‘Calm down Miranda! Concentrate on the mantra.’ hesaid.
‘No. I don’t want to calm down. We’ve killed our daughter. Howcan I calm down?’ she screamed at him.
‘Cast lightning or something?’ he replied trying to think of away to calm her down.
‘Good Idea!’ she replied and suddenly several massive blaststhe chain lightning streaked out of her lighting up the countrysidefollowed closely by crashing thunder that echoed across thesky.
‘That feels better!’ she said as she sped off in the directionof the sanctuary.
‘I’ll go there.’ he said and teleported.
Five minuteslater Miranda saw a solitary light in the sanctuary and momentslater her mindlink with Tigerlilly reformed and she heardTigerlilly say
‘Daddy, here comes mummy!’
‘Are you all right darling!’ asked Miranda.
‘Yes mummy but I fell over when I got here and my knee hurt abit but daddy’s fixed it.’ she replied.
‘I’ll be there in a minute darling.’ replied Miranda. ‘Ididn’t know what to do. That was really quick thinking. I’mimpressed.’
‘I’m just thankful for all the mental exercises that I did.’replied Aquitain. ‘I hated doing them over and over again butthey’ve just saved her life. I’ll never complain about them again.In fact I’m going to restart my exercise programtomorrow.’
Aquitainwatched as Miranda flew down and landed on the ground in thesanctuary. All the leaves and litter on the ground began swirlingaround. Miranda reappeared spinning. She slowed down to a stop andlurched forward onto the ground and began vomiting.
‘Are you all right mummy?’ shouted Tigerlilly running over toher.
‘I will be … in a moment …darling. It’s … all the spinning …makes me sick. I’ll … have to work on my … landing.’ shereplied.
‘Hello Miranda.’ greeted Ironbark.
‘Back so soon. Tigerlilly was telling me how a big flyingmonster grabbed her and flew her up into the sky. But she was bravebecause she knew mummy and daddy would save her.’
‘It was a close call Ironbark, a very close call.’ repliedAquitain.
‘You know what to do now Tigerlilly. If any monsters want tograb you say the magic words. ‘I wish to go to warden’s Rest.’ Andyou will come here.’
‘Will I still come here if I say the magic words and there’sno monsters?’ she asked.
‘Yes you will darling.’ said Miranda finally standing up. ‘Butyou must only say them when you’re in danger. Otherwise mummy anddaddy will be worried where you are.’
‘I’ll be safe here with Ironbark and the big water thing inthe pool.’ she said.
‘Yes but we won’t know you’re here will we.’ repliedMiranda.
‘Okay! Are we going back to that creepy place where all thepeople hide from each other?’
‘Yes, darling. They will be afraid that you were hurt. So weneed to go and show them that you’re okay.’ repliedAquitain.
‘I don’t like them. I want to stay here with Ironbark.’ sheshouted.
‘When you’re a princess sometimes you have to meet people youdon’t like but you have to pretend you like them.’ repliedMiranda.
‘Why?’ asked Tigerlilly.
‘Because princesses are special and they have to know lots ofpeople even those that they don’t like because someday they will bea Queen and they will have to make lots of decisions when they rulethe country.’ replied Miranda.
‘When I’m a queen I’m not going to talk to anybody I don’tlike.’ said Tigerlilly.
‘You can do that when you’re a queen but when you’re aprincess you have to do what mummy says.’ repliedMiranda.
‘I can’t wait to be a queen.’ said Tigerlilly.
‘Let’s hold hands and I’ll teleport us to the room we stayedin last night.’ said Aquitain and in blink they werethere.
The lighteffect was still on Tigerlilly and it lit up the room casting hugeshadows. They left the building and quickly several guards appearedand the word was passed on that they were alive and well.
Minutes laterNavarro and Gizel returned and Gizel raced over and cuddled intoTigerlilly.
‘Thank the gods. I thought you were lost.’ she said with tearsin her eyes.
‘I am a princess we don’t get lost easily.’ repliedTigerlilly.
‘I can see that. I’m sure your daddy looks after youproperly.’ replied Gizel gazing at Aquitain withadmiration.
This timethings were different. All eyes were on the little glowingprincess. Many of the people knelt down before her and wished herwell. Tigerlilly’s miraculous return from an unthinkable fateseemed to elevate her to some sort miracle child and since therewere so few children she became an instant icon. Tigerlilly lovedthe attention and played the part of the lovely little princess toperfection.
‘That is you at that age.’ said Aquitain.
‘Yes I know it’s embarrassing. That was me and it waswonderful.’ she replied.
‘We’re going to have to train her properly. She will make awonderful queen.’ That’s what Allalanllea used to say about mechuckled Miranda.
‘Unfortunately she needs to learn the hard truths about theworld.’
‘Not yet.’ replied Aquitain.
‘Oh so you know all about raising princesses do you?’ askedMiranda.
‘No. I don’t but I do know that she has the ability to be morepowerful than both of us and that means that we will have to bevery careful about how and what we teach her.’ repliedAquitain.
They reachedthe top of the mountain again and this time were very careful andwatchful but were not attacked again.
They were ledinto the keep and up three flights of stairs to the council roomnear the top of the keep which had a commanding view over thesurrounding country side. It was quite large, possibly twenty pacessquare and warmly lit with several yellow magic light balls. Aroundthe walls were tapestry-like wall hangings of strange animals, madeof knotted string and small coloured ceramic beads. The merchantexperience in Aquitain could see a ready and lucrative market forthese back in Panmagica.
The floor wascovered with well-tanned animal skins and surprisingly there wereno tables or chairs. Instead there was a richly embroidered clothon the floor displaying several dishes of delicious looking food.Comfortable looking well-worn leather cushions surrounded thecloth.
They wereushered into a corner by several armed guards and kept waiting forseveral minutes before two people entered, one wearing the typicalblack chafra and another a deep blood red chafra. The man in theblack chafra asked the guards to wait outside and closed thecurtain covering the entrance. He turned to Miranda and his hooddisappeared
