The High Queen's Vow [The Mystic Women of The Realm Series Book IV] (21 page)

Sle'nel's attention was drawn away from the tortured scene upwards to the young girl's face as she heard the young girl murmuring and talking to herself, wild in her fear. Sle'nel’ could tell that this one had many emotional issues embedded deeply within. The High Queen sensed someone's presence and turned her head slightly around, “Warrior Woman. Good, you come. Call The Healer to Me. Her services are needed."

Sle'nel’ responded, “Ann'wn is looking for you. I would guess that she will bring The Healer with her."

The High Queen looked back to the young woman, “We are here to free you. You have no need to fear us. We would only like to remove you from these chains, give you some clothes and food, and tend to your needs.” Sle'nel’ saw the girl's eyes wild, but deeply sunken, almost blackened looking.

The young girl grew hysterical, whimpering in her fear, shaking her head back and forth endlessly.

Meera came forward, “I will bring help, and then we will look for the key to release her from these shackles, my Queen."

She looked at Meera, “There is no key, Warrior Woman. It is a spell. I will release her in a moment. Be prepared, as she fears us greatly. Grandmother beat great fear into this one."

She looked back to the young girl, “I can take away your pain, Young One. You need have no fear of us. The Grandmother is dead."

The girl whispered, “Please touch me not. She will torture me again."

"Wouldn't you like to be removed from these chains?"

"She will torture me again. Please go away.” Her eyes darted around the room, looking in fear for her torturer.

The High Queen shook her head, “Grandmother is dead. She has been killed."

In a whisper, the girl said, “No one can kill that one. And now she will hurt me for speaking to you. Please leave."

"She is dead, Young One. I saw her die. She died by the hand of this warrior woman."

The High Queen continued to talk to the young girl until Ann'wn came, accompanied by The Healer and many guards. Saying nothing to Ann'wn, San'lr'in’ turned to her Healer, “Help Me?"

"Of course, High One."

The High Queen moved closer and spoke softly, “I also hung by those shackles long prior, Frightened One. But I broke free of her powers and left. Now I am returned to free you from them, but you must make Me a vow. You must vow that you will not try to run. We only wish to help you."

"Please touch me not. She will torture me even more."

All those present were saddened for the young girl, but none knew what to think when their High Queen informed the girl that she also had hung from these shackles. Sam heard the statement and became more astounded at her sister. Sle'nel’ began to grow even further in her distrust of The High Queen's former teachers, in learning they had allowed as such to occur.

The Healer just looked at her Queen, “You were tortured, my Queen? Here?"

The High Queen returned her Healer's stare for a brief moment, but said nothing. She turned back to the young girl, and began to slowly approach her, “The Grandmother is dead, and we cannot leave you here as you will die hanging from these chains. We are going to help you, Frightened One. With all your might, you must try to be brave. I am going to place My hand upon your head, but you will feel no pain. Are you ready to have Me do this? And then we are going to remove your shackles from you for always. Never again will you feel such pain as has been inflicted upon you."

The girl was becoming more hysterical, so San'lr'in’ decided to hurry rather than try to reason with her. She and The Healer placed their hands on the girl's head, sending her into a slight state of unconsciousness so that she would no longer worry, and then The High Queen waved her hand at the shackles, making them to open. Meera and Ann'wn's guards lowered the girl to a small carrier and began to try to clean her some, while The Healer examined her wounds.

The Healer looked quickly over her shoulder to her Queen, “Tell me of what you know of her wounds, High One."

She looked to Ann'wn, “Remove the guards."

Ann'wn told them to wait in the entry room, while San'lr'in’ went closer to The Healer, “This must remain between us only, Healer."

The Healer heard the concern in her Queen's voice and nodded, “It shall be as you say, High One."

"First we must determine if she is with child. I will then show you her injuries. Her mind and body have been as tortured as A'lon'lden's, but the tortures are in different places."

The High Queen placed her hand gently on the young girl's womb, and The Healer followed her example. They took only a moment, then looked at each other knowingly.

"Do you sense this child, Healer?"

"I do, my Queen. It is as you feared, and as you were told. One of the Dark Sorcerer's children. But the child no longer lives. It is dead, Highness."

The High Queen nodded, then moved her hand to another location, silently showing The Healer all the damage that had been inflicted on the young girl. As they moved around the girl's body, Sle'nel’ watched, observing that The Healer would often flinch after she had learned of the damage.

When they were done with the examination, The Healer shook her head, “Death must be welcomed by this one, my Queen. As you have shown me, I have seen only such damage once prior. I now understand your upbringing a bit more, my Queen."

The High Queen leaned into The Healer some, and from there they spoke only in whispers so that no others could hear, except Sle'nel'. The High Queen had forgotten about Sle'nel's exceptional Elfin hearing, or not cared she overheard. And as they whispered, even Sle'nel’ was as shocked as The Healer to learn more of The High Queen's earlier cycles. She remained silent, deciding to speak to her lover later about such, and watched as San'lr'in’ and Shr'dler'in worked together to remove some of the young girl's pains from the tortures that had been inflicted upon her.

The High Queen spoke quietly to The Healer, “Tend well to this one, Healer. I have great need of her, if she is of the culture I think her to be."

When they could do no more, The Healer informed the guards to take the young girl back to camp. San'lr'in’ and her close traveling companions remained behind to examine the dwelling. The High Queen returned to the first room, examining some notes and some alchemy. She looked up, searching for something, “Healer? Can you tell Me what she was testing?"

Shr'dler'in examined the notes, then the potion that had been made. She stirred the ingredients for a while, then re-examined the notes, “She made good notes, but had little ability as to what ingredients to use. These ingredients react not to each other. All of these ingredients are dormant only. From the notes it appears she was trying to make a sleeping potion. A simple enough potion, but I suppose she wasn't trained."

"Sleeping potion. And this one?” The High Queen pointed to some more notes.

The Healer examined them for a moment, then did the same with the bowl that contained some of the ingredients, “She took excellent notes of the reactions of the ingredients, but knew little of the alchemy needed to cause the reactions necessary. This one looks as if she were trying to create a magic potion to create disappearance. All these ingredients would do, though, is to create a very small explosion, but nothing that would harm anything."

"A sleeping potion, and a small explosion. I wonder...” The High Queen let her thoughts drift away. She looked at one more, “And this one, Healer?"

The Healer read the notes, examined the potions nearby, then shook her head, “These go not together, High One. Her notes speak to a spell, with no potion needed. She was trying to create a spell from a potion, a spell to remove powers from another."

"Or, Healer, perhaps a spell to break a sleeping potion?"

The Healer stared at The High Queen for a moment, then nodded, “Of one placed in a deep sleep? From a potion? Perhaps. I see your thinking in this, and it could be so. But why would as such be important to her?"

San'lr'in’ looked at her for a moment in deep thought, but said nothing, as if in fear of the possible answer, “Examine the other notes, Healer, if you would. See if any of this fits together into something larger than we are presently seeing. Sle'nel', go through her journals to see if there is any sign of what she was thinking."

The High Queen looked around the room further, then left Sle'nel’ and The Healer to finish it, “Sister, come with Me. Ann'wn and Warrior Woman, you also. Let us look in her bedroom."

"What do we look for, Highness?"

"I know not. I just know that long prior, well prior to our lives, something was removed from The Realm. Something that is well needed but has gone missing all these many cycles."

"How long prior?"

"During The First High Queen's reign. Each High Queen has searched for it, and now it is My turn to do as such. I doubt it to be here, though, or they would have found it."

"I am helping searching, my Queen?"

The High Queen turned to Fon'elnn', “We can use your assistance, Master. Tell Me, what do you recall from your era that your High Queen did here?"

"This being The High Queen's Grandmother's dwelling, Highness?"

She nodded.

"She coming here without me, my Queen. I know not the reason. But it was rumoring that some long-lost powers also being hidden here."

"Interesting. I had not thought this remotely possible. Look around. Force Leader, have The First High Queen's sword brought to Me. I have need of it."

The dwelling was large, containing many rooms that were each filled with accumulations throughout untold cycles. The High Queen began in the Grandmother's main bedroom, while Fon'elnn’ began in another den-type of room filled with many more experiments and books. The late-eve passed without anyone finding anything of importance, with The High Queen feeling somewhat frustrated.

"It cannot be here. There is no other place she could have placed as such."

The High Queen was speaking to herself when Ann'wn came to her, “Your sword, my Queen."

"I think this a wasted effort, Force Leader, but I will attempt as such, anyway."

She held her sword out in front of her with her right hand, then sent a small spell to it with her left, making it to stand alone in mid-air, tip facing toward the ground. With both hands now free, she closed her eyes, moving her hands slightly as she chanted. Both Ann'wn and Sam watched, amazed as they saw the red stones begin to glow. Suddenly, the sword turned on its side, the tip now facing the far wall, as a red beam grew slowly from it, making its way across the room.

The High Queen opened her eyes and watched where the beam headed, intrigued in the possibility, “Follow it. It takes us somewhere, but I know not where. Look! Through the next room."

They entered into the next room and saw that the beam had gone through the wall and was now making its way across this room.

Ann'wn pointed, “It continues into the next room."

They opened another door and entered the room, but saw that the beam yet kept moving. Although there was no door, the beam continued slowly through the wall.

"There is something behind that wall, Force Leader. Find the entrance."

Only Meera and Ann'wn were with The High Queen, as Sam and the long-prior Master were now looking through the other rooms. They searched the wall for many moments, but saw nothing. Both Meera and Ann'wn began testing every section of the wall where the beam led them, yet found nothing. San'lr'in’ began feeling frustrated and turned away from the wall. As she did so, she saw a small wrinkle in the wall next to the one they had been examining.

"Of course. The door is hidden on a different wall. Force Leader. Warrior Woman. Examine this wall. See? There is a slight crease."

"Allow me to get more guards, my Queen?"

"No, Force Leader. Not at this moment."

Meera had begun to feel the wall, now seeing its small distortion, “There is something here. Force Leader. Help me. Use your knife and help me."

Using the tips of their knives, they followed the slight seam upward and downward, then to the sides. After a few moments, they cold see the outline of a door.

When it was done, Ann'wn used her knife to try to pry it open, “It will not open, Highness."

She moved her hands a little, using a spell to see if it would work. Nothing. She tried another one. Yet nothing. She suddenly smiled, “How stupid of Me."

She tried again, and the door opened inward, “I was using the wrong spell, thinking the door would open toward us."

Ann'wn peeked in, “I will get a torch."

"No need.” The High Queen brought her hands together in a cupped-shaped fashion, and called the ball of light to her. She then sent it into the room, where it grew until the hallway was well lit. They followed the long hallway for many moments, to its end, finding that at its end, it looked out onto an enormous cavern. They also saw that a stairway worked its long way down in spirals around the cavern's edges.

Meera's eyes were wide with wonder, “I have never seen such a place as this."

The High Queen laughed quietly, “Nor have I, Warrior Woman. I have never prior even heard of such a place as this. The First High Queen appears to have had quite a busy reign."

Ann'wn was also stunned, “This is amazing. I wonder how far down it goes."

Meera stood at the end of the hall's tunnel, leaning out from the stairway, dropping a small stone. When she heard its landing far below, she looked back to The High Queen, “A long way, it would seem, but it will be a most difficult journey on the return back up."

The High Queen looked over the stairway's ledge, “I wonder if there is another exit from down below."

She began the stairs, but Ann'wn halted her, “I must insist, my Queen. Please allow me to send a few warriors to ensure the safety of the stairs."

The High Queen nodded, knowing it was useless to argue. After seven guards had descended one full circle of the stairway, they began their descent down to the cavern's floor, The High Queen wondering what they would find. The guards lit the torches already set into the walls as they descended, and The High Queen examined the intermittent drawings on the walls of the cavern. She found it odd that the others hadn't seemed to notice the drawings. One very hard-to-see drawing showed a door knocker, but nothing else.