by Unknown
“Angelmine?” Saylym arched an eyebrow. “Thank you, Mum, for confirming who you really are.”
“Mum?” The old woman’s voice cracked as she gave a startled laugh. “You know by now I’m not your mother. You were barely two years of age when I took you for my daughter.” Anxiety filled Eldora’s eyes. She hesitated, then said quietly, “I knew this day was bound to come, but I’m not ready for it.” She drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I was a member of the Circle of Three Royal Coven, one of Queen Shy-Ryn’s most trusted Ladies of the Black Illuminati. The queen sent me, along with two others, to Elsbeth’s home. We were each to take a child, remove you from the violence there and in Salem, and take you to safety. We did what we thought was best at the time for everyone involved.”
Saylym pressed a kiss to Eldora’s cheek. “You may not have given birth to me, but you’re the only Mum I’ve ever known or can remember. You’re the best. I love you with every piece of my heart.”
Eldora sniffed and dabbed at the non-existent tears. “Oh, child, you’ve been such a joy for me. I was afraid you’d never forgive me for taking you from your mother. She was in no shape to care for any of you. Not only was she seriously wounded, but she was—”
“What?” Saylym asked, curious.
“I’m not at liberty to say. I regret Elsbeth missed out on the joys of seeing you grow into the beautiful woman you’ve become.”
Saylym shrugged. It was probably nothing important anyway, so she buried Eldora’s comment. “You know where my birth mother is buried?”
Eldora shook her head. “No. No one knows Elsbeth’s resting place. She was buried after Queen Shy-Ryn’s capture and the witches that buried her were all burned at the stake. The information died with them.”
Saylym nodded and forced herself to ask the question, “Did you use your powers to make me want to come here?”
Had the only Mum she’d ever known betrayed her by sending her to a dangerous world and to a man who had deceived her almost unto death? If so, she knew her heart and her soul would have a hard time getting over yet another betrayal.
“No, Angelmine. It was part of the spell cast over you long ago. Once your powers started to return, the curse would lead you to all things magical. It would guide you to Sanctuary.”
“I suppose it was magic that allowed me to phone you in England, when it’s so obvious to me now, that there aren’t phones here.”
Eldora snickered. “Of course. Forgive the small deception for your benefit. You needed to know you could talk to me. Magic exists everywhere, but especially here.”
Saylym looked at her through narrowed eyes. “As I recall, I was supposed to be cutting the apron strings and making my own way.”
“You always were too damn smart,” Eldora muttered.
“Mum?”
Tongue in cheek, Eldora gave a low cackle. “Oh, all right! I just couldn’t toss you into Sanctuary and leave you floundering with no understanding of what was happening to you. It was forbidden for me to interfere or try to aid you. Besides, a witch has to learn to harness her magic herself. No one can teach her.”
Saylym cleared her throat and glared at Eldora.
“Yes, well, you’re still a baby.”
“Mum!”
Eldora gave a weary sigh. “Your history, heritage and memories were all replaced. Everything about you was erased from the archives. You were not allowed the awareness of the passage of time.”
“Oh, Mum. I wanted to prove I could take care of myself.”
Eldora nodded, and her voice was shaky as she replied, “And you did prove just that. But I couldn’t allow you to leave the illumrof world without benefit of my protection. Your magic was returning in bits and pieces. You had no clue how to handle it.” She lowered her head and sniffed. “Forgive an old woman’s meddling? I knew that stupid Guild would come after you. They always were a bunch of stiff necks! Stiff dicks, too. Especially Saul.”
Saylym drew a sharp breath, tucking back her laughter. She understood her mum was trying to ease her fears, but nothing was going to do that. “I crossed into another dimension without realizing it. Didn’t I?”
Eldora lifted her head. “I think you realized exactly what happened, you just didn’t want to face reality until you were ready. What happened was supposed to happen. You went where the magic summoned you and you accepted it when it was the right moment. The same will happen with your sisters. They will be drawn here by the magic.”
“They’re already here,” Saylym replied. “Somewhere.”
Eldora nodded. “You will meet them when the time is right. It was part of the curse, part of the punishment decreed on your mother. She was betrayed, yes, by John, your father. The man should have cherished her above all others, but he was enthralled and eventually went insane. Elsbeth’s life unraveled before her very eyes. John’s betrayal was directly responsible for so many witches dying in Salem Village, as well as our good queen’s death. Your mother was held accountable, and punished, as were her descendents.”
A weary sigh slid past Eldora’s lips. “The spells were a decree by the Witches’ Coven and Queen Shy-Ryn. Your powers, your very memories, and ages were manipulated by the spells cast over you. You were not to know how many centuries passed, or who your family was. You wouldn’t have a clue that you are witches until the magic itself decided it was time.”
Saylym couldn’t hold back the short gasp of surprise. “So how old am I?”
Eldora shrugged. “A little over three hundred in witch years, in illumrof years, you won’t be of age until this All Hallows’ Eve. Our years are different from illumrof years.”
Saylym swayed, feeling the color drain from her face. “Three hundred? I’m ancient!”
Eldora cackled. “No, Angelmine. I’m ancient. You’re a baby yet.” She cast an angry glance at MeLora and nodded her head, sniffing. “She has always fancied herself as queen.”
“I have no desire to become Queen of the Witches,” Saylym replied.
“You are not destined to be queen, Saylym. That one has already been chosen centuries ago. It is your destiny to stop MeLora from reigning, to save the throne for your sister.”
“Which sister?”
Eldora shook her head. “That I don’t know. I only know I was not destined to raise the future queen.” Eldora gripped Saylym’s hands. “Never turn your back on MeLora. She’s your greatest enemy.”
“My greatest enemy?” For a moment, Saylym looked wounded, her eyes filled with pain. “But not the destroyer of my heart.”
Eldora’s wizened gaze traveled over her, pausing on the emeralds embedded in Saylym’s fingernails. “Ah, you speak of Talon. He did what he had to do, child. And first time bond-mating is always painful for the witch, most especially for the royal-blooded witch.”
“He tried to kill me!”
“Yes,” Eldora agreed. “But he couldn’t do it. He placed a spell over you to protect you from him and suffered greatly for it. He loves you, child. You need him. He’s a good man, both strong and tender. Forgive him of this crime and be happy together. You can be, you know.”
Saylym frowned. “He forced me to bond with him.”
Eldora snickered. “Better wed, than dead.”
Saylym folded her arms across her breasts. “I don’t believe he wants or needs me, Mum. He did what he did to save Ru-Noc. He cares nothing for me. I’m so angry with him I could—”
“You must be careful, child. Your powers are just coming into full force, and they will be enormous.”
Saylym gave a slight nod. “I know. I understand them.” She looked into Eldora’s doubting eyes, and a lifetime of self-honesty came back to bite her on the butt. “Okay, I sort of understand them. A bit. But I’ll be fine. Probably.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Eldora’s papery cheek. “I’d like to see your real face back, please, and your real name—E-La.”
The old witch sniffed. “This is my real face, child. I’m quite ancient, a veritable old crone I
’m afraid. In due time, I’ll change it back to the face you’re more familiar with. And Eldora is my real name. E-La is a pet name, given to me by a certain waken who once claimed my body and heart, then gave it back to me without a second thought.”
Saylym sighed, realizing the full impact of the years of deception. She couldn’t bring herself to be angry with the only Mum she’d ever known, the woman who’d raised her with a gentle and protective hand. “We have so many things to discuss. I want to hear about my birth mother, and what happened to her. I want to know about my sisters, and how we can find them. I want to know about my father.”
“I know you do, child, but there is only just so much I can reveal. What happened to your birth mother was a tragedy. One day soon, I’ll tell you everything that happened to Elsbeth Winslow.”
“I have your pages of history. The queen gave them to me.”
Eldora frowned. “The queen?”
“Shy-Ryn.”
Eldora clasped her bosom and swayed. “But that’s not possible. The queen has long been dead, burned at the stake centuries ago. Why would she give you those pages of history? They aren’t even finished.”
“Not finished?”
Eldora let out a deep breath. “Well, yes, those are finished, but the story isn’t all in those particular pages. There are three sets, extending from…pissel crap! I forget when, but right up to, well I forget that too.” She squinted. “Those pages were hidden in three different locations, by order of Queen Shy-Ryn. They record the history of the Winslow witches and are sacred to the coven. I suppose she will choose who will receive the other two sets in due time.”
“I suppose.” Saylym’s gut tightened. “So why is Talon to be whipped?”
Eldora huffed, anger flickering across her delicate face. “That’s MeLora for you. She is determined to prove her authority over all of us. That blasted Char-Flum-Rope is merciless.”
“She’ll not touch him,” Saylym stated with a certainty she didn’t quite understand but desperately wanted to believe.
Eldora looked impressed with her quiet determination.
Saylym was pretty impressed herself. Now, if only she could feel as certain as she sounded.
“She is the new queen,” Eldora said. “I can’t believe King Darak bonded with her. She is already carrying his son, a son of royal blood. At least, she claims the babe belongs to Darak.”
“You have doubts the babe belongs to the king?”
“Knowing MeLora and her penchant for getting laid, the babe could belong to any waken or warlock, but there will be no way to prove it. You can bet she has covered her sins well. There have been no sons born to royal-blooded witches in centuries.”
“I carry two sons of royal blood,” Saylym said, stunned to discover there had been no royal-blooded sons born from a royal-blooded witch for so long.
“I know,” Eldora cackled. “I told Topaz there would be a surprise once you and Talon mated.” She looked around, quickly scanning the crowd. “I placed a fertility spell on you and Talon, hoping you’d conceive with your first mating. I never expected two babes. I must have used the wrong spell.” Eldora searched the crowd. “Where is that womanizing tom? I haven’t seen him in days.”
“I don’t know.” Saylym cast an uneasy glance over the king and his new queen. “I may be madder than blue blazes at Talon, but I’ll be damned if another woman is going to punish him for any reason. I don’t care if she is the queen!”
Eldora shook her head. “Witches and wakens are still punished the Old-fashioned ways. Some have their powers and memories stripped away. Still, others are publicly whipped.” Eldora flashed Saylym a shrewd look. “Even though she is the reigning queen, her powers will never equal yours, not as long as you possess the emeralds. She will try to take the gems from you. But she will fail. You’re the granddaughter of the High Wizard. You have inherited his powers as well as Queen Shy-Ryn’s. MeLora will never win this war, but the battles will be long. The loyalty of the witches belongs to you and your sisters. Some of us remember—”
“Only one thing is important to me now. I won’t allow her to harm Talon, but if I manage to save him, he’s toast.
“She can’t win, if you’ve truly a mind to stop her.”
Saylym hesitated, frowning. “You think I can stop her?”
“I know you can, child but it would be for the best if you never had to face that witch. You’ve been granted powers by our Queen Shy-Ryn and the High Wizard. Use them wisely.”
“Queen Shy-Ryn?”
“Once our sweet queen realized she’d been betrayed, she prepared for this day. She knew there was a traitor from within her kingdom. Oh yes, she knew there would come a time that when whoever betrayed her, and sent her to the stake to be burned, would step forward and make a bid for power.” Eldora sniffed. “The dear, sweet queen never expected the betrayer to be her daughter. You must stop MeLora. If MeLora would betray her own mother, then she would betray us all for her own gain.”
Saylym stiffened as the murmurs from the crowd rose, then abruptly silenced. The undercurrent of the sudden quiet and disbelief was as deafening as thunder. She jumped as someone suddenly yelled, “Talon! It’s Prince Talon! Look! They have him wrapped in chains.”
A second voice chided, “Quiet, you fool, or you’ll find yourself in chains!”
“Talon,” Saylym whispered. A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach. “I have to protect him.”
Eldora shook her head. “You can’t protect him and wage a war with MeLora. You have to concentrate on the battle ahead.”
“Talon is my battle.” Saylym saw the surprise in Eldora’s eyes. “Please try and understand, Mum. It’s not just a battle for his life I’m waging, but a struggle to understand and come to terms with the hurt of his betrayal. I love him and we will work things out, I swear, but he has a lot of explaining to do. He can’t do it if he’s dead.”
Eldora nodded and brushed a strand of Saylym’s dark hair from her face. She smiled wistfully, as if she regretted what had happened to the daughter she’d raised. “Your hair. You changed the color. My baby’s all grown up. You’ll make a fine witch. I always knew you would.”
Saylym squeezed Eldora’s hand. “I’m going to try, Mum.”
The unattainable crusade not to love Talon and the difficult struggle to trust him was daunting at best. Indeed, her prince had a lot to answer for.
Talon’s shoulders slumped, his head bowed as he was led to the square.
Saylym felt the rhythm of her heartbeat change to match the sounds of invisible drums magically pounding out their death knell, and Talon’s harsh punishment.
One of the guards, pale and frightened, stood to one side, holding the flaming Char-Flum-Rope in unsteady hands. It was a deadly instrument of torture, and no one tolerated the punishing flames. There would be little flesh left on Talon’s back when the beating ended.
Saylym jerked as some brave soul yelled from the crowd, “Are the rumors true, Prince Talon? Are you to be whipped?”
Talon raised his head and stared at the assembly gathered round. He tilted his chin, but gave no other indication he’d heard the question. His bearing was every bit as noble as any king’s, and Saylym couldn’t suppress the pride she felt in her mate as he was hauled forward by two guards. Her stomach clenched and anger poured through her. Links of chain bound his arms to his sides. He was totally helpless and this pissed her off.
“I’ll kill her! Who does she think she is?”
“The queen,” Eldora whispered. “Careful, child, guard your tongue.”
King Darak rose and fell into step behind Talon. MeLora clung to the king’s arm as if she was a fragile thing. She looked over the crowd, her expression smug.
“The king will surely put a stop to this,” a masculine voice said behind Saylym.
Saylym whirled around, relief filling her entire body. “Sage! I’m so glad you’re here. You think the king will stop it?”
“Of course. Talon’s his son
.”
Saylym’s eyes flashed. “Talon is also the man who tried to kill me, but I think I have more concern for him than the king does.”
Sage cleared his throat and looked sheepish. “You know about our orders? That I was sent here to kill a witch named Kirrah Walker and that Talon came here to do you?”
“Do me?” Saylym turned a wintry glare on Sage. “Oh, I’d say he did me all right. I’m pregnant with twin boys.”
“No shit?” Sage choked. “How could that happen? I can’t believe it.”
“You can’t? Wait a minute. Kirrah Walker? You came to Sanctuary to kill her just the same as Talon came to kill me? Why? I thought this was the mating season?”
Guilt spread across Sage’s face. “Trust me. I’d rather spend my time mating.”
“She’s my sister. You can’t kill her.”
Sage winced. “I didn’t know that, Saylym. I’m sorry. If it’s any comfort to you, I haven’t been able to locate her.” He dropped his gaze. “Yet,” he mumbled.
“Quiet!” the king suddenly shouted.
Saylym whirled to face the podium where the royal couple was now seated. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for their ruler to pardon his son.
King Darak shifted closer to MeLora. She whispered in his ears. He nodded and held up his hands to the crowd. “The ex-waken, Talon, of Droth, father unknown, shall be given twenty lashes with the Char-Flum-Rope as directed by your new queen, MeLora.”
“Twenty lashes,” someone yelled in disbelief.
“He can’t survive ten lashes, let alone twenty,” another shouted.
“He’s your son. A prince,” someone else yelled in anger.
King Darak frowned. “He is not my son or a prince, but an imposter his whoring mother laid at my feet! He will be punished for her deception and his show of disrespect for my new queen!”
The crowd rumbled its anger and disbelief.
“We have to free him,” Sage choked.
“No. I have to free Talon.” Saylym abruptly whipped away from Sage and took off to the middle of the street. The crowd parted for her, acknowledging the power she herself was just beginning to grasp.