by Jenna Grey
They followed up the staircase and into another large hall, which although still grand, was nothing in comparison to the one they had just left. Lily recognised it immediately as the one she had seen before when she had accidentally dream walked into the castle. At the far end was a dais, and on that the two thrones of the King and Queen of the North. King Elidor was seated on the throne, a great carved creation meant to intimidate and reflect his majesty. He was an impressive figure, that great black beard in elaborate curls, almost down to his slightly bulbous waist. Lily imagined that once he had been a very fine figure of a man, but too much good living had turned hard muscle into fat. He stood in front of his throne in his royal finery, making Connor and Lily look even more like two poor relatives at a society wedding.
Elidor stood as Connor and Lily came closer to the throne. Adeline walked up the few steps to her own throne and stood beside her husband.
“So you’re the young whelp that has pretensions to the throne,” Elidor said, glaring at Connor and making Lily’s toe’s curl. Connor simply stood his ground and stared straight back at him.
“I pretend nothing, Your Majesty. We are here to give you information that we hope will save lives. This has nothing to do with any claims to title or rank; we’re simply here to give you grave news and offer advice from the goddess Hecate herself. If you feel that it’s beneath you to accept advice from one of the old gods, then please feel free to ignore what we have to say.”
The King’s face turned from quiet indignation to utter contempt and outrage.
“How dare you come into my court and speak to me like this!” he hissed.
Adeline quietened him with a hand on his arm. He fell silent instantly. Lily had no doubt who wore the pants in this relationship.
“Let them continue, dear husband. We have nothing to lose by listening to what they have to say.”
Her reasonableness worried Lily more than if Adeline had joined her husband in berating them. There was something about Adeline’s expression that warned her to be very cautious.
Connor gave a grim nod and continued.
“You are aware already that Tunneltown has fallen,” he said. It was a statement not a question. Neither Lily or Connor had any doubts that even if Adeline had not divined it, then their scouts would have reported back about it by now.
“We are aware of everything that goes on in our kingdom,” Adeline said. “There is nothing you can tell us that we don’t already know.”
There was just the hint of a smile at the corner of her perfectly formed mouth. In that moment Lily truly hated her; she didn’t give a damn about her people, or how many had been killed in the attack, all she cared about was hanging onto her precious throne. Lily didn’t even try to hide her thoughts this time, she didn’t care if the bitch could read them.
“You’re more certain of that than I am,” Connor said. He turned and cast a glance around the room and the few courtiers that were there and the guards at the door. “I can’t tell you what I know in front of others. May we have a private audience with you, Majesties. What I have to say is for your ears alone. I promise you will want to hear it.”
The King hesitated for a moment, then looked at his wife, who gave one curt nod, her face stony now.
One by one the courtiers and guards left. Was the Queen so sure of her own power that she would leave her and the King unguarded? It seemed so.
Adeline and Elidor seated themselves again, Adeline adjusting her robes carefully so they sat perfectly around her slim form, as if that were far more important to her than anything Connor might have to say. Connor and Lily waited, Lily growing more and more frustrated with this woman with every passing second. Adeline finally looked up and said:
“Now, tell me what you have to say, would-be usurper and then be gone.”
Connor gave a long and heavy sigh.
“I may well be telling you a great deal of what you already know, but I will say it, anyway. My wife and are have spent most of our lives in Midgard, taken there for our own protection when we were babies, because our parents feared for our lives. We are amongst the last of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, and yes, I know that you probably can sense that I have no power and Lily only a little. I will explain that in a moment.”
Adeline did smile then, a smile that made Lily’s flesh crawl.
“No need, I already know,” cut in Adeline, her voice like syrup. “Please just continue, and reveal this great secret to me.”
Lily felt Connor tense beside her, and she felt just a little sick. This woman was playing games with them, a game where only she knew the rules.
“We were brought back here to Elphame by the goddess Hecate herself to stop Ahriman and bring him to justice. To save both worlds.”
Elidor looked truly outraged, moving forwards a few steps, his stance aggressive and he snarled openly at the two of them.
“You’re wasting our time. I have more important things to occupy me now than this madness. Get out the pair of you,” Elidor said.
“No, I would like to hear how they intend to save us, perhaps they have some great weapon to use against the Djinn. Do you?” Adeline asked.
“Not yet, but we well have,” Connor said. Adeline looked intrigued now.
“Go on...”
“May I ask, Your Majesties, do you know why Ahriman and the Djinn have suddenly become so powerful?” There was just a moment’s hesitation and Lily knew in that instant that Adeline had been taken by surprise by the question, and Connor had seen it too. Connor didn’t wait for her to answer. “Ahriman has somehow acquired the Ring of Solomon and he has used its power to decimate Midgard. The world of men has fallen, and lies in ruins, only the power of the Tuatha Dé Danaan can bring life back to it, just as they have done in the past. Hecate has charged us with the task of getting the ring back from Ahriman and using its power to restore what has been destroyed ‒ to save you and your people from his armies.”
Adeline’s face, already milk pale, lost even more colour by the time Connor had finished the sentence. Lily wasn’t sure if it was fear born from the news that Connor had just given her, or outrage that he’d dared to claim that he was the only one that could save them. Elidor, looked ashen, and Lily noticed that his hand had begun to tremble. Lily thought that under the circumstances that was a pretty restrained reaction on his part. Having an entire army camped outside your city, ready to destroy every living thing inside it was bad enough, but to be told that the two teenagers in front of him was their only hope of defeating him, must have come as quite a blow. Adeline didn’t speak for a moment, just stared at Connor with pinched lips. She finally said:
“And you really believe that you can do that?”
Connor hesitated a moment then said, “We have no choice but to believe it, because this task was given to us by the Powers That Be.”
And then Adeline laughed, a bright happy laugh that made Lily’s skin sizzle.
“And how are you going to do that without any power, child?”
Connor’s lips tightened to a pinch and Lily could feel the little ripples of anger coming from him. Lily only wished they were little ripples of power.
“We will get our power back,” he said. “I… I made a mistake, I called on power that I should never had called on to defeat Rawhead and Bloody Bones. It somehow stole my magic, but I know my power, Lily’s full power will return in time and we will succeed.”
Adeline just smiled at them, that same contemptuous smile, that made Lily want to put her fist in the smug bitch’s face.
“Oh really, and where do you think you got the power from to defeat Rawhead, you foolish child?”
Lily just froze, and she felt Connor go corpse rigid beside her.
“You?...”
“I have been watching you ever since you tried to sneak into my palace, to eavesdrop on our council meeting,” she said to Lily. Lily set her jaw and stared her straight in the eyes.
“I didn’t sneak, Hecate brought me to you because I nee
ded to know what was going on. Everything we have done we’ve done for the benefit of you and your people. We don’t want your throne, I don’t want to be Queen. This has been forced on us and we are just doing what we have to do for the sake of all feykind and the Powers That Be.”
Adeline gave Lily a scalding look.
“Oh, very altruistic. What a naive little creature you are. Do you really think I would let you take power from me? I’ve already beaten you! He,” she spat, pointing an accusatory finger at Connor, as if she were thrusting a dagger into his heart, “is not going to get his power back.”
“Well, the goddess Hecate seems to have a different opinion,” Lily said.
Adeline waved a dismissive hand at her and half turned her back to show her utter contempt.
“What do I care for Hecate, a washed up goddess from a time long past, that has long since faded into mist as humankind have forgotten her,” she said, over her shoulder. “I have more power than she does, and I will not bend to the will of lesser beings. You’re not wanted here. I would kill you, but you’re no threat to me, and I’d rather let you rot in you ignominy, knowing that you’ve failed.”
Elidor stood up, taking a hold of his wife’s arm and pulling her around to face him.
“We can’t let them live. Even without power they might still have influence and rally an army against us,” he said.
The Queen cast a thoughtful glance in his direction and shrugged his hand from her. When she looked back at Lily and Connor, she didn’t really have to say anything, her thoughts were engraved on her face.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Lily heard the doors open behind and knew that Adeline was sending for the guards, even though she hadn’t said a word. Connor drew his sword, as if that could somehow give him a chance against a dozen armed and highly trained elf guards. Lily closed her eyes and sent out her most fervent prayer to her goddess. There were no words, not really, just the desperate and dreadful plea for help. Hecate would aid her, she knew it, she would come and put this arrogant bitch in her place once and for all.
Connor turned to fight the oncoming guards, but there were too many of them, all armed, and Lily knew he would be slaughtered within seconds. There was nothing she could do to help him. Connor stood his ground as the guards approached and Lily knew that even if by some miracle, they could fight their way through the guards, Adeline would never let them go. She was right, she had more power than they did; it was she who had defeated Rawhead, she who had cast the goblins down into the chasm, and two foolish teenagers really were no match for her.
Lily almost leapt out of her skin, as the doors suddenly flew open and dozens of hobgoblins poured through it, with Cumudgeon and Nob at the forefront of the invading army. Guards were being propelled through the air, tossed aside by Cumudgeon’s mighty fists, and landing where they would, heads banged together. The rest of the hobs, diminutive in comparison to the megalith beside them, were wielding the strangest collection of weapons: frying pans, rolling pins, meat skewers and various kitchen equipment. There was the clanging of metal on bone as pans struck craniums, fists hit flesh and large hob feet hit knee caps. Adeline raised her hand to call her magic, and Lily knew that every one of the hobs would be dead within seconds.
Fear almost overcame her as she tried to think of some desperate plan that might save them, but she knew they were lost, and no amount of wishing could get them through this.
Then Lily felt something else. A strange tingling sensation that filled her entire body, like a million electric eels sizzling against her skin. She gasped and lifted her hands, looking down at them, to find herself surrounded by an aura of velvet darkness, but not the kind of black that now surrounded Adeline, this was a rich purple black, like the ripest of plums and Lily welcomed it. She knew where this power came from, because she had felt it before, she knew her beloved Hecate’s power when she felt it. She turned to face Adeline, letting a smile touch her lips.
“Now we’ll see who has the power, bitch. Connor get the hobs out of here, I can handle this jumped up little hagbag, or rather Hecate can.”
Adeline snarled her rage at Lily and flung a blast of power at her, which Lily deflected easily. She had no doubts, no fears now; after all, this power wasn’t hers, only borrowed from someone so much more powerful than Adeline. The blast ricocheted and hit the wall behind, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction like missiles. Connor, behind, hesitated and then, realising that he and the hobs could get caught in the cross fire did as he was told and herded the hobs towards the door. Elidor, shocked and white as the snow outside the window, backed away, hiding behind his throne, muttering to himself.
Adeline threw another blast at Lily and she deflected that one as well, shattering one of the delicate stained glass windows, the glass tinkling down to the marble floor, letting in a blast of icy air, and driving snow.
“We could keep this up all day, Adeline, but you are not going to beat me. Just give in gracefully and we’ll call it a draw for now. I can’t say fairer than that. I don’t want to hurt you, but I have a feeling that if I hit you with Hecate’s full power, then it will be very painful.”
“I will never give my throne to you!” Adeline hissed, aiming another blast at Lily.
“For pity’s sake, you stupid cow. Listen to what I’m saying. I don’t want your throne, I just want you to let us go, so that we can finish our quest and stop Ahriman. Keep your fucking throne. Sit on it until your bum goes numb and you get piles, I don’t care. Just leave us in peace and hold the Citadel against the enemy long enough for us to do our job.”
Adeline hesitated for a moment, then pulling herself up to her full height she called every iota of her power and flung a blast at Lily. Lily just didn’t catch it in time. It hit her full in the chest and sent her flying backwards against the wall. She smashed into it hard, and the impact took the breath from her lungs and sent a great wave of dreadful pain through her entire body as her backbone took most of the impact. For an instant there was nothing but a cosmos of pink stars in her head and she thought she was going to black out, but she shook the pain from herself and staggered to her feet.
“Not so cocky now, are you bitch?” Adeline snarled.
Lily was dazed, reeling from the blast, and if she had not been so well protected by Hecate’s magic, she knew she would have been vaporised by that blast.
“Okay, that’s it. Nice Lily just left the building.”
She called on the power, and raising her hand, willed the magic to her. She felt it pouring into her, like water pouring into a bowl, and it almost knocked her from her feet again. Here was power that could move mountains and empty rivers… power that could build or destroy. Lily braced herself and flung everything she had at Adeline, and the blast hit her full in the chest. Adeline lifted from her feet, high into the air, turning and somersaulting like a rag doll tossed by a child. She landed flat on her face, with a terrible crunch, and Lily was pretty certain she must have lost some teeth or broken her jaw, but she was out cold, so feeling no pain.
Elidor screamed and rushed over to his wife, forgetting his own fear, bending over her. There was blood pouring from her ruined mouth, scarlet flowers blossoming on the white fabric. Her hair was dyed red with it.
“You’ve killed her, you’ve killed her,” he screamed.
Lily settled her clothes back into place and said:
“She’s not dead, but she’s going to have a hell of a headache when she wakes up. I’ll say again what I said to her. We don’t want your throne, we just want to leave here and go about our business. We’ve told you what we had to tell you, and I want out of this place, because you and your wife sicken me. Put her to bed and call a physician. And never, ever dare to question the power of my goddess!”
Lily turned her back on him then and walked towards the large double doors, trying to keep the grin from her face.
“Thank you, Mother. I so enjoyed that.”
From somewhere inside her
head she heard a gentle voice.
“Why do you think I had anything to do with that, dear heart? That was not my power, that was all your doing.”
Lily stopped in her tracks.
“I don’t have that sort of power,” she whispered.
There was a tinkling laugh, as cool and clear as moonlight.
“Are you calling me a liar?” Hecate asked, but there was laughter in her voice.
“No… I mean. Did I really do that?” Lily asked.
“Every bit of it. You just needed to have faith in yourself, my dear one. Connor’s power is restored to him as well. It’s time for you to continue with your quest. You’ve done so well child, you and your husband. I am proud of you both.”
Lily felt a warm glow of pleasure fill her from top to toes.
“Thank you,” Lily whispered, and then she was alone again, too befuddled to even taken in a fraction of what the goddess had just told her. She really wanted a few minutes on her own to collect her thoughts, to think through the full implication of what she had just been told, but she had to find Connor and make sure that he was all right.
She had made her way out into the great hall now, and there she found pandemonium. The nobles of the court were all pressed against the walls and hiding in every corner, huddled and being terrorised by the small army of hobs that had camped in the middle of the room, with Cumudgeon towering over them like some latter day Golem.
“All all right then, is it?” asked Nob, bouncing up and down. He had a saucepan jammed onto his head, which she supposed was meant to serve as a helmet. He was brandishing a huge meat cleaver. “We tied up all the guards and theys in a heap over there. One of ’em got a nasty black eye, but most of hem just got a few lumps and bumps. He only got it because he called you… well, don’t matter now, do it?” He gave a bow and said, “What’s ter do now, Yer Majesties?”