The Seventh Daughter Read online

  “And we would have no black amber to break our father’s bonds,” Cordelia added. “No, Tania. It is bravely said, but it will not work.”

  Another idea formed in Tania’s mind. “We’re all still wearing the clothes we had on back in London,” she said. “There has to be some metal in them: zippers and studs and so on. Couldn’t we use that?”

  Edric nodded. “And I’ve got house keys and some coins on me.”

  Tania had noticed that the Queen had been lost in deep thought all through the conversation about the black amber, but now she spoke. “My clothes have metal catches and a zip fastener,” she said. “That was a good thought, Tania.”

  Tania looked at Eden. “How much metal would it take to wreck an Amber Prison?”

  “Enough to fill the palm of a hand would suffice,” Eden said.

  “Then we’re okay,” Tania said. “We must have that much between us.” She looked around the table. “So, what else do we need?”

  “Princess Cordelia mentioned horses earlier,” Edric said.

  “Indeed, I did,” Cordelia said. “Many of the Palace horses fled into the forest when the Gray Knights awoke. I saw traces of their passing as we came to this place. I will be able to track them—then shall we have noble steeds to bear us to Fidach Ren.”

  “And at journey’s end we will be able to deliver the King from his prison,” Sancha said. “Then let Lyonesse beware!”

  Tania caught Edric’s eye across the table and grinned. Things were looking up: They had black amber and they had Isenmort to break Oberon’s bonds. There was hope now that the Sorcerer King could be thwarted.

  “We cannot all go to Ynis Maw,” Titania said. She looked at Sancha. “You are certainly not well enough, my dear child. You must stay here and recover.”

  “And I cannot stray from this place,” said Eden. “I cannot protect this house from the hounds and the Gray Knights unless I am here. I would not risk all these people being hunted down and killed.” She looked at Titania. “I do not think you should go, Mother,” she said. “The journey will have many perils, and I would have you safe at my side where no harm can come to you. For without you, our father will not have the strength to defeat the Sorcerer King.”

  Titania frowned at her. “You’re asking me to remain in hiding once more while I send my daughters out into danger,” she said. “I cannot do that.”

  “While Lyonesse threatens the Realm, Your Grace, your people will be heartened to know that you at least are kept in safety,” said Rafe Hawthorne.

  “My husband needs my help, Master Hawthorne.” Titania’s eyes flashed. “I did not return to Faerie only to hide away when I am needed most.”

  “You will be needed most once Oberon is free,” Eden reminded her. “By protecting yourself now, you will better be able to defy the Sorcerer when the time comes.”

  “Your people will bless you for it,” said Rafe Hawthorne. “Do it for them, Your Grace.”

  For a few moments Tania saw indecision flickering in the Queen’s eyes, then Titania sighed. “Perhaps you are right,” she said. “And if Master Hawthorne will pour a bowl of clear water for me to look into, I shall at least be able to watch over you in your travels.”

  “Then it is settled,” said Cordelia. “Tania and Zara and I shall go.”

  “And me,” Edric added. “There’s no way I’m staying behind.”

  Tania smiled at him; she had already known he would insist on going with them. “Then, it’s the four of us,” she said. “But how soon should we get going? Right now?”

  “None of you have slept for two days,” Titania said. “You must rest first, otherwise you will be fit for nothing.”

  “So be it,” Cordelia said. “A few hours abed and then we will rise dew-fresh in the dawn. I will find us mettlesome steeds, and may the long miles to Prydein flow away under us and may the sun shine bright upon our venture! To the farmost north—and to the rescue of the King!”

  IX

  It was shortly after sunup the next day, and the four travelers were standing at the edge of the jade barrier. The forest beyond was still shrouded in a heavy, dark green gloom, but the curved roof of the dome shone with a glow that was like sunlight through fresh spring leaves.

  Eden and Titania and Sancha were with them, and many eyes watched from outside the Hunting Lodge and from the thrown-open windows. The four of them were no longer wearing their mortal clothes. Mistress Mirrlees had used her Arts to create new garments for all of them. They were dressed in simple tunics and leggings of brown and green and shoes of supple tan leather. They each wore a crystal sword at one hip and carried a stoppered water-pouch and a small bag of food at the other. Even Zara had not objected this time to looking more like a peasant than a princess—she knew as well as the others that they would need practical clothes for their long journey up the length of Faerie.

  Tania was carrying all the black amber jewels to protect her from the poisonous bite of the Isenmort that she had stripped from their mortal clothes. Everything metal—keys, coins, zipper teeth, hooks and eyes, and studs—was gathered in a cloth bag hidden inside her tunic.

  “I can do little to aid you on your journey,” Eden said as they were preparing to make their way through the barrier and out into the dangers of the forest. “But take this.” She handed Tania a small blue-green ball, about an inch in diameter. It felt warm in Tania’s open palm, the shining surface moving constantly as the colors merged and flowed together like oil on water.

  “It is a wishpearl,” Eden explained. “A simple glamour that I managed to save from the ruin of my sanctum.”

  “How does it work?” Tania asked, gazing in delight at the sliding colors of the small ball.

  “If you find yourself in harm’s way, take it in your palm and wish for what you need,” said Eden. “Then smash the wishpearl upon the ground and your desire will be revealed to you. But be sure to use it wisely, for it can be called upon only once.”

  Tania looked wide-eyed at her. “You mean, I could wish for a helicopter? That would be so cool.”

  Eden smiled gently. “I do not know what a helicopter may be,” she said. “But you must understand that the wishpearl can only create illusions. Were you to be assailed by Gray Knights, you could wish for a griffin to appear to frighten their horses and give you time to escape. But the griffin will not be real, it will not be able to harm your enemies, and that for which you wish will only exist for a few moments.”

  “Long enough for us to escape,” Zara said. “Most excellent! Keep it safe, Tania.”

  Tania slipped the wishpearl into an inner pocket. She turned to her Faerie mother. “Keep everyone safe,” she said, looking over Titania’s shoulder at the people watching them from the Lodge.

  Titania stepped forward and they embraced. “I will,” she promised. “And don’t you take any unnecessary risks, either. Keep away from any signs of habitations: farms and villages and hamlets. Try not to let anyone see you.”

  “That is wise advice,” Eden added. “The people of Faerie are good and true, but I would not wish their loyalty tested at sword-point if the Gray Knights are on your track. Keep to the wild places—eat what you find growing on your travels. The trees and fields and hedgerows of Faerie will supply all your needs. Fill your water-pouches from streams and brooks and always keep one pair of eyes open when you sleep.”

  Tania nodded. Despite the danger and desperation of their plight, she felt a sense of excitement and curiosity growing in her; they would be journeying into regions of Faerie of which she had no memory at all, so for her part of the quest would be a rediscovery of her homeland.

  “Once you pass from the forest, head to the northwest,” Sancha said. “You should travel through Passion Meadows and thence up to the foothills of Sinadon. Pass the mountains to the west, but avoid the walled city of Caer Regnar Naal. Edric was born and bred in the north, and he will be your guide once you enter the wilds of Weir—but stray not too near the high castle of Duke Aldritch.
Once across the bleak River Lych, you will be in the wilderness of Prydein. There you must never let your guard down. Many strange beasts dwell in those parts; they are savage and have little love for Faerie folk.”

  Titania looked gravely at Edric. “I give my daughters into your hands, Master Chanticleer,” she said. She smiled. “And you into theirs.” She rested her hand on his shoulder. “Come back safely, Edric,” she said. “And bring the princesses and the King back to me.”

  “I will, Your Grace,” Edric said, dropping to one knee.

  Eden was staring into the forest darkness beyond the emerald wall. “Be most careful upon emerging from the enchantment. The hounds may be close by.”

  “Don’t worry, we will,” Tania said. She looked at the others. “Ready?”

  Cordelia unsheathed her sword and without another backward glance, stepped into the shimmering barrier. For a split second, she was lit by a glorious green glow—then she was gone. Drawing their own swords, Tania and Edric and Zara followed her.

  Tania’s eyes filled with blinding green light as she walked into the barrier. A sensation like a mild electric shock tingled over her skin, and then she was through and standing in the forest with Cordelia and Edric and Zara close by. She turned. There was no sign of the barrier behind her, just an endless procession of trees bathed in early light marching off into the distance. It was hard to believe that Eden and Titania and all the others were standing only a few feet away.

  “What would happen if someone accidentally hit the barrier?” she asked.

  “They would see nothing,” Cordelia told her. “They would pass through to the other side and be none the wiser. Do not fear, Tania; they are safe.”

  “Aye, far more safe than are we,” Zara muttered, peering into the trees. “Do you hear that?”

  “What?” Tania asked.

  “Listen!” Zara hissed.

  A long, eerie howl floated toward them.

  “The Morrigan hounds,” Cordelia said. “And not far enough away. But I must find the trail left by the horses or we shall not get out of Esgarth alive. Follow me, and be as silent as you can.” She turned this way and that, sniffing the air and staring through the trees. Then she took off at a low, loping pace, her head down, eyes scanning the ground. The others followed close, Tania first, then Zara, and Edric at the rear.

  Even if Tania had known where they were when they had started, she would quickly have lost all sense of direction. Cordelia led them up mossy slopes of berry red rowan and down stony hillsides where gnarled trees clung at hazardous angles with their roots standing proud of the earth. They jumped pebbled brooks and clambered up tussocked mounds, sometimes coming out into a small glade where they could see the sky yellow with dawn above their heads, sometimes plunging into deep willow-clad ravines where the night still brooded under the dense roof of branches.

  A howl sounded, uncomfortably close by. Cordelia stopped and sniffed. “I smell dead things,” she whispered. “There are Gray Knights close by. But I have found the trail of some living horses. At least five horses galloped this way not many days ago, afraid and running swift. If I am leading us true, then I think I know where they may be.” She pointed into the trees. “Yonder lies a fold in the land, no more than ten furlongs from here—a place called Deepdene. The Wyvern stream runs through it as it makes its way down through the forest to join the Tamesis. There is lush grass there. It would be a good place for horses to find rest and comfort.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Tania said. The cries of the Morrigan hounds were making her skin crawl.

  Cordelia was quickly on the move again; they followed hard at her heels as she ran like a gazelle through the trees, her head up now that she was sure of where they were going.

  The hound came on them seemingly out of nowhere. The first Tania knew of it was a blur of darkness that came hurtling down from a high rock. It crashed into Cordelia, sending her tumbling to the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp. Tania saw Cordelia twist under the huge dog, turning onto her back, her teeth gritted as she thrust her arm between the slavering jaws and forced the great ugly head back while she felt blindly for her sword with her free hand.

  Tania flung herself forward, gripping her sword hilt tightly as she drove the white blade into the beast’s side. There was a horrible yelping scream as the creature writhed in its death agonies. She heard a commotion behind her. Edric was shouting. There was a growl—cut off short. The thud of something heavy hitting the ground. A whimper. Tania turned to see a second dog lying dead, Edric standing over it with his sword lifted for another blow.

  Cordelia dragged herself out from under the first hound and snatched up her sword. “Quickly now, the howls will have alerted others.”

  They ran like the wind, leaping fallen branches, careless of the low branches that whipped their face and tore at their hair. A dreadful baying sounded to their left. Cordelia halted for a moment then sped off to the right. But they had not gone more than ten yards before Tania heard barking from straight ahead of them. Again, Cordelia changed direction.

  Tania began to see shapes moving through the trees—some way distant still but keeping pace with them, gray blurs that came and went behind the slender trunks of the birch trees through which they were running. The mounted knights of Lyonesse.

  The clamor of the dogs seemed to be all around them, and Tania began to fear that they were not being chased so much as driven. Panting and stumbling over the uneven ground, she glanced to each side. Yes! She was sure of it now: Large gray shapes were shadowing them and the terrifying baying of the Morrigan hounds sounded to the left and to the right and close behind.

  “They’re herding us along!” Edric shouted. “We have to break out of here!”

  “Should I use the wishpearl?” Tania said, gasping.

  “No!” Zara panted. “It is too soon.”

  “And no illusion will fool the hounds!” Cordelia shouted back. “They are following the scent of the black amber that you bear, Tania. While we have it with us we cannot lose them.”

  “Nor outrun them for long,” said Zara. “There are horsemen on our flanks. How soon ere they close in for the kill?”

  “We have to get rid of the black amber,” Edric called. “Throw the hounds off our trail.”

  “But if we do that, how are we going to rescue Oberon?” Tania panted. She stared around wildly. The gray horsemen were closing in. She could hear the thunder of hooves. She could see the glitter of blades, the worm-shine flick of a gray cloak.

  “Give me the bag of black amber,” Cordelia called, her arm reaching blindly back toward Tania like a relay runner groping for the baton.

  Tania managed to unlace the pouch from her belt and thrust it into Cordelia’s hand. “I will lead them away,” Cordelia panted. “See yonder fern-brake? Get you to ground there. I will return.” She darted away to the right, leaping through the undergrowth, quickly swallowed up by the forest. Tania and the others made for the overhanging ferns. They threw themselves into cover, lying as still as they could.

  Tania gulped in air, her heart hammering, her lungs burning. What had she been thinking to let Cordelia run off alone like that? “We can’t leave her!” she said, scrambling to her feet.

  Edric snatched at her tunic and brought her down again. She struggled against him for a few moments. Zara came squirming through the undergrowth toward them.

  “Hush!” she warned Tania. “Cordelia knows what she is at. They will not catch her.”

  Tania forced herself to be still. It went against every instinct in her body to lie hidden while Cordelia was in danger. She could hear the baying of the hounds, but they seemed to be heading away from them. Tania held her breath for a few moments, listening for hoofbeats. She heard none.

  “I think it worked,” Edric said. He looked at Tania. “She’ll be fine.”

  Tania frowned at him. “I hope you’re right.” An uncomfortable burning sensation inside the front of her tunic made her twist onto her side. Her sk
in felt as if it was being scorched under her clothes. She put her hand down inside her tunic. Her fingers touched something as hot as flame. It was the bag with the metal inside it. She let out a cry of fear and pain, her feet kicking as she struggled to pull open her tunic.

  Edric tried to hold her. “What is it?”

  “The metal!” Tania cried. “It’s burning me!” At last she managed to pull the cloth bag from inside her tunic and hurl it away. Gasping with relief, she lifted the hem of her tunic. There was a red weal on her skin.

  “Once you gave Princess Cordelia the black amber, you weren’t being protected anymore,” Edric said, looking anxiously at her. “Are you badly hurt?”

  “No, it’s not too bad,” Tania replied. “But what do we do now? How are we going to carry the metal?” She crawled over to the fallen bag. She reached tentatively for it, as though extending her fingers toward a fire. There was no heat, so she touched the bag. Unseen flames blazed up her arm. She pulled back, massaging her stinging fingers. “It wasn’t this bad before,” she said, looking at Edric and Zara. “I didn’t get burned through cloth last time I touched something metal. What’s made it worse?”

  “Mayhap the Faerie part of your nature grows stronger,” Zara suggested. “That would make you more vulnerable to the bite of Isenmort.”

  Could that be it? If so, it could not have come at a worse time. Tania groaned. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? The black amber was gone. Cordelia was gone—perhaps already captured or dead. And now she couldn’t even carry the bag of metal that they would need to break Oberon’s Amber Prison.

  “Shhh!” hissed Edric.

  Something was approaching rapidly, pattering through the forest, breathing hard.