by Linda McNabb
Stavis looked annoyed and the other two frowned and looked at each other to see what to do next. Clearly they hadn’t considered that their idea might not pass the vote.
‘So,’ Stavis said, his eyes flicked around the room as if his thoughts were jumping around and he paced as he cleared his throat. Then he stopped and his gaze settled on Kranos. ‘You’ll give the magic to the lower city - if it passes the vote. They will use it rebuilding their magical homes, and then what. Deek is so overcrowded that we’ll be living in boats before much longer. We can’t magically make more land available to build on. Remember, our ancestors were banished here.’
‘We should use the bridge and all move over to the mainland,’ Moris suggested. ‘There’s much more land there.’
‘The bridge was only designed to carry the cats. It is a huge strain to take people. Even if we can make it strong enough to use daily for people it can only carry two or three at a time. It would take months to move everyone there,’ Kranos said, not dismissing the idea but pointing out the shortfalls.
‘If we even had a bridge, that is,’ Stavis said. ‘Didn’t you hear that Bridge Master Kyran has gone missing.’
‘Missing?’ Moris asked. ‘Where can anyone go on this island that they can’t be found?’
‘Rumour has it that he left by the bridge to the mainland last night and took the moonstone with him. I hear that he was trying to take the child as well,’ Stavis said, one eyebrow arched for effect. ‘It seems that anyone who can get the power is trying to steal it all. We should protect it all for the upper city.’
Rem wondered how the story had been twisted in such a short time, although she was rather relieved that she hadn’t been mentioned so far.
‘Caden wasn’t even down at the bridge hall last night.’ Kranos shook his head as if dismissing the entire story.
‘So we have no way to get to the mainland now,’ Moris said, and looked a little disappointed. ‘A fresh start would have been good.’
‘Why can’t we break the banishment if we have unlimited magic?’ Otrid suggested. ‘Is it unlimited?’
The last question was directed at Kranos and he shrugged and glanced at Caden. ‘I think it is.’
There was silence for over a minute as the idea sank in. Even Rem wondered why it hadn’t been the first thought on their minds as soon as they found out there was a Well of Life.
‘We suggested revenge,’ Stavis was the first to break the silence. ‘But it was outvoted.’
‘We’re not talking revenge - just a return to the mainland,’ Moris explained.
Another silence followed.
‘I second the idea,’ Kranos said quietly. ‘Those in favour?’
All hands in the room rose instantly.
Rem wondered how much magic such a spell would take. Caden might not even be able to give that much, but if he could, then he would be back on the mainland and Eagan might be able to restore his youth again.
Once they were back on the mainland she would make sure she slipped away with Caden at the first chance. She was still making plans in her head when Stavis spoke up.
‘I raise the motion again for revenge,’ Stavis said before the hands for the vote had even been lowered. ‘We may have to defeat the humans to be able to live on the mainland.’
‘Seconded,’ Pelan said quickly. ‘Who agrees?’
Only two hands lowered. This time Royd and Otrid voted in favour of revenge even though they looked bothered by the idea.
‘If it’s the only way to settle there,’ Royd said quietly.
‘We start to plan first thing tomorrow,’ Kranos said and some of the glow had left his face as soon as the second vote had been passed. He turned and left the room without waiting for anyone to agree and his family followed.
Rem felt her heart sink. Even if Caden survived giving as much magic as it took to reverse the banishment, the wizards now wanted to go to war with those on the mainland. Everything was going wrong.
Chapter Eight - Water Haven
Seth woke early and slipped away from the others as they stoked the fire back into life to heat water for tea. He walked down to the edge of the lake as he wanted a few minutes alone before they ventured over to the city. He had many things in his life to regret and he wanted a chance to put some of them right.
‘The water is so clear,’ a voice behind him remarked.
He did not need to turn to know that it was Waide and he shuffled several paces away so that a tree was between them. He knew the boy had every right to be angry with him but he wanted to avoid yet another confrontation. Waide knelt down and dipped his hand in the water then touched it to his lips.
‘But it is definitely not fresh water,’ he added with a grimace as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
‘There are lots of colourful fish.’ Seth pointed to a small school of yellow fish darting around in the depths. He frowned as he followed the progress of the fish. They darted through and around swaying green grasses and columns of coloured rock. Some of the columns seemed unusual and as he stared his mind worked them into shapes that made more sense.
‘Is that a house?’ Waide asked, echoing Seth’s thoughts.
Far below the surface Seth could make out dozens of houses, some small and some larger official-looking flat-roofed buildings. The early morning sun was slanting down into the water and lighting up the structures so that they looked even more bizarre. They were all disfigured with growths and partially hidden by waving sea grass, but they were definitely houses.
‘It is… this was… part of our city.’ They both turned to see that Tal had joined them. She was looking at the scene below with mild disinterest and she shrugged. ‘It was a long time ago.’
‘I see lots of people as well. Did they drown?’ Neras asked quietly.
Seth turned back to the lake and squinted as he made out the shape of a group of people below the surface. ‘Are they people?’
Tal followed Seth’s gaze and laughed. ‘No, our ancestors were fond of very large statues and sculptures. Luckily, nobody died when the valley flooded.’
A loud splash off to his right drew Seth’s attention and he watched the black dragon dive deep into the lake and emerge with her mouth full of fish. She flew low over the three youths and dropped several fish on them as she angled back to the clearing.
‘Eat up. We leave soon!’ Seth called out after her.
‘Well, that’s partly true,’ Tal said brushing water off her shoulder. ‘I was sent to bring you both back so we can have a talk.’
Seth let one eyebrow rise in question but Tal had already turned back towards their makeshift camp. He waited for Waide to follow her and then stayed a dozen paces behind the boy.
A discussion was already in progress when they re-joined the others.
‘It would not be wise to arrive on the back of dragons,’ Asher said with a shake of his head. ‘We need to go discretely so that my father does not hear of our return too soon.’
‘What he means,’ Tal added. ‘… is that father doesn’t know where we went and won’t be pleased.’
Asher glared at his sister and took a long deep breath before continuing.
‘That is beside the point. Flying over the islands will cause panic and confusion. We don’t want that.’
Eagan shrugged. ‘I don’t really care about any of that, but can we just get moving?’
Convincing the dragons to stay behind wasn’t as hard as Seth had imagined.
‘I like fish.’ MoonFlame licked her snout as she looked in the direction of the lake. ‘As long as I can dive in the lake I am happy to wait here.’
StarFire just grunted but his gaze also drifted towards the lake.
‘I will call for you when it is safe to follow us,’ Seth said. ‘Will you be able to hear me? Perhaps we can use some sort of light signal?’
‘I can still hear your call even though we are no longer bonded.’ MoonFlame raised one leg and pointed to the mark on Seth’s forehead. �
�There is no need for a light. I can find you wherever you are.’
Seth nodded. It seemed that he and MoonFlame got along much better without being bonded.
‘Hurry up, Seth, if you’re coming!’
‘They are all in the boat and about to leave,’ Neras said as he floated above the trees to see what was going on.
‘I have to go,’ Seth said, but MoonFlame was already lifting off in the direction of the lake.
The boat was long, low and wide with simple planks for seats and an empty section at one end. Asher and Tal stood at either side holding long paddles.
‘Give us a push, then jump in,’ Asher instructed.
The boat was only partly wedged against the edge of the lake and it only took a small effort to set it free. Seth jumped aboard, hoping he didn’t tip the boat over and send them all into the water. The boat barely moved as he landed and his surprise must have shown on his face as Asher laughed.
‘They are built to transport people and goods between the islands. They wouldn’t be much good if they tipped over so easily.’
Asher and Tal were already moving the boat forward with the oars and it sped along the surface of the lake much faster than Seth expected. The distance to the islands ahead was considerable, but at this speed it would not take long. Seth divided his time between watching the islands grow closer and the startlingly eerie view below the water surface. Neras had his head in the lake and Darius was looking at the young wizard as if he were a mindless fool. Oran was floating out in front of the boat and looked as if he thought he was in charge and leading the entire quest. He had avoided talking to or even being near his nephew since their history had been revealed.
‘Now remember not to mention anything about being able to do magic,’ Asher instructed. ‘I don’t think my father would see the difference between you and the Yarris.’
They passed by several islands at a good distance, but people stood at the water’s edge peering out to see who was in the boat. The islands looked to be mostly farmland with only a few dozen houses clustered together at one end. After the second island Seth noticed a plume of smoke rising from the beach as Tal and Asher rowed them onward. The smoke stopped then started as if someone was controlling the release of it.
‘They’re sending a message ahead,’ Darius said. ‘It’s like the drums we use in the West.’
Asher scowled as he noticed the smoke signals. ‘Father will be waiting for us no doubt.’
The largest island-mountain came into view and the base of the huge mountain was clearly visible under the water. Several large wharves jutted out into the lake and despite the early hour there were a lot of people coming and going by boat. Some of the boats were small and low like the one they were in, but others were much larger and intended for longer, rougher journeys.
‘Where do those boats go?’ Waide asked. The usual anger that clouded his face was gone for now as he stared at the wondrously strange land they were in.
‘Some go for fish out in the ocean, and others to trade with the lands further south,’ Tal replied and earned herself a scowl from her brother. His mood was getting blacker by the minute and he thrust the oar into the water with such force it splashed everyone in the boat.
‘There are towns further south on this side of the mountain?’ Eagan asked, and his expression showed he was very surprised.
‘There weren’t before the flood,’ Tal replied, ignoring her brother’s dark stare. ‘The lands here could not support us all so half of our people moved south.’
‘Why don’t you tell them all of our city’s secrets while you’re at it?’ Asher snapped.
Tal shrugged. ‘What does it matter now, brother? Either we all band together and defeat the wizards and then there is no need for secrecy at all, or the wizards regain their powers and we’re all lost anyway.’
Asher grunted as they steered the boat towards the nearest wharf. Several men rushed to help tie it to the wooden railings and bowed deeply when they saw who was on board.
The buildings were mostly made of stone. There were so many on this particular island that it was impossible to count them. They even crowded together right at the water’s edge and some were built out of wood on the wharves. They were painted a variety of bright colours and with them all being so close together the result was that it looked one huge house with splashes of colour across it.
The wharf they were on had no houses on it, and appeared to be a general landing place.
Several larger boats were tied up to mooring posts a short distance from the island and Seth looked at the largest one with interest. It was far too big to be used between the islands of the lake. There was a lot of activity aboard the ship, for it couldn’t really be called a boat, and it looked in bad repair. Several men were examining a ripped sail and many others appeared to be repairing the ropes and rigging.
‘It must have been in a big storm,’ Neras commented as he floated out on the water for a closer look. ‘It doesn’t look like they get big storms here though.’
Seth had to agree. The houses he could see had not been touched by a storm and there were pretty flower boxes at most of the windows.
Two men were in a small rowboat leaving the ship and heading for the same wharf as their own boat had just tied up to. One looked extremely grumpy as he stood at the front of the rowboat and a younger man was rowing quickly.
‘Faster!’ the man yelled and the rower obliged. The boat rocked with the brisk effort and the man almost lost his balance.
‘Careful, are you trying to tip me out?’ the grumpy man shouted.
‘Begging your pardon, Your Highness,’ the youth replied, but slowed his rowing only a fraction.
‘I’ve told you before - call me Captain!’ the man snapped back.
‘Yes, Captain.’
‘Here comes trouble,’ Asher said in a slow drawl.
‘Our brother,’ Tal added.
‘So he won’t be pleased to see you either?’ Seth asked.
Seth got his answer as Asher and Tal melted into the crowd just as their older brother arrived.
The boat banged up against the wharf with little ceremony and the captain was thrown from the vessel. He landed face-first on the wooden planks and leapt up and began walking hurriedly towards the island without even looking back to chastise the rower. Seth guessed that whatever his business it was very important indeed!
He brushed past Eagan and the others without noticing them and vanished into the small crowd that had begun to gather at the land-end of the wharf. Asher and Tal reappeared by their boat.
‘He looks angry,’ Eagan noted.
‘He always does,’ Tal replied. ‘Follow us, there’s someone we need to speak to.’
‘Prince Asher, Princess Talia,’ a man said as he hurried towards them and bowed. He wore a pale blue jacked embroidered with a dark blue emblem on the pockets. It was a single tree with wavy lines beneath that were most likely to signify waves. ‘Your father requests your presence at the hall. And you are to bring your…. guests.’
‘They are traders, Sharn,’ Asher said, a little too quickly for it to be believable.
‘Of course, Prince Asher,’ the man replied, his expression blank. ‘Your father is waiting.’
‘Perhaps if we take the shortcut?’ Asher suggested. ‘I’d like to see him before Tulone does.’
Sharn nodded and they followed him up the wharf as the crowd parted obediently without being asked. The people stared at the group as they passed then began to whisper amongst themselves. Seth assumed that strangers were rare here and their presence was no doubt going to fuel a lot of rumour and speculation. They were led through narrow alleys and up steep sets of steps between closely packed houses. This was definitely not a main route through the city! People leaned out of windows to watch them pass and there was such a sense of overcrowding that Seth was already feeling very uncomfortable. He had spent most of his life avoiding crowds and cities and he hated to think what damage his gift would do
in such close quarters with so many people.
The Hall turned out to be a dwelling a little larger than the others but apart from that it did not look particularly royal. Several blue-clad guards stood either side of the double doors that led into the brightly painted building and they pulled the doors open as the group approached.
The corridor echoed as they walked briskly along it and Asher took the lead when Sharn moved aside and took up a position at the back of the group.
The corridor went on for much longer than it should have considering the size of the building. There were no windows and the way was lit with glowing baskets of light on the walls. After several minutes Seth knew that the building had been dug into the mountain itself and could indeed be massive despite its small exterior.
They passed by many corridors leading off to the right and left and more than a dozen doors. At the end of the rows of ornate doors was a larger pair of doors. They were guarded by a man who stood blocking access to them. He stepped aside when he saw who approached and Asher thrust open the doors without knocking. Tal was hurrying to keep up with him and they entered together, with the rest of the group trailing behind, unsure of what they were going to find inside.
Seth looked around as they went in and saw they were in a circular room. The only window was in the roof and clouds scudded past quickly in the sky. There was more than enough light without the glowing baskets which were in this room as well, but were not lit. There were several low, well-padded benches of blue silky material and at the far side was an ornate blue chair that Seth guessed was the king’s throne.
It was empty and Asher seemed surprised. He and Tal stopped a few paces from it and he turned to Sharn who was closing the doors behind them.
‘Where is my father?’ he asked.
‘King Harld not well,’ Sharn replied, and this time his voice held a hint of reproach. ‘He has taken to his bed with worry over two of his children who vanished some weeks ago.’
A door behind the blue chair opened, and a middle-aged man walked slowly out. He paused several times and leaned against the wall before walking to the chair and sitting down. He was pale and thin but his eyes held a strength within their depths that showed he had fought his illness defiantly.
