The Destiny of Amalah (49 page)

Like Waldon, Kenaz and Kalon before him, Rakan enjoyed every moment of his time there and shone above the other officer trainees and when the guard ceremony inevitably came; Rakan was awarded the honour of being officer guardsman of the year much to his father’s, brother’s and friends’ pride and once again they all celebrated in North Amalah before returning home to the city the next day.

While Rakan had been away in the north of Amalah, Gaerwen had been very busy; whilst at the palace, she taught Amara nearly everything she knew and at home she practised her magic and worked on a present for the Empress. When Rakan returned Gaerwen felt that feeling of foreboding once again, only this time it was more intense and when she was near him, she felt nothing but cold panic and fear. Rakan knew Gaerwen feared him and whenever he could, he smiled that sinister smile that he had mastered so well, to taunt her and Gaerwen would wish that she could disappear from the room and far away from him.

Gaerwen made sure that she was never alone with him or Rufus and from then on, she rushed home every evening to work on the present that she was working on for Amara. It took some time but she eventually finished it and the next day she rode to the palace with the present she had made and she met the Empress as usual and greeted her warmly before she entered into her dialogue.

‘Empress, I have had a feeling of foreboding for sometime now.’

‘Since when?’

‘Since last year – to be more specific – since Rakan and Rufus returned from Lansten.’

‘Gaerwen!’ Amara said, stunned by Gaerwen’s revelation.

‘The feeling subsided when Rakan left to go to the guard but now that he has returned, my feelings have intensified. I cannot say if they are going to be in trouble or cause trouble but I can say that I have had a strange feeling as of late, one that I cannot quite put my finger on but one that –nonetheless – I do not like.’

‘Gaerwen, I have known Rakan and Rufus all of my life and I do not believe that it is they who are the cause of your foreboding. Other people have returned to Amalah at the same time as they have.’

‘I am aware of that Empress but I cannot help how I feel.’

‘I still believe you are mistaken,’ Amara replied. ‘Besides, if Rakan were involved in anything, Kalon, Garrick and Ellora would have noticed.’

‘I am not making accusations Empress,’ Gaerwen began.

‘Rightly so,’ Amara warned. ‘Not only is Rakan my friend, but he is an officer in my Guard and son of the Guard Commander. I will not make any accusations or assertions without proof.’

‘I understand Empress,’ Gaerwen said humbly. ‘I did not mean to upset you or irk you. Could I implore you to not mention what I speak of?’

‘I will not speak of it in any event,’ Amara replied. ‘There is also the possibility that you could be wrong.’

‘Perhaps,’ Gaerwen admitted. ‘But if it is not Rakan and Rufus, it must be someone, or people close by them?’ Gaerwen warned.

‘I heed what you are saying Gaerwen,’ Amara said. ‘It is just that it is very close to home.

‘If anything happens to me Empress, know that you are not alone here on this plane and on the spirit plane and know that for all time you will be loved,’ Gaerwen said changing the subject.

‘Gaerwen, you are scaring me,’ Amara said, afraid of what Gaerwen was saying.

‘I don’t want to, but I just think that it is important that you know. In my house there are many books on the craft of sorcery. I want you to have them and I want you to read and learn from them,’ Gaerwen instructed her.

‘I will.’

‘Good. I think I have taught you everything you need to know but keep on learning and I will continue to teach you for as long as I can.’

‘I am glad,’ Amara said gratefully.

Gaerwen returned home and when she found time, she packed up her books on sorcery and left them in a corner in the kitchen. The next day when she rode to the palace, she took most of the books with her by cart and gave them to the Empress, who was startled by Gaerwen’s gesture. Over the next few weeks she continued to teach the Empress all the magic she knew and she continued to avoid Rakan and Rufus as much as she could.

One night when Gaerwen had finished working for the Empress and she was about to make her way home, she spied Rakan walking towards the north east tower; he was clearly in a hurry she thought to herself as she spied him walking briskly away from her. She wondered where he was going and what he would be doing and although she was scared of him, but she plucked up her courage and decided to follow him.

‘I’ll be alright,’ she said to herself. ‘As long as I stay hidden and he does not see me,’ she whispered to herself.

She followed him along the corridors and through the various doors and watched as he entered the north east tower and then he began to climb the stone stairs. She waited until he had climbed one flight and then she began to ascend the stairs as well. She made sure she stayed two flights behind him, keeping against the walls so that he could not see her, and when he reached the top of the stairs, she mustered more energy and ran on her tip toes to the top of the stairs. She saw Rakan in one of the tower rooms and made her way to the edge of the door and spied on Rakan hoping to find out what he was up to.

Rakan was oblivious to Gaerwen’s presence and he pointed to the candles on the wall.

‘Alight,’ he commanded, as he pointed to each candle and orange flames appeared from each one.

He waited until the candles shone brightly before he continued. He went to the table in the middle of the room and reached into the black sack that he was carrying and emptied an array of stones on to it. To Gaerwen’s horror, she observed jet and onyx, along with black candles and packets of herbs in Rakan’s possession and she shook her head in disbelief as Rakan arranged them to his requirements.

When he was satisfied with the arrangement Rakan began to chant and moments later a white rabbit appeared on the table. Rakan stroked the rabbit gently before he picked it up. He then took out his dagger from his waist and Gaerwen watched in horror as Rakan killed it and used its blood as a sacrifice, in what she knew could only be, for a dark magic ritual.

Gaerwen continued to watch as Rakan practised his dark powers and when she had seen enough, she turned to make her way back down the stairs but to her complete and utter horror, Rakan was stood there facing her when she turned around and she jumped with fright when she saw him.

‘Rakan…I…’

Gaerwen,’ Rakan replied calmly. ‘Whatever brings you here?’

‘I was just…’

‘Spying,’ he said menacingly. ‘Did you see everything? Did you enjoy watching the power of dark magic?’

‘Rakan…Please…’ she said, edging away from him slowly, but Rakan simply edged further forward until she had no choice but to stand still.

‘Well now you know, but then you have known for a while haven’t you Gaerwen?’ he said as a sinister smirk crossed his face. ‘I mean, since the day you saw Rufus and I stand together in the courtyard and Kalon, dear Kalon, took you to see Dariel.’

‘Why? How?’ she asked.

‘Because we wanted to and because we could and because, Adriel was kind enough to show us the way.’

‘
Adriel!
’ she shrieked with sheer horror and fright.

‘Yes, Adriel.’

‘No,’ she said, in a low croak as her heart sank and the pit of her stomach began to give way.

‘Yes.’

‘How could you?’ she asked, with bitter disappointment.

‘He serves a higher power and that power offered us the world.’

‘It cannot be so,’ she cried.

‘It can and it is so,’ Rakan said staring at her.

‘Rakan listen to me,’ Gaerwen said desperately; ‘it is not too late for you to turn back...’

‘Perhaps not,’ he said smiling at her; ‘but I really don’t want to.’

‘Rakan wait.’

‘No I don’t think so...’

Gaerwen did not wait for Rakan to finish his sentence and every part of her body was now screaming out that she should run away from him as fast as she could. She pushed him as hard as she could and ran past him to the stairs, she reached the edge but Rakan’s lightening speed was far too fast for her and he caught hold of her before she took her first step downwards. She turned around to face him and he relaxed his vice like grip so that she could.

‘Well now, you know my secret and I know that if I let you go, you will run and tell…’

‘No I won’t,’ she said, interrupting him and becoming distressed.

‘Yes you will,’ he said archly.

Rakan said, as he suddenly grabbed hold of Gaerwen’s neck and lifted her up from the floor. She instinctively held onto his arm and tried to free herself from his grip but no matter how hard she tried, she could not.

‘You will but I am not ready to be discovered yet, but all things in time Gaerwen, all things in time.’

‘Rakan,’ she begged hoarsely, as the tears ran down her face.

‘Unfortunately for you, you will die knowing my secret and wishing that you had shared it with someone sooner.’

He still had hold of her neck with his right hand and with his other hand, he yanked her jaw sharply and suddenly to the left, until her neck made – what was to him – a satisfying snap and he watched as Gaerwen’s head lolled to one side and rolled forward.

He looked on at her lifeless body for a few seconds before he walked to the edge of the steps still holding the now dead Gaerwen by the neck; he extended his arm outwards until she was dangling over the steps and he was about to drop her when he had a thought. He teleported himself and her to the bottom flight of stairs and then dangled her over the steps once again and then he let go of her.

He watched as her body fell down the stairs hitting the concrete with each tumble until she reached the bottom of the stairs and laid there, sprawled out in a broken position. Rakan peered at Gaerwen’s body from the top of the stairs and a satisfied smile crossed his lips before he returned to the top of the tower and continued to work in the room on his dark magic, thinking nothing of the life that he had just taken; or of Gaerwen’s broken body that was lying sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs.

Rakan worked his magic’s for a while longer and when he was done, he made his way down the winding stairs and when he came across Gaerwen’s body, he stared at it for a while before he left her and made his way to the main palace, where he went on as though nothing had happened.

The next day when Gaerwen failed to meet the Empress, Amara became worried and spoke with Michael who had not seen or heard from Gaerwen since yesterday. She called on the horse hand and asked if Gaerwen had arrived and brought her horse.

‘Empress, Gaerwen’s horse did not leave the palace last night,’ the horse hand informed her.

‘Where could she be Michael?’ the Empress asked, deeply worried.

‘I do not know,’ he replied.

‘Her horse has not left the palace.’

‘But perhaps she has Empress, give it until the morning and then we will look for her. In the meantime I will inform the guard and the palace staff to look out for Gaerwen.’

‘Thank you, I hope she appears soon, wherever she may be.’

‘As do I.’

But Gaerwen never appeared and the next day, Garrick and Häkan organised the guard into search parties.

‘First we will comb every single part of the palace and then from there, we will extend the search outwards,’ Garrick commanded them.

He split the guard into teams; sending two teams to search the north, south, west and east of the building and one team each to search the four towers.

The search had not been going long when the team sent to search the north east tower discovered Gaerwen’s body at the bottom of the stairs; they raised the alarm and sent for Garrick who arrived with Kalon at his side.

‘Oh no,’ Garrick said sadly.

‘Gaerwen!’ Kalon said, in a choked voice.

‘Men, wait here until someone comes to get her and say nothing of this to anyone, and
do not
let anyone through here unless they are sent by me.’

‘Yes sir,’ they replied to Garrick.

‘Kalon let us find the Empress and Michael.’

Kalon followed his father from the tower and the two of them made their way to the main palace. On their way, they found Michael, and Garrick relayed the news to him.

‘How?’ Michael asked.

‘We do not know,’ Garrick said; ‘but it looks as though she had been in the tower and fell down the stairs. She broke many bones, as well as her neck.’

‘No one heard anything?’

‘No, but then the north east tower is rarely inhabited or used and it must have been late at night.

‘I see,’ Michael said feeling heavy hearted. ‘What a tragedy.’

‘I know,’ Kalon said, himself trying to come to terms with Gaerwen’s death.

‘We were about to tell the Empress,’ Garrick said solemnly.

‘I will tell her,’ Michael said. ‘But please, come with me. I think it best that you also be in attendance.’

‘Very well,’ Garrick said.