The Catastrophe of the Emerald Queen (36 page)

The woman glared at him as she
removed the pipe from the remnants of the window and turned to face
him.

 “
Yes
Jared. If you hadn’t got involved you wouldn’t have to
die.”

 
She
raised the pipe and moved towards him, Jared moved back trying to
get around to the door but she kept moving, keeping the trap and
herself between him and his way out. 

“
Why?” Jared
pleaded, perplexed and still not fully believing what was
happening. 

“
Why?” she
snapped. “WHY? Have you ever been in control of something and then
had it taken away from you and then never, EVER been able to get it
back?” 

Jared’s mind
raced. He didn’t know what she meant but ventured. “But you control
the orphanage, everyone respects you there….” 

“
THE
ORPHANAGE!!” she shrieked and then laughed bitterly. “The orphanage
is nothing. Waifs and strays that think they have a right to be
looked after.” 

“
But what…no
one wanted to hurt you. Why would you try and kill Sophie?” Jared
asked, glancing past her and trying to see if he could make a run
for it. She sensed his intentions and shifted her body again to
block him. 

“
I WAS Sophie
you little imbecile!” she shrieked and Jared still stared at her
confused. “Do you think a little girl could rule this place
forever? Time does not stand still here. Sophie is not the first
ruler of this world nor will she be the last.” 

Jared finally realised what she
was saying and realisation hit him like a hammer to the
chest. 

“
But…but...YOU?!!” 

“
Yes me?
Don’t look so surprised I was young once too. I left this world
behind when I grew up. Time moves three times faster here and when
I wanted to come back no one remembered me.. Do you know what that
feels like? Can you even begin to imagine how that
feels?” 

“
But Sophie
is…she must have known who you were.”

 
Madame
Veer snorted with disdain and the pipe wavered in her hands. She
glared at Jared. “That girl knew but her sweet pretence and
attempts to remind me that I was now nothing were worse than if she
too had no knowledge of me.” She paused and looked so sad and
stared at the floor as she told her tale. “Head of an orphanage!!!”
She sniffed and wiped a tear away on her sleeve, her normal
fearsome facade was in tatters. “I ruled this world fairly and that
was my reward? To become a headmistress for parentless
brats?” 

Jared tried
to lunge past her but she raised the pipe and stood in his way
again. She continued; “I’m dead in your world. I can’t go back. I
have to stay here now. If you hadn’t interfered this would all have
been put right. I could have ruled again, everything would have
been perfect but YOU SPOILED IT.” She shrieked the last words and
then lunged at Jared. Frantically he ducked under the blow she
aimed with the pipe at his head and pushed her backwards. “Nasty!
Interfering! Little…!” She gasped as they tussled and then her boot
snagged on one of the glass petals and with a shriek of fear she
fell backwards into the trap.

 
Jared
staggered back as her grip on him was released and as she attempted
to sit up the petals suddenly all glowed a bright, buttercup yellow
and silently began to rise.  

Glancing
around her in fear Madame Veer looked in horror as the trap closed
in around her. “NO!!” she screamed and stood, trying to push her
way through the gap between two petals but was forced back as they
squeezed shut. 

“
HELP ME
JARED!!” she shrieked in fear as the glass petals completely closed
and with an almost inaudible “chunk” they met at the top and sealed
the trap completely. 

Madame Veer
pounded on the glass and gazed imploringly at Jared. “Please, don’t
let this happen.” Her voice was muffled through the glass and as
Jared watched in horrified fascination, flashes of light began to
appear from the bottom of the trap once again. The same thin blue
tendrils of smoke rose, that he’d seen when Sophie had been coming
through. They began to wind their way like plant shoots up and
around Madame Veer. 

Jared realised with shock that
this trap would work equally well on Madame Veer as she had been a
ruler of this world too. 

She shrieked as the tendrils of
smoke wrapped around her legs, torso and arms and strained to
escape, futilely beating on the glass.

 “
Jared
don’t leave me like this, PLEASE!!” she pleaded. The petals began
to glow brighter and Jared glanced up as they began to close in on
themselves, shrinking in and becoming smaller.

 
The
smoke inside now completely enveloped Madame Veer and she shrieked
louder as the beads of light flashed rapidly. The trap continued to
shrink and, pinned by the tendrils of smoke, Madame Veer managed to
wrench her head and stare at Jared one last time. Her gaze became
hard again and she snarled through gritted teeth. “To the nine
hells with you Jared Miller and all who live in this filthy
place.” 

Then the
light inside became blindingly bright and Jared turned away.
Shielding his eyes with his arm as the petals completely closed in
on themselves and with a final flash of light the trap vanished.
Madam Veer’s final scream of frustration, fear and rage fading
away. 

Jared waited until the light
ebbed away and, with spots dancing before his eyes, he looked at
the place where the trap had been and there was nothing. Just a
wooden floor and a ringing in his ears from the noise.

Chapter
35

The captain
saw the crystal fade out and the lightning flashes over the tower
die. The clouds parted and he lowered his spy glass. He turned to
the king seated beside him who was looking up expectantly. Clearing
his throat he spoke levelly. “Your majesty, the trap has been
activated. Our mission was a success.”

 
The
king held out his hand for the telescope and the captain handed it
over. King James squinted through the lens and trained the view
over the battlements and towers of Alegria castle. The light in the
highest spire was gone. The once brilliant and seemingly eternal
brightness was no more. Only a dull grey crystal where the thousand
year old beacon had once burned so brightly. 

King James chuckled to himself
and then handed back the telescope to his captain who bowed then
stood to attention.

 “
Recall
the Glavers, then send them back to Anghofio. We won’t need them
now,” he said and the man moved to give the order.

 
The
king sat on a throne of silver and gold. Encrusted with jewels,
this was the chair his ancestors had used to oversee victories and
battles for many centuries. The throne was now being used for the
first time in aeons and King James wanted to savour this moment.
Around him stood five of his most trusted guards, with a further
ten men on perimeter duty further out. The field they were in was
large, dotted with huge, ancient trees. Further back was the rest
of his legion. One thousand men. More than enough to subdue the
impotent and naked Alegrians now that their queen was
gone.

 
Before
him was a table, large and spread with fresh fruit, loaves of bread
and a flagon of wine. Opposite him, holding a tankard in one hand
sat Galfront Siavy who smiled as the king looked at him.

 “
You have done well Siavy,” the king said
taking a big bite from a succulent peach. Galfront bowed his head.
“You will be richly rewarded for this. However, I need you for a
short time longer.” Galfront kept his face impassive at this but
felt a twinge of worry. The king continued. “A man with skills such
as yours is needed.
I am sure a man such
as yourself will not begrudge a grateful king such a
request.”

 
Galfront’s smile did not fade but his blue eyes held the
king’s gaze. “Your majesty it would of course be an honour,” he
replied, running a hand across his closely cropped white hair. He
knew he could not refuse the king but was uncomfortable of being
right in the jaws of the Alegrians, regardless of whether the wolf
was dying. An injured wolf is more dangerous he reminded himself
and, like nearly everyone else, he was still shocked that their
victory over Alegria had been so easy.  

The captain
returned and the king turned to him again and beckoned him forward.
“Take four of my personal guard and ride to the castle. They are to
be given one opportunity to surrender, unconditionally of
course.” 

“
Your
majesty!” the man said, saluting, clicking his heels together and
then turning. He pointed to four guards and barked at them. “You
four, with me!” They marched after him as he made for the horses
near an apple tree.

Chapter
36

The remaining
men struggled, one soldier hauling down on the legs of his
brother-in-arms as the man was pulled up by two cackling Glavers.
They suddenly dropped him and with no warning sped away. The others
did the same and as Mordalayn despatched the shrieking Glaver
trapped under his boot with a downward swing, he looked to see them
all shooting off into the distance over the bridge. Glancing up he
saw the crystal had dimmed and the lightning display had stopped at
the peak of the tower. Swallowing hard he hoped Jared had managed
to do something.

Checking
around in case the enemy regrouped Mordalayn wiped his sword on the
body of the Glaver beneath him. Where there had been a hundred or
more men there were now only about forty. One man was weeping and
clutching the lifeless body of his comrade. Others staggered around
as if in a daze. The soldier who Mordalayn had rebuked for not
having his sword was still alive, his face grimy. Mordalayn had
seen the man fight bravely and he walked to him and placed his hand
on the soldier’s arm.

 “
You
fought well,” he said and the man muttered his thanks and tried to
smile, his scared eyes darting around fearfully.

 
Some
men were wounded and there were loud groans as their friends tried
to move them. With a grinding noise the castle doors opened again
and Degrezen appeared. He walked forward, the disbelief and shock
evident on his face. Approaching Mordalayn he looked up at the
blood spattered warrior. “Is hope lost Takoba?”

 “
That I
do not know general,” Mordalayn replied. The green fire burned in
his eyes. They both glanced back as Jared emerged with
Kloee. 

Mordalayn
moved quickly to him. “The crystal light has died,” he said, the
worry evident on his face. “Did you succeed or is Our Lady
gone?” 

Jared looked
at him and said. “She’s safe. I saw her. She looked at me and ran
back.” 

Mordalayn
breathed a sigh of relief but the look on Jared’s face told him
there was more. Jared saw it and before the Caracalic could speak
Jared did. “Your traitor was Madame Veer. She ruled Alegria before
Sophie.” 

The
Caracalic’s eyes widened in shock and the old man said “Veer!” in
disbelief. “Is she..?” 

“
She fell
into the trap meant for Sophie” Jared said and Mordalayn and the
old man exchanged glances. “She’s either dead or a long way from
here. She vanished and the trap with her.” 

Mordalayn
looked up at the dimmed crystal and then out towards the far fields
where he knew King James’ss army was camped. 

“
What now?”
Jared asked. Mordalayn was staring out at the woods beyond the main
entrance, past the vast bridge. Jared was still shaken from the
knowledge that the traitor had been Madame Veer. Her bitterness and
rage as she’d pounded on the walls of the trap intended for queen
Sophie was an image he would find hard to shake from his mind for a
very long time. 

“
We wait,”
Mordalayn replied without looking back. “Sooner or later they will
come to us. They saw the light fade when the trap activated. They
believe the Emerald Queen is dead. Their treachery and cleverness
will be their downfall.” 

Bue was
helping soldiers to move the bodies of the Glavers to one side. One
groaned and then was still. As Jared watched a small blue figure
materialised out of thin air and waddled up to the corpse. He
watched as the creature sat next to the body and started to talk.
 

“
What’s
that?” Jared asked to Mordalayn who turned round and looked where
Jared was pointing at the body.