The Fenimeldiyaan: Vacation - Chapter 10

Gerald was dreaming again. It felt odd, different. In all his other dreams, he had something in them that allowed him to feel, but this time, he was missing something. His dazed and sleepy mind couldn’t grasp it, but as if from miles away, he heard his wife’s voice. “Elaine? Is that you?”

A strange fear gripped him, and he tried to cry out to her, begging her not to heed the voice. As if in front of his very eyes, Elsa disappeared from his sight in the dream, leaving him alone and empty. He could no longer feel her presence, a constant thing no matter where they were, thanks to their empathy link. Empty and alone, Gerald yelled, “ELSA!”

But there was no response.

Gerald woke with a cry, shooting into an upright position with one hand to his rapidly-beating heart. As with all his dreams, the fear felt so real. Irrational, terrifying, and heart-rending. The very thought of losing Elsa was too much to bear.

Remembering her guiltily, he turned, saying, “Sorry, me dear, I didn’t mean to cry out —” The apology died in his throat.

Elsa was not there. Her place beside him still held where she had been laying, but there was no sign of her. Fighting down that same irrational fear, Gerald crawled from the tent, brushing the sand from the knees of his breeches. The sand churned uncomfortably around the tent, tugging under his feet. Before, the movements had been quick and seemed to exude joy. But now, it was sluggish and slow, half-burying the bottom of the tent as it pulled at it.

Fear stabbed at Gerald even worse now. The sand had loved Elsa. And now … he looked at the ground. There were no footprints other than his own. The sand had not yet covered them up. Something told him if Elsa had gone, the sand would have left her footprints so he would know where she had went. “No, no,” he said, panic closing around his throat. “Elsa! Elsa?” There was no answer.

Finally, he realised why he was so afraid. Although he’d dreamt that their empathy link was no longer functioning and that he couldn’t feel her presence in the dream, he knew now how he was so sure something had happened to her.

He could not feel her emotions.

Gerald collapsed to the sand, his shaking body unable to hold his weight any longer. For a few years, he and Elsa had felt each other’s every emotion, and occasionally even the other’s thoughts. He had become so accustomed to it that he had never thought about what would happen if it were taken away.

The lack of it could mean two things. Either someone had kidnapped Elsa and placed sorcery wards around her to prevent her from transmitting to anyone or …

She was dead.

Gerald covered his face with his hands and was shocked to feel tears running down his face. He had never felt more useless than in that moment. His vow came back to him. “I ain’t never going to let anything happen to ye, or to our child. I’ll die for ye.”

Never had words hurt so much, and his tears continued to fall.

---------------------------------------------------------

Apollo felt something change in the meditation. It was only a slight change, but it was enough for him to discern that something was wrong. The tree’s emanations grew urgent, as if it were willing Apollo to break off the meditation. After a moment’s hesitation at leaving the peaceful embrace of the tree, he broke off his thought process and stood, brushing sand from his pure white robes. Morgan gave a slight snuffling sound before his breathing resumed its normal, deep quality. Apollo realised with a spark of amusement and annoyance that his cousin had fallen asleep, his head leaning back against the tree.

Erroll had stood as well, a frown on his face. “What’s wrong?” Apollo asked, forcing himself to transmit the words as well as speak them. Hopefully the man would get his point.

“A translocation out of the desert,” was Erroll’s brief response.

Apollo went to nudge Morgan and remembered their inability to touch. Sighing, he pulled his staff from its cradle and rapped Morgan sharply on the head. “Wake up!” he said. Concern was flooding through him. “Come on, get up.”

With a yawn, Morgan opened his stunning green eyes, and they seemed to glow in the darkness. “What?” he groaned.

“Transmit to Gerald. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.”

  

“Yes, master,” Morgan said, rolling his eyes and yawning again before closing his eyes. He connected to Gerald almost immediately. “Everything alright?” he transmitted.

“What do ye think?” was Gerald’s cold response. “It’s Elsa. I can’t … I don’t … she’s not here.”

Morgan swiftly broke off the connection and stood, facing his taller cousin. “Apollo,” he said. “Elsa is gone.”

Apollo turned to Erroll. “You said a translocation out of the desert,” he said. “But she can’t translocate! She hasn’t got any magic!”

“Unless she didn’t do the translocating,” Morgan put in, completely serious for once. “What if she was … taken?”

“I thought the desert prevented unauthorised translocations.”

“Coming in,” Morgan said. “But not going out. I’m contacting Andreas. So, hush.” He closed his eyes again. “Andreas! Andreas, I think you need to talk to Gerald. He says Elsa is missing, and Erroll said something about a translocation leaving the desert. Gerald is extremely emotional, I can tell. I think only you can get through to him.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

River woke slowly, her body still aching from her overuse of magic the previous day. For a long moment, she couldn’t remember what had happened to her until she looked up and saw Kvyrt levitating a few feet from her. He bid her good morning before saying he was getting Andreas and left.

River hugged her blankets to her; she had never been happier to be back somewhere in her life. But something tugged at her — Rita. And River’s own disobedience in leaving the Don to go looking for her friend. Would they throw her out? Fear gnawed at her — fear that she would have to go back to Corttann, where she would be hunted, or returned to Ursula Cadogan’s island.

Andreas translocated in and smiled at her. Before he could say anything, River, sobbing, took the two painful steps from her bed and hugged him as if he were her anchor. “I’m sorry!” she transmitted. “I thought that I could find Rita. I thought it was my fault she left. I didn’t think … I shouldn’t have gone. I’m too weak. I can’t go anywhere without getting myself kidnapped or drained. How am I supposed to become a Queen? Andreas, I’m sorry … I’m sorry. And then you had to turn your attention from finding Rita to finding me, and she’s still missing … because of my stupidity. I suppose … I guess I broke the rules, and now I’m going to be punished, aren’t I? But please, don’t send me away!”

--------------------------------------------------------

After allowing herself a few minutes of strong swearing at her stupidity in getting caught, Elsa forced herself to calm down. Although she had no idea why someone would have wanted to trick and trap her — perhaps there was some manner of award out for the capture of a thief? — she didn’t plan on remaining. Reaching into her braid, she tugged it down into her curly red locks and procured a pin from it. She gazed at it for a moment, allowing herself a brief second to remember the wedding present from her sister. Picking the lock of her prison door would bend the silver pin hopelessly out of shape. A small diamond flower was on the end, and Elaine had a matching pin.

She sighed. If only she’d thought to bring her set of lock-picks with her — a wedding present from Gerald — she wouldn’t have been in this mess and having to use Elaine’s present. But Elaine would probably rather have her twin back safe then a prisoner because she wouldn’t use her gift.

Elsa pushed through the boxes until she found the door. Sticking the pin in the lock, she started fiddling with it and only a few seconds later, she heard the lock click. When she pulled the pin out, she smiled — it was still in perfect shape. Realisation struck her as she realised Elaine had intended the pin to be for that purpose. “Thank you, Elaine,” she whispered before resting her hand on the knob and turning it.

Nothing. The door wouldn’t open.

“Come on!” Elsa snapped, slamming her shoulder against it in the hopes that it would give. She only succeeded in bruising her shoulder, and she stepped back. Why wouldn’t it open?

A swear-word rose to her lips as she realised the truth of the matter. Not only was her empathy link with Gerald cut off, there must have been a similar spell on the door, preventing her from opening it and escaping. For the first time, Elsa realised she couldn’t escape on her own.

Still cursing under her breath, she dug around in the junk in her prison. If she couldn’t escape through trickery, she would find something to use as a weapon instead. All she managed to find was a bent poker, like someone would use in a fireplace. The tip was hopelessly out of shape, but it was close to a sword and Elsa was an expert with the blade.

She breathed in slowly to calm herself. She would get out of this mess and back to Gerald. That, she promised herself.

-------------------------

Andreas and Anwyn arrived in the sacred grove before Morgan had finished transmitting.  Veveen followed closely behind them, the harsh expression on her face indicating extreme displeasure.

Across the expanse of the desert encampment, mage-lights sprang into life and campfires were re-lit, indicating that the whole tribe had woken due to the emanations from the sacred Hasta tree.

“One of ours has been taken!  Tis an outrage!”  Although Veveen did not speak aloud, her projection was strong enough to make the sandy ground vibrate and the leaves of the trees and shrubs rustled as if they were in distress. 

“I better go and speak with Gerald” Andreas said.  “I can feel his anger and despair as if it were me own”.

“Alright, me love”.  Anwyn hugged him and kissed him, sending him extra strength to deal with Gerald.

------------------------

At the sight of Andreas, Gerald began to speak, but Andreas held up a hand, stalling him.  “I already know what happened.  I’ve been a fool, Gerald.  I should’ve known better”.

“What ye on about, mate?” Gerald asked, blinking away tears and trying to make sense of his friend’s cryptic statement.

“Twas a classic misdirection trick and I got taken in by it” Andreas continued, his nimble fingers twisting in his hair.  “The abduction of the two students from the Donovan Institute were done to draw me attention away from what were happening here.  Elsa were right in saying that I seemed distracted.  I ain’t worthy to bear the mantle of Guardian”.  He gave a heavy sigh and wiped away tears, smearing sand on his face.  “Still, I mustn’t allow me emotions to get in the way of what needs to be done.  We’ll get her back.  Meantime, if there be anything ye can think of, no matter how irrelevant it seems, ye’d best tell me”.

The two men sat down outside the tent and Gerald related his dream and the odd feelings which he had experienced, finishing with the discovery that Elsa was no longer in the tent with him.  Andreas smoked two herbal cigarettes and toyed with his hair while he listened to Gerald’s heart-rending account of Elsa’s abduction.

-------------------------

“River, me dear, calm down”.  Andreas spoke in a comforting tone, stroked her curly hair and sent out reassuring emanations.  “I ain’t sending ye anywhere.  I know what were in yer heart and soul when ye went off in search of Rita.  Ye were doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and not even the Elders would punish ye for such a selfless act.  Besides, the harshest penalty for disobedience don’t come anywhere close to what ye’ve suffered in yer short lifetime”.

“So you’re not disappointed or angry with me?” she enquired, wiping away her tears. 

“Course not” he assured her.  “Besides, Rita’s abduction were only done to misdirect me, to make me focus me attention on rescuing her while something far more sinister were going on.  And I get the feeling that Ursula Cadogan would have found out about ye at some point anyways.  Ye’ve been a victim of circumstance, a pawn in her game.  Ye weren’t weak in the slightest.  In fact, twas incredibly brave of ye to risk yerself in trying to rescue yer friend”.

“I’m her only friend around here” River asserted.  “None of the other students like her and she didn’t even want to become a sorceress.  Her parents forced her into it”.

Andreas nodded.  “I know.  Tis the Carpathian way, to seize any possible advantage in order to rise up in the rankings.  Rita be a product of her upbringing in the same way that I be.  Anyways, ye needn’t worry anymore about her.  Seems she escaped and returned to us”.

River shook her head.  “She couldn’t have escaped.  I tried translocating out but Ursula had the island locked down with sorcery wards.  I couldn’t even transmit to you until you broke through”.

“Interesting” Andreas mused.  “That confirms me suspicions.  I hate having to ask ye to do this, but be careful around Rita.  There be something amiss with her so ye’d be wise not to trust her.  Act as if there be nothing wrong, but if ye notice her behaving strangely, or if she asks ye to do anything ye ain’t comfortable with, let me know, eh?”

---------------------------

Ursula’s thin mouth quirked into a smile and she could not hold back from laughing raucously as she watched Elsa attempting to pick the lock.  However, her laughter died abruptly when Elsa tried to ram the door with her shoulder.  “Naughty, naughty, ye mustn’t risk damaging that precious child of yers.  I suppose I’d best go and introduce meself”.

She cancelled the images from her spying crystal and returned it to its hiding place before translocating over to the old healer’s shop in the town of Buron, Northern Viria.  It had previously belonged to her great-aunt Mureel, but since Mureel’s passing it had changed hands several times and she was no longer sure who among the various Cadogan and Slattery cousins had legitimate ownership of it.  However, it was currently unoccupied, which suited her purpose.

She had imprisoned Elsa in the basement and used blood-sorcery to create extra strong sorcery wards around the entire shop, extending underground beyond the depths of the basement.  It had taken a great deal of blood, necessitating the murders of several homeless people, but the effort had been worthwhile.  In addition to the sorcery wards, she had set up a dispersal field so that anyone with enhanced senses performing a search would find nothing definite to latch onto.

Ursula materialised in the basement, remaining invisible for a few minutes in order to observe Elsa at close quarters.  Noticing the poker, she made sure to keep outside its range before cancelling her invisibility spell.

She smiled crookedly at Elsa.  “Greetings, Lady Silvereye.  Tis good to meet ye at last.  Afore ye start getting all ornery with me, let me assure ye that I mean no harm.  In fact, tis me intention to look after ye and guarantee yer safety.  Ye have me word as a gypsy and a Virian that I won’t keep ye here any longer than necessary.  Once ye’ve delivered yer precious gift to me, I’ll let ye go.  Ye be young and in the prime of life, so no doubt that misfit husband of yers will soon impregnate ye again”.

--------------------------

Elsa spun around to face Ursula Cadogan when she materialized in the prison with her. She levelled the poker at the woman, but when Ursula’s words sunk in, it fell a bit. Not because she was relieved to know the woman meant her “no harm”, but because of what she expected Elsa to simply accept. Nobody had a harsher temper than Elsa Silvereye, and it flared at the woman’s words. “My precious gift … to you?” Elsa said, her voice trembling with emotion. The woman was insane. “You want my child?! Do you honestly think that I will simply let you steal my child? I won’t be going through nine months of pain and torment to bear you a child!” The hand not clutching the poker lay on her stomach protectively. “If you think you can keep me here until I have this child, then you are sorely mistaken. I will escape, whether on my own or with the help of my husband and his friends. You will not be keeping me here, and you will not STEAL MY CHILD!” She shouted the last words and lunged at Ursula, swinging the poker in a blind rage.

-------------------------------------------------------

Gerald massaged his forehead, struggling to come to terms with his loss. It didn’t seem possible that she was gone, and he was unable to reach her. Forcing his voice to remain calm, he finished relating how Elsa had disappeared and all of the peculiar dreams he’d had since being invited to Andreas’s world. Once he’d finished, he stared off at the distant campfires and spoke again, his voice much softer. “I brought her here because I thought she’d be safe. Things in Vordelle be getting a bit hairy, with a few of the dark wizards who escaped Damian’s destruction running rampant again. I wanted to give her a chance to get away from all of that, where nobody would mean her any harm. Then she told me … she told me …” His voice broke and he struggled to maintain control. “She be with child, Andreas. I were — we were … it was the best moment of me life. Even better than when we were wed. A child between the two of us was something remarkable, something I’d never thought to have happened. And then … she were gone. On the night of our greatest happiness. Blimey, mate, ye know I ain’t one to cry. But I just …” He stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers in an effort to control his emotions. “This were supposed to be fun. I swore to protect Elsa and our child when I heard she were pregnant, and now she be gone. And who knows what her kidnapper be doing with her? I just feel so … useless.”

-------------------------------------------------------

Morgan stared after Andreas for a moment before turning and walking away. Apollo hurried to keep in step with him, his long legs swiftly covering the distance between them. “Where are you going?” he asked the mage.

“To get her back,” Morgan said briefly.

Apollo manoeuvred so he was standing in front of Morgan, blocking his way. “Are you insane?” he asked. “Never mind, don’t answer that. Morgan, what in the world do you think you can do on your own? We’re not in Vordelle anymore. Not even close. Can you sense Elsa out there? Because I can’t. Where would you even start looking for her? And even better, what do you plan to do if her kidnapper attacks you? You might trigger your darkness, and then where would you be? In deep, deep trouble. Andreas might be the forgiving type, but if you accidentally kill any of the inhabitants of the Fenian Galaxy while under the influence of your darkness, he might not be able to protect you. Your best bet is to stay with the people who can protect you and keep that from happening. This is about more than just you and Gerald. If something happens to Elsa, here in the Fenian Galaxy, Daren might forbid further contact between you and Gerald and Andreas. Like it or not, you might never see him again. We need to work together to keep her from harm and make sure that peace remains between us and Andreas’s people.”

“What if something is happening to her, right now?” Morgan shouted. “And we’re standing here, talking about stupid things while her kidnapper is hurting her!”

“If it were a slaver who took her, they wouldn’t harm her. If it’s someone who’s looking for a reward for handing over a thief to law enforcement, they still wouldn’t hurt her.” Apollo hesitated, thinking of the only other reason anyone could possibly want to take Elsa. She had only one other thing to offer anyone, being without magic and unable to match any thieves in the Fenian Galaxy.

Her child.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Huge waves of relief threatened to overwhelm River as she continued clinging to Andreas. After a while, she released him and brushed the tears from her cheeks, sniffing. Then she smiled wanly at him and transmitted, “Thank you.”

He gave his trademark smile, but there was something tired and sad in his expression. “It were me pleasure, Queen River.” He teased her title with a little smile before bowing and translocating from the room.

River remained where she was for a while before getting up. She wasn’t as weak as she had been after she’d first awoken, but she didn’t move with her usual ease. She had definitely drained herself on Ursula’s island. Mustering up her strength, she opened the door and found her book on the floor with a note from Caratacuus: “I thought you would like to have this back.”

Feeling much more like herself after getting her book back, she hugged it to her chest and went through the hallways and outside. The gardens seemed especially beautiful, and she breathed in the fresh air. Tears of happiness built in her eyes. She was finally home.

She found a bench and sat down, gazing across the gardens. Perhaps Andreas had been wrong about Rita. Maybe she was a victim of circumstance. But River hadn’t known Andreas to be wrong about anything, and she vowed to keep an eye on her friend — if only to keep her out of the trouble River was certain she was in.

-------------------------

Ursula dodged out of the way, giving a rasping cackle.  All those tedious fencing and martial arts lessons which she had endured as a student in the temples at Shintillah, Segimarah and Estryge had paid off.  She had never been physically strong, due to birth defects, malnutrition during childhood and a broken leg which she had sustained in a climbing accident at eleven years old, but even in middle age, she remained agile and flexible.

She evaded several more attacks from Elsa before casting an immobilising spell on her.  “Don’t want ye overstraining yerself in yer delicate condition, me dear.  After all, tis in both our interests that ye deliver me a healthy baby”.  She smiled and stroked Elsa’s stomach.  “I’ve never been to Vordelle but I understand those gifted with sorcery skills ain’t dependent on crystal bonds or Aureant powers like us in the Fenian Galaxy.  Twill be interesting to find out where Vordellans derive their affinity for sorcery from.  Mayhap I should seek out Apollo Lightbringer and Morgan Shadowbinder, see what they have to say on the matter.  Anyways, ye should rest now, Lady Silvereye.  I’ll be back later with some special food for ye”.

She cast a sleeping spell on Elsa and laid her down on an old couch in a corner of the basement.  Using her crystal senses, she conducted a thorough scan, making sure that all was well with mother and child before translocating away to procure supplies.

-------------------------

Andreas leaned over and patted Gerald on the arm, knowing that he disliked physical contact but wanting to give him comfort.  “Ye were right to bring Elsa here.  Under usual circumstances, the Horeb desert be one of the safest places in the Fenian Galaxy”.  He frowned and fiddled with his hair again.  “But her abduction has alerted us to a serious flaw, one I must rectify with the help of Erroll, Kvyrt and the tree”.

“Like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted”.  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Gerald regretted having said them.  “Sorry, mate.  Twas spoken out of anger and frustration.  If only I could get me hands on whoever took Elsa!”

“Ye’ve every right to be angry with me, Gerald” Andreas agreed.  “I failed to protect ye on me own territory.  I expect Elsa will never forgive me for this, but we’ve gotta move past hurt feelings and concentrate on the practical issues.  As for the perp, me other self has discovered that it be a rogue sorceress by the name of Ursula Cadogan”.

“Cadogan” Gerald repeated.  “Name sounds familiar”.

Andreas gave a harsh, bitter chuckle.  “Aye, we’ve crossed paths with her grandmother, Dorota Cadogan, on a few of our past missions.  Twould seem that Ursula has taken over the island of Nhemayah and intends to carry on where Dorrie left off, abducting young women to train as sorceresses at her so-called Academy of Sorcery”.

Gerald scratched his stubbled chin.  “But Elsa don’t have any powers of sorcery”.

“From what I’ve learned about Ursula, she wouldn’t lumber herself with a non-adept without good reason” Andreas commented.  “Mayhap she be after the Lightshield.  Twould make sense, since Elsa has a connection with it.  Anyways, me other self will be checking out the island.  Tis unlikely that Ursula will be stupid enough to keep Elsa there, but I might still learn something useful”.

“What about our child?” Gerald asked, worry etched on his unshaven face.  “D’ye think this Ursula woman will harm him or her?”

“Yer child”.  Andreas leaped up from the ground, sending showers of sand everywhere.  “Of course.  It ain’t the Lightshield she be after.  She be wanting a new apprentice, one she can raise from a baby.  No doubt she plans to implant the child with crystal bonds soon as it be born.  But implantation be a painstaking process and I doubt she has the necessary knowledge to do it”.

“Implantation”.  Gerald spat out the word as if it were poison in his mouth.  “Don’t like the sound of that”.

“Tis fine when done by experts in crystal theory” Andreas explained.  “Anyways, we’ll get Elsa back long afore she be due to give birth.  Ursula may be devious, but she be over-confident in her abilities and tis likely she’ll get careless”.

-----------------------------

Rita finished arranging her hair and started on her make-up.  She did not feel in the mood for resuming her lessons, but knew that she had to keep up appearances. 

Sighing irritably, she opened her wardrobe and perused the vast array of designer outfits which hung there.  Anger rose in her and she directed an energy strike at the wardrobe, setting it on fire along with its contents.  The pointless act of destruction made her feel better, despite the fact that she was only left with her black sorcerer’s robes to wear.  Black matched her dark mood, so she picked up the robes from the bed and donned them, along with her practical flat-soled shoes.

----------------------------

“How ye be feeling, sweetheart?”  Nye greeted her with his usual enthusiasm, smiling and enfolding her in his arms.  “Been practising yer fire-sorcery eh?”  He gestured to her hands, which were slightly blackened by the soot from her burning wardrobe.  Evidently, her banishing spell had not worked.  Her spells only seemed to work properly when River was around.

“I were having a clear-out” she declared.  “Gives me a good excuse to go shopping again”.

“I admire yer dedication to yer arts” he quipped, “but mayhap next time ye might consider donating yer unwanted clothes to a charity”.

Her face reddened with shame, remembering the homeless people in Casa Nentofore and Grehelin Street.  “Aye, ye be right.  Twas thoughtless of me.  I weren’t thinking straight.  After what I went through on that island, nothing seems to make sense anymore”.

“Would ye prefer to leave our lesson for today?” he enquired.  “A walk in the gardens might do ye good”.

“Thank ye, Uncle Nye” she answered, already heading for the door.  “I could do with some fresh air”.

------------------------------

“Mind if I join ye, me dear?”  The cultured voice belonged to Lord Serkan Parnamiam, the elegant Varagan trader whom she had briefly met before being abducted by Ursula Cadogan.

River nodded and the man sat beside her on the bench, smiling and stroking her arm.  “I be sorry that I weren’t able to save ye from being abducted, but I be delighted to see ye back where ye belong”.

“Thank you” seemed inadequate but she could not think of anything else to write, so it would have to do.

“I wish I could have done more for ye”.  Although he was still smiling, his voice was tinged with regret.  “Anyways, me business in Rishlaan be done and I’ll be returning to Byzarth this afternoon.  I just wanted to see ye afore I leave”.  He took a small card out of his pocket and handed it to her.  “Me contact details.  If ye ever find yerself in Byzarth, or ye be wanting a vacation, ye be most welcome to visit.  Two of me daughters be around yer age, so ye’d have good company”.

“That’s very generous of you” River wrote.  “I’ll ask Andreas to bring me to your city when it’s my vacation time”.

“Look forward to seeing ye”.  He gave her a squashy hug and stroked her arm again.  He then got up and bowed to her before walking away.