CHAPTER 23
Riley stood on the balcony of her room watching the sun slowly emerge out of the ocean, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange, crimson and pink. To the fanciful observer, the sky appeared to be a maiden blushing from her lover’s kiss, admiring her reflection in the pellucid waters below. Riley smiled at the irony of witnessing the birth of a new day while her heart was dying. She saw a reflection of herself in the window, her extreme pallor a mockery to the bright colors illuminating the sky. She cursed her foolish heart for believing that she and Cole would end up together in spite of the obstacles they faced. That somehow true love would triumph in the end. But it was not to be. Her heart twisted into a knot of agony, shooting arrows of pain into her body and soul. Tears coursed down her cheeks. She was surprised that she had any tears left after her all night crying jag.
After her disastrous meeting with Cole, she had locked herself in her room, needing to be alone, unwilling to let herself be consoled by Sarri and Max. She heard them talking in worried whispers all night long, pacing outside her room. At one point, Max had howled, an eerie sound that resonated with the agonizing pain of lost love. Somehow it had soothed her a little. Drying her eyes with the back of her hand, she breathed deeply of the clean, crisp, morning air. Perhaps in time the ache in her heart would become less intense. It was the best that she could hope for. But at the moment her desire to skulk in her room and wallow in self-pity could not be indulged. She had to pull together the tattered remnants of her soul and do what was best for Avalyss. Conceding was the only option. She lifted her chin, gulped in some more air, then turned and strode out of her room, intent on performing her duty.
Riley paced the meeting room while the members of the Higher Echelon watched her restless movements in silence. It had taken a couple of days but she had finally convinced them that conceding was the only answer. She had been surprised that some had wanted the epic battle to take place, trying to convince her that she had no choice but to go through with it because of the Oracle’s prediction. Others had called her a fool, saying that there was a chance that the Light Bringers could win but by conceding, defeat was assured. The Light Bringers had ruled Avalyss since the beginning so they were reluctant to give up their supremacy. The discussion had raged for days but Riley finally ended it, by declaring that it was not a debate. It was her decision to make. Without the Princess of Light to champion their cause, the Light Bringers had no choice.
They were concerned about their fate when the Dark Mages took control. Would they be banished from Avalyss? Riley had promised that she would discuss the matter with Cole. Perhaps they would be allowed to continue practicing Light Magic in a designated section of Avalyss. Word had been sent to Cole in the Dark Tower that she was ready to concede. That was the reason for the grim assembly in the Higher Echelon’s chamber room. They had been waiting for hours.
“Where is he?” Riley muttered, for the umpteenth time. Anxiety had a choke hold on her and she had difficulty breathing. Had he changed his mind? Did he want the epic battle to take place after all? That made no sense. By her conceding, his victory was assured whereas if a battle took place, he could lose. All her instincts were on high alert, signaling that something had gone wrong otherwise he would have been here by now.
She stopped pacing, spun to face the Higher Echelon. “Something is wrong. I know it.”
“He is late, that’s all. Must you be so impatient?” Elder Murrin snapped, glaring at Riley. He had been the most vociferous advocate for the epic battle, arguing long and hard, as the head of the Higher Echelon, he had the most power to lose.
“I agree with Riley.” Sarri’s gentle voice filled the room. “It has been hours since the message was dispatched to the Dark Tower. Once he received the message there would be no reason for him to delay claiming his victory.”
“Do you think that the message has been intercepted?” Max asked. He had been sprawled on the floor but was now sitting up, ears pricked, green eyes alert.
“Nonsense. Like Daughter, Like Mother. Obviously patience does not run in your gene pool. Let’s just wait a while longer.” Murrin sat back and folded his arms.
“How much longer shall we wait?” The voice belonged to Sharyl, deputy head of the Higher Echelon. She had a curly cap of white hair and sharp brown eyes. “Perhaps Cole never received the message. Let us send a second message.”
Everyone agreed with the suggestion except Murrin who continued to glower. Finally, he threw up his hands in disgust. “Fine. I will send another one.”
Riley shook her head. “Let us try a different method this time. I will ask Shalimar to contact Cole directly.” She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration and conveyed the message to Shalimar telepathically. In her mind’s eye, Shalimar bobbed once and disappeared. When she opened her eyes, she found that once again she was focus of all eyes.
“Well?” Murrin barked, his long thin fingers tapping the table.
“We wait. Shalimar will only be a moment.”
With a long suffering sigh, he leaned back in his chair, his bald pate shining in the afternoon sun pouring through the glass walls.
Riley circled the room, feeling a little less anxious. She had wanted to send Shalimar from the beginning but Murrin had told her that they needed to go through the proper channels.
Her breath quickened as she took in the spectacular view. The Higher Echelon’s meeting room not only occupied the top floor of the palace but all its walls were made of glass so that the ocean could be seen from every direction. The most fascinating aspect, Riley noticed, was that the ocean wore a different mood depending on which direction she looked. When she looked east, huge waves crashed along a rocky shore. Spinning to the west, she viewed calm turquoise water, as still as glass. To the north, the ocean was playful, sending gentle swells to lap the sandy shore. And, finally, to the south, the ocean’s mien was sulky, grey and dull with listless waves.
Shalimar winked into the room without any fanfare, the sunlight reflecting off her jeweled hilt showering the room with sparks of rainbow colors. Paisley, Tyror and Baltrac also appeared, wearing identical somber expressions.
Riley emitted a strangled cry. “No! It cannot be.” And as thirteen pairs of eyes swung in her direction, she stammered. “Shalimar just told me that Cole is missing. No one knows where he is.”
“It is true.” Paisley strutted to the middle of the room, blood curls bouncing, red robe clinging to her curves and swirling around her ankles. Riley rolled her eyes when she noticed Murrin had a sickly, lovesick expression on his face.
“We thought he was here with you. He left early this morning. We only realized that he was missing when Shalimar showed up a few minutes ago.” Paisley said, basking in the admiring male glances.
Baltrac stepped forward, a scowl on his hatchet face. “What have you done to him? Release him at once!”
Shocked, everyone could only gape at him. Finally, Murrin broke the silence. “I assure you, sir, we have no idea where he is. We have been sitting here for hours waiting for him.”
Max growled, green eyes furious. “Why would you automatically assume that we have done something to him? How do we know that you have not done something to him?”
Tyror held up a hand for peace. “Wait. Let us not argue among ourselves. The most important thing is finding Cole. Does anyone have any ideas where he could be?”
Puzzled, Riley asked, “Why would Baltrac think that we had something to do with his disappearance? What could we possibly do to him? He cannot be killed, not while he has Sultan.” She smacked herself in the forehead. “How stupid of me. Sultan will know where he is.” She spun towards Shalimar.
But the white sword remained frozen in the centre of the room. Riley walked towards her, grabbed her by the hilt and shook her a little. “Shalimar! What is the matter? Where is Sultan? He will know where to find Cole.”
/>
Shalimar’s musical voice sounded a little tinny, pitched so low that everyone had to strain to hear her words. “Yes. Sultan knows Cole’s whereabouts.”
“That’s great news.” Riley exclaimed. “I was beginning to worry. Tell Sultan to bring him here.”
“Sultan wants you to come to him.”
Riley looked startled. The feeling of something not being right returned but she ignored it and nodded. “Fine. Take me to him.”
Shalimar shook a little. “No! I am sorry, Princess. But Sultan has switched sides. He is working with Mylor.”
The room throbbed with silence. Fear and fury flooded through Riley. “Why?”
“Sultan wants both dark magic and white magic to remain in Avalyss. Mylor is offering that through Universal magic.”
Riley tried to speak but could not force the words through the cold lump of terror lodged in her throat.
Max voiced what was on her mind. “Now that Sultan has defected, does this mean that Cole is no longer immortal?”
“Yes.” Shalimar bobbed once. “Mylor is.”
“What?” Riley’s power of speech returned. “How is that possible? Sultan chose Cole!”
“Yes, Princess. But he can also renounce him. That is what he has done.”
Riley stared at Shalimar, feeling sick to her stomach. “Are you saying that you have renounced me as well?”
“Sultan wants me to. But I stand by my choice,” Shalimar replied.
Riley breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Shalimar continued, “You also pushed for Universal magic. In your plan, Universal magic would have been accessible by everyone. But under Mylor’s rule, it will be restricted to only a select few. Your plan is better.”
“We have to rescue Cole. Let’s go.” Riley’s voice pulsed with impatience.
Sarri held up a hand. “Wait. Not so fast. What does Mylor want? Why did he capture Cole?”
“Mylor claims that he will release Cole in exchange for the Princess.” Shalimar’s tone was flat.
“No!” Max protested, leaping to his feet. “He is lying, he will kill her.”
“We do not know that. I have to go if there is the slightest chance that he will let Cole go. Besides, Shalimar has not renounced me, so I cannot be killed.” Riley’s eyes shone with determination. She kept her tone even, concealing the fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She could not let Cole die without trying to save him.
Max’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “It could be a trick. Shalimar could just be pretending that she is still on your side just to get you into Mylor’s clutches.”
Shalimar launched herself into the air and started to spin, faster and faster. “Crystal swords do not lie. You have my word Princess.”
Riley nodded. “I trust you. Let us go.”
“Wait, Daughter. You cannot go charging in there without a plan. I know Mylor. He is up to something. You still have the power to stop him. And so would Cole if he lets him go. I am sure he intends to kill both of you.” Sarri spun towards Shalimar. “Are Mylor and Sultan aware that you are still on Riley’s side?”
“No. But I may have given them the impression that I am on their side.”
“Good. We can use that to our advantage. We need to come up with a plan to rescue Cole without Riley having to surrender.” Sarri paced the room, eyes thoughtful.
“We are running out of time. Mylor will kill Cole. Riley should go, pretend to surrender while the rest of us work on a plan.” Paisley suggested with a guileless smile.
Max raised his hackles and growled at Paisley, a feral glint in his eyes. “Yes. You would like that wouldn’t you? Sending her off like a lamb to the slaughter. How do we know that you are not working with Mylor?”
“That’s a lie, you filthy cur! How dare you accuse her of treachery? I will cut your foul tongue out of your mouth before I let you slander her again!” Baltrac jumped in front of Max, brandishing a sword in his face.
Max pounced, grabbed Baltrac by the neck and shook him, hard.
“Max, Stop!” Riley commanded. He glared at her and dropped Baltrac, his menacing growls echoing around the room.
Paisley helped Baltrac to his feet. His eyes were wild, a small spot of blood glistened on his throat. “See, that beast tried to kill me. You are all witnesses. I demand that he be punished.”
As Max’s growls intensified, Tyror intervened. “Baltrac, get a hold of yourself. You threatened him first. No need to overreact, you just have a flesh wound. Why are we fighting among ourselves instead of rescuing Cole? That should be our primary focus.”
Riley was stroking Max’s silky black fur, trying to calm him down. She looked at Shalimar, a worried expression on her face. “How long will Mylor wait before he kills Cole?”
“He will not kill Cole before you surrender. He wants both of you. Trust me on this, Daughter,” Sarri said.
“I think Paisley’s idea might work,” Riley said.
“What? Are you out of your mind?” Max growled, still trembling with rage.
“Shush!” Riley pressed her face against his and kissed his nose. “Hear me out. We know that Mylor cannot kill me because Shalimar has not renounced me. But he does not know that. I will try to stall by getting him to brag. Right now he thinks he is in control. With Sultan giving him the power of immortality he is certain of his invincibility. He will not be able to resist boasting of his brilliance, crowing about how he turned the tables and bested us all and how he would now rule Avalyss. My father stood in his way and he killed him, now Cole and I stand in his way and he will kill us too. He will want to savor his triumph by humiliating us with the knowledge that our stupidity was no match for his brilliance. While he is busying rubbing it in our faces, the rest of you could launch a surprise attack. We have a good chance of defeating him. He only has Crane on his side.”
“But with Sultan, Mylor is unbeatable.” Sarri’s voice shook a little.
“I have Shalimar. And the crystal swords cannot fight against each other.”
“That is true. Sultan will be able to protect Mylor from everyone but you. But you will have to battle Mylor on your own without any help from me. He is a very powerful mage in his own right,” Shalimar said.
Riley smiled. “So am I. Let us go I am ready.”
Baring his teeth, Max glowered at her. “As your Guardian, I am sworn to protect you. I cannot let you do this. Mylor has been stockpiling his knowledge of Universal magic for years. We do not what he is capable of. You are not powerful enough to fight him on your own.”
“Don’t you see? His overconfidence will be his mistake. He will underestimate me. I promise you I will take him by surprise. I will do what needs to be done.” She knelt and looked into his eyes. “Trust me.”
“I trust you. It is Mylor I do not trust. If you insist on being foolhardy, then I intend to go with you.” As Riley opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. “It is not a request, Princess.” Max’s tone made it clear that he would brook no argument.
Riley nodded. “I will feel better knowing that you have my back.”
Sarri took Riley’s face in her hands. “Please be careful. Mylor killed your father. I cannot lose you too.” Her grey eyes bright with unshed tears, she kissed Riley’s cheek and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Riley returned Sarri’s hug. Icy fingers of fear clutched at her heart as her blood pounded through her veins. She could not let them see that she was afraid just as she could not let fear stop her from rescuing Cole. Pulling away from Sarri, she looked at everyone in the room, a brave smile on her face. “I will go play my part. I trust that you will play yours. Hope to see you soon.” She turned towards Shalimar. “I am ready. Let us go.”
A bright flash filled the room momentarily blinding everyone. When they could see again, Shalimar, Riley and Max had vanished.
/> Sarri’s face was grave as she stood at the west wall and looked out unseeingly at first, then her eyes focused on the view. Gasping, she spun around and faced east, then north and finally south. A startled cry burst from her lips.
“What is wrong?” Murrin asked.
Trembling, Sarri pointed at the view. “That has never happened before!”
Every pair of eyes turned towards the glass walls. In each direction, the ocean wore the same forbidding aspect, a tempest of churning swells with mammoth, white capped waves hurling themselves at the shore.