She blinked. “But … the prophecy.”
“We can talk with Laura about it when we get there,” said Reuben. “But this just feels right.”
She nodded and stood. “I’m afraid my appetite is gone. Let’s go get this over with. We’ll see if you’re right.”
Chapter 8
Since Amber had met the Tela Du, the Dragon Scale offered her a new vision, more terrible and uncertain than the last. She stood on a cliff, everything she had falling away from her until she stood alone.
She had no idea what it could possibly mean, but she did know she didn’t like it. It was clearly a more abstract vision, and she hated those. It was impossible to know what they meant or when they were coming about.
She clenched her fist around the scale and ground her teeth. Dusk would fall soon, and then Reuben and Petra’s challenges in the Hall of Blood would begin. It would be morning before they passed through all of them, Amber knew from experience. She and Granite would be well rested and ready for the battle. They would be tired from the night’s ordeal.
Unease still boiled in her stomach. She had worked so long, so hard, and everything could be taken away from her so quickly!
Should this Petra, should this upstart win, however, Amber had been careful to make it far from easy for her to restore Rizkaland to its former glory. Perhaps then the people would see how inept the girl truly was, and they’d turn on her the way they’d turned on Amber.
She had already prepared a drought that would last at least ten years, oscillating unpredictably between scorching heat and temperatures that were as low as they could get without becoming actual winter and allowing the statues to refreeze. For a more short-term catastrophe to put an immediate tarnish on Petra’s record, Amber had prepared a mighty storm that would rise in three days’ time and destroy everything in its path on Klarand Isle. Its path just so happened to include the mighty Kastle. How would they ever recover?
Of course, it’d be a simple matter for Amber to reverse everything, should she win the battle.
Even if Amber didn’t win, she wouldn’t let it be a pure victory for the Tela Du.
“Amber, I’d rather suspected that I’d find you here in your study.”
She turned to see Granite standing in the doorway. Amber took a deep breath. “I just finished a few last things. I might not ever get another chance. We do need to rest, though, get some sleep so we’ll be fresh and ready for battle in the morning. They shall have the advantage of the knives. We shall have the benefit of clear minds.”
“That benefit never served any of the kings and queens before us very well,” Granite pointed out as he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her out of the room.
“The kings and queens before us trained their successors, and the successors knew their parents’ magic and skills,” said Amber. “Reuben and Petra do not have the advantage that we did.”
“Perhaps not,” said Granite, “but neither are we acquainted with their powers and skills. We are at a disadvantage that Petra is not.”
Neither said a thing more until they arrived in their bedroom. Even then, silence hung heavy between them as they prepared for bed. A thousand plans whirled through Amber’s head, but none could work around the fact that she still didn’t have a clue about the powers that Alphego had given Reuben and Petra. It was clear they had something – they possessed the same glint in their eyes that Amber remembered seeing in the eyes of all of the Eight. They were the King and Queen of Eliue, over all creatures possessing souls if the Bookholder was to be believed, but what did that mean?
“I miss the days when our love was new. When I could trust you because I knew your heart was mine.”
Amber shuddered involuntarily as she felt Granite run a hand through her hair. She turned to face him.
“My heart is yours,” she whispered. “As long as they beat in unison.”
“Not like it once was.” Granite shook his head. “Not like how it is between young Petra and Reuben.”
“She hardly had a single kind word to say to him the whole time they were here,” Amber pointed out.
“Precisely,” said Granite. A small, sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Can you blame her? They stood in the presence of one who would sooner see them dead than anything else. I remember many similar situations we’ve faced ourselves and the insults you’d give me when you were stressed. There wasn’t any malice in Petra’s words to Reuben, and he clearly minded them not. They seemed to speak with the merest glance, no words necessary between them.”
“They did, didn’t they?” Amber drew back, pondering that thought. Perhaps it might have something to do with their elusive powers as King and Queen of Eliue? Perhaps…
“Amber, there is something we need to talk about.”
Amber sighed. “What is it this time?” She glanced back up at her husband and almost recoiled. Granite’s expression was stern, no longer wistful as it had been moments before.
“First of all, I want you to know that my mind is quite made up, and there is only one thing you can do that can change it.”
“Granite, what are you talking about?”
He turned away, refusing to make eye contact. “I can’t live in your shadow any longer.”
Amber sucked in a sharp breath, not liking the tone in his voice and unable to guess what he could possibly mean. “So, you’re…”
“I’ve talked it over with Laura and everything is already settled. If we win the battle tomorrow, she will open a door which will allow me to escape to another world. This will be our last night together.”
Amber took a step back, shaking her head in denial. He was joking – he had to be. He always made light of situations like this. Any moment now, his expression would melt into a grin…
“Granite, our lives are bound together, you can’t just…”
“You can’t,” he corrected, turning back to face her. He wasn’t smiling. “Your vow was to never abandon me for any cause. I merely pledged my life to yours, ambiguous words open to interpretation. I’ve spoken with Laura about it. As long as it’s honestly in your best interest, I can do pretty much anything I want.”
He was serious. Amber glanced away to gather her thoughts. “How could leaving me possibly be in my best interest? You are my husband. Your place is at my side.”
“It should be,” he admitted. “But I’ve not been at your side for many long years now, have I? No, I’ve been little more than a shadow lurking behind you. I’ve waited, hoping against hope that you’d see what has consumed you and change, but it’s useless. You’re far too content with things the way they are, with your poisoned power consuming you. I can no longer stand by, watching you destroy yourself and Rizkaland. You and I both know that I can’t actively do anything to stop you, so I’m doing what I can. I’m leaving. Maybe someday you’ll see things clearly again, realize that the power isn’t worth it, and follow me, but I don’t know that I should dare hope.”
He turned away and leaned against the bed post, those final words quiet and bitter. It had been a long time since Amber had last felt genuine fear, but he was truly scaring her. From the way her heart hammered, she knew that he was terrified, too.
She decided to take advantage of that. Swallowing, she stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm.
“You don’t have to leave,” she whispered, as soft and sweet as she could manage. “You can stay with me. Laura speaks in riddles meant to confuse us. Perhaps…”
“I know what Laura said!” Granite whirled on her as he pulled away from her touch. His voice was lower when he added, “She spoke plainly.”
“She means to drive us apart!” Amber stepped back. The dragon fire churned in her stomach, enraged by his outburst. She shoved it down – it would ruin everything if she let it loose. He was her husband, and she couldn’t act against him. “Granite, we love—”
“I don’t think you know what love is anymore.” His tone was bitter again. He stepped forward and brushed
a curl out of her face. “I fear that your vow is the only thing left binding you to me. You mistake it for love, but it’s a mere shell. You’re consumed by the Dragon Scale. It is your true husband.”
With a shaking hand, Amber pulled the dragon scale from her pocket. “It’s a scale, Granite,” she protested. “It’s an inanimate object. It holds great power, but that is all. You are my husband. Don’t be silly.”
He dropped his hand from her face to catch her wrist. “Then destroy it.”
Amber’s breath caught, and she tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight. “Granite, it holds great power, I can’t…”
“I’ve seen you destroy magical items before when you deemed them too dangerous,” said Granite. “This scale is endangering your marriage. If you wish to save us, then you will have to sacrifice this thing. I refuse to live with the Dragon any longer.”
“Granite!” Amber snatched it out of her hand with her other and returned it to her pocket before he could get any ideas. “Stop being ridiculous. I rely on this scale. Sure, the dragon can be hard for me to control at times, but the visions it gives me are always so helpful…” Well, usually. Sometimes.
He cut her off with a shake of his head. “I haven’t seen you make a single good decision since you took it from Push.”
“You don’t understand – if you’d only look into its depths, see the visions it gives…”
“I don’t need to.” He leaned closer, staring hard into her. “I look into your eyes and see the damage it has wreaked upon you. If you wish me to remain at your side, then you must destroy it. Perhaps even the battle set before us could be diverted.”
“You wish to meddle with Alphego’s prophecy?”
“I wish to save my wife. Help me by destroying the scale.” He finally released her arm, turned, and walked away from her, leaning against the bedpost again.
Amber drew the scale back out of her pocket and stared at it. Flickers of the vision played in its depths. Everything sliding away from her. Was it already coming true?
She balled a fist around the scale. Why was Granite trying to make her choose? Surely, he knew how important it was to her! She had used it to rebuild Lintooalintae after the dragons devastated it. She would use it to restore Rizkaland once Petra and Reuben were taken care of.
“I don’t believe you could actually leave me,” she challenged.
He tilted his head back with a harsh laugh. “Watch me.”
“You’re just trying to scare me, to guilt me into destroying the scale. I tell you, it won’t work! This scale is far too valuable.”
“More valuable than your marriage?” Granite turned back to face her. “So you do love it more than you love me. Alas, but it’s a mere inanimate object that cannot return the favor. It can only drag you down into its darkness.”
She returned the scale to her pocket before he could notice she had it out again. “I do what I do for the good of Rizkaland.”
“The Rizkans do not see it that way, and the Klaranders most certainly don’t.”
“You place those Rizkans above your marriage?” she cried, flinging his own words back at him. “You consider their safety to be more important than our marriage? They’re not even our true people.”
“Amber, I’ve wanted you to destroy the scale since the day you took it from the Great Dragon’s body,” said Granite, shaking his head. “You refused, foolishly thinking that it had lost its evil with its master dead. I say that its true master, the Evil One, is even now very much alive and that he has consumed you completely.”
“You’ve been listening to Laura too long.”
“I’ve rarely known Laura to be wrong on matters like this,” answered Granite. “And if you would take a moment to do some honest reflection, I think you’d come to the same recollection. Except that your thoughts are clouded by the dragon that has consumed you and I’m afraid that honest reflection is now impossible for you. I hoped that by leaving I could force you to see the truth, but with every word you say, every excuse you give, that hope dwindles. Now I only pray that it will cripple you and buy Rizkaland a respite.”
“Granite, please…”
“But why are we talking about such an uncertain future? We are far more likely to die than live tomorrow. You should hope that we die. As for me … I don’t know which I dread more, facing judgment in death or being parted from you.”
Amber couldn’t stand listening to him any longer. She rushed forward, threw her arms around his neck, and pressed a kiss against his lips.
It was like kissing a stone wall.
She pulled back, her whole body quivering as thoughts chased themselves around in her head. Why was he so cold and distant? How could he possibly leave her? When was the last time she had been the one to initiate any physical contact between them?
But then, slowly his arm wrapped around her waist, and his other hand cupped her face as his expression softened. “This shall be our last night together,” he whispered. “We can still make the most of it.” And then he kissed her with every ounce of passion she knew he had.
She blinked several times as she caught her breath once he drew back again. “Perhaps I can convince you to stay?”
He gave a sad smile. “Only if I can convince you to destroy the dragon scale.”
Chapter 9
Laura was standing alone in the courtyard when the harandas teleported Petra and Reuben to Amber’s castle. She said nothing as they dismounted. It was unnerving how still she stood, staring into space.
Are you sure she’s not a statue? Reuben asked.
Petra chose not to comment.
The moment the harandas teleported away, however, Laura jerked her attention to them.
“Granite and Amber have already retired for the night, and there is no one else in the castle. All the servants have been sent back to their homes as they await the outcome of this battle. Are the two of you prepared?”
Petra and Reuben shared a glance as he took her hand. He nodded and declared, “Ready as we’ll ever be.”
“Then you’re ready enough.” Laura turned, nodding sharply. “Follow me.”
She led them through an unassuming wooden door into a maze of confusing hallways. “I’ve lived many of my years in this castle,” she said, musingly. “Many terrible years and some not so terrible, but either way, it’s a place that I call home. I know my way around, so don’t worry, I won’t get you lost.”
Petra took a deep breath and slipped into Reuben’s more relaxed thought to steady herself. “You’ve been involved with the royal family of Luna for much of your life, I take it, then.”
“Since Queen Amorite succeeded in placing the line under my power, yes. I’ve had to be,” Laura answered.
“And your main powers involve controlling doors between worlds,” Petra continued, tucking the comment on Queen Amorite aside to investigate in a moment.
“Why yes, they are – when did you notice?” Laura confirmed, glancing back with a grin. “There are a few other random things, but that’s the most of it.”
“How, exactly, is the Lunar royal line under your power?”
“Their immortality is under my control,” Laura answered. “Amorite sought to gain power over me through trickery. It is hard to trick me, as she discovered. I changed an element of the spell without her knowing, and her plan was undone. She and her husband, Flint, gained the immortality she sought – but only so long as she did not rebel against me. That knowledge scared her enough that she toed the line for three hundred years before she fully rebelled and wouldn’t repent. I waited another three centuries, but instead of repenting in that time, she only grew bolder, so I brought them Quartz and Pumice. They only lasted two hundred years. I gave them another two hundred to repent, then brought them Opal and Slate. So on and so forth. Amber and Granite were the eleventh of the line. They have lasted longer than any before them, but alas! Amber fell, dragging him down with her, and now their time of repentance is over.”
“
What do you mean by ‘you brought them’?”
“The nature of their immortality is that their bodies cannot be affected by time, they cannot change – they told you this when you came to negotiate. For the women, this means that they can never bear a child,” Laura explained. “While most of them came from poor families living on the streets of Luna, I’ve plucked a few from other worlds. Over each child was cast a spell of forgetfulness as soon as I gave them to their new parents so that no one, whether from their old life or new, could ever remember that they had been anyone else but the true heirs to the throne of Luna. Only I was immune to this magic.”
Petra froze a moment as she processed the new information. “Other worlds … were Amber and Granite among those few?”
“As king and queen of Eliue, even though the title has only recently come upon you, your memories are not easily meddled with, even with powerful magic,” Laura answered. “I will answer neither yea nor nay for I think you already know the answer.”
Petra nodded. “So we’re expected to kill our own brother and sister?”
“There are many who expect you to kill them, yes,” Laura answered. “But not those who know that they are your real brother and sister.”
Petra tightened her hold on Reuben’s arm as the knot of worry in her stomach twisted.
Reuben spoke. “You do not?”
“I expect you to meet the challenges set before you, and make decisions worthy of the titles and power you have been given,” Laura answered.
“Why them?” Petra demanded. “Why did you pluck them out of loving families? Why us? Why are we expected to kill them, our own flesh and blood?”
“There are many things at work that you do not understand.” Laura tilted her head thoughtfully. “Many things that even I struggle to comprehend. You’ve been set before a set of choices, choices that will affect more than just Rizkaland – more than just Earth. Choose the wrong one, and I dare not say what could be undone.”
“Sounds encouraging,” said Reuben, pulling Petra closer to him. “So what are we supposed to do?”
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