A Blackbird In Silver (Book 1)

by Freda Warrington

  They went on their way, Ashurek holding the torch and the lodestone to guide them along the warren-like passages. Medrian was coughing with pain as they hurried along and Estarinel, supporting her, felt his eyes were bleeding with the effort of looking out for the elusive light.

  The lodestone did not misguide them. At last they had the Entrance Point in sight again; but, soaring on its orbit, it was heading for the outer walls of the castle. Stumbling, weak and desperate, they followed along a corridor and under a low arch.

  They were not fast enough. Ashurek felt the torch knocked from his hand as it caught on the arch, and suddenly they were surrounded by black, wet stone and pitch darkness. The Entrance Point had vanished.

  ‘Oh ye gods,’ Ashurek said, ‘is it the Black Plane?’ He stretched out a hand and touched a wall. ‘We’re still in the castle. It’s a dead end. We’ve missed the Entrance Point.’

  He stepped forward and struck at the wall with both hands in despair. Estarinel and Medrian came up beside him and touched the slimy stone, wretched with misery and disbelief; and in the same moment the wall became viscid and gave way beneath them. They fell forward onto their hands and knees.

  #

  There was light; gentle, soft blue light. They were on the shore of a tranquil lake that shone under an airy sky of bluish-mauve. Far across the lake was a beautiful rock formation with a broad, flat top and a thin stem, luminous and sapphire-blue. A delicate bridge arched from it, its far end obscured by small pinnacles of stone flowering from the water near the shore. Little bridges and spirals of rock led to the pinnacles, and lilies floated about their roots. The air was cool and sweet. They were kneeling on sparkling blue-green moss, and as they looked out over the lake, all their weariness and pain and illness fell from them.

  The exquisite beauty of that lake, its calmness and gentility, were overwhelming. Estarinel, gazing across the scene, could have wept for joy.

  ‘The Blue Plane,’ he whispered. ‘I never, ever dared hope I would see it.’

  They had completed the first stage of their journey, and now they had no wish and no need to move. They rested on that calm, sweet shore, trailing their hands in the crystal-blue water and drinking deeply of the fresh, cool liquid. The blue light touched them; they tasted it and breathed it. The Blue Plane washed away their weariness as months of rest could not have done.

  Beauty and joy suffused them, even Ashurek and Medrian, for H’tebhmella had a power that no darkness could resist.

  Chapter Seventeen. H’tebhmella

  The Blue Plane H’tebhmella was a place of infinite tranquillity and beauty; and because reaching the Planes was never easy, it had become as mythical and sought-after on Earth as paradise.

  It was very different to the White and the Black Plane, multi-dimensional where the others seemed two-dimensional. The Lady of H’tebhmella would have explained the difference by saying that the Earth was as an equilateral triangle. The White and Black Planes were at each corner of the base and the Blue Plane at the apex; the life-energies generated on Earth flowed upwards and out through the apex. So H’tebhmella was transformed by strange electrical forces to the wondrous place it was. It was also a channel through which other worlds could be reached.

  The Planes had been created by rifts in the vast cosmic energies when the Earth itself was born. Each was inhabited by immortal beings – Hrannekh Ol by men, Hrunnesh by nemen, H’tebhmella by women – but their genders were extraneous, for they were not human. Although the inhabitants of each Plane were concerned with Earth’s affairs, they had become too distant be fully involved or offer concrete help. The Peradnians of Hrannekh Ol described the world’s history and fate in mathematical terms; the Hrunneshians concerned themselves with philosophy. Their sciences, however, were so pure and self-sufficient that they were incomprehensible to the people of Earth. Entrance Points were difficult to find and the two Planes could not support human life for long. Inevitably, none but a few adventurous scholars sought deliberate contact with the White and Black Planes.

  The women of H’tebhmella were different. They were deeply concerned with the affairs of Earth, and their sadness was that they had little power to help her. Their exquisite Plane, invigorated by flowing energies, could at least support human life, and so they did what little they could for the world.

  And because the people of Earth loved them and sought them, the Serpent and its adherents loathed and feared them; especially as H’tebhmella was the one place over which it had no power.

  ‘You are here at last,’ said a voice that was clear, melodic, and full of relief. The three turned and saw a woman who had appeared from nowhere, or approached in total silence. A sense of awe propelled them all hurriedly to their feet. She was one of the H’tebhmellians who had battled with Gastada’s guards. ‘We thought you had missed the Entrance Point!’

  She stretched her arms out to them; then Estarinel realised that she was the Lady, the one who had no name. She was tall, almost of Ashurek’s height, at once stately and ethereal. Her hair was long and silken-brown, her face exquisitely beautiful, with eyes as grey as rain and filled with tranquillity and gentleness. She wore a white robe with an indigo cloak. A soft blue light glowed from her and radiated in shafts from her hands.

  A few yards away, the other woman of the battle was standing by a small boat at the shore. She was less tall than the Lady but just as beautiful, with darker hair and eyes of clear blue. Estarinel somehow knew she was Filitha, the one who had first come to Forluin after the Serpent’s attack.

  The Lady embraced each of them in turn, kissing them on the forehead with obvious joy and relief. Her hands were cool as crystal and full of the Plane’s healing power.

  ‘I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you are here,’ she told the three. ‘We could divine no news of you, and thought you lost to the Serpent; then we heard E’rinel calling, and were able to divert an Entrance Point through the castle, using your lodestone as a guide.’

  ‘So – you’ve saved us again!’ Ashurek exclaimed, gripping Estarinel’s shoulder.

  ‘Oh no, not I.’ Estarinel looked at the Lady and felt shame fill him as he remembered The Star of Filmoriel, stranded on the White Plane. ‘I’m so sorry, my Lady; you entrusted me with the Star and I lost her. I don’t know how I can ever make amends.’

  ‘E’rinel, on the contrary, we have failed you. When the Star was swept into the White Plane you should have stayed with her. We neglected to tell you that you should stay aboard through all adversities, because we thought you would be here so quickly; we were complacent. She came home without you and we thought you lost. Don’t look so dismayed! Considering what we are fighting, let us bless the hour that brought you here at all.’ A smile touched her lips as she added, ‘You may be interested to hear that there were a number of Tearnian sailors aboard her. We have returned them safely to Earth.’

  Estarinel saw the surprise on his companions’ faces and found himself at once half-laughing and half-crying.

  The Lady went on, ‘Now, whatever lies ahead, this is no time for you to be downhearted. The first part of your journey is over and you are here; Estarinel of Forluin, Ashurek of Gorethria, and…?’

  Estarinel was astonished to see that the Lady apparently did not know the third member of the Quest.

  ‘Medrian of Alaak,’ said Medrian. Her face betrayed no emotion as usual, but Estarinel noticed that her eyes were very clear; almost violet, as though reflecting the colours of H’tebhmella. Her torn mouth was rapidly healing by the Plane’s power.

  The Lady gave her a long, searching and compassionate look. ‘Yes,’ was all she said; but the word seemed full of enigmatic meaning.

  ‘I remain silent and invisible,’ Medrian added with a touch of irony, ‘but nothing can turn me aside from this path – not even the release of the Blue Plane.’

  ‘You have great strength,’ the Lady said softly; and Estarinel saw tears in her eyes. ‘Come; we’ll sail across the lake and you may rest and r
efresh yourselves. There is much to talk about, and the Blue Plane heals all woes.’

  There was a small boat of pale wood, pulled by a silvery sea-horse, moored by the shore. With Filitha they stepped aboard. On a word from the Lady, the horse began to pull them across the lake.

  ‘It was a timely rescue,’ said Ashurek as they drifted through the translucent water. ‘Gastada himself is no more. I made an end of him on one of his own swords.’

  ‘Your adventures have left you very bitter,’ the Lady murmured. ‘But his evil work is at an end, which is good.’

  ‘I thought I saw a third H’tebhmellian in the castle. It was only her passing that gave us the strength to escape,’ said Estarinel.

  ‘That was Neyrwin – I sent her to find your horses, for you will need them again. Don’t fear for her; she can travel swiftly and find an Entrance Point when she needs to.’

  The blue water broke in shimmering waves on either side of the boat as it passed through the lake. The Lady continued, ‘Does one of you feel fit enough to tell us about your journey? We are eager to know.’

  Ashurek seemed in a buoyant mood and Estarinel, feeling tired and peaceful, was content to let him do all the talking. Medrian was staring blankly across the lovely stretch of water. She had relaxed out of the grim coldness that was her usual demeanour, but she now seemed empty and drained of everything. Estarinel put an arm round her shoulders. She did not draw away but rested on him, and he could sense her profound physical and spiritual exhaustion. Presently she looked at him and said quietly, so that only he could hear, ‘I warned you not to trust me. I stranded us on the White Plane. I made us easy prey for Gastada’s crows.’

  He remembered how strangely she had behaved at those times. Was it possible that something had compelled her, against her own will, to try to sabotage the Quest? He did not want to believe it.

  ‘Medrian, you can’t blame yourself for those events,’ he said gently. ‘Anyway, we’ve reached the Blue Plane now in spite of you.’

  ‘It’s not something I speak of lightly,’ she reprimanded him, an undertone of wretchedness in her voice. The hope that she was about to confide the cause of her unhappiness leapt in him. ‘I’ve been unfair to you and Ashurek, expecting you to tolerate me with no explanations of any kind.’

  ‘It’s all right. I always felt you would tell us eventually, when you were ready. And I don’t find it necessary to tolerate you; to me you’re a trusted companion and friend.’

  She looked at him, hearing the warmth in his voice.

  ‘I beg of you; don’t put too much faith in me. I try to my utmost limit, but sometimes I am not strong enough.’ Her voice could only be so characterless if she were trying desperately to suppress tears, he thought. ‘Estarinel, you are right. You will know about me one day, but that time is not yet. All I can say is this: half of me wants the Serpent destroyed, but half of me is in its power. Do you understand?’

  He felt somehow shocked by these words; a sensation as if he had unthinkingly rested his hand on a piece of ice, then realised too late that the cold was burning him.

  ‘We’re all in its power to some extent,’ he said.

  ‘Yes, that’s true,’ she said. ‘You do understand. This is as much as I can say for now. Please don’t feel tempted to ask me any more questions – not for any reason, ever.’

  ‘Then I won’t – not if it distresses you.’

  ‘It does,’ she said firmly, still looking at him with her unreadable dark grey eyes.

  ‘But there’s a paradox. I have to have faith in you, Medrian, in order to trust your silence.’

  At this she looked amused, and for the first time her laughter was untainted by its usual grim, sinister quality. Still laughing, she turned to gaze across the lake again, her head resting on his shoulder.

  He thought about her; how she bled and suffered in battle or under torture, and yet when an actual attempt to kill her had been made, her horse had died in her place. It was as if something toyed with her, played cruel mocking tricks with her life. And what could do that, except M’gulfn?

  He held her closer as if to protect her. Everything about her that had frightened him faded. There was only her enigmatic sorrow, her emptiness and her resolute strength of character left.

  Ashurek finished his account of their adventures as they reached the roots of the rock formation that they had seen from the shore. Other boats floated there and several sea-horses swam and dived loose in the water. The Lady called them and they swam around the boat, raising their noses to be petted.

  The travellers climbed from the boat onto the rock and the H’tebhmellian women led them over the bridge. It arched high above the shining water and they had to cross it in single file, yet they had no fear of falling. The bridge glowed like sapphire with a heart of deepest blue.

  The castle of Gastada seemed years in the past and with every breath they took they grew stronger, as if they had never been gored by crows’ talons or trapped for days in that disease-infested darkness. A cool, sweet breeze blew across the shining stretch of water below them and the clear, high sky cast gentle light over the Plane. All shades of blue gleamed in the islands and pinnacles and mushrooms of rock; palest robin’s egg, tints of silver and grey, blue jade, turquoise, indigo, ultramarine, blues verging on amethyst and violet, soft, pure blues and light, transparent blues.

  Estarinel felt infinitely moved by the beauty of the Plane and its inhabitants. He could hardly believe he was in the place that he had heard spoken of, all his life, with such awe and love. He had many questions to ask, but they seemed unimportant now

  The far end of the bridge fused into a shore growing thickly with soft blue-green moss and trailing flowers. They walked for several miles without noticing the distance. The ground rose and fell gently. Here and there were tall, graceful trees with indigo trunks and showers of silver-blue leaves.

  Presently they came beside a spring rushing between banks of moss-covered rock. A few deer were grazing in a gap between some trees and beyond, they could see another shore and the quiet lake again. Nowhere in H’tebhmella was far from water.

  ‘Sit and rest here. We’ll return soon,’ said the Lady. She and Filitha walked away through the trees, shafts of blue light following them.

  Ashurek and Medrian sat dawn on the bank and the three looked at each other. ‘It’s not all going the Serpent’s way after all, is it?’ said Estarinel.

  ‘No, by the gods, you’re right,’ said Ashurek, grinning. Then his green eyes became moody. ‘If only Silvren could be here…’

  ‘But she’d be more than glad to know that you’ve reached H’tebhmella,’ Estarinel said quietly.

  ‘Aye, my friend, you are right in that.’ The bitterness faded from Ashurek’s face. For a time, at least, all three were less haunted by their troubles. There was an unspoken comradeship between them and they felt no need to discuss what lay behind or ahead of them. ‘This is truly a place of beauty, Estarinel,’ Ashurek sighed.

  ‘I wish I could go to sleep here, and never wake up,’ Medrian said with feeling, stretching out on the moss.

  They all slept, wrapped in a deep blue radiance through which light shone, pure as diamond and soft as moonlight. Around them there were the faint, soothing noises of air moving in the trees, deer grazing, water lapping as sea-horses swam through it.

  When they awoke, calm and refreshed, the H’tebhmellians had returned. The Lady and Filitha brought many others, all tall and graceful with beautiful sombre faces and shining hair of all colours. They had come to meet the three, and to hear what the Lady would say to them.

  Estarinel noticed a human among the unearthly beings, a strongly-built woman with long red hair.

  ‘Now you are here at last,’ the Lady began gravely. ‘And all is as it should be. Three individuals met, each for different reasons, at the House of Rede, and you have come to H’tebhmella.’

  ‘Forgive me, my Lady,’ Ashurek broke in, ‘but you speak of our Quest as if we had trod ea
sily through some preordained ritual. We have felt more like three floats, tossed by a child into a raging torrent to see how we fare. Can you tell us the truth? Are we just playthings to be fought over by the Serpent and its enemies?’

  ‘I’d tell you the truth if I could,’ the Lady sighed, ‘but it will not be pinned down. I can only tell you what I know and believe.’

  ‘Tell us then. It’s why Silvren sent me here,’ Ashurek said shortly.

  ‘You have all set out to slay the Serpent for personal reasons, but it must be slain for the sake of the Earth and Planes, and even our universe. Did Eldor tell you anything of this?’

  ‘Not much. Silvren seems to know more than Eldor,’ Estarinel said.

  ‘That is not so, but I can see his reasons for saying little. He did not want to discourage you.’ A light shone from the Lady’s lovely face as she spoke. ‘I will tell you a history of the Earth that may help to explain what is happening. Many billions of years ago there was a great whirling of energies in the cosmos, and out of it was spun the world with two lifeless moons. This energy was not “good” or “evil”; it was simply energy, but part of it spun outwards and part inwards, so creating a balance. They say that as the two spinning parts touched each other, creating immeasurable fields of force, the three Planes came into being – each flat and infinite, populated for eternity by static life-forms, and existing in its own dimension.

  ‘As the part of the power we are now pleased to consider “evil” spun inwards, it became ever more concentrated in the centre of the Earth. At last, as fires fell into the oceans, a living creature was born of that infinitely concentrated energy.

  ‘It was borne up in the water until the seas of the Arctic froze beneath it, and it was left lying in snow at the North Pole.

  ‘Later, when men came to the world and saw the shape of it, they called it a Serpent. But in those days it simply was, and it was all-powerful. It had three eyes with which it could see everything, control the elements and even manipulate the creatures that would inhabit the world. In effect, the eyes made it omniscient. It was in such complete control of the Earth that it almost was the Earth. And it lay there, toying with the land masses of the world and waiting for life to evolve so that it might feed on the energy that would be produced.