by K Madill
Nadee’s eyes bulged. “Who are you?” she demanded, taking a few steps back towards her carriage. The worms stretched their writhing bodies in the direction of their voices and Mandamus suppressed a shiver as one bumped blindly into him as they passed. Drawing nearer, Mandamus noticed that Nadee’s gaze crawled over Luco’s face and hair. She smiled, showing mossy green teeth.
“Well, what have we here?” she crooned.
“Only a weary man and his horse, Ms. Nadee,” Luco said, hiding his trembling hands in Mandamus’ mane. “We’ve been resting here while his foot heals.”
“What’s wrong with his foot?” Nadee asked, glancing down at Mandamus’ hoof. “Forget it, who cares? What’s that?” she asked, pointing a scaly finger at the glass room.
“That’s a gift, for you,” Luco said, pulling away from Mandamus, giving a wide berth to the worms, as he went to stand beside Nadee.
“A gift for me?” She eyed the trap greedily. “Why?”
“For letting us stay here, on the shores of your lake,” Luco told her. “Go on. Go and have a look.”
Nadee gave a loud sniff then waddled down the skinny walkway to the room. She stepped onto the platform.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the bed.
“Only a place of rest for you, my Lady of the Lake. A bed where you may get your beauty sleep.”
Nadee pressed her rubbery lips together as she ran a yellow fingernail down the glass, the shrill sound searing Mandamus’ ears.
“Where did it come from?” she demanded.
“I built it for you,” Luco said, and Mandamus was impressed by Luco’s acting skills. Luco held out his hands which, Mandamus was relieved to see, had stopped shaking. “I worked my fingers to the bone.”
Nadee pursed her lips suspiciously, as she inched her way around the outside of the room, eyes gleaming as she looked at the woven headboard and pretty quilt. She paused at the entrance. Mandamus’ breath felt trapped in his chest. Would she step inside?
“You come with me,” she said coyly to Luco. “There’s room for two.”
Mandamus’ stomach dropped. Luco’s face was a frozen smile.
“I said ‘come on’, Nadee ordered.
Luco, looking stricken, ambled towards the dock. Mandamus followed close behind. Now what would they do? Mandamus turned and searched the lake for Lethe. Where was she? If she came now, that would at least provide a distraction.
Luco stepped onto the goose-neck walkway, going as slowly as he could. “You stay here,” he said to Mandamus.
“Hurry up,” Nadee said, watching Luco eagerly.
Mandamus whinnied in distress, hoping that Lethe would hear but the surface of the lake remained unbroken. Lethe was nowhere to be seen.
Even going as slow as he was, Luco had almost reached the glass room, and he twisted with a desperate look and Mandamus knew that he too was scanning the water for Lethe. He paused, steps away from Nadee, and Mandamus sank with relief when he spotted Lethe’s dark head popping out of the water.
“Push her in,” Lethe shouted. “Now, Mandamus, push her now!”
Mandamus launched forward and galloped down the skinny dock, knocking Luco out of the way. He reached Nadee and, lowering his head, he butted her as hard as he could, sending her flying head first into the room. She landed on the bed but before she could struggle to her fat little feet, Luco ran up behind him and slid the door shut. Lethe came hurling towards them on the crest of a titanic wave.
Mandamus whirled around pushing Luco ahead of him as they ran down the skinny walkway back to the beach, their ears ringing from the sounds of Nadee’s furious shrieks.
Lethe surged out of the water, sitting atop the crest of a wave until she was face to face with Nadee, who let out a small scream, then smiled sweetly.
“Let me out, dearie,” Nadee begged, her eyes desperate. “Do it now, and I…I will help you get your memory back and I’ll find your naiad boyfriend too. I’ll make him come back to you.”
Lethe’s face was like stone as she yanked on the long, trailing rope that bound the dock together. The end of the rope lashed wildly as it quickly unraveled and the floor burst apart in a spray of logs. Nadee’s howls of rage faded as the cube swiftly disappeared under the surface of the water.
Lethe was free.
Looking squeamish, Luco unharnessed the worms and shooed them away, watching as the creatures wiggled down the beach and out of sight. Lethe came running up the bank, streams of water gushing off of her and leapt into Luco’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He laughed in a way that Mandamus had never heard him before – free and careless as if his heart had changed somehow and Mandamus realized that something special had passed between Luco and Lethe, something that he did not understand. Luco spun Lethe in a circle, stopping as she tipped up his head, bringing her face very close to his.
Feeling intrusive, Mandamus crept away.
The next morning, Samhain came down to the camp lugging an overflowing bag. Fallow, who had begun sleeping on the roof of her house, was behind her, holding an empty crayfish shell in his mouth. Arkas dropped from his branch into the basket and began rifling through it. She shooed him out.
“Alright, then,” she said briskly. “Mandamus, you first.” She reached it the basket and pulled out a small blue jar.
“Black pansy paste,” she said. “This is to cover your mark. No self-respecting man,” she looked at Luco pointedly, “would allow their horse to be ridden around covered in mud all the time. This will work better. You needn’t put it on every day, applying it once every few days should do. When it starts to fade, and your white fur shows through, just rub on some more.” She opened the lid and showed them the murky substance inside.
Mandamus gave her a grateful nuzzle which she tolerated with a trace of a smile.
“I have some things for you too, Luco,” and she plucked out a small, shriveled pea pod. “This is called a seedling tent.”
She tossed the pod onto the ground and, grabbing Luco’s water bottle out of his open pack, she poured out a drop. The water landed squarely on the small husk and then, to Mandamus’ surprise, it bloomed into a bright green dome tent.
The front had leaf-like flaps and Luco pushed them aside and gave a low whistle when he saw a velvety, emerald bed. He stepped into the tent and jumped on it, bouncing softly.
“Comfy,” he said, burying his face in the pillow.
After Luco climbed out of the tent, Samhain blew off the drop of water that filled in a tiny dent in the top and Mandamus watched in amazement as it shriveled back up into a dried pod.
“I also have these,” she said holding out several seed packets. “Instant sowers. Watch.” She dribbled a few seeds out of an open pack onto the ground and almost smiled as an odd-looking sprout poked out of the ground and grew into a small bush covered in chocolate-covered donuts.
“And, one last thing.” She fished out a piece of folded cloth and shook it open, gesturing at Luco to take it. It was a thin vest made of pale, pink material. It shimmered.
“Fallow’s skin!” cried Luco, reaching for it. “You made a vest out of dragolotl skin!”
Fallow, looking extremely pleased with himself, cooed loudly and flopped down beside Luco, offering his belly up for a rub.
“That’s right,” she said. “This vest is indestructible. No spear, sword or arrow can pierce it.”
“Then how did Fallow’s mother—?” Mandamus began.
Samhain caught Mandamus’ eye. “There is a weak spot on a dragolotl,” she explained, wrapping her arms around Fallow’s head and gently lifting it, exposing the thin scales along his throat. They didn’t shine with hard brilliance like the rest of him.
Luco slipped the vest on and did up the front laces. It was a perfect fit.
“There’s one more thing,” Samhain said, coaxing Arkas off his tre
e branch and into her arms. “Arkas will be coming with you.”
“Oh, no, we’re fine,” Luco said, giving Mandamus a sideways look. Mandamus eyed Arkas warily. He had not attacked them since their first night here but he had never really been friendly towards them either.
“You need a guard. He’ll leave as soon as you get home, but for now, he’s coming with you.” She wrung her hands uncomfortably and averted her eyes and Mandamus knew, there was something she was not telling them. He thought back to how Samhain had read their minds. How she’d been alarmed at what she’d seen in Luco’ thoughts and he wondered what it was.
All that was left to do was gather up their things and pack their bags. The pod tent was put into a tiny pouch and pinned to the inside of Luco’s pack. His writing pad and pen were retrieved from the edge of the canyon.
“Are you ready, Luco?” asked Mandamus as he nibbled at the last bit of peppermint in Samhain’s garden.
Samhain handed Luco his bag. Luco looped a rope under Mandamus’ belly and tied the bag to his back.
Having a rope around him felt strange and he struggled with the weight that shifted on his back uncomfortably when he tried walking with the burden. He watched Luco shoulder his heavy-looking pack without complaint and he felt bad. He was bigger and stronger and the least he could do was help carry things, so he did his best to ignore the weird swaying bundle and found that after a few minutes, he didn’t notice it at all.
The familiar sound of rushing water filled the air and Lethe came dashing up the bank, hair streaming.
“Would you leave without saying good-bye?” she cried, hurling herself into Luco’s arms.
“Of course not,” Luco said, squeezing her. “How are you feeling? What’s my name?”
“Your name is Luco” Lethe giggled. “And I feel much better,” she said. “I been out of the water all morning and I can remember everything. Ask Samhain, she’s been with me.”
Samhain grinned at Mandamus and Luco. “Everything,” she confirmed.
“And you remember me,” Luco said, pulling away to look at her.
“I do,” Lethe grinned.
“But what about tomorrow?” he asked.
“I guess we’ll see,” she answered. She broke out of his hug went over to Mandamus, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and chest.
“Thank you,” she whispered, kissing his neck.
Luco watched them with a smile. “Do naiads ever come on land to live?” he asked shyly.”
Lethe’s face shone. “They sure do,” she said, twirling her fingers in Mandamus’s mane. “You can tell if a girl is a naiad because she’ll love to swim, and she’ll always want seafood for dinner.”
Luco stared at Lethe as if trying to memorize every inch of her. Mandamus swallowed the last of the peppermint and pawed the ground impatiently. It was time to go.
“Goodbye,” said Samhain, patting his back. Arkas crashed into Samhain arms and clung to her cloak.
“Take care of them, Arkas,” whispered Samhain while scratching him behind the ears. “And make sure you tell Gideon he was right, and I am sorry.”
“Time to go,” Luco said and with a last rub of Fallow’s head, he abruptly turned and headed down the trail. Mandamus trotted behind him
Mandamus turned to take one last look at the place which he had come to think of as a kind of home, to see Samhain, Lethe, and Fallow watching them, Lethe’s arm still draped around Fallow’s neck. He resisted the urge to whinny at them, for it didn’t feel right leaving without them, especially Fallow. His herd had just become smaller. He nodded another goodbye before turning to the uncertain road ahead.
Chapter 13
The King and the Queen
King Farzad slumped on the stone bench that served as a bed in his cramped prison cell. He, Ruger, and Toby had been locked deep in the Silver Castle dungeon for three long days.
The king worked the kinks out of his neck, stretching it from left to right as he wriggled his toes and flexed his fingers. He scraped his curled horns against the rough prison wall, then, with a deep sigh, stared at the iron bars that locked him in.
In the chamber beside him, Toby, who’d managed to sneak a book in under his tunic, read to himself in a flat, droning monotone. Although Farzad wished for the thousandth time that he was back in the Harshlands with his daughter and the rest of the tribe, he was grateful for the sound of Tobey’s voice for he felt that silence would be worse.
Ruger, who had been locked up on Farzad’s other side, paced and muttered, pausing now and then to press his face against the bars and shout for Tobey to shut up. The dungeon itself was an immense circular room lined with empty cells save for the ones that held the Snowbreth. A tall bonfire blazed in the middle of the jail, and, for the heavily furred creatures, the heat was unbearable.
Farzad wiped his damp brow as a tall woman appeared before him. She had a sharp chin and yellow bird-like eyes. Diamonds were twisted into her white-blond hair and on her feet were golden slippers. She was flanked by two men with chests the size of barrels and thick necks.
“Why, hello Farzad,” she said, her voice rich and refined. “How wonderful to see you. I thought we weren’t friends anymore after you ignored my last invitation.”
“Asura,” Farzad rumbled, stiffly getting to his feet. He could not stand up straight under the low ceiling and so he hunched before her, gripping the rods that separated them. Tobey and Ruger sprung up from their benches pressed their faces against the bars of their prisons, watching intently. “I had no idea snubbing an invitation was illegal. What am I being charged with?”
“It wasn’t so much an invitation as it was an order,” she answered coldly. “When I passed the Snowbreth Act, I specifically said ‘the tribe has thirty days to bring all youth, from four to eighteen years old, to the Silver City for registration at our boarding school. You neglected to show up. Why?”
Farzad’s brow furrowed. “I’m not bringing you the tribe’s children, Asura. We will not honor your outlandish act and deliver our children to be educated under your care. Never.” He thumped the bars with his palm.
Asura’s smile grew even wider. “Well, that’s not really your decision, though, is it?” She bit her lip. “You’re not even legally a citizen of, well, anything. I am queen of the Harshlands, that frozen tundra you call home.”
“From a law that you passed,” he answered shortly, squeezing the bars with clenched fists, “but, you are not the rightful queen, only a woman who’s placed herself on the throne with the help of a bad wizard and a few murders. I don’t have to obey you.”
Asura’s face drained of blood. “See this?” she asked icily. She dangled a large key in front of his face. “You might want to think about what words come out of that animal mouth of yours.”
“I’m quite positive you didn’t bring me here to discuss who is a citizen and who is not,” Farzad said softly. “Am I to understand that because I ignored your deadline, you’ve imprisoned me?”
“You deliberately disobeyed an order of the Silver Kingdom.” Asura said coolly. “That’s punishable by prison time. You’re lucky it’s not a death sentence.”
“But if I’m not a citizen of the Silver Kingdom, as you decreed, why would I follow the kingdom’s orders?” Farzad asked.
“Don’t play cute with me,” she snapped. “I would have you all exterminated like the vermin you are, but I know that despite your dull intelligence, you Snowbreth are larger and have strength fiercer than any human or any other creature in my army could ever hope to achieve. So, I decided to give you a chance to help keep your next generation from becoming savages like you, which is why I opened the Silver School, to help you creatures assimilate to our ways. And, with the domestication of your tribe, I will also be taking over guardianship of the Kalpana.”
“Let us out!” Ruger bellowed, slamming his fists against the bars of
his cell.
“Shut him up!” Asura ordered. One of her guards rushed over and raised his bat giving Ruger a zap. Ruger roared.
“I’m not sure which is more unbelievable,” Farzad said, amazed. “Your schemes or the fact that you think I will actually comply. Hear me, Asura—I will never turn my children over to you and I will die before I give up my place as keeper of the Kalpana Stone.”
“Farzad be reasonable,” Asura said. “Surely, you didn’t think you could keep the Kalpana Stone from me?”
“I can assure you, that’s not going to happen,” Farzad stared at her, almost pityingly. He pushed away from the bars and slumped his enormous frame back down onto the hard bench. “You are in over your head here, Child. You’ve put yourself in a position using the Andhera, a power that you cannot possibly handle. But I can help you. I can help you rid yourself of it and I can help you right all that you have wronged.”
“You savage,” she hissed, her face twisted in disbelief. “Let you, help me?” She whirled around to face the guards behind her. “Call Dazra and take him to the Holes.” she snarled at one of them, bright spots blooming on her pale cheeks. “Strike him with your eel in the meantime,” she ordered the other. “Let’s see how unwilling he is to make a deal once he has had a taste of our latest experiment.” She pressed her face tightly against the bars. “There will come a day when you will beg me to take in your children, Farzad. At least that way they will have some chance at remaining unharmed.”
The guard approached the cell, holding his weapon with unsteady hands. The eel inside squelched.
“Do not fear me,” King Farzad said. “I will not hurt you,” he said and he smiled gently, showing his tusk-like teeth.
The guard’s jaw clenched as he thrust the rod through the bars. A fork of blue electicity shot across the cell, and stabbed Farzad in the chest. He howled and fell to his knees.
The Silver Castle had no prison until Asura took the throne.