“She smells,” one man said binding her hands with a cord.
“Take her to the dungeons,” ordered the other man.
With her escort Sasha returned to the lightless basement.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Sasha struggled with her restraints, pulling against the ropes. As mystical as Tysseland was supposed to be, its devices were effective and rudimentary. Who needed handcuffs when there was rough twine?
Inadvertently Sasha had rubbed the skin raw around her wrists and made little change in the rope tightness. She was about to give up when she heard a whisper.
No, it wasn’t a whisper. It sounded more like, could it be, wind chimes? She inspected the cell to see where the noise was coming from. It was the same sweating stone walls she’d been staring at for at least an hour. It was hard to tell time when her watch seemed frozen.
She wondered if that was an effect of Tysseland that its time was different from her timeline. Wasn’t that something Dominic had said? She still hadn’t figured out where Tysseland existed. Was it a different universe? A parallel world?
The tinkling grew slightly louder and she concentrated on it to see if there was a pattern. It was hard to discern anything beyond the background noise in the prison. Periodically she’d hear footsteps go by her door, the jangling of keys, the rough yell of guards and the whimper of another prisoner being abused.
While a tiny part of Sasha was hoping for clemency from her grandmother, from what she’d heard she didn’t seem to have a sympathetic bone in her body. The queen had also been planning Sasha’s death for 17 years. She couldn’t see her giving up now.
While she brooded, the wind chimes got louder but she still couldn’t find the source. Then a light, no bigger than the head of a pin, zipped by her eye, almost landing in her eyebrows.
“Hey,” she yelped leaping backward. The light left her field of vision and then zoomed back. The speck was so small she had a hard time making it out. And then it grew bigger and bigger.
While the light swelled, so did the tinkle of the wind chimes. It still wasn’t much louder than a buzz in her ear.
She watched fascinated as the pinprick of light bulged into the shape of a tiny person. Sasha wasn’t sure if it was male or female. It seemed a bit androgynous. The figure was the size of a kidney bean. It had short blue hair cut close to its head. She couldn’t see its tiny features very well. It seemed to have eyes, she couldn’t tell which color. It had two arms and legs and was dressed in a lederhosen kind of getup.
The figure hovered by Sasha’s nose making her cross her eyes to see it. She waved her hand around her head to make it move away. It backed off but not by much.
“Who are you?” she said. She was incredibly curious. She’d never seen anything of higher intelligence this small.
The wind chimes noise halted when the figure came to rest on Sasha’s shoulder. She lifted her arm and the figure walked down to her elbow so she could see it better. She glimpsed wings on its back before it turned around to face her. What was this thing?
“I am Deal,” said a high pitched merry voice. Girl? She still couldn’t tell.
“Nice to meet you,” she said unsure. “I’m -.”
Before she could finish, it cut her off.
“I know who you are,” Deal said. “I’ve been following you since you arrived in Tysseland.”
“Wow,” she said. “Why have you been following me?”
Deal stepped off her arm and flew to between her eyes. When she shook her head, it backed off a few inches. The wind chimes were a low tinkle sound.
“Tysseland doesn’t get visitors very often,” Deal said.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “It lacks in the hospitality area. My mother could really teach these people a thing or two.”
“Willow Bean is well known here,” Deal said.
“How do you know Willow Bean is my mother,” Sasha said flabbergasted. Were there no secrets in Tysseland?
“You look just like her,” Deal said. Sasha didn’t believe it.
“I look nothing like her,” Sasha said stubbornly.
“Ok,” it said resigned. “I cast a spell to see your family origins.”
Sasha didn’t understand the spell but she believed it could be done. How else had Deal known?
“What can you tell me about her?” she said eagerly. She hadn’t fully digested what her mother told her. She’d said nothing about her life in Tysseland. Maybe she could find out some stories from her childhood that could help Sasha understand her mother.
Deal flew in a circle, not answering. It eventually came to rest on her arm.
“We don’t have time for that,” Deal said.
Deal’s dismissive tone pissed Sasha off. No one wanted to tell her anything. She almost died before her mother told her about the curse. How much more dangerous does it have to get before she could get answers?
“I’m about to die,” she said tersely. “I don’t mean to sound selfish, but what’s more important than that? You can reschedule your manicure.”
She couldn’t see the fine details of Deal’s face but it seemed stunned. Was it male or female? She still couldn’t tell. Its body had no curves like a female or masculine muscles like a man. Cripes, it wasn’t even human. Trying to figure out its sex seemed silly, so she gave up. He was rude like a man so that’s how she was going to think of it, him.
“What is a manicure?” Deal said.
Sasha snorted. Now who was wasting time?
“I want to know something about my mother, something that only you would know,” she said, suddenly desperate. Not because time was running out. She felt like this might be her only opportunity to discover something about her mother that she otherwise would never know. Sasha had always felt that her mother was a mysterious puzzle. She needed clues to figure her out.
Deal appeared conflicted. She thought he would refuse to answer her question.
“Your mother is very strong,” Deal said suddenly. She had to strain to hear him because he was talking so softly. “She might be too strong. That is why she left. She could have destroyed Tysseland. Instead she left so it could survive.”
Sasha frowned. What did that mean? She took her time responding. Deal’s description of her mother was perplexing. Willow Bean didn’t seem to be overly strong otherwise wouldn’t getting rid of the talisman be a priority? Sasha had to go to Dominic to find a way to Tysseland. No, Deal must be wrong. That just didn’t sound like her mother.
“She must be a different person now,” she said carefully. “She doesn’t seem that strong.”
Deal flew from side to side in front of her face.
“You don’t know your mother like I do,” he said. “She has done things, terrible things.”
Her curiosity peaked, she pushed him.
“Do tell.”
“My people are allies with Willow Bean but I wouldn’t call her a friend,” Deal said. “She is too much like her mother.”
“Can’t you be more specific than that?”
Deal circled Sasha in a lazy flying motion.
“Years ago we helped Willow Bean and Charles find a cache of precious metals,” Deal said. “They took the treasure without following through on the promise that was made to my people.”
“What are your people?”
“We are Horum,” Deal said as if Sasha knew what that meant. She made a motion with her hand for him to continue. “We are a small people. We have made ourselves very useful in the information exchange business.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I was told to,” Deal said settling on her arm again. “The Horum are very intuitive. They know change is coming to Tysseland. My masters thought it advantageous to help Willow Bean’s daughter, especially if Willow Bean becomes queen one day soon.”
Sasha stared at Deal incredulously. Willow Bean was going to be queen?
“I don’t think that will happen anytime soon,” Sasha said. “My mother doesn’t lik
e moving.”
“Now, can I tell you why I am here?” Deal said impatiently.
“Go ahead,” Sasha said. She wasn’t satisfied with the answers he gave her. It was exhausting talking to him. She felt very drained like when she used magic. Geez. Why hadn’t she used magic to untie the ropes? It was like her brain was frozen. Ignoring Deal, Sasha turned to the ropes and concentrated. It must have been obvious on her face because Deal flew between her eyes.
“Don’t bother,” he said in a high-pitched voice. “Your magic won’t work here. There is a spell over this chamber. Unless you know how to break the spell no one but Vania can use magic.”
Sasha slumped against the cold wall, broken, and slid to the floor. She was doomed unless Evan could find her. She couldn’t imagine he would. The castle was like a maze and she had no idea where she was.
“Ok, what did you want to tell me?”
Deal flew in front of her and blew into the air. A cloud of gold dust appeared above him.
“I thought you said magic couldn’t work in here,” she said, a bit whiny.
“Mine can,” he said. “Horum aren’t human.”
“Well then set me free,” she said scrambling to her feet.
This time she saw Deal shake its head.
“She would know it was me,” Deal said.
Sasha knew he meant Vania. He didn’t have to explain his fear of the queen’s revenge. She was a vindictive woman. The curse she put on Sasha was case in point. She stayed quiet as he flew into the gold cloud and moved particles around. She watched as lines formed into a picture. Finally she could tell it was a map.
“Wow,” she said impressed. “Pretty neat trick.”
Deal finished the picture and flew to the side. Indicating with his miniscule arm, he pointed to the largest room on the map.
“This is where they’ll bring you,” Deal said.
“How do you know this?”
Deal ignored her question and flew to a tiny room that seemed to be several floors beneath the basement on the other side of the map.
“This is where you want to go,” Deal said.
Since Deal was in the information business, Sasha figured he knew what she was seeking.
“Ok,” she said studying the map closely. “How do I get there?”
Deal got inside the map and then followed the hallways he drew that led to tiny room.
“The room is underneath her bed chamber,” he said. “It can be accessed from the sleeping quarters or from behind a statue in this hallway.”
Deal showed her where the statue was located.
“What does it look like?”
Deal described an ogre. It was a gigantic beast of at least 400 pounds. It was made of stone and couldn’t be moved the conventional way.
“Should we go through the bed chamber then?”
Deal shook his head.
“There will be many guards posted there.”
“If the ogre can’t be moved, how do we get in?”
Sasha knew she wasn’t going to like the answer when Deal gave her a sympathetic look.
“You have to slay the ogre.”
That sounded crazy. How can a stone ogre be killed?
“I don’t get it.”
“You have to wake the ogre,” Deal said. “And fight it to the death.”
Cold fear like a heavy stone sunk into the pit of her stomach. In addition to finding the talisman, she had to fight some vicious animal that was four times her weight.
“This isn’t going to work,” she said. “I think I should go through the bed chamber.”
Deal shook his head again.
“Trust me,” Deal said. “This is doable.”
There was a rustling noise at the door and the sound of rattling keys. Someone was going to open the door. Deal’s glow faded and grew smaller.
“No wait, don’t leave,” she hissed. “You haven’t told me how to kill a stone ogre.”
Deal shrank to a speck of light and didn’t respond. Great. If the curse didn’t kill her surely trying to save her own life would do her in.
“Is that all?” she asked just as Deal’s light disappeared and she couldn’t see him anymore. She was pretty sure he was a guy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The guards took her down a long stone corridor, up two flights of stairs and into a large room with drapes over the windows. The floors were white marble and the walls painted a sparkling gold. The room would probably be very bright if the floor-to-ceiling windows were exposed.
In the center of the room was a raised platform holding a large wooden throne-like chair and settee under a burgundy velvet canopy. The room was otherwise bare.
A woman who looked like an older version of Sasha’s mother sat on the throne. When she saw Sasha she rose and descended the three steps. Sasha stood and waited for the guards to drag her in front of the woman.
“Leave us,” the woman said. The guards left with no argument and Sasha wished they had stayed. Her legs felt like jelly and wobbled slightly when the men released her arms and left the room. Deep down she knew she wasn’t brave and her fear was vibrating on the surface. Her legs felt weak, sweat dotted her brow and there was a ringing in her ears distracting her from her task. She was facing death and had no clue how to save herself. The queen was the most powerful woman in the realm, maybe even in all worlds, and Sasha was going to battle her. The idea was so ridiculous Sasha almost laughed out loud. She felt a hysterical giggle rise up her throat and she swallowed desperate to smother it.
Sasha didn’t need introductions. The woman was obviously Queen Vania. Her black hair was pulled tight from her face and knotted at the nape of her neck. She wore a heavy dark green floor length velvet gown with pearls sewn into the bodice. She fit in with the medieval decor.
Sasha knew Tysseland wasn’t modern but until she saw the queen, she had no idea it dated back to the fifteenth century. The queen wore a golden crown encrusted with pearls on her head. She had heavy looking pearl earrings dangling from her earlobes and a pearl choker finished the ensemble. She was just like one of those evil Disney queens from the movies. For a second Sasha wondered if the queen was dressing up to scare her. The whole scenario seemed farfetched and out of a fairy tale. Then the queen spoke and Sasha knew she was for real.
“I never thought I’d meet you before you died,” the queen said circling around Sasha, inspecting her like she was a slave on the auction block. “How’s your mother?”
Her tone was pleasant, conversational. It was hard to see through her kind demeanor. Sasha wondered if the queen was using magic on her now.
“Are you mute?” She said this with a concerned tone. “Has something happened to your voice?”
Sasha felt compelled to answer even though in her head she was screaming to stay quiet.
“No,” she cleared her throat. “I’m not mute.”
“Well then, tell me about your mother,” the queen said, her voice now sounding a tad brittle. “Is she still married to that idiot Charles?”
Charles, who’s Charles? Deal mentioned Charles too. She frowned. Sasha’s father was Martin. She was going to have to ask her mother about this Charles guy if she ever survived.
“I don’t know a Charles,” she said, her thoughts becoming clearer as the queen’s voice turned nastier. Her grandmotherly façade was melting away and finally Sasha realized the queen couldn’t use magic on her because of the pendant. Maybe she was taken with her friendly greeting and needed her true self to come out to wake her up.
“That’s right,” she said with a sneer. “You came later.”
She was a making a point but Sasha didn’t get it.
“Did your mother tell you why I cursed you?”
Sasha shook her head.
“Have a seat,” she waved toward the settee. “It’s a long story.”
Sasha mounted the platform and gingerly sat down, staying alert.
“My husband died when Willow was a child,” the queen said. “He got
sick and like that,” she snapped her fingers, “he was dead.”
A goblet full of red wine appeared in her hand as she talked. She took a sip and set it down on a small table that she conjured with a flurry of her hand.
“Willow was weak. She spent too much time with her father. His influence was too strong. I had to put a stop to it.”
What was she saying? Did she kill her husband?
“Willow was to inherit the throne but was too young so I stepped in until she was old enough,” she said taking another sip of her wine. She was portraying herself as this benevolent mother doing her daughter a favor. Sasha knew this was false. Don’t forget the curse, she reminded herself. Dominic said she was evil and not to get wrapped up in the tale she was spinning. Sasha gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her negative feelings. It was hard.
“She was still too much like her father. I had to toughen her up,” the queen leaned forward breathing into Sasha’s face. “Do you understand? She needed to be strong to have the throne. We have too many enemies. Everyone wants our wealth and power. We had to protect it at all costs.”
The queen glanced away from Sasha toward one of the windows. There was no view because the drapes shut out all light.
“She was getting too soft,” the queen’s voice dropped. Sasha had to strain to hear her. “Everything I did was for her.”
The queen shook her head, lost in her memories of her missing daughter.
“She didn’t appreciate it. Only two hours before she was to meet her match, the man who I had arranged for her to marry, she leaves. She packs her bags and leaves like as if she had free will.”
The queen’s voice rose as she stoked her anger.
“None of us have a choice. It’s duty and honor and keeping the land safe. You can’t do that if you roam the countryside seeking adventure. Life in the castle is an adventure, I assure you.”
The queen was animated, talking with force.
“I am not known for my compassion,” she said. “I take pride in that. Soft-hearted royalty aren’t royalty for long. I’ve been queen for 40 years. Nobody has held power that long.”
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