CHAPTER THREE
`Charles, I wanted to tell you that my son Timothy will be coming to see me for the holidays.
He will be staying here with me.'
Charles faced Greta unbelievably, `You know he's not supposed to come here.'
Charles was the butler and Greta was the head maid. Between the two of them, Charles was older and had lived in the secluded mansion longer. They had their own houses out of the mansion and at the moment there were no inhabitants in the mansion and it seemed eerie. But they did the general things like keep the compound tidy and clean the main rooms once in a while.
Charles was apparently worried that Greta forgot the rules. Outsiders weren't supposed to come to the house unless it was approved off by the boss. But the boss hadn't been around for almost two years and there was no one besides Charles to make that decision.
`Charles, he grew up here, he can come over and see me.'
`You are forgetting that he spent most of his life in boarding schools like the rest of our children. He only came here for the holidays and even then he spent most of that time visiting relatives.'
`But you just said it. He came over for the holidays, why can't he come over now?'
`Because Mr. Clay isn't here to approve of it.'
`Well I already told Tim to come over. It might take him a week to get here because they are coming by road and he is traveling with friends.'
`Then why did you ask?' Charles looked over the finances. Mr. Clay was very thorough and always wanted every cent explained for.
`I just wanted you to know, in case you see him walking about in the compound.'
`I'm not giving you my permission because it wouldn't mean a thing. Just promise me he will not head off to the house. We don't know when Mr. Clay will return and it is best that we do not surprise him with anything.'
`He hasn't been back in two years and all I'm asking for is three months at most unless Tim wants to go stay with his father.'
`I would prefer if he stayed with his father,' Charles stood up. The books were perfect for today.
`Well, I raised him and deserve to spend some time with him too.'
`I agree,' he caught Greta by the arms, `But you can get a time off and spend the time with him.'
`Twenty four hours of every week with someone in college?' she appeared shock by the suggestion. `We would both die.'
`And that could happen if he does something wrong or says something wrong or even shake the wrong person's hand.'
`I get it. I will keep him away from the house,' she smiled. Charles nodded and left the table with the account book. Every month they got funds that paid the employees and paid for the maintenance of the house. It was also supposed to feed everybody and the remainder of the money was left in the account.
When Mr. Clay returned and checked the books confirming that everything was in order then the extra money would be the bonus of everybody. Though this was done it was unacceptable to limit the use of money so as to get a higher bonus.
The employees were paid handsomely and their children's school fees were paid by the boss.
Their salaries were theirs to use as they wished and by age fifty they would be in line for retirement. Greta was getting close but it was not yet time. Charles on the other hand was above fifty but he was still there. He hadn't requested a retirement because he was very comfortable at the house. Unlike the others, he lived inside the house sometimes and knew most of it secrets, something that the others had a disadvantage over.
He had grown up in the house and was educated out of it like all the others though he came back and requested to work in the house. The pay was good, the advantages were unbelievable but he liked the mystery of the owner Mr. Clay.
He was fifty six and in all his years he had never seen him age a day and that was why he disappeared most of the time. He had something going everywhere and had to check on all of them, but he knew that the boss was about to come back and though he didn't know it, he was right!
*
Three days later, the elimination process had begun. There were several groups of people standing in line. They went into the arena fifty at a time. This wasn't much for watching because they would shoot arrows until half of them missed shots and then another group would coming in. Victor was watching the proceedings and every time half of them would go away, he would watch as the other half would go and register their names again.
It didn't seem fair that some of the groups had everyone almost perfect in archery but it was fate. They believed the even in the groups where only a hundred arrow would be the separating factor there were bound to be very good horsemen in there and there was bound to be good swordsmen in there also. He saw Diane and Gorham coming to him at the corner of his eyes but he didn't react. Lately they have been doing almost everything together and people were already used to them. Besides they had better things to do than gossip.
`Victor,' she called to him.
He turned to them. Gorham had his hands around her possessively. `Yes, your Highness.' `How is everything going?' she asked as they walked to him.
`Very well.'
`Really?' but she didn't want an answer to that and so he kept quiet. `Join us please.' she said as they walked away. It was until they didn't have anyone around them that she spoke. `Has your student succeeded?'
`No.'
`What do you mean by no?'
`She's still asleep.'
Gorham raised his eyebrow questioningly but none of them noticed. `She's not supposed to sleep for so long. You have to wake her up.'
`The last time she woke up herself. I didn't need to wake her.'
`The last time she was scared and that was why she came out of it but I suspect that she has gotten comfortable with her spirits by now. If you don't wake her up she will fail to know the difference between reality and what's in her mind!' she seemed worried.
`How am I supposed to wake her up?'
`You were taught how to take someone to the deepest part of their mind but failed to be taught how to bring them back?' she asked incredulously.
`I was in a hurry to get here on time.'
`Okay,' she took deep breathes then finally said, `To bring her out of it, you have to form a connection with her. A strong bond.'
`How?'
`You have to kiss her.'
`Really?' he asked her narrowing his eyes at her. `Yes really. If you have a better idea then say it.' `Why kissing her?' he asked still not sure.
`She has to want to come back and that is the only way.' She watched Victor go home. Later when she was alone with Gorham she laughed and told him that anybody can be lied to.
Victor went home and went to the bedroom where Wendy had been sleeping peacefully for three days. Aside from a few tosses and turns she was in a perfect sleep. He brushed the hair off her face and wondered why it had come to this. He knew it was a bad idea but it was the only one he had. He leaned over her and his lips slowly brushing on hers. He felt an electric shock go through him and his heart started beating faster.
Wrong or a bad idea he wasn't backing down now. His hand went behind her head and held her head slightly up and kissed her full lips. He could feel her mouth opening to him and pulled back. `Wendy,' he called but no reply. She still wasn't conscious. He leaned over her again and the kiss came naturally this time. He'd wanted a woman to love so much but had held back. His life was too complicated, but now here was the one he had actually come to desire to be with. Her lips were responding to his and it was becoming more passionate as it was deepening. Her fingers dug into his hair as her other arm went around him. He held her up as he felt her body pressing on to his.
`Victor,' she managed to whisper. Slowly the kiss got less passionate and he slowly pulled away from her. He stayed there with closed eyes for a long time with neither of them moving. Then Victor stood up.
He walked to the d
oor and said without turning, `You have to eat something.' He didn't want to look at her, not now because he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going back to her. He was afraid that he might see what he needed to see and would be distracted from his main mission. God! He had watched her for almost five years and knew he was drawn to her. He had his own reasons for coming here but the reasons for him had changed considerably over the years and Diane knew. She must have always known. It was hard to hide anything from that woman.
Wendy finally came to the living room. She seemed fine for someone who had slept straight for three days. Victor already had food for her on the table. Though she wasn't hungry, she ate anyway. `You have to be at the arena,' he said trying to forget the taste of her mouth and the feel of her lips but every time he licked his lips he remembered.
`How long have I been asleep?' she asked before drinking the water on the table.
`Three days.'
`Oh!' she exclaimed then got up. `Then I have to get to the arena now.' She suddenly stumbled and was falling. She didn't know how Victor got to her so fast but he caught her before she fell.
`Are you okay?' he asked still holding her.
`You kissed me?' her eyes were on his.
His own eyes shifted from hers to her lips then back again to the eyes. `Yes,' he answered simply.
`Okay,' she said. `You can let go of me now.'
But Victor held on. `Are you okay?' he asked.
`Yes,' she said as she pulled herself up. She didn't add anything more to it and neither did he. They proceeded to the arena where the competitors were continuing with the archery. She had to wait until she was called like the others. She went through everything as if she was still in a trance. She walked to the arena and was shown where to stand. She had no idea the number of people who were watching her.
Later on Diane called Victor to her study. She was there writing her journal and looked up at
Victor. `Was she fine?'
`Wendy? Yes she was fine.'
`Was she herself?'
`No, but that was a good thing.' Diane was looking at him questioningly. `She doesn't do so well when she is under pressure the way most people do.'
`You can not underestimate her.' There were no words spoken to that. `How many spirits can she see?' Diane asked curiously.
`Five.'
`Including herself, six. She can control all the six elements?'
`It seems so.'
`She is very powerful.' She looked at Victor trying to see what was in his mind. She couldn't see any difference therefore she said, `Her father will be very protective of her.'
Victor sighed, `I'm just doing my job, Diane. Don't add things that aren't there.' `Hm,' she said thoughtfully but decided to change the subject. `It will be soon.' `What?' he asked not expecting that.
`I am about to die. What I want to know is how you will transfer my spirit.'
`I will need one of your possessions. Something that she can put on and carry around easily.'
She reached inside one her drawers and brought out a necklace with a diamond hanging from it. It didn't seem like it was from around there but it was familiar. She handed it to him. `Will that one do?'
He studied it and wondered where she got it from but didn't ask. He just nodded. `When do you expect...'
`Very soon. I doubt that the competition will even end.' Victor was waiting for something more and so she added, `Nathan is plotting something and it will be big. If I know him well enough I would think that he is going to involve Alice in on it.'
`You could just tell Gorham your theory and he will shut him down in whatever it is,' Victor suggested.
Diane smiled a very weak sad smile as she shook her head, `No, I have changed fate several times and it is about time that I let the events flow the way they are supposed to.' She paused as she scratched her head in thought. `I will also want you make sure that my diary gets to him and is read by no one else before him.'
`That is easy, anything else?'
`Yes,' she looked straight into his eyes. `Take care of her. I have written a letter.' She handed him a letter from underneath the diary. `Give this to her when she is ready.'
`How will I know that she is ready to read this?'
`After she meets her father.'
`And when will I give her the necklace?' he asked looking at the necklace in his hands.
`That, I will leave to you, but I would prefer you give it to her before she is overwhelmed with her powers.'
*
Nathan was in a position where he didn't know what was going on because he was now out of the loop. Gorham was mainly always with Diane which meant that he was a third wheel to the two. He preferred to stay out of it completely. But his mind was at work. He was going use this in order to boost his career. He was going to become an indispensable asset to the council.
He knew about Victor being a wizard and since Gorham wasn't watching his back every single second then he could do whatever he wished. He found out more about wizards and realized that they had all disappeared for some time and this was the first time that a wizard was heard from for a long time. He also realized the danger that they possessed.
If he were the one who brought this under the attention of the council then he would be considered a patriot unlike Gorham was aiding and abetting Diane in causing a danger to the people. He would then be under the protection of the council and if anything were to happen to cause Gorham to re-examine his appointment then the council will stand by him. He realized that he could even throw Diane out of the power that she was not willing to leave and he would form an alliance with Alice who was going to be the next queen.
Yes, if he did things right he would be unstoppable and even more powerful than Gorham. Queen Alice will be on his side as the council which was headed by Alice's father will be. Gorham will be one man standing against an army and the people.
He stood up and headed to Diane's castle which will very soon be called Alice's after being informed that Diane was out going to Gorham's castle. He didn't want to meet with one of the people he was going to over throw. He asked to speak with Alice and he was taken to the study where she found him. He waited until they were left alone.
Alice started, `I'm not the queen yet. I'm sure the person you want to talk to is Diane.'
`No, I'm here to speak to the right person.'
Alice was still not convinced in whether he was not out of his mind but she went to sit down on Diane's chair and signaled him to sit down opposite her. `Okay, so you are here to see me.' `I have a proposal to make to you.'
`I'm sure you aren't talking about marriage because you are married.'
`You are right,' Nathan studied her. She was pretending to know what she was doing but he could see she was clueless. If he was going to get through to her he had to pretend that she was the one calling all the shots. Pride was the one thing that he could use to get her to his side. He continued, `I am here to see to it that both our careers get a boost from what is going on these days.'
`What do you mean by boost? I am the next queen, what more can I ask for?'
`You are the next elected queen and if you are elected like me,' he paused and looked right through her eyes, `You can be replaced just as easily.' He saw the reality dawn in her eyes but she tried to keep her face straight. If Nathan had been talking to Diane he would have been shooting arrows through the dark expecting to hit a target which he would not even know he had hit. With
Diane he would have been blind but here, he could see clearly when he was getting through or not. Alice didn't say a thing and so he continued, `I need your help.' `In what?' she finally asked.
`You will become the queen in a few months assuming that Diane steps down.'
`She is going to step down now that I'm here...'
`Here doing what? You are being treated like another high profile guest in the castle and she is s
upposed to teach you. What has she taught you?' Alice had no answer. `She has just accepted you here so that she can buy time and continue ruling. She is playing everybody and Victor...' he stopped as he noticed the change in her.
`What about Victor?' Alice narrowed her eyes at him in anger. But Nathan knew to get her completely under her control he had to be willing to hit hard sometimes.
`You like him just like every other young woman does. You want to marry him?'
`I have to marry the best warrior provided that he is not already married.'
`Yes, but does he feel the same about you?' he didn't wait for an answer as he continued; `You heard that Diane's husband, Eric tried to kill her a few days ago?'
`Everyone knows.'
`Have you talked to him about what happened after?' he was leaning back on the chair.
`It's none of my business.'
`Well, I took the liberty of doing just that. He said something interesting about what happened when Victor came to give him his sentence?' Alice stared at him stubbornly then she relented and nodded. `He said Victor did something to him. He couldn't move because Victor waved his hand to him and pinned him to the wall after the chains had miraculously dropped from his limbs. Then it was like a hand was squeezing air out of his chest and he couldn't breathe. He knew for sure that he was going to die.'
`What are you saying?' Alice asked seemingly worried.
Nathan took his time before saying, `A few months ago I found out something shocking about Victor and only partly shocking about Diane.' Alice was hooked. `Victor is a wizard!' he said. Alice smiled as if it was a joke. `Wizards don't exist anymore. You must be wrong.'
`Yes, the story that they have all been hunted down or are dead naturally,' he paused. `I heard Diane say it from her own lips.'
`But...' she was lost for words. She knew what it meant to have a wizard around. She had after all read the diaries of the other queens. `We have to tell the council,' she started standing up.
`No.'
`Why then did you tell me?'
`I wanted you to talk to your father alone before you inform the council.' `Why?' she stared at him curiously.
`Well, I have been considering that for some time now but I think that telling the whole council at the same time will not work.' Alice was about to ask again but Nathan beat him to it. `If they all know at the same time then they will have to deliberate on it before seeing any evidence whatsoever and the delay may just be enough for Diane to cover her tracks.' `Okay.'
`I wanted you to tell your father and he will give us the best way to handle it.'
Alice thought for a long time then said, `What evidence do you have to give if he asks?'
`Eric will testify to what Victor did to him, I have a spy who will say what he did to Diane whenever he went to see her.'
`Is that all?' Alice asked unbelievably.
`No, you can call Gorham and I to testify.'
`Gorham? Diane has her claws right into him. He would never testify.'
`He will, maybe not as much as we would like but he will.'
`Okay, who else?'
`What do you know about Wendy?' Nathan asked.
Alice thought. The only Wendy she knew was the one who was Victor's student. `I'm assuming that you are talking about Wendy, Victor's student?'
`Yes, the one and only.'
`Well,' she thought some more. `The only things that I know about her is that she is very ambitious and a hard-worker.'
`Besides Diane, the only other person that he spends so much time with is her. If anyone is to know that he is a wizard, it is her.'
`How can you be sure that she would know something?' Alice asked him.
`Apparently she has spent four consecutive nights at his house.' Nathan saw Alice's eyes narrow again in anger. `She seems to be the only one who has managed to get close to him.'
`And if she has become so close to him then how can you be sure that she will say anything about him? The last thing I know someone in love would do is say something to destroy the object of their affection.'
`You are forgetting that she is very ambitious. If we tell her exactly what she needs to hear then she could say anything in the world.'
`You are trying to compare ambition to love.'
`Nobody said that she is in love with him and even if she is I'm sure I can talk to her and change her mind. I am very good at my job.'
This time he could see that Alice was starting to suspect him of his motives but she didn't say anything. `When do you want me to tell my father?'
`Today if possible.'
`Hm,' she said. Then out of nowhere she asks, `What did you find about Diane?'
`Diane will never step down when Victor is still around.'
*
When Diane was done with Victor she got into her carriage and was taken to Gorham's castle. She found him as usual in the library. He was peering through the books on the table. He didn't
notice her arrival. She sat some distance away and just watched him until he was finally closing the books. He looked up at her and a smile broke through the tired face. Diane walked to him and kissed him on the forehead and then the lips.
He stared at her with nothing to say and she stared back. He eventually stood up and took her in his arms. `Have I ever told you that I always remember our first kiss every time I see you?'
`No,' she said shaking her head and then she smiled, `When was the first kiss anyway?'
Gorham squeezed her slightly. `It was right here in the library.'
`Hmm, it must have slipped my memory.'
`Liar,' he said as he looked at her and they laughed at how true that was.
Diane stopped laughing before him and she heard his tired laugh, `You are so tired.'
`I just need to be with you.'
`We are going to get some fresh air. This library is stuffy.'
`Why am I not surprised?' he smiled and took her hand as he led the way out of the library and finally out of the castle. They started to walk toward the huge field. Jared followed but not too close. He was careful to give them privacy. They didn't talk for some time until Diane found a nice spot to sit down. Jared left them and headed back to the castle. They were in clear view from the castle and so there was no need to keep a close watch. Gorham had been watching her throughout and noticed there was something wrong. `You want to talk?' he asked her.
Diane didn't answer for a long time that Gorham thought that she really didn't want to talk. `You see the stars?' she asked as she looked up.
`Yes,' he answered.
`What do you think of them?'
Gorham looked up again and thought of something to say. He turned to Diane but her eyes were on him. `They are stars, bright and they twinkle.'
Diane smiled and tilted her head back up. `A wise friend of mine told me something about them a long time ago,' she started, `He said that the stars we see are billions of years far from us. And
I asked him, what is a billion? Do you know what he told me?'
`No,' Gorham answered. Instead of looking at the stars he was looking at her. For some strange reason he felt that she was about to reveal to him something big. So he listened and watched her.
`He told me that a billion was a lot. And then he continues to say that some of them are even dead before we see them.' Her head fell down at this point and she started concentrating on her nails instead. `And others are dead but we continue seeing them. Others are still alive when we see them and then there are those that shine but we can’t see them because they are so far away.' `Your friend told you this?'
`Yes.'
`Do I know him?' Gorham fished.
`No,' she looked up again. `I really didn't want to come back here.' A tear trickled from her eye and Gorham wiped it. `I tried to do everything I could not to come back and I know it was wrong.' She covered her face
in shame as she sobbed.
Gorham patiently waited then asked, `What was so wrong that you did?'
She took a deep breath, `I tried to seduce him. Every single night that I had the chance, I tried to get him to sleep with me.' Gorham had enough common sense not to interrupt. `But a wise man he was. He knew what I was up to and maintained a distance from me. If possible we would go into one of the villages and he would put me in a room as he himself spent the night somewhere else. I tried for a long time. Knowing that I was approaching home he came to me and asked, “Why?”' `Why what?' I asked.
`Why do you want to sleep with me?'
`I didn't know the answer to that question so I blurted out, `Because I just want to.' He thought my answer was not true and so he told me about the stars. I looked at him like he was crazy. I was asking myself why the story about stars was relevant in this case. I asked him and do you know what he told me?' she looked at him her eyes glistened.
`No,' Gorham couldn't believe what she was telling him.
`He said that the past has a way of catching up with the future.'
`Did you have the right answer?'
`Yes,' a long pause, `But I didn't tell him.'
`I'm assuming something happened...'
`Yes,' she looked away from him but Gorham turned her head back to him but she looked down. `I was right at the edge of the city and could have just walked back in but I hesitated. He told me he knew who I was and I told him I knew who he was. We stared at each other probably wondering the same thing and he came up to me the second time and kissed me. It was an experiment.'
`An experiment which lead you to his bed?' Gorham asked a bit harshly.
`No,' she was shaking her head, `The attraction was there. I can't deny it. I wanted him for a lot of different reasons all rolled into one. He was attractive, intelligent, knew almost everything about everything and he wanted me. Most of all he reminded me of you.'
`You slept with him because he reminded you of me?' Diane didn't answer. `So, did you spend the rest of your time missing with him?'
`I got pregnant shortly afterward.'
`He left you?'
Diane laughed uneasily, `No, he was scared though. He told me I couldn't carry the baby and I was against doing anything against the baby. You should have seen him,' she said and for the first time she really laughed as she remembered:
`What do you mean you are pregnant?' he was pacing around as Diane was seated down.
`Henry, I know my body and everything is telling me that I am pregnant. Don't you believe me?'
Henry sat down opposite her and eyed her curiously, `Don't you know what happens to the women who are impregnated by wizards?'
`I know Henry. I'm from the Izanami clan.'
`Then why do you want to keep the baby?' Henry was confused as he searched her face for any answer.
She stood up and headed to get something to drink. `I want to keep it.'
Suddenly Henry was behind her and holding her close to his body. He was breathing deeply into her ears. His arms were around her over her abdomen and then one of his hands went lower caressing her thigh slowly leaving Diane wondering what he was up to. He breathed on the skin on her neck and his mouth was trailing her neck as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her. Her heart was beating very fast and she found her eyes closed. `Tell me why you want to keep the baby?' he whispered in her ear again but she just groaned and turned to him her lips searching his. `Tell me, please,' his voice pleaded with her. Diane found his lips and when she was about to kiss them he pulled back only slightly. He did this several times and Diane got tired of it.
She sighed and left him standing there then she headed to the kitchen. She came back and found him still standing where she had left him. She looked away from him. He was too good at seducing her. She always ended up wanting him.
`It is something that you can't tell me.' She didn't answer. `You can't say because you knew when you met me. That was why you were trying to seduce me from the very beginning. You wanted to get pregnant by me.' Though she was not looking at him she could feel his eyes boring into her. He walked to her and turned her head up to his. `You knew the outcome and you wanted it because you wanted to die.'
`I am tired. I'm going to bed now.'
Henry didn't try to stop her. She crawled into bed expecting Henry to come to her but he didn't. Several hours later she woke up. The house was quiet. She expected him to have abandoned her but he found him sitting in a dark living room. `I can't let you to die. Not if I have something to do about it.' She heard his voice and followed it to him.
She was ready to try to convince him about how futile that would be but when she got to him, the floor started glowing in a strange shape and soon they were engulfed in a white bright light. Then she felt the light fading. She opened her eyes and saw that they were in the middle of a forest. `What have you done to my baby?' she panicked and seemed to give in to her fear as she screamed the question again.
`I've done nothing to the baby,' he assured her. He then led her through the forest and they came to a huge building. She stopped in her tracks as she looked up at it. `Come on,' he urged her. She continued to walk towards it and as they got closer the larger it was. They went to a door which was opened for them.
`Welcome back, Mr. Clay,' the young man said stepping out of his way. Henry didn't even pause to greet him. He was in and then somewhere along the corridor he stopped and came back to take Diane's hand. And they headed away from the door. Diane was led upstairs and they entered a large room with a huge bed. He started undressing her and when all her clothes had fallen off he did the same to himself and then opened the door to a white room.
He stepped in and was pulling her in with him. Water poured on her and he was washing her as he did the same to himself. He hurriedly did all this and finally he stopped and stared at her. She was worried about him. `Are you alright?' she asked.
`Yes.'
`Where are we?' she asked again holding her hand up and looking at the water falling in her hand. How could it be raining in a house with the roof?
`We are where most wizards feel at home.' He was quiet for a long time then said, `I will not allow you to die.'
`Why not?' she asked. Henry didn't answer. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He carried her from the bathroom and went to put her on the bed wet as she was. He made love to her slowly and when it was over they stayed in silence.
`Do you know how old I am?'
`No.'
`Almost six hundred now. That is a lot of years Diane. In those years I have fallen in love with women, been with them for the rest of their lives. They either get pregnant and die or they choose not to have the child and they stay barren for the rest of their lives or they choose to leave me.'
Diane looked at him as he talked. He continued, `You are different Diane, in a way that I cannot explain and I know this because I watched you through the three months that we have been
together. I try to guess what will happen next with you but I just can't.' `And that is good?' she asked tracing her fingers on his chest.
`I know you are not in love with me.' He turned to her but she was not looking at him. `It is so obvious when you are thinking about him. You become lost as if your soul does not exist anymore.'
`Then why have you stayed with me for so long? Why do you want to keep me alive then?'
`Because I fell in love with you. I saw you in the battlefield and I saw you look at me knowing exactly who I was. Then you were caught because I was there. I debated if it was wise to come and help you get out for a long time. Then I came and found you sitting in the dungeon waiting for a deal to be made so that they set you free but you knew it would cost your people a lot because you were very important to them.'
`Yes, that is true.'
`So you took the opportunity I presented you and you came with me. You did not even act like you knew who I
was. Then we kissed. That sealed the fact that I was in love with you.'
`I'm sorry I don't feel the same way about you.'
`What do you feel about me then?'
Their eyes met. `I like you. I am definitely attracted to you but...'
He put a finger on her lips. `That's all I need to know. I'm a very patient man given that I've lived for six hundred years.' He stood up and brought out some clothes from a closet and put them on. They were like nothing she had ever seen before. He came over to where she was still covered in bed and kissed her on the forehead, `Please stay in bed. I will be right back.'
In the present she turned her head to look at Gorham. He was the most patient man in the world who wasn't a wizard. He hadn't interrupted her at any point in her thought. `Do you want to talk?' she asked him.
`No,' he said smiling and shaking his head at the same time. `Not really.' Diane put her head on his shoulder and went back to her thoughts.
Henry took his time and she found that she was slipping in and out of consciousness. She opened her eyes when she heard people in the room. Henry was standing some distance away with another man. When the man saw that she was awake he came next to her. He opened a case that he had been carrying and removed something long which he put around his neck. He said, `Hallo Diane,
I'm Dr. Ryan and from now on I am going to be the one taking care of you.'
He put one end of the thing around his neck on his ear as the other end he handled in his hand. He slipped his hand under the covers. Diane looked worriedly at Henry but he wasn't worried and so she just waited. The thing was cold on her skin but she remained still. After sometime he put the thing on her abdomen then waited sometime again. He said, `Well Diane, it seems you are going to have a baby.' He was removing the long thing from her body. Henry came and sat next to her taking her hand.
`Is she going to be alright?'
`Yes, you don't have to be worried at least not yet.'
`Can I be with her?' he asked.
It took the doctor some extra seconds to understand the question, `Yes, you can be with her. You will just have to start being careful when she starts to show.'
`Thank you Ryan.'
`But call when you think there is something wrong. I'll be here as fast as I can.' He then smiled sadly at Diane as if knowing her doom was imminent. He left them alone.
The first trimester was smooth and she moved around a lot. She explored the house. She was taken shopping and bought more clothes. She also had a look at baby clothes which she had never seen before. She was taken by the technology she encountered. Henry's house was the biggest she had ever seen but she was forced to re-evaluate that assessment as she saw towering buildings in the city.
The doctor would come once a month to check her and would leave her with the same strange smile. Henry no longer came to oversee the doctor’s work as he was very worried that he would find something wrong. He bought all the equipment that would have been needed. They turned one of the rooms into a maternity ward and the doctor was really impressed by the concern that Henry had for her. He was told that he would be a resident of the building for some time and he planned to refuse but the only two other people that he had seen in the building had told him not to.
`Mr. Clay is a very persistent man and should you refuse you'd wish you hadn't,' the man had told him.
`I'm a doctor who has other patients who need my attention. I can't always be looking after her.'
`Dr. Ryan, we would seriously like that you think about it again. Mr. Clay is worried about her. That is new for us. We have never seen him care this much for someone,' the woman was the one who said.
`What do you mean by that?'
`Mr. Clay is powerful in ways that you can't even imagine. He can do anything he wants and please don't let yourself be …' she didn't finish. She would give this stranger too much and that would have her breach the contract that she had signed. She left her husband to deal with him. They didn't want to see anyone hurt at the end of this.
`Your wife...'
`She is very concerned of your life as she is normally with everyone else.'
`Mr. Clay can get another doctor. A better one than me. He can certainly afford it.'
`Dr. Ryan, please have a seat,' they both sat down. `Don't see my boss as just someone with a lot of money. That would be your first mistake. My boss has a way of investing in everything that he does. Having you here is probably part of the master plan. He didn't bring you here because you are the second best, he brought you here because you are the most likely person to understand his need of privacy and what is happening to his… Diane. You are here because you are the most likely person who is able to help her. '
`That all may be true but it doesn't change the fact...'
He was interrupted again. He didn't think that the servants would be very concerned as to put the doctor down and have a talk about their boss. `You aren't getting what am saying, Dr. Ryan. You are here because you are the only one who can help. If you will help him then he will be very grateful and he will pay you back handsomely.' The man left him there alone to contemplate. He decided that having a rich man as a friend would be worth it. He did his best not to have many patients and when it was time to move in he re-assigned them to other doctor requesting an emergency leave.
Diane was starting to have problems with the pregnancy though he went over every data he could but she was normal. Henry, as usual, was waiting in his office and Ryan went to inform him of his findings.
`There is nothing wrong with her or the baby.'
`But she's having problems...'
`Yes, and I can't explain them. I've gone through every single book I could but can't find any references to the problems she's having.'
`Then do the tests again. You must have missed something.'
`I've repeated them three times and I still come up with the same results.'
`Do you have any ideas?' Henry asked in a defeated voice. Ryan stared at the man who was always in control. He thought of something that he could try.
`Maybe she doesn't want the baby,' Ryan said.
Henry looked at him sharply. `That is the one thing that she is sure of.'
`Sir, she could say that she wants the baby but she is not mentally prepared for it. It is said that seventy-five percent of the body problems start at the mind. We think it, we experience it.'
`How would you change that?'
`I would suggest hiring a psychologist...'
`No, no one is going to probe her mind. She has dark secrets that cannot be uttered.'
`Then how do you want it to be done?'
He saw Henry in deep thought. The latter dismissed him. He continued sitting in his office for almost two hours doing nothing then he was up and heading to Diane's room. She was awake reading through a book. He sat down opposite her on the bed and took her in a trance where she met her spirits. They were two and they were arguing on who was going to take care of the child that was crying. She went and took the child and then they turned to her introducing themselves. By the time she came out of it she had arranged a routine that suited both of them then she woke up. Henry was watching her. She smiled at him and said, `Everything is fine.'
The doctor noticed the change in her. She smiled more and was more comfortable with her surroundings. It was only when he saw her shooting arrows at a target that he started wondering who she really was. He went down the stairs and then outside where she was. She turned to him and smiled. `You are doing fine this morning.'
`Yes, I decided I needed to try the arrows again given that it's been a long since I tried them.'
`Really,' he said looking at the target which had arrows right at the middle. `You are perfect at it.'
`No,' she said holding the bow up with an arrow on it. `I can still feel my hand trembling.' She brought her hand down. `I'm still hesitating and that is not good.'
br /> `What did you do?'
`What do you mean?'
`Before you got pregnant, what did you do?'
`Oh, I lead my people.'
`Did you kill people?' he asked remembering Henry told him she had dark secrets.
`Yes,' she raised the bow again and aimed it. `We are always at war.' She let go of the arrow and another perfect shot according to Ryan but she was frowning.
`That was not good?'
`I hesitated.' She turned to him and then smiled mischievously. `Could you go get me the arrows?' Ryan went then came back handing the arrows to Diane. She handed him the bow. `Let me see if you can do it.' Ryan tried to resist but she was very good at persuasion. He found himself pulling the string with an arrow on it. He was about to let go when Diane said, `Relax, you can close your eyes if you wish.' She then adjusted the elevation of his arms and head. Then she said, `Let go.' He let go without a single thought in his mind. He almost missed the target.
`Wow,' he said smiling. That was the first try and he hit a target. `You can be a very good teacher.'
`I am a good teacher. I have to be,' she turned and saw Henry heading their way. She waited for him to get to them and brushed her lips over his. `You came to join us.'
`I saw you were trying to recruit a new member to your team,' he said as he felt her bulging stomach.
Ryan turned to him, `You should try it, sir. It is exhilarating when you do it right.' He handed the bow to him. Henry took the container holding the arrows and put it on his back and put one arrow on the bow string. He took his time and aimed then he let go and took another arrow and without thinking put another arrow and then another.
Ryan's jaw dropped as he watched all the arrows hit the center of the target. Diane was saying,
`Show off.'
`Yes I am.' he turned to Ryan, `You are right. It is exhilarating. Keep practicing though you'll get good at it.' He left Ryan with the bow and arrows as he led Diane back to the house. From then Ryan had a new hobby; archery.
Diane found herself dosing in Gorham's arm. He stood up and lifted her and took her back to the castle to his bed. She didn't let go of him and Gorham thought that she was not asleep. He slipped in bed next to her overwhelmed by sleep.
*
Alice having gone to talk to her father she was told that everything would move very fast. She went back and informed Nathan. The following day everything would come crumbling down on Diane and Victor. Very early in the morning Nathan was driven to Wendy's house. She was alone in the house since her housemates were at work. She stared at him as though he wasn't really there and ignored him for a few more minutes.
`Miss Summer,' Nathan interrupted her thoughts. `I want to talk to you.'
She frowned, `I was hoping that if I ignored you long enough you would disappear.' She went to sit down. Nathan's guards were in the house which made it seem very small. `What do you want?' she asked.
`I want your help?' he said but didn't see a reaction from her. `I need some information that only you can tell me.'
`Everything about me is in a file that is in King Gorham's castle.'
`That is true but the information that I need is not about you.' Again no reaction. She reminded him so much of Diane. `I need information on Victor Raymond.'
Then there was a reaction a strike of uncertainty flashed across her eyes. `What would make you think that I know something about him that would help you in whatever way?'
`He is very close to you unlike anyone else.'
`He is close to the queen, why not ask her.'
`She has a very strong reserve on him. She hasn't talked about him in five years that he has been here, she won't talk even now.'
`And you think I know something because...?'
`Because he spent some time every day of the last three months with you and recently you spent four consecutive nights in his house. You must have noticed something.'
`If maybe you'd give me a clue as to what you want perhaps I could help,' her voice was tired.
She just wanted them to leave her alone and go back to sleep.
`I would like to know everything, Miss Summer.'
`Well, your Majesty, Victor doesn't like to cook. He drinks a lot but not enough to get drunk. He doesn't talk about other people let alone himself. But he did tell me however that he was not having an affair with the queen and yes, I don't think he sleeps.' She yawned.
`What exactly did he say about the affair with the queen?'
Wendy put her head back and closed her eyes, `I asked him about it and he said it was not true and then I asked if he had ever kissed her but he said he hadn't then he said that she had kissed him but that was a misunderstanding.'
`Why did you ask him these questions?'
`I was curious like everyone else.'
`What happened during your stay at his house?'
`He helped me relax, that's all,' she said. If her eyes were open she would have noticed the eyebrows of everyone else in the room rise.
`Did he sleep with you?' Nathan asked.
`No,' she said as it seemed she was slipping into sleep. `I wished though that he did but he didn't.'
`Did he do anything else to you?'
The room was so quiet as no one spoke. For a moment Nathan feared that she hadn't heard him and was asleep. `No,' she answered in a very low voice. She fell on the chair putting herself comfortably in it preparing to sleep.
`Miss Summer, I'm not done with the questioning.'
Wendy suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. `I don't see if I can help you with anything else, Your Majesty,' she said in a cold voice.
Nathan realized that he was done with the questioning since now she wasn't going to answer anymore. He stood up but Wendy just stared at him without moving. `You will be required to appear in front of the council when summoned.'
`I will do that.'
Nathan walked to the door. He turned once more to look at her but she had placed herself on the chair and was asleep. In Nathan's opinion dealing with her was worse than dealing with Diane given that this was a mere low class citizen. It was insubordination in the highest form. He decided that after dealing with Diane, Victor and Gorham, he would come and destroy her.
The council met early in the morning. They had heard Eric's testimony about what happened in the cell. He had also gone ahead and explained what he saw when he was sure he had killed Diane. He brought her back to life. This caused the council to call on one of the guards who had been there and they confirmed the story.
Diane and Gorham were summoned to appear in front of the council. They came separately
Gorham arriving first. He looked at the council and noticed that Alice had already taken Diane's seat.
He frowned at this. He was asked questions regarding Diane admitting that Victor was a wizard. He agreed to this knowing that Nathan had already said it. He did tell them though that he didn't know anything else about him.
His relationship with Diane came under questioning and that brought doubt to everything that he had said. They knew he knew more but plainly refused to tell them. When he went to sit down on his chair he saw the queen's weapon that had been used to kill the wizards a long time ago.
It was just next to Alice's father. He looked away.
Diane arrived next. The first thing she saw was the weapon on the curved long table. She stopped short in her steps then continued more slowly until the center of the room and stood waiting.
She didn't even turn to her chair which Alice was comfortably sitting on. The questioning began. `For how long have you known that Victor Raymond is a wizard?'
`Since I met him.'
`And when was this?'
`Roughly five years ago.'
`Why did you bring him here?'
`Because I needed him.'
`How?'
`The rejuvenating breathe.'
`You are a sworn enemy to him. Why did you abandon your vow?'
`Because the vow was made by my ancestors who failed to realize that they are not our enemy. We are our own worst enemies. I thought that I would bring my people to see it the way I see it.'
`He is a danger to everyone near him.'
`No, he isn't.'
`How many has he killed?'
`He only kills when my life is in danger.'
`The number in the records is a lot...'
`Because I changed them to be able to promote him and have him close to me.'
`We have witnesses that say he brought you back to life.'
`So you want to prosecute him because he saved my life?'
`No one is supposed to come back from the dead, Diane.'
`I wasn't dead yet.'
`Why is he here?'
`Because I asked him to come.'
`You don’t understand the question. Why is he here?'
`Oh! He is here because it is the return I get for sparing his life.'
`Why is he interested in Wendy Summer?'
Diane was not expecting this. She thought the questioning would center on her, Victor and maybe Gorham. `I don't know,' she hesitated as she answered but the council noticed. `She spent four nights at his house.'
`I wasn't aware.'
`Nothing goes on without your knowledge.' `This one did.'
`We have sent guards to her house as we speak. You may not talk but I wonder how much she would say after going through the interrogation techniques that you invented.'
Diane's jaw dropped in disbelief. Gorham was about to stand up but the door busted open and
Victor walked in heading straight to Diane. He bowed before he said, `You called me your Highness?' From the corner of his eyes he saw Alice's father raise the weapon. He shot at him but Victor raised his hand to stop the continuous flow of fire like light.
Diane turned to him, `You have to take her now. They are about to arrest her and they will put her through the worst for her to say something.'
`What about you?'
`It's time. Now go.' She turned back to the laser and summoned all her strength. A strong wind blew pushing back the light. Victor left. She was not strong enough to hold it back forever. Her strength was failing her. She barely heard the shouting that was going on. Her ears were ringing and she felt as if her head would explode. Then she could not hold back anymore. She felt the force push her back and she was thrown to the wall behind her. Then there was silence.
Gorham showed up from nowhere and was holding her. His lips were moving but she could not hear what he was saying. Tears started rolling from his eyes and she reached up and wiped them. She whispered, `I love you.' Then she closed her eyes. Her head fell back. He shook her hard hoping that she was just asleep and she would wake up but he knew she was gone.
He held her head next to his chest and rocked her as the tears freely flowed from his eyes. He brushed her hair back as he continued to hope. Then someone came to take his arms. He looked up and saw Jared. He looked back down at Diane's body. She wasn't coming back. She had been saying goodbye to him and even if she could come back she wouldn't come back to him. That one week had been farewell. He kissed her on the forehead and said his goodbye. He was about to stand up when he noticed the white color of the hair fading away as it was replaced with her natural brown.
She was gone completely. Gorham looked around and noticed that the council room had been deserted. They were probably in the inner chamber but Gorham didn't feel like confronting anyone.
He walked out escorted by Jared. He was taken home.
In the inner chamber there was an argument going on. The rest of the council members had turned against Alice's father.
`What the hell did you think you were doing? You killed the queen!'
`She put herself in the way. She was protecting the wizard. She probably deserved to die.'
`That may be true but it was not your call to make. We make the decisions together.' `I tried to stop it. It wouldn't.'
`Because only the queens are supposed to use the weapon. You had no right to handle it.'
The next in command, vice chancellor Aaron said, `I propose you step aside from leading this council.' He was seconded and a vote took place. Simon was no longer the council head by majority vote.
`What about my daughter?'
`We cannot replace her. She is the one we chose to be the next queen and it was a unanimous vote.' *
Victor went straight to his horse and rode away from the council hall. He did not look back as he knew what would happen next. He had performed several rituals the previous night in preparations with what would come next. As he approached Wendy's home he saw that she was being dragged out of the house. She tried to resist but they were too many. Victor raised his bow loaded with an arrow and shot. He was aiming at their right shoulders so that they could not take up arms. He did that several times and finally Wendy was free. She stared at him as he came to a stop as the others did.
`What's going on?' she asked looking up at him shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun. `I have orders to take you to safety.' `Orders from whom?' she asked.
`Do you want to come or not?' he asked. Wendy thought for a moment then nodded. Victor stretched his hand out for her and he lifted her up as soon as she took it. She put her arms around him and they started to ride away. She looked back and saw the small group rising from the ground watching them go. She turned back and looked at where they were going. After some time she realized they were heading outside the city. She had questions but decided to wait until they stopped and that was a long wait for by the time they stopped they were well into a forest.
Victor put her down then dismounted. He removed the saddle and the bridle from the horse and slapped it hard. He took her hand and led her through the forest to an abandoned house. He kicked the door in and it broke. He then drew something in the middle of the living room. Wendy watched curiously but by the way that he was concentrating she saw best to just watch. He came and pulled her to the center then told her to close her eyes, which she didn't. The drawing on the ground glowed then a bright white light engulfed them. A few seconds later the light died and the drawing on the ground erased itself.
*
Gorham was left in private in his study. Jared didn't allow anyone into the room. He was just thoughtful. Diane was dead. She had died in the hands of her own people and Victor was gone. If he brought her back to life then he could have done so again but then she wasn't meant to die then. He didn't know what was happening outside and he didn't care. But when there was a knock at his door and Jared opened it he knew something big was indeed happening.
`Sir,' he said afraid that he had intruded. But Gorham was looking expectantly at him. `There is news that Diane's body just vanished.'
`She is dead, Jared, whether her body vanishes or not does not make a difference.' `Yes, sir.' he was about to leave but he was called back.
`Send someone to retrieve her diary.'
`Yes, sir.' Jared went away though barely an hour later he came back with more bad news. `Sir,' he interrupted Gorham's thoughts again. `The diary,' pause, `the council got to it before we did.'
`Is that all?'
`No, sir,' again another worried pause, `They opened it and found that it was empty.' `Where is it now?' he asked getting up.
`It is still at Diane's castle so is the rest of the council.'
They went to the castle and found everyone in a large room that was considered the conference room. The diary was on the table and everyone was still arguing. They were suddenly quiet when Gorham entered the room. Nathan and Alice were sitting opposite each other. They both stood up but Gorham was not paying attention to them. He went straight to the diary and picked it up. He opened the first page. It was addressed to him and it seemed to have been written the previous day.
/>
Dear Gorham,
It is a pity that you had to read my diary and my mother's but I am glad it is you who are reading it. My diary! You must know that I am gone. I'm sorry I didn't spend much time with you but I want you to know that you were the most important person to me and the one that my heart will always belong to.
The diary I'm afraid contains a lot and you may probably hate me at some point but I tried to really tell you how I felt and why I made some decisions. You have the right to remove whichever parts that you feel will be inappropriate. By the way, Victor took Wendy to her father. I told you she was really special.
Love Diane.
Gorham looked up and found everyone looking at him. They all wanted to know what he had seen but didn't have the guts to ask. He closed the book. `You can call off the search on Victor. He has gone back to where he came from.'
`He took Wendy with him,' someone said.
Gorham looked at him, `You threatened to interrogate her. What did you expect would happen?'
`Who is Wendy to Victor?'
Gorham looked defeated. He sighed before he said, `I will have to read the diary and see how much I can tell.'
`The diary was blank.'
`Victor must have done something to it to enable only me to read it.' He then left them and went back to his own castle already opening the first few pages. She had indeed started writing it before her coronation. Initially she wrote too much information about what happened to her. She had first seen him at the party they had gone to when they were teenagers but since her mother was watching her closely she had not gone to talk to him. Then there were other things which he already knew. She was always practicing, honing her skills. Then came the day at the library when they met a second time. It was exactly as she had said it would be.
His eyes skimmed through the diary. He looked for specific words. He got to the part where she was supposed to get married and she had come to him for advice. He remembered he didn't have anything to tell her. He told her that it was a duty to her people to follow in the traditions. She did cry and told him she was not ready. That she loved someone else and would even elope with him if he wished it too. Gorham didn't want that. He thought she was in love with someone else other than him. He got jealous of the unnamed man who had stolen his beloved maiden's heart.
He preferred that she be married to someone that she did not love than the one she loved. He then told her she had no choice but to do as she was told. After sometime of contemplating she stood up and went and kissed him. It was a first kiss and a passionate one. She left him alone in the library wondering what he had done. He was the one she had wanted to marry.
He shook his head and focused on the book before him. She wished that he had told her not to go through with the wedding. She wished he had known that she loved him and she blamed him for not seeing it. She blamed him for the pain she felt that first night with Eric and she blamed him for a lot of things after that. He got to the part where she was getting ready for the battle before she disappeared for two whole years.
He needed something strong to drink. He tried to be ready for what he would read but was not. He drank a second cup then another cup and finally came back to sit on the desk. She wrote the next part after she had come back.
She was distracted in the battlefield. Her extra senses detected a wizard around. She found herself looking at him and didn't see the person coming behind her. She was knocked unconscious and captured. She stayed within their dungeons for almost a month before the wizard opened the door and let himself in. he told her of how he thought she should not be behind bars and then helped her escape. He also had promised to take her back home claiming that since she wasn't awake when she was taken captive she didn't know the way back home.
She went with him and after sometime she started to realize that she didn't want to come home. There was just sadness and a husband who didn't have any affection for her. All he wanted was to sire the next queen. Her attention came back to her hero. His name was Henry. He didn't say the second name but she later found out that he was called Henry Clay. He was handsome, intelligent and a wizard. Then she started seducing him. She wanted him to make her pregnant and then she would die carrying the baby. It was the only way she could think of dying.
But Henry was quite disciplined. He knew what she was up to and always avoided putting himself in situations where she could get to him. Then came the point where they were about to part ways when they confessed about who they were he came to her and kissed her. She did cry when that happened. Not because she was sad but she was glad that at least one person wanted her. He always made love to her with his thoughts only on how to please her. He kissed her like she was the sweetest thing in the world and held her like she was the most precious thing he had and wouldn't want to lose.
Then she got pregnant and Henry did not understand what she wanted initially but he was intelligent. He heard what she wouldn't let herself say out loud. She wanted to die. He then took her to his world. It was a beautiful place with rain falling in the house and everything was beautiful. She got to travel by carriages that moved on their own and saw buildings that were ten times higher than her castle. It was a beautiful place.
Then he brought her one of their healers. She saw wonderful things. She saw her baby before she was born. That made her remember the stars that shine but we can't see them yet. Henry was so caring that sometimes she forgot he was a wizard. She was sure she was falling in love with him but she didn't say anything. Then time came to give birth and the healer said she couldn't give birth the normal way. They cut her open and brought out the baby then they sawed her together again.
Gorham was certainly mad at this. How could Diane let them do this to her? Cutting up a live human body and putting her together again was inhuman. Maybe even the work of demons. He tried to remember if he saw any scar on her but he hadn't been looking for anything when he was with her. He tore out that page and threw it in the fire.
It took him the whole night to get through the diary. He only went through the important parts on her relationship with Henry the wizard. By morning he had an idea of what he would go and tell the council. He had a short rest but didn't let the diary out of his sight. He kept it in a safe place where he kept his most valued documents. He was then taken to the council. He tried to look normal but everyone knew that sooner or later he was going to break. His love for Diane was close to an obsession but then what is love but a controlled obsession for someone else.
The council were waiting patiently but the personality of Diane herself would have made anyone curious of what she had kept secret all these years. So when one of them spoke up demanding to know what was in the diary the others agreed with him.
`Diane had a lot of secrets,' Gorham started. `Ones that she kept because she didn't think that our society would approve.' He narrowed his eyes at the council sitting before him. `She lived two worlds and I must say she lived a full life.'
`What did you read from the diary?' someone else asked.
`To be honest I don't know what she would have wanted me to tell you.' `But...'
Gorham held up his hand to stop him. `But,' he continued, `It is not her decision but mine. I skimmed the diary and got some things which were meant for the council to acknowledge. You are anxious to hear what I have to say but I have to tell it my way so I implore you to be patient.'
Then he started the lecture. `Diane started her life as an enthusiastic young woman and I know that was what drew me to her. She loved her life as far as the diary started. She lost sight of that at some point and was just living her life for her people, her children and I suppose me. It is no secret that she never at any time felt anything more for her husband than duty. She saw that as her duty but it took her time to accept this.
She admitted this when she was missing for almost two years... I will get back to this later. About Victor,' he sighed. `V
ictor had no interest whatsoever in our world. As far as I can tell his world is more accepting than ours and seems to be more interesting...' `Which world is this?' someone interrupted.
`Diane starts by saying how the buildings were ten times taller than ours. The roads were made of a continuous relatively smooth stone and some were wide enough for our ten carriages to travel on at the same pace. Their carriages moved on their own without any animals. That is all she said about the world.
`She said that Victor didn't even want to come here in the first place but that his interest was that his master would teach him the old age practices. He was sent to be close to Diane and watch her.
He was supposed to breathe unto her the rejuvenating breath whenever she needed it.' `Why?' the head of the council asked.
`She was dying and she had known it for half of her life. She did not step in front of the weapon to protect Victor but to allow him to do one final thing that he had come to do. During the time that she was missing, she met a wizard, not Victor. Another one.'
`She must have been a real traitor...'
`That is outrageous...'
`Complete slander to her ancestors...'
`Two wizards?'
`How many others?'
The voices asked or said each wanting to be heard above the others. Gorham shouted, `Enough!' His voice thundered in the room. They felt the earth tremble underneath their feet. Everyone stopped and watched Gorham reign in his emotions. Gorham was partly `of earth' and also partly `of fire'. It was suspected that he was also partly `of water' but no one knew for sure. They were all different characters which made them all wonder how he really was in his mind.
But they were sure the earth character was what stabilized him and allowed him to be so controlled. The fire would make him a passionate man though they had never seen that side of him beside in books. It was only when he was with Diane intimately that it came out. The water character would have made him an easy person to new ideas. One who could accept others as they were.
Now the earth had trembled because he was angry. They had no right to start assuming things when he was the only one who had read the diary and they had no right as he was the one who actually lost Diane because of them. The room was quiet as Gorham took several deep breathes to relax himself but he saw it was pointless. He would start an earthquake if he stayed in that room for more than necessary.
`Yes, there were two wizards. The first met Diane when she was captured but they had seen each other during the battle. He thought that it was his fault that she got captured and he helped her escape.'
He saw the unsure facial expressions. `She was being brought back but she didn't want to come back.' He was speaking fast. `She wanted to die but doing that to herself would bring shame to her family and so she encouraged their relationship to grow until they were not just friends. She got pregnant and had a child.'
`Lies, she would have died...' the tremor increased.
`She had a child, a girl who was given to another family to raise as their own. Victor was here to take the child back to her father who would teach her to control her powers and Victor having learned about the administration from her then he would teach the child all she needed to know. Wendy Summer was Queen Diane's daughter and the legal heir to her throne.' He spun round and was out of the door before the `earthquake' erupted in the room.
He was out of the door and going out of hall. Jared was running after him. He got to the street when he squatted down and touched the ground. Jared saw the ground crack from where he had touched until up the street. People cleared the street as they saw the cracking and folding of the ground coming at them. Then Gorham sat down relieved. He looked up at Jared and said, `You know I just stopped an earthquake.' It wasn't a question.
`You are very powerful sir,' Jared was awestruck.
`Well,' he stood up and dusted his hands. `That is why I am king. We need to get back to the castle. I have work to do.'
`Yes, sir,' Jared said with as he nodded his head. He looked back at the council hall and could hear the argument all the way outside. Whatever Gorham had told them was causing chaos but that was none of his business.