Chapter Four
"Kalasin's missing too," Daine gasped as she ran into the library. "Kit and I looked everywhere," She looked around at the sea of worried faces. "Sorry,"
The queen looked at her with haunted eyes. "Where are they?" she whispered. "Where are my children?"
"Don't worry Mamma," Princess Lianne implored her. "Roald and Kally are adults; they can take care of themselves. I'm an adult too," she added as an afterthought.
"I know that dearest," Thayet replied tiredly. "I just wish I knew where they were," She wrapped her arms around her youngest child and held her tight. Daine smiled and went to join Buri, Shinkokami, and Princes Jasson and Liam by the window. All of them glanced up as the door handle moved.
Jonathon, Alanna and Numair came in, looking tired. Thayet stood up immediately, but faltered when she saw the expression on her husband' face. "You couldn't find them?" she guessed. Jonathon just nodded and dropped into the chair Gary pulled out for him.
"We looked everywhere,"
Alanna took the seat next to the king and rested her head on the table. "Everywhere," she agreed. "And then some. Unless Kally's gotten much better at hiding, which I don't doubt, they'd have to be in Cathark or further, and no one could make that trip in an hour without using magic, and there weren't any spell traces."
Thayet burst into tears and Buri moved to comfort her. "Don't worry," she told the queen. "Kalasin is very good at disappearing when she wants to,"
Thayet looked up suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not being told something?" she asked. Buri looked away. "Buri?"
"Once when you were pregnant with Liam, Roald and Kally disappeared for a few hours," Buri told her. "None of the palace mages could find them. When they turned up again Roald admitted they used their magic to hide, just to see if they could, but they got lost and Kally started to cry and a black cat with purple eyes appeared and showed them the way home,"
Alanna's arm slipped from the table as she sat bolt upright. Her face was drained was colour as she stared at Jonathon, who was looking back at her with wide eyes.
"Oh Goddess," the Lady Knight murmured. She stood up and became aware that everyone was looking at her, and sat back down. "Jon?" she asked, calling him by his name for the first time in public in a long while.
"Is it possible?" he asked her, rubbing tiredly at his eyes.
"I don't know," she replied. "I never really considered the possibility, but it being Kalasin…"
"What being Kalasin?" Thayet demanded. "What's going on?"
"My pet cat Faithful was black with purple eyes," Alanna reminded her. "And he came to me from the Great Mother Goddess,"
Gary whistled appreciatively. "Faithful was a gift from the Goddess," he repeated. "Mithros!"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Thayet asked.
"I think I see," Numair interjected. "The Cat was given to Alanna because she was one of the Goddess's chosen, and if He helps Kalasin, maybe that means she's one of the Goddess's chosen too," He looked to Alanna and Jonathon to see if he was correct.
Alanna nodded grimly. "It makes sense,"
Thayet was crying again. "But why does that make any difference to what's happening now?" she asked.
"The Goddess protects her chosen," Jonathon muttered. He looked ill.
"So nothing will happen to Kally and Roald," Buri went on to assure the queen. "The Goddess won't allow it,"
Finally Thayet seemed to find some comfort. "Alright," she murmured. "But where are they?"
"I don't know," Alanna told her. "But they're safe, and that's what's really important,"
"Yes," Shinko agreed. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going back to my room," She stood up and walked out.
"Maybe that's a good idea for all of us," Buri suggested to Thayet. "Come on, we'll go and see Duke Baird and ask him to give you something," The queen nodded blankly and rose to her feet. Buri sent a quick glance to Alanna and then followed Thayet.
"Come on you three," Gary instructed Lianne, Jasson and Liam. "Let's go and see if we can find your uncle Raoul," He ushered them out.
"I should check on the baby," Daine murmured.
"And I'd better contact George," Myles added, following her from the room.
Numair looked at Alanna and Jon. "Can you two handle this?" he asked. "I really should go and look some more, and I'm not too good with the Gods anyway," He rubbed his nose uncomfortably.
Alanna nodded. "We'll be fine," she replied. "Good luck," Numair gave her a rueful grin as he shut the door behind him.
Immediately Alanna went to her king and put her arms around him. "They'll be ok Jon," she whispered. "You'll see."
"I should have known," Jon muttered.
"About Kally?" Alanna asked. "Jon, you couldn't have known unless she told you,"
"Why didn't she though?" he asked. "She should have told me, or her mother, or someone,"
"Sire, if you'll remember, I never told anyone I was the Goddess's chosen either," Alanna pointed out. "You just knew,"
Jon rubbed his forehead. "I'm so tired Alanna," he whispered. "I can't sleep more than a few hours a night, and when I wake up I'm as tired as I was when I went to bed. I don't know if I can do this again,"
"You don't have to do anything Jon," Alanna pointed out. "Just help me find the Goddess. It'll be alright, I promise,"
"Alright," Jon replied. "Let's try it," He took Alanna's hands in his own and quickly muttered the words to spell a circle of protection, closing his eyes. Alanna followed, and the light of their combined gifts lit up the air around them.
"Goddess," Alanna whispered, and smiled as she remembered that the last time she'd spoken out like this, with her adult voice, coming from a child's body.
"Great Mother," she and Jonathon continued together. "Dark Lady, open the Way for us," Powerful magic ran from Jonathon down into Alanna's very core, and she could feel her power flowing into him as well. She opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by pure white light, stretching forever, with Jonathon at her side.
The Great Mother Goddess stood before them, smiling a smile that was both wonderful and terrifying. A huge black cat stood at the Goddess's feet, and as Alanna looked about her he strolled over and demanded petting. Alanna knelt down beside her pet and buried her face in his fur. The cat allowed her attention for a moment and then turned to Jonathon.
"You're hopeless," he informed the king. "You should have married her,"
"Faithful!" Alanna snapped. "Stop that," She turned to the Goddess. "I'm sorry to disturb you Mother," she whispered.
The Goddess smiled. "You are not troubling me Daughter," she replied. "I am only sorry we cannot meet more often," Her voice was not the painful screaming one that Alanna had felt on two occasions, but rather the calm soothing one that she had used the one time she spoke to Alanna in person, when she'd given the young squire a token and brought her Faithful. Her eyes calmly glanced over both Alanna and Jonathon, and rested on the king.
"You have had a trialling reign, Your Majesty," she told him. "I am sorry for it,"
"Please, just tell me that my children are safe," Jonathon begged her.
"They are well," she replied. "I would not say safe, but their health is fine. Kalasin has been scolding me for taking her brother away from his wife so close to the birth of their child. I am indeed sorry for the timing, but there are things that must happen to ensure the passage of time continues, and they have to happen now,"
"What sort of Things?" Alanna asked suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"
"I am truly sorry my Daughter," the Goddess replied. "I did not want to inflict this upon you,"
"Why have Roald and Kally disappeared?" Jonathon asked. "Where are they?"
"They have a part to play in the events that will follow, just as you do, and they must carry out a certain task. I cannot tell you where they are, but I can promise they will be alright,"
"What events?" Alanna asked. "And why us? Haven't we done enough?" As she said the words she hated herself for them, for wanting everything to be simple, but she couldn't help it.
"Many years ago a mortal man made a pact with the dark forces that exist in this world," the Goddess told them. "In exchange for immortality he set in motion a series of events designed to destroy his country and send the rest of the world into a spiral of destruction which the Gods could not stop, which would eventually led to the end of the world. You have witnessed many of these, and indeed been the vessels more than once. Now you must help to stop this, before it destroys your home, and everywhere else,"
"What events?" Jonathon asked.
"Firstly the destruction of the Ysandir, then the restoration of the Dominion Jewel and the defeat of its guardian, and the events that followed in Tortall. The alliance between Emperor Ozorne of Cathark and Our sister Uusoae was another, and the rip in the veil that separates your world from that of the Gods. More recently the actions of the Scanran king and his magician, and the marriage of a Tortallian princess to the Emporer of Cathark. Now in the Copper Isles, Our brother Kyprioth is attempting to restore the raka royalty to their throne. Your daughter Alianne is helping him with that," she told Alanna, who nodded slowly. She was trying to absorb all the Goddess was telling her, but her head was spinning and she felt sick.
"I need to sit down," she whispered before she collapsed. Jonathon caught her and held her until she regained her balance.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Alanna nodded.
"What do we do?" she asked the Goddess.
"For now, Nothing. Your part will not come until the end, and until then there is nothing you can do, except live. If either of you get yourselves killed I will be very grumpy," The Goddess smiled as if she knew something they did not and then vanished, taking the light with her, and leaving Alanna and Jonathon alone in the palace library, blinking in the dim twilight.
"Do you think what she said was true?" Jonathon asked.
"She's a God! Jon; I don't really think she'd lie to us," Alanna's mind was racing. She dropped into a chair as she considered what The Goddess had said.
"Many years ago a mortal man made a pact with the dark forces that exist in this world…", "…Firstly the destruction of the Ysandir, then the restoration of the Dominion Jewel and the defeat of its guardian, and the events that followed in Tortall…" "…alliance between Emperor Orzone of Cathark…", "…the marriage of a Tortallan princess to the Emporer of Cathark…"
Suddenly it all clicked into place. Alanna's arm slipped, and knocked a book from the table. She didn't glance at it even for a second. "Jon," she whispered. The king looked up at her.
"What?" he asked, looking concerned.
"Do you remember what The Goddess said?" she asked him. "About a mortal ma who made a pact with the Dark Gods?"
Jonathon nodded. "That isn't really something you forget in a hurry," he replied with an ironic smile. "Why?"
"She said he exchanged immortality for setting in motion a chain of events to destroy a country and the world. And she mentioned some of those events. The destruction of the Ysandir, the restoration of the Dominion Jewel and the events that followed in Tortall, and twice she mentioned Cathark. Jon, what do all those things have in common?"
Jonathon looked at her in bewilderment for a moment, and then a look of horror crossed his face. "Roger," he whispered. "He sent us to the Black City to fight the Ysandir, he caused the events that followed the restoration of the Dominion Jewel, and he spent a lot of time in Cathark,"
"At the University in Cathark, to be exact, where the Emperor Mage Ozorne studied. I'll bet they knew each other, and Roger told Ozorne all about his little deal with the Darkness, and Ozorne decided he wanted a piece of it. So he made an alliance with Chaos and opened the veil between the realms, beginning the Immortals war. And now Kalasin is married to Ozorne's nephew, and she's carrying his child,"
She had gotten to her feet and begun pacing the room as she spoke, but now she stopped and stared at Jonathon. "Ozorne wanted that child to be born," she told him. "When we went to Cathark for peace talks he tried to have Kalasin marry Kadder and move to Cathark!"
Jonathon slumped down in his chair with an unintelligible moan. Alanna quickly moved to his side. "Don't worry," she whispered. "The Goddess promised that it would be alright,"
"My daughter's child could be a part of the end of the world," Jonathon groaned, and then he burst into hysterical laughter. Alanna put her arms around him and held on tight as he began to cry, and let her own tears flow.
"I guess that's what Faithful meant when he said you should have married me," she muttered.