Emerald Child (Kalika Magic Book 1)

by Karen Hughes

  ‘What child?’

  ‘The boy ... the girl … I don't know. Both, I think. They were there together.’

  ‘And you let them escape?’

  ‘They were sitting next to a fire,’ Tenzel said, rubbing his nose. ‘They were playing. At least, I think they were playing. I was up in a tree.’

  ‘Was anyone else there?’

  ‘Four women, sitting in a circle –’

  Sofia raised a contemptuous eyebrow. ‘You are an idiot. Defeated by four women, two brats and a bunch of medicine men.’ She scowled. ‘Where is my army?’

  Tenzel looked down. ‘Um … they … well …’

  ‘Where are they, Tenzel? Did you lose them?’

  ‘No, I …’ He took a deep breath. ‘They all went with the king.’

  ‘The king! Then it is worse than I thought.’ She turned back to the window. Tenzel, thinking himself dismissed, began to shuffle towards the door.

  ‘Did I say you could leave?’

  ‘No … Sorry … I – ’

  ‘Make sure the guards are in position.’ She spoke very slowly, as if to a halfwit. ‘I need to be alone. Do you understand me, Tenzel? Do not let anyone disturb me.’

  She watched him scurry out, his shoulders stooped and his head bowed. She’d deal with him later and it would make her feel so much better. Perhaps she would turn him into a worm. Yes, a slimy little worm. He would make such a satisfying squish under the heel of her shoe.

  *

  Indie and Kai waited for Tenzel’s footsteps to pass.

  They had not expected to make the journey at such speed. Canto had carried them both so easily. Mane flying, hooves pounding, with their father beside them on the captain’s grey mare and the army of Ballyndor thundering behind.

  ‘Let’s ride straight up to the castle,’ Indie had cried. ‘Oh, I wish I had a sword!’

  ‘A sword?’ Kai began to laugh. ‘What would you do with a sword? I bet you couldn’t even lift it.’

  ‘I bet I could.’

  ‘Well, even if you could, why would we ride up to the front door? What about the guards? What about the sorcerer? What about Aunt Sofia?’

  ‘What’s your brilliant idea then, smartypants?’

  The king had stopped at the wall, out of sight of the guards, and slid from the saddle. He was laughing too.

  ‘My brave and reckless Indie,’ he said. ‘Nothing has changed. But come. Follow me. I know a better way into the castle.’

  And now here they were, in a tunnel of stone – right under Tenzel’s nose.

  ‘Indie,’ the king whispered. ‘Can you remember how to get back to the gardens?’

  ‘Yes, but –’

  ‘I need you to go there. Both of you. I need you to break that spell.’ He looked at Kai. ‘If the magic sets, people will die.’

  ‘It won’t set,’ said Indie. ‘We won’t let it.’

  Kai said nothing. He looked down at his hands. It was all very well for her to say that, but who was responsible for actually doing the spell? What if it does set? he thought. What if I can’t stop it?

  ‘I’m going to find Sofia,’ said the king. ‘Dargan will be here soon and I don't want you two caught up in any fighting.’ He lowered himself to the ground crawled along the passage, without looking back.

  Kai watched him go. ‘Do you think he'll be okay by himself?’ he said.

  ‘No,’ said Indie. ‘That's why we have to hurry.’

  *

  The sun was high by the time they reached the gardens. The tunnel ended on the far side of the castle, so they had to navigate a screen of densely planted bushes to get inside. Under the trees it was cool and shady, a secret world of streams and flowers: the only place in the whole city where the grass was still green.

  Kai stopped. Tiny fingers of dread tiptoed along his spine. ‘You were right,’ he whispered. ‘This place is creepy.’

  Indie led him across the lawns to the apple tree. ‘Hurry,’ she said. ‘See what the book says.’

  Kai was breathing heavily. ‘We’re too late. Can’t you feel the magic? It’s everywhere. It’s black … all black …’

  ‘No,’ cried Indie. ‘We can't be too late. It can't have set already.’ She grabbed Kai’s arm. ‘Just try. We have to try.’

  Kai sat under the tree and laid the book on the grass. The breeze rustled the pages; they flipped over, one by one, and then they stopped. Kai read the heading in a quiet voice.

  Spell for the Reversal of a Transformation Spell

  He looked at Indie.

  ‘Go on,’ she whispered.

  Doubt crept inside his head, stealing his power, and he faltered: ‘I can’t.’

  Indie took his hand. ‘Yes you can.’

  He took a deep breath, gathered his will, and whispered the words.

  Awake now from your secret sleep,

  Follow my voice from your prison deep,

  Let your heart and mind be free,

  Awake now, and come back to me.

  And then, a faint moan came from the trees and the grass: a painful sound that made Indie’s fingers tingle and the small hairs on her neck stand on end.

  ‘What's that?’ she said. ‘What's happening?’

  ‘It's the spell,’ said Kai. ‘I've stirred it up.’

  The moaning grew louder and higher until it became a scream. The ground began to shake. Indie found herself clinging to the base of the tree, her eyes wide and her breathing fast. Kai sat with his eyes closed, swaying.

  The leaves above them whirled in a frightening dance – branches writhing and crashing, bark shedding in spirals. Indie pressed both her hands to the apple tree and whispered ‘I'm sorry, I'm so sorry’, but the tree made no sound.

  Kai could feel the original spell fighting against him, like a storm cloud trying to block the sun. In his mind he could see specks of gold, breaking free from the darkness, trying to find their way back to the light. He called to them, ‘Awake now, awake now,’ but the darkness covered everything.

  The spell was all around him. Smothering him. Draining him of courage.

  I can’t get out, he thought. I can’t do this.

  The spell seeped into his body. Cold. Damp. A fog that filled his mind and heart. So this is what it feels like …

  Can’t get out.

  Can’t do this.

  Can’t.

  Someone was shaking his arm. Indie’s voice swam into the darkness surrounding him. ‘Kai! What can I do? How can I help you?’

  And after hers, there came more voices. ‘Be strong, Kai. We are with you. We are one.’

  He clutched the book to his chest, suddenly hopeful. He wasn’t alone. He was part of a great river: a rushing, whirling river that filled his body and flowed into everything around him.

  ‘Ki-somma,’ he whispered. ‘Kokomi ki-somma.’

  And the darkness was gone. The sun was pouring into his heart. It felt like every good thing that had ever happened to him was all happening at once, like he might shoot up into the sky and never come down. But he didn’t. Instead, he was knocked backwards by arms – human arms – reaching out of the apple tree.

  The screaming grew louder. A black cloud rose from the garden. It hovered for a moment and then began to shrink: spinning and shrieking as it did so.

  People stepped out of the trees and the bushes; they drifted up from the grass and the flowers. They emerged, dripping, from the ponds and the streams. It was as if the whole garden had come to human life.

  The people looked confused, as though they weren't sure what was happening or who they were. They gathered in a circle around Indie and Kai. No one spoke; no one moved. They had been prisoners for so long they didn’t know they were free.

  Indie took a deep breath.

  ‘People of Ballyndor … People of the Forest,’ she began, her voice trembling, ‘you’ve been under a terrible spell. The queen’s sister, Sofia –’ She stopped.

  Sofia … her Aunt Sofia … even now, she couldn’t believe it. She’d
never really liked her aunt, but who would’ve guessed …

  Kai gave her a nudge. The people were staring at her. She gathered her wits and continued.

  ‘Sorry … um … yes, Sofia and the sorcerer, Tenzel, have taken over the castle. They were going to lock you up here forever.’

  She looked at the pale faces and her voice grew stronger. ‘But my brother, Kai,’ she pointed to Kai, who smiled shyly and looked at the ground. ‘My brother, Kai, has broken the spell. The magic is gone. And you are free.’

  An old woman put her hands to her face. Small brown hands. Ready to catch her tears.

  ‘Please don’t be afraid,’ Indie said. ‘King Eamon has returned. He has taken back his army and they’re riding to the castle. It’s all over. You don’t need to be afraid any more.’

  Silence. Then a little girl in the front said, ‘Who are you?’

  Indie tried to smile. ‘I’m Indie … I mean, I am …’ She realized then that she didn’t know her full name. Even after all that time with Paco – after reading all those old books – there was still so much she didn’t know.

  Kai took her arm. ‘This is Princess Indigo of Ballyndor,’ he said. ‘This is the king’s daughter.’

  The king’s daughter.

  A whisper went around the circle: it was like ice melting. People shook themselves. Faces lost their frozen expressions, smiles started to appear. Some cried, others laughed and thumped each other on the back. Mothers hugged their children, tears running down their cheeks. Men of the forest shouted and began to dance. There was drumming and music, though no one could have said where it was coming from.

  Kai and Indie were lifted onto strong shoulders and carried like heroes to the garden wall. Indie was laughing, her hands flung high in the air, but Kai was quiet.

  ‘What's wrong?’ Indie called.

  She could only just make out his answer.

  ‘I can’t see the queen anywhere.’

  Chapter 23

  The Sword of Veladin

  a sea of free people surged into the castle, sweeping into the crowd the guards who tried to stand in their way. Dargan and the captain were already there with their men, battling what was left of Tenzel’s army. The sorcerer himself was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the king.

  ‘Kai!’ Indie cried, looking frantically for her brother, ‘Kai! Look. Over there. Flashes of light. Look! Coming from the old stables.’

  Kai ran through the crowd. He dodged around the wall, past the yards. He stopped in front of the stable door. Indie pushed past him. She grabbed the handle and turned it, knowing what she would find.

  Aunt Sofia spun around to face them as they burst into the room. She was laughing.

  ‘So,’ she said. ‘You have come to make the same mistake as your poor stupid father.’

  ‘Where is he?’ demanded Indie. ‘What have you done with him?’

  The thick walls muffled the battle outside. Aunt Sofia stood smiling at them, as if nothing was happening at all.

  ‘You'd better tell us where the king is,’ Indie said, stepping closer. ‘Do you hear that?’ She pointed toward the window. ‘That’s the sound of the army, our army, taking back the castle.’

  Aunt Sofia narrowed her eyes. She looked at Indie as if she were a cockroach.

  ‘Do you see this ring on my finger?’ Aunt Sofia said softly. ‘I wanted a ruby, but your father makes a rather handsome sapphire, don't you think?’

  She held up her hand, watching the gem sparkle in the light.

  ‘No!’ Kai ran towards her, Chief Wicasa’s book still under his arm. He was saying the spell he’d used in the garden. ‘Awake now from your secret sleep – ’

  Aunt Sofia raised her other hand; it was covered in a bright orange liquid. She sang out in a clear ringing voice, ‘Otako namito sik patetat. Asaksiwa namito sik maok.’

  ‘Kai!’ Indie screamed.

  But it was too late. Aunt Sofia smiled a cold, twisted smile. She held out her right hand. There, next to the sapphire, was a smaller ring – a shimmering red ring that caught the sunlight and sent it flying around the room.

  ‘My ruby,’ she said. ‘And look! My book. After all these years.’ She leaned down and plucked the battered volume from the floor. ‘Wicasa’s magic. The power of the ages. Mine.’

  She turned to Indie. ‘Now, let's see. What next? An emerald, I think. A fiery green emerald, that would be fitting.’

  Indie stared at her aunt. It couldn’t end like this.

  ‘Wait.’ she said. ‘I … I …’

  And then she saw it. Lying on the floor.

  The king’s sword.

  It wasn't far away. If she stretched she might just be able to reach it. She had to try …

  ‘What about my mother?’ Indie asked. Anything to distract her aunt, she thought, as she took a cautious sidestep. ‘The queen. She wasn’t in the garden. What have you done to her?’

  Aunt Sofia laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. ‘Your mother,’ she cried. ‘Your mother, the princess … the queen! So beautiful, so perfect in every way. Ha.’ Her laughter faded and she looked at Indie with bitter eyes.

  ‘All those years I spent studying magic,’ she said. ‘All those years I wasted, learning all I could from that old witch, Helki, only to be robbed of my rightful place as queen. Yes, robbed. By your precious mother.’

  ‘But you didn't marry the king,’ Indie said. ‘How could you be queen?’

  ‘I was in the forest collecting herbs that day. Yes, me. I met Eamon and he became my friend. Mine. He was supposed to marry me. I used potions, spells, everything I knew. But he chose her.’

  Indie looked appalled. ‘You’ve done all this, destroyed this beautiful place, because you wanted to marry my father?’

  ‘Don't be ridiculous, girl. I have destroyed nothing. I have simply cleared the way for bigger things.’

  ‘But you’ve burned the trees. And you’ve locked up the people –’

  ‘Stupid child. I have only destroyed that which wasn’t necessary. In time the forest will be gone and not a soul will miss it. Ballyndor will be a great city like those in other worlds. We will build towers to the sky. We will build roads … more factories …’ Aunt Sofia stopped, a faraway look in her eyes.

  ‘The people of Gort will forget their past,’ she said. She stretched out her hand; orange dripped from her palm onto the dusty floor. ‘I will make sure there’s nothing left to remind them.’

  The door swung open. Tenzel came running inside.

  ‘Sofia!’ The sorcerer was panting and his face was red. ‘All is lost. The men are fleeing. You must do something!’

  Aunt Sofia turned on him with blazing eyes.

  ‘I will,’ she said. ‘Something I should have done a long time ago.’

  There was a flash of orange and there, on the exact spot where Tenzel had stood, crawled a very puzzled earthworm. Aunt Sofia walked over to it and ground it to a pulp with the heel of her shoe.

  ‘Right,’ she said, turning back to Indie. ‘Now where were we?’

  Indie looked at her aunt. For an instant, she saw herself through those cruel blue eyes – sitting on the floor of her hut; saying her times tables over and over; pulling on the scratchy jumpers Aunt Sofia knitted; drinking the bitter lemon juice Aunt Sofia squeezed.

  No use crying, Indie. Your mother is never coming for you.

  You’re such a stupid girl, Indie. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I don’t know why I bother.

  Sharp stones, chipping away at her sense of self. Trying to squish her like an earthworm.

  Aunt Sofia raised both hands, preparing to finish Indie off.

  ‘You still haven't told me where my mother is,’ Indie blurted. She took another step toward the sword.

  Aunt Sofia trembled with sudden anger. ‘You thought you were so clever, didn't you? Calling up the wind and the fire, the water and the earth. Wicasa's precious little spells may have scared that weakling, Tenzel, but they don't scare me. You are no sorcerer.’

  In
die could almost touch the sword with her toe, now, just one more step … ‘I never said I was. I don't know anything about spells or magic,’ she said. ‘I just want to know what you've done with my mother.’

  ‘You pathetic brat,’ Aunt Sofia hissed. ‘No more questions. No more talk. It is time for you to die.’

  ‘No,’ said Indie. ‘First tell me where my mother is. You stole her from me, just like you stole my father and my brother. I deserve to know what you’ve done to her.’ She stopped, her fists clenched.

  Sparks started to flow from Aunt Sofia’s fingertips, but a strange calm settled over Indie.

  She braced herself.

  ‘Aunt Sofia,’ she said, lifting her chin and looking straight into her aunt’s eyes, ‘you took my whole family, my whole life away from me, because you were jealous. But you haven’t taken everything. I know now who I am. I am Indigo, Princess of Ballyndor. And you can’t change that, no matter what you do to me.’

  Aunt Sofia's face changed. Her eyes darkened and her cheeks turned pale.

  ‘I’m not afraid of you,’ Indie said. Then she said it again, and her words echoed all around. ‘I’m not afraid of you. I’m not afraid of you. I’m not afraid of you.’

  Aunt Sofia snarled. She sent a flash of orange searing across the room, cutting the shadows to shreds.

  Indie threw herself sideways onto the floor as another bolt of orange lightning came flying from her aunt’s hand, scrabbling in desperation for the sword …

  She had it! Indie rolled and grabbed the hilt with both hands, almost overcome by its weight: she couldn't believe how heavy it was. She swung it with all of her strength and a violent tremor shook her arms and ran all the way up to her shoulders. The sword seemed to change shape with that tremor; transforming into a weapon so light and comfortable it might have been made for her.

  The orange light flashed towards her. She raised the sword in front of her face. The blade turned from grey to silver and the hilt shone with gold.

  The light glanced off the sword and shot back at Aunt Sofia, knocking her to the floor. Then it ricocheted from wall to wall, shattering the bottles behind her.

  Aunt Sofia flung out her hand once more, but this time nothing happened. ‘Otako namito,’ she screamed. But there was no flash of orange.