“You can’t kill me,” he snarled. “Your life depends on mine. Whatever you do to me, you must leave me alive, and one day I will have my revenge. Bear that in mind, Nia. Whatever you do to me one day will be showered back upon you tenfold, I swear by the Ancients!”
“Yes, the Ancients,” said Nia. “Swear by them if you want to. They don’t care for you, Malferio, nor for any of us. They did not stop me from beheading their Oracle and they will lend no power to your pleas for mercy. That is what you’re begging for, really, isn’t it? That I will show some mercy?”
After a long silence, Malferio tried to scream a Curse. But it perished in his mouth, leaving him with aching teeth and a burnt tongue. Nia stepped towards him.
“Go on, beg. It would please me, I think.”
“I can give you anything,” Malferio said hollowly, his eyes bright with hate. “Name it.”
“You can give me nothing,” hissed Nia, pushing him down on his knees before her. “You are not a king any longer, Malferio. I wear your blood, your immortality, and there is nothing I want from you except to bring about your absolute defeat and degradation. To grovel before me will be your final gift to me. Crawl.”
Malferio fell flat on his belly, possessed by something he could not resist, and writhed on the ground.
“I will be your end, Nia,” he gasped out. “Remember that. You will suffer for this. All who took part will suffer for this. I will be your end!”
“Hush now,” said Nia. “I wonder how many beings you have Cursed in your day? What do you think? It would be impossible to count, I imagine. I learned Curses from the Faeries, among other things. Would you like to hear the one I’ve prepared for you? You can measure it according to the Curses you have cast and see how it holds up.” She knelt next to him and her voice softened. “You will live forever, Malferio, as the Faeries do, but you will never cross over to that other unknown land. You will wander Tian Xia, forever banished from the Realm of the Faeries. You will be spurned by all other beings, who will sense the Curse upon you and flee. Whatever you touch will burn you, from now and forever. Whatever you taste will be dust, from now and forever. All you look upon will be colourless shadow, full of dire threat, from now and forever. Every sound that reaches your ears will do so in a terrible clamour, grating, whining, from now and forever. Every smell that reaches your nose will be the most appalling, sickening stench it will reduce you to nausea, from now and forever. Whatever visions or dreams you see will be loaded with terror, from now and forever. You will have no friends, none will take pity on you, from now and forever. Malferio, I rob you of the power of Illusion. I rob you of the power of the Curse. I rob you of all your lesser powers, too, that you may live weakened and helpless, from now and forever. Such is your Curse.”
Her heart pounding, with rage or joy or grief – she could not tell – Nia unchained him and walked away quickly, without looking back once at the Faery collapsed at the edge of the churning sea.
~~~
Nell woke with the dizzying, horrible sense of not knowing where she was or how she had come to be there. This was followed quickly by a more actual vertigo when she pulled aside the curtains surrounding her soft bed, leaped out, and found herself atop a circle of stone soaring above shining cities nestled between mountains, forests and rivers and, far in the distance, the silver glint of the sea. She clutched the bedpost, reeling, her feet inches from the drop down to the glittering half-real Realm of the Faeries. The last thing she remembered was the pandemonium following Nia’s exit from the Festival of Light. What are we going to do now? She had asked Swarn. And she remembered the witch’s face, lined and fierce and somehow sad. Her half-smile as she said, I think you’d best take a rest. A quick motion, something stinging in her eyes. And now.
“What by the Ancients is going on?”
Charlie’s voice. She peered around the bedpost to see there were two more ridiculous four-poster beds atop the floating slab of stone. Charlie had gotten out of his and was staring around with a slightly sick expression rather like her own must have been just a moment ago. Ander groaned from within the third bed, waking up.
“Swarn did this to us,” said Nell.
“Lah, of course she did,” said Charlie ruefully. “How are we going to get down?”
“I dinnay fancy jumping,” said Nell, peering again at the long drop down to the beautiful miniature world. “Why would she do this, Charlie?”
“I spec she just wanted us safe and out of her way,” said Charlie. “While she took care of her own business, aye.”
“Lah, there’s a view to wake up to,” muttered Ander, emerging from his bed and not looking particularly surprised. “They must get bored, dinnay you think, living forever and knowing none of it is real? You’d get jaded prize quickly, I should think.”
“Swarn has gone to fight Nia,” Nell told him. She sat on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands. Charlie sat down next to her.
“She made a choice, aye,” said Ander. “We can nay like it, but it’s her battle.”
“She’ll lose it,” said Nell. “And there will be nobody left to help Eliza.”
The stone circle began to move lower, until they were floating among the green mountains. It carried them towards a large balcony carved out of the side of a mountain, with waterfalls running on either side of it, and settled down there. Jalo was waiting for them.
“I trust you slept well,” he began, but Nell cut him off.
“Did you know that Swarn had left?” she asked.
He nodded, taken aback. “She left after the ceremony, with her dragons.”
“So you just left us to sleep in some fancy prison?” she cried.
Jalo looked offended. “I couldn’t wake you. She had done something to you. She swore it was harmless and you would wake in the morning. I thought you would enjoy waking up to a view of our beautiful realm. It was no prison.”
“I’m sorry, lah,” said Nell, shaking her head. “Everything has gone wrong. We came here to get help, we had a plan, and now Swarn has gone running off to get killed and I dinnay know what to do.”
“Surely it is not your fight,” Jalo said soothingly.
“Of course it is,” said Charlie. “Once she kills Swarn, Eliza is next on her list.”
“And without the Mancers, Di Shang worlders will be prey to any Tian Xia monster that wants to cross over. There willnay be anywhere safe anymore,” added Ander.
Jalo looked from Nell to Charlie to Ander, and then said, “There is one place that is safe. The Faery Kingdom. In exchange for Malferio, the Sorceress has sworn by the Oath of the Ancients never to return here. The Oath is unbreakable. As long as you are here, you are safe. We can send emissaries to bring your friend here too. Nia will not be able to reach her.”
Nell thought about this for a long moment. “I dinnay know if Eliza would agree to hide,” she said at last, “but it’s her only chance.”
“Then it is done. You must not go.”
Nell shook her head. “I cannay just...abandon my family,” she said. “Eliza should come here to be safe from Nia, but there are people who need us.”
“Agreed,” said Ander immediately. “If it is to be the way it was during the long war, I know I’ll be needed. I would never let anything happen to your family, Nell.”
“And I may not be much good where Nia is concerned, but I can certainly protect people against your average Tian Xia beastie,” added Charlie.
Nell smiled tearfully at them. “Then we have a solid plan B,” she said.
“Good for us!” said Charlie. “What’s plan A?”
“We cannay give up on the worlds just yet,” she said. “Nia has been attacking her enemies one by one because she knows she cannay take them on all together. Swarn is nay dead yet, and praps the Mancers can still be helped. We have to convince the Faeries to help Swarn or to help break the spell on the Mancers. The Faeries are still our best chance. Together they’re far more powerful than Nia, nay?”
Jalo sh
ook his head. “A deal has been made,” he said. “Peace has been struck with the Sorceress. We cannot fight her.”
“You dinnay have to,” insisted Nell. “You just have to...help her enemies a little. Please, Jalo. We need to speak to the new king.”
“You should forget these matters and stay here,” said Jalo again. “You will be made comfortable, I will see to it. You could be the first Engineer of the Faeries, teach us to build flying machines. If you want to bring your family also...”
Nell smiled ruefully. “I dinnay think your mother wants us here,” she interrupted him, refraining from adding that Tariro had tried to throw her off the dais the night before. Now that Swarn was not here to offer protection, she wanted to move somewhere safer as soon as possible.
Jalo flushed slightly and said nothing. She felt rather badly for raising what must be a thorny family issue. “It doesnay matter,” she said. “I’m asking you for help, Jalo. Please.”
He met her eyes and nodded firmly. “I will do whatever I can to help you,” he declared.
“We have to speak with the King. Our first plan is still a good one. We just need his approval.”
“He is newly crowned,” said Jalo, “and thus terribly busy...” He saw Nell’s face curve down into an angry frown and sighed. “I will try.”
“You’re the son of the Second Advisor now,” pointed out Charlie. “You must have some influence.”
“Yes,” said Jalo darkly. “I suppose I do.”
~~~
The King’s Castella was in uproar, with so many morrapi coming and going that from a distance it looked like a tiny castle in a snow globe. The vast household and many belongings of Emyr, the new King, were being transported in. The King was speaking with his two advisors in a pleasant pavilion in the Royal Gardens when Jalo arrived.
“It is a pleasure to see you, Jalo,” said Emyr, in a somewhat too Kingly way. “We have just been discussing your brother’s promotion!”
“Ah,” said Jalo, bewildered.
“Head of the new King’s Guard,” said Emyr brightly. “Splendid, eh? Of course, there will be a fine position for you, as well, should you wish it.”
He beamed at Nikias, who looked delighted and more than a little out of his depth.
“I thank you, Your Majesty,” said Jalo, bowing. “If I may...I have come to see you regarding an important matter. The peace that has been made with the Sorceress Nia.”
Emyr sighed. “We had no choice, Jalo. It is for the best.”
“The best for whom?” Jalo asked this rather heatedly, then calmed himself. “The Faeries too may find themselves reaping some of the chaos to come if Nia is not stopped. Though she herself may not enter this Realm again, there is no telling what an unbalanced world will lead to. The Warrior Witch is not strong enough to fight Nia alone, but with the help of the Faeries...”
“We have sworn an oath!” said Emyr. “The battle with Nia was always Malferio’s, not ours. We are well rid of it. Let the witch and the Sorceress settle matters between them alone.”
“What of the Mancers?” Jalo pressed on. “I volunteer personally to lead a small group of Faeries to Di Shang. Perhaps we may recruit some witches or wizards to assist us and try to break the Curse upon them. This need not be an official mission, but rather one that is close to my own heart, as it will lead to the protection of my friends. May I have your permission to do this, your Majesty?”
“Jalo!” exclaimed Nikias. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Alvar responded gravely. “Why would Faeries help Mancers, Jalo? There has never been friendship there. It is best you stay here. There is much to do in building this new kingdom and we could use a fine mind such as yours.”
“I beg you to reconsider,” said Jalo stiffly, directing his words to Emyr rather than Alvar. Alvar looked annoyed and stepped back, shooting a hard glance at an anxious Nikias.
“It is not in our interests,” said Emyr simply. “The humans should leave and let that be the end of it. You should concern yourself with Faery matters, as befits your rank. Enough trouble has come to us from relations with outsiders.”
“Your Majesty,” began Jalo, his throat suddenly quite dry. “Think of the havoc Nia’s victory will lead to...”
“I have spoken, Jalo,” said Emyr harshly, leaning forwards. “Do not shame your mother and father by asking me again for what I have already refused.”
Nikias looked quite alarmed by this. Jalo bowed deeply and left them.
~~~
Nell could see as soon as Jalo returned what the outcome had been. She grabbed his hands and looked up into his sad, handsome face.
“So they willnay help,” she said. “But you can help us, Jalo. Take us to the Hall of the Ancients. We can rescue Swarn, aye, get her to the Citadel. It might still be possible.”
“I dinnay recommend going anywhere near Nia,” said Charlie. “We need to get to Di Shang quickly, find Eliza, and bring her back here where she’ll be safe.”
“I agree,” said Jalo unhappily. “I fear there is little we can do for the witch. And I think your Sorceress friend will have to keep a low profile here. Outsiders are going to be particularly unpopular for a while to come.”
“We cannay abandon Swarn. She’s our friend too!” cried Nell. “Sort of, lah. We dinnay need to fight Nia, just grab Swarn and get out of there.”
“She’s made her choice, aye,” said Charlie. “She went to fight Nia on her own.”
“It’s the wrong choice!” Nell shouted at him. “She’ll be killed, and there will be nobody to help Eliza, nobody to free the Mancers. We have to help her.”
“I’m with Nell on this one,” Ander spoke up firmly. “I dinnay know the witch well, but we’ve made a journey together and I know you dinnay leave your comrades to get killed.”
Nell realized she was still holding on to Jalo’s hands and let go. “We need to leave right away,” she said.
“Even if she is still alive, I don’t see how we will help Swarn,” said Jalo a little peevishly.
“You’re a Faery, lah,” said Nell. “Dinnay you have any powers?”
“Illusion won’t work against her, because she wears the King...Malferio’s blood,” said Jalo. “I suppose I could try a Curse.”
“What kind of Curse?”
“I don’t know. Blindness, Terror...”
“What about both? Blind and terrify her and we’ll whiz off with Swarn, aye.”
“She would break my Curse. She is very strong,” said Jalo.
“But praps not soon enough!” said Nell. “All we need is a little time.”
“She’ll strike before he gets the Curse out,” protested Charlie. “You dinnay know anything about Nia, Nell. We cannay best her.”
“Then we arrive once the battle has begun,” said Nell. “She’ll be busy fighting Swarn. We surprise her with a Curse she wasnay expecting, then fly like mad for the Crossing.”
Ander looked at her admiringly. “You’d be good in the military, aye,” he said.
Nell grimaced at that. “Will you do it, Jalo?” She saw him hesitate and added, “You’re nay afraid, are you?”
Jalo stiffened. “If I can be of service in any way, it will please me greatly.”
Nell looked at Charlie.
“If it goes wrong, I’m nay staying to fight,” he said. “I’ll head straight for the Crossing to find Eliza, and you’ll be with me.”
She wanted to hug him, but something held her back. She nodded her head. And so it was settled.
Chapter
~21~
Swarn had returned to the marsh for her weapons, where she saw firsthand the devastation Nia had wreaked. She could not kill Nia, who had the immortality of the Faeries, but she could make her suffer and she meant to. With a curt word, she put out the enchanted fire that still smouldered on the ruined house and then searched the smoking rubble for her two best spears and her bow and arrow. She had hoped to arrive at the Hall of the Ancients before Nia, to prepare herself, but t
he journey was long and it was late morning on the day they had appointed when she left the dragons in the mountains and sent them east. They were the last of the dragons of the cliffs of Batt, the fiercest race of mortal dragons in Tian Di. She would not risk their lives in this battle. Alone, she began the long trek up the mountain.
When she arrived it was close to nightfall. The Hall of the Ancients loomed on the peak, far above the swirling sea of cloud, a dark stone tower inscribed with runes and ancient symbols. Its entrance ways were various, many of them secret, unseen by those who did not know them. But Swarn knew the place well, knew the rune to touch that would open the base into a door. She made her way along the cool, dark tunnel to the inner wall, which parted before her with a groan. She stepped into the circular Hall. Nia was already there, her tiger pacing restlessly. From the grottoes above, worn statues of the Early beings looked down on them – Dragon, Faery, Mancer, Mage, Demon, Man and Beast.
“I was afraid you weren’t going to come after all,” said Nia. “And what about your dragons? You haven’t brought them?”
Swarn heaved one of her spears straight at Nia, immediately followed by the other. The first was too quick for Nia to dodge but she caught it, staggering backwards with a gasp. The second she managed to avert, but she could not immediately break or cast aside the other – it stuck firm to her hands. Swarn raised her bow and sent a volley of arrows at Nia, who broke the spear and raised up a barrier. The first arrow drove through the half-erected barrier and caught her in the shoulder. Swarn closed her eyes and her ears, shut off her worldly senses to protect herself against Illusion. She had to rely on her instinct. She took an enchanted knife from her belt and hurled it. She felt it knocked aside, hitting no mark. It skidded back to her across the stone floor. She could feel Nia’s Magic pressing around her, seeking to disarm her, but Swarn’s weapons were powerful and her control of them absolute. The spear that Nia had dodged returned to her hand. She felt Nia move, swiveled accordingly, and hurled the spear again. Nia caught it and struggled with it. Fearing she might break this second spear too, Swarn caught up the knife on the ground before her and dove into Nia, knocking her backwards. They landed hard on the floor, Swarn on top, the spear between them pressing into Nia’s ribs. Swarn resisted the temptation to open her eyes, to smell or listen. Her knife was inches from Nia’s face, but Nia had a grip on her wrist and the grip burned. Never mind. Swarn had been burned before, and badly. This was nothing to dragon flame.
The Unmaking: The Last Days of Tian Di, Book Two Page 26
