The Hidden Relic (The Evermen Saga, Book Two) (24 page)

25

P
ERHAPS
the mixed reception was a blessing, for Ella was travel-stained and exhausted. Her next meeting with the prince was to be later in the evening, at dinner, which gave her time to rest, then bathe, and then rest again.

The chambers she'd been given were surprisingly spacious, with a deep bath in an adjoining room where scalding hot water from the volcanic lake was piped directly in. Fresh towels and linens were stacked in a neat pile, and with joy Ella discovered that the chest at the foot of the bed was filled with clean clothing.

The next time she met with the prince, she planned for things to go quite differently.

For some reason Ella found herself spending an inordinate amount of time in front of the silver mirror. She washed her body and hair with soap that smelled like jasmine, afterwards combing her pale blonde hair until it shone. She tried on the garments one after another, finally settling on a sleeveless dress of cornflower blue.

Ella suddenly stopped herself. What was she doing?

She was meeting with a powerful leader. She was representing her people, and the things she spoke about with the prince could have a great impact on the world.

Was it anything else?

No. Of course not.

With that resolved, Ella settled her silver pendant on its chain between her breasts. Was the dress cut too low? Of course not.

She wondered how many people would be at the dinner. Probably at least twenty, she thought. Jehral would be there, if he was well enough, and certainly Shani, and the leaders of the other tarns. She hoped that she would be seated close enough to the prince that she could explain how Jehral had been wounded, and that she'd had nothing to do with his insistence to see the prince immediately.

Ella looked into the silver mirror. Her green eyes sparkled back.

When the summons came, she was ready.

~

E
LLA
was once more led to the room at the top of the tower. It was a small room to seat so many, she thought.

The door was open, and with a gesture the guard indicated Ella should enter. Feeling apprehensive, she stepped through the portal, noticing this time that the floor was lined with soft carpets, thick and luxurious. Maps were pinned to the wall, and a desk rested in the corner, but even more incongruous than the carpets, a table had been placed in the centre of the room.

Two chairs sat at the table. Only two chairs. A nightlamp on the table had been activated at the lowest setting, and a wine bottle stood with two glasses. Ella's heart skipped a beat.

The prince again leaned at the window, looking out at the starry sky. Ella walked over to stand by his side, and as she looked out, the night-time view caused her to gasp.

A full moon shimmered over the surface of Lake Halapusa, its light broken into ethereal ripples as it was dispersed by the steam rising off the water. By night, the city of Tlaxor below was even more spectacular, with lights piled up one on top of the other like the berries of some magical tree. Above the lake, the rim of the crater formed a jagged line that stretched as far as the eye could see to the left and right, and above it all the stars sparkled like pinpricks in a curtain.

"You will have your own great city soon," Ella said.

"That is true," said the prince, still looking out. "Different, however, to this."

"All places are different," Ella said.

"Is your city, Sarostar, like this?"

"No, Your Highness. It's a beautiful city, a place I love, but nothing like this."

"So Jehral has told me," the prince nodded.

"About Jehral…" Ella said.

The prince cut her off with a chopping motion of his hand. "We have spoken at length. You saved his life, Enchantress Ella. Normally I would grant you any wish for doing that, any wish in my power to grant. However you lied to me. You gave me a false name, you stole my essence, and you left my people when I still needed you."

"My people needed me too!"

"Then why did you not plead your case with me? I would have let you go. Why did you not tell me the truth?"

Ella tried to answer, but no words would come out. "I… I don't know," she finally said. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Ella, for saving my friend's life. There is no debt between us," the prince said.

He turned away from the vista below, looking at Ella for the first time. The soft light from the table shone from Ella's hair, caressing her pale skin with its glow.

The prince hadn't spoken for some time. Ella looked up at his face.

There was a fire in his eyes, a hunger she had never seen before. Ilathor reached down and without seeking her permission he ran his fingers through the ends of her hair, holding it up. "Like spun gold," he whispered to himself; she could only just hear it.

Ella took a slight step back, even though part of her screamed, telling her to move forward. The prince's hand fell down.

"Now that there is no debt between us, could you explain to me why you've taken me from my home, against my will? If you'd explained your case and said you needed me, I might have come."

"When last I saw you, you fled without a word. I opened my heart to you, back in the desert, and your response was to leave. Can you blame me for being unsure of you? Can you fault me for wanting to ask your help in person?"

"My homeland…" Ella began.

Ilathor held up a hand. "When I heard of the woman who saved her people at the Bridge of Sutanesta I asked Jehral to discover the truth, and if you were alive, to do whatever it took to bring you here. I am sorry if your journey here was not easy, but I need you, Ella, and it is for more than my own desire that you're here, sincere as it is. Once more, lives depend on your actions."

"What is it you want me to do?"

Prince Ilathor looked out the window at the tiered city below. It was a long time before he spoke. "I need you to build the bridge," he finally said, turning to Ella.

"I don't understand," Ella said.

"I brought you here so you can build me the bridge that you built for your people after the Bridge of Sutanesta was destroyed. A bridge of light, I have heard it called. Only you can do such a thing. We have been waiting here for an eternity. The ferry has been destroyed so we cannot cross Lake Halapusa, and the lack of supplies is having no effect on the Petryans. I need you to build me a bridge across the lake."

"I see," Ella said. "I understand now." She shook her head slowly. "Prince Ilathor, you could have saved yourself some trouble, and Jehral a lot of effort. The bridge I built spanned a distance one hundred times smaller than what you need. It isn't possible."

"Please, I beg you to try," Prince Ilathor said.

Ella thought for a moment. She owed Ilathor a debt, for it was his essence that had allowed her to save the refugees and Miro's army at the Bridge of Sutanesta.

"There might be another way," Ella said, frowning.

"Anything, Ella. Anything you can do to help us take the tiered city."

Ella thought about Shani, anxious to free her people, and Miro, desperate to secure his southern border. By helping the prince she would be helping to hasten the end of the war. "I have an idea," she said. "I'll give it some thought. Give me time."

The prince smiled. "That is all I ask. Come," he gestured, "let us drink wine together, and you can tell me who Ella is, so I may separate her from the woman, Evora, you said you were."

He led her to the table, seating Ella before seating himself. He poured the wine slowly, the thick, red liquid dark and fragrant, igniting Ella's senses before she'd even tasted it.

"Salute, I greet you." The prince held up his glass.

"Salute," Ella said, echoing him, not sure if this was the correct response.

The wine tasted spicy, both warm and tart, like sweet prunes soaked in lemon and mellowed over a hundred years. Ella felt it slip down her throat, thinking that it suited this man.

"You sealed the Wondhip Pass?" the prince asked.

Ella nodded.

"How did you move the stones?" He shook his head. "What does Altura's lore have to do with moving large objects?"

"It wasn't enchantment," Ella said. "I learned a few things from an old Halrana animator."

"And this bridge that saved your people… an incredible feat."

Ella stayed silent, remembering the soldiers and refugees: those who had not been saved at the Bridge of Sutanesta that day. She remembered Amber.

"Your father is High Lord of Raj Hazara?" Ella asked, changing the subject.

"Kalif, but yes, that is what you would call it. He is an old man, Ella, and I fear he may not have much longer for this world. He tells me I am strong enough to lead the tribes when he is gone, but I have doubts."

"You?" Ella smiled. "Look at where you are. How many men do you command? Your army must be as powerful as the imperial legion, to have taken Petrya so quickly."

"Such numbers are hard to control," the prince said. "As long as I keep them busy fighting, yes, they will do as I command; but what about when there is peace? What then?"

"I think that's the question everyone is asking," Ella said. "The Tingaran Empire is dead. Even if we can defeat the Primate, what comes next? Who will lead?"

Prince Ilathor smiled. "Such intelligence. It is good to have you with me again."

Ella sipped at her wine to disguise her blush.

Yet her thoughts now turned serious. This man held the fate of Shani's people in his hands. She owed it to her friend to do her best to help her people.

"Prince Ilathor, there is a woman with me, a Petryan."

"Ah, yes. The elementalist. I have been meaning to ask you about her. To whom does she owe her allegiance?"

Ella hesitated. "It's a little more complicated than that." She took a deep breath. "Your Highness, not all Petryans were hungering for this war. Many only hate Altura and Halaran because that's what their parents have told them to do, and most don't hate at all, they just want to raise their families in peace and prosperity. The world of leadership and the administration of the realm is a distant thing for most."

Ella thought of her brother. "Sometimes there are leaders who work to do good in the world," she said. "Brave men whose values are more important to them than doing what they think people want and expect of them. Then there are other leaders. They come to power because they inherited it, or because their supporters are more vocal, more violent, and more intimidating than those who just want to live their lives. The Petryan High Lord and his supporters are such men, ruling with fear, filled with hate. Hate is a disease, but it's a disease that can be cured. The greatest factor is belief that it can be cured, and this is what makes what you are doing such an opportunity. Please, Prince Ilathor, give the Petryans a chance to believe."

The prince stayed silent throughout Ella's speech, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Finally, he spoke. "May I ask you, Enchantress Ella, why you think I am here? Is it to conquer for the sake of conquering? To give my barbarian hordes some place to pillage? Perhaps to pay for all of that construction at Agira Lahsa?"

Ella opened her mouth to protest.

"No," Ilathor said forcefully. "I have eyes to see, and ears to listen. I know that the world is changing. This disease you speak of is an apt metaphor. I have treated the Petryans well, and I have heard their complaints. They do not know who to replace their High Lord with, but that is their concern, not mine. When we take Tlaxor there will be those who fight against us, and those who rise up against their oppressors and fight with us. We are distributing the message, and the message is clear. Petrya will be free."

Ella knew the prince was anything but a liar. As she heard the conviction in his voice she felt closer to him than she ever had before.

"That's all I need to know, Your Highness." She smiled at him.

"Your people will also be free, Ella. The men of this Black Army attack your homeland daily, and I am told Altura may not be able to hold. With Petrya liberated, Altura may be able to break free of the encirclement. The Alturan commander's southern flank will be safe, and his strength in the east will grow." The prince looked into Ella's eyes. "I have only met one Alturan, but she taught me about her people, and I now feel I must do what I can to help them."

Ella looked down at the table. "I thank you for my people, Your Highness."

"There is more," the prince said. "I need you to understand, for it was you who first told me about these lands in a way that I could understand. I now realise it is my duty to do what I can to help the multitudes of the world. Petrya is just the beginning. With the Tingaran Empire broken someone will need to pick up the pieces before the world falls apart. I intend to take this army to Seranthia. I will kill this Primate and display his head for all to see, and put this world back on track." He paused, his eyes intent, before suddenly breaking off. "Now," Prince Ilathor smiled, "I have done it again. I apologise if my thoughts are on the struggle ahead. Let us speak of other matters." He took a sip of wine. "Please, tell me… who is Ella?"

"Well, the Alturan leader you spoke of…" Ella said. "He's my brother."

The prince's smile broadened. "And so I finally learn about Ella. Please," he topped up her glass, "tell me more about yourself. Tell me of your family, and your youth, and this incredible talent for lore you possess."

Ella spoke at length, surprised when the prince's probing questions drew more and more information out of her. She found herself telling him things she had thought she'd locked up deep inside, but there were still facets of her life she held back. Killian was never mentioned, nor was Brandon Goodwin, the old soldier who raised her. They both seemed far away now; distant memories.

At some point food arrived, spiced lamb with roasted yellow and orange vegetables, served with a nutty substance comprised of tiny balls of grain. The flavour was intense and sweet, and left a tingling in Ella's mouth when she was done.