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The Destiny of Amalah

Page 16

by Thandi Ryan


  ‘Yes Garrick,’ she said looking at him with a mixture of uncertainty and fear.

  ‘Rakan tells me that it took a lot for you to come and face him today – I agree, it did.’ The Empress softened when she heard Garrick’s words. ‘You say you are sorry Empress and I believe you, but I am still angry. Angry with you mostly and angry because for a terrible dreadful moment, I thought I was going to lose my son and I was more scared than I had ever been in my life. I will accept your apology when my anger has abated.’

  ‘Garrick, I am truly sorry and I understand...’

  ‘No you don’t,’ Garrick said interrupting her. ‘Empress I swore to your father, mother and yourself my allegiance to you, but make no mistake, my allegiance will not hold if you ever hurt any of my children ever again.’

  The two of them stared at each other, Amara was surprised by Garrick’s revelation and she did not hide it and Garrick continued staring at her with that fixed steely expression that could make most people shake.

  ‘When I wounded Rakan, I wounded you,’ she said humbly. ‘Garrick, I truly am sorry. I will never hurt your children again. I swear it to you now,’ she continued, as she reached for one of his now folded arms and touched it.

  ‘That is the only promise you ever need to make to me,’ Garrick said, nodding once.

  ‘And it is a promise I shall keep,’ Amara said, before she let go of Garrick’s arm sensing that she could do or say no more. Garrick would forgive her in his own time and all she could do was wait.

  ‘If you will excuse me Empress, I have matters to attend to,’ he said curtly.

  ‘Very well Garrick. I bid you good day.’

  ‘Good day,’ he said as he strode past her at a hurried pace.

  Amara stood and watched Garrick walk away from her and when he was out of sight she continued on her way to her own destination. En route she met Michael who enquired how she was and the two of them discussed Rakan and Ellora and the rest of the day and lastly Garrick. Amara explained what had taken place between them and Michael listened as she repeated their conversation.

  ‘Garrick is a good man Empress and in all of the years I have known him I have rarely seen him angry. What happened to Rakan shook the very core of his being, give him some time and space.’

  ‘I know Michael, it is not that alone that upsets me.’

  ‘Then what is it?’

  ‘When I see Garrick look at me, his expressions, his eyes, his manner, he shows me, not just his anger but also, just how deeply I hurt him and that is deeply painful for me knowing just how much I hurt the others.’

  ‘All things in time Empress: peace, forgiveness, understanding, they all come in time.’

  Amara and Michael walked to her room and they spent time in her lounge, talking and discussing things. Michael had turned the conversation into a light-hearted one and they were now talking like two old friends; they laughed and joked and reminisced about old times. Amara reminisced about being a child and Michael about before and after the war. They were engaged in each others company and did not notice the time slip away as it seemed to go so quickly. Eventually when the night passed the two of them rose and made their way to the door, and Michael kissed Amara on both cheeks before the two of them went their separate ways and returned to their rooms to sleep until mid-morning.

  Humility – that is what Amara expressed in the coming weeks, she spent much of her time speaking with her staff individually and collectively. She apologised for her behaviour and for hurting them and then she promised to put things right and return palace life to the way it was, the way it was supposed to be and she asked that they forgive and understand her – which they did.

  Amara spoke to the guard and asked for their forgiveness and understanding; which of course they gave and finally she spoke with her father’s five friends and they too accepted her apologies and her promises. Amara had spoken with everyone she needed to speak with to make peace and before long, even the old staff had returned to the palace. She had apologised and asked for forgiveness and made promises that things were going to return to normal, all she had to do from that moment on was to keep her promises.

  Amalah was blessed once again and Amara and Ellora had begun to move on with their lives and started to become happy. Life in the palace had finally returned to normal and everything was how it was supposed to be: peaceful, prosperous and full of happiness and love.

  Since things had returned to normal and Rakan had recovered, Michael, Garrick and the others arranged for Amara and Rakan to be taught how to harness and control their power. In the beginning Thaddeus and Raynor taught them the principles of magic and basic spells and sought to find out exactly how much power they had, and to their surprise the two of them possessed a great deal. They had seen powerful sorcerers but had never known any to possess this much when they were beginning their craft or when they were so young. Thaddeus and Raynor wondered how much power each of them would possess once each of them had fully developed and tapped into that power: for now, it was beyond their imagination and they could only wait and see.

  Thaddeus and Raynor struggled to continue teaching Amara and Rakan as the two men had other commitments; which included spending time on the council, visiting both schools of magic and doing their own work, and as time went on, they could not always make time for Amara and Rakan. Eventually they brought in Gaerwen from the great school of Lansten. Gaerwen was a powerful, knowledgeable and respected sorcerer in the school.

  Thaddeus and Raynor knew Gaerwen well and to them, there was no one else in their mind who would be best suited to teaching Rakan and Amara. Gaerwen accepted the invitation immediately and despite her students’ sadness, she left them and followed Raynor and Thaddeus to Amalah.

  On meeting her, Amara and Rakan took to her instantly and she to them and so it was, that Gaerwen remained in Amalah and taught Rakan and Amara magic. Gaerwen had been teaching for fifteen years and she saw that Rakan and Amara had power but she saw what most people didn’t, that one day they would be two of the most powerful people on earth, but her knowledge of that and her surprise – she kept to herself.

  Time went by quickly now that things were so good for everyone in Amalah; the celebrations came and went as did: birthdays and other gatherings. The celebrations went by quickly but the jubilant feelings remained. Oh how happiness is contagious and so is laughter and love. Good times!

  Chapter 12

  Good times. Good times that lasted, Amara had now found in Michael the confidante and friend that she really needed and she continued to smile and feel blessed and no longer an Empress alone. Life for her seemed lighter and brighter and although she had work and duties to attend to, she now made a deliberate effort to spend time on herself. Amara also spent more time with her sister and when she could, she would spend time with the five boys. Although Amara was busy, she enjoyed her life.

  Amara spent time with Michael, Ellora, the five boys and with Gaerwen. Gaerwen taught her magic’s but more than that, Gaerwen’s kind and easygoing manner made her comfortable and somehow Gaerwen was able to be a friend, a matriarch and a teacher all at the same time to the young Empress.

  A year had passed now and it was felt by all that Amara should now undertake travels to the nations to greet the leaders and the people. After much planning and preparation: Amara, Michael, Häkan, Raynor and Gaerwen set about on their travels to the nations.

  Amara first made her way to Mantor to see where her father was born and raised; there she met the elders and leaders of the village and talked with the people who welcomed her warmly. She loved Mantor; she loved the people, the land and the beauty of the place. To her, it felt like a home from home; she had lived in Amalah all of her life but she felt an affinity with Mantor and its people, which was comforting and yet peculiar to her.

  Amara and company travelled throughout Mantor and went on to Filine. Everywhere they went they were welcomed and warmly greeted and lavish parties and banquets were thrown in their honour.
The people of the villages and the cities treated their guests with great warmth and hospitality. Always, there was entertainment, copious amounts of delicious food and fine wines, and exquisite gifts given to the esteemed visitors. When Amara and company moved on, the people were genuinely sad to see them go and Amara and her company were always, very sad to leave them.

  Their journeying continued throughout the months and every now and then, riders would return to Amalah saddled with the gifts that the Empress and the others had received. They would secure the gifts, find Ellora and tell her news of her sister and give her the letters that Amara continued to write to her, and Ellora would hand them the letters that she had written to her sister. The riders would meet with the council before returning to their quarters and in the morning, head out to meet with the Empress once again.

  The next morning when the rider’s departed Ellora watched them leave; she wondered where her sister was at this moment in time and what she was doing. She mused to herself for quite a while wondering about the world outside that she had never seen. She wondered what went on all across the nations and if anyone was thinking about the people of Amalah and then she thought of Amara again.

  This was the longest time that the two of them had ever been apart, she missed her sister dearly but she hoped that she was having the time of her life – “besides there was always plenty to do in Amalah and she had the five boys for company,” she thought to herself.

  While Amara was away Ellora and the five boys spent time at school and when they were not there, they were roaming the palace grounds and Amalah itself. Garrick had remained in the palace and as well as supervising Amalah, the palace and the guard; he took care of the six children. He seemed to have endless energy and he enjoyed his time with the children as much as they enjoyed their time with him.

  At the weekends, he would arrange for them to have something to do. He and some of the guard would take them camping and they would go hunting, fishing and travelling. They would stay up late at night with the stars and a bonfire to keep light and Garrick and a guardsman would tell stories and tales of yester years.

  When there was no school Garrick would take them adventuring for longer periods and in that time, the six of them grew in many ways. They were all growing taller now Rakan, Waldon and Kenaz considerably so. They were growing up physically and emotionally and signs of maturity were now showing among them. Both mentally and emotionally Garrick was there for all of them when they wanted to talk, or confide, or just ask his advice. They all loved Garrick dearly and Garrick loved them all back, they looked up to him and in return, never failed them once.

  In the autumn months the six of them went travelling again, this time in the north of Mantor; they were to stay there for five days and see the amazing wildlife and forestry that Mantor had to offer. While there, the children were fascinated and in awe of the wildlife that they came across and when they weren’t observing the wildlife; they were swimming in the river or climbing the trees and generally having fun.

  One day, while they were out on their travels, Kenaz and Waldon were climbing the highest trees while Garrick and Kalon were collecting wood for a fire. Ellora, Rakan and Rufus remained on the ground and looked on as the two boys larked about and raced each other to the top of the gigantic tree.

  ‘Come on Waldon,’ Kenaz shouted to his friend. ‘You’ve got ages to go yet,’ he said excitedly.

  ‘I’ll get there don’t worry,’ Waldon said motioning to his friend to continue ahead.

  ‘Hopefully today,’ Kenaz said cheekily. ‘I’ll see you at the top,’ he said to Waldon, not looking at what his hands were doing or where they were going, for if he had, he would have seen that the two branches he was grabbing onto with both hands, were rotten all the way through and when he grabbed them; he heard the unmistakeable sound of a branch snapping.

  Kenaz looked to his hands in a flash, aghast as he felt them pull away from the rest of the tree with a branch in each hand and then he began to plummet down to the ground much to his horror. Waldon saw his friend plummet past him and screamed his friends name as he saw the look on Kenaz’s face and realised the inevitability of the whole situation, Ellora screamed loudly and Rakan and Rufus looked up in horror to see Kenaz plummeting towards them.

  ‘No,’ Rufus shouted. He was suddenly overwhelmed by fear and horror as he thought about the terrible fate that awaited his friend when he inevitably hit the ground. ‘No,’ he shouted again, as he stuck his right arm out and pointed at Kenaz and as his arm shot out, a screaming Kenaz froze in mid air about ten feet above the ground.

  Waldon gaped as he saw Kenaz freeze on the spot and Rufus, Rakan and Ellora all looked at each other as their jaws dropped leaving their mouths wide open. They stared at each other in turn and then at Kenaz and then back at each other, and they did that a few more times until the sound of Waldon’s voice broke their pattern of behaviour.

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘Rufus,’ Rakan shouted up to Waldon.

  ‘How?’ Ellora asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Rufus said slowly and quietly.

  ‘He looks frozen,’ Rakan said.

  ‘He’s still in mid-air,’ Ellora reminded them both.

  ‘Yes but neither one of us can reach him,’ Rufus said again very slowly.

  ‘I can,’ Rakan said.

  He closed his eyes and began to levitate upwards towards Kenaz, when his head was just below Kenaz’ body; he paused, opened his eyes, looked up at him and prodded him in the back. When Rakan was finished poking Kenaz and trying to figure out what had happened, he closed his eyes again before he rose a few more inches until Kenaz was at his waist and then he opened his eyes once more. When his eyes were open, he remained in the same place hovering next to Kenaz.

  ‘Gaerwen has taught you well?’ Ellora said, impressed with Rakan’s powers.

  ‘Yes she has, and she says there is still much to learn,’ Rakan said as he looked on Kenaz.

  He was amazed by the state he was in and then to satisfy his curiosity he prodded him.

  ‘It is strange, he feels as though he was frozen through and through like the lakes we hear about in the North.’

  Rakan was about to say something else but then he caught sight of his father and Kalon running through the woods and when they were feet away, Garrick and Kalon stopped dead in their tracks and stared at the frozen Kenaz and the levitating Rakan.

  ‘What happened?’ Garrick asked urgently, as he steeled himself to remain calm. ‘We heard screaming.’

  ‘Kenaz fell out of the tree and screamed and Rufus froze him on the way down before he hit the floor,’ Ellora explained, looking earnestly at Garrick.

  ‘Neither one of us could reach him father so I rose to retrieve him,’ Rakan said, as he took hold of Kenaz by the waist and brought him down to the ground with himself. Kenaz lay frozen on the ground his eyes wide and staring, while the five of them stared at him for a time but then Kalon broke the silence.

  ‘How did you freeze him Rufus?’

  ‘I do not know I just know I wanted him to stop and I stuck my arm out and he froze.’

  ‘Now it’s time to unfreeze him,’ Garrick said, as looked up at the top of the tree and shook his head. ‘It would have killed him for sure had he landed,’ Garrick said visibly relieved. ‘Well done Rufus you saved Kenaz’s life,’ Garrick said squeezing Rufus’ shoulder.

  ‘I’m not sure how to unfreeze him though.’

  ‘Do what you did in reverse,’ Kalon said simplistically.’ You wished him to stop now wish him to start and stick your hand out at the same time.’

  Rufus looked at Kalon for a moment, his face was a mixture of doubt and indignation but he did as Kalon suggested. He wished hard and stuck his hand out towards Kenaz, the other four looked on expectantly but alas nothing happened and Kenaz remained frozen. Kenaz’ back was on the floor, his arms were vertical and his legs were at ninety degree angles and he was in the exact same position he had been in when he p
lummeted from the tree. Waldon had now climbed down from the tree and he ran to the circle; who were still staring at the frozen Kenaz.

  ‘Is Kenaz alright?’ he asked alarmed.

  ‘We think so,’ Garrick said.

  ‘What happened to him?’ Waldon asked

  ‘Rufus somehow froze him,’ Rakan replied.

  ‘Well why haven’t you unfrozen him yet?’ Waldon asked.

  ‘I tried,’ Rufus said slightly exasperated.

  ‘Try again!’ Waldon said.

  ‘It won’t work,’ Rufus began.

  ‘You only tried once Rufus try again, you never know.’

  Rufus was beginning to get annoyed, he knew what he had done and he had no knowledge of how to undo it and everyone was assuming he could just click his fingers and solve the problem, but Rufus tried and tried and tried again to unfreeze his friend but it was of no avail. He tried for over half an hour and then an hour but it was all in vain and then Rakan tried, but he too failed.

  ‘Gaerwen says it is very rare for one to undo others magic,’ Rakan told them.

  ‘We can’t just leave him there,’ said a frustrated Waldon.

  ‘Really!’ Rufus responded. ‘Because I was going to turn him over and use him as a stool from now on,’ Rufus said with biting sarcasm.

  Waldon glared at Rufus and Rufus glared back, in no way intimidated by Waldon.

  ‘Well – we could use him as a stool.’ Kalon said impishly which made everyone except Rufus giggle.

  Ellora stepped in between Rufus and Waldon seeing that there was still friction between the two boys: ‘We will unfreeze him, we will. Rufus you just need to work out how you did this, what triggered it and how to trigger it again.’

  ‘I think he’s going to have almighty cramp when you do finally unfreeze him,’ Rakan added.

  ‘I do hope that you unfreeze Kenaz before his parents arrive back in Amalah Rufus. I do not think they will be too happy to return and find their son frozen,’ Waldon said.

  ‘No – I think they will,’ Rufus said acidly. ‘I know how much they like unusual furniture!’

 

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