by LJ Rivers
A fanfare ensued from the watchtower above, cutting him off. Around us, the guards fell to their knees, as did the few other people in the square. Elwood came out from his smithy and dropped, too.
“Morgana of Fay, Queen of Avalon and the Southern Isles, Protector of Talani, Awarnach, and Ygrenya, Subjugator of Auberon of Merlin, Defender of the Realm,” a voice shouted.
“We should kneel as well,” Charlie whispered and dropped to one knee, careful to lift her dress first.
The sound of footsteps filled the square, and four Crimson guards, a couple on two feet, the others on four hoofs, marched through the archway on the other side from the one Anwinar and I had entered. I recognised one of them, Commander Taryn. The guards spread out, wielding their spears while examining the people present. Seemingly content with what they found, one of them scrunched his nose demonstrably when he passed my friends and me, all of us kneeling by now. The guards returned to the archway, forming a four-man honour guard for the queen’s entourage.
I had expected a whole bunch of people, but Morgana came strolling in between the four centaurs, followed only by an elderly man in a dark grey robe. Still, if she had been joined by twenty or thirty more, they would have more or less vanished behind the queen’s sheer presence. Her hair had been arranged in a giant plait over her left shoulder, but still reached to her hips. Intertwined were strands of flowers and vines, all reminiscent of the golden crest embroidered on her Crimson guards’ cloaks. Nefari, looking more like a jaguar than anything else, strutted next to the queen, making them look like a poster for Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.
“Damn, she’s almost prettier than me,” Jen said under her breath. “Almost.”
Charlie giggled. “Get real, Wolfie!”
“Princess Ruby,” Morgana said, and again I was taken aback at how much her voice resembled my mum’s. “Please, rise and give your queen a kiss.”
I got to my feet and went to her, unsure how exactly to kiss her. She held her hands out, and I took them, leaning in to kiss her on each cheek. It seemed to be the right move, and I felt my neck lose some of the tension I hadn’t noticed before now.
Morgana held my hands as she took a step back, and for a moment, she looked just like Jen had moments earlier, measuring me. “The dress suits you, don’t you think?”
I gazed down at it. “It’s lovely. Your tailor has done me great honour.” I gave myself a mental pat on the back, as I was really getting the hang of the lingo.
The queen leaned to look past me. “I see your friends are properly attired as well.” She raised her voice. “Come here, all of you.”
One by one, they raised their heads and approached.
“Are you all well treated?” Morgana asked.
Jen and Erica nodded.
“No complaints, Your Highness,” Brendan said.
Nefari stood next to him, sniffing Jack’s hand. The wolf Shifter gave the lion-sized feline a smile that could melt ice cream and scratched her behind her ears.
Charlie curtsied, bowing her head. “Very well, Your Majesty, since we were let out of the dungeons.”
“Yes, that was unfortunate but necessary. I hope you understand as well as forgive. My eyes and ears all over the island report about spies and thieves daily. Much as I detest being so careful, it is what I have to do to keep my enemies at bay.”
“There were other prisoners outside the courtroom when I was waiting to stand before your Primes,” I said. “Are they all enemies of the crown, or is that where other criminals are also tried?”
“My Primes deal with only the most severe accusations. Mostly spies and assassins.”
Charlie gasped. “Assassins?”
Morgana gave her a warm, disarming smile. “What is your name, Don Hekal? Your full name, I mean.”
“Charlotte Carolina Medina Hargraves, Your Majesty.”
The queen bobbed her head slowly up and down. “You use a shorter version of it. Is there shame in your name?”
It was Charlie’s turn to smile, but hers was short and skewed and came with a slow shrug. She hesitated for quite a while, but Morgana didn’t seem to mind. She let Charlie take her time.
“I don’t think of it as shame,” Charlie began, “but at the same time, it has given me a way to be someone other than the little girl I used to be. I beg your Majesty’s pardon, but the matter is personal to me, and I would rather it stayed that way.”
Morgana took her hands. “Of course. Please forgive me for prying like that.” She arched an eyebrow. “Princess Ruby tells me you have a great mind inside that beautiful head of yours. She says you are better equipped to tell me and my erudites about life in your world.”
Charlie threw me a glance.
“You know it’s true, Char,” I said.
“Char?” The queen shook her head and let go of Charlie’s hands. “It’s none of my business, but if it were, I would call you Carolina. It resembles a name from the old days.” She turned to the grey-clad man. “Potreius, help me, would you?”
The old man quickly stepped up. “My Queen is most likely referring to Chario Leyne, the lorekeeper of King Bodevere?”
Morgana clapped her hands, causing Nefari, who had curled up on the ground next to her feet, to lift one eyebrow. “That’s it! So, Don Hekal. Are you a lorekeeper, like Chario Leyne of the ancient days? And like Potreius here, of course.”
Charlie’s eyes widened, her caramel-coloured cheeks blossoming with red. “I—I don’t know, actually. I mean, I would happily tell you about the world I come from. Our world.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose. “And if My Queen prefers to call me Carolina, I will respond to it just as much as Charlie or Char.”
“Then it’s settled. You will join my erudites and paint them pictures of the Land of Et—I’m sorry, Earth, I believe you call it.” She paused. “But only if you want to.”
Charlie inclined her head. “It would be my honour, Your Majesty.” She cleared her throat. “Uhm, might I ask where our belongings are?”
Morgana turned to the old man. “Potreius? See to it that my guests have all their possessions before the awr is up. And arrange for Carolina to meet with my erudites.”
“As the queen commands,” said the lorekeeper. He looked at Charlie, his steel-grey eyes narrow and cold. “Please follow me, Carolina.”
“Uhm, you mean right now?” Charlie asked. “I thought—”
“Now, Princess Ruby,” Morgana said, ignoring Charlie. “I want to know all about Prince Auberon.” She gestured at a point by the wall where someone—the guards, I assumed—had placed a group of chairs. “Let’s sit.”
Charlie shrugged and followed the old lorekeeper. One of the Crimson guards joined them, and although I knew I should trust Morgana, it bothered me to see Charlie leave just as I had reunited with her.
“You will all dine with me later, Princess,” Morgana said as if she’d read my mind. “My father taught me the value of information. Whatever Carolina has to share about your world might not benefit my queendom this day, but that is an assumption I have learned not to make.”
She sat on one of the high-backed chairs, which were placed in a circle. I joined her, and so did the others.
“My Queen, Char—Carolina mentioned our belongings. We also rode here on a couple of unicorns. I hope they are well?”
“You might have been imprisoned, but the Centaurian division wouldn’t dream of allowing harm to come to a unicorn if they can help it. They are safe in the royal stables.”
“That’s a relief.” It was, as I had a debt to pay. “A farmer named Kay lent them to us, so I hope there is a way they can be returned safely. He also gave us shelter and food for our journey.”
“I’ll see to it. It seems I owe this Kay as much as you do. I’ll make the proper arrangements.”
Out of the shadows, Kit scurried forth, a small branch in his mouth. He jumped onto my lap.
“There it is!” said a low, rumbling voice. “Oh, my apologies, Your Majesty.” The
owner of the voice, a man holding a curved knife, fell to his knees.
Nefari twisted out of her sleeping position and stood to stretch, flashing claws that dwarfed the man’s knife.
“Stand, citizen,” Morgana said sternly. “Give me your name and reason for why you are chasing this cat.”
The man rose. He glanced at Kit, who hissed back at him. The man was maybe a full inch short of five feet, had a crooked nose and intensely blue eyes. He wore an apron with several pockets, most of which had some sort of plant or flower sticking out.
“I am Sobi, son of Sanio, My Queen. This creature has stolen a branch of micarian, and I was merely trying to retrieve it.”
“And you think a curved blade is a correct instrument to retrieve your micarian, Sobi? This creature is called a cat, and it belongs to Princess Ruby.” Morgana gestured at me. “Am I right to assume you think the cat’s head is a reasonable price for your single branch of micarian, the most common herb on all of Avalon?”
The Goblin—which I figured him to be—bowed so profoundly he could just as well have dropped to his knees again. “I beg the queen’s forgiveness, but I don’t understand the question.”
“Ruby?” Morgana enquired, looking at me and doing her best to keep from smiling.
I stroked Kit on his head, taking the small branch from his mouth. “I hope it isn’t broken.” I handed it to Sobi. “If so, I’ll go to wherever it grows and fetch you five more to compensate for your loss.”
Sobi reached out with a trembling hand, keeping an eye on Nefari and her now hidden set of carving knives, and stuffed the branch quickly in one of his many pockets without looking at it. “I’m sure it’s perfectly unharmed. Thank you, Princess Ruby.”
The queen scooted forward in her seat. “If the cat—whose name is Kit—is harmed while visiting this area, Sobi, I will hold you personally responsible. Is that clear?”
“Your Highness?”
“Is that clear?”
Sobi backed away, still keeping his head down. “As the queen commands.” He vanished into the shadows and started yelling orders at any and all he met. I picked up a few words, all of which were descriptions of herbs he would use on those who would harm Kit or didn’t help him protect the animal.
Morgana laughed. “My sincerest apologies, Ruby. And you too, Kit.”
Kit angled his head and turned his ears at her. He had definitely grown since we arrived on the island. His ears looked more like the ones on Morgana’s Faeguard than those of a cat. Could it be a reaction to entering the portal? My thoughts were interrupted by a voice in my head. It didn’t speak as much as convey a “Thank you, My Queen.”
Jen cleared her throat. “I guess we all owe you our gratitude, Your Majesty. For believing in Ruby when you clearly had so many reasons not to. I see how that made all the difference for the rest of us.”
Did I hear Jen’s thoughts before she spoke? I couldn’t have, surely. I shook it off.
“It did,” Morgana said. “You would have been ashored had I chosen not to let the princess take the Enchantment trial.”
“Ashored?” Brendan asked.
“Tied to a raft and set adrift from Avalen port.” She said it so matter-of-factly that it sounded more like a walk in the park than a death sentence.
“So, regardless of whether you found Ruby guilty or not, we would basically be dead by now?”
Morgana pursed her lips. “You would be out of my hands, freeing me to focus on other matters. I cannot risk the well-being of the Avalonians. We have too many enemies still.” She turned to me. “One of whom is your father, Princess.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Tell me more about Auberon, Ruby.” She let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Not that I don’t know him well enough already, of course.”
“But you want to know what one and a half millennia has done to him,” I said, concluding more than asking. “In short, he has had all that time to brood over his defeat, making him more determined than ever to take the throne he believes he has a legitimate claim to.”
“He killed his father to get to Merlin’s throne.” Morgana clenched her teeth. “I don’t care if he said it was an accident. He cannot be trusted. He is evil to the bone.”
I bobbed my head, not nodding, not shaking it. “I have only known him for nine dark moons or so back on Earth, so I’ll not claim to be the foremost erudite on all things Auberon. I will say this much, and that is, I don’t think his core is evil. He has done terrible deeds, some of which I have witnessed myself, don’t get me wrong. But he truly believes his reasoning is justified, and that he is the right man to rule all of Gwyn Fanon.”
The queen furrowed her brow. “Are you saying you agree with him?”
“No, not for one second, My Queen. He must be stopped, there is no doubt about that. You are the rightful ruler in this realm.”
“Excuse me, Your Highness,” Jack said. “If you don’t mind my asking, who sits on Merlin’s throne now? It seems you are the ruler of Avalon and some of the neighbouring lands. One of your guards mentioned ‘the lands in the north’ as not included in your queendom.”
“And who was the mentioner?” Morgana asked. Before Jack could respond, she waved him off. “Don’t worry, I won’t have him beheaded for it. Or ashored.” She said this last part while smiling at Brendan, who returned the smile.
“Whoever he was,” she continued, addressing both Jack and the rest of us, “he was right. All southern isles have pledged their allegiance to me, including the brave people of Vivana off the coast of Mynydd Dewin. It was never my plan to expand Avalon, even after we defeated Auberon’s army and forced them off our island, and I certainly have no interest in ruling the lands of the north. So, to answer your question, son of Gwyn Tala, the north is licking its wounds, as are the Avalonians. The land of your ancestors, Gwyn Talani, has never been ruled by any one king or queen. There are several packs of wolves, and the Alphas keep clear of the other packs’ territories. In fact, they should be the guiding light for all when it comes to living in peace with one’s neighbours.”
Jack nodded approvingly and bumped Erica on the arm, wiggling his eyebrows.
“As for the Goblins in Awarnach, they have managed to keep their crops intact, even after the sun went dark. Unfortunately, that also makes them a target for bandits and raiders. So far, my scouts report that the crafty cropkeepers have fended off most attacks.” She motioned with her head. “Much like my own cropkeepers on Crochan Island.”
“We met Halwyn, as I’m sure you already know,” I said, glad to be able to come through with my second promise to him. “He saved our lives when we were about to perish in Rhina’s Deep. And he gave us shelter as we waited to cross the Seohl Strait. You would be hard-pressed, My Queen, to find a more devoted servant than Halwyn of Crochan.”
“Which is why I too am devoted to him,” Morgana said. “I have scouts looking for his son, Wadyan, as we speak. If it is in my power, I will free him from Bellion’s grasp and return him to his father.”
“Bellion the Satyr?” Jen asked.
Morgana quirked an eyebrow. “You know about him?”
“Enough to know I want to sink my teeth in his neck.”
The queen shook her head. “You have a fierce heart, daughter of Tala, which could easily be your demise unless you learn to control it. Should you ever find yourself face to face with Bellion the Satyr, pray to the Light that you are not alone. You would not stand a chance, even without the Don Hekal part of your blood.”
Erica gasped.
Jen didn’t. “I think you would find the Don Hekal part of me is a strength, not a weakness, Your Highness.” As usual, Jen’s pride was present both in her voice and expression, as if she didn’t for one second consider who she was talking to.
Morgana, however, just laughed. “There is something about you that makes me believe that.” Just as quickly as the laughter had appeared, it vanished. Morgana leaned forward. “With regards to Bellion, however, he is charged with
a fierceness himself. And where Ruby might be right about Auberon not being led solely by evil, the matter of his former Slave Collector is a different story. Bellion rules with an iron fist, killing any and all who so much as utters a syllable against him. He is a Satyr leading a rogue army of Sorcerers. He thinks himself a king but, the truth is, he is nothing but a thief and a murderer.”
“And what will he do when my father arrives in Mynydd Dewin?” I swallowed. “And what about my grandparents? Lili Helene is your blood, too, Morgana.”
She either didn’t notice how I forgot the title, or she didn’t care. “Until a few moons ago, my concern was only to keep Bellion’s raiders off my islands. My priorities have changed, however, and I have decided to send a group of Eagle scouts to search for Lili Helene and Llewellyn. If they are alive, I promise you I will do everything in my power to bring them to safety here to my castle. Lili Helene’s illness will be taken care of by the most powerful Fae there is.”
“You?”
She nodded. “Me. But first, I have to find them.”
Jen shot to her feet. “Let me join the scouts, Your Highness.”
Erica and Jack mimicked their Alpha.
“No!” I blurted. “You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“We can handle it, Ruby. Don’t worry.” Jen’s eyes shone eagerly.
“You have no idea what creatures or dangers lurk out there. I’ll not allow it.”
The Queen cleared her throat. “I believe that is up to me, Princess Ruby.” She tried and failed to hide a smile. “That being said, children of Tala, much as I appreciate your initiative, I have to agree with the princess. It is far too—”
Jen stepped forward, falling to one knee. “Please, My Queen. Let me and my pack assist you in this. We owe Ruby our lives many times over. Our eyes, ears, and noses will be of valuable use for your scouts.”
A red shadow appeared to Morgana’s left. Commander Taryn bent down and whispered something in the queen’s ear.
