by Taylor Leigh
Victoria knew she was rambling but didn’t want to stop. She wasn’t sure Andrew was even listening. He was probably thinking of his waterworks idea again. His distance was something Victoria could live with. If there was one person who deserved the right to be lost in his own thoughts, it was Andrew. His pale skin was set with a golden healthy glow by the lights from above.
‘You’re giving up the throne to stay here, in this muddy little village?’ Andrew suddenly asked.
Victoria was surprised; she hadn’t thought him to be listening. ‘Better than my dusty little one back home. Is that so wrong?’
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. ‘No,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t suppose you’re the ruling type. But why? Don’t get me wrong, your devotion is awe-inspiring, but why? Why stay?’
‘B—because…I don’t want to leave this. It’s all so beautiful. And I know it’s daft and no-one will understand it; hell, I don’t even understand it…but I don’t want to leave you. Haven’t I made that clear?’
Andrew leant back on his hands. ‘Ah. I see. Victoria, you are flattering, and believe me, you’ve done wonders for my self-esteem. It’s been a nice change.’ His mood flashed, eyes growing dark. ‘But it wouldn’t be fair to you if you stayed because of me and I cannot allow it. I won’t. I never want to be a burden to anyone and every day I’m growing worse. I don’t want someone clinging to me out of devotion. I’ve never wanted that. The very idea of it is…offensive. I’m going to die and it will happen soon and there is nothing you can do about it by caring so I wish you would stop!’
‘Don’t say that!’ Victoria snapped. ‘We’ll figure something out. You’re so negative!’
‘It is an inevitability that you cannot ignore. By letting your…caring,’ he spat the word almost as if it tasted bad, ‘you’re only going to make bad choices. You have to think about what you’re saying!’
‘I have. What’s the point of me going back home if what I care for is here?’
‘Don’t be so foolish! If you wish to stay, you must have a legitimate reason. Staying for me isn’t something I’ll accept.’
Victoria bit her lip. ‘This is ridiculous. Why can’t you just accept the fact I want to stay because of you?’
‘Oh, lord, do I have to spell it out for you?’ he almost roared. ‘A legitimate reason, Victoria!’
She squeezed her eyes closed. ‘Because I’ll die if I go home! The Denizens tried to murder me and if I go back then they will for sure!’
He narrowed his eyes at her for a second, working over her words, trying to find some fault with them, and then, amazingly, nodded his head. ‘Fine.’
‘I guess that’s about as good of an invitation I can expect from you, isn’t it?’
He cocked his head to one side. ‘What were you expecting?’
Victoria rested her head against his thin, stiff shoulder. ‘Nothing. That was very…you.’
He turned his gaze away from her then, fuming quietly.
The beautiful golden lights in the sky deepened, slowly rotating, growing brighter with each second. Victoria wondered if the phenomenon happened every year. Perhaps it was due to the approaching deep freeze that had them glowing in such a spectacular fashion this evening.
A few people down the pier were starting to ooh and ah over it, as if it were the second act to the waterworks show.
Victoria sat back, fighting down her frustration. He wouldn’t let her stay because she cared about him. Why the hell not? Was it really so offensive to him to know someone had feelings for him? ‘You’re disappointed.’
He didn’t look back at her. ‘Disappointed?’
‘That I’ve fallen for you.’ Victoria looked down at her hands. ‘I can tell by your eyes. You must think I’m a silly little girl.’
He sighed heavily. ‘Guess I can’t really blame you.’ He paused. ‘But I,’ Andrew sucked in a deep breath, ‘Victoria, if you are planning on staying here, I must stress that it cannot be out of devotion to me. I hope I’ve made that clear. If that’s the case then I’ll make sure you never see me again. I’ve already told you, I’m not going to be around much longer. And what happens if I somehow do survive and am invited to Academia? You won’t be able to go with me. Special invitation only.’
Victoria crossed her arms. ‘Oh? Special invitation? You wouldn’t have gotten that bloody book started without me! Those wig-wearing professors should be tripping over themselves to talk to me! They don’t know what they’re missing!’
Andrew chuckled, mood lightening, much to her relief. ‘Okay, you have a point there,’ he said. ‘I suppose I can make an arrangement. You can go with me to Academia, if I’m invited, which is still a big if. After all, like you said, the book wouldn’t have happened without you. The professors there would be mad to pass up an opportunity like this. It could be the planet’s first exchange programme!’
‘Brilliant! You really wouldn’t mind having me around?’
Andrew lowered his eyes. ‘It would probably be good for both of us.’
Victoria leant back, filled with inexplicable warmth. She was staying on Scottorr and she was going to go to Academia! And more importantly, Andrew wanted her to go—sort of. She felt giddy. Her future was finally clear to her, no longer muddled in uncertainty and fear. For the first time, Victoria believed her life would actually begin.
She wasn’t sure how long they sat there in the darkness. The sky above was webbed with the golden light, blotting out Scrabia like spilt milk. She shivered slightly. Staying on Scottorr was such an attractive prospect. Undoubtedly, coming to the Green World had been the best thing to ever happen to her. Still, she felt a slight tug of guilt about not going back. There had been so much left undone, unsaid…She wondered how Reginald was getting on.
Victoria studied Andrew’s cutting profile in the darkness. His face was downcast, lips and eyes lowered, unseeing the world around him. She felt a sadness growing in her as she watched him. He truly was wasting away, becoming more broken with each passing day. A dark part of her wondered if he would even reach his goal for Academia.
Up above, Victoria could have sworn that the lights had begun to hum, as if full of live bees, mixing with the relaxing pull of the waves. Her eyes didn’t make it up far enough to see, however, because she was suddenly caught in Andrew’s intense gaze.
‘How funny your little brain must be…’ he said thoughtfully.
She didn’t get a chance to respond.
At that moment, something happened that Victoria would never be able to explain. A blinding bright light flashed, colouring everything in golden-white, roaring like a waterfall. The shock of it threw her flat on her back. Victoria could see nothing against the brilliance as she gasped and squeezed her eyes shut against it.
As quickly as the light appeared, it vanished. The brilliance in the sky, which had been so strong overhead, was simply gone, leaving nothing but a starry void in its place. Victoria gazed up shakily. People at the end of the dock were chattering excitedly, shouting. She stared at Andrew, who looked stunned, blinking stupidly, still lying on his back.
Dots swam in front of Victoria’s vision. She closed her eyes, trying to clear them.
People on the shoreline were gasping in confusion, calling to each other.
‘What was—?’
Andrew was on his feet in an instant, scanning the thin crowd at the end of the pier. The group was talking excitedly—all except for Thedric, who stood stone still, staring into the black, tossing waves.
‘MOLLY!’ he shouted.
Victoria felt all of her happiness drain away into numb horror. Andrew broke into a run and slid to a stop at the edge of the pier and Victoria raced after him. He shoved those at the end roughly out of his way and went to searching the tossing waves. Others were fighting to get a look.
Andrew ripped off his coat and scarf and kicked off his shoes.
‘Victoria! Go sound the alarm! Go get help!’
‘The water—’ Victoria stammered numbly. ‘Andr
ew, it’s so cold. It’s suicide to jump in there, especially for you!’
‘Just go!’ Andrew yelled, and then dove into the blackness.
Thedric swore and ripped his own tunic off. ‘Get to the docks. You’ll find the best help there. Just find anyone you can!’
Victoria whirled round and went charging down the pier, shouting at the few teens on the rocks as she went. They stared her dumbly. She swerved off of the pier and went racing down the walkway, past the giant white-washed hotels and richly dressed diners, shouting at the top of her lungs for help. Being in the posh end of town didn’t help. Most of these visitors probably didn’t know how to swim.
Finding a group of useful people took an agonising long time. Layered dresses and coat-tails were of no use to Andrew. She needed to find a sailor! She had managed to stop several along the way, and alarm was slowly beginning to spread. Someone was drowning. The excitement was too good for most to resist. Victoria knew how much could happen in the amount of time she’d been away and felt panic fill her. She pushed through the thick crowd screaming for help till she reached the large bell tower in the centre of the district’s square.
She grabbed hold of the rope and tugged down hard. It seemed to take for ever for the bell to finally make a noise and it took at least ten good rings before people started appearing in their doorways, dressed in their nightclothes and bleary-eyed. There were so many people out already, and making so much noise, she was terrified no-one would hear, but slowly people started to gather.
‘What’s all this about?’ A man was there now, pushing through the crowd. He tugged Victoria away from the bell. ‘What’s going on, girl?’
‘My friend!’ Victoria gasped. ‘She’s fallen in the water! Andrew went in after her. Help!’
There was some debate. People did not seem to be grasping the urgency of the situation.
‘Molly might be drowning!’ she shouted above the voices. ‘Down at the pier! Help Andrew! He’s in the freezing water in the dark trying to find her!’ Her voice strained high and hoarse.
Finally, movement. There were a few gasps and then people were dashing towards the pier, grabbing torches and blankets. Victoria watched them go, feeling shaken. The crowd pushed past her. Only then did she realise dully that she was crying. Victoria tried to shake herself out of the tears. Molly was going to be fine. She just slipped in. Andrew probably had her by now. He had proven himself an excellent swimmer. In a few minutes, they’d both stagger up, soaking, and the crowd would be irritated with her for distracting them for nothing.
But what about the light? She couldn’t shake the blinding goldenness from her mind. It was seared into her head with a striking, inexplicable intensity. With Andrew momentarily gone, she needed someone with answers—someone who wasn’t afraid to accept the inexplicable. She knew who she needed and desperately searched the crowd in hopes of seeing his thin frame.
She turned down towards the water. There had to be at least a hundred people there now, more constantly coming, all packing down towards the pier. There was no room for her. Still, she stumbled towards the walkway that stretched above the crashing waves, past the hotels, eyes glued on the black water and the pier. A figure was headed her way, jogging out of the darkness, tall and slim. Her heart lurched when she realised who it was and broke into a run, pushing past the finely dressed lords and ladies whom were excitedly chattering over the ringing of the alarm bell.
The ringing of the town bell had attracted a good portion of people in the area, whom were curious for any sort of new excitement. Victoria pushed past the heavy flow of people dashing down towards the water’s edge and ran towards the figure, who stood a head above the crowd, frowning in thoughtful curiosity. She was surprised he wasn’t out on the pier. Hadn’t he heard the bell?
She finally reached him and collapsed in Tollin’s arms.
‘What’s all the fuss about?’ he asked, hauling her back to her feet, voice gentle.
Victoria took a deep breath and wiped tears from her face. ‘Oh, Tollin, it’s Molly!’
Tollin’s face shifted from one of carelessness to one of concern. ‘What’s happened?’ he barked.
Victoria swallowed another lungful of cold air and pointed back down to the water.
Molly’s name drifted up to them in desperate cries. Her hopes of things ending quickly and happily vanished then. They should have found her by now!
‘Tollin, we think she’s fallen in. There was this terrible light and it blinded everyone. It came out of nowhere. You must have seen it!’ Victoria whispered brokenly. ‘When it left she was gone. She must have fallen in without warning. I don’t know what happened!’
‘What has she done? I told her to leave it alone!’ Tollin was already pushing past her. He dodged through the spectators, jumped the rail that ran the walkway and dropped to the rocks below. The black water thundered beneath him. He froze, staring at the commotion around him with a broken expression, then he tilted his head back and screamed at the sky. ‘Bring her back! Do you hear me? She wasn’t yours to take! You can’t do this!’
His voice was lost in the waves. Victoria, bewildered, struggled to join him, desperately wanting to be close to him, but she knew it was pointless. She was hardly as acrobatic as he was and she’d never be able to clamber back up. The water crashing around him terrified her. The shouts from the end of the pier were growing more infrequent now. Victoria stared down at Tollin and cried his name through tears.
‘Tollin! Come back! Please!’
The waves were growing higher, more violent, amplifying his rage. One would surely pull him under. His countenance slowly melted to one of quiet acceptance. He nodded slowly, his eyes raking the scene one last time. Then he turned round, swung himself back up to the walkway and turned his back on the water, leaving Victoria alone in the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Morning could not have come more slowly. At one point in the night Bard had found her where Tollin had left her and took her back to Miol Mor, where he said members of their village would meet back after the search. Victoria hadn’t seen Tollin as she’d ridden back, but she had a feeling he wasn’t going to stay in Flotsen after the accident. Maybe he wouldn’t come back at all.
The night had dragged out far longer than Victoria felt was possible, like a nightmare that would not end. Slowly, however, with the rising sun, people began to return from the search and trudge back along the road to the town. They had worked through the cold night and still they had not found a body.
Victoria realised she must have fallen asleep waiting for the others to return, for when she woke she was in her bed, though she didn’t remember retiring. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. But she couldn’t fall back into the numbness of sleep. She had to know what had happened. She dressed quickly and went to search the crowded lodge. On her way, she checked Andrew’s room but saw no sign of him. She tried to ignore the worried thoughts that he’d drowned as well. He must have arrived while she was asleep.
What a night it had been.
She stepped into the sitting area, greeted immediately by the warmth of a large fire. She hadn’t really expected it, but Andrew was there, curled up in his usual chair. She shut her eyes a moment in selfish relief, sending up thanks that he was all right. Though it was warm inside, he was wrapped snugly in his thick wool coat and scarf. Instead of his usual outfit he wore a kilt and a smart black shirt. She was surprised by the change; he never deviated from his set habits.
His pale eyes were fixed on the flames and he didn’t acknowledge her arrival. Victoria couldn’t help but notice he didn’t look well. His skin was paler than normal, his eyes hollow and cheeks rosy. He had also developed a wracking cough.
She exhaled. He must have caught something out in the freezing water. She touched his forehead. He didn’t respond and his skin was hot to the touch. ‘You have a fever,’ she sighed. He didn’t move. His eyes stayed fixed on the spot before him. Victoria sat beside his chair and re
sted her head against his knee. It was then that she noticed the red rose he was absently twirling between his fingers. His eyes finally met hers.
‘You been back long?’ she asked gently.
Andrew didn’t reply for a long moment. ‘Left before sunrise. Figured I better get back to the village before I had a fit and they’d have to search for another body in the water. Saw you asleep. Didn’t want to wake you.’ He swallowed. ‘We didn’t find her.’
‘Oh,’ Victoria bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say. A wave of sadness washed over her.
Andrew broke into a fit of wracking coughs, painful to hear. He twisted the rose in his hands. ‘Look, Victoria, this is a bit awkward for me to say. The funeral is today, in just a couple of hours…’
She was shocked. ‘Funeral? Already? But they haven’t even found the body!’
Andrew nodded. ‘I know, but’s the way things are done here. It’s kind of a private thing…I doubt anyone will say anything, but it’s one of those sacred traditions. Family and the village only.’
Victoria morosely understood. ‘I shouldn’t be there for it.’
The idea crushed her. She’d only known Molly about four months, but she’d grown fond of her in that time. Not paying her respects felt like a betrayal to her memory. Still, she decided to keep her complaints to herself. During this time, the last thing she wanted to cause was a stir.
‘I’m sorry. I know she was your friend. It’s just the way things are.’ Andrew tossed the rose into the flames at they both watched it curl up and burn. ‘After the funeral we’ll head out to the keep. I need to get away from this place for a while. I need out of this damnable confining city.’