Crown of Destiny (28 page)

She was,
Ilona agreed.
But of course when the Forest Lords realized the reality of her curse they sought the Forest Faeries out and burned our halls. We did not always live so deep in the woodlands. Afterward it was said we should have and not consorted at all with the mortal races. Let us look at more of our history.

Suddenly the hall of the Head Forester was gone, and Lara found herself watching as her parents met. She recognized her father at once, even though she could not remember him being quite so young. His adoration of her mother, and Ilona's love for him touched Lara. Then the scene faded, and they were again in the palace of the faerie queen, but it was not Ilona's palace. It was Maeve's, and Lara's grandmother was speaking with Ilona, who was weeping.

"Cease this foolishness, Ilona," Maeve said. "You knew when you chose this mortal for a lover that his only use was his seed, and the need to create your daughter."

"But I love him, Mother!" Ilona cried out in a desperate voice.

"
Love?
Pah!" Maeve said scornfully. "Faeries do not love, and those who are foolish enough to do so suffer the consequences, Ilona. You are my heir. And it is time you returned home to take up your duties and to learn from me what you will one day need to know when your time to rule comes."

"If I must give up John then at least let me bring Lara with me, Mother!" Ilona pleaded. "You know what will happen to her if she is left among the mortals. Hetarians disdain and look down upon children with faerie blood."

"Lara must grow up Hetarian," Maeve said in a stony voice. "How can she understand mortals if she does not. Nay, Lara will remain with her father. Bid your lover farewell, Ilona, if you must, but it is now time for you to begin your training."

The scene was gone, to be followed by a short one in which Lara saw her mother touching the gold chain with the crystal star containing her guardian spirit about the neck of an infant girl. Ilona was weeping softly. Then both she and the scene disappeared.

Oh, Mother,
Lara said.
I never really understood how difficult that was for you.

It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done,
Ilona admitted.
Even leaving your father was not as bad. He never knew it, but I blessed him with the ability to wield a sword. And with the proper training it allowed him to become the greatest swordsman Hetar had ever known. There was none before him, nor after him. He was unique in Hetar's history, although his name has now been forgotten by those wretched mortals.

Lara patted her mother's hand in an attempt to comfort her.
What shall we see next?
she asked her mother in an attempt to distract her from the sadness.

I will show you the Forest Lords as they are today,
Ilona responded.

And they were suddenly in the forest again. Lara saw at once the ruins of the great homes that had been built high in the enormous trees of the woodland. The village beneath the trees with its wooden, thatched-roof cottages that blended into the greenery of the forest was half in ruins. Those cottages still standing were in ill repair. The only well-kept structure in this particular village was a tavern. There had been no tavern in Lara's time. Men lay drunk and in half stupors on the benches before the building.

Lara's eyes swept the square. The stone fountain was badly damaged, the once-clear water it offered was now cloudy and murky. Slovenly women were even now dipping their buckets into the water and filling them up for it was the main source of water for this village. The women, Lara noted, did not have the proud look of the Forest. Maeve's curse had obviously come full circle, she realized.

At the end of the village there had been a square stone building, which had been a bathhouse. It was now completely in ruins. The stone benches were gone, but the outline of the stone bathing pool was still visible, though it was filled with rubble and other garbage. Lara shook her head sadly.
They are no longer what they once were. I am shocked to see such deterioration. They appear to have forgotten their heritage and their customs, Mother. Let us move on. Certainly I was not happy here, but what it has all become is very tragic to behold.

It is, but they brought it upon themselves,
Ilona replied. Then she magicked them back to her own palace in the deep forest.

"You did not show me the Forest Giants' fate," Lara said when they were once again settled comfortably with cups of mint tea and a bowl of little sugar cones. She picked up a cone, dipped it into her cup and quickly ate it.

"The end history of Og's people was too tragic to behold," Ilona told her daughter. "You knew the brutality and cruelty of the Forest Lords for yourself. I did not need to show you more of it. But they have greatly contributed to the downfall of Hetar."

"The City seemed peaceful enough when we visited for Kolgrim's wedding," Lara noted. "But then the magnates learned one thing from the Hierarch. They learned to take care of the people. Everyone I am told is housed, fed and clothed. No one goes without."

"What the High Council of Hetar has done is both good and evil," Ilona told her daughter. "Aye, no citizen wants for anything, but they are virtually idle now. Each family is given an allotment of paper money each month. With this paper they buy whatever they need or want. The Council has made it the legal tender of the land. And the magnates continue to hoard their gold, their silver, their jewels. But few of the people still possess this coin. All the merchants and shopkeepers are required to accept this paper they call money. The Council did this because there was no work any longer for the majority of the population in The City. In the Midlands and Outlands the farms and vineyards are worked as always. But in The City there is no work. The paper is legal tender, and accepted even in the Coastal Kingdom. Even Terah accepts it. Did you not know that, my daughter?"

Lara shook her head. "As Magnus Hauk's widow there was nothing I did not have," she said. Then she sighed. "How out of touch I became, Mother."

"It was easier for you," Ilona told her daughter. "You should have left Terah years ago. The longer you remained, the more frightening you became to them. When your life span is so short, having one among you who does not age is probably hard to accept," Ilona considered. "But I have not told you the worst of Hetar. Do you remember the old Tournament field of the Crusader Knights?"

"Aye, I do," Lara replied. "I remember my father winning his victory on that field, and hence his place among the Crusader Knights."

"Well," Ilona said, "they have built a wall about it, and seats for spectators to come and watch. The Crusader Knights hold tournaments in which they battle against other knights, not of their order, to the death. And there are fights between men and women using whatever weapons they can, including their fists. These are also to the death. It is quite savage and disgusting," Ilona said.

"Why on earth would any man or woman involve themselves in such enterprise?" Lara asked, truly horrified.

"For silver, gold, copper and bronze coins," Ilona said. "There are a few licensed shops in The City that are permitted to take coin. The goods they carry are special and greatly coveted. But you can only enter those shops if you have the coin to pay. The magnates are still cleverly pitting the people against one another for their amusement, and the people love these spectacles. Razi kiosks surround the amphitheater. The customers drink deeply of the drugged frine, which is ridiculously inexpensive, and then go into the stadium to cheer their favorites on. Sometimes they are so drunk they leap down onto the playing field. If they do, they are considered fair game. They are caught and tortured before the spectators in a variety of unpleasant ways. Then the player who can make the victim shriek and scream the most is awarded a bag of coppers."

Lara shook her head. "This is worthy of Kolgrim," she said sadly. Then she dipped another sugar cone into her mint tea and consumed it before drinking down the liquid in her cup.

"Aye, he will encourage this evil to even greater heights," Ilona said. Then, changing the subject, she asked, "Has he mated his bride yet?"

"I don't believe so, but his mating cycle is coming to an end shortly. He must do so soon. I'm sure he will find me to tell me when it is done," Lara replied.

"You must leave Hetar with the rest of us, Lara," Ilona responded. "You know you cannot withstand the darkness alone, my daughter. If you remain, he will take your magic from you, and you cannot allow that to happen."

"I know," Lara told her mother. "But it is Marzina I fear for. Kolgrim has developed a strong attachment to her."

"He barely knows her," Ilona scoffed.

"That is true," Lara agreed, "but once he learned he shared not just a mother with her, but a father as well, he suddenly decided he must have
his family
about him. He addresses her as
sister
. I know Marzina is intelligent, and she does understand that her brother is an evil creature. But as he is fascinated with her, she is equally intrigued by him. You know how reckless she can be, Mother. And I will not leave Hetar until I know Marzina is safe on Belmair with you."

"Do not fear, Lara," the Queen of the Forest Faeries said. "I can reason with Marzina, and I promise you she will come with us. We will be gone within the month. The last Autumn has begun, and once it has ended, Kolgrim's power will be strong enough to begin to bring the darkness."

Lara set her cup down. Her eyes were filled with tears. But Ilona watched proudly as her daughter hardened her cold faerie heart. "There will be other springs on other worlds," she said. "Hetar will come to regret its own foolishness."

"Kolgrim's victory will in the end be a hollow one. The light cannot be extinguished forever," Ilona said quietly.

The door to the queen's privy chamber opened, and her consort, Lara's stepfather, Thanos, stepped into the room. He was pale and looked exhausted. "Is there more of that tea?" he asked the two women, and Ilona at once magicked him a steaming cup, which she handed to him. He sat down in a comfortable chair and sipped the minty brew.

"You look so tired, my lord," Lara said. "Mother has told me of your great efforts in removing the rare flora and fauna from Hetar to Belmair."

"It is just about done," Thanos replied. "It has been hard, but worth it. These plants and creatures will die out in the darkness to come. I could not bear seeing that happen. Nidhug has been most generous, offering her garden as a transplant nursery. I pray all of what we have taken will survive." He dipped a sugar cone in the hot tea and quickly ate it. "And the creatures we have removed are managing to overcome their confusion at being taken from the places of their ancestors. We have done our best to place them in similar environments. Many of the beasts on Belmair are related to those of Hetar." He yawned several times, his faerie green eyes began to close, his blond head drooped, and he fell asleep where he sat.

Ilona reached out and took the cup from his elegant hand before the remaining tea spilled. Then without another word she transported her consort to his bed. "He has a truly amazing touch with all he loves, and he does love the flora and the fauna," Ilona remarked with a fond smile. "He is really a perfect mate for me."

"You mean he allows you to do as you please," Lara said with a chuckle.

"Aye," Ilona agreed. "He has done his duty as my consort. He gave me a son, appears with me on formal occasions and leaves me to rule without interference. Thanos is really quite perfect for me, as Kaliq is for you."

"I do not rule anything," Lara said. "I am no queen."

"You have your own destiny, my daughter, and Kaliq is a part of it. Be glad for it, Lara. In the morning you will go home to him. I will not see you again until we have safely evacuated to Belmair. Make your farewells to the forest of your ancestors before you leave tomorrow."

"You will not forget about Marzina, will you, Mother? Kolgrim must not have her! I could not bear it if he did."

"I will keep my promise to you, Lara. Marzina will come to Belmair with me," Ilona, Queen of the Forest Faeries, promised her only daughter.

K
OLGRIM
,
HOWEVER
,
HAD PUT
aside his plans for his little sister, Marzina. The time had come for him to seed his new bride. Nyura was proving a delightful sexual partner.

So far he had not found her hesitant to perform any act. Even after having her virginity taken, Nyura retained a look of innocence. Kolgrim found it particularly exciting, and her interest in playing sex games with him was a delight. While she had retained her virtue she was Hetarian. She had been taught and trained in all manner of games to keep lovers amused and satisfied. His bride, Kolgrim quickly learned, was not only adept but enthusiastic regarding such activities.

She loved being the captive ravaged by the enemy general. She equally enjoyed being the cruel mistress of a sex slave. She would whip his bottom lightly in this particular scenario, but then the sex slave would turn on his mistress and violate her. And she enjoyed being spanked, playing the naughty girl, teasing him wickedly until he mounted her and rode her to exhaustion. Kolgrim could not believe his good fortune in the bride the Book of Rule had chosen for him.

But now the matter of creating his only son was at hand. And for that special night he decided he would begin the process by bringing two of his concubines from his House of Women. "This will be a most extraordinary night for you, my darling," Kolgrim told Nyura. "Tonight I will seed you, and in several months' time our son will be born. But I must remind you from this night on I will not touch you. We will next come together at the Completion Ceremony when we join our bodies publicly before our people, Nyura. I want you to always remember this night, however."