Perilous Travels (The Southern Continent Series Book 2) (2 page)

"But the ones who have seen you think your pale looks are intriguing.   Of course, they all assume you're in love with that guard you practice with every day.  You're not, are you?" she asked.

"No, no!" Grange answered indignantly.   Since Ariana's transformation he had not felt comfortable pursuing any relationship with a girl.  If he had, Grace herself would have seemed most likely, but their personalities had proven too contrary for his comfort in any event, though they had grown comfortable with each other after a rocky beginning, and their musical compatibility was obvious even to them.

"Good, that's settled.  You take me to the Ball, and I'll see to it that you're kept busy while I charm the Prince," Grace decided.

"Will his sister be there too?" Grange asked, thinking of the young woman who had occupied the third throne at the assembly.

"She will, on the arm of Lord Ambassador Bartar.  You don't have your eyes set on her, do you?" Grace's attention perked up, and Grange thought she looked like a fox as she studied him with shining eyes and her triangular face. 

“No, not at all.  I only saw her the one time we were at court,” Grange responded.

"Prince Grael doesn’t care for the pair of them at all, I know.  If Bartar succeeds in opening trade with Kilau,  local weavers won't be able to match the quality of the silk goods that will be imported; it would kill Maurin's family's wealth, I hear," Grace gossiped.  "And his sister Aubrey pays attention to affairs of state, giving their father counsel, which Grael thinks is unseemly for a woman.

"Personally, I don't think it's a very big problem; she's probably giving good advice, and affordable silk from Kilau would be so nice," she sighed at the thought.

With the arrangements for the Ball settled to Grace's satisfaction, the music broke up and she returned to her own room for the evening.

Chapter 2

On the night of the Ball, Grace and Grange were dressed in their matching black and white court outfits once again as they traveled through the palace passages to reach the vast hall where the cream of Palmland society was gathered.  Because they wore their noble blue pendants, they were acknowledged to be worthy of a public introduction to the gathered crowd.

The pair was directed to an upstairs entrance where they stood in line with many others, and were eventually given their turn to stand at the top of the steps and be announced to the mostly non-attentive crowd.

"The magical wizard couple of the palace, Grange and Grace, members of the Loyal Order of the Blue Pendant," a servant announced.   The pair proceeded to walk down the stairs to a round of polite applause, with Grace's hand on Grange's arm.

"He called us a pair!" Grace whispered indignantly as they descended.  "Of course, anyone who knows anything knows that's not true," she considered aloud.

"And here's your first companion for the evening," Grace said as they reached the floor.

A willowy girl with honey brown hair came and laid her warm fingertips on Grange's arm, as Grace removed hers.  "This is Tatiana, and she will dance the first dance with you.  Why don't you take her to have a glass of wine?" Grace suggested as though she were an urbane and sophisticated member of the court.

"I don't usually drink wine," Grange protested.

"This is the Spring Ball, Grange," Grace pointed out dismissively.

"You can have one drink with me, can't you?" Tatiana cajoled sweetly, with a smile.

"Go on now, take this girl over for wine, and let her see what a nice boy you are," Grace gave a little laugh, then parted from the other two as she went to join Prince Grael.

Tatiana smiled shyly at Grange, as more members of the minor nobility were introduced and began to descend the staircase.

Grange smiled back awkwardly, and the pair began to weave their way through the crowd.   When they reached a long table in the middle of the room, the girl lifted two glasses, and handed one to Grange.

"Here's a toast to a special evening," she raised her glass.   Grange smiled and raised his own glass as well, as they each took a sip of the sweet wine.

"And here's to music," she raised another toast.  "Grace says you play so well," Tatiana said, surprising him by revealing such a compliment from his combative fellow apprentice, after they each drank again.  "Where did you learn to play?"

They went in search of a table of Tatiana's friends as Grange described taking lessons at the orphanage in Fortune.  He finished his tale as they reached the table, and Grange was introduced to the six people at the table, three pairs of couples who socialized at court with one another and Grace.

"Grace says that you practice magic and weapons every day.  Don't you have to pick one or the other?" a young man asked.

"Plus he plays music every night!" Tatiana added, patting his arm.

"Goodness!  It's no wonder we never see him at court," a girl declared.

The orchestra struck a few opening chords.  The massive audience collectively paused in conversation, lowering the volume in the vast room, then a new wave of noise arose as everyone began to speak again, all at once, and a surge of prospective dancers broke towards the dance floor.

"We have to be out there!" Tatiana exclaimed.  Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, and Grange grinned with her as they and everyone at their table stood to join the first dance.

They were bumped and jostled as they held hands and flowed with the crowd towards the rapidly filling dance floor.

"There's Grace!" Tatiana exclaimed as they reached a spot on the floor and waited for the music to begin.   She pointed towards the front of the dance crowd, where Grace stood erect next to Prince Grael, her hand on his arm.

"Grace looks so extraordinary in that wizard dress," Tatiana said.  "And you look so impressive in your outfit as well," she added, making Grange smile.

Grace and the prince began to move a fraction of a second before the first notes of music reached Grange's location, and then the whole dance floor set into motion.   The dance was not a step Grange had practiced very often, but he had watched countless numbers of others dance to the music of Guy's band, night after night,  and he managed to perform better than he hoped.   He apologized to Tatiana only twice for missed steps as the song played, and they joined in the applause when the music ended.

The pair danced together for the second dance as well, then Tatiana took Grange unexpectedly by the hand and led him from the floor.  "It's an unusual crowd tonight," she commented.   "There are men here I've never seen before, and they all are wearing red bands around their arms.  But as long as they're here to have a good time, it makes no difference to me," she dismissed the topic from further consideration.

"Grace has you scheduled tightly these first several dances," she explained.   "I have to turn you over to Becca now, but when you're free later tonight I hope we'll dance again," she said.

"Yes, let's, " Grange immediately agreed.   He had enjoyed his time with her more than he’d expected.

"This is Becca," Tatiana introduced when they reached a table of more young courtiers.  "Why she doesn't have an escort all night long is a mystery to me," Tatiana said, and Grange immediately understood her meaning.   Becca was a ravishing beauty, with a dark complexion and long, black hair that was swept over one shoulder.

"Grace told me to save myself for her friend, so I have," Becca said without any pretentions.  "I've heard about you from Grace of course, but she didn't mention that you were so exotic and dashing."

"She's never told me that either," Grange spoke truthfully, embarrassed by the compliment.

"And a sense of humor too!" Becca smiled.   "Now I'm sorry I only have you for three dances.   Do you think I might keep him longer?" she asked Tatiana. 

"You'll have to take that up with Yardy; she's supposed to have him next," Tatiana declined to comment.   "But I'd like to have him back later, so don't throw the schedule completely out of kilter.  He's a good dancer," she added, then departed, leaving the other two standing at the table as Becca's friends sat by them.

"Shall we go have a glass of wine?" the girl asked.

"I'll have a small glass," Grange agreed, and the pair left the table, Tatiana’s fingertips lightly resting on Grange’s arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce you to everyone at the table, but I don't know all their names," Becca apologized as they crossed the room.

"The crowd here is unusual," she commented.

"That's what Tatiana said too," Grange affirmed as they reached a table with wine glasses.   They each picked up a glass, and Becca raised hers in a toast.  "Here's to new friendship," she proposed.

Grange returned her wide smile as he raised his glass to tap it with hers, then they drank the wine.

As they did, the orchestral music came to a sudden, jarring stop, and a woman screamed somewhere in the hall.

"What is that about, I wonder," Becca asked, unconsciously stepping closer to Grange.

There was a ripple of movement throughout the room at that moment.   Grange looked around in confusion, and then saw that scattered men were pulling knives and swords from their hips and hidden pockets in their clothing.

He stepped next to Becca, and pulled his own sword off his hip.  "What's happening?" he asked in confusion, looking around.

"It's the men with red ribbons," she answered.   "They're the ones with weapons."

"Who are they?   What do they want?" Grange asked.

Three of the armed men approached a group standing nearby, and separated a man away from the others, marching him away from the others and out of the hall.

"Where do you live?" Grange asked.  "I want to take you some place safe."

There was another scream from the front of the room just then.   “It's Grace!" Becca exclaimed in alarm.

Grange looked up in alarm.  Grace was being held by men with red armbands, and as he watched, they stuffed a gag in her mouth and wrapped a blindfold over her eyes, preventing her from using her abilities to defend herself.

There was yet more screaming, and Grange saw that Ambassador Bartar was being pressed up on stage at the point of a sword.

"Will you be safe?" he asked Becca urgently.   "I've got to go help."

"Go on Grange," she told him.  "I'll be fine."  She impulsively hugged him and kissed his cheek, then released her grasp on him.

"Stay safe!" he urged her, as he turned to run forward, ready to help Grace in any way he could.

"Grange!" a new voice called his name as he left Becca, and he skidded to a stop, then looked around and saw Eli standing near a door.

"Come this way!  We've got to save Grace," the senior apprentice said.

Grange turned and ran towards the other wizard.

"I didn't know you were here!" Grange exclaimed.   "What's happening?   What do we do?"

"I didn't get a fancy public invitation like you and Grace," Eli said with a touch of bitterness.   "But someone decided I should be here.

"Prince Grael is staging a coup.   He's taking prisoners now while they're all gathered together at the Ball.  We can go take care of Grace," Eli spoke over his shoulder as he began running through a narrow servants' passage.

Grange rushed to keep up, focusing only on following Eli until the passage abruptly opened into a large chamber where Grange suddenly found himself and Eli surrounded by a score of armed men wearing the red sash upon their arms.

"Let me handle this," Eli said calmly.  He began to recite an incantation, and Grange stood with his sword held ready,  absently trying to translate the words that Eli spoke.

"Gadewch I might os gwelwch yn deal yn ei and rheoli...," the words were rolling off Eli's tongue.

Eli would control his subject like a servant, Grange slowly translated the words while keeping an eye on the armed men around them.

He suddenly felt his limbs seized and he saw the misty tendrils of the Power gather and wrap around his own body.  His fingers stiffened, and his enchanted blue sword clattered to the floor.

"Eli!" Grange shouted, "there's a problem!"

"Not for much longer," Eli turned and sneered at him.  "Let’s go on stage," he waved to the armsmen around them.

Betrayal!
  The jewels shouted in his ears.  Eli pointed his finger back at Grange and crooked it, causing Grange to involuntarily start walking after the apprentice wizards.

"Help me!" Grange shouted at the jewels as he emerged on the stage.

We are powerless against the use of the power by these means
, the jewels answered.

"There's no one to help you now," one of the red-handed ruffians cackled as he roughly shoved Grange to the floor of the stage,  not far from where Grace, Bartar,  Princess Aubrey,  and a handful of other prisoners lay, bound and gagged. 

You can use the power to save yourself and set us free.  Call the energy to help you!
The jewels urgently advised.

"But I can't make it work for me.  I can't speak to the energy the right way," Grange answered.

Call the power; imagine you're talking to us,
the jewels practically shrieked. 
Use that same tone of respectful partnership.

He had to do it.  He saw Prince Grael hold a sword and walk towards the prisoners with a grim smile.  Maurin walked a step behind him, a look of smug satisfaction on his face as well.

"Os gwelwch yn dda gosod fi am ddim a bod yn gynghreiriad pwer fy ysbryd mawr i!" he spoke aloud, imagining that he was talking to Ariana once again.  It was an act filled with the greatest longing and the greatest desire his soul possessed.

As the words left his mouth, three things happened simultaneously.

Prince Grael began to speak.   "Tonight, as the new season begins,  we begin a new chapter in the story of Palmland!" he started his speech as he raised his sword over Bartar.

As he did, Brielle suddenly appeared from nowhere and leapt up onto the stage, making an extraordinary jump from the dance floor below.   She held a sword in one hand and a throwing knife in the other.   She aimed the knife at Maurin and released it with a smooth throwing motion, then ran towards Grange even as her weapon struck Maurin in the chest with a sickening sound.

"Grange, my lord, are you alright?" she shouted.

And at the same time, the energy that constrained Grange released him, and a distant voice echoed hollowly in his soul. 

"Pa wasanaeth ydych chi'n ei geisio, meistr?" the energy sought direction from him, even as it lifted him to his feet and glowed majestically around him in an astonishing aura.  And the enchanted blue sword suddenly came flying out of the off-stage chamber where he had dropped it, and flew to him, nestling into his grip.

He felt the infusion of power, the capacity that the energy offered.  It was astonishing and invigorating.   He looked around at the dramatic scenario that surrounded him, and considered what to do.