‘Er …’ began the guard as he realized he had earned himself the unwanted and displeased attention of the Jade Circle. ‘I’m just the help. He’s the one ya want ta talk to.’
All eyes turned to Kelko.
‘Oh, Bless my Oak, but I can’t do this standing up. Would someone please bring me a chair? I’ve been riding non-stop for three days and nights, I haven’t had a bite ta eat nor a sip of water and I’ve been bitten by just about every mosquito that lives in the Great Plains.’
‘Fetch the man a chair,’ said Lady Dridif in a particularly dry voice. ‘We’ll let Kelko the Oak sit before listening ta his no doubt golden words of wisdom … and if we don’t value the words that pass his lips we’ll have him clear up every splinter from those Tulip Dynasty vases with a pair of tweezers.’
Kelko winced as his bruised bum settled into the seat offered, then sighed in content as his thighs finally stopped cramping.
‘Oh, thank me beloved Oak for that.’
‘Kelko,’ said Lady Dridif with a warning tone of disapproval.
‘Sorry, ma’am. It hasn’t been an easy week. Let me get straight ta the point. We’re at war.’
There was a brief period of silence during which many of the councillors paused to stare at one another with a what’s-he-going-on-about look.
‘We know we’re at war,’ said a rather uptight-looking councillor. ‘I don’t think anyone would call the past couple of years’ relations with the Stoman lord a “period of peace”.’
‘Wot? Ah, no. Look, wot I mean ta say is we’re about ta be at war. Bane has sent his First Army across the Great Plains in the hope that we would be too distracted looking at Alavis and Alacorn to notice the danger coming from a different direction. I’ve come ta warn ya that we’re under threat of an immediate attack.’
There was a moment of shocked silence that was swiftly broken as every councillor tried to speak at once.
‘Silence!’ snapped Dridif. ‘Kelko, I would very much like ta think that ya would have the good sense not ta come in here with a concoction of idiocy, however having known ya since ya were a child I feel the urge ta ask ya ta repeat yerself. Do ya really mean dis? Do ya really mean that Bane’s forces are bearing down on us as we speak?’
‘I do, Yer Honour. And I fear that we have little more than a day’s reprieve before they arrive.’
There was yet another period of silence during which Dridif held her hand aloft to prevent anyone speaking out of turn. Weighing Kelko’s words against the wear and tear of his clothes and the obvious signs of a forced journey evident in the dark circles beneath his eyes, she finally spoke.
‘Then we’d better prepare our defences,’ she said. ‘Captain?’
‘Yes, ma’am?’
‘Get me me generals.’
32
Brimstone and Fire
‘Charlie, what’s up with your Will?’ asked Nibbler as they sat around waiting for the contents of Crumble’s battered pot to come to the boil. ‘Why isn’t it golden any more?’
Charlie winced, not really willing or ready to offer an explanation. But from the look on Nibbler’s face she realized he expected an honest answer. Casting her eyes skyward she sighed. As one of her most steadfast friends, she owed him the truth.
‘There’s something in me, Nibbler. Something dark. I can feel it in my chest and when I tense I can feel it in my muscles too.’
Nibbler’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his friend with concern. ‘What kind of “something dark”?’
‘I don’t know what it is. It’s been there for a while.’
‘How … long?’
‘A while now. I first felt it in Narcissa’s tower, but when I think about it perhaps it’s been there all the time. Maybe since my parents went missing, maybe since Mr Crow came to live with Gran and me. All I know is that it’s there, it’s with me now. Since Darkmount broke my leg and left me for dead. And … and I like it.’
‘You like it?’
‘Yes. It … it’s like a fire. A fire that rages in my chest, a fire that fuels me when I need it. It keeps me going, keeps me strong and hard.’
Nibbler, a stony expression on his face, walked over to Charlie and rested a paw on her chest. ‘There’s nothing there, Charlie, it’s all in your –’ He yanked his paw away as he felt something hammer and pound beneath his talons. His eyes grew wide, and slowly he reached for Charlie’s ribcage again. ‘Oh my gosh …’ he whispered as he felt whatever it was pulse inside his friend. ‘What is that? It’s real, isn’t it? It’s really real.’
She nodded.
Crumble, who had been watching with some alarm, spoke up: ‘Does it hurt?’
‘No.’
‘What do you think it is?’ he asked.
‘I’m not sure. All I know is it helps.’
Crumble cocked his head to one side. ‘I’ve never heard of anything like this before. But what if it’s harmful? What if it’s going to cause side-effects or damage your body? Maybe one of the great healers could take a look at it.’ He scratched his head thoughtfully. ‘Might be best if a Treman healer looked at it. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to Sylvaris? With your Keeper abilities you could be there and back in less than a day.’
‘No,’ said Charlie with a determined frown. ‘I’m not moving backwards. I won’t. Forward or nothing.’
Nibbler and Crumble shared a look, but neither chose to pursue the subject. Both of them knew how stubborn Charlie could be.
‘So, where are we now?’ Charlie asked Crumble.
‘I think your Portal took us south of Opal Hold so we’re a bit further away from the Western Mountains than before.’
‘How long would it take us to walk to the Western Mountains?’
‘To the mountains? About four, maybe five days from here and then another two to get to the city.’
‘The city is called the Western Mountains too, though?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why is it people can’t come up with original names for places?’ said Charlie, pulling a face. ‘It’s the same back on Earth, they’re always using the same names over there too. Or if they want to pretend to be creative they add the word “New” in front of the old word: New York, New Zealand, New South Wales.’ Charlie paused as she pushed thoughts of Earth away. ‘Look, I’d rather cut out as much of the walking as possible. Is there another village around here where we could try to get some answers to where we can and can’t open a Portal?’
‘Well there’s –’
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Nibbler, cutting off Crumble. ‘Why can’t you just try to open a Portal to the Western Mountains? Everyone is saying it can’t be done, but we don’t know that for sure. And maybe if a Portal won’t open in one place you can play around. If you try to open a series of Portals leading away from the Western Mountains you’ll eventually find one that works.’
Charlie grinned. ‘Now that’s a good idea.’ Standing up she clapped her hands together. Amidst rocky spires and at the bottom of one of the many canyons that dotted the land, Charlie had no line of sight from which to take her bearings.
‘Crumble, which way are the Western Mountains from here?’
‘There, to the north.’
Charlie turned to face where Crumble was pointing, and although she was facing a canyon wall she felt as though she could sense the mountains in the distance. Feeling confident and drawing on everything she had heard about the city, she summoned her Will. Pulling her hands apart, she teased open a Portal.
Immediately something felt wrong. The Portal felt far too heavy, as though it was fighting her. It bucked and weaved from side to side and a horrendous grating shriek burst from it. Realizing that she’d made a terrible and potentially dangerous mistake, Charlie threw herself to the side. Crumble and Nibbler, already a safe distance off, backed even further away. The roar grew to near unbearable levels and just when the three thought it couldn’t get any worse they felt a vibration rumble through the air.
WHHHHUUUUUUSH!
A jet of molten lava spat from the rift, searing everything in its path, igniting the hardy cacti that grew in the canyon and turning sand and stone to glassy slag. With a final shriek the unstable Portal collapsed in on itself and blinked out of existence.
Charlie, ears ringing so hard that she thought she might now be deaf, stared at the devastation in shock. Wincing and blowing through her pinched nose to relieve the pressure in her ears, she staggered over to her friends.
‘That, er … that didn’t go too well.’
Crumble stared at her like she was mad. ‘That’s perhaps the worst understatement I’ve ever heard! “Didn’t go too well! Didn’t go too well!”’ he parroted and shook his head in wonder.
Charlie, still unable to hear, nonetheless got the gist of what he was saying. ‘I don’t think I should try that again.’
‘You think?’ choked Crumble. ‘Look, definitely no more Portals to the Western Mountains! We’re going to go to another village and we’re going to get a qualified answer before we attempt anything like that again. I do not want to burn off my eyebrows or get burned alive for that matter before I turn sixteen!’
‘What?’ said Nibbler and stared around with dazed eyes. ‘Did someone say it was time to see the Queen?’
Crumble rubbed at his head in frustration as Nibbler staggered on unsteady feet and Charlie continued to alternate sticking her fingers in her ears and puffing on her nose.
‘But what Queen?’ asked Nibbler with a concerned look on his face. ‘Will we be there in time for tea?’
Crumble clapped his hands to his face and groaned. Grabbing Nibbler by a wing in an attempt to stop the dragon walking into a pile of smouldering lava, he took hold of Charlie with his other hand and dragged them to a safe part of the canyon.
He pointed his finger at Charlie. ‘No more Portals! We’re going to walk to Shidden Vale. It’s a bigger town than Opal Hold and it’ll take us the rest of the day to get there, but NO MORE PORTALS!’ Finished with Charlie, he stuck his finger directly beneath Nibbler’s nose. ‘And there is no Queen!’
‘Really?’ asked Nibbler whose hearing was returning, or at least returning at a faster rate than Charlie’s. ‘But what about the tea and biscuits?’
‘Argh! There is no tea and biscuits! Look, just help me pack up our stuff. The sooner we get out of here and on the road to Shidden Vale the better.’
Taking charge, Crumble prodded the two into action and fortunately it was only an hour later that Charlie’s hearing fully returned to her.
‘What do you think that was?’ she asked. ‘What do you think caused that noise and all that brimstone and fire?’
‘I don’t know what it was or what caused your Portal to fail,’ said Crumble, ‘but it’s safe to say that you stumbled across Bane’s barrier to travelling.’
‘But it was so weird,’ continued Charlie. ‘The Portal felt like it was going to shake free from my control and –’
‘Charlie?’
‘Yes, Crumble?’
‘I think there are always going to be mysteries in life and for now, until we get any answers from someone in the know, this will have to be one of those mysteries that you’re going to have to learn to live with.’
‘Hhmpf.’
They walked in silence for a while. Leaving the red sandstone canyons behind them, they entered a flat land covered in wind-rounded boulders and dotted with strange incandescent trees that glimmered softly in the sunlight. Giant bumblebees the size of beach balls drifted from thorny bush to cacti flower, and insects unseen, but very much heard warbled a constant tune that followed the companions as they walked through the landscape. They came to a slow-flowing river that brought with it a sweet scent. Nibbler – still thinking about tea and biscuits – was fascinated by the brightly coloured birds that would dive into the water in search of silvered fish.
Eventually they joined a road and could soon see Shidden Vale appearing round a bend in the late afternoon sun. And just like Opal Hold, here too Charlie was mesmerized by the strange architecture: bold statues and crystal gardens that lined the streets.
‘Let’s try not to get into any more fights this time,’ advised Crumble with a worried look. ‘Let’s get in and out of the town fast.’
‘What about that proclo-proclee-proc–’
‘Proclamation,’ finished Charlie, unable to bear hearing Nibbler mangle the word any further.
‘Yes, that thing. Do you think Bane will have sent any heralds here to offer that reward?’
‘I guess so,’ mused Charlie. ‘Either way I think it would be best if we stick with Crumble’s suggestion. Get the information that we need then move out.’
The closer they drew to the centre of town the more populated the streets became and once more Nibbler began to draw a lot of attention, as did Charlie. Only this time all of it was negative. Dark scowls and muttered curses followed them.
‘It looks like Shidden Vale has taken up Bane’s banner,’ said Crumble. ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.’
Charlie hesitated. She wasn’t enjoying the welcome either. ‘Perhaps you’re right. Look, how about Nibbler and I go back. You can still go on – as a Stoman you’re not going to stand out so much. You can get us the information.’
‘OK, that sounds like a … wait. Where’s everyone gone?’
The street, quite busy before, was now almost bereft of people. Those still about were rapidly departing.
Charlie, immediately realizing what was coming, shut her eyes and breathed deeply. The darkness within her throbbed.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Nibbler.
Charlie opened her eyes. ‘It’s a set-up, isn’t it? Someone in Shidden Vale knows about the bounty and thinks they can take me to Bane.’ Part of her wanted to stay and fight, to unleash the darkness and teach those who thought they could claim the reward a lesson. But the larger part of her was concerned about her friends. ‘Let’s get off this street before any bad guys arrive.’
She turned to lead them down a narrow side street, but they were greeted by a motley group of Stomen armed with a mixture of weapons and mismatched armour. Tridents, chunky axes, crooked swords, hooked chains, weighted nets and shields were clenched in calloused hands.
‘Not that way, then,’ said Charlie. ‘Let’s try this …’
But turning back to the main street she found another group of similarly armed men and women.
Charlie shrugged. ‘Sorry, boys, but it looks like it’s going to be fight time.’
Even as she apologized Charlie knew the sentiment wasn’t genuine. She wanted to fight. The darkness inside her drove her towards it and she was only too willing to sate its appetite. She only hoped that neither of her friends got hurt in the process.
A shorter-than-average Stoman stepped forward. His belly protruded over his belt and the battered helmet thrust upon his head had seen better days, but from the girth of his shoulders and the way he held his weapon Charlie suspected that this man knew what he was doing.
‘All right, squishy girl,’ he rasped, ‘we’d prefer it if you came with us quietly and simple-like. Course, if you don’t want to play it that way we’ll settle for cutting your head from your shoulders to deliver it bloodied and dripping to our lord. Either way we make enough money to go around.’
‘Are you sure there’s enough of you?’ asked Charlie with a flippant manner.
‘What? You cheeky scarab-beetle! We’re the Forty Swords! That’s forty of my men –’
‘And women,’ interrupted a dangerous-looking lady with scars along her arms and a huge warhammer clenched in her fist.
‘And women,’ acknowledged the man, ‘who are more than willing to tear off your legs so they can carve a new set of dice from your thigh bones. You’d better pack it in and come with us now or we’ll leave this fair city knee-deep in your blood and guts.’
‘Oh, I’ll come all right,’ said Charlie, striding forward. ‘It just won’t be quietly.’ Reaching wi
thin, she pulled the darkness from her heart, raising her hands so the mercenaries could see the interlacing golden flames and black shadows that writhed round her fists. As she plunged into the group, her voice soared above them: ‘And let me tell you … FORTY OF YOU AREN’T GOING TO BE ENOUGH!’
33
Thornwood
‘How can I help?’ enquired Sindris the Third, smiling politely.
‘I think,’ said Jensen, ‘that dis is a matter where we can help each other. Allow me ta cut ta the chase: Bane is bad for business, particularly banking. He has swamped the market with an over-abundance of gold and jewels, which has sent stocks plummeting and devalued currencies throughout Bellania. Worst of all he’s single-minded. Very single-minded. If he wins dis war do ya think there would be any place in his new empire for independent banking? Do ya think that he would allow a source of wealth ta flourish that he did not in some way control?’
Sindris rose from the couch and walked across her plush study to a drinks cabinet. She poured two healthy portions of Scented Isle brandy and, returning to the couch, passed one to Jensen.
‘You have a direct approach with your views, Jensen of the Willow,’ she said after taking an elegant sip from her glass. ‘And although I would never admit this outside this room, it is a view that I and many members of the board share. Bane, indeed, is bad for business.’
Jensen raised his glass in a salute. Sindris mirrored the gesture.
‘You were intending to go somewhere with this?’ she asked, urging Jensen to continue.
‘I was. Obviously, we are both businessfolk so I was not going ta come out with some drastic notion or request a heroic action or appeal to yer conscience.’ Both resisted the urge to snigger at that. ‘However, wot I am requesting is a reasonable use of yer network.’
‘Go on,’ prompted Sindris.
‘Bane has placed a bounty on Charlie Keeper.’
Keeper of the Realms: The Dark Army (Book 2) Page 17