Assassins

by R A Browell

  ‘What is that?’ asked Charlie in a whisper which echoed loud against the high arched ceiling.

  ‘It’s a hydrolis,’ replied Silky in a whispered undertone, ‘like the one on the door.’

  ‘I thought that was a dragon,’ replied Charlie.

  Silky smiled, putting a finger to her mouth to silence him, as she climbed the ruined staircase. She got to the top step and then turned to face the five teenagers.

  ‘Each of you must pass through the veil in entirety. Don’t try and avoid the water. Then you must exit down the staircase that leads from the top, down into the side chamber at the other end of the hall. Don’t come back this way and don’t stop once you’ve entered the waters.’ She smiled at them. ‘And don’t look so worried, you’ve managed to pass safely through one gateway already and this isn’t as wet as it looks,’ she added as she walked straight into the stream of black water.

  ‘It’s a good job that the stories aren’t true, isn’t it?’ whispered James with a resigned smile.

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘About running water…’

  ‘How do we know it’s not true?’ asked Charlie nervously as he watched Silky, then Valens and Ziggy walk through the black watery veil into the hydrolis’ mouth.

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake;’ said James impatiently. ‘We don’t believe in any of that superstitious rubbish!’

  Hari caught hold of Charlie’s shoulder and nudged him towards the curtain.

  ‘Hey!’ he cried, ‘I’m warning you, if I melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, I’ll be back to haunt you with a thousand flesh eating monkeys!’ he added as he closed his eyes and stepped forward, into the falling water.

  Ilia

  ‘Whoah!’ gasped Charlie, looking around in amazement as they walked out through the other side of the waterfall and down a series of gleaming marble steps.

  Hari and James followed looking equally dazzled. To their surprise they were all completely dry, their clothes were clean and not a hair on their heads was out of place. Hari was beaming; delighted to be laundered and perfumed once again after the journey through the forest.

  Silky, Valens and Ziggy were already at the bottom of the staircase, standing in the central hall that they’d crossed just minutes earlier, but everything had changed. Silky was talking to a tall bearded man in long white robes, while all around them other similarly robed figures were darting here and there, entering and leaving though ornate doorways etched into the previously bare rock face.

  The three boys slowly looked around. The whole chamber was different; lined with richly coloured polished marble and around them, supporting the roof, were tall columns with ornamented capitals, each of which was decorated with different flowers, their leaves and petals expanding ever outwards. Each column had been carefully sculptured and then painted in different shades of greens and purples and pinks and reds, so that it appeared as though real plants were growing out of the stone.

  ‘Do you see that?’ whispered James, peering up at a particularly vigorous vine creeping around the nearest column.

  ‘What?’ asked Charlie, his eye following an attractive robed girl as she hurried across the vast chamber and disappeared through one of the doorways.

  ‘That!’ said James, nudging his friend hard and nodding towards the sculptured vine. ‘It’s moving – watch!’

  Hari and Charlie looked up at the domed ceiling. Although the leaves and flowers were clearly made of stone, they seemed alive. They were growing, entwining, flexing and swaying in the light breeze that filtered around the hall. The stone stems strained, reaching for the single stream of sunlight, which entered through the small oculus in the centre of the main dome, and as Charlie followed the single beam of light with his eye, he saw how it highlighted the intricate mosaic pictures that littered the floor, like a super trouper illuminating an actor on the stage. It was bright, exposing the rich fragments of colour to a fresh audience, forcing them to act out their ancient stories with each new ray of light. The ruins were well and truly gone, and in their place was a beautiful building, perhaps a palace or temple, whose walls and ceilings were decorated with nymphs and faeries and other mythical creatures.

  ‘And the paintings as well…Look!’ whispered Hari.

  The painted figures were also moving. Fauns frolicked and centaurs carried huge bows, majestically pulling them back ready to fire their arrows in the great battle that was being played out above the boys’ heads. What looked like a race of giants, huge men and women, actively defended their castles, whilst thunderbolts flew from the tails of serpents and a six-headed creature was fought off by a particularly fierce looking warrior. The colours were so vivid and the images so true to life that the three of them stared open mouthed as they tried to catch and memorise every animated detail.

  ‘Ah, good. You’re all through,’ said Silky, looking up. ‘You took your time; we’ve been waiting here for at least an hour for you to reappear.’

  Charlie opened his mouth to object, but was beaten to it.

  ‘Silky, there’s no way you could have been waiting an hour,’ objected Hari. ‘We walked straight through the waterfall like you said and stepped out of the other side. We can’t have been more than two minutes behind you.’

  Silky glanced uncertainly at the tall bearded man standing beside her. He nodded his head and smiled thoughtfully at the three visitors.

  ‘Well, anyway, as you can see,’ continued Silky, ‘appearances can be deceptive in Dodona. This is Romulus Bek; he’s one of the satyrs who runs Ilia’s household. Romulus, this is Charlie, Hari and James, as I’ve already explained, they’re friends.’

  ‘But I thought you said Ilia lived alone?’ said Hari staring at the satyr suspiciously.

  ‘I said that she prefers a solitary existence,’ corrected Silky, ‘not that she lives alone. There’s a difference. Anyway no one could live in such a place without some kind of help.’

  ‘Satyr? But I thought,’ Charlie muttered, stopping himself mid-sentence as Romulus turned, his robe shifting slightly to expose two perfectly-shaped, oiled hooves.

  Charlie swallowed as he pulled his eyes away and looked up into the satyr’s face.

  Romulus was smiling, slowly stroking his coiffured goatee beard.

  ‘I know,’ a deep jovial voice boomed out, ‘it takes some getting used to. I would probably feel the same about you if I saw you in action, but this lady assures me that my part-humanity will be a strong deterrent against you hunting me!’ he said, his deep loud laugh echoing around the hall.

  ‘Now Romulus,’ Silky smiled coyly, ‘you of all people should know better than to tease the little ones.’

  Valens looked at his mother warily. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of her. She was light-hearted, somehow playful in this place; flirting even. What was it about nymphs and fauns?

  ‘Thanks,’ said Charlie grimly, ‘I think you should know that we do think about things other than our next meal!’

  ‘Although not very often,’ added Hari, keeping a straight face.

  Romulus raised his eyebrows.

  ‘He’s joking!’ exclaimed Silky. ‘Valens, back me up.’ Valens was dragged away from his thoughts by the mention of his name.

  ‘He’s joking,’ he repeated like a drone, ‘but you shouldn’t encourage your friend here, Mother,’ he paused. ‘You should know by now just how touchy these bloodsuckers can be.’

  ‘Not as touchy as those half nymphs who find it difficult to keep up with what’s been said!’ replied Charlie.

  Valens looked away angrily.

  ‘Come on you two, that’s enough,’ said James scowling at each of them. ‘This winding each other up has to stop. It’s not helpful in finding Lil and that’s why we’re here, right? Try and stay focused. The sooner we find her the sooner we can get back home.’

  Romulus looked on with amusement as he listened to them. ‘Ah!’ he remarked, a smile still playing on his face, ‘a thoughtful vampire; such a ra
rity nowadays! Silky tells me you wish to request some time with Ilia.’

  James nodded.

  ‘Well, it’s fortunate you have come now. She has just today returned from her pilgrimage. She has been away for many seasons, purifying her body and mind but now she is back. She may wish to bathe and dress first. You must wait whilst I ask whether she feels up to meeting you after she has just returned from such a long journey.’

  ‘But Romulus,’ Silky reminded him, ‘please don’t forget what I said. Time is of the essence. Lily is still a child, newly out of transition, and she’s still missing. We need to find her as quickly as possible.’

  Romulus nodded. ‘I will see what I can do. I understand your need to establish some kind of trail. Leave it with me. Two minutes, please.’ Romulus turned and left the vast hall through one of the ornate doorways, carrying himself gracefully on his two hooves.

  ‘Can we trust him?’ asked James, looking at Valens and Ziggy.

  Valens nodded. ‘He’s one of the guardians here,’ he explained. ‘He runs Ilia’s household. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t.’

  ‘And I have known him for longer than I care to remember,’ interrupted Silky. ‘He’s aware of the problems we face in recovering the Elementals.’

  ‘You spoke to him about that!’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘You realise that puts Lily’s life in further danger.’

  ‘Not from Romulus. I’ve known him many years. He is trusted in all things by Ilia. He has become her eyes and ears over the centuries and sometimes you have to trust people, Charlie. I know it’s difficult and I wouldn’t trust everyone here, just like you wouldn’t trust every human, but some people are essentially good, like Andrew Carfax. You’d trust him, wouldn’t you?’

  Charlie pursed his lips. She had a point, but the search for the Elementals was supposed to be secret. His eye caught a particularly beautiful nymph as she crossed in front of the fountain, gliding smoothly across the polished floor like a dancer on ice.

  ‘Come! She will see you now before she bathes,’ said Romulus from the doorway. Charlie pulled his gaze reluctantly away from the nymph. ‘I have explained everything,’ Romulus continued, ‘and she agrees that time will be of the essence to you all, and to your friend. Come now, we must hurry.’

  Romulus led them across the great chamber and out though the bronze doors into the brilliant sunshine. The rectangular pond was now crystal clear, the water a brilliant blue, and it was surrounded by a pristine colonnade with smooth white marble plinths and statues that appeared to be perfect images of the same creatures they’d seen pictured in the vast domed hall; nymphs and fauns and other mythical beings that were unknown to Hari, Charlie and James.

  ‘What’s that smell?’ Charlie frequenced, as they skirted around the ornamental pool and headed across another flawless flagged courtyard towards a series of manicured rose gardens beyond.

  ‘No idea,’ replied James, screwing up his nose, ‘but it’s disgusting, like something just died. You alright, mate?’ James had noticed Hari, who was probably the cleanest creature on the planet, struggling to control his retching as his stomach flipped inside out and back again.

  ‘I don’t know if I can get a lot closer to it!’ Hari gasped as his stomach flipped violently again and he gave another involuntary retch and bent over double.

  ‘Hari?’ Silky looked at the teenager with motherly concern. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘It’s the smell, I can’t seem to…’ his eyes were watering as he tried to control his breathing. ‘In through the nose, out through the mouth…’ he muttered to himself. ‘Can’t you smell it?’ he asked, holding his hand to his mouth as his stomach lurched once again.

  Silky, Valens and Ziggy shook their heads.

  ‘It’s pretty bad,’ said Charlie, ‘but Hari’s more particular than most about being clean!’

  ‘Listen you go on ahead,’ Hari stammered. ‘I’ll be fine in a minute.’ He bent over again and started to retch. ‘Go. I’ll catch up…’

  They found Ilia at the far end of the gardens by another blue pond under a round limestone summerhouse. They’d expected a picture of celestial beauty to match the unveiled surroundings, but there, sitting under cover on a stone bench was a woman, so filthy and so encrusted with mud, with matted hair and dressed in animal skins so crudely constructed into a short makeshift tunic, that it was impossible to make any further judgement about her. They could see that she had no shoes on her feet and that her toes were so ingrained with filth, that they were black as if they’d been frostbitten and that her legs, whilst long and shapely, were so torn and bloody that they seemed barely able to support her. Only as the party drew nearer did the spectacle become even more curious.

  Ilia was bent over; occupied by something moving in her hands, but what caught their attention was what was hanging above her bended head in the summerhouse. She was surrounded by the carcasses of hundreds of small woodland creatures; grey squirrels, fat rats and black crows, all of them in various stages of decay and hanging about her like some macabre rotting mobile.

  ‘Nice!’ frequenced Charlie, exchanging a quick glance with James.

  ‘There’s more,’ frequenced Ziggy. ‘Look…’

  Ilia’s attention was fixed on a number of small objects that she was moving from hand to hand, peering at them closely and then bending her ear down to them. She listened intently before once again, moving them from hand to hand. And then there was the smell; an odour so strong that it completely overwhelmed Charlie and James, temporarily dulling their senses.

  She straightened and looked up as they approached, observing their reactions as all four boys felt the breath leave their bodies. They’d expected some withered, foul smelling, old hag, but what sat before them was so very unexpected and so completely the opposite. All that their eyes could focus on was the bright skin and chasm-deep eyes of the most compelling woman that any of them had ever seen. She placed the small objects gently down on the stone table with her filthy hands, before she stood and stepped forward to welcome them.

  ‘Silky!’ she said, her unaffected voice soft, almost musical, as she stretched out her blood streaked, grimy arms

  ‘I thought she didn’t know Ilia?’ frequenced James, quickly casting a glance at Charlie and Ziggy.

  ‘Me too, and judging by the look on Valens’ face, so did he,’ replied Ziggy.

  ‘Ilia, it has been many years,’ replied Silky, reaching out to greet the dirty, unkempt woman.

  ‘I understand you have travelled far. Come. Sit. You have spoken to Romulus.’ She smiled as she guided Silky towards the smooth white stone bench.

  ‘We were catching up on the old days,’ said Silky wistfully, minding her head as she took a seat.

  ‘Ah yes, the old days.’ Ilia paused, ‘but you have a problem and you think I may be able to help?’

  Hari had managed to control his gag reflex temporarily and although pale and shaking, had caught up with the rest of the party. Romulus turned and beamed broadly, slapping him heartily on the back as he joined them but Hari’s attention was distracted by the small cylindrical chunks of iridescent rock on the stone table which were moving, gathering together and regrouping like Roman centurions in the battlefield. He nudged James and nodded at the tiny rocks as they continued to gather, their little leg-like protuberances carrying them quickly to their brothers, so that they looked like a clump of iridescent maggots, before they finally settled down to become just another piece of rock crystal, gleaming as the sunlight hit its jagged silvery surface.

  ‘I explained our position to Romulus,’ said Silky.

  ‘Yes, your charge, Lily Carfax, is missing. Go on.’

  ‘The Laudis think that Lily is important. Her heritage suggests to them that she may be the key to returning the stolen Elementals,’ explained Silky. ‘She can move freely between the four worlds and appears to have some kind of protection from the earthcries through a pendant given to her by her mother. They have enlisted her help but she has gone mi
ssing.’ Silky explained what Grandfather had said about the open window and the mist. ‘I know that the lake people travel using the mist when they make their visits to Pergamont,’ Silky continued, ‘but I know so little about their culture. Why would they want Lily? They have never struck me as a people who would abduct a guest. I always thought of them as a peaceful people. But what worries me most Ilia, is how they would have known about Lily in the first place? How would they know of her significance and the fact that she had only just arrived at Pergamont that evening?’

  Ilia listened and reflected on Silky’s words as they sat together on the curved bench at the stone table under the orchestra of rotting animals that swayed in the gentle breeze. She invited the others to join them in the shaded summerhouse.

  ‘And these friends of Lily; the gatekeepers allowed them admittance too?’ she asked, smiling at Hari who remained outside.

  ‘They insisted on coming,’ replied Silky. ‘I thought it best to let the gatekeepers make the final decision.’

  Ilia nodded thoughtfully as she stroked the cylindrical edges of the living rock crystal with the tips of her fingers. Eventually she spoke.

  ‘I don’t think that Lily’s significance with the Elementals is at point here. At least not in her abduction. Just as I don’t think the lake people would have any interest in taking her; they simply would have no use for a young female sanguin. As you say, they are a peaceful people who spend their time in pursuit of beauty and pleasure. In that respect, they are very much more like the Kelpasians than the Farisians. Tell me about Lily, Romulus mentioned that singing was heard before she disappeared. Is she a singer?’