The Last Queen of Lemuria (18 page)

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She's in the Grey Tower," sobbed Greta.

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"Where?!"

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"I saw Lourin. He was in Groix with the Council when they were drawing up the contract for the solar metal...  Well, it seems the Prince was poisoned yesterday at dinner, and only Yuma and Grino had been present. Suspicion immediately fell on the Queen. She's been locked up in the Tower.   But beyond that, it's a mystery. The sorcerers have got something in mind. At the negotiations, Gorr was acting like nothing had happened. He signed the contract. But didn't say a word about Grino's death, or about Yuma. Lourin happened to have overheard a conversation between servants."

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"Lord! Yuma's in the Grey Tower!"  Shouted Aleur, covering his face with his hands. "No one gets out of there alive!"

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"Stop talking like that, Aleur! We need to keep our calm and judge the situation," said Tamil, coming down off his vimana into a chair.  "Now it's our duty to break into Groix. We must save Yuma."

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"Break in to the Tower of Death! Madness!"  Whispered Aleur, spreading his arms.

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"We need to just calm down, and figure out how," said Tamil.  "Greta, did you get a blueprint of Groix?"

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"Yeah, Lourin drew me one,"  said Greta, taking a sheet of paper from her purse.

Guria and Sheila were paddling a small boat. The Princess was shouting to her servant:

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“Faster, Sheila! Row faster! We've gotta get this done in one night! Move your ass!"

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"Your highness! We'll die! The Chintamani kills sorcerers!"  Whispered the servant.

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"Shut up! And get moving!"

The servant girl kept rowing, soaked in sweat, barely alive from fear. The oars creaked loudly, echoing forever over the water. They could already make out the lights of Lemuria through the fog. As soon as the boat started sliding onto the sand, Guria jumped ashore.

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"Wait for me here. Hide the boat in the bushes."

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"Your highness! I don't like this. I can't breathe," complained Sheila.

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“It's nothing, you'll live. I'll be back soon," answered Guria, moving towards Olmolungring speedily.

It was much easier to get into the city than she thought. There were no guards. The people of Lemuria were sleeping tranquilly. The crazy people! How can they put so much faith in a stone, even if it were thrice enchanted. No fences, no guards!  These Lemurians were beyond understanding. After she'd gotten into the palace, Guria walked through the corridors. The lamps on the walls lit as she walked by, lighting her way. She had been able to study the layout of the rooms in her crystal ball. "There's a good door- Yuma's former bedchamber." Guria chuckled to herself. "It ought to be more comfortable there than in the Grey Tower. That door goes to the Council meeting hall, and that one goes to the greenhouse, and that one... That was Aleur's room. Guria paused for a moment. Her hand was drawn to the doorknob. Stop! The Princess shook her head, as if trying to shake off the obsession. She had come for the Stone. Everything else could wait.  And the Black Princess walked right on by.

The door to the Sanctuary flew open with a creak, and Guria saw it. On a golden pedestal, in a jewel box. The Chintamani! Guria took a candle out of her cloak and lit it. The light danced off the walls and reflected the golden threads of the box.  The Princess held her breath. She walked up to the box and carefully opened the top. At the bottom of the case lay an object resembling a huge nut. The stone was shining  an intense indigo in dark of the chamber. It was covered with tiny letters, symbols and numbers. And this is the Great Chintamani?! Is this how a symbol of power and might should look? This is the Stone that makes the sorcerers run in fear? It was strange that such a stone would contain so much power.

Sheila was laying on the sand not far from the boat. Her face was completely without blood and covered with huge drops of sweat.

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"Sheila! Sheila, wake up!"  Guria pulled on her shoulder.

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"Your highness," groaned the servant, opening her eyes with difficulty, "I'm not feeling very well."

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"Nonsense! Get up right now, we're going home!"

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"The Lemurians... They say that their stone charges the water around the city," continued Sheila, barely able to move her tongue, "don't forsake me, o lords! I... am dying...”

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“From the Stone!" Guria snorted.  "I've got their stupid stone right here!"  She said, taking the box out from her cloak.

A ray of blue light, tearing itself from captivity, blinded the poor servant girl. She shuddered. Her face turned white and contorted, she began foaming at the mouth, and not one moment later she had breathed her last.

Guria cursed loudly. “As if I wasn't having a hard enough time already!

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To hell with her! These pure-blooded sorcerers are so weak! Now I'll have to row myself!”

The princess grabbed Sheila by the collar and dragged her into the sea. Afterwards, she dragged the boat out as well, heaved her body on board, and cast off from the shore. When she reached the middle of the channel, Guria threw Sheila into the water. If I throw her body in the ocean at the shore, they'll think she drowned. The Black Princess fastidiously wiped her hands with a handkerchief. Damn! Sheila was a great servant. Now I'll have to find another.  But enough of that, I've got more important business at the moment. And Guria beat on the oars, steering the boat toward the castle.

Chapter 20. Gorr's Designs

Gorr was in his room, and despite the late hour, had yet to fall asleep. He was sitting at his table, watching over Guria in his crystal ball. When his daughter had stolen the Chintamani, he shook his head in admiration.  There wasn't much left. Guria just had to complete her business.

Gorr knew perfectly well who had poisoned Grino. But he didn't get in the way of the Black Princess. Grino wasn't the only heir of Groix. He would have to be sacrificed. The ends justified the means. Guria had planned to neutralize the Chintamani! If she did that, then Gorr's most daring plans could finally be realized. 

Guria docked her boat near the fortress walls, but didn't walk towards the castle, instead going towards a small stand of trees nearby. There was a small hut there, with a secret book stored inside, containing the plan to make the Black Princess the Queen.

Guria looked from side to side and walked in. Closing the entrance with a curtain behind her, she lit a dim lamp and took a piece of black coal from a shelf. She drew a circle around herself, muttering a spell. Afterwards, she lay the jewel box with the Chintamani on the table. She would have to hurry. She didn't want to kill all the people of Groix- who would be her subjects? “Faster. Where's that page? Ah, there! The spell to take from the Stone the power to affect sorcerers.”  After that she'd be omnipotent.

The Princess's hands were trembling from excitement. She took the book and opened the box. The dark blue light illuminated the walls.

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"In the Name of the Great Lucifer, I curse thee, Chintamani, stone from the planet Orion..."

As Guria read the magic words, the light from the stone dimmed and dimmed, but hadn't been completely extinguished.

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“It worked! It worked!"  Guria cried out inside herself from joy. "The curse was effective! Groix will never have to worry about the Stone again!"  The Princess grabbed the Stone from the box. Now, without the blue glow, the Chintamani looked like a normal nut... Just one thing left. Guria's hands had become wet from excitement. She took the book again and turned the page...

"A curse to turn a person into a mouse..."

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"What?!" She read it again in disbelief. "Into a mouse?" She ran her finger over the page again. And again. The secret words, giving sorcerers the power of the Chintamani had disappeared! The Princess brought the lamp closer. "There it is! A page is ripped out!”

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“Aaahhhh!" Guria wailed like an animal, "Grino! That damned Grino!" - and having lost her strength, she fell to her knees.

Gorr, drying the sweat from his face barely made it into bed on his trembling legs. "Glory to Lucifer!" Guria had managed on her own. From the moment she had drawn the protective circle, he couldn't see a thing in his crystal ball. But he could feel the Chintamani's presence very clearly. That Stone is strong nonetheless! Was strong. Now all its power would be his- the King of Groix's. And Gorr chuckled, smoothing out a yellowed page with ripped edges on his bed.

Early the next morning, Gorr called a meeting of the ministers. The members of the government looked ill. The Stone, having shined not far from the castle around a half hour ago had done some harm to the sorcerers. The hunched, frowning Ministers, short on sleep, listened to the King with one ear. Pale, with a trembling voice and burning eyes, the smiling Gorr savored each word as it passed over his tongue:

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"News from Lemuria..." making a pause, he looked closely at each of the Ministers. "The Chintamani has disappeared. Olmolungring is defended no more."

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"What? Disappeared? How? Impossible," came a chorus of voices from all sides.

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"Not so loud!"  Shouted Gorr, banging a gong that was standing on the table.  "Prepare for war. Three days from now at dawn. The Lemurians are defenseless.  They will be defeated, and become excellent slaves for us sorcerers."    Gorr fell silent, "I want a a true, beautiful war. I want all my troops outfitted in iron chain-mail- I want fire to rain down on Lemuria... So that not even the ash of the solar city will remain. I will lead the soldiers myself!"

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But, your Majesty," protested one of the Ministers, "we'll hardly be able to manage a true war. Because Lemuria will be unarmed, without an army.”

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“The people of Olmolungring are proud, freedom-loving giants. They won't simply submit, just like that." "I hope so," chuckled Gorr.  "Of course, our powers won't be equally matched, but all the same, I think we'll make a good time of it! And let's not forget the Lemurian women- a beauty for every soldier, and the palace will be filled with pearls and gold!”

The Ministers looked around in approval.

Yala, standing at the doorway of the meeting hall, gasped.  Attack Lemuria, burn Olmolungring to the ground!  Her home town! She'd grown up there, her parents were crowned there, her son lived there... As if it wasn't enough that the King had arrested Yuma- his own daughter!  Yala was quite sure that she would never have poisoned Grino. It had probably been done by one of the servant-girls the Prince had charmed... But Gorr wouldn't listen to a word. Yuma was in the Tower of Death, from whence no one returned alive. And now he was thinking of going to war with Lemuria!

The Queen quietly walked away from the doors. She had only one thought in mind- to warn them. To save Lemuria. What had happened to the Chintamani? Who could destroy the defense given to the people of Olmolungring by the gods?!

A morning fog encircled the walls of the castle, obscuring the channel between the two islands.  A tall figure in a cloak flashed by the walls. The sound of oars creaking in their locks filled the air. A guard, standing on patrol, looked out into the morning twilight, but saw nothing. There should have been at least a fisherman checking his nets...

Yala was rowing with all her might and praying. As long as Gorr didn't discover that she was gone before she reached the city! She was hoping that in anticipation of the war, her husband would forget everything and she'd be able to warn the Lemurians. Yala knew that Gorr would never forgive her betrayal. If she had to die, so be it. But she would save Doro's life.

She landed on the flat coast, dragged the boat onto the sand, and ran to the pink city.

Shonith La was already awake. He had set up in the Sanctuary for his morning prayer. But a knock at the door got in his way.

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"Doro, is that you?"  Called out the Keeper. Yala appeared at the door,  out of breath. Seeing the unexpected guest, Shonith La was taken aback. "My God!  Yala! What are you doing here?"

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"Shonith La! I come bearing terrible news!"  exploded Yala, leaning on the wall, exhausted.