Amelliea looked at the bulging pack strapped across his shoulder. “The maid packed all the dresses?” she asked. “I did not think of them as mine.”
Bloom shrugged. “Come this way,” he urged, and Amelliea quickly followed him out of the dungeon. They hurried along a wide corridor carpeted with many ornate rugs. They moved first past the portrait gallery and then the library, while listening intently for the footsteps of strangers ahead.
“Going somewhere?” asked a man’s voice from behind them. The King stepped out from inside the library. A row of warriors filed out behind him. With a stab of betrayal, Amelliea noticed that Galvan was among the fighters.
“Stay back,” said Bloom, moving in front of Amelliea.
“Father, we’re surrounded,” said the girl, upon discovering that Gators had filled in the corridor behind them as well.
The King snapped his fingers and his guards moved in on Amelliea.
“Don’t do this!” yelled Bloom.
“You force my hand,” replied the King.
Amelliea fought off the men that attacked her even though she was outnumbered and unarmed. Bloom was busy keeping the guards at bay who were attacking them from the front.
The King turned to Galvan. “Go get her,” he said.
Galvan came forward, passing the other fighters. Amelliea was ready for him. They fought for real for the first time, violently striking at each other as though they were enemies. Amelliea blocked a punch to the face, and pulled down on Galvan’s elbow, taking his balance. He recovered quickly and swerved around, reversing the technique onto his opponent. Amelliea moved to kick him in the stomach, but Galvan pushed her away, neutralizing the attack. They grappled in fierce combat for several minutes.
“Galvan, how could you?” cried Amelliea, as he finally overpowered her.
“You mustn’t be so gullible,” he said, dragging Amelliea over to his father.
Bloom shoved away the last of the men within reach and whorled around.
“The girl, for the purse!” said the King.
“How do I know you won’t kill her anyway?” asked Bloom, taking out the wallet.
“You are in no position to negotiate, unless your daughter’s life is worth nothing to you?” answered the King of thieves.
“I agree to the trade, just don’t do anything I will make you regret,” said Bloom.
“I wanted the Map of Inquisition,” sighed the King, “but I will settle for a mountain of gold instead, since you have failed to acquire the map in your ineptitude! Toss me the purse or I will kill your daughter without so much as a moment’s hesitation!” He turned to his son. “Give me the girl!”
“Take her,” said Galvan, flinging Amelliea into his father’s large arms. The King held a dagger to Amelliea’s throat.
Bloom took out the threadbare coin purse. “Take it easy with that knife,” he said, and tossed the purse carefully to the King. The other man caught it with one hand, and immediately tucked it away into one of his many pockets.
“You have it, now let my daughter go!” said Bloom, his voice growing more stern by the minute.
“Not before she weds my son!” said the King.
“I will do no such thing!” shouted Amelliea struggling against the man.
“I’m afraid you have no choice, my little dove,” hissed the King into her ear with his thick lips. “Where is the priest?” he demanded.
“I’m here, sire,” said the white-robed man pushing his way past the soldiers. There was much commotion as people milled around in preparation for the rushed ceremony.
“Enough!” shouted Bloom, and the hallway went dead quiet. “I am not by nature a patient man, so do not assume that I can resist turning the lot of you into rodents for very much longer!” His hands were glowing a bright yellow light at the palms. “Incan-duim, soot-say-oom…” began Bloom.
“No—please no!” pleaded the priest.
Amelliea stomped on the King’s toes, making him simultaneously drop his dagger and release her. He tried to grab her, but she managed to escape him.
“…sul-vanium, cand-esse-ome!” Bloom finished the incantation just as Amelliea rushed to his side. He put his arm around her and held her close.
The King closed his eyes and put his hands over his face as if to shield himself from whatever would happen as a result of Bloom’s magic. His men followed suit. Only Galvan remained unafraid and looked on with fascination.
The carpet Amelliea and Bloom stood on suddenly came to life beneath their feet and lifted up off the floor. Amelliea and Bloom fell back and then sat up on the comfortable, taught fabric of the red and gold carpet. There were gasps from the many soldiers in the hallway as the wizard and his daughter flew up right over their heads and on through the palace.
“After them you fools!” yelled the King, but there was no catching the two escapees. Amelliea glanced back at Galvan, only to find him smiling at her. Bloom guided the magic carpet out of an open palace window, and they flew high above the Gator city. Citizens below pointed at them as they passed, their upturned faces wearing the expressions of wonder.
“Its great to have you back!” laughed Amelliea, leaning against her father in a side hug.
“It’s good to be back,” said Bloom with a smile, returning the embrace.
When they had made it out of the canyon, they stopped to collect Bloom’s positions where he had stashed them, and after they had dismounted, the wizard commanded the magic carpet to go home.
“Can’t we ride on it a wile longer?” asked Amelliea, making the carpet hesitate.
“No, we must continue on foot. I make it a point not to steal the possessions of others if I can avoid it,” said Bloom.
“But it wants to stay,” pointed out Amelliea. At these words, the carpet nodded, clapping two of its corners together in excitement and producing a small cloud of dust. “We are saving it from a lifetime of people walking all over it and wiping their dirty feet on its velvet back all day long.”
“I’m afraid I have to send it back,” said Bloom. “It’s charm will wear off and what will we do with it then?” He turned to the magic carpet. “I am your creator, therefore, I am your master. Return to the palace, and be as you were. You are to be as a normal carpet once more. Do you understand?”
The carpet nodded sadly, and flew off.
“They’ve probably replaced it already,” sighed Amelliea. “How sad it will feel to find that no one wants it anymore, not even to wipe their feet on.”
Bloom chuckled, “You just want an easy ride to the Citrulene region.”
“And so what if I do?” she asked.
“Trust me, it is best if we don’t ride in on a magic carpet,” laughed Bloom.
“But it is going to be such a long way,” groaned Amelliea.
“Do not fret my little goose, there will be much to see, and many topics to catch up on,” said Bloom, ruffling her hair. He shouldered his pack and picked up his staff.
Amelliea glanced back at the Gator canyon in the distance.
“You’ll come back to visit someday, you’ll see,” said Bloom upon noticing where his daughter’s gaze lingered.
“Yes, but next time everything will be—well, different,” she said.
“Every moment decides our fate,” said Bloom. “We must choose as wisely as we can and try to be content with our decisions, for if one’s aim is to do good, one cannot live life incorrectly.”
“I fear I’ve made my first mistake,” said Amelliea. “For I leave part of my heart behind forever in the Gator city.”
“It is good to have your heart expand, even if it hurts a little,” said Bloom kindly.
“Do you always feel sad when you leave a place you like?”
“Yes,” replied Bloom, “but sadness is not an enemy to block out or avoid, but rather a long lost brother to embrace. For when your heart breaks, it always breaks open.”
She took his arm and they set off Westward across the red desert.
“So
tell me about your new tattoos,” said Amelliea with a smile.
Chapter 43
A New Direction
As they trekked westward, Bloom recounted in detail his experience in the Wanderers Mountains, and Amelliea listened with interest. She asked many questions about the werewolf in particular, wanting to deduce the beast’s motives from his actions. After Bloom had told her everything up until the moment he had found her in the dungeon, the girl looked at the markings on his face in awe and shook her head in disbelief. “So you found the Map of Inquisition!” she said.
“It found me,” replied Bloom.
“And you risked the wolf scalping you for it in hopes of discovering his plots?”
“I was prepared to defend myself,” said Bloom. He grew quiet and they walked on in silence.
Amelliea began to sense that something was bothering the wizard.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s just—well, I worked hard to find all that treasure!” Bloom confessed. “And now it’s all in the hands of that lousy old thief! It was better off buried in the Wanderers Mountains!”
“What treasure?” asked Amelliea.
“You know, the treasure in the wallet,” said Bloom dejectedly.
“Oh, you mean, this wallet?” asked Amelliea, producing the enchanted coin purse from the pocket of her robes.
“What? Where did you—” broke off Bloom. “Did you pinch that from the Gator King?” he asked.
“I sure did,” smiled Amelliea.
“I should never have left you in the company of thieves,” said the wizard, taking the wallet and peeking inside to make sure the treasure was still there. “Should have known their bad habits would rub off on you.”
“What’s done is done, father,” shrugged Amelliea with a twinkle of humor in her eyes. “You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Oh alright, that’s quite enough,” he laughed. “I did notice that you acquired some pretty astounding new fighting skills,” Bloom said.
“I should hope so, after one hundred days of such rigorous training!” said Amelliea. Now it was her turn to tell Bloom about her experience in the palace. She told him of all the friends she had made, and of the Prince as well as Gabriellen. Amelliea explained how difficult it was to adjust to all the new rules and customs of the Gator region, and how in the end she came to love many of the very same differences that bothered her at first.
“I still don’t understand what Galvan saw in Gabriellen though,” said Amelliea. “It seems crazy to me that he would want to be with such a mean woman.”
“Its not that he didn’t see how cruel she was, I think the Prince just thought you were too good for him,” explained Bloom.
“Oh sure,” said Amelliea in disbelief.
“I’ve seen it before,” said Bloom. “Sometimes people don’t go for the one they really want because they feel unworthy and they unconsciously settle for less. You see, Galvan wasn’t at all worried about what Gabriellen thought of him, and this allowed him to perhaps feel quite comfortable being himself around her, even when he wasn’t being the best version of himself,” expounded Bloom. “He knew Gabriellen would always act worse than him in all dealings, and this would effortlessly and constantly make Galvan look good. You on the other hand, he would have to make an effort to please. Galvan would have to become a better man to be worthy of you, and make a constant effort to remain your equal, matching your rate of personal growth and development. In my opinion, he chose the easy way out, and in that way perhaps you were not a good match for him after all.”
“That’s an interesting theory,” said Amelliea skeptically.
They broke camp that evening in a shallow cave that was only a few feet deep but was quite tall and open from more than one side. The campfire cast a bright dancing light onto the inside of the cave as the two travelers prepared food and laid out their bedding. The stars came out one by one until there were as many stars in the sky as there was darkness between them.
In the morning, when Amelliea awoke, it took her a moment to remember where she was. It seemed she had grown more accustom to her bedroom in the palace than she had even suspected. It was a chilly morning. Amelliea stretched and sat up on her sleeping mat. Bloom handed her a bowl of piping hot oatmeal.
“Starting the day off right,” smiled Amelliea blowing on a heaping spoonful to cool it before shoveling it into her mouth. “I do miss living without all the etiquette of the palace,” she said with her mouth full.
“You still have every right to eat like a lady, and not a rhinosaur, should you choose to exercise that right,” said Bloom making light of her new appreciation for freedom.
“That’s true, but it’s having the choice that feels good,” smiled Amelliea. She watched her father rolling up his mat. The crolackrolite stones weighed heavily in his many pockets.
“You know,” she said, “there are better ways of carrying those things.” Amelliea pointed to his general figure.
“Pray do tell,” encouraged Bloom sarcastically.
Amelliea snorted, shrugging off her father’s playfully moody attitude. “You could fashion a harness that would distribute the weight of the stones more evenly,” she said.
“For sixteen years you have watched me suffer,” said Bloom, leaning on his staff, “and only now do you offer a solution?”
Amelliea laughed, “Well I was busy!”
Bloom chuckled, “So it would seem.”
Amelliea realized that her father had a head start on packing his things, and she reached for her own pack. She had noticed the night before that the maid who had packed her belongings had been more then generous with fitting in all of the clothing that had been sewn for Amelliea. The girl searched through the neatly folded garments until she found a pair of navy trousers and a matching silk tunic that she had never worn before. The tunic came down to the knees and was patterned with silver and green embroidery. Amelliea dawned the new garments right over her underclothes. She knelt back down to fish around in her pack for a pair of fresh stalking’s, when she came across the folded invitation from the Citrulene region.
“Oh, I have been meaning to ask you,” she said standing up and handing the invitation to Bloom. “Do you think it would be alright if I participated in a little fighting competition?”
Bloom read over the invitation carefully. “Absolutely—not!” he said, after reading the gruesome warning. “I will not have you slaughtered before my very eyes so that you can have a shot at earning some meaningless title.”
“Father, I want to compete!” said Amelliea.
“Collect your things, we must travel a great distance today,” said Bloom.
“No!” said Amelliea. “I will go nowhere until you promise to let me participate in the challenge.”
“What is the use?” asked Bloom. “Even if I promise, I will use a memory charm on you later to make you forget that I promised.”
“We both know you would never do that.”
“Just because I wouldn’t, doesn’t mean I couldn’t. The answer is still no!”
“But—” protested Amelliea.
“I cannot allow it!” said Bloom. “Don’t you see? The world needs our help! There is more at stake here than your fragile little life, even though your life means more to me than all of Windiffera!”
“But it is my dream! I live to fight!” cried Amelliea. “It’s not my fault I wasn’t bourn gifted at something simple like needlepoint, or making pickled vegetables! Whether you like it or not, I am a warrior! It is my destiny to die in battle.”
“Not while I still live, it’s not!” said Bloom.
“You are so overly protective of me, I hardly get to live at all!”
“Amelliea—”
It was her turn to cut him off. “Father, I will compete in the challenge!” said Amelliea, shouldering her pack.
They trekked in silence for well over an hour, angry with each other. Bloom thumped his walking stick in the dirt a good deal harde
r than was needed, and Amelliea pressed her lips together in defiance. They walked, several yards apart until neither of them could take it any longer.
“I’m sorry,” said Amelliea finally.
“No, I’m the one—” began Bloom.
“Your approval is important to me,” interrupted Amelliea.
Bloom sighed, “I won’t be able to help you once you are in the ring.”
“I know, and I won’t need your help.”
“Understand, to let my only child place herself in harms way is difficult for me to do,” said Bloom. “Every bone in my body resists letting you go and do such a thing.”
“Yet go I must,” said Amelliea.
Bloom shook his head in agreement, “I see that now.”
“I love you,” said Amelliea.
“And I you,” replied Bloom.
Chapter 44
The Citrulene City
In four days time, Amelliea and Bloom reached the Citrulene region. They walked through the maple forest, their footsteps crunching on the frosted leaves carpeting the ground. It was the beginning of winter, and as Bloom breathed the sent of fallen leaves, he recalled finding Amelliea in those very same woods long ago. He looked over at his daughter as she strode confidently beside him, now a beautiful young woman. How different she was from the frightened child he had once saved!
Amelliea caught his eyes and smiled. “Isn’t it lovely here?” she asked. “It feels almost familiar.”
They walked along a short stonewall covered in reddish moss. Bloom trailed his hand along the stone. “This is where I found you,” he said.
“Here?” asked Amelliea. “In the Citrulene region?”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you?” Bloom looked up ahead at a castle high above them, crowning the top of a steep mountain. The road wound up and up in front of them, leading to the Citrulene city inside the castle walls.
“I thought you found me in the Finklefoot region,” said Amelliea.
The Curse (The Windore Series Book 2) Page 27