Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) (43 page)

“That’ll be all.  I need to be by myself for a few minutes.  Just to sort through everything.” 

“Aye, My Queen,” Vincent said with a dip of his chin.  “I’ll send Ashley up periodically to ensure you are well.”  Then he exited the room. 

When Evangeline was sure she was alone, she inched over to the edge of her bed, and using the nightstand for support, lifted herself up.  Her body still felt warm and sluggish, evidence that she still was not over whatever fever possessed her.  But she forced herself to move forward, over to the balcony and outside into the clear night.  The city of Alumhy lay shrouded in shadow, which unsettled her heart because normally there were lights in the inns and music coming from the taverns.  Right now there was nothing, just fear and silence.

Evangeline unfolded the enormous Samarian banner by grabbing its edges and throwing it into the air.  It was so dark out that the Queen couldn’t even see the purple sheen of the satin or the artistic stitching of the mountain peaks.  If she couldn’t make it out in the darkness, she didn’t know why she expected Heath to.  But Evangeline draped the banner over the balcony railing anyway, as he’d specifically instructed.  When that was complete, she hobbled back into her bed where she patiently waited for the mysterious emissary to contact her.  If he even would.

***

              When Evangeline woke for the second time, the sky was still masked in darkness, and she didn’t know how many days and nights had passed. Yet sitting in the corner of her chambers, in her wing-backed chair, was Heath.  She had to blink several times against the persistence of her fever to convince herself she wasn’t dreaming his presence.

              “You came,” she said groggily as he stood up and made his way over to her.

              “I told you I would if you displayed the banner,” he replied smoothly.

The emissary was dressed like a soldier.  He had a leather baldric strapped over his shoulder that supported his sword, and he wore a brown hooded cloak that ran all the way to the ground.  Right now, the hood was tossed behind his head.  He walked over to her like a wistful spirit, silent and full of stealth in the darkness.

“I want to believe that what you tell me is true,” Evangeline mumbled when Heath was standing next to her bed, almost touching her.  “But how do I know you’re not deceiving me?  Just to get what you want?” 

The emissary looked over her pale, weakened state and sighed.  He hadn’t known in the carriage that she was falling ill.  Maybe the pressure he was putting on her was too great for her to handle.  But she seemed determined to push through; she wanted to know.

“I don’t know how to
make
you believe,” Heath replied.  “But I can try, a different way this time.” 

Evangeline leaned her head into her frilly pillow, eyeing Heath the whole time.  The desire to learn more about the Living Stone and what its existence possibly meant burned through her hotter than her fever.  She wanted to control whatever magic it possessed, and suddenly she didn’t care what it took to get it.

“Do you have a copy of the Book of Truth?” Heath asked.  Evangeline squinted her eyes.  She was surprised he even knew what that was.

“Over there, I think.  In the credenza drawer.”

The Book of Truth was a collection of all the events that had taken place since the beginning of the world, when man was created by the Divine One and placed in the garden of good and evil.  It accounted for everything that had occurred after mankind was cast out of paradise and retold how the earlier tribes of the earth spread out through the lands.

When Heath had the book in hand, he sat on the edge of her bed and began to read.

You were the garden of the Creator; 


Every precious stone adorned you: 


Carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald, 


Topaz, onyx and jasper, 


Lapis, lazuli, turquoise, and beryl. 


Your settings and mountings were made of gold;


on the day you were created they were prepared.

              When he was done reading, he gently closed the book and looked at Evangeline expectantly. 

“I don’t understand,” she said slowly.

“I thought so,” Heath replied, “so let me show you.”  He angled his body closer to hers so she could see better, then opened his hand palm up.  Suddenly, a ball of faint white light hovered whimsically above it, sending soft shadows dancing across the chamber walls. 

              “In the beginning, the Divine One created the heavens and the earth,” Heath began.  As he spoke, the ball of white light split, and hovering over one hand was light, and in the other was a void of darkness.  “
He formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the Breath of Life, and the man became a living being.”
  Heath recited verbatim from the Book of Truth. 

“From man
he created woman.”  The silhouette of a male appeared in one hand, replacing the void, and the figure of a female in the other.  “And from there the Creator placed them the garden of Paradise.” 

He removed his hands, and the silhouettes remained hanging in midair, while around them the air transformed into the likeness of a garden: vivid blue mountains and green hills surrounding lush plants with one tree in the middle.  A large fruit, bright purple, pulsed on the center tree, and Evangeline watched as the female silhouette sauntered over to the tree and snatched the fruit off of it.  From there she gave it to her mate, and they both indulged greedily in it.

“How is the relevant to the Living Stone?” Evangeline asked, distracted by the silhouette puppets moving about the dream garden as if it was real.  Heath removed his hands, and the colorful illusion floated before them like a live play whose stage was a billowy cloud.  Heath continued on seriously.

“There is an ancient power in this world that binds together all things in the universe.  It surrounds us everyday, invisible and silent, yet governs all the forces of our earth. The story, as it’s recounted in the Book of Truth, says the decline of man came after our progenitors were cast out of Paradise, after eating the forbidden fruit.  But up until that time, they walked alongside the Creator.  You see, the Divine One is the embodiment of good.  His is also the giver and the receiver of this ancient binding power.  All the stones listed in the book were present in the garden at the same time He was, so just like everything else in the garden, they are filled with the power used to create the earth.”

“
Lapis, lazuli, turquoise, and topaz,”
Heath chanted over and over again till Evangeline understood the correlation between the stones.  He waved his hand and the image of the dreamy garden vanished.  Replacing it in even more magnificence was the bright image of each stone he had listed, rotating in the air as if they were on display, and glowing with a cool cerulean light.

“All the stones all blue,” she whispered.  “And all different.”  The Queen paused, thinking deeply.  “So you’re saying that everything in the garden was consumed by this ancient power?”  Heath nodded, his eyes bright with excitement now that she finally understood.

“The ancient power of the earth
is
immortal.  It has existed since the beginning and will never die,” Heath explained.  He scooted closer to her.  “
And
it’s entirely possible for the one who recorded such history to make a simple mistake and overlook the fact that one of the blue stones in Paradise was actually azurite.”

“You think the crystal that my men are currently mining is one of the original Stones of Paradise?” Evangeline asked skeptically.  “That the garden was located in what is now Samaria?”

“We don’t know exactly,” Heath replied with downcast eyes.  “No one has ever been able to confirm the location of the garden.  But Samarian mines are the only place where such a crystal can be found, the only place in our Realm where precious stones are abundant.  The same stones that are listed in the Book of Truth,” Heath added. 

Evangeline sat still for several moments taking in everything Heath had just told her.  It didn’t make sense at first, but the more she stewed over it, the more she convinced herself that it
could
be possible.  She had seen what Heath was capable of doing, how he wielded weather, fire, and light as if it was as natural as breathing.  Therefore, it was easier for Evangeline to accept the likelihood that everything Heath explained to her about the garden was true.  Immortal life on earth did exist, and his kind was on the verge of uncovering it.

“Have you reconsidered my offer, Queen of Samaria?  Now that you know the truth,” Heath suddenly asked, his hushed voice slithering through her thoughts like a snake.  Images of Paradise, magical blue stones, and ancient forces of nature danced inside her head like a puppet show.  She toyed with the edges of the lace blanket separating her from the man she’d invited into her chambers before looking up into his ageless face.

“Yes,” she sighed.  “And no…”  She licked her parched lips, moistening the skin, before telling him what it was that she really wanted. 

              “I want the Elixir of Life,” Evangeline whispered with an earnestness she’d never felt before.  “I want to taste its sweet nectar on my tongue.  Feel its rejuvenation flow through my mortal veins.  I want its ancient magic to sustain me forever.” 

              “You don’t know what you ask,” Heath said forcibly, but without anger.

              “But I do!” Evangeline spat back rashly, wheezing slightly in her illness.  “Do I have to tell you the same thing I told that dimwit Leonardo Santini?  This,” she made a wide gesture with her arms, “is my country.”  She jabbed a finger on her chest.  “My mountains.  My azurite.  My people.  And I do with them what I want.” 

The Queen suddenly felt dizzy, like her ailing body couldn’t keep up with the passion she felt at that single moment. 

              “With immortality, no one will ever be able to take this away from me,” Evangeline continued.  “Not the Sovereign Alliance, not Olger Guttensen, and especially not my daughter.”  There was a wild lunacy in her eyes as she spoke.  “I’ll be given the opportunity, every generation, every century, every millennia, till the day the earth dies, to prove to the world how great a ruler I am.  That I am as good as my father whose legacy I struggle to fulfill.”

“I know you don’t understand,” she muttered.  “But as an immortal Queen, I will have a new opportunity to remedy the shame I’ve brought to myself, and to Samaria.”

Heath mused momentarily over Evangeline’s heartfelt monologue.  He stared at her, admiring the rosy cheeks that came with her fever and the bright blue eyes as deep as an endless sky.

              “I see no other option but to concede to your request,” the emissary said sadly and with regret.  “If this is what it takes to get the azurite to my Master.  But in return, you have to do exactly what I ask regarding the future of Samaria’s mining industry.  Do you understand that?”  Evangeline nodded fervently.

              “This is no small wager we make,” Heath tried to exhort.  “I’m telling you, Evangeline, that you must do exactly as you are told in order for this to work.  All of your pride and conceit must be humbled when dealing with me, and you must accept that we are a team working together.” 

Evangeline had turned a little redder as the emissary counseled her, and Heath knew he’d offended her by indirectly calling her a snob.  But the Queen didn’t retaliate, and took the criticism with grace.  She gave him a level setting stare.

              “And in return you will help me win this war,” she stated.  It wasn’t a question; it was a demand.  “In return you will provide me with the Immortal Drink.”  It was Heath’s turn to nod his head.

              “There is a lot at stake regarding this arrangement between you and I,” Heath said darkly.  “And in order to give me and my Master peace of mind that you will be cooperative, I need you to make a vow with me.  A binding pledge that will ensure all parties’ interests in the agreement will be satisfied.”  The emissary seemed to grow larger in the confined space next to Evangeline’s bed, just like he did two nights ago, and an ominous shadow seemed to creep over his face.

              “What are the terms?” the Queen asked, sliding her tongue over her dry lips one more time.   “Will I be forced to die a long and painful death if I don’t do as I’m told?”

              “No,” Heath mumbled back as his mouth curled into a sinister smile.  “That would be far to generous, now wouldn’t it?”  Without asking her permission, the emissary slid his arm across her chest and grabbed her right wrist.  Tightening his fingers around it, he flipped it over so the tender flesh underneath was exposed to him.  The Queen gave a small gasp of surprise.

Heath did the same, placing his hand palm up on top of hers.  Immediately, the black and grey lines of his tattoo began to glow like the red-hot embers of a fire.  The images began to contort and change as the color became richer and brighter until it hurt Evangeline’s eyes look at.

“I’m giving you one last chance to back out,” Heath told her, but Evangeline didn’t flinch, not even in the uncomfortable position.

“These are the terms of our vow,” Heath recited darkly.  “If you fail to fulfill the above mentioned duties, it is not death that will follow, but the immortal life you so superficially crave.  However, the life that you live will be one of constant suffering, agony, and pain.  In your mind, you will only be left with the foulest memories of your mortal life.  Every day, over and over forever, you will relive all of your mistakes and experience the same debilitating regret.  In your heart, only the feelings of, discontent, bitterness, and guilt will remain.  And of your beauty…that too shall perish.  You will see only a wrinkled, deformed old maiden in every mirror in which you gaze.  Do you understand the conditions on which this vow is drawn?”