Return to Caer Lon (15 page)

The former
q
ueen glanced around the otherwise empty room. To her satisfaction,
Sacha
’s chambers had every aspect one could expect for an ill person. The curtains were half-drawn, as if to protect the eye from the afternoon light. A basin was set on the bedside, with clean clothes piled next to it and another one was torn on the rim. The sheets were messed up in such a way
Ylianor
would have sworn the young lady was resting, if she had not known better.

She turned to the maid.

“Did anyone come to inquire about the Lady
Sacha
’s health, Agnes?”

“Yes
m
y
l
ady. Sir Lot sent his page, as well as Sir Hadrian. The Lady Caroline came herself, and so did Lady Ashley. I did not let them in...”

The maid fidgeted nervously, twisting her fingers in her apron.
Ylianor
frowned, pondering about the visitors and Agnes quickly looked at the floor again.

The men’s visit she had expected. The two nobles were still hoping to gain
Sacha
’s favour, despite her blatant indifference. Caroline and Ashley were the worst gossip
s
at Court, and their coming was not much of a surprise either. Surely rumours were spurting already about
Sacha
languishing after her brother, or even better,
Derek
.

Ylianor
nodded internally. As long as everybody thought her son was on a mission up
n
orth
and the lady in her bed, their true whereabouts would remain hidden to the world and the anonymity would hopefully grant them extra-protection.

However, one person was missing in the picture.
Ylianor
addressed the girl again, making her jump
a second time
.

“Did Lady Sonia visit you?”

“Oh no
m
y
l
ady.”

The maid’s chuckle had the
q
ueen’s heart pounded harder at once. Sonia was very likely to come over, if only with the purpose of annoying
Sacha
.
Geraint
’ daughter acted like a jealous she-cat around her, to the
c
ountess
’
never-ending amusement. The more disdainful
Sacha
was, the more Sonia sought her company with patronizing smiles and poisonous jabs.
Ylianor
frowned… Sonia should have come to visit…

Agnes blushed under her stare, then paled and suddenly burst into tears.

“My
l
ady, I did it to protect my mistress
!
She… The countess said no one would discover it was a charm… My mistress was having s
uch
terrible nightmares and then Lord
Sebastian
was found and
m
y
la
dy decided to go to find Sir
Elwyn
with Prince
Derek
and Lady Sonia seemed to know all about it and she told me to put the comb in her bags and…”

Ylianor
felt her blood freeze in her veins. She grabbed the crying girl by the shoulders and Agnes squealed in fret. The queen instantly released her grasp, breathing deeply to regain her calm. She pushed the maid in
to
a chair, gently but firmly.

“Sober yourself Agnes… Calm down, and tell me everything, from the very beginning.”

Chapter 15

Derek
stretched and ruffled his hair to ease the itch the immobility had created in his shoulders. They had spent all morning studying the map and the list, comparing names and discussing issues about distance and locations. Each identified caption felt like a victory
that
Sacha celebrated with dazzling smiles
. Every time her
laugher
pearled out loud, it
urged him to push forward.

They started with Gwel Caer. This place they spotted easily, thanks to Derek’s recollection of his mother’s origins. Then they extended their research to neighboring areas. Soon, they confirmed that time-close entries were equally close geographically. The problem was that not all the names were charted
;
far from it.

Friar Johan hypothesised the missing villages were not represented on the map because they were too small. Sacha pointed out the amount collected at each stop was dutifully reported in the tax collector’s log. They could use it to sort the places by their size, considering that small villages could pay only little money. Derek proposed
that
they ma
k
e a copy of the list while eliminating the lowest prizes, on which both his acolytes agreed.

However, things got sour when they had to decide what should be considered as a minimum.

“We cannot afford to miss one place. We have to look at all the entries save for the smallest amount, and proceed step by step.”

“This is going to take ages, Derek! We could not find anything near Shaftesbury so the taxes at this place are our minimal target.”

“You cannot be sure about that Sacha. The map is not scaled, so maybe they did not put all the names because there was not enough space to write them down.”

“This is the most ridiculous argument you
have
ever served me! You just cannot
expect
to be outspoken and…”

“My
l
ady, I think Sir Derek is right.”

The monk’s interference brought a cocky grin
to
the
p
rince. Sacha nearly growled in frustration. She glared at Derek while he folded his arms across his chest, triumphal. Friar Johan looked at them in turn and sighed. Neither seemed ready to abdicate first. The bell saved the poor librarian from the hostile silence.

“I have to assist Mass… Please excuse me.”

The other monk was already out of the room. Sacha repressed a disdainful snort when the door banged on their hurried little friend. Derek grinned
,
“Your pouting scared him.”

Pi
qu
ed, Sacha scowled again.

“I am not pouting. You are-”

“I would prefer if you use ‘charming’ after that verb. Anyway, Friar Johan confirmed in this case I am right
,
so…”

“So you admit you are not right
all the time
.”

“Sacha…”

Her name hissed between clenched jaws as his temper started to boil. Only the sight of the unrolled map and the task at hand stopped Derek
from
add
ing
some unkind remark about ‘know-it-all’ ladies that would certainly have pushed the growing argument into a full-scaled fight. He took a deep breath and gestured toward the papers spread on the table.

“I would love to pursue this conversation
;
unfortunately one of us has to be reasonable. Do you want to copy the list, or
shall
I do it?”

Her eyes dilated dangerously at the sarcasm. Sacha clamped her mouth
shut
so hard he thought he heard her teeth thump.

“You started it.”

Her grouch could apply to either their ‘discussion’ or the illegible scribbling he had begun hours ago. Derek picked up the quill and resumed his work.

Already on her feet, Sacha decided to put some distance between them so she could regroup. She felt so furious that tears burnt her eyes, and it enraged her even more.
Don’t cry Sacha, he would be too happy…
No, not happy… He never looked happy when she was upset, she had to give him that. Derek always acted the same with her, careless and without particular interest. She made it easy for him; she reacted within the second each time he teased, giving him the pleasure
of
see
ing
her make a fool of herself. She was worse than a capricious child.
She
was the one looking for his approval, and acting stupid because he refused to give it. She shouldn’t. She wouldn’t.

Her steps took her to the desk where the other monk was copying the fat book Derek had fallen in love with. Looking for a distraction from her confusing thoughts, she bent o
ver
the illustrations. The soft colors, cobalt blue, sparkling gold and pure white created the illusion of movement in the stream of the waterfall. It was vivid, and incredibly beautiful…

“Sacha, could you come over here?”

The question broke through her contemplation and she obeyed, surprised to realize she was calmer. Calmer, but not forgetful.

“Yes
,
Derek?”

Her glacial reply met a stunned blue stare. Sacha felt her face warmed.
However
heated their argument
s
w
ere
, Derek rarely nursed a grudge afterward. He always showed more forgiveness than she did. She softened her tone.

“What is it?”

He indicated one name on the map.

“What do you make of this?”

“Laean Astethan.”

The name spoken out loud sounded familiar.

She recognized the shoreline not far from it, the hard cut, the creeks and the straight coast of her native area. Haven was not on the map
. M
aybe it was too small or it simply did not exist when the chart had been drawn. Sacha
directed
her attention to the spot Derek was t
ap
ping with the end of his quill: midway between the west coast and Londinium, closed to a large label marked Dark Morte.

The young woman looked up to the
p
rince, who was already nodding to answer her coming question.

“Here?”

“I am quite sure Friar Johan will confirm it. Now look at the corresponding entry.”

She executed herself eagerly.

“One day. Derek, this means… This means Caer Lon is close to Lann Stephan!”

Sacha beamed and clapped in joy, nearly knocking down the inker in the process. His lack of enthusiasm cooled hers instantly.

“You
are obviously
thrilled by the news.”

The
p
rince met her stare quietly, not at all bothered by her sarcasm. His blue eyes were unreadable.

“I am wondering. If the High City is so close
to
civilization, why ha
s
it been lost for centuries?”

The possible meanings behind his question
finished
to sober her up.

oOo

Friar Johan chose to answer their question with facts, and a legend.

“The High Kings ruled from Caer Lon for hundreds
of
years after the Roman Empire declined. The
k
ing and his
k
nights ensured peace and
j
ustice in the
Ten
Kingdoms, so it was said a virgin could walk
without fear
,
A Mari usque ad Mare
,
with a gold tray in her hands. All were free to observe their practices, and lived in harmony with each other whatever their beliefs. The Court welcomed bards and scientists, commoners and nobles alike. Chroniclers called it the Golden Era of Albion. It sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Well, I suppose it was
. U
ntil, of course, human greed destroyed
the
equilibrium. The High King was betrayed by his nephew and his own sister. A terrible battle opposed them, which none of the armies survived. The
k
ing died in battle, as well as
, it is thought,
the nephew. The
k
ing’s brother-in-law
Caid
, desp
airing
over
the treason of his wife and son, refused to take the High Throne, and abandoned Caer Lon. He left with his daughter and settled in the future city of Camelot
, farther
n
orth
.”

Sacha glimpsed at Derek. He was listening carefully. She wondered if he already knew this story. Maybe he had read it in the book. His face was calm, free from the amazement of the previous day. His stare was a little clearer than usual
. S
acha heard the sting of an edge in his voice when he said
,
“This explains how the
k
ings departed Caer Lon, but not why the City became completely forgotten. It is appar
ently less than a day from here. I
t seems impossible
that
no one knows where the ruins are.”

The young woman frowned at the word
"
ruins
."
Derek touched her hand, and she realized she had wrapped her fingers around his forearm. Friar Johan continued with his explanation
.
S
he
took
her hand from under Derek’s.

“The House of the Dragon’s
decline
and King
Caid
’
s
choice to leave are history. The disappearance of the High City belongs to bards and myths. Truth is, nobody knows for sure how the way got lost. It is said that
Caid
refused to put his traitorous wife to death, for he loved her still. He handed her to the Faerlings, a Druid Covent, because she was born ‘gifted’. Living with them, she realized what she had done and grieved. She learnt about magic, devoting her days to the People and
r
edemption. From here the stories are even more confused. All agreed
that at some point, she
travel
led
secretly to Camelot. One legend says she never returned
to her
c
ovent,
and the Faerlings, furious to have lost their High Priestess, cursed the
c
ity or let the
forest
swallow it. Another version claims the
k
ing forgave his wife and went to the High City with her. Together, they performed an ancient ceremony which sealed the doors to the heart of Caer Lon and it will open
with
the blood of the Dragon, when he return
s.
”

A shiver ran down her spine. Sacha had heard similar words in her dreams.
Hand the son of the Dragon
. She pulled away from Derek and turned her head slightly, buying time to mask her trouble before she faced him again. The rasp in his voice felt like a deadly knife in her stomach.

“What was the woman’s name?”

Friar Johan sighed.

“I think it was Eileengail of Shareling. People also called her the
W
hite
L
ady.”

Oh White Lady, Hear my plea

Sacha felt nauseous, her head heavy and the world spinning fast before her eyes. The monk finally noticed her distress
.

“Are you unwell my lady? You are very pale…”

She flipped her hand so as not to move her head, certain she would lose her balance on her seat if she did. Sacha hoped her voice sounded as normal as possible.

“Do not worry
.
I am fine. Thank you for telling us th
e
se stories
.
T
hey are wonderful.”

She smiled, sure it looked like a grimace and fooled no one.

Derek reported his attention to the map, his eyebrows knitted. After a full minute, he pointed at a caption.

“Here.”

Curiosity beat her queasiness and Sacha unwillingly bent to read the name.

“Alynnfaid? Why there?”

Derek pushed away from the table to pick up his cloak, readying to leave.

“Call it an intuition.”

The name sounded too much like ‘Eileen’s faith’ to be a coincidence. The fact it
, too,
was within Camelot’s border.

oOo