by Shannah Jay
And yet still he reached out, enduring the pain of this final barrier, for nothing was more important than helping the sword to become one again. Only then would they have a hope of freeing the people of Azaray from the tyranny of Sevris and Pavros.
Just as Ronan was wondering if he could bear much more without losing consciousness, there was an explosion of light, a whirl of sparks and flames dazzled them, and then there came a smell like a blacksmith’s forge.
As the room was filled with a beautiful echoing tone, like a musical chord, the pain vanished abruptly and Ronan found himself holding the Sword of Azaray, whole now and gleaming with magic light.
Behind it the old sword, which had somehow held the magic hilt for a time, hovered like a grey shadow.
He forgot everything as the magic voice began to sing to them and right itself.
Then heavy footsteps pounded along the corridor and a voice began yelling orders.
Kerril jerked into awareness first. Time had returned to normal once again and their pursuers had caught up with them. ‘That’s Lord Bezroll!’ he warned. ‘Quick, let me touch your sword again. We need to slow things down, if we’re to escape.’
‘No need!’ sang the sword. ‘I will take you out of this place of evil. Hold tightly to one another.’
The door thumped open and Lord Bezroll appeared in the opening, shouting in triumph and raising his sword as he leaped forward to slash at Ronan.
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 103
Music chimed around the three young people, rainbows danced in the air between them and their attacker, and there was a twisting sensation inside their heads that made them gasp. Everything blurred around them, but before they could panic, they landed abruptly on something hard.
They were back on the Touchpoint and the big black stone was gleaming beneath them, but they were still in Kerril’s world. Some of Bezroll’s men were on guard there with pikes and swords in their hands, alert to capture the three fugitives. They stepped forward, raising their weapons and—
‘Hallie!’ cried Ronan.
‘No need!’ sang the sword again, and took them back across the Touchpoint, leaving behind a trail of star-like sparks to dazzle the watchers.
***
When they found themselves back in the True Vale, the three youngsters clutched one another and danced round, pounding each other’s backs and laughing aloud in sheer joy at being still alive. For a precious few moments they were young and carefree as they never had been before.
‘We defeated him!’ sang Kerril, leaping high in the air. ‘We did it, we really did!’
‘We’re alive and together,’ carolled Shayla, taking Ronan’s free hand and swinging him round and round in a wild dance, then letting go of him to turn and do the same to Kerril.
After the first burst of joy, however, Ronan grew quiet, staring at the sword which he was still holding in his right hand. When he raised it, the blade gleamed in the sunlight and he decided that there could never have been another sword as beautiful.
With a low chime, the old sword separated from the magic one to fall point downwards into the soft turf and stand there quivering.
‘Here, Kerril, this is yours now!’ Ronan called, pointing to the old weapon.
His brother came to take the sword reverently in his hands. ‘Thank you.’
Ronan turned to his sister. ‘I have nothing to give you, Shayla,’ he said regretfully.
‘I don’t need a sword—though I wouldn’t mind learning to defend myself. But what I really want, Ronan, is to be myself, to do as I please, smile when I please and frown if I feel like it. I’ve never had that in all my life. What you can give me is your promise that you will never try to force me to do something I THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 104
don’t want.’ She was thinking again of royal marriages, for in all the tales she’d heard, daughters of kings were used as pawns to seal bargains with other kingdoms—as if they had no will or life of their own.
‘Then I give you my promise gladly that I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to.’
Ronan’s voice was quiet but an echo sounded behind it, as is always the case when those with magic in their blood make a solemn vow.
‘Not even marry me off to forge an alliance?’ She had to make sure of it.
‘Never, if it’s against your will.’
Her smiled was radiant. ‘Thank you. Though of course, I’ll work with you two for the good of Azaray in any other way I can.’
‘I can only keep my promise if we regain the throne,’ he warned her.
‘And that will be another difficult task,’ she said, her joy at the thought of freedom dimming for a moment.
‘Yes. Very difficult.’ Silence fell upon them like a soft cloak. Each had much to think about. Their lives had changed so greatly in a few short days that they found it hard to believe who and where they were.
When Ronan looked up, his eyes fell on the sword and it sang a new melody to him. As the last echoes faded away, he turned to his brother and sister and said quietly, ‘I shall need to go away on my own for a time and learn to work with the sword. Would you two mind?’
‘No, of course not.’
They did mind, though, for suddenly he seemed less a part of them, making them no longer quite the Three in One they had needed to be to rescue the sword. In fact, as he turned away, he seemed almost a stranger, a very separate person to them.
He walked away, the sword held out before him, gleaming in the sun.
The other two watched him walk towards the pool, then disappear behind the mass of greenery that surrounded it.
‘He really is meant to be king,’ Kerril said in hushed tones. ‘He even looks like one now.’
‘Yes. He was born for it.’ Shayla looked thoughtful. ‘I don’t think I’d want to be a ruler.’
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 105
‘I don’t think I could be,’ Kerril admitted. ‘But I would like to learn more about magic.’
‘So would I.’
Behind them a voice said, ‘You have your own destinies to face, doubt it not, and you will be important for ensuring many people’s happiness. You weren’t born simply to stand behind Ronan.’
They turned to see Hallie nearby.
‘Do we really have our own destinies?’ Kerril asked wistfully. ‘We’re not—going to be forgotten when Ronan takes the throne?’
‘Oh, yes, you do have great destinies,’ she assured him. ‘But before you can follow them, you must help your brother win back the throne of Azaray.’
‘How long will he be gone?’ Shayla asked, for she was always the most practical of the three.
‘As long as it takes to attune himself to the sword. Time as you know it has no meaning here in the True Vale, which is why we Halishi sometimes make mistakes in watching over you humans.’
She waved one hand in a broad gesture at the world around them. ‘Please enjoy yourselves. Rest. Get to know one another. Practise your magic. When Ronan is ready, he’ll rejoin you and the sword will take all three of you back to your quest.’
‘Just—do as we please?’ Kerril asked, unable to believe this.
‘Yes, indeed. The True Vale is full of many wonders. Explore it. You’ll be welcome everywhere.’
Kerril stared into the distance. When he looked back Hallie had gone, but Shayla was still there, waiting quietly for him.
‘I shall enjoy this,’ she said. ‘Which way do you want to go?’
He stood and listened, then turned towards the track which led to the far end of the valley. He could sense strong magic in that direction. ‘That way,’ he said confidently and waited for her to come and walk by his side.
‘Two in one?’ she asked with a sadness in her smile.
‘For the time being.’ He paused to stare into the distance. ‘I shall miss Ronan.’
‘So shall I.’
***
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 106
In Azaray, Pavros was in
a high fury. The poor apprentice was cowering in a corner, expecting at every minute to be killed or at the very least hurled across the room. Last time the wizard had been in a fury, it had meant a broken arm.
‘How did they do it?’ Pavros demanded of the air around him. ‘How did they get back the sword? It was guarded by the strongest magic. It should have been impossible to free it!’ Then he realized how they had managed. ‘No!’ he cried, rage throbbing through his body. ‘One of them must have a very strong gift for magic, too.’ His face grew grin. ‘Well, whoever it is will not live long enough to develop the gift. That I swear.’
Thunder boomed over the roofs of the city and a livid light crackled around the tower of the wizard’s house, so that the citizens knew better than to venture out that day, staying huddled in their homes and waiting for Pavros’s fury to pass.
***
In the palace, Sevris sat on his throne and scowled at the three men and one woman standing in front of him. ‘How could you let them get near the pieces of the sword once you had learned who they were?’ he demanded. ‘How could you have been so stupid?’
Even Alvyna, famous for her sharp tongue, couldn’t find an answer to that.
In the end, he dismissed them and sent a messenger hotfoot to fetch Pavros.
The messenger didn’t return and in fact, was never seen again. Nor did Pavros obey the urgent summons.
So Sevris sat trembling in his chamber, unable to sleep or eat, waiting for the wizard to come to him.
He remembered the day he’d killed his brother, remembered the groans of the sword as it struggled to protect his brother Ronan, and now another Ronan was rising to challenge him.. ‘They shall not get the throne back,’ he muttered from time to time. ‘They’re only children and they’ve been lucky so far. But now we’re forewarned, they stand no chance of success.’
Surely, surely, the greatest wizard ever known would be able to do something?
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 107
‘When we find them,’ Sevris told himself a little later, pacing his chamber like a caged animal, ‘we must kill them all quickly. There must be no mercy shown, no hesitation. I will not allow them to seize the throne from me. Why does he not come?’
But even he didn’t see Pavros that day.
When the wizard did emerge from his house, he strode up to the palace to help Sevris make plans to overcome the three youngsters. That appeased the king for a while.
But time passed, and more time, and still they didn’t appear.
***
‘Where are they?’ the kind asked Pavros many days later. ‘What do you suppose they’re doing?’
‘I don’t know. They must be hiding in the True Vale. I’m still working out how to gain entrance to that accursed place.’
‘What if the Halishi help them regain the throne?’
‘The Halishi don’t join in when humans fight. I’ve explained that to you many times.’
‘Things might have changed.’
‘Those stupid creatures cannot fight. They’re too soft natured.’
‘You must get into the True Vale and destroy them before they destroy us.’
‘It’d be a waste of my magical powers at this time and might leave me helpless.’ He spoke smoothly.
No one must know that he couldn’t get into the True Vale, that he’d tried time after time. He’d create a suitable spell one day and once he did find a way in, he’d have all the magic he could ever need. Everyone knew that magic had its home there.
He returned to study the rare books of magic he’d collected over the years, but that was a slow business and couldn’t be hurried. He left Sevris to plan the defence of the kingdom.
One day, those children would reappear. Pavros knew it. And he would be ready for them. They were, after all, only children.
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 108
PART TWO
19 INTO THE SHADOWS
Time drifted quietly past in the True Vale. Like the Halishi, Kerril and Shayla found themselves forgetting to keep count of it. There was so much to see and do, so many fascinating things to learn—especially the uses of magic which lay sparkling all around them in its purest form.
They were sitting by the pool one day, idly talking, when they heard footsteps and turned to see who it was. The man who approached them was instantly recognizable as their brother, but was much taller and seemed two or three years older, at least.
Shayla and Kerril gasped in shock and scrambled to their feet, both exclaiming, ‘Ronan!’
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, his smile fading. ‘Aren’t you glad to see me?’
‘Of course we are,’ said Shayla, rushing forward to give him a quick hug.
Kerril followed suit, then said hesitantly, ‘It’s just—well, you’d better come and look at yourself in the water.’
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 109
The three of them approached the pool, which was always perfectly still at this side, though wind-ruffled at the other side near the small waterfall.
Solemnly they stared into the water and what they saw surprised them all. Each had grown, so that they saw two young men, very alike, one slightly taller than the other and with a more serious expression on his face. The third figure was a young woman whose hair had gown long again, whose slender body bore a woman’s curves and who was of a similar height to Kerril.
‘We’ve all grown up!’ Kerril croaked. ‘How is that possible? How long has passed?’
‘I don’t know, but anything is possible here,’ Ronan said gravely. The sword reinforced his words with a soft chiming sound. He turned to them, holding each at arm’s length with his hands on their shoulders.
Shayla noticed how smoothly he moved now. He had a young man’s lithe body, but the muscles of a fighter. He also displayed the regal bearing of a king.
‘I’m sorry to have taken so long,’ Ronan said, ‘but I had a lot to learn, things I should have been taught during my childhood.’
Kerril glanced at the sword, which hung on Ronan’s left side in its scabbard, then knelt down before his brother and said, ‘I salute you, King of Azaray!’
Shayla also knelt. ‘Hail Ronan, King of Azaray!’
He bowed his head, then said quietly, ‘I shall only truly be king if I can earn the right to sit on the throne.’ He bent to raise them to their feet. ‘And that I can only do with your help.’
They nodded gravely, but all of them knew they could never be quite as close to one another again as they had been when reuniting the sword. A king must stand alone in many ways.
A voice beside them asked, ‘Are you ready to leave for Azaray now?’
They turned to see Hallie smiling at them.
‘Yes,’ said Ronan. ‘We’re ready for the final stage of our great adventure. How shall we get there?’
‘You must travel through the Shadows this time,’ Hallie said. ‘They’re still guarding all the roads that lead from the shadow worlds to Azaray, and Pavros has set strong spells in place around the Touchpoint in Azaray, not to mention a constant watch by the king’s men.’
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 110
Kerril frowned. ‘But is it safe to go through the Shadows? Many have tried but no one has ever returned.’
Hallie said quietly. ‘You must find your own way through, I’m afraid.’
The three young people looked at one another.
‘Then we must be the first to succeed,’ said Shayla firmly.
‘I’m sure you will be.’ Hallie turned to Shayla. ‘Just a moment. It might be wiser for you to dress as a lad again.’ She waved one hand and Shayla’s hair became as short as Kerril’s. Another wave and Shayla was clad in similar garments to her brothers. She even carried a sword, though she had shown no aptitude for using it when practising with Kerril. But then, he wasn’t very skilled, either.
‘There. You’re ready now.’ Hallie stepped backwards, raising one hand in farewell.
Everything grew dark and
the familiar whirling sensation made them clutch one another as they were swept away.
***
This time the three young people went directly into the Shadows, and the change from the sunshine and peace of the True Vale was so great, they all moved closer together.
Mist whispered around them in great trailing strands, behaving as if it had a life and will of its own. A piece would attach itself to someone for a moment, twisting round an arm or a leg, then it would unwrap itself and waft away to cling to another object.
There was more light in this strange place than Ronan had expected, but it was dull light, with none of the sparkling joy of sunlight. Even as they stood there, the light faded for a moment, so that all grew dark as midnight, then gradually it returned and they were able to see again.
He couldn’t gain any sense of direction, however hard he tried. ‘I wonder which way we should go?’
he asked at last.
Shayla pointed to her right and said confidently, ‘That way.’
Her brothers looked at her uncertainly. Neither of them could see anything special about that direction.
Everything looked the same and the drifts of grey mist moved so frequently you couldn’t use them for guidance.
THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 111
‘Are you sure of that?’ Kerril asked.
She looked at them in surprise. ‘Of course. Aren’t you?’
Ronan was amazed at the certainty in her voice. ‘Why do you think we should go that way?’
‘Because the city lies in that direction.’
Ronan stayed where he was, frowning. ‘All ways look the same to me.’
‘This mist is very damp.’ Kerril brushed away a strand that had lingered on his face, but then it clung to his hand for a moment, twisting and waving like an animal’s tail, before moving away again. He grimaced. ‘Actually, I don’t like the feel of this place. Not at all.’
