Sinners of Magic (43 page)

Matt grinned sheepishly.

‘
Yeah, it’s
me,’ he said, feeling shy.

‘
How are
you?’ she asked, patting the bedclothes, her eyes turning
bright.

‘
Shouldn’t I
be asking you that question?’ he teased, drawing nearer. ‘After
all, you’re the patient, not me.’ They both burst out laughing when
he jumped on the bed, the atmosphere alive with their happiness at
seeing each other again.

Amella heard the swish-click of
metal against armour and cricked her neck to spy Arhdel wavering at
the chamber door. She signalled him to enter, but he hesitated.

‘
Come in,
come in, you’re more than welcome here,’ she insisted, ushering him
inside.

‘
Is that
Arhdel?’ asked Crystal, waving him closer.

‘
I am glad
you’re safe,’ he said, when he approached. His voice took on a
compassionate note when he saw her look of joy and it warmed his
heart.

‘
And I am so
glad you’re alive,’ she laughed, sliding her dainty hand into
his.

Arhdel swallowed and he
squeezed her delicate fingers between his.

‘
Me too,’ he
said in a gruff tone.

‘
Right,
everyone, time to let our little heroine get some rest,’ said
Amella with a light smile.

She walked to the window and
forced the drapes closed. The sunlight vanished and the room became
instantly dark.

‘
Close your
eyes and go to sleep,’ she commanded, raising her eyebrows and
rounding up the visitors, hustling them out of the door.

‘
But I feel
fine,’ Crystal moaned, watching her friends leave and forcing a
pout.

‘
Good, then
taking a little nap will make you feel even better,’ Amella
insisted, sliding the door closed behind her.

‘
You haven’t
told her, have you?’ asked Arhdel, when they stepped into the
drawing room and Matt was out of earshot. Amella wrung her hands
and started to pace the floor. She found she could not look him in
the eye.

‘
No,’ she
admitted, ‘how can I?’

‘
If you leave
it any longer it will be too late. Tomorrow she returns to her old
world, and what will you do then?’

‘
Perhaps I
should let Bridgemear tell her. After all, we’re in this mess
because of him.’

‘
That’s not
quite true is it, Amella? It does take two to make a
baby.’

Amella’s cheeks burned with
embarrassment; she had asked for that.

‘
The child
needs to know,’ he said, lowering his voice when he saw Matt draw
close. ‘Time is of the essence,’ he added, leaving her side and
taking his leave.

Sometime later Crystal awoke,
her head feeling much clearer from the effects of the potion and,
revitalised, she threw back the covers, eager to get out of bed.
She thought back to the last few days. She couldn’t remember much
after Forusian had tied her to the stake and for that she was
secretly relieved. She remembered her first lucid day in Amella’s
kingdom though. She had awoken from a fretful fever to find many
strangers peering down at her, causing her to become frightened.
Then Amella had appeared and tried to explain to her how she had
become queen and was ruler of the Kingdom of Nine Winters. The
king, Amella’s father, had been murdered by Forusian’s hand and
Crystal felt a wave of sadness wash over her; she had never met
him, yet she felt his passing with genuine grief.

Amella had
explained the sudden departure of Elveria and the others, who had
been sent back to Raven’s Rainbow on important business, allowing
only Bridgemear to remain. Inside, she sensed
she
was the important business but
didn’t press the new queen for more information
.

She padded to the foot of her
bed and found a luxurious robe to put on. The material was soft and
warm, making her feel relaxed and secure. Her delicate feet slipped
into her new jewelled slippers and then she made her way to the
door.

She noted there was no one
about as she closed the door behind her. She was not familiar with
the palace, but felt safe enough to explore. She found the interior
of the palace truly amazing, and was soon mesmerised with all its
rich beauty. Her eyes sparkled with the light reflected from the
petrified chandeliers and she was unable to concentrate on where
she was going. Familiar voices wafted by her senses and without
hesitation she reached out and pushed open a door. She suddenly
stopped dead in her tracks. A half-finished sentence, one that was
still hanging in the air and not made for her ears, was
digested.

‘
Crystal is
our flesh and blood, our daughter, we must …’

Crystal felt her brain go
numb.

‘
What did you
just say?’ she whispered, pushing the door aside. She saw Amella
and Bridgemear stiffen as though turned to stone and found she
could not move for fear of falling. Her knees were starting to
shake and she reached out and held onto the doorknob for some kind
of support. She cast her gaze from Amella to Bridgemear and the
pain she saw in their eyes was mirrored in her own. Bridgemear’s
face turned pale and tears spilled down Amella’s cheeks like
falling raindrops.

‘
I’m so
sorry,’ she cried, taking a step forward. ‘I never wanted you to
find out like this.’

Crystal shook her head.

‘
I don’t
understand, there must be some mistake, I must have misheard you.
How could you possibly be my mother and father?’

‘
It’s no
mistake,’ said Bridgemear, clinging to what was left of his
composure. With purpose, he walked over to her and placed his arm
around her shoulders. He waited for the rebuff, but none came, and
he exhaled with a sigh of relief.

‘
Crystal, we
have much to tell you, Amella and I; please come and sit by the
fire, you look frozen.’

Crystal allowed him to lead her
to the nearby chair and he placed her like a babe in its cradle.
Her beautiful blue eyes, so like his own, looked up at him in total
bewilderment.

‘
I think it’s
time you knew the truth,’ he said, pulling a chair close. ‘I think
it’s time we told you who you really are ...’

*

Matt sat in his bedchamber with
Arhdel as his only companion.

‘
What’s going
on?’ he asked, pushing his food around his dinner plate. ‘Why can’t
I see Crystal?’

‘
There’s been
a development,’ said Arhdel, frowning. He walked over to Matt and
with a swift movement took the plate away.

‘
They’re her
parents, aren’t they?’ Matt asked, peering into Arhdel’s face. ‘I
guessed,’ he added with a sigh when he saw the warrior turn
pale.

Arhdel tried to change the
subject.

‘
Look,
tomorrow you will be leaving us,’ he said, trying to sound light
hearted, ‘so why don’t you just enjoy what little time you have
left with us.’ Matt shook his head and Arhdel walked over to the
window, letting out a deep sigh. From this high vantage point he
could see something huge and black hurtling towards him.
Instinctively he knew it was Elveria returning from his meeting
with the Elders and his blood ran cold. He turned away from the
window, pretending not to have seen him, but all too soon the heavy
caw of the bird was heard, demanding entrance. Arhdel choose to
ignore his cry, knowing that whatever his news, it could wait a
while longer.

‘
There’s a
big, black bird at the window,’ said Matt, looking up in
surprise.

‘
Is there?
Oh, well, let it find its own way in.’

‘
But it wants
to get in here.’

‘
Really? Then
let him know what it’s like to want.’

‘
You said
him, who is it?’

Irritated by the boy’s probing
questions, Arhdel snatched the door handle to make his escape. The
beady eye of the raven twitched towards him and its wings flapped
whilst Elveria clamoured for his attention. Arhdel flicked his gaze
to rest upon the bird who he could see was growing more and more
impatient, but he still refused to open the window and so Elveria
flew away.

‘
Come on, we
might as well go downstairs and meet the others, there will be an
assembly once the bird has gained entrance.’

‘
Will it be
about Crystal?’

‘
Yes it will;
hurry boy, so we can be there first, I don’t like walking in
halfway through.’

They entered the hall as the
assembly was starting to gather and Matt was guided close to the
front by the firm hand of his mentor.

Amella stood alone next to her
throne and she watched Matt take his place before observing the
entourage of the royal courtiers and council members who were
following close behind. Her mouth was dry with nerves for she was
waiting for Elveria to bring news from the Guild of Elders. She
realised she was pacing the floor and her thoughts flew to
Bridgemear, wishing she could have him by her side. Her courage was
failing yet she knew she dare not show it, for those assembling
before her would like nothing else than to devour her if she showed
any signs of weakness.

The select few fell silent when
Elveria’s boots echoed his arrival against the highly polished
floor. The click of his heels grated upon Amella’s nerves, causing
her to wince.

‘
Your Royal
Highness,’ Elveria cooed, throwing back his cloak and kissing her
outstretched hand.

‘
What news do
you bring?’ she asked, ignoring his friendly manner and pulling her
hand away.

He drew himself up,
acknowledging the unexpected rebuff.

‘
Where’s the
girl?’ the elder mage demanded, throwing a quick glance towards the
council members.

‘
My
daughter,’ Amella stated, flashing him a warning look, ‘is with her
father.’

‘
So the child
has been told then?’

Amella lowered her eyes, her
lashes hiding what her eyes could not withhold. She finally brought
her stare towards him.

‘
Yes, she has
been told. Now enough of these questions and tell us instead what
the Elders have to say.’

She moved away from him then.
Her long, slender body looking radiant dressed in an exquisitely
jewelled gown. The soft swish of her garments could be heard as she
sat on her newly appointed throne and the emeralds from her
slippers danced like green fire in her eyes.

‘
She is to
leave,’ said Elveria, dropping his head but unable to hide the tone
of satisfaction from his voice.

‘
But she can
return?’ Amella gasped, and her eyes creased with worry.

Elveria’s own eyes narrowed and
he looked up to display a tight smile playing at the corners of his
lips.

‘
I am here
only as a messenger,’ he said, unable to wipe the smirk from his
face. ‘The Elders have decreed that Crystal, your illegitimate
daughter, cannot be a part of this world. They have declared this
order to stand, regardless of the fact that they’d agreed with King
Gamada to bring her back to help fight Forusian. Her return was
never to be permanent, she is not one of us and so their decision
is to be written in the Scroll of Immortals and Crystal is to never
return here again.’

His voice turned hard and he
shook his hand in the air as he continued.

‘
Let it be a
warning, the Elders still decide the laws of these
lands.’

‘
That’s
enough!’ shouted a voice from somewhere behind Amella.

Everyone turned to watch
Bridgemear appear from the shadows and take his place at Amella’s
side. His blonde hair stood out against the dark backdrop of silk
and his ice-blue eyes shone as clear as glass.

‘
What are you
doing here?’ hissed Elveria in disgust. ‘How can you show your
face, you are not welcome here, especially after what you have
done?’

‘
I have done
nothing to be ashamed of,’ Bridgemear said, raising one of his
blonde eyebrows. He reached out and touched Amella’s hand and she
smiled, showing him she was reassured by his presence.

‘
Oh, and as
for not being welcome. Here sits the lady I have always loved, the
woman who gave birth to my child. I believe I most definitely have
the right to be here. All my life I served the Elders and their
laws,’ Bridgemear continued. ‘Yes, it’s true, we did break the
ancient scriptures, something which, I have to say, cost us both
dearly.’ Elveria squirmed under his gaze.

Bridgemear broke eye contact
and placed his hand on his belt. His fingers moved to his side and
he grappled within his tunic. Elveria watched Bridgemear pull out a
small scroll and saw him quickly untie a strap holding it together.
Bridgemear caught his stare and their eyes locked. He waited an age
before looking away, refusing to be intimidated by the elder mage,
and then he started to speak.

‘
To all here
present, I should warn you now that the Elders are unaware and will
not learn of how I have acquired the information of which I’m about
to reveal to you,’ he said, addressing first the council and then
Elveria. His lips twitched in a faint smile and his legs appeared
to tremble with excitement. ‘The source of how I came to have this
evidence in my possession I will never betray, but I now hold in my
hands the means to tell
you
what is going to happen with our
daughter.’