The Fenimeldiyaan: Rogue Time - Chapter 13

Andreas swept into the throne room, still wearing his plain grey robes, but his demeanour was that of a man who expected instant obedience. Ignoring the soldier who had accompanied him, he walked up to the green crystal throne, but did not sit on it. The assembled advisers and guards all bowed low before him in acknowledgment of his status as acting ruler of Hindustan.

Morgan was hunched on the floor in chains. A guard stood on either side of him, with another two positioned a little way behind him, as if they expected him to break his bonds and make an attempt to escape.

Andreas made a quick scan to see if Morgan had been injured, but the only wounds appeared to be those to his dignity. He projected telepathic instructions similar to those which he had given to Gerald. Morgan returned the briefest acknowledgment, still cowering on his knees in front of the throne.

“I understand that some of the guards have identified ye as the murderer of our late and much loved Rajah” Andreas began, speaking in Vordellan for Morgan’s benefit and translating into Hindustani so that the guards could follow the conversation. “As ye know, we were on our way back here when he were killed, which means that they must be mistaken. I don’t like having to rely on the evidence of others, even those whom I should trust implicitly”. He paused to glance at the guards surrounding Morgan and the soldier who had accompanied him to the throne room.

He addressed the advisers and the guards, speaking in Hindustani and projecting the translation to Morgan. “With all that’s been happening — the war with Albion, the assassination of our honoured Rajah, the succession of Rani Darshana and the ensuing disruptions to the usual routines — I’ve not had a chance to tell ye of the mission which took me away from this holy land for so long. One of the other prisoners spoke of an evil sorceress who sought to infiltrate and take over our holy land. He were telling the truth, for I have been on the trail of this sorceress. She be a skilled and cunning woman, and it pains me to admit that she has managed to elude me for the time being. She be a Chronomage, capable of manipulating time itself, along with people’s memories and perceptions. I know it sounds hard to believe. I didn’t believe it meself until I discovered evidence of her tampering”.

“But what does that have to do with the prisoner here?” one of the advisers dared to ask.

“Don’t interrupt me!” Andreas admonished, forcing a spike of pain into the man’s head, causing him to stagger and sway. “If ye be so good as to let me explain, twas this vile sorceress who impersonated me faithful apprentice here. Twas in fact her who struck down our beloved Rajah at the parade ground. Me apprentice were with me on me mission. I had only recently recruited him and started his training. Therefore he could not have carried out the assassination”.

“But, honoured Inijinn, this man — your apprentice — has the distinct look of an Albionite” another adviser protested. “How can you trust him?”

Andreas shook his head and sighed. “Aye, tis true to say that he has the look of an Albionite. However, a man of yer vast experience and training ought to know better than to judge by appearance alone. In fact he were born in the land of Erynn, far to the north of Albion. Erynn has always remained neutral, as ye should recall. Besides, I take great care when recruiting apprentices. I have ways of getting inside the minds of others, learning their innermost thoughts, even those that they wish to hide from themselves. I scanned this man thoroughly afore I even spoke a word to him. Ye may trust him as ye trust me. Now, unchain him and take him back to the guest room. See that he be given food and drink, then leave him to rest from his ordeal”.

The guards scurried to obey, while the advisers hovered around nervously, particularly the one whom Andreas had inflicted pain upon.

“Have you any further orders, honoured Inijinn?” the chief adviser enquired.

“Aye” barked Andreas. “Leave me, for I too need to rest. Return to yer usual duties and remain vigilant. If ye see anything out of the ordinary, ye should report it to me. Other than that, I don’t wish to be disturbed. Go!” He gave a dismissive wave.

He waited until they had gone, then translocated to the guest room to check on Morgan.

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Morgan was lounging on one of the beds, sipping fruit juice, thankful for his reprieve but still feeling anxious. Sensing the disturbance in the air preceding a translocation, he jumped, spilling juice down his robes.

“Tis only me” Andreas said, speaking in his usual tone of voice and using a banishing spell to remove the spilled juice from Morgan’s robes.

“You used sorcery to get them to believe you” Morgan accused. “That means you’ll have to keep enforcing it in their minds and it’ll drain your powers”.

Andreas laughed and shook his head. “Don’t ye worry about that, me friend. No, I used their own fears against them. They already be nervous following the assassination and I played on that. The Chronomage has gone to wreak havoc in Albion, but they don’t need to know just yet. I’d prefer to send ye away to a safer place, but twould make us both seem guilty to the Hindustanis and we can’t take that risk. Ye’ll have to stay here for the time being. I’ll set sorcery wards so that only I can get in here. I’ve already told the guards that ye ain’t to be disturbed. Tis the best I can do for now, so ye might as well try to rest”.

Morgan nodded, knowing that he would not be able to rest. Andreas gave him a sly wink before translocating away.

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“Easy now, pilgrim” Andreas said to Cliff, giving the startled young man a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Tis called translocation. Tis a form of sorcery which enables almost instantaneous travel. Anyways, ye be safe now”.

“But I still don’t understand” Cliff admitted. He repeated his previous questions, the words coming out in a rapid torrent.

“Alright, I owe ye an explanation” Andreas acknowledged. “Tisn’t going to be easy for ye to get yer head around, but I’ll do me best. I be good friends with Gerald and Morgan”. He projected images of them into Cliff’s mind. “We’ve been on many adventures together. I also have a passing acquaintance with the Silvereye sisters”. He projected images of Elsa and Elaine. “So I be aware of the troubled history betwixt ye and all of them. In the natural order of things, ye ain’t even supposed to be here, since Gerald killed ye in a fit of jealousy, out of his desire for Elsa”.

Cliff shivered. “So … so you’re saying that I’m a g-ghost?”

“Not exactly” Andreas replied. “There be a malicious sorceress at work here, from an order known as the Chronomages. They have the ability to manipulate time and much more, but I’ll explain properly later. Suffice it to say that she brought ye back from the Beyond in order to cause division betwixt Gerald and Morgan. They both love Elsa in their own way and it’s always been a source of contention, even though they be friends now”.

“Where does that leave me?” Cliff asked. “I don’t remember anything before I arrived in that cell and saw Gerald hanging there. I suppose you’re going to rescue him at some point, since he’s your friend. Will he try to kill me again?”

“I won’t let him” Andreas vowed. “Besides, things have changed since yer death. Gerald and Elsa got married some time ago and although theirs be an awkward kind of relationship, tis a strong one. Tis best I keep ye and Gerald apart though. So ye and I will be going to Albion, to catch up with Elaine and some of me other friends. They be needing our help. I take it ye can fight?”

Cliff hung his head in shame. “A little, I suppose. I know a few self-defence moves and if you give me a dagger, I’ll try to fight with it”.

“Good man!” Andreas exclaimed, grinning and slapping him on the back. “I’ll teach ye some more useful moves, then we’ll get going”.

“But what about Elaine?” Cliff questioned. “She thinks I’m dead”.

“Don’t ye worry about that” Andreas assured him. “Ye ain’t Cliff, ye be his long-lost twin brother, Callum. Ye were separated at birth but the Chronomage brought ye here to confuse matters and distract us from her main game plan. The Silvereyes know nothing of yer family history, so we’ll bluff it and say ye grew up in a distant part of Vordelle, in a small village. Reckon ye can do that?”

“I’ll try” Cliff answered.

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It was an easy matter of tracking the mind signatures of Elaine, River, Dorrie, Rachel, Will, the Andarsens and their new serpentine companion, Lias. The look on their faces was priceless when Andreas and Cliff materialised in front of them.

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“What the…?"

Ramsey nearly bumped into Elspeth as the old woman stopped abruptly. He strained to get a look at the commotion ahead of them, but to no avail.

“Andreas!” Elaine called out.

“Aye, in the flesh!” the Carpathian chuckled. “And this be me friend Callum!"

Ramsey sidestepped his wife and approached the newcomers. Who was this Callum? Elaine, River, Dorrie, Rachel and Will began to form a circle. Ramsey was glad that they were all alive and well, though it saddened him to see that Andreas hadn’t been able to free Gerald or Morgan. Unless, of course, this was the second Andreas who was ...

Oh bother, Ramsey couldn’t keep it all straight. He hoped Andreas would link with his other self sometime soon.

“Who’s…” Elaine began, and Ramsey watched intently as her silver eyes widened in disbelief. “Cliff? Is that you…?"

“N-no,” “Callum” stammered as he met eyes with his old friend. “It’s Callum. I’m…”

Sensing Cliff’s difficulty, Andreas stepped in. “This be Cliff’s long-lost brother, Callum. He be from a small village at the edge of Vordelle.”

"Oh. Nice to meet you."

Elaine could not take her eyes off of Callum, and after a few awkward seconds, the man lowered his eyes to the ground. He felt very uncomfortable indeed, but there wasn’t much he could do about the whole situation.

Andreas crossed his arms and let out a loud sigh. “It appears the Chronomage has more up her sleeve than we thought. She’s brought Callum here to confuse us, to distract us from whatever it is she be planning."

"Imagine...Cliff had a long-lost brother..." Elaine mumbled.

 “That bloody Chronomage again! If I could get me talons on her,” Elspeth snarled.

Ramsey placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Elspeth, shh."

“Don’t ye tell me to-"

“Any word on the other half of yer rescue, Carpathian?” Dorrie interjected, taking a step closer.

Andreas shook his head. “Still working on it,” he grinned. “Twill turn out just fine, ye wait an' see."

Elspeth opened her mouth, ready for some kind of retort, but a quick shove from Ramsey was enough to distract her.

“Did ye happen to see a boy, about yea high, with bright purple hair?” Ramsey inquired.

“Purple hair? Can’t say I have… Ye don’t happen to mean that green-haired lad Iereth, do ye?”

Elspeth cackled. “That’s the one!”

“We just got back from the Hindustani capital. No sign of him,” Andreas said. “But we can sure help ye locate the boy."

Elaine looked towards the dragons and the snake-man. “Ramsey, Elspeth? Lias? Any idea of where he’s gone?”

The three reptiles raised their heads, trying to catch some sort of scent. Lias was the first to speak. He wanted to show the dragons that he, too, was an excellent tracker.

“Let me see,” he told the others, shrinking down into his silver snake form. He peered up at them with his golden eyes, flicking his head towards the direction the Albionite soldiers had come.

“He wouldn’t have…” Dorrie mused.

“You don’t think…Iereth went to talk to them, do you?” Rachel asked, glancing at Will. The young man shrugged.

“He could have,” Will replied, scratching his head in thought. He winced as the fabric of his clothing slid against the scratches the rope had worn in his arms when he’d been bound. “It does sound like him, actually."

Elspeth wrinkled her nose as the others began to follow Lias. They trudged along through the woods for quite some time, but were beginning to wonder if they were going in circles. It sure seemed that way, with Elspeth's complaining and all.

After what seemed like an hour or two, the snake-man stopped in his tracks…or track, rather. The rest of the group glanced at each other warily. What now?

“What is it, Lias?” Elaine asked.

“What is it, indeed?” Elspeth hissed, covering her nose with a sleeve. “Smells like death.”

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Lias tasted the air and hissed. Indeed it smelled like death. Death everywhere, yet, he flicked his tongue, only the slightest trace of blood. The snake transformed back into a man and sneered. "Your friend could be dead."

"Dead?!" Will cried. Lias nodded.

"He may be dying, needing our help," Andreas said, casting a glance at one of the girls.

Lias spat and kept walking. Something faint came in the wind like a whisper, but unlike Lias, everyone froze for a long moment.

"Iereth!" Will sprinted past Lias, heading towards the smells. Rachel followed not far behind, and the others picked up their paces as well.

Lias watched everyone in astonishment. If only his hearing was good, he'd have heard Iereth's cry.

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It wasn't long before Iereth opened his eyes to the terrible rocking of the carriage. His arms flailed out, grabbing the carriage's walls while his eyes raised to the sleek black roof. The roof swayed and rocked, moving over the grassy terrain. Iereth winced, knowing what pulled carriages. He heard the hooves and shuddered terribly.

A red head popped in through the door. "Oh you're alive!"

"Aaaagh!" Iereth jumped in his seat, bringing his feet beneath him in a crouch.

The red head cocked to the side and said, "Sounds like you're dying, screaming like that." The boy then entered the carriage and sat across Iereth. he wore a dark set of funeral clothing with several rips here and there. He smelled like a corpse.

"Where are we?" Iereth asked, trying to stay calm. It was just a boy, just a boy.

"In Albion, somewhere," the boy said with a shrug. "Look for yourself."

Iereth nodded and moved towards the door. He half stepped out of the carriage. His eyes widened. There they were, four of them (for Ben had replaced the one he gave to Will). Their bodies creaked and moved unnaturally, their hollow eyes, beak like mouths, clomping hooves...

"Am I alive?" Iereth muttered. The demon horses stopped. One turned its head and glared at him. Iereth's body went limp, and he fell out of the carriage.

The same monstrosity clopped towards him, easily ignoring the bounds of the carriage. Iereth watched in horror. "G-get back!"

The vile demonic being dipped its head and huffed. It would trample him. Iereth trembled and scooted back against the wheel of the carriage. He didn't care about the boy's call, "Hey, it likes you!" He only imagined how the 'it' would kill him.

The fiend moved closer and Iereth mustered the strength to get to his feet. He sprinted away from the monster, and looked back to see it running after him. "GET BACK!" he cried.

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Will was extremely concerned for Iereth--particularly when he heard him screaming loud enough to wake the dead. At least it meant he was alive, though for how long, Will wasn't sure. Judging from the way he was screaming, it must have been something truly terrifying, like a giant snake or a dragon or ...

A horse?

Iereth slammed into Will, knocking them both to the ground. A strangely familiar skeleton horse pawed at the ground, approaching them. Unable to help himself, Will started laughing uncontrollably. "You--you scream like a girl because--because of that?" he gasped out, still laughing.

He only stopped when the horse stepped on his back. "OW!" Will complained. Thankfully, it wasn't hard enough to break his rib--again--but it still hurt. A lot. "Getoff me!"

Iereth was still squished underneath Will from where they had fallen, also unable to rise because of the dead horse. "BEN!" Will yelled. "Get your blasted horse off of me!"

Someone was laughing at Will's misfortune. His cheeks reddened; he didn't like strangers laughing at him. It was Elaine, the girl from the castle, except she looked ... different. She had purple hair instead of red. Her hand was extended towards the horse in a soothing manner. "Don't put your hands near its mouth," Ben warned from the carriage.

Elaine ignored him, petting the horse's nuzzle. It stepped off of Will and Iereth, bumping its head against her shoulder. Standing back with the others, "Callum" had his mouth hanging open. "That thing nearly took my hand off!" Will said. "How did you tame it?"

"You just have to know how to treat them," Elaine replied, scratching behind its ear. Even though it was only made of bone, the horse tossed its head with a happy nicker. "Hello, Iereth."

He nodded at her, too breathless to answer for the moment. Will swatted his shoulder. "Reth! What was the big idea, sending me to the border with a blasted broken rib!" he complained.

Rachel quickly intervened between the two of them, pausing for a moment to smile at Reth. "It's good to see you again," she said. Iereth blushed and looked away. Rachel turned to Will. "You're going to hate what I want to do."

"What?" Will asked.

"I want to go to the castle," she answered. "I'm going to get Randolph to stop the war."

"You?" Elaine said, raising an eyebrow. "How could you hope to reason with him? It doesn't sound like he listens to anyone."

Rachel hoped she wasn't blushing as badly as she knew she was. "It's just--well--he used to ... say he cared about me."

"What do you plan on doing, waltz into the throne room and woo him?" Will demanded. "Rachel, it's madness!"

She lost patience with him. "What do you expect me to do, let Randolph destroy Hindustan or get destroyed in the process?" she shouted at him. "If I can stop this war, I will! And if you don't want to come with me, then you can stay here for all I care." Rachel turned and marched away from him. She turned back a moment later. "If you change your mind, I'm leaving in ten minutes."

Mostly ignoring the others, Cliff kept his eyes on Elaine. She had grown into an attractive young woman, but she had never been able to compare with Elsa's beauty. If Elaine had become so pretty, he could only imagine what Elsa looked like now. It made his heart ache, thinking of the pain she must have gone through.

A tug on his sleeve brought his attention to the young girl standing beside him. She held up a book to him. "Hello. I'm River."

"H-hi," Cliff stammered. He hadn't expected anyone to approach him. "I'm Cl--err, Callum."

She smiled and slid her hand into his. Why, Cliff couldn't tell. What he didn't know was that River knew that he wasn't Callum; she felt bad for him, guessing that it was unhappy circumstances that forced him to use the alias. He could use some comfort.

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"Remain vigilant", Joshi had told the advisers. What he couldn't know was that one adviser--in fact, the adviser he had used his magic against--had sniffed out the truth about Joshi.

The adviser's name was Rhami. What only the Rajah and Rhami had known was that Rhami was the most powerful mental magician in both Hindustan and Albion. While Joshi had been defending his apprentice Morgan, Rhami had discerned the lies. The apprentice had killed the Rajah, and with the support of the man in the cells below. And he had no doubt that Joshi knew that. Which meant that Joshi knew that the Rajah had been murdered by his apprentice! Perhaps even organizing the assassination of the Rajah and the abduction of the Rani himself!

Rhami decided to take matters into his own hands. If he intended to undermine Joshi, he would have to eliminate Joshi's assistants first. That would be a simple task. He would start with the man in the cells.

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Someone was speaking. Hoping it was Andreas, Gerald forced his open a little, listening. He couldn't make out the words. It sounded like only one man speaking; why weren't the guards answering him? The door opened, creaking, and the middle-aged Hindustani entered.

Gerald stared at him for a moment, blinking. He had thought only the Rani was supposed to enter--that had been what the big argument had been between Andreas and the guards. So why was this man in here now?

"I am Rhami," the man told him in the common tongue. Gerald wanted to shrug, but his shoulders ached too much. "Your executioner."

That definitely got Gerald's attention. Wasn't Andreas supposed to be in charge? With some difficulty, he remembered Andreas's Hindustani name. "The--the Inijinn ordered me death?" he questioned, forcing his parched lips to move.

"Don't bother pretending," Rhami said. "I know of the supposed Inijinn's true alignment. And soon, he shall join you in death when I expose him for what he truly is. But first ..." Reaching into his shirt, he procured a vial. Gerald's eyes widened. "Don't even bother attempting to communicate mentally with Joshi. You cannot break through my powers. Nobody will even hear you scream, murderer." Rhami reached forward, the vial looking intimidating.

"What is it?" Gerald asked. Perhaps there would be a way to cure it.

"A poison of my own creation. It only takes a few drops, but for you, I'll give you an entire sip of it. Extremely painful, fatal in twelve hours. No known cure. Very few people even know I've created such a poison." Rhami pulled the stopper from the vial. "One portion for you, one for your murdering sorcerer friend, and one for Inijinn Joshi, the foul traitor."

When the vial was placed against Gerald's lips, he attempted to jerk his head away, tried to spill the foul concoction. But Rhami was prepared for such a move and expertly dumped the potion down Gerald's throat, holding his jaw shut until he had been forced to swallow it. It burned on its way down, and the harsh sensation failed to leave Gerald's body. Pain expanded inside of him, burning and horrid. Gerald could hardly breathe for the harsh feeling in his mouth. "And do you know the best part?" Rhami asked, leaning closer to Gerald. "You and the guards won't remember who it was that poisoned you. Sleep well, you foul murderer." Against Gerald's will, his eyes closed. The last thing he heard was, "And now for the sorcerer."

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The sorcerer in question was pacing Andreas's guest room, unable to rest after nearly getting executed for his crimes. Not to mention the fact that Morgan kept feeling some strange sensation in the back of his mind, as if someone were looking into his head. He shook off the notion. Who would care to see what was in his head?

A familiar voice touched Morgan's ears. "Morgan! You have to help me!"

"Elsa?" Morgan went to the door but stopped. She couldn't be here ... could she? But Jaek had brought Cliff back from the dead. Surely it wouldn't be so hard to bring Elsa from Vordelle? "Is it really you?"

"Morgan, it's Elaine," Elsa pleaded. "They're going to kill her! You have to help!"

In the back of his mind, Morgan had to wonder if Elsa would really beg him for help. But perhaps she was desperate. His hesitation gone, Morgan threw open the door, dispelling Andreas's sorcery wards accidentally. There was no sign of Elsa. Cautiously, Morgan stepped outside the door, drawing his rapier. "Elsa?" he called.

An arm wrapped around Morgan's throat, yanking him backwards and off-balance. A vial was stuffed in his lips, and he swallowed the liquid reluctantly, feeling it burn on the way down.

He was disarmed and dragged to a room, not far from the guest room. His captor tossed him inside, and Morgan dimly saw the adviser who had questioned Andreas. "Twelve hours," he said with a grim smile. "Lock the door. Let Joshi try to find him now."

"No," Morgan muttered, his lips unable to form any other words. He felt tired, slow, and in pain. What had he ingested?

The door closed, and he heard the man's parting words. "You'll forget that I was ever here and that you were involved with the boy's abduction."

Against his will, Morgan found himself nodding off, the man's words entering his head and erasing his memories of the affair.

Then he lost consciousness.