Nothing in this place made sense. It was as if she’d walked through a magical door into a magical world and all the childhood nursery rhymes and tales her mother and father had told her were real. Or had she passed out when she stepped into her portal and this was an intense dream in her unconscious state? How could she get out of this insanity?
She moved cautiously back into the chamber, where the air was still chilly from the presence of the strangers, and stood before the green shaft of light. How do I get out of this place? she wondered. ‘I create another portal,’ she told herself, and her voice echoed. She went to the tunnels that the strangers had entered and ventured a short distance along each, checking that they were not lurking in the dark. When she was certain that they were gone, she crossed to the entrance and began to create her portal spell.
When she was finished, she studied her handiwork. The blue portal shimmered in the chamber doorway that led to the steps and outside. This time, in forming the magical doorway, she focussed the target point on a place she knew well. She would close it as she left. Whatever lurked in this strange world, she couldn’t risk letting it out. What if this is the place from where the Alfyn’s dragons had come? she wondered. She summoned Whisper. The rat returned from her adventures along the tunnel in which they’d hidden and climbed into Meg’s hands. Meg gazed for a final time at the figure in the green light. ‘I wish I knew who you were,’ she murmured, ‘and why someone imprisoned you like this.’ His face was almost misshapen, elongated—not ugly, just very different—but it was turned half away from her and the features partly hidden. His skin was milky white, where it wasn’t battered or cut, and she had the impression that he’d only recently been impaled on the dragon statue. The magical green light also intrigued her, her spine constantly shivering in its presence.
The clang of metal startled her. An armoured man stood in a doorway to her left, shrouded in his blue aura. When she saw the red glare of his flame eyes, she stifled a scream and edged back a pace. The man’s gloved hand closed around the hilt of his sword, and he slowly drew the weapon from its scabbard. She was in real trouble. She sprinted for the portal. The distance was barely ten paces, but as she plunged into the blue haze sharp pain sliced across her back.
Her back stung. Her cheek was pressed against a cool tile. She opened her eyes, feeling nauseous. Recognising the familiar black and gold pattern of her palace chamber floor, she went to push up, but collapsed with a groan as a sharp burning pain cut through her back. Hurt, she heard in her head. Whisper nuzzled her cheek. Get help, Meg tried to convey, as she formed an image of the Queen. Then she dry-retched, winced with pain at the involuntary spasm, and fainted.
She was in a vast chamber, flooded with familiar green light. She felt something around her ankles and when she looked down, she saw grey dust rising like water. She realised without surprise that she was naked, as if she expected that, and she wasn’t perturbed by the rising dust, just curious.
Help me, she felt a presence beg, and she understood that the plea came from the stark white figure splayed across the black dragon.
Who are you? she asked.
You know who I am, the presence told her. Help me.
She felt as if she did know him, but not by name—and yet she sensed she even knew his name, if she could only remember it. She went to move towards the mass in the light, but the grey dust was already up to her waist, holding her, and at the edge of the light armoured warriors moved like shadows, heading for her, and she knew they were not her friends.
Help me, the voice pleaded.
I can’t, she wanted to say, but the images weren’t forming.
Help me, and I will help you.
‘What is your opinion?’
‘It’s not the wound, Your Majesty. That’s already healing, miraculously.’
‘So what can you do?’
‘I’ll keep applying the leeches, Your Majesty. Patience is all I can offer.’
‘And I’ll keep seeking an answer as to who would attack her in the palace, Your Majesty.’
‘You might be better served finding out how she got back here without being seen by anyone. Why is security so lax in my palace? Do something about it, Follower, or I’ll replace you.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
‘And I want to know where she’s been these past three cycles.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
Her senses told her that she was on her stomach in a soft bed. She felt as if she had woken from a long deep sleep, her eyelids heavy, her body light. Instead of revealing that she was awake, she kept her eyes closed and listened to the three voices, fascinated to hear people talk about her as if she wasn’t really there.
‘Is she eating or drinking yet?’
‘She hasn’t stirred, Your Majesty. If she doesn’t drink soon, I cannot help her.’
The comment made her aware of the dryness in her mouth. She swallowed and tried to lick her lips, and discovered that she was unpleasantly thirsty. She opened her eyes. ‘Your Majesty?’ she heard a man say. Then the Queen’s voice—‘Amber?’ The room was dark, except for candlelight flickering along the curtains and across the furniture. A hand gently caressed the side of her head, brushing her hair, and the Queen appeared, squatting at the bedside. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Calm,’ Meg replied, the word rasping over her dry tongue. ‘Thirsty.’
The Queen rose and returned with a goblet of water. ‘Drink slowly,’ she advised.
Meg rolled onto her side and let the Queen hold the goblet to her lips, as she sipped clumsily at the cool, refreshing liquid. She wanted to gulp down more, but the Queen withdrew the goblet, repeating, ‘Slowly.’ She was glad to see her familiar bedroom furniture, but as her eyes deliberately flicked past the bassinette by the curtains, she felt the pang of loss rush into her eyes and she burst into tears, shaking uncontrollably. The Queen wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, whispering, ‘It’s all right, Amber. You’re safe now. You’re safe.’
In the bath, she explored the red welts along her arms and legs and on her stomach, legacies of the doctor’s leeching. She sighed and leaned back, letting the warm water soothe her body. Queen Sunset had said that she would return to talk about what had transpired since she’d left the palace after Meg had bathed. She was glad to be left alone to collect her thoughts because her mind could not relax. Being back in her chambers in the palace where she’d given birth to Jon made her anguish worse. The hot season of Fuar was fading into the changes of Doyanah. If he was still alive, he would already be four cycles old and growing—if he was still alive—and where was he? Tears welled, and she cried for her stolen son. The image of the man pinned and tortured on the dragon statue also haunted her, as did the memory of the warrior whose brutal sword had sliced open her back. She wiped her eyes and washed her face, but the images remained, competing with her memories of Jon.
Dressed in a loose green smock and grey overgown, she nibbled at the plate of cheese and grapes in her bedroom, feeding scraps to Whisper who was preening herself on the edge of the bed. Happy, the rat told her. Safe and warm and sleep images crowded her feelings. The rat’s contentment made her smile, but the emptiness in her heart reminded her of how she had felt after she pulled back Treasure’s visor and discovered the truth of her dreams. ‘And which one will come true next?’ she murmured, anger edging into her sadness. Someone knocked. ‘Who is it?’ she queried, her nerves on edge as she wondered how soon the news of her return would reach her enemies.
‘It’s me,’ she heard the Queen reply. The door opened to admit the Queen and two young women. Sunset’s blonde hair was down and she was wrapped in a dark blue garment that covered her from neck to toe. The accompanying women wore the Royal black dresses of servants. ‘I’m glad you’ve relaxed a little,’ Sunset said, as she took Meg’s hand. ‘I’ve assigned Ruby and Wattle to you.’ She saw Meg’s wary expression, and added, ‘They can be trusted. I hand-picked them personally.’
‘I d
idn’t mean to be rude,’ Meg apologised.
‘You have every reason to be suspicious,’ Sunset said. ‘I’m surprised you even trust me after what happened.’
‘I never even considered that you would have—I don’t know.’ Meg stumbled on her answer and fell silent.
Queen Sunset issued instructions to Ruby and Wattle, and when the young servants had withdrawn from the bedroom she sat on the bed, and pulled Meg down beside her. Whisper wandered up the green quilted bedspread and nestled at the base of the pillows, allowing the Queen to stroke her back as she settled. ‘She’s been with you all this time?’ Sunset asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Remarkable animal.’ Sunset reached up and stroked Meg’s mane of red hair. ‘It’s grown so quickly,’ she said.
‘It always does,’ Meg replied absentmindedly, tiredness seeping through her limbs.
Sunset’s hand returned to Meg’s hand and she rubbed it gently. ‘What happened?’
Meg related everything carefully, from the hijacking of the wagon, through to the cave beneath the seaside cottage and separation from Jewel and Jon, to the ship voyage and her imprisonment on the island, the involvement of Seer Truth and Seer Light and Follower Servant, the hunt on the island and Sunfire, her escape through the portal, the strange world of grey dust, the imprisoned man on the black dragon sculpture and her final return to her chamber. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she shook as she recalled the images of her loss, her fear, her loneliness, her terror. When she finished, she sank into Sunset’s arms and sobbed, exhausted.
‘You’ll be all right,’ Sunset crooned, stroking Meg’s hair. ‘You’ll be all right.’
‘But I’m not safe here,’ she said, sniffing. ‘Follower—’
‘Follower will stand trial for his treason,’ Sunset said, bitterly. ‘He can join my son in the Royal Gaol. I understand now how and why Future knew so much about my plans.’ She paused and shuddered. ‘And I suspected it all along, but I couldn’t face the truth.’
Meg sat up, wiping her cheeks. ‘You knew?’
‘About Follower?’ Sunset asked. ‘There were clues—coincidences. I didn’t want to find out.’
‘Why not?’
Sunset flicked aside her hair, and looked away. ‘Follower is—was—my consort.’ She turned back to Meg and said, ‘Surprised?’ but before Meg could speak, Sunset went on. ‘I was celibate for a long time after my husband’s death—for my sons and for the sake of the kingdom. Better, I thought, to be a bride to Jarudha than be seen to leap from bed to bed or to ally myself with another Tithe Lord. There was even speculation that I would marry a neighbouring king, but if you saw them you’d realise that was a prospect in which I had no interest. Celibacy seemed the better option. But, you know, that’s not me. I like sex. I like sex a lot. My husband was a good lover, and the prospect of never having a man’s touch again terrified me. So I forswore my vow and looked for another way. And it was obvious and easy. When you’re the Queen you get special privileges. You can take quiet lovers and no one notices. When Follower became my Intermediary, I chose him for two reasons. He was good at both of them. And discreet. I didn’t expect him to align with my errant sons when the Seers poisoned their view of the world. In fact, I convinced myself that whatever Follower told me was the truth, even when the truth seemed to be the opposite. I didn’t want to entertain any possibility that he would choose my sons over me, the woman he claimed he loved.’ Sunset rose from the bed. ‘I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I’ve neglected your safety with my blindness.’ She headed for the door, pausing to say, ‘Get some rest. I have business to finish. Tomorrow morning I’ll call for you. I need your help and I need it without question.’ She left the chamber, the door locked in her wake by an Elite Guard.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
The Queen was in the palace War Room, surrounded by maps and shelves of books. Dull daylight filtered through the tall windows. ‘Future has escaped,’ she said.
Meg saw the despair in Sunset’s eyes. ‘When?’
‘Last night. Follower led a band of Elite Guards and released him from the prison. The most recent report is that they’ve taken a ship to the north.’
‘What does this mean?’
‘For now?’ Sunset shrugged. ‘Nothing. On the greater scale of matters, they’re an irritation. I’ll have spies watch them to see what they plan. There’s nothing else I can do.’
‘Is this why you wanted to see me?’
Sunset studied Meg, shook her head, and said, ‘No. My family issues are not your problem. I told you things last night that I want you to forget.’ She shifted to a large table. ‘I need your help on something much more immediate and dangerous.’
‘What?’
‘The war with Beranix.’
Meg immediately thought of Leader Westridge. Was he safe? ‘How can I help?’
The Queen beckoned Meg to join her at the table where a map of the kingdom was spread, and ran her fingers along an imaginary line. ‘The war is going badly. Beranix’s army has pushed right up to this point, less than three days south of Port of Joy. He’s employed a tribal shaman to aid his soldiers with their magic. Normally, the Seers would counteract them, but the Seers are refusing to help me.’
‘Can’t you order them to help?’
Sunset laughed. ‘They don’t answer to me. They only answer to Jarudha, and, according to Diamond, Jarudha has forbidden them to help in wartime.’
‘But Future had Seers supporting him at the Battle of The Whispering Forest?’
‘Rebels,’ Sunset reminded her. ‘They were breaking all the laws.’
‘Even against Jarudha?’ Meg queried.
‘Semantics. They won’t help now.’
‘But what can I do?’
‘I need your magic. I need you to stop Beranix’s army.’
Meg’s eyes widened. ‘How? I don’t have that sort of power.’
‘Yes, you do, Amber. I know why Truth and Light and the others are frightened of you. They know that you have magical power of the kind they can only dream of.’ Sunset straightened up and looked at a map on the wall. ‘When you went missing, I sent out search parties to find you, and Jon and Jewel. I asked Diamond to help. At first, he pretended to be concerned for your safety and he even pretended to help, but when it became obvious that a Seer had kidnapped you his concern became genuine. Then Light disappeared. That’s when Diamond finally admitted to me why he had refused to train you and why someone was determined to have you killed.’ She turned to face Meg. ‘The Seers have been searching for a Conduit for many generations. When they realised that you carried one, they had to get it from you, somehow.’
‘Why didn’t they try when I was in the temple as an acolyte?’
‘They didn’t know then. You kept it hidden and they thought that you were just a political ploy on my part to make them accept a woman among their ranks. But when you displayed more aptitude than any normal acolyte Light suspected there was more to you. Remember how he tried to take your necklet? That’s why Vale chose to teach you after the others threw you out—because he knew you had the Conduit. He told me that he’d confessed his reasons to you, so I know that you know what I’m talking about. And Vale made the final connection when you learned languages so quickly. In the end, against his better judgement it seems, he told the others what he’d learned. Remember the meeting I called, with the Seers and my advisers?’
‘Yes.’
‘After you had gone, the argument that followed in the room was—brutal is the only word I can think of to describe it. The Seers wanted you executed, at least locked away forever. They pronounced you the greatest threat to the Jarudhan faith ever to rise in the kingdom, and no amount of argument or concession on my part was going to sway them. That’s why I sent you away to safety. It was to buy time for me to make it possible for you to remain in Port of Joy. They were terrified of the Conduit.’
‘Truth tried to steal the necklet when he kidnapped me,’ Meg told her
.
‘Where is it now?’
‘Here,’ she replied, placing her hand over her breast.
‘You’ll need to keep it safe,’ Sunset warned. ‘The Seers covet it. They’ll do anything to get their hands on it.’ Meg smiled and unbuttoned her light blue tunic, exposing the amber discolouration. ‘What’s that?’ the Queen asked.
‘The crystal. I’m the Conduit now.’
‘How?’
‘A spell.’
Sunset’s mouth opened, but she hesitated before saying, ‘This complicates matters for Truth and his friends. And for you.’ She took Meg’s hands in her own. ‘When I had you brought to Port of Joy, I thought I was just rewarding someone with unusual ability and extraordinary luck—a rural hero. A little ceremony, a piece of land, and then you’d go back to your village and we’d forget you. But you’ve proven to be much, much more than I—or anyone—expected. I apologise for using you as a key into the Seers’ enclave. I was pursuing my own personal agenda. But now I’m pleading on behalf of all the people within my kingdom. I need your abilities to help me save the city. If Beranix’s men take Port of Joy, they’ll overrun the entire Western Shess region and destabilise the political balances that currently exist for the good of all. Even your home won’t be safe from this menace. Will you do this? For our people?’
Meg didn’t know how to answer. ‘I—I need some time,’ she stammered.
Sunset frowned. ‘I don’t have time to give you.’ She stared at Meg, and shook her head. ‘I’ll send word to the Marchlords to hold their ground against Beranix’s army, but I can’t promise anything. At best, you might only have the three days it will take Beranix’s army to get here if we can’t stop them.’
The Amber Legacy Page 37