Life in Altura, here in Sarostar, had changed forever, but what about the people of Halaran and Petrya, Vezna and Torakon — all the common people whose lives had been destroyed and who even now were being oppressed under the weight of the Black Army? Ella had to help, in any way she could.
Ella had travelled more than most, and she knew that while across the world cultures were certainly different, at heart, people were essentially decent. Most people simply wanted to prosper, to enjoy both the routine and the variety of life, and to raise a family in peace and love.
In her quest for the Alturan Lexicon, Ella had been to Altura's south, and crossed the Wondhip Pass into Petrya. She'd been to the trade town of Torlac, and gazed out at the tiered city of Tlaxor, centred in a volcanic lake. She had met Petryans, and the desert warriors of the Hazara, and she even knew someone from Aynar, the land of the templars.
Killian.
Ella fingered the small pendant on a chain that she wore around her neck. A pattern of runes had been inscribed on the back of the pendant. Once, when the correct words were spoken, the pendant could vanish, and then reappear — a lovers' trick, designed to give the gift an element of surprise. Now, the pendant was simply a piece of jewellery. It was all she had to remind herself of him.
Not for the first time, Ella wondered if Killian was the reason for the enemy's apparent inability to launch a full-scale assault on Altura. She knew in her heart that he'd gone to confront his past, but what he had found in Aynar was a mystery.
"Come on," Shani's voice brought Ella back to the moment, and Ella took her hand away from the pendant. "Let's go find something to eat at one of the taverns. Or," she grinned, "we could go and see what they're serving at the Academy. You might even run into High Enchanter Merlon. You know, is it just me, or is he not used to being argued with?"
"He's a fool," Ella said, frowning.
"He's just accustomed to the old ways. My teachers in Petrya were exactly the same."
"How about we see what they're serving in the Poloplats?"
"Ella, you know what they're serving. Same as they're serving everywhere else. A large bowl of wartime rations."
"Do you think Bartolo will come back?"
"He'll find us. He's loyal to your brother, that one, and he won't let you out of his sight for long, no matter how much his pride's been hurt. He won't leave you alone with the dangerous Petryan spy," she said wryly.
As Ella and Shani walked through a grove of the weeping trees that lined the riverbank, Ella thought again about Killian. A breeze rose, and Ella caught the incongruous scent of jasmine, reminding her of the desert, and her mind turned to another, different man.
Tall and handsome, considerate yet ruthless, a prince of his people and a born warrior — he knew Ella by another name, and he thought she was dead. The two men cycled through Ella's consciousness, completely different and yet both fascinating her in his own way.
The scent of jasmine grew stronger, and Ella suddenly stopped, gripping Shani's arm.
"How long have we been walking through this grove?" Ella said.
Shani frowned. "It does seem like a long time."
"That tree, I've seen it before." Ella pointed. "Perhaps more than once. Something's happening."
"What do you mean? Is there danger?"
The floral aroma grew stronger.
"Jerune. Jera-mah. Ruran-muh-rah," Shani chanted a series of runes in quick succession. Sparks formed between her wrists and a miniscule flame grew into a ball.
Then Ella turned, and all she could see was green; her vision was a patchwork of trees and leaves. She turned again; where was Shani?
Ella heard a woman's scream. "Shani!" she cried.
The colours in Ella's vision wavered, like a mirage over the desert.
Ella opened her mouth to speak the words, and then hesitated. What if she activated the sequence that projected a destructive wave of heat from her enchantress's dress, and hurt Shani? She couldn't rely on her vision. Where was her friend?
Ella spun around, trying to get her bearings. She turned to the left, and the vision of tree branches shattered.
A figure in black clothing, his dark hair held back by a circlet, came out of the green.
Ella opened her mouth to say the words, but before she could, something hit the back of her head, and her vision burst with stars.
A cloth was held to her mouth, reeking of spices, and involuntarily Ella inhaled.
All became darkness.
5
MIRO'S thoughts were sluggish and beset by doubt. Acting on Marshal Beorn's advice, he turned to sleep after a gruelling session trying to explain his plan to High Lord Rorelan. The High Lord simply refused to take any more strength away from the border with Petrya in the south. All three men realised that an alliance with this new house, Raj Hazara, must be attained at all costs.
Miro decided to get a few hours rest before treating again with the glib-tongued Jehral of Tarn Teharan.