The Last Queen of Lemuria

by Gloria Mur

  Yuma looked at the flüg with caution. Everything around trembled and groaned, it smelled of fire and burning metal. Inside there were comfortable seats for the passengers, covered with animal skins. In the center was a console, behind which a servant was standing. He flipped some levers and the ball easily followed his command, turning whichever way he asked. The walls of the flüg turned but the seats remained motionless. The difference in movement made her head spin.

  - "Well then Yuma, now you're a member of our family!" shouted Gorr, patting her on the shoulder.

  - "Praise Lucifer we'll not be flying to Lemuria again. That Chintamani took all my power away!" Complained one of the Queens, drying her face with a handkerchief. "Yeah, are we gonna land soon? My dress is covered in soot!"

  - "We'll be landing shortly," answered a servant, lowering a lever.

  The vehicle fell quickly to the ground. Yuma's soul seized. She dug her nails into her armrest.

  - "Come now! Watch yourself!" Noted Grino. "Queen Yuma is not accustomed to such flights," explained the Prince, leaning his head toward his fiancée. Grino had bad breath. Yuma screwed up her lips into a smile in response.

  There was a clap, then they fell gently to the ground. The doors flew open. The Queen of Lemuria came out onto a stone square before the palace. Before them opened a panorama of the land of the sorcerers. Grino handed the Queen a telescope to assist her.

  She quickly noticed that there wasn't enough light there. Perhaps the reason for it was the dark walls of the Groix castle that looked like cliff walls. And also maybe the mountains here are just a lot higher than in Lemuria. There were almost no plants on the cliff walls. Maybe, the sensation of darkness became stronger in this wicked city. The island that the capital, Groix, was on was five times larger than Lemuria, and seemed to her uncomfortable and cold. The walls extended almost all the way down the sea shore. There were guards on the towers, protected by metal armor, and armed with what looked like bows. Below, by the gate of the castle, the poor and vagrants milled about, trying to get into the city. The homes of the Groisillions were huddled by the sea- each hut looked the same, made of black stones and divided from one another by high fences. The residents were swarthy, short people with frowning faces who were only concerned with their own business. Someone was driving a herd of small pale-blue sheep from the meadow- they were the one thing that was the same as Lemuria. Someone was dragging a net from the sea, and others were coming back from work in the mines. Yuma noticed the last of them by the black dust on their faces. Far away, near the horizon, she saw smokestacks, puffing away. It seemed that the Groisillions had come quite a bit further than the Lemurians in terms of production development. The residents of Olmolungring were able to pearl, sew rugs, and create masterful pieces of woodworking. But all the same, their most basic occupation was gathering- everything they needed could be found in the forest.

  - "Do you like our Kingdom, my newly-crowned sister?" Asked Guria.

  - "I prefer Lemuria," answered the Queen, cowering.

  - "Nothing to worry about, you'll get used to it! Grino will help you with your longing..." answered the Princess.

  - "Guria, leave her alone!" Cried Yala, approaching with tears in her eyes. Meeting and parting with Doro had truly upset her. "Leave her alone, daughter! She doesn't feel well."

  Guria snorted and left the room, watching as her mother hugged Yuma.

  - "Let's go, Yuma! I'll show you to your room," said Yala.

  - "We're waiting for you at dinner," said Gorr, reminding Yala. - "I'm dying from hunger, that cursed Chintamani has left me completely drained!" Adding to a servant, "Dinner! Now!"

  The table was bursting with food. The smells of excellently prepared food tickled her nostrils. The servants brought all new plates and pots. There were chops, and a whole baked lamb- roasted birds, and amazing sausages- huge fish and a myriad of delicacies she had never even heard of. There were ten saucers of each type of sauce. Yuma suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before. She looked at a servant. He placed a dish before her of nuts and whipped cream, decorated with berries. "Really now? Since she'd become Grino's fiancée?" Yuma asked for a clean plate, and having cut off a piece of fatty sausage and lamb herself, she covered it all in sauce and joined the table. Everyone sitting around the table ceased to chew. A deadly silence set in.

  - "Yuma!" Came Yala, breaking the silence, "daughter, what are you doing?!"

  - "Eating," answered Yuma, continuing to eat, paying no attention to the general confusion.

  - "For a Lemurian girl, you're full of surprises!" Admired Grino, "You eat meat!"

  - "Well, I am only half Lemurian, after all," answered Yuma with a mouth full of sausage.

  - "Atta girl!" Came Gorr, looking victoriously at Yala, "what do you say to that, my bird-food-eating beloved? That's my blood!" Yala blinked her eyes in confusion.

  Guria frowned. “That gentle-giant cow wasn't as simple as she seemed. Maybe she could even do magic.” Thought the Princess, looking intermittently at the center of Yuma's forehead. “She thinks in a different language!? Ancient Lemurian maybe?” Guria was confused. “What could she mean by 'this dish reminds me of pot roast?' Who was Margo? Samir? Boris? Marina? Andrei? What kind of names were these? Lemurian? And Shambhala, what is that?...” Guria became lost in confusion while reading Yuma's thoughts. It was the first time she'd ever had this problem in her life. She could read Yuma's thoughts, even in a strange language. But the Black Princess was not able to understand the thoughts she was reading. And this made her even more wary. She would have to bring her plan into action as quickly as possible.

  After dinner, Yuma was locked in her room. It was a huge room with a high vaulted ceiling. The gray, cold walls were completely bare. Footsteps rang off the walls. Only one thing was there, a beautiful rug, obviously from Lemuria. The bed was small for Yuma's large frame.

  That was it, she'd become his fiancée. The fiancée of that horrible man who raised a lump in her throat every time he came close. One month from now, he'd be her husband. For how long had the Teacher sent them here? And what would happen... if she were to live her whole life here? She'd have to live here, knowing that Aleur lived practically next-door in Lemuria. When she remembered the young engineer, tears welled in her eyes. How could he have betrayed her like that?! He'd even talked with Guria today in the throne hall. She saw how the Black Princess had embraced him.

  At the same time, Tamil, Greta and Aleur were working out a plan to sneak into Groix. It was quite the scheme. It seemed almost impossible! Though the sorcerers had nowhere to hide from the flood, Groix was defended on all sides both day and night- Gorr was too cowardly and suspicious. His servants, armed with iron bows, and arrows, were always keeping watch on the castle walls. It was impossible to get through those defenses. There was only one way left- bribery.

  - "Sorcerers crave jewels and gold," said Greta, "maybe we should try to bribe them.”

  - “I have a pearl necklace!" Called out Aleur. "A wedding gift."

  - "Very well. We should be able to cross the channel on our vimanas," recommended Tamil.

  - "Too dangerous," interrupted Greta. "One nervous thought and you end up in the hands of the inter-island current. Aleur could swim against it maybe, but you... No. We need a boat.”

  - “We can get a boat from my father," said Tamil, "I'll ask him. We should think about where to get a blueprint of the castle. Someone in the palace should know."

  The friends thought.

  - "I know where to get the blueprints!" Realized Greta. "Lourin, the Council messenger goes to Groix quite a lot. And he seems quite... fond of me," she smiled, "I'm sure he'll agree to draw up a blueprint."

  - "Fine, if it'll make my friend happy, I'll turn a blind eye to whatever you want to do," sighed Tamil, raising an eyebrow to show he was joking.

  - "The day after tomorrow, I'll be in the palace at Doro's lessons. I'll try to find Lourin.”

  - “The day afte
r tomorrow in the evening, we'll have the blueprints. Come then," said Tamil. - "We'll decide where to go from there.

  - “Until we meet again," came Aleur, smiling with reinvigorated hope.

  Chapter 19. The Black Princess's Plan

  There was one day left until Grino was to meet at Guria's. “I must refuse the meeting- it will tell father about the Stone. That cannot be allowed.” The Princess called for a servant. She gave her a sheet of paper with something inscribed on it and ordered:

  - "Sheila! Create this very recipe. But secretly, got it? If not, it's your head. You'll bring it tomorrow morning."

  The servant bowed and disappeared. Guria chuckled to herself. Everything is going as I planned. Yesterday she had suggested to Grino that it would be good to invite Yuma to dinner to speak, and get better acquainted. Grino jumped at the idea. He was probably hoping to charm his fiancée before the wedding. Guria's black eyes narrowed. A shade of hatred ran across her face.

  Greta flew into the room where Tamil and Aleur were waiting.

  - “My beloved! You shouldn't run so fast!”

  Greta sat down at the table, breathing heavily.

  - "Did you manage to get the blueprint?" Asked Aleur.

  Greta fell silent, shifting her eyes from one to the other.

  - "Did something happen? Do you feel unwell?" Worried the friends.

  - "I have bad news," she finally let out.

  - "What?” Tamil paled. "Something with the child? Have you been to the doctor?"

  - "No," she paused, "news from Groix."

  - "From Groix?" Inquired Tamil and Aleur at once.

  - "Prince Grino is dead," exhaled Greta.

  - "Dead? The Prince of Groix is dead?!" Guffawed Aleur. "Greta! You sweet woman!" He jumped, kissed her and began running circles around the room, "Greta! I've never heard better news in my life!”

  - "Aleur! Taking joy in another's death is a sin," drawled Tamil, smiling. "But I understand! Yuma is free!"

  Greta lowered her eyes and sighed:

  - "That's not all."

  - "What else is there, Greta? That cursed sorcerer died and Yuma will return home!" Exclaimed Aleur, still smiling.

  - "Yuma won't be coming back."

  - "What? And why might that be?" Aleur stopped.

  - She's in the Grey Tower," sobbed Greta.

  - "Where?!"

  - "I saw Lourin. He was in Groix with the Council when they were drawing up the contract for the solar metal... Well, it seems the Prince was poisoned yesterday at dinner, and only Yuma and Grino had been present. Suspicion immediately fell on the Queen. She's been locked up in the Tower. But beyond that, it's a mystery. The sorcerers have got something in mind. At the negotiations, Gorr was acting like nothing had happened. He signed the contract. But didn't say a word about Grino's death, or about Yuma. Lourin happened to have overheard a conversation between servants."

  - "Lord! Yuma's in the Grey Tower!" Shouted Aleur, covering his face with his hands. "No one gets out of there alive!"

  - "Stop talking like that, Aleur! We need to keep our calm and judge the situation," said Tamil, coming down off his vimana into a chair. "Now it's our duty to break into Groix. We must save Yuma."

  - "Break in to the Tower of Death! Madness!" Whispered Aleur, spreading his arms.

  - "We need to just calm down, and figure out how," said Tamil. "Greta, did you get a blueprint of Groix?"

  - "Yeah, Lourin drew me one," said Greta, taking a sheet of paper from her purse.

  Guria and Sheila were paddling a small boat. The Princess was shouting to her servant:

  - “Faster, Sheila! Row faster! We've gotta get this done in one night! Move your ass!"

  - "Your highness! We'll die! The Chintamani kills sorcerers!" Whispered the servant.

  - "Shut up! And get moving!"

  The servant girl kept rowing, soaked in sweat, barely alive from fear. The oars creaked loudly, echoing forever over the water. They could already make out the lights of Lemuria through the fog. As soon as the boat started sliding onto the sand, Guria jumped ashore.

  - "Wait for me here. Hide the boat in the bushes."

  - "Your highness! I don't like this. I can't breathe," complained Sheila.

  - “It's nothing, you'll live. I'll be back soon," answered Guria, moving towards Olmolungring speedily.

  It was much easier to get into the city than she thought. There were no guards. The people of Lemuria were sleeping tranquilly. The crazy people! How can they put so much faith in a stone, even if it were thrice enchanted. No fences, no guards! These Lemurians were beyond understanding. After she'd gotten into the palace, Guria walked through the corridors. The lamps on the walls lit as she walked by, lighting her way. She had been able to study the layout of the rooms in her crystal ball. "There's a good door- Yuma's former bedchamber." Guria chuckled to herself. "It ought to be more comfortable there than in the Grey Tower. That door goes to the Council meeting hall, and that one goes to the greenhouse, and that one... That was Aleur's room. Guria paused for a moment. Her hand was drawn to the doorknob. Stop! The Princess shook her head, as if trying to shake off the obsession. She had come for the Stone. Everything else could wait. And the Black Princess walked right on by.

  The door to the Sanctuary flew open with a creak, and Guria saw it. On a golden pedestal, in a jewel box. The Chintamani! Guria took a candle out of her cloak and lit it. The light danced off the walls and reflected the golden threads of the box. The Princess held her breath. She walked up to the box and carefully opened the top. At the bottom of the case lay an object resembling a huge nut. The stone was shining an intense indigo in dark of the chamber. It was covered with tiny letters, symbols and numbers. And this is the Great Chintamani?! Is this how a symbol of power and might should look? This is the Stone that makes the sorcerers run in fear? It was strange that such a stone would contain so much power.

  Sheila was laying on the sand not far from the boat. Her face was completely without blood and covered with huge drops of sweat.

  - "Sheila! Sheila, wake up!" Guria pulled on her shoulder.

  - "Your highness," groaned the servant, opening her eyes with difficulty, "I'm not feeling very well."

  - "Nonsense! Get up right now, we're going home!"

  - "The Lemurians... They say that their stone charges the water around the city," continued Sheila, barely able to move her tongue, "don't forsake me, o lords! I... am dying...”

  - “From the Stone!" Guria snorted. "I've got their stupid stone right here!" She said, taking the box out from her cloak.

  A ray of blue light, tearing itself from captivity, blinded the poor servant girl. She shuddered. Her face turned white and contorted, she began foaming at the mouth, and not one moment later she had breathed her last.

  Guria cursed loudly. “As if I wasn't having a hard enough time already!

  - To hell with her! These pure-blooded sorcerers are so weak! Now I'll have to row myself!”

  The princess grabbed Sheila by the collar and dragged her into the sea. Afterwards, she dragged the boat out as well, heaved her body on board, and cast off from the shore. When she reached the middle of the channel, Guria threw Sheila into the water. If I throw her body in the ocean at the shore, they'll think she drowned. The Black Princess fastidiously wiped her hands with a handkerchief. Damn! Sheila was a great servant. Now I'll have to find another. But enough of that, I've got more important business at the moment. And Guria beat on the oars, steering the boat toward the castle.

  Chapter 20. Gorr's Designs

  Gorr was in his room, and despite the late hour, had yet to fall asleep. He was sitting at his table, watching over Guria in his crystal ball. When his daughter had stolen the Chintamani, he shook his head in admiration. There wasn't much left. Guria just had to complete her business.

  Gorr knew perfectly well who had poisoned Grino. But he didn't get in the way of the Black Princess. Grino wasn't the only heir of Groix. He would have to be sacrificed. The ends justi
fied the means. Guria had planned to neutralize the Chintamani! If she did that, then Gorr's most daring plans could finally be realized.

  Guria docked her boat near the fortress walls, but didn't walk towards the castle, instead going towards a small stand of trees nearby. There was a small hut there, with a secret book stored inside, containing the plan to make the Black Princess the Queen.

  Guria looked from side to side and walked in. Closing the entrance with a curtain behind her, she lit a dim lamp and took a piece of black coal from a shelf. She drew a circle around herself, muttering a spell. Afterwards, she lay the jewel box with the Chintamani on the table. She would have to hurry. She didn't want to kill all the people of Groix- who would be her subjects? “Faster. Where's that page? Ah, there! The spell to take from the Stone the power to affect sorcerers.” After that she'd be omnipotent.

  The Princess's hands were trembling from excitement. She took the book and opened the box. The dark blue light illuminated the walls.

  - "In the Name of the Great Lucifer, I curse thee, Chintamani, stone from the planet Orion..."

  As Guria read the magic words, the light from the stone dimmed and dimmed, but hadn't been completely extinguished.

  - “It worked! It worked!" Guria cried out inside herself from joy. "The curse was effective! Groix will never have to worry about the Stone again!" The Princess grabbed the Stone from the box. Now, without the blue glow, the Chintamani looked like a normal nut... Just one thing left. Guria's hands had become wet from excitement. She took the book again and turned the page...

  "A curse to turn a person into a mouse..."

  - "What?!" She read it again in disbelief. "Into a mouse?" She ran her finger over the page again. And again. The secret words, giving sorcerers the power of the Chintamani had disappeared! The Princess brought the lamp closer. "There it is! A page is ripped out!”