The Guardians (Book 2)

by Dan O'Sullivan

  ‘So if we were to drop the chiniocelle into the water on the eastern shore, how long would it take to spread as far as the western cliffs,’ asked Duke Percy.

  ‘Minutes. As I said, it spreads faster than you would believe is possible. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.’

  ‘But I imagine we’ll still need enough to make sure anyone who goes into the water doesn’t come out,’ Duke Percy observed. ‘How much would that be?’

  ‘Dale, you’ve made the solution before. How much of the chiniocelle did you use in proportion to water?’ asked Kelian.

  ‘I dipped a few hairs into the solution and then stirred them through a tub of water,’ said Dale.

  ‘It doesn’t seem possible,’ said Kelian, looking stunned. ‘Are your certain?’

  ‘I’d been warned by Tolly that it was really powerful, but until I actually used the solution I had no idea just what an understatement that was. It defies logic, but it seems to strengthen as it moves through the water.’

  ‘Is there anyone else who shares your gift?’ Kelian asked Lady Karri. ‘Is there someone who can help you if the task is too difficult?’

  ‘There were two others. Unfortunately Viljo was returned in the first attack,’ said Karri sadly, ‘and Mical disappeared when he went after Callum and Elliot.’

  ‘What happened to Callum and Elliot?’ asked Enri.

  ‘We’re not entirely sure,’ said Tiernan as an expression of pain flashed across his face. ‘It was as if Elliot suddenly decided he had to leave the Dwellings. What prompted him to do this we may never know, but he slipped through the crevice leading from the beach to the top of the cliffs. As soon as we knew what had happened, Callum went to look for him and Mical went with him. I know Tim saw Callum’s and Elliot’s bodies in the nest of the Nailmarni before he was returned, but we aren’t sure what happened to Mical. I have no idea why the child would suddenly wish to leave. The other children knew nothing of what he was doing. One day he was playing happily with them, and the next day he was gone, with never a word to anyone, or a thought of his intentions. And that’s what disturbs me most. If he had thoughts of leaving this place, someone would have known,’ said Tiernan certainly. ‘He made no conscious decision to leave; he just left. I find that terribly alarming actually.’

  ‘It certainly is,’ Lady Karrijeuiga agreed, looking as grieved as Tiernan as she considered the loss of the soldier and his young brother.

  ‘Maybe the Nailmarni somehow influenced him to leave,’ Enri suggested, ‘or can’t they do that?’

  There was a stunned silence. ‘I wonder if that’s possible,’ Tiernan mused, staring into the distance.

  ‘Well, if we can’t be sure, we have to continue on as we were,’ said Enri firmly.

  ‘Right,’ said Lady Karri. ‘You want me to attempt to increase some chiniocelle until we have enough to poison the lake,’ she reiterated.

  ‘If you can do this, the soldiers and guardians outside the city can help drive the Nailmarni into the water. They should have no chance of escape.’ Danil folded his arms, looking decidedly pleased with his idea.

  ‘I notice you haven’t told his Majesty one of the key points of your plan – the bit nobody seems to like,’ Milgorry hinted.

  ‘No need to go into fine details until we decide if the plan can work,’ said Danil casually.

  ‘You will explain the particular detail that Mil is worried about immediately,’ said Kelian shortly, frowning at Danil.

  ‘I think we should also make use of the caverns under the cliffs. With the right incentive, I think we could trap quite a few of them in there,’ explained Danil.

  ‘The right incentive,’ said Kelian drily. ‘I suppose that means you intend to rush in there with hundreds of Nailmarni on your tail and somehow try to escape.’

  ‘That’s more or less what I was thinking,’ said Danil, not looking Kelian in the eye.

  ‘All except the bit about escaping,’ said Milgorry. ‘That’s the only bit you haven’t figured out, isn’t it Danil?’

  ‘I’m working on a plan,’ said Danil vaguely, frowning at Milgorry.

  ‘Well, unless you can come up a way to escape, you can kiss that part of the plan goodbye, King’s Marshall,’ said Kelian with finality.

  ‘Understood,’ said Danil and it was obvious from his expression that his mind was racing through possibilities.

  Tiernan smiled. ‘Interesting. A guardian who can strategize. That’s practically unheard of.’

  They sat for the remainder of the day and far through the night discussing the infinite details of Danil’s proposed strategy. Dale snored through most of the discussion, but everyone ignored him as they were quite certain he would remember every detail of the discussions when he awoke. Kelian found his strange trait amusing, and more than a little unsettling. Enri fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. Milgorry pushed him upright as he fell sideways from his chair, and he staggered sleepily to his room, content that he would hear the outcome of any further discussion in the morning. By dawn, every facet of their plan had been discussed in detail and tactics were devised in case all did not go as planned. Weariness overcame Kelian as the sun rose.

  ‘The only remaining question is ‘when’. Have you decided?’ Tiernan asked Kelian.

  ‘The night after tomorrow night,’ said Kelian. ‘No. I mean tomorrow night, it’s already today.’

  ‘Can we be ready?’ asked Karri.

  ‘Definitely,’ said Danil positively. ‘That will give us time to brief everyone well, and to make preparations, such as removing the weapons from the ships. And those who need to sleep can do so.’

  ‘I’ll make up the chiniocelle myself,’ Lady Karrijeuiga decided.

  ‘Do you know how to make it? Have you made it before?’ Milgorry asked curiously.

  ‘No, but I’m quite certain you have. Are you volunteering to help?’ asked Karri.

  ‘I can help.’

  ‘Good,’ said Kelian tiredly. He rose from his seat and everyone stood respectfully. ‘I want everyone, even the Daoine Maithe, to eat and sleep well before tomorrow night. Everyone will need to be at their best. For our soldiers, it’s an order. For everyone else, it’s a suggestion.’

  ‘Kelian, as King of Alkira, the guardians are under your authority. It’s an order for them as well,’ Milgorry observed.

  ‘And the free pledged to fight beside you and under your command,’ said Dale, opening his eyes briefly. ‘So it’s an order to the free as well.’

  ‘Fine,’ said Kelian, yawning widely. ‘I’m off to bed. I’ll see you all back here at sundown today, so if you foresee any difficulties with our plans, or if you can suggest improvements, we will discuss them this evening.’ He left the room and made his way towards his bedroom. The room seemed like an oasis of peace as he sank into his bed. He lay against his pillows wondering if this would be the final blow for his people and then he pushed the depressing thought aside, trying to concentrate on their plans for attack, which he felt had more chance of failure than victory. And if they failed, not only was everyone at the Dwellings sure to be killed, his people’s entire way of life would be gone. Those who remained alive would be doomed to be scattered across the land, running and hiding from the Nailmarni, sure to be quickly captured and consumed. He groaned and turned on his side, redirecting his thoughts to Danil’s strategy. He sighed and sat up. It was no good. He was almost beside himself with exhaustion, yet his mind was racing and he couldn’t relax. He lay down for a few more seconds reminding himself of how tired he was and how much he needed to sleep. ‘I gave the order to sleep,’ he said to himself, ‘and here I am wide awake!’ He sat up once again, wondering if he should ask one of Daoine Maithe to help him sleep. Immediately there was a knock at the door.

  ‘Enter,’ he called wearily and Tiernan opened the door.

  ‘You’re not the only one having difficulty following your own orders,’ said Tiernan drily. ‘Of those who you called to discuss strategy, I thin
k Enri and Dale are the only ones who are sleeping well. My lady suggested I speak to you.’

  ‘Where is Lady Karri?’

  ‘She’s gone with Milgorry to collect chiniocel beetles.’

  ‘Do you think she can do it? I mean, do you think she can increase the poison until we have enough?’

  ‘I think so. Her gift is unusual, to have control over the natural earth. There is much about her gift that even she hasn’t yet discovered. But I think she can do this. I think once she begins, it will become easier and easier for her to control.’

  ‘Is the lake where the drinking water comes from?’

  ‘No. There are fresh springs high up inside the caverns. We don’t drink from the lake at all.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll be ready?’

  ‘To face the Nailmarni?’

  ‘Yes.’ Kelian leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes.

  ‘It’s difficult to be truly ready with so few guardians.’

  ‘We’ve had so little control over this horrible situation,’ Kelian admitted. ‘So many people have died.’

  ‘Now we take control,’ said Tiernan reassuringly. ‘We may not be entirely ready, but at least we won’t be caught by surprise.’

  Kelian’s eyes opened suddenly. ‘Don’t let anyone actually put the chiniocelle in the water yet,’ he said. ‘Otherwise we are going to have a whole lot of dead fish and who knows what else floating on the surface of the water. I seriously doubt the Nailmarni will fall for our ruse if they can see that the lake has been poisoned.’

  ‘So when do we put the chiniocelle into the lake?’ Tiernan wondered.

  ‘Milgorry said it spreads really fast. Maybe we can do it when the Nailmarni are already in the water.’

  ‘I’ll talk to Danil,’ said Tiernan. Kelian didn’t answer as Tiernan left the room. He opened his eyes in surprise when soft lips brushed against his. Elena was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over him and her long blond hair was tickling his face. He glanced towards the window and noted that he had slept for several hours. He reached out and touched Elena’s face, feeling glad she was with him and at the same time wishing she was far away from this place. She leaned forward and kissed him and he sighed with pleasure as she snuggled against him.

  ‘I want to stay here with you,’ she said softly. ‘I want-’

  ‘Elena, we mustn’t,’ he murmured. ‘The King and his lady must remain apart until they are married.’

  ‘Ah Kelian,’ she sighed.

  He groaned. ‘Don’t go away,’ he whispered.

  ‘I don’t want to go,’ she whispered back. There was a knock at the door and they leapt apart in shock.

  ‘Uh! One moment!’ Kelian gasped, more than startled by the interruption. Elena kissed him quickly then dashed across the room, blushing deeply. She sat herself in a corner lounging chair, trying to look like she had been sitting comfortably for some time. Kelian sat on the arm of the chair beside Elena. ‘Enter!’ he called. The door opened and Borgulnay and Gilgarry appeared.

  ‘Majesty is there anything you wish to discuss before you retire to bed?’ said Borgulnay innocently. Kelian stared at him, not quite sure how to answer.

  ‘Perhaps my brother could escort me to my bedroom,’ said Elena, standing up but not meeting Gilgarry’s eye as she blushed uncomfortably.

  ‘Of course,’ said Kelian. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly for several minutes then he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. He sighed and nodded very slightly as he saw the relief in her eyes. Gilgarry took his sister’s hand and led her from the room.

  Kelian sat back heavily on the bed and Borgulnay dropped into a chair. Neither said anything for several minutes as Kelian sat glowering at Borgulnay. Eventually Borgulnay drew a knife from his belt and handed it to Kelian.

  ‘If you think I wronged you so badly by stopping you, kill me now,’ he said quietly. He spread his hands. ‘I won’t try to stop you. After all, my life is yours to take.’

  Kelian studied the knife then handed it back to Borgulnay. ‘I’m not angry at you, Borg,’ he said. ‘You just happened to be in my line of sight. I should have been sitting in front of a mirror. How did you know?’

  ‘I seem to be able to sense your thoughts, but only occasionally, when they’re very strong,’ Borgulnay admitted a little sheepishly. ‘‘Majesty-’

  ‘My name is Kelian! Do you see anyone else around?’

  ‘Alright, I’ll speak to you as your brother. You would have regretted it, but she would have regretted it far, far more. You know the importance she places on doing everything in the correct order. She would have felt guilty for a long time, and I doubt you could easily live with that. And here we are absolutely surrounded by guardians. And at a time like this, every person in this city is being watched. No-human’s thoughts and emotions are unknown. How do you think Elena might feel about that tomorrow?’

  ‘Ah… I see what you mean.’ Kelian groaned and closed his eyes. ‘It’s strange Borg. It has always been expected that the King and his Lady remain apart until marriage. And Elena and I agreed that we could do this. Now, at the worst possible time, we’re finding it almost impossible to keep our clothing on when we’re alone.’

  ‘That’s not entirely surprising,’ said Borgulnay. ‘In two days we might all be dead. Right now you’re alive, and you want to fill what might be the last days of your lives with everything you love.’

  ‘Yes. I do. I want to marry my Lady, I want to take her to my bed, I want her to bear our children, I want to see them live and grow.’

  ‘May I make a suggestion?’

  ‘You’ll make it whether I give you permission or not,’ Kelian observed.

  ‘True,’ Borgulnay conceded. ‘You’re the King. Don’t get yourself into a position where you’re alone together at night, barely dressed and feeling… Well, just don’t lose control until you’re married. Better still, marry her today, and bed her right away. Who knows, we might win this battle and you might get to see your children’s children. But we might not. So why not speed our lives along for a few days?’

  Kelian sat up straight with a strange mixture of indignation and hope on his face. Borgulnay stood up and moved to the door.

  ‘It’s just a suggestion,’ he murmured as he left the room, closing the door soundly. Kelian leapt from the bed and flung open the door. He raced down the hallway, shoving Borgulnay aside as he made for Elena’s bedroom. Without knocking he flung open her door and ran inside, slamming the door behind himself.

  Elena was standing in the middle of the room wearing sleeping undergarments and holding her night dress. He threw himself towards her and fell upon one knee wrapping his hands around her body and staring up at her.

  ‘Marry me!’ he commanded. ‘No! I mean – will you marry me?’

  ‘I already said I’d marry you! You asked me quite a while ago and I said yes!’ Elena laughed as Kelian leaned against her body.

  He drew back as he felt his control disappearing once again. ‘Now. I want you to marry me now. Right now! Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I want you to be my Queen. Will you?’

  ‘Kelian I…’ She stopped speaking as he dragged her to the floor, keeping his arms tightly around her. ‘Yes!’ she gasped. ‘Yes. I’ll marry you right now! Let me go so I can put my night gown on. I’m not getting married in my undergarments!’ she cried, suddenly sounding practical.

  ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t be so hasty,’ said Kelian, pulling away and standing up, suddenly filled with the apprehension that she might feel that he was forcing her to marry him only to fill his desire.

  ‘Oh no, you don’t!’ she cried. ‘You just said you would marry me now, so marry me! Don’t you dare change your mind!’ Kelian took her night dress and helped her pull it over her head.

  ‘Elena, just because we’re going to be married, I won’t expect you to lie with me tonight, unless you wish this,’ said Kelian, suddenly looking very serious. ‘Married or not, I won’t force you to do a
nything. I love you and I want you to be my Queen. Regardless of how badly I want you, I never want you to feel that you have no choice. I just don’t seem to be able to control myself around you anymore.’

  ‘Thank you Kelian. I want you to marry me. Please marry me.’ There was a knock at the door.

  ‘Enter,’ said Kelian, smiling at Elena. The door opened and Tiernan and Karrijeuiga led more than thirty people into the room. Kelian leaned forward and whispered in Tiernan’s ear, ‘I know this seems a little hasty,’ he said, ‘but if I’m to die, I’ll die a married man. I hope you don’t mind marrying us at such short notice.’

  Tiernan smiled understandingly. ‘I am honored Kelian, but we’d better have a celebration later for the people’s sake.’

  ‘After we destroy the Nailmarni,’ said Kelian with confidence he did not feel.

  The ceremony was performed and soon the room began to empty once again, leaving Kelian and Elena holding hands and standing in the center of the room with Tiernan.

  ‘Can I ask something of you?’ Kelian said to Tiernan.

  ‘Of course,’ said Tiernan. ‘Tonight is your own.’

  ‘What did you ask for?’ asked Elena curiously after Tiernan left the room.

  ‘Privacy,’ said Kelian, pulling her into his arms and hugging her warmly. ‘Tiernan will hide our thoughts and emotions.’

  ‘Good,’ said Elena, snuggling against Kelian’s neck.

  ‘You know, even if the Nailmarni wipe us out, at least I will die a happy, happy man,’ Kelian declared and Elena leaned back and smiled up at him.

  ‘I am happy too, Kelian. Right now, I’m happy.’

  Chapter 51

  Abhorrent Imposition

  ‘You know, they truly give me the creeps,’ said Milgorry softly. ‘Even after all these years, I can’t help finding them…disturbing.’ He stared across the Nailmarni nest with distaste.

  ‘Considering the heap of bodies in the middle of the nest, I’d be a bit concerned if you felt comfortable right now,’ said Tiernan grimly. ‘Do you sense that?’ he added urgently, squinting through the trees on the western side of the nest.