“Perhaps you should ask her yourself.”
“Perhaps I should.” The continued on in silence for a few minutes before Aurelius spoke once more: “You were also a witness to . . . something else, weren’t you?” Martanel considered his answer carefully, but while he hesitated the elder answered his own question. “Yes, you were.”
“I’m a royal guard, so you will have seen me guarding either the princess or the queen.”
“Yes or no will do,” Aurelius replied.
“I was witness to both matings, yes.”
“Will you say anything?”
“It is not my place. I have no cause to interfere.”
Aurelius smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m glad to hear there is still some fellowship among men. We must stick together if we’re to survive in a society such as this one.”
Martanel nodded but said nothing. Silence reigned once more and endured until they reached the elder’s quarters. The door was guarded by two others. They seemed surprised and confused to see Aurelius. Martanel saw their reaction and suddenly he found himself wondering how the elder had escaped house arrest to come see the princess in her quarters; he knew for a fact that the queen had commanded the elder and his friends be confined to their room.
Aurelius turned to him with a small smile and said, “You may go now.”
Martanel was about to object, to say that he had to see Aurelius into his room, but a quick look at the two guards posted there told him his presence was unnecessary. Only the growing suspicion in his gut told him that something was awry and that he should stay to investigate, yet he could think of no pretext to do so. Instead, he returned Aurelius’s smile and slowly turned to leave. When he heard the door to Aurelius’s room groan as it opened, he turned to look back over his shoulder. He saw the elder disappearing through the narrowing crack in the door as the guards shut it behind him. There was a strange flicker of movement, a shimmering upon the air, a sudden shift in aspect and ratio, and for the briefest of moments he thought he saw a flash of long white hair cascading down Aurelius’s back.
A spike of dread sliced through Martanel, and suddenly his limbs were trembling with adrenaline. A trick of the light?
It must have been.
He shook his head and continued on his way. Now that he was no longer required as a witness for the princess, Martanel resolved to return to the queen’s quarters and guard the relic. He needed to be where he could guard it. A part of him wanted to escape with the relic once more to keep it safe, but few places in Mrythdom were harder to escape from than Meria—at least that was true for his enemies, too, should they find and steal the relic.
Martanel frowned. He was playing a dangerous game.
* * *
“Where did you go?” Aurelius asked Gabrian as the old man walked by.
“Nowhere. Go back to sleep.”
“Did you find it?”
Gabrian stopped and slowly turned. “Find what?”
“The relic. You were out looking for it weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Not yet.”
“What?” Aurelius demanded. “We don’t have much time! I don’t have much time! Can’t you hurry up? Search harder?”
Gabrian’s wrinkled lips twisted into a sneer. “Why? Worried that the queen might summon you to lie with her?”
Aurelius frowned. “Among other things. This place is not safe for you either, you know. They don’t have much use for men like you, Wrinkles.”
The old man smiled cryptically. “I’m sure I’ll manage to be of service somehow.” With that, the old man turned and continued on his way, presumably to go back to bed.
“Hey, I’m not done talking to you yet, you old crone!” Aurelius heard the door to Gabrian’s room shut; he lay back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling with a worming sensation of dread. He was wide awake, but as the minutes wore on, his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep. He was dreaming peacefully by the time Gabrian opened the door to his room and slipped out once more. The wizard stopped by Aurelius to whisper a command which would shut the elder’s ears to any noise that might wake him and then he carried on his way. He reached the door and softly knocked. It cracked open and one of their guards thrust his beady, blood-shot eyes into the opening.
“What is it?”
“Yesha ter ara congelisen.” May you be frozen.
“Whaaat?” the guard asked as his lips and vocal chords slowly froze in place.
“Et carasha . . .” he whispered. And forget.
“The man’s gaze grew vague and distant. His movements had already slowed, his lips still slightly moving in a vain attempt to form words. Gabrian opened the door wider and slipped out into the hall. The other guard was already stiff as a statue. Gabrian shut the door behind him and turned both guards to face out toward the hall, giving the appearance that they were still dutifully guarding the door, just in case anyone happened by before the magic wore off.
That done, Gabrian hurried on his way. It was still hours before the coral-crusted corridors would lighten with the dawn. By the time Gabrian reached his destination, he was no longer old and wizened, but strong and young, with enviable good looks that would be enough to open any door in Meria—even the doors to the queen’s chambers.
The queen’s guards frowned to see him arrive, but they quickly conveyed him inside. When he reached the second set of guards at the doors to her bedchambers, he found that he recognized one of them. That guard recognized him, too.
“What are you doing here?” Martanel hissed. “I thought you went back to bed?”
Aurelius gritted his teeth and swallowed his frustration. It seemed like that nosy guard was everywhere at once. “Mind your business. I’m here to see the queen. Tell her I have arrived, lest her displeasure be yours to bear.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed and his expression clouded darkly. “And if I refuse?”
But the guard on Martanel’s other side was already knocking softly on the queen’s door. The door opened a moment later to reveal the queen. Her sharp, angular face bore a look that could have made a troll falter. “How dare you wake me.” Then her icy gaze found Aurelius. He bowed and hung his head in deference. She stared at him for a long, indecisive moment, clearly not willing to release her ire so easily.
“Why have you come?” she asked.
“A thousand apologies, most beauteous queen, but I could not keep myself away. You fill my every waking thought, and when I sleep, I dream only of you. I had to come see you; I could no longer resist.”
“Had I called to you, you would not have been able to resist my call, but you came of your own accord. You must be weak with desire indeed.” The queen sighed. “I cannot permit this to continue. You are new here, so I will grant you pardon just one more time, but the next time you come seeking me out, you will be turned away.”
His head still bowed, Aurelius nodded. “I understand.”
“Come,” the queen said and held out her hand to him. “I will show you what it means to be satisfied.”
* * *
When it was over and the queen lay exhausted beside him, Aurelius whispered a word of command, to which she inquired: “Did you say something?” and then it took effect and she promptly fell asleep, still waiting for the answer.
Aurelius smiled wickedly to himself. He got up and dressed, then spent a moment searching the room. The queen’s bedchambers were large, though they seemed smaller due to the clutter of treasures she had accumulated. Eventually, he found a large wooden chest. It was inlaid with gold and silver. He lifted the lid. It was heavy; at least twenty pounds even on its hinges. Inside the chest were all manner of gold and jewels, and a mountain of pearls, some of them as large as the tip of his thumb. The chest was neatly organized and carefully padded to prevent any one item from being damaged by the rest. Aurelius shoveled recklessly through the assorted treasures. He was digging through the mountain of pearls when his hands seized upon the item he was looking
for. Its slippery smooth surface was preternaturally cold to the touch, almost enough to burn his skin. He carefully withdrew the fist-sized orb and beheld it a moment in his palm. It glittered there with a faintly glowing luminescence that roiled and swirled as though there were a raging silver fire locked within.
Aurelius shook himself out of his fascination with the object. He’d been in pursuit of it for so long, and now, finally, it was his! He smiled, a slow, wicked smile, and for a moment he was tempted to use magic to teleport himself and the relic instantly away from Meria so that the relic could never be stolen back, but the risks were too great. If he accidentally teleported himself into the middle of a volcano, all his searching would have been in vain. No, he had his means of escape, and a plan to be far, far away from Meria before anyone even started looking for him. Not long now. Not long.
Aurelius wrapped the relic in the loose folds of his tunic and started for the door. He left the treasure chest open, so that his theft would be discovered as soon as possible. He stopped at the foot of the bed to indulge himself in one last lingering look at the queen. She and her daughter both were incredibly stunning. Some distant part of him regretted leaving them both behind, but he knew they would be impossible to live with. They would never submit to him as they should.
With a quiet sigh, he opened the door and stepped out into the living room. Martanel shot him a narrow-eyed look while the other guard grinned stupidly at him. Aurelius ignored them both and closed the door carefully behind him. He continued straight on through the queen’s chambers to the front door, but before he was even halfway there he felt strong hands on his shoulders. He was roughly turned until he was face to face with Martanel. Aurelius felt a stab of dread. His theft had somehow been discovered a little too soon.
“Show me what you have there,” the guard commanded, nodding to the inconspicuous bulge which Aurelius was covering with his hand. How the guardsman had managed to notice it was a mystery.
Aurelius feigned ignorance. “Mmmm?”
“I said—”
Aurelius interrupted him with a strangely echoing whisper. “Yesha ter ara congelisen.”
Martanel realized what was happening too late. He tried to counter the magic with his own, but his lips would not move to form the words. Had he known that the man before him was not really Aurelius, he might have had his guard up, but as it was, he was helpless to resist the spell.
Aurelius smiled, and whispered another command to freeze the other guardsman in place. Once they were completely motionless, he unveiled the relic and held it up to Martanel’s eyes. “Is this what you were looking for?” Aurelius’s smile broadened. “It’s all mine now. Oh, and you can tell the queen: I’ve had better. Her daughter for one.” With that, he tucked the relic back inside his tunic and continued on his way. As he left, he froze the guards at the main entrance, just for good measure. It wouldn’t do to be discovered before he could escape.
They would snap out of it soon enough and alert the queen to his betrayal. Of course, he could have disabled the guards more permanently, but he wanted witnesses. Aurelius was going to be in a lot of trouble when they all woke up. By then, he, Gabrian, would be long gone, a stowaway on the princess’s mission to the surface. By the time she returned to rescue Aurelius from the queen, he would have already been executed in the ring for his crimes.
What a pity, Gabrian thought, smiling to himself as he hurried down the corridor.
* * *
Lashyla awoke just before dawn to find Aurelius already gone. She frowned, feeling bereft and rejected anew, but she knew he had left to keep their secret, not because he couldn’t stand to be with her. She hurried through her morning routine, taking her usual swim, catching and eating a quick breakfast as she swam her second lap around the city. Then she swam back inside and dressed once more, not even taking the time to dry herself. She hurried to her room and collected the supplies she would need; some more appropriate clothing for one, which she could use to walk around the dusty cities built upon the shores of the Misty Sea.
She bid her guards goodbye. One of them asked where she was going, and unthinkingly she told him, only to swear him to secrecy a moment later. The fewer who knew about her journey the better.
Lashyla hurried straight to the Launch. There she found the Queen’s Carrier waiting in silent readiness. It was a fairly large vessel, but even for all its size, it only required one person to pilot it, which was just as well. Lashyla certainly didn’t want to have to involve another maiden in her plot. No, this way was better; by the time anyone discovered the reason for her trip, she would already have the champion she needed to steal Aurelius from her mother.
Lashyla walked straight up to the sleek black hull of the vessel and began climbing the rungs of the ladder to the top of the conning tower where the hatch lay. She was barely halfway up when she heard hurried footsteps come echoing into the yawning chamber. Lashyla turned to look. It was one of her guards.
“Princess!” he called up to her, stopping just beneath the conning tower.
“What is it?” she called back, annoyed to be troubled just before she was about to leave.
“It’s Aurelius. The queen’s guards came for him only a moment ago. I told them he was back in his quarters, and they left to search for him there.”
Lashyla shook her head, confused. “So? What did they want?”
“There’s an order for his arrest. He’s to be executed immediately for theft and treason.”
The Ring
Chapter 30
“Theft? What did he steal?” Lashyla demanded.
The guardsman shook his head. “I don’t know, but the queen is not happy about it.”
“Fool!” she hissed. Her guard flinched, but the exclamation wasn’t directed at him. “He is ruining everything!”
“Your apologies, princess, I didn’t mean to—”
She made a sharp gesture with her hand, cutting him off, and then began descending the ladder. A moment later she stood scowling before him. “Were you one of my witnesses?”
“I was.”
“And the other?”
The man shrugged. “Guarding our beauteous queen perhaps.”
“Fetch him and meet me at the queen’s chambers. We have no time to lose.” With that, the princess stalked away. She could feel her fury coming and going on pulsing waves that throbbed insistently in her forehead. What had Aurelius been thinking to steal from her mother? He’d left her with only one choice, and it wasn’t a good one.
* * *
Gabrian waited a long time in the sepulchral stillness of the submarine’s cargo hold. He’d hidden himself inside one of the old, empty alloy boxes stacked along the walls. The inside of it smelled like rotting fish. His legs were cramping, and his backside ached from sitting so long on the hard floor. Something was wrong. The princess should have left by now. They should already be on their way. What was taking her?
Reluctantly, Gabrian unfolded himself from his hiding place and stalked through the submarine to find her. The vessel was as silent as a tomb. When at last he reached the cockpit, he found it empty. Now he was certain that something was awry. It had been hours since the dawn. If Lashyla were coming, she should have come by now. Something had delayed her, which meant that something had delayed him as well.
With a grunt of irritation, Gabrian turned and strode from the cockpit. It was time to find out what that something was.
* * *
The guards came for Aurelius while he was still sound asleep on the couch. They’d slammed through the door and marched straight up to him before he’d even finished blinking the sleep from his eyes. He’d sat up just as they hauled him to his feet and began half carrying, half dragging him to the door. Another pair of guards disappeared into Reven’s room and Aurelius heard the rising sounds of a struggle. The sounds of struggle drew four more guards from the hallway outside and soon the growling and snarling began, followed by the snapping of teeth and the wild, frightened exclamation
s of men.
“He’s a wolf!”
“Stick him!”
There came a scream and then a startled yelp. Aurelius struggled against the hands holding him to twist around and see what had happened. He saw four men emerge from Reven’s room dragging a massive, furry monster behind them. Aurelius couldn’t tell if it was dead or alive. Another two men came limping from the room. One of them was holding a strip of cloth to a bubbling gash in his forearm.
“What’s going on?” Aurelius demanded.
“Quiet!” A guard cuffed him across the back of his head, and Aurelius’s teeth clacked together noisily. Another pair of guards emerged from Gabrian’s room shaking their heads. One of those holding Aurelius turned to him, his eyes flashing dangerously. Aurelius found that he recognized this guard. This was the guard who had been with the princess when she had taken him on a tour of the city. This guard had been the one to escort him back to the galley after he'd successfully repelled the princess. Along the way the guard had praised Aurelius for his restraint and introduced himself as Martanel.
“Where is the old man?” Martanel demanded.
Aurelius met those accusing blue eyes with honest ignorance. “I don’t know.”
“Fool!” Martanel hissed.
One of the other guards called out, “Take him to the queen. She wants a word with him before he’s thrown into the ring.”
Suddenly Aurelius was being dragged along again. He felt his heart hammering with anxious dread. “The ring?”
“That’s right,” Martanel said while helping to drag him through the corridors of the city. The glowing clumps of coral flashed by in shades of vermillion, jade, and ocher, dazzling Aurelius’s still sleepy eyes. He blinked away the glare. “What did I do to be sent to the ring?”
“You stole from the queen . . . or don’t you remember?” Martanel turned to look at him with eyes that were suddenly less accusing than curious, as though the man’s question were genuine rather than sarcastic.
Mrythdom: Game of Time Page 27
