Remnant of Power

Chapter Thirty-three

Yavenna

Yavenna waited.

A head appeared on the stairs. Dark hair, pretty face: Sharva. Yavenna darted to the stairs, her finger to her lips, her heart heavy. Until the last few days she would have done anything for Sharva, but now, suddenly, she felt that she couldn't trust her - the maid had betrayed her once already. The powers at work in Ulric's court, or the girl's love for Torrehon, had changed her loyalties. Yavenna had to get her away from here, quickly.

"Dearest Sharva, quickly, come with me." The maid raised her eyes to Yavenna, then immediately looked away, flushing. Yavenna smiled. Grabbing her maid's shoulders, she gently turned her to face the other way, put her arm around her and smoothly led her back down the stairs, and down the next set, until she reached her suite. Poking her head quickly through the doorway first, she ushered Sharva into the room. Yavenna ripped off the red habit, changed into a plain green dress and grabbed her cloak.

Then she stopped.

Mal.

How would she get to him now? What could she do? Minutes ticked by as she ran through every, any possibility in her head. But she couldn't think of any way of getting him past the guards.

She had no choice. She couldn't get to him.

With glazed eyes, Yavenna turned to Sharva. She didn't ask her if she was the one who'd told Breanna where Yavenna was. Right now, she didn't care. Perhaps there was still a way she could get herself out of the city.

She spoke in a monotone. "Sharva, do you remember I said we might go for a ride this evening, if the weather was cooler? Well we're going now. But actually, we're going down the rope." But were they? Yavenna ran to the balcony. And remembered - Breanna had said the mage wasn't in the castle. Biting her lip, she looked over. He wasn't there! Thank Esa! She rummaged in the bottom of the wardrobe for the rope. and the bow she'd brought from Tarhasta, then pushed a table across to the window and tied the rope around the table leg.

"You first, Sharva," Yavenna passed her a pair of evening gloves. Surprisingly, the maid didn't argue, but with shaky arms climbed out through the window, and slid down the rope. Yavenna followed her, and left the rope hanging. By the time it was seen, they'd be out of the city.

Once in the gardens, Yavenna put her arm in Sharva's and tried not to make it seem like she was dragging her as they crossed to the stables. Luckily, she'd told the grooms she might want the horses that morning, so it didn't take long to get Midnight and a chestnut filly ready.

"Mistress, I don't think we should do this. And we shouldn't go through the city without guards. Remember all the turmoil there was the other night. What if there's another rebellion?"

Yavenna made herself smile reasonably. "Don't worry, Sharva, I'm sure there won't be. Anyway, won't it be lovely to ride? It seems like such a long time since we've ridden together - we can just trot through the city for a while." She mounted Moonlight, smiling at the groom as she waited for Sharva.

Breathing deeply, she left the stable yard at a slow walk. Moonlight was twitchy and skittered on the slippery cobbles; Yavenna spoke quietly to calm him. And then they were riding through the city, Sharva in front.

Yavenna looked back at the castle as they rode. Mal would be waiting for her. How long would it take before he realized she wasn't coming? What would happen to him? She looked at Sharva's back in front of her. It must have been Sharva who told Breanna where Yavenna was going. If it wasn't for Sharva, Yavenna could have got to Mal before the guards got there.

Yavenna overtook Sharva and led the way through the busy streets, getting gradually closer to the walls, trying to remember the way out of the city. They turned a corner and suddenly the gates loomed in front of them.

Yavenna smiled at her maid. "It's such a lovely afternoon, it seems a shame not to let the horses have a run. Let's go through the gates and let them run on the plain outside." Before Sharva could answer she spurred Moonlight up the gates. "Open up," she called imperiously, "I am Princess Yavenna of Tarhasta and I wish to go outside the city for a few minutes." The sentries had obviously not been informed about keeping a lookout for her, and they pushed open the huge gates at her command. As Yavenna spurred Moonlight through the gap she glimpsed a pale green sphere on the roof of the castle and her heart shrank in her chest. The mage had returned! Could he see her?

"Fast as you can, Moonlight," she whispered to the horse, leaning her head in close against his powerful neck.

On the edge of the copse where she'd first seen Mal, Yavenna trotted in a tight circle as she waited for her maid to catch up with her. Sharva's face was like thunder when she found the Princess.

"Mistress, we must go back, now. You cannot be seen to be flouting the King's instructions on the eve of your wedding. Please, come back to the city."

"Oh Sharva, don't look so serious," Yavenna shot a glance at the maid and then made herself smile broadly. "No harm will come to us. Come on, let's stop and have a pastry. I saved some from breakfast. Goodness me, I've just realized I need to pass water now as well. You'll have to face the other way for a minute." She dismounted, tied Moonlight to a tree and gave him a grateful pat as she picked up her pack and walked into the elms. And stopped. Through the trees, she could see Sharva standing with her back to her. Was she right to go on her own, or should she take Sharva as well?

Yavenna rubbed her face with her hands. She really didn't think she could take her maid with her. Sharva couldn't run fast, and if the girl had just betrayed her to Breanna she didn't even want to take her. Anyway, surely Sharva would sooner stay here with Torrehon? Especially now it looked like something had happened to make her happier again.

Yavenna hoisted her pack onto her back, grimacing at the weight of it, but there was nothing in it she was willing to leave; food and a water skin, a small rug that had belonged to her great-grandmother and thirty flawless diamonds that were meant to be her dowry. There was no way she was leaving them in the castle for the King to get his greedy hands on. If she saw the mage was following her she'd toss the diamonds into a river. Smiling grimly, she took a last look through the trees to where the girl was still standing. Sharva would be alright; she was only a mile from the city and Torrehon would look after her. They'd probably both be sent straight back to Tarhasta, anyway.

Gripping the silver pendant and ignoring the sudden blurriness in her eyes, she forced herself to look ahead and concentrate on where she was running to. Far away across the plain, hazy blue mountains crowned the horizon and a line of dark conifers spread out in front of them like tiny dots. If she could just reach the dots without the mage catching up with her, there might possibly be some hope.

Heart pumping, Yavenna set off at a sprint northwards out of the copse,

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