35
Revelation
Saxon laid the old woman on one of the huge sofas. Her eyes were closed and her breathing came in difficult rasps.
Tor could see Sorrel was dying in front of them; each breath drained her life. Nevertheless, he asked the others, who had crowded around her, to give him some room. Saxon and Sallementro, feeling helpless, returned to their positions outside the door.
Tor laid his hands on her. He felt the Colours sparkle within and learned very quickly that she was not long for this Land. He looked at Alyssa and shook his head sadly. As he made to stand, the old woman gripped his hand. When he looked at her, it seemed that the beautiful smile which suddenly spread across her wizened face was just for him. She whispered something so low that only his superior hearing could decipher it.
He nodded.
‘It is close, child. Look to the forest. The Heartwood protects its own.’
Her eyes closed; it seemed she had passed on to her gods. Lauryn, despite her best efforts, began to cry and Gidyon offered her the comfort of his big arms once again. He shared her sorrow.
‘She still lives,’ Tor said, softly.
Sorrel confirmed this by opening her eyes once again. ‘Where is Alyssa?’
‘Here, Sorrel. I am right here,’ the Queen said, bending down beside Tor and taking the old woman’s other hand. That she had any tears left tonight seemed impossible and yet they flowed for this woman whom she loved.
‘Ah, my girl. So beautiful. Look at you,’ Sorrel said and even managed a dry chuckle. ‘Queen of Tallinor…who would have thought?’
Alyssa whispered to the old girl, ‘Sorrel, don’t tire yourself now. May I get the physic for you?’
‘No, child. The best physic Tallinor ever had has already seen that my life comes to its close now. I needed to see you one more time. I have returned to you what is yours, Alyssa. These children were stolen from you only for your safety and theirs. I hated leaving you, my girl, but I had to protect you and their precious, precious lives. Will you forgive me?’
Alyssa could not reply. Tor pulled her close and gave her the strength she needed to nod through her tears.
‘Don’t speak, Sorrel. Save yourself,’ she begged.
Sorrel coughed raggedly and then drew another rasping breath. Lauryn looked away. She could not bear the old woman’s suffering; felt guilt settling on her shoulders for leaving her for dead.
The old girl steadied herself and answered Alyssa. ‘But I must speak, my Queen. Time is short. I have struggled to get here because I have one more thing to do before my spirit goes. It is the most important of all my tasks.’
Sorrel closed her eyes to gather the very last of her strength. When she opened them, they were glassy, as though she was already moving on and away from them.
‘Tell us, Sorrel,’ Tor encouraged.
He motioned to Gidyon to move Lauryn away; he could see she was deeply upset by this scene.
Gidyon helped Lauryn outside of the chambers. They both needed some air and relief from the tension in the room. ‘Are we allowed outside?’ he asked the two men who waited there.
‘We shall come with you,’ Saxon replied, glad to have something practical to do.
Sallementro agreed heartily and the four of them made their way to another part of the tower where they could talk quietly on one of the balconies.
Back in the Queen’s chambers, Sorrel gripped Tor and Alyssa’s hands with newfound strength and pulled them towards her.
‘Hear me well,’ she croaked. ‘There is a third child. A son. Born after I sent you away, Tor. He was weak, almost dead. Darmud Coril granted me the boon I begged of him. He took the child; promised to keep him.’
She wheezed again, her strength waning. Her listeners were too stunned to speak; too numb to notice that her grip was loosening.
It was Tor who recovered first. ‘Where is he, Sorrel? Where is our son?’
She spoke in the barest of whispers now. ‘I know not. Look to the Heartwood. His name is Rubyn.’
She sighed out her last breath, dying with a soft smile on her face.
‘Sorrel!’ Alyssa shrieked at the dead woman. ‘My son…my son.’
She felt the Green closing around her, welcoming her to its haven, pulling her into its depths where she could be safe. Where she could escape from all this heartache and grief.
And then Tor was with her, inside her head. He spoke softly, knowing he must gather her back gently. Don’t go, Alyssa. Do not run from this, I beg you.
Our child, Tor. Abandoned. Left to die in the forest. That was his body I saw!
She sank deeper into the Green.
Not dead. Alive. Cared for by the Heartwood. Kept safe by the god of the forests. Rubyn lives and we have to find him; we must find him. Oh, don’t you see, Alyssa, my love? Rubyn completes it.
She wanted to push him back, to stop him talking to her. Stop him trying to make her fight. She had taken too much battering and this was the final blow. The Green beckoned. She would flee to its peace.
The Trinity, Alyssa. Think! It is our children…three of them. They are the Trinity! Rubyn completes it. Not me, not you—them! We have to find him now, before it is too late.
Trinity…? she faltered; she could feel herself being pulled away from the Green.
Yes. Gidyon, Lauryn, Rubyn. He waited. Then he added, Your children need you, Alyssa.
She hesitated.
I need you, Alyssa, he added.
And somehow that was what she needed to hear. She turned from the Green and followed his trace; came back to where they sat in her room, holding hands with a dead woman. Except that Sorrel was no longer a woman. She was dust.
Tor looked at Alyssa, elation sparkling in his bright blue eyes. The Trinity is found.
She smiled back at him. We are found, she whispered, terrified of the import of her own words.
Outside, high in the trees, a falcon called triumphantly into the night.
Far away, the Heartwood heard its own and rejoiced.