Sinners of Magic (28 page)

‘
Damn
Forusian
,’ he cursed, watching a mounted
flag blow fiercely in the wind. The bright, masterful colours were
bold and distinctive, but gave the king little comfort. He lowered
his gaze and returned to his chair. He rubbed his temples when
tension stabbed him behind his eyes like an invisible blade. He had
been watching the Nonhawk king for some time and Forusian’s plans
to start a war against him had been filtering back to him through
his own spies.

He slammed his fist on the
table whilst he fought with what was left of his conscience, trying
in desperation to think of a way to defeat Forusian without the
need of Crystal. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden
commotion followed by the doors to the dining room being flung
aside to reveal the magician Elveria. He was followed closely by
several other magicians.

‘
Forgive the
intrusion,’ Elveria bellowed, making his way to the king’s table,
‘but we need to speak to you urgently.’

‘
Well, well,
well, this is an unexpected surprise,’ said Gamada, forcing a
watery smile. He relaxed his clenched fists and left the table to
greet the magicians, leaving the crumpled letter unattended on his
plate.

‘
You’re
always welcome in my realm,’ he said, trying to stop his eyes from
narrowing, ‘but tell me, what brings you all the way out
here?’

Elveria made quick work of the
tale. Finishing with, ‘And we cannot believe that you have brought
Crystal back to our land; on whose authority did you seek to do so?
I’m sure you can see it from our perspective and it all looks
extremely suspicious.’

Gamada’s eyes hardened. ‘This
is neither the time nor the place to discuss why I have summoned
Crystal,’ he said, trying to keep calm.

A troubled expression spread
across Elveria’s face whilst he digested the king’s words.

‘
I can assure
you this is exactly the time and place,’ said a voice from
somewhere behind him, a voice the king deemed somewhat
familiar.

Gamada lifted his gaze, his
eyes searching the many faces, and it was then that he spied
Bridgemear. He recognised the handsome face immediately; time had
not altered his chiselled good looks and a stab of resentment crept
into his bitter heart.

Elveria noticed the look of
distaste that was spreading over the king’s face and he made his
way to his side in an attempt to distract his attention away from
the once disgraced magician.

‘
I know what
you’re thinking,’ he hissed in the king’s ear, flashing him a
warning look, ‘but we are not here to bring up any more of the past
than we need to.’

The king felt a sharp chill
fill his bones when he spoke.

‘
There is
trouble brewing within the Nonhawk kingdom and Crystal may become
our only hope of keeping peace within our realms,’ he said,
beckoning to his servants. ‘But you’re right; the rest of what
happened all those years ago has become ancient
history.’

Elveria looked pacified.

‘
Bring me
food and wine for my guests,’ called the king to his servants. ‘I’m
sure they are in great need of sustenance.’

The wizards grinned, pleased
they were to be made welcome, and relief filled Elveria’s tense
features. The food was brought out quickly and King Gamada guided
his guests to his enormous table, enticing them with the delicious
aromas of exquisite meats.

‘
Tuck in and
fill your empty bellies,’ he said, sounding jubilant; however, out
of the corner of his eye he spotted Amadeus lurking in the
shadows.

‘
Excuse me a
moment,’ he said, placing a cup of wine in Elveria’s hand. ‘I have
just noticed that you have brought with you one of my good
men.’

He made a gesture for Amadeus
to approach.

‘
Where have
you been?’ he snapped, trying to stay calm.

Amadeus bowed low.

‘
Sire, there
are things amiss; it’s a long story, but I was taken by Forusian’s
men once I reached Fortune’s End. They captured me and took me to
Forusian’s castle but I managed to escape. With the help of the
keeper, I was able to track down Bridgemear to give him your
message concerning his daughter, hence why he has returned with
me.’

Gamada pulled Amadeus to one
side, his grasp firm and strong.

‘
Never mind
all that. Is it true Forusian has captured both Crystal and Arhdel
too?’ he demanded, unconsciously digging his fingers into the
warrior’s flesh. Amadeus dropped his gaze.

‘
I was not
aware Forusian held Crystal, sire,’ he said, his face clouding like
dark rain. ‘I assume therefore that he intercepted the wagon at
some point?’

Gamada let out a huge sigh of
frustration.

‘
Yes, of
course he did,’ he said, sounding weary, ‘and no one has seen or
heard from her since.’

Whilst the king was talking to
Amadeus, Mordorma sat himself on a soft cushioned chair next to
where the king had been sitting when they arrived. He noticed the
crumpled letter left discarded, lying temptingly on the dinner
plate and, glancing around, checked he wasn’t being observed before
he used his magic to unravel the wrinkled paper.

The parchment rocked on the
platter and then disentangled itself before becoming perfectly flat
and smooth. Once again, Mordorma checked he wasn’t being watched
prior to sliding the letter under his nose. He swiftly read the
contents and absorbed the startling demands. Once fully digested,
he was both concerned and alarmed by what he’d read. He immediately
changed the letter back to its original state and sat there pale
faced, unsure of how to react to such shocking news.

King Gamada and Amadeus
rejoined the wizards; the mood was mellow and the mages tucked into
the multitude of fine dishes with a ravenous appetite.

‘
More food!’
called King Gamada, slapping Voleton on the back. ‘Please eat as
much as your bellies can muster.’

Bridgemear
had fallen silent since his meeting with the king. Bitterness
simmered deep within his heart and he had to use all of his
willpower to stop himself from letting the grief he felt inside rip
free. He knew he must play it cool, but he saw Gamada only as a
weak-minded king who’d turned his back on his daughter at a time
when she’d needed him the most. Since entering Nine Winters,
Bridgemear had done nothing but scan the faces of anyone who passed
by, in the hope it would be his beloved Amella. He knew she would
not enter back into the realm without the
Spirit of Eternity
, but he searched
their faces in sheer hope that she’d somehow returned.

He felt the room had a tense,
guarded atmosphere. The king appeared to wish to pacify his guests
a little too much for his liking. The crafty old elf was hiding
something, he could sense it, and he watched Elveria stand up and
whisper something in the king’s ear once he returned to the table.
Gamada paused in mid-sentence and then rose from his chair.

‘
Please
excuse us,’ he said, leaving the table. ‘Elveria and I have things
to discuss in private.’

‘
What
things?’ asked Voleton, giving him a look of surprise, ‘what is
this trickery you set amongst us?’

Before Gamada could answer,
Bridgemear also rose from his chair and positioned himself between
Elveria and the king.

‘
Anything you
have to say can be said right here,’ he said, with a defiant glint
in his eye.

Elveria’s wrinkled eyes
appeared to crease a little more.

‘
No,
Bridgemear, we have important business to discuss which we do not
wish to divulge until we have decided on the correct course of
action.’

This time it was Mordorma who
interrupted.

‘
What is
there to say which cannot be said in front of us? We have come here
in solidarity to revenge our forefathers and find out what has
happened to Bridgemear’s child. We respect you as the eldest
wizard, but you do not represent us all here today.’

A rush of anger filled Elveria.
He stared hard at Mordorma, livid that the wizard had dared to
challenge his authority, but Mordorma was not alone; the other
wizards rose from their seats to stand beside him, an unusual
alliance growing between them.

‘
Very well,
as you wish,’ said Elveria, identifying a change in allegiance and
swallowing his pride. ‘You’re right, we should stand as a solid
unity and I apologise for forgetting my place.’

‘
We just want
the truth, Gamada,’ Mordorma demanded, hitting the table hard with
his fist and allowing his eyes to glow. ‘Tell us, why did you bring
Crystal back after all that has happened?’

The king was unsure of how much
they knew, until he caught Mordorma staring at the crumpled letter.
He cursed himself for his carelessness at leaving it in view; for
someone who thought himself clever he was certainly looking a fool.
He realised he had no choice but to divulge the information
contained inside it and so he gestured for the magicians to take to
their seats.

All their eyes were upon him
and he inhaled deeply, realising he would look more of a fool if he
tried to deceive them again.

The king cleared his throat and
then he said, ‘The truth is the outer realms as well as my own are
in serious trouble.’ He looked across at Elveria and on seeing his
goblet was empty, signalled for the elder mage to help himself to
more wine.

An eerie hush crept over the
mages and Gamada’s mind whirled in a fretful wave of anxiety,
unsure of how this meeting would end.

‘
I took
council with the Elders and it was eventually decided that I would
send one of my shape-changers into the ordinary world in the hope
of bringing back Bridgemear’s daughter.’

‘
How come you
knew where to find her?’ asked Bridgemear, intrigued.

The king looked uncomfortable
and the magician found that he could not meet his stare.

‘
If you
remember, I was one of the original council members who decided her
fate. I was privy to where she now lived and therefore sent Tremlon
back to seek her out.’

‘
So, you’re
telling us he went to the ordinary world and told her about us?’
shot Amafar, in despair. ‘What, after everything that was declared
to us at that time?’

‘
Yes, yes,
and I’m sure you think we have gone mad, but we are heading for
desperate times which means taking desperate measures.’

Rage was burning deep within
Bridgemear and Amafar saw the fury ignite inside his eyes. He left
his seat to place a hand of reassurance upon his brother’s
shoulder, but Bridgemear was already rising from his chair.

‘
You had no
right to go to her without my permission,’ he roared, taking a step
closer to the king, ‘no right at all.’

‘
It’s too
late to get angry now,’ said Elveria, sliding over to Bridgemear
and gripping his arm. ‘What’s done is done, you cannot change
that.’ The king looked pained.

‘
Look, what
can I say?’ he said, clearing his throat. ‘I learned through my
spies of plans made by King Forusian to assemble a new army. We are
in peaceful times and our own army is small, we would never survive
such an assault. The Elders were knowledgeable as to why Crystal
had been banished, for she will become a sorceress stronger than
any of us in her own right. You are all aware Crystal was born with
immense magic inherited from both of her parents and when she
matures she will ultimately have the power of at least ten wizards,
a sorceress like no other. Crystal is our only hope for the future;
without her we will all be lost.’

‘
Such
nonsense,’ Mordorma snapped, looking perplexed. ‘Why, she’s barely
sixteen and without training in the ways of magic, tell us, what
actual help could she possibly be?’

‘
Isn’t it
obvious?’ gasped Gamada in surprise. ‘We believe even though she is
so young and inexperienced she has the power to destroy King
Forusian with her transcendental magic alone. Don’t you see, we
don’t need to go to war and risk losing so many good elves, not
with Crystal by our side, for she would be able to stop Forusian
with a single throw of her hand, and as far as I am concerned that
could still be possible.’

‘
So where is
Crystal now?’ asked Elveria, feeling a stir of unease.

Gamada looked ruffled, clearly
growing more uncomfortable with each passing moment.

‘
Unfortunately, the wagon which was bringing her here was
intercepted. Forusian is holding Crystal captive and is demanding
gold for her release, which doesn’t make much sense to me. I have
heard from my sources that he wishes to copulate with her so he can
start his own bloodline, but I don’t think he realises just how
powerful she really is; but then, having said that, we don’t know
that for sure. We assume he sees her merely as breeding material of
a magical kind, one which he perhaps hopes will see him king over
all other realms one day. With her by his side and his immense army
he will be able to stop at nothing and destroy those who willingly
fight against him, enabling him in time to rule our world with his
kind forever.’

‘
We hadn’t
realised things had grown so serious,’ barked Voleton, when the
enormity of the situation turned heavy.

‘
I can’t
believe Crystal’s not here,’ said Bridgemear, moving towards the
fire. ‘I have travelled far to see my daughter only to find she is
gone once again.’ He placed his hands on the mantel and hung his
head, staring down at the burning embers. ‘You know, none of this
is making sense. Why would Forusian hold her to ransom when he
clearly wishes to keep her for himself?’ He allowed a wave of
sadness to wash over him; to think his daughter was now at the
mercy of an evil tyrant.