The Moon Stealers Box Set. Books 1-4 (Fantasy Dystopian Books for Teenagers)

by Tim Flanagan

  After listening to the soft words that Anjela whispered into the ear of King Conroy, he turned to Lady Flora and relayed the information to her. She sat in the chair to his right and continued their private discussions in hushed and secret whispers.

  No one introduced themselves to Edgar, Ralphina or the children, but additional chairs were found and pulled up for them to join the gathering and enjoy the feast of food before them. But Edgar was always conscious of Lady Flora’s green eyes on him, aware that she was watching him closely even when his head was turned away.

  24. In the Twisted Tower

  The faerie queen paraded thoughtfully around a central heptagon shaped oak table that stood in the middle of the uppermost room within the Twisted Tower. The seven black panels of the inside of the roof stretched high above her to a point that was off centre to where it should have been. Blackened support beams connected the panels to their opposites alternatively and wound upwards, serving as perches for the Ravens. At random intervals there were small pointed arched gaps cut into the panels of the tower roof allowing light to form patterns and shadows that cut across the complex roof structure. Below the roof, the walls were covered by many cabinets and shelves overflowing with loose pieces of parchment, scrolls, bottles with cork stoppers and rows of uniformly shaped wooden boxes, cascading from their places onto worktops and desks. In the centre of the oak table stood a black metal dragon sculpture, its mouth pointing upwards in a roar, grasping a thick cream candle in its jaws.

  The queen was tall and slim, attractive to look at with high cheek bones and full red lips. Her black wavy hair cascaded down to her shoulders and was held away from her face by a delicate hair band of silver, studded with the deepest of blood red rubies. The purple gown she wore was strapped around her narrow waist by black leather coils with numerous metal buckles similar to those that also protected her forearms.

  To one side of the room logs crackled and spat from a fireplace that warmed the room. The queen threw some dried herbs into the flames causing an immediate change in the colour of the fire and the release of a pleasant smell into the air. She turned away at the sound of a door opening behind her to see a young woman chained at her throat to her hands and feet and being pushed through the doorway by an elderly looking man in oversized robes of purple. On his head he wore a circular cloth of material that held his hair down. His forehead and face were thin and gaunt like a skeleton with dark sunken eyes. The woman, dirty and defeated, lurched forward towards the fire, desperate for some warmth.

  ‘Good morning, Princess Lupa. Please feel free to warm yourself by my fire,’ said the queen in gentle and inviting tones as she poked at the burning logs with the end of her magical runestaff. ‘Lord Sliptongue, fetch some food for the princess,’ she instructed to the thin man in the purple robes who bowed deeply and left the room.

  ‘Your highness,’ the prisoner moved her matted hair from in front of her eyes and looked at the queen. ‘I am grateful for the fire and the food, but my wolf, Lochan, is ill. Even though we are kept apart, I still feel his pain. Please could I see him, just once?’

  ‘Tell me first what it is that you and your wolf have seen,’ said the queen as she turned away from her prisoner.

  ‘I have told you all that I see - a knight has come from the other world. That’s all. As Lochan weakens, so does his ability to see into the world: what is happening now and what will be in the future.’

  ‘Where is the knight now?’ asked the queen.

  ‘Every day he draws closer to the tower.’

  ‘Are there others with him?’

  ‘Please, your majesty, Lochan is sick,' Lupa tried once again to appeal to the queen’s sympathetic side for the sake of her wolf. 'If I could see him and feed him, we may be able to see more for you.’

  ‘Are there others with him?' repeated the queen, this time more sternly.

  ‘At first there were only some children with him, but now I see others coming together to meet with him.’ Lupa had also seen her sister Ralphina with the knight but hadn’t dared to tell that to the queen.

  At that point Lord Sliptongue returned to the queen’s chamber with a tray weighed down by a juicy leg of lamb, sweet potatoes and fruits together with a jug of wine and a simple clay cup. It was awkward to move because of the chains around her ankles, but Lupa hobbled over to the central table and immediately began slicing off soft chunks of meat and eating then as fast as she could.

  ‘Fetch her wolf too,’ instructed the queen to Lord Sliptongue, who raised his eyebrows in frustration at being made to fetch and carry like a common servant and not the high ranking lord that he actually was.

  ‘Thank you, your highness,’ said Lupa, grateful to hear the queen’s request for Lochan to join them. It would be the first time she would have seen her wolf brother since they had been captured in the Firewood Forest. Ever since then they had been held separate in the cold and damp cells of the Twisted Tower.

  The queen walked over to a chair beside the fire and sat down in it whilst watching Lupa as she ate rapidly, her fingers dripping with the fat and juices from the lamb. At her instruction, the Caniard princess had only been fed boiled rice and water in the cold cell she had been put in whilst her wolf had been chained in a separate cell with only the rats for company. The jailers had already informed her that the wolf’s health was getting worse and Lupa's usefulness was soon going to come to an end. If the wolf died, Lupa’s power of foresight would also be gone and the princess would only be a shell of what she currently was, empty without her wolf.

  ‘What else is happening in my kingdom?’ she asked Lupa in a friendly, conversational way.

  ‘I saw large groups of elves coming together at the foot of Mount Fury. I saw children starving in the barren dry lands in the far south; there have been no rains there for so long. The Tunga tribes are fighting amongst themselves once again over who is worthy of the hand of the chiefs ninth daughter. In Applegrove Saint Marchant the river has flooded the fields drowning many of the farmhands and cattle…’

  ‘Enough!’ shouted the queen, standing and raising her runestaff threateningly towards Lupa. ‘I am not interested in people dying in places it would take me weeks of travelling by horseback to get to. Let the Tunga tribe kill themselves over another ugly daughter for all I care and the fields at Applegrove have been flooded because I ordered a dam to be built further downstream. Tell me about the knight. How can one man overthrow me? Tell me when the war will start and who is part of his army.’

  There was silence in the room. The queen sat down once again in her chair by the fire staring into the flames whilst Lupa continued to eat furiously.

  ‘When I look out of my window, I see a huge army gathering at the foot of my castle, but I question myself constantly; do I have enough soldiers and will they stand and fight in my name or will they run?' continued the queen. 'I hear whisperings about small groups and communities moving around the kingdom, but as soon as I hear about them they all seem to vanish. Where is the knight’s army hiding?’

  At that point Lord Sliptongue entered the room, followed by two jailers carrying the limp body of Lochan, Lupa's wolf. They placed him on the table next to the tray of food. As soon as Lupa saw the wolf, she cried out in shock immediately feeling the pain he was in. It had been so long since she had seen him that he was barely recognisable. His breathing was shallow and his eyes looked glazed and confused. He tried to lift his head but lacked the energy; the effort to fill his lungs with breath was all he could manage. Lupa gently placed a hand onto the side of his body; his brown and black fur was coarser and duller than it had been and she could feel the bones of the ribcage sticking out beneath. She looked into his striking amber eyes and wept.

  Lupa, came Lochan's weak voice inside her head.

  I hear you, she replied to Lochan’s voice.

  I’m fading, soon I will be by your father’s side along with the rest of the king’s dead family and my long gone wolf brothers.

  No, don
’t leave me.

  The queen heard nothing of their conversation, all she heard was Lupa’s sobbing and the raspy breath of the wolf.

  I have tried looking into the future, but cannot see it clearly, said the wolf in a broken and faint voice. On occasions I see the world dead and even darker than it is now, but then I see fields of green where everyone is free and a Caniard kingdom rising once again without the threat of being hunted. The fate of this world is directly linked to the fate of the queen. Your sister is still alive and is working with the knight to bring peace to this world.

  Lupa picked up the small clay cup from beside the jug and poured a little of the wine into Lochan's mouth. Most of it fell back out immediately forming a pool of ruby red liquid on the table staining the fur around his mouth, but a little fell on his tongue.

  'What else does your wolf see?' asked the queen who had left her chair and was now standing on the opposite side of the table to Lupa. She looked up from her sickened wolf, the flames from the candle stinging her wet eyes.

  Be brave. Tell her no more than you have to, said Lochan.

  'He sees nothing more than I have already told you,' Lupa defiantly replied to the queen, looking her directly in the eye.

  'Then he is of no further use to me,' the queen replied rapidly pulling a dagger from her waistband and plunging it through the heart of the wolf and into the wood of the table beneath him.

  'No!' screamed Lupa. She could feel the pain inside her own chest as if it were her and not Lochan that had just been stabbed. Lupa draped herself over the dead body of her wolf, knowing she would never hear his voice in her head again. She could feel the fur against her cheek and wanted to pick him up and hold him once again, but the dagger pinned him to the table.

  'I want to know everything you and the wolf have seen,' the queen’s voice came from behind her. 'If you tell me, then I will spare your life.'

  'What life does a Caniard have when she has lost her wolf,' shouted Lupa between the sobs as she pushed her face into Lochan’s fur.

  'Where is the knight’s army hiding? How many men does he have?'

  The last thing Lupa wanted to do was help the queen. She would be happy to die and be with Lochan and her father once again. She stroked the fur that covered the wolf’s chest and felt the hard, cold handle of the dagger that had killed him. Fury raged inside her and she pulled the dagger from the wolf and hid it from view against her clothing. Turning towards the queen she spat at her feet.

  'The world is rising against you. I have seen the future and your tower is destroyed. Weeds grow from the cracks and the mortar has crumbled into dust,' said Lupa with pleasure.

  'She lies, your highness,' said Lord Sliptongue in his snakelike voice from beside the door.

  'I see you dead,' continued Lupa as she leapt forward and thrust the dagger into the queen’s stomach. As soon as Lord Sliptongue realised what Lupa was doing, he took a step away from the door and grabbed hold of Lupa's shoulders, pushing her away from the queen; she stumbled because of the chains that bound her feet and landed heavily onto the floor.

  Lupa shook uncontrollably as she cried.

  'It takes more than that to wound me, wolfless princess,' said the queen. 'You cannot kill a faerie queen with her own dagger.'

  Lupa turned and stared in disbelief at the queen’s stomach where she had pushed the dagger in. There was no mark or flesh wound and the dagger lay harmlessly at her feet.

  'I agree with you,' said the queen. 'A Caniard has no life without her wolf.'

  The queen raised her runestaff and muttered words of magic. Strings of black mist seemed to reach from her staff and pull a white spirit from Lupa's body, momentarily lifting it from the ground, before it dropped lifelessly to the floorboards. Lupa's wish to join her wolf and father had been granted.

  25. The Council of War

  As the banquet continued, the spirits of the leaders got progressively higher as they drank more of the king’s wine. Voices became louder and even laughter began to fill the stone chamber despite the overhanging shadow of war. Edgar, Ralphina and the children stayed where they were at the far end of the table whilst Raelyn curled himself up on a warm spot by their feet.

  Eventually King Conroy The Enlightened stood at the far end of the table resulting in the other leaders lowering their voices and speaking in hushed and respectful tones.

  'Gentlemen, and Lady Flora,' he nodded to the green clothed Sorceress to his right. 'It is time for us to enter the council chamber once again and make the final preparations to our plans. Our fortunes have changed however, and I now have pleasure welcoming a gift from the other world - a knight who commands one of the twelve swords of power, as well as two talented and brave children. It has long been told that the end of the queen will come when a man of ancient wisdom and knowledge dethrones her. Now is that time. I welcome you, Sir Edgar Gorlois, to our table.'

  There was a ripple of applause from the other leaders who turned to Edgar.

  'Let us all take our places inside the Council Chamber once again.'

  The tall king swept through the double doors that the two guards standing either side automatically opened. The king’s train of white fabric glided across the floor behind him, once again dividing all of the others into two. The king took his place upon a stone throne at the top of a series of steps at the far end of the chamber, whilst all of the others took their positions on grand wooden chairs that lined the outer walls. Each chair had the colourful banner that represented their particular kingdom, clan, tribe or group. Once everyone had sat at their places, Joe noticed that the floor had a beautiful outline of a Phoenix carved in it that shimmered and changed as if the bird were alive and twisting in the flames. Edgar, Ralphina, Joe, Scarlet and Raelyn stood silhouetted in the doorway, not quite sure where they should go or what they should do. The great doors swung shut behind them. Twinkling lights in the ceiling lit the chamber so brightly it was almost as if daylight had entered. Anjela escorted them towards the nearest chairs. Joe and Scarlet sat on one together whilst Edgar and Ralphina took the next two vacant chairs.

  Once everyone had settled themselves, Lady Flora stood in front of her chair nearest to the king.

  'My lords, when times demand it we must pull together and join forces to fight the greater evils in this world. As guide to birds, guardian of plants and carer to insects, I pledge my services and that of my subjects no matter how small they may be, to King Conroy and the combined forces of everyone and everything that is good in our world. As lovers of peace we have been reluctantly drawn into this war that has now reached a point that we can no longer be avoided.'

  ‘Mother of Nature, although I'm sure your intentions are good, what we need are more men and cold steel to strike at our enemy, not pretty plants and small birds,’ said the short man who had been arguing with King Conroy when they had last left the council chamber. There were some mutterings of agreement and faint laughter from some of the other men.

  ‘Thank you for your kind words regarding my intentions, Lord Kullwrath, but you of all people should understand that the size of a soldier does not reflect his determination and skill on the battlefield, or dictate how great his heart is.’ Lady Flora replied to the short man which resulted in some sniggering.

  ‘I may be shorter than most, but I can use a sword as good as any man here,’ replied Lord Kullwrath stubbornly.

  ‘Then you will understand that the army I command, although small, are armed with their own weapons. Even a giant of a man cannot fight so well when he has a swarm of red ants crawling beneath his armour, biting at his skin and distracting him from his enemy. Nor can he advance forward when the way is blocked by thick undergrowth or roots that can emerge from the ground when required and trip the giant to the ground. In the sky, a bird is a small target to hit with an arrow, yet its beak and claws can prevent the giant from seeing. You can find strength, Lord Kullwrath, in things that are greater than steel.’

  ‘They are mere distractions. An army o
f soldiers is still needed.’

  ‘Enough,’ interrupted King Conroy from his high stone throne. ‘We should be grateful to Lady Flora for assisting us. It is exceptional circumstances indeed that draw people of peace into war. My own people have not fought a war since the times of the Dundan Ilk who brought disease and sickness to these lands off their eastern made boats. The time has come for us to strike. Never before have we come to each other's aid in such a way. We cannot wait to see if more join us. Now that King Arthur’s knight has arrived, we must make our move whilst the queen remains blind to our army.’

  Edgar stood up from his chair at the back of the chamber and walked down the room with all eyes watching his progress. After crossing the phoenix he stood before the king’s throne and knelt down on one knee.

  ‘May I speak?’ Edgar asked the king who nodded in agreement. ‘King Conroy, lords and lady,’ he addressed the surrounding leaders. ‘I fear my importance to you is highly over-rated. Although I agree that I am a knight of King Arthur, I have not been sent by him to overthrow the faerie queen. In my world Arthur is long dead. I came here with three children to rescue a boy who fell through a portal into your world. My own world is dying, consumed by an alien life that is killing everyone and everything that lives there. It is quite possible it may eventually find a way through to this world and your fate would be the same. We came for help, if not to save our world then to save your own.’

  ‘As you can see, we have our own problems to deal with,' replied King Conroy. 'Your appearance can be no coincidence. We have long been waiting for someone from your world to free us from the queen’s grasp. The birds and the trees are Lady Flora’s ears and when we heard of your presence, calls were made to our allies. Never before has such a gathering and union of leaders happened and it is all in anticipation of you, Sir Edgar. None can possess such ancient wisdom as yourself.’