Rosewing (9) (The Underground Kingdom)

by Steve Elliott

  "Is it working?" Thorn asked anxiously, looking over my shoulder.

  "Nearly there," I answered.

  "Hurry, Stephen!" she murmured. "Your daughter and Traculimna are out there somewhere and I'm becoming terrified for their safety. They could be in all sorts of danger! I can't bear to lose either of them." Her words ended in a sob and I glanced up to see tears glistening on her cheeks.

  "We'll find them," I consoled, standing up and embracing her. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm sure they’re okay. After all, we’re still alive. It would have been easy to kill us while we were helpless, but they didn't, so that gives us a little hope."

  In reply, Thorn clung to me desperately and I soothed her as best I could with my caresses. At that moment I glimpsed the deep and abiding love she had for her sister and my daughter. Thorn had never been one to display her emotions in an overt manner, and for her to do so now showed how deeply distressed she must have felt. Her emotional upheaval broke my heart and I vowed to myself to do everything in my power to make her smile again.

  Chapter 20

  After Thorn had restored herself to a semblance of calmness, I resumed my work on the lock and, thank heavens, a few minutes later a soft click announced my success. Carefully, I opened the door the merest slit and peeked out. Nothing untoward greeted my gaze so, emboldened, I opened the door fully and looked around. All I could see was an empty corridor and I motioned to the others to join me.

  "What now?" Nix asked.

  "We'll have to trust to Lady Luck," I replied.

  "So, what else is new?" Nix muttered under his breath. I grinned at him and began walking up the corridor.

  "I wish Zen was here," Trix declared, mournfully. "He’d know where to go. I hope he’s not hurt."

  "I'm sure he’s fine," I comforted her. "They haven't hurt us, so I'm positive he’s okay as well, sweetie. He might just be in another room with Tracey. Or he might be with Rosewing. We’ll find him, I promise."

  "I hope you're right," she murmured. "I can't imagine my life without him. He's my best friend."

  "And we’re not?" Nix questioned, raising a sardonic eyebrow. "Well, it's nice know where we stand in your affections. We don't even make ‘hairy animal’ status."

  "You know what I mean," blushed Trix. "After all, I didn't raise you from a puppy, did I? Zen and I share a special bond. I’m almost his mother."

  "Ugh! Fancy being Nix's mother," Thorn broke in, delightedly. "What a horrible fate to befall anyone! Trix, my dear, consider yourself lucky that you're only a wolf's mother."

  "So funny," Nix replied, "and yet, at the same time, so pathetic. Arugohumna, you're fortunate to have a modicum of good looks, because you’ll never get by on your sense of humor alone. Of course, the fact that you're a raging nymphomaniac helps no end. It makes up for all your other glaring faults and unsavory disposition. Even so, I don't know how Stephen manages to be with you without laughing. He must have incredible self-control."

  Thorn's reply, which I could tell would probably be vitriolic to an unprecedented degree, never saw the light of day because suddenly, up ahead, we heard an unholy row.

  "What the hell is all that noise?" Thorn asked, peering ahead.

  "It sounds like fighting," Quina volunteered. "What could be going on?"

  "Only one way to find out," Trix muttered. "Maybe it's Zen!"

  "It does sound like something he'd start," Thorn admitted. "Let's go and see!"

  We hurried along the corridor towards the ruckus. Whatever the cause, it quickly became louder. A definite battle seemed to be underway. We could hear the individual shouting and screams of the participants. Suddenly cautious, we edged ourselves towards the room that seemed to be the focus of the noise and peered around the doorway. What greeted our gaze was a large hall that appeared to be full of fighting figures. I found it hard to tell the participants apart because they all seemed to be dressed in similar dark clothing. The sole common feature I could find was that they were all fairies, but I had no idea what they were fighting over.

  "What's going on?" Nix hissed.

  "Your guess is as good as mine," I told him. "Either it's a rescue party, or two factions fighting for control. Can you see Rosewing or Tracey anywhere?"

  My question remained unanswered because two of the struggling combatants suddenly barged into us and fell to the floor, fighting furiously. Not knowing if it would be best to interfere or not, we let them fight for supremacy and soon one of them stood up triumphantly.

  He gave a surprised start as he saw us and, to our astonishment, bowed his head in reverence. "You must be the family of the Child of Light," he whispered in awe.

  "I beg your pardon?" I asked, bewildered.

  "The Child of Light," he repeated, patiently. "You are her guardians, are you not?"

  "Are you talking about Rosewing?" Quina questioned, sudden understanding lighting up her face.

  "Is that the Blessed One's name?" this strange figure said. "How lovely."

  "Where is she?" I demanded. "What's going on here?"

  "We've come to rescue the Child of Light from the evil ones," we were told. "They want to kill her! Sacrilege! The Blessed One is our salvation! She will save the One. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the rescue mission." So saying, he plunged back into the brawl and was instantly lost in the confusing whirl of bodies.

  "Wait!" I called after him, vainly. "Well," I muttered to the others, "what did you make of that?"

  "It appears there’s a second prophecy," Quina volunteered. "One that promotes Rosewing as being the savior of us all. How strange."

  "Great!" Nix snorted. "Two groups of weirdos instead of just the one. Just what we needed!"

  "It's certainly very confusing," I admitted, "but it's not getting us any closer to my daughter or Tracey. Where do we look?"

  Chapter 21

  While we were pondering our next move, I heard something that decided our subsequent course of action. It came in the form of Zen's bark, sounding from an area over to our right.

  "That's Zen!" Trix exclaimed, excitedly jumping up and down in an attempt to peer over the heads of the combatant groups.

  "That seems a good place to start," Quina murmured.

  "I second that," Nix commented. "Let's go. Trust Wonder Wolf Junior to be in the thick of things."

  "And where there’s Zen ……." I began, hope surging through my body.

  "……. you'll find your daughter," Nix finished, grinning.

  Avoiding the fighting figures as much as possible, we determinedly forged our way through the struggling mass of bodies. Nix took the lead, acting as a makeshift bulldozer, and the rest of us followed behind. Eventually, we reached the approximate area from where we'd heard Zen’s bark and looked around frantically.

  "Zen!" Trix began shouting. "Where are you? Come to me, sweetheart!" She soon found herself rewarded with the welcome sight of her best friend, grinning up at her and furiously wagging his tail.

  "My darling boy!" she exclaimed, dropping to her knees and hugging him delightedly. "Am I glad to see you! I thought I'd lost you forever!"

  "Where's my daughter, Zen?" I asked, kneeling beside Trix. "Where are Rosewing and Tracey?"

  Zen stared at me as if he could understand what I said. Then he turned around, looked back at us enquiringly and wove a path through the forest of legs in front of him.

  "Follow him!" I commanded, unnecessarily. Nix took his position at the head of our line once again and we hastened after our four-footed scout.

  It ended up as a bit of a struggle, I can tell you. Random bodies barged into us from all angles and we were jostled this way and that unmercifully, but eventually we made our way to a quieter section of the hall and there, crouching behind an upturned table, was Tracey, fiercely clutching her daughter protectively to her breast. Rosewing didn't seem at all disconcerted by the events. On the contrary, she stared at the melee around her with undisguised curiosity.

  "Stephen!" Tracey cried when she s
aw me. I rushed over and embraced her thankfully, my relief at finding her safe spilling over and causing my vision to go all misty.

  "Sweetheart," I enquired when I could finally speak, "are you okay?"

  "I'm fine now," she replied, sobbing. "Oh, beloved, I thought I'd never see you again!"

  "Likewise," I assured her, kissing her on the cheek. "But we’re together again and that's how it’s going to stay." I pulled back a little and tickled Rosewing under the chin. She giggled, grabbed my finger and looked up at me with unblinking, trusting eyes as if she’d never doubted for a second that her daddy would always be there for her. That expectant and believing look tore at my heartstrings and I had to swallow the emotional lump that suddenly appeared in my throat. Thorn, Quina and Nix crowded around and we indulged ourselves in a group hug.

  "Stephen, what's going on?" Tracey whispered. "Who are all these people, and what are they fighting about?"

  "Explanations later," I told her, looking around. "First of all, we have to get out of this madhouse."

  "Not without my mother and sisters," Nix demanded. "I'm not leaving them here."

  "Oh, they're safe and sound back at your house," Tracey comforted. "I saw them being locked in their rooms as I was being dragged away."

  "Thank goodness!" Nix exclaimed, with heartfelt relief. "Okay, that's my anxieties relieved. Who's next?"

  At first glance, the situation appeared as confused as ever. The hall was stacked from edge to edge with fighting groups and I was extremely reluctant to inject my daughter into the middle of such chaos.

  "We may have to wait it out," I commented, "and see who wins and take it from there." However, any decision making on our part become null and void when a broad-shouldered One, with blood speckled across his face, came up to us, bowed and spoke in respectful tones.

  "You should come with me," he declared. "The Child of Light can't be exposed to such trauma. The risks are too great. Follow me to safety." I glanced around to my companions with a questioning look.

  "Should we?" I asked.

  "Anything is better than this," Nix grunted. "He's right. We can't stay here. The risks are too great. Sooner or later the fighting is going to end up where we are."

  "I'm willing," Tracey announced. "I want my baby safe and this is probably the least safe place in the world for her right now."

  "Let's go," Thorn agreed. "We definitely have to move and at least this group doesn't appear hell bent on harming Rosewing."

  "Very well," I told our interloper. "We’re in your hands."

  Chapter 22

  Our guide smiled gratefully at us and moved off, motioning us to follow. We padded after him in a single line as he led us around the peripheries of the skirmish, pausing only to unceremoniously push battling couples aside. Eventually, we reached a side door which our guide ushered us through, standing guard beside it as we did so. Then he resumed his leadership role and escorted us along further passageways until we found ourselves outside the building. I looked around in an endeavor to discover where we were, but had no success. There were no other buildings in sight, showing that, wherever we’d ended up, it was fairly isolated.

  "What now?" I asked our deliverer.

  "You should come with me," he replied. "I'll take you somewhere safe – to a place where the Blessed One will suffer no harm."

  "Sounds good to me," Nix proclaimed.

  "Not so fast," Tracey proclaimed. "I want to know what's going on. What was all the fighting about? And who are you?"

  Our rescuer bowed slightly and introduced himself. "My name is Malfour," he informed us. "I have the honour of being the Blessed One’s protector."

  "There you go with this ‘blessed one’ thing again," Tracey noted. "What has all that to do with my daughter?"

  "That's easily explained," Malfour told her. "Your daughter is the focus of two prophecies. The first belongs to a sect who has this fixation that the birth of your child heralds the end of the One civilisation as we know it. Of course they're totally misguided and fanatical," he sneered. "Frankly, I think they're all insane, but they are very determined in their beliefs. We," he proclaimed, pointing to himself, "on the other hand, know that your daughter will guide us all to a better life and unparalleled prosperity. So it is written in our prophecy."

  "And the fighting?" Quina murmured.

  "When we found out the Child of Light had been kidnapped by those ……. those maniacs, we immediately gave chase and were battling to deliver her. They were going to sacrifice her, you know. Simpletons! Their prophecy is an abomination!"

  "Yes, well," I said. "Thank you for saving us anyway. Where are we exactly? And how do we get back home?"

  "Your house isn't a safe refuge anymore," Malfour informed us in a troubled voice. "These fanatics won't rest until they have your daughter again. Your safest course of action is to come with me to our headquarters where we can protect you. Every member of our order would gladly lay down their lives to save the Blessed One."

  "What do you think?" I asked my companions.

  "Those lunatics wanted to kill my baby?" Tracey exclaimed angrily, clutching at Rosewing. "If these people want to protect her, then I say we let them, and I'll forever thank them for doing so."

  "It does seem our only viable option, Stephen," Quina said. "This cult of the Evil Child is fanatical and will probably try again. We were lucky Malfour and his people were here for us. I doubt if we could protect Rosewing by ourselves a second time."

  "What about you, Thorn?" I asked. "What do you think?"

  "What choice do we have?" she proclaimed, shrugging her shoulders. "At this stage of the game, I'd have to say that anywhere is safer than here."

  "It appears that the vote is unanimous," I told Malfour. "Lead on."

  "This way," he urged, setting off at a brisk pace. "Our sanctuary isn't far. The sooner we leave this place, the happier I'll be."

  "That makes two of us," Nix commented in a thankful voice.

  Malfour, randomly glancing behind us for signs of pursuit, piloted us along several stretches of tunnel, until we finally emerged into a largish open area, in the middle of which, to all intents and purposes, stood a castle. It had obviously been built for defence and its construction blueprints could have been taken directly from any mediaeval fortress. All the accoutrements were there – the turrets, the moat (heaven knows why because there was no water in it) and the drawbridge.

  "This looks familiar," I murmured to Malfour as we approached the Castle.

  "It's our crowning achievement," he boasted. "It's impregnable! We copied it from the humans and it's the ultimate in defence."

  "It’s certainly impressive," I praised diplomatically, keeping my reservations to myself. "How long did it take you to build it?”

  "It's been the labour of generations," he replied. "But it was worth it to have a residence that gave us utterly security." We were led inside the mammoth building and installed into a large room, containing a series of beds and tables.

  "I have to go and report what has happened," Malfour told us, "but I won't be long. In the meantime, I'll have some food sent to you. Make yourself at home and rest assured that here you'll be totally safe." He bowed reverently to Rosewing and hurried off.

  "Well, this is a little different," Nix commented. "When I woke up this morning I never imagined I'd end up spending the rest of the day inside a stone colossus. Did you see the size of this thing! He must have taken forever to build!"

  "I don't care how long it took," Tracey announced, smoothing down some of Rosewing’s curls. "We’re safe here, and that's all that counts."

  "That's right," Thorn agreed. "It'd take an army to get through these defences. I wonder how long we’re going to have to stay here?"

  "An interesting question," I mused. "The whole situation is spiralling out of control. We’re being swept along like leaves in a gale, and I'm not sure I like that feeling. But at this stage we can't do anything about it so we’ll just have to make the best of thin
gs."

  Our food arrived soon after, carried on trays by hesitant serving girls who appeared to be in awe of us. Well, of Rosewing, really. I had the distinct impression they were barely restraining themselves from dropping to their knees and worshipping her. I don't know why, but their attitude annoyed me. My daughter was being treated as some sort of a goddess and I wondered about the repercussions when our hosts found out she was, in reality, merely a mischievous little girl. But I put all that speculation aside as I sat down to satisfy my hunger. The food tasted delicious. Everything seemed to be of the highest quality – one of the perks of having a divine daughter, I suppose, I sourly ruminated. I hope they didn't expect her to perform miracles or anything because they were going to be sorely disappointed.

  Chapter 23

  After eating, we decided to explore our surroundings. The place was huge and, to be critical, fairly monotonous as well. Endless stone corridors greeted us at every turn. The place had been obviously built as a definitive haven, and not for any aesthetic value. The architects had incorporated the worst features of human castles in their design, leaving them with an unimaginative and boring building. Still, hopefully, it’d be a safe refuge for our beleaguered family until this whole mess sorted itself out. We met several occupants on our stroll and they bowed respectfully to us as they passed, but none of them spoke to us. The cult of the ‘Blessed One’ seemed well and truly entrenched in their minds and their fawning attitude increased my annoyance. Okay, respect is one thing, but adoration seemed a bit over the top.

  The next few days followed a similar pattern – sleep, eat, explore. Malfour took us on guided tours. He seemed quite proud of this ugly building and kept harping on its safety aspect, and how dangerous it would be to be outside of it. I began to get the disquieting notion that he didn't want us to leave. Ever. I didn't mention this to anyone else just in case it was a simple case of obsessive mistrust. However, Quina approached me a few days later and took me aside for a confidential talk.