Shadow Helm of Glory

by Elizabeth Klein

  The queen’s expression became wistful and her eyes wandered to the window, oblivious to her daughter’s comment. Confusion seemed to overcome her.

  ‘Mother!’

  Caiwen’s firm voice made the queen blink. Then her gaze settled on Caiwen. ‘Oh, I...I suppose you are right. I told you to look after your horse, didn’t I?’ Her voice wavered. Robbie frowned. ‘It needn’t have died had you looked after it in the first place!’

  Vacant eyes turned to Robbie, mindless behind the magic that controlled her. Leaning forward with a sudden, mischievous smile on her face, she clasped her hands together.

  ‘I already know what we can do with you!’ She looked more like a naughty child than a queen. ‘You shall be—Caiwen’s pet!’

  She clapped her hands together in wild elation. Robbie cringed at the thought! What did that entail?

  ‘Mother!’

  The queen raised her hand. Her daughter groaned and looked up at the ceiling in dismay, clearly not amused by her mother’s decision. Gesturing to one of her attendants, the queen gave orders. She seemed pleased with herself.

  ‘Bring a silver necklace and place it on him! Hurry! I wish to see how it fits!’

  Chapter 26

  Caiwen

  At midday, the raiding party arrived back at the cave. They were discussing the mission in hushed voices. Stripping themselves of weapons and chainmail, they headed off to eat a meal and to clean up.

  Last to arrive was Rory, a mixture of weariness and despondency creasing his brow. He unstrapped his sword and handed it to his attendant, then shed his other weapons and chainmail. All were placed on the long table in a pile, where the older men began cleaning them with oily rags.

  Rory donned his furs again, signifying his other life—the wild mountain man—and went and sat on his chair. Resting his head back, he closed his eyes.

  Dougray looked at Melenor.

  She gave him a wry grin. ‘I know what you are thinking. But he always looks like that when he returns from a raid. He doesn’t really like doing that to the queen.’

  Confused, Belle frowned. ‘Why then raid her? It does not make sense.’

  Just then, one of the younger boys handed Rory a jug. He drank from it, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. His face was a blank mask, but his eyes mirrored unseen wounds.

  Melenor lowered her voice. ‘He’ll drink now till he gets drunk, and then sleep it off.’

  Belle cocked her head to one side as she stared at him. ‘I do not understand. Why does he look so sad if he wanted to go raiding in the first place?’

  ‘I think it is you who doesn’t understand.’

  Without elaborating, Melenor grinned and then wandered over to Rory. He grunted, barely raising his head to look at her. They spoke for several minutes in whispers.

  One of the young men approached them and, with a wave of Rory’s hand, he hurried away again.

  Belle sniffed. ‘I wonder what is going on.’

  ‘I think we’re about to find out. Look, there’s Mouse!’

  Under the inventor’s arm were rolls of paper. Seeing him in the dull light with his small, pink nose and pinched, mouse-like features, Dougray understood why he was nicknamed Mouse, and not solely because of his name. If he had whiskers, they’d probably twitch back and forth.

  Belle also stared at the man. ‘What is he holding?’

  ‘Probably drawings of his invention. Rory did ask him to create something, remember?’

  Belle stood up. ‘We should go and see what it is then.’

  Dougray limped after her, halting as they came within earshot. Rory’s left hand was resting on the edge of one of Mouse’s papers and pointing to something on it.

  ‘All I need is glass, plenty of glass that I can then grind into a shape—something like this. See here...and here.’ Mouse pointed to something, but Rory was peering at it half-heartedly. ‘You see, it has to be a curved shape in order to work. I’ve tried doing it with plain glass back home, but it doesn’t work half as well as if the glass is shaped, a nice curved edge like this.

  ‘I discovered that purely by accident, you know. Oh yes, experiments are often accidental. Trial and error, that sort of thing. Anyway, I need two pieces of glass, cut into round pieces, like this—’ He pointed again.

  Rory rubbed his chin with his hand, showing mild interest that was waning by the second.

  Oblivious, Mouse continued. ‘You fix one glass to one end of a tube of wood like this and the other glass to the opposite end of the tube, like so. You look through the end here. See the drawing I made? It shows you what you would see.’

  Finally, Rory glanced up at him with a sharp, questioning look. When he spoke, it was with a trace of impatience.

  ‘You are certain it will work?’

  Mouse nodded eagerly. He was about to point to the paper again and embark on another explanation when Rory thrust it back into Mouse’s hands. ‘All right, make it.’ He glanced up at the young attendant. ‘Take him to Gwain. Tell him to help the inventor with whatever he needs.’

  Mouse gathered all the papers in his arms as the young man ushered him away. Melenor caught Dougray’s eyes as he was about to step toward Rory and shook her head. It was not the right moment to appeal for the leader’s help. Rory eased himself back in his chair and looked up at the girl. Again, they whispered, oblivious to all else in the cave. Dougray began to think there was perhaps more to their relationship than what was visible on the surface.

  Belle grasped Dougray’s arm. ‘Let us sit by the fire. We will just have to be patient...and wait for the right moment.’

  It was the last thing Dougray wanted to hear, but he acquiesced with a reluctant nod.

  Steel-cold fingers grasped Robbie’s arm and spun him around. Their pressure made him wince. The last of his hopes faded as the tall woman attached a black, metal cuff around his neck. Connected to a length of chain, it was cold and uncomfortable. He struggled to hold back tears that burned behind his eyes. Long days chained as an animal was not how the quest was supposed to end, nor how he wanted to live out his days.

  His charge from the Morning Star had been to save Time from perishing. Now he faced the prospect of endless days and months, maybe even years, in misery as some princess’s pet!

  Don’t despair. I have not forsaken you, Robbie.

  The voice pervaded his senses. Hearing the Morning Star’s voice was like a ray of sunlight after a lengthy storm.

  Caiwen sighed. ‘Mother, I think I’ll retire...and take my pet with me.’

  The queen snickered. ‘Look after him!’ She teetered on the brink of laughter. Flecks of spittle flew from her mouth. Like someone trying not to laugh at a solemn event, she pretended to contain her amusement, kicking her legs beneath her dress, which only made it seem more hilarious to her. ‘Treat him well, then he won’t—die like your horse!’

  One of the women curtsied and bowed as she handed Caiwen the end of chain. The princess glared at it and Robbie as her mother burst into uncontrollable laughter. Unamused, she thrust the chain at the guard standing behind her, who picked it up.

  Furious, Caiwen stood up and with a hasty bow to her mother, she took her leave and hurried from the hall while the guard hastened to keep up, tugging at Robbie’s chain and forcing him to jog behind her. The queen’s mocking laughter trailed after them.

  Caiwen was also a victim of the untaming magic that had control over her mother. If only he could make her see the truth, and convince her to let him go!

  The princess passed through a long corridor. Robbie didn’t take much notice of the decorations; they were a blur as he trotted with the guard. His eyes followed Caiwen as her velvet cloak flowed around her hurrying feet. They passed bowing servants, some young men in plain livery carrying various bundles. Women servants dressed in working smocks and caps marched behind them, lashing them with sharp tongues. The women eyed Robbie with suspicion and hate; the men glanced at him with blank expressions.

  Up ahead, Caiwen slo
wed and Robbie noticed two guards standing outside an elaborate, carved door. The guards saluted with fists on their hearts as she stepped through, their hawk-like eyes boring into him as he was bundled inside. Dressed like men, each Dwellin possessed a sword and a brace of knives along her belt.

  The guard holding the chain closed the door and faced the princess, who had discarded her cloak on the floor and flung herself in a large, padded chair facing a huge window.

  ‘My lady, what shall I do with your pet?’

  Without looking at her, Caiwen gestured with her hand. ‘Tie him somewhere. I don’t care where—and then leave!’

  Hesitating, the guard turned and, noticed Robbie staring at her, snarled at him and gave the chain a firm tug that made him choke on his breath. A moment later, she chained him to the foot of Caiwen’s bed. The guard bowed and left.

  Sitting alone on the floor, Robbie reached up and fingered the metal cuff around his neck for the first time. It was wide enough to be irritable; already it chafed at his skin. He could feel the jagged edges where it had snapped shut. A key unlocked it, a key that he doubted Caiwen possessed. He remembered the guard pocketing it.

  Long minutes passed. The princess sat motionless. Robbie stared at the well-tended flowerbeds and ornamental trees beyond the window. Paved walkways meandered off into the distance and to freedom. From where he sat, freedom looked impossible. He’d be cut down in minutes, either by a flying arrow or a knife in the back. He noticed Dwellins roaming about the garden, well-armed and dangerous.

  Then Caiwen sniffed and dabbed a hanky to her eyes. Robbie shuffled up against the side of the bed, his thin sandals scraping across the tiled floor. The sound made her turn and look at him from the chair—behind her curtain of long, white hair.

  She stood up and strode towards him, halting several paces away. ‘Look, let’s just drop the charade right now! I don’t want a pet and you don’t want to be my pet. It’s just...Mother’s way of showing she’s in control...when she really isn’t.’

  Flummoxed, Robbie stared at her in silence, incurring a frown of disapproval.

  ‘Stop staring at me!’ She reached for something on her bed and the next moment, she threw him a blanket. ‘It gets cold in here at night.’

  Then she picked up her velvet cloak the guard had draped across a chair and headed to the door. It slammed behind her, leaving him alone.

  Chapter 27

  Evil Behind Locked Doors

  Outside the cave, bats squeaked as they flew about in the fading light. Inside, Dougray stared at a plate of hot vegetables on his lap. With his fork, he moved them about, but he wasn’t hungry. His mind was on other things. Rory had drunk himself into a stupor as Melenor had said. There would be no rescuing Robbie this night. The only thing that kept Dougray sane was a feeling that Robbie was still alive. It was so strong it had reignited hope again. Belle, sitting beside him, glanced at him as she ate.

  Mouse came over with his plate of vegetables from Cook and sat beside Belle. He threw Dougray a cautionary glance. Things were still tense between them since Robbie’s disappearance. Mouse ate in silence, but his pink face was brimming with excitement. In the end, in order to end his misery, Belle asked him what he’d been up to. He placed his fork down and pulled out a long, wooden tube from his coat pocket. A row of yellow teeth appeared as he gave her his broadest smile.

  ‘This is it! My spy tube. Well, that’s what I call it anyway. And that’s what Rory wants it for.’

  Belle’s eyebrows narrowed. ‘Spying?’

  Mouse went on, as if he hadn’t heard. ‘Look, there’s glass in here, which is used to see longer distances through there. Rather simple and brilliant, really, even if I do say so myself. I was working on it back home in my shed, but never thought anyone would be interested in it until now.’ He leaned forward and lowered his voice. ‘You could say that Rory is my first customer.’

  He handed the tube to Belle, who peered at it, turning it over in her hands. She tapped the wood. In the end, she glanced at Mouse with a puzzled look. ‘I cannot see anything at all.’

  The inventor chuckled as if she’d said something funny. He pointed to one of the ends. ‘That’s because you have to look through the eye hole! Go on!’

  Belle placed the tube to her eye. At once, she removed it with a startled grunt. Wide-eyed, she looked at Mouse.

  ‘Things look very strange in there.’

  He chuckled harder. ‘Not strange; they just look bigger! Go on, take another look!’

  Belle brought the spy tube up to her eye again. This time it remained and she swung it about, almost hitting Dougray in the face. He jerked back just in time and she waved her hand in front of the other end. Then she took it away from her eye and smiled at Mouse.

  ‘This spy tube is a good invention. Take a look, Dougray.’ She handed it to him, but he shook his head.

  ‘I believe you. I hope Rory uses it well.’

  She handed it back to Mouse, who gave him a sheepish look. Just then, Dougray noticed Melenor striding through the corridor towards Rory. She’d disappeared for some hours during the morning and had only now returned. Where did she go? She came and went as she pleased; no one stopped or questioned her.

  The girl touched Rory’s arm, rousing him. The leader scrubbed a hand across his eyes and stretched. Again, the thought passed through Dougray’s mind that there was something more between Melenor and the Resistance Leader than met the eye.

  ‘He’s finally awake!’ Mouse leaped to his feet and with spy tube in hand, the inventor hurried over.

  Belle shuffled closer to Dougray. ‘He is excited that someone is taking his inventions seriously.’

  ‘I wonder what Rory is going to spy on. Dwellinfrey?’

  Belle shrugged. ‘Maybe the Queen.’

  Mouse handed Rory the spy tube and the leader placed the end to his eye. A broad smile formed on his lips as he moved it about. Dougray wanted to get closer to hear what he was saying. With Belle beside him, he headed towards Rory. A small crowd of Whistlers were also gathering around their tall leader, drawn by curiosity. Mouse shadowed him as he strode to the window, where he stooped and peered through the waterfall with the tube. He gave a loud laugh, straightened and clapped the inventor on the back, sending him stumbling forward a few steps.

  ‘It is an excellent spy tube, inventor. You have done well.’ A deeper shade of pink flooded Mouse’s face and a rictus smile was stamped across his mouth. ‘It is only fair that I give you something in return for such an invention. Name something for yourself.’

  Mouse looked stunned and his smile widened if that was possible. He scratched his head and stared at the floor as he thought. Then his hand flew up before him.

  ‘I know what I’d like!’ He turned and looked at Dougray. ‘I’d like you to help find my friend’s brother.’

  Mouse’s generous words caught Dougray off guard. The Resistance Leader’s smile vanished. It was clear that he hadn’t wanted to help him. A strained, hard glint shone in his dark eyes. A moment passed where Dougray thought the leader would deny the request outright.

  But Rory adjusted the furs hanging on his shoulders, took a deep breath and gave him a nod. ‘All right then. I will help find your brother.’

  Melenor strolled over and smiled at Dougray. ‘Guess Rory’s convinced.’ She placed her cheek close to his and lowered her voice. ‘And you’ll have my help, too.’

  In the silence of Caiwen’s chambers, Robbie had time to think. The deranged queen, maddened by the untaming magic, ruled in name only. He was certain her crown controlled her actions, making them erratic and undignified. She had embarrassed and hurt Caiwen, her daughter, who had hurried from the Great Hall in utter disgust. How could he make her see that it was the untaming magic at work when he was nothing more than a mute pet?

  Morning Star, I need to speak to Caiwen. You’ve helped me in the past; I know that now—

  You finally acknowledge my help?

  Yes. I need you more than ever.r />
  Silence.

  He slumped against the bed. His head swam. Since leaving the farm, everything to do with his old life had been stripped away. His identity had been tampered with and he felt like a stranger, even to himself. Someone whom the black dragon had been released from the Abyss to destroy.

  Who am I?

  He’d never asked that question before, perhaps because Faolan had made them swear to relinquish their old lives. He had forbidden them from asking any questions. As a young child, Robbie had been too frightened to even speak. But he possessed an ability to imagine things that became real, a semblance of strange magic, discovered in a time of peril in the forest with Filligreen. He had imagined that he was one with the trees—and he had been! Perhaps he could imagine anything. That frightened him. What else could this strange magic do, and was it tamed or untamed? Was it safe to use, or would it subvert him in some unknown way?

  What am I?

  Time slipped by and his head drooped forward onto his chest as sleep prodded behind his eyelids. He caught himself from toppling over and glanced about. Caiwen had not yet returned. Shadows in the garden had lengthened. Where could she be?

  He curled up, wrapped in the blanket and closed his eyes. At once, he awoke in a dream. Something tugged, loosening him from his physical body. His dream self stood up. The collar and chain fell onto the floor and he stepped away from the bed. The striking clarity of everything was at once amazing and disturbing.

  Have I died and become a shade?

  Was this how death came, stealthy as a stolen breath?

  Robbie!

  The Morning Star’s whisper didn’t startle him.

  Yes?

  I have allowed you this gift for a brief time, so you must hurry. I wish to show you who Elimas is. Go through the door into the corridor and I shall direct your steps.

  So, he’d been given this ability to explore. He crossed to the door, reached out to grasp the latch, but his hand passed right through it. He stepped back with a sharp cry. At least two guards stood outside. How was he meant to get past them?