Valin quickly dropped his gaze apologetically.
“My Lady, I—” Then he was on the ground as well, covering his left eye with his hands.
Piper looked over her shoulder at the boys, her voice cool and calm. “There is a bush full of cadenceberries somewhere around. Why don’t you go look for them?”
Confused and slightly afraid, Jayson, Jack and Leo walked off in the direction of the wildflower patch, occasionally looking over their shoulders as they went.
Piper looked between the two men lying on the ground spread eagle before her. She spoke with the voice she had used when addressing the Dwarvik Council of Elders. She was so angry, she hardly noticed.
“We are here to confront Taraniz and to rescue my grandmother. Nothing more. Once my future has been established, I will decide where each of you stand in it, no one else. Until that time, both of you will continue this undertaking, focusing strictly on the task at hand, and taking care of Jayson, Jack and Leo. If you are unable to do so, then you will leave immediately. I am not asking you, I am commanding you. My words and orders are clear. Now, decide.”
Piper stood staring at the two for several long seconds. Valin still held a hand over his eye, and Dimitri would not even look at her. She meant to turn and walk away with great dignity and grace, much like she hoped a queen would. She turned, and found her way blocked by the boys who had returned with handfuls of berries.
“I tried to tell them, the birds weren’t eating those, so they must be poisonous,” said Leo, who was holding the cadenceberries she asked them to find. Jack and Jayson showed her their collection berries. They were a pale gray with a single black spot at the base of the stem.
“I thought I saw a bird eat one,” said Jayson defensively.
“There’s definitely more than enough to go around for all of us,” Jack replied, his face beaming.
Piper hung her head, trying to let a smile wash over her face. “Leo is correct,” she said softly. Jack and Jayson dropped the berries as though they were on fire, and wiped their hands on their shirts and jeans. “Those are black-eyed berries. One of the first symptoms of their poison is your pupils will dilate. You become sensitive to the light and your head begins to pound. Wash your hands thoroughly, and please pick as many of Leo’s berries as you can find.”
She heard Dimitri and Valin slowly move to their feet behind her, but she did not turn around.
“I want to leave soon,” she said loud enough Valin and Dimitri could hear her. “No fires. It could draw unwanted attention. We eat as we go, and rest only at night.”
Jayson, Jack and Leo nodded. They chanced glances behind her at Dimitri and Valin who held their heads in their hands and stumbled to their feet.
“You… wanna come pick berries with us?” Jayson asked Piper tentatively.
Piper nearly laughed. “Alright,” she chuckled, and followed them to the cadenceberry bush.
Piper walked at the head of the group using the compass Valin had packed to navigate. Jayson walked between Piper and Valin as Dimitri refused to have him anywhere but where he could see him. Valin remained silent as the party continued, except for an occasional warning against a low hanging tree limb or root along the way. He stumbled more than the rest of the party as his left eye was almost completely swollen shut. He had declined Piper’s offer for healing, insisting she needed to save her strength for the journey ahead of them.
That night, they found another cluster of trees to sleep in. These were much larger than the last ones they had rested in the night before. The trees here were so large and close together that only small spots of sun could break through the canopy, leaving the ground below rather barren. This had the added benefit of making the way more clear with less underbrush to hamper their way. But Jayson, Jack and Leo soon discovered why it was almost impossible to avoid the main road through the forest.
“It is how the Elven palace remains hidden,” Valin explained to Jack. “You are wandering through the Belirian Forest and the next thing you know, you’ve walked straight into the Royal Gardens!”
“Don’t they have some kind of outer walls, or a moat or something?” Leo asked, adjusting his glasses.
“Of course they do,” said Dimitri and sighed. “If it were so easy to get into the palace, do you think we would have the tabards?”
“In our world, we have trees that are thousands of feet tall, and hundreds of feet around!” said Jayson, throwing his arms wide.
“You mean sycamores?” Leo asked. “The tallest are about thirty feet around, Jayson, and only a hundred and twenty feet tall.” He paused. “Now, redwoods grow to about three hundred feet tall and are about seventy feet around.”
“Spoil sport,” Jayson whispered, and stuck his out tongue at Leo. “I wonder where the biggest one is.”
“The throne room of the palace,” said Piper. “It has been carved as the King’s throne and still grows a bit each year. Our scholars believe it was the first tree in Chartile, and it was where the ashes of the Great Phoenix fed life into the earth.” She smiled at Jayson as she came to walk beside him. She put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a small hug, her mood lightening as the forest darkened.
“Who’s the Great Phoenix?” Jack asked.
“Ssh!” said Dimitri, and they froze. A rustling in the distance made them stare wide eyed as they watched a bush sway and move. A fox jumped at a mouse hole, then scurried off after the little creature in an attempt at a before bed time snack. They exhaled the breath they hadn’t realized they were holding, smiling at each other before continuing.
“We are less than a day from the palace.” Dimitri cautioned them. “We must to be more careful.”
They nodded to each other, and did not speak for the rest of their trek that day. They walked in silence for only another hour or so, as darkness fell faster so deep in the forest. Once again, they could hardly see the person in front of them, and the tripping over roots and tree limbs began again at a steady increase.
“This is nuts,” Jack snapped and he fell face first onto the ground. Valin reached down and lifted Jack easily.
“Perhaps it is time to set in for the night,” Valin whispered.
They climbed as high as they could in the trees off the main path. They did not bother setting a watch, hoping to get as much sleep as possible before dawn. They tied themselves to the giant tree limbs, and settled in, their dreams turning as dark as the forest surrounding them.
It was still dark when Jayson woke to movement in the treetops above him. His unlucky encounters with trolls and then vampires had his heart pumping wildly the moment his eyes shot open. He reached for his bow, but a stone, or something hard, hit him on the head.
“Oh, I am so sorry, Jayson,” Piper whispered, climbing down beside him.
“It’s okay,” he whispered back to her. “What are you doing?”
“Just — going to water the bushes. That is what you boys call it, correct?” asked Piper tentatively.
Jayson blushed and was thankful Piper couldn’t see it in the darkness. “Right,” he said.
“Go back to sleep,” she murmured, and continued on down the tree. “I will come from the other side when I come back. I won’t wake you.”
Jayson shrugged, hugged his bow to his chest, and fell back into an uneasy slumber.
“Piper! Piper? Where are you?” a panicked voice called from the ground below. Jayson started awake again. It had seemed like only seconds before that he had closed his eyes. Spots of light filtered down through the tree tops, and the small clearing below was cast in a soft gray. He hurried down the tree ready to sting his bow.
When he reached the ground, Jayson was nearly knocked off his feet. Dimitri grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. “Where did she go? She was in the tree with you!” he screamed in Jayson’s face.
“I don’t know,” Jayson said, and his voice trembled. “She had to go to the bathroom. I went back to sleep, I—”
�
�You let her go alone?” said Valin from behind Dimitri.
Dimitri dropped Jayson, and turned to Valin. “Do not begin to act as though you care about her!” He raised his fist.
Valin caught his arm, and swung Dimitri around, twisting him at his shoulder. “Do not lay the blame with me, Dimitri. You started this by turn her against me!”
It took all three of them to pull Valin and Dimitri apart again.
“This isn’t helping us find her!” Leo finally shouted.
“She took the compass,” said Jack. “I checked all the packs.”
“She must have gone to the palace on her own,” said Jayson, and he released his grip on Dimitri’s arm.
“Why would she do that?” asked Leo. “I thought we were all in this together.” He looked sadly at Jack and Jayson, his face revealing the hurt they all felt.
“Some of us haven’t been very team oriented, lately,” said Jack, his arms crossed. He, Leo and Jayson turned to Valin and Dimitri, glaring fiercely.
“I may be able to track her,” said Dimitri more calmly.
“I can help more once we get a little closer to the palace.” Valin inhaled deeply. “I know my way around the areas within its walls.”
“Then let’s go as fast as we can,” said Leo. He grabbed his pack and straightened his glasses with a sniff. “She’s got several hours on us, but she couldn’t have moved that fast in the dark.”
They agreed, and headed out in the direction they had been travelling. For the first time, Valin and Dimitri worked together. They studied the ground and underbrush for traces of a human trail to follow, and consulted with each other as they went. Slowly, the surrounding area began to take on a faint gray look as the sun rose, which made looking for signs of a recent trail much easier. They were quiet, except when pointing out a foot print or broken branch. They didn’t know if the growing pit in their stomach was drawn from concern for Piper or the fear that they would be confronting Taraniz any moment.
Chapter Twenty-One
Shadows of the Past
The gleam of a spear point caught Piper’s eye. Sentries stationed mere yards away would have caught her had she not seen it. She flattened herself to the ground behind one of the many butterfly bushes the Elven palace was famous for. She was thankful she had extinguished the small flame she had created for light as soon as there was the faintest bit of sun for her to see by. It may have slowed her up a bit, having to squint at the tiny compass in her hand, but she didn’t care. Piper knew she had several hours on her companions and was not worried about them catching up to her. She knew they would discover she was missing soon enough and come after her, but she would already be in the castle by then.
Pangs of remorse ran in waves up and down her spine when she thought of them. She felt guilty for leaving them behind. She had promised the boys she would always be there for them, and worse, the last words she had spoken to Dimitri and Valin had been in anger. She clenched her jaw and pushed her feelings aside. This was her task to do. Gran was depending on her yet. And then there was Taraniz – her sister. She had to find her and speak with her. She had to know. She had so many questions.
The soldiers turned to speak to each other, and Piper reached into her pack, feeling around for the tabard. It wasn’t there. Panicked, she dared to sit up, and emptied the pack of its contents on the ground before her. She must have forgotten it in her haste when leaving the campsite. She glanced at the soldiers through the butterfly bush, wondering if she could sneak to the dungeons and work her way up through the palace from below. She had to chance it. It was the only way.
The magic she had once feared only weeks ago was now her greatest asset. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She shifted a tree limb several yards away, but the guards continued their conversation. Piper rolled her eyes, and flicked a small spark at a passing bird. It chirped and dropped the seed it had been carrying on one of the guards. This time, they looked up. Again, Piper made the tree limbs sway and rustle, and lifted several large stones, allowing them to fall to the earth again.
She had never been to the dungeons, even as a child, but she recalled the map she had studied in Valin’s library the day they left Cannondole. If she remembered correctly, the door she now faced led downward into the dungeons. The map had labeled only the perimeters and the inner gardens of the palace. Once she was inside, she was on her own.
The guards headed toward the sounds. She used compact balls of air to create the sound of footsteps hurrying away.
“Do you hear that?” one of the guards asked, looking in the direction of the sound.
Piper made a distant butterfly bush dance as though someone had hidden behind it.
The first guard looked at his comrade, who nodded. Their spears lowered, the two men slowly approached the bush. Piper took a deep breath and steadied her trembling hands. Silently, she moved behind them towards the door. Her hand touched the heavy iron latch. The guards were almost at the bush. She pressed the handle with her thumb, and it creaked with age. The door swung wide, pulled by gravity, and it creaked even louder.
The guards whipped around, their eyes wide with surprise.
“Stop!” one cried, and they charged her. Piper barely had time to pull her sword from its scabbard, but instinct over took her. She commanded the wind with ease, and knocked the two men to the ground.
They shook their heads, dazed, and the second guard cried, “It’s her! It’s her! Send the warning!”
The first guard glanced at a pile of kindling mixed with a blue powdered mineral that Piper had not noticed at first. It was a signal fire. It would send a cloud of colored smoke into the air. Taraniz had known all along she would come. Piper was closer to the kindling than the soldiers. She scattered and pile and rubbed it in the earth. One of the soldiers grabbed her, forcing her arms behind her back. Fire erupted from her hands at the guard’s waist and caught his gambeson ablaze. He jumped back, beating at the flames franticly. The other guard raised the butt of his spear toward Piper’s head, but she was faster.
She swung her sword, slicing the man through his stomach. She turned, and knocked her pommel hard into the still flaming soldier’s forehead. Both men fell to the ground, and the burning gambeson was smothered under the soldier’s weight.
Breathless, Piper dropped her sword. She felt sick. These were her soldiers. Men who would soon pledge themselves to protect her. And she had killed them. She had killed them for doing their job. She thought of Tathias and wondered if these men were at peace now that they were free from the magic she knew Taraniz was using on them.
Piper moved their bodies behind the butterfly bushes, tears pouring down her face. She wiped her eyes and hurried through the dungeon door.
The smell hit her in the face as hard as a kick in the gut. The stench of human waste and decay wafted up the stone steps from deep underground. Piper wondered how she hadn’t noticed it before. The dungeons were certainly not meant to be a place of luxury, but as she descended the stair, the unhealthy conditions of the prisoners loomed at her out of the shadows of the flickering torches lining the walls.
Some of the holding cells had only standing room. In one, a body lay at the door, its face covered by a ragged cloth. Piper knew he must be dead, placed there by his fellow cell mates, waiting to be taken by the guards. The young queen-to-be felt tears sting her eyes again. Whether from the odor or the heartbreak of the deplorable conditions, she did not know. She wiped them away, and began searching the ragged faces for Gran.
Eyes caught the torch light, looking her, then hiding again in the shadows. “Kaytah,” she whispered in the dark.
“New here, eh?” said a middle aged man to her left. He looked cleaner and more bright-eyed than most of the prisoners. “We don’t see many pretty faces among the guards here. What’s your name, lovey?” He leaned against the bars of the cell door, a smile on his face and playful mischief in his eyes.
Piper narrowed her eyes at him a moment, trying to read his intentions.
“I am looking for an elderly woman named Kaytah. She was brought here several weeks ago.”
The man frowned and shook his head. “I have been here for longer than that, lovey. No old ladies come through here.”
“You look rather well to do compared to the others,” Piper noted, a cold edge to her voice.
The man shrugged. “This ain’t my first time round, darlin’. I know the guards. Know who to bribe and who to take care of when I get out. Though ain’t no one getting outta here no more. They shove you in and throw away the key now. No more trials or hearings. No pardons or punishments. They just forget about you and drag out the bodies when you’re dead.”
Piper blinked at the man in disgust. “How is that possible? The Noble Conclave would never allow such a thing!”
“Ah!” The man smiled again. “Now I know you are an intruder! Everyone knows the nobles have no power anymore. The Princess tells them what to do, and they jump. The ones that stay the longest, ask how high.”
“What do you mean?” Piper pressed.
The man’s eyes darted back and forth. He looked over his shoulder at his cell mates huddled in the corners. He beckoned Piper closer. Reluctantly she obeyed, breathing through her mouth instead of her nose to keep her stomach from churning.
“They say she’s got magic on them,” he whispered.
Piper retreated a few steps away. “Has anyone seen proof of this?”
“No need, lovey. All the proof you need is right in front of all our noses. Aramor was stabbed in his bed. The cells are over flowing because of petty crimes. Princess Taraniz ain’t taking any chance of a rebellion against her.”
“If she has magic, then why doesn’t she just kill everyone who opposes her? Why keep you locked up?”
“Because the magic has driven her insane,” he whispered, tapping his head with a dirty finger and smiling.
There was a commotion to Piper’s right toward the entrance to the castle. She looked along the line of cells, hoping for a sign of escape.
Chartile: Prophecy Page 25