The Amber Legacy by Tony Shillitoe Page A

tarred by political machinations, except devotion to herself. She acquiesced again. After the Alunsday success, she felt confident that a public speech in the central market square in the Northern Quarter of the city on Erinsday would be a safe and significant act in ensuring that she retained the love and support of her people. So when she looked down to see twin darts jutting from her right shoulder and arm as she opened her speech, she was caught between shock and disbelief. There was pain—a numbing ache, rather than the piercing agony that she always imagined soldiers felt when they were wounded on the battlefield. And the darts were in her —and that didn’t make sense. The crowd’s silent anticipation dissolved into confused background noise as she looked towards Follower Servant whose face mirrored her disbelief. Seer Diamond and Seer Vale were staring at her. Someone was yelling behind her, but the noise was evaporating like the daylight, and she was surprised to be dying.
    ‘It will take a few days for the poison to fully leave your body, Your Highness,’ Seer Diamond explained. ‘The surgeons said that you must rest and drink often.’
    The Seer’s wrinkled and white-bearded visage withdrew and was replaced by Follower Servant’s smooth-cheeked and blandly handsome face framed against his black attire. ‘We caught the assassins, Your Highness,’ he reported, smiling at his success. ‘One was unfortunately killed refusing to be arrested, but we have the second one locked away in the Bogpit. He confessed, of course.’
    ‘And?’ Sunset asked.
    ‘Another attempt by your son, Your Highness,’ Follower replied. ‘This is the fourth.’
    Queen Sunset turned her head away. Follower always presented the assassination attempts as orchestrated by Future, but in her heart she knew that her son, as much as he might covet her throne, would not resort to murder. The Rebel Seers might have blinded him with their religious views and with the talk of how the Kingdom needed to be led by a man, but he would not kill his mother.
    ‘I’m sorry to bring this—hateful news, Your Highness,’ Follower offered apologetically. ‘I understand how it must feel to know that—’
    ‘Go!’ the Queen ordered, snapping her head around to glare at the Intermediary.
    ‘Your Highness—’ Follower began, but she cut him off.
    ‘Go!’ He bowed and withdrew. Seer Diamond stood a pace from the bed. ‘I need to be alone!’ the Queen asserted, and broke into a coughing fit. When it was over, she opened her eyes and was pleased to find that she was alone in her chamber, the afternoon sun slanting between the golden curtains, filling the room with light. She’d cheated death again. But how could she bring her son back from across the vast chasm of religious and political ambition?
    News of Samuel’s death eventually spread through Summerbrook when people noticed that he didn’t make his customary appearance on Erinsday to rail against sinners. Rumours did circulate after Alunsday, but Meg’s discovery of the dead soldier, and the arrival of the Queen’s soldiers shortly after, blurred events enough for people to forget the old man. Besides, no one went to his cave unless they weredesperate for a foretelling. But when he didn’t come in his habitual manner to the market on Erinsday the rumours sprang to life again. ‘They’re saying that old Samuel’s dead up in his cave,’ said Mykel as he tossed a morsel of meat to Sunfire.
    ‘Who’s saying that?’ Dawn asked.
    ‘I heard it in the inn.’
    ‘And what were you doing in there?’ Meg asked, looking up from the mixing bowl where she’d been kneading dough.
    ‘I was helping Fletcher Archer,’ Mykel replied defensively.
    ‘It’s just a rumour. We’d know if he was dead,’ said Dawn. She passed a jug of water to Mykel.
    ‘How?’ he asked.
    ‘Emma would know.’
    Meg let the conversation run its course as she worked the dough for her mother. She knew the