There were a few faces I could pick out from the crowd. Xando, silent, watching me constantly. Hytharn, smiling, talking easily with his neighbours. Prince Han Hrillon, looking about eagerly at the dazzling array of crystal and silver, the thousands of candles, the elegant food. High Prince Axannor chatting to every servant who brought his food, especially the pretty ones. My uncle, watching me warily. Once I caught a glimpse of the pale-haired Thrurghian servant girl, the one who had spoken to me so proudly of her home.
After the food, came the speeches. The Middle Council leader thanked the retiring Keeper. The Keeper thanked her in return, and also thanked the retiring First Protector, who rose to convey good wishes to his successor.
Then it was Zak’s turn. His speech was set out for him word for word, as it had been spoken since the beginning of the Empire.
“Mesanthians and friends, the Spirit has chosen. We accept the will of the Spirit. Behold the Keeper of the Spirit of the Empire. Behold the Empress.”
They cheered and drummed their feet against the floor or banged fists on the table. Ribbons and petals were released from balconies high above to drift gently down onto the guests. Trumpets played a stirring anthem. It was the only time the Keeper was ever publicly acknowledged as Empress, and usually it was nothing but an ancient tradition. But now that we had our water back, everything was possible.
Eager faces turned to me as I rose to address the gathering. My speech was not scripted. I could say whatever I wished, or nothing at all. But I knew what they expected of me, what we had all dreamed of for two hundred years: the Empire restored. It was what I had yearned for my whole life, the triumphant end to all my tragedies.
And yet… I knew with certainty that I could not do it. The world had changed – I had changed. What was it I was told before I entered the mine at Twisted Rock? That the mine would change me profoundly. It had taken me a long time to see the truth of that. I could not preside over a recreation of the past. It was time to look to the future.
“Mesanthians and friends,” I said, and they hushed, faces turned expectantly towards me. “The Empire is gone for ever.” I felt rather than heard the sigh of a thousand breaths released. “We must not return to the tyranny of dominance and slavery. Too many children were torn from their families, too many men and women forced to fight and labour for others, when they would sooner have stayed peaceably in their homes. We can never return to the past. Too much has changed.”
I saw one or two people shake their heads, but most were listening intently, their faces blank.
“So now we must look to the future,” I said. “We have an opportunity to build something new – a second Empire, if you will.”
A murmur ran round the room, glances exchanged. One or two people sat a little straighter. They liked that idea, but what did it really mean? What future could I offer them?
If I had failed at Hurk Hranda, the new Keeper would now be committing Mesanthia to an alliance with the black cities in the east, and to converting the canals to new industries. That threat had evaporated, but we still had to make peace with Caxangur, and learn to manage Hurk Hranda. Most of all, we had to learn to live comfortably with the Tre’annatha, our masters for so many generations. We were free of that yoke, but they were still here in our city.
“People of Mesanthia, it is time for us to forge a new alliance, not to the east, whose ways are alien to us, but to the west, to the lands of the old Empire. Not as conquerors, but as friends. We must learn to live with our neighbours as equals. We must learn to live with free servants, not slaves by another name.”
I looked round at the faces turned towards me. I could read nothing from them, and there were too many minds for me to attempt to see into them. There were no clues to their thoughts. Only the servants in the shadows moved, exchanging glances.
“To our friends, the Tre’annatha,” I went on, “we will always be grateful for your help in our deepest need. You kept us from extinction, so you are truly our saviours. But that debt has been paid in full. You are welcome to stay in Mesanthia, for it is your city too, but you will no longer take precedence over other Mesanthian citizens. As for the Program…”
A few people leaned forward expectantly, but again I had to disappoint them.
“The Program is a good thing.” A murmur arose, but I raised a hand to quiet them. “I evaded the Program, which would have taught me to control my connections, and only learned the skills I needed by chance. As it was, good people died because I could not control my power, and that is something I deeply regret.”
I glanced at the Crown Princess, who inclined her head a fraction in acknowledgement.
“So the Program may continue, and all Mesanthian children will be tested at the age of five, as now.” That caused a wild outbreak of astonished babbling. Raising my voice to be heard over the hubbub, I said, “However, the Program will not be compulsory, and the children who enter it will be able to see their families regularly.”
They quieted a little, but there was still a murmuring around the room. I spoke glibly, but it remained to be seen whether the secretive Tre’annatha would accept such terms. But it was not the most important part of what I had to say.
“In the past year and a half, I have travelled all over the Two Rivers Basin, and met people I would never have known if I had buried myself in the Academia with my books, as I once planned. For too long my people were Akk’ashara. I believed that to be Mesanthian meant to be Akk’ashara. But there are others here who are just as much my people. Dresshtians are Mesanthians too, as are Tre’annatha. And beyond this great city are other great cities, whose people would be our good friends and allies, if we would let them.”
I paused, knowing how they would react to my next words.
“That is why, when I choose my remaining Protectors, I will revert to the customs of the early Empresses, and look widely for candidates, beyond the Akk’ashara and perhaps even beyond Mesanthia. In this way we can bind our friendship for the future.”
A thousand faces gaped at me in disbelief.
~~~~~
After the feast, the guests sprawled over an entire floor of the Imperial Tower, spilling from one room to the next, enjoying an array of different entertainments. There were musical and dramatic performances, dancing, jugglers, acrobats and games of chance. Astonishingly, there was even food and drink laid out for those not already sated by the vast array of dishes.
Zak had vanished with Hytharn into a back-slapping band of other swordsmen, and no one else was allowed to approach the Keeper unless invited, so I found myself unexpectedly bereft. Not alone, however, for everywhere I went from now on, I would be trailed by a cluster of impassive guards.
It was strange to be left to my own devices in such a big gathering. I could make the first move if I wanted company, but it was pleasant to wander about in a bubble of emptiness, as guests moved aside for me, bowing. I found myself beside the tables displaying the many gifts brought for me, and occupied myself very happily choosing a book to read. Oh, the pleasure of it in my hand, the heaviness, the smooth varnish of the cover, the smell of parchment. I could hardly wait to open it and discover the joys within. But not yet. I tucked it under one arm, its presence a promise of delights to come.
As I moved towards a room where music was playing, I saw Xando leaning against a wall, head down, face solemn. I had avoided him for so long, having nothing kind to say to him. But it was time for a new beginning, in friendship as in other things.
“Xando? Are you all right?”
His face lit up when he saw me. “I am well, Most Revered, very well. Just… just thinking. Remembering.”
“You of all people don’t need to use my title. But what were you remembering? If you wish to tell me.”
“Renni. I was thinking about Renni. It is odd, because she was so... so irritating, in many ways, but I miss her so much.” His face crumpled. “She was my only friend.”
“Not your only friend, I hope,” I said gently. �
��I haven’t always behaved as I should towards you, but I hope you would see me as a friend. I’m sorry, Xando. We started so well, didn’t we? You were wonderful to me at Twisted Rock, and I really believed… But we were pulling in different directions. You just wanted to live your life as a thrower, and I was planning to start a war and restore the Empire by any means. It’s not surprising things didn’t work out between us. But I never meant to hurt you, truly.”
“I know.” His face clouded. “And I have not always been a friend to you, have I? Allandra, what I did… I betrayed your trust, and I allowed Renni to betray you, too, and it was wrong of me. I know you can never forgive me, but—”
“Hush.” I reached up to touch one finger to his lips. “Say no more of it. We both did things with good intentions that, in retrospect, were not very sensible. But I think it worked out for the best. Don’t you?”
A half smile. “Yes. Mesanthia could not wish for a more suitable Keeper.”
That made me smile. “I meant the river. As for Renni – she died to protect us. We could both have been killed in that chaos, but she was very brave.”
“Yes. Yes, she was.” His face lightened. “And you are right, it has worked out for the best. For Mesanthia, and for you, too. For now you have him. I know how much you love him and now you will be with him always, and I am glad for you.”
Yes, Xando had always known where my heart lay. The very thought of Zak made me glow, my happiness written on my face. “So my future is settled, but what about you? Will you have to go into the Program now that they know about you?”
He pulled a face. “They will expect it, yes.” A sudden smile, like the sun emerging from cloud. “But I do not exist, as far as their records are concerned. So they will have to track down both my parents, and verify my existence, and there will be an appalling amount of paperwork.” He grinned. “An appalling amount.”
“Ah, I see. It will take years.”
“A lifetime, most likely. Maybe more.” He laughed. “I have no fear of the Program. But as for what I shall do – I am a thrower, so I will go back to Brinmar, I suppose. Find work. I wish I could stay here, but there is no place for me in Mesanthia.”
Sadness washed through me. After all we’d shared, it would be a great sorrow to me to lose him again. But perhaps I didn’t have to. Impulsively I said, “But what if there were? Would you like me to give you a place?”
He looked at his feet, suddenly shy. “You are very kind, and… if I could see you sometimes… that would be wonderful.”
“Would you like to see me every day?”
His head shot up, sudden hope written there. I was getting better at reading his face, although I missed being able to connect with his mind and feel his gentle love.
“I should like that,” he whispered. “But how…?”
“I still need another four Protectors,” I said. “The choice is entirely mine. It would please me very much if you would be one of them. Then we would always be friends, Hyi. And more than friends.”
Resting one hand on his chest, I stood on tiptoe to kiss him softly.
~~~~~
“I saw you talking to Xando,” Zak said, as the three of walked wearily back to our rooms. I rather liked being a three, with Zak on one side of me and Hytharn the other.
“Well, you two had abandoned me,” I said teasingly.
He smiled, but went on, “You seem to have resolved your differences with him.” I laughed at his delicate phrasing. “No, I’m glad. He has been very misguided, but I think he truly loves you.”
“I know it,” I said. “And I am fond of him, which is why I have asked him to be one of my Protectors.”
The two men exclaimed in surprise, then Zak chuckled. “You really meant it, then? Looking beyond the Akk’ashara for your Protectors?”
“It has been done before, many times,” I said, with a lift of one shoulder.
“But never with a Tre’annatha,” he shot back.
“You do not object?” I said.
“Not in the least. He was surprisingly handy with a sword at Hurk Hranda, and that is important for a Protector. No, it will work very well, I think. We are all of us outsiders, in our different ways.” He laughed. “You will be an unforgettable Keeper, sweet lady.”
We had reached my door.
“Hytharn, I have a favour to ask of you,” I said.
He gave me his slow smile. “Of course. Send him back in the morning.” With that, he ambled off to the room he usually shared with Zak.
“Do you mind?” I asked Zak.
He shook his head, smiling, and followed me into the room. I chased away the flock of servants, and closed the door firmly.
I still carried the book under my arm. With a sigh, I set it down on a table. Later. I would open it later.
“You see?” Zak said. “There are still books for you to read.”
“But I will never again go to the Academia. I will never be so… so immersed in books. I will never be able to close my eyes and smell all those thousands upon thousands of books, all calling to me, wanting to be read.”
“Of course you will. I will go there for you, and be your eyes… and nose! Anywhere I go, you will go too.”
He was right, of course. I would sit here in the Keeper’s Tower, in Mesanthia, and at the same time be anywhere in the world, wherever my Protectors and Children of the Spirit went. I would be with them, always. I wasn’t alone any longer. I would never be alone again.
Taking his hand, I led him across the room to a couch. I pushed him down onto it, slid onto his lap and pulled him towards me for a long, long kiss.
“Are you happy, sweet lady?” he murmured into my ear when we broke apart.
I didn’t have to think about it. “Yes. Yes, I am. Kiss me again, my love.”
So he did.
THE END
Want to hear about new releases? Sign up for my newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
If you have enjoyed reading this book, please consider writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads or wherever you hang out online, to help others decide if they would like it. You can find out the latest news, find bonus scenes and background information, and sign up for the Brightmoon newsletter at my website.
If you want to know more about the mysterious dragons’ eggs discovered by Allandra and Xando in this book, watch out for The Dragon’s Egg, to be published in 2016.
About the Brightmoon Annals
The Brightmoon Annals is a series of books all set in the same world, some five thousand years after it was reshaped by a magical catastrophe. The disaster almost destroyed magic – but not quite. The many different ways in which the pre-catastrophe mages tried to keep magic alive forms the theme of the series.
Each book can be read independently of all the others, but some characters and artefacts from earlier books make an appearance in later books, so there are fun references to enjoy for those who read the series in order.
See all the books and buy.
Books in the Brightmoon Annals:
1: The Plains of Kallanash, published September 2014
2: The Fire Mages (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 1), published January 2015
3: The Mages of Bennamore, published May 2015
4: The Magic Mines of Asharim, published September 2015
5: The Fire Mages’ Daughter (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 2), published January 2016
6: The Dragon’s Egg, projected publication mid-2016
7: The Second God (The Fire Mages Trilogy Book 3), projected publication late-2016
See all the books and buy.
Any questions or comments about this book or the Brightmoon World? Check out my website or email me.
About the author
I live in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland with my husband, my grown up daughter and a mad cat. I like chocolate, whisky, my Kindle, massed pipe bands, long leisurely lunches, watching TV with my daughter, chocolate, going places in my campervan, eating pizza in Italy, s
ummer nights that never get dark, wood fires in winter, chocolate, the view from the study window looking out over the Moray Firth and the Black Isle to the mountains beyond. And chocolate. I dislike driving on motorways, cooking, shopping, hospitals. The Magic Mines of Asharim is my fourth published work.
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to:
Lin White of Coinlea Services for beta reading, proofreading and formatting.
Glendon Haddix of Streetlight Graphics for the cover design.
Beta readers: Michael Omer; Lee of Frostbite Publishing; Kira Tregoning of Fantastical Reads.
The good people of Scribophile for critiques.
Last, but definitely not least, my first reader: Amy Ross.
The Magic Mines of Asharim Page 51