Rhianon considered the naked sword in her hands. Her eyes must have glittered even more ominously than the deadly blade, because Ferdinand, who wanted to cross the threshold, never dared to do so.
She didnt need him to come in. She knew all the news he wanted to tell her as it was. Not only could she read his mind easily, the sounds from the closed council chamber came to her ears as if the voices speaking there were communicating directly to her. She knew that there was to be war. Everything had been decided. Everything would not be enough for her now.
«I will go with you to the first battle,» she turned to Ferdinand, who had finally decided to enter the hall.
«But» He was momentarily taken aback. The sword in her hand even startled him. The dwarf was right. The blade was begging for blood at every moment. Not just begging, but demanding. Her hand was strong enough to restrain it. It was for now. Too bad once it tasted blood, it wouldnt be able to stop. It wanted to now. And Ferdinand was very near, so seductive, so close, so alive it could be dead in a moment.
Rhianon took a few steps away from him. The long azure train draped behind her on the floor, cramping her movements, and yet she felt herself ready to fight. The sword was thirsty for blood. All she had to do was control it, pointing it at her enemies and not at her supporters. Too bad there was no choice now. Apart from Ferdinand there were no other people present. And blood had to be spilled now. The sword demanded it. She held it back with difficulty.
«You cannot go to the battlefield with me. You are not a knight,» Ferdinand began, for the first time, to dissuade her from doing something. He was frightened. She could see that.
«How can you fight with your frailty and in your position?»
Oh, yes, he remembered about the child. It was the child of the devil. Rhianon grinned. With a flick of her hand, the sword made a dangerous arc that slid almost across his face. She played with the flame. In one second she had to bring the sword down. Immediately there was a squeak. When she raised the blade forward, there was already a strange creature with green skin and a gutted belly fluttering on it.
«Well, do you suppose theres much in the world that youre not yet familiar with?» She watched with pleasure the range of feelings on Ferdinands beautiful face, from amazement to almost disgust and fear. The infernal creatures clawed limbs fluttered violently. A black liquid gushed out of its ripped abdomen. One drop of this substance and her new dress would be hopelessly ruined, but Rhianon was not frightened. She was watching her husbands emotions more closely than she was watching the creatures futile attempts to thrust herself up and off her sword.
«You have no idea what a fairy is capable of. To put on my armor and fight is the least I can do.»
«But you could be hurt or even killed,» he murmured in confusion. He could no longer call the creature wriggling on the tip of her sword a pleasant little beast from abroad, but he could at least cling to shards of truth. «Even with magic, you are not immune to injury.»
«How would you know?» She grinned triumphantly. «Look!» she grinned victoriously.
She let the creature go, but pressed it to the floor with the tip of her sword so that Ferdinand could see how its torn abdomen magically healed. It was as if leprechaun had never been wounded.
«He might still take you to the treasure, if you dont lose him on the way. Who knows, maybe the pot of gold isnt buried where the rainbow begins, but right under our horses hooves on the battlefield. We can take him with us to show us the right place. After all, the enemy troops will not be frightened away by this little fellow. He can be wounded and even killed, well, almost killed,» she pressed on him with the tip of her sword, but it had no effect other than another sob. «Theyre immortal, you know. So am I.»
«Are you sure?» He was still hesitant. The dainty jagged crown pressed lightly against his smooth forehead. She was only now noticing it; if he didnt send it back to the blacksmith to straighten it out a bit, it would push his wrinkles back into his old age.
«Thats true, Ferdinand, subconsciously you knew it already when you met me there by the swamp, but that didnt stop you. Ten, maybe twenty more years, and youll grow old, but I wont. The fire inside me wont let that happen. If you thought a fairy could take the throne beside you, why cant she fight? You think I am not yet acquainted with marquee, carnage, and cannon volleys. I have fought before, and as you can see there are no wounds or scars. My head is still on my shoulders. But I have seen more than the wars of men among themselves. Other creatures far more dangerous than humans are capable of warfare.
«Have you seen them, too? Was it in battle?»
She nodded.
«I have seen them, and the warlord, too. If he werent here, I could take them all into battle now and win instantly. But for now I would have to be satisfied with men.»
«My men will not fail you,» he promised her with sudden seriousness. «They can fight.»
«It is a startling statement for one whose troops have never been in battle.»
«But they are well trained, though all they do is joust, train, and occasionally help other warring countries, but I know they will prove themselves in combat.»
«And were outnumbered,» Rhianon shot him back. «Who can resist that?»
«Youre pleased.»
«Yes,» she agreed. «But revenge knows no boundaries. If I were to fight him at the head of an army of evil spirits, and die in the aftermath, I would accept without hesitation. Whatever the price of my enemys head, I would get it. The deal with the devil doesnt matter anymore. The only devil is the one you hate, not the one holed up in a tent far from our world.»
«But you have seen what he is like in battle?»
She shrugged indifferently.
«Whether hes on our side or theirs doesnt matter, I can be stronger than him,» she pressed the leprechaun harder against the floor, making him squeal in pain. «Angels used to fight, too. We are two angels. And only one of us is the strongest.»
She let go of the leprechaun. The leprechaun leaped up and sprinted off, running so fast that she barely had time to follow him. The tip of her sword greedily absorbed the black blood. In a moment it would not be enough for it.
Rhianon quickly turned away from Ferdinand. His proximity for a sword in her hands was too tempting.
«I am going into battle, whether you like it or not. You cannot win without me. You may object now, but once you know Manfred better, you will see how right I was. Your astrologers are nothing compared to his tricks. A battle with him without the use of sorcery would be lost in an hour.»
«Im not against the protection of enchantments, believe me, but if you have to risk it»
«Ive risked all my life,» she turned sharply, barely able to hold her blade, which was already hissing with temptation. «Thats what I am.»
She was taking a risk even now. His unprotected throat was close at hand, and her fingers were struggling to hold the twisted, gilded hilt, which curved into the shape of a salamander with its outstretched wings forming a cross and a thin tail that curled into a hilt. The dwarf smith did his best, and she didnt even thank him. After the sacrifices she had made, it was unnecessary. The steel had drunk their blood only recently, but its appetite had only grown.
«I need the armor,» she only now noticed that Ferdinand had even noticed where his queen had gotten such a rare and unusual sword. Well, his lack of curiosity played right into her hands. To live in marriage with a fairy and not interfere with her affairs, the betrothed must be completely intoxicated by her.
«I need the armor,» she only now noticed that Ferdinand had even noticed where his queen had gotten such a rare and unusual sword. Well, his lack of curiosity played right into her hands. To live in marriage with a fairy and not interfere with her affairs, the betrothed must be completely intoxicated by her.
«Also my own camping tent and squires, my warhorse will be Noreus. Thats the name of the horse I was given,» she quickly explained, noticing his bewilderment. Its a good thing he doesnt ask whose gift it is. Such a question would have been more difficult to answer. She would have had to make something up as she went along, and Rhianon didnt like to lie. It was better to keep silent about loving a fallen angel than to lie that you had never seen one. Lies had become disgusting to her as of late. Madael would say it was a purely angelic trait. A proud, exalted creature never lies, for it is above all and has no one to ingratiate itself to. To hide the fact that she opened her paradise in the arms of a demon, Rhianon was not going to. Everyone would see her worth in the war anyway. Soon her supernatural allies would join her army. All she has to do is click. The wise dragon in the tower gave her an unusual horn, trumpeting it to summon all the evil of Vinor and himself. The further she went, the more supporters she found. She is queen of the evil spirits, and soon her army will be innumerable.
«And by the way,» she was about to leave, but she remembered on the way out. «Ive tamed the little dragon, so no one can touch it.»
Ferdinand gasped.
«Dont be worried, it wont get any bigger while Im around it. But keep the others away from it, especially Vivian, with his dragon-fighting instincts. I will not forgive anyone who touches my pets.»
She had to hurry. The blade in her hands was becoming almost uncontrollable. It thirsted for blood, anyones blood, even that of Rhianon herself. And the scabbard of it remained in her bedroom. Never again would she leave them lying around. The feeling of holding a snake in her hand, ready to sting, grew stronger and stronger. On the way she couldnt find a single mouse or rat to stab it, so she could temper its bloodthirstiness, at least for a while. And to kill a man in the castle she would not dare. She was still lucky that Gwendolyn and Ulrichs disappearance went unnoticed by anyone. For that, the spirit had done its best. He advised her to use spells that took away the memory of everyone. Only astrologers could have suspected anything, but they were powerless. Rhianon was even glad now that she had broken their web. At least from then on they tried not to get in her way anymore. Their strength had been unequal in the beginning, and now she could easily destroy them all if she wanted to.
The scabbard, made by the same dwarf, and covered with special runes that held back the power of the blade, remained where she had thrown it. She quickly hid the sword in them, and yet the blade managed to cut her. It hissed triumphantly, but only for a moment. A drop of blood immediately burst into flames on the carpet, reminding Rhianon that to wound her was to endanger ones own life as well. Apparently, the wondrous sword was no exception. She clutched the hilt and felt that it would not dare to hurt her a second time. The enchanted sword, as if for the first time, became a natural extension of her hand, recognizing her as its true mistress. She was stronger than it, which meant that only she could wield it. Rhianon grinned. Everything was now falling into place. This weapon must obey her will, not the other way around. It can be difficult to wield a sword that pierces and slashes at will. It can want blood all it wants, but it must be guided by her.
«Can I be the best knight I can be? Better than him?» She asked, but the spirit did not respond.
He would not say a word. Rhianon grew furious at him, but quickly recovered her composure. For if she could not make all arrangements with Madael herself. She needed to know this. Would he bow to her, even if he were stronger himself? If he loves her, he must. And she needs at least one more look at him before the fight begins. She remembered the pendant she always carried with her now. It kept changing shape without end, so she hid it behind her corsage so it wouldnt embarrass people with its changeability. Lately it had taken the form of a sword, a tower, or a salamander writhing in flames. She had grown weary of its endless transformations, but now, as she pulled it out into the light, she saw only a flat, golden blob. What could that mean? It looked like a drop of liquid gold, only it was solid and the flat droplet felt like there was no beginning or end. She squeezed the pendant in her hand.
«What are you doing?»
A nasal voice made her shudder. She hadnt heard it in a long time, and she didnt expect to hear it anymore. It made her dumbfounded for a moment. Rhianon had no idea the dwarf could be so far off the ground. Her tower was high above the sea that lapped at the rocks. Only an angel or a dragon could reach it, and only someone with wings. Fate, however, who had crawled out from behind a pedestal in the corner, was quite unlike either of them.
Perhaps he had used the tunnels to get in here, Rhianon consoled herself, and then turned away from him. She tried not to see that the dwarf was acting as if this were his moment of triumph. He would never take anything from her again.
He grinned, but she couldnt even look at him.
«Dont disturb me to think.»
«Thinking about where youd like to go?» He suddenly became very wary. «I can see it in your mind. I couldnt go there even with the pendant.»
«Of course you wouldnt. Now go away.»
But he didnt budge. She shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring his bad manners. When a lady demands, one must obey, but he evidently did not know that.
«Well, you may remain, for in a moment I shall be gone anyway.»
She looked at the pendant and mentally wished for one place, her bedroom in the celestial castle, the bed where Madael so often slept, his curls scattered on the pillows frolicking with leprechauns. He shook off strange insects and black fairies from his wings. She wanted to be where she saw him again, but the pendant didnt seem to understand her until she imagined all the passages and galleries of the castle beyond the clouds. It was nothing again. Something wasnt right. Shes not imagining things well, or the gnomes presence is getting in her way. He lurked in a corner and waited. Rhianon chose to forget his presence and imagined the place even more clearly. Now that she concentrated on one object entirely, it should work. Her thoughts ran faster than the wind through balustrades of flowers, gardens of paradise, massive arcades, enfilades of gleaming halls, and even a bird house. Somehow, despite her flight of fancy, it all seemed terrifyingly empty, and yet she persisted in imagining the vaults of the grand heavenly structure.
«I want to be there. Immediately,» she demanded.
And the pendant was suddenly gone. She clutched it in her fingers, a hollow space.
«What? What is it?» She stared at Fate, perplexed. The dwarf was clutching at his bubble-like belly and writhing in laughter. He looked as if he were going to burst.
«You tricked me, didnt you?» Rhianon stepped menacingly toward him and snapped her fingers together, sending out sparks.
«It is not at all.» He moved swiftly out of her way. «Youre just forgetting something, arent you, my pretty?»
«Whats that?»
He stared at her triumphantly, his dark eyes sparkling with angry beads.