Mantle: The Return of the Sha

by Gary Bregar

  Balki came to the stage and stepped up onto it. He placed the mallet on the seat of Zander’s throne, knelt down on both knees, and began to laugh hysterically. The laugh was shrill and Bella’s heart began to pound in her chest even harder.

  In the center of the stone pedestal beneath Zander’s throne was the engraving of a simple crown. He traced the crown with his long, and now thin, fingers. He then stood up and took the iron mallet in both hands. He swung the mallet over his right shoulder and brought it down on the side of the stone pedestal beneath the throne. The inflock was adding power to Balki as he brought the hammer down, and the blow was explosive. The stone crumbled, creating a large hole with an empty space within, now exposed to fresh air for the first time in hundreds of years.

  Bella barely caught herself before gasping out loud.

  What does Mr. Touro want with the Crown of Forris? she wondered.

  She hoped she would not be found out. Clearly, Mr. Touro was doing no good, and she found herself holding her breath. There were bells that could be rung to call for help, but the only bell and hammers she saw were behind the thrones, out of her reach.

  Balki kneeled once again, but this time he reached into the hole and pulled a box out from it. At first, Bella could only see the edge of the box as he pulled it out. But when he stood up and placed it on the seat of Zander’s throne, she saw that it was a wooden box of about the size that would be expected for holding a crown. The light was blocked by the back of the chair, but even in the shadow of the throne, she could see the dark, almost glassy, quality that could only be polished Sovereign wood.

  Balki slid his hand back and forth across the top of the wooden box, until he let out a sound of angry frustration. In his anger, he took the box over his head and threw it harshly to the ground, where it landed with only a dry and solid thud, without bouncing or sliding in the least.

  Balki stood, seemingly frozen in hot rage. Bella thought that something had been written on the box that had angered him, but she had no way of knowing. Now with him being so enraged, she was even more determined to keep her presence unknown. It was then that there was a scraping sound like the shuffling of feet that echoed through the room. Bella was sure that it wasn’t her, and she was sure that no one else could have entered the room unheard and unnoticed.

  She quickly peered out from the shadow to look around the room. The farther from the thrones, the darker it was, but she could still see well enough to know that no one was there. It was obvious that someone was hidden just as she was. There were two inset doorways on either side of the room that were filled with shadow, which created hiding places similar to her own. She knew someone was hiding in one of these places.

  Unfortunately, Balki also knew this. He walked along the walls, obviously planning to make a complete sweep of the room. He began at the thrones and circled left directly toward Bella. She was cornered and had no time to react before he was standing above her, looking down—the cold blade of a knife now resting against her neck.

  He was smiling.

  ****

  It was Bella that Pike had been following in the early hours of the morning, just past midnight. He had seen her entering the Throne Room on several occasions, and had begun watching her from afar. Part of it had been his curiosity that drove him to spy in such a way, but it was also a feeling that he needed to watch over her—to keep her safe.

  Each time she went through the double doors into the Throne Room, he would go around and through the smaller side door, and would stand hidden in the entryway. It was barely wide enough to contain him, but it was tall enough and well shadowed. He would watch her sit in silence—and each time, he felt ashamed of himself for spying afterward.

  But on the night that Balki had attacked Bella, Pike had felt no such shame. He would be thanked repeatedly in the near future, even if he didn’t know it then.

  He was standing in his usual place, out of sight, watching Bella deep in her thoughts. He then watched as Balki Touro entered, smashed the throne pedestal and went into his fit of rage. When Balki had come down on the queen with a knife at her throat, he would like to have stepped out of the shadows and become her hero right then and there. But truth be told, Pike had been frightened. In fact, he was terrified, and it was that feeling of terror that had caused him to flinch, shuffling his feet. He stood feeling guilty while his fear kept him still.

  Once Balki had forced the Resting Weed in front of Bella, causing her to faint, he proceeded to tie her hands behind her back using a thick string that he quickly pulled from his belt. He then picked her up and flung her over his right shoulder. Then, squatting with his knees, he lowered himself to retrieve the box which still lay on the floor.

  When Balki left the room, Bella and the box in hand, Pike turned and rushed through the door that he had been hiding in front of. He hurried straight to Lizabet’s room and entered without knocking. Lizabet jumped from her bed at the commotion and immediately ran her hand across the light crystal.

  When she saw that it was Pike, she was both relieved and panicked at once. He had a very distressed look on his face and he kept looking back toward the door.

  “What is it Pike? You’ve nearly frightened me to my death!”

  “Miss Lizabet, we must go! He may be after you,” he said in a panic. “You must hide!”

  Lizabet could see his determination, but she wanted more. “What is it Pike? Why must I hide?”

  Pike wasn’t the brightest—Lopers generally weren’t—but he knew that if he told her that Bella had been taken, she would not go with him. So he left it out, and decided on a partial truth.

  “Miss Lizabet, Mr. Touro has stolen the crown and he is coming for you. Please come. Please.” He sounded desperate now—because he was.

  Lizabet, sensing his alarm and realizing how out of character it was for Pike to act so strangely, finally relented and agreed to go with him. He led her through the halls quickly, avoiding the well-lit areas as much as possible. Finally they arrived at the room in the abandoned area of the castle, where they had first met—and to the secret door.

  Pike’s panic and sense of urgency had become infectious to Lizabet. She now felt threatened, although she had no idea why. She would welcome the sanctuary that the door would provide.

  “I’ll go through the door Pike, but you must hurry and tell the king of what you know. Tell him yourself so there is no mistake. Return here quickly, and be sure of the safety of my sister.”

  Now Pike was nearly thrust into a position in which he might be close to handing her a lie, but he quickly decided on a simple reply to avoid it.

  “I will, Miss.”

  Lizabet took the handle of the door and opened it. Swiping the light crystal, she stepped through and closed the door behind her. She could see through the cracks along the edge of the door, and she was glad to have a view of the other side. Pike’s view of the door disappeared when it had been closed, and he now only saw the stone wall, cold and gray.

  ****

  King Zander had known that his wife was quietly slipping out of bed on occasion in the middle of the night. When he considered asking her where she went at such a late hour, he had decided against it. As king, he would have many secrets that would be kept from her and so he thought it was only fair that she be allowed to keep her own. And besides, he was sure that she would not venture from the castle unescorted, so why should he care if she enjoyed wandering?

  When one of the outer butlers arrived at his door, however, he awakened to find Bella gone from his bed, likely out wandering as she had done before. He immediately wished that she was there with him.

  When he opened the door to find the butler standing in front of him, he knew something was wrong. The Loper was shaking nervously and had a frightened look on his face. He thought that he might mistake the butler’s nervousness at waking the king as he had, but Zander felt that this was something else entirely.

  Before Pike could open his mouth to utter a word, Zander ran to the
door that led into Bella’s private quarters. He flung it open to find her bed untouched.

  Now running back to Pike, he yelled, “What has happened to her? What has happened to the queen?”

  Pike was struck dumb for a moment and then finally explained, “Majesty, Mr. Touro has taken the queen.”

  He was holding back tears now, and Zander lowered his tone so that he would not frighten the Loper into a prolonged silence, preventing him from getting the information he needed.

  “What do you mean, he has taken her?” he asked as calmly as he could.

  “Majesty, the queen was in the Throne Room where she sometimes goes. Mr. Touro broke the throne pedestal and took a box from under it. Then he took Queen Bella.”

  Zander became light-headed and his knees nearly buckled beneath him. Taken! And by Balki Touro! He ran to the wall by the bed and took the dark bell-hammer in his hand and rang the bell four times to summon the Royal Guard. He then took the blue hammer and rang the bell once.

  Turning to the Loper, who was still standing in his doorway looking nervous and frightened, he asked, “What is your name, butler?”

  “Pike, Majesty.”

  “Thank you, Pike. I will never forget your bravery. Please wait for me outside the door. There may be more questions that need answered.”

  Pike nearly cried at the king’s remarks. He didn’t think he had been brave in the least. In fact, he blamed himself for giving away the queen’s hiding place in the Throne Room. Now he was being thanked and he didn’t think that the compliment had been earned. As he stepped outside the room and into the corridor, he forged a promise to himself to make it fair, no matter the risk.

  ****

  The castle was awake as if the sun had already risen. It was still dark and the moon offered little, but every lamp and candle burned inside the castle, casting a glare of light into the streets below. There were men running through the halls, and guards shuffling through them, as well, usually in groups of eight.

  Zander was met in his quarters by Steed and two of his councillors, who happened to be close by. He relayed what had taken place, and when his guards entered, he commanded that Bella be found and Balki be either captured or killed. He instructed that General Brask meet him in the Throne Room, where the abduction had taken place.

  In no time at all, the castle would be locked down and the city would be shut off as well. The gates had already been closed and now Zander quickly made his way to the Throne Room, with Steed and the two councillors keeping pace. Pike walked slowly some distance behind them, quickening his stride only when the distance grew too lengthy.

  There seemed to be a million thoughts rushing at Zander at once. His wife had been kidnapped, and he was in a panic for her safety, but the loss of the skull would mean war, and that war might now be upon them quickly.

  It was Balki who his mind kept circling back to, though. He had only met the young man several months ago. The boy hadn’t said anything particularly clever that Zander could recall, and now he wondered why he had brought him to Obengaard from Maske in the first place. What compelled me to do such a thing?

  But it was his disclosure of the skull piece, and it’s relation to the Crown of Forris, that really shook him. It was only when Pike had told him of Balki taking the box, that he remembered telling Balki of it during the wedding celebration. Even now, as he rushed to the scene, he could only piece together fragments of the conversation that gave away the secret. Each time he pushed himself hard to remember, he only recalled a feeling of trust for Balki Touro. It was such a strong memory of the feeling, that he would catch himself wavering in his understanding of the truth—even now, with the facts laid out before him.

  He pushed his need to remember out of his mind and focused on what he now knew. Balki had been carrying the inflock all along. How the inflock had found Balki and when it had found him, Zander had no way of knowing.

  However, it was Balki’s abduction of Bella that had Zander most worried and somewhat perplexed. There would be no reason for Balki to heavy his load with a hostage who would not be needed. She would only hinder the speed of his trip east to the Outlands, and eventually to Skite.

  Why would he need her? It made no sense to him. The inflock would have only one purpose—bringing the skull pieces together and reincarnating Menagraff as their king. It would have no interest in ransoms or bargaining. With Menagraff, there would be no bargaining.

  When they reached the Throne Room, General Brask was already there, walking around the room, inspecting it closely for signs of what had happened. Zander saw immediately how the throne pedestal had been smashed. The mallet that had been used in the crime still lay atop the throne. The sight of it all made him both angry and sick at once. It was an assault on him personally, but also against the people of Forris. His resolve at destroying the culprit rose through the rage.

  “General, what have you found?”

  “Majesty, there is no sign of the queen,” General Brask replied.

  “That is clearly the case, General,” Zander said, somewhat agitated. Time was wasting. “What else have you got?”

  “Majesty, we have nothing. The city has been closed and every Royal Guard and soldier has been put on patrol.”

  Zander walked over to the throne and took the mallet up in his hands. He stood for a long moment before throwing it to the floor with all of his strength. He then lifted both hands up in fists and cried out as loud as he could. The others, who had been talking among one another, stood shocked into silence as the king’s pain-stricken voice filled the room.

  It was then that a Royal Guard came in and motioned to General Brask for a word. The general obliged and the guard whispered something to him.

  The king noticed and asked, “What is it guard? Tell us what you know.”

  “Yes, Majesty, two guards near the East Gate has been killed, sir. They was laid up with a sword, by the looks of it.”

  Zander looked at the boy, who he thought to be about seventeen years in age. He looked terrified and Zander had no words to comfort him. Obengaard had its thieves and occasional rumbles of disorder (usually drink-induced), but a murder was rare—very rare. This would likely be enough to unsettle the boy, but Zander now wondered how much of a problem this might be in battle. He now had to hope that his men would not be soft in the face of war. Hope was all that he could cling to; it was too late to make changes now, and there was likely no training for that way of thinking anyhow. It was fortunate, he thought, that the Bore armies would have more experience in the ways of battle. After all, they had been battling clusters of Locks on their Outland borders for centuries. Forris had been lucky; they had been attacked by the Locks only a few times in recent memory. In an odd twist, the Bores’ unfortunate luck on the matter would now give them an advantage in the war. It would give them all an advantage in the long run, but what of his men? He pushed it out of his mind. Such things could not be dwelled on this close to war’s approach.

  “Do they know anything of the person who did this?” Zander asked the guard.

  “No, sir, they only saw the back of ’em from far off, when they was ridin’ away,” the guard replied. “They said he was takin’ himself east toward the small hills.”

  “They?” Zander asked. “How many were there?”

  “There was two, sir.”

  “We should go after them, Majesty,” General Brask said.

  Zander paced back and forth several time before answering. “General, I do not yet know what purpose he has in mind for her. I would not risk her safety by attacking him outright—”

  “But Majesty, if we don’t—” the general began, cutting off Zander in midsentence.

  “General, hear me now! I will not attack outright until I understand what we are facing. It is not only the queen that Balki Touro has taken.”

  He turned so that his back was now to the others. “General, I will speak with you and the others when we have our privacy. For now, I would have you dispatch six of you
r men to track them. Employ the Grey Eagles to assist, if necessary, but keep them in your sight. Once you have done that, assemble your men. We will need all of them and more.”

  “Yes, Majesty, if that is your wish,” Brask answered, and Zander thought he heard protest in his voice.

  “It is my wish, General, and I would remind you that we need not rush ourselves to war. It has already rushed toward us.

  “Pike, please come here,” Zander said.

  Pike slowly stepped forward as he had been told, and lowered his head. “Yes, Majesty.”

  “Pike, you saw what happened here, did you not?”

  “Yes, Majesty—saw every bit,” Pike replied, reminding himself that he was resolved to be brave in matters from here on out.

  “I would like you to tell us every detail of what happened here. Start from the beginning,” Zander said.

  Pike walked them through the details of the events of only a few hours earlier. When he described Balki’s reaction on discovering the box, Zander’s eyes widened slightly.

  Interrupting him, Zander said, “Pike why do you suppose that he became angry when he looked at the box?”

  “Majesty, I am only a Loper and do not know of—”

  “Just make a guess, Pike,” the king said, putting a stop to what he assumed would be a long explanation of how he was not qualified to make such bold statements.

  “There were scribbles on the box. It was hard to see, but he put his fingers over the scribbles on the box.”

  The king had paused to consider any other line of questioning that he might have when suddenly a woman burst through the door. She was immediately stopped by the guards keeping post at the door. When Zander looked over to the commotion, he recognized the girl as one of the maids in service to either Bella or Lizabet. He couldn’t remember which.