by Logan Joss
A knock sounded at the door again. ‘I’ll be there momentarily,’ Ormostrious shouted and strode over to open it.
Outside, Háliph stood, a little out of breath. He began to relay a message.
‘By order of King Somúlùs, ruler of runia, son of Busolùs, I hereby request the company of—’
‘Get to the point,’ Ormostrious interrupted.
‘Err…the king wants to see you. Now.’
Ormostrious raised his eyebrows and peered over his spectacles at the little man. ‘Oh,’ he said. He turned to his friends, who were all watching with interest. ‘It appears I must leave.’ He grabbed a small bag and made for the door, pausing only to say, ‘Make yourselves at home. Please stay as long as you need.’ Then he left, closing the door behind him.
14
A Cuckoo In The Nest
THE PALACE WAS a hive of activity; ranks of soldiers lined the cobbled quadrangle, awaiting orders. The parade ground, which hadn’t seen this much activity since the king’s jubilee celebrations, was awash with nervous faces. This was the first time during Somúlùs’ reign that the royal guard had been called upon to defend its country. Fear filled the eyes of the soldiers as they hauled trebuchets and ballistas onto the battlements. They looked at each other helplessly knowing that, even if these crumbling weapons were fully operational, it wouldn’t be enough.
Hundreds of feet pounded the cobbles, filling the night air with a sound like thunder, as squads of men were marched to their makeshift quarters. A large detail, that had been ordered to make fast the many towering gates around the palace’s inner wall, came to their last opening—the main entrance, but as the men began to drive the gate home, a carriage came hurtling through, narrowly missing them. Recognizing the royal crest, one man offered a perfunctory salute as the carriage sped past. It rounded into a forecourt and came to an abrupt halt by the scullery entrance, where Frèuitùs stood waiting. He released a small set of steps and swung the door open, offering a hand to help the new arrival. Ormostrious maneuvered uncomfortably out of the small carriage, with as much grace as his long limbs would allow, and uncoiled his body with a stretch. Frèuitùs retrieved Ormostrious’ bag from the carriage and led him into the palace through the scullery.
‘Oh, Ormostrious, I’m so glad you’re here,’ he said.
‘I was intrigued by the invitation,’ said Ormostrious, ‘but now that I’m here I find myself filled instead with trepidation. Frèuitùs, please, tell me what is going on.’
‘So much has happened, Ormostrious, but the king should be the one to tell you.’ Frèuitùs bowed his head and looked away awkwardly. The two men walked the rest of the way to the parlor with a heavy silence.
Frèuitùs knocked on the parlor door and opened it. Inside, King Somúlùs stood with a small group of his advisors, clustered around battle plans that were laid out before them on the table. All the men, including the king, were dressed in armor and there was a heated discussion taking place. Glancing up, the king saw Ormostrious and Frèuitùs standing in the doorway. He addressed his advisors. ‘We will reconvene at dawn. I expect you to have agreed on a strategy by then.’ He ushered the men out of the room and welcomed in Ormostrious. Frèuitùs bowed and left the two men alone.
‘Somúlùs, tell me what has happened,’ Ormostrious said.
‘Where to begin? Oh, where to begin? So much has happened since we last met.’
‘It looks like you’re preparing for an invasion.’
‘It’s war, Ormostrious,’ said Somúlùs.
‘War?’ Ormostrious was shocked. ‘But Somúlùs, is rus equipped for battle?’
‘I’m afraid we have no choice. War is coming whether we’re equipped for it or not.’ He paced the room nervously, explaining what King Cýrian had said about the war, about the advance of Nirikö’s troops, about how little time they had.
‘What about Xýrantè? Where is Cýrian’s support? Just because the wedding hasn’t taken place yet…It’s only a matter of time.’
‘There will be no wedding, Ormostrious.’
‘Really? But why?’
Somúlùs sighed. ‘There is so much that I haven’t told you.’ He paused. ‘Viöla is very sick.’
‘What do you mean sick?’
‘She has slept these last five moons. Edùliph has tried everything.’
‘Why didn’t you inform me of this sooner? I must see her.’ Ormostrious strode out of the parlor, Somúlùs following.
The room was lit by a single light, which cast a glow across princess Viöla’s otherwise colorless face. Despite the warmth of spring, a fire burnt fiercely in the hearth. And yet, to Ormostrious’ touch, the princess’ skin felt as cold as marble.
‘Somúlùs, this child is not sick,’ he said, peering over his glasses. ‘She has been cursed.’
‘Cursed?’ Somúlùs was shocked. ‘No, no, Edùliph said…’ He paused, confused. ‘Actually, Edùliph never told me what was wrong with her. But what does it matter now? Every possible treatment has been tried, but nothing has made the slightest difference.’
‘It matters very much, Somúlùs. Please understand, Viöla is not sick. This is not an illness so it is not a case of finding the correct treatment. Medicine cannot cure her. This is the result of magic. Very powerful magic.’
Somúlùs’ face was pale and his voice trembled. ‘But…how can she be cursed?’
Ormostrious stroked his beard in thought. ‘This curse was composed by someone extremely powerful, but it could have been carefully taught to another who had access to the princess.’
He reached out a hand to his friend’s shoulder and guided him to sit down in a chair near Viöla’s bed, then spoke carefully, peering over his glasses. ‘A physician of Edùliph’s experience would have known immediately that this was a curse.’ He paused. ‘I feel that Edùliph has not been truthful. I think he may have been stalling you.’
‘No, no, it can’t be. Edùliph has been the royal physician since my father was king. He couldn’t have betrayed us. Could he?’
Ormostrious raised his eyebrows. ‘Everyone has a price.’
Somúlùs slumped with his head in his hands and all energy drained from his body. After some moments, he took a deep breath, stood up and strode over to the bell cord by the door. He pulled it vigorously several times and, within moments, a maid appeared.
‘Get me the chief physician,’ Somúlùs bellowed. The girl curtseyed and disappeared. Somúlùs paced the room angrily and then stopped and turned to Ormostrious. ‘Was there anything we could have done if we’d known sooner?’ he asked somberly.
‘Yes indeed,’ Ormostrious replied. ‘And there still is.’
Somúlùs looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘You mean she can still be saved?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean.’ Ormostrious nodded sagely.
At that moment there was a knock at the door and the maid entered, looking flustered. ‘Edùliph cannot be found, sire.’
‘Then get me Frèuitùs,’ King Somúlùs said distractedly.
The maid scurried out again and Ormostrious continued. ‘The simplest solution would be a counter curse, but that requires knowledge of the original curse and, in Edùliph’s absence, it is doubtful that we will ever discover its nature.’ Ormostrious rose and walked over to where the princess lay. ‘Of course, there is another way.’ He paused.
Somúlùs came to stand on the other side of his daughter’s bed and waited expectantly for his friend to continue.
‘It would require some very deep, pure magic which I’m afraid is not easy to come by,’ Ormostrious said, stroking his beard. ‘But it is not impossible.’
‘Well? What is this magic?’ Somúlùs’ tone was urgent. ‘And where can we get it?’
Ormostrious slowly raised his head to meet Somúlùs’ gaze. ‘There is more power in a single dragon’s tear than in any other source remaining on Ëlamár. Dragons were born of old magic—’
‘A dragon? There are no more dragons,’ Somúl�
�s interrupted.
‘Ahh…there is still one,’ Ormostrious continued. ‘It is imprisoned deep within the Musical Mountains.’
‘Nonsense! You don’t believe those tales, do you? And even if it were true, what could we do about it?’ Somúlùs said. ‘Nirikö’s armies are marching on runia as we speak. I cannot spare a single man to go on a hopeless quest, chasing dragons that don’t exist.’ Somúlùs’ cheeks flushed as the frustration showed on his face.
‘You don’t need to spare any man. I have the perfect person in mind,’ Ormostrious said, turning to gaze out of the window. ‘Two, in fact.’
A knock on the door broke the suspense. Frèuitùs entered.
‘My liege, Edùliph is nowhere to be found within the palace. Shall I begin a search?’
Somúlùs shook his head. ‘It appears that Edùliph has betrayed us. I do not think we will find him here. There’s no need to waste time searching.’
He explained how the princess had never been sick but had been cursed, and about how Edùliph had known all along but had chosen to deceive them.
Ormostrious concluded, ‘I fear there is more going on here than meets the eye. The pieces do not fit together.’ He addressed Somúlùs. ‘When you first told me about Nirikö’s trickery, I was concerned but did not read anything into it. But now, with Viöla’s curse and Edùliph’s deceit, it appears that someone has gone to great lengths to ensure that runia is at its most vulnerable and its king is distracted by grief. I think we can all conclude that this is Nirikö’s doing. But the question is why.’
‘You are right, Ormostrious,’ Frèuitùs said. ‘Up until now, Nirikö has invaded countries without warning. His methods have been swift and brutal.’
‘So why is it different this time?’ asked Somúlùs. ‘What is special about runia?’
The three men were quiet for a moment, deep in thought.
Somúlùs continued. ‘Whatever the reason, war is nearly upon us. Nirikö will be here in days and we need to concentrate our efforts on defending rus.’ He turned to face Frèuitùs. ‘How are the preparations coming along?’
‘The palace has been secured and the battlements are armed,’ Frèuitùs began. ‘Squads of soldiers have been sent into the city to enforce the curfew and seal the perimeter. Orders have been issued for all men and boys to meet at dawn on the parade ground.’
‘How many extra men do we have?’ Somúlùs asked.
Frèuitùs looked away. ‘We’ll be lucky to have another two thousand.’
The room was quiet as this news sank in.
‘What about Viöla?’ Ormostrious asked, looking in turn at the king and his consul.
‘Frèuitùs, we need to find the safest place for my daughter,’ Somúlùs said.
‘We can make her comfortable in one of the secret chambers beneath the palace,’ Frèuitùs suggested. ‘The tunnels lead to the Southern Forest. We can evacuate her once we’ve established a camp there.’
Somúlùs nodded. ‘Please go and make the arrangements.’
Frèuitùs nodded and left.
Ormostrious stood beside his old friend. ‘Please Somúlùs, don’t give up hope. There’s still a chance that we may come out of this alive. Let me make the arrangements to charter a merchant vessel. I assure you, it won’t affect the war effort.’
‘Make whatever arrangements you think necessary. I’ll give you my full backing.’
Somúlùs started to walk towards the door but then paused. He turned back and put a hand on Ormostrious’ arm. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
15
Captured
TREVOR STOOD AND gazed upwards into the velvety night sky. The air was crisp and still and the sky was ablaze with stars. Overhead, the two moons of Ëlamár hung like Chinese lanterns.
‘There’s no time for stargazing, Trevor,’ Burtlùs said as he ushered Freya and Mèlli towards Ormostrious’ front gate.
‘But they’re so beautiful,’ Trevor said dreamily. ‘We only have one moon where I come from. And it’s silver.’ He looked with wonder at the rich pastel light of the two moons.
‘Like firestone light?’ Mèlli said, screwing his face up in disapproval. He came to stand beside Trevor. ‘The turquoise one is Telerón.’ He pointed at the larger moon. ‘And the pink one is Phaèlia. They’re nearly in conjugation—nearly touching. Look.’ He held a thumb out at arm’s length. ‘It won’t be long now. They get closer every night.’
Trevor copied him and could see that the moons were little more than a thumb’s distance apart. ‘What happens when they touch?’
Mèlli gazed at the moons, lost in thought. ‘If you hang around long enough maybe you’ll see for yourself.’
Burtlùs was getting impatient. ‘If we don’t keep moving we won’t make it to the city gates before they’re locked for the night.’
‘I don’t see why we can’t stay here,’ said Mèlli, trudging after him.
Burtlùs led the group back the way they had come that afternoon along the path through the forest. He had taken a lantern from Ormostrious’ house and it lit the way ahead of them with a silver glow, contrasting with the moons’ warm light. The uneven terrain was cast in pockets of shadow, making it difficult for Trevor and Mèlli at the back of the group to see where they were going.
‘And watch your step,’ Burtlùs added ironically, just as Trevor tripped over a protruding tree root. He picked himself up and brushed the dirt and leaves from his clothes, embarrassed.
As the group steadily made its way along the forest path, Mèlli’s mind whirled with the events at Ormostrious’ house. He remembered with excitement how Ormostrious had opened the map box—something his mother had never managed to do. He thought about the glowing marker over rus and the mysterious glyph in Aànemoy and wondered what they could mean. The possibility of fulfilling his mother’s dream seemed real for the first time—to find the cache of treasure that she had been sure the map box led to, the treasure that would have saved their family from poverty. With that, Mèlli’s excited thoughts became clouded by the sudden realization that his mother would never know; he was all alone now and wealth could not change that.
Mèlli’s train of thought was interrupted by Freya's voice. She sounded worried.
‘Where’s Trevor gone?’
Burtlùs swept the lantern around and looked in all directions, but Trevor was nowhere to be seen. ‘I told him not to wander off. Where can he have gone?’
‘Let’s go back up the path and look for him,’ Freya said.
They walked up and down the path calling out to Trevor, but to no avail. He seemed to have vanished.
Freya started to panic. ‘He was in front of you, didn’t you see where he went?’ she demanded of Mèlli.
‘Umm…err…’ Mèlli stammered, knowing that he had been too distracted by his thoughts to notice anything.
‘We’re going to have to leave the path and search for him in the forest,’ Burtlùs said. He raised his lantern and shone it into the woods beside them. Freya and Mèlli looked at each other nervously before following him in.
They made slow progress through the thick undergrowth, calling out to Trevor and pausing from time to time to listen carefully for a response, but all they could hear was the rustling of leaves and the strange scurrying sounds of small nocturnal creatures. They continued deeper into the forest, spreading out to the limits of the glow from Burtlùs’ lantern.
Mèlli’s ears picked out a muffled sound of snapping twigs to one side and he moved closer to investigate. In the distance, a flicker of orange light played through the trees like flames. He crept cautiously towards it and crouched behind a tree trunk to watch. To his surprise, he saw Trevor sitting in the center of a small clearing, bound and gagged, surrounded by a ring of tiny lights that danced around his head. A rustle of leaves behind him alerted Mèlli to Burtlùs and Freya's approach. Burtlùs opened his mouth to speak but was immediately hushed.
‘Shh! It’s firefairies,’ Mèlli whispered, pointing to the clearin
g. ‘They’ve got Trevor.’ He had to force the corners of his mouth down to conceal his enjoyment of the situation. Although harmless, firefairies had quite a reputation for practical jokes.
‘What’s he got himself into now?’ Burtlùs sighed.
The three watched from behind the tree trunk as the fairies performed some sort of ritual. They chanted in tiny voices as they flew. ‘We will cook you, we will eat you, we will make you into stew.’ With quick darting movements, they started to bring small sticks and leaves and tucked them around Trevor as he sat, helpless and terrified.
‘Please, please stop! I’m really sorry…I didn’t know…I thought you were insects,’ Trevor pleaded.
‘Insects? Humph…’ The firefairies were insulted.
‘Come on, we need to stop this,’ Freya said. ‘They’re scaring him.’
They all emerged from their hiding place and made their way quickly over to the clearing to intervene.
‘Hey, leave him alone,’ Mèlli said as they approached. ‘He’s my friend.’
‘Now come on, enough is enough, let him go,’ Freya scolded the fairies.
The tiny creatures flew from around Trevor and swarmed together in front of Freya. ‘But he tried to murder my sister!’ a little voice piped up.
Mèlli started to untie Trevor.
‘I’m sure it’s just been a misunderstanding,’ said Freya.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,’ Trevor said, wriggling free from his ties and leaping for cover behind Mèlli, who just chuckled and rolled his eyes.
A distant buzzing from within the woods became gradually louder and a cloud of orange light appeared in the clearing. Trevor cowered behind Mèlli, fearing that his small tormentors had called for reinforcements.
‘What’s going on here?’ a small voice asked in a suspicious tone from within the new group.
‘We weren’t doing anything, mother. It was him! He tried to squash Lixie!’ the tiny fairies whined.