‘I have just heard from Garan,’ she said, ‘and he and the others will be with us shortly. Then we can all hear what you have to tell us, Rhosmari—’
Just then Garan Leaped into the middle of the chamber, startling all of them. Rhosmari knew immediately that something must be wrong: it was considered rude among most faeries to appear suddenly in a room where others were present, unless it was an emergency.
‘I beg pardon, Your Majesty,’ he said, bowing to the Queen. ‘But Mallow accosted me when I came in, and she insists on being present at our council. Do you wish us to refuse her entrance?’
The Queen lowered her eyes, as though the news troubled her. But when she looked up again, her expression was resolute. ‘No. Let her come.’
‘As you wish, my Queen,’ said Garan, and took his place along the wall by her side.
‘Oh, Mallow,’ sighed Wink. ‘It never ends with her. Why can’t she be more like Bluebell, and just accept it?’
Clearly there was more going on here than just a dispute over whether humans should be allowed in the Oak. But by now the other faeries had already begun to arrive, and there was no time to ask for an explanation.
They came in by ones and twos, rebels and Oakenfolk and Children of Rhys in turn, and made their bows or curtsys to the Queen before taking a seat. Together they made a strange company – especially when Linden in her homespun Oakenfolk garb arrived with a copper-haired rebel wearing a very human-looking sweatshirt and jeans, and Rhosmari’s fellow scholar Broch sidled in between Lily and the stony-faced Thorn.
Mallow was one of the last to arrive, and she hardly bent her knee to Valerian at all; she only gave a grudging nod and then stood at the back of the room with arms folded and a sour expression on her face. The Empress would have punished her for such insolence; Lady Celyn would have had her thrown out. Queen Valerian, however, gave no sign of even noticing it. She waited until everyone was seated, and spread out her hands in a gesture of welcome.
‘We have much to discuss today,’ she said, ‘especially now that we have a visitor from the Green Isles among us. Will you please come to the front of the room, Rhosmari, and tell us how you came to be here?’
She had not been looking forward to this. But she must face it with dignity, all the same. ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ said Rhosmari, and walked up the carpet to the dais.
Over the next few minutes Rhosmari related her story as briefly as she could without leaving out any important details. She told the assembled faeries why she had left the Green Isles, and what she had hoped to achieve by finding Garan and the Stone. She explained how Martin had deceived her into trusting him, only to betray her to the Empress; and finally she shared with them the things she had learned about the Empress while under her control – including her plan to invade the Green Isles and conquer the Children of Rhys.
‘If you had not rescued me from Waverley Hall,’ Rhosmari concluded, ‘I might even now be leading the Empress’s army into the Gwerdonnau Llion. I owe you all my deepest gratitude. So when I return home, I promise to do everything I can to convince the Elders that you should keep the Stone of Naming, and that we must not hinder your struggle against the Empress in any way.’
She spoke the last words firmly, sure that the faeries of the Oak would be glad to hear of her change of heart. But there was only an awkward silence. Several of the faeries traded apprehensive glances, while Timothy studied the toes of his shoes and would not meet her gaze.
‘So you are the only faery outside the Green Isles who knows how to open this underground passage?’ asked the male rebel sitting beside Linden, who she now realised must be Rob. ‘And the Empress cannot enter it without your help, is that correct?’
Only the Children of Rhys, Lord Gwylan had told her, and those we have deemed worthy of our trust. And even Garan and his men did not know about the symbol that marked the entrance to Gruffydd’s Way. ‘Yes,’ said Rhosmari, hoping that would reassure him. But still none of the faeries looked happy.
‘Well, at least now we know why the Empress hasn’t attacked us yet,’ said Thorn. ‘She’s trying to put together an army we can’t possibly defeat.’
‘She might yet do so,’ said Lily in her musical voice. ‘Surely she has far more slaves than we have allies, even now.’
‘Yet she was ready to invade the Green Isles and conquer its people before she turned her attention to us,’ said Rob. ‘Does that not suggest anything to you?’
‘No, but apparently it does to you,’ Thorn said dryly. ‘Go on.’
‘We have been sitting here all this while, waiting for the Empress to attack,’ Rob said. ‘And yet today when our forces confronted her, she fled from us almost at once. Clearly she is not ready to face us in open battle – so why wait for her any longer?’ He rose from the bench, eyes gleaming with feral light. ‘Why not muster our forces and strike against her instead?’
‘Have you cracked your nut?’ demanded Thorn. ‘Catching Jasmine by surprise at Waverley Hall, when we knew she could only call a few of her followers into the house before we took over – that was one thing. But taking on her whole army? We’d be squashed like so many beetles.’
‘Once, I would have agreed with you,’ Rob said. ‘But consider this. Nearly two hundred faeries broke away from the Empress’s control at Sanctuary, and with the help of the Stone we have freed still more of her followers since. True, some preferred to flee rather than join us, and that made it possible for the Empress to hunt them down and bring them back under her control. But even so, it takes time to rebuild an army.’
He began to pace around the chamber, his voice quickening with urgency. ‘Why was she so eager to conquer the Children of Rhys? Because her own forces were still too weak and scattered for her to be sure of defeating us without them. She has not forgotten her pledge to destroy the Oak; she simply cannot do it.’ He stopped and looked around at them all. ‘And that means that attacking her now may be our best chance of defeating her.’
Rhosmari sat motionless, scarcely daring to draw breath. Surely it was wrong to provoke a battle, no matter how evil the enemy. But the way Rob spoke…it almost made her want to believe that he was right.
Thorn, however, seemed unmoved. ‘That’s a pretty slim hook to catch a minnow on,’ she said. ‘I’d like a bit more proof of the Empress being weak before I go charging off to fight her, if it’s all the same to you.’
Beside her, Broch’s mouth twitched as though he were repressing a smile, and the others in the room relaxed, Rob’s spell over them broken. ‘I agree,’ said Garan. ‘It would be rash to attack the Empress without being sure of her reasons for wanting to invade the Green Isles. Clearly she believed that conquering the Children of Rhys would be easy, and that adding so many faeries to her army would make her invincible. But that does not prove she had no hope of defeating us without them.’
‘So what do you think we should do, then?’ spoke up Mallow from the back of the room. ‘Sit here in the pot and wait for the water to boil? That doesn’t seem like much of a plan to me.’
‘We should continue doing just as we have been,’ Garan replied. ‘Training our people to defend themselves, and strengthening the Oak against attack. But most of all we need to continue searching for other faeries who wish to be free of the Empress, and offering them the Stone. The greater our numbers, the longer the Empress will hesitate to attack us, and every faery we set free is one less soldier for her to command.’
‘And where do you plan to put all these faeries?’ Mallow demanded. ‘The Oak’s nearly full up as it is.’
‘True,’ said Garan. ‘But our scouting parties have found the remnants of an old Wyld not far away, which could be resettled if need be. However, since you seem to have little faith in our suggestions about how to deal with the Empress, I can only suppose that you have an idea you think better. Why not share it with us?’
‘All right,’ said Mallow. ‘How’s this? I say we surrender.’
thirteen
Shou
ts of protest rang out from every side of the council chamber, loud enough to make Rhosmari wince. But Valerian held up a hand for silence.
‘Continue, Mallow,’ said the Queen. ‘What makes you say that we should give ourselves up to the Empress?’
Mallow looked flustered. ‘Well,’ she muttered, ‘it’s not like she goes around killing people just for the fun of it, is it? She just wants to keep the humans in their place, and stop faeries being too friendly with them. What’s the problem with that?’
‘You do not know the Empress,’ said Rob in a voice that was quiet but not in the least gentle. ‘You did not grow up by her side, serving her every day from the time you were a child. You do not know what it is to be a slave, to live in constant fear, to be unable to choose your own companions or make your own destiny. You have not seen the Empress’s cruelty towards humans who had done her no harm, or towards faeries who dared to befriend them. But I have. I have seen her deceive, and murder, and work sorceries more foul than your mind can begin to comprehend, and I swear to you that I would rather die than serve her again.’
Yes, thought Rhosmari fervently, gripping the bench to keep herself from standing up and shouting it. How Mallow could suggest, could even think of such a thing—’
‘Well, that’s very noble of you,’ said Mallow. ‘But not all of us are so convinced there’s such a thing as a fate worse than death. I say we do whatever it takes to save our own necks, and let the humans worry about themselves. Who’s to say the Empress might not reconsider if we offered her a decent bargain?’
And with that the room erupted, as several faeries leaped up at once to argue with her. Voices rose in pitch and passion as more joined in on every side. Some agreed with Rob’s plan to attack the Empress, and some with Garan’s more cautious stance; a few even seemed to think Mallow’s point of view had some merit. Meanwhile Timothy watched the debate with set mouth and smouldering eyes, until Rhosmari felt sure he would leap up and shout them all down at any moment.
She cast an appealing look at Valerian, hoping she would call the room to order, but the Queen only sat listening, hands folded in her lap. Didn’t she care that her people were becoming angry with one another?
‘And here’s another thing,’ called out a square-built rebel whose dark hair bore a single dramatic streak of white. ‘If we’re going to keep sending the Stone out of the Oak, why does it always have to be Garan or one of his people who carries it? What makes them better than the rest of us?’
Thorn half-started out of her seat, but Broch put a hand on her arm as the room went abruptly quiet. All eyes were on Queen Valerian, and no wonder: she had risen from her throne with a sizzling ball of blue flame in one hand, lifted as though she were about to hurl it down.
‘I agreed to hold this meeting,’ she said in her calm, deliberate voice, ‘because some of you believed that your views were not being heard, and that they deserved a public audience. But I suspected that such a large gathering would not end well, and indeed this has proved it.’
Her grey eyes rested on each of them in turn, grave and a little sad. ‘I will not rule you as a tyrant, but neither will I allow you to tear the Oak apart with your quarrelling. If any one of you does not trust me to act wisely and in your best interests, then I invite you to leave now, and join the Empress.’
Mallow looked sullenly at the floor, but she did not move. Neither did anyone else.
‘If you wish to remain,’ Valerian continued, lowering the flaming sphere, ‘there are some things you will have to accept. One is that under no condition will I abandon Knife, Paul and Timothy to the Empress. Nor will I ever agree that their lives are less important than our own. Indeed, I regard them as vital allies in our struggle, deserving of both our gratitude and our respect.’
At that, Linden moved a little closer to Timothy and squeezed his hand. He gave a half-smile, but he did not look particularly comforted.
‘Secondly, I want you to know that I regard all who live within this Wyld – rebels, Children of Rhys and Oakenfolk alike – as equal citizens of the Oak, and I will not permit either favouritism or prejudice. Some of you seem to believe that I have given the Stone of Naming into the care of Garan and his men as a privilege, but that is not so: carrying the Stone is a solemn and fearful responsibility, which only a fool would covet. Because the Stone is our only real surety against the Empress’s power, and if it should ever be lost, then we will be lost as well.’
She paused as though waiting for an objection, but the faeries remained subdued, their eyes downcast. ‘And lastly,’ Queen Valerian continued, ‘each of you will always be free to approach me with your concerns, and I will consider what you have to say. But I will choose my own advisors, and I will make my own decisions, and anyone who attempts to undermine my authority will face the consequences. We may not know precisely when the Empress plans to attack us or what she is waiting for, but it is certain that she will attack us when she is ready – and when that day comes we must be united, or we will fall.’
Until now Rhosmari had been wondering if Valerian might be too tolerant to make a good ruler. But now, looking into those steely eyes, she knew she had been mistaken. For all her unassuming manner, the Queen’s silence throughout the meeting had not been timidity, but deliberate forbearance.
‘You are all dismissed,’ said the Queen, and the spell-globe in her hand dissolved in a shower of sparks. ‘Except for Garan, Rob and Thorn – I would speak to you three alone.’
‘Are all your gatherings like this?’ Rhosmari asked as she followed Linden and Timothy out of the chamber, raising her voice to be heard over the clamour of the other faeries around them.
Linden exchanged a glance with Timothy. ‘Like what?’
‘So…disorderly.’ She knew she might be giving insult by saying it, but she could think of no better word. ‘So full of arguments and divisions.’
‘I hope not,’ said Linden, with a frankness that put Rhosmari at ease. ‘We don’t usually have so many people all together at once, especially not with Mallow there to stir things up.’
‘And it’s not as though the Children of Rhys don’t like to argue,’ Timothy said. ‘When Linden and I came before your Elders, there seemed to be plenty of debate going on about what to do with us, and it wasn’t all friendly, either.’
‘Yes, I know,’ said Rhosmari patiently, though it was hard not to be insulted at the reminder that Timothy had not even noticed her that day. ‘Of course my people disagree at times. But still, we all recognise that the final authority belongs to the Elders, and that it is our duty to accept whatever they decide.’
‘Even if that means sending an armed party over to the mainland to take back the Stone of Naming by force?’ asked Timothy as they came out onto the landing. ‘No offence, but you don’t seem to have found that particular decision so easy to accept.’
Anger flared inside her. ‘That was different. What my mother wanted to do was wrong. The Children of Rhys are sworn to live in peace with everyone, humans and faeries alike. If we break that vow, we destroy one of our most sacred traditions.’ Rhosmari stepped aside to let a pair of male rebels go down the stairs, then turned to Timothy again. ‘And then what’s to keep us from breaking any other laws we find inconvenient? How can we live honourably with one another, how can we set an example for our fellow faeries, unless we stay true to our principles, whatever the cost?’
‘I’m not saying I agree with your mother. But I’m not sure I agree with you, either,’ said Timothy. ‘Is that really what Rhys commanded you to do – never fight anyone, even in your own defence? Even if not fighting means becoming the slaves of someone who will force you to break that law and probably all the other ones, too?’
Rhosmari opened her mouth, then shut it again. It was true that Rhys had urged his followers to forsake violence, but there had been centuries of scholarly debate over exactly what that meant. After the shock of her father’s death, Rhosmari herself preferred to be cautious; even competing in t
he Rhysian Games had made her uncomfortable at times. But others she knew – including Garan – believed that it was lawful to fight so long as the cause was just, and not a matter of selfish greed or personal vengeance. Could Rhosmari really say with authority that she was right, and Garan and the others were wrong?
‘I don’t know,’ she said at last. ‘I don’t want to see anyone hurt, no matter how wicked they may be. But I don’t want to stand by and watch innocent people suffer, either. I just think…what if there’s a solution that doesn’t involve fighting? Some way to stop the Empress that doesn’t put so many lives in danger?’
‘If you could find one,’ said Linden, ‘we’d all be glad to hear it. Or at least I know I would. I don’t like the idea of people being killed, either.’ She gave Rhosmari an encouraging smile, and Rhosmari smiled back.
‘I should go,’ said Timothy. ‘Paul and Peri will be waiting to hear from me. But…’ He turned to Rhosmari, serious and intent. ‘If you need anything, or if you – I don’t know, you just want to get away from the Oak – then you’re welcome at the house. Any time.’
Rhosmari nodded her appreciation of the offer, but as he galloped away down the Spiral Stair she could not help wondering why he had made it. She would only be here for a day or two, after all, and then she would be returning to the Green Isles.
Homesickness rose within her at the thought, and tired though she was, she wished she could leave at once. Having to answer to her mother and the Elders would not be pleasant, but at least now she could be sure they would not send her away. Even if they felt that she deserved to be exiled for what she had done – and Rhosmari doubted that, for she had shed no blood and committed no violence – it would be far safer to imprison her on the Green Isles than to risk having her fall back into the Empress’s hands.