The Golden Year and the Sorceress

by Isabella Hardiman

  "Did she kill the king or Caroline or...?"

  "She killed a few servants and threatened everyone else," I interrupted her.

  "There's still time," Ethel muttered and I could see the worry in her eyes. "Follow me." She rushed to the lower floor and I followed. Bayard fell behind, leaving both me and Ethel alone.

  "Eris is powerful, yes but she can be stopped." She paused shuffling through books on the second platform. "There's a diamond." She paused. "A powerful jewel that can destroy her."

  "How?" I did not mean to sound so sceptical but I had never heard of such a jewel. Nowadays, it was hard to separate legend from reality. Not to mention the fact that we are talking about Eris, mistress of all evil! Could anything shocking stop her?

  "It strips them of their magic and steals their soul," she explained. Great, a soul-sucking jewel. I thought the world could not get any more twisted, I was wrong. "It was created by the original goddesses of destruction to eliminate their enemies." She slipped out a book and slammed it down on her large oak table sending a cloud of dust in the air. I coughed as the dirt went straight up my nose. The golden leaves smelt of an ageing forest.

  Ethel flicked through the aged pages until she found it. Those letters and symbols looked familiar but I could not quite put my finger on it. "What language is that?" I enquired.

  "The language of the fallen kingdom." She exhaled noisily. "I can't fully understand, so you will have to be patient with me." I did not have time to be patient. I needed answers and I needed them now.

  The drawing in the book was drawn by hand. The detail was extraordinary and I could not help but wonder who had drawn it. It showed a large jewel crafted in the shape of the heart. The chain that held was large and chunky. It weighed more than brick.

  "Can you find out where it is?" I feared that this answer would be a lot longer than the others. Ethel took two minutes to reply, which is never a good sign.

  "It's called the Jewel of Destruction and was lost in the great purge." Great! So how was this meant to help us?

  "But- the jewel can be found if..." She paused, squinting her eyes. "If you hunt down..." She dropped her glasses which cracked and shattered on the floor. Ethel looked stricken in fear or it was shock.

  "Ethel. Ethel!" I tried to snap her out of her trance.

  "If you find the original sorceress." She stammered.

  "The original, as in the first mistress of evil." I tried not to sound as horrified as I felt. "But she's dead."

  I had heard stories about the original mistress as a child. She was after all one of the most powerful witches to turn evil. When I say evil, I mean as evil as you can go. Her mind only festered evil thoughts of destruction and death. She murdered everyone she crossed paths with. She was a monster, tyrant, and murderer. Thankfully for us, she did not overcome death. Nevertheless, I had always wondered what drove her to the point of such chaos and darkness.

  "She's been dead for over twenty-thousand years," Ethel elaborated. She was nothing but a corpse now, Volcano would be of no use as a corpse.

  "Are you sure that's what it says?" I asked again. Ethel ran through the passage again, word by word. She finished at the end and nodded helplessly. "Volga was the original goddess and she was buried on the other side of the kingdom in the Tomb of Death."

  Everyone knew the stories of that tomb, deadly dragons, mermaids, and ogres. "Well that settles it, doesn't it? We are all going to die." I fell to the floor. I had never felt so defeated in my entire life.

  "No, not all is lost." Ethel smiled down at me. She handed me her hands and pulled me to my feet. She stared at me, her eyes cloudy like beacons. The room went dark as night and for some reason, I felt like someone was watching me. Ethel looked as if she was going into a deep trance. Her eyes clouded over. Her smile faded. Her shoulders loosened. Lights faded from the room and suddenly we were surrounded by nothing but darkness.

  "Ethel?" She did not respond. What was happening? Mist surrounded us, in thick clouds and I could not help but feel nervous.

  All the sudden mist figures appeared in bright colours, they moved and acted as she told the story. "Back in the time of the great purge, there was a powerful sorcerer named Alcazar the great. He foresaw two people with unimaginable power, the greatest sorcerers the world has ever seen and they were destined to save or doom the world." She took a pause so long, I thought it would never end. "Alcazar believed in this prophecy so much, he gave up his own life to the cause. So Alcazar gave up his powers and gave it to a tribe. Each member of the tribe received one drop of magic, they had the power to live for centuries and their only price was to be able to recognize the chosen ones and to help them if needed. You see, Alcazar believed better to keep the chosen one's' secret identity safe. So he made sure only if they were in dying need would they be helped by a tribe member." Ethel paused as the smoke people vanished and a floating orb of blue light appeared instead. Did she know where I could find one of these people or the chosen ones? "You are one, Leila of Bourdet. You hold half of the world's destiny in your hands. In your blood, in your bones and your very soul."

  "No." I shook my head. Was she joking? Was this some twisted joke? "There has to be a mistake."

  Ethel shook her head. "We don't make mistakes. We have been waiting for you for a very long time." We? Who were we?!

  "No. I am not special. I can't do what you ask!" I shouted. Has she lost her mind? I did not know the first thing about magic!

  A blow of power sent me flying backwards, down to the floor and I hit my head on the wooden bookcase that I had not even noticed until now. "Then doom the world. For you are one of the chosen ones, your destiny awaits you. We cannot ignore our destiny any more than we can choose it," she bellowed. Her sound waves sent large gusts of wind in my direction.

  "I don't want it, take it back," I pleaded. This must be a mistake, this could not happen.

  "It cannot be taken neither can it be given. It is written in stone, you cannot change what you are," Ethel chanted.

  I looked at her as if she had lost it. "You can't put the whole world in my hands! Are you crazy!? I am reckless, irresponsible and have no common sense. I am more likely to lose the world than save it!" I gasped for breath, I felt as if I was drowning. "You have to stop it. You have to change it," I begged.

  "I cannot." Ethel shook her head pitifully.

  "There has to be another way." This was not happening. "I am not ready for this!"

  For one second, the soft eyes of Ethel returned. So did her heartfelt expression. "I am sorry." For a moment everything stopped. A huge weight filled my chest and as I realised this was happening. I did not even know what to do or think anymore. How could this happen? Why me?

  Then a spiral vortex appeared behind Ethel, it was a mixture of light blue and green. It flashed bright elaborate colours across the room and spiralled simultaneously. Where had that come from? It had appeared out of nowhere.

  It began sucking her in. I ran to her and managed to grab hold of her wrinkly hands. She smiled at me, her trusting expression was like what you might expect your grandmother to look like. Tears began streaming down my face and I could not stop them. I was trying with all my strength to hold on but my shoes were losing their grip. "My time has come. I have searched for you for ten centuries and it was a privilege to have met you. Leila, hide your secret. No one can know. Have faith, this is what you are meant to do. Trust in your destiny as I have in mine."

  She let go of my grip and fell into the vortex. "No!" I screamed out but it was too late. She was gone. The lights switched on and I was all alone. She was gone. Ethel was lost, forever.

  Chapter Eleven- Magic and execution

  I woke up two hours later from a squawking sound. Bayard has returned and is pecking at my ear. "Wake up!" He demands. I ignored him but all he did was press his beak harder into my cheek.

  "Ow! That hurts!" I pushed it away. My eyes were sore and swollen from all the crying. I must have passed out from the shock shortly aft
er Ethel's disappearance. The memories came zooming back to me all at once.

  "You don't have time for this!" He pecked me again. This time Bayard managed to make a small wound in my arm. I waved him away but he persisted to bug me. "You know the truth now and you know where you have to go! What are you waiting for?"

  He spoke as if we were talking about a stroll in the park. "Yeah into the tomb of death where no one has come out alive!" I screamed. I cannot survive that nobody can. I wondered how he expected me to die. Death by mermaids or dragons?

  "Well, you will be first." Bayard insisted optimistically. "You are the chosen one, you have to do this." The bird looked at me trustfully. He was assuming that I was capable of the impossible! No pressure. "If you don't do this then we are all going to die. You are our only hope." No pressure. "I know it's scary." He admitted. "Even an old bird like me is fearful but I have faith in you. Ethel believed in you."

  A pain-filled me at the mention of her name. I had not even known her for a long time but there was this instant connection between us. I wish I had had a chance to know her better. "I can't do this alone, I can't have an entire kingdom of innocent lives in my hands..."

  Bayard gave me an understanding look. "You will never be alone. I will be with you every step of the way." He assured me.

  Then I thought with dread of the reality of this situation. If this story was true and I was Rumores, the worlds, only hope then how can I ignore it? If I stay here and do nothing, we would all die. "What if we fail?"

  "Then we will go down fighting." Bayard smiled and placed his wing on my shoulder. There were certainly worse ways to die.

  I nodded. I may not have the slightest idea of what I am about to do or how to get there...but I needed to do this for Ethel. I could not sit around and watch the world fall to pieces. Besides, I much prefer to be at the heart of the battle.

  Anyway, I had no other choice. "Let's do this." I agreed.

  The bird immediately flew around the room, grabbing hold of a silver bag that had been hidden in an ancient clay pot and dropped it on the floor in front of me. "Ethel knew you would say yes, so she prepared this. It has everything you need." He assured me. The bag was made of a thin, shiny, silver, velvety material. It was no bigger than my two fists.

  "There is nothing in it." I glanced inside.

  "It's a vanishing bag. The objects are there, you just cannot see them. They are shrunk." He explained. "Say sword."

  I gave him a cynical look before doing as told. "Sword." A glinting handle of a sword was poking out of the bag, it had appeared out of thin air. I glanced at it in shock. That was not what you see every day. I held up the silver sword and stared at its artisanship. How did it even fit in there? It could not.

  "Now, the trip will take a while and you might not come back." The bird reminded me. I gulped. "You need to say your goodbyes and get a pardon from Caroline, say your family needs you back home. You need to lie."

  I threw the silver bag over my shoulder. This was all happening so fast. I nodded trying to retain all this new information. I walked back to the snakes who had passed out sleeping. "Hello." I smiled weakly.

  "Leila, what is wrong? Did you find Ethel?" They asked. I nodded. I had found her and lost her. I had discovered so many impossible things today that everything seemed to blur into one. I could hardly think.

  One of the snakes let out a yawn bringing me back to reality. "I need you to give a message to Leonardo. Tell him that someday he will be a great king." I hated to admit it but I was going to miss our fights. His arrogant attitude and his company.

  "Why don't you tell him?" One asked suspiciously. I thought back to Leonardo falling off the horse and down onto the sand. He would be hidden in one of the secret rooms up here. I could not face him, not like when he was in agony. He had to survive this. He would survive this. He had to. The best thing I can do for him is to stay far far away.

  "I am leaving and I might not be coming back," I admitted. They exchanged a few looks cautiously. "Can you tell him?"

  "Yes." They nodded.

  "Thank you, now take me down." This would be the last time I looked in this room, smelt these books and spoke to these snakes. I could not help but feel a terrible nostalgia overwhelm me.

  Silly me, thinking that for once I might have found a home. They slowly lowered me down the tower. "Goodbye, take care of yourself." I waved at them and walked away quickly before they could say anything. I was hoping to avoid dealing with my emotions at all costs.

  I knew who I needed to say goodbye to first: Anna. I walked down the hallway, out the door, then through a side gate and down a few stairs. I went around the back to the kitchens hoping to sneak in unnoticed. I snuck in through a side entrance. The kitchens were overflowing with servants. Immediately, as I entered the rich aromas filled my nose followed by a wave of heat.

  Steam was sent around the room in large clumps. At least forty people stood here, mostly women. There were several collections of garlic, parsley, oregano, and rosemary hanging from the rack above my head.

  Dirty rags were thrown on the sides of counters. Pots and pans overflowed with rich sauces and soups. Flour covered the floor along with vegetable peelings. Plates were stacked to the ceiling. Who knew the king had four hundred salad plates? "Get back to your station!" A large, plump, flour-covered woman shouted. She was clearly in charge of the royal kitchens. Her face had gone bright red from all the shouting. Her voice bellowed and everyone straightened up at the sound of it.

  She swung around to face me. "And you are?" She raised an eyebrow. So much for keeping it low key. "Who are you?" She glared at me whilst wiping sweat from her brow. She was at least two feet taller than me, she had extensive facial hair and warts to accompany her frightening temper.

  She wiped her hands on her apron and removed her hat to push back her thin, soaked with sweat, curly, ginger hair. "I am here for Anna, Princess Caroline requests her presence." I lied. The cook raised an eyebrow.

  "Anna!" She screamed, spit flying in my face. I wiped it and tried my best not to pull a face. "For what may I ask?" The cook did not believe me but she also could not risk being wrong. I couldn't help but stare at the large, hairy wart on her side cheek.

  "I have no idea, you can ask her if you wish," I suggested. The cook immediately backed down.

  "I shall not bother her majesty." The cook gave me a nasty look before turning back to harass the other girls. "IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL SOUP!!!?" She screamed.

  I was suddenly thankful Caroline was my boss and not her. "Leila?" Anna asked, turning around the corner to see me.

  "Finally!" I took Anna's hand and dragged her out of the stuffy Kitchen. She was covered in tomato juice and stank of roar beef. I did not have time to ask her why she took so long or why she was covered in tomatoes.

  "What's this all about?" Anna asked.

  I ran my hand through my hair. "I am leaving town." It was harder to say this time maybe because with every second I realized how real this situation was.

  "Oh." She looked at me surprised. "Is this about Eris?" Yes.

  "No, I have to visit my family." I lied. I had no family but Anna did not know that. Only Leonardo knew the truth and that was one of the reasons I was avoiding seeing him.

  She shrugged. It sounded like the most normal excuse in the world, why would she doubt me? She did not. "But you will come back?" She asked.

  "I am not sure," I admitted. This part would be trickier to explain.

  Her eyes widened and she dropped the tomato she was holding. "You can't just run away, you are sixteen. You must serve for the golden years. They will kill you if you run away." She gasped, she immediately took off her apron and used it to smack me gently across the face. She was trying to knock some sense into me, it was a peculiar custom here in Rumore.

  "It's not like that." I shook my head meanwhile whipping off a chunk of tomato.

  "Then explain?" She demanded.

  "I can't. I just need you to trust me." I sighed
. Before she could argue, I hugged her. She immediately softened. "I will miss you." I smiled. Everything seemed to have moved so fast now. I had made new friends here, I had found a place where I might belong.

  "You can't leave me, you are the best friend I have got here." She whined and a tear ran down her face. "We never got the chance to play dragon cards or play a nasty prank on the cook." She laughed. Her eyes were wet with tears.

  "Maybe someday we will." I breathed. I could not take it anymore. I was about to burst into tears myself. I hated crying but most of all I hated other people seeing me cry. I smiled at her. "Goodbye, my friend."

  I walked away without another word. My final stop was Caroline, then I would leave. I would leave the capitol forever. I strode down the hallways and made my way back up to the main castle.

  The royals were located at the highest most luxurious floor. I climbed up the stairs and travelled down the labyrinth of hallways until I reached Caroline's room. I knocked on the door. Here goes nothing.