Quest for the Sun Gem

by Belinda Murrell

  The others all laughed loudly, excited at the thought of starting their adventures again.

  Saxon was true to his word, shooing Saira, Ethan and Lily from the kitchen and locking the door.

  Ethan and Lily busied themselves with making preparations for the journey ahead of them, writing lists, checking their equipment and packing. Lily enjoyed poking through Saira’s stillroom, playing with her herbs and potions.

  Saira helped them with supplies – a pile of her homemade beeswax candles, a couple of ropes from Toomas, transportable food for the journey and a fresh supply of bandages, ointment and herbal tinctures.

  Together Roana and Saxon planned a feast, searching through the cupboards and garden for ingredients and deciding what to cook. Roana made suggestions from remembered palace banquets and, while she was not an experienced cook, she had spent many hours as a small child playing in the palace kitchens, watching the cooks and kitchen maids preparing huge mounds of food.

  Together they killed and prepared a chicken from the yard, basting and stuffing it with preserved fruit and rosemary, before slowly roasting it in the oven. Potatoes were boiled and sliced, mixed with diced onions, flecks of bacon and thick yellow cream, sprinkled with salt and thyme then baked. Fresh green lettuce, dainty spring cucumbers, dandelion leaves and meadow herbs were tossed in oil and vinegar. A light fluffy pudding was made, served with strawberries just picked from the garden, whipped through cream and sugar. Mouthwatering aromas wafted through the cottage.

  It was a delicious change from the hearty soups and stews they had been eating at Saira’s or the dry bread and cheese they had lived on in the forest. Roana and Saxon set the table with Saira’s best cloth and crockery, fresh candles and a jug of pretty wildflowers.

  Saxon called everyone to the table while Roana tossed the salad. Saira cried out with pleasure when she saw the feast being served.

  ‘This calls for some of my best apple cider,’ she pronounced. ‘Come and help me with the barrel, Ethan!’

  When the plates were loaded with hot, steaming food, Saira filled the mugs and made a toast.

  ‘Thank you all for a very interesting stay,’ Saira called, holding up her mug. ‘I have really enjoyed your company and am looking forward to sharing this delicious meal with you all. Thank you, Saxon, and thank you, Roana, for cooking this feast, and thank you for your very hard work during your stay. I will be enjoying the benefit for many months to come.’

  Saxon and Roana flushed with pleasure.

  ‘Thank you, Saira,’ chorused Ethan and Lily. ‘Without you we might easily be dead!’

  There was much laughter and conversation over dinner. The mood was one of exhilaration and anticipation. When the last morsel was eaten and everyone felt as though they might burst, Saira pushed away her plate and looked carefully at each face in turn.

  ‘Delicious, stupendous,’ Saira murmured quietly. ‘And now to something of great consequence – your quest. Tomorrow you must leave here and seek the answers to the riddle.’

  Everyone glanced at the others around the table. Their stomachs contracted with fear, nerves and excitement.

  ‘What does the riddle mean?’ asked Ethan, his eyes shining. He recited the verse again slowly and clearly.

  ‘Five travellers true, a treacherous journey to take

  A princeling to save, a kingdom at stake,

  Fire, plague, sea and snow must test,

  To the ends of the land they make their quest,

  To fetch sun and moon and blade so the bright magic is whole again made.

  The sun is dimmed under Tira to seek

  The blade is hidden in the caverns deep,

  The moon and stars under sea lost their power.

  The princeling imprisoned in a snowy tower.

  When all is done the five may rest

  When ice is conquered to win their quest.’

  ‘Well, the five travellers are us, with Aisha, I guess.’ Lily began tentatively. ‘The princeling, of course, is Prince Caspar, who has been imprisoned somewhere.’

  ‘Somewhere snowy, in a tower, which must be far to the north – but where?’ Saxon added. ‘Fire, plague, sea and snow must test … that means we will have to face many dangers along the way.’

  ‘And what is the significance of the sun and the moon and the stars? Do you think it means the king is buried in Tira?’ Ethan glanced quickly at Roana in sympathy.

  She flinched. A vision came to her of the last time she saw her father – the great royal Sun Sword of Tiregian being passed up to him by the priestess Ostara, the beautiful ruby flashing in the dawn light. Then the arrows flying through the air, the screams and shouts and her father’s long, slow fall into the mud.

  Roana shuddered, banishing the image from her mind. Lily rubbed her gently on the arm in empathy.

  ‘The Sun Sword,’ Roana muttered. ‘Perhaps that’s it! When the king, my father, was killed he had just taken the Sun Sword from the priestess Ostara. It is always part of the dawn ceremony before the hunt for the white stallion at the vernal equinox. The Sun Sword is reputed to have great significance, perhaps even magical powers, although I am not sure I truly believe that.

  ‘On one side of the hilt is a great ruby, which is surrounded by carving to resemble the sun. It is known as the Sun Gem. On the reverse side of the hilt is a great round pearl, which symbolises the moon – the Moon Pearl. Smaller diamonds represent the stars around it, and they are called the Star Diamonds. Perhaps the verse means that this sword must be found and restored to the royal family.’

  ‘That could be it, Roana,’ shouted Ethan loudly, his brown eyes burning with excitement.

  ‘To fetch sun and moon and blade so the bright magic is whole again made.

  The sun is dimmed under Tira to seek

  The blade is hidden in the caverns deep,

  The moon and stars under sea lost their power,’ he recited slowly.

  ‘It sounds like the gems have been removed from the sword and hidden under Tira and under the sea,’ Saxon mused. ‘But why would the invaders hide them? Wouldn’t you think they would take them back to Sedah or flaunt them here as symbols of their victory over us? And the blade – hidden in the caverns deep? That could be anywhere!’ Saxon cried in despair.

  ‘There are caverns under Tira,’ Roana said slowly. ‘Secret caverns and a maze of tunnels. There is a secret tunnel from the palace down into the caverns and then out to sea. They have not been used in many years, but I have been shown the hidden entrance at both ends, and taught a map. It was a secret escape route for the royal family if ever the city and the palace fell to enemies.’

  ‘Bad luck for everyone else who lived in the city,’ snorted Ethan.

  Roana blushed but continued. ‘Perhaps the Sun Gem and the sword are hidden in the caverns under Tira.’

  ‘And Roana can show us the secret way into the caverns,’ Lily crowed.

  Saira fetched parchment and a quill and Roana sketched out a rough map. ‘Well, I am fairly sure I know where the sea entrance is. But my memory of the tunnels is a bit hazy. I am certain that the entrance in the palace is in the southern cellars.’

  ‘We won’t want to go into the palace,’ Saxon cried. ‘It will be crawling with Sedahs and guards.’

  ‘Well, that is precisely where the Sedahs are likely to imprison Queen Ashana and our parents,’ Ethan retorted grimly.

  The talk went on and on, until the candle stubs were sputtering and the leftover food had turned cold and greasy on the plates.

  Saira smiled. ‘My children – you have done well. I think you are on the right track to deciphering the crystal’s riddle. Remember, also, there is great knowledge to be found in beautiful Tira if you seek for it wisely.

  ‘The Sun Gem is indeed a very powerful gem,’ Saira continued. ‘Rubies are the gems of passion and nobility. They bring wisdom and luck to those who wear them, and perhaps most importantly for the Sun Gem, they give the owner the capacity to command.’

  The fo
ur children glanced at each other with shining eyes and wide grins.

  ‘Now, one last thing I wish to show you.’ Saira pulled a thick piece of yellowed card from the dresser. A single word was written upon the card in thick black ornate letters. The children crowded around to get a closer look.

  ‘What does it say?’ Saira asked enigmatically.

  ‘True,’ said Roana, who was standing beside Saira.

  ‘False?’ said Lily, who was looking at the card upside down. Saira smiled. She turned the card the other way up. The word was cleverly crafted so it said True one way up, but when you turned it the other way, it read False.

  ‘Wow, that is amazing,’ breathed Ethan.

  ‘Just remember that things can look very different when you look at them from a different angle,’ Saira warned. ‘Trust in each other and work together. You are stronger all together than you are alone.

  ‘But enough of my chatter. Now I think you need sleep, because it is a long hard ride to Tira. I will wash up and you four should go to bed now.’

  All four woke early, excitement churning in their bellies. After a hurried breakfast in the dark, they bade farewell to Saira with great bear hugs and a glistening of tears.

  Saira pressed a small bottle into Lily’s hand. ‘This is a very strong sleeping draught, which I think you will find much more powerful than the one you put in your mother’s cherry wine. While that worked quite well last time, next time you may need to make someone sleep for a lot longer.’

  ‘Thank you, Saira,’ murmured Lily, her eyes lighting up as she remembered tempting the Sedah guards with the drugged cherry wine.

  ‘Also, Saxon, I have heard that an old friend of yours, Fox, has gone to Tira. He may be able to help you – that is, if you can help him.’ She smiled enigmatically. The others stared at Saxon in curiosity. He flushed slightly but said nothing.

  Saira waved furiously from her doorstep as the children mounted their horses and trotted down the lane in the early morning mist. Moonbeam looked quite strange to be dyed a dark nut brown like Roana’s hair.

  ‘Sax, what was all that about your old friend Fox?’ asked Ethan curiously, when the cottage was out of sight. ‘I’ve never heard you mention him.’

  Saxon looked a little uncomfortable as he squirmed in the saddle.

  ‘Oh, no-one really,’ he muttered, shaking his head. ‘Not a friend. Just an old business associate of my father’s – in the cloth business, you know.’

  Ethan raised his eyebrows at the girls. They giggled and shrugged in response.

  The five retraced their footsteps of ten days ago, back to Goldcoin Cove where the ships had been moored. It seemed hard to believe everything that had happened in that time. Then they were exhausted, weak, injured and dejected, fearing that Lily might even die. Now they were refreshed, excited, fit and optimistic in the fresh morning air. They paused briefly at the cove but it was empty. A few forlorn barrels and some flotsam on the shore were the only signs of the ships that had moored there.

  They rode steadily, alternating between walking and trotting. Sometimes they rode in country lanes where they could ride side by side in pairs, while at other times the track became narrow and they rode in single file. They chattered merrily among themselves, Saxon entertaining them with his collection of ridiculous riddles and jokes.

  ‘What is it that you can hear, but can never see, and which only speaks when you speak to it first?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ laughed Roana. ‘A ghostly butler?’

  ‘No, an echo!’ said Saxon. ‘What can you put in a barrel to make it lighter?’

  ‘Air instead of wine?’ Lily replied.

  ‘No. A hole!’

  ‘What is coming quickly now but will never arrive?’ asked Saxon.

  ‘The end of your jokes,’ quipped Ethan, rolling his eyes.

  ‘No – tomorrow!’ roared Saxon.

  As the day grew hotter and the ride longer, they became more lethargic and fell silent, only talking when they had to decide which path to take.

  In the late afternoon they came to a sign pointing to the village of Leacroft, a short ride on.

  ‘Perhaps we can ask there for shelter,’ suggested Roana, who had enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in a bed again at Saira’s and wasn’t looking forward to camping out.

  ‘We may be able to make a fire and boil some water for tea and a wash,’ added Lily, rubbing her aching back. She hurt all over, although she was too proud to say so, and her scars burnt like fire.

  Everyone straightened up and began to hurry their pace. Even the horses sensed their expectation, pricking up their ears and lifting their tired feet.

  As they neared Leacroft everyone could smell a pervading reek of something burnt and foul.

  ‘Eeek. Smells like Lily’s charcoal paste,’ joked Roana.

  The smell grew stronger. As they rounded the bend in the lane they discovered the source of the overpowering stench.

  Leacroft was a burnt and empty shell. The little cottages, once surrounded by gardens and hung with vines, were now blackened piles of smouldering timbers and tumbledown stones. The gardens were trampled and ruined. Smashed china and glass littered the main street. It was a scene of total desolation and ruin.

  The children stared around them in despair. There were no animals and no people left. Beyond the village, even the meadows of young spring corn were nothing but charred husks.

  Aisha sniffed through the ruins curiously.

  ‘Come on, let’s go,’ muttered Lily miserably, thinking of her own cottage and garden at Kenley and wondering if it too was now nothing but charred ruins.

  ‘We can press on and find somewhere to camp before dark,’ agreed Ethan.

  Aisha barked, howled, and then whined piteously, backing rapidly away from the hole she had been exploring. Lily slid stiffly from Nutmeg’s back and went to investigate. Aisha had a bright red bead of blood on her nose, but still seemed intent on discovering the cause of her attack. Lily heard a sharp hissing noise from the hole.

  She bent cautiously and peered into the hole between two fallen building stones. Hiding there was a scrawny black and white kitten. Back arched, fur standing rigidly on end, tongue spitting, it was the epitome of starving outrage. Aisha barked again and lunged at the hole. A lightning paw struck again for Aisha’s nose, but this time she was quicker and darted away without injury.

  Lily whispered soft entreaties at the kitten. ‘There, there, sweetie. It’s all right, don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,’ she murmured soothingly as she crouched down closer to the hole.

  The kitten calmed down slowly, the fur softening, the back relaxing. Lily gently reached for the kitten and scooped it up, but the kitten leapt away in fright, swiping at Lily with its needle-sharp claws. Lily screeched as a bright red welt of blood sprang along her arm.

  ‘What are you doing, Lily?’ demanded Ethan. ‘Come on, let’s get going.’

  But Lily ignored him as she gently coaxed and cajoled until at last the kitten crept from its hole and snuggled into Lily’s arms, purring deeply.

  ‘Look,’ Lily announced triumphantly. ‘A little kitten.’

  ‘Just leave it, Lily,’ Ethan snapped impatiently. ‘We need to get out of here now. Who knows if there are still Sedahs about.’

  ‘I’m not leaving her,’ replied Lily defiantly. ‘I am bringing her with us. She will starve if I leave her here.’

  Ethan glared at his sister. ‘Lily, we don’t need another mouth to feed. You can’t possibly bring a cat along with us.’

  Lily gave Ethan a mutinous look and tucked the kitten under her chin, stroking it lovingly, then mounted her horse again one-handed.

  ‘I think I will call her Charcoal.’

  Ethan snorted, half in disgust and half in amusement at his sister, who could at times be as stubborn as he was himself.

  They all rode on, leaving the tragic ruins of Leacroft behind them. As it grew dark they found a stream. They left the laneway and followed the bank upstr
eam until they found a small clearing where they could make a fire and set up camp out of sight of the road.

  Lily and Roana rubbed down the four horses, watered and tethered them while Ethan and Saxon gathered wood and built a small fire.

  Aisha slipped off into the night and returned half an hour later, carrying the body of a small rabbit with her. Lily took her dagger and carved off a chunk to feed the starving kitten. Aisha glared suspiciously at the little creature sharing her hard-earned meal but then turned her back and ignored her. The two animals feasted happily while the humans prepared a meal of cold chicken, bread and salad herbs which Lily picked from the stream bank.

  ‘Delicious,’ sighed Roana. ‘Dinner never tasted this good in the palace banquet hall. It must be all this lovely fresh air.’

  ‘Or all the hard riding you’ve been doing. There is nothing like hard work to build a good appetite,’ replied Ethan with twinkling eyes. Roana flushed at the teasing, but smiled ruefully at Ethan.

  They devoured the meal hungrily and washed it down with fresh cold stream water, then hot tea. The fire crackled merrily. The moon was a thin crescent low in the sky and the darkness pressed in around them.

  ‘Do you think we need to keep watch tonight, or will Aisha guard us well enough?’ asked Lily as she curled up in her cloak with the kitten in her lap and Aisha with her head on Lily’s feet.

  ‘I think Aisha would warn us of danger well before we could hear it ourselves,’ replied Ethan confidently.

  ‘I feel safer knowing we have Aisha with us,’ agreed Roana, patting Aisha fondly.

  Aisha thumped her tail loudly and rolled onto her back to have her pale belly scratched. Roana tickled her tummy with a laugh.

  They all murmured good night and rolled up in their cloaks close to the fire to sleep.

  They travelled like this for days, riding all day and then slipping off the road at night to make camp. They chose the byways and tracks, avoiding villages and farms. The countryside seemed deserted. They rarely saw any people and then only in the distance. At first their muscles were stiff and sore, but they gradually toughened and became used to the long days of riding.