“Damn, you’re hard work, Raphael.”
Astrin frowned deeply, a strange expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked.
“I—I… something.” Astrin shook his head. “I don’t know… just… something. Come on, let’s go.”
“Have you thought about where we’re going or how we’re going to get there?”
Astrin looked at him blankly, then shook his head. Rowan sighed. “You’re useless. Look… I was thinking. We have an estate near the coast. It’s not far from the border. We can take a car to the estate, then a hover around the coastline to Port Home. There are so many different people coming and going, we can get onto land unnoticed and strike in toward the Heart of the South.”
“Will Ragnor try to stop you?”
“Possibly, but there isn’t much he can do. And there is absolutely nothing he can do about you. You are an independent sovereign, so he has no authority over you.”
“He doesn’t have authority over you, does he?”
“No, but he can have me thrown into prison if he thinks I’m unfit, and seriously, doing something as crazy as this makes me wonder if I am.”
“Fit for what?”
“For anything.”
Astrin smiled. “How long will it take us to get to the estate?”
“By car? About four days.”
“Is there no way we can get there faster?”
“We could fly, but it would take time to get a flight prepared, and I can’t fly a helicopter. Can you?”
Astrin shrugged. “How would I know?”
Rowan grinned, then frowned at Astrin. “We could take bikes, but I don’t think you’re up to riding them.”
“I’m up to whatever needs to be done.”
“Well… the only thing with the bikes is that we’d have no shelter to sleep in. With a car, we just need to put down the seats and lock the doors. There are always emergency supplies under the backseats—blankets, flashlights, that kind of thing. If we had time to prepare, I could get together a proper camp. We could have much more luxurious accommodation and servants to see to our needs.”
Astrin squinted through the window. “That’s the last thing we want. We have a much better chance with just the two of us. Besides, we have no time. I give it an hour and a half until full light. Take half an hour to gather what you think we need and meet me back here.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I think it is only right that I speak with my mother and let her know what I am going to do.”
“Will she try to stop you?”
“I don’t know, but after what she has suffered, I owe it to her to at least speak to her before I go.”
“In case you don’t come back?”
“Something like that.”
Nodding gravely, Rowan left.
W
HEN
HE
was alone, Astrin lay down on the bed and closed his eyes for a few moments, letting the silence sink into his soul and relishing the last moments of peace. Despite having slept he was exhausted to the bone and wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers, but the thought of his father in the hands of the enemy haunted him.
He didn’t know what it meant, but he’d seen their departure—as if it had already happened, as if he’d lived it already. He’d also seen them walk up to the walls of a great building, somewhere he didn’t think he’d been before. He knew beyond doubt that his father was on the other side, and they were the only ones who could bring him out again.
Resolutely, he reached for the telephone at the side of the bed, then realized he had no idea what his mother’s telephone number was.
P
REPARATIONS
A
FTER
SOME
difficulties, and enlisting the aid of both Gabriel and Raphael household staff, Astrin finally managed to get his mother on the phone. Nothing could have prepared him for the rush of emotion he felt when he heard her voice, and it rendered him speechless.
“Astrin, I have been so afraid, my darling boy! Melissa said you would be returning home to me, but I found it so hard to believe, especially after all this time when I have not been able to reach you. Are you hurt, my dear? Did they hurt you? And why are you using the telephone?”
It was this last question that broke through his tumultuous emotions. “Why am I using the telephone? What other way would I have to contact you and let you know I’m all right?”
“Astrin, darling… are you all right?” the queen enquired sharply. “Is there someone there with you? Are they listening to you, threatening you? And why can I still not reach you?”
“I—I don’t understand, Mother. There is no one with me.”
“Then why can I not touch your mind? Why can we not speak to each other?” she asked, sharpness still evident in her voice.
“I—I don’t know. I didn’t know I could.”
“Astrin! What have they done to you?”
“I—I’ve lost my memory, Mother. They say it will come back, but I am finding things rather confusing at the moment.”
“Then you must come home immediately. That place is not safe for you, especially now with Charles not there and Rowan in control.”
“It’s all right, Mother, we’ve made our peace.”
“You have?” Now she sounded incredibly surprised.
“Yes, we have, but that’s not why I called. I needed you to know I’m all right so you won’t worry when I don’t come home.”
“Not come home? Did they lie to me? Are they not going to release you? That would be unthinkable at a time like this. There are protocols.”
“No, Mother, they are not restraining me. I’m not staying here.”
“Then… where are you going?”
“I’m going to release Father—with Rowan.”
“You are what? You cannot. I forbid it. This is madness, Astrin. You cannot possibly think of putting yourself in such danger at a time like this. You are king now, and you must return to rule your people. They need you more than ever. I forbid it, Astrin, do you hear? I forbid it. How dare that Gabriel boy allow you to even think about—”
“Mother, it is I who am taking Rowan into danger. I have no idea what it means, but I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it as clearly as I see the bedchamber around me now. I know where they are, I know how to get there, and I know it must be Rowan and me who go—alone. Ever since I saw it, I knew it had to happen. It is not a question of wanting to, Mother. I have to. Do you understand?”
“Oh no… no…. Why did this happen now? Why did it have to come to you in this way?”
“I don’t understand, Mother.”
The queen took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“If you do not have your memories, you won’t know this, and so I shall try to explain as briefly and swiftly as I can. Every House has its own genetic gifts, abilities that are most common amongst its members. These gifts are stronger within the royal family, and generally appear around the time of puberty, reaching full potential at around age twenty-five.
“The gifts of our House are healing, the touching of minds, and the manipulation of water elementals. The gift you have described is traditional to House Gabriel, although we have had our share of renowned seers. It is the gift of vision, the receiving of messages from the Beyond. These messages may be from the future, the past, or the present and can take many different forms, but they are always true and will leave the bearer no peace until they are acted upon.
“Until this moment I had no idea you possessed this gift, although the others have already manifested in you. You are particularly strong in the healing arts. Do not forget this. Even though you may not remember how to access your gifts consciously, they will come to you if you need them—and I feel you will need them a great deal where you are going.”
“Then you believe me? You believe I saw what I saw? You’re not going to try to stop me?”
“Astrin, I would never disbelieve you. If you tell me you have seen these things, it is so. As for trying to stop you… I know my son. I know how stubborn he is and how, once he has made up his mind about something, it is the devil’s own job to get him to change it.
“This thing you intend to do is foolhardy in the extreme, especially at a time like this when you are needed so badly by your kingdom and your people. But the vision cannot be ignored. There is little point in commanding you to do something you are unable to do, and so all I can say is that I love you, I am proud of you, and I live for the day I can again hold you in my arms and tell you that to your face, my darling boy.”
Astrin swallowed past a lump in his throat and bit his lip as his mother continued.
“Take the best care you can, and if there is anything you need, let me know and it shall be yours. As soon as you are able, reopen the link between us and keep me informed of how you are progressing.”
“I will, Mother. There is one thing you can do for me, if you will?”
“Anything you desire.”
“Could you speak to Ragnor and Melissa? It would not help our endeavor if we were hunted.”
“Of course, dear. Melissa Gabriel shares the gift and will know the meaning of the vision. There should be no trouble from them.”
“Mother….”
“Yes, dear.”
“I’m afraid.”
“Of course you are, my poor darling boy,” she crooned. “But you are stronger than you know. You will be fine. I know it in my heart. You will come back to me, and when you do, the two kingdoms will be joined in a way they never have before. Take care, my son. Please take care. I could not bear to lose you both.”
“Thank you, Mother, I will.”
W
HEN
R
OWAN
returned to his room, he barely recognized the figure who stood in front of the window. Dressed head to foot in black leather, with his pale hair spilling over his shoulders, Astrin looked strong and powerful: a warrior angel. He was so unlike the vulnerable boy of the day before that Rowan could not help but stand and stare.
“What are you staring at? You look like a fool, Gabriel.”
“You look like…. You look different.”
“I’m the same. Only the clothes are different.”
“Yeah. I’ll try to remember that. Are you ready?”
“Are you?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this, but I’ve made such preparations as I can.”
Astrin nodded and strode purposefully across the room.
“I still think you’re insane,” Rowan grumbled.
“Noted. I still think you’re an arrogant fool, but I won’t let it come between us.”
Rowan stared at Astrin’s retreating back as he walked along the landing toward the main stairs.
“I’ll try to remember that too,” Rowan said, then chuckled. “By the way, you’re going in the wrong direction.”
Astrin turned and rolled his eyes. “I’ll follow you, then, shall I?”
Rowan ground his teeth, thinking that, on balance, he preferred Astrin helpless—or even better, unconscious. However, he forced himself to smile and trotted off toward the back stairs, which led directly to the tradesman’s entrance and out onto the courtyard that housed the garages.
As they passed the kitchen door, delicious smells assailed them. Breakfast was already underway. The family and upstairs staff would not eat for hours yet, but those who set fires, laid out clothes, and cleaned chambers unobtrusively before their masters awoke needed not only an early start but full bellies to begin their long working day.
“Hang on.”
Rowan opened the door and slipped inside, spilling light into the dingy passageway.
A
STRIN
LOUNGED
against the wall, waiting for Rowan’s return and wondering if he’d make it to the car before the pain in his chest and head overcame him and made him pass out. He really, really didn’t want to do that.
By the time Rowan slipped back into the corridor, Astrin was sweating and distinctly uncomfortable. He blinked at Rowan, who held something out to him, slinging a bag over his shoulder. Rowan appeared even more smug and self-satisfied than before. Astrin wanted to punch him, but didn’t have the energy for even a verbal fight, so he simply took what was being offered. The smell made his stomach roil.
“What is it?”
“A breakfast bun. It has a little of everything, so be careful when you bite into it.”
“Why?”
“If you want egg dripping off your chin, don’t bother.”
Rowan seemed annoyed by Astrin’s lack of enthusiasm. Astrin felt a little guilty he’d burst his bubble when Rowan had obviously been pleased with his forethought.
“Oh. Okay.” Astrin looked at the sandwich and wondered whether, if he ate it, it would come straight back up again.
“Well, if you don’t like it… don’t bother,” Rowan said, irritation creeping into his voice.
“I…. It’s not that.” Taking a deep breath, Astrin bit into the roll and the taste overwhelmed him. He gagged as he struggled with the impulse to throw up.
“Oh, for goodness sake. If you don’t like it, just say so. Don’t make such a big thing about it.”
“I wasn’t. It’s just….”
With a grunt of frustration, Rowan turned his back and strode away. Astrin sighed and followed, nibbling carefully at the roll.
Outside the sky was already lightening toward dawn, and it illuminated a courtyard that was already a hive of activity. Rowan led Astrin across the cobbles to a large shed on the other side that housed the fleet of cars.
Slipping through the huge doors into the cool darkness beyond, Rowan led Astrin to a sleek black car, which was much larger than he’d expected.
“Wouldn’t it be better if we took a smaller one?”
“Why? We wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably in a smaller one.”
“But won’t they miss this one? Won’t it be easier to track and more—”
“They’ll know we’ve gone no matter which one we take. I don’t know about you, but I want to be comfortable as I travel.”
Astrin was confused. “But won’t they try to stop us if they catch us?”
“Possibly.”
“Then shouldn’t we—”
“Just shut up and get in the car. Do you want to drive?”