The Warble

by Victoria Simcox

  Graham’s eyes flew wide open, and he clenched his teeth. “You fat, four-eyed loser!” he yelled.

  Davina’s small eyes grew to the size of nickels behind her thick glasses. She picked up the tray and held it over her head. Intending to hit Graham on the head, she smashed it down. But he was quicker than she was, and he ducked out of the way. The tray came down on the table with a loud smash. Davina, in her temper tantrum, began backing Graham into a corner.

  Hester, who was feeling very sick now, sat slumped on the couch, staring up at the queen’s large portrait on the wall. She began to see double, and then she felt the room start to spin. “Hey, guys, could you knock it off? I’m not feeling very well,” she said. Her hands began to feel very itchy, and then her nails suddenly grew longer and pointier. Hair began to grow on her hands and everywhere else on her body. As she opened her mouth to scream, her two front teeth grew three times as long—and then she turned into a beaver.

  Davina and Graham stopped fighting and glanced over at Hester. Then they looked back at each other, and each saw about four of the other.

  “I think I’d better sit down,” Davina said. She walked toward an armchair, but as she was walking, her steps suddenly turned into hops, and in midair she turned into a bullfrog. She hopped onto the chair and turned around to face Graham, croaking loudly at him.

  Graham, who had been hiding from Davina behind a large tropical plant, stuck his face through the palms. As he did, his nose grew longer and whiskers grew out from the sides of it. Then he turned into a weasel and fell into the plant’s pot.

  The door to the parlor slowly opened, and Queen Sentiz stepped into the room, smiling at each creature. “Welcome, little critters. I’m so glad you could make it to my palace for such a pleasurable stay.”

  Hester thumped her large flat tail on the couch. Davina’s throat filled with air like a balloon, and then she let out a loud croak. Graham poked his pointy nose out of the pot, sniffed the air, and let out a high-pitched squeak.

  The queen yelled for Ugan, who was usually right outside the door to any room, but this time, he did not answer. She yelled a second time, louder and more harshly. When he still didn’t respond, she began to get very angry. She was just about to storm through the door to find him when she heard the familiar jingling of the bells on his hat. The door opened slowly, and Ugan, in his court jester outfit, walked into the parlor and bowed to her. “Where were you? You know you are always to be right outside the door,” she snarled.

  “I was sewing on a bell that had fallen off my hat, my sweet queen,” Ugan replied nervously. He actually had been hiding the Book of Prophecy that he had taken from Rumalock’s cottage, because he didn’t want the queen to know that he had it.

  Queen Sentiz stood over him like a tall monster, suspiciously glaring down at him. Then like a snake lashing out at its prey, she grabbed the hat off his head, and one by one, ripped off seven of the eight bells that hung from it and threw them across the room. “You may as well sew the rest on again, since they were all loose.” She grinned down at him.

  Ugan tried to retrieve the bells, but the queen stepped on his foot, so that he couldn’t.

  “In your spare time, that is,” she added.

  What spare time? Ugan thought. Every stinking, waking minute of his day was spent waiting on her.

  “I expect to see them sewed on properly, by six in the morning, tomorrow.”

  “Yes, my lady.” He bowed his head somberly.

  The queen took her large foot off of Ugan’s small one. “Take the varmints to the dungeon, where they will await their lovely ride to Treachery Island.”

  “Right away, my lady.” Ugan bowed to his queen and left the room.

  ~~~

  Later that evening, as Rupert lay asleep in his bed, his face gravely pale, Queen Sentiz came to sit by his side. It wasn’t very long before his loud snoring began to irritate her. “Ugan!” she shouted, her shrill voice startling the frail old man, but not waking him.

  A moment later, Rupert’s door cracked open, and Ugan poked his head inside the room. “Yes, my lady?” he said.

  “Get this old coot to the meeting room at once!”

  “But my lady …” Ugan had started to protest.

  The queens eyes shriveled in her pale face. “Don’t you ‘but’ me!”

  “As you wish, my queen.” He bowed as usual.

  Queen Sentiz stormed out of the bedroom, leaving Ugan to lift Rupert into his wheelchair by himself. After grueling effort, Ugan finally managed to get the old man into his wheelchair. Then he rolled him back down the long hallway to the meeting room and knocked softly on the large door.

  “Enter!” the queen said. She was already at the table, waiting for them, with the crystal in front of her. “What took you so long?” she asked.

  “I think Rupert’s health is failing rapidly, my precious queen.”

  “That’s nonsense.” She slammed her fist down onto the table. “Hurry and lift him into the chair. I must look in the crystal to see what that wretched boy and girl are up to.”

  Ugan desperately tried to lift Rupert from his wheelchair, but he wasn’t able to do it. “He’s barely conscious, my lady, and he is very heavy.”

  “Get out of the way, you feeble weakling.” Queen Sentiz pushed Ugan to the floor. Then, with ease, she lifted Rupert into the chair herself.

  Rupert’s head wobbled atop his frail shoulders. Then he lay his head down on the table—and passed away.

  “Wake up, you lazy old man. I need to know where those little troublemakers are.” She didn’t realize that he was dead. Of course Rupert didn’t respond. “Don’t you know that if I don’t get the Warble and destroy it, it will be the end of my reign as sovereign queen?”

  “I’m regretful to say it,” Ugan said softly, “but I do think Sir Rupert is no longer with us, my dearest.”

  “Oh, you do think, do you?” she roared.

  “Yes, my queen.”

  “Stop thinking, and get up here and make this stupid piece of glass work!” She lifted Ugan up by his beard and plopped him down in the chair in front of the crystal. “You’ve eavesdropped enough to know how it works.”

  With shaking hands, Ugan stood the crystal upright, but he didn’t know what to do next.

  “Hurry, stupid dwarf! I don’t have all day. Wave your hands around it.” She glared at him with her ice-cold eyes.

  “Oh, of course, my lady, of course. How foolish of me.” Ugan waved his trembling hands around the crystal.

  “Now do the magic chant.”

  “The magic chant?” Ugan asked timidly.

  “You don’t know the magic chant?”

  “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid not.”

  With that, Queen Sentiz completely lost her temper. She picked up the crystal, and, in a rage, held it over Ugan’s head, ready to hurl it down on him.

  “Is this part of the procedure, my queen?” Ugan stuttered.

  “It is about to be!”

  “Wait! Please, my lady! I know of another way for you to know where they are.” Ugan held his arms over his head to protect himself.

  Queen Sentiz looked at him suspiciously through squinted eyes. “This better be good.”

  “Would you be as kind as to lower the crystal, so it doesn’t fall on my head?” Ugan asked faintly.

  “Of courses.” The queen smiled wickedly and dropped the crystal on the floor, right beside him. It shattered into what seemed like a million pieces.

  Ugan trembled at the sound of it. Then he peered cautiously up at the queen. “May I go and get something?”

  “You’d better be back within five minutes!” She grabbed a five-minute timepiece off the table.

  “Yes, my lady,” Ugan said and bowed to her before leaving the room. While heading down the winding staircase, Ugan felt once again like a failure. He pictured the look of satisfaction that Queen Sentiz would have on her face when he handed the Book of Prophecy to her.

  18

&nb
sp; Kristina rode Taysha over the vast green plains and hills until she came to the cliffs, where Looper said she would meet the Citnalta Sea. She stared out over the rough gray waters where there was no land in sight, other than a very small distant island off to the south. Taysha noticed the island, and she turned away from the sea. “Is there something the matter?” Kristina asked her.

  “I just can’t stand to look at that place,” Taysha replied.

  “What place?”

  “Treachery Island―it gives me the creeps.”

  Raymond poked his head out of Kristina’s vest and his beady little eyes glinted up at Kristina. “The name even sounds creepy to me.”

  “Is Treachery Island the place where Queen Lafinia, Werrien’s mother, is being held prisoner?” Kristina asked.

  “It most definitely is. We must not waste any more time, because Werrien will most likely be heading there very soon as well,” Taysha said.

  The trio continued on their journey along the cliffs and bluffs, heading eastward until they could see the small cottage that Looper had mentioned. Near it, a gnome man and woman were working with hoes in a vegetable garden. When they caught sight of Kristina riding Taysha, they put down their hoes. Then the man picked up a basket, and the woman and he ran toward them.

  “I think they want to give us something,” Taysha said.

  “Should we trust them?” Kristina asked.

  “My instinct tells me they are friendly.” Taysha trotted toward the gnome couple.

  “Do not worry; we are believers,” the gnome woman said with labored breath.

  “Please accept this gift from us,” the gnome man said, holding out the basket full of fresh vegetables and fruit.

  “How do you know us?” Kristina asked.

  “Word is getting around among the believers,” the gnome man said.

  The gnome woman took Kristina’s hand in hers and said, “Bless you, child, for you are the one chosen to restore Bernovem.”

  Kristina felt a lump in her throat after hearing these words. Then the gnome woman kissed her hand. “Be strong and God speed to you.”

  “Thank you!” Kristina said solemnly.

  As Kristina rode away, the couple shouted after them, “Long live Queen Lafinia!”

  ~ ~ ~

  Meanwhile, back at Queen Sentiz’s palace, Ugan stood outside the large door of the meeting room, this time with the Book of Prophecy. He thought that instead of being the one chosen to save Bernovem, he would be the one known throughout history for ruining any chance of Bernovem’s becoming free again. The words “Ugan the Traitor” popped up in his mind, and in his imagination, he could see a large crowd of fellow dwarfs and gnomes chanting the words. Then another thought came to his mind: What if I just turned around and ran? He did have an escape route for a time such as this. All he would have to do is run down to the kitchen and then into the broom closet. Once in there, he would remove a few loose bricks from the wall and then crawl through an opening that led to the palace vegetable garden. Once outside, he’d crawl through the vegetable garden until he came to the palace wall. At that point he would move a garden statue of the queen, which he had placed on top of a small tunnel he had dug. Then he would crawl under the wall to his freedom. Once out of the palace garden, he’d hide at a fellow dwarf’s house until Bernovem was restored to its original way. It all seemed simple enough, but as he contemplated these ideas, he began to realize that he’d already had the chance to escape when he went to get the three children from Rumalock’s cottage, however he hadn’t taken it. I’m just too much of a coward.

  Queen Sentiz suddenly yelled his name, as she usually did when she wanted him to enter into the room. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then she yelled again, even louder, “Your five minutes are almost up!”

  He could still try running away and have a chance of being known throughout history for saving the Book of Prophecy. Oh, how good it would feel to be known for at least one honorable deed. But his heart began to pound, and self-doubt quickly crept into his mind, and he became fearful. It was no use; he just didn’t have the courage to escape. Now he knew his fate had been sealed, and with a shaky hand, he turned the gold knob of the large door. When he entered the room, Queen Sentiz was sitting in her usual place at the table, drumming her long red nails on the table. She noticed the prophecy book held in his arms and a wicked smile spread across her face. “What do we have here?”

  Ugan walked over to the queen and bowed down on one knee. Then he held the book out to her. She snatched it out of his hands and stared down at its cover, which read Bernovem’s Great Book of Prophecy. She began to laugh. “Very good, very good,” she crooned. Then she grabbed Ugan by his beard. “I always knew you would betray your own people. You’re nothing but a spineless jellyfish. Now, get up and go bury the old man outside the palace wall. When you’re done, load the three animals into the boat.”

  “But my lady, don’t you think Sir Rupert deserves a proper burial in the palace graveyard?”

  Queen Sentiz let go of his beard. “Why should he get a proper burial, when he couldn’t even stay alive long enough to find out the whereabouts of that dirty little peasant boy and that good-for-nothing girl?” She brought her attention back to the book and opened it to its last written page. She ran her fingernail along the words until she came to the name “Prince Werrien.” The last sentence on the page read “Prince Werrien has been captured and is imprisoned in the city of Salas.” “He’s not a prince. He’s just a peasant boy.” She glanced back down at the page. “Oh, look, more writing is popping up.” She clapped her hands delightedly. “It says that the girl Kristina is heading to the city of Salas in hope of rescuing Prince Werrien.” She looked at Ugan with a mock pout. “Poor little fool doesn’t realize how heavily guarded that prison is. She’ll be captured in no time.”

  She patted Ugan atop his hat. “Thanks to you, my faithful, little coward, the two little mongrels don’t stand a chance now of delivering the Warble to its so-called resting place. And they thought they could defeat the infamous Queen Sentiz.” She laughed obnoxiously once more, but then stopped suddenly. “Why are you still standing around here when you’ve got plenty of work to do?”

  “Yes, my dearest queen.” Ugan bowed and left the room.

  As the queen sat looking through the Book of Prophecy like an excited child with a new Christmas gift, a black raven cawed loudly outside her window. She got up to close the shutters. “Get out of here, you horrible black varmint!” She slammed the window shutters. Little did she know that it was Roage, the raven, listening in on her conversation with Ugan.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ugan buried Rupert outside the palace wall, while two of the queen’s zelbocks stood on guard, watching him. When he had finished, he laid a handful of fairy blossoms on top of the old man’s grave. As he stood there silently, paying his last respects, he thought of how Rupert and he were not so different. They both lived for a wicked queen, even though she was an impostor, but due to lack of courage and a lust for riches, they didn’t attempt to change their situations. Now, one of them was dead and not even allowed a proper burial.

  Will this be my fate as well? Ugan pondered as he left the gravesite to get the animals that had once been the three children. He carried them in three small cages onto the queen’s boat.

  Soon after, the queen arrived at the boat, carrying the prophecy book and singing, “Victorious I am! Victorious I am! The brats be captured just in time, so Bernovem will be mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine!”

  Ugan helped the unusually gleeful queen onto the boat and then untied it from the rocky shoreline. As they drifted away from the rocks, the sky started to cloud over and the wind brushed over the water, causing the boat to totter. A raindrop fell on Ugan’s nose. “Looks like the weather is turning for the worse.”

  “Stop your belly-aching and start rowing, before these creatures turn back into children,” the queen hollered.

  With that, Ugan started to row the boat toward T
reachery Island.

  19

  Twilight was setting in as Kristina and Taysha neared the dwarf graveyard that Looper had mentioned. Heavy dark clouds rolled across the sky, and the wind started to pick up, blowing the fallen leaves around the tombstones.

  “It looks like a storm is approaching,” Taysha said.

  Raymond poked his head out of Kristina’s vest, and the wind came directly at him, blowing his whiskers against the sides of his face. “I hate storms! Can’t you pick up the pace a little so we can get out of here?” he asked Taysha.

  “If the ride’s not good enough for you, I can always stop and let you off. Maybe you could run faster yourself,” Taysha answered.

  “I suppose I’ll just have to tough it out,” Raymond said, feeling sorry for himself. He went back inside Kristina’s vest to take cover.

  “It is eerie, passing by a graveyard in this stormy weather,” Kristina said.

  “You can thank Queen Sentiz for that. Before she came to power, Bernovem only had a few graveyard for the gnomes and dwarfs, but now, due to the shortage of fairy blossom, the gnomes and dwarfs don’t live as long, so there are many graveyards scattered throughout the land.”

  Kristina thought of Leacha giving away her last bit of fairy blossom and hoped that she was still alive.

  The wind picked up even more, and thunder pounded the atmosphere. Then lightning struck right in front of one of the tombstones.

  “Did you see that?” Kristina asked Taysha.

  “What? The lightning? It’s very common in our land.”

  “No, I saw something run from behind that tombstone over there, to that tombstone over there.” Kristina pointed at where she saw.

  Taysha looked toward the tombstone. “I don’t see anything.” But then, whatever it was, ran again to hide behind another tombstone.

  “Did you see it that time?”

  “No, though we’d better get out of here, in case it’s one of the queen’s zelbocks.” Taysha quickly picked up her pace to a gallop.