by Talia Haze
I didn’t know how to respond and lay my face again to my hands. I felt relieved and saddened all at once. I wasn’t an orphan, but I had no family. It was such a strange mixture of joy and loneliness.
“And if your parents are truly dead as Harrison claims, then Gabby, you’re the one to receive the estate as inheritance.” Sean pulled another paper closer to his eyes. “Here, ‘…should I die or not return, my estate shall go solely to my seraphs, Angel and Gabriella. Harrison is to be their caretakers until they are of age...
“So…could we make them leave, then?” Ryan collapsed next to me, staring off into the distance. “Say we go to the Chancellor and tell him that they don’t belong here. Uncle Harrison always says it is by his mercy that we are allowed in his home…but it’s not his home, Gabby, it’s yours.” I gave Sean a quick look. “We can get rid of them! That’ll be right proper, won’t it, Bittersweet? Then we won’t have to leave at all; we’ll just make them leave! Think of how much fun we could have in this place, to ourselves with none but Anna to look over us? Think about it!”
Perhaps. I looked up for a moment. Perhaps, we send a message to the courier the next time he came. Perhaps, he returned with my parents, who would make things right. Even if not, even if they were dead and it was truly a generous companion who supported us, at least, I could have my old room back. I could sleep late and play outside whenever I wanted. I would never have to go to bed hungry or lie locked in the cellar. Perhaps, we could call the servants back and I would no longer be forced to clean the place from top to bottom. Painful punishments would be nonexistent. Perhaps, the fair maiden, Gabriella would finally find her happily ever after.
I never even dreamt of such a phrase for myself.
"I hope we do not need to find Angel,” Sean continued. I turned to face him. “Your father’s will states that the estate is for both of you…”
“We are not even sure Angel is alive,” Ryan argued. “How will we find her?”
Sean shrugged, pausing on the next paper. It simply read, “The seraphs.”
“That’s what the notes always say,” I said. Ryan’s eyes immediately traveled to the tomb Sean leaned on. The words behind his shoulder were the same.
“Get up,” Ryan ordered. Sean stood as Ryan inspected the tomb. “There’s something in there. Help me lift this off.”
Oh dear. I hoped not. Sean handed me his torch, which instantly made dancing shadows on the floors because of my uncontrollable shaking.
“Wait.” I placed my hand on the stone lid. “You can’t just disturb someone’s sleep like that. They might be in a sour mood.”
“Think of this as Briar Rose,” Sean answered. “I am the handsome prince, and here is a lady who just wants to wake up.”
“Lad, I pray you’re not planning on kissing some dead person,” objected Ryan.
“I was only trying to compare it to a tale and put her mind at ease.”
They pushed the lid off the tomb with a few grunts. I covered my eyes, but the boys were excited. “Look at this!” I peeked through the cracks in my fingers. A stone face of a man lay carved inside with his eyes closed. He looked so real. His jaw was strong, his wrinkles prominent. His eyelashes lay in perfectly chiseled detail against his grainy cheeks, and even the stubble on his chin was defined. I reached inside. The instant my fingers grazed his face, the eyes popped open. We leapt back in terror.
“The routes are not simple, Seraphs.” The face wasn’t bothered by our fright and began to speak. “To reach your parents and me, you must follow my directions carefully…”
“Sean…!”
“Shh!”
“You should write this down, as I can only say it once.”
Sean looked around in a panic, but something within the tomb caught his eye. He reached in, pulling out a scroll and pen. The stone man continued.
“Pass between the two oaks that state their name,
From the oaks to the bluff wherein breeze lies,
Inside, the tomb Dasimé will show the direction you aim,
Under the third column marked Laye the ring is nigh.
Continue the passage to the keys,
Press the one marked F to open the door,
Do not stop for a thing, or you will be in its tease,
Continue down the path and press the sun floor.
Take the skiff for a day or a night,
Keep eyes closed; do not stare at the gems,
Leave when you see cave entrance light,
Walk down the road and ignore its whims.”
The stone’s eyes slowly closed. We stared in silent awe for several seconds, but the stone remained mute.
“What shall we do then, Dragonboy?” Ryan asked turning to Sean. Sean opened his mouth, but paused as a low, scraping sound echoed from the other side of the crypt. A wall slowly opened, revealing dark passageway.
“This day cannot get any odder!”
“Come on!”
The wall slammed shut after we entered the tunnel, the force of it blowing out the torch. Sean grabbed our hands and led the way. I walked slowly against his anxious tug. Where would he lead me? Away from everything I knew? It was supposed to be a good day. I felt so overwhelmed with everything, that I had made up my mind to just stay in the crypt. I made up my mind to just let sleep return reason to me.
Should we stay or go? We certainly couldn’t stay right then – Uncle Harrison would still be furious with us. Even more so that we found out his secret. Still, where would we go? We couldn’t find Angel. We just missed the courier. Would we just simply follow the directions to my parents?
I didn’t want to go.
A part of me felt excited at the thought of meeting them. I felt they had come back to life in a fantastic twist in a tale. But a part of me feared our meeting. Uncle Harrison often claimed he made such sacrifices to care for his brother’s children. What did my father do to him to warrant such a grudge? Especially with how gracious he had been! They were not even related! Was my father even more ill-tempered than Uncle Harrison? Was that what made Uncle Harrison so bitter?
Each step felt heavy against the soft dirt floor of the tunnel. We couldn’t stay. Even if only to claim my inheritance, we couldn’t stay. I tried to imagine the tunnel as a mystical portal leading me into a new life, but no image came. Nothing. Only the empty blackness of the unknown.
A light suddenly shone brightly ahead. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be terrible. Perhaps, the boys would be right about happily ever after. The light became brighter as we neared. Perhaps, all my worrying was for nothing. I shielded my eyes as we stepped into the open air of the outside. We stood before the house.
“We came out of a tree!” exclaimed Ryan, looking back. The opening in its bark slowly vanished.
Sean anxiously looked around. “C’mon! Let’s get packed before Uncle Harrison finds us.”
I bent to pick up my flowers that still lay in the dirt and placed them in the fairy tale book. I was grateful Uncle Harrison’s rage blinded him to my gifts. He would have torn them just to spite me.
We quietly snuck into the house. Anna wasn’t in the kitchen, so the boys packed all the bread and dried meats we could carry in burlap sacks. Aunt Beth was going to be so frustrated. We reached our rooms in the servants’ quarters without incident.
I sat on the trunk near the foot of my bed. I really had nothing of significance to pack. My only belongings were the book the that boys gave me, my pipe, some money…
I bit my lip. Some money that was hidden in my old room. I sighed. My old room which had been the start of all the trouble.
I slowly opened the door and looked down the hall. It was empty and silent. After a few more cautious glances, I walked lightly down the hall.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for the familiar shadow to appear on the wall. It never came, so I jumped on the third stair, then the next, then walked on my toes along the banister to my upstairs room.
Once inside, I pried open the wobbly floorb
oard, reaching for two bronze kypés. Added to the money that the guard with the red neckerchief gave me, I had five. Not much, but I knew I would need them.
“Father was looking for you.” I jumped and spun around. Jessica stood calmly by my door. “He will be so angry when he finds you in here.”
“Then don’t go calling him,” I answered as I bent back to my hiding place. “You can report me when he cools down a bit.”
I reached back in and grabbed the small crystal sphere that Anna said my parents gave me. The strange crystal shed a blue light if you squeezed the bottom of it which would be handy for late-night reading. I played with it for a moment but the blue lump under the bed caught my eye.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Hannah left it.” Jessica tried to sound uninterested, but she sat next to me as I lay the package on my lap. I forgot Hannah said she was getting me something. I was grateful that she hid it. I carefully unwrapped the cloth, revealing new slippers.
“Oh, look at them!”
The slippers were blue, matching the frock that Hannah let me wear. They were embroidered with tiny designs of daisies and lilacs. The bottoms looked thicker than usual, and after fiddling with it in my fingers, I realized that they were made with several pieces of thick leather. I would be able to do chores all day and never blister my feet.
I excitedly tore off my old slippers as Jessica’s lip extended into one of her infamous pouts. “That’s not fair! How could Hannah get you these?”
The inside of the slipper was so soft. Velvet. It had to be lined with velvet. And they fit me. My toes weren’t mashed together, and my heel didn’t chafe. I didn’t realize how much my feet hurt in my old slippers until I wore the new ones. I wrapped the straps and proudly wiggled my feet.
“These are so nice!” I said aloud. “They are so soft and so perfect for walking.” I sighed and fiddled with my old slippers. “I certainly will need new ones for where we’re going.”
“Where are you going?”
I jumped. I forgot that Jessica sat next to me. I didn’t answer right away. Jessica could sense something was wrong and leaned closer. “We’re…we’re leaving.”
“Leaving!”
“Yes. To find my pa…my sister.”
“But you can’t leave, Gabriella!” For once, a genuine look of concern passed Jessica’s face. I hung my head in regret. I didn’t know how much she would miss me. “I will be all by myself!”
That was true. How could I leave her alone with him? Would he take his rage out on her with me gone? I feared for her, but I couldn’t have her knowing my feelings either. Too many times she had used them against me. I tried to keep my face as expressionless as I could.
“It’s not like we get along, anyway,” I muttered.
Her lip returned to its pout. “Gabriella! We are cousins! If you leave, I’ll be lonely!” I nodded. She could sense my hesitation and whimpered. “I don’t want you to go, Gabby!”
“I must,” I replied in a whisper. Jessica’s eyes searched my face.
“I won’t let you!” she said, standing to her feet. “And Father won’t let you! He’ll be so angry with you! I’m just going to tell him!” She paused at the door, but when I didn’t try to stop her, she stormed out of the room. I quickly pushed my gathered belongings into the sack before following her out of the door. No one was in the hall. I quickly hopped down the stair, not bothering to follow the path. Sean and Ryan met me at the bottom.
“Right then, let’s go.”
“Go where?” Uncle Harrison, Aunt Beth and Jessica stood by the kitchen door. “How did you get out of the cellar?” We didn’t answer and Uncle Harrison studied our faces. “You do not have my permission to leave this place…”
“We don’t need your permission,” Sean retorted. Uncle Harrison’s face darkened. “And we don’t need you anymore! We will be our own caretakers.”
“Where did you hear that?” Uncle Harrison’s voice was low and cautious. “What have you learned?” Aunt Beth’s face went white and she covered her mouth as she stared at Uncle Harrison. His eyes were locked on Sean’s, so he didn’t notice her expression.
Sean stepped forward. “We’re leaving,” he stated, calmly, “and when we return with her parents, you are going to leave.”
“You do not know what you are doing.” Uncle Harrison hunched to level with me and slowly inched his way closer. “Your parents left you under my care because they could not do it. They left you under my care because I would provide a normal home for you. Your parents were dreadful people, Gabriella. They were unusual, spawns straight from bowels of hell. They were nothing more but villainous oddities…”
“Are!” I objected, covering my ears. “Are! Not were! They are alive!” Aunt Beth shifted uncomfortably, watching Uncle Harrison. “They love me! Their only mistake was leaving me with you…!”
We cried out in surprise when Uncle Harrison lunged. We paused too long; he just caught the edge of Ryan’s shirt, tripping him to the floor and scattering the items from his burlap sack.
“Ryan!”
Uncle Harrison dragged Ryan closer to him and picked him up by his collar. No more! Before Uncle Harrison could do anything else, I ran a few paces and held out my hands, pushing Uncle Harrison hard. He toppled back into Jessica and Aunt Beth and they collapsed in a heap.
I stopped and covered my mouth. What did I do? My heart raced; I panicked. Harrison groaned and Aunt Beth cried out. I reached my hand out to help Jessica to her feet, but Sean quickly grabbed my waist, pulling me away.
“No, Gabriella,” he said. “It is not your duty anymore.” Ryan gathered his belongings and quickly followed us out. Uncle Harrison slowly rose to his feet.
“You come back here!” He ran out of breath when we reached the park gates. I didn’t think he could last even that long. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Gabriella! Come back!”
Chapter Five
Chancellor Caldron
We returned to the castle town right before the fort doors were pulled shut for the night. We could finally breathe easy again; Uncle Harrison wouldn’t be able to get us even if he could catch up. I felt better. A little bit, anyway. It felt so wonderful, freeing and even a bit mischievous to be out of the manor at such an hour. I had never been to Tempton’s castle town at night before. Save for a few songs coming from the tavern, all was still.
I wiggled my new slippers as we made our way through the empty marketplace. There would be plenty of room to run, now. We could easily get from one side of the market to the other without running into a single soul or getting scolded by the guard.
So, we did.
After, we made our way to the edge of the town, walked down the lane, through the wide field dotted with brightly lit estates, and finally up the hill to Castle Farlington’s stone walls. It was the only place Sean could think to go; what if we failed in finding my parents? How could we by ourselves hold Uncle Harrison to a such a damning agreement? What if he refused? And what if he didn’t? The will said both Angel and I would receive the estate. But what would happen if we never saw Angel again? Only one person would be able answer our many questions.
“We have come to see Chancellor Caldron,” Sean replied to the guard.
“There is a ball taking place tonight for the princess’s 18th birthday.” The castle guard was not as kind as castle town one and gripped the hilt of his sword as he stood before us. “The Chancellor is attending, and since this is a private party, he cannot speak with you. Be on your way!”
“Please,” Sean begged. “This is an urgent matter. We…”
“Yes, it’s very urgent!” I clutched my hands together and talked like a simple housemaid. That guard didn’t know me, perhaps he would believe a tale. Sean glared, but Ryan smirked. “There’s a band outside o’ town with ten o’ ‘leven bandits! They chased us fo’ this!” I rummaged through Sean’s bag before holding out a scroll for the guard to see.
“What is that?” he asked, steppi
ng closer to me and squinting in the dim light.
“I think it’s a will! Our master done gave it to us! He said somethin’ about the king’s seal! He sent us here and them bandits chased us. They caught me once, but I got free! You see what they did to me! I don’t think this is somethin’ to be takin’ lightly!”
With an exasperated huff, the castle guard nodded his head towards another. “Go with them.”
The second stomped in affirmation and I looked quickly to the ground, trying to hide my smirk. The guard quickly ushered us inside. I had only been in Castle Farlington once with Hannah. The walls stood high and were polished so well that I could nearly see my reflection in the marble. I wondered if it was the standard Aunt Beth was trying to reach with having me clean so often. I would never achieve it.
We followed the guard along the massive hall where music wafted through. Guests in dazzling clothes and beautiful gowns spun in rhythm to the strong orchestra and the spectating girls my age haughtily peered over their ornate fans.
We followed the guard through a narrow door away from the bustle of the ball. We climbed several flights of stairs and finally to a small sitting room with a sofa across from two chairs.
“Stay here. I shall send for the Chancellor. Just don’t…steal anything,” he added, with a nervous glance at Ryan. Ryan scowled and feigned a laugh.
“The lad’s got jokes.”
When the guard closed the door, Ryan claimed the sofa by stretching all over it, leaving Sean and me the armchairs.
“Decent, Bittersweet! Ten or eleven bandits? Uncle Harrison is fat, but I didn’t think he was that fat!”
I just giggled.
“The accent was too much, Gabriella.” Ryan covered his face as he laughed. “You should have warned me. It took everything I had to keep a straight face!”
“We might have just told the truth,” Sean inserted quietly. Ryan rolled his eyes as he sat up.