by S. L. Wilson
The long walkway eventually opened up into a great hall, rectangular in shape. Stone pillars ran through the centre like silent guards. The entire floor was made up of a mosaic of intricate patterns with a huge red phoenix at the centre. On the far wall there was a raised platform made from black rock, likely mined from the Black Mountains. A single stone throne sat in the centre, and to the left a row of marble tables flanked the wall, each one tainted deep red.
Amber looked away; she knew the stains were blood.
As if he realised her thoughts, Redka placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘They are used in the Guardian ritual,’ he whispered. ‘Human blood is drained out of the body and Guardian blood put back in.’
‘How do the boys stay alive through the ritual?’
‘Magic. Loso uses my mother to hold the souls in limbo until the Guardian blood is in place.’
Amber’s eyes grew wide. ‘She can do that?’
‘It is a complicated spell, one normally reserved for the fae; when one of my kind die it is the queen’s job to ensure their soul reaches the Plains of Avaveil, a sacred place where we can be reincarnated as a part of nature. Loso forces my mother to do the ritual on the boys so they can survive the bloodletting.’
‘How can he force her to do such a thing?’ Amber had the oddest feeling she didn’t want to hear the answer.
Redka paused for a long moment before answering. ‘If my mother doesn’t do as he asks, then Loso will kill me…and Myanna.’
Queen Alia was beautiful. More beautiful than anyone Amber had ever seen. Her long white hair hung in spirals around her delicate shoulders, bouncing as she floated across the floor to greet them. Her delicate frame was swathed in a huge white gown studded with tiny diamonds, each one twinkling under the candlelight; the bodice was sculpted to her tiny waist and had capped sleeves of white lace.
Her arms were encased in silver bracelets, and as she moved they tinkled together creating a melody to match her effortless grace. Although her beauty took Amber’s breath away, it was the enormous iridescent wings that rose up behind her and fluttered slightly that surprised Amber.
‘Welcome, little eye.’
Huge purple eyes framed by thick lashes gazed at Amber, and she felt a slight pull on her mind as if someone had just plugged her into a power socket and flipped the switch.
‘Thank you Queen Alia…Your Majesty.’ She curtseyed and bowed her head to the floor.
Redka laughed behind her, and Amber shot him a disapproving look.
Alia walked to her son and wagged her finger under his nose. ‘At least she has good manners, my son.’
It was Amber’s turn to laugh now. She liked Queen Alia.
The queen invited the small party to be seated. As they moved out to the garden room, Amber grabbed Redka’s sleeve. ‘Where are your wings?’
Redka looked at her with a wide smile. Only female fae have wings.’
THE ROOM was almost as beautifully decorated as Alia; the stone walls were hidden by four huge tapestries depicting the changing seasons, vases of fresh flowers and bowls of fruit were dotted on low tables and the seating area comprised of colourful cushions scattered across the floor circling a single wingback chair. The garden room took its name from the wall of windows overlooking the impressive gardens which ended in a high stone wall and shielded the forest beyond.
The doors had been opened and the sweet scent of jasmine wafted in. Amber was suddenly aware of how dirty and unkempt she must look.
‘Please excuse our appearance, Your Majesty,’ she said, holding her hands out wide. ‘We had a tough trip to get here.’
Queen Alia chuckled. ‘Please call me Alia, there are no formalities in prison.’
Amber had forgotten that this stunning fortress home was also Alia’s prison and had been for many years.
She sat next to her mother and snuggled up beside her just as she had as a small child. She smelt of cinnamon and Amber inhaled the scent, never wanting to forget this moment. Her mind wandered guiltily to her father, and she wondered if India had managed to locate him yet. It was going to be her finest moment when she reunited her parents and vanquished Patricia from their lives.
‘You travelled through the gateway of flames.’ It was a statement rather than a question. ‘May I ask how you managed to drop the wall of fire?’
Connor cleared his throat. ‘My aunt is a witch. Her coven were able to duplicate Father Ashby’s original spell from when the pact was made between our realm and Phelan. They were able to drop the wall for us but not for long, we only just made it through.’ He lifted his charred piece of trouser leg and gave her a crooked smile.
‘Your aunt is very powerful, that is not an easy spell to attempt. The gateway is guarded by the phoenix.’
‘We didn’t see any phoenix, ma’am, but we did bump into a few natives.’
Alia smiled warmly at him. ‘Ah yes, the Dragovax, I haven’t had the pleasure myself.’
‘Do you know why we’re here?’ Amber interjected, desperate for some news on Tom.
Alia studied her for a while then moved her gaze along to Myanna, ‘You are here for a boy, a prisoner.’
‘Yes – Tom, he’s my friend.’
Her mother spoke quietly. ‘He’s alive, sweetheart. He looks pretty bad but he’s hanging in there.’
‘Did you recognise him?’
‘Yes, I saw the Guardians herding the boys through the hall, and although he’s a lot taller than the last time I saw him, I did recognise his face.’ She smiled as she recalled the last time she had seen them together. ‘I think the two of you had just built a den in the back garden using my best sheets and a garden stake.’
Amber laughed. ‘And it collapsed the minute we got inside.’ Her heart ached. Thinking back to good times they had shared was what kept her going, but it was draining her energy to stay so strong. ‘Please will you help us to rescue him, to rescue all of them?’
Alia looked at each of the group in turn with a steady gaze. ‘I believe we may be able to assist each other.’
Amber wanted to throw her arms around her and hug her tightly, but remembering that she was royalty – and the huge wings – she settled for a cheesy grin instead.
‘Where do we start?’
‘There will be a ceremony,’ Alia told them. ‘I will be called upon to perform a spell to make sure the boys survive the bloodletting. Once this is complete, the prisoners will be taken to the great hall one at a time for the main ceremony. I have already been called to perform once…’
‘That was for Dan,’ Amber mumbled. ‘He’s a Guardian now.’
Alia bowed her head, ‘I understand that this is hard, but I do everything in my power to help these boys feel as little pain as possible.’
Amber flinched.
Redka cut in, ‘If we want to rescue them, then we need to do it before the spell is cast.’
‘I agree,’ Alia nodded. ‘They are kept on the west side of the fortress, the prisoner cells are cut out of volcanic rock with no windows. Their sight will be impaired for a while until they can adjust to the light.’
‘The only time they are brought out of the cells is for the shaving,’ Redka added.
Amber and Connor shook their heads. ‘The what?’
‘The prisoners have their heads shaved. You may have noticed the Guardians all look alike: no hair, red eyes, muscular physique. Loso strips away all their human qualities, including hair.’
Redka stroked his own long braid. ‘He’s never getting his hands on mine.’
Amber pictured Tom; his blond spiky hair was his pride and joy. He was always fiddling with gel and a comb until he got it just right.
‘So, the rescue has to take place ahead of the spell and preferably before the shaving?’ Connor asked the group.
‘It’s the best time,’ Redka confirmed. ‘They use one Guardian to transport them to the southern courtyard for the shaving. They are too disoriented from being kept in the dark, so that is the best time to strik
e.’
‘When’s this going to happen?’ Amber asked, her jaw set in a hard line. She didn’t want to waste another minute. She wanted to get the job done and get home. Her dad needed her too, and she was trying hard to push those thoughts to the back of her mind so she could concentrate on the task at hand, but his image kept pushing its way into her thoughts.
‘The next ceremony is set for tomorrow night. You will rest in my court and dress as my servants so you don’t draw attention to yourselves. The shaving will take place after dark, so we will have to move just before dusk.’ Alia clapped her hands and a short tubby woman with pink wings shuffled into the room.
‘Maggie, we need food and water for our guests and fresh clothing. The time has come to prepare for our return to Avaveil.’
Maggie’s plump face broke into a wide grin and she bustled off to attend to her chores.
Alia addressed the small group. ‘We will do everything we can to rescue your friend, but we can only take you back to your gateway before we must part ways. Our home is Avaveil and we cannot travel with you to your human realm.’ Her eyes rested briefly on Myanna, and Amber felt her mother tense next to her. ‘You will need the gateway key to enter the human realm. Loso carries this on a chain around his neck. I can get this for you, but if I fail, do you have another way to drop the wall of flames?’
Connor nodded. ‘Yes ma’am, my aunt and her coven are ready for our return.’
She smiled at him then turned to her son. ‘Is everything in place for our return?’
‘Yes, but it hasn’t been tested.’
‘No matter, your skills are unique and I trust your judgement.’ She placed a hand on his arm and smiled before excusing herself from the room.
Amber wrinkled her brow, confused; once Alia had left she questioned her mother.
‘What did she mean part ways? I thought there was no gateway between Phelan and Avaveil?’
Myanna shook her head. ‘There isn’t but Redka has been secretly building a faerie ring deep in the forest for many years with the hope that one day we could escape.’
Amber was stunned. ‘We could escape? – you’re not going with them, are you? Not now?’
Myanna squirmed as she answered. ‘It’s complicated.’
Amber couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘But you belong with me and Dad, back in Hills Heath, not in some faerie realm.’ She was aware that her voice had risen and both Connor and Redka had stopped talking to listen to their conversation.
‘Of course I want to be with you and Alan, but it’s been ten years, Amber, I have to think it through. We have planned for this, planned our escape to Avaveil and then you…you showed up and changed everything.’ She hung her head as tears tumbled down her cheeks.
Amber stood up on shaky legs, trying her hardest not to cry. She was used to rejection by now, her dad was a master at pushing her away, but she never thought her own mother would reject her too.
‘You’re my mum, you belong with your family.’
Myanna looked up into her daughter’s face. ‘Alia is my family too.’
Amber swivelled on her heel and ran.
Connor found her sulking under an apple tree at the far end of the garden; she was sitting with her back against the rough bark cradling her knees to her chest.
‘How could she say those things?’ she asked him as he flopped down next to her, ‘I’m her family.’
‘I don’t know. She’s torn, I guess. I was talking to Redka, and your mum and Alia have been through a hell of a lot together. Maybe she feels obligated to follow the queen?’
She hunched her shoulders and let her head roll in Connor’s direction. ‘When did you get so sensible?’
Connor laughed and lay back on the grass; fluffy white clouds drifted overhead before being swallowed up by the orange sky to the west.
‘I’ve always been sensible, you just didn’t realise ’cause you were too busy checking out my abs.’
She spluttered and punched him playfully on the arm then settled down next to him on the grass.
‘I’m sorry I upset you that day.’ He didn’t move or look at her but spoke to the sky. ‘I enjoyed kissing you.’
A hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth. ‘And I enjoyed being kissed, it’s just…’
‘I know, you’re all googly eyes for Prince Charming now and I don’t stand a chance.’
Amber snorted. ‘I am not all googly-eyed. I was going to say you were right. We had…have, got a lot on our plates at the moment, and I can’t get distracted with boys…no matter how great their abs are!’
By her side, Connor chuckled as he slipped his hand in hers and they lay in companionable silence staring up at the blue sky.
‘WHAT COULD I say?’ Myanna paced the bedroom floor as the queen watched from the end of the bed. ‘Of course I want to be with them, but things are so different. I’m so different. I can’t go back to being a teacher at some tiny school, living in a small terraced house with a husband I no longer know.’
‘So what are you going to tell her?’
Myanna threw her hands in the air and let out a frustrated cry. ‘You didn’t see this coming? You said you sensed a warrior who would break the bonds and help us to escape; you didn’t see that it was going to be her?’
‘My visions aren’t as strong as when I am in Avaveil, you know that. I sensed a warrior, yes, and two have arrived. How could I have known Amber was a warrior? She said it herself, her powers were cloaked by a curse, and you never even told me about her oracle heritage.’
‘I assumed it wasn’t true. My own mother told me that my healing and magic powers were present from birth, but when Amber didn’t show any signs at all I assumed the prophecies were untrue or Alan’s descendants had lied.’
‘You doubted your own husband?’
‘No…yes, I wanted my father to be so proud of his granddaughter, the chosen one, the oracle to unite the ancients, but when nothing happened I blamed it on Alan to soften the blow of disappointment my father bequeathed on me.’
‘Did Amber tell you that your husband is missing?’
Myanna nodded. ‘They were cursed by a necromancer and she’s taken him.’
‘You are aware that he has probably been taken to the Lost Lands and if Amber intends to find him she will have to cross the borders into the darkness?’
‘I know but what can I do? I can’t go back – I won’t go back. Alia, you are like a sister to me and my place is by your side in Avaveil.’
‘I will happily take you with me, Myanna, you know that, but Amber’s powers are strong and she is untrained. She needs a mentor and she needs her mother. Think carefully before you decide which gateway you take.’
The Guardian ceremony was still a night away but the fortress was buzzing with unusual activity. Hushed conversations and extra guards at the main gates had prompted Queen Alia to dispatch one of her staff to spy on General Loso’s quarters.
‘If he is expecting a visit from his one of his captains, then this will present us with a problem,’ she told them. ‘The captains travel with their own mini army and our escape is going to be treacherous enough dealing with Loso’s army without having to elude two battalions.’
They worked diligently on assembling the supplies they would need and pushed any thoughts of Guardian armies to the back of their minds.
Connor and Amber had been tasked with fetching fresh dressings and herbs from the stores on the north side of the building. As they hurried back to Alia’s courtyard, the atmosphere in the stone corridors became oppressive. Crowds of Guardians flooded every doorway and corridor heading to the great hall, their bulk filling every inch of space, leaving Amber feeling claustrophobic.
They ducked into several doorways to avoid being seen. Most of Alia’s staff were free to roam at will but any sharp-eyed Guardian would easily realise they were not her usual staff.
As they rounded the last corner, leading to the covered walkway which circled the great hall,
Amber bristled at the sight that greeted them.
Silhouettes danced across the bloodstained marble under the flickering light. Hundreds of candles hung from wooden sconces, dripping hot wax on the mosaic floor. The great hall was alive with noise; Guardians ripped at chunks of meat and bread which had been placed on long trestle tables throughout the centre of the hall, and metal clashed with metal as soldiers practised their swordsmanship along the outer ring.
Connor tugged at Amber’s sleeve, bundling her along the covered walkway, their simple cloaks pulled tight around their civilian clothes.
With her hood drawn down over her face she hurried towards the huge wooden doors leading to Alia’s courtyard. As they passed the marble slabs, the smell of blood was overwhelming, and she skidded to a halt, resting her hands on her knees. Her stomach knotted and her head pounded as her energies built inside her. She closed her eyes and tried to gasp in a lungful of air, but the pictures she could see in her mind sent her pitching forward. She steadied herself on one of the stone pillars and lifted her gaze. Her legs threatened to give way as she saw the boy strapped to the marble slab, and she struggled not to cry out as panic took hold of her.
‘BEGIN!’ A booming voice silenced the hall, and Amber took a shuddering breath as she glanced in the direction of the throne. General Loso entered with his entourage of personal soldiers. He was humongous, clad from head to foot in black armour with a huge golden phoenix at the centre of his breastplate, a long red cape sweeping behind him as he strode to the throne, then sat down, his red eyes surveying the room.
He flicked his wrist in the direction of the Guardian who watched over the marble tables.
Amber’s eyes darted to the boy who lay bare-chested and chained. Flanked by two huge Guardians he looked so frail.
His arms were fastened to the marble with two worn leather belts. In a flash of silver his wrists were slashed and his blood poured freely from the open wounds, spilling into the carved channels cut into the marble to drain away like dirty bath water.
His freshly shaved head rolled to the side, and he locked eyes with Amber, panic and recognition flickering across his face.
