‘Stop.’ She held up a hand for silence. ‘Let us proceed in an orderly fashion.’ She sat down and poured herself a cup of fragrant taillin, sweetening it with honey. ‘To begin with,’ she said, ‘I must tell you that I have another visitor here. Hellorin’s daughter, Tiolani.’
‘No!’ Corisand stiffened in shock.
‘Tiolani is here?’ gasped Aelwen. ‘How did you manage that?’
‘The same way I brought you and your companions here, of course. I’m surprised that you need to ask,’ Athina said dryly. ‘When she fell, she was caught by some of her comrades in a net, but they were all slaughtered by ferals, save Tiolani herself. I rescued her from them - but before I could do so, Aelwen, she had her whole life shattered all over again . . .’
Quickly, she told them what Tiolani had overheard when Kelon had encountered Ferimon. ‘She must now learn to live with her errors, if she can. I think - I hope - she will be ready to atone, if you will all encourage her, and give her the chance. We need her, my friends - especially you, Corisand.’ She had seen the Windeye’s ears go back and her neck snake out at the mention of the Forest Lord’s daughter.
‘Then that is unfortunate, for she certainly will not help me. And why should she, when I did my very best to kill her?’ Corisand replied. They all could hear her mindspeech now, since the Cailleach had made certain minor adjustments to allow communication to take place.
‘You forget that Tiolani has also killed,’ Athina said gently. ‘She is aware that she must atone, but she does not know how.’ She turned to the Horsemistress. ‘Aelwen, you must explain to her that the only way she can redeem herself is to throw in her lot with us, and help save the world from disaster.’
‘What, me?’ Aelwen gasped. ‘But the last time we spoke she was threatening my life, too.’
‘She was grieving and confused; trammelled in a web of lies, deception and plots wrought by the very one she loved and trusted most. Now she has nothing. If you approach her in the right way she will turn back to you, of that I am certain. She needs comfort and understanding now, but also—’ The Cailleach’s voice turned stern, and a look as implacable as stone came into her eyes. ‘You must impress upon her that her only route to hope and redemption lies with us. It is up to you now, Aelwen. We are all depending on you to bring Tiolani back to us, no matter what your own doubts and feelings may be. Go now. She is in the study. Bring her back to us, for all our sakes; her own not least.’
‘I’ll try,’ the Horsemistress said. ‘For her mother’s sake, I’ll try, but—’
‘Don’t try. Do. Though you may never forgive her deeds, you must find it in your heart to forgive the deceived, confused and grieving child who perpetrated them. That applies to all of you.’ Athina’s gaze rested on each of them, one by one, and lingered on Corisand. ‘Tiolani has not been in her right mind these last few months. It is our task to bring her world back into balance. We must. Whatever she has done in the past, we need her now.’
Aelwen nodded acquiescence, but her eyes were haunted. Without another word she rose, and went upstairs.
Tiolani was walking in the Magic Bazaar, her favourite marketplace in Eliorand. It was a perfect northern summer’s day, the sky a bright, translucent blue and the sun high and strong. A heady medley of scents from forest and garden drifted on the breeze, as the entirety of nature strove to make the most of this short growing season.
The clear northern light was like crystal laced with jewels, throwing dazzling hues into objects that had looked so drab and dull in the dark days of winter. The Phaerie relaxed and opened up to one another, blooming like the flowers that cascaded from window boxes, trellises and balconies, and exploded from garden, pot and urn. The air was alive with laughter, talk and song, and in the Bazaar the traders were calling out the merits of their wares in lilting voices. And such wares there were!
Some bright stalls, with their billowing canopies of moonmoth silk, held all manner of paraphernalia for scrying and magical focus: great chunks of rough crystal contrasting with clear, polished spheres in a rainbow of colours; wands and intricately carved staffs, gleaming mirrors in all shapes and sizes, and gem-studded bowls of silver and gold. There were magical robes that changed colour as required, and kept the wearer warm or cool at need, and food that could change its texture and flavour to whatever the palate desired.
Tiolani was relieved and happy to be home. She’d awakened from a dark, dread nightmare, too horrifying to remember, but now she was home and safe, wandering through the delightful Bazaar with Arvain on one arm, and Ferimon on the other. Wanting to share her feelings, she turned to her lover. ‘How wonderful home is. I don’t think I ever really appreciated it before, but last night I had this hideous, appalling dream—’
‘Did you? Did you really?’ Ferimon turned to her - and changed. Instead of his beloved face, there was the head of a wolverine, one of the most vicious of all the forest predators. He snarled and bared lethal, pointed fangs. ‘Stupid Tiolani. Gullible Tiolani. Your nightmares are only just beginning.’ Suddenly he grew, shooting up into the sky until his gigantic form towered over the city. With a snarl he stooped, those fearsome jaws snapped, and Arvain was gone, devoured.
Tiolani screamed and tried to run, but she could not move a muscle. All she could do was look on in horror as Ferimon devoured the market, gnawed the buildings, consumed the shrieking, fleeing people. When he was done, Tiolani stood alone in a wasteland of tumbled ruins.
Ferimon looked down on her and laughed. ‘Stupid Tiolani,’ he repeated. ‘Pathetic, gullible and naïve. You made me what I am. You gave me the permission, the power, the ability. Soon now, you’ll lose everything - your father, your realm and your rule - and I’ll be laughing from the grave.’ He reached up and devoured the sun, and Tiolani was left alone and screaming in the darkness.
‘Tiolani, Tiolani, wake up!’ The sound of Aelwen’s voice catapulted Tiolani out of one nightmare and into another. Details came at her in a flash. She was still tightly bound in the heavy net, though she was no longer in the forest, but lying on a couch in a room filled with racks of crystals, mirrors, books and scrolls. There was no sign of her captors - and what was Aelwen doing here?
‘Don’t struggle, child. You’ll hurt yourself. You’re safe. You’re safe.’ Only when Aelwen spoke again did Tiolani realise that she was still screaming. With an effort, she brought herself under control, but she could not stop shaking. Everything came flooding back as Aelwen began to cut away the net: her fall, her capture, Ferimon’s death and the terrible, vicious, unbelievable words he’d uttered before he died.
The blood on her hands.
As the last of her bonds fell away, she flung herself into Aelwen’s arms, sobbing. ‘Oh, Aelwen, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s all right, child; you’re safe now. We’ll put everything right, you’ll see.’ Aelwen held and rocked her, as she had done when Tiolani was a little girl, until the sobbing finally faded away. With scalding shame, the girl remembered the way she had treated the Horsemistress, even going so far as to threaten to kill her. She didn’t deserve the sympathy and kindness that she had taken for granted her entire life.
After a few moments, Aelwen pulled gently away, her expression grave. ‘Tiolani, we must talk. First, you should know that I’m aware of what happened in the forest between Kelon and Ferimon - and that you heard the truth at last. Now, let me tell you where you are, and what has been happening.’
There were so many revelations in Aelwen’s narrative that Tiolani found it difficult to comprehend them all, but the most stunning to her was the notion that her father had trapped the Xandim, condemning them to serve the Phaerie all their days, and that Corisand could no longer be considered a mere beast.