Mortugal sighed.
“You’ll have to find a way to steal the egg without the help of Angus.”
“Yes, but with him around, it’ll be very difficult. He’s come to guard the egg after all. If I try to steal it, it will be his duty to prevent me.”
“There is a hole in the ceiling of the sealed room,” Mortugal said, “I wonder if you’ll be able to use that hole, though I think it’ll be way too small for you.”
“Either ways, you are not going to the palace again, Mortugal,” Xuhn said. All cats might not be as kind as the last one. Xuhn didn’t want to lose Mortugal at any cost.
“I am going to hack my way through that door,” Olwyne said with some fury.
“What after you get the egg?” Xuhn asked, because he thought Olwyne’s plan was obviously suicidal.
“I’ll think later.”
Xuhn and Mortugal exchanged looks. The worries of one reflected clear in the eyes of the other.
***
Chapter 34
“I don’t get this,” Ritika said to Xuhn. Both stood near the railings of the ship. It was the first time she was daring to ask Xuhn the question. She let the words out of her mouth. “Where are we going, Xuhn?”
It was early morning, and the sea was calm. Birds soared near the horizon. Most of Xuhn’s soldiers were asleep, with only a few doing chores on the deck. After Xuhn had won over the capital of Northang, Ritika had reminded him of his promise of helping her find Ruponi and Breda. But Xuhn replied that he had already sent his men in search of them, and that it was only a short while before Ruponi and Breda were found.
Then one day Xuhn suddenly announced that he must make a sea voyage, and they travelled to Silang—the sea coast city in the westernmost tip of Northang.
Xuhn ordered his men to board the best ship in Silang, and they thus set sail without any ceremony. The soldiers were dissatisfied for being deprived of their right to celebrate their victory over Northang, but they were obedient to their new king, without whose help they would have never achieved the victory in the first place.
Presently Xuhn turned at Ritika. A cool gust of wind blew, and the sun was bright. Xuhn’s face didn’t contort.
“There is a land—a continent—far away,” he said with a clam Ritika hadn’t seen on him in a long while, “and in that land is Mortugal.”
“Mortugal?” Ritika said. There was a land far away? Ritika had always thought there was no continent except the Great Continent—the home of humans, vampires and werewolves.
Xuhn nodded.
“But how did he get there?” Ritika asked.
“Don’t ask me that,” Xuhn dismissed the question, “it’s my duty to bring him back safe.”
At that moment, muffled cries tore the air. They belonged to women, and came from under the deck. Ritika was confused. The soldiers always treated the women cooks with much respect.
Soon, a bunch of men dragged two women to the deck. At first Ritika didn’t recognise the women well, for they were thin and seemed to have gone through starvation, but when her eyes fell on their faces, her jaw dropped.
Ruponi and Breda.
Ritika ran to the men, who were being very harsh to the women, and wrenched their hands away.
“Stop it! I know them!” she yelled at the guards.
“It’s you?” Ruponi said. There were tears in her eyes, which seemed to have sunken deep into her skull.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Breda told Ruponi, glaring hard at the men.
Ritika and Ruponi embraced each other in a tight hug that lasted for several moments.
By the time they broke apart, Xuhn had walked to them.
“You know them?” Xuhn asked.
Ritika gaped at Xuhn.
“What?” Xuhn asked.
“So you don’t recognise us now?” Breda said to Xuhn.
Ritika watched flabbergasted as Xuhn frowned at Breda and Ruponi, not quite recognising them. For the first time, Ritika knew that the person in front of her was not Xuhn. She had no idea how he knew about Mortugal, or how he had cured her thirst for blood, but this was no Xuhn.
“And what has happened to your eyes, Xuhn?” Ruponi asked.
Xuhn seemed to be at loss for words, and many times he glanced at Ritika, as though seeking help from her.
“I- I never knew you were in my ship,” Xuhn said, changing the topic altogether.
“We have been trying to reach you two for some time,” Breda said, “but we feared your soldiers were more likely of throwing us into the sea, instead of taking us to you. We survived in the section where you keep your food stores.”
“Are… are there more?” Xuhn asked.
Breda shook her head.
“Just the two of us,” she said. Ritika couldn’t help but notice that Breda had suddenly begun talking to the person as though he really were Xuhn.
Xuhn nodded slowly, his eyes distant.
“Leave them alone,” he told the soldiers, who went away.
“Now, if you will excuse me,” Xuhn said in a very formal way to Ritika, Ruponi and Breda. They watched in astonishment as he walked away to his cabin and closed the door.
Ritika, grabbing Breda and Ruponi, dragged them to the part of the deck farthest from the cabin.
“That’s not Xuhn, is it?” Breda said, dropping her voice to less than a whisper.
“All along I have been thinking he is Xuhn,” Ritika replied, “but from the look that came over his face when he saw you two, I can bet my life that that he is not Xuhn.”
“And those eyes,” Ruponi said, “those aren’t human eyes! They look more like… like a dragon’s! Mortugal had such eyes.”
“So who is he?” Breda asked, “And where is this ship heading?”
“He said we are going to a new continent. Apparently Mortugal is there.”
“A new continent!” Breda and Ruponi asked together.
Ritika nodded, observing the shocked faces of Breda and Ruponi.
“At least that’s what he told me.”
“But why would Mortugal be in a new continent?” Breda asked.
“I have no idea,” Ritika said, “I think it’s for the best that we should not let this person know of our suspicions, at least till we reach the new continent.” She thought of all the cruelties that the soldiers had committed under the fake-Xuhn’s command, and she shivered. “Breda, you were wise to talk to him in a normal tone.”
Breda nodded.
“Yes, I guess I did right,” she said, “but at some point he might know we are suspicious, and then I don’t know what’ll happen.”
For a moment Ritika just stared at the two ladies in front of her. One was her ever caring mother, while the other was a werewolf that had betrayed her kind in hopes of ending the war between the vampires and werewolves. Ritika reckoned ending the war was a lost cause now.
“I can’t express how happy I am to see you,” she told them, “if you didn’t show up today, I would have always thought that person is Xuhn.”
“We saw you once before,” Ruponi said. “We were in a village that the soldiers attacked. I wanted to get to you, but some soldiers spotted us and we had to run.”
“How did you meet the… fake-Xuhn?” Breda asked Ritika.
Ritika told about the night she had walked away.
“What puzzles me is how he knows about Mortugal,” Breda said.
Ritika shrugged.
“I asked him about Mortugal. Maybe he’s just making stories about Mortugal. But he does seem to know Mortugal is a dragon.”
“All right,” Ruponi said, “there is no way to get off this blasted ship. So the best thing we can do now is lay low.”
Breda chuckled sadly.
“And to think we set out for a noble deed!”
***
The morning air felt cool and Olwyne thought the palace looked majestic as she strode fast towards it.
No, not majestic.
She didn’t have a clue how she was going to steal the
dragon egg. She had brought a certain powder with her, one whiff of which could make a person unconscious. It was for Angus, in case he tried to stop her. She didn’t want to harm the man-troll. He was a good person.
To her surprise, Angus was present at the chamber of the sealed door from before, the night guards having already left.
Angus smiled.
“Your eyes are about to pop out!”
Olwyne spotted something dark on Angus’ shoulder.
“There is a spider on your shoulder!” Olwyne said, recognising the creature. Angus gasped, and began to jump about. It was hilarious to watch as the big troll tried to get the little spider off his shoulder.
Finally, the spider jumped down, and Angus observed it flee with horror on his face.
“It was just a spider,” Olwyne said. Angus’s behaviour had been really odd.
Angus hung down his head.
“Never mind that.” He looked up and dropped his voice to a whisper, “So how are we going to retrieve the egg?”
“So you have changed your mind?” Olwyne said.
“It has gotten personal now. I got news yesterday that a village was burned down in which my relatives were residing. None of them survived.”
“Look, I am sorry for you,” Olwyne said. She didn’t know whether to feel elated or sad. That Angus had agreed to help was great, but it broke her heart to hear about the king’s ruthlessness, “but at least you have realised this is important—and why.”
Angus nodded slowly. He looked at her with determination.
“Tell me the plan now.”
Olwyne didn’t really have a plan. Every hour one of the king’s men would come down to check on the sealed door. What if they were in the process of opening the door, and then the inspector suddenly showed up? Putting the man unconscious wouldn’t help either. The guards outside would become suspicious if the man didn’t return, and they might come down to check.
“We are going to make one now,” Olwyne replied. Angus threw his arms sideways in a manner that suggested he had been expecting a readymade plan.
“Really?” he asked, then sighed, “Fine, let’s get started.”
They threw ideas at each other for sometime but all the plans they came up with were suicidal.
“You know,” Angus said to Olwyne, “I can’t let them know I am involved in this. I don’t want any harm to come over my mother.”
Olwyne had just suggested killing the inspector and the guards outside. She hadn’t meant it seriously, but Angus had turned grim.
“Don’t you want your own family to be safe too?” Angus asked.
Olwyne nodded. This subject always made her heart pain. After her father’s death, Trygve had become her only family. She wished now only if Trygve had left her a child.
“Who are in your family anyway?” Angus asked again, looking curious.
Olwyne shook her head uneasily. Trygve’s face flashed in her mind, and her eyes swelled with tears.
“Nobody,” she told Angus, “I live alone. Now let’s continue with this planning.”
“You live alone!” Angus said, gaping.
Olwyne looked at him and grimaced to let him know he was crossing an invisible line now. He seemed to get it and awkwardly turned his head towards the door.
Angus suddenly sprang to it and, kneeling down, began to examine the base of the door.
“There is a hole in this waxed portion!” he told Olwyne, victorious.
Olwyne grimaced. It was the one she had made to let Mortugal pass into the other room. She had totally forgotten about it. Only now she realised how lucky she had been that the inspector hadn’t spotted it.
“I made it.”
She went on to tell Angus all about Mortugal and Xuhn. Angus stared at her like she should have told it to him a long time ago. Olwyne felt guilty for not telling him.
“If there is a hole in the ceiling,” Angus said with a hurt look, “then why don’t you send them through it? It would be easier. We wouldn’t be exposed, and you’ll get the dragon egg too.”
“The purple substance lifts them up,” Olwyne replied. “It’s not possible.”
“Perhaps it’s possible to open the door easily from the inside?” Angus said with a hopeful look, shedding the previous hurt.
“I don’t know,” Olwyne said, “the last time Mortugal came, he almost got eaten by the king’s cat. Xuhn won’t let him come again.”
Angus was quiet with thought for some time, supporting his head with his hands.
“Can you, er, take me to your home today?” he asked. Olwyne was amused by the expression on Angus’ face. He looked fearful—like he was asking the troll king for permission to do something.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Olwyne said. “You can meet the other rebels, and we can together think up a credible plan.”
Then Olwyne saw the happiness in Angus’ eyes. It was the same that she had years ago seen in the eyes of Trygve, who had been an apprentice blacksmith to her father. Her heart beat faster. Did Angus like her?
Angus knelt and attempted to look through the little hole at the base of the door. But the question kept plaguing Olwyne’s mind. A voice inside her advised her to tell Angus about Trygve and his death. But she was reluctant. She almost felt guilty for this— if she was wronging Trygve somehow.
“We'll have to do this fast,” Angus said presently, making Olwyne snap out of her thoughts. “We have only ten days.”
“Wh.. what?” Olwyne said. Ten days for what? She always forgot about the world whenever she thought of Trygve.
“The king’s birthday,” Angus said darkly, his attention focused on the small hole. “If we are going to do this, we’ll have to pull it off with perfection.”
At these words, Olwyne brushed aside all thoughts. Angus was a friend, and it was only friendship that had reflected in his eyes. At the moment the most important thing was to devise a way to retrieve the egg.
***
Angus could barely belief it. He had been that close.
He was in his room, having had dinner just a short while ago. His mother’s snores drifted over from the other room, and he was happy she was peaceful at least for the moment—since he didn’t know how long peace would last in their family.
Despite Olwyne saying she would take him to her house, she had decided later on that it would be better if she took him to the forest near her village. She would ask all her supporters and helpers to come as well, and then all could discuss about the revolt and the possible way to steal the egg.
And all that would be tomorrow.
But now that Angus thought about it, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Had he gone to her house today, his mother would have been very worried had he not returned home at the usual time. Tomorrow he could tell his mother beforehand that he would be returning late. And perhaps—Angus felt like he had a butterfly trapped in his heart—he could take a little risk and propose to Olwyne.
Why, he even had a ring for her! — The one he had made for Alheya a long time back.
He pulled out the box from his drawer where he had kept the ring.
It was a small ring. Angus suddenly realised the ring would never fit Olwyne’s finger. It would have been perfect for the slender finger of Alheya, but for the muscular girl Olwyne was…
Angus grimaced in disappointment, and kept the box and the ring back in the drawer. He looked at the only ring he had been wearing. It was of gold, and his grandfather had given it to him.
His grandfather had said in his deathbed to give the ring to a person who deserved it. It was just the size that would fit Olwyne’s thick finger.
If Angus died in the revolt, at least he would die knowing he met a deserving person.
***
“I don’t get where this is going,” Xuhn told Mortugal. Olwyne was fast asleep. She had talked little to them after returning home. All she said was that she had organised a meeting of the rebels tomorrow, and Xuhn and Mortugal would have to attend it too.
“I didn’t mean that,” Xuhn said. “Zergo said only the troll king can help us get out of the purple screen. I know everyone says the troll king is tyrannical, but if he dies, we might never find a way to return home.”
“So you don’t want them to kill him?” Mortugal asked.
“I don’t see the point of us helping them, that’s all. We can’t stop Olwyne and her friends from killing the Troll king.”
“You think it’ll be easy to kill the king, boy?” Mortugal asked, amused. “You think he’s a baby?”
“What if they succeed?” Xuhn asked instead. Did Mortugal think Olwyne and her companions would fail?
“The only thing that matters now is to somehow get back to Corpsia and your friend, Vivek. He was the one who got us into trouble, wasn’t he?”
Xuhn looked at Mortugal sharply.
“He didn’t think it would go so wrong.”
Yes, Vivek was partially responsible for what happened. He shouldn’t have agreed to Berdin's wish. But he had never meant things to go so wrong.
Mortugal grimaced.
“Maybe you are right, I was quite angry with him that day.”
“I wonder if we’ll ever reunite with the two of them,” Xuhn said sadly.
“I am sure Olwyne wouldn’t close all ways of us meeting our friends again. She’s a good lady from what I have seen. You know what I think? –Zergo took Corpsia and Vivek to the palace, but the king has kept them in some place where the general public or even the servants wouldn’t see them.”
What Mortugal was saying made sense. But at the end it was just speculation.
“You know,” Xuhn said, “the next time we’ll go to the palace together. We’ll help Olwyne get the dragon egg, and then we’ll find Corpsia and Vivek at all cost.”
Determination gleamed in Mortugal’s eyes.
“We will, boy, we will.”
***
Chapter 35
Angus was very nervous as he followed Olwyne into the forest.
He was getting scared, imagining all sorts of creepy beings crawling on the forest floor. He also recalled the incident where he had seen the short ugly people that had shot him with tiny arrows. Angus was okay dealing with big monsters, but the tiny ones turned him into a pussycat. He couldn’t help it at all.
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