“Go – rescue your friends, but don’t forget your promise,” she said brusquely.
Soren clasped her on the shoulder and looked into her eyes. “I give you my word: all those who do not belong here will be reinstated in Bloomsville.”
Ivy looked back steadily before nodding.
The voices outside stopped, and Conn and Soren hastily led the unicorns through the tall, narrow doorway, followed by the children, Aurus and Doran. Martha stopped briefly to nod at Reed and hug Callia, who had swooped down on her newly mended wings.
“Martha, hurry,” Beatrice hissed.
Martha quickly followed her sister, and was just about to climb onto Linnea when a harsh voice gave her pause.
“Stop!”
Chapter Nine
Something in the Air
Martha turned to see Grover heading around the side of the barn, Fenn frantically following.
“Grover, they have promised to help us – they fixed Callia’s wings!” Fenn was talking quickly, but Grover looked livid.
“Likely story! I can’t believe you would help them escape,” he seethed, encompassing Ivy – who, at the sound of his shout, had come through the door – with his searing gaze.
“Please just let us go,” Octavia pleaded, planting her feet stubbornly in front of the large fairy.
Felicity walked nervously forwards and drew her sister back to her side as Grover looked down at her copper head and frowned. He opened his mouth to reply, but a tiny bundle shot from the barn, its shimmering wings a blur.
“What?” he said in shock as he stared at Callia hovering in front of him, her tiny hands fisted on her hips.
“They did – look!” she commanded, flying a loop in front of his dazed eyes.
“But that’s impossible…”
At that moment, a brightly coloured woodpecker flew around the side of the barn. “Grover!” he shouted through his surprisingly stubby beak. He took one look at the assembled group, gave a surprised exclamation, and flew back off towards the Middling Market.
Grover, startled out of his shock, looked at Soren and Conn. “Go, and quickly. Grub will be flying to alert Queen Nesrin,” he said grimly.
A beautiful butterfly fluttered past Martha’s face, its bright-pink-and-red wings fluttering on the breeze. Martha watched it briefly as it flew away before joining the others in hastily climbing onto the unicorns. With Octavia’s “Thank you!” ringing in the air, they cantered off towards the distant mountains.
They raced as fast as they could, not stopping until they reached the cover of the first mountain. As they travelled the sun was setting, painting the sky in streaks of purple, pink and orange. The unicorns’ flanks were heaving, foam frothing along their brightly blooming bodies.
Soren called a halt and looked around before dismounting. “The unicorns need to rest,” he said, leading them into the shade.
Gratefully, the unicorns huddled together and drank water Soren poured from bottles into a concave rock.
Martha needed to feel useful, so after she had taken Bracken out of her bag to stretch her legs, she unpacked the food from their bags and handed it around, finally taking a honey cake and settling herself on a ledge with her sister.
Beatrice patted her arm and smiled. “Thanks, Matty,” she murmured, but her eyes were upon the sunset. Martha followed her gaze and frowned.
“What is that?” she asked, pointing at a cluster of black dots in the sky.
Aurus had been busily gulping down water but lifted his golden shaggy head, water droplets running from his pelt, and focused far above.
“Ravens!” he snorted contemptuously.
The camp immediately gathered their things and retreated further against the rock face. Nervously, Martha scooped Bracken up into her arms and pressed herself against Linnea, who blew comfortingly in her ear.
The ravens were flocking together, creating shadowy patterns in the last rays of the dying sun. They arrowed towards the mountain range where the group were hidden. Doran was muttering something under his breath, and a shimmering veil dropped over the group.
“It’s an illusion spell; the ravens will only see rock if we stay still,” Doran told them in a whisper.
Taking shallow breaths, Martha watched as a group of ravens peeled off from the rest and separately investigated the area nearby. Their beady black eyes inspected every gap and behind every rock.
Finally, the ravens flew off towards the woods near the Middling Market, and Martha breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll leave the veil up until we leave,” Doran said as he scanned the skies.
Soren nodded and collected the water bottles, placing them back in the bags on the unicorns. He turned to the others. “We should keep moving. Once we leave the safety of these mountains we will be out in the open, but at least night will have fallen then.”
“Phew, that was close,” Bracken said, her whiskers twitching. Martha nodded in agreement and gently placed the bunny back into her bag.
Martha and Felicity then helped Octavia and Otto onto their unicorns while Beatrice inspected Doran’s veil. The mage was murmuring softly to her as he explained the magic.
Conn flew up to his unicorn’s back, his wings fluttering as he waited for the others to be ready. Satisfied, he took the lead and manoeuvred his way through the mountain pass. Soren waited until the children and Doran had followed before he and Aurus slotted in behind.
A sudden fall of rocks had Martha whirling around; craning her neck, she saw a flurry of wings descending upon them. With a cry of terror, she urged Linnea into a run before Felicity hastily called her back.
“Martha! It’s all right.”
Martha coaxed Linnea to a trot. As she turned her back around, she saw Twig, Thicket, Fenn, and a bashful Reed. The latter was sitting on the dusty floor, surrounded by a tumble of small rocks.
“Sorry to startle you. Twig and Thicket thought they could make better time if we took the high path. But Twig missed his footing and we slid down the mountain,” Reed explained sheepishly. Twig hung his head, not meeting the amused eyes of Fenn, who gripped his brother’s arm and pulled him to his feet.
“But what are you doing here?” Conn demanded, staring bemusedly at his young friends.
“We’ve come to help you – to make up for capturing you earlier,” Fenn said, the mischievous glint dropping from his eyes as he spoke seriously.
“But what about Callia and Ivy? If Grub has told Nesrin that we were seen at the Middling Market, then surely she’ll go there. We might have put them both in danger,” Martha said as the horrifying thought occurred to her.
Fenn gazed back at her, surprise at her compassion evident in his blue eyes. “They are fine – Grover has taken them to his hut in the woods. They’ll be safe there,” he told her.
Martha frowned. “Can you trust Grover?” she asked.
Fenn nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. He may be tough on the outside – he’s had to be; we have all had to be,” he added, almost to himself, before going on, “but now he has seen how you helped to fix Callia’s wings, he will make sure you get a head start when Nesrin comes looking.”
“Speaking of which, the ravens are back,” Conn said, pointing up.
Bracken popped her head out of Martha’s bag and gave a little squeak of terror as a group of ravens flocked down.
“They must have seen you!” Soren shouted, looking at Fenn and Reed and the two young stags. Not waiting for a response, he wheeled Ember around and gestured for the Blooms to follow. “Ride fast!” he commanded and set off, leading the way.
Martha exchanged a brief, worried look with Beatrice and Felicity before doing as Soren had bidden and urging Linnea on behind Octavia and Otto.
A fluttering noise above warned her of an impending ambush. Throwing up one arm to shield herself, Martha didn’t see the rock fall that Linnea swerved to avoid. She lost her balance and fell heavily. Caeruleus, who was immediately behind Linnea, reacted quickly and used his powerful win
gs to lift himself over Martha’s body so he didn’t trample her.
“Bracken!” Martha gasped as her bag slipped from her shoulder. The little bunny tumbled from inside and came to rest on a flat rock. After a moment, Bracken shook herself and stood.
With a groan of relief, Martha took stock of her own injuries; satisfied nothing was broken, she looked up in horror to see the others surrounded by the flock of ravens. Fenn and Reed used their wings to propel them up and away from the throng and took out catapults to hurl small rocks at the attacking ravens.
“Martha, here – give me your hand,” Beatrice said as she leant over Caeruleus’ broad back. Caeruleus was busy nipping at ravens as they flew past, so Martha took the chance to grasp her sister’s hand and pull herself up and onto the blue unicorn’s back.
“Bracken, come on,” Martha encouraged the rabbit, who twitched her nose and hesitantly bounded forwards.
The ravens were swirling around, indiscriminately dive-bombing various members of the group. Doran was sending power blasts at the birds, while Conn and Soren were shielding Octavia and Otto. Felicity struggled to wield her bow and arrow as her fingers were pecked and nipped by the ravens’ sharp beaks. Twig, Thicket and Aurus were doing their best to fend off the mass of feather and claw, but one raven gave a screech and veered in the direction of Bracken. Martha had almost closed her fingertips over Bracken’s thick neck fur as the rabbit hung, suspended in mid-bound, before the raven’s cruel beak gripped Bracken’s tail and hoisted her up and away.
“Bracken, no!” Martha screamed as the terrified creature’s eyes wheeled in her head. “Caeruleus, please – we must help her,” she implored the blue unicorn.
Beatrice patted his head, and he took off after the raven and rabbit, who were rapidly becoming a decreasing dot in the night sky. Martha clung to Beatrice’s back and fought to keep her eyes on them, but the darkness creeping in made it difficult. A chorus of cawing surrounded them as the remaining birds chased after them.
“Hurry, Caeruleus,” Beatrice urged as the lead ravens got closer; she had her wand out, and glanced worriedly at the oncoming ravens. She hesitated as Bracken hung precariously from the raven’s cruel beak.
Martha turned her head and locked eyes with a particularly large raven, whose cobalt eyes gleamed malevolently. It swooped towards them suddenly. At Martha’s shriek, Caeruleus flew up abruptly and the raven’s hooked beak missed by inches.
With a burst of speed, Caeruleus plunged on through the dusk. It seemed that catching up to Bracken would be impossible when a sudden buzzing sounded from their left.
Martha stared in disbelief at a black cloud moving swiftly to intercept the flock of ravens. “What now?” she shouted in terror, pointing at the buzzing cloud.
“It’s all right!” Beatrice shouted back. “It’s Queen Gwenyn’s bees.”
A rush of relief flooded through Martha as she watched the bees surround the ravens, stopping their progress. They flapped slowly, watchful and waiting, before one raven gave a squawk and launched itself into the mass of bees. The bees scattered then regrouped, but the one raven holding Bracken had taken the chance, slipping through a gap, and was soaring off once again.
“Caeruleus!” Martha shouted desperately, and the blue unicorn took off after the solitary raven. They quickly gained on the bird, Caeruleus taking advantage of his powerful wings. They had almost reached another mountain range, and Caeruleus launched himself at the raven, blocking him against the sheer rock. Bracken was squeaking in terror, and Martha leant over and plucked the trembling rabbit from the beak of the cornered raven, holding her close. The raven’s beady eyes rolled in its head before it gave its wings a powerful flap, propelling itself up and away from Caeruleus.
“Shall I go after it?” Caeruleus neighed.
Beatrice patted his neck and said, “No, we have Bracken. Let’s go and see if we can help Gwenyn’s bees.”
Caeruleus shook his mane and wheeled around, heading back to the black mass barely discernible in the night sky.
Martha looked below at the ground and noticed that the rest of their party were hastily catching up. A soft glow surrounded them, and she wondered if Doran was working his magic once again to light the way.
The bees and ravens were still locked in a standstill, with the bees surrounding the flock of birds, but as Caeruleus approached, the ravens grouped together and burst upwards, dispersing the bees. The ravens flew off without a backwards glance. Beatrice turned her head and looked questioningly at Martha.
“What was that about? It was almost as if they were summoned.”
Martha gave a grim nod. “Probably called back to Nesrin,” she said with a shudder.
A cluster of bees flew over to Martha’s shoulder and buzzed insistently. “Thizzz way!”
“What do they want?” she asked, tucking Bracken inside her cloak for safety. The little rabbit was trembling and burrowed underneath her arm.
“I have no idea,” remarked Beatrice, but looked over at the bees, who had arranged themselves into a vibrating arrow pointing into the distance.
“Do they want us to follow them?” Martha asked.
“Possibly, but we should speak to Soren and Conn,” Beatrice answered, and Caeruleus gently flew downwards to intercept the rest of the group.
“We think the bees want us to go with them,” Martha explained. “Maybe Queen Gwenyn can help us.”
Soren looked torn for a moment and glanced at Conn, who nodded.
“I don’t see any harm in that – we need somewhere to shelter for the night.”
Octavia and Otto were flagging; their eyelids were drooping as they struggled to keep them open.
“Very well, let’s follow the bees,” Soren said with finality, looking around at the rest of the group, who nodded in agreement.
As Martha transferred herself from Caeruleus over to Linnea, Fenn came over and handed her bag up. “That was very brave,” he said quietly.
Martha took the bag gratefully and checked that the compass was still inside. Taking it out, she said, “Thank you. Sometimes doing the right thing takes courage, but when our friends are in danger we Blooms do not hesitate.”
Fenn considered her words, before saying, “You surprise me – I have always believed that the folk who associate with Queen Rhosyn are selfish and callous.”
Martha looked at the fairy with shock, but empathy immediately filled her. “I understand, considering what you have been brought up to believe, but that simply isn’t true. They are kind and generous.”
Fenn gave her a thoughtful smile before jumping back onto Thicket and joining Reed, who was riding Twig. Aurus was eyeing the two young stags suspiciously, and he slotted himself behind them as the group took off once more.
The buzzing bees led them through the mountains and past a musical waterfall, where they refreshed themselves with the cool, clear water. Finally, they reached some trees and the bees took them deep into the forest, stopping in a small clearing which housed the most magnificent bee hive in the shape of a small castle.
Two enormous bees flew over and had a buzzing conversation with a few bees from the swarm. Octavia gave a jolt as she almost fell asleep on Xanthe’s back, and Martha looked over at her sympathetically.
Before she could suggest Octavia lie down on the mossy ground, a musical voice buzzed out joyfully, “Welcome to Caztle Alvarium!”
Chapter Ten
Like Bees to Honey
Octavia perked up and said happily, “Queen Gwenyn!” as the regal bee flew over to the group, wearing her tiny golden crown with molten, dripping points atop her fuzzy head.
Her swarm immediately respectfully dropped back, and the queen eyed them graciously. “I zee my zwarm found you? A mezzenger told me that you were in danger, and I zent them to your aid.”
Soren bowed respectfully. “Thank you, your majesty. Your bees helped us to rescue young Bracken here and to see off the ravens – but I fear they may come back. We were on our way to rescue the c
ompanion class that Nesrin has stolen.”
Bracken had popped her head out from beneath Martha’s cloak, and twitched her nose at Gwenyn.
“Hello, Bracken,” the bee buzzed softly, then said with feeling, “Nezrin has gone too far thizzz time!” She noticed the flagging Otto and Octavia, and gave a musical little laugh. “I urge you to rezt and not to worry about the ravenzzz for now – my beezzz and I have a plan.”
Conn and Doran helped Octavia and Otto down from the backs of their unicorns and, with assistance from Beatrice and Felicity, led them over to a woven bower covered with jewelled blossoms and leaves. As they were helping the twins lie down on the pillowy, mossy ground, the ‘blossoms’ erupted into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, which fluttered towards Martha. She held her breath as she was surrounded, her hair lifting in the breeze they created.
“Oh!” she breathed in delight.
One butterfly, a large one painted in ruby and pink hues, landed on Martha’s outstretched hand and gently opened and closed its giant wings.
“Ah, thizzz izzz the mezzenger I wazzz talking about,” Gwenyn said, flying over. Martha looked at the butterfly again, and saw that it was the same one she had seen at Ivy’s Tavern.
“Hello,” a tiny voice said, and Martha realised it was coming from the butterfly, “I’m Floriana.”
“Hello, Floriana, I’m Martha,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you for telling Queen Gwenyn we needed help.”
“The beezzz and butterfliezzz live here at Castle Alvarium and Butterfly Bower. Ever since Nezrin ztole my zwarm, we have been working together to enzure zhe doezzz not endanger uzzz anymore,” Gwenyn explained. “But we will talk more after you are rezted.”
Martha gave a nod as the butterfly flew away and landed back on the bower with the others. Soren had settled the unicorns, and Aurus was stationed next to Twig and Thicket, who shuffled nervously under the stern gaze of the golden stag.
Gwenyn and her swarm retired inside their castle, and Martha gratefully joined her sister and cousins underneath the bower.
Martha Bloom and the Glass Compass Page 8