Sovereign Stone (58 page)

Somewhere in the distance she heard a cell door open, so she drew her mind back from Slyder. There were four guards, two with spears at the ready. The one who entered tossed a set of shackles at her feet.

“Put them on,” he commanded.

Isabel slipped her wrists into the iron rings and held them out for the guard to lock. He did so roughly, then dragged her by the chain from her cell. She watched the path they took and knew from the scuff marks on the floor that they were headed back to the chamber where she’d been questioned by the witches. Something had happened. She found herself thinking through every conceivable possibility, worrying about Alexander as she walked.

Abigail was already sitting in one of two chairs facing the triumvirate. Her hands were shackled behind her back and chained to the chair, and there were four men standing behind her with spears in hand.

Magda, Cassandra, and Gabriella were waiting. The guard directed Isabel to the empty seat but didn’t chain her to the chair.

She and Abigail shared a look. Abigail’s split lip was healing and her black eye had faded to yellow. She smiled.

“It’s good to see you,” she said.

“You too,” Isabel replied.

Magda pointedly cleared her throat and directed her gaze at them. Both Abigail and Isabel lifted their chins and returned her stare.

“We have verified some of what you’ve told us,” Magda said. “I paid a visit to Blackstone Keep and spoke with a Mage named Kelvin Gamaliel and a Ranger named Erik Alaric.”

“Did Erik look well?” Isabel interrupted, eager for any news of her family.

Magda frowned, clearly irritated by the distraction. “Yes, he looked well. He claims you are betrothed to the new King of Ruatha, a cattle rancher born Alexander Valentine and marked by Mage Cedric’s warning spell as a champion against Phane Reishi. He claimed that Mage Cedric hid the Ruathan bloodline and created the Rangers to protect and serve the House of Ruatha when it returned to claim the throne. He claimed that Alexander Ruatha has recovered the Ruathan Thinblade.” She shifted her gaze to Abigail. “Mage Gamaliel also told me that you are Alexander Ruatha’s sister by blood. Are these claims true?”

Isabel’s mind raced. She was trying to decide if confirming what the witches already knew would put Alexander in greater danger. She still didn’t know what their agenda was but she needed more information, so she decided to play along.

“Mostly,” Isabel said. “Alexander and I were married since my brother last saw us. Otherwise the information you have is correct.”

The three witches shared a look of serious concern. Isabel found herself wishing she could see people’s colors the way Alexander could.

Magda looked at Abigail. “Can you explain why Reishi blood flows through your veins?”

Abigail was stunned speechless. She looked to Isabel for help, but she was just as confused. Abigail shook her head angrily.

“I was born Abigail Valentine and have only recently come to understand that my family descends from the House of Ruatha. I am not Reishi! The Reishi murdered my oldest brother. They are my enemy.”

“Yet the blood of the Reishi flows within you,” Cassandra said.

Abigail fixed Cassandra with a glare. “I’m not Reishi!”

Cassandra looked to the other witches, who both nodded. She took a deep breath as if marshaling her thoughts before she began. “The Reishi Coven was formed by Aliyeh Reishi, wife of Malachi Reishi, the last Reishi Sovereign. When she discovered that her husband had made bargains with the netherworld, she feared for the future of the Seven Isles. She stole the secret of Wizard’s Dust and had seven copies made, which she distributed, one to each of the Seven Isles.

“Malachi Reishi became so enraged at the theft that he declared war on all non-Reishi magic. In many ways, Aliyeh Reishi started the Reishi War, although certainly not intentionally.

“Her husband never discovered her treachery and she remained at his side, all the while working to aid the rebels and bring the war to an end. She knew better than anyone the evil in her husband’s heart.

“When Malachi Reishi was destroyed, she thought she had preserved the world until she learned that Phane had fled into the future by sealing himself away from the effects of time within his obelisk. He was her only remaining child, and she hated him; he had murdered her other children to ensure that he would be the only choice to succeed his father.

“She created this coven to prevent the Sovereign Stone from falling into Phane’s hands. In order to aid us in that task, she imbued the maternal line of the original members of our coven with the ability to recognize those of the Reishi bloodline.” Cassandra paused and fixed Abigail with her eyes. “You, and your brother, are Reishi.”

Isabel was dumbstruck. She had read the history of the Reishi War and much of what she knew, or thought she knew, matched Cassandra’s story. The part that made absolutely no sense was the idea that Alexander and Abigail were descendants of the Reishi. Her father was the Keeper of the Royal Bloodline; he was charged with protecting the secret of the Ruathan line. Even after Alexander arrived in Glen Morillian, her father never said anything about a connection to the Reishi.

If Isabel was dumbstruck, Abigail was indignant. “You lie!” she said flatly with defiance flashing in her pale blue eyes.

Magda shook her head gravely. “That is why we brought you here. When we saw both a man and a woman with Reishi blood approaching the Reishi Isle, we sent riders to retrieve the woman and kill the man because we assumed he must be Phane. Sky Knights who are not of the maternal line of the Reishi Coven cannot see the bloodline, so they took you both. It’s vital that we learn the truth of you and your brother.”

“The truth is simple,” Abigail said, still angry, “Alexander and I lost our brother to the Reishi and since that day, Phane has been trying to murder us. He’s sent beasts from the netherworld, soldiers, assassins, and wizards to try to kill us. Since that day, we’ve been struggling to survive and fight back. We never asked for any of this.”

Magda’s expression hardened a bit and Isabel knew they were coming to the heart of the matter. “What is Alexander’s purpose on the Reishi Isle?”

Abigail and Isabel looked to each other only briefly before Isabel answered, “I will not betray him.”

“Very well then, let me speculate,” Magda said. “The Sovereign Stone is trapped in the aether within the Reishi Keep. Your husband entered the Keep this morning and not long after, a force of Andalian Lancers led by General Commander Jataan P’Tal of the Reishi Protectorate entered the Keep in spite of our best efforts to stop them.”

Isabel and Abigail looked at each other with both elation at hearing that Alexander was still alive and fear for his safety.

“I suspect he intends to retrieve the Sovereign Stone,” Magda continued, “although I’m unsure of his reason. If, as you say, he does not know he is Reishi, then what can he hope to accomplish by bringing the Stone out of the aether? How does he expect to accomplish such a difficult task? Does he not understand the danger to the world if Phane gets the Stone?”

Isabel’s mind raced. Magda had guessed so much. If she was truly trying to keep the Sovereign Stone from Phane, then they had the same purpose. It was even possible that they might form an alliance. The Reishi Coven would be formidable allies against Phane.

But if they were actually agents of Phane, then they may be trying to determine if Alexander could actually retrieve the Stone so they could decide whether to let him proceed in hopes of stealing it from him the moment he succeeded. She decided that the truth was the best course. If they were truly on the same side, they might help Alexander, and if they were working with Phane, it would buy Alexander time if they believed that he could retrieve the Stone from the aether.

She looked to Abigail before she answered. Abigail nodded, clearly thinking along the same lines.

“Alexander is trying to prevent Phane from getting the Sovereign Stone,” Isabel said. “Phane already made it to the Reishi Keep once in spite of your best efforts to stop him. He tried to use the powersink to get the Stone, but it didn’t work, so he went to the Temple of Fire to use the powersink there, but the dragons chased him off.

“He won’t stop until he gets the Stone and we can’t allow that to happen. Alexander plans to secure it in the Bloodvault at Blackstone Keep where Mage Cedric left the Thinblade for him. The Bloodvault will only allow Alexander to enter and it can’t be breached, even by magic as powerful as Phane’s. The Stone will be safer there than anywhere. As for how . . . Alexander has bonded with a fairy named Chloe, and she will retrieve it from the aether for him.”

The three witches were leaning forward with great interest. When she told them about Chloe, they all sat back with a gasp. Isabel hoped she hadn’t revealed too much.

“That’s not possible,” Gabriella said, shaking her head. “The fairies have forsaken the outside world.”

Isabel smiled fondly at the memory. “Alexander and I were married in the Valley of the Fairy Queen. Ilona herself bore witness to our vows.”

Abigail nodded, smiling softly at the memory.

Magda composed herself with a visible effort. “Assuming what you say is true, you risk far too much. The Stone is safe where it is. Phane has already failed twice. He doesn’t have the power to retrieve it or he wouldn’t have needed a powersink.”

Isabel’s face went deadly serious as she slowly shook her head. “You’re wrong. The shades are loose. As soon as Phane discovers this, he’ll bind one of them to his service and he will have the Stone.”

All three witches stared in shock, fear, and disbelief. “How can this be?” Cassandra whispered.

Isabel looked down for a moment. She still felt a stab of guilt for her part in the shades escaping from the netherworld. “Alexander accidentally freed them,” she said when she looked back up at the three witches. “I was lost in the netherworld and he came in and saved me. The shades were waiting. They escaped when Alexander brought me back into the world of time and substance. I can tell you their names if you like.”

“No!” all three said in unison. Isabel smiled slightly. She had their attention. Before they could regain their composure, she pressed on.

“We’re fighting for the same thing. We both have more than enough enemies. Help us . . . please. Alexander can put the Stone beyond Phane’s reach once and for all. Call off your wyvern riders and stop trying to kill my husband.”

The three witches were impassive, although Isabel thought she saw a flicker of emotion in Magda’s eyes, but she couldn’t tell what it might represent.

“We must discuss what we’ve learned before we make any decisions,” Magda said. The other two nodded agreement. “If you will promise not to kill any more of my people, I will provide you with more comfortable quarters.”

Isabel and Abigail looked at each other and nodded slightly. “We will not harm any of your people for now,” Isabel said, “but understand, I will die from poison in three weeks’ time. If that happens, any chance we might have to form an alliance against Phane will die with me.”

Magda smiled warmly. “Mage Gamaliel gave me something to help with that. He said it will draw the poison from your body. We are examining the item and will administer the remedy once we’re confident that it will work.”

Hope flooded into Isabel. She could see the relief in Abigail’s eyes as well. When the guards removed the shackles, the sisters hugged each other and followed their guards to a much nicer suite of rooms with comfortable furniture, ample space, a bathtub, and a high balcony overlooking the ocean. Then they heard the guard bolt the door and the feeling of being in prison returned, even if it was far more comfortable and they had each other to talk to.

Chapter 50

Phane sat in his Wizard’s Den with his feet up on the table and a bowl of nuts cradled in his arm. He was looking through his magical mirror at Jataan P’Tal fighting his way into the tower chamber where the pretender was.

He had to admit that he was impressed how his young adversary had managed to retrieve the Sovereign Stone from the aether when he himself had failed twice. Of course, in all fairness, the pretender did manage to enlist the aid of the fairies.

Phane knew he would never be welcomed into Ilona’s valley. In fact, if he were to attempt to enter, the Fairy Queen would probably violate her highest law and send him bodily into the aether just like the shade had sent his father away. No matter. He was on the brink of victory.

Commander P’Tal quickly dispatched two of the pretender’s Rangers as he made his way up the staircase and into the room. Phane adjusted the view through his mirror as he popped another nut into his mouth. He was going to enjoy this. P’Tal moved with impressive speed. Phane had never known a battle mage before. The man was formidable, especially in close quarters.

He watched P’Tal advance on the pretender’s axe-wielding protector and chortled gleefully when he saw how easily the big man was bested. Phane dropped his feet to the floor and leaned in for a closer look as Jataan P’Tal slipped around the alchemist and raised his knife for the kill strike. The pretender was on his knees, holding something in his hand.