The Amber Legacy

by Tony Shillitoe

  She fought to rise from sleeping, as if chains weighed her down—as if the dream was refusing to release her. She swore her eyes were open, but her chamber was pitch dark and panic swept through her. Desperate to escape, she wrenched herself over the edge and landed heavily on the bedside rug, panting with fear.

  And then she really opened her eyes. Red coals glowed in the fireplace. Courtyard lantern light traced a thin line across the tiles and up the centre of the curtains. She sat up. The dream images were fading rapidly—but a word remained. Glyph. Why that word? What is a glyph? She wrapped her heavy black dressing-gown over her green nightdress, and went to the chamber door. In the lantern-lit corridor, two Elite Guards sat against the wall, but they scrambled to their feet in her unexpected presence. ‘I have to go to the library now,’ she informed them, and walked past, heading for the stairs. The Guards hurried after her. ‘Wait here,’ she told them when they reached the library door.

  Inside, she cast a light sphere spell and let it float an arm’s length over her head as she started searching the shelves. She dragged out five books that she knew contained word meanings and explanations, in particular a draft manuscript written by Seer Vale, and skimmed through each for references to the word ‘glyph’. She found four.

  A Shessian dictionary defined a glyph as a mark or cipher used to identify a sacred place. The entry went on to explain that tribal shaman especially used glyphs to identify places of great magic. A book called In Other Words made a brief reference to the Shessian shaman meaning for glyph as a ‘mark’, and added that it was sometimes taken to mean ‘secret language’ or ‘magic word’. Vale’s manuscript was a chaotic attempt to list translations from various texts and languages that he’d studied. Glyph was listed twice. In the ‘Ranu Ka Shehaala’ chapter it was defined as ‘a magical ward, usually in the form of a word or symbolic letter’. In the ‘Andrakis’ chapter it was listed as ‘a powerful magical barrier or lock’. She sat back in her chair. The solitary memory from her dream was the word glyph. Why did she remember it?

  Pageboy Smallone led her along the familiar corridor to the Queen’s personal chamber where the Elite Guards dutifully admitted her. Waiting in the chamber was Queen Sunset in a purple gown, her blonde hair loose. The curtains were drawn and rain-dulled morning light gave the chamber and its furniture a soft radiance. ‘I have something for you,’ Sunset announced, as she held out a document.

  Curious, Meg took the paper and saw that it was a letter. She read:

  Amber, I have something precious to you and you have something precious to me. I think we have a good reason to meet and make an exchange that will make us both very happy. Ask my gracious mother the way to Whiterocks Bluff and make your way there on the day after Midshahk and I will have for you what it is you most want. Of course, if you choose to forsake this one opportunity to redeem your love I will discard it and come for what is mine anyway. Truth.

  Her heart raced. Jon. She would see Jon again. Her hands began to shake. She looked up at Sunset.

  ‘I told you they would use your son.’

  ‘Where is this place?’ Meg asked.

  ‘Whiterocks Bluff? Four days’ ride, north of the city. You know it’s a trap.’

  ‘He wants the Conduit,’ Meg said, absentmindedly touching her chest.

  ‘Which means he wants you. You are the Conduit, remember? You won’t get your son back. He’s doing this to lure you to him, and then he’ll enslave you. Can’t you see that?’

  Meg shook her head. ‘There has to be a way.’

  ‘I can’t let you go,’ Sunset said bluntly, and gave Meg a stern look to emphasise her decision.

  Meg met the Queen’s gaze. ‘You don’t have a choice. I have to go.’

  ‘Why? I’ve told you what he’ll do.’

  ‘I have to do whatever I have to to save my son,’ Meg insisted. ‘You have to let me go to him.’

  ‘He might be your son, but I can’t let you go. The risk to my kingdom is too great.’ Sunset headed for the door.

  ‘What about the risk to your grandson?’

  The Queen spun as if the words wrenched her body, her eyes wide with shock. ‘Grandson?’ When Meg looked away, the Queen walked up to her and demanded, ‘Would you like to explain what you just said?’ Meg wished that she hadn’t blurted the truth. She hesitated, unable to find the words she needed. ‘I’m waiting,’ Sunset prodded.

  What choice remained? ‘I think Treasure was—Jon’s father.’

  ‘What?’ Sunset gasped. She grabbed Meg’s chin and turned her face. ‘You think Treasure was the father?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How? When? It’s not possible. Tell me.’

  Meg swallowed, the dryness of fear spreading through her mouth. ‘He scouted my village before your army arrived,’ she began. And she revealed the rest of the story—how he’d found her after Nightwind had struck her down the night of the storm, how she’d been attracted to him, how he’d started to teach her to ride, his last night visit. ‘I didn’t stop him when he came to my bedroom. I didn’t want to stop him. I didn’t want to let him go either.’

  ‘But you killed him,’ Sunset said.

  ‘I didn’t know it was him!’ Meg cried softly. ‘I had all these dreams, and they were wrong. No, I mean they were right, but they were all wrong too!’ She sobbed as the memories washed back in.

  ‘You’ve got a lot of explaining to do,’ Sunset said, her mood softening towards the distraught figure. ‘An awful lot.’

  The mounted Elite Guards waited patiently in the courtyard, their horses snorting and pawing the cobblestones. ‘Take this,’ Queen Sunset said, offering her hand. Meg looked down and saw a gold chain with a small horse-shaped pendant.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘It was my mother’s. My grandmother gave it to me, after my mother died, and told me I had to give it to my daughter. I don’t have a daughter, but I’d like you to keep it.’

  ‘I can’t—’ Meg protested, but the Queen reached forward and slid the chain over Meg’s head.

  ‘You don’t have a choice. It’s a gift.’ Meg embraced her. ‘May Jarudha guard you and your son,’ the Queen whispered. As they parted their eyes met, and Meg saw the love that Sunset bore for her. ‘Bring my grandson home safe,’ the Queen said, and smiled. Meg nodded, and turned to descend the steps. ‘You’ve forgotten something,’ the Queen said.

  On the step beside the Queen, Whisper squatted on her rear haunches, sniffing and pawing the air. Meg knelt, calling, ‘Come on, then.’ Whisper scrambled down the steps and climbed into Meg’s hands, while the Elite Guards watched with amused smiles. ‘I thought you might wait here,’ Meg said to the bush rat. She lifted the little animal onto her shoulder, and smiled at Sunset, before she mounted her horse.

  At the palace gate, Meg reined in and gazed back at the solitary blonde figure in dark blue at the top of the white marble steps. The Queen was flanked by Guards and servants in the Royal black. Away to the right, a Seer in his blue robes was approaching the steps, followed by four acolytes. Is it Diamond, Meg wondered, coming to query where I am going? Whisper shifted inside her cloak, determined to make herself more comfortable.

  ‘My lady?’ Meg acknowledged the Elite Guards Leader, Hilt Redsword, and prodded her horse into a trot through the gate and into the city.

  The King’s Way was busy with early morning traffic. As the troop rode the winding street out of the northern quarter, farmers with their market produce, wagoners hauling goods and craftspeople moved aside to let the Elite Guards pass unhindered, and children stared. The buildings steadily diminished in size and quality, and Meg was surprised at how quickly they were leaving the city for the countryside. She hadn’t realised that the palace was so close to the city’s northern limits, but she was glad to be out of the walled grounds after her extended confinement within the claustrophobic world. Neither the dull grey clouds that spread across the sky, nor even the purpose of her journey, could dampen her joyful sense of
freedom. She wished that she’d been able to explore the city in the past year, but the intrigue, her abandonment and the Queen’s insistence on her safety interfered with every opportunity, so it remained a tantalising mystery.

  The troop travelled north-west until the road turned true north and shadowed the cliffs above the ocean. Meg spent much of the morning staring west at the endless expanse of dark grey water, wondering at the courage of sailors who chose to point their little wooden craft west and sail over the horizon. What strange faith drove them to go blindly in the hope that there might be more land beyond their vision? She was grateful for their curiosity. The books that they had brought back to Western Shess were reason enough for their daring voyages.

  It rained spasmodically and lightly throughout their journey as they passed through towns and fishing villages, stopping to eat lunch and camping each night at the edge of a town. Leader Redsword was vigilant to the extreme, making certain Meg was under his personal constant surveillance and protection, but he was also distant in his interaction with her, limiting conversations to instructions. She couldn’t engage him in chatter, and he avoided revealing details concerning his family or himself by keeping busy. His distance made her suspicious, and she wondered if, yet again, she had placed herself unwittingly in the hands of a Rebel as had happened with Follower Servant. But how would she know?

  Whisper charmed the soldiers with her antics whenever she emerged from sleeping in Meg’s cloak. The rat, well known as Lady Amber’s companion over the past year, seemed to enjoy sharing her favours among the soldiers, accepting tidbits at mealtimes and letting individuals pick her up and stroke her sleek black fur. Meg was at first embarrassed by the rat’s casual manner amongst the men, but by the third morning she was amused, especially watching how the soldiers competed for Whisper’s attention.

  On the fourth day, midmorning, Leader Redsword reined in beside her and pointed to a rocky outcrop that rose above the landscape and jutted over the sea. ‘Whiterocks Bluff,’ he informed her.

  The Queen had sent a messenger to Seer Truth confirming that Meg would meet him there. She stared at the white limestone rocks on the bluff. Seagulls drifted in the air currents. Is he waiting? she wondered. And is Jon there with him?

  ‘I’m sending scouts to see if the rebels are waiting,’ Redsword said. ‘I don’t want us to be led into any traps.’

  Unless you are setting the trap, she thought. She let the Leader organise and disperse four men, and she patiently watched them ride to the outcrop and disappear into the jumble of rocks.

  A short time later they emerged, trotting back to the troop, and reported to Redsword, and he passed on their findings to Meg. ‘They’re not here yet. We’ll set up camp and wait for them to arrive. I’ll have men secure the position so that we aren’t surprised, and so there’s no advantage for them when they come.’ And he went about his duties with military precision.

  Meg stroked the lump sleeping under her cloak, saying quietly, ‘I guess this is when we find out what is really going on.’

  Late in the afternoon, as a light shower drizzled out of the dull grey sky, a scout encountered a large force, at least the equivalent of five Groups, approaching along the northern road. Shortly after, a lookout perched on the rocks confirmed the scout’s information, and Leader Redsword prepared his men. Though he only told Meg that the rebel force was near, by his mood and actions she knew that he wasn’t happy that his Elite Group was outnumbered five to one. He asked her to wait on the far side of a small rise near the rocks, out of the enemy’s sight, ignoring her protests that this was strictly a meeting between herself and the rebel Seer as he returned to begin the protocol process.

  Meg was annoyed and frustrated. She hadn’t seen her son for almost a year. How much had he grown? Would he know her? Was he being properly cared for? She toyed with the pendant that Sunset had given to her—a symbol of her family link with her son, Jon. Waiting, when she was so close to him, was making her more anxious than she had imagined possible. What if this, as Diamond warned, is only a cruel ruse by Truth to get hold of the Conduit, and Jon isn’t here at all? What can I do if the meeting is a trap? She had spells. If Truth pushed too hard, she would use her power. How? She went through her mental file, considering the possibilities. Just in case. And then Redsword appeared over the rise on horseback and dismounted before her. ‘Lady Meg, I’ve cleared everything. Seer Truth is ready to meet.’

  ‘And Jon?’ she asked, desperation adding an edge to her voice. ‘What about my son?’

  ‘Truth has your son with him,’ Redsword explained. ‘I knew you would insist on that. Truth will meet with you on the bluff.’

  ‘Alone?’

  ‘No. He will have two of Prince Future’s men with him, your son, and a woman who cares for your son.’

  ‘Jewel?’

  ‘I don’t know her name, my lady,’ Redsword replied apologetically. ‘Truth is happy for you to bring two men for security. He understands that you wouldn’t trust him. He asked me to tell you that he knows how you feel. He doesn’t trust you, either.’

  Meg wished that she had Blade with her—the one man in the Queen’s army that she knew she could trust with her life. She cursed herself for not insisting on him. But the opportunity would have been missed, even if the Queen had approved, because Blade was still serving somewhere to the south of Port of Joy and he would have taken days to return. ‘I want you to come with me,’ she said to Redsword. ‘And you can choose a second man.’

  Redsword bowed, saying, ‘I would be honoured, Lady Meg.’ He lifted his dark eyes to meet her gaze. ‘Chance normally serves as my second,’ and he nodded to a man still mounted on a roan horse. Chance bowed his head.

  ‘Then let’s meet with Truth,’ Meg said, smiling inwardly at the irony in her statement. ‘And be on your guard.’

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Seer Truth waited on the bluff, his blue robe and black hair wrenched by the strong sea breeze. Beside him, silhouetted against the dark metal ocean and apricot sunset clouds, two soldiers stood either side of a young woman who was clutching a large yellow bundle to her chest. Images of a fragmented dream took focus. Meg felt an instant pull towards the bundle, a powerful confusing emotional surge, but she gathered her resolve and approached the Seer. When she was ten paces short of him, he held up a hand. ‘Close enough, Lady Amber,’ he said, his resonant voice unimpeded by the breeze. A smile graced his mouth. ‘You look as beautiful as always.’

  ‘My name is Meg,’ she told him, and glanced at Jewel whose anxious expression unsettled her.

  ‘Meg it is, then,’ Truth replied, ‘although the foreign name doesn’t have the same beauty. Or aptness.’ His gaze shifted to her accompanying men, and down at her feet. ‘I see you’ve brought your Guards.’ He stared contemptuously at the black bush rat beside Meg’s feet.

  ‘I want my son,’ she said bluntly.

  Truth grinned and nodded. ‘And I want the Conduit. It’s that easy.’

  ‘Let Jewel and my son go to safety now, and I’ll give you the Conduit.’ She noticed that one of Truth’s soldiers curiously had a white hunting horn slung across his shoulder.

  Truth’s grin widened. ‘How about you give me the Conduit and then I’ll set them free.’

  Thunder rumbled across the ocean and echoed against the cliffs. A spot of rain hit Meg’s face and she blinked. ‘I will give you what you ask for, but it’s not as simple as you think it is.’

  Truth’s grin faded as his eyebrows knitted into annoyance. ‘I’m not here to play a game with you, woman. I want the Conduit.’

  ‘I am the Conduit.’

  Suspicion darkened his face. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘I am the Conduit,’ she repeated. She began to loosen her cloak and Truth watched with cold fascination as she opened her tunic to reveal the amber discolouration on her chest.

  Stunned by the strange vision, he looked as if he was struggling to understand, before his face twisted into brutal ang
er. ‘Do you know what you’ve done?’ he snarled. ‘Do you really understand what you’ve done?’ He stepped forward, hands reaching for her, but she stepped back, covering herself, and the soldiers whipped their swords from their scabbards. Whisper scampered away.

  ‘No!’ Meg screamed, glaring at the men.

  Truth’s hands remained raised and open, as if he was desperate to hold the amber crystal. His eyes met her frightened stare and a cruel smile spread across his face—the smile of someone realising that the twist in events has ironically played into his hands. ‘Then I don’t need all this charade,’ he said calmly, measuring his words, and snorted. ‘I only need you.’ Over his shoulder, to his men, he snapped, ‘Get rid of them!’ and he lunged. He tore open Meg’s cloak, and grappled with her tunic, breaking the chain with the horse pendant. Meg slipped from his grip and pushed him back, just as a Rebel soldier stabbed Jewel in the side. The handmaiden stumbled sideways and the bundle tumbled from her arms. With a vicious kick, the soldier sent her floundering backwards, over the cliff, clothes flapping, arms and legs flailing. Meg’s instinct was to rescue her son, but the Seer grabbed her again and dragged her to the ground. She punched and kicked wildly, screaming until a knee dug into her stomach. There was a flash of black, and Truth’s weight vanished. Rolling onto her side, she found Truth swatting wildly at his face as Whisper bit and scratched. The Seer slapped the rat aside and went to step on her, but Redsword grappled with him, and Whisper ran to safety.

  As she got to her feet, Meg saw that Chance was fighting the Rebel soldiers. Her attention snapped back to the bundle at the edge of the cliff. It was rocking. A solitary pink hand emerged, little fingers grasping at the air. Heart racing, she dashed to the bundle and swept it up in her arms, and pressed her son to her chest. Chance staggered and collapsed, clutching his stomach. The Rebel soldiers turned on her. ‘Give up the kid, lady,’ one snarled, through bleeding lips.