by Krista Walsh
“Your Majesty?” the first counsellor asked, as if surprised he wasn’t being thrown to the lions right that second.
The queen’s expression remained as neutral as the silver mask she wore in public audience, her brown eyes cold and dark against her pale face.
“You countermanded my orders, but you still hold the position of first counsellor. At the moment, the need for your input is greater than my desire for your punishment. Sit.”
She pointed towards his chair, and, like the loyal servant to the crown he was, he sat.
Jeff kept his eyes off the first counsellor to move past the awkwardness of the moment, but Ariana lacked any such sensitivity, allowing herself a smirk at the man’s expense. Based on what he’d seen in the past, the two didn’t often see eye to eye. Looking as satisfied as the cat that caught the canary, she loped over to the side table and leaned against it, crossing her arms and turning her attention to her guests.
With the first counsellor out of her direct sight, Ansella’s shoulders relaxed, and a small smile crossed her lips as she reached out a hand and invited them closer.
Jeff sent a look to the others to mimic their actions, and stepped next to Brady as the four stood in a row before their monarch.
“Welcome, my friends. I’m sorry to have dragged you out here in such a hurry.” The smile faded as she cast an unhappy glance in Basten’s direction. “I’m also sorry about the misunderstanding. You are honoured guests under this roof, and I ask that you join me for dinner this afternoon. A demonstration to the country of my high opinion of all of you. Including you, Mr Powell.”
Jeff felt the depth of her compliment, that the queen would put her own experience and opinions over the rumours of a threat to her country, and managed an awkward bow. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I would be honoured to accept.”
Ansella leaned back in her chair. “Now that that’s out of the way, let us proceed with the reason I asked you to come. I assume you’ve heard what’s happening across the country?”
“The vortices?” asked Jayden.
“That’s correct.”
Jasmine nodded. “We’ve spoken with people in our territory who have seen them, and on our way here we got to see one for ourselves.”
“It swallowed an entire cottage,” said Jayden, his tone grim.
Ansella rubbed her temple. “They’ve done more than that. Within the last two days, I’ve received three reports of human casualties to these… holes. Before this, we understood people were able to run when they saw one opening. That they could feel the pull of them, but could remove themselves from danger. This is no longer always the case.”
Jeff felt the weight of the queen’s worries shift onto his shoulders as her tension filled the space of the room. He imagined the frustration and pain she must be in, watching her people in danger from something she didn’t know how to stop.
“If you’ve been doing your own research as you claim,” Basten piped up, Ariana’s eyebrow quirking in reaction to his tone, “have you learned anything of value?”
Jeff looked to Jasmine and Jayden, wondering if they would mention what the Sisters had communicated to him. Considering what Basten already thought about Jeff, he didn’t know if bringing the witches into it would be wise.
“Only that they’re rifts in the veil,” said Brady. “But I’m sure Your Majesty already knew that. We also know they pose a great threat to more than just our country. This is the first we’re hearing of human losses, but we had noticed an increase in frequency and severity.”
“The people are beginning to panic, and to lose their faith in my ability to govern and protect them,” Ansella said. She sounded hurt, the loss of faith like a hard blow. “To add to our problems, word has reached us that Raul’s followers are congregating. With a goal we can only guess at, they’ve made themselves known in and around the capital. Fortunately, since we were able to hush up the worst of the second Raul fiasco, this has not added to the panic. Yet. It’s only a matter of time before word spreads and my own influence takes another hit.”
Jeff sensed the queen was coming to her point, the reason she had summoned them there. And yet she looked uncomfortable, fingers tapping against her armrest as she tried to put the words together.
Eventually she rose from her seat to pace back and forth in front of it.
“As you know from previous experience, I prefer to crush any threat to the crown with people sworn to my own guard, especially when there is great risk of failure and harm, but, in the end, my role is to protect my country. As such, it means I have to call in the most suitable resources when the situation calls for it. At present, you are most suited to figure this out.”
Ansella clasped her hands in front of her. “The fact of the matter is the Feldall name is one of the few in Andvell I can trust to handle this threat. You’re discreet, loyal, and have more experience with extraordinary events than anyone else I know. I have faith that if anyone can see it done, it’s you.”
Jayden bowed at the waist. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Her lips lifted into a smirk. “Don’t thank me too quickly, Lord Feldall. We have no idea what you’re getting into, and you may curse me before the end. But I’m left with very little choice.”
She met the gaze of each of them in turn. “So what do you say? Can I enlist your help? Are you willing to do what must be done to save Andvell from destruction?”
Chapter Fourteen
Jeff had anticipated the queen’s request, but to see her stare at them with such unmasked desperation tugged at his heart. As if she was worried they would say no. Trying to figure out what her next step would be if her greatest hope wasn’t willing to take the risk.
She didn’t know who she was dealing with.
“Without hesitation, Your Majesty,” said Jasmine, not even taking the time to confer with the others. Jeff knew they all would have answered the same way.
For Jeff’s part, his sense of responsibility for some of the current problems would have been motivation enough, not to mention his desire to set his “fictional” world to rights again. He could empathise with the queen for wanting to keep Andvell safe.
And if Raul’s followers were involved, it would give Jeff overwhelming satisfaction to tear them down.
At Jasmine’s quick reply, the queen’s eyes softened and her shoulders relaxed. Jeff hoped her trust wasn’t misplaced with regard to the vortices. Human beings, they could stop. The magical element? That would be harder to solve.
Ariana grinned broadly, and Jeff wondered whether it was because the suggestion to contact House Feldall had been hers, or only because Basten was so against it.
Basten looked less thrilled. His obvious expectation of their refusal was another reason Jeff was so pleased by Jasmine’s hasty acceptance.
“We’ve been able to uncover a bit more information about these rifts,” said Ansella. She sat back down, as if having one problem delegated allowed her a moment to relax, and arranged her skirt over her feet. “Basten, send someone to fetch Loomi.”
The first counsellor nodded, expression dour, and opened the door to speak to a servant before sitting back down.
“While we wait,” said Ansella, “what can you tell us about these robed figures and dead animals that pursued you to the gates?”
Jayden frowned. “We hoped by now you’d be able to tell us if you’ve had any luck talking to the one we captured. So far the one we caught on Kariel’s land has been less than helpful.”
“If Raul’s people are coming together, it’s not such a leap to believe these people are connected,” Jasmine suggested. “Especially with the presence of those wolves.”
Jeff nodded. “They do want me dead. That sounds like something Raul would want.” He shot a significant look in Basten’s direction, which the man pointedly ignored.
Ariana frowned. “Like I mentioned upstairs, this one has been spouting off garble, but I’ll make sure we follow up today. If these people are a branch of the formi
ng cabal, it might be our best lead to crush them early.”
Loomi, introduced as the court enchanter, swooped into the room, interrupting the discussion.
Jeff struggled not to laugh at the man’s appearance. So used to seeing Maggie in her regular skirt and corset, or Raul in his tidy suit, this man looked like he belonged at a circus. Covered head to toe in blue robes with embroidered silver leaves, he was topped with a silver-tasseled blue hat. Jeff wanted to ask if the outfit helped with his duties as enchanter, but he bit down on his lips to stay silent.
“Please fill these people in on what you’ve learned, Loomi,” the queen commanded.
The enchanter bowed and turned to them. “We’ve confirmed these portals are rifts in the veil, which it seems you’ve also concluded. What we’ve yet to determine is the underlying cause. Based on what we know, the most common one is from an intentional opening of the barrier between worlds or dimensions. The reason we don’t see it happen more often is because the spells that open these doorways are complex, and not many people have the skill to perform them.”
Jeff felt all eyes fall on him. “The Meratis incantation,” he guessed.
Loomi nodded. “That is one of them, yes. It would seem your frequent comings and goings may have initiated the problem.”
Jeff’s cheeks flushed. “To be fair, most of these visits are not my own doing.”
Brady patted his shoulder, but Jeff kept his gaze on the back wall to avoid meeting anyone else’s.
“It’s not entirely your fault, Mr Powell,” Loomi continued, and Jeff’s cheeks grew warmer still. Brady’s pat turned into a squeeze. “The rifts were created because of the incantation, but something is causing them to get stronger.”
“Do you have any theories about why?” Jasmine asked.
Loomi nodded. “Magic.”
The answer was so vague that for a moment Jeff wondered how much research this man had actually done. After a few prodding looks from the others in the room, he continued. “Think of spells as a lever. Once the rift is open, which is the difficult part, each powerful spell will pry them open further. From what we’re able to deduce, there are very potent spells being cast to make the situation worse. Considering what we know of Raul’s cabal gathering, I think it’s safe to assume most of the energy comes from them.”
“If we needed any more reasons to stop them,” said Ariana, “this is it.”
Venn frowned. “So we stop them casting spells and the whole portals opening and eating people problem goes away?”
Loomi shook his head. “If only it were that simple. Stopping the magic will stop the rifts from getting worse, which will buy us some time, but it won’t reverse the damage that’s already been done. In order to do that, we need to close the doorway between worlds. The process also works the other way. We can close the doorway first, seal the original tear, and then eliminate the lingering effects by wiping out Raul’s people.” He turned to the queen. “I would recommend immediate action. Close the doorway.”
It took a moment for Jeff to understand his recommendation, but once the information dropped into his head, he held up a finger. “But I’m still here.”
Loomi nodded. “We’ll send you home first, of course, but it should be done now, and the barrier closed.”
Before he could think the words through, Jeff said, “No.”
In reaction to his single world, Loomi’s eyes widened, while Basten’s narrowed.
“No, Mr Powell?” Basten drawled, and Jeff knew he hadn’t helped improve the man’s opinion of him.
He shook his head and said more firmly, “No. That’s not an option at the moment. I need to find Cassie.”
Loomi’s expression clouded over in confusion, and he looked to Ansella. “What’s a Cassie?”
“Jeff’s girlfriend,” Jasmine explained. “She arrived here with Jeff and Venn, but was… sent away. We’re not sure where.”
“Sent away?” Ansella asked, refusing to let Jasmine skip over the details.
Jasmine hesitated. “By the Sisters.”
Basten hissed through his teeth, and even Ansella looked unimpressed. They hadn’t had much experience with the witches, except the way the women had barged into the queen’s court as lions, skirting all of the royal security force in order to give Jeff his gift of a return ticket to Andvell. He didn’t blame her for being skittish at the mention of them. It wasn’t so much different from his own reaction.
“How are they involved with this?” asked Ansella.
Ariana pushed away from the dresser and fell into the chair next to her mother, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned in to listen. Unlike her mother and the first counsellor, she looked intrigued.
“They were the first to warn me of the threat of these rifts,” said Jeff, figuring he should be the one to speak since the Sisters had given him the message. His mouth felt dry, and he swallowed a few times in an ineffectual attempt to speak more clearly. “As is usual when they’re involved, they didn’t come right out and say what was happening. We had to figure it out for ourselves. But they’re worried. They sent Cassie away because apparently she has a role to play in bringing whatever this problem is to an end. But, with all due respect, Your Majesty, I can’t leave her here. She could be in trouble. She could know more about how to stop it. She could get sucked into one of these rifts if she doesn’t know that’s what they are, and I need to get to her before that happens.”
He heard himself babbling and screwed his mouth shut, ready to throw himself on his knees and beg if she didn’t stop Loomi from closing the doorway.
Basten picked up on the queen’s reaction before anyone else, and his face turned red. “Your Majesty, I insist you listen to reason. Your position on the throne is growing more precarious by the day. If the people learn that you have a way of closing these rifts, of preventing more losses, and you ignored it!” He raised a palm to his head as though the idea caused him physical pain.
Ansella held up a hand. “Again, Basten, when I want your opinion I will ask for it.” She dropped her arm and folded her hands in her lap. “Mr Powell, you have done many great services for my country, and I still feel I owe you a debt. I’ve met Miss Murphy, and I understand how important she is to you. Out of respect for your position in Andvell, I will postpone Loomi’s recommendation as long as possible.”
Jeff released the breath he’d been holding, but felt it catch again as she said, “But.”
He hated that word.
“If the threat becomes too great, I will have to give the order. I can only hope that you and Miss Murphy are on the right side of the veil when I do.”
Chapter Fifteen
With Queen Ansella’s orders given, there was nothing to do but make plans to leave and take advantage of the brief time they had to recover from the last few days.
Ariana had slipped out of the audience chamber with Loomi without saying a word. Basten had watched her leave, a look of displeasure on his face, but he didn’t mention anything to the queen in front of the strangers.
Per the queen’s request, the Feldall group joined her for her midday meal, which was more savoury and rich than Jeff’s simple tastes could enjoy in too much quantity. Birds, fish, meats, fruits, some with names he could never pronounce let alone remember.
Ariana joined them partway through the meal, sat down next to her mother and didn’t say much to anyone except when asked a question by Brady or Basten, who sat at the other end of the table looking at the queen’s guests with disapproval dripping off his moustache.
Full and sated, after the dishes were cleared away, they were shown their rooms to rest and tend to their wounds, Jasmine assuring Ansella they would leave at first light.
Jeff had only just closed the door to his room when he heard a knock. His leg burning, and wanting nothing more than to strip off his pants, he debated answering, but the sound repeated—a hesitant, soft knock that didn’t demand admittance, but politely requested it, should it be convenient. With a gro
an, Jeff pulled the door open to find Brady on the other side.
“What’s up?” asked Jeff. He saw Brady startle and take a step backwards, and he felt guilty for his brusqueness. The counsellor was nervous about something. In a less impatient tone, he said, “Can I help you with something?”
“Not if you’re busy.”
“Not at all, come on in.” Jeff stepped aside and Brady entered, lingering by the door.
“I was hoping to go and see the archives. Maybe do that research. About Talfyr and what-not.”
“Excellent idea. It’s one of the reasons we came, right?”
Brady nodded. “I wondered if you wanted to come with me. I don’t know what we’ll learn, if anything, but I’d like to have your company.” He smiled. “Besides, this could be your one opportunity to see Andvell’s greatest collection of books.”
Jeff held his hand to his heart. “Attacking my weak spot. What about Jasmine? Shouldn’t she….” He trailed off at Brady’s facial expression.
The counsellor shrugged. “I don’t intend to keep anything from her, but if it’s bad news, I’d rather be the one to break it to her.”
Jeff wondered what Jasmine would say to that, but decided it wasn’t his place. Considering how much he owed Brady, going to the archives would be a simple way to start paying him back.
His leg argued, but Jeff ignored it as he once more stepped into the hallway and followed Brady down three flights of stairs. Halfway down, he had to use the counsellor’s arm to finish the trip to the basement and towards the large wooden doors at the end of the corridor.
Brady knocked, and a small viewing slot slid open, exposing a pair of muddy eyes.
“Yes?”
“Counsellor Reed requesting a meeting with the royal archivist. Queen Ansella gave her orders.”
The man looked skeptical until Brady drew out a note and slid it through the gap. He read it, mumbled something under his breath, and slowly went about opening the door to a small antechamber.
“I am Keegan Meyer, the royal archivist,” he said. “I apologise for my reluctance, but we keep these books under heavy protection. Only the queen’s and princess’s persons are better guarded.”