follow you.”
“Then she must be convinced that I do not love her,” he said flatly.
“You cannot,” Elixia pleaded. “It would be cruel.”
“This relationship can only cause her pain. Help me, sister.”
Elixia sighed, closing her eyes. “You must make her believe she has wronged you and that you cannot love her for it,” she said, a harshness in her voice.
“I can’t do that!”
“You must. It is the only way. You asked for my help, now take it.”
“What if I—” he tried, but she stopped him.
“She will not believe you otherwise.” Then she softened her voice. “This is the only way.”
He put his head in his hands, his body shaking. Then he looked up. “But she has done no wrong.”
“Nothing at all? There must be something.”
“No,” he sighed as though remembering something. “There is one thing, perhaps...”
Elixia wanted to stay with him, but he sent her away.
She went back to her room and climbed into bed. She didn’t sleep. Her mind was filled with sorrow for her brother. He had always made sure that he would never care enough about anyone to let them hurt him. She had truly believed that he would never fall in love, never make a commitment to anyone, but just continue through life as though it was entirely about having fun.
She let her mind slip over her conversation with Accolon in that very room, not long before.
She had come down to be alone after their conversation on deck, but it had not been long before Accolon followed her.
“Elixia. You are too kind and too lovely to be lied to. Satine ... she is my life. I can’t explain this very well, but I have to try and protect her as best I can. I promised someone a very long time ago. The truth is, though, I love you too. You’re my wife, and that means so much.”
That would have to be enough for her. “I know, Accolon. I know. I can be your wife, and I can live with the sort of love you can give me. But you must promise me something.”
“Anything, Elixia,” he said without hesitation.
She took a deep breath.
“I want you to promise me that you will never be unfaithful.”
“Elixia—what do you think of me?”
“Even with Satine,” she said quietly, and saw him falter.
There was a long hesitation before he replied, and he did so whilst avoiding her eyes. “I promise I will never be unfaithful to you.”
And that was when they heard the noise from the deck. They had been so engrossed in each other that they had not noticed the raging storm going on around them.
***
Jane woke to the gentle slapping of the waves against the hull. Fern slept in a chair opposite the bed. She registered pain. Her body felt like it had been beaten. Every inch of her ached. Then she remembered the waves, her chest filling with water. The ship had sailed away, and she had not been on it.
“Fern,” she croaked, and he stirred.
“Jane. How are you?” he asked quickly..
“Sore,” she croaked. “How did I get here?”
“Aegir brought you back to the ship,” he said, and her eyes opened wide in amazement.
“Aegir the sea god?” He nodded. “Why?”
“He said it was not your time to die, and that you were much too important to let go. That there are wonderful things you have yet to do before it’s your time,” Fern said, brushing his hands through his hair.
Jane turned away and shut her eyes. Fern continued, “Do not think about it now. Rest and recover.”
“Yes,” she said, banishing other thoughts from her mind. “I’m sorry about—”
“It doesn’t matter in the least. You were the one punished with my stupidity. Forgive me,” he said, not looking at her.
“Of course, Fern. Of course. How could I not?” she said with a laugh. She stopped laughing, however, when he didn’t reply and instead avoided her eyes.
“Fern? What’s wrong?” In answer, he stood up and turned his back on her.
***
He must tell her this outright. He couldn’t even look at her as he said it. He couldn’t bear to see her lovely face.
He was an actor though. It was what he did best, putting on this front for everyone to see.
“This cannot continue,” he said hoarsely. He felt her go still behind him.
“Why?” she asked after a long time. “Because of Athena?”
“Because I don’t love you anymore,” he said without faltering.
There was a long silence in which he couldn’t bear to look back at her, even to see her expression.
“Oh,” she said quie
tly. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, and he heard the break in her voice.
“I am simply telling you the truth. We are too different. We’re from different worlds.”
“That doesn’t matter, Fern. You don’t have to do this,” she said.
“Jane, listen. I don’t love you. I was just having fun. I never thought you would take it this seriously.”
She started to cry. Her head was in her hands, and she cried so softly that he could hardly hear her, but he could see her body shuddering.
“Jane ... I...” he tried to say something that could help her, but there was nothing. She took a deep breath and stopped crying. She looked up at him, and he could see the tears still in her eyes. There wasn’t a time when she didn’t look beautiful, he thought with despair.
“Then you’ve been lying to me since the day we met? Everything has been a lie?” she asked.
He shrugged, feigning indifference.
“And that kiss?” she pressed, her voice harsh now.
“Jane, you’re just making this harder on yourself.”
“I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you’re so pathetic. Tell me why you have changed. Why don’t you love me still?” Her voice was rough.
“Because you betrayed me,” he whispered, realising that he had to go one step further.
“How?” she asked, her eyes shocked.
“Because you love him!” he hissed.
“Who?” she asked, starting to cry again.
“Luca. You love him, and you lied to me,” Fern said harshly. “I’ve seen how you are with him.”
“No! No, Fern. That isn’t true,” she cried. “Why would you even think that?”
“Don’t lie to me!” he screamed. “I know you do! Stop lying!”
“Oh no,” Jane sobbed. “No! Where is this coming from?”
“I cannot trust you!” he hissed, desperate to get through this. “Without trust there can be no love!” he roared and threw the chair into the wall so that it smashed into pieces.
She gasped in fright and he stopped.
“But I love you. Not him,” she said. “I have never loved him—”
“That is enough,” Fern muttered flatly, and then he left, her sobs all he could hear, not allowing himself a final look, or a final word.
Only when the door was closed did he let his own tears fall.
Chapter 38
The Armada arrived on the Western side of Lapis Matyr. Once ashore they moved quickly through the deserted lands of the country. Apart from the armies of allies who waited for them, there was no sign of life. They found themselves standing amidst an endless wasteland, whipped by a bitterly cold wind that bit into their flesh. In the distance they could see chasms in the ground, great billowing pits—the famous fire pits.
A small portion of the army from Cynis Witron was mounted on large war horses. Nuitdor was brought forth for Fern to ride, and he joined this unit of cavalry.
“Why are there so few horses?” Harry asked Fern.
“Horses are rare in Paragor.”
The army from Tirana was a fearsome sight. They wore black hoods and cloaks, with strange black tattoos on their faces. Weapons were hidden under their garments. Their eyes shone hungrily from inside their hoods, they were excited to be on the eve of war. The women from Frescana wore but scraps of material, leaving their bronzed skin bare to the chill of early winter. They each held a long double-ended spear and an array of knives strapped over their bodies.
The rest of the army were foot soldiers from Uns Lapodis and Cynis Witron, and all were dressed plainly in war garb, each carrying a long straight sword at their belt and axes on their backs. Of the eight thousand people gathered, there were three women who were not fighting, two male Strangers, plus a small group of healers.
They marched for many days, occasionally coming across destroyed villages, desolate in the aftermath of Leostrial’s conquest. There was only one dock, and it was on the other side of the small country, adjoining the city of Burmia. That was where the army was headed. They had avoided landing near they city, wanting their attack to be one of surprise. Sailing into the only dock in Lapis Matyr under the eyes of Leostrial would have been as obvious as dancing naked in front of his face.
It turned out that the smoke wafting out of the gigantic chasms was from burning hot lava simmering far below. The pits had been there long before Leostrial came to Lapis Matyr, and would be there long after he left.
Their days were long, Accolon pushing them through the nights with only occasional breaks. Accolon, Fern, Cornelius, and Liam commanded different divisions of the army, and under each senior commander, there were groups of smaller commanders, Terret among them, each in charge of a few hundred men.
Fern was having doubts about his father’s ability to command a unit, for he was well past his prime fighting years. The battle in the valley against the sabre-tooths had proven that. But Cornelius was still King of Cynis Witron, so in the end he had the final say. In the heat of battle, Fern was not going to be able to look out for him as he’d always done.
On the fifth day of their march, the city came into view. Those who had seen it under Altor’s reign groaned in sorrow for it had been transformed from a sparkling city of peace and freedom into a dark fortress. The bright turquoise flags that had flapped in the wind, displaying the white eagle emblem of the house of Altor, had been replaced by flags of blood red, with a black, weeping eye in the centre. The army of thousands looked upon it, and shivered as one, for it had been enchanted by Leostrial to fill his enemies with fear.
But they only looked upon the shattered city and its evil flag for a moment, for there was a much more confronting sight in front of them. Lined up before them was the army of Leostrial, waiting quietly for their arrival. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers hardened by hatred and ready for blood stared hungrily at them. There were so many that Accolon and Fern could not fathom from where they had come. There was also a large pack of sabre-tooths, and some sort of variation of the creature that was much bigger, being ridden by men.
A large hill rose up on their left, and the sea lay to their right. It was a good place for one-on-one combat fighting, but not for a siege, as they had expected.
The fact that there were so many foes, and more surprisingly, the fact that they were waiting for them, greatly perplexed Accolon and his allies.
“It must have been Satine,” Fern said softly.
“What? Satine would never have betrayed us!” Accolon said.
“If she could betray Leostrial, then she could do the same to us,” Liam said.
“No. She must have been tortured,” Accolon said, half to himself, half to Fern.
“That is a possibility. But she may have just told him of her own accord. Either way, the outcome is the same. The battle has been changed, and so have the odds. We are no longer besieging the city. Only numbers can win out in these conditions. That is what you have to worry about. Leave Satine until we win this.”
“An outcome that is becoming increasingly unlikely,” Accolon said, staring out at the sea of enemies. “They outnumber us two to one. I was counting on us leading a surprise attack on the city. Maybe then we could have won. But now...”
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Liam said, his accent heavy, “but haven’t we entered this war with the belief that the six will come and defeat the evil? Well, if you are willing to place your faith in the prophecy, then they will save us no matter how bad the odds are.” Silence reigned over the flat plains.
“Ah,” Liam nodded, “Unless of course you don’t completely believe in the prophecy.”
Accolon said tersely, “What I believe is irrelevant. Call a halt. Tell everyone to set up camp for the night. I shall organise a herald for first light.”
***
Ria had come with them, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. In order to get home to her father, she’d tried to organise passage on a ship to Cynis Witron, but every vessel had been depl
oyed for the war. The idea of being left alone, without anyone she knew, was terrifying. She had jumped aboard one of the vessels bound for war, thinking it was one of the ships headed to Cynis Witron, and was now stuck in Lapis Matyr with the army, camping with the healers for the night. Hardly anyone knew she was there, including Luca, and for that she was very glad. She had no intention of advertising her presence to him—they hadn’t spoken since Amalia, because she felt she had nothing to offer him. Not when he was Bright One, and destined for so much. Ria stumbled into Jane once, who looked exhausted.
“Ria! I had no idea you were coming! Although that was a bit of a stupid thing to assume, wasn’t it? I’m sorry I’ve just been thinking of myself a lot lately and everyone else around me seems to be paying for it—” she said in a breath and then cut herself short.
“Jane, are you all right?” Ria asked.
Jane sighed and let her shoulders slump. “Don’t listen to me. Sorry, you’ve got way more important things to think about. I admire the fact that you came all this way to fight—this isn’t the most encouraging world for girls,” she said with a smile.
Ria scratched her arm and looked at the ground.
“I’m not exactly sure that I would be much help.” she murmured.
Jane looked at her. “Oh. Sorry. I just assumed—”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to fight, Jane, or that I’m scared or anything ... It’s just...”
“None of my business,” Jane said. She paused for a moment, and then her expression softened and she reached out to touch Ria’s arm. “I probably wouldn’t be here if I had the choice either,” she said with a weary smile.
Ria looked about her and seemed to make up her mind about something.
“Listen, Jane. Do you think you could do something for me?”
“Sure.”
“You see, no one really knows I’m here, and women aren’t actually supposed to fight. Could you get me some armour and a weapon? Just ask Accolon or Fern. Say it’s for you.”
“It won’t fit you, and won’t they think it’s strange that I’m getting two sets of armour? And I could never carry it to you—you know how big and heavy it is.”
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