Children of the Sun and Moon by P. D. Stewart

CHAPTER FOUR

  During the next few days, everyone threw themselves into the festival planning. No one discussed Eric, and if brought up, you were expected to change the subject. Rumours had begun to spread throughout the town, but no one would openly discuss it. With it being the twins sixteenth birthday, as well as the Festival of the Moon, the town of Klayhern would be bursting with people. Already caravans of musicians and farmers were pouring in. The priests from the three temples were setting up booths to preach from and of course, directly across from the Temple of Ademorna tavern tents were going up. Koral smiled at the sight. The Temple of Ademorna hated taverns, so it had been a joke at many festivals to set up tents near their booths.

  Koral could not believe all of the sights and sounds. Off to the side Koral noticed a carriage and knew it would be carrying a noble from somewhere. If she were seen, she would have to escort them to the castle, as was custom. Quickly she darted down an alley, and ended up in the section of town, which held the actual temples for the three religions. As she approached the Temple of Allorethna, goddess of the moon, she thought of a part of the prophecy. “The twins of sun and moon” and her mood darkened. This was to be the Festival of the Moon, beginning of spring, their sixteenth birthday, and she had not heard a word from Eric.

  “Is something troubling you princess?” came a voice.

  Koral turned and saw Meechie, the head priest at the Temple of Allorethna. “You look as if you need to talk to someone.”

  Meechie was the only other person who knew the truth about the twins. The Temple of the Allorethna did not believe magic was evil. Being a religious temple put them somewhat outside the law, so they often harboured those with magical abilities. Magima Tower would never openly attack the temple, but it was an uneasy relationship. Meechie had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember.

  “Eric is gone, and no one knows where. How am I going to be able to do this on my own?”

  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.

&nb
sp; “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.”

  Gillock smiled. “Yes, it will. You know what needs to be done?”

  Korben smiled back. “Yes, it will be done.”

  Gillock, confident Korben would make the necessary arrangements, turned, and knocked on Koral’s door.

  The day was again beautiful but the sky told of rain to come and with it being spring this was definitely not unheard of. Koral loved this time of year. The flowers were starting to bloom, and she could not wait for the garden to be full and fragrant.

  “There are many things we can do to develop your magical abilities,” remarked Gillock to Koral, drawing her out of her reverie. “Today, we are going to stay in the garden and see what you can do.” Gillock walked to the centre of the garden, where the fountain
was. “This will be the perfect spot to do our first experiment.”

  Koral looked confused. “What am I supposed to do here?” she questioned.

  “Here we are going to develop your ability to manipulate water,” he responded.

  “You had said my strongest ability would have to do with water, but is it really so simple?” she asked.

  “It is manipulation of the space surrounding the water. It is quite easy really. You need to concentrate on creating a ball out of the water. See it forming in your mind, and then project that image onto the water.”

  Koral nodded, sighed, and prepared her mind. First, she concentrated on the water, blocking out everything around her. Then she created a picture of what some of the water would look like in the form of a ball. Once she had the image in her head, she sent her thoughts toward the water. At first, nothing happened, but then some of the water started to rise out of the fountain. Slowly at first, then more and more started to rise. Once it was out of the fountain it started to form into the shape of a ball. “Move it towards the flower bed,” came Gillock’s mental command. Slowly she moved it over to the flowerbed. “Let the water slowly drip down onto the flowers,” he commanded. Koral began to let the water drip from the ball, but this amount of concentration was beginning to take its toll on the princess. She could no longer maintain the shape and the water came splashing down. Exhausted, Koral sat down on the bench.

  “That was very tiring,” she remarked, breathless.

  “That was incredible,” Gillock declared.

  “Why?”

  “That's not an easy thing to do for someone who has never used their powers in this way before. Forming the ball is fairly difficult, but moving it over to the flower bed and releasing it slowly is extremely difficult indeed.”

  Koral looked at Gillock and laughed. “You told me it was an easy trick,” she exclaimed.

  Gillock smiled back. “If I had told you it was difficult you wouldn’t have succeeded.”

  Koral, still laughing, agreed.

  “So shall we try it again?” he asked.

  Koral took a deep breath, stood up, and nodded her agreement.

  The scrying pool clouded over and Elizanne sat back in her chair. The thought of so much power inside Koral frightened her. Gillock had stated Eric had natural abilities, so he needed to see what Koral was capable of doing. Elizanne had not expected Koral to be able to manipulate water without an amulet. Her daughter was not an average enchanter, which meant she was a perfect target for Malena at this stage, and the Magima. This was all so unnerving for her and today a guard had heard people in town were talking about Eric and rumours were spreading about where he really was. So many problems to solve, and no time to do it. There was obviously a spy in the palace, but she had no idea who it could be. They had so many town folk as staff and then the visiting dignitaries all had their entourages. It could be anyone. Then there was the general. With Koral’s magic growing Elizanne was worried. Too much would have her discovered. She decided it was time for her and Gillock to talk about what to do. Elizanne walked through the adjoining door leading to her bedroom and changed into woods clothes. Many things needed to be done.

  Elizanne walked into the garden, but many hours had passed and only Gillock was there. Gillock stood as she approached. “I have been waiting for you,” he stated when she was close. “You were watching your daughter practice. It must be disturbing to see the potential she has.”

  Elizanne looked at him sternly. “Too much time has passed. She is very dangerous at this stage. The general is here and although we cannot see any, there are Magima present. I also feel there is a spy in the palace. The entire town knows of Eric leaving. We must do something about this now!”

  Gillock nodded. “I’ve known of a spy for quite some time. I have some defences up so Malena and the Magima are unable to see what I’m doing. They will not be looking for spells of that kind. Anything more could let either know we suspect something. Right now, it’s in our best interests to let Malena think we don’t know she is watching, or that she has placed a spy in our midst. She has been waiting for this day, and she knows Koral and Eric must cross into the Void to accomplish their task. Malena wants out.” Gillock's voice was grim.

  “Tomorrow is the festival. We need to be on the lookout for something to go wrong,” she advised. “Koral must be watched.”

  “That will be my job,” stated Korben coming up from behind.

  Elizanne turned and smiled. “Always where I least expect you to be, Korben.”

  “Korben will watch her, your majesty,” said Gillock, turning their attention back to him. “Don’t worry about her. What we need to do is find Eric.”

  “That will be our first priority after the festival,” said Elizanne.

  “Not to change the subject, but there is someone here to see Gillock. He said he was a friend from a long time ago,” interrupted Korben.

  Gillock stood. “Thank you. I have been waiting for him to show himself.”

  Confused, Elizanne and Korben just nodded as he left. “With so many people staying at the palace at this time it is a wonder if the gods are present,” Elizanne remarked. Korben laughed and took his leave. Alone in the garden, Elizanne decided to go and finish what she had to do. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

  Gillock and Elizanne were not the only ones stunned by Koral’s abilities. Brin had been watching them in the garden from the shadows the entire time and was quite shocked at what she had seen. Her mother’s abilities were bad enough and now it appeared Gillock and Koral had these abilities as well. Things were getting quite out of hand but she had no idea what she was going to do. The anger within her was so intense it scared her and once she saw her mother leave, she headed up to her room. A good night’s rest would help clear her head. By morning she was sure she would have figured out what to do with the traitors in her family.

  The evening was filled with people doing last minute preparations. Rain had begun to fall, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Small cloudbursts were always expected. Koral was in awe at the way the nobles were acting. Demanding they be wakened before dawn to prepare for the day. It was amazing how many pages were needed this year, not to mention cooks and maids. It was obvious, this year the festival would be the largest ever. Gillock was even seen from time to time, and never without his companion.

  Koral had not seen the General all night, which was normal. He hated these gatherings, but she could not help but wonder if he suspected something. Koral was also worried about Brin. She had not seen her sister much today, and when she had, Brin had not said two words to her. Knowing tomorrow was going to be quite eventful, Koral decided it was best to just stay out of everyone’s way and get some sleep. Tomorrow she would find Brin and see if she wanted to flit about the festival with her. Maybe it would help get their relationship back on track.