Chapter One Nostopher

"The merchants should have been here by now," I mumbled, glancing sideways at Sacha. She shrugged and continued to pick at a jewel encrusted into the one of the armrest of the throne. Without expecting an answer, I rambled a little more. Maybe it would make her feel better.

"Ermin is very far from here. Their lands are known for delicate gold work and abundance of gemstones, especially turquoise. The cornet you wore as a princess had been commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Augwys, your great grandmother, from the very guild these merchants represent. Because they come from such a distance and have nearly unmatched skill, you are giving them a personal audience." Although I had already given this speech, her long eyelashes flicked upwards at the word "turquoise." But then, I'd already known she hadn't listened the first time.

"Isdemus says it would be wisest to set up a small flow of trade with them, as the increasing middle upper class within the city has shown greater demand for such goods." Isdemus, the speaker for the House of Counselors, pretty much ran the kingdom at the moment. The king was dead, fallen in a hunting accident, and until Sacha learned more about her duties, he exercised power in her place. "Although efforts to expand trade with adjacent lands have been redoubled over the years, we are sadly too isolated. And the fact that the last three heirs have married into local gentry hasn't helped matters."

"And that's why my suitor is Prince Lucan."

"Of Mouli, yes." She looked at the high door of the entrance and gave almost an inaudible sigh. I studied her profile. The cultured, slightly hooked nose she had inherited from her mother should have looked sharp on a thin face like hers, but to me it had always held an air of regality. Her dark hair and lashes were of course beautiful, but I think any prince could have fallen in love with her, if not for her looks, then for her grace and intelligence. Had I not been taught from an early age that the princess is untouchable to a servant, even one with such high placement as myself, I'm sure I would have developed a bright love for her as well.

Prince Lucan had loved her on first sight. Of course, the King, never a trusting man, had asked the Prince to visit many times before he allowed even the thought of an betrothal. He had, in my opinion, dragged it on for as long as he could. But now that her father had died, she was soon to marry. Although I'd known the Princess, now Queen, since she was a child, I could not for the life of me tell her feelings on the matter.

"Yes, they are very late," she pronounced, leaning back. I nodded, joining her at staring at the door.

Suddenly, the guards standing to either side of the throne collapsed where they stood.

For a second, the throne room hummed a brilliant white light, and then the ancient stained-glass windows exploded outwards. Baffled and not a little scared, I pulled Sacha down and behind the throne to shield her. With a free hand, I fumbled at the chain at my neck, releasing the small wand that hung from it, and with a quiet incantation, expanded the wand into a long staff.

Someone had blown the wards. Only failing wards would produce that sort of effect on the windows. What was happening?

In the center of the room, Isdemus stood, unharmed. He was watching us with mild amusement, idly tossing his staff from hand to hand.

A shiver thrummed through my body. He should not have a staff. He should not have nearly enough magical ability to be able to concentrate it into a staff. God, we'd checked him. I had personally checked him.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he murmured. Guards, our guards had moved into the room and were walking purposefully towards us. The throne room was long. It would take them several seconds to cross it. I tried to think of what to do. They were obviously - unbelievably - under his control now. From where we crouched, I could see the pale blank face of Ans Plowman. Ans had been a personal friend of mine. I used to keep him company on night watches. We'd exchange stories and play cards on the long nights when I couldn't sleep. Now, any awareness was gone from his eyes. Isdemus must be using some form of mind control. But that was...

Ghost magic. I moaned. Of course.

"My Queen, we have to get out of here," I whispered, pulling her up with me. "I may be able to take us to the lower levels." She was shaking, but coherent.

"Do what you have to do," she said. I swallowed, hoping I was up to this, and took aim at the nearest guard. My staff trembled slightly.

"Tol nod mey tche!" I shouted, summoning the magic. He fell. Sick at heart, I continued on the other ones, my arms already aching from the backlash of the blasts. Isdemus stood silently watching.

When I had secured enough distance between us and the guards, I grabbed Sacha's wrist and held the staff above us. Isdemus had not moved an inch. What was he waiting for?

I concentrated on the floors below us, imagining the hall right outside the main doors. In my mind, the portquills shown brightly in the dusk sunlight. "Chyu namek shana tame tahn anan tame..." The ancient language comfortably off my tongue and I could feel our bodies humming with light. Any second and we would be away from this place.

Everything exploded. I screamed, feeling an unimaginable burn, and fell to the floor. For several moments, I was deaf and blind, but then the world slowly returned. I was lying on my back, staring at Isdemus' face as it overlay the white ceiling. I had a monstrous headache.

"Tsk, tsk. Such an amateur," he murmured, voice sibilant as always. "You can't do that in here, Nostopher." I scrambled to my feet, spotting Sacha huddled by the window. I stood between her and Isdemus, staff pointed at him. As I looked over my shoulder I saw that the window opened to the cliff, not the courtyard. Time for plan B.

A shock bolt hit the wall next to my head. I reeled back to face Isdemus, who was now much much closer. I pulled Sacha behind me and told her to get on the windowsill.

"Tol nod mey tche!" The room blurred slightly. What the hell had he done to me? "Namun nak hai marem!" The spells were directed right at him, but he was no longer there. Powerful as they were, and amplified by the Monarch's Bond, they took out the back wall. I looked around and was startled to find Isdemus nowhere in the room.

"Hold on to me," I said, getting up on the sill and wrapping an arm around Sacha's waist. In a normal situation, this would be an enormous breach of etiquette, but this was far from a normal situation. For a split second, we looked down at the cliff we were about to jump from. It wasn't vertical, but close. Sparse vegetation marked a sea of loose rock and dirt. She looked at me like I was crazy, but did not move.

"This will work," I said more to myself than to the young queen. But at that moment, she was physically pulled from my grasp. Teetering on the edge, I turned, at the same time trying to keep a grip on her waist, and saw Isdemus. He was standing an arm's reach away, the queen bound to him with a dim chord of light. He gave me a wink and threw her away from him. Breathing heavily, I stood alone on the windowsill, trying to think of a spell that could get her back to me.

"Go!" Sacha screamed, half-lying on the floor where she'd landed, "He cannot get both of us!" That shocked me into action, and without thinking, I jumped away from his reach.

"Sahng!" I shouted, staff outstretched in front of me. As if on the arms of a stiff breeze, I took to the air. I twisted around to catch a glimpse of the window, only to see Isdemus on the sill now, pointing his staff at me. I knew the spell was coming, and turned back around to try to dodge it, but the wings spell took a lot of energy to maintain and I couldn't spare the concentration. I almost managed to move out of it's way, but the shock bolt hit me in the back of the head and the world turned to fireworks yet again.

I don't know how long I was stunned for, but the next thing I knew, I was rolling down the side of the cliff at a blinding rate. Throwing my arms out, I grabbed onto a jagged shrub sticking out of the rocks. My arms were painfully wrenched, but thankfully not out of their sockets. I lay there, panting for a few seconds, dazed, until a second shock bolt hit my left leg and I realized I was in plain sight.

"Men nal churuk," I croaked, noticing with alarm how difficult it was to speak. My leg numb, I let go of the shrub and started a slow climb down, glad that I was at least invisible. The city lay at the bottom of the cliff, and if I could get there, he would never find me.

Already, a plan was formulating in my head. The prince had to be warned. He would be coming soon, the wedding was only a fortnight's length away. If I could find him, he would liberate the Queen. But how could I make it to him in my injured state?

It was dark by the time I made it to the city. Unseen to those around me, I hobbled away from the upper class district. Isdemus would surely have spies here.

Scents of delicious food wafted through the warm air, but I kept going. Every moment I lingered was a moment wasted. It did not take long to enter the slums, or for the putrid smell of them to make me forget my hunger. Finally, when I had gone so far past the decent areas of the city that there were no longer any streetlights to illuminate my path, I found an empty alley and settled down into it. My throat aching, I preformed a simple transfiguration spell on my clothing to make them appear ragged and old. The ground seemed soft as down when I finally fell to it.