Tagan's Child (53 page)

When I got
home, I made some calls and then forced a few mouthfuls of pasta
down. Audrey was right. It was no good starving myself, what good
would that do Toby? When I had eaten as much as I could, I took a
deep breath and phoned the palace. Even though the King had said I
could visit whenever I liked, I thought it was only polite to let
him know I would be visiting in the morning.

I hadn’t spoken
to Toby since I had been back and was disappointed to find out that
he and his grandparents were at some dinner event when I called. I
wondered if the King had even told him I had phoned. I left a
message with Sulaan to say I would be there late morning. The
evening stretched ahead of me and I spent it mindlessly flicking
through the channels on the television until I fell asleep and woke
up just before midnight with a stiff neck. I took myself upstairs
to bed feeling happier knowing I would be seeing Toby in the
morning.

I think I gave
a convincing performance during my T.V. appeal, it wasn’t as if
tears were too far away these days. I had never broken the law or
even stolen as much as a penny sweet after my mum had made me take
back a packet of fruit polo’s I’d taken from the corner shop aged
eight, so lying to the police, and now the nation, did not sit
easily with me. Everyone at the station had been very kind and the
detective in charge of Toby’s case was as reassuring as he could be
in spite of having come up with very little so far. Thank
goodness!

I returned home
and packed a bag for the weekend, managing to fit everything into
my small backpack in the hope that I would look less conspicuous
walking into the woods. It was difficult to contain my excitement
at the prospect of seeing Toby, even though I feared Ahran might
still be there. I wasn’t prepared for an encounter with him yet. I
locked the front door, slipped out the back and headed into the
woods. The air was cold against my face but my cheeks burned with
anticipation. I couldn’t help feeling paranoid about being followed
and glanced back over my shoulder several times whilst walking in
the direction of the oak marking the portal.

I wasn’t
certain I’d found the right tree and put my hand out fully
expecting to hit the trunk. My stomach lurched. It had to be one of
the most unpleasant experiences, like a rollercoaster that had got
stuck in a perpetual spin. I’d missed breakfast and could feel
myself retching even before I had entered Ramia. Maybe this time I
would get lost in the vortex between the two universes and would
never find my way out. But just before losing all hope of ever
seeing another living being again, my foot touched firm ground and
I stumbled forward as if someone had pressed the eject button.

My knees
buckled and I fell to the ground relieving myself of the cup of tea
I’d had at the police station earlier. “Oh God,” I muttered and
took a few deep breaths waiting for the painful stomach spasms to
subside. I rocked back onto my bottom, putting my head between my
knees and gradually began to feel more normal. Maybe travel
sickness tablets would help in future.

I took off my
jacket and sat there for a few moments more. The sun was high in
the sky and the air’s clarity made my eyes hurt. In my haste to get
to Ramia I’d forgotten my sunglasses. It seemed impossible that
anywhere could be so warm and bright when at home it was so dark,
damp and cold.

My eyes
gradually acclimatised and once again I was knocked out by the
view. The neat, beautifully organised town, the winding river in
the distance, the palace nestled in its place in the hillside all
dominated by the two magnificent mountain ranges residing over it
all. I gazed across the valley contemplating seeing Ahran again and
my stomach did a different kind of spasm, sending a shot of
adrenaline to my fingertips. Surely he would have gone back to his
farm by now. I got to my feet, and after picking my way down the
hillside, arrived at the inner gates of the palace. The
circumstances surrounding my recent departure came back all too
clearly. As much as I wanted to see Toby I questioned whether I’d
come back too early. I hesitated before taking a deep breath and
announced my arrival and the big wooden gates at the palaces’
entrance opened as if by magic.

I made my way
across the courtyard and up the steps to the front door, which with
impeccable timing, opened as my foot touched the top step. My heart
was in my throat and I could hear the blood rushing through my
ears. I tried to block out all thoughts of that night but failed
miserably.

A servant
greeted me and I followed on nervously. We hadn’t quite made it to
the King’s drawing room when Toby suddenly appeared and came
rushing down the corridor at full pelt.

“Auntie
Sophie!” He threw his arms around my waist and I sank to my knees
returning his embrace. I buried my face into his hair and breathed
in the familiar smell of him.

“Why did it
take you so long to come back?” he said with such feeling and
disappointment I don’t know why I ever doubted how he felt about
me.

“I’m sorry.”
Tears began to sting my eyes. “There were a few things I had to
sort out, but I’m here now and we’ve got the whole weekend ahead of
us.” I gave him another squeeze

Halsan and
Leylana joined us in the corridor. “He’s really missed you,”
Leylana said, her head cocked to one side.

“And, I’ve
really missed you,” I said, looking him in the eyes.

“We are glad to
have you here again,” the King said, interrupting our little
reunion.

I stood up and
kissed the King and Queen on the cheek. I wasn’t quite sure how it
felt to see them. During my time away Halsan had taken on a rather
ugly persona in my head. The bad guy, the man who wanted to keep my
nephew locked away from me in another universe, but seeing him in
the flesh, so welcoming and genuinely pleased to see me, made me
feel bad I had ever thought he had anything but Toby’s best
interest at heart. My nephew was sporting a tan and looked bursting
with good health. His stay in Dinara had obviously done him the
world of good.

“Sophie, are
you okay?” Leylana asked in a concerned voice.

“I had a
particularly rough time travelling through the portal this time,” I
replied in an attempt to explain the change in my appearance. They
didn’t need to know I had barely managed to keep my body and soul
together since I’d returned to Earth.

“Have you been
unwell?” she asked undeterred.

“Oh, yes, I’ve
had a stomach bug,” I lied, feeling the need to come up with
something more convincing. There was a hint of suspicion in the way
Leylana looked at me, as if she knew precisely why I was not
looking so good.

“I’m feeling
much better now though thanks.” Even though she looked less than
satisfied with my answer, she left it at that thankfully.

“Well, you must
come in and have something to eat, we are about to have lunch.”

With our arms
linked, Toby and I followed the royal couple into the drawing room
where the table, as always, was laden with food.

“So tell me,
what you’ve been up to,” I enquired as we sat down, but not before
my eyes had surveyed the room to check Ahran wasn’t sat in one of
the armchairs.

“I’ve been
learning Ramian. Listen. ‘Graatcha, hollhir choa?’” Toby looked at
Leylana. “That’s right isn’t it Grams?”

I wasn’t sure
if I was more struck by him sounding like a native or by him having
just called Leylana, ‘Grams’.

Leylana nodded
encouragingly. “Perfect.”

Toby smiled at
me looking pleased with himself.

“Very good
Toby, what does it mean?” I asked

“It means,
‘Hello, how are you?’”

“It looks like
I’ve got some catching up to do.”

“Don’t worry
Auntie Sophie, I’ll teach you,” he replied with an air of
confidence.

“Please, do
start,” Halsan said, motioning for me to take some bread. Servants
appeared and started spooning a spicy smelling meat dish onto our
plates.

“Tell your Aunt
about the races Toby,” Halsan prompted.

“You ought to
see Paps and Grams’ horses, they are so beautiful and fast,” he
responded enthusiastically. “We went to see them race and two of
their horses won!” Toby spoke of his grandparents with affection
and their new titles rolled off his tongue as if he had been using
them all his life. I made no comment, keen to hear more about what
had been filling my nephew’s life since I had been away. “Wow! That
sounds exciting.”

“When one of
their horses came back to the winner’s enclosure the jockey let me
sit on him.” My little nephew’s face beamed.

“You’ve had a
fantastic time by all accounts.”

“Although I’ve
had to do school work,” he said with a grimace.

“That’s
alright, you like school work.”

“I know, but
this is all new stuff.”

“It’s different
to what you are used to Toby, but you are smart, you will soon get
the hang of it,” Halsan said reassuringly.

I was pleased
the King and Queen were keen for Toby not to get behind with his
schooling even though I had no idea what he was being taught.

“So other than
the language what else have you been learning?” I asked.

Toby’s mouth
was full so the King spoke for him. “Toby is being tutored for a
couple of hours each day in Maths, Ramian and History. Eventually
he will go to school here.”

My heart sank
and my eyes darted towards Toby to see how the idea of starting a
new school in Ramia sat with him. He didn’t show much of a reaction
as he continued to eat. The matter had obviously been
discussed.

“How do you
feel about that Toby?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I
guess if I’m going to be King one day I need to learn about
Ramia.”

I had a strong
suspicion these weren’t his words. I wanted to discuss his future
and how he felt about everything but not with the King and Queen
present. “What else have you been doing?” I asked, changing the
subject.

“Uncle Ahran
took me to see his farm.”

My head snapped
up automatically and I quickly looked back down towards my plate
realising my error. Judging by the glimpse I caught of Leylana’s
expression my reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“It was
awesome. He took me for a ride on his quad bike,” Toby continued,
oblivious to the effect the mention of Ahran’s name had had on my
composure. The desire to clap my hands over my ears and make a lot
of noise to avoid hearing what he was saying was almost as strong
as the desire to listen intently.

“He told me all
about the cows he’s getting and he said I could go and stay with
him if I wanted to.”

I groaned
inwardly, I was never going to be able to cut Ahran out of my life,
he would always be there in the background tormenting me. What
would Toby think of his uncle if he knew he had caused his mother’s
death? It suddenly occurred to me whether even the King and Queen
knew what had happened. I wanted to cause him as much pain as he
had caused me. Maybe I would ask them later.

“That would be
fun.” I tried to sound unaffected by the direction the conversation
had taken.

“You could come
and stay too,” Toby suggested.

“Maybe,” I
replied.

Both Halsan and
Leylana had been listening to the conversation.

“Ahran moved
into his farm earlier this week,” Halsan said.

I couldn’t be
sure whether he had said this deliberately to gauge my reaction or
whether he was just making conversation. Leylana was easier to
read, she was quite clearly waiting to hear my response.

“That’s good
news.” I tried to sound like an interested friend, even though I
was willing them to change the subject. My chest was beginning to
feel tight.

“Have you
spoken to Ahran since you’ve been back home?” Leylana asked. They
obviously weren’t going to leave the subject of their nephew
alone.

“Er, no, I
haven’t,” I managed to say as light-heartedly as possible.

“He seemed
quite upset when you left and we were wondering whether you had
settled your differences?” she continued, almost too
nonchalantly.

I frowned, I
couldn’t believe she was asking me about this in front of Toby. I
looked her in the eye. “Could we talk about this later?” I asked,
although I felt like saying it really wasn’t any of her
business.

She nodded.
“Yes of course. Have you thought what you might like to do
today?”

“I wondered
about taking Toby down to that beach, the one we went to the last
time I was here.” I wanted to spend the day with him on my own
without the King and Queen getting in our way.

“Yes, I’m sure
that will be okay.” Leylana looked at Halsan for approval. He
nodded. “You will be escorted by our bodyguards of course.”

I understood we
wouldn’t be completely alone but that was good enough. I didn’t
know yet whether Halsan had been successful in dealing with Bazeera
but I guessed bodyguards were going to be a fact of life for Toby
from now on.

“Do you fancy
that Toby?”

“Yeah!” Toby
replied enthusiastically.

“Is there
anything you need Sophie?” Leylana asked.

“A couple of
towels would be good.”

She nodded.
“I’ll have the kitchen make up a snack for you as well.”

“Thanks.” Not
that I thought we needed it, I was stuffed after having eaten more
food in the last half an hour than I had in the last five days.

After we’d had
dessert, I wiped my mouth on the napkin. “I think I’ll go and
freshen up if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,
you are in the same room as last time,” Leylana said.

“Great.
Thanks.” I turned to Toby. “Meet you out the front in half an
hour?” I felt ridiculously excited by the prospect of spending the
day with him.