Waters of Chaos Read online

  ****

  Mandy

  Mandy leaned back in the comfortable deck chair, relaxing on the terrace at the back of the palace, just taking in the view of Lake Washington. The water looked serene in the late afternoon sunshine, without the murky secrets that lurked in the saltwater of Puget Sound. No squids, no mers, just peace. Her stomach was comfortably full from the excellent dinner of mesquite grilled salmon that Magnus had prepared for them with his own hands. How about that? The queen's consort had fixed her dinner. Of course, there was nothing pretentious or "royal" about Magnus. Mandy could see why Greg was so fond of his grandfather. His grandmother now. . . . Well, Boudicca wasn't pretentious, but there she was an overwhelming presence. One with which Mandy still wasn't comfortable.

  Mandy regarded the queen through narrowed eyes. Her majesty was seated at the other end of the deck, talking with Larry. Really talking, not just making social chitchat. Since when had her boss at the PAB become so close to the queen? And just what were they discussing?

  But before Mandy could stir herself to join them and find out, Abigail sat down beside her. Her great-aunt was once again elegantly dressed in a white cotton summer dress, and her hair and make-up were perfectly styled. Mandy smiled. She hoped she'd look even half as good at seventy plus.

  "I wanted to say thank you, my dear," Abigail said. "I'm not sure how you did it, but you saved us all."

  Mandy shrugged. "It's my gift," she said. "I can move magic, along with other things. So, I stole a little from the Guardian. Just enough to do the job."

  Abigail gave her a measuring gaze, as if she knew Mandy was holding back.

  Mandy felt herself blush. Well, she'd told the truth, just not all of it. Her fingers toyed with the smooth moonstone of Merlin's pendant. No one but she and Greg knew just how much magic she'd taken from the Guardian. But the truth was, with the stolen magic and Greg's help, she was probably the most powerful witch since the original Merlin. Just thinking about that made her uncomfortable.

  "What will you do now?" Mandy asked Abigail. She really, really wanted to change the subject.

  "I'll go back to what I was doing before Dormolon's goons snatched me," Abigail said. She gave Mandy a small smile. "Thanks to you, I'm good as new. In fact, I believe my arthritis is a little better. So, I can go back to working with the various wildfae and trying to integrate them into our community."

  "You mean, people . . . beings like Manreal and Vandel?"

  "People," Amanda said. "Sometimes some very strange and unique people, like that pair. There are so many wildfae, no one knows who all of them are or where they can be found. But I have made some good contacts over the past few years, and I believe I've made friends with Manreal and Vandel."

  Did Abigail know those wildfae weren't two people, just one person in two bodies? But if Mandy mentioned it, she'd have to explain how she knew, which would lead to explaining just exactly what had happened during her encounter with the Guardian. She was going to have to learn to keep her mouth shut or she and Greg would be dragged into a political free-for-all among those who wanted to use that power for their own ends.

  "That sounds like a worthwhile project," she said. There, safe and neutral. See, she could learn this political stuff.

  She was saved from having to say more by Greg's arrival. He'd been down in the cellar, fetching some of the blackberry wine that Magnus made every year. He handed Mandy a glass and then bent to give her a sweet, wine-flavored kiss. Mandy returned the kiss with enthusiasm. How could she have been so stupid for so long? She wasn't Greg's slave. The two of them together were far stronger than either could be apart.

  "Ahem."

  Oh, it was the queen! Hastily, Mandy and Greg broke apart. Mandy stood respectfully.

  "I'm glad to see the marriage is going well," Boudicca said. "However, I need to talk to Mandy privately."

  "Of course," Abigail said. She'd also risen from her chair.

  "What ever you say, grandmother." Greg dropped a much more chaste kiss on Boudicca's cheek. "Abigail, there are some paintings of wildfae in the gallery that might interest you. Want to take a look?"

  "I'd love to," the older witch told him.

  She took Greg's arm, and they headed inside the house. Magnus and Larry were seated at the far end of the deck, sipping their wine and watching the play of light on the lake. Mandy doubted that either would move before sunset.

  "Let's go for a little walk on the beach," Boudicca said, as if Mandy had any choice in the matter.

  "Okay." Well, she did have a choice. But it would be stupid and childish to refuse the queen just because she could.

  She followed Boudicca down the cedar stairway that led to the strip of gravelly private beach below the palace. There were security guards posted there, but they stayed discreetly out of the way. Mandy was surprised when the queen took her arm and began walking beside her. Really, it was more something she'd expect Abigail to do.

  "So, you were able to defeat the Guardian of the Well of Deeps," Boudicca began.

  "Umm, not defeat the Guardian so much as mess up Dormolon's spell," Mandy corrected. She'd fed the mer prince to the dragon and that had brought the enchantment to a crashing halt. "Prince Dormolon got too close to the Guardian, and it was hungry."

  Again, her hand closed around Merlin's pendant. It had given her good advice, advice that had helped to save them all. Still, it was too valuable for her to keep. She'd better give it back to the queen soon.

  "I see. That was very careless of the prince."

  "Well, he was pretty cocky. He must have thought he was safe."

  Don't ask any more questions, Mandy thought. Just don't ask me any more questions.

  "How unlike what I've heard of Dormolon," Boudicca said. "Larry told me the prince wasn't very bright, but that he was always most careful of his own skin."

  Mandy said nothing.

  Soon, they reached the edge of the water, and Boudicca stopped. The two of them stood looking out over the lake in an awkward silence. At least, Mandy felt awkward. Boudicca didn't seem to feel any discomfort. Finally, the queen spoke.

  "I wanted to talk with you privately because I have a favor to ask of you," she said.

  "Uh?"

  Boudicca looked at her, gray eyes measuring. Mandy realized that her mouth was hanging open and closed it abruptly.

  "What sort of favor, your majesty?"

  "Please child, call me grandmother. Or if that seems to intimate for you, call me Boudicca. And the favor is a simple one, one you might even enjoy. I want you to help Abigail."

  "Help her how, Bou . . . uh, grandmother?"

  Really, she just couldn't bring herself to call the queen by her first name. And age alone was enough to make the title of grandmother seem more appropriate. But what did the queen want her to do for Abigail?

  "This business with Dormolon has made me realize that we know too little about what's going on among the other magical beings. That mer prince would have brought disaster on the entire land if you hadn't stopped him. Yet, we know more about the mers than about many of the other peoples that exist in our world."

  Boudicca gazed out over the lake as if she were trying to peer into the future.

  "Abigail has been studying the wildfae on her own for several years now," the queen went on. "I plan to give her a large grant to fund her future research. But Abigail's interest is academic and humanitarian. Mine is political and protective. I need to know of any other potential threats that might be out there."

  She turned to regard Mandy. "Granddaughter, I want you to accompany Abigail on her research trips, you and Greg."

  "Will Greg go along with this?"

  "Greg will go where you go," Boudicca said. "He loves you utterly and will follow you anywhere. There would be a problem only if I tried to separate him from you." The queen turned to her and actually smiled. "The two of you have completed the ceremony of joining. The tie that binds you is both wide and deep, perhaps even more so than you realize.
Abigail will be delighted to have the research funds and happy to have your company. So, this project hinges on you, granddaughter. Will you go with your great-aunt to whatever strange realm she finds to explore and look out for the interests of the Court of Merlin?"

  "Sure. I mean, yes grandmother."

  It actually sounded pretty exciting.

  "Then I'll inform Abigail and leave you to tell Greg."

  "Okay."

  Mandy put her hand to Merlin's pendant again.

  "Um, grandmother, I've been meaning to give this back to you." Mandy started to pull the chain of the pendant over her head, but the queen's hand stopped her.

  "Keep it child. It's yours now."

  Boudicca turned to walk back to the stairs leading up to the house, leaving Mandy staring after her in surprise. The queen didn't want her pendant back? Merlin's pendant! But why would Boudicca want her to keep it?

  "Because," the voice of the pendant answered, "I told her to give it to the next queen."

  "What!?

  The End

  *****

  About the Author

  I've been a writer for most of my life, beginning with illustrated stories in grade school, and continuing with works in the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. I live in Seattle with my cat, Baby, who frequently puts paw to keyboard to help with the story.

  Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you will take the time to write a review. You can find more stories at:

  Claudette

  October 2011