"They have guards on the gates," she whispered.
"How will we get past them?" he whispered back.
"How good are your powers?"
"My powers?"
"You know what I mean, I can sense the energy in you from here. Can you control it enough yet to take them out?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know, I might end up killing them. Did you see what I did to Hadron? I wasn't even trying then." She nodded and pursed her lips thinking.
"Ok, we don't need dead elves on our hands, that could start a war. I'll try a spell instead but I'm a bit rusty. I haven't practiced much recently."
"What type of spell? Can you turn them into frogs or something?" asked Alex.
Ellewen glared at him. "Frogs...really? You need a better imagination. I'll try a sleeping spell but we will need to get a bit closer," she said.
They crept around the tree and crawled on their hands and knees through the bushes trying to make as little sound as possible. They stopped about twenty large paces away from two huge wrought iron gates, which were intricately carved with leaves and flowers. The gates were set into a tall grey wall, which stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. Alex looked towards the top of the wall and could see two guard towers either side of the gates. He couldn't see anyone in the towers, they were too high up but he did see the sun glint off a spear in each tower and figured there was one guard in each. Two tall good-looking men wearing silver helmets with cheek pieces were standing by the gates with long spears in their hands. They were staring straight ahead on full alert.
Alex mouthed "four" to Ellewen and pointed up towards the guard towers. She nodded her head in understanding, closed her eyes and started singing a beautiful lullaby. Alex looked at her confused.
After a few moments Alex stifled a large yawn and she nudged him on the arm.
"Put your hands over your ears," she hissed.
"Why?" he asked confused.
"The spell is affecting you too stupid," she whispered.
Alex did what she asked and she continued singing softly. Alex looked at the guards and they started to rub their eyes and yawn.
"It's working," Alex whispered excitedly. She carried on singing until the guards dropped their spears and sank to the floor closing their eyes.
"Were you seriously singing a lullaby?" asked Alex.
"Of course, it's the oldest spell in the book. Millions of parents sing them every night to get their children to sleep and have no idea they are using magic," she said grinning.
"Hurry we won't have much time before someone finds them," she said standing up slowly.
"Did you get the ones up there too?" asked Alex.
"I hope so, we will find out in a minute," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"How long will they be asleep for?"
"A few hours. They will feel great when they wake up, there will be no lasting damage," she grinned.
They approached the gates tentatively expecting to be stopped at any moment by the guards in the towers but there was silence and no one was in the area other than the sleeping guards on the floor. Alex pushed open one of the gates and they slipped inside quickly closing it behind them. Alex immediately looked for somewhere to hide so they could get their bearings and plan their next move.
He gestured to the guard tower on the left and Ellewen nodded in agreement. Alex cautiously opened the wooden door and peeked in. There was a small room with a guard lying asleep on a table. They crept into the room and edged around the sleeping guard towards a set of stairs leading upwards. Alex led the way and climbed the stairs until he reached the viewing platform. He immediately saw another guard slumped on the floor deep in sleep. Ellewen joined him and he made his way to the edge so he could look at the view. On one side there was the green, dense forest. On the other, a huge city lay sprawled before them. There was row upon row of houses nestled between cobbled streets and in the distance a large turreted castle sat proudly on a hill.
"There," said Ellewen pointing to the castle. "He would have taken her there."
"How do you know? She could be anywhere?" asked Alex.
The city was massive; there was no way they could search for her here.
"He is the Prince of Alfheim and that's his home, the palace. It's the most protected place in the city. There will be guards everywhere. I won't be able to put them all to sleep," she said worried.
"Ok I have an idea," said Alex looking at the castle. "We just need to get there without being seen."
Ellewen reached out and pulled his ears upwards.
"Ouch, what are you doing?" he asked rubbing his ears. They felt strange.
"Helping us blend in," she said touching her own ears. They grew longer in front of his eyes and became pointed.
"You gave me big ears?" he asked aghast.
"I'm helping us to blend in. It's a good job you are so good looking; you could definitely pass for an elf. I might have more of a problem," she said wistfully.
"What? You are good looking," he said looking at her. "Well you are in this form." She looked cute with pointy little ears but she wasn't very tall.
"What do you mean, in this form?" she asked narrowing her eyes.
"You know, human form. Not all old and wrinkly," he said.
"Old and wrinkly? How rude! This is what I look like," she snapped.
"Oh but the other Volvas I met were hideous. They changed their appearance to look beautiful. I assumed you were like that, sorry," he said embarrassed.
"If you are talking about Cassie and Maggie, they are ancient. At least a thousand years old. Pretty sure I wouldn't look that great if I were that old," she said laughing now.
"A thousand years old? Are they immortal too then?" asked Alex surprised.
"No but they use spells to prolong their life. It's very dangerous though. Only the crazy ones do it," said Ellewen.
"So how old are you then?" asked Alex.
"Seventeen."
"Cool, well you certainly don't need any spells to make you pretty," he said flattering her. He felt far more comfortable in her presence now that he knew she wasn't about to turn into a scary girl from a horror movie. She blushed and checked her ears to make sure they were not too big.
"Come on let's do this," she said climbing down the stairs. Alex grinned and followed her quickly, quietly thinking he was meeting some rather cute girls recently.
*
The streets around the guard tower were virtually empty and they made quick progress down the narrow cobbled streets. However they soon came to a large open square, which was a hive of activity. Numerous people were packed around market stalls haggling for the best price for all manner of goods. Alex looked around fascinated. All of the people were as tall as he was and were stunningly beautiful. All the men had long blonde hair, bronzed faces and large muscly bare arms. The women were tall and elegant and also had long blonde hair, which reached almost to their feet. Both men and women wore long silky gowns in shades of green and brown.
"Just look like you belong," muttered Ellewen as she pushed into the crowd confidently.
She was at least two heads shorter than anyone in sight and drew a few curious glances, especially as she was dressed all in black. Alex hurried over to her side but a tall man pulled his arm making him stop.
"Come here, come here look at these beauties," the man called virtually dragging Alex by the arm to his stall which was packed high with strange looking fruit. Alex could feel a tingle of electricity shoot down his arm and the man jerked back.
"Oops static," said Alex apologetically. The man looked at him suspiciously.
"What are you wearing?" he asked looking Alex up and down. "You look strange."
"Oh er, Midgard clothes, I'm at school there with the Prince," he lied. "I've just come for a visit, you know. I have to rush, he's expecting me," he said backing away from the stall.
"Ah you’re here for the wedding," the man said grinning. "Should be quite the party tonight,"
he said rubbing his hands together.
"Tonight?" asked Alex in a panic. "I er didn't think it was going to happen that soon," he added when he saw the man narrowing his eyes.
"Yes he won't want to waste any time, I hear she is a stunner," the man licked his lips and grinned. "Here give her one of these," he said handing Alex a weird looking orange fruit. "Tell her there are plenty more of those on Anar's stall. I have the juiciest ones in Alfheim," he grinned.
Alex felt sick, he pushed past the man and caught up with Ellewen who had made it through to the other side of the square and was trying to look inconspicuous.
"We have to hurry, it's tonight," he hissed.
"What's tonight?" she asked puzzled.
"He's going to marry her tonight, come on," he said, dragging her by the arm down a small street.
They jogged through the narrow streets gathering strange looks as they passed. Everyone else was walking serenely as if they had all the time in the world. After a small while the streets opened up onto a large open green park. It was heaving with people setting up tents and building cooking fires. Tall, slender, beautiful children ran around screaming with laughter, getting in people's way.
"Word must be out about the wedding. That was so quick," said Ellewen furrowing her brow. "It's as though they knew beforehand," she said looking at Alex.
"What, you think Hadron had preplanned this?" asked Alex startled.
"He must have. Just look how many people there are. They must have travelled from miles around," she said angrily.
"We need to hurry," said Alex, quickly following the footpath which led straight through the park and up towards the palace.
The palace was raised on a slight hill and a tall golden fence surrounded it. The gate was guarded with heavily armed Light Elves who had tall silver shields. Each one had a long broad sword in his hand and looked ready for action at any moment. Alex motioned to Ellewen to walk around the fence to the left. They kept their distance and tried to look like they were on a casual walk. Once out of sight of the guards Alex and Ellewen approached the fence cautiously and peered through the golden bars.
"Ok, what's your plan?" asked Ellewen looking around.
"Well I figured I could blast a hole in the outside wall using my powers, we run in, find Lexi and then get the hell out of here using the crystal," he said.
"Are you serious?" asked Ellewen raising her eyebrows. "We just blast our way in, with no idea where she is? We would be caught in thirty seconds and killed. Those guards don’t look like the sort to take prisoners."
"Well can you think of anything better?" he asked. "How about your sleeping spell?"
"I wouldn't be able to do it quickly enough before others see and come out of the palace," she said.
"The fairy in Sleeping Beauty managed it," said Alex.
"Yes well I am a Volva not a fairy thank you very much. Fairies have much more magic than we do," she said tartly.
"Really?" asked Alex stunned. "Fairies are real?"
"No but it was worth it to see the look on your face," she giggled.
"Yeah very funny. Honestly with the day I’m having I would believe anything right now," he said. "Come on do you have a better plan because I don't?"
"Not really. I wonder where he's keeping her?" said Ellewen looking at the palace.
It was very big and looked like Sleeping Beauty’s castle with all of the turrets and flying flags.
"I would put money on one of the towers," said Alex.
"That is such a cliché, kidnapping a princess and holding her prisoner in a tower," Ellewen shook her head. "I reckon the dungeon, it would be the safest place."
"No I don't think so. Think about it, he wants to marry her; he's not going to lock her up in a dungeon. He will be up in that tower whispering sweet nothings in her ear and she'll be soaking it all up," said Alex bitterly.
"True, ok let's try the tallest tower first, it's closest to this side anyway," she said.
"Hang on, you're a witch, can't you just fly up on a broom stick and get in the window?" Ellewen glared at him and growled.
"Ok, ok point taken," he said laughing holding his hands up in surrender.
"Ok, we need to get through these bars, they look pretty solid. Can you handle this?" asked Ellewen.
Alex nodded and held his hands out. He concentrated and could feel the energy start to surge through his body, pulsing though his veins. Suddenly a blast of pure energy erupted from his palms completely melting the bars in front of them. Alex looked at Ellewen and grinned at the look on her face. She was standing with her eyes wide open and her mouth opening and shutting like a fish.
"Oh my god that was totally Emperor Palpatine," she said amazed.
Alex laughed, "Yep pretty cool eh? Come on before someone comes," he stepped through the melted bars and ran to the side of the palace walls. Alex faced the stonewall and started to focus on his hands concentrating on channeling the power he could feel in the pit of his stomach. The more he tried this the easier it was becoming, though he was starting to feel a bit tired.
"Psst, here..." Ellewen called over to him. She was standing further up the wall and held open an emerald crystal glass door.
"Ok that's easier," said Alex running over quickly. They looked through the door and could see what looked like a grand dining room. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and there was a long table in the middle of the room, which was laid out for a feast for at least a hundred people. A raised dais covered in white flowers was at the far end of the room and it too was laid out for a dinner.
"Well I guess we know where the wedding dinner will be, quick someone's coming," said Alex pushing Ellewen behind one of the thick purple curtains which were hanging beside the glass door.
They stood as still as they could and listened.
"Has the screaming stopped yet?" asked a voice from the far side of the room.
"Not yet, she will lose her voice soon. I don't know what all the fuss is about, I mean who wouldn't want to marry the prince? She's crazy," said another voice.
Alex could feel static electricity pulsing from his skin, he was furious and tried to calm down. Burning the curtains down would definitely give away their hiding place.
"Well it will be over soon, Reigna is brewing her something to keep her calm, she'll be compliant enough soon. Just so long as she can still speak and say I Do that's all that matters. As soon as the ring is on her finger the apples will be ours. Her mother will do anything for her daughter, even if it means immortality for the Light Elves. I can't wait to see the look on the Asgardians faces when they realise they are all going to die of old age," the person sniggered and Alex heard the sound of the door clicking shut.
They waited for a few moments and then poked their heads around the curtain. The room was empty.
"Did you hear that?" Ellewen hissed. "He only wants her to get to the golden apples, the pig. Just wait until I get my hands on him," she was burning with fury.
"Save it for later, come on let's find Lexi," Alex said making his way over to the main door.
He opened it a crack and listened. Off to the right he could make out the sound of someone shouting loudly and a large crash.
"Over there," he whispered pointing to a spiral staircase, which led up to what looked like a tower.
Ellewen pushed past him and started to climb the stairs quickly. They paused half way up when they heard an enormous scream and the sound of someone thrashing around and then there was silence. They looked at each other in panic and raced up the remaining stairs. At the top there was a large wooden door.
"Finally, I didn't think it was going to work," Alex heard Hadron's muffled voice on the other side of the door. "Reigna get her dressed, the guests will be arriving soon. I'm going to get changed myself, my darling wife to be has ripped this tunic to shreds, the little vixen. Just wait until we are married then I'll show her how a lady should behave."
Alex looked at Ellewen in panic; there was nowhere to hide. The o
nly escape was back down the stairs. Ellewen waved her arms in a large circle and muttered, "lagr firar."
"What are you doing?" whispered Alex.
Just as the door opened Alex felt himself falling to the floor.
"What happened?" he asked confused. Everything looked strange. There was a massive feather on the floor, which was at least twice the size he was. He looked up and saw the door; it was huge, taller than a mountain. Standing in the doorframe was a giant. It was Hadron Alex realised in shock. He had turned into a giant.
"It's ok I made us small," Ellewen explained. "Quick, it won't last long. It was the only thing I could think of."
"Small?" asked Alex horrified. "Ants are bigger than this, you’re going to get us killed," he complained.
"Shush, they will hear us. Come on," she grabbed his arm and tugged him into the room.
A giant foot landed right beside Alex making him jump to the side. Hadron left the room and a giant woman followed him. The woman spoke and the sound of her voice boomed and reverberated around Alex's head.
"Stay here miss, I'll just go and prepare your bath," she said.
The giant woman left the room and the door slammed shut with an enormous thud. The sound of a loud click confirmed they were locked in. Alex and Ellewen breathed a sigh of relief. Alex started to feel tingly and all of a sudden he started to grow again.
"Ah that's better," he said grinning at Ellewen.
"Quick look," she said pointing to the bed. Lexi was sitting on the edge of the bed and looked like she was in a trance. She was not moving and had not reacted at all to their sudden appearance.
"Lexi," cried Alex rushing over to the bed. "Lexi can you hear me?" he asked shaking her shoulder gently. Lexi blinked very slowly and looked at Alex. There was no comprehension at all in her eyes.
"They drugged her," said Ellewen. "Looks like she put up a good fight though."
There was shattered glass and broken bits of furniture strewn across the whole room. The curtains were torn down and there were large bruises on her wrists. Alex looked at her furious at the way she had been treated.
"Quick, I'll carry her, let's make a portal and get out of here," said Alex bending down to scoop her up in his arms.
The Cursed Sword (The Nine Worlds Trilogy Book 1) Page 17