Sinners of Magic (44 page)

Elveria spotted Tremlon
hovering in the wings and a wave of suspicion washed over him. With
a loud, clear voice, Bridgemear began to read from the tatty piece
of vellum.

... And if the child who has
been born of mixed blood should be wronged and brought back to the
extraordinary world, then the Elders must break the claim they hold
over the child and grant her freedom in both of her parents’
realms, for the pact will have been severed by another’s greed and
the child must know of their true birthright and be allowed back
into the bosom of their family …

Still holding the parchment,
Bridgemear walked up to Elveria and thrust his face within inches
of his.

‘
What pact
was this?’ he asked, suddenly shaking his evidence in the air.
Elveria looked aghast, but remained tight-lipped.

‘
Were you one
of those who knew my child never had to leave in the first
place?’

Elveria shuffled his feet and
averted his eyes, but Bridgemear hadn’t finished.

‘
I had no
need to give my daughter to the ordinary world, did I, Elveria?
Come on, tell them all the truth!’

Something inside Elveria
snapped; why should he take all the blame?

‘
You
dishonoured your people, you had to be punished,’ he snarled. ‘You
were born to be a part of the elite magicians of Oakwood, yet you
abused your place in our society. It was the chosen ones who made
the decision to punish you for your crimes; I was merely the
advocate. The Elders used the forgotten scrolls from our ancestors
to deliver your punishment. You had to give a living part of
yourself to another, or you would have been banished to live in an
indeterminate state forever or taste the sword of
death.’

‘
Such
despicable lies!’ spat Bridgemear. ‘None of you had a reason to be
so cruel. The Elders knew I had already fulfilled your pact when I
gave Amella my child, as the child grew in her belly that was
already a living part of me. All I had to do was give Crystal to
Amella, but you knew that already, didn’t you! Instead you gave our
daughter to someone else!’

‘
You had to
suffer for your crimes against your own kind, it is the law and we
cannot have mixed blood here.’

‘
No, my
daughter, an innocent child, was the one who suffered, not me. And
for that alone, I can never forgive you.’

‘
You are a
fool, my lord, you have no jurisdiction here,’ Elveria
scoffed.

Amella could contain herself no
longer and rose from her throne.

‘
Oh yes he
does,’ she broke in, her face aglow with indignation, ‘because
Bridgemear is my husband.’

A gasp echoed for several
seconds around the hall.

‘
Say it is
not so,’ said Elveria in dismay. ‘These stupid games you play are
not amusing,’ he added, noting the room had turned thick and
warm.

‘
Don’t you
think he makes a fine king?’ Amella teased.

‘
What is this
abomination I hear against our ways?’ Elveria shouted, his face
having become so red it looked ready to explode.

He turned away and the council
members stared at him as though he had gone mad. The Rank Master
quickly left his seat and walked with a brisk pace to where Elveria
stood. The atmosphere was nothing more than electric.

‘
Is this
nonsense true?’ he demanded towards the queen. ‘Have you taken a
wizard as your husband?’

‘
It is not
nonsense, Rank Master, and I do not care for your tone. You are
quick to forget
our
laws, which clearly state I can choose anyone to be my
husband once I have taken my place as queen.’

‘
Yes, but
...’

‘
No buts. I
have chosen the father of my child to rule by my side and that is
the end of the matter.’

Looking composed, Amella moved
closer to her husband, taking his hand when he offered it to her.
She entwined her fingers within his and their eyes locked for a
fleeting moment before she turned to face the council one last
time.

‘
We are
retiring and preparing our daughter to go back to the ordinary
world, where she will once again hold the Spirit of Eternity.
Crystal will be a part of our lives from this day forth and will
visit the extraordinary world as a free citizen whenever she
wishes. This is my decree as queen.’

Turning her back on her
audience, she allowed Bridgemear to escort her back to their
daughter. As the royal council left in silence, Elveria stood
alone, staring blankly at the empty throne.

‘
So be it,’
he said, when his frozen blood began to thaw, ‘but beware, Queen of
Nine Winters, for you have not heard the last of this.’

*

Outside the great doors and
along the sweeping corridors, Amadeus stood waiting. He smiled when
the handle was released and an elf warrior entered his room, but
his smile did not reach his eyes.

‘
Hello,
Phaphos,’ he said, giving a menacing glare and his sword glistened
like silver in the light. ‘Glad you could make it, you see, it’s
time I settled an old score ...’

Read the
remainder of:

‘
The Magic
Trilogy’

Book 2 -
Betrayers of Magic

Book 3 –
Defenders of Magic

The author’s
last word …

I really hope you’ve enjoyed
the first book of the trilogy as much I have enjoyed writing it.
For me, the pleasure of writing is knowing that you, the reader,
have enjoyed every word. However, Crystal’s amazing adventures
haven’t finished yet! There are far more exciting characters
waiting to meet you and make you believe in magic. All you need is
a little imagination …

Follow the
author:

Twitter: @Creswelllyn

Facebook:
Facebook/Sinnersofmagic

Website:
Www.Lynetteecreswell.wordpress.com