Descent (16 page)

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realised what had driven her over the sea and the desert. She was searching for a place.

He looked at her carefully. ‘Your home,’ he repeated. ‘You know nothing about this place.’

‘Only because no one will tell me.’

‘All right. I shall tell you, so that you may understand your futility.’ Sharif repositioned himself on his mat. Mia felt her heart thump with sudden nerves.

‘The inhabitants of Samaraq were a great people—cunning warriors, eager to battle, fast to hunt. But they also lived their lives according to pleasures. They were not restricted by many rules. Some Kabduh say that they were banished because of the jealousy of the rest of the world. Some say it was due to fear. The religious practices were supposedly dark and bloody.

‘The Queen of Samaraq—Nayana—was perhaps the most devout believer in the ideals of equality. The treaty countries did not understand this. They thought her practices were wrong, so Samaraq was banished.’

‘Just like that?’ Mia asked, her brow crinkled. ‘I don’t understand—what do you mean by equality?’

‘All races and classes of people living together in harmony. It didn’t matter what class you were born into. If you wanted success and wealth, you worked for it. Nor was anyone judged or persecuted for their sexual orientation. Even the Amazonian women, who weren’t allowed in any of the other countries of Paragor because they were thought to be wild women, could live happily in Samaraq.’

‘And all this is different from the rest of Paragor?’

‘Clearly,’ Sharif murmured, ‘you haven’t been here long. In the end, it was the actions of Nayana herself that caused their downfall.’

‘What did she do?’

‘Along with training her army in a peculiar, and perhaps more sophisticated way, and allowing her people their freedom, Nayana fell in love with the wrong person.’

‘The wrong person?’ Mia repeated. ‘What does that mean?’

Sharif shrugged. ‘I do not know any more than that. Only that it was this love that led to the demise of her people.’ Mia sat back. Finally, her incredulity could be contained no longer.

‘That’s all? An entire race of people were banished from existence because she fell in love with someone?’ That’s the most messed up thing I’ve ever heard! What kind of a world is this? Wasn’t she the queen? Couldn’t she do what she wanted?’

‘It was precisely
because
she was the queen that this happened. Her actions, unlike those of her people, could not be ignored. It was a last excuse.’

Mia shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

‘I have told you why Samaraq was banished. Now you must tell me why you seek to find it,’ Sharif ordered.

Mia sighed. ‘I honestly don’t know. I feel like maybe I have a connection with it. I can’t explain. Can’t you just help me find the scroll?’

Sharif shrugged. ‘There is no scroll.’

Mia thought she might burst into tears.

‘But there is a map. I will tell you where to find it.’

Mia gave a loud whoop ‘Thank you! But ... why? I thought you said I was a foreigner with no connection to any of this.’

Sharif smiled wryly, and then slowly he began to laugh. He didn’t stop for a long time. Finally he said, ‘There was never any doubt in my mind that you should be the one to find this city. I just needed to hear you fight for it.’

Part 3

They bowed low on the ground before her, their bodies prostrate. There were thousands of them—they filled the wide road as far back as the gate in the distance. She stepped up to the dais that had been set on the front steps of the palace. Her ladies had dressed her in royal purple and gold, but the mood in her heart did not reflect the vividness of her gown. There was death in her this day.

Tye was behind her—she didn’t need to look to know that—and she took comfort from his presence. Their conversation last night had been heartbreaking. He had wanted to leave her.

She had told him, without jest or humour, that if he left her while he still had feelings for her, she would have him killed for treason. He hadn’t laughed. He’d known how serious she was. He had simply nodded and asked her what her strategy would be.

‘People of Samaraq,’ Queen Nayana said, her voice strong and pitched to carry. ‘We have come out of this war in triumph. We have survived, and we are stronger for it.’ There was no response to this as there had been the first time she had stood here, when she had announced their defeat of the Scourge. Then there had been a mighty cheer of ecstasy, of relief and pride. Now they waited, sensing that something was wrong.

‘But our trials are not over,’ she went on. ‘We are being tested again.’ Gods, this was so hard. It was too much to ask of them. But of one thing she was sure. Nayana knew, more deeply than she knew any other truth, that someone should not be punished or persecuted for love.
It was about freedom, and it extended to every aspect of their way of life here in the desert. The king and queen in Amalia would love to punish them for any number of the liberties they took.

So she would press forward. She would not apologise. She would fight. And Nayana hoped, beyond anything she’d ever hoped for, that her people were truly her people. That she had taught them well enough for them to understand, and agree with her.

‘As all of you know, we have but one rule here. No discrimination of any kind. You are allowed, nay—encouraged—to love and marry whomever you please, regardless of class, wealth, race or sex. It seems that the treaty countries of Paragor would not allow me the same freedom.’

She paused to search the faces below her. All kinds of people, from all over the world, who had come to live in the city that allowed them to be who they wished to be.

‘It is an easy thing to preach from a golden throne in a palace, ruling the city I live in. It is not so easy when it is I who is being condemned for my actions, by powers stronger than my own. But what kind of a queen would I be if I cowed at the first sign of reproach? If I cast away my beliefs at the first sign of danger?’

Nayana shook her head, knowing that she had not yet come to the hardest part. She spread her hands, sighing.

‘They would have us punished—all of us—because I am in love with a servant,’ she said bluntly. ‘They would have me denounce my actions and name them wrong. They would have me take away all of your rights and turn this country into a colony of theirs. They propose a governor from their own city be sent here to act as a ruler alongside me, to watch over us and enforce our new way of life.’

There were cries of outrage and fear from the enormous crowd.

‘Do you know what I told them?’ she cried and there came a stillness, a silence so deep it sank into her heart. ‘I told them I would rather die a thousand deaths, or endure being tortured for the rest of eternity, than to accept such an appalling insult!’

A cheer erupted then, louder than she’d ever heard. Louder than when they’d defeated the Scourge.

Nayana smiled. A smile of love, of defiance—a smile of pride.

‘Will you stand with me?’ she cried out to her people. ‘Will you stand with me against tyranny, against allowing an outsider to rule us in our own city?’

Amid the deafening screams and cheers the queen turned around to look at the man behind her. She reached her hand out for him. He hesitated. His own pride was clear in his eyes, but so too was his worry.

‘Please,’ she whispered so that only he could hear.

After a moment he took hold of her hand, and she drew him to her. And in front of her whole city, in front of every man and woman and child there, she allowed her dark-skinned servant to embrace her, as was their right.

Jane looked into the darkened sky, streaked through with moving shadows. She shivered, hugging her arms around her body. There was no way she could describe the sensation of feeling alive again. No words to describe how her exhausted body seemed to revel in the fact that she was here in the real world. The relief was infinite. What she’d been met with upon her return, however, was not particularly relieving.

‘You never wear enough clothing,’ a voice said from behind her and she turned to see Fern passing her his cloak. She took it impassively, knowing he was immune to the cold.

They stood together on the battlements of the ice castle and looked over the barren ground. Most of the forest had been torn down to make it easier to see oncoming attacks. The grass grew no longer, and there were large patches of burnt ground.

‘What has happened to the world?’ Jane whispered.

Fern shook his head, saying nothing. After a moment he murmured, ‘Do you see that smudge on the horizon?’

Jane shielded her eyes against the setting sun. ‘Yes.’

‘It’s the Elvish watch-tower. If you ever see the light on it flashing, alert someone.’

Jane nodded and pulled the cloak tighter about her. Large, black clouds were moving in quickly above them.
She’d been in the ice castle only an afternoon and had been warmly welcomed by Liensenne and the other princes. She’d been shown to a beautiful room and invited to stay for as long as she wanted.

Only a few hours later and she already felt claustrophobic. She thought about the meeting that had just taken place below them in the meeting hall. She had followed Fern inside, accepting that she had to be involved now. That she
wanted
to be involved. It was her duty. She wasn’t going to fight it anymore.

Quickly moving to the opposite side of the table to Fern, she sat down and realised belatedly that this meant she was going to be directly facing him. The queen and the other two princes joined them and Jane looked around expectantly.

‘Jane,’ Eben said, taking the lead as the eldest prince. ‘There are unfortunate tidings for you to hear, I’m afraid. In the last two years, things have changed in Paragor.’

And so she had come to learn of the terrifying creatures that threatened the world. She listened in horror, not understanding how this place could be so different to how she remembered it.

‘What’s being done?’ she asked when the story was finished. Her eyes automatically went to Fern’s.

‘Not a lot,’ he replied softly. ‘The Elves have distributed special protecting threads throughout the three treaty countries, but they can’t cover every single town. There are many places that are being ravaged.’

‘Is there some way we can fight them?’

‘They can be killed if they attack physically,’ Silven murmured, ‘But they don’t always attack that way.’

‘Uns Lapodis and Lapis Matyr have armies of men who take turns in the watch-towers that are spread throughout the countries, but all they really do is sit and wait to be killed.’

‘And here in Cynis Witron?’

‘The Elves fight, but the humans don’t know how,’ Fern told her.

The meeting dissolved without much being solved. Now, standing on the roof with Fern, Jane shook her head. ‘We need to do something,’ she said softly.

Fern nodded and unconsciously shifted his hand to rest on the sword at his belt.

‘I’m already planning a defence line. My father’s men are in terrible disarray. The first thing that needs to be done is to sort out a proper fighting force and train them to take control of their country. This can be done by joining the Elvish people with those men in Sitadel and gathering all able-bodied lads from the other towns.’

Jane’s eyebrows arched. ‘How will your mother feel about that alliance?’

‘I don’t care,’ he said flatly. ‘She wanted me to marry so I’d be considered able to make a proper contribution to my people, and I’ve done that. If she doesn’t like what I plan, I have no doubt that the princes will side with me and we can overthrow her.’ There was ferocity in his voice that surprised Jane. She’d never heard him speak badly of any of his family.

She thought of Blaise, killed by Accolon in a tournament, and felt her chest constrict.

‘Something has to be done,’ he continued savagely. ‘How did they let it get like this?’

Jane looked sideways at him. ‘The king is old, and the people were lost without their Bright Prince.’

He met her eyes; she ached to lean towards him, to have him smile like he used to, but snapping them out of the moment came a sound from behind them.

‘Forgive me for startling you,’ the tall, slender woman said, her voice a trickle of laughter. ‘Jane!’ Athena cried, running forward to take the girl in a graceful embrace.

‘Athena,’ Jane said awkwardly, returning the hug as best she could, feeling clumsy and oafish.

‘It’s been so long,’ Athena smiled, pulling away to look at Jane. The Elf looked as beautiful and as youthful as she always had. ‘And when we heard of your disappearance...’ The woman’s face grew ashen and Jane thought with horror that she almost looked like she might shed a tear.

‘I’m fine though,’ Jane said quickly, trying to smile.

‘And thank the goddess for that,’ Athena hooked her arm through her husband’s. ‘We would have missed you a great deal.’

‘I hear Fern was gone as long as I was,’ Jane said uncomfortably, making sure not to look at him.

Athena glanced up and seemed to hold him even tighter. ‘Yes. It is always a deep sorrow for the Elvish to lose one of their own, and especially a prince so young.’

‘Well I’m fine too,’ Fern muttered gruffly, squeezing Athena’s hand and looking away from both women. ‘And there are more important matters to worry about now.’

Jane was aware that her face didn’t seem to be able to relax into any normal expression. She felt awkward and couldn’t help clenching her jaw. She ached to be somewhere she would not have to look at the couple, holding hands and touching bodies. Athena looked at her husband with such adoration that it made Jane want to recoil. An agonising poison threaded through her veins, paralysing her to the spot.

‘Well,’ Athena said briskly, her smile still just as warm, ‘I shall be on my way—there are things to be done, and I’m sure the two of you have much catching up to do.’ She kissed Fern lightly on the cheek and swept elegantly from the roof.

Jane and Fern stood in awkward silence, not looking at each other.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his voice hoarse.

Jane covered her eyes with her hands. ‘I feel sick with guilt. It’s not going to work, me staying here.’

‘No, Jane, it will. It’s going to be fine,’ he tried.

‘How?’ she hissed suddenly. ‘How could it possibly be fine?’ Jane turned away from him and gave a long whistle. Moments later the unicorns appeared in the sky and landed on the roof in front of them. His rejection was like a wound that gaped wide, and being around him had the strange effect of making it better and worse at the same time.

‘Jane,’ Fern said hurriedly as she mounted a creature. ‘Where are you going?’

‘I just need to clear my head.’

‘Do not go far—it’s not safe at night. Plus there’s a mighty storm heading this way.’

Jane nodded, her lips tight, and took off into the sky, knowing that if she didn’t get away from him she would suffocate.

Altor arrived at the palace in Sitadel to find King Cornelius waiting for him in the entrance hall. He was greeted with much pleasure and shown straight to a feast in the main hall. Altor accepted all the formalities and the meal with as much politeness as he could manage, but having discussed his country’s desire to offer aid over dinner, his princely duty was done.

‘Forgive me, highness,’ he said. ‘But I have had a long day and wish to retire.’

‘Of course, dear boy,’ the old man cried. ‘You must forgive us for keeping you from your bed for so long. I’ll have you shown to your room.’

Altor nodded, gave a crisp bow and turned for the door. But the old man’s kindness had him pausing a moment, thoughts running through his mind.

He hesitated, but in the end, curiosity got the better of him.

‘King Cornelius,’ he said softly. ‘One question. Would you tell me—what your son was like when he was alive?’

A grief stricken expression crossed the old king’s face, and Altor immediately regretted the question. Cornelius motioned for Altor to join him once more.

‘What would you like to know?’ A different man sat with Altor now, a lost soul trapped within his grief.

Altor clasped his hands together and stared at the table. ‘Most of the stories about Prince Fern had him gallivanting about the countryside, not giving a single thought to his responsibilities as a prince.’

Cornelius grimaced. ‘He gave me at least half the grey hairs on my head, that boy was so wild.’

The corners of Altor’s mouth twitched.

‘But when it came to his people, his army, and his duty, there was never anyone more committed or determined. His courage in battle was a beacon of hope for us all.’

Altor’s smile disappeared, the king’s words ringing in his ears.

Cornelius eyed him carefully and gently rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘It didn’t always lie easily with him though, son. Fern, like many, struggled with expectations. He wanted to be free, but he also loved his people. I think he was always trying to find a balance.’

Altor nodded stiffly and stood to leave again. Another thought occurred to him. ‘He spent a lot of time in the Elvish city, didn’t he? His mother is queen there?’

Cornelius nodded. ‘Despite that witch, the ice city is the first wonder of the world. I’d recommend you visit it before you head home.’

Altor stared at him. ‘You know? I think I will.’
Two years ago when she flew into the sky, Jane had not really known why. She had climbed atop the unicorns without any knowledge, only a strange sense of certainty that it was necessary. She had been going to wait. To wait for Fern.

But she knew now that it was more than that. An even greater reason compelled her to leave the land of mortals.

It was so she could remember her past life in Paragor.

A long time ago, on a boat sailing home from Guanu, Fern had told her a story about the one true god, the Great One, and his demise. He had spoken to her about the destroying force that was the Scourge, how this hybrid demon had wanted the land to himself, and had tried to overthrow the Great One.

There had come a saviour, the High Princess Amara. Fern told Jane how Amara had saved Paragor by banishing the Scourge, how she had turned the El~araih so that they served only the true leaders of Paragor. He told her how Amara had dived over the cliffs of the mountain in Cynis Witron, killing herself because of her grief at something unknown, and how the cliffs had been named after her.

A thousand years ago.

And what Jane had remembered, finally, was that she had been Amara.

Many lifetimes ago,
she
had been the child of light, saviour of mankind.
She
had made the seven artworks of passion, only one of which was still intact in the church on Guanu, and
she
had jumped from the cliffs.

Now here she was, reborn again, as a girl from another world.

Jane didn’t understand the connections. She didn’t understand anything, except why the six of them had
been drawn back here. Why they had crossed through the portal, why they had felt the need to help Paragor even though it was not their home. It was because, a thousand years ago, it had been.

Now she stood at the exact point on the cliffs of Amara from where she had once jumped, staring at the endless countryside below her. She turned to look at the two wonderful creatures grazing idly behind her.

Could she just go back? Spend the rest of this life riding with them into oblivion? She was just a girl—a child really—her life not yet nearly over. She didn’t want to return to the unforgiving sky, the coldness she had endured for years. The thought made her sick with longing for all the things she knew she would miss.

Jane thought, of course, of Fern. She looked at her hands, turning them over before her eyes, knowing she had not aged a day since she left. She was still seventeen. She was nowhere near ready to think about marriage. She’d never even had a boyfriend! And now, a man she loved, a man who was completely wrong for her in so many ways, had gone and married someone else. Athena could offer Fern something that Jane could not, something his entire kingdom needed from him—she was the woman who could be his queen.

It was probably right, in the end, for him to have married.

But if that was true—that Jane and Fern were not meant to be together—then why had they loved each other in a different lifetime?

Shaking her head and banishing all thoughts of boys from her mind, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on the niggling voices. They tapped against her senses, and she realised with delight that if she thought about her friends, their voices became clear and defined and as if they were standing right next to her.

Five voices, all at once, screamed her name in excitement and worry.

Jane, talk to us!

How are you? Are you hurt?

Answer, Jane, if you can.

Where are you, for Christ sakes?

Mia and Jack were here! Finally, at last, present in Paragor. Jane smiled, a sudden, bright burst of happiness in her heart. The terror of not finding them had been ever-present.

Her thoughts, apparently, were being transmitted to her friends and she realised she needed to figure out how this worked.

We’re fine!
Mia said excitedly.
We only crossed over a week or so ago—I think there was some kind of time gap or something.

Yeah and now the rest of you are old,
Jack said, his voice tired and wry.

But Jane, where are you?
Anna interrupted.
We need to see you—there’s so much going on!

Jane nodded, forgetting they couldn’t see.
I know. I’m going to stay at the Elvish castle for a while and see if I can help them figure out a plan to face these Valkyries.

Can’t you come and see us?
Mia whined.
Me first—I’m in Tirana traipsing around in the sand!