She should have been freezing, but only her feet were cold, her head glowing with excitement.
As voices approached and the door swung open, Lilli had to force herself to breathe calmly so as not to give herself away right away.
“What is this, Auntie?”
Amon’s voice. Lilli felt dizzy. She felt as if she hadn’t seen him for ages. Longing almost tore her apart, and if she made a mistake now, it was all over.
A short silence arose, probably they were now seeing the first images.
“Jahne, what is this joke?” Constance’s voice sounded shrill. That was good. Lilli took a controlled breath.
“I don’t know, that’s why I got you two,” Auntie Jahne said seriously.
“This is crazy,” Amon said. “Who did this? What is this supposed to mean? These are pictures of Lilli! That’s impossible ...”
Through the shelf, Lilli saw Amon pick up one of her pictures and look at it.
“Then she must have been hiding from you,” Constance hurried to say. “You hardly know the girl. I told you before, in your absence she was completely bewildered. Maybe her mind has taken ill, and she’s locked herself up in the attic somewhere, painting those crazy pictures. We should comb the castle again. Surely she’s somewhere.”
Taking that as her cue, Lilli stepped up to the spot she had marked on the floor. The dim glow of an oil lamp cast a faint light on her wet dress. She saw her reflection, now caught by other mirrors Florian had set up. It worked; her image was reproduced by many mirrors that continued to multiply her image endlessly. This way she hoped that Constance did not immediately see where in the room she was standing. Besides, it enhanced the eerie effect.
“You know exactly where I am,” Lilli said. “Where you left me.”
“Lilli!” it escaped Amon. “What ...”
“You drugged me, took me downstairs, were going to slash me and then dispose of me. Constance.” Lilli smiled ghostly at the mirror.
“That ... isn’t funny, Lilli.” Constance’s voice sounded pressed.
“Lilli, where are you? What is it?” Amon came closer, she could hear it in his voice. Lilli quickly stepped back a little, not wanting him to expose her too soon.
“Don’t, Amon,” Auntie Jahne cried. “Stop right there!”
“Where are you?” Amon exclaimed again and she saw him moving towards the mirrors. Lilli winced when she saw the figure beside her, the blue eyes of Jheron staring at her across the mirror and at that moment Amon gave a cry. He had seen his brother too! It was working!
“This is witchcraft!” Amon cried out. “What is happening here? Jheron! This is impossible!”
Lilli took a few small steps closer to the mirror.
“We are here to tell you the truth, Amon. About your sister,” Lilli continued. “She tried to take everything from you. Even your bride-to-be, who she dragged into the cellar. That’s why you can’t find me, Amon. Not with a hundred men. Ask Constance, she knows where I am.”
“Shut up!” Constance shouted, and then one of the mirrors shattered into countless shards.
Constance held a candlestick in her hand, took a swing, and smashed the next mirror.
“You can smash as much as you like, Constance. Your guilt will remain. All your life.”
“Shut the hell up, you stupid brat, shut up!” Constance struck again. Shards flew across the floor.
“You can’t poison and kill Amon now. Everyone will know,” Lilli said.
“Shut up already! You can’t do anything here! You’re dead! Just like Jheron! You’re dead! Get out of here! I ... Ah!” The candlestick fell to the floor and Constance staggered. Auntie Jahne stood behind her, holding a heavy book in her scrawny hands, which she had smashed over Amon’s sister’s head.
“I’m only dead because you killed me,” Lilli followed up. “Who else are you guilty of killing? Why don’t you tell us? And when were you planning to kill Amon?”
“I want to know what’s going on here now! Constance! What have you done?” Amon’s voice broke and it tore Lilli’s heart. “I just saw my brother. God ... that was Jheron! Jheron!” Lilli saw through the shelf as he grabbed Constance and pulled the dazed woman up by her arms. “Where is Lilli? What have you done to her?”
“You’re so stupid, Amon. So blind.” Constance groaned, then wriggled out of his grip. “You let an immature brat seduce you. Can’t you see what she wants? Throwing herself at you, and disfigured as you are, you feel flattered that such a young, pretty thing wants you. Be glad she’s gone.”
“Did you do something to her?” Amon’s voice had taken on a dangerous undertone.
“She harmed you,” Constance replied. “She destroyed everything. Everything.”
“Where is she?” Amon repeated. “Say it or I’ll forget you’re my sister. Where is Lilli?”
“You’ll never see her again.” Constance made a noise that sounded almost like a giggle.
“You’re wrong,” Lilli said loudly, stepping out from behind the shelves.
Constance and Amon stared at her, with shock written all over Amon’s face in a way that made Lilli feel guilty, but she had no choice. She knew she was a horrible sight with her disintegrated, wet hair and dripping undergarment.
“You needn’t stare like that, Constance. I’m really standing here. You haven’t managed to kill me. Even though you put in plenty of effort.”
“Lilli ...” Amon stumbled towards her, stretching out his arm for her. “Lilli.”
“I’m here, it’s fine.” She wrapped him in her arms, hugged him to her, never taking her eyes off Constance. “I’m so infinitely sorry to have caused you such worry, but I wanted her to say it. You would never have believed me that your sister was a murderess.”
“She’s lying!” Constance came towards Amon in a semicircle. The mirror shards crunched under her soles. “This is an absolutely ridiculous masquerade. I was confused for a moment, that’s all. And as you can see, nothing happened to her. It’s pathetic how she’s trying to influence you.”
“It didn’t seem that way to me,” Amon said, shoving Lilli behind him, away from Constance. “Explain it to me. Constance ... what has gotten into you, what has happened to you? What have you done? All those pictures ... which of them is true?”
Constance suddenly slapped her hands in front of her face and Lilli heard quiet sobs that quickly grew louder.
“Forgive me, Amon. I did some thoughtless things, but out of concern for you! I swear it. And Lilli I meant no harm! I don’t know why she orchestrated all this, I ...”
“Liar!” Lilli shouted in between. “Amon, don’t believe a word she says! She dragged me into the cellar, tried to kill me. She gave you poison all these years to make you think you were sick! Eventually you would have died, and everyone would have believed it was natural.”
“No, no!” With an exasperated expression on her face, Constance approached her brother. “That’s not true, you know me! What have I done for you all these years? I’ve always been by your side when you were unwell. Everything I did, everything you wanted! Day and night! Amon... Amon... you mustn’t push me away. Remember the things we went through together.” She reached out and nestled her fingers around Amon’s arm. Then she squeezed.
Amon made a sound of pain and withdrew his arm from her, pressing his hand to the place where she had touched him, while Constance drew back, breathing heavily. There was pure triumph in her face.
“Dear brother, it’s time to say goodbye. Kiss your Lilli once more if you like. Within the hour you will pass from us. And your princess will hurl herself down the Grauemfall out of grief.”
“What have you done, you witch? Amon!” Lilli grabbed him by the arm, brushed up the sleeve of his shirt. She saw the puncture mark and a small drop of blood. “No!” She raised her head, stared into Constance’s face, saw a strange flicker of joyful excitement in her eyes. A wave of hot anger came over Lilli. She grabbed a chair near her, went for Constance and smashed the wooden thin
g against her body. Constance fell, bounced on the floor, but got up again immediately. She swung at Lilli and a pain shot up Lilli’s upper arm. She saw blood soaking into her wet undergarment, and she saw the shard of mirror in Constance’s hand. Again, Lilli lunged with the chair, but then Amon’s figure appeared behind his sister. He grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. At that moment, the door flew open, and several guards entered, accompanied by Auntie Jahne.
“My sister is under arrest,” Amon said, his voice sounding precariously rough. “She just gave me poison and she tried to murder my fiancée. Don’t stare. Arrest her, that’s an order!” He shouted the last words, and when the guards came and grabbed Constance by the arms, Amon slumped.
“This is no use to you now!” Constance cried triumphantly. “As soon as you are dead, I will inherit the throne and then I will be untouchable! This very day I shall take your place, Amon. And then your little minx will die! Simply because I wish it to happen!” She uttered more threats as she was already being dragged into the hallway.
Lilli fell to her knees beside Amon.
“What about you, how do you feel? Do you know what she gave you?”
Amon breathed strained, turned his head towards her and indicated a shake of the head.
“We must force her to tell! We must know what it is! Maybe there’s an antidote!” Lilli raised her head in exasperation.
“She won’t,” Auntie Jahne said. “Not quickly enough, anyway. There’s no time.”
“Fetch, Berard! Hurry up!” Lilli cried. Jahne nodded and hurried to the door while Lilli rushed to one of the desks, snatched up quill, paper and inkwell, then went back to kneeling beside Amon.
“Jheron! I need you. Save your brother!” She dipped the quill into the ink as Amon looked at her with broken eyes.
“What are you doing, Lilli?” he whispered.
“Trust me. Your brother will help us. He never left you. And he didn’t want to kill you either. It was Constance. It was always her. If he had wanted to kill you, he wouldn’t have cut your face, he would have plunged the dagger into your heart. Your face bears the marks of Constance’s hatred.”
She set the quill on the paper and soon the first strokes appeared, and a picture of a vial half filled. When Berard hurried into the library, Amon had fainted, and Lilli had just written a name on a small label on the inked vial.
She sat by his bed and stroked his forehead gently again and again. Amon was breathing calmly and Berard had assured her that he would soon regain consciousness. He had given him something to relax, because the poison had made his muscles cramp and contract.
Berard had asked no questions, taken Lilli’s sketched explanation, and acted immediately. He had given Amon an antidote that should cause improvement as quickly as possible. Until then, Lilli had sat anxiously by his bedside, watching every breath Amon took, holding his hand and talking quietly to him.
Constance’s chambers had been searched, but if she was in possession of an antidote, she had hidden it well.
Berard was additionally treating Amon with the detoxifying agent he had used before. He had explained to Lilli that he probably didn’t quite have the right antidote, but he was doing something to counteract the effects of the poison, which, along with Amon’s muscles, had also paralysed his breathing. Berard’s medicine counteracted these spasms and after hours he finally announced that he thought the king had made it and that he did not believe a relapse could occur.
And so, Amon now lay in deep sleep, his body pumped full of anticonvulsants. At first his breathing had been heavier, but it was steadily improving and now to Lilli his breathing seemed almost like that of a healthy sleeper.
Deep gratitude filled her. Again and again, she took a deep breath and each time a piece of the burden she had carried with her over the last few days fell away. Everything could be all right now. She had instructed Sophia to collect the pictures and destroy them. They didn’t need them anymore. And there was a picture she had painted but not put up in the library. It showed Constance bending over Amon with a knife in her hand to cut his face, to disfigure him forever, and to frame him for the murder of his brother, which she herself had committed.
She had drugged Jheron, then stabbed him and draped the body beside Amon’s bed. What kind of malice, what kind of hatred must have reigned in her to be able to carry out this plan was beyond Lilli’s imagination. And she didn’t want to know any more about it. All that mattered was that Amon survived, and that she could then tell him that he had not harmed his brother.
Lilli pulled the knitted shawl tighter around her. She was wearing dry clothes again, but her hair still hung down in long unkempt strands. There were more important things now. She bent down and kissed Amon on the forehead.
“I love you so much,” she whispered, “everything about you.” She took his hand again and gently stroked his skin.
Just a few weeks ago, she hadn’t imagined feeling this way about a man, much less spending her life with him. It occurred to her that she didn’t even know what her father had said about Amon’s request. There had been no opportunity to talk about it yet.
Amon stirred under the covers and turned his head in her direction. Then he opened his eyes. Lilli gave him time to adjust himself, just squeezed his hand silently.
“I’m still alive, aren’t I?” he finally asked.
“Yes. Berard says the remaining poison will break down in your body.”
“Hmm.” Amon looked up at the ceiling. “Why, Lilli?”
“Because she wanted the throne from the start. She must have always felt at a great disadvantage coming second to two boys. I don’t know how that must feel to you, but I’m sure it’s unimaginably awful. I know you loved her.”
“Tell me what you know, Lilli. I want to know.”
“Are you sure?” Lilli thought of the picture she had already destroyed. And of other images Jheron had put into her mind.
She began to tell, told him everything. About Jheron, the chalice, her discoveries, that she had wanted to leave to look for him and what Constance had done then. Amon straightened anxiously in bed as Lilli told how she had swum through the sewer, but she immediately pushed him back into the pillows.
“I’m sitting beside you safe and sound, all is well. I told you before, I like swimming.” She squeezed his hand again, then went on to tell how she had had to stay hidden and had come up with this plan to extract a confession from Constance. Lilli suspected that she had overreacted the moment she had been clearly convicted. Constance was now sitting in a dungeon cell and they had taken the poison ring from her. These rings had originally been used to get rid of intruding men. Apparently Constance had always carried the ring full of poison with her. Whether it had given her a certain feeling of power would probably remain her secret.
Lilli gently told Amon all she knew about Jheron’s death. Amon listened to her, his expression remaining rigid the whole time, and Lilli realised that he had already guessed it himself. Surely Amon would not be able to grasp the full extent of this story and what it meant for his life for several days.
“Lilli ...” Amon stroked her arm tenderly. “I want to see my brother. I know it’s possible. I could see him in the library. Please tell me how to do that.”
Lilli hesitated and glanced at the mirror in the corner.
“We could try together.” She helped him stand and Amon staggered across the floor to the mirrored cabinet he had dragged Lilli in front of then to show her his face. Jheron had been able to break away from Amon when he had been far away. Now Amon was here again and perhaps the spirit had bound itself to him again, so that he needed the mirrors to show himself. She didn’t know. In the cellar he had managed to step in front of her like that. But there had been puddles of reflecting water there, whether that had been enough for him, like at the Lake Grauemsee?
Lilli opened the double doors and they stepped in front of the mirror together. This time Lilli was no longer frightened when she saw Amon with
Jheron’s blue eyes and the many scars. Her heart merely beat a little faster and she gripped Amon’s hand tighter. At first nothing happened, then a change happened to Amon’s reflection. It seemed to blur for a moment, then Jheron appeared behind them and looked at her with his sad eyes through the mirror. Amon flinched and Lilli almost screamed, so tightly did he squeeze her hand at that moment.
“Don’t be afraid, he won’t hurt us,” she said softly. Jheron nodded silently at her. Then he put his hand on Amon’s shoulder. Lilli lifted her gaze, saw the translucent figure that by now looked familiar to her. Amon slowly raised his hand and tried to reach for his brother’s fingers.
“I am so infinitely sorry,” he whispered. “I love you, Jheron. I would give anything to give you back your life. Everything.”
Jheron shook his head slightly, there was a barely visible smile on his face. Then he put his other hand on Lilli’s shoulder. He nodded to them both once more, then faded away.
“No, don’t go! Please don’t go!” Amon reached helplessly for his shoulder, then for the mirror, his fingers sliding over the glass. But there was nothing left, his brother had gone, and Lilli knew it would be a final goodbye. Jheron had completed his task and unmasked his murderer.
“Amon, look!” Lilli grabbed him by the arm and pointed to the mirror. “Your eyes are grey again; I see them grey! And your scars have disappeared in the mirror! You look the way I see you in the mirror now too!”
Amon stared at himself and didn’t speak a word for a long time, turning his head right and left, touching himself on the face.
“Is this a spell?” he whispered.
“I don’t know. I’ve always seen you like this. But it seems you can see yourself like that now. Wait here.”
She ran out into the hallway and soon returned with Auntie Jahne. Lilli had warned her ahead of time so that the old lady wouldn’t be too frightened, but Jahne was beside herself and slapped her hands together in delight when she caught sight of Amon. Then she pulled his head down to her and kissed him on both cheeks, which Amon put up with, somewhat bemused.
The Scar-Faced King Page 23