The Destiny of Amalah (48 page)

‘You!’ she said, shocked as she looked at Rakan and Rufus. ‘What did you…?’

‘Gaerwen,’ Kalon said, walking towards her to catch hold of her before she crumpled to the ground. ‘Gaerwen, whatever is the matter?’

‘Kalon….they…I don’t know,’ she said quickly, not wanting to say anything else in front of Rakan and Rufus. ‘I’m sorry, I just felt overcome and very, very hot,’ she said weakly.

‘That’s it; I’m taking you to see Dariel,’ Kalon said, clearly concerned for Gaerwen’s health.

‘Thank you,’ she said looking up at him. ‘You are a good man Kalon, never forget that,’ she said holding his gaze.

He looked at her for a moment and wondered why she had chosen to say that.

‘The people around me love me and make me that way,’ she said in a whisper.

‘Perhaps, but remember it’s always a choice.’

‘I will Gaerwen,’ Kalon said, staring at her intently.

‘Do you promise?’

‘I promise, now let me take you to Dariel before you nearly fall to the ground again.’

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘Perhaps we can help you?’ Rakan suggested.

‘No thank you,’ Gaerwen said quickly but softly. ‘I do not want to trouble all three of you from your day.’

‘It would be no trouble at all,’ Rakan said, smiling at Gaerwen his piercing blue eyes boring straight through hers.

‘Thank you Rakan, but no thank you. I really would feel better if I were not disturbing you and Rufus, as well as Kalon.’

‘It’s alright Rakan; I will be fine taking Gaerwen to Dariel. I will meet you and Rufus in our father’s office.’

‘Very well,’ Rakan replied.

Kalon held on to Gaerwen’s arm and he escorted her into the palace as Rakan and Rufus stood and watched them. When they entered and closed the door behind them Rakan and Rufus continued to stare ahead.

‘Do you think she suspects us?’ Rufus asked.

‘I know she does,’ Rakan said slowly.

‘What do we do?’

‘Nothing yet, for there is nothing she can do or say.’

‘But she knows Rakan.’

‘Yes she does. But what can she do? Tell everyone we are evil – I don’t think so and no one would believe her.’

‘She can use magic.’

Rakan sneered and then spoke: ‘So what, our magic is much more powerful than hers and anything she does can be undone.’

‘So we leave her alone?’

‘For now Rufus yes, but worry not, the time will come when Gaerwen will be taken care of.’

‘I hope so, we have plans.’

‘Indeed we do,’ Rakan said slowly in a sinister tone.

The two men grinned a Machiavellian grin and headed inside the castle to meet Garrick.

Kalon took Gaerwen to Dariel and she sat down while Dariel tended to her, she looked at Kalon and smiled at him before she spoke: ‘Kalon, please will you come to my aid one more time and tell the Empress where I am. Please tell her not to worry and that I shall be with her shortly.’

‘Of course, Gaerwen, but please, tell me first, are you feeling any better?’

‘Much, thank you and thank you for your help and for going to tell the Empress – you are most kind Kalon.’

‘Thank you, I will leave you now Gaerwen. Dariel please take care of her.’

‘I will,’ Dariel said sincerely.

Kalon left and went in search of Amara, and Dariel and Gaerwen remained in the room.

‘This is very, very unusual,’ Dariel said in a bemused tone.

‘What is?’

‘Gaerwen being ill.’

‘It happens.’

‘I’m sure it does and if I hadn’t have known you for more than twenty years, I would have thought you were ill, but I have – and you are not. So do you want to tell me what troubles you so much?’

‘No Dariel I do not.’

‘Gaerwen…’

‘Dariel no! I think it safer that I keep my troubles to myself at least for now.’

‘Safer?’ Dariel asked, stopping in his tracks.

‘I mean better,’ Gaerwen said quickly.

‘I want to help you.’

‘I know you do Dariel but the best thing you can do now, is not speak of what happened here.’

‘Gaerwen, you are worrying me.’

‘Dariel please do not speak of this to anyone – promise me.’

‘I promise,’ Dariel said reluctantly.

‘Not to Michael, or Garrick, Häkan, or Thaddeus or Raynor.’

‘All right, I promise.’

‘Good,’ Gaerwen said, satisfied that Dariel would keep her troubled state a secret.

He gave her a tonic which she drank slowly and then she sat down with Dariel for a few moments, before she rose to her feet and left his room. She paused at the door for a moment before leaving and she looked at Dariel.

‘Some things are just too close to home Dariel,’ she said in a profound way, before she closed the door and left him alone.

Gaerwen went in search of Amara and when she found her she began to explain why she was late but Amara stopped her.

‘Gaerwen, Kalon has been to see me. He tells me you were ill and had to be taken to Dariel: are you alright?’ Amara asked, quite alarmed.

‘Yes Empress, I am fine. I just felt a little nauseous but it has passed now.’

‘Gaerwen please retire to a room and I will get the maid to look after you until you are better.’

‘Empress I am better, thank you very much for your kind offer but really, I have recovered.’

‘Would you like the rest of the day off, I mean there is no need to continue with my lesson today.’

‘There is every need,’ Gaerwen said quite forcefully.

‘Gaerwen?’ Amara said, quite surprised by her teacher’s tone.

‘I mean you have come so far Empress and today, I intended to teach you new magic and how to ward off dark magic’s.’

‘Dark magic?’

‘Yes dark magic, there may come a time when you may need the knowledge that I have taught you.’

‘Gaerwen we live in peacetime.’

‘Yes we do, but the world is unpredictable and so are people,’ Gaerwen said, trying to control her feelings of panic; ‘and even though we live in peacetime now, it may not always stay that way. I pray it does but I cannot see into the future and neither can you Empress.’

‘Where is all of this bad tiding coming from?’ Amara asked with concern, as she scrutinised Gaerwen’s still pale face.

‘It’s coming from the realisation that I have left you defenceless in an uncertain world and I cannot do so any longer. Before I begin to teach you Empress I ask you one favour.’

‘Name it.’

‘That you do not tell anyone, and I mean
anyone
that I am teaching you to ward off dark magic.’

‘Why ever not?’

‘For your own safety and protection.’

‘Gaerwen,’ Amara began; ‘something is clearly troubling you ad what you are saying is alarming me.’

‘Empress, I do not wish to alarm you at all. It’s just lately, I have had feelings of foreboding. I just want to ensure that you are safe and can protect yourself. Please trust me and do not tell anyone.’

‘Alright,’ Amara said.

‘I really do mean
anyone
Empress: you cannot tell Ellora, Michael, Garrick and any of his friends, or any of your friends. It really is important – you cannot tell a single soul. Please, I know you have many questions but please trust me and know, that I love you as though you were my own daughter and that I will do everything to protect you and keep you safe,’ Gaerwen said, with a sense of intensity and urgency that Amara had never heard her use before.

‘I promise Gaerwen,’ Amara said, taking he hand and squeezing it.

‘Good, then let us begin.’

From that day on, Gaerwen began to teach Amara about dark magic and how to avoid it and deflect it.

‘Always remember Empress,’ Gaerwen began; ‘it is difficult and sometimes impossible, to undo another’s magic. You must deflect and shield or find a way around it.’

She went through how dark magic was used and where its power came from and when the days lesson was over, Gaerwen asked that she and Amara increase the length of their lesson time and number, and although Amara did not know what troubled Gaerwen; she sensed that something was truly troubling her and that somewhere and somehow, trouble was on the horizon and such, she agreed to the increase.

‘I wish you would tell me what is troubling you Gaerwen,’ Amara pressed.

‘I wish I could Empress, but for your own safety you should know nothing of my troubles but be prepared for any that come your way.’

‘Gaerwen…’

‘Empress, dear Amara,’ Gaerwen said, as she took hold of her. ‘Know this, as the Empress people will look to you, especially in times of crisis and you must always be prepared to face whatever challenge arises. I’ve seen you though Empress, I’ve seen the child you used to be and the woman that you became: A decent, honest, kind and caring woman, who is gentle but also possesses great strength; and I know that whatever arises whether it be today, tomorrow, one year or five years from now, that you will rise to whatever challenge comes your way.’

‘I don’t know what to say, except that I am slightly afraid.’

‘Do not be afraid Empress, do not be afraid.’

Gaerwen hugged Amara tightly and Amara hugged her back and the older woman stroked Amara’s hair and looked at her and smiled tearful smile. Gaerwen let go of Amara and then left her alone in her study; she made her way out of the palace hoping that she would not bump into either Rakan or Rufus and her prayers were answered, for she reached her horse without seeing either one of them. She mounted her horse and rode home as quickly as she could and when she got there she ran to the room where she kept all of her things to practise magic.

She went to her shelves that held a wide selection of herbs, spices and stones and she scanned them all quickly. She took down the glass jars of bladder-wrack, acacia and ague root and took them to a table. She poured them into a pan size cauldron in unequal parts and then placed an amethyst stone inside. She filled the cauldron with water and placed it over the fire and added some blessed water as a final touch. When she was ready, she did an incantation and as she chanted, the bowl began to smoulder and then a white flash appeared for a few seconds and inside, was left a white gooey liquid. Gaerwen went to the outside of her house and began to pour the liquid around the perimeter of it as she began another incantation:

‘Spirits of the sky, gods in the heavens,

I call on your protection.

Keep out all evil beings and spirits from that where my body, soul and mind dwell.’

When she had poured the liquid all the way around the house and repeated the spell once again, the white substance began to glow. A circular film of white transparent energy began to rise, and when it eventually reached its apex, it completely surrounded the house in a bubble and the white liquid then sank further into the ground. The white ring vibrated for a while and then it and the film it created around the house disappeared and a satisfied Gaerwen then went back into her house.

She rummaged through her things and unearthed many of the books that she had collected over time; some she picked up and put back down again, while others, she leafed through before deciding whether or not, she would take to them palace and use them to teach the Empress.

When she had finally decided which books to take, she made up her mind to work on her own powers, for she had been neglecting them lately; but after today, she knew that she could no longer afford to. Gaerwen eventually finished practising for the evening and then she ate a light meal and as she ate her food, she thought about the day’s events and then her mind came back to Rakan and Rufus.

She wondered what had happed to the two of them.

‘It must have happened in Lansten,’ she mused. ‘But what happened?’ she asked herself.

She thought back to the black aura that had surrounded both of them and then shuddered. She thought of what she could do and each time, she reached the same conclusion – nothing in relation to them. Not only could she see their aura but she could also sense their power and she knew it far surpassed her own.

All Gaerwen could do was protect and help the Empress for she knew that Amara was the only one who was as powerful as they were. Gaerwen went to bed early that night and when she had thought about what she could do some more, she fell into a fitful and troubled sleep.

As time went by Gaerwen continued to teach Amara all that she could, and she was glad to see Amara’s powers go from strength to strength. For the most part, life in Amalah continued as normal; Garrick and Kalon, along with Waldon and Kenaz continued to work in the guard, and Amara and Ellora went on with their royal duties while Rufus and Rakan continued to practise and perform their dark magic’s in the north east tower, under the cover of darkness and in secret.

In the coming months, Rakan decided to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Waldon and Kenaz and join the guard and after a few months; his father, brother and four friends were seeing him off to north Amalah to join the guard.