The Kings of the Seven Bells

by Marti Talbott

  Raxton was just as befuddled as his friend. “I cannot be certain. I do not remember this at all.”

  “Nor do I. Which way?”

  “Effrin, you found the first two bells. You choose.”

  Effrin, walked toward one path, changed his mind and choose another. “Some quest this turned out to be,” he murmured. “Flowers, rocks, disappearing doors, a maze of paths, and who knows what else...”

  Behind him, Raxton smiled. He had two bells and so far, the quest had not been dangerous. One thing greatly bothered him though – how far ahead of them was Nerratel and Lasun...and were they as confused as he was?

  CHAPTER 11

  ELDER KIRCOM AND THE Mobbox men sent to take Telder and Enor to the cliffs were none too pleased with what the brothers had done, not to mention having to forego most of the day’s wagering. The brothers each carried a bag of belongings and more than once, had to be rushed along, for they seemed to think that walking leisurely would postpone their demise. It did not work. Instead, it served to aggravate their guards even more.

  That very morning, the mist had cleared off the mesa, and sooner than they hoped, the brothers came to a place near a small unfamiliar cluster of trees and bushes. Abruptly, both of them stopped, for just a few feet away, the land was no more. Timidly, the two of them leaned just a little forward until they could see over the edge.

  Below, and in plain sight, was the village of the Lowlanders.

  Telder and Enor quickly pulled back, and turned to face the guards, for fear they were about to be pushed off the cliff.

  Elder Kircom, the oldest of the four guards had been abrupt with his orders, and it was he the brothers feared most. Kircom put his sword back in his sheath before he began to speak. “You have brought shame upon our civic and grief to the Carbollo. See that you do not return to the land of Extane.”

  “Return?” Telder sneered. “What are we to do, jump off?”

  “I care not what you do. Live in the wild, hunt your own food if you can, and pray death soon takes you. Whatever you do, let us never see you again!” With that, Kircom motioned for the other guards to follow him and headed home. A few yards away, he paused to look back and glare at the brothers one last time.

  Telder and Enor set their bags on the ground. Neither of them spoke as they watched the four men return to a life they would have no more. Enor thought he might cry, while Telder scratched the side of his face. “Find our own food? I am not a hunter, and neither are you.”

  Enor turned his sneer on this brother. “Then you best not get hungry.” Tired, he sat on the ground, and covered his face with his hands. “Be quiet for once. I need time to think.”

  “The way I see it,” Telder shot back, “you have done more than enough thinking. ‘Tis you who should be quiet. I have...”

  Telder had not noticed her and Enor still had his face covered when Gincar Carbollo stepped out from behind the bushes. Startled, Telder took a step back and was prepared to run. Just then, he realized who it was. “Look, brother, the Carbollo sent a woman to kill us.”

  Gincar scoffed at that idea. “Not true. I wish neither of you harm.”

  A surprised Enor quickly stood up. “Then what are you doing here?”

  “I wish to go with you,” Gincar answered.

  Telder jeered, “You lie.”

  Gincar shrugged. “Do you not wish to take a wife with you?”

  He bowed his head for a moment before Telder admitted, “A wife, but not you. I desire Sarinna.”

  “I thought as much.” Gincar paused just long enough for Telder to raise his head again. “For a Mobbox, you are very handsome, and Sarinna would be unwise not to desire you.”

  “Yes, but she denied me. She does not prefer me and says so.”

  “That is not what I heard,” Gincar said.

  Telder took a step closer to Gincar. “What have you heard?”

  “I have heard she watches you when you are not looking. I wonder though, why you do not often look at her. A man in love looks at a woman constantly. Perhaps you are not truly in love with her.”

  “Oh but I am, I am in love with Sarinna!” Telder argued.

  “It matters not, for if I were to show you the way down the cliffs, you have not Sarinna here to take with you.” Gincar paused and waited for the brothers to catch her meaning.

  “You know how to get down...without jumping off?” Enor asked.

  “Come and I shall show you.” She waited until the brothers picked up their sacks, and with a wave of her hand, Gincar urged them to follow her into the bushes. Not far from a line of wimble trees, she stopped. At first, it appeared to be nothing more than a hole in the ground. On closer examination and as soon as Gincar moved aside, the depressed expressions on the faces of both brothers turned to grins. The hole was the beginning of a staircase.

  “I must get back before I am missed,” said Gincar. She started to leave when Telder’s question made her turn back.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where Sarinna is just now, would you? Today is the day of challenges. Is she still at the castle?”

  Enor sensed danger, but when he started to speak, Telder harshly glared at him until he changed his mind.

  “I make the decisions now!” Telder was almost as surprised by his boldness as was Enor, but he wasn’t going to back down this time. He turned his attention to Gincar. “Well, do you?”

  “She is not at the castle,” Gincar answered. “Sarinna has gone to the lake, just as she always does of a morning.”

  Enor grabbed his brother’s arm. “Gincar lies. ‘Tis a Carbollo trap.”

  Telder had to think about that for a moment. Gincar was denying it with a shake of her head, but that didn’t mean Enor was wrong. It certainly could be a trap. A thoughtful Telder said, “Brother, keep Gincar with you. If I do not return, take her with you to the Lowlands.”

  Enor nodded his agreement, and pulled his knife out of his sheath. “Sit down, Gincar.” He raised both eyebrows at Gincar’s severe scowl, but the Carbollo woman took two steps down the stairs, and then sat on the top step. By the time Enor looked back, his brother had already gone through the bushes.

  For the better part of an hour, Gincar and Enor waited. While they waited, Enor noticed that ten steps down, there was a platform. Afraid that was as far as the staircase went, he kept a close eye on Gincar as he walked around to the side so he could study it further. Fortunately, the platform led to wide stairs that were attached to the side of the cliff, and went all the way down to the bottom. Enor heaved a sigh of relief.

  When he came back, he sat beside Gincar. “Why has no one else discovered these stairs?”

  She shrugged. “Perhaps they have not looked. I too am afraid to lean forward and look down. I only just happened on the stairs because I was following you.”

  “This morning? Did I not see you at the Challenge?”

  “Of course you did, everyone was there. I was curious to see what would become of you, so I followed when they took you away.”

  “So you know not if Raxton and Nerratel have gone on the quest?” he asked.

  “Oh, they are gone. Did you not hear the people chant their names?”

  “I confess I did not. Are you certain they are gone? I shall rest easier if Nerratel will not soon follow us.”

  Her irritation at not being believed was clear when she abruptly looked away. “Question me no further. I am a Carbollo and I owe nothing to a Mobbox.”

  Before he could press her further, Enor heard rustling in the bushes. He quickly stood up and pointed the knife in his hand that direction. He was relieved when he heard Telder’s voice. “I got her.”

  Just as he said, Telder had ahold of Sarinna’s arm and was pulling her through the bushes. “Gincar did not try to escape?” he asked.

  Gincar stood up. “You have what you want. Now, I must go home!”

  Telder argued, “Did you not say you wished to go to the Lowlands?”

  “I lied,” Gincar confessed.<
br />
  “I thought as much,” said Enor. He put his knife away and turned to his brother. “Did anyone see you?”

  Telder grinned, “The Mobbox have no idea I have taken her. She has agreed to marry me.”

  Enor looked at Sarinna. “Is it true? Have you agreed to marry him?”

  Sarinna put her hands on her hips. “He threatened to harm my mother.” She turned her anger on Telder. “Do you know what my brother will do when he finds you have taken me?”

  “Nerratel doesn’t frighten me,” said Telder. “He desires to be king, and I desire his sister. We are equal.”

  “Brother,” Enor reminded, “Only a king can perform the marriage ceremony.”

  “Here, yes, but they must have different ways down there. I have never heard of a king going to the Lowlands to perform a marriage or for any other reason.” Telder picked up his sack of belongings, slung it over his back, and then took hold of Sarinna’s arm again.

  “You need not take hold of me.” Sarinna said through gritted teeth. “For my mother’s sake, I shall willingly go with you.”

  Telder released her and then said, “Enor, you go first.”

  “Me? You go first,” Enor argued.

  “ENOR, DO AS I SAY!”

  “Oh, what does it matter. If I fall, I wager you shall all fall with me.” Not the least bit amused, Enor slung his sack over his shoulder, and then started down the steps. Not certain how dependable they were, he took it one step at a time, especially after he reached the landing and started down the side of the cliff. He stopped and looked back just to make certain the others were following. Gincar was right behind him, followed by a very angry Sarinna. Telder was last, and the least brave of them all. With nothing on either side of the stairs to hang on to, he stayed as close to the side of the cliff as possible.

  Half way down, Telder began to mumble. “Kill the king you said, ‘Tis the only way to have a Mobbox king. No one will find out, you said. And if they do they won’t banish us, you said. Now we have kidnapped Nerratel’s sister and you better pray he does not become king, for he...” Something caught his attention, and when he looked back, his eyes filled with horror.

  “Enor!” Telder screamed. “The steps collapse behind us.!”

  Enor paused just long enough to confirm what his brother said, before he began to run down the steps.

  NERRATEL HAD NO IDEA what to expect after walking down so many passageways, always turning left, and then finding the secret to opening the door. Perhaps he was expecting a place of plagues and frightening monsters too, but that was not what he found. Nor did he enter the same garden Raxton found.

  Instead, a whole new world awaited Nerratel and Lasun. At first, the countryside with all its brightly colored flowers, bushes, and trees caused both of them to pause and try to adjust to the brightness. It seemed to be a normal countryside. It was just not the familiar kind of countryside they were accustomed to. Two horses waited on a dirt road that appeared to wind its way up the side of a far off mountain.

  Much shorter than those on Extane, the mares were not all white. One was black with white splotches, and the other was brown with a white mane and tail. Each had a white, diamond-shaped mark on its forehead that oddly resembled the one on the foreheads of both the Carbollo and the Mobbox.

  “Are those truly horses?” Lasun asked.

  “I know not what else they could be.”

  When Lasun finally managed to tear his eyes away from the odd looking horses, he muttered, “I had no idea the land of the Carbollo was more intriguing than ours.”

  “Tis not the land of the Carbollos. I have seen it all and never have I seen this.” Nerratel slowly approached one of the horses hoping not to spook it. The horse remained calm and even friendly when he patted its neck. He ran his hand along the side of the horse’s neck, and with one hand grabbed a handful of mane. He put his other hand flat on the horse’s back and hoisted himself up. Soon, he was astride the brown animal, and with a little adjustment of his weapons and sacks, he found a good measure of comfort. However, when he looked down, his feet were barely three inches off the ground.

  Just as Nerratel had, Lasun mounted the second horse. A moment later, and without encouragement from their riders, both horses began to walk down the lane. The trees were so tall and lush; it was impossible to see what was behind them. The air was filled with the mild scent of roses, and they could hear birds chirping although they could not see them.

  “Tis a most peaceful place,” said Lasun.

  As they rounded a bend in the road, the lane forked, causing the men to halt and decide which direction to go. Nerratel shrugged and then touched the right side of his horse’s neck. As though it understood, the horse chose the lane to its right, and continued to walk on.

  “How are we to find a bell in all this?” Lasun wanted to know.

  “You ask as though I have been on this quest a hundred times before. I have not, nor have I discovered a riddle with which to help us to the first bell.” Just a few feet away, he spotted something completely out of the ordinary. As he drew closer, he discovered it was a red and white striped box that appeared to be hanging in midair.

  “There be the first riddle, I wager,” Lasun muttered.

  Nerratel cautiously dismounted and walked to the box. He ran his hand over the top, under the bottom, and then all the way around the outside. Nothing, it seemed was holding it up. However, there was a symbol – the same symbol on the top of the box that had been on the door. Instead of trying to open the lid the hard way, he put his hand over the symbol. Just as he hoped, the box lid popped up. Inside was a long-stemmed, blue crystal bell. With great care, he lifted the cherished bell out of the box, and showed it to Lasun. “That was easy enough.”

  Nerratel’s elation lasted but a moment before his smile abruptly faded.

  CHAPTER 12

  NERRATEL THOUGHT HE was hearing things and at first, he could not discern in which direction the giggling was coming from. It was definitely giggling, women’s giggling to be precise, and decidedly coming from more than one woman. The giggling turned to laughter as he slowly turned around searching the trees for the origin. When he could not find them, he demanded, “Show yourselves!”

  While he expected to see women, he did not expect to see women like these. From top to bottom, they could hardly be thought of as beautiful. They were not altogether unsightly, just different. The oldest had black hair, green eyes instead of blue, and thick bushy eyebrows that formed a straight line across her brow with no break in between. The other had the facial features of an adult, but the body of a nine or ten-year-old. Her blonde hair had not yet turned red. On their foreheads, they bore no mark at all, not over their left eye nor over their right. As well, they wore odd frocks made of a strange cloth that did not have the shine of women’s familiar silk garments. Atop their white frocks, they wore blue bib aprons the length of which was the same as their frocks, stopping just above their high-top shoes. More unusual still was their hair. One side was long and straight, but the other side was short and swept back.

  Lasun gasped, “Lowlanders!”

  “Lowlanders? Not hardly,” the woman-child said in a slightly high-pitched voice. She boldly walked up to Lasun’s horse and began to pat the side of its neck. “This horse is my favorite, but you may ride it.”

  Lasun could not hide his discomfort when the woman child came near him and urged his horse to move forward.

  She looked a little disappointed when she said, “We have not come to harm you,”

  “Who are you?” Nerratel asked.

  The fully grown woman with the odd eyebrows answered, “I am Binna and she is my sister, Artilly.”

  While Artilly had yet to take her perplexed look off of Lasun, Binna seemed coy and bashful in front of Nerratel. Slowly, Binna stretched out her finger and pointed at him. “I choose you. You have come to marry me, right? We have waited a very long time. Years and years.”

  “Marry you?” a shocked Nerratel a
sked. “No, we have come to find the seven bells.”

  “Of course you have,” said Binna. “That’s what they all come for.”

  Lasun asked, “How many others have come before us?”

  Artilly finally went to stand beside her sister before she answered, “Many, many others. Some find the bells and some do not.”

  “Yet, you know where they are hidden?” Nerratel asked.

  With her fingers, Artilly began to twist a lock of the long side of her hair. “Of course we know. We are the ones that hide them. But first the wedding and then the bells.”

  Nerratel was growing frustrated. “And if I do not marry Binna?”

  “But you must, for we know the riddles,” Binna answered.

  “Treachery,” Lasun muttered. “We found this bell without a riddle and we shall find the rest on our own as well.”

  The sister’s roared with laughter. Binna tipped her head to one side. “None of the others could. Besides, ‘tis not allowed.”

  “Who does not allow it?” Nerratel insisted.

  Binna abruptly frowned. “You ask too many questions.”

  “Do not mind her,” Artilly said, grinning again at Lasun. “She becomes unsettled when she is not married.”

  Lasun’s eyes widened. “How many times has she been married?”

  “Many, many times, but...” When she saw the consternation on her sister’s face, Artilly stopped short, and let go of her twisted lock of hair. “Not that many times.”

  “Sister, I shall tell them.”

  “Yes, Binna. You tell them.” Artilly put her hands on her hips and began to slowly twist her body back and forth, making her full skirt slightly flare.

  Binna’s coyness turned to determination when she again addressed Nerratel. “You cannot find the bells without the riddles, and you cannot hear the riddles without you first marry me.”

  Nerratel had heard enough. “Be gone with both of you.” He put the bell in his pouch, got back on his horse, and with Lasun following, rode on up the lane.