The High Queen's Vow [The Mystic Women of The Realm Series Book IV]

by Robbie Collins

  San'lr'in’ placed the stone in the small cloth pouch, and then attached it to her belt. Noticing that she felt much stronger than just prior, she acknowledged the stone's quiet and constant strength, amazed at its inert abilities. She wondered what it would feel like to bring this stone to life.

  She then moved to the next box, bringing it down from the shelf, “Take off the lid, Warrior Woman."

  Meera removed the lid, but all they could see was a cloth covering. The High Queen handed the box to Meera, and then removed the cloth. She couldn't believe what she was looking at as she did so. Meera saw the object, but didn't know what it was. She looked at San'lr'in', and saw that she was as shocked as she had ever seen her.

  "My Queen?"

  "It is the crystal ball from the long-prior sorcerers. I wonder why Grandmother didn't give this to the Dark Sorcerer."

  "Are you certain that she knew it was here, my Queen?"

  The High Queen looked at her, thinking, “No. I am not certain of this, Warrior Woman. It is a good question, as she most certainly would have delighted in these powers. But why would someone hide these objects here, right near the Grandmother?"

  "There is a saying in Woden that no one looks right under their nose for that which is lost, Highness."

  "Hmmm ... perhaps.” She looked around the room, “But all of this? Why would someone hide all of this from The Realm?"

  "To keep the evil ones from obtaining as such, my Queen?"

  She looked back to Meera, yet thinking. Then her face brightened, “Of course. You are correct, Warrior Woman. I recall this moment from our past. Just prior to The First High Queen, the sorcerers tried to remove the powers from The Realm, as you say—to keep the evil ones from obtaining them. They had fewer powers than those with evil, so rather than lose the powers to the Dark Sorcerers, they removed them, knowing they wouldn't be able to keep them."

  She looked around again at all the artifacts in the room, “So, The First High Queen must have concealed this room from the Grandmother, yet wanting to keep all these powers hidden. But she did as such right under, as you say, the nose of the Grandmother, where she would never think of searching for them. How amusing this is."

  San'lr'in’ reached for the third box, handed it to Meera, who had placed the second box at her feet for safe-keeping. The High Queen removed the lid, opening it slowly, wondering as to what more they could possibly find. She looked upon the metal bowl, then began to remove it. As she brought it out of the box, she once again stood amazed.

  Meera thought it looked as any other well-crafted bowl, “My Queen?"

  The High Queen rubbed her hand lightly around the bowl's lip, causing it to produce soft musical sounds, “Unless I am mistaken, this is the long-prior Sorcery Singing Bowl. The legends say that the long-prior Sorcerers often used this bowl to help strengthen their spells many-fold. Similar to what I am able to do so with My stones. I have no knowledge of how this must have been done, but its tone is quite pleasing."

  San'lr'in’ felt a strange vibrating from the small pouch attached to her belt. She untied it and brought out the Stone of Power. As she brought it close to the Singing Bowl, she watched amazed as the stone changed from one brilliant color to another as the bowl produced its magical music sounds.

  She placed the stone back into its pouch, closing it firmly, “Later, My Stone. Now is not the moment to become alive."

  She replaced the bowl back into the box, covering it, “Keep these objects safe, Warrior Woman. Allow the sorcerers to see not these items. You and Ann'wn will need to find a safe place to carry these objects with us. I will keep the stone with Me."

  The Healer and Sle'nel’ were the first to arrive, and looked around in the room for anything of value or interest. In a short while, the sorcerers and the scholars also came. After many moments of finding little else of interest to her, The High Queen approached her Healer, “Healer. I must leave. My back begins to return its pain to Me."

  The Healer nodded, “Yes, Highness. And we are all well-exhausted from your find. Are you able to return to your shelter, my Queen?"

  The High Queen looked up to the top of the cavern, “Perhaps we should just sleep here, Healer. That is a long way up."

  The Healer laughed, “One of your scholars counted the stairs, Highness. The good report is that they say it is less than eighteen stories from top to bottom."

  "And the bad report, Healer?"

  She laughed again, “That it is just less than eighteen stories from the bottom to the top, High One."

  Sle'nel', The Healer, Ann'wn, Meera, and Sam all returned with The High Queen to the camp, leaving the scholars and the sorcerers to find the remaining artifacts of interest. As they returned slowly to the camp, San'lr'in’ gave her orders.

  "Healer? Did you bring the journals of her alchemy?"

  "Yes, Highness. I wish not the sorcerers to see as such. Her journals, and all her notes."

  "Well done. They are yours to tend to, Healer. Report to Me anything of interest."

  "Yes, High One."

  "Force Leader. We will need to remain yet one more turn so that the sorcerers and scholars gain an idea of the measure and span of the artifacts prior to our departure."

  "Yes, my Queen."

  "And have the sorcerers and scholars carefully watched, Force Leader, so that nothing is stolen from The Realm. This must not occur again. You will also need to guard well the dwelling until our departure. I will then place a spell upon it as we leave so that no other can enter."

  The High Queen had given her orders, but had forgotten to dismiss everyone. Sle'nel’ had become impatient as everyone remained around. She turned to them, “The High Queen will be available in the late morn. Until then, good eve. Healer, let us place the potion on her back."

  The Healer and Sle'nel’ removed The High Queen's garments, then helped her to lay upon their camp-style bed so that The Healer could apply her back potion.

  "How long were you with this Grandmother, High One?"

  "It seemed forever to My young mind, but it was less than six moons, I think."

  "Why were you in shackles, High One?"

  The High Queen sighed deeply, then finally responded, “The Grandmother had a bent penchant for slow torture and physical perversion onto young girls."

  "Then that is why you cannot—"

  She interrupted, “Yes, Healer, but say no more. The memories are not My favorite."

  "How did you manage to escape, given all your wounds, Highness?"

  "All I recall feeling are hate and anger. While the pain was great, My anger and hate were far greater. I vowed then that should I ever gain any power, I would remove such from The Realm. Now I see that I failed Myself in My own vow. Pity. I should never forget this lesson."

  "How did you escape from such as this?"

  She sighed again, not liking the memory, “I felt I had nothing to lose. I either faced slow, but well hidden tortures and perversions, death, or escape. In My anger, I chose the latter and made it to occur. Death was the next option as I could no longer accept her touches."

  "Your anger was a good weapon, San'lr'in'. I now understand why you have chosen to remain strongly connected to this anger.” She turned to The Healer, “Healer. May I apply the remainder of this potion?"

  The Healer nodded knowingly, gave her the remainder of the needed potion, then left. Sle'nel’ sat next to her lover and rubbed in the potion, removing San'lr'in’ away from the concerns of the turn.

  * * * *

  The journey's path to El'fs'nd'lle began early late-eve as the temperature began to cool, two turns later, and as the sun began its downward journey. Just prior to their departure, The High Queen placed an unbreakable spell upon the Grandmother's dwelling so that none could enter. They knew that they would have to begin their journey through the Sorcerer's Forest at first light if they had any chance of making it through the worst part in one turn, so hurried the horses through the eve.

  As they rode closer toward it,
all began to try to see the feared forest. For much of their ride, they saw the sporadic lightning occur across the forest, although there were no clouds in the sky. Even closer, they began to see the twisted trees whose branches reached eerily out toward them. And as they neared the forest's boundary even more closely, they could hear the high-pitched blood-curdling sounds that emanated from deep within it.

  Ann'wn rode back to her High Queen, bowing her head, “Is there no way around this, my Queen?"

  The High Queen gazed at the forest now directly ahead of her, wishing they had gone another way to El'fs'nd'lle. She turned her head slowly toward Ann'wn, sighing deeply, “There is, Force Leader. It is six turns around it with no water. This is the far shortest path.” She looked back to the forest, wondering if any of her powers could contain the wayward spells.

  "Can we not cross through it during the eve, Highness?"

  "The sun's light will be the only directional available to us. If we cross it during the eve, we will surely lose our way. And I doubt that any of us wish to remain forever lost in this forest."

  Ann'wn felt defeated, “We will camp here, Highness."

  The High Queen nodded.

  They made camp and awaited the morn. All were ready to leave in a hurried fashion, having barely unpacked, more than anxious to be completed with this portion of their journey. Few slept during the remainder of the eve, their nerves tense from the forests’ sounds.

  Sam jerked awake, “What was that?"

  Uthrn placed an arm around her, “Another noise from within the forest. Try to get some rest."

  "Rest? With such screaming? It is as if someone were being tortured."

  Uthrn hadn't been able to sleep at all, “You speak truth. It sounds like they are being slowly ripped apart."

  The High Queen stood at the boundary to the forest, safe from its sorcery, but hearing and seeing everything within its limits. She entered her meditations, careful to avoid moving into the boundary, but remaining close enough so that she could experiment with some of her powers against the wayward sorcerer's spells. She tried using a few of her powers against the forest, and while some worked briefly, she could feel that it would take all her combined powers to break the long-lost sorcery. She exited from her meditations, unwilling to take the risk. She knew that she could move the long-lost sorcery to within her own powers, but also knew that it would cause her great weakness for a few turns to do so.

  Perhaps, Forest, I can return you to your peace on another turn.

  While in her meditations, she had sensed that the Dark Sorcerer awaited her on the other side of the Sorcerer's Forest, so took no risk in over-extending her powers. She also sensed that he counted on her using her powers to go safely through this forest, then being in a weakened state as they met.

  A good guess, on his part, but also a great risk ... unless he has another plan.

  She stood looking at the forest, thinking aloud, well frustrated in the moment, “Why must nothing be simple?"

  "Highness?"

  She turned and saw her Healer, “Ah, Healer. It is you.” She sighed, returning herself to The Realm, “Prepare yourself. You must heed no sound, and you must not remove your blindfold. I wish you to go through this forest safely. No sound, Healer. Even that of your lover."

  As the sun's rise began to think of occurring, Ann'wn had everyone prepare. At first light, The High Queen provided a protective spell upon them to help them travel more safely through the forest. It took her many moments, but when she completed the chant, she felt that her traveling companions were now somewhat removed from their fears and from the sounds that would compel them to remove their blindfolds.

  She then nodded to her Force Leader, and Ann'wn gave her signal to Meera and Caitha. All were hooked together by short ropes from horse-to-horse, and all were blindfolded.

  Just prior to their departure, The High Queen took Meera aside, “Warrior Woman. Take heed of My words."

  "Yes, my Queen."

  "I sense you are no longer entirely of the human background. I have seen that your meditations occur overly easily for such, and I am led to believe that as humans have prolonged contact with Mystics, they become partly as such. If this is so, you will be unable to cross through this forest without a blindfold. Prepare yourself, as if you begin to see the forest as the Mystics do, you must forcefully close your eyes against it."

  Meera had at first thought her Queen to be in error, but knowing her Queen to be seldom wrong, she nodded and accepted the statement as truth, “I will also prepare Caitha for such, Highness. What if Caitha is effected as well? Who will lead us then, Highness?"

  "I will. Have no fear in this regard.” But even as she said as such, she wondered if she could make it occur.

  The High Queen had warned Ann'wn that in every group there seemed to be always one or two who would test their courage and determination against the forest, “But know this, Force Leader. You are not to remove your blindfold under any condition, no matter who or what you believe you hear. Even if you think you hear a cry for help from your lover, any other, or Me. Under no circumstances must you break your resolve, or you will forever become part of the forest. I will be unable to save you from this fate."

  Ann'wn nodded, believing every word her Queen spoke, “It will be most difficult, my Queen, but I will remain fast to your command."

  As soon as The High Queen entered into her eighth meditation, a place where sensory perception was all there was with no judgment of any kind, Caitha, Meera and The High Queen began leading their trek through the forest, with Caitha seeing or hearing nothing but ordinary forest sounds. Meera remained in alert for whatever might come her way, a blindfold readied if needed.

  The High Queen followed Meera, who followed Caitha, and their journey began easily enough. But as they entered into the deepest segments of the forest, The High Queen began sensing the sounds of the forest, knowing that they were eating away at her warriors’ resolve. Since she was in her eighth meditation, there was nothing she could do to help them persevere through the forest's sorcery. She heard their cries of surprise, hoping they could remain steadfast to their journey.

  San'lr'in’ sensed the smells of the spells, knowing them to be offensive, but passing no judgement on them. She could hear the chilling sounds caused by the sorcerer spells upon the forest, but felt no emotion regarding them. The sounds neither frightened nor pleased her in any fashion—they simply were, to her. The sights that the sorcerer spells used to try to terrify her were merely observed by her.

  The others were not as fortunate. As they traveled more deeply into the forest, the sorcerer spells sought out each individual's fears, continually preying upon them.

  Ern'seln’ began to feel the chill of her fears directly around her, hearing the sounds she most feared, Snakes. I hate snakes.

  Blindfolded, she couldn't see them, but the spells sent to her were of the sounds of snakes. She shivered as she heard hundreds of snakes ready to strike. She sensed their presence on the ground and hanging from the trees, and felt herself shaking in her own fear. She sensed their wriggling in tight throngs, all angry and hissing; all after her, and her mind had great difficulty moving away from such an image. But being trained in the ways of the great masters, she knew to ignore her imaginings for what they were, but the challenge was great.

  "Arrrggghhh!” She blindly beat at a snake that first brushed against her head, then bit her on the neck as it hung from a tree.

  "It is not real!"

  "It is not real!"

  She tried to convince herself the snake bite wasn't real, even as she felt the sharp pain of the bite, her heart racing in terror as she felt the blood oozing down her neck. Fighting against her steadily consuming fear, she tried to move herself away from her emotions, forcing herself to distance from the moment.

  Ann'wn's most intense emotion was now love and fear of its loss, so the sorcerer's spells fed greedily on her fears of losing her lover. While she also could see nothing throug
h her blindfold, she well heard The Healer screaming in pain, “Ann'wn. Help me.” Moment after moment, she heard her lover scream from tortures, as the spells endlessly haunted her mind, “Ann'wn. Help me. Please hear me. I am not of the sorcery. I need your help."

  Being an Elf, and thus more sensitive to the mystical realm than even the Mystics, San'lr'in’ had placed Sle'nel’ in a deep trance-like state so the forest couldn't affect her. She had heard many stories long prior that no Elf could make it through this forest unaided, and was unwilling to take such a risk with her lover. So, while Sle'nel’ was somewhat awake for the ride through the forest, she was even further removed from the effects of the forest than The High Queen. Because of her trance-like state, Sle'nel’ wasn't truly aware of any of her senses, so San'lr'in’ didn't worry over her.

  And The High Queen had also done as such to both the young girl they had found in the grandmother's dwelling as well as to Sele', knowing of their inability to protect themselves from the mental tortures.

  As they entered into the beginning of the deepest part of the forest, Meera began to see and hear strange movements and noises. Rather than wait, she heeded her Queen's warnings quickly and placed on her blindfold. It was now up to Caitha and San'lr'in', but even at that, Caitha was now the main leader of the travelers. Prior to the journey through the forest, San'lr'in’ had told Caitha of how to maintain a straight path through the forest, and had prepared Caitha in case she also had begun to turn part Mystical. The High Queen had seen Meera place on her blindfold, now knowing that Meera was indeed becoming part Mystical in her own right, but also leaving Caitha as their main leader. Yet, as they reached the middle of the forest where the strongest of the spells occurred in an ever more rapid and intense fashion, even Caitha was forced to place on her blindfold.

  Now somewhere between her eighth and seventh meditations, The High Queen moved her horse to the front of the line and began to lead them away from the forest's center. When Caitha no longer heard or sensed strange occurrences, she removed her blindfold and continued her guiding of the group. Sensing the sun's set, The High Queen began to back herself out of her meditations, leaving herself in her second meditation. In this meditation, she remained slightly away from The Realm to avoid the direct impact of the sorcerers’ spells, yet alert enough to remain wary of the Dark Sorcerer, should he be waiting. She also sensed that they had lost three of her Private Guard warriors, and two of her Black Guard warriors to the forest's spells.