The Familiars #4: Palace of Dreams

by Adam Jay Epstein

  “All that’s missing is a pair of chopsticks and some soy sauce,” Aldwyn said from the gilded archway at the entrance to the Bronzhaven seaweed springs.

  Gilbert leaped to his feet, nearly falling face-first into the water.

  “Aldwyn, you’re back!” He removed the mask covering his eyes and ran over to his friend. “So, did you find her?”

  “Not yet,” Aldwyn replied. “And I’m fairly certain the justiciary doesn’t want her to be found. What about you? How was your questabout?”

  “Surprisingly easy. When Marianne and I reached the Ocean Oracle, the Seven Serpent Guardians were absent. We just waltzed right in and asked for the tome.” Gilbert peeled off the sheets of seaweed clinging to his body. “Just keep that between us, though. I might have told Skylar a slightly different story. One involving me beheading those Seven Guardians.”

  “You could have been honest with her, you know.”

  “Once you get immortalized in stained glass as a hero of the land, you don’t want people to think you’ve gone soft.”

  “Are you ready for your flower petal massage, Master Gilbert?” asked the palace hand.

  Gilbert’s cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, even through the green.

  “We should go find Skylar,” Gilbert said to Aldwyn, quickly changing the subject. “I’m sure she’ll be excited to see you.”

  Aldwyn nodded. It had been ten days since they’d all departed on their questabouts. He was happy to be back with his best friends, too. Especially since Commander Warden had sent Jack to meet up with Marianne and Dalton at Turnbuckle Academy. The most renowned beast tamers from the Beyond were gathered there for a series of lectures on monster baiting and entanglement techniques, rare and valuable wizarding skills.

  Aldwyn and Gilbert walked beneath the archway, leaving the seaweed springs behind. They made their way through the palace courtyard, past the golden eel pond and the wishing web in the everwillow tree. Outside, preparations for a feast were under way, as kitchen wizards used their magic to summon fruit trees from the ground, complete with apples and pears ripe for the picking.

  “Is this all for Queen Loranella’s birthday?” Aldwyn asked.

  “Yep,” Gilbert replied. “The Council has decided to throw her a surprise party. She and Galatea left early this morning to oversee the resummoning of Vastia’s southern enchanted fences.” Gilbert’s voice lowered into a conspiratorial whisper. “Of course, that was just an excuse to get her out of the castle.”

  “It’s too bad our loyals are going to miss this,” Aldwyn said.

  “Well, it’s not every day you get to learn how to trap a sandtaur,” Gilbert replied. “Of course, I’d rather be indulging in all-you-can-eat fun any day. Guess that’s one of the perks of being in the Prophesized Three. You’re a guest of honor at every royal function. Even other people’s birthday parties!”

  “That reminds me,” Aldwyn said. “I don’t have a present.”

  “Don’t worry. Skylar took care of it. She got something special from all three of us.”

  They walked through an open doorway into a long corridor, where banners from every province hung on the walls. Guards and palace bulldogs roamed the grounds on routine watch.

  “This way,” Gilbert said, following a trail of water trickling down a stairway. “Skylar collected some moist moss on her questabout. She’s been experimenting with all sorts of liquefying spells ever since.”

  As Aldwyn and Gilbert climbed the steps, the water flow got heavier and they could hear the sound of splashing behind a closed wooden door.

  “Now try the table,” Sorceress Edna’s high-pitched, nasal voice could be heard calling.

  Aldwyn telekinetically turned the knob on the door, just in time to see a stone table transform into a gelatinous shell of itself before splashing down into a puddle. Skylar stood on the opposite side of the room, observing her handiwork.

  “If you reverse the spell, you should be able to return the table back into its original shape,” Sorceress Edna said between sips from a cup of blueberry tea.

  Skylar plucked another talonful of moss from her satchel and squeezed it as she incanted: “Sutitauqa, sutitauqa!”

  The blue jay’s wings trembled, and the silver-and-emerald chain of the Noctonati she wore around her ankle rattled. Suddenly the water began to transform. But not back into a table. Just a pool of stone.

  “That’s going to take a little more practice,” Skylar said.

  “Look who I found,” Gilbert said.

  Skylar turned to see Aldwyn avoiding the wet spots on the floor. She flapped over and wrapped her wings around him in a hug.

  “Welcome home,” she said. “Did you find Yeardley?”

  Aldwyn shook his head. “Have you ever heard of the Well of Ashtheril?”

  “No. Why? Is that where she is?”

  “I think so.”

  “We’ll check the queen’s library,” Skylar said. “We were able to locate the Crown of the Snow Leopard. We should be able to find a simple well.”

  “I figured I could count on you,” Aldwyn said, happy the Prophesized Three were together again.

  “You know me. The older and dustier a book, the better.” Skylar tipped her beak up into the air. “Why do I smell seaweed?”

  “Oh, Gilbert was—”

  Before Aldwyn could finish, Gilbert cut him off.

  “—just wondering the same thing,” the tree frog said. “Must be from those liquefying spells you were casting.”

  Skylar shrugged.

  “I’ll let the three of you catch up,” Sorceress Edna said, waddling toward the door. “I need to get ready for tonight’s party.”

  Skylar opened up her satchel and showed Aldwyn what was inside.

  “You wouldn’t believe all the neat stuff we took from the Xylem garden. Icari weed, marble bark, snizzle grass. And a dozen other things we haven’t even been able to identify yet.”

  Gilbert walked over munching on an orange root.

  “This carrot tastes funny,” he said.

  “Gilbert, that’s not a carrot,” Skylar said.

  “Then what is it?” asked the tree frog.

  “We don’t know. It’s one of the twelve things we haven’t identified! But it most likely has some very powerful magic associated with it.”

  Gilbert gave a panicked look and tried to cough up whatever he was eating, but nothing came out. They all waited in anticipation.

  “I don’t feel anything,” Gilbert said.

  “Well, if your body begins to expand rapidly, stay away from any sharp objects,” Skylar replied.

  Quick footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Commander Warden entered the room, his black hair swept back into a ponytail. Dressed in gold studded armor and leather pants, he had the look of a man who could lead a thousand soldiers into battle. The commander dropped to one knee, bringing himself down to Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert’s eye level.

  “In case you thought you’d be getting a vacation while your loyals are at Turnbuckle, I’m afraid you won’t be so lucky. I have a full schedule planned for you. We start first thing in the morning.”

  “Whoa,” Gilbert said. “Aldwyn just got home. He’s probably exhausted. Give this cat a break. Let him kick up his paws.”

  “I’m fine, Gilbert,” Aldwyn said.

  “You don’t have to impress anyone,” Gilbert said. “It’s okay to want a little downtime. Some relaxation. At least wait until tomorrow afternoon. No one would blame you.”

  “You can reschedule your mud bath, Gilbert,” Commander Warden said.

  Gilbert was about to protest, but thought better of it.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. The three of you will find that I’m not nearly as lenient as Kalstaff was when he taught you. And Sorceress Edna may be prickly, but you won’t find me sipping blueberry tea during my lessons. Queen Loranella put me in charge of your next stage of training for a reason. When I was headmaster at Turnbuckle Academy, I coul
d squeeze magic out of even the most common squire. With pupils who have potential for greatness within them, such as you three, I will bring out magnificence. We’ll meet at the archery range at sunrise.”

  “You know I can’t fire a bow, right?” Skylar asked, gesturing to her wings.

  “You won’t need bows. I have something else in store for you.” Commander Warden flashed them a smile. “I’ll see you at the party this evening. I know the queen will appreciate you all being there.”

  Just then Gilbert let out a sudden belch, and a burst of fire shot from his mouth. It nearly singed the feathers off Skylar’s body.

  “Cinder beet, of course,” Skylar said, pointing a wing at the half-eaten orange stick. “Thanks, Gilbert. Now I’ve only got eleven things left to identify.”

  Gilbert was already lapping up water from one of the puddles on the ground. Steam poured from his nostrils.

  “If you’re still hungry, I’m really curious what this black mushroom does.” Skylar pulled another mystery component from her pouch.

  A loud roar split the air, silencing the party guests gathered in the courtyard. Aldwyn looked up, past the colorful streamers and paper lanterns magically floating in the night sky, to see a chinchilla sitting on the palace wall, pointing its tiny paw into the distance.

  “The queens have arrived at the gates of Bronzhaven!” the palace crier announced.

  The friends and colleagues of Loranella all twittered excitedly as they took their positions, hoping to surprise the queen. Aldwyn had strategically placed himself directly beside the appetizer table, where platters of raw fish were lined up. Sorceress Edna was pushing people into place, shuffling her short legs across the stone paths with her familiar, the minx Stolix, sitting on her shoulder.

  “Quiet, everyone!” she shouted.

  After the signal, Skylar flew overhead alongside four other birds from the Nearhurst Aviary. With a swoop and a spin, together they cast a grand illusion, making it appear as if all the guests were suddenly gone.

  The thundering steps of Galatea, the lightmare queen, could be heard charging closer. Loranella sat atop her as they entered the courtyard and slowed to a stop. The queen dismounted.

  “We made good progress today,” Loranella said.

  “Yes,” Galatea replied. “But Vastia’s reconstruction has only just begun. There will be much work to do.”

  “Then it is fortunate that we will be doing it together,” Loranella said.

  Aldwyn looked upon the human queen, her white shoulder-length hair wind-tossed from travel. She adjusted the seven-pronged golden crown atop her head. Her eyes glanced to the empty palace grounds, and although she seemed to be trying to hide it, Aldwyn saw what appeared to be a slight grin. He couldn’t help but think that while it was well intentioned to throw the queen such an elaborately plotted party, attempting to surprise one as wise as Loranella was a hopeless endeavor indeed.

  Skylar and her avian cohorts dropped the illusion, and as the hundreds gathered were revealed, they screamed out a collective “Surprise!”

  Queen Loranella made a show of astonishment, and she smiled as the entire crowd broke out into song.

  Dragons rise and moons set on another merry year!

  We wish you bowls of lifeseed and dreams that have no fear!

  From every corner friends have come to join and gather here!

  We celebrate this joyous day with giant shouts of cheer!

  And with that, they broke into reverential applause. Loranella quieted them.

  “Thank you. I am truly humbled to see all of you tonight. It has been a year of great turmoil, the likes of which have not been seen since I was a young wizard. But we persevered. Our defeat of Paksahara and her Dead Army will live on in the history scrolls, long after I go to the Tomorrowlife. Until then, we’ll keep the torches burning high and our glasses filled with persimmon wine.”

  Aldwyn spied a flute of purple bubbly and telekinetically lifted it from a table into Loranella’s hand. As she held it up, the crowd shouted as one, “Vastia!”

  Music began to play from an enchanted harp in the corner of the courtyard. It was Aldwyn’s cue to make his move on the fish hors d’oeuvres, but just before he pounced, a hand touched his back.

  “Aldwyn, I want you to meet somebody.” It was Sorceress Edna, and she was pulling Aldwyn toward a man who appeared to have only half a face. One eye, one nostril, and a crooked half grin. It was as if someone started painting a picture and stopped in the middle. “This is Nazkareth, Loranella’s second cousin.”

  “An honor, Prophesized One,” said Nazkareth. “I have read of your travels. I’m most fascinated by your discovery of the mawpi’s lair in the Beyond. At some point, I’d be very eager for you to lead me there.”

  “Yes, well, we’ll have to see if that can be arranged,” Aldwyn replied, still mesmerized by the man’s deformity.

  “Sooner rather than later,” Nazkareth said, more insistently.

  Before Aldwyn could respond to Nazkareth’s demand, Sorceress Edna waved over a pair of dignitaries dressed in earth-toned garb.

  “Aldwyn,” she interrupted, “these are the twin druids of the Ratskeever province. They wanted to invite you to be an honored guest at their Festival of Alchemy.”

  “We wish to welcome the saviors of Vastia to our province.” The more delicate of the two gave a graceful bow.

  “You haven’t truly dined until you’ve tasted the sweet nectar of a Ratskeever fig,” her twin added.

  “We’re quite busy with our training right now,” Aldwyn said, “but should we travel east of the Yennep, we’ll be sure to pay you a visit.”

  In the months following the Prophesized Three’s victory over Paksahara, Aldwyn had been introduced to hundreds of strangers. While it seemed that every one of them knew who he was, to him their names and faces were a blur. Even ones as memorable as Nazkareth and the twin druids of Ratskeever faded in time.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Aldwyn said, spying Navid and Marati, a king cobra and white-tailed mongoose, across the courtyard.

  As he walked away, Aldwyn could hear Sorceress Edna speaking to the twin druids.

  “Those are two of the seven animals that formed the circle of heroes,” she said. “They’ve become officers in the Vastian guard, leading an elite squadron of animals and humans known as the Nightfall Battalion. Their mission is to root out any last traitors hiding across the fair queendom.”

  Edna’s voice faded as Aldwyn approached the duo.

  “Aldwyn, good, you can settle a debate for us,” Marati said. “We recently encountered a tunneler dragon ransacking the northern mountain town of Glatar. Who would you say deserves credit for the kill? The soldier who crippled the beast and battered it to its wheezing end? Or the one who merely robbed it of its last breath?”

  “Mind you, the dragon was still looking for innocents to spear when my venom blast struck its skull,” Navid hissed back.

  The two had once been mortal enemies, but now were the strongest of friends. Of course, there was still a healthy dose of competition between them.

  “It could hardly bear its own weight by then,” Marati replied.

  “Tell that to the woman and child who nearly got skewered!”

  “Sounds to me like it’s best not to choose sides on this one,” Aldwyn said. “Perhaps you can share the credit.”

  “What fun would that be?” Navid asked, as if Aldwyn were crazy for even suggesting such a thing.

  “A tie doesn’t make two winners,” Marati added, clearly in agreement. “It makes two losers.”

  A spyball descended from above, landing next to the white-tailed mongoose. When Aldwyn was first introduced to the world of magic, he came to know the bat-winged eyeballs as spies for Paksahara. But after her downfall, the spyballs were spared punishment and reemployed by the queens’ guard for their original purpose: to alert the protectors of the land to dangers lurking outside the gates of Bronzhaven.

  “Looks like there’s a
disturbance in the east,” Marati said. “Navid, I’m afraid it’s time for us to go.”

  “I’ll call the Nightfall Battalion,” Navid replied.

  The two departed, but Aldwyn wasn’t left alone for long. He spotted Gilbert sitting on a table across the courtyard. Not surprisingly, his friend was staring dreamily at Anura, the golden toad who was also a part of the circle of heroes. The tree frog had developed a crush on the luck-bringing amphibian, and she didn’t seem to mind the attention. Aldwyn approached them.

  A worn map was laid flat across the table. Gilbert’s webbed hand gripped a smooth glass stone. He placed it on the map, directly atop Bronzhaven.

  “Locavi instantanus,” Gilbert incanted. “Show us where the juiciest flies in Vastia reside.”

  He released his hold on the stone. Suddenly it began to shake and quiver before sliding forward on its own, moving across the map. It stopped at a spot on the map labeled the Urenga Mudlands.

  “Huh, I’ve never even heard of that place,” Gilbert said.

  “I guess I know where you’ll be taking your next vacation,” Anura replied.

  “Flies never taste as good when you’re eating them alone.”

  “Is that an invitation?” Anura asked playfully.

  “That depends. Are you saying yes?”

  “What’s that you’re doing?” Aldwyn interrupted. “With the map.”

  “I’m locavating,” Gilbert replied. “It’s one of the knowledge-gathering skills written about in the Protocols of Divination. The Ocean Oracle said it’s a sister study of puddle viewing. All you need is a map and an orienteering stone. And a natural talent for seeing beyond the here and now.”

  “Gilbert, you’re telling me you have the ability to locate anything you ask for? Didn’t you think that was worth mentioning when I told you I still hadn’t found Yeardley?”

  “I guess I didn’t,” Gilbert said. “I can now see how that might have been important to you.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” Aldwyn asked.

  “Right!”

  Gilbert put the orienteering stone back on Bronzhaven. He focused his energy.