Fey 02 - Changeling

by Rusch, Kristine Kathryn

  Then Matthias took the second crown and held it above her. Her crown was smaller, and contained only diamonds and rubies.

  "This crown is the symbol of your role as consort. Wear it with the Roca's Blessing." He snarled the words, almost as if they were a curse.

  Jewel's heart leapt. Her limbs trembled with the same energy she felt in the middle of a battle. He put the crown on her head.

  Its weight felt unfamiliar. Nicholas tugged at her hand. She was supposed to stand, but the pearls were digging into her skull. Burning her skull. A fire burned beneath her hair.

  The cloth slipped forward and brushed her forehead, sending a shooting pain through her. She screamed just once. "The poison!" she cried to Nicholas in Nye. "He spilled the poison!"

  Her hair was melting from her head. She could feel the burning, the change. The smell rose, familiar and horrible. Nicholas let go of her hand. The crown and cloth slid off her head and clattered onto the marble floor. Nicholas pulled the pouch from his robe and poured the remaining water on her. Matthias bent over her, but Nicholas shoved him away.

  "You've killed her!" her father screamed, and voices rose in panic behind them.

  Nicholas pulled her close, protecting her with his body.

  "Someone help her!" her father cried in Fey. "Please help her!"

  The burning was intense, but it wasn't leaving her head. She had thought her whole body would melt. She had seen others die this way. Their bodies transformed, changed, almost instantly.

  Her father stood over her, pouring more water on her. It smelled of mud. River water. More Fey gathered behind him, handing him pouches. Nicholas's robe was wet. His face was wet.

  "Jewel. My god, Jewel, are you all right?"

  More water splashed on her face. Nicholas raised a hand to stop it.

  "Let them!" Her father pulled Nicholas's arms away.

  The burning seared her skull. She didn't want to die. Not this way. "Nicky," she said, reaching for him. He would never survive this. Not without her.

  Her fingers touched his cheek. She couldn't hold consciousness. As the blackness took her, she realized that the Vision she had tried so hard to prevent all those years ago had finally come true. The holy poison had touched her. Now she had to rely on others to keep her alive.

  NINETEEN

  Jewel's hair was melting into a long black river, the pearls sinking into her scalp. The skin on her forehead had puckered, but the puckering stopped when her father poured the water on it. Nicholas cradled her to his chest. He couldn't lose her. Not now.

  Her hand fell away from his face, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

  "We need help here!" he shouted, but he wasn't sure what kind of help there would be.

  Her father was pouring more Fey water on her. The water kept splashing Nicholas in the face. The drops tasted of mud and copper. Behind him, Sebastian was crying. Deep, heartrending sobs that struck Nicholas as unnatural somehow.

  "She's not conscious," he said to Rugar.

  "She'll die. Let me have her."

  If Rugar took her, Nicholas would never see her again. He couldn't lose her too.

  "Let me have her. She'll die without our magic."

  "You haven't been able to save any of the others."

  "Let him take her," someone shouted in Fey from the balcony. "By the Mysteries. Let him try!"

  Rugar bent over and snatched Jewel from Nicholas's arms. The loss of her warmth left him suddenly chilled. Rugar stood and turned, carrying his daughter as if she were as small as Sebastian.

  Islanders cringed in their seats, but the Fey were up and running from the Hall. A cat was on the floor, a green tunic pooled around it. It kept pace with Rugar as he ran along the royal red runner. Fey stood in the balcony too. Jewel's friend Burden swung off the wooden sides and leapt to the ground below. He blocked Jewel's body with his own.

  Nicholas stood. His robe was sopping wet. It clung to his legs and hampered his movement. He had to follow too. He couldn't leave her with them. After what she had said about her father, Nicholas wasn't certain if the man would help her or kill her for a traitor.

  And the baby.

  The baby.

  The nurse had a stunned look on her face. She was holding Sebastian who had craned his neck around her for a better look at his dying mother.

  Nicholas ran down the steps. The crown bounced off his head and fell with a clatter onto the marble floor. No one else followed. The other Fey were ahead of him. Then he heard footsteps behind.

  Matthias was coming. His biretta gone, fallen aside, his blonde curls flowing behind him. "Seal the doors!" he cried. "Don't let them take the Queen!"

  The Danites grabbed the doors and were pulling them shut. Damn the long aisle. Rugar would never make it.

  "Leave the doors open!" Nicholas said.

  The Danites glanced at Matthias. King and Rocaan should never be at odds. No one knew who to follow.

  "I am the Roca's representative on this world," Nicholas said. "Leave the doors open."

  "Close them!" Matthias said. "She must stay here! The Roca withdrew his Blessing."

  The doors clanged shut. Rugar stopped just in front of them. Jewel's arms swung free, her head back. She looked fragile in her father's arms.

  "Are you going to murder all of us?" Rugar asked. "Or just my daughter?"

  "Open those doors," Nicholas said. He finally reached Rugar's side. Five Danites now stood in front of the doors. They all held holy water. It wouldn't hurt Nicholas, but it would kill any Fey, including Jewel. "Open them now."

  "The Roca didn't Bless her," Matthias said.

  Nicholas turned on his former teacher. The man wasn't recognizable any more. "I didn't do what you wanted, did I, Matthias?" he said. "I didn't set her aside. But she is my wife and carries my child, and by God, the Roca, and the Holy One, if either of them die, I will give you to my friends the Fey here and allow them to slaughter you, inch by painful inch. Now, make your men stand aside."

  Matthias had taken a step backward. "You can't do this, Nicholas."

  "You are committing murder, holy man," Nicholas said. "But it wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Nicholas whirled. The change hadn't spread on Jewel's face, but he had no idea what the holy water had done to the top of her head.

  "You —" he said, pointing at the youngest Danite. "The Words Written and Unwritten say that only God may choose who lives and who dies. Murderers are sent to the Snow Mountains to thrive or fail according to God's wishes. Will you defy me and kill my wife? Because by defying me, you are defying God."

  The Danite glanced at Matthias, then back to Nicholas. The Fey had gathered around Jewel and Rugar, as if to protect both of them.

  "I'm sorry, Holy Sir," the Danite said. He put his vial of holy water in the pocket of his robe, then pushed the door open. The Danite next to him did the same. The remaining three Danites stepped aside.

  Rugar ran out the door. Nicholas followed.

  "Where are you taking her?" he asked.

  "To Shadowlands. It's the only place she'll be safe." Rugar said.

  "Shadowlands is too far," Burden said.

  "We need a Domestic Healer."

  "A healer can't help her. Not even a Warder can do that."

  "She can't die. She can't!"

  Nicholas had never heard panic in Rugar's voice before.

  "Then let me take her." A female voice spoke behind all of them. Nicholas turned. A Fey woman almost twice his height stood behind him. She had white hair that sprung off her head like weeds. Her face was wizened, her mouth a small oval amidst wrinkles. Only her eyes were bright --sparkling black circles of light in a dying face.

  The Shaman.

  TWENTY

  "We must take her somewhere safe," the Shaman said, "so that the Black Robes do not attack her again."

  Jewel was heavy in Rugar's arms. Her entire body was limp. "If someone takes her," he said, "I can make a Shadowlands."

  "No," the Shaman said. "It must
be a real place."

  "The Settlement," Burden said.

  "No," Nicholas said. "The kitchens." He pushed past Rugar, his hand brushing against Jewel's face. She did not respond. At least she wasn't changing. At least she wasn't melting.

  "Quickly," the Shaman said.

  They ran through the corridor, Nicholas in the lead. The skirts of his robe left trails of wet along the floor. Jewel's arms fell free and were bouncing against Rugar's legs. She felt too heavy.

  His daughter.

  His fearless daughter.

  "Burden," the Shaman said as she ran beside them. "Mend is outside the gate with some of the healers. Tell them I want a poultice of redwort and garlic, and tell them I will need an assistant."

  "I will assist." Solanda spoke from the floor. She was in her cat form. "Tell them they do not need to risk their lives to come into this place."

  Nicholas's back was to her, so he didn't see her. His crown was gone and his hair flowed freely. "The kitchens will be safe. If anyone looks for Jewel in the palace, they will look upstairs. I have help in the kitchens."

  Rugar wondered at that. No man had help in such places. "It better be close," he said. "She isn't moving."

  No one responded. His daughter didn't make a sound. The babe within her pushed against Rugar's chest. He hadn't even known she was with child.

  Nicholas led them through stone arches into a dark passageway. Suddenly Rugar felt foolish following this man.

  "This had better be a safe place," Rugar said. "Any attacks and —"

  "And what?" the Shaman asked. "We are here because of you. Allow the boy his grief over his wife."

  "Me?" Rugar's surprise almost made him stop. "I did not harm Jewel. I didn't even touch her."

  "I warned you," the Shaman said. "I told you to allow her to make peace, but you did not. You did not, Rugar. It is your darkness that leads us all here."

  The passageway smelled of roast pheasant and baking breads. Nicholas was leading them to the kitchen. In side rooms, men worked, churning butter, pounding bread dough. Voices rose from a brightly lit front area.

  "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" Rugar asked. He pulled Jewel closer. He couldn't see her in the darkness. "Tell me how this is going to end."

  "I cannot do that," the Shaman said.

  "Visionaries can tell each other —"

  "Rugar, I had three Visions about this day."

  Despite himself he shuddered. Three Visions. The outcome was in doubt then. Jewel had seen this moment as well. And little Gift.

  Only Rugar had been Blind.

  As they emerged through another set of arches, Nicholas was already speaking. "We need a clear area near the hearth fire, and a mattress for my wife. I want all non-essential personnel to leave. Anyone who stays must obey the Fey's Shaman."

  Islanders, men and women, scattered. Rugar got an impression of square, pale faces, blue eyes glancing at Jewel. She smelled of burning flesh. Many Islanders covered their mouths as they turned away.

  Nicholas led them to a great stone fireplace where a large fire roared. Kettles hung from iron hooks in the fire, and near the side of the fireplace were more hooks that allowed servants to take the kettles out. A man in a white uniform swept the floor near the fire, and a woman hurried in, carrying a feather mattress that looked none too clean.

  Rugar didn't care. He placed his daughter on it. Her skull was almost flat, her hair plastered against her head, and the puckering on her forehead had traveled to her eyebrows. "The poison is still working," he said.

  "I know." The Shaman bent over her. "Someone go to the door and wait for Burden and the poultice. I need her awake."

  Nicholas was standing near the man in white. "Get my son and bring him here. I want him safe."

  "Sire, I am not supposed to leave the kitchen."

  "Get him," Nicholas said. "Now."

  The man nodded and ran from the room. Jewel's stomach was bobbing like the surface of an ocean. Rugar put a hand on it, and the Shaman snatched his hand away.

  "You have caused enough trouble for one lifetime. Stand back."

  "She's my daughter," Rugar said.

  "You should have thought of that before you brought her to this place."

  He wasn't certain if the Shaman meant the kitchen, the palace, or the Isle itself. But he backed away. He had no choice. No one had ever lived through this poison. The Warders had said that it could be diluted, but Rugar wasn't certain if the dilution slowed down death or prevented it.

  Burden came in from the back door. The poultice he carried overpowered the smell of roast pheasant. He handed it to the Shaman, who slapped it on Jewel's forehead.

  "Is she going to be all right?" Burden asked.

  "She'll live for the moment," the Shaman said. "I can promise nothing more."

  She bent over Jewel, then reached out her hand. "Rugar, I need your cloak." When he didn't move, she looked up at him. "It is a healing cloak, is it not? I need it now."

  He had forgotten the healing properties. It had been given to him by his father before he went into his first battle. His fingers fumbled as he untied the strings around his throat. He pulled the cloak off and handed it to the Shaman, who placed it over Jewel.

  "Jewel," the Shaman said. "You must wake. You must talk to me."

  Nicholas hovered over her, his wet robe dripping on the dry floor. One of the servants offered to take the robe but he shook his head. His gaze never left Jewel.

  The Shaman got on her knees beside Jewel. She put a finger in Jewel's slack mouth. "Jewel, you must wake."

  Jewel's eyelids fluttered.

  "Thank God," Nicholas murmured and dropped beside her.

  "Stay back," the Shaman said.

  Rugar crossed his arms and clenched his fists. He could do nothing. The Shaman at least had access to Domestic medicine as well as her Visions. He had no powers besides his Vision, and it had failed him.

  It had failed Jewel.

  "Jewel," the Shaman said. "Tell me about the child."

  Jewel's eyes opened and for a moment, they were as empty as the stone's. Then she came into them, small and distant. "The baby. Take her. You have to take her. She's the future …"

  Jewel's voice faded away. Her eyes closed. The Shaman nodded at Burden.

  "I need Mend. I don't care about her fears. I need all the healers outside the gate."

  Nicholas was touching Jewel's face. "Jewel," he said. Then in Islander, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

  "You didn't hurt her, boy," the Shaman said. "Now get back and let me help her."

  Jewel's eyes opened. She smiled at Nicholas. She lifted her hand as if it took a great effort, and took his. Then she closed her eyes again.

  The man Nicholas had sent for the stone had come into the kitchen, followed by the woman. She had the stone in her arms. It was sobbing hard now, cracks forming on its all-too-human face.

  The Shaman looked up, then looked at Rugar. Her mouth was open slightly, her eyes wide with shock. He felt momentarily vindicated. Not even the Great Shaman of the Fey Division One Saw everything.

  "What did you do?" she asked. "In the name of the Powers, the Mysteries, and all we hold dear, what did you do?"

  Nicholas looked up in surprise. Rugar backed away from the Shaman's words. "I guaranteed our safety," he said.

  "You fool!" The Shaman's voice held panic. He had never heard her panic before. "I can't save all three."

  "You don't have to. Gift is in Shadowlands. This is a stone —"

  "No," the Shaman said. "Don't you know what you've done? The boy is part of her."

  "But she's part of me, and I'm fine."

  "She's an adult. He's a child. A half-breed with no support." The Shaman closed her eyes and keened. The sound stopped all conversation in the kitchen. Nicholas glanced at Rugar, the fear in his face palpable. Only the stone didn't seem to notice. It kept crying as if its heart would break.

  Rugar looked at the stone. Of course it was cracking. It only liv
ed because of Jewel. Then he remembered its eyes. He had seen something alive in its eyes. Alive and distant.

  Were you there, Gift?

  Yes. I saw it all.

  "You have to save the boy," Rugar said.