The Enchanted Quest (14 page)

Tania awoke. Something had pulled her out of a deep, dreamless sleep. A sound—subdued but sharp, like the click of a lock. The creak of a floorboard in the darkness.

Was there someone in the room?

She lay absolutely still, not even breathing, her eyes wide as she tried to fathom the gloom of her bedchamber, faintly illuminated with a powdery light where the stars shone in through the open window.

She thought she saw a shadow slink across the room. Her heart thundered in her ears, deafening her. Slowly she sent a hand gliding between the sheets. Across the bedside table her fingers tracked, feeling for something solid.

The shadow moved again—silent as smoke—and now it was at the foot of her bed. She fancied she saw a narrow glint in the starlight. The blade of a crystal knife.

Whoever it was circled the bed and leaned over her.

At last her hand found the stem of a candelabra. Her fingers closed around it and she made a sudden movement: swinging her arm, smashing the heavy crystal candelabra into something solid.

There was the shudder of impact and a grunt of pain. Then fingers snatched at her wrist and she heard hissing breath. The pain made her drop the candelabra. The sliver of crystal came plunging at her face. She wrenched her head sideways and something thumped down hard on the pillow.

She lashed out with her free hand, feeling cloth under her fingers, hearing a ripping sound as the knife was pulled from the pillow and raised for a second blow. She scrambled out of bed, trying to drag herself free, but the attacker kept hold of her wrist.

“Rathina!” she screamed. “Help me!
Rathina!
”

The hand yanked at her, and she lost her footing, falling heavily down by the side of the bed, still held fast. She snatched at the hand, trying to prize the fingers loose. A silhouetted head and shoulders reared over her. An arm rose—and again there was that glint of evil light as the knife was raised.

And another glint: a blue gleam in the center of the looming head. A jewel that caught the starlight for a moment.

Hollin!

Using all her strength, Tania twisted on the floor, turning onto her side, dragging Hollin down so that he fell grunting across her, his weight pinning her. She tried to heave him off, but she found she could hardly move.

“Now I have you, half-thing!” His voice was hideously close to her face, his breath sour.

She saw the knife arm rise and fall. She blocked it with her forearm, but the pain was intense, jarring her to the shoulder, weakening her.

And then there were confused noises, the sound of hammering feet across the floor, and finally some light as Connor came running in, clutching a candlestick and shouting. He caught hold of the back of Hollin’s robe with both hands. Snarling with the effort, he dragged the man off Tania, and they both went tumbling.

Tania got to her feet, gasping, swaying, unsteady. Connor’s candle lay guttering on the floor, and in its light she saw the two men struggling together with Hollin on top. But Hollin had dropped the knife—it lay on the floor close by. Tania snatched it up, and with a cry she threw herself at Hollin. If she had been able to, she would have thrust the knife deep in his body.

But even as he fought with Connor, he threw back an elbow, catching her in the face and sending her spinning. Pain exploded in her head and red lights burst across her field of vision.

“Hold, there!” Rathina’s voice, cold and commanding. “Move but a hair of your head and I will pin you to the boards, wretched miscreant!”

Tania pulled herself up. Rathina stood straddling Hollin, the point of her sword hovering just above his throat, a five-armed candelabra held high in her other hand. Connor scrambled free and got to his feet, panting hard. He stooped and picked up his candle, holding it close to Tania’s face.

“Are you all right?” he said, gasping. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m okay,” Tania said, shaking her head with pain.

“He meant your death; that much is certain!” said Rathina. “Perhaps it is best to finish him here and now.”

Hollin lay on his back, held down by the iron sword’s blade, his eyes hooded, his chest rising and falling.

“Well, deceiver?” Rathina growled. “Was this your intent all along? To mask your true purpose and to slay my sister in her sleep?”

“The foul half-beast must die,” snarled Hollin.

“And with such a dark deed in your heart, how came you to pass through the magic that protects this place?”

Hollin snorted. “The old magic of Alba is easily circumvented,” he said. “The spell only denies entrance to those who mean harm to the lord and lady of Fendrey Holm.”

“So you got through because it was only
me
you wanted to hurt!” said Tania.

“Indeed,” snarled Hollin.” And would that I had succeeded.”

“Did Edric send you to do it?” demanded Connor. “Did he?” He stared at Tania. “My god, I just bet he did—and you
believed
him!”

The sound of hurried footsteps came to the open door.

“Tania!” Edric ran into the room, carrying a many-armed candelabra, banishing the shadows with its light. He was half dressed, his face distraught. “Something woke me,” he cried. “I knew you were in danger! Somehow I knew!” He stared at Hollin. “You!” he spat. “What are you doing here? What have you done?”

“Less than I’d hoped, boy,” snarled Hollin. “And more than you could ever have accomplished.”

Edric stared at Tania. “Has he harmed you?” He put down the candelabra and moved toward her, but she held up her hands to ward him off.

“No,” snapped Connor. “Sorry, she’s just fine. Hard luck.”

“Oh, shut up, you fool!” shouted Edric. He glared down at Hollin. “Why did you do this?” he exploded. “Have you gone mad?”

“Do not speak to me as though you have authority over me, boy,” said Hollin, his eyes burning. “You have none and never did!”

The breath hissed between Edric’s teeth. “This was the plan all along?” he choked, his voice clogged by anger. “To use me as a cat’s-paw to find the princess and then to murder her in her sleep? Is this why Aldritch agreed to this—is that why he asked for you to accompany me?”

“Why else, fool!” snapped Hollin, turning onto his side and lifting himself on his hands while Rathina’s sword prevented him from further movement. “Think you he trusted you to do the right thing when the moment came? Had the half-thing agreed to be cured by your Arts, then she was to be allowed to live. But she made it clear to you she would not be healed— and my orders in that event were to finish her before she could do more harm.” His face grew ruddy and spittle showed white on his lips. “And had any of you the heart and stomach to do what was needed, she would be dead now and all Faerie saved! The doom of that Realm lies on your hands. All of Faerie shall be destroyed in plague and madness unless you cut out the very soul of this she-witch and burn it in the sacred flames!”

He lunged upward, shouting in agony as he beat aside Rathina’s iron sword, throwing himself at Tania with fingers curled into claws.

“No!” shouted Edric. “Stop! Stop now!” He raised his arms, his eyes shining like silver moons. Black threads spun out from his spread fingertips. The blackness snaked through the air and wove a web around Hollin’s body, stopping him dead, lifting him into the air, his arms and legs flailing. “Begone!” Edric howled, his voice deep and vicious.

“No! Do not! I shall—” Terror possessed Hollin’s face, then he was gone. Vanished away in the beat of a heart. The wisps of blackness drifted for a moment. Then there was nothing.

Edric dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, his eyes burning with the ferocious silver light.

Connor gasped. “What was
that
?”

“A hex of banishment,” murmured Rathina, looking uneasily at Edric, her sword clasped between her two hands. “You have grown mighty in power, Master Chanticleer.”

“Where have you sent him?” asked Tania.

“I don’t know,” said Edric, panting. “I just wanted him . . . gone.”

“Kill him!” snarled Connor. “You can’t trust a thing he says!” He glared at Rathina. “Kill him now before he can do any more harm.” He reached for her sword, and she had to pull away to stop him from trying to wrest it out of her fingers.

“Connor, stop!” shouted Tania, horrified by his brutal suggestion. “Just
stop
, will you?”

Connor spun on her. “You’re out of your mind if you trust him!” he said. “Do you want to be the next one zapped out of existence? Do you?”

Tania looked at Edric. The silvery sheen was fading from his eyes, and he looked both worn out and afraid . . . as though shocked by the extent of his own powers.

“Edric . . . ? Are you all right?”

“No.” His voice was subdued. “No, I’m not.” He gazed up at her with haunted eyes. “How can I be all right after what just happened?”

Tania only just stopped herself from falling to her knees and throwing comforting arms around him.

“It’s a trick!” hissed Connor.

Edric looked at him. “Connor,” he said with a sigh, “if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead, okay? If I wanted to hurt Tania, she’d already be hurt. You can believe me or not, but I’m telling the truth. I had no idea what Hollin intended to do.”

“I believe you,” Tania murmured. “But what’s going to happen now?”

“I can still perform the Zauben enchantment, Tania, and make you whole. All you have to do is choose.”

“I’ve already chosen,” Tania said, her voice quiet but resolute. “I can’t do it, Edric.”

His eyes begged. “Can’t you do it for me?” He held a hand out to her. “Tania—for
us
?”

She took his hand. “There’s no us,” she said. “Look what you just did, Edric. Hollin could be dead for all you know—or worse than dead—and straightaway you want to use the Dark Arts on me! You think you’re in control, but you’re not. You’re being taken over. And one day there’ll be nothing left of you at all.” She felt numb. “I can’t watch you turn into a monster, Edric. It’s too cruel.”

“Then I’ll never use the Dark Arts again,” he said vehemently, gripping her hand, twisting her fingers.

“You . . . can’t . . .” she said. But something strange was happening. The world was warping around her. All the colors were running and flowing into one another. Rathina stumbled at her side. Two voices called out urgently. A white light invaded her mind. She felt feather light. Floating.

Lifted off her feet. She was drifting into a white sky. Beneath her she saw the realm of Faerie shrouded in gold. She felt her life being drawn out of her, pouring down like a golden rain. Strength needed to keep the shield of Gildensleep whole. Strength that she could not afford to lose.

Tania opened her eyes to candlelight. She was lying on the bed. Rathina was at her side, sitting gray-faced.

Edric and Connor were at the foot of the bed talking in subdued, angry voices.

“What happened?” Tania asked, wincing as her own voice rang in her head.

“We collapsed, sister,” murmured Rathina, lifting her head and looking at Tania. “The Gildensleep drains us more at every turn. It does not bode well. I fear the sickness will only get worse.”

Connor moved quickly to Tania’s side, his hand resting on her forehead.

“You’re hot,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“In a word?” she groaned.

“Yes—I can guess the word,” Connor said with a slight smile. “Rathina only just came around, and she’s just the same.” He frowned. “I don’t know what to do. You’re not actually ill, neither of you. If we were back home, I’d prescribe some kind of pick-me-up or energy booster . . . or a couple of days’ bed rest. But the way you’re both being drained . . . I don’t know how much more of it the pair of you can take.”

“I told Connor that’s why we should do what I suggested,” added Edric, arriving at the other side of the head of the bed. He looked at Tania. “I can help you. I can keep your energy levels up.”

“So you say,” retorted Connor. “With some more of that voodoo of yours.”

Edric shook his head. “What you’re doing is incredibly important,” he said to Tania. “Let me help you. I can create a barrier—a way to stop you being sucked dry like this.”

Tania sat up, fighting the discomfort. “No,” she said. “My family needs my strength.” She touched Rathina’s arm. “Our strength.”

“So do you,” Edric insisted. “If this keeps happening, how are you going to get to Tirnanog?”

“And how do you know where we’re going, anyway?” demanded Connor. “More black magic, I guess.”

“No,” Edric snapped. “Not black magic. I know the old legends of the Divine Harper and his powers. Why else would the King and Queen send Tania to Alba unless they wanted her to find Tirnanog and ask for the Divine Harper’s help against the plague?”

“Yes,” Tania murmured, cautiously getting off the bed, allowing Connor to steady her as she got to her feet. “That’s where we’re going—and we need to go now. We can’t afford to waste any more time—not if these attacks are going to keep happening. How long was I unconscious?”

“A few minutes, that’s all,” said Connor.

“I want to come with you,” said Edric. “If you won’t accept my mystic help, then at least make use of my sword arm! You have no idea what dangers you’re walking into.” He stared into Tania’s dubious face. “You can trust me—you surely know that by now. I would never betray you—any of you. Let me help!”

“In your dreams!” growled Connor. “I’d rather bring a snake along.”

Tania looked helplessly at Rathina.

“Look not to me for advice, Tania,” said Rathina. “I have a long history of bad choices. You and you alone must decide on this thing.”

Tania looked deep into Edric’s brown eyes. “You need to make a promise to me,” she said slowly. “Never to use the Dark Arts, no matter what the circumstances.”

“I promise,” Edric said without hesitation.

“Even as a last resort,” Tania added. “Even then you mustn’t use it.”

“Think well on it, Master Chanticleer,” warned Rathina. “If great danger assails us and you are certain that only your Arts would suffice to save Tania’s life—what would you do then?”

Edric stood looking into Tania’s face.

“I would find another way to save her,” he said at last, and a touch of Faerie formality came now into his voice. “I would not use them, not even if your life was made forfeit by my choice.”