The Crystal Heart (9 page)

I slept dreamlessly that night, awakening to a bright day and Izolda singing as she brewed tea. I walked over and put my arms around her, kissing her on the warm back of her beautiful neck. She twisted in my arms and smiled up at me. ‘Did you sleep well, Kasper?'

‘Perfectly. And you?'

‘Hardly at all,' she said, and laughed. ‘But I feel perfectly rested. Isn't that strange?'

‘It's the magic of love,' I said cheerfully, and she laughed again and kissed me while our tea grew cold and unregarded.

Everything had changed between us, and I was wildly happy. All that day passed like a flash, and the next day, and the next. Between our chores, we would spend a lot of time talking. I grew to know a good deal about Izolda's family and the underground kingdom, and not just through words. For the pad I'd given her was filling with underground scenes, delicately coloured. She had even
drawn a beautiful map of the crystal city, complete with little figures hurrying along the streets.

How I loved hearing her speak about it, knowing that she had opened to me completely, that her trust in me was absolute! Yet, when one evening Izolda said that she was sure that in time we'd stand together in those same streets and be married with her father's blessing, I could not bring myself to tell her what was in my heart: that you might as well believe the moon could really be caught in a net. Rescuer of his daughter or not, I was not only from the people her father loathed, I was also a commoner without money or land. His pride would never stand it.

And what of my own people? How would my parents accept my marriage to the daughter of Krainos's most deadly enemy? They might accept it for my sake, because they loved me. But it wouldn't make them happy. And as to the neighbours – the wider world, the authorities, the Commander – what would they think? How would they react? I did not want to dwell too much on the answer, for I thought I should not find it much to my liking.

At night, we sometimes read to each other from
Tales from the Forest
. Other times we sang together or talked, or just sat quietly by the fire, holding each other. One evening, as we sat by the fire, wrapped in each other's arms, Izolda told me about the dreams she'd had those last weeks in the Tower.

‘I was flying, and it felt so free and wonderful. But I wasn't alone. Someone was with me – someone with coal-black hair, lips red as blood, skin white as snow.' Izolda twisted in my arms to look up at me, smiling. ‘That
someone had your face, Kasper, my love. I was dreaming about you even before I met you.'

Thrilled beyond words, I held her tight, kissing her, awed by the strange and wonderful magic that had brought us together …

Another evening, when Izolda was reading aloud, the
domevoy
crept out from its hiding place and squatted on its haunches on the floor. It listened to her, not paying any attention to me at all, while Fela ruffled her feathers indignantly on Izolda's shoulder. It was a moment straight out of an old story, I thought. The world we had left behind might as well never have existed, and I was almost perfectly content.

Almost. For each night, every difficulty seemed magnified. In those sleepless hours when I tossed and turned, I kept turning over in my mind not only all that had happened to us and what might happen, but also what had happened before. Questions about the past crowded in on me, questions that had been pushed to the back of my mind. They burst forth with greater urgency. Why had our government lied for so many years? Why had they said Izolda was a witch? Why hadn't her father divulged the truth? How had she been kidnapped in the first place? Surely the daughter of the Prince of Night would have been well-protected. Was betrayal involved? If so, by whom? There were so many questions, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt some dark mystery lay behind it all.

I said nothing of these things to Izolda. I did not want to see that bright new cheerfulness of hers darkened in any way. I wanted to always see her as happy as she was
now, and if it meant putting aside anxiety and telling her again and again that, yes, everything would work out, then that was a very small price to pay. She did not speak of missing her home or of trying to find out any more than I had already, but I knew that the time would come when she would. And I – well, once I would have been content just to stay here forever, but now, that had changed. I did not want the girl I loved to be a prisoner again in a fortress of greenwood; I did not want her to be obliged never to have any other horizon. She deserved so much more than that. If only there was a way that we could get safe passage to her father's lands. If only there was some way he could be made to see that his quarrel with Krainos was now over. If only there was a way I could be both my parents' son and Izolda's love, without any fear or danger or persecution for either of us …

But these thoughts did not torment me. They were just an irritant in what otherwise was the happiest time of my whole life. I was filled with the delight of knowing that I not only loved someone but that I was loved in return. Her scent, her warmth, her beauty, her intelligence and her spirit intoxicated me. I would do anything and everything for Izolda, be it ever so difficult, cost it ever so much. I would find a way that we could be together always, without fear, without hiding. I knew I would. It was just a matter of time.

It was the evening of the fourth day since we had declared our love. I looked up from my painting to see Kasper watching me with that new look in his eyes – a thoughtfulness that's close to anxiety. It bothers me a little, even through the happiness that makes my heart feel as light as one of Fela's feathers. I know what he is thinking. We cannot stay here for ever. Sooner or later, we will have to go. To face life again, the world. I always knew that, and now he did, too. But unlike him, it didn't worry me, though once it would have done. We love each other and that's what matters. ‘No power on earth will part me from you,' he'd said, and the strange thing was, the unease I'd felt then had quite vanished. I believed it now, with all my heart and soul. Nothing could part us. Love had given us a strength and courage that was unbeatable. At least that was my feeling, calm as knowledge.

Awake, I am fizzing with the sweet honey of love that runs intoxicatingly in my veins. Asleep, I do not even
dream. The dream where I'm flying has vanished. I am like a baby, sleeping without memory or thought.

‘Izolda.'

The sound of my name on his lips makes me tingle. ‘What is it?' I said softly.

‘What if we did go to a foreign country?'

For a moment, I gaped at him. ‘You mean, to Ruvenya? But isn't that where they're looking for us?'

‘Not necessarily there, but somewhere we could get help.'

‘Help? In what way?'

His dark eyes were serious. ‘I've been thinking about it a while, and it's just struck me that maybe the answer to our problem is a diplomatic one. I mean, my government and yours are enemies, but each has alliances with others. Krainos might be regarded as a backwards soldier state by our neighbours, but they still deal cordially with us. Migrant workers from Krainos get jobs all over the place. And I thought maybe other
feyin
realms must have friendships with Night – is that right?'

I nodded. ‘Yes. The Erlking, for instance, is a good friend of my father's, despite past hiccups. But I still don't understand.'

‘Well, I just thought that if someone could mediate for us, then perhaps an understanding might be reached.'

‘Why would anyone want to mediate for us? We are two unimportant people and –'

‘No,' he said firmly. ‘
I
am unimportant, but you – you're the Princess of Night. If Krainos and Night are no longer enemies, then the salt and crystal and opal trade will start again. Our neighbours will be pleased about that.
They will certainly see the advantage in helping you. I'd be a minor part of the deal, that's all. If, of course, you want me to be in the deal at all,' he added teasingly.

‘Stop fishing for compliments, Kasper Bator,' I said sternly, and he laughed and drew me onto his lap.

‘The easiest place for us to go to is Ruvenya – we can get to the border in a few days by water – but it might not be the best place in which to linger. We could then travel to Almain by train – or even further afield. What do you think?'

‘I will go where you go,' I said simply, and watched the joyful colour flooding his face. ‘But before we go, I think we should send an envoy.'

‘An envoy?' he echoed, looking baffled.

I did not know where the idea came from. The words had come unbidden to my lips. ‘Fela,' I suggested. ‘She can take a message for us. I have heard that it can be done.'

He stared at me. ‘Yes, but messenger pigeons must be trained. It is quite a business. How will she know where to –'

‘I can tell her and she will understand,' I said, and once again, I did not know how that notion had come to me. All I knew was that it was true, and that at my throat, the crystal heart lay warmly against my skin.

‘The magic is coming back to you,' he said on a catch of breath. And the moment he said this, I knew that it was the truth. Ever since things had changed between us, I had felt the power that is the birthright of Night growing within me.

‘Yes, and I am so glad,' I said joyfully. ‘For it means that now, at last, I can help properly and not just be a burden to you.'

‘That you can never be!' Kasper cried fiercely, and I laughed to see his earnestness. He frowned a little at first but then the smile came, lighting up his whole face. ‘Together we will make our lives,' he said, ‘wherever they take us.'

‘Wherever,' I echoed. For an instant, images of the home I'd dreamed about for so long flooded into my mind – the underground city, the beautiful palace, the white salt halls – and I was seized with a sharp pang of nostalgia. I longed to walk in its streets again, with my love by my side. I know I will someday. Meanwhile, we had to go where it was possible to go. We had to prepare the ground so that one day we could both visit our homes without fear. Kasper's strategy was a good one. I knew it would succeed, if we both played our parts.

We started that very night to lay our plans. First, we would send Fela to the Grand Duke of Almain with a carefully composed message. While we waited for her return – which Kasper estimated to be within two days, all going well – we'd gather our supplies for the long boat trip to the Ruvenyan border. We'd have to go by a roundabout way to avoid travelling through too many settlements. We'd also make some figures to sell, for we'd need money for the train to Almain from the Ruvenyan border.

As I lay in bed in the moments before sleep arrived at last, I thought of how I would not be sorry to leave this quiet, peaceful place where I have been so happy. Kasper and I were ready for the next chapter in our story, for it was time to turn the page.

The next morning, we set to work straight away. Kasper headed off to the spot where we'd left the rowing boat, while I spent the hours painting toys and going over the message we'd drafted the night before. But it didn't seem quite right to me, so I carefully revised it so that our message was clear.

I turned to the pigeon sitting on the table, regarding me. ‘Fela, you must take this message to this place,' I instructed, pointing to a spot on the map. ‘And only to this person.' I showed her a sketch I'd rapidly drawn from a photograph I'd seen in one of the books I'd had in the Tower. ‘Our lives depend upon it. Do you understand?'

Fela cocked her head and looked at me with her bright eyes. She hopped onto my hand and cooed softly three times. And all at once, I could hear words, like I did with the
domevoy
.
Yes, yes, yes.

A little tingle shot up my spine. I could understand the speech of animals now! I touched the crystal at my throat: it was warm. ‘You will keep it safe, won't you, Fela?' I said, with a little tremble in my voice.

Yes, yes, yes,
she cooed.

I tied the message to her claw and took her outside. ‘Are you ready, Fela?' I asked, stroking her feathers gently.

She cooed three times.

‘Go, with my blessing and Kasper's,' I told her then, and released my hold on her.

Fela soared up into the sky, hanging there for a flap-of-wings instant, as if farewelling me. Then she was gone, heading straight as an arrow over the trees, towards the south. Our hopes go with her, and our future, I thought, with a little skip of the heart. Questions began to rush into
my mind. What if a hawk should get her? Or a storm? What if she lost her way?

It was now too late for doubts. I had to trust in this new power of mine. In the magic that had lain dormant inside me for so long, whose limits and features I still had no way of properly understanding, but that nevertheless, I must trust.