“You Rizkans have far too many nasty stories about me,” said Amber. “I needed to be their hero to dispel them. Now, if you have no more information for me…”
“Enough, Amber.”
Laura appeared in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest, wearing an expression so severe that it almost made Amber melt. No one said a word for the longest time.
“The end has begun,” Laura said, finally. “Congratulations. You have just undone everything you’ve worked so hard towards, and earned yourself a deadly enemy.”
With that, her arms fell to her sides, and she strode past Amber with a determined step. She stopped just short of the woman and placed a hand on the un-poisoned shoulder. “Austila, you see now why I said your meeting had to come at chance?”
The woman stared straight at Amber. “Yes. Now I do.”
“Amber didn’t lie,” Laura continued. “That was poison, and it was deadly. Your life is waning as we speak, and your death will be hastened by the use of your gift. But you must use it. Take you and me to your home so that we might give the final warning.”
“So be it,” said the woman.
Laura nodded sharply and pulled the Azit necklace from the woman’s neck. Spinning, she hurled it at Amber. “I hope you’re happy with yourself,” she spat, with surprising venom. “You’ve just earned the wrath of the Tela Du, but at this moment, I’m not sure I can feel pity for you. It may be a few years before I can look at you civilly again.”
With that, she turned back and placed a hand over the woman’s, and then they both disappeared in a burst of glitter.
Chapter 9
“Two girls with one face,
Two girls with twisted fate.
One in purple, one in red,
One shall speak the other’s death.
Who shall win their final war?
Lady Dragon, or Tela Du”
Ashna pondered over the words she had just translated, the prophecy that her father had read in the Book just that morning. English gave the words no greater meaning than Rizkan did. The prophecy itself had no more new knowledge than all of the little snatches of prophecy that they’d been given over the years did.
Yet there was an air of importance to these words, a sense of finality. They were in those final days leading towards that final war. Things were starting to look grim indeed. Yet, ambiguous as the words remained, there was still a sense of hope in them. The Tela Du would come and meet the Lady Dragon in battle, and she would surely be a match for the terrible woman. If what Laura said was true, Rizkaland’s future wasn’t bleak at all.
“Has your mother returned yet?”
Ashna glanced up to find Father standing in the doorway.
She shook her head. “No, not that I know of.”
“She never takes this long.” He shook his head and tried to paste on a smile. “Have you finished the translation yet?”
She nodded and held up the piece of paper. “It wasn’t hard. No rhymes for me to second guess,” she admitted, then recited it for him.
He nodded slowly. “Good work, dear. How would you like to read it to the kings and queens?”
She gasped at the proposition. “Me, truly?”
“It will be one of your duties as Bookdaughter.” He handed the paper back to her. “And it’s never too early to learn to speak before the people. So, what do you think?”
“I think that if you believe that I’m ready for it, I probably am,” said Ashna, glancing down.
“No, of the prophecy. What do you think it means?”
“That the Tela Du will come and face Amber in war, and one of them will die,” said Ashna, quietly. “Really, nothing new is said that we haven’t heard in the other prophecies before this.”
“Oh, I’m not so certain of that,” said Father, sitting down beside her. “I find the line ‘One shall speak the other’s death’ to be quite intriguing.”
“We’ve always known that one will kill the other,” said Ashna. “And may the victor be the Tela Du!”
“Indeed,” said Father, nodding. “But it’s never been stated how the death will come about. One shall speak. Very intriguing.”
“The Rizkan word was Alir,” said Ashna, frowning. “It literally means to speak or utter, and I translated it as speak because it fit the meter better. I honestly didn’t give it much thought, but now that you bring it up, what does it mean? The Tela Du shall know some powerful word that will kill the Dragon?”
“Perhaps so, or perhaps it means that one shall announce the other dead after the deed has been done,” suggested Father. “Or maybe it means something entirely different that we have no way of knowing at this time. Alphego knows what He is doing, so we’ll just have to trust Him.”
Ashna’s brow knit. “Then why did you ask me what I thought it meant if it doesn’t matter?”
“Because, as Bookdaughter, you will often be called to help interpret the prophecies you Speak,” Father explained. “That is why you must have a thorough knowledge of all prophecies and legends. Maybe we can’t know for certain what the prophecies mean, but Alphego doesn’t give them to us so we can continue to stumble blindly in the dark. We must take what we know, piece it together, and form our best interpretation so we can proceed appropriately. It’s hard, sometimes, terribly hard, and you have to be incredibly careful that your interpretation is not based on assumptions. That can be deadly.”
Ashna slowly nodded, then stood. “Well, let’s go present it to the kings and queens. Get it over with. They need to know.”
Kings and queens. How much longer would they still be able to refer to both as plural? Only two of each remained since King Eli was poisoned last week. The man who had done the deed had been caught and banished to Amber’s Island, but no antidote had been found to save the king’s life.
As Ashna’s hand brushed the door handle, there was a burst of glitter, and her mother materialized in the very chair Ashna had just vacated, the Doorkeeper at her side. Ashna gasped as she stared at her mother, at her unnaturally pale skin and wide eyes. Something was very wrong.
No one said anything for the longest time. It was Laura who broke the silence. “Amber’s reign of terror has begun,” she whispered.
“What happened?” asked Father.
Mother glanced up and met Father’s eye, shaking her head pitifully. “Amber took the ink. I’m so sorry.”
Father quickly went to her side and took her hand. “The – the ink doesn’t matter. Are you all right?”
“Amber poisoned her with a poison that not even your sister’s gift can cure, Ritis,” said Laura, shaking her head. “She won’t last the day, especially not if she’s to take a message to Bookdaughter Adnama, which she must do.”
Without a word, she took the paper holding the prophecy from Ashna and handed it to Father, also giving him a larger sheet of paper and a strange purple pen that she produced from her own pocket. “I’m afraid that there is no time for grief, and that it must be swallowed immediately. You will have to forget many things, Ritis, erasing them not only from your mind but also from that of the people and Amber herself.”
Father took a deep breath, staring hard into his wife’s eyes, and then turned to the papers, staring as though he didn’t see them. “What must I forget?”
“Your wife, your daughter, your role as Bookholder,” said Laura calmly. “Anything that might bring Amber’s attention upon you in the coming years.” She pulled another sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “Here are the details. I’ve had several weeks to compose this. I knew this was coming, but knowledge doesn’t soften the pain.”
“If I am to forget my daughter…”
“I am taking her to the world of the Tela Du,” said Laura. “That is why you must forget even her name.” She turned to Ashna, slowly shaking her head. “Ashna is not a common name in that world, and you must masquerade as a human. Instead, you will be called Ashley.”
“Ashley.” The name tasted strange on Ashna�
�s lips, and her insides clenched at the prospect of having her family, world, and identity stripped from her.
“Say your good-byes. I must take you at once, for now is the time appointed. Your father, you may hope to see again, but I’m afraid that I cannot say the same for your mother.”
Ashna felt her mother wince as she gave her a hug, yet she couldn’t bring herself to hold back. She tried to say something, but words caught in her throat. As she drew back, her mother caught her arm, motioning her to come near.
“I love you, my Ashes,” she whispered in Ashna’s ear. “Your father cannot erase your knowledge that you had a mother, and if he doesn’t hear them, he can’t erase these words. Never forget that your mother loved you very much.”
Then Ashna turned to her father, and his hug was tight. “Never doubt Alphego,” was what he whispered in her ear.
And then Laura took Ashna’s hand and pulled her out of the room and down through the halls of Loray. At length, she paused by the ballroom door. “Stand back a moment,” she whispered, and then waved a hand over it. Then she opened the door.
In place of the ballroom stood a long hallway, vaguely similar to that room, but also strangely different.
“This leads to a room in the house of King Ralph and Queen Jane,” said Laura.
“As … as in the Legends?” Ashna breathed.
“Yes,” said Laura pulling Ashna in and closing the door behind them. “Their world is the same as that of the Tela Du, and they shall stand in as your new family. Don’t be intimidated. In this world, they are just ordinary people.” Her voice echoed strangely in the hallway.
“But…”
“Don’t dawdle,” Laura chided, her voice still echoing. “You don’t want the door to collapse on us, do you? I can assure you that it isn’t fun.” With that, she broke into a run, dodging glass chandeliers and blue sofas.
Ashna followed, naturally. “How do you do that?” she asked, while she still had her breath.
“Do what?”
“Your voice.”
“Oh, the echo.” Laura smiled as she caught Ashna’s hand. “That just happens when I’m in a door. They are, technically, part of me. I’ve never put much study into why it happens, just accepted it.”
Ashna might have said more, but at that moment, a familiar burn exploded in her mind. Instinctively, she made a grasp and grab to retain the memories she held, but they were pulled away. Her father’s gift was powerful.
“Courage, Ashley,” said Laura.
They reached the end of the corridor, and Laura turned the knob of the door that stood there. They stepped into a very blue living room, where two women sat on a blue sofa.
“Here she is,” said Laura.
One of the women, the one with shorter, darker hair, stood and approached them, holding out a hand. “Ah, Ashley, isn’t it? I’m Jane, and it sounds like I’m going to be your new mother.” She had a deliciously smooth accent that Ashley decided that she liked.
Ashley stared at the woman. “Queen Jane?” she managed to choke out.
“Of Fire and Electricity,” the woman confirmed, and Ashley gasped as a small ball of fire appeared on the palm of the legendary queen’s hand.
“Wow,” Ashley breathed.
Queen Jane clenched her fist, and the fireball disappeared. “So, you’re Ashley? Laura here has been telling me a bit about you. You’re a Bookdaughter?”
Ashley nodded. “Yes, I think so.” It was difficult, sifting through the memories that her father had left her, but the word Bookdaughter felt right.
“And you’re about eighteen.” Jane glanced her up and down. “You don’t look eighteen, though, not by human standards, and unfortunately, we’re going to have to pretend you’re one of us.”
“But I…”
“It’s already been decided, Ashley,” said the second woman who had remained on the couch. “Your paperwork lists your date of birth as fourteen years ago. You’ll return to Rizkaland in time for your ascendance to your true role as Bookdaughter, so you have nothing to worry about. Just keep your chin up.” She stood and walked towards them, her attention on Laura. “You okay?”
“You know I’m not,” said Laura, shaking her head. “You know full well what I just saw.”
“I do,” the woman admitted. “I also know full well that you need this.” With that, she put her arms around Laura and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” said Laura, as she pulled away. “I did need that.”
“Of course,” said the woman. “Now don’t forget, someday, you’re going to be standing where I am now, and you’re still going to need that hug. So, don’t hesitate to give it.”
Now, Ashley might have had a moment to be confused, but at that moment, a human girl ran into the room, with a cry of, “Mum!”
“Yes, dear, what is it?” asked Queen Jane, turning to the girl.
“Sarah and Alyce, have you seen them? I can’t find them anywhere!” She glanced towards the other woman. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Withawie, Sarah and I took your daughter exploring in the woods, and…”
The woman, apparently Mrs. Withawie, smiled disarmingly. “Alyce isn’t lost, I can assure you of that. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll go look for her.”
And she left the room, pausing a moment to lay a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“Who’s Sarah?” Queen Jane asked.
The girl fell back, horror spreading across her face. “My sister. Your daughter. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten her, too.”
Ashley stared at the girl. She had brown hair confined in a thick braid down her back, though confined wasn’t quite the right word, as wispy frizz escaped the braid at its every chance. She wore a purple shirt and skirt. Her eyes, though hidden behind purple frames, were a deep amber. Ashley gasped. “It’s you – you’re…”
Everyone turned their attention to her, and Laura grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly, shaking her head.
“Yes, dear,” said Queen Jane, putting a hand on the Tela Du’s shoulder. “This is your new sister, Petra. Petra, this is...”
“New sister!” Petra cried, eyes widening. “What do you mean, new sister? I have two sisters. Maybe you can’t remember them, but that doesn’t cancel their existence!”
“Petra, calm down!” Queen Jane insisted though she flinched herself. “Look, Ashley’s mother died, and her father can’t care for her, so we’re going to take her in for the next few years.”
“Don’t expect me to call her sister.” Petra’s eyes now narrowed. “Because I have two sisters, and I don’t need replacements. I need to find them.” With that, she spun around and fled the room.
“Your daughter is the Tela Du?” breathed Ashley.
“You see the resemblance, too?” asked Queen Jane, turning back to Ashley. “Ah, yes, I suppose she is. I fear for her, as every mother ought.”
“I know the feeling,” said Laura, sighing. “About the girl whom I call daughter. Now, I’m going to leave the two of you, go explore a bit, see if I can find someone I like, and I haven’t hurt. Perhaps, eventually, I’ll be able to look Silver in the eye again. I should see if I can find a better version of her. Lintooalintae is nice this time of year, I think. Though that doesn’t really matter.”
With that distracted comment, she stepped through another door and was gone.
“Poor girl,” said Queen Jane, with a shake of her head. “I, for one, do not envy her existence. Now, come Ashley, let me show you about the house. It’s easy to get lost in this old house.”
Chapter 10
Amber had gone to claim surrender from the last king of Rizkaland left living. According to her, his life already hung by the thinnest string, and he was a weak-willed young man to begin with. She was quite sure of her victory.
Granite paced up and down the length of one of their libraries. He’d come here to read, but every book here, penned by his wife’s hand, reminded him only of those grander times before the dragon had consumed her mind.
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It was a year ago this day that Amber had brought the castle from their island to the mainland of Rizkaland, and today, as she rejoiced in the sureness of her victory, Granite could only taste Rizkaland’s defeat. How could she justify her actions so cleanly? How could she claim that what she did was right?
Laura was gone and had been for months now, so Granite no longer had her sweet words of wisdom to remind him of Alphego’s greater plan. Did she intend to stay away for the entirety of the fifty years? Granite hoped not. Even though she never visited on the island, lest she, too, be caught by its curse, Granite felt that these next forty-nine years would be longer even than the last thousand. At least on the island, they were where they were supposed to be, and they were doing what Alphego asked of them.
This was not true here in Rizkaland.
“Oh!”
Granite turned to see one of the girls Amber had picked up, Mels, if he remembered properly, standing in the doorway.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t expect anyone to be in here, especially not you,” she stammered, her eyes darting like those of a chased animal. “I was, um, dusting.”
“No need to fear, child,” said Granite, softening his expression in hopes that she would calm down. “There’s no reason to be ashamed of a love of learning and books. Has Amber told you that she wrote all of these books herself?”
The girl gave a half gasp as she turned, drinking in the sight of all of the books. “Did she really?”
“She has quite a passion for the pen,” Granite confirmed. “This room is mostly histories – and in six thousand years, she’s had quite a while to collect them.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “She … she is a woman of surprises.”
“I suppose she is,” Granite admitted, “to one who doesn’t know her. But I – I have long since ceased to be surprised at the ways in which she can disappoint me.”
“You don’t approve of what she’s doing in Rizkaland?” asked the girl.
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