No Ordinary Fairy Tale, page 43
part #0 of No Ordinary Fairy Tale Series
Rob caught his breath. “You found the Children of Rhys?”
“We did, but they wouldn’t help us. We were lucky to come away with the Stone.”
“Luck indeed,” murmured Rob appreciatively. “Well, then, we have only to find a way to get it from her, in full view of the Empress and a hundred or so others. You’re the one with the creativity, human – have you a plan?”
•••
The Empress lounged upon her throne, watching her faery subjects with hooded eyes as one by one they stepped up to the platform and kneeled before her. The room was filling rapidly, and in desperation Linden felt around her cage, searching for a catch, a crack, any weakness that might let her escape. But the bars were too narrow for her to squeeze through, too strong for her to bend, and though she had tried to make herself smaller, she could not. She could think of one other possibility, but she was afraid to try it. The cage looked too strong to break easily, and what if she ended up crushed into this tiny space?
“No song for us, little bird?” taunted a voice, and she turned to see Byrne Blackwing grinning at her. Corbin leaned against the wall just behind him, with a half-smile on his lips that chilled her more than his brother’s open mockery.
“I may be in a cage,” Linden retorted with all the boldness she could muster, “but at least I’m not the Empress’s slave.”
The amusement went out of Byrne’s face, and he started forward. Corbin caught his arm; he snarled and threw his brother off, and Linden shrank back—
But then a door on the other side of the hall crashed open and Rob stalked in, dragging Timothy behind him.
Timothy’s wrists were lashed together with rope, and dried blood streaked his face. He was limping a little on his right side, and his head hung down as though he were exhausted. But when he saw Linden’s cage he looked up sharply, and his gaze met hers with a fierceness that stopped her breath.
“Stay,” said the Empress as Timothy and Rob reached the foot of the platform. Linden’s heart thumped as Rob turned his head toward her, but his gaze only flicked over her indifferently before returning to the Empress.
“Human,” said the Empress to Timothy, “you are no subject of mine, nor do I wish to claim you. But you have given help to those who would defy me, and for that you must be punished. Kneel.”
“I’d rather stand, thanks,” said Timothy, but Rob grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him onto his knees. With a little surprised-sounding grunt he went down and crouched at the foot of the platform, hunched over his bound hands.
The Empress rose fluidly and addressed the gathered faeries, her voice ringing out across the room. “You all know the law: it is forbidden for a faery to keep company with humans, or give them aid or comfort. Yet the young rebel you see in this cage before you–” She swung around and pointed at Linden–“dared to assault Veronica, one of our own people, and deprive her of her rightful human prey. She helped the human boy to escape from Sanctuary, and then she enlisted him to help her seek out other faeries and persuade them also to rise up against me.”
All the faeries’ eyes were on Linden now. She searched the crowd of dim faces for signs of sympathy, but though some looked apprehensive and a few even sorrowful, no one moved. The Empress went on:
“I offered her a chance to repent of her crimes, but she spurned it. Such rebellion, such willful perversity, cannot go unpunished. And the punishment I have chosen, for both this faery and the human she has so foolishly befriended, is death.”
Linden wrapped her arms tightly around her ribs, trying to hold in the fluttering panic. She had heard the Empress speak of execution; she’d had ample time to consider what that meant; and yet hearing the words shocked her all over again. The punishment . . . is death.
“Your Majesty!”
The voice was Timothy’s. “Before you carry out the sentence, I’d like to say a few words.”
The Empress let out a short laugh. “You, a mere human, address my court? Do you imagine yourself so clever, or so eloquent, that with just one speech you can win my people to your cause?”
“No,” said Timothy, with surprising meekness. “I mean . . . just to Linden. I’ll talk quietly if you like, so the rest of your subjects don’t hear. But if you’re going to put us both to death, can’t I at least say goodbye to her first?”
“You are in no position to ask for favors, boy,” said the Empress coldly, and began to turn away. But then Rob spoke:
“My Empress, I would ask that you grant his request for my sake, if not his own. I am curious to know what this human thinks is so vital for him to say – and surely you have nothing to fear from words?”
“Fear!” Her tone was acid. “As if a human could threaten me! Very well, my Robin, for your sake. But–” Her hard gaze turned on Timothy–“be brief, boy, or I will burn out your tongue.”
Timothy bowed his head for a moment. Then he looked up at Linden and said,
“There’s a Bible verse that says ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’ I know that’s probably not a popular proverb among faeries, but what I mean is, I’ve learned a lot from our friendship, and I’m grateful for that.”
Despite the dread churning inside her, Linden was touched – but also baffled. Why was Timothy quoting the Bible? Either he’d changed his mind since the last time they talked, or else . . .
“And there are other verses that make me think of you, too,” Timothy went on more quickly as the Empress began to tap her foot. “Like, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,’ because that’s what you were trying to do for your people. And I know you thought you were too young to make any difference, but Jesus said, ‘The least of you shall be the greatest—’”
His words ended in a choking gasp as Rob grabbed the back of his neck and pushed his head nearly to the floor. “I beg your pardon, My Empress,” Rob said. “I had thought he might tell us something useful. Forgive my poor judgment.”
Timothy had been trying to give her a message, Linden realized. But what? Why had he chosen those verses?
The least of you shall be the greatest . . . that meant her, surely. She was the smallest person in this whole room. Perhaps if she figured out what Timothy meant, she could do something great to save them? But what?
How beautiful are the feet . . . but there was nothing special about her feet that she could think of. Maybe it was the good news part of the verse he’d wanted her to think about? Telling her not to lose hope, because he had a plan to save them? And then there was that first verse he’d quoted, about iron sharpens iron . . .
Iron! What if he’d found some, to replace the key he’d lost in Wales? But even if he had, why go to the trouble of telling her about it? She was a faery. She couldn’t touch iron without losing what little magic she had.
“Enough of this folly,” snapped the Empress. She raised a hand towards Linden’s cage, sparks of baleful light flickering around her fingertips. “As Empress of all Faery, I proclaim Linden of the Oak to be traitor and rebel, outcast and Forsaken, and worthy of no better fate than death. So be—”
Her words ended in a gasp as Timothy leaped up from his crouch, sprang onto the platform, and hurled himself at her. She staggered back into the throne, which toppled over with a crash, sending the two of them tumbling onto the floor. But somehow Timothy had got his wrists free, and while he gripped the Empress’s throat with one hand, he reached for his ankle with the other.
Feet! thought Linden, suddenly realizing why he’d been limping. But her epiphany came too late. Timothy’s fingers had barely brushed the edge of his sock when the Empress brought up her hands and the white lightning of her power ripped through him, tearing him away from her and hurling him into the air. He landed on his back at the very edge of the platform, open-eyed and still.
“No!” Linden screamed. Reckless energy flooded her, sweeping away the last of her caution. She had to get to Timothy, whatever the cost. She clenched her fists and willed herself, with all her might, to grow.
Her head struck the top of the cage in an instant of blinding pain, and then the bars sprang apart and she dropped to the platform, free. She threw herself down beside Timothy.
Thank the Gardener, he was alive. His chest rose and fell, and his eyelids fluttered. Something had protected him from the full impact of the Empress’s power. Linden grabbed his right foot, peeled down the sock – and the iron cross fell out into her hand.
It was pure agony. Her heart, her lungs, even her thoughts stopped. Linden crumpled, dropping the pendant onto the stage, as her magic sputtered out and left her helpless.
But she was still human size.
“Remove the boy,” the Empress croaked from the back of the platform, rubbing her throat with one hand while she struggled to push herself upright with the other. “Robin, do you hear me? Take him away!”
Until now Rob had stood motionless, apparently stunned by what Timothy had done; now he shook himself as though waking from a dream, and climbed the stairs to obey. But as he stooped down and his hands closed on Timothy’s wrists he whispered to Linden, “Use it.”
Use what? The cross? But how could she, when it had crippled her just to touch it the first time, and she was so weak she could barely . . .
The least of you shall be the greatest.
Was it possible? Could her very weakness, in this moment when the Empress was distracted, become her strength?
Linden’s magic was gone; she could no longer change size, or fly, or cast a glamour to protect herself. But the iron cross still lay within her reach. And as Rob dragged Timothy out of the way, Linden seized the leather cord, leaped up, and whipped the cross at the Empress as hard as she could.
The cord snapped. But the cross kept flying, flashing in the candlelight as it spun through the air and struck the Empress’s cheek. With a shriek she bent over, hiding her face in her skirts, while a cry went up from the watching crowd.
Rob grabbed his guitar from beside the platform; it blurred in his hand, and became a sword. He leaped in front of the Empress as though to defend her, but it was to Linden that he spoke:
“The Stone! Give it to me!”
There was no way he could know that she had it, unless Timothy had told him. Quickly Linden dug it out of her pocket and held it out to him.
Rob closed his hand around the Stone, and relief washed over his face. “You were wrong, My Lady,” he said with savage triumph as he turned to confront the Empress. “I can deny you – and I do.”
The Empress raised her head, eyes burning with hate – and Linden gasped.
“Jasmine!” she cried out, scrambling to her feet. “Rob – she’s the faery who stole my people’s magic!”
The touch of cold iron had not only robbed the Empress of her ability to cast spells, it had stripped away the powerful glamours she had used to disguise herself. Dark-haired and proud-featured, she was now the image of the portrait Linden had seen in Paul’s book. But now the heavy-lidded eyes and sensual mouth were surrounded by deep creases, and the once black hair bore streaks of grey. Signs of age, such as no faery before had ever shown – how many years had she lived as a human before regaining her magical powers?
“Defend the Empress!” rasped a familiar voice from below them, and Corbin Blackwing leaped up onto the stage with sword in hand. Rob sprang to meet him, shouting, “Rebels! To me!” and the entire room erupted in confusion. Some faeries appeared to be plunging for the exits, others toward the platform, while still more milled about uncertainly.
“The Empress has lost her power!” Linden shouted into the jostling crowd. “Come here quickly, before it’s too late – Rob has the Stone, he can free you!” At first she despaired that anyone could hear her, there was so much shouting and wailing going on; but then she heard a female voice cry out, “The Stone of Naming!” and another echo, “The Stone!”
Within seconds the chaos on the floor resolved itself into two sides: the rebels pressing eagerly toward the stage, and the Empress’s servants trying to hold them back. Birds wheeled about the ceiling, animals leaped and tussled on the floor; light sizzled and metal rang, and in the half-darkness it was impossible to tell which side was winning.
The Empress clawed at her fallen throne, dragging herself to her feet. She staggered forward and swiped at Linden, who ducked away just in time.
“I should have burned that blighted Oak to the ground,” Jasmine panted. “And when I regain my powers – I swear to you that I will—”
But at that same moment Rob and Corbin came clashing towards them, all swords and spell-fire. Linden scrambled back, shielding her eyes – and when she looked again, the Empress had flung open the door at the back of the stage and fled, leaving it open behind her.
Linden darted to Timothy where he sat slumped against the wall. She grabbed his shoulders and shouted in his ear, “Can you move? The Empress – she’s getting away!”
He looked at her dazedly, then gave a weak nod. Linden slung her arm around him and helped him struggle to his feet, then yelled, “This way!” and pointed at the door.
“Just a minute . . .” Timothy stumbled across the platform and bent to snatch up the iron cross from beside the fallen throne. Corbin’s sword whistled towards his head, but Rob blocked the stroke and kicked the Blackwing off the stage. Within seconds an enraged raven came whirring back towards him; Rob dodged the attack just long enough to stoop and clasp hands with someone in the crowd, then shouted back to Timothy and Linden, “Run! Save yourselves!” and suddenly whisked off into the darkness . . .
Linden blinked. Had he really changed himself into a fox?
“Free!” cried a melodious voice, and Linden looked around to see the faery who had helped them at Euston Station holding the Stone of Naming high in the air. Other faeries were fighting their way toward her, plunging through walls of blue fire and dodging fountains of red and green sparks; as the first of them reached the faery she passed him the Stone, and his voice echoed hers in exultation, “Free!”
With a screech one of the Blackwings dived out of the shadows, straight at Timothy’s face. Timothy flung up the iron cross; the raven dropped like an anvil and crashed to the floor as Byrne, unconscious.
“We have to go, Timothy!” Linden called urgently. Clutching the cross in front of him, Timothy began weaving his way past the other faeries swarming onto the stage – but just as he reached Linden, he stumbled and crashed to his knees.
“Timothy!” cried Linden in alarm, and he gasped back, “Legs went numb – don’t know what’s wrong but I can’t—”
Linden helped him to his feet again, and together they limped toward the door. They had almost reached it when a slim figure slipped out to block their path, tossing the pale hair from his eyes and greeting them with a familiar mocking smile.
“Martin, get out of my way,” Timothy panted, brandishing the cross, but the male faery only laughed.
“I have no quarrel with you, human boy,” he said. “Why should I? I have not had such entertainment in many a year.” And to Linden’s amazement, he swept them a bow and disappeared again.
A noise like thunder cracked across the room, and all the candles went out. “Run!” screamed Linden, and she and Timothy plunged through the door. They found themselves at the top of a stairwell, with a second heavier door before them; Timothy shoved it open, and the two of them tumbled out onto a concrete step, dazzled by the cold blue light of morning.
There was no sign of the Empress, and behind them the battle of Sanctuary still raged. But at least–or so Linden thought, as she clung to Timothy in exhausted relief–at least the two of them were safe.
Eighteen
Timothy sat in the back parlor at Oakhaven, gazing out across the garden. Two days had passed since he and Linden escaped from Sanctuary. They’d huddled in an alleyway for a miserable hour or so until her magic returned, and then she’d turned them both invisible and they’d taken the train home. They’d arrived on Paul and Peri’s doorstep filthy, starving, and half-dead with cold – but they were alive.
The only question was, for how long?
Resignedly Timothy opened his Bible to the fifth chapter of Matthew and reached for his notebook. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . .
He had just started scribbling down some thoughts for the essay he owed the Dean when a spasm went through his hand, and his pen tumbled to the floor. He was trying to make his nerveless fingers pick it up again when he heard Paul’s voice from behind him.
“You all right, Tim?”
“I’m fine,” Timothy said quickly, sitting up as his cousin rolled into the room. “Just an aftershock from the Empress’s spell.” It had frightened him the first few times, but by now the spasms were weaker and less frequent, and he was pretty sure they’d soon go away. Still, it was a chilling reminder that if he hadn’t been touching iron when the Empress blasted him, he’d be dead right now.
“Let’s say we just call her Jasmine,” said Paul, wheeling the chair around to face him. “I don’t think she deserves the title, do you? And if Rob can get enough rebels on his side, she won’t be holding on to it much longer anyway.”
“That’s just the thing,” said Timothy reluctantly. “I don’t know if he can. I don’t even know if he and his followers are still alive. For all we know the Emp— I mean, Jasmine, could be coming here with an army to take over the Oak right now, and there’s not much any of us can do about it.”
Paul was silent, his fingers steepled against his lips. Then he said, “True. In which case maybe we should just call your parents and get you on a plane to Uganda before things get any worse.”
“Are you joking?” demanded Timothy. “I’m not going to run away and just leave you all here!”
“Why not? You’ve done everything you can to help the Oakenfolk, Tim, and a good deal more than anyone expected of you. Believe me, Peri and I appreciate all you’ve been through for Linden’s sake. But I’m still your guardian, and I’d be a pretty poor one if I let you hang about in the middle of a war zone.”
