Sinners of Magic (31 page)

‘
How could I
have been so blind?’ he wailed, watching Amafar get to his feet.
‘Forusian had every intention of making sure King Gamada was out of
the equation, I should have seen this coming,’ he gasped, and with
his spirit shattered, he knelt beside the king.

‘
I never
truly believed Forusian would stoop so low,’ he told the dead king
with genuine sorrow filling his eyes. ‘And for my stupidity, you
have paid with your life.’

Amafar placed himself by
Elveria’s side and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, a gesture of
comradeship.

‘
You were not
to know,’ he said, trying to soothe him, but he knew Elveria spoke
the truth.

Finding no comfort in Amafar’s
words, Elveria left the king’s side and started to pace the floor,
his eyes searching for clues. Elveria turned to Amafar; the lines
on his face appeared much deeper.

‘
Bridgemear’s
daughter is in great danger,’ said the elder mage, aware of the
seriousness of his words. ‘I believe Forusian knows far more than
we first thought. I think he has a hidden agenda.’

His eyes narrowed and the
wisdom of his years began to show.

‘
Crystal is
also second in line to the throne of Nine Winters,’ he continued.
‘Think what that could mean if he were to somehow become her
husband and Amella is never found.’

A shrill cry came from outside
the window. Both Elveria and Amafar were startled, but Amafar was
the first to recover, reaching out to open it. A darkening
silhouette choked the light from the room before the body of a hawk
entered the chamber. It flew inside, perching on the bedstead, its
feathers ruffled and its beady eyes focused on the dead king. A
strange vibration filled the room when Voleton changed back into
his human image.

‘
I am much
too late,’ he cried, when he was finally able to speak. He cast his
eyes towards the king’s body before holding Elveria’s stony
gaze.

‘
What? You
knew this was going to happen?’ asked Amafar in dismay.

‘
No, of
course not,’ Voleton answered, feeling the piercing eyes of Elveria
burrow into his skull.

‘
Forusian
tricked us all. He placed one of King Gamada’s own men inside the
tower and whilst I wasted time guessing what Forusian had done with
Crystal, someone was taking the gold and my horse.’

‘
And he took
Gamada’s life,’ added Elveria, watching Amafar move towards the
chamber door.

‘
I will send
for the guards,’ Amafar told him, ignoring his cold stare, ‘they
can at least take him to the healer, Sawbones.’

‘
And what
good will that do now?’ sighed Elveria, pulling his cloak close to
try to stop the chill which filled his old bones.

Amafar shrugged his
shoulders.

‘
They will
need to take care of his body and get him ready for burial,’ he
said, watching Elveria’s mouth set in a tight line.

‘
Very well,’
stated the elder mage, looking grave. ‘Indeed, it is time they
learnt what has happened and how we failed to protect their
king.’

‘
You are
being too harsh,’ snapped Amafar, becoming tense. ‘The king should
have told us sooner of Crystal’s return and perhaps this could have
been avoided.’

For a moment the two magicians
appeared to study each other with open resentment until Elveria
coughed and cleared his throat.

‘
Do you
really think we could have saved him?’ Elveria asked, pointing a
bony finger towards the dead king. ‘Do you honestly believe this
could have been so easily averted? My, how ignorant of the times
you are, my young mage.’

Amafar flashed an angry scowl
and stormed off, not wishing to start a fight.

‘
What’s the
next step?’ asked Voleton, bending down over Gamada’s body and
placing a large flat coin on top of each eyelid.

‘
We have no
choice but to ride to Forusian’s castle and meet with Bridgemear. I
fear we are heading towards a great battle of which I know nothing
of the outcome.’

Voleton rose from his knees and
looked out of the window.

‘
Do you want
me to saddle the horses?’ he asked.

‘
Yes, we
cannot stay; we must concentrate on this new task set before
us.’

‘
But what
will we do about the burial of the king? We cannot leave without
paying our last respects.’

‘
We have lost
our respect,’ hissed Elveria, hanging his head in shame. ‘We must
leave and find our honour once more, for we have the humiliation
upon us for allowing Forusian to kill the king right under our very
noses. We must revenge his death and only then will we have enough
dignity to pay our overdue respects to him.’

‘
It isn’t all
our doing,’ said Voleton, his eyes turning hard.

‘
It goes
deeper than that,’ said Elveria. ‘Someday perhaps I will speak of
it.’

‘
Is it
because of what happened to Crystal?’

‘
Partly,’
admitted Elveria, ‘but now is not the time to discuss my
failures.’

‘
Very well, I
will see to the horses,’ said Voleton, heading towards the
door.

‘
Thank you,
my friend,’ said Elveria nodding his head. ‘We ride the moment they
are ready.’

Chapter
1
9

Crystal slept fitfully on
Amella’s makeshift bed. The following day at early dawn, Amella
woke her with the distinct smell of something burning. Her neck was
stiff from the uncomfortable night’s sleep and her mouth was dry
and furry.

‘
What’s on
fire?’ she asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her
eyes.

‘
Breakfast!’
came Amella’s flustered reply, and Crystal watched her grab an old
cloth and waft the billowing smoke towards the door.

Crystal stifled a yawn and
stretched.

‘
Er, no
thanks,’ she said, returning her head back to the lumpy pillow.
‘I’m not really hungry.’

‘
Come on, up
with you!’ Amella scolded, rushing towards her and pulling roughly
at her pillow. ‘As my father always said, time enough for sleep
when you’re dead.’

Crystal pulled open her eyes to
see Amella standing over her with her hands planted firmly on her
hips.

‘
So, do you
want something to eat or not?’ Amella clucked.

‘
Well, no,
not if it’s cremated,’ Crystal replied, pulling a face that caused
Amella to give her young guest a glare of irritation. She moved
back towards the stove, picking up a plate and proceeding to shove
it under Crystal’s nose.

‘
Look, not
all of its burnt,’ she insisted, with a sniff. ‘The feefalas is a
bit overcooked I admit, but everything else is fine.’

Crystal looked down at the
bright yellow egg yolk and the juicy button mushrooms and instantly
changed her mind.

‘
In that case
I would be most grateful,’ she said, jumping out of bed and
allowing a smile to play mischievously upon her lips. The
protective barrier that had been between them the previous night
when she had first arrived was beginning to crumble away, leaving
the contours of a new friendship in its place. It was also obvious
that Amella was becoming more tolerant of her new friend and once
she had filled her own plate, she wasted no time tucking
in.

Crystal stared at Amella,
noting how she ate like a lady even though she lived as a common
hermit. The precisely cut pieces of food were placed with grace
towards her lips and Crystal felt a slight tingle of suspicion
prickle the back of her spine. It was clear to her that Amella had
not always lived a life of solitude in these bleak and lonely
woods, and she became curious.

They soon cleared their plates
away and busied themselves with settling the hut ready for Amella’s
imminent departure. Once satisfied everything was secure, Amella
stood outside her somewhat meagre home and surveyed her
surroundings with a critical eye. Leaving all that she owned behind
didn’t cause her to worry; this place had only ever been somewhere
to shelter from the cold and she turned away ready to start a new
chapter in her life.

In one of her hands she carried
a small oil lantern and in the other a thin blanket that she tied
into a bundle containing a chunk of fresh bread, a soft, brown
paste and a flask of fresh spring water. Her clothes were ordinary
and tatty, but her outward manner was smart and resolute. Her eyes
shone with anticipation and her nostrils flared with a sense of
excitement.

‘
Come on,
let’s go,’ she said, her voice bright. ‘It’s time we made haste and
rescued your friend.’

Her pace was swift and tireless
and Crystal found it difficult to keep up with her. The morning sun
was glaring between the trees, causing her to sweat and make her
eyes seem somewhat bleary.

‘
Please slow
down,’ Crystal moaned, when a sharp stitch pierced her side, ‘we
don’t have to kill ourselves before we get there!’

Amella ignored her whining and
continued with the quick pace, realising time was of the essence
and aware her plan would only work in the light of day.

By mid-morning they came upon a
tree; it was a magnificent specimen of a giant oak, its bark deeply
etched with the age of time. Amella bent down and scraped away the
soil with her bare hands to reveal an object wrapped up in a piece
of torn linen and tied with string. The string was knotted, and she
used her nimble fingers to swiftly unravel it. Pulling away the
cloth she revealed an astounding piece of jewellery. It was a large
brooch in the unusual shape of a black raven and in each eye sat an
exquisitely cut diamond, as large as a pea. It had two feathery
wings, which could be manipulated by hand to become outstretched,
and its body was made of a mineral that shone like jet. With a
sudden hint of mischief, the sunlight caught the sparkling gems
within its bright rays. A rainbow of colour shot from the raven’s
eyes, producing a kaleidoscopic beam which rested close to where
they stood.

‘
Quick,’
urged Amella, scrambling to pick up their provisions. ‘The raven
has created a doorway for us to enter, but we don’t have much time.
Please hurry and go and open it.’

Crystal was surprised, but she
did not falter and in one swift step she reached the spot where the
colourful beam rested upon the ground. She took only a second to
focus beyond the bright light and see a dark circle protruding from
the earth. She entwined her fingers around a heavy ring which
appeared before her eyes and with a twist of her wrist pulled
sharply. The soil gave way underfoot and a doorway fell open to
reveal a dark tunnel.

Amella moved to Crystal’s side
and urged her protégé to get into the hole. Crystal hesitated,
afraid of the unknown, but Amella wasted no time dallying and with
a gentle push forced her inside.

The entranceway immediately
closed above their heads, smothering out the daylight; Amella lit
the lantern and the tunnel filled with a golden glow. Once her eyes
adjusted to the light, Amella folded the wings of the raven back
into place before placing the brooch into the safety of her skirt
pocket.

‘
Where are
we?’ Crystal asked, looking around and seeing nothing but dark soil
and walls of earth.

‘
We’re in a
forest chamber,’ Amella explained, taking the lead. ‘If we’re lucky
it should take us somewhere close to the castle walls,’

‘
I must say,
what you just did with that brooch was pretty impressive,’
marvelled Crystal, her eyes still sparkling with wonder. ‘I’ve
never seen a brooch like that before.’

‘
It’s a very
rare jewel,’ Amella agreed. ‘However, I must tell you that the
magic contained inside only works with the power of natural
daylight.’ Crystal was still impressed.

‘
Where did
you get such a brooch?’ she asked, wishing to know more about the
jewel.

Amella fell silent, but her
thoughts flew back to a single moment lived many years before when
the love of her life sat next to her by a sparkling waterfall
glowing with the love they shared, exchanging gifts. She had given
her lover a traditional elfish present of a brooch filled with
jewels the colour of her eyes. He in return had offered her a
similar gift, knowing how much it would mean to her. However, his
gift was extra special, concealing a magic spell within its beauty.
The raven held a means of escape, a gift Bridgemear felt she may
need in time.

Pain crushed Amella’s chest,
causing her to gasp. Bridgemear had given her this brooch in case
she should ever encounter danger, but he’d never intended for her
to use it in such a way.

Amella and Crystal wandered on
until a halo of bright light shone before them.

‘
Look,
there’s our exit out of here,’ Amella cried, adjusting the oil
lamp. ‘Let’s make our way back towards the sun as quickly as we
can.’

Relief flooded Crystal’s mind;
she hated the darkness and was suffering the effects of Amella’s
black mood and so she ran ahead, wanting to reach the daylight
first. Crystal clambered out of the tunnel and greeted the fresh
air which blew against her skin with a grateful smile. Amella soon
emerged, pulling herself out of the hole, and she shielded her eyes
when the sun appeared to blind her.

The castle loomed in the
foreground with its evil proprietor concealed for the moment from
view; Amella dusted off her skirt and shook fine particles of dirt
from out of her hair, with one eye forever watchful on the fortress
of depravity.