by Janet Woods
That stung, and she spat out, ‘How good of you all to have my welfare at heart. Not long ago it was ordered that Remy and myself were to be euthanized for political gain. They sent my brother Emrys to hunt me down and do the deed. He failed.’
She took a step forward. ‘Well, here we are Emrys ... face-to-face, and unarmed,’ except for the power throbbing through her. She was glad she had Tighe by her side to keep it under control. ‘Let’s see how brave you are.’
Emrys shuffled his feet. ‘I’ve been relieved of that particular duty. The parents only want what’s best for you.’
‘Do they? Allow me to ask them directly. ‘Which of them should I wed, Laek or Falcon?’
Her father shrugged. ‘The one Lady Azarine, in her wisdom, chooses. They are both fine men.’
‘Yes they are, and I feel flattered by their attention. However, I’m of an age to decide for myself, and I choose not to join with either.’
‘You cannot refuse ... it’s a royal decree.’
She jumped and took a step back when Laek pounded his fist on a table, and said, ‘Choose, Jynx. I don’t want to have to fight Falcon for you.’
She reached inside her for some calmness. ‘I would like time to think about it.’
‘Think about it now,’ Falcon said. ‘Let’s get the problem settled and then we can enjoy the celebrations.
She appealed to him. ‘What has happened to you, Falcon Darkwater? You said you’d be there for me if I needed your help. I need it now.’
‘Then agree to my proposal. You lied to me when you said you loved another. Am I to take it you are enamoured with Laek? If you are then I’ll withdraw my claim, because I have no desire to see you unhappy.’
‘You can wed me instead, Falcon, ‘Helise said in a minitix that dispelled the tension.
Falcon laughed. ‘Perhaps I will.’
‘And perhaps you won’t,’ Azarine snapped. ‘The girl is a shameless trollop.’
Greer shot to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. ‘Helise was decent until you took her under your roof with the promise of a marriage to Laek, and you enchanted her when the time came to carry out your plan, and sent her to serve Cynan’s lusts.’
Azarine spat at Greer’s feet. ‘Helise was never decent. You placed her in my service to spy on me, as did Serica with Danea. What happened to Helise was deserved. Both were easy to enchant. Danea especially. Her boring sensitivity made her my servant in the first few minitix.’
‘Jynx was impervious to me. It was obvious she was special because that ugly wolf protected her. Don’t think he’ll leave here alive. Once we find him Thornwall will dispose of him.’
A gasp came from Jynx. ‘Wulf has not harmed anyone, just shielded me from harm. Why should he be killed?’
‘Be quiet girl. And don’t play any of your tricks here. Just count yourself lucky that Laek wants you.’
‘I do not count myself lucky, since I do not want to be joined with Laek.’
Azarine leaned forward, and laughed. ‘I would have expected deceit from Helise, who is a conniving trollop at heart, but not you Jynx. You were always a skinny little brat who acted more like a lad than a girl, and nothing has changed. What is it about you that attracts the affection of so many men?’
Tighe’s thoughts filled her mind. It must be your innocent look, which is deceptive, since you are a maid of many passions, most of which I’ve yet to explore.
She only just managed to keep her giggle under control.
Helise swaggered towards Azarine. ‘How dare you call me a conniving trollop? It’s you who has cheated and lied all this time, passing Jon and Iago off as orphans when they are Cynan’s sons. If anyone inherits Arles it should be them ... not Laek.’
There was a long silence, in which Laek, Jon and Iago exchanged a bewildered glance.
Esbel sprang at Helise, calling her names, but Helise slapped her to the floor and gave her a savage kick. ‘I’m no longer tied up and at your mercy, you elvish bitch.’
Danea stepped forward, white-faced and trembling. ‘Is this true Azarine? Would you have wed me to my own brother?’
Helise scorned, ‘Of course she would, and yes, it is true. I overheard her talking to Esbel. She didn’t want anyone but her own kin to have Arles.’
‘Mother?’ Laek gazed from Azarine to Jon, whose face reflected the tragedy, then back again. ‘How could you be so manipulative?’
Azarine shrugged as she rose to her feet and faced her son. ‘What of it? Cynan wouldn’t have accepted them. They were identical ... twinned. He would have killed them, so the pair of you owe me your life - remember that.’
Tears filled Danea’s eyes and her voice broke. ‘I loved and trusted you, Azarine. How could you do such a thing to me?’
‘Easily. I vowed to destroy anybody who contained the same blood as Cynan.’
Danea’s face expressed the wound she’d been delivered and it was beyond measure. Giving a sob, she ran headlong from the room, barging through the bewildered troopers guarding the doors.
Take Jynx to the dungeon, Thornwall. Let’s see how long she’ll last without food and water.’
Falcon intervened. ‘You take your orders from me, Thornwall, not from my sister. Go after Danea. Bring her back and we will try and sort this out.’
Laek detached himself from his group and came to stand in front of her. His eyes were harder than she’d ever seen them, full of purpose, his body powerful. This was the moment Jynx had been dreading and she called on Sybilla to give her strength when Laek said, ‘we grew up together, now you betray me. Tell me you don’t care for me.’
‘I do care for you, Laek. I loved the person you were, but you’ve changed and I don’t like what I see. At least Falcon has some decency left in him. But I choose neither of you.’
‘Then we’ll decide by right of arms. I’ve already lost Arles, which was my birthright as Cynan’s son. I’ll be damned if I’ll lose my woman too.’ He gazed at Falcon. ‘Winner takes all. Do you agree?’
Falcon nodded.
Jynx made one last stand. ‘I don’t. I refuse to be a trophy to be competed for. I’d rather die.’ And she would die, rather than lose Tighe. She felt his smile inside her, telling her he was there by her side.
A faint noise began, like the thrum of a thousand wasps. Now it strengthened and the noise filled the air.
The door opened and Thornwall entered, carrying the limp body of Danea in his arms. He laid her on the floor. Her joining finery was a froth of white, the embroidered flowers stained red with her blood.
‘She threw herself from the battlements,’ he said.
Jon knelt by her side and took her hand in his, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Poor ... poor Danea, who was the most gentle of creatures, and who would harm nobody, Jynx thought. With Tighe guarding her back, she felt for Danea’s pulse and detected a faint heartbeat. Although she tried not to, Jynx began to hate Azarine. Holding her hands palm down over the body she said, ‘I call on you, Sybilla, my mentor, to take Danea into the care of my sisters and to heal her, in body and in spirit.’
Within a minitix Danea’s body disappeared.
Jon’s face was full of gratitude. ‘Thank you Jynx.’
Laek had never seen what Jynx could do before. He was angry ... with his mother, because she’d deceived him all these years ... with his uncle, who had taken his own birthright, and with Tighe, who seemed to be providing protection for Jynx. Most of all he was angry with Jynx, who had made a fool of all of them.
A minitix later and the thrumming noise was almost unbearable. People began to run from the palace in every direction. A column split. Plaster cracked and began to fall. The sea rose in the harbor and began to inundate the land.
Laek raised his voice. ‘As for this supposed lover of yours, Jynx, I’ll have his name. We’ll bring him here and you can exchange vows with him.’
Her heart lifted and she almost sent Tighe a smile.
But Laek hadn’t finished.
‘Afterwards, I’ll kill him and make you a widow. Let’s announce it as an entertainment to the crowd. We’ll see which of the men will come forward to champion you and be prepared to die for your love.’
‘You’re cruel, Laek. I’ve had enough, and I’m leaving.’
The others were holding their hands to their ears. ‘It’s the followers,’ Azarine shrieked. ‘It’s only noise. Let them do their worst.’
Somebody began to laugh, a booming sound, as though it was coming from the entrails of the earth. Chills ran through Jynx when she saw the dark man merge into smoke. Helise went with him as it evaporated, leaving behind a putrid stink.
People began to panic and mill around. Laek’s hand shot out and circled her neck. His eyes bored into hers. Gently he squeezed her windpipe. ‘I’ll have his name, Jynx.’
She no longer felt Tighe’s presence behind her and nothing would make her release his name. She croaked out Wulf’s name. A sudden blur and he came between them in a flurry of snarling teeth and bristling fur. His jaws closed around Laek’s wrist. There was a crack, and Jynx fell to the floor.
Laek staggered backwards, already reaching for his sword with his uninjured arm. Jynx threw a bolt at it, and it fell and spun across the floor in a crackle of light.
Jynx grabbed it up and stood up. She would use it to defend Wulf if need be, but she could barely hold it, for its power pulsed up and down the handle.’
Thornwall fitted an arrow into his bow and let it fly. It caught Wulf between the ribs and he staggered. With a cry she threw herself over her wolf to protect him as he staggered to his feet.
She clung to Wulf as he took two steps forward. Before her eyes he increased in size and became a bird with a magnificent spread of wings. As he flew with her out over the balcony, a second arrow thudded into his neck and he gave an agonized cry.
Nestled amongst his feathers and holding on tightly, she glanced down. The Karshal palace was disintegrating and the water making inroads along the streets. All was panic and pandemonium.
Jynx clung to the bird’s wings and transferred her healing powers to give him strength. He flew on until they were over the forest, and then began to circle. He was bleeding and the light in his silvery eyes had begun to dim. Her heart went out to him, but with the arrows still piercing him she could do nothing.
‘Don’t die,’ she begged, as his wings pushed them through the air, gradually loosing strength so their descent became ragged and bumpy and she feared she might fall off
The peregrine went into a plummeting dive. Beneath them the earth rapidly grew closer, and she tried to guide him. ‘There’s a lake a little to the left, and the water might be a softer landing. Try and slow down a little.’
As the ground rushed up to meet them, she saw he had brought her to the High Place. The peregrine slowed a little, but failed to flatten out as they neared the water, and its breath came in harsh, ragged gasps. It went into the water head first, its wings folding back to form a protective barrier. The entrance stunned it, for the bird floated under the water in an increasing density of blood.
There was a flurry of blackness and snapping teeth. Eels! Grabbing the bird by its head Jynx bore it down to the bottom, to evade the greedy red eyes and snapping jaws. They reminded Jynx of Azarine’s changed looks, and she shuddered.
Chest nearly exploding she looked for the door. She’d been told there was danger behind it, but there was nowhere else to go except up to the surface, where the eels now circled. There was a compulsion inside her to save the life of the bird ... or was it Wulf ... or Tighe? She hadn’t had time to wonder about the change in it. If she took him into the alchemist’s tomb they might be able to hide there, and breathe ... at least ... while she healed the bird’s injuries.
The door was open. Dragging the bird through it, she swam upwards and just as she expelled her last breath she surfaced. Hauling in a deep reach of air, she blew it into Tighe’s mouth then gasped in another breath and expelled it the same way.
‘Breathe,’ she urged. It wasn’t until he began to take in air on his own that she reached out to find solid rock, and pulled them both up out of the water. It was pitch black and she was exhausted.
‘Who invades the resting place of the Grand Alchemist?’ a voice grumbled.
She jumped, then said, ‘My name is Jynx. I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I request sanctuary for myself and my companion.’
‘An unfortunate name,’ he suggested.
‘I don’t mind it too much.’ A thought brought her a chimera lantern, but it emitted only a dim light. She couldn’t remember her energy ever being this depleted. ‘I must remove some arrows and heal the bird’s wounds.’
‘Your hunting bird has changed into its proper form, and he has hardly a heartbeat left to sustain his body. You’re too weak to heal him, young woman, and certainly too weak to return from whence you came. You may stay.’
‘You’re gracious.’
‘I know I am, but only when I’ve got no choice.’
She raised an eyebrow in the twilight. ‘The water is rising over the city of Karshal.’
‘Serves them right,’ he grumbled. ‘What do they expect when they mess with magic? This is Bane’s doing. He sent his brat there to cause mischief.’
‘His brat?’
‘Thornwall ... a nasty rogue.’
‘I know him. We are enemies, and it was he who shot my companion.’
‘When her eyes adjusted to the dim light she gazed at the bird and saw the pale face of Tighe with his finely chiselled features. Her heart swelled with the love she felt for him and she began to weep. What are you, my love?
The disembodied voice picked up her thoughts. ‘Does it matter what he is?’
‘No ... it’s sufficient that there’s love between us. I must heal him. He risked his life for me and I offer him mine in exchange.’
‘How noble you are.’
‘You sir, are being sarcastic. I have no intention of letting Tighe die, so go back to sleep and keep your long nose out of my business. I’ve had enough of everyone telling me what to do today, without a ghost adding to it. My temper is at breaking point.’
‘I’m not a ghost I’m a spirit. Have some of my light,’ he said helpfully. The dim light flared brightly and was joined by other lights, so she didn’t have to waste energy by sustaining her own feeble effort. Water dripped from them both and she shivered as she gazed around her. They were in a large cave twinkling with multi coloured crystals.
‘I wondered when that sword would turn up, it was stolen by Lord Kavan a long time ago and never returned. He said he’d left it in the crystal pipes. It’s a dangerous object for anyone not proficient in its use, or aware of its purpose.’
‘It was given to Prince Laek by the spirit of Lord Kavan, whose genes he was developed from.’
‘How did you get the sword?’
‘It spun from Laek’s hands when he was about to kill Tighe and I grabbed it.’
‘Liar, you knocked it from his hand with a bolt. Be lucky he didn’t fire it back at you and kill you. The sword fights only on the side of justice, but its justice will expose the darkness in others and it can only be wielded by the just. It obviously found Prince Laek lacking when put to the test.’
As had Jynx.
‘You have Tiana’s genes. I was very fond of her, you know.’
Jynx was too tired to think straight. She didn’t want this conversation with a disembodied voice. She wanted to heal Tighe. ‘I am myself, and must be myself. I don’t want to compare myself to others, especially one as respected as Tiana. I cannot compete with such perfection, and besides, have better things to do than ponder the vanity in it. Can you help me to look after Tighe?’
‘No ... but I can help you to help him. Take energy from the sword, Jynx. Place your hands on the hilt. Keep them there as long as you can bear it.’
She did as she was told and felt the power of it fill her. Her hands began to tingle, her head ached and she felt as though
her body was swelling. When her palms began to burn so she could hold the sword no longer, she let the weapon go. It floated up to the roof of the cave and hung there, colors running up and down the blade.
She made a small chimera, filling it with everything she needed to heal Tighe, and found strength to drag him to the bed she’d created. There, she removed his clothing.
The arrow had skimmed across his ribs leaving a long, deep gouge. It had tried to bury itself in Tighe’s heart, but had deflected on the bone, so it wasn’t deeply buried. She could feel its head under his skin just behind his armpit. She numbed the site, and was able to remove most of the shaft. Making a small incision, she exposed the arrowhead, and placing her hands over the small wound she meditated on it. Taking Tighe’s pain as her own, she steadily drew the arrow from his body. She just hoped it wasn’t tipped with poison.
Next, she looked at the arrow on his neck. Using Tighe’s knife she removed the head from the arrow and rubbed herbal salve along the shaft, with antiseptic as well as numbing properties. He didn’t have the usual scars associated with being a hesp, she noticed.
Gently, she withdrew the arrow shaft, her heart contracting when a small groan reached her ears. While he still felt pain his body was still alive, she reasoned.
She was trembling as she bandaged his wounds. Loss of blood had drained Tighe. Shock, and loss of strength had weakened her. She could do no more to help him and desperately needed sleep. Trickling water into his mouth, she hoped it would be enough for his body to start replacing the blood.
Then she remembered the wishing bowl. Going to the cave entrance she scooped up some water and carried it back. It provided them with a soft, warm robe apiece and a bowl of broth filled with nutrients. Taking Tighe’s head against her shoulder she spooned the broth into his mouth.
Her last task before she placed the dish to one side was to fashion a protective shield around them. Jynx then tied a lock of her hair around Tighe’s hand so they were still connected and she could help relieve his pain should it become unbearable in his slumber.
