by Burt Candy
“I thought that time was important, that I had to get to the cave first, and that proved to be true,” replied Rashi. “Looking back I can see that you are right and I am sorry; but I hoped to bring the diary back for you.”
“M-m-m,” muttered Atalai. “That will do for the moment. You are free to go.” She dismissed Rashi with a fling of her hand and the Shaman left the room quickly, bowing as he departed.
Atalai turned to Maximilian and Matilda. “What do you think?”
“I think he's telling the truth about the diary,” volunteered Matilda.
“I agree,” said Maximilian. “When he described the cave it was exactly as we found it – a shambles. His story was feasible . . . I only worry about why he didn't tell you at the time. He says that there was no point but I think he should at least have informed you of the existence of the diary.”
“On the other hand, he was the one who suggested contacting you for help,” Atalai informed him. “Why would he do that? You'd think that you are the last person he would want around if he was up to no good.”
“Yes, that does support an innocent verdict,” agreed Maximilian, then paused thoughtfully. “I don't know what it is but I still have my doubts.”
“And where did he go this morning, following your tracks in his sleigh?” asked Matilda in support of Maximilian.
“I think you're both being terribly unfair,” stated Atalai. “I believe what Rashi has told us and that is the finish of it.” With a swirl of her cape she left the room.
“None are so blind as those who do not wish to see,” quoted Maximilian.
“Yes,” said Matilda. “I think Atalai had made up her mind about Rashi even before he came here. What do we do now?”
“One step at a time my little rose,” replied Maximilian. “I believe we still have a lot to find out about this whole business.”
Chapter 19
Another Disaster
As Maximilian and Matilda walked out of the sitting room they were met by a troll guard who looked very excited.
“Bladefoot is back,” he informed them and signalled for them to follow him as he proceeded out to the front of the palace.
There they were met by the strangest sight. Troll guards were lifting the frozen Bladefoot out of a sleigh and onto the ground at the bottom of the steps. He had obviously been struck by the spell as he was trying to escape for he had been caught in a running pose and, as they stood there, they heard some of the comments from the troll guards.
“Maybe our Queen could put him in the entrance chamber with a sign saying, 'A Troll Athlete
At Full Speed',” said one troll.
“Or he could put on a pedestal in the garden pond and used as a fountain,” laughed another. This brought a chortle from the other guards.
“He could be used as a scarecrow in the palace gardens,” suggested another guard.
“Enough!” shouted Maximilian. “Let us show some respect for our friend.” The guards shuffled their feet and bowed their heads in shame. “Take Bladefoot into the entrance chamber and inform the Queen.”
“Won't you try to reverse the spell?” asked Matilda.
“It would be a waste of time,” said Maximilian. “This is obviously the same spell that was used in Ravjik. Come, let's see what the Queen's reaction is to Bladefoot.”
They were in for a surprise. When Atalai arrived in the chamber and saw Bladefoot's condition, tears appeared in her eyes.
“Take him to the first sitting room,” she ordered the guards who immediately lifted Bladefoot and carried him away.
“We have to find out who is doing this,” said Atalai forcefully, looking at Maximilian. “It can't be allowed to continue.” And she followed after the troll guards.
But things were about to get worse. Maximilian and Matilda heard shouting outside. When they hurried to the front steps they saw a tall Drakespearian man jumping down from a sleigh. He rushed towards them, gasping for breath.
“Tetra,” he shouted. “They are lost forever.”
“Slow down,” said Maximilian, “and tell us what has happened.”
“A spell has been cast on the village of Tetra,” he explained. “Everybody is frozen . . . men, women, children and animals.”
“When?” asked Maximilian.
“Some time this morning,” the messenger said. “I'd been out hunting and when I returned I found them. Everybody frozen – just like Ravjik. I came here for help”
By this time several troll guards had gathered around.
“Take this man inside and give him something to eat and drink,” said Maximilian and, when the guards had gone, he turned to Matilda. “Payback,” he said. “A warning to everybody to keep quiet about Dakar. Somehow whoever is responsible for this learnt of our visit to Tetra.”
“But how?” said Matilda. “Unless someone in the village talked.”
“I don't think so,” stated Maximilian. “It seems that everybody in the village was frozen and, if someone had helped, I wouldn't think that they'd have been made to suffer. No, the information came from somebody else.”
“Who knew about our visit?” queried Matilda.
“That needs some serious thinking,” said Maximilian. “I believe we need to talk to Atalai again.”
Chapter 20
Another Disappearance
Maximilian and Matilda found Atalai in the sitting room with the frozen figure of Bladefoot in front of her. She looked terribly sad and Maximilian felt guilty for interrupting her thoughts. He coughed gently to attract her attention.
“Excuse me, Atalai,” he began when she looked up at him, “I'm sorry to disturb you but I have something very important to ask you.”
He went on to inform her of the latest news about the village of Tetra and saw the shock in her face.
“That's dreadful,” she said. “I was upset with them about the shrine to Dakar but they don't deserve this. It's absolutely horrific.”
“Somebody told our enemy of our visit to Tetra,” stated Maximilian. “Now, as far as Matilda and I know, the only person we told that we were going to Tetra was you.”
Anger replaced shock on Atalai's face. “Surely you don't think I would do such a thing,” she bellowed.
“No, no, no,” Maximilian hurried to assure her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “of course not.
However, did you tell anybody else?”
Atalai looked thoughtful. “Yes,” she replied, “I saw Rashi just after you left and told him that we might have some answers to our problem when you returned. After all, he was involved in getting you here. But now I recall that I didn't say where you had gone until he asked for the information.”
“And you gave it to him?” asked Maximilian.
“Yes,” said Atalai, looking a little bewildered.
“We need to have another talk to your Shaman, I think,” suggested Maximilian.
Atalai reached for the bell to summon a guard. When the guard arrived she ordered him to fetch Rashi immediately. But she was in for an unpleasant surprise.
“I can't do that, Mistress,” said the guard.
“What? You dare to disobey my orders?” shouted Atalai.
“Never, my Queen,” answered the guard nervously. “It is just that the Shaman Rashi has left the palace.”
“Left?” repeated an astonished Atalai.
“Yes, Mistress” continued the guard. “After you had me fetch him last time he came out of this room and ordered me to bring his sleigh around to the back of the palace immediately. I watched him heading towards the Drakespearian forest over an hour ago.”
“Well, well,” commented Maximilian. “It seems our bird has flown.”
Atalai looked shocked but insisted, “We don't know that yet. He may have a quite reasonable explanation for this as well.”
“But you must admit that it is strange behaviour,” stated Maximilian.
“Oh, I'm fed up with this whole affair,” shouted Atalai in a fit of temper. “Things have go
tten worse since you arrived. I don't know whom I can depend on or whom I can trust any more.” And she stormed out of the room.
“Ooh, that was nasty,” said Matilda.
“She is just confused,” explained Maximilian. “Everything around her is collapsing and she doesn't know who to blame; certainly she isn't able to blame herself.”
“Why do you think Rashi left in such a hurry?” asked Matilda.
“I believe that he sensed that we were getting too close to the truth and decided that it was time to disappear,” said Maximilian. “I don't expect him to return.”
“Then shouldn't we follow him and find out what he is up to?” Matilda enquired.
“I have something else to do first,” said Maximilian and went on to tell Matilda what he proposed.
Chapter 21
The League Of Shamans
Rashi considered himself lucky. He had been able to talk his way around the Ice Queen's questions but he had sensed that Maximilian was not convinced and it was only a matter of time before they would search out the truth. It was time to cut and run, to vanish and to join his co-conspirators.
He scolded himself for having suggested that the Ice Queen should contact Maximilian for help. He had witnessed the fallout between the Queen and Maximilian over the war and had admired the way that Maximilian had stood up to her. He believed it only right that The Noble Protector of the Mystic Lands should be here when justice was finally done. What a fool he had been!
These thoughts raced through his mind as he drove the mountain ponies through the snow towards the Drakespearian mountains where his colleagues had their hideout. The League of Shamans had been formed by a twist of fate. It had all begun with Dakar's death . . .
When news came from the dungeons that Dakar was seriously ill and would not last through the week, Atalai had decided to show some mercy and allow two of his relatives to visit him before he died. Rashi had escorted the two visitors down to the dungeons and had eavesdropped on the conversation that took place. He had heard Dakar tell them of a diary he had kept and begged them to retrieve it from his cave as it contained details of all of the cases of cruelty that Atalai had allowed on the Drakespearian people after the War of Tears. He also pleaded with them to carry out his pledge for revenge. Shortly after the visit he had died.
In fact, Rashi had beaten the two relatives to the cave and had found Dakar's diary. When he read it he was outraged by the descriptions of cruelty carried out by Frizland troops on the innocent villagers of Drakespear. Atalai must have known what was happening. He had agreed with Maximilian's opinion that the Ice Queen was going too far in her determination to avenge the death of her father. He was also aware of a streak of ruthlessness that had crept into her character since the assassination. Her deep grief had changed her from a gentle princess to a bitter queen.
Rashi had kept the diary secret. Although he despised Atalai for overlooking the brutal behaviour of her troll soldiers, he was a proud Frizlander and recognised that the release of the information in the diary would blacken the reputation of his homeland. He agreed with Dakar's desire for revenge but had no idea how it could be achieved while protecting the good name of Frizland. That was until he met the Shaman, Ekon.
It was nearly a century after Dakar's death. Shamans from all over the Mystic World met every fifty years in order to share their experiences and knowledge. As Shamans they had limited magical powers and used their talents to cure disease and injury in their various nations. At this particular gathering in Drakespear a great and respected Shaman from the distant nation of Bretnia arrived for the first time. His name was Ekon.
During the convention Malak, the Shaman from Drakespear, had raised the matter of the War of Tears, informing the meeting of how he had been overwhelmed by the extent of tragic cases that had come to him to be cured of injuries and to seek ongoing treatment for their heartbreak. Rashi had approached Malak and felt the need to tell him about the diary. The great Shaman, Ekon, and Alwan, a Shaman from Grania, had been talking with Malak at the time and had also listened to Rashi's story. After they had all read Dakar's diary they formed the League of Shamans, four Shamans, with Ekon as their leader, dedicated to fulfil Dakar's wish for revenge on Atalai, the Ice Queen. Their challenge was to find a way to achieve their goal.
Rashi remained in his position as Atalai's Shaman so that he could watch her and report back to his colleagues. He had to hide his true feelings but realised that it would be important for him to stay close to the Ice Queen. This had proved true when the League decided to attack Atalai in her palace. It had been Rashi who had arranged for Ekon to enter the palace to cast the spell that would freeze her permanently. Unfortunately Maximilian had interfered and saved the queen, another reason to regret the suggestion to bring him to Frizland. Ekon had been lucky to escape.
The breakthrough in acquiring a way of exacting real revenge had come, as was expected, from Ekon. He had contacts throughout the Mystic World and had been told of one of Maximilian's own spells. He had travelled to the Ancient Library while Maximilian was absent and tricked the old librarian to give him access to the Book of Spells. There he had discovered the Freezing Spell but, even better, it had included an additional spell that would prevent the original spell being reversed.
That Freezing Spell had been used on the village of Rajik because it was the home of Frostwolf, the troll soldier responsible for the cruel treatment of Dakar's father. The villagers were all relatives of Frostwolf and the League believed that true revenge would only be achieved by making all of them suffer. They had been lucky to catch up with the last of them when Bladefoot made the mistake of walking into the forest on his own. By chance, Ekon was meeting Rashi there at the time and had frozen him.
The final act had been on the villagers of Tetra. The League could not afford to have anybody assist Maximilian in his quest to find the answers to why the revenge attacks were being carried out or how the spells were being cast. The freezing of Tetra had been done as a warning to all villagers that they were not to give any information to the League's enemies. Vandar's actions in helping Maximilian and Matilda had already led to Rashi being exposed and had forced him to flee.
Rashi whipped the mountain ponies again to speed them towards his destination.
Chapter 22
Maximilian's Mission
Maximilian had decided to follow up on Matilda's suggestion to return home and question The Keeper about the Spell Book in the Ancient Library. If any strangers had been into the library or asking questions about it, The Keeper should know. Maximilian realised that he would have to be tactful in approaching The Keeper as they had not parted on good terms. The fire in the attic where the treasures there had been endangered had led to The Keeper being retired from his post as watchman over the attic. Maximilian had not been sympathetic towards him and The Keeper had finally agreed to leave. He now lived a lonely life in a mud-brick house near Maximilian's palace and had been given the role of looking after the Ancient Library. It was a big step down from his previous role. Besides that, he was really a cranky old man.
This is what Maximilian had told Matilda. He added that he would not be using the Story Mat for his transport this time but would be using his own magic. The trip here on the mat had only been to accompany Matilda. He assured her that he would be back in no time, hopefully with some answers, and told her not to stray from the Ice Palace until he returned.
And so, that afternoon, Matilda watched as Maximilian waved his arms and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a flash of light. In a split second he reappeared beside his oasis and proceeded to The Keeper's house. Unfortunately the old man was not there so Maximilian walked across to the palace and headed for the library where he found The Keeper asleep at his desk.
“Harumph,” he coughed, and The Keeper jumped up in surprise.
“Master,” he gasped, wiping his sleepy eyes. “I thought you were away on a mission.”
“So that meant that you could sleep on
the job?” asked Maximilian, forgetting his promise to be gentle with the old man.
“No, no,” insisted The Keeper, fearing that he would lose this job as well, “I don't do this often. I just had a sleepless night last night. My stomach was playing up and my arthritis . . .”
“Enough,” said Maximilian. “I am not interested in your sleeping patterns. I need some more important information from you.”
“Yes, Master, anything,” replied The Keeper.
“It seems that somebody has been stealing from the Spell Book,” stated Maximilian. “When you haven't been sleeping, I was hoping that you would know who has been here without permission, or who has been asking questions about the library.”
He saw The Keeper's face pale
“Um, no,” mumbled The Keeper.
“No what?” insisted Maximilian. “No, you weren't sleeping, or no you haven't seen anybody around the library?”
The Keeper’s face now turned to red. “No, I don't think anybody has been here.”
It was obvious to Maximilian that he was lying and having trouble doing it.
“If you lie to me there will terrible consequences for you,” Maximilian threatened. “If you have done something wrong, or made a mistake . . . again . . . you'd better own up now – or else.”
“Well . . . now that you come to mention it,” said The Keeper, realising the danger of his situation and looking thoughtfully into mid-air so as to avoid Maximilian's fierce stare, “I do recall somebody hanging around the library a few months ago . . . while you were away on business.”
“Hm-m-m,” muttered Maximilian, recognising the beginning of a lie.
“But I don't think he meant any harm,” The Keeper added quickly. “He just hung around the front of the library. I told him that the library was out of bounds to anybody but you and he seemed to accept that.” He paused.
“Keep going,” instructed Maximilian. “I want to know everything . . . EVERYTHING!”
The Keeper shrank back against the wall. “I don't know what else to tell you,” he pleaded in a whining voice. He could feel the trap closing.
“What other information did you give this 'visitor'?”