‘Quab found itand gave it to Featherdown for safe keeping.’ added Aquitain.‘However, it was stolen from Featherdown’s tower last night.’
‘What! Whowould have known that he had it and how would they have taken itfrom his tower?’ wondered Miranda aloud.
‘I asked himthose exact questions and he has no answer but we do have a clue.’replied Aquitain.
‘They captureda strange looking creature in the town yesterday and have itimprisoned in Granwell’s tower. It looks a like a horriblymalformed brown scaled little person. Granwell said that theDruid’s Council have detected a couple trying to sneak through thesouthern gate from Moonmist over the last few years.’
Allalanlleathought for a few seconds.
‘It sounds likeone of the trixie outcasts from Moonmist. The question is what itis doing here? If it was accidentally left behind it suggests thatthe outcasts have stolen the Champion’s Sceptre. That wouldcertainly cause some problems on Moonmist. However, if it waspurposely left here then it’s a blatant message telling us where tofind it. Either way they’ll have to pass through the SouthernGateway, to return it to Moonmist. Perhaps that’s why your motherhas blockaded the Southern Gateway?’
‘Do you thinkit’s worth chasing?’ asked Aquitain.
‘Definitely.’replied Allalanllea.
‘You could useit to make peace with the Crin and possibly even Snowbelle. If youwere on Moonmist you could gain the favour of the Queen of theElendari with it and that could be useful if the chaos spreads.Whatever you decide, you’ll have to be quick about it.’
‘Wait!’ saidAquitain suddenly holding a hand up and closing his eyes.
‘I’m receivinga sending.’
‘What is asending?’ asked Miranda but Aquitain didn’t respond. He justindicated for them to be quiet.
‘Spirit bearAquitain. Please listen carefully. This is Buluk, shaman of theWolf people. We have a problem. Our young have been disappearing inan area where we have found a gateway. Could you please help us.’The message was repeated two times then there was quiet.
‘Oh no.’thought Aquitain. ‘The cunning little bastards can also usesendings. I might have guessed. Before the Great Storm if theyneeded to contact one of the Lords urgently the best way would be asending.’
‘It seems thatour little people friends have a few more tricks up their sleeves.They can send messages to people like me.’ said Aquitain.
‘What do youmean?’ asked Miranda a little confused.
‘Wizards cansend messages to people anywhere in the universe using acommunication called a sending. It usually done so people receiveit when they are sleeping and hence it’s usually called a dreamsending. Granddad uses it a lot to communicate with people on otherworlds. He told Zephira and me before we left Panmagica that ifthere was anything important happening that we needed to know hewould send it that way.’
‘However, mindwizards who can use mindlinks can also receive a sending within thesame world while they are awake. I just got one from Buluk of theWolf people. It seems they have a problem gateway.’
‘What! Howwould the Wolf people know about you? Why would they send you amessage?’ queried Miranda.
‘Think about itMandy, I was a spirit bear like their totem Spirit Wolf but I washelping the Barra and the Jeti people with their problems. I’ll betKami sent messages to every tribe around telling them about SpiritBear Aquitain. If you were the shaman of the Wolf people who wouldyou call on to help, the Spirit Wolf whatever its name is orAquitain?’
‘Its name isLoopis, but you’re not thinking of going are you?’ askedMiranda.
‘We have moreurgent things to do. However, for them to reveal that they can usea sending to us suggests that it is very important.’
‘It might alsobe the gateway used by the people that took the sceptre.’ suggestedAllalanllea.
‘Hmm. You’reright. Maybe we should check it out.’ he replied.
‘No! You’llwant us to split up again. I won’t! Not until after we exchange ourpledges.’ said Miranda.
Allalanllea wasa quite surprised.
‘You two wishto exchange pledges now! Miranda it is not a favorable time forthat. Aquitain could be killed again tomorrow or next week beforeyou’ve both even had a chance to discover life together. Yourmother will explode and start a war or something worse.’
‘I thought thatyou would be on my side in this Allalanllea.’ replied Mirandaemotionally. ‘You said that I should be with him to help and guidehim. Why shouldn’t we exchange pledges?’
Allalanllealooked at Aquitain and said.
‘Pleaseunderstand that I mean you and your family no disrespect but acrown princess cannot just join with whomever she wishes. It mustbe a political decision based on what is best for the people ofArgenta. That is why the tattoo was put on her in the firstplace.’
‘As Iunderstand the situation you are from a wealthy wizard merchantfamily with possibly some unspecified royal connections but nothingthat would necessarily further the interests of the people ofArgenta. Unless Miranda is officially joined in Argenta or declaredby her mother to be no longer the Crown Princess then byinter-world convention any joining ceremony outside Argenta willnot be recognized anywhere. This is to prevent you or your familyor descendants claiming any rights over the throne of Argentashould Miranda die.’
‘Miranda, yourmother has studied the conventions well and knows every legalnuance. If you two wish to be joined then you will first have topetition her to disinherit you. If she refuses then you will haveto wait for her to die and I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one asshe is more than two hundred Mudrun years old and likely to lastanother several hundred as nymphs don’t age like newmans.’
‘There is oneway of course. You could try to kill her. That would be quite legaland within the convention but that would not be a wise option untilyou are much more powerful. Remember she has only played withAquitain so far. If he were to really threaten her then she mightuse all the means at her disposal to eliminate himpermanently.’
‘My advice toyou both is to pledge to each other privately if that is what youwish but then work together to do everything possible to fulfil TheLady’s wishes for I doubt that she allow the tattoo to be removeduntil then. In the mean time you will grow to know each otherbetter and become more powerful as a team. Perhaps then you will beready
