Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part five of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
The tunnel seems to go on forever. Not able to see anything in the darkness, I negotiate by feel, as well as the faint sounds of Julun's progress ahead of me. Every now and then, he pauses, as though checking if he is being followed. Each time he does, I freeze, remaining silent until he moves again.
We go for so long that it feels like we have crawled under a whole city three times over. When the tunnel finally begins to rise, it is all I can do to hold in a sigh of relief.
I hang back until Julun has exited, then follow him. We are in a forest I recognise as being a little way out of the city. Julun doesn't hesitate, but strides straight into the thicket of trees.
"I thought we had a deal!" he says loudly, stopping in a small, empty clearing. "You said if I told you who the real queen was, you'd let my wife go. You didn't say anything about killing the queen! It was supposed to be so that you could manipulate traders with your inside knowledge."
Though I see no one, I can hear a woman laughing. "And you believed me, like the fool you are. Honourable men are so easy to manipulate."
As though appearing from thin air, the woman materialises in front of Julun. He starts, but holds his ground. "Where is she?" he growls.
"She's safe, for the time being," the woman says. She has a singsong voice, one that you may mistake for the voice of an innocent girl... if you couldn't see her now. I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out if I recognise her, but her long blonde hair and green eyes are generic. I have no idea why she would want to kill me. Then again, I must have any number of unknown enemies; who doesn't want a shot at the crown for themselves?
"Now, I want you to do one more thing for me," the woman says. "As you know, my attempt on the queen's life failed. You are to do it for me."
"What? You know I could never do that!"
She laughs sweetly. "Well, it's that or watch your wife die before your eyes and not be able to stop it."
"Let - let me see her."
The woman calls back. "Oh Sarah? Why don't you come over here a minute, darling?"
My eyes scan the woods as a dishevelled woman comes staggering forward, her hands bound in front of her. Julun makes to rush to her, but the woman holds out a hand. "One more step and she's dead."
Julun stops in his tracks. "Sarah, I'll get you out of this, I promise."
"Julun," she sobs. I can't hear the rest of what she says over the woman's voice.
"You have until the full moon. Deliver me the queen's head, and your wife shall be free. Go, now, before I lose my patience."
Julun turns and staggers back to the hole. For a second, I get a glimpse of the expression on his face, and it nearly brings me to my knees. I have known Julun for years, even from before I was queen, when he was still protecting my parents. Now, he protects me, and I know I will do anything to protect him.
As I follow him in the tunnel, keeping my distance, I try to think. What is best? Go to Julun and trust he will let me talk before trying to kill me? Lead a squad of guards to rescue Sarah myself? No, surely if that were a possibility he would have done it already? There must be more going on here than what meets the eye.
It is not until we are nearly back at Julun's house that I make my decision. As he opens the door, I find I can't stand him going home to an empty house of despair, battling between loyalty and love with no one to help him.
"Julun."
He jumps as I knock on the door. "Kim. My queen. Please, come in. Here, have a seat, I'll get you some tea."
"Julun, the time for pretending is over," I say seriously. "Sit. Let's talk."
Julun listens as I tell him everything I have seen and heard when following him. He opens his mouth, whether to apologise or to plead with me, I don't know.
"What we need to decide now," I say over him, "is how to rescue Sarah."
Julun's head falls into his hands, a groan of despair making its way out of him. "We can't. That woman, she's a sorceress. She'd know if anyone was coming, and kill Sarah right away."
That explains it. Looking at Julun, though, that same sense that tipped me off yesterday tells me that he is holding something back. "What else?"
"I don't know, Kim. I don't understand half the stuff she says. She said that I couldn't sneak up on her undetected, that nobody but a TruthTeller could. Really, I don't know what she was talking about."
"Well it's your lucky day, Julun," I say softly as comprehension washes over me. TruthTeller. The ability to know if someone is telling the truth. The ability I inherited from my mother. "I think I do."
I sweep out of the room. "Meet me at the wagon where thee tunnel begins at first light tomorrow," I say. "I will rescue your wife.""
I ignore his frantic questions, already in a world of my own. Even if I can sneak up on a sorceress undetected, taking her out will be another story. I have trained with a knife from since I could hold one, but that will be no match for magic. I'll need to take her by surprise if I am to have a chance.
"Kim?"
I whirl around to see Nick standing right behind the door, as white as a ghost.
"Nick! What are you doing here?"
"I was worried, so I went up to the palace to look for you. Lene said you hadn't come in today, and I asked around. People said they had seem you going to Julun's. I heard the last part of the conversation."
Nick simply looks at me, waiting for me to explain.
"Nick... it's complicated."
"Complicated like you going off alone to rescue the wife of the guards' commander?"
I nod.
"Kim, what's going on?"
I close my eyes, praying for strength. I can't tell Nick; my cover protects him as well as me. Yet I may die tomorrow - probably will die tomorrow.
What difference could it make, really? To let Nick know the truth? Whatever difference it will or won't make, I suddenly find that I can't lie anymore. As much as I love Nick and want to protect him, I can't do it.
"Julun's wife was kidnapped," I whisper, my eyes still closed. "The sorceress who did it wanted information, so that she could kill me. I'm the only one who can save Sarah."
"Why would a sorceress want to kill you? Kim?"
I turn my eyes up to look into Nick's face, wondering if he'll ever look at me tenderly after I confess that I have lied for all the time I have been with him. It's just like I imagined saying it, only worse. I didn't imagine the fear, and that makes it a thousand times worse.
"Because Lene isn't the queen, Nick. I am."
To be continued
Monday 29 July 2013
Friday 26 July 2013
Secrets - part 4
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part four of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
"Kim, I was worried," Nick says, closing the door behind me. Turning to look at me, he pauses. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Nothing," I say, fumbling to come up with a believable story. "I'm just... just worried that whoever it is who tried to poison me will try again."
Nick wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly to him. "It's ok. We won't let anything happen to you. I'll find whoever it is before they have a chance to try and hurt you again."
I nod against his chest, secure in the knowledge that the poisoner will be found tomorrow in Nick's sight. Ghart won't let us down, and once his part is played, Nick will be convinced there is no more danger and drop it.
As I lie awake in bed that night, I wonder how I am going to proceed. Julun is in trouble, and if I want to help him, I need to do it quietly, before anyone else finds out. I also need to talk to Heleta again, I decide. Whatever she knows about my headaches, she hasn't told me everything. I fall asleep contemplating complex plans and back up plans.
In the morning, it doesn't take long to persuade Sophie and Nick to come into court with me - they both think they will pick up leads on whoever poisoned me. They don't know how right they are.
Lene must have people watching for us, because we are only in the courtyard for a few minutes before soldiers come running.
Ghart is fleeing very convincingly, but the other guards don't take long to chase him down. Conveniently, the takedown happens just a few yards away from Nick, Sophie and me.
"You tried to poison the queen's servant, do you deny it?" one of the officers demands.
I watch anxiously, but I needn't have worried. Ghart's performance is perfect. "Others will follow along my path!" he yells, a truly manic glint in his eyes. "Those loyal to the queen will be taken down one by one, then she will die at our hands!"
They drag him away. I glance at Sophie and Nick, judging their reactions. Thankfully, they look convinced, if shaken.
"I should go," I say. "I'll try to find out more from Lene."
"Be careful," Nick says, kissing me on the cheek.
"No need - he's been caught."
I smile brightly over my shoulder as I leave, and see them looking relieved. I make a mental note to Lene to put about that Ghart's execution was done in private, so as not to fan the flames of whatever he is planning. The court magician will have to give him a new appearance so that he can continue as a soldier of the palace; when we told him he could choose whatever look he wanted, he was quite excited.
I don't go to the palace, where Lene will surely be expecting me. She'll have to manage without me for a day. I head straight to Heleta's rooms.
She cringes when she sees who it is, knowing that I will demand answers. Opening the door very reluctantly, she tries to hide the rest of the room, but it's all too easy to spot.
"Heleta, where are you going?" I ask, gesturing to the obvious signs of packing.
"Kim, I told you yesterday, I need to deal with something. It's better that you don't know anything about it."
I don't have time for word games. "Tell me," I command. Heleta sighs, knowing she can't refuse a direct order from me.
"For as long as anyone can remember, there has been a trait among your family. Some call it a blessing, others a curse. It is passed down only to the females of your family, and only the strongest of those survive it."
Heleta takes a deep breath, seeming to steel herself. "On your nineteenth birthday, it started. You will always be able to tell when you are being lied to - an invaluable skill as queen, one of the reasons your family has retained the throne for so long - but it comes with a price. Headaches for the remainder of your life, which no cure can touch. Worse, hallucinations. You will see things that can't possibly be there, things that terrify you. Your mother made sure she was never alone, so that she always had someone with her to tell her what was real and what wasn't. If she could touch them, she knew they were real; otherwise, there was no way to tell illusion from reality. It was a terrible burden she bore.
"When you were born, she decided that the cycle had to be broken. No queen had ever dared before to give up the advantage the curse gave her over her opponents, but your mother wanted to spare you the pain of it, no matter what else it might mean. She travelled to the high mountains of Unee and entered the deepest cave, hidden in the bowels of the mountain.
"There, she burned the tree growing in the darkness - the tree that brings on both the abilities and the terrors you live through.
"We thought it was the end, then. Apparently, it isn't. I don't see how the tree could have grown back, but it has to be destroyed."
I look around at her bags, finally understanding. "You mean to do it alone?"
"It's not a dangerous mission. It only took this long in the first place because no one wanted to give up the ability to see lies."
I lean back on the bed, trying to think through everything. Somehow, I am not shocked. Maybe some part of me always knew the headaches weren't normal; maybe I just have a strange ability to take these kinds of things in my stride. Whatever the reason, I am calm.
"Don't destroy it," I say. Heleta opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "Bring it here. I want to make the decision to do it myself, and destroy it myself if I decide to."
Heleta doesn't look happy, but has little choice but to agree. "Your mother thought you would be better off having to deal with it."
"I am not my mother. I will make decisions based on my life now, not my life when I was a new-born, as she did. I will do what is best for the kingdom."
Heleta nods, tears in her eyes. "Don't lose yourself for the sake of your people."
I wonder what terrifying visions my mum could have confided in her to give Heleta such a haunted look.
"I won't," I promise. "Go to Lene, tell her that I want soldiers sent with you to protect you, and help bring the tree back here."
When I leave, my head is oddly clear. At least I know what is happening, now. I can deal with what to do with the damn tree when it gets here. Now, I need to help Julun. First, I go to his house, wanting to check that everything seems alright before finding his patrol.
I am surprised when I get there. Julun is at home, sitting on the sofa. I barely duck out of the way in time to avoid being seen. He must have called in sick to get out of work today. Frowning, I try to reason it out. Julun is fiercely loyal to the kingdom, and believes in protecting it. He wouldn't skip out on his unit without a powerful reason.
Carefully, I position myself in a bush, watching him without being seen by passers-by.
My feet go numb, and Julun still hasn't moved from the sofa. I am on the verge of giving up when he stands and crosses briskly to the back door, glancing out of the window as he does. Glancing at the sun. I look up - mid-afternoon. Julun was waiting all day for something.
I sneak around, watching as he slips into the shadows of buildings, taking great care not to be seen. I was taught tracking by the best in the kingdom, though, and Julun is no match for me.
We make our way through the city, right to the outskirts. I expect Julun will have to reveal himself here - the only way to get out is past the guards. Again, he surprises me. He lifts the end of a wagon that has been there so long it almost looks like part of the ground, crawls underneath and disappears.
Glancing around and seeing that no one is watching me, I follow him.
Under the wagon, I find a hastily replaced tarp, covering a deep hole. A tunnel.
As unhappy as I am about the prospect, there is little choice now: I've come too far to go back. I crawl into the dank hole, following Julun's trail.
To be continued
"Kim, I was worried," Nick says, closing the door behind me. Turning to look at me, he pauses. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Nothing," I say, fumbling to come up with a believable story. "I'm just... just worried that whoever it is who tried to poison me will try again."
Nick wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly to him. "It's ok. We won't let anything happen to you. I'll find whoever it is before they have a chance to try and hurt you again."
I nod against his chest, secure in the knowledge that the poisoner will be found tomorrow in Nick's sight. Ghart won't let us down, and once his part is played, Nick will be convinced there is no more danger and drop it.
As I lie awake in bed that night, I wonder how I am going to proceed. Julun is in trouble, and if I want to help him, I need to do it quietly, before anyone else finds out. I also need to talk to Heleta again, I decide. Whatever she knows about my headaches, she hasn't told me everything. I fall asleep contemplating complex plans and back up plans.
In the morning, it doesn't take long to persuade Sophie and Nick to come into court with me - they both think they will pick up leads on whoever poisoned me. They don't know how right they are.
Lene must have people watching for us, because we are only in the courtyard for a few minutes before soldiers come running.
Ghart is fleeing very convincingly, but the other guards don't take long to chase him down. Conveniently, the takedown happens just a few yards away from Nick, Sophie and me.
"You tried to poison the queen's servant, do you deny it?" one of the officers demands.
I watch anxiously, but I needn't have worried. Ghart's performance is perfect. "Others will follow along my path!" he yells, a truly manic glint in his eyes. "Those loyal to the queen will be taken down one by one, then she will die at our hands!"
They drag him away. I glance at Sophie and Nick, judging their reactions. Thankfully, they look convinced, if shaken.
"I should go," I say. "I'll try to find out more from Lene."
"Be careful," Nick says, kissing me on the cheek.
"No need - he's been caught."
I smile brightly over my shoulder as I leave, and see them looking relieved. I make a mental note to Lene to put about that Ghart's execution was done in private, so as not to fan the flames of whatever he is planning. The court magician will have to give him a new appearance so that he can continue as a soldier of the palace; when we told him he could choose whatever look he wanted, he was quite excited.
I don't go to the palace, where Lene will surely be expecting me. She'll have to manage without me for a day. I head straight to Heleta's rooms.
She cringes when she sees who it is, knowing that I will demand answers. Opening the door very reluctantly, she tries to hide the rest of the room, but it's all too easy to spot.
"Heleta, where are you going?" I ask, gesturing to the obvious signs of packing.
"Kim, I told you yesterday, I need to deal with something. It's better that you don't know anything about it."
I don't have time for word games. "Tell me," I command. Heleta sighs, knowing she can't refuse a direct order from me.
"For as long as anyone can remember, there has been a trait among your family. Some call it a blessing, others a curse. It is passed down only to the females of your family, and only the strongest of those survive it."
Heleta takes a deep breath, seeming to steel herself. "On your nineteenth birthday, it started. You will always be able to tell when you are being lied to - an invaluable skill as queen, one of the reasons your family has retained the throne for so long - but it comes with a price. Headaches for the remainder of your life, which no cure can touch. Worse, hallucinations. You will see things that can't possibly be there, things that terrify you. Your mother made sure she was never alone, so that she always had someone with her to tell her what was real and what wasn't. If she could touch them, she knew they were real; otherwise, there was no way to tell illusion from reality. It was a terrible burden she bore.
"When you were born, she decided that the cycle had to be broken. No queen had ever dared before to give up the advantage the curse gave her over her opponents, but your mother wanted to spare you the pain of it, no matter what else it might mean. She travelled to the high mountains of Unee and entered the deepest cave, hidden in the bowels of the mountain.
"There, she burned the tree growing in the darkness - the tree that brings on both the abilities and the terrors you live through.
"We thought it was the end, then. Apparently, it isn't. I don't see how the tree could have grown back, but it has to be destroyed."
I look around at her bags, finally understanding. "You mean to do it alone?"
"It's not a dangerous mission. It only took this long in the first place because no one wanted to give up the ability to see lies."
I lean back on the bed, trying to think through everything. Somehow, I am not shocked. Maybe some part of me always knew the headaches weren't normal; maybe I just have a strange ability to take these kinds of things in my stride. Whatever the reason, I am calm.
"Don't destroy it," I say. Heleta opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "Bring it here. I want to make the decision to do it myself, and destroy it myself if I decide to."
Heleta doesn't look happy, but has little choice but to agree. "Your mother thought you would be better off having to deal with it."
"I am not my mother. I will make decisions based on my life now, not my life when I was a new-born, as she did. I will do what is best for the kingdom."
Heleta nods, tears in her eyes. "Don't lose yourself for the sake of your people."
I wonder what terrifying visions my mum could have confided in her to give Heleta such a haunted look.
"I won't," I promise. "Go to Lene, tell her that I want soldiers sent with you to protect you, and help bring the tree back here."
When I leave, my head is oddly clear. At least I know what is happening, now. I can deal with what to do with the damn tree when it gets here. Now, I need to help Julun. First, I go to his house, wanting to check that everything seems alright before finding his patrol.
I am surprised when I get there. Julun is at home, sitting on the sofa. I barely duck out of the way in time to avoid being seen. He must have called in sick to get out of work today. Frowning, I try to reason it out. Julun is fiercely loyal to the kingdom, and believes in protecting it. He wouldn't skip out on his unit without a powerful reason.
Carefully, I position myself in a bush, watching him without being seen by passers-by.
My feet go numb, and Julun still hasn't moved from the sofa. I am on the verge of giving up when he stands and crosses briskly to the back door, glancing out of the window as he does. Glancing at the sun. I look up - mid-afternoon. Julun was waiting all day for something.
I sneak around, watching as he slips into the shadows of buildings, taking great care not to be seen. I was taught tracking by the best in the kingdom, though, and Julun is no match for me.
We make our way through the city, right to the outskirts. I expect Julun will have to reveal himself here - the only way to get out is past the guards. Again, he surprises me. He lifts the end of a wagon that has been there so long it almost looks like part of the ground, crawls underneath and disappears.
Glancing around and seeing that no one is watching me, I follow him.
Under the wagon, I find a hastily replaced tarp, covering a deep hole. A tunnel.
As unhappy as I am about the prospect, there is little choice now: I've come too far to go back. I crawl into the dank hole, following Julun's trail.
To be continued
Wednesday 24 July 2013
The Sword of Truth - Terry Goodkind
Ok, so I know I'm deviating from my usual story posts, but I feel that this is something I really need to write about.
I first read The Sword of Truth many years ago, and since then my life has become unrecognisable - unrecognisably better! The Sword of Truth is the most amazing fantasy story, spanning over 11 books, but it's so much more than that. I love the story and read it over and over again, but I have benefited from it far more than just the joy a beautiful story brings me.
Terry Goodkind goes out of his way to teach his readers. Many of the things I have learned are things I knew or should have known anyway, but I was never confident to back them up, even to myself. Things like the fact that every human life has value, that everyone has the right to freedom... I was so inspired by the books and lessons that I learned, and still am. It's all very well sitting in the psychologist's office listening to them tell you that no matter how pointless you feel, your life has value, but sometimes it takes more than just telling. Terry Goodkind doesn't tell - he shows. So many of the things I have learned from him, I have heard before, but never really believed until he illustrated them in a story for me. Others were complete revelations, helping some things make sense to me for the first time in my life.
Now, I use The Sword of Truth daily to solve problems, to motivate myself to do better and be great.
If I was in the education department, I would make The Sword of Truth compulsory reading for everyone in school. So many of the world's problems could be solved if people just took Terry Goodkind's lessons to heart.
So the point of this post is to give you a chance to change your life. Ever since I read The Sword of Truth, I have been promoting it to everyone I meet. I feel that my life has been so positively changed by this series, I can't just keep it to myself - I owe it to the world to give other people the same chance I had.
Truly, you will not regret reading it. Even if you don't often read fantasy, The Sword of Truth transcends matters of genre, speaking in a universal language understood by all. Read it. Really, that's all I can say: read it!
Book one if Wizard's First Rule
Look out for book 6 when you get there - Faith of the Fallen - it's the best! My mind was blown away after reading it.
Here is the link to amazon where you can order it: http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-First-Rule-RosettaBooks-ebook/dp/B00433TO4I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374661699&sr=8-1&keywords=wizard%27s+first+rule
Or check out a library near you - you can bet they will have it!
Follow Terry Goodkind on Twitter! https://twitter.com/terrygoodkind
Please join my Terry Goodkind fan club on LibraryThing! It's a new group, and I'm always looking for new members :) http://www.librarything.com/groups/terrygoodkindfanclub
Are you on Goodreads? Check this out! https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2812-sword-of-truth
Join the Terry Goodkind page on Facebook and get all the updates on his latest works. https://www.facebook.com/terrygoodkind?fref=ts
Check out his website, where you can order Sword of Truth jewellery, clothes, and much more! http://www.terrygoodkindstore.com/collections/all-products
Here's the official Terry Goodkind website: http://www.terrygoodkind.com/
Take this chance to do something great: take your life under your control and start on the journey of a lifetime. As Terry Goodkind says, "Your life is yours alone. Rise up and live it."
I first read The Sword of Truth many years ago, and since then my life has become unrecognisable - unrecognisably better! The Sword of Truth is the most amazing fantasy story, spanning over 11 books, but it's so much more than that. I love the story and read it over and over again, but I have benefited from it far more than just the joy a beautiful story brings me.
Terry Goodkind goes out of his way to teach his readers. Many of the things I have learned are things I knew or should have known anyway, but I was never confident to back them up, even to myself. Things like the fact that every human life has value, that everyone has the right to freedom... I was so inspired by the books and lessons that I learned, and still am. It's all very well sitting in the psychologist's office listening to them tell you that no matter how pointless you feel, your life has value, but sometimes it takes more than just telling. Terry Goodkind doesn't tell - he shows. So many of the things I have learned from him, I have heard before, but never really believed until he illustrated them in a story for me. Others were complete revelations, helping some things make sense to me for the first time in my life.
Now, I use The Sword of Truth daily to solve problems, to motivate myself to do better and be great.
If I was in the education department, I would make The Sword of Truth compulsory reading for everyone in school. So many of the world's problems could be solved if people just took Terry Goodkind's lessons to heart.
So the point of this post is to give you a chance to change your life. Ever since I read The Sword of Truth, I have been promoting it to everyone I meet. I feel that my life has been so positively changed by this series, I can't just keep it to myself - I owe it to the world to give other people the same chance I had.
Truly, you will not regret reading it. Even if you don't often read fantasy, The Sword of Truth transcends matters of genre, speaking in a universal language understood by all. Read it. Really, that's all I can say: read it!
Book one if Wizard's First Rule
Look out for book 6 when you get there - Faith of the Fallen - it's the best! My mind was blown away after reading it.
Here is the link to amazon where you can order it: http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-First-Rule-RosettaBooks-ebook/dp/B00433TO4I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374661699&sr=8-1&keywords=wizard%27s+first+rule
Or check out a library near you - you can bet they will have it!
Follow Terry Goodkind on Twitter! https://twitter.com/terrygoodkind
Please join my Terry Goodkind fan club on LibraryThing! It's a new group, and I'm always looking for new members :) http://www.librarything.com/groups/terrygoodkindfanclub
Are you on Goodreads? Check this out! https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2812-sword-of-truth
Join the Terry Goodkind page on Facebook and get all the updates on his latest works. https://www.facebook.com/terrygoodkind?fref=ts
Check out his website, where you can order Sword of Truth jewellery, clothes, and much more! http://www.terrygoodkindstore.com/collections/all-products
Here's the official Terry Goodkind website: http://www.terrygoodkind.com/
Take this chance to do something great: take your life under your control and start on the journey of a lifetime. As Terry Goodkind says, "Your life is yours alone. Rise up and live it."
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Secrets - part 3
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part three of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
I think I must fall asleep in the chair, for the next thing I know, Lene is shaking me. "Kim? Kim, it's getting dark. You need to get going."
"Yes, of course," I mumble, getting up. "Have you arranged the ploy?"
Lene nods. "Ghart is going to do it. You just make sure Nick and Sophie are in the courtyard at noon tomorrow."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Lene opens the door for me, but doesn't follow me out. In public, we must maintain the pretence that she is the queen and I am the servant. I slip through the halls, invisible to those who don't know who I am. The few who do know, I trust with my life. Apparently, that trust is mistaken, at least in one of them.
I go through it in my head. Obviously, Lene and I know. Then there are my parents - well, Lene's parents, really, but they feel like mine more than hers, the man and woman who raised me and Sophie. Though I know the king and queen were my birth parents, they never felt like home, like my foster parents did.
Julun knows - he's the head of the guards, so he had to be brought in. He misses nothing that goes on in the palace. Lene's governess also knows. I think of Heleta, strict but kind in her own way. She had to know why she was teaching me things only of relevance to a princess when she was supposed to be tutoring Lene.
I frown. That's all. None of these people would betray us. Yet obviously, someone has. I told Lene to investigate quietly, not letting anyone know what she's up to. The first thing she needs to do is catch the real poisoner. Then she can find out who gave up my secret to them.
I have something Lene doesn't have, though. I have the good instincts that have been bred into generations of kings and queens of the land. Though I can't imagine any one of the people I have trusted betraying me, denial won't help now. Heleta's quarters are closest. I turn and make straight for them.
"Kim, dear, how nice to see you," she says, beaming as she opens the door. As soon as I am safely inside, she dips her head in a neat curtsey.
"Heleta, someone tried to poison me. Someone told them who I am."
She clasps her hands over her mouth, horrified. "How? What happened?"
I don't pay much attention to the conversation after that, other than to answer her frantic questions. I could tell from the first second that she is being truthful. I manage to calm her down, convince her that I am in no immediate danger, and make to leave.
Before I can do it, she grabs my arm. "Kim? You knew I wasn't lying, didn't you?"
"Of course," I say. "I know you would never betray me."
Heleta looks worried. "You turned nineteen three months ago. Has everything been ok since then?"
"Yes, of course, why -?"
"You haven't had any headaches, I suppose?"
I gape at her. "How did you know that?"
Heleta goes white. "Dear Gods, this wasn't supposed to happen to her," she whispers, her eyes not on me but on some deity I can't see. "Her mother promised me the cycle was broken, said it was for the best..."
"Heleta, what's going on?"
Her eyes snap back to me, seemingly just realising I am still here. "Go home, Kim," she says with more authority than she ever uses when we're not in public. "Go home and rest. I'll sort this out, don't you worry."
"Sort what...?"
Bewildered, I find myself being shoved from the room. I am too surprised to protest, and the next thing I know, the door is slamming in my face.
Slightly dazed, I wander off, vaguely heading for Julun's rooms, but getting lost several times, due to my head being in the clouds. What could Heleta have meant? I have absolutely no idea what could spook her so badly...
"Kim. Please come in," Julun says. I let him lead me to the couch and offer me some wine. Since my head is already spinning, I think it unwise and ask for a glass of water.
"Julun, someone has betrayed me. I was poisoned."
His horrified response is much the same as Heleta's. There is only one difference. I'm not even totally sure what it is. Some hardening in the eyes? Some kind of brittleness in his voice? I'm not sure what it is that tips me off, but I trust my instincts. Julun knows more than he's saying.
Stalling for time, not knowing what to do, I look around for inspiration, anything to change the topic. "How's Sarah doing?" I ask, looking around for Julun's wife.
"Oh, she's good... she's just out at the market, getting things for supper."
The markets are closed by now.
"Well, I just thought I'd check in," I say. "I really should be going."
Julun's attempts to persuade me to stay for supper are perfect; I would never guess he didn't want me to stay, if I didn't know that something is seriously wrong.
As I walk slowly to my and Nick's house, I try to think. Julun would never willingly betray me, yet he knows something more about this, something he's too scared to say. If I tell Lene, she won't take risks. She'll have him taken in for questioning, but without knowing what kind of trouble Julun is in, it may just make things worse for him.
I guess I'll just have to help him on my own. Whatever is wrong, I'll have to find it.
As I open the door, I pause as my head throbs painfully. The sporadic headaches that have plagued me since my nineteenth birthday are painful, but they have never really caused me much worry; after all, everyone gets headaches.
Now, I wonder if these aren't more than just headaches. What did Heleta mean?
As I step inside, I realise I have no answer. I also realise that if I want to be truly safe, I'll need to find one.
To be continued
I think I must fall asleep in the chair, for the next thing I know, Lene is shaking me. "Kim? Kim, it's getting dark. You need to get going."
"Yes, of course," I mumble, getting up. "Have you arranged the ploy?"
Lene nods. "Ghart is going to do it. You just make sure Nick and Sophie are in the courtyard at noon tomorrow."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Lene opens the door for me, but doesn't follow me out. In public, we must maintain the pretence that she is the queen and I am the servant. I slip through the halls, invisible to those who don't know who I am. The few who do know, I trust with my life. Apparently, that trust is mistaken, at least in one of them.
I go through it in my head. Obviously, Lene and I know. Then there are my parents - well, Lene's parents, really, but they feel like mine more than hers, the man and woman who raised me and Sophie. Though I know the king and queen were my birth parents, they never felt like home, like my foster parents did.
Julun knows - he's the head of the guards, so he had to be brought in. He misses nothing that goes on in the palace. Lene's governess also knows. I think of Heleta, strict but kind in her own way. She had to know why she was teaching me things only of relevance to a princess when she was supposed to be tutoring Lene.
I frown. That's all. None of these people would betray us. Yet obviously, someone has. I told Lene to investigate quietly, not letting anyone know what she's up to. The first thing she needs to do is catch the real poisoner. Then she can find out who gave up my secret to them.
I have something Lene doesn't have, though. I have the good instincts that have been bred into generations of kings and queens of the land. Though I can't imagine any one of the people I have trusted betraying me, denial won't help now. Heleta's quarters are closest. I turn and make straight for them.
"Kim, dear, how nice to see you," she says, beaming as she opens the door. As soon as I am safely inside, she dips her head in a neat curtsey.
"Heleta, someone tried to poison me. Someone told them who I am."
She clasps her hands over her mouth, horrified. "How? What happened?"
I don't pay much attention to the conversation after that, other than to answer her frantic questions. I could tell from the first second that she is being truthful. I manage to calm her down, convince her that I am in no immediate danger, and make to leave.
Before I can do it, she grabs my arm. "Kim? You knew I wasn't lying, didn't you?"
"Of course," I say. "I know you would never betray me."
Heleta looks worried. "You turned nineteen three months ago. Has everything been ok since then?"
"Yes, of course, why -?"
"You haven't had any headaches, I suppose?"
I gape at her. "How did you know that?"
Heleta goes white. "Dear Gods, this wasn't supposed to happen to her," she whispers, her eyes not on me but on some deity I can't see. "Her mother promised me the cycle was broken, said it was for the best..."
"Heleta, what's going on?"
Her eyes snap back to me, seemingly just realising I am still here. "Go home, Kim," she says with more authority than she ever uses when we're not in public. "Go home and rest. I'll sort this out, don't you worry."
"Sort what...?"
Bewildered, I find myself being shoved from the room. I am too surprised to protest, and the next thing I know, the door is slamming in my face.
Slightly dazed, I wander off, vaguely heading for Julun's rooms, but getting lost several times, due to my head being in the clouds. What could Heleta have meant? I have absolutely no idea what could spook her so badly...
"Kim. Please come in," Julun says. I let him lead me to the couch and offer me some wine. Since my head is already spinning, I think it unwise and ask for a glass of water.
"Julun, someone has betrayed me. I was poisoned."
His horrified response is much the same as Heleta's. There is only one difference. I'm not even totally sure what it is. Some hardening in the eyes? Some kind of brittleness in his voice? I'm not sure what it is that tips me off, but I trust my instincts. Julun knows more than he's saying.
Stalling for time, not knowing what to do, I look around for inspiration, anything to change the topic. "How's Sarah doing?" I ask, looking around for Julun's wife.
"Oh, she's good... she's just out at the market, getting things for supper."
The markets are closed by now.
"Well, I just thought I'd check in," I say. "I really should be going."
Julun's attempts to persuade me to stay for supper are perfect; I would never guess he didn't want me to stay, if I didn't know that something is seriously wrong.
As I walk slowly to my and Nick's house, I try to think. Julun would never willingly betray me, yet he knows something more about this, something he's too scared to say. If I tell Lene, she won't take risks. She'll have him taken in for questioning, but without knowing what kind of trouble Julun is in, it may just make things worse for him.
I guess I'll just have to help him on my own. Whatever is wrong, I'll have to find it.
As I open the door, I pause as my head throbs painfully. The sporadic headaches that have plagued me since my nineteenth birthday are painful, but they have never really caused me much worry; after all, everyone gets headaches.
Now, I wonder if these aren't more than just headaches. What did Heleta mean?
As I step inside, I realise I have no answer. I also realise that if I want to be truly safe, I'll need to find one.
To be continued
Saturday 20 July 2013
Secrets - part 2
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part two of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
"Kim? Are you alright?"
"Fine," I say, quickly tuning back in to the conversation.
"What do you think?" Nick asks.
"Um... I think the poison was meant for the queen," I say.
"We've already discussed that," Sophie moans, frustrated by our lack of progress. "If someone was aiming for the queen, they'd have gotten her drink, not confused her with her servant. There's no way they got your drink by mistake."
"They did get the queen's drink," I say softly.
"What?"
I quickly decide what lie to tell. It needs to be convincing, but I can never tell them the truth - that will just put them in more danger. "Lene was being nice. She let me have a sip of her wine. When I collapsed, they obviously realised it was poisoned, and she didn't drink it."
"Maybe she was trying to poison you," Nick suggests. "I mean, it's a bit of a strange coincidence that the one time the wine is poisoned, you are the one to drink it."
"Lene would never do that," I say firmly. "She's the queen. She protects her subjects, not murders them. Besides, she has no reason to want to kill me."
Sophie and Nick keep discussing it, but I retreat back to my own silent world. How did they find out? My secret is one of the most closely guarded in court, one that only a couple of people know. That can mean only one thing: we have a traitor in our midst. I look sadly at my sister and the man I love. How can I get them to drop this? If they don't, they will become targets at once.
"I need to go," I say abruptly. "Lene will be worried. I need to tell her I'm ok."
"Come right back," Nick says.
"Really, I'm feeling fine now. I can work for the rest of the day."
"Kim, you need to rest," Nick says gently. "Lene can manage for one day without you."
I turn away and murmur so quietly that Nick can't hear me. "No. No, she can't."
I walk through the palace as though I am invisible. No one notices servants - one of the reasons we chose a servant as my cover. The guards at Lene's door let me in without a second glance. She is sitting by the window, doing her embroidery.
"Kim! Oh, thank goodness you're ok," she bursts out, rushing to hug me. "I don't know what we would have done if you had died."
"I'm ok," I say. "Nick and Sophie are in trouble, though. They are determined to find out who did this, and they're going to paint great big targets on their backs if they keep on like this."
"We'll have to stop them, then," Lene says. "Come on, Kim, you've solved worse problems than this."
Away from Nick and Sophie, I find my mind is clearer, not watching them, worrying about what trouble they are going to get themselves into.
"Yes... yes, we could find the poisoner," I say slowly. "One of the guards could play the part. We could make sure they're there for a public capture."
"And the reason he would want to kill you?" Lene prompts.
"He... he wanted to kill you, but he knew he needed to get me out of the way first. I'm at your side almost all the time. He didn't want any witnesses."
"Good," Lene says. "I'll arrange it."
I smile, feeling slightly calmer. Lene and I have been working as a team for so many years, solving what seem like the insurmountable problems of rule, that we work seamlessly, without any strain or effort.
"Have you thought about what I said?" Lene asks hesitantly.
"You know I can't tell him," I say heavily. "The fewer people who know, the safer everyone would be. This proves it - we obviously have a traitor. We'll have to start an investigation, but quietly."
Lene nods. "How?"
I think about it, and spend a few minutes describing the best strategy to her. When she gets it, of course, she has to get back to the issue. "You've been with Nick for a year, now," she says. "Don't you think it's time to tell him? You can't live your whole lives based on a lie..."
"Don't," I say. "Don't pretend. Nick and I can never have lives together - not in the way you're thinking. It would be way too dangerous for him."
"Not if you told him," Lene says.
"No, Lene. I will not put him in danger like that. I love him too much to see him die."
"But -"
"I don't want to discuss the matter any further," I say firmly.
She bows her head. "Of course. Forgive me."
"It's ok, Lene," I say. "You're my friend and you're just looking out for me."
She nods, still looking embarrassed.
"I'd like some time alone," I say.
Lene retreats to the adjoining room while I go to stare out of the window.
I have been living with my secret for my whole life, but ever since I met Nick, it has been harder and harder to keep. Of course, I don't remember when my parents did the swap, when Lene was taken to the palace as a young baby and I was given to her parents to foster. Sophie is my sister in every way that matters... but she shares her parents with Lene, not me.
From a young age, I was trained in the ways of a servant... and other ways, by the king himself. I was assigned to Lene, so that I may be close to her and learn the ways of court for when I had need of that knowledge. Lene and I have shared in the deception so long, it is not surprising we've become good friends.
When the king died, Lene officially took his place. I was always there, though. With my training, and the good instincts I inherited from my real parents, I have been able to guide her in making the right decisions, all the while she protected me.
Now, someone has found out about my secret, and is trying to kill me.
I close my eyes, and imagine telling Nick. Of course, I never can, but for a minute, I go through the scene in my head, as though imagining it vividly enough will make it possible.
"Nick, My parents aren't the same as Sophie's parents. I was hidden at a young age for my own protection. My father was the late king, and his wife my mother.
"Lene isn't the queen. I am."
To be continued
"Kim? Are you alright?"
"Fine," I say, quickly tuning back in to the conversation.
"What do you think?" Nick asks.
"Um... I think the poison was meant for the queen," I say.
"We've already discussed that," Sophie moans, frustrated by our lack of progress. "If someone was aiming for the queen, they'd have gotten her drink, not confused her with her servant. There's no way they got your drink by mistake."
"They did get the queen's drink," I say softly.
"What?"
I quickly decide what lie to tell. It needs to be convincing, but I can never tell them the truth - that will just put them in more danger. "Lene was being nice. She let me have a sip of her wine. When I collapsed, they obviously realised it was poisoned, and she didn't drink it."
"Maybe she was trying to poison you," Nick suggests. "I mean, it's a bit of a strange coincidence that the one time the wine is poisoned, you are the one to drink it."
"Lene would never do that," I say firmly. "She's the queen. She protects her subjects, not murders them. Besides, she has no reason to want to kill me."
Sophie and Nick keep discussing it, but I retreat back to my own silent world. How did they find out? My secret is one of the most closely guarded in court, one that only a couple of people know. That can mean only one thing: we have a traitor in our midst. I look sadly at my sister and the man I love. How can I get them to drop this? If they don't, they will become targets at once.
"I need to go," I say abruptly. "Lene will be worried. I need to tell her I'm ok."
"Come right back," Nick says.
"Really, I'm feeling fine now. I can work for the rest of the day."
"Kim, you need to rest," Nick says gently. "Lene can manage for one day without you."
I turn away and murmur so quietly that Nick can't hear me. "No. No, she can't."
I walk through the palace as though I am invisible. No one notices servants - one of the reasons we chose a servant as my cover. The guards at Lene's door let me in without a second glance. She is sitting by the window, doing her embroidery.
"Kim! Oh, thank goodness you're ok," she bursts out, rushing to hug me. "I don't know what we would have done if you had died."
"I'm ok," I say. "Nick and Sophie are in trouble, though. They are determined to find out who did this, and they're going to paint great big targets on their backs if they keep on like this."
"We'll have to stop them, then," Lene says. "Come on, Kim, you've solved worse problems than this."
Away from Nick and Sophie, I find my mind is clearer, not watching them, worrying about what trouble they are going to get themselves into.
"Yes... yes, we could find the poisoner," I say slowly. "One of the guards could play the part. We could make sure they're there for a public capture."
"And the reason he would want to kill you?" Lene prompts.
"He... he wanted to kill you, but he knew he needed to get me out of the way first. I'm at your side almost all the time. He didn't want any witnesses."
"Good," Lene says. "I'll arrange it."
I smile, feeling slightly calmer. Lene and I have been working as a team for so many years, solving what seem like the insurmountable problems of rule, that we work seamlessly, without any strain or effort.
"Have you thought about what I said?" Lene asks hesitantly.
"You know I can't tell him," I say heavily. "The fewer people who know, the safer everyone would be. This proves it - we obviously have a traitor. We'll have to start an investigation, but quietly."
Lene nods. "How?"
I think about it, and spend a few minutes describing the best strategy to her. When she gets it, of course, she has to get back to the issue. "You've been with Nick for a year, now," she says. "Don't you think it's time to tell him? You can't live your whole lives based on a lie..."
"Don't," I say. "Don't pretend. Nick and I can never have lives together - not in the way you're thinking. It would be way too dangerous for him."
"Not if you told him," Lene says.
"No, Lene. I will not put him in danger like that. I love him too much to see him die."
"But -"
"I don't want to discuss the matter any further," I say firmly.
She bows her head. "Of course. Forgive me."
"It's ok, Lene," I say. "You're my friend and you're just looking out for me."
She nods, still looking embarrassed.
"I'd like some time alone," I say.
Lene retreats to the adjoining room while I go to stare out of the window.
I have been living with my secret for my whole life, but ever since I met Nick, it has been harder and harder to keep. Of course, I don't remember when my parents did the swap, when Lene was taken to the palace as a young baby and I was given to her parents to foster. Sophie is my sister in every way that matters... but she shares her parents with Lene, not me.
From a young age, I was trained in the ways of a servant... and other ways, by the king himself. I was assigned to Lene, so that I may be close to her and learn the ways of court for when I had need of that knowledge. Lene and I have shared in the deception so long, it is not surprising we've become good friends.
When the king died, Lene officially took his place. I was always there, though. With my training, and the good instincts I inherited from my real parents, I have been able to guide her in making the right decisions, all the while she protected me.
Now, someone has found out about my secret, and is trying to kill me.
I close my eyes, and imagine telling Nick. Of course, I never can, but for a minute, I go through the scene in my head, as though imagining it vividly enough will make it possible.
"Nick, My parents aren't the same as Sophie's parents. I was hidden at a young age for my own protection. My father was the late king, and his wife my mother.
"Lene isn't the queen. I am."
To be continued
Wednesday 17 July 2013
Secrets - part 1
"If she doesn't get it..."
"She'll get it," I hiss. "Relax."
Nick twitches anxiously. "She's been too long. Someone must have spotted her."
"No one has spotted her," I say patiently. "We'd know if they had."
Nick's eyes flick to the distress beacon in my hand. It's really just a branch taken from a tree - but a branch infused with magic. If Sophie was in trouble, she'd be able to let us know instantly with that.
"Kim... she's been so long in there."
"Has my sister ever let us down?" I whisper harshly. "Do you think she will now, when the stakes are so high?"
Nick reluctantly shakes his head. I turn back to the door, just visible through the leaves of the bush we are hiding in. Nick waits with me in silence. A spasm of pain goes through me, and though I try to stifle it, Nick sees it on my face at once. His hands clench.
"I'm going after -""
"Nick, no -"
Before either of us can move, the door opens and Sophie bounces out, laughing and shouting something over her shoulder as she goes. As soon as the door has closed, her face descends into lines of worry and her pace quickens. She walks straight into the street, vanishing among the houses around.
Nick and I carefully crawl backwards out of the bush until we, too, can blend with the late afternoon traffic. Sophie is waiting for us at Nick's house, just as we agreed.
"Do you have it?" Nick demands before even opening the door.
"Here," she says, holding out a small bottle to me. Without hesitation, I take it.
"Are you sure it's the right one?" Nick asks.
Sophie nods.
"What's wrong?" I say sharply, looking at her expression. "Did you have trouble?"
"We'll talk about all that later, just take the antidote," she says, waving her hands impatiently at the bottle. My stomach cramps up again and it is all I can do not to double over. Not needing to be told twice, I open the bottle and down it in one go.
"Better?" Nick asks anxiously.
"Not yet," I say. "Don't worry, it'll take time to work."
Nick leads me over to the couch and helps me lie down. "Get better," he commands, kissing me before pulling my head onto his lap.
"So what happened?" I ask Sophie.
"He wasn't really in the mood for visitors. I had to... distract him if I wanted to get it."
I close my eyes. "I'm sorry. I never wanted that."
"I want you alive, so it's a fair trade," Sophie says firmly. "Now, we need to deal with the real issue. Nick, focus!"
Nick has been staring at me, not taking in a word of the conversation. "Are you feeling better yet?" he asks.
"Yes," I say quickly, and am surprised to find that it is actually true.
"As I was saying," continues Sophie, "we need to find out why someone would want to poison Kim."
"It was probably meant for the queen," Nick says. "No big mystery there."
"If it was meant for the queen then how did Kim get it? The queen hardly shares her drinks with her servants, even ones she's had as long as Kim. No, this was deliberate."
Sophie and Nick keep discussing possibilities, seeming to get nowhere. In truth, I am not really listening. I know exactly why someone would want to poison me. That's not the question. The real question is how do I get them to stop digging before they get themselves killed?
I'll have to tell them the truth - at least some of it. The whole truth will get them killed just as surely as saying nothing. I'll have to pick carefully what I say.
I look at the two people who I trust most in the world and wonder if they know I am keeping secrets from them.
To be continued
"She'll get it," I hiss. "Relax."
Nick twitches anxiously. "She's been too long. Someone must have spotted her."
"No one has spotted her," I say patiently. "We'd know if they had."
Nick's eyes flick to the distress beacon in my hand. It's really just a branch taken from a tree - but a branch infused with magic. If Sophie was in trouble, she'd be able to let us know instantly with that.
"Kim... she's been so long in there."
"Has my sister ever let us down?" I whisper harshly. "Do you think she will now, when the stakes are so high?"
Nick reluctantly shakes his head. I turn back to the door, just visible through the leaves of the bush we are hiding in. Nick waits with me in silence. A spasm of pain goes through me, and though I try to stifle it, Nick sees it on my face at once. His hands clench.
"I'm going after -""
"Nick, no -"
Before either of us can move, the door opens and Sophie bounces out, laughing and shouting something over her shoulder as she goes. As soon as the door has closed, her face descends into lines of worry and her pace quickens. She walks straight into the street, vanishing among the houses around.
Nick and I carefully crawl backwards out of the bush until we, too, can blend with the late afternoon traffic. Sophie is waiting for us at Nick's house, just as we agreed.
"Do you have it?" Nick demands before even opening the door.
"Here," she says, holding out a small bottle to me. Without hesitation, I take it.
"Are you sure it's the right one?" Nick asks.
Sophie nods.
"What's wrong?" I say sharply, looking at her expression. "Did you have trouble?"
"We'll talk about all that later, just take the antidote," she says, waving her hands impatiently at the bottle. My stomach cramps up again and it is all I can do not to double over. Not needing to be told twice, I open the bottle and down it in one go.
"Better?" Nick asks anxiously.
"Not yet," I say. "Don't worry, it'll take time to work."
Nick leads me over to the couch and helps me lie down. "Get better," he commands, kissing me before pulling my head onto his lap.
"So what happened?" I ask Sophie.
"He wasn't really in the mood for visitors. I had to... distract him if I wanted to get it."
I close my eyes. "I'm sorry. I never wanted that."
"I want you alive, so it's a fair trade," Sophie says firmly. "Now, we need to deal with the real issue. Nick, focus!"
Nick has been staring at me, not taking in a word of the conversation. "Are you feeling better yet?" he asks.
"Yes," I say quickly, and am surprised to find that it is actually true.
"As I was saying," continues Sophie, "we need to find out why someone would want to poison Kim."
"It was probably meant for the queen," Nick says. "No big mystery there."
"If it was meant for the queen then how did Kim get it? The queen hardly shares her drinks with her servants, even ones she's had as long as Kim. No, this was deliberate."
Sophie and Nick keep discussing possibilities, seeming to get nowhere. In truth, I am not really listening. I know exactly why someone would want to poison me. That's not the question. The real question is how do I get them to stop digging before they get themselves killed?
I'll have to tell them the truth - at least some of it. The whole truth will get them killed just as surely as saying nothing. I'll have to pick carefully what I say.
I look at the two people who I trust most in the world and wonder if they know I am keeping secrets from them.
To be continued
Sunday 14 July 2013
Taken - part 7 - final part
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part seven (the final part) of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
As the sun rises, I wait for the screams to start.
I don't have to wait long.
"Just ignore them, they can't hurt us," Erele says.
"They can't hurt you, but if they start shooting arrows, we'll be in trouble," Max points out. "Your scales may be impervious, but our skin isn't."
"If that happens, hold on, and I'll try to dodge them."
My hands tighten automatically on the spike on Erele's back in front of me. "Has she ever done that before?" I whisper.
"No. Let's hope she doesn't have to."
I try to ignore the panicked sounds of people below us. Dragons are rare, but more than that, most of them are vicious. Down below, they won't be able to see Max and me on Erele's back. They'll be expecting her to breathe fire down on them at any second. No wonder they are screaming.
The ground streaks below us, faster than I would have imagined possible. I can see the king's palace in the distance. As it gets closer, the army starts forming up a defensive wall around the building.
"Hold on!" Erele shouts as a hail of arrows flies towards us. She breathes fire into the onslaught, and the blazing arrows veer of course with the power of the flame.
I hear something below us worse than arrows. Glancing down, I see Haen stirring.
"Erele! He's waking up!"
She flaps faster, but there is nothing else she can do.
"If he wakes up, we're done for," I mutter.
Max just holds tightly to my waist as Erele swerves to avoid another volley of arrows.
Right over the palace, Erele folds her wings and drops straight down. Max yells and I grip her spike more tightly as I feel our bodies lifting off her back. At the last second, she opens her wings again, dropping lightly to the ground.
"Stop!" I yell, sliding off her back to face the oncoming guards. "Stop, she's not a threat."
They slow their charge bewildered. They are taught to kill dragons but defend people. Seeing me defending Erele has them stumped.
Before they can decide what to do, Haen staggers upright, released from Erele's claws when she landed.
"Arrest these -"
He is cut off mid-yell when Max grabs a stone from the ground and hits him on the head with it. Haen falls like a sack of potatoes. The guards start running towards us again, sure that anyone who would attack a king's wizard is the enemy.
Erele snakes her head threateningly towards them, not attacking, but protecting Max and me.
"You have to listen to us," Max says urgently, leaning around Erele to speak to the soldiers. "Haen was using black magic. We need to speak to the king."
"Lay down your weapons -"
"Stop! What is going on here?"
I sigh in relief when I see who it is. The king himself is coming down the steps.
"Sire, go back," one of the guards says. "It is too dangerous for you here."
"Let me hear what they have to say," the king says, looking surprisingly unintimidated by Erele.
"Your Majesty, Haen is using black magic," Max says before anyone can interrupt him. "We saw him with our own eyes."
"Have you any proof of this?" the king asks. "Haen has been a good and loyal servant."
"Sire, please, search his chambers. There, you will find the evidence you seek. But you must keep Haen unconscious - once he wakes, he will use magic to escape."
One of the soldiers snorts in disbelief, but the king is looking quizzically at Max and me.
The one who seems to be the leader of the guards steps forwards and whispers something in the king's ear. The king nods reluctantly, and I feel my hopes fading.
"Seize them," the king says.
Then the guards are advancing on us, weapons drawn. Max, Erele and I are fighting, but there are too many of them. The last thing I feel is a blow to the back of the head, then everything dissolves into blackness.
I wake in a dark cell. Max is lying beside me, and he groans when I roll him over. "Halie? Where are we?"
"I think we're in the dungeon."
Max slumps back against the hard stone. "Then everything is lost. Haen will cover his tracks as soon as he wakes up."
"I really thought the king believed us," I murmur.
"Me, too," says Max. "I just hope Erele escaped..."
We lie in the dark, waiting to find out our fate.
Fate comes sooner than expected. The door is opened, and I cringe against the sudden bright light, expecting it to reveal Haen any second. Instead, the king stands in the doorway.
"You have done a great service to the kingdom," he says.
"What?" I murmur, sitting up, wondering if I am dreaming. "I thought you didn't believe us..."
"As soon as you told me about Haen, I could see that you were telling the truth. I also knew that there must be other traitors here. Pretending to imprison you gave me the element of surprise. We have found them and imprisoned them. Haen is being kept asleep by our best healers."
"Erele?" Max asks fearfully.
"The dragon? Our army may be fearsome, but it is no match for a dragon. She got away, unhurt, I think." The king holds the door open. "Come, it is safe now. I am sorry I had to lock you up."
Max and I walk hesitantly out, wary of a trap. The king is smiling warmly at us, though, and I see sincerity in his gaze.
"I know how Haen hurt you," he says gently, looking at me. "I will have guards escort you home, but first, I wanted to give you something." He holds out a crystal bottle, filled with some kind of purple liquid. "The memories Haen took, if you want them."
I take the bottle with shaking hands. The king is leading Max and me up to the gardens, but I am not concentrating on where we are going. My focus is entirely on the bottle in my hands, on what it means. Of course, I want my memories back... but I am afraid. Who will I be after taking this?
I realise that the king has left, and Max and I are alone on a bench in the gardens.
"Halie?" He gently lifts my chin so that I am looking at him.
I meet his gaze, and I find there are tears in my eyes. "I'm scared, Max."
"I know. You'll be ok, though. I love you, Halie. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
He holds my gaze steadily, and I am the first one to break away. I hardly know Max right now, yet I can't help but trust him.
I take a deep breath, then uncap the bottle. In one swift motion, I swallow the contents.
Memories wash over me. I remember meeting Max for the first time. I remember every moment we have shared. I remember our wedding, and all the days since. I remember my love for him.
When I look up, I see the Max I know and love looking at me, and I am filled with a sudden joy. Of course I love him. How could I ever have forgotten that?
"There you are," he whispers, stroking my cheek. "Are you alright?"
I lean up to kiss him, and it feels as comfortable and familiar as anything I have ever felt.
"Yes," I say. "Yes, I am."
The End
As the sun rises, I wait for the screams to start.
I don't have to wait long.
"Just ignore them, they can't hurt us," Erele says.
"They can't hurt you, but if they start shooting arrows, we'll be in trouble," Max points out. "Your scales may be impervious, but our skin isn't."
"If that happens, hold on, and I'll try to dodge them."
My hands tighten automatically on the spike on Erele's back in front of me. "Has she ever done that before?" I whisper.
"No. Let's hope she doesn't have to."
I try to ignore the panicked sounds of people below us. Dragons are rare, but more than that, most of them are vicious. Down below, they won't be able to see Max and me on Erele's back. They'll be expecting her to breathe fire down on them at any second. No wonder they are screaming.
The ground streaks below us, faster than I would have imagined possible. I can see the king's palace in the distance. As it gets closer, the army starts forming up a defensive wall around the building.
"Hold on!" Erele shouts as a hail of arrows flies towards us. She breathes fire into the onslaught, and the blazing arrows veer of course with the power of the flame.
I hear something below us worse than arrows. Glancing down, I see Haen stirring.
"Erele! He's waking up!"
She flaps faster, but there is nothing else she can do.
"If he wakes up, we're done for," I mutter.
Max just holds tightly to my waist as Erele swerves to avoid another volley of arrows.
Right over the palace, Erele folds her wings and drops straight down. Max yells and I grip her spike more tightly as I feel our bodies lifting off her back. At the last second, she opens her wings again, dropping lightly to the ground.
"Stop!" I yell, sliding off her back to face the oncoming guards. "Stop, she's not a threat."
They slow their charge bewildered. They are taught to kill dragons but defend people. Seeing me defending Erele has them stumped.
Before they can decide what to do, Haen staggers upright, released from Erele's claws when she landed.
"Arrest these -"
He is cut off mid-yell when Max grabs a stone from the ground and hits him on the head with it. Haen falls like a sack of potatoes. The guards start running towards us again, sure that anyone who would attack a king's wizard is the enemy.
Erele snakes her head threateningly towards them, not attacking, but protecting Max and me.
"You have to listen to us," Max says urgently, leaning around Erele to speak to the soldiers. "Haen was using black magic. We need to speak to the king."
"Lay down your weapons -"
"Stop! What is going on here?"
I sigh in relief when I see who it is. The king himself is coming down the steps.
"Sire, go back," one of the guards says. "It is too dangerous for you here."
"Let me hear what they have to say," the king says, looking surprisingly unintimidated by Erele.
"Your Majesty, Haen is using black magic," Max says before anyone can interrupt him. "We saw him with our own eyes."
"Have you any proof of this?" the king asks. "Haen has been a good and loyal servant."
"Sire, please, search his chambers. There, you will find the evidence you seek. But you must keep Haen unconscious - once he wakes, he will use magic to escape."
One of the soldiers snorts in disbelief, but the king is looking quizzically at Max and me.
The one who seems to be the leader of the guards steps forwards and whispers something in the king's ear. The king nods reluctantly, and I feel my hopes fading.
"Seize them," the king says.
Then the guards are advancing on us, weapons drawn. Max, Erele and I are fighting, but there are too many of them. The last thing I feel is a blow to the back of the head, then everything dissolves into blackness.
I wake in a dark cell. Max is lying beside me, and he groans when I roll him over. "Halie? Where are we?"
"I think we're in the dungeon."
Max slumps back against the hard stone. "Then everything is lost. Haen will cover his tracks as soon as he wakes up."
"I really thought the king believed us," I murmur.
"Me, too," says Max. "I just hope Erele escaped..."
We lie in the dark, waiting to find out our fate.
Fate comes sooner than expected. The door is opened, and I cringe against the sudden bright light, expecting it to reveal Haen any second. Instead, the king stands in the doorway.
"You have done a great service to the kingdom," he says.
"What?" I murmur, sitting up, wondering if I am dreaming. "I thought you didn't believe us..."
"As soon as you told me about Haen, I could see that you were telling the truth. I also knew that there must be other traitors here. Pretending to imprison you gave me the element of surprise. We have found them and imprisoned them. Haen is being kept asleep by our best healers."
"Erele?" Max asks fearfully.
"The dragon? Our army may be fearsome, but it is no match for a dragon. She got away, unhurt, I think." The king holds the door open. "Come, it is safe now. I am sorry I had to lock you up."
Max and I walk hesitantly out, wary of a trap. The king is smiling warmly at us, though, and I see sincerity in his gaze.
"I know how Haen hurt you," he says gently, looking at me. "I will have guards escort you home, but first, I wanted to give you something." He holds out a crystal bottle, filled with some kind of purple liquid. "The memories Haen took, if you want them."
I take the bottle with shaking hands. The king is leading Max and me up to the gardens, but I am not concentrating on where we are going. My focus is entirely on the bottle in my hands, on what it means. Of course, I want my memories back... but I am afraid. Who will I be after taking this?
I realise that the king has left, and Max and I are alone on a bench in the gardens.
"Halie?" He gently lifts my chin so that I am looking at him.
I meet his gaze, and I find there are tears in my eyes. "I'm scared, Max."
"I know. You'll be ok, though. I love you, Halie. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
He holds my gaze steadily, and I am the first one to break away. I hardly know Max right now, yet I can't help but trust him.
I take a deep breath, then uncap the bottle. In one swift motion, I swallow the contents.
Memories wash over me. I remember meeting Max for the first time. I remember every moment we have shared. I remember our wedding, and all the days since. I remember my love for him.
When I look up, I see the Max I know and love looking at me, and I am filled with a sudden joy. Of course I love him. How could I ever have forgotten that?
"There you are," he whispers, stroking my cheek. "Are you alright?"
I lean up to kiss him, and it feels as comfortable and familiar as anything I have ever felt.
"Yes," I say. "Yes, I am."
The End
Thursday 11 July 2013
Taken - part 6
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part six of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
I'm still trying to work out the page views here on Blogger. There are two pages which show how many views I've had, but they never agree. I'd really appreciate it if anyone reading this could post a comment (anything, really), so that I can get an accurate number and sort all of this out. Thanks!
"What do we do?" I whisper.
"Well, we don't stand here and watch, that's for sure," Max whispers back. Before either of us can so much as take a single step back, though, Haen is looking straight at us.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
"Run," Max says.
I don't hesitate. The two of us are streaking off through the trees. If we can just get to Erele, she can fly us away from here. Suddenly I am jerked back as though by an invisible rope. By the way Max flies backwards beside me, he has been caught by the same thing.
My breath is knocked out of me as I hit the ground hard. I can hear Max hitting beside me, but I can't see anything - everything seems to be blurred around the edges.
"So. I see I will need to erase two more sets of memories tonight."
Haen is standing above us, glaring down at Max and me.
"Why?" Max whispers. "Why would you turn to black magic?"
"The king is weak," Haen says dismissively. "He does not have the strength to do what must be done to vanquish his enemies. I do."
"You'll never get away with this!" I shout, knowing full well that he is already getting away with it.
Haen kicks me in the ribs, and I am thrown two feet away. Max is yelling, and my ears are ringing. There is something hard underneath me, pressing into my side.
Rolling over, I see that the hard thing is a blue stone, shining ever son faintly in the dark night. Without pausing to wonder if my suspicions are correct, I tap the stone three times with my nail and whisper "help."
"Say goodbye to your pasts," Haen sneers. "See what meddling gets you."
I open my mouth to scream, but Haen is already advancing on Max, holding his one hand over his prone body, and the other clutching some kind of crystal bottle.
Before anything else can happen, the darkness of the night is shattered in a rain of fire. Erele roars as she soars over the trees, breathing flames down on the scene. I am forced to roll to avoid them, pulling Max with me. Haen is not so lucky. His robes catch fire, and while he shoots a magical jet of water that extinguishes it instantly, it buys Erele the second she needs. She lands with a thud and her great tail sweeps around. Haen is pushed off his feet and his head collides with a nearby tree trunk, hard. His eyes roll back as he faints.
"Halie, are you ok?" Max scrambles towards me, his hands fluttering over my body. I try to get up, but groan and fall back.
"Erele, she's injured! I think it's a broken rib."
Erele gives Haen one last shove with her tail for good measure, then lumbers over to me.
"Hold on, I'll have you healed in a second," she says, already concentrating on my torso. A sensation unlike anything I have ever felt before sweeps through me. It is not unpleasant, but so alien that I can't help but gasp in surprise.
"It's ok," Max says holding my hand. "It'll help."
Help it does. By the time Erele is done, I still feel stiff and tired, but apart from that, perfectly normal.
"You came just in time," I pant.
"You called me just in time."
I hold out the blue stone, which is warm in my palm. "I guess this has saved our necks twice now."
"Let's not try for a third."
"Agreed," I say. "What should we do with him?" I gesture to the prone wizard.
"We'll take him to the king," Max says. "He'll deal with him from there."
"How do we know the king will believe us?"
Max looks stumped at this, but Erele has the answer. "Black magic always leaves traces. There will be evidence, you can take my word on that."
She looks at Haen with such hatred that for a moment I am afraid she is going to incinerate him on the spot. Then the moment has passed and she is lowering herself onto the ground.
"We don't have time for caution, now. If he wakes, we have no way to hold him - not a wizard of his power. We need to get to the king now. I'll carry him, and you two ride my back."
"But we'll be seen -"
"That is the least of our worries right now!"
Looking at Haen, his fingertips still a sinister green, I can't bring myself to disagree. "Ok," I say. "Ok, let's go."
Max and I clamber onto Erele's scaly back without speaking, and as she grabs Haen in her claws and takes off, Max puts his hands on my waist, holding on. We fly through the night, towards the king's palace. It is peaceful, now. I can only imagine how it will be when people start waking up and see a dragon flying overhead.
"What do we do if he wakes up?" I ask Max.
He glances down at Haen, whose head is lolling from one side to the other. His arms tighten slightly around me. "We had just better hope that he doesn't."
To be continued
I'm still trying to work out the page views here on Blogger. There are two pages which show how many views I've had, but they never agree. I'd really appreciate it if anyone reading this could post a comment (anything, really), so that I can get an accurate number and sort all of this out. Thanks!
"What do we do?" I whisper.
"Well, we don't stand here and watch, that's for sure," Max whispers back. Before either of us can so much as take a single step back, though, Haen is looking straight at us.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
"Run," Max says.
I don't hesitate. The two of us are streaking off through the trees. If we can just get to Erele, she can fly us away from here. Suddenly I am jerked back as though by an invisible rope. By the way Max flies backwards beside me, he has been caught by the same thing.
My breath is knocked out of me as I hit the ground hard. I can hear Max hitting beside me, but I can't see anything - everything seems to be blurred around the edges.
"So. I see I will need to erase two more sets of memories tonight."
Haen is standing above us, glaring down at Max and me.
"Why?" Max whispers. "Why would you turn to black magic?"
"The king is weak," Haen says dismissively. "He does not have the strength to do what must be done to vanquish his enemies. I do."
"You'll never get away with this!" I shout, knowing full well that he is already getting away with it.
Haen kicks me in the ribs, and I am thrown two feet away. Max is yelling, and my ears are ringing. There is something hard underneath me, pressing into my side.
Rolling over, I see that the hard thing is a blue stone, shining ever son faintly in the dark night. Without pausing to wonder if my suspicions are correct, I tap the stone three times with my nail and whisper "help."
"Say goodbye to your pasts," Haen sneers. "See what meddling gets you."
I open my mouth to scream, but Haen is already advancing on Max, holding his one hand over his prone body, and the other clutching some kind of crystal bottle.
Before anything else can happen, the darkness of the night is shattered in a rain of fire. Erele roars as she soars over the trees, breathing flames down on the scene. I am forced to roll to avoid them, pulling Max with me. Haen is not so lucky. His robes catch fire, and while he shoots a magical jet of water that extinguishes it instantly, it buys Erele the second she needs. She lands with a thud and her great tail sweeps around. Haen is pushed off his feet and his head collides with a nearby tree trunk, hard. His eyes roll back as he faints.
"Halie, are you ok?" Max scrambles towards me, his hands fluttering over my body. I try to get up, but groan and fall back.
"Erele, she's injured! I think it's a broken rib."
Erele gives Haen one last shove with her tail for good measure, then lumbers over to me.
"Hold on, I'll have you healed in a second," she says, already concentrating on my torso. A sensation unlike anything I have ever felt before sweeps through me. It is not unpleasant, but so alien that I can't help but gasp in surprise.
"It's ok," Max says holding my hand. "It'll help."
Help it does. By the time Erele is done, I still feel stiff and tired, but apart from that, perfectly normal.
"You came just in time," I pant.
"You called me just in time."
I hold out the blue stone, which is warm in my palm. "I guess this has saved our necks twice now."
"Let's not try for a third."
"Agreed," I say. "What should we do with him?" I gesture to the prone wizard.
"We'll take him to the king," Max says. "He'll deal with him from there."
"How do we know the king will believe us?"
Max looks stumped at this, but Erele has the answer. "Black magic always leaves traces. There will be evidence, you can take my word on that."
She looks at Haen with such hatred that for a moment I am afraid she is going to incinerate him on the spot. Then the moment has passed and she is lowering herself onto the ground.
"We don't have time for caution, now. If he wakes, we have no way to hold him - not a wizard of his power. We need to get to the king now. I'll carry him, and you two ride my back."
"But we'll be seen -"
"That is the least of our worries right now!"
Looking at Haen, his fingertips still a sinister green, I can't bring myself to disagree. "Ok," I say. "Ok, let's go."
Max and I clamber onto Erele's scaly back without speaking, and as she grabs Haen in her claws and takes off, Max puts his hands on my waist, holding on. We fly through the night, towards the king's palace. It is peaceful, now. I can only imagine how it will be when people start waking up and see a dragon flying overhead.
"What do we do if he wakes up?" I ask Max.
He glances down at Haen, whose head is lolling from one side to the other. His arms tighten slightly around me. "We had just better hope that he doesn't."
To be continued
Tuesday 9 July 2013
Taken - part 5
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part five of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
Max and I set off at once. Nobody asks us where we are going - I guess the grim looks on our faces must be enough to dissuade any questions.
Max leads me to an unfamiliar house and raids a jar in the cupboard for gold. "We'll get food and horses with this," he says, examining the money.
"Max, you can't just steal other people's money," I hiss. "I've got some of my own, come on, we'll go to my house."
A pained look crosses Max's face. "Halie, this is your house. We've been living together here for almost a year now."
My protests die in my throat. "Oh."
Max grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house, not letting me dwell on my very confused thoughts, for which I am grateful.
We have horses and supplies in short order, and soon we have set out at a brisk trot. "Careful," Max says. "Don't panic. Last time we were here, we heard what we thought was people chasing us, and we broke into a gallop. That's how we ended up in that hole."
I glance over my shoulder, but see no one following us.
"How many days until we reach the capital - do you know?" I ask.
"I think it'll take about a week. Haen should be there; he usually is."
Max and I ride in silence for a while. It is a peaceful, relaxed silence. "How did we meet Erele?" I ask after a while.
"There have always been dragon slayers," Max says. "You know the king outlawed them, but they still exist. We were having a picnic in the forest once, when we saw Erele. She was just a baby, then - no bigger than a dog. Two men were advancing on her with spears. We chased the men away; I had my bow with me, and it was clear they weren't very good with those spears.
"Erele grew quickly, as all dragons do, but she never forgot what we did. We've been friends ever since. She gave us an enchanted stone to use if we needed her. When I tapped it three times and whispered 'help' the other night, that called her to us. That's how she knew we were in trouble."
"I wish I remember this," I say wistfully.
"You will," Max assures me. "We'll find a way."
We travel for days. Erele comes with us, staying high above the clouds in the day, then descending at night to watch over us. Dragons don't need as much sleep as humans do, so she rests in the day when she needs to, and easily catches up later.
"Why couldn't we just fly?" I ask on the fifth night. "It would be much faster than riding."
"Dragons are still hunted, and seeing one would cause an uproar," Max says. "Erele needs to fly very high to avoid detection - too high for us to survive."
I lean back against Erele's warm side, staring at the fire.
Max suddenly jumps up, looking alarmed.
"What's wrong?"
He shakes his head, holding his hand out for silence. I listen, and I can hear a faint crackling coming from somewhere ahead of us.
"What is that?"
Max and I both look to Erele, hoping her wider knowledge of the world will come in useful.
"I've never heard anything like it," she says slowly.
"Come on," I whisper. Max looks doubtful for a second, then gets up to follow me. Erele stays put - there's no way anyone will not hear a dragon walking through the forest. We creep closer and closer to the scene of the disturbance. I see a spooky green light shining through the trees.
Max makes to take another step, but I grab his arm, pulling him back, for I have just realised what this is. Magic. More than that, it is dark magic; I can feel it in the air, so unlike the magic Erele uses.
"Haen," Max whispers. I look where he is, and see the pointed face of a wizard, the green crackling from his hands.
A shiver of dread goes down my spine. "Max, I know what she meant!" I whisper. "I know what Sarah was trying to say in her note. King's wizard Haen, black magic."
To be continued
Max and I set off at once. Nobody asks us where we are going - I guess the grim looks on our faces must be enough to dissuade any questions.
Max leads me to an unfamiliar house and raids a jar in the cupboard for gold. "We'll get food and horses with this," he says, examining the money.
"Max, you can't just steal other people's money," I hiss. "I've got some of my own, come on, we'll go to my house."
A pained look crosses Max's face. "Halie, this is your house. We've been living together here for almost a year now."
My protests die in my throat. "Oh."
Max grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house, not letting me dwell on my very confused thoughts, for which I am grateful.
We have horses and supplies in short order, and soon we have set out at a brisk trot. "Careful," Max says. "Don't panic. Last time we were here, we heard what we thought was people chasing us, and we broke into a gallop. That's how we ended up in that hole."
I glance over my shoulder, but see no one following us.
"How many days until we reach the capital - do you know?" I ask.
"I think it'll take about a week. Haen should be there; he usually is."
Max and I ride in silence for a while. It is a peaceful, relaxed silence. "How did we meet Erele?" I ask after a while.
"There have always been dragon slayers," Max says. "You know the king outlawed them, but they still exist. We were having a picnic in the forest once, when we saw Erele. She was just a baby, then - no bigger than a dog. Two men were advancing on her with spears. We chased the men away; I had my bow with me, and it was clear they weren't very good with those spears.
"Erele grew quickly, as all dragons do, but she never forgot what we did. We've been friends ever since. She gave us an enchanted stone to use if we needed her. When I tapped it three times and whispered 'help' the other night, that called her to us. That's how she knew we were in trouble."
"I wish I remember this," I say wistfully.
"You will," Max assures me. "We'll find a way."
We travel for days. Erele comes with us, staying high above the clouds in the day, then descending at night to watch over us. Dragons don't need as much sleep as humans do, so she rests in the day when she needs to, and easily catches up later.
"Why couldn't we just fly?" I ask on the fifth night. "It would be much faster than riding."
"Dragons are still hunted, and seeing one would cause an uproar," Max says. "Erele needs to fly very high to avoid detection - too high for us to survive."
I lean back against Erele's warm side, staring at the fire.
Max suddenly jumps up, looking alarmed.
"What's wrong?"
He shakes his head, holding his hand out for silence. I listen, and I can hear a faint crackling coming from somewhere ahead of us.
"What is that?"
Max and I both look to Erele, hoping her wider knowledge of the world will come in useful.
"I've never heard anything like it," she says slowly.
"Come on," I whisper. Max looks doubtful for a second, then gets up to follow me. Erele stays put - there's no way anyone will not hear a dragon walking through the forest. We creep closer and closer to the scene of the disturbance. I see a spooky green light shining through the trees.
Max makes to take another step, but I grab his arm, pulling him back, for I have just realised what this is. Magic. More than that, it is dark magic; I can feel it in the air, so unlike the magic Erele uses.
"Haen," Max whispers. I look where he is, and see the pointed face of a wizard, the green crackling from his hands.
A shiver of dread goes down my spine. "Max, I know what she meant!" I whisper. "I know what Sarah was trying to say in her note. King's wizard Haen, black magic."
To be continued
Friday 5 July 2013
Taken - part 4
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part four of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
I try to get ahead of Max, but he grips my arm more tightly, forcing me to stay behind him. I look around in horror as we move into the house. Everything is wrecked. It looks as though there has been a serious struggle here. Despite everything, I can't help smiling a bit. Of course there was a struggle. Sarah wouldn't have gone down without a fight.
We find her lying on the floor.
"Sarah!" I run to her and kneel down, praying that she's not dead. "Sarah?" I shake her shoulders gently. Max is checking the rest of the house, making sure no one else is here, I guess.
"Halie?" Sarah looks blearily up at me, and I sigh in relief. She's alive.
"What happened?"
"You were attacked," I start to explain, but Sarah suddenly cringes, looking at something behind me. I spin around, but see only Max.
"Who are you?" Sarah demands. "What are you doing in my house?"
The look on Max's face has my insides feeling like lead. "She knew you, didn't she?"
He nods dismally.
"Sarah, your memories have been erased," I say. "We got here too late..." I proceed to explain what we think has happened. She takes it worse than I did, and it takes Max about ten minutes to persuade her that he is my husband. I'm not that helpful, seeing I don't remember him myself.
As I talk, Max goes to the kitchen to make Sarah tea. He's obviously been here before; he knows where everything is.
"So what do we do now?" she asks fearfully.
"Well, I think if they wanted us dead, we'd be dead," I say slowly, thinking about what to do next for the first time since we found her. "It's Max who's in danger now - as well as anyone you've talked to since yesterday. Only you don't remember who you talked to..."
"Halie, come here a moment."
I gratefully remove myself from Sarah's frightened gaze.
"Look," Max says. "This is Sarah's writing."
The note was obviously scrawled in great haste, and it is barely legible. I squint, trying to make out the words.
King's wizard Haen, b -
I can't make out what it says after b. The pencil mark runs down the paper, as though Sarah was violently pulled away as she was writing it.
"She tried to leave a message," I say softly. "She must have known they would take her memories, or kill her."
"If this is anything to do with Haen, we're in trouble."
"Who is he?"
Max's face falls. "You've met him - I guess I forgot it was from after the point where they took memories from. He's one of the king's most powerful wizards, as well as one of the most respected. If he's involved in something dangerous, you can bet it's something we don't want to be involved in."
"Yet we're already involved," I say. "That must be what we saw - Sarah and I must have stumbled on something secret. Haen is trying to erase our memories of what we saw."
"It must be really awful for him to go to such lengths," Max says. "I don't know of any enemy so powerful that he would have to erase memories to keep us safe from them."
"Well, I think we need to find out -"
"Halie? Is everything ok?"
"Yes, it's fine," I call to Sarah. "Don't say a word to her," I hiss quickly before she comes in. "I don't want her in any more danger."
Max only has time to nod before Sarah is entering the room. Max hands her a cooling cup of tea wordlessly. She gives him a slightly spooked look and retreats back into the lounge.
"Sarah, I'm going to take you to my sister's place," I say, following her. "You shouldn't be alone, not after a big shock like this. Max and I have something to do," I explain in response to her confused look.
It doesn't take long to get Sarah moving - she is in a hurry to leave the scene behind. We walk quickly to Marie's house. My sister has always represented a bit of sanity in an insane world. When I knock on the door, she opens almost at once.
"Halie! Oh, I haven't seen you in ages. Please come in! Max, Sarah, come."
By the shocked look Sarah gives Marie, I think she wasn't sure whether to believe that we all know Max, and is a little surprised when Marie confirms it for her.
"We can't stay, Mar," I say regretfully. "It's sort of urgent, but we need you to look after Sarah. Max and I need to do something."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Sarah will explain," I say, already withdrawing. Whatever is chasing us, I don't want it near my sister.
"Wait, Halie -"
I turn to see her concerned face peering between Max and me.
"Something is different between the two of you. What happened to you?"
"Sarah will explain," I repeat shortly. "I'm sorry, Marie, I have to go."
Max and I hurry back down the path, trusting that Marie will take care of Sarah.
"So if you're thinking what I'm thinking, we have a journey ahead of us," Max says under his breath, watching passers-by suspiciously. .
"Yes," I agree. "If we want to find out what this whole mess is about, we need to find Haen."
"You know it will be dangerous."
"Not as dangerous as sitting here clueless," I point out.
"True," Max says. "We find Haen, then. Let's go."
To be continued
I try to get ahead of Max, but he grips my arm more tightly, forcing me to stay behind him. I look around in horror as we move into the house. Everything is wrecked. It looks as though there has been a serious struggle here. Despite everything, I can't help smiling a bit. Of course there was a struggle. Sarah wouldn't have gone down without a fight.
We find her lying on the floor.
"Sarah!" I run to her and kneel down, praying that she's not dead. "Sarah?" I shake her shoulders gently. Max is checking the rest of the house, making sure no one else is here, I guess.
"Halie?" Sarah looks blearily up at me, and I sigh in relief. She's alive.
"What happened?"
"You were attacked," I start to explain, but Sarah suddenly cringes, looking at something behind me. I spin around, but see only Max.
"Who are you?" Sarah demands. "What are you doing in my house?"
The look on Max's face has my insides feeling like lead. "She knew you, didn't she?"
He nods dismally.
"Sarah, your memories have been erased," I say. "We got here too late..." I proceed to explain what we think has happened. She takes it worse than I did, and it takes Max about ten minutes to persuade her that he is my husband. I'm not that helpful, seeing I don't remember him myself.
As I talk, Max goes to the kitchen to make Sarah tea. He's obviously been here before; he knows where everything is.
"So what do we do now?" she asks fearfully.
"Well, I think if they wanted us dead, we'd be dead," I say slowly, thinking about what to do next for the first time since we found her. "It's Max who's in danger now - as well as anyone you've talked to since yesterday. Only you don't remember who you talked to..."
"Halie, come here a moment."
I gratefully remove myself from Sarah's frightened gaze.
"Look," Max says. "This is Sarah's writing."
The note was obviously scrawled in great haste, and it is barely legible. I squint, trying to make out the words.
King's wizard Haen, b -
I can't make out what it says after b. The pencil mark runs down the paper, as though Sarah was violently pulled away as she was writing it.
"She tried to leave a message," I say softly. "She must have known they would take her memories, or kill her."
"If this is anything to do with Haen, we're in trouble."
"Who is he?"
Max's face falls. "You've met him - I guess I forgot it was from after the point where they took memories from. He's one of the king's most powerful wizards, as well as one of the most respected. If he's involved in something dangerous, you can bet it's something we don't want to be involved in."
"Yet we're already involved," I say. "That must be what we saw - Sarah and I must have stumbled on something secret. Haen is trying to erase our memories of what we saw."
"It must be really awful for him to go to such lengths," Max says. "I don't know of any enemy so powerful that he would have to erase memories to keep us safe from them."
"Well, I think we need to find out -"
"Halie? Is everything ok?"
"Yes, it's fine," I call to Sarah. "Don't say a word to her," I hiss quickly before she comes in. "I don't want her in any more danger."
Max only has time to nod before Sarah is entering the room. Max hands her a cooling cup of tea wordlessly. She gives him a slightly spooked look and retreats back into the lounge.
"Sarah, I'm going to take you to my sister's place," I say, following her. "You shouldn't be alone, not after a big shock like this. Max and I have something to do," I explain in response to her confused look.
It doesn't take long to get Sarah moving - she is in a hurry to leave the scene behind. We walk quickly to Marie's house. My sister has always represented a bit of sanity in an insane world. When I knock on the door, she opens almost at once.
"Halie! Oh, I haven't seen you in ages. Please come in! Max, Sarah, come."
By the shocked look Sarah gives Marie, I think she wasn't sure whether to believe that we all know Max, and is a little surprised when Marie confirms it for her.
"We can't stay, Mar," I say regretfully. "It's sort of urgent, but we need you to look after Sarah. Max and I need to do something."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Sarah will explain," I say, already withdrawing. Whatever is chasing us, I don't want it near my sister.
"Wait, Halie -"
I turn to see her concerned face peering between Max and me.
"Something is different between the two of you. What happened to you?"
"Sarah will explain," I repeat shortly. "I'm sorry, Marie, I have to go."
Max and I hurry back down the path, trusting that Marie will take care of Sarah.
"So if you're thinking what I'm thinking, we have a journey ahead of us," Max says under his breath, watching passers-by suspiciously. .
"Yes," I agree. "If we want to find out what this whole mess is about, we need to find Haen."
"You know it will be dangerous."
"Not as dangerous as sitting here clueless," I point out.
"True," Max says. "We find Haen, then. Let's go."
To be continued
Tuesday 2 July 2013
Taken - part 3
Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part three of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
Max and I sleep in the cave by the cliff's edge. Erele goes hunting, assuring us that no human could scale the cliff. With no blankets, as well as the cold wind, Max and I are forced to huddle together for warmth.
"I know this must be weird for you," he says as he lies at my back. His arms snake around me, and I can already feel my shivering start to subside. "I'm sorry, but we need to stay warm."
"It's ok," I say. "This must be weird for you, too."
Max laughs a pleasant, lilting laugh. "You have no idea."
Though he makes an effort for my sake to touch me as little as possible, I can tell how familiar with my body he is. I stare off into the night, not remotely sleepy.
"How did we meet?" I ask eventually.
Though I can't see Max's face, I swear I can feel him smiling. "Your sister happened to meet me at the market. We got talking, and she invited me over to her house. She and Tom invited you over for tea the same day - I think she wanted to make a double date out of it. I don't think she ever imagined how well it would go, though."
Max's voice trails off, lost in happy memories. Hoping to hear more, I wait silently. "When I first saw you, for a second I couldn't breathe," Max says softly. "Then it was like everything was heightened, brighter than before. I don't remember your sister's tea much. I just remember looking at you. You kept peeking at me from the corner of your eye. Afterwards, I got you alone and we started talking. From there... from there it was a fairy tale."
I find that there are tears in my eyes. "It must have been lovely," I say thickly.
"It was," Max says, "and it still will be. We'll find a way to get your memories back, Halie. You'll remember all of this as well as I do, soon."
I don't say anything, too confused to speak. Do I want my memories back? Sure, they sound wonderful, but I know who I am now. Will I still recognise myself with a year and a half's extra memories? Will I still know who I am when I remember how I came to be married to the man who at the moment I don't know at all?
"What are you thinking?" Max murmurs.
"I'm scared." The words come out of my mouth without me intending to say them. Still, it feels right. I can't imagine lying to him.
"I know," he says. "I know, and I am, too. We should sleep, now. We'll find a way to deal with this, I promise."
It doesn't take long after that. Soon both Max and I are asleep.
I wake up stiff from lying on the cold stone of the cave floor. Max is already up, sitting next to Erele. I take a minute to look at her, trying to get used to how big she is. I don't remember ever seeing a dragon before; I must have met her after I met Max - after my memories were taken.
Max hands me a cup of tea, as well as a fresh hope. "We have a plan," he says. "Erele and I think we need to trace this back to the source. I know you spent the day with Sarah, the day before we were chased. You must have gone somewhere afterwards and seen something. Maybe she can tell you where you went."
He is looking at me as though he expects me to have an opinion. "Sure, whatever you think is best," I say. "I mean, I'll be pretty useless until I get my memories back, so we should go by whatever you think."
Max laughs. "You will never be useless, Halie. You still have your mind, don't you? Losing a few memories won't change that."
I smile and feel a bit better. "Well, what you say does make sense. Let's go see Sarah."
"I'll take you near to the edge of town," Erele says. "You'll be on your own from then."
"Ok, let's go," Max says. "No one else knows about Erele," he explains in response to my confused look. "Dragons are rare, and making friends with one is even rarer. Causing a scene is not what we want right now, and a dragon landing in town would certainly be a scene."
"Right," I say, imagining the looks of horror as I climb onto Erele's back. She glides close to the treetops and alights in a clearing. "Hurry, there may be more attackers about," she says. Max and I don't need telling twice. We slip off her back and set off home at a fast jog.
We don't talk on the way. I imagine that every sound is the footstep of a pursuer, and force myself to control my imagination. "What will we do if they find us?" I ask, trying to hide the fear in my voice. I don't think I'm very successful. These people stole my memories; who knows what they can do?
"We're nearly there," Max says. "I don't think they'll want to take us in public - they did come in the dead of night, after all."
I am too out of breath to do anything but nod. Soon, though, we fall back into a walk; we have reached town. I glance around at the buildings, afraid they will have changed from what I remember. Everything seems pretty much the same, though - a new vegetable patch here and there, but nothing major. I'm just relieved I still know my best friend, Sarah. We head for her house.
A small path leads to the front door. Before I can set a foot on the path, Max has grabbed my arm and yanked me behind him. I don't need to ask why.
Slowly, still pulling me behind him, Max creeps forward. I look around, but no one is around to have noticed. I look forward again, dread in my heart. Sarah's door is splintered, hanging off its hinges.
Whoever attacked me yesterday has found her.
To be continued
Max and I sleep in the cave by the cliff's edge. Erele goes hunting, assuring us that no human could scale the cliff. With no blankets, as well as the cold wind, Max and I are forced to huddle together for warmth.
"I know this must be weird for you," he says as he lies at my back. His arms snake around me, and I can already feel my shivering start to subside. "I'm sorry, but we need to stay warm."
"It's ok," I say. "This must be weird for you, too."
Max laughs a pleasant, lilting laugh. "You have no idea."
Though he makes an effort for my sake to touch me as little as possible, I can tell how familiar with my body he is. I stare off into the night, not remotely sleepy.
"How did we meet?" I ask eventually.
Though I can't see Max's face, I swear I can feel him smiling. "Your sister happened to meet me at the market. We got talking, and she invited me over to her house. She and Tom invited you over for tea the same day - I think she wanted to make a double date out of it. I don't think she ever imagined how well it would go, though."
Max's voice trails off, lost in happy memories. Hoping to hear more, I wait silently. "When I first saw you, for a second I couldn't breathe," Max says softly. "Then it was like everything was heightened, brighter than before. I don't remember your sister's tea much. I just remember looking at you. You kept peeking at me from the corner of your eye. Afterwards, I got you alone and we started talking. From there... from there it was a fairy tale."
I find that there are tears in my eyes. "It must have been lovely," I say thickly.
"It was," Max says, "and it still will be. We'll find a way to get your memories back, Halie. You'll remember all of this as well as I do, soon."
I don't say anything, too confused to speak. Do I want my memories back? Sure, they sound wonderful, but I know who I am now. Will I still recognise myself with a year and a half's extra memories? Will I still know who I am when I remember how I came to be married to the man who at the moment I don't know at all?
"What are you thinking?" Max murmurs.
"I'm scared." The words come out of my mouth without me intending to say them. Still, it feels right. I can't imagine lying to him.
"I know," he says. "I know, and I am, too. We should sleep, now. We'll find a way to deal with this, I promise."
It doesn't take long after that. Soon both Max and I are asleep.
I wake up stiff from lying on the cold stone of the cave floor. Max is already up, sitting next to Erele. I take a minute to look at her, trying to get used to how big she is. I don't remember ever seeing a dragon before; I must have met her after I met Max - after my memories were taken.
Max hands me a cup of tea, as well as a fresh hope. "We have a plan," he says. "Erele and I think we need to trace this back to the source. I know you spent the day with Sarah, the day before we were chased. You must have gone somewhere afterwards and seen something. Maybe she can tell you where you went."
He is looking at me as though he expects me to have an opinion. "Sure, whatever you think is best," I say. "I mean, I'll be pretty useless until I get my memories back, so we should go by whatever you think."
Max laughs. "You will never be useless, Halie. You still have your mind, don't you? Losing a few memories won't change that."
I smile and feel a bit better. "Well, what you say does make sense. Let's go see Sarah."
"I'll take you near to the edge of town," Erele says. "You'll be on your own from then."
"Ok, let's go," Max says. "No one else knows about Erele," he explains in response to my confused look. "Dragons are rare, and making friends with one is even rarer. Causing a scene is not what we want right now, and a dragon landing in town would certainly be a scene."
"Right," I say, imagining the looks of horror as I climb onto Erele's back. She glides close to the treetops and alights in a clearing. "Hurry, there may be more attackers about," she says. Max and I don't need telling twice. We slip off her back and set off home at a fast jog.
We don't talk on the way. I imagine that every sound is the footstep of a pursuer, and force myself to control my imagination. "What will we do if they find us?" I ask, trying to hide the fear in my voice. I don't think I'm very successful. These people stole my memories; who knows what they can do?
"We're nearly there," Max says. "I don't think they'll want to take us in public - they did come in the dead of night, after all."
I am too out of breath to do anything but nod. Soon, though, we fall back into a walk; we have reached town. I glance around at the buildings, afraid they will have changed from what I remember. Everything seems pretty much the same, though - a new vegetable patch here and there, but nothing major. I'm just relieved I still know my best friend, Sarah. We head for her house.
A small path leads to the front door. Before I can set a foot on the path, Max has grabbed my arm and yanked me behind him. I don't need to ask why.
Slowly, still pulling me behind him, Max creeps forward. I look around, but no one is around to have noticed. I look forward again, dread in my heart. Sarah's door is splintered, hanging off its hinges.
Whoever attacked me yesterday has found her.
To be continued
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