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A/N: Sorry I took so long to update guys. It was the end of term and exams and assignments were every where like some disgusting plague. Anyhow, this is the longest chapter yet and I did have a good time writing it, especially toward the end. Don't be alarmed by the first bit! Really. Now enjoy…
Summary: An ambassador from a land across the seas pays a visit to Deltora and requests an audience with King Lief. However, when the ambassador is found dead the next morning things start to go wrong for Deltora. Post Sister of the South. LiefxJasmine
Last chapter: The poison ivy ravages Del and injures Jasmine. Lief uses the belt to repel the ivy and save some people before going to the side of unconscious Jasmine. Read the chapter again if you need to, it's a good idea.
Poison Ivy Chapter 5 The Amber VialLief looked around suspiciously. Something was not quite right here. For one thing, hundreds of roasted chickens were floating close to the roof and for another, he was deep underwater despite the fact he was breathing perfectly well.
"Lief!" called a voice. It was Marilen, bobbing toward him holding out the belt. Lief took it from her confused.
"Didn't I leave the belt with Jasmine?" he asked.
"Who's Jasmine?" asked Marilen before bobbing away again.
Lief put the belt on and started to swim forward, his toes brushing the sand. A boulder loomed up ahead. For some reason, Lief knew that Jasmine and Barda were behind this boulder and they needed his help.
He bobbed over to the great rock and pushed his way to the other side. Jasmine and Barda were siting there. Barda was munching on one of the roast chickens from the surface and Jasmine was jumping up and down with her dagger to get more.
"Hello Lief" said Barda looking up.
"Wait this can't be right," said Lief, "Jasmine's dead"
Instantly Jasmine went limp.
"Now look what you've done," said Barda angrily. He picked up his chicken and swam away.
Lief jumped desperately to try and reach Jasmine. She had gone pale now and was slightly see-through.
"She can't come with you"
Marilen was back.
"Why not?" asked Lief. A loud hammering started up in the distance.
"Lief!" yelled Marilen suddenly, "Lief? Jasmine? Anyone?"
Lief spun around wildly.
"Lief!" croaked a small voice. Lief awoke with a jolt. The wild hammering was still going.
"Lief!" said the voice again, "Open the door already!"
Lief turned in his chair. Jasmine was regarding him haggardly, holding the belt in her hand.
"You're alive!" he cried. Jasmine nodded and jabbed her finger in the direction of the door.
"Oh right," Lief said, hurrying to open it. Marilen stood there, hands on hips, quite possibly fuming from the ears.
"This door gets jammed. You should always leave it ajar!" she accused. Then, on peeking into the room;
"Jasmine! You're awake, finally" cried Marilen, walking over to her bed. She examined her friend critically, then obviously satisfied in some manner turned her attention back to Lief.
"Lief, a messenger has arrived from Illeke, they claim to have a cure for the poison ivy" Marilen said.
Lief paused only to glance once more at Jasmine before rushing out the door.
"So," said Marilen, smiling mischievously at Jasmine, "What did you two get up to last night?"
"I was unconscious the whole time!" cried Jasmine, shocked and blushing.
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Lief hurried down the stairs, jumping over every second step in his hurry to reach the bottom. He shook the last cobwebs of sleep from his eyes and reflected momentarily on his bizarre dream. He put it down to exhaustion and thanked the heavens that the opal on the belt had been on Jasmine, and not his waist.
"Lief!" cried Sharn. Lief pulled up short.
"What's happening Mother?" he asked, "Marilen said an denizen from Illeke has bought a cure"
Sharn nodded and led Lief to the great Dining Hall. She pursed her lips.
"He's very rude, this young man" she said, "He seems to think that this mess is entirely our fault. Ahhh, Savek."
Savek was a lean, athletic man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was handsome but the conceited look on his face polluted his attractiveness and instead gave an aura of intimidation. Lief narrowed his eyes, he didn't like this personality already.
"King Lief, Lady Sharn" greeted Savek, "I bring good tidings"
Lief felt the knot in his stomach loosen slightly; perhaps this man really had the cure for the ivy!
"Firstly I would like to inform you that this, er, epidemic thing has happened before," Savek began, "You see, the gardens of Illeke are the purest in the world and the reason they retain their wholesomeness is because our soil kills off any imperfections. So when our soil is planted in countries of, well, let's just say less purity" (Sharn bristled beside Lief) "The soil goes slightly over the top and starts killing everything it can reach"
Savek's forehead crumpled and Lief suddenly saw him as a tired, overworked youth.
"We've managed to keep it contained for some time now, but then, you get people like Abeke, who just think themselves above the rules" he continued tiredly.
"Well?" Lief asked, "Have you bought us a cure?"
"Oh yes, yes of course. Yes with this the whole thing will blow over in just a few days."
Lief highly doubted that. He would have snorted if it were not for the dreadful impertinence Savek would consider it, especially since the relationship between their two countries was so brittle just then. He wished Savek would hurry up and hand them the cure, the citizens of Del needed it now.
"Here it is" said Savek solemnly. He reached into a pouch on his hip and slowly bought out an amber vial.
He looked at it for a moment and Lief sensed pride in his eyes. He wondered if it was Savek himself who created the potion.
Savek handed him the vial along with a crumpled piece of parchment.
"Follow the instructions," he said seriously, "And I must tell you, the ritual must only be performed at midnight when the moon is at its full phase. Otherwise, it will have no effect and the cure will be wasted. Also, I would recommend performing the ritual on a rise."
"Thankyou" said Lief, nodding at him.
Savek bowed to Sharn, then took his leave.
"Do you think it will really work?" Lief asked Sharn, doubtingly.
"Throughout my life I have learnt to trust others. Even when it does not seem as though I should. Do as Savek bids Lief, though if the ritual does not work. I too, will not be surprised" Sharn replied.
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Lief ambled through the palace gardens, fiddling with the amber vial in his pocket. In his mind he was formulating a plan, for what to do with the vial but the sleepy sunlight and strong pollen from the garden was making it very difficult to do so.
Lief sat down on a bench and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the sun-warmed bricks. He pulled the vial out of his pocket and examined it sceptically. He found that by moving the amber vial in a certain position the sunlight would catch it and send a dazzling array of colours into Lief's face. He pulled out the piece of parchment Savek had handed him and read it quickly, his eyes darting over the page.
Deep moon, the stars, they speak no liesThe world will crumble, who's love dies?
Speak now high blood and who was saved,
To cure the ivy death again.
Lief rolled his eyes. What a ridiculous incantation, however he fervently hoped it would work. It wasn't as though he was sitting here without a care in the world. The murderous ivy was still spreading through Del. Lief wished to go help his suffering people but he had soon discovered that he was trapped within his own home. As though realising his intentions the ivy had grown into an enormous hedge that travelled along the main road from the palace, cutting Del in half. Now Lief had naught to do but wait till moonrise. And think about how to carry out the ritual, he reminded himself.
Foggy details were already present in his mind. Such as, the fortune that tonight was indeed a full moon as the ritual requested and that the highest point in Del, Southern Hill, was only a short walk from the palace and not cut off by the poison ivy. However, a shadow hung in the back of Lief's mind. What if the amber vial was not a cure, but in fact a weapon that would kill all of Del and Lief himself. He could not see any reason for Savek and the other inhabitants of Illeke to want to rid Del of the ivy. In fact, he reckoned they could see it as an easy opportunity to infiltrate Deltora. Lief shook his head. The people of Illeke, it seemed, were happy enough in their own land with their perfect, fatally poisonous dirt to keep them company.
Lief decided to head up to Southern hill just before midnight. He supposed he would wait awhile, to see if the vial did anything suspicious, then he would perform the ritual and pray the outcome would be positive. He wondered whether he should take anyone with him.
As if on cue, Barda came strolling round the corner and sat down beside Lief.
"Hello" Barda greeted him cheerfully. Lief returned the nicety much more subdued and he wondered what his big friend was so happy about. Then he remembered that Lindal, Barda's particular friend was arriving that day. Despite warnings about the poison ivy by means of messenger birds, Lindal has opted to press on toward Del.
"Barda," began Lief, "Tonight, I would like you to come with me to perform the ritual for the amber vial"
Barda look at him quizzically, his thick brows knitted together.
Lief quickly explained to him the apparent healing properties of the vial and the list of instructions that went along with it.
Barda nodded seriously and then amusement flickered across his face.
"This will be our shortest and safest adventure yet," he exclaimed, "Not only will our only threat be a floundering plant, but we will not be two leagues from home!"
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At half-past eleven that evening, Lief stood scowling in the Entrance Hall. He had been waiting for Barda for a full fifteen minutes and he was sorry to say he had a very good idea of what his friend might be up to.
He heard footsteps coming around the corner and Lief turned around, ready to scold his big friend when not Barda, but Jasmine, stepped into view.
"Jasmine!" Lief exclaimed.
"Barda is coming soon" Jasmine said, "He has just finished his meal"
"Just then?" asked Lief in shock.
"Yes, he was talking to Lindal most of the time and only saw fit to truly begin eating less than an hour ago. That is, at least what Marilen told me. I have been stuck upstairs all day, I only just managed to escape." Jasmine said matter-of-factly.
"Are you well?" asked Lief, worriedly, "Perhaps you still be up there?"
Jasmine rolled her eyes at him, flashing their emerald green beauty at him.
"Please, I've been completely fine since breakfast. Besides I wouldn't miss out on this" she replied.
Lief shook his head, Jasmine seemed to have the wrong idea.
"You're not coming Jasmine" he said.
"What?" she cried, walking over to him, hands on hips.
"There is no knowing what the vial will do, once we open it. It could be a trap" appealed Lief.
Jasmine just stared at him as though he was mad.
"Well you are going. Barda is going?" she questioned him hotly.
"It's not safe" cried Lief in exasperation. Why couldn't Jasmine understand that he just wanted her to stay in the palace?
"And has that ever stopped me before?" she asked menacingly, glaring up at Lief.
They were standing close, too close Lief realised. His head started to fall forward, onto Jasmine's. She was so close, Lief was looking straight into her eyes. They dazzled him. A pale pair of eyelids began to close over them then…
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A/N: Ooooh, ha ha. What a cliffhanger! I know what happens next, ha ha. I actually wrote this chapter and the next as one and then cut it in half, at a very well chosen spot if I say so myself. Anyhow, I'm on holidays now so Chapter 6 will be
Just for another story I'm writing I need to know the name of the stuffed toy Lief mentions in the very first book, the Forest of Silence. I really need to know.
Thankyou for reading and please review!
Happy Easter!
Elven Tresses