by Martin Ash
XXIX
It might have been an eternity, or mere moments. She could not know how long. She had withdrawn into the wombworld, the teeming nothingness, the regions of the soul to which consciousness flees when the agonies of body and mind become too great to bear. It was blissful un-existence, non-knowingness punctuated by fluid visions, dreams, nightmare images that came and passed, evoking emotions she had no control of, taking her into madness and beyond, then casting her back into countless otherwheres. And infrequent lucid instances. A semblance of awareness, of a place, a situation, something she had lost and to which she found her way back, something that had already happened, which by degrees became a constant, a known, to which she wanted to return and be part of.
Familiar, static, recognizable, though she did not know it yet, into this came a blur. A pale oval form that hovered close above her. It slowly sharpened into focus, developed features, transformed, became a face. A male, young, fair-brown-headed, clean-featured. He remained close, always, watching her. The face – she knew it, or knew she should know it. Was it here own? She was bewildered, fearful that she had no mind, for she did not know. Her memory raced through countless faces, countless names, and at last came to rest, and she was reassured that her sanity had not fled her.
‘Sildemund.’
He leaned towards her. She was pleased. She had his name, his association. She knew something. It was enough. Her eyelids drooped, allowing in the dark veil, obscuring the face, letting it fade, drawing her back out of the world.
‘Meg!’
She grasped at the sound as it resonated in the rolling haze of her receding consciousness. It was further evidence, something familiar, something cherished. She gathered it, drew it into her, enveloped it, desperate, needing, happy.
When next her eyes opened he was there again. Had he ever left? This time she took in more. Stone wall at his back, a painting, timber beams over her head, light streaming through a window… Sildemund dozed, his head tilted forward, chin on chest. She watched him for long moments, gladdened at the sight of him. Her hand was in his. She sensed his warmth. She knew he was her brother and she loved him. She squeezed lightly. And again. His head jerked back a little, and he opened his eyes, blinking. A smile lit his features.
‘Meg! Meg! You’re back!’
~
The following day she was strong enough to sit up in bed, take vegetable and herb broth and a little herbal tea, and talk. Sildemund was ebullient, filled with the need to recount everything that had happened. They were still in Garsh. Nine days had passed since she had fought Sko-ulatun. ‘I thought you were gone forever, Meg. I looked up and I saw you struggling, striking at him, so far overhead. And then his claws opened and he released you. You fell. You were certain to die when you hit the temple floor. But then - an incredible thing!’
‘What happened? I knew I wouldn’t survive, yet here I’m sitting without even a broken bone.’
It was true, she had suffered no physical injuries from her fall. She was in some considerable pain; her ribs were massively contused and it pained her to breathe, but that was due to the grip of Sko-ulatun’s talons. No other marks scarred her body, apart from the vestiges of those she had already carried. The sickness and coma of recent days, it appeared, had been predominantly of the psyche. She had undergone a profound shock from which her mind had demanded its own time to recover.
‘I can’t explain it,’ Sildemund said. ‘I can only tell you what I saw – that is, what I think I saw. As you fell, as you passed through the broken temple roof, flailing, you screamed, and from your mouth something – something barely visible emerged. A whitish vapour or mist. It flowed out of you and curled around you. It seemed, just for a moment… it seemed to my eyes to resolve itself into the form of a huge serpent. It enveloped you and bore you the last short distance to the ground, then dissipated. That’s all I saw. The Revenant Elders want to speak to you about it, though. I think they know more, but they won’t tell me anything until they’ve talked to you.’
‘And Sko-ulatun?’
‘Gone. You slew him, Meg. I should have warned him, poor thing, for I know you. I, who am no stranger to your wrath, should have told the sorry monster that he would rue the day he tangled with my sister. I doubt he would have listened, though.’
‘Gone..?’ She dwelt on the notion. ‘After so long, so many eons? Is that really possible?’
‘So much else has been happening, Meg! I’ve so much to tell you! I don’t know where to start! The siege has ended. The Elders told Prince Enlos and King Lalvi that you’d passed them information concerning Fagmar, the brigand. You’d told them where he was camped and that you suspected he planned an ambush upon the Darch force on its way back to Dharsoul.’
Meglan nodded. ‘I overheard Fagmar plotting with Sko-ulatun, just before we entered Garsh.’
‘Prince Enlos and King Lalvi went straight back to their troops and the next morning the Darch upped camp. Sure enough, a few miles from here they came under attack. But they were prepared. In their wagons Tulmu troops were concealed. As they fended off the bandits, Lalvi and his cavalry smote down from the rear. The battle was fierce, by all accounts, but brief. Fagmar the Angelic was taken prisoner, all but a few of his men either killed or captured. Those who didn’t die on the battlefield were executed, Fagmar included. His reign, like Sko-ulatun’s, is over.’
Meglan absorbed this. Could it really be true, that she had defeated Sko-ulatun, the ancient, monstrous Father of All? That he was truly gone from the world, forever?
Another thought came to her. ‘What about you, Sil? And Gully and Pic? Are you still facing execution?’
‘Meg, you’ll hardly believe what I’m going to tell you! It’s been extraordinary! A meeting was called, here in Garsh, between the Revenant Elders and the heads of state of Darch and Tulmua. I was invited to attend. Gully too, though Pic is still too sick to move. He’s recovering, slowly. He’s in a room close by. He’s weak but shows signs of returning to his old self. It looks as though the Heart has left no permanent scars.’
‘I’m glad. But what of this meeting?’
‘First, it was agreed that restrictions upon the activities of the Revenants of Claine would be lifted immediately. King Lalvi hummed and hawed a bit to begin with, but that’s his way, I think. He needs to persuade himself that any decision made must be his. Prince Enlos knows how to play him, and he came around quite quickly. So, Garsh remains the Revenants’ headquarters, but they can travel freely now, in both Darch and Tulmua. They’re bound only by the normal constraints of the law, as with any citizen. This decided, King Lalvi and his retinue departed.
‘Now, Meg, I come to the crux of a great mystery. Do you remember I told you, as we descended into the Temple of Light, that at an earlier meeting Prince Enlos had asked to see two Revenant members who’d been brought here years ago? One turned out to be Epta, who is Master Kemorlin’s daughter. Her mother, his spouse, apparently died soon after her birth. She came here after an unhappy liaison with Enlos. So, at Enlos’s request, Epta was brought before him and his mother, Queen Lermeone, and Kemorlin. Then the other one, a girl-child who’d been brought here as a baby, in far greater secrecy than had surrounded Epta, was also announced. Her name is Lucel. You will never guess, Meg: she is one of the three Elders. She is the young maiden.’
Meglan frowned. ‘I don’t understand. What’s her connection? She was brought from Darch? Who is she?’
‘Prepare yourself. I’m about to tell you.’ Sildemund shifted on his seat, barely able to contain his emotions. ‘Do you remember, Meg, years ago, when we were small, too young to remember, there was a rebellion against the throne? Darch came close to civil war.’
‘I’ve heard of it, yes.’
‘Gully fought in that conflict. I didn’t have time to tell you before, but he was a hero! He helped save the life of Prince Enlos. He was even decorated!’
Meglan gaped at him. ‘Gully? Is this true?’
‘Yes!
Gully’s too modest to ever speak of it. I learned it on the road to Darch, when we were saved from Fagmar’s bandits by Prince Enlos and his troop. He recognized Gully, and the truth came out! They were like old friends, Meg!’
‘Old friends? But Gully was still condemned for hearing the Queen speak? Does friendship, even in high places, stand for nothing in our nation – and heroism even less? But what does this have to do with Lucel?’
‘I’m trying to explain, Meg! The rebellion came about as the result of a scandal involving the Queen. The details were greatly suppressed so that few ever knew the real facts. Well, now it’s revealed. Queen Lermeone had a child, outside of wedlock. She became queen upon the death of her father, King Hirun, and assumed The Silence. By law she was forbidden from consorting with anyone, even her own husband. He, Prince Ugor, Enlos’s father, later drowned in an accident at sea. She could speak to no one, except by the agency of the Supreme Haruspices. But somehow she established a secret liaison. Certain nobles learned of this, and of the birth of a child. They demanded its life, and the lives of the Queen and the child’s father. They were arrested. Their followers then tried to overthrow the throne in a coup. The rebellion was quashed, though only after long and ferocious fighting. Those behind it were executed. The illegitimate baby had to be spirited away before news of her existence could leak out again. She was brought here, in secret, to Garsh. The Revenants knew nothing of this baby’s origins, only that her welfare was of interest at the highest levels of Darch government.’
‘Extraordinary,’ said Meglan. ‘But what of the father? Who was he? Was he executed, or exiled?’
Sildemund smiled. ‘Haven’t you guessed, Meg? The father was also Kemorlin!’
‘What?’
‘It’s true. After Prince Ugor’s death, and with her assumption of rule and The Silence, Queen Lermeone suffered a profound and prolonged melancholy. There was great concern for her health. Master Kemorlin was called in to render his professional services, for he had a reputation as a healer and alchemist, a mystic and clairvoyant. The Queen, starved of company, fell under his sway – as, I understand, have many women before and since.’
‘But didn’t the discovery of this liaison carry an automatic sentence of death, for Kemorlin at least?’
‘By rights, yes. But the Queen forbade it. The details are a little unclear, but I believe she threated to expose the truth and take her own life if Kemorlin – or the child – were harmed. She loved him. Of course, she could never be permitted to see him again, a fact which I believe caused him no great concern. But he was accorded a unique position in Darch society – untouchable, by normal laws. Protected, as long as he spoke no word of what had occurred. He profited mightily, and came to assume a position of tremendous influence. Meg, I wish you’d been there to see him squirm when all this came out. I’ve never seen a man so eager to be elsewhere!’
Meglan smiled, distantly. ‘So Lucel, then, is stepsister to both Prince Enlos and Epta.’
‘Yes.’
‘Yet she’s a Revenant Elder, though still a child.’
‘By the Elders’ account the babe evinced certain qualities, certain gifts, from the earliest age. They became convinced that her arrival had been a fateful act. They were, in fact, expecting her. They believe utterly in such things. In the same way, they knew that you and I, in some form, would come here, and the Heart of Shadows too. Lucel is a Revenant. She has lived many times before.’
Meglan closed her eyes, absorbing all of this. ‘But what of you, Sil? That was my question. Surely, you can’t still be under sentence of death?’
‘I’m coming to that. Imagine the scene I was witnessing. It was one of great emotion. Queen Lermeone came forward in tears and embraced her child.’
‘Lucel.’
‘Lucel, who knew nothing of her origins. And, I should explain, I was confused. Not everything made sense to me, for not everything was being stated. It was Dinbig, who was standing next to me, who explained exactly what was going on.’
‘Dinbig?’
‘The Khimmurian sorcerer. The Zan-Chassin.’
Meglan’s eyes widened. ‘Zan-Chassin?’
‘Oh, Meg. Haven’t I mentioned him? Dinbig was at Court, in Dharsoul. He’s a Zan-Chassin practitioner. He helped us, immensely. Without him I don’t know if we’d be here today. He’s gone now, returned to Dharsoul to pick up his goods and make his way back to Khimmur. He had hoped to meet you. Two days ago he came to this room and applied ritual healing to speed your recovery. He couldn’t wait any longer, though. He left yesterday morning. He’s a good man, Meg. At first I didn’t know what to think of him. He cultivates an air of mystery, quite deliberately, I’m sure. He’s an intriguing fellow. I hope we’ll meet again one day – perhaps at the coronation.’
‘Coronation? What coronation? You’re advancing in great leaps, Sil.’
Sildemund took a breath. ‘I’m sorry. So much has happened. Where was I? Ay, yes. The Queen held her daughter, the child she’d not set eyes on since she was a day-old baby, and she wept. In front of us all, quite openly and unashamedly. And when she was able, still clasping Lucel, she asked for her forgiveness.’
‘Asked forgiveness? You mean Queen Lermeone spoke? But I thought- ‘
‘Listen, Meg! Let me finish! Yes, she spoke. Out loud. And the two Supreme Haruspices immediately protested. But Prince Enlos stepped forward and commanded them to silence. It was a moment of extraordinary tension. The Haruspices did not know how to respond. Queen Lermeone, addressing Lucel, confessed to her how she had wronged her, told how she’d been wracked with inner torment ever since, and begged her forgiveness. Lucel gave it without hesitation. Then she asked about her father, for she had never known him either. That’s when the Queen called Master Kemorlin forward. And he came, utterly embarrassed, and stiffly acknowledged both his daughters, Lucel and Epta. This done, Queen Lermeone turned to us all and announced her abdication.’
‘What?’
‘ “I have consulted with the Elders of the Revenants of Claine, here in Garsh,” she declared, “and have requested admission as a humble lay member into the Followers of Claine. My request has been accepted and I shall henceforth remain here, doing whatever I can to restore the name and the faith of Claine. I hereby formally announced my abdication of the throne of Darch, in favour of my beloved son, Enlos.”’
‘Enlos is to become King?’ cried Meglan excitedly.
‘In two months’ time, in Dharsoul. And we’re invited! You, me, Gully, even Pic. Not only that, Meg, but we are to be honoured for our services to Darch. Enlos will dispatch a retinue to Volm to escort us and our father, Master Atturio, personally to the capital!’
Meglan all but pinched herself, half-convinced this must be a dream. ‘But wait, wait.’ She put her fingers to her temples. ‘What, I ask you once more, of your death sentence?’
‘Revoked! Immediately upon the Queen’s announcement, Prince Enlos stepped forward and said, “And my first decree as King-designate of Darch is that the sentence of execution visited upon the three men of Volm, Masters Gully, Sildemund and Picadus, be lifted with immediate effect. Should any dare challenge my ruling, let them step forward now and declare themselves and their reasons.”
‘It was a direct challenge to the Haruspices,’ said Sildemund, ‘and they knew it. They stood and fumed in silence, like rats in a trap, unable to do anything.’
‘But you said the Haruspices are the true rulers, albeit behind the scenes.’
‘Only if a woman sits upon the throne, Meg. That’s the whole point. Under a king their powers are vastly diminished – and in this instance I’ll wager it’ll be reduced even more. They’re helpless. It’s been a brilliant manoeuvre. The Queen could never have abdicated in Darch, for she could never speak her mind. But here, on foreign territory before independent witnesses, the Haruspices are powerless. I think we will see profound and far-reaching changes in the Darch constitution. When next a queen rules over our nation, I think she will sp
eak with her own voice.’
‘This is incredible.’
Sildemund nodded. ‘I’d bet that Dinbig had a hand in all this. I know he spoke long and hard with Prince Enlos in Dharsoul. Enlos was aware of the Haruspices’ power but I don’t think he saw the means to overcome it. Moreover, from what I understand he had no desire to take the throne. Dinbig must have persuaded him otherwise, and pointed out that by bringing the Heart of Shadows to Garsh, more might be achieved than was immediately apparent, albeit at tremendous risk. So now Queen Lermeone’s life of misery and isolation is over. She’s able to function at last, as a free-thinking human being and a woman. The Revenants of Claine, too, are allowed their own voice. Perhaps it’s the beginning of something.’
‘Perhaps,’ said Meglan. She felt a tiredness upon her. ‘What now, Sil?’
‘We leave, as soon as you’re well enough. We’re going home, Meg. We are the only ones still here. Enlos and his entourage departed three days ago. The Tulmu have gone. Garsh is a free town once more. Enlos has left us an escort who’ll see us safely back to Volm. We will see father again, at last. But now, Meg, you should rest, get some more sleep. I don’t want to overtax you with too many wonders.’
He kissed her cheek, then rose. ‘I’ll be back soon.’
Meglan lay back, her head a-spin with all she had learned. She lay for a few moments, thinking hard, but her weariness quickly overcame her and very soon she was asleep.
~
Late in the afternoon she was visited by the second Revenant Elder, the young woman whose name she now learned was Iridin. She entered quietly and smiled at Sildemund, who had returned and was sitting beside the bed. Then, seeing that Meglan was awake, she smiled at her and pulled up a stool.