The Amber Crown, page 2
Inanna raised her head and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffing loudly. “Jem!” she said mournfully. “My amber’s gone. It’s gone! And after I mastered it, too!”
Cat made an exasperated noise. “Yes – well mine’s gone too, in case you hadn’t noticed. And so has my brother! Disappeared! And we don’t know where he is, or who might have taken him!”
Her voice was gradually getting higher and more hysterical, and she looked as if she might just punch Inanna on her royal nose.
“All right, all right, calm down,” said Albert sternly. “Jem, go and look in the garden and round the house, see if you can find anything. Dora, go with him, he looks half asleep. Cat, check in every room upstairs. And, Inanna –” he pointed to the large teapot on the kitchen table and handed her some mugs – “pour us all a nice mug of tea. Twelve sugars for me. It helps me think.”
Dora steered Jem to the back door and they slipped into the garden, just as Florence and the Druid came into the kitchen. Dora could hear the Druid’s urgent questions and Albert’s calm voice explaining what had happened. Quietly she closed the door behind them and took a careful look around.
It was early – the sky was pale, the trees like inky shadows at the edges of the garden. There was dew on the grass, and a fresh, cool smell. Gradually Dora let her senses expand outwards, across the garden, around the house. Finally she relaxed. There wasn’t the slightest hint of magic nearby. There were no black crow feathers on the grass. She couldn’t feel even the edge of a shadow of Smith and Jones’s presence.
Jem strode across the lawn and peered at the trees, looking up into the branches as if he half expected Simon to be perched there amongst the leaves. Then he examined the back wall intently.
“Umm… what are you doing?” said Dora.
Jem turned to her with a glazed expression in his green eyes. “Looking. For Simon. Or clues. Or whatever we’re supposed to be doing.”
“Jem!” said Dora, and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Concentrate!” She directed a very small awakening spell at him and the glazed expression lifted from his face like early morning mist.
“Dora!” he said. “Did someone say both pieces of amber were gone? And Simon?”
The cellars of the palace were cool and dimly lit. Lord Ravenglass strode ahead, the box containing the two amber jewels held firmly under his arm. Simon followed, hands in his pockets, stroking Frizzle’s ruffled feathers. He couldn’t shake off a sense that he was doing something terribly wrong and betraying everyone back home in Wemworthy. But they wouldn’t understand, he told himself fiercely. He had to help rescue Dad, whatever it took. Cat and Mum had been tricked. They thought the forest agents were on their side, but they weren’t. It was the forest agents that had betrayed Dad in the first place. Only Ravenglass had stayed true. Only Ravenglass had stuck by Dad.
Simon found himself going over these thoughts again and again, round and round in circles. But however many times he repeated them, they still somehow felt wrong.
He and Ravenglass were at the spiral staircase now, and a blueish white light was seeping up the stairwell, illuminating the way down. Simon could almost feel the cold of his dad’s icy prison. Ravenglass turned and smiled at him, his white teeth gleaming in his handsome face.
“Ready, Simon? Your father will be so pleased to see you again!”
Simon nodded, and found his hand on the hilt of his sword. He remembered the sword training he’d done with Lord Ravenglass just yesterday down in these same cellars – thrust and parry and thrust, with Dad looking on, encouraging and proud, from the cave where he’d been trapped all those years ago. Simon straightened his shoulders and made his way down the stairs.
“We have the amber!” announced Lord Ravenglass as he approached the invisible barrier that divided the cellar from Gwyn’s world. “Simon has brought us both pieces.” His voice was dripping with satisfaction, the box held out with a flourish.
Standing at the barrier was a gaunt figure with startling blue eyes. His clothes were worn thin, his skin blemished with sores where he was manacled to silver chains that stretched out behind him to a dark cave. A mountain of ice loomed above the cave, and all around was a vast expanse of ice and snow. Yet despite his ragged clothes, the man was not shivering. There was a sense of power in his movements, the strength and grace of an animal. His gaze flicked from the box to Simon.
“You came back then,” he said, his voice hoarse, rasping, as if it was rarely used.
“I brought the amber,” said Simon. “Both pieces. They’re in the box.”
“Open it,” commanded the man, his expression intent, almost feverish.
Lord Ravenglass placed the box on the floor. Then he gestured at it with a flick of his fingers and said the words of the opening spell. The strange triangular symbols on the box glowed, and immediately a sheet of bright flames rose up around it. They were extinguished rapidly as the box became covered in a layer of frost, and then finally a small hurricane appeared out of nowhere, blowing Simon’s hair back from his face as the box opened. Inside were the two amber stones, the dark orange-brown teardrop with its bronze clasp of leaves, and the dazzling yellow-orange fire amber, its gold chain and ornate clasp gleaming in the reflected light of the two jewels.
The man behind the barrier breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he opened them and smiled – and Simon felt his stomach clench. It was not a nice smile. It was hungry, crooked, and it made him look like a different person. Then, like a passing shadow, the expression was gone, and the man was his father again. He grinned at Simon and pressed his hand up against the wall of solid air that separated them.
“Well done, Simon,” he said. “Well done. We’re nearly there!”
Simon reached out and pressed his hand opposite his father’s, but the barrier held them firmly apart. It was only a few centimetres, but it might as well have been a thousand miles. Simon longed to be able to push his way through, to feel his dad’s arms around him, to feel warm and safe and glad that he had done the right thing. Instead, he just felt hollow, and the tight knot of tension in his stomach stubbornly refused to dissolve.
Lord Ravenglass came up behind him and rested his hand on Simon’s shoulder. “Yes, well done, young man. Two bits of amber. And the sword!”
“The sword?” said Simon, putting his hand on the hilt. “Do you need that too?”
Gwyn nodded, his gaze intent. “The sword will be exceedingly useful – but so will you, Simon. We need you to wield it.”
Simon frowned. “But Lord Ravenglass is a better swordsman. Why me?”
“You are descended in an unbroken line from Bruni’s youngest son. That’s to say –” Gwyn laughed, and exchanged glances with Lord Ravenglass – “I am descended from Bruni’s son. So of course, you are, too. Unfortunately, Ravenglass here, dear as he is to me, is related to Bruni through his mother – the queen’s sister. He can’t wield the full power of the sword.”
Simon felt his uncertainty dissolve in a burst of pride. The sword was special, he’d always felt that – and now it was clear that it was meant to be his, it had always been meant for him. No one else could use its full power.
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll do whatever needs doing.”
“Good,” said Gwyn. “I knew I could rely on you.” He glanced across at Ravenglass, and gave him the slightest nod. “We will need you at the making. But first – we need you to help us get the sky amber.”
“How?” said Simon. “What do I have to do?”
“We need to get the amber from the queen,” said Lord Ravenglass, his mouth twisting with dislike. “And we need to do it soon, in case the forest agents get to her, warn her we have you and the other pieces of amber. Queen Igraine might be a bit old and deaf but she’s not an idiot. And she’s a formidable magic user. Much stronger than I am. Even with two pieces of amber, I can’t stand against her. But the sword – Bruni’s sword, wielded by a direct heir – can be used to defend us against her magic.”
Gwyn leaned forward against the barrier, his eyes boring into Simon’s, his expression intent. “With the sword to protect him, Ravenglass will be immune to her spells. He can force her to give up the amber to him. So we need you, Simon. We need you to learn how to use the sword to stop magic. Can you do that?”
Simon met his dad’s gaze. “I’ll do my best,” he said.
Gwyn relaxed, and smiled, and Simon smiled back. He was going to do it. He was going to save his dad. Mum and Cat were going to be so amazed when they found out he’d been right all along. Gwyn would be free, and they would all be together again. A proper family.
Dora and Jem slipped back into the kitchen just as Sir Bedwyr stumbled in from the living room, his black hair sticking out in all directions. He was followed by the ghostly figure of Great-Aunt Irene. The others were all seated at the kitchen table and Cat had her head in her hands.
“He came in,” she was saying, as Dora took the empty chair next to her. “I thought it was a dream – I must have been half asleep. But I can remember Simon bending over me and… I think he must have been pulling the chain off my neck.” She raised her head, her expression bewildered. “He must have taken it. He must have taken both of them. But why…?”
Albert Jemmet was tapping his teeth thoughtfully with a wooden toothpick. “Spell,” he said heavily. “We should have guessed. Ravenglass must have realised he’d broken the previous enchantment and put another one on him – one that activated last night. He’ll have gone to the kingdom. Taken both pieces with him.”
“Unless…” said Florence in a small voice. “Unless he really believed it all along. That it is his dad in there. In that ice cave.”
Albert shook his head. “No. I talked to him, when I found him in the palace. He’d nearly shaken off that spell of Ravenglass’s already. When I got to him it was just rags and tatters.”
A tear ran down Florence’s face. “I should have told them about their dad all along. About the magic and the kingdom. I should have been honest with them. Maybe all this would never have happened.”
Cat got up to give her mum a hug, and they clung to each other for a while. “It’s my fault, too,” said Cat. “If I’d woken up properly I could have stopped him.”
Sir Bedwyr, who’d appeared a little confused up till then, gave Cat a deep bow and put his hand firmly on his sword hilt. “My lady. If there is anything I can do to remedy your distress. Any enemies I can smite. Just say the word.”
Cat looked over at the handsome knight, with his earnest face, and found the corner of her mouth twitching. “Thank you, Sir Bedwyr,” she said, with an attempt at a curtsey. “But I’m not sure what you can do just now.”
“That,” said Great-Aunt Irene, rapping her silvery cane on the table, “is precisely what we are here to decide. There’s no point worrying about who’s to blame. It seems to me it’s Ravenglass that’s to blame and that’s an end of it. What’s important now is what we do about it.”
“Quite so,” said the Druid, and gestured to Sir Bedwyr to sit down. “We need to make plans.”
“I’m going to get Simon,” said Cat, lifting her chin. “And it’s no good looking at me like that, Mum. I’ve been there – I know the palace. I can sneak in and find him, I’m sure. I have to do something! He’s in terrible danger!”
Florence pressed her lips together. “You’re not going, Cat,” she said. “I’m not risking both of you. If anyone’s going to go and get Simon, it’s going to be me.”
Cat gaped at her mother.
“You?” she said. “But, Mum – you can’t! It’s… it’s another world. It’s got magic and…”
Florence looked at her sternly. “Cat – I was married to your dad for fifteen years. To say nothing of putting up with Lou for most of that time and beyond. I do know a little bit about magic. And as it happens, I know the Royal City quite well. I’m not sitting here at home while Simon’s in the kingdom, being lied to by that foul… Thinking his dad…” She stopped, and took a deep breath. “I’m going to get him and bring him home.”
The Druid hesitated, and then nodded. “I think I agree,” he said. “Florence should go.”
“Then I’m going with her!” said Cat. “You can’t leave me behind. I have to go!”
Druid shook his head. “We need you here, Cat. You and Iannna. We have to get Simon, but we also have to go to the Adamantine Sea. We have to find the sea amber – and for that, we have to have an heir. Someone who can sense it, and control it. You need to be here, learning that control, ready to go as soon as we’ve located the right place.”
“Indeed,” said Great-Aunt Irene. “It’s no good rescuing Simon if we let Ravenglass get the last piece of amber. If he remakes the crown, then he destroys all the worlds of light. No one will be rescuing anyone if that happens.”
“He what?” said Cat, shocked. “I thought… Well, I mean, I know he’ll release Lukos, but…” Her voice trailed away.
Albert Jemmet looked around the table and sighed. “I’m afraid it’s true,” he said. “Lukos’s prison is made from slivers of all worlds and all times. To break it open, the boundaries of those worlds will have to be dissolved. It will be chaos – the energy flows will cause hurricanes, tidal waves, whole countries slipping between worlds, times getting tangled up. The Tree will almost certainly split into fragments. Most people alive in those worlds will die – a few will find themselves in the only place that remains. A realm ruled by the dark.”
There was silence round the table.
“But it’s not going to happen,” said Albert at last. “Because we’re going to stop him. And that –” he pointed his toothpick at Cat – “is why you have to stay here and practise your magic.”
“He’s right,” said the Druid. “But it’s also true that Florence can’t go on her own. So – I’ll go with her.”
Albert coughed. “You’re in no state to go anywhere, Lou,” he said. “Broken wrist. Nasty stab wound to the chest. Not sure you could conjure so much as a sugar bowl right now.”
The Druid frowned and waggled the fingers of his left hand where they emerged from the bandages. “The wrist’s healing nicely. I’ve got very strong bones. And I feel fine.” He flicked his fingers at the kitchen table. Then he flicked them again. He focused, moved his hand more slowly over the table and muttered the words of a spell. Nothing happened.
Albert picked up his mug and took a noisy slurp of tea. “I rest my case,” he said, and the Druid rubbed his chin, and laughed.
“OK,” he said. “You’re right. I’m not entirely myself. But I know the kingdom and I know Lukos. Florence needs someone with her who’s not walking into the situation blind.”
“I’ll go with her,” said Albert. “And while we’re at it, we need to get the queen. Ravenglass has two pieces of deep amber now. He’s still not a match for the queen, but it’s too close to risk it. We have to remove her and the sky amber before he can take it from her.”
The Druid nodded, but his brown eyes were anxious as he turned back to Florence. “You’ll be careful?” he said. “Ravenglass is very powerful. And Lukos can’t do magic through that barrier, but he’s still dangerous. He can influence people… in all sorts of ways.”
“Don’t worry, Lou,” said Florence grimly. “I won’t let him trick me into thinking he’s Gwyn.” She looked at him meaningfully. “Or anyone else I care for.”
The Druid coloured, and Albert pushed his chair back and stood up.
“Well, no time like the present,” he said, patting his pockets and extracting a small metal doorknob. He held it up to show them. “This will take us to the forest’s city agent. He’s got a nice out-of-the-way attic room in the western quarter. From there we can find out what’s happening, scope out the best way into the palace.” He turned to the Druid. “But before I go… you might find these useful.” He pulled a key out of another of his pockets and threw it into a bowl on the kitchen table. “Key to my lock-up,” he said to the Druid. “Lots of useful items there.” Then he fished a golden-orange leaf out of another one of his overall pockets and flourished it. “And my pass. Straight to the heart of the forest.”
“That takes you to the Great Forest?” said Jem, looking awed. “Does every agent get one?”
Albert twirled it between his fingers. “Indeed they do, young Jem. But not until they’ve earned it. So I’ll be giving this one to the Druid, for safe keeping.”
Dora could see from Jem’s expression that his long-held ambition to be a knight was struggling with a new desire to be a forest agent. She bit her lip. It seemed such a slim chance that they could still stop Ravenglass – get the sea amber before he or the crow men got there, and get the queen and the sky amber out of the palace. But if they failed, the chances of Jem surviving to be either a knight or a forest agent were pretty low.
Albert held out the metal doorknob and said the words of the portal spell. A swirling area of white mist formed in the middle of the kitchen.
“Florence?” he said, and she stood up.
Cat threw her arms round her mum’s neck and hugged her tight. “Good luck,” she whispered. “Find Simon. Make sure he’s all right.”
Florence smiled, and hugged her back.
“Look after Cat,” she said sternly to the Druid, and then gestured at the others round the table. “Keep them all safe.”
She took a last look around the kitchen and then walked into the misty portal with Albert striding firmly after her. Behind them, the mist popped out of existence.
There was a moment’s silence in the kitchen. Then the Druid ran his hands through his messy black hair and stood up.
“I promised I’d keep you safe,” he said, looking round at them all. “But the best way of doing that is making sure Ravenglass doesn’t get the last piece of amber. Cat and Inanna, you have to learn to send your magic out to objects if you’re going to be able to find the sea amber. And then you have to get to the Adamantine Sea before Smith and Jones do. It might be our only chance of stopping Ravenglass from remaking the crown.”
