by Grace Martin
Aine stared at him. We had been travelling with them for nearly a week by now and I think she had become so accustomed to looking out through the bars that she forgot that it was a prison. To tell the truth, especially on those nights when Andras and I had patrolled the deck side by side, I’d forgotten it too. Aine didn’t know what to say, so I said it for her.
‘You’ve been travelling with us for a week by now,’ I said. ‘In all that time, did you never look closely at Gwydion and Aine when they were sitting next to one another? Did you never look at she and I, and have the thought cross your mind that there is a very famous pair of twins in Rheged?’
Andras did look closely at me then, and I kept talking before he could start to wonder if it was some kind of ploy to keep ourselves out of prison. ‘You can ask Gwydion,’ I went on, ‘what he remembers from the time when the Librarians harvested his memories. I’ll admit that he did look pretty unconscious at the time, but it does seem to take a lot out of the person whose memories are being harvested. Surely, he opened his eyes at some point, though, looked around the room and saw my sister and I sitting next to the Empress?’
‘Neither of you were dressed like princesses,’ Andras said, coming closer to the cart.
‘I’ll be sure to remember, next time I take a long journey, to wear my royal robes, just in case I’m attacked by half a dozen foreign soldiers and I need to convince them of my royal blood. It’s a pity I don’t have a birthmark shaped like a crown. Now, I would appreciate it if you would open this cart and let us out. After that, we would both like the opportunity to bathe and to change our clothes, to refresh ourselves, before some suitably deferential servant knocks on the door and takes us to meet our father for the first time since the night we were born.’
Andras stared at me for a moment and then laughed. He was so handsome when he laughed. Even when I hated him, I had to admit that. ‘I’m not going to open the cart,’ he said.
‘I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, Andras, that my sister and I have very different temperaments. She is very kind, very sweet, very forgiving. Honestly, I’m none of those things unless I have a good reason. I’m going to tell you one last time, open this cart.’
‘Please, Andras,’ Aine pleaded, her voice softer and sweeter than mine. ‘She is telling the truth, you know. It was the only reason that I came along with you, because I have waited all my life to meet my father. I’ve been looking forward to it. I’m going to make my home here. I know there is Camiri blood in my veins and I know, now, that the Dark King is my father.’
Andras still didn’t look like he believed either of us. ‘I will have to discuss this with Gwydion.’ Andras turned to the soldiers who were guarding us. ‘Under no circumstances are you permitted to open that cart.’
‘I warned you,’ I said. I had spent the whole of the last night sleeping under the full moon, curled up on the couches that Aine and Gwydion used during the day. My powers had never been stronger. I rose to my knees because the cart wasn’t tall enough for me to stand up. I grinned gamely at Andras and the soldiers and said, ‘I should stand well back if I were you.’
I don’t know why people never listen to warnings like that. Every time I tell someone that I’m going to do something that will result in serious injury or death, instead of standing well back out of the way, they creep in for a closer look. I figured it was no longer my problem.
I stretched my arms out and, still smiling, shattered the bars and the roof of the cart into smithereens. It took a great deal of control not to shatter the floor on which Aine and I were standing because, I didn’t think it would be very dignified if we were to suddenly fall to the ground.
I took a single step off the cart and used the magic wind that was still billowing around the courtyard to lower me gracefully to the ground. I stood in front of Andras, where he was still seated on his horse, trying to control the terrified animal, one gloved hand still raised to protect his face from the flying shards of wood.
‘My sister has very graciously offered to stay here, otherwise I would turn us both into birds and we would be flying away right now. The only way you can stop that happening is if you snap your fingers right now and summon some servants who will take us to a comfortable room where we can bathe, change and rest and then, in an hour or two, escort us to meet our father, the Dark King.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Somehow, Andras managed to summon some servants. They took us to a comfortable room. While there were soldiers outside the door, at least we weren't in an uncomfortable prison. Aine turned to me the moment the door closed behind us.
‘Emer, you’ve got even more brass than Aoife!’ she exclaimed. She looked around the room and went to the window to look out of the beautiful, rolling green fields, the same fields we had seen in Gwydion’s memory. ‘Do you think that it’s going to work?’
‘Of course it’s going to work,’ I said, sitting down on the bed. The mattress was stuffed with feathers and it puffed up around me invitingly. ‘It’s the truth. The minute the Dark King sees you he’s going to know that you’re his daughter. You’re the spitting image of his wife.’
‘What about you?’ Aine asked. ‘What are you going to tell him about you?’
‘I'm going to tell him that I'm your twin sister,’ I said. ‘We look enough alike that no one would doubt it. I can't say that I’ve ever felt particularly close to Aoife, but I see no reason why I shouldn't capitalise on her existence.’
‘What if someone finds out that Aoife is still back in Rheged? If Darragh comes to eat her then even the Camiri might hear of it. What would you say then?’
‘I would say that it was dreadfully unfortunate, but the Bach Chwaer is the heroine of our generation. She sacrificed herself to save us all. She even took the place of her worst enemy and offered her own breast to the dragon. Wasn't she brave?’
‘Really?’ Aine sighed. It must’ve been a good story. I could see that it was already working on her imagination. She was probably sorry that it wasn’t true.
There was a knock on the door. A whole entourage of servants entered, bearing everything that would be needed for us to eat, bathe and change and be presented to the Dark King. We were even allowed time to rest. Lying back against a feather mattress, warm and full with no apparent, imminent threat of death, I was more comfortable than I had been in my whole life.
An hour later, another servant appeared to take us to the Dark King. There were soldiers who had been waiting outside our door, but for me these days, that was practically normal. They took us through a path in the castle that I realised was familiar. When we reached the bottom of the great spiral staircase in the tower, they turned to us.
‘We do offer our apologies, my ladies,’ the footman said, ‘but his Majesty rarely leaves his study these days. There are a great many stairs, but it’s the only way to the top.’
Aine and I looked at one another for a moment, then grinned. I turned back to the footman. ‘Well, it’s not the only way to the top.’ I took Aine's hand and we rose through the air, through the open centre of the wide stone staircase, going right to the very top in a matter of moments. We settled gently on the landing outside the King's study. ‘Do you want to wait for them to get here, or should we just go in now?’ I asked her.
Aine knocked on the door. Gwydion answered. He looked surprised to see us and looked around our shoulders to see where the footman and the soldiers had gone.
‘We flew,’ Aine explained, a pretty blush rising in her cheeks. She shrugged and it was utterly charming. ‘There was such a lot of stairs and we’ve had such a tiring journey.’
I grinned, well aware that the best thing I could do in this situation was to keep my mouth shut. I was not charming and my best skill seemed to be turning potential allies into enemies. While I had no intention of remaining here in Ce’Branna, I also had no intention of ruining it for Aine.
Casting a quick glance down the stairs to where the footman and the soldiers were still running up
to greet us, Gwydion stood back from the door and gestured for us to enter.
It was just like it had been his memories. Every wall was lined with books, every surface was lined with paperwork. Now that I had time to look around more closely, I could look at the globe in the corner and I recognised more of the items that I hadn’t had a chance to examine when we were merely looking through Gwydion’s eyes as we harvested his memories.
The same, too, was the call of my little wand. I could feel her there, in her little cabinet. She sang my name, joyously, rapturously, happier to see me than anyone had ever been. And I didn’t even dare turn my face towards her in case someone noticed.
Another detail was the same, too. At the window stood a man in black. He turned to face us, his expression polite and distantly curious. Beside me, Aine reached for my hand and gripped it tight. He looked confused for a moment, looking back and forth between the pair of us and then his gaze darted to Gwydion, then back to us.
‘It can’t be!’ he breathed. Next to me, Aine bit her lip. This felt like such an incredibly momentous event for her. She had spent her whole life believing that her father had abandoned her. She had never expected that she would ever meet him.
The next thing I knew, Aine let go of my hand and ran lightly across the room to throw her arms around the King's shoulders. ‘Oh, Father!’ she cried, then she just cried, weeping prettily into his shoulder, while his arms came around her and he patted her on the back. The King looked over Aine’s shoulder at me. I had to make it look like we were sisters, I had to make it look like we were experiencing the same thing, so when he freed one of his hands from her to extend towards me, I had to go towards him.
I knew that he was a good man. I knew that he was a good father, but when he touched my hand it was all I could do to stop my flesh from crawling. Aine was sobbing out a lifetime of grief into his shoulder. I was experiencing a lifetime of fear because my hand was touched by an older man.
I was saved by the last person I had ever expected would be sensitive to what I was thinking or feeling. Andras had been sitting in a chair near desk. He rose to his feet and came towards us. ‘You must understand, my Lord King, that this young lady is recovering from a terrible injury. I have not yet been able to heal her fully and it is likely that she will experience pain when she is touched by another person.’
The King let go of my hand at once. I couldn’t help but snatch my hand back and fold my arms across my middle. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘It does hurt.’ That wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t my skin that hurt.
Gwydion came towards us, too, look of wonder on his face. ‘I have a sister?’ he asked, then he laughed. ‘I have two sisters!’ I could tell that he wanted to grab me, display some excess of emotion and I took a step back. Instead, he grabbed Andras and danced around the room with him. Andras protested, but he laughed and danced, nonetheless.
So, apparently, I had a family now. The guards were removed from outside the room and Aine and I were given separate quarters. We had a brother. We had a father who seemed to care about us, who was interested in our lives, who wanted to hear us talk. I let Aine do most of the talking, because the King certainly didn’t want to know about the kind of life I’d had before I came here. I probably seemed like I was quiet, maybe even meek and that was a first for me. I pretended that I was Elisabeth and, after that, the role came more naturally.
Aine and the Dark King sat close to one another on one of the window seats nearly all that afternoon. It seemed strange to think that just that morning I was busting things up and demanding not to be put in a prison cell to have my memories harvested. The King seemed to understand that not only did I not want to be touched, but I was extremely uncomfortable with any expression of affection. He lavished affection on Aine and just looked at me longingly from time to time.
He let me wander around the room. There was something special about being surrounded by books. That year that Sparrow and I lived in Cairnagorn, I had learned to take refuge in reading. The next year’s creepyguardian had thought it was a useful habit and had been more than glad to supply us with all the books we could ask for. In the years after that, some creepyguardians thought reading was good, others thought it was a waste of time, but since we were so sheltered it was practically the only time we learned any social skills. The Dark King clearly loved his books. Maybe Sparrow and I got our love of reading from him.
The Dark King was my grandfather, I realised, casting him a furtive glance that he intercepted with a kind smile. It wasn’t all a pretence ‒ he really was my family, the same way Aine was my family, and Gwydion, too, come to think of it. It nearly shocked me rigid to realise that I was in a room surrounded by my family. If I wanted to, I could stay here, make my life here.
I dismissed the thought at once and hated myself for allowing it to cross my mind. How many people was I willing to leave behind in my quest for happiness? Was I willing to abandon Elisabeth? Was I willing to abandon Caradoc?
Of course not. Aine would have to enjoy this all on her own, and to be honest, she would probably enjoy it better without me hanging around her like a bad smell. So, I looked closely at the titles of the books. Every now and then I picked one at random and flipped through it ‒ every now and then it wasn't random, but I didn’t want anyone to know what I was looking for.
I had found a book about Umbra and was trying desperately to contain my excitement when Andras appeared beside me. He noticed the topic of the book.
‘She is considered a great hero to the Camiri, you know,’ he said pleasantly. ‘She is one of the few who is revered by Camiri and Meistri alike.’
‘I’ve heard of her, of course,’ I replied. I wasn’t about to mention that her song had been so loud since I’d entered the room that it was hard to concentrate on anything else. ‘I’ve heard she was very powerful.’
‘I was surprised by how powerful your magic was, this morning,’ Andras said. ‘I didn’t realise that you were even a mage. Why didn’t you use your power to protect yourself and your sister that night in the woods?’
‘Don’t you think I would have, if I could?’ I snapped the book shut so sharply I nearly caught my own nose in it. ‘That wasn’t the first time that night we were attacked. Earlier that night, a mage attacked us and it took all our strength to defeat him. I wasn’t as strong as I could have been at the start of that night anyway. Haven’t you heard that the Meistri are threatened by dragons? Who do you suppose has been keeping the people safe?’
‘I have heard rumours,’ he said, making me wonder if I’d said too much. He took the book from me and flipped through it. ‘My magic is certainly nothing to equal yours.’
‘I don’t have much healing magic,’ I admitted. ‘Aine is better at that than me, but I’m better than she is at blowing things up.’
‘I noticed,’ he murmured and I even smiled. He gave the book back to me. ‘You should ask the King if he would let you come up here read some of his books. I’m sure he would agree. I’m sure he’d like to discuss them with you, too.’
I lowered my voice. ‘Thank you for explaining why I didn’t want to be touched. I know I’m supposed to be excited and all, but I don't know him yet and I don’t want to be touched by anyone.’
Andras gave a small nod. ‘Of course. We’re practically family now, you and I. You can rely on me. I know that you’re slow to trust, but you really can trust your father. He is a good man. Look at Gwydion ‒ that alone will tell you that the King is a good man.’
I smiled. No one could help liking Gwydion.
‘Why don’t we ask the King now if you can borrow some books?’ Andras asked. Before I could stop him, he headed across the room to where the King and Aine were sitting, Gwydion leaning over the King’s shoulder to tell a joke. They were all smiling.
‘Aoife here is as fond of reading as you are, my Lord,’ Andras said. ‘She was telling me how much she likes your Library.’
The King smiled, his beard flexing. ‘You are more than we
lcome to come here any time, Aoife. I spend most of my time here. I even sleep here!’ I’d noticed that a bed was tucked into an alcove. I thought of Umbra in the locked cupboard, but I didn't say anything about it. The key was on the King’s belt, but the cupboard was only made of wood and I was pretty sure I could smash it. ‘Especially if you can bypass all those stairs!’
I smiled obediently. ‘I’m not much of a stair climber,’ I admitted, which was as close as I was going to come to a joke today.
‘Aoife was looking at your collection of books about Umbra,’ Andras went on and all of a sudden my smile was only pasted on my face. Even Aine went a bit still at the mention of her name. ‘Would you consider allowing her to borrow some books?’
The King stood up. ‘Of course you may borrow books, daughter,’ he said to me. ‘You are free to enter this room any time.’ He walked across the room to the little cupboard, and both Aine and I tried to look nonchalant while Gwydion and Andras exchanged significant looks. I could have hit Andras for mentioning Umbra.
‘You may have heard rumours that the Camiri King has a great treasure,’ the King said, reaching for the key hanging from his belt. He turned to give us another smile. ‘Though perhaps it is true today that the Camiri King has three treasures ‒ and one other. You wanted to read about Umbra, my daughter. Did you ever consider that you would meet her?’
Aine gasped when the King opened the cupboard. Umbra was glowing so brightly she was like a star. Even the King raised his eyebrows. I knew that he wouldn't have seen Umbra shining so brightly ever before. She was delighted to know that I was so close. She sang my name so loudly, I was astonished that the others couldn't hear it, although, as the Empress had noted, Umbra only sang for me.
‘I’m afraid I must ask each of you to perform a task for me,’ the King said. ‘Ever since the new Bach Chwaer appeared in Rheged, Umbra has glowed brighter and brighter. We believe there must be some kind of correlation. We have heard that the Bach Chwaer bears a striking resemblance to each of you. Please forgive me, my daughters, if I ask you both to hold Umbra, to prove that you are my girls and not the imposter Bach Chwaer.’
