Heart Of Destiny_Book One Of The Heart Of The Citadel Page 6

  His sharp eyes swept the circle as he rotated on his raised platform. It did not stay in one location lest the person to the emperor’s back protest that he was being ignored. It slowly rotated to allow him to address them all.

  “You have wondered why I have not interfered until now, when you brought your urgent pleas starting that first day with the honourable representative from Bastion. He was soon followed by the honourable representative from Cassimir and then Hindra.” Madrid nodded to each counselor as he named his or her province, and they stared at him with rapt attention, sure that he would now announce who the guilty party was.

  “I must confess, I do not know who is behind all of this.” An angry hiss flashed around the circle, and several of the councillors made to stand to argue their position as to who was guilty and why. At a twitch of Madrid’s finger, the attendants grabbed the shoulders of the councillor in front of them and forced them to sit once again.

  “Let us think about what we know. None of the children were taken on the same day. Only one daughter was taken from each world. No one reported any unusual activity in the area at the time. Some were taken from the wild reaches of your worlds. Some were whisked away while being under virtual lock and key. Each time, the disappearance occurred while the child was alone. Or was she?” he paused, letting his words sink in. “If no one has penetrated the magical protection by land or by sea, then the only other possibility is by air.”

  The counselor from Samos scoffed, “By air? You are saying that someone in this room has developed the ability to fly? Or that the young women sprouted wings and flew away? That is absurd! I will not sit here and listen to this drivel while the true culprit goes free! I want justice!” She made to rise, noticed the attendants behind her did not budge, and thought better of it.

  “As it turns out, not every child disappeared without a witness.” Voices rose at the comment, the councillors clamouring to know the truth, the details held in check. Shushing noises came from the others, and outright calls of “sit down and shut up!” Finally, quiet descended on the room once again.

  When the agitated councillors, quivering with anger, were settled and silent once more, Madrid said, “Bring in the boy.”

  The double doors swung open, and a boy of thirteen entered the room, eyes wide and scared. He had straight black hair, cut short at the back with a long sweep of bang across his forehead. He was dressed in a pair of loose pants and a matching tunic, embroidered with leaves, and his feet were shod with leather sandals through which pink toes peeked. Behind him stood his parents, his mother wringing her hands and his father sweeping a broad-brimmed hat from his head.

  “Come in, son. Come stand before me.”

  Nervous, the boy entered the chambers, swallowed heavily, then walked over to the table behind the counselor for Samos. “You are from Samos?”

  “Yes, emperor,” he whispered, staring at his toes.

  “You are the brother of Niloo? Niloo, daughter of Samos, who disappeared several nights go?”

  “Yes, emperor.”

  “I wish you to tell the counselors what you saw the night your sister disappeared.”

  He cleared his throat, glanced around at all the eyes staring at him and dropped his eyes once again, mumbling to the floor, “I saw a dark shape in the sky. My sister had climbed onto the roof to see the fireworks. She slipped and slid down the roof of the house. I thought she was going to die! She couldn’t stop her fall, and she fell right off the side. But before she could fall to the ground, a thing grabbed her out of the air and flew off with her. It looked like a giant bird.” He raised his eyes, tears bright in them. “A bird took her, a giant one with claws large enough to curl around her completely. Is she dead, emperor?”

  The emperor stepped off his platform and walked over to the trembling boy. He placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, in sympathy. “I do not believe so. Thank you for sharing your story. You and your parents will be my guests tonight. But first, I wish you to hand me the heart around your neck.” Darius, his eyes widening, glanced fearfully at his parents, then reached under his neck and pulled the necklace over his head, handing it to the emperor. Madrid patted the boy on the shoulder, and then he and his parents were ushered out of the room by the attendants, the doors closing behind them.

  “You see? We do know what has happened. We do not know who is behind the snatching, however. What I must know, councillors, are there any birds large enough within your realms to grow to this size?” He gave them time to answer, but all shook their heads negatively. No one had ever heard of a bird that size.

  Madrid mounted the platform once again and sat down in his chair. “Then the only possible answer is that it was a dragon.”

  There was silence for a tick of three heart beats, the moment suspended, and then gasps and shocked mutters spilled into the void. Madrid let them ramble, picking with idle fingers at some imaginary lint on his robes, then finally lifted his hands to quiet them once more.

  “There are no dragons in our lands. They have been extinct for hundreds of years. The last of them were eliminated during the Great Purge. For every witch caught during the Great Purge, there was a dragon to be slain. You can see the great bones in the museums of the Citadel. If you killed the witch, you killed the dragon.” He frowned at the councillors. “If there are dragons in our skies once again, it must mean an ancient foe has returned, one that practices sorcery. Or perhaps they never left? Not one of you stands above suspicion in this matter. No doubt your governments have grown slack and unobservant, ignoring the homegrown evil sprouting in your communities.” He glared at the elected officials, accusing them with eyes glowing with anger. The councillors did not try to answer, but instead squirmed in their seats, afraid that they were about to be singled out and accused of heresy and permitting the practice of witchcraft within their borders.

  “As councillors, you are aware that all magic is forbidden except for that which is required to maintain the barriers between the provinces. This is a benefit provided by the Citadel, and no other magic is to be used, as defined by the Treaty Brûlure de Socrière. On the day the document was signed, the hunt for the witches was declared at an end, and the Great Purge passed into history as the treaty was established.”

  He held up the crystal necklace, and all eyes were drawn to the dangling heart as though at its end dangled their own bodies. The councillor from Peca involuntarily smoothed the collar of her dress, certain she could feel the tightening of the chain around her own throat.

  “And then I find this,” he said softly. “They always come in pairs, one for a girl and one for a boy. This is proof that the witches and wizards are back amongst us. You want my help in solving these crimes? You will bring me the bearer of the second necklace and their parents.”

  Madrid stood up and strode from the council chambers, dismissing them with a nod of his head. His guards followed him from the room. As soon as the door closed, the councillors turned on each other. Old factions and rough allies soon split the room into groups as they argued amongst themselves about the emperor’s news.

  The provinces of Bastion, Fjord, and Wydra were allied through trade, their bridges almost touching as they entered the Citadel. They huddled, heads together and whispered.

  Samos and Cassimir were allied through marriage. The ruling class in the desert nations were family, although it was an uneasy arrangement. They stood with arms crossed, watching who spoke to who, frowning at the others.

  Peca and Hindra had allied to protect themselves from invasion by Samos and Cassimir. They specialized in mechanical objects that most of the other provinces did not understand, some of which were rumoured to have applications for war. Of all the councillors, they appeared the most at ease, smiling and talking in low voices.

  Of all the provinces, Tyr, Shadra, and Tunise were the most peaceful. Trade still existed across their borders in secret, where gaps in the wall had been discovered. They were the most prosperous and boasted many schoo
ls and churches and a society that sought to include others and respect individual rights. In Tyr, they taught a different history of the Great Purge, one that did not paint the Citadel quite as benevolently as it would like. They were also the first to leave the chambers, knowing that the audience with the emperor was at an end and that nothing else would be resolved that day.

  Chapter 9

  Grandpa’s Secret Escape

  EMILY SLID OFF HER GRANDFATHER’S LAP and wandered over to her bed tucked in the corner, picking up her doll. The doll was very special to her. It had been her sister’s doll. She smoothed back its curly brown hair and looked at its smiling face. Emily hugged it close to her chest as she sat down on her bed.

  “I’d like to give this doll back to Shikara. She must miss it so.” Emily’s eyes rose to her grandfather’s. They were bright with tears, but she did not cry. “I want to help Shikara and the other girls. What can I do, Grandpa? Why are you telling me their stories? They must all be so scared!”

  “This all happened many years ago, Emily, long before you were born. Time moves differently in the land where they went, and they will all be grown up now. It is the reason the Citadel wizards have come. It is the reason they are searching the provinces now. They know that the witches have returned. Your sister is among them, and a brother at the Citadel.” This was the first that Emily had heard of having a brother and her eyes widened. “Even though the wizards are older men now, they still feel their crystal hearts burn. They can feel when magic is near. Heart to heart, the call of magic is irresistible. You see, the hearts amplify their magic.”

  “I have a brother? What is his name?” she gasped.

  “Yes, you have a brother. His name is Jasper, but you must never approach him. He is a wizard, Citadel trained. He is dangerous beyond measure, corrupted by the emperor. He could be one of the ones outside, looking for you and all of the witches now.”

  “But why are they looking for them? What have they done?”

  “It is not what they have done, but what they will do. The emperor fears the magic that your sister holds, she and the other bearers of the crystal hearts. We do not fully understand why, but the emperor has lived longer than any human should. He wields magic and hoards it to himself, forbidding it to be practiced anywhere in the realm and punishing all who do, all who are not controlled by the Citadel. They hunt any who can wield magic.”

  Emily’s hand went to the chain around her neck. She pulled out the dainty crystal heart that hung from the silver chain, watching it twist in the dull light of the single lantern. Rainbows danced across the muddy shadowed wall. She loved the way the heart cast tiny rainbows. “Do I have a dragon too, Grandpa?”

  He nodded slowly. “I believe you do, little one. For some reason, your magic did not manifest itself at birth. It was delayed. I have puzzled over this as to why it would be so. The only reason I can come up with is that you did not need to call your dragon. Perhaps it is already here.”

  Emily stared at him, trying to sort through his words. “I have a dragon already here? Where?” she said with a loud shout that echoed around the room. In the sudden silence as her voice faded, she glanced over at the blackout curtain. All had gone quiet outside.

  “How long can we stay here, Grandpa? If I am to find my dragon, if my dragon is to find me, he must be able to sense my crystal. That means I cannot hide my magic, right?”

  He nodded somberly.

  “Is it okay to be a teensy bit scared, Grandpa?”

  “You bet, pumpkin.” He scooped her up and settled her beneath the blankets, then kissed her forehead. “Time for sleep, Emily.”

  As her eyes drooped and sleep stole over her, she snuggled into her doll and mumbled, “I bet my dragon is the most beautiful of all,” and drifted off to a dream-filled slumber in which dragons figured prominently.

  Her grandfather smiled, and this time the sheen of tears filled his eyes. “There was never a doubt, little one.” He limped back over to his favorite chair, took up his log book, and recorded the events of the evening. He placed the quill back in its holder and stoppered the ink, sitting back with a sigh.

  He got up and limped over to his overstuffed bed, wearily sinking onto its soft surface. He winced at the pain in his hip, a residual ache from an old injury. He massaged it with his right hand as he laid down, thinking about that battle so long ago.

  I am not getting any younger. But I must have strength enough for this. Emily is everything. She must be protected from all who hunt her. Eventually he dozed off, his soft snores ruffling his longish grey mustache.

  A cock crowed pulling him back from his deep slumber, just as Emily shifted in her sleep. Her grandfather opened his watery blue eyes and squinted at the sliver of light that shone around the sides of the blackout curtain.

  Dawn of a new day and time to move on.

  He pushed himself to a sitting position as Emily jumped out of bed and ran over.

  “I will help you today, Grandpa!” She tugged him to his feet and dragged him over to his chair. “Sit down. I will get the bread and cheese.”

  She ran over to the chest resting in the corner of the room and pulled it open with a squeak of hinges. Gathering both she hurried back and eased the items onto the table.

  “I’m hungry!” she announced as she climbed up onto the high stool and pushed the packages at her grandfather. “Fat pieces of cheese, please!”

  Chuckling, he sliced the cheese in fat strips, the serration of the knife leaving the imprint of waves on the surface. He sliced two slabs of bread and placed the cheese in the middle, then carved a smiling face on the surface of the sandwich. Emily’s eyes sparkled as he pushed the plate in front of her, and she scooped up the sandwich.

  “I love you, Grandpa.” She took a huge bite.

  “Today, we are going to have to get some more supplies. As soon as you are finished, we will go.”

  She downed the sandwich quickly and the cup of water he supplied from the jug on the table, then slipped off the table to put on her best shoes. They were her favourite, pearly white with a rainbow of colours that shifted across the surface. She didn’t bother to change her dress, as it matched perfectly. She ran back over to her grandfather, who brushed her hair and tied it into a ponytail with a matching ribbon.

  “Okay, my sweet, it’s time to go.”

  “Piggyback?” Emily danced from one foot to the other, excited to get out of the small room.

  “Piggyback it is. But you will need to carry this,” he said, holding out a small backpack, through which she slipped her arms to secure it. He bent down, and she jumped onto his back, flinging her arms tight around his neck.

  He rose and picked up his walking staff and walked up the short flight of steps to the door that led back into the house. Fishing a key from his side pocket, he placed it in the hole and slid the lock aside, then opened the door that lead to the main floor kitchen of the house. He froze.

  “Well, well, well…if it isn’t Wizard Ramos, returned from the dead!” Bolts of lightning crashed against the shield that still shimmered in place in front of the opened door. Emily screamed as five hooded men bearing wands rose from around the kitchen table and rushed at them casting spells at the shield. It flashed and flared angrily but held.

  Wizard Ramos slammed the door shut and bolted it, backing down the stairs. His staff rose in the air, gripped in a trembling hand, and he muttered under his breath, casting a spell across the staircase that instantly turned the treads into soft lava. The heat grew in the room and the dried grass from their boots flashed into nothing, curls of smoke drifting to the ceiling.

  “Come, Emily. We must leave by the escape route.”

  He hurried over to Emily’s bed, flinging it aside to reveal a trap door. Kneeling down he pulled on ring to open it. Shouts could be heard above the increasing whine as the shield began to fail under the onslaught.

  “Quickly now, Emily. Climb down the ladder.”

  Emily slid from his back. As she pass
ed her bed, she grabbed her doll. She would not leave it behind. As she went to climb down, single-handed, Wizard Ramos took the doll and slid it under the straps of the backpack.

  “Two hands on the railings now go!” Wizard Ramos picked her up and placed her on the ladder. As soon as he was sure she had a firm grip, he let go. Emily scrambled down as fast as she could go, jumping off at the last three rungs from the bottom. Wizard Ramos dropped his staff down the hole then scrambled down until his head was level with the opening. He pulled the trap door back down and as it fell into place, Emily’s bed slid back over the opening and the door locked with a click. The stone rose up around the feet of the bed anchoring it to the floor. Wizard Ramos scrambled down the rest of the ladder. Reaching the tunnel below, he crouched down to allow Emily to climb up again. Picking up his staff once more, he cast a flicker of flame into a nearby oil lantern, which burst into light. He grabbed the curving handle of the lamp, and then hurried down the dark passage, fleeing the pursing Citadel wizards.

  Chapter 10

  The Isles of Jintessa

  FAR AWAY, ACROSS the treacherous northern Mare Dracones, further than anyone in the world had ever traveled, it was rumoured that a series of islands existed. Being that it was considered to be the end of the world, most scoffed at the idea that anything lived beyond the horizon. The monster-filled seas assured that no ever ventured out on a quest of discovery, and those few foolhardy folk to attempt it were never seen again.

  The depth of the oceans hid all kinds of creatures, the vast majority of which were only known about because of the occasional carcass washing up onto the shores of Fjord or Bastion. Prepared with preservation techniques, the skeletons graced museums and were highly sought-after prizes.

  A ring of fire was said to encase the world. Sail far enough and the belief on Gaia was that the unwary would fall into the face of the sun, which was why every night it sank into the northern waters. Waves of heat could be seen as it went down. As the waters cooled the sun, night descended. Once the sea had cooled the sun’s fury, it released it to rise again, thus warming the oceans and cooling the land. No one in their right mind sailed into the sun.