The Destiny of Amalah (23 page)

Rufus looked at Garrick and saw his face was sincere and he trusted that and he felt slightly better.

‘How do we get him back to Amalah?’

‘He will ride with me and his horse shall follow behind.’

Garrick left Rufus and Kenaz and went to wake the others and when they rose they washed, dressed and ate breakfast around the fire.

‘I wonder if he’s hungry,’ Ellora asked looking at Kenaz.

‘Probably, if I know Kenaz,’ Waldon said.

‘Well if he isn’t now, he will be when he gets unfrozen,’ Kalon added.

‘I don’t envy him at all,’ Ellora said.

‘He is hardly in a position to be envied now is he?’ Rufus said dryly.

The children quickly changed the subject and ate breakfast around light-hearted chat. Garrick finished his food first and left the children to finish eating and went to secure Kenaz to his horse and Kenaz’s horse to Rakan’s. He checked all of their saddles and made sure that they were fitted correctly and then he went back to the other five to find that they had finished breakfast, cleaned away and put out the morning fire. They went back to their sleeping places and collected everything and soon they were all on their horses and on their way back to Amalah with a frozen Kenaz.

They rode hard and fast for two days and two nights only stopping for food, water and short sleep breaks and they finally arrived in Amalah on the third day. They rode to the palace gates and the staff rushed out to meet them and they helped them all to unsaddle and unpack and the staff were all taken aback when they saw the frozen Kenaz on Garrick’s horse.

‘Someone send word to Thaddeus and tell him to urgently meet me at the palace – hurry!’ Garrick said urgently.

Two of the staff responded and immediately went in search of Thaddeus, and as they left Garrick unloaded Kenaz and carried him into the Empresses’ study and the children followed behind him. They walked into the study and as they entered, they were brought food and drink by some of them maids. They all ate the food that had been provided for them with relish for it had been a hard ride home and they had not really eaten as much as they were used to.

‘I feel so sorry for Kenaz,’ Ellora said sympathetically as she looked at her food with thought.

‘Well if he is frozen, then his stomach must be frozen,’ Rakan said.

‘I hope so,’ Waldon replied.

‘Well his lips certainly are,’ Kalon said, laughing softly.

Garrick viewed the children with a mixture of bemusement, amusement and curiosity as they chatted among themselves. “How intelligent they all were and how aware of things they had become,” he thought to himself. He wondered if he had possessed the same level of awareness that they had when he was a child. The children continued to talk and Garrick continued to think to himself as they chattered and after a while, Thaddeus entered the study and Garrick stood up to greet his friend.

‘Thaddeus, good to see you.’

‘You to my friend, how have you been?’

‘Faring well.’

‘I hear you are in need of my assistance: pray tell why?’

‘Kenaz – he underwent a strange fate,’ Garrick said sardonically.

Thaddeus moved his head to the side of Garrick and looked at the children, he spied for Kenaz and when he caught sight of him on the floor he turned to Garrick and looked puzzled.

‘What befell the poor boy?’ he asked, walking towards him as Garrick followed.

‘He fell at least sixty feet from a tree. He would have surely died if Rufus had not frozen him before he hit the ground.’

‘Rufus possesses the power of magic?’ Thaddeus said surprised.

‘Yes he does,’ Garrick said.

‘Powerful magic too,’ Thaddeus said raising an eyebrow.

‘In which way?’

‘Not since the war when I saw the elders use that power has anyone else done so.’

‘Interesting!’

‘So why is Kenaz still frozen?’ Thaddeus asked.

‘Rufus cannot unfreeze him,’ Garrick said. ‘He has tried numerous times but the attempts have proved futile.’

‘I warn you now Garrick it is rare that a sorcerer can undo the work of another, often we must work around another’s magic.’

‘I know my friend, but what else can we do?’

‘We can but try.’

Thaddeus set to work trying to unfreeze Rufus. He tried lotions, potions and spells and none of them had any effect and Kenaz still remained frozen. Thaddeus tried until the early hours of the morning and until he was tired and his powers were drained.

‘It is no use Garrick. Rufus and only Rufus can undo his spell. The boy certainly has power.’

‘It must be harnessed properly too, like the Empresses and Rakan’s.’ ‘Thank you Thaddeus for trying.’

‘I am sorry my trying did not result in success.’

‘As am I.’

‘What now?’

‘Regrettably, his parents must be told. I will send riders out to Basimine first thing in the morning and ask them to return.’

‘I can’t begin to imagine how they will take the news of the fate that has befallen their only son.’

‘Terribly,’ Thaddeus said reproachfully.

‘On second thoughts, I myself will ride out tomorrow morning and tell them myself,’ Garrick said unhappily.

‘I do not envy your position.’

‘No, no one would,’ Garrick said grimly. Garrick went over to the frozen Kenaz and placed him on his side. ‘That looks more comfortable,’ he said loudly but was saying so to convince himself more than Thaddeus. He covered him with blankets and slid a pillow under his head and then left the room with Thaddeus.

‘What will they do with their son?’ Thaddeus mused.’

‘Heaven knows,’ Garrick said.

Thaddeus grinned slightly and a small laugh escaped from him. ‘Strangely, when I look at him I think of furniture,’ he said trying to suppress his laughter.

‘So were the children,’ Garrick replied as a small smile curled his lips.

The two men left Kenaz in the study all alone under the blankets, they then made their way to the guards bar and helped themselves to some wine; while there they talked for a while before Thaddeus left and rode home.

Afterwards, Garrick went around the palace once, checking everyone and everything was alright and he checked on Kenaz once again before him himself retired for the night.

When Garrick rose early in the morning, he readied himself and went to the study where Kenaz had remained for the night. He was surprised to see the children already there when he opened the door.

‘Good morning father,’ Rakan and Kalon said.

‘Good morning,’ he replied looking at his children. ‘Good morning everyone,’ he said and the children greeted him back. ‘Why are you up so early?’

‘We wanted to be with Kenaz,’ Rakan replied.

‘I see Kenaz is still frozen?’ he enquired.

‘Indeed,’ Rufus said sadly.

‘Today I will ride to Basimine and inform his parents of what transpired in Mantor and what has befallen their son Kenaz.’

‘They will hate me,’ Rufus said sullenly.

‘No they will not Rufus, you saved their son. All that remains for us to do is to figure out how to return him back to his natural state.’

‘That may take a long time,’ Rakan said.

‘I know but time is all we have. Everyone listen to me, I am leaving here now; stay in the palace and remain well behaved and if you need anything, the staff and the guard are here and Thaddeus will check in on you from time to time.’ Garrick bent down and looked at his youngest son. ‘Be good and stay out of trouble,’ Garrick said, as he took his son and hugged him tightly.

‘I promise father,’ Kalon said hugging Garrick back.

Garrick stood up and turned to Rakan. ‘Look after your brother son and you too are to stay out of trouble,’ he said hugging Rakan.

‘I also promise,’ Rakan said hugging his father back.

‘Take care of yourselves and look after each other,’ Garrick said before he turned and left the five of them in the study with Kenaz.

The five children hurried away from Garrick and went back to Kenaz, where they took chairs and stools and made a semicircle that surrounded Kenaz.

‘I wonder if he can think and hear and see while he is like that,’ Kalon mused out loud.

‘I wonder what it will take to turn him back?’ Rakan asked.

‘Rufus,’ Waldon said.

‘Except, I don’t know how,’ Rufus said, his irritation beginning to show.

‘Perhaps….’ Ellora began thoughtfully; ‘perhaps it’s not about knowing, it’s about feeling.’

Rufus looked at her confused: ‘What do you mean?’

‘When Rakan and Amara first discovered their magic, it came about because of their feelings.’

‘That’s right,’ Rakan said.

‘Anger, fear, love – it triggered something in them – something powerful. Maybe it’s the same for you?’

‘Maybe – but which feelings?’

‘How did you feel when you froze Kenaz?’ Waldon asked.

‘Scared.’

‘Why?’ he asked again.

‘Scared because, he was going to die, because I didn’t want him to die. I’ve never been scared like that in my whole life.’

‘Can you not feel that way again?’ Rakan asked.

‘No, I know I can’t. Not without being scared for real.’

‘Love!’ Ellora said suddenly.

‘What about it?’ Kalon asked.

‘It’s something we feel all the time. Rufus you can feel love – can you channel that?’

‘I can try.’

‘I can help you,’ Ellora said.

‘Like you did Amara?’ asked Rakan.

‘Yes.’

She stood up and went over to where Kenaz was situated and she took hold of Rufus’s hand and squeezed it, then she took hold of Rakan’s hand.

‘Rakan hold onto Kalon and Kalon hold onto Waldon.’

The boys did as they were instructed and Ellora closed her eyes and concentrated and after a few seconds she began to sense feelings that were not her own. She felt Rakan’s first; she sensed the previous connection between them and she was glad to find that his mind and emotions were as calm, serene and confident as they were before and it made her smile.

Ellora then felt Kalon’s feelings; they were pure and good and his emotions were positive but everything in him was so passionate and intense, that they threw her off balance for a moment. It took Rakan and Rufus’ to counteract the effect Kalon was having on her and she eventually steadied herself.

Then came Waldon’s thoughts and feelings, she sensed his being, he seemed whole and complete and strong. When she tried to interpret this solid feeling, she concluded that Waldon’s spirit was stalwart. He was straightforward and simplistic in his emotions and viewpoints. For Waldon, all his choices would be clear-cut. With Waldon, he meant what he said and said what he meant and that made her smile because he too was having a calming effect on her.

She sensed Rufus’ thoughts and feelings, his feelings were balanced but his mind was phenomenal. It raced with ideas and contemplations and considerations. It wondered about everything and anything and Ellora wondered how he coped with such an active mind. Despite so much going on within Rufus, he remained centred.

Breathe in, let everyone’s thoughts and feelings enter your heart and mind on your in breath,’ Ellora said gently. ‘On the out breath, gently let your thoughts and feelings enter everyone else.’

The boys did as Ellora instructed and when they were all connected, she spoke to them using telepathy

‘You are my dearest friends, I love you, this is how that love feels.’ And with Ellora’s thoughts a wave of serenity, peace and love overcame her and swept through to the four boys. ‘How do you feel about me and how do you feel about each other?’

They each delved into their inner senses and discovered their own, as well as each others feelings. On one level they all knew that they loved each other but this, this to them was tangible; as well as deep, rare and precious. Ellora embraced the feelings that the boys had for her and she felt blessed and humbled by it. Waldon, Rufus, Rakan and Kalon did not know how but they knew that somehow, those feelings and their experience had changed them. They were closer now and they felt a part of each other.

They knew love and felt loved and as the five of them remained, caught up in the wave of love that they had created for each other, Rakan and Rufus began to feel a sense of power that they had never sensed before and as the waves of feelings washed through them and remained; their power grew and began to fill them. Suddenly there was a surge of energy that was growing within them and when their power reached its highest levels, Ellora who had been feeling their power too, used her telepathy once again.

‘Now! Rufus Now! Unfreeze him,’ she commanded

Rufus pointed a hand at Kenaz and willed him to unfreeze and as he directed his arms at Kenaz, he willed the surge of power in his body to leave him through his arm and it complied. As the power left him, Rufus began to unfreeze Kenaz, it took less than five seconds for Kenaz to unfreeze and when he did he let out a scream that was a continuation of the screaming he had started when he was falling out of the tree: