by L. EE
“You okay, Andy?”
“Yeah, just thinking about how I’m going to tell everyone.”
“Telling me took courage, and it shows me you care for us. By the way, why did you tell me?”
Andy shifted uncomfortably. After a moment, he blurted out, “I feel more accepted by you and everyone here than I do at home.” His face burned.
“I see. No need to be embarrassed, Andy. I’m sorry that’s what you think about your family. But I’m honored you feel this way about us, especially after such a short time.”
Andy did not know how to respond, so he sat unmoving feeling the burn spread to his ears.
The sovereign cleared his throat. “I’m glad you told me what happened. I had been considering what actions we would need to take against King Abaddon, assuming he was responsible. That would have resulted in war and loss of life between our lands.”
Andy nodded.
“Had it been him, we would have needed to reestablish our strength lest he try to take further advantage of us. Our enemies must always know we are strong. I’m just glad you told me it was you.”
Andy took a deep breath. “Oh, I almost forgot. When I was getting up this morning there was a round, purple stone laying on the floor next to my bed. When I picked it up, it started pulsing. A trumpet blasted and then it spoke.”
The King’s eyes grew wide. “That’s a message sphere. They’re not common because they’re very expensive to send. How curious that you would be receiving one. You say it started with a trumpet blast?”
“That’s right.”
“The ones starting with a trumpet blast are from royalty.” The King rubbed his chin. “What did it say?”
Andy recounted everything, just as he had been told.
“It didn’t say anything about breaking the curse, did it?”
“No.”
“Still, your arriving on the anniversary of Curse Day—I have to believe it’s more than coincidence.” The King shook his head. “All these years of enduring under the curse that I am responsible for, all these years of trying to break it with my own efforts…” His voice trailed off. “Did the message say who sent it? Most times these things tell you the sender just before they disappear.”
“No. Who could it be from?”
“What color did you say it was?”
“Purple. Why?”
The sovereign shook his head. “I’ve no idea, although purple was the color of my father’s household.” He continued pondering and at last concluded, “No, that’s a crazy idea.”
“What is, sir?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s too wild to even consider. But it’s got me even more curious about whether you’re here to help break the curse.”
“I don’t know anything about breaking curses.”
“You don’t have to. It sounds like whoever sent it will show you how. Please don’t tell anyone what you shared with me, not even Mermin.”
“I won’t, sir. I promise.”
“Well, at least we know who brought you. They’re the only one who can send you back. And that won’t happen until they’re good and ready.”
Andy sighed heavily. Why me?
The King rose and patted Andy’s shoulder. “Everything will work out in due time.”
What do I have to do before I can go home?
“Now, I must be off to a meeting.” He gave Andy a reassuring nod. “I’m confident the servants will forgive. Trust me.”
Easy for him to say. Andy’s stomach started doing aerobics and he pushed his cereal away. Maybe I’ll start with Marta.
Andy scooted back his chair, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Fear reared up and incited a sword fight with his resolve. Fear jabbed, I can’t do this! But Resolve parried the blow, Yes, you can! The war within intensified. Not to be outdone, Fear thrust and nicked Resolve’s leg. I just need to do this!
Trying to ignore the battle that raged, he popped his head into the kitchens and spotted Marta. Just do it. Just do it. The purple-haired servant smiled broadly the instant she saw him. “I made more chocolate chip cookies for you. They’re over there.” She pointed.
“Thanks, but I need to tell you something.”
“Are you all right?” Worry creased her face.
Andy’s eyes bored into the floor as the story tumbled from his lips, bringing activity around them to a halt. At length he ended with, “I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of it to happen!”
Silence screamed as he awaited the scorn and punishment he knew he deserved.
But a minute later, he felt Marta’s arms around him. “I know you didn’t do this on purpose. No one would. Thank you for telling me. I forgive you.”
The other servants, overhearing Andy’s confession, joined in more hugs.
The tall, thin servant with scruffy whiskers whom Andy had seen wrestling firewood yesterday introduced himself. “I’m Hans. What you did just now was honorable and we respect you for it. I accept your apology.” He reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Andy’s shoulder.
Word spread throughout the castle about all Andy had done, both bad and good. To his great relief, no one seemed angry with him, and everyone graciously accepted his apology. When he finished confessing to all the servants, he headed down to their quarters, picked up a bucket and sponge, and pitched in to help get their accommodations back in livable condition. He dragged out soggy mattresses, scrubbed walls, and mopped floors. One servant showed him how to sew new mattress covers. While it proved to be his least favorite task, he stuck to it. And even though the blisters on his hands pained him, he felt redemption every time he bumped a sensitive spot. It took nearly all day, but by the time evening came, all the servants declared satisfaction with the improved condition of their quarters.
I didn’t wimp out! He couldn’t help but smile.
That night at dinner, as Andy sat with the King enjoying his favorite meal of chicken and dumplings, Mermin rushed in, stumbling on his oversize robe, his hat askew. “I’m sowwy to be late for dinner, Your Majesty!” He stopped and waited for the King to acknowledge him.
The monarch nodded and Mermin pressed on, “I was just leaving to come down for dinner when I thought I heard something in your labowatory. When I investigated, nothing had been disturbed, but I happened to open Andy’s mailbox and—” He pulled a golden envelope from inside his robe. “This was in it!”
He handed the envelope to the King.
“To Andy, Son of Smith, Responsible One,” the King read the addressee. “Well, you seem to be very popular—first the message sphere and now this. Seeing as it is an offense punishable by imprisonment to tamper with the US Mail, why don’t you open it and tell us what it says.” The King winked as he passed the envelope.
A smiled broached Andy’s lips as he tore it open and pulled out a short note. He intoned:
You have been faithful, now give ear to hear,
Riddle and verse and phrase to make clear.
Rely on wisdom, learned, now dear,
The salvation of Oomaldee draweth near.
In a room full of knowledge, give careful search,
To find a True Guide, the soul of the birch.
One single leaf, two covers conceal,
The keys that bring life, to you reveal.
“The salvation of Oomaldee! Do you know what this means?” The King beamed.
Chapter Five
A Clue!
Over the next two days, Andy, Mermin, and the King fixated on the note, trying to decipher its meaning. They understood they needed to search someplace that sounded a lot like the Forest of Giants based upon the reference to a leaf. But what was the True Guide? And what did “the soul of a birch” mean?
They explored many fuzzy rabbit trails but found only abandoned burrows that led nowhere.
“We’re so close,” the King moaned two days later. “If only we could figure out this clue.” He brought a fist down hard on the table, making both Andy and the wizard jump. An instant later he raised his
hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. Pardon my outburst. I know things should be exactly as they are, but even monarchs get impatient from time to time. What could we possibly be overlooking?”
Three days later, over a breakfast of eggs and bacon, the King mulled aloud for the umpteenth time, “‘Rely on wisdom, learned, now dear.’ That’s. What. It. Says.”
Andy and Mermin met the King’s gaze.
He held up his index finger. “What if—? Andy, we’ve been thinking about this from your perspective since the note is addressed to you. What if it’s speaking to me?”
Mermin raised an eyebrow.
“Hear me out. The letter says ‘rely on wisdom, learned, now dear.’ Over the years I’ve had to learn a lot about myself. I’m a much different person, much wiser I would say. While I didn’t enjoy the process, I prefer who I have become. So, if we look at this from my perspective, what might it mean?”
He read the lines again:
In a room full of knowledge, give careful search,
To find a True Guide, the soul of the birch.
One single leaf, two covers conceal,
The keys that bring life, to you reveal.
“In a room full of knowledge,” began the King. “To me, that’s Mermin’s library. It’s full of books with knowledge spanning many subjects with which we’ve unsuccessfully tried to break the curse.”
“Wait a minute!” Mermin interjected. “I wemember a folk legend about the soul of the birch. I have a book about it upstairs in my libwawy.”
The trio quickly devoured what remained of breakfast and charged up to the library. Once there, the wizard led the way to the folklore section. He waved his finger at a shelf up high. “It’s up there!”
The mage glided a moveable ladder over and the King surged upward, quickly scaling the ten rungs to his target. “Which book is it?”
“The blue one to the wight of your hand, sir.”
The sovereign read the spine: “Princesses and Frogs: A Beginners Guide. Are you sure?”
“Twy the one next to it.”
“Training Your Therewolf in Three Easy Steps. Mermin?”
“Let me have a look, sir.”
The wizard cinched up his generous robes and the pair switched places. Andy held his breath, remembering the man’s recent wobbly ascent.
“How Faiwies Found Their Home. A Histowy of Twolls. The Legends and Lore of Methuselah.”
“What about the gold book next to that?” interjected Andy.
“Gold one? Where?”
“There, to your left.”
Mermin looked again and frowned. The King tilted his head.
“I don’t see the gold book you’re wefewwing to, Andy.”
“It’s right there, by your left hand. Here, let me get it.”
Mermin tottered down and Andy bounded up the ladder. He immediately grabbed the book and held it out for them to see. “See? This book.”
The King and Mermin exchanged glances as Andy headed back down, book in hand. He walked over to the big table, cleared some of the clutter, and laid it down.
“Ready? What? What’s wrong?”
“Andy, we don’t see anything. We can’t see your book.”
“Really?”
“Really,” confirmed the King. “But why don’t you open it and tell us what you see.”
Andy slowly lifted the cover to reveal white velvet lining the inside. He reached to feel it and the King and Mermin’s eyes grew wide.
“Your hand!” the King exclaimed.
Andy jerked it back. “What?”
Seeing his appendage reappear, the pair gasped. “Your hand disappeared for a second,” the King explained.
“It did?”
To the pair’s bobbing heads Andy exclaimed, “Awesome!” He beamed and proceeded to repeat the trick several more times until Mermin interrupted.
“What else do you see?”
Andy ran his hand across the fabric. It felt soft to the touch. A sweet floral scent escaped, reminding him of his grandma. He remembered snuggling next to her reading books when he was little. He narrated his findings as he migrated through the gold tome. “There’s only one page in front. It’s blank. And there’s a compartment behind that.” Andy pulled on the matching white, looped handle to open it. “Cool! There’s a gold key.” Lifting it out, he showed it to his compatriots.
The sovereign recited, “‘One single leaf, two covers conceal, The keys that bring life, to you reveal.’ The single leaf, I’ll bet that’s the blank page. Two covers conceal…one cover is that of the book, the other is—the cover of invisibility. Yes, that’s it. That has to be it!” A smile bloomed over the King’s face. “The keys that bring life—Andy has one key, but it speaks of more than one. What else is in the book?”
“That’s all, sir.”
“It can’t be. There must be more,” insisted the King.
Andy looked back at the book. “Oh, wait! The first page has writing on it now.” He read:
“A recipe for disaster,
Of the curse, you are to Master.
Collection of ingredients,
Requires diligence, obedience.
Think not to improvise,
But hold true to each noble prize.
For only with integrity,
Will you achieve for all to see.
Of the first, by you pursue,
Impenetrable covering, hard and true,
Of dragon fierce, from whence it flew,
One portion, red, from you is due.”
“Interesting,” said the King, rubbing his chin. “Sounds like we are to gather several ingredients in order to break the curse. And no substitutions are allowed. The first is a scale from a red dragon. It says it has to be red, so that means it has to be from an adult male.”
“Red d-d-dragon?” Andy stammered.
“They are the warest of dwagon breeds, and only the adult males have wed scales. Like most dwagon species, the females and young are gway to help hide them fwom danger. It is said the wed dwagon is the fiercest of all dwagons, which is why their scales are the most valuable.”
The King glanced over at Andy. “What’s wrong? You’ve battled dragons before. I’ve seen you. You’re very good.”
“When did I ever battle a dragon?”
“In your house, Andy. You used that box with the strange weapon. I was very impressed.”
Andy thought back. “Wait! You saw me playing my Dragon Slayer videogame? How’s that possible?” His mouth opened and closed.
The King and Mermin exchanged glances before the former replied, “That would be the work of the Appearo Beam.”
That again?
“You’re weally good!” interjected Mermin.
“There’s a big difference between playing a videogame and real life!”
“It’s all battling dwagons. I don’t see a diffewence.”
“With a videogame, I’m just having fun!”
“Is not the purpose of what you call a ‘videogame’ to equip you with the skills you will need to survive?” the King clarified. “Your training in tracking and stealth is very rigorous. Andy, you are displaying instincts only the best dragon slayers possess, and at such a young age. It is truly a gift. In fact, I’ve asked Mermin to see about getting these units for our soldiers.”
How can I explain? I was only playing.
The King leaned in as Andy’s mind vacillated. He looks so hopeful. He really believes I can do this. That message sphere did say I was supposed to be a leader here, but get a dragon scale? As in battle a real, live dragon? I don’t know… Andy’s palms grew sweaty and he exhaled.
“You could single-handedly change this land’s future,” the wizard intoned.
Andy’s eyes ping-ponged between the two. “All right, I’ll get a scale from a red dragon for you,” he sighed. I’ve no clue how—
“Excellent! Thank you!” The King patted Andy’s shoulder. “Well then, we need to find a red dragon!”
“Mewodach
, the dwagon master, will be at the festival. Andy can ask him where the wed dwagons are this time of year.”
“An excellent idea, Mermin! Andy, Merodach is a seasoned dragon master. He’s worked with these creatures longer than anyone I know. He will definitely know where to find them. But you must ask him carefully, so as not to arouse curiosity or suspicion.”
“You’ll be there. Can’t you ask him?”
“I’m sorry, Andy, but I won’t be. Neither Mermin nor I can leave the castle. It’s part of the curse.”
Andy shot a questioning look and the King raised a hand. “I didn’t want to burden you with this, but did you wonder why we are so old when everyone else in the castle is young?”
“Actually, I hadn’t thought about it, sir.”
“Well, I am 509 years old, and Mermin is 507.”
Andy coughed. “Did you say you’re 509?”
“That’s right. Because I’m responsible for bringing the curse upon Oomaldee, I have unending life. Through no fault of his own, Mermin shares my fate. We are not permitted to leave the castle.”
“You can’t go anywhere?”
“That’s right, Andy. My greatest desire is to restore the land to its former greatness by breaking the curse. After all these years, it seems you have been brought here to accomplish this. I have every confidence you will succeed.”
“As do I,” Mermin echoed.
“I can’t imagine—” Andy pondered aloud. “I mean, what could you possibly have done to cause the curse?”
“I will explain in due time. Our primary concern at the moment is to find a red dragon.” The King paused and gently lifted Andy’s chin in the palm of his hand and their eyes met. “I will tell you…when the time is right.”
Andy nodded.
“Why don’t you ask Alden to help you. You two seem to have hit it off. I’m sure he will be a great asset to the success of this mission.”
Andy gave a weak smile then put the key back in the book and closed the cover. He returned it to a lower shelf in the same bookcase for safekeeping.