by Aderyn Wood
He stepped toward her and Dale countered it. He squinted as he assessed her, then he waved his arm and uttered a word, “Apage,” and Dale gasped as her handcuffs fell away, dissolving to nothing.
“Am I free?” she said, glancing at the door.
Ricardo smiled. “Freedom. It’s such a problematic word, don’t you think? Is anyone ever really free?”
His golden eyes narrowed and Dale remembered the dreams when she’d been sailing her boat, and the eye in the golden wave. She shivered as an ice-cold warning braced her.
“Please sit,” Ricardo said.
Dale ignored him. “Where’s Balak? What deal did you strike with the traitor?”
Ricardo closed his eyes for a moment before returning his golden gaze to her. “Balak has done his part. He sees the good we’re doing here and has been convinced by it. In time, you may see him again. But for now, please, Princess, sit.”
Dale sat on the sofa, but kept to the edge of the seat. Her hands massaged her wrists where the cuffs had been.
“Do you like your suite?” He swept an arm over the sofa and toward the dining room. “It’s not a patch on your palace in Arcadia, but comfortable nevertheless.”
Dale frowned. Did he know the palace?
“I’m sorry about your treatment. I didn’t intend for you to be placed in those cells. I’m afraid Natalia can be a little enthusiastic when it comes to guarding our guests.”
“I’m not a guest. I don’t want to be here.” Dale’s voice seemed to squeak like a mouse, and she cleared her throat.
A slight grimace shadowed Ricardo’s face before he wiped it away with a smile. “But you will come to understand this is the best place for you, Princess. Yes, in time you will be convinced. And then you’ll be free to choose. I’m confident you will choose to remain here.”
The smooth timbre of his voice made Dale’s skin crawl. She wanted to shove a cushion over her head, anything to block out that voice.
“Why do you want me here?” she asked instead.
Ricardo looked at one of the paintings as he spoke. “I’m sure your mother has filled your mind full of nonsense about the universe and the alleged ‘balance’. No doubt, she’s told you the balance must be restored, or some nonsense.” He paused to look at Dale.
She simply returned his stare without blinking. She would not reveal a thing to him of her mother.
Ricardo studied the painting again. “What if I were to tell you it is a lie. ‘Balance’ is just Queen Anwyn’s excuse for wanting all the power for herself.”
The corners of Dale’s mouth turned down.
“You see balance is unnecessary.”
Dale shook her head. “But the First, those who made the world, the universe, they wrote the rules and it is they who require balance.”
Ricardo raised an eyebrow. “I see they are feeding you the same lies they once fed me. No, Dalendra. It is not so. And what should we do about it? Your mother’s idea of balance is to see the old realm maintained. A world where people suffer. Where the ill die from disease, or corruption, or both. Where only the strong survive. Where good people are exploited by those more powerful.”
Dale frowned. What was he talking about?
“My world, is one in which people can thrive and reach their full potential.”
Dale bit her lip. This was unexpected. Ricardo was talking about the Earthens as though he cared for them. So different to how her mother spoke of them. Dale got the distinct feeling the queen considered Earth vastly inferior to the other worlds.
“I want what is best for Earth,” Ricardo said, “and I’m not going to let your mother stop me. I want you to see for yourself what I’m trying to achieve here. Tomorrow night you will attend the service with us and understand the extent of our reach now, and some of the good we’re achieving. You can make up your own mind about the so-called balance.”
“Service? You mean Christian Central?” Dale remembered being dragged along by her old family, and how the congregation had grown so quickly in such a short amount of time. Back then, Dale thought it was because of the Feathertops and all their society connections, but now she could see other more powerful influences at play.
Ricardo nodded. “Yes.” His brow furrowed. “How do you know of it?”
Dale’s eyes widened. Ricardo didn’t know she used to attend every Sunday. She used to be seated under his very nose and he had no idea. And what of Natalia who had posed as a student at her school, as Prudence Feathertop’s best friend. How was it possible that neither Ricardo nor Natalia had found her? Perhaps Rhys and Gareth had a hand in it. And Ness.
Ness.
Dale looked up at him; here was her chance. “I’ll happily attend your service. Without any resistance whatsoever.”
Ricardo raised his eyebrows, a smile playing on his lips.
“I’ll even open my mind to what you have to show me and consider it all without bias. On one condition.”
Ricardo turned his head, sharply. “What.”
“You bring Ness here. Now.”
16
Dale opened the heavy curtains and her gaze fell on familiar streets. She was in Christian Central after all. Below, George Street glistened with cars spraying puddles as they drove silently by. Grey and brown buildings filled the view. None of them very tall. Glasgow wasn’t famed for its high-rises. She was about ten or fifteen stories up. The cell she’d been taken to must have been deep below ground. Was Ness down there now?
Dale clenched her hands as she watched the city, not wanting hope to get the better of her again. It was morning and a typical Scottish drizzle fell, making Dale shiver just looking at it. A strange mix of emotions pulled within her. Half of her was somehow pleased to see the familiar streets, and the other half yearned for the natural beauty of the Borderlands.
She turned and paced the room, glancing at the door. Ricardo had promised her a ‘surprise’ in the morning. And last night, when Dale had managed to get a little sleep, she didn’t dream of Ness – her first dreamless sleep in weeks.
She sat on the sofa, her body relaxing into the soft comfort. This place was better than the prison cells below, but only just. Prisoner she still was. The waiting was proving difficult no matter where she was.
Christian Central was a relatively new building in Glasgow. No older than five years. But in that time, the congregation for its ostensible religion had multiplied. That’s what Rhys had suggested. She looked around at the dining area and the kitchen, just visible from the sofa. Dale had no idea Christian Central housed these lush apartments, or the prison cells below. She wondered what else it might be hiding.
The door opened and Dale almost leaped off the sofa. A guard walked in and behind him Dale glimpsed silver hair.
“Ness!” Dale ran the short distance and when the guard stepped aside, Dale stopped, and gasped.
It was Ness, hands cuffed and shoulders stooped. Her skin had sunken deep around her eyes, her hair hung in knotty strands. Her lips dry. She looked as though she’d aged a century. But it was definitely Ness. Dale’s breath shuddered with heavy relief. She’d been right all along!
The old sorceress managed to smile and whisper, “Dale.”
Dale embraced her, awkwardly avoiding her handcuffs. Then she stepped back and wiped at her tears. She needed to be strong for both of them.
“Did your mother send you?” Ness asked, her voice hoarse.
“Mother doesn’t know I’m here. I came on my own.”
Ness stared.
“Remove her cuffs,” Dale said with some authority in her voice.
The man looked at the other guard who nodded, then he brought the key out of his pocket and removed the cuffs from Ness’s wrinkled hands.
The security guards left, locking the apartment door behind them, and Dale helped Ness to the sofa, and made her comfortable. She then brought her a glass of water from the kitchen.
Dale glanced around the apartment, suddenly wondering about surveillance, but couldn’t
see any cameras. Not that Ricardo would need any. He could detect as much through his magic. They’d best be careful with their words.
“Ness, I’m so sorry. What have they done to you?”
Ness sipped the water, hands shaking, and then gave Dale the glass. “Oh, naught, really.” Her voice was croaky. “They kept me up here for a while. Then, when that didn’t work they put me down in the cells. I was there for an aeon until last night when I was taken to a room and given medical attention.”
Dale’s mouth fell open.
“Oh, naught to worry over, lass.” Ness pointed to her arm. “They attached one of those IV things to me, and I felt better straight away.”
Dale lowered her voice. “What do you mean ‘didn’t work’? Were they trying to extract information from you?” Dale thought of Balak. How many people had they tried to turn traitor?
“Well, yes, that, but I think Ricardo knows getting information from me would be like prising an acorn from a squirrel in winter.” Ness raised her voice as though inviting him to listen.
“What information did he want?”
“At first he tried to get me to create a portal so he could access Arcadia from here, rather than expending all the effort required to march his Unseelie horde from the Verge.”
Being a dark sorcerer, Ricardo couldn’t access the Borderlands with magic, he could only gain admittance by travelling there, physically, from the Underlands. “So, he tried to use you as a key.”
“At first. But, then I learned of another reason he kept me prisoner.” Ness’s eyes filled with sadness as she shook her head. “Oh, Dale. I’m so sorry.”
Dale frowned. “What? What are you sorry about?”
Ness took a deep sigh. “They were using me as bait. Ricardo wove a spell that targeted only you; he forged a link between us. His goal was to bring you to him through me.”
Dale’s heart stopped. “The dreams.”
“Aye, the dreams.”
Dale scanned the sofa, searching for an answer in the patterned fabric.
“That’s how he got to you. Through your dreams. Just like he used to do when you were sailing to the Borderlands. I don’t know how he has learnt such powerful magic.”
“Then I have truly been a fool.” She looked to the floor. Traps within traps. And she’d walked into every one Ricardo had set. She shook her head. “I have been so incredibly stupid.”
Ness reached out and held her hand. Her touch was ice cold, so far removed from the warm feeling of calm Dale remembered so fondly. “But your magic, your magic," Ness whispered.. "It must be ten times that of Ricardo’s. That is why I called for you when I felt you watching me. You can get us out of here, lass. Just tell me what I have to do.” Ness’s pale blue eyes filled with hope.
Dale patted her hand and let it go, shaking her head. “No,” she whispered. “My power… it has not been realised.”
Ness’s smiled faded. “What do you mean? It’s in the prophecy. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Dale squinted. “What have you seen, Ness? What have you seen exactly?”
Ness, frowned. “You know it is forbidden to speak of it, lass. Even if I wanted to tell you, I can’t. Some visions one sees in the prophecy stone are not to be shared. And sharing such information here would be vastly dangerous.” Her voice had turned to a nervous hiss.
“Well, I’m not convinced. And people back in the Borderlands are starting to doubt it too. What if the prophecy stone is a lie?”
Ness’s eyes widened. “No, that cannot be.”
“Why?” Dale leaned forward.
Ness shook her head. “No, it cannot be a lie.”
“Ness, you haven’t had time to accept it. When you were last in Arcadia, everyone still believed the prophecy, that I was the saviour. Things have changed since then.”
“I tell you, lass, the prophecy doesn’t lie.”
“Why?”
Ness looked up at her, “Because, centuries ago, when I first looked into the stone. I saw this.” She flung an arm around the room. “I was imprisoned in this very room, thin and wasted, and a red-haired girl came to rescue me.”
17
Dale found tea and a kettle in the kitchen along with fresh bread, salad and cheese. She made a pot of tea and sandwiches. Then she and Ness sat on the sofa, clutching steaming cups.
Ness took a long sip. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted that.” She raised her eyes and Dale thought they looked a little more sea-blue, just like they ought to.
“Are you feeling better?”
Ness nodded. “Much.”
Ness was so much thinner now. Her hair looked dry and knotted, and her wrinkles had burrowed deeper on her fragile skin. But she already had more colour in her cheeks and she no longer hunched over as much. Dressed in plain off-white cotton dress, almost like a hospital gown, it was so different from Ness’s usual vibrant colours.
“What happened to your sapphire pendant? Did he take it from you?” Dale asked.
Ness’s hand went to her throat and patted the smooth cloth of her dress. “No, lass. It’s here.” Ness brought it out and Dale’s eyes widened with shock. Her sapphire, usually such a deep blue, was nothing but a dull, grey lump of rock.
“Do you have your crystal?” Ness whispered.
Dale touched the bump under her shirt. “Yes. Why do you suppose he hasn’t taken them?”
Ness shrugged. “I used mine up trying to get out of here. But he has some kind of counter spell over this building. None of my magic ever worked. But, keep your crystal well hidden, lass, let’s not alert him to its presence.”
Dale nodded and took a sip of her tea.
“How is it you got here at all? If your magic isn’t working as you say, and your mother didn’t send you, how did you manage to create a portal?”
Dale pursed her lips. “Do you remember Rhys’ talk of the traitor ?”
Ness frowned. “Aye.”
“Well, it seems I found him.”
“Who?” Ness whispered.
“Balak.”
Ness’s eyes widened. “The horse master?”
“Yes.”
“That seems most… unlikely.” Ness squinted in thought.
“Well, it’s true. Balak led me right to him.”
“Why? What would he want with Ricardo?”
“I’m not sure. But he was always asking me questions about Earth. He had such a strong interest in our way of life here. He always wanted more information, never getting bored about the technology, the food, even the politics.”
“You think he wanted to be re-bonded back to Earth?”
Dale nodded. “It’s the only explanation.”
Ness shook her head slowly. “Balak. He doesn’t strike me as the traitor type.”
“I suppose most traitors don’t seem the type, that’s why they get away with it. But, he was the one who planted the idea in my head to come to Earth and find you. And it was Balak who showed me the portal.”
“What portal?”
Dale bit her lip. “He told me of a sorcerer friend he had, many years ago. Apparently, she made this naturally occurring portal. A link between Earth and the Borderlands that opens only once every few weeks with the rise of Ishtaria. She intended it to be a way to bring groups of Earthens to the Borderlands, potential sorcerers presumably, so they could learn and take their teachings back to Earth to spread the word and lead each other to a brighter future.”
Ness gave a slow nod. “When was this?”
Dale shrugged. “Balak wasn’t specific. He said that after the sorcerer made the portal, she died when the Unseelie attacked the palace.”
Ness put her cup on the coffee table with a loud clang. “Three worlds!” She muttered, and she stared out the window.
“What is it, Ness? What do you know?”
Ness shook her head and muttered, “It cannot be. All this time.”
“Ness?”
A loud knock reverberated on the door and Dale jumped. Th
e door flew open and Dale’s mouth fell open in utter shock.
In the hallway strode a familiar figure, one that Dale had hoped to forget – blue eyes, blonde hair, full make up. Prudence Feathertop entered the apartment and a line of guards scurried behind her carrying cases.
“What the…?” Dale uttered as she slowly stood.
Prudence looked almost the same as the last time Dale had seen her. A little skinnier perhaps, but her peroxided long hair remained her most prominent feature. She had it tied up in a long tail and it swished dramatically from side to side as she sashayed into the room on stiletto heels, chewing gum.
Dale swallowed. “Prudence?”
Prudence stood in the sitting area and adjusted her sunglasses on top of her head. “Well, will you look who the cat dragged in. Good ol’ fairy girl.” She smiled revealing fluorescent white teeth. “The last time I seen you was at St Nino’s. Sorry, about that YouTube joke. It was a bit of a laugh.” She laughed as if to prove it.
Dale frowned. Prudence clearly didn’t remember how Ness had been taken. Perhaps Natalia had wiped that part of her memory. Did she even know Ricardo and Natalia? Who they really were?
“Well, that was a long time ago,” Prudence continued. “We’re both adults now.”
Dale hadn’t forgotten the YouTube clip. If she was to be honest, the whole thing still hurt her a little. Like an old scar that ached from time to time. She felt her cheeks warm just from thinking about it.
“Oh Lord, I see you’re still a beet head.” Prudence laughed and then winked. “Joke.” She ordered the guards to place the cases by the sofa then told them to “Hightail it outta here.”
Dale frowned. “What are you doing here?”
Prudence’s eyes widened. “Didn’t Pastor Richard tell you?”
Dale looked to Ness, who gave a subtle shrug, then back at Prudence. “No.”
“Oh, well. You know he’s such a busy man ’n all. Anyways, he tells me you need prettying up. I’m his stylist now, you know. Ya wouldn’t think there’d be much work in it, but the man keeps me busy.” She gave a wink.