James and the Changing Red

by J W Cotter

The Fifth Forest:

  Mother

  It was alive. With every bump on the ground and every thorn it was dragged over, a little whimper of pain spilled out. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough for the dragger to stop, they continued onwards through the forest. Lying on the ground with one eye swollen closed and the other badly grazed they were just about able to look up, the sky was partially visible through the thousands of branches and millions of leaves. Then another bigger harder bump, definitely a rock, closed the eye again.

  Once again the grazed eye slowly opened and once again it spied the branches and the trees and now houses, hundreds of little wooden houses built among the branches, sheltered and almost camouflaged. They let out a loud moan; they knew where they were and how close the destination was. Suddenly the dragging stopped and the cold mud was a welcome for the many sores and ripped skin, they closed the eye and smiled a small smile. Then it became darker, not that the trees allowed much of the two sun’s light to filter through but it was darker than it was a second ago. They prayed for an eclipse but that was an impossible scenario and slowly the grazed eye opened again. Standing over them was a giant. Not an adult one, it was only about fourteen feet high and not as wide as some that they had seen before. It looked angry, its hands curled into fists and the sound of gritting teeth sent birds fluttering from their nests.

  “Please, please let me go. You can tell her you couldn’t find me” the young boy pleaded. He was almost thirteen years and his innocence shone through as he begged the giant for freedom. It was no good however as giants were loyal to only one master, or mistress in this particular giant’s case. A grunt was the only reply the boy received and then he was swooped from the ground and thrown over an impressively large shoulder and once again they were off. The next part of the trek covered a lot of stones and boulders and thorns and brambles, the young boy couldn’t help but smile as the giant seemed to have been kind enough to avoid dragging him through the torturous path. With the gentle swaying of being carried he couldn’t help but find himself falling asleep and pretty soon he was sleeping.

  “Traitor!” a voice shouted. “Mother-hater!” another added. Then a rock was thrown and he was awoken with a smack. Blood was now tripling down his face from the gash that the rock left upon his left temple. Again with only the grazed eye to see he found himself and the giant being followed by hundreds of people. How long was I asleep? There were mothers throwing rotten food with their babies wrapped around their bodies. Fathers had torches with flames burning three, four feet into the air all of them shouting angry words. The children were worse, far worse. Some had taken to climbing the giant as he slowly walked through the village and while the mothers and fathers didn’t pass beyond the gates the children followed for what seemed like miles throwing rocks and sticks and just about anything they could find along the path. Some poked the giant with steel pointed clubs to hear him bellow in anger and swipe his long arm in defence. When he dropped the young prisoner in one of the attacks the children poked harder so when the young boy was dropped for a second time a swarm of children surrounded him and pretty soon he was unable to see out of both eyes. Eventually the giant was successful in his attempts to swat one of the children and when the others saw the little robust tyrant being hurled a great distance into the woods they fell back still booing and chanting “Traitor, Traitor, mother, hater” as they scurried back to their village.

  The giant continued on his quest, carrying the “traitor” over his shoulder as he delved back into the thick forest, leaving behind one of only a handful of “open” villages. Unable to see from both eyes and the pain that ached through his entire body coupled with the gentle rocking motion of the giant, the young boy found himself slowing drifting back to sleep.

  “You big useless lump! Look at the state of him. You were ordered to bring him back unharmed” The shouting immediately woke the boy but he was still unable to see, so all he could do was listen. “She is not going to be happy with this” the voice shouted again and slowly the giant laid the boy down on the ground. It was sandy, soft and warm against his skin. The giant exhaled a sorrowful sigh and slowly slumped away down the beach before disappearing back behind the green.

  “You alright Alyn?” the man asked as he nudged the fallen boy on the sand. “Sorry about the giant but they do get the job done, it’s just they’re not the gentlest creatures around” he added as he tried to help him up.

  “Thom, Thom is that you?” he asked unable to see.

  “It’s me”

  “No, no what are you doing here, you cannot be here you must leave” Alyn insisted as he tried his best to wipe the blood from his face. Thom left and brought a pale of warm water and a cloth and handed it to Alyn, cleaning off his face he was somewhat able to see out of one eye.

  “Trust me I don’t want to be here but when your best friend is accused of treason you’re suddenly the onion in the same stew” he said sitting back down on the sand opposite his friend and handing him an apple. “I guess you haven’t eaten in a while” he added and he was right, Alyn took the fruit and greedily chomped to the core. Thom had been best friends with him ever since he arrived in the fifth forest, and he became the older brother that Alyn had lost. Thom was tall and strong and brave and gentle always there with a sword to defend you or a shoulder to lean on but Alyn wondered what he would give today? “So did you do what they’re saying you did, were you in cahoots with the Pastorians to topple the Mother?” he asked as Alyn discarded the eaten apple into the sea. He remained silent, staring beyond Thom and out into the horizon, the waves getting bigger as they came closer. “You know we have to go out there? I guess if you don’t want to talk to me we should be making a move” he said leaving Alyn on the beach and walking over to a woven basket. “Last chance” he glanced down at the traitor. Alyn didn’t respond and continued looking over the water. Thom lifted the basket gently and ten magpies flew upwards into the sky making a horrid riiik-rak-rak sound as they soared upwards before turning for the trees and disappearing from sight. Thom returned and sat next to Alyn and looked out towards the cliffs where they jutted out of the bay. Suddenly a long boat came into view and slowly it rowed towards the beach, the booming sound of a man shouting “row row row” becoming clearer as it neared them.

  “Didn’t take them long to make a move” Thom said as he watched the boat navigate the ever heightening waves.

  “I didn’t mean to drag you into this and all I can beg of you now is to stay on the beach, let me go on my own, do not get on that boat”

  “No can do! They have my family and in order to prove I’m not a traitor I have to bring you personally to the Mother, don’t worry, she’s not going to do anything to you, I’m certain of it” he replied confidently.

  “It’s not me I’m worried about” Alyn mumbled words that were lost when two broad soldiers waded through four feet of water and stormed the beach.

  “Traitor” one of them said as he took Alyn by the hair and lifted him from the sand like a doll. As he dangled there in the air he saw the strangest of things, a cow on the boat tied up and mooing.

  “Be careful with him, he is for the mother and only her” Thom explained as the soldier delivered a punch to the stomach that knocked the wind clean out of the boy.

  “Traitors deserve more than a punch to the stomach, even if he is for the mother” the solider retorted before he plunged Alyn’s head under the water and held it there. Alyn didn’t struggle, he closed his eyes and allowed the water to fill his nose and ears and mouth. It was cool and warm at the same time and for once since he was declared a traitor he felt at peace. The serenity didn’t last long as he was yanked up again and was thrown back onto the beach. He lied there shaking slightly and coughing up water as Thom shouted abuse at the soldiers.

  “He should have died, that long under water he should have drowned” he said to his comrade who was looking at the beach confused.

  �
��Maybe he’s just lucky, a traitor’s luck is known to the strong” the comrade, who was missing an eye, replied.

  “Until the luck runs out” he said taking a blade from his belt and heading to the beach once again.

  “Stop it, stop it he cannot be killed!” Thom shouted as he rushed toward the one wielding the knife.

  “Shut up you fool, everyone can be killed” the one-eyed man said as he took hold of Thom’s arm and squeezed it extremely tight.

  “Not when they have the mark of the mother” Thom declared. The two soldiers looked at each other and putting the knife away he lifted Alyn from the sand once more and flicking through his hair he found a single platinum strand.

  “An immortal traitor, now I’ve seen everything” he said loudly before delivering a kick to the chest and storming back into the water, clearly irate. “Bring him” he barked as he waded toward the mooing cow. The one-eyed solider took Alyn from the sand and throwing him over his shoulder he followed his comrade. Thom joined them watching as Alyn swung gently over the shoulder of a bigger man.

  The boat was long and narrow with barely enough room to sit three abreast. The cow was at the bow and Alyn was seated at the stern with Thom. Chains were placed around his wrists and ankles, just like those of the ten men who were between them and the cow, the rowers of the boat.

  “Let’s get going you rats” a man shouted from behind Alyn and all of a sudden the sound of whip cracking filled his ears. In unison the men started twisting their oars and the boat was in motion heading back out of the bay against the incoming waves. As they were almost halfway out a strange thumping sound hit the port side of the boat and it was not made by any wave.

  “Release the cow” the man with the whip suddenly shouted, his voice tainted with a hint of fear. A figure dressed entirely in a brown robe with a hood that was firmly attached to their head got up and headed for the front. Alyn didn’t even notice him there; it was like they had blended in to the wood of the boat, although his eyes weren’t the best after all the bashing. The cow wasn’t exactly eager to go overboard but after a couple of thumps to the rear and relentless mooing the robed figure managed to get the bovine into the water. A huge splash sent water into the boat, not enough to sink it unfortunately. The cow took to the water like a duck, the waves making no impact on its ability to swim, although it seemed the poor creature had no idea where to swim to. That wasn’t really a concern as it wasn’t in the water alone. Alyn and Thom watched intently as the cow swam away from the boat only to be followed by a lurking grey shadow beneath the surface. A terrifying scream nobody knew a cow could make was almost drowned out by the waves as for a brief moment it sunk beneath the surface. When it came up again it had some scaly black tail wrapped around its neck, and then another head appeared. It was of a giant reptile, it had the head of giant lizard, and it rose out of the water with great ease, using the tail for balance. Majestically horrendous wings outstretched and engulfed the entire boat in their shadow, four claw adorned limbs scratched at the air and then the eyes, yellow slit eyes like a snake suddenly looked at Alyn. It stared right at him, and for what seemed like hours the two stared at each other but then it opened its mouth to reveal rows of yellow fangs. Then it plunged downwards and cow and beast disappeared from view. Moments later the water changed to a slight darker colour, the cow was no more.

  “Wow that was intense, I mean I’ve heard of those things but wow that was unreal” Thom whispered as he took a firmer hold of the seat for fear of accidently following the cow.

  “Spectacle over, unless you want to be next you better get rowing” the man said as he once again cracked his whip. The rowers didn’t dawdle and within seconds the boat was moving forward again, and to its starboard were the Sotonic Cliffs. Thousands of birds screeched and roared as they flew around the faces while stronger, bigger waves crashed at their base.

  “We’re nearly there” the robed figure said as they made their way through the rowers and down to Alyn and Thom. Standing in front of the two they took down their hood to reveal an old face.

  “Errol” Alyn said immediately. Errol was the right-hand of the Mother; he was her most trusted advisor and the cruellest when it came to punishment.

  “Too bad we couldn’t have thrown you into the water” he snarled as he looked back to where a few bones were being tossed around by the waves. Alyn didn’t reply he just glanced away as they emerged out of the bay and the boat turned for starboard. Suddenly Errol had caught Alyn by the hair and was rooting through it and found the strand that had enraged the soldier earlier. “I cannot wait to see the Empress pluck this from your head and I will happily drive a dagger through your heart” he smiled showing hundreds of wrinkles and bloodied gums where only a couple of teeth remained.

  “Well at least she gave it to me, where’s yours?” he retorted looking at Errol’s completely bald head. He had hit a nerve as his eyes narrowed and Alyn could almost feel the hatred burning from them. He spat squarely in Alyn’s face, it was absolutely disgusting and with no hesitation he jerked his chains and with his head thumped Errol in the chest. He rocked slightly and stumbled over his robe and as he tittered at the edge of the boat his face became a terrible shade of grey and his eyes were genuinely scared. Then…. another splash! He surfaced seconds later, a few feet from the boat, his old arms waving for help and as they came to a halt in the midst of the incoming tide the soldiers threw out a rope. The waves were bigger in the open water and Errol kept disappearing just as he was about to grab hold. Finally he managed to wrap his bony fingers around the rope and the soldiers started to pull him back in, but then they suddenly stopped. Looking out beyond Errol their faces paled and their hands let go.

  “Row, row now” one of them shouted and the whip cracked and the rowers started.

  “Stop, stop” Errol shouted before being engulfed by a wave. “In the name of the mot..” he disappeared again beneath the surface. “Mother I demand you to stop” he shouted again but the boat was getting further and further away with the eyes of the soldiers, the flogger, Thom and Alyn still watching, but they weren’t watching him, they were watching something behind him and slowly Errol turned. He shouldn’t have. The shriek of absolute horror drowned out even the screeching birds. The beast obviously wasn’t satisfied with the cow.

  The boat continued to move on and the soldiers sat down, one of them visibly shaking. Alyn was smiling, Thom wasn’t, and he had vomited on the deck and was feeling quite queasy.

  “Here you go, take some of this” the flogger said handing Thom some sort of a root. “Chew away, it will clear up the sea-sickness. Had to use it on a couple of them every now and then” he added as he cracked the whip. “Faster, faster” he bellowed. The rowers obeyed and their arms were almost blurry as the oars went spinning and the boat’s speed increased. Alyn looked at the cliffs as they turned to face them. One of them had a large cave; it looked almost exactly like a woman’s face. It had soft features and a kind of button nose with eyes that appeared closed. Its mouth however, the opening of the cave, had two long sharp fangs protruding downwards while another three were jutting up from the bottom. That’s where they were going and as the boat was mere feet from the entrance the rowers stopped rowing and the boat swayed momentarily.

  “Right, wait for it, wait for it” the flogger said as he kept an eye on the waves coming towards them. “Not this one, not this one” he added as a little wave caused the boat to go up and down slightly. “This one, this one, right lads grab on to something” he said as he himself took hold of the steer and as the wave took hold of the boat he guided it safely through the mouth and into the darkness. “Well done lads well done, now row” he said and the rowers rowed once more through the dark cave with its darker waters. As the boat turned a corner inside lights came in to view, small oil-filled lamps stationed on a ledge. A woman was waiting for them. Alyn and Thom were forced out of the boat and into the custody of the tall muscular woman.

/>   “Where’s Errol?” she queried as she looked to the soldiers.

  “The traitor pushed him into the water, the beast got him” the one-eyed soldier said.

  “We tried to save him but it was no good” the flogger added. She didn’t seem to mind too much and just waved her hand and turned her back to the boat. “Right row” and with the sound of the whip again the rowers rowed deeper into the cave.

  “Right let’s go, someone has been patiently waiting to see you Alyn” she said pointing the way. Alyn went first and from the way he walked, it was obvious he was here before as he took the right turns and knew where the path had eroded to such an extent that it would crumble if a foot was placed upon it. Then they came to a large wooden door, well two doors in fact with symbols burned onto them. Large wings, three pairs in fact, along with a serpent, the outline of a fox’s face and what seemed to be the snout of a badger. Alyn’s stomach became a flurry of knots. “Come along lads, the party is inside” she said and pushed the doors open with her strong muscular arms. The door wasn’t lying and Alyn’s stomach was right to have knotted.

  Beyond the door was a place that resembled nothing like a cave. The walls were draped in silks depicting scenes of nature, a snake swallowing a mouse, a bird building a nest, a mountain and a river, those sorts of things. Fires burned in large iron grates that kept the cold from entering and the damp from rising. At the far end of the large room there was a raised dais carved into the wall of the cave and in it’s centre was a throne made entirely of pearls, hundreds of thousands of them fused together to make the seat. To its left was an arch that seemed to lead to a staircase, that’s where the Mother would descend from. Suddenly the doors banged shut behind them along with Alyn’s eyes, it was too late for anything now, he had tried his best so he took a deep breath and opened them.

  “My darling Alyn, you finally came” she said staring intently at him from her pearl throne. He couldn’t move, he was paralysed but not at her hand. The doors didn’t lie and his stomach had every reason to bind itself in knots. Staring directly back to the dais Alyn realised she had succeeded in doing something she had been trying to do ever since he had come to the Fifth Forest. Sitting on a small rock was a young woman, beautifully pale with a white dress with flowing sleeves that seemed soaking wet. Large white feathers were placed almost like a tiara upon her black hair and her lips were a severe red. She looked like a drowned ghost but she was very much real. On either side of the Mother were two men, a little older than Thom. One was tall and bronzed skinned with rather narrow beady eyes that never left Alyn while the other was more short and stout with fierce muscles that protruded from his black and white woollen cloak.

  “Your Sssupreme Empresssss addresssssed you boy” the bronzed one said. He had an extremely prominent lisp. Alyn raised an eyebrow and continued to just watch the dais his heart racing. “That’s three” he thought to himself.

  “Poor lad’s heart is thumping, the blood is flowing faster than the tide outside” another voice said and out of the darkness of the shadows walked a dark figure. He was tall and lean with black hairless skin. He adorned himself with leathers that squeaked slightly as he walked. “Four” Alyn hoped she had only managed to conjure four. The look of shock was clear on his face as his eyes darted from the girl dressed in white to the two men standing by the mother and over to the black man in leathers.

  “Alyn what’s wrong? The Mother has spoken to you” Thom whispered in to his friend’s ear.

  “Well at least one of them speaks” the Mother announced as she smiled down to Thom who immediately fell to one knee.

  “I plead eternal allegiance to the Rightful Immortal Empress, Mother of the Original, Bringer of Peace and First Daughter of Nuvarin. My will is yours to command, my body is your weapon to wield. Disloyalty shall lead to a traitor’s death” Thom shouted loudly through the entire cave, his eyes still firmly on the floor.

  “Well I’m glad someone remembers their pledge, it’s just a shame others were not so faithful” she said as she stepped down from the dais lifting her hand stopping the others from following. She was something rather spectacular to behold, her beauty was renowned the world over. Her hair was thick and wavy and as the fire caught the platinum colour it mirrored perfectly and for a moment it looked almost as if it were ablaze. “Do you like what I did?” she asked Alyn, her voice low and soft. His eyes were fixed on her but he wasn’t looking at her, it was like he was looking through her. “It’s happening isn’t it?” she said putting her face closer to Alyn’s, she even waved her hand in front of his face and he didn’t respond, not even a blink.

  “A hundred pardons Supreme Empress but what is happening?” Thom asked nervously, his eyes still fixed on the cold wet floor.

  “Arise good boy, let me look at you” Thom rose from the floor and stood proud in front of her, ready for inspection. Stepping back to get a good look of the young man she had sent to find her traitor she looked him up and down and smiled. “You’re a strong one, both of character and body” she announced.

  “Thank you your Magnificence” Thom replied bowing his head.

  “Tell me Thom, how long have you known Alyn” she asked tilting her head sideways to peer at the still paralysed teenager.

  “Since he first arrived in our village, he was taken by our neighbours and we became friends almost straight away” he answered, too looking at Alyn.

  “How wonderful he found a true friend so quickly. Tell me Thom did he ever tell you how he came to live in the village?”

  “No Ma’am, he didn’t. He kept a lot of things to himself” The Mother just smiled and nodded before heading back to the dais and taking a seat on the pearl throne. Once she had settled on the seat and was comfortable, she was wearing a dress completely made of wet seaweed; the ghostly girl retrieved an item from a chest and walked to the throne. It was a crown, large and somewhat strange of colour. Purple coral cut to the shape of a four pronged crown with each of the prongs home to an array of precious stones it nestled itself amongst her strands of hair. Thom stared at the dais; if she was beautiful before hand she was even more so now, the crown seemed to emulate her beauty. She raised two fingers and beckoned him closer, Thom obeyed.

  “Now boy let me tell you how Alyn came to live in this forest and in your village. It’s rather an interesting story because his appearance will spark a revolution that will see Nuvarin change forever” she started but suddenly a roar filled the room. He had finally moved and spoken since crossing the threshold.

  “How dare you do this? You are going to regret this” Alyn shouted as he pounded forwards towards the dais. The bronzed man, the broad man and the ghostly girl all moved closer to the mother circling her in protection while the black man headed for Alyn when suddenly another woman, dressed entirely in black complete with a cloak swooped down from some perch high in the ceiling and wrapped her arms around the charging boy. “Five” “Let go of me Raven” he screamed while fighting against her hold.

  “It’s alright, it’s alright, he means me no harm, he can’t do me harm” the mother laughed loudly as she glanced at Alyn. “Just keep him quiet for a moment, I want to continue my conversation with Thom, he’s dying to know about you Alyn” she said mockingly. A woollen black sleeve clasped over his mouth kept his tongue in check and the Mother spoke.

  “Where was I? Oh yes, the revolution! You see Thom centuries ago magic was commonplace and those who could practice it revered. But then the Princely sons of Pastorious started a war that escalated from the battlefield to the dark forces. Somewhere along the way the King’s wife was caught in the battle and died, blah blah blah and so in his grieving revenge he purged Nuvarin of all those known to have practiced magic. Pretty soon Nuvarin was a different world, witches and sorcerers were burned or drowned or hung, always with a crowd, just to frighten everyone away from magic. There were many types of magical beings that were hunted and most of them were captured, those that got a
way stayed away. They say that the mountains have been home to them for centuries but nobody knows for sure!” she said winking at Thom. “I of course survived” she said getting up from the pearl throne and walking to the edge of the dais where Thom stood mesmerised. “Thank the gods for my mother who in her forward thinking had moved us away from Pastorious and away from the SAFETY (she pronounced loudly and sarcastically) of Pastorious’ walls and soldiers. We settled here and slowly our little village grew and grew and soon the village became a town and the forest became a new home. But of course there is no such thing as a happy ending and the good King in his blind grief burnt everything he could see so those that survived took to the trees to live and only recently have begun making homes on the ground” she stopped for a moment and glanced over at Alyn. He was still fighting with the Raven to break free but her strength was far greater than his. “Now let me get to the good part of the story. My mother, may the gods have mercy on her spirit, was a powerful witch whom the good King blamed for not being able to save the Queen. She knew that her name was on the top of the magical kill list and so was mine. One night in the middle of the forest as the cries of the soldier’s dogs came closer she harnessed the power of the moon and made me immortal, but not only that, she gave me a womb that would forever keep me safe” she said rubbing her stomach. A glimmer of a tear ran down her cheek as she placed one hand on the back of the pearl throne to steady herself.

  “She made you immortal to keep you safe, not to destroy Nuvarin” Alyn shouted as for a brief moment he managed to free his tongue.

  “Revenge Alyn, that is what this is all about and I have waited centuries for it” There was a pause, no one spoke and the only noise that they could hear was the sounds of waves crashing against the cliff as the tide came roaring in from the sea. Alyn stopped trying to wrestle himself free as the realisation of what he was hearing dawned on him; he was not going to be able to get away tonight. The tide was rushing in, a rowboat wouldn’t be able to tackle the waves.

  “Ma’am, a thousand apologies for being so rude but what was you going to say about Alyn?” Thom said breaking the silence.

  “How dare you, no one sssspeakssss to the Empresssss without firssst being sssspoken to” the bronzed man spat at Thom.

  “No no, he is right I did mean to enlighten him about our illustrious guest. So Thom hundreds of years have passed with not a glimmer of magic witnessed. Then along came your friend Alyn about five years ago. Am I right, has it been five years already, boy it didn’t take you long to betray me” she said looking directly at Alyn. The two locked eyes and again a silence filled the room before she snapped out of the almost trance-like state the two were in. “I’m so sorry Thom I got a little distracted by those eyes of his, those all seeing eyes. That’s where he comes into the story. Now of course there was one incident of magic in Pastorious a few years before little Alyn but that’s a story that get’s me a little, let’s say irritated. So a few years ago my spies heard of a young child who seemed to be able to foresee things, bad things but only things that happen to those around him, he could never see his own future. Isn’t that right?” she asked Alyn. The Raven lessened her grip and the black sleeve fell away from his mouth and after he spat some wool out on to the floor he spoke.

  “Thom I’m so sorry I should have told you but I was afraid of what..”

  “Enough” the Mother said lifting her hand and immediately the sleeve had returned.

  “He kept crying to his father about his younger sister being strangled by snakes; his father hit him and told him not to imagine such horrid things. Your sister did die but she was strangled by the reins of a horse. Then what was your second vision, your neighbour being swept from the ground by a giant bird and eaten. Now that one was closer to the reality. He was found hanging in his house being eaten by just about every hungry creature around” she said looking from Alyn to Thom. “That was the last vision you spoke about, but it was too late, King Vance heard about you and soon you were destined to die, but you didn’t see that, I did. You see Thom that’s when I rescued him from death while his mother and father were gladly handing him to the King” Thom looked back to Alyn and from his face he could see that what the Mother was saying was true.

  “You see the future?” Thom asked Alyn and reluctantly he nodded.

  “He’s an Oracle my boy, the first one born in Nuvarin in centuries, even in my mother’s time they were rare, I only ever met one and she wasn’t half as accurate as my dear Alyn” the Mother proclaimed as she slowly descended from the dais and stood next to Thom. “I think our little friend saw something when he came in, but I doubt he’s going to tell us anything. Do you?” she asked Thom, placing her arm around his shoulders.

  “He will Ma’am, Alyn may be a lot of things but he’s not stupid”

  “STUPID! Good heavens the boy is far from stupid, why do you think he killed poor Errol? Raven let him speak” she ordered. Finally the constraints of the female left him and he was free to do whatever he wished with his limbs, although there was little he could do without the possibility of them being severed. He stood a few feet in front of the Mother and Thom and again only the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffs walls was all that could be heard.

  “Raven got your tongue?” the Mother teased as the young boy continued to stare at her with utter disdain.

  “No, I still have it” he replied moving a step closer to the pair. The bronzed man stepped forward with a little hiss and the black man from the shadows moved closer as well. “Don’t worry; nothing bad is going to happen to your precious Empress, not at my hands anyway”. The Mother left out a loud cackle of derision,

  “You’re bluffing, I’m immortal dear boy or have you forgotten that strand of hair in your head?” Alyn took a finger to his hair and started twisting part of it into a curl until there was a sliver of platinum hair visible to all.

  “It’s true what you said, I see only the bad that happens to others, I cannot see what is in store for me and I swear your demise will occur if you continue down this path with those people”. Swiftly she turned the seaweed dress releasing a spray of water as it swirled in front of Alyn. She climbed back upon the dais and all of a sudden Alyn was frightened, truly frightened as he had no idea what was going to happen. He had never seen her like this before, her eyes burned with anger but her lips quivered with trepidation and while she paced the dais she muttered continuously to herself. Suddenly she stopped and with an arched eyebrow she stared at Alyn.

  “No, no it will not happen, these people are my sworn guardians, and no harm will come to me at their hand” she laughed nervously. Alyn took a deep breath and with a face free of emotion chipped another piece away from the Mother’s revenge.

  “Not them, the Red ones”. With those words the Mother collapsed onto the pearl throne, tears beginning to well up in her eyes and her hands shaking.

  “He’s lying Ma’am” the Swan smiled as she placed a hand on the Mother’s shoulder which she quickly slapped away.

  “ORACLE’S CANNOT LIE” she screamed so loudly that for a moment the thunderous waves were inaudible. Her shaking and tears didn’t last long as her volatile nature proved true. Within moments of her sitting down she was standing again, fierce and vicious. The coral crown which made her seem eight feet tall made her looming presence all the more intimidating. “I know why you killed Errol dear boy” she snarled, her hands still shaking but Alyn wasn’t sure whether it was temper or fear. “You saw him kill your dear friend for your treachery didn’t you?” she asked her eyes widening in anger. Thom turned from the dais and looked at his best friend, the boy who had been like a younger brother to him.

  “You did that for me?” he asked.

  “I’d do anything to protect you” Alyn replied.

  “Oh how sweet, you’d do anything to protect him but as soon as your Mommy comes sniffing around you happily place a dagger in my back. Well two can play that game” she sa
id before nodding to the Swan and within seconds it had happened. Completely white, when they first laid eyes on her she seemed so frail and fragile but standing there in front of the dais she was far from frail. As she wiped the blood from her blade she smiled at Alyn as he knelt to the ground, pain ripping through his body. Red blood began to pool in front of the dais and the Mother laughed as she turned away from the scene.

  “You should have killed me, you monster you should have killed me” Alyn wailed as Thom’s body already started to turn cold.

  “Now why would I want to do such a thing dear boy? You are my Oracle and you are never leaving, it’s useful to keep someone of your particular talent around” she laughed before disappearing up the stairs followed by all five of her flunkies.

  ******************************

  Wind rushed in through the gaping hole on one side of the cave that caused the mother’s seaweed dress to ripple slightly and her Coral Crown to almost detach itself from her curls.

  “Blasted wind, Oh how I wish I could return to the comforts of my palace” she whined as the Swan wrapped a woollen cloak around her shoulders. “I miss the furs, they would keep me warm here” she moaned as Goosebumps popped up along her arms.

  “They would become ever so damp and unfit to wear, it would ruin them” the Swan replied, tying the cloak with an emerald clasp.

  “You’re right, you’re right! I must suffer for my cause” she said waltzing over to a little table that was adorned with seafood. Picking up a rather unpleasantly smelling shrimp her face tightened and closing her eyes she swallowed it down, her throat quivering slightly. With her back to the five guards the Mother made her way to the large gaping hole and as the wind whipped her hair and the rain and seawater washed her face she closed her eyes and smiled. Suddenly she put out her hand and called forth the two other women, the Raven and the murderous Swan.

  “My feathered guardians” she said placing a hand on each of their cheeks. “I have a task for both of you” she added before pulling them close and whispering into their ears. Each bowed to the ground and she raised them up with a smile, “I thank you my children” she said before taking their hands and turning to the other three. “Your allegiance is unwavering and your love is undying” she started and the three men knelt to the cold wet ground. “I feel our journey is coming to a crossroads and the road we take will depend on our strength, our courage and our passion to see the rightful person in the Veiled Throne” she smiled a shrew smile. All five of her guards shouted “Queen of the Veiled Throne” in unison. “And if that means a certain King will have to die then I guess that’s what Nuvarin needs” she softly laughed. Once again she turned to the wide view of the ocean and glanced out over it to the left where her vast forest stood, the dull sunshine barely reaching the tops of the trees. She let go of the other’s hands and they stepped to the edge of the hole and looking down it was a drop of at least a hundred feet to roaring waves and jagged rocks.

  “May the magic of true Nuvarin be with you my children” the Mother said and the two women leapt out into the wind and rain. As they jumped their white and black clothes fell to the ocean and soaring into the sky were a dozen ravens and six white swans that blended quickly into the clouds. “Go forth and bring news of the land” she whispered softly before turning away from the wind and took her Coral Crown off.