The Royals

Chapter 56

She gave him her most indignant smile. 'Of course, it's me. Uncle Maarcs saved me. Now come over here and help pull.'

Walther happily moved to her side. 'I finally get to meet a dragon,' she whispered, and he's sick. Act ually, he's hurt, really bad. We're trying to rescue him.'

At last Abadan made his way to the spot. 'Is he dead?"

he asked bluntly. 'Not yet,' the mercenary answered.

'Will be soon if you keep tossing him around lik that.'

"Thank you, Honorable Master Abadan,' said the gi Walther realized must be Ginni. 'However, since w are currently short on time and pulleys, this is the be we can'

'Why don't you lift him up and slide the tent under

He asked the question honestly, but left the rest flabber gasted. Walther supposed this was what came of a man who lived among servants for all his adult life. 'Most of the handy help is putrefying at present.'

"The magician is correct,' said another voice. Walther glanced up and was amazed to see not one but three more dragons. 'Even a claw's height off the ground would be sufficient to have my younglings slip the cloth beneath him." Silently, she called the smaller dragons to her. Each

took a corner of the tent and prepared to yank the rest

as soon as their mother gave the signal.

Walther, Ginni, come here.' Abadan motioned them to him. He raised his arms in preparation for a powerful spell. 'I had never thought to do this again...' He trailed off. This will not be comfortable for you, but better this than letting Alvaria complete her work.' He placed a hand atop each of their heads.

Walther closed his eyes to help empty his thoughts and open his mind to whatever his master intended. Pain lanced behind his eyes and the dwarf fell to his knees. He struggled to rise and finally settled for sitting upright. A giant wind blew bits of dirt in his face and he ignored it.

Slowly the agony dulled to an ache. He opened his eyes. The dragons were already aloft. The female clutched the four corners of the tent in her talons while Grosik hung like a dead weight. The younglings circled, flying guard.

'Goodbye, dragons!' Ceeley called. 'Good luck!'

Seated on the ground next to him, Ginni whispered, 'The very best of the Sisters' luck, you old grouch.' 'We've got to help Mama-Lyda and Papa-Wil now,'

Ceeley said. 'I know they're here somewhere.'

The group looked at each other and away. Only Ginni

would meet the little girl's big eyes. 'I'll go,' she said. She struggled to rise, but couldn't gather the strength. Rest, Walther said, unable to imagine why she would want such a dreadful task. 'I'll go. I owe her this much."

'Come on, Uncle Maarcs. We should go too." 'No, honey,' he said, his voice full of sorrow. 'Uncle Walther will tell us where they are.'

Walther stood and walked as far as he could get away from Ceeley before he slowly began checking the corpses. Everywhere steaming piles of flesh dis solved to reveal the people beneath. He tried to be comforted in knowing that they would no longer serve the elfwitch, and merely found himself growing angrier and angrier.

The dwarf fought not to remember earlier sites of devastation, not to remember the families gone, dead, or worse. Just as he had in the aftermath of every battle, Walther sifted through the refuse, sorting details without realizing it. It was his nature to do so and he could not stop even in the wake of so much death.

He entered Alvaria's tent. Miraculously it was intact. Her magicks remained on her work-table as if she might reappear any moment.

Feeling only slightly like a thief, Walther culled her items, left the more common leaves and roots as they were, pocketed her supply of serviceberry. As he picked up the vials, the value of the parchment below became unmistakable. His hands shook as he lifted off the rest of the jars and used his forearms to hold the scroll's

edges. It was a map of the One Land, a map such as he had never seen.

Gently, gently he rolled it up. He searched until he discovered a cloth to protect it, and wrapped that around the outside.

Map in hand, he exited the tent and walked toward

the one place he hadn't explored, the altar. Walther did not want to encounter Lyda and Willam here. The humans were lathered in blood, sticky and rank.

He set down the map and inspected the human. He was surprised to find someone had already cut loose their bonds. They must be dead. Again, he had arrived too late.

No, not like so many others, these two still breathed.

'Over here,' Walther called, forgetting about little

Ceeley. The child arrived at the head of the group. 'Mama Lyda, Papa-Wil. You found them. Oh, thank you, Uncle

Walther. Thank you.' She ran to hug them, stopped, and turned to Walther. 'Ceeley, I'm s'

To his surprise, she hugged him and said, 'It'll be

okay, Uncle Walther.' He stood dumbfounded as she

climbed onto the altar.

The creature who had been Lyda slowly sat up. 'Ooh,' she moaned. 'Ooh.' She saw the girl and held her breath in mid-groan.

'Mama-Lyda, you're all right. You're all right!' 'Ceeley, no!' Maarcus shouted, but he was too far away. "Walther, what were you thinking?' the Shoreman asked.

What was he thinking?

The woman-thing put her arms around the girl. Finally, Walther forced himself to move. 'No, please don't hurt her!"

The woman-thing backed away.

"Uncle, you'll hurt her feelings. Mama-Lyda just looks different on the outside. She's still the same on the inside.

Walther held her eyes. Though he'd met this woman only a handful of times, he recognized her intelligent gaze. 'Lady Lyda?' She nodded. 'It's me,' she answered with some dif

ficulty.

'Mama-Lyda,' the girl said sternly, 'we've got to get

you washed up. You're disgusting.' The woman-thing that seemed to be Lyda laughed a sound not made by human throats. 'Yes, I'm sure I am.'

'But how?' Walther asked. 'It's not my blood,' she explained haltingly.

'And Papa-Wil!' Ceeley hopped off the one altar and

onto the other, as if they were no more daunting than a

child's tree-house. "Papa-Wil?'

He groaned and painstakingly rose While the surrounding adults stared at the three vic tims, living and dead. said, still fixed on

'I found something,' Walther Ceeley.

'I'll say,' muttered Maarcus. 'Not them,' Walther whispered. 'It's on the ground

right here.' He pointed to the base of the central dais. Ginni stumbled forward to pick up the scroll. 'It was mother's! Wherever did you find this?" 'In the elfwitch's tent along with most of her sup

plies.'

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Abadan move closer to study the map. 'We can guess how Alvaria got it from Roslin,' the magician said. 'But how did Roslin come by it?'

'Better not to wonder,' Tom said. 'Roslin was never one to give away secrets.' Ginni shook her head. 'She never offered explanations for anything she did or owned. By the time this came into

her possession, I'd long since learned not to ask.' 'Hmph,' grunted the magician. He hoisted himself up on the dais next to Lyda. 'Do you hurt?' he asked

humbly. 'The Sisters provide,' Lyda answered.

'Yes, I guess they do,' Abadan said. 'I guess they do.'

In the cold, grey wasteland, Alvaria held the undisputed

throne. Her subjects numbered merely two. They were not elven, but human. None of this mattered to the elfwitch. She had at long last reclaimed her own. She had won the gamble.

Or so she believes, Kate thought, as she clutched her

dragon's head coin. Even in this mysterious land, we

can fight. 'You won't need that where we're going.' Alvaria plucked it from her, with no more consideration than she gave to speaking in this barren realm where heat seared the throat and noxious fumes clogged the nose.

Kate reached out, but the token had already disap peared before she could will her arms to move in the soupy air.

'Your father would be proud of both of you,' the elfwitch told them. 'Unfortunately, I never did agree with him much, least of all the rearing of chil dren.'

How can she bear to speak in this foul land, Kate

wondered. I can hardly breathe without retching. How? Because she does nothing without forethought,

she answered herself. She knows this place as well as Mut and I knew the lands where we grew up. Henry, she thought desperately, Oh, Henry! This was

all planned, all of it!

I know, he answered, without speaking aloud. Kate jumped at the voice in her head. She hadn't expected him to hear her, never mind respond. Is that really you?

I hope so.

What if she can hear us?

She probably can.

A few steps ahead, Alvaria trudged on across the cracked plain. She made no move to silence them or hurry them along. Together they traipsed behind her.

Count on it, Henry amended. We were meant to come here, to this place wherever it is, Kate told him. Whether our mother or the Sisters served as the vehicle is unimportant. What's important

is what we learn here, because the answer to everything

we seek is here. Right here.

Why must you refer to her as our mother? Henry asked, distracted by his disgust into missing the greater point. She did no more than give birth to us.

That's it, Kate thought. That's it! We are an unalter able part of her in a way that no other creatures can be. Since we live she can never nullify us. She can kill us, but she will never be able to go forward as if she had not known we lived. We rule her as much as she rules us.

Like mother, like daughter, Kate said to Henry, unable to keep the laughter out of her thought. He glanced at her in alarm.

Kate put her finger to her lips, motioning him to keep quiet. She could feel the doubt in his mind, but he honored her request.

'Hey, Henry,' she said aloud. 'I think I'm getting to like this place."

The prince grimaced and continued on. Alvaria turned and smiled. I knew you'd come to

understand things my way.' 'Absolutely,' Kate answered. Completely at ease now, she opened herself to her mother and welcomed the flood of desires the elfwitch poured in.