by Drew Wagar
‘Then you are a fool,’ Zoella said.
‘A glad fool,’ Joachim returned. ‘Zoella, the people of Scallia need hope, they need someone. The people respect the lords but they won’t follow them. They loved King Marek, for all his faults, they were broken at the deaths of King Ioric and Torin. Then the priestesses came and all was fear and intimidation. There is no future for folk, no one can see a way forward. I see our people, the people of Scallia, every stretch. Their faces are drawn, they stoop, hunkered down … there is no joy left. Scallia is a kingdom without a king or a queen. We must have one back.’
‘Then they should look elsewhere,’ Zoella said. ‘It cannot be me.’
‘You think it should be Kiri?’
‘She is stronger, faster, a warrior,’ Zoella replied. ‘She is far more of a queen than I. She can conquer, fight the battle, lead soldiers, kill …’
‘Are you afraid of what you must do?’ Joachim asked.
‘Killing?’ Zoella said. ‘No, not afraid. Not even scared. I have killed before, when those dear to me were threatened … I killed. In self-defence … but not like this, not premeditated …’
‘They will kill us if they find out,’ Joachim said. ‘Won’t it be selfdefence then? We’re just safeguarding ourselves.’
‘And if they surrender?’ Zoella said. ‘Must we still kill them to safeguard ourselves?’
‘If there is a danger they will warn the high priestess,’ Joachim said. ‘Surely there is no choice.’
‘There is always a choice,’ Zoella said. ‘Kiri has murdered before, I have not. She’s the stronger one. She’s the queen you’re looking for. Not me.’
Joachim shook his head.
‘The people will never warm to her,’ he said. ‘They will respect her, but she was one of them. They’ll never trust her like they will trust you.’
‘So everyone keeps telling me!’ Zoella cried. ‘Would they really? If they saw me like this, caught in indecision? Unable to make a choice? I don’t want people living or dying based on my choices. That’s not fair!’
Zoella sat down in one of the chairs, her face in her hands, trying to stifle the sobs that coursed through her.
When she looked again Joachim was crouched before her. She felt him take her hands in his. ‘The very fact you worry about doing the right thing shows you are the right person for this. You have compassion, a noble thing. You never were a priestess, but you have their powers. You have always been Scallian. Always a princess, related to Marek and Ioric. You can see all sides.’
‘It’s just an accident of birth,’ Zoella said, her sight blurred with tears. ‘Just being born a princess doesn’t mean I’ll be any good at being a queen!’
‘No,’ Joachim said. ‘But being someone that everyone respects does.’
Zoella blinked and looked at him. ‘Do you really mean that?’
Joachim nodded. ‘Yes. The lords will support you because you’re royalty. The people will support you because you weren’t born to it, because you’ve experienced what it’s like to be poor and what it’s like to suffer. And your friends will support you whatever happens, as will I.’
Zoella smiled at him. ‘I really don’t see what I’ve done to earn your trust.’
Joachim paced around for a moment. ‘Crenech told me he was there when Ioric presented you to King Marek. He said you rescued Ioric from a beast in a swamp.’
Zoella’s gaze grew distant.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘The molossc, Ioric might have died had I not been there. That was so long ago …’
‘And that you swore an oath to Scallia.’
Her voice faded as she remembered the oath Joachim was talking about.
Swear that you will be loyal to house Tiamoi!
Swear that you will defend our royal line!
Swear that you will defend our interests, defend our people, our cities and our lands against all that would do them harm!
Her mind resonated with the answer she had given.
I so swear!
And then she remembered King Marek’s words.
Your solemn duty, so to do, until one of our line, or death releases you.
She looked at Joachim.
‘I did so swear,’ she whispered. ‘And there are none to release me from it. My solemn duty, so to do.’
‘Crenech told me the story,’ Joachim said. ‘How a girl from the sunright saved our prince, was honoured by our king and stood against the priestesses when the army failed and the priestesses came. We all thought you lost, a heroine who was slain before she could rise to greatness, or even be recognised for her deeds.’
Zoella gasped.
‘Then we learned that you lived, we found you are truly our lost princess,’ Joachim continued, his voice low. ‘I never thought I might meet you, never dreamt I would be in the presence of such as you. Your story is our hope.’
‘I hope I’m not too disappointing in reality,’ Zoella said.
Joachim bowed his head before her.
‘It is an honour to be in your presence, Princess Zoella.’
She let go of his hands and touched his chin, tilting his head up once more.
‘No, stop that,’ she said. ‘We are not so different, you and I. I will not have you bow before me, not like this.’
They gazed at each other for a long moment.
‘I will not take the crown until our battles are ended,’ Zoella began, holding up a hand up as Joachim began to protest. ‘But … then, if it truly be the will of the people and Lords of Scallia, then yes. I will become their queen.’
Joachim smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
‘Oh, they will show their love for you,’ Joachim said. ‘And I will shout it from the rooftops. Our queen has returned! All hail Zoella!’
* * *
Thick curtains blocked the light from Lacaille, with just thin beams shining on the panelled wooden floor. Kiri stood at one of the windows, the curtain pulled back, looking over the view to the sunward. She could see soldiers standing on the walls far below, walking back and forth. Beyond, the river that flowed through the city cascaded down to the ground through a series of reservoirs and lakes before surging out across the landscape to the sunward.
She sighed and let the curtain fall back.
Meru was standing behind her. She leant into his embrace as he placed his arms around her. She felt him kiss her neck.
‘We need to get some sleep,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘The next stretch …’
‘I won’t sleep,’ she answered. ‘Too many thoughts.’
‘Your servant?’ Meru asked, in a whisper.
‘He was called Pootle,’ she said. ‘I know … strange name, I never asked why he was called that. Never even asked much about him. He was a simple man, bumbling and slow, but he knew his place and worked hard. His duty was to serve the priestesses. He was assigned to me the moment I joined the temple, rounds ago. He looked after me. Cleaned for me, cooked, even dressed me.’
She shuddered, tears on her cheeks once more.
‘I never thanked him,’ she said. ‘Just expected to be served, never showed any appreciation and now …’
Meru’s arms closed about her.
‘He’s gone.’ Kiri shook, her voice hard-edged. ‘Murdered.’
‘This high priestess will use anyone to get what she wants …’
‘It’s the gift,’ Kiri said. ‘This accursed gift, handed down mother to daughter since we came to this place all those rounds ago. Zoella’s right. I wish we never had it. I hate it.’
‘It was supposed to be used for the good of all,’ Meru said. ‘It’s like anything, if used for the wrong purpose … You and Zoella can set this back the way it was supposed to be.’
Kiri didn’t answer.
‘And if you didn’t have it,’ Meru continued. ‘I guess we would never have met.’
She relaxed a little in his embrace.
‘And I would not have missed out on knowing you,’ he added. ‘Not for a
nything.’
She turned around in his arms, a small smile on her face.
‘I quite like you too,’ she said.
‘You …’
She interrupted him with a slow kiss and then drew back.
‘I don’t want to sleep,’ she said, her voice low. ‘And I don’t want to think about anything, about the past, about the future … anything. Let’s just be … here and now.’
‘Just you and me,’ Meru replied, his voice hushed.
‘We have a room,’ Kiri whispered, wriggling closer to him, their foreheads touching. ‘It even has a bed. No plants trying to eat us, no weird animals …’
Their conversation was over, desire reaching up and around them, guiding their movements. They took their time. Gone was the frantic lust that had driven them together, now a deeper bond of love, yet no less passionate, suffused them. Soulmates, brought together from opposites sides of the continents, of politics and religion. None of those mattered any more, forgotten in the midst of their love-making.
Sated, they lay in each other’s embrace, their bodies entwined in a timeless moment, vulnerable, but content.
‘Do you remember when we met?’ Kiri asked, propping herself up and leaning across him.
‘Difficult to forget,’ Meru said. ‘You had me tied to a shade and then you hit me with your kai.’
Kiri laughed. ‘Yes … well no. We met before that, here in Viresia, remember? I stood alongside Nerina, you were with Zoella and King Ioric.’
Meru nodded. ‘At the gates of the city, I’d just arrived to warn everyone of the flares. Seems a lifetime ago.’
‘A different life,’ Kiri said, snuggling in closer to him. ‘I remember the anger and revulsion I felt when you said your ancestors were from Nireus. I was so indoctrinated all I could think of was killing you, thinking I would be saving Esurio.’
‘And after the flare,’ Meru said. ‘Do you remember how we argued at knife-point?’
‘It was then I began to realise I’d been lied to,’ Kiri said. ‘I knew you were telling the truth, it just didn’t fit with what I’d been taught.’
‘I knew you knew,’ Meru said, stroking her arm and running his fingers down to her wrist. ‘I sensed the turmoil in you. After that …’
‘The connection between us?’
He nodded. ‘It made me ill. I was unconscious. Luckily Zoella found me.’
‘I didn’t mean it, I didn’t know what I was doing,’ Kiri said. ‘I linked us together in a way that was supposed to be for couples who already … well, you know.’
Meru kissed her.
‘I do now.’
‘Then I caught you in that boat house,’ Kiri said. ‘I hope you remember that.’
Meru smiled. ‘I thought you were going to kill me.’
Kiri rolled on top of him.
‘I wanted to do something else to you,’ she said. ‘Can you guess what it was?’
If Meru replied, it was lost in another kiss.
‘I love you Meru of Amar,’ she said, staring into his eyes, her black hair falling across him. ‘You’re mine.’
Meru stared into her fierce blue eyes. He was always mesmerised by them; such a depth of colour. The warmth and scent of her was intoxicating, but it was her devotion to him that amazed him most.
But there was no room for doubt.
‘I am,’ he whispered. ‘Always.’
* * *
The following stretch found Zoella, Kiri and Gemma dressed in rags and blindfolded, hands tied behind their backs and locked inside a woodengated wagon. Two hergs were pulling it up the cobbled streets of Viresia, heading towards the palace.
Joachim and Meru sat astride the hergs, with Crenech in the lead. They soon arrived in the courtyard of the palace, the vast metal doors glaring bright with the light of Lacaille.
‘Last time I was here,’ Kiri said. ‘I was plotting how to take your gift and challenge Nerina.’
‘Last time I was here,’ Zoella replied. ‘I tried to kill you.’
‘Not quite the glorious homecoming.’
‘Not yet,’ Zoella replied.
The wagen jolted on the cobbled streets. Gemma sat next to them, lost in her own thoughts.
‘Listen,’ Zoella said, the blindfold itching against her skin. ‘Joking aside. Are you sure you’re happy with this queen business? You’re the stronger one, you can’t deny it.’
‘No, I’m not. I know I can fight, but that’s not the same thing.’
‘You wanted to be empress though. I know you did.’
‘Yes,’ Kiri continued. ‘But that was the gift, enticing me, goading me on. I’d have been awful, as bad as Nerina, just a brutal dictator, killing anyone who disagreed with me. Trust me, I know that well enough. Me being queen would be a disaster for everyone, particularly me. I’ve already got what I want!’
‘And he’s smitten with you too!’ Zoella said.
Kiri laughed.
‘And you really think I’ll be better?’ Zoella asked.
‘Yes. You don’t want to do this, but you will because it’s the right thing to do. That’s what makes all the difference. You’re so good at bringing people together. You’ll be a great queen.’
Zoella sighed.
‘Everyone seems to have this enormous faith in me,’ Zoella said. ‘But what if I get it wrong?’
‘You won’t.’
‘What if I do?’
‘I’m your sister, I’m telling you … you won’t.’
Zoella smiled to herself.
‘How did I go from hating you to needing you so badly?’
The wagon jolted to a stop.
Gemma caught her breath.
‘It will be alright,’ Kiri said to her.
They heard Joachim and Meru climb down from the hergs and then footsteps as Crenech walked to the palace doors.
‘Ready?’ Kiri whispered. ‘You understand what we have to do?’
‘Yes,’ Gemma replied.
‘I hate it,’ Zoella said. ‘But it must be done.’
They heard conversation and more footsteps, then Joachim and Meru walking down the flanks of the wagon and unbolting the door at the rear.
‘There are three,’ Meru said in an urgent whisper. ‘All have their staffs.’
They heard the door swing open. Meru and Joachim reached in and, none too gently, pulled Kiri, Zoella and Gemma out, pushing them round the wagon and forward towards the palace. All three were forced to their knees, their heads bowed, arms still behind their backs.
‘Here they are,’ Crenech said. ‘Vagabonds most likely, but all three are women, women I haven’t seen in my lands before. I have brought them straight here so you might inspect them.’
‘You have done well,’ the lead priestess said. ‘Bring them.’
Zoella was pulled to her feet, her blindfold pulled away, revealing her face. Alongside she could see the same had happened to Kiri and Gemma. She sensed Meru and Joachim step back.
The lead priestess stared at them for a moment. Then her eyes widened as she recognised Kiri.
‘You …’
Kiri jolted out her hand. The priestess screeched, clutching at her forehead and staggering back. Zoella felt the zing of the nexion rise around her. She stepped aside, raising her hand at the next priestess in line, reaching out with her mind. Gemma did the same.
The glow of power around her was dazzling, bright flares of illumination shining in her mind. She directed her thoughts at the nearest one, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of another woman’s mind in close proximity.
Then she felt the hate.
It washed over her, rage burning her mind. Images of a strange redstone pyramid, scores of women worshiping Lacaille, fear, terror and brutal anger suffused her. She recoiled in horror.
Pain crashed through her and she staggered back. She heard Gemma scream from alongside.
‘She’s the one! Take her!’
She glimpsed Kiri pushing her way in front, blocking the priestesses from attack
ing her, both arms outstretched. She heard Kiri scream in pain as the priestesses assaulted her.
Zoella! Sister! Help me!
Kiri’s plaintive cry crashed through her mind, shocking her back into focus. Zoella saw Kiri fall to her knees, the three priestesses pressing in towards her.
No!
Zoella struck out at the nearest one, recalling the pressure she had applied to the traders in the ice caravan in Drem. The glow of the priestesses’ power shone before her but she engulfed it and crushed it down by an effort of will.
The glow flickered and went out. Before her the priestess fell and lay unmoving on the flagstones of the palace.
Another blast of pain sliced through her, burning into her skull. She fought it back, sensing the attacker, reaching out for the orb of glowing power and applying the same technique.
A second priestess fell.
The last priestess broke off her attack on Kiri. Zoella heard Kiri gasp and sink to the floor, aware that Meru had run to her side.
Who are you? How can you do this?
The priestess was staring at her in shock, surprise and growing fear.
Zoella grabbed at her mind, locking it in her grip. The priestess screamed.
I am Zoella, Princess of Scallia! Here to take back what was stolen from my people!
And with that the third priestess breathed her last.
Zoella blinked, the real world swimming into focus around her. The bodies of the three priestesses lay before her, on their backs, their faces staring upwards with a look of profound shock upon their faces.
She could see they were dead.
She turned to see Meru propping up Kiri, with Crenech and Joachim behind helping Gemma, their faces pale. All were staring at her.
‘Why are you looking at me?’ she asked, her voice a whisper.
Kiri staggered up, walking over to her.
‘I thought you weren’t going to fight for a moment,’ she said. ‘But then … when you did …’
‘What?’ Zoella asked.
‘It was like a flare,’ Kiri said. ‘I felt as if you were going to burn all of us away … an inferno … and you just … overcame them. Your gift … it’s astonishing!’
