Mountain of Truth

by Sarah Noffke

  “It’s good to see you,” a voice said from the entrance of the room.

  Azure raised her head to see Richard standing in the doorway. “Thank you. It’s nice to be back.” She stood awkwardly and looked at him uncomfortably. Was she supposed to hug him like she did when she saw her mother? That didn’t seem right, so she merely bowed her head and waved at the closest seat. “Please sit.”

  Richard was dressed in slacks, which were more common to a wizard than the humans of Terran. Before this she’d only seen him in Terran clothes. However, he still wore the button-up shirt that he’d had on when she’d rescued him, although it had been laundered and pressed. His blond hair was pushed back, and he had a curious look in his eyes.

  “I see you’ve decided to formally join my cabinet,” she said, taking her seat again.

  “Yes. I thought it over after you made the offer. It is unconventional, but from everything I’ve observed, you are the unconventional type,” he said, his voice deep.

  “I’m the first half-human to reign over Virgo. I think ‘unconventional’ should be my middle name at this point,” Azure said, thumbing through the pages of the book but not really reading them. The pages were thick and their edges were worn. Hand-drawn pictures of the dryads could be found on almost every page, and were strangely beautiful.

  “And you have a knack for attracting unique characters to yourself.” Richard inclined his head to the unicorn, who rolled over as he snored loudly.

  “Gran says it was because I was born on Leap Day.”

  Richard gave a fond smile. “Yes, the people of Virgo subscribe to the idea that the events on the day of someone’s birth affect their personality. I only wish I could have been there on that day.”

  Azure kept her eyes low. She didn’t really want to go there with this man. With her father. Still, how could she deprive him of such sentimentality? “Was it hard for you to give me up?” she asked bluntly.

  “Increasingly so. I can’t tell you how many times I thought of you through the years. And Frederick, well, I always wanted him to know his sister. I wanted him to not be infected by the prejudice Phillip harbored. Now I fear that my brother will overwhelm him with it.”

  “Why didn’t you ever stand up to that man?” she asked.

  “He held the knowledge of you over my head. And Phillip has always been stronger than me. More cunning. I did my best, but looking back, I realize I didn’t do enough. It’s easy to be brave when we think about how we could have acted, that the dangers weren’t as real as we thought. But that’s the past, and now I only live in the present,” Richard said, his voice sounding wise.

  “Oh good, you’re back!” Gran called so loudly that she made Blisters jump. He started snoring again after a moment though, and rolled over again. “You need to kick that animal out. I say we offer him to a nice family in Virgo. Tell them they’ve won some prize and he’s theirs to raise.”

  “He’s past the age of maturity,” Azure said, pursing her lips at the old woman. Gran wore a long shimmering red gown, and the front of her lavender bob was braided and pulled back, and secured with her soul stone clip.

  “Do you know how much havoc that beast causes?” Gran asked, pointing at the unicorn, who was still deep in sleep.

  “I’m fully aware, but I’m not pawning him off on someone else.” She offered a tender smile, noticing the expression Gran was giving her. It almost resembled sentimentality.

  “It’s good to have you back, dear child,” her gran said, winking at her.

  “Thank you. It might please you to know that Mage Lenore had nice things to say about you,” Azure said, returning the wink.

  “Why would I care what that batty old witch thinks of me? I bet she looks ghastly. She’s supposedly older than dirt,” Sari said, swatting at a bug flying around her head. It had been buzzing around the room for a while.

  “Actually, you might be surprised.” Azure thought back to the sight of Mage Lenore as a young girl in the morning. What a strange witch!

  “Okay, the meeting can get started. The Chief of Staff is here,” Monet called as he strode into the room and took a seat next to Azure. He was followed by Gillian and Ever. All three looked refreshed, and they were wearing clean clothes.

  “Speaking of pests that we should get rid of,” Gran said, rolling her lavender eyes at Monet.

  “Good to see you as well, you crazy antique witch,” Monet returned. He pulled the Book of Branches away from Azure and began scanning the pages.

  “Have you found anything on the rogue dryads?” Richard asked.

  “No, not yet. Actually, the book is incredibly difficult to understand. Some of each paragraph is written in a strange language that I don’t understand,” Azure said, pointing to a passage.

  “Greek,” Ever supplied, his eyes on the book.

  “You mean the language?” Azure asked.

  “Yes. It’s Greek, I believe,” he said.

  “Oh, well, even the parts that I do understand seem to be written in riddles. And the book is crammed with so much information on the different tribes that I haven’t had a chance to find anything on the rogue dryads. It’s going to take us a while to read through it and decipher it.” Azure pulled the book away from Monet and flipped through it.

  “You know, you’re fucking useless. You’ve had this book for a whole hour and you still don’t have answers. Give up your crown and let someone competent—like me—rule this kingdom.” Monet yanked the book back.

  “I think…” Azure fought him for the book, realizing he was putting up quite a fight to keep it in front of him, “that I should have more information for us tomorrow. I just need some time to review the book.” With a swift jerk she yanked the book away from Monet.

  The queen mother eyed her. “Azure, please know that I mean this in the most thoughtful way. You look like shit and need to get some proper rest.”

  Looking down at her dirty hiking clothes, Azure could only agree. “Right, well, I came straight here to get to work.”

  “Which is noble of you, but no one wants to look at a dirty queen,” Gran told her, her voice soft and full of warmth.

  “Fine, I’ll clean up and then get to work.”

  “Why don’t you clean up and take a nap. You have bags under your eyes that go on for miles,” her grandmother suggested.

  Azure hesitated, but finally pushed the book in Monet’s direction. “Yeah, well, I really want to find the rogue dryads as soon as possible.”

  “And you will, but you need rest,” Richard cut in.

  “Why don’t you share with us what Mage Lenore said about curing the virus,” Gran said, starting to rock. The old witch was never still.

  “Oh, that was a huge waste of time. She said that humans were key to healing the virus,” Azure said

  “Like the humans of Terran?” Richard asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she meant the humans on Earth. Honestly, the trip up the Mountain of Truth was a complete waste of time,” Azure said.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Sari said, sliding back in her seat and pointing at Monet. “This one learned he can’t have dairy.” She swiveled her finger to Gillian. “And the gnome learned information that will put him in esteem with his people.”

  “Knowledge is power to the gnomes. The Mountain of Truth has been cloaked in mystery for so long,” Gillian said.

  The queen mother pursed her lips and nodded. “And this one, I believe, took a souvenir.”

  “What?” Azure asked, leaning forward. “What did you take, Ever?”

  The Light Elf’s blue eyes narrowed at the queen mother. “I think your witchcraft has failed you. I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh, I think you do, but let’s pretend that I’m senile to protect you for the time being.” Gran stood and strode for the exit.

  “Where are you going?” Azure asked to her retreating back.

  “I’m going to go meditate on this human idea for the cure. I can’t think around you al
l. The racket that goes on in your brains is very distracting.” Gran swept from the room just as Blisters farted loudly.

  “Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Monet pushed up and clambered for the exit before the gross smell of the fart assaulted his nostrils. Apparently the unicorn could clear the room.

  “Okay, let’s adjourn for now, but we’ll meet tomorrow after I review the book,” Azure said.

  Gillian and Richard didn’t seem to need any more encouragement. They headed for the exit, pinching their noses.

  Azure pressed the book to her chest and walked to the exit, her eyes on Ever. “Is everything all right?” she asked him, reading the hesitation in his eyes.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I just want to be more helpful to you. I don’t think I’m doing enough.”

  “What do you mean? If you hadn’t been with me in Lancothy, I would have been eaten by Lorde.”

  He nodded, his eyes on the book in her hands. “I actually know some Greek. What if you leave the book with me for the night while you clean up and rest? Tomorrow morning you and I can get together first thing, before the cabinet meeting. I’ll tell you what I discover about the rogue dryads.”

  Azure considered it for a moment. Honestly, the book was probably only going to sit on her bedside table for the night. She really didn’t have the stamina to stay up much longer. “Okay,” she finally said, handing the book over to him. “And thanks. You have been a huge help to me ever since the very beginning. I’m not sure what I’d do without you on my team.”

  Ever started to smile, but shook his head instead. “The pleasure has always been mine, Queen Azure,” he said, bowing to her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Azure awoke to find Finswick staring at her with his eyes narrowed.

  “I was just building up the gumption to kill you,” the feline said, disappointment in his eyes.

  “Well, too bad. I woke up before you got there. Maybe tonight you can kill me.” She yawned into a seated position.

  “Yes, maybe tonight will be your last,” Finswick said, his voice cold. “A note was slid under your door a few hours ago. It looked important, and had the cabinet seal on it. But because I’m a coldhearted passive-aggressive animal, I clawed it up and peed on it.” Finswick jumped off the bedside table.

  “I know you do all this out of love.” Azure rose to a standing position. The morning sunlight was just kissing the windows in her suite. She’d slept peacefully the whole night, not waking once. She pulled on a velvet robe that lay at the end of her bed and started for the other room.

  A tea pot and breakfast had already been set out for her in the nook outside her bedroom. It had been strange for her to take up residence in the suite that had belonged to her mother all her life. However, Azure respected the traditions that surrounded the crown. This was the suite devoted to the queen, and it had been inhabited by all of them during their reigns. There was something beautiful about sleeping in the same room as the first queen of Virgo. She liked to pretend that Queen Alkaline’s spirit still rested in the space and lent Azure strength.

  Picking up a piece of dry toast, she took a bite before pulling her wand from the side table. She waved it at the note on the ground next to the double doors. The note repaired itself where Finswick had torn it to pieces, and the pee disappeared. It flew through the air and landed in Azure’s outstretched hand.

  Finswick jumped into the seat she was just about to sit in. He turned around once and then sat down. She pursed her lips at him and shook her head before taking the seat adjacent to it.

  She waved her wand at the teapot, and it lifted into the air and poured her a cup of steaming tea. Azure broke the seal on the note and blew on the hot tea.

  “When I was peeing on the torn-up note, I realized that it was rather important,” Finswick said, licking his paw.

  Her eyes fell on the note, eyes growing wide as she read. Azure bolted to a standing position, her tea cup slamming down on the table and breaking. “Yes, it’s important! You should have woken me.”

  “I was plotting your murder.” The feline shrugged indifferently.

  Azure picked up the note, her eyes running over each word again, carefully this time. It couldn’t be…

  Dear Queen Azure,

  I haven’t been entirely honest with you. I think we both know that’s been the case from the beginning, but you chose to overlook it, believing you could trust me. That was a mistake, and I’m ashamed that I’ll lose that trust in the future. Before I tell you what I’ve done, please give me a moment to explain.

  You met me shortly after the rogue dryad statue garden, where you learned that perpetrators caught abusing the Dark Forest were turned into statues and banished to that place for a set amount of time. When I was younger, my father, a noble Light Elf, taught me how to create portals to Earth. I made a mistake—I opened a portal, but it started a deadly fire that burned a great portion of the Dark Forest. While we were trying to extinguish the fire, the rogue dryads arrived. My father, not wanting me to suffer the consequences of my mistake, took the blame. You can guess what happened to him, and how very long his sentence is as a statue. I know you need the Book of Branches to find the rogue dryads, but as long as they exist, my father will be stone. I need the book so that I can destroy them and break his curse. It pains me very much to betray you, but I’ve stolen the Book of Branches and will not ever return to Virgo.

  Queen Azure, there is no one I respect more than you, but rescuing my father is my most important goal. He suffers for what I did, and I can’t remain on Oriceran any longer knowing what I did to him. So, although I know it will undo your plan to stop the humans of Terran, I must destroy the rogue dryads once and for all. My first loyalty will always be to my father. My second is to you, Your Majesty.

  My deepest apologies,

  Ever

  Azure dropped the note on the table and pressed her face into her hands. So, this was what heartbreak truly felt like. She was going to find that damn Light Elf, and then she was going to make him suffer. He’d been lying since the beginning. Pretending to help her just so she’d get the Book of Branches. It had been his idea all along, she realized. How dare he think he could betray her?

  Azure spun and faced Finswick. “Alert the cabinet. We’re headed out on another mission!”

  EPILOGUE

  The mechanical bug that Phillip had purchased in the Dark Market landed on the table next to his glass of bourbon. Yes, the Orcs had been able to shoot down a few harpies and also the pterosaurs he had been hoping would poison the Virgo water supply a second or third time. When those efforts had failed, Phillip decided that knowledge was more important than retaliatory efforts.

  “What have you learned?” Phillip asked the metal bug, which buzzed loudly.

  It turned until its backend was facing him and paper churned out from its butt, rolling as it emerged. When it stopped, Phillip ripped the tiny printout from the spy bug and read it.

  “The queen is seeking the rogue dryads so she can help them break into the Land of Terran.”

  Phillip laughed as he read the printout. Yes, that would be a great plan. The rogue dryads were dying to sweep into the Land of Terran and turn the humans into statues for what they’d done to the Dark Forest. However, Phillip knew that finding the rogue dryads would be impossible, since Queen Azure was the perfect Oriceran.

  Phillip rubbed Rover’s head as he stared off in thought. The rogue dryads lurked in the shadows whenever he was in the Dark Forest, waiting for a moment when the harpies weren’t protecting the Duke. But that didn’t matter. He smiled to himself. That’s why Phillip had secured the counsel of a voodoo doctor in the Dark Market. The old hag had told Phillip that rogue dryads were silent and invisible to those who had done no harm to the Dark Forest. It would therefore be impossible for Queen Azure to find a rogue dryad and complete her mission. So although he could feel them when he was outside the walls of the city, they wouldn’t be found to do the queen’s bidding.

&nbs
p; Another mechanical bug landed next to the first. Like the other one, it backed up until paper started to shoot out of its butt. Phillip waited until the paper stopped and tore it off. These spy bugs had been a great investment. He swelled with pride before reading the message.

  His good cheer plummeted.

  “The Queen of Virgo has obtained the Book of Branches, which will tell her how to find the rogue dryads.”

  “Damn!” Phillip exclaimed, making Rover start. The large poodle ran and hid behind the leather couch.

  That little witch didn’t know what was good for her kingdom, just like her mother. She was going to get herself killed—and Phillip was going to do it.

  Another mechanical bug flew in through the open window and lined up next to its brethren. Phillip waited until the message had fully spun out of its hind end and then tore it off. A smile formed on his thin lips when he read it.

  “The Book of Branches has been stolen from the queen. A Light Elf has it and is going after the rogue dryads to take them out.”

  Well, well, well. It looked like two problems would be solved. No threats from Virgo, and his enemies, the rogue dryads, would be exterminated. All he had to do was plot and execute the Grand Prince’s murder. Frederick had been rather annoying lately, asking sticky questions and inquiring into the affairs of Terran. Soon he’d be invited on a harvest outing, since the young emperor was chomping at the bit to do something for his people. And because he wanted to help so much, maybe he could make the ultimate sacrifice and die for his people. The harpies needed to be fed if they were going to keep serving Terran, after all. Once Emperor Frederick was dead then Phillip would formally take the throne.

  FINIS

  Author Notes - Sarah Noffke

  10/02/17

  The idea for this book came to me in a strange way. I’d had the idea for Mage Lenore from the beginning of the series. However, I had no idea that she’d be on the Mountain of Truth or the Keeper of secrets. It’s always so strange for me as the writer to see the way things unfold and connect. It’s kind of fun and totally enchanting.