Chapter 26
A First Encounter
Upon reaching the living quarters, The Prince and Oacma went to their own rooms to change and carry on with their day.
After checking the progress Nuala and Sciana were making with the more mundane household concerns, he headed for Naeva's room. As he expected, she was there with Ecris. Oacma had rejoined them here too, as he had already checked on his new lookouts, making sure they were all happy and ready for their duties.
Nuada had knocked and been admitted by Ecris and after the usual bows, Nuada had been offered a chair, but declined for the time being, preferring instead to join Oacma in standing beside the fire.
After he and Oacma had recounted their good fortune with the weapons cache, they determined that it should become one of their greater priorities to find those who could be trained to use them, and the list Ecris was to compile was becoming a very important part of their preparations.
Having concluded this discussion, it was time to get to more delicate matters, namely Naeva's history. Nuada knew virtually nothing of his new Mage's past, but if they were to learn to trust one another completely and to work together as well as they possibly could, they needed to have no gaps in their knowledge of one another.
Nuada was first to broach the subject.
'Naeva, if you are feeling well enough, I would be grateful if you could tell me about yourself and how you came to us. I have a feeling there is much to tell.' He watched her reactions carefully as he spoke, to get a measure of how much the past was influencing her now.
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard as he brought the matter up, obviously dreading talking about it. But it had to be done. Ecris reached over and laid a hand on hers, trying to give her a little support, and she turned and gave him a grateful smile in return.
'Yes, Sire,' she began. 'I am well enough.' She closed her eyes for a moment so she could gather her thoughts…Then she began.
'Sense dictates that I should start at the very beginning. When I was fifteen, my parents died in an accident and I was taken to a children's home, having no other family to take me in. I lived there for nearly a year, but after having problems there, I ran away. I lived on the streets for a long time, eventually making some friends, and we lived in a squat for a few months, until we were evicted.'
'So,' though Nuada, 'she was in essence in exile too.' He found this rather poignant.
'While we were there I made friends with one of the newer girls who had joined us not long before we had to leave. She said she knew someone who may be able to help, but only she and myself, as there would not be room for all of us. She wanted to help me because I had helped her a lot. I took it at face value as an offer from a friend. I wish now I had not been so naïve and had looked deeper into her offer.'
Nuada knew of some of the 'offers of help' that were given to girls, and boys, of her age who lived like this. Why, he thought to himself, do humans have to corrupt the innocents who are vulnerable, instead of giving them the help and protection they needed. He had never come to understand this, despite having seen the dregs of humanity behave in this way since he was first in exile.
'She took me along to a very high-class nightclub and casino in the centre of the city, though we went in through the back, away from the public areas. I was given some food and clean clothes to wear, then introduced to a man who called himself Wilson. He said he would take me to see the person he was working for the next day, but I was to stay there that night, with the girl who had brought me. Because she was staying too, I thought it would all be alright. I was wrong.' She blinked a few times and Nuada could see that tears were beginning to well.
'We were taken to a room which held a couple of beds. It was basic, but far better than I had been used to for quite some time, and so we got into bed and chatted for a while. She seemed to know a lot about the place and people, so I was surprised she did not stay with them all the time instead of living with others like myself in dank conditions that even rats would consider 'roughing it'. She sighed heavily. 'How truly naïve I was. I should have trusted my own instinct that something was amiss. I may have been able to leave during the night…'
Nuada could tell she was angry at herself for not seeing the signs of trouble to come, but as he knew his uncle was probably involved in it, he could not see how she would have simply walked out of there. She regained her composure and continued…
'However, I did not. After talking for a while, we eventually went to sleep. I awoke in the night, and could hear the noise coming from downstairs in the club. The night's entertainment was in full swing. I needed the bathroom, so I walked down a corridor or two until I came to the top of some stairs.
As I was about to go down them, I spotted someone coming out of one of the rooms I had already passed. They looked strange to me in the shadows and as far as I could see, it was someone in costume, wearing a cloak with its hood up. I thought it was someone from downstairs, assuming there was a party of revellers in fancy dress, so I called down the corridor to them, saying I was lost and asked if they could help me. But they just stopped and turned to look at me. I could not see their face because it was too dim and the hood covered them well.
After a second they went back into the room. I was going to go and try to speak to them again, thinking they had simply not heard me, but the girl had realized I was missing and had come to fetch me. She was trying to pull me away, but I told her what had happened. She looked terrified and pulled me even harder, but before we could leave, Wilson came out and asked her what was going on, and said that I was supposed to have been locked in my room before being taken with the 'other girls'. Apparently there were good customers waiting for us. I now know, of course, that they were taking homeless girls off the streets to work for them as 'escorts', though that is far too nice a description of what they were making them do. In one way, it appears I had a very lucky escape...' She smiled ironically at this, knowing that it was more a case of 'out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire' in reality.
'She said she was sorry, and that it would never happen again, but I heard a voice coming from the room, telling Wilson to bring us in. I was not sure what was going on and wanted to leave, but the girl shoved me forward and produced a knife. I was not stupid enough to argue with her, so I started walking. As I turned the corner and entered, the person I had seen was standing in there, still cloaked but the hood was now down….'
She began to tremble, and Ecris squeezed her hand to try to comfort her. She placed her other hand atop his and gave him a weak smile of thanks in return.
Nuada was no mind reader, but knew who it must be, due to Naeva's reaction. 'It was my uncle,' he said quietly, his golden eyes watching as a tear slipped from her lower lashes and fell, causing a darker spot to appear on the red silk of her gown. She nodded and impatiently wiped her cheek with her hand, annoyed at herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her, and determinedly continued…
'Yes, Sire. It was. I began to see he was not a 'normal' man. His skin, his eyes…I had never seen anyone like him before… He sent the girl back out, but Wilson stayed, and he just stood by the door after it was closed.
Naeva closed her eyes for a moment so she could picture every detail and remember every word spoken.
'He made me sit down, then began to question me. I thought he had gone mad because he suddenly asked if I could see him! I just said 'of course I can!' But he asked Wilson too…and he said 'No, my Lord.' I thought he too had gone completely mad…but now, of course, I see that Bres had thought his glamour had failed for some reason. And it scared him!' She said this with a small smile.
Nuada could understand this reaction. She must be one of probably very few people ever to see his uncle show weakness. He was sure Bres would only show pitiless disdain to anyone he met.
'I asked him why Wilson called him 'My Lord'. He strutted around the room then, saying that everyone should call him that, because he is rightfully a king, and he was ranting about your father…' She looked straight into Nuada's eyes… '…and he said he was going to take back his throne and kill Balor…and his offspring. He laughed as he told of how close we actually were to his brother at that very moment, that Balor had no idea he was there and was ready to strike at the very heart of the kingdom, to take his place on the throne and become king at last.'
Nuada's eyes flashed and darkened with rage. Bres had directly threatened the lives of himself and his family…he also felt a rush of guilt and despair as he thought of Bres's reaction when he heard that Balor's own son had taken care of half the job for him. He clamped down on his feelings, staying as outwardly calm as he could, so Naeva could carry on.
'But it is the rest of what he said that convinced me that he is truly insane…' she said, paling further and beginning to tremble again. Ecris knew what was coming, and squeezed her hand again, his eyes revealing the sadness – and anger – that he too felt. She smiled weakly and continued.
'He was pacing round, speaking fervently about what he was going to do. There was talk of taking over the Unseen Realm with help from 'his friends', and creating a new ruling clan, with him at its head.' Her lip began to quiver now too. This was getting harder, but she was determined to finish.
'I was even more scared of him now, talking of an Unseen Realm and clans, and I wanted nothing more than to run out of there. I told him he was mad, and that others would miss me and knew where I was, trying to scare him into letting me go, but he just slapped me hard with the back of his hand and sent me flying. He laughed at me, saying no-one knew where I was. No-one cared. And he was right. No-one gave a damn…' Tears ran down her cheeks as the memories of her past were released again.
'When I got back up off the floor, he grabbed me and stared at me, straight in the eyes, as if he was looking for something, then asked me my name. Apparently that had been unimportant before. I told him I was called Naeva and he seemed shocked. He asked me how I came to have this name, as it was more befitting to one of his own kind, rather than a human.'
She looked at Ecris and they shared a smile, as he knew what she had thought at the time.
'I asked him what he meant, as even though he looked so different, I could not believe he was not human. He just stared at me in silence. I told him how I was given the name because of the pendant I wore, which had been handed down through my family for generations. I had always worn the pendant. My parents made sure I kept it on, and as it meant so much to them, I always had. And that was, of course, all I had left of them…' Her lips quivered, but she managed to compose herself once more.
'Bres told me to show him the pendant, which I did. I was not going to argue with him or lie about having it with me. I believe by the way he looked at me that he would have known. He held it in his hand for a moment, and he looked quite shocked. Then, he pulled it hard, snapping the chain that had held it, and walked away from me, telling Wilson to 'get him', though I still do not know who 'he' was. Wilson left the room and Bres just stood there staring at me. I heard footsteps behind us, and I turned to see who it was…then everything went black.
I awoke lying on the same bed I had been given earlier. But I never saw the other girl again after that.'
She took a deep, shaky breath, and asked for a drink of water, which Oacma quickly poured for her. She took a sip or two and continued.
'I do not know how long I was unconscious, or who it was that had entered the room, just that it was some time before I saw anyone again. Wilson came and took me to a different room, which was far better than the one I had been left in. It was grand and richly decorated. Obviously there were suites of rooms available for their wealthy clientele to use.'
'He entered a few moments later and sent Wilson out. He started off by apologizing for his tone earlier, asked me to sit, and offered me a drink. It smelled like a herbal tea of some sort and I was loathe to drink it, but he took a sip himself and said it was safe, so I also sipped it, very slowly. Nothing seemed to be happening so I drank it while he spoke as I was unbelievably thirsty after my time 'asleep'.
He spoke calmly, though I could see in his eyes that this was not how he truly felt. He had a strange, almost excited expression. He began to talk of how I was special and the first he had met who could see through his glamour. I, of course, did not understand that at all back then.'
She swallowed hard now, as her throat began to tighten with the subconscious desire to still her own voice so she could not say the words that came next.
'He told me I was very special, and as he had shown an interest, one of 'his friends' had given me to him as a gift. He said this was fortunate, as he would never find one of his own kind to…to…meet his needs.' She clamped her eyes shut for a moment and forced herself to continue… 'He said he would keep me safe, for now, and that though there had been others in the past, I was the first to amuse and interest him in a long time…' Naeva felt sick to her stomach, and had to take another drink of water.
After a moment or two, and Ecris's support, she began to speak again.
'I could not comprehend any of what he had said. I was so scared. And I was starting to feel strange. The tea was obviously a slow-acting drug, as I began to feel light-headed. He pulled me out of my seat and took me to the next room…to his bed… I tried so hard to fight him, I screamed, but no-one came. I bit and kicked and scratched…but he just laughed and said that I had 'spirit…'
Nuada's eyes were the colour of darkest amber as the rage grew within him, but as he saw the turmoil and sheer disgust Naeva felt, he kept silent for her sake.
'He forced me…I could do nothing to stop him…' She covered her face with her hands and sobbed, as Ecris pulled her to him and held her tight in a protective embrace, the hurt in his eyes surpassed only by the rage and disgust in those of Oacma and the Prince.
Nuada was seething beneath an overly calm surface. It was hard for him to sit quietly and listen to the treacherous words of his uncle – and to hear of his depraved behaviour. He was sorely ashamed of his own behaviour, especially of his recent past, but the actions of his uncle sickened and disturbed him.
'Naeva…' he said, as gently as he could, '…would you prefer it if Ecris told me the rest? I do not wish you to have to recall anymore…details that will cause you further grief.' He watched as she slowly pulled herself away from Ecris, telling him she would be alright now.
'No, Sire,' she said in wavering voice, gazing back at him with sorrowful eyes that still brimmed with tears. 'I must tell you myself. But…thank you for your concern…' She tried to smile in thanks, but it was somewhat lost in her sorrowful expression.
'After…' she swallowed hard, took a deep breath. 'After this…he made me dress in a long white gown, saying it would not be seemly for me to wear my usual clothes now that I had been 'chosen' by him. Then he said he had to go to meet 'the others' who were helping him to build his new kingdom. I was taken back to 'my room' and left there until he decided to summon me again'.
Nuada looked at Ecris with an expression of deepest shock. Who were these 'friends' that his uncle kept talking about? Humans, obviously. Wealthy humans. And in the human's world money meant you could get anything...or anyone you wanted. Money equalled power. What exactly where they helping him with...or he they?
Naeva could see just how shaken he was by all this and knew she had to finish.
'I was kept there for days, being brought to him whenever he asked, Wilson being the one to fetch me each time. I asked him why he was doing this, why he obeyed the orders of a madman like this. He just laughed and said I could never imagine what he was to get for doing his bidding. I hated him so much for what he did…' She stared into space for a moment, recalling the man who had acted as her jailor in the full knowledge of what was happening to her, with never a moment of contrition.
'Wilson was the only other person I had real contact with, but I heard and saw fleeting glimpses of others, who seemed to me to be extremely wealthy people, and they had all come to see Bres.
'I knew I had to get out of there. I could only see one possible way out, so I took it. I waited until a particularly noisy evening. There was a large mirror in my room, which I smashed after placing it under the bed covers to dull the noise. I selected the longest shard of glass I could see, wrapped a piece of torn sheet around it, and waited for hours for Wilson to come and fetch me once more. I heard him unlocking the door, and waited behind it. And as he entered…I stabbed him…' She paled even more now, her hands trembling.
'I was surprised how easily the glass went in…I thought it would just break in my hand. There was so much blood…on my hands and clothes…some of it mine from where the edge of the glass had sliced through the cloth and across my palm…' As she spoke, she looked down at her right hand and Nuada could see a long, slender scar running diagonally from the base of her index finger. She stared at it for a moment as she remembered the event…
'…It was so warm…and the smell of it…' Her voice was quiet and strangely calm as she spoke.
She began to feel dizzy now and she rocked slightly in her seat as she tried to stay upright, and Nuada thought she may actually either faint or vomit as she looked totally sickened by what she had done. He could remember the first time he had had to kill… the feel of warm blood on his hands…but for him, it was just part of what he was trained for, what had to be done. For her, it must have been unbearable.
Ecris handed her another glass of water, which she managed to take a sip or two of, whilst trying to breathe through the nausea that had overwhelmed her at the memory of such an awful event. After a minute or so, she had calmed enough to be able to continue. She was nearly finished her tale now, and wanted nothing more than to get to the end of it once-and-for-all…
'I was absolutely terrified, but I had to carry on. I checked the corridor, but thankfully no-one was around, so I made my way to the stairs I had found on my first night there, and crept down. I found myself in a lobby area, from which various doors led off, but I still had to get out of the building.
I knew I would never make it through the public areas, so I went through the door which was most obviously a service entrance. I could hear people talking somewhere close by and they were coming my way, so I had to chance ducking into the nearest room I could find that was unlocked, but I kept the door open a fraction so I could watch.
A couple of girls walked past. They looked like croupiers heading into work. As they disappeared through one of the doors, I headed for the room they had just left, which turned out to be a changing room full of lockers. As quickly as I could manage, I grabbed the longest of the coats that had been left hanging there, then I made for the only door which looked as if it may lead to the outside world. I was right. But unfortunately, I had been spotted on a security camera. I heard an alarm go off, so I just ran as fast as I could, down the alleyways behind the buildings, trying to find a way out onto the street. I had hoped that being out in the open and in full view of everyone, they may either leave me, or that I may be able to disappear in the crowd.
I managed to get a few streets away before I ran out of breath. My feet were bleeding by now too as I was barefoot. I was close to a disused office building, so I went round the back of it as far as I could before a security gate barred my way. I was hoping to see a way through the fence, or a broken window, but I could see nothing, so I turned to leave. But he had already found me.' She closed her eyes again and swallowed hard.
'I had not heard him come up behind me. Not a sound. He put his hand over my mouth to stop me crying out, then he must have hit me, because the next thing I can remember is waking up to find myself looking down over the edge of the building as he held me there by the scruff of my neck. I screamed and tried to push myself back, but he held me there and laughed. We were about three floors up on a fire escape, overlooking the car park. There was absolutely no-one else around.'
Tears streamed down her face again as she recalled the horror she felt at him finding her again.
'He tightened his grip on the back of my neck and leaned in and whispered in my ear, saying no-one disrespected him like that, ever. He said he had chosen me and that I should have been grateful that I had been spared a life of pain and humiliation because of him. I had repaid his kindness by killing his servant and leaving without permission.
He said he found it regretful, as he had found me… entertaining and interesting…but he could not allow me to live any longer after having insulted him so badly.
With that, he pushed me forward…and simply let go. I do not remember hitting the ground, and I do not know how I survived…but I did. When I next opened my eyes, it was morning and I was still lying there. I could hardly move at all, and I had never been in so much pain as I was at that moment. But I was probably the luckiest woman ever that night, as I believe I had actually hit a pile of refuse sacks before slipping off onto the concrete. He must have just walked away as if nothing happened, not even bothering to see if he had done the job properly. His arrogance had helped me to get away from him. That is one of his greatest weaknesses. In his mind he is infallible.' She gazed at Nuada at these words, and he took them in.
'It took me so long to drag myself across the ground to the nearest shelter I could see, which turned out to be a doorway into what must have been a boiler room for the offices. This had been forced by someone in the past, so I was able to get inside, and I pulled myself into a dark corner, not knowing what I was going to do next. But I had at that moment assumed that I would die there, alone in the dark. I think I gave up hope right there and then. I could see nothing left to live for after this… He had taken away the last of my dignity and will to survive.'
Naeva covered her face with her hands, unable to speak further, and Ecris pulled her close once more as she shook and sobbed.
It was Oacma who finished the last details for the Prince as Naeva had finally reached the limits of her emotional endurance concerning this particular chapter of her past.
'Sire,' he began, turning to the Prince, 'it must have been either one or possibly two nights later that Maiyor had found her. Unknown to us, Bres must have been incredibly close to bringing his plan to fruition at that point. If we had not found Naeva that night…we may never have had the chance to sit here as we are now. As soon as it became apparent who Naeva had encountered, and how serious the threat was, your father had us depart immediately upon receiving information given to us by various scouting parties, and thus we moved Court to the land in which you found us upon your return from exile. We had been there for a comparatively long time.'
Nuada nodded in thanks to Oacma for giving him the last detail. Indeed, it seemed that Naeva had been able to save their world from certain doom. The irony of the fact that a human had saved them…twice, even though it was they who had driven them to the brink of annihilation, was not lost on him.
He looked over to Naeva, still being comforted by Ecris as she fought to still the tears that had overtaken her, despite her best efforts.
'Naeva,' he said as gently as he could. She slowly looked up at him, her eyes bright with tears. 'I thank you for your openness in sharing your story with me. I sincerely hope you may never have to recount it to anyone else in the future, and that you may finally be able to put the past behind you, where it belongs.' He bowed his head to her in thanks, to which she nodded back with an attempted though not quite accomplished smile.
Nuada decided to leave Naeva in Ecris's care so he could help her to get over the trauma of remembered suffering.
He and Oacma left them in peace then, returning together to Ayla's room, so the three of them could discuss the various tasks that needed to be accomplished that evening, and the situation with the lookouts. Ayla offered them help with this matter too, saying that if they went for a 'breath of air' until they were out of sight of Bethmoora's entrance, they could return to the beach they had left earlier, and she could contact her kin and ask them to keep watch also.
This was agreed and acted upon, and arrangements were made for Ayla's clan to bring word to Bethmoora if any possible threat was detected in the waters they inhabited.
This done, the three of them returned and prepared themselves for the evening's work ahead of them.