by Julia Gray
As the sun climbed in the sky, and a few breaks in the cloud made the day a little brighter, the sense of excitement in the crowd grew in intensity.
Terrel felt their blood lust as a kind of sickness, but there was nothing he could do about it, and even he was curious to see when the elemental would make its long-anticipated appearance.
As noon approached, Terrel saw that every vantage point - every battlement, tower and window - in the palace was crowded with colourfully dressed courtiers. One particularly brilliant group seemed to be attracting a good deal of attention, and Terrel assumed that the king must be among them - but then he had no time to watch the onlookers. A bell began to toll, marking the start of the show, and a muffled cheer went up from the crowd.
Any bridges across the moat must have fallen into disrepair long ago, and although it would have been perfectly possible to have built a new wooden span, the first of the condemned men was simply thrown into the moat. He tried to swim back to shore, but guards held him off with spears and he was eventually forced to splash across to the other side. Once there he cowered on the bank, while the spectators jeered and threw stones at him until he finally began to climb the jumbled masonry of
the ruin. When he reached the top of the wall and stood still, his clothes dripping wet, the crowd of onlookers seemed to hold their breath. The man's terrified gaze swept the interior of the fort but he, like Terrel, obviously saw nothing unusual. More stones drove him on, but there was still no sign of the demon. The crowd murmured restlessly.
'Maybe it's down in the old dungeons,' someone to Terrel's left suggested.
'No chance,' his companion replied. 'The dungeons are full of water. They were flooded years ago.'
'Look!' a woman cried suddenly. 'There it is!'
At first Terrel couldn't see what she meant, but then something moved inside the ruins, and he realized that he'd been looking at the Ancient all the time.
He had been searching for a writhing, amorphous mass — like the elemental at Betancuria - but this creature had evidently managed to make itself less conspicuous, blending in with its surroundings by disguising itself as a large grey rock. However, it had clearly become agitated - presumably by the approach of the prisoner - and when that happened its shape and colouring had begun to shift, making it visible to everybody - including its intended victim. The man tried to run, but he tripped and fell on the uneven surface, and a moment later a blur of darkness lashed out, distorting the scene so that it was impossible to see exactly what was happening. There was movement where there should have been none, shadows that were cast by thin air, and a hideous scream, sharply cut off. It was all over in an instant, but no less terrifying for that. One moment the prisoner was struggling to get to his feet, the next all that was left of him was a crimson mist, as his blood scattered and fell like a shower of bright red rain. Everything else — his clothes, hair, bones — had simply vanished.
Terrel was appalled, but all around him there were gasps not of horror, but of amazement and admiration, and there was a burst of cheering and applause.
'Not bad,' his earlier informant said, his eyes shining. 'It's always better when they make them swim across the moat first.'
I'll bet it is, Terrel thought, but he was feeling too nauseous to say anything.
I couldn 't watch any longer after that. How many more died?
Three men and two women, Alyssa replied, sounding equally revolted. The later ones were even worse.
Terrel was not surprised.
The elemental is trapped with water all around it, he explained. It's not even supposed to be in the open air, and it's full of rage and fear. Having those people approach it, especially with their clothes all wet, drives it mad and it lashes out. And the more furious and terrified it gets, the more violent it becomes.
They were silent for a while, each wishing they could excise their memories of the 'show'. Hearing stories of what had happened to some of the miners in Betancuria was one thing; actually seeing it with their own eyes was something else altogether.
Did you try to talk to it? Alyssa asked.
I tried, but I was too far away — and I don't think it was listening anyway.
But it's in dreadful pain. I didn't need to talk to it to know that. It's in constant torment.
Couldn't it use some of its power to escape?
Terrel shook his head.
You know the effect being near water has on them. It's on the verge of panic all the time, and it just can't think straight.
Do you think you could reason with it if you got closer?
Maybe. But I was only able to communicate properly with the other one when I was inside it. I don't think this one is going to let me get that close.
Especially not in its present state of mind, Alyssa agreed. So what do we do now?
Well, at least there won't be any more killings for a while. The Ancient may calm down. And if it doesn 't, he added, glancing at his staff, I'll have to try to make Ekuban see sense. If he won't listen to me, he should at least listen to Reader.
Maybe you should try that first. The elemental might take days to calm down, and sooner or later someone's going to notice you're not a citizen. This place isn't exactly welcoming to outsiders.
So how do I get into the court?
I'll go and take a look at the palace, Alyssa replied, then we can decide the best approach.
After she'd flown away, Terrel wandered among the dispersing crowd, finding himself back in the central square. On the far side, beneath the outer walls of the palace, was a platform with several men standing on it. Some sort of announcement was being made and, joining many of the other spectators, Terrel went over to hear what was being said.
A red-faced man in ceremonial garb was reading aloud from a scroll. Terrel only caught the end of the proclamation, but that was enough to get the gist of it.
'It is therefore the finding of the judges' panel that these men are guilty of the crime of treason against the king and the land of Macul. The immutable sentence for this offence is death, and their executions will take place in due course in the manner laid down by the appropriate Royal Statutes.'
'But not until the festival?' one of the crowd called out.
'In this instance, that is correct,' the crier replied before turning away, his duties completed.
Terrel had not been paying any attention to this final exchange. As soon as the death sentences had been announced, he had looked across at the bedraggled group of prisoners whose wrists and ankles were manacled. When he saw the young man at the far end of the row, he could not believe his eyes. But he knew he was not mistaken. One of the condemned men was Aylen Mirana.
Chapter Forty-Six
Terrel stood quite still for some time after he'd watched Aylen and the others being led away, but then he became aware that several people - including a soldier — were looking at him, and he hurried on, picking one of the side streets at random. As the shock of seeing his friend wore off, he found it easy to imagine how he'd come to be there. When Aylen had left Fenduca to take the king's wages, he had clearly had an ulterior motive. He must have tried —
and failed — to provoke a revolt among the miners on the black mountain. The charges against him, unlike many of the other prisoners Ekuban had sent to their deaths, were probably genuine. As things stood in Macul, Aylen almost certainly was guilty of treason. The fact that any man in his right mind would want to rebel against such a regime was no defence.
Aylen's situation gave Terrel one more reason to ensure that the festival never took place - or if it did, that its outcome was not the one he'd foreseen. To this end
he worked his way around the square until he was able to approach the castle from another angle, deciding to continue his own investigations while Alyssa studied the palace. The moat was just as wide on that side, and there was no way across except by swimming — and Terrel already knew that he would stand no chance if he approached the elemental while he was wet. He had t
o try to contact the creature from where he stood. Psinoma usually only worked from relatively close range, and communicating with the Ancient was never going to be straightforward, so he didn't feel very optimistic - and although repeated efforts allowed him to form a vague picture of the elemental within, there was no direct exchange. What he learnt only confirmed his earlier impressions. The tormented creature was in agony, and in no state to listen to reason. It was much more likely to lash out and kill Terrel if he tried to get any closer. It seemed that approaching Ekuban's court was his only option.
That evening Alyssa informed him that under normal circumstances he would have no chance of getting even close to the palace, let alone inside. He had expected as much, and they spent some time discussing how to try to overcome this. The last of Terrel's food was gone, and the fact that he would soon have to resort to stealing made the situation even more urgent. But he couldn't help feeling that the plan they eventually decided on was hardly foolproof.
After Alyssa had flown away to roost, Terrel decided to try to talk to Reader, to see if he had any advice to offer. To the boy's delight, the message-handle responded
to his call and he heard the sharakan's voice clearly, even if it was faint and a little wavery at times. The old man approved of Terrel's intentions, and promised to be ready should the boy need to summon him.
It's a propitious day tomorrow, Reader concluded. The Red Moon will be new, and thus at its weakest. We can all be calm.
Terrel thought this was oversimplifying matters, but he appreciated the sentiment and was glad the sharaken were going to support him. When their brief conversation ended, Terrel lay down beneath another garden hedge and fell into an exhausted sleep. He dreamt of the Dark Moon, its surface covered in diamond-bright swirls, shining down upon Talazoria. The strange light made the palace glitter like an enormous jewel, but the building seemed to be encased in a glass dome - a giant version of the structures atop the sharaken's towers - which held a fascination of its own. Terrel stared, unable to decide what it was or what it meant, and this time there were no words to help him decipher his vision.
The next morning Terrel stood in the square, gripping the message-handle tightly in his left hand, and stared at the palace again. This time there was no glass dome, just the same demented melange of shapes and colours. The platform where he'd seen Aylen was empty now, except for a couple of sentries who were watching over the square. To one side was the main entrance to the palace, with its doors - reputedly made of solid silver - standing open. A group of soldiers was on duty there, but the atmosphere seemed relaxed, as if they assumed that no one would be stupid enough - or bold enough - to try to enter uninvited. Terrel felt a sudden reckless determination to prove them wrong.
Which are you, then? Alyssa asked from above. Stupid or bold?
Terrel glanced up at the sky, no longer surprised by her ability to hear his thoughts.
Both, he replied. Are you ready?
Oh, yes, she answered eagerly.
You remember the signal? And exactly what to do?
You 're in the hands of experts, she assured him. Not that we have hands. Get going!
Terrel took a deep breath, then strode forward as purposefully as he could, trying to ignore the soreness of his right foot. During his time in Talazoria, he'd come to realize that far from being a disadvantage, the unusual nature of his staff had actually helped him. As far as the citizens were concerned, a peasant would not own such a remarkable object, and therefore he must be worthy of a place in their city. As he neared the gateway, he brandished the message-handle energetically, and kept his eyes wide open so that everyone there could see that they too were out of the ordinary. Even though his heart was hammering, he tried to exude an air of self-confidence.
Several guards were aware of him now, and were watching his progress with some amusement. One of the sentries was about to challenge the boy when a whirring piebald shape flew past his head. He turned to follow its progress, and saw that it was not alone. The magpies descended in a chattering mob, each one drawn to a particular bright object in or near the palace gates, and the square was soon echoing to the sound of two dozen beaks pecking repeatedly at stone, plaster or wood. The
guards all gazed at the onslaught, struck dumb by the birds' inexplicable behaviour. It was only when one of the magpies managed to dislodge a ruby that had been set in the eye of a statue, that the sentries began to react.
'Get rid of them!' the duty captain yelled. 'And don't let them take anything!' He drew his sword and waved it above his head in an attempt to scare some of the marauders away, while one of his men stooped to retrieve the fallen ruby - much to the annoyance of the bird who had flown down to claim its prize.
By then most of the soldiers were trying to fend off the magpies and, in answer to another shouted order, an archer had emerged from the guardhouse. He appeared to be at a loss at first, but then shot a couple of arrows at the insistence of his captain. He didn't come close to hitting any of the birds.
In the midst of all this pandemonium, no one noticed that Terrel had reached the gateway and was now standing under the arch.
'There is a plague upon this house!' he yelled, raising both arms.
At his words the entire flock rose into the air, only to come down again on the inner side of the wall and attack a new set of targets inside the palace.
As the captain redeployed his forces and called for reinforcements, the battle moved on — and Terrel moved with it.
Which way now? He had forgotten Alyssa's instructions.
Go straight ahead, then climb the stairs to the right and go up to the third level, she told him. There's a corridor there that leads to the inner ring.
Once you 're past that, the main hall is under the blue spire with the gold pinnacle.
Terrel followed her directions, listening to the continuing sounds of the airborne conflict and keeping an eye out for any guards. None of them seemed to be paying him any attention, and a few even ran straight past him on their way to help their colleagues. The magpies had spread out now, attacking different parts of the palace at random and driving the sentries to distraction.
When Terrel reached the inner wall, and had to pass through a smaller gate where the sentries were still on duty, a group of birds appeared at Alyssa's behest and began to destroy a jewelled mosaic nearby. The soldiers hesitated, not quite sure that they believed what they were seeing, then they abandoned their post and ran to shoo the raiders away - and Terrel walked unchallenged into the royal inner sanctum. He soon reached the golden doors beneath the spire, and knew that this was the moment of truth. Until then he'd been avoiding confrontation; now he had to seek it out.
Be careful, Alyssa told him from somewhere overhead. There's something not right here.
This is my chance, he replied. Get your friends away now before any of them get hurt.
I can't, she said. They're having too much fun to stop now.
Terrel grinned, in spite of the fact that his insides seemed to have turned to liquid. He raised his staff and slammed the heel into the golden door. He could sense the shocked silence on the other side as the metal reverberated, and he struck again, even harder this time. At the third blow the doors opened inwards, pulled by unseen servants, and Terrel got his first look at the Talazorian court. It took all of his remaining courage to step forward and face a hundred pairs of curious eyes.
The hall was massive, with a cavernous roof, banner-strewn walls and a marble floor that was built on two levels. The outer part surrounded a sunken interior, with steps leading down on all four sides to a performance area below. There a man held a chain which was connected to a ring through the nose of a large bear, while three musicians sat to one side. TerrePs entrance had evidently interrupted their act, and the four men were looking up at him in disbelief. The area near the door was clear, but the rest of the upper level was filled with courtiers, and on the far side - raised above everyone else by a magnificent throne — sat the king.
Terrel had expected Ekuban to be a dissolute old man dressed in colourful silks, but the king was young, well-muscled and extremely handsome. He was dressed more like a soldier than a courtier and, apart from a diamond-studded coronet, he wore no jewellery. His eyes, like everyone else's, were fixed on Terrel, and even though the king's face showed only amusement and a little surprise, the boy felt the madness in that gaze. He stood erect, staring back with all the bravado he could muster, but he was shivering inside. This was a man, he sensed, who would be capable of anything.
'After such an entrance, we expected at least a small army,' Ekuban remarked, breaking the deathly silence. 'And yet all we have is a crippled peasant boy.'
'I—'
'Did we ask you to speak?' His voice was soft, and his tone was deceptively mild, but it silenced Terrel nonetheless. 'Are your manners as deformed as your limbs? Give me one good reason why we should not feed your pretty eyes to Aygian's bear.' Ekuban waved expressive hands. 'You may speak now.'
'Your kingdom is under threat, Your Majesty.' Terrel's voice shook a little in spite of all his efforts.
'From you?' Ekuban laughed, and the rest of the courtiers joined in, taking their cue from their monarch. They were obviously pleased that the king had decided the intruder represented no threat and was allowing him to stay for his amusement value.
'No,' Terrel replied. 'From the creature you call the demon.'
'Our little pet?' Ekuban said, looking round in wide-eyed astonishment that provoked further merriment from his audience. 'Surely not. He is harmless to all but our enemies.'
'That will change if you go on as you are.'
Some of the onlookers gasped when they heard this provocative statement, but the king just smiled.
'Really?' he said, then paused, considering. 'You're clearly quite mad, but you've obviously gone to a lot of trouble to get here, so we might as well listen to what you have to say.'
Red-faced guards appeared in the doorway behind Terrel, but Ekuban waved them away, then gestured to the boy again.
