The Hunting of the Princes Read online

  Taggie took a moment to gather some courage; for all her bravado in front of the others, the Karrak Lady still frightened her. ‘I’m not a Karrak, so no,’ she told Lady Dirikal, and lifted her hand, the charmsward bands sliding round. ‘Hanyal.’ The bright sunbeam bent in mid-air, leaving the cage in gloom. Taggie made herself walk over to the glass, steeling her face so she showed no fright. ‘Is that better?’

  Lady Dirikal hissed softly as her body stilled. ‘Do not think I will thank you, Abomination. I know what fate awaits me when the King comes next to visit. Though I expect there will be many such visits before he is done.’

  ‘Is that fate worse than that which Lords Golzoth and Jothran planned for me and my family?’ Taggie growled back.

  Lady Dirikal tossed her head back. ‘Grand Lord Amenamon was concerned at the rise of your power, Abomination. If I see him again, I will tell him not to worry, for you are as weak-minded as all humans. The power he fears is certainly less than that of your cursed aunt and her diabolical offspring.’

  ‘Thanks to you, Katrabeth tried to murder me. Was that your idea, to award the Invisible Lodge that contract?’

  Lady Dirikal turned back and opened her mouth so her silver-tipped teeth could grin mockingly. ‘It amused us.’

  ‘Why are you doing this? Why hunt down the heirs?’

  ‘To weaken you. The royals of the Realms are the residue of the mages from the First Times, the true protectors of the Realms. Without you, the Realms will fall, and we will claim them for our own.’

  Taggie shook her head slowly. ‘I don’t believe you.’

  Lady Dirikal snarled, lungeing forward – but the glass cage held her easily. The soldier gols didn’t even move.

  Taggie was pleased with herself for not flinching. ‘Oh, come off it,’ she said. ‘Upstairs in front of the Gathering you called that kind of antic “theatre”.’

  The soft laugh which came from the cage was a lot more disturbing than the snarling could ever be. ‘My mistake, Abomination. You do grow. Perhaps you will yet share your aunt’s desires and cunning.’

  ‘The Gathering voted King Manokol to become the new War Emperor. You know what that means, don’t you?’

  ‘It is the start of the war which has been inevitable since Rothgarnal. Before too long, there will be a battle so loud that it will be heard among the very stars of this accursed universe. A battle from which there will only be one victor.’ Lady Dirikal’s voice softened to convey worry and sympathy. ‘Which side would you like to be on, Queen of Dreams? Grand Lord Amenamon always welcomes allies. Are you not sworn to protect the gentle folk of the First Realm? What if that partnership was the way you could guarantee their lives?’

  ‘Will you do that?’ a worried Lantic asked.

  ‘No, of course not,’ Taggie said irritably. She’d encountered that treacherous compulsion of the Karraks once before, the way they could subtly enchant their voices to make everything sound so reasonable and appealing. Lantic clearly hadn’t.

  She gave Lady Dirikal a shrewd look. ‘That’s twice today you’ve told me I’m going to die. You’re very confident, my lady. Why is that? I’m beginning to think your Grand Lord sent those assassins just to provoke this war.’

  ‘Believe what you wish, Abomination. It is no concern of mine.’

  ‘I defeated your brethren before.’

  ‘You were lucky before. Our soldiers will obliterate your armies.’

  ‘Really?’ Taggie asked. ‘You fight against this universe because it is wrong for you. I know this, because I saw the changes you tried to make in the First Realm. You wanted to make it a place that doesn’t constantly torment you. Why don’t you forget war and go home to the Dark Universe? Why must you always attack the life we have built for ourselves?’

  Lady Dirikal tilted her head to one side, the empty darkness within her eyes regarding Taggie with puzzlement. ‘You know we cannot return. Mirlyn’s Gate was lost after the Battle of Rothgarnal. That is the only way to pass between the universes. We can never go home.’

  ‘I heard the legend,’ Taggie said thoughtfully, trying to recall Mr Anatole’s words. ‘That the Grand Lord and the War Emperor declared a truce and together hid Mirlyn’s Gate.’

  ‘So you claim,’ Lady Dirikal said. ‘Our story of that day is different. After the pain and loss of the battle, our Grand Lord destroyed the Great Gateways that led to Rothgarnal so such a conflict could not be repeated, and in return the War Emperor agreed never to return to the Fourth Realm. After that the Grand Lord and the War Emperor united their powers to cast binding enchantments across Mirlyn’s Gate. Both sides were terrified by the prospect of a full-scale invasion through Mirlyn’s Gate, and sought to protect their home universe by closing it, thereby sacrificing all those who had already passed through to live in a place where they can never truly belong. After that, after the accord, your War Emperor murdered our Grand Lord.’

  ‘Why would he do that?’ Taggie asked.

  ‘Because your kind are always treacherous and can never be trusted.’

  ‘If the War Emperor didn’t return from hiding Mirlyn’s Gate, which we both agree on, isn’t it more likely he was murdered by your Grand Lord?’ Lantic said.

  ‘Lantic,’ Taggie said in annoyance. ‘Not helping.’ She was starting to regret the courage enchantment. The Lantic of yesterday would never have challenged a Karrak Lady.

  ‘It matters not, now,’ Lady Dirikal said softly. ‘Mirlyn’s Gate is lost.’

  ‘But instead of fighting, why doesn’t everybody concentrate on finding Mirlyn’s Gate instead?’ Taggie asked earnestly. ‘Wouldn’t that be better? You know our side will never invade the Dark Universe – those days are gone. You could go home knowing you were safe.’

  ‘You have no understanding of such matters. A Grand Lord and a War Emperor bound Mirlyn’s Gate. Only a Grand Lord and a War Emperor can unbind it.’

  ‘But if I can bring them Mirlyn’s Gate they’d at least have to consider it, wouldn’t they?’

  Lady Dirikal shrank back from the wall of the cage. ‘I adore your weakness, Abomination, for it will ultimately destroy you. It is matched only by Colgath.’

  ‘Colgath? Who is he? I heard Golzoth and Jothran mention him.’

  ‘Lord Colgath is the younger brother of Grand Lord Amenamon. A disgrace and a traitor. Nobody, no matter how high-born, should challenge the Grand Lord as he did. His rabble-rousing of the weak and the troublemakers among us condemned him to a life in jail. And for a Karrak that is a long time indeed.’

  ‘So you don’t all share the same view?’

  ‘We do. He is insane. He turned away from our struggle against your kind, against this universe. A fool and a coward, he brings dishonour to all the Karraks, doubly so because he is Amenamon’s blood.’

  ‘If one of you can think conflict is pointless, so can others,’ Taggie said with a note of defiance.

  ‘You are mistaken. War is coming.’

  ‘I’m going to find Mirlyn’s Gate,’ Taggie said softly. She could feel the excitement firing her blood. A determined smile spread across her face, for it was the answer to everything. ‘I’m going to offer your people a way home. I am.’

  Lady Dirikal stood to her full height, glowering down at Taggie. ‘You sad and pathetic Abomination. Do you really think you can defy both our ancestors who were at the height of their powers when the fate of Mirlyn’s Gate’s was decided? It is lost forever.’

  ‘Times change. That old War Emperor and the Grand Lord – they don’t have the right to decide how we live today. We’re the only ones who can do that. So I’m telling you now: I am going to find Mirlyn’s Gate, and when I do, you will either go back through it freely, or we will expel you with all the force we have; I’ll even help the War Emperor to make you go.’

  Lady Dirikal’s teeth extended to their full predatory length. ‘Karraks do not wager,’ she said. ‘But if we did, I would gamble all I own on your impending doom.’

  TAKING FLIGHT
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br />   Dusk was closing on Shatha’hal as Taggie left Lady Dirikal’s cell. ‘I need to think,’ she told her friends abruptly, and headed up to the vast open roof of the upside-down pyramid. Her resolve was strengthened by knowing that the Gathering was preparing to anoint King Manokol as the War Emperor. Hopefully, everyone would be concentrating on that, so she would be able to sneak off without being noticed.

  They joined the hundreds of Shatha’hal’s residents who were strolling about through the palm trees and lingering by the fountains, taking advantage of the balmy evening. Stars were coming out across the cloudless sky, much brighter than those found in the Outer Realm. And two moons hung above the western horizon, one a ruddy red, the other a silver blue.

  ‘They’re beautiful,’ Jemima said wistfully.

  ‘Yes, they are,’ Taggie agreed. She turned to face the gentle wind that was blowing in from the sea. There was just the faintest trace of salt in the air. She called the Adrap spellform into her mind. It was difficult, as always, but she concentrated hard, blocking out the chatter of her friends. And the spellform held true.

  Now for the difficult part. She recalled the huge eagle soaring above the road outside Stamford; clicked her fingers. The memory and the spellform combined easily, and she felt the change begin across her body.

  ‘Majesty?’ Felix’s voice was raised in alarm as magic swirled around her. But she held on to the clear memory of the eagle, which promptly curved round and flung a death spell at her.

  The spellform broke as she instinctively ducked, trying to banish her recollection. ‘Oww.’ Tendrils of magic whipped out from her limbs. I might have known even a memory of Katrabeth would ruin things!

  ‘Taggie!’ Jemima was standing in front of her, hands on hips, chestnut hair hanging forward as she frowned. ‘Were you trying to shapeshift into a bird?’

  ‘Are you leaving us?’ Lantic asked in dismay. ‘Is this part of your search?’

  ‘Search?’ Sophie asked. ‘What search? What did Lady Dirikal say?’

  ‘Taggie is going to search for Mirlyn’s Gate,’ Lantic told them as he stared levelly at Taggie. ‘That’s what she decided after talking to Lady Dirikal.’

  Taggie gritted her teeth. Never again would she give Lantic courage!

  ‘Mirlyn’s Gate?’ Felix exclaimed loudly. The fur all over his body had fluffed out with indignation.

  ‘And you were going to do it without us?’ Sophie asked, appalled. ‘But, Taggie, we’re your friends!’

  ‘Majesty, you cannot attempt to find Mirlyn’s Gate on your own,’ Felix said.

  ‘I was just trying the shapeshift spell,’ Taggie said sullenly. ‘It’d help us a lot if I could manage it, that’s all.’ She cringed from the four sets of eyes that were staring at her in disappointment. Thankfully it was dark, so they couldn’t see the blush which shame had brought to her cheeks.

  ‘Jemima, where’s Mirlyn’s Gate?’ she asked abruptly.

  ‘I don’t know!’

  ‘Ah well, worth a try.’ She’d found Jemima’s instinct was the strongest part of her ability: if she started thinking about things, the vision often wavered.

  ‘Majesty.’ Felix couldn’t keep his head still; he was trying to keep a constant watch on the entire roof. ‘This is not the place to talk of such things.’

  ‘All right,’ Taggie agreed.

  So they all trooped back down the stairs into the palace. Lantic led them back to his chamber. ‘You really shouldn’t have tried to go off by yourself,’ he scolded after the door closed behind them.

  ‘I wasn’t,’ Taggie said sulkily. ‘It was just a trial, that’s all.’ She couldn’t bring herself to look at her friends.

  ‘Ha!’ Sophie snorted. ‘If you can’t even shapeshift to fly out of here, then you’re definitely going to need our help.’

  ‘And protection,’ Felix said, his tail held stiff. ‘Which is what I’m trained for.’

  ‘I thought you’d want this war more than all of us,’ Taggie said to the white squirrel. ‘King Manokol promises to liberate the Fourth Realm.’

  ‘But at what price?’ Felix asked softly. ‘No, I believe your way should be given a chance.’

  Jemima’s smile was pure defiance. ‘Are you going to try and talk me out of it?’

  Taggie hugged her. ‘No. I wouldn’t dream of it.’

  ‘So do you have a plan?’ Lantic asked. ‘I’ve never been on a quest before, but I know you always need a plan.’

  ‘It’s not a quest,’ Taggie said kindly. ‘It’s a . . . a . . .’

  ‘A desperation,’ Sophie declared.

  They all laughed.

  ‘I do have some ideas,’ Taggie said.

  ‘Go on,’ Sophie said encouragingly.

  ‘Lady Dirikal said that after Rothgarnal the Grand Lord and the War Emperor united to bind Mirlyn’s Gate. So clearly, it’s going to take a Karrak Lord’s help if I’m going to unbind it.’

  ‘Uh-oh,’ Felix said, his whiskers twitching.

  ‘You mean Lord Colgath, don’t you?’ Lantic said in amazement.

  ‘Yes,’ Taggie said. ‘He’s the only one of them we know who seems to be opposed to this conflict. At this point, he’s our best shot.’

  ‘You can’t be serious.’

  ‘Taggie’s always serious,’ Sophie said with a grin. Her wings were starting to flap slowly at the prospect.

  ‘But we haven’t got Mirlyn’s Gate!’ Lantic protested.

  ‘There’s no point in searching for it until Lord Colgath agrees to come with us,’ Taggie said reasonably. ‘Once we have him on our side we can start a proper search for it.’

  ‘But we don’t know where he is, either,’ Lantic said.

  ‘Not exactly, no,’ Taggie agreed, beginning to wish he wasn’t quite so forceful arguing against her. ‘But we do know he’s somewhere in the Fourth Realm.’

  ‘In prison!’ Lantic cried.

  ‘If he’s in a prison in the Fourth Realm, how’s he going to help us?’ a puzzled Jemima asked.

  ‘Simple,’ Taggie said. ‘We have to break him out.’ She smiled at the circle of astonished faces around her. ‘Still want to help me?’

  ‘I’ve got a lot of things here that would be useful,’ Lantic said, staring round his chamber. ‘The olobikes . . .’

  ‘They’re a bit big to be carrying with us,’ Taggie pointed out. She welcomed his enthusiasm, and didn’t want to slap down every idea he had, but really . . .

  ‘You think so?’ Lantic asked delightedly. He wheeled the first olobike over to a big cabinet, and shoved it inside. Several of his rings started to glow as he traced his fingers over the silver runes on the door. ‘Kasalrath walax coramuth sevol.’

  Taggie was expecting the cabinet with its silver filigree to flash and flare with magical light. Instead, the silver darkened, then became blacker still, sucking light out of the air around the cabinet. Lantic waited until the silver regained its lustre, then opened the door.

  ‘Where’s the olobike gone?’ Sophie asked.

  ‘Look down,’ Taggie told her. She’d recognized some of the enchantment, which was similar to the reduction spell in her charmsward. But she had to admit the whole magician’s cabinet drama made it look a lot more impressive than when she cast one.

  ‘Oh,’ Sophie exclaimed. ‘You’ve shrunk it.’ She bent down and picked up the olobike which now fitted in the palm of her hand. ‘That’s so clever.’

  ‘Do you have any weapons in here?’ Felix asked.

  ‘That coil of rope might come in useful,’ Taggie suggested.

  ‘Seespy birds.’

  They spent the next fifteen minutes putting various items in the shrinking cabinet. Lantic finished up with a bulging satchel that he proudly strapped shut. ‘Now what?’ he asked in excitement.

  ‘We have to get back to the First Realm,’ Taggie said. ‘We’ll need somewhere to prepare without interference. Somehow I don’t think the new War Emperor will welcome me trying to bring about a different resolution to this
.’ And I know Queen Judith won’t, she added silently.

  ‘Shame we don’t have a submarine,’ Jemima said.

  ‘Can you fly me to the Great Gateway?’ Taggie asked Sophie.

  ‘Sorry, no way,’ Sophie said. ‘I could probably lower you to the ground from this height, but you’re too heavy to carry any real distance.’ She shouldered the repeat-fire crossbow she’d bought in the city. ‘Perhaps you can buy passage on a ship? You’re the Queen of Dreams, you could buy a whole ship to take you home.’

  ‘That wouldn’t work,’ Lantic said. ‘The King’s Air Cavalry would catch you before you cleared the city canals. Their pegasi are swift . . . Oh!’

  ‘Could a pegasi reach Harrolas?’ Taggie asked.

  ‘Of course.’ He grinned. ‘And they are kept in the palace stables.’

  She returned the grin. ‘And you are a prince of the Second Realm. You can go anywhere at any time.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, sounding surprised. ‘Yes I can, can’t I?’

  ‘I thought these were fancy pavilions,’ Jemima said as they headed across the roof of the pyramid towards an ornate white building with wooden lattice walls. The sky had become brighter than the first time she’d ventured out on the roof. It was the moons which caused it, rising almost to the zenith to throw out a bright radiance which cast eerie double shadows of slightly different colours.

  ‘No, these are the royal stables,’ Lantic said. ‘The King’s Air Cavalry have been stationed here since Shatha’hal was built.’

  A lone palace guard was on duty outside the stable gates – a giant with a spear the size of a small tree. ‘Prince Lantic?’ he said in a loud and baffled voice as he looked down at them. ‘And the Queen of Dreams!’ – spoken with delight.

  Taggie looked up to give him her most welcoming smile. The charmsward bands aligned for an enchantment that would help him agree to them going inside. Not courage! Perhaps her grandmother’s sleeping enchantment? But someone might see a snoozing guard and raise the alarm.