Children of the Sun and Moon (6 page)

Meechie smiled,
and drew Koral into a hug. “You’re the strongest young woman I have
ever known. This is something that has been in the stars for many
years. It will all work out.”

Koral held back
her tears, and pulled away from Meechie.

“Thanks,” was
all she said, and then headed back to the castle. The spell of all
the wonders in town broke and she just wanted to go home. Not
wanting to talk to anyone, she went up to her room to nap until the
evening meal.

The evening
meal at the castle is usually quite boring, but today it was
unusually boisterous. Aside from Baron Allen Lychen arriving, which
of course unnerved her father, things were going quite well.
Everyone was going on and on about the festival. How much larger
this year will be, how the farmers from the south would make an
amazing amount of money, and how this year representatives from
Keenley were actually going to attend.

“Two days
hence, it will be the Festival of the Moon,” Jeremy’s voice boomed.
“I am glad to say, it will also be the sixteenth birthday of my two
youngest children. This will be a joyous occasion and many noblemen
are planning on attending. Perhaps we will see love blooming?” he
joked, staring at Brin. Koral could not help but laugh at her
father’s attempt at humour, and at Brin’s embarrassment. Her mother
was also smiling, something she had not done in days.

King Jeremy
went on about the plans for the festival. There was going to be
parades, plays with young children acting out the twin’s lives and
many, many taverns. The only problem Koral had with the festival
was the fact that the Temple of Allorethna was not against taverns.
Due to this, a tradition had started on the day of the twins’ birth
and she would be required to visit every one of them as a type of
blessing. Everyone talked about the festival well into the night,
and no one noticed Koral slip out and go to bed.

“What are we
going to do with Koral?” asked Elizanne as she was preparing for
bed.

Jeremy looked
up from the bed at her. “I do not know. You have not been able to
track Eric at all?”

Elizanne shook
her head. She had used as much power as she could, any more might
be detected. Looking around their bedroom, she thought about how
much smaller the castle felt without the twins running around,
learning all they could. She had known this day would come, but it
still felt too soon. Sighing, she decided a proper night’s sleep
would do her good. Elizanne climbed into bed and fell asleep almost
immediately.

Jeremy, on the
other hand, had a bit of difficulty falling asleep. He had never
wanted to believe his children were part of the prophecy. The last
thing he wanted was for them to be in danger. Then there was Brin.
She had not really spoken to them during the last few days.
Something was bothering her and they had to find out what. Jeremy
did not want to lose her as well. Not being able to sleep, he
decided to slip out and go to the library. There had to be
something in his many books which could help. He slowly crept out
of the room, not wanting to wake his queen and alarm her.

Slowly and
steadily, he made his way to the library, hoping no one else would
be awake.

“A little late
for exploring,” came a voice from the darkness.

“Korben, do you
always have to hide in the shadows. You scared the life out of
me.”

Korben laughed
and stepped into the candlelight. “Sorry, your highness. I heard
someone moving about and decided to investigate.”

Jeremy smiled
and started walking again. “It is quite alright. I do not know why
I was sneaking about anyway. I just wanted to go to the library and
see if I could find anything on the prophecy which might help.”

“With Eric
leaving as abruptly as he did, I can understand your reasoning,”
commented Korben, walking with him.

“Everything is
just happening so quickly now. I know it is only a matter of time
before Gillock tells me Koral has to leave too. I just wish I knew
where it was they had to go and how I could help. It is all just so
frustrating.”

Korben did not
know what else to say. “You should really just head back to bed,
your highness. We’ve checked everything many times. You know this
is something they have to do themselves.”

Jeremy stopped,
and sighed. “You are right. I really should get some rest. I will
have my hands full with the festival.”

They walked
back towards the king’s quarters in silence. “I need you to do me
one favour, Korben. Please keep an eye on Brin. I fear with
everything which has been going on, she is in a very confused
state.”

Korben nodded,
“Of course. Have a good rest.”

Quietly, Jeremy
moved into the bedroom, over to the bed and sat down.

“Doing some
last minute planning?” questioned Elizanne.

Jeremy lay down
and faced her. “Just up talking with Korben. What are you doing
awake?”

“I sensed
something odd and it woke me. I tried to find out the source, but
was not able. It would have taken too much magic and I probably
would have been detected.”

“Was it
anything sinister?” he asked with concern.

“No. Probably
Gillock up to something. We need to rest, so do not dwell on
it.”

Jeremy knew she
was right, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, both dreaming
of ways they could help their children.

The scrying
pool clouded over and Lakin sat back in his seat. “Poor Queen
Elizanne,” he muttered to himself. “Little does she realize I can
detect all magic.” Smiling to himself, he stood up and went over to
a large mirror. Pulling off the cloth cover, he tapped it three
times. After waiting a few moments, he spoke. “I know you are
there, Malena. Show yourself.”

Within a few
seconds, Malena appeared, looking very annoyed.

“This better be
important,” she spat.

Lakin smiled.
“Elizanne keeps using her magic to try and find Eric. It should not
be long until she reveals that she possesses magic. It also looks
like Gillock is going to try and teach Koral to unlock the secrets
of the book.”

Malena tried to
keep herself composed, but Lakin could see she was very upset. “Are
you sure he has the book?” she asked.

“Quite sure, my
lady. Don't worry; things will be getting quite hectic around the
castle soon. I have sent General Traug for the celebration and
already have two Magima there. That, on top of the little plan we
decided on for after the festival makes me believe Koral will not
have a chance to learn from it.”

It was Malena’s
turn to smile. “I am glad to hear our plans are coming together,”
she purred. “I must rest now. I have just finished my own little
surprise for the princess. A friend for her long travels.”

“Very well,”
responded Lakin. “I must prepare for the morning prayers. It is so
demanding being the head of the Maget Order.”

Malena laughed.
“And I always thought Traug was the leader.”

Lakin joined in
her laughter. “Well, all that matters is everyone thinks so.” He
then let the mirror go dark and threw the cloth back over it. Lakin
could not have Malena peeking in on him whenever she desired. She
might figure out his plans have changed and were no longer
including her. Still laughing to himself, he set about his
tasks.

That night,
while everyone was sleeping, Koral awoke to a terrible thundering
sound. Jumping from her bed, she looked outside and saw a storm
brewing. On closer inspection, she noticed it appeared to be coming
from Gillock’s tower. Wondering what the old wizard was up to, she
threw on some clothes and ran over to his end of the castle. Coming
up to his door, she could hear him chanting. Slowly she opened the
door, not wanting to disturb his concentration. He was on his knees
facing the window. Suddenly he stopped his chanting and turned to
look at her. “I see you brought the book with you,” Gillock said
quietly.

Koral looked
down at her hands and saw she had indeed brought it with her.

“I do not even
remember it being in my room let alone picking it up,” she
remarked.

Gillock smiled
and stood up. “It was the book itself using your subconscious.” He
moved to a table sitting off to the side and sat down. Koral walked
over and joined him.

“Do I get to
find out what is in the book now?” she asked.

“You always had
the power to read it,” Gillock responded. “You just need to be
given the proper opportunity. Open the book and I will be your
guide.”

Koral opened
the book, but the pages were still blank . Concentrate came
Gillock’s voice in her head. Staring at the pages, Koral began to
concentrate on seeing the words. Push the real world away. Think of
nothing but the book. Koral started to push out the things around
her as Gillock had taught her.

First, she got
rid of the furniture then the rest of the room slowly began to
disappear. Finally, she blocked out everything about Gillock except
his voice. The only thing left was her and the book. “Think of
nothing but the book,” came Gillock's voice again. She was
concentrating harder now but still nothing was happening. Just as
she was about to give up, words started to appear.

They appeared
slowly at first, popping up in different areas on the page. Then
they started leaping onto the page faster than Koral could keep
track. She tried to read them, but they were in a different
language. Concentrating harder she noticed the words started to
make sense. They were talking about the past. Wizards, dragons, and
magic dominated the text and to Koral, it appeared to be a history
of Melarandra. The book mostly focused on the Central Lands but it
also talked about the western, eastern and even the southern lands.
Some things made sense to her, but most of it was just a jumbled
mess. The book felt like it was enveloping her and then she could
think of nothing else.

Gillock,
watching her from across the table, decided to prepare things for
Koral. Reading the book for the first time usually took a few
hours, and rarely made sense. It would also drain her of all her
strength. He was very pleased she could read it. Only those who
possessed a potent type of magic had been able to decipher it.
Koral was far more powerful than Gillock had thought. He went back
to his tasks. She was going to be on a journey soon and he wanted
to make sure everything was ready for when she left. Malena, he was
sure, was watching their every move so he had to make sure they did
everything just right.

When Koral
returned to the conscious world, she was exhausted. The sun was up
and it looked like it was early morning. “How long was I reading?”
she inquired.

“Almost four
hours,” Gillock responded.

Koral was
stunned. It had only felt like a few minutes and it had been hours.
Koral also realized she could not remember a thing about what she
read. “I cannot seem to remember what it said.”

Gillock sat
down opposite her. “The first time you read it, you use up a lot of
your energy just trying to concentrate on it. The more often you
read it the easier it becomes and you start to remember some of it.
Some things you read are stored in your subconscious memory and
show themselves when they are needed.”

“So it is a
spell book?”

Gillock stared
at her. “It’s many things; a spell book, a history book, and a map.
It holds the key to where the Wizard’s School is.”

Koral gasped.
She could not believe it. She had read about the Wizard's School in
her books. It was one of the first places destroyed by the Magima
after the war. It was supposed to have untold magic inside. There
had been rumours the school they destroyed was a false one and now
it appears they were true. “The Wizard’s School still exists?”

“Yes, but it's
hidden,” he responded. “You need to go there.”

Koral did not
know what to think. So many things she did not understand were
happening.

Gillock, seeing
just how exhausted Koral was, decided to change the subject. “Today
we are going to study your magical abilities. Your mother is a very
powerful sorceress and you have seen what your brother can do. We
just need to see what you can do.”

Koral just
stared at Gillock. “So it is my mother who possesses magic,” she
remarked.

“Yes, but there
is more to that story as well. We shall discuss her at another
time, but for now, you must rest. You’ll need a lot of strength if
you’re going to practice today.”

“I am quite
tired,” she mumbled, sleepily. “I will go to my room and have a
nap.”

Gillock watched
as she stumbled out of his room and headed towards hers. “So much
time lost.”

Gillock let
Koral sleep until early afternoon. Today he was going to test her.
He needed to see how strong she really was. Of course, there was
the minor problem of General Traug arriving last night with a
regiment of soldiers. The king had welcomed him and his men and a
tent had been set up for them inside the castle grounds so they did
not have to travel outside the walls and to the small outpost
nearby. Jeremy had only seen the general and his men, so he felt
safe, for he thought no Magima were present. Gillock knew
otherwise, but was unsure if more had arrived with him or if the
only ones present were the two he sensed the other day. He knew
testing Koral would be very dangerous, but he had run out of time.
Whether Koral knew it or not, she would be going on a trip, and
very soon.

Gathering up
some things, he left his room and headed for Koral’s. Arriving at
her door, he was preparing to knock when he felt something behind
him. Turning, he saw Korben leaning against the wall.

“She will begin
her magical training then?” he asked.

“Yes,” answered
Gillock.

“This changes
things.”